Second Best- An Empires S2 Applyfic

-Greetings And Warnings-

For future reference any text 'like this' is sign language, unless clarified otherwise

"Liz, sweetheart, can you please put the book down?" Liz shot a blank stare at her mother, who let out a somewhat exasperated sigh. "Come on, visiting Dawn is a great opportunity for you to meet some new people!"

'And what are the chances that they'll know sign language, hm?' Liz signed, raising one eyebrow with a skeptical expression.

"Well... you never know. Some people in Dawn are very well educated. Besides, your sister is socialising already!" The blue eyed girl gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes slightly at the mention of her older sister Adeline.

'Well, people don't have to know sign language to talk to her, Mother.' Her mother sighed.

"Well, I'm here to talk about a trade route with the leader of Dawn, so you might as well go socialise!" The woman walked away without giving Liz a chance to respond.

Great, great, fun, fun, fun- ohhh no, is that girl going near me- nope- leave- She slammed the book close with an annoyed expression as a girl walked over.

The girl had ginger hair that was neatly tied up, calm green eyes and pale freckles near her eyes. "Oh, hello! Are you False's daughter? Adeline?"

Liz glared at her. 'Liz. Not Adeline.' She vaguely hoped the girl might know sign language.

"Ohhhh, you're the mute one." Rude. "Liz, right? I know- a bit of sign language? Kinda?" The girl added thoughtfully. "I'm Kara."

'You know sign language? You? Really?' Liz tried to make a somewhat sarcastic face- it was hard to convey sarcasm through sign language.

"Yes. We are required to learn- basic sign language. In the courses I'm taking, anyway- they're optional, but how am I meant to be qualified to take my mother's place if I'm not well-educated?" Liz shrugged. At least she knows sign language...? I guess.

'Well, I suppose I have to converse with you now that you know even the tiniest bit of sign language. Mother will kill me if not.' Kara blinked, mildly confused.

"I- only got 'well I have to' from that. Like I said, very basic understanding of sign language." The ginger haired girl added awkwardly. "Sorry."

I see.

——

Kay slammed the chest shut, humming quietly to herself. Nobody's bought anything from my stall? Really? She glanced over her shoulder as she heard voices. Oh, it's Val and Raina.

Raina (a girl with blonde hair that had streaks of bright green dye) was leading Val, who was clutching a shulker box, over to one of the empty stalls. Val was quickly followed by a taller girl (seemingly a cow hybrid of some sort) who had long blonde hair with a ginger streak on either side of her face and blue eyes, who was carrying a shulker box under each arm.

Wait- aren't they the Sheriff's daughters? Why are- I mean, I understand Val, but isn't her sister a rule follower? Kay walked away from her stall, waving as Val and Raina looked up.

"Hey guys." The older girl exchanged a glance with Val.

"Oh- that's Kay. Her dad runs this place." Val added before turning to Kay. "Kay, this is my sister Melody." Melody waved as awkwardly as she could holding two shulker boxes.

"Nice to meet you, Melody. Like Val said, my dad runs this place and I've been coming here for years, so if you need help with anything... don't be afraid to ask, I guess." Kay added with a shrug.

Melody nodded slowly. "Rrrright. Got it." Oh, she's got a nice voice. Neat.

"Well, have fun you guys. I was just planning on leaving anyway- I think my dad has a meeting with one of your dads- the Sheriff? Maybe?" The girl with teal hair added thoughtfully.

Melody straightened slightly. "Wait, what?"

——

Jimmy rolled his eyes as Scott grinned. "Sheriff! What can I do for you?"

"You... arranged this meeting." The dark blonde said wryly. "I have to get back to Val and Melody, so make it quick."

"Those are your daughters, right?" Scott said curiously, and Jimmy nodded. You've literally met them before. "Neat. Well, I was thinking of... requesting an ally-ship of sorts." Oh? "Joel has been... pushing the boundaries lately. Far too many builds that are a little too far over the borders of Chromia. My land. I'm not saying it will turn into a war, but if things do go south..." Scott trailed off.

"I... don't think I can answer that here and now. I mean, I need a bit more information than that. Also, I'd probably need to talk to FWhip as well, see if anybody's approached him, and just kind of- think about whether it would benefit Tumble Town or the Goblands in any way." Scott pulled a face.

"How are the Goblands relevant? I asked you, not FWhip." Jimmy smiled wryly.

"I'm hardly going to agree to side with you if my husband has decided to side with Joel or something. Besides, if it's really that bad, get Pix or Sausage for like- a counselling session or something." The dark blonde added.

"I don't think that'll help. This has been going on for years, Jimmy. I'm just... this close-" Scott made a gesture with his hands. "-to like- being tipped over the edge and declaring war. I'd recommend picking the right side instead of being a coward."

"How do I know that the right side is yours?" Jimmy asked, one eyebrow raised, before sighing. "I can't just rush into fights anymore, Scott- those days are long gone. I have things and people that I need to take into consideration now. And so do you. So the fact that you're considering rushing into a war when you have so much to lose... says more about you than it does about me."

Scott glared at him quietly. "Fine. Have fun hiding in Tumble Town, 'brave and mighty' sheriff. Really gonna go down in the history books for that one, Jimmy. Maybe FWhip will be more reasonable."

Ooooo 👀

Also yay chapter two :)