you make a fool of death

Riley snorts, knowing good and well her family has a habit of ‘looking into things.’ Otherwise known as meddling, though she’s sure most of them will deny it and it’s not like she hasn’t done the same. An inherited quality, perhaps. “It’s not all black and white. He has a story of his own, though I don’t think it’s mine to tell. Just know he, like us, was just trying to protect his family. Besides,” she sighs, head shaking, “Edmund would have gotten what he wanted one way or another, with or without Isaac’s help.” Everyone was just a means to an end with him, so much so Riley’s unsure if Edmund truly cared about anything other than himself.  “And none of us blame you for what he’s done. Edmund dug his grave, now he’s laying in it. Or…flying in the wind, I’m not really sure what happened with his body, only that they burned him,” her head shakes in confusion, waving away the thought. Honestly, she would rather not know the details. 

Then her grandmother asks another question, one that’s much harder to answer. How she’s feeling now and the story of how she met Isaac are very different moods and mindsets. She chooses to start with the good, with Isaac. Riley smiles, “We met in Paris first, when he…he had been working for Edmund but he tried to warn me. We know how that went, obviously,” she concludes, gesturing to herself. “But we ran into each other again after I returned here from Paris this last summer. I guess we just sort of…hit it off,” she chuckles, though it dies out after a moment. Now for the sadder news. “As for how I am, really? Well, I…I feel torn in two. I want to be able to trust my mother, but she’s kept so much from me and continues to. I don’t want us to hold secrets anymore. And Katherine,” she shakes her head, eyes widening, “my brother is alive. We thought he died but he…Edmund turned him, took him in and…taught him.” The thought makes her skin crawl. “After speaking with him yesterday, I just…” She shakes her head, sighing, “I can’t handle another big lie. I don’t think Liam can either, though I’m not so sure we can recover from the first.” She takes her grandmother’s hands in her own, a side smile gracing her lips as she goes on. “Liam thinks that I abandoned him. That Odette and I both, that we- uh,” Riley trails off, squeezing Katherine’s hand. “Perhaps we did abandon him…but that was never either of our intentions. I know that about our mother now, I just wish…I wish there were some way for him to know,” she shrugs, sighing. “Perhaps you can talk to him, I don’t know. You haven’t hurt him as we have, he may listen.” 

It was hard to remind herself that she had deserved, nay, needed that time away from Lethe. Especially when she was faced with a veritable maelstrom of emotional turmoil and utter mess that was pouring out of her granddaughter right now. Clearly Riley needed to let it all out, so she fully intended to let her do so until she felt she should stop. Once Riley did, still squeezing her hand, Kate sighed and gave her a companionable smile. “He’s dead, gone, finished. May the world grow better in his absence.” She said, waving away any further talk of Edmund’s death with a vague hand gesture. More important was Riley’s state of mind, which seemed tumultuous enough to be worrisome despite the addition of this new young man. And Liam, that revelation was important too. Kate felt scattered trying to grasp at all the pieces, and so after a moment’s thought she grabbed the last first. “I cannot say I’m hugely surprised, Riley darling. Edmund was stupid and cruel, but he knew the value of certain people, at least to himself. Liam was far too valuable to be discarded. As for making him see the truth, I...” Well, she didn’t know what to do there. You couldn’t force it on anyone, let alone someone hurt as badly as these two siblings, and only Liam knew what level of bullshit that her brother had fed him over the years about his own family. Katherine sighed, then shook her head. An utter mess.

“If he’s anything like his family, and I would bet he is, you won’t be able to force him. The decision will have to be his own, but I agree on one thing, Riley. No more lies, pretty or otherwise. We aren’t shielding one another, we’re only planting landmines to trip over later.” Maybe it wouldn’t be that harsh of a hurdle to jump, but better to prepare for the worst case scenario and be surprised by the softer landing, at the end of the day. She couldn’t promise much, she wouldn’t, but she could try. If he sought her out, which he might not. “If he comes looking for me, I will try my best to get a gauge on him and then the situation. But I can’t promise anything, Riley. Not miracles, not even improvements, okay?” Back to another subject, that of the rift between Riley and her mother. That was a more manageable subject to tangle with. “I will talk to Odette about her proclivity for keeping secrets to shield those she thinks need it. But Riley, you also need to consider why she might have thought it was prudent to do so. You are my granddaughter, I love you dearly, but she is all cold anger and you are fire incarnate. She may have thought you would react in such a way at the time that would have jeopardized the whole thing.” Kate paused, then launched back in before Riley could get angry. “I’m not saying it’s right. I am saying that’s the way she likely thought, and in all honesty, I assume she was afraid. You don’t have to forgive her that trespass, but you should consider it.”

Christian doesn’t shift in his seat as some might when his boss curses so outwardly. Instead he lets his elbow rest against the arm of the chair, his thumb resting under under his chin while his index finger presses against his lips. He lets out a soft chuckle, brow rising as he says, “Well I’m glad someone said it. Most of all that that person’s you, considering you’re in charge of this bit now.” Management before had served as somewhat of a problem to Christian, mostly because they could be paid off, which meant information could go in the hands of the wrong people. Dirty, that’s what they were. But Katherine Antrim did not appear to be the type. Good. If she serves the truth then they’d have no trouble here. “Oh, I was not worried about that, Ms. Antrim. On the contrary I’m rather excited to see who dares cross paths with you. If I’m lucky I’ll get to catch it on film first hand. I have a great portfolio put together in case you need to review it, but I’m sure you already have, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.” He’s sure Katherine’s done her research on all staff currently working for the Lethean Times. If there were someone there she didn’t want to be, they’d be gone already. Cleaning house, as they call it. “I want the same thing you do. The truth. That’s why I started in journalism to begin with, it’s only seeking on thing. And whether that truth is good or bad, I’m interested in telling it. I don’t believe that was the case when I started here,” he points out with a sigh. “The fires, for example. I don’t think everything is being done that can. A couple of us have spoken to numerous shop owners around town who still haven’t gotten any justice or retribution for what’s happened to them. People are losing everything and not much is being done about it.”

Cheeky though, once he put feelers out to gauge the situation. Amazing what a little uncouthness would do to lighten the mood, really. Everyone was so used to Katherine the Ice Queen, they didn’t seem to know what to do with the fire underneath on regular display. Good. “My dear Mr. Yates, it isn’t as if I need to sleep and my husband is out of town, so yes. I’ve reviewed everyone’s files, their work, and etc. If I hadn’t thought you deserved the position, I would have fired you by now. Some already have been, as you may have noticed.” Kate said frankly, tempering that remark with a smile. The fires, yes. That was a topic that needed airing out, if you could forgive the pun. Delilah’s own home had been torched, business after business had gone up in flames, a man had died, and what had actually been done to curtail this issue? Extra patrols, an uptick in the work thrown the way of Van der Zee’s tech company, but nothing concrete. Nothing council funded or supported. No real answers either, which was characteristic of the council, but not acceptable, not anymore. “Too true, Mr. Yates. It seems that every question posed gets the same generic answer, that they’re investigating best they can and that we should all be vigilant. What doesn’t seem to be laid out in front of them is the personal cost, the losses that the townsfolk have incurred.” Kate mused, twirling a pen between her fingers as she thought. His vehemence gave her an idea, one that would be a good start towards a little reform masquerading as public shaming. “How amenable would you be to documenting those costs, Mr. Yates? Yourself and Miss Ballantine, I think. Between the two of you there would be both empathy and hard facts balanced even. Front page stories, that’s what we need. Show them what they’re ignoring to save face.”

Trying to hide her emotions in a room with someone who could hear her heartbeat was impossible, so she didn’t bother in concealing anything. Tilda inclined her head, accepting the comment for what it was. “I had nothing to lose back in the day, and it made stepping on toes all the easier. Helped that I enjoyed it, someone had to point out flaws,” she admitted, shrugging, unconcerned. “I doubt it was a pleasant experience for you, the few times that you chose to make an appearance.” Bravado made life easier, but in truth the council and the repercussions had never frightened her, and back in the day it would seem noble to go down for something good like truth. Her lips quirked, humorless. She and Naomi had discussed it, hadn’t they? How dangerous Lethe could be, and what they would do if the storm reached their shores? And here was Tilda, contemplating flinging herself into the depths. It was only the possibility of Katherine as an ally that made her consider the idea. She took the card, examining it. Their house was warded, but, hm, the possibilities of something a little more tangible would be nice and she set it down on the contract again, waiting. Her question could be considered a threat, or impudence, or simple rudeness, but Tilda didn’t take her eyes off Katherine’s face, reading as much the flickers on it as she did the tone. “You would think you as the founder would have the power to do that without needing to use the newspaper at all,” she pointed out, a frown crossing her face. “Delilah Sarkissian might be the vampire councilwoman, and she might be someone your people love, but it does not change the fact that she will always be second fiddle to you.” So not a council position, how interesting. Tilda’s brain whirled with possibilities. “What do you want for Lethe then? Not a council seat, I see. Probably not the council at all, it would be much easier to clean things up from inside the house.”

“As a founder, Tilda. Singular. And that’s hardly a boon anymore. Look at Odette, at August, founders both. One has stepped away from power only to have lamia after lamia step into his place, all ill suited, and Odette...” Kate didn’t want to speak ill of Odette, her quasi daughter and her confidante, but she could be realistic to suit her audience. Matilda would likely accept nothing else. Edmund needed to die, Edmund was a burden and a danger, but the way it had gone down had very clearly damaged Odette’s standing amongst the council if not also the townsfolk. “Odette has the loyalty of a select few, and those few hold little clout these days. The townsfolk love to tell stories about the founders, believe whatever rumor floats their way, but there is no reverence. No real power. People may listen to what I say, but without truth behind it, even that attention crumbles.” Wherever Tilda had gotten that notion Kate couldn’t say, but it was necessary to disabuse her of it now. What did she want for Lethe? Quite a interesting question, and one that Kate didn’t have a concrete answer for yet. Just concepts, ideas, thoughts cooked up as she tried to relax on the boat that she and Patrick had rented for their trip. “To be honest? I’m not a hundred percent sure yet. But that can be easily solved by soliciting the ideas of my staff, the masses, but most importantly you. We need the ideas first, then we can build the bridges towards them. What do you think Lethe needs most, Tilda? Truly?”

After their meeting, something still didn’t sit right with Christian. Of course he heard rumors about the great Katherine Irving- now Antrim, through the small grapevine in Lethe, but this is the first time he’s seeing her in the flesh. When he arrived back late April, Katherine was nowhere to be found. The newspaper had other bosses, ones far…less intelligent and quick as Katherine, though they had their moments. Still, they were easy to maintain relationships with as they were not complicated being at all, really. In fact, he found them to be somewhat agreeable. Katherine Antrim may prove to be less so. Far, far less so. That worried him for a number of reasons, but it also excites him, if not for the opportunity to actually do some reporting. Perhaps they’d actually break a news story with Katherine in town. 

He finds himself standing in his boss’s doorway, hand raises as he raps on the door several times. “Oh good, I hate newspapers like that,” he nods, closing the door behind him so he can take a seat. So far he rather likes this Katherine Antrim, but this isn’t about whether he ‘likes’ her or not. It’s whether she may pose as a problem to him when he makes his move on Natalia. “I just thought I would come and make myself known, Ms. Antrim. I’m actually rather thrilled you’re back, I’ve heard so much but never seen the face to match,” he says with a light smile. “I wondered what your vision for this paper’s future may be. I’m newer here, about six months in, and I felt that before you arrived the paper was lacking a bit of….conviction. We had boundaries before and I’m wondering if those boundaries are the same with you around. Or,” he pauses, gesturing in front of them. “If you plan on changing that.” 

Very diplomatic for such a quarrelsome looking fellow, that’s Kate’s first assessment of this Christian Yates who just walked into her office. Diplomatic, but fishing for something, and she wondered if he was doing so just to see if she’d notice or if he actually cared to find what he was trying to hook. So she was going to rock that boat, kick the preconceived notion in the balls. See how he reacted. “It was a spineless, bootlicking piece of shit, Mr. Yates. That’s precisely what happens when you let yourself get burned out and hand off control to a poorly qualified confederate.” Kate said, watching his reaction for a moment before she let her lips curve into a rueful smile. Such a question though, if the boundaries would be the same as before. A good one, if boring phrased as it was. “My vision is clearer than it was a year past. Angrier, more interested in truth than pretty fictions. Taking a break for the first time in oh, five hundred years or so, does that to a person. I don’t intend to run this newspaper without a spine, if you’re worried about that.” He wasn’t, she could tell, but one had to be patient. Fish right back, as professionally as possible. Until she knew more about him, that was a safe boundary to keep. “Tell me, Mr. Yates. What do you want to see here?”

Could get a leg up on at least one relative, right? His sister, his mother, hell, even Johanna – these introductions and reunions had come as something of a surprise. But he’d been informed of his supposed grandmother and the suspicion was that she didn’t know a thing about him. Liam isn’t certain what this is meant to be, creeping through a garden like a novice thief. Call it a reconnaissance mission. Not really going as planned, though, and most definitely worse for wear when he knocks over the porcelain bird bath. “Ah, shit.” Oh, this will be one hell of a first meeting. He’s drawn that conclusion even before he hears footsteps and the slide of a door. “Par for the course. Sorry about that.” The man replies without looking up, still frowning at the bird bath he’d essentially wrecked. Couldn’t offer her money, not at the moment. Would have to go back to the house for that. Finally, his gaze lifts at her analysis, and he can’t help the huff of a laugh he gives, rueful as it may be. “So you have been told about me. And here I thought I had the upper hand for once. Guess I would’ve ruined that alongside the birdbath anyway.” He nods for a moment, biding his time, weighing his options. “I’ve never been one for detective work and have, ah, a bit of a pair of sea legs at the moment. Should’ve known better than to try and be an investigator, but to answer your question: yes.” He sighs then, realizing the stupidity of the plan only once its been foiled. “Not so used to having so much family around me, so I thought I’d look into it. Didn’t mean to wreck your garden in the process. Apologies for that, really.”

He was going to get the old Kate first. Cold Kate, officious Kate, and once she’d gauged him a tad more then she would let the mantle fall away. Besides, she had to have some advantage here. He was a tall man, her grandson, and Kate herself wasn’t much to go up against physically. Well, not without her sword. “Oh, to some extent. By your stepfather, who certainly couldn’t give me a physical description. But you have your mother’s eyes, the height certainly, the hair.” Kate explained, stepping towards him bit by bit like a lioness on the prowl. He had been corrupted by Edmund, or so the family rumor went, but he didn’t seem as much. “And you’re snooping around my yard, which tells me you’re looking to learn more about yours truly. The dots connect themselves, darling.” Liam got another long moment of narrowed eyes, of the sort of posture she used to take when trying to intimidate some of the softer members of the council back in the day, and then...she dropped it. Her posture softened, a smile slid onto her lips and she patted his arm fondly. “You’d be better off just asking, Liam. I would dearly hope by now you know that most of what Edmund said was absolute bullshit. But I would also hope you were smart enough to observe and make your own judgement.” Kate winked at him, then gestured at the open patio door she had come out of earlier. “I’ll happily answer what questions you have, should you be brave enough to come inside. Don’t worry, my husband isn’t home to glare at you.” A pity though, really. Patrick would enjoy it immensely.

Katherine read off the worries swirling in Tilda’s head like it was a shopping list, and she didn’t know whether to admire the woman for it or hate her for reading Tilda like one would read a fortune cookie. She readied herself for bullshit, something about keeping her happy and keeping her at the Lethean Times, something to make her stay glued to her seat like a good little reporter. Katherine might not be a council member anymore, and she might have unseated the idiots who were running the newspaper into the ground, but Tilda was skeptical. More so at the benefits rolled at her feet, the ones that were too good to ignore. Moving twice within two years was killer on a budget, as was having a daughter now. “You drive a hard bargain, Madame Mayor. Oh, I know you never were really, but you can’t change that much in a year, you still have influence,” she said, leaning forward in her seat, unwilling to take her eyes off of Katherine’s face. The smile was a little reassuring, a little real with its faintness, and she decided on admiration by the time Katherine was done speaking. “Digging up dirt is going to hit innocent people inevitably, I hope you’re ready for the backlash your changes are going to bring,“ she warned, already thinking of the things she would have to do to keep her home safe. Her work in Seattle was a lot less deadly, and Layla was here now. Tilda chewed on her lips. But, really, wouldn’t be it be safer for Layla if she outed these people now, rather than later when their claws were sunk too deep to pry out? She lifted her chin. “This isn’t some power grab, is it? If you’re looking to be councilwoman, and knock a few troublesome players off the board, I’m glad to do it, but not if I’m getting thrown under the bus when the dust clears.”

Tilda Ballantine was a brave woman. Blunt, unstinting, whatever adjective one could find to suit the bill. There had been a time where that had irritated her, gotten under her skin as she tried to step just the right way in that whirling dance that was Lethean politics. Now? Now it was useful to her. Indispensable, really, but that was precisely why she sweetened the deal so thoroughly. “You know, I always did respect your gall. Not many would speak to me like that, even now.” Kate replied, leaning back in her leather chair with a more genuine, almost mirthful smile on her lips. “It’s a hard bargain for a hard choice, Tilda. Lethe isn’t what it once was, it’s more volatile, and you’d be stirring that maelstrom with me.” A thought came to mind and she nodded to herself, then plucked a business card from the left drawer. She slid it next to the contract she had laid on the desk for Tilda to peruse earlier. “And I want you to let Andreas Van Der Zee install a security system in your house, for your safety and that of your family. There are few worth trusting on that council but as grumpy as he can be, he’s genuine to the core. I will foot the bill, so get whatever bells and whistles you want.” Such a deeply rude question Tilda asked her then, how delightful. It only vindicated her choice further, in Kate’s mind. “Not to drop a cliche on you, but something is rotten in the state of Denmark when it comes to Lethe these days. Some of the rot comes from my own negligence, some from that of others. But any contractor will tell you that the only way to fix a rotten foundation is to strip it bare first.”

Before Isaac left, he popped into the bathroom to tell Riley he’d be off to work for a while and would most likely be back in time for dinner. She found no trouble with this, and had planned to spend the day working on some back orders she and Cora needed to get done down in the shop. But when she rounds the corner in her pink flower embroidered silk robe, she’s surprised to find her great grandmother sitting on Isaac’s sofa. It would seem Katherine has other other plans for her evening. Riley jumps, holding a hand to her chest as she lets out an exasperated sigh. “Katherine!” It comes out in a bit of a squeak, which she’s quick to adjust with a clearing of her throat. “Actually uh…he lives here now. I live a couple blocks away,” she mutters, hands instinctively wrapping around the front of her robe. Not that she isn’t happy to see her grandmother, she’s just…surprised, is all. But perhaps by now she should expect one family member to drop in at least once a day. At least. “I suppose we do,” she sighs, sitting down next to Kate. “Did he really blush, though?” Riley chuckles at the thought. “His name is Isaac Dawson. I’m telling you this now to save you the trouble, as I’m sure you’ll look him up as soon as we part ways.” She’s merely teasing her grandmother, but it comes from a place of truth. There is no doubt in Riley’s mind Kate will be looking up, or has already looked up, every aspect of her boyfriend’s life. By tomorrow morning, she could probably tell them all what he had for breakfast. “He knew your brother. Worked for him even, for a while. And speaking of that brother of yours,” Riley begins, taking Katherine’s hand. “Well I suppose you know all about what happened with him. With me.” 

It wasn’t that she made a habit of meddling in the love lives of her family, she just...observed. Frequently. Just as she had observed that whole mess with the Fae girl, only to find her granddaughter with a muscled Fae man instead. Handsome and bashful was quite the combination, and it made her laugh that Riley supplied a name right away. “Oh, possibly! Or possibly not, my dear Riley. Maybe I think you’ve every right to choose your partner without interference.” Kate replied, though her smile darkened slightly at the revelation that this man was a former hireling of Edmund’s. “Well then, I would hope...” She began, before cutting herself off and waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. You couldn’t handle everything, could you? Or you shouldn’t, lest you burn yourself alive to keep others warm. She had been working on that at a distance with Orion and with Patrick to remind herself. Instead Kate reaches over to pat her granddaughter’s shoulder, then give her a quick half hug. “If life had any fairness to it, he would have been killed many years ago. Or never rose at all. I won’t...I won’t say I’m sorry for his actions. Since they’re his. But I’m certainly glad he’s dead, my darling.” Dead and ashes spread to the wind, more than he could have ever deserved. Jokingly she had suggested over the phone that Odette pour them down a toilet and flush, but there was still an ache in knowing he was gone. That she was the last. A minor one, fortunately. “Now, how are you really? How did you meet that young man?”

“Now, I’m certain you all have comments or questions that can’t be answered in a quick meeting. That’s to be expected. My door is open and I am at your disposal even if it’s shut. That will be all for now.” Katherine said, standing at her seat at the head of the table. The conference room was full of mixed expressions and people she had never hired herself, but those who remained were not the ones who had caused the messes of late. That was comforting, if nothing else. She smiled at them all, then gestured that they were free to go. It was open knowledge for many years that Katherine owned the newspaper, but until now she had been content to let it be run by others. No longer. Even so, it was a big shift for the employees, so she wasn’t too surprised to see one of them following up on her offer a little while after she settled herself in her new office. “I don’t bite, I promise. What can I help you with? You don’t need to stand in the doorway either, it’s not that kind of newspaper. Take a seat, darling.”

The crash surprised her less than one might think, given the unrest in Lethe and how damned long she had lived here. It sounded like someone had lost a fight with her birdbath out back, which she found to be true after peeking out the kitchen window. A tall man with reddish hair was standing over it, frowning as if the power of his dismay could reassemble the thing, and so Kate slipped her silver folding knife into her pocket as she opened the patio doors. Not anyone she recognized, but likely not a professional either given the clumsiness. Acceptable, she supposed. Nosiness was expected given how long she had been gone. “I’m not sure which is more embarrassing, that you’ve been bested by a birdbath or that you gave me enough time that I could have done some real harm had I felt you might be a burglar. Likely to be an equal toss, don’t you think?” Kate said conversationally, staying just out of swinging range of the man. Now that she looked at him closer, there was something about him she hadn’t noticed at a distance. A little something called family resemblance, matched with the fact that she had heard from Riley that her brother, whom had been thought long dead, was in town. “But you have a Lockhart look about you, if I’m not mistaken. It’s frowned upon to harm one’s kin, is it not? If you’ll oblige me, William, what precisely are you doing traipsing around my garden? Snooping?”

“I understand your objections, certainly. You may not stay in Lethe, you have a young child at home, and taking this position may make you a target.” There had been some branches to prune in the tree at the Times when she took the helm, starting with the old editor in chief and his crony below. So she needed a new managing editor, one she could trust and who had more integrity than this paper had had in a long time. Enter Tilda Ballantine, who had a reputation for cutting to the chase and being about as allergic to bullshit as Kate was herself. Must have been why she had always liked the woman. “So here’s my proposal, Tilda. You give me six months. Salaried, I’m thinking I want to start you at 150k a year. That is non-negotiable, I will not pay you less. Whatever PTO you need, I am entirely amenable to whatever childcare arrangements you need. But I need you.” They were very generous terms, but Kate was feeling generous these days and she needed to sweeten this deal enough to force it through Tilda’s gritted teeth. The faintest of smiles slid onto Kate’s lips as she slid the contract across the table for the other woman to peruse. “There’s bloodied and dirtied laundry that needs airing about people like Maksim Kozlov, about misdeeds ignored. You’ve always been good at that. And it’s time to air my own. It’ll hurt them more than me now.”

The young man she had flattered into letting her inside the apartment was something else, she would have to ask dear Riley about him once she was out of the shower. He did recognize her, even if he had half heartedly asked for ID that she quickly presented him with. After that he had nodded, blushed, and said he had to get to work. Quite adorable. Riley appeared only a few moments later wrapped in a silk robe, which made Kate look up from her perch on the sofa with a smile. The decor was quite different than she remembered, but a year can change much, can’t it? Like a surname or an occupation, sometimes a state of mind or a partner, in Riley’s case. It had to be a partner, she decided. They would start gentle then, with the young man, and then talk turkey about Edmund. “Did you know you have a blusher, Riley darling? He went quite red when I asked if you were home. Quite nice to see there were some positive developments after I left.” Riley looked surprised and exasperated all at once, which was to be expected. Kate patted the sofa cushion beside her and smiled at her granddaughter, gesturing for her to come sit. “Come now, darling. Let’s sit and natter a while while your hair dries. We have lots to discuss, don’t we?”

Technically it wasn’t breaking and entering if one had a key of their own, but in the time she had been gone the security system had been updated. So she had to bother dear Orion after all, who was quite amenable about the whole thing. Including the fact that she wanted to surprise Odette herself, so if he could be a dear and go off to another part of the house for a tad, she’d be most obliged. That got her a sharp little laugh and a nod before he went off to play piano again, the dog trotting behind him. Odette would be along shortly, or so he said, but it was a solid hour before she heard light footsteps in the hall. Either a productive meeting or an utter brawl, but she’d find that out in time. “Well, my darling, what a pickle you’ve gotten yourself into while I was gone. A kidnapping, a fire, a new Riverborn, and Edmund. I do hope he wasn’t too difficult to dispatch.” Katherine said smoothly, getting to her feet. No spike heels anymore, no stilettos, but she wasn’t in flats either. It didn’t change how much taller Odette was to her by much, but it helped. She held her arms out to Odette and pulled her into a hug, one that quickly turned into a shared sigh. “But now we have to handle the aftermath, my darling Odette. How are you holding up?”

“Why you must be Fiona! Ah, your nametag proves me right. My dear, wonderful Riley talks about you often.” Kate knew damned well how skittish that sort of remark would make a steadfast person, but Fiona? Well, she was a tad surprised that the girl jumped as if shocked. Was it because of the Fae thing? Certainly she could smell the sweet scent of her blood, but that didn’t mean she wanted any of it. Maybe it was the cooler she was holding, clearly marked ‘medical or vampire use only’. Well, regardless, she was going to have to get used to it if she was interested in Riley. “Don’t look so surprised, dear. I know practically everybody’s name, and I was at your entrance hearing.” That didn’t seem to help, if anything the girl went paler and clutched her clipboard. Kate sighed loudly, setting the cooler down on the floor beside herself. Her most human smile, a shift in body language, and...nope. Still terrified looking. “Fiona, I’m hardly going to eat you. I’d just like to chat, get to know you a little. Okay?”

Her makeup was removed entirely, so the ring was back on her finger where it belonged instead of on the porcelain plate she kept on the bathroom shelf for that purpose. Neither of them needed sleep, but it was pleasant to unwind, to strip away the finery and just be their barest selves at night while Selene was asleep. She busied herself with removing the bobby pins from her hair one by one, aware of Patrick’s stare from behind her as he sat on the side of the bed. Their silences were by and large comfortable ones, that had been something true of their relationship from the start, but by the time her hair hung loose at the shorter length she had chopped it off at after his death, there was a twinge of tension. Surprised, she turned around to look at him and found a frown on his lips. Concern in his eyes too, and since there was no one else in the room, it must be towards her. Kate sighed, adjusting the silky strap of her nightdress as she stood. “Darling, you have something to say, so you might as well just say it. I know you a little too well for you to pretend otherwise.”

@hugh-stewart

“Of course it was harsh, Mr. Stewart. These are harsh times and it was a pragmatic decision, not one I make lightly. Needs must, dear.” Her tone was light, cheerful, but there was an edge to it that was made obvious in the way she squared her shoulders as she faced him in her office. There were no other candidates, and especially none that were even the slightest bit suited for the position. Theo Eldridge? Soft as butter and grieving besides. Tilda Ballantine? A rabble rouser and too sharp for her own good. Naomi Clover? Most certainly not. So that left the Stewart boys, and she knew which would be able to handle the heat. “You have the leadership skills, the education, the eloquence.” And he was a native, which was a boon for any council member. She had no qualms about dangling the stick and carrot over him, forcing him to take the seat Adam Mallory so unnaturally vacated. “I assume you have an argument for me, Hugh. You always do. But by all means, try to tell me there’s someone else of your kind suited for the job with Mr. Mallory missing.” Kate smiled slowly, like a knife being pulled from a sheath. “You really want to see Hal in that chair? Please.”

@arthur-talbot

It was the third pass in thirty minutes that finally got her, though she wasn’t concerned so much as she was exasperated. She knew who it was, she had a vague idea as to why, but it was indecorous to just do this every night without talking to one another. Patrick was at his old home, sorting through what he wanted to move and what to leave for Selene in the future. Selene was staying over with Odette and Orion, which left Kate as the only one in the household to notice tonight’s watch duty session. She was at the gate when he passed next, sipping her blood filled wine glass with a bemused expression on her face. He stopped then, which suited her just fine. “Arthur, what precisely are you doing? Other than patrolling, which Patrick told me like it was obvious.” She said, opening the gate and gesturing for him to step inside. “Come inside, please. You’re being ridiculous. From what I’m told, we have family in kind. Yes?”