Shinsou groaned to himself as he listened to Rehtul talk about Felicity. She was a strong woman; one of the strongest he knew, in fact, and a good friend. But, for all of her good points, her sense of scale was definitely askew as far as the Telgradian being able to look after himself was concerned. He drew a deep breath and stifled the urge to mock the idea of needing babying, cognizant of the fact that he was in shared company. Instead, Shinsou elicited a calm chuckle.

“Whilst I appreciate her concern, I am sure you can see for yourself that she’s worrying over nothing,” The young man sighed, carefully and purposefully tidying away a stack of his belongings into a satchel.

It was then that the young Orlouge finally revealed what was smouldering away at the back of his mind. Ten paces away, on the other side of the room, the mage laid bare his motivations for requesting this “test of skill” in the first place. Shinsou tilted his head lightly and narrowed his eyes some, testing those of his counterpart. They were keen and true, and betrayed no unease.

“As far as job interviews go, I doubt you could have made a stronger case for yourself. That much is for sure.” Osiris laughed, a low and melodious sound, as the Orlouge’s expression remained cautious and controlled. The Telgradian took another step towards him, sizing him up, before seating himself on the floor of the room, in the corner. He gestured for Rehtul to sit with him. A little perplexed at first, the ice mage reluctantly obliged, probably wondering why they had not seated themselves on the slab instead. Osiris tucked his knees up to his chest, and rested his back and head against the wall, staring straight ahead.

“You know, a few years ago, I met Storm Veritas in Radasanth and we resolved to take what was the nucleus of the Brotherhood, and grow it,” Shinsou started, the nocturnal breeze wafting through the Citadel nooks and crannies breathing against his face. “Within a year, we had our own territory in Corone. Within two, we’d damn near toppled the Assembly itself and nearly took Radasanth from the Imperials. I know now that it was the wrong thing to do at the time, but Arius Mephisto didn’t agree. He wanted us to keep pushing the Brotherhood in that direction, creating conflict and making huge power grabs without any justification at all. We just weren’t comfortable with that path after the siege failed.”

The room that played host to them basked in the light of a lonely lamp, but otherwise it was completely still, not even a moth stirring in the shadows. Shinsou tilted his head up to the ceiling, a more sombre tone to his voice now. “We had no idea about the monster we were about to create. Then he betrayed us. Arius burned Whitevale to the ground. Entire families were wiped out in an instant. Men, women and kids; he didn’t discriminate. We got to the wreckage too late, but when we did, we found the charred corpses of children still clutching their spoons. Their ashes were like a soup of death in the rain, and the stench was ungodly. It still haunts me to this day.”

The Telgradian breathed deeply of the frosty air. He could see from the corner of his eye that Rehtul was offering him a silent and forlorn glance.

“When we caught up to him, there wasn’t an army in the world that was going to stop us from tearing him apart,” Shinsou frowned. “And that’s exactly what we did. We shredded him down to his last atom. For them. But, in the end, it was our failure to protect them that killed them, not Arius’s successes. It didn’t bring them back. I carry that with me every day, Rehtul, as a reminder. Whatever this Brotherhood was in the past is irrelevant now to us. In the present, and in the future, it will be a shield and sword. For those kids, for the Brotherhood’s people itself, and for Corone. It has to be.”

The words sounded like they may have flowed artistically, and perhaps almost rehearsed, but Shinsou was speaking from the heart. The single chime of a nearby clock multiplied into a cacophonous echo, which in turn were amplified even further by the Citadel’s long corridors outside. It took him a long moment to compose his thoughts before he peered at Rehtul.

“I’ve been very careful about who I trust since then, as I’m sure you’ll understand. But that being said, we need people. We need good people, who we can place our faith in to rebuild and protect Whitevale and Corone. Your family name carries you far, but as you rightly say, you should be judged on your own qualities and resources alone. We have to first establish trust, which is very much a two way street. I am sure you’ll agree with this, and if there's anything I can do in that regard, tell me.”

It was then he stood up and beckoned the mage to follow him to where he had piled his belongings. Here, there were two books that had been burning holes in the back of his brain for weeks now. He handed Rehtul one of them; a beautiful leather-bound script tied with a silver sash.

“Here. These are all the notes I have compiled on The Higanbana. They’re a group who were operating a clandestine blood magic cult out of Stonevale, using sex workers and the homeless as a feeding tube for their flowers of death. It went undetected for years before they decided to murder and mutilate a number of prostitutes and tried to pin it on me. Their mansion on Scara Brae is a smouldering wreck now, and the rest of the working girls were freed, but I’ve had word that Scara Brae was just the tip of a very unpleasant iceberg. It looks like they are setting up shop in Corone, possibly even as far as Salvar. Women have gone missing again; some young girls too. Kids, perhaps. Some bodies have turned up decorated with the red flowers - a Higanbana calling card.”

Shinsou rose to his feet now, turning on a dime to face the still seated mage.

“I don't believe in co-incidences. Our paths have crossed for a reason, I believe. If you want in to the Brotherhood, come with me and let's shut these bastards down once and for all. Let's save some Coronian lives while we're at it and let’s get these kids home to their families. I don’t want a single life more torn apart on my watch.”

A determined look crossed his face as he offered his hand to Rehtul Orlouge, and the torchlight danced in his eyes.