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Lily hadn’t taken into account the fact that the Accords were due for a new summit and signing so soon after she agreed to take Raphael’s place as the head of the New York Clan.
In retrospect it makes sense that someone from her clan would be wanted as part of the proceedings: from Valentine and Jonathan’s attacks, plus everything with the Heavenly Fire she got first-hand accounts of from Raphael, not to mention their closeness to Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane, they’ve been at the center of, well, pretty much everything in the years since the last Accords.
And, as her clan’s leader, it falls to Lily to be the one to represent them. No matter how much she tried to bribe literally any of the others to take her place - one of the inherent downfalls of being a relatively young vampire is that it’s difficult to bribe someone who has decades-to-centuries of wealth and objects.
“Couldn’t get out of it?” Comes a familiar voice from the corner of the room only a few minutes after Lily enters the hall. It’s Maia, and the sight of the werewolf has the opposite effect on Lily than it would many of her kind. Instead of an immediate distaste and defensiveness, Maia’s presence brings a rush of fondness Lily would deny to her grave.
“I just couldn’t pass up an entire day of your beautiful face, babe,” Lily replies, earning her a half-hearted eye roll from Maia.
Their relationship is… not a relationship at all, technically. They bonded over Cabinet meetings and flirted an impressive amount before either of them did anything about it - and when they did it was one time here, one time there, nothing serious. Lily plays it off in public as just another one of her shameless crushes, nothing more than her determination to flatter Brother Zachariah at every turn, but deep down she knows that isn’t true.
She doesn’t realize how deep her feelings for Maia actually run until she’s standing up in a fury to shout something in Maia and the werewolves’ defense in the middle of the Accords hearing, in front of everybody. Lily can’t help it. She cares about Maia, and by extension, Maia’s pack - definitely not more than her own Clan, probably not even equal to it, but enough that she can’t stand by and watch a shameless abuse of power against them.
“Well, I suppose if the vampires can support the idea, the Fae can revisit their stance…” Meliorn concedes.
It’s an action that turns the tide of the Accords negotiations.
It’s also an action that turns the tide of her and Maia’s relationship.
“What you did back there-” Maia starts, immediately finding Lily during the first recess.
“It was-”
“Don’t say it was nothing. It was definitely something, Lily,” Maia cuts her off.
“You would do the same for me,” Lily attempts to dismiss.
“I would,” Maia agrees emphatically. “I really would. You know that, right?”
Honestly, before today Lily wouldn’t have been so sure. She thought her feelings were more one-sided, that she was the only one who fell a bit too far beyond their casual hookups. But maybe she was wrong. Maybe she isn’t alone in this.
There’s only one way to find out.
“I do. You know what else I know, Maia?”
“What?” Maia asks, despite the obviously rhetorical nature of Lily’s question.
“That we make a good team. That I like spending time with you, and I’d love to spend more time together. Maybe over drinks?”
“Lily Chen,” Maia says, her small, cautious smile widening with every word. “Are you asking me out on a proper date?”
“You know I am,” Lily sighs. “Just answer the question.”
“Such a romantic,” Maia laughs. “Yes. I’d love that.”
A shout across the hall signals the end of the break and the start of the next round of discussions.
They’re both going to need a good drink after today, Lily thinks. But the promise of Maia’s company when it’s all said and done makes the next several hours much more bearable. By the end of the day Lily’s almost enjoying the debates she finds herself in the middle of - always teaming up with Maia to get something for one of them or the other.
Maybe there are a few perks to being in charge after all.