Before Leo, Silver and Ham went looking for Fex, Quinn decided to add one more person to their team. The group couldn't get too large since others would notice their movement otherwise, but adding one more shouldn't be too much of a problem.
However, the problem was picking the right person. There weren't exactly many people who could match up to Leo and Silver. There was Paul, but he would also have to be in attendance at the ceremony.
In the end, Quinn chose Nate, as he was the one least afraid to go with them, yet the main reason was him having the shadow ability, allowing Quinn to come over quickly in case something went wrong.
They set off in the middle of the night with Ham taking the lead. It was always dark in the city, but there were certain times when even the vampires would turn off all the light crystals that lit up the walls and streets.
Not wanting to be seen, their group used this opportunity to disappear.
'Boneclaw, I hope you listen to what I told you.' Quinn silently prayed as he watched the group head off.
The next day, Quinn woke up earlier than usual. It was a good thing that he didn't need much sleep because throughout the night he had been extraordinarily worried about the others. It didn't help that he still had no idea what today's ceremony would entail.
The first thing he did was attempt to get in contact with the others. Luckily, Nate had immediately answered via the mask.
"Hey I was just checking up on you guys is everything going okay?" Quinn asked.
"I would love to say yes." Nate sulked. "But despite his earlier testimony that flying little bull can't remember the exact way he came from. We've been stuck going through the forest for a while now."
"Hey, I just don't remember this exact part! As soon as we see something that I'll recognise I'll be able to lead you the rest of the way." Ham could be heard yelling from the background.
It seems that Ham had been so incredibly tired on the last part of his journey, that he couldn't recall that part with great clarity.
'Perhaps them taking a little longer isn't such a bad thing. If we can get this ceremony over and done with I'll be able quickly follow them.' Quinn thought. 'Please endure a bit longer, Fex.'
According to Vincent it wouldn't be proper for Quinn to appear in his regular clothes, so he suggested for Quinn to fetch something from his old room.
Vincent guided him to his former quarters and it turned out that the former tenth family leader had occupied a room on the top floor, next to the room Edward used to stay in.
As he passed by Edward's room he briefly glanced inside, before continuing onward.
'We're doing this so things like this can stop happening.' Quinn reminded himself.
Entering the room he was surprised by how tidy it was.
'I didn't do this, I can only assume that Edward had tidied it up and left it this way.' Vincent theorised.
The room was large and it made the king size bed look small in comparison. However, the only thing Quinn was interested in was the walk-in wardrobe that was attached to the room. In there Quinn was introduced to a style of clothing… that made him feel sick.
'This is what you want me to wear? it all looks so… so lame.' Quinn judged the other's attire.
'You know during my time I never understood you people. I lived a very long time, and it allowed me to notice that what you humans or even some of us vampires refer to as fashion was always going around in circles. One day something was seemingly arbitrarily decided to no longer be cool, but a hundred years later it would suddenly be on trend again.'
'Clothes are just clothes. Besides, you need to wear something more formal and these ones perfectly fit the bill. You can't be wearing that military uniform from the ship all the time as if you're getting ready to go into battle."
Walking over towards the back of the walk in the wardrobe Quinn passed several clothes that were all quite similar. They were organised into sets with a dark colour on the outside, mostly black with a bright colour on the inside.
It took some time, but eventually Quinn spotted something that took his fancy.
'Will this do?' Quinn asked, pulling his choice off the railing.
Trying on the clothes Quinn thought back to something while he looked at himself in one of the many large mirrors in the room.
'Layla always said that a vampire should be dressed in red and black.' Quinn thought, as he was quite pleased with his new look.
The overcoat he was wearing was a tight fit. The front part of the coat was covered in black velvet and underneath there was a red shirt with a black collar with the top button tied up. The trousers were a perfect fit, going along with a nice pair of smart shoes.
In the past his long curly hair would have looked like a mismatch but with his new hair style he thought himself to appear quite handsome.
'It seems like after your evolution you have grown to be the perfect fit into my clothes.' Vincent agreed to his choice.
'Yeah, looks like you don't have completely bad taste, grandpa.'
'….'
'Never call me that again.' Vincent demanded dead serious.
'… Agreed.' Quinn replied.
It was meant to just be a joke about his taste in clothes, but the awkward fact remained that these two really were related and Vincent would be a few generations above his family.
Heading down to the reception room, Quinn could see that his two Vampire knights were waiting for him bright and early.
Paul, who was wearing the same military wear, and 'Leo', with a couple of swords around his waist.
"Well, I'm glad I don't have to wear that!" 'Leo' said.
Many would find 'Leo''s words to be out of character for him, or very odd, but that was because the one next to Paul was Peter in disguise.
The aim of the game was not to raise any suspicions, and Peter with his Transformation skill was the best fit for that. Quinn had also entertained the idea of having Peter replace himself, but Vincent had insisted that the ceremony had parts that only he would be able to fulfill, so there was no way around attending it.
Another idea had been to get Peter to disguise himself as Fex to see the reaction of the leaders. Perhaps he could hear a change in their heart beat, or something else and he would find out who was behind everything.
However, that plan had also been thrown out the window. There was a risk that whoever was responsible might mistake Peter for the real Fex, which might have dire consequences for the captured Fex.
They hadn't killed Fex so far, and they didn't want wherever the real Fex was to be put into more danger, or risk those who had captured him to start moving him based on Quinn's actions here.
Fake Leo pulled out the swords by his side which were some spares that Alex had made and started swinging them around. The movements weren't sloppy or slow, but just had a different sound when shining them compared to Real Leo.
"Maybe you should find something that's more your style." Quinn suggested.
"I have informed everyone in the castle that they have to attend the ceremony that starts at twelve. The earlier the better and Logan will be there to allow for communication if necessary." Paul informed him.
Quinn was still worried that with him and his Vampire knight gone, it would be the perfect chance for someone to attack the place, so he wanted everyone at the ceremony.
It was unlikely that the Bloodsucker would act in front of everyone, especially all the leaders.
So in a way it was actually safer for them to attend it than stay inside the castle.
Even if it did get attacked or destroyed, it didn't matter. The tenth family were his people and not the place.
"Alright, let's get going! I have a feeling we have a big day ahead of us." Quinn threw on his overcoat and walked down the centre with his two Vampire knights behind him.
******
