July 31, 2005
"Maybe you should have gotten a phone before taking your flight after all," said Mark, sitting down on a folding chair next to Stephanie.
"Me having a phone this week wouldn't have changed anything," said Frank, grabbing the folding chair his mother handed him. "I work entertainment, not current news affairs. If it was up to me, there wouldn't be any witch-hunt coverage, except for The Secret Posse posts, because I wouldn't want to give any attention to those wanting Blue dead."
"This is way above his pay grade," said Sebastian, grabbing the insulated pot to refill his mug of coffee. "Even elemental journalists aren't covering what's happening properly. Eva becoming a witch is hilarious."
"It's as if you get a better pulse of what's going on through flyball games. Commenters usually get it right," said Stephanie.
"I'll take your word for it, I don't know what's said during the games," said Coralis, unfolding her chair next to Frank. "I didn't get to watch a game since I retired. When we were active players, we'd hear the announcers during the intermissions and before games, but not the commenters when playing."
Audrey called them to the dining table shortly after Coralis sat.
"I heard Emery has been removed from the UK list, do you know anything about that?" said Sebastian to Coralis as they sat.
"No more than what I told you when I left the meeting on Tuesday."
"Okay, so, they know you killed over 50 people last Sunday night but didn't put you back on their lists. Were your victims all supernatural? Do they know why you decimated that lab?" said Mark as he grabbed a bowl of diced seasoned potatoes. "You made it 3rd in most countries using the lists, and Sebastian moved to the wanted one, but people don't even know what went down in there."
"Yes, they do know why I showed up there and what was going on in that lab. Guards and scientists I killed were supernatural for the most part, but I was told not all of them were," said Coralis, grabbing the pot of scrambled eggs."
"From what Frank told us, what was researched in that lab had nothing to do with the betterment of technologies, at least not anything that would benefit us, so the humans working there would have been accused of witchcraft if they had been arrested instead," said Louis.
"Bet no one will come after him again," said Stephanie, sipping her coffee.
"That's the hope! I'm not proud of what I've done, I've lost control, but I don't regret it. Even if the gods would let me go back in time, I would do the same thing all over again."
"I'll take part of the blame for her rampage, I know what I told her when I found Frank triggered her, but as I said to Emery when I heard the elders saying that hell broke loose in there, I've got no regret," said Sebastian.
"From what I read, The Rogue Paladin's rampage this summer made some governments question their witch hunt when they realized who his victims were and were considering backing out. Rumours of people wrongfully held captive being freed following hers are fueling these reconsiderations even more. Hopefully, we'll see the end of it soon," said Raymond.
"Have to thank Sebastian for these rumours, he's the one who thought of taking pictures and recording testimonies of the others who were kidnapped to spread rumours. Erik and Henry had a blast with what he sent them," said Coralis.
"Did you find out if Frank was targeted or not?" said Louis.
"No. It's probably best if I never find out, and let what happened at that compound serve as a warning," said Coralis.
"Blue and Eva should have been the very two people to avoid attracting in there. They got lucky Veronica wasn't with them. Blue, you know what Hendrick is saying about you two," said Sebastian.
"Eva has been bragging to Veronica about her new ranking. You and Emery have been seen often reversing that spell with us. They didn't want to see you there, I'm sure."
"What is he saying about them?" said Mark.
"The twin sisters making hell shivers."
"Thank you for the imaging," said Mark, shivering.
The next day, Frank invited Stephanie and Sebastian for dinner for Coralis' birthday. Eva, Victoria and Mark joined them in the evening for drinks.
"It's a good thing that you know about us now. I don't have to talk in codes anymore when you're around," said Victoria to Mark as Sebastian's hologram lit up.
"Makes it easier to take calls," said Sebastian as he answered a call from his dad.
"Of course, you're all together! Why am I not surprised?" said Ralphonse, shaking his head.
"What's surprising is Blue not working tonight," said Stephanie.
"True. Speaking of Blue, Tobly heard the elders were working on a reform of the CMMA that they want to put in place before lifting the hold on recruitment, and he's been asking them when they would be done with it because he wanted to actively recruit her," said Ralphonse.
"That is not surprising at all, of course, General Tobly wants to recruit her. He failed the first time he tried, though," said Eva.
"And I will turn him down again. I won't work for him, I can't stand the guy," said Coralis.
"The elders forbid him to recruit you and told him to consider you off-limit when they'll lift the hold post-reform, probably at some point next month," said Ralphonse.
"Of course, they would. I might have gotten away with what happened at the Saskatchewan compound, but I still broke all rules and protocols. I scared myself, can't imagine them."
"I don't think it's because of that. No charges are laid against you by the elders because of your motive. Although it was extreme, you were justified because your mate was taken there against his will and in danger. You felt the effect of the gas used on him and subsequent pain, and you found him following your bond, so the elders disregarded the fact that it was incomplete," said Ralphonse.
"With all the wolves who were saved because she crashed the party there, had they punished her for it… the wolves would have rioted I believe," said Eva while grabbing a new beer.
"Agreed, the event brought them closer to the wolves. The humans caught there should have been turned over to the human authorities, and that's what played against Blue. Given the context and what they had done, they decided not to pursue it further. Blue did what she did for her mate and that's what it was," said Ralphonse.
"She did warn everyone that she was going to burn the world if harm came to him," said Mark, which made people laugh.
"It was a promise," said Stephanie.
"As if I would have done differently," said Coralis.
"She proved that elementals are as protective and brutal as the wolves are when it comes down to their mates, if not more, and trust me, the wolf community understood that," said Eva.
"What did I tell you when you found out about her?" said Victoria, looking at Frank, "Despite her enemies, I was still safe sticking with her, and I nearly were kidnapped by demons."
"As I said to Seb when we were outside, I knew she'd come, I trusted her on that, but I wasn't expecting that quickly. Liam kept telling the others in our cell block that they messed with the wrong one. That proved him right."
"That's an understatement!" said Sebastian, before returning his attention to his father. "Were you calling me to talk about General Tobly?"
"No, I was not. I thought you'd be happy to hear that the European Union, including the UK, will stop using the lists and back out of the witch-hunt."