It takes a few minutes to explain everything to Will and Romilly, during which time, you see their expressions turn from surprise, to shock, to what seems to be a cross between fear and nausea. Will's face, in particular, has noticeably paled. Romilly is leaning against the headmaster's desk, the knuckles of the hand gripping its edge pure white.
"That's…" Will shakes his head. "This is not good."
You nod. Of all the ways that this situation has been described, it's hard to think of one that's more accurate.
"And how did you get caught up in all of this?" he asks, looking directly at you. "What's a human doing on what, no offense, seems like an undead mission?"
Will glances at the rest of your classmates, as though to confirm what you've just said, looking faintly embarrassed. "Of course," he mutters. "I mean, I wasn't trying to imply—"
"We know, human," Max says, waving a hand. "Don't be so nervous; we don't bite. Not when we're on the job, at least."
"So," Romilly says after a few moments, "what do you need from us?"
"We need to find out where this eldritch energy is coming from," you say. "Once we find the source, we can turn it over to our specialist."
"The trouble is, there's nothing here to tell us where the source is," Sonia says, the irritation in her tone making both Will and Romilly eye the vampire uneasily.
"We do have this," you say, raising the Dark Detector for general examination. "Matron called it a Dark Detector; it could help us narrow it down."
Max shrugs. "Worth a try," he opines. "Give it a shot."
There's a large blue button on the Dark Detector, and you press it down, waiting and hoping for…well, you don't know exactly what. Something, you suppose.
What you get, however, is nothing. The machine remains stubbornly unresponsive as the seconds tick by, and what hope you had of an easy solution quickly ebbs away.
After a moment, Will coughs. "We might just not be close enough," he says. "We can have a look around and see if it starts…doing something."
In the silence that follows, Michelle glances at you. "Random thought," she says. "But as it seems like what we're searching for is here, it might be a good idea to let the others know to get back to school. And," she adds, "given that we're currently occupying the headmaster of St. Mary's office, it's probably best if either Cavalcade or Rastan hear it from one of us." She shrugs. "You know, just to control the narrative."
Sonia turns from Will and Romilly, nodding slowly. "Good idea," she says. "Val, go and tell the others to get back to the school, then get to Old Cavalcade's office and make something up that sounds good."
"Fritz, you go with her," Max says. "Make sure the vampire doesn't screw anything up."