September 11, 2005 – 18:00
"Tobly? What's the matter with him again? When we talked to her earlier, she said something about him mad calling her but didn't elaborate much. She's probably ignoring him already," said Sebastian.
"Jealousy, I believe. This morning, as you know, all of our agent and apprentice contracts have been voided in preparation for the reform, and new contracts will be signed post-reform. He is not happy that you, Panjik, Sonylla and Chiwa will be joining Blue."
Frank was about to order pizzas and beverages for ten people but decided to order more food when he heard the other names, just in case they'd join them for the announcement.
"Sonylla and Chiwa are joining Blue?" said Sebastian while Mark watched attentively.
"Still fascinated by holograms?" said Victoria to tease him.
"Very much so."
"That's what I heard," said Ralphonse.
"That's not surprising," said Frank.
"I think it's obvious that Sebastian would work with Blue," said Molly.
"Agreed. I told him he should have expected it. Sonylla has been the liaison between Blue, Jourmol and the CMMA elders when Blue and Jourmol were captured, and Chiwa is close to Sonylla. Panjik? That one is a surprise. But my son? It's delusional to think that he would work for anyone else than Blue in this reform."
"She even said he'd be her second-in-command when we spoke to her earlier," said Stephanie.
"Which proves my point to him. These two have been working together for years and even took mates from the same family. Even Emery saw it coming, he knew he couldn't count on Sebastian to join him, and he was his apprentice."
"Even when retired from flyball, we're still working together, somehow."
"He said, and I quote: 'Family should stick together. He's your son, he should be working here with you.'"
"But they are family!" said Stephanie.
"Yes, and I reminded him that he is currently sticking to family. He is my family, yes, but so is Blue. He and Blue are family. They have been behaving as such since they started seeing siblings, and she's been his flyball captain for a few years. I also told him that he should consider himself lucky that my contract was set to continue with him or I might have sought to join my son under Blue's district."
"Hmm think I'll tell him that next time he annoys me," said Sebastian.
"If Sebastian is to be her second-in-command, it definitively does prove your point," said Raymond.
"Flyball, it's all about flyball. People love the sport but don't seem to realize that if it wasn't for flyball, Blue and I probably wouldn't work together so well, and I wouldn't have met Stephanie."
"True. I remember the first time I saw you both at Healing Moon, I think it was the first time you worked together outside of flyball, but couldn't tell if you didn't know," said Stephanie.
"I wasn't even working for the CMMA at the time. They had signed me up as an apprentice, yes, but I hadn't officially started yet."
"When we found out about Audrey, and you two searched for her when Dwayne kidnapped her at school, you made a great team," said Molly.
"Right, and at that time, they mostly worked together on the flyball field," said Frank as he heard the doorbell. "Well, that was quick, it should have taken a lot longer for the food to get here."
Jeremie pressed on the buzzer while Frank went to grab his wallet and Sebastian ended the hologram call with his father.
"Don't bother, M. Blue, it's not the food," said Jeremie as he let in Erik, Henry and Gus.
"Of course, the musketeers are all here," said Victoria as they dropped suitcases next to the door.
"Nuh-uh! We're the Secret Posse now," said Gus.
"Blue isn't back yet, but I'll call her to let her know. I didn't know you'd be here, you came for the announcement?" said Frank, handing them beers.
"She doesn't know either," said Erik before reaching out to her through their group link. "SIS! Where are you?"
"I'm in a damn meeting, can't talk right now."
"Okay, we'll see you when you get home," said Erik.
"Don't bother, M. Blue, she's in a meeting and can't talk," said Henry.
"It's all about flyball, right?" said Sebastian.
"It always is," said Erik.
"Well, I'm glad I ordered more food, but I think we'll need more beers soon," said Frank.
"I'll go get more," said Jeremie.
A few minutes after Jeremie left, Coralis called on the fixed hologram.
"Sebastian, do you have a portal?"
"I have one if he doesn't," said Gus.
"GUS??"
"Hi sis!" said Erik and Henry.
"Are you really surprised?" said Victoria.
"I suppose I'm not. I'm about to take off to come home. Sonylla is coming with Chiwa and Derek, and you know Sonylla dislikes flying. They will probably be ready to port before I get home. Can one of you open her a portal from the park across the street?"
"Same spot we usually take off from when we have passengers?" said Sebastian.
"Yes," said Coralis as she heard the doorbell.
"Has to be the food this time," said Frank.
Soon after Coralis ended her call, while Frank was paying for the food, Sonylla called Sebastian, and he went to the bathroom to answer as his hologram was still on the living room table from his call with his father.
"I'll go pick up Sonylla," said Sebastian and waited for the delivery guy to be down the stairs before leaving.
"It got to be tiresome to always talk in code or play hide when around unknowing humans," said Mark.
"Very, but we get used to it. I've done that my entire life, having to hide what I am from my dad's family," said Victoria.
"To an extent. That was one of the reasons Blue told me everything as a condition for her to move in with me. She didn't want to keep playing hide with me."
"Yeah okay, there are exceptions. You're right, if my mom and I would have had to play hide every day when at home, it would have been exhausting. Plus, that girl has three dictionaries full of enemies, at minimum, there was no way she would have kept hiding everything from you when living under the same roof."
"She knew it was time at that point. She didn't want to have to hide everything from Frank when at home, but her main reason was her growing list of enemies. She would have never agreed to move in with Frank if he didn't know what he was getting into," said Erik.
"Hiding was fine for a while, but that's also why me and Jeremie are still staying here. Feels great not having to hide when at home," said Samantha.
"We didn't think of it… but now that she's High Mage and had to go shake hands with all of these politicians… will she still be able to hide from her enemies? I mean, what if one of those she met today is calling the CIA as we speak?" said Raymond.