Knockout and knocks on doors [Cadmus, Dominic & Cassius]

Time: Afternoon of Friday 12th, May 2023
Place: The living room of the EFA

If Cadmus had to be honest, he thought Dominic looked like shit. His appearance was haggard, dark circles under his eyes testifying to a couple of rough nights. Probably even weeks. For some reason, and he was almost sure he could guess why, Dominic had warmed to the new girl. At least enough to offer up his bedroom while she suffered from period migraines. Only four days ago Dominic had been ready to kick her out, when she had shown up unannounced with Idés. This new kindness towards Gwyn suited him much better. Yet, he figured that there was no use speaking any of this out loud.

The pair of them were sitting in the sofa arrangement. It was just after lunch, and a couple of the resident refugees where still seated around the room, talking, or, as Cadmus and Dominic, watching the football match ongoing with half an eye. FC Ilomar was playing an Ydisian team, but it was one of those boring matches where both teams played badly enough to make you lose interest. Yet once in a while one team would attack, and someone would yell "offside" a moment before the ref would whistle, call out foul play, or make a disappointed comment when the score continued to be 0-0 after another missed goal.

That morning he had had an appointment. A woman had wanted to forget the love she once bore for her ex-husband. And although Cadmus would never understand why someone would actively wish to forget good memories, or feelings, as in this case, he had obliged. He liked the money too much to wish to talk a customer out of it. This, he supposed, made him a bad person. He certainly would not have approved. As if that mattered. Like so many times before, he had invaded the mind of someone else, letting them share with him intimate memories; moments that caused a distress to such a degree that they had sought out the Healer of Erast.

When as today, it was not so much the memories, as the emotions that were the issue, he could take away the energy of those, without doing the memory itself too much harm. He could remove the happiness linked with a proposal, a special date or the like, and leave it blank. As something that had happened, but no longer brought with it any feeling when thought upon. So much love, now bringing nothing but pain. He knew that love could be a bad thing. That it could be hurtful, even deadly. Yet the thought of forgetting was outrageous. This he reminded himself of every time he looked into the mind of a customer. He could not allow himself to forget.

It made more sense when the memories where terrible. Traumatic. But not fully. By removing their memories or even the emotions connected to them, he felt, he took away a chance for it to heal. He could not undo anything. Yet sometimes it felt as if he was expected to do so. Forgetting wouldn't make the dead any less dead.

On the TV an Ydisian player had committed a very obvious foul, very close to the penalty area, but the ref seemed indifferent. "I don't know who is worse, the teams or the referee." He sighed and leaned back a bit in the couch. "I mean, do we even deserve to win, when we are playing so terribly anyways?"

Dominic hadn't really gotten many hours of sleep after sleeping on the couch the last few nights. Not that he slept much before, spending the nights working to distract himself from restless thoughts until he was tired enough to fall asleep without thinking. But at least those few hours of sleep would be in a medium-quality bed in privacy and sometimes he could even let himself sleep in to catch a few more hours of sleep before dealing with the next day. This couch was not meant for sleeping. Its shape bumpy and uneven after all the years of several people sitting in it. Dominic's whole back was aching after twisting and turning to try and lie comfortable. It didn't help that he was too long to lie all the way down it, either having to sleep half-sitting or having to stick his feet out from it. He had no way of getting the hours back in the morning, as people had to get up in the morning to get breakfast and start their day. Everyone had been nice and tried to be quiet, but Dominic was a light sleeper - if he was even sleeping - so just be opening the door to the main room was enough to wake him up. Gwyn was starting to feel better so they would probably switch tonight which Dominic very much looked forward to. He did feel a bit sorry for her, now having experienced how it was to sleep on the couch. Maybe they could figure out a way to transfer an extra mattress to the EFA, so she could join the other refugees in the bunkbed room. Anything would be better than sleeping on the couch.

But even though Dominic was tired - he could feel the heavy bags under his eyes - he was, for the first time since the funeral, in an okay mood. It was his first proper day off, not counting the Wednesday night, where he couldn't figure out to relax anyways, and the day had been less stressful than expected. The meeting yesterday with Eric had went well, so that was one less worry, and with Gwyn being sick in his room he wasn't reminded of the constant fear of the Godia Warriors following her and finding the EFA. Besides all of that the national football team was finally done with mourning and ready to play in the World Cup that with a very bad timing had started here in May. Or very good since there was something on TV to watch that wasn't about the murder, other than the stadium standing in one minute of silence for the crown prince and the royal family. For sure there would be international debates about that tomorrow, Dominic thought to himself, but he could wait to worry about that tomorrow. For now all he had to worry was how awful their team was playing - a very mainstream, mundane thing to worry about. Just what Dominic needed.

When the ref yet again let the Ydisian team get away with an obvious, Dominic complained loudly with an annoyed sound at the TV, gesturing with his hand, although barely raising it as its arm was resting across the couch's back. "Come on, ref," he complained before shaking his head and taking a sip of the soda can in his other hand. Being so tired and with the other refugees in the room, he wouldn't drink beer, not even while watching the World Cup, but the caffeine in the soda would do its trick.

Cadmus was with him, which also was a factor in Dominic's relaxation. That man wouldn't allow him to do anything else but relax, almost deciding for them that they would watch the game together, so Dominic couldn't work. Dominic appreciated that and he enjoyed Cadmus' company. Especially when he insulted the game, voicing Dominic's own thoughts. It was nice to be frustrated at something so unimportant. The frusturation was simply a part of the game, nothing that was stuck in Dominic's body. And when Cadmus complained to him, he could even laugh about it, the laughter mixed with a snort.
"Right?" he said, "I'm telling you, if Acherley was still on the team-" He interrupted himself, getting caught up by the game, leaning forward towards the screen, gesturing to the team and exclaiming to the players, that couldn't hear him: "Where are you going?" As a player completely missed the ball that had been shot his way.
He leaned back into the couch again, looking at Cadmus again with a 'can you believe it' expression.
"It's like they don't want to win," he said, "The ball was right there."
While Dominic was irritated at the game, everything was said with a faint smirk. He was relaxed and he was very aware that he was relaxed. And he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cassius had been busy these last days after the meeting. Too busy to even stop by the EFA to tell Dominic what he had found. However, he finally had a day he could get out today. Cassius walked down the streets and back alley towards the headquarters, making sure no one could even think about following him. Cassius had been stressed this whole time about his findings, it had affected his sleep and thus he looked more dead than normal, the dark bags under his eye were so dark it didn’t work covering them up. His mind was already going over what he had to say again and again.

Once Cassius reached the headquarters he double, no triple checked no one was following him before he entered the building. He scanned the room, spotting both Dominic and Cadmus on the couch watching the tv. “Dom, Cadmus” He greeted, unable to hide the stress in his voice. “I need to speak with you... Privately” he said when he noticed the others in the room. His voice was filled with a seriousness that the other two couldn’t even ignore. Cassius even had an anxious look in his eyes as he glanced between Dominic and Cadmus. “It’s important” he added as if his whole demeanor didn’t say it was.

Cadmus had almost forgotten what Dominic's laughter sounded like. And for a moment the foreignness of the sound almost took him aback. He glanced briefly at his friend. It was painful. The normality of it all. Two men sitting in front of a tv, yelling at the tiny men running around inside of it, as if their words could possibly get through and work some kind of magic. As if they weren't both wanted men, probably having to spend the rest of their lives underground. He couldn't help but wonder if this, the football watching and yelling, was the way life was supposed to be. These thoughts were accompanied by a longing. A longing for a life he had lost, and for that he would never experience. Tomorrow Dominic would cease laughing again, they would all go back to worrying.

As it turned out, the worrying returned far sooner than anticipated. He was lighting a cigarette, and just about to agree with Dominic's comments about the game, when the door opened. This was nothing unusual. With the amount of people living at the EFA, and the rebels not living there, but coming and going, the place sometimes felt like a waystation. He supposed it was too. For the refugees waiting to escape the country. But the opened door had revealed Cassius. And a rather stressed Cassius too. "Cass," the greeting was just an acknowledgement. The man did not look like the time called for empty phrases of formality.

With a drag of his freshly lit cigarette, Cadmus admitted, defeatedly, to himself, that it had been stupid of him fall for the false sense of normality the game had brought. By the look of the newcomer's face, and his tone of voice, something was clearly wrong. He cast a glance at Dominic as he got up, it was his house, and his rebellion.

Maybe Dominic had been naive to think that this relaxing moment would last.
Actually, he hadn't even thought of that. Living in the moment, he had simply just not considered the fact that the moment would end. And for that, he was naive.
The second Cassius entered the headquarter, stressed and anxious, Dominic's heart dropped. It reminded him painfully much of the last time Cassius had rushed to the HQ a couple of weeks back. The day they had received the news of the crown prince's murder. This moment of relaxation, that by now was already gone, had been the first time since then Dominic had been able to let go of his worries. Now they were back, as his heartbeat raised and the smile on his face vanished.

He looked over his shoulders, back at Cassius. For just a second, when his eyes first met Cassius', they showed the anxiety, the pain of knowing he had to let go of his naive illusion of normalcy. Then those feelings vanished as well, his eyes darkening, his expression turning tough, professional and stern.
He stood up from the couch, feeling the burden of the other people's eyes on him and carrying it with composure.
Then, he turned his darkened eyes towards the refugees. Their energy had turned restless, waiting for an order from him.
"Please go to your room," he said, making sure to still sound attentive, though it was clear by his tone of voice, that this wasn't up for discussion. The refugees didn't question him or protest, they simply packed their stuff and scurried down the hallway towards the shared room. Usually he would suggest Cadmus and Cassius that they talked in Cadmus' room - or his own, if it weren't for Gwyn resting in there - but right now he couldn't wrap his head around moving from one location to the other. He had to deal with whatever Cassius had to tell them, right here and now.
So when the refugees were gone, he instantly turned towards Cassius. He crossed his arms, furrowed his brow. Already tensing up in his whole body; the moment of relaxation was indeed dead and gone.
"What's going on?"

Cassius watched as the refugees left the room. He didn't say a word or even move before he was sure it was just the three of them left and no one could overhear their conversation now. "I was meant to tell you after the meeting on monday" Cassius said as he looked at Dominic, the panic had not yet left his voice. "It's not only just gossip" Cassius said, refering to the report he had made about the funeral. "They are taking matters into their hands, well a few of them are" Cassius said, adding a bit more context. "I thought it was only gossip until I saw some documents in my father's study" Cassius said with a sinking feeling in his gut. He took a deep breath. "He is taking matter into his own hand and is currently trying to get some of the other high society members to join him" He said. Cassius hated himself for saying every word, he knew fully well what it would to Dominic. He hated contributing to the already stressed man's worries and troubles.

Cassius was still standing right in front of the door, he probably haven't moved since he got there. His mind was in crisis mode with what he had seen in that study. Cassius knew his father very well, a man who was powerful enough to get what he wanted done, well be done. "Luckily for us, it seems he has no concrete plan yet" Cassius said. "He seesm to be focusing on gathering people first" He added. Cassius would never say it out loud or to another soul, but his father terrifed him.

As he stood, watching Dominic dismiss the other residents, Cadmus tried to hide his anxieties about whatever news Cass could have brought by continuing to smoke. He felt a bit bad for the residents being forced out. In all honestly, he had become more and more prone to these sudden bursts of empathy lately, probably due to the stress of the situation. It made sense to feel bad; for one self –although Cadmus despised self-pity above almost everything else– about everyone around you... The world –and this was untrue, he knew– just seemed terrible. So he felt bad for the ones now leaving. It was never nice to be confined to the claustrophobic room, that served as the bunked dorm. He remembered having lived there himself in the beginning. Nightmares were a lot more frightening when you had to worry about being heard.

As Dominic addressed Cassius, Cadmus bent down and muted the tv on the remote, before returning his attention to what Cassius had to say. Not just gossip. He remembered the troubling news Cassius had shared with them that Monday. Oh, he thought, heart sinking a bit, this is bad. And Cassius' father was in on this. Of course, that would never be his fault. Cadmus' parents hadn't been responsible for his actions, Cassius' parents weren't Cassius' responsibility. In that moment, he appreciated how hard it must be to Cassius, living a double life. Even if his news were bad, it was a hundred times better finding out like this, before any action was taken. "Well," He replied, thoughtfully, "This is just further proof we need to speak out against the accusations laid on the EFA. We need to at least try to give people a reason to believe our innocence."

Dominic listened to Cassius as the man delivered the news. By the way he was speaking, he already knew that this was going to be horrible news, but that didn't prepare him for what the news actually were. His whole body stiffened as the words hit him: ...until I saw some documents in my father's study.
He stayed like that, his body tense as if he stood frozen, his forehead smoothened as his eyes widened. His heart beat louder and louder inside of him, and the last few sentences by Cassius sounded more of the echo of his actual voice when they reached Dominic. At the end of the news he also realized he had forgotten to breath and while Cadmus spoke, he made sure to breath deeply through the nose. Through his breath he worked on loosing up just enough to be able to open his mouth when he was the next to speak.
"Thank you for telling us, Cass," he started by saying, trying his best to not have to force the words out, "I'm sorry you have to get caught up between this."
That must be a horrible place to be stuck in. Between the hammer and the anvil. Cadmus and Dominic may have been refugees, criminals, but at least they only had one side to be on and act accordingly to. Cassius risked everything to tell them this and the difference between him and the two Nachon Warlocks was that he didn't have to. Yet he did, and even in all of his anxiety and stress Dominic could appreciate that.
Then he sighed, deeply, as he let loose of some of that anxiety to try and deal with the new crisis that had been brought to them.
He turned halfway towards Cadmus to reply to his point. As he did, he stopped crossing his arms to be able to pinch the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.  
"It is. You're right." It didn't sound like he liked saying that. Not that he didn't like saying Cadmus was wrong but because the thought of speaking out after years of only working in the shadows was frightening. "But how? It's such a huge risk to reach out to the public. We have to do this right - if it backfires it will only make matters worse."
Dominic could feel the pressure flow through his veins. That was what he deserved after thinking he could take a evening to relax. The world never took a day off in its fight against them. What if Cassius' father was working right now to take them down?
"It's never been this bad," Dominic said and removed his hand from his face to shake his head, "Of course the state's been against us for decades and yeah, we've dealt with small gangs of lower-class people wainting to take their anger out at someone else. But this? The elite going after us? They've always counted on the state doing their job but if they want to take matters into their own hands, I can't even imagine what they're thinking of doing to us."
He glanced towards Cassius at the end of his rant, checking on him. It was his family, he was talking about after all. The hammer waiting to strike down on the anvil.
"And you're sure you're safe?" he asked him, "They don't suspect anything?"

Outfit: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/9f/35/68/9f3568eb4ba204721ac5dcad3fa761f3.jpg + her trusty leather jacket

A lot had happened this week and Edita really just wanted to relax this upcoming weekend, but alas, she had to finish her paper to meet the deadline on monday. And here she was, once again in the streets of Erast, which it seemed like she was everyday this week, once again procrastinating on writing that darn paper. But she had a job to do, and that was her priority this afternoon. If she had had the time she would have been here earlier, but she had had a class at the university a bit after noon and the discussion had not stopped when the class was supposed to. So she had hurried home to her dorm, quickly eaten some leftovers to satisfy her hunger, left her school things, and picked up her gun and its holster before she ran out the door again. Honestly, sometimes this life - this life - between a star-student with a prospect within an academic world and her nearing future of leading The Family, was exhausting. But somehow one came with the other, so there was no choosing.

She pulled her jacket closer around her to shield her from the wind. It was kinda chilly today compared to the earlier days of the week. Probably because of the wind. Her hair was at least flying everywhere around her head, making her hair a mess. Annoying, she thought to herself as she walked down the street towards the old factory building that she had been told was housing the leader of the EFA. She honestly knew very little about him, he was quite anonymous online. She only knew that his name was Dominic Windsor.

She stopped as she saw a person enter the factory. Oh… Was that him? She had no idea what Dominic Windsor looked like. Edita never liked the jobs where she did not have the upperhand. Where she didn’t know anything about the ‘client’ to use to her advantage. She turned and leaned against the wall of the building beside her. Waiting. She couldn’t just walk in this moment, if Dominic Windsor had just gotten home. If she had been a regular smoker, she would have had a cigarette right now. But alas, her party-smoking tendencies did not suffice to the cold wind she was standing in right now. Not much of a party really. She could only stand there in the wind, observing the factory building in the distance, without much else to do. In her head she began writing paragraphs for her paper to kill the time.


After a while - she didn’t know how long she waited - she decided that it would be appropriate for her to go in. So she went up to the building and upon entering took a deep breath. She was a little nervous. This was a rebellious group of people and she had heard rumours that they were demons. Not that she believed them. She was a delianist after all. But she did think that they had gotten that reputation based on perhaps violent acts. Nonetheless, she had to be careful. She looked up the stairs towards the apartment that supposedly hosted the EFA. As she walked up to the front door she ran a hand through the mess of her hair in an attempt to try and straighten it. The wind had really messed it up, but she was able to fix it to a decent degree. She stood for a moment, looking at the door, thinking about the absurdity of the situation. She sighed and shook her head. This is ridiculous, her last thought before she knocked on the door, waiting for a reply on the other side.

Cassius bad just been listening when Cadmus and Dominic spoke, almost spacing out as his mind was spinning from every thought he could possibly have in this situation. The fact that his father was targeting the EFA now, well Cassius didn’t know what to feel or think, it was all just complicated feelings. He did care about his family, even with the cold behavior of his parents. Cassius did everything for his siblings, he made sure that he stayed the heir to the family so Lysander and Artemia could be free to live the lives they wanted. The EFA was like a second family to him, they had taken him in when he was just a lost sick boy on the streets after that horrible incident. Cassius shook his head in an effort to bury the memories from that time deep down inside of him.

Cassius had at first not even registered that Dominic was speaking to him. He hadn’t even noticed he had been staring at the floor, but he quickly glanced up and to Dominic. “Yeah, I think I am safe” He said after thinking for awhile. His father didn’t seem to be suspicious of him as Cassius still did have free access to his study thanks to being the eldest and the heir. “It doesn’t seem like they suspect me of anything, I still have free access to the study and my father isn’t really making an effort to hide the documents” Cassius said. “It’s like he wants me to see them” Cassius speculated.

Cassius didn’t get to say anything else as suddenly there were a knock on the door. He grew instantly silent, his body stiffened as he grew more vigilant. The members of the EFA rarely knocked on the door, meaning this was most likely a stranger. You never knew with strangers whether they were against you or not. He glanced from Dominic and Cadmus, waiting for one of them to open the door.

It was easy to forget what some of the others risked being a part of the EFA, when you had already lost everything. While Cadmus was unaware of the details regarding Cassius' motivation for joining the rebellion, they had to be of importance for him to willingly risk so much. And it was a testament to Dominic's great leadership, and friendship, that he too knew and valued this. Dominic was a very emotional person; Cadmus knew and didn't mind. It was not emotional in the usual sense; the EFA leader didn't go around sharing his feelings, and Cadmus guessed he probably tried to appear closed off. Sometimes he had a hard time separating what people wanted him to know, from what he knew instinctively. If you could call it that. Maybe it was the natural result to living a life under tremendous pressure, but Dominic always seemed to feel so much. He cared. And the strength of the emotions made it easy to tell if he meant what he said. He always did. It made it easy to view him as someone willing to fight with. Fight for.

Honesty was, Cadmus thought sadly, something the world certainly needed more of. So he appreciated Dominic for being honest with his concerns, but also for not dismissing him completely. "Everything is risky." He pointed out, crossing one arm. Not defiantly, but thoughtfully. He took another drag of his cigarette to stall for time. "Not doing anything is a risk." Watching the hypnotic curl of the smoke. "I am not sure I like this either. But we have very little control over anything in life. Our actions. The steps taken by the EFA as an organisation. Doing something is one of the few things we can, at least to some degree, control." He went quiet again. Of course, it could backfire. But they couldn't very well do nothing and expect that a solution would manifest itself. Also, how much worse could it get? A lot, probably.

They've always counted on the state doing their job but if they want to take matters into their own hands, I can't even imagine what they're thinking of doing to us. Involuntarily Cadmus flinched almost burning himself as a memory started to emerge.

He was 17, standing on a hillside overlooking a small town, with a man who would not live to see the trees redress in green beside him. It had been a windy morning, yet the old man had insisted on their daily walk. And the sunrise was admittedly beautiful, rising over the rooftops, turning the chimney smoke golden.
"Can you feel the restlessness?" The old man had asked.
The boy, for he was still a boy back when the old man had lived, had to admit that he could feel no such thing.
"You aren't looking"  
This the boy found rather strange. Feelings weren't seen. But he obeyed and closed his eyes.
At first the only difference was the loss of sight. The town was very far away, and he felt very silly, unsure what to expect. He stood like that for a while, missing out on how carefully dawn caressed the earth.
It was a change in the air. A sudden sense of unease. Almost unnoticeable. It was possible it had been there all along. Uncertain the boy glanced at the man. Was he doing this? The man usually felt like nothing. No different from the surroundings. Could he have purposefully lowered his shield to play a trick on the boy? But the old man just shook his head.
"The soul of the city" He explained, and when this was insufficient, he continued: "If you have ever heard someone claim that cities are alive, that they have souls; this is what they mean. You are sensing the collective spirit. And this one is craving blood."

For a second time that afternoon a knock was heard on the door to the EFA. Aware that the sound had interrupted the conversation, yet unaware of what Cassius had just said, Cadmus flicked the bud in the ashtray and went to open the still closed door. Only as he swung the door open did he realise his mistake. This was the EFA. The door was unlocked and people who came and went only knocked to announce their soon followed entrance. Erast wasn't a place for traveling salesmen or missionaries. Letting in strangers was something to be weary off. Yet there he was. Holding open the front door, the stranger in question a young brunette woman in a leatherjacket, white shirt, and dark overalls. Her hair was a mess, but she didn't look messy. Not like someone you would expect to get lost in the middle of Erast. Despite, no lost person in their right mind would knock on a random door atop a flight of stairs to ask for directions. She didn't look lost either. It only took him a second to realise that she had been looking for them. Eye contact was a good giveaway. Anticipation, nervousness, but a remarkable lack of fear. And an unspoken request: Dominic Windsor.

If she had come looking for Dominic, she was probably dangerous. Maybe even armed. Yet she seemed harmless enough, in the sense that she wasn't currently pointing a gun at him. He figured the three of them might be able to take her out first regardless, or maybe he was only reassuring himself that it didn't matter that he had opened the door without consulting Dominic.

Still blocking the entry, Cadmus sighed. His assessment of the stranger’s threat level had been brief, a few seconds maybe. Now he smiled politely. "Sorry, can I help you?" It was a silly question, and despite his best attempts at charming politeness, he was sure it was less convincing than intended. He already knew and with another sigh, not waiting for an answer he continued. "Why don't you just come inside. I trust you aren't here to harm anyone?" It was a genuine question without any malice. The stranger might not have the look of an assassin, but could you ever really know? He had already decided that she wasn't entirely harmless either. The words instead were an offer. He was naive, of course, to believe in anything promised by a stranger. And she had yet to promise anything, when he moved aside to let her in.

Cadmus really had his own way of getting to Dominic. By having great, philosophical arguments that Dominic never had any good responses on. It must have been the academician in him, a role that Dominic had no part of himself.
The man did have a point - Maybe it was better to not just let the media, politicians and priests get away with solely their point of view, their manipulation of the events. But Dominic wasn't sure he would agree with it giving them more control. They had no way of controlling how others would react to their message, no matter how they delivered it. Not in a society in this, where everything about their identity was manipulated into seeming evil and sinful. According to Dominic, it seemed that no matter what they did, they would be judged for it. He knew that from experience. Because of that he would rather stay and act in the areas he did have control over. Such as dealing with the HQ, working with other EFA bases and helping refugees flee. He had no hope that they could change the system - only survive it.
But the survival seemed less and less possible and the areas in which he had control shrank more and more. Maybe Cadmus had a point in trying to take control in areas other than those. Since those may soon be gone.
He didn't speak aloud all those thoughts. He would have to ponder about them when he could think more clearly than right now, as the shock from going from watching the game to dealing with this still roamed in his mind. Maybe discuss it with Cadmus again. He would try and keep Cassius out of the situation as much as he could. The man was already involved way too much with his connections to both sides.
At least Cassius was safe - for now. Although it wasn't visible on Dominic's demeanor, he felt a slight relief. He had a list longer than the Main Street with people and things he had to worry about. At least he didn't have to worry about Cassius, well, at least not in that regard. There were plenty of other things he worried about regarding to his friend.
Cassius then speculated about how it was like his father wanted him to know about his plans and a nauseating thought hit Dominic.
"Maybe he wants you to join in on his plans," he said with a bitter taste in his mouth. That wouldn't surprise him. If the man was ambitious enough to start a whole group of elites against the EFA, he would probably want it to be a legacy. A legacy which one of his children could take over after him. Dominic didn't know why but the thought didn't anger him as much as it hurt him. As if it was his own father he had disappointed. Maybe it was just an emotion connected to old memories that echoed in this situation.

It didn't really matter because Dominic didn't get to say anything else. Nor did Cassius or Cadmus. A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. The three of them turned their head towards the entrance instantly. The sound wasn't unfamiliar but it was rare. EFA members rarely knocked, not wanting to wait outside the door and risking someone seeing them entering, and refugees rarely found this place on their own. Usually they were guided by an EFA member who had requeued them, just like Idés had done with Gwyn - where he had went rogue and not done so as a mission but that was beside the point. The rarity of the knocking combined with the tense circumstances made Dominic for a brief moment think that this was it. They had been found by authorities. Now they would have to fight.
But as Cadmus walked towards the door, Dominic calmed himself down. Godia Warriors wouldn't politely knock on the door. They would demand it being opened or kick it in themselves.
Dominic exchanged a muddled look with Cassius before turning to face the door with his whole body. As Cadmus opened the door, his heart skipped a beat, fearing what would be on the other side. But nothing happened, nothing else than Cadmus opening the door to whoever stood on the other side. As Cadmus blocked the view, Dominic couldn't see the person entirely and he wasn't going to peak over his shoulder. He could see that it was a young woman. Dominic was pretty sure he didn't know her, which he would have if she was an EFA member. Even if she was a new member from one of the other cities, he would have been informed about her, and no young woman had joined recently. Could she be a refugee? That wouldn't be too unrealistic, maybe she had some contact to other EFA members who had sent her there but then again Dominic would probably have been informed about her arrival if so. And she didn't act like someone on the run. By what he could see, she didn't look messy or bewildered as most refugees did when they first arrived here. But if she wasn't a refugee or an EFA member or a Godia Warlock then who the fuck was she?
Cadmus greeted her politely which much have meant he didn't feel any immediate danger. Because of that Dominic trusted his decision to let the girl enter the HQ. Better she entered and they could close the door than them having a conversation with her with the HQ open to the world - or at least to the rest of the building.
As Cadmus stepped to the side to let the girl in, Dominic crossed his arms, his muscles tensed and his eyes darkened and vigilant. In contrast to how he usually acted towards refugees, he didn't hold back his powerful and strong expression. If she was a threat, she should know that so was he. If not, then she at least knew not to become one.
"Who are you?" he asked directly. The woman better quickly introduce herself and explain her intentions. This was the second random guest at the HQ throughout the last month and Dominic was too stressed out to be patient about it.

Wait, what if this is the wrong apartment…, she thought the moment her knuckles had left the surface of the door in front of her. A moment of panic flowed through her body at the thought. No, no. It must have been correct. The guy had specifically said the apartment to the right. Edita quickly looked around at the other apartment doors. Yes, this was the door to the right. There was no doubt about that. She looked back at the door, preparing a smile on her lips to seem friendly and with no bad intentions in mind. She really didn’t want to fuck this up.

A tall, dark-haired - and mind you - very handsome man opened the door to answer her knocking. It was not the same man who had entered the building earlier… Perhaps this was Dominic Windsor? For a split-second a flash of panic sparked his eyes. He definitely had not expected her, nor recognised her. How could he? She had shown up unannounced and as far as she knew, she personally knew no one who was part of the EFA. The handsome man’s eyes did not leave her and she knew he must be analysing her, examining her and determining whether she was dangerous or not. She let him have his seconds, all the while she kept the smile on her lips to enforce her friendly demeanor, although her gaze shifted from him to the interior of the apartment behind him. And subsequently, more people. Which one of them was Dominic Windsor?

The man who had opened the door, did not wait for a reply before he invited her in. He didn’t have to ask her twice.”Thank you,” she said before politely entering the apartment - she couldn’t just say no to that face now, could she? Although she did completely ignore his comment about her harming people… She didn’t think that was necessary to answer, and truly she didn’t know the answer. She wouldn’t hold back if they intended to do something to her. She barely made it over the threshold before another voice spoke at her. She looked up. Her gaze immediately met the dark eyes of the tallest member of the three men present. He seethed with anger or at least discomfort at her presence. Her eyes narrowed slightly at his demeanour.

”I’m not important,” She said, before looking away from the angry man and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear “But I’m looking for Dominic Windsor, and I believe I’m in the right place?” She finally spoke, looking around the faces of the three men towering over her. The gun pressed up against her ribs in its holster and felt truly like a blessing right now. She was truly in a sticky situation if they turned out to be a violent group of people. Her gaze rested a bit longer on the man who she saw enter the building earlier, simply because she recognised him from that moment, expecting one of them to claim the name.

Cassius stood still, ready to fight if necessary as Cadmus opened the door. His mind was thinking of milliond different scenarios on who was behind the door and what they wanted with them. Though it seemed like Cadmus had deemed the stranger not dangerous for now as he invited them in. The person who entered the room then was a short young woman. When Dominic asked her who she was, she refused to answer. I'm not important. Cassius grew more suspicous of her at those words. Though Cassius found it hard to believe she could possibly be a godia warrior. The air around her was too different from the ones he have met before, besides the godias wouldnt knock on the door and they would certainly never act alone.

The stranger then proceeded to ask for Dominic, making Cassius even more suspicous of her. She had glanced at the three men standinng there, but had eventually settled her gaze at Cassius. Did she think he was Dominic? Cassius looked at Cadmus and Dominic before looking back at her. "And if you are... what do you want with him?" Cassius inquired. Not wanting to reveal anything before he knew her intentions. His eyes didnt leave her and any signs of Cassius earlier anxiousness and stress was seemingly gone as he was now focused on the stranger before them. His stance hadn't changed it either, it was still stiff and ready to fight if necessary. Though the young woman in front of them didn't seem that much of a threat. However for all he knew it could just be a facade to lower their defences. It was better to be safe than sorry he thought as he did not relax his stance.

Cadmus had barely closed the door after the newcomer before the tension in the room was so thick that only the piercing stares of its occupants could cut it. The relief he had felt knowing that the landing outside the front door was once again vacant only seemed to last the moment it took his eyes to land on Dominic. His friend looked scary, crossed arms and dark eyes, like he would give the girl a reason harm them after all. Although the girl had been polite enough, thanking him and all, he had not failed to notice that she had made no promises regarding violence. It didn't help that she refused to reveal her identity. Fair enough, he thought and moved from the door to join his friends by the couches. If things escalated, he wouldn't want to block her exit. Rather she made for the door, than try to fight her way out.

When she spoke again, she confirmed what he had already known. She was looking for Dominic. But unsure if she had found him. How could she know? As far as Cadmus knew Dominic had succeeded in keeping his face offline. And the uncertainty in her words was reassuring. It did not sound like she had come looking for trouble, and if Cadmus could help it, she would not find any either. Cassius seemed to have other ideas. Her request was met with a What do you want with him, which Cadmus supposed was a reasonable enough question, although it did very little to ease the situation.  

"He is here," Cadmus said, ignoring Cassius' attempt to keep thing vague. It was a lot better to get things over with. At least it was better than standing around exchanging threatening glances. "Now, let us sit down and discuss why someone claiming to be unimportant has come looking for Dominic Windsor." He gestured towards the couched by which the three men stood, trying his best to be polite. He wanted to balance out the level of hostility in the room, but he was also cautious. It was not his home, yet he did not want to give away anything by looking to Dominic for approval. The less this strange girl knew, the better. Despite. Sitting down might make her feel less intimidated. She was a bit short in comparison. "Shall we?" With at look and half smile at the others he sat down, turned off the football game they had all forgotten about and prayed that he had not misinterpreted the girl's intentions after all.

But I’m looking for Dominic Windsor.
Dominic was just about to pressure the woman about her name, frustrated by how she answered it by calling herself not important - would she be here if she wasn't important? - when his name suddenly came from her mouth. It was just as strange to hear his name coming from a stranger as it was terrifying. Having spend the last years as anonymous as possible this was a alarming wakeup call; no matter how hard he tried to disappear, someone could always find him.
It was only by sheer luck and the best of his strength that Dominic didn't react to his name or the fact that the stranger knew it. She didn't just look at him when she said the name, so at least she hadn't connected his face to it yet. But she had connected him to this place. Dominic had considered the fact that the Godia Warriors might have his name on file, but they had never acted on it and this woman clearly wasn't a Godia Warrior. So where had she gotten it from? And what did she want to do with it?
Both Cassius and Cadmus had known to be vague, Cassius more than Cadmus, and none of them exposed who the real Dominic was. Dominic focused on his breathing, being thankful that he was always this tense, since it wasn't weird for him to be like that now then. As if he could relax in this situation even if he tried to fake it.

Cadmus suggested that they sat down, which Dominic didn't want to do. He didn't want to sit down and have a casual chat with this stranger who had said his name as if his existence was a demand. But of course he had to comply and act civilized. As long as the woman hadn't threatened them, he had to try and not see her as a threat. Maybe she would be more willing to answer their questions if she felt safer in their company.
So he nodded and said: "Good idea." He couldn't smile like Cadmus but at least he stopped crossing his arms as he took the few steps back to the couch and with a heavy movement sat down. His eyes searched for the football game as soon as Cadmus has turned it off. Even though he couldn't care less about his football team right now, he still felt as though he had lost.

Then he looked at the woman again. Who the fuck was she? He wanted to ask her again but then again - he wasn't going to tell her his name so he had to respect her not wanting to tell him hers.
"So," he said instead, "Are you going to tell us what you need Dominic for?"
It was weird to say his own name like that but at least it rolled off his tongue seemingly naturally. He even managed to hide his unease about whatever her reply might be. He mostly seemed annoyed and in a way he was. The woman had ruined his night. Cassius had in a way as well with his horrible news but he cared for Cassius and they were in this together so of course he wouldn't be annoyed at him. The woman he had no feelings towards other than bitterness and loathing for the way his name had sounded with her voice.

The three men were clearly uneasy, and the tension was thick in the air right now. Gosh, couldn’t they just cooperate? It would make her job so much easier if the real Dominic would just claim his name, so she could get this over with. She had, after all, a deadline to meet. Alas, not with this job, but for her paper due on monday… She had to fight every fiber of her being to not roll her eyes in this situation.

It was only now, in the few seconds that the men seemed to analyse their options and their following outcomes, that Edita truly had a chance to look around the apartment. This was supposedly the EFA headquarters. She didn’t know what she had expected of the EFA… Just not this. It looked so ordinary… So cramped and tiny a space. Although she must give them credit for their decoration of the place. It looked liveable, perhaps even cosy - if that was the word for it. The small kitchen, the dining table with its unmatching chairs, the sofas. It reminded her of Kevin’s parents’ basement. Not that it was decorated the same, but it had the same vibe of a hangout place. A place where people wanted to be despite its rough condition. The TV caught her attention. The Yidsian team had scored a goal and was therefore leading. It made her smile for a second. Hopefully this encounter would have a similar outcome.

She looked at the men when they began speaking, although none of them claimed the name of Dominic Windsor. Annoying. All they said was vague and unhelpful, and they only focused on her intentions. The handsome man was the only one who gave her something to work with. He is here. It piqued her interest and she looked at the three men, trying to decipher their features. Not that she knew what the real Dominic Windsor looked like, but maybe it would come to her in an epiphany if she looked long enough at them.

Her eyebrow raised as the handsome man - and truly the only one of the three who had been polite towards her - suggested they sit in the couches and talked. Not really what she had expected, but then again, she didn’t really know what she had expected, and if she even had expected anything. She had truly shown up at the nest of the rebellion with no plan in mind. She sighed defiantly and shook her head slightly as she moved towards the couches, complying to the handsome man’s request. If he really wanted this, then sure, he could have it like he wanted.
“I don’t need Dominic for anything. I’m here on behalf of someone else,” She started explaining, eyeing the lonely couch closest to the door. She began removing her jacket, for a moment forgetting that her gun would be quite visible if she took it off. Fuck it, she thought and continued the motion. They were in Erast after all, it wasn’t that uncommon to carry arms here. She had a feeling this could drag out and didn’t want to become a sweaty mess just because she refused to take off her leather jacket. So off it went.
”A few days ago, I was contacted by a woman who desperately wanted my help to get in touch with Dominic Windsor. So I agreed to help.” She took her seat on the couch, crossing her legs, placing the jacket beside her and leaned back. She rested her arm on the backrest while she looked back at the three men in front of her. ”I’m only here to help that woman. I have no personal agenda against Dominic, nor any interest in him. One could say that in this situation, I’m quite unimportant for the equation that is this meeting.” The last sentence was said with a smile, trying to lift the mood slightly, but also prove her point of being unimportant. Truly she could have been someone else. Heck, it wasn’t even her that was supposed to take this job.

“Now, I would like to know which one of you -” She gestured towards each of them with her hand, a slight smile on her lips, before she rested her head on the hand she used to gesture with. “- knows an Alexandria.”

Cassius glanced at Cadmus when he spoke, he suggested they sit down and talk. Cassius watched as the three other people in the room sat down in the couches. Maybe he was being too paranoid now, viewing everything as a threat. With a deep and calming sigh, Cassius relaxed his tenseness before he joined the group by sitting down with them. As the stranger took of her jacket, Cassius instantly noticed the gun she carried. He didn't say anything, understanding that it might be needed since this was Erast after all, but he did keep his eyes on every movement she made her hands, in case she ever moved for the gun.

He listened as she spoke. A woman wanting help to get in touch with the EFA? or was it a personal matter involving just Dominic? Cassius didn't bother speculating on it anymore if that was the case, in respect to his friend. Which one of you knows an Alexandria? That was a name Cassius had never heard before. He tried not to let the confusion show on his face, remaining neutral as he glanced at Cadmus and Dominic, trying to see if anyone of them knew the name. When his eyes looked at his friend, Cass immediatly noticed how his friend stiffened and his glare seemed to soften. If you didn't know him as well as Cassius did, there was almost no way you could've seen it. Dominic clearly recognized the name, yet he did not say anything. Cassius had questions, though he would never ask. He would let Dominic tell Cassius about it himself if he wanted, if he didn't Cassius would let it lie. Cassius had his own secrets he had never told Dominic, so Cassius couldn't expect Dominic to tell him his.

Despite the reluctance everyone sat down in the end. Which was a relief. Fighting was much more difficult when seated. Well, maybe not if you were armed. Which it, not surprisingly, turned out the woman was. It had seemed almost intentional, the reveal of the gun. Which would have made her, in Cadmus' opinion, a terrible hitman. He had expected her to wait until someone revealed who Dominic was, shoot him, and make for it. Certainly, her demeanour was professional enough to suggest such a trade. The words she spoke supported his theory. So she didn't need Dom for anything? But someone else did, and had hired her? Well, that sure did make it sound like someone had been sent to kill him. And although he highly suspected that she was here in another matter, it was better to be safe.

"Just to be clear," he said, folding his hands and resting his forearms on his thighs as he leaned forward, towards the woman. "That gun you've got there." He nodded to said gun with a slight smile. "I would not count of using it if I were you. Anyone of us could kill you before you got it pointing at anyone, alright?" Now, this was probably not true, half-true at most. And he had no intentions of finding out either way. With yet another smile, maybe to try to keep what had been meant as a threat a bit light-hearted, he leaned back, unfolded his hands, and crossed his legs. Expecting that Dominic would, at some point, take hold of the situation. At this point they were pretty used to getting their evenings ruined, and it was not the woman's fault for choosing such an inconsiderate time for her sudden arrival.

“Now, I would like to know which one of you knows an Alexandria."

For a moment, the moment it took the girl to pronounce a name, time in the small living room seemed to freeze. Cadmus was certain his heart skipped a beat, that is might even give up completely with the certainty that the world was ending. Only then did he realise that he had misheard. Very carefully he made himself breathe in. He knew no one by that name. Breathe out. Why would she had said anything else? It was just a coincidence. A crazy one, but still. It had been years and certain names had been well buried since then. No. Besides, he reminded himself, regaining composure, they could not know. Could not even know that what she had said had had any impact at all. This was about Dominic.

With a shrug, which also did something to ease his initial panic, he looked at his friends. Who was Alexandria, and why would Dominic know her? He respected Dominic's secrets. Yet he could not help feeling just a bit curious. He had never heard Dominic mention her or think about her, which Cadmus was ashamed to admit was how he knew most of what he did know about his friend. Now, although he could sense that the name had evoked strong feelings of some sort in Dominic (Cadmus got was a sense of guilt, pained nostalgia), they were feelings too close to his own to be of any real use, and he did not want to intrude further. The only thing he knew with any certainty was that Dominic cared. Those other feelings had been born out of worry. Maybe she was a relative? Cadmus couldn't say anything for certain. He trusted Dominic to share it, if it was in anyway important. What was important, however, was why a stranger would come asking for Dominic armed with that name. And of course: Why a stranger would come asking for Dominic in the first place.

Dominic eyed the gun made visible by Edita removing her jacket. Either she considered the weapon as something standard, which it very much was in Erast, or she smoothly showed it off as a casual threat. A reminder that she had a way to wound them. It also made Dominic certain that they were dealing with a human. A warlock usually wouldn't need to carry a weapon and even if they did, they wouldn't show it off so casually. Dominic sometimes carried his own gun, since he avoided using his powers, but he would never let anyone see it. Even though he hated his status as a Nachon Warlock, he could at least use it for intimidation. A Nachon Warlock that used a gun? That wasn't very intimidating.
Cadmus made sure to comment on the gun, so Dominic didn't have to, and even including his own fine, casual threat. Dominic wasn't sure if it was true - sure, they were three warlocks, but Cassius' powers were weak, Dominic had no training in his, and he wasn't sure if Cadmus had ever used his powers in battle. None of them had the powers to stop a bullet from piercing through them. That didn't stop Dominic from nodding slowly once as an agreement to what Cadmus had said. The stranger didn't even know which one of them were Dominic. She had no way of knowing their powers and strengths. Might as well let her think she should keep her hands off the trigger.  

Dominic rested his back against the couch, crossing his arms, as he listened to the woman. She said that she was here on behalf of someone else, which in a way wasn't too surprising to Dominic. He was the leader of the EFA after all. If someone wanted contact with the group, they would probably want to reach out to the leader. How the stranger had found out that he, Dominic Windsor, was the leader, Dominic didn't know. Even in the secret messages send amongst the EFA-members everyone made sure to use codenames, Dominic simply being 'the leader'. Everyone knew not to use each others names in any written messages that could be read by unwelcome eyes.
As she repeated her statement of unimportance, she smiled. Dominic didn't reciprocate that smile. He really just wanted to know who the woman was, that this stranger was sent by. And what she wanted from him. Dominic surely expected it to be something bad. He couldn't see why anyone would reach out for something else than that.

And then the stranger said a name. She said her name.
Alexandria.
He hadn't heard that name for so long. It wasn't a common name in Ilomar City, thank Iosta for that, so he had been lucky to avoid it for so long. In a way he had even forgotten what it sounded like. Still it sounded too familiar, even through the voice of a stranger. The familiarity linked him to glimpses of the past he had tried his best to repress - the young face, tanned by the summer, surrounded by black locks, that were held back by pink and white-dotted hairclips. He knew she didn't look like that anymore, but that's all he could see. Even when forgetting the sound of her name, he could never forget her face. When she talked, when she laughed, when she hurt. When he hurt her.
As the memory hit him as well as the shock by the stranger's words, Dominic couldn't help but stiffen. But what even worse was that he couldn't help but soften his glare. His intimidating expression couldn't last, not with Alexandria on his mind. Not with the surge of guilt and pain and tainted nostalgia that flooded through him. He didn't even consider looking at Cadmus or Cassius, knowing that this was a name connected only to him. A name very much connected to his own.
Neither did he think about how he was revealing himself now. His mind wasn't here anymore - it was in the past with the glimpse of Alexandria.
"Alexandria?" he said, his voice way less stern than usual. It had softened the same way his eyes had. "Has Alexandria contacted you?"

She followed the man that she had seen outside with her eyes as he was the last one to take his seat in the couches. None of them daring to sit in the same as her. Not that she really gave any visible cues that could be interpreted as an invitation. She had, after all, taken up quite a lot of space on her couch. She also preferred it like this. Her being safe in her own space. It did occur to her that this man - the man she had seen first outside entering the building before her - looked quite unwell. For a brief moment she became worried for him. Was he ill?

The thought had gone as quickly as it had come because now the handsome man spoke to her once again. Her view of him was quite the sight; him leaning towards her, clearly trying to intimidate her. His forearms rested on his thighs, which she could not help but gaze at for just a second before returning her gaze at the smile grazing his lips. His voice was warm and buttery, it felt like listening to melted chocolate. He definitely had a voice she could listen to all day. Although all of this stood in stark contrast to the words he spoke; a clear warning and threat. She bit her lip, trying to contain her excitement at being spoken to like that. She leaned forward with a smile on her lips that she could not contain, getting closer to his face, forcing herself into his private bubble before she said in a sultry voice: ”Ofcourse not.”

As she leaned back she watched the boys in front of her intently, waiting for one of them to break at her mentioning Alexandria. To reveal themself as the true Dominic. And yes, there it was. There he was. Dominic Windsor. It had been a slight change in his demeanur. A mili-second of panic in his eyes, a shift in his breathing, not something she would have noticed if she hadn’t been observing the men in front of her to such a degree. She started smiling, proud that it had been so easy actually. ”Gotcha.” she said with a proud smile.

Although the handsome man had interestingly also reacted to the name, which she mentally took note of. His reaction was followed by a look of confusion though, which ruled him out as a contender. Dominic Windsor was the angry man. It disappointed her a bit. She would have loved to talk further with the handsome man and get his contact information.

Her attention turned towards the true Dominic as he began talking and asking about Alexandria. She shook her head and said: ”No she has not. Actually, I havn’t seen Alexandria since high school.”. This was true. Additionally, Edita had absolutely no idea what Alexandria was up to these days, since they weren’t friends on any social media. Or maybe they were but Alexandria didn’t use it… It didn’t really matter. What mattered was that she had found Dominic.

“I take it you might want to talk in private? Being the leader of this…” Her eyes shifted around the room for a second, taking in the sight of the shappy condition of the place. ”... organisation, and all.” She at least assumed that that was how this rebellious group worked. The leader making decisions on everything, while the lower members did as they were told. That was at least how The Family worked. Her father knew everything that was going on, made deals with many people that Edita didn’t even know of. She was merely a lower member that took on cases as she was told. Although she did have a greater insight than other members might have, being the daughter of the big boss after all.

Cassius was confused. He might not show it, but he was. Who was Alexandria? Both Dominic and the stranger seems to know her, and by the looks of Dominic’s reaction to the name, she must have been someone important to him. He glanced at Dominic for a moment, mostly as a way to check on his friend, before he returned the gaze to the stranger. He didn’t say anything, letting Dominic and Cadmus do the talking. Cassius started twiddling with the ring on his left hand. The ring was a simple silver ring with a slight twisting design. Though the ring was actually a zeal used to store energy for him to more easily access it, and using the rings energy did take a lesser toll on his body. The simple design of the ring did help with few thinking it was an actual zeal. As he twiddled with the ring his eyes glanced for a moment at the old and worn black string bracelet he wore on the same hand. A bracelet to remember and to never forget.

He quickly glanced back up at the stranger when she spoke about her and Dominic talking privately. “No, I won’t allow it, anything you wish to say to him you can say to us” Cassius said firmly as he stared her straight in the eyes. He knew it wasn’t actually his place or even his decision, it was Dominic’s. However, there were no way Cassius would let his friend talk with a stranger with unknown intentions alone. He knew Dominic was a good fighter, he knew this overprotectiveness was unreasonable, but he had his reasons… Reasons he was not yet ready to admit to anyone.

The softness by which Dominic spoke the name, Alexandria, was so personal and unlike the man's usual demeanour, that Cadmus felt like he was intruding. Though he was so very used to intruding, maybe because of this usedness, it felt wrong to hear something so private spoken out loud. The name sounded like an involuntary confession, one of a very specific form of unconditional love. He realised, hearing this, and remembering glimpses of Dominic's childhood, that it was said the same way Cadmus would say Eleanor or perhaps Lucilla. There certainly was a similar guilt connected to that last name. Even the desperate hope with which the question was uttered; has she contacted you? That name alone told him more about Dom than anything else that had passed in the almost five years they had known each other.

This unexpected connecting, he felt to his friend made a fissure of his heart reappear when he learned the truth.

In all fairness he felt a bit concerned about the woman who had entered their home. He had threatened her, and instead of being decent and at least pretend to be intimidated, she had found it attractive. He was almost unsure whether she had even understood the words at all. Despite her agreement. He really had meant it. And now she was playing with Dom? She really had no sense of self preservation, or maybe she was in better control of the situation than expected. As he realised that she had noticed his slip-up, he feared it might be the latter. Sure, she had the gun. But she had still walked into the den of a known terrorist group. She was either extremely impressive or mind-numbingly stupid. Either way, she had managed to track down Dom.

As there was still a slight possibility of the woman being a clumsy assassin, Cadmus had no intentions of leaving Dominic alone with her. Despite, if whatever she wanted was related to the EFA, it concerned them all. There was a sense of unity in their organisation. Represented by the A. Sure some people seemed to worship Dominic, but he was no High Priest, and not intended as such. He also really disliked viewing himself as Dominic's minion. To his relief Cass spoke up. He added in his own agreements, then said, still politely:

"If it is not a private matter, I can't see why you would need to be alone with him, unless of course you wish us to leave."

He said the last part to Dominic, turning to look at him as he spoke.

Dominic realized he had been fooled as soon as the stranger's smile grew proudly. At first all he felt was shock. Being so caught up with the memory of Alexandria, he hadn't even considered how it could have been a trap. He just walked right into it.
Then the stranger said 'gotcha' and his shock was replaced by hatred. His eyes, that formerly softened, now darkened. He listened to the stranger talk, glaring at her, not saying a word. He exuded anger, looking as if he contemplating whether or not he should allow her to continue talking. That look didn't waver when she yet again said her name. On the contrary, his eyes narrowed as she mentioned high school. Had the stranger gone to high school with them? He didn't remember her at all. But then again, that was a lifetime ago. Or so it felt like.

After all of this, the stranger suggested that she and Dominic should speak privately. As if he even wanted to discuss anything further with her. If it wasn't for mysterious person whose reason for sending the stranger after them was still unknown, he probably wouldn't even have allowed her to stay even longer. But then again, they couldn't just let her go, since she knew where the HQ was. First of all, they had to figure out how she found them. Second of all, they had to make sure that she wouldn't help anyone else find them. So Dominic couldn't just kick her out. Even though he very much would prefer to do so.
Cassius and Cadmus were both quick to reject her suggestion, which was good. Of course they could speak for themselves. Dominic might be the leader, but he wasn't their boss. They were a part of this too - whatever the stranger had to say to him, she could say to them.
So when Cadmus turned to indirectly ask him whether or not he wanted them to leave, he shook his head, his cutting glare still facing the woman.
"You can talk to all of us," he said to her, his words sounding like a command, not a reassurance. "And get going," he added. If he had even had a tiny piece of patience to begin with, that was gone for good now.

The ill-looking man looked at her firmly, demanding her attention and staring her straight in the eye. Informing her of the fact that she will not be speaking with Dominic in private. The handsome man only agreed with him, although he also asked Dominic if he agreed. Her brows furrowed in confusion at their insistence on being present for this talk. Did they not respect their leader? Have faith in his decision-making? Clearly they couldn’t think that she was going to hurt him - if she had wanted to kill him, she could have done so in a much more discreet way than just barging in. She looked confused between the three of them. This was definitely not a dynamic she was familiar with. It unsettled her a bit. In The Family one respected the leader, her father. No one questioned his decisions. That was simply not an option. You weren’t even present at those instances of decision making either, since they were done in private. Her father had the whole picture of what was happening in the Family, while everyone below him were simple pawns in his play. Or not pawns - they were members of something bigger. Like a finger on a body, by itself miniscule, but important for the whole picture to form. Everyone had a purpose of doing their job. But no one had to know what the others did. What other jobs were happening. Everything was secret in their line of work. We couldn’t have that anyone blabbering important details to anyone outside the Family. Therefore, if no one knew what anyone else did, you were only responsible for your own actions. That was how it worked. The secrecy was a form of security measure.

And yet, here they were, insisting that they would be doing this together. Who even were they? She looked for a moment between the handsome man and the ill-looking man. Were they important in the EFA? She hadn’t found any information on them as far as she could remember. She had barely found anything other than the basics on Dominic, and that had been pure luck and personal connections.

She felt the tension hightening by her little stunt. She couldn’t blame them. Although she wouldn’t have had to fool them like this if they had just said who the real Dominic was to begin with. If they hadn’t insisted on playing games, then she wouldn’t have played along. It's not her fault that she was better at the game than them… She did after all have a decade of experience in it.

”Alright,” She said, sighing slightly as to shake the pretense and games off of her, while crossing her arms. ”My client wants an interview with you. She wants to give you - the EFA - a chance to have a voice in the public forum.” No flashing, no games - very short and precise. She could see by looking at Dominic that he had no patience for her anymore. He looked even angrier than ever. Truthfully, she also wanted to get this over with. To get home and finish writing her paper.

“The question is then, if you want to participate in this?” She said, looking at each of them, now that they all insisted on being part of this conversation. They couldn’t be much older than her, she realised. She hadn’t really thought about it, but she hadn’t expected the leader of the EFA to be this young. Its members, sure, young people were always rebellious, she knew that. But this organisation couldn’t just have been led by this man - this boy - all this time. It piqued her interest a bit. How come he was the leader? Surely there must have been someone else with more experience than him…