It was a night like many others, nothing exciting going on, just a Kindred trying to relax. Well, relax and come to a decision for Victoria’s offer.

Classical music played in the background.

Long, elegant fingers gently shift through the various papered butterflies that had recently came in. The small triangles of glassine envelopes allowed you to see the colors, though it was hazy. But she already knew which one she wanted to work with tonight, the Japanese papilio butterfly.

Its vibrant green colors drawing her eyes to it as she carefully picked up the envelope and set it off to the side. The cover was snapped back onto the others, which would get pined at some point. As the specimen was carefully removed from the paper, she placed it in the relaxing chamber, which would make the butterfly easier to work with. The thorax would relax which would allow her to move the wings.

When the lid was placed, she sat back in her chair, letting her mind wander to Victoria’s offer. Could she do it? Could she accept the offer of sponsorship and give her loyalty to the Invictus? She had to admit, she never thought she would ever be seriously considering joining their ranks.
She had always viewed them as stuffy, uptight Kindred that hid behind their fancy titles. But for what used to turn her off about them, it also seemed to be pulling her closer. There was no denying the case Victoria had made, and finding ways to tie it into Ale’s past, well, that was really cleaver.

Did she want the power the Invictus offered? Damn right she did, she wasn’t getting too far on her own. And after the last family meeting, she knew she would have to look out for herself and take whatever steps she had to.

Long fingers reach for a different container, this one held other butterflies that had been in the relaxation chamber for about a week. Its wings rehydrated and flexible in her fingers. A pin was placed through its thorax as it was placed on a piece of Styrofoam. The use of pins and paper helped her set the wings in an open position. A finger gently runs over the wing, feeling the velvety texture on the tip of her finger. It would need about a week before she could remove the pins and paper, so the butterfly was set aside, with a few others, to be attended to later.

Arms stretch behind her and clasp behind her head, and she closes her eyes. Between the music and the relaxing nature of pinning the butterfly, she believed she’d reached a decision. Her Danse was about to take an interesting turn. Some might be pissed, some might even be surprised, but she didn’t care. It was time to focus on her goals and stop fucking around.

Hands released and one reached out to shut off the bright desk light she used, as she pushed away from the table.

Time to make a call.