|
Post by Circe on Nov 16, 2020 16:33:11 GMT -6
"Your services? And what is it going to cost me?" Last time he had come offering services, it had cost her more than just money. It had gotten her tangled up in everything they'd encountered in the last year. Prior to that she was largely content to live in mediocrity and serve out the parole set forth by the Council. Anything was better than Broadmoore by a long shot.
But by some means, Grigore had gotten word of his eldest and youngest's misadventures that had put them there. No doubt he had lain watching and waiting from his position as a member of the Florentine court to take advantage of what he deemed to be convenient pawns.
"Tell me anything? Half of them are so bloody cowed from him sweeping in here and demanding fealty be sworn or face death. I'm lucky they don't bow and scrape to me." Catherine added bluntly. She didn't think she was that intimidating of a figure, and was if anything confused and uncertain if anyone could be trusted. The only court she had ever participated in extensively was the Fae, but her responsibilities there were largely split between a few trusted ministers who had known Sir William personally.
Meanwhile, with the Dragon Court, her capabilities and character had been called into question more often than not by Grigore recently. He couldn't understand why she was so soft, and why she continued to saddle herself with duties that were far from befitting of a princess of her stature. One descended from the first vampires, and with what he claimed to be such a noble pedigree. "And I haven't been given much of a choice here now, have I?"
Tyrus didn't see the constant struggle she faced near daily. The court wanted one thing, and MCU needed another. It was near impossible to keep any kind of balance between the two. For the last year she had never more, than any other time, regretted the decisions that had placed her where she currently was.
|
|
|
Post by demikara on Nov 16, 2020 17:06:25 GMT -6
"Not money at least. Not beyond my allowance at least. And I get the allowance just by being part of the royal family." The allowance was his due because of his position in the court. It was meant to make things easier at least. It helped at times. "I'll check in with the people who handled various parts of the court for you then, and have them put together a summary for you, assuming they haven't vacated their positions entirely." If they had, there were bigger problems and he'd probably see to their death regardless for dereliction of duty. Tyrus had very little patience for people messing about with what was his, and the court was unmistakably his. Well, as an heir of course.
At the note of her not being given a choice though, he could only frown. "I can't do anything about the lack of choice given to you though. Grigore is powerful, and he gets what he wants. And he wants you as his heir." That Scotty lived despite being such a disappointment surprised him more than anything else. But there was no doubt still some reason for her to live on. Vampires as old as Grigore did not make those decisions lightly.
Tyrus sighed. "I want to help. Please, just let me help some."
|
|
|
Post by Circe on Nov 16, 2020 17:27:02 GMT -6
"But it is going to cost me something." Catherine knew better than to believe that a payment could only be money. There were other things that could be demanded as payment, and she hated to think what Tyrus could possibly want. She had little time to give, and little of personal means that didn't belong to the court. Grigore had seen to that from the start.
While Tyrus was right, that Grigore was old and powerful, he had forgotten that in many ways Catherine was much like her sire. However, being raised as she had, had reduced much of the attitudes towards violence and bloodshed she might have had if she had been raised in the court from the beginning.
"You want to help..." She hesitated, unsure how to best word things. The walls had ears, and eyes no doubt as they did in any court. Even at this very moment she could not guarantee the security of their conversation. If word got around to Grigore that she had even allowed Tyrus to break protocol, it would be both their heads more than likely. A thought that Catherine was not eager to entertain, even though she knew it would allow her an escape from the insanity her life had currently become.
"You can help by doing what you've already offered."
|
|
|
Post by demikara on Nov 16, 2020 17:34:06 GMT -6
"Then I'll do that. And I'll try to make it so it doesn't cost you." He couldn't make any guarantees. A lot of it depended on how Grigore reacted and the man was terrifying on the best of days. "Perhaps we can bring up my ability to help with Grigore. There has to be some way of putting it so he'd think of it as a good idea." He just wasn't certain what way. "Maybe something about my youth?" He suggested, not sure. It was clear he wasn't sure as well. He bit his bottom lip and thought the matter over.
Grigore didn't trust him much and considered him an unruly child at best. Maybe they could lean on that? There had to be some way of playing it so Grigore would agree. He just didn't see how. For the most part, he had avoided his 'grandfather' unless summoned to attend him. And when he was summoned, he was usually expected to listen attentively and act as a gopher.
|
|
|
Post by Circe on Nov 16, 2020 17:44:43 GMT -6
Catherine rubbed her temples as she listened to Tyrus bring up having to talk with Grigore about the whole thing yet again. She hated the idea of having to twist and spin words into half-truths just so that the man would listen. At least he didn't insist on infantilizing her, even though he did with Tyrus. It seemed that he saw Tyrus as little more than an overly precocious and obnoxious child, one that needed strict discipline in the form of violence and abuse.
"I will speak with him and simply tell him that giving you minor duties... with supervision may increase your responsibility, and keep you entirely too busy to do foolish things with magic." That would speak to Grigore's interest in keeping the court chaos and accident free. It also might mean that some people who previously had avoided her out right, would perhaps begin to be more reasonable. But she wasn't about to bet on it.
|
|
|
Post by demikara on Nov 16, 2020 17:50:06 GMT -6
"There haven't been any ostriches in over a year." He protested, though it was clear he was being playful. "I'm doing pretty good." There were accidents of course. And the solstice. But he did alright. "Besides, Boyuan keeps me busy with control training. I'm pretty sure she's trying to get me to pass out on her at some point." He was thoroughly worn out after their sessions and knew better than to not practice and practice well. At least during the practices he didn't end up knocked down to the ground. During training with Boyuan, he ended up on the ground regularly. His instructor seemed to enjoy knocking him over.
It was very annoying. But he was getting better at dodging someone who worked at their speeds without using magic to augment himself. Not that he was able to augment himself nearly as much as he used to, given the bracelets he still wore.
|
|
|
Post by Circe on Nov 16, 2020 18:06:13 GMT -6
Catherine did not see the humor in his lighthearted protests. "Thankfully." She remarked, grateful he could at least keep that under control. To her this was a serious issue that required as much patience and concentration as she could muster, and these were things that she was slowly running out of. At every turn she was constantly reminded either by protocol or having done something wrong that this was not her place. While she had been raised by nobility, her father had preferred to spend as much time away from the court as possible on his estate. It had been a wonderful place to be a child, full of trees to climb, fields to play in, and sometimes even other children from the families nearby to play games with. Eventually she had been taught to ride, fight, and anything else a son might have learned.
"Boyuan is whipping you into shape quite quickly. I can certainly commend her efforts." Catherine added knowing that Xiaolian had asked first what Catherine thought Tyrus's weak points were. But not before presenting the idea of the bracelets to her, and warning her what might happen.
|
|
|
Post by demikara on Nov 16, 2020 18:10:59 GMT -6
"I can't say I'm fond of the limiters." He admitted. "It feels wrong, to wear something to suppress my magic like this. But they serve a decent purpose." And he was used tot hem at this point. He still didn't like them though. It took time to cast his larger spells now. Before, it had been the work of a thought to cast a powerful spell. But the limiters would not be there forever. He didn't appreciate being tricked into letting the other put them on and appreciated even less that he was unable to remove them on his own. If something happened to Boyuan he was stuck with them permanently. That terrified him, very quietly, but very much still terrified him.
"I'm still able to cast though. So I'll still be of service to the court." Which meant Grigore wouldn't kill him for wearing the limiters, which was a real fear.
|
|
|
Post by Circe on Nov 16, 2020 18:21:18 GMT -6
Catherine looked at Tyrus for a moment, her expression carefully neutral and her thoughts equally hidden. Limiters were one way of dealing with too much magic, and from what she understood they simply restricted the flow, instead of bottling it up like a binding did. And while bindings could be eventually be weakened and broken, hers had been a special kind of hell. The binding had had its ups and its downs, but possibly more downs than up. To her, it had been like being wrapped in cotton wool, insulated and shielded, everything seemed to have a haze over it at best.
"Be grateful it isn't a binding, and that Boyuan will remove it when she deems it possible." She finally said. All that had been mentioned to Grigore was a new teacher for the child who had suggested some rather innovative training techniques to drive the willfulness out of him. It disgusted her that she had to lie to him in such a manner, but in the end it was to save and protect another, friend or not.
"You are of service to the court not because of your magic, although he seems to find that one acceptable method. You are of service because you are the last link to the previous court, and therefore are agreeable politically to some." Catherine couldn't believe that Tyrus thought it was only because of his magic. Grigore, she was almost certain, could find another mage to suit his fancies.
|
|
|
Post by demikara on Nov 16, 2020 18:29:40 GMT -6
"I'm in the service to the court because I was raised to be and there's no escaping the court." He said simply. "It was this or deal with more assassination attempts and the one was close enough as it was." He knew his use. That he was now her fledgling only made him more palatable. He had been lucky to keep his magic when he was turned. And, he supposed, lucky enough that it was Catherine who had turned him, however accidentally the entire affair had happened. "If I am valuable, perhaps I will stay in one piece, and not lose anymore body parts. So it's to my advantage to make myself valuable."
If he was valuable, then he'd be in one piece, hopefully, and not be killed for being disappointing. Though he was surely less disappointing than Scotty was at least. So there was something to be had for it all. Tyrus was well aware that his life was at stake here. He needed to learn control as quickly as possible, before Grigore discovered the limiters, assuming he didn't already know.
|
|
|
Post by Circe on Nov 16, 2020 18:45:40 GMT -6
"Indeed. We live to be of service to il nostro Ra, and should be glad of it." Catherine deadpanned. She couldn't quite get what Tyrus was angling for, help wasn't something that people freely gave, it came with strings attached. Especially when it came to positions of power, and what those in power could offer them in return for being provided assistance in a perceived time of need.
"Assassination attempts are to be expected, given how long you will likely live.. if you don't do something stupid first." She wasn't amused by the direction this conversation was taking. The fae while equally bad sometimes, were at least more discrete and less interested in airing dirty laundry in public like the vampires seemed to as of late. Catherine couldn't help but wish for a calmer, and perhaps slightly more civilized court, even though she knew she couldn't have it.
"Continue working with Boyuan, perhaps she'll remove the aids before the year is out."
|
|
|
Post by demikara on Nov 16, 2020 18:52:51 GMT -6
Glad of it. It was hard to be glad of being in service to the court that had killed off his brothers. It was hard enough he had no choice but to accept it or die. He couldn't defend against all comers easily, and the alternative would be hiding behind his admittedly impressive wards. That was something he wasn't eager to do either. "I will do my best to earn that privilege." The sooner he was done with the restraints the better. The mage managed a brief smile to Catherine and touched the usb stick in his pocket briefly.
"I should start to checking over the financials, make sure everything is there. I'll let you know the results as soon as I'm through." Hopefully everything would be there. If it wasn't, heads would roll and it wasn't going to be pretty. "Do you need me for anything else?" If so, it was best to know now rather than find out later.
|
|
|
Post by Circe on Nov 16, 2020 19:17:43 GMT -6
Catherine hadn't been too terribly serious when she had made the comment about service to the court, she of all people even found it nauseating how many of Grigore's sycophants went around blithering about this or that. She was just glad she didn't have to hear it daily, and could generally shut herself away in an office and sort out the affairs of the day without being disturbed. If she was lucky she could have everything done by midnight and be home at her own place, away from the court residences and Grigore's antics.
"I'm sure you will, given you made mage by the time you were what? Twenty? Young enough you haven't had the title long." Catherine commented passively. Despite everything, she felt that he had had a great deal just handed to him, but would never say it. And she did try hard not to let it influence her actions and decisions, but it wasn't easy.
Glancing to where he had slipped his hand in his pocket to toy with the USB stick, she found herself thinking that she wouldn't be surprised if he had magicked some crazy sort of extra storage in his pockets. It was always a mixed bag with Tyrus, nothing was ever the same, and the man thrived off chaos and disorganization it appeared.
"No. I need to finish this and go home to sleep like a normal person before work."
|
|
|
Post by demikara on Nov 16, 2020 19:23:52 GMT -6
"Twenty-four." He admitted. "Still younger than usual, but my education was fairly lopsided." It heavily skewed towards magic. He was aware of the deficits in his education and tried to correct them, when he identified them. Anything that didn't add to his knowledge base for magic was largely discounted. It meant his science education was threadbare at best, though he tried to improve that where he could. And he hadn't read the same literature as other people had. Most of his reading was on magic, not on classics. "I'll leave you to what you were doing then. Get some rest, if you can." He would need to get rest himself.
It was a long drive to the ranch. By the time he got there, it would be time for him to get some rest as well. "Thank you for seeing me. Have a good night, Catherine." He stepped out of the office and headed out of the court to where he had parked. It was late. Catherine wasn't the only one who should get some rest soon.
|
|