Seeing the excitement, no, the hope, in the other man's expression was as painful as it was uplifting. They had been soldiering on, every single one of the people they had managed to gather and get working together for survival's sake but the fact was that everyone, from those in the high tower of the Windworks to the workers in the (Negation protected, Kindred enhanced) fields had been putting on a brave face. Each person choosing to pretend that they weren't all doomed to either fail and die in the attempt or be swamped under when another power, any other power, stronger than their little coalition finally got their feet under them. They had all striven anyway, day in and day out and now, for the first time it felt like they might not have to keep wearing cheerful masks, that there might be a real path out of the mire.
Thankfully, before the minister could be unmanfully affected by the emotions taking seed in him Eitan began to talk strategy. At the mention of General Vonnegut's name, the smile on his face was replaced with a frown. It wasn't an angry one, or even worried, simply displeased. The fact of the matter was that a part of him liked the woman, while another part was terrified of her. The second part knew that the first part only existed because Vonnegut had made it so. She was manipulative in a way that was difficult to resist even when you knew you were being manipulated and he avoided face-to-face meetings with her whenever possible. Rather than being annoyed by his avoidance, the damnable woman seemed to be amused by it.
Eitan was right though, Vonnegut stood the best chance to hold on to, even gain, power under a new government made out of a coalition of the factions than she did under any of the other generals, and they would never rally behind her. With Vonnegut and Reichart's forces behind them, they would have the largest army left inside the borders of Zaichaer. They could take back large sections of the city and hold them so they could be repopulated. They could reopen factories and possibly get the mines back into production, depending on how difficult it was to remove whatever mistspawn was currently occupying them. It would still be a battle of attrition, but the balance would be slowly tipping in their direction. With hard work and a little luck, it would snowball until anyone remaining in opposition would simply be on the outside of the decision-making process.
How that process would go once the little counsel of citizens, Order members and Coven representatives grew to include all the generals was a bridge to be built when they reached that river.
They continued to discussion strategies and try to map out how things might fall out in several varying scenarios for the better part of an hour. When Stefan realized that he was growing hungry and how late that must mean it was he stood, stretching, and closed the note book he'd been jotting it all down in.
"If you don't go you'll be late, and neither of us will comfortably displease my lady wife, I think. You should be on your way."
There was regret in his tone but it was soft, and more for the fact that Delia and Eitan both would be gone for so long than that the work day was, more or less, over. No work day was truly over, not since the 34th, but one did have to sleep sometimes.
Opening his arms he waited till Eitan walked into them so they could embrace, and more than, for a few moments before they were forced to pull apart and go their separate ways.
Thankfully, before the minister could be unmanfully affected by the emotions taking seed in him Eitan began to talk strategy. At the mention of General Vonnegut's name, the smile on his face was replaced with a frown. It wasn't an angry one, or even worried, simply displeased. The fact of the matter was that a part of him liked the woman, while another part was terrified of her. The second part knew that the first part only existed because Vonnegut had made it so. She was manipulative in a way that was difficult to resist even when you knew you were being manipulated and he avoided face-to-face meetings with her whenever possible. Rather than being annoyed by his avoidance, the damnable woman seemed to be amused by it.
Eitan was right though, Vonnegut stood the best chance to hold on to, even gain, power under a new government made out of a coalition of the factions than she did under any of the other generals, and they would never rally behind her. With Vonnegut and Reichart's forces behind them, they would have the largest army left inside the borders of Zaichaer. They could take back large sections of the city and hold them so they could be repopulated. They could reopen factories and possibly get the mines back into production, depending on how difficult it was to remove whatever mistspawn was currently occupying them. It would still be a battle of attrition, but the balance would be slowly tipping in their direction. With hard work and a little luck, it would snowball until anyone remaining in opposition would simply be on the outside of the decision-making process.
How that process would go once the little counsel of citizens, Order members and Coven representatives grew to include all the generals was a bridge to be built when they reached that river.
They continued to discussion strategies and try to map out how things might fall out in several varying scenarios for the better part of an hour. When Stefan realized that he was growing hungry and how late that must mean it was he stood, stretching, and closed the note book he'd been jotting it all down in.
"If you don't go you'll be late, and neither of us will comfortably displease my lady wife, I think. You should be on your way."
There was regret in his tone but it was soft, and more for the fact that Delia and Eitan both would be gone for so long than that the work day was, more or less, over. No work day was truly over, not since the 34th, but one did have to sleep sometimes.
Opening his arms he waited till Eitan walked into them so they could embrace, and more than, for a few moments before they were forced to pull apart and go their separate ways.
