One
September 15, 2005 - 12:45
“We know Finnas fears you. More than once, he said he understood why everyone feared you. We know he’s very close to Panjik. Do you think Panjik is Finnas’s ear on you?” mind-linked Sebastian to Coralis.
Holding her flying stick, Coralis looked at him while Erik and Chiwa took off behind her.
“It’s a possibility. If that’s the case, can I blame him? I scared myself in that damn secret lab back in July. He knows what I’m capable of and yet, here I am, connected to him as a fellow elder of the Canadian Ministry of Mythical Affairs, for better or worse. I don’t think Panjik lied when he told us that he was dodging Tobly, and maybe Finnas told him to go to me and keep tabs on me, but it’s not like I’m planning on going against him anyway.”
“True,” said Sebastian, pulling out his stick while seeing Henry taking off from the corner of his eyes, “and people do need to fear you anyway if we don’t want anyone to challenge you.”
“Honestly, I’m just happy that he did not try to have me killed out of fear when I did not join them after my house arrest, as many others tried when seeing what I could become. Finnas knows that I’m the hand behind the Vase of Crimson Sky’s cursed replica, and then he saw the head stunt that I pulled with Sonylla,” said Coralis as she took off, shortly followed by Sebastian.
Meanwhile, after the guests had left, Gus, Panjik, and Sonylla stayed on the District VIII Headquarters’ main floor, and their recruits and workers went for lunch. Hector, Frank, and Stephanie went to pick up lunch for the Head Crew and returned with Victoria 30 minutes later.
When done with their flyball hour, Coralis, Sebastian, Chiwa, Erik, and Henry took down their rooftop temporary wards and sky nets setup before joining the others on the main floor of their derelict building. They grabbed a burger and ate as they walked through each floor, discussing with the people present how they wanted to use and divide the space.
When their recruits returned, the Head Crew and their few guests were on the second floor, discussing the liaisons’ offices and potential meeting rooms. Coralis and Chiwa suggested setting up on the same floor as their liaisons’ offices the recovery rooms for anyone coming to their Headquarters for the mythical clinic.
“Ooh, that’s a great idea. I love the large window in my office,” said Jasm as he looked into the space that will become the office he’ll share with Cruz. “I suppose that you have something planned for the vampires who would stay in those second-floor rooms?”
“Yes. We are aware that not all vampires have access to daylight jewelleries. We want to spell the windows to darken when we have vampire guests staying in those rooms. Same for the guest rooms we’re planning on arranging on the third floor,” said Sebastian.
“When the sun rises, the windows would automatically darken if a vampire occupies those rooms. From outside, it would look as if someone pulled a curtain,” said Gus as he pulled his holographic tablet to show what they had in mind. “We want to make it so that if a vampire is to enter any room of an above ground floor during daylight, anyone working here, including the non-elemental staff, could activate the spell before said vampire passes across the doorway.”
“If you judge necessary to provide our vampire guests with daylight jewelleries for whatever reason, you will be able to do so. We are planning on crafting a bunch of them to leave in your office. We believe that it would beneficial to the success of this reform if you’re working on an upper floor with the shifters versus keeping vampires segregated in a basement,” said Coralis.
“We’re supposed to unite the mythical kinds. Separating you guys sounds counter-productive, and we don’t see why we should keep everyone in the basements when we have four upper floors to play with. Even our goblin guests won’t be staying in a basement,” said Sonylla.
“That works for me. I love the view in my office,” said Cruz.
“I agree, it is better if all of us, liaisons, work together for the district. It would make us more efficient in preventing potential conflicts involving the non-elemental kinds, and we could back each other up if needed. I think we’ll be using our meeting rooms often,” said Jeremie.
“As Sebastian said earlier, we will arrange guest rooms on the third floor, but this floor,” said Panjik, hovering his right arm around the empty space surrounding him, “is yours. We will set up the main meeting rooms and a mythical clinic in one of the basements, but besides the recovery rooms, we’re planning on using this floor to serve the non-elemental kinds. We didn’t draw any divisions yet, besides what would be your offices. If you think of something that should be on this floor, let us know, and we will make it happen.”
“Holy gods from above, you literally get to decide what you want to do with our district and the headquarters building,” said Victoria.
“That was why we couldn’t pass on that building. It’s the endless possibilities with it. We had to get it and make it ours,” said Sebastian.
“The Core Elders gave us the baseline of what the districts needed to handle and some guidelines, but they didn’t tell us how to run it. We’ll do it how we believe would benefit District Eight,” said Coralis, heading to the third floor. “None of us are politicians. We’re either warriors, former sports stars, instructors, or sort of a mix of these things, so we’ll see how it’ll go.”
“And then we have Gus, but he’s no politician either,” said Henry.
“Where are you planning on setting the training area?” said Matasia, following them along with the others.
“You shall see in a minute,” said Sonylla, climbing up the stairs beside Coralis. “I never went to any of your training areas. I don’t know how the training area of the French EBEE looked like, nor do I know about the Shadow Elementals’ ones, although Blue does for theirs, but I think you’ll appreciate how we’ll arrange it here.”
“Is it like we discussed?” said Samantha.
“Close enough, but better, I think,” said Erik as they stopped in the middle of the third floor.
Looking up, Henry and Gus drew a circle in the air with their wands pointing to the ceiling, and the ceiling turned transparent. They continued to do so, and the fourth floor’s ceiling turned transparent, making them see the sky through it.
“The training area will be in the middle of the third and fourth floor. We want to arrange the rooftop similar to a flyball field, with invisibility wards around it for aerial training, and a takeoff area for those of us who don’t use portals or any other non-flying methods of transportation,” said Chiwa.
“Ooh, I’m loving this so much. I’m not planning on using portals to come here,” said Swuma, admiring the upward view. “Is it always going to look open like this?”
“Yes. We’ll think of something if we have to take unknowing humans up here. We want to arrange it like a flyball field, but we should be able to glamour the ceiling to make it look like a normal one to unknowing human eyes,” said Sebastian before posing his eyes on Stephanie and Frank. “You two have elemental ties to me and Blue, so you should be able to see through the glamour we’ll set on it.”
“Let us know if you don’t when we work on it. We want you two to be able to see it like we do when you come here. You’re kind of one of us,” said Erik.
“I definitively want to see it as you intend it,” said Frank, nodding at Sebastian and Erik as he glanced at them. “Are you going to be able to pass through the floor or is it the look you want to give to it?”
“We haven’t decided yet if we want to pass through the third and fourth floor or if we’ll make this section open, and we aren’t sure yet on how we want it to connect to the rooftop aerial training area, but we want to see the sky when standing here,” said Erik.
As Erik finished his sentence and the others were still looking at the ceiling, his hologram vibrated, and so was Coralis’s. While Panjik explained how exactly they were planning on organizing the training area, Coralis and Erik answered their calls.
“Do you have a portal on you?” said Coralis to Sonylla as Ellya’s holographic image floated above her hologram.
“Always,” said Sonylla, handing her one.
Coralis grabbed it and connected it to her wand.
“I love what I’m hearing and seeing from your hologram’s range,” said Ellya, looking at Panjik behind Coralis. “You will need to give us a tour when you’re done with your renovations.”
“You missed Erik’s tour earlier. If you have some time now, we could show you around while you’re here to drop the tattoo material,” said Coralis.
“Sadly, I don’t.”
Coralis ended her call with Ellya, opened the portal and collected the material she was going to need to tattoo her staff. Erik joined her as she closed the portal.
“Bianka and Mhazi are saying their farewells to England and will join us. They will craft our spelled uniforms to protect our warriors, liaisons and anyone working for us,” said Erik as Ellya sent Coralis the contract samples through hologram, along with the coordinates of places to pick up the electronic material that she will need.
“Bianka is your cousin, right?” said Sebastian.
“Yes, and Mhazi is her mate,” said Erik, following Coralis as she turned to go to the fourth floor where the Head Crew’s offices were going to be located. “They’ll arrive at Blue’s tonight. We can sign and tattoo the folks we have recruited so far while we’re all here and then take the material home to sign and tattoo Bianka and her mate tonight.”
“Bianka and Mhazi are the ones who made most of my cloaks. They’re the bests for spelled clothing,” said Coralis with the others following them.
“I remember you telling me that. I’ve been wanting to get their contact detail for a new cloak. I reached the bottom of the bottomless pocket on my main one, and I don’t like that,” said Sebastian.
“Holy gods from above! Bigger pocket, really? What more do you need to carry around with you? I already have to use a laundry basket just to empty your cloak pocket,” said Stephanie.
“Can always use bigger cloak pocket. Ask your brother what he used to find in mine when he’d volunteer to wash it before Bianka made me a self-cleaning one,” said Coralis.
“Does she still carry around gunpowder?” said Victoria.
“Among other things,” said Frank, laughing as Stephanie rolled her eyes.
“We don’t expect our liaisons to be warriors. They will report to Blue and Sebastian, and when they are made aware of potential conflicts or need agents to investigate a nasty case, either Sonylla or Chiwa will dispatch agents to them, or Blue and Sebastian will intervene themselves,” said Panjik, climbing up the stairs between Gus and Hector. “They will have access to combat training if they want, but their clothing will need to keep them protected against anything.”
“I think that we will also be warding their cars,” said Gus.
“I want to see the faces of our foes if I need to call in for Blue and Sonylla to resolve their hellshit,” said Jeremie.
“So do I. I heard about what happened in Dallas,” said Rickozi.
“If I understand correctly, you won’t operate like the EBEE or CMMA typically used to do when they had their agents act as liaisons, detectives and warriors,” said Victoria.
“The point of that reform is to do better than it was. Eva and I never were supposed to play liaisons, but we were investigators and warriors when we weren’t even agents. We were apprentices. We started playing liaisons when packs and clan leaders started calling me directly because they couldn’t talk to anyone or couldn’t trust their CMMA contacts anymore,” said Coralis.
“Don’t get me started with how the EBEE operated,” said Matasia.
“I remember when Andrew ended up playing liaison to me instead of being the mentor he was supposed to be,” said Coralis.
“The EBEE did our family dirty, let’s not talk about them,” said Erik.
“Ooh, true, I remember. Even their family department was rotten,” said Victoria.
“More than you know,” said Henry.
“If we stumble onto nasty conflicts involving slimy vampires, I think Princess Veronica will want to be involved,” said Jasm as they entered what will be Coralis’s and Sebastian’s shared office.
While they were busy playing flyball after the establishment rituals, Gus and Sonylla brought the furnace and branding accessories in Coralis’s and Sebastian’s office. Sebastian and Frank laughed as Coralis put the tattoo material on the ground next to the furnace by the window.
“I’m not above calling Veronica to join me on a nasty case involving Lucas’s or the Waldorf clan’s vampires. She does love hunting down nasties,” said Coralis, giving her hologram to Sebastian.
“No one in their right mind would want to fight Blue and Veronica together,” said Sebastian as he pulled the contract templates from Coralis’s hologram.
“Correct, that’s why she’ll want to get involved,” said Cruz, smiling.
“Is it worse than watching Blue, Alejandro Salinz and Matasia fighting a horde of djinns with a sword?” said Sonylla.
“Holy gods from above! I remember the blood rolling off Blue’s hologram,” said Sebastian, glancing at Sonylla and Frank. “I’d say they’re just as deadly with a sword, but there is that disturbing layer of chemistry between Blue and Veronica that is making foes regret their life choices. They almost made me shiver when we raided that Waldorf warehouse searching for Audrey.”
“The sisters from Hell,” said Jasm, smiling.
Over the next hour, while they discussed the reform, Coralis tattooed their recruits, and Sebastian prepared the contracts for them to sign through blood signature.
Giornie was the first one to be signed and get tattooed. She was to report to Erik and Henry to maneuver all kinds of transportation vehicles and safely escort people to safety or to Headquarters when needed. Then they signed Matasia, Swuma and Rickozi as agents to report to Sonylla and Chiwa.
Samantha and Derek were signed as guards to report to Gus before Coralis began tattooing their liaisons.
“When Blue branded Protectors Erik and Henry earlier today, I commented on how Blue was forming a flyball team, and I remember Stephanie mentioning something about people you were planning on recruiting, but she didn’t elaborate,” said Hector, looking at Sebastian as he was drawing blood from Jasm using a wolf claw.
Erik and Henry grinned, and Coralis smirked as she finished tattooing Cruz.
“If our potential recruits accept to join us and train our agents, our crew will be better than Tobly’s,” said Chiwa.
“By far,” said Panjik.
“You will know if they accept to work with us,” said Sebastian, smiling as Jeremie gave him his hand and Coralis started to tattoo Romma.
“Is it still okay if I return to my clan for the weekend and come back on Monday?” said Clancy as he waited for his turn to receive his tattoo.
“Yes. Between drawing plans for the headquarters, surveying our district, assessing remaining threats to handle and scheduling hub, pack and clan meet-and-greets, the Head Crew and I will have our plates full. We will need you next week when Sebastian and I tour the packs and shifter clans, but until then, you can do whatever you want,” said Coralis as Patrick gave his hand to Sebastian. “I will contact you all Saturday or Sunday to let you know what’s next.”
“Same for everyone else. If there is a crisis, we might call some agents, but the next few days are yours. I think the next few meetings will be at Blue’s, but we will let you know,” said Sebastian.
When done with the tattooing and contracts signing, they called it a day to spend the evening with their families.
“Before joining the shadows,” said Giornie as they reached the main door, “I worked for the Italian EBEE, and I think you know why I deserted to join the Shadow Elementals. No one knows how the CMMA’s reform will pan out, but I think your idea of it will be far more efficient than the EBEE ever was. I’m glad I decided to join your District Eight.”
“Agreed. I am very happy with my decision to move forward with you guys,” said Matasia.
Gus and Stephanie followed Frank to his car, and Coralis, Sebastian, Erik and Henry walked to an alley nearby, before returning to their headquarters rooftop to take off from there because there were too many tourists in the area.
“Note to ourselves: HQ’s rooftop needs to be warded first thing in the morning,” said Erik.
“Why again did we take them down after our flyball break earlier?” said Henry.
“Because we’re dumbasses. We should have done it yesterday after fixing the walls and floors,” said Sebastian.
Knowing his parents were visiting an art museum in town, Erik called them to let them know that they were on their way back to Coralis’s apartment. Kief and Barla arrived just as Patrick dropped off Samantha and Jeremie.
During the evening, shortly after Bianka and Mhazi arrived, Ritakhi called Erik and agreed to meet with them the next day. Just before Sebastian left to go home with Stephanie and Gus, Bianka Fullemon and Mhazi Shrob signed their contracts and received their District VIII tattoos.
