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 [right][b]Interactions:[/b] DQ Gang[@Punished GN][@Fernstone][@QueenBea][@Damycles][@Blizz]
[code]Dairy Queen[/code][/right][hr]

Sloane, despite standing with her arms crossed and wearing the expression of an impatient commuter waiting for a bus that was running late, listened intently to the others. It turned out that she had misjudged Luca. She returned his smile with one of her own, a brief twitching at the corners of her mouth that could very well be mistaken for a muscle spasm that suddenly corrected itself the second he mentioned giving Auri a chance. Disappointment only even existed thanks to the power of positivity, while dwelling on the negative meant that she was always prepared. 

Although, truth be told, she wasn’t prepared for Jack to arrive unexpectedly. It was a recurring habit of his it would seem. She welcomed Jack to the table with only the briefest of side eyes and a tensing of shoulders, yet both ended up lingering as he spoke a harsh truth that resonated heavily with Sloane. Her own family—not the small inner circle of people that she would spend holidays with that was becoming smaller by the day, but her actual bloodline—was an unfortunate fact. She was already breaking herself paying indulgences for the sins of her parents, there was no way she could afford to carry anymore. 

Kali made a good point about taking safety precautions. Check ins and having a numbers advantage was a better play than assuming Father Wolf was going to announce their next victim with a wooden bauble every time. However, Kali would likely notice that the entire time he spoke Sloane did not break eye contact. She hardly even blinked. While Jack had a hill to climb out of to ever earn Sloane’s respect, she at the very least felt like she had a decent grasp on who he was as a person. Kali was an unknown variable. Definitely erratic, possibly delusional, maybe even dangerous. He’d said something that chilled her when referring to the danger Father Wolf presented: [i]it’s all of you who are potential targets.

You.

Not [b]us.[/b] [/i]

Sloane’s eyes remained for a moment longer on Kali as Drake presented his thoughts, but with a flash like a sword being drawn from a scabbard reflecting sunlight she shot Drake an obviously annoyed glance as he bitched about the mess of a meeting yet then defended Auri. The reason the meeting was such a clusterfuck was because she had failed in her duties to serve as a mediator despite being the one to irresponsibly claim the role. If Sloane had been in charge of the meeting, well, nobody would’ve shown but, in all fairness, nobody would’ve been called. She sucked in her lower lip and dragged her teeth across it: Auri deserved credit for making the call. 

[color=3874f4]"How do we even know that it's Father Wolf in the first place?"[/color] said Drake.

[color=6B8E23]"Oh, how did we figure out that was his name? I haven't seen what he left... I know it was a statue, but was there a call card or something too? Or does everyone else have ways of finding this stuff out that I don't? We don't know, I guess. But surely Father Wolf could be anyone? It's probably an alias. Like, yknow, all those famous serial killers. He probably isn't any of these other guys going by wolf like names. That'd be too obvious, right. Like he wanted to get caught,”[/color] said Luca.

[color=silver]“It would be an incredibly stupid double bluff if that were the case. It’s safer to assume that Father Wolf is savvy, but there could exist a world where Father Wolf is just a lucky idiot. Nearly half of all murders go unsolved in this country. Perhaps there is a renaissance of criminal masterminds operating in the US, but more likely it’s due to mistakes made by overworked, unprofessional, or incompetent investigators,”[/color] said Sloane. She was unable to stop herself from glancing towards Kali. It wasn’t meant to be an accusation or a personal insult, but there was no denying that it sure sounded like one. In a slight backpedal, she pulled out a business card with her number and slid it over towards Jack. [color=silver]“Kali’s idea of making regular check-ins is a good one. We should get everyone in the chain.”[/color]

Brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she directed her focus back on to what Luca said and  continued: [color=silver]“So you’re probably correct, Luca. It’s unlikely that our Father Wolf is the Wolfpack’s Father Wolf. You’re also very wrong: it’s nigh impossible that Father Wolf is just anyone.They’re probably—”[/color]

In a rare moment the monotonous needle scratch of a blank record that was Sloane’s voice hit a bit of warped vinyl and wavered. She broke her intense eye contact from the group, turned her head away, and cleared her throat with a cough into her elbow. She had avoided bringing this subject up at the flower shop considering how much of a powderkeg it had seemed with everyone back together. She didn’t want to put the thought in their head. The people here had all expressed some kind of sensibility and restraint, even the sometimes mulish Drake. They could handle it. Maybe. She needed them to be able to handle it. Her hand faintly shook as she grabbed the water bottle, opened it, and took a delicate sip. Recomposed, she turned back to the table, her voice resuming its usual drone.

[color=silver]“Apologies. Like I was saying, it’s naive to believe that Father Wolf could be anyone. The reality is that Father Wolf has to be someone who knows about the Sycamore Tree Coven. Either they were around us ten years ago or connected to someone who was. It’s possible that they’re an old enemy reemerging with a new name. However, considering that they targeted some of our strongest or most useful members, I think it has to be someone closer,”[/color] said Sloane.

She set down the water and crossed her arms, [color=silver]“I hope none of you think that this is a convoluted way for me to avoid saying that I do not trust you. I’ll go ahead and say it: I don’t trust you. Any of you. Not. One. I hope you are smart enough to be suspicious of me, too. Nevertheless, I will still cooperate fully with all of you and I expect the same.[/color]

[color=silver]“Kali, you’re the agent here. Should we start by checking everybody’s alibis against the time of death of our fallen friends?  Because it’s obvious,”[/color] said Sloane, finally sitting down and propping her chin up beneath her folded hands. [color=silver]“Father Wolf was in the Coven.”[/color]