Leon stared at Penelope sitting across the table from him.  Elise, Maia, and Valeria were with him, though only Elise sat next to him—Valeria leaned against the wall behind them while Maia had lain down on a lounge pushed up against the wall.  They wanted to hear this conversation too, but made it clear enough from their postures that they weren’t that interested in actively participating.

Penelope had just arrived at the estate barely ten minutes prior, and it had been about eight hours since Leon had met with her in her residence.  It was late in the evening, but no one even once thought about sleep now that she was here.

“So,” Leon said as soon as they all sat down and got comfortable, “what’s the word?  What did the Director say to you?”

“He… said many things,” Penelope replied, her expression guarded and almost distant.  “I’m not sure how much I can say, or even want to say… but I can say unequivocally that my father is deeply torn between choosing to side with you, or the vampires.”

“How is that even possible?” Elise exclaimed in anger and frustration.  “They’re vampires!  They’re probably feeding on and sacrificing members of Heaven’s Eye and he just allows that?!  That’s like inviting a werewolf into your nursery!  It doesn’t matter what ‘benefits’ they promise, you’re still inevitably going to end up with dead kids!”

“What did he tell you?” Leon asked, agreeing with but also wanting to move on from Elise’s statement.  He was angry, too, but he just wanted the information before he started venting that anger.  “What benefit is he getting that makes this such a difficult decision?”

Penelope deeply frowned in thought.  “He’s found…  Or, I suppose, Heaven’s Eye has some things from your old Clan that he hopes to reactivate and take control of.  The vampires have promised to aid him in this, while your blood may also be a key.”

Leon’s eyes narrowed as his demeanor became even more serious.  “What sort of ‘things’ are we talking about?  They have to be powerful…”

“Yes,” Penelope replied.  “Powerful enough that if word that Heaven’s Eye possessed them, it could very well be destroyed by greedy Imperials.  Please, don’t press me for details…”

“To the hells with that!” Leon almost shouted.  “What is it that he’s hiding?”

“I’m not going to say,” Penelope shot back, her expression turning severe.

Leon scowled, but settled down into a mild glare.  It wasn’t like he could make her talk if she didn’t want to, so there was no point in losing his cool.  But his anger still simmered in his core, speeding up his heartrate and making him restless.

Elise then stated, “Whatever it is, and whatever he’s been promised is powerful enough that he tolerates vampires in his institution, even as they attack his own people.”

Leon added, “That doesn’t sound like the sort of person who should be making any calls within Heaven’s Eye.”

“What are you saying?” Penelope inquired, her tone remaining neutral even as her demeanor hardened.

Leon leaned back, his arm around Elise and one leg crossed over the other, looking like he was as relaxed as he could be.  He smiled, though there was little warmth in the expression.  “I’m saying exactly what it sounds like I’m saying.  In my opinion, allowing this shows the Director’s incompetence, or at least catastrophic callousness.  The vampires are targeting me and mine, and if the Director won’t act against them despite having the power to do so, then in my mind, he tacitly endorses them.  And that makes him my enemy.”

“Are you planning on attacking him?” Penelope asked.  “Even with your own demon, that won’t go the way you want it to.”

“No, we’re not at that stage, yet.  But what I am suggesting is that maybe the Director shouldn’t be the Director anymore.”

“And who would you replace him with?  Emilie?  Yourself?”

Leon shrugged.  “It’s just a thought.  How many others on the board or in other high-ranking positions would continue to support your father knowing that he allows such a rot to fester within Heaven’s Eye?  I know that he’s powerful and controls Heaven’s Eye with an iron grip, but how many friends does he truly have?  How solid is his support?  How many people just have to agree with me before he’s forced to step down?”

“My father won’t ever step down.”

“Maybe he won’t have a choice.”

Penelope darkly chuckled.  “You know, this is exactly what I feared you would do when you joined.  Insisting on doing what you want when that might come at the expense of Heaven’s Eye.”

“You’ve said that before, and as I said earlier today, I wouldn’t be acting like this if your father didn’t insist on harboring vampires that are intent on doing me harm.  Have I ever expressed doubt in his leadership before this moment?  Have you ever been given real cause to doubt me before?”

Penelope’s demeanor softened slightly.  “No,” she admitted.

“Then I hope you can appreciate how seriously I’m treating this.  I was hopeful when your father empowered me to do whatever I needed to do to find my retainers, but all of that hope vanished when he revealed that he was protecting those who took them!”

Leon sighed, then took one of Elise’s hands in his.  He called upon his middling skill in darkness magic and whispered into her mind, [I’m thinking of showing her my platinum card.  I don’t think it’ll make much difference, but at this point, I’m kind of grasping at straws…]

Elise glanced at him and cocked her head.  She couldn’t respond without speaking aloud, but Leon still had no trouble understanding what she was saying: she was asking if he was sure.

[I’m sure,] he replied.

Elise took on a thoughtful expression for a moment, and then squeezed his hand in support.  He smiled, then turned his attention back to the conversation.

“Do you support his position, Penelope?” Leon asked.

Penelope frowned and averted her gaze.  “What he showed me… wasn’t something I’ll ever forget.  What he told me… I… I can understand why he thinks the way he does.  I can understand why he thinks the vampires—or rather, their demons—are such an attractive option for him, especially after hearing your thoughts on the matter.  He doesn’t trust you, and while he doesn’t trust the vampires, they’ve at least shown that they’re capable of delivering on their promises.  I want him to succeed without bloodshed, without anything backfiring.”

“But do you support this?” Leon repeated, sitting up a little straighter as he did so he could impress upon her his seriousness.  “Vampires.  Blood sacrifice.  Attacking members of Heaven’s Eye.  Is whatever he’s working on with the bloodsuckers worth this in your eyes?”

Penelope went quiet, and neither Leon nor Elise said anything for a long moment.  They just let her think.

Leon was just about ready to continue when Penelope finally broke her silence.

“I don’t know.  Honestly.  I hate that I don’t, but that’s the truth.  He’s my father and I trust his judgment.  What he showed me… is profound.  I don’t like vampires, but this…  He hasn’t yet made his decision, but I’ll understand if he decides to stay the course.”

Leon stared at her, his expression falling from muted anger to deep disappointment.  He sighed, then said, “You put me in a terrible position.  If I can answer your honesty with my own, I’ll say that I’d be perfectly happy with the Director retaining control over Heaven’s Eye were it not for this one deal-breaker.  Until these past few days, I’ve had no real cause to doubt his leadership.  But these have been some pretty shitty few days, and they demand some kind of change.  If the Director is unable or unwilling to implement that change, then I, for my own safety and security, and for that of my friends and family, will have to seek that change elsewhere.

“I also understand that this is… somewhat in line with the impression you had of me before we met.  And I assure you that I take no pleasure in this.  I don’t want to act against the Director.  I just want to see to myself and my people grow strong, and then depart from this plane.  I want to discover who I am, what I am, and my place in the world.  And I want everyone I love to be there with me.  I would… be very upset if I lost anyone along the way.  Murderously so, I’d say.

“But you have to act in your best interests, just as I will act in mine.”

Penelope just sat there, listening to Leon’s spiel, and by the time he was finished, she looked several inches shorter, as if Leon had just laden her with a rucksack full of rocks.

“You wouldn’t win any confrontation between the two of you,” she quietly said.

In response, Leon just conjured his platinum card, the ID card of his Ancestor, Demetrios, son of Jason Keraunos, the last Storm King, and laid it on the table.  Then, as a few bolts of harmless silver-blue lightning danced up his body, he stared at Penelope, his golden eyes seeming to darken to a bright orange.

“I have plenty of options open to me, I think.  But I also think that conflict would not be in our best interests.  Regardless, as I said, I’ll do what I have to do to ensure that my people are taken care of, and that my enemies are taken care of.  You and your father will look out for your own best interests as you see fit.  If we could come to some kind of arrangement, some kind of alliance, then that would be ideal, I think.  But you’re free to continue to ally yourselves to vampires who engage in kidnapping, torture, and blood sacrifice.  Even if they weren’t targeting me, I wouldn’t stoop so low, and let me tell you: I don’t have many standards, but this is one.”

Penelope stared at Leon’s platinum card throughout his entire monologue.  Leon knew from Elise and Emilie that there were legends within Heaven’s Eye that whoever possessed a platinum card was bound by ancient custom to take control of the guild.  However, after ten years, Leon knew those to be just legends.  He couldn’t just show up to the Hexagon brandishing the platinum card and expect everyone to kiss his ring.  The people in charge wouldn’t just allow that to happen, their powers were too entrenched for that.

But he thought it a good symbol of intent, anyway.  If the Director continued to work with his enemies, then he’d have no choice but to fall back on one of his original intents for joining Heaven’s Eye: taking it over.  He already knew that he had Emilie’s support, and while he wasn’t particularly familiar with the other board members, he had at least been introduced to them during his time, and he felt confident in bringing them to his side.

“You’ve got the ball,” he said as Penelope’s silence continued.  “Whatever happens next is up to you and the Director; I’m perfectly fine with waiting until my return from the Sacred Golden Empire.  Out of respect for the relationship we’ve had for the past ten years, I won’t be acting against you, and if we have to part ways, then I hope that the two of us, at least, can do so as friends.  And I hope you can understand that what I’m doing—what I have to do—is not motivated by arrogance or narcissism.  Two of my people were kidnapped and tortured by vampires associated with Heaven’s Eye, and that can’t stand.”

Penelope finally responded, “I understand that much, Leon Raime.  I’ll convey your… message to my father.”

With that, she took one last look at Leon’s platinum card, stood up, and made for the door.  Leon and Elise politely saw her to the exit, and away she went back into Occulara.  The two then returned to the private meeting room where Valeria and Maia waited for them.

“So,” Valeria said as they walked back in, “that was kind of a shitshow, wasn’t it?”

“It was,” Leon responded.  “I expected as much, though.  I don’t think anyone willingly allies themselves with vampires without at least some cause and commitment.”

“This is still very troubling, husband,” Elise said.  “They’re choosing vampires over us!  They might as well be saying that we’re… enemies…”

Her emerald eyes began to water up, and she stared unfocused at the wall in front of her.  Leon responded by pulling his wife into his arms.  “We’re still here, though.  No matter what, we have each other, don’t we?”

He glanced at Valeria, who nodded and walked over, laying a hand on Elise’s shoulder in support.  Maia than embraced her from behind.

“I’m of a mind to kill them all,” the river nymph said aloud, “but I suppose we can wait a little longer for that.”

Leon smiled bitterly at her, but appreciated the sentiment, nonetheless.  Still, Elise shuddered in his arms, and he heard a stifled, choking sob and felt some dampness on his shirt where Elise had pressed her face.  She was crying, and he couldn’t blame her; Heaven’s Eye was her home, she’d known nothing but its protection, and having the guild practically throw them out in favor of vampires couldn’t be easy to take.

“Hey, let’s all get some rest,” Leon offered.  “We can continue this in the morning once we’ve all had some sleep.”

“Right,” Valeria responded.  “We need to discuss our options.”

Leon nodded, and the four of them went to bed.  Elise remained as close as she could be to Leon for the rest of the night, clinging to him in what he thought was almost desperation.  She was terrified of losing Heaven’s Eye, and didn’t want to lose him, too.

He just hoped with all his heart that she wouldn’t have to lose anything.

---

“So, one of the Empires?” Valeria asked as the four met back up in their private meeting room.  “If we signed on with, say, the Ilians, then we’d be safe from any Heaven’s Eye retaliation…”

“That’s assuming we’re even scared of retaliation,” Leon pointed out.  “And I’m not so keen on joining Ilion…  I don’t know what Anastasios might want out of me for that kind of commitment.  They have legacies from my old Clan, but without knowing what they might have and what they might do to get it worries me.”

He glanced around the room, taking note that while Elise was certainly looking a lot better than she was the night before, she still didn’t seem entirely up to offering any suggestions.  He just kept her close, trying to reassure her that he wasn’t going anywhere without repeating it ad nauseum.

“What about the one north of here?” Maia asked as she cuddled in on Elise’s other side.  “That Princess couldn’t keep her eyes off you, she’d probably do things to get you on their side.”

“What kind of ‘things’, though?” Valeria asked.  “Would she offer herself in marriage?  Expect you to set the rest of us aside?  Debase yourself or the rest of us to secure her support?”

“Not an option,” Leon declared.  “We can talk to her if we run into her during the expedition, but I don’t want to give up on Heaven’s Eye quite so easily.  I have Emilie’s support, I have Sid on my side, and even though I don’t have Penelope, I have the platinum card.  I have some leverage here, and I don’t just want to give all of that up without a fight.”

“But how much of a fight are you looking for?” Valeria asked.  She leaned in a little bit and locked her gaze upon him.  “You know that I’m with you all the way.  If you want to stay with Heaven’s Eye, then I’m with you.  If you want to try and find greener pastures, then I’m with you, too.”

Maia’s agreement pulsed through their connection, and Leon sent his love back.  Elise, meanwhile, just leaned into him a little more and offered him a weak, sad smile.

“If it’s possible to make this work, then we will,” he assured her, and she squeezed his hand.

“We still need some kind of contingency,” Valeria repeated.

In a snap decision, Leon said, “How about south?  The Sunlit Empire supposedly has many lightning mages, they might have the Titanstone refinery on Nestor’s map, and… they’re closer to the Sky Devils…”

“Are you thinking of going to them for help?” Valeria asked, doubt almost dripping from her tone.

“Not so much,” Leon responded with a frown.  “But of all the Empires, they’ll probably have the most information on them.  We might even be in a better position to meet a Sky Devil down there.  No matter what, though, I don’t want to leave this plane without at least a cursory look at what they might be able to offer us.  If they’re the remnants of my Clan’s vassals, then there might still be some people within it who could be loyal to me.  And even after we get through this, we could use all the allies we can get our hands on for whatever comes next.”

“I’d be willing to go south,” Valeria said with a smile.  “I’ve heard that the Sunlit Empire is a beautiful place.”

To that, Elise finally spoke.  “It can be, but there are some restrictions… at least, for the three of us.”  She nodded to Valeria and Maia.

“What kind of restrictions?” Valeria warily asked.

“Curfews, a lot of places we can’t go without a male family member, restrictions on what we can wear while out in public, that sort of thing.”

Valeria frowned.  “Maybe it’s not such a great place.”

Leon hummed in agreement.  “Maybe just a short visit, then.”

“A short visit should be fine,” Valeria conceded.

“If they try to tell me what to wear…” Maia murmured in furious challenge, and Leon had to resist the urge to break out laughing.  It had been more than a decade since he met her, and while she was typically dressed these days, she still reveled in nudity.  As soon as they were in their bedrooms, Maia’s clothes came off, not to be seen again until the following morning.  During the day, she was often in the pools and ponds of the estate, sans clothes—though merged with the water and effectively invisible.  Still, she had a very particular relationship with clothes, and he could still vividly remember when she first arrived at his home in the Bull Kingdom—coincidentally saving them from vampires, then, too—and was extremely reluctant to wear anything.

He pitied anyone who tried to force her into anything she didn’t want to wear.  Even now, she only ever took fashion advice from Elise and Valeria, but never orders, and anyone else who tried to comment on her attire was utterly ignored.

“For now, though, let’s see what the Director says,” Leon said.  “Until then, we have an expedition to plan, gear to prepare, and a whole host of other things to take care of between now and then.”

“We’re going to have to see to our security,” Valeria pointed out.

“That’s part of what I’m going to focus on, for now,” Leon said.  “I have a ton of wyvern parts.  I’m going to try and rope Sid into helping me with armor and weapons for everyone.”  He squeezed Elise’s hand.  “Including you, love.”

She looked at him with some confusion in her eyes, which soon morphed into acceptance.

“I’m not going to take any chances with the vampires targeting you, next,” Leon continued.

“When do you want to get underway?” Valeria asked.

Leon sighed, then thought about the problem.  Armor at least, and weapons if he could get them, for everyone in his retinue, even if Sid decided to help him out, would probably take weeks at best, and the preparations for their expedition would take quite a while, too.

“Three months?” he guessed.  “It might take longer, and if it does, then so be it.  But I think that’s the time frame we should shoot for.  We might even get done sooner than that.”

Valeria nodded, and after a few more relaxing minutes where the four just sat with each other, they got to work preparing themselves for this expedition.

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