I straightened slowly, tilting my head toward Seraphine.
[…Oh? I didn't expect you to be the first to break the silence.]
Her gaze didn't waver. "Enough games. You've shown your hand. Now tell me—what do you want from us?"
Finally — a normal conversation. Democratic, even. If you ignored the fact that we were surrounded by scorch marks and freshly regrown vines.
[Since you're in a hurry, I'll be brief.] My voice was flat, businesslike. [I want you to join us. But knowing you, that's unlikely. So: collaborate. For now.]
"Collaborate?" She sounded amused, not threatened. The word rolled off her tongue like a challenge.
[Yes. Collaborate.] I let the word hang there for a beat, watching the way it landed on the group.
"How can we collaborate when we don't even know who you are, or what organization you belong to? Reveal your identity first." Her tone was crisp — a demand, not a question.
