The next morning on November 2nd, Lincoln, Stella, and Ronnie Anne were cleared to leave the hospital.
"We can go home, right?" Lincoln asked his mother.
"We can, I have enough to pay for transportation back. But while we're here, maybe we should show you Grimswood so you three can see it for yourselves."
Lincoln, Stella, and Ronnie Anne stared at each other, not saying a word. Then Lincoln looked back at his mother.
"We might as well."
They put on their sunglasses again and went outside. They immediately regretted that.
"Agh! It's too bright!"
All three rushed to some shade under a tree, enjoying it immensely. Once their eyes adjusted, Lincoln stuck out his hand, feeling the sunlight.
"I'm not burning." He noted, then stepped out. Right away his eyes stung, forcing him to retract. "But it's too bright to be out there."
"We told you, until you turn 18 you can still be out in the sun. It just won't be the most comfortable thing in the world for you, but it will be survivable." Lucy pointed out.
"But how are you going to explain this to our families?" Ronnie Anne asked. "I mean, you don't actually think you can just go up to my relatives and tell them 'Guess what? Ronnie Anne got bitten by a vampire and now has to go to monster school'?"
Stella nodded. "Yeah, what are you going to do to prove it? And what if they refuse to let us go even if they do believe you?"
"We just have to tell them that it's either this or death. I know they won't like it, but I'm pretty sure neither of your families want us to die." Rita stated.
"It's not them wanting us to die. It's about them… accepting the situation. I mean, I saw the same thing you two did and I still can't believe it. I can't imagine how my aunts and uncles will…" Stella remarked, only to trail off.
Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "Why would they have any say over this?"
Stella just looked away from him.
"Stella, why would they have any say over what happens to you?" Lincoln repeated, more concerned.
"I plead the fifth." She stated, still refusing to look at him.
For a moment, no one said anything.
"Let's not worry about that. The three of you must be starving, so let's get you some food." Rita told them.
As if triggered, all three of their stomachs growled. They winced too, as if in pain.
"I know a place where you can get food you can eat, but I have to warn you that you're not going to be happy."
And so the group walked away from the hospital and into the town that Rita referred to as Haven. For the most part, it looked like an ordinary New England kind of town. Most of the buildings were old-fashioned with the occasional newly constructed one here and there. But the buildings all had a uniquely gothic look to them. Like many of them were inspired by castles or European cathedrals, just scaled down and shaped to look more like houses or mansions. Many of them were made out of stone and many were made out of wood. Most of the glass windows were colored, some of them even stained mosaics. Even the Krispy Kreme was designed this way.
"This looks like the kind of town Lucy would build in the Sims." Lincoln noted.
"No, there's not enough black." Lucy commented, making Stella giggle.
Out on the street walked by a woman walking a dog who waved to them. They waved back, seeing that this woman had four arms.
"Here we are." Rita said, bringing them to a staircase that went to what looked like a cafe in the basement level of the building it was in. Oddly, the ground level building housed what looked like another cafe, one that looked perfectly normal, albeit gothic in design. The sign above the door for the ground level one said 'Boo Brew', and the sign above the door for the basement level read 'Slop Shop'.
"The lower one has food and drink more for your tastes now. Avoid the upper one if you can."
They went down the stairs and fortunately the Slop Shop was open so they went in. Inside they saw a red-skinned man… or goblin… it was hard to tell, wiping the counters with a washcloth.
"Oh, good morning." He greeted, a slightly notable Asian accent being heard. "What would you like?"
"Do you have a breakfast menu?" Rita asked.
"Oh, yes. What would you like?"
"Could I get three of your simple breakfast platters and drinks?"
Lincoln looked to his mother. 'Just three? Aren't she and Lucy going to eat?'
The red goblin rang them up. "That'll be 8 kidnas."
Rita sighed in relief and then pulled out of her purse some money that Lincoln had never seen before. The paper was black with white ink and had symbols he was unfamiliar with on them. She handed it to the goblin who took it and gave two bills back as change before heading to the back.
Rita guided them to the table and showed them the money. "Here's a little lesson for you three. This currency is called a kidna, and as you probably guessed it's the money of the Nevermore community. At least, the American Nevermore community. I think they use doubloons in Europe and Bermuda."
"What's this writing mean?" Ronnie Anne asked, checking it. The design on the bill showed a snake eating its own tail where you'd expect to see a president.
"That's Theban, also known as the witches' alphabet. This simply tells you that this is worth one kidna. Oh, in case you're wondering, one kidna is worth roughly $100."
"This is a $100?" Ronnie Anne and Stella asked.
"Hold on, you mean this breakfast you just ordered costs $800?" Lincoln added, making the girls gulp.
"Things in the Nevermore community are very expensive compared to the human ones. Supply and demand, there's not much in terms of supply, and demand is always in flux. Which is why most Nevermores prefer to hide as humans if they can get away with it. This town, Haven, is one of the only pure Nevermore cities on the whole planet."
"That's why there's a shortage for our medicine, isn't there?" Stella asked.
Rita nodded. "Too many people need it, and not enough are making it. But at Grimswood, Lucy can ensure you'll get all the medicine you three will ever need."
Lincoln was about to speak, but then he sniffed something that caught his attention. "Do you smell that?"
The girls sniffed the air. "Yeah, I don't know what it is, but it smells delicious."
A few seconds later the door to the kitchen opened and out walked the red goblin carrying a tray with three plates on it. The three teens were feeling very eager to finally eat something they could enjoy. Until the tray was set down, that is.
On each plate there were dirty waffles, moldy scrambled eggs, rotten apple slices, stale bread, and bacon that didn't look like it came from any animal you'd want to eat. The tray contained some syrup, and right now that looked the most normal, probably because it was still in its container.
"Just a moment with those drinks." The red goblin said before leaving.
"What is this?" Ronnie Anne said, disgusted. What made it even worse was that it still smelled so good to her.
"This is dhampir food." Lucy told her.
"You're not serious, are you?" Stella asked.
Lucy nodded. "Vampires, and dhampirs too, they don't actually drink blood. They use that for magic, it's like their version of a wand. What they do eat and drink for food, is this. Vampires are Nevermores that eat trash."
Rita nodded too. "Sorry, but vampires actually have more in common with rats than with bats. At least when it comes to their diet."
Reaching down, Lincoln grasped a piece of toast and held it up. It was stale, probably made yesterday yet went uneaten, but it smelled bakery fresh to him.
"This is a joke, right?" He asked.
Lucy glared at him. "Am I the joking type? And do you think Mom would spend $800 on a joke?"
"How do we even know this is real money?" Ronnie Anne asked.
Unable to argue with his sister, and starved to the point where he'd eat something given to him by Luan, Lincoln couldn't stop himself from sinking his teeth into the toast.
Ronnie Anne and Stella were wide-eyed at this sight. That didn't stop when he scarfed down the rest of the slice.
"Oh wow, I really needed that. It tasted so much better than what they gave us at the hospital."
"But it's trash." Stella claimed, picking up an apple slice that had gone brown. "No one in their right mind would… want to… eat…"
The smell drove her to desperation, and she couldn't stop herself from sampling one little bite.
"So sweet." She moaned in joy, smiling blissfully. Then she gave into her hunger and ate the rest.
"You guys can't be…" Ronnie Anne argued, only for Lincoln to hold up the bacon from his plate to her face. Right now nothing had ever looked or smelled more appetizing to her, but she resisted.
"It's still garbage. How can you two be hungry for-?" She protested before the white-haired boy shoved it in her mouth. Her teeth went down on it and took a bite, and she couldn't resist the desire to chew and swallow. It tasted so much better than it had any right to, and in no time she devoured the entire thing.
"What's wrong with us?" Stella asked, going for the eggs.
"Nothing, this is what vampires actually eat." Lucy repeated.
"Why do people like vampires if this is what they're actually like?" Stella asked.
"You tell me, you were dating one." Ronnie Anne remarked, earning her a dirty glare.
Lincoln went for the syrup and opened it before sniffing. It wasn't maple, but he poured it on the waffles. It looked normal, and it tasted delicious when he sampled it.
"What kind of… you know what? I think I don't want to know."
The red goblin came out with three glasses of milk that looked like it had gone bad. This time they didn't bother hesitating, the three drank it and it tasted sweet to them. They feasted until their stomachs finally settled.
"I know I should be grossed out, but I feel too relieved to." Ronnie Anne claimed, leaning back in her chair.
"Same here. I'm actually hoping there's good trash at home I can have for dinner. Ugh, what is wrong with me?" Stella noted.
"You can't let your family see you like this. Not unless you intend to tell them everything." Rita reminded the teen girl.
"But I can't spend a year pretending I like normal food I can no longer taste while eating garbage behind everyone's backs."
"Then Grimswood really is the best choice for you. Which means you're going to need to convince your parents to let you stay here."
Stella slumped in her chair, looking like she couldn't see any way this could go well for her.
"Can we see this school ourselves?" Lincoln asked.
"Of course. As soon as you're ready."
"I think we're good." Ronnie Anne said.
They finished their last bites and then got ready to leave. The red goblin said goodbye to them and they walked out, stopping to let a rat person and raccoon person go into the cafe for their own orders.
"How many mon… I mean, Nevermores, eat garbage?" Lincoln asked.
"Enough to warrant a business for it." Lucy replied, not having a more specific number to give.
They walked down the street, passing more buildings and shops, allowing them to feel a little more comfortable but still out of place. It was like going somewhere for vacation, it wasn't alien to them but it still wasn't home.
"Here we are." Rita said, coming to a stop before a building.
This place at first glance looked like a normal American high school. A big one, with more than one building on the grounds, and of course gothic in design. It even had a clock tower. The ground around it looked completely normal too, with a well kept lawn and hedges decorating the outside. There was a parking lot too, filled with cars.
"Hold on, today's Monday right?" Stella asked.
"Oh, right. There will be people here." Ronnie Anne added.
"It's not like we can wait for the weekend." Lucy pointed out.
"She's right." Lincoln agreed.
Rita led them inside the main building. Class seemed to be in session, so the hallways were empty. She brought them to what looked like the main office, where they were greeted by a dark blue-skinned man with purple hair and what looked like horns. He wore a suit and typed on a computer.
"Hello, do you have any business." He asked.
"I have an appointment with the headmistress."
The horned man checked some files. "Oh yes, you must be Miss Loud. She should be expecting you."
He then called up someone on an office phone, and after a few moments he hung up and gave a nod. Rita thanked him and they went to another office. Inside they saw an African American woman with puffy purple and pink hair, wearing a violet suit with blue trim at the collar and black pants with violet boots. Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Stella went wide-eyed when they saw that her head was on the desk but her body was standing in front of it.
"Hello, you must be the Louds. I've been expecting you." She said as she picked up her head and held it like it was a cat in her arms.
"Thank you for seeing us." Rita said with a polite bow.
"Don't stare, it's rude." Lucy whispered to the others.
"Hello children, my name is Debra Bloodgood, I'm the headmistress of Grimswood Academy for the Dark. I hear that the three of you have recently become dhampirs, am I right?"
The aforementioned three just nodded, not trusting themselves to speak right now.
"That is a shame. I wish vampires were more responsible. But I suppose it's to be expected."
"Do you have the cure?" Stella asked.
"You mean a way to make you human again? Sorry, that is beyond us. But we do have programs to supply medical potions to students that can't get them other ways. Not to mention we have an excellent potion making course here and the dhampir treatment is one we can teach. So rest assured, as long as you know how to pay attention and avoid getting expelled, we can at least make sure you'll get to stay alive."
"Wait, this treatment is easy enough that a school can make a working version, but there aren't enough available for hospitals to give us?" Ronnie Anne asked, not seeing how that worked.
"It's like we told you. Hospitals don't manufacture their own medicine, and they only get what they need. Most people don't become dhampirs so they don't stock up on it in advance, and those that already are dhampir usually get it in advance so the moment any hospital or shop has it, any dhampir in the area likely already knows and is out to get more." Rita explained.
"If you were diabetic, and you knew there was only one reliable source of insulin and that source only had any to sell once or twice a year, wouldn't you stock up on as much as you as fast as you could before another diabetic beat you to it?" Lucy summarized.
Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Stella looked at each other, seeing how the gothic girl was making sense. It was morbid and disturbing, but it did make sense.
"I've called for one of the teachers to show you around. She should be here any-" Bloodgood said, stopped by a knocking on her door. "-moment. Come in."
The door opened and in walked a woman who looked normal. She had short messy black hair covered by a red bandanna and some blue makeup above her eyes. She wore a pink dress and red shoes along with a red shawl attached to her collar.
"Thanks for coming Miss Grimwood. Could you give these potential students a tour of our grounds?" Bloodgood asked.
"Certainly. I know just where to start." The newcomer said. "Come with me children."
"Wait, is your name Grimswood? Like this place?" Lincoln asked.
"Close, my name is Grimwood but the school is Grimswood."
"But does that mean you own this school?"
She shook her head. "My family does, but I personally prefer to be a teacher rather than work in administration."
Miss Grimwood guided them to go along, so they did. Out in the hall, they now got a good look at it. It looked like the stereotypical mansion entry hall with two staircases on either side of the massive room. There was a clock on the second floor and a checker pattern floor. A few lanterns were on the walls, but they looked electronic and fluorescent as opposed to actual lanterns.
"The main offices and auditorium are down here on the ground floor. Classes are on the second, at least in this building." Miss Grimwood explained.
"This place looks less creepy than I was expecting." Stella noted.
"Oh yes, we've taken a lot of inspiration from human architecture and incorporated some of your better ideas. Like electricity, indoor plumbing, wifi, and jeans."
"Really? You consider jeans to be a great invention?" Lincoln asked.
"Do you have a school uniform?" Lucy asked as well.
Miss Grimwood shook her no. "No, our students find those too restricting. There's enough accommodations needed already, letting them have control over what they wear feels like a small way to make them feel more comfortable."
The tour went upstairs and Miss Grimwood went left.
"Are those coffins?" Ronnie Anne asked, seeing coffins align the hallway walls.
"No, those are student lockers. But yes, they are intentionally designed to resemble coffins."
"Why?"
Miss Grimwood shrugged. "Artistic flair? Honestly I forget the real reason."
She then came up to a classroom and walked inside. There were students in there who looked like they had been waiting for her.
"Students, we have some potential newcomers here wanting to give our school a look around. I think it would be best for them if one or two of you could show them around. Do I have any volunteers?"
A few hands went up, so the teacher looked them over.
"Okay, Sibella, and Phantasma, you two."
All hands went down and two girls stood up. One looked normal, though she had long lilac hair and wore a purple shoulderless dress with a red sash at her waist and a ruby necklace. The other girl had white hair with a blue streak, not unlike Sam Sharp, and she wore an azure shirt with short denim shorts that exposed all of her legs. What stood out the most about the second girl was that she was clearly, undeniably, a ghost.
"Thank you, you two. Be good to our guests." Miss Grimwood said, then looked to the Louds. "They'll take it from here."
"Thank you." Rita replied.
Everyone left the room, with the new girls looking over the others curiously.
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Sibella Dracula." The purple-haired girl greeted.
"Wait, you mean the Dracula?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes, he's my father."
"You're a vampire?" Stella asked.
"Well she's sure not a kraken." The ghost girl said then laughed. "Hi, I'm Phantasma Garnier, and no one has more school spirit than me."
"Because you're a spirit?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Ah, the joke's not funny if you explain it." Phantasma pouted.
"Pardon my friend, she just can't resist the opportunity to tell a joke." Sibella claimed.
"It's okay, I've got a sister who's the same." Lincoln clarified.
Sibella blinked then leaned in closer to the white-haired boy, sniffing a little. Then she did the same to Ronnie Anne and Stella. "Oh dear, you're all dhampirs. When were you turned?"
"Uhh… a few days ago."
"That soon? All three of you? How unfortunate. I'm sorry that one of my own did this to you."
"Let's continue the tour please." Rita asked.
"Alright, let's show you around."
They continued to walk around, doing a loop around the second floor. They were told the third floor had more classes, but they didn't bother going up there. So they went outside.
"Here is the field, where most gym classes and sporting events take place." Sibella explained when they got to the field.
"What sports do mon- I mean, Nevermores play?" Ronnie Anne asked, feeling like something here was more her element.
"Most of the same ones Normals do."
"Hey look!" Stella called out, pointing down the field. Everyone turned and saw a group of students by what looked like a pool.
"Oh, some students must be swimming for gym today." Phantasma stated.
"Want to go over and say hi?" Sibella offered.
"Are any of them wearing revealing swimsuits?" Ronnie Anne asked, eyeing Lincoln.
"No, the school mandates one-pieces for women."
"Then sure."
They got up to the pool and saw a couple of girls lounging, but they were definitely not wearing school appropriate swimsuits. There was a mummy girl wearing a teal bikini over her bandages laying on a pool chair like she was tanning, and there was a blue fish girl with long blonde hair wrestling a purple octopus girl. But both the fish and octopus girl were completely naked, marine tits completely visible for anyone to see.
"What the hell?!" Ronnie Anne and Stella shouted, both immediately covering Lincoln's eyes.
The shouting caught the girl's attention and the two aquatic ones dove underwater while the mummy girl sat up.
"What's wrong? We have the right to be here." The mummy said, walking over to the fence. Up close they could see that she didn't look like an undead person. Her tan skin looked normal, what was exposed that is. Bandages were covering her arms, legs, and across her nose, but not her stomach, neck, hands, or feet; they looked more like part of her skin than clothing to her. Even her hair was lush and vibrant, chestnut brown, with gold bandages going through it like streamers.
"Sorry Cleo, I guess they weren't expected to see topless girls." Sibella apologized.
"Talk about a booby trap. Double barreled too." Phantasma joked, laughing.
"This doesn't look like gym class." Rita claimed.
"We have a free period, so we thought we'd have some down time. My friends like the water and my bandages could stand to get a little sun." The mummy replied.
"Why are you covering that boy's eyes?" The octopus girl asked, going over the edge of the pool. "We're not showing anything inappropriate."
"You're topless!" Ronnie Anne and Stella said together.
The octopus girl and the fish girl both held up their breasts. "So? Neither one of us have nipples."
The two human girls got a good look and saw the aquatic monster girls were right. While they did have boobs, they lacked nipples or areolas. Which made the presence of breasts odd, but not exactly sexual. As a result, they removed their hands from his eyes.
"Hey there mister." The mummy said, batting her eyes in a flirty way.
"Uh, hi." He greeted back just to be polite.
A door opened by what looked like a changing room and out came another girl. She looked like a normal human, black hair with a purple streak, pink eyes with pink mascara and purple lipstick, and pointy ears that had heart earrings. At the moment she was wearing a black bikini with a skirt bottom that had pink bat emblems on it. At the moment she was struggling to open something.
"Oh hi Laura." Sibella called.
The new girl looked up and smiled. "Oh, hi Sibella. Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"Showing some new students around." She looked to the Louds. "This is Laura, my older sister."
"Can one of you help me open this? The lid is too stubborn." Laura requested, holding out what looked like a jar.
"Lucky for you they brought a big strong man with them." The mummy girl said, pointing her thumb at Lincoln.
Lincoln felt very on the spot, especially when all eyes were on him.
"You know, this would be a good chance to see if your strength has enhanced." Lucy claimed.
"Shouldn't she be strong too?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"It's okay, I've been asked to open jars before, even for Lynn. Not that she'll ever admit it."
Lincoln walked away from the group and got inside the pool area. Laura came towards him, standing by one of the pool chairs. He came up to her and took the jar.
"What's in this by the way?"
"Oh, just some sunscreen made for my kind."
Lincoln pulled on the lid and to his surprise it came off more easily than he had expected. As a result, he accidentally dropped it, spilling the contents over Laura's legs and the ground beneath her. Startled, Laura stepped back and slipped on the slimy ointment, making her fall backwards. The pool chair made it impossible for her to stop herself, so she fumbled over it and began to fall backwards into the pool.
Lincoln naturally extended his hands to catch her, grabbing her own. He tugged, and thankfully he stopped her from falling over and instead pulled her to him. Once close, she latched onto him and he held her to keep her from falling over again, while carefully moving her away from the spill.
"Whoa, thank you." She said, blushing because of how close she was to him.
Ronnie Anne and Stella both felt more than a little bothered by this girl and so both came up beside the white-haired boy.
"She's fine, Lame-o."
"You can let go of her now."
Lincoln did as told and released Laura, who took a towel from Cleo and started to wipe her legs.
"Not bad, tough guy." The fish girl said, swimming up to the edge of the pool close to them.
"Good thing you were faster than we were. And we're in the water." The octopus girl added.
"I was just lucky." He said, modestly.
'Didn't have to be that lucky.' Ronnie Anne and Stella thought.
The fish girl and octopus girl got out of the water, showing they had no bottoms on either.
"Hi, I'm Lagoona Blue."
"And I'm Ruby Gillman. Are you going to be around more?"
"That's what we're looking into for my son and his friends." Rita said in a tone that was telling these girls to not get too friendly right now.
"We should probably get back to the tour, Sibella." Phantasma said, elbowing her classmate.
"Yes, we should. Be more careful next time Laura. You wouldn't want Dad or Mavis to have to take you back home, would you?"
"Dad's not going to do that and you know it." Laura commented.
Sibella turned to walk away with Phantasma following. Rita and Lucy did too, and so did Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Stella. The four girls at the pool remained there and called out their goodbyes, notably saying more to Lincoln than the others. Ronnie Anne and Stella each held onto one of his arms, their fingers digging into him as they did so.
He wisely chose to suffer in silence rather than call attention to it.
In an office in the school, Headmistress Bloodgood was seated at a table before several other adults who helped run the school with her. Her head was on the table while her body sat in a chair.
"Thank you all for coming. I've called this meeting to discuss an opportunity we've been given. We have a chance to have another witch here."
"Oh that's a relief. These days so many witches are choosing the Normal lifestyle and education." A strange black devilish creature with green eyes said happily. This was Martin Nergal, one of the teachers at Grimswood but not one of the popular ones.
"Wait, will this be a teacher or a student?" Another strange creature, this one four-legged but not resembling anything specific, asked. This was Gregg Gromble, one of the disciplinary enforcers and another teacher too. He too was not popular, but he was obeyed by the students.
"A student." Bloodgood clarified. "They are young but still fit all qualifications for enrollment, but she comes with strings attached. Her brother and two of his friends were just turned into dhampirs, so she will not even consider attending unless we can promise that we can provide them with enough Chirophtarma for all three."
"That doesn't seem too bad." A Japanese woman who looked like a normal, albeit unassuming, human being said. But she was indeed a Nevermore, and her name was Sakie Satou.
"It doesn't? You do realize that Chirophtarma has a restricted supply, don't you? And the ingredients aren't easy to get or brew here. How are we going to meet this demand?" Gromble objected.
"Are you saying we can't do it?" Nergal asked.
"No, but is it worth it? I mean, they're just dhampirs." Gromble claimed.
Bloodgood slammed a hand on the table, though it did make her head rattle a little. "Dhampirs are Nevermores too! And in case you forget, nobody asks to be made into a dhampir! They are the victims of a reckless vampire whose carelessness threatens to expose us all to the rest of the world!"
"Then shouldn't we just silence them? Put them out of their misery?" Gromble suggested.
"Oh, swell. And piss off the witch who considers one of those dhampirs to be her brother? And the other witch who is the mother of them both?" Bloodgood mocked.
"Right. One vengeful witch is bad enough, but two? I wouldn't dare risk that." Satou stated.
"Don't be such a coward. You have no idea if these witches are actually dangerous at all." Gromble remarked.
"Mister, do you know the NTL?" Bloodgood asked.
"The Nevermore Threat Level system? Of course." Gromble replied.
"Tell me, what level are Witches officially listed as?" Bloodgood asked.
"...Extreme."
"And what is your threat level?" Bloodgood added.
"...Low." Gromble answered.
"So, if you want to tell two witches that you're willing to let three dhampirs die because you don't consider them worth the cost of buying some potion, while also asking the younger witch to attend school here anyway, what are your odds of walking away from a fight the winner?" Bloodgood finished.
There was no response.
"While we are on this subject, what about the budget? Will this realistically be feasible?" Nergal asked.
"Not immediately, not without some cutbacks that our sponsors would not appreciate hearing about. But from what I've calculated, after Christmas there will be plenty in the budget that we can either spring for three doses of Chirophtarma to be shipped to us directly, or we can buy the ingredients and make brewing the potion a school project. We'd have to partner with some professionals to ensure quality, but if it worked not only could we save three innocent victims, but we'd have enough leftover to earn some extra good will for the school by helping other dhampirs in need." Bloodgood claimed.
"People do enjoy hearing about students doing community projects." Satou noted.
"But what happens if it doesn't work? Say we agree to the witches' terms but fail to live up to our end through no fault of our own? Will they be understanding?" Gromble asked.
"What are you saying?" Bloodgood asked, sounding like she was feeling threatened.
"I'm saying that a lot can happen in a year. We cannot guarantee the outcome they are asking for. Even if we try our hardest, accidents can happen. Will these witches be out for blood if anything happens? Regardless of who is responsible?"
"Look, we need a witch here in Haven and right now as far as I'm aware we only have one. Am I wrong?" Bloodgood asked, and there was no answer. "So we have the opportunity to get a new one here, for a few years if nothing else, and all she's asking is for a supply of Chirophtarma for three people. If you ask me, this is not unreasonable. We should not be fixated on what could go wrong here. The odds of a specific accident are minimal compared to the odds of active sabotage, so frankly if anything does happen to prevent us from treating three dhampirs, I'd say whoever is responsible would deserve to have someone out for their blood."
"Sounds about right to me." Satou nodded.
"So… I guess we just need to be careful. Maybe order more than the bare minimum just to be safe." Gromble suggested.
"Alright, sounds like a plan. All we need is for them to agree to attend here." Bloodgood said, smiling.