"Is this some kind of joke?!" Dia screeched.

Tomas continued digging, throwing down rocks hard enough to almost crack the nearly immaculate marble floors. He wrapped his short pudgy arms around one final rock, the largest one in the chest crusted in dried mud, and fought to lift it out before dropping it to the floor with a loud bang. Below it sat a wrinkled piece of parchment. He reached in and pulled it out with trembling hands.

     Dia leaned over his shoulder, looking puzzled, " what is it?" She asked.

Tomas brushed the dirt off of it and opened it up slowly to reveal a letter.

You've taken what meant everything to me, and now I have taken it upon myself to do the same to you...
-J

"What is this nonsense?" Dia asked. Tomas flipped the paper around in every direction he could think of, trying to find more behind it. He panicked at the realization that his money was gone. He clutched a bloated hand to chest and breathed quick short breaths until his face turned the same shade as Dia's lips.

"Oh knock it off!" Dia slapped at Tomas's back. "Who is this J?"

It didn't take Tomas very long to blurt out,"Jeffrey. I took him with me from Talion as a bodyguard and servant."

"So, you're trying to tell me that you get your whole town killed, then you take someone from said town because you thought it was a good idea?" Dia rolled her eyes.

Tomas looked up at her from the floor, his forehead crinkling together, causing his bushy eyebrows to wiggle in different directions. He shrugged then turned back to his empty chest, nearly weeping at the sight of it.

     "Well, I suppose our business proposal is looking more appealing to you?" She asked with venom dripping from every syllable.

      ~*~

"It's too dangerous right now, Erin. We can't afford to risk it," Tara made long strides down the hall, following the smell of roast chicken and fresh bread.

"What if it's just me and Damien then?" She asked.

Erin tried to keep Tara's pace, nearly jogging to stay next to her. Tara stopped suddenly and look at a pouting and pathetic Erin with her long blonde hair covering nearly half of her face and huffed. Erin took a step back, sensing something was going to be said that she didn't want to hear.

"They..will..kill..you," Tara replied, leaning closer to Erin's face with every word. Erin gulped.

"But what if--"

"Don't," Tara help her hand up at Erin, refusing to hear another word. Erin dropped her head, beaten.

"I don't know about you, but I've had enough of all this for the time being. All I want to do is sit and stuff my face," Tara said storming off, nearly three feet away before ending her statement.

"But that's all you ever want to do," Erin mumbled to herself.

"I heard that!" Tara yelled from across the hall. Erin instantly panicked and turned away to jog down the hall in the other direction, away from a cranky Tara.

~*~

     Tara sat down with a smile at the start of lunch. The wooden tables lining the halls were filled to the brim with furies and nones, but what Tara was most concerned about was the piles of food arranged precisely on each one. Roast chicken, vegetables and steamy bread called to her with their combined aroma of--

     "Bliss," Tara took one long breath through her nose, admiring the meal before she sat down and started with a whole chicken breast.

     "Mind if I join you?" Gwen asked. Tara was in mid bite of her first succulent piece of chicken when she looked up at an expectant Gwen, holding a half smile.

     "Every time I try to eat--" Tara threw her hands down, annoyed.

     "No, I'm just here for lunch."

     "Well in that case," Tara pointed to the bench directly opposite of her as an invitation, then proceeded with shoveling the tender chicken  into her mouth before ripping off half a loaf of bread. With a fully filled mouth Tara looked up at Gwen,"I thought you never ate when we did."

Gwen reached for a slice of chicken and placed it on her plate, smiling. "No not normally, but Dia is really wrapped up in that guy we picked up. She said I could come down."

"All for nothing now as far as I'm concerned," Tara replied,"we got our message delivered and their plans are ruined." Tara ripped the half a loaf of bread she had taken and sliced it down the middle, placing more chicken in it before closing it and gobbling it up. Gwen looked at her almost disgusted.

"I'm surprised you don't look like Mr. Hilder with the way you eat."

Tara rolled her eyes then glared at Gwen, not breaking eye contact while she reached for the other half of the loaf in the basket. Gwen turned her attention back to her lunch, eating with small precise bites from her fork.

     "I forgot to tell you something."

     "What is it?" Tara asked.

     "Guess who has to go out tomorrow night?" Gwen smiled.

      "For what?!"

     "I'm escorting our pudgy friend to guess where?" Gwen waited a millisecond before spitting out,"Velone."

     Tara's jaw dropped, the nearly pulverized chicken still sitting in her mouth," They're planning it that soon?"

     "Yup."

     Tara put her bread down and rubbed at her chin, staring off into space,"Maybe Erin was on to something.."

     The loud banging  of utensils mixed with the chit chat of the room made hearing nearly impossible, "what?!"Gwen asked.

"Erin wants out with that nearly female Damien," Tara rolled her eyes.

"But they'll kill us," Gwen whispered.

"I'm sure someone would take us in from there since we pretty much saved them their lives and the whole towns," Tara replied.

"Then what we did last night would be in vain," Gwen looked seriously at Tara and placed her fork down,"they will burn down every town they come across to try and find us to keep our secret order a secret."

     Tara looked down solemnly and sighed in a silent agreement," but we need to do something. You're life was taken away from you and I refuse to take orders from that selfish woman the rest of my life."

     "We could always weed out the furies who don't agree with Dia and how she is running things," Gwen smirked and grabbed at her fork. Tara looked up and smiled at Gwen, understanding. She looked around at the furies some sitting quietly and others talking at high volumes to one another. Tara rested her elbow on the table and leaned against her hand.

     She looked to each group on each bench, tapping a finger against her cheek,"Now which ones of you lovely ladies are ready for an uprising?"