Taking a few minutes after the screaming and pleading stopped from ihe Mill, the others trickled bato the room and stood quietly and gazed at one another questioningly. fusion and disbelief were clear iher's eyes, Sylvie made the first move and took her seat. “Friends, e now. Have a seat. Even with An gone, we still have the problem that he left behind.”
“Problem?” Daniel huffed and ran her hand nervously through her multi-colored blue and pink hair. “It’s a damned disaster.” She waved her arms impatiently, “Wasn’t that ent outside?”
pletely in agreement with the tiny vampire, Sylvie nodded and tinued, “I guess we o be a little formal so the other cils know that this area is being watched over now.”
Jester sat ba his seat and crossed his heavily inked arms and grunted incredulously, “Why the hell should I agree to this? I mean thanks to that asshole; I don’t even have a troupe to represent. What do I care of this pce has a fug cil.” He lightly beat his hand oable until the wood started crag. “Then, who would I put in charge of this debacle?” He poiraight at Sylvie. “It was you and Franco that got us in this position in the first pce.”
“You’re fug kidding me, right?” Casey quipped and grabbed Sylvie’s hand for support. “You obviously don’t know the whole story. The bme rests solely on Denise Crow…that crazy bitch.”
Rolling his eyes to look at the wooden ceiling, Jester was interrupted by Brienne. “I disagree, Miss Rivers.” She stood up so the others kneas speaking. “I know I don’t say much.” She plucked the earbud she was wearing out and calmly set it oable. “While it is true that given what we know, Miss Crow and her ilk did attack Phantasmagoria, the fact Phantasmagoria was built is why that whole attacked in the first pce.” Brienne looked around for support and had a few others nodding along. “We wouldn't be dealing with this mess now, or have lost an elder.” She bowed and then sat down and resumed listening to her podcast.
A sound of a little screwdriver hit the table and Kody looked up from their test project. “You knuing the past is going to do nothing.” They picked up their puter chip and studied it closely, looking for fws. “Franco had a vision based on what he believed in.” Kody shrugged and ran their hand through their messy hair. “I would really like to stop pg bme and find a solution before SHE es back.” Kody quickly turned in their seat when a metallic creak came from behind them. “I would prefer that no one cast doubt on Fran my presehank you.”
Kody a wide-fanged smile, Sylvie kissed Casey’s hand and resumed talking. “Kody, I fet all the time that Franco was your creator.” She looked at the others. “If you’d met Franco, you’d know that he was about as harmless as a vampire be.” Gng over to Kody, Sylvie noticed a thin smile appear on the normally stoic vampire. “Sorry, Kody.” Sylvie waited a few seds for the ior to shake their head and then resumed. “An was the real problem, aook care of that.” Sylvie tapped ohird-eye tattoo. “Might I suggest that we form a loose cil, without any real leader? We elee if it es to it, but we all seem reasonable.” Sylvie gnced her full-moon eyes over to the cartel leader. “Except you. I would prefer that you and your little army leave the area as soon as we are done.”
Adjusting his tie, Frank stood up. “I have no iion of staying in this pitiful city. It burn to the ground for all I care.” He cleared his throat. “I want to know how to deal with these shade-bastards.” He sed the room with his snakelike green eyes. “I’ll resolve our issues if you set foot in Rid.” Frank snorted and took his seat and leaned on his hand, getting quiet.
Waving off Frank's threat like it was meaningless, Sylvie finished speaking and added in her . “Kody is right, we don’t want Vivienne around for this.” She looked at Casey and smiled, “Because there is a good possibility, she’d do nothing to stop them.” Sitting quietly until she saw fearful looks ing from the others, Sylvie tinued. “In many ways, they want to exterminate us, which fits her basic philosophy.” Sylvie poi Amber, who was still lig her fingers with An’s blood dripping from them. “She’s a more extreme version of Amber up there.”
“Hey there.” Amber fidently spoke up a lig her fingers like a lollipop.
C his fad rubbing his temples Jester spoke again, “Yes, Sylvie…We all know who she is. I am quite certain that someo this table has lost someone important to them thanks to your best friend.” He snorted a looking down. “I’m with Kody, we please get to the shadewraiths?”
Whehers looked at Sylvie, she raised ohin eyebrow. “Alright.” She looked over at Casey for the same reassurahat her progeny needed a few minutes before.
“You got this babe.” Casey veyed with a wink.
-Why am I having a hot fsh? The delightful woman beside me, that’s how and why.-
Sighing lightly, Sylvie saw the half-smiles oher vampire's faces then shook off her thought. “First let me expin the portal.”
“What about it o be expined?” Nathaniel quipped and grabbed Brienne’s hand. “An ope, right? We just have to … what close it?”
g her hands like she raying, Sylvie waited for the young vampire to get quiet. “That is both true and false.” Sylvie stood up. “Maybe we should take a silent trip to the site, sihat is where we have to hold the line, so to speak.”
“You mean to go up to the portal?” Kynthia questioned with her red eyes pulsing with a hint of . “ we …how do we fight them, if they are all over the pce. She quickly ted the group in the room, and gave up. “Look. We are the only ohat made it.” Kynthia wiggled her fi Jester. “He’s lost two of his troupe within seds. What are the nine of us going to do against a lethal army?” She snorted when she heard Amber ughing. “Not everyone is built to kill, Miss Lane.” Kynthia growled. “You know what I mean. We hunt people that ’t fight us.” Shaking like a leaf, Kynthia sed the others with her finger. “Is there even enough bloodstoo take them on?” ting the boxes, she shook her head. “I don't think wasting our only resour a field trip that aplishes nothing is a fug waste.”
Sounds of sparking followed by the metallic st of solder, Kody gently blew on their chip and looked up at Sylvie. “Miss Hatterson has a point, Sylvie.” They set aside the CPU and circuit board then opeheir backpack. “We are safe ihanks to Twilight Tonight, so let’s hold that advantage.” Kody used his metallic-tipped fingers and fluidly put together a small drohat fit in their hand. “We use my iPad and observe safely.” They looked around the room and saw the fused looks, “I assume you all know wifi…” Without waiting for a response, Kody pricked their finger and applied blood into a small hole on top of the drone. “I use pretty muy kind of location device you’d like. Sht work best.”
