The Mystics

Light footsteps sounded through the ground floor hall of the building where the Council was to conduct their business along with other staff members that took care of the more menial tasks. It was rather early in the morning; Cornelia, the woman who now tread through the hall, found herself arriving at the building far earlier than she had needed, but that had never been a problem before. Others who were like her whispered her words of greeting as she progressed and she returned them in kind with a whimsical grin, holding her black, unnamed lexicon between her arm and her side. Her black dress swayed gently as she walked briskly to a small lounge. She allowed herself to fix a hot cup of coffee before sitting down in a comfortable chair with a short table next to it. She liked her coffee dark and bitter despite having a particular sweet tooth. She had told some of her friends that there are times for sweet and times for bitter just like there are sweet and bitter times in life. They found it more hilarious than anything, but she knew the truth and abode by it. As such, she reached into her dress and pulled out a wrapped piece of dark chocolate, breaking it into a few pieces and letting them drop harmlessly into her coffee cup. A contented smile formed upon her beautiful face, a reddish glow forming upon her pale cheeks. She took a sip and enjoyed the flavor of it, savoring the bitterness and heat upon her tongue before swallowing. Such delight in the morning really helped lift her spirits, and they definitely needed lifting after what had happened just a week prior.

The president had been murdered. Everyone had been in a riot about it. Rumors of who might have done it and why were circulating nonstop throughout the realm, yet the truth behind the assassination had not been brought to light, mainly because neither the Council nor the authorities knew exactly who had done it. As such, they set about immediately replacing the political figure with his own daughter. There were rumors that the daughter had performed the assassination herself, but that honestly didn't seem very plausible even if Cornelia didn't know the young girl very well at all. As a matter of fact, the meeting that was supposed to take place several hours from then would be the first time Cornelia ever actually met the new president. First impressions were everything, so Cornelia direly hoped that the girl could compose herself in front of the rest of the Council, for the others might not be as carefree about the situation as herself. True be it that she was concerned about what had happened and wanted to know the truth, but she wasn't about to go pointing fingers with no proof. If every person wanting power should be accused for killing the president, then there should be a lot of suspects--not just one. Regardless, it wasn't something Cornelia wished to think about at the moment. She had been swamped for the entire week with regards concerning the assassination. The press was all over the place and even just innocent bystanders wanted some sort of inside secret from her and other members of the Council and staff, but there really were no secrets to give. Otherwise, the case would be closed.

Brushing the thoughts aside for now, Cornelia sipped some more coffee and opened up her lexicon, flipping through a few pages until she found one with a passage she was particularly interested in. She spent the entirety of the early morning reading and studying. A few of the staff members passed through the lounge. Some out of those few stopped and engaged her in conversation from time to time. They were all so very nice and supportive. Everyone who worked in the building had to support each other through this rough time even though broader rumors called the assassination an 'inside job'. It was horrible. The last thing they needed to do was turn on each other. The case needed thorough investigation. If it was an inside job, then fine, but they couldn't tear out innocent people's throats. That would just cause the entire system to crumble, and it was part of the Council's job to keep such things under control with their powers since they were supposedly more powerful than anyone around. Whatever was necessary, they would follow through.

Closing her lexicon, Cornelia stood up and tossed her disposable cup in the waste bin before proceeding back down the hall which was much busier now that it was nearing noon. She was glad that the meeting was scheduled to end before lunch. She didn't feel like getting right back into her duties after the meeting. She was even lucky to have that morning to herself, granted it was only because of the important meeting. The woman pressed the 'Up' button on the elevator, and when it opened, she stepped inside. Someone recognized her and hit the '10' button for her. A curt nod was sent the gentleman's way and she waited until the elevator finally stopped on the tenth floor and the doors opened. Looking down the not-so-busy hall, Cornelia figured she would be the first to arrive. She marched towards the door to the room where the meeting was to be held only to find that it was open and that there was a young woman standing inside who could have been none other than Victoria Sinclair.

"Well, hello there, Miss Sinclair," Cornelia said with a soft smile as she stepped into the room and found a seat at the meeting table, setting her lexicon down in front of her. "It's such a pleasure to see you here so promptly. My name's Cornelia Lancaster, the secretary, you know. It's so great to finally meet you in person." The girl had a rather serious demeanor and she was dressed formally. She definitely looked the part of president. Perhaps it was right to give her the position after all. Maybe everything would turn out right.

 

Austere Clements​

Every last bit of hair down his feet-long beard was combed to some form of elegant perfection. His robes were selectively pressed to brilliance, and his simple sandals were polished to a degree of tremendous radiance. Even his face didn't carry the traditional Austere Clements was evidently at his physical and mental best in preparation for the meeting to be held over the sudden death of the President of the Mystics, and his successor and daughter, Victoria.

If there were any collective group of people whom Austere could associate with as purely and truly, best friends, it was the Sinclair family. He had first became acquainted with the family through Victoria's grandfather, one of his very best friends in life, and although Austere was significantly older than her father, and acted very much as his professional mentor, the two were like brothers off "business hours", and bonded just as such.

Then there was Victoria.

He was there for her since the moment she was born, though wasn't particularly physically around as often as he was for her grandfather and her father, since he was working more closely to her father than ever around the time of her birth as the Vice President of all operations for the Mystics- an occupation of which he was very proud of.

This whole situation felt like a double-edged blade to him. At one point, he was truly happy to act as more of a direct friend to Victoria. Someone whom he had known since birth. Someone he had always regarded as his own family. Whom it was his duty to protect, but never had the time to really spend with her up until now.

On the other hand, this moment could've waited a while longer. His friend and first pupil of the Mystics was gone and couldn't be brought back. Furthermore, it was in cold blood. If there was one thing he could've sworn to wanting more than to help Victoria reorganize the Mystic structure when it was in such a negative jamboree after his sudden death was to find the assailant and make them pay a terrible price.

Even then, Austere's beliefs focused on the passive-aggressive. He didn't thrive for violence, and thus shook these ideas out of his head when he jumped right out of bed that morning, patting his friend, the living boulder, Rock, on his "shoulder" and popping right out of the door.

"Yo, Austere! I totally appreciate what you're doin' with your workout routine. Work it, boy!" was what you could hear the flamboyant "G" of a floating rock shout out to his friend. They had been great friends since Austere had animated him nearly 80 years ago during his childhood, even though Rock himself, mentality-wise, was quite young. He was there to meet Victoria's grandfather, and her father, and was also with the family during her birth, playing an integral "head cheerleader" role.

Notwithstanding the general laws of speed, since it was nearing the allotted meeting time rather quickly by the time he was getting freshened up, he snapped his fingers and allowed himself to be carried up by the might of his own magical ability, speedily weaving past the elevator by pushing out of the hatch on its ceiling, and weaving around its intricate system of coils, pulleys, and levers like nothing else. Eventually, he was at the proper elevator door, which he opened with a wave of his hand, touching a foot down to the ornate tile floor beneath his feet rather eloquently for his stature.

He nonchalantly tucked parts of his robes back where they belonged, and then walked towards the meeting room, noting the Victoria's presence, as well as Cornelia Lancaster, the secretary. "Oh dear," were the first words that popped out of Austere's head upon taking the meticulously calculating secretary into view. It wasn't that he particularly abhorred her, but their mentalities towards how to get things done couldn't have been any more different. Austere's mostly laid-back nature greatly contrasted to Cornelia's truly professional disposition. Nonetheless, he respected her as a colleague with true idealisms, and could only hope she felt the same with him as well, even when she occasionally lambasted him. Most of the time, however, she was a carefree, gorgeous individual that he was happy to call his colleague. Just, in certain events.. things could get a bit blunt.

Taking a moment to observe the beautiful Victoria- his goddaughter -right in her brilliant eyes for the first time in a long time was a sight to behold for him, however, and one that he took a smidgen of happiness in as he made his way down the hall. Eventually, he came to a stop, bowing to his colleagues, and stroking a hand down his surprisingly well-combed beard.

"Hello, Miss Sinclair, Miss Lancaster."

 

It was quite early in the morning, George did not know if it was 6, or 7. although what he did know is that he had to get to the presidents office, which has recently been taken over by Victoria Sinclair. George went through his usual routine, combed what little hair he had left, and brushed his teeth. George then walked over to his small closet which he used to store his work clothes. He looked in, and saw a variety of suits, from blue and white striped suits, to plain black ones, like the one you would use in a wedding. George picked out a black suit, and put it on, knowing that he would then be ready for the day.

One thing George enjoyed about his job, was that he did not have to go far to get there, and with his back, that is quite a good thing. George grabbed his cane off of the hook, and stepped out side. It was nice out today, he could hear a couple of birds chirping, coming from the little bird house he had next to his step. He always had enjoyed the sound of birds, and he really could not find much he did not enjoy about his life. George walked up to his old car, the one he had recieved on his 18th birthday. He had kept it in great condition since the day he got it, and it still showed no sign of letting up. George opened the door, and sat down in the drivers seat, and left off to get to the new presidents office.

It only took him a matter of about 5 minutes to get from his house to the large building that housed the presidents office. It really was a sight to see, a massive 13 stories high. George walked in through the double doors, quite happy with the way things were going that day, and made his way to the stairs. He did not groan at the thought of walking up 10 flights of stairs, as he prefered it to taking the elevator. For some reason, he always found when he would take an elevator, he would get nauseous, and besides. He knew that taking the stairs would be better for his health anyways.

While walking up this large flight of stairs, George thought to him self. You know... I think that a new president is not a good thing, or a bad thing. It can go either way. After all though, it not like we had much of a choice of who became president. If I remember correctly, it was written in the old president's will that she would inherit the position. After finishing up his little train of thought, he reached the entrance to floor 10, where the president's office is.

George walked out of the stair well, and took a bit of a breather. Although he was in great shape for his age, he still lost most of his breath traversing those stairs. However most people would. As his heart raced at nearly 70 beats a minute, a large number for his age, he walked towards the door to Miss Sinclair's office, opened it up, and walked in, closing the door behind him.

Upon walking into the room, George saw three people. One of them was a young women with beautiful Auburn hair, who he already knew as the one who inherited the position as president, Miss Sinclair. Another one of them was another fairly young women, with dark black hair, and skin nearly as pale as paper it seemed. He figured that this was more then likely her seceratary. The last person who he saw was a man who was almost twice the age of George, and had a beard which stretched all the way to his feet. This man was quite famous for his extremely large and pampered beard, known as Austere Clements, or the Vice President.

"Good morning Miss Sinclair, Miss Lancaster, and Mr Clements." George said, as he took a seat.

 

Xalec suddenly woke, having reached the end of a particularly interesting dream. He had discovered the whereabouts of an equation which would allow the philosopher's stone embedded in his hand to be removed without killing him. He had gone to search for it, but when he reached the location, he found it had been moved. He continued to follow it, and finally found it. But when he used it, it instead implanted philosopher's stones into everyone in the room. After, a man had stepped out of the shadows, and congratulated him, stating he was the only person with the power to perform this task, and thanking him.

Xalec groaned, and he rolled over. He saw the clock on his bedside table, and realized he was late! He sprang from his bed, grabbing his uniform, and ran for the door. Before opening it, he hurriedly put it on, fixing it as he ran for his car. He drove quickly, cursing himself for sleeping in, and finally arrived at the building where the meeting was to take place. Both elevators were taken, so he created his own with alchemy, arriving on the tenth floor just as the door closed behind the treasurer. He walked across the hall, feigning calmness and organizing himself, fixing small faults in his uniform.

He opened the door, seeing that other than him, Mr. O' Sullivan was the last to arrive, the president, vice, and secretary having already been their. He then remembered that he was one of the youngest in the room, as President Sinclair was also 17, but did not want to appear less mature than the others, and quickly saluted the room in general, before saying, "Miss Sinclair, I am deeply sorry for my lateness, and will not let it happen again. Mr. Clements, Mr. O' Sullivan, Miss Lancaster, I apologize to you as well, as I am sure you have other things to attend to after this meeting has adjourned."

 

Austere Clements​

Austere listened intently to the speech Victoria had prepared, tugging at his long beard whenever he had a thought of his own course his mind. They typically verged on the general idea of how hard it must be for her to cope with such an instance as her father's death and to be tossed straight into the Presidential Seat so shortly thereafter. He wondered upon how strong she was for her age, and how much he had admired that. If he was speaking honestly to himself, he saw more raw charisma in her than he did in her father when he first started out. It was clear that, beyond her fire, she was young and inexperienced for the position, but, as Vice President of the Mystics he could help provide her with some of the proper training she needed, and he let it be known that he was entirely able and willing to do so, "Ms. Sinclair, if you need anything at all, of any nature, I, being in the position I am in, will be willing to help you learn anything you need to know about the position you're in. It would be my pleasure, as your Vice President and your godfather, and Rock's, for that matter, to assist someone so outwardly frank towards getting accommodated to her new seat of power. Just let me know; I'm here for you, with coconut smoothies, even!"

He immediately turned toward Cornelia to test her reaction towards his silly, though entirely good-natured suggestion, since coconuts had been one of his favorite indulgence since as long as he could remember. At the same time, though, he kept an eye on the rest of the room. Xalec and George had both arrived somewhat later than he and Cornelia, but it wasn't so much of a hindrance to Austere as it might've been to anyone else in the room. Cornelia, to him, seemed to be someone all about being punctual, if not fashionably early.

Xalec was observed young and unassuming, but at least tried with as much gusto as he could muster to act tough. Austere liked his spirit. As for George, he wasn't quite as old as he was, but perhaps he could find some sort of a more matured relation with Austere, being at least a little older than the rest.

But, this meeting was about Victoria.

It was not about the others in the room.

It was not exactly about her father.

It was not about coconut smoothies.

What this was about, rather, was all of these things - her father, her council, and coconut smoothies - all working into this grand amalgamation towards helping her get broken into her seat as President of the Mystics. Austere, earnestly and wholly, beyond any and all of his eccentric acts involving Rock and coconuts and pineapples, was more than willing to assist Victoria in becoming more comfortable with her role as President. This was his number one goal, to assist her as much as possible, and that was exactly what he aimed to do right off the bat.

 

What had Cornelia been worried about earlier? Was it something regarding first impressions? The young woman found herself quite pleased with how the new president was conducting herself. She was strong, willful, and even humble to the fact that she alerted them that she would make mistakes, but she had to realize that she would not have to tackle this alone. Austere was quick to jump in and offer her his assistance being of such close relation to her already. It seemed that things were going much better than Cornelia could have even imagined. She sat calmly as Victoria finished her speech and Austere chimed in with his offer of assistance, albeit he was rather over-the-top about it which struck her as odd, yet slightly humorous. For being one so old, Austere's appearance did not betray his age. He was a man still full of unbelievable spirit, something of which could be greatly admired. His lax, yet enthusiastic nature would most likely be the best catalyst in allowing Victoria to settle into her new niche. Granted, Cornelia wasn't about to refuse to help. If anything, it was in her nature to be as helpful as could be. Thinking about it now, they were all in this together; Victoria would never be left completely on her own. Surely everyone would lend a hand to getting her adjusted to this new position.

Cornelia felt her taste buds tingling at the prospect of coconut smoothies, however, and she mentally scolded herself. "Mister Clements, should you find the necessity to indulge in such a tasty treat as coconut smoothies with Miss Sinclair, do be sure to remember that charity is a virtue." A quaint smile settled upon her pale face. "Sharing is always a nice gesture." Turning her smile to Victoria, the secretary nodded. "It goes without saying, Miss Sinclair, that I will be willing to aid you in any way possible. All you need do is to call upon me, and I shall assist to the best of my capabilities. I also wish to express that I completely believe you about your father. The people spreading those dreadful theories are merely grasping at straws. If only they would put some true logical thought to work, they might be able to come up with a feasible suspect, but signs show that they will do no such thing anytime soon. Alas, it is the way of the people," she said, her tone growing more and more theatrical until the end. She reached a hand into her pocket and pulled out a piece of milk chocolate, unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth. She had to have some way of satisfying the sweetness that her tongue now desired that the unthoughtful Austere had stirred up.

This was nice. Cornelia felt surprisingly at ease, though the reactions of the others had yet to be seen. George and Xalec. Would they be as easy to convince as Cornelia and Austere? She stuffed the wrapper back into a subtle pocket of her dress and felt a bit of tension weigh down on her that she absolutely detested. Even the sweet delight of the chocolate couldn't sway the worries passing through her mind. The last thing they needed was to war amongst themselves over some silly rumor. A council divided would only wind up crumbling into nothing, and so much work had been put into it that it would be a shame for it to come apart now, not to mention the people were heavily reliant on the Mystics. Without them around, there certainly wouldn't be much order left in the realm. Perhaps the others would at least not be aggressive about their negative opinions should they have them. They seemed amiable enough today, so maybe everything would be all right after all. Oh, listen to me worrying over these things. It's like a whole morning of relaxation goes down the drain, wasted, she thought and allowed herself to sigh. She had tried to compress these thoughts earlier, but she now realized that these sorts of things would be troubling until the rumors died down and Victoria had become more used to her role as president. Until then, it would just have to mean more reading time next to a steaming mug of black coffee, which sounded just fine to the young secretary.

 

Xalec quickly stammered something about family honour and love, deceitful, rumour spreading cretins, his undying loyalty, both from his position and his belief in her ability, and how he too enjoyed coconut smoothies, and sat down. He hadn't what to say in the slightest, as Ms Sinclair had caught him off guard with her spiel about how she had not killed her father, as he had only heard that rumour once, from a wack job hobo on the street, and found it to be an absurd notion. Mr. Clements' comment about smoothies had also caught him off guard, and while he would want one if they were to have them, found it a tad irrelevant. While it amused him, he had been trained to be disciplined, and would prefer if they kept the topic serious.

He found Austere to be a tad too easygoing, as well as a tad old, not to be offensive, but he was more than four times the age of Victoria and himself, and so found his attitude a bit odd. Cornelia, on the other hand, seemed a bit more rational and down to earth, though, as with most people, she did have a sense of humour. He found it amusing how quickly she was to redefine his offer of smoothies for him. Rufus, however, had kept quiet since his arrival, though whether he was a quiet person, or just wished to speak after everyone else was impossible to tell for him at this point.

Ms Sinclair had seemed to handle herself very well, and he was sure that she would be a great president for them. She had pointed out that she would make mistakes herself, which shows humility, as well as her poise and calmness when she had recalled the death of her father was remarkable, as many people could break down in tears in such a situation. While she didn't bring up specifics, she still completely retained her composure, although some could see this as a sign that she was cold hearted, or worse, that she had in fact killed her father.

After taking a few seconds to organize his thoughts, Xalec said,"Miss Sinclair, as you may have noticed, I'm not a master of speaking to groups, and I don't claim to be, but perhaps, if you were to tell others the thing about your father, you could perhaps show a bit of the emotions I'm sure your feeling. I realize a president must compose herself well, but your apparent lack of emotion could cause some to believe the rumours that you killed your own father. I personally don't, but others who have less faith in you may, especially if you seem too cold-hearted."

 

Austere Clements​

What Austere had realized was that Xalec, whom he had no spent much time with in the past up to this moment, was a tad bit on the over-analytic side. What he had done within only the first few moments after Victoria's speech was over was take her words, pick between the lines, and immediately call her out on her stoic composure. While Victoria was already up-to-arms, defending herself, as someone who was already close to her because of family ties, he couldn't help but take a swing or two as well. "Xalec... This girl has just lost her father. She was thrust into the top position of one of the most complex underground corporations on Earth. You can't expect her to be completely cool and relaxed giving a speech like this, and it would be kind-of out-of-character, wouldn't you say?"

He went on to say, "However, I do believe a composure as the cautious one you carry might actually do some good for this organization. We must always be weary... As we've seen. Rock is younger than I, and just as quick and snappy as you are. What this tells me is, one, you need to calm down a bit, and two, you are a very, very smart person. It'll be a pleasure working directly with you. He then turned to Cornelia, appreciating her own humored reaction with a warm smile, and to Victoria, placing an arm around her shoulder, whipsering into her ear, "It's going to be okay. I will guarantee this. Thereafter, he turned back towards Cornelia with that same smile and said, "Oh yes! Coconut smoothies on the house. Rock's house, of course. Hohoho."

He turned to Rufus, who was standing there- quiet, smiling, and now he seemed like the mildly unassuming one. Austere placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him right in the eyes to try and initiate a response. "It'll be great working with you too, Rufus. Of this, I am quite sure."

 

Rufus O'Sullivan​

It was early in the morning when Rufus awakened from his slumber. Though he considered it to be too early in morning he knew that today was a big day. Today would be the day that he and his fellow members of the council meet their new President, Victoria Sinclair. She was young, but then he supposed so were they all except for all old man Austere that is but he acted young enough.

Upon completion of his showering and his other morning rituals Rufus exited his home and made his way to the building where the council would be meeting. Upon his arrival in the meeting room he noticed that the new president, Victoria, was already there as well as Austere and Cornelia. Nodding his head slightly to each in greeting, Rufus took his seat at the table and began to mentally prepare himself for the matters at hand.

Eventually the remaining member of the council, Xalec, showed up and thus the meeting could officially begin. Victoria began the meeting with a short introduction of herself and a statement meant to dispel any doubts that she may have killed her own father. Though he had heard tale of the rumors, he never put much stock into them. He had known the former president and considered him a good friend and there was no way was he going to believe that the daughter of such a great man would kill her own father.

The room was silent for a moment but just as Rufus was about to speak, Austere instead spoke up, offering to the new president his full cooperation and his willingness to assist her in any matter before following it up with the offer of the ever so tempting coconut smoothie. It was long before Cornelia piped in attempting to get smoothies for more than just he and young Victoria. Rufus smiled at that. Somehow he shouldn't be surprised at what Cornelia had said. Though she and Austere didn't always agree, her love of things sweet a strong force in her mind.

It was then that Xalec had brought up a good point. The people could easily see the tone and manner of how Victoria was handling herself to be emotionless and cold and for those who already believed that she killed her own father it would only confirm such a conspiracy. However the young lady wisely saw that no matter what she were to say to the people or how she were to say it, there would still be those who didn't believe her and that it was best to move on and find who really killed him as opposed to catering to the whims of the media who were always so quick to jump onto bad news and blow it out of proportion.

Just as Austere was about to leave to retrieve the coconut smoothies he suddenly turned to face Rufus and said to him, "It'll be great working with you too, Rufus. Of this, I am quite sure." Rufus stared into the eyes of Austere for just a moment before he spoke out his reply, "Yes indeed Austere. We are entering into a new chapter in our society and it is our duty as the council to work together and to guide our people through it with Victoria as our leader." A brief pause followed as Rufus turned his sights from Austere to the new president.

"President Sinclair, though I have heard the rumors that some seem to believe about you killing your father I must tell you that I do not believe a word of it. I knew your father and I highly doubt that you would have killed him. These rumors are baseless and foolish to believe in. I offer to you any assistance I can offer. I may not have been around for as long as Austere here but I do know a thing or two. If you ever have need of assistance from me you know where to find me."

 

Xalec's battle instincts suddenly kicked into action as he turned the glass scattered around them into a glass box, which he attached to outside of the building by reaching out the window. He then turned some of the rubble into an AK47, and threw it to his President. Xalec grabbed some more rubble, and created a funnel a the window, with a pipe flowing to the fire. While a blown up building may not be the best place to be, the rubble provided ample material to transmute.

He made an elevator next, one made to bring them straight to the ground floor. He made sure he used minimally flamable materials and metals with high melting points. He yelled to the others "Quickly, get in! We don't have all day!" Just as the doors were opening.

 

Austere Clements​

So many things had just happened nearly all at once that Austere had nearly confused himself in the chaos. At one moment, Rufus was reassuring Victoria that he wasn't opposed to her rule either, and went on to justify her way of acting, just as he had been earlier. Wouldn't it have been even odder for her to have been all tip-top and happy, anyway? Austere liked Rufus. Xalec was one to talk, but he kept his mind open towards him, much in the way he felt with Cornelia, though she was coming off as a tad bit more welcoming towards him than she had been in the past, which made him happy. He always sought appreciation from his fellow council members, as he made an effort to appreciate all of them for what they do.

The next moment... there was complete and utter insanity. No one saw an explosion coming, though it plausibly made sense that the past president's assailants were not yet done. Austere speculated from that moment that whomever or whatever had killed her father was not just after him, but after all of the Sinclairs, and perhaps even the whole of the Mystics as they all knew it in its commonplace. So, what now? There was no time to waste worrying over such things at that very moment. As Victoria said, they had to devise a way to get out of the building alive, and she and Xalec were already hard at work, with Victoria summoning a rainstorm to qualm the fire, and Xalec forming a glass encasement.

What Austere did in order to assist was jump right on inside as Xalec had insisted, but not before using his powers of air manipulation to secure a cool ball of wind around the box, so that it may not collapse on its fall down, and so that the natural forces Victoria had summoned would not cause it to falter. After this, he brought his two fingers up over his lips, and he whistled. With that, Rock came floating onto the scene, making great haste, pummeling through the wreckage caused by the explosion in all of his super fresh boulder-ness (he's always said it in a way that it rhymes), screaming,"Yo Austere! Whattaya tryin' ta pull, man? What's goin' on? This is crazy!"

Within Xalec's encasement, Austere nodded his head, tugging on his long red beard, "Yes, Rock, my doggy, something crazy indeed seems to be the case! But let's not worry about that now! Just get in here with myself and the others, and let's skadaddle!" He turned towards Rufus, Cornelia, and Victoria and motioned them forward with his hand, "You too! Let's get out of here!", summoning a packet of air around each of them as well so that way any falling debris would be negated. He kept a steady air packet above the ceiling as well, and sooner than later instructed Rock to patrol the area just to bash away any extra debris that may fall. He then turned towards Xalec, commenting on how he "liked his style", and then to Victoria, saying, even amongst the chaos, "I really admire how you adapt to situations. You'll make a fine president!"

 

Rufus O'Sullivan​

*BOOM* The conference room shook and rattled as the explosion went off causing Rufus to quickly stand up from his seat and look about the room. No one appeared to be hurt and through the door that Victoria had opened one could see the rubble that fell through into the room.

Xalec quickly used his powers of alchemy to fashion a gun for the president out of some of the rubble and then created an elevator system for them all to escape through. Old man Austere was seen bounding straight for the elevator and to the safety it provided while also using some manipulation of the wind to further increase the safety of the elevator. Turning to Rufus, Austere motioned towards him urging him inside but Rufus was not going into safety just yet.

"Victoria! Cornelia! We have to move NOW!," screamed Rufus urging them to head into the elevator before him.

Rufus knew that there was a good chance that whoever rigged this explosion was still around to finish the job in case they were to survive. He needed to prepare himself. He started going through his mind thinking and debating with himself about which animal form it might be best to morph into to fight off the attackers and protect the president.

 

The meeting had been adjourned by Victoria which signaled the time to go and get coconut smoothies at Rock's expense. Oh yes, that was definitely Cornelia would like to see. Her sharp eyes glanced at the window. She knew that they couldn't linger for too long drinking smoothies; they did have actual work to do. Cornelia knew that the paperwork wasn't going to organize itself and appointments couldn't be made without her to make final decisions on such matters. It was what she did best, but it never hurt to relax every once in a while, and prior to the assassination, she had been far more busy, granted she would be even more so when she got back into the groove of her job once more. However, as she listened to Rufus giving his vote of confidence and aid to Victoria which was well-received, she felt something was off. It was great that another person believed Victoria. It meant that it would be easier for them to work together in the future. There was no room for distrust. No, not now. Cornelia wasn't the sort to distrust people for no reason anyway; she preferred to get along with everyone. People who wanted to antagonize her could just wander through an illusion wasteland for the rest of their lives. 'Twould be perfectly fine with her. Besides that, there was still a really ominous feeling that coursed through her body, but she had no idea what it meant until a moment later when the sound of an explosion caused her to scramble out of her seat. She watched as Victoria rushed to the door and took caution in opening it only to have a ton of rubble surge forth.

"Well, that's certainly no good," Cornelia stated calmly, picking up her lexicon and tucking it under her arm. They were going to need to make a getaway, and Victoria, Xalec, and Austere were already getting into the action of securing their escape route. She took note of the transmutations that Xalec performed; they were always quite intriguing. Such a power allowed for extensive creativity, just like her own power. The other Mystics were clambering into the glass elevator expecting another attack which was very likely. As much as she loved the other staff members that worked in the building, they were expendable. If someone was going to such lengths to destroy the Council Building, they were either going after Victoria or the entire Mystic Council. Killing five birds with one stone was rather efficient after all. The thought made Cornelia smile, but the urgent calls of the others caused her to elicit a sigh before rushing into the elevator being wary of any leftover glass or rubble that might have been on the ground, though Xalec seemed to make use of most of it.

"Sorry for the delay. Such a dizzying array of happenings as of late, you understand," she said listlessly as she held her lexicon out in front of her. A slight breeze erupted from right below her and the book opened the pages flapping over and over while glowing in a white light. "This elevator needs a woman's touch." Strange, transparent squares began to appear in the air around the elevator, all of them flashing repeatedly in random patterns. In seconds, the entirety of the elevator was surrounded by a sphere of them. Cornelia focused and they began to waver. The distortion she caused in the air caused the elevator to disappear from sight--a simple illusion, really. It was one of the first she had learned and it was especially useful since she could cast it on anything instead of having to target enemies specifically. She honed her focus to make the distortion slow down so that it couldn't be seen either. It was like the elevator wasn't there at all, at least to anyone else looking at it. The Mystics would be able to see it just fine. "There we go. I do say that is much better," she concluded with a smile. "Everyone else get in! We don't have time to spare!"

It was such an outrageous assassination attempt. So brutish, granted that the Mystics didn't see it coming at all. However, this was a group of powerful people that were built and trained to adapt quickly to certain situations. There was a reason that THEY were in the positions that they were and not just some people off the streets. If the assassins were serious about this, they would have to remain wary because there would definitely be more to contend with.

 

Austere Clements​

Austere, with Rock nearby, ready to have him pummel someone to the ground should they be ambushed once more - which he found to be likely, given that he was taught to prepare himself to adapt to any situation when needed, and by Victoria's grandfather, at that - remained still, concentrating on the field of air around him which Cornelia had reinforced tenfold, which he had thanked her for before returning to his meditation, making absolutely certain that the air field was maintained. On top of this, he was also using the ball of protective air surrounding the elevator as a microphone of sorts, capturing whatever record of sound captured directly around its exterior - something that he believed could potentially reveal a potential elevator ambush beforehand, and allow him to reinforce the protective barrier and send Rock out to beat down any intruders who might be nearby. Becoming one with the environment, Victoria's somber words, "I guess we're not really in the position to get coconut smoothies, are we?", did not really distract him from the situation at hand with maintaining the air barrier, so he murmured in response, "I suppose not, but don't those sound good right about now? What you say, Cornelia? Perhaps sooner than later we can pick some up nonetheless."

Rock took the moment to lambaste his friend, rowdily shouting, "Austere, my man! We got no time for yo' crazy visions of smoothies in thin air! We got a train to catch, and that train is called the train right on outta this mess!" Austere smirked, "But of course, Rock, and lest us hope that your collection of Thomas Bush Man III hats are still all in order should we ever be able to return to the house!" Rock rebutted, "Low blow man.... Low. Blow."

Eventually, the elevator touched the ground, and Austere, with Rock hovering around the elevator's exterior in a defensive sense, stepped right on out, behind Victoria, a hand held over her shoulder as they watched their building of operations collapse to the ground in flames. He lightheartedly chuckled when she said "Well, the meeting for tomorrow is canceled.", but knew in his own heart that they were still in great danger. What would happen now? Just who or what was behind these apprehensible acts? Would there ever be a time of peace, where dreams coconut smoothies could indeed be achieved? So many questions were stirring throughout his mind at the time, but not one of them had he allowed to distract him from the job at hand: keeping everyone else safe, which started with keeping Rock, and the pocket of reinforced air, nearby.

 

Cornelia kept her focus until the elevator safely touched down upon the ground and the doors opened. She wasted no time in exiting it along with removing the illusion in favor of gazing up at the building that looked like it would need a ton of repairs before it was usable again. At that thought, she figured it would probably be better just to rebuild the thing. She kept that in mind, for she knew such a task would befall her, at least when it came to organizing everything. Rufus would handle the budget and finances. It seemed they were going to have their hands full if they were left alive long enough to handle such a thing. She wondered if they would be safeguarded or moved to some secret location in response to the assassination attempt. Thoughts of the staff members who surely died in the explosions crossed her minds and she pouted a bit. She had heard Austere mention the coconut smoothies that they'd be able to get their hands on in due time, and that seemed to bolster her spirits a bit. Something sweet would be perfect for a time like this. How could such disaster fall upon them? At least one things was for certain, and that was that Victoria didn't kill her father. Whoever had killed the former president was now after the entire Mystic Council. I guess there's no point in being so disconcerted, Cornelia thought, turning away from the building to face Austere.

"Yes, we'll get those smoothies one way or another, but I believe more pressing matters are at hand," Cornelia spoke tersely, a light smile playing across her face as she hugged her lexicon tightly to her chest. "We certainly aren't safe now. As such, the question comes to mind: what now?" All of them just standing in front of the building probably wasn't a good idea. They were sitting ducks, unless the explosives that had been planted were given a set time to go off instead of remotely detonated by someone spying on their activities. "A thorough investigation is going to be needed for this." Cornelia whipped out her cell phone and dialed a number, placing the phone to one ear as the other line rang a few times. "Yes, this is Cornelia. Good, then you're already aware? Excellent. Yeah, it's a disaster zone here. The area around the building should be vacated. Yes. Yes. No, we're still here. You forget who you're talking to, sir," the secretary continued to have her conversation, her voice taking on a more snarky, lighthearted tone at the end. "Okay. So that's set then? Explosions. Yeah, I thought the same thing as well. We can talk about it more later. We're all safe I said. Paramedics would be nice, yes. There might be survivors. Okay, thank you very much. Bye bye." With that, she ended the call and tucked her phone away, smoothing her dress a bit. She walked up to Victoria to stand beside the president. Cornelia had an odd little smile on her face.

"Paramedics will be arriving soon, Victoria. An investigation team is being formed as we speak. We're the ones in charge, so we'd know best how to protect ourselves," Cornelia explained the situation. The secretary ventured a scoping look around the area before returning her attention to the president. "I'm not sure if we are still presently at danger or if another attempt will wait until later, but it is safe to assume that we'll need to watch our backs from now on, yes?" Cornelia sighed and lowered her lexicon, tucking it under one arm like she normally carried it. How did things get this bad? She shook her head with subtlety. Paperwork was her specialty, but now she was coordinating investigations into an attempt on their own lives. It was then that she noted that many of the staff members working that day had managed to evacuate the building, and a few stragglers were actually making their way out of the entrance, many wounded. She hated to see them all like that. She could hear sirens in the distance; relief would come to them soon. It was a shame there wasn't more they could do, but how could you fight an enemy that you couldn't see? Cornelia waved her hand nonchalantly, but in truth, she was placing another illusion on every member of the Mystics that would cause their forms to waver and distort making aiming extremely difficult. Their bodies would even shift from side to side, at least in the eyes of an enemy. She could place something heavier over them, but she wanted the investigators, staff members, and paramedics to be able to identify them.