Callum had made it clear...? For God's sake! Alastor could only shake his head, snorting in exasperation. "You two have your wires crossed. That's for certain." Still, maybe it was more his brother looking for excuses to be miserable. Alastor sighed. "It matters to me. You have brothers. Would you ask someone for assistance helping them if you didn't know if that person truly cared?"
Nodding he considered his idea for a moment. "He did." Once he'd stopped sounding ready to commit suicide. "Amoung other things. I'll be honest. I don't know if I can talk him into staying. Stubborn Arse runs in our family like red hair in yours. But, I'm sure as hell going to try.
"He needs a reason to stay, though. People to stay for. Baron and I aren't enough and he thinks we're better off without him. Whatever miscommunication happened between the two of you...well, it doesn't help." Alastor wasn't sure what had happened. But, he didn't feel right telling all his brother's weakness, either. "No matter what he thinks, he has a life here. Or he could. So, I have two things to start trying to prove it to him.
"First, don't be in a rush to leave this job just yet. He's using your timetable as his goal for leaving and I need you to stay here and buy us a little time.
"Second, it's his birthday this weekend. I think he needs a party. Something small, something quiet. Not at Eros or anything resembling the drinking and escaping he wants to do. And it can't be any of us who are seen to organise it. He'll only think it's me trying to convince him. It needs to be someone else. One of the kids from the Hogwarts camp, maybe."