Kaden Valentine

He gave another curt nod and returned to his meal. For the moment, that was all he cared about. Anything beyond the meat in front of him was meaningless.

Merek grinned back at Kaden and settled himself at the bar, taking a slow sip of his own drink as he regarded the other man over the brim. One of the many reasons he was happy to be claimed was because the pyromancer was pretty sure that he'd get to see the kresnik more often now. "So avoiding Lucien as much as possible and working?" He teased with a little smile before shrugging. "I've been good. Gideon pretty much allows me free rein as long as I behave myself, which I don't think will be too difficult, so long as I avoid certain people."

"I'm really hoping he does not remember, and with a beard plus longer hair... Figured he wouldn't think it important to remember me." It was a lot to put on the small chance he wouldn't remember him. He'd changed, made himself look as different without having to use any of his magic. Something he didn't have to use his energy to keep up when he had some means to hide himself naturally.

Kaden huffed at that ridiculously sounding notion, but then his features quickly softened. Honestly, Lucien was pretty narcissistic and for all his intelligence wasn't great at remembering details that didn't concern himself. Or that couldn't be used to charm the people he wanted in his bed. Who knew if he'd been paying attention to the photos on the walls in their home or to what either of Kaden's children looked like long enough to form a lasting memory of their faces. He neither confirmed nor denied this out loud, not wanting to jinx it.

arnon pursed his lips in faux contemplation, tilting his head from side to side as he pretended to ponder the question. “eh… i mean… y’know…” regardless of whether or not kaden had a very valid point, the thought of escape had dominated arnon’s thoughts from the moment he’d regained consciousness within the undercroft’s walls, leaving room for very little else. of course, a second attempt required even further thought than the first and given that his father had been the one to do the majority of the planning initially, arnon wasn’t entirely confident in his ability to come up with something anywhere near as likely to succeed any time soon. “guess i’ve got some thinkin’ to do first. a little introspection… maybe. y’know, if i get really bored.” carding his fingers through his hair, arnon shakes off the residual doubt clinging to the recesses of his mind and offers kaden an entirely genuine smile, hopeful that it’d fend off potential scrutiny of such a non-answer. “what about you? you been okay?”

"Well, long as you're thinkin' before you're actin'," Kaden snorted, offering the halfling a rueful grin. He still expected the kid to be as reckless as he'd been his last go arounds here in Krovs.

blessings were few and far between in this place. that much, arnon knew by heart. his first few days back in the undercroft had been nothing short of hellish; he’d refused to back down time and time again, earning himself his fair share of punishment, leaving him bruised and embittered more often than he cared to admit. the two years of freedom he’d been granted had been nothing short of exhilarating, no matter the stress that had remained a constant as he and his father had traversed lands and territories previously entirely unknown to him. he’d forged important connections, discovered more about his lineage and been granted numerous opportunities to sharpen his abilities, finally allowing him to come into his own. in the blink of an eye, it had been ripped away from him with a callousness that only those under the thumb of krovs’ elite could possess. despite the monumental knock to his ago and worldview, arnon hadn’t allowed the setback to dull his determination; it was merely a bump in the road towards a higher purpose.

Kaden huffed at that expected response; Arnon never went down without a fight. It didn't amuse the kresnik as much as it would have a couple years ago. Only the slightest hint of a smirk quirked at his lip that lasted only a blink.

It wasn't a surprise when the words were thrown at him nor the anger his dad was feeling towards his decisions. It didn't make him regret his choices or even being here, he was more determined than ever to do what he needed to do. "No, I have not. They are safe, no one here even knows who I am. Someone had to do something." That someone had to be him, he was the only one who could even come here in the first place. "We had no idea if you were alive or not."

Kaden opened his mouth to respond and then closed it. He ground his teeth, his jaw visibly taut as he narrowed his eyes at his idiot child. Idiot with good intentions, he noted.

Kaden groaned into the kiss he opened up to, immediately feeling a weight lifted as the river in his mind drained. At least until it flooded from storms again. He hoped that wouldn't be for a while. He was glad to know that Vitaly's method worked just as well as Finn's in this matter and he was glad for that, glad to have a backup to keep his virtue and associated powers intact. This place sure had a way of testing his patience.

Merek pressed another kiss to Kaden's cheek just because he could and then settled down on the stool beside the older man. The pyromancer smiled at the bartender, ordering himself a whiskey before turning back to the kresnik with a smile. "I reckon so." He replied, briefly attempting to imitate his boyfriend's accent (and doing a rather terrible job of it). "It was a surprise, honestly, I had no idea that Gideon would be interested in claiming me. I'm very pleased he offered it though, of course." Gideon was absolutely one of the safer masters to be claimed by and it was an enormous relief for Merek for various reasons. There were certain men he very had not wanted to be claimed by. "How have you been since the last time I saw you, darling?"

"Definitely a lucky break, for sure," Kaden said with a nod, grinning with amusement at Merek's attempt at his accent. He clinked his refreshed glass against Merek's and then brought it to his lips for a drink. "I've been alright. Same old, same old with me. How've you been?"

Kaden glowered at that, his jaw set so tight it might snap like a guitar string. The river in his mind rushed, threatening to bubble over before he eased it back through a few breaths. Winchester really needed to get his act together and have his powers restored again full time. Much as he wanted to –– and could –– this wasn't a battle worth fighting. Especially not when his son was here now freely roaming the halls and intentions found out at any given moments.

He was all smiles the moment he heard his words. "He isn't here and likely won't be around for a while. Now come." He took his hand quickly as he lead him towards the back where they kept the private rooms. There was another turn before he picked a room furthest from the main area. Give the sheriff as much privacy as he could give with what he had.

"Слава грёбаному Господу." He muttered as the other gave him permission, jeans tearing off the other. Vitaly shove his own jeans down, sliding his hardened length between Kaden's cheeks as he wrapped an arm around the other's chest and buried into his neck. "This friendship has many perks." He murmured, mouth dancing along the kresnik's neck as he thrust against him slowly before grasping himself and pushing in, taking his time knowing the other didn't often bottom.

"Easy," Kaden warned with a grunt at Vitaly's initial penetration. He grit his teeth at first, white-knuckled the counter edge, and remembered to breathe through it, mild discomfort transforming into pleasure. He appreciated his roommate's modicum of self control there; he didn't usually have sex with alpha wolves in heat. Vitaly would be the exception.

He did let out his held breath when his dad wrapped him into a hug, he then did the same with his own arms. Hugging him back just as strongly this being the first they've seen each other since they were into hiding. Back when he thought he'd lost him forever to this place, now to see him alive brought him great relief. "I came to bring you home." He said after a moment, he knew he wouldn't be too pleased with his choice. His reasoning for why he decided to willingly walk into the lions den.

Kaden pulled back, staring at Wyatt in grave shock. He opened his mouth and closed it. Part of him was a little touched that his son would do this. A small part even admired his son for doing probably the same thing he would have for his family. But mainly...