"There is a Cafe about ten minutes away from here on foot, it's called the Flying Otter." The last time you'd been there, a stop off for Lunch on a wander around London, it has been pretty empty but still well kept. It would do perfectly. The man nods at your words, waiting for you to finish as he subtly tries to lean away from Karen. "I want to meet now." He blinks, opening his mouth to question before you cut over him. "Yes,
now. I'm going to collect someone and then I'm going there, if your boss wants to talk she better be there by the time I am."
He stands in place for a second, visibly calming his nerves as Karen looms slightly in the corner. "Of course, I'll be on my way then." Despite his best efforts, it still sounds more like a mix of questioning and pleading.
Stepping back, you pull the door open, letting him move past you as he makes off at a brisk walking pace. You hear Karen shift and see her open her mouth out of the corner of your eye. "No, I'm going. I want to hear what they have to say for themselves." Her mouth clicks shut, unhappy expression not shifting in the slightest.
"They will lie to you, try to bring you to their side or suss out your secrets."
And wow does she sound bitter. "I have no doubt about that." You step out of the room, Karen not following you despite her disapproval. "I still want to know." She remains silent as you walk away, the feeling of her eyes drilling into your back as the door slowly swings closed.
Besides, I'm not stupid enough to follow you blindly. Your door approaches as you trace your steps, raising your hand to push it open.
I want to know why.
The amused gazes of the rest of the room greet you and you tilt your head sideways. All it does is provoke a laugh from Morgan, who sidles over to you and pulls at your shirt, drawing your attention to the fact that one of the arms was nearly hanging off of your shoulder, dipping the front dangerously low.
Was it like this when I left? The accusing stare you pin Morgan with just makes her laugh harder. "I would have stopped you, but you were out of the room before I had the chance."
You huff as you pull it back up your shoulder, frowning at the slightly baggy shirt. It was comfortable and great for lounging, but as evidenced, it had a habit of sliding off your shoulders. Not a problem if you were alone or with the girls, but you really should start wearing something a bit more sensible, considering you kept getting called out of your room.
I could just transform. The idea sticks in your mind as you walk further into the room, Morgan leaning against the table as she props her arms back on it.
"Well, what was so important that you got called out?" She doesn't even bother hiding the tone of unease in her words, her fingers tapping against the table slightly.
You take a moment to think about
how to word it in a way that makes sense, you give up after a long stretch of silence. "The Counter Force want to have a meeting." She drops slightly as she slips onto the table, her fingers pushed flat as she catches herself. "I've picked a time and place, we just need to go."
"What? No,
what?" She opens and closes her mouth, pushing herself up as she steps closer to you. "How? No, when,
where?"
"Now. That Cafe we stopped at the last time we went out." She just
stops, freezing in place as she stares at you, fingers twitching slightly.
Umm?
Suddenly, she slumps down, resting her hand on her face for a long moment. A long sigh pulls itself from her and she rubs her face. "Only you."
You shake your head as you refocus yourself. "I need to go now. Daiyu." She stands up from where she's been listening on the sofa, face settled into a serious frown. "We're going." She nods at you, making her way over to the door and sliding her shoes on as you follow her. The carpeted floor of the Clocktower meant it was fine to go barefooted, but you were going out.
"Ah-" A hand settles on your shoulder as you pull your left shoe on, looking up, Morgan is looking down at you with a steely intensity. "I'm coming with you." You shake your head and her grip tightens, magic strengthening her grasp so that you would have to
force her off it you wanted to leave. "I know more about this sort of thing than you do,
let me help." Hearing her actually
beg you to let her come along pokes at that ugly mass of feelings and stops you from just prying her hand off.
Her gaze doesn't waver from yours.
She'll follow me if I tell her no, won't she?
You let out a long breath, a tiny smile slipping onto your face. "Put your shoes on." She immediately drops to her knees, dragging her still muddy sneakers from the shoebox. You pretend not to notice that she's practically glowing as she tries to keep a serious face.
Sabina clears her throat, waiting for you to look over before she speaks. "And what am I supposed to do?"
"Stay here." She tries to protest. "No, we probably aren't going to be fighting today. Someone still needs to be here, just in case. I trust you to do that." You try your best to give her a warm smile.
She sits back down, her face a little red as she mumbles to herself.
Needs more practice then? Turning back to the door, you just manage to catch Morgan's facepalm before she turns around, letting you step past her to the door.
You glance back as you step forwards, meeting your sisters eyes from where she's settled on Cuifen's lap. The little smile she sends you means more than any words ever could.
You shift your eyes upwards a little, Cuifen looking at her sister with worried eyes. The words she spoke to you just a few weeks ago come back with a jolt.
"But promise to stay together until the end? To fight and claw until you drag death itself with you?" You take in the sight of your sister, happy and safe.
Whatever it takes.
/LINE BREAK\
They almost beat us here. When you step around the corner of the street, you catch sight of that insignia through the crowds. You get there first, stopping by the battered old door and watching as they approach. When they get close enough to push through the crowds, you finally get a good look at the Leader of the pair.
The fact that she is currently gently rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she walks towards you kind of... doesn't mesh with the super-military oriented image you'd had of them. The old man behind her was wearing a suit, it was only very slightly ruffled despite the fact that they'd been forcing their way through crowds. It had the patches you had seen earlier on the shoulders.
He fits better, if only because of the professional suit.
They walk closer to the three of you, her eyes locking onto yours when she sees you. A look of slight confusion passes almost instantly, the sleepiness gone in an instant and her face locks down into a congenial smile. She stops on the other other side of the door, your two groups now standing on either side.
Neither of you say anything for a moment, she's obviously letting you go first, but you aren't really sure what to say.
The awkward silence continues until you hear Morgan clear her throat. You don't look back at her, nor do the girls eyes shift from you. Despite that, she continues. "Perhaps we should move inside, people are staring." That makes you break your stare, and true enough, a small crowd of people are slowly gathering. They break apart slightly as you turn your gaze over them, but they don't leave. You look back to the girl, shaking your head as you turn to the door.
You rest your hands on the weathered oak, pressing the heavy door open with a small grunt and make your way inside. The familiar musk of old building immediately rushes over you, the inside of the building comfortably warm. One of the owners looks up from the bar when you enter, opening his mouth to speak before pausing. Evidently he picks up on
something and kept his mouth shut, going back to drying the glasses on the side. You sit down in one of the booths in the corner, the area around you completely absent of other patrons.
The girl sits opposite to you, her
butler? standing outside the booth, Daiyu joining him on your side. Morgan slides in next to you as you look at the girl. This time, she starts. "Firstly, thank you for actually coming to this meeting, even if it was on such short notice." She pauses as she starts a yawn, forcing her jaw back together admirably. "I understand that it must seem like a trap or other underhanded tactic." You try your best not to let your reaction show, but the twitch your eye develops was
really obvious.
She is at least polite enough not to mention it, and to give you a moment to take a deep breath. "Why then, have you called this meeting?"
"We would like to make you an offer."
You cut her off before she can continue, snorting as you lean back. "Let me guess, join us?"
She doesn't react to your prodding. "Of course not, we understand that is an absurd request considering our past interactions." Her butler passes her a bottle of water and she takes a quick sip. "The offer is simple. So long as you remain neutral in the conflict, we will treat you with the same courtesy." Morgan makes an angry noise as you narrow your eyes at the...
Teenager? Seventeen or eighteen maybe.
"You want me to believe that you'll keep your end of the deal?" It was... too good to be true. "You tried to bomb me."
"And you killed over four hundred of our personnel." She replies back cooly. "I would have been able to call this meeting sooner if I wasn't busy writing letters telling families their sons and daughters were dead."
A awkward silence settles over the booth, you don't really have a counter to that.
"We... didn't actually know that was you." You look at her a little incredulously. "We noticed a new Magical Girl." The name seems to stumble on her tongue slightly. "And a emergency mission was ordered, since it was believed that the Clocktower may have discovered a method of creating Magical Girls." She lets the sentence hang for a moment. "More have awakened in two months than have in the last two hundred years." You let the thought turn over in your brain.
She takes another sip of water, letting out a tired sigh as she spins the cap back on. "Look, I understand why this looks like a trap to you. Our issue lies with the leader of the Clocktower and it's practices, we understand that you were just acting under orders and have no desire to embroil you in this war." She presses her lips together as she leans forwards slightly. "From what we understand, you only joined the Clocktower to seek refuge for your sister, correct?"
The rush of fear that races through you when she mention her makes your hand clench, obliterating the arm rest of your chair. "
Don't. You. Dare."
She shakes her head, long hair flying and raises a hand in a calming manner. "I apologise. I was just trying to make a point." She gives you a moment to relax, her eyes flicking between you and Morgan. "We have no quarrel with you, so we would propose an offer of neutrality." Your lips form a thin line as your mind races. "The exact details, including compensation, are up to you."
Morgan leans forwards, drawing your eye. "What proof do you have that you will keep this promise? The word of your kind means nothing." You frown at her wording, but you don't disagree with the point.
"What sort of proof do you desire? You can have my word, an agreement in writing, a contract made before the world on television." She tilts her head. "A hostage of importance? We may not be able to make a
False Vow like you can, but there are many methods available."
False Vow? The words stick in your brain for some reason, enough that you turn to Morgan to ask. "False Vow?"
She blinks, her train of thought derailed as she turns to you. "Umm, yes. Magical vows may be made, but they can be broken just as easily, though both sides of the party are immediately made aware that it has been broken."
You freeze as the thought that has been bothering you hits you like a semi.
Karen made a vow. I trusted her with my sister because she made a vow. You can break vows. My sister is not safe with Karen.
You suppress the urge to smash your way out of the building and run for your sister, just barely restraining yourself to squeezing your hands on your knees and clenching your teeth hard enough to drawn blood. Morgan looks confused at your sudden shift of mood, reaching a hand out towards you.
She snaps it back rather quickly when your magic lashes out, hand slightly red from the brief introduction to your boiling rage. You look up from the table at Annabelle, who was doing an admirable job of keeping her face relaxed as you look at her. "Your offer, are you willing to wait a few days while I think about it?"
She nods. "This meeting was never to decide now, just make you aware that it is on the table. We expected that you would want to think about this for several days."
Morgan makes a pained noise. "Cerys, you're actually thinking about this?" The look she's sending you makes your chest ache, it
hurts. Why does it hurt
"I do what is best for my sister. I have recently learned that perhaps I have not been fulfilling my duty properly.
I let myself be lied to and believed it." She doesn't understand, but that's alright. You stand up from the table and Annabelle does as well, reaching forwards to hand you a piece of paper.
"A number to get into contact with me." She smiles gently, a soft hand closing your fingers around it. "Please, remember that you do not have to decide now, call another meeting if you have any questions you want to ask. I'll be available." She turns, walking towards the door, her butler moving into step just behind her as she passes him.
The sound of the door closing is loud and you notice that almost all other sounds in the room have vanished, eyes of the patrons carefully looking away from you. Daiyu rests an armoured hand on your shoulder, clenching it tightly. "Sister
. Your flames." You look at her hand, tiny flames licking along your shoulder, burning over her gauntlet harmlessly. You look back up, the building still conspicuously ignoring you.
Fuck, just... Fuck. You move towards the door, shooting the owner a sideways glance as you step outside, smothering any undue displays of magic.
Oh Karen, you and I are going to have a fucking Talk.
/LINE BREAK\
She's not waiting for you when you arrive. You have no reason to think she
should be, she's very busy. But the fact just pisses you off even more.
The walk to the war room passes in silence, the people in the hall scattering in your wake. Morgan looks like she wants to say something, but frankly you are well past the point of giving a fuck.
[] Kick the fucking door down
[] Don't
