Cold Palms

Jenneless' words seemed to give them hope. They all looked toward Ryu with a fervent gaze, some even hoping that the carrot and stick approach might work. This was a compromise for them all to take, but the also couldn't look like they were begging too much. For one, they had their own pride. And second, if they were in too weak of a position, why would Ryu negotiate with them? 

Even so, the more they thought about it, the more they realized the kind of precarious position Ryu was in. They were all geniuses, and they all had astounding levels of backing. The idea that someone else would target them to steal their targets never even crossed their minds because they were really only capable of seeing the world from their perspective. 

It was only after Jenneless spoke that they began piecing things together.