Enfield Claim: 7th-10th September

[brightwitch]

"Ellie Goulding - Burn" (Watch on YouTube)

Yeah, I went there.

Circle Midnight have gone one step too far this time. For almost a year, there has been an uneasy truce between the Redbright Institute and Circle Midnight – in truth, an uneasy truce between Sylvia Redbright and Abigail Widdowson, Mother and Maiden. There is no love lost between the two women, to put it mildly. Abigail nursed an ambition to join the Night Council in order to represent the interests of her people, but with Sylvia in charge that was never going to happen.

And then along came Raymond Harris, Duke of the Islington Nest and self-styled Other Mayor of London, to make an offer that Abigail couldn't refuse. An alliance between witches and vampires and a direct threat to the power of the Night Council.

They're already struggling against the vampires. Sylvia knows that she has to stop this alliance before it can get started, and that gives her the perfect excuse to destroy Circle Midnight once and for all. They've made the first move. Their pact is null and void, and it is for the sake of the city and the safety of its citizens that Sylvia orders her Outreach team to move in and take over Enfield.

Their goals are simple: capture Abigail and key Midnight witches, secure the area, and bring Enfield under the jurisdiction of the Redbright Institute. It's the only way to keep London safe.

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AFTER ABIGAIL'S CAPTURE (8TH SEPT)

[brightwitch]

Geap Manor is on fire.

It's a sign to all Midnight witches residing in the area. Their leader has been captured and her home is being burned down. The rest of them had better run or face the consequences.

[outstandingbalance]

Still smelling of smoke and moderately disheveled from the night, Natasha arrives at Sylvia's door still hours before dawn. She wouldn't call it an easy task, but the Outreach Group struck fast and organized, taking Midnight's leader by surprise.

It was business Natasha knew well, and however she might feel about it, she was good at it. She wasn't the kind of person who let internal misgivings get in the way of a job.

"Widdowson's in custody," Natasha says when they're face to face.

[brightwitch]

It's late and Sylvia is on her third cup of coffee, holding out until she knows for sure that they've accomplished their task. She's in one of the school offices which has been set up as a base of operations, with two or three Outreach members monitoring the situation at all times. This is serious enough for Sylvia to oversee personally; Abigail is no minor foe.

She puts her coffee down and folds her arms to listen to Natasha's report. "Good. And the others?"

[outstandingbalance]

"High priority targets all accounted for, alive." Natasha is clear on that point. At least that's an improvement working for Redbright. Red Room would have already been digging the drop site for the bodies. "The parameter was secure when I headed back. Teams are going through by blocks to pick up stragglers who might be acting up."

[brightwitch]

Alive is important. The last thing she wants are any dead witches on her hands. Everything has gone to plan so far, but they can't relax just yet.

She nods. "Get back out there with reinforcements and check again. I'd like to see this over by dawn."

She glances back at one of her colleagues nearby, gesturing for him to join them. Then there's a pause as she regards Natasha, thinking. The vampire has been quietly efficient in her work so far. She's proven herself to be both useful and loyal.

"Natasha." Her look is direct. "When was the last time you walked in the sun?"

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha is already turning to go when Sylvia stops her with her question. Her expression tightens. The math, as she does it, is depressing.

"Twenty-seven years," she says. Her voice is calm, despite the pang that comes with recognizing how long it's been. Since before the USSR fell, when the nest still had the cause and the resources to keep witches. Her necklace had bee destroyed, though, and never replaced.

Even then she hadn't been trusted with that kind of power all the time.

[brightwitch]

That's a long time to go without feeling the warmth of the sun on one's skin. Not as long as many vampires, but long enough to miss it.

"Keep up the good work," she replies, "and we may be able to do something about that."

No promises, no timeline given. But Sylvia believes in rewarding loyalty and Natasha is one of the very few vampires left in the city who might actually deserve it.

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha holds the other woman's eyes a moment longer, only a beat because she has more to do before she has to be inside for the day, then inclines her head in appreciation. She understands that's not a promise, but it is something.

"Let me know if anything else comes up," she says before taking her leave.

[brightwitch]

Sylvia nods, watching her go. She's crossing her fingers that nothing else does.