undergrounds | HOUNSLOW TERRITORY CLAIM

It's a Saturday. So technically that's her day off from Redbright, but Presidents don't have weekends and her duties as Mother of Witches never end. Suffice to say that Sylvia doesn't really have weekends. She can't ever switch off. And this weekend she has a very important appointment. She knows roughly what it's about – discussing how to tackle the vampire problem with Faolan, who has been at pains to stress that he wants to talk to her in his capacity as Hillingdon Clan leader, not as a Guardian, and in her capacity as Chancellor of the Redbright Institute, not as President of the Night Council.

So now they all know what role they're playing, she invites him to her house.

And she invites Lancelot too. Because Sylvia always needs a bodyguard and who better than the Chief Guardian? Of course it has nothing to do with the fact that she knows he and Faolan are close friends, and that Lancelot could be a useful asset in ensuring that this conversation goes in her favour. That's just a bonus.

She has some of her grandchildren over today, but it's fine, the au pair is looking after them. They won't be disturbed. She ushers Faolan and Lancelot through to her living room, where a white cat looks up at them from a cushion on the couch and then promptly slips away, perhaps reacting to the scent of dog on Lancelot. If they want to take a look around, they might notice the pictures of Sylvia's family and a few of her closest friends from her coven. And the various artefacts on display, almost all of which are magical objects.

There's also tea, of course. The au pair comes in to serve it, adding milk or sugar as required. Sylvia thanks her before she departs, then settles in her seat to regard the two men.

"I hope you'll forgive the informal setting. It isn't often I get to spend time with my grandchildren."

'Spend time' obviously being a relative term. They're in the same house. It counts.

If Sylvia is allowed a guard, as is Faolan. His choice of guard, however, is notably odd- Annie is skittish and could probably be blown over by a particularly strong gust of wind. But she's deadly if she needs to be, and she's hoping it won't go that way. This was needed. She didn't like the idea of trusting Redbright- she was a witch, and that was more than enough for Annie, but the fact remained: Hillingdon needed more territory if they were going to do anything about the vampires. So if that meant compromise, and hopefully far less blood-shed, Annie could go along with the idea.

She says nothing, when they arrive, keeping to herself, her hands clasped behind her back. If she didn't, they'd wind up in her hair, and that wasn't the sort of impression she wanted to give Redbright. Or the owner of Lily, whom she'd fallen absolutely in love with.

"You have, uhm a lovely home," Annie tries, her Irish accent always seems to get stronger around Faolan. Now sitting on the couch, she tries to take up as little space as possible, spare the cup and saucer on her lap, the tea highly sugared. Wait- was she not supposed to be speaking? Then just pretend she didn't say anything. She'll just sit here. And drink tea.

However informal the setting, Lancelot himself is technically on duty here and therefore acts the part. He's opted for a sort of halfway smart-casual approach to his dress sense, at least, white button-down shirt and black jeans, but he's alert -- even if he's also casually admiring the decor.

He doesn't sit, even if he hardly expects any trouble from Annie or Faolan, because sitting wold slow him down if he had to move. Instead he takes up a post within arm's reach of Sylvia, stands at parade rest and twitches Annie a half-encouraging smile at the way she sits and fumbles with her tea. She's nervous, and last he recalls she was nervous too actually -- and half arguing with him about vampires.

Lancelot doesn't say anything, though, because guard duty like this he considers a don't-speak-until-spoke-to situation himself. For better or worse.

Faolan hopes that Sylvia can forgive him for not asking permission to bring a guard. It's only fair -- she has one herself, after all. And while the choice is a bit odd, it's also somewhat deliberate on Faolan's part. Annie reminds Faolan of himself, a little. Her past with the vampires. (Her Irishness...) He knows that she spoke of seeking revenge once, and he knows that she's not the biggest fan of the system in general. But he also knows that she trusts and supports him. He knows that she was there for him when he needed her to be, and that despite how young she is, she kept her head in the face of Faolan's own personal drama. He trusts her to be discrete and non-threatening, and those are some of the many reasons that Faolan has chosen Annie to come along.

Also because it will be helpful to have a witness. To remind Sylvia of their place as leader to leader. Even if, in truth, there is still the contract, that binds him to his loyalty to her as President and leader of the Night Council. That is neither here nor there, he supposes.

Lancelot's presence is something of a surprise but then again he should have expected that as well. Head Guardian as he is, and Sylvia can't have let it slip her notice that they are friends. Faolan would rather shoot himself than harm Lancelot, and Lancelot would hold his duty first and foremost above all. It's a good choice, even if it leaves Faolan frowning about it.

Faolan is awkward about the tea. This isn't the first time he's been served tea at a private meeting with Sylvia Redbright, after all. Though he supposes this is the first time he is and he's not being told off while it's happening. At least, it's a rare occasion when they're meeting and he's not in trouble for something or another. (Yet.) He fidgets with his own cup but doesn't quite take a sip yet. He's had enough mishaps with magical tea to be wary of all such drinks from strangers, even from Sylvia Redbright herself.

"Not at all," Faolan replies, in his own lilting Irish way. "It's a Saturday. I appreciate you meeting with me like this on such short notice. Especially given the time of year, with classes..." He's trying to be on his best behavior, really he is.

Sylvia has now learned Annie's name but other than that she knows nothing about the girl except that Faolan thought it was a good idea to bring her. The thought occurs that she's Faolan's girlfriend, but he doesn't say as much and she doesn't ask. Regardless, she seems pleasant enough, Sylvia nodding in acknowledgement when Annie compliments her home.

As for the tea, there's nothing wrong with it. It's good tea. Sylvia sips hers while she listens to Faolan, then nods, offering a smile.

"School starts on Monday, so it's all hands on deck. It's frantic, but always exciting to welcome the new students. Some of them have never met others like them, especially of their own age." Her smile becomes reminiscent. She can think of so many wide-eyed students over the years who grew up to become valuable members of the supernatural community. "What about you, Faolan? How are things in Hillingdon?"

He probably should have introduced Annie first off, but Faolan is still slightly new to this whole 'faction leader' business, and as such he's still learning the do's and don'ts of the whole thing.

"Busy," he responds, as politely as he can. She poured her tea from the same source, and unless she's laced his cup he supposes it's safe enough, so he hazards a sip as well. "We are hunters, after all, and what with the present situation..."

He lowers his cup back down to his lap. "It is what I would like to discuss with you, today." He glances aside at Annie, realizing his first mistake and correcting it as smoothly as he can. "This is Annie. Anything that is discussed here may be done so in front of her. I have brought her here with me today to bear witness to our negotiations. Given the recent unease after the reveal of my other position, I thought it only fair to them. I hope you do not mind." He has not exactly given her a choice in the matter after all.

Annie practically grimaces as she attempts to return Lance's smile. She remembers him, but that's more than enough for her. She wasn't exactly on her best that night. The way he's looking at her does help, however. Maybe he doesn't hold it against her- she hadn't realized he was the Lancelot she was trying to find until she'd seen photos at his home. That hadn't changed her mind about trying to find him, though. She reminds herself to tell him she thought he had the most well-behaved dog in existence, if they get a moment after the meeting is over.

She feels as if a small weight has been lifted from her shoulders, when Faolan introduces her, explains why she's there. Though, she realizes too late, she should be standing, not drinking tea. But here she is, sinking into the couch. So she's just going to stay quiet from here on out. Let Faolan and Redbright talk.

She nods at Annie when Faolan introduces her. It's true, the situation has left her with no choice but to not mind, since he didn't tell her that he was inviting another guest. But putting that aside for a moment...

"Negotiations," she repeats, raising an eyebrow. "This must be serious." Her tone is light but her words are not, and she looks between Faolan and Annie with a slight frown creasing her brow. "My understanding was that we are here to talk about Islington. Am I mistaken?"

Of course it's serious, Lancelot thinks silently to himself, if Faolan isn't barging in uninvited and growling at people then he's taking something seriously.

This, however, is already going about how he expected. The other advantage of where he's standing is Sylvia can't see him, but Faolan can. So he gives him a slight nod of encouragement. Go on, it'll be fine. Hopefully.

Faolan flicks his eyes at the other man as Lancelot nods at him. He doesn't know whether to believe his encouragement, but he will take what he can get and so he pushes himself to continue and make his point.

"It is," he agrees. "And we are. That is to say, I am here to negotiate terms with you. Regarding our two factions, and our mutual enemy in what Raymond has turned the Islington nest into, of late." He glances at Sylvia, his gaze floating behind her to Lancelot before back again. He dare not look over at Annie. He is supposed to be in charge here. He is the one making the deal.

"Frankly put, there are vampires killing all of our people. Hillingdon is a faction of hunters, Ms Redbright. We have much to offer in the way of protection against them. But we are quickly outgrowing our little corner of the city, and we cannot hope to stand against them if we are to continue to limit ourselves thus." He pauses for a moment, not quite having stated yet what sort of an agreement he is seeking. But having given enough that Sylvia might be able to deduce it for herself, if she reads between the lines.

"Outgrowing," Sylvia repeats, catching on to the key part of his little speech. It's the only thing he says that she hasn't heard before. Yes, there are hunters in Hillingdon, yes, the vampires are targeting them. They need a common strategy, that is clear. But space for the Hillingdon Clan to grow? That's new. "I see. I must thank you for fighting the good fight, of course. With your hunters and my Outreach team, we've managed to contain the worst of the vampires. I would welcome us working more closely together still, perhaps in sharing facilities or equipment. Redbright's doors will always be open to our trusted allies."

It's an invitation. She could use his hunters, could use the extra manpower, and they could use the extra resource and wider network that Redbright can offer. A closer partnership would benefit them both and could be key to defeating Islington.

Faolan nods slightly in response to her words. "I imagine that our teams would work well together, if we were to share in our resources. But there are certain precautions that must be taken with such an agreement. Namely, the people of Hillingdon would be wary that we are selling ourselves out in support of a faction that might not support their own in return. It is why I have come to you with a specific proposal. For the negotiation of the Hounslow territory, currently in possession of the Institute."

He inclines his head at her slightly. "We would like to make a deal with you, Ms Redbright. In exchange for claim over control of Hounslow. An exchange of territory for manpower. You have the territory, we have the manpower. And many students that may not be able to defend themselves in a way that my people are more than willing to step in and do. I'm certain that we can come to something of an arrangement, can we not?"

Empire building, is he. How grand. Sylvia is impassive as Faolan speaks, only raising an eyebrow after he has finished.

"Why do you want Hounslow?"

She isn't going to indicate a favourable or unfavourable response until she understands his motivation. Whether it's naked ambition or something else. She sips her tea, patient.

Faolan does his best not to look down at his hands or into his tea or anywhere else, not to fidget or hesitate as he responds to her question.

"Hillingdon called a faction meeting to vote on the matter and Hounslow was the territory that was chosen," he replies. He could elaborate and say that it was because it's the only territory not surrounded by Redbright on all sides, but he doesn't think that really needs saying. He's fairly certain Sylvia will understand that regardless.

HOUNSLOW TERRITORY CLAIM

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my apologies, i had lost this notif :x

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