Sender: Senior VP’s office
Origin: ReginaPro, Minneapolis office
Received: 20 September, Sunday
Dear Mother and Father,
It was a delight to speak to you yesterday. Again, I apologize for the timing—it was an ugly enough hour even without taking the time difference into account, and despite your assurances to the contrary I do feel confident that we disturbed you at an inopportune time. Of course, I am sure you understand that I called on one of the few occasions when we were both available to make the transmission.
I can hardly overstate how busy I have kept myself since I arrived here! Between the business reorganization and planning for this wedding, my every waking hour is accounted for. I wish frequently for your advice and insights, but it is quite the learning process to manage so much on my own, and in conjuncture with my fiancé. Luckily, most organizations I deal with among the humans seem quite well-managed and efficient.
I miss you both terribly, but it won’t be long until the wedding and I look forward to seeing you then. It will be such a momentous experience—I am counting the days until the joyful event. Until then I remain
Yours only,
Da’arshlenne
(Embedded encrypted message reads:)
Mother, I saw how weakened Father was when we spoke. I hope he isn’t storing up an excess of his strength on my account. I chose to honor the betrothal with full knowledge of the dangers I might face from my future in-laws. Father knows full well that he cannot, cannot do anything traceable to help me. I know how protective he is, how it pains him to leave me to my own defenses, but he must—and I am far from helpless.
I fear saying too much, even here in secret, but I have discovered a tool that may very well be the key to our family’s survival and allow me to save this city from terrible destruction. I regret that my plan puts an innocent human at great risk—though a human whose ancestors share our lineage, at least. Using her stores of power (which are deeply buried but significant) will give me an advantage that might propel this conflict into my favor.
The ends justify the means—I remind myself of this constantly—but I worry terribly about the kind of person I am becoming, using such tactics.
I also fear my plan being discovered, for if any in my fiancé’s family suspect that I have found a way to foil their plans—indeed, if they even suspect that I am trying to work against them—so much more than our good name will be forfeit.
I fear, but you need not. I will not fail you.
Your only one.
(Continue to Brook's status update.)
