The Senate Building

The government of Salus consisted of two parts. The executive leader, currently Mr.Kingsdale, was a vampire born sometime in the fourteenth century. The legislative group, or the Senate, consisted of thirty or so individuals, each one representing a different species.

Currently, the Senate was the group dealing with the matters of the captured Hunters. They'd deliberated for two days over the matter so far- during which time the Hunters had been in the prisons of the city. It had ended up a close vote on their decision to deal with them.

Half of the group had wanted to kill them outright, and the other half wanted to try to see if these Hunters could be taught to think differently. It had been a one vote difference that led to the Hunters staying alive.

Which was why, now, they'd summoned all the Hunters to their meeting hall. All the Supernaturals involved in their capture had also been summoned. The Hunters wouldn't be able to do much to try to escape- they'd been restrained with magic before being brought in, and had a protective barrier between them and everyone else- which was as much for their safety as for those gathered.

"Welcome my brothers and sisters-" the speaker for the Senate, the faerie representative, Caroline Bennett, addressed the Supernaturals in the room first, "First, myself and the other members of the Senate would like to congratulate on the first successful mission to capture a Hunter in over fifty years. Second, it pleases me to inform you that we have come to a general agreement on how we are to deal with them." Her gaze flicked to the Hunters, before she turned to address them.

"Hunters. You have violated the laws of every country, species, and indiviudal and in this room. You have killed in cold-blood, and while our traditional punishment for such actions would be immediate death, we have agreed to express leniency in this matter. You will be given six months to denounce your prior actions. Else, your execution sentence will be enacted, and you will die."

Ashling Jacynth, most commonly known as Ash, sighed in relief and looked towards the Hunters with a glad shine in her eye. The sentence they'd been so mercifully given was kinder than what had been entirely possible, and she was glad. She didn't want to have helped in the capture of these Hunters just to see them instantly killed despite what they'd probably done to other Supernaturals. But to gain their freedom and escape the death penalty... they'd have to denounce what they'd done, say all the crimes they'd commited were wrong. But to her, they didn't seem to be too remorseful and it made her feel sick, though she wouldn't admit it. The Hunters would never do something of their own accord as they seemed to be a prideful, stubborn kind of people that would need some nudging. With this realization, she gazed back to the current speaker with a curious gaze as she thought... 'Who will aid in this change? How will this happen?'

Ash had been summoned here for a reason and it probably wasn't for getting a metal for capturing Hunters... something was nagging at the back of her mind. Ash bit her lip and waited patiently, brushing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear as she listened for the Representative's next words if there were any to be heard. Maybe it would be left open-ended and allow Supernaturals to volunteer, but she felt that might lead to more volunteers that would rather kill the Hunters than help them. So, Ash thought, there had to have been something else figured out. Closing her eyes, Ash thought silently to herself in worry and curiosity, asking herself all sorts of questions to distract herself a bit from the tension she could already feel building in the room.

Ash couldn't help as her eyes opened and she looked to the Hunters again. This time her mind wandered to how young they were, how young they must have been when they started training to be this good at their age. She thought either they were taught a very deep-rooted, unreasonable hatred towards Supernaturals or it was just the natural human fear of the unknown that caused them to kill her kind so easily. Then again, Ash wasn't a Hunter so she didn't know... she didn't know why her parents were killed when her mother had just defended her family. But she supposed there were things about all humans she would never understand.

"What do I think about us trying to babysit a couple of humans that, may I remind you, still want to kill us?" Alia asked, glancing over to the group of hunters. Her eyes narrowed on one that looked like he was plain mad, muttering and everything. "Why I think it's just a brilliant plan, I'm practically jumping with excitement." Alia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She looked back to her 'group', one of her tails twitching with annoyance.


"Truly, do you guys honestly think that this is going to turn out even remotely well? Surely you realize that all humans are capable of is lying, cheating and murder. We'll never be able to change their minds about us. We're the monsters to them, they are incapable of seeing it any other way, cause if they do, if they see that they are the monsters, they are the killers? Well, that would make them the bad guys, wouldn't it? And they will never accept that. This is just a waste of my time, you guys are in denial if you believe that you could ever make them change." Alia finished, sitting back, content now that they know they are fools, even if they don't recognize it. Humans could never change, it wasn't in their nature. Sure, they are useful for some things (feeding and replenishing powers come to mind), but in the end? They are nothing but beasts, too caught up trying to be the heroes to see that they are the true villains in the situation. No matter what they do, what anyone could do, it won't change that fact. She knows. She tried once, and trust her when she says, it did not end well. Actually, it was the farthest from 'well' that one could get, and she did not want to try again, but as she looks up to the Senate, she realized that she probably didn't have much choice in the matter. Well, at least it was a challenge. Who didn't love a good challenge?

Jared nodded, agreeing with the two others. Anthony made some good points, as did Ash. "Binding magic is pretty easy. I know I can do it, though I'm not sure if anyone else can. Worst case, I suppose I could come with whoever's going, bind the Hunter then leave. But I don't know how open they'd be to listening to us after that. It might merely make them want to kill us and escape more. And you're right. It would be stupid to capture them and then kill them. It would make us no better than them, and at least this way, we can say we tried to convert them. Even if they stick to their ideals, then we tried. We did the right thing as much as we could and then their deaths are on themselves."

He paused, then continued, "And if we manage to do it, then we know that Hunters aren't complete Monsters and it's their upbringing that made them this way. And even if we don't, we'll likely gain a ton of valuable information about the Hunters in the process."

Then the faerie glanced around, taking in the others' reactions. For the most part, it seemed they were in agreement on how it deal with it. He himself was rather surprised by the act of mercy by the Senate. He'd been expecting something much harsher. Not that he minded. Jared had always been of the mindset you could usually talk your way out of situations.

Bennett paused, letting them talk briefly before she finished up the meeting, "That is our verdict. The Hunters will now be returned to the prison. You can follow them and begin or remain here to discuss the matter further. It's entirely your choice." Which was perhaps the only choice they had in the matter. She was anxious though. Her fingers wouldn't stay still, and it did seem as though she had something she needed to tell them.

Though, on the other hand, it they started now, they'd have more time to wear the Hunters down, and try to change their minds about Monsters in general. And looking at those very much not remorseful faces, it would appear that they'd need every minute of it.

Stock still, head down, and silent, it was always hard to tell whether Calum was listening. It was impossible to tell how he felt about the situation either, with his mouth obscured by the thick winter scarf at his neck. The white knit brought out the pale blue tinge to the snow-person's skin. He was distant, lost in deep thought while the others prattled around him.

"And if we manage to do it, then we know that Hunters aren't complete Monsters and it's their upbringing that made them this way." Ah. Calum was clearly listening now. He flinched, furrowing his brow. He sometimes forgot that not all supernatural were like him, human once upon a time. Of course they thought of hunters as monsters. He didn't blame them. It was part of the reason why the snow-person kept his own human history a secret.

He hadn't meant to involve himself in all this - after all, Calum preferred a quiet lifestyle away from such critical affairs - but when he saw the hunters, he couldn't just leave them to the other creatures. He couldn’t let the supernatural kill them. And he couldn't let them kill the supernatural, either. The idea of either sank like lead in his stomach. Trapped between an understanding of both sides, no matter how hard he thought about it, Calum couldn't come up with the right solution to this dilemma.

Listening now, the others seem to have agreed on one without him.

The snow-being sat up straighter, pulled his scarf down to speak. "She has a point," he cut in quietly, commenting on the dreamwalker's concerns. "Most supernatural beings have moments when they're vulnerable…" The dreamwalker and incubus while they feed, the faerie and fox while they sleep, perhaps. In any case, Calum continued to speak, calm and slow.

"But me... my body doesn't require sleep," he explained almost clinically, looking at no one in particular. "I don't need food, either. But I'm physically frail and I don't want to use my abilities directly on the hunters. They'll notice and use that, so I can't stay around one alone for too long. Instead of pairing up with one human, I'll be backup. I can take over when someone else needs aid or rest."

As for who paired up with who, he had no opinion, so he would let the others discuss that for themselves. When the senate speaker finished the meeting, Calum was quiet. Follow the humans or discuss further, it didn't matter to him. He just wanted to steer this situation down most peaceful path without getting too close himself.

It was no time for jokes. Helpless in enemy hands with no clear way out, Artemis hated just how useless he felt. But he'd been with Nathan long enough to know the reason behind the man's humor, and he couldn't bring himself to be angry at his teammate. Not in this situation. Not right now.

Instead he let his shoulders go slack, tired of fighting the magic ties. They weren't going to give. "Dibs on Stabs-a-Lot," he tried to jest, taking a deep breath to calm himself. It didn't work. With knitted brow and a grimace that reached his eyes, Artemis couldn't stop the anger thrumming in his chest, the shame tightening his throat. His sigh hissed out through his teeth. "Goddammit."

Nicole was right. They were fucked. Their best bet really was to make a break for it once allowed outside, and who knew when that would be. No, he couldn't start thinking that way - their chance would come. They'd escape, make a report, and come back with reinforcements. Then they could burn this hellish city to the ground. Until then, to his endless agitation, Artemis was going to have to grit his teeth and wait.

He didn't struggle nearly as hard being taken back to the prison - only just enough to make it clear that he wasn't giving up. Now that the immediate fear of pending death had passed, he could think just a little more clearly. There was no point in fighting a fight they couldn't win. They would save up their energy for a real chance to escape.