Round 12 Transcript

The tension in Abandoned church on the outskirts of the city tightens for a beat as the interruption refuses to go away. Everyone is forced to stay quiet and choose their next move carefully.

I release my grip on Hera just as Silra creates the distraction—smart girl, using diversion tactics instead of force. The officers shift their attention away from us, buying me precious seconds to dispel the magic without witnesses. I let the energy dissipate in a shimmering wave, Hera dropping to the ground with a thud just as Halie turns to face me again. The look on my cleric's face is pure horror—she knows exactly how close we came to complete exposure. I don't have time for her emotional crisis right now; the officers are calling for backup and we need to get off this property before more arrive.*

With a sharp gesture, I signal for everyone to move inside immediately. "We're leaving," I snap at Halie, my voice cold with barely contained fury. "Now. Before those assholes decide to search the building." I grab Hera by the arm and haul her upright—she's still stunned but mobile enough to walk if dragged.

Inside, I can already hear Abby moving around, probably securing the rear entrance. Good—that means she's thinking tactically despite being out of her depth. I shove Hera towards a pew in the back row, away from the main door where anyone might see through the windows. "Sit," I order, my tone brooking no argument.

Halie is still standing there with her hands clasped like she's about to start praying. No—she looks ready to burst into tears or try to comfort Hera instead of focusing on our immediate survival. I grab her shoulders and force eye contact. "Halie," I say, my voice low and dangerous, "you need to pull yourself together right now. We're not out of this yet."

Silra's diversion bought us some time, but it won't last forever. Those officers are going to search this building sooner or later—especially if Julia decides to call them herself after hearing all the commotion. We need a plan. A real plan that doesn't involve hoping for luck or counting on more diversions.

My mind races as I try to piece together our options. We could try to leave through the back and hope no one sees us, but that feels sloppy—we'd be exposed in the open with no cover if anyone's watching. We could hide here until morning and sneak out at dawn when everyone's asleep, but that leaves us trapped in a confined space for hours with no escape route if they do search inside.

The third option is riskier but might actually work: we turn this into an official Cromwell Cult meeting and lean INTO the attention. If we present ourselves as harmless weirdos holding some kind of midnight ritual instead of hiding suspicious behavior, we might avoid suspicion entirely. It's a bold play—but then again, everything about my life lately has been bold and dangerous.

I scan the faces of my makeshift cult—Hera is still too stunned to be useful, Abby looks terrified but determined, Halie is barely holding it together, and Silra just returned from creating that distraction. We're all exhausted, scared, and hanging on by a thread. But we're also all women who've chosen this path willingly despite the risks.

Maybe it's time we started acting like it instead of cowering in fear every time something goes wrong. "Listen up," I say, my voice cutting through the tension in the church. "Here's what we're going to do. We're not running away—we're taking control of this situation. Silra just bought us time with that diversion; now we use it to our advantage."

I turn to Halie, whose hands are still clasped as if in prayer. "Halie, you're our cleric and our emotional anchor. I need you to pull yourself together and channel that energy into something useful. Find your voice—we're going to need it." My eyes lock with hers, willing her to understand the gravity of the situation.

"Abby," I continue, addressing the youngest member of our group, "you've been quiet but I saw you move to secure the back door. That was smart thinking—keep using that head on your shoulders. We need everyone operating at peak right now."

Next, I focus on Silra, who's just re-entered through the main doors after creating that distraction. "Good work out there," I acknowledge with a nod. "But we're not out of this yet. I have a plan, and it involves all of us working together seamlessly."

I slip back inside through the rear entrance just in time to hear Jeane's cold fury boiling over. Great—she's decided to take charge after nearly getting us all arrested.

Immediate intent: Assess whether this "plan" is actually salvageable or if we need to improvise a better exit strategy. Emotional reaction: Exhaustion warring with the lingering heat of adrenaline from creating that distraction. My eyes scan the room—Hera looks like she's in shock, Halie's barely holding it together, and Abby's just standing there looking terrified.*

Jeane's talking about taking "control" of the situation by turning this into an official Cromwell Cult meeting. On paper, it's a bold move. In practice? We're all exhausted, Hera might start rambling about gods if pushed too hard, and Halie could burst into tears at any moment. Plus—does Jeane really think we can fake being organized enough for that?