Futures and Unwanted Paths

[Rister Graas S6]

Wyron had purposefully made himself unavailable for the last day and a half since Avis had called a family meeting. He knew – suspected he knew at least – as to what was coming and was dreading the fallout. Avis was going to take Nate’s announcement badly, there was no doubt about that. The only question was how badly and how large the fallout would be as Avis had a whole load of temper to release on the world when she so pleased. Nor did Wyron have any doubts regarding the fact that he would be suffering a fair amount of the backlash as well. There really weren’t all that many people who could have advised Nate about the traditions and secrets of both Cartiers and Hardwicks and the different options available to him. And when one further limited the amount of people Nate might trust to come to with his question, Wyron guessed he and Edward might be the only people left as potential candidates to have advised Nate. It was going to be a large and hurtful mess that Wyron certainly wasn’t looking forward to. Even so he didn’t regret having answered Nate’s questions. They boy had acknowledged that he didn’t want nor suit the position of the Cartier Heir and future Head by himself, Wyron simply hoped he had been able to make the final results of that decision to be as painless as possible.

With just minutes to go until the portkey would whisk the keyes off to the meeting, Wyron slipped out of the shadowed secret door to step to where the main staircases leading up in the front hall met, learning forward on the balustrade to look at the kids gathering just outside the open front door. He acknowledged a shouted greeting by lifting his hand, but chose to linger just far away for a conversation to be just on that side of impossible as he watched the group with a slight frown marring his brow. He really did hope that none of them would get caught in the crossfire, even if he suspected that he was also looking at three potential candidates for a future Cartier Head.

Similar thoughts were obviously crossing Raidon’s mind as he weaved his way past the group in the courtyard as soon as possible with the minimum amount of conversation. Raidon had kept busy keeping Nate company, but he was obviously worried about the rest as well. Wyron hid a smile as Raidon reached out a hand to catch Kat’s arm and reel her in closer when she was passing him on the way out to the portkey. It was too far to hear or lip-read as to what exactly Raidon murmured to the girl, but it was accompanied by a pointed jab towards her so Wyron guessed it would have been a brief warning to look after herself. Probably smart. Nate knew what he was doing and was as well prepared for it as he could be, so Kat giving into a first instinctual reaction to go to or defend her friend would probably do more harm than good. And for all that Raidon and Kat bickered, there wasn’t really malice in it. At least not from Raidon’s side, who seemed to do it more out of habit than anything else. And less and less out of habit as well as he grew up and took on more and more duties for the family.

Regardless of whatever he had actually said, Raidon didn’t stick around to wait for a response or to offer any clarification, instead shifting past Kat to run up the stairs, taking two or three steps at the time. Coming to a halt next to Wyron, Raidon tilted his head to peer down towards the group gathered around the portkey as well, opening his mouth as if to ask something before closing it again without uttering a word. Cayden did ask though, as he stepped forward to take up a place on the other side of Wyron: “I feel as if I’m missing something important.” Wyron hummed non-committaly for a moment before straightening just enough to whisper in Cayden’s ear – the boy tilting his head accordingly, having grown even taller than Wyron himself was – with a hand cupped for just a bit of extra cover as he murmured: “Nate is renouncing the position of Cartier Heir and declaring himself a Hardwick.” Cayden paled even as his eyes flicked over to the Cartiers just as the portkey activated to whisk them off to the family meeting.

***

There was a way for Graas Heads to disappear off the radar completely when they hit that critical point of either breaking or turning off everything and everyone – Wyron himself had disappeared once for a night like that. But while he wasn’t quite at that point today, he did feel like needing a holiday for the sake of his personal sanity. So he had put in a couple of late hours (early morning hours really, but he hadn’t actually been to bed so it didn’t really count) to clear out a bit more work, done his morning circle around the castle and then packed a couple of changes of clothes into a sports bag, hoisted it over his shoulders and headed out. Well, tried to at least as he was caught by his butler and one of the house-elves with a pile of papers that required his signature. Running his eyes over the paperwork before signing, Wyron sped through the work – growling at Nate as the boy wondered in to prevent any questions regarding the sports bag over Wyron’s shoulder. “Raidon’s still asleep,” he deigned to tell Nate though, almost absently checking the castle magicks for the answer. Signing the last paper with a flourish and twisting on his heel to step out the front doors and activate his portkey.

The family had an extensive list of properties that Wyron had oversight off and had to manage, but then he also had a separate portfolio of private properties that he had bought long before becoming the Head as well. It was one of these properties that Wyron was heading to today. He had a young coupling looking after the vineyard most of the time and thus living in the main house, but himself Wyron had had the old caretaker’s house fixed up and now the house stood eternally ready to receive him. Or Cayden. The couple knew better than to house or even let anyone else into the house without Wyron’s express permission. Dropping his bag off in the caretakers house, Wyron headed up to the house to say hello to the young couple – more out of courtesy so they wouldn’t fear trouble upon seeing light in the windows of the caretaker’s house later - and spent an hour chatting with them and playing with their couple of months old daughter. He had always been fairly fond of children. Besides the homemade lemonade was excellent.

From the house Wyron headed off to a run. He had always enjoyed running, but it was one of the numerous things he never had any time for anymore. A quick spell transfigured his clothes into something more suitable for a trek and with a werewolf’s stamina to keep him going, Wyron spent a pleasurable three and a half hours running a circle around the vineyard before slowing to a lazy saunter back through the caretaker’s house to cool down. As promised while he was up at the main house before, a basket with all the necessary cooking staples had been delivered by the couple so Wyron made himself a late lunch/early dinner. He was nowhere near as good in the kitchen as Dad had been, but he had lived on his own long enough to be okay. So he pan-fried some fish and put together a quick salad and warmed up a loaf of bread in the oven, serving it all together with some elderflower presse, seeing that he hadn’t touched alcohol for years by now, before enjoying his meal on the miniscule front porch until the rain started.

He had just settled in comfortably for the rest of evening with a book – for once taking the time to read for pleasure rather than out of need – a cup of tea and a quilt when sounds from outside caught his attention. The subsequent knock a few minutes later both was and wasn’t a surprise. Climbing to his feet, Wyron sauntered over to wrench the door open and levered a stern look at the trio – Raidon and Cayden, both eerily good at reading Wyron’s moods, both conspicuously absent – standing there. Suffocating the urge to laugh, even as he reached out a hand to snag Kellen’s shirt collar and propel him back outside as the boy made a bid for inside out of the rain. Not unsurprising considered that the trio of twins and Liam all looked like morose bedraggled puppies someone had forgotten on his doorstep. “I’m on holiday,” Wyron reiterated out loud, while measuring the three with a long look, “That means that I’m not dealing with work nor any of the usual trouble you three can and do cause.” Wyron guarded the door for a few minutes longer, but then he was never really going to leave the trio whimpering on his doorstep in the rain, regardless of the fact it would have been easy enough for the kids to apparate away.

With a sigh Wyron took a step back to return to his book and couch, leaving the door open for the boys to droop through – and one day he was really going to need to ask all the Cartier kids what exactly they feared would happen to him if left alone for a moment. “None of you is sleeping in my bed,” he added over his shoulder with a gesture to the master bedroom door, using the same gesture to ward the door. There was a lovely king sized bed beyond it, but he wasn’t sharing. This wasn’t exactly a family home however, so the only other bed in the house was a small cot upstairs and Wyron wasn’t going to intervene in the kids trying to figure out who would get to sleep in it. He might make the kids go running with him tomorrow morning as well. If they insisted on staying here, they could spend four-five hours running with him.

[Philip Garwin]

Avis hasn't been able to breathe properly for days. There's been a heavy pressure sitting on her chest ever since the moment Nate entered her office, sat across from her, and very carefully shattered the future she has worked so hard to create for him. Her son - the child she watched over with paranoid terror for the first years of his life because she half-expected him to stop breathing for no reason at all, the miracle baby she had never expected to be gifted with - is no longer going to be a Cartier. The ramifications go beyond his status as her heir but Avis has yet to recover from the hole in her life being left by her son, much less begin smoothing over the scandal of the first Cartier Heir in recorded memory walking away from his duties.

She doesn't have to tell Edward. There's something in his eyes that tells her he already knows. Nate told him first. Of course he did. Nate will be the Hardwick Heir soon. There will be parts of his life now that will be shared with his father only. Avis inhales slowly, as her father taught her to do, and summons Julien when she thinks she'll be reasonably able to speak without crying. Her cousin, once he arrives, is openly shocked by the news. Avis reads the sincerity of his expression and is relieved that at least she isn't the last to know.

Julien is the one to call the meeting, mimicking her script flawlessly with practiced ease whilst Avis sits in a daze. He kept the family running during the weeks she was gone, Avis remembers. The transition had been smooth enough that most people hadn't even realised that she had been missing. He would be the perfect choice for a replacement, except that he's her age. Her heir can't be the same age as herself. It's foolish.

"I don't know who it was," she murmurs eventually, and the anger finally starts to seep through and replace her numbness. Avis is grateful for that anger once her mind finally connects the dots and leaves her with only two suspects. Julien glances across but doesn't stop writing, making a curious noise to encourage her to continue. "What he said...he knew too much. He must have been thinking about this for a while, he must have had help - and there's only two people I can think of who would know that much about both the Hardwicks and the Cartiers. So who was it?" Avis wonders aloud. "My husband or my brother?"

***

"What's going on?" Landon demands irritably. "We don't do family meetings. At least not ones that I have to go to."

Rin shrugs when Kellen and Liam turn to her, indicating both that she doesn't know and that she's not going to intervene this time. They'll have to deal with Landon's bad mood by themselves. The two boys wrestle briefly in a thumb war, which Liam wins with a sneaky trap that has Kellen huffing as he mooches over to his brother. Rin doesn't know but Wyron and Raidon do, she'd bet. Rin isn't blind, she's noticed her little cousin skulking around the castle more than he should be. Something is wrong with Nate, and Rin is realistic enough to acknowledge that something will therefore shortly soon be wrong with all Cartiers invited to this meeting. Avis is generous with her temper when it involves her only son.

Her hand snaps out automatically to steady Katarina when they land, retreating from the touch just as suddenly. The five Cartiers had taken Rin's own direct portkey to the primary Cartier residence, which has landed them in a room two doors down from Avis' office. The twins, Liam, and Katarina fall into step behind her when Rin strides away, leading them down a side staircase to the meeting room where the rest of the group will assemble. Liam veers off to join his dad once he spots him, with Kat naturally trailing after him. Alexei and Ana aren't Cartiers; they have no place here. Likewise, the twins slip away to greet Julien, Landon's scowl lightening somewhat when his dad ruffles his already unkempt dark hair.

Rin doesn't think anyone is particularly surprised that her dad isn't here. Tristan has stopped running away on jobs, but he has also stopped taking jobs altogether. Instead he spends his days locked away in his forge, designing and churning out new weapons as if he has nothing else to do with his time. She hesitates for a single moment, lost in indecision and longing for something as easy as murder instead of this political quagmire, before sitting between her two uncles in the seat that should rightfully belong to her dad. It's a statement that doesn't go unnoticed but Uncle Stephen gives her a smile and Uncle Julien knocks a foot against hers in silent, understated support.

Avis' gaze takes in her family as they arrive, nodding at her cousins in greeting. Stephen's eyes are sharp, a possible sign that he knows more than she thought. Tristan never arrives but Rin takes his place, the twins and Liam hovering near their fathers, with Liam's blonde student at his side. The Veela girl wouldn't have even warranted an invitation to the family meeting, which is open only to immediate family, except that she and Nate are close. Avis wants to see if she knew the truth.

"I called you here today to inform you all that there is no longer a Cartier Heir," Avis says flatly, once everyone is settled. "Nathan has made the decision to renounce his Cartier heritage and will instead be taking his place in society as the next Hardwick Heir. As he will now be a member of his father's family, he will no longer have the right to know private Cartier family matters. As a further consequence of this decision," she finishes after taking a moment to keep her voice even and emotionless, "his Cartier cuff will be destroyed tonight. The ritual requires three people as witnesses therefore I will require three of you to linger a while once this meeting has been concluded."

[Philip Garwin]

There is a mixture of reactions across the room once Avis makes her announcement. Kellen, who had been all but dozing off in anticipation of a terribly boring family meeting, snaps to attention, his eyes darting between each person in the room to note their individual reactions. At his brother's side, Landon huffs a rather exaggerated sigh. Rin understands the feeling. This is bound to create havoc within their family. As a whole, Cartiers do not adapt well to change. The shockwave of losing the Heir they have acknowledged since his birth will begin in this room and ripple steadily outwards. This is the moment their drama begins anew. The last time they had a similar level of unrest in the family, Julien lost his girlfriend and the twins lost a mother they'll never know. None of them know who they'll lose in the aftermath of this announcement.

Neither Julien nor Stephen show any surprise, although they share in the palpable sense of grief that spreads between the Cartiers at the realisation that Nate will lose not only his name and position but also his cuff. Their cuffs are quite literally a part of them, created from blood and magic during their first months. It's only Kat, whose mother didn't have a cuff and therefore chose not to gift her daughter with one, who can't comprehend why Nate losing a piece of jewellery is somehow more devastating than the entire family losing Nate himself. Liam curls the fingers of his right hand around her wrist in a silent warning and a promise to explain later, which thankfully keeps her quiet. Now is not the time to ask questions and risk angering Avis further, not when her temper is surely already running hot.

The meeting ends rather quickly after that. Liam is quick to disappear, his grasp on Katarina still firm as he pulls her along after him. Julien shoos his two sons after their younger cousin, although Kellen shoots Rin a questioning look and waits for her slow nod before he obeys. Avis needs three people after all. Julien and Stephen are obvious choices and they had both dismissed their children as quickly as they could without drawing Avis's attention. They both glance at her apologetically but, really, it only makes sense. Avis is now the sole remnant of Jon Cartier's line and Lucas had chosen a very long time ago to distance himself from their family business, which is reflected by his sons' conspicuous absence from this meeting. That leaves Jas's bloodline, Jas who had three sons for the three witnesses that Avis needs. Tristan can't deal with this level of involvement right now, and that just leaves Rin to step into his place.

The ritual takes place in a heavily warded room - and it is utterly horrific. Nate looks young and shaken once it's over, as if he has lost something indescribably important. Stephen wraps the cut stretching across Nate's hand carefully, lingering once he's finished to whisper something that Rin deliberately doesn't hear. She doesn't want to hear, she doesn't want to know. Her skin feels like it's crawling, the magic under her skin feels filthy and wrong and all she wants to do is leave behind the sense of utter wrongness permeating the room. Avis looks haggard and broken when she dismisses them and Rin thinks that once her Head gathers the strength to leave, she'll never enter this room again.

She should return back to the castle, to regroup with Liam and the twins, because they'll have questions and Katarina will require even more answers. Instead Rin strides through the boundary line until she can no longer feel the wards and apparates to the one place she knows she'll be alone for at least a little while. From the look on Kellen's face when he left she knows that either Cayden or Wyron, or both, will shortly be dispatched to check up on her but for now she heads up to the top of her lighthouse with just the rain and the stray tabby kitten twining between her ankles for company.

[Philip Garwin]

"We have a decision to make, Katya," Dad says with uncharacteristic gentleness. Alexei is a large bear of a man with shaggy blond hair that currently trails past his shoulders, a man accustomed to towering above almost everyone they've ever met from a truly impressive height of 6'7". He loves his only daughter more than anyone or anything else in the world but, despite spoiling her quite terribly, he isn't generally a soft man. He laughs when Ana or Stephen try to coax him into toning down his intimidation factor, commenting quite matter of factly that any man who wants to have a real relationship with his baby girl will need to be at least capable of having a conversation with her father without running away.

She knows what it's about, of course she does. Kat loves Nate dearly - the slightly younger boy is the closest thing she has to a younger brother, even if she is still feeling rather hurt and betrayed by the literally life-changing secret he kept from her - but his choices have affected them all like ripples in a pond. The only person Kat hasn't witnessed any changes in is Rin, which is solely because the lithe assassin disappeared after the announcement and has yet to reemerge. She had tried asking Liam about his cousin but he had just patted her shoulder and told her that it was being taken care of. Kat isn't entirely sure what that means but if Liam says so then it must be true. Both Liam and Stephen are remarkably talented when it comes to constantly being right.

"Avis told me this morning that she's scrapping the fifth test," Kat volunteers, picking at the blue polish on her left thumb. It's the one nervous habit that Liam hasn't managed to train out of her yet. "I get to finish my last year of school and then I start working officially, but she said she might send me out on a few small jobs during the year to ease me into it."

Alexei's mouth thins, his eyes contemplative. "It was Graas-related then," he theorises and Kat nods in agreement. She thinks so too. There hasn't been any official split between the two families yet but Avis has been slowly severing some ties. Kat doesn't like that her last test has been cancelled; she managed to weasel enough information out of Landon during one of his less awake moments that she knows Liam was the one to create her tests. If Liam thought it necessary then she really doesn't like not having the opportunity to pass or fail.

"We're going to stay, aren't we," Alexei says flatly. It isn't a question; they both know it doesn't need to be. She owes the Cartiers too much to walk away without paying her debts. Kat would never have become the gymnast she is without the coach that Liam located for her; she would never have entered all of the competitions and she wouldn't have trophies and gold medals and commendations decorating her bedroom walls. Liam might have supported her because he's just honestly kind and thoughtful but Kat doesn't think Avis would see it quite the same way. As Liam had warned her during the family meeting, now isn't the time to push their Head's buttons unless they're willing to bear the brunt of her wrath. "I guess that's one argument Stephen managed to win," her dad acknowledges with a sigh, kissing her cheek when Kat stretches up for a hug. "Go on, sweet girl. I'll let him know that we aren't packing our bags quite yet."

Kat waits another week - closer to ten days, really, but who's keeping track? - before she finally comes to a decision regarding the other matter that's been bothering her lately. She blames her procrastination on her gymnastics training and the two competitions she travels to Miami for, even though she knows better. Gymnastics keeps her busy, that much is true, but not so much that she doesn't have time to sit down and think. It's just...she doesn't know how to bring it up and she can't be sure of his answer and Kat doesn't like uncertainty. It's why she likes Arithmancy so much, because the facts don't change. The answer is either right or wrong, there's no grey area.

There shouldn't really be a grey area here either. Kat knows she's beautiful. Even without the Veela charm that attracts people to her, she has clear skin and silky blonde hair and a highly toned figure from years of gymnastics and self-defence training. She's had boyfriends before and they've all been highly appreciative of her physical attributes. There's no grey area. There shouldn't be a grey area, but of course there is because Raidon is nothing if not contrary.

"Would you be my first?" Kat asks eventually, blunt and to the point as she so often is. At least they're alone, with no one to listen to what could very well be a moment of embarrassment for her if he refuses. Kat has weighed her options, of course she has. There's that cute Ravenclaw she dated for a few weeks last year or the Hufflepuff who had asked her out at the end of the year. A Hufflepuff would probably be sweet and gentle, but the thought of that just makes Kat roll her eyes a bit. She doesn't want it to be just sweet and gentle, she wants it to be good. She has high standards for every other area of her life, so why not this too? "I know we don't always get along very well, but I trust you and you said you had experience so I can only imagine that you know what you're doing," she says, utterly matter of fact. "You're in no way obligated, obviously. I can find someone else if you don't want to and we'll never speak of this ever again."

[Rister Graas S6]

Raidon blinked at the report he had been preparing for uncle Wyron, his mind actually taking a moment to process Kat’s request as it came out of the blue. Except that wasn’t completely right either. Kat had been a beautiful girl and had grown into a beautiful woman, the idle thought that they would look wickedly good together had passed through Raidon’s mind before. But he had never expected it to become anything more than that – an idle thought forgotten as soon as it arrived. Especially as them sleeping together had the potential to cause plenty of hurt. Leaning back in the chair Raidon studied Kat cautiously as he considered. He knew the girl very well after all of these years and could recognise the decisiveness and stubbornness and determination to see her decision come to life in her face. And she had given him a reason as to why she had come to Raidon and it was one Raidon could understand as well. He could well see how it would be easier to have your first night not with a stranger but a friend and someone you trusted at least a little bit.

The real question was whether Kat could carry on afterwards as if nothing had changed between them. Raidon knew that he could. Knew that while he cared for Kat, she would never hold his heart, but then sex often had a way of making things more complicated. “Give me a galleon,” Raidon said after a moment, waiting with a tilted head and thoughtful eyes until Kat passed him the money. Holding the coin up between his fingers, Raidon swallow a sigh and tucked it away in his pocket. “Congratulations, you have just hired the Graas Heir for a night in a one-time only deal, usual terms and conditions apply,” he said with a wry smile, making a mental note to clear it with Wyron as requests such as these had to go through the Head, “Let me know when you want to cash in what you bought. Friday perhaps. This will exercise a whole new muscle group, so I’d recommend giving yourself time to take it easy the next day.”



Raidon could be good company if he wished so he had showed up with pizza and a smile, entertaining Kat with some of the whackier or more recent hijinks that Landon had gotten up to or into in his lab. Nothing like a bit of familiarity to set the tone of ease and relaxation – even if usually Nate would have been party to this sort of an evening as well – or to let Kat change her mind at the last moment, if she wanted to. Besides the build-up was part of the enjoyment as well Raidon reminded Kat lazily, even as he let the evening build up to what they both knew it was going to end with. And he certainly did his best to ensure Kat would enjoy herself as the evening progressed into night. Not that he forgot about himself either, wordlessly showing Kat at times what to do and how to tell someone was enjoying what you were doing. After all, things worked out the best if everyone was a happy and willing participant, who enjoyed themselves.

Raidon waited for Kat to slip into deep sleep, before taking a quick shower – absently casting a quick muffling spell on the door to keep the sound of the water from disturbing Kat’s sleep – before tucking the girl in and pressing a fond kiss to her forehead before leaving. It had been a lovely evening and night, but the sort where you would stick around until morning. Instead Raidon left quietly, reinforcing the wards again behind him before taking a portkey back to the castle. It wasn’t entirely surprising to see the lights still on in uncle Wyron’s office, so Raidon turned his steps towards there. He was feeling just a bit too unsettled to go to sleep anyway as well. Leaning a shoulder against the doorway, Raidon simply stood for a little while. “Have you ever slept with a friend?” he asked finally, the closest he could get to asking whether it was going to be alright. “Yes. Both willingly and unwillingly. Can be fine, can turn into a mess,” came the prompt reply as Wyron finally looked up to meet Raidon’s eyes even as he flicked his work closed, “Fancy an early breakfast?” “It’s 2 AM,” Raidon returned with a quick glance at the clock. “Exactly why I called it early. We can find some little 24/7 joint that will serve us something abhorringly greasy and tasty,” Wyron returned with a shrug, clapping a hand on Raidon’s shoulder as the two veered off to head out for breakfast.

[Philip Garwin]

It takes her a moment to locate the galleon that Raidon requests, with Kat patting down her pockets before fishing one from the back pocket of her jeans, and then a few seconds longer before his words truly sink in. It's an odd feeling, to know that she has technically just paid for sex. She has truly never expected to be on this side of the transaction. "I trust that you're giving me a steep discount and that the price isn't a reflection of the night's quality," Kat comments wryly, a familiar teasing lilt to her voice. Honestly, she probably has gloves that cost more than what Raidon just charged her.

She doesn't ask Raidon not to tell Nate; she doesn't think she has to. Nate is their best friend, the common thread that pulls them together, and even at his most rebellious he has a purity to him that Kat can't remember ever seeing in herself. He would probably be thrilled at the idea of the two of them getting along well enough to sleep together - because Kat is pretty sure that Nate equates sex with at least some degree of affection, if not love - but the idea of money exchanging hands would ruin it for him completely. It's simply kinder to keep him out of the loop, not to mention much less troublesome. Kat has no desire to fend off Nate's enthusiasm or to deal with his inevitable disappointment.

"Friday it is then," she confirms easily, feeling lighter as she turns to leave. As she said to Raidon, they might not always get along but she knows him and she trusts him. He'll make it good for her and teach her how to please him in return. Kat had weighed her options before coming to Raidon and she still thinks she made the right choice.

Kat is vain and anxious enough to spend five minutes or so on Friday afternoon considering how much of an effort to make. Without the distraction and physical exertion of a training session to keep her mind occupied, Kat reluctantly admits that she briefly loses herself in the oddity of the situation before bringing herself back to reality with a roll of her eyes. Raidon has known her for years; he's seen her muddy and sweaty and, very shortly, he'll see her naked. This is a business transaction of sorts between friends, not a date. She feels comfortable in skinny jeans and checked shirts with her hair pulled back in a ponytail so Raidon will just have to swallow his disappointment if he expected something different.

She relaxes into the easy flow of the conversation between them after a few minutes, enough so that their first kiss is almost a surprise. It shouldn't be this easy to change the familiar routine in this way but Kat likes kissing, is actually very good at kissing, and Raidon has a better technique than most of her ex-boyfriends. Kat whines in wordless protest when Raidon pulls away, her eyes heavy-lidded and beckoning, but the absence is only temporary and she claims his mouth once more before the night progresses and her lessons begin in earnest.

She's alone when she wakes, which Kat is quietly thankful for. She has thoughts to sort through and countless new sensations to catalogue. She's used to the ache of overexerted muscles but this is entirely different. It's thoughtless habit to stretch lazily when she first wakes but Kat inhales sharply once she does, unaccustomed to this particular sensation. It's just as well she took Raidon's advice for once and persuaded Liam to change their sparring session to this afternoon, Kat thinks with a huff of laughter as she runs a hot bath and searches out the last of the potion she uses to ease the ache of a strenuous gymnastics practice. Even Nate could knock her to the floor without needing to try right now.

[Rister Graas S6]

Once he had managed to sort out makeshift cover for his cousin – he lived as a muggle, so Wyron directed one of his sons to where pre-mixed polyjuice and a few strands of hair were kept alongside with an appropriate wardrobe, to keep up the pretence – Wyron simply settled in to watch Landon and his cousin work. Even if it was a slightly eerie view. Of course Wyron had known that they did with so occasionally and that Landon occasionally called (whether the kid was aware of it consciously or not) whenever he wanted to rant over his progress or think things through out loud, but that was different from seeing the interaction in person. The ease with which they responded to each other, picking up the direction of the other’s thoughts mid-sentence was simply eerie to see. Although perhaps not surprising as Wyron would freely admit that from a purely IQ stand-point they were probably the two smartest people he knew. And certainly in the field. “A match made in heaven or a literally volatile nightmare to make me go gray – which way do you think it’s going to go?” Wyron quietly murmured to the foxes, smiling wryly as the kits yipped at him, “Yeah. I thought so as well.”

He could at least take more comfort that it was probably even eerier for the rest. Landon was pretty well known for his unwillingness to share his lab and work and here he was working with a stranger and amending his plans on the flow while working with and around him. “What? I’m just fox-sitting and Landon is allowed to have friends,” Wyron responded with a shrug whenever any questioning eyes were turned his way – Landon could go pretty far down the rabbit-hole while working – and just for amusement value continued, “Although it’s really not polite to stare at the bottom half of those friends quite that intensely.” Never mind the fact that the bottom half of his cousin was all that they could see at this point, seeing that he was still stuck under all the machinery doing… something wires related, Wyron himself had lost track of the details a while ago. Hadn’t really understood the details in the first place, if he was being honest. Wyron’s job was reading situations and people and he was pretty good at that, mechanics he was happy to leave to Landon and his cousin.

And while his cousin wouldn’t necessarily care that much about the staring – he was a Graas at the end of the day and Graas’ just didn’t do embarrassment – he would be uncomfortable being seen. He had steered clear of everyone else so far after all or made an effort to make sure he would be brushed to the background as insignificant or someone else, something he was good at doing after having spent the majority of his life in hiding. So Wyron accompanied his flippant answer with a dark glare a quiet semi-snarl with Raidon openly toying with his want whenever it seemed like someone would question his cousin. He remained hidden underneath the machinery for as long as possible before wriggling his way out again. Wyron responded to a slightly panicked glance while his cousin tucked the broken wire cutter with Wyron’s cut off sleeve wrapped around the edge to make it more usable into a back pocket with a reassuring nod – he would help his cousin slip out of the castle unbothered once things settled. Once he was actually free to leave, seeing that Foxie jumped up into his arms to curiously peer down at her brother while Landon and Tara fussed over getting the other fox kit sorted for an X-ray.

“So does this mean we’re going to war?” Raidon murmured under his breath as he took a step backwards to lean against the wall with Wyron. “Not quite. Not yet at least. But I am considering selling us both to the highest bidder,” Wyron murmured back just as quietly, with a small shake of his head to show to finish the discussion. Not the place or time for it. So instead Wyron waited patiently until Tara declared that the fox would be fine and as his cousin, who had been ignoring any curious looks while murmuring softly to the fox in his arms while stroking the large velvety ears of the animal, passed Foxie back to Landon. Stepping forward to create a physical barrier for him to hide behind as they slipped out of the room, Wyron guided his cousin through a shortcut and to the portkey that would take them both back to London. He might as well see to it that the swap back between his cousin and his son to take place without any issues. Landon could worry about any questions about his friend himself.

***

Wyron pursed his lips thoughtfully as he stood next to the desk Landon was sleeping on top of. He knew the boy had managed to hurt himself again during one of his experiments – had already briefly checked on the bandages wrapped around his arms – and could make a fair guess as to why his cousin was here. What wasn’t as immediately obvious was the question why his cousin had a fresh graze from a bullet on his arm with a strip of bandage haphazardly slapped across it underneath Wyron’s shirt. Something he had most likely put on to hide the wound and any blood stains on his own shirt. Sighing quietly to himself Wyron reached out to take Landon’s phone. He supposed that the ultimate sign of trust wasn’t so much that the kids trusted him not to go through their phone records, but that they trusted him to do so if needed. Besides he didn’t actually know the unlock code for his cousin’s phone. Navigating to the call log Wyron was entirely unsurprised to see that the last call taken had been to his cousin. Not bothering to check anything else, Wyron locked the phone again and replaced it on the desk. “I guess it’s time to auction us off,” he murmured in passing to Raidon, his Heir having slipped into the room a few minutes previous, as he led the way out of the lab again, “You know the grounds and rules of running the Challenge to get Rai off? I want you in Japan for it, I’ll handle Egypt.”
Raidon hummed his agreement as the pair headed out to the courtyard. “Be careful,” Wyron murmured, prepping the portkey and passing it over to Raidon. Heading across the courtyard after Raidon had been whisked away, Wyron stepped out of the front gate before turning back to face the castle. Closing his eyes he focused on raising the wards. Not wholly, there was no need for that. At least not year. But the bare bones of magic stretching across the castle would serve his needs for now. “Tell the assorted mix of Cartiers in the castle that they can leave through the wards without any trouble, but the wards won’t allow them back in once they’ve stepped out,” Wyron instructed the butler through the wards, before preparing his own portkey.

It was Raidon that got back first, in the late afternoon of the second day after he and Wyron had left, stepping through the wards and limping his way across the courtyard to drop down heavily to sit on the front step leading to the front door. “Young master,” the butler was first to greet him with a small bow, before turning to issue orders for towels and warm water to be brought. Raidon merely sighed. It would be good to be able to wipe down his face and hands at least, although with his wounds clotted over he’d probably need a long soak in a bathtub with them on before he was even willing to consider getting his clothes off so that they could be burnt. “Good boy,” he muttered under his breath, absently patting the step next to him as the wards flickered a couple of times before slowly disappearing now that the Graas Heir was back. “Don’t!” Raidon snapped sharply a moment later as he sensed someone behind him. “Don’t try to help. I appreciate it, but this needs to heal the muggle way and without help from someone else,” he explained more softly. He wasn’t going to let it all be in vain. “I wouldn’t mind some food though. Simple things. Bread, cheese, a bit of fruit,” he added after a beat, well aware that sometimes people needed to feel needed and useful.

Picking up one of the towels and tipping it in water, Raidon wiped some of the blood from, also picking on the food that had bene brought as he waited. It was good to be sitting down at least. It was nearing sunset when Wyron arrived. Bruised and dirty and bloody as well – albeit perhaps in a marginally better condition than Raidon – he dropped down to sit next to Raidon with a sigh of his own. “All done then,” Wyron said on a slow exhalation, accepting the dampened towel he was being passed and dropping it in his lap, before reaching for a hunk of break and practically inhaling it in one piece. A bit of cheese and another piece of bread as well as half a peach followed just as swiftly, before Wyron reached for the towel to tiredly start wiping down his own face. “Rai,” he called, lifting his hand with the Head's ring to his lips to add the compulsion magic to the call and watching his cousin step out of the shadows a minute later. "You're in the clear," was all Wyron said, tugging a trinket out of his pocket and tossing it to him, Raidon repeating the motion with a trinkets of his own while slowly climbing to his feet. "I... but...," Rai spluttered as he gaped at the trinkets, "But it's... I can't... I don't have to hide anymore? But... I can't pay you back for something like that!" "Then you'll just have to owe us," Raidon grunted in response, reaching down to offer Wyron a hand up as well, "Come on. You can help me up the stairs, uncle Wyron. I'm not even sure which leg to limp, they both hurt." As Wyron and Raidon limped their way up the stairs Rai pulled his shirt open and pressed the trinkets to his collarbone, letting them fuse into his skin. Only then did he take an awkward step upside, turning his face upwards as he stood in the rays of the setting down with his face tilted upwards into the light even as his knees went weak and it was his turn to drop down to sit on the step. It was only when someone touched his shoulder that Rai came back to himself and opened his eyes, grinning brightly at Landon before sticking out his hand: "I'm Rai. Garrett Rai Graas."

[Rister Graas S6]

Rai wasn’t afraid of Avis Cartier. He couldn’t even explain why not – he knew Landon was scared of Avis and Rai meeting for the first time with the rest of the Cartiers bunch seeming to make every effort to make sure that meeting wouldn’t take place or at least not any time soon. And he had spoken about Avis at some length with Wyron and trusted his cousin to be telling the truth when he had said that Avis could be a very dangerous woman. Rai had seen just how hard Avis could be from what he knew and had seen in regards to Nate’s decision to step back as the Cartier Heir and everything that had followed. But even knowing all of that he wasn’t afraid of her. Maybe because he had been living in hiding, pursued by a potential fate far worse than being simply hurt or killed.

Besides he had to meet the woman sooner or later – she was Landon’s Head of House after all and Rai was wearing his cuff. Even if the Cartiers seemed to have a far different relationship with their Head than the Graas’. So now Rai observed with some amusement how Avis took in the cuff on his wrist and then seemed to be formulating her plan. At least that’s what Rai thought while discreetly observing the woman circling her. It kind of made him want to him the Jaws theme-tune even as he met Wyron’s eyes across the room for a moment. His lip-corner twitching upwards in a slight smile Rai re-filled his glass of orange juice and then leaned a shoulder against a nearby pillar and waited to see what would happen, exchanging polite pleasantries with anyone passing or stopping to have a quick conversation.

So he was in a pretty mellow mood – contemplating heaving back to the castle to fiddle with one of his chemistry projects he had set up in the corner of Landon’s lab or having a bit to eat before going back to his experiment – when he bid farewell to the couple he had been talking with and half-turned away only to come face-to-face with the Avis herself. He didn’t manage to dredge up any fear now in close quarters either. Wyron was in the room so what could happen to him? It was a slightly nonsensical belief perhaps, since Wyron was across the room and so unable to be there and then should Avis draw a weapon on Rai – he had picked up on the fact the Cartiers seemed to prefer knives. Not that he thought that to be an option. And nonsensical or not, but nonetheless Rai didn’t have any doubts that if any danger would arise, Wyron would be there. Ssomehow, someway. Out of the corner from his eye he could just see Wyron twitch a finger and see Cayden moving to intercept Kellen in response to the discrete gesture. Would Kellen be sent to fetch his twin Rai wondered, even if he was careful to keep the going-ons in the background over Avis’ shoulder only in his peripheral vision and the majority of his attention focused on her.

“Avis Cartier, I believe?” Rai greeted with a smile lingering on his face as he inclined his Head in a nod and extended a hand to shake in greeting, “A pleasure to meet you.” He suspected that Avis could guess at his name as well. His cheekbones, dark hair, and the gall to wear tight jeans and a waistcoat to a society party (and carry it off better than most people wore their official robes, if he did say so himself. Landon at least had given him a second look when he was getting dressed), and his heavy signet ring with the Graas emerald probably gave a pretty clue about his surname. Plus he had made a bit of a splash when he had first started appearing at Wyron’s shoulder at events as very few member knew who he was or remembered the details of his disappearance. “I’m Rai. Garrett Rai Graas,” he offered the full introduction anyway, the cuff Landon had given him declaring their relationship on the wrist of the same hand that bore his Graas signet ring.

[Philip Garwin]

Avis finds no small amount of amusement in the energy her foolish cousins expend in their attempts to keep Landon's lover a secret. She's been the Cartier Head longer than they've been alive; their family might not have many allies - surprisingly, not many people wish to formally associate themselves with a clan of murderers, thieves, and whores - but a lot of those people also owe her a great deal of favours. The same people who don't wish to ally with her family have no problem with hiring them. The Cartiers deal in murder but Avis herself has a wealth of secrets and blackmail that she uses as trade. She knew the moment Rai Graas appeared in public with a Cartier cuff. Still, their efforts are amusing and adorable. If she was a different person, if she didn't know herself as well as she does, it might be hurtful. As it is, Avis knows exactly the reputation she has cultivated and the person she has become. She has always been dangerously calculating and filled with cold logic but whatever warmth she once had has been slowly chipped away almost entirely.

She twitches an eyebrow at Rin and the younger woman openly scowls before reluctantly peeling herself away from the wall. Rin has a reputation of her own; the lithe assassin despises these events and will avoid social contact at all costs on the occasions she has to attend. Avis still has enough of a soft spot for her cousin that she's kept an eye on her throughout the night, diverting people away from Rin when the girl's patience clearly wears too thin to be safe. Avis has witnessed Rin nearly snap at even Cayden in the last hour, which is the clearest sign possible that she isn't fit for human company tonight.

"What?" Rin bites out, her temper still obviously running hot. To her credit, her attitude diminishes but doesn't completely disappear when Avis's eyebrows arch towards her hairline. Avis is the Head of a headstrong, arrogant family, not to mention the mother of a teenage boy. Or she was, at least. She has plenty of practice in cowing people with the smallest change in her expression. "You want to know about the cuff," Rin adds begrudgingly. "I don't know much. Landon doesn't like to share."

That much is true, Avis acknowledges with quiet humour. Rin and Landon are more alike than either of them seem to realise. Landon, at least, seems to have taken to the idea of love with far more grace than Rin had. Avis still remembers Rin in her adolescence, the blind refusal to acknowledge her feelings and the desperate flight when her heart hurt too much to ignore. "Go home," Avis suggests, although her tone makes it clear that a refusal isn't an option. "Maybe take Kellen with you. In the event that he looks up from his intense flirtation over there in the corner, I won't have him causing a scene." A muscle in Rin's jaw twitches, the woman caught between loyalties, but Avis can see the moment that she gives in even before she dips her head in a stiff nod. Jas raised his only granddaughter to be a soldier as well as an assassin; she would no sooner refuse a direct order from her Head than she would turn away from a kill.

She waits until Rin is at Kellen's shoulder before approaching Rai. Kellen is as predictable as his brother, in his own way. As engrossed as he currently is - or was, before Rin's appearance - in his discussion with the attractive redhead, he will abandon his flirtation in a heartbeat if he catches sight of her anywhere near the man who wears Landon's cuff on his wrist. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you as well," Avis murmurs, a flash of dark humour flitting through her expression. "It's not every day I get the opportunity to make the acquaintance of the man my young cousins have been trying so hard to keep secret."

[Rister Graas S6]

Avis was quite obviously aware of what had been going on, but didn’t seem entirely upset over it. And really there was no need for Rai to feel guilty over it either. He hadn’t been trying to hide – not from the world, not anymore. And not from Avis either. He didn’t have a reason to do that beyond acquiescing with Landon’s preferences. “I’m afraid I’ll need to shoulder some blame for that. I can be a bit difficult to catch as I’m somewhat in and out of the castle due to my job. Well, two jobs really as Wyron does have me run around a bit on occasion,” Rai mused, tilting his head to glower at Wyron as he did so. Not that it made any difference directed towards Wyron’s back as he was heading to the dance-floor with a pretty woman. It wouldn’t have made much of a difference even if Wyron had seen either nor did Rai really mean it. Wyron had taken his natural skills at strategizing and experience gained at his job and put it together with Cayden’s far more hands-on experience at intelligence gathering. The pairing worked better than Rai had expected – was working together by the time Rai even realised what Wyron had done – so he didn’t really mind that either. It soothed his paranoia and allowed him some measure in trying to ensure his family and loved ones were safe.

With a small shrug and a fond smile still lingering on his lips, Rai returned his attention to Avis. “And when I am there, some of my experiments can be time-sensitive. Landon is the better engineer without a doubt, but I do like to dabble in chemistry from time to time. It’s an interesting field, isn’t it? Especially as you consider the history of it and how it links to muggle alchemy experience. Absolutely fascinating.” He was decent at chemistry as well and knew how to wield a wrench, but while he was passionate about his own research he didn’t go nearly as far down the rabbit-hole as Landon did. Had never been able to do so safely and so had trained himself out of the habit. “So please do accept my apologies for any delays in an introduction,” Rai finished, offering a polite little half-bow with his hands brought before him in a nod to the Japanese half of his ancestry, “I’m glad to have made your acquaintance now. A lucky chance really, as I was considering taking my leave when you approached. While the party is lovely, I’m just more in the mood for some properly loaded pizza tonight. Well, I suppose it’s a good thing I’m partial to Landon’s favourite as well, isn’t it?”