Nepenthe • Something that can make you forget grief or suffering.
Never feeling like they belonged was a feeling that Lissa Dragomir lived with, even with her family and life long best friend, although they aided in that feeling not being so strong...
It was dawn by the time that Kate had finished informing everyone related to the names on the list, which involved being hugged by everyone, something that made Kate jump in the shower and rub her skin raw. Alec had behaved well, despite everything, despite the strangers, although he reached for Kate everytime someone stood too close to him.
With so many royals and other important Moroi at the lodge, a meeting was organized that night, while Kate had been talking to people related to the recently deceased ones, to discuss what had happened and what might be done in the future. Nothing official would be decided there, especially considering that the Moroi had a queen and a governing council elsewhere for those types of decisions.
Everyone knew, though, that opinions gathered there would make their way up the chain of command. The Moroi's future safety could very well depend on what was discussed in that meeting.
It would be held in an enormous banquet hall inside the lodge, one with a podium and plenty of seating. Despite the businesslike atmosphere, one could tell this room had been designed for things other than meetings about massacres and defense, which was surprising for Abe Mazur, but then again the Lodge did have an ancient feel to it.
The carpet had the texture of velvet and showed an ornate floral design in shades of silver and black. The chairs were made of black polished wood and had high backs, clearly intended for fancy dining.
Paintings of long-dead Moroi royalty hung on the walls and as Kate walked inside with a sleeping Alec in her arms, she stared briefly at one of a queen whose name she didn't know, which was easy considering she didn't know the names of a lot of the rulers of the Moroi. The woman in the painting wore an old-fashioned dress—too heavy on lace for Dhampir—and had pale hair like Lissa's.
Some guy Kate didn't recognise was in charge of moderating and stood at the podium. Most of the Royals on hand gathered at the front of the room. Everyone else, including students, took seats wherever they could. Christian, Mason, Lissa and Viktoria gravitated to Kate as soon as she entered, Lissa frowning.
"Are you alright? I felt something earlier-" Lissa started before Kate shook her head with a polite and forced smile, the kind of smile that Kate never gave Lissa unless there was something that she didn't want Lissa to worry about.
The smile made Lissa frown and instantly turn her head to the podium to look at Tasha, who was still wearing the same revealing yet gorgeous dress that Kate had seen her in and had another glass of alcohol in hand, although she looked like she was more sober than she'd been earlier with Kate.
