Lawrence anxiously handled his own letter as he listened, patiently, or at least politely.

It wasn't difficult for him to make arrangements, and see to his affairs for the duration of his absence while on "holiday". This turn of events, though, troubling as it was, did have the wheels turning in his head.

Once Erik had spoken his piece (loony as it was), he took the opportunity to make his own remarks on the apparent state of things. "Well, that certainly was a... 'colorful' performance, Monseur Garnier, but I do think there are some rather pressing issues, more so even than your..." He paused, for dramatic affect, "Fanciful notions. Surely, though this is highly unusual, it wouldn't be the first time that Dracula has taken a leave of absence. This letter, speaking of his likely whereabouts, is not, to my faculties, anything more than what you would have preferred. The simplest and most reasonable assumption is that he is in South Africa, isn't it? There's no reason to assume anything else."

He stood, and gesticulated a bit as he continued in his Posh accent, "Accounting for his eccentricities in all of this, and this whole... Hullabaloo is hardly cause for concern, save the inconvenience of it. Surely, if we simply consult his people, we'll find a plan in place, and if not, it would be far more prudent a course to simply... Delegate some manner of stewardship in his absence? Practical, as well, far more so than... Buggering off to Paris, as you seem inclined, regardless!" He left out that he absolutely had [i]someone[/i] in mind for the assumption of leadership. After all, as others would point out, he himself has a fair amount of real leadership experience, and is one of the oldest members of the council. Combined with how loyal he'd been to Dracula, he was convinced his qualifications were obvious, and his nomination inevitable.

He leaned on the table, "And what [i]of[/i] this 'New World' of yours? Had it not occurred to you that if such an idea were manageable, nay, even practical, Dracula might have done it himself by now?" He allowed a bit of a laugh in the last words, a subtle jab. He avoided professional politics, lest his persona become just a little bit too public, but in his shadowy dealings with this council, he certainly developed a taste for politics, all the same. "Even if we were to take this seriously, has it never occurred to your 'brilliant' mind, that a many of us stand to lose far more than we might gain, by investing in this venture? I can assure you, [i]I've[/i] worked far too hard for what I've managed to piddle it away on the prospect of... What? Splitting the rent on one of those caves you tinker away in?" Another affected laugh, "No, no, sir, I think we all know better than to 'jump the gun', as the Americans would say; this is not a time for rash behavior, let us instead learn what we can of the situation, and act accordingly." 

He sat himself down gently, concluding, "And, if we can find no pre-determined course of action or instruction, or, for that matter, Dracula has not returned by such a time, [i]then[/i] further action may be appropriate." He looked around the room, "The rest of you lot? You can do as you like, 'playing with matches'; I hardly assume authority, but... I, for one, don't care to be present if Dracula should return to find we've 'burned the house down'." Or raided the pantry, he thought to himself- Lawrence, if you play this right, you may finally be free. Just keep asking yourself: What Would Dracula Do?