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[h3][color=gray]Temple Grounds, Layla's Suite, a Few Hours Before the Meeting[/color][/h3]

[hr]

[color=7ABBFF][b]“So you're free to come over now?” [/b][/color]Layla asked, phone pressed to her ear. There was shuffling on the other end of the line as Aislin responded.

[b]“Yeah, yeah, I just have to grab my jacket and drive-”[/b]

Alizée's chains formed a circle in the center of the room, revealing Aislin standing there with her jacket half-on, staring with her jaw near on the floor.

Before she smirked. [b]“Or you could do that.” [/b]

And Aislin grabbed her keys and backpack, and stepped through the portal into Layla's suite. She was dressed for the cool-ish weather, a hoodie and denim jacket with thick leggings. She had her aviators on the tip of her nose, before she bagged them and her phone in a pocket of her backpack.

The portal disappeared behind her, and Layla smiled as she pocketed her own phone. [color=7ABBFF][b]“Much easier than driving, yes?”[/b][/color]

Layla was dressed in a black blouse, knee-length sweater, a scarf loosely hung over her, and black jeans. Aislin noticed it right away, and tilted her head curiously.

[b]“Gave up your regular blue? It really brought out your eyes…”[/b]

Layla shrugged, waving off Aislin's concern, ushering her over to the suite’s sofa. [color=7ABBFF][b]“Take a seat, let me grab you some juice.” [/b][/color]

Layla set a glass of apple juice in front Aislin on the coffee table before sitting beside her. Alizée simply folded her legs and lounged in the air in front of them. Aislin took a sip, mumbled a polite ‘thank you’, before shifting slightly so she was facing Layla and Alizée.

[b]“So… How did it go? You left the meeting in a hurry. Though, to be fair, you didn't miss anything else.”[/b]

Layla perked up, smiling. [color=7ABBFF][b]“It went well. Alizée and I are adjoined now. There's no more bloodsucker demons. I feel… Normal. Much better. Like how I was before my home uh, burned down.”[/b][/color]

Aislin smiled warmly at that, nodding. [b]“That's really good to hear.”[/b]

Her gaze focused on Alizée, [b]“And you, Alizée? Are you adjusting okay? Any memories come back?”[/b]

Alizée nodded. [color=916BB4][b]“I'm fine. It feels nice being around Layla. She still has Vul's scent on her… I got a snippet of a memory the other day, but it wasn't anything relevant. I suppose I'm still adjusting, but I have no complaints.”[/b][/color]

Aislin raised an eyebrow. [b]“You eloquently said very little just now.”[/b]

Alizée stared for a moment, before her eyes upcurled. [color=916BB4][b]“I have a few problems. A bit of concern with the Temple. A lack of Void, [sub]but please don't tell anyone that, I was suppose to give up on him.[/sub] And a bit of hunger growing in my stomach. But these are Alizée problems, not Aislin problems.”[/b][/color]

[b]“Concern? How so?”[/b]

[color=916BB4][b]“Well… I've come to a realization, looking at Layla's memories. They ate Void when they sealed him. And it made me realize where their discrimination of Adjoined stems from. They eat the apparitions, they see them as food. So those connected to apparitions, why would they be anything special? Why would they be above Adepts? They're just moving food. Food that's been repurposed as tools.”[/b][/color]

Layla grimaced as Alizée spoke. [color=7ABBFF][b]“I know you're not food, Alizée.”[/b][/color]

[color=916BB4][b]“It's actually funny. I consider humans as walking food. So the Temple pointing this philosophy back is… Interesting. Neither, though, are right.”[/b][/color]

Aislin listened patiently, measured concern on her face. [b]“We're all individuals at the end of the day. Vibrant individuals. I hope everything with that goes well.”[/b]

Layla and Alizée nodded, while Layla gave Aislin a curious look. [color=7ABBFF][b]“What about you? What have you been up to?”[/b][/color]

Aislin had a pained smile, taking another sip of her juice. [b]“Weeell, I got my art collection stolen. I was so excited to see it in the museum, Drake, Adora and Anya were there. Along with another individual… Silver hair, expensive suit. She introduced herself as Valencia Vorpal, asked about the estimated price of the set. And, that night… It was gone.”[/b]

Aislin shrugged, trying to console the pain in Layla and Alizée's eyes. [b]“I don't know who did it, but I'm suspicious of her…”[/b]

Layla softly shook her head. [color=7ABBFF][b]“I'm really sorry to hear that, Aislin. I know you're really proud of your art.”[/b][/color]

[b]“I am!”[/b] Aislin groaned, before she gave an apologetic smile. [b]“You don't need to worry about it, though. I've put in a report to the police station. Maybe something will come of it…”[/b]

Aislin finished her juice, thinking a moment, before she asked. [b]“You know there is a meeting today?”[/b]

Layla nodded. [color=7ABBFF][b]“Yes.”[/b][/color]

[b]“You wanna go together?”[/b]

Layla glanced at Alizée briefly, before smiling at Aislin. [color=7ABBFF][b]“Of course, that sounds great!”[/b][/color]

[hr]

[h3][color=gray]The Eleventh Path[/color][/h3]

[sub][b]Interactions:[/b] Jack ([@Blizz]), Lynn and Jasper ([@NoriWasHere]), Anya ([@Fernstone]), everyone[/sub]

[hr]

Aislin set a large black bag on the round table, pulling out champagne glasses. Each was filled a little less than half of red wine, and Aislin made her rounds around the table as Sycamites filed in, passing them a drink with a wink.

Layla took a seat at the table, eyes wide in awe. Alizée hovered behind her, hands placed calmly behind her back. She too, was admiring.

The place was beautiful. And Jack seemed collected. More so than normal. Curiosity grew on Layla's face as she swirled the glass of wine Aislin had passed her, eyes wholly focused on the brooding man.

[quote=Jack][color=6644ff]”But, before we begin, I have grim news. Auri Auclar, Todd Dancing River, and Bé Rochefoucauld were taken from us by Father Wolf recently.”[/color][/quote]

[color=7ABBFF][b]“No…”[/b][/color] Layla murmured, now understanding why it was Jack that called the meeting.

Layla, Alizée and Aislin bowed their heads at the moment of silence, letting the lack of noise give shape to their memory.

Before Layla peeked at Jack. [i]Was he the de facto leader now?[/i] It was suitable. Even if it hurt when she thought of him betraying her. But… He was just trying to protect her, wasn't he?

So she'd treat him as the de facto leader, then.

[quote=Jack][color=6644ff]”They have asked for our assistance in raiding Elysium Island, a place owned by the Elite. The House of Cards will also be at Elysium Island, where they are attempting to decode Kari’s notes.”[/color][/quote]

Layla and Aislin exchanged a look, and Alizée shifted in the air, feeling the sudden spike in anxiety from Layla.

The question was on their faces. If the House of Cards was involved… where the hell was Luna. Did Luna choose them? Or did she choose the House of Cards?

[quote=Lynn][color=F08080]“if father wolf has begun to target groups as well is it time for us to find a way to all live together?”[/color][/quote]

Aislin grinned. [b]“I'd be down for that. Does anyone have a big enough house, though? That's the real question.”[/b]

[quote=Jasper][color=98FB98]“I don’t know the details fully but I do know the Elite apparently attacked them earlier in the week and it really pissed off the leadership.”[/color][/quote]

Aislin nodded, [b]“Just to confirm what Jasper said, yes, it happened. I was uh, in the back lines. But it was bad. I wasn't aware it was the Elite, though… That's good to know.”[/b]

[quote=Anya][color=9966CC]”If three people died together, why not all of us? Surely living together just gives Father Wolf [i]easier[/i] targets. Or we’ll kill each other.”[/color][/quote] 

Aislin winced at that. [b]“Well, maybe if we all kept hiding in dimensional pockets like this place? Seems even safer than being in one group… But still, I wouldn't dismiss it, with all due respect. Isn't there safety in numbers?

“At least larger groups. If anyone, like myself, was living alone, we should uh,[i] forgo that[/i], and at least have smaller groups be a thing.”[/b]

[quote=Anya][color=9966CC]”You failed to mention it, but I presume our plan is to take Kari’s notes along with the Artifacts? We don’t want them deciphered by the House of Cards, even if the Artifacts will be more useful to us.”[/color][/quote]

Layla shook her head, not quite understanding. [color=7ABBFF][b]“Didn't Luna say she was gonna have her mafia send the notes over to us? They're really… gonna decode it without us?”[/b][/color]

It was then that Alizée spoke up, red eyes locking with Jack's. [color=916BB4][b]“What sort of… [i]artifacts[/i] are you hoping they'll hold? Is it worth risking the lives of the living?”[/b][/color]

Alizée, of course, was thinking of Layla, still young and budding in her new powers. If anything happened to her…