The Worldly Doctrine of Today [Eliane, Alastair]

How long had it been since she came here with her countless briefcases of intelligence? A month and a bit extra? Eliane had put her trust into Arlette, and by extension, into Mr. Eisfluch and the Vandenreich at large. She wasn't really one to worry about things much; it just didn't do anything to better a situation, and she had faith enough in her sister's ability to get something done.

Her other sisters, however, were a little more impatient. More testy. It didn't help that news of Claudia's death wasn't exactly as well-received by those two, either. That was why she'd put in the request for a meeting, why she was now sitting in a bistro in the middle of the city waiting for the Grandmaster to arrive. She wasn't exactly content to simply tell her sisters to keep waiting; they deserved something a little more cohesive than that.

Whatever she decided afterward, well, that depended on how this meeting went.

Alastair was as punctual as ever, arriving a couple of minutes earlier than their arranged meeting time to ensure that everything would proceed on schedule. A couple of months of good behaviour had bought her some amount of goodwill, though it was the counsel of Arlette that had prompted him to put a small modicum of trust in Eliane. There was no showy entourage, with little need for a display of strength or observation this time, as the Grandmaster entered the bistro and waited to be shown to their table.

"Ms Eliane."

His greeting was as stiff and rigid as ever, a habit he could not shake when it concerned her, but Alastair did seem at least positively neutral as he met her gaze on his approach. It seemed they both had things to talk about, though he could intuit at least one thing that was at the forefront of her mind. Just like it was Artlette's.

"Hello, Mr. Eisfluch."

There was little of Eliane's usual playful tone in her voice, though that was not to say it was wholly absent. A habit she could not shake, she supposed. Or, really, something far more ingrained into her. She'd been made to have such a demeanor, after all.

"Arlette tells me there's progress being made. I'm glad. I don't think I need to tell you that my sisters aren't doing too well in captivity, even if it's for people's safety, and frankly, for theirs."

Eliane was rarely blunt; it rarely had the effect of making people uncomfortable, after all. But if there was one thing she'd become very adept at, it was focusing that urge toward the one target who she need not feel guilty about; herself. She was profoundly uncomfortable being honest, to a degree that she clenched her fist simply to speak in what most would call a "normal" way. But it was what it was.

"I don't imagine Arlette's told you much about the process of making them, or even the two of us, but those two are practically children, Mr. Eisfluch. They don't understand the situation like she and I do. I promised them that they would be safe here. That they would be happy, and that I'd make sure they had a better life. I'd rather not start this new life by being a liar again, so I'd like to know what exactly I can be doing for you to expedite the process."

She was upset. She'd never been upset before, and she didn't even know how to express it, except by speaking the same way she always did. Should she be proud of herself? Glad that she could feel something?

All she felt was a faint nostalgia for the experience of Arlette blowing a hole in her skull.