[@Ojo chan 42][@BlackPanther][@Wick]

So Violet had summoned them together to form a new council, saying several of the old vampire council members were now dead. Mithias looked dubious. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, that Dracula hadn't somehow orchestrated the demise of a few oldblood sires, he could do that, but this room was filled with a bare minimum of vampires he would consider not neophytes. He shook his head. There were elder vampires that Mithias knew weren't here, Lord Bedivere of Wales, and his own sire, and if either of them were dead, Mithias would surely have known it. Holding this miniscule meeting now was disconcerting, but perhaps it wasn't futile. 

Mithias looked at Violet seriously. "You intend to convene a meeting of 'the council' to decide on the fate of our kind? Right here, in this house?" Mithias paused a moment and considered the circumstances. With the Blood Contract in question and the world on the brink of another nightwar, wouldn't it make sense that the vampire council would come together again in response? Mithias considered the attitudes of some of the elders he knew, namely, his father, who probably was in Hawaii not giving two shits right now. But perhaps she was right and half of them were mysteriously dead and they couldn't meet, or maybe they simply didn't think what was happenign was serious enough. Nonetheless, a disruption of the vamipre council would certainly drive anxious immortals into the hands of any strong leader, potentially Dracula. It worked inhis favor. Mithias sighed unhappily. "Very well then, but you should be informed of how humble a starting point this is. I have lived only a mere seven centuries, but still, I am only a toddeling child compared to the former clanlords. The last meeting of the Vampire Council was within my lifetime, before the Nightwars, and I did attend... only to learn that even a true council meeting was a mockery of what it used to be in ages past. Regardless, those oldbloods and ancients had true power and generations of descendents at their call. We will be starting with no such influence. I am sure however that there are vampire lords all over the world that would join us, assuming we could convince them of the necessity."

Mithias turned to Sasha and Vladimir, having noticed their interplay but saying nothing of it. "Vladimir." It was slightly odd hearing General Varomere not call him "Agent." Mithias went on. "I have some bad news, for all of us, but for you in particular. Soldier tried to kill me. Someone on the inside tried to blow me up, but I was saved by a human, who I have to say is no longer human. As far as they know, I'm suppose to be dead, and I expect Soldier will be turnign on the rest of their ex-Elites very soon. HQ has been under human control for a long time, and they have gone corrupt. I have only myself to blame. I've always had a healthy distrust of powerful organization, yet I let this happen right under my nose. If you are still on contract with them, then you may want to get out now. As for the rest of us, we're about to have a very powerful, world wide enemy." 

The pale vampire spoke to everyone in general. "Taking Soldier back from the corrupt human officials may be more difficult than you imagine, especially with Dracula around. If the tales of Dracula's incredible mental manipulation are true, then he could be to blame for Soldier's sudden shift in morals and my attempted murder. As a vampire trained in hunting our own kind and a defender of humans, I'd certainly be considered an enemy. But in either case, we cannot turn to Soldier for aid. We may not even be able to stop this upcoming war that Dracula has instigated. Through creating distrust and manipulation on both sides, Dracula is tearing the Blood Contract apart." Mithias clasped his hands behind him and paced a few steps. "The way things stand right now, humans will have Solider, and we will have nothing, no leader, no sanctuary, and certainly no army. ...Not that I ever want to see another nightwars army." He seemed to reflect on events past and his black brow furrowed. "What Dracula doesn't understand is that humans can and will aim their technology at us and hunt us to the bitter end, if we can't prove that we can control ourselves. We don't stand a chance against them, and even if we did, his vision for the future is a dark one." 

"The Blood Compact means nothing if it isn't enforced. We may be some of the only vampires left who are in a position to do so, but we are going to need to combine our knowledge and skills." Mithias looked at Nora next. "Mrs. Nora, if you are truly free of Mr. Tepes, then your information will be most valuable. Where is he? What is he planning? Is there anyone we could trust on the inside?" Mithias' piercing stare was unsettling, as he was patiently waiting for an answer while pinning her with his glare. His mind was a complete void of blackness, unreadable, so all she had to go on was his voice inflection and expression, which was damn-near stoic. Was he suspicious of her? Couldn't tell. Not fair.