Quoted By:
<span class="mu-s">“Wha-!? Seriously!?”</span> you hissed, struggling to keep your volume down. <span class="mu-s">“How do they like him more than they like you?”</span>
Mina let out a deep sigh and shrugged her shoulders.
<span class="mu-r">“Some find me unsettling, and Ward appeals to their sensibilities. He is what they aspire to be.”</span> she explained, a bitter note creeping into her voice.
<span class="mu-s">“What kind of vampire wouldn't want to be a cool, collected blood witch?”</span> you said, hoping to cheer her up.
Mina brought a hand up to her mouth, despite it being covered.
<span class="mu-r">“Not enough, I am afraid. If this trend continues, then more people will look to my brother for guidance instead of me.”</span>
You must have made a horrified expression, because a nefarious chuckle slipped from Mina’s lips. It was the kind of laugh that you'd expect from a cliche villainess.
<span class="mu-r">“Do not worry. I do not entirely dislike this arrangement. It will give me more freedom to move about as I please, and more time for my experiments.”</span>
<span class="mu-s">“And you can be there to correct Ward's mistakes when he screws up, giving you more support.”</span>
Mina glanced away, as if to say <span class="mu-r">“Your words, not mine”</span>. You supposed it was only a matter of time before her brother slipped up again. Might as well capitalize on it.
<span class="mu-s">“Okay, well…what else will you be up to while I'm gone?”</span> you asked. <span class="mu-s">“Repairing the city, setting up trials, consolidating power over vampiric politics over the next century or so?”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“Among other things, I suppose.”</span> she said, staring out at the city. Repairs were already going faster now that the mages had arrived.
<span class="mu-r">“Absorbing another clan is never an easy transition. I will let Ward handle the dissenters while I root them out. It will take some time.”</span> she continued, her body language showing none of the weariness in her voice. <span class="mu-r">“Between that and my council duties, I will be quite busy for the foreseeable future.”</span>
<span class="mu-s">“What about Louise’s Goldblood?”</span> you asked, leaning forward to get a better look at her face. <span class="mu-s">“I bet you can't wait to start running tests on it.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“Yes. Between her and your guardian, it is perhaps one of the most interesting blood samples I have ever observed.”</span>
You frowned at that, and nearly overbalanced, but all four of your tails fanned out to prevent you from falling. Mina’s hand twitched, almost as if she was going to throw it out to stop your fall, but when she saw that you'd regained your balance, she hesitantly withdrew it.
<span class="mu-s">“‘Guardian’? Which one?”</span> you asked warily.
<span class="mu-r">“The Huntsman, of course. It is hard not to smell it.”</span>
<span class="mu-s">“And what does it smell like?”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“...Power.”</span>
Mina looked you straight in the eyes.
<span class="mu-r">“If I may ask a favor of you, would there be a chance of you having your guardian donate a bit of his blood? It may carry a property that would be extremely valuable to my research.”</span>
That didn't sound like the type of thing Ben would normally go for.
