I am meditating in my room after doing some logic puzzles. Someone knocks. Going by aura it is Maria. I ask her to come in.

M: We need to talk

Not again. What have I done to deserve this?

P: If we must

M: Yes, she was really pissed.

P: So was I

M: Why do you not respect our privacy?

P: Because it would affect our safety. You have to trust people you are going to fight with.

M: And you have been to war that you know that?

P: Yes, I have. I am sorry, but I fought monsters together with other people. You have not.

M: But our affairs must stay our affairs.

P: I would agree if this were our affair.

M: It is our affair.

P: No, it is not. It affects their security, too.

M: You are not going to budge on this.

P: No, I am not

M: This is a very male attitude. Male bonding above all else.

P: Males are traditionally the fighters. Once you have fought you will understand.

M: Fine

She makes a complicated gesture with her arms and leaves.

Is she right? No. In part yes. This is about bonding. But bonding is necessary. Can I explain it better? The issue is that I should not need to explain it. Further meditation turns out to be difficult.

The time is better spent giving Dalek-3H more arms.

--

Z: He is infuriating.

L: Why? He is right.

Z: What?

L: Imagine I were in a business relationship with your ex-husband and had not told you when we met.

Z: But we are friends. Those are some people we don’t know.

L: We are propsing to them to risk their lives with us.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Z: But …

L: You have never been shot at, right?

Lidija leaves the room.

--

We are having breakfast.

P: Zoro, I want you to negotiate at lunch.

Z: What?

P: I also need to make clear that everybody of us has to agree to this alliance. There can be no majority decision in this. So the one most sceptical has to lead the negotiation.

Z: So you are leaving it to me. Low hit.

P: This is not a fight.

--

We are having lunch.

#1 (Branko): As we are discussing a closer relationship I should give you our names.

Zora returns the courtesy.

#2 (Mihail): We will need to learn each other’s abilities and personalities later on, if this is to be a lasting partnership. But let me first explain the basic plan.

Zora’s face is unreadable, but her aura shows rejection.

Z: Please go on.

#2: The GDN still does not use a full set of fighters on every category 1 protospace. In these cases they do not kill all monsters in the protospace. We enter it after they have left and complete the job. That is the simplified version of the plan.

#1: However, before we got into the details of that plan, we need to clarify our status and our relation with your employers. First, yes, we have defected from the Engineers of Ascension. But I have to point out that we have defected precisely because we reject the Engineers of Ascension’s – it cannot be denied – crimes. Second your employers have informed us that they actively improve of our joint venture. We don’t intend to let this change our attitude towards loot.

L: Engineers of Ascension?

#3 (Tihomir): I told you that too much formality hurts. That’s what EOA actually stands for. Stood for.

She shows remarkable self control by not posing a second question.

#1: In fact we would like to assure you, while we think that your employers share our aversion against the GDN’s habitual secrecy and elitism, we are still supporting the EOA’s true goal of magic for everybody and wish to protect mankind with the stuff we will loot together.

I am the worst at poker in this group. Or the also have aura senses.

He turned specifically to me.

#1: You are right to be sceptical. But consider this: If we were official EOA working to win over a faction within the Cabal would they send obsolete category 1 people, while they have category 3 superheroes whom the GDN excludes from proto spaces in Europe to spare?

It breaks out of me.

P: Everybody who saw anybody die from something a potion could have prevented must hate the GDN

M: I get what you say. But please attract less attention.

Z: Let’s order desert.

#2: An essence magician’s appetite

P: We conserve coins. They are the key.

#1: I am glad that you share our view on this subject.

The waiter arrives and a few words are exchanged, too quickly for me to understand.

L: What is the tactical arrangement you were thinking of?

#1: I wish no offense, but we saw the aftermath of your friend’s fight with the monster we had caged. You are no soldiers. We value your powers, but one of us needs to lead.

#3: We also bring a five man troop of our … diminished brothers to the table.

They must sense the aversion if the have even a rudimentary aura sense.

#1: Perhaps we should speak more about splitting the loot. We propose 50:50 with random selection of all items.

P: Essences and awakening stones are useless to you.

#1: Very well. Then we get all items other than essences and awakening stones.

Z: Not good enough.

#1: Very well 50:50 on quintessence

P: We need coins.

#1: 6:4 on coins in our favour

Zora and Maria look at each other.

Z: Agreed.

#2: Should we meet again tomorrow?

Z: Yes

The rest of our conversation until desert arrives revolves around how they spent the emergency. I think they want to make themselves look like they are on the good side.