RINASCITA | #ONC2020

4- Rings of Passion

Walking briskly down the hallway, I'm soon faced with Mona, my unwilling guide.

"What are you doing?", she asks, staring me down with unflinching eyes.

"Well, thanks to your stubborn alpha-" She cut me off with a growl. Ooh, she didn't like that. "I have to go call the Council to receive new orders. You're welcome to take the blame if you want!" I say, forcing a tense smile onto my face.

"Fuck off, witch. Tell the Council we don't want anything to do with them.", she growls, baring her teeth.

"I'd be careful with your words, wolf. I may not be the strongest, but I can ruin your life in ways you can't even begin to imagine. I can ruin you." I say with a fierce glare. These arrogant wolves were really starting to piss me off. 

"Just leave, witch.", she says, staring me down but angling her body so I can move. 

"Gladly," I say while brushing past her, already reaching for my phone so I can call the Council while I take the long walk back to the portal.

The phone rings four times before I'm met with the monotonous voice of their secretary. An orc, I think, tasked only with answering their phone calls. 

"Serial number 3103200. I need to speak with the Council.", I say without preamble.

"One minute, please." they drawl.

After several minutes, I'm passed over to the Council. An expectant silence is what awaits me, and I quickly retell what Xavier said to me. 

"We are extremely disappointed, Ms. Ward." one of them says, their voice sounding a little far from the phone. 

I imagine them all crowded around the phone on speaker and for some reason, that's extremely funny to me. I try to contain my laughter but a snort still escapes me. 

"Do you perchance find this funny, Ms. Ward?"

"No, not at all!" I try to think of an excuse. "It's just I'm allergic to animal fur and, you know, all of the wolves and stuff..."

Honestly, it's the best I could have come up with on the spot and they seem to buy it so apparently my skills aren't as rusty as I thought. 

"Well, as we said in our meeting, failure is unacceptable. Find a way to make the alliance happen or on your head be it," they say, and with that, they hang up the phone. 

Well, fuck. 

There's no way I can convince Xavier without help, and besides, I don't seem to be welcome here for now. So I have no choice but to go to the Capulets and pray that they agree. Otherwise, I don't think I can convince two stubborn leaders on my own. 

If I remember correctly, the Capulets' main house is on the capital city Gledo, to make it easier to supply blood to all of their branches. So I need to take the portal and then find a way to get invited inside the house of the most influential vampire family in the country. Should be easy. 

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After a tiring trip back to the portal and a nauseating trip in it, I'm finally surrounded by the bustling activity of the capital. I consider stopping in one of the many restaurants around me since I haven't had lunch yet and it's nearing 2 PM. 

Finally, I find a supernatural-friendly restaurant hidden away in one of the streets. It's a seemingly normal establishment, except for the faint iridescent glow around it indicative of a barrier. Due to the barrier, only supernatural beings can see it so it's perfect for the less human-like creatures. 

I walk in, mindful of the possibility of aggressive creatures being here. Witches don't get along with some creatures, and it's important to always be aware of our surroundings. 

Most people would expect the ambiance to be that of a shady bar, but it's actually a well-lit, bohemian-style restaurant. I approach a waitress, who happens to be a pixie, and am immediately taken to a table near one of the windows. 

The table next to me has a cute little family of elves, though the younglings are starting to throw a tantrum over who gets to sit next to the window. Elves are genderless, and the way they reproduce is one of the best-kept secrets of the supernatural world. With their toddlers' fit as my background music, I scan the menu for something appetizing. 

I eventually decide on a sandwich, mostly because I don't want to waste any more time than absolutely necessary. I do take the time to look at the more unusual food and drink options. Even though my dietary needs are almost exactly the same as humans', apart from having to eat everything on my plate (it's a gratitude thing- witches are weird), most supernatural beings have weird diets. 

So places like this one have to have options for everyone. Ranging from the vegetarian diet of pacific creatures like elves and fairies, which are fairly easy to please, to blood, for example. I've heard vampires are actually quite picky with the blood they drink, but since they're considered elite beings and are fairly rare, I've never met one to confirm.

When a waiter moves to take my menu, my hand brushes one of his rings. Immediately I see him in bed with another person, legs tangled in the sheets, hands locked, high-pitched moans- 

I jerk my hand back and try not to blush. He doesn't know what I just saw and I'd rather it stay that way. Normally, I can't see a memory unless it's tied to both a strong emotion and an important object so he must really love that person. It's kinda sweet. 

The last memory I saw was that of the dead body yesterday and the contrast is jarring. 

My sandwich arrives and I scarf it down as quickly as I can. I have a feeling the longer I take, the less likely it is that I can get into the Capulets' house. 

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I wanted this chapter to establish a little world-building, so let me know what you think of it! How do you think the leader of the Capulets is going to be?