“Well, it would have shown even if you didn’t.”
“That obvious?”
“This cannot possibly be worse than the last gathering.” Ophelia took an unimpressed sip of her drink, looking out over the crowd with an expression bordering on scorn. “But anyone who thinks they can let their guard down is sorely mistaken, and I look forward to seeing the consequences.”
“Surely it won’t be that bad?”
“Exactly, madness is never a pretty sight which is why there is such thing as having too much of any one thing.”
“I suppose so.”
“Really? Well, this is my first time reading it. I found it in the library, an old copy of it, I guess.”
“I’ve only read it one or twice myself, but I think you’ll like it.”
“That depends on the question.”
Klaire held open her book in the warlock’s direction, pointing to a line on the page. “My Latin is still quite rusty and I don’t quite understand this. I was hoping you could help?”
Matt sighed as he tried to hold Isaac in his arm but the
one-year old was determined to learn how to walk and kept trying to walk over
the vampire’s chest. “Isaac, seriously I’m not the best ground for walking
practise,” he said to him, raising his eyebrows at the child who was frowning
in concentration.
Klaire laughed at Isaac “You alright there, Matt? I didn’t realise Isaac was walking already.”
“At least I’m not alone on this… but to be honest, this place still freaks me out a little bit, y’know?”
“It is quite intimidating.”
“I am sorry, I’ll just leave; you could use some rest.”
“Please, don’t leave on my account.”
Ash inhaled deep, mostly to calm himself down as he caught his breath, while he took in his new surroundings. He was standing still, right in the center of the main lobby to the Institute; his right hand gripping his small bag tightly. The mundane was so lost in himself, so distracted by the grandiose building around him, that he didn’t notice someone approaching him; it didn’t help that he’d forgotten to turn the sound on his hearing aids back up either.
Klaire watched with a slight smile on her face, he looked so nervous and she remembered feeling the same anxiety on her first day. Walking over to him she waved “Hello. Are you alright there?”
“They didn’t really get many actual warlocks.”
“I know, I still find it pretty interesting.”