Topic: The Hand Dealt

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-02-05 13:58 EST

Adaptability.

A survivor's instinct.

He possessed both in spades.

It was the other suits that he worried about.

Diamonds. The estate lawyer kept him updated regularly as to the progress of his legal issues. How ironic to return to RhyDin proper and discover that yet again his money was tied up in legalities that would take an expert to divine. He was a rich man with no access to his funds. For now he lived at Faye's Bed and Breakfast, working as a handyman to pay for his room and board.

Clubs. The lucky suit. Seemed his three-leaf clovers were still in effect. His application to the Institute of Arcane Principle had been accepted and classes started next week. He'd soon learn more about the abilities that had brought his father's scorn and his mother's sacrifice.

Hearts. His beloved Nina was a vixen with her spoiled streak still fully in force. Finding her had been the single most important desire he'd possessed once he had left New Haven behind and even as he found himself exasperated by her closeted (and undoubtedly self-centered) view, a part of him rejoiced that she had been accorded the pampering their Granger blood allowed.

His days were settling into a routine he found appealing. Early morning rise spent at a local rundown gym. Boxing remained the surest way to clear his mind and rejuvenate his spirit. Back at Faye's he showered, ate breakfast and fixed whatever required his attention. From there, classes at the Institute would soon fill his midmornings and afternoons. Evenings he caught up with Nina at the Red Dragon, her favorite local hotspot.

He needed to get her settled. Needed to see to her well-being.

And it would start with teaching her how to defend herself.

The next morning he awoke an hour earlier than usual and walked through the West End. He hated her living out here in the slums and no matter how nice the housing she had found he was disturbed by the locale.

Well before the sun had risen he pounded on her door, "Nina Sweet!" His fist descending in a steady staccato. "Open up!"

They had a date with the gym.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-02-09 20:05 EST

Nina had been pissed.

And whiny.

And downright bratty.

He'd laughed through most of their warm-ups and had gone way easier on her than he should have.

Amused with himself, he'd cleaned up and got to work. Miss Faye wanted a gazebo. Of course, the eccentric little woman wanted it ready before Spring got here. And that's how he found himself freezing in an old barn cutting lumber for a gazebo in subzero temperatures.

His stomach warned him that lunch time was approaching and with it came the afternoon of studies. Another quick shower was needed just to get feeling back in his toes.

Classes were less crazy this go round. He had two today. Back to back with the Mistmarks. He liked Spellcraft. And he really liked Components. For his analytical mind the breakdown of spellmaking was a work in revelation. It was like having the mystery lifted and being allowed to peek behind the curtain.

He stowed his opinions of the Mistmarks for now. Dinner at the Inn was his plan, but moments there he received a phone call from his lawyer and left abruptly to meet the man at the bank. He'd written a few cheques (one for Nina's rent that had burnt a whole in his meager funds) and couldn't afford to risk any more delay in his inheritance.

The news was not particularly heartening and discovering his coat had been forgotten was equally disparaging. Calypso's quick thinking had warmed his heart and made some of his troubles seem less weighty. Between she and Elessaria he was no longer viewing the Red Dragon as "that place his sister wants to hang out in all the time."

Nina's temper tantrum had been amusing. Her upset with him adorably petulant and ironically the balm he needed. It was fun to tease her back, to let her work herself into a snit for once that didn't bring with it a lick of guilt.

And then his evening had taken a twisted turn into the depravity that he remembered most about RhyDin.

The key set upon his nightstand, a vivid reminder that there was someone out there with a great deal of power who simply snapped up those she was interested in with the disdainful air of privileged royalty. He'd be damned if he was someone's property. He would never go back to being a thing.

But beyond that he was disgusted that Nina had been subjected to such outlandish accusations that the Witch had cast. She might not be pure in the most innocent of senses but she was sheltered and such disgusting philandering ways were a part of his past, not hers.

It was the look on Caly's face that had driven home the message. She'd believed that filth.

Furious he had escorted Nina home and it was only the exhaustion of his day that had kept him from stopping by the gym and working out the worst of the tension.

He'd fallen into his bed with his shoes still on and slept the sleep of the bone weary.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-02-21 09:51 EST

Most of the magic he knew was sleight of the hand. A survivor's instinct. The deadly dens of New Haven's finest had been a quick testing ground for a boy to have to think fast.

He couldn't afford to have his senses dulled by liquor and the trick of appearing to take a shot was one of the first in his arsenal of arcane to keep him in control.

There had been many an opportunity to hone that particular skill and it was applied without much thought to the night of fun at the Inn. Though watching Caly throw herself into the amusing drinking game had made him want to join in with such abandon.

Blizzard was proving to be a find. His good humor, rough ways, and sense of adventure were hard to resist and Alaric never ceased to have a good time when they were together. It was nice to meet Angel and Quillyan, though he found it amusing to discover that neither were the two girlfriends Blizzard boasted of having.

He'd met one of Blizzard's illustrious girlfriends on his first day. Xera was hot. There was no doubt to that but she was also completely into Blizzard. Still, he looked forward to his Fire Elementalism course just to listen to the wild riot of things she'd say and do.

He was really beginning to have a thing for redheads.

He transferred out of Abjuration first chance he got. As much as he liked hanging out with Blizzard there was no way in hell he was putting up with that crazy shit. Divination was a nice and easy start to understanding the schools of focus without having to risk his life in the process.

The tomes he'd picked up from Caly were undeniably fascinating. He'd been reading one in the Commons when they'd caught the attention of another student. The conversation they'd started had revealed that the magical books were of great worth. Alaric was slightly discomforted by the idea. He'd thought perhaps Cally had passed off some hand-me-downs she had no use for any longer. Too discover that they were quite impressive made him feel beholden.

He'd meant to stop by and give her a proper thank you but the week had been rough. He knew he was packing too much into his days but he didn't stop. His initial inheritance was finally freeing up and he took a drive out to the lands he would soon call his own.

Soon...Soon he would have no need to rely on anyone ever again.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-02-25 18:38 EST

She was beautiful.

The trembling perfection of her neck felt warm beneath the calloused palm of his hand. Her breathing came fast and hard.

He wanted her. Wanted to claim her.

And she knew it.

Pulling from him with a toss of her silky mane.

He resisted the urge to tangle his fingers in those soft threads and demand her submission. The desire to mount her, to tame her, to make her his was hard to ignore, but he offered instead a soothing sound in a baritone rumble, "Shhh...beauty."

She made an answering sound as if she recognized his mastery already.

It was too soon.

His hunter green eyes drifted over the long lengths of her velvety perfection with avaricious ownership. He'd have her but not today, "Soon beauty. Soon you'll be mine."

He stroked his hand down her neck and past her withers and couldn't contain the flash of white teeth as she sidestepped him and stamped a dangerous hoof near his foot. His grin made him boyish as he laughed a rich rumbling amusement, "Fiesty little bitch." And it was fondness that slicked the slur.

Her muscles bunched beneath her sleek coat and revealed her intent and he had just enough time to dance aside with a fighter's light step before she bulleted past him. Her mane and tail streamed in a banner of pride.

"So you still want her?"

Alaric turned toward the horsemaster with gleaming eyes, "You know I do."

"I've got other buyers."

"And you know I'm willing to match offers." A narrowing of green.

The man laughed, the pleased sound of someone who knew they held all the cards, "You'd better hope that lawyer gets your affairs in order soon, Alaric."

Alaric felt his fingers curl into the palms of his hands and trained his gaze away from the man he'd once mistaken for a friend. The beautiful symmetry of the horse's racing form stole his attention. His father had bred horses in the Granger name and this mare was the offspring of his prized stallion. The horse belonged to Alaric and he would have her. A glance toward the stables that had once bore his father's name reminded him of his purpose. He'd have it all back. And soon. And the vultures that had swept in at his father's death...

..well..

...he turned to face the stablemaster with the veneer of a gentleman. His powerful hand gripping the man's in a shake that hid the violence.

...They'd get what was theirs as well.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-05-27 19:56 EST

Funny how his dreams didn't seem to matter anymore.

A glance out over the back paddock was turbulent. He'd been fighting to get his lands back. Fighting to get his inheritance back. Fighting to make it through classes. Fighting to find his sister.

And now. Now he wasn't sure who to fight next. He only knew that the hard knot of tension that boiled in his gut had his shoulders tensed so taut that no amount of pugilism was going to release it. He wanted to kill something.

The lazy lean remained the same, despite the tension. Even here in his own home he never revealed what went on beneath the surface. Shirtless, he stood with his thumbs hooked in the waistband of his jeans, a shoeless misfit with tousled blonde hair and the disdainful look of an aristocrat.

Inside, his soul was in tatters. He'd failed Nina again. The first time he'd been but a boy, no master of his path, no way of controlling where his mother led him. The split between their parents had left him with responsibilities no young child should've had to face, but it was hardly a unique tale.

When he'd returned to Rhy'Din, Master of his own Fate, he possessed every intention of seeing to his sister's well-being.

And he'd failed.

Turning, he ran glittering dark-green eyes over the once-slender figure gracing his bed. She slept fitfully despite the spell he'd put her under. The distended abdomen a blazing statement of his inadequacy.

Rolling his tight shoulders he closed his eyes against the sight, going back over this afternoon and its revelations.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-05-27 19:56 EST

Reflection Part 1

Pissed couldn't come anywhere close to describing it. She sat at the bar with her face in her hands, staring into the mirror positioned on the wall across from her. Her face was already starting to change, starting to puff out just a little, matching the bump that was expanding her waistline. A third of clothes no longer fit and she knew it was only going to get worse, not mention all the internal transitions she would make. She had to get the damn baby out of her. No matter what.

Exhaustion edged his features, the gait of a tired man carrying him through the front doors. Every waking minute was spent doing something. Hell, doing tens of somethings. The schoolwork, the legal work, the work work, and finding his sister, all piled down upon his shoulders until he simply wondered if he was going to be able to do it again the next day. The Red Dragon and coffee called and he was lost in thought which is why it took him a moment to decipher what his tired brain was trying to tell him. The blonde at the bar. ..could it be? Was it possible" Hunter green eyes narrowed on her back before lifting with hope toward the mirror. "Nina."

It was hard to tell at first. She wasn't wearing the chic wear of a starlet, but some mundane clothing more appropriate for soccer mom than a debutante. Sweats, a man's T-shirt, and a windbreaker. What was more odd was the ponytail she had her hair in - Nina Granger NEVER wore a ponytail, and to see it just seemed strange. In fact, the entire sight may have cast severe doubt, though when she heard her name and looked through the reflection in the mirror to see her brother standing at the door, the childish glimmer he always invoked filled her vibrant blue eyes.

"A...Alaric." She quietly said, unable to turn around and face him.

In that moment he could've killed her. Hell, he might've been seriously considering it but for all of the inconsistencies in her appearance, she was simply the little sister he could never seem to do right by. Strong arms were engulfing her before she was given a moment to move. Uncaring that she'd yet turned to face him, uncaring that she looked as genuinely pissed off as ever, all that he cared about in that moment was that she was alive.

Those arms were the sanctuary she had been needing, and as they wrapped around her she tilted back and nuzzled into his chest, breathing a bit easier. She curled her small hands around is forearm and held him there, content to just let time flow around. She smelled of beer and cigarette smoke, though Alaric would be more than able to tell that it originated from the clothing she wore, which obviously wasn't hers.

"Nina. Where in the hell have you been?" His voice was gruff but it lacked heat. His concern overriding his anger. He stood easily enough, gently holding her, for now avoiding the odd scents coming from her clothing as he set his chin on top of her head. "I've been looking." And looking, and looking, and looking...the re-tracing of his steps played over in his mind. He'd tried every new nightclub, every fancy salon, followed every lead for a long legged blonde with an attitude.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-05-27 19:58 EST

Reflection - Part 2

As she swallowed back the shame that started to fill her eyes with tears her entire body shuddered, and the grip of those thin fingers on his arm tightened. How much pain had she put him through' She knew Alaric well enough to know that her disappearance had been personal to him, and she could just guess at how many times over the last few months he had probably found some way to blame himself for her leaving. It was an odd tilt of weakness for Nina who very rarely showed any sort of remorse or sympathy, and as she realized what she was doing she bit back the sorrow and exchanged it with the only defense she knew: attack. "Really' Cause I couldn't tell! You were off at that stupid school while I've been wandering around lost!" Her tone was venomous.

Guilt flooded him, bit deep as he admitted to himself that he hadn't given up on his schooling while searching for her. Balancing it all had been a herculean feat and he had wondered many times if he'd been selfish in his own personal desires. Her venomous tone didn't sit well, however, and he tensed, the rigid muscles in his chest hardening against her as he withdrew his embrace, "Lost' Where have you been?" And as if he'd just now noticed, "And what are you wearing?" "And why do you smell?" Probably not the most courteous thing a man can ask a woman, even his sister.

"Where have I been?" She snapped, pulling away. "What am I wearing?" Now she was up, jerking and yanking to get free of his engulfing hug. Her eyes, welcoming and beautiful just moments ago in regard to him, were now narrow and dangerous. "So what, you think this is my fault' What the hell did I ever do to you Alaric to make you so judgmental" I'm sorry I'm not so f-ing perfect that I can't make it into a school of magic! Not everyone can be so smart!" Cheeks were flush with a potent anger. "And that smell is probably a basement, or maybe a doctor's office, or I don't know...a shelter!" She reached forward and slapped her hands against his chest.

"Yea, Alaric! A shelter!"

He was stunned. So stunned in fact that he stood beneath her onslaught and did nothing but let her go at it. As her hands beat down against the steady plane of his chest he sought to solidify several things in his mind at once. His sister, his spoiled little debutante, looked quite plainly put, like sh*t. The lancing guilt he felt at finally doing something for himself: the Institute, was only heightened by the realization that it bothered her. This was a backdrop to the initial shock over the idea of Nina in a shelter, followed by the heart-stopping, stone-cold, breath-stealing realization that that was most definitely a...baby bump? His dark green eyes sat in transfixed horror upon her midsection.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-05-27 19:59 EST

Reflection - Part 3

She hit him twice more in the chest before breathing became too laborious and she needed to rest, dropping the striking hand to the bar for added support. Still, her eyes did not leave him. "Well guess what? I don't need any help! Not from you! Not from anyone, Alaric! Street corners and ditches suit me just fine!" Eyes rounded out a bit as exhaustion took an even greater hold, a small step back letting her rest the edge of her bottom on one of the stools. She swallowed and it looked painful.

"Nina." It seemed all he could really manage at this point was her name. Shame and guilt warred for supremacy as he instinctively reached out a hand to help settle her back on the stool, "Nina, you know that I'm always here for you." He fought to find her gaze with his own, to burrow past the hurt and anger and blame to make her understand, "you know that had I any idea..." He faltered here, unable to keep from glancing down at her pregnant belly, .."..I would have helped. You'll never need to stay in such places." He frowned as he became cognizant of a fact that warred with this whole scenario, "Why didn't you stay at the Gardens" I sent a check and they sent it back saying you'd moved on?"

Instinctively she leaned into his hand, desiring his aid. Her brother had always been there for her and even now, caught inside the storm of her rage, he was there. She sat, crestfallen eyes dropping to the floor as the shake of her head slowly whipped her ponytail across her slender shoulders. "I...I don't know. I couldn't stay there. I ...I don't know why." She sighed. "I needed to get away from' I needed out. I needed to deal with ...with this..." With her hands she framed the abdominal swell that pushed her coat out. "And I can't! The damn thing won't go away!" Her scream was an outburst of hysterics.

As she softened he took that as the sign she needed more support and stepped in to re-deliver the hug. Her scream arriving about the same time he wrapped her in his strong arms. He had every intention of picking up her, cradling her to his chest and carrying her to a booth. There was something just wrong seeing her sitting at the bar, pregnant. As if the bar was the part that was wrong in the scene he tried to fix something, anything, desperation apparent as she increasingly made less sense. The confusion in her lovely eyes only marred by the pain. "Get away from who' Who's ...who is...whose.." He swallowed, unable to ask the question. And suddenly he wanted a stiff drink with a fierce longing. The coffee he'd come in here for completely forgotten.

Though a bit heavier than normal thanks to the baby she was still very petite and easily carried. She curled into the nest of his arms, finding the spot she had claimed since childhood as her safe haven, and let him carry her to safety like he always did. Her slender arms coiled around his neck and her face buried into the side of it. "He's....I can't even say it. He's a ...he's a god damn faery." There was something about the way she said it ...faery ....that made it sound awful. "And he..." She bit her lip as she slid into the booth, the chipped hue of painted fingernails clawing at him to keep him close. "...he did this to me. I can't get it out." And suddenly what was hysteria and then sadness came around to hopelessness. "I can't get it out of me, Alaric!"

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-05-27 20:00 EST

Reflection - Part 4

"Can't get what out of you? He put something in you?" He was clueless, unaware that she spoke of the baby. Though anger was replacing his shame. An object to take on all the rage of his helplessness after months of searching for her, "And what do you mean a faerie" Like an actual sidhe?" His time at the Institute had helped broaden his rather limited understanding of magic and one class in particular focused on magical creatures. He wracked his brain trying to remember what they had covered while following her into the booth he'd put her in, keeping her close and recognizing her need for protection even as a part of his soul shriveled and died at the realization that he'd failed her twice now in that department.

"Oh god, Alaric. Enough with the names! He was a f-cking elf thing and he did this to me!" She dropped her head onto his arm, caught somewhere between breathing heavily and sobbing. "The baby. I can't get the baby out. I've gone everywhere. Doctors. Alchemists. Everywhere. They can't get it out." She slowly inclined her chin until her moist sapphire eyes met his. "I've killed it four times, and every time it comes back the next morning, kicking. Alive."

Horrified. Struck silent. He froze, the rigid lines of his body felt clearly against her as he had no words only the blazing green depths of his eyes that gave away his pure horror at her words.

She swallowed again, razor blades it felt like, and dropped her forehead to his shoulder. "It won't come out. He did this to me and now I have to see it through."

She put her lips against the fabric of his shirt and breathed against him. "Make it stop, Alaric. Just make it stop."

"Nina. It's a baby. You can't...you...it..." Lost, the words would not come.

"It's not a baby!" Snapping up, the pain in her eyes once more replaced with outrage. "It's a monster! It's a little f-ing monster growing inside me that won't get out!" With fingers splayed she clawed at area, raking her nails along the coat that covered her belly. "Get out you f-ing demon! Get out of me!!"

Somewhere along the way she had begun teetering upon the edge of madness.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-05-27 20:03 EST

Reflection - Part 5 It was instinct. The whispered spell, a soft coaxing enchantment that left his lips and attempted to soothe her, encouraged her to sleep, like a lullaby that poured over the senses. He captured those clawing fingers in his hands and drew her into him, using his much more considerable strength to redirect those dangerous implements upon himself. "We'll fix this, my sweet. We'll fix this." He promised.

Luckily he was there to draw her hands away, for the intent seemed to be to dig the growing fetus from inside with her own bare hands. The magic washed over her, easily dominating her mundane mind and drawing her into slumber. She fell against him, leaning heavily, as eyelids were suddenly too heavy to keep open.

"Alaric..." She whispered as she drifted off...."...don't....don't leave me."

"Never." He promised as he drew her suddenly less resistant form into his own. Tucking her against his chest, he settled his chin upon her hair as he considered the revelations of the last hour. He felt wrung out, stretched thin, and his heart thundered out the pained beat of a man struck by his failure. He would make this better. Somehow. Some way.

*************************

"I promise." He stated to the midnight air as his eyes reopened upon his sleeping sister.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-06-07 14:11 EST

"I'll be in your debt."

The words echoed through him and brought a wince he couldn't hide. Voicing them had not been easy. He hated being in anyone's debt, couldn't stand the idea of owing anyone anything but he had no choice. He couldn't leave Nina in enchanted sleep forever.

Despite his deep belief that he would forever owe Drusilla, she had maintained that their tab was an even one. When he'd called her and asked for this favor it had been with trepidation and guilt eating at his soul. The current beneath her tone had been noticeable to one used to picking up on such things but she'd agreed easily, almost eagerly.

Drusilla would keep Nina company. Keeping his sister distracted was of the utmost importance. She was alternately hysterical and depressed. His worry that she'd hurt herself was compounded by the fact that she seemed to have absolutely no connection to the child she was carrying. In fact, her attempts to abort it had failed and left her furious.

He fisted a hand at the thought of her actions but made no comment. She'd give birth and he'd find the baby a home. His attempts to convince her otherwise had been futile.

Drusilla was true to her word and arrived that night with luggage and the bright cheerful presence of the consummate actress. She would be whatever Nina needed, a natural chameleon she would read her mark and adapt to each fluctuation of Nina's temperament.

Within minutes of meeting his sleepy sister, Dru had her flipping through some catalogue as they discussed the shopping excursion that would be planned once she got back to her original form. "This totally calls for a brand wardrobe!" Dru's voice chirped from the suite down the hall.

His sister wouldn't even know what hit her as Dru skillfully manipulated her. A scowl he couldn't escape marred his features as he looked out over the back paddock, seeing into the past:

"You need to be careful with this one, Dru." Alaric's youthful voice coached as they pulled up before the luxurious estate house.

A cherubic young woman nodded her understanding as she finished placing the domino mask upon her face, "I know what I'm doing Lars. We give the mark what they want."

"Dru. This one isn't like the others. His moods are volatile. He's hard to keep up with. One small misstep and—"

"I know what I'm doing Lars. Besides, I owe you, remember? Let me pay you back."

Alaric watched as she alighted on the flagstone pathway, a vision of a debutante.

"Stop it." She rolled her eyes, framed as they were in the black mask, "Stop worrying. This is what we do Lars. This is how we survive. Now go, you're going to be late."

He ripped his thoughts away from that dark trajectory. Left it in the past where it belonged, but as he listened to the girlish giggles that floated down the hall he couldn't help but wonder, not for the first time, if Dru had ever forgiven him.

He'd certainly never forgiven himself.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-06-20 18:37 EST

He'd gotten in late. Much later than he'd intended and far later than he'd promised. Moving as soundlessly as he could he slipped through the door and gently closed it behind him.

When no histrionics met him he felt some of the dreaded tension ease from the set line of his shoulders. Bracing a hand on the doorjamb, he stepped free of his boots, caked with mud and other signs of his futile search through the Glen. A scowl for their condition marred his features as he realized he would have to take the time to clean them.

But the lateness of the hour convinced him that he could deal with it in the morning. Padding on bare feet, he left them neatly by the door and made his way to his bedroom. His personal bathroom awaited and he took no time peeling free the sticky shirt and tossing it in the nearby hamper. The buttons on his jeans were pulled apart and left in a V below the taut rippled lines of his abdomen.

Turning on the shower he caught sight of himself in the mirror and sighed. Tangled locks of hair stood out in wild knots and he had a long scarlet scratch along his jawline. Great. He wasn't necessarily a vain man but he was well aware of how appearances worked as currency within the world of Rhy'Din. Leaning closer to the mirror he stretched the cords of his neck up, angling the defined line of his jaw one way and then the other.

How had he done that' Did a branch catch him as he was racing with Albion to the Inn" Or maybe afterwards when he'd spent hours searching for the heartbroken man' The flickering scowl returned full force as he tried to banish the memory of his anger over Quillyan's actions. Maybe one of the pups had caught him in their most recent wrestling bout' The thought of Saphira's girls brought a fleeting grin. He took them out regularly now to give the young mother a break for her studies and had found himself looking forward to their outings.

From the doorway to the bathroom a feminine voice teasingly intruded, "You know Lars, girls are less likely to try and scratch your face off if you show them a good time...."

His grin froze into something more practiced, much less authentic as he turned to face Drusilla. The odd tension seemed to bubble to the surface.

"You're in awfully late?" The hint of the question was obvious as she sought his acknowledgment of his broken promises.

He only nodded in agreement offering no explanation instead he switched the topic with deft skill, "How did Nina handle it?"

Her smile didn't reach her eyes as she recognized his noncommittal actions for the tactics that they were, "She's fine, Lars. Easily led down other paths." Those empty eyes slid down over his naked chest as he turned to face her, lingering upon the exposed trail that ran from his navel to disappear in the shadows below. "Taking a shower?"

The obvious question drew his brow upward as she'd never been quite so clumsy in leading a conversation where she wanted it. The patter of water behind him answer enough, though the steam that was starting to form in the chamber was clearly testimony to his intentions.

"I do believe I'll join you." And as she slipped free from the robe and revealed that she wore nothing beneath he recognized the ploy, the set up, the deliberate pacing of her actions.

Hunter green eyes narrowed a fraction, his expression purposefully bland. Options weighed.

For a moment nothing was said to break the silence. No motion made as she stood before him in icy naked glory. The brief flutter of a muscle in his jawline betrayed him only slightly before he motioned with debonair smoothness to the shower behind him, "After you milady."

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-06-30 19:54 EST

It had been the single most gloriously unsatisfying sex of his life.

The thought alone was enough to quirk his lips into a self-mocking smile. He could still feel her slick body grinding against his as they'd f*cked with all the thoroughbred skill of the well-trained. Her panted mewls had tightened parts of his anatomy that had included his jaw as he'd fought and managed to maintain his control. Their hot mouths and and skilled hands had mated with a rigidly held frenzy as they'd sought to push the other past the edge of reason.

Finally he'd resorted to strength. His hand clenched around the beer bottle he'd let warm in his grasp, not a sip taken. But it wasn't the glass that he felt but the memory of her small-boned wrists clasped together and held above her writhing body as he'd sought to make her beg. She'd undulated, beckoned, encouraged and condemned him with the motions of a well-paid whore. And he'd applied his free hand with an adroit talent that spoke of deep intimate knowledge of a woman's body.

When they'd finally came together, when they'd finally culminated their fierce f*cking, the water had long since given up its heat and they'd tumbled from the shower and had taken to the floor. They'd both have bruises from their match, though that had seemed inconsequential at the time.

He'd taken her to the edge and left her shattered on it and she in turn had nearly made him black out.

And it had all been so tightly controlled, so perfectly orchestrated as to be almost clinically detached.

He raked his free hand through his blonde hair, leaving his elbow propped upon one knee as he stared out over his favorite patch of land. The memory wouldn't let go of him despite the scenery he tried to get lost in.

The whisper of her footsteps had his shoulders tensing. But despite the tension he offered her a flash of white teeth and a playboy's grin, the words coming from somewhere rote and memorized, "Hey—"

"Lars, just stop." She interrupted, her voice surprisingly plaintive and raw. "Just stop. Why can't we just..."

He froze and let his forest green eyes take her in, a dejected beauty kissed by the moonlight. As she struggled to find the words, he finished the question for her, "be?"

She laughed, a paper-thin sound that lacked the modulated tones of the courtesan. "Exactly."

As he studied her he ignored the warnings, ignored the instincts that would've had him rising up to assist her, offering her the very thing she needed, giving her everything and making her feel as if she were the most important thing in the world to him.

Long moments passed between then.

Instead of offering her comfort, instead of being exactly what she seemed to need, he unfolded the lean lengths of his muscled body and turned to face her. "You know what, Dru. I don't feel like talking."

She blinked at the gruff baritone words, startled wonder filling her eyes as she sought to find the script and realized there was none for this, "Well, I don't really feel like talking to you." The words choked out from an honest place inside her.

For a long uncomfortable moment they stood there and then she hiccuped a giggle.

His grin was slow and lazy as he sauntered past her, holding out the warm beer bottle as he went, "Here. It's warm. And it sucks. But it's the best I've got to offer right now."

She took it in trembling hands as the gift that it was. The wall of pretensions that stood between them tumbling in slow seismic shifts.

"Hey Lars."

He paused in front of his bedroom door, those simmering green eyes sliding her way.

"Sleep good." And she meant it. Genuine, authentic caring a rare thing to behold in one who was used to donning the mantle.

"You too, Dru." The door closed behind him as he navigated his bedroom in the dark. The tight constriction in his chest lifting. As he fell into his bed moment's later he was grinning like a fool. For the first time the past seemed to no longer have its hold on him.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-07-04 15:32 EST

She laughed and while it still held the practiced edges of a courtesan there was something undoubtedly freer about the lovely Drusilla. The humor was genuine and the amused pleasure that washed her sweet features had him grinning in return.

She rubbed one bruised hip as she perused his strikingly handsome face. Strengthened by their newly acquired sense of honesty she decided to confide in him.

"Lars, don't take this the wrong way..." And yet there sparkled in her eyes the mischievous glint that warned she didn't mean those words, "but I hope like hell we never have sex again."

After a startled moment his baritone laugh rumbled up from deep within, the mirth so sharp that it drew a glistening of tears to sheen the forest green depths of his eyes.

He finally managed to choke out in gruff agreement, "Seconded, I'm fairly certain I pulled a rather important muscle," which resulted in Drusilla's doubling over as the humor of it all suddenly seemed overwhelming. Their shared laughter sanded out whatever rough or awkward edges might've still lingered from their past.

Nina's pouting voice carried from down the hall, "What's so funny"! What are you two laughing about?" The rising note of petulance dimmed their humor somewhat and gave them both the time they needed to wind down from their laughing jag.

Alaric pulled himself together with a much needed breath and attempted to assuage the peevishness of his sister, "Nothing, Nina-sweet, just a bad joke."

"Well, I want to hear it!" She demanded as she came around the corner, the distended swell of her stomach entering the room well before the rest of her. He thought she looked adorable, but knew better than to tell her so, instead he adroitly eased into a ribald joke that would assuredly get a blush and a laugh from his sister to cover the reality of their shared amusement.

After all, it was rather difficult to explain. A glance toward Dru revealed that she was game and she added color to his commentary, their tandem restored—strengthened even as friendship replaced an uncertain alliance founded upon a shared past that both wished to leave behind.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-07-24 22:14 EST

He was dripping sweat and had to swipe a forearm across his brow to clear his eyes enough to squint at the man desperately hollering up to him.

"Mr. Granger" Mr. Granger sir! Is that you sir?"

He frowned. Nerves clenching his stomach taut. Was it Nina" Was the baby coming early'

The hammer was slid into the loop upon his belt as he settled the tread of one sure foot on the rung below him, "I'll be right down."

The last four or five steps were ignored as he pushed free from the ladder and landed with feet braced apart. Pulling his shirt free from where he'd tucked it into his pants he mopped the sweat from his chest and throat. The sun's work had bronzed a chest disciplined through manual labor. And the labor had defined the muscles that moved beneath the glistening skin.

He didn't mean to appear threatening as he lowered his glare upon the courier, he simply narrowed his hunter green eyes in an attempt to keep the worry from showing.

"Are you Alaric Granger?" The courier swallowed and ignored the urge to step back from the man before him.

"I am."

"Sir, I've been asked to deliver these items."

Alaric was left with a package and a rare sense of confusion. Claiming a spot beneath the shade of the eaves he pressed play upon the recorder and listened with a sense of startled wonder at the voice of a relative he barely knew.

Hours later, packing up his equipment he felt a sense of security in the jingle of the copper coins in his pocket and a sense of belonging at the glint of the ring. He couldn't remember the last time he felt like a part of the Granger Family despite his last name and as he made his way back to his home he allowed the smile to play across his normally stern mouth.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-10-30 15:55 EST

Realizations

Rumors were a part of life. Gossip ran like a rich current of blood beneath the stream of society's interactions. It was no different anywhere in the world.

So it was no surprise to him that whispers of Piper and Ollie started shortly after the wedding. After all, there were very few things people liked more in life than to pull happy people down. Sometimes the stench of success drew people to such petty viciousness as to resemble vultures.

Normally he would've discounted everything he'd overheard that morning at his brief stop by Maple Grove. Piper was the reason he'd gone there in the first place so when the first volley of vitriol was overheard he was heading to cut it off when the words themselves became of far more importance.

Piper's pregnancy was abnormal.

He'd been listening to Nina caterwaul about how alien her pregnancy was and even, admittedly discounted, her narrative of how she'd come to be in her condition...but now...

...now it suddenly was of the utmost importance that he speak with Piper and soon. Not just for advice on how to ease Nina into a more acceptable frame of mind. No, now he needed to speak with her about the similarities he'd overheard.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-11-06 10:12 EST

A Family Get Together

The visit to Piper's had been informative made more so by Nina's unplanned interruption. Nina's insinuation that he and Piper were engaged in an affair had been an uncomfortable moment that he'd hopefully managed to minimize and move past quickly enough as to keep it from fully registering in his cousin-in-law's mind. He envied Ollie's good fortune in finding such a pleasant and refined woman to spend his life with but he was crass enough to hope that a relationship between she and Nina would only help his sister mature.

Privately he could admit that he had hoped that Nina would come around as her pregnancy progressed. He'd been careful not to pressure her in any way while he'd been preparing for their lives with a baby. Now, to discover, that Nina had not been hysterical, or simply misinformed, had him questioning the outcome he desired.

An outcome that Piper's quiet assertion had finally firmly cemented within him.

He wanted to keep the infant.

The child was a part of Nina. A part of their family line. A Granger. Nina's disconnect could be circumvented surely. Once the baby was there, she'd come around. It was the pregnancy that had her out of sorts. The betrayal of her body that had her alienated from the idea of a life growing inside her. He was positive he could convince her to keep the baby now that having it was a certainty.

To do this though, he'd need to find a way to keep the baby, No babies. His mind interjected as he thought of Piper's sweetly concerned face. He needed to discover a way to keep the babies from their father.

To do that he needed information. And when one wanted information about magic one went to Albion.

It was time to stop avoiding his friend and find out what he could about the Unseelie. And quickly. The burgeoning bellies of Piper and Nina forewarned him that he was on a much tighter schedule than he could have wished for.

Alaric Granger · Date: 2011-11-10 11:03 EST

It was with a warm sense of acceptance and quiet determination that he cut his way through the burgeoning crowds in the Marketplace. The trip to the tea shop had been ...

...he stopped walking for a moment, startled by the big dopey grin that spread upon his lips.

It had been wonderful.

His friends. Friends! had come together and offered him support and answers. Solutions to problems that he hadn't even had time to fully comprehend before they were already being solved by the helpful cadre of students who had easily offered their aid.

Shaking his head he took off again with a determined air. He had to let Piper know that there was progress in their plans to protect the infants and he had to get the nursery under way for Nina's baby.

Still, in the moments throughout his busy day he kept seeing Ilyona's quiet determination and soft diplomatic suggestions, or Bayliss' ever-present smile and eager assertions of assistance, and Albion's know-it-all, cluelessly socially inept revelations.

Even Amadeus and the dark elven woman had offered opinions that had cemented his desires and his direction.

He worked late.

Late into the night. Delivery men came and went. A message sent to Piper with a rough outline of his findings (and a promise to deliver a mobile as soon as possible).

The one person he didn't share any of this with was Nina. Aware that he walked a fine line between her personal wishes and his own he avoided his sister as he wrestled in all the new items delivered. The nursery went up within hours.

There was only one item he had to go out and find himself and it took some delving into darker parts of the Marketplace, places where a lone human stood out...

...."So wha'yer after ain't a cage per se, but a cage without a top?" The old crone hissed her clarification at him, one gnarled hand patting the top of his in a possessive stroke that sent a shudder of disgust along his internal mind. In no way did he allow it to show, his easy charm held with a miser's grip.

"Made of iron." He stated for what had to have been the sixth time.

Finding an iron crib was impossible and commissioning one this late hour in Nina's pregnancy was not going to work.

The Trapper's Den promised his solution and while a small part of his soul cringed at the idea of placing the infant in a cage, he soothed his concerns with the mental promise to put only the finest materials inside it. The pillow mattress and sheet sets would assauge his guilt surely. And the knowledge that he protected the child would be foremost in his thoughts.

"Well, well, boy, I'vegot just th'thing for ya." And she barked out a gutteral snarl that sprayed spittle from her cracked and gruesome lips. From the back, the Troll emerged with a shambling gait and rolled one large eye in Alaric's direction.

Alaric resisted the urge to curl his lip in disgust as the creature rubbed the back of a giant hand across its nose, smashing its purple density as it smeared snot from its oozing center. Remaining unbothered he turned patient eyes upon the woman and pretended he didn't notice the dollop of spit that hung from her lip or the way she continued to caress his hand.

"He'll go get what yer after. But let's discuss the price shall we?" She tried to coo and Alaric was immediately reminded of the New Haven mavens who would corner him with the predatory air of a hunting cat. The look was similar, the calculating gaze that drifted over his body in a way that was possessive and interested.

It was a self-reflective moment that had him pondering how easy it was to offer her that appealing boyish grin that gave hint that she stood a chance in his bed. His warm hand turning over to cup that gnarled paw that plucked at him.

"Yes. Let's. I'm hoping that the price encourages me to..." A warm stroke of his strong fingers over the back of her hand discovered a trail of warts, his smile only grew warmer and hinted at intimacy, "come back and continue to do business with you as I see our relationship progressing."

She tittered. The laugh awkward from her creaky old throat and he chuckled in response, "Business of course." Though the wicked glint in his hunter green gaze gave doubt to his clarification. The knowing little grin wickedly encouraging.

When he left some short time later he had the iron cage turned crib floating along beside him. The minute price he'd paid for it financially outdistanced by the more intimate cost.