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Post by demikara on Feb 23, 2020 18:13:00 GMT -6
He didn't have the time to do the research for them, but they had been right to hunt him down, Tyrus decided two slim journals tucked against his side as he opened the door to the coffee shop. He was still technically under house arrest, but this counted as work and they knew it. Or at least, he was counting it as work. It was just doing double duty as a sorely needed coffee break. It got him out of the office for a time and he was counting on that. He wanted away from the concerned glances. It wasn't as if he could tell them why he was missing part of his finger. There was a lot he couldn't tell them.
So he went on a coffee break and arranged to meet Catherine there. It was a break from his assistant as well, who was a handful at times to deal with, no matter how useful he was. There were times he wondered if useful was really the word, but Carter and Cruor did take some work off of him and managed his schedule very well. That was why he hired them and so they could stay on.
The mage ordered a double espresso and found a seat, waiting for Catherine there. Gingerly, he sipped the drink, careful of the change in grip that he was still getting used to. It was amazing how much your final joint did that you never once thought of.
Ra, he didn't want to see her. But there was a chance of a blood mage and he couldn't risk that. He knew all too well who would be most at risk if a blood mage was in town and in need of a victim. The most potent blood for most rituals was that of a magical child before puberty hit. And that meant they were in danger, and he'd step up. He'd always step up for kids, who needed someone with power in their corner. They had little enough to protect them as it was.
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Post by Circe on Feb 23, 2020 18:43:37 GMT -6
The court meanwhile had started the process of installing it's new ministers or rather lieutenants, that alone had been a week solid of discussions, meetings, and vetting. Catherine had hated every second of it, and had made it a point to feign business elsewhere to escape as soon as she could.
Her primary concern had always been and still was Dallas, and given the brief reconcilliation between her and Izaak, that concern extended to her family. She knew that given half a chance, not only would the pack do its best to oust the Dragon Court, but they would do everything in their power to make MCU and all of its current warden's family suffer until their demands were met.
A break had come in the case however, when Tyrus had offered up two small journals, rumored to be first hand accounts of the magic that Cedar Ridge was purported to be trying to use. Catherine didn't exactly want to see Tyrus either. Her hands had been full and then some with the newest developments from the case with Cedar Ridge, between the information Xiaolian had obtained and other intel she'd managed to gleen in her last meeting with O'Hara, she could tell that the pack was gunning for something and it was big.
Entering the shop, she spied Tyrus huddled back in a corner. He appeared to be still nursing a rediculously large coffee and a finger that would eventually regrow. Sighing, she ordered herself a plain coffee along with two pieces of banana bread before going and taking a seat across from him.
Setting the second slice in front of him, she waited.
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Post by demikara on Feb 23, 2020 18:48:44 GMT -6
That was a peace offering if he had ever seen one, and he accepted the bread and put the espresso down. "Warden." He greeted, and slid the journals over to her. "Molly got in contact via my PA. I can't do the research myself this time, but these journals should hold the answers needed." He shrugged. "They're in modern english and everything." They were also in his brother's hand, though he had no doubt the other wouldn't recognize that for what it was. "They are a translation of an older work however. The translation may not be perfect. My understanding is that it comes from ancient greek."
The two journals were the best he could do though. He definitely wasn't going to hand over the originals. These had been the cleaned up for the baby brother copies. The original had a good deal of family and court gossip in them and he knew it all too well.
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Post by Circe on Feb 23, 2020 19:03:08 GMT -6
"Dr. Rahal, we appreciate you reaching out on this matter." Catherine replied stiffling her annoyance. It wasn't often that he called her Warden unless absolutely necessary, but his greeting had set the tone for their current discussion. All business and not a single thing more. She could sense his emotions of anxiety and anger, colored generously with paranoia after what had happened with Grigore. But Catherine forged ahead, and said little of his projecting and behavior. A cold shoulder could be borne for a time, and for now as far as she was concerned wasn't worth contemplating further.
Picking up one of the journals, she adjusted her glasses and thumbed through the pages; it would have to do. "I'll have Sargeant Bronson and Lieutenant Boyuan take a look at these. I'm sure ours and the Council's archives can supplement anything we lack." She replied cooly. Translating the ancient greek wouldn't have been hard, it would have just required calling Alexander or his nephew Jacob. But getting them to agree would have been another story, given that Jacob wasn't always eager to help them and Alexander was distractable at best.
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Post by demikara on Feb 23, 2020 19:09:03 GMT -6
Dr. Rahal? Well he supposed they were in public. She sounded annoyed though. Good. He didn't feel generous enough to aim for being that kind to her. "I'm always happy to help MCU." That was true enough. "And I'm sure it will be in good hands with the Lieutenant and her partner. I've already removed the protective wards though, so I'm afraid the sergeant may be disappointed. I do ask that MCU is very careful with those journals."
If they fell into the wrong hands, there would be hell to pay. He'd reign it down himself and gladly do so. He'd deal with her being upset later. Though they were already upset with each other, so he doubted it could get much worse.
Fucking Grigore had destroyed what remained of their relationship. And even knowing that she hadn't had a choice in the matter didn't leave the emotional wound feeling any less raw. He should be used to being disappointed by people though. His siblings had certainly disappointed him worse than this before.
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Post by Circe on Feb 23, 2020 19:26:50 GMT -6
"Of course." Catherine agreed smoothly. She was used to people not being terribly fond of her or MCU, and this wasn't anything that different than meeting with one of those people. Compartmentalizing, categorizing, and looking at it through a cold emotionless, analytical lense was just how it would have to be done from now on. As much as she hated it, it was perhaps the one of the few things that had gotten her this far.
"I suspect that Sargeant Bronson will get no end of enjoyment out of it either way." She just hoped that Xiaolian could reign in Molly from experimenting with it. New magics to the officer were irrestiable, and often lead to new ways to give Catherine a headache of epic proportions.
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Post by demikara on Feb 23, 2020 19:35:31 GMT -6
"Just so long as she is aware that experimenting with that particular field is illegal. It is a very dangerous field and...Sergeant Bronson would be especially at danger from it, given her immaturity." It was a twisting sort of magic. He recommended against using it unless there was no other choice in the matter. Long term use had twisted his family in ways he didn't know, except to know that it happened.
He hesitated a moment, then spoke, changing the tone of the conversation to something a tad more personable. "I..I don't blame you, so we're clear. IT'll just be a while before my emotions agree with my head." He'd need time. He'd needed time the last time he had been injured like this, and he'd need time for this as well. Hopefully she would understand that though. It wasn't like they had anything but time on their hands now.
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Post by Circe on Feb 23, 2020 19:50:00 GMT -6
Catherine was silent as she stirred the sugar and cream into her coffee, acting for the moment as if that were the most important thing in the world as she debated how best to reply. This had quickly turned from a business meeting to a personal one, and she wasn't sure if she would ever be comfortable with him on a personal level; fledgling or not. She still couldn't help but see him as a child or at least very young and equally inexperienced. "Sargeant Bronson will be properly warned and I will take the time to establish consequences should she ignore the warning." She said levelly. It was only after a moment of uneasy silence had she decided to speak to either subject. She didn't like this situation anymore than he did, if only due to the strain it put on things elsewhere.
Taking a sip of her coffee, she contemplated more sugar or cream before deciding against it. "Of course you don't," Catherine said setting her coffee cup down with a careful and delicate clink of porcelain. "But at the same time you do."
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Post by demikara on Feb 23, 2020 19:58:41 GMT -6
He shrugged. "I'm still mostly human." He admitted. "You didn't have a choice in the matter." They both knew that much. There had been no choice in what she had done at all. He was still upset, but he was a vampire now. The finger would regrow. With time, at least, it would regrow. "Emotions are complicated things." He couldn't exactly not have them. He was far more open with his emotions than most in the court would be too. Oh, he could hide them and fake them with the best of them of course. He had grown up in the court. But he enjoyed a position of power that meant he could also show them, if he chose too.
He took a bite of the banana bread and considered his espresso. It had been the right choice. He'd need the energy when he got back to work. At least there was a tolerable amount of work there now. The hiring of lieutenants, even if it had been slow going and painful, had meant his responsibilities as a whole were lightening up again to a saner level. Still not the best, he supposed, but better than it had been.
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Post by Circe on Feb 24, 2020 19:16:14 GMT -6
"Still? I'd say that's a lie, but what do I know?" Catherine commented plainly. Out of the two of them, Tyrus was better at being a vampire than she was. In her opinion, what it boiled down to wasn't birth rights or who one's sire happened to be, it was how well one embraced being what they were. Even now, she still found disonnance between herself. Between what she was supposed to be according to Grigore's wants and whims, versus what she would prefer to be. Which was left alone and undisturbed to do what she felt was necessary, which was give Dallas a fighting chance to at not being swallowed whole by whatever misfortune the unseen came up with each week.
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Post by demikara on Feb 24, 2020 19:27:08 GMT -6
"I suppose what I meant is I'm still young enough to react like a human." He didn't have the experience that she did. He knew he was young as hell, especially in comparison to the other members of the court. It meant he didn't see things the same way. "I'm young." And apparently an idiot, as far as Grigore was concerned. He was still using the idea though, which told him more than enough. It had been a good idea. The execution in the suggestion had been the issue. He had thought he went about it the right way, but apparently not.
"And as far as grandfather is concerned, I'm an idiot." A powerful enough tool, but apparently an idiot.
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Post by Circe on Feb 24, 2020 19:41:02 GMT -6
Catherine was silent once more as she drank her coffee, leaving the banana bread largely untouched. Silence was not her way of agreeing or necessarily disagreeing, but instead she turned the words over in her mind, looking at in from each angle. Careful and deliberate were usually her responses, having considered all others before speaking again. "No, that's not it... he expects better of you based on how you were raised." He seemed to expect the same if not more so of Catherine, failing to understand that her life in the fae court had been markedly different. The fae held life as something that was almost sacred, while the vampires were more than eager to use it for their own exploitation, and Catherine wasn't sure how long it could last.
Catherine didn't know how else to put it, the staggering weight of Grigore's expectations was enough to make anyone mad. When combined with Tyrus's constant poking and prodding about this that or the other, it was a small miracle that she hadn't yet given him any more hell than she already had. "I would say you were sheltered from many realities in many ways." It was too kind of a response, when she truly wondered what had even made him think propositioning Grigore in such a way would garner him favor.
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Post by demikara on Feb 24, 2020 19:51:00 GMT -6
"I know I was sheltered. The old court was also different. An idea didn't go before the Ra unless it came with a solution in hand. The new Ra is different. It was just a harsh reminder of how different." He shrugged. "Grandfather has his way though. I overstepped." He knew his position. It certainly wasn't to think. He was there as a show of force as needed. That was something he could do easily, though not happily so. Though his happiness had never mattered to the court. Not anymore than required for him to be relatively loyal.
Loyal enough plus a heavy dose of fear would keep him under their thumb. He knew how this worked. Grigore had given his heavy dose of fear. He had no doubt that some sort of gift would be coming to entice him as well. He knew this game. The only thing that changed was the time frame.
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Post by Circe on Feb 24, 2020 20:06:15 GMT -6
Catherine sighed, this was not what she had come here for. She had come to get the journals and leave, returning with them to a secure location within MCU Dallas's campus. But instead, here they were having coffee and trying to act as if nothing had ever happened. As if she hadn't caved to the demands of her sire and punished a wayward fledgling that seemed to have little clue about anything other than magic.
"What do you want me to say Tyrus? I'm sorry?" She was done with whatever this was, and it certainly wasn't a meeting to catch up or shoot the breeze between their respective branches of the unseen legal system.
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Post by demikara on Feb 24, 2020 20:11:17 GMT -6
"You aren't." He pointed out. "And you had no choice. Just. Take the journals Catherine." He stood, banana bread untouched, and finished off his drink. "Keep them safe." He headed out, dropping his cup off at one of the stations as he left. Little to no contact was probably the best bet for a long time, wasn't it? IT hadn't been her fault. She'd had no choice. But he should have kept this as a work only meeting.
He should have just had his assistant run them over. But he had wanted a break.
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