Caius D'Onofrio (poweroftheeye) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2019-04-11 11:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | #december 2017, anthony, anthony x caius, caius |
Who: Anthony and Caius
When: Thursday, Dec 14th, evening
Where: Caius’s old house
Status: complete
The Christmas season was ramping up at the marina, the weather was turning more wintry, which brought its own set of problems, Caius had a house to sell, he’d been neck-deep in research that wasn’t going anywhere, and his dreams were haunted by black-hole tunnels lined with the souls of the lost, all endlessly screaming without a sound. In short, there was a lot going on, and a lot of pressure on him. He needed help, and with Reagan’s magic out of commission for now, the only person he really had to turn to was his father. Probably unfortunate, but true. Anthony was more knowledgeable and magically skilled than anyone else Caius knew, however, so maybe it wasn’t so unfortunate.
He’d had some work to do at his house in Overlook, boxing and cleaning, since he was fully moving in with Reagan for sure now. He’d lured Brianna McCarthy there on the pretense of selling it, but that pretense had become a reality. Winter was the worst time to sell a house, especially in this part of the country, but Caius wasn’t in a big hurry. He just wanted the gears turning. It was still his for now, and he chose there to meet with Anthony. The weather was bad, but the D’Onofrio house was right down the road, and Caius didn’t want his mother or sister overhearing what they had to talk about.
He’d offered to cook dinner to make it a sweeter deal, something he didn’t think he’d ever done for his father. In fact, Caius couldn’t remember ever even eating a meal with him at home, just the two of them. He’d gotten two thick steaks and lobster tails, along with a couple of vegetable sides to steam and some rice, and he was listening to some low music through a bluetooth speaker while he cooked, feeling more meditative than nervous.
Something was up. Caius had wanted to talk to him and offered to make dinner and Anthony knew enough about his son to know that he needed something. Needed, not wanted. Because Caius was prideful and stubborn and would only approach Anthony for a favor if it was his last or only option. Anthony was, of course, willing to listen. He drove down the street to Caius's former home, having been willing to walk if it hadn't been snowing so terribly.
When he got to Caius's, he let himself in, heading for the kitchen since he had a feeling that's where his son would be. "Something smells pretty good," Anthony said, announcing himself this way as he tugged off his gloves and looked around. The area still looked lived in, even though Anthony knew Caius was staying with Reagan now. "I half expected to find this place completely boxed up and emptied."
Even though he wasn’t living there anymore, Caius still used the alarm system religiously, and he heard the soft double-beep as the front door opened. Which was fine, he’d left it unlocked for a reason. His father’s voice sounded big and a little strange in this house, since Anthony hadn’t spent a lot of time there. Caius always seemed to be going to the home he’d moved out of years ago when he wanted to see his family, instead of them coming over to his place. Sera being the occasional exception. Maybe it was part of growing up, to start hosting one’s own parents in one’s own home. Caius didn’t expect it to become a habit, especially not now that he and Reagan were fully back together. “Not quite yet,” he answered, looking over at Anthony with a faint smile. “Getting there, though. Have a seat ... wine? Scotch?”
"Scotch for now. Please," Anthony said as an afterthought, glancing over at the table. He slipped his gloves into his coat pockets and shrugged out of it before setting it aside and taking a seat. Caius looked like he had everything under control, so Anthony didn't offer to help. He wasn't much of a cook anyway. "Where's Reagan tonight? She won't be joining us?" He already knew the answer to that, but he supposed it didn't hurt to poke around a little in case there was more trouble in paradise. Anthony couldn't begin to count how many times he and Miriam had to deal with the ups and downs of their son's relationship, dating back to when Caius was a teenager.
Caius knew well enough that it wasn’t a straightforward question -- if Reagan was joining them she would already be there. No, this was a conversation he and his dad had to have one-on-one. It wasn’t like her to want to have dinner with Anthony anyway, especially not at this house that had so many negative connotations for them. “No, not tonight,” he answered mildly, his focus on the cooking food in front of him. He set down the spatula long enough to pour Anthony a scotch from the bottle already set out on the counter and brought it to him. “She’s at home. I wanted to speak with you privately.”
Anthony took the offered scotch and took a moment to enjoy it. Who knew how the rest of this dinner would go. Conversations with his son could be unpredictable and go sideways at the drop of a hat. He finally set the glass down on the table and leaned back, his hand resting near his class. "Is everything all right?" He would have just asked What do you need? but he would rather not put Caius on the defense. Right now it felt like he had the upper hand in whatever this was, but Anthony opted not to make assumptions until he heard what Caius had to say.
“Not really,” Caius answered as he went back to preparing dinner. It was all almost done. “Give me just a second ...” He got the steaks and sides onto plates, refilled his glass of red wine, and brought it all to the table. Caius settled into the chair opposite his father and took a long drink from his glass before he looked the older man in the eyes. “Reagan sacrificed her magic to restore my memories,” he said. “I didn’t want to get into it before we left, but now it’s time to work again and fix it. I have the spell she used, but my research hasn’t gotten very far. I haven’t found many instances of this sort of thing happening. You’re the only one I know who might actually be able to help us.”
Anthony waited patiently, in no hurry to move this along or return home. Caius was in line to inherit essentially everything from him and it was important to keep lines of communication open. To have a tolerable relationship. When the food was placed in front of him, Anthony grabbed a napkin and focused his attention on Caius. He supposed he had been prepared for his son to tell him something new had gone wrong with their Abigail Baron problem, but hearing that Reagan had lost her magic was something he wasn't expecting, and it probably showed on his face, however brief. "What do you mean she sacrificed her magic," Anthony asked, already thinking about Veronica, and if she knew yet. "I've never heard of a spell where a witch has had to do something so drastic."
“I mean, she made a trade with Baron’s spirit to fully break the curse, and the cost was her magic,” Caius said, his tone a bit grim. “By the time I realized what she was doing, I couldn’t stop it. I got burned trying. And now she’s ... well, she’s still Reagan, but the fire in her’s gone out. She’s got no power left. I have to give it back to her, if I can.” That was something Anthony might not understand, Caius knew he was apt to say that Reagan had made her own bed to lie in, but she’d made an ultimate sacrifice for him, Caius couldn’t just let it go. What kind of husband would he be? “Have you ever heard of someone losing it and getting it back, whatever circumstances?”
Anthony's brows rose in surprise again and he reached for his scotch to finish it off. He didn't answer until he'd swallowed and set the glass back down. Then he picked up his knife and fork to cut into the steak. No use in letting a good piece of meat go to waste. "I might have heard about something like that, but not due to a trade with a spirit. Backlash has caused some witches to temporarily lose her abilities, but they're generally working with extremely dark magic. Which I assume is what Reagan had to do in order to summon Baron in the first place." Anthony took a bite of steak and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "I might be able to help, but you need to give me some time to look into this."
Since Anthony was eating, Caius picked up his fork and knife as well to take a bite. Backlash was a completely different animal, so that wasn’t terribly helpful, but Caius understood this had to be a very rare situation. Not only the opportunity to make such a trade was rare, but the witches who would be willing to do so. It all gave him such mixed emotions. He was sad for Reagan, but amazed at her and even more fiercely in love because of it. The thing in the tunnel had asked him if he would make the same sacrifice, and while his knee-jerk answer was yes ... gods, it wouldn’t be easy. “Of course,” he replied. “And I’ll keep hunting for options on my end. I think Reagan is going to talk to Veronica soon. Maybe all of us together can do something.”
"We'll figure something out," Anthony said. "I won't make any guarantees, but if there's a way to help, we will." Veronica wouldn't let him sit this one out, not when it directly affected her daughter. He eyed Caius as he ate. "What happened after it was over? Is Baron gone?" If the spirit was permanently gone, that would be a problem. If she was still hanging around somewhere, Anthony felt like it definitely gave them some more options as to how to fix this, if they could. It was something new, and Anthony always enjoyed a challenge.
Caius didn’t know if Anthony wanted to help because he cared, or because this would be an intellectual exercise, but maybe it didn’t matter. As long as he didn’t try to sabotage it -- a possibility Caius wasn’t going to dismiss out of hand -- they would be okay. And if Reagan was going to get Veronica involved, hopefully Anthony wouldn’t dare. “Who even knows, with that bitch,” he muttered with a sigh. After another sip of wine, Caius described the end of the ritual to Anthony, trying to put in as many details as he could remember. It was dark magic he himself hadn’t delved into before, but like with most magic, the outer results didn’t give very clear answers. “Reagan might know more, she was the one in the middle of it,” he concluded. “I was busy getting bombarded by memories.”
Anthony ate as Caius explained the ritual to him, and he had to begrudgingly give Reagan some respect for figuring it out. "I'll talk to her," he said after a moment. "To understand what she did more fully." If there was something to be done, they would figure out what it was. Anthony had some ideas but he didn't want to explain them until he knew exactly what had happened. Reagan might be more truthful with her mother than with him, so there was no doubt that they would probably have to get Veronica involved. "How are you feeling since your memories returned? Have there been any side effects?"
Working a bit on his own food, Caius shook his head. “It took me several days to sort it all out, they were all sort of ... flat. Felt simultaneous, if that makes sense,” he said. Words didn’t really convey how strange it had felt, but the feeling had passed now. He’d dealt with it, so it didn’t really matter anymore. “Other than that, nothing negative I’ve come across yet. I’m feeling good. Myself again, determined. ... slightly embarrassed by a couple of things I did, but there was no permanent damage.” At least as far as Reagan was concerned. Caius still wasn’t sure if his friendship with Zania would ever be the same.
Anthony chuckled softly. "Well, I suppose you can't be blamed completely for your behavior. I'm sure Reagan is understanding about that as long as you were faithful to her." He set his fork and knife down and stood as he picked up his glass to walk over and refill it. "Frankly I would say you handled yourself as well as could be expected, given the circumstances. As long as you're not experiencing any headaches or strange behavior... I'm sure the side effects of that spell would have been evident by now." With another glass of scotch, Anthony returned to the table. "Bring Reagan by and I'll talk to her. We'll get the ball rolling on figuring out how to retrieve her magic. Assuming the source of it is still around."
Some guilt gnawed at Caius, because he hadn’t been faithful. And he would’ve been unfaithful twice if Zania had been amenable to it. But that felt easy to compartmentalize. He hadn’t been himself, the tryst with Alice had happened early on when the confusion was at its highest, and it wasn’t anything anyone needed to know about. Especially not his father, who Caius didn’t completely trust with the intimate details of his social life. “Do you think that would be the only way? Stripping it from Baron herself?” he asked, his brow furrowing a bit. It made logical sense, but sometimes magic had loopholes, and Caius had been low key hoping they wouldn’t have to fuck with her again.
"I don't know. Maybe." Anthony sat back in his chair. "Again, I'll have to know exactly what Reagan did and what happened when she lost her magic. It could be we have to deal with Baron directly. But there's always a possibility that we can figure this out without summoning her at all. However she stripped Reagan's magic... we could wrestle it away from her without her even knowing. I'm not sure yet, but I'm thinking we'll probably have options. It won't be easy, and it might get messy, but I'm sure you both can handle that, given what you've already been through."
Caius knew Reagan wasn’t going to be super thrilled about talking to his father. She blamed him a lot for difficulties in their relationship, maybe rightly so. But if anybody in town could help them, it was Anthony. Caius wasn’t sensing any deception or hesitation in him to at least look at the problem. It was kind of a massive relief, if Caius was being honest. They’d carried and done so much themselves, it was about time they had some real, capable help. “Feels like we’re experts at hard and messy by now,” he murmured with a chuckle, cutting another piece of steak off. It had turned out well, he was pleased with it. “I’ll talk to her and we’ll set up a mutually agreeable time.” Caius’s dark eyes flickered up to his father’s face. “And I appreciate it. The help.”
"Well, life is hard and messy, isn't it?" Anthony took a sip of his scotch and waved off Caius's thanks. "Thank me when I'm able to do something of substance for the both of you. Like I said, I can't guarantee anything. But we'll try." He looked around the room, figuring it would only be a matter of time before Caius moved out completely. "Let us know a time that works for you. We'll have dinner. I'm sure your mother would like to see you, since it's been a while. Sera too." Maybe. He had no idea what his daughter was up to anymore, but he figured Miriam paid more attention than he did.
Caius’s felt that familiar sense of dread that came along with the prospect of a whole-family dinner, but there was a weirdly sweet edge to it. At least he remembered his wife now and they all could sit down together. There would be some stiff awkwardness like there always was, but if it helped grease the wheels on getting his father’s help, it would be worthwhile. “Yes, it has been a while,” he agreed with a sardonic little smile. He’d been largely avoiding his family while everything was all jumbled up, but now that Caius was settled again, he should probably reassure them all that he was okay. “I’m sure Mom would love that. I’ll let you know.” In a few more bites, Caius was done with his plate, and he sat back to nurse his glass of wine. “I still have the Baron grimoire,” he said mildly. “It was unhelpful for our current situation, but I’m going to copy some things down before I give it back.”
"I'm surprised Brianna McCarthy hasn't asked for it back yet," Anthony said. "Or maybe she doesn't even remember that you have it. I can only imagine what kind of magic is hidden in those pages." His own curiosity was piqued but Anthony had always been a bit hesitant about using another witch's magic. It worked out fine for some, but he preferred his own power. He sipped his scotch, contemplating for only a moment before he spoke again. "When is the last time you placed protective wards on Reagan's home?"
Caius hadn’t had time to go through the grimoire with a fine-toothed comb yet, but some of the things he’d browsed through had been very interesting. Even if they were things he took and made into his own, there was a lot of power in that book. Darker power. Not to mention power over the family itself. Caius didn’t foresee having to take aggressive action against Brianna McCarthy, but if he ever did need to, he had some of her secrets. The flavor of her magic. “I don’t think she remembers,” he confirmed. “But I promised I would give it back. I just didn’t say when.” He didn’t have to think long about the next answer. “As soon as we got home. I reinforced everything. She’s rather defenseless now, and we had a ... nasty run in with a Lucas, fairly recently. I think I fixed that, but just in case I didn’t ...”
"That's good," Anthony said with a small nod. "Good. Just make sure they're strong. I've been experiencing an ominous feeling for a while, and something unpleasant generally follows." He could protect his wife and daughter with no problem as they lived with him, but Caius was different. He already had an idea of what to expect, but he never let his guard down in Point Pleasant, no matter how powerful he might be. There was always something else out there... Anthony gave Caius a small smile. "Is there anything else you need? I'm sure you want to get home to Reagan."
An ominous feeling from Anthony wasn’t a good sign in the slightest, and Caius frowned a touch. He didn’t question it further, because a feeling was just a feeling, and if there was a direct clear threat to them, he didn’t think his father would keep it from him. Not anymore. His expression turned thoughtful at the question. “Not a need, really, but you might be interested to hear ... Reagan and I went to the Cooperdale tunnel. Her bleeding heart wanted to look for the Mila girl. I wanted to see the lay of the land, so to speak. And I got more than I really bargained for on that score.” Caius gave a faint chuckle and finished off his wine. “Whatever that thing is, it’s ancient and powerful, and it’s collecting people.”
That diverted Anthony's attention from leaving and he studied Caius for several moments as he digested what his son had just told him. It wasn't necessarily surprising to hear that there was something powerful in that tunnel. Anthony didn't venture out in that direction often, but there were some parts of town that radiated darkness. "What happened?" he asked. He didn't much like that Caius had gone out there, given the tunnel's history, but he also knew his son could take care of himself. More than that, he wanted to know exactly what they were dealing with at Cooperdale, and maybe now Caius knew more about it than anyone else. "Did you find the girl out there?"
Caius knew that would capture Anthony’s interest, and he couldn’t help but feel a little smug about it. There were still so few things he knew more about than his father, it felt kind of good to have broken some new ground for them. “Maybe?” he said, wrinkling his nose a bit. “It was difficult to tell.” Caius sat forward and started telling Anthony the gist of what had happened -- the walk through the woods up there, how he could immediately feel the power of the place, going inside a bit with Reagan and then sending the Obscurities the rest of the way. He described the shadow-tendrils and how the tunnel seemed to be never ending darkness. And the people ... there had been voices and people along those walls, largely shrouded from view and held for reasons unknown. He also recounted the bit of ‘conversation’ he’d had with the entity, and how it tried to tempt him again, dangling that carrot of power in front of him. “And then we left,” he concluded. “If Mila is in there, I don’t think she’s reachable without a lot of work and risk.”
It was fascinating, though not surprising. Anthony listened to every word Caius said, filing away the interesting tidbits to think about later when he was alone. He drank his scotch and then set the glass down on the table. "I can't tell you what to do here, but your life is not worth the risk," he said finally. "You can perhaps tell another who might be willing to free those people, but it would take someone with more power than you can probably imagine. I've always known this town feeds off of the people living here, but that sounds like a direct source. There are others, of course, but I've never directly been shown what you were shown. It's also possible that entity showed you what it wanted you to see, perhaps hoping you'll return to play hero so it can begin to control you, or tempt you further. Do you and Reagan plan to go back?"
The possibility that he’d been shown a lie had crossed Caius’s mind too. He supposed there was no way to know for sure. While he would’ve liked to help whoever might be stuck in that hellish limbo, he knew it was beyond him. Caius just didn’t have that kind of firepower yet, and he didn’t completely trust himself not to give into the entity if they really went head-to-head. That promise of unimaginable power was tantalizing even now, and he’d only spent a handful of minutes in the presence of the thing. “No, we don’t,” he answered Anthony, sounding definitive about that. “She’s helpless right now, and I know that’s not something I can take on alone. I don’t want to go back there. But I promised I would pass the information along, so ...” Caius gestured between the two of them. “It was definitely interesting, though.”
"That's a smart decision," Anthony said. And it was. As tempting as that kind of untapped power might have been, it always came at a price. He was living proof of that. "I don't know that there's anything I can do about it. Things are the way they are for a reason. But I'll see if I can find out a bit more about the tunnel and if there is anything I might have missed in the past." Even Anthony knew his limits, and he wasn't about to risk his life, or his power, for strangers who didn't have enough willpower to stay away from the evil places in this town. "Keep your distance from that place, especially with Reagan if she doesn't have the means to protect herself. There's nothing she can do either, but if she's anything like her mother, she'll be stubborn about it."
Caius nodded his understanding. Things were they way they were for a reason. As powerful as the witches of Point Pleasant were, they had their limits, and whatever it was that held the town in thrall was old and ran deep. Like his father had said, there were likely multiple sources of that sort of power. It was why bad things continually happened here, and would continue to happen. It wasn’t like they could fix the entire town, and Caius hadn’t ever had anyone directly close to him disappear into Cooperdale. “I can handle her stubbornness,” he said with a faint smile. Since they were both done and he was sure Anthony was ready to leave, Caius stood to pick up their plates and take them to the sink.
"I'm sure you can," Anthony said. He stood when Caius did, though he let his son deal with the dishes. "I'll be in touch," he added, picking up his coat from the chair to slip back into. "Talk to Reagan about an evening that works best for the both of you to have dinner and I'll be sure to keep that night open. If anything else happens, if either of you start to feel a pull towards that tunnel, inform me immediately." He could probably do something to keep that at bay, but he wouldn't until he knew for sure it was needed.
“I will, and I’ll let you know as soon as I can,” Caius said, wiping his fingers off on a dish towel before he moved in closer to his dad again. They didn’t really do hugs, so Caius offered out his hand to shake instead. “Thanks for coming by and hearing me out.” He smiled faintly. Maybe it was nothing to really thank him for -- a father should want to help his son and daughter in law, but Caius felt it was warranted anyway. They didn’t exactly have a normal relationship, and what he was asking for was mostly for Reagan. Anthony hadn’t quite embraced her as his own over the years. Caius might end up owing him for this, if he could actually help them restore her magic.
He took Caius's hand and shook it. "Of course. I'll do what I can." And Anthony couldn't promise anything. But he knew how much Caius loathed having to come to him for help, so Anthony was generally willing to do whatever he could in order to keep Caius coming back in the future. He was well aware that eventually Caius would be strong enough on his own not to need Anthony anymore, so it felt necessary to have his son indebted to him on some level. Releasing Caius, Anthony buttoned his coat and turned to head for the front door. "Be safe driving home," he said, well aware of how treacherous the roads could get in this town this time of year. "And give Reagan my best."