A Dinner Date with Two Queens

When Vincent Charlemagne, the fearsome ambassador from Vasa, lands her griffin directly on the balcony of Buthol's chambers in Asgard, she doesn't waste time with pleasantries. She's seen the broadcast of Baba Yaga's execution—the decapitation and burning broadcast live through the portal network—and she came straight from the embassy, unmeshing herself from several commitments, to check on Quinny. In Vasa, a warlock whose patron dies often dies shortly after, either from the sudden loss of power mid-combat or from the enmeshed nature of their bond. Vincent's concern is genuine, and when Quinny breaks down, she unbuckles her armor and pulls him against her chest, stroking his hair while her griffin Chompy looks away awkwardly. She tells him plainly: "It's you that impresses me. It was just nice that you had warlock powers because we could talk about that, but I think we have plenty of other things to discuss now." She has a solution that could help both of them, but it's delicate and involves Vasa, so they agree to talk later that night.

The Security Flaw and the Moat Problem