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Aug. 22nd, 2020 at 10:14 AM
ZELDA & ISTVAN BLAKE
discussing their plans while in Seven Devils
discussing their plans while in Seven Devils
August, late evening | Blake residence | PG
Admittedly, her day had been side-tracked after running into a familiar face in the form of the Unseelie Fae who once protected Kálmán from her family. After the unexpected reunion with Teodora, Zee had forgotten to buy half of what was needed - her mind wandering off at just how much Kál resembled the Fae. Which made her wonder how much residual magic he still held.
Returning home from her errands, Zelda set the multiple bags down in the foyer and paused to listen. She could hear music coming from somewhere downstairs, but assumed Istvan had gotten everything set up in the living room. Bending down she snagged the bottle of red wine she’d bought at the liquor store and wiggled her black fingers in the air to call two glasses from the kitchen into her grasp.
All she had to do was follow the music to her vibrantly energetic husband who was indeed, in their new living room. Zelda set down the wine and glasses carefully on the table within reach and stood in the door frame. Crossing her arms under her chest she leaned and smiled softly, fondly, as she watched him in silence as long as she could manage.
Istvan had changed gears today, streaming big band hits from the 40’s & 50’s through his phone as he put the finishing touches on the living room. It was mostly unpacked, a few various things still needing to be placed or located, but it was looking more and more like a room people could relax in. The move had been quickly put together, and he was sure he’d still be finding things in boxes a month from now. That being said, he was still very pleased with his progress.
He’d been doing his own sort of one-sided dance to In The Mood, and had just turned on his heel to face the door, and noticed Zelda standing there. His face broke into a broad smile as he locked eyes with her. “Ah, mi corazon,” he called out to her, spinning toward the door to close the distance between them. “You look beautiful, as always. And you brought wine, excellent! Did you come for a dance, or just to see me acting silly?”
When he turned and smiled, Zelda quirked the faintest of brows as she watched him gravitate toward her. He was far too good of a dancer for her, a natural in every sense of the word, and she was much too rigid half the time. Still, somehow, they managed to find a balance. A humble blush graced Zee's pale cheeks at the pet name. Her hand reached up to brush a stray lock of his dark hair back into place. "Can it be both?" she asked with amusement in her voice.
It was the fastest move possible, getting to Seven Devils ahead of Yersinia, but one they happened to manage. And nobody had died - so, overall it was a win. There was furniture that needed to be added, but she had an appointment with Winter to help move that along. And it saved them all the headaches and fights that came with trying to put together anything from IKEA.
Zelda couldn't help but finally glance around the room for a moment; impressed with how much work he'd done in just a few short hours. "It looks wonderful, my love," she told him with a more grateful smile, one arm slinking innocently around his shoulders while her free hand that had previously fixed his hair, slid into his own hand. "So much better than before. Perhaps you can pick up interior decorating as a side job while we're here," Zee teased gently.
“I mean, I’d expect nothing less,” Istvan answered, laughing joyously. Zee was the love of his life, and he was thankful every day they’d managed to find a way to make it work. Even if sometimes they had to shake things up, relocate, and try to set up a new life somewhere else, that was fine. They were adaptable, they’d done it before, they could do it again.
He wound one arm around Zee’s waist, linking his fingers with hers. He was pleased that she liked it, but he couldn’t deny he was happy that it was basically done. “I’m glad it passes muster,” he teased, swaying them slightly in place. “Although I can’t say I’d be the best interior decorator. I’d try to mesh too many styles until the room is chaos.” He led them in a slow turn, humming thoughtfully. “I do want to check the wards again,” he continued, some of the levity leaving his voice. “Just to make sure everything’s covered.”
"Mm, I think you could make chaos decorating a thing," she mused faintly with a small chuckle. Eclectic chic was good, if done right, and their living room was well on its way to becoming just that. And she loved it. His melodic humming was almost like a soothing spell and Zelda allowed herself a moment to get swept off her feet, figuratively of course, as they danced.
Closing her eyes she let her cheek rest against his briefly before she noticed the drop in his voice. Leaning her head back a little to catch his gaze, Zee let her fingers comb soothingly through the back of his hair. "Van," she chided softly, knowingly that he was being a worrywart. "You've gone over them twice already," Zelda reminded him. As far as she knew that was the total so far. "Between the three of us we'll be fine, even when Yersinia shows up."
His worrying wasn’t without good cause, however. The majority of her family was brutally barbaric; even on a good day. Zee felt fortunate to have kept both Istvan, and their son, safe over the years. Though, he was more than capable of holding his own against her sisters. And Kál… he was likely more powerful than they realized. “How about we focus on what it is we’re going to do in the meantime? We might as well try to make some contribution to society, we are far past any opportunity to be stay-at-home parents.”
“I know, I know,” he sighed, leaning his forehead briefly against her shoulder. “It’s just, and you know I’m not saying this to be an asshole. I worry about your sister catching us unprepared. Especially since Kál is here, I know he’s a grown man, but I’ll never stop worrying about him, or wanting to make sure he’s safe.”
“You’re right, of course you are,” he agreed, bringing his smile back, because if he couldn’t summon it for her, he was really out of sorts. “I want to get out and explore the town, see what there is to see. I don’t have much in the way of ‘conventional skills’, but there has to be something I could do. Maybe see if the hospital hires performers for the children’s ward, or something.”
Zee smirked faintly at his consideration - she never would accuse him of being an asshole. (Even if he made an honest effort to try and be one.) Yersinia was, at best, unhinged and unpredictable. His wards would likely only hold so long once she was in town, but all they needed was an initial advantage should she show up ready to fight. “I can bargain for protection for Kál should anything happen to us,” she offered - not necessarily meaning demonic outlets. She had Teodora in mind, once again.
Her expression softened again with his idea. It really would be a perfect job for him, and part of her regretted not having more children when they had the chance. But in her defense - how was she to know that Istvan would be such a fantastic father? Whether it was the music or just her husband’s lighthearted essence influencing her, Zelda took a step back and held his hand at arm’s length before slowly spinning back into his arms - her back to him. “If that proves fruitless I noticed an old theater in town,” she commented, turning her head to the side to watch his expression as the words settled in.
Istvan sighed quietly, letting out a long exhale. “Let’s hope it never comes to that,” he answered, looking about as serious as he was capable of being. “If it comes to that, though, I’m glad to know he’ll be safe. I’m not so concerned with myself, but if anything happened to him, or you...I couldn’t bear it.” He lifted their linked hands, placing a gentle kiss on the back of Zee’s.
His dark eyes watched her adoringly as she spun herself into his arms, encircling her gently as they swayed to the music. His face lit up as she mentioned the theatre, because if he had a second home, it was on a stage. Performing, making people laugh and gasp and ask how he did it, that was one of his favorite things to do. “I wonder if I could get in touch with whoever manages it,” he mused, already planning how he might pitch the idea of letting him perform.
And Zelda believed every word of Istvan’s, regardless of the solemn expression or not. Although she put appearances that things rarely bothered her, the idea of losing either of them would be her undoing. It was a fact she struggled with, growing up in the family that she did and striving for independence and… falling for Istvan had been a complete surprise. A good one, but a surprise nonetheless and one she fought at first. Watching as he kissed the back of her hand she smiled warmly. “Don’t worry about me,” she reassured him, opting to leave out the reminder of the demonic ties within her family, and her own contract. It had yet to happen, thankfully, but Zelda suspected should she ever come close to Death’s door prematurely.. Paimon would intervene. A subject she dodged artfully by instead bringing up; “Worry about the fact that Kál will be graduating in two years and probably won’t want to continue living at home.”
Her husband’s expression didn’t disappoint, causing her to let out a faint laugh as they moved idly to the music still playing. “It looked a little rundown,” she added in afterthought. They could work their magic and give it the TLC it needed. “Maybe we could buy it off them?” Money was never an issue, between the both of them - though Istvan earned his through hard work, Zee sort of just inherited hers. “You could have your shows, maybe screen some old movies every so often..” she trailed off, knowing that his thoughts had probably already soard through said ideas. He was far more creative than she could ever be, and while they both had a passion for the stage, Zee had been relatively okay with (mostly) stepping down once they had their son.
“Don’t worry about me, she says,” Istvan teased gently. “You know that’s one of my jobs, love. I know you can handle yourself, trust me, I do. It’s just there, like blinking.” He sighed dramatically, tipping his head back as she mentioned Kál’s all-too-soon graduation status. “Maybe we can bribe him to live at home,” he joked. “In all seriousness, I do want him to go out and live his own life, settle down if he wants, see the world and all the crazy, beautiful things it has to offer. I just wish it didn’t seem to be coming up so soon.”
“See, this is why I married you,” Istvan answered, grinning. “For that big, beautiful brain. I’d thought about maybe owning my own theatre when I was first starting out, but when you’re 21, that kind of money is a dream you never think you’ll achieve. But now that I’ve had 18 years to save...I’d love to see if I could restore it and make it shine again. Do some movie nights, like you said, maybe a family event on some weekends.” He tilted his head, lips pursed as he thought. “We’d just have to find out who manages it, or if the bank holds it. I need to see some numbers, and we need to talk about it before any decisions are made.”
She pursed her lips and made a face at his teasing before her expression softened once more. In actuality, she didn’t much mind him worrying - he was one of very few people who truly cared. Still, she knew her fate, her contract - and she hated the idea of what it’d likely do to him. With a laugh, she reached one hand up so she could trail her fingers against his jaw. “We’re lucky we’ve kept him a homebody this long,” she pointed out. Zee tended to remain calm about it all, on the outside, but internally she was screaming and panicking at the thought of Kal wandering off on his own - open to supernatural forces.
“And here I thought it was because of the fishnet stockings,” she grinned, teasing him in return. Hearing him talk about how he’d wanted his own theater -a dream you never think you’ll achieve- well, now they simply had to have it. They had moved around enough in the last few years - she wouldn’t mind settling down for a more prolonged time. The nexus could end up benefiting them, and hiding from unwanted attention, after all. “Darling we’re talking about it right now,” Zee insisted, her other hand resting against his as he still held her. “Whatever the price. If it’s the bank’s,” she told him, “or if someone is willing to hand it over… buy it.”
“It seems like only yesterday he came up to my knee.” Istvan sighed, remembering how their son had been as a little boy. Kal had given him some flashbacks to his own youth, and now he fully understood why his father looked like he was going to have a heart attack sometimes. “And I know you’re right, most children would be keen to fly the coop when they’re 18. I’ve just gotten so used to having him around. I know he’ll do wonderfully when he does strike out on his own, but he’ll always be my niño.”
“Oh don’t get me wrong, the first time I saw you in those stockings, I think my heart stopped for a minute,” Istvan admitted, his eyes dancing with mischief. “You know how the performing circuit is, so many men hanging around backstage in a tiny greenroom. And then there you were, ready to prove that you were just as good, if not better, than anyone there.” He stepped back from the close embrace, though still keeping hold of her hands. “Zee...this could be amazing for us,” he mused. “If you wanted to perform again, you could, and we could have a little extra income coming in. And I could get my show up and running again. I’ll have to check the accounts, but tomorrow, I’m going down to city hall to ask about ownership. Do you want to come with me?”
Niño - she hadn’t heard him call Kal that in a long time. It was a beautiful trigger of some of her happiest and most safeguarded memories. Zelda gave Istvan a little ‘aww’ and tapped the tip of his nose lightly. “We’re going to spend the rest of the night going through old photos aren’t we?” she laughed softly - more than willing to do just that. But curled up in bed, with wine, obviously.
Zee could feel her cheeks warm briefly because she knew that even when they were young and foolish, for him it had been more than a fling or phase. And for her, it was another reminder of how he was far too good for her. Even now. “I could never be as good as you, my love,” she insisted with a shake of her head, “not in a million years.” And it was true - with illusion, Istvan could dance backward circles around her blindfolded on a unicycle. And his wards were nothing to be nonchalant about. Zelda, on the other hand, had magical strengths elsewhere. When he stepped back she ended up doing a half-twirl so she was facing him but still holding his hands. Seeing the enthusiasm on his face made her grin faintly. “Uh-oh.. I’ve created a monster,” she joked teasingly. Although, the idea of performing again - and honestly even just having the option, sounded so good at the moment. Furthermore, she wanted to see his show start up again. He was far too good a performer to not be on stage. “I would love to go,” she smiled briefly before letting go of one hand - her finger softly pressing to his chest. “But you’re doing all the talking.” He was far better at it, and persuasive. “My involvement will purely be for emotional support, deal?”
“We certainly are,” Istvan agreed. “I put the albums on one of the shelves over there, you know how sentimental I can get sometimes. Especially his 16th birthday. You remember. Where I had a little too much wine and started getting weepy that our son was going to grow up too quickly and leave us. If you give me wine again, I’ll reenact that scene.” He laughed quietly, glancing over to the shelf that held some of their family photographs. When he thought about it, he really was blessed. His life could have turned out so differently.
“Oh it’s entirely possible that you have,” he agreed cheerfully. “Because you’ve given me a project, and you know how I am with those. And I don’t know if I’d go that far. Gods know I got a leg up with my background. But I would really, really love to get back on stage again. And if that means pouring time and energy into fixing up the old theatre...well then, that’s what I’ll do. And I’m perfectly OK with that deal. I just like having you with me when I start new things.”
Zee listened carefully to the memory before it clicked, and she laughed along with him. “You were near inconsolable,” she recalled, giggling as she remembered how mortified Kal had been at first. She was sure he wouldn’t get as bad as their son’s birthday. “You know, I think there are pictures of that night, too. You huddled over, holding his baby blanket,” she teased. They were certainly a functional, dysfunctional family. “You’re on,” she told him with a smirk, glancing toward the bottle of wine and glasses she’d set down on the table by the door. “I just need to put groceries away first.”
It was true that Istvan tended to get carried away. When there was a task to focus on, and he was passionate about it, there was no stopping him. It was something that Zelda admired about the man - he poured his heart into everything he did. Her hand smoothed over his chest and she smiled with a surprising amount of warm adoration. “Istvan, my love, you belong on stage more than anyone.” Honestly, if she hadn’t known better from his Abuela, she would have assumed he was born on a stage. “Then you’ll have me,” Zee promised. “And, eventually I’ll find something useful to do.”
Tags: istvan blake, zelda blake
