On The Way Down cntd.

[Caitlin Collins]

Caity nodded soberly when Susan said she’d try to contact Dylan. Her heart had finally slowed down to normal after her race through the castle, although her breath was still a bit shaky – although that was more due to seeing Alessandro fall off the tower then burst into flame, not to mention the cold. She waited for Susan to make contact, glancing about the Gryffindor common room as she did so. It really wasn’t all that different to the Hufflepuff one, except that there was a distinct lack of yellow, swapped for red.

The frown on Susan’s face when she attempted to mentally find Dylan was not reassuring. That was reiterated when the Gryffindor admitted she couldn’t get hold of him. ”I guess...” Caity agreed at the suggestion that they let him sleep for tonight. She was sure he’d want to know, but if Susan couldn’t find him and neither of them knew where the Ravenclaw common room was, there wasn’t much to be done about it.

She walked cautiously up the stairs to the boys’ dormitory, silently slipping open what must be the right door, assuming that the boys’ and girls’ dorms were laid out in the same style. Trying to find Bryan, a stray thought came through to distract her as she saw the empty bed at the end of the room. She remembered Mallan saying he liked his bed being next to the window at the end because the wind was free to come through. That must have been where he slept, then. Now it was neatly made, with the bedside table empty and nothing around it. No one else was using it then; no one else come to take his place like Bryan had done.

The movement of Susan’s hand waving her over caught her attention again, stopping her imagination continuing with the vision of what that space might have looked like while Mallan was there. A multitude of drawings, obviously... Shaking her head a little to rid herself of those musings, she stepped away from the empty bed where she had been standing for the last few seconds and went over to stand just behind Susan as she woke Bryan. He awoke and Caitlin stayed silent during the first few words exchanged, stepping out of the dormitory with the pair and closing it quietly behind them.

Noticing that Susan was having some trouble detailing what exactly had happened, Cait added a few words of her own on one of the occasions she was glanced at. ”Alessandro... fell from the top of the tower. Astronomy tower,” she added for clarification, although it didn’t really matter. If you fell from any of the towers at Hogwarts, the same outcome would occur.

Heading to the Room of Requirement, she glanced once to check that Bryan was following then continued, not looking at either of them as she walked on the left side of Susan. Her injury-free hand played with the edges of the makeshift bandage Susan had procured as she stared down at the ground, allowing her feet to carry her where she needed to be.

They reached the hallway soon enough and Caity stepped forward to pace and think as was necessary for creating the doorway that would lead to the meeting room. It was not already there so she presumed that the others were not here yet. The Room of Requirement was hardly her favourite place, given the mixture of bad and bittersweet things that had happened there. Finally the door appeared and she stepped forward to it, holding it open for Susan and Bryan. Once inside she made her way to the chair she had sat in on all previous occasions; one of the two with the Chinese symbol for water on it. She had yet to see anyone sitting in the counterpart chair meant for the Elemental Master of Water.

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan allowed Susan to shush him after he had spoken. He was aware of his own surroundings and even more so the idea what could happen if one of the other boys awoke to see two girls within their dormitory. It was not exactly something that happened every day, given especially that the opposite gender was not suppose to be within the dormitory. Instead, Bryan merely picked up his wand from where it rested on the bedside table, underneath the leather bound sketchpad and pencil, the pencil becoming shifted and rolling down the cover to land on the floor and under the bed. Bryan paid it no mind, instead he merely stood up and slipped the sleek wooden wand into the pockets of his light blue striped sleep pants.

The boy did not bother to seek out his shoes when he stood up to follow the girls. He espied one but not seeing the other in the dark he decided to forgo it and just follow the two. His mind was contemplating what the problem could be, to draw the two to wake him in the middle of the night, to have such strain around their features and in their very countenance. As they came into the empty common room, Susan came to a halt and began to explain what had happened, Caitlin adding her own bit of tidbit.

A soft curse was uttered under his breath at the finish of each girl's speech. Bryan was saddened by the news. However, he had never really met Alessandro aside from attending a few classes with him. The boy was a year below him and in a different house, so he had never really had a chance to get to know the Ravenclaw. He had barely even known that the Ravenclaw was the Elemental Master of Fire, learning this only from when he had joined with the Shadow Master of Wind. With this news received, Bryan knew not how to really act. In response, he expression was just somber, at least showing her understood the magnitude of what had happened, but he was not close to the Ravenclaw like the two Shadow Warriors appeared to be. When it seemed as if Susan was about to break down he wanted to pull her into a hug, however when she appeared to regain her self control Bryan refrained. Instead he merely nodded his head when she stated they should head to the common room.

He had nothing to say. No questions to ask. He was barely acquainted with the Elemental Master of Fire that the information the two had imparted to him had seemed adequate enough for him to go off of. As it was, Bryan had more of the habit of speaking only when he had something to say, to add to the conversation. He did not normally speak too meaningless. As it was, this seemed hardly the time to start. So with a silent agreement between the three of them, they left the Gryffindor Common Room, going down the corridor to the area where the Room of Requirement was located. Among the three of them, Caitlin stepped forward to summon the room they would need for the night. As the door appeared, she held it open for Bryan and Susan to enter. Bryan allowed Susan to enter first, part of him always the gentleman, before he too entered to be followed the Caitlin.

Stepping into the room, Bryan let his eyes look around, realizing this was only the second time he had entered the room. The first being with D'rorah when they had joined. He looked at the chairs around the room, his eyes looking at each of the symbols as he stood with his hands in his pockets, one hand wrapped unconsciously around his wand.

[Katherine Knightswood]

Katherine had lain in her bed staring at the canopy’s underside for hours before falling asleep. Now she lay awake again, having only managed to doze for an hour or two. It had to be some ungodly hour of the morning, and the young Ravenclaw had no idea why she was awake. She picked at the velvet of her bed drapes, the soft blue worn by generations of students. She sighed and rolled over on one side and stared at the nap of the fabric, trying to will herself back to sleep.

It wasn’t working.

Katherine mentally reviewed the past week, her heart thudding heavily. She was a new orphan, newly the Head of the Knightswood Family, and reaffirmed in her choice to side with the Lightfighters. She had chosen to side with them even before the forces of the Mage attacked her Family and slaughtered them, but that dealing of death had only solidified her decision. Alone, but not lonely. The Lightfighters take care of their own. Katherine was one of the youngest Lightfighters to have been left with no Family.

But it wasn’t this that kept Katherine awake in the cold predawn hours of a March morning. Katherine felt like there was a tingling inside her skull, an uncomfortable pressure. It irritated her and made her skin crawl, as if someone were tickling her lightly and constantly. Katherine finally gave in with a quiet sigh, and got out of her bed, careful not to wake her roommates. She wrapped herself in a heavy wool robe and a pair of sheepskin slippers and crept down to the Common Room.

Katherine found a chair close to the fire, and after stirring it up, tucked herself into the chair under a blanket. The young woman thought back over her reading and re-reading of the book Dylan had had her translate, and of the sad but wondrous tale of the Elemental Masters and their bonded Warriors. The fight against the Darkness was so costly, but so necessary. And now, strangely enough, she was being called to aid those Masters, those Warriors, however she could. How odd. Katherine finally gave up her musings as a lost cause. She simply couldn’t concentrate with this feeling of unease growing inside her. She sat back and watched the fire, her sense of something wrong intensifying as she sat and contemplated the flames. She frowned, trying to puzzle out her feelings, when she suddenly realized something.

It wasn’t her feelings!

Katherine sat up with a start. When she stopped focusing and blanked her mind out, the feelings of confusion and fear lessened to almost nothing. When she lost that blankness, then the feelings came back. They were coming from outside! But from where? Katherine hunkered down under her blanket, closing her eyes. It was time to see if she could actually use this strange sense she seemed to be developing. She wiped the mirror in her mind’s eye clear, and then asked herself one question.

Who?

The face of her fellow Ravenclaw, Alessandro Darko, leapt to the fore in the mental mirror. A bewildering mix of startled fear and exhilaration followed by the sensations of rushing air and heat –

Katherine didn’t realize that she had gotten to her feet until she was out the door of the Ravenclaw Common Room and heading for the stairs that led up. Her wand was out and she running down the hall as fast as her legs could take her. The hells with curfew, something felt horribly wrong. Her black hair was coming out of its braid in an aurora around her head and her blue eyes were no longer heavy-lidded with sleep. She stumbled up the seeming endless stairs, her legs briefly tangling in her heavy robe before she recovered.

At the Fifth Floor landing her legs gave out. It felt like her heart was pumping molten lava through her chest, and she bit clean through her lip to keep from screaming. She clutched her wand tightly, determined to face down whatever was making her hurt like this. It took Katherine a moment to realize that once again she was sensing something outside herself. Using the stone banister, she dragged herself to her feet and continued on her way, fighting down panic. Oh, this is going to be bad . . . Katherine wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, startled to find it came away bloody . She hadn’t felt the pain.

The young woman hit the Sixth Floor landing to see the door to the Room of Requirements. It brought her up short for a moment, since she knew from her father’s tales that the door never appeared unless it was absolutely necessary. And right now, it only appeared to the Lightfighters. Katherine knew she needed to be that Room with a surety that shocked her. Without hesitation, she wrenched open the door and went in, stopping short at the sight of the three other students already there. Caitlin. Bryan. Susan. She stared at all three of them for a moment then spoke in a voice that shook.

“What’s happened to Alessandro? I felt something horrible . . . “

[Susan Matthews]

Susan hadn’t thought of putting on her shoes until her bare feet touched the cold stone flooring of the corridor outside the Gryffindor common room. She had glanced back briefly, only to see the others had followed her and allowed the fat lady to swing back into place; she did want to be a bother, running to grab her slippers. The problem was quickly forgotten, however, as her toes easily numbed well before they even reached the stair case. The three moved in silence in the direction of the room of requirement, and Susan was thankful, for she could not have spoken clearly. As she walked, she struggled with memories of lost Alessandro, sending sporadic sobs into the silence, hugging her self all the tighter.

Reaching the sixth floor, Susan was relieved when Caitlin stepped ahead to summon their room. She wasn’t sure if she could focus for long enough to summon the right room. With her faulty concentration the three might have ended up in Myrtle’s bathroom or the elf kitchens. Before she could ponder more, the door had appeared and Caitlin was holding it open for the two Gryffindors. It barely registered in Susan’s mind when Bryan allowed her to enter before him, and yet she subconsciously found herself lightening her disposition. As always the usual ten chairs were in their circular formation as well as the different doors to each element in the distance.

She watched as Caitlin made straight for her chair, the one marked with the Chinese symbol for water and next to it an identical one that would not be filled tonight. Glancing around the circle, she counted several that would not be occupied, and because of this fact, Susan resisted sitting in her own for the moment. Her eyes lingered longer of the door labeled earth and wished to enter. The results would be soothing, she knew, and it had been so long since she’d last spent time in the simulated environment. But with an subconscious shuffle from Caitlin and Bryan, Susan chose not to, deciding it would better to remain with her friends.

She intended to say something, not simply to break the silence, but keep herself sane. It seemed imperative that something normal occur to balance out the trauma of Alessandro’s death. Susan had gone as far as to turn to Bryan and opened her mouth in the action of speaking only to be stopped as the door to the room suddenly swung open. Expecting to see D’rorah, or Zane and Keaira, and the small part of her that willed it to be Dylan, Susan was caught off guard at the appearance of the young girl with the long black hair. Regarding her immediately as someone who didn’t belong, a matter of seconds and Susan was gripping her wand tightly with it pointed directly at the girl.

“Who are you?” she asked as clearly as she could, her voice still broke on the last part, a result from the crying. She held her want with the intent to disarm should it come to it, but then the girl spoke, inquiring specifically about Alessandro. Susan’s arm faltered slightly. How many people saw what happened, she wondered, who was this little girl, and furthermore how did she get in here unless she was one of them? She must have been informed of the room beforehand to get in, Susan realized and allowed her arm to fall. “He’s--,” Susan stopped and frowned, still curious, “How did you know?”

[Wysteria Edwin]

Wysteria clenched her jaw as Keaira continued her inane rant about wanting new leadership, D'rorah's supposed incompetence, and the idea that her suffering was more tragic than anyone else's. Dee handled the situation with more grace than Wyst thought possible by anyone. Although D'rorah's natural detachment meant that she was able to control herself even when most people would lose it. Wysteria was already trying to calm her break down so she could listen to the conversation. Shaking her head, she quickly put the emotion away to be dealt with later. While she knew how to do this as a human, when she became vampire the practice was effortless and much more complete than in her mortal mind. The switch to being in the complete present was automatic, almost severe.

Wysteria's eyes flashed a bright blue as Keaira left the scene with the spineless Zee following blindly after. How could those words come out of Keaira's mouth without anyone slapping her across the face? How selfish could someone be to out their sadness above the others in the group? They had ALL lost Alessandro, Mordred, and the others. They had all endured pain, sleepless nights, long training sessions, and battles. What good would come of Keaira purporting herself as the person most in need of pity and understanding. Like SHE had been the one who had just lost her Elemental Master. Like SHE had been abducted by vampires, tortured for months and made one of the undead and had to struggle against being joined with a shadow before finally escaping. Like SHE had discovered that a member of the Lightfighters not only stole one of her closest friends ("lover" left a bad taste in her mouth; she put the emotion so far from her mind that each minute going by made her forget how it felt), but also broke the heart of her EM.

Wysteria shook her head in order to rid the angry thoughts from her mind. Thinking that way would put her on that same level, which wouldn't do anyone any good. She had to remember that no loss or event meant more than another in this battle. It was all toward one goal, and any self-pity would only serve to bring them down as a group.

The suggestion of a new, different leader made Wysteria roll her eyes and punch a hole in the tree. Could the woman be any more irrational? Who would they chose exactly? How would being an adult make the difference in leadership? And additionally, how could anyone be certain of that person's loyalty? If Keaira and Zee were any indication, the current situation didn't exactly breed fidelity. To bring up a change in power mere moments after the death of an Elemental Master was the furthest thing from rational. Everyone human was at the mercy of their own emotions with any decision, and even the vampire. While Wyst was able to close of her thoughts better than a mortal, she was not old enough to control her temper at all times.

As she heard D'rorah's voice in her head, Wysteria stilled her thoughts and her own body. She was going to receive Alesssandro' compressed ashes. As he saw her friend come closer, she coud more clearly make out the black item. It was shiny, sparkly even and jewel-like, but very black and heavier than it looked. The jewel gave Wyst a strange sense of comfort. He would be with her, even if she could not speak to him, or have him hold her. There were so many things they never had the chance to do before he died. Wyst thought she had all the time in the world to reunite with him, and now it would never happen. She was not saddened by this idea, since her sadness was put away for the time being. It was more of...an interesting revelation.

And...she would be able to set foot in the castle? Wyst cocked her head to the side, like a curious animal examining a new environment. The forest had become her home....and now she would have to join the ranks of the living, even though she wasn't one. She crinkled her forehead, unsure of the idea. But her expression softened as Dee extended the jeweled ash, held on a brass chain.

Wysteria reached out her hand and took the necklace, slowly placing it over her head and looking down at her Elemental Master.

"Pretty," was all she said, more to herself than anyone else.

Then, remembering D'rorah's earlier word, her head snapped back up. "I'm not sure about reentering the castle. I know I need to attend the meeting but...we will need to have a discussion about arrangements. I can't do the magic appropriate for my year...we will need to...we will need to discuss it." Wysteria then waited for D'rorah to tell her she would be allowed to step out of the forest. She would be at Dee's side, silent but slightly unsure of how it would feel returning to the castle. Would she even feel anything?

[D'rorah Philosophy]

As she has expected, D'rorah found Wysteria... or rather, Wysteria found her, as soon as she had stepped through the tree line. She held the small charm aloft by its chain. A sort of sad, wry smile graced her lips at Wysteria's simply remark of pretty. As she recalled, Alessandro had always paid careful attention to his appearance. He'd likely feel somewhat gratified to know his remains had been turned into something pretty, rather than a corpse that would decay and rot away.

"I'm not sure about reentering the castle. I know I need to attend the meeting but...we will need to have a discussion about arrangements. I can't do the magic appropriate for my year...we will need to...we will need to discuss it."

"[blue]For now, simply come to the meeting, we will assess the situation from there and then ascertain how best to proceed. I know that your magical abilities will have changed, but there are still those subjects which require no magical ability. Besides, even for a vampire, this forest grows more dangerous every day. We all need, now more than ever, to band together as one whole unit.[/blue]" She took a long, slow breath. "[blue]Mister Dar... Alessandro's death makes our situation rather more precarious than it was before. Your situation in particular,[/blue]" she added, actually very impressed with the fact that Wysteria seemed, except for grief, to be unafflicted by the usual sorts of torment that came along with the death of an Elemental Master. "[blue]At any rate, we will work together to decide where you will be safest from this point forward.[/blue]"

Pausing, D'rorah gathered her concentration. She stepped from the confines of the forest, making an effort to concentrate specifically on the enchantments which protected the castle... more specifically on the ones that sounded alarms at the approach of dark creatures. She would have to be meticulous and specific in her work... all she really hoped to accomplish was to redirect the alarm so that the headmistress or faculty would not be alerted as Wysteria entered the grounds. Deactivating any of the alarms completely, she knew, would leave them all wide open for attack. So, the alarm relating to vampires was redirected from the main castle alarms to the training room. Later, she would find a suitable amulet of some sort to use for a more portable warning.

Not wanting to frighten the other Lightfighters who might have made their way into the training room already, D'rorah opened her mind to each of them to warn them that an alarm would be sounding soon. The last thing she needed to do was carelessly panic them all. [blue]I have redirected the alarms to the training room temporarily. One will be sounding momentarily for a vampire, but pay it no heed. Everything will make sense shortly.[/blue]

Confident that things were in order, D'rorah turned to face Wysteria. As she did so, she heard Zane's thought and sent him a silent mental thanks. They needed to all be present and accounted for, especially if they were to discuss the issue of leadership. In all honesty, Zane's words had stung rather deeply... to accuse her of being merely a shadow of her former self, of being cold and empty. It wasn't true... she still had passions, still had her dreams for the outcome of this entire conflict. She tended to keep them safely locked up, but that passion was what had shown in her harsh words to Keaira earlier, that passion was what made her sound harsh, cold, and logical at times. This war had to be won at all costs... because losing it would cost everything. That was her driving force, and that passion was what she did not see in her fellow Lightfighters. But, starting tonight, they would all go forward together.

"[blue]We are free to go, Miss Edwin.[/blue]"

Zane and Keaira were correct in that things could not continue as they had been if they wished to win. The Lightfighters needed more training, needed to work more closely together. Though D'rorah had tasked Zane with training the Elemental Masters and herself with the Shadow Warriors, little training had actually occurred. Working within the confines of a school environment and school schedule was making progress difficult. Yes, things would have to change drastically from this point forward.

Finally making her way to the Room of Requirement, D'rorah surveyed the group gathered as she made her way to a chair inscribed with the Elemental symbol of Wind. She would wait until they were all mostly gathered to begin speaking. The chaos of answering the same question several different times was something she hoped to avoid.

[Keaira O'Connell]

The word that Zane gave her in response to her question was quite unexpected. Sure they were in the prefect’s bathroom, and she was nearly frozen solid, but it would have never occurred to her to actually take the time to warm herself up like that before meeting the others. Yet, as the warm steam began to fill the room she couldn’t help but notice her reflection in the mirror before the steam fogged it over. She was sickly pale, far paler that she was normally. Her hair didn’t move, and had a strange hard sheen to it. When Zane was running his hand through her hair, she knew it to be in an attempt to comfort her, but he pulled on the hard frozen strands more than once, and that simply made her more aware of how bad of shape she was in. Her lips were not the warm pink that was typical of them, but instead they held a purple hue to them. Her tank top, where her hair had dripped on to it was darkened, and stiff in comparison to the rest of the fabric. She was cold, even standing as close to Zane as she was, she was freezing. A warm bath would help her.

Keaira listened to his words, and kept her thoughts and emotions disconnected. She examined what he was suggesting logically. She really would benefit from warming up, and defrosting before she met with the others. In fact it was the best option that she had, and would probably save her from being sick tomorrow. Then as a gentleman would have done, he suggested stepping outside the room to give her the privacy that she might just need. Although, he didn’t pull away from her just his look to the door made her tense up and tighten her grip around his torso. She did not want to be alone right now. If she was alone she would have all the time to think about the past hour, to know that it was her that Alessandro had last thought about. She had been what he was dreaming about. Even after their last meeting when she had told him she had given up on him, and he had left without a word, even after that, he still thought about her enough to follow her in his dreams. No she didn’t want to think about that. She didn’t want to think about the way he had screamed her name thinking that she had just jumped off the tower. She didn’t want to think about the pain that she watch cross his face when she told him of all he had missed. And she didn’t want to think about Alessandro being gone. Zane needed to stay with her, she couldn’t be alone.

“No. Stay. It would be bad if you were sitting out in the hallway. Stay with me…”

She was being selfish. She knew it too. She didn’t want him to leave, because she didn’t want to think about any of this… and yet the thought of striping away the only protection she had right now, made her uncomfortable. It was a foolish thought, being uncomfortable around Zane, no matter the circumstances. He shared all of her memories, she kept nothing from him, and she knew that he was the only person who was as familiar with her body as she was. Yet, she felt vulnerable. Keaira pulled her arms away from Zane, wrapping them around her own body, clenching at the edges of her shirt, pulling it down just a touch. She looked around the giant room, and walked over to the window. Pulling it closed, she shivered as the wind from outside blew through the window one last time before she locked it in place.

With the window shut, the room felt warmer, and Keaira slowly slipped her bathrobe off, and let it fall to the ground next to her book bag. Her steps brought her back to Zane, and without a word, she grabbed his hand and slowly lead him a few steps away to a blank section of the wall. No mirrors, no reflective surfaces, just what she needed. She let s soft breath out and stopped in front of him. She let go of his hand after a short moment, and brought both her hands up to his face. Cradling either side of his face, her thumbs brushed his cheek bones, and her pinkies softly grazed his neck. She held his face steady for a moment, and looked up the few inches to stare into his eyes. Although her face was marred with frozen tear tracks, his was not. Her eyes held a sad note to them, as she stretched upward on her toes, to close the distance between her lips and his. She pressed against him, her mouth slightly open, as she gently slid her tongue against his lips. In comparison to some of the kisses they had shared, this one was soft and chaste, ending shortly after it started, with her closing her lips and pulling away. Her eyes glanced downward as she dragged her hands down his neck to his shoulders, and then lightly danced her fingers down the permanent lines that had been inflicted on him. Between the two of them, they boasted quite the number of scars, his from Mordred, and the headmistress, hers from wraiths, and muggles. Her breathing was normal as she stepped away from him, however, her hearts pace was most definitely not, it raced in her head and throat as she moved that step backward. With her eyes carefully examining one of the many scars that graced Zane’s upper body, she spoke softly.

“Stay here, give me a moment. And when I am ready… come join me. You’re freezing and the water is warm.”

She gave him a small smile, left him staring at the blank wall. As she walked over toward the tub filled with its warm water and soft bubbles, she pulled the tank top she wore, over her head, and left it disregarded on the floor with her bathrobe, and shortly later the rest of what she wore. The only things that remained on her were her grandmothers’ locket, and Alessandro’s Italian horn, as she slipped into the warm water, and sunk down till only her neck and head were visible above the bubbles. She softly thought the word, ‘Ok’ to Zane, as she slipped her head under the water, to soak her frozen hair with the intention of unfreezing it. She stayed with her head under the water for a few long moments, holding her breath; long enough to feel the frozen strands that had clumped together, ease apart, and float freely in the water around her. The water was warm, and she had been cold enough that even though she knew the water to be a reasonable temperature, it still burned her skin to be in it.

As she sat there, trying to relax away the cold she was feeling she couldn’t keep her mind away from thoughts of Alessandro. She knew at that moment that she would have another nightmare to plague her mind each time she closed her eyes. The thought of that brought on a wave of anxiety, and Keaira only wished for one thing to chases it away. She only wished for Zane to wrap his arms around her and to allow her to lean into his embrace, the warmth of his touch would be enough to still her mind, and calm her heart. After all it was his touch that had chased away so many of her nightmares so far. His love that had helped her deal and cope with everything, and now there was another catastrophe in her life for him to help her through. It would be a while before she had the strength of heart, body and mind to really face the people that waited for her in the Room of Requirements. The only problem was that she didn’t have a while. She couldn’t take several days to recover from this; no she would have to pretend that things were normal. She would not be able to wear his necklace within the confines of the castle… anyone could have noticed when he had it returned to him. Although she had snuck into the Ravenclaw tower and then up into the boys dorms while the Ravenclaw team battled it out on the Quidditch field, there was still no guarantee that someone didn't notice that he had it. She wondered about that day, what he had thought when he found it dangling from the crossbars of his four post bed. A small glint of metal that reflected the suns light, waiting for him to retrieve it as if it had always been there. But she knew that it had not, she had placed it there, where he could not miss it, and she knew the next day that he had found it. So she couldn’t wear it as a memento, even if it was only for a few day, too many questions would be raised… no she would have to put it somewhere until she could actually do what she intended.

Sitting up, she brought her hands up to the clasp of Alessandro’s necklace, and unhooked the chain from her neck. Bringing it around to the front of her she re-clasped the necklace. For a moment she simply looked at the charm, as it dangled from the chain held aloft by her fingers. Then she turned around, and leaned over the ledge of the tub, exposing a large expanse of her unclothed back, and placed the necklace on the floor a few feet away from the edge. With the necklace safely away from the edge of the bath, she allowed herself to sink back down in the water, and closed her eyes.

[Wysteria Edwin]

Walking through the tree line was not much of an emotional experience for Wysteria, but she was more alert being in a somewhat unfamiliar environment. She did not feel comfortable outside the forest and was on her toes the moment her foot stepped on Hogwarts grounds. The forest had been her home for over a month and she was reserved to the idea that she would never enter the school again; she was not fit to be around impressionable students. But now the Lightfighters must join together so that the recent tragedy could be assessed and a new plan of action reached by all members.

As Wysteria and D'rorah walked closer to the castle, Wyst noticed that the large stone building was much prettier than she imagined. From far away the towers and spires looked menacing and unwelcoming, especially at night from her treetop solace. This sentiment increased exponentially after her encounter with Zee. But as she drew near, the glowing candle-lit windows and large wooden doors were warm and inviting. A small smile cracked her smooth and pale face: amusement of how she could vaguely remember being human and looking at the castle as "home" and feeling happy to see its walls after a summer away, whereas now she recognized a homey appearance but had no emotion to go with it. The idea she belonged in Hogwarts was unthinkable. Why would she want to be human? She never was human in any case. Humans were weak, disloyal, and became infatuated with sociopaths. Well, to be fair part-vamps did the latter as well, and at that thought her smile became a twitch and then her mouth went into a firm line once more.

The most unexpected sensation was an intense smell once the doors opened to the castle. A few faint scents wafted toward her while she approached the building: burning candles, old books, food, warm blood, perfume, mold. Each coming one or two at a time. But when she finally entered, all smells and stenches hit her nose with a force she had never encountered as a mortal. The forest had ancient smells that decomposed and renewed in a regular cycle. This environment was more man-made; there was less of a harmonious symphony of smells, and more like a cacophony.

A wrinkle on her nose and a small shake of her head was the only outwardly appearance Wysteria gave that she was disquieted. She followed D'rorah silently up the stairs to the Room of Requirement, passing by a few students and avoiding their eyes. She had never been in an environment with so many warm bodies...even thought she had just fed she was always tempted by any human. She was afraid they might see through her, that someone would arbitrarily tell her she was inhuman and a threat to the safety of the school and that she needed to leave. Then Wyst would become angry and might kill or bite someone. Sighing, she sincerely hoped that would not happen since she would most likely regret it and it would be quite bothersome.

So far since entering Hogwarts, Wysteria was having a hard time controlling the feelings of anxiousness and anger with seeing her "old" life that was taken from her. Pictures of people using wands, knowing she would never be able to perform magic properly again, gave her a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. She took a moment to pause, drew in a long breath, and focused her mind to live in the present and push her memories to the back. Her eyes flashed blue for a brief moment as this switch happened in her head. It was a nice relief from all the noise in her mind.

They took a small detour so Wyst could change into something more suitable than rags: a long purple robe, plain and suitable. The feeling of proper clothing was unusual to her, and shoes were stranger still. But Wyst kept these thoughts to herself. Part of her wanted to change back into the rags, but the larger part of her didn't like the stares garnered from the other students.

Walking into the Room of Requirement, she took her place in the round table: next to the empty chair where Alessandro once sat. The empty chair had nothing more than a symbolic meaning in her present state. As she glanced around the room, she noted the surprised faces as if they had seen a ghost. She chuckled to herself.

"I'm guessing by your expressions Dee has not told you of my fate." She took a small breath, thinking of how to condense what happened so they would not ask further of it.

"Yes I am dead. I was captured and made full vampire. I am technically a new born, so my self-control is not what it should be, although a great deal better than it would be for a normal turning since I was born almost three-quarters vampire. Just a warning in case I fly off the handle." She paused, then added, "best to try not to make me angry."

She said the warning without attitude or in a threatening manner. It was simply a fact that newborn vampires tended to have fiery emotions when they felt anything. As vampires age feelings dull but the first few decades were less controlled. However Wyst might have an easier time with the aging and adapt much faster because of her past; it had proven true with other things: such as her need to feed on others and kill. The lifelong resistance to drinking blood had permeated through her transformation so the urge was not as strong. That was her theory in any case.

"So...where are the others?" She asked D'rorah.

[Zane Lucifer Bishop]

Despite his sincere willingness to wait outside, Zee couldn't fully suppress a grin, the right side of his lips twitching upward slightly as he felt her desire for his presence and then she told him to stay. He was a little disappointed, though not overly surprised at her discomfort at the notion of simply undressing before him. Even the night of the Valentines Ball he had not seen her full body. It had no occurred in that encounter and he hardly expected it in this, nor was he really looking for it. Still, it would have been rather thrilling.

Once more, and not for the last time, he was very thankful for their mental connection. After the trauma she'd endured, he might have thought her movement toward the open window a precursor to further tragedy had he not seen her intent clearly in her mind. Instead Zee merely watched as Keaira closed the window and abandoned her robe. His head tilted to one side as she returned to him, assessing her with his gaze. It was that same graceful figure he'd come to adore, yet he could plainly see how the cold had stiffened her joints and tightened her skin. Or perhaps he was simply imagining that and feeling her cold through their connection. Or perhaps that was only the uncomfortably low temperature of his own skin he was feeling.

Nothing seemed quite clear to him. He had awoken to a horrid nightmare to a series of unsettling events, his own emotions running wild for a time. Zee rubbed his eyes briefly as he recalled all he had thought, all he had said, the rage that had overtaken him. He would have to piece together some form of apology for D'rorah. His words had been unnecessarily harsh, stemming from his poor reaction to her orders, to anyone's orders really. She just happened to be the only one who ever issued him any. Still, that was a character defect of his, not hers. Had he really been ready to just leave, to forsake the other lightfighters? How illogical would that have been? As Keaira reached him and led him over to a bare stretch of wall, he considered the effect she had on him. He seemed more passionate where she was concerned, more reckless. He wasn't sure there was aught he'd not do to stay with her, protect her, and at times simply to please her. For the first time he saw what she had perhaps seen from the beginning, why she had been so reluctant to establish a romance with him. It was dangerous. It could lead to very unwise decisions in the heat of the moment.

Look what happened to your predecessor.

Zee wasn't sure what to make of this new notion, but he didn't like it. It almost seemed as if he would have to choose between Keaira and victory over the darkness. In his calm state of mind the thought of having to give her up did not spark the fury, but it did conjure a deep sorrow in him. Holding back any tears, Zee returned Keaira's gaze, his eyes full of that sadness, though he concealed the true reasoning behind it. His arms slid lightly around her as they kissed, his eyes remaining open throughout. His grip was easily broken as she pulled back and ran her fingers down his body, across his scars. She too carried marks from Dark Phoenix's minions, and any time his attention was brought to hers or his own, his mind invariably turned to D'rorah's scarred body and the brands he himself had given Dylan. Much as he willed himself to move past that event, there was always a barely noticeable flinch when he thought of it.

He nodded in response to her instructions, noting with a smirk that perhaps D'rorah was not in fact the only one to give him orders. As Zee waited, staring at the blank wall, he heard D'rorah's mental warning that a vampire would soon set off the alarms she had redirected and knew what it meant. Zee stifled a groan.

Lovely.

Between Darko's demise and the general lack of Dylan Cooper Zee had seen recently, he had begun to hope he may actually get on well with the other active lightfighters, but if Wysteria was to be present that was not likely. Plus there was the perpetually increasing tension between himself and Caitlin. Sighing hopelessly, he turned around at Keaira's mental signal, seeing her head dip below the canopy of bubbles. He clearly saw this as his own opportunity to disrobe without exposing himself visibly, and for a moment he considered ignoring the opening, waiting until she resurfaced to undress. But no, given all that had occurred and the business that still needed attending to, this was no time for such salacious games. Quickly Zee discarded his sole garment and slipped into the water.

The heat was amazingly revitalizing, and he moved quickly over to where Keaira had submerged herself. Soon enough she surfaced and settled into a forcibly relaxed seat, and he set himself on her right about a foot away. He was close enough to be readily available but thus far avoided actual contact. Regardless of what would typically be running through a sixteen year old boy's mind at a time like this, particularly this sixteen year old boy, Zee's thoughts were not even slightly carnal. He knew Keaira was thinking of Darko, and he somewhat doubted there was anything that would turn him off more readily than thinking about Keaira thinking about Darko.

His thoughts remained neutral, considering what would happen at the upcoming meeting. Zee glanced to his left as Keaira removed the Italian Horn from around her neck, averting his eyes up to the right as she emerged somewhat from the tub to set it on the floor. As she settled back into the water he caught her fears about new nightmares and her desire for him to protect her from them. Immediately his blank expression melted into sympathy and he scooted over to her, the bare skin along his left side pressing against the smooth silkiness of her right and his left arm moving around her shoulders, fingers tracing along the scar there on her left shoulder as he adjusted to let her rest her head against his chest. Absently blowing a small patch of suds out of her hair, he kissed her on the top of her head and leaned his cheek against her. He held her for nearly ten minutes, though the time seemed to pass far too quickly. Still, they had other matters to attend to. They couldn't stay there and hide forever, appealing as the attempt may be.

"We should go. They'll be waiting for us."

[Caitlin Collins]

Staring down at her feet and not making eye contact with any of the others in the room, Caity tried to think of anything but Alessandro’s expression the moment he lost his balance and fell. Or the way he had burst into flames and she had thought that meant he must be safe... only to find that was not so. Realising she was completely failing, her gaze rose a little to glance around the room. The walls surrounding them had those five doors with the same symbols as on the chairs. She hadn’t been in her Elemental Room in ages... in fact... she had an idea that the last time, and only time, she’d been in there was when originally bonding with Mallan after a similar meeting as they were apparently about to have. But that was another thought that simply brought about sadness. Much as she didn’t want someone else to be brought into this war, her Elemental Master really would be appreciated if he could just be found... they needed as much help as they could get.

Katherine’s entry was actually a welcome distraction from her trailing mindset, although once again the first year did not appear in a good state – she could see some blood on the girl’s mouth, and the Ravenclaw looked exhausted. What was she doing here? And how on earth had she found out that something had happened to Alessandro?

”Katherine... what are you doing here?” she asked quietly once Susan had spoken, a little amount of confusion seeping into her expression. It was not much though – this whole night was one big mess of bewilderment, so this extra thing wasn’t going to make much difference. But then Dee’s voice sounded in her mind, telling her (and presumably everyone else as well) that a vampire alarm would be sounding shortly. A vampire alarm? What was D’rorah doing out there that would sound a vampire alarm? Distracted again, Caitlin let Katherine be and waited, eyes on the door. Sure enough, a siren sounded barely a minute later, and although she had known it was coming Caity still jumped at the noise. She would have done so even had she not already been overly alert and wary – she had a tendency to be surprised very easily if sudden, loud noises sounded. Her parents told her she’d been quite the nuisance at Bonfire Nights when she was younger, jumping every time a firework went off and usually dropping whatever she was holding at the time.

Then, the biggest surprise and confusion of all – D’rorah entering and looking them all over before taking her seat... but behind her. She had changed, that was for certain. Her skin was paler and ghostly smooth, she looked tired and all sorts of other subtleties Caitlin couldn’t recognise. But it was still her... Wysteria wasn’t dead. That explained why no other Shadow Warrior of Fire had arisen in the months since her “death”. How long had Dee known that she was alive? Where had she been all this time? Not too far, she’d guess, judging by how quickly she had been fetched after Alessandro’s fall. The one death she hadn’t doubted in the slightest, and it was the falsity. Not that she’d doubted Mallan’s death a whole lot, but there had still been a little. And she hadn’t even believed that Alessandro was dead until Keaira had made that very clear.

When the previous Hufflepuff prefect began to answer the unasked question, Caity leant back in her chair and breathed out slowly, eyes not leaving... the vampire? This was crazy... of course she’d known that before, but really, this was completely crazy. ”Where’ve you been living?” she heard herself asking after a pause in what was being said. And... eating... The last part she didn’t say aloud, but the question still resounded loudly in her head in worriment. She had little knowledge of vampires, but was well aware of the traditional human blood. Was that a myth? Or an unavoidable aspect of being turned into a vampire? Did it have to be fresh? But she didn’t say it out loud, because she wasn’t sure if she wanted the answer or not. Subconsciously one hand played with the necklace pendant hanging round her neck; something she tended to do if she was unsure or nervous.

[Bryan Kelley]

The silence between the three lightfighters had not really affected Bryan as it did the other two. He could only attribute it to the fact he had not been on close terms with the Elemental Master of Fire. Some may have called Bryan heartless for his almost distant response to this tragedy, but what did one really expect him to do? He was told that a boy he had never really spoken to before, someone on their "team," had just died. He was saddened by the news of course but the higher emotions reserved for those who had known the elemental master just did not belong with this one. If anything, this news this reiterated that fact that he was now apart of this thing, where anyone could die. Where even he could die. This was the information that affected him probably the most.

So rather than sitting down in the chair designated for his by his element, Bryan leaned against the wall, his head bowed, staring at the ground. His hands were still resting in the pockets of his sleep pants, his wand hand unconsciously gripping the handle of his wand, his fingers gently rubbing the wood. His mind was turning over these events, making sense of what he knew and taking into account what he didn't know. There was a sort of surreal sense to it. Yet, Bryan was sure he was the only one the really felt it in this sense. From his understanding, the other lightfighters were all rather acquainted with each other, if not closely attached to one another in some cases. It made Bryan feel almost like an outsider. Aside from Susan, Bryan did not feel particularly close to the others, not even to his shadow warrior. He was friendly with those he had met, but he had not interacted to in deep with any of them, to the extent to build any personal ties.

Bryan's thoughts were interrupted when the door to the room opened; his head jerked up automatically to look at the door. He looked quizzically at the young black hair girl that stood there. Already Susan had her wand out and pointing at the first year, and Bryan's own hold on his wand had tightened ready to use it if needed. Yet, the small girl's first words were enough to shake Susan's ground enough to lower her wand and question the girl. Caitlin soon spoke up after Susan, adding to the questions asked. Bryan merely looked at the girl in silence, feeling the two shadow warriors had pretty much covered the verbal aspect of this particular situation. However, unlike Susan, who had lowered her wand in her confusion of the girl's words, Bryan's hand remained firmly clutched around his wand. He did not know the girl, and he was not as easily shaken by the girl speaking the name of their now dead companion. He waited to see what the first year would utter.

It was not long after this that the communtion from D'rorah sounded in his mind, informing of the oncoming Vampire alarm. That gave Bryan a moment of pause as he wondered about it. Yet, his thoughts did not stray to it long as the alarm had soon gone off. Like Caitlin, Bryan gave an involuntary start at the sound. Even prepared, one was unprepared for when precisely it would go off. He momentarily closed his eyes before opening them again, waiting for the alarm to pass on, and then for the arrival of the rest of their group.

D'rorah was the first to enter and she had merely looked at those assembled before taking a seat. It seemed that most of the attention of the room had focused on the person who had followed after the Ravenclaw. Bryan looked at the girl but he had not other feelings on the matter. He had never met her before, did not know her story himself. It had all happened before he had joined the lightfighters. So he felt a slight confusion when the girl seemed to answer an unspoken question to the other lightfighters. An eye brow raised in interest at the information she departed, but still Bryan remained silent. Once more he felt the outsider, oblivious to most of this information, not even knowing much about the Shadow Warrior of Fire. At least, as such he didn't have to feel any sense of betrayal at finding out the Shadow Warrior was actually still in existence -- alive was probably not the correct term to use in this case.

So instead of taking part in the conversation that ensued, Bryan just listened with a small amount of curiosity.

[Keaira O'Connell]

As she half sat, half lay in the warm water, Keaira rested her head against Zane’s chest. It was relaxing, even though part of her wasn’t really sure how she felt about being naked underwater, with Zane besides her. It wasn’t awkward, or anything, it was just… well Alessandro just died. What was she supposed to feel now? Grief would be acceptable, anger as well. Sorrow, depression, denial… there were many acceptable emotions for her to experience. But right now, all she felt was numb. How long would she feel like this? Would things get better? She didn’t know.

Her eyes were closed when she felt Zane slide though the bubbles, and water to get closer to her side. It was a comforting gesture, and as soon as he moved next to her she slipped her right arm behind his back, and wrapped her left across his front, and laced her fingers together on his side. The movement pressed her closer to his body, resting her cheek across his collar bone. Her breathing was slow and steady, and her eyes remained closed for quite some time. The soft swirling of Zane’s fingers over the faded circular scar on her shoulder brought a sigh to her lips. It was so comfortable cuddling up to Zane, and resting her head gently in the small hollow of his neck. The small action of him blowing away the bubbles before he gently kissed her cheek brought a smile to her lips again. It was such an adorable gesture, one that even with everything going on she could appreciate. In response Keaira gently rubbed her cheek against his chest, snuggling into him like she might snuggle into a pillow. The shift in her position sent small droplets of water cascading from her hair and landing sporadically across Zane’s upper body. They then rolled down in small trails until reaching the waters’ surface and rejoining the collective again.

She wasn’t sure how long she lay there, her arms wrapped around Zane, and her body pressed to his, but sometime during it, she lost consciousness, and drifted to a short sleep. It wasn’t a hard task for her to do, the water left her warm, Zane left her feeling secure, and trauma left her exhausted. She probably only slept for a few minutes, before Zane's voice roused her from her escape. She replied with saying “mmhhumm” A mostly unintelligible response, but one nonetheless. Her eyes shifted open, and she pulled her arms away from Zane, sitting up as she did. Keaira questioned him slightly with her eyes for a second before looking over to where the towels were piled. She knew Zane could summon towels for each of them, however, after a second’s consideration decided she just didn’t care.

Moving away from Zane just little she turned from him, stood up and stepped out of the warm water. Whether he watched or not, she really didn’t care, well a small part of her wanted him to watch. But those feelings would only cause her more problems now. Water cascaded down her, and in the process splashed heavily on the floor. The towels were stacked neatly on a rack a few short feet from the edge of the tub, a short distance to travel before she was able to remove one from the shelf and wrap it securely around her body; another towel was wrapped up in her hair. With most of her body covered, she grabbed another towel and walked back over to where Zane was, and simply handed it to him before moving to her pile of clothes. With her back to Zane she quickly redressed, and dried her hair. Her hair would still be damp, but at least it wouldn’t be dripping. As she dressed she had a sense of Déjà vu, knowing that not so long ago she was dressing in the same clothes after a relaxing bath. It didn’t take Zane long at all to be ready to go, and within a few minutes Keaira had all of her belongings stuffed into her book bag, Alessandro’s necklace was safely tucked into her potions kit with the vial of ashes she had, and the elemental orb of fire was safely wrapped up and ready to go as well.

Absently, Keaira ran her hand through her short hair, and moved to the door. When she reached it, she waited a moment, checking the hallway mentally, for any wandering students, or professors, and when she knew it was clear she opened it up, and held it for Zane. She weakly smiled at him and with a hand sweeping gesture, she said “After you.” When the door sung shut after the two of them left, Keaira immediately reached for Zane’s hand and started walking. They walked the short trip in silence, Keaira simply desiring nothing more than the light touch of his hand around hers. Before they entered the sixth floor hallway, Keaira once again checked for students and professors wandering about, although in this particular hall she was more worried about the headmistress than any other. Yet, it was empty, and therefore they safely traveled the last stretch, all the while thinking about the elemental meeting room.

The door of course appeared with no problem. And Keaira reached for the knob. For a minute her hand rested on it, but made no move to turn and open the door. Her thoughts swirled with all the possibilities that this meeting could conjure, and a small anxious feeling crept through her. Had she really suggested they appoint a new leader? Who would they choose if not Dee… Really she had just been angry when she had said those words...angry, detached, and cold. She took a deep breath, an attempt to steady herself against what the meeting would hold, and looked up at Zane. Her eyes held slight bits of worry, fear, sadness, and even anger in them… and as she looked at him her eyes softened, and she felt a small bit of calm enter her. Leaning up toward him, she squeezed his hand, and lightly kissed his cheek, then in a whisper said, “I love you.” After settling back on her feet she released his hand, turned forward, and opened the door to the room.

The door remained open long enough for Zane and her to enter before she secured it closed behind them. A quick glance around the room showed their numbers to have dwindled. D’rorah, Wysteria, Susan Caitlin and Bryan, with Keaira and Zane that made 7.Two complete pairs…where was Dylan, he would have made their number reach three pair… No elemental master of fire, no elemental master of water, and no elemental master of earth as well? If Keaira and Zane had to attend this meeting, what was Dylan’s excuse… as Keaira looked to the group, she hoped he had a good one. As a pair Keaira and Zane moved to the chairs that were reserved for the two of them, the Chinese symbol of elemental metal adorning each one. Without any though Keaira sat in the chair to the left, and Zane in the one to the right, once seated, Keaira said nothing. She simply waited, part of her knew she owed Dee an apology, but she wasn’t going to start the meeting off apologizing for her actions, particularly when she felt little remorse over some of them.

[Alessandro Darko]

***ADMIN NOTE***

I'm not trying to rush anyone, but in essence, if possible, this thread needs to keep moving. Posting order can be broken to pick up the pace if necessary. I feel like for a one shot thread to have gone this far, some resoluteness needs to occur. At this point, posts do not need to be extravagantly long, but with purpose.

Thank you guys,
Darko

[Zane Lucifer Bishop]

His proclamation having roused her, Zee gazed back at Keaira's questioning look. Before he had a chance to interpret the expression, she had already turned and stood. glancing past her, he understood she had nearly asked him to pull a towel to her, but for some reason hadn't. He watched her bare back for a a moment before she stepped up and out of the sudsy water, exposing the lower half of her body. Zee did not look away.

Instead he merely closed his eyes before he could see anything inappropriate. Inappropriate; the word made him want to laugh. When had he ever cared about propriety and socially acceptable behavior? Well, he had cared, but only for appearances' sake. There was no one else here now though, no one to think worse of him if he indulged and looked over Keaira's body. Still, he did not. It seemed too close to that which he had abruptly halted on the night of the Valentine's Ball. Even what had already taken place had him fending off feelings of guilt. There was something else as well, some notion that was even more subtle than the satisfaction he had felt upon gazing at Alessandro's remains. Zee did not look out of respect for the dead boy. That idea too seemed odd to him. He had, after all, never respected the Master of Fire in life. There it was though, nevertheless.

Hearing footfalls approaching, Zee opened one eye to see his Shadow Warrior wrapped in two towels and holding a third out for him. Taking it with an appreciative smile, he too rose from the water and made his way toward his discarded pajama pants, drying himself from the top down as he went. Slipping them on and roughly rubbing his hair with the towel, Zee felt a twinge of regret at not having the time to return to his dorm and dress. Aside from the potential awkwardness that he wore only a single garment that did nothing to cover his top half, he had never before gone anywhere were many would see him without first attending to his hair. It was clean and mostly dry, but something of a chaotic mess atop his head. With a sigh he swallowed his vanity and waited for Keaira to gather her far more numerous possessions.

As he passed through the door Keaira held open for him, Zee cupped her cheek for a moment with his palm. Her smile had been somewhat forced; she was not looking forward to this meeting any more than he. He did note that the entire gesture with the door was very similar to the kind of thing he would often do, and as he thought of both that and the crooked smile he'd begun to see appearing on her face from time to time, he realized he was having perhaps as much influence on her as she was on him. That was not a comforting thought. As their fingers intertwined he silently berated himself for not trying harder, for not being a better influence.

When they reached the passageway and the door appeared, he reached for the handle, but she was quicker. Zee could clearly see the tempestuous emotions behind her eyes as she paused and turned to him. Much as he had on those nights he'd protected her from her nightmares, he focused on their emotional link and sent a wave of serenity her way. It seemed to have some effect, and he smiled himself as she kissed his cheek. His eyes widened marginally though at her next words. True they loved each other, but neither had said as much aloud to the other. Hearing the words left Zee feeling a little overwhelmed, pleased, and given his thoughts earlier about what disastrous ends this could lead to, a little worried. Apparently she had not overly expected a reply, which was good since none was forthcoming. Composing himself quickly, he followed her into the meeting.

His stride halted almost immediately as he recognized the young Ravenclaw who had blurted out her power numbers in Arithmancy. Eyes scanning the room, he counted five Shadow Warriors, all known to him. Who then was this sixth female, and what was she doing here? D'rorah seemed untroubled by her presence however, so Zee assumed it was not a terrible surprise and would be explained. As he moved to his designated seat, he noted that Bryan was the only other Elemental Master present. Soldier was no more; Alessandro was, well, the reason for the meeting; Dylan was . . . not there? It was true that his former victim had been somewhat scarce of late, but Zee was surprised to find him conspicuously missing from this gathering. A questioning look was leveled at D'rorah, turned on Susan, and then returned to D'rorah. Zee kept silent however, figuring that too would be explained and was likely a sensitive subject.

Sitting, Zee quietly cleared his throat. It had not occurred to him that now, with Wysteria again an active member, he would be sitting between her and Keaira. The uncaring, detached Zee would have found this most amusing. Now though it made him uncomfortable. Again he very much wished he had had time to dress himself, particularly given the new attire the vampire wore. She had found the time to dress decently; he felt a little foolish for not doing the same. He pondered for a moment what she would find most offensive: ignoring her or speaking to her. It seemed a gamble either way so for now he decided he would be cordial until given reason to be otherwise. His voice came out quiet and unassuming.

"Hello Wysteria."

[Susan Matthews]

Looking at last toward their circle of chairs, Susan had resisted sitting in, she resolved she must sit at some point. She found her own chair with no problem, sitting in a way that allowed her to cross her legs in her pajama pants at the ankles close to the legs of her chair. She was still chilled slightly from the absence of both shoes and socks, and she couldn’t help but notice the sticky feeling on her shoulder where Caitlin’s blood had saturated the cotton t-shirt upon waking her. It was strange, being the only couple of people in the room for the moment, as no one outright chose to speak.

The silence proved ephemeral as D’rorah’s thoughts were projected into Susan’s mind and the others as well she presumed. Vampire? Her thoughts echoed slightly with D’rorah’s sudden presence. As far as she could tell, all of the schools alarms were working properly and if the vampire alarm would be sounding than none other than a vampire would be the one walking through the door in a moment. Why a vampire though, and what it meant was unknown to Susan though. At the sound of the alarm, Susan jumped along with the others, curious still to what was to be revealed.

Susan made no change in emotion as D’rorah entered the Room of Requirement, choosing her seat, one chair from her own. She didn’t have anymore time to think though as soon she saw another entrant to the room. Susan’s eyes widened at the sight of Wysteria following D’rorah. She blinked several times, vaguely understanding the connection between the Vampire alarm and Wysteria’s presence before them. Susan let her head bob slightly, from D’rorah to Wysteria, both on either side of her, unsure of who to keep eyes on for a reaction to their sudden company of a girl who was supposed to be dead.

Hearing her speak however was only proof that she was no ghost. Susan smiled slightly, piecing together why no new Shadow Warrior of Fire had arisen since Wysteria’s alleged death, and couldn’t help but at least a little happy that while changed, Wysteria was still alive. It did not bother her for the moment, that she had been lied to by more than one her fellow lightfighters to keep Wysteria’s secret. If it had been necessary as she could now see it was, she didn’t mind. Not to mention she probably wouldn’t have believed them if she had been told originally.

Upon their entrance Susan was subtly aware of the wet hair that Keaira and Zane both shared, but thought nothing of it. Counting the two aligned with metal as they entered, Susan discovered that they were all present for their gathering. All except Dylan, Susan couldn’t help but worry slightly, as she saw the questions that were evident on Zane’s face. Susan revealed nothing in her face when she met his eyes as she had nothing to reveal at the moment. Dylan’s whereabouts were a mystery to her, and if D’rorah had said nothing upon her entrance, surely nothing was direly wrong.

As they were all mostly in their chairs now, Susan couldn’t help but notice two of the three empty chairs happened to be on either side of herself. Rather than allow her eyes to stray to either side where both, Dylan and Alessandro’s empty chairs, caused her unhappiness, Susan chose to look ahead and found her self faced with the third empty chair. Lightly gripping both sides of her chair with her hands, Susan found herself oddly numb when seeing the last chair and pitied the next person to occupy it.