"A break would be lovely," she said, smiling slightly over at him. "But, unfortunately, my dad has been trying to get the whole family together, and ever since the bombings, he's been stressing it more and more. Any break I receive would have to go towards visiting them."
He glanced at her, his head tilting slightly. "Do you not want to see them?" he asked, a look of curiosity on his face.
"Oh, no," she said, shaking her head. "It's not that. I love seeing them. It's just..." She trailed off, slightly embarrassed, and then cleared her throat. "Well... would you be interested in coming with me to something like that? You can say no."
His words seemed to relax her and she grinned up at him as they came to the meeting room. "Lovely. That's assuming we can even get a break, though."
"We'll have to write on of those letters, or file for time off. I'm sure it'll get figured out," he said, opening the door.
"It will all be fine," she murmured as they stepped inside. (Do you want to take control of Owen and explain the next nation?)
(Yep!) Francis followed her in, taking a seat at his regular spot. Owen regarded them a nod, tapping his papers on the table to organize them. "Mr. Craw, Mrs. Abernathy. Good evening. We're terribly sorry for mishap that occurred during the last meeting. I assure you, it will not be happening again."
"We'll have overseers join you this time. They will be armed with concealed weapons, just in case," he said, his tone was informal. "You'll be heading to Celport, the country that leads in ammunition manufacturing. Once you get to the capital tomorrow, you will be meeting with their Prime Minister, Mrs. Irvine." He glanced down at his papers, before looking back up at them. "Luckily, she seems very open-minded and fair, so she will be able to clearly see your points."
"Oh, good," Poppy said cheerfully. "Is there anything else we need to know?" (Poppy's totally copying Francis.)
He scanned the sheet, tapping his chin. "Mrs. Irvine is an over-thinker. I believe that's the last thing you need to know," he said. "You will arrive there tomorrow at 5 o'clock for dinner. Dress formally, please. She would appreciate it." He stood up, placing the papers in a folders, when Francis spoke up. "Excuse me, forgive me if I come off as rude, but I believe these meetings to be a bit unnecessary when we can receive information over call or messaging. It would make it easier for everybody," he pointed out. Owen looked at him with an expressionless face. "It will be considered. You've best be on your way now." (He totally noticed.)
Poppy stood up quickly and pushed her chair in. "Thank you for your time," she said quietly before heading to the door.
They exited, and Poppy raised her arms in victory. "He said they'd consider it!" she exclaimed. "And I talked during a meeting! Double success!"
He smiled affectionately at her, the happiness was contagious. "Good job. I'm proud that you managed to say something."
"Thank you," she said, grinning at him. "Although I kinda stole your line in there. Sorry about that."
"I don't mind. Saying different things at meetings gets so unnecessary," he said, starting to walk back to the rooms. "Hm. At least we don't have that meeting tonight. This lets us start that thing to get time off."
