Ezra yawned as he walked into the kitchen, rubbing his neck. There was only so much tension one could handle before the waiting beca boring.
He had been running through all that was going on in his mind. The coming coup, in which Ivo wanted him to take part in, his etings with Helena, and all the other chaos brewing around him, including the Necromancer.
He set down the coffee bag in one hand and the bottle of blood wine in the other. A makeshift breakfast of sorts.
Olivia was already seated at the table, a tablet in her hand as she scrolled through docunt after docunt. Likely more financial or strategic reports. She was always keeping an eye on their operations, especially now with so many moving parts.
"Morning," he muttered.
She nodded without looking up, her eyes glued to the screen. Ezra smirked at her focus, before glancing toward the adjoining living room.
Gen was pacing back and forth, her form constantly shifting as she practiced with her chaleon tattoo.
Her movents were fluid, smooth, as she experinted with her appearance, elongating her limbs, then snapping them back, turning her skin different shades before returning to her usual form.
He chuckled as he watched. She was probably the one feeling bored the most. With the current plan, she couldn't venture out with the Odinsons anymore. Who knew when things would boil over and explode?
As for Red, she lounged on the couch, an old book in her lap. She flipped a page lazily, clearly half-distracted by Gen's constant movent. As Ezra caught her gaze, she smiled softly at him, her crimson hair falling over her shoulder like a cascade of flas.
Ezra smiled back briefly, but his attention returned to the coffee machine. He pulled out so coffee beans and dropped them into the grinder, watching as the machine humd to life, grinding the beans down to a fine dust.
The sound was oddly calming and a smaller but gentler smile settled on his face.
Drawn by the sound, Gen wandered over to the kitchen, her eyes fixed on the machine as she tilted her head. "What are you doing?"
Ezra glanced over at her, his gentle smile turning into a sly grin. "Trying to create the perfect blood coffee."
Gen's eyes lit up for a mont in curiosity, but then she frowned, her forehead creasing. "Isn't that kind of redundant? We don't really get tired, so what's the point? Blood wine gives us all the boost we need."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "It's not about that. I'm just curious. What would it taste like if I blended the most delicious vampire beverage with sothing as bitter as human coffee? I'm experinting."
"You're a weird one, Ezra." Gen's lips curled into a grin as she nodded in understanding. "But I like it."
At that mont, his phone dinged from the counter, pulling his attention away. He casually glanced at the screen and saw it was a text from Helena. He stared at it for a mont, but then dismissed it, placing the phone back down as if nothing had happened.
Gen noticed. She raised a brow, folding her arms as she leaned against the counter. "Was that Helena?"
Ezra paused, seeing that now Olivia's attention had shifted from her tablet toward them, even though she hadn't said anything yet. Red, for her part, seed uninterested, though Ezra knew she was listening. She always listened.
He sighed, nodding. "Yeah, it was."
"Why aren't you answering her?" Gen pressed, her curiosity piqued.
Ezra smirked, his tone light as he answered, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder. You know how it is. Sotis you have to play the ga. Make yourself scarce so that when you do show up, it's more valuable."
Gen rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. "You're playing with fire, Ezra."
"And I won't get burned." He shot back.
Olivia and Gen turned their attention back to what they were doing.
Just then, his phone buzzed again, and a mischievous smile covered Gen's face. "Let's see what our cute little Ez has been texting." She laughed as she swiped his phone off the counter, eager to make fun of the ssages between him and Helena.
But her grin disappeared almost imdiately. Her expression froze, her eyes going wide as she stared at the screen.
"What is it?" Ezra asked, stepping closer. He'd intended to collect his phone back but with the look on Gen's face, it must have not been a ssage from Helena.
Without a word, She turned the phone toward him, showing him the ssage. It wasn't from Helena.
It was from Ivo.
"Gear up. It's ti for the coup."
The casual atmosphere of the room evaporated in an instant. Ezra's jaw tightened as he read the words, the implications sinking in fast. Ivo's ssage was direct and to the point. There would be no more waiting.
Olivia glanced between the two of them, noticing the sudden shift in the room's energy. "What's going on?"
Ezra handed her the phone, his mind already on the next steps. Olivia's eyes scanned the ssage, her expression remaining calm, but the tension in her shoulders was undeniable.
Red finally sat up from the couch, closing her book with a snap. "What's happening?"
Ezra took a deep breath. "Ivo just sent the signal. The coup is about to start."
The room fell silent for a mont. It was as if Ezra's words had given the news more gravity. They all knew what was coming. War. Betrayal. And their delicate position in the middle of it all.
The tension disappeared as Gen snorted, breaking the silence with a grin. "Well, it's about ti. We've been waiting long enough."
Ezra nodded, turning to the won. "We expected this and nothing changed. We stick to the plan. We stay out of sight, pull everything we can from Westside now that the ti for subtlety is over, ditch everything that would drag us down and not get involved unless absolutely necessary. Understood?"
"Understood." The won answered.
He nodded. "Good. Let's begin."
As they began implenting their plan, Ezra's phone buzzed again. This ti, he didn't need to look to know it was probably Helena.
He ignored it again. There were bigger problems to deal with right now and a hoe ain't gonna be one of them.
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