Damage Control [EFA meeting]

Even though the main room was full of EFA-members, it was less crowded than usual. For the first time since Dominic had had to take over as the leader, there were more refugees than members. The refugees for now were in their room, spared from the discussions about to take place between the group’s members. Replacing them were all of Ilomar City’s EFA-members, all of them facing the center of the room - Saga and Vera on the couch’s backrest, Mason on a folding chair next to them, Lilith and Dylan on two of the dining chairs furthest from the wall. Cadmus sat with them on the third chair, furthest away from the kitchen island where Dominic was standing with Cassius. Dominic didn’t allow himself to consider if his placement had been on purpose, whether it was due to tensions either from their encounter two nights ago or after the conflict yesterday. Cadmus had brought pizza to the meeting. At least that was as usual.

They were almost fully gathered. Still, Dominic was fully aware of those missing. Fallon, first of all. It wasn’t unusual for him to drop by at the very last moment before the start of the meeting, but Dominic had just this morning received a concerning call from Eric with a complaint about Fallon not contacting him as they had agreed. That wasn’t good. They couldn’t have Eric pulling back his ressources due to Fallon’s flakiness. A flakiness that, despite Fallon’s over-all unserious demeanor, wasn’t usual. Dominic had to talk to him about it, either at the meeting or after. This couldn't do.

And Idés and Gwyn. Idés had texted Dominic that he would bring Gwyn to the meeting and Dominic had agreed to this. Dominic wasn’t sure what he was the most nervous about - them not showing up or what it will be like when they showed up. At least it had helped speaking with Cassius before the meeting. Despite initially regretting inviting him over earlier, he was glad to have had someone to talk with. Someone like Cassius who knew how to pressure him into actually speaking about stuff. And even better, someone like Cassius who knew never to mention it again.

Physically, though, he was getting worse. Having barely slept yet another night, his body felt like it was shutting down. Headache, nausea, the room spun in slow uneven  loops. Dominic considered sitting down just to give himself a break. He kept standing, though, his arms crossed and flexed as the group waited for the last people to arrive.

There was a palpable tension in the room, more so than at their usual meetings, even more so than their last meeting. Everyone had read the article, everyone had seen the outrage that had followed. Everyone had seen the overflow of refugees they had yet to figure out how to help out of this country. They were going to talk about this in a minute, and luckily, Dominic might have some good news there. Not that he felt any relief. Instead, his jaw was clenched and his mouth shut, his furrowed glare over and over again turning towards the door.

No particular conversation was happening around him, just a few of the members exchanging a few sentences in low voices. He overheard Dylan asking Cadmus what had happened to him, a question not just a nachon warlock knew was on everyone’s mind the second they had seen the man’s black eye. He didn’t listen to Cadmus’ response though - he didn’t want to deal with a tight pit gnawing in his stomach on top of everything else wrong in his body right now. He just kept shooting glances at the door, anticipating the arrival of the others. More specifically, a fact he hated to admit, of Gwyn.

Somewhere between Cassius and Dominic’s conversation and this moment, the two had moved away from the table and now stood together by the kitchen island. Cassius was curious about the bruise on Cadmus face, though he didn’t want to pressure him for information, especially when he heard how he replied to Dylan when he asked. Some things were best left alone.

Everyone that needed to be there was gathered, except a few. There was Idés who had yet not arrived, he probably was also bringing Gwyn along. They probably would arrive any minute now, a guess he made with a quick glance at the clock. The last to have yet to appear was none other than Fallon. Sure, he had never missed a meeting before, but Cassius knew that at some point there had to be a first one. So was it really that surprising he hadn’t shown up yet? No, not really. The frivolous guy had made it a habit to show up at the last possible second as a form of unnecessary dramatic entrance. If he was going to be truly honest, Cassius would not be surprised at all if Fallon didn’t show. Though he wasn’t sure if anyone had heard from him lately, he hadn’t seen the tall and thin man around the HQ at all during the last times he visited. Was there any need to be concerned? Fallon’s whole personality made it very likely that he would do the irresponsible thing and just ditch every piece of responsibility he managed to hold in his hands.

Not bothering to think anymore of Fallon, Cassius moved his attention to the attendees of the meeting that was about to start any minute. He could feel the tension in the air, his mind having the article and everything that followed it hovering close, never truly leaving his thoughts. Cassius glanced over at his friend who was glancing at the door, though with the tired look he had  that seemed to have worsened since their conversation, made it seem like he was shooting daggers at it instead. For the sake of his friend, Cassius hoped they could go straight to business and get the meeting over as soon as possible, without any interference of any kind. A small hope that his friend could get rest as quickly as possible.

Normally Idés didn’t dread EFA meetings. That was because normally, it was just business as usual. But there was nothing usual about the last month that had gone by. The dead prince, the refugees, the article, everything between Dominic and Gwyn – it was a lot for anyone to deal with and one wrong move could end in disaster and so many people had their life on the line. And this morning Idés had woken up worried, as he seemed to do most mornings these days. He was tired, as he often was, he hadn’t slept a lot, as was often the case. He had ended up falling asleep on the couch during the movie, then woken up a few hours later, to pitch-black darkness outside and he hadn’t been able to get much more rest from that point onwards. Nothing that a few cups of coffee, and a cigarette couldn't fix. It didn’t dissolve the knot in his stomach, but at least he felt more awake by the time the sun had come up. Gwyn had gotten up too at some point. She didn’t look too good either and the two hadn't exchanged many words that morning.

A shower, some leftover pizza for breakfast and then, soon enough, a car-trip to that miserable section of town that had once been home and to that familiar, worn factory building. It was shaping out to be a beautiful day, a clear sunny sky and no need for a jacket – not that it really mattered, they probably were going to spend most of the day inside. And now, in front of the front door to the HQ, he still felt anxious. Nothing he let show though. Instead, before entering, he smiled reassuringly at Gwyn, as if to say it’s going to work itself out. He wasn’t sure how likely that was, to be honest, but they both had to believe it.

And then, finally entering the shabby apartment. The tension in the air was palpable, all eyes on them. That far from soothed his anxiety, but it couldn't be helped. Seemed they were the last ones to arrive. 

“Hey. Sorry about the wait,” he said, entering completely, a friendly nod Dominic’s way. He, too, looked like a wreck, like a shadow of himself. The guilt returned. He held the door for Gwyn, signaling for her to seat herself. Then he too made his way through the room, sitting on the far end of the dining table, noting the black eye on Cadmus’ face. What the hell had happened to him? He also looked like a wreck. Eyeing the rest of the room, most of them did, honestly – which made him notice: 
“Fallon hasn’t arrived?”

One would think that a full night of rest would have one feel regenerated. Gwyn felt quite the contrary despite the many hours of sleep she had gotten. Her body felt sore because of the position she had been sleeping in, the kink in her neck screaming with every move she made. She was certain she looked as bad as she felt. Not to mention how horrid her breath must smell as she hadn’t brushed her teeth since yesterday morning. Neither had she felt particularly chatty that morning as reality seeped in slowly ever since she had opened her eyes. Idés was taking her back to HQ and that made a heavy feeling linger in her belly. She could only say that she was dreading her return, for she hadn’t left the place on good terms.

Forsaken a shower – because she had no spare clothes on her and nibbling on a piece of cold pizza for breakfast, she’d gone over every worst case scenario that her mind could come up with. All of them ended with her not being welcome anymore and having to potentially flee her own city, if not the country. A bit dramatic, perhaps but that was what one did when thinking in doom scenarios. Before they left Gwyn had asked Idés for a bit of toothpaste, so she could give her teeth a quick fingerbrush in hopes it would make herself a bit more fresh. Inside the bathroom Gwyn had taken one look at herself before she decided to avoid anything with a reflection. She looked horrid, to say the least. Her curly hair looked like a crows nest, her complexion was paler than usual which made the dark circles underneath her eyes even more prominent. Even her freckles, which were showing all year round, looked like they had retreated. After the makeshift brushing of her teeth, Gwyn put the hood of her hoody over her head and exited the bathroom.

The heavy feeling had only gotten heavier from the moment Gwyn had gotten in Idés’ car and they drove off back to Erast. The weather seemed quite opposite of how she was feeling. The sky was blue, the sun shone brightly and there was barely a cloud floating around. One could say it was almost a Summer day. Gwyn had never been prone to anxiety, or major nerves but with every minute that they came closer, her heart started to race faster and she could swear her hands were shaking, too. To hide it from view –for both Idés and herself– Gwyn balled her fist on her lap. For a few minutes she willed herself to calm down, but the effort was as good as futile.

In front of the entrance to the EFA, Idés shot her a reassuring smile and she wished she could feel as confident as Idés looked. But she was a wreck of nerves, preparing to be shouted at the second she walked through the door. Her fists were still balled, her fingers cramped from how tight she held those fists. She probably had semi-permanent indents in the palm of her hand right now. Glancing down, Gwyn noticed the slight shake of her fists and hid them in the sleeves of her hoody.

One needed to be deaf, blind and a dimwit to not feel the tension in the air as they entered. And though Gwyn kept her gaze to the ground to avoid looking at anyone, she could feel several pairs of eyes on Idés and her. Idés was the first to enter, apologising for the wait as he held the door open for Gwyn. She shuffled inside and was planning to keep her place behind him but he gestured for her to go further into the room. Fuck, she thought. Gwyn didn’t want to be here, no matter what Idés had said the previous night. All she wanted was to hide, but there was nowhere at HQ where she could go. Idés walked away, likely to take a seat somewhere which left Gwyn standing alone by the door. Feeling uncomfortable, Gwyn lifted her head just enough to take a quick peek at where everyone present was seated. She didn’t need to know who sat where, she just needed to know where she could sit and hide.

Maybe it was luck on her side, or maybe people wanted to be close to wherever Dominic was but the chair in the far corner where she spent most of her days in, was still free. Returning her gaze downward, Gwyn walked over to the chair as inconspicuous as she managed. Not wanting anyone’s attention on her as she sat down, Gwyn turned away from the crowd. Whatever they were going to discuss, she had a gut feeling they weren’t all too happy that Gwyn got to hear it too. So she hoped that she wouldn’t make them feel burdened by turning herself away and staring out of the window to absolutely nothing. Kicking off her sneakers, she shoved them behind the chair with her foot before she brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Her chin rested on her knees and after she made herself somewhat comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation, Gwyn willed herself to zone out and be invisible. If only she could do the latter.

Though he had kept an eye on the door since the first members had arrived, his heart still skipped a pained beat when it opened. Idés was the first to enter of the two, looking nervous but not more disheveled than usual. Gwyn, on the other hand- when she entered the apartment, Dominic’s heart couldn’t seem to decide whether it wanted to beat faster or to sink to his stomach.

She looked a mess. Her blonde hair was shaggy and tangled, dark circles hung underneath her eyes, her whole demeanor was weary, as if she hadn't slept all night. Had she and Idés been up all night? Or had she just not been able to sleep? Because of Dominic?

But she was here. Maybe Dominic shouldn’t feel relieved by that. Nonetheless, he didn’t feel any lighter. Far from it - when his heart finally decided on sinking, it felt heavier than ever.

He remembered that Idés had spoken to him. He averted his gaze from Gwyn, towards Idés instead, clearing his throat. “It's fine,” he said, “It's good that you're here.”

He shot a quick glance towards Gwyn again. She chose the chair furthest away from the meeting. She didn’t even look his way. He wasn’t sure he would feel any better if they were to make eye contact. He wasn’t sure he could look her in the eye right now.

A small nudge to his side brought his attention back to the room. Cassius had ever so lightly elbowed him. Right. The meeting. The article, the- well, everything else than his own feelings.

Dominic shifted in his position, though keeping his arm crossed, his headache throbbing at his temples. Idés voiced his surprise over Fallon’s absence. Another thing to focus on - if Idés wasn’t up to date with Fallon, then who was?

Dominic looked around the room, a frown appearing between his eyebrows. “No one’s heard from Fallon?” Shaking of heads around the room. No one had. That was worrisome, even for Fallon. But there was so much to worry about, Dominic had no room in his groggy body to have a reaction other than “Okay then”, adding shortly after, “Idés, can you check up on him after the meeting?”

After that, he leaned back against the kitchen island, and declared, more assuredly than he felt: “Meeting’s begun. So - any important updates? Dylan?”

Dylan took down his non-pizza carrying hand. “Uhm, yeah,” he said, “Isn’t the article posted by Irene Ford a pretty big update?”

Dominic’s headache snickered and throbbed louder.

“We'll get to the article,” he said, a bit dismissively, before looking outward towards the others, “Anything else?”