eremington

[eremington]

It was probably wrong for him to feel at least the slightest bit gratified to hear Eiji say that they still wanted him as their father - even if it was a version of him that could only come too late. "There's still time. I'll keep trying." He took down the silencing charm on the door and said what he always did before leaving. "Good bye Eiji, I love you."

Though maybe it was time for him to do something proactively about this curse.

Eiji wasn’t sure Matthew had any reason to want to keep his mouth shut about the curse, especially now, so Eiji just remained quiet and watched as his father moved closer back towards the door. He supposed this was going to be the end of their interaction for the month. He was ignoring the fact that he had all but forced his father out of the door with his questions.

Eiji clenched his jaw, swallowing around the lump that had quickly formed in his throat. “We didn’t want someone else. We just wanted you to know when we needed you to put us first.” His voice was strained, but Eiji forced the emotion that made his throat feel tight down into his chest. His voice dropped to something quieter. “Maybe instead of wishing we had someone else, you should be thinking about changing…. But I know you won’t. Because you can’t, can you? I stopped hoping for that a long time ago.” Eiji dropped his gaze from his father and pulled a tattered book into his lap. He didn’t want to talk anymore.

[eremington]

Twelve hours would be more than enough as long as she avoided capture. If they held her, she would rather be locked away than tell them who assisted her, although given what Elijah had told her, it wouldn't come to that. She just needed to distract anyone who came too close with an illusion. That would get her near enough to notice the details of what she missed now that she knew where the door was. "I'll come to yours with breakfast tomorrow to debrief you on what I found. Extra strong coffee and extra sweet muffins?"

[eremington]

Listening to Eiji's arguments, he couldn't help thinking almost mournfully about his original hopes that he and Rei could have led the coven together. He'd wanted Eiji to be the first human on the council, someone who could bring the exact perspective that was lacking. "You're right."

"No." He answered emphatically. "Matthew's the only one who knows about your involvement." Beyond his own ego based reasons for not wanting the city at large to know, this was a personal conflict, not one for the council to resolve.

He took a step back towards the door, but hesitated. "There were many times... when I wished the two of you could have had someone else as your father." He sighed. "It doesn't make up for anything but I know."

“And the countless little… alternations? None of that comes with consent or regard. There’s more that could be done and it gets ignored because it doesn’t personally affect any of you.” And you’ve never cared about me enough to make the world any different.

Eiji’s confirmation of what he already knew came swiftly and the younger Remington just nodded. “Well, I hope it was all worth it in the end.” Eiji replied, his jaw tightening, biting back countless other things he had to say. “I’ve certainly felt the repercussions of it, even if you haven’t.” There was a moment of quiet before Eiji leant his head back against the wall.

“Was that all you wanted?” He asked, “Are you going to add the curse to my list of crimes?” He enquired.

[eremington]

He returned the hug with a chuckle, snagging her surface memories of the basement as he did. She was right, there was very little useful information there other than the idea that there was something unusual. "About 12 hours, so you shouldn't have to worry." He let a hand linger on her shoulder, thinking about any practical advice he had for sneaking around vampires. "Remember that you can also use illusions as a distraction, since vampires can be harder to hide from than some other species so give them something else to focus on."

Daphne would never win any acting awards. She had far too many tells for when she was being dishonest, and Elijah knew the majority of them. There was little use denying what they both knew to be true. She braced herself for a lecture, feeling his fingertips on her forehead. Hopefully he wouldn't dig too deeply in her mind. The memory of the dusty bottles was still fresh in her mind. "Wait, what?" Her eyes grew comically big, attempting to process what he said. He wasn't going to stop her from doing the clearly stupid thing. This was almost an approval in her book. Daph was positively giddy, hoping to actually get passed the guard this time. "Thank you!" She threw her arms around him. "You are the best!" She could annoy a vampire if she got caught. She already had plenty of practice, but this changed everything. This was her key to discovering the truth. "How long do I have?"

[eremington]

Elijah couldn't stop a grin when he managed to catch Sipho and push him back a bit. "I'll make sure Kyoko knows about it." The idea of someone outside of them family also being there to look after Zachariah was genuinely a comfort. He was distracted from that though by the circle of fire surrounding him. Elijah had never been fond of fire magic after what had happened with Matthew and he raised an eyebrow. After a moment he flicked his hands in a 'come at me' gesture so Sipho would have to be the one to attack this time.

“I like it.” Sipho nodded, grinning as he sent the man backwards. “I’ll take the title of knight, too, by the way.” He graciously accepted. Even if it was meant as a joke, he would happily look after the young Remington heir should he ever need it.

Sipho turned towards the yanking of his shirt, focusing on what he thought was Elijah to aim his next attack when he felt something suddenly hit him at his side. He chuckled, recuperating, “Nice,” he commented, before raising a small flame from the centre of his palm that steadily grew until it leapt to form a controlled circle around the other man, now that he new which one was the illusion. The flames were low and steady, causing him no real danger under Sipho’s control.

[eremington]

Even without being able to literally read minds, it was obvious that she was going to go back to the cellar no matter what he said. "Hold still." Elijah rolled his eyes with a sigh and placed his fingertips lightly against Daphne's brow. He whispered a short spell before letting his hand drop. "That should protect you from being glamored unless it's a particularly old vampire. If you get caught just play dumb and play to their ego. Say that you've had too much to drink and they're 'like really pretty'. Most of the time they'll just want to get you out of their hair. Be careful though. Please."

The subtle way of him warning her not to do the stupid thing that she really wanted to do. If she worried a bit less about disappointing him, perhaps she might have found Rei and gone back down. Rei would relish the opportunity to spite Eli while keeping Daphne safe, but it wasn't safe for them. The restricted area had a secret that she had no idea what Black would do to keep hidden. "If you want, but we didn't see much before we were chased away." If only they had been a bit more covert and discovered the source of the damp or what else was being hidden down there.

[eremington]

"We try. The witches, deities, spirits, elves. The wards in most of the districts are meant to protect humans from supernaturals who would hurt them. We can't control what demons or vampires do but we can try to prevent it. The times we failed are what you dealt with." Eiji was right though that they could do better, but Elijah couldn't find a way of doing that without causing massive rifts in the council.

The question about family duty hurt, because there was no point to trying to make anything sound good. "It comes second." He answered with a tinge of sadness. There were times early on when he'd chafed against the obligations, but over time they'd come to be second nature. "In the end, everything comes second. Family, personal issues, health, anything outside of the coven."

Eiji noticed how his father didn’t respond, but he wasn’t surprised and so Eiji didn’t waste the energy in repeating the sentiment that perhaps he’d have to do more to gain Rei’s return and generosity.

“You don’t protect us.” Eiji responded simply. It wasn’t angry or sarcastic this time, just something he knew to be true. “If you were protecting the humans in the city I wouldn’t have had a job combing through the evidence of what the supernatural do to us on a daily basis. But you willingly choose not to worry about that because it’s doesn’t effect you.” Eiji added.

“What about your duty to your family?” Eiji asked, again, calmly. He could scream all he liked and he doubted it would ever get through.

“I just wondered.” Eiji shrugged. He would keep his mouth shut for now about the fact that it seemed curious that his father could get away with casually admitting to killing someone and have it have no repercussions. Grimaldi also had more than one crime and had still been on his father’s list of list of successors.

[eremington]

Elijah just ducked his head, chastened rather than answering Eiji's question. He'd thought he was doing 'more' but given where they were right now, it had been too little too late.

"Yes we keep the supernatural hidden. It protects us and protects humans as well. We take care of witches, teach them how to use their powers without hurting other people or themselves. More than that, we keep the balance in this city. We're a check on the power or demons and deities." He was hit by an odd sense of deja vu, remembering the times they'd had this sort of conversation when Eiji was expected to take over the coven. "Being born into coven leadership is a privilege but it's also a duty. This has been my life's work since I took my first breath." It had always been difficult for him to explain.

"I helped Louie and Vivian kill the man who had controlled them, then he chose to leave the city." He'd used a minor divination spell to check on Louie to make sure he was alright - the same one he used for Rei, but his attempts at contact had gone unanswered. "Why do you ask?"

“Yeah. Funny the lengths people will go to get back at you, isn’t it?” Eiji replied. Again, he found it difficult to distinguish if the care for his soul was for any genuine affection or whether it would just be too embarrassing for him to have a son who had sold his soul to a demon. “No, I guess he isn’t. Did you ever think you might have to do more to get him to come back?” He asked curiously.

“Right…” Eiji laughed humourlessly, “Yeah that’s exactly the feeling, dad.” Came the sarcastic addition. Every time Eiji thought he could bear being in his father’s presence, he opened his mouth and said something that reminded him why he had the curse put on him in the first place.

“Oh dear.” Eiji responded with a small pout, “And then your life’s work of neglecting your family would all be for nothing. And the world wouldn’t have the Remington coven to… do what exactly? Aside from cover up all the things the supernatural don’t want the world to see.” Eiji clenched his jaw. He knew he was being a little too honest for someone who was probably supposed to be remaining in his father’s good graces, it certainly wasn’t going to help him any if he didn’t have his father on his side, “What happened to Saint Grimaldi?” He couldn’t help one last part, before he exhaled through his nose and rest his head back against the wall.

[eremington]

He strolled easily beside Nari, occasionally reaching out to brush a hand over the grape vines as they passed. "I did, I thought it was lovely. I got to watch some of the play with Isabelle and Elliot." He'd also made a complete fool of himself with Isabelle and Elliot, but unless Nari already knew what had happened, Elijah didn't feel like bringing it up. "And yourself? Did you spend some time with Artus?" He remembered the two of them being close before Nari had left.

“Hm, maybe.” Nari replied with a small smile, “I’m sure I’ll find something to keep me feeling calm.” He reassured him. At the very least, the magic in-play at the event was a good excuse for anything the vampire-led celebrations may have brought up. “I like that idea.” He agreed, chuckling, “Let’s hope so. I think it’s this way back towards the party.” Nari nodded in front of them and began to lead back. They hadn’t spoken in a while but after their last conversation Nari didn’t want to pry too much again into Elijah’s personal life. Still, he didn’t want to walk in silence. “Did you attend the Midsummer party?” He asked instead.

[eremington]

"Please don't. Because then you would also have to thank me for that solution leading to him essentially being left all alone to rot down there." He knew Eiji had sometimes gotten visitors other than himself, Jax going down a few times, and Elijah had tried to make sure he had books, but that didn't make up for being left alone without human interaction most of the time. "I was so close to giving him an unmarked bank account and telling him to run and never look back." So why hadn't he?

Elijah started to answer his own question. "With everything that had happened with Esme's daughter being controlled, I had been holding out hope that he wasn't fully in control of his actions. But... he also asked Matthew to curse me, so I think a part of me wanted him to face some kind of punishment."

For what it was worth, he seemed to agree with most of the things his father was saying about his brother. There was endless dangers in Zamok, whether the convicts themselves had problems or someone on the outside bribed them into doing something, and the guards? How could they be trusted? "They should have done something," he replied, "but the Lycaons were better to him than anyone else might have been. Guess I should thank you, for suggesting it."

[eremington]

Elijah thought for a moment. "I don't know how safe it would be. I don't know Black well enough to say how he would respond." Yes it was interesting, but vampires could be territorial, and he didn't feel like getting Daphne on the bad side of one, especially an elder. "While it's fresh in your memory, would you be willing to show me? I know it's second hand, but it could give me a better idea of what we're getting into."

"She said damp." Which wouldn't be unusual for an underground cave except for the fact that they were in a winery. She'd seen the bottles. "Which it shouldn't be. Wines are supposed to be kept in cool, dark, dry places." So why did the vampire have a damp area which would spoil the product that he was an expert on. "Do you think it's safe to try to go back down there?" She longed for just the nod of approval that would give her the courage to go back and look further into what her heart was telling her was wrong.

[eremington]

Elijah let the wind carry him back a few yards, landing in a crouch. He needed to figure out a few new opening moves against Sipho, the trouble was coming up with ones that weren't going to do too much damage. "Old family name. Kyoko's close to deciding what his Japanese name will be." He telekinetically yanked on the back of Sipho's shirt as a distraction and cast an illusion of him standing up into a ready stance while hiding his actual body from view. His plan was to flank Sipho and hopefully catch him off balance if he went after the illusion.

“Zachariah, huh?” Sipho smiled, “Nice name. How did you decide on it?” He asked. “That’s a good idea. You deserve some time just the three of you. I’m not a father, but I imagine it’s quite the transition. Besides, the coven can cope without you while you get some one-on-one time.” Sipho nodded.

But it seemed like Elijah was keen to get on with the sparring session and so when he launched at him, only to disappear a second later, Sipho was quickly on his toes, turning around to anticipate the blow. Catching his elbow in his palm, he grinned, swiftly harnessing the air around them, using it to whip up a small gale that would push Elijah back from him.

[eremington]

Something magical in the cellars? He didn't know their host well enough to know if Black had an interest in unusual magic. For a vampire his age, it didn't seem impossible, but it was still odd. And why the hell would it be in his cellar? Elijah furrowed his brow, folding his arms across his chest into what a student of his had once called 'professor pose.' "Trust your instincts. If you think it's something, follow that thread. Did Faith tell you anything about what she smelled?"

It was a vampire event. She assumed that only the vampires were privy to the truth of what Mr. Black was up to. The blood wine was hardly a surprise. They openly invited people to stand in the wine vats in order to infuse the blood wine and feed the vampires, but there was something more. If it was just blood wine of the community, she doubted very much that the restricted cellar would have had double the patrol of the unrestricted areas. "There's something down there. Something with a magical signature different than anything I ever felt before. Faith went with me. I think she smelled something too. We didn't get to go very far before we were interrupted, but something is hiding right under our feet." She bit her lip, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's probably nothing, but it could be something."

[eremington]

"That you had asked him to help take me down a peg, and he was happy to oblige. I'm just glad he didn't ask for a piece of your soul in return." He answered carefully. That was the single silver lining in this whole mess, so Eiji wouldn't have to feel that freezing emptiness that Elijah remembered. "He told me Rei would have to let me channel his magic, but your brother isn't going to come back just for me." No matter how many times he'd accepted it in his head, it still stung.

"I've learned what powerlessness feels like." The disastrous results of him accidentally seducing Matthew had been Elijah's first brush with an angry demon, but it hadn't been his last. "Losing Kyoko and Rei was a harsh reminder. But this..."

"I thought you understood what it meant to be a coven head. There is no one to take my place right now. If I lose my connection to magic, the coven could collapse." His voice shook.

“Hm.” Was his minimal reply. Eiji assumed that his father’s pain came from his embarrassment over the crimes his son had committed, rather than a grief for whatever bond he thought they might have had, but those were his own assumptions.

Eiji was sure not only learning that your eldest son was behind the latest hacks, but also that he was the one behind your own curse, was probably a hard pill to swallow. Then again, so had been watching his father lose all interest in him when his magic hadn’t developed, so Eiji’s sympathy didn’t last long. “What did he tell you?” He asked him, watching his father’s expression, “There isn’t much to tell. I was angry and I wanted you to feel at least a fraction of what it feels like to be powerless in this world you’ve all created.” He hadn’t decimated his entire power, which was probably more curious than the curse itself.

“Did he tell you the condition?” He asked after a moment. Rei returning would be nothing short of a miracle, perhaps that was why he had chosen it.

[eremington]

Elijah leaned over so he could more clearly see the jewelry. "Ah." It sounded reasonable, but he also suspected there was something else going on to distress Nari. He didn't feel close enough though to pry. "I guess we'll have to find you a Perseus. I think I saw a few possibilities wandering around. Or perhaps you could change the myth, escape before the rescue comes." He turned and looked back at the way they'd come, trying to trace it with his eyes. "I chose Odysseus, so I might be able to help us find our way out of here, hopefully in less than 10 years."

There had once been a time when all of this would have been common-place for him, living with a coven, married to a witch. But it had been a long time since then. “Very handy.” Nari agreed with a faint chuckle. At least now he didn’t feel so guilty.

“Andromeda,” Nari answered, “I think I went a little subtle with it.” The elf admitted as he briefly touched the gold, sea-dragon piece of jewellery that curled around the top of his ear. “It’s supposed to be the sea monster.” He admitted, “Which explains why I probably feel like something’s going to attack me at any moment.”

[eremington]

"You know I try to visit once a month, as painful as it can be for both of us." He said with a grim smile. Their regular dinners before the hacks happened had been awkward but there wasn't this open hostility. Even though Elijah knew he deserved most of it, it still stung.

He sat down heavily in the chair in front of the cell. Elijah had the irrational feeling that as long as he didn't get Eiji's confirmation then there would still be a chance that Matthew had made it all up. Though of course that wasn't how the world worked. After a minute, he dragged his gaze up to look Eiji in the eye. "Matthew told me about you asking him to curse me. I wanted to hear your side."

The visits from his father had been lessening. Not that Eiji supposed he could blame him when the majority of the time he sat there in silence, ignoring his attempts at conversation or giving him one-word answers. Eiji had lost track of the time and how long it had been since his father’s last visit. This time, however, when his father entered the basement he cast a spell. That was new.

Eiji sat up in the bed he’d been laying on, a curious gaze following his father. “Fine. Although if the council is planning on feeding me to the wolves, I think I’ve gone bad by this point.” He answered with a sarcastic smile. Despite his remarks, he’d been surprised by the way the Lycaon’s were treating him. Perhaps it was the calm before the storm, the reprieve before Zamok. “What are you doing here?”

[eremington]

"Not well." He answered with a small shake of his head. "We've spoken a few times at events, but not beyond that." He looked around and spotted small alcove covered with vines and led Daphne over to it, figuring the plants would help muffle their conversation. She seemed to be physically fine like she said, so did that mean that she'd seen something that made her question their host? Vampires disturbing people wasn't exactly unusual, but Daphne had been working with them before. "What happened?"

She waited patiently for Elijah to finish his conversation, not looking forward to what she was about to tell him nor the look of disappointment. She'd almost gone down to the restricted section with Rei. It was a mere stroke of luck that they hadn't been able to figure out how to get into the place. She was sure that if she'd gone down with Rei, the lecture would have been a lot longer, although maybe they might have gotten a bit further.

"I'm fine." Physically she was. The new cosmetic changes to her appearance were still a bit odd, but there was nothing physically wrong with her. It was a deep yearning for more that currently caused her distress. But she knew that she would be pressing her luck going down there another time. "How well do you know, Mr. Black?"