Caius D'Onofrio (poweroftheeye) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-12-29 19:51:00 |
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Entry tags: | #june 2018, anthony, anthony x caius, caius |
Who: Caius and Andre Radley (and Anthony)
When: late night, Saturday, June 23
Where: the marina
Status: complete
Caius didn’t often get calls in the middle of the night, so when his phone started buzzing close to midnight, he knew it was important before he even opened his eyes. He sat up abruptly in bed and grabbed for it on the nightstand, his other hand automatically reaching out to Reagan’s side. Caius was relieved to feel her warm body -- she wasn’t out on another magic draining adventure, that was good. He squinted at the number on the screen and didn’t recognize it, but answered anyway with a quiet “hello” as he climbed out of bed to step out into the hallway.
After a brief, confusing conversation with one of the night guards at the marina, Caius was back in the bedroom and hastily pulling on clothes. He softly told Reagan that there was a work emergency and he had to leave, but she just mumbled and waved him off. Relieved that she was too sleepy to join him, Caius hurried out of the house and sped off toward the pier. He was still confused about what was happening -- some unscheduled carnival was setting up on their property? The guard had babbled about strange vehicles and animals and trucks and the structures for what looked like huge rides. None of which had been booked or approved or paid for. And in the middle of the night?
Caius saw them before he even reached the parking lot, and he pulled his car over on the side of the road. He got out and started speedily walking toward the parked vehicles, his eyes peeled for anyone he could grab and talk to.
There were plenty of workers starting to mill about the area, stoic and dutifully unloading their trucks. A few vendor booths were already being set up. They worked swiftly, moving the heavy equipment out of the trailers with ease. The area already smelled of horses and perhaps a whiff of buttery popcorn, though there were obviously no stands focused on making food at the moment. A man pushing a large metal cart holding the ticket booth paused as he saw Caius approaching, staring blankly at the young man. Rather than greet him, the man waited, his hands still gripped tightly around the cart.
Caius spotted the man around the same time he was spotted back, and he diverted his path to approach the guy with the big cart. He bypassed any greetings himself, already aggravated with the situation. The man looked like a dullard even in the semi-darkness, and Caius already knew this wasn’t who he really wanted to talk to. “What is this?” he demanded once he was in speaking range, thick brows drawn together. “This is privately owned property, you’re all trespassing. Who’s in charge here?” There was a lot of activity going on around them as workers unloaded and moved around, but part of Caius noticed how eerily quiet it was -- no boisterous jokes flying around, not even any shouted directions like he would’ve expected. They all seemed to know exactly what to do and do it silently. Maybe it had been a long drive from wherever they’d come from.
The man didn't respond but for a simple blink of his eyes. Then he lifted his hand, pointing a gnarled finger in the direction that Caius wanted to go. Radley's tent had been the first one erected when the trucks had stopped, but it was still several yards away. Having answered Caius's questions, the man began to push the cart again, away from Caius to where the booth needed to be set up. The others continued their work, not at all interested or bothered by Caius and his questions. There was a job to do and only one night to do it.
A sense of weirdness slithered through Caius’s aggravation as he frowned at the man’s retreating back. That had been fucking rude, but he supposed he couldn’t rightly expect manners from a carnie anyway. He turned to stalk toward the tent the guy had pointed at, assuming that was where the boss was. Or he was being jerked around, and he wasn’t going to stand for that. On his way, Caius passed another worker and tried asking him who was in charge, only to be ignored completely this time. Again, the silence bothered him. He could hear the dim sounds of animals in cages parked further away in the field, but those were the only vocalizations. Caius eyed the tent warily as he approached it -- how did one knock at a tent? His jaw set, he reached for the flap with a sharp, “Excuse me.”
While his employees were dutifully, and quietly, attending to their tasks, Andre Radley was more than ready to welcome Caius to his tent. He had known as soon as the young man stepped foot on the grounds. The brusque greeting didn't deter him and Radley smiled as Caius appeared. He sat at a small, square wooden table, only big enough to seat two. Papers were stacked neatly on its surface, save for one that Radley held delicately in his hand. The rest of the tent was full of shelves and trinkets with no rhyme or reason to their order, and a small dresser in the corner, tucked beside a simple cot.
"Mr. D'Onofrio," he said, standing to greet his guest and offer his free hand to shake. "I was expecting you, though perhaps not so soon. I appreciate the promptness. Please come inside!"
Caius hadn’t known what to expect when he opened the tent flap, but somehow this tall, lanky man in an old-fashioned suit was not on the list. He glanced down at the hand but hesitated to take it, dark eyes full of suspicion. Maybe he was overreacting and this was the result of some innocent miscommunication about the marina scheduling, but Caius didn’t think so. His gut told him something strange was going on, and he didn’t like that feeling on property that felt like his. “You obviously have me at a disadvantage,” he said as he took another couple of steps inside the tent. He’d been expected? Or perhaps Anthony had. Caius finally reached to shake the man’s hand. “Who are you? Who authorized this event? Because I know I didn’t.”
Radley's smile seemed to widen with every passing second that Caius didn't take his offered hand. Finally the deed was done and Radley released the young man to return to his work table. "No, I suppose you didn't. But your father did and I have the necessary paperwork here, should you want to look at it." He offered the permits to Caius, including the bank records that showed a hefty deposit made to Anthony's company nearly three weeks prior. "Considering your role in the company," Radley continued, brandishing a pen from his front jacket pocket, "I was told I would need your signature upon arrival. Obviously, you are free to contact your father for confirmation." He offered the pen with the same smile as before. "I do apologize for arriving so late. We have been encountering terrible weather for the last several hours, which has slowed everything down considerably."
None of those sentences contained the man’s name, and that rankled Caius. He hated having direct questions ignored. He took the paperwork from the man and started skimming them, not reading for the pen just as he hadn’t immediately reached for the handshake. “Andre Radley and Le Cirque des âmes Perdues,” he muttered to himself. He didn’t know what all the French meant, but he was able to pronounce it without completely butchering it, at least. It all looked to be in order, including the sizable deposit, but Caius still felt unsettled. Shooting the tall man another wary look, Caius pulled his phone out of his pocket and stepped back toward the tent flap. “If you’ll excuse me a moment, I’m not signing anything yet, Mr. Radley.” He did want to confirm with Anthony before putting his name on anything. Something about all this was making him uneasy, and he didn’t think it was just the late hour. Caius slipped back out into the night and hit the call button on his father’s contact. He’d better be awake, and if he wasn’t, Caius was going to ensure he woke up.
Radley all but bowed as Caius took out his phone, more than happy to let the young man check the paperwork with his father. As it so happened, Anthony was awake and in his study, watching the storm rolling into town. When his phone rang, he wasn't necessarily surprised. He had been expecting Caius to call, to be honest. Sighing, he picked up the phone. "Yes, Caius." He knew why his son was calling, but Anthony wouldn't jump on it before hearing his voice. Caius was meticulous and diligent, and for that, Anthony was very proud. Eventually Caius would be in charge of everything, so Anthony was more than happy to let his son deal with all the strangeness rolling into Point Pleasant.
Anthony sounded very awake, which wasn’t too surprising on its own, but the expectant tone in his voice gave Caius a second’s pause. Had he known this was coming? Why couldn’t this man forewarn him about anything, ever? “Did you book a full on carnival without telling me?” he asked, also skipping over the pleasantries Anthony obviously didn’t have time for. “Because a full on carnival with some French name is here, setting up, and this man named Andre Radley has your signature on some paperwork ... what is this?” Caius started to walk around Radley’s tent as he spoke, full of a restless urge to move, his dark gaze darting around at the still-silent workers doing their thing.
"It's a carnival, Caius." Anthony kept his tone calm and quiet. "It booked itself. The deposits have been made and the permits acquired. I think this town could use a bit of fun, don't you? I know that sounds unusual, considering everything, but it's going to be immensely profitable for Mr. Radley and the company itself. I would suggest you sign the necessary papers and let Mr. Radley get on with things." It was going to happen with or without Caius's blessing, but Anthony still wanted his son to step up and do what his job entailed.
“It booked itself?” Caius repeated with incredulity, positive that his father was being glib and just saying it had been a no-brainer to book this carnival. As he walked, he called his Obscurities forward and his eyes turned black. All of the tents and equipment he could see gave off a weird sort of aura, and Caius felt vindicated in his suspicion that Something Strange was going on here. He clenched his teeth and tried to think quickly, past the annoyed betrayed feeling of being left out of the loop. “Are you sure?” he asked, his tone quieter and more flat this time. “It doesn’t look right here. It’s not magic, it’s ... something else.” A worker crossed his path, and he didn’t look over, but Caius still caught a glimpse of his eyes, and they were strange, all white and glassy, like the opposite of Caius’s.
"I'm sure," Anthony said firmly. He stood from his chair and wandered over to the window overlooking the ocean. The water was becoming restless. "We deal with Something Else almost every day. You don't have anything to worry about, Caius. Not unless you try to stop them from setting things up. Sign the papers and go home. I'm sure you're tired. It's going to be a pretty busy week for us." There were some things Caius was going to have to learn to take in stride. Point Pleasant had a mind of its own, and it wanted what it wanted. Sometimes the safest thing was to just step back and let things be.
Anthony had a point that this town wasn’t any bastion of normalcy. They were surrounded by the paranormal and frightening all the time, and inexplicable events like this just happened sometimes. Caius didn’t remember this particular carnival in his lifetime, but judging by the vintage nature of all the booths he was seeing go up, it had been around a long time. It was possible he’d even been here before and the memory had just faded, like so many of them seemed to do here. He took a deeper breath, still eyeing the workers with wariness, but some of the tension leaked out of his shoulders. If Anthony wasn’t concerned, why should he be? “All right,” he murmured into the phone, glancing briefly down at the paperwork again. “Thank you for confirming. Have a good night.”
There were very few things that concerned Anthony anymore. The carnival itself... well, he had no reason to worry. It was what it was. Caius would eventually come around to the same way of thinking. He had to, if he wanted to be successful once Anthony was gone. "Good night, Caius," Anthony said, before hanging up. It was going to be a long week, but they would deal with it as needed.
Radley was waiting for Caius to make his phone call, standing in place with his hands clasped loosely behind his back. "I assume everything is in order?" Radley asked, once Caius entered the tent again.
It was all in as much order as it was going to be, Caius supposed. His eyes were still full black as he looked Radley up and down -- why play coy games by pretending either of them were normal? The unsettling thing was, Radley himself looked completely normal and human to the Obscurities. Caius knew better now, and he had to wonder what kind of creature this man was. Was he something like Westin? Or some hapless human body controlled by something darker? “It appears to be,” Caius answered. With a blink, the whites of his eyes returned and black faded into brown. He stepped toward the tiny table and pulled his own pen out of his pocket. “Do you have a copy of this agreement I can take with me?”
Radley stared into the dark eyes, his smile never wavering. Given what he knew of Mr. D'Onofrio, it made complete sense his son would bear the same... personality traits. Only when Caius asked for a copy did Radley move again. "Of course." He reached for a blank piece of paper on the table. In the short time it took to pick it up and offer it to Caius, it was an exact replica of the contract Caius was currently signing. "I do hope I'll see you around the carnival this week. Bring your lovely wife and have a good time."
Caius caught a glimpse of words appearing on the paper, and he got a little chill that wasn’t completely unpleasant. There was definitely magic at play here, it just wasn’t a type that he recognized, or could even feel very much ... but maybe that was part of the magic. He did feel a bit wary as he scribbled his name on the line, like he might be signing more away than he realized, but Caius let it pass. He left the signed paperwork on the desk, and accepted his copy from Radley as he tucked his pen away with the other hand. The mention of Reagan put more mistrust into his gaze, and his lips pursed briefly. There was a warning on the tip of his tongue, that Radley and his carnival best stay within their boundaries, but he thought better of saying it aloud. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Radley,” he muttered, folding up the contract as he turned toward the tent flap again.
Radley quite enjoyed this man. His faint curiosity and distrust. They were both beings of something otherworldly and Radley could appreciate that. In a sense, he felt the unspoken agreement to respect one another's space. Radley was more than happy to focus on the carnival and bringing joy to the town. The rest of Point Pleasant would remain untouched and unscathed. At least, as long as Mr. D'Onofrio minded his own business, as Radley intended to. "Thank you for your time, Mr. D'Onofrio." Radley continued to smile, following Caius to the flap of the tent to watch him leave. It wasn't until Caius was a safe distance away that the smile faded, Radley's eyes turned dark and he stepped back from the flap, letting it fall into place to hide him from view.