Faussin frowned. He hated how empty the conference room felt.
Of course, there were the four chairs that would never be filled again, but there were several other chairs that were also missing their inhabitants. He shifted uncomfortably, already knowing the reason behind two: Clair hadn't come out of her room since the trial ended, and Mercy had recently made a point of being by herself at all times.
But everyone else should've been there. Currently, the only people there were him, Romano, Oni, Ysabel and Graham--in other words, more than half of them were missing.
Before Fauss could voice his concern, Graham beat him to it. "Where is everyone?"
"I was thinking the same thing," Ysabel admitted, glancing over at the door, then at the clock. "The meeting started fifteen minutes ago, didn't it?"
Graham nodded. "Yeah, it did. I mean, I guess I can see some of 'em being late, but Viv? Viv's always early, isn't she?"
As if on cue, Vivara hurried in, holding something large and rectangular in her hands. She'd thrown a sheet over it, as if she didn't want anyone to see what it was. "Sorry I'm late, I was--I was putting on the final touches. Is everyone here?"
Finnian came in behind her, carrying something awfully similar in shape, sheet also thrown over it. He waved to everyone, slightly out of breath. "I was helping Viv and am now also late. Apologizes."
"You're fine," Graham replied. "What are those?"
Vivara walked over to a chair, using one hand to brush a strand of hair out of her face. "You'll see in a moment. Is everyone here?"
Faussin shook his head. "No. We're missing a lot of people, actually."
Vivara pursed her lips, then passed her suspicious rectangle to Finnian, who carefully took it into his hands. "I'm going to try and lure Mercy into the conference room. Excuse me for a moment, and do not peek under the sheets, please."
This only seemed to entice Graham. Just as Vivara walked out of earshot, Graham scooted his chair toward Finnian and the rectangles. "Finn. Here's the plan. We all look, and when Viv gets back, pretend nothing happened. When she reveals whatever that is to us, we can all act surprised, and she'll be none the wiser! Oki doke?"
"No can do, bro," Finnian replied, stepping away from Graham. "We've gotta wait for everyone else. It's important."
"At the cost of my suffering?" Graham gasped, holding his hand over his heart. "Very well. I'll wait--somehow."
The Ultimate Thief's melodramatics helped to calm Faussin down. Fauss had always been prone to getting nervous, and when it got too out of hand, well... he shifted. He didn't like to think about that.