2026-03-20 18:44 - 20:33 PST
Kingsnake sat down to dinner with Neres who started the conversation with a bang:
“I am troubled. Let me not burden you with my troubles.” Neres insists, before abruptly asking. “Tell me of your new mate.”
“Ah.” Phoebe was not expecting her to be so blunt. What a strange way of wording that. She’s lost for words for a few seconds. “I was a little hesitant, considering her self image as a vigilante. And how often she throws herself into danger. And the blood bond, though she insisted her feelings were genuine. At first I thought I was just worried for the movement, considering how… short-sighted their current leaders are. Without Thalia they’re just going to burn everything to the ground, and I’m sure the Sabbat or the Second Inquisition would be more than happy to sweep everything up afterwards. Then I realized maybe it wasn’t just that, maybe it it was because I kinda liked her? She’s charismatic, driven… and she was interested in me. She doesn’t see me being a Setite as a bad thing, hell, she even sees it as a benefit, as exciting. Maybe it’s foolish, but I considered every aspect, and decided to go with it.” She awaits her judgement, subtly adjusting her silverware on the table. She adds the next part more quietly, a little ashamed to say it, but hoping it might sway Neres a little more. “Plus, I mean I’m not really all that power hungry but… if she does become the Baroness… that might have perks…?”
Neres stares at Kingsnake intensely with her serpentine eyes. It’s hard to tell what she’s thinking. “You have chosen wisely. She is a fine choice of mate, should she live to see the end of the war.”
Neres approved, but Kingsnake was quick to remind her that she hadn’t forgotten her dedication to Set. Neres waited for Kingsnake to eat first1, and when confronted about it, she said her conviction had lapsed. Then, when Mazhar was brought up, Neres said she’d been planning what to do for a few days. Running wasn’t an option, so they’d start by lying low.
Footnotes
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An inversion of the events of 3 - Kingsnake ↩