[Cenobite]

"I just don't see why we need to kill him." Rani said in a bored monotone as she sipped her tea. "Surely there are some magical abortion methods we could try first. I get that your heartbroken but for Christ Sake Devan you're an old immortal vampire, grow up." Rani said plainly as she picked up a paper and looked at it.

"Also this paperwork has all sorts of propositions to turn your brothers into nobodies. This all seems like a gross conflict of interest, I'm not sure how you have all the others convinced. The ancient vampiress spoke as she sat across Devan's desk from him. "I'm sorry I don't know if I can support this motion, and as you know, for execution the council must be unanimous." She gave him a dry look. "I won't have the council used to take care of your personal petty problems Devan. You can't just weaponize the council to hold a grudge. She stated.

Rani sat there in her white blazer, contrasting her deep chesnut skin. Rani's biggest problem was a lot of people saw her as a hypocrite. Rani's rule over Egypt had been bloodthirsty. Over the years though she'd proven to have matured, from being a 20 year old stuck on a throne. However Rani was famous for believing that the otherkin still held superiority over humans. She tucked a lilac lock of hair behind her ear.

If that is all, I believe I shall take my leave, your highness." She stood, turning around and making a distasteful face Devan couldn't see. She hated calling this broter by that formal title especially, not that she liked refering to the other brothers as such much better. Rani in her mind was still fit to be a ruler. She'd run for council head a few times but no one had been brave enough to vote against the Vincents, especially now with everything going on, the world almost ending and all of that.

"My vote is no, Devan. I'll make it known at the meeting this evening, but I thought you should know ahead of time. If we truly can't eliminate the threat by other means then we shall reconvene. But for right now it seems your personal grief clouds your judgement. You can't just execute otherkin because they piss you off. That's not how I do things, I've been a trusted advisor to your brother for years and I'm not about to turn around on every value I've set forth on a dime like this."

"Now is there anything else you needed from me or may I take my leave Devan?"

[Esoterica]

Devan turned in the Egyptian Pharoah's direction, and being his most cheery and agreeable self, said. "If you aren't going to vote yes you can jump off the damned top of this building for all I care. I don't need anything. And I also got the bad news that Alexandra is not voting to kill him either. Neither of you will be convinced to change your mind. A death sentence requires a unanimous vote. Other measures only require a majority. Like imprisonment."

It was getting to be late in the day for a vampire, when the Hybrid vampire Gabriel Vincent entered the room. (He was a son of Nikolai Dragomir but he'd rather cut out his own eye than use that last name. He walked up to Devan and said. "Uncle Devan, I thought you should know that Damon is aware that you have declared yourself Prince. So are the others. And they are about as happy as you can imagine because of it. Also. I want to know. Where did you bury my mother Serena? I have someone I believe can bring her back with Morgan's help but we need her body."

"She is buried at the cabin in the backyard, in the garden. Everything really went to shit after she died. She loved you, you know. Even though you look like Nikolai, she loved you and would have given her life for you."

Gabriel had a seat and said. "It isn't wise to speak to Ranni like that. She is powerful enough to lay you flat on your ass for that." Gabriel turned to the Egyptian and said. "I apologize for my uncle's rude behavior. He has not been himself lately."

[Cenobite]

Ranni looked back at the two as they spoke. Wondering exactly why Gabriel had decided to join them, but as they spoke it became obvious. Serena Vincent, back from the dead? She wasn't sure how to feel about that. On one hand she felt for the vampire family, she'd also lost many of her vampiric loved ones. But, on the other hand, was one less Vincent running around the streets really that bad? As Gabriel spoke to her she gave him a small smile. "Worry not Gabriel, Devan will see rationality soon enough."

She looked at Devan up and down again and shook her head. "Be careful Devan, you don't know everything I have up my sleeve... Yet." She said before leaving and closing the doors behind her with a slam.

~~~~~~~

That night Rani grunted as she hauled up another shovel of dirt out of the bit. It wasn't a big effort for the ancient vampiress, but it was still beneath her. Desperate times called for desperate measures however, and these were definitely desperate times. She kept digging until the where a sickening thunk and for a second Ranni hoped to god that Devan had the decency to bury his sister in a coffin.

A few moments later a large coffin flew up out of the pit, landing with a large thud. Ranni crawled out of the ditch behind the Vincent's cabin. She walked over to the coffin with a sigh. "Not nearly as nice as a sarcophagus, but at least he didn't just leave her for the worms." She mused while breaking the locks on the coffin and opening it up.

(Continued in the Overworld)