VIII-The Man Who Sold the World (INVITE)

[Lucius Kilvayne]

We passed upon the stair, we spoke of was and when
Although I wasn't there, he said I was his friend
Which came as some surprise, I spoke into his eyes
I thought you died alone, a long long time ago

Lucius considered the gathering before him. It was all in honor of his friend Gabriel Constant, and what had been the achievement of an outcome Gabriel hadn't honestly foreseen. Seems that one of the things Archie had told him about space-time and the multiverse was actually true, after all. There was more than one future. There was a future where Lucius Kilvayne would conquer all the world. There was one where he failed. And maybe many more complicated. Which one was he going to live through? That was the question.

Maybe there was an Earth like this one, where he had been born in poverty. Maybe. He wasn't in that Earth, however. On this Earth, he was one of the most powerful and wealthy men alive. And he was the driving force behind a revolutionary new technology. He had changed the game of treating genetic diseases forever. He had his fingers on the pulse of evolution. In short, he was one step closer to Godhood. Life was good.

The man was in love, to make matters more heady. Dakari Johessman was responsible for that, or perhaps fate. Fate was an interesting thing. It had dealt some a hand worth playing, and others with nothing. Still, many with all the blessings of fate had squandered that. And those who were disadvantaged came out on top, through struggle after struggle. Lucius was neither of these. He simply used the gifts that had been given to him according to what he knew to be the right way. And he so longed to show the way to the unfortunate people who had to struggle endlessly to survive the chaos. He sought, above all...order. And that meant he would have to do the ordering.

His family was all gathered, and so were Gabe's and Dakari's. Such that could make it, anyway. Archie wasn't present, given that he was busy on some kind of advanced project or other. He had sent his regards, and had been present at the public unveiling. Adrian hadn't been invited, and his parents had their own thing to do. Something about Sebastian's new book. It had been a bestseller, as it turned out. A gripping novel set in a dystopian future where a marginalized group of people decide to wage war on the US government. Art imitating life, as it seemed.


He was dressed casually, but still in highest of fashions. This being a family event, high quality suits didn't have to be worn. But he still had to wear something nice. He was a Kilvayne. Not a street ragamuffin. He had opted for something a dark blue, instead of black or red, as had been his custom for some time. GEIST may have been done, but he missed the excitement of planning and executing big moves to achieve his goals. He had been acting in furtive fashion of late. It was starting to get boring. But they had made a breakthrough here, and that meant something.

"How have you been feeling?" He asked Gabe, after sitting down near him and his wife, Alex. He looked at her and smiled, "Both of you, that is to say."

The venue was the Kilvayne manor, Avalon House, where he had met Dakari Johessman. He wanted to make her his wife, he was sure of it. He wasn't sure if the time was right just yet, however. Timing was everything. He recalled every one of his father's lessons, and that was one such lesson. So when the time was right, he would know. He hoped she thought so too.

He looked at everyone and smiled, warmly. Warmly- a strange adverb for a Kilvayne, but tonight it applied. So he felt warm and fuzzy inside, isn't everyone allowed to once in a while? Even a cold, black heart grows three sizes sometimes. Usually, it's not a tumor. Hopefully. Well, with Lucius' new gene therapy, if it is a tumor, it won't be around for long.

" I am so glad everyone who matters is here," Lucius said, by way of beginning his toast in a less than somber fashion, " My parents, my siblings, Dakari, Gabriel, and those who are my extended family through a series of bonds that will be unbreakable for all time, God willing. What Adele and I have accomplished for Gabe goes beyond helping a friend, though that was the genesis. I see it as the road to a better world for everyone. And of course a lot of money for our family business," He threw a wink at his father, " But hey, this is one of many miracles to come. Let's drink to the future."


He lifted his glass, prompting everyone at the large table to do the same.

[Alexandria Constant]

Looking back on it now, Alexandria still did not quite understand how she came into this dance with the devil. It was not for a want of trying to create this tango that she and the devil had become partners in, not at first. How twisted must some must see now for becoming so enraptured with the dance and how it consumed her. Yet there was something in the grace of each move, each twist and turn, each mystifying step that continued forward their dance.

Many in this gathering were here enemies at one point in time and a few years before she might have even killed the entire meeting without a second thought. What a wicked web it is to weave, what a web she herself had been ensnared in, but that web was different. Instead of draining her and feasting upon her corpse, the spider had given her a cocoon and she had began the metamorphosis into the woman she had become today.

Still though, while many in this room were no longer enemies, but allies, there were still a few who were enemies of her morality at least. Despite all the changes she had undergone over the past year or so, she had not let that part of her become something vastly warped from what she created in the first point. While people did indeed change and she had, the person that they are at their core does not so easily become warped.

Even when you are given the glimpse into a future so dark and terrible that you are willing to sacrifice all you know to stop it. And so she, forsaking family and friends, coworkers, so many things that she had taken for granted. Yet it was for those very people she had done such actions. While they may yet curse her name, hunt her down for what they see as abandonment or betrayal, it was not a choice she would change if she had it to do over again.

When death looks you down and shows you just how meaningless your actual life is, that is when you discover your true self. Instead of cowering against the sheer magnitude of it all, Alexandria decided to do what she did best, rebel. Her only hope was that the strength of her spirit that housed the flame of rebellion within her did not waver, did not falter. It was sheltered though, by the very devil, the spider, and the fallen angel who shared the prophecy. Alexandria knew what she was, she was the blade of the instrument that would construct a new, better world, one way or another.

"Rested, refreshed, and..." Alexandria's voice trailed off for a moment as she addressed Lucius. A friend to her and Gabriel both, so much so that he allowed her to fondly call him Lucy. Yet as she came upon the last of her words, she gave him a look that only a handful of people in the world truly could see behind. ""restless."

Alexandria was grateful though, Lucius had set out to do the impossible and find a way to cure the fate Gabriel had foreseen for himself. Despite all the obstacles and everything that said he was bound to fail, Lucy had found a way to succeed. Lucy was giving her her husband back and the cure should either of her children have inherited the genes from their father. "Enjoy the moment Lucy, you deserve it. You will forever hold my affection for this monumental achievement you have had."

Alexandria pulled Gabriel closer to her as she wrapped her arm around her husband. While public displays of their affection was still something quite odd, added by the fact they had their own fortress of solitude in the form of a private beach and manor on one of the Hawaiian islands, this occasion was different. It was a celebratory moment and she was feeling quite up to doing such, planting a small kiss on the nape of Gabriel's neck as she pulled him close.

"I am glad for once you were wrong about what the future held my love." she whispered before letting Gabriel's and her own attention turn back to their host.

[Gabriel Constant]

There was some bias in precognition, Gabriel reflected as he and his wife walked into the home of his best friend, where many of his associates had gathered. A wife, first of all, and one he loved deeply, not just a piece in one of his many games. A best friend who he also loved, also not a chess piece, and associates, not mere acquaintances, who were in attendance because they wanted to be, not because they were trying to earn his favor. While an element of business was always to be expected among a crowd as naturally businesslike as this one, but that was not the main focus of the evening at all. He was, as the cynosure of one of the greatest feats in recent history.

Lucius, in partnership with Adele Couteau, had managed to find a way to treat certain genetic diseases. Gabriel had been diagnosed with Huntington's disease over two years earlier. He had shown no obvious symptoms at a time, but he had foreseen his own death by the disease, which had led to him getting tested for a slew of genetic conditions. His remaining lifespan had been estimated at a full twenty years. That had given Gabriel some comfort for a long time; he would live to see his daughters graduate, at least, if he were physically able to attend that event by then. But by the time he last saw his doctors, they had adjusted that estimate down to fifteen years, such had the disease progressed. It had taken a violent hold on him, manifesting at the worst times, causing Alex concern even before they had rekindled their relationship, and growing from there into incidents that involved any stress, even in front of his own peers in GEIST. He had been afraid to hold his daughters at times, and afraid to be intimate with his wife, afraid that she would feel his body slipping out of his control, and worry for him. He didn't need that fear anymore.

He had not foreseen any of this. In most cases, such a significant oversight would have bothered, terrified, or annoyed him, or all three at once. But his bias had been a deep-seated and mistaken belief that not only was he incapable of developing such profound relationships, but that he was undeserving of them, as undeserving as he was of being cured, if it had even been possible. There were many futures, indeed, and Gabriel never saw all of them, just the ones mot likely, most relevant, or most convenient to him.

It had been a long time since he'd had the death vision. In fact, he could not access it anymore. His death, whenever it might be now, had moved far enough away from the original date that it was lost in time to him. That might be a good thing - perhaps he would live to be one hundred, and die an old man, surrounded by friends and family. Or… perhaps it meant he would die much sooner than he'd thought.

This was another moment he was glad to have. The people gathered here would soon be part of a new initiative of his. This one was also not his own, as GEIST had not been his own idea, but he did have some part in its planning, and most certainly its execution. He would discuss it with Lucius at another time, as Lucius had a crucial role to play in it.

The Johessmans would be part of it as well, albeit in a more auxiliary manner. That family was now very closely connected to the Kilvaynes, as their patriarch had wanted. He had only wanted it insofar as his first-born daughter would be happy, however; fortunately, she was very, very happy to be part of it.

Only three Johessmans were in attendance. Ana and Andrea were there in place of their parents, who had been unable to attend, both keeping things together in Jamaica, and one of them still being "dead." Dakari represented them as well, but was also there by default. She preferred to be close to Lucius, and any opportunity to be near him was one she did her best to take.

Dakari was still the manager of the Hotel Angelis in Las Vegas, and she still practiced law on occasion, usually for her more regular clients. She had been spending more time in New York, however. She had mostly gotten over her awkwardness around Lucius; being aloof by nature, it had taken her a while to truly warm to him. But she had certainly managed that; she admired him, she respected him, and she supported him, just as metals were wont to conduct electricity, as she liked to think. And she had grown to love him, something that, much like Gabriel, she had never thought her self capable of nor expected to happen.

None of the Johessman women had dressed in black, although two of them had a tendency to do so. Dakari had worn a form-flattering violet dress instead, and Ana's ensemble was forest green and beige. Andrea's outfit consisted of colorful patterns, as usual. As for Gabriel, he had also worn Prussian blue, and he chuckled when he saw the same on Lucius. Some loyalties died hard.

"I've never felt better," Gabriel said, joking in part, but mostly in earnest. It had been some time since he had not felt the chorea or saccades that were so characteristic of Huntington's. He was still cautious of them in a way, as he had grown accustomed to being, always worried that they would start at some inconvenient time. He would grow right back out of it, he was certain. He was not quite done with his treatment, as he was still undergoing therapy for the considerably minor damage the disease had caused, but for all intents and purposes, that disease was gone.

He glanced to Alex, though, as she gave her own response, and squeezed her hand briefly. He had plans that included her, or not. He was loath to risk her safety, especially considering their daughters. But he needed her, in many ways. She would not be restless for long, and neither would Lucy.

Gabriel smiled as Alex voiced her appreciation, and gave a nod to Lucius as well. "Thank you." They were short, simple words, and ones he had said to Lucius many times already for this same reason. But they meant much more than they expressed on the surface, and he was sure Lucius knew it.

He let Alex pull him closer, and leaned his head to her shoulder after she kissed him. Chuckles filled the room as Lucius began his toast, and by the end, their glasses were all raised, Dakari's eyes shining brighter than some in the room had ever seen. Gabriel was also smiling. "To the future we are all going to make," he added, with the confidence of a man who has more than seen that future unfold.

[Sophie Nyström]

Why she was attending this party when all sense within her had told her to stay clear was... well it was not beyond her. Sophie knew exactly why she was at this event and it was not because she was a friend of Gabriel Constant, though she knew of the man. Sophie was here because her lover had persuaded her to make the journey and to get out beyond the residence of her sisters. San Diego though had been a good enough sanctuary to keep out of the limelight with the world spinning so ridiculously on a knife's edge. Adrianna though had a way with Sophie that she had not been subject to in hundreds of years.

The event itself was celebratory, at least on the surface, but the conversations had on a certain internet chat room by many of the party guests made Sophie suspicious. Sophie did not know exactly what these men and women partook in, but it was definitely a little on the be on your toes when near them sort of activities. It was not so much herself that Sophie was worried about, she was a goddess made manifest, immune to the mortality that the rest of these individuals faced. No, it was for her lover and her sisters, the only things in this world that really mattered at all to Sophie any more.

Despite her concerns, Sophie had gone out of her way too look the part of a pleasant party guest. She had selected a beautiful emerald green cocktail dress with three inch black pumps for the outfit. While it was neither the most expensive or beautiful outfit she could have worn, it was something she knew would get Adrianna quite pleased. Her lover's happiness was the paramount priority and so Sophie obliged her with the little things she knew would make Adrianna happy.

Still, she wanted to laugh at this so called achievement that Adrianna's kin had created. Sophie was fairly certain that with enough time and desire to do so, she could have performed the same so called miracle with her powers. It was however in her best interests to let the Kilvayne have his moment, for he owed her a favor that she intended to call in one of these days. It was a small thing in the long run, but if Lucius upheld his word on that favor, it would mean the world for Sophie. Only Sayeva knew how much though that favor honestly meant to her and Sophie was intent on keeping it that way.

"Well I will say this for your kinsmen, he certainly knows how to give a speech. You think he would fancy giving one at our wedding?" Sophie said with a small smirk to her lover, taking a sip from her chute of champagne. It was as much a move to hide her smirk from the rest of the crowd as it was to see Adrianna's reaction. This was one of the few times Sophie had dared broach the subject of marriage and she wondered how her love would take it.

[Lucius Kilvayne]

Oh no, not me
We never lost control
You're face to face
With The Man Who Sold The World

"Restless."

A word that was apt in description for Lucius. He had begun to feel that way himself, and it was good that Alex agreed. she was not only the love of Gabriel's life, and a sister to Lucius, but she was also the greatest weapon a future leader of the world could ever hope to have in his arsenal. And as long as Gabe lived, she was loyal to Lucius. It was comforting to know he would not have to be her enemy. The plan was to have no enemies. Having everyone on his side was how he intended to conquer the world. It was how he had been taught, after all. And those that didn't get with the program? Well, they would just have to die. Such was the price for utopia.

"Enjoy the moment Lucy, you deserve it. You will forever hold my affection for this monumental achievement you have had."

Lucius nodded, " I had help from an erstwhile friend." Humility was not his thing, but this was all the credit Adele was going to get. Mostly due to the fact that she was legally deceased. Kind of hinders the possibility of achieving Nobel prize-winner status. But Lucius would remember her help, and he would do whatever was in his power to do to help her and Ryan Alcroft live happily ever after. There were those who argue they didn't qualify for that ending, but Lucius was going to be writing the mythologies and fairy tales from here on out. And he said they get a happily ever after ending, damn it. So they would. Or whoever interfered would suffer eternally.

"I've never felt better,"

Lucius was glad to hear it. It was the dream coming true, to do this for his friend, who would now live to see grandchildren. Who would now see the brave new world Lucius and Gabe and all their allies would build. In this moment, all the world was right.

"To the future we are all going to make,"

Lucius wrapped his free arm around Dakari's shoulders and leaned in close to her. He was fortunate to have met a woman so suited to who he was, providing a challenge, a counterpoint, an equal partner. Until he met her, he thought such a woman simply did not exist. He whispered his toast to her, so only she could hear. He liked the idea that they shared a private feeling once in a while. That was what a relationship was about, after all. Connecting two people.

"To our future," He said in a low, sensual voice.


Adrianna liked what Lucius had said. It was to the point, with an emotional depth that she had rarely seen from her brother. Connecting with Gabe and Dakari had really been good for him, she thought. As meeting Sophie had been a wondrous moment in her life. She was, for the first time, in love. It was a lot to deal with, she had to admit. The world was moving so fast, and her head just had to spin right along with it.


"Well I will say this for your kinsmen, he certainly knows how to give a speech. You think he would fancy giving one at our wedding?"

"He would love to," She said, considering the implications of her lover's query. She wanted to get married. It was legal in New York, but not California. That was going to be an interesting thing logistically. She supposed New York would have to be the place, which was good for her side of the family. Not so much for Sophie's. But then, the Kilvayne's would be glad to foot the bill. Her parents had several months to come around to the idea of their daughter being a lesbian, and the world at large was all a twitter over it. It was like she was a damn celebrity, and all she did was be born with her father's name. She wasn't even a proper heiress- Lucius was the one to get the throne, not her. Well, whatever. She loved who she loved, and the world had changed much since the Kilvaynes of the past established the patriarchal tradition of wedding their girls to powerful male specials. If Lucius could do what he said...what argument could be made about the tradition, save for the consideration of gender and sexuality? They would likely conceive through parthenogenesis. It would be a miracle, but Lucius delivered those more and more by the day.

"Being the heir ascendant to the throne, he will likely have to. That's why he speaks so well, you know...they groomed him to be the next patriarch. The pater familias, as it once was," She said with a wink. " So when do you think we should actually get hitched?"


Brogan was presently torn between deciding whether the feast was more tantalizing, or if Sayeva was the most seductive sight in the room. He was leaning toward Sayeva. This was all rather boring to him besides. Food and his woman looking drop dead gorgeous, and something about his descendants being awesome. All in all, it was a good day to be Brogan Kilvayne.

"Say, what do you say we..." He considered a moment "Retire to our room early? That wouldn't be rude, would it?", He really hoped she would say it was entirely in etiquette to do so. He was not a patient man, after all. Despite being old and wise, he was rather impatient most of the time.


Alexander Kilvayne had to reflect on the way things were going for his family. His son had come into his own, finally. That was a sign that the time was indeed right for the patriarch to move on to what he had considered to be the last thing he could do to build the Kilvayne legacy. He had left the private sector to enter a life of public service. It was new territory for a Kilvayne, being as it was long looked upon as the second best option to merely purchasing the loyalty of those in politics. But there was a symbolism in actually putting the face forward, and taking a stronger place in history. Alexander would be remembered for more than just his wealth, he would be remembered for presiding over a paradigm shift centuries in the making. Brogan and he had discussed this at length, without anyone present knowing it. Save Victoria and Sayeva, of course. Alexander kept no secrets from his wife, and he respected that Brogan honored the same code. It was in the blood, perhaps. But all was going according to plan, in any case. He had certainly taken an interest in Gabriel Constant. A shame that Lucius had hidden that particular gem from the master, but it was all for the best at the time. All was right, in the end.


Lex had inherited his father's name, but not his disposition. All of this was dreadfully boring to him, but he had to be present all the same. He was hoping for an excuse to be away, but sadly, no one was at risk of dying in his patient roster tonight. Yay.


"All one big happy family," He said to no one in particular, though he supposed the Johessman sisters he was seated near could hear him. If his own sister had heard, she made no indication, being lost in the eyes of her lesbian lover. Lex had been mildly curious about that at first, but that was short lived. It wasn't such a big deal, he decided. Not that much was to him. He had to give Lucius kudos for the gene therapy, though. He regretted not having the opportunity to work with Adele Couteau himself, but there was all the time in world as far as he was concerned. She wasn't dying anytime soon, as he figured it. And if she did, it would be temporary. So it goes.

[Alexandria Constant]

Alexandria enjoyed the moment, Lucy and Gabriel looking actually like happy men for a change. Oh there was other times that they gave the smile, grin, and what have you that indicated some sort of pleasure going on, but pure happiness was not often the occasion. This was a small miracle indeed, especially with two men with enough power and clout to do whatever they damn well wanted. Gabriel's came from a far different variety than that of the Kilvayne sort, but it was worthwhile on its own right.

Power and influence, to many people it was many different things. Power only really was where men believed it to be, for without the consent of those that believed in the power, the one who thought to wield it actually held nothing. Physical power, their abilities, things people would say was a true sort of power was anything but. Time, disease, even machines could strip the vitality of any individual regardless of how strong they might think of themselves. There were even devices and people with the ability to suppress a Special's power. Nothing was ever more true than that power was fleeting.

These two men though, they knew how to convince those they needed to about the worth of their power. Master manipulators maybe, it would not be entirely untruthful or off base to call them that. The fact of the matter both of them knew how to get whatever they needed and wanted done with little to no fuss. Even the excursion into the Arizona desert with so little margin for error went as well as Gabriel could have hoped. To think that was even during a time when the two of them were upset with one another and it was still a near flawless execution.

Truth be told, Alexandria was glad to not be the enemy of these two men. Alone and in battle she was confident enough in her ability to dispatch either or both of them with her combat skills. There was only a handful of people in this world that could actually go toe to toe to her in a firefight or even a physical confrontation. What really worried her was that influence that they held within their grasp, to prevent it ever coming to a point where their skills if ever inferior to an opponent would come into play. Gabriel was always too steps of her, even with her being his wife, of getting to know him like she did and her own modest intellect.

Could she have arisen to the challenge and tracked down and apprehended or even ended their lives had she stayed with the Elite? It is possible she could have, there was members on that team that augmented her own abilities. Marcus was probably as tech saavy and as skilled in combat as she was, even if he did have the most obvious passwords ever. Eden and Tyler were both among those few people who could possibly defeat her in combat. They might have had a fighting chance against Lucy and Gabriel, assuming Gabriel did not foresee their coming.

What you could never predict though is love and love had changed everything. It made Alex wonder if Gabriel loved her before he showed her the vision that ultimately made her change her allegiance. It didn't matter now though. Their little group had been all but dissolved, though to what end Alexandria was not sure. While she was restless, there was a pair of reasons now to remain ignorant of whatever Gabriel was doing. However those reasons were also reason for taking up arms and looking to change the world for the better.

Alexandria folded her arms over her royal purple dress as she studied the room. How many of them were actually people Gabriel and Lucius knew and how many were part of their schemes? Tonight was a night of celebration she knew, but sooner or later she was going to have to once again make a decision. Had all these people been approached with a decision to make or were they merely just guests?

"Darling, do you know everyone here? I recognize a few faces, but some of them I do not. For instance, that one woman with Lucius' sister. Or that caveman looking fellow and with his Greek looking date." It was not the most subtle way to find out, but it was not the most obvious way either.

Her eyes fell back on Lucius and Dakari. Alexandria really did not know the woman all that well despite having had a few clashes with her and her family in Vegas. It was long past history though and times had changed, she had changed since then. By the looks of it so had Dakari, though still somewhat uncomfortable with the changes. A tiger doesn't change their stripes so easily.

"I'm happy for them. They look great together, though not so good as we do though." And then with a mischevious grin, leaned in for a whisper. "But you look best when you're a little less dressed and between my legs."

[Gabriel Constant]

For a long time, Dakari had been opposed to receiving any kind of attention or affection from anyone outside of her family. It always seemed fake, driven by ulterior motives due to who she was. With Lucius, she didn't feel that at all. He was interested in her because of herself, not because of her status or her family - he had both of his own. And she was interested in him, not because of his status or family, but because he could match her own intellect, and possessed a sense of self that most men aspired to but never quite achieved.

When he whispered to her, she gave him a soft, sensual smile. She wanted a future with him, had even started to imagine one, despite old instincts telling her not to do so. But she couldn't help it; she wanted to be at his side, to support him in every endeavor, she wanted to marry him, to have children if they decided to, to wake up next to him every morning she could. "To our future," she whispered as they all finished the toast.


Although they had not heard what Lucius and their sister had shared, Ana and Andrea shared a knowing look, then giggled softly. Dakari was the hardass of their family, unbreakable, unreachable, even more solid and stoic than their father or mother had been. The idea that she had opened up to someone and fallen in love was a little bit amusing to them, but more than that, it was sweet and wonderful and special. They couldn't have been happier for her.

Now there was a bit of discomfort emanating from the person of Lex, who seemed to be present for appearances only. Again Ana and Drea glanced to each other and grinned, then leaned in just enough so Lex could see them, and both gave him a little smile, Ana's with one eyebrow raised. Perhaps one or both of them could make his night a bit more pleasant….


At a different side of the table, Sayeva Reardon sat next to her own love, Brogan. She was enjoying the dinner immensely, not because she had any special connection to the man they were honoring, but because she could feel the happiness flowing around the room. Happy couples, glad to be alive, all looking forward to promising futures. She hoped she had one as well, now that she had been reunited with what was now the greatest love of her long life. She glanced to him as he posed his question, and chuckled softly as she nodded. "Given the crowd gathered here, I doubt anyone would object to the idea themselves," she said. Indeed, almost everyone would find themselves in similar positions, as it were. She slipped her hand into his and tilted her head slightly, giving him a sly smile.


Gabriel's gaze swept the room again, briefly. This was his extended family, or at least most of it. It had grown more than he could ever have imagined. There was his wife, ever present even when she wasn't beside him; and their daughters, too young still to travel much, but never far from his mind. Lucius, his best friend, and from there, the Kilvayne family; from there, Sayeva and Sophie, both attached to Kilvaynes, and Dakari, his best friend's own lover. These were all pairings, all stories that would see good times and hard times, that would stand through the rockiest moments ahead, but would finally reach the best conclusions. That was true in most of the futures he had seen, and it was what he, Lucius, and others were working toward.

He glanced to Alex as she asked about the guests. She had chosen an especially beautiful purple dress for the occasion; he would remind himself to be more considerate of it when he ripped if off her later. "I know all of them from visions, and most of them personally. I've met each of the Kilvaynes and Johessmans at different times. I'm not as familiar with Adrianna's date, or Brogan's." They were sisters, he knew, but where they stood on certain issues, he only could guess from the future actions he had seen them take.

Glancing in the same direction as Alex, his gaze fell upon his best friend and his date. "They do. And they suit each other well." Alex had leaned in for a whisper now, and her comment made him chuckle, and blush very faintly. "Then we'll have to work a bit of that into this evening," he said in a low voice, such that only the people nearest him might have overheard. None of them saw the way he slipped his hand along her thigh, though, but then again he could tell he wasn't the only person at the table so inclined toward their partners.

"I predict this will be a short dinner," he commented to Alex, a mischievous smile on his lips.

[Sophie Nyström]

Sophie was surprised at how well Adrianna had taken her little hint. It was almost as if she was suspecting the question to come, though to be fair they had been dating for awhile. Still, Adrianna had handled it with such poise when Sophie had expected something a bit more on the surprised side. It seemed that Adrianna may have been made of something... more than Sophie had come to realize.

She nodded where applicable as Adrianna elaborated more, saying that Lucy would have to as the head of the household. It was sort of weird for Sophie to still see such old traditions even among modern families. Perhaps it had something to do with the old wealth of the Kilvayne name or maybe Brogan's reemergence had an influence over it. These sort of customs were nothing that she was not already accustomed to, having lived during there very births. Such was the life of an immortal.

"Oh those old patriarchal customs. Here I was thinking they had all but died, seems I was wrong." Sophie said with a false sigh before giving her lover a wink. In fact, she did one more and put her flute down and wrapped her arm around Adrianna's waist and brought her in for a kiss to the cheek. "I guess we will just have to endure more than one old barbarian thing at the wedding." She laughed and cast a glance at Brogan.

Adrianna's question of when to get married was a good one though. There needed to be enough time to prepare everything as well as decide who got to front the costs. Sophie had plenty of disposable income and trinkets from different centuries to sale if she ever did end up in a financial crisis. Yet nearly two thousand years of earnings and investments had paid their dividends, she would never want for money unless something quite drastic happened. Yet if Lucius was going to speak at the wedding being all patriarchal, then the Kilvaynes probably would want to foot the bill. Maybe she could convince them to split it, though getting it fifty-fifty seemed quite unlikely.

"I was thinking some time after the Winter Solstice, perhaps around the turn of the New Year? Would you like that, a New Year wedding? Maybe at a cathedral, all dressed up in beautiful gowns with everyone we love to see us?" Even if the Church still did not support same sex marriage, a hefty donation to the local bishop or even the cardinal was sure to be enough to get a cathedral for a day if it was something Adrianna wanted. For all Sophie cared, they could just go to the courthouse, but she had been married a few times before, and Adrianna was only going to get to do it once. It was her special day.

[Lucius Kilvayne]

So Let Me Get This Straight
The Only Will Is My Own

"To our future,"


Lucius had been looking to the future all his life, it seemed. But he had worked hard in the past and present tense to make that future viable. Things were coming together rather nicely. The world was changing, and it was changing for him. For Dakari, and his family, and her family, and especially for Gabriel. In this room were all the people who mattered.

He cut into his steak, and smiled, a serene calm coming over him. He had been restless in the last few months, and had to hide himself somewhat when they lost their powers. His security team had become a private army in a sense, under the command of three very dynamic people. They were not all present today, of course, but his newest hire was in charge of the watch tonight. His other generals had other concerns to attend to. Ark Industries, the Kilvayne Corporation in general, they required some degree of vigilance. Though, he would pity anyone foolish enough to attack a gathering such as this. It was therefore quite easy for him to relax knowing that he and his loved ones would always be safe. It was also the fact that things were picking up again, developments were moving forward.

Moving forward... that reminded him.

He reached into his pocket, and grasped the little black box therein. He withdrew it and placed it on the table, and he smiled mischievously at Dakari. It was not easy to get a hold of, as the owner was a collector. Lucius had to give the man a hefty profit margin for him to agree to sell it. It was a blue diamond engagement ring, that the collector had bought for nearly ten million dollars. Lucius gave him fifteen. It was a fair deal, in the estimation of both parties.

"As to our future," Lucius casually explained, " I propose that we tie the knot soon, if you wish. Will you marry me, Dakari Johessman?"

Lex noted the development, and the look the Johessman girls looking his direction. He shrugged, and leaned toward them, deciding to just go with it. He smiled, and intoned, "Well, I suppose maybe I should think about a future, and a family and all that, right?"

He winked, "Or whatever."

Alexander watched these developments intently, waiting to see what would happen, and so did Victoria. This was turning out to be an eventful event after all...


"Given the crowd gathered here, I doubt anyone would object to the idea themselves,"

"No doubt", Brogan said to Sayeva, "There is love and lust aplenty in the air tonight."
Brogan wasn't exaggerating. His descendant had just proposed, and it seemed that Sophie and Adrianna had similar plans. It made the ancient man feel quite romantic himself.

"Perhaps if we spend the night here, we will find ourselves affianced by morning's light, Say."

Brogan paused, "I do not object to that, honestly."

"Oh those old patriarchal customs. Here I was thinking they had all but died, seems I was wrong."

Adrianna smiled. Silly Sophie, she was not acclimated to Kilvaynes at all. Tradition was everything to this old family. It was just a fact of life. Traditions sometimes had some leeway, but there were some that had no wiggle room. The succession was one such tradition. Passing the torch, and such. Or the scepter as it were. Oh well, she was with her beloved and that was all that mattered.


"I guess we will just have to endure more than one old barbarian thing at the wedding."

"On our wedding night, I can show you some barbarian things," Adrianna winked.

Moving on to serious business, Sophie was quick to answer the query about wedding plans. She was glad they were getting this serious about it. She had too many one night stands, or casual flings in the past. She finally felt like an adult. Though her partner was literally ages older than her. No matter. Love transcends time. Adrianna knew that now.

"I was thinking some time after the Winter Solstice, perhaps around the turn of the New Year? Would you like that, a New Year wedding? Maybe at a cathedral, all dressed up in beautiful gowns with everyone we love to see us?"


"Perhaps," Adrianna said, "I don't even think my father's money can buy us that dear. But we have a castle in Scotland that would be just perfect. Great Uncle Brogan used to live there, but now Grandpa Kilvayne is the master of it. That would be lovely, and perfect, wouldn't it?"

She thought for a moment, "But we will have the official thing at the courthouse, I think. The Castle just seems like a good place to gather everyone. Father would approve, because it is fitting. And how romantic, to celebrate our love somewhere like that?"

And then she nearly fainted when she saw Lucius propose to Dakari.


"That was unexpected..."

[Alexandria Constant]

Even as she was smirking at her husband's suggestion that it would be a short dinner, Alexandria was happy to have gleaned some more useful information from him. That he knew almost all of them but the Greek sisters was not surprising, they were just of the few here that she had not at least heard of before. Just who they were and where they stood in relation to everyone else was a mystery, apart from the flashes of affection for their dates. Perhaps they were no one at all all, just sisters who both happened to have Kilvaynes as their partners.

However before she could get her flirt on anymore, Alexandria was going to have to collect her jaw from the floor after watching Lucy propose to Dakari. Lucius was a man who set out to get what he wanted, through whatever means, although she thought he preferred the more reasonable approaches. And Dakari was a woman who was quite cold hearted and very... efficient in dealing with whatever was on her table. It was an odd pairing, one that Alexandria was more for show than an actual relationship. This display however certainly was putting that idea to bed however, as Lucy looked honestly in love.

"That is certainly not something I thought was on the agenda. I guess I will need to start looking through dresses to wear at the wedding." Alexandria whispered to Gabriel as they watched and waited for Dakari to say yes. Gabriel was a brother in everything but blood to Lucius and Alexandria was friendly with the man, they would both be invited to attend the wedding. Given her knowledge of the size of the Kilvayne clan and Johessman family, it was likely to be a very big and lavish event, she was going to have to be dressed impeccably well.

Sophie to turned her eyes to gaze the scene as Adriana mentioned it. She felt a small ping of happiness for Lucius, but for purely selfish reasons. A happy worker was an efficient worker and if he was pleased in his life, then Lucius would be quite more efficient in fulfilling his promises to Sophie. It also would mean the continuation of the Kilvayne line, something she suspected that Adrianna might take happiness from. They were a very proud family, much as Sophie's and Sayeva's had been during their own time of being the aristocrats of an emerging empire.

"Love flows in very unpredictable tides, we are lost to its swells. I am happy enough to have bumped into you and ride these tides out together." Sophie leaned in a gave Adrianna an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "As for marrying in the castle, if that is what you would like sweetie, then I am all for it. But being as it is going to be in Scotland, I would request bagpipes. I do enjoy their bittersweet sound dearly."

Alexandria gave Gabriel another smirk and brought her arms around his neck. "I do hope Lucius hurries up and has the dinner served, I am already for it to end. And I don't think I am the only one either." Their was an air of romance and joyfulness about the party, with professions of love and plans for intimacy now and into the future. It reminded her of their own wedding in Hawaii, where she felt the second happiest she ever had been, next to having her children. This was turning out to be a true celebration of life and the future indeed.

[Dakari Johessman]

Can you live with it?
Loving me for life?
To have and hold forever?

The "dinner" part of the dinner took place then, and each in attendance started to dig into the food offered. There could be no denying that the Kilvaynes knew how to arrange a gathering. There was much on the minds of everyone around the table, it seemed. There had been some discussion of a wedding between Sophie and Adrianna, which Sayeva thought was fantastic. She was glad to see that Sophie had found someone who could make her happy. It made her wonder what the climate at home would be like, as well. Her house was big enough to fit more than just the four of them, but perhaps Sophie and Adrianna would choose to settle in a new place they could call their own. She would have to wait and see.As much as she joked, or didn't joke at times, about Sophie being in her house, she really did like having at least one of her sisters around.

For his part, Gabriel still had no expectations for how this evening would unfold. This was one of the rare times that he preferred to forego knowing what would happen. And so he was as surprised as everyone else at what occurred next.

There was a small, gentle smile on Dakari's lips, a smile very few people had ever had the chance to see. She had been eating, but glanced up when she saw Lucius move out of the corner of her eye. When he placed the little box on the table, she felt her breath catch in her throat. This had to be what she thought it was. She hoped it was.

She was right. "Will you marry me, Dakari Johessman?"

Dakari barely glanced at the box; her eyes were on Lucius. She might have answered sooner if she had been able to condense all of her excitement into one syllable more efficiently. But she recovered quickly, and was able to breathe out her answer. "Yes. Yes, Lucius. I will marry you."

She smiled brightly, then wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. If she had been careful about displaying affection in public before, she hardly cared about it now, even as Gabriel stood up and applauded them, which was followed quickly by Ana, Andrea, and Sayeva doing the same. "Even I didn't see this coming," he joked to Alex; there was happiness in his expression, happiness for his friend, the brother he'd never had.

Ana and Drea glanced at each other, then over to Lex. With a wink, Ana held up one finger, then pointed a finger at him, as if to say, "Hold that thought, we'll be right back with you." Then they dashed over to Dakari and snuggled her tightly, and kissed her cheeks lightly. All the attention brought a noticeable blush to Dakari's cheeks. Before she could say anything, though, her sisters had moved over to Lucius and simultaneously draped their arms around him, and each kissed a cheek lightly. Ana smirked, and Drea grinned. "You're a miracle man," she proclaimed, chuckling, with a glance to Gabriel and then to Dakari. "You work miracles."

As she resumed her seat, Sayeva glanced toward Brogan. "I would like that," she answered with a small, sweet smile. She knew the kind of man her lover was; free-spirited, always hungry for an adventure, not the sort to be tied down. Sayeva was much the same way, which probably was a large reason why they matched each other so well. She had never expected that he would want to marry her; him being devoted to her was enough. But still… with all the talk about marriage going around, she couldn't help but think about the times when she had been married and how happy she had been at least one of those times. To be Brogan's wife… to promise each other the rest of eternity together would be such a beautiful gesture. But she knew better than to press him into it.

"We'll see where the night takes us." She smiled and kissed him lightly. There was much happiness in the room as it was; one couldn't help but feel it. In this moment, despite anything that might have been weighing her down, that was what she felt. Perfectly happy.

Meanwhile, Gabriel had shaken Lucius' hand, and then given him a hug. This celebration of life had truly begun to stretch so wide that it included not just himself, but everyone present. He knew firsthand how wonderful married life could be, if one entered into it with the right person and a realistic view of things, and a close knowledge of each other. Lucius and Dakari seemed to have a good grasp of all of those. He noted that Dakari looked a little nervous about the whole thing. He gestured toward the jewelry box and chuckled. "Dakari, you've barely seen your ring yet."

The young woman blinked for a moment, then glanced toward the ring and gasped. "Lucius...." She knew how to tell an item of jewelry's value on sight, but all she could guess from this one was that it was the most expensive ring she had ever seen in person. She leaned against Lucius' shoulder and smiled again. "It's beautiful."

Gabriel nodded slightly and chuckled. "Congratulations," he said to them, and squeezed Alex's hand. "I hope you'll find as much happiness in your marriage as I have in my own."

Words: 779.
Attire: Something from the first post, probably.
Excerpt: Li'l Mo, "4Ever."
Comments: Happiness, yay!

[Lucius Kilvayne]

She is everything and more
The solemn hypnotic
My Dahlia, bathed in possession
She is home to me

"Yes. Yes, Lucius. I will marry you."

He had been waiting to hear those words for so long, waiting for the right moment to bring the question to the table. It was worth a thousand times more than anything he ever known, expected, wanted. To know that she would be his wife, and to know that she wanted to be. When he looked into her eyes, the whole world had disappeared. Each and every time. He wondered if that was his father had felt, if that was all men felt when they met the woman they loved. Was it universal, or was their love something above all others? He had no experience to draw upon here. He wanted to believe theirs was a love so great it transcended all. But would not Brogan be better positioned to make such a claim? Kari and Lucius were not nigh eternal, after all. Perhaps the brightest fire was that which burned for but a moment...

And was gone. But Lucius would have time to consider that dilemma. Now was not the time, for he was at the threshold of destiny. The exaltation of the moment would not be denied. Lucius Kilvayne was now fully himself. He had thought he always had been, but he knew better now. He was only half-formed. Dakari had completed his growth into the man he needed to be in order to deserve the future he had sought. She had given him a purpose beyond petty motivations such as greed, vanity, or wrath. They had altered each other in so many ways, and for the better. It was undoubtedly the hand of Fate at work.

"You're a miracle man,"

Lucius would have under ordinary circumstances allowed the compliment to feed his ego. But he didn't think he had been responsible for how things had turned out. He had been in the right places at the right times, and Fate took its course. It was astounding really. There were an infinite number of possible worlds where he and Dakari never met. In this one they had fallen in love. He thanked his good fortune for that.

"You work miracles."

"Usually. But this time- I can't take credit. I would like to...the truth is, I don't think I can even articulate the ways in which Dakari has been the miracle in my life. She is everything to me..."


Lucius gladly took handshakes and hugs from all and sundry,and especially the congratulations of Gabriel and Lex. He was still trying to figure out a certain detail, as it happened. Which of the men he regarded as his brothers should be his best man? It seemed wrong to deny either one the honor. He would simply choose both, he decided.

"It's beautiful."


" I am glad you think so," Lucius intoned, " I wanted it to be worthy of the most beautiful woman I have ever known. No easy thing to do, I must say."



"I hope you'll find as much happiness in your marriage as I have in my own."

"As do I," Lucius said.

FIN