War Game

Tresni stared at the map stretched out onto the table before her. She had placed small figures and pawn on it to get an idea of the current frontlines and most important battles. There were rumours about the corrupt royals having joined their forces personally, but their location was of course uncertain. Tesni had marked several potential spots on her map.

Unlike her two best friends, she was very much invested in the war, but from the perspective on an outsider. She didn't favour one side over the other, not really. Queen Morgana certainly allowed or actively committed war crimes, that was common knowledge. But she had her doubts about the forces of the Verdant Kingdom. Of course they would not attack their own civilians, but Tesni suspected that some soldiers or even officers were enacting their revenge on their prisoner of war. It would be understandable, in a way. At least, that was a behaviour she knew from humans and Lockettes, and she was pretty sure she'd not be different either. Nobody who hurt her loved ones would get away with it!

She glanced up and looked at the TV screen, that looked so oddly displaced. Her place looked a lot like a fantasy villain's secret hideout, including a terribly tacky throne. Tesni didn't use it though, it was only used for decoration. Her scavenger had claimed it as hers, either nesting on the seat, or perching on the tall backrest. 

Despite Tesni's best effort, the TV refused to get as easily integrated as the new company. But right now, that wasn't important.

She compared the front lines shown on screen with those before her. That was an interesting move. She had not expected that something that bold would have worked. But her entire approach to the war was different. If it had been up to her, she'd use deception. Pretending to be volunteering, but weakening the army from within through sabotage and convincing soldiers to abandon their posts. Perhaps Dextroluma were too honest to think of something like that. Or simply because the eye thing made it harder to pull off something like that. The more she thought about it, the more logical this conclusion became. From a tactical standpoint, it was a pity. This form of infiltration would have made the war more interesting, and apparently none of the volunteering other species had dared to pull such a stunt either. Or perhaps it was still in progress? She'd have to wait and see. There was little else she could do anyway. Sedna and Styx didn't want to join (yet), and it was too risky to attempt all by herself. As confident as she was in her idea, Tesni was fully aware any mistake had the potential to be lethal. Plus, she had still no idea which side she should join.