The marketplace. The most bustling place in the city, though mostly out of necessity rather than any other reason. Surprisingly, the governor-candidate standing in the center of the marketplace didn’t seem to attract a lot of attention. That was probably an effect of her being cooped up in that tower for this time.

  Adelyn looked around. The people here seemed to be passing by, trading food and goods. There weren’t many kids their age around though, as that was probably a measure due to the crime.

  “We probably look a bit weird,” Ed said. “I haven’t heard of a governor who has people our age for bodyguards.”

  “Aren’t kids crazy strong here though? Like us… and all of the people we met back at Pugna, and especially Cozy since she had to live on her own for a while,” Adelyn asked. With how strong some of the people their age are, and how common they seemed to be, it seemed like there wasn’t too much to worry about.

  “It’s different for every city,” Cozy said. “Lots of kids do get magical abilities but, in a city like Loura that’s focused on nurturing above all else then… it’s clear to see why we would stand out.”

  “That makes me wonder, what city do you come from, Ed? I don’t think we’ve ever talked about that,” Adelyn questioned.

  “We can talk about it later, but I don’t think it’s anything important. What’s more important is…”

  The four kids turned around to see Phiona walking around on her own, stopping by a nearby food stand and looking at the bread. She seemed to observe it closely, much to the confusion of the beleaguered merchant. The governor candidate then turned to him and asked a question. “Why… is the bread so expensive? From what I learned in… in economics… the supply shouldn’t be that… low…”

  “She’s still working on her stutter, but it’s getting better pretty fast. It’ll probably take a while for her to be able to speak without it, though,” Cozy observed, as they walked towards the stand.

  “You answered your own question, missy,” the disgruntled merchant groaned. “The damn supply is the issue. My last delivery of food got sabotaged by the bandits outside of the safe zone. I would really appreciate for all of this to blow over at this point, it’s a real pain in the neck.”

  “Oh. I… I see. I understand, then. As… as your future governor, I will do everything I can to alleviate your issue in the near future.”

  “You better become governor first,” the merchant said dismissively.

  Phiona nodded, turning back to the group. “It… seems like things are as bad… as I think they are.”

  “Yeah. That’s what the effect of no governor will do to a city,” Ed said.

  “It feels pretty awful to see the population so… cold. It’s a hard thing to put into words but…” Teddie muttered. “It’s like an ecosystem on its last legs. It makes me feel a little bit sad.”

  “And a lockdown… I wonder. Rumia is undergoing a similar lockdown, I wonder how her city is doing. I hope it’s not as bad as here,” Adelyn thought aloud.

  “Regardless, we have a lot of work to do,” Cozy clapped her hands. “And it all starts with you. Let's get some PR going!”

  “Are… are you sure this will work?” Phiona asked, as she stood on a decently large box. Ed had created a glowing microphone in her hands to give it to her.

  “There’s less people here than I would like but…” Cozy muttered.

  “As long as your voice is heard, you should be doing fine!” Adelyn encouraged.

  The governor-candidate seemed to look around nervously at the people around them. The standowners trying to get the attention of the passersby were also competing for the attention of the crowd.

  “I’d… recommend just…” Teddie said. “When I do concerts, I just think about the positive animals, and not the negative ones. I assume it’s the same for speaking?”

  “You want to make your case,” Cozy added. “But you can’t dwell on everyone. Just focus on trying to touch as many hearts as possible.”

  “And we’ll be able to deal with anybody that has a problem with that,” Ed said. “You just need to be you.”

  “Okay…”

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  Phiona stood on the box, holding the glowing microphone. She let out a cough, and then another, and then another.

  “Are you stalling— agh, ow…” Ed asked, before Adelyn politely hit him on the chest.

  “Give her time,” Adelyn said.

  After a few more coughs, Phiona leaned over to Cozy and whispered.

  “What should I say?”

  All four of them just stared at her for a few seconds as she waited kindly for an answer. Adelyn wasn’t sure on what exactly she should say, especially for a politician. She was used to giving speeches for Rumia and Mr. Svector, but this was an entirely different beast.

  “I don’t think we can help you with that, miss,” Teddie said. “When Mr. Bear and I talk to Mr. Lovebird, it’s… not about what you’re told.”

  “I suppose that would line up with what the previous Governor said as well,” Cozy said.

  “Mhm. You need to… understand love, in order to become the Governor of Love. And… you’re, uhm… the best person to understand that? Even more than us?”

  “O…Oh, I see…”

  Phiona stared at her microphone for a good long while. They had been standing here for way too long, without a single actual word said. People kept on passing them by, as the deafening silence filled the air.

  After some more waiting, Phiona finally brought the microphone up to her mouth and began to speak. The words that came out of her mouth were:

  “I love you all…”

  It wasn’t a grand declaration. It was quite weak, really. The words didn’t seem to grab much attention either, just a few passing glances as people continued on with their day. Phiona’s face turned red as she stepped off the box and immediately confided in the group.

  “What’s wrong?” Ed asked.

  “I… I can’t do it…” Phiona said, shaking. “Not… not today, at least.”

  Adelyn patted the girl on the back. “It’s okay. Doing speeches off the top of your head is hard. I don’t think we can help you with what is in your speech, but we can help you relax a bit.”

  “It should come to you naturally, at some point. At least, that’s what’s expected,” Teddie affirmed to her as well.

  “Yeah. We have time. Just need to get you in a good mindset. How about for the rest of the night, I’ll help you with your speech?”

  “Mhm…”

  Phiona nodded. “Thanks.”

  “Though,” Cozy put her hand on her chin. “If we’re your guards, then it would make sense for us to be able to stay around you during bedtime too, right?”

  “A-Ah? Uh, I’m… I mean it’s not like I would mind but—”

  “Hey, Cozy… are you sure this is…?” Adelyn asked.

  “I mean, it’s what makes the most sense. The other guards are there too, we’ll just be additions,” Cozy suggested. “I’m sure I can talk things out with Junice and Max if it comes to it.”

  “It’d be nice to stay in a luxury location, to be honest,” Ed said. “I’m down.”

  “I… I can set that up for you. It’s fine…. Especially… especially if Cozy is going to be… be helping me,” Phiona said.

  “Then it’s a deal!” Cozy gave a thumbs up. Then, her divine wings flared up in the middle of the marketplace, getting a few eyes on them. “We’re not walking up those stairs though.”

  The guest bedroom they were given in Phiona’s room was about ten times as nice as any inn they could have stayed in. The room was massive, and gave them a lot of space to relax. Cozy had managed to successfully negotiate with Junice and Max, and they were allowed to stay, though two guards stood outside of the bedroom door.

  Adelyn walked in with a stack of books in her hand. Some for pleasure-reading, but the main thing was a small leaflet at the top of the stack. Adelyn placed the books to the side and opened up the leaflet. Ed and Teddie, who were both resting in the room, leaned over her shoulder.

  “What’s this?” Ed asked.

  “It’s just Phiona’s schedule for tomorrow. I got it from Cozy. If we wake up as usual, we won’t be able to get her immediately, so it’s best that we do other things. I thought it’d be a good time to schedule.”

  “Hm…” Teddie thought. “The Lovebird wants to see me again. I think I’ll try and see it during that downtime.”

  “Are you sure you won’t get attacked by bandits again?” Ed asked.

  “I’ll… ask for stronger security. With her locked up in this tower, and Cozy being here… she should be able to count for a few missing guards,” Teddie responded. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Stay safe, Teddie,” Adelyn said. “Though speaking of the bandits… we don’t know a lot about them, do we?”

  “That’s a good idea for what you and I can do tomorrow,” Ed said. “Let’s try and look at the edges of the safezone, and maybe help out a bit. Knowing our enemy is the best way to help this city after all.”

  “Good idea, Ed,” Adelyn said. “We’ll see if we can meet that bandit leader again. Maybe there’s something we can do.”

  “That guy really was pathetic, though. I don’t know how he can be a leader,” Ed crossed his arms.

  “Small things can form together to make something big,” Teddie said. “I… I would also be careful, you two.”

  “If you’re fine then we’re fine,” Ed said. “That’s pretty much all that matters. Cozy will probably be staying with Phiona the entire time.”

  “Sounds like we have a plan, then,” Adelyn said. “Hopefully, the City of Love can get its heart back soon!”

  Edward scoffed at Adelyn’s poetic message. Teddie smiled. Either way, they knew that they were gonna be the ones to do something. Hopefully, it will be sooner, rather than later.