Llyr's Court

[XCandy and LunacyX]

Felix's departure had caught her by surprise. Granted, she really hadn't expected him of all people to argue with her about it, but the idea of one of her cousins simply taking her orders and not arguing or complaining about it was astounding. She had a short moment of thinking she could truly come to like the new addition to her family before she looked back to Vikteren and that momentary softness flashed across her face. "I don't want to take chances. I'm not sure how this will turn out, and I would feel better knowing you were too far away for any real harm to come to you." She moved closer to him as she spoke, reaching out to touch his hand. "Besides, I think you would come to dislike this place much more in a few moments." Her eyes met his for a few seconds, a grim little smile to her lips. "I called for Nicolae a few minutes ago, and you know he would never refuse my summons." In truth, the thought of him leaving made her just as nervous as him staying. Since they had met, they had spent very little time apart, and it had always made her anxious, worried. But it was still better for him to go, especially since Nicolae would arrive soon, and though she could only assume how Vikteren felt about him, she knew how Nicolae felt about Vikteren. He hated him to a degree that was beginning to frighten her, and she thought it best that they see as little of each other as possible.

 

[.David Talbot.]

Courtland suddenly stared at her. Nicolae? Coming here? He hadn't seen his cousin/brother in a very long time. He had thought he was dead.
Nicolae came as if cued. He snuck up behind Antha and wrapped his arms around her pulling her against his chest. "Hello my poppet. Couldn't go the whole few hours without me?" He grinned and kissed her cheek.
He remembered the witch boy from the Talamasca motherhouse. "Good evening Rynn," he greeted him. "Nice to see you again. Still got your pesky little ghost problem I see." He laughed. "But that's why Antha called me isn't it Evie?"

 

[XCandy and LunacyX]

The moment Nicolae entered the house, she turned to look at him, her hands on her hips like a stubborn child. "You are so rude, mon cheri," she scolded him, turning back to the rest of the group, "Really now. You cannot simply walk into someone else's home uninvited. Did Julien teach you nothing?" That was when his arms appeared around her, making her very still and quiet. She wanted to flee suddenly, to run away, to be away from him.
Antha wasn't used to those feelings. Once upon a time, she couldn't stand to be away from him, to not touch him. She had followed him like an adoring puppy from room to room, place to place, afraid to be without him for more than a few moments. As it had been pointed out multiple times before, the connection between Antha and her older brother was stronger than even most twins forged. So she didn't quite understand why she didn't want to be in the circle of his arms at that moment, why she was regretting the fact that she had called him there. "You really should apologize to Rynn," she said softly, closing her eyes and leaning back into his embrace as if trying to relax, "Don't you think, big brother?"

 

[Rynn Calais]

"It is no matter," he said, directly, waving a hand as though the faux pas were simply an insect that could be batted away.
As her cousins seemed bent on leaving, he said, "Come," and gestured for her to follow him. "I will show you something that may--explain a few things."
He spared a brief, uneasy glance for the dark-haired vampire, who had quietly slid in and out of the foreground for the past few minutes. To be honest, if he did not feel very comfortable in Rynn's presence--the feeling was mutual.
Liesse, unconsciously, had assumed the same position as Nicolae in regard to position, falling back behind her brother as though he were a shield. Her eyes were wide as tea-saucers; she was not used to so many visitors in the house, never so many at a time, surely.  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

Antha opened her eyes slowly, as if she couldn't bear to return to reality when she was falling into the trance of her brother's presence. For a moment she was silent, turning enough to rub her cheek against his shoulder. It was a sign of affection they had used since they were children, mostly because they were allowed little more in public. "Lead the way, mon ami," she replied finally, brushing her brother's arms away and stepping away from him, towards Rynn.

 

[.David Talbot.]

Nicolae laughed and kissed his sister's cheek. "He might have tried but since when have I ever listened to Julien?" He laughed again and settled himself more comfortably around her body. "Isn't it bad enough that I look just like him? Why the hell should I act like him?"
"You are a whore like him," Courtland hissed. "And a liar. A goddamm tricky, lying b*****d." He stared at him with blank eyes and a sulky face. "I thought you were dead." It wasn't clear if this was good or bad.
"Aww. I missed you too squirt." His laugh became a smile as he rubbed his cheek against Antha's hair. "So how are you liking our new brother? Horrible isn't he? It'll take years to break him. Unless Antha has special plans for him."
He worked his way to her cheek and gave it another kiss. "What do you say? You think you can be a one man kinda gal now or are you going to keep trafficking Mayfair boys through your bed?" he whispered in her ear. "I bet the stiff isn't even good in bed." The last part was childish and sulky.

 

[Vikteren]

Vikteren had stayed for too long, if only because he loathed the thought that Antha should be alone with this family, in this house.

Now, with Nicolae in the room, he had no reason to.
He knew Antha's brother to be as zealous a guard-dog as any; he could protect Antha just as well as Vikteren.
Even with Nicolae purring insults into Antha's ear, he could bear it.
One thing, though, before he left.
He raised his eyes, tiredly, without even the malice of an emerald glint within, and corrected Nicolae, flatly.

"We haven't slept together."

Then he left, quietly exiting through the wide double doors. On the porch, he had to lean on the railings; the dawn was coming. He could feel it, like wind rushing through his veins in place of blood, as alien as such a feeling might be to a human. The sky was yet barely grey. He was certain he had time to make it back to the Mayfair Mansion.

But he didn't want to. Even with Nicolae at her side, he did not want to leave Antha. Even if he was useless to her, the thought--of her needing protection, and him unable to give it--was like a knife twisting into his throat.
He sat down on the porch, watching the greying sky, and promising himself he'd go. Soon. In a moment.

 

[XCandy and LunacyX]

Her eyes followed Vikteren as he took his leave, the depths of them going dark, forlorn. "Do you always have to provoke him?" she asked her brother with the first hint of reproach beginning to color her voice, sparing him only the slightest glance over her shoulder. "I must wonder how---even being in the company of a gentleman like Khayman---your manners have sunk so very low." She turned her attention to Rynn to give him a polite, forced smile, her eyes still glassy with the anger Nicolae had inspired. "Excuse me a moment," she excused herself shortly, turning on her heel and following Vikteren out the door.
When she came to the porch, her steps slowed considerably, as if she were afraid to approach Vikteren too quickly. "I'm sorry about Nicolae's behavior," she apologized, her voice gone very soft, as she dropped to her knees, one hand reaching out to touch his shoulder. She was afraid to get too close, afraid of Nicolae's scent clinging to her. "I daresay you know how he can be. Rude, selfish...jealous to a ridiculous degree." Her hand withdrew, folding with the other in her lap. "Tell me, is it selfish that I don't want you to go?" she asked, sparing a moment to bite her lip. It was a bad habit that she thought she had rid herself of years ago. "Even though anything else would be putting you in harm's way, and despite the fact that you dislike the place so very much, and even though I know Nicolae will never cease attempting to find ways to provoke you?"

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

Her eyes followed Vikteren as he took his leave, the depths of them going dark, forlorn. "Do you always have to provoke him?" she asked her brother with the first hint of reproach beginning to color her voice, sparing him only the slightest glance over her shoulder. "I must wonder how---even being in the company of a gentleman like Khayman---your manners have sunk so very low." She turned her attention to Rynn to give him a polite, forced smile, her eyes still glassy with the anger Nicolae had inspired. "Excuse me a moment," she excused herself shortly, turning on her heel and following Vikteren out the door.
When she came to the porch, her steps slowed considerably, as if she were afraid to approach Vikteren too quickly. "I'm sorry about Nicolae's behavior," she apologized, her voice gone very soft, as she dropped to her knees, one hand reaching out to touch his shoulder. She was afraid to get too close, afraid of Nicolae's scent clinging to her. "I daresay you know how he can be. Rude, selfish...jealous to a ridiculous degree." Her hand withdrew, folding with the other in her lap. "Tell me, is it selfish that I don't want you to go?" she asked, sparing a moment to bite her lip. It was a bad habit that she thought she had rid herself of years ago. "Even though anything else would be putting you in harm's way, and despite the fact that you dislike the place so very much, and even though I know Nicolae will never cease attempting to find ways to provoke you?"

The vampire could sense her even before she spoke; her weight on the boards, the fall of her eyes on him, her presence like a weight that bent the world around her--and he let her come close, and put her hand on his shoulder. Without looking, he could see those sharp green eyes soften as she spoke. And when her hand withdrew, Vikteren closed his eyes, and sighed--almost inaudibly.
"If it is selfish, then it is mutual. I know that Nicolae does not care for me, that he will not--perhaps cannot--forgive me for the theft of his little sister. But I would bear that, Antha, if you asked it of me." It seemed little enough of a burden in such surroundings. In truth, he had borne worse, in places much like this manor--with the same miasma of old malice, and murder, and worse.
"I don't want to leave you. Not here, Antha. I will stay hidden, if you wish, but I cannot in good conscience abandon you." He didn't quite trust himself to look at her, but he did, over his shoulder. "I know that you will not be alone, but--and perhaps I am over-wary, but it is the only way that I know to be--it seems that this is a place deserving of caution, and that the presence of another ally could not go amiss."

 

[XCandy and LunacyX]

Antha was quiet for a moment or two, reaching up to clasp the Mayfair emerald in her fingers as she struggled against herself within her own mind. Finally, she moved closer to him, enough to put a hand on his shoulder and rest her forehead on the other, letting her hair make a thick crimson curtain to shut out the world. "Whether you stay or go, it will fray my nerves. So, since either choice is both a blessing and a great evil in my eyes and because I can claim no authority over you, I leave the decision up to you. However, no matter where you spend this night---" she raised her head enough so that she could lift her second necklace---the one with the silver chain linked with small, clear crystals which bore on the end a large silver locket with an old crystal 'M' set into the front, lost in the gray folds of cloth from her dress---safely over the mass of curls and dangle it before him, "---grant me a favor and keep this with you. It's my good luck charm." She took a moment to drop it into his hand, moving beside him to close his fingers over it and lay one brief, light kiss on his lips. "It's been in my family for eight generations, so be careful with it, alright?"
She took another moment to simply smile at him, that rare, sweet smile that showed a glimpse of something comparatively calm and innocent beneath the lunatic witch persona, and then abruptly stood and returned to the house, to her brother and her host and the others who, for the present moment, were inconsequential. "My apologies, mon ami, but I felt it to be an unpardonable offense not to apologize for my brother's dreadful behavior." As she spoke, she shot Nicolae a glance that was both angry and scolding, the same look she had given him every time he had committed some transgression that displeased her ever since they had been small children.

 

[Vikteren]

Vikteren watched her return to that house, feeling the warmth of her skin seep from the metal locket within his fingers. Human things; family heirlooms, good luck charms. Warmth. He had to half wonder what was inside--but that was an answer that was not his to seek.
It would be presumptuous of him to wear it; something so clearly of the Mayfair witches, when he was neither of Mayfair blood nor witch. Instead, he shifted his hand so that the silver chain spooled out into a puddle of gleaming thread on his palm, and put it and the locket in the breast pocket of his shirt.
He knew that he would not lose it. For such a small thing, it was weighty, and queerly reassuring with that weight.
He stood. He did not plan on joining Rynn's guided tour; his presence would offend Antha's brother, and--more than that--he had the feeling that whatever Rynn showed them would not be the whole and complete story.

 

[.David Talbot.]

Nicolae stared at the vampire as he left. If it's not you then it's someone, he hissed at him. Then he watched Antha leave. Watched her on the porch with Vikteren. Closely. Angrily. It left his expression sour when she came back.
Open it, he told the vampire, She doesn't give a damm. He even showed him the memory of the last time he'd seen it. Uncle Louis's portrait in one side and their mother's in the other. Mary Beth's was only because of tradition.
The look she gave him appeared to do no damage. He was shameless after all. It only wounded some core piece of his heart.

 

[Rynn Calais]

Rynn waited, patiently, for Antha to return, although he marked Nicolae's silent death glares and biting words with noted interest. It seemed that Antha's taste in men ran to the decidedly macabre, and her brother didn't appreciate it.
"If you're quite ready?" he said, when Antha entered the hall, and it was only his smile that took the acid from his words.  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

"Quite," she replied, a little grin to her lips that was hard to understand as she made a small gesture for him to go on, " And my sincerest apologies for making you wait, mon ami."

 

[Rynn Calais]

He led them, clasping Liesse's hand in his as though she, in her white dress, was a candleflame to light the way. The house was not well-lit, truly, though candles sprang to life as he passed, recognizing the master of the house. They said that old manors such as this could develop personalities, sometimes, that the architecture could become somehow aware with age. In these halls, it was not a notion that could be easily dismissed.
Rynn took them to a hall, where the marble checked floor became smooth-waxed cherry wood. The walls were hung with dark oil paintings--landscapes, it seemed, of rolling hills and shadowed forests. The old country.
The group, should they choose to follow him, would be led out upon the back patio, where some part of the estate could be seen. Directly behind the mansion was spread acres of lavish gardens--or what had once composed them. They would have been unusually beautiful in ages past, but with the staff dismissed, there was little to keep them from running rampant. Liesse, in her recent madness, certainly had not tended to them. What little that she had been able to tame had mostly been limited to the ivy maze, the worst of the garden--in the dim moonlight, it skulked like a great, wild shadow on the horizon.
Rynn called his witchlights--globes shaped like chrysanthemum blossoms, casting an eerie green light over the party.
With those to light their way, he set off for the path to the maze. The gardens themselves were labyrinthine in their complexity, but the witchlights would serve as a marker for those who became seperated--at least, until they entered the maze itself.