~~Antoinette~~
She combed her hair over chest, and sighed. She was still dressed in the suit she wore, though she had dismissed the jacket, more comfortable in the white shirt and gray skirt. Sitting with one leg resting upon the other at the knee, she leaned back upon the couch in one of the many lounge rooms of her Elysium tower, and looked up at the ceiling. The holes had been drilled into the marble to house LEDs, and the wires that powered them hidden in the black and white stone. A ridiculous expense, and one she was glad to have spent. What use was immortality and fortunes upon fortunes, if one was unwilling to indulge.
Sighing all the more, she refolded her legs, and waited. Not long ago, her thoughts had been on how to share this indulgence with her love for years to come; him being a member of the Invictus made their relationship a touch complicated. Now, her thoughts were on hunters, monsters, werewolves, territory being fought over by short-sighted vampires, and the pain her love was suffering. Such was the ups and downs of ruling a city. There would be times of tranquility, such as after the death of Viktor and Tony, and again after the death of Lucas. And there would be such times again, once these hunters were dealt with, and this looming threat in her city crushed.
It seemed unlikely the Begotten would ever leave, even if Azamel died of her age. And the Uratha, she had to admit, were more equipped to deal with both the strange Azlu entities that had infiltrated her city, but also Black Blood. Oh, how she hoped Avery would end that infernal entity's existence. Could it be done? She did not know, and she dared not ask. Eyes and ears were everywhere, and she did not wish to let anyone know of her desire, lest they plot to undo them.
Far better for her to do as she always did, and manipulate the individuals and circumstances involved. Black Blood was not invincible, and if Antoinette gently nudged events into confrontation between the werewolves and Jacob's alien friend, perhaps her desire would be satisfied. If not, she could simply try again in the future. Such was the joy of indirect tactics and careful misdirection.
The hunters were the larger threat at the moment, and Avery's aid in hunting them down was paramount. The introduction of this shaman woman Elen had rendered the more passive approach futile, if she was capable of hunting targets with seemingly magical means. The introduction of a Begotten as a member of their group was even more problematic, as the monsters had many ways to both infiltrate, and affect places in ways the others could not. She could not rest until she had dealt with them, or had at least surmised a foolproof plan to deal with them.
And then, of course, was her love Jack. He should be here soon, and she could both inquire about the proposal to the Uratha, and perhaps gently nudge him to expose his secret to her.
She could ask, and the boy would tell her; such was his way, and his honest soul was part of why she loved him so much. But like a creature breaking free from their hatching shell, learning to break free of one's own barriers is important for growth. She would give him more time. For now.
The boy waved to her from the labyrinth hallway, and walked up to join her before sitting on the couch.
"Hi," he said.
"Hello," she said.
"I talked to Avery. She's down with pairing a pack member with these sweeper teams."
Smiling, Antoinette raised an arm, and let the boy snuggle into her side. "That is good. Impulsive and aggressive as she is, she is intelligent."
"She did demand to be the one who picks which Uratha go with which team of Kindred."
"Naturally."
"And... she demanded that the Begotten get involved."
Antoinette raised a brow. "That, I did not predict. She trusts the Begotten?"
"Eh, more of an enemy-of-my-enemy situation."
"And you spoke with Azamel?"
"I did. She's not happy about the idea, but she agreed. Fiona, Mark, and Athalia will help some of the sweeper teams."
"I see." She was happy the boy had taken initiative, bringing Avery's proposal to Azamel. And no doubt the boy had already reported this to Julias and the rest of the Invictus council. But, perhaps, not as content about the prospect of Begotten becoming yet more involved in their affairs.
"I think I got my work cut out for me, making sure everyone gets along." The boy nudged his nose and cheek into the side of her breast, and nuzzled into her. "I think it'll be alright, except for maybe a few of our louder Kindred causing a fuss." Again he nuzzled into her side, and brought in a hand as well, using it to touch her thigh as he pressed his cheek and nose into her closer breast.