... (itendsinfire) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-12-07 08:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | #group scene, #june 2018, caius, chase, mara, reagan |
Who: Chase, Mara, Reagan and Caius
When: Evening, Wednesday, June 20th
Where: Reagan and Caius’s house
Status: Complete
After visiting Chase and meeting Mara, Reagan had informed Caius that her cousin and his girlfriend would be having dinner with them Wednesday night. Of course, that had been nearly a week ago, and a lot had happened since, so she reminded him again the morning of. They were both tired from what had transpired the night before, but by mid-afternoon Reagan was feeling energized by all of the extra magic pulsing in her blood and ready to host Chase and Mara for dinner that night.
She had considered telling Caius about what Mara was - or wasn’t - but decided to keep it to herself until they met. She wanted to see if Caius could tell the woman was different, if he could pick up on the strangeness the way Reagan had. She still had no idea what Mara was, only that she had died for three days and had been brought back to life. Maybe she was a zombie, though the thought made Reagan titter with amusement. She considered, very briefly, about serving cervelle de veau, but that would probably be in poor taste. And frankly, it would be difficult to find brains to cook in Point Pleasant.
Reagan opted for steak instead. She wasn’t the best cook but she could make something edible so when she got home from work she started to get the meal together, having asked Caius to pick up some good wine on his way home. Everything inside of her felt good. It was like the night before hadn’t even happened.
By contrast, Caius did not feel good. He hadn’t slept at all, returning home that morning a mere hour before he was supposed to get up to go to work, thanks to Adrian fucking Moretti. He’d showered and changed clothes and quietly assured Reagan that it was all taken care of as he kissed her goodbye. Not that she’d been concerned. But the body was gone, the house was wiped, and it would seem like just another mysterious disappearance in Point Pleasant.
The reminder about dinner with Chase and his girlfriend was an unwelcome one, and Caius was tempted to ask Reagan to reschedule, but she seemed so keen on it. He could survive for a while without sleep, he’d done it before. He caught a quick nap in his office at lunchtime, and that was refreshing enough to get him through the rest of the day, but he was feeling the weight of exhaustion again as he drove home. Thankfully he remembered the wine.
Caius let himself into the house and headed for the kitchen, setting said wine bottle down on the counter as he went to kiss Reagan’s cheek. “When are they arriving again?” he asked, trying not to sound sullen about it.
He could have sounded bright and chipper and Reagan would have known Caius wasn't thrilled about this. He had very little patience for people, but she was hoping he would ease into things and enjoy himself. She set the knife down that she had been using to cut tomatoes for the salad and turned to cup his face, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Seven," Reagan said. "I thought we could eat outside since it's a nice night. And maybe it'll help improve your mood, being out in your element." The wine might help too if he had enough of it. "They won't stay all night, I promise."
He kissed her back, one hand on her hip, but didn’t linger in it. Caius wasn’t in a particularly kissy mode at the moment. Being called out on his mood just made him feel even more sour, and he turned away to find the bottle opener to open the wine and let it breathe before the guests showed up. He intended to be drinking something stronger. “Outside sounds fine,” he murmured. “And my mood is fine, I’m just tired.” Caius knew that wasn’t true, and Reagan knew that wasn’t true, but he didn’t feel like acknowledging any of it. He went about opening the wine, then left it on the counter and moved to open the liquor cabinet for some scotch. Caius still needed to change clothes, but he wanted to be sipping on something while he did. Maybe if he was buzzed by the time company came over, he could smile and make nice.
Not wanting to start an argument so close to Chase and Mara's arrival, Reagan let it go for now. She knew he was tired, but hopefully he would be able to enjoy himself a little tonight. Turning back to the food, Reagan picked up the knife again. "Well, I've got steak and potatoes." Like that would make everything better, somehow. Though she had a feeling the liquor he was about to pour would do more to help his mood than meat. "How did it go last night?" she asked, almost as an afterthought. She had fallen asleep almost as soon as she had slipped back into bed and all she really remembered was Caius kissing her goodbye that morning.
Hearty food would probably just make him more tired, but Caius was looking forward to eating anyway. He knew he should offer to help, but he didn’t really want to do that either. He just wanted to drink and sit down and maybe doze a little before he had to be pleasant. Caius poured himself a glass of scotch and put the bottle back, loosening his tie with one hand as he turned around again to look at her. “All the tracks are covered ... but it took Moretti two hours to get to me, he was in Portland for whatever fucking reason,” he answered with a sigh. “But it worked, all of it. Nothing left behind. I just didn’t get any sleep.” He lifted his drink for the first sip, then asked, “How are you feeling today?”
It felt wrong on some level to tell Caius that she felt pretty great when she could see how tired he was. He had been up all night covering up what she had done. She supposed she should have offered to reschedule tonight's dinner, but it simply hadn't occurred to her earlier in the day to do so. "I'm all right," Reagan said, sweeping the chopped tomatoes onto the knife to drop into the salad bowl. Then she set the knife down to look at him, a touch more subdued. "And I appreciate everything you did for me last night. I hate that I've put you in that position but you know that I'm grateful."
Reagan’s magic felt bright and strong to Caius, so he was sure she was feeling better than all right, but he wasn’t going to push her on the fib. He’d been pushy with enough people today, bringing that home to his wife was never a good idea. Caius took in her appreciation with a slight nod. He hadn’t done a lot but wait around, honestly, all the work had been put in beforehand, and then he’d just let Adrian’s wendigo take over. He’d left the scene impressively clean, Caius was more than satisfied with the performance, even if Adrian had told him to go fuck himself at the end. That was immaterial. “Do you remember doing any of it?” he asked, gaze steady on Reagan’s face.
She supposed she should have been expecting that question but Reagan had been hoping Caius would just let it go and leave things be. Admitting that she remembered made her feel like a cold-blooded killer, even if she knew that she was doing what had to be done. After returning Caius's gaze for a moment, Reagan turned away to face the stove and check on the potatoes instead. "Does it matter if I do?" Reagan said, well aware that not answering was an answer itself. She didn't much care though. "It's done." She had done her part and Caius had done his. Dwelling on it wouldn't change anything.
Did it matter? Maybe not. She’d just obviously been in an altered state of mind while she was doing it, and since Reagan hadn’t really remembered the first time, he was curious if anything had changed. He supposed that non-answer meant that she did recall it all, which meant she likely remembered burning him, too. Not that he was going to complain about that part. His hand was healed, and now he knew better than to try and physically stop her the next time she went out magic-hunting. His gut told him there would be a next time. “Just trying to understand it,” Caius muttered to Reagan’s back. He straightened up and turned to leave the kitchen. “I’m going to change and lie down for a few, let me know when they arrive, please.”
Reagan did remember burning him, but just because she remembered it didn't mean she had wanted to do it. It still felt like there was someone inside of her, guiding her, stopping those who would try to stop her. She shut the oven door and had turned to tell Caius that she didn't even quite understand it but he was leaving the kitchen so she supposed the conversation was over. Reagan watched him go with a frown, debating whether or not she should follow. But he was tired, among other things, and if she followed they would probably end up fighting. It was better to just leave him be for the time being. So Reagan went back to preparing dinner, keeping an eye on the clock.
By the time it neared seven, Reagan was carrying food outside to the table on the back patio. Everything looked pretty good in her opinion and she had made sure her mother would have been proud of the table settings. She and Caius didn't have many dinner guests but her mother's expectations, especially when hosting family, had been drilled into her at a young age. She was just stepping back inside when someone knocked at the door and she hurried to answer it, pausing briefly at the base of the steps to call for Caius. When she answered the door, she smiled at Chase and Mara.
"Hi, come inside." Stepping back, Reagan briefly noted that Mara wasn't wearing any shoes. Well, that was new. "Caius will be down in a second. How are you?" she asked, closing the door behind them.
Mara’s lack of shoes were a sore point for Chase, but he tried not to let it show. They were there on time, which was more important, especially since another half hour of bickering about it might have ended in the same result. Chase was stubborn, but Mara sometimes more so, and this was one fight that didn’t seem worth it. Chase smiled at Reagan and offered her a bottle of wine as he stepped inside, letting her lead the way into the house with Mara following along behind him. “We’re good,” he said, eyes roaming around her place. It was far more put together than theirs, but that was to be expected of his cousin. She’d always been organized and… presentable. Better at following the rules than he’d ever been. “Still getting settled in, but I think we’re done with the boxes. How’re you?”
Mara hadn't cared that Chase wanted her to wear shoes. They were going right down the street so who really cared what was on her feet? A lot of people wanted shoes off at the door anyway, so she was just skipping a step. She had worn a presentable dress and everything, even if she had forgone the bra. Her tits were perky enough that she didn't need it. While Chase and Reagan greeted one another, Mara began to wander, wanting to get a good look at the place. It was nice. Immaculate even. Mara wanted to reach out and nudge one of those perfectly hung photographs askew.
Reagan took the wine with a murmured thanks and led Chase into the house, glancing every few moments at Mara to make sure she didn't wander off too far. "I'm doing great, thanks. Busy, but that's not unusual for this time of year. Mom and dad say hi too... again. I think they plan on coming by to see you soon. They're just waiting for you to be settled a bit. I thought we could eat outside tonight and enjoy the weather a bit."
Chase kept an eye on Mara as well, hoping she didn’t wander too far off, but a bit of curiosity was normal when entering someone’s house for the first time. If given the chance, he would’ve explored a bit himself. “I should call them and invite them over for drinks,” he said, thinking that arranging something with his aunt and uncle would prevent them from showing up unannounced. “With weather like this, we need to get some patio furniture so we can do the same. Our house is bigger than our previous one. It’s going to take us some time to fill it.”
Reagan’s call had woken Caius up from his nap, and while he couldn’t say he felt super refreshed, he felt slightly better. He fixed his hair in the bathroom mirror and straightened his shirt, then headed downstairs, his empty scotch glass in one hand. He intended to have another couple of refills tonight, at least. He just hoped Reagan’s cousin and his girlfriend knew when to leave. Unaware of Mara’s wanderings, Caius headed straight for the kitchen. He at least felt like there was less tension in his shoulders now, and his smile came easy as he offered Chase his hand to shake. “You must be Chase,” he said. “Caius, nice to meet you.”
Chase turned towards Caius as he walked in the room, smiling as he took Caius’ hand and shook it. His first impression based on looks alone was that he was a good fit for Reagan. He looked exactly like the kind of man he would have pictured for her: handsome, polite, and probably powerful. And a witch, though Chase couldn’t tell that from his looks. Both of them were the opposite of what he thought of when he thought of witches, but he’d long learned that looks were deceiving. “Nice to meet you, too,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about you over the years. We thought there’d eventually be a wedding. I’m still surprised Aunt Veronica let you get away without one.”
Though she could still see some exhaustion in Caius's eyes, he looked presentable and Reagan knew he would make polite conversation for as long as Chase and Mara were in their home. That was all she could really ask of him, and she had no plans to keep her cousin late. "Well, she didn't have much of a choice," Reagan said with a smile when Chase mentioned her mother. "Though she had plenty to say about it when we got home." Their elopement had kicked off several months of pain thanks to the family curse, but Reagan didn't regret it.
If Reagan and Caius had simply gotten engaged and come home to plan a wedding it was more likely their parents would have stopped at nothing to break them up again. But Reagan and Caius were living their own lives now and handling their own problems. No parental involvement needed. She wanted to usher them outside where the food was waiting, but she had no idea where Mara had disappeared to. Just as she was about to ask Chase about it, the woman came to the open doorway.
"This is a very clean house," Mara said, not entirely sure how she felt about that. It was too clean, in her opinion. She couldn't even find a speck of dust on the bookshelves. The cleaner the house, the dirtier the secrets if you asked her. Her gaze ticked to Caius. "You're the other witch, then?"
Reagan took the words right out of Caius’s mouth about Veronica, and he chuckled over it as he moved to the kitchen cabinet that contained the liquor to refill his glass with scotch. At first glance, Chase was entirely unsurprising -- good looking and confident, seeing that he was blood related to Reagan didn’t take much imagination. He was just finishing off pouring his drink when Mara made herself known, and he looked over with a slightly raised eyebrow. Her manners were obviously very different than Chase’s. “I suppose so, yes,” he answered, glancing at Reagan. “Nice to meet you, Mara.” There didn’t seem to be much more to carry outside, but Caius picked up a bowl of salad from the counter in his free hand. “Shall we go sit and get started before it all gets cold? Hope you’re both hungry, it smells delicious.” Caius paused to kiss Reagan’s cheek on his way out.
Chase knew Mara was a touch eccentric, and most of the time it was something he loved about her, but when he was looking to impress people, he wished she could tone it down a bit. Just a little bit. Unfortunately, that never seemed to happen. He sighed at her comment, but kept his mouth shut and came to take her hand, ensuring that she followed them out onto the patio. “Starved,” he said, answering Caius as he followed them out. It would be nice to sit outside, and hopefully being closer to the elements, and not inside an immaculately clean house, would make Mara more comfortable. They hadn’t exactly been outdoorsy people before, but he’d noticed that she seemed a bit more drawn to it since the incident. So far it didn’t seem like a bad thing, so Chase didn’t mind.
Mara didn't really see anything wrong with what she had said but she knew how Chase could be around other people. Caius didn't seem to mind it though, so in her mind, Chase shouldn't either. She let him lead her outside where she took a breath and had to resist the urge to just ditch this whole thing and run out into the woods. Get naked and bury her feet in the dirt for a while. But the food looked and smelled good so Mara sat, hoping Reagan hadn't overcooked hers.
For her part, Reagan certainly didn't want an uncomfortable dinner, but she was hoping for more of that eccentricity. It was more like a game in her mind, wanting to see if Caius wouldn't pick up on the Otherness of Chase's girlfriend. Necromancy was dangerous, dark magic, something the two of them didn't even touch. And Mara had been brought back by magic. Maybe the dinner was more of an experiment on her part than a sincere family get together, but Reagan doubted it would bother anyone.
"You'll probably see Chase a bit more now," Reagan told Caius after they were all sitting and she had passed the wine bottle around. "I can't remember if I told you he's working in the Mayor's office now. I know she likes to get her hands in some of the summer events you organize at the marina."
It wasn’t until they were all sitting and looking at each other that Caius started to pick up on a weirdness coming from Mara. Reagan hadn’t warned him about anything, and he was sure she would’ve told him if her muggle cousin was dating a witch. It didn’t quite feel like witches did to him -- not like there was magic radiating out of her, more like she’d just been dunked in it. Something strange and dark. Caius did his best not to stare at her, and he wasn’t going to check her out through his Obscurities until it would be less obvious, but his interest was piqued. His dark eyes ticked to his wife as she spoke, then to Chase. He smiled a bit as he picked up his knife and fork. “She does enjoy being involved in some things. Might be nice to have a man on the inside for those times we don’t see eye to eye ... what are you doing over there?” he asked.
“I’m officially assigned to Special Projects, which seems to mean I’m working on whatever strikes her interest at the moment. So far it’s been interesting. I like that it changes often enough to keep me from getting bored.” The monotony of working behind a desk was something Chase had never enjoyed, but so far this job had kept him engaged. And he needed it to work for them, especially since Mara wasn’t working.
Reagan knew Caius would pick up on something, even if he wouldn't know what it was. She watched as he and her cousin made small talk, occasionally glancing at Mara who was poking a bit at her steak, but also listening. "Have you decided whether or not you want to work while you're here?" she asked Mara. "The tourist season usually means a lot of shops in town are hiring." Honestly, Reagan had no idea what Mara's skills might be, if she had any at all.
Mara cut into the steak when Reagan asked her about a job and she moved the piece of meat around, looking for the right level of red. "I don't know, maybe. Obviously I don't want Chase to be the only one paying the bills. I just get bored easily, like he does. Going to work every day, doing the same thing over and over again. It sounds awful. What do you do?" she asked Caius. He looked like someone who'd work in an office with a shirt and tie and yawn.
Caius noted the way Mara was messing about with her food instead of eating yet, though he didn’t know what that meant. He met Reagan’s eyes briefly and he got the sense that she knew more than she’d let on, through that particular kind of telepathy that came from being with someone so long. Caius’s attention returned to Mara when she asked him a question. “I’m COO of the Point Pleasant Marina, primarily,” he said, pretty sure she wouldn’t know what that meant. “I plan and organize the events at the pier. As well as various other things at D’Onofrio Management, my father’s company.” His gaze ticked to Chase again and he smiled a bit. “Special Projects usually means a bit of everything, in my experience. Glad it’s been interesting for you. If you find yourself needing access to any properties around town, give me a call, I can help out.”
Some of Mara’s quirks were old and endearing to Chase, while others perplexed him just as much as everyone else. Why she wasn’t eating tonight was beyond him, especially when they’d been served steaks, something he was often too cheap to splurge on, but loved to eat. They hadn’t had them in months, but last he checked it was something she enjoyed. “That’d be great, thanks,” Chase smiled at Caius. “Seems like there’s always something going on down at the pier. Is it like that year round? Or is summer peak season?” He wondered if Caius was set up to take over the family business one day, whenever his uncle retired. It seemed like a good job to have, and a well paying one at that, except that he personally wouldn’t want his father looming over him. But maybe Caius’s father was laid back and would let him run things as he saw fit, once he stepped away.
Mara finally took a bite of her food, watching Chase and Caius as she chewed. She had never been a fan of small talk herself, mostly because she had never been all that good at it. So she ate, zoning out a bit from the conversation. The steak wasn't nearly as pink as Mara usually preferred, but it was tolerable. Plus there was wine and that seemed way more important than the actual food.
Reagan was only half-listening to Chase and her husband, her attention on Mara. She didn't know why it was so fascinating, but it was. "Caius is pretty busy year round," Reagan said, not really caring that the question wasn't directed at her. "Summer is peak season here, but there always seems to be something people want to celebrate. Which I think is good," she added with a shrug, "otherwise I think everyone in this town would be bored to death."
“We have to keep the people entertained,” Caius agreed with his wife, giving a faint chuckle. “Summer is the busiest period, tourist-wise, but the holidays can be hectic too. January through March is usually the deadest time.” Even though he didn’t love it, Caius had gotten good at chit-chat while he was thinking about other things. It was an invaluable skill in business. While talking to Chase and eating, he was still trying to suss out what was strange about Mara. There was definitely some dark magic involved, unsettlingly familiar but not, like a song he knew being played in a different key. “So Reagan tells me you two got a house in the neighborhood ... how are you liking it?” he asked, glancing between Chase and Mara.
Chase wasn’t a fan of small talk himself, but he could do it when the situation called for it and he knew that sometimes that’s what it took to get to know a person. He’d known Reagan his whole life, but all he knew of Caius was what she’d passed along over the years and why his parents told him, which was definitely tainted by his aunt and uncle’s opinions. He’d always gotten the opinion from them that Reagan and Caius would never, ever marry, yet they seemed the happy couple now, so he wondered what had changed. “We have,” Chase nodded. “We’re at the end of the street. It’s a beautiful neighborhood, and we like being able to walk down to the beach. The house is bigger than our last one, so we’ve got a lot of space to fill, but we’re getting there.”
Reagan knew Caius was trying to figure it out. It was like putting together a puzzle and she was thoroughly enjoying it. Caius seemed calm, collected and polite but she could practically see his mind working beneath all of that. While she didn't think Mara's true nature would come out at the dinner table, it was still something of a fascinating experiment, having dinner with someone who had once been dead, no matter how brief it had been. It had her more curious about her cousin too, because she wanted to know more about why and how it had happened and why he had gone so far to fix it.
Mara liked walking down to the beach because it meant they had to go through the woods. She grinned at the memory of the first time they took that walk before taking another bite of food. "I like the privacy of it," Mara said after she had washed down the food with some wine. They needed privacy to do what they needed to do. And the basement seemed almost sound proof, which was even better. She looked over at Caius and Reagan. "How long have you guys been married?"
Black Cove was a beautiful neighborhood and the proximity to the ocean was also part of why Caius liked it. He loved the wind that came off the water, and he’d walked down to the beach many times himself to recharge. He almost pointed out that his father’s company had built this neighborhood, but he restrained himself. Caius’s gaze ticked to Reagan at Mara’s question, and he did the quick math in his head. “Uh, a little over nine months now,” he answered. The smile that crossed his face was more genuine than his usual. “We eloped in Anguilla. Our mothers were not happy about it.” He chuckled and lifted his drink for another swallow.
“I’m sure they weren’t,” Chase chuckled, taking a sip of his wine. “I’m kinda shocked they didn’t try and talk you into one when you got back. What made you decide to elope anyways? I always thought you’d be one for a big, over the top wedding,” he said, directing it to Reagan, since he had no idea about Caius. He knew they’d been on and off for years, so maybe the discord between them and their parents was the big reason for it. His own mother would have loved a wedding, except she wasn’t fond of Mara. Chase doubted the kind of wedding Mara might have liked was not the kind of wedding that his mother was envisioning. If they ever got married, eloping would be the way to go.
Nine months. It didn't feel that long, though admittedly she and Caius hadn't really had much time to really bask in being newlyweds. As soon as they had returned home they had been bombarded with the family curse and everything else that came after. It was one crisis after another, it seemed like. "I like elegant weddings, nothing over the top," Reagan corrected her cousin. "And mom did try to talk me into having a wedding when we got back, but things have just been a bit hectic since then and at this point, it seems a bit pointless. Maybe we'll have a party on our anniversary." She glanced at Caius. "Something that would make our parents happy." Although at this point, she had no idea if a party would achieve that. Maybe news of a grandchild would be better. She didn't really know, given she had other things on her mind at the moment. Reagan smiled politely at Chase and Mara. "What about you two? How long have you been together?"
Mara drank more of her wine, inwardly cringing at the thought of having a big wedding. Flowers and frills and people. Spending a fortune on mediocre food and bad music? That wasn't appealing to her in the least. Reagan's question prompted Mara to look at Chase, her brow furrowed. It felt like they had been together forever, but at the same time, she couldn't really pinpoint a specific timetable. Some of her memories from Before were still fuzzy. "A few years?" She couldn't help but sound unsure.
“More than a few,” Chase said with a little laugh, though he couldn’t help the tinge of worry that spiked inside. He’d never say Mara was good at math, but this question should have been relatively easy. “We’ve been together since college. We met at a party, then realized we had Art History together. We started studying together and things kind of just went from there.” Of course, there were a lot of study sessions where they got absolutely nothing done, which just meant that they needed to study more, until eventually Chase realized that he needed to date Mara and study alone if he actually wanted to pass Art History.
Caius wasn’t terribly interested in how Chase and Mara had met or how long they’d been together. Hell, he didn’t even really know how old Chase was. The only person in Reagan’s family he was really invested in was Reagan -- though he held a certain macabre interest in Veronica, now that he knew what he knew about the family curse. He wondered sometimes what sort of child she and his father would have had, if it would’ve been anything like Caius. But that was all just silly conjecture. What he was interested in was Mara, and while they were all talking about weddings and relationships, Caius brought his Obscurities forward for just a moment, his eyes going back between blinks. He kept it subtle and only glanced up at Mara briefly before it all returned to normal, which really only served to make him even more curious. She looked strange, definitely full of a dark magic that he’d never seen before. It made him want to stare at her, but he refilled his wine glass instead.
"Oh! Right. College." Mara began to laugh. "I guess it has been more than a few years. It doesn't feel that long though, does it?" Everything felt "new" to her lately. Being dead for three days would do that to a person, she supposed. Her toes brushed against the wood grain of the porch and Mara fought back the urge to leave the table and head into the woods again. She needed to behave for Chase's sake. All of those quirky tendencies she had now needed to stay bottled up until they were alone.
"Caius and I have been off and on since freshmen year in high school," Reagan said with a shrug and a smile in Mara's direction. Her foot brushed against Caius's under the table. "Sometimes when I think about how long ago that was, it blows my mind." She looked at her cousin now, her smile widening a touch. "Do you two have any plans to get married? Since Caius and I disappointed our mothers so much, I'm sure a wedding in the family would at least lift my mom's spirits about that."
“We haven’t really talked about it,” Chase said with a little laugh. “If we did, we’d probably end up eloping like you did. It would save us a lot of money and drama.” Though they hadn’t talked about it, Chase was almost certain that Mara would agree with him. His parents might’ve wanted a wedding, except they weren’t all that fond of Mara, so it wasn’t a subject often brought up. He knew they continued to hope that he might give her up and find someone else, but that only meant they were blind to how much he loved her. As far as he knew, her parents weren’t applying any pressure, for which he was thankful. They had enough to deal with, they didn’t need planning a wedding piled on top of it.
Caius couldn’t tell exactly what Mara was, only that she was Other in some dark way, and he wondered vaguely if Chase knew that. He was almost certain that Reagan could sense it, but would she warn her muggle cousin of such a thing? Did he even know or believe in magic and the reality of the world? There were so many questions that couldn’t be asked at a polite dinner, and part of him suspected that Reagan had set this up to be so, on purpose. “Personally, I know it was the right decision for us,” he added in, eyes sliding over to Reagan as he smiled a touch. “Getting married outside of this town was probably the best thing we could’ve done, so ... even if the family whines about it, do what makes you both the most comfortable.” Caius looked at Mara again, curious as to if she even wanted to get married at any point.
Mara had nearly snorted into her wine glass when Reagan asked about marriage, but she resisted, letting Chase take the lead on that. She and Chase were bound together now, by something dark and bloody. It was different than it had been before the fight. Marriage seemed unnecessary. "I don't think we need to get married to be committed," Mara said finally, setting her wine glass down. She was starting to sense Caius watching her in an intuitive way. It wasn't uncomfortable, just curious. Did he know? Did his wife? They were witches so maybe they could just sense when someone wasn't wholly human around them. She couldn't help but meet his gaze, her lips quirked in a faint, amused smile. "It's really just a bunch of legal shit and honestly, don't most marriages end in divorce these days anyway? Then you've got even more legal shit to work out. Basically, it's just waiting for a divorce or death to cash in whatever the other person was worth. When you're not worth anything, what's the point?"
Chase found Caius’s phrasing interesting, that getting out of the town was a part of the equation, and wondered if he was alluding to the weirdness he’d heard about practically all his life. Surely if that was the reason, a destination wedding would have been an option, but that still took planning a wedding, but his cousin had been willing to give that up. Maybe there was more to it, but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask. When Mara chimed in, Chase grinned, laughing softly. While it was a rather pessimistic way of looking at things, he had to agree with her. “As you can see, it’s not very high on our to-do list. I’m sure there are some legal benefits to being married, at least as far as taxes and beneficiaries go, but it hasn’t really impacted us.”
It was a very cynical way of looking at things, but Caius had to admit that if he didn’t have Reagan in his life, he probably would have had a similar outlook on marriage. It wasn’t like he’d grown up with a model of two people being deeply in love and committed to each other, his parents barely liked one another anymore, it seemed. He smirked a bit and glanced over at Reagan. “Not all marriages are that way, but whatever makes you two happiest. I’m a big proponent of everyone doing whatever the fuck they want to do with their lives,” he said, lifting his drink in a bit of a toast before he took another swallow. Beyond the sharp curiosity about what exactly was sitting at their table in the form of Mara, Caius was feeling buzzy and loose now, more pleased with having this dinner than if their guests had both been normal schlubs. “So Mara, what interests you? What are you into?” he asked, still studying her.
Reagan was enjoying the conversation, though she tended to agree with Caius that Mara's view on marriage was a cynical one. She had wanted to marry Caius for years, needing that level of commitment. Of course, that could have been the curse pushing her obsession with wanting Caius's ring on her finger, but she was still happy with where they were now. Reagan was happy and all of the drama that came before seemed like a distant memory now. She smiled at Caius's "toast", drinking her wine to wash down her bite of food. Caius's question to Mara prompted Reagan to glance at Chase before her gaze fell on Mara too. She could sort of understand why the two of them wouldn't want to get married, but it was possible that they both had that view on marriage before Mara's accident.
Mara waited until she was done swallowing her bite of food before answering Caius's question with a brief shrug of her shoulder. "I like being outside. Sleeping. Sex is fun." She flashed Chase a grin before reaching for her own glass again. "I don't really know what I'm into... I was an art major in college, but obviously, that's not going to get me a fat paycheck. Or any paycheck, really. I really like the music at the marina on the weekends and the markets. I guess I'm still trying to figure out what I like now. What I want to do. What do you two like to do?" Mara asked, sitting back against her chair comfortably. "I mean, besides magic type things, though that seems pretty cool."
Chase snorted in amusement at Mara’s answer, not at all surprised by how little tact she sometimes had. It was one of the reasons for his mother’s distaste, but Chase usually enjoyed her honesty, so long as it wasn’t being used like a blunt object. Her answer wasn’t all that surprising, but the wording caught his attention, as if her likes might have changed. Maybe due to the move, but Chase knew there was also the Mara from before and after. They were the same, but different. Chase didn’t like the reminders, so sure as he was that he’d done the right thing, that she was still herself. He took another sip of wine as Mara directed the question back to Reagan and Caius. He wasn’t sure how often they spoke of what they could do, but both he and Mara were curious, and there was nothing stopping Mara from asking.
So she was aware that they were witches, that was interesting. Caius wondered if Mara knew exactly or would share what had happened to her, and for a moment he was tempted to ask outright. She seemed like the blunt type, after all. But he didn’t know how much Chase knew, or if it would turn into a Thing that would ruin dinner, and he wasn’t in the mood to piss his wife off tonight. He wasn’t drunk enough yet to be that reckless. “Sex is definitely up there,” he murmured with a soft chuckle, lifting his drink again. “And being outside, I like that too.” Caius gestured around at the patio they were sitting on, always happy to be in the fresh air. “We like to travel ... have good food and wine ... magic is a big part of our lives, yeah. We work too much, probably ...” Caius looked to Reagan with a quirked eyebrow. They didn’t share a ton of hobbies, but both of them stayed so busy, it was hard to make time for that kind of stuff anyway. “Reagan decorated this house herself.”
Mara had always liked saying shit that got Chase's mom flustered. But that was after the woman had made it clear she didn't like Mara. No one would ever be good enough for Chase, in his mom's eyes. But at least the rest of his family seemed pretty cool. At least his uncle and these two. Whether they would remain tolerable in Mara's eyes was another story. Sometimes people let you down, after all. It wasn't surprising to Mara to hear Caius and Reagan liked to travel and eat good food. They could definitely afford both. The only reason Chase and Mara weren't living in some one room dump was because of Chase's uncle. "You look way too young to be working too much," Mara said, glancing between the two. "You should be having fun. Doing more of that travel thing. Fucking. Get some hobbies, unless you think magic is a hobby." Somehow she doubted it. Magic was probably more than just a fun thing to do on the weekends. "The house is cute though," she told Reagan. "Looks like a stylist came in and put it together. You could give us some pointers. I don't think me or Chase know a thing about decorating."
Reagan didn't mind Mara's conversation. It was entertaining, especially knowing what she knew. She wondered if Mara's "situation" would come up or not, but even if it didn't, she would no doubt be talking to Caius about it after her cousin and his girlfriend left. The idea of hobbies was a strange one. Her shop was her hobby. Sure, it was her job too, but she enjoyed it, so it didn't feel like work. But Reagan was realizing she didn't really do much outside of work and magic and Caius. Those three things took up so much of her life... "I'm not a designer by any means," Reagan told Mara with a polite smile. "But if you decide you want help, I can help. Especially if you two have decided you're going to be here for a while. I'm sure it would be nice to be settled in a place that feels like home."
“Unless something drastic happens, the plan is to stay,” Chase said. “So far this place seems to be a good fit for us. I hear things around the office, like they’re trying to scare us off, but I think we can handle it.” He might not have the kind of magic that Reagan and Caius had, but Chase was resourceful. He’d learned a lot over the years, some from his father and some from other sources, and he was sure they could get by just fine in Point Pleasant. He was more worried about what might go wrong with Mara, should he not maintain the balance her spell required. The key was not to draw too much attention to themselves, and so far that had been easy enough, but time would tell if they could remain that way going forward.
Magic was far more than a hobby to Caius, it was a central pillar in his life. He supposed he could call reading a hobby ... but most of what he read related to magic, or history, or something else most people would consider dry and boring. Other people’s opinions about how he occupied his time had never bothered him though, and he was more amused with Mara’s input than anything. Caius enjoyed his life -- whenever there wasn’t some huge crisis to deal with, at least. They certainly weren’t slacking off when it came to fucking. He finished what was in his glass and nodded a bit at what Chase said. “A lot of things are true, but a lot of things aren’t, at the same time. You’ll learn which is which.” He pushed his chair back and moved to stand up. “Anyone need anything from the kitchen?” It was time for a refill.
Reagan knew it was important to warn Chase about Point Pleasant, and all the things he needed to be aware of. She just figured it would be best to let him settle in first before she piled on the bad shit. When Caius stood, Reagan quickly joined him, reaching for the nearly empty bottle of wine. "I'll help you," she said, because it would be easier to talk in private than to try and coax certain truths from Chase and his girlfriend at the dinner table. She already knew Caius was aware of something off about Mara but she was guessing he hadn't figured it out yet. Reagan smiled at Chase. "We'll be right back."
Mara chuckled as the two left the table and went inside. "Witch is witch." She knew that wasn't what he meant, but that was okay. It still amused her. Her gaze ticked to Chase. "I bet they do a lot of dark shit," she told her boyfriend simply. "You can see that too, right?" Sure, they were both very polite, but there was an energy radiating off of them that Mara figured would make normal people uncomfortable. Or maybe it was just something she could sense.
Chase took a sip of wine as Reagan and Caius disappeared back into the house for a moment, leaving him and Mara outside. He eyed them curiously through the glass, sure that Mara was right, but unable to actually see any evidence of it. That was one of the downsides to not being a witch. He had no second sight, no feeling of magic buzzing around him, though it was good to know that he could tap into that when he needed to, even if it wasn’t easy. It took work, persistence, ingenuity, and guts to get there. And, in his experience, a strong stomach. “I can’t see it,” he told her quietly. “But it wouldn’t surprise me. Her mother helped me bring you back. I can’t imagine she wouldn’t share that kind of magic with Reagan.”
Reagan accompanying him to the kitchen was probably pretty transparent, but Caius didn’t care if she didn’t. In the kitchen, he headed for the liquor cabinet to get his refill, tossing a glance at the patio door to make sure neither one of their guests had followed too, then cocked an eyebrow at his wife. “You know something about her, don’t you?” he asked Reagan, though it came out as more of an amused accusation. There was just something about her expression that made Caius think she had the answer, and she’d wanted him to guess at it. He hadn’t figured it out exactly, he just knew that Mara was enchanted with something dark.
Reagan honestly didn't care at all if Chase and Mara thought they were inside talking about them. By all appearances, she was helping her husband with the drinks. Fiddle dee dee and all that shit. Reagan set the empty wine bottle down and picked up the bottle that Chase had brought them. Caius's question drew her gaze and she arched a brow of her own. "Of course, I do. I just thought it would be fun to watch you try and figure it out on your own. If you haven't yet, then I'll go ahead and tell you but I'm curious to know what you were able to pick up." Because as witches, it was clear there was some kind of dark magic swirling around the young woman. Reagan would have sensed it even if Chase hadn't told her what happened, though Reagan didn't think she would have been able to figure out what it was.
Maybe he was just half drunk, but it made Caius want to fuck Reagan right there for being a secretive, smug little minx. Of course she was testing him, that was just how it went with them sometimes. He sucked some air in between his teeth and squeezed her ass instead. “Well she’s not a witch, obviously, but she’s full of dark magic,” he said, keeping his voice low. Caius put his roaming hands to work pouring himself another glass of scotch. “She looked very strange through the Obscurities ... like nothing I’ve never seen before. Is it a curse of some kind? Some enchantment on her?” He hummed as he scraped his teeth over his bottom lip, almost musing to himself. “It would take more staring and less polite questions for me to suss it out, I think,” he finally admitted. Caius leaned his ass against the counter and took a sip, eyes on Reagan. “So I give up.”
Amused, Reagan certainly didn't mind Caius's roaming hands. When Chase and Mara left, she would make Caius put them to use again. Right now she was enjoying watching him try to figure the whole thing out. "You give up. That's a rarity," Reagan teased with a smirk on her lips. "But, we have guests waiting so I'll make this quick. It's not a curse, or enchantment. At least not in the way we know them." Reagan kept herself busy by opening the wine, just in case Chase or Mara could see her through the windows. "She died," Reagan said simply, tugging the cork out of the bottle. "And Chase had my mother help him bring her back. Burial, blood, magic. Honestly, I had no idea my mother was capable of it. But she's been keeping secrets my entire life, so..." Reagan shrugged and lifted the wine to carry outside.
If it had seemed more high stakes and Caius was more sober, he probably would’ve put more thought behind it all, but it felt like a light game between them at the moment, and he didn’t mind losing those sometimes. His thick brows lifted at the small statement, then drew together as Reagan went on. Mara was undead and Veronica had fixed it? Interesting. “How’d she die?” Caius asked as he straightened up as well. He was already fascinated, but that seemed to be the simplest thing to ask that Reagan might actually know. She wasn’t going to waste time breaking down the whole ritual for him right there at that moment, if she even knew how it had gone down in the first place.
"I don't know. All Chase said was that she had an accident." Reagan shrugged again, glancing briefly at the back doors. "My mother was elusive when I asked her about it. I don't know if Chase would tell me the truth if I asked him. But maybe he would. Maybe it was just a tragic thing... she doesn't look like she has any scars, any visible wounds that have been healed. Of course, I haven't seen her entire body. We should get back outside." She smiled at Caius. "At least dinner is somewhat interesting, right?" Reagan knew Caius hadn't been thrilled about hosting her cousin and his girlfriend, but how often did they get to sit at a table with someone who had died?
Would it be rude to ask a bunch of questions? Probably. Caius was still trying to decide if he cared. It would make for more interesting dinner conversation, and he at least knew Reagan and himself had strong stomachs. Mara seemed full of faux pas, so maybe she wouldn’t care, but Caius didn’t want to alienate Reagan’s cousin the first time they met. He hummed his agreement that things had gotten interesting as he moved to follow her back outside. He couldn’t help but look at Mara in a new light, and as he sat down again he tried to extend his magical senses to get a better feel for what was running through her.
It probably was rude to ask questions, but in Reagan's mind, she and Caius were allies to Chase. They could help if he needed it and it never hurt to have two witches in his corner. Of course, discussing his girlfriend's death and resurrection might make her cousin uncomfortable and Reagan didn't necessarily want to do that. When they returned outside, Reagan set the bottle of wine on the table and sat. "So I think it's important," she began, her gaze falling on her cousin, "that we're all on the same page. I think you need to be aware that this town is... different. And maybe you already know that but vague, ominous warnings aren't going to help you. Given your situation... it certainly makes things a bit more precarious for you. Caius and I are here to help you, if you want it, or need it."
Chase knew the moment Reagan and Caius stepped inside that they were probably talking about them. He expected everything that he’d shared with Reagan to be shared with her husband, though he would have expected her to do so before dinner, not during. If he hadn’t wanted her to know what was up with Mara, he wouldn’t have said anything, but in the instance that they needed her or Caius, he didn’t want to explain then. This made things simpler in the long run, though he was sure they had questions that he had no desire to answer. He’d much rather discuss their rather strange town and how to survive it without their brand of magic. “Help is always appreciated,” he smiled smoothly. “I’d rather be prepared than caught off guard. People are vague, but I definitely get the sense that it can be dangerous here. What can we do to minimize it? Is there anything in particular we should look out for?”
Caius was glad that Chase wasn’t naive enough to ask how they could completely protect themselves. That wasn’t really possible in this place, even for people like him and Reagan. That didn’t mean they could do nothing, though. “We can ward your house,” he offered. “Put up some protective barriers that can keep some dangers out.” Caius paused, his eyes lingering on Mara. “You might be more at risk because of ... whatever happened with Mara. Dark magic can be attractive to a lot of things you don’t actually want hanging around.” It could also make someone more inclined to yearn for more dark magic, he knew that better than most. Caius wondered if Mara could feel it, whatever magic Veronica had put into her. If it pulsed in her blood like it did in his own. “But we can help shield some of that.”
Mara lifted a brow, lifting her wine glass to drink some more. "What if those protective wards keep me out?" She didn't feel like she was dangerous, but there was a lot of stuff she and Chase still didn't know about what they'd done. What Chase had done, anyway. Clearly these two witches knew what had happened to her, whether Chase told them or they just sensed it. She studied Caius intently. "Are you attracted to dark magic?" It was probably an invasive question, or maybe inappropriate, but she didn't really care. Why not get to the gritty part of the conversation instead of dancing around the obvious? Witches were fascinating people and now they had two living right down the street from them.
Chase looked to Caius, a brow raised at Mara’s questions. He knew, without a doubt, his own answers to those questions, but he wasn’t a witch. All the resources, money, and blood he could obtain couldn’t grant him the kind of powers that Reagan and Caius were born with. He could put up wards, but they wouldn’t come near as easily as Reagan’s would. And they would be far less reliable, as depending on another being almost always was. He’d rather depend on Reagan’s magic, since it was on the table. And Caius’s. “Would that protection prevent us from performing dark magic?” he asked. He didn’t really want to get into the specifics of what he needed to do, but if the wards nullified the ritual in any way, there would be consequences.
Caius lived and breathed dark magic, so that question made him grin in a way he didn’t often do around anyone but Reagan. He felt nice and loose from the alcohol now, and they were finally getting into the meat of this little dinner. “We can make sure the wards allow you to do whatever you need to do in your own space,” he explained, and gestured toward the house with a wave of his fingers. “We have them up here, after all, and Reagan and I do all kinds of magic under this roof.” Some of it was ‘light,’ like Reagan’s healing creams and the protections they provided to people, but a lot of it definitely wasn’t benevolent. Caius thought of Caden Lucas’s fingers, still tucked away, wrapped up in the freezer for when he needed them. What would their dinner guests think of that, he wondered. “I’m curious now, what sort of dark magic are you performing?” he asked.
Reagan was curious too and she poured herself more wine while eyeing her cousin and Mara. Was it twisted that just talking about dark magic was making her become aroused? Her magic, all of it, was pulsing with excitement in her blood and she knew Caius would be able to feel it too.
Caius’s question had Mara glancing at Chase. She had no idea if her boyfriend wanted them to know what he was up to, but what could it hurt, telling them? They could help, right? Maybe not fully, because it was Chase’s burden to bear, but Mara couldn’t imagine there being a downside to two witches skilled in dark magic being there if they needed them. “Tell them,” Mara told Chase simply, drawing one bare foot up to rest against the edge of her chair. “We can trust them, right?”
The downside, as Chase saw it, was that two more people would potentially know that he had blood on his hands, and that he was going to have more before he was done. He didn’t know how often, but he knew the requirements necessary to keep Mara alive, and they weren’t exactly pleasant. Mara hadn’t been there to witness it, but he knew she could feel the darkness now in a way that he never could. It made him wonder if his cousin could feel it too. He envied that power, often wondering if things would have been easier if he’d had a touch of it himself. Maybe he could have stopped Mara from dying in the first place. “Blood rituals,” he answered, his eyes ticking between them. “To keep Mara alive.” Yes, he trusted them, but if he could refrain from going into detail, he most certainly would.
Caius could feel some highly distracting stirrings happening in his wife, but he stayed focused on Chase and Mara. He was interested now, and he was glad that he hadn’t talked Reagan out of doing this dinner. Chase’s answer made Caius’s head tilt to one side a bit. That wasn’t very specific, but Caius was educated enough to know that it likely took a lot of blood for the kind of rituals that maintained the undead. He felt safe assuming that Chase wasn’t using his own blood. It wasn’t magic he had much personal experience with, but he considered himself a well read witch, and he lived and breathed blood magic. “How often?” he asked. “I hope you’ve been thoroughly covering your tracks.”
“Of course,” Chase answered with a soft snort and a roll of his eyes. He wasn’t stupid. They didn’t leave because of the body. They left because, long term, it would be safer if they were somewhere where people who knew Mara before wouldn’t see the changes after. Chase knew she wouldn’t be exactly the same; he just didn’t know what that meant. She seemed mostly herself thus far, with only quirky little differences occasionally jumping out. “I’m still working out the frequency. I was advised that Point Pleasant was weird enough that we should be able to blend in, and hopefully hide the damage in with all the potential danger I keep hearing about.” It was a risk, hiding in a small town instead of a big city, but he was hoping it would work to their advantage.
Reagan took that to mean Point Pleasant had enough missing people that it would help cover up whatever it was Chase was doing to keep Mara alive. That was intriguing and she certainly wasn't one to judge, given what she had been doing over the past couple of weeks. Maybe this darkness did run in the family, magic or not. She had to assume it was her mother who advised Chase to move here and she felt desperate to talk to Veronica now, just to understand what was going on. "How many times have you had to perform these rituals so far?" she asked after a sip of wine. "I guess... how long ago did all of this happen? Does anyone besides our family know what had happened?"
Either Reagan and Caius were far more naive than he’d believed them to be, or they were far more accepting of murder than the normal person. Chase was inclined to think it was the latter and found that he was relieved, rather than horrified, as he probably should be. He just wasn’t. He’d done what he needed to save the one he loved and that spoke to a devotion far stronger than a ring and a public ceremony ever would. Hopefully they saw that and understood. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, but he’d do whatever it took to keep Mara alive. “So far, it’s just been the initial one to bring her back,” Chase answered, his hand seeking out Mara’s and giving her fingers a squeeze. “It happened almost a month ago. Veronica’s the only one who knows anything. My dad passed me down some of the basic spellwork years ago, but he’d never gotten far enough to do anything like this. I don’t think he suspects anything. We just said we needed a change of scenery, which, honestly, we did. Even before this happened.”
If there was anyone who understood killing and covering up murders in the name of love, it was Caius and Reagan. He would’ve been doing exactly what Chase was doing if Reagan needed it, and he didn’t bat an eyelash at the idea of consistent sacrifices to keep her alive. He did raise his eyebrows at hearing that it had only been a month ago, a little surprised at that part. His gaze ticked to Reagan, then back to Chase and Mara. “Well, you’ve come to a good place, people go missing around here all the time,” Caius offered. He gave a wan smile. “The police force is small and overwhelmed and underfunded. Which isn’t to say get reckless about it, of course ... if you need a method to dispose of the remains after you’re done with them, I can help with that.”
Reagan wondered how Chase knew when a blood ritual was needed. Did Mara start decaying? It was all so morbid and yet so fascinating. Knowing her non-magical cousin was capable of such things was a surprise too, though a welcomed one. She did her best to toe the line of morality where it came to magic but sometimes the pull of power was too great. The only thing more intense than that was love and she knew for a fact that she would have destroyed the entire universe to bring Caius back if she ever lost him. She noted the way Mara blinked in surprise at Caius's offer and Reagan hid a smile behind her wine glass as she took another sip.
"It sounds like you've disposed of remains before," Mara said, squeezing Chase's fingers gently in return. Her lips quirked as she drew her foot up to the edge of the chair again to get comfortable. She had plenty of food left on her plate but she wasn't hungry anymore, too focused on the two people sitting across from her and just what it was they did on a daily basis. These were two normal people... or probably even normal witches, whatever they might look like. "Are you two as fucked up as we are?"
That question made Caius laugh, more openly than he normally did around people who weren’t Reagan. He was feeling pleasantly buzzed and now didn’t see the point in being cagey with these people. They were family, and now they all had some secrets out on the table. “Well, not exactly, we’re both alive,” Caius pointed out to Mara, his tone amused. “But we’ve also had some circumstances that required some clean up of that nature. So ... likely fucked up by some people’s standards.” He took another sip from his glass, more or less done with his own food now. “Family looks out for family. However we can help, do let us know.”
Though this was not a conversation topic that Chase had planned to discuss tonight, he was finding himself glad that it had come up. He didn’t have a good way to dispose of the remains after a ritual, and would have never brought it up to his cousin and her husband, but now that it was on the table he was being offered assistance. Who would have guessed Caius had those kinds of resources at his fingertips? Mara’s question made him laugh and he was glad he wasn’t the only one. It brought some levity to the conversation, though he was inclined to agree that yes, they were probably just as fucked up based on their reaction alone. “I may need to take you up on your offer. I’d like to cause as little fuss as possible and bodies tend to do that, if they’re found.” He’d been planning on burying it, but if Caius had another option, he was open to it. “Mara’s alive though. Technically. She’s got a heartbeat. She eats. She breathes. She’s not a zombie.”
Caius's offhanded remark about he and Reagan being alive nearly set Mara off. The urge to overturn the table and scream was nearly irresistible, but then Chase spoke up and some of that fury dissipated, though she was still a bit rankled by the assumption that she was dead. Undead just sounded like she was a zombie. "If I was a zombie I guess I'd be having brains tonight instead of this." She gestured towards her plate with her wine glass. "But we appreciate the help. If there's any way we can return the favor, we'll do it." She didn't have magic at her disposal and maybe Caius and Reagan would never need any assistance with... whatever it was they were up to... but it felt like an obligation to at least offer.
It was hard to miss that he had offended Mara, but Caius couldn’t care less. By his estimation, Mara’s ‘aliveness’ was still up for debate, whether she ate and breathed or not. Sometimes those definitions got fuzzy. Without knowing exactly what magic had been performed on her, he couldn’t know for sure what she was, and he was sure they didn’t know. It made him want to pick Veronica’s brain about it, but Caius wasn’t sure he would ever have that opportunity. “Zombie was your word, not mine,” he replied, his voice still light and good natured. “There are all manner of undead.” He sipped his drink and then nodded again. “I’ll give you both my number before you go, give me a call when it comes up and I’ll do what I can for you.” They would owe him a favor, each time it did come up, but Caius liked to save his favors for strategic moments, so he didn’t expect repayment right away.
Chase wanted to argue that Mara was not undead in any fashion, but that was delving into an area where he was mostly theorizing and he didn’t really want to be proven wrong. It wouldn’t bother him exactly, but he knew it would bother Mara, so he’d rather let the conversation drop on that specific point, if Mara was willing to do so. Caius’s voice may have been light, but Chase was sure the other man knew he was poking at an open wound. “That’s very hospitable of you,” he said, giving his wine a swirl in its glass. “I’ll let you know if we’re in need of your help. Though I am curious now—this is something you’ve dealt with often?” He didn’t like the idea of owing anyone a favor, but if it came down to that, then at least it would make Caius complicit as well.