acrimsonking (acrimsonking) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2020-08-07 08:57:00 |
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Entry tags: | #february 2018, anthony, anthony x caius, caius |
Who: Anthony and Caius
When: morning, late February, after this
Where: D’Onofrio Management office
Status: Complete
Caius had given himself a day to process and mourn his failure. He had called out of work and stayed in bed most of the day, getting up only to eat and have an argument with Reagan over what he’d done to Jules Cooper. She’d been very patient, but he’d known that anger was coming at some point. Caius weathered it as best he could, and they moved on from it, the way they’d gotten so practiced at doing.
He hadn’t slept well that night, but he went into work anyway, looking more disheveled than he usually allowed anyone to see him. He hadn’t bothered with a tie or doing much to his hair, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Caius walked into the office late and only spoke to Mila briefly to make sure his father was in his office. Then that was where he headed, feeling heavy and unprepared, but there was no help for the latter. Caius was too tired and defeated to come up with a scheme for getting information out of Anthony. He was too sad to play games and strategically hide what he knew, like he might’ve done otherwise. He just wanted to do what Anthony wouldn’t -- communicate openly. Miriam was likely gone for good, and everyone deserved to know.
Caius gave a perfunctory knock on Anthony’s office door, then opened it without waiting for an answer. He stepped in and nodded at his father before helping himself to one of the chairs in front of the desk.
Anthony figured that Caius would come to talk to him eventually. Knowing his son the way he did, it was likely that Caius had been trying to find a way to bring Miriam home from the moment they went out into those woods. Anthony had been researching on his own... or well, not truly on his own, but he had certainly been involved in trying to learn more about where his wife had gone.
So he wasn't terribly surprised when Caius walked into his office and sat. He couldn't quite remember the last time he saw his son looking out of sorts and so defeated. Perhaps when he lost his memories of Reagan. He set his pen down and settled back against his chair. "I assume you have some bad news for me," Anthony said simply.
Caius nodded slightly, his gaze focused somewhere past Anthony’s shoulder, toward the window without really seeing it. It was a lovely day out, bright and brisk, but all he could think about was the murky, disgusting world on the other side of the portal. Where his mother was trapped, if she was still alive. “I got the doorway open,” he said, then cleared his throat to shake the rust off. “The girl, I made her open it, out in the woods. And I went in, ready to do a ritual to track Mom, but ...” Caius shook his head. “My magic was useless there. The Obscurities couldn’t cross the barrier either. And within moments I was surrounded by those ... creatures, trying to kill me. So I couldn’t stay. I think Mom’s dead. And if she’s not yet, then I don’t know how long she can survive there.”
But for a cock of his brow, Anthony's expression remained impassive as Caius spoke. He should have known his son would go after the person who did this. He also knew who else was looking for her, and the others who had been involved. Because it hadn't been just one person. "That was quite reckless," Anthony said after a moment. "You're lucky that you're still alive. You went alone?" Obviously he had the girl with him, but had Caius taken Reagan? Anthony wasn't angry that Caius hadn't approached him about trying to re-open the portal. He probably already knew Anthony would have tried to keep him from doing so. At least not without a steady plan, one that was stronger than a simple tracking spell.
Ordinarily Caius would’ve been annoyed by the question, like he was some idiot child who’d wandered out of the yard to the corner store or something. He slouched a bit more in the chair, propping his elbow up on one of the arms to rub at his eyes. He didn’t have the energy for annoyance, especially since he’d just had this same conversation mere hours ago with his wife. “Yes, I went alone,” he muttered. “I planned to do some recon, see the lay of the land, see if she pinged anywhere with my spell. It’s impossible to make a strategic plan when you don’t know what you’re dealing with, and the Cooper girl was not very informative. I did not expect to be magically neutered the instant I stepped through. Don’t worry, Reagan’s already torn me a new asshole. I don’t need it from you too.” His voice was more resigned and tired than defiant.
"Well, I certainly hope you won't hold Reagan's anger against her. It seems justified." Lecturing Caius seemed counterproductive to what Anthony wanted, so he opted to bite his own tongue. He had only been trying to find his mother and even if Caius's actions had been foolish, he had noble intentions. "What did you see over there? Beyond the creatures." He imagined there was plenty of fog, but Anthony wanted to know what the place looked like, what they might be dealing with if they opened that door again. He wanted to know the girl's name, and who else was involved, but he could ask that a bit later, once he got a better idea of what they were dealing with.
Caius didn’t honestly hold Reagan’s ire against her. He would’ve been livid too, if she’d gone off and done something like that without his knowledge or involvement. He told her as much. He’d just been compelled to try everything he could think of to try and save his mother, especially since he felt like the only one taking any action. Time had seemed of the essence. Now he just hoped she’d died quickly and as painlessly as possible. Dimly grateful that Anthony didn’t chide him further, Caius described what he’d seen on the other side of the portal to his father. The fog, the fucked up trees, the shit floating around in the air, the way his very presence seemed to draw in the shadowy looming creatures ... the horrible empty feeling of not having any magic. As he finished, a sharp little pain in one of his fingers made him glance down and he realized he’d been picking too hard at a cuticle and made himself stop. Caius stood up and went to Anthony’s wet bar. It was still morning, but he wanted a drink.
Anthony listened intently, making mental notes as Caius spoke. It was simply fascinating. Of course, he didn't want Miriam stuck in such a hellish sounding dimension. He wanted to try and get his wife back, but this was so much bigger than that. If it was as terrible as Caius said, if magic couldn't work Over There, did she have a chance, even with her telekinesis? It was so difficult to mourn, or even remain optimistic, when he had absolutely no idea what they were up against beyond what Caius told him, anyway. He didn't know what to expect, or if they could find another way to find Miriam. If their magic didn't work, then he would have to put the power into the hands of Wilkes. Anthony watched Caius stand and head for the alcohol. His voice was low, but calm. "What's her name, the girl who did this. Do you know the others involved?"
He didn’t answer right away. Caius poured himself two fingers of scotch and tossed it down in one go, then refilled his glass and set the bottle aside. He considered withholding the information. He didn’t know what Anthony planned to do with it, and hadn’t he already brought enough suffering to Jules Cooper? Reagan would say yes. But she was the reason Caius’s mother was no longer on this plane of existence, and even if he understood the reasons why, part of him couldn’t accept that had been the only solution. If only they’d had more time ... he didn’t know. He didn’t owe Jules Cooper a damn thing, and he would trade her for Miriam’s return any day of the week. Family was family. “Jules Cooper,” he said finally, turning back to look at his father as he sipped from the glass in his hand. “A man named Neil Wainscott, he’s a librarian. Another one called Carson Durand. Nic Castell, of course. Mom knew their names somehow, before they acted. She was sure they were out to get her.” Caius would’ve left Nic out of it, more out of loyalty to Zania than Nic himself, but he’d already told Anthony Nic was involved when they’d first gotten the call. It was too late to shield him.
Surprise flickered in Anthony's eyes. He recalled Nic Castell. Neil Wainscott Anthony knew in the way that he knew pretty much everyone in town. The man had always seemed like something of a coward whenever Anthony saw him. Carson Durand was a trainer at the gym. What a bizarre group of people to be involved in something this big. "Jules Cooper? Margaret Cooper's daughter?" Anthony frowned. "She's Sera's friend. She's a child." A teenager, but in Anthony's mind, they were one and the same. Leaning back in his chair, Anthony sighed and ran his hand over his face, trying to prioritize his thoughts. Cooper may be easier to handle than the other men. Teenage girls were impressionable. They could be manipulated. Threatened. He lowered his hand and studied his son. "You blame them for what happened. Do you want me to do something about that?"
Caius hadn’t spent a lot of time trying to figure out the connections between all of those people, but he recognized that it was a strange group. He and Nic had been tangentially involved socially for a long time, and he’d never known any of those people to be Nic’s friends. None of the others were witches. It didn’t make sense, but it was what it was. A lot of things didn’t make sense, especially in this town. In their whole world. Jules was a child, and a tiny bit of guilt nagged at Caius’s conscience. He hadn’t known Jules and Sera were friends, and that felt like something he should’ve known, but Caius let it go. Anthony’s question caught him a little off-guard and he frowned vaguely. He blamed them for the action they took, but not the reasoning behind it, he supposed. They’d been working with what they had, but if they’d only reached out sooner ... “All I want is Mom back safe,” he said, his dark gaze sharpening a bit on Anthony. “What are you doing about that?”
Anthony steadied his gaze on Caius. "Well, one thing I'm not doing is making reckless, foolhardy decisions that could get me and everyone else killed. What I am doing is seeking help from people who can handle this. This is so much bigger than your mother, Caius. I don't expect you to see the big picture here. I want your mother back as much as you do. But it's out of our hands." He knew that wasn't the answer Caius would want, but reality could be cruel sometimes. If their magic was useless over there, then Anthony would need Wilkes's assistance more than ever. Assuming AIR was prepared for what was on the other side. For all they knew, there was nothing to be done.
Ordinarily the implied reprimand in Anthony’s words would’ve rattled Caius inside. His father’s disapproval had been the Worst Thing to him for so long, but now ... so many other horrible, traumatic things had happened to him, he barely felt the usual internal recoil. Caius didn’t feel he’d been as reckless as everyone else seemed to think, but he was done arguing about that point. He’d taken action when no one else was, and his mother’s life was on the line. If he got no credit for that from anyone? So be it. Caius didn’t believe that Anthony wanted Miriam back as much as he did -- she was Caius’s mother, and their marriage wasn’t exactly a passionate love affair, at least from the outside. But arguing that would be pointless too. He took another drink from his glass, eyes still on his father. “Whose hands is it in then, hmm?” he asked, his tone a bit tight. “Include me, Dad. Haven’t I earned it yet? You leave me with nothing, no news or assurances that you’re doing anything about it, when she could die at any moment if she’s not already dead, and then expect me not to act? Bigger picture or not, that’s my mother. And if it was you, you know I wouldn’t rest.”
"Include you," Anthony said, raising a dark brow. "As you included me when you took the Cooper girl back to that place and opened up a doorway to another world? You did all of that on your own, Caius, so I sincerely hope you're not expecting me to feel some sense of guilt that you've been kept in the dark thus far." He stood then, but slipped his hands casually into his pockets. "And let's say that you have earned it, that I tell you what I know about what's been happening in this town, and what's happening now. How can I trust you won't take that knowledge and rush off to try and be a hero again. Your heart and your mind is stuck solely on your mother, and I understand that. But it's because of that reasoning that I can't include you. I'm doing what I can to find your mother and bring her home, dead or alive. I'm sorry if that's not enough for you."
A bark of a laugh bubbled up and out of Caius’s throat, and he shook his head, averting his gaze for a moment so as not to start screaming. “Try to be a hero?” he echoed slowly, looking at Anthony again with incredulity. Caius tossed back the last of the scotch in his glass, then set it down on the bar again with a sharp clink. “Every problem that has come to us in the past six months, I have solved. A goddamned Neanderthal broke into our house to assault my wife? I handled it. I broke a curse that has plagued our family for centuries, and sacrificed my memories to do it. Reagan gave up her magic to make me whole, and I put together a coven for the first time in a dozen generations in this godforsaken place to restore my wife and exorcise Baron from the McCarthy boy. I did that, me. While you were fucking helpless and drooling on yourself in bed while Mom drained the life out of you, I rescued you. You’d be dead now if it wasn’t for me, and you want to talk to me like I’m some kid in a superhero costume, playing pretend? No respect, not even a drop of gratitude? Maybe I wouldn’t have acted rashly if you’d talked to me in the first place. I can’t sit on my hands, that’s now how you raised me, and I can’t take information into account that you won’t give me. So forgive me, father, for feeling like I’m on my own on this, yet again.”
"You never struck me as someone who craved vocal gratitude and respect," Anthony replied calmly. "Clearly I respect you, Caius, or you wouldn't be sitting in that office, poised to take over for me when I retire, or die, whichever comes first. And yes, I'm very grateful to you and Reagan for taking me in when your mother was affected by whatever it was that had hurt her. I don't need a run down of your accomplishments. I'm well aware of them. And you're right, I raised you to take care of your problems, and you have. And this is my problem. She's my wife as much as she is your mother, if not more so. This isn't something magic can fix. I've already told you that this is bigger than you and me." He sighed. "You let your emotions guide you. They color your choices and not always for the better. Sensitive information needs to be dealt with with a clear mind and an understanding that fucking things up could have profound consequences for everyone. I can look at you right now, in your state, and see that your mind is clouded with grief and love and the intense desire to fix everything. For Reagan, for your mother. I'm sorry, but this is something you cannot be involved with."
Caius’s jaw clenched as he listened. It wasn’t that he wanted to be showered with praise for everything he did, gods knew he made mistakes. But this past year in particular had seen a lot of magical accomplishments, and Caius hated feeling like a child left out of the adult conversations. He didn’t know who Anthony was referring to, who he could possibly be working with on this that was more powerful than them, but it stung to be left out. Maybe that was immature of him, fuck. Caius disagreed that Miriam belonged more to Anthony than him -- their marriage could always break up, they could move on to other people, but she would always be Caius’s mother. So it felt more like his problem, a full family problem. It drove part of him crazy to be shut out ... but he couldn’t argue that he was at his best. Caius had already been so drained from everything that had been going on the past several months, and he was full of grief and anguished love, and maybe it was clouding his judgement. Caius stared at Anthony for a long few seconds, his throat full and tight, then rubbed his hands over his face and turned toward the door. It was no use arguing, he could recognize when Anthony dug his heels in. “I’ll be in my office,” he muttered in parting.
He was grateful that Caius didn't argue with him further. If Anthony had confidence that Caius would be able to handle it without potentially making a reckless decision, he would have involved him. But knowing his son had gone out to Witcham on his own, with the Cooper girl, to try and find his mother... Anthony simply couldn't allow it. He moved to sit back down, watching his son head for the door. "You should take the day off," he suggested. "You look like you could use some sleep." Obviously he wouldn't force the issue, but he doubted Caius would be very productive sitting in his office today.
He knew he did need more sleep and he was sure he looked like shit, but because Anthony suggested going home, Caius stubbornly wanted to stay at the office now. “I’ll consider it,” he said over his shoulder, not really looking back. Maybe he would work until noon and take off, he didn’t know yet. He just knew he wanted to be alone and not talking to his father anymore. At least in his office he didn’t feel obligated to consider anyone else, he could just shut the door and ignore everything. Grieving and licking the wounds to his pride by himself wouldn’t help anything, but Caius was at a loss. He based so much of his life on knowing what to do -- or learning what to do -- he didn’t know how to handle himself now. Caius stepped out of Anthony’s office and shut the door behind him. He strode down the hallway and into his office, grateful that his shoulders didn’t slump and his eyes didn’t fill until he was safely behind his own door.