“Thanks.” Then she made an offer that surprised even her. “If you ever want to get together and talk about anything specific, just ask my daughter or Dean Joensen. They’ll get you in touch with me.”
He flushed. “That would be awesome. Um, it was nice to meet you.” His two companions fidgeted beside him, not as comfortable conversing with Victory.
“Have a good evening!” she called after them. Speaking of the dean—Victory dug her old pocket watch out of her jeans and saw it was about time for her meeting. After one last sweeping look over the now-deserted garden, she cut through the bushes in the direction of Lena’s office.
“Victory!”
Dean Joenson waved Victory over. As she approached, the dean grasped the railing and rose from her seat on the main steps of the building.
“You’re looking well, Lena.” After accepting a hug, Victory studied the woman with a critical eye. “Arthritis acting up again?”
“As always,” Lena said. “Though it’s not as bad as it could be. I’m not looking forward to the humidity later in the summer. And you’re lucky I was going to sleep in before the council meeting tomorrow night anyway. Else you’d never had gotten me out so late.”
“I’ve said time and again that I don’t mind if the meetings are during the day,” Victory said. She took Lena’s arm, and the two women headed toward the parking lot.
“Yes, but then you’d be stuck in the council building during daylight hours.” Lena paused as Victory unlocked the town-car and held open the passenger door. “After the werepanther attack a few years ago, you annoyed the clerks endlessly until you could safely leave. I don’t think they’d stand to have you around on a regular basis.”
“It’s true,” Victory said. She pushed the ignition button, and the electric engine hummed to life. She pulled out of the parking spot, remembering to turn on the headlights when she caught up to another town-car in front of her. While she could see with almost perfect clarity at night, the rest of the city, with the exception of perhaps the eldest werecreatures, could not.
Deciding the true purpose of their meeting could wait a bit longer, Victory asked after Lena’s son in Calverton. The women made small talk about their families during the trip into downtown Limani, enjoying the chance to catch up. Victory realized that aside from hurried greetings before and after the biweekly council meetings, they had not had the chance to truly talk for over two years.
Not bothering to hide down the street, Victory pulled into a parking spot in front of Café Lizzette. Emily Fabbri might have gotten away with throwing a young warrior-mage out of her restaurant, regardless of the mage in question’s parentage, but she could not risk pulling the same trick with fellow councilmembers. This late in the evening, many of the diners were university students. They knew their dean, and Victory was almost as recognizable.
“That’s interesting.” Lena pointed toward the music shop. Propped in the window was a handwritten sign: No Nonhumans Please .
Victory cut the town-car’s engine and sat forward, comparing the two signs. “That’s not interesting. That’s a really bad sign.” Her voice contained a hint of snarl at the end, despite her inadvertent pun. “This crazy idea of Fabbri’s is spreading. Also, Mikelos is going to be really pissed off. That’s where he buys all his sheet music.”
Lena laid a hand on Victory’s arm. “I know you probably want to go marching in there like your daughter did. But please remember that we must be the stronger side in this situation.”
Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. “I know how to be good.”
“Yes, but please do.” Lena patted her shoulder. “Ready to go in?”
“Not much point in putting it off, is there?” She helped Lena out of the town-car, handing the keys over to the other woman with a wink. “Just in case.”
They entered the
He flushed. “That would be awesome. Um, it was nice to meet you.” His two companions fidgeted beside him, not as comfortable conversing with Victory.
“Have a good evening!” she called after them. Speaking of the dean—Victory dug her old pocket watch out of her jeans and saw it was about time for her meeting. After one last sweeping look over the now-deserted garden, she cut through the bushes in the direction of Lena’s office.
“Victory!”
Dean Joenson waved Victory over. As she approached, the dean grasped the railing and rose from her seat on the main steps of the building.
“You’re looking well, Lena.” After accepting a hug, Victory studied the woman with a critical eye. “Arthritis acting up again?”
“As always,” Lena said. “Though it’s not as bad as it could be. I’m not looking forward to the humidity later in the summer. And you’re lucky I was going to sleep in before the council meeting tomorrow night anyway. Else you’d never had gotten me out so late.”
“I’ve said time and again that I don’t mind if the meetings are during the day,” Victory said. She took Lena’s arm, and the two women headed toward the parking lot.
“Yes, but then you’d be stuck in the council building during daylight hours.” Lena paused as Victory unlocked the town-car and held open the passenger door. “After the werepanther attack a few years ago, you annoyed the clerks endlessly until you could safely leave. I don’t think they’d stand to have you around on a regular basis.”
“It’s true,” Victory said. She pushed the ignition button, and the electric engine hummed to life. She pulled out of the parking spot, remembering to turn on the headlights when she caught up to another town-car in front of her. While she could see with almost perfect clarity at night, the rest of the city, with the exception of perhaps the eldest werecreatures, could not.
Deciding the true purpose of their meeting could wait a bit longer, Victory asked after Lena’s son in Calverton. The women made small talk about their families during the trip into downtown Limani, enjoying the chance to catch up. Victory realized that aside from hurried greetings before and after the biweekly council meetings, they had not had the chance to truly talk for over two years.
Not bothering to hide down the street, Victory pulled into a parking spot in front of Café Lizzette. Emily Fabbri might have gotten away with throwing a young warrior-mage out of her restaurant, regardless of the mage in question’s parentage, but she could not risk pulling the same trick with fellow councilmembers. This late in the evening, many of the diners were university students. They knew their dean, and Victory was almost as recognizable.
“That’s interesting.” Lena pointed toward the music shop. Propped in the window was a handwritten sign: No Nonhumans Please .
Victory cut the town-car’s engine and sat forward, comparing the two signs. “That’s not interesting. That’s a really bad sign.” Her voice contained a hint of snarl at the end, despite her inadvertent pun. “This crazy idea of Fabbri’s is spreading. Also, Mikelos is going to be really pissed off. That’s where he buys all his sheet music.”
Lena laid a hand on Victory’s arm. “I know you probably want to go marching in there like your daughter did. But please remember that we must be the stronger side in this situation.”
Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. “I know how to be good.”
“Yes, but please do.” Lena patted her shoulder. “Ready to go in?”
“Not much point in putting it off, is there?” She helped Lena out of the town-car, handing the keys over to the other woman with a wink. “Just in case.”
They entered the
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