the_hawks_eye (the_hawks_eye) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-01-22 17:10:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, neal cassidy (baelfire), riza hawkeye |
Who: Neal and Riza
When:Thursday 22nd January, morning
Where: Flower Alchemy
What: Meeting Neal
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete
Riza’s anger had dissipated some since her she’d realised Ed had snuck out to take part in some kind of ritual she’d told him not to get involved in. She’d never experienced fear like she had when she’d realised he wasn’t in his room and his books were gone. Not even in the military where she’d been in awful situations, some she thought she wouldn’t get out of alive, had she felt terror seize her like that.
Agreeing to meet Neal may not have been her best idea but at least she could meet the man Edward had risked so much for. She just hoped he was a good man, Ed could actually use one of those in his life. If she was forced to admit it.
Nothing said ‘we should be close friends’ quite like marshmallow cats melting in your coffee, so after Neal picked up a couple of specialty drinks, he went to the exotic flower shop that he’d gotten the address for. Since the black orchids he’d ordered had apparently arrived - and really, he was kind of shit at buying flowers but these were important. Hopefully they’d be appreciated, even if there wasn’t much in the world he could do in return for those who had risked so much to help keep him alive. Nothing seemed good enough. Still, he’d try.
He’d also explain the situation to Riza more, since she likely only got bits and pieces. Having a clear breakdown might help her a little, even though Neal understood her worry - maybe Henry wasn’t his son in this reality, but it felt just the opposite. Felt like he’d always love and be connected to that kid, no matter where they were and how much their memories were scrambled.
Pushing the door to the shop open, he walked inside whistling. “Heeeeey...I’m looking for Riza? Are you her?” One of the paper cups was held out. “You gotta take the lid off, hopefully it hasn’t melted into nothing but a nose by now.”
An explanation would probably help since she hadn't asked Ed for much more after he'd mentioned the philosophers stone and there was no way she was asking that woman who had responded to her on the net.
It was somewhat different for Riza when it came to the dreams since in them she wasn't Edwards aunt and she didn't have a sister. That didn't change how she felt about Edward though, she loved him very much and wanted to look after him.
"I'm Riza" she confirmed, as she took the cup pushed her way. "A nose?" she frowned as she removed the lid to come face to face with a mostly intact marshmallow cat and for a moment couldn't stop a smile appearing on her face. "Thank you, I assume you are Neal" she said mask sliding into place once again. Ah military training, it had served Riza well.
Aha! Neal caught the smile, and he grinned in return - but he wasn’t as stoic a moment later. No, he was open and warm, especially around the eyes, which crinkled at the corners when he did smile like that. Felt as if it had been awhile since he’d been himself enough to do it, anyway. “I am, yeah. Neal Cassidy,” he introduced himself properly, taking a sip of his own melting-cat coffee. “It’s nice to meet you. I ordered the dozen black orchids but, I don’t know, I thought I’d come by just explain a few things too?”
He took a look around, checking out the shop’s interior. It seemed really put-together and efficient, like she dedicated a lot of time to the place. Not to mention it smelled like he stuck his nose into a rose garden but that wasn’t a negative thing. The scent of fresh flowers was a pleasing one.
“Your place is nice, by the way.”
“Riza Hawkeye” she responded, “I have the orchids and time to listen. Just don’t expect some great change of heart, I still think it was irresponsible of you to let a child get involved especially one who told you he was there against my wishes” she informed him. But she had agreed to listen and she would. Besides she wanted to know exactly what Ed had done if the truth be known.
She watched him as he looked around Flower Alchemy, she’d worked hard to get the place and she did well. A few large contracts for meeting room supplies and university receptions kept her going generally so she could focus her attention on the more exotic flowers which were her specialty.
“Thank you” because she wasn’t rude when being paid a compliment and she did work hard.
Riza Hawkeye was kind of an awesome name. The last part of it suited her well - being pinned under the weight of the disapproving stare made Neal squirm, but he knew she wasn’t wrong to be worried about her nephew. And she hadn’t been told much either, which didn’t help. “Well, technically, I didn’t know what he was up to,” he replied sheepishly. “I knew he was involved, because we met and I thought he might be able to help - by then I was completely gone, which I’ll explain - but I did tell him not to get up to anything dangerous. I also didn’t know he went against your wishes, and I’m sorry for that. When I told him not to try anything too dangerous he said he wouldn’t, but...you know...” Neal chuckled fondly, a rough sound over the edge of his coffee cup. “The little liars teenagers are.” He certainly had been, but he’d also spent most of his teenage years with a hardened criminal. Not really a place for someone that young at all.
“Anyway, I don’t expect you to suddenly have a change of heart but you’re owed an explanation, that’s all. You and Ed both dream, so you know that sometimes stuff can carry over. In my dreams, my father is Rumpelstiltskin - he’s a wizard, a powerful one, under what’s called the Dark One’s curse.” Explaining the whole thing would take years, it felt like, but Neal would do his best to summarize.
Once upon a time..
“He promised to give up his power safely if we could be together, somehow, in a land where magic doesn’t exist. But he broke his promise, and when the time came, he let me fall through a portal alone. I was about Ed’s age, maybe a year or so younger. So he spent three-hundred years searching for me, finally found me in New York, and a whole bunch of crap happened. He ended up dying in an act of sacrifice, but that wasn’t the end. Me, being separated from my son, wanted to get my father back because he was the only one who could help. I raised him from the dead, in dreams, but he didn’t want me to pay the price - which was a life for a life, obviously, didn’t know that at the time.”
Another sip of coffee - fuck, why wasn’t it spiked?
“So we sort of merged,” Neal went on. “And when I woke up, it had happened too. He was in my head. Taking over sometimes, and he wasn’t exactly...sane. Which meant I wasn’t really in my right mind either because having two in a space for one takes its toll. I had memory gaps of when he took over and the dark magic he wielded was poisoning me. His whole presence was poisoning me. I was locked in a warded room while some spellcasters figured stuff out, like how to potentially get rid of him without killing me. My friend Lina worked with Ed to make a replica of the Philosopher’s Stone, which was meant to trap the darkness that was my father once he was purged from me. And Lina’s good people, I can vouch for her - she’s a sorceress, and I think the worst they got up to was downing a lot of energy drinks to help them study, but other than that? It was fine, and it worked. Luckily. I did die in dreams, and I died here too - just for a bit, until someone restarted my heart again.”
That had been the worst moment. Truly a low point, and Neal would always remember; the nightmares of death and dying would haunt him, they’d already begun to seep in. “But I just wanted you to know everything. And I’m hoping you’ll still let me see Ed sometimes,” he said. “If you need some time I can give you time but I’d really love to keep getting to know him, and you too.”
“Fine” Riza allowed before adding, “You may not have known but your friends did and they didn’t care because they wanted to use him. He could have been hurt and I wouldn’t have known until I got a call from the hospital or worse” And then, if he’d survived, he would have been taken away from her.
“I’m trying to teach him better than to be a ‘little liar’ of a teenager, and that isn’t helped when people deliberately encourage him” she said firmly.
Then Neal told his story and Riza did listen. She understood he was trying to give her the whole story but he glossed over the most worrying part. “Are you aware of what it takes to create a Philosopher’s stone in the dreams Ed and I have? Of how dangerous the process is? And Ed has only used his gift for alchemy to make snowmen so far” she pointed out. Maybe his people were well versed in these strange things now but Ed wasn’t and as such more care needed to be taken.
She wasn’t sure about letting Ed and this man meet again, he hadn’t really said anything to convince her he wouldn’t put Ed at risk again if he felt he needed to or at least his friends. Maybe things would have been different if he’d been in charge but Riza couldn’t forget that woman’s complete lack of care when Riza had been out of her mind with worry over Ed.
“Now, that’s not exactly fair because none of us encouraged him to lie to you,” Neal said, and he hadn’t been present for every conversation but he knew the people who had worked tirelessly to save him, and none of them would do that. “I don’t know the whole situation about re-creating the Philosopher’s Stone because I wasn’t told the whole situation - it was safer that way, to just keep me locked away. But I do know that’s why Lina used her magic to help Ed finagle a replica and not the actual stone, because they didn’t want to deal with the dangerousness of making a real one.”
He rubbed his forehead, fingers trying to soothe the headache, then briefly passed his hand over tired eyes. “You also have to understand that when I first met Ed, it was in a pretty shady part of town, in a bookstore. He’d gone to find books on alchemy and he got there himself - without telling you, I assume. I met him and made sure he got home okay, I gave him a ride back. So I get that you’re wanting to sort of curb the recklessness a little but villainizing me and my friends isn’t going to help with that, especially when he was already sort of poking his fingers into aspects of alchemy he might not be ready for yet.”
Neal wanted to help change that, however. He wanted to help fix things, because he really did have a soft spot for the teenager and he wanted to be involved in his life too. “I promise nothing like this will happen again, you won’t be kept in the dark, and hopefully Ed learned a few things too - but I just would like another chance, maybe someday.” His tone was a bit resigned, and obviously keeping a distance would be hurtful, if that was really what she wanted; it was just that he didn’t want to make everything worse. “But please just talk to him or something, because he’s scared he’s going to be taken away from you and he loves you too, I know he does, but he’s just at that age...you’re going to fuck up, I’m going to fuck up, he’s going to fuck up. Stuff’s not going to change overnight, and maybe you could find someone who can work with him on his alchemy so he’s not just going at it on his own? He seemed to get along with Lina and in her dreams, alchemy is sort of a thing so maybe she could help supervise, I don’t know.”
Riza sighed “Maybe not directly but they didn’t contact me or send him home when he told them he had lied to be there. Which from my point of view amounts to the same thing” Riza replied, it probably wasn’t fair to take things out on Neal. It did sound like he’d been in real trouble and not aware of half of the things going on but he was the one who wanted to talk to her. So this is what he got.
“I don’t just want to curb his recklessness, I have to. If he gets in any more trouble his father will use it to insist Ed goes to a boys facility to correct his behaviour. That’s why he’s here because I wouldn’t let that happen” Riza told him, they were both on their last chance here and she was terrified something was going to happen and he’d be pulled away from her.
Riza seemed to deflate somewhat after that, “I have spoken to him, I’ve told him I love him and I want him here, of course I want him here, but...I just don’t know that he believes me” and that was partly her fault for not being around more. She knew that and carried the guilt of it.
“I know he needs to learn alchemy safely, he’s not the kind to just leave it alone. If Ed wants to and she agrees maybe this girl can teach him. At our house under supervision” because Riza wasn’t in the habit of trusting people she hadn’t met and there was still some anger about the way she’d been spoken to previously.
A boys facility?? Yeah, no. That didn’t sound good. That sounded like a nicer way to say ‘juvie hall’ or ‘correctional facility for youth’ or some shit. Neal didn’t want that to happen either, no way in hell. “I’m sorry no one contacted you,” he apologized, because he was well aware of the fact that not keeping Riza informed was a big part of the problem. She had nothing to go on, what else was she supposed to assume besides the worst? “If I were more, uh, me...I’d have insisted on it. I know they were all hella busy figuring out how to keep my insane father off the streets, but it’s still no excuse. You should have been getting info too, from someone.”
Large hands wrapped around his cup, and he leaned against the counter, hip propped there. There were stress knots on him everywhere, tense muscles, but he was weighed down by everything and seemed to deflate a little as well. “Ed reminds me a lot of myself,” he said thoughtfully. “At that age, I mean. Not very trusting of adults, not expecting them to be there because you, as a kid, have been let down so many times. It’s gonna take some more time before it sinks in that you love him and want what’s best for him, because his automatic assumption is that you’ll just give him up when crap hits the fan.”
That being said, he nodded, taking more sips. Poor melted marshmallow cat. “I can talk to Lina, have her get in touch with you. And you two can work out something at the house, so Ed can be supervised working on alchemy. I think that’ll be good...and I want what’s best for him too, so it’s not about me. It’s about him. That’s why if you want me to stay away, I will. I just...hope someday you’ll change your mind.” He could keep hoping for that.
It wasn’t good and Riza would fight like hell to keep him from that but the fear and worry was still there. He was headstrong she knew that, could handle it but these dreams were not something she’d ever been prepared for. In any aspect of her life.
“Well thank you, for that” she said, “I appreciate it” Because hearing that apology instead of accusations coming her way was welcomed and went a long way to starting to build bridges. It had been wrong that she, as Ed’s guardian, was kept out of things. If any one of them had come to her as an adult and explained a lot of this may have been avoided. But instead they had helped him hide things and decided she didn’t deserve to know anything. That along with worry had made her one very pissed off lady.
Riza took a sip of her own drink, “I was nothing like that” she admitted, “My sister, Ed’s mother, and I grew up happily together and then when I was seventeen I went to military school. Hard to be a rebel there without getting kicked out. I only retired from service a couple of months before my sister passed away. So I guess from Ed’s point of view I’m not exactly reliable” She’d written to them and seen them on the computer but it wasn’t the same as being an Aunt you visited regularly and stayed over with.
“Okay, if you could do that I’ll speak to Ed and ask him if that’s okay with him too” Riza said, looking at her cup for a moment, “It seems unfair to tell you to stay away if I’m letting Lina help him. Just be careful. He’s had enough crappy guys in his life”
Riza kind of gave off the military vibe. She was very no-nonsense. But she had delicate features too, it was kind of an interesting contrast. They should have put her in as a spy extracting info from the enemy. “Well, living a military life isn’t known for being stable anyway,” Neal pointed out. “Being that you can be sent anywhere, at any time. I’m glad that you and Ed are together now though, I’m sure you need each other.” It would devastate her if anything happened to the kid, he totally understood that.
“And I’ve had plenty of crappy people in my life, so I’m trying to avoid that,” he grinned slightly. “I really like working with kids though - just like kids in general, I guess.” Neal had a ton of fatherly feels - that was really damn obvious. He wanted to be a dad more than anything, and he missed Henry all the time. “I work at a ranch for at-risk youth, so they’re sort of troubled, usually out of a stint at juvie, and a lot like Ed too in terms of how much they don’t trust adults.” But with Neal, they saw kind of a kindred spirit - he just identified well with them.
Setting his cup down, he reached into his pocket for his wallet. Luckily he still had that on him, and could withdraw cash, even though his apartment had been completely trashed by crime lords who had it out for Garrus. “How much do I owe you, by the way? For those orchids?” he asked.
She was a very no-nonsense kind of girl but she wasn’t the undercover sort. Riza had been a weapons specialist and there was very little she couldn’t use competently. Even now she offered consultancy when it was required, her skills had taken her to the frontline and it wasn’t something she would forget or particularly wanted to repeat.
“I certainly need him. I see so much of my sister in him and I know she’d want him to be cared for and loved as she loved him” Riza said with a sigh, she wasn’t sure how much Ed needed her though. He missed his mum and his aunt was a poor alternative.
“I didn’t even know such a place existed” she told him, “It sounds like worthy work, emotional though. And certainly not easy” But if he was getting through to those kind of troubled kids maybe he could help Ed. Time would tell she supposed.
Moving to the back she went to retrieve the flowers, “Make sure you’re happy with them first” she called back, before re-emerging with the orchids and bringing them over for him to check before she told him the price, lowering it a bit since he had actually been pretty decent and understanding about the whole situation.
“Not easy, but I love it. I do work around the ranch, mostly, like the dirty work - but for the kids, they have chores too, so I get to spend time with them and come up with ways to make it not so boring.” There were the unruly ones, sure, but Neal was very patient - he’d managed to develop a rapport with even the most fiery of the youths at the center, probably even after not many before him had much luck. Natural gift, he supposed.
Not like he had been a gem when he was younger either. He didn’t even really have much proper schooling, getting his GED years later.
When Riza came back with the orchids, his grin grew even more voluminous. “Wow, those are great,” he said, reaching out to gently touch one of the petals. “Perfect, actually.” And he had enough cash so he counted out more than the exact amount, telling Riza, “Just keep the change.” Since he still felt kind of bad about giving her such a scare.
“That’s good. I imagine the manual labour helps them too. It focuses the mind” Riza said, discipline was important and a lot of people just needed a focus. Or at least that’s what she had found in her experience. Mostly within the military of course.
“Oh I’m glad. I was pleased with them when I collected them” Riza said, her pride over the flowers obvious. Her business was built on good quality blooms after all, she would accept nothing less. “Thank you. It was good to meet you Neal” she added with a small smile.
Neal would make sure to be careful with these suckers. He picked up the vase they were in, gingerly, making sure not to slosh any of the water or otherwise crush the dark petals, which reminded him of what the sky looked like over the beach at midnight - a deep rich velvety black, with tinges of blue and even purple. “Nice meeting you too. Oh!” He grinned crookedly, holding out his hand for a shake. He would have hugged her goodbye or something, but that would probably be too, uh, awkward.
“I’ll be seeing you soon, I’m sure.”
Riza wasn’t an overly huggy person so it was probably good that he didn’t go for the hug, she did shake his hand though and nodded, “I’m sure you will” she replied releasing him and going back to work.