"Mm." he muttered.

"I see." he said.

"I'm going to have to call someone on this." he told her.

"And you know WHO." he went on.

"Because this is going to require some VERY strong mana." he continued.

"And she has some of the strongest on the planet."

The man just nodded, and grabbed his phone. He called one of the numbers, and waited for a reply.

"You're probably busy, but whether or not you are, I need you in my study." he said when the woman he called answered.

"Preferably 5 minutes ago." he went on.

"I have a very interesting guest, with some equally interesting information." he continued.

"Well... interesting... troubling... alarming... all synonymous here." he then added.

"It shouldn't." he replied.

"You KNOW how powerful she is." he told her.

"And while she might not be enough with just you and I, she'll be needed." he reasoned.

".....this may not go well, though." he mumbled.

"Ugh, this is a mess." he then said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Damn it." he cursed.

Vincent just sighed deeply as Hollie and the woman had their exchange.

"I know, I know." he said.

"Trust me, I don't like this any more than you do." he told his sister.

"But it seems she has information that we want and need." he said.

"Specifically, about the future of humanity... or lack thereof, if we don't DO something."

Vincent nodded.

"It would seem that the worst has happened." he told Hollie.

"The unthinkable." he said further.

"The Order is compromised." he sighed.

"And we need to pull together some powerful resources to do this." he went on.

"Like HER." he said further, gesturing to the woman.

"...and how long do you intend to wear that?" he asked her, referring to the tattered Order robe.

"As far as I'm concerned, you wearing ANYTHING to do with The Order is a travesty." the man told her bluntly.

"But regardless, to actually infiltrate the Order, we'll need more mana than we currently have." he told Hollie.

"Quite frankly, we'll need some amount of Fyrane mana." he went on.

"And I don't think Rowena or Racquel will be quite willing to help, given the company we have." he reasoned further.

"We may need to enlist the help of her boys."

"Coyness is not becoming of you, Vanessa." the man responded.

"I think we ALL know the answer to that." he said.

"Hollie." he then addressed his sister.

"Am I sure it's a good idea? No. I'm not." he admitted.

"However, we need powerful mana, and quite frankly, those two have more level heads than Rowena, to say the very least." he said. "And Racquel... well... for all we know, this could be the shortcut to bypass that very long fuse she has, and we don't want THAT." he muttered.

"That being said, how can we be sure you won't suddenly assert control over them, or anyone else, and abscond with them?" he then asked Vanessa.

"......I suppose this speaks to how dire the situation is." her brother responded.

"But if that is acceptable for you, it is for me." he told her.

"And we should probably get moving quickly." he reasoned.

"There's no telling how far this corruption in the Order has gone already. We're on a tight clock, and we don't even know how much time is left." he said further.

"Hollie, if you can provide the... accessories... for Vanessa, then we can move out and enlist some more help."

He narrowed his eyes in response.

"You watch your mouth." he said.

"You always DID have a smart mouth on you." he told her.

"Never knew where you got it from, either." he went on.

"Certainly not your mother." he muttered.

He just crossed his arms over his chest.

"Your point is not relevant to the situation at hand." he said.

"YOU came to ME for help." he told her.

"And while you say you can just go elsewhere, you'll be hardpressed to find a group with the mana levels we can provide, as well as the knowledge about the Order we have." he went on.

"So hate me all you want, but try and keep your little comments to yourself." he said further.

"And we will extend the same courtesy to you."