After spending the afternoon with Randall and his never ending stream of amusing quips, Aracelia was having a hard time interacting with anyone at the Order's meeting. Even with most of them refilling drinks as they milled around, reacquainting with one another, she found everything they discussed to be dull. Gabrielle, practically glued to her side from the moment she arrived, had been talking non-stop and informing her of all the gossip of everyone her eyes fell on. It was as if Aracelia had never offended her and her initial belief that Gabby was a goody two shoes had been false. More than before, Aracelia got the impression that Gabrielle concerned herself most with pleasing others. Whether it was for her own benefit or not, was still in question.

Bored, Aracelia took a sip from her glass, eyes glancing off faces all around the room as she waited for Vera to appear and make her speech. Her eyes fell on the blond who'd escorted her earlier, Alyssa, and she found herself suddenly curious.

Everyone else in the temple was either conversing with one another or messing with their phones; everyone but Alyssa. Instead, she sat alone at a table, scribbling furiously on a paper before her. She seemed as if she were mumbling to herself, a perfect image of insanity. "What's her deal?" Aracelia asked, interrupting whatever story Gabrielle had been telling. From the corner of her eye, she saw Gabrielle glare at her but she didn't care. She only nodded in Alyssa's direction. "Blondie over there. Is she manic or something?"

"Ugh," Gabrielle groaned. "Why is everyone so far up Alyssa Drake's ass? She's as flawed as the rest of us."

Aracelia turned to look at her, just as annoyed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Gabrielle answered dismissively. "Think of Alyssa as the Teacher's Pet. When Grand Magus Coventry arrived, he took her on as his protégé. Now, under Grand Magus Stone's tutelage, she's a Magistratus. She's thrown herself into her magic studies the last few months after things with her boyfriend didn't... work out."

"Of course, it's because of a guy," Aracelia sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Girls like her are the reason guys think they have so much power over us."

"While I don't disagree, it's... a bit more complicated than all of that."

"Meaning?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that, new girl. You're a Magistratus. You'll find out soon enough."

As if on cue, Vera entered the room grandly, wasting no time diving into her speech. "As I'm sure many of you have noticed, things around here have changed as a direct effect of the events put into motion by our former Grand Magus. Because of those actions, we've lost some members but we have also gained some new ones, transferred in from other chapters. Tonight, we welcome you into our fold and prepare you for the learning this year will bring for you. Make no mistake; things will be vastly different from last year. As acting Grand Magus, the standards at which I hold you all will be much higher than before. If you can't measure up to them...well, I think you can figure out what happens." Her eyes fell easily and pointedly on Aracelia before continuing lazily over the others. "Either way, use tonight to mingle and enjoy your time with the Order because in the time to come, some of you may or may not remember it."

Vera raised the glass in her hand before drinking, the other members following suit. There was a moment of pure silence as everyone took a sip before their Grand Magus spoke once more. "Before leaving tonight, I expect to see each Magistratus in my office for task appointments. There are things that still need to be taken care of before classes begin." She moved through the other members, coming to a pause before Aracelia and Gabrielle. "Ladies, I see you're getting along well enough, yes?"

"Yes, Grand Magus," Gabrielle replied without pause. Aracelia said nothing, drinking some more from her glass, gaze meeting Vera's evenly.

"Nice to hear," Vera said in a tone of indifference. "Aracelia, why don't you come with me so I can get up to speed. While I'm sure Miss Dupree is very capable of relaying the information to you, I would rather you be informed on the more accurate details of the events."

Gabrielle's smile strained at the words, clearly taking offense. The smug glint in Vera's eyes said that was her goal. Aracelia made note of the silent exchange, finding herself warming further to the other girl. It would help her cause more to have a mutual alliance.

"Sure, Grand Magus, I'd love to chat. Shall we?" Aracelia smiled grandly, gesturing for Vera to walk ahead of her. The pair walked away from Gabrielle and the rest of the party, stepping out into the hall rather than Vera's office. Aracelia was immediately suspicious of the choice. Speaking inside an office made the meeting more professional, an unofficial acknowledgment to all that it happened. A conversation in the hall was just that; a conversation. Something to either be easily denied or treated like it never happened. Paired with the suspicion she'd seen earlier, Aracelia was sure it had something to do with her sudden transfer.

Aracelia opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Vera, as if she'd known the girl was going to speak, despite her turned back.

"As my newest Magistratus and transfer, understandably I have some concerns on where your loyalty lies. I know of you very little through my acquaintance with your sister. An acquaintance that is not the best, I must say."

"If it makes you feel any better, having an actual relationship with her isn't any better," Aracelia shrugged. Vera went on as if she hadn't spoken.

"That may be the case or it may not. I can't know for sure because I don't know you. Unfortunately, there are...situations that you are required to know of in your position in order to help maintain our control over them. The main one being the existence of werewolves on this campus."

Aracelia couldn't help the slight widening of her eyes at the words. As dumb as it may sound, considering the nature of the Order and the supernatural beings they were able to deal with it, it was a surprise to hear of the existence of werewolves in the present. She'd read in an old book somewhere that the species had died out long ago, only the occasional rumored sighting popping up, though never taken seriously without proof. To hear now that there were some on Belgrave Campus seemed like a joke. As if by believing it, she was setting herself up for something.

"Werewolves? You can't be serious."

"Oh, wish that I weren't," Vera sighed in a way that sounded too honest. "But unfortunately, I'm very serious. They called themselves the Knights of Saint Christopher and believed themselves protectors of the natural world. Any magic use was immediately deemed by them to be evil and cause for their interference. Needless to say, they've caused many problems for us this past year."

"Respectfully, the way you're speaking is as if they no longer exist," Aracelia said. "You know, everything sounds like it's in the past tense. In which case, if that's true, why do I need to know about them specifically?"

"Because they are and they aren't a thing of the past. It's complicated, to say the least, but still very important for you to know. There are four of them, all students here. You'll become very familiar with their faces and names for awhile here, even if you never interact with them personally. See, in order to deal with them we needed to erase their memory of the Order as well as their wolf counterparts. But because their hides, as they called them, operate as if their own entity and are so strong, we consistently need to wipe their minds. Then of course, because I don't have anything better to do than spend more time on them clearly, someone messed up the dosage proportions so that they forget more than we intended them to and for a shorter amount of time."

"So what I'm hearing is, you have these freakish, magic hunting dogs that need babysitters?"

"A vulgar way of putting it, but yes."

"And am I supposed to be babysitting one of them?" Aracelia pushed to the point.

"Not at all, but as a Magistratus you do have to know about them. Especially since you will be spending so much time with Miss Dupree for the next week at the very least," Vera answered. "She's babysitting one of said wolves."

"Yeah...about that, do I actually have to stay around her? I mean, if it's solely for the purpose of her playing guide, it really isn't necessary. I've already made a friend who is more than willing to play my tour guide for awhile." Aracelia thought of Randall again, fighting the smile that threatened to pull at her lips. It was true Randall seemed eager to help, and she was just as eager to let him, but that wasn't the only reason for her inquiry. It wasn't so much that she wanted to keep a distance from Gabrielle anymore, but a matter of pushing the limits of Vera's lack of trust. At least if she tested it outright, Vera would feel less suspicious of every action she did.

"Unless this friend of yours is a member, I think it's safe to say the answer to that is yes, you are stuck with Miss Dupree. Somehow I'm sure you'll survive. The rest of us have somehow managed to."

"What if you paired me with someone else, then? Like Alyssa Drake?"

Vera's eyes narrowed infintesmally. "That's very specific of you. Is there a reason why you would prefer Miss Drake?"

"She just seems more studious and dedicated to her work, you know? I was thinking, if I really want to show up my sister, I should do everything I can to better myself with the magic."

"I couldn't agree more, but that doesn't change my answer in the least," Vera replied condescendingly. "Miss Drake is very busy helping me with other, more time consuming endeavors and just doesn't have the time to walk you through campus life. Now, if you're serious about bettering your magic, I can see what I can do to get you a tutor or occasional lesson in with Alyssa. Otherwise, I can have another member assist you—"

"Nevermind, then. I'll wait a bit, you know, maybe things will calm down enough for her to fit me into her schedule or something."

"Yes, maybe," Vera agreed in a tone that very much said the opposite.