2
He’d messed up, Ezran was man enough to admit that. The fire getting out of hand was never his intention and now everything was going to hell in a handbasket.
Theo was pacing furiously as Logan, Sebastian and Julian screamed at each other, Callum had slipped out of the room a while ago with his communicator in hand, and Vesper reeked of distress which made his own stomach twist into knots.
Fuck, Vesper had just joined the server and he had already gotten him into trouble, why couldn’t he do anything right? It was supposed to just be a harmless prank, why did it have to go so wrong?
“You have no political backing Logan! You can not demand anything from L’manberg!” Sebastian snapped harshly which made Ezran focus back in on the argument at hand. He was admittedly a little surprised to see Sebastian defending them so passionately, perhaps some of Dawn’s protective instincts had rubbed off on the mercenary.
“They burned my house to the ground! I deserve some compensation!” Logan shot back which made Ezran’s hackles rise, a few blocks were burned it was easily repairable.
“Logan may not have political standing but he’s still a citizen of another kingdom that was technically targeted by a member of our cabinet, so we need to treat this delicately” Julian pointed out sharply which had Sebastian back down slightly while Theo let out an exhausted sigh.
“Then this is something that needs to be discussed with Briar, seeing as she’s the monarch of the Greater SMP” He said tiredly which earned him nods of agreement while Logan bristled slightly but remained silent.
“Way ahead of you” Callum remarked as he reentered the room followed by Briar and Dawn which made Ezran perk up slightly.
“What seems to be the issue, gentlemen?” Briar prompted though from her tone it was obvious she already knew what was going on.
“Those two burned my house to the ground!” Logan snapped as he pointed at Ezran and Vesper.
“It was a few blocks at best and it was just a mistake. Our intention was never to burn anything but a few netherrack blocks that I had placed as a prank but things got a little out of hand” Ezran explained while trying to reign in his temper, knowing it would only make things worse. The way Vesper had flinched at the raised voices had not made reigning his temper in easy but he had managed.
“It appears to me that this is a misunderstanding that has blown up to a ridiculous degree” Dawn drawled as she tilted her head slightly towards Logan and Ezran could practically feel the unimpressed look she was giving him.
“I don’t see why you're even here, this has nothing to do with you” Logan grumbled as he glared at Dawn who sniffed in disdain.
“I am the admin of the server any conflict amongst its people is my responsibility” Dawn replied carelessly.
“Isn’t that why you made her king? I don’t see why you both need to be here” Logan huffed as he shot a nasty look at Briar who didn’t react to his attitude.
Meanwhile, Ezran raised a slight eyebrow as he glanced between the three of them. He knew that there was some tension between Dawn and Logan after he sided with Gabriel but this was crazy and a glance around showed he wasn’t the only one surprised by Logan’s hostile attitude.
“Normally you’d be right. Briar is fully cable of handling disputes on her own after all and doesn’t need me butting in” Dawn replied as she came to stand next to Vesper who startled slightly when she placed a hand on his shoulder.
“But seeing as Vesper here is a new member of the server and has yet to formally join a faction I’ve taken it upon myself to stand in as his representative” She stated which made Vesper relax as a tentative smile appeared on his face.
“Fine” Logan huffed as he flopped back down into his seat that he had vacated to yell at Sebastian. Everyone else took this as a sigh to also take their seats with Briar and Dawn boxing Ezran and Vesper in between them protectively.
“How much damage was actually caused by the fires?” Briar asked as she looked at Theo who sat up a little straighter.
“Callum, the pictures please?” He requested and Callum reached into his inventory before presenting the picture to Briar who raised an eyebrow at the sight.
“Is this truly what you're making such a fuss about?” She asked as she glanced at Logan who bristled slightly before she returned her attention to Theo.
“I think this hardly calls for some grand trial or something. At most, I think these two should simply help fix the damages and then we can all move on if that works for you” She remarked as she gestured to Ezran and Vesper to which Theo nodded as a look of relief flashed across his eyes.
“That is reasonable” He agreed and while Ezran let out a small breath of relief Logan bristled back up in outrage.
“This is ridiculous! Ezran causes property damage all the time and all he ever gets is a slap on the wrist!” He snapped catching everyone's attention.
“This time might have just been a few blocks but what’s stopping him from doing something worse? Next thing you’ll know he’ll be releasing withers and blowing up nations just like his siblings” He hissed which made Ezran flinch while Dawn’s chair hit the ground as she rose to her feet.
“Stay in your lane, Logan!” She snapped but Logan just growled as he rose to his feet as well.
“Tell me I’m wrong! Ever since the three of them joined the server all they’ve done is cause problems and yet you our admin won’t do shit!” Logan snapped as his tail whipped around angrily.
“Logan” Sebastian said warning as he reached out to grab him but Logan just shook him off.
“No! She says any conflict between the people is her responsibility and yet she’s done nothing to punish Sally or Techno! They were able to destroy an entire nation single-handedly and this one is no better! Yet she won’t do a damn thing to keep him in his lane!” He shouted as he gestured to Ezran while his eyes flashed red.
Ezran felt paralyzed in place at the accusations only to blink in surprise when Dawn’s wings suddenly blocked him from Logan’s hateful gaze. He glanced up at her and saw that she was trembling slightly with repressed anger.
“You are out of line!” She hissed in a dangerously calm tone of voice that had even Logan back off slightly.
“I-” Logan began to say only to gasp in shock when Dawn reached out with lightning-fast reflexes and gripped the front of his shirt to pull him close.
“You do not get to threaten children just because you're angry at me! I am who you have a problem with not them! So either take it up with me or let it go but you will leave Ezran and the citizens of L’manberg alone!” She growled dangerously as steam rose from her mask making Logan gasp in shock.
“Dawn” Briar murmured as she placed her hand on the small of the blonde's back which had the desired effect of calming her down as she took a deep breath before shoving Logan away.
“Ezran and Vesper will assist in repairing your home as it is a punishment befitting the crime and in regards to Sally and Techno they will receive their punishments when the time comes but that is a matter between myself and President Theodore. Do I make myself clear?” Dawn asked coldly and Logan stared up at her from where he had been sent sprawling on the floor with a stunned expression before it morphed into a frustrated one.
“Fine” He huffed as he got to his feet before storming out of the meeting room, leaving stunned silence in his wake.
“That… was a lot more intense than I was expecting” Julian remarked as he broke the silence which made a few weak chuckles fill the room while Dawn groaned and tilted her head back in exhaustion.
“That’s going to be a future problem” She muttered bitterly as she rubbed the back of her neck before glancing at Theo.
“Sorry for taking over like that, I had intended to just be a mediator but that clearly didn’t work” She said apologetically as she glanced between him and Briar.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s clear Logan wasn’t going to listen to reason and it’s not like you undermined me or anything” Theo replied as he waved his hand dismissively to which Briar nodded in agreement.
“Your so fucking cool Dawn” Ezran gushed which made the older blonde chuckle as she reached over and patted his head.
“For the sake of my sanity, can you please stay out of trouble for a while Ez?” She asked to which Ezran gave her a sheepish smile.
“I’ll try?” He offered to which Dawn let out a fond huff as she patted his head once more.
“I’ll take it” Se muttered before turning to face Vesper who had a stunned expression on his face.
“Are you alright, Vesper?” She asked and he blinked up at her for a moment before nodding.
“Yeah, yeah I’m… I’m good. That was just… a lot” He confessed and Dawn hummed in understanding.
“Yeah, you’ll get used to it” She muttered as she leaned down to nuzzle his head without much thought. Vesper blinked a little in surprise at this but accepted it nonetheless only to let out a startled yelp when Dawn suddenly collapsed.
“Dawn!” Everyone shouted in alarm while Briar rushed forward to check on her only to curse slightly when she felt how hot her temperature was. Dawn didn’t get sick easily, a side effect of her admin blood. However, there was one thing that could led to her reaching these kinds of temperatures.
“She took scent blockers while being in preheat and her body is fitting against it” She explained which made the others either groan or wince in sympathy.
“We can set up a nest in one of the spare rooms here in the White House, it’ll be too dangerous getting her back to her cottage in this state” Theo offered softly and Briar nodded as she scooped the admin up in her arms.
“I’ll go get water and snacks” Callum said determinedly as he turned to leave only for a single question to freeze everyone in their places.
“Wait, Dawn, is an Omega?” Vesper questioned only to shrink in on himself when everyone’s attention suddenly snapped towards him.
“I’ll fill you in” Ezran said as he patted his shoulder sympathetically while the others got back to work.
This long day was about to get even longer.