As the three gargoyles approached the doors, a pair of men in suits hurried forward to open the door for them. The closer they got, the more nervous the men appeared.
Nayeli hurried her steps just enough to reach the men first.
"Thank you," Nayeli said, giving the men a smile as she walked through the doors, and making the men visibly relax with the simple actions.
They stiffened a little as the males came through, but not as much as before, so Nayeli considered that a victory.
"This way, please," One man said, leading the way.
The three gargoyles turned to follow, but Goliath was very aware of how the second man moved into position behind the group.
Goliath caught Brooklyn's gaze, and in the non-verbal interaction of those who have worked as a team for many years, Goliath dropped back as Brooklyn moved forward, effectively putting Nayeli in the center and making her the most protected of the three.
Nayeli blinked in surprise as Brooklyn all but blocked her path, forcing her to slow, then looked to find her father behind her.
She sighed. It was their nature so, of course, their instincts would be to close her in.
She could practically feel their muscles tense and their chests puff out as they went into full-on protection mode.
She didn't say anything. What could she say? She'd been protected like this since the day she'd been born, it felt like.
She was "special".
She heaved a frustrated sigh in her mind. A loooong, windy one worthy of an Oscar, and began making a mental list to complain to her friends about later. Sure, she was young, but they were forever treating her like a helpless fledgling.
The man leading the group turned down a long hallway and pointed. "Down the hall that way there are offices," He said, sounding like a tour guide. "The only exit is through the doors that you came through to enter. The doors automatically locked behind us, as there's not as many of the usual security staff on overnight. Because of the… delicate nature of the meeting tonight, I was asked to keep it casual and quiet. Part of that was not having a hundred armed men running around."
"There are a few around," the man behind them said, hurrying to add his two cents. "But they'll be in the main areas with all of you."
The man led the group to a large set of double doors. "This is the meeting hall," he said, swiping a badge over a computerized sensor and the panel lit up bright green in the semi-darkness. "You can get out just fine, but to get in," he held his key card up from where it dangled on an official looking lanyard, "you need a key. You're as safe here as we could make it."
They were trying to reassure the gargoyles, Nayeli thought with surprise. Imagine that.
The man from behind hurried forward, and the two men pushed open the doors with a whoosh of the changing pressure between the hallway and the room beyond.
Only the barest moment later, the sound hit Nayeli's ears.
Voices. A LOT of voices. Some speaking English, but some in languages that were foreign to her.
Still flanked front and rear by Brooklyn and Goliath, she walked into the meeting room of the general assembly.
She had used the internet to look up pictures so she would be as prepared as she could be, but she still found herself looking around the giant room as if she'd never been outside of the castle. Ever.
She ran a hand over her face to make sure she wasn't standing there slack-jawed like an idiot.
She felt her father's hand come down on her shoulder and give her a slight squeeze. Whether it had been meant for comfort, support, or to remind her to keep walking, she wasn't sure.
She finally convinced her feet to move as her gaze swept from side to side, taking in as much as she could. Rows and rows of people, more than what the room could possible hold comfortably, filled the large room. Small colorful flags here held aloft by thin black sticks in front of the people, signifying their countries of origin, its tall ceilings allowing the various sounds and cadences of the voices to reverberate in the open spaces.
Brooklyn and Goliath didn't halt their forward progress, forcing Nayeli to keep pace with them as they approached a single raised platform at the front that held a large solid desk, a kind looking older man and a pair of women who looked to be taking notes.
The older man looked up and even from their distance, Nayeli saw the man's eyebrows jerk upward in surprise. He hurried to sit behind the desk and raised a gavel in his hand. He brought it down with a solid thunk that was so sharp in the room, Nayeli jumped.
"I see that our guests have arrived," he said, his deep voice magnified by the silver and black microphone in front of him. "Please take your seats, and we will call this meeting to order."
There was a flurry of activity as people hurried to their positions, conversation slowly dying off until it was almost uncomfortably quiet in the room.
Nayeli watched the humans find their seats, many of them putting headphones on and Nayeli wondered what they were listening to.
There was a rustling as the man with the microphone gathered his papers together, calling Nayeli's attention to be pulled forward once more.
"I call this meeting to order," the man said, before rambling off a lot of information very quickly. Things like the date, the time, how many people were in attendance. "Now," he said, looking up to the trio of gargoyles there, "Before we begin, I would like to thank you for taking the time to come and speak with us."
"It is an honor," Goliath said with a slight bow. "I am Goliath," he said in way of introduction, then pointed at the other two others. "This is Brooklyn and Nayeli."
"It is nice to meet you all," the man said. "I am Chairman Burnsides, and I will be presiding over this assembly. Have you been briefed on what topics will be discussed this evening?"
"We have," Goliath said slowly.
"Good, then," the man said. "For the record, I will run through a brief summary of the proposals made, then we will open the floor for questions and give you the opportunity to answer if you so choose."
The three gargoyles nodded their heads in understanding.
Chairman Burnsides read through the proposal, similar to the informational papers that the clan had been given. Once that had been completed, Chairman Burnsides looked around the room. "Now, I know that you are all anxious to ask your questions, but please have patience. I realize that time is precious for the gargoyles, but please remember that they are our guests and they have taken their own time out to be here tonight. Now, if you're up for it," he said to Goliath, "would you mind if we open the floor to questions?"
"We are ready to answer any questions that you have," Goliath said.
There was such a sudden swell of voices that Nayeli almost covered her ears.