Caius D'Onofrio (poweroftheeye) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-11-29 21:38:00 |
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Entry tags: | #november 2017, brianna, brianna x caius, caius |
Who: Brianna and Caius
Where: Caius’s home
When: Saturday, morning, November 25
Status: Complete
Brianna had been dealing with a lot this week, but there had always been something in the back of her mind, a task she knew she needed to do. For Caius D’Onofrio, of all people. He needed her grimoire. Whenever she thought about it, it felt like a daze sort of came over her, one she couldn’t put too much thought into. She just promised she would do this for him, and it felt important. It wasn’t until Saturday morning that Brianna finally climbed into her car and headed into town. She hadn’t talked to her mother in quite some time and while it made sense to go to her parents house first to inquire, Brianna found herself driving past her childhood home to the edge of town where her grandparents lived. Or rather, her grandfather. Her grandmother had passed away three years earlier, which had been the last time Brianna had been with her estranged family for more than a few minutes.
Her grandfather had never known much about her family’s bloodline. He didn’t ask questions. He had loved Brianna’s grandmother, and hadn’t had much of a backbone. Whatever Diane Malone had wanted, Frank had given her. Including privacy. As far as Brianna knew, her grandfather hadn’t done much in cleaning out the house. A lot of her grandmother’s things remained and the last time Brianna had come by to check on him, a few months ago, her grandmother’s clothes still hung in the closet.
But Brianna was in search of something else today. She knew if she went to her mother’s house and asked about the grimoire, Nadine would rant and rave and shut the door in Brianna’s face. Even if she had it, she wouldn’t hand it over to Brianna. So Brianna was starting at her grandparents house. It was possible her grandmother had handed it to Brianna’s mother before her death, but… her mother had been so anti-magic that it was hard to imagine Nadine keeping a book of magic in her home.
She spent about an hour with her grandfather, drinking coffee and making small talk. He would probably need to be put into a retirement home soon, though she knew he would protest it. But… that was a discussion for another day. After a second cup of coffee, she kissed his cheek and asked him if she could look around. That there was a book ‘nana’ had promised her that Brianna had forgotten about. Her grandfather seemed confused, but he waved her off, his glasses slipping down his nose as he opened up the newspaper to look it over.
Brianna started in her grandparents bedroom, checking the closet, the boxes under the bed. Old shoes, knick knacks and photographs. The only books she found had been her grandmother’s romance novels. She went into the spare bedroom next. The bed was covered in junk, things Brianna’s mother had probably pulled from the closets and drawers to sell but hadn’t gotten around to it yet, years later. It took Brianna almost an hour to go everything, but there was no book. She was sweaty, dirty and frustrated, close to giving up. But she couldn’t. She had to do this. After sitting in the room to catch her breath for a moment, her gaze lifted to a string hanging from the ceiling in the hallway. The attic. There was something that squeezed in her chest and Brianna slowly got to her feet before walking into the hallway. She was tall but it took her a couple of small jumps to grab the string and pull the door into the attic down. Carefully sliding down the ladder to the floor, Brianna made sure the steps were sturdy before she climbed them. Dust floated about, and it was chilly up there, though it didn’t bother Brianna too much. There were boxes everywhere, labeled Christmas, old clothes, toys…
She began to search, not entirely sure what she was looking for, but feeling like she might just find what she needed. Forty five minutes later she had pulled six heavy boxes from the corner of the attic, but found nothing behind them. Sighing, she moved to put the boxes back but the floorboard beneath her shoes gave away a bit, bouncing as though loose. Brianna looked down and stared for a moment before lowering herself to her knees. She got a splinter, and broke two nails goddammit, but she got the floorboard up, moving it out of the way. Beneath it was weathered looking fabric wrapped around something shaped like a somewhat large book. Her heart was pounding now as she reached in and pulled it out, flicking off a spider that came scurrying from beneath the fabric.
Unwrapping the fabric revealed an incredibly old looking book with a leather cover. There was a simple circle pressed into the leather with what looked like a bird scratched inside the circle. Brianna opened the book gingerly. She could smell the herbs, could feel its magic in her hands. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before and she turned the pages carefully. They were yellowed and old and Brianna was sure they would crumble in her hands at any moment, but they didn’t. Despite the age of the book, it was sturdy, the writing legible and dark against the pages. Some had dried flowers pressed inside along with…small bones, teeth? Some part of her railed against giving this to Caius. It wasn’t right. This was her book. Hers. But he needed it… he’d asked for it. No matter how hard she tried to tell herself she would keep this, the instinct to give it to Caius took over.
A headache was forming in her temple and Brianna closed the book and quickly wrapped it up. She got to her feet and hurried to the ladder to climb out of the attic. It took a few more minutes to say goodbye to her grandfather, but she barely remembered leaving. Her focus was on the grimoire and the growing migraine behind her eyes. Somehow she managed to drive back to Overlook without incident, but instead of driving home, she found herself in Caius’s driveway. She took the book and walked up to his door, hesitating before she rang the bell. She knew she looked dirty and tired, her hair in a sloppy ponytail, but she honestly didn’t care. Brianna knew this was a big deal, for him, and for her. She needed him to understand that the grimoire belonged to her family.
Caius had been keeping as busy as possible, trying his best to keep his mind off of Brianna. Luckily there were plenty of things around the holidays to keep him occupied. Work had its fair share, but Thanksgiving-mandated family time also took a chunk of his attention. Things weren’t exactly relaxed in the D’Onofrio house over turkey and wine, and Caius knew he was to blame for most of that -- his situation, anyway -- so he got fairly drunk and fell asleep on the couch in the den as early as possible. Then it was back to work, and now it was the weekend and he had a date to plan.
He’d been up a while by the time Brianna showed up at his door, but he’d stayed in comfortable clothes -- dark gray and red plaid flannel pants and a clingy black t-shirt, his hair still rumpled from sleeping. Caius had been working on his laptop when the bell rang, and he looked a little puzzled as he got up from the couch and went to answer it. After a quick look through the peephole, he hurried to unlock everything and pull the door open. It was Brianna, and she had a big book in her hands, and suddenly his heart was pounding in his throat. “Brianna,” he said, forcing himself to look up at her face instead of what she was holding. Caius tossed a quick glance at the McCarthy house, and saw that James’s car wasn’t there, that was a good sign.
While Brianna was feeling gritty and exhausted, Caius looked as though he had just rolled out of bed. It was possible he was simply lounging around in his pajamas, but she had the brief thought that he should have been up in that attic getting splinters in his fingers if he had wanted this grimoire so badly. But it didn't matter. Her fingers tightened around the book in her hands as she studied him. "Can I come inside?" James might not have been home, but there were plenty of people on the street who were nosy and could be watching her at this very moment. Brianna understood some of that was pure paranoia, but it wasn't as if her extramarital affairs were a secret, and the last thing she needed was for whispers to start about her visiting Caius D'Onofrio. Of course, she could have parked in her own driveway and walked over...
No matter. She wasn't about to hand him her family's grimoire on the front porch of his house. Not when she had things to say about it.
The temptation was there just to snatch the book out of Brianna’s hands, order her to go home, and slam the door in her face. Caius couldn’t help but glance at it a few times with true hunger in his expression. That was the key to his salvation she was holding protectively, and he was already dying to get his hands on it, in just those few seconds. “Of course,” Caius murmured, stepping back and opening the door wider. Once Brianna was inside, he closed it and turned the deadbolt without thinking. He’d hardly noticed how disheveled Brianna looked, all he wanted was that fucking book and for her to go away so he could try to find how to fix his brain. “Hope it wasn’t too much trouble to find,” he said, though Caius honestly didn’t care either way. All that mattered was that she had it now.
Stepping into the house, Brianna turned toward him, not bothering to respond to his comment. If Caius was anything like his father, a lot of his words were obligatory with very little sincerity behind them. Brianna might not have tapped into her magic until recently, but she had been able to recognize dark magic when she was around it. It didn't radiate off of Caius the way it did with Anthony, but she felt the unease with him standing in front of her now. "This belongs to my family," she told him simply. "It's mine. You need it and you asked for it, and I found it for you. But when you're finished, it comes back to me... every page intact." She then offered it to him, trying to keep her fingers from clenching tightly around it to keep it for herself.
Caius did his best to listen, even though his gaze was much more on the grimoire than Brianna’s face. He could feel the power thrumming through it, before he even put his hands on it. It looked old, sure, but it felt ancient and full of magic that his ambition was so thirsty for. The more the better, and Baron had obviously wielded incredible power. “Yes, of course,” he said, the words coming out a little rushed and dismissive. “When I’m done, you have my word it will be returned to you.” He didn’t have to damage anything to lift some spells out of a priceless book, if he found something worthwhile in there. Caius took the book from her, an electric buzz moving up his arms as the weight shifted over to him. His dark eyes gleamed as he looked over the cover, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up and some blood rushing into his cock. It was goddamn beautiful, and he just knew that the answer he needed would be in there.
It didn't feel right, watching Caius with her book in his hands. Those were her family's spells, not his. It was an odd sensation, given how she had turned her back on her magic for so long. Brianna considered snatching it back from him and making a run for it, but she resisted. He needed it for a reason, and she had deciphered from talking to Miriam that it probably had to do with the side effect of breaking the curse her family had put on his. If there was a solution in that book, he would find it. There was really no one in her family who could break the spell affecting him, so he would have to do it on his own. "There's no guarantee you'll get your memories of her back," Brianna said abruptly. "But I hope that you do."
Caius had all but forgotten Brianna was still standing there for a few seconds, completely absorbed in holding the book. He’d never actually seen the D’Onofrio family grimoire, though his father had referenced it plenty and promised Caius that he would inherit it someday. Holding a book with all that power in it, Caius almost felt like it was getting hot in his hands. Brianna’s words startled him out of his fascination, and he looked up at her again, a bit of dopey surprise in his expression. She knew? How did she know? The McCarthy daughter was far too young to be friends with Reagan, so that meant it had to come from his mother. Caius’s jaw clenched briefly as he studied Brianna, then he cleared his throat. “Thank you,” he murmured. This one was sincere. “You’re saving my life. Truly. I’m in your debt.” Even if she didn’t know magic, she had to know that was worth something.
She wasn't sure it was quite that dramatic, but Brianna had never lost any of her memories, so she wouldn't dismiss him outright. All she could hope for was that he would find the solution he needed quickly and return the book to her. She would put it in a safe spot in her own home. Maybe James would be impressed that she managed to find it. Reluctant to leave it with Caius, Brianna hesitated for a moment before nodding and reaching for the door to leave. "Good luck," she said. "Take good care of it." She didn't know much about magic, but she had to assume that witches respected the property of other witches... at least their grimoires. Spells in that book dated back to the Point Pleasant Six, no doubt. If he damaged even one page, she was going to have a fit.
Maybe it was dramatic, but it felt like a dramatic situation. Not getting his memories back might not kill him, but it would mean he would keep living this fractured existence, not truly sure of who he was. He was missing so much, getting it back would definitely feel like his life had been saved. Caius appreciated the sentiment, and gave a small nod as he moved to hold the door for her. That burning sensation from holding the grimoire was getting more intense, and Caius was starting to realize that it wasn’t just in his head. He wouldn’t be surprised if he found there were protections on the book itself, they would just be another hurdle to get over. In any case, he didn’t let it show even as it started to hurt, not in front of Brianna. “I will, I’ll be in touch,” he said to her. Then he added, with an extra magical push, “Continue keeping this to yourself.”
Brianna pulled the door open and paused briefly when he asked her to keep this to herself. She hadn't planned on telling anyone anyway, but since Caius was asking her to... well, she didn't want anyone to get angry and interfere, so... yes, she could keep quiet. Brianna nodded, her gaze glancing down at the book once more before she stepped outside. There was the undeniable feeling that it was wrong to leave the grimoire with Caius, but he had asked and ... well, she hadn't been able to say no. James would probably be beside himself if he knew just how difficult it had been for her to say no to another man when she found it extremely easy to deny him, her own husband. Brianna started for her car, feeling off and unsure, but ultimately content in her decision to leave the book behind. It was the least she could do now, if it helped Caius's situation.