— Hey! Let's eat! — It was Diana's voice.
Slezzy woke up from the dive in his memories, opening the barbecue afterwards.
Soon, a smell of burning flesh took the air.
— I think you thought too much, boy! — commented Haram, laughing.
— Shut up! — whispered Slezzy, seriously.
Slezzy put the pieces of meat on a large plate and walked to the house.
On the way, he noticed that Harvim beat Rainn very easily in that board game, with a lot of pieces and a much higher position.
— Hey, kids, you can already help yourselves! — warned Emmeline. She was wearing a stylish blue dress.
Slezzy greeted her with a kiss and then set out for the lunch table, carrying the plate with the roasted meats.
There were pots and delicacies scattered throughout the large table surrounded by six chairs. The details of the white—walled house were subtly pleasant.
The boys arrived and served their dishes, while Slezzy turned on the television that was on the central wall of the room, placing it on a news channel.
There was a large photo framed on one of the walls: a bearded, smiling man, who wore a beige—tone suit.
Harvim and Rainn went upstairs.
— Hey, little boys! Come have lunch with us! — proposed Emmeline.
— Emmy, leave them! — said Slezzy, smiling. — They are having fun!
The Sam Brothers watched the whole scene, both taking on the spiritual form.
Slezzy, Diana, and Emmeline served and sat down, with a favorable outlook on the television show.
On that screen, a reporter interviewed some of the protesters surrounding the streets of Maple City that day:
"We're all mourning all those hostages!" said an old woman. "All of them... killed by FMA weapons, without any second chance! Their lives... wrongly condemned! Is that what we have left of the military troops?"
A man with amorphous skin and curly hair approached the reporter, speaking into the microphone without at least being called in beforehand:
"Hey, you military guys! I always knew you never had a sense of justice! Since the day that this city was dominated by the most heinous crimes, the population has not had even a day of peace! Is this the solution? The first command from now on is to shoot without any investigation!? You are really a bunch of incompetents! Now I know that we are indeed lost! Where is our governor at these times? How will we accept this kind of security when..." The rest of the audio was censored by the live show.
Ahead, the newspaper's presenter took control, commenting on some facts of the controversial and recent Central Bank robbery:
"Despite the demonstration of the population in the last three days... for the lives of all the innocent people who died on the day of the assault, investigations continue. The institution of the Armed Forces determined from certain images caught... that this whole scheme, which resulted in the loss of approximately one million dollars, was commanded by the so—called "Crow", an unidentified person, currently recognized only by the title of leader of the Black Wing. I believe that, from now on, all two million seven hundred thousand inhabitants of our city are aware of the level that it has reached. Will we really... be indeed... dominated by all these criminal factions in the near future?
Diana took the remote and turned off the television:
— No more bad news for today!
The three finished their meals after a few minutes.
Next, Diana asked Emmeline:
— Emmy... you know as soon as I get a job, I'll take care of Rainn, right?
— Han... I know that, Diana... and I really appreciate it! — she answered, smiling. — But... I don't think I'm gonna get a job in my area anytime soon... the competition is too big. I never thought that dealing with the city's public relations was going to be something so complicated!
— I'm sure you will succeed! — commented Diana, confident. — What about you, Slezzy? How is your military career?
— Um... after my failed FMA training and... this whole Central Bank heist, I was temporarily removed from the NCC. Probably... military institutions will go through some change in the coming days.
Diana suddenly took a serious stance:
— Although my late husband has left enough... for the rest of my life and for Harvim, I want you to know that... you can always count on my...
Emmeline interrupted her by:
— No way, Diana! We know your intentions are the best, but we're not really in need of money! Rest assured! We're still gonna get through this, somehow! You don't have to worry!
Diana shook hands with Slezzy and Emmeline simultaneously for a few seconds. However, the moment was interrupted by the ringing of Slezzy's phone.
The boy removed the device from his pocket with his other hand. He received a phone call.
— How strange. It's Lieutenant Jan...
— You better answer it! — said Emmeline.
Slezzy got up from the table and headed towards the yard.
There, he answered the call and positioned the cell phone over his ear:
— Lieutenant?
"Good afternoon, Slezzy..." The Lieutenant had a serious voice.
— Good afternoon! Ah...
"Boy, I need you to visit me at Western Hospital" Jan interrupted him. "We need to have a talk. Things are about to change... abruptly."
— All right... — Before Slezzy could postpone his speech, the phone made a small noise. Jan had closed the call.