"Councilwoman." Zenon greeted amicably, rising to his feet as he did so.
Thera greeted in kind and for a minute, the duo engaged in pleasantries until finally, Zenon intoned.
"I doubt you are just here to check up on me, Councilwoman. It might be best to get to the point."
"Agreed," Thera said as she took her seat. "How is the preparation going?"
"Smoothly so far, though I have to tell you that this act of yours has completely drained the city’s coffers. In fact, we are in a huge debt, one I do not believe we can pay anytime soon."
"Do not fret. Once this is all over, you will understand why this was necessary."
"But if you already know that terrorists are in the city, isn’t it best to go after them now?... Deal with them before they make a move in the first place." Zenon intoned, confused by Thera’s choices.
They seemed... self-destructive in truth, almost like she had no sense of life preservation.
It was odd, considering the cause she championed was one involving longevity.
For a moment, he couldn’t help but wonder if that was truly the case or perhaps he, along with many others, had misread the truth behind what she preached.
Thera managed a smile as she rose to her feet. "It is best not to overthink things. At the end of it all, you will understand why this was necessary."
Before Zenon could offer a response, Thera let out a dry cough and then another, after which a third quickly followed, causing her to hunch over.
Perhaps it was a trick of his eyes, but Zenon could have sworn she appeared weaker in that moment.
Letting out a tired sigh, Thera straightened her back, revealing that ever-present smile.
It was a peaceful one, but Zenon felt like it hid something dark.
Regardless, there was no point arguing with her.
He knew the repercussions of the path he’d chosen the moment he decided to join the Perpetual Cult.
If the price of gaining immortality meant ignoring his gut which he’d listened to practically all his life, then... he was willing to pay it.
He’d worked hard to be in his current position and he had no intention of leaving any time soon, not after all he’d done.
"Are you alright?" Zenon asked to which Thera responded.
"Of course. Just a mild cough. Now then, I believe I should be taking my leave."
And so, Thera left the office with Temenos accompanying her back to her carriage waiting outside the building while Zenon sat back in his chair, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as a mental battle was waged within him.
"Is this really necessary?" Melita asked as she accompanied Alex and Arwen to her grandfather’s newspaper factory.
Alex replied. "It’s all standard procedure."
"You and I both know you won’t get anything from doing this. The truth is right in front of you, those bastards in the upper districts kidnapped my father."
"How can you be so sure?" Alex asked back.
"Because I am!" Melita said in a fit of exasperation. "Damn it, the more time we waste here, the less chance my grandfather is rescued. Please, you should be going after the real culprits instead of wasting time here!"
"So what would you have me do?" Alex asked, causing Melita to pause, unsure of how to respond.
Shaking his head, he replied. "You think it’s magic?... Oh, since I’m a Mystic, I should be able to find your grandfather just like that?... That’s not how things work, Melita. Even if your grandfather is in the upper districts, do you expect me to scope through all the houses in the upper districts one at a time?... Well, newsflash, but more than half of those buildings are equipped with Quillion in some form, which makes it difficult to move around as you think. Also, what if I enter the wrong house and that alerts the enemy?... What then?"
"As it is, your stunt already puts your grandfather in further danger, yet you want to pull another one," Alex said, cutting her off.
Taking a moment to calm down, he intoned. "I understand you are worried about your grandfather, but acting on impulse doesn’t help anyone. So just listen and do as I ask. Leave your grandfather to me."
Though offended, understandable as that was, Melita nodded in response before moving ahead of him and Arwen, perhaps in a bid to get some space.
"That was harsh." Arwen intoned with Alex letting out a sigh.
"To be honest, I’m also quite pissed about this."
"I knew Theoren would get into trouble but I did nothing to stop that from happening. In some twisted way, I guess I was hoping he’d get into trouble so I’d help him out again."
"... That’s messed up," Arwen said with a disgusted look on her visage.
Alex let out a sigh. "I know."
He was no hero, but intentionally causing problems just to act was not his style of doing things.
It was problematic and perhaps it was time for him to reevaluate things.
In the first place, Adam made it abundantly clear that a family that had been helped once and accounted for, would not be counted again.
Which meant, he was just doing it with very little reward at the end of the day.
Arwen was clearly uncomfortable with him at that moment and so, she left, an act Alex did not blame her for.
It was best he stayed on his own for the time being.
She knew what to do anyway, so there was no need to hang around.
Better to make himself useful by correcting the mess he’d inadvertently caused.
Letting out a sigh, he left, taking a different street to arrive at Theoren’s factory.
According to Melita, Theoren never came back from work, so he was most likely taken while at work, though he didn’t take out the possibility that he was abducted on the way home.
Watching as Melita entered along with Arwen, he stepped into the alleyways around the building to scope for clues.