Mithias stood motionless as Viorica delivered her retort. She was wrong about him, that he hated his kind or regretted his condition, as there was far more to it than that, but surprisingly, it seemed he was also wrong about her. Revealing nothing of his inner thoughts, Mithias let the facade of hateful rebel continue. In truth, seeing Viorica so suddenly hurt by his accusations was completely unexpected. Her reaction and her anxious drinking showed that she was in fact sincere. Maybe these fledglings weren't in fact hers. Although still perturbed over the situation, Mithias withdrew his condescending and damning aura. He hadn't intended to wound the vampiress so deeply. 

It was easy enough to relent to Evelyn's touch. He turned away from Viorica and instead looked over each fledgling with a burdonsome sigh. The new male seemed half crazed, talking rapidly, unable to focus, and overly energetic. One girl was staunch, strong, a protector, and accepting of reality with the innocence of a child. Mithias approved of her courage. The other was afraid, pained, and confused, unable to overcome her dedication to human morality and sympathy. That one was most in jepoardy, yet her ethics resonated with his own code. What monsters would they become without proper guidance?

Christof hadn't yet said or done anything, and Mithias awaited his inevitable participation with reluctant disdain. The present elders were disgruntled, and Mithias' arrival had nearly shattered the peace. A moment went by as Angel slid down a wall and William began blathering toward Viorica. ... Mithias suddenly took a seat, his gesture, somehow setting a compelling example to follow. 

Triggering a moment of silence, he lowered his eyes to the table and spoke much more soothingly. "Tell me what happened."