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liar_for_hire ([info]liar_for_hire) wrote in [info]haunted_roads,
@ 2008-07-07 21:54:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:eliina, tavin

Week Eleven: Saturday
When: Night
Where: Towers
Who: Tavin and Eliina

The night before the full moon, Tavin should have been home with Jerzy. He normally was. He’d come home early in the morning, he’d eat the breakfast Jerzy always had waiting and spend the entire day with him since he knew tomorrow night he'd be gone. He wouldn’t work, hell he’d not even really go anywhere if he could avoid it. But tonight was different. Tonight he told the kid he needed to go out for a bit and he didn’t want him to worry none. Just something to take care of and he’d be back. The words weren’t lies; there was something he had to take care of. Eliina.

He’d been watching her off and on for weeks now, following her through the city, seeing where she worked. He gathered up every bit of information on her he could. He’d waited and he’d debated. Tonight wasn’t the night to do this. There would be better times, better chances, if he just waited. But the days around the full moon always put him on edge. His patience always seemed to flat line. He wanted to know who she was. He needed to figure out what her presence meant before Jerzy accidentally stumbled into her. The kid didn’t need to know she was here. Not yet. Not until Tavin had some real answers for him.

Maybe others would be joyful; they’d have tears in their eyes and hope in their hearts. Tavin wasn’t one of those people. What he had was wariness and disbelief. He didn’t trust her here. He didn’t trust anyone that sent nosey ass little humans after him. There were too many ifs. Too many unknowns. And those she kept company with did not exactly give him anymore reason to trust.

If he got even a hint that something was up Jerzy and he would be gone by morning.

Tavin was never ever letting someone hurt that kid again.

He was protective of family, he had always been. Once that had included Eliina…but he didn’t know who she was anymore. Maybe, deep down, there was a part of him that wanted to believe that there was chance to have her back in their lives. They had looked for her…hunted for her so that they could be together again. Now that she was possibly in front of him it wasn’t so simple anymore. Not that it had ever really been.

There was no more delaying, no more digging into her life or watching from the shadows. Tavin was waiting now just beyond her door…he knew she was going out tonight. Someone had spoken so the other day when he’d been so very near and yet so very far away. Tavin had a knack for that, far better then any human could. Heightened senses helped in that but it was more the stealth and speed he had on his side then anything. Abilities that helped to keep him unknown to those he watched.

He could hear her now on the other side of the door. The slight jangle of keys grabbed. There was still time to turn away. Time to rethink this. To realize any other night would be better. But to him there were no other times. No other chances. That patience was gone and now there was just that need to know.

Tavin waited…and he stood there still when the door finally opened. Back to the wall, arms folded against his chest, bright cat like eyes hidden behind dark glasses. But though she couldn’t see his eyes he could see hers. Eyes that were too familiar to not be hers. Eyes that he knew to be his sisters…

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-08 01:04 am UTC (link)
She didn't want to go out. But wasn't that always the case. So rarely did Eliina actually venture out from her condo on a trip that did not involve work or groceries that to go out for any other occasion... wasn't something she looked forward to. Tonight was just the sort of thing she hated to do. A cocktail party hosted by a client. How many times had she declined invitations to attend other events of that nature she couldn't even count. It had taken the pressure of a senior partner for her to agree to this. But as she'd pulled on the black dress that she planned to wear for the evening and put her feet back into a pair of heels... she wished she hadn't backed down so easily.

But she had and now when she had a million other things on her mind she was tucking a purse under her arm and fiddling with the keys. She had more than a few locks and more than a few other security devices... call her paranoid if you wanted, she would far rather be safe than sorry. She'd been sorry for too many years.

God she was tired. She had no desire to mingle, she'd never been any good at it, far preferring to keep to herself and only engage in professional relationships. An hour. she would stay for an hour to placate the powers that be... then be on her way. Tucked back into her condo. Not worrying about vampires that lived just above her or those from her past that she couldn't quite ever seem to be rid of.

As she stepped out of her home though, it wasn't an asshole of a vampire waiting for her as she so often feared... in fact she didn't see anyone at first. It was when she dropped her keys, fumbling to get them back into her purse that she finally noticed someone. Crouched down to retrieve the keys she spotted a pair of shoes. Shoes that followed up to a male form. Her shoulders tensed beneath the shawl she wore as she glanced up at the sunglassed face. "Can I help you?" She asked keeping a cool tone to her voice when what she really wanted to do was hit this possible intruder with her purse and lock herself back in her condo.

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-08 09:02 am UTC (link)
It was difficult to keep still. Fingers itched for a cigarette, nerves ached for a hell of a lot more then that. There was always a restlessness that settled into the bones near that full moon. That itch to move, to act. Waiting took effort. But keeping his face that schooled calm took even more. There was a part of him that wanted to react on pure instinct. To demand answers and give no time for questions or that ability to run away back into her condo. To grab those hands at the wrist and pull her away from the door before she could even question who he was.

Eyes behind his glasses were narrowed. Fingers curled against his arm. Tensing, relaxing, tensing....

It seemed to be an eternity before she finally opened the door. Stepping out oblivious to his presence at first. too focused at balancing all those items in her hands. Trying to keep her thoughts straight. He knew she was human, that there was nothing but those ordinary senses to alert her to another standing there. He had expected something else when he first sought her out. Expected her to be like them, to be changed...different. He wasn't sure what to think now that he knew she wasn't.

He said nothing as she fumbled; he didn't help her to pick up her keys. He did nothing to make himself known, he just continued to wait. She was so near now. So close that he couldn’t deny that scent…. The tie of blood, he could smell it beneath her flesh. But he didn’t need that to confirm the truth. He knew it by just looking at her. Time had changed her appearance, they were all aged now. So different then they had once been last they’d seen each other. But some things never changed. Some features always remained.

He knew it was her. But the question became….did that mean anything now? He’d been too naïve long ago to worry about the consequences of finding her. He hadn’t thought about who she could be tied to… Now he knew to think of these things. He knew to be wary to keep his brother safe. They’d spent too long running to slip up now just because she was family.

Behind dark glasses he met her gaze, he could sense that fear. Like a scared animal she was about ready to run. Fingers tensed again, a subtle act to focus just a bit of that aggression. Fear was always too tempting an emotion near the moon. So long changed and still, at times, emotions could get the better of him. Still it could be difficult to deny that nature that swam just beneath the surface.

He took a needed breath before speaking, a deep inhale and slow exhale. “All that work to try to find me and now it looks like you are about ready to run away…” he mused finally, raising a hand slowly to push his glasses to the top of his head. For a second his eyes were kept closed, a delay before he opened them to look at her.

Though there was definitely something different about them, though they were in no way normal…they were eyes she might, too, remember.

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-10 03:08 am UTC (link)
Changed. No, she hadn't changed in some fundamental way. Her DNA still read human and she wouldn't live indefinitely... but had she changed from the little girl they had last known? Of course. She was bound to. But had she changed from the woman she would have grown into... hard to say for certain but arguably... most definitely. There was a distance, a look of repressed fear and vulnerability that was always just beneath the surface of her eyes. A nervous anxiety that she hid behind a cold exterior.

While it was impossible to say who she was supposed to have been... Eliina knew it wasn't this mess. And that was putting it kindly anymore.

Eliina self consciously put a hand to her face before she stepped entirely free of the door, ensuring that the heavy coating of concealer was well in place. While any puffiness was gone, the discoloration of the bruises left by Anthony. It was still there, more was packed in her purse if she was going to be forced through this night she'd likely need it. Unwanted questions were not high on her list of things to make the night bearable.

Then again, running into a strange man just outside her door wasn't high on that list either but it was happening regardless of her opinion on the matter. Eliina slowly pushed up to her feet, ignoring the ache that had remained in her back for days now. The man didn't move, just stood there despite the look she was trying to give him. It never worked, not when there was fear bringing down her look of contempt.

Whatever look she was aiming for was immediately wiped from her features after he spoke. It took a moment for the words to truly settle into her mind, to form coherent sentences. At first... she couldn't make sense of the words. They came to her almost as gibberish... then they slowly were pieced together. Trying to find him... Eliina blinked and stared at him. Stared as he pushed his glasses up from his face as if looking harder would answer the questions that were suddenly pushing to the surface of her mind. She remembered what Veronica had said, words that had been pushed aside for other concerns in the past few days, but they were words that weren't truly forgotten.

Eliina blinked again, eyes locked on his. "T-Taavi?" She finally asked. She was truly at a loss for words.

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-10 10:39 am UTC (link)
Everyone changed with the passage of time but sometimes that change was far more for some then others. Had she? He could already tell she had. By looks. By the way she moved even. But that was natural; it had been so long since he’d seen her. He hadn’t expected the same person. In a way he was glad that it was not. It gave him the ability to stay cold. To keep that care to such a low minimum that it scarcely was there at all. It made it that much easier to walk away if it was needed. They had looked for her; they had wanted her back in their lives. But Tavin wouldn’t do so if it brought risk to Jerzy. He couldn’t.

He watched her carefully now, analyzing her every move. He’d been able to watch before but he never let himself get this close. Now near he could smell the fear that she kept so tightly confined. That paranoia that ate at her, the way her eyes so quickly danced as they attempted to find every danger. It reminded him of Jerzy…which was a thought it was better for him to not have. He knew he was shit when it came to really protecting that kid. He wasn’t fit to fucking protect anyone.

It was only when she really faced him, that she really looked him dead in the eyes, that he could see the subtle marking that she tried to so craftily hide behind thick make up. No human would really notice that faint line or the way the skin looked different from the rest. But Tavin could. He had his guess who had done it. Her tie to that man wasn’t exactly kept all that secret. Not to someone watching. Lips drew back just slightly into a faint sneer, a flash of anger there and gone just as quickly. He might not trust her. But that he didn’t mean he wanted any fuck touching her either.

Emotions were mixed but his face stayed calm. Never seeming to mirror those thoughts for more then a ghost of a second. In his job he couldn’t afford to give away anything. Not even a second of hesitation was allowed. Quick decisions made from well planned thoughts. It was a dangerous game but it was one Tavin played well. He had to learn how to in order to find way for Jerzy and him to survive in this world.

The words were smoothly executed, remarked offhandedly almost like he could just walk away now if she really wanted him to. He could. Shut it all down and just turn around. But if he did he’d be packing up and moving them by dawn. Jerzy wouldn’t question, the kid knew better then to do so. He trusted Tavin to know when something had gone wrong or there was a risk in being where they were. It wasn’t the first time the past caught up to them.

He didn’t say anymore as she seemed to fumble with the words. He remained like he was, still and waiting for the words to connect or for them to stay just out of reach in a mind turned twisted and confused by forces he wasn’t fully aware of yet. But then she spoke, speaking the name that only Jerzy did anymore. “Tavin.” He returned “Though that’s just a bit less extreme then your name change Eliina.” Those did make finding one a bit more difficult. But he suspected that was the point. For Tavin and Jerzy it mattered little when they didn’t ever put real names to paper. “Or Ellie”

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-10 10:25 pm UTC (link)
It was all the changes that had to add up over the years that had terrified Eliina. Would she ever be able to find them, if they were still alive. Lorenzo had teased her with such information for too many years. But they had to be so very different than she'd last remembered them. Different in more ways then she could even comprehend. Any number of places any number of routes that their lives could have taken. It was almost too much to comprehend.

And that had been the only reason she'd hired somebody to do the work that she would have rather done herself. How did you even begin that task... Eliina hadn't even known where to start thinking about finding them. Veronica had and that had been worth it. Or so she hoped.

And here was the moment. At the end of a week that had been painfully long. Painful on too many levels, physical, mental and whatever lay between. She'd almost called in sick for work the two previous days. She had telecommuted for a good portion of the time. No, she hadn't wanted to explain to anyone at the office why half of her face was poofy and the other not. Somehow allergies likely wouldn't cut it. But not having to answer the questions didn't keep them from her mind, distracting her own thoughts without any outside help.

She hated that she had any tie to that man. Loathed it.

But Anthony was the farthest thing from her mind as the man in front of her came into focus. Taavi... it just didn't seem real that he could just be standing in front of her as easy as that. Standing here when so many years and so many miles had separated them before. But that didn't make any of this easy. Eliina wasn't running to him for a brotherly hug. Fear and paranoia weren't so easily quelled for an act such as that. Eliina forced her hands to relax their hold on her purse slightly as she sucked in a big gulp of air.

"I remember that name as well..." Eliina finally spoke in a complete sentence. Her features pinched for a moment. "Ellie..." The name sounded just as unpleasant as it always did coming from her lips. "Please don't call me that." She hated Ellie, hated how round it sounded and blunt. How he had picked it for her. Her fingers curled and uncurled. "I-I didn't think you would be in Seattle. I'm... I-It is really you?" She flinched at her own stupid question. If it wasn't... it wasn't as though he would answer honestly. "Jerzy? Is he still..." she didn't know if she wanted the answer to that question. "Do you know?"

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-11 12:36 am UTC (link)
Life hadn't passed by easily for the pair. His guess was that it hadn't gone easily for the woman in front of him either. She had that air about her; no one had paranoia that deeply ingrained unless something had happened to them. Something that made them all too aware of the hardships life could dish out. The details of her past were still a mystery to him. He could take a guess, but what was the point. For right now he convinced himself that it didn't matter. All that he could let matter was what her presence here meant for them. Selfish, but Tavin would never deny being just that.

As it stood she was lucky the two were even here anymore. Tavin didn't take well to nosey humans trying to follow him around. Woman stood no chance in really tracking him down though...not unless he let her. He did only to figure out what the fuck she really wanted. It always spelled out bad news when people started to follow him. When questions started to be asked...was a cue to leave. But he couldn't. Not until he'd faced her. Not until he'd seen her up close and personal....till he knew it really was her.

It would be easier if it wasn't.

"Not a fan of the change?" a question that was almost mocking and yet seemed nothing more then cold. Speaking he looked so emotionless, unphased and uncaring as dark glasses were pushed back over his eyes. Wouldn’t want some pesky unaware human walking by and noticing now would he? They could get so...up in arms about anything just a little different. But they didn't seem to even phase Eliina. For some reason it didn't surprise him.

If the same people that took Jerzy and him took her…she’d be all too familiar with the supernatural world now. Her acquaintances proved that much as well. Many humans were naïve and blind but he didn’t believe her to be. Up close and personal with that fucked up reality. Neither of them had been ready for that world…he knew Jerzy still wasn’t. But there was no turning back once your eyes were opened to it. No wishing it all away. Tavin had come to accept what he was. But he couldn’t accept the shit that Jerzy had to deal with. All that he saw that he didn’t want to see. That bothered him. But it was something he couldn’t change. That feeling was too familiar. And loathed now just as it had been all those years ago.

“Is it me…” he had to smirk even as she flinched. At least she realized the oddity in the question. It didn’t really matter what he said did it? A lie or truth. So he said nothing, it was him if she knew it to be. And if not…she’d question no matter his answer. But when she continued Tavin shook his head "We aren't talking about Jerzy. Not yet." Not for awhile. No Jerzy got to stay out of the conversation until he knew just who the fuck she really was now. For now all she got was him. His brother, their brother, was off limits.

Slowly he pushed away from the wall, his every movement held a grace that a human form shouldn’t. “Or are we not talking at all…I’d hate to interrupt your plans…” a glance at her dress before meeting her gaze again. Of course the words were false; he’d known she had plans tonight. The point was that he hadn’t cared.

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-12 05:28 pm UTC (link)
When Eliina had been younger she had spent too many hours imagining what possible fate could have come to her brothers. Spending any amount of time in that place they'd been taken too and even more hours with Lorenzo had opened the door to too many possible paths her brothers could have taken. Nearly all of them were less than desirable.

But in all her imagining she'd never had much of a chance to do much more than that. Lorenzo kept it so, not wanting her to actually know anything of her family, instead preferring to tease her with false bits of information, boons for being a good little girl. She'd had in reality given up almost all hope of every truly finding out. The investigator had been almost a final hope.

In all the tumult of actually having seen her brother it wasn't until his glasses were sliding back on that she the exact details of his eyes were truly noted. Were. Cat like. She knew more than her fair share about the supernatural world, while she might not be able to sniff or sense them out she knew the eyes of a were who had held their shape perhaps a bit too long. The information was cataloged away, not forgotten but not asked about now.

"No," Eliina said simply. She had never been a fan of it, but she had never been in a position to question it. Perhaps the next city she moved to she'd change it. If she changed careers... but now it was far too difficult to remove it from her professional life.

Eliina's brows puckered slightly when Taavi refused to speak of Jerzy taking him entirely off the table. What to do with that... she wasn't certain. One look at him and she knew he was a cautious person, he had to be to have lived this long coming out of where they had. She wanted to believe that was the only reason for not mentioning more. She herself should probably take note of his actions, not lay all her cards so bare... but she couldn't seem to help it. The not yet though, it sparked a hope in her that he at least knew... knew something about their baby brother. "Fair enough," Eliina said slowly, even if she didn't like it.

She had entirely forgotten about her plans the minute Taavi had come into view. The dinner that she was supposed to be on her way too, already a good half hour late... gone. And she could care less. She looked down at the dress that she had begrudgingly donned and frowned. "It doesn't matter," she finally said. What mattered more was talking to him. The senior partner would have to understand that she had the stomach flu or some other such excuse. To hell with his pissiness.

She turned slowly looking at the door to her condo. Should she insist on the bar around the corner, a neutral place to talk... she was too tired to put up with that though and the key was stuck into the lock and the door opened. Eliina held it open and indicated inside with her free hand. "I don't know about you but I need a drink if we're doing this. Have a seat and what is your poison?"

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-13 12:29 am UTC (link)
Though surrounded by people most of their lives, there had been no one for the brothers to question on the state of their family. Oh Tavin had tried but none cared to play the teasing game of are they alive or dead. Sometimes that was a blessing...other times it was a curse. The possibilities were endless on what could have happened to them and Tavin spent most of his time worrying on just that. For him the try for escape hadn't been about himself. It had been about them. It still haunted him that he'd not been able to get her out like he had Jerzy. The maybes had eaten at him. If he'd been awake during it. Coherent. If he'd behaved better so he wasn't so wounded. But in the end he couldn't change it. All he had choice to do was try to ensure that it never happened again for Jerzy.

Now standing in front of her he wondered what had come to pass for her. How she was here, standing just a few feet in front of him. He wanted to know...and didn't all in one. He knew it wasn't going to be any happy tale, he could see it in her eyes. It wasn't as though he had expected it to be. No one got out of that life easily. They had all paid their prices.

"Neither am I" Tavin returned with a slight curl of the lips with the words. The name didn't fit. But none of this fit what he remembered and it never would. She was nothing but a stranger. Some woman from the past that could mean everything or nothing at all. Maybe it was unfair for him to make that choice for Jerzy but Tavin didn't claim to always be fair. He did what he felt was needed. Including walking away from some hint at family if he felt it was just going to drag them back under.

He figured that his words would be met with some disproval. Some push to know of the youngest brother. He could feel almost that want to argue, to question. "Smart move." pushing the topic would only push him away. Jerzy wasn't going to be a concern of hers until Tavin knew more about her. Would Jerzy even remember her? Tavin had his doubts. He was too young then to remember much of anyone. Likely a good thing really...made losing it all that much easier to move forward from. Not that it was ever really easy.

A brow arched as she commented on her night. By looks alone it would seem that it had mattered for some reason or another. No one got all dolled up for nothing. But he came here with no care at all for her plans and that feeling remained. Work or not, he was here for answers and one way or another he did plan to get them. There was no walking away from a face to face like this with nothing resolved.

She moved back to her room and Tavin didn't follow immediately. He'd staked out her place, investigated when she wasn't around. He knew there appeared to be no direct threat but Tavin was always looking out for those traps. A need to know won out over paranoia tonight. A rarity. "Whatever you have on hand." but he'd be watching her pour it. ANd letting her take the first sip. Paranoia never really went away for Tavin. That trait kept him alive. Once inside he took the liberty of locking the door for her.

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-14 06:24 pm UTC (link)
Eliina had never known of the breakout. She had been taken, though that was never the word that he used, long before she even had the chance to make a break for freedom. She'd never known when or if her brothers had ever found real freedom. Had never known if they'd actually survived. She'd always thought they did, liking to think that somehow she'd just know if they were no longer alive. Impossible to say for certain, but still she'd held onto that hope. And while Lorenzo might have been a lying bastard... she knew he'd taunted her only with facts, that he could take the lives of her brothers because they were possibly alive out there somewhere. If he actually knew where they were was another story entirely.

Always the case though, unanswered questions that could only multiply if given the chance.


They were strangers, in truth as well as name. Staring at him as he stood there in front of her it was obvious that he hadn't had the same experience as she did but she knew that looks were deceiving. The finest clothing in the world couldn't always make a situation palatable. But what his life had actually been like was as much a question for her as it was for him. Though by the fact that he was standing at her door... he might know more about her than she did about him.

Of course Eliina wanted to know about Jerzy, she was dying to push and find out if Taavi knew where he was but she stilled her tongue. Too soon and too new a topic to press. That was easy to see. Her lips pressed together at his retort. Brother or no, she always balked at male condescension. Granted she saw that far more often than it actually existed. She would just have to wait, practice that patience that she had already practiced for so many years.

Eliina was actually far more comfortable stepping back into her condo and dealing with the wrath of having missed the event for the evening than actually going. Though having a long lost sibling there added a whole other level of tension. Her purse was set heavily on the table just inside the doorway. Her feet made a beeline to the liquor cabinet, a well worn path. Instead of reaching for the small wine refrigerator that she'd had installed she reached for the cabinet and the far stiffer beverages. Two glasses were retrieved and filled quickly with an old whiskey. She heard the door lock, glancing over her shoulder to check that it was done properly. She had her own moments of paranoia and for good reason.

Glasses in hand, Eliina moved to the sofas. She set a glass on the glass coffee table for Taavi and kept her own in hand as she settled down onto the cushion. The drink was immediately brought to her lips and a sip taken. "Whatever you have on hand is a very open ended question here..." she said simply inclining her head toward his drink. "Hope that's acceptable though."

What did you say... He seemed to be the one with an agenda, she was still getting over the shock of it all.

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-14 10:04 pm UTC (link)
Tavin didn’t think much about life back then. Jerzy and he knew that the only way to survive was to just move forward. Forget the past and try to make some way forward. It was never easy and more then once Tavin had thought they weren’t going to make it. Somehow though, they’d managed to. Now that they had, as much as Tavin really believed possible, he wasn’t going to let anyone or anything take that from them. It made for a paranoid man certainly, but he wasn’t looking to really bring any others around them. Relationships. Friends. They were all hollow things. There for a week till they were onto another city. Tavin didn’t let anyone in really, much as Jerzy liked to lecture him on it. But in Tavin’s opinion there wasn’t any damned reason to.

Now he had to question it. To wonder what it would be like to have her back around. If Jerzy remembered her he’d likely rush right to her and not even question. But Tavin doubted that the kid did. There was a time when he barely even remembered Tavin. It had been even longer now, a greater gap of time for the mind to just forget.

Tavin knew some of her life, as much as some quick digging could really give him. He knew who she was around, he knew what she did. Better off then the brothers when it came to cash but Tavin wasn’t fool enough to think that money was some cure all. It was all about the control that was in your life. Many thought that in a field like Tavin’s that he’d be under some fucks thumb. But he wasn’t. He was one of the few that wasn’t. Sharp dealing and contracts made. Tavin could leave at any time. He didn’t let anyone have anything to hold over him anymore. Too much risk, the two never knew when they’d need to skip town.

He didn’t think it so easy for her to do just that. Not with the eyes she had watching her. It made him even more wary as he watched her, always making sure he was in the shadows. He didn’t need anyone coming after him for holding a bit of interest in someone they didn’t think he should. Careful through it all…so fucking careful…and tonight none of that seemed to matter. The need to just…face her was too strong. To…get this over with in a sense. To know once and for all how this would go.

Who she was didn’t change any of Tavin’s mannerisms though. Sarcastic and short tempered, he cared little for her dislike of male condescension. If someone left themselves open for it they did, be it woman or man. The truth of the matter was the same, had she pushed this would have turned into a situation neither of them would have liked. Better to just leave it be.

Inside the room Tavin let his eyes roam, looking over all that was available to see. Reading between the lines of what most would really think it all meant. Of course as she went for the glasses he watched. Noting the volumes of liquor in the home. The extra locks to the door. The way she immediately knew what she wanted and what she was doing as she poured her glass. A common event. It didn’t really surprise him. Eventually he took a seat, a chair nearest to the door and yet ensuring that his back wasn’t to it or any other means of entry into the condo.

“Can tell, good thing I’m not picky.” Not when it came to liquor. He reached out, grabbing up the glass and smelling the contents without yet taking a sip. “It’s fine.” No complaints, just the typical reaction of waiting a bit for her to drink her own before he drank his. He didn’t speak for a time, sitting their rolling the glass between his hands in that need to keep movement going. “So straight to it then…” he remarked with a ghost of a less then friendly smirk upon his lips. “What happened to you?” after they were taken, after he failed to keep them safe. What joys had her life held.

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-16 02:30 pm UTC (link)
There were many ways to keep yourself from forming those sort of lasting connections with people. They might have moved often and without any sort of goodbye. Eliina just held herself at that distance from everyone around her. Different methods but the same reasoning. Or at least similar reasonings. Too many questions, too much interest and the bitch exterior that Eliina was more than well known for came out in full effect.

Self-preservation was a hard fought skill and not one easily given up for anything. Even something as arguably essential as companionship.

Her condo was furnished with the money that she made, but that was it. The rooms showed nothing of her personality, it was simply filled like a showroom might be. Well perhaps the bar area was personalized but that was something that Eliina didn't particularly care to think on. What personality Eliina had was almost as much of a mystery to her as it was to her condo. Not something most women in their mid thirties had to contend with, but then again most women in their thirties hadn't had the same life she had. If she was feeling more benevolent she'd be glad for all those women.

She had to admit though for the entire lack of care about what went into the condo, she did like the sofas she'd purchased. It was one of the few places she spent much time, sunk into the soft cushions... it was not one of the seats Taavi had chosen. And somehow looking at his cautious body language, that did not surprise her. She might not have had the same sort of street skill when it came to that kind of behavior, but she was cautious. Clearly came with the territory.

Eliina's fingers held tightly to her glass, she nodded her head as he confirmed that the alcohol chosen was fine. Her fingers only tightened as the question she'd rather thought would be asked... was in fact, asked. She stared at the amber liquid for a few moments like it would provide some form of help with the question at hand. Had she ever talked about this with anyone? Absolutely not. Did she want to know? Absolutely not.

"I was bought, purchased, whatever you'd like to call it." Eliina replied. Straight to it exactly. Didn't make it any easier, but she supposed that it didn't make it any harder either. "A vampire. It wasn't that long after we were taken. Though I couldn't tell you actually how long, time was rather relative then." Eliina's lips pressed together tightly for a moment before she took a nice long sip of her whiskey. "He's dead now and that would be why I'm here." Just a few details missed but opening up wasn't exactly her strong suit.

"And you?" Eliina lifted her eyes from her glass where they had remained for a moment or two after she finished speaking. "I know you're..." She didn't want to say not human, while she'd say that to others she couldn't bring herself to say that to her brother, strangers or not "Is it were?" She finally just asked making the guess that had been her assumption.

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-16 02:57 pm UTC (link)
Distance, that worked for most and for those that it didn’t the bitch or asshole route did. For Tavin, most of the time, it was just as though he was never there. Some even believed that his brother had to live alone; no one else was ever around. He came in while others were long ago asleep and left when they were much the same. If anyone became too familiar with him they didn’t see him again. Sellers, buyers, neighbors, didn’t matter the who the end was always the same. For Tavin it was easy, it was how life was and he knew no other way. He knew it wasn’t always easy for Jerzy though.

That shut in feeling the kid has was rather reflected in their own home. Jerzy picked most of it out, Tavin just supplied the cash. The only room that was really Tavin’s was his bedroom and it had very little to it. A bed and dark curtain’s so he could sleep through those daylight hours. He didn’t bother to try to make a place home. He’d never had once of those, he wouldn’t even really know how to start with something like that.

It showed that she was much the same. At a glance the place seemed nice enough. Well kept and pricy. But Tavin could find these rooms in any home magazine. Cut out and pasted here to make a statement without making one at all. Hiding behind the likes of others and never thinking much about your own. It gave him a clearer guess to her life. Every little thing did…and none of it gave him any warm and happy fucking feelings inside.

No…he was willing to bet that her life had been shit just like theirs had been. Had he really thought that it would be any different? Once upon a time he’d hoped that it would be. When he was young and naïve enough to think just maybe she got out of it better off then they had. He wasn’t that young anymore. Or that naïve.

So he got to the heart of it. Asked the question that likely neither wanted answered. But he waited for the answer all the same. Waited for words that made his lips twist and some emotion show upon his typically blank features. Anger. He’d ceased to cared about what he went through, he survived and made it this far. But any time Jerzy had a nightmare…anytime anything even brought up the past for him, there was that fucking rage that would never leave Tavin. He felt it now, renewed. He didn’t know her…but he once had…and once she’d been the most important thing in his life. Just like Jerzy was.

"Doesn't look like your really all that free." was all he spoke on her story though. He'd seen too many around her that did not exactly sit well to think her in the clear.

Tavin downed the contents of his glass finally, setting it down to a table a bit too harshly. He wasn’t surprised by her realization of what he was. Anyone that knew the supernatural world would be able to tell what that look to his eyes meant. That they weren’t faked contacts like some humans believed. “Yeah, panther.” He replied finally, forcing himself to lean back into the chair rather then pace. “Turned a few years into it. Tests to see what a human can take. Tests to see what a were could.” And that was as about as detailed as Tavin ever got on it.

“Rest of those captured managed to plan an escape, so we all got out.” Or most. “Been wandering since.”

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-19 01:25 am UTC (link)
Home tended to be a foreign concept to those that had grown up as they did. Perhaps even before they'd been taken their home hadn't been much of one with all the conflict and moving around, not that Eliina could remember. But at least there had been family there, some sense of love through all the strife. After that though... nothing. No amount of trappings in any one location could make a place an actual home. Eliina was living proof of that having lived in some of the finest places money could buy, filled with lush furnishing... and nothing but coldness filled the rooms.

It had been so long Eliina was certain she didn't know what a real home was anymore.

Eliina... had thought about finding her brothers all too many times. Each and every thought of it was different though, a different outcome in a different circumstance. Faced with it in reality... she honestly didn't know what she should be doing or saying. She didn't want to make Taavi feel as though her life had been some horrible collection of years, whether it had been or not. The one clear memory she had of her brother was how hard he had worked to take care of them, to keep them safe. If anything of that boy remained... she didn't want her own words to create a burden that he had likely already carried for far too long.

But staring at him... it was hard to tell what remained and what had been lost to years of mistreatment.

Eliina's eyes jerked up to meet the feline shape of Taavi's. "Here. I said I was here and fr-" Eliina paused her lips pressing togehter tightly for a moment before a sigh was released. "No, not particularly. But more than I had been." And that was better than nothing, a small consolation but one she took regardless. With that said, a much longer sip was taken of her drink was taken... almost greedily or perhaps desperately was more accurate.

To her own credit she didn't start... well didn't start much, when his glass was set down roughly. She hated the nervousness that seemed too far ingrained in her but it was there regardless of her thoughts on the matter. "Panther..." she mused aloud with a nod of her head. She blinked looking over at him, she could practically see the pent up energy in him. Granted it was just before the moon and she knew that with her work. It always got busy around this time of the month. Her brows pulled together in displeasure. Tests... "Bastards..." was hissed under her breath, although not particularly quietly.

She sat up sharply, eyes sharp with interest. "An escape? You got out?" For the first time she actually wished that she'd been able to remain there for longer, though it was a fleeting wish considering what it could have meant to stay there longer. "Did everyone make it out?" She couldn't help but ask. She had to know... was Jerzy alive? Did he know? It killed her to be this close and not know.

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-19 02:11 am UTC (link)
Home held no image of comfort or safety for Tavin. It was a foreign word that he didn't expect to ever be more then that. But he'd long ago given up on the desire to find it. When he was young that need meant something, it pushed him to try to always make things better. Now he knew that all that really mattered was survival. The location on where they laid their head wasn't the important factor. But for Jerzy he always tried to make sure that wherever they were, was alright. Nothing too dark, nothing too dirty. The kid deserved more then that.

The towers had seemed ideal at first when they got here. The longer they were there though, the more Tavin had to question that. More now then ever given all the people he now knew to be fucking living here.

He had to wonder just how long she'd been here. and how it was he hadn't seen her. It wasn't that he was around the towers all that often but he did have that tendency to want to know everyone that was around him. Better to know the threats ahead of time...and always better to know who was just a wall away from you. Eliina. Jade. They were just two of the many he didn't want Jerzy running across just yet. A move seemed like it was eminent. He'd have to talk to the kid.

About a fucking lot.

"Not enough." Tavin remarked in a tone less then pleased. Much had changed about Tavin through the years, he wasn’t the same as he'd been as a kid. But some traits remained. More then anything to him he wanted family to be alright. To be safe. And thinking her still controlled...it didn't sit well. It left a bad taste in his mouth. Made that urge to pace and growl all that much more prominent. Somehow he remained seated. Just barely. But he didn't push the topic, right now he didn't know if her freedom was anything he could do a damned thing about. Or should for that matter.

A bitter smirk curled his lips at her hiss. One little word but all the emotions were laced within it. "One way to describe them." he had a lot more...colorful ways. His anger towards them would never diminish and each time he found them followed or tracked...he didn't ever let the one trying to gather information get back to his owner. The kill wasn't ever sedating though. It only made him angrier. Always.

"Wouldn't be here otherwise." the only way you got out otherwise was death or being sold. For Tavin he knew his end would have been death if there hadn't been an escape. He'd been already near to it by the time it happened. "No" his answer was short, a sharp sound and yet even if he didn’t trust her at all, he knew it was cruel to leave her wondering. "He's alive." even that was more then he really wanted to give away when it came to Jerzy. But he couldn't not tell her. Tavin was a bastard, no denying that. But even he had some sort of heart left in him.

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-20 01:31 pm UTC (link)
Seattle had been the first stop in her push to move away from the life she'd lived before. It had taken far too long to get out of California. Doing her best to play the part of the woman surprised and naturally upset by the death of Lorenzo. Doing her best to not appear as though she was the one that had brought about his end. It was harder than she'd thought... but bolting was the last thing she could do and expect to ever find any real amount of freedom.

One step at a time. Seattle was the first. Her first choice in work, her first chosen place to live. Not a home but something. A few months was more than she had ever imagined before. In reality though it was next to nothing.

"No... not enough." She said simply. It was the truth, a person deserved far more freedom than she had but Eliina was doing her best to remain patient with it all. It would come... it had to. Though it all made her wonder how much Taavi knew about her life. Did she know about Tony and his... games. She did loathe that vampire.

"Quite a few other ways as well..." Eliina muttered. She might now always look it but her vocabulary had been known to contain more than a few... colorful phrases. They were always given to those assholes that felt it necessary to buy and sell people like they were nothing more than a good. Even more so now that she knew they were even more callous with a life as to test on it. The idea of taking out some form of revenge on them was... always present but Eliina knew better than to push her luck. Lorenzo was enough, she still feared each and every day that would come back to haunt her. More than it did in her mind.

There had been the possibility that he'd been sold and somehow... no there really hadn't been any other option than some sort of escape. Unless he'd been under the control of someone still but Eliina didn't think that the case. She waited, her entire body tense, hoping that he would in fact answer the question. Any more than that and she couldn't bring herself to hope for. Then the words came... alive. Eliina took a moment, allowing the words to sink in until it filled her and she truly knew that they both had survived. Her head ducked forward, her palms coming up to press tightly over the features like she was trying to hold all the emotion that threatened to escape, in.

Moments later she finally pulled her head up. "I... good. He made it as well. Being separated... I never knew and always wanted to. I hoped that.... He used to tell me that someday he'd find out for me whether you both were alive or not. Though it was often more of a threat than an incentive. I never asked him to find out though... I never wanted him to find you."

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-21 12:10 pm UTC (link)
City to city, Jerzy and Tavin were used to the moves. To the constant change of location, never really becoming accustomed to any one city. Tavin still didn’t know why he’d really stopped in Seattle. There was nothing about the city to make them feel safe, no reason to linger beyond all the cities before it. But for some reason they had, stopping here and finding some sense of place. Likely that was the reason all in itself, Tavin wanting to give Jerzy that chance to try to find a life beyond constant movement. He didn’t know if it had worked for the kid. He never knew if he was doing anything right when it came to him. But he kept trying, was about all he could do.

Not enough freedom for her. Not enough for Jerzy. These were problems Tavin didn’t really know how to fix. Situations that he hadn’t wanted for them but couldn’t stop. She was a stranger but seeing her like she was….it hurt him as badly as the first day he’d seen Jerzy again. He didn’t let it show, he never let the guilt take up place inside of him no matter how it ate at him. He couldn’t. Not the anger. Not the guilt. Hard to move forward when you let the past keep you fucking chained like that.

Tavin could only nod to her remark of far more when it came to those people. But if he got started up on just how much he loathed them and people like them, he’d never stop. They both knew how horrible it was. And both knew that assholes like that did not deserve any form of life. There had been a time when Tavin wanted to take them all down. To go back and find a way to make sure it never happened again. But he wasn’t any fool; he wasn’t walking right back to that. He had family to take care of and that was more important than revenge.

Though he knew some had gone back. Some from that group that turned back around when they were capable of doing so, to hurt those that hurt them. Did they succeed? He didn’t know. He didn’t stick around long enough to find out. He took Jerzy and got the fuck out of there. Jerzy….always he wanted to keep the kid out of all matters. He wanted to keep him out of this. But the way she looked…fuck if he could just refuse to let her know that at least he was alive. Anyone could figure that out if they did enough digging. At least that was his justification to it.

“Doubtful he would have had anymore luck in that then others have through the years. Once you escape from something you’re always running. Always.” Her little investigator had only found him because Tavin let himself be found to figure out who the fuck was following him and why. Really it was surprising that he’d left the bitch alive at all. “But despite all the crap. We’re alive. All that it really boils down to in the end.” A fact that he’d like to keep that way.

After a moment he leaned back, putting a cigarette to his lips after fishing it out of his pocket and giving a glance to Eliina before seeking to light it. He had some manners. “Have to question the company you keep before I speak shit on the kid though. Not letting you or anyone else fuck with him again.” Harsh true but Tavin had little care about that. It was the truth. The people she had around her made it damned hard for Tavin to give up any info on Jerzy, let alone let her see him.

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-23 02:38 am UTC (link)
Would there ever be a city that truly lent itself to a feeling of safety? Eliina was rather certain that such a place did not exist. Of course it might have had more to do with where she was looking. Where they all were looking. It wasn't going to be magically found in some location. It wasn't places that truly held that security and comfort. It was far more likely that it was in the people and the sense of community that most people found.

Eliina would be the first to say that they were no longer among the numbers of most people. And they probably never would be.

The kind of hatred Eliina held for the people that had taken them knew no real bounds, she couldn't put it to words rather it just always existed. Under the surface... festering. She knew it wasn't healthy to harbor the kind of feelings she did for them but could she do anything else? It was only worse now, knowing what they had done to Taavi. She'd always wanted to do something about it, held her own illusions that one day she'd be able to with the training that she'd received at the hand of one such man... maybe one day she'd be able to. If it all didn't eat her alive first.

"He had money, more than enough to do whatever he wanted with it. I don't even want to think if it would have been possible if he'd ever followed through." Eliina said simply, her hands pressing into her cheeks for a moment while she fought to retain control of herself. It shouldn't be this hard, but it always was. She nodded her head slowly, through the lines of strain on her face a slight easing was noticeable. "We... we are all alive." She agreed. And that at the moment seemed to matter more than anything else.

Eliina nodded as he reached for the lighter and moved it toward his cigarette. She had no problem with it, in fact she'd been known to smoke her fair share over the years. One didn't have the anxiety she had and manage to avoid cigarettes. She wished she had one herself as his questions continued. "The company I keep..." she repeated back slowly. She didn't choose to keep any company but somehow it found her. There was Justine and the few others at work that she occasionally spoke with but somehow she didn't think that was who he was referring to... "The asshole upstairs?" She finally asked with a sigh to her voice. "He knew him, Lorenzo... The same sort of man. I loathe him and he enjoys that fact."

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-23 01:44 pm UTC (link)
Though hate was a feeling that swam through his veins constantly, Tavin wasn’t risking all his freedom now after the pursuit of revenge. He knew the facts and he knew the reality of the world. One person wasn’t enough. Far from it. And he’d never trust those with power enough to even try to make a difference. So where did that leave him? It left him as a man looking forward, not back. If someone with age and power wanted to take a stab at those fucks, he was all for pointing them in the right direction. But he wasn’t going to get himself tangled up in it. There was always that chance of failure and fuck if he was willing to risk it for himself or for Jerzy.

It was a very all them and no one else sort of fucking attitude but that sort of thinking was needed to survive in life. Looking out for people he didn’t even know wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He had enough trouble keeping Jerzy and him above water half the time.

“So did the fucks that took us in the first place.” Tavin remarked with a shrug of his shoulders that spoke that none of it really fucking mattered anymore. People had gone after them, people had failed, people had died, and they somehow were still moving. He knew that the whole…people trying aspect of things wasn’t really over though. It faded off for a time, started back up, and faded again. But never did he fool himself into thinking it was over. He knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Not for any of them. Alive was what they had to go with. Alive enough at least.

Tavin lit the cigarette up and tossed both the pack and the lighter onto the table with a dull thud as it hit. If she wanted she could take and if not they were out in the open for when he moved onto his second. Which likely wouldn’t be long. Once he started he tended to not stop, chain smoking away that anxiety that made his flesh crawl. Right now that feeling was amplified, yet somehow he managed to keep his leg from bouncing and the fingers of his free hand from tapping. Still. Calm. Rarely was it ever so easy to keep when the moon was near.

A subtle nod was given as she repeated the words. The company she kept. Some of what he knew he didn’t deem a threat, certain ties that he’d dismissed and pushed aside. But others…others couldn’t be so easily discarded as though they meant nothing. Whether they were a choice or not he didn’t know and really, didn’t’ care. All he knew is that they were there. And there meant they were a threat. There meant he was keeping Jerzy the hell away.

“You loath him yet ties remain all the same. By choice or not, doesn’t really change anything does it? All I know is what I see and what I see means Jerzy is staying the hell away.” That asshole wasn’t getting near to his brother. And Tavin was not going to give him any fucking motivation to come sniffing around. Eliina better work to do the same. Only other option was straight killing him. Not impossible, but risky. One that seemed worth it at the moment but Tavin wasn’t going to be quick to jump to that choice.

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-23 04:21 pm UTC (link)
It could be said that Eliina had killed two birds with one stone... freedom and revenge all in one fell swoop. Granted there were all too many others that deserved punishment for the sort of thing they did on a daily basis, but at least Lorenzo had met his end in a painful manner. She had dirtied her own hands completely in the process and rarely a day went by that she wasn't reminded of that fact.

There were just too many others that needed to see the same sort of fate. And Anthony... for all her hatred of him had left that offer on the table. Not that she believed it would ever play out as advertised. She could never trust a man like him. Not that she truly trusted any.

Eliina eyed the pack of cigarettes that were tossed onto the table. She resisted for a moment before giving in entirely. For most of her life she hadn't truly cared whether it was bad for her health or not. And now? She still didn't particularly care. There were worse things for her health that she dealt with daily. Her fingers stumbled slightly as she slid a cigarette free and quickly lit it up. Everything returned she pulled her attention back to her brother.

Eliina looked over at Taavi, her eyes flashing with a mixture of surprise and... maybe it was anger, the emotion was hard to place even as strong as it was. "Do you think I want any of it? No, I did things I never wanted to do to be free the first time and now he's here reminding me of how..." Eliina could feel the muscles bunching in her shoulder with tension, bristling up like a cat. She paused knowing that it was unfair to direct any of her rage at the situation on her brother. "I'm sorry..." She finally began again moments later after she'd found some semblance of control. "I... you're right." And he was, as much as she wanted to see Jerzy, the last thing she would want would be to bring more trouble upon any of them.

The cigarette that she'd taken from the offered pack, shook slightly as it was held between her two fingers. She took a long drag from the stick before pushing up to her feet. She moved quickly over to where she had left her purse. Settling back down she reached inside to where her wallet was kept. "I don't know your situation and don't be a man and be insulted by this..." She began looking up from her purse toward. "But if I can't be there and... I want to do something." Money was something Eliina didn't want for and didn't care about regardless. It didn't make life better, it made it easier sometimes but that was all relative. It was just simply needed for somethings. She pulled a few crisp bills from the leather wallet and slid them across the coffee table. "I... I'll do what I can when it comes to Anthony. I'm trying to pass him off to another partner at work but I doubt that will have much effect on him." Short of death, more likely her own she wasn't entirely sure what would. She knew that she pushed his tolerance as it was...

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-23 04:40 pm UTC (link)
People of power were rarely to be trusted. This Tavin had learned long ago and held to this day. But in life sometimes you had to test limits and work with those you rather not in order to get somewhere. Tavin managed to work out a decent deal for himself here in Seattle and though the city was getting a bit too hot for his liking, he wasn’t in the biggest hurry to leave it. The supplier knew Tavin did the best work, he knew to keep things amicable between them. So far things had run smoothly. Or smooth enough. That was all Tavin really could ask for in a job like his.

There were risks in a job like his but the people Tavin had to deal with were generally easy to handle should a problem arise. Druggies. Dealers. He could take care of them. The people she was working with…not quiet the same story. Of course he had enough ties to the darker side of life to get problems like those taken care of. Trouble was that you owed someone then. And Tavin never let himself get into that position. He knew better. Was a good way to end up where he’d been years ago. Nothing but a fucking slave.

Tavin had his guess she’d go for the cigarette. By the topic on hand it seemed like she certainly needed it. Not that he could blame her for the anger, she had rights to it. He knew the words were harsh and hell he wouldn’t even blame her if she called him an asshole for it. By a dick move or not, he was doing it. Like hell he was going to let some prick vampire decide to fuck with his brother to get to her. Oh hell no. She could keep that problem all to herself. Harsh but true. That was fucking life for you.

“Funny, don’t recall saying you wanted a damned bit of it. I’m positive you don’t.” he shrugged his shoulders a bit, not indifferent to the struggle but more indifferent to her want to argue it for that second. If Jerzy knew he’d want to see her. If he was given choice he’d choose to take the risk. Tavin knew this. But that was why he had to make the choices for him sometimes. “Shitty deal in all this I know, but kid doesn’t need more crap brought down on him because of the people around him.” Tavin’s life was fucking hard enough for him. Someone else with trouble following them…they wouldn’t be “keeping off the radar” then.

A brow arched when she started moving. He knew the gesture. The hand out. He had to roll his eyes. Money, if that was the solution to everything then Jerzy and him would be living the good life. Fucking peachy keen with no damned worries hanging over their head. But her life alone was proof that money really didn’t mean shit in the end. “Has nothing to do with being a man.” Tavin retorted, eyeing the cash. It was what he could make in a few hours if he tried. “Cash isn’t a worry for us. I do just fine.” Jerzy had funds to blow on whatever the fuck it was he wanted. A good dealer made bank if they knew what they were doing. Tavin did. He’d been at it for a long time now.

“What you can do is take that cash it put it towards taking care of your own ass. Picture perfect rooms and pretty dresses don’t mean anything. We don’t need the shell of our sister when all this crap is done. We need the real deal.” And it looked like she needed the same damned thing. Even if truly, none of them had any real idea who the hell they were when it came down to it.

Tavin shook his head, leaning his body forward to rest elbows to the knees and the cig trapped between his lips even as he spoke. “That’s no solution. We both know that. I’ll see what I can do.” What he could without putting his own ass and his brothers on the line.

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-23 06:17 pm UTC (link)
It was always a game of fire, playing with those that could easily hold your life in their hands. Unfortunately for Eliina, as a human, that was all too frequently the case. She was at a distinct advantage. Likely what had kept her in such good graces with much of the world she was attached ot was the skill she completed her job and the protection of the firm. Reason number one why she just hadn't cut her losses and run. Piss off the wrong people and they could find you just about anywhere if they so desired. Eliina didn't know that she had the strength or the ability to spend a life on the move as they had.

And as much as Eliina wanted to rail against him for his harsh words.... she knew that was the very reason that he was still here today sitting across from her. Without that certain amount of ruthlessness he'd have been dead long ago. Didn't mean she cared for it... but she understood why it was necessary. Most things in her life had been done out of pure necessity, rarely because she cared for it. Maybe someday that would change but Eliina wasn't betting on it.

Eliina's lips were pressed firmly together, all her displeasure distilled down to that one physical gesture. "I'm well aware that you're right." she said sharply before bringing the cigarette to her lips once again. As if it would actually help, at the very least it gave her hands something to do. "I don't care for it though. It's not exactly easy knowing that he's near and yet that's as close as I can get." And perhaps she was even more angry at herself for having those situations present in her life. Taking in a deep breath she forced the tight line of her lips to relax. "Are you going to tell him that I'm alive?" She didn't expect him to but the question was asked regardless.

Eliina wasn't slow enough to have missed the roll of his eyes as her money was pulled out. "All too often it does. Too many men don't appreciate help and especially from a woman." Eliina remarked simply as she left the money on the table. She knew all too well that it couldn't solve problems for them but if money was scarce it could help. It was the only thing she felt she could do at the moment and more than anything she felt the need to do something. She blinked looking at the bills that were still on the table and then back up at Taavi. "And what do you do?" She asked, no particular judgment in her voice. She was rather certain that whatever it was it wasn't on the up and up. But nearly every single one of her clients made their livings in less than reputable ways. Some would say she did the same.

"And what pray tell am I going to buy that's going to fix anything?" She asked not touching the money yet. If there was something she could purchase that would somehow fill in all those parts of her that were hollow after all these years she would have done so ages ago. The expensive crystal glass that had held her drink was picked up and examined briefly. "This..." She looked at it before it was carelessly flung behind her toward the wall, shattering against the wall. "Means nothing to me. All I ever wanted was to find you two." And now that she had it felt like she hadn't at all. Eliina's body folded forward, her elbows coming to rest on her bent knees. "And I don't know what to do to make it so that any of this can be any different."

Her head pulled up sharply. "And what can you do? Taavi..." His name was the only word that she let all the worry of what that statement could mean, settle in.

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-23 10:07 pm UTC (link)
It wasn’t easy to be human in a world filled with supernaturals. It wasn’t easy to be human tied to so many of them. This Tavin could understand all too well. But that didn’t mean that it was fucking impossible to find ways out of it. The fact that her own “owner” was dead now, was sign enough that things could change. What came into question was just what you were willing to do in order to get that change. What were the worst fucking evils? The worst choices? Hell if he could really answer that question. He never could until he was there. Until he was thrown into the shit and he had to find that way out. It had happened more then once in his life. He knew it would happen again. That’s just how the world worked. At least for them.

It wasn’t an easy life to run. To avoid all possible ties to people. Nothing about any of this was easy. But for Tavin he rather take the life of running over the life of staying put and having people over his shoulder still. That he couldn’t take again. That’s why he had to be so damned careful. Why he had to be so harsh and keep everyone at such a distance. It wasn’t easy to sit there and look at her so torn. There was a part of him that wanted to care for her like he had long ago. But look how well he did in that? To help her put Jerzy at risk. A fucking balancing act that he knew he was going to end up losing all over again if he tried.

Where that left him was fucked.

“Never claimed it would be. It’s going to be a bitch for everyone involved. But I do what I gotta do to keep that kid safe.” And the way he said it, showed he didn’t like it. That the words stung him in a way to even utter to her. He was supposed to be doing the same for her too. But he couldn’t take back the statement. He couldn’t turn it all around and go you know what it doesn’t matter what asshole, hard up on trying to think he’s big by fucking with people weaker, you got around you. The fact of the matter was it did matter. It mattered enough to keep the family broken up over. Her words weren’t answered right away. A long drag was taken from his cigarette as he looked over at her. “I don’t know.” He could at least be honest about that much. It was probably better to not. It wasn’t like the kid even really remembered her anyways right? Yeah, that didn’t make him feel any better.

“I take help from people I trust when I needed it. Now is not one of those times.” He could pass the cash onto Jerzy for him to grab some new games or some shit but it didn’t seem all that important right now. It wasn’t the money really, more the fact that taking it would prove that’s all there really was. Nothing else she could do or give right now. And that was too fucked up to really accept for Tavin. He rather leave it be and have it look like some male ego. “Work that doesn’t require questions.” Was all the answer she was getting. He didn’t talk about his work. He did what he did, he did it well. He didn’t get caught. All that mattered.

“Muscle. Bribes. Money sways the world; find someone to fucking sway to help get a certain fanged fuck off your ass.” Save up enough and you could higher someone old and strong to watch your door. “Spend it towards some wards, some magical aids. Bust your ass to protect it rather then wasting it away on fucking appearances and wishing reality away. Got something to work towards now.” If she wanted to see it that way. Or she could keep downing her drinks and hating in silence. Whatever worked.

“Those fucks work on making you feel like you cant do shit. Prove them wrong. Don’t let yourself be such an easy target.” Start putting some threat to them and they find easier damned toys. “That’s what you can do.” The words then were lighter, softer maybe eve. Fuck he hated it when they called him Taavi. Made it harder to stay so numb. “I know some people. I’ll see what I can do.” Without saying too much or getting his hands dirty. That was all he could really offer right now. Even if he wanted offer a hell of a lot more.

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-24 01:13 am UTC (link)
She'd been young, just a child the last time they had been together as a family. That didn't mean she had no memories of that time though. They were few and far between, but those she had she cherished all the more because of their rarity. All of those memories had been of Taavi though, walking with them, taking them places, watching out for them in the ways that their parents likely should have been... but all too rarely found the time to do so. She'd never once, not in her youth and not in her adult years, blamed Taavi for what had happened. No eight year old could prevent what had happened. It had never been his burden to bear. Horrible but so far from his fault.

That said, she didn't expect anyone to take care of her now. Didn't expect it but maybe some deep seeded part of her hoped that someday she'd have that sense of security with another that she'd had with her brother once up on a time. She tried to dismiss it as foolish and living the life she'd had... it was a ridiculous notion. But hearing it from her brother, the words spoken so clearly. Jerzy was to be protected and she was on her own... still hurt. Only a small flash of pain swept across her pale eyes before it was hidden away,s he'd become skilled at hiding her pain over the years. Her head raised and the cold face she was so well known for wearing was back in place. "I understand. I wouldn't want Anthony near either one of you. The decision is up to you..." she finished with the shrug of one shoulder.... as if the words were carelessly said. That couldn't be farther from the truth.

The money remained on the table glaring back at Eliina as he still refused to take it. She knew there was no convincing him to take it and with slow wooden movements she finally reached forward and gathered it back up, returning it to her pocketbook. "If that time ever comes..." she left the offer on the table, rather certain that such a time would never come. Her brow arched upwards as she looked up from her purse, setting it aside. "So you get to know whatever you'd like about my life and I can wake up tomorrow and wonder if this was just some alcohol induced hallucination with how little I know about yours?" She wanted something, anything to prove to herself that this was true and real.

Eliina's home wasn't without some magical protection, she hadn't lived with Lorenzo as long as she'd had without picking up some tricks. Anthony wouldn't find it easy to wander his way into her condo. It was that he found so many other ways to goad her out and she would never remain in her condo, trapped by the safety it might provide, but trapped nevertheless. But it wasn't the words on aides and wards that caught her attention, that she knew. It was... everything else. Words that hurt to hear, that he was so easily able to see how she hid from the reality of her life, even worse the suggestions she'd never thought of such as actually hiring someone that had always just reminded her too much of Lorenzo and his own guards. She'd hated them lurking around. But the merit to having them really did glare her right in the face.

Worst though was that she was such an easy target. She was. She knew it. That particular revelation showed loud and clear on her face. Part of her wanted to balk and insist that she wasn't, that she was doing everything she possibly could. But deep in her heart she knew she wasn't. Instead all Eliina was able to do was nod her head silently. Swallowing down his words heavily.

"Don't do anything that could you hurt or arrested." She finally said. That he'd let either of those happen regardless she doubted, but she needed to say the words either way.

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-24 01:06 pm UTC (link)
Tavin’s memories of the past were all too clear at times. He could remember the way his siblings used to look to him for protection. He remembered the fights and that need to get out of the house. The screams, the crash of objects, the sniffles from the younger kids. He remembered…and at times he thought Jerzy had it easier by barely remembering at all. But no matter how young he had been or how unfair all that weight placed upon him was, Tavin felt guilt for what happened. He felt at fault. Nothing could truly detour him from that, no matter how logic spoke against the emotions. He knew how asinine it was to think someone that young should be able to protect people. He knew that if it were any other kid or any other person he’d tell them it wasn’t their fucking fault. But it was different for him. It just…was.

Fucked as that was. He couldn’t get over the feeling. He couldn’t forgive himself even if they held no guilt against him.

And how deep that guilt burrowed into him when he spoke those words. They were harsh, a strike against the senses and yet he knew he had to say them. He had to protect the one he was able to do something for. That didn’t make him feel any less sick about the words. And it didn’t hide that look upon his features that was so rarely seen. By anyone. It wasn’t a choice he wanted to make and if he felt there was somewhere safe to send Jerzy he’d do so in order to help her. But the fact of the matter was, that there wasn’t. And trying to help her, getting his nose into that, would be dragging Jerzy into it too. So he only nodded, that was the most he could manage right now. Talk about feeling like an asshole.

Tavin had to sigh when she questioned him. It wasn’t him that was in question, if he was tied to the fucks of her past…well he wouldn’t have to be so damned secretive now would he? Since she already knew that assholes like that were around. “I’ve already told you more then most ever get to know. But want something personal as proof? Fine. Ask, so long as it doesn’t tie to the kid.” If it was really his job she wanted to know, she could ask again. But his job was hardly some important piece to the puzzle. Nothing but background, a means to get money and survive. The testing…that past…the only other that knew about it was Jerzy. Not even Jade was privy to why he was so fucking paranoid. She thought it the job, it was an easy out. A good cover for all the ways he was.

Protection to the home wasn’t enough. Protection to her office wasn’t enough. It was protection to her that counted. No one could stay one place forever and the second she stepped outside of that door she was just another vulnerable human that was an easy target. Wards and charms to ones own person were risky, of course they were, and you had to hope that the fuck creating the trinkets wasn’t a real dick. But in Tavin’s opinion it looked like the risk was worth it. Better a backfiring charm that you can take off then some fucking old ass vamp thinking your head is there personal damned playground.

“Can’t do anything about weaknesses if you don’t face the fact that they are there.” Tavin knew that look, that want to fucking argue the plain and simple truth. She was an easy target. Like it. Hate it. It didn’t fucking matter. That was the truth. It wasn’t one he liked. It was one he wanted fucking changed. But until she was willing to do what was needed he couldn’t do crap for her. Guards, no matter how damned annoying. Wards, no matter the ill affects. “I’ll be fine, I know who to go to by now. And who to not.” Some charged for an ask. Others gave up the info and only charged if you took them up on it.

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[info]mens_rea
2008-07-25 01:24 pm UTC (link)
It was always easier to dismiss feelings when they weren't your own. So much simpler to say in the abstract that no boy of eight years should be held responsible for the fate of an entire family. It made no logical sense and as an outsider that was simple to see... but hold that responsibility yourself and it was another story entirely. Eliina herself harbored not an ounce of blame to Taavi for what had happened. To the contrary she could only thank him for the scant memories she had of him helping out their situation. Taking them away when the yelling got to loud and scary for small ears... how could she do anything but thank him for helping when he could.

It was just like the guilt she held for living a life of relative luxury, at least monetarily, when she had no idea what sort of life her brothers were leading, if they'd even been leading a life. There was nothing at the time that Eliina could have done, considering her own lack of freedom but that didn't stop the feeling from existing.

As much as the words hurt her, she wasn't entirely blind to the fact that he didn't wish to be speaking them either. It didn't change the fact that they had to be said however. She was a walking trap for them. People watching her who would probably like nothing more than to use new found brothers as bargaining chips in some sick little game. Maybe, Maybe not... but either way she didn't want to find out.

Eliina regretted the way she'd phrased her question. She often did that though, in the heat of a moment. In the courtroom it typically served her fine, just gave her a hard edge that got her results. Here and now though... it didn't help. "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to phrase it as some search for proof. It's just... you're here and I didn't want that to be all." Eliina finally admitted, her fingers nervously ashing the cigarette into a nearby glass leftover from before she left for the evening. She did however drop the line of questions and instead went a different route. "Our parents? Have you ever heard anything of them?" Eliina never had but then again she'd never looked as hard for them as she had her brothers.

There was more than enough to think about when it came to protection and it was very likely that her weekend would be spent working on those details rather than just burying herself in work and a good bottle of wine. His words had at least managed to sink in that much. For all her years of life and apparent self-sufficiency she had little experience in truly living her own life. She knew what she didn't want to do ever again but didn't necessarily know how to go about preventing that. A painful work in progress.

Eliina leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. "Will I get to see you again?"

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-07-25 01:57 pm UTC (link)
Tavin did all that was in his power to do at such a young age. Or at the least it had seemed like it at the time. Maybe if he had tried to find others to help things would be different right now. But the maybes didn’t matter, they were here. Their parents, that life, helped to bring them all to this damned point. He felt guilt. He felt anger. He felt it all but rarely let it show. There was no point to it, if anything it would only serve to distract him and he couldn’t afford that.

Thinking backwards wasn’t going to help him in moving forward. It was what he always told Jerzy and it was what he tried to live by. Sometimes it was easier then others. Now wasn’t one of those moments. Right now he couldn’t help but think back. To remember the times before all this shit. To remember them before a new brand of hell found them. Made the screaming and fights seem like paradise.

Like long ago he didn’t want to hurt her, but he knew that there was no avoiding it in this. It wasn’t as easy as just being some loving family again. It wasn’t a situation where open arms would cure all troubles. It would be nice if that were the case, but life wasn’t that easy. And as much as he hated it he was brought before the decision of Eliina or Jerzy. Which one to protect. Which one to help. It was too screwed up for words yet was the reality all the damned same. Right now he had to pick Jerzy. The kid was all he’d had for years now and he couldn’t do anything that would put him at risk.

“Don’t know what it is your really wanting to hear or know.” There wasn’t anything exciting to talk about. No happy joyous memory to share with the world. They moved. They ran. They survived. Was all there really was to it. Of course there was more, all the crap beneath, but he wasn’t exactly looking for a show and tell today. He didn’t talk to Jerzy even about the details. Some things were better left unsaid.

A brow arched at her questioning and Tavin could only shake his head “Can’t say I really tried to keep up on them.” He had no desire to ever see them again; they’d been dead to him for a long while now. And his best guess? They likely were dead. Not like they’d lived any sort of life that had longevity. Had they ever looked for them? Tavin didn’t know. “All I know is they didn’t file anything on us up and disappearing on them.” Fuckers. Probably were happy the day they up and disappeared. Or shit, maybe got paid by those that took them.

The words sinking in was about all Tavin could ask for in this situation. He couldn’t get her out of the hole she was in but he could damned well at least offer some advise to keep it from getting any deeper. If there was more he could do, he would, without question. But even asking around was gunna bring some eyes his way and that alone was to be avoided. He had to take some careful steps in this. Which is why her question made him pause slightly. He knew he should brush it off, say most likely not. Instead in a slow exhale of smoke he gave the simple response of “Yeah.”

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[info]liar_for_hire
2008-08-07 10:03 pm UTC (link)
It wasn't easy to walk away from her. To turn around and go back the way he'd come. There was that part of him that wanted to turn back around and say fuck it all and tell her to follow him. To introduce her to Jerzy. But as much as he wanted to pretend the risks didn't matter...they did. They always fucking did. And he couldn't do anything that would put that kid at risk. For right now, she was a risk.

She’d see him again. When? He couldn’t give her an answer to that. He didn’t know how long it would take to find some information. He didn’t know what it would take to take away some of the threats from her life. But he knew she’d see him….that much he could give her. It wasn’t much. In a way it seemed like nearly nothing. But both seemed aware of the risks…and how right now it there were too many. Right now an attempt to just be around each other again could go badly. It could go in a way that lead them right back to where they had been long ago.

Neither wanted that.

Tavin snubbed his cigarette out and downed the rest of the liquor in his glass. He needed something a hell of a lot stronger. Something that would help burn away that guilt that gnawed at his insides.

"I'll be in touch." it seemed so fucking hollow. Such vacant words to speak to her. He knew he should say more. But Tavin always kept that distance, that space between just in case. Letting anyone in was a rarity...but she wasn't just anyone. She was family. Family he remembered. Family he was supposed to protect. But it was obvious that a task like that was a bit more then Tavin had ever been able to handle.

He did look back, something that was nearly unheard of with Tavin. A brief delay at the door, glancing at her for that second of hesitation. He felt like he should say more. As though he should promise that it would be alright or that things would be different soon. But comforting words weren’t Tavin’s forte.

So instead he forced himself to look away. To walk out the door. He had a few people to go see for her. He couldn’t protect her…but he could sure as hell attempt to help her as much as possible.

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