VIII-Circles of Hazel

[Helena Rahal]

There is the feeling you get when you look at whats left and I am searching for a sign

Inaki was reeling a bit lately, for reasons that were beyond him. Ever since the event during Halloween, he had felt a bit titter tattered and just ever so slightly off kilter. Honestly he was wondering if maybe he was starting to have a mental breakdown following all the screwed up crap that had gone on in the past few years of his short life. There was a laundry list of things that he and his therapist were constantly working through. It was a miracle that he hadn't started to go bezerk before now...

... though there was that entire Claudia thing to take into consideration...

Inaki was not entirely sure if Felicia had noticed his mood swings or if she did, if she really cared. It was not as if him having mood swings before all this was really out of the ordinary, but this felt different somehow, though Inaki could not exactly put his finger on it. However he was entirely certain that Ma had noticed the change in his behaviors, besides being an ancient, wise being, she was also pretty observant. If she had yet to intervene, then perhaps it really was not something to worry about.

At the very least, Inaki was enjoying the bonding that he was having with his children. While it still shook him as a bit odd, helping Felicia breastfeed the children was such a bonding sensation that he simply lacked the words to properly convey it. These were his children, something that he had brought into the world. There was no stronger bond that he felt to the world, not even the love and care he had for his wife and adopted family. Whatever may come, he would do everything within his power to keep them safe and to care for them.

However something also was pushing against his curiosity, the odds of the twins having an elongated life like their mother, grandmother, and... sister. Because of this, Inaki found himself secretly scouring the confines of the Rahal library to see if he could come across some of the journals from either Felicia or Ma. It really was not a subject he wanted to bring up with them, speaking about just fifty years back seemed to be a problem with Felicia, much less hundred of years and her previous children.

It had been by pure accident that he had stumbled upon the diary of Felicia's that he now had in his hands and was attempting to translate it. After many hours of searching the library without success, Inaki had decided to rest and sat up against one of the shelves. Leaning back as he relaxed his eyes darted up to the ceiling and lo and behold there above him on the third shelf was a dusty old diary with Italian writing on it, clearly spelling out Felicia. Yet inside the writing was something else, maybe Hungarian as Felicia said she was?

And so now he was sitting once more in the library, his tablet with him, trying to decipher the current page. If his translations were anywhere close to right, it was speaking of her time in Florence and boredom. Yet there was also talk of Lucia... the woman Inaki knew now as Nireva or as most people called her, Niri. Inaki was so engrossed in the pages that he had neglected to hear the footfalls of someone coming into the library as well...

[Felicia Soler]

This part of me you'll never know
The only thing I'll never show
Hopelessly, I'll love you endlessly
Hopelessly, I'll give you everything

Cazenovia Lake Estate
Cazenovia, New York

[dropcap]Her husband really needed to learn when to take a page out of her book and stop being so serious all the time. Hallowe'en was the first time she'd ever really seen him let his hair down, so to speak, even if neither of them had been in their right mind. Explaining how one of her very distantly relatives wound up in bed with her along with two other women, a man, and an electric desk lamp with the lightbulb removed—well, that had been interesting. They still hadn't found the lightbulb. Since she hadn't gotten any texts or updates on any of their sexual partners shitting blood, she figured she was in the clear. Lightbulbs tended to wind up in the wrong orifices.

She'd been walking around the house with Ildiko in one arm and Tivodar in the other. Devon and Amalia had already taken to calling her Illy, though she had to shut them down when they wanted to shorten Tivodar down to a diminutive of Tivo. He didn't need to be nicknamed after a crappy DVR box. Now they'd finally started to refer to him as Daro (which should have been his nickname to begin with).

Inaki wasn't in either of his usual haunts as she strolled through the mansion. But there was one place which she hadn't checked that she knew should have been first on her list: the study. He was always either in there, the expansive library, or in their bedroom tending to the twins. Although fatherhood had been sprung on him rather quickly, he wore its mantle well. Everyone who visited them could see just how much he loved his children.

She'd written invitations to a number of people with whom both she and Inaki were acquainted. Two of them already lived in the house and didn't need invitations. It was still relatively early in the morning; the party wouldn't be happening until later in the afternoon. The indoor heated pool attached to the house would definitely bring a welcome respite from the traditional boring Christmas parties. She'd specifically requested that their invitees come dressed casual with a few changes of clothes. There were enough rooms in the house to safely fit at least thirty people for a substantial amount of time, though she couldn't see a reason why they would all be staying for more than a brief overnight rest.

Felicia carefully balanced both of the children in her arms and manoeuvred her way to the door, turned the knob and let herself in. Inaki was leaning against one of the bookshelves, reading an old leather-bound book that looked all too familiar to her. She hadn't kept a diary for several decades, and she knew that the be the diary in which she'd recorded the event of her daughter's birth. It was rare for women in those times to know how to read, let alone right; her mother had provided her with teachers of various arts by means of greasing their palms. She wasn't particularly fond of Italian and decided to be a little rebellious, recording her diary in Italian with certain more intimate passages in Hungarian that no one could decipher.

“See you found one of my old diaries?” It wasn't like she did anything to hide them. Most of the books lining the shelves were diaries that she'd written over the years. Hiding all of them would have been nearly impossible. Readjusting the twins, she settled in next to Inaki and read the page that he was on. She chuckled as she read over the page, reliving the memories in her mind. “'Although I have been alive for three centuries now, the 16th Century is rather uneventful.' No, that doesn't sound at all like me.” She continued, briefly scanning over the rest of the entry to translate what she'd written. Inaki might have known enough Italian to pick up on bits and pieces of what was being written about in the centuries-old version of the now-evolved language, but he knew about as much Hungarian as a rock. “'Living in Florence, I am sheltered from the usual epidemics and wars that have been a part of life for as long as I can remember.'”

Being an educated woman was grounds for instant death in any number of remarkably painful and humiliating ways. She'd already been hung once. That had pissed her off so much that once she'd been cast off from the branches of the hanging tree, she proceeded to use her noose as a garrotte to strangle all of the men—and their families—responsible for her 'death.'

“'Despite the boredom, Florence has given me something that makes me want to go on living:

My daughter, Lucia.'” Her lips curled into a warm smile. Lucia had brought her light in an otherwise mundane world where she was allowed to do little more than housework. Children throughout the ages hadn't changed; they brought happiness to dark places and changed them in profound, immeasurable ways. “'Lucia is a beautiful girl. It is still too early to know whether the girl will live forever, like me. Either way, it must be ensured that the secret is safe. If my husband here was to learn, there is no telling what will happen.' The end."

Ildiko yawned and opened her eyes. Tivodar had been staring at the strange, scrawled lines on the yellowed paper in front of him. Unfortunately for Inaki, it seemed that both she and her mother had been right in their assumptions that both children would take after the Rahal side of the genetic family tree. Both of them nearly looked identical were it not for their clothes. Felicia was trying to keep them fairly gender-neutral until they were old enough to choose what they wanted to wear. “What do you think, Illy? Did you like anyád történetét?” She was intent on teaching them at least one language other than English. Neither she nor Inaki knew whether either of their children would exhibit signs of having abilities; perhaps her own mother would know better. A part of her didn't want to ask and instead wanted to wait to find out.

She had no idea what the sounds meant coming from her mother's mouth, but she sounded calm. Ildiko grinned and made an excited noise, then started kicking her feet as if she were riding an invisible bicycle. Of course she approved! Didn't her mother know that she enjoyed being talked to? And being read stories was the best, as far as her young brain was concerned.

Tivodar was definitely the more reserved of the pair. He was content to lay in her arms and watch every move Inaki made, turning from one page to the next.

“It goes on like that for pages. Just boring daily stuff from the 16th Century. Feeding the animals, cleaning the animals, cooking the animals, squeezing out a kid, that sort of thing.” After successfully pushing out both of the twins, she was done with having kids for this lifetime. Maybe for the next few as well. “The guests should be arriving shortly, so I'll be putting the babies down for a long nap. Oh, I might have forgotten to mention that ma invited Jordan. I hope that doesn't make things really awkward tonight.”[/dropcap]

Довести до белого каления.

ф ф Word count: 1291
ф ф Mood: Bbllahjkajk
ф ф Outfit: Something. Flannel xmas pyjamas.
ф ф Lyrics / Quote: Endlessly, Muse
ф ф Illustrations: In post.
ф ф Comment / Informational links: I should go to bed.

[Nireva Hale]

AAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH!!
NYAAAAAAAAGHHH!! AAAAAAAAAAGGGH!!!!
...and that concludes my roadtest of the Porsche GT-2. It's terrifying!
______________________________Jeremy Clarkson - "Roadtesting the GT-2"

With her time burdened by her studies at medical school, Nireva Hale had been seldom seen at the Plan B club; the place where she had made her living for the majority of her time in Los Angeles. Over the past year, she had been maddeningly busy with both her volunteer work at the Jung Facility and her studies at UCLA which would eventually yield a medical degree. Although she was able to spend quite a lot of time at home with Jenna, the fact that she was forced to spend the majority of it studying diagrams, taking notes and reading textbooks meant that her original job - as an exotic dancer at Plan B - had been well and truly relegated to the sidelines.

Normally, such a degree of dereliction of duty would have had her fired on the spot but, thankfully, with Jenna able to speak on her behalf and her boss being so understanding with regards to her ambitions, she was still very much welcome to swing by and perform a routine if she ever felt the desire to do so. Although she wasn't able to put in regular hours as she normally had, Jason had promised that she would be paid for the work she was able to do as normal.

Tonight, however, was a rare exception to the recent rule. With the universities and other educational establishments on a short hiatus for the holidays, the students had finally found themselves with some free time on their hands. Most, if not all of them, had returned home to spend time with their families but, with Nireva's family now living on the other side of the country, she had been spending most of the time at home with Jenna. Of course, with her girlfriend being as persuasive as she always was, it didn't take long for Nireva to accompany her to the club.

As she stepped through the door and met with Jason, it didn't take long for the word to spread. Backstage, Nireva was all but mobbed by her co-workers as, one by one, they learned of her unexpected return. Between the reactions of Clarissa, Jess, Miranda and the other six women who were working the club that night, she had been hugged, cuddled and affectionately kissed more times than even Jenna sometimes managed in the average night at their apartment. "So, Niri," Miranda began. Obviously prepared to step out onto the stage for a routine of her own, the ebony-skinned twenty-something was clad in a corset made from shimmering gold material; an ensemble coupled with a pair of shin-length boots and matching silk tendrils tied to her long hair. "Are you here to watch, or are you gonna show us all how this job's really done?"

Even though only Jenna was privy to the secret of her immortality, the other girls had become aware of Nireva's obvious expertise. Even though she had insisted at every turn that it had been her first time working as an exotic dancer, they had all come to the conclusion that, in some fashion or another, she had done something like this before. Whether she had taken up ballet as a child or was drawing on experiences from a previous life, the theories had been discounted almost as quickly as her peers could think them up. "Oh, she's dancing," Without waiting for Nireva to field the question, Jenna quickly butted in. "Aren't you, Niri?"

The backstage area of the club, while certainly an odd one, was a closely-knit democracy. And, right now, she was being outvoted nine-to-one. "Sure." If anything, she had missed the rush she felt whenever she strutted out onto the stage, seeing the crowd eyeing her every curve and applauding her every move. She craved it. She wanted to get her dancing fix before the new university semester kicked in. "It just wouldn't feel right if I was only here to watch."

"Nice. I'll see ya later!" Planting a not-so-subtle kiss on Nireva's cheek, Miranda sauntered her way beyond the crowd and headed out of sight, towards the stage door. Rather than dissipate as a result, the other dancers took it upon themselves to give Nireva a suitable welcome. Following Jenna's lead as she ushered her girlfriend into the nearest dressing room, they all took up strategic positions; two stayed by the walk-in wardrobe, while the rest doled out the various make-up and cosmetic implements between them. "Well, girls," Jenna began, a mischievous smirk appearing on her face as she sat Nireva down in front of the mirror. "I think it's time Doctor Hale was reminded just why she's been missing this place as much as we've been missing her!"

The makeover - which would have taken the better part of an afternoon if left solely in Nireva's hands - was over in just over an hour. After stripping Nireva of both her street clothes and dreadlocks, the team of dancers ordered her into the shower while they deliberated and prepared the next phases of her transformation. After she emerged in a billowing cloud of steam, Nireva was sat back in the chair while Jenna and two other girls set to work on her face and hair.

Being the only person in the room likely to be trusted with such an endeavour, Jenna carefully placed a set of set of long, expensive looking lashes swathed in silver glitter against her girlfriend's eyes while her co-conspirators worked on her hair. After ensuring it was suitable to work with, the pair attacked it with a barrage of rollers and a curling iron until it fell around her head in a dazzling array of curls.

With her eyelashes in place and her hair as prepared as it would ever be, Jenna began to take care of Nireva's make-up, dolling up her girlfriend's face in a subtle, yet alluring layer of foundation, blush, lipstick and whatever else she could find while the rest of the dancers bickered amongst themselves as they attempted to agree on the outfit she was going to wear. Eventually, they settled on a consensus and brought the pieces of Nireva's dancing attire out to her before leaving her to get dressed and prepare for her time on the stage.

Since getting a job at Plan B, her various costumes had exuded the suggestion of a multitude of roles, ranging from Disney characters all the way to a short-skirted qipao when they had taken over a popular club in Chinatown for the Chinese New Year. But, in all that time, Nireva had never been seen on stage as a burlesque showgirl. Of course, with the sheer number of clothes the club possessed backstage, rectifying that particular problem wasn't in the least bit difficult.

And so, after hearing her name over the loudspeaker, Nireva strode out onto the stage. Wearing a dancer's corset and headdress in place of her usual bikini ensemble, she immediately captured the attention of the crowd and, as they applauded her presence, she began to dance seductively to the music. The months spent without practicing failed to faze her. As the music played, she just acted naturally, doing what she felt best. Not even the platform boots on her feet were enough to stop her.

The night out at the club wasn't just to give the crowd a treat. Earlier on in the afternoon, Nireva and Jenna had been invited over to Felicia's estate in New York for the holidays. With it being the first time she would have seen both Inaki and her mother since her three-month stay at the hospital, she welcomed the opportunity to see them; one which wasn't overshadowed by her brush with death. She just wanted to have fun with her family in peace and, as Jenna had agreed, it wasn't something she could do while stuck at home.

In much the same way as the other occasions on which the Rahals had congregated, Khalidah had used her vast resources as the CEO of Intellitouch to allow the pair the use of one of her company jets to fly out from Los Angeles and eventually return when the festivities had concluded. Resisting her girlfriend's temptation to show up at the front door wearing the dancing costume she had worn the night before, Nireva had settled for her usual clothes but, by way of compromise, had left her hair in its curled state. If Jenna appreciated seeing her hair when it wasn't in a tangled mess of dreadlocks, then her mother certainly would.

With the holiday season being a time of almost obsessive gift-giving, Nireva and Jenna had decided not to be an exception. With a red-and-white Santa hat sitting proudly on her head, Jenna had elected to carry the large bag filled with gifts to the door, albeit in return for Nireva manning the driver's seat of the rental car. With all of their travel expenses being fielded by Khalidah, they were free to make their way to the Cazenovia estate however they wished.

The bag, they hoped, had covered all of the expected bases. For Khalidah, Nireva had ordered a pair of replica Kraken maces from Final Fantasy 11, which sat in a velvet-lined, wooden presentation box. Felicia would be getting a necklace which faithfully recreated one Nireva remembered her wearing back in Italy, Devon was getting a gift card for Steam worth a hundred and fifty dollars and they had - after thinking long and hard - decided to get Inaki the complete works of H.G. Wells. With Inaki apparently spending a lot of time in the mansion's library, the couple hoped that classic literature would be up his proverbial alley.

The gifts had been expensive but, with the two of them having enough disposable income to spare, it was all going to be worthwhile. With an excuse that she had run out of hands, Jenna stood and watched while Nireva knocked on the estate's front door. It didn't take long for someone to answer. "Hey!" Nireva didn't care who it was. With the estate housing four biological family members, her stepfather and a friend of her mother's, she had predicted that she would be hugging all of them at least once before she left. It was more prudent to start as soon as possible. "I hope we're not late."

Seizing the opportunity, Jenna scurried inside with the bag in her arms, searching for either a Christmas tree or a designated area where the Rahals were placing all the presents. "Sorry. Aside from Hallowe'en, this is her favourite holiday of the year," Nireva explained with a sigh. "Do you need any help with anything? Cooking dinner in the kitchen, maybe?" Once again, her urge to do something to help out around the house was quick to show itself. Even though she was the guest and wasn't required to do anything, Nireva had always felt that her hosts shouldn't have had unnecessary work to do while she was there.

[Ryan D'Alteau]

Sit down and shut up! I don't wanna hear a word come outta your mouth!
Why won't you listen to me?
Outside, life's great! But, inside, you're screaming. It's not how you thought it would be.
Are you hoping for something? Waiting for some sign?
It's time to jump in or simply get the hell out! I think you'd better make up your mind.
______________________________Celldweller - "The Best It's Gonna Get"

Ryan wasn't at all impressed.

Usually, at this time of year, he and Adele headed for the airport in order to fly out and visit their respective families for the holidays. With Adele's parents living down in Bossier City, they were traditionally first on the list. Although money wasn't much of an issue when it came to chartering the use of one of Air Royale's fleet of Gulfstream-5 jets, the two of them had agreed that it was more prudent to embark upon the shorter of the two journeys first. After visiting Evelyn and Vincent at their home, the next item which was usually on the agenda was to immediately fly out to New York, where Ryan's parents - Rhiannon and Leo - still lived.

"Why th'hell do we have to go?" The invitation had arrived in the mail a week and a half earlier. Having failed to recognise the handwriting on the envelope, Ryan had been somewhat tempted to throw it away but, once his fiancée had found it, his fate was sealed. Although the piece of card inside had invited them to make another journey out to New York, it hadn't been at the behest of anyone he personally knew. In addition to informing the couple of where to be and when, the invitation had revealed that they were being asked to attend a gathering organised by none other than Felicia and Inaki Soler.

The names were vaguely familiar to Ryan. While he hadn't had the (mis)fortune to meet either of them in person, he was reasonably sure that he had talked to them on one of his many numerous sessions he spent logged into the Ark Industries chatroom. Despite everything the corporation had been through recently, the server which contained the chatroom was still very much in operation, allowing the specials who had, once upon a time, been sent an e-mail about it to have a place to talk openly.

While Inaki had been rather enigmatic, mostly talking with his friends and relatives, his wife Felicia was very much the opposite. From the things she had said, it had been easy for Ryan to deduce that, in some capacity or another, she knew both Marcus Grant - one of Ryan's three former Company partners - and his similarly-named father. A number of months ago, Ryan had - in an impulsive quest for vengeance - drove out to Missouri and gunned down nine members of Marcus' family in cold blood.

Given that the younger of the two Marcus Grants which now remained had effectively prevented him from saving Adele's life - a somewhat moot point now that she was alive and well - Ryan had thought at the time that his actions were justified. To a certain degree, he still did, though his memories were now tainted by the demons of remorse and hindsight. Being presumably close to the family, Felicia hadn't bothered to veil her threats even slightly. She wanted to tear him limb from limb and, quite frankly, Ryan couldn't exactly blame her.

And yet Adele seemed insistent on having him walk into the proverbial lion's den regardless. "Y'know this is prob'ly th'same Felicia that wants my face nailed to th'wall?" As the two of them had drawn inexorably closer to the Cazenovia estate; the large mansion on Staten Island where Inaki and his wife now resided, Ryan's complaints had grown more frequent. Other than the obvious reasons why Felicia would have wanted him inside the same four walls as her, Ryan had no idea why he or his fiancée had been invited.

His assumption was that Felicia and Inaki - like he and Adele - were ringing in the holidays by inviting their family members from far and wide to open presents, have dinner and generally have fun together. Were that the case, Ryan realised that he was far from welcome in the house on so many levels. Although the pretenses of the occasion were clear enough for anyone to see, Ryan was unable to shake the feeling that there was a very real possibility that, once he had entered Felicia's home, he wouldn't be walking back out.

Glancing over his shoulder, he looked down at the bag Adele was holding. With Adele being the wiser, calmer and less inclined to complain of the two, she had taken it upon herself to get a few gifts for their hosts. "Once we get inside, we'll stick together, okay?", he remarkedwith a small smile. With everything that had happened since meeting Adele, he hated going anywhere unprepared. What made things all the worse was that the reasons why he felt nervous about attending Felicia's gathering were his own doing. There was nothing he could do to deflect the blame, as much as he would have liked to. "Hopefully, I'll make it through dinner without gettin' a knife in my back."

[Felicia Soler]

This is going to end well.

Cazenovia Estate
Cazenovia, New York

[dropcap]Ever since Inaki and Felicia had decided to leave them alone with the twins while they attended a party halfway across the country, Amalia had grown quite fond of Devon. She found his social awkwardness incredibly endearing and despite what everyone else said, she thought he was handsome in an eccentric, exotic sense of the word. He looked like a man from a travelling freak show she'd seen in California a few years back while on a break. They'd been on a few dates, but that was all. Nothing ever came of it. Where other people (including Devon himself) saw strange body proportions and a face resembling that of a desiccated, emaciate corpse, she saw a lanky man in good physical condition with long hair and brown eyes who could easily outpace her during their morning jogs.

It was still early in the afternoon and she was hanging about the kitchen wearing nothing more than the skin she'd been born in. The Rahal family and their descendants had no reservations about discarding their clothing while in the comfort of their own home. It was something that Devon and Inaki were still coming to terms with. She had nothing to hide other than the scars on her chest from a surgery to repair a shattered rib and a punctured lung she'd suffered during a car crash a few years back. Eh, scars added character and no one had complained about them so far.

There was nothing to warn her of Nireva's imminent arrival in the kitchen where she'd been fixing herself a little something to eat. She nearly dropped the plate she was holding when her—how were she and Nireva related? Was Nireva technically her aunt? God, she hated trying to piece together her family genealogy. It was impossible. She snatched the piece of toast that had just popped out of the toaster and dropped it on her plate. Amalia hadn't been exposed to Nireva until fairly recently and still considered her to be somewhat of a stranger. Now she couldn't possibly get any more exposed.

“Oh! Hi, Niri!” It was completely useless for her to try and cover herself. There weren't any towels large enough to hide, well, everything. She tried to appear as nonchalant as possible even though her face was hot enough to fry an egg and her cheeks were the same shade as the vermilion curtains which covered the windows behind the sink.

Her face burned an even brighter shade of crimson when she saw that her aunt was being accompanied by an attractive young woman who Amalia took to be her girlfriend. “Jenna, right?” They were both strippers. It wasn't like she had anything they'd never seen before. Still . . . embarrassing! At least it couldn't get any worse, right?

Why did she even bother wondering that? The answer was never a good one.

Khalidah strode into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee from the French press she'd laid out on the counter. Like every other sane member of the Rahal clan, Khalidah's only vestige of clothing (if it could be called as much) was the thin, silver chain necklace she occasionally wore which had a crystal pendant dangling from its centre, encased within the coils of a sterling silver dragon. It was something she'd received as a promotion for FF XI and with it she'd obtained an identical pendant in-game which gave her the ability to teleport anywhere in Vana'diel.

“Both of you should take your clothes off. I don't want you feeling left out.” Niri might have gone along with it, but she doubted Jenna would take her up on the offer. “We can put our clothes on later when the guests start arriving. Or we can just leave them off. Whatever makes you feel more comfortable. Coffee?”[/dropcap]

†††
۵ ۵ ۵

Cazenovia Estate
Cazenovia, New York

[dropcap]For the life of her, she couldn't imagine why they'd been invited to a holiday party at the estate belonging to a man and a woman who clearly wanted them both dead for a growing number of reasons. Ryan was much more apprehensive about the meeting than she was; they'd made it through the Hallowe'en party more or less unscathed. She was, of course, going to have to find and punish the young man who'd filled her mind with lies for the better part of the evening and had made her act in ways most contrary to her nature. She'd very nearly killed Ryan under the delusion that he was Gotham City's infamous hero Batman and she was his arch-nemesis (one of many), Talia Al'Ghul. The injuries he'd sustained were nothing that she couldn't put right again, but it was the principle of the matter. Someone had invaded her mind and planted within it ideas and memories that were not her own. BRRRRRRRRRMMMMMM!

It was a fool's errand to assuage her fiancé's fears. Ryan was at times as stubborn as a mule, an unfortunate characteristic he'd inherited from his own genetic lottery and subsequent upbringing. Nothing she said could change his mind. He was convinced that the two of them would be buried in shallow graves in the estate's vast surrounding woodlands by night's end.

“We'll be fine.” Adele took his hand in both of her own and pressed his fingers to her lips. “I won't let anyone hurt you.” Having been together for so long, Ryan knew that the true translation of the phrase she'd just uttered meant that if anyone at the party so much as said an unflattering word to him, they would find themselves returning home several appendages lighter in a wooden box.

Just in case they needed to stay the night, she'd made reservations at a local hotel. Neither she nor Ryan wanted to overstay their welcomes at what was sure to be a party full of forced cordiality and thinly-veiled threats. From what she'd witnessed of Felicia Rahal in the Ark chatroom, the woman was an absolute boor with no sense of propriety. How she'd ended up with such an erudite young man as Inaki was inconceivable. Although she and Inaki had their differences, she assumed that they were on good terms—her continued relationship with Ryan notwithstanding.

For a gift, she'd brought them a bottle of wine from her grandparents' villa in Saint Tropez. It was a deep red bordeaux her grandfather had concocted from his own special strain of grapes. She had a few bottles of it in the wine cellar at their condo in South Padre and had already deemed it to be one of the finest vintages ever created by man, far surpassing that of even the famed Chateau Lafite Rothschild.

Walking up the entryway with Ryan by her side, she reluctantly knocked on the door, unsure of who would greet them and what kind of a welcome (or lack thereof) that they would encounter.[/dropcap]

Cazenovia Estate
Cazenovia, New York

[dropcap]TTo say that she'd been absolutely livid when she discovered that her mother had invited Ryan Alcroft and his fianceée to the home that she now shared with her husband and their two children would have been an understatement. That being said, with her time being more or less occupied by studying for her medical boards, clinical exams, and taking care of the twins with Inaki, her plans to eradicate the younger half of the existing Alcroft male line had been all but abandoned. With two demanding children and an equally demanding husband consuming nearly 90% of her waking hours, Ryan Alcroft had become a footnote.

And now she was staring him in the face for the first time. The last time she'd spoken with him online, she'd vowed to kill him to avenge the deaths of the Colonel's family. But being the fickle soul that she was, she'd lost all interest in pursuing him once the twins had arrive. Maybe once the kids were a little older and were spending their days at school she could draw up a more detailed plan of revenge. She had all the time in the world to follow through with her promise to end his life.

The less vindictive part of her mind said to give up on the plan entirely. Perhaps it was for the best. She had a family to care for now, and murdering someone would kind of put a crimp in her plans to live the proverbial 'happy ever after.'

Felicia's face gave no indication as to the thoughts mulling in her mind. “Good evening, Mister Alcroft, Doctor Couteau,” she tipped her head at the two of them and opened the door to invite them in. Joining her at the door was Ildíko whom she was supporting in the crook of her arm as she waited for the oddly-matched pair to enter. The infant girl resembled her mother in miniature, though she seemed to have inherited her father's wavy hair. “Please come in. Make yourselves at home.” Ugh, it was like pulling teeth for her to admit temporary defeat, and she'd promised Inaki that she'd behave herself around the guests tonight (while the children were awake, at least). They were hesitant to cross the threshold, and she caught the cautionary glance Adele threw at Ryan, waiting for him to make the first move. Not that she could blame them; the animosity between the three of them had been well-developed over the past several months. “Okay, look, it's starting to snow out and as much as I'd like to let you both stand out here and freeze to death,” she glared at Ryan, “I've been instructed to behave myself tonight or risk divorce, which would just piss me off even more, so get your asses inside and let bygones be bygones, insert an inspirational quote of your choice here.”

Who were all these big people coming into their house? Ildíko could make little sense of the funny noises coming out of her mother's mouth and instead helped herself to grabbing at the shimmering necklace of sparkly baubles around the shorter woman's neck.

Adele smiled and unfastened the diamond and emerald necklace. It was an heirloom that she'd inherited from her mother who passed it down to her upon her completion of medical school. The necklace had been passed down in her family for several generations and had been bestowed upon one of her ancestors who had received it as a tribute for working with the French crown during the early 17th Century. “Voulez-vous emprunter mon collier pour la nuit, petite fille?” She reached around to the back of her neck and unfastened the necklace, then presented it to Ildíko before drawing the clasps together behind the infant's head. It looked more like a pectoral necklace on the tiny girl, though she was fascinated with it nonetheless.

What was this marvelous contraption? Perhaps it was something she could put in her mouth. Ildíko stared at the faceted orbs gleaming under her chin, just daring her to chew on them to her heart's content. “Ba! Ba ba ba ba!” she trilled. Hopefully the big people would be able to coprehend her exultant cries of adulation.

“And this is for you.” Adele gestured to the bottle in Ryan's arms. “from my grandparents' vineyard in Saint Tropez. I hope you and your husband will enjoy it. My grandfather has a gift with plants.”

Well, wine was certainly a generous start to winning their way back into her good graces. Felicia took the bottle from Ryan (perhaps a little too hastily) and escorted the couple inside. “Thank you for the gifts. Ildíko already loves hers—but I'll make sure you get it back before you leave.”

What was this? A bottle for her as well? Distracted by the dark coloured bottle that had recently been confiscated by her mother, Ildíko grew tired of the emeraldine chain hanging around her shoulders. She relinquished her grip on the shimmering gems and wrapped one of her hands around the bottle's tapered neck, making a grand attempt to muscle it into her mouth. That was obviously where it belonged!

“No. None for you.”

Ildíko huffed petulantly as the bottle was drawn out of her grasp. The gesture made her look remarkably like her mother.

“Okay, at least not until you can talk.” That was a good compromise. God, both of her kids were going to be lushes. Maybe she shouldn't have drank while she was pregnant. Yeah, right. She would have murdered Inaki if he'd denied her her two glasses of wine each week.

With Ryan and Adele in tow, Felicia made her way through the formidably-sized home and into the kitchen. There would be more than enough time to hold a formal tour once the rest of the guests arrived.[/dropcap]

Довести до белого каления.

ф ф Word count: 2204
ф ф Mood: I have to pee and my hands hurt.
ф ф Outfit: Adele, Felicia, Khalidah, Amalia
ф ф Lyrics / Quote: BG. Because this party will end well. Totally.
ф ф Illustrations: Included in post.
ф ф Comment / Informational links: PPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[Helena Rahal]

I love you girl but I am not the answer to the questions that you still have.

“The guests should be arriving shortly, so I'll be putting the babies down for a long nap. Oh, I might have forgotten to mention that ma invited Jordan. I hope that doesn't make things really awkward tonight.”

While Inaki had been content enough to let Felicia hover over him and read out the diary and even dismiss the rest of the passages, that little detail irked Inaki. He had not liked at all that the "man" called Jordan had fun with their minds at the Halloween party and wanted nothing to do with the man. The fact that Ma had invited the bastard to the party, on top of another pair of unscrupulous guests, was enough to now put Inaki in a foul mood.

"Maybe I don't feel like being partyish tonight. It's bad enough that we're going to have two murderers in the house who I wouldn't put it past them to be planning to kill us at the party, but the bastard from the party? I don't even care if he is somehow related to the family, he crossed a line you shouldn't cross at Halloween. I've not felt right since that night."

Inaki closed up the book and left the library and Felicia behind. It was all he could do from fuming at her and Ma, something which he would have to apologize for later, but so be it. Better an apology later than a fight on Christmas and especially in front of the children. At the very least, he offered a small olive branch before he was out of earshot. "I'll be getting ready, I might be down before the guests arrive. Just... don't do anything stupid or reckless, but also don't let your guard down if they do show up."

Inaki let out a small sigh as he made his way around the mansion and towards his room. He had managed to get gifts for all of the guests that he knew where coming, even those pair of evil bastards that were coming. Inaki really hoped Ma knew what the fuck she was doing by inviting some of the Company's most wanted fugitives into their home. Yet after some of the decisions that Felicia made, Inaki was not putting it past the Rahal woman to not realize the danger or if she did, if it was not just some sort of joke to get under Inaki's skin to see how he would react.

In his room though, Inaki sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the opened closet before him. There was a choice right there that was also nagging him. Much to his surprise, Felicia continued to support him in his little crossdressing... endeavor, experiment, or whatever you wanted to call it. Inaki was not sure at all what it was for, but there was indeed a certain feeling of happiness and pleasure and something else he could not quite figure out when he did it. And he did it so often... even since Claudia left his mind.

Inaki had to figure out who he was going to be... Inaki or Isabell as Niri and Jenna had called him during last Christmas...

[Nireva Hale]

Passing by, you light up my darkest skies.
You take only seconds to draw me in.
So be mine... and your innocence I will consume.
Darkshines, bringing me down! Making my heart feel sore 'cause it's good!
______________________________Muse - "Darkshines"

To Jenna, Christmas and Hallowe'en were the two most involved times of the year, each more suited to a different social circle. For Hallowe'en, she almost always spent the evening surrounded by friends, whether entertaining customers at the club or merely out drinking on her own time. Christmas, however, was more a time for family; an opportunity for her to get in touch with her parents and myriad aunts, uncles and cousins from both sides of the border.

First, however, her intent was to spend time with her girlfriend. In more ways than one, Nireva was a very special woman. As well as being the woman she adored, she was also immortal, able to effortlessly transcend the ages as her mother and grandmother had done; and continued to do. During the trip across the country, Nireva had regaled her with one of the more confusing quirks that came with being a member of a family in which immortality was as much a likelihood as dark hair.

With the exception of Khalidah and her duty as the family's matriarch, Nireva thought of herself as one of the foremost authorities of the Rahal genealogy. As well as having spent more than a few weekends trying to track down her own immortal children through a copy of the family tree, she was also quite good at keeping track of how people were related to one another. What was already a tricky list to remember had been made all the more so by the presence of those who were continuing to birth children.

Training her mind to remember the likely people scheduled to be present at the party and how they related to Nireva had been Jenna's main task while the couple ate their in-flight meal. Despite being newborn, Tivodar and Ildiko were, in fact, Nireva's siblings; making Inaki her stepfather in more than marriage-borne courtesy. What had confused Jenna the most, however, was when the conversation reached the subject of Amalia. In addition to the "is she? Isn't she?" with regards to her possibly being Devon's girlfriend, of all things, there were also complications with her place in the Rahal clan.

Although she was a fully-grown adult like Nireva, it took a couple of runs through the list for Jenna to realise that the flight attendant was actually Felicia's granddaughter. By being seperated from Nireva's mother by one extra generation, the circumstances resulted in her being one of her girlfriend's nieces. It had made her head spin though, in retrospect, the disorientation may have been more due to the wine which had accompanied her fillet of grilled salmon.

The discourse had another, slightly depressing, effect. It served to drum home the fact that, out of everyone likely to be present at the gathering, she would be the odd one out. She was going to be the only one who wasn't part of the Rahal family, whether by blood or by legally-binding contracts of love. It was part of the reason why she had ducked away from her girlfriend so soon after her arrival. The need to deposit the presents somewhere was a convenient excuse and, with Nireva surrounded by family, she would doubtlessly need a few minutes to escape the rampant greeting process.

By the time she reunited herself with Nireva, she was following her girlfriend into the kitchen.

"Oh! Hi, Niri..!" She really shouldn't have been feeling awkward at the sight. With her and her girlfriend both being exotic dancers, Nireva had seen the female form in various states of undress rather often over the past few years. Being over four hundred years old, nudity in general failed to faze her anymore. However, as she headed into the kitchen and saw a naked Amalia standing by the toaster, her first instinct was to freeze.

"Uh... hey..." Amalia was her niece and, aside from the informality, she was also completely devoid of clothing. There was something about seeing her in this state that seemed wrong, somehow; as though what she was doing was inherently forbidden. "Am.. Amalia. How have you been?" Of course, since when did any of the Rahals seem to care even in the slightest way about rules and what others thought to be forbidden?

Provided she was away from a visible example of altitude, Jenna knew that it took a lot for her girlfriend to get flustered. And, as she craned her head to look into the kitchen, the reason behind Nireva's response quickly became apparent. "Oh, Niri!", she called, announcing her arrival with a grin. "You didn't tell me that it was a clothing-optional party."

While Nireva's gaze span over her shoulder, firing a glare which informed her girlfriend that she definitely wasn't helping, the blush in Amalia's cheeks only grew brighter. "Jenna, right..?" She may have been able to handle her nudity with her family present but, when someone from outside the family showed up, things were steadily getting more and more awkward.

"Uh-huh." Jenna cleared the doorway, walking over to Nireva's side. She knew that, because the two of them were related, her girlfriend wouldn't have been able to appreciate Amalia's looks. Like her aunt, Amalia's body was slightly marred by a collection of small surgical scars on her chest. Having become accustomed to the ones on her girlfriend's back, they weren't anything which were about to bring her out in disgust. "You must be Amalia." She was the only person in the house thus far she hadn't immediately known. "It's nice to meet you. All of you."

"Jen..!" Unbelievable. She was actually flirting with her naked niece. "Do you have t-..."

"Both of you should take your clothes off."

In unison, both aunt and niece adopted a look of immense mortification as their gaze shifted towards the kitchen door. Not only had Khalidah managed to find where the three of them had been hiding, she was also completely naked as she strode into the room, a small pendant around her neck. "I don't want you feeling left out." Jenna, on the other hand, simply laughed to herself. She was loving this. This - the amusing embarrassment - was precisely a part of why she enjoyed holiday gatherings so much. It reminded everyone, even immortals, that their family would be there for them through thick and thin. By the time she and Nireva got back to Los Angeles, they would both have something to laugh about. "We can put our clothes on later when the guests start arriving. Or we can just leave them off. Whatever makes you feel more comfortable. Coffee?"

"No..!" Nireva, on the other hand, could scarcely believe it. Just what the hell were her grandmother and niece doing? Had Felicia put them up to this? Didn't they know that they were going to be joined by other guests in a little while? "Just... put your clothes back on! Both of you!" Trying to block out her family's nudity as best she could, Nireva strode over to the fridge and, after giving its contents a cursory examination, latched her fingertips around the neck of a sealed beer bottle and pulled it away from its fellows before heading out of the room. If the trend of no clothes was going to continue, then she was going to need a stronger drink.

"Don't worry about her," Jenna said, smirking. "It's always a little tricky to get her out of her pants when she isn't working. If you've got a sauna or something in here somewhere, I'm sure I could talk her around..."

"We'll be fine. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Deep down, Ryan hated it when Adele talked down to him, as though he were a child in dire need of protecting. However, with his fiancée able to bring her ability to bear a lot quicker than he could, it was one of the many necessary facets of their relationship. By the time her victims exhibited any of the adverse effects of her power, it was often too late. With his ability, however, it was easy for him to be distracted. It had been almost four years since his ability had manifested and, still, he was encountering the odd difficulty.

"If she even looks like she's gonna try anything," Ryan added, flatly. "I'll be tossin' th'bitch outta the window. Simple as that." With so many people now out for his blood - even if they weren't entirely aware it was him they were after - Ryan wasn't about to take any chances. Felicia had made her intentions very clear on the subject of Marcus Grant and, for the duration of the party, he was going to remain on guard. For all he knew, he could have been walking headlong into the proverbial lion's den, filled with a family who all shared the opinion of one of their number.

Of course, that wasn't to say Adele had been entirely unprepared. Before pulling up outside the mansion's front entrance, the couple had set their own contingencies in place - mostly at Ryan's paranoid behest - in order to lessen the danger they were potentially in. Rather than accept the Rahal's offer to spend the night in the luxury of an immense mansion, Adele had booked them in a suite at one of the nearby hotels, ready for them to hastily retreat to at night's end.

It was a few seconds after Adele knocked on the door before someone answered. Standing before them was a woman who, from the looks of her features, had a heritage somewhere between the Mediterranean and eastern Europe. Her skin was relatively pale, yet her eyes and hair were anything but. She was taller than Adele - not a particularly tough feat - but only at the average height for a woman the age she appeared to be. The newborn child nestled in her arms didn't serve to make identifying her any easier. "Good evening, Mister Alcroft, Doctor Couteau." Was this Felicia? If so, why wasn't she tearing him limb from limb? "Please come in. Make yourselves at home."

Neither of them did.

In the hesitation, Ryan caught a glance from his fiancée; one which almost said, "you go first!". Not being the only one to spot it, the woman at the door allowed her veneer of propriety to fall away, revealing her identity to the couple. "Okay, look. It's starting to snow out and, as much as I'd like to let you both stand out here and freeze to death, I've been instructed to behave myself tonight or risk divorce, which would just piss me off even more."

Now that it was abundantly clear that he had wound up face-to-face with Felicia, Ryan couldn't help but narrow his eyes and glare. He didn't care how powerful she was. Immortal wasn't the same as invulnerable. She may have been able to live forever, but she could still be killed if he worked at it hard enough. "So get your asses inside and let bygones be bygones. Insert an inspirational quote of your choice here."

"Suit y'self." Reluctantly, Ryan made his way inside, allowing Adele to dispense with the pleasantries on his behalf while he got away from Felicia before she changed her mind about playing nice. Maybe, if he sequestered himself in the living room - or the mansion's equivalent social space - he would be able to surround himself with enough witnesses or people who disapproved with Felicia's vengeance trip in order to stop himself being killed. Besides, with Adele's ability the way it was, it wasn't as if finding him again would be difficult.

[Felicia Soler]

SORRY I HAVEN'T POSTED FOR SO LONG I SWEAR I'LL BE BETTER T_T

Lilka Buchovski, Felicia Soler, Khalidah Rahal, Adele Couteau, Amalia Djanescu
Cazenovia Estate
Cazenovia, New York

[dropcap]There appeared to be quite a commotion going on in the kitchen. Woken up from her slumber on the cool hardwood in one of the estate's adjacent rooms, the majestic, golden-haired grand feline stretched her back and yawned, baring a maw full of terrifyingly sharp teeth. Maybe if she ignored the noise, it would go away.

She closed her amber-coloured eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to resign herself to sleep once again. But it wasn't meant to be. No sooner had she closed her eyes than she felt a small pair of scrabbling hands tugging on her tufted ears. When she next opened them, she recognised the infant now trying to commandeer her into a standing position by puling her head backwards. The lioness gave a growl of displeasure and whipped her tail against the ground. Tivodar might have been her nephew, but he was far too trusting. Then again, babies inherently trusted anything that was warm and fuzzy, and immense and powerful though she was, she fit the description.

Rolling over, she gently picked up the infant by the back of his clothes, being exceedingly careful not to accidentally bite him. Family or not, Felicia would have killed her. And then her sister would have brought her back to life and killed her again.

Tivodar didn't yet have a good sense of balance. He hadn't even learned how to walk, yet. Crawling up onto Ragnarok's back (or the back of another large animal which he though sort of resembled whatever Ragnarok was) made getting around the house much easier. He kept a firm hold on her ears as she got to her feet and began softly padding into the kitchen.

She approached the first human whom she recognised in the room and affectionately rubbed her head against her thigh.

“Jesus!” Felicia jumped backwards, nearly spilling her entire goblet full of wine all over the counter.

Adele watched silently as the lioness calmly strode into the room. She'd heard of people taking exotic animals as pets, but they were usually kept in secure cages on the outskirts of a property—not in someone's living room, and most certainly not around strangers. The closest she'd ever been to a lion in the flesh had been at the zoo when they'd been separated by six inch thick plexiglas and a twenty foot wall on the outside of the enclosure. She instinctively put herself between Ryan and the carnivorous beast, swallowing her fear and forcing her heart-rate and hormone levels to remain steady. Predatory animals could smell fear. Reaching behind her, she grasped Ryan's hand and briefly took control of his cardiovascular and respiratory functions. Without even a conscious thought, she throttled his hypothalamus and pituitary glands, effectively strangling them into submission in an effort to prevent the release of the dozens of hormones most commonly associated with the fight-or-flight instinct. The infant girl in her arms didn't seem to be fazed by the appearance of the big cat; in fact, she started giggling and reaching for it before Adele tucked her safely against her chest.

Okay, so it had been at least a century since she'd last seen her aunt. In that span of time, she'd kind of forgotten precisely what powers her aunt had been gifted with. “For Chrissake, Lilka!” She put down her wine long enough to whisk Tivodar off the animal's back. “Not right now when we have guests!”

Ragnarok's ears perked up from where he lay in the parlour room next to the kitchen. Had he heard his mistress wrong? His friend Lilka was back? He got to his feet and bounded into the kitchen, skittering across the slick hardwood to a halt in front of the . . . well, whatever type of animal it was, it was neither human nor dog. He would call it Not!Dog. His tail wagged voraciously from side to side and he crouched down into a playful 'attack' stance with his hackles raised and his teeth bared. He barked at her and jumped from side to side, trying to instigate Not!Dog to join him in a game of friendly wrestling.

Lilka rolled her eyes. She really didn't feel like entertaining the family dog at the moment. She was supposed to be attending the Christmas party in a less unusual and frightening form.

But Ragnarok was not to be dissuaded. Each time she attempted to step around him, he blocked her way. Now she was starting to get irritated. Her ears flattened back on her head in the universal animal sign language which translated to, “Don't fuck with me right now.” She could forgive him, though. He was a dog, and most dogs were incredibly stupid. Although Ragnarok's command of heeding both German and English was far above par for his species, he still hadn't quite mastered how to speak lioness.

In a fit of annoyance, she drew in a deep breath and brought her nose to within an inch of his ear and filled the room with a deafening roar. In the wild, a lion's roar could be heard for miles.

The sound which filled his head rendered him temporarily deaf and—wait. Was he whimpering? And why was his tail suddenly planted firmly between his hind legs? And how on earth had he ended up hiding behind his mistress's legs practically curled up into a ball riddled with fear like a newborn pup?

“That's enough, Lilka.” Felicia moved to the other side of the counter to remove her daughter from Adele's arms. Despite the fact that they had a somewhat lukewarm truce, she didn't want the woman handling her daughter for any longer than she deemed necessary.

Well, she'd certainly been put in her place. Eh, it was true. This was a party, and as delicious as some of the guests looked, she'd never really been attracted to the idea of cannibalism—even in the form of a so-called 'man killer.' Shifting back into her human form was remarkably easy; she'd been shapeshifting for the past several millennia and had it down to an art. She'd also figured out a way around losing her clothes during a shift. All she needed was to wear organic, natural fabrics that would seamlessly mesh into her skin. For the occasion tonight, she'd chosen to wear the tanned and dyed hides of two bull elk she'd hunted in the Adirondacks several years ago. The result of her artistry was a bright yellow sleeveless summer dress that was actually surprisingly breathable, even in New York's oppressively humid and hot months.

Her human form gradually took shape, beginning with the elongation of her limbs. Her long, powerful tail receded into the small of her back, and her mouth--full of sharp incisors and jagged molars--was replaced by omnivorous jaws of a human being. The short cropped tawny hair of the lioness grew out and darkened until it was nearly black and reached the tops of her shoulders. Her eyes were the last to change, turning from their leonine amber to the dark chocolate brown colour of all of the Rahal matriarchs.

It had been several years since she'd been reunited with her family. The last time she'd had any contact with her sister had been very nearly a century ago in Poland around World War I. While the Americans were only just starting to move on from the chaos caused by the Civil War, members of her family were active in the founding of the Hovevei Zion, a collection of groups responsible for rescuing European Jews from the persecution they faced. Whether that meant paying their way into Israel or greasing the palms of American politicians and customs officials to allow them to gain safe entry into the country, they did what was necessary.

A lot had changed in the past century. It was strange for her to think that she'd been so out of touch with the rest of her family that she'd missed the births of her niece and nephew. But what was a century to someone who would live until the Earth was swallowed by the sun?

“Hello.” It would have been difficult for anyone to place her accent. Most commonly people assumed she hailed from one of the Nordic countries with the way she clipped her syllables. She extended her hand to Adele who took it rather reluctantly before giving it a firm shake. “I'm Lilka. One of Felicia's aunts.” Before her niece could protest (she was too busy handling her two children, anyways), she picked up the half-filled glass of wine and set it down in front of Adele. Glancing at Ryan, she gestured with her chin to the bottle of red wine they'd left breathing in the middle of the island. “If you would be so kind as to pour me a glass, I can take care of all the introductions. Our family can be a little confusing.”[/dropcap]

Довести до белого каления.

ф ф Word count: 1569
ф ф Mood: YEY POST
ф ф Outfit: Adele, Felicia, Khalidah, Amalia, Lilka
ф ф Lyrics / Quote: .The Goddamn BG
ф ф Illustrations: Included in post.
ф ф Comment / Informational links: There, it took a month, but I posted. lol

[Helena Rahal]

I can feel you all around me

Jasmine sat silently in a mix of anxiety and nerves as she was driven from the airport towards her son's residence. Although she did not exactly agree with her sister's interference and monitoring of Inaki, it paid dividends in this case as Marie knew where her son had gone into hiding to this time. Marie had even provided Jamine with the transportation using the family's resources, despite Jasmine having abandoned all but the smallest claims to ownership over Vital Energy. It seemed that in the end, Marie still believed blood was thicker than water, though the fact that Jasmine not wanting ownership of the company facilitated her sister's rise to the ownership likely had a helping hand in how Marie still treated herself and Inaki better than they ought to have been.

In fact, when Marie finally revealed herself to Inaki and the vast fortunes that could have been if he so choose, Jasmine had retired from her teaching position and began living off of that and her own small holdings. Yet that had also been the event that severed the chord between her and her son, with it now being years since she last laid eyes on her only child. Inaki had not even seen to inviting her to his wedding or the birth of her grandchildren. It pained her that her decision to have hidden away their heritage and means had caused such a discord between them, but it was long past time for healing between them.

And that was how she found herself being driven up the driveway towards an elaborate estate by the Cazenovia lake. There was a natural beauty here, a bit similar to her own condominium in Padre Island. She easily could see why Inaki would come here with his family to hide away from the world, if that was what he was doing. Even just driving up to the estate and taking in the beauty, she could feel herself relaxing and a quiet confidence that the day would turn out for the better. At last she would get to see her son again, her daughter in law, and her grandchildren.

It was a holiday occasion though and she had come prepared, gifts for all that she knew about through the brief phone calls she had with Inaki. She was also dressed well, in a low cut royal blue dress with a silver dragon pendant around her neck. It was simple yet elegant outfit and image, hopefully one that would impress upon her new in-laws. She took a moment to gather her confidence as the car pulled up before stepping out and pulling two of the four bags she had brought with her. With nothing else stopping her from finally seeing her son again, she strode delicately forward to the front door and knocked three times and waited...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inaki finally decided that he wasn't going to anyone but himself even if he did not exactly know who he was right now. An idea had come to him as he heard the ruckus coming from downstairs, making him roll his eyes. Just exactly how many distant relatives did the Rahal clan still have surviving and were going to make it to what was supposed to just be a small family Christmas? That was life with Felicia however, nothing ever seemed to go according to plan, and maybe it would just be a bit boring now if anything actually did.

Inaki quickly discarded his clothing and showered as fast as humanly possible, since it seemed his goal of being ready before the guests was out the window. He dried off quickly and then sat in front of the vanity and did a very quick beauty adjustment, adding some natural toned make up and teasing his hair. It wouldn't be noticeable to anyone who wasn't looking for it, but he was sure Felicia would notice. And with the addition of a casual dress suit, his look was almost entirely androgynous, which was something he was entirely going for.

Despite knowing that Adele and Ryan were here in his house, he still managed to force himself from his room and downstairs to see the madness himself. "You know, just once, I would like something that resembled normalcy Felicia." He said as he saw his wife, two of his employers enemies, his mother in law, and a face he didn't know. Yet before he could ask just who the new relative was, there was a knock on the door, which was surprising since he wasn't expecting anyone else to show, with Niri and Jenna already here.

"Another mysterious guest one of you invited" Inaki asked with a dart of eyes at Felicia and then Ma. "Well is anyone going to answer that or do I have to?"

[Ryan D'Alteau]

Hybrid children watch the sea! Pray for Father roaming free!
Fearless wretch! Insanity! He watches; lurking beneath the sea!
Great Old One! Forbidden site! He searches; hunter of the shadows is rising!
Immortal! In madness you dwell!
______________________________Metallica - "The Thing That Should Not Be"

If he was going to be sociable in the midst of someone he knew wanted to kill him, then Ryan wasn't about to face the prospect sober. Electing not to ask Felicia where she had decided to situate the supply of alcohol, he instead set out in search for it on his own. The living room, as he'd expected, had turned up very little other than the usual selection of furniture which graced such a space. He had been greeted by a cluster of people; people he didn't know and, by adhering to social convention, he had responded to their words, even going as far as introducing himself.

Luckily, the unfamiliar people hadn't delved too deeply into the reasons their hostess had requested his presence at the estate. Even if they had, Ryan knew that his only option would have been to lie. With Felicia's connection to the Grant family, the truth would have opened a can of worms which neither of them would have wanted open. Although he still derived a dark, morbid sense of fulfilment and pleasure at knowing the torment he'd wrought upon Marcus, it was an impulsive decision he wanted to forget.

Even in hindsight, Ryan was aware that massacring nine people - all of whom related to one another - was bordering on the unthinkable. If he wasn't thinking specifically about how the situation was making Marcus feel, the knowledge that he had personally ended so many lives so quickly was more than capable of making him sick. He didn't blame Felicia for wanting him dead. Were the roles reversed, he doubted he would have shown the same restraint; whether it was of her own volition or at the behest of another.

Deciding to set out in search of the kitchen, Ryan soon made his excuses and left the confines of the living room, leaving the other guests to their own devices. Outside, the hall was rather nondescript. With no prior knowledge of the mansion's layout, none of the doors made any sense. It was only when a pair of women emerged in front of him - one of whom being completely naked - that he managed to find the room he wanted. It wasn't long before he was reunited with his fiancée. Having stayed by Felicia's side, Adele had become the temporary carrier of a newborn girl; one who had temporarily laid claim to the pearl necklace he remembered his future wife picking out earlier that day.

As he'd expected, it seemed that the kitchen was home to the vast majority of the refreshments Felicia had set out for the guests; consisting of wine, beer and just about everything else they'd require. But what Ryan hadn't banked on was the mansion being home to a pet that was somewhat larger than the usual dog or cat. It wasn't until Felicia exclaimed in surprise that his attention was diverted enough to spot the kitchen's latest interloper.

The fully-grown lioness stalked her way around the kitchen's tiled floor, making almost no sound at all as she manoeuvred her way around the assembled guests. Unexpectedly, Adele was the first out of the two of them to move, placing herself in front of Ryan despite the presence of the baby in her arms. If anything, the baby girl didn't seem to care in the slightest that a dangerous animal was roaming the house. While everyone eyed the animal with quiet trepidation, Ildiko giggled at the top of her little lungs, even going as far as to try and reach for the giant fluffy being before Adele reined her in.

"For Chrissake, Lilka!!" Wait, was that Ildiko's brother riding on the lioness' back?! Just what the hell did this family get up to? Setting down her glass of wine, Felicia crouched down and swept her newborn son upwards to the safety of her arms. "Not right now when we have guests!" After seeing a newborn boy riding a lioness, the appearance of a German Shepherd named after the Norse apocalypse wasn't all that unusual.

One thing Ryan quickly noticed as he witnessed the spectacle was how devoid of fear his thoughts actually were. The strange sights before him were effective in delaying his realisation of Adele's hand latching around his own. When he glanced down, his mind became aware of the gentle tingling spearing his fingertips as his fiancée's ability meshed with his body. Whatever it was she was doing, it was preventing the onset of his own fear; something for which he was quietly thankful.

But when the lioness roared, Ryan felt a brief moment in which his mind was able to override Adele's ability; his base instincts trying desperately to kick in and force him to retreat before the doctor's masterful command over his brain chemistry held him fast. To be in the same room as a pissed off lioness was bordering on insanity. If Felicia somehow lost control of the situation, Ryan had the next few minutes of his life mapped out in great detail. He was going to grab Adele and get out through the front door as quickly as his six-foot-two body could muster.

"That's enough, Lilka." Deciding to reclaim both of her young children while she had the chance, Felicia made her way around the counter and plucked Ildiko from Adele's arms. The lioness, on the other hand, no longer seemed interested in the people around her. But, rather than leave, she instead began to shudder ever so slightly. Although Ryan had seen an example of such an ability before, it had still been nearly three years since he had stood face-to-face with a shapeshifter. He was probably the only person in the room who watched the lioness' transformation with any real interest. Everyone else were either too distracted or desensitised to care.

"Hello." Another party guest, another unusual accent. Reaching forward, she shook Adele's hand, acting with propriety as if nothing had happened. "I'm Lilka. One of Felicia's aunts." Stealing her niece's glass of wine, Lilka set it down closer to where Ryan and Adele were standing. It was then that her attention shifted to the taller man at the doctor's side. "If you would be so kind as to pour me a glass...", she began, gesturing to the bottle of wine with a twitch of her chin. "...I can take care of all the introductions. Our family can be a little confusing."

"I don't think it's gonna be th'fam'ly tree that'll be th'most confusin'..." Picking up the bottle, he refilled the glass for Lilka. Now knowing that she could assume the form of an animal capable of eviscerating him on a whim, he wasn't about to disobey her.

[Khalidah Rahal]

He helplessly stands by
It's meaningless to try
As he rubs his red-rimmed eyes
He says I've never seen her get this bad

Lilka Buchovski, Felicia Soler, Khalidah Rahal, Adele Couteau, Amalia Djanescu
Cazenovia Estate
Cazenovia, New York

[dropcap]While Lilka introduced herself around, Felicia had her arms full of two fat, growing babies. Even though she'd been pregnant dozens of times before, she never quite got over how amazing it was that these two living things came from her womb. This time around, she'd been blessed enough to have twins. Or cursed. They were already getting into all the nooks and crannies of the house that were within reach of their tiny hands. Ragnarok was their favourite companion; he would let them climb on his back and yank his ears as he paraded them around the house.

"You know, just once, I would like something that resembled normalcy Felicia." Inaki huffed.

As if on cue, a foul smelling odour filled the space between them. She didn't know how, but somehow the twins had strategically worked out a system between them where they would expel their bowels simultaneously. Felicia grinned at him and passed the twins into his waiting arms, leaning forward to give him a gracious peck on the cheek. “Here's your normality. Diapers need changing.”

She turned in the direction of the front door when she heard the three distinct knocks.

Her husband looked less than thrilled with performing the dirty, diabolical task she'd assigned to him. But he was their father. He'd need to get used to changing diapers for a while. "Another mysterious guest one of you invited?"

Felicia rolled her eyes. “Why does it always have to be me who invites the 'mysterious' guests?” She shot a caustic look at her mother across the room. If anyone were to blame for 'mysterious guests,' it was her ma.

Inaki followed her gaze with his eyes and gestured at the door with his elbow. "Well is anyone going to answer that or do I have to?"

“Not my house. I'm not answering it.” Eh, she'd answered the door enough this evening. Now it was Felicia's turn while she tended to more important things—like pouring herself a generous glass of wine. Standing next to her sister, it was easy to see how the two of them were related, though her sister's face was much more round and full. They both shared the same Mediterranean, olive-hued skin, deep brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Their mannerisms were also remarkably similar.

The great matriarch helped herself to a glass of the wine which had been so graciously donated by the young couple before her. “Felicia must be on her best behaviour tonight. I'm surprised she hasn't tried to kill either of you yet.”

“She must be well on her way to some sort of record, if that's the case.” Lilka swirled the wine around in her glass and stared across the marble-topped island at the couple. She wasn't quite sure what to make of either of them, though they looked like they felt utterly out of place. “Oh, don't look so scared. We're all family here.”

“For all I know, we probably are.”

“You'll have to excuse my sister. She got around a lot in her youth. Our family tree is like the Yggdrasil of family trees.”

“Oh, please. I wasn't that bad,” Khalidah balked at the mock accusation.

“Of course you weren't,” Lilka replied sceptically. “And I was the Virgin Mary in a past life.”

“That wasn't a past life, and you were never a virgin.”

“Try telling that to the Catholics. You're talking about the people who think they can see Jesus in a pile of dog shit.”

Adele wasn't quite sure what to make of the two women. They were both obviously very old (if not in looks, then definitely in age) and much more powerful than all of the other godsends in the building combined. It would be unwise to be the odd men out, as it were. “You're a shapeshifter.”

Lilka took a sip of her wine and set the glass back down on the table. “Well, aren't you a sharp one?” she remarked with a hint of condescension. “Actually, it's not quite as simple as that. The easiest way for me to explain it is having genetic memory in the purest sense of the term. Whatever animal I touch—including humans,” she paused long enough to look over the young couple, “leaves a genetic imprint in my DNA which I can then call on at will. The only catch is that organism will cease to exist once the process is complete.”

Why did she feel like she'd suddenly stepped into a lioness's den? She drew both of her hands away from the table, well out of Lilka's immediate reach. “That sounds rather unpleasant.”

“For the other party involved, it is. But it's also very taxing on me and it requires a conscious effort.” In a flash of movement, she was suddenly behind the two of them, resting her head on Ryan's shoulder. “You don't have to worry about me accidentally bumping into you and turning you into dust.”

Well, wasn't that a comforting thought. It was obvious that this woman had no idea how she reacted when she felt that Ryan was being threatened. When Lilka touched her cheek, she felt a shock run through her from the point of contact as if the woman had been rubbing her feet on the carpet to create enough friction that would generate a slight electrical charge. Lilka raised an eyebrow at her and opened her mouth to say something, but was quickly cut off by her sister. Her eyebrows formed creases just above the bridge of her nose, leading Adele to believe that she was deep in the throes of concentration.

Lilka drew her hand away slowly and grew quite interested in the invisible dirt under her fingernails as her sister spoke. Well, that was certainly a very telling touch. To be honest, she was unsure whether she or the French woman had created the spark or if it were simply due to the amount of ozone in the air. Their brief skin-to-skin contact had resulted in a blinding flash of emotions which lived and died in a split second. Fear, love, anger, grief, and some other feeling she couldn't quite place. They hit her with the power of a freight train and she took a staggering step backwards, hoping that those gathered around the island would simply pass it off as her being slightly drunk and unable to hold her alcohol.

The look on her sister's face followed by her subsequent stumble heightened her awareness that something had just happened. Whether it was monumental or miniscule, she couldn't tell, and now certainly was not the time to start asking prying questions. “Leave them alone, Lil. You're scaring them half to death.” Felicia must have inherited most of her personality from her sister's side of the family. “But if it came down to it, I'd put money on the French woman. Feisty things tend to come in tiny packages.” She was much more familiar with Adele than she let on. Khalidah was well aware of precisely what powers the couple sported and knew how they worked together with deadly efficiency. She'd seen more than her fair share of photographs of the havoc the petite French woman had wreaked against the Company. Together, the two of them had nearly single-handedly brought the shadow organisation to its knees if they hadn't kneecapped it altogether. They were both responsible for at least a dozen deaths (if not more) and had managed to evade capture from both local, federal, and special law enforcement squads for the last two years of their lives. It was obvious that they were doing something right.

Meeting new people always fascinated her. The stories they could tell made being immortal almost tolerable, and she could safely say that she hadn't heard every strange detail that the world had to offer. Everyone had a life's story regardless of whether they were one day old or one hundred years old. What most people failed to realise was just how much they could learn about a person by listening to them and seeing the meaning behind their words. “Well, now that I've shown you my thing, I think it's only fair if you show me yours,” she addressed the young couple as she withdrew from them and returned to her sister's side. If no one was willing to even attempt to carry on a conversation this evening, it was going to be an incredibly long and arduous night.

-----

Of course no one was going to answer the door. Devon and Amalia were off the gods only knew where (probably getting in a last minute fuck before they had to spend the next several hours among a group of people they didn't know), Inaki was off changing the twins (hey, he'd asked for something to do), and the rest of her relatives were off taking part in the festivities and the food that the estate had to offer.

She opened the door and warily eyed the woman standing on their porch. Who in the fuck was this and how had she gotten directions to their house? Their nearest neighbours were several miles away, and the woman in front of her definitely wasn't one of them. Outsiders—uninvited ones, at least—coming to her home uninvited immediately put her in a rather nasty mood. Then again, there was little that didn't put her into a rather nasty mood. Inaki and Devon leaving the toilet seats up was enough to send her on a three hour long screaming rampage.

“Sorry, but this party is invitation only, and since I don't recognise you, you probably weren't invited. So have a good night.” Felicia made a gesture in front of her as if she were batting away a housefly buzzing about her her head. When the woman continued to stand there and made no move to retreat, her hair trigger temper started to flare. One drawback of recently having given birth? Her hormones were still off-kilter, and there was nothing she could do about it. Even her ability was failing her in that regard. “Did I fucking stutter? I don't know you, therefore you're not welcome here. Now get the fuck off my property before I fucking throw you off.” Inaki and Devon were both very familiar with that tone of voice. She usually reserved it for Devon whenever she was preparing to defenestrate him or otherwise help him meet his untimely end with expedience, or to Inaki whenever he started acting all sullen. Tonight was one of those nights.[/dropcap]

Довести до белого каления.

ф ф Word count: 1867
ф ф Mood: My eyes feel like they're going to fall out of my head, they're so damn dry.
ф ф Outfit: Adele, Felicia, Khalidah, Amalia, Lilka
ф ф Lyrics / Quote: About to Crash, Dream Theater
ф ф Illustrations: Included in post, I think.
ф ф Comment / Informational links: I don't even know. Probably in the post. lol

[Helena Rahal]

When all this ends, will you wish to not be my friend?

It took a few moments, but eventually the door before her creaked open and out stood what appeared to be a woman in her young twenties. She was a bit petite but nothing extravagant, yet very easy on the eyes as well, blessed with a figure and face that likely found her no lack of suitors. Her hips to were definitely made for birthing, it came as to no big surprise to Jasmine now seeing her to figure out just how she had grandchildren so quickly. The very thought of being such a young grandmother still wowed her but also was something that was pleasant.

Felicia's mouth however was quite foul, no one had ever mentioned that nor the demeanor in which she treated guests. Granted Jasmine knew that her appearance was something of a surprise, only a handful of individuals knew that she planned this trip and none of them were currently on the residence. All the same, she was a guest of the house and it should have been obvious based on her looks just who she was, at least if what Marie had said about the Rahal family and their own genes proved to be truth.

"My dear, I hardly believe that is any way to greet a guest, much less your mother in law. Jasmine let the words sink in as she stood there at the precipice. She did not want to get this off to a bad start, especially with her daughter in law, given the already turbulent relationship that she was currently having with Inaki. "Now, may I come in and we have a proper introduction? I would very much like to get to know the mother of my grandchildren a bit more rather than have a fight on her front lawn."

Inaki picked either the best of worst moment to escape from the escapades of being a parent and wound up in the living room as he eyed Felicia and ...

"Mother?!!!" Inaki asked slashed shouted as he stood mouth agape looking at the scene before him. How the hell did she find this place, much less make plans to travel here without him knowing about it? "MA!!!" This had all the workings on Lida's handy work all over it. Who else could have sent for his mother to show up here, especially given how Inaki had gone to pains to not be bothered by his family?

"How the hell did you get here mother? Why are you here?"

Jasmine frowned and sighed. It seemed that her son still hated her for what she had thought to be absolutely necessary at the time. Would that she could fix that mistake she would, but time did not simply allow itself to be altered, even with these magical powers the likes of her son and others had. "I thought perhaps it would be nice to see what remains of my family once more. To see my child, to see my child's children. Has my mistake all those years ago wounded you so much that you will not even embrace my now, that you will send me away when I have come to make peace?"

[Ryan D'Alteau]

Melting! Meltdown! While time is shifting!
Transist! Transform! (...out purposely!)
Yielding! Bending! While time is shifting!
Two shapes they can't constrain!
______________________________Celldweller & Styles Of Beyond - "Shapeshifter"

"You're a shapeshifter."

Predictably, it was Adele who spoke first out of the two of them. Having just witnessed Lilka returning to her human form from that of a lioness - who, to Ryan, was naturally more imposing than anyone he'd met with the exception of a pissed-off Adele - the two of them had withdrawn from the conversation. Although they were nothing of the sort, being so close to an animal who could maim or even kill in a single half-decent assault had bred the suspicion in the back of their minds that, to some degree, they were the prey of this unfathomable family.

From the way Khalidah and her sister spoke, Ryan got the distinct impression that the two women, who both seemed around Adele's age, were in fact older - far older - than they were letting on. If he didn't know any better, Lilka was suggesting that she had once been one of the foremost human figures of modern religion; or, at the least, the inspiration for the story which had become vastly inflated over the intervening two millenia. Although he was capable of grasping the concept of a special being gifted with immortality, Ryan was unable to shake the misconception that the bestowal of abilities onto the human genetic code was a recent occurrence; something which had happened in the realm of his perception of recent history.

He knew that his fiancée had an ability, just as her family did for at least the previous two generations. But, beyond that, he had nothing with which to go on. There had been no well-regarded written records of people exhibiting abilities from history. Most of the tales which were possibly the work of specials like him were found within the annals of legend; immeasurably distorted over the years until there was little, if anything, which people could reliably believe.

And if more of Khalidah's relatives were in attendance, then there was no telling how many immortals were here; or how long they had lived. "Well, aren't you a sharp one?" To Lilka, Adele's stating of the blatantly obvious was grating. Even she had lost count of the number of times someone had arrived at that conclusion in her presence. Thankfully now, people weren't as inclined to try and run her through with a pitchfork. But not by much. Her glass of wine was lowered to the table once more as her mind had something new on which to focus. "Actually, it's not quite as simple as that. The easiest way for me to explain it is having genetic memory in the purest sense of the term."

The only time Ryan had heard of the term genetic memory was in the Assassin's Creed franchise. The genetic memory trope was something which cropped up in various forms of science fiction and, in essence, stated that living beings possessed the memory of their ancestry within their DNA. While this was true to a limited extent - a person's ancestry dictating their facial features - science fiction often took this much more literally. Whether it was the Harcesis in Stargate or Desmond Miles, the two of them possessed the actual memory of their ancestors, which could be accessed through various means.

"Whatever animal I touch - including humans - leaves a genetic imprint in my DNA which I can then call on at will. The only catch is that organism will cease to exist once the process is complete. Ryan stifled a momentary shudder. Lilka was a real-world manifestation of Alex Mercer; the "shapeshifter" from Prototype and, while she likely didn't possess the ability to turn her arm into a colossal blade, being able to turn into a lioness certainly made up for it. He inwardly reminded himself not to piss her off while he was here. The last thing he wanted was for Adele to head back to South Padre Island with a Ryan that wasn't him.

Thankfully, Lilka was on hand to explain that her ability required conscious effort and that there was no danger of her accidentally bumping into them and turning them into dust. Though, in hindsight, Ryan would have appreciated it if she hadn't seen fit to illustrate her point by darting behind him in the blink of an eye and resting her hand on his shoulder. While one hand rested on Ryan's shoulder, Lilka used her other to gently caress Adele's cheek. Although she had no intention to assume the diminutive French woman's identity, a small portion of her ability's immense power still managed to sneak through.

With so much power in her DNA, ensuring that absolutely no ill effects occurred was sometimes a much tougher job than she envisioned and, as the torrent of emotional memory flooded into her mind, she immediately withdrew, stumbling somewhat as she fought her way out of the disorientation Adele had unwittingly caused. Despite only remaining in her mind for a split second, the whirlwind of terror, unbridled anger, consuming grief, love and... something else she couldn't determine was enough to stun her. Thankfully, with her glass of wine standing mere feet away, she had the ideal excuse to explain away what had happened.

"Leave them alone, Lil." Khalidah let out a small sigh as she took note of her sister's stumble. Her ability had caused some sort of effect and, after her shapeshifting episode, she decreed that the fun was over. "You're scaring them half to death. But... if it came down to it, I'd put money on the French woman. Feisty things tend to come in tiny packages." Ryan was unaware of just how well Khalidah knew that to be true. He had no idea that words of his fiancée's deeds - and, to a certain extent, his own - had been spreading ever since he had rode shotgun in the New York police chase all those years ago. The right people - with the right connections - could find evidence of just about anything and, with an entire company at her disposal, Khalidah was definitely one of those right people.

"Well, now that I've shown you my thing, I think it's only fair if you show me yours." Returning to Khalidah's side, Lilka kept her eyes on Ryan and Adele. Being a pair she'd never met before, they were the most interesting people in the building to her. Although they only had a little over six decades of life between them, there were still more than enough stories and insight between them to keep her curiosity satisfied for at least the next few hours.

Ryan, however, was a little hesitant. With his ability unable to be anything but invasive, giving Lilka what she wanted without asking permission was likely asking for trouble. "F'me, that's gonna be a bit difficult," he sighed, the cerulean oil beginning to flood his eyes. If taking complete possession of one of the guests was out of the question, then he could at least start with something small just to prove the point. Having had her touch him already, he quickly sensed the fledgling astral connection between them. While it was nothing on the scale of what he felt between himself and Adele, there was an almost tangible mental pull in Lilka's direction; as though he was linked to her by way of a cerebral escalator.

Unlike the connections he forged himself, however, this one was weak. It would likely only sustain a single use before it completely collapsed. He wasn't sure how his power would interact with an immortal woman who had the capability to assimilate memories and physical forms at the genetic level, but he felt like showing off all the same. Setting his concentration on the woman beside Khalidah, he took note of the glass of wine she had reclaimed. "Buuut..." Either he was out of practice, or she had erected a mental wall which put the one in China to shame. It was hard to make her left arm move but, eventually, he figured out a way to accomplish his task. He smirked as, under his power as opposed to her own, Lilka set the glass of wine down on the table. "...I think y'can stand t'stop drinkin' for a couple o'minutes."

Here, the birth from an unbroken line!
Born the healer! The seventh, this time!
Unknowingly blessed and as his life unfolds...
...slowly unveiling the power he holds!
______________________________Iron Maiden - "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son"

Was Amalia his girlfriend now?

Even after everything that had happened during their weekend spent house-and-babysitting together, his inexperience with relationships meant that he was struggling to figure out what to make of the situation as a whole. He wasn't entirely sure whether how the two of them had ended up that night was a simple one-off or the start of something more substantial and, although he had enjoyed running on a regular basis again, the morning jogs he went on with Amalia weren't helping his deductive reasoning.

Albeit a little later than usual, it was precisely one of these jogs from which he and Amalia had returned three hours earlier. With nothing for either of them to do before the guests were expected to arrive, they had decided to indulge in one of their common interests to both pass the time and allow Inaki, Felicia and Khalidah the extra space in order to prepare. Felicia had - in between bouts of caring for her children - helped Khalidah while Inaki, for reasons unknown, had spent the majority of the day either in his bedroom or sneaking between it and the kitchen whenever he got hungry.

When he saw Amalia strolling down the hallway, he was tempted to invite her out for another run but, with the party now approaching a state which could be considered "full swing", a small part of him thought it rather impolite to leave and drag a member of the Rahal family with him. But, on the other hand, aside from engaging in conversations which would have made him feel slightly awkward and getting drunk, there wasn't much for him to do.

Although it was the holiday season and the perfect time for mingling with friends and family, the only person he felt comfortable being with right now was the woman standing before him. Having already vowed to at least show himself when the time came to have dinner, the preceding void was begging to be filled. "Hey." He was actually smiling as he greeted her. He couldn't quite fathom why but, whenever he talked to Amalia, he felt liberated. Unshackled from a great many of his societal failings. Contrary to what many men - especially in their younger years - had experienced, Devon found it rather easy to speak to Amalia.

Sure enough, the conversation quickly shifted to why he hadn't been downstairs to enjoy the festivities. Even Inaki, who these days found himself caught between caring for his newborn son and daughter and appeasing his wife, had already ventured to the estate's ground floor to greet the guests. As one of the co-owners of the venue, it was almost his duty to do so and, if a certain woman had her say - which she nearly always did - it was one which wasn't going to be tackled alone. "I... uh... I'm not ready yet."

It was a complete and utter lie. He was fully dressed, his face was devoid of unsightly hair and, from the way he smelled, he had taken advantage of the elaborate shower in his bedroom. While he would have been able to deal with Felicia, Khalidah and Inaki, it was the knowledge that there would be more people present which had given him pause. His time with Nireva and Jenna had been fleeting at best, while the other guests were simply people he didn't know. He had no idea how they would handle him. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't free himself from what he believed himself to be.

"How's dinner coming along?" He didn't expect Amalia to know. He had no idea who had taken it upon themselves to prepare the extravagant meal and, with so many things to get right, he would have expected the aforementioned culinary expert to have locked themselves away. Much like he had. "Don't suppose you wanna come kill an hour with me..?" He left it vague. Although they had done so on a few occasions before, Devon still had no idea of the correct way - if one existed - to ask a woman to have sex with him. He just made a vague suggestion and hoped things would come to fruition in the right way.

This time, they did. He didn't know that she'd been naked a short time ago and, even if he was aware of the fact, he doubted he would have cared. She was with him again and, almost making up for the fact he had fucked up various attempts to spend time with people who were close to him in the past, he treasured every moment. He treasured her. Devon didn't think he was worthy to have a girlfriend - if that's what Amalia was now - and, despite his reasons to think so, she was in bed with him anyway. Khalidah had taken him in despite his issues, just as Felicia had (eventually) admitted that the two of them were friends. Maybe acceptance ran in the family.

When he finally made his way down the stairs, the front door was closed and, from the voices he could hear, the party was going as well as expected. Nobody was trying to kill each other and no heated arguements had broken out. Deciding not to risk shattering the equilibrium, Devon stayed quiet as he explored room after room in search of something to drink. What he found first, however, caused his search to be postponed. Having split the party into multiple rooms, with each being given a definitive purpose, Felicia and Inaki had decided on using the ground floor library to house the presents.

Instead of handing them out immediately, they had requested that any gifts brought to the house be placed in a singular location, where they would be appropriately doled out after dinner. To Devon, seeing a pile of presents under the tree was still a somewhat special sight. Having had his old family life shattered, he had found himself longing for a chance to experience facets of it again. Celebrating the holidays was certainly one way to achieve it. With each gift wrapped and adorned with a tag showing the intended recipient, it wasn't long until he started finding gifts addressed to him.

"You can't open those yet, y'know?"

Whirling around, Devon quickly recognised the owner of the voice. Her bronzed skintone and dark hair, while slightly reminiscent of the Rahals, was far enough away from them to suggest an altogether different heritage. She was Nireva's girlfriend but, as for her name, his mind quickly drew a blank. What was it again? "Uh... J-... Jess..?"

"Jenna." She couldn't help but smirk as she corrected him. Although she had no idea of the story which surrounded him, she had always thought Devon's awkwardness to be somewhat endearing. Cute, even. If the rumours were true, he even had a girlfriend now. If anyone deserved to have one, it was him. "It's been a while. How are you, Devon?"

"I'm okay, I... guess." Realising that he was still holding one of the smaller gifts intended for him, he gently tossed it back into the pile, inwardly hoping he hadn't accidentally broken anything. Putting his momentary faux pas behind him, he cleared his throat and tried to reclaim his confidence. "If you're here, then Niri must've been invited. Things are still good between you two, right?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Jenna knew what he was getting at; what he was trying to ask. She understood that some people found certain things tricky; bugbears that, try as they might, they just couldn't get to stick. Conversation seemed to be Devon's but, as ample compensation, he was likely the best runner in the building. Without the aid of abilities, only Amalia got close to matching him for stamina and speed. "Niri's doing real well at med school and I'm still working at the club. Honestly, the only thing either of us could ask for is a bigger apartment!" A brief chuckle left her lips, followed by one from Devon.

Even though their apartment was on the small side and Nireva had a step-father who was already willing to pay her way through medical school, she had flat-out refused to move into the Cazenovia estate, deflecting offers from all sides. Having spent four hundred and odd years living independently from her family, it was a tough habit for Nireva to break and, while she knew her family meant well, she was more inclined to carve her own path through her everlasting existence. She wasn't the only one of Khalidah's bloodline to do so.

"Y'know, I, uh... I got you something too?" Although the money hadn't been his own, Devon had still gone out and bought presents for everyone he could think would be in attendance. Felicia, Inaki, Khalidah, Nireva, Jenna and Amalia all had a present waiting for them and, as the time of receiving gifts drew closer, he was starting to dread the event. He hoped that they would all enjoy what he'd bought; sincerely as opposed to uttering falsehoods out of a need to be polite.

"Really?" Jenna understood that she and Devon weren't what many would consider friends but, despite their connection, a gift was a gift. Stepping forward, she pulled him into a hug; mercifully keeping it brief in case he wasn't accustomed to the gesture. "Thanks, Devon. I'm sure I'll love it." With the library being empty except for them, it wasn't hard to determine why he was here. "You want a drink, something to eat? C'mon. Niri's mom hid everything in that old-school kitchen next to the dining room." Gently placing her arm around his shoulders, she led him out into the hall and towards the room she'd mentioned. "Though, if you want my advice? There's this British guy here with his, uh.. his wife, I think. You can't miss him; he's more than a foot taller than she is. Just... keep an eye on him, okay? I really don't like the look of him. It's like he's here as his wife's bodyguard more than anything else."

Was Jenna scared of this individual? Devon didn't know, either way and, even if she was, he couldn't fathom a reason for her unease. Within a hundred metres of her stood four immeasurably powerful women and a man who, given enough time and energy, could bring the entire house down using nothing but his bare hands and sheer force of will. "I'll watch him, Jenna. But... you shouldn't be scared. I'm sure Niri'll kick his ass if he tries anything."

Now she thought on the subject, her unease did seem a little silly. Were it his intention, nobody at the party would have allowed Ryan to try anything untoward. She'd seen the look in Felicia's eyes whenever the two had shared a room and, quite frankly, it seemed almost out of place. If she didn't like him, why had she invited him to the party? "Yeah, you're right. I'm... just being stupid. Anyway. Let's get you drunk before dinner, okay?"

[Khalidah Rahal]

I'm still so afraid
The sun it blinds me.
Love and pain
The gates of my dreams
Always seem to find me.

Lilka Buchovski, Felicia Soler, Khalidah Rahal, Adele Couteau, Amalia Djanescu
Cazenovia Estate
Cazenovia, New York

[dropcap]Was this woman hard of hearing? And why was she checking out her hips? “Y'know, I might be willing to let you in if you want to get a closer look at what's between my legs. But I'm on the rag right now.” Hey, nothing wrong with letting a complete stranger earn their red wings. Felicia's voice danced on the edge of playfulness and sarcasm. Honestly, all she wanted was for this uninvited guest to get the hell off her front porch and fuck off back to where she came from. Having the infamous French and British versions of the Natural Born Killers in her home was fuckery enough. But she'd swore to Inaki that as long as they behaved themselves, she wouldn't eviscerate them and wear their intestines for earrings (at least not while he was watching).

The woman before her brushed off her crassness with an air of class she found even more infuriating. "My dear, I hardly believe that is any way to greet a guest, much less your mother in law.” Well, that was certainly a way to drop a bombshell.

But Felicia was not so easily surprised, nor was this woman—her mother-in-law, apparently—informing her of their newfound familial connection winning her any brownie points. “Oh, that's rich.” Felicia chuckled. Devon was quite familiar with that chuckle. It was usually followed by him being impaled on the nearest sharp object. “You actually think I give a shit.” She reached out her hand and patted Jasmine patronisingly on the shoulder, pouting. “That's just precious.” Her hand returned to the inner portion of the door as she prepared to step back and slam it shut.

Her mother-in-law, however, wasn't going anywhere. God, why were inlaws always such pains in the ass? Somehow she thought that Inaki would balk at the idea of Felicia breaking his mother's neck. It wasn't like her own mother couldn't bring her back. "Now, may I come in and we have a proper introduction? I would very much like to get to know the mother of my grandchildren a bit more rather than have a fight on her front lawn."

“Oh, I'm sure it wouldn't be much of a fight. But if you're offering, then let's go.” She opened the door and stepped onto the threshold, bumping bosoms with the older woman (well, at least in terms of looks) before her. Felicia glanced down at the point where their chests met and offered Jasmine a seductive smile. “Or we don't have to fight at all . . .” The two of them were nearly close enough to kiss . . .

"Mother?!"

Goddamn it.

Oh, great. Now Inaki was going to ruin her fun. Rolling her eyes, she took a step back, temporarily defeated, and glanced over her shoulder at her rapidly approaching husband with their two infants in his arms. Felicia relinquished the two infants from Inaki's grasp, cradling one of them in either arm, and shouldered their combined weight like a pro.

"How the hell did you get here mother? Why are you here?"

“Oh my. You're so attractive when you're angry. Why don't we go give the twins to ma so we can go run off and make a few more of them?” Leaning in closer, all thoughts of tearing Inaki's mother limb from limb pushed far from her mind, she nibbled on his earlobe and began to not-so affectionately kiss his neck. Yes, she had absolutely no shame.

His mother prattled on about unimportant family drama. Something something mistake something something terrible trauma bla bla why do you hate me so much bla bla something Catholic guilt something about making peace. Boring. “Is your mother always this insufferably morose, or is she just on the rag right now? Do you think she'd mind if I loaned her Devon for an hour?” Amalia might mind having her boyfriend spirited away to service a woman with such a large stick shoved so firmly up her ass, it was a miracle that she was actually able to plop her arse down and take a shit. But whatever. She'd get over it.

“Fine,” she sighed, annoyed. “Come on in, make yourself at home, go hit on my mom or my aunt. God knows you could use the action.” She gently nudged Inaki out of the doorway and gestured with her chin for Jasmine to enter the stately home. “I'm Felicia, obviously. I'd shake your hand, but they're a little full of babies right now. Would you care to settle for a kiss with tongue instead?”

----------

Lilka resumed her place standing next to her sister and stared across the small raised island at Adele. Well, that was certainly a woman she didn't want to underestimate. She knew that now in spite of Khalidah's mock warning about feisty things coming in tiny packages. It wasn't what she felt from the brief touch that she found unsettling; it was the sensation that she couldn't pinpoint. It showed itself for the briefest of moments before dashing back into the recess's of the French woman's psyche. From what she'd 'seen,' she knew that this was a woman who was not to be trifled with, even in fun.

After Lilka threw the gauntlet on the table and requested that they demonstrate their own abilities, Ryan was the first to take up the mantle. Adele looked up at him and grasped his hand just to let him know that she was there. Keeping him firmly grounded in the earthly realm whilst his spirit ventured into whatever was beyond had become her cross to bear. She would never abandon his body while his soul was . . . somewhere else.

Lilka observed with curiosity as the whites of his eyes were flooded with a blue so dark that it almost looked black. His eyes shined in the dim light of the kitchen like the shell of a blue scarab beetle. She felt the gentle pull on her mind attempting to send signals down the nerve endings from her brain to the muscles in her left arm, coaxing it to move. Steeling her resolve, she concentrated on pushing the unwanted advance into her consciousness out and thought that she'd succeeded.

A smirk flickered over his face as he probed her mind for a way around the mental roadblock she'd set in his path. "Buuut..." Much to her chagrin, she felt her muscles flexing against her will until the bottom of the glass in her hand alighted upon the marble countertop. "...I think y'can stand t'stop drinkin' for a couple o'minutes."

Giving him a hefty mental shove, she threw him out of her mind. It was a trick that she'd picked up over the years that any mortal could do. Mind over matter, as it were. Still, she hoped it left him stinging for a while. “I'll determine when I stop drinking.” The brief encounter in her mind had left her slightly shaken. Perhaps she should take her elder sister's advice and not underestimate anyone at this gathering on the basis of their perceived mortality.

Lilka turned her gaze to Adele. Whilst her attention had been on Ryan, the Frenchwoman had seen fit to procure a knife from the wooden knife holder next to the sink. She couldn't help but chuckle. “Oh, don't even bother. I've been stabbed so many times, I've lost count.” Many a hunter had mistaken her for a wild boar or some other type of large wild game. How wrong she'd been able to prove them when she'd torn the arrows or expelled the bullets from her flesh and broken their necks between her jaws.

“The knife isn't meant for you.” She studied the tourné knife's thin-bladed edge. Strangely enough, the hooked knife was a piece of cutlery she and Ryan didn't have in their repertoire. Most commonly used for cutting intricate designs into garnishes, it would come in very handy when they decided to take part in their special ritual of mutual corporeal mortification. They would have to make do with their scalpels for now.

She grasped the knife's handle firmly in her fist and extended her bare left arm onto the counter-top, willing her power to the surface of her psyche. It was like calling on leviathan that had been sleeping in the deep. Slow to surface, when she finally found herself locked in its coils, she relinquished all control and gave into the primal urge to see blood flow. Lifting the knife, she plunged it into her arm just under her wrist, then slowly dragged the blade down to the inside of her elbow. Blood poured out of the wound and she felt a stinging pain as her skin parted in the knife's wake. But the pain was fleeting and was quickly replaced by a feeling of euphoria as endorphins flooded her system.

Adele pulled the knife from her flesh and set it aside. Lightheadedness was beginning to set in as her blood spread across the tabletop and began cascading off the edge, forming a small pool on the tile at her feet. Her jet black eyes casually took in the scene unfolding before her, and she focused on the self-inflicted wound spanning the length of her forearm. The blood which had spread across the table slowly started to move in reverse, steadily flowing back into her arm. The puddle of blood on the floor soon followed, returning to her veins. When both the counter-top and the ground were devoid of the thick, red liquid with which they'd recently been stained, she flexed the fingers of her left hand and took a deep breath. The edges of the large slash wound began knitting themselves back together, re-forming first sinew and then skin until all that remained of the damage she'd caused was a thin, scarred line. Another scar to join the dozens of others already on her body.

She blinked away the dark, oily film and reclaimed her glass of wine, allowing herself to bask in the small reward. “I hope that was a sufficient demonstration of what I'm capable of.”

----------

Well, the party had certainly gotten off to a rather awkward start what with her own great grandmother and . . . whatever Niri's relation was to her . . . walking in on her while she was enjoying a nude moment in the kitchen. If they'd walk in on her in her bedroom ten minutes earlier, that would have been even more awkward considering the position she'd been in with Devon.

How had he propositioned her the last time? By bashfully asking her if she wanted to kill an hour with him? She found his complete social ineptitude oddly attractive—probably because she'd always been drawn to his type of personality from high school onwards. She always liked hanging out with all the goth kids and the theatre kids; all the social groups everyone else in the high school hierarchy deemed as being 'losers.' With her ability, she would have been a natural on the cheerleading team, but she detested the idea of surrounding herself with students whose interests seemed to revolve around who had the biggest tits or who'd fucked the most guys (or girls). Unlike the rest of her friends, she'd managed to hold off losing her virginity until she was in college and on birth control.

She wasn't sure where Devon had gotten off to after their little tryst in the bedroom, and for the time being, she was content to cocoon herself away from the rest of the festivities, seeing as how they'd be going on for . . . probably well into the next morning. Khalidah and her ilk always knew how to put on one hell of a party. They even had all the fixings for a twelve foot tall bonfire in the estate's expansive backyard.

Her momentary peace was shattered by the distinct sound of her grandmother yelling at someone. Inaki joined in soon after, though it didn't appear as though they were yelling at each other for once. With a sigh, she rolled off her bed where she'd been hoping to catch at least a few winks before having to join the rest of the party, but apparently sleep was going to have to wait. Amalia rubbed her eyes and let herself out of her room, following the sound of voices down the hall. Her room was nearest to the library and she spied Jenna and Devon emerging from the makeshift gift room, heading off toward the kitchen.

She took off after them at a sprint, her footfalls coming up being them hard and fast. Just as she was about to collide with their backs, she launched herself into the air and tucked her knees upwards into her chest. Placing her head between her knees and crossing her arms over her shins, she used her body's momentum to propel her into a double somersault. Keeping her wits about her as gravity brought her back to the ground, she straightened her legs and placed them into a wide stance one behind the other before her feet gently made contact with the tiled floor. She completed the landing with a flourish, flipping her head back and extending her arms upwards as if she'd just stuck a winning landing in the Olympics.

“Hello, you two. Heading off to get drunk without me?” Amalia moved aside and stood next to Devon as they continued their trek to the kitchen. “Where's Niri? I haven't seen her since . . . ” . . . since she walked in on me naked in the kitchen? “ . . . for a few hours.” She slipped an arm around Devon's waist and grinned at him. Khalidah and Felicia must have been doing something right with him. His cheeks had filled out nicely and he no longer sported the dark circles around his eyes which made him resemble a rabid raccoon. His hair had grown out and was long enough to be worn back in a ponytail, though he seemed to like to keep it loose. And their morning runs and time spent outside had added a nice tinge of colour to his skin.
[/dropcap]

Довести до белого каления.

ф ф Word count: 2458
ф ф Mood: I can has sleep?
ф ф Outfit: Adele, Felicia, Khalidah, Amalia, Lilka
ф ф Lyrics / Quote: Forest Song, Persephone
ф ф Illustrations: Included in post.
ф ф Comment / Informational links: None

[Helena Rahal]

It's a crime you let it happen to me. Nevermind, I let it happen to you.

Did this woman have no shame at all with all those insinuations and her overt, over the top affections? How could the son that she raised ever fall for someone that was this crude and completely without any sense of ... class or dignity? Inaki was everything this woman was not, reserved, dignified, and had at least an ounce of class. Something that Felicia seemingly was completely lacking by the way she was greeting Jasmine in Jasmine's opinion.

Inaki himself was a bit perturbed by his wife's behavior, but he had come to expect it from her. There was only so much he really could do to corral Felicia's wild and unpredictable nature in. At least she had on clothes and wasn't trying to have sex with him in front of his mother and their guests... at least not yet. He would probably have to monitor her alcohol consumption for the remainder of the night now, just lovely. Still, that was nothing compared to the unexpected appearance of his mother showing up, and her weak excuse.

"Mother, if you were truly remorseful for what you did, then you would have not made this trip unannounced. This was supposed to be a private gathering." He said with a bit of a hiss and glance out of the side of his vision to his wife and then towards the kitchen. All he had wanted was a small family gathering with Niri, Jenna, Ma, and Amelia visiting them. Everyone would have been happy, even Devon, who Inaki swore was looking... what might have passed for chipper for him. Instead someone or multiple someones was plotting against his desires.

Felicia however was the one to relent first though, in her own odd way. While his mother probably would not have seen it that way, it was Felicia's own way of making peace. Far better for Felicia to want to try and have sex with you, since the other likely option was she wanted to kill you.

"Perhaps I would take you up on that invitation, were you already not connected to my son at the hip." Jasmine said with a twinkle in her eye and a mischievous smirk that sent Inaki for a loop. Wait... did his mother just say she would have kissed his wife? What the hell? "As it is, is there somewhere special I should put the gifts before socializing?" Even as she spoke, there was a look on her face towards Inaki that told him that he was not out of the woods yet. His mother was here... and apparently she was bisexual... and wanted something from him. That was the only reason she was here, her false excuse of being on a reconciliation trip was not worth the breath she used, but he'd get to that later.

"Yeah, they are in the library. I think Devon, Niri, and Jenna might be in there though. Thought I heard some voices in there..."

Speaking of voices... what was going on in the kitchen? Even though Ma was in there with those two... people, that did not make Inaki feel any calmer about them being here. Anything could set that ticking time bomb off and the other was not exactly helpless either. "I think I need a drink."

[Nireva Hale]

First some wind, then some rain...
...then a fuckin' hurricane! We're all gonna die! Time to say goodbye!
Holy crap! What the shit?! I am twelve and what is this?!
We're all gonna die tonight!
______________________________The Amazing BrandO - "Song Of Storms"

Of all the things she had expected to see while celebrating the holiday season at her mother's estate, Nireva had been decidedly ill-prepared to see her niece parading around the house naked. Although she was, like many of her relatives, immortal, she was about as close to being a black sheep in the family as it was possible for her to be. Although the Rahals were scattered to the four corners of the world through circumstance and necessity, the majority of them found themselves inexorably drawn together; as though their paths had been destined to cross long before they were born.

Nireva, on the other hand, had chosen to live her life differently. After realising that she was special, the last thing she had wanted was for the people who loved her to disappear from her life; to abandon her and leave her without the guidance she felt she needed. So, when her mother did precisely that a few weeks after her twenty-fifth birthday, Nireva - amidst her sorrow - had been unable to escape the feelings of abandonment and betrayal.

At the time, even the name Rahal had been a mystery to her; leaving her under the impression that the only person who had shared her burdens had left Florence without a trace. The letter Felicia had left behind gave Nireva a series of vague, yet simple to follow rules to avoid attracting undue attention and, for the next four centuries, she had followed them alone. Only a handful of people over the years had learned of her gifts and it wasn't until the two of them were reunited in a club in Los Angeles that she was able to speak more freely about her ability. Through Felicia, her mind had slowly been exposed to the true extent of the size of her lineage. Whether it was Khalidah, Amalia or Caleb, they had each given her an insight into the family of which she had been a part of for so long.

Being the matriarch of the family, Khalidah had taken it upon herself to be the Rahal's family historian. Having been among the living for longer than humanity had had the ability to record events, she had chronicled just about everything pertaining to her bloodline from memory. With her descendants and relatives either less able or inclined to seek out each and every one of the people in the world who possessed Rahal blood, it had been up to her to keep track of everything. Their family tree, rather predictably, was nothing short of immense and, upon learning of her granddaughter's desire to find her own children, Khalidah had furnished her with a copy.

It had taken some searching, but Nireva had eventually found what she'd been looking for. Of all the children to whom she'd given birth, seven had inherited her gift of immortality and, while it had been rather heartwarming to discover that some of her children were still alive and well, the colossal diagram told her nothing about where her offspring were to be found. There was nothing which suggested the part of the world in which they resided, nor the identity under which they lived. Finding them was going to take time.

With everyone attending the party confined within the mansion's walls, the outdoors were the perfect place for Nireva to be alone with her thoughts. It was only in the past couple of years that she had started once more to attend celebratory gatherings organised by her own family and, while two years were next to nothing for her, it had been the unfamiliarity of the situations which had made her feel somewhat awkward. The holidays themselves were nothing new; she had watched them change over the centuries, seeing them celebrated by various countries and cultures that served to offer her new and exciting experiences.

Over the years, she had assumed almost every imaginable role in proceedings as they repeated themselves every December. She had been part of the serving staff, ensuring that a wealthy family had something to eat. She had been a doting mother, buying presents to maintain the mysticism for her children. She had been a theatrical performer, playing out a well-known story on the stage for the enjoyment of thousands and, arguably the most interesting of all, there had been that time in France; the time in France where she had been the wealthy one.

In the estate's expansive garden, a bonfire was the latest addition to the area's numerous decorative landmarks. A pile of wood and other flammable scraps standing a dozen feet tall lay waiting for the spark that would transform them into the blazing spectacle that would signal the end of its existence. With many of Khalidah's preferred methods of celebration considered archaic even by history's standards, it didn't take long for Nireva to figure out who had ordered the bonfire's construction. She wasn't complaining. With the weather being so cold at this time of year, the fire would have been a welcome addition to the post-meal festivities.

Which drew her train of thought back to the interior of the mansion. As had quickly become apparent the first time she had attended one of her mother's celebrations, there were habits from centuries past that she had still found difficult to avoid. With most of the celebrations involving some sort of meal, Nireva had felt a little strange when her hosts informed her that her assistance wasn't required in the kitchen. Although her current identity wasn't mandated by social convention to do the lion's share of the cooking, the last thing she wanted to do was to idly stand around, even if her sexy girlfriend was less than a hundred metres away.

She would simply have to settle for eating the food.

For as long as it took her to drain her bottle of beer, Nireva continued to slowly pace around out in the garden; alone with her thoughts as the snow drifted down to the ground around her. Time after time, her thoughts returned to the subject of her children and how they would each react when they encountered their mother, still looking as youthful as she had when they'd been born. The introduction of an immortal to one's life was a surefire way of disrupting whatever equilibrium they had established in the meantime. In Nireva's case, the rules by which she'd lived ensured that there weren't many variables to be affected. Jenna had taken the revelation of her immortality rather well and, thankfully, hadn't elected to flee back to her own parents or break up with her.

Nireva's children, however, were going to be different. She had already dealt with the possibility that one or more of them could have had families of their own; a wife or husband and even children to whom they had to explain certain things. Just how were they going to get their heads around how their mother-in-law/grandmother looked, especially given the age her children had likely dictated on their official identification? What if they wanted nothing to do with her? What if they had taken their inevitable separation worse than she had? What if they hated her for what she'd done? Each new thought only served to breed further anxiety.

It was quite a while before Nireva finally decided to rejoin the party. Tossing the bottle onto the bonfire, she whirled herself around and made her way back into the house, managing to avoid the rest of the guests until she reached the mansion's main hallway. The sound of heavy footfalls lured her around the corner just in time to see Amalia - now fully clothed - performing an impromptu gymnastic routine. It was only when she landed that Nireva was able to see that she had in fact somersaulted over Jenna and Devon.

"Hello, you two! Heading off to get drunk without me?" As if nothing was amiss, she gently slung her arm around Devon's shoulders - her boyfriend, Nireva reminded herself - and turned the two-person procession into a trio. While Devon didn't seem all that fazed about what Amalia had just done, Jenna couldn't help but eye the flight attendant with an odd look, one which silently asked if she did this sort of thing regularly.

"Well, it was either that or wait until you got dressed." Devon, it seemed, had been steadily growing more confident as time had passed. The more time he spent living with the Rahals - and being the lover to one of them - the more he was able to abandon his old, awkward personality. He even looked a lot more normal than he used to. The colour was returning to his skin and his hair had actually managed to grow out somewhat. He had resisted all attempts to have his jet black hair bunched into a ponytail and, if he continued to have his own way, the only time someone else would touch it was to stop it getting into his eyes. "And with how long you normally take to get ready..."

Thankfully for more than one of them, Devon decided to trail off then and there, leaving Amalia free to change the subject. "Where's Niri? I haven't seen her sinc-... for a few hours." Hours? Had it really been that long? With Nireva's penchant for solitude taking hold wherever possible - even in the midst of a party - it wasn't as much of a surprise to her as it might have been to others. Even Devon had spent more time with the other guests than her.

"I neeeded some air." Her reasons were varied and almost impossible to explain. So she lied. Then again, having rushed out of the kitchen after seeing her niece naked, her response was still a little justified. Looking at the smile on her girlfriend's face, Nireva quickly shifted back into a more sociable manner. "You haven't been flirting with the guests, have you, Jen?"

Why would she have done such a thing? From what she knew of the Rahals, everyone in the building was either married or anywhere from a few centuries to untold millenia older than she was. Some people might have enjoyed trying to tempt people away from their relationships, but Jenna certainly knew better. She was an unarmed woman in a den filled with people who could bring her harm in any manner of ways. "Me? Hell, no! I've only got eyes for you, dear." Of course, this wasn't entirely true. As disturbing as Ryan appeared - and as engaged as he was to that short, French woman - there was no denying that he - and a few other people - were pretty damn hot.

She'd been eyeing them up and, as Nireva met her girlfriend's smile with one of her own, Jenna knew that her formerly dreadlocked lover knew precisely what she'd done. She was, if anything, rather predictable. Especially to someone who was over four hundred years old and had likely been around the block so many times that she'd worn her way through the sidewalk. "We were headed back to the kitchen to get drunk. You coming?"

"Eh, I might as well," she sighed, sounding slightly mopey all of a sudden. Socialising was all well and good but, when she had other things on her mind, Nireva was left feeling distracted. As she followed the trio into the kitchen, the first thing her mind grasped was the coppery scent of spilled blood mixed in with the smell of slowly cooking food and various types of alcohol. The fact that nobody else seemed to pick up on it suggested that the crimson substance was no longer there, but Nireva knew that her nose wasn't lying. Someone had been bleeding recently though, as was often the case with a party organised by the Rahals, nobody seemed to be paying it any mind.

"I hope that was a sufficient demonstration of what I'm capable of." Only the words of the diminutive French woman served as a hint as to what had transpired while the quartet had been away. Ryan, like a watchful protector, turned his head to watch Amalia, Devon, Nireva and Jenna file their way into the large kitchen and head over to where the drinks were being kept. To his slight surprise, Devon briefly met his gaze, allowing a vague hint of the psychotic murderer he'd once been to flicker deep within his eyes. His time as Khalidah's charge had dulled the instincts born from thirteen years of incarceration and chemical dependency, but he knew that, were he ever sufficiently provoked, he could easily slip back into those old ways.

If Ryan tried anything, he would discover first-hand what those ways entailed.

If Devon tried anything, he would discover just what it felt like to have his mind wrestled away from him.

For that single moment, the two men sized each other up. The political assassin matched against a cursed man and, as they turned away, neither of them had particularly liked what had stared back at them. Up to now, their conflict had ended in a stalemate. "More than s'fficient, I'd say," Ryan remarked quietly, keeping his attention on his fiancée and Lilka. He knew that Adele could quite easily take care of herself but, with so many unfamiliar people in the vicinity, he was reluctant to leave her side. "Y'wanna go take a look 'round this place, Adele? I think we've got quite a bit o'time t'spare before we're all called f'dinner." With the arrival of Devon and his all-female entourage, the kitchen was getting a little crowded for his liking. He felt they needed time alone to take stock of their situation; to discuss where they felt they stood.

Nireva, on the other hand, simply wanted to get drunk. Jenna had convinced Devon to embark on the new activity and, now that she knew Amalia was along for the ride, she'd made short work of crumbling her girlfriend's resistance. As Nireva rummaged around for the nearest bottle of single-malt whiskey, Jenna was raiding the fridge for a selection of convenient snacks. "Found the shot glasses yet?" With each bag of snacks she found and thrust under her arm - or passed to Devon - she glanced across at Amalia, waiting for her to get her portion of the preparations done.

"Make sure you get spares. Just in case anyone else wants to join in," Nireva suggested. While she would have likely balked at the prospect of her mother trying to drink her under the table, she would have welcomed the likely stress-ridden Inaki joining her. If anyone needed a break from childcare and running a party, then it was him. After all, she was somewhat indebted to him after he'd agreed to pay her way towards a medical degree.

[Felicia Soler]

I've seen the sky just begin to fall
He said, "All things pass into the night"
And I say, "Oh no sir, I must say you're wrong
I must disagree, oh no sir, I must say you're wrong"
Won't you listen to me?

Lilka Buchovski, Felicia Soler, Khalidah Rahal, Adele Couteau, Amalia Djanescu
Cazenovia Estate
Cazenovia, New York

[dropcap]Judging by the semi-galled expressions crossing Inaki's mother's face in rapid succession, Felicia was satisfied that she'd driven home her point. This woman—even if she was Inaki's mother—was not welcome in their home by any means. Felicia was simply tolerating her presence. She'd make it up to Inaki later.

Inaki led the two women into the den. Every movement he made was liberally sprinkled with a dose of irritation. "Mother, if you were truly remorseful for what you did, then you would have not made this trip unannounced. This was supposed to be a private gathering."

“Even though I know that you hate your mother, someone must have invited her.” Ma had probably invited her. And if she'd seen fit to invite Inaki's mother to their little holiday gathering, maybe there were a few other people she'd also invited under Inaki's nose . . . Jordan would have been an incredibly welcome surprise. Inaki would have hated it and would have pitched a fit for the rest of the night, but that was his problem. Jordan was family. More specifically, Jordan was family several times and several generations removed from the original Rahal bloodline, so she felt absolutely no shame in sleeping with him. Even if they were closely related, she probably still would have slept with him. What was a little fun between consenting adults? But she would have drawn the line if they'd shared the same womb. That would have been a little too Game of Thrones-ish close.

The racy thoughts clouding her mind had triggered the release of pheromones into the air. It wasn't like she could help it; the way Inaki was glaring at his mother wasn't helping. He hated being told just how attractive he was when he was angry, but whenever he yelled at her about something or another (most of the time she had no idea what he was angry about), all she ever heard coming out of his mouth was, “Hi, I'm horny. Let's fuck.”

Jasmine must have been reading her mind and replied to her previous solicitation for intimate activity with a sly smile. "Perhaps I would take you up on that invitation, were you already not connected to my son at the hip."

“Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't mind letting me borrow you for a few hours.” Yes. Yes, he would mind. But she was Felicia Rahal and therefore gave absolutely zero fucks. Inaki would pout about it and drink some scotch and masturbate in his office for a few hours, and then he'd get over it—or he'd do whatever the hell it was he did in his office which didn't include imbibing copious amounts of alcohol while pleasuring himself. Probably attempting to translate the diaries she'd written in Hungary in the 1600s. Boring. “You can put your gifts in our bedroom along with your clothes.” Too forward? Whatever. “Or you can just put them down wherever.” Seeing as how both of her arms were currently occupied by babies, she wasn't going to be much help when it came to handling gifts. “I'm sure we'll be able to find them again, provided Inaki doesn't burn them in the bonfire out back.”

For now, she was going to follow in her husband's footsteps and get herself a drink. “Homemade egg nog is in the fridge, and scotch is in the freezer. Don't be bashful about drinking all of it. I had the contractors build me one hell of a wine cellar after I gave birth.” Felicia glanced down at the two infants in her arms. “But I'm still limited as to how much I can drink since I'm still breastfeeding. Would you like to hold one of them?” Inaki would protest at having his semi-estranged mother handling their children, but that was his cross to bear. His mother hadn't pissed her off just yet. “And when I say 'hold one of them,' I mean one of your grandchildren. Not one of my breasts. You can hold one of those later.”

-----

The incision on the French woman's arm was now just a fading memory. “Well,” Lilka drained her glass of wine and placed it gently back on the table. “I think that calls for another bottle. Perhaps a nice cabernet?” That was certainly an interesting way to demonstrate an ability. Either the woman before her was completely demented, or she was suffering from some sort of psychological condition which required her to constantly use a bit of overkill. Whatever the case, anything that provided her with an excuse to drink more wine was an ignorable offence. “I'm sure I'll be able to locate a suitable vintage in the cellar. My niece knows her wine extremely well.”

On her way out of the kitchen, she jostled past the quartet of newcomers and nodded at Nireva and her grand . . . niece? Whatever Amalia was. She lost track of relations after immediate cousins. Keeping track of family lines was her sister's responsibility. “Che cosa sulla Terra, cosa vede in quell'uomo?” she muttered into Nireva's ear as she passed. “Egli deve essere veramente bravo a letto.” That was the only excuse that she could come up with. No matter how many times Amalia tried to explain their relationship to her, Lilka just didn't see what was so endearing about the waxy, sallow-faced Devon. “Egli appare come quello di un impresario di pompe funebri potrebbe apparire come se le pompe funebri erano in una casa stregata. Ma qualunque cosa la rende felice, credo.”

“Elegante, Lilka. Ti sei dimenticato che ho capito italiana?”

Well, yes, she had forgotten that Amalia understood Italian. Given her profession as a flight attendant on an international airline, knowing more than the standard English was practically expected. “Don't look at me. I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking,” she replied rather flippantly as she continued on her way to the cellar door. Lilka looked at Devon and smiled. “Sono sicuro che lui è piuttosto bella.”

Amalia ignored her and tightened her grip around Devon's waist. “This whole family's dysfunctional. You'll fit right in!” He'd been fitting right in just perfectly ever since Khalidah had taken him under her wing. Under her tutelage, he'd kicked his drug habit and was on the up and up.

Together, the four of them made their way into the kitchen where she sensed an almost immediate change in the atmosphere. There was a static charge in the air like they'd come in on the tail end of an emotional breakdown. She was surprised to see Devon reacting to the sensation by staring down the tall, tawny-haired young man across the room. Great. A fight was exactly what this family soirée was missing. Amalia rolled her eyes and steered Devon towards the side of the table where Khalidah was seated. If either of them decided to get out of hand, her great-grandmother would set things straight.

The glare exchanged by the two men hadn't gone unnoticed by her keen eyes. Adele idly ran her finger alone the flat, broad portion of the blade she'd recently laid on the table while she stared at Devon, her lips drawn into a thin line. Ryan was quite familiar with that particular look. He'd seen it burning in her eyes before a slaughter, though for the moment, she seemed subdued; she was biding her time, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash her fury. Unlike her fiancée who had no concept of how to harness and control his anger, she was adept at stoking the fire of her rage for months until it burst forth in an explosion of blood and pain.

Adele stared at Devon, silently willing him to glance in her direction. The fingers of her right hand slid around the wooden hilt of the wooden hilt of the knife and she felt it grow warm in her palm. The utter malice in her gaze was palpable, and she sincerely hoped that the ex-convict could feel it in his gut. Most humans were hard-wired for survival and would flee in the presence of anything powerful enough to potentially end their lives.

She wasn't one of them. When either she or Ryan had been taunted with threats of imminent death, the remaining lifespans of their adversaries could be measured in the seconds it took her to slice through their necks or form a hard cocoon of blood around their beating hearts. Her eyes clouded over, granting her the sight necessary to map out all of the potential weak points in the strange man's bodily systems.

Khalidah was content to watch the scene unfold. If anyone were to die, bringing them back to life wasn't outside the scope of her abilities—not that any of them needed to know that. She reached out and calmly placed her hand over Adele's, which was now curled into a white-knuckled fist around the knife's handle. “As much as I love a bit of old-fashioned bloodsport and animal sacrifice during my Saturnalia, I'm afraid I can't condone having any of that happen on these premises.” All of them had been invited here for a reason, and none of those reasons included death and dismemberment—much to the French doctor's chagrin, she mused. She felt Adele's grip on the knife grow slack and waited for the darkness to recede from her eyes. “It's enough that I know what the pair of you are capable of, and I'd really rather not have to spend the rest of the evening scraping my great granddaughter's boyfriend off ceiling or picking up the tattered remains of his heart all over the wall.”

Okay, surely she hadn't heard that right. Had Khalidah actually invited two known murderers into her grandmother's home? Did Felicia even know about this? Well, now that she thought about it, the blond-haired man must have been the person Felicia had been talking about when she'd mentioned 'decking the halls with his holly-ridden entrails.' Since there was no wall available for her to bash her forehead into, she settled for hitting it against the outside of Devon's arm. “I swear, just once I'd like to have a family gathering that doesn't result in someone getting sent to the emergency room,” she whispered. She shouldn't have been surprised; taking their other holiday events into consideration, this one was almost painfully normal.

"Y'wanna go take a look 'round this place, Adele? I think we've got quite a bit o'time t'spare before we're all called f'dinner." Only now that Ryan mentioned it, she was beginning to feel like the walls were closing in on her.

“Yes, that would probably be wise.” She released her death grip on the knife and slowly withdrew her hand from underneath Khalidah's. Adele's gaze remained fixed on Devon as she excused herself from the table with Ryan. With her fiancé at her side, she walked towards the door that would lead them down the hallway in Lilka's footsteps. Aside from the soothing warmth of Ryan's touch, the only other thing able to temporarily rein in her anger was a bottle of merlot. Though she longed for the taste of Devon's blood on her tongue, the full-bodied taste of the traditionally dark red wine would have to suffice. As she passed by Devon, she drew her fingertips lightly over his skin, causing just enough of an upset to the histamine balance to raise fine welts where their skin had briefly met. That was the only warning he would receive.

Amalia stepped aside, allowing the couple to pass. There was something incredibly unsettling about the two of them. She already knew that they were murderers, but technically so was Devon, and he didn't promote within her a broiling sense of fear. She could only hope that Khalidah knew precisely what she'd invited into her home.

The nausea she felt left her body as soon as Ryan and Adele left the room. Shuddering involuntarily, she was glad for the distraction when Jenna asked her if she'd found the shot glasses yet? She hadn't even moved from her spot since they'd entered the kitchen, and nervously cleared her throat, then took a few slow steps towards the cupboard.

“Wrong cupboard.” As if nothing unusual had just happened, Khalidah pointed at the cupboard to her left, just above the sink. “The shot glasses are in there. Ouzo is in the fridge, if that's your thing. We also have absinthe—not the shitty imitation store-bought kind. The real kind. With real wormwood. Don't worry, it won't make you crazy. I've been drinking it for years.”

“I doubt that'll encourage anyone to drink it, Ma.” Felicia escorted Inaki and his mother into the kitchen, and decided it was best to keep family introductions short and sweet. “Jasmine, this is my mother, Khalidah. Ma, this is Inaki's mother.” She gestured back and forth between the two women as wella s her baby-laden arms would allow. “The one with the dark hair over there trying to blend into the background is my daughter, Nireva. The other one with the really nice ass is her girlfriend Jen, and the cute one with the pasty-looking Goth dude is my granddaughter, Amalia. Devon is the guy I used to sleep with before I met Inaki, but now he's just a friend and he's sleeping with my granddaughter.” She sat herself down on one of the free stools set around the high table and passed Tivodar over to Khalidah. “Make yourself at home and feel free to spend the night. Odds are you'll wind up getting laid by someone related to me.”[/dropcap]

Довести до белого каления.

ф ф Word count: 2372
ф ф Mood: lol
ф ф Outfit: Adele, Felicia, Khalidah, Amalia, Lilka
ф ф Lyrics / Quote: Goodbye Horses, Q Lazzarus
ф ф Illustrations: None.
ф ф Comment / Informational links: God help me, Felicia needs an off switch.

[Helena Rahal]

I don't hate you now, but I just want to save you while there is something left to save

Inaki could feel his anxiety level rising rapidly every moment he and his mother were verbally sparring. It was not her fault, not really, she had only done what she believed to be right and he understood that. Still, holding the secrets she did for as long as she did and then not being the one to unveil them to him had left a small wound that just was refusing to heal. Even if she was sincere now in her apologies, this was the wrong time and place to be making them, with Inaki's stress level already elevated thanks to parenthood, his marital issues, and the fact that two cold blooded murderers were in his fucking house. Never mind the fact that he had his own mental issues that he had been neglecting since he hadn't been able to get ahold of Dr. Q in quite some time.

Jasmine tried to keep a straight face as her daughter in law continued to egg her on with her overt sexual advances. Did this ... woman really have absolutely no self control or off switch when it came to dealing with people as more than just things for her pleasure? So help her if she ever hurt her son, even if Jasmine had no powers, she would find a way to make Felicia pay. That was neither here nor there though, she had come to make amends and try to integrate herself somewhat into her new extended family.

"I'll just place them in the library if that's where you're keeping them. Though I suppose your bedroom is as good as any for my suitcase for the time being." Jasmine said before excusing herself to head where Inaki said the voices were coming from. However as she entered the apparent library, no one was here, apart from the collection of gifts that she surmised the rest of the guests and family had brought. She did her best to place the gifts she had brought neatly within the pile and hoped that those who were here that she did not have gifts for would understand.

"Behave, please. As much as our relationship might be strained right now, this is my mother after all. Besides, we have bigger problems, I can feel exposed blood coming from the kitchen." Inaki said quietly to his wife as they waited for his mother to return. Inaki was not sure how, but lately he could feel the energy and the structure of different things and elements. On top of that, his wounds seemed to heal faster and he was not getting ill as often. It made him wonder if his powers were going awry again, as they had when he first got them and then that one time in the New Mexico desert.

Luckily Jasmine was not long and returned with just her bag, looking less than half full now. At least she had had the thoughtfulness to bring gifts Inaki thought, a small step on a long path to repairing their broken relationship. "Well if you trust a complete stranger with one of your children, I would love to." Inaki chewed on his lip nervously as Tivodar was handed over to his mother and she held him carefully and tenderly. Inaki swore he even saw a genuine smile from his mother as she held his son.

However, he still needed a drink, and they needed to figure out what was going on in the kitchen. Felicia lead the way, followed by Jasmine, and Inaki brought up the rear. They came in right as the two crazy pyschopaths were leaving and right in time for Felicia to give a retort to her mother about the effects of absinthe. Jasmine tried to keep up as Felicia did a speed run introduction but it was going to be next to impossible to try and remember who was who in such a short time.

Inaki's eyes though saw the rash forming on Devon's skin and his mood turned even more sour. "God damn it!" Inaki shouted and slammed his fists against the counter. This was it, the warning shot had been fired and it crossed a line for Inaki. Devon was not even Inaki's friend, not like he was with Felicia and Amelia, but for fucks sake he lived under Inaki's roof and no one was to come to harm under his roof.

The air crackled around him as he subconsciously was drawing in all the energy from around him that was available to him. The cases and glass in the light bulbs cracked as Inaki's anger grew. "I knew it! I FUCKING knew it! Those two could not control themselves for even one goddam night!" Unbeknownst to Inaki, the energy he was gathering from within the room he was forging itself into a pair of lightning bolt shaped blades within his hands. The process not only was burning his hands, but the blades were cutting into his flesh.

"Just one night! One goddam night of normality and a family function that is not totally insane. That was all I wanted. But someone had to invite those two things into my house and look, look what they have already done!!!" Inaki pointed towards Devon, doing so revealing to himself what was happening around him. Almost immediately he released his grip on the newly formed blades, still glowing from their creation, banging loudly as they hit the ground.

Turning to the only person he felt like could possibly understand what he might be going through right now, he asked in his politest voice. "Niri, sweetie, could you pour me a glass of the best red we have in the house?"

[Nireva Hale]

From the tales of Solon to the depths of astral memory!
The legend of Atlantis will appear from the Great Old Sea.
Dive into the abyss to find the lost Luciferic crown...
...and put it on the head of the ruler of the sunken town!
______________________________Therion - "The Crowning Of Atlantis"

"Che cosa sulla Terra, cosa vede in quell'uomo? Egli deve essere veramente bravo a letto."

Nireva didn't have to turn around in order to know to whom Lilka was snidely referring. As often seemed to be the case, her trips with a member of her family seemed to result in her meeting yet another relative of whom she'd been unfamiliar until that point. Despite how truly colossal the Rahal family tree was, it never seemed to take long for Nireva to figure out the correct familial moniker for each person. Lilka, like Caleb Alhanin, was one of Felicia's siblings, making her her aunt.

"Sguardi sono spesso ingannano," she sighed, not missing a beat as she effortlessly switched to her fluent grasp of Italian. It was, after all, technically her first language, even if she had seldom made use of it as of late. She had less of an idea as to why her niece was apparently sleeping with Devon than Lilka did but, over the course of four hundred and odd years, she couldn't really claim she hadn't shared a bed with stranger people. She wasn't about to put her foot in it by taking the role of a hypocrite.

"Egli appare come quello di un impresario di pompe funebri potrebbe apparire come se le pompe funebri erano in una casa stregata. Ma qualunque cosa la rende felice, credo..."

"Elegante, Lilka. Ti sei dimenticato che ho capito italiana?" However, before Nireva could rise to Devon's defence and inform her aunt that his looks had improved during his time with the Rahals, Amalia found herself in earshot of the hushed conversation. Devon, for all that he'd done, didn't really deserve having people at the party whispering behind his back and, being the person who enjoyed his company the most, the flight attendant took it upon herself to stop Lilka mid-flow.

"Don't look at me," the shapeshifter sighed. How was it her problem that everybody else at the party was too polite to point out the obvious? "Sono sicuro che lui è piuttosto bella." With there being no point in starting a family spat in the middle of party, Amalia and Lilka parted ways, allowing the group to go about their business of getting drunk on their own time. There may have been other guests to meet and mingle with but, with Jenna by her side and Amalia and her boyfriend seemingly intent on tagging along for their drunken revelry, the temptation for Nireva to find a place where she could escape the likely drama-ridden kitchen was growing stronger by the second.

"This whole family's dysfunctional. You'll fit right in!" Knowing that Devon had no grasp of Italian, Amalia slid her arm around his waist. Given how he had found himself in Khalidah's company - and what little she knew of his circumstances - she decided to try and put an end to his paranoia before it had a chance to fester. Even without understanding what had been said, Amalia could see that Devon's eyes had become gripped by a slight hint of unease; as though he was asking himself what the odd woman had just said about him.

"Don't worry about it, Devon," Nireva said, leading her entourage into the kitchen. "She was just jealous."

--

"Yes, that would probably be wise..."

Nireva wasn't paying much in the way of attention to the goings on around her. With both Felicia and Khalidah being as attentive as ever as the guests milled around, talking amongst themselves and doing whatever else they seemed inclined to do under the pretenses of being a good party guest, she knew that any emergent chaos would be quelled almost as quickly as it would have arisen. Although she had no idea of the sheer collective power the paragons of her preceding two generations possessed, she knew that they were far more than enough to deal with whoever else had elected to attend. Not everyone here was immortal.

Despite the passing remarks she'd heard about the doctor and her much taller lover, the fact that they were still able to vacate the kitchen rather than rise in response to the palpable animosity present in a few of the other guests went some way to dispelling the rumours. Of course, with Adele being Adele, she wasn't about to allow herself to back down without getting the last laugh. As she trailed behind Ryan, her slender finger brushed almost innocuously against his forearm.

The ex-convict's gaze immediately shot downward. Adele may have been acting casual and innocent as she'd passed by, but he was utterly certain that he hadn't imagined the contact between them. It was far too deliberate; too purposeful to be an accident. Regardless of how hypocritical it felt, Devon was unable to shake the feeling that there was something off about both Adele and Ryan; something hidden behind their calculating exteriors that they dared not unleash. It reminded him of he had once been, albeit with a lot more practice. If he had spent those fourteen years on the run as opposed to locked up in Rawson-Neal, he surmised that he would have turned out a similar way. He would have simply been a murderer as opposed to a drug addict.

It took a few moments for his paranoia to be proven right but, once the proof was in plain sight, the delay was meaningless. It had started off as a lingering heat; a point of warmth which could have easily been explained away by their bodies touching. But when his arm had started itching, it had given him sufficient pause to pull up his sleeve. The patch of skin on his forearm - right where Adele's finger had brushed against him - had broken out in a series of harmless welts. They would pass, given time, but Devon knew precisely what she'd given him.

A warning. And, of course, he wasn't the only one to spot the aftermath of what had transpired. "Goddamn it..! I knew it. I fucking knew it!!" Inaki was rarely in the best of moods whenever his wife decided to throw a party. Given the volatile nature of her relatives; a psychological trait which he surmised stemmed from the fact they were immune to the passage of time, he had always found himself entering into these parties knowing that something would happen. Sure enough, something had happened. Even if it hadn't been his wife or his mother-in-law who had been responsible, it had occurred regardless. His guests were starting to bicker amongst themselves.

"Those two... couldn't control themselves for one goddamn night!" It was only when she heard what sounded like the crackling buzz of electricity around a substation that Nireva turned around to see an Inaki that had become downright irate. Understandably so, she silently admitted, but it was still a spectacle the party didn't need. "Just one night! One goddamn night of normality and a family function that is not totally insane; that was all I wanted! But someone had to invite those two things into my house and look! Look what they've already done!"

The lights in the kitchen flickered as the bulbs cracked; their transparent outer shells sundering under the weight of Inaki's ability. The ambient energy had been forming around his hands, crafting a pair of haphazard and rather deadly blades from some sort of energy. Nireva had no idea what he had inadvertantly done, nor what he was even capable of. It was only now that she'd realised that he, like many people present, was a special. As he dropped the blades to the floor, they instantly shattered and faded away to nothing; their connection to their creator lost. "Niri, sweetie, could you pour me a glass of the best red we have in the house?"

"Sure..." Jenna, Amalia and Devon would have understood if she added another member to their group. Adding a wine glass to the collection of containers she'd (eventually) found, she plucked a sealed bottle of red wine from an important-looking rack and, once she had divided everything with Jenna to carry, she strode over towards Inaki. "Come on. Follow me. We'll find someplace quiet to hide out until dinner."