<span style="font-size: 12px">The other woman’s hand felt strange, unfamiliar within her own. But Dia couldn’t worry about that now. She gripped Anastasia’s hand a bit tighter as she cautiously followed after the sorceress, trying her best not to crush it with her hybrid strength. Dia hadn’t been this nervous since that werewolf had shifted in NOLADOR’s lobby a few months back. She could feel the knot in her stomach swelling now. <br/>
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They couldn’t have been in the portal for more than a few moments, but Dia had never experienced anything like it. Except for the nausea. That she had experienced before. She didn’t know whether to keep her eyes opened or closed, but keeping them open was making her dizzy so she settled for the latter of the two options. She could feel an abrupt change in the atmosphere and as the dynamic sound and smells prodded at her acute senses, her eyes opened. Dia’s eyes widened as she looked around the enchanting room. The portal seemed like <i>nothing</i> compared to this. She took a deep breath, forcing her nausea back down and took in her surroundings: the tall, ivy-lined pillars, the glimmering stone walls…it appeared almost elven in nature. The woman whipped her head around, searching. If there had been elves in this location, the Chief was going to lose it. <br/>
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The sound of a concerned voice caught Dia’s attention and she turned to face a raven-haired woman with violet eyes, similar to those of Anastasia’s. She released the sorceress's hand, forgetting that she had been clutching it. She peered around, observing other similar-looking older women in the room. Dia hadn’t thought this far ahead. She decided to remain quiet, unless spoken to. Though kind and cooperative with NOLADOR, the Conclave members were still very powerful people. <br/>
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Dia quietly nodded at the woman, known as Celine, after Anastasia introduced her. She observed each and every woman introduced, nodding respectfully but also doing her best to remember the details of their faces. Some she recognized, some she had never seen before. The women stepped closer to their member, cautious eyes overlooking the brunette warily. Dia found herself wondering if they could tell that she wasn’t human. <br/>
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The hybrid watched as a worried expression crossed Anastasia’s face. Who was Lea? She continued to listen. Dia could feel her heart sinking at the mention of a lack of spell that could address Anastasia’s amnesia. Although the experience would have been memorable, she hadn’t traveled her for nothing. Dia desperately needed answers. Celine placed a palm against the sorceress’s shoulder, a glow emanating from her hand. Several moments passed before she stepped back and delivered her news…or lack thereof. Dia’s eyebrows drew in. <i>A vampire?</i> Why would a vampire go through such lengths to erase Anastasia’s memory? <i>How</i> would a vampire even accomplish such a task? Maybe they’d had help…Dia’s teal eyes averted back to the sorceress. Perhaps the other woman had seen something that she wasn’t supposed to? Her mind created possibility after possibility.  <br/>
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Most importantly, Dia wanted to know if there had been any connection between this disappearance to her brothers. It was too big of a coincidence for her to just ignore. Eventually, she would have to call it in. The more eyes looking and the more personnel that knew, the better. <br/>
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Dia listened as Celine continued speaking. Another clue and it was settled. Her next stop was Talon &amp; Co. She’d heard of the company before, but wasn’t certain how they were connected to all of this. Dia turned to Anastasia. <b>“Ms. Acosta, if you go, it could be dangerous. You might be walking into a trap.”</b> As much as Dia needed this woman to pursue this case, at the end of the day, she was a NOLADOR representative and she had a duty to maintain public safety. Asking this woman to go to this pharmaceutical company might have been putting her at risk, if what Celine was saying was true. </span>