Quoted By:
<span class="mu-r">“What is up with people in secret societies changing people’s memories? It’s seriously starting to piss me off.”</span>
<span class="mu-b">“How else would said</span> <span class="mu-r">secret societies remain secret?”</span> Oya asked with a raised eyebrow. <span class="mu-b">“We live in the age of information, where most people have access to a camera or little computer.</span> <span class="mu-r">There will come a day where we are unable to remain hidden, but until then, the way we operate will not change.”</span>
You guessed that made some type of sense, but knowing about another shadowy organization wouldn’t exactly change life as we knew it. The concept of normalcy and civility sort of flew out the window after the earth started getting attacked by aliens and magical monsters.
<span class="mu-r">“If you’re so concerned about us being subverted by vampires, why not hook us up with some warding charms or something?”</span> you asked.
Oya bit her lip and narrowed her eyes slightly. After a few seconds of thought, she reached into her pocket, fished out a bronze coin and tossed it over to you.
You snatched it out of the air and inspected it, running your fingers along the grooves and patterns engraved onto its face. The damn thing looked ancient, and you figured that it just might fetch you a good price if you showed it to a collector.
<span class="mu-b">“If you ever feel as if you are in danger of having your mind corrupted by a vampire,</span> <span class="mu-r">you will need to pour a bit of your blood onto the coin and touch them with it.”</span> Oya explained.
You turned the coin over a few times and held it up to the light, trying to see if you could recognize the strange language. <span class="mu-r">“What does it do?”</span>
The corners of Oya’s lips curved upwards into what you thought was a small grin. <span class="mu-b">“I think it would be far more</span> <span class="mu-r">entertaining for you to discover that on your own.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“Just…try not to be touching the vampire when you use it.”</span> Louise cautioned. <span class="mu-r">“In fact, it would be preferable for you to throw it at them.”</span>
You nodded slowly and glanced between the two women, before pocketing the coin.
<span class="mu-r">“I’ll keep that in mind. But back to the topic at hand,”</span> you began, jerking a thumb back at Sergei. <span class="mu-r">“Mr. Kravinoff, as any good head of a household, is always looking to improve their reputation. But for personal reasons, I’d very much like for him not to go through with his current plan. So here’s my suggestion. I want your Order to work with the Kravinoffs to arrange the next Great Hunt. You’d be able to bolster your ranks, and your Order would be more prepared for what’s to come. They’d gain some reputation, and I’d be able to avoid the thing that I don’t like. That’s a win for everybody.”</span>
(Cont.)
