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If there was mockery in his voice, Lexine was oblivious to it as she squeaked past, into the Main Hall. Yes, she would rather go to her office first, but there was a litter of people surging into and out of the Great Chamber, undoubtly catching briefings of the current Council status as those attendants close to the Council Leader reported them. The commotion itself was enough to convince her that the news was true, but she wanted to know more. How had he died? What about his family, were they okay?

...And who was to become the next Council Leader?

The question that had hit Erig a quite while ago finally caught up with her.

"Ah, I have no idea..." she admitted to herself in a tense whisper. Lexine had been out in the boondocks for much too long; she didn't have a clue where the chain of command stood as of late. She started briskly walking, wringing her hands nervously. "Council Member Erig, has the hierarchy changed very much over the past half-year? Is Lady Seren-Xi still...well...in favor in the Council?" The young woman had a mix of awe and fear for the powerful lady, for the rumors and glimpses of the woman she has had left a daunting impression on Lexine much similar to the imposing Council Headquarters did.

At first Erig thought she was making slight of him and his lowly position and he had been about to unleash his bottled up temper on the poor girl. However as she asked after Seren-Xi he stilled his face and now tried to keep from scowling about Seren-Xi. This needed to be handled carefully, "The Lady Seren-Xi is held in high regard by many of the Council. However one can also hear from those who think she is too power hungry and would see someone else in the position that her father held."

He was careful to make it sound like he had simply overheard something another Council member had said. In truth he wasn't fooled by that girl and feared what might happen if she took power.

Erig had remained still as he watched Lexine disappear down a hallway. The girl was different, she recognized her role but sometimes acted like Erig was her equal. Deciding he didn't have time to waste thinking about some foolish girl he turned and found his own office. He was going to deal with his own work before going to the Main Chamber to see what could be done about the choosing of the new Head.

Julius could still hear his Father raging as he shut the doors to the mansion and stepped off the walk into the garden. He never listened to his childish father anymore, anyway. He heard his father slam open the front doors and Julius slid briskly behind one of the toparies in the yard.
"Do you hear me, you nasty brat!? You better not be going to that filthy city again! I swear to the Gods, you lousy piece of..."
Julius smoothly revealed himself and stood a good 10 paces before his Father. His Father, with his usually calm and gentle face reddened with fury, glared at Julius. "You have until the count of ten..." he breathed angrily.
Julius cocked his head to one side and smiled. He then proceeded to walk casually down the hill from the mansion, his Father's horrible words not penetrating Julius' thick head.

"Why should I care about the God Damned head of the council? They're all old farts, anyway."
He passed their Chamber Hall and scoffed.
He sat down on of the marbled benches outide of the hall and looked up at it's majesty. He took off his hat and smoothed back his hair with his white gloves. "They can all roast in hell, for all I care..." he muttered, straightening his rings.
"Not a sweet chick in the place, anyway."

The black carraige rattled along the cobblestones of the lower city, bumping and shuddering with every uneven stone it's wheel struck. It was with relief that Seren passed into the Upper City, the smooth stones on the roadway ensuring a more comfortable ride. As the carraige pulled through the gates of her mansion, Seren glanced briefly out the window. Perhaps she would head to Council Chambers before her meeting with Yuthaweh. It would be useful to guage the response of the council in light of their former leader's demise, and begin to lay the ground-work for her own ascent to power. A statement must be made.

But... Perhaps it could wait. Her trip to the lower city had been far more tiring than usual - she felt somehow drained. Perhaps her age, which Seren so strenously sought to defy, was finally catching up with her.

Alestis lived in quite a splendorous place, the house being of quite a substantial size, and guards discreetly patrolling the grounds. A young man whom probably served as a butler (but looked far more militant- everything in this place had an edge of seeming ready for combat) quickly and politely escorted him onto the grounds.

The grounds themselves had quite a well taken care of appearance, the lawn and bushes pruned regularly, several of the shrubs in the form of animals- all predatory. A quaint fountain burbled in the middle of all the paths leading here and there among the busy front yard and the outlying gardens, a fountain which was overshadowed by the presence of an odd statue. The stone goliath was coiled up through the air, snakelike in appearance, with two grand wings only slightly unfurled so as not to unbalance the piece of art. Those with a bit more practice in observing the nature of such mythological creatures might recognize it as a couatl, albeit of rather large size.

Inside of the house had a victorian feel, but the art gave everything an odd, haunted feel. Pictures adorned the walls, most of them indiscernible in nature. Small statues adorned wall sconces and banister heads, depicting a large array of different mythological creatures, few benign. The feeling that one was under the watch of many eyes was quite present.

The office itself was quite simlar, the furniture being simple yet elogant. However, only one picture was hung here, behind the desk- it was large, and painted completely in red. Again, the figures within were impossible to discern. The feeling of being watched was still present.

Alestis stood as his fellow Councilor entered the room, and he reached across the desk to smile at the man and offer him a warm handshake. "Ah, Councilor Yuthaweh, a pleasure to see you. Please, please, have a seat. Would you care for a drink?" His entire demeanor was cheerful, and his expression disarming, a contrast to the generally creepy vibe of his house.

"Then you don't mind if I take a little n**? The day has been quite long, and a sip of brandy would do quite a bit to help my composure, I must say." He offered him a sly, knowing smile, like they were partners in crime as he poured himself something to drink. Inwardly, he observed the man's words and reactions. In many ways, this call had been a way of testing the waters, and he had gleaned quite a bit of knowledge about the man's attitude towards him already. Chances were his reputation had preceded him- and what person hadn't heard of his reputation by now that was in politics, or even not, in this city anyways- and had chosen to give them a cautious approach. This man likely considered him dangerous, and it was time to make him feel that was only partly true.

"I called you here because of many recent events that ahve been happening within the city. I'm certain you're aware that- oh, please do excuse me for speaking directly about business, it's just pressing on my mind- anyways, i'm certain you're aware that there have been attacks by some group of rebels recently." As he spoke, he took a sip of the brandy, and slowly sank into the chair. "This is a particularly awful time for such attacks to be happening. Our current regime is in a state of controlled chaos, but chaos never the less. Unfortunately, our men down there-" He waved a hand, indicating the Lower City without actually saying it, "Are not prepared to give everything it takes to stop them. That means of course, that we can hardly expect them to sacrifice their lives fighting the very people they are related to. While I don't much care about that, we do need to protect our interests. Every strike they make damages the Council."

He leaned back into his chair and set the glass on a piece of paper, careful not to set it somewhere that water damage could accumulate on his wooden desk. "Anyways, I figure that if we took an active stance in stamping out the rebellion it would only serve to further incite it. That is entirely unnacceptable. That is why I turn to you. I believe you hold the keys to ending this rebellion before it gets well into sway. You see, if the rebels believe we have a strong military presence, they'll be less likely to attack. If we are purely defensive, the people of the city won't be inspired to join them, since they will be in the wrong."

"The point, Councilor, i'm trying to make is this. If we have the proper soldiers thatw on't run, won't die, and will come back, we can win before anyone realizes there was something t win. We need golems."

He smiled warmly, and took up the glass once more. He certainly hadn't let anything slip if there was anything to slip. "Want to know? Absolutely nothing, my good man. I don't really need to know anything about them, beyond what I do know, which as you said- they're tireless, accurate, repairable, and expendable. What I want is precisely this- a pair of golems at every station that is in need of defense from the rebels. Every government building they might be inclined to attack." He leaned forward, clasping his hands, setting them on the edge of the desk.

"I'm aware that the request is a bit extreme as far as being able to accomplish it, but the city has the money to offer into the creation of these things. Normally theCouncil would be held into a meeting for this expenditure, but as the protection of the city is my concern and post, I am eliminating the matter of question entirely. Besides, between the both of us, I am sure we have enough political clout to push it through, anyways, yes? This is about the safety of our employees, those who work for the city."

Rumor had it that Yuthaweh was sympathetic to the insects scurrying below. If anything would convince him, that would be it. Besides, it wasn't like that was untrue. "What do you think?"