Fantasy The Configuration - The Dygarian Mansion - Office - [CLOSED]

[mothspit]

You had the strange feeling you shouldn't be in here, but considering the fact these people kidnapped you and turned you into an oversized mosquito, you'd go wherever you damn well pleased! ..That is, if you weren't caught by Ajax himself. You shudder to think what sort of twisted game he'd come up with for your punishment. Ugh.

The office had little to show for it's purpose. A fireplace stood behind a solid, shiny wooden desk, accompanied by only the best computer money could buy. There didn't appear to be any kind of documents-- None that you could potentially use against the man himself-- Resting anywhere in plain sight. Though, you supposed that was to be expected. A powerful man like Ajax wouldn't just leave sensitive material like that laying around. Even the drawers on the desk were locked with a large silver padlock.

Covering nearly every wall of the room hung a collection of detailed oil portraits; All of people you didn't recognize, and some you did from the party. The paintings themselves looked incredibly old, with clothing and jewelry very much not from this era. A large portrait of Ajax hung on the wall in front of his desk, and surrounding him were four for other people you hadn't seen before. A young girl, perhaps the age of a teenager; A tall man with a salt and pepper beard; A beautiful woman with blonde hair; and a handsome man dressed in religious robes. Though they all stood together, none of them smiled-- Instead, they all wore the same look of silent contempt. At the bottom of the painting, engraved into it's metal trimming were the words "Strength in Numbers." You wondered what that could possibly mean.

On the opposite wall, there were a set of large wooden shutters, like the kind covering windows. In between they're dividers, there was some.. flickering light coming through, like that of a candle. You could see a painting behind those shutters, but it was mostly obstructed by them. What was in there..?

Foyer - Library - Kitchen​

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Lyra cautiously stepped inside and immediately admired the beautiful aesthetic of the place. Even though the furniture looked more vintage it was clear that Ajax still had the best modern technology with the fancy computer on his desk. Lyra had mixed feelings, she wanted to find out as much as she could and the best way to do that was to dig around for important documents or papers, anything that could indicate what sort of community it really was but at the same time she felt dirty about digging through Ajax's stuff, surely she would get in a lot of trouble for it. Instead she eyed the walls, there were many oil paintings along the walls and she liked to think that art told many stories. She'd look them over, recognizing some of the people in the paintings from the party downstairs. They were wearing older clothing but with them being vampires, it made sense. Some of these people must've been at least a couple centuries old, especially with how vampires were gifted with immortality.

Her eyes then set on the painting of Ajax and other four unique individuals. She immediately recognized the man with the salt and pepper beard, he was talking to Ajax downstairs in the foyer. She also believed that she saw the teenaged girl at some point or another, however she did not recognize the beautiful blonde woman nor the handsome man in religious robes. She then eyed the caption below the painting and whispered it to herself.

"Strength in numbers."

She wondered what that could've possibly meant. Maybe these were Ajax's closest friends or business partners? They certainly did not look very happy to be together in this painting. Then it dawned on her.. perhaps they were the leaders of this community. Was the man in the religious robes Adrian? Why would a vampire wear religious robes? This room was giving her more questions than answers. She then turned and looked at the opposite wall. There was an usual set of shutters, and it looked like light was coming out of it. She bent down and squinted her eyes to get a closer look... another painting was behind those shutters but she could hardly make out what it was. She scratched her head, now perplexed by the strange art piece that was covered. She debated hard on whether she should open them or not but finally came to the conclusion that she wanted to, it was probably harmless right? She carefully then pulled the shutters open to see what was behind them.

 

[mothspit]

There, a cutout of the wall had been extensively decorated-- It was a shrine. Small, over-melted candles sat flickering alongside fresh rose petals. Jewels and precious trinkets lay scattered about the base of a glass altar. On the wall behind it, the portrait that Lyra had seen. It was of a beautiful woman, pale skin and hands neatly folded on one another. She wore an elegant red dress, with black hair tied up neatly in a bun. Though she smiled, there was a certain.. sadness to her face, one that was hard to discern right away. Namely because the eyes of the portrait had been scratched away haphazardly, revealing the white canvas underneath. It looked equally as old as the others, with clothing and jewelry from many years ago. The varnish of the painting had yellowed considerably, giving it a dulled, muddled appearance. There was a wooden plaque hanging on the front of the altar, with a series of words written in what appeared to be Latin:

Oculis Ardentibus Iudicii
Translation: Eyes of Burning Judgement​

The closer that one examined this odd shrine, the more details seemed to stand out. Little drops of dried blood scattered about, a gleaming silver knife, and something much more telling on the trimming of the painting: The Valley Priestess.

She didn't look like anyone Lyra might have seen from the party, so then.. who was she? Why did Ajax have this morbid shrine dedicated to her? It almost looked like he would pray here, judging by the altar and small red pillow at it's base. But then again, what sort of prayer requires a big knife like that..? The sight was.. unsettling to say the least.

SapphireSkylines

 

[shadowz1995]

It wasn't a very long walk to the office. Now, Hector hadn't intentionally come up there. If he was being perfectly honest, he was completely lost. He had traversed through the Foyer without much care for interaction or traffic. He stood a whole foot above most people there and those that didn't move, he moved, which was thankfully only one or two high browed vamps who thought themselves fancy and superior to the man underdressed for the occasion.

The Venezuelan's ears picked up a whisper but not the content of the words in one of the rooms nearby on the second floor. Morbid curiosity got the better of him and he peeked inside only to find Lyra standing around lost in her own curiosity. For a big man, Hector knew how to move quietly and he didn't move until he was sure she wasn't up to anything. Sure, Lyra seemed nice, but her earlier interactions with Ajax made the boxer wary of her.

After some time, Hector walked in with solid footsteps announcing his entrance. His eyes swept across the room, taking in everything hers had in its full glory. He brought the bottle to his lips for a swig before wiping his lips clean and focusing on the woman,"It doesn't look like you were invited here, Niña."

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Lyra would speak in a softer voice that wasn't a whisper yet wasn't a normal speaking voice, perhaps she was being quiet to not alert anyone else to the room. "I know, I wasn't... but look at this.. isn't this office strange? All these oil paintings of people at the party, they've been alive for centuries. And this shrine down here." she'd gesture to the painting of the woman and the shrine surrounding it that she had just discovered. "It's almost like... Ajax has a love/hate relationship with her. He has this shrine dedicated to her, yet her eyes are ripped out and there's some morbid objects surrounding her... maybe she's like their goddess or something? It's crazy, right?"

She then eyed the latin words and translated it with ease. She took a few latin classes back in college and actually spoke it fluently. It was a neat skill, but it didn't prove to be a useful one since it was a dead language, at least not until now. She'd say the translation so Hector could hear.

"Eyes of burning judgement... that's what it says. Valley priestess... no name, just valley priestess.."

She sighed and shook her head, she knew this was going to bother her for the next few days. "You're right, we should get out of here. Ajax might make us play some other sick game if he catches us in here." Lyra would close the shrine shutters and attempted to put it back to how it was before she got there.

 

[shadowz1995]

While it was true that everything here was.... strange to say the least, there was also one undeniable truth. "Yes. It's true this place is rather strange but how can we tell the difference between strange for normal society and strange for vampire society. We have been in this world for all of.... an hour? Already, we were forced as judge, jury, and executioner."

"I'm not sure we can trust our sense of... normal....ness."

The big man stood aside as she went about to setting the room back to its original state. After all, Hector had no idea how it looked prior to entry. So, he merely watched and took occasional swigs of the big bottle he was carrying around with him.

Now, it could just be the alcohol talking but Hector found it necessary to drop his warning to the young woman, " Listen Niña.... I dont know what kind of game you are trying to play with that man, but as your senior in life, I suggest you stop."

SapphireSkylines

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Lyra would silently listen to Hector as she gestured for him to follow her out of the office and into the hallway just outside of the office. Once they were both out she would respond, but would still talk quietly to ensure that it was hard for anyone to listen in. "I thank you for your concern, but if there's any way I can get our group of newbloods on the good side of Ajax then maybe we'd stand a chance in this place. Don't worry, I don't have real feelings for him, especially after what he put us through." she'd sigh and look down at the floor.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure what our future holds, and that's scary to me. When I was alive, for the most part I had a plan.. now I have none. My previous ambitions and goals? They no longer matter now. But there is something that does matter to me, our group, even though I just met everyone a hour ago. What will make me happy is if I'm able to help them even if I die trying because I have nothing left."

"My whole world view has been shattered. As hard as I want to believe that there is a god, that there is a meaning in all of this.. how could there be? I'm trying to think of this as... maybe a challenge, that after my many years of having a good life, that I'm given something difficult that will change me for the better. But... how is this supposed to change me for the better? This mansion, these events... have all been like hell. Maybe in a way, we are in hell." Lyra had a sorrowful yet straight expression on her face. It was clear she was battling some demons, like the rest of the newbloods were, just different demons and different battles than her as they reacted to recent events.

shadowz1995

 

[shadowz1995]

Hector listened quietly with his usual stoic, stone-like expression but one could tell he was pensive. He considered the girl's words more than most would. As a man well beyond his prime, and practically drowning his past sins, Hector was a God fearing man. When he wasn't being beaten or mistreated by family or enemies alike, he was told the stories in the holy books.

Hector was a sinner and he regretted nothing but at the very least he was self-aware.

The Venezuelan began to respond in spanish but quickly recovered, clearing his throat and starting again in english, "My people or... culture have a saying. El Señor... uhh.. Dios.... God. He protects the weak, sick, elderly and feeble in his flock. For he loves all of his children. It is to his strongest that he gives challenges, so that they can become...." Hector swished the liquid around in the bottle as he searched for the word and he finally found it, "Enlightened. Powerful."

"That is what is said. I don't know if it's true but they are comforting words when times are hard. Though, in the end, they are only words. In reality, you find whatever gives you strength and courage, and hold on to it. If that is God or something else."


"It's not something a man like me has the answers to. I can barely keep My Head above the hell water."


SapphireSkylines

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Lyra nodded thoughtfully. "I was raised Catholic so we had a similar belief... I guess I got to figure out what gives me strength, whether it's god or not. I don't know what you did in the past but you killed that guy out of survival, unfortunately there was nothing you could've done about it, unless you wanted to risk uncertain punishment or death by our new overlord." Lyra eyed Hector's bottle curiously. "Is that wine or blood and if it's wine, where did you find it? I could use a drink."

Lyra looked around a bit. Down the hall was an open entry way and downstairs was the kitchen. The kitchen seemed like a surefire place for alcohol, but maybe this mansion had a bar somewhere. Why wouldn't it have a bar? The place was huge. "Maybe there's a bar somewhere... with moscato, or maybe a flavored malt drink." It was clear in that moment that Lyra... was a basic bitch. Her preferred choice of alcohol was not beer, not heavy liquor, but a sissy malt drink or a sweet wine. Either she really didn't like the taste of heavy alcohol, she avoided it due to having a low tolerance, or both.

Either way, she had to have some. Tonight was rough, she witnessed someone getting killed for the first time, and she was taken from everything that she knew. She was getting krunk and if it was going to be like a sad basic co-ed, that was how it was going to be.

 

[shadowz1995]

Hector never had the luxury of getting involved with flavorful, fruity drinks so the names she utterer fell on deaf ears for the most part. That being said, Hector knew how to answer her question, "I got this from the kitchen but I know there is a bar in the library I think. Inside of it or through it. I'm not sure. I'm fairly sure I caught a peek of it through here"

(lets just post up in the bar now. Short post just to get the transition up)
SapphireSkylines

 

[Vampunk]

Once Florence told her where the blood circulating this evening had been coming from, Tess would find her glare wandering over to the pale-faced servants and back to her maker, the arch of her eyebrow raised in response.
"Well, note to self; always make sure where the stuff you've been drinking came from." The fledgling vampire would muse as she'd give the human marionettes one last glance before a soft chuckle would escape her dry lips.
"Damn, and I thought living with rabbits and having 'em be butchered for dinner was sick when I was little. Now this, this is several times weirder than that." Everything but fond memories of her childhood resurfacing as Tess would remember those earlier days she had spent as a human, and how she had loathed it and tried her hardest to just escape that life as fast as she possibly could. Which had lead her into one scummy employer's service after the other, having her run the lowest of errands just to get her hands on some hard earned cash...and use it all up trying to find something more profitable.

If it had been coincidence, a twist or fate or just morbid luck, it seemed like she had finally made it...The cost hadn't even been some meager dollars and a half empty bottle of cheap booze.
No, it was something she didn't even know she could have given up in pursuit of loftier ventures:
Her humanity.

Florence introducing her to different notions of feeding, one that was beyond necessity but was rather something to indulge oneself if one sought different thrills than simply sating one's thirst for mortal blood, made Tess' ears perk up as she'd let her dark eyes fly over her maker's attempts at getting into someone's pants...Not in the kind of way that she had the misfortune to experience in the past....
And for what seemed like the first time this fateful night a genuine smile would come spread over Tess' visage, her thin lips parting to reveal her pearly ivories.
"Oh, so that's why you've been giving off this grumpy vibe all night. Trying to get some poor sod to sink your fangs in, eh? Guess that's why everyone's been saying that online dating bloody sucks, huh?" The Serbian smuggler would remark with a crooked grin, allowing herself a quick laugh at her maker's expense as with every second she spent in Florence's vicinity a dozen more questions seemed to wait on the tip of her tongue.

"Like, uh, how do you even go about cleaning up after you're done? Seems it'd be kind of a hassle, no?" The vampire would ask, poising a finger to her chin as she thought about how the bloody hell something like a quick "snack" would work out for her...kin? It always seemed easy in vampire movies but Tess doubted it'd be anywhere near that kind of exaggerated eroticism and romanticized monsters found in fiction."
Shaking her head to cast away those thoughts, she'd raise a hand.
"Forget I asked, It's dumb."

But before they could dwell on what other awkward questions Tess could come up with, Florence seemed to approve of her apparent enthusiasm about how to actually rise up in this new family of hers. Chuckling awkwardly as she felt Florence's arm wrap around her shoulder and give her a quick shake, the Serbian unused to this sudden chummy attitude coming from her maker, Tess would brush a strand of dark hair out of her face.
"Ahem...yeah, let's do that. Don't think those guys would be eavesdropping but I do guess it's awkward having 'em hang around when discussing these kinds of matters, huh?" The fledgling vampire would remark as she'd gesture over the enthralled humans, whispering her last few words in a playful manner before deciding to head for the office.

Making their way to Ajax's office, Tess would allow her gaze to wander as she let go of an impressed whistle.
"Damn, the guy certainly knows how to make a room look...like a bloody family crypt. Jesus." Tess would mumble, finding several oil paintings depicting visages she'd rather not find underneath her bed, if she was still supposed to use a bed at this point, and not a goddamn coffin.
"So, what were you dying to tell me, oh maker mine."

mothspit

 

[mothspit]

The walk towards the upstairs office was one Florence tried to make discretely as possible, avoiding any eye contact of passing servants or guests. Technically AJax's office was off-limits but hey, what the old man doesn't know wont kill him, right? Besides, he was busy playing up his professional facade in front of his vampiric family. The image is what mattered to him. Not a low-level dockhand and her pun-spouting friend. They'd have enough time alone, if only for a short conversation.

"Do you do this a lot?" She grunted in a hushed tone, "Are you sure Ramona didn't order the hit because you joked about the hitmans shoes or something?"

She quickly shut the door behind them, drinking in the same portraits Tess mentioned. When she made another joke about trying to score a date, Florence pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a frustrated sigh, "Jesus, we don't kill them. I mean, I don't anyway. You just drink a little and then be on your way."

She'd been in this room a few times, whenever he wanted to discuss trade agreements or exporting at the dock, but it still creeped her out. Florence jabbed a finger at the blonde woman in the picture behind Ajax's desk.

"See her? That's Ramona. Say hi to your grandmother."

Florence took a spot against the desk, her arms crossed and her expression curious. As her eyes narrowed, she wondered if what she about to say was worth it. There was a reason Ramona didn't get involved in AJax's affairs, and she was very vocal about that reason. Hell, for the better part of nearly a hundred years the woman couldn't seem to ever shut up. But now.. now she was doing something about it. An army was assembling overseas, and she needed footing in home territory. What better opportunity to recruit than a night of welcoming, filled with begrudgen vampires looking for a purpose? And what better purpose than to get back at the jackass who is responsible?

"Listen to me. What I'm about to tell you can't leave this.. fucking creepy room, got it?"

Vampunk

 

[Vampunk]

"I sure hope not." Tess mused at Florence seemingly growing annoyed with the Serbian being unable to keep her tongue in check for more than a second, the dark-haired woman shrugging in response as she adjusted her elegant purple waistcoat. The clothing still not exactly matching the tone in which the fledgling vampire spoke. "If that were the case I doubt I'd make it any longer than two seconds in this kind of company. Guess not everyone shares my oh so exquisite sense of humour." Tess continued, raising a response as a smirk that was way too smug than it had any right to be accented her thin lips.

"Hey now, I didn't get that kind of Vamp ED after you turned me. Can't blame a girl for at least asking about that sort of thing. Besides, I think it's at least a bit awkward leaving someone with a pair of bite marks the next day and not expect them to at least call you back to ask what the hell happened the last night." Letting go of a faint chuckle, Tess would throw her maker an innocent glance. She didn't deem it possible but she was growing to enjoy the night more than she had thought. A few hours ago it had almost felt like she, and all her fellow fledglings, would not make it through the night, but now after the initial shock, and having come to realize that she was not going to be pushing the same job she had been forced to do for most her mortal life, Tess felt like she might even like being a bloody vampire.

Turning around to see what Florence had pointed at, the Serbian would come to find the portrait of a rather attractive, blonde woman who didn't have any right to look as alluring as she did surrounded by the paintings of vampires that looked a lot meaner and frankly, rather intimidating.
"Damn, she does not really look like the grandmother type to me, huh?" Tess would mumble, her eyes coming to find Florence as she was leaning against the office's large desk.

"But I guess that comes with being a vampire. Eternal youth and never having to wake up looking like shit, eh? This whole living a mortal life thing is starting to seem more and more overrated by the second."
Words she hadn't thought to ever mutter. It always had seemed like it was just one life she got. One chance to succeed and make the best out of it, filling it with what joy she could find. But now, with what looked like eternity just waiting to be lived, Tess would find herself already thinking about how she could fill those countless years with memories worthwhile....No more running errands for people who probably already forgot she existed, everyone she had ever worked with might already be over her not having showed up the next morning. Hell, some bloody fool might have been happy that her position had been made available so soon after she had taken on higher-paying jobs.
And for the briefest of moments, Tess felt something resembling contempt....

Just for Florence to drag her back into the present as Tess would rest her hands on her hips, her dark eyes finding her maker's own as she very clearly pointed out that what she was about to tell her was not meant for anyone else to hear.
She had been through the same procedure countless times in her mortal life, but this very first time it felt like there was something worthwhile in it for her to keep her mouth shut...and reap in the rewards for loyalty, as it seemed to actually be worth a damn to the bloodsuckers...Ironic.

"Seems we're actually on the same page here on two matters; One: That this room's so bloody creepy, you might make a fortune using it as a film set for every horror movie out there..." Tess' usual snarky attitude wavering as her wide, ivory-fanged grin slimmed down into a faint smile...
"And that this is going to be between you and me. I might have a loose tongue, but only when it comes to getting under people's skin. I know how to separate jest from business, I wouldn't have made it so...far...in my mortal life without it."

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Tess stepped closer to Florence.
"So, I'm dying to hear what you got to say."
mothspit

 

[mothspit]

Florence pursed her lips in thought. There was no telling how trustworthy Tess would be. And to be fair, she supposed there was no reason to trust her, or what she was about to say, either. They would both have to take each other up on good faith. If faith even existed in a place like this.

The woman leaned over and plucked a cigar from a box of cigars resting on Ajax's desk. It looked expensive, probably Cuban. She held it up in the air to turn it over in the light, examining the quality. Instead of lighting it up, she tucked it into the pocket of her jacket. Hey, what happens in here, stays in here, right? The old man wouldn't miss it.

"It's really not that difficult if you know where to bite," She shrugged, "Miasma helps with that, too."

She turned back to look at Ramona in the painting, "Yeah, she uh.. doesn't come around much anymore. Her and Ajax have a history." She made air quotes around the word 'history,' implying that the nature of their relationship was most likely romantic. Go figure.

"That's kinda what this is about. It's no secret Ajax likes women-- You saw that with your friends up there on stage. A long time ago, he betrayed Ramona."

Florence paused, as if she were remembering something. It had been a long time since these memories we're drudged up. Truthfully, the word 'betrayal' was a bit dishonest. Ajax was seeing Ramona, and Florence was seeing.. someone. Someone she preferred not to name, as if saying it would speak then back into existence. Someone she loved, who was growing too powerful for their own good. And when they died, Ramona found out about all Ajax had been hiding from her. Including an affair that not even the other woman knew about.

"..He was seeing two women at once, including Ramona," She said finally, her tone and expression becoming deadly serious, "When.. the other woman.. died, that's when she found out. Needless to say, she was pretty pissed. Took all the kids and moved away, vowed revenge one day.."

Florence remembered that day. It was so long ago, well over a hundred years, but she looked back on it as if it were only yesterday. Things were broken, curses and slurs thrown at each other.. it was quite possibly one of the worst days of her life. Even more so when Ramona revealed she wanted Florence to stay in the valley as an informant for the dock, alone. Talk about abandonment issues.

Florence reached up to rub her forehead, "If you ask me, it's a bit petty, but nobody likes Ajax. With that in mind.. Ramona is looking to overthrow the current Commander in Chief."

She didn't waste another second. Florence thrust out an open palm.

"So. Are you in, or are you out?"

Vampunk

 

[Vampunk]

Unable to keep the corners of her mouth from curling into an amused smile at Florence helping herself to someone else's smokes, Tess would ponder whether she'd have to keep tabs on all her belongings from now on or get herself some black marker to put her name on everything.

But what little amusement she had gotten out of her maker's utter disregard for other people's stuff faded as Florence would come to tell her of what seemed like centuries of bad blood between her supposed "grandmother" and this night's host, Ajax. Her already poor opinion of the man only getting worse as the older vampire would tell her of the Dygarian's vices.
"Damn, I'm so glad I'm probably not his type. Can't say the same thing about the rest of those who I got to share the stage with." Tess would mumble, her fingernails brushing through the stubbly short hair adorning the sides of her head.

Revenge, now that was something that seemed like the logical answer to Ajax's past dealings, but for the Serbian smuggler it was not something she had ever put a lot of value in.
Holding grudges seemed like a poor way to waste what little time she had left in life, but now, with eternity stretching out before her like a starry sky the concept seemed not too bad to keep oneself from losing touch with reality.
Besides, she did not dare fathom what was going on in those elder bloodsucker's heads, and what part their pawns would have to play.

Following Florence's tale, Tess' train of thought came to the logical conclusion of Ramona probably going to act upon those feelings of betrayal that had made her leave the valley and carve out her own empire overseas.
Where a lowly smuggler had been turned during a failed raid on one of her ports.

And as her maker put it oh so bluntly, her fledgling vampire would let go of a soft chuckle, brushing a strand of dark hair out of her pale visage.
"Well, wouldn't exactly call it petty, doubt there aren't even more skeletons In Ajax's closet."

Stepping closer, her already having made up her mind the moment it came to the question of loyalty, a thing she had never experienced herself when she was working for the lowest caliber of scum in the business, Tess' eyes would lock in with Florence's.

"But when it comes to choosing a side I'd like to be on the winning one, and I do believe loyalty goes a long way here, huh?" Tess would remark with a raised eyebrow as she knew that if she were to accept this offer there'd be no turning back. She could've simply shut her mouth, or kept what she had heard from her maker a secret, acting as if this conversation had never happened. She could've been just yet another leech but something inside her felt it was time to actually start aiming for loftier goals, even though doing so had inevitably put her on the path of being murdered and resurrected as a vampire.

Extending her own hand, whatever rigor mortis that had made her fingers oh so stiff before having faded, Tess shook Florence's as her thin lips parted in a toothy smile.
"Of course I'm in, how couldn't I?"

Tilting her head to the side as she broke the handshake, Tess would rub the side of her neck where a certain someone had ripped a gaping hole into her flesh not too long ago as she pursed her lips.
"Though is it too early to ask what my part's going to be in this whole thing?"

mothspit

 

[mothspit]

If Florence could breath, she'd exhale in relief. That was one new recruit for Ramona's team. It could be argued the motive was less than heroic, an opportunity to get rid of the head meglomaniac was not one she was willing to pass up. It'd be Forebear against Forebear, something unprecedented in recent history. There's no telling what would happen.

Florence nodded, "Glad to hear it. It'll take some time for me to get in touch with grandma, but nothing more than a day."

When their hands met, Florence's grip abruptly tightened. Not enough to hurt tough, but enough to warrant surprise. Her expression changed into something deadly. The last thing she wanted was to hurt anyone, but this was serious information. If it slipped.. they'd both be dead. "Loyalty is very important. I don't think I need to give you the whole speech about how I'll kill you and anyone you might care about if you tell anyone, do I? You know how this works."

She let go of the Serbian's hand with a small recoil, leaning back against the desk with her arms crossed. That was that, then. Ramona would be pleased to hear the good news. If she were honest, even Florence didn't fully understand what she was planning. The dock she controlled was the one that helped export most of Ajax's company goods. Maybe something involved with their trade agreements. She wasn't sure. Either way, someone was gonna die. As long as it wasn't her, she didn't care who. She knew what Ramona was capable of, but she also knew what Ajax could do, too. Would it be enough?

"That's right. I'll find out what she's got planned and get back to you. Until then, you play it cool, alright?" She nodded in the direction of the door leading out of here, "You head out first. I don't want people seeing us leave together."

Vampunk