"We should buy their power sharer."

"Oh, man, we totally should--dangit, I left my flashcards in my room--" she starts looking around at tables to identify Bangkok. 

"There," says El, inclining her head in a direction. "Those are the Bangkok seniors, but their juniors are sitting halfway across the cafeteria..."

"Thaaaat's interesting--you think the seniors cut everyone else off?"

"Maybe? If they can't offer slots or even interviews because their enclave doesn't exist any more they've got to be scrambling."

"Yeah...let's go talk to them." 

"All of us?"

"Liu has Mandarin, Lucia needs to tell them she's renounced New York, if their power sink is hard to maintain I'm the artificer, I guess technically you could stay behind."

"No, no, I'm coming."

They make their way over to the Bangkok table. --The Bangkok seniors' table. 

The seniors are having a hushed but furious debate, which immediately quiets when the four of them approach, the ex-enclavers turning warily. 

Liu introduces them all; they can tell that's what she's saying because she mentions their names and doesn't pitch her voice as low when that's what she's saying. She mentions New York.

One of the Thai seniors proves to have some English. She introduces herself as Lamai and asks what they want, is it just to tell them that Lucia's not a New Yorker any more?

"If it were that we would be talking to Shanghai. I assume you're aware of what El and I spent the last few weeks of last term doing." 

"Killing things, yes."

"Are you aware that I pull the mana from the mals I kill." 

"I have seen you glow."

"We've filled all our mana storage and then some. We want to buy the Bangkok power sink." 

"You could most likely keep using it, if there are enough power sharers to go 'round," Aadhya adds. "We'd have to work out how much of the mana you could take over what you put in, but we're only four."

Lamai explains this to the other Bangkok seniors in soft Thai.

There is a quiet susurrus of mixed suspicion and hope. 

"What are you offering?" Lamai asks.

"What do you need? The obvious answer is lots and lots of mana, but, you know, we can be more creative than that." 

"A golden enclave," says El.

There is a much louder flurry of discussion. One senior says, in Mandarin, "Under what terms? How soon?" 

"Well, we have to live to do it, and I don't know yet how long it takes to make one, but you can be - let's say no later than the third one, probably second after Liu's family but could be first or third depending on how things shake out outside."

"Will you swear to it, to any allies we make?"