The war room had never been so tense. To be honest, it had never been used to discuss a war before. Well, a real one anyway. Turf wars were common, but more often than not the room was used to discuss battle on a small scale. Divine and artful moves that accomplish a great task with hardly anyone noticing that anything occurred. After all, people die all the time, even during 'peace'.
Declan, sitting directly to Isabel's right, offered her a china cup, hardly chipped at all, and filled to the brim with a slightly bitter tea. The last thing he needed was for Isabel to vanish or become overly anxious.
"Hydration is key in these trying times," he said softly, as Theo started his tiresome rant.
"Theo," said Declan softly, his hand resting just blow his half-faced black and dazzling red mask.
"Your offer of Alfie is very tempting and generous knowing the shared history he has with the Muses," he said, letting the statement hang in the air a moment, his hand half reaching out to Isabel, as though to take her hand in comfort, but decided against it at the last moment.
"But as we are now united as both Muses and Vanguards, do you think it wise to show such a clear division of justice?" His eyes flicked towards Isabel with the show of asking for permission to continue.
"At this time, we need to show that the marriage was more than a stunt to irritate the masterminds and that it is meaningful to the very culture of Churchhill," Declan paused again, taking time to dust off his suit, a suit that looked remarkably similar to the one offered to Theo.
"Perhaps Isabel will disagree with me and I am merely playing devils advocate , but don't you think the judgement should appear to fall from a force much stronger than any single faction?" "A second reason that stands. As absolutely horrid as these men have been, they are still high ranking officials among their own men. The actions we take against them now might very well define the culture of Churchhill for generations to come. As a very closely tied allied, I would sleep better knowing that the punishment and judgement of Tiberius and Lilliana was well thought out and administered in the right way. I refuse to accept that what is to come happens because you were upset when you did it, Theo. After all, the details matter,"Declan paused again, this time as though reading the room. He then shifted his look, almost judgemental.
"To put it simply," he said.
"and I am certain that Isabel will have her own opinion on this, but the Muses need to have a say on the fates of Tiberius and Lilliana. Whether that is in public or from behind closed doors has yet to be decided,"