[Ashia's View]

Messia helped me into my chair but then looked like she wanted something.

"What's wrong, Babe?" I said, letting the name slip out, but it felt right, and it made her smile.

"Since there is no one but Gamble up here, umm… do you think I could sit with you like you do with Miasma?" Messia asked in an uncharacteristically shy voice that shocked me.

It was like a blind had been just lifted, and I finally saw the woman that I dreamed that she would Bee. The shock of her words left me too shocked for words, and I could only nod as Messia came, crawling into my lap.

I took her into my arms and then rested Messia's head on my shoulders as I held her close for a moment. I felt a deep connection with her, and this moment with her asking me to have the same kind of relationship as Miasma was special to me because it was something I wanted from the beginning.

"What made you change your mind?" I asked as I stroked the soft brown hair on her head.

"You and I are sisters, or at least I thought we were. I asked Hilda discreetly, and she told me that you are a completely different breed of Bee that doesn't exist in this world. So, nothing that I know we aren't related to, I don't want to hold back the way I feel about you," Messia said as she cuddled into me.

I was currently reading error messages in my brain from the bomb that had just been dropped. It had landed inside my head and made a massive mess of my thoughts.

I had only thought about it for Riza, but not with any of the other girls. Oh my god, what must Messia have thought of me?!

I just took a deep breath in and let it out.

"I am sorry, I never even thought about it," I said, starting to apologize, but Messia turned her head to me and her eyes, stooping my words.

"I felt the same, so I was no better, but neither of us needs to worry about it," Messia said, and I leaned in with a hand on her face and kissed her passionately, both our tongues tangling.

My body filled with fire, and the rush of emotion welled inside of me, but I held onto her. We kissed, and the feeling of her tongue and lips was starting to make me feel sticky.

Slowly, the two of us pulled apart, and our long tongues stretched out until we were almost half a meter apart. Slowly, we both retracted our tongues, and the feeling of it was like nothing I had ever felt before.

"Holy Shit!" Gamble said, and we both turned to him, and Gamble turned away, apologizing. "Sorry, I just turned around… just how long is your tongue?"

Gamble was peeking around and then finally turned back to us. He looked embarrassed but curious at the same time, and I honestly had never done it as far as I just had with Messia.

"I'm not really sure. Let me see here... "I said and then closed my mouth and let my tongue snake out.

Sticking my tongue out was a weird experience, and Gamble had recorded it at eighty centimeters, which meant I could… no, I was not going there today.

"Okay, I need to get the updates done," I said as I tried to open the Ships Menu, but I only got a message.

Ugh, great, just another thing, but I could do this from the lower Hive Chamber in my chair there. I was sure that I would be called there sooner than later, so I needed to get to my bedroom fast and deal with Beezli.

"Messia, we need to go talk to Beezli. Can you take me there?" I asked her as she got up and then helped me up.

"Yes, your Royal chamber no longer has a lower entrance, and there is no Honey Gate there either. The lift stone is the only way in now," Messia explained as she led me over to a grey stone pad where there had once been a hole to fly up and down.

Even when my wings were fixed, it would keep me that much safer if someone did break in like the predators did. We both stepped on the platform, and there was a Levi-Stone in the center that Messia clicked, and it stayed down, and we started to lower slowly.

After we got off, I looked back at the platform.

"Will that stay down here until we get back on?" I asked Messia.

"It only goes up when I click the stone again," Messia explained to me, but now I a bit worried about the contraption.

"What happens if it goes up and we are down here? Is there any way to get back up after?" I asked.

"Um… no, I don't think so. Someone would have to send it back down to us," Messia said hesitantly, seeming to only be thinking about this little fact now, but it wasn't her fault.

"It's okay, and not your fault, but it is something that we will have to work on in the future—another thing to add to the mounting pile. You know, every time I get something accomplished, it feels like I gain more things that I need to do," I said, sighing, and Messia rubbed my arm and smiled warmly.

"I am here to help in any way that I can, and you know that," Messia said to me.

"I know that, and you do so much for me and everyone else already, but most of these things aren't things that you can take care of. There is Miku, who, like you, I have been giving the cold shoulder to because I didn't think that you liked me in the same ways as I did. Then there are the forgotten scans, all the evolutions, Leah and her special one, Hex combs, ship upgrades, and then the three races we will see. Last but at the top of the list is the Predators!" I said in exasperation.

Saying it out loud should have helped, but it only made the crushing feeling of all the responsibilities pile on more. I just wanted to relax and have a break, but there was no way that was happening in the next unforeseeable future.

Just then, Miku burst into the room by herself and looked troubled. Since Rixie wasn't with her, my nerves were stretched to their limits as I waited for her to catch her breath and speak.

"Come, the council members are arguing with each other, and it's getting pretty bad! They are fighting over what to do about the predator, so I think you should come quick. People are starting to gather around the Hive chamber, and they are starting to be drawn in and taking sides!" Miku explained when she had her breath but was out again after getting everything out.

I looked over at Messia, and she gave me a sad look, making my stomach drop. I couldn't leave this alone, but it was just putting off another thing that needed to get done.

"Okay, I am coming right now. Come Messia, let's go try and calm down the rabble," I said, walking back over to the pad with her.

Miku disappeared back into the shadows as we rose back into the air and up to the top Navigation floor. I didn't want to face this drama between the council, but I was the only one that could bring order, and it sounded like people were going to start getting physical with each other.

I wasn't sure if that was even possible, but I didn't want to take a chance. I did not want to have to send in guards to break up my own people, so that meant that I needed to get down there as soon as possible.

"Just don't get worked up; I can feel your stress, my love. If I can feel it, then so will everyone else, and that would be good for anyone," Messia said in a soothing voice, which did help calm me a bit.

"I just wish that they could talk like normal people. I just have so much to do, and being a referee for the councilors…" I said, with my voice trailing off.

"... Is your job as the Queen; they are there to sort through the problems, and you are there for the final say, or they will just do what they are doing now. None of them have the authority to make the decision on their own. You have to be there to do that," Messia explained to me, and I took a deep breath in and then let it out.

"Okay," I said as I took her hand, and we both walked through the Honey Gate.