“JOIN YOUR QUEEN NOW.”
Veer internally rolled his eyes at the newspaper headline barking at him from the cafe counter without his consent. If there was one thing he wanted less before making a morning cup of coffee, it was the idea of joining the national guard. He’d already overheard two officers talking to his boss about the shortage of armed forces, and the queen was expected to make an announcement by the end of the day proposing a new plan. But Veer wasn’t interested in her plans - or anything she said, for that matter. Right now, all that mattered was keeping his job - or else it was to the farms for him - or worse.
Of course, crotchety old Mrs Nahina wasn’t making his goals easy for him. She pointed at the newspaper article headline emphatically, peering at him from over her glasses.
“Boy, are you even listening to me?”