“They are coping or trying to by doing what feels right.” he nods slowly “ perhaps you could invite them in for a chat…I would have not come myself had I not had these things to say–perhaps this is my way of coping with it”
“Need to know basis, I understand.” frowning he tilted his head “ i understand but I do not agree. The clave sits behind the front-lines making decisions that affect the entire shadowworld. We at the institute are the ones sitting on the front-line always trying to cover up the mess the clave makes. We’ll be a laughing stock, im afraid, with us not knowing what our bosses are planning..but for now I’m aware nothing much can be done about them. But atleast we can shift the course of our actions.” there was a determined gleam in the hazel orbs as he crosses over to stand by her side
“ By a downworld leaders meeting I mean exactly just that. We invite the vampire leader, the high Warlock of LA, the werewolf alpha, the Pride leader of the Werecat clan and perhaps even the seelie queen if she desires to be a part of something that is straight-forward and non-manipulative. The clave can be reasoned with but downworlders need to be made things cleared to and I have a hunch they would like to know what’s going on. I have too met with Kaleb–the leader of the Vamps–he was a whole other kind of man now that he has found Elena to be safe and sound, she is indeed his kryptonite. He agreed to cooperate and work with us.” in Alistair’s eyes, this was the moment to seize the opportunity. The entire shadow world now knew that their lives depended on each other–immortal or not. A Vampire, a warlock and a seelie could still die if their partner did. “ I can reach out to the other leaders too, the High Warlock of LA is a partner of my own and I am confident he would agree on a civilized meeting to maturely discuss issues and concerns that may truly help us in the long run.”
«✧ “ I am sure if they wanted to speak to me, they would seek me out. I am not a difficult woman to find, ” Lois pointed out. She had not looked to speak with the others, purely because whatever words she had to offer them would feel inadequate. “ Like you said, you are here for your own reasons. They would be to had they their own. ”
Lois had never trusted The Clave. The bitterness her mother has instilled in her was not easily banished. However, the fruitlessness of going up against them was something Alistair needed to learn, for his own sake, if not for the good of the institute. “ We are lions led by donkeys, ” she admitted, in a rare moment of candor. “ But that will never change. The only way to have any sort of effect is to beat them at their own game, and to do that you need to play by their rules. My ass is already on the line here, with everything gone on. I can’t let you make it worse. ” She hoped he would take her words as more than mere self preservation, that he would understand that whoever came after her would be a pawn of the clave, but she could not say how he felt.
“ Any downworlder is welcome to talk to me on any questions they may have. I would welcome their cooperation right now. But not the vampires. ” Her tone was firm, on this issue she would not be budged. A roll of her eyes followed Alistair’s words. He hadn’t been here, hadn’t seen Kaleb or heard his threats. “ I have no use for an ally so fickle that it rests on one person. What if Elena was assigned to another institute? Or the next incident does cause her to lose her life? His help is not wanted while I still deem him a threat- and he is a threat. ” Anger burned in her throat, that he had taken it upon his own head to reach out, that he had not even asked her opinion before doing so. “ I’m not as useless at my job as you all seem to think I am. I do not need you to enlist the help of downworlders without my knowing of it. Particularly not when they have threatened the lives of your comrades. I understand you are ambitious, but making me look bad is not the way to get ahead. ” she clenched her jaw, her words icily cold. “ Issue a formal invitation to your warlock partner. Tell him I have gathered all the information I can about every bonding ritual I can find and would appreciate his help. Until I know more, meeting with the rest of the downworld is senseless. ” a pause filled the air, as she mentally reviewed what she said. “ This is best not mentioned outside of this room. I doubt the clave would be impressed. ”
