“By teasing a bunch of animals. Please, why would we bother?”
“Animals!”
Griffen stood up.
“Gentleman, please! Mr. Kane, there is nothing that says Lowell or anyone else sent this… cake. Besides, it was obviously just someone’s idea of a joke, nothing to get this upset over.”
“How would you feel if I sent you a set of gator-skin bags?”
Griffen stopped to think about that one.
“Would you include a nice card?” he said innocently.
Kane stared at him, then broke out laughing. He thumped the table hard enough the cake jumped.
“Oh, dragon boy has sense of humor, yes indeed. I may likes you after all.”
“Well, I’m glad that’s settled,” Lowell said.
He reached for his water glass and took a sip, only to spray it over the table in an ugly spit take. Kane started laughing harder, only to be joined by the changelings. Nyx, who had messed with the contents of Griffen’s drink when they first met, said through her laughter, “What’s the matter? Can’t handle your holy water?”
Most of the table was laughing now, and though it was at Lowell’s expense, the tense mood had broken. Lowell even managed a weak smile as he grabbed up a napkin and wiped his mouth.
“Not an allegory this time?” Griffen said.
“Oh, it is. It is. But the minx changed my water to vinegar!” Lowell said.
That set off another round of laughter. All and all, Griffen figured the first meeting could have gone a lot worse.
Thankfully, everyone decided to tactfully ignore the few shape-shifters who did divvy up the cake.
Thirty-seven
Griffen found himself mildly amused that such a loose assemblage of people would adhere to an orderly schedule. He realized that it would be next to impossible to run a conclave such as this without one. A schedule was what seemed to separate the conclave from a drinking party and gripe fest. Griffen wasn’t entirely sure he wouldn’t have preferred the latter.
The meetings scheduled were more open-discussion forums. No decisions were made. Instead it was more on the order of agreements, treaties, and arrangements. All largely on a personal level. This was no governing body, there was no enforcement arm of the conclave keeping a check to make sure agreements were honored.
It was simply that anyone who broke their word would have a mass of witnesses against them, and their word would never be honored again. That and being denied entry to any future conclave kept people from violating their oaths, or more often than not kept them from giving oaths in the first place. Griffen was beginning to realize how important one’s word and honor could be in supernatural circles.
Then there were the demos. A few of these would be away from the hotels. One in particular that had caught Griffen’s eye was a voodoo demonstration by Estella at her home. That was a couple of days into the conclave, though. Today was something that also intrigued him but apparently didn’t need any special location. The hotel would do just fine.
The room chosen for most of the demos was about half the size of the one in which the opening ceremonies had taken place. For the most part, this was Griffen’s first look at the business of conventions, and he had to admit he was impressed. The room the hotel provided met all the requirements. A small elevated stage had been assembled in no time flat on one end. In front of it were rows of folding chairs, padded and more comfortable than Griffen would have expected. Next to the stage their was a door leading to a small adjoining room, which they were using as a combination green room and changing room.
Changing… that brought to mind another feature Griffen liked about the room. Locks on the inside, and no windows.
“I have to admit I am fascinated by this demo, but don’t really understand why it’s being put on,” Griffen said.
He was sitting in the front row, though at the end of the row, not center stage. Jay, the spokesmen for the shifters sat next to him, and next to Jay were two of the other upper-level shape changers. They were half-turned to watch the door as people filed in. As usual, people tended to clump into groups, with at least a few seats left empty between each group. However, Griffen noted that each of the groups attending the conclave had at least some members at this demonstration.
“In this crowd, there are always many reasons for anything. As you may have noted,” Jay said.
Griffen couldn’t help but nod. It seemed to him that no one in the supernatural communities seemed to do anything for simple motivations.
“But really, a demonstration on shape-shifting?” Griffen said.
“On different types of shape-shifting. Thus we educate not only the non-shape-shifters present, but broaden the horizons of the more limited shifters. If it weren’t for meetings such as these, some of those present would be lucky to meet even a handful of other shifters in their entire lifetimes. Despite the concentration here, we are not all that common,” Jay said.
“Not the most important.”
This was said by the gravelly-voiced shifter Griffen had noted that Jay and the others seemed to defer to. Griffen hadn’t spoken much to him, just enough to catch that he was calling himself “Tail” despite the fact that he didn’t seem to have one. Griffen checked.
In fact, he looked much like someone he would expect to find sleeping under a bench in Jackson Square. Yet Jay instantly lowered his eyes, and his tone went respectful.
“What is?” Jay asked.
“Competition.”
Jay and the other shifter nodded and turned back to Griffen.
“I’m not sure I agree that the competition aspect is the most important, but it certainly is prevalent,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Griffen inquired.
“Well, all those serving in this demonstration are volunteers. Which means at very least they have to be confident enough to show off in front of a crowd of strangers. Show off is what they do, and most of those expect to have the most impressive tricks. Truly remarkable demonstrations win the renown of the rest of the shifter communities.”
Griffen couldn’t help smiling.
“Are there prizes? Trophies? Best of show?”
“Sometimes.” Jay smiled back.
The other shifter nodded, and through his matted beard Griffen saw his lips twist into what had to be a smile.
“Got me an apprentice years back from one of these. No one knew where he came from, but, boy, could he work it,” Tail said.
“All the participants are in the other room right now waiting for their big moments. You can bet the tension level is fierce. That’s why I am allowing my colleague to take the honor of presenting. I’ve enough pressure with all the damnable meetings.”
As if on cue, the door to the adjoining room opened and in walked the last of the shape-shifter leaders. He was a good head and a half shorter than Griffen, so that he looked small even on the elevated stage. His bald head glistened from perspiration, and he licked his lips nervously as he stepped up to a podium located in the corner of the stage.
“Right, I’m sure you are all anxious to get started, but we decided to wait fifteen minutes past the scheduled time to let stragglers trickle in before we lock the doors.”
He paused while a few people waiting by the main doors closed and locked them. He pulled out a set of note cards and started to riffle through them.
