(Pov Julie)
“The source of recent large sinkholes that have appeared outside the Finnish city of Raahe remains unknown. However, investigations have shown that they seem connected to larger”. The news had been filled with reports about weird sinkholes linked to a cave network under Finland. It wasn't too concerning, at least to her. Though when Jasmine had seen the news, her face had darkened in a way Julie didn't think possible. The woman clearly had some concerns she didn't know about, or knew something she didn't.
The tomato soup they had for dinner yesterday hadn't lost much of its flavor, even though it had been reheated in the microwave as Julie took her lunch. That said, it was still microwave reheated, and it had that cheapish taste most such food had. She did wish she could have some macaroni in it, but Sam had used what was left over yesterday to make art of the house. While she could boil more, she simply couldn't be bothered. What was worse was that she would eventually have to throw out the piece; he had used boiled macaroni after all.
She felt her hands tense slightly at the thought. How long had it been since she had seen Sam smile like he did yesterday when he handed her the macaroni art? It couldn't have been a year… could it?
Knock! Knock, Knock!
Her thoughts were interrupted as someone knocked on the front door. She knew Jasmine was expecting someone for a meeting today, though she hadn't been told the details. She straightened her clothes as she walked over to the front door.
As she opened it, three women stood on the other side. A brunette tomboyish woman who was standing closest to the door offered her hand and spoke as Julie shook it.
“Hi. You must be Julie. It's nice to meet you. I am Sky. We're here to see Jasmine.”
Julie put on a polite smile and nodded slightly. “Hello, yes, I am Julie. She is in her study if you follow me. Please take off your shoes at the entrance.” Julie motioned for them to follow her after they had entered and removed their shoes.
As they walked up the stairs, Julie thought she could hear the sounds of… was that jazz? It got stronger as they approached Jasmine's study. Knocking on the door, she heard Jasmine's voice over the music telling her to enter.
Opening the door, she saw Jasmine walking over to a gramophone. That had not been there last time.
“Hey, the meeting you were waiting for is here.”
Jasmine lifted the arm, stopping the music. “Great, please send them in, Julie. And I will call you if we need anything.”
“Ok”. Motioning to the group that they could enter.
(Pov Jasmine)
“Please close the door after you.” Jasmine said as she walked over to close the blinds. They were external and would nearly completely block any view from the outside. While blocking any interested parties' line of sight was beneficial, it wasn't the intended outcome. No, that lay in blocking any pesky intruder who got the brilliant idea of pointing a laser through the window to read the vibrations for sound. It might be a little paranoid, but given what they were planning, she found it well worth the effort. As well, her aunt had insisted on it, and when what was essentially the clan's spy master insisted on something, you did it.
Turning back, she saw the familiar face of Sky. “Sky, it's nice to see you again. And you must be Carla?” She nodded at the blond woman standing slightly behind Sky. “And… Sidney?” She nodded at the women to Sky's left as she walked towards the Couches in the nook of the room.
“Yes, mistress.” Clara bowed her head slightly.
“A pleasure, mistress.” Sidney repeated the motion.
Jasmine lifted an eyebrow as she looked at the trio. “It's nice to meet you both. Well, please have a seat.” Jasmine sat down on the couch facing the rest of the room. Holding up a finger, she locked eyes with Sky before glancing at the door.
Sky nodded before taking a strange circular disk with suction cups under it and fastening it to the door. The device was covered in a strange text arranged in a circular script, with larger glyphs placed in separate circles. Jasmine couldn't feel it; her ability to notice changes in the flow of magic simply wasn't powerful enough to notice the more subtle spell as it activated when Sky stroked her thumb along the edge. She knew what it did, though; it made the door more soundproof. Some theurgists had probably spent a year making the thalassma. It was an enormous sign of trust that Sky had it at all.
Jasmine let out a sigh. “Don't do that. It's fine to use the title if we were in a clan enclave, but don't do it here. There's too much risk, and it would be considered odd.”
Both Sidney and Carla winced at that. Clara studied the table. “Understood mistr… Ma'am. Sorry, it's just not often we have to deal with purebloods.”
“That's perfectly understandable. Just remember that stealth is important. Now," standing up slightly Jasmine shook hands with Carla and Sidney. “I am Jasmine, though you both already knew that.”
Sky pulled a glass bottle out of her bag and put it on the table. The crimson liquid within sloshing around. “A gift from your mother, she thought it might do you some good.”
Jasmine couldn't help but smile a little. How could she know that? Recently, she had been running low on her own supply of human blood. She had been stretching it mostly by diluting it with animal blood she had bought online. Pure animal blood simply wasn't enough; it had to be human at least in part. Trying to sustain oneself on that was like living on dried pasta alone. Eventually, it would kill you, but it worked in the short term. And it tastes boring.
“Could you be a dear Sidney and put the bottle in the fridge on the cabinet over there?” She pointed towards the bookshelf by the door.
Sidney nodded before grabbing the bottle and walking away.
Jasmine leaned back in her seat. “Now I was told you were bringing me the briefing on the project.”
Sky started rummaging through her bag. “Yes, we are. Let's see.” It took her a few seconds before finally, “Ahh, here we are.” She pulled out a manila folder and handed it to her. “We were told it was best for you to read the documentation summaries before any discussion. Hilda thought it was best if the details were spoken about out loud as little as possible.”
Jasmine nodded; her aunt was a sensible woman, a trait that was on full display in that particular piece of instruction. She opened the folder and started reading.
Drones. She had long wondered how the matrons planned on dealing with the military production facilities and assets that would remain under Washington's control. The answer, drones hidden inside various pieces of transportation infrastructure. And now she was nominally in charge of the assembly site for said drones and launchers. Which would be built in a barn in the middle of nowhere in Montana. She couldn't help but chuckle slightly.
Jasmine took another sip of the glass in front of her, the blood cold and coppery. “There are more of you, right?” She asked as she kept reading.
Sky nodded. “Yes, there are 7 of us in total. Most of the parts are made elsewhere, then we assemble them here.”
“Yes, I saw the last part. How long will it take you to get the facility operational?”
Carla checked her notebook. “We need to look over the place first, but if there are no deviations from the initial intel you gave us, then. A week, ma'am. If we need to make some changes, how should we contact the family?”
Jasmine considered the question for a second. “For small stuff, just knock on the door. They're nice enough people. For bigger changes, I want to handle them. How soon will you get started?”
“Tomorrow, the others get here then. It's already so late that it's probably better for us to wait.”
Jasmine nodded. “Ok then, I will drop by some time tomorrow to meet the others.” She hesitated for a second. ”Also, there is one more thing.” She looked up at Sky. “There is a boy in the family that owns the farm. When it comes to him, hands off. At least for now.”
Sky looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Any particular reason for that, Jasmine?”
Jasmine gave them all a deadpan look. “I know gender norms are very different outside the clans and the old country. That said, there are very few men inside the clan for obvious reasons. And you girls have mostly spent the last few years of your lives in that environment preparing for your own conversion.” Jasmine let her gaze pass over the three of them. “We have long-term interests in that land, while we need it right now for this project. If you were to do anything… Uncouth” her voice field the word with poison as it left her lips, “he probably wouldn't say anything, but I won't have it. Obviously, this also applies to the daughter and parents, too.”
The three nodded. “We would never, ma'am." Sidney tried to reassure her.
Sky, however, had a slight smirk playing on her lips. “Are you staking a claim, ma`am?"
Jasmine looked at her and opened her mouth to answer before she closed it again, hesitating. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Yes, I am, at least for the time being.”
Sidney rolled her eyes slightly, her voice filled with exasperation. “Great, another thrall that can order us around.”
Carla looked at her like she was placating a child. “They don't order us around that much Sidney; they're mostly busy dealing with you know, kids, logistics, and being anemic. And when they do order us around, they're allowed to blood marriage makes them full members, we aren't. Not yet anyway."
Sky coughed. “Anyway, you don't have to worry, Jasmine. I'll make sure everyone is on their best behavior.” She looked Jasmine over for a second. “So, does he taste good?”
Jasmine couldn't help but crack a small smile. She had known Sky for years; they were, for all intents and purposes, friends. The two others would also have been around for a while, but she hadn't interacted with them much. Maybe they were hopefuls from other clans.
“Yes, Sky, he does. Though that's not the only reason. I, at least, want to explore the possibility.” She paused. “But more importantly, those long-term interests need to be protected. And seemingly, I doubt I would have the time to correct any mistakes you made of that nature to secure them before we get bigger problems.”
Sky straightened, and the two others looked like they were paying far closer attention to that. “Are you referring to the situation in Finland? I was wondering if there was something more to that.”
Jasmine nodded heavily. “There is. Some magical creatures create stable, large cavern systems. Currently, most magical animals have stayed in Scandinavia.” She drew a breath. “ It was always just a matter of time before they started migrating out, and once that process starts, so does… everything that comes with it. We thought we had maybe ten more years before the consequences hit on a large scale. Now… I don't think we have more than five.”
The weight of what she had said filled the room, the atmosphere felt oppressive. “Well, that's not… good.” Said Sidney.
“Five years until everything goes to shit, that's not a lot.” Carla was rubbing her left upper arm.
The edges of Jasmine's lips started to form into a small smile, one that never reached her eyes. “Five years until you feel the consequences. But mom actually lived through that, so ask her about the details if you want to know what that looks like.” She drew a breath. “It might be slow, but once any system carries enough strain. Well lets just say there is only a question of time before something we can't fix breaks.”
Jasmine shook herself from her reverie. The images of her father torn in half and her mother covered in guts, standing over the… thing that had killed her father, fading from her mind. By the time she had been born, the worst of the consequences of the emergence of magic were mostly over, at least in Scandinavia. That didn't mean it was safe, at least not between the places people lived.
“Well, I think that was everything for now. I am sure you girls have had a long trip. You should go get some food and rest before tomorrow. We can follow up then.” She hesitated slightly. ”The bar and grill in town is really quite good. You should try the food there.”
After the three had left, Jasmine opened the blinds before slumping down in the chair behind her desk. Opening her laptop, she saw a notification for an email marked high priority. It was from Senator Smith's assistant. It was simply titled information.
Downing the last of her glass. She opened the email and started reading.