Night's Omen

 Antoine sat down where Firuza directed him, grateful that Desmond was on his other side. The two of them, he'd trust in a fight - he had no idea about his brother's special abilities, but he knew that Firuza was unique - unique in a way that kept them from being nailed by a fucking rebel helo after it had been hit with a missile fired by their own forces. Whatever she was, whatever she'd done, it had always been in the best interests of the team around them. Antoine wouldn't ever have a problem with her at his back.

He looked around, then at Eithne, who was standing and pacing around the room. God damn, there were a lot of vampires in this guild. He looked at Taro, right at him, but the vampire offered nothing indicating he gave a shit. Antoine didn't know it, but Taro had saved his life. He also realized that Diamond had a lot more people than he'd originally thought, and he was willing to bet that this wasn't anything like their full complement. Chairs at the massive table were left empty, despite everyone comfortably in a seat they seemed to have sat in on a routine basis.

"It's come to our attention that we have a situation in Europe," Noelani said, standing from the head of the table. For such a slender woman (who wasn't very tall, compared to Antoine, anyways), her voice was loud enough to be heard throughout the meeting hall - of course, most of them had supernatural hearing, so it wouldn't have mattered if she spoke normally. "That situation is a gross negligence and absolute corruption, so much so that we're forming teams tonight and sending people out." She paused, then looked right at Antoine. "And I think there are some things that need to be set straight. Eithne? You have the floor."

Eithne nodded, waiting until Noelani sat back down, and began speaking. She hurriedly explained what had transpired that night, confirming what many of them already knew - that Antoine was technically wanted with a stupidly high bounty on his head, for what was essentially treason and murder against the guilds. But now she'd have to explain the ugly truth, and she paused, looking at Antoine for a moment. This was all going to be really hard for him to hear, and she knew it.

"Antoine Sutherland was one of the first hunters who was essentially sold into Midnight EU under the pretense of a covert operation known as Mark Ultra - probably a reference to the US' own project of a similar name. They were tasked with gathering intelligence to be used against Midnight EU, and in exchange were told their families would be taken and placed into hiding until they were extracted. The guilds were supposed to have contacts within Midnight that would cut them loose after a set number of days."

"Wait," Link said. He was one of the few Americans at the guild table. "You're talking about MK Ultra, right? That was based on human mind control through drugs and torture. That was the program that the guilds were taking the name from? And nobody suspected anything?" He slammed his hand down on the table.

Eithne tipped her head a little, letting the Unseelie have his say, then smiled. "Actually, the people who went in, if you'd let me get to that, were people who were former military or otherwise, and had extensive training for situations exactly like they were presented with. It was supposed to allow the guilds to probe into their methods of torture, to see what they weren't preparing for. The problem was that there was another agreement made underneath the project."

Antoine sat forward in his chair a little. He wasn't new to any of this information, except the bit about the other deal being made. He glanced around the table, where people looked between he and Eithne. The stares were shocked, uncomfortable - but mostly, angry. Nobody was nearly as angry as he was, though, he could guarantee that. He just hid it really well.

Eithne continued. "The agreement under the project was taking the best of the best from Onyx and - " she faltered a little. After clearing her throat, she spoke rapidly, "The agreement was that they'd be broken into a thousand pieces. Midnight was introducing more intense methods of torture, far off from the normal things that had been reported. Chemical, psychological."

"They do that anyways," Link said.

Eithne looked at him, her eyes wide. "Not like this, they didn't," she managed, her voice barely above a whisper.

 Somehow, Eithne had handed the floor off to Antoine. He didn't want to talk, not particularly, but it was a look from the Arun witch that had tried to get into his head that made him slowly stand up. Her eyes were incredibly dark, and in them he could see hate, anger - he remembered her panicking as she'd seen his memory, and it suddenly clicked. She'd been where he had, and she'd probably been there for longer, judging by her panic and loss of control over the sight of the vampire. And she was looking at him, like she was just... waiting.

"I had another objective when I was there. It wasn't just torture porn for our guild to research. I'd never have signed up for that," he added, a laugh escaping his throat. It was obvious that Antoine was a born speaker - the way he moved, the way his hands and face expressed ideas - the way he made eye contact with them as he spoke. He wasn't just a born speaker, he was a born leader, so to reflect back on what some of them had seen earlier made it all the more real.

"I was supposed to pull information off of trader on the inside. That trader didn't exist - or he didn't seem to. He was on paper and in photos and every other way I could prove to you he exists, but once I got inside, I couldn't find him. I had to endure and maintain and all of the other hostage bullshit, hoping this contact would surface. I never got to him, so I don't know what information he had for me. Or for the guilds. Or if he existed at all."

Eithne piped back in. "He didn't," she informed them. "It was just a cover story - all of the hunters who went in got something like that, something that would make them feel like they needed to hold out and complete their mission. One by one, they all broke. All of them but you."

"What a treat that was, let me tell you," Antoine said dryly. He didn't return to his seat, instead leaning on the wall in the cold room with his arms folded. "You know, it's one thing to believe that you were conspired against, but it's another thing to hear it," he remarked darkly. No, Antoine's anger was showing, now.

"Well, it gets worse," she warned him. "So, the corruption that we mentioned? This agreement was wound all throughout the guild. It seems isolated at Onyx from what we can tell, and the few people who could give us information were our own contacts from other countries who simply never thought to look further until now because the releases all simply said that a hunter returned from Midnight and went - well, batshit."

"Things did get a little messy," he acknowledged.

"The long and short of it is that they made a deal with the devil and they spent the currency of souls that weren't their own with which to bargain. Then when their progeny came back to bite them in the ass, they tried to vilify him to the rest of us in hopes that someone or a lot of someones would take the contract on his head and tie the package up in a neat bow." This voice came from someone who hadn't yet spoken, and everyone turned to see a pale, pretty woman in the doorway who looked somehow both young and mature at the same time.

"I should know. I was there," she added. "And I endured just the very edge of it, and I can tell you that, if they really signed off on this, then they all deserved to die."

Everyone in the room was very aware that Antoine was tensed, and that he was looking at Corinne in the same way he'd looked at Taro right before he'd stabbed him. He blinked a few times, his vision of her in the doorway mingling with her strapped down into a chair while Rajz held a Firestone knife to her throat. She had a distinct cry, a sort of whicker almost like a frightened animal, and she had a scream that was subdued through control. This time was different, though - this time he was making her actually scream. He was forcing her to use her power, pushing the hunter to near-overdose levels of it, and then cutting it off suddenly.

They hadn't called Corinne the opium vampire for nothing. Just like Orestes, too much of her was a bad thing. Too much of her consistently was even worse, and they'd starved her so that she couldn't just 'turn it off'. She'd been forced into torturing Antoine against her will, and he had to wonder what vampires could make one as old as she was do something like that? Then he'd met Justinian and Iloquil, and he knew.

He blinked again, and he realized that he was standing in a room full of people who hadn't totally reserved themselves to not kicking his ass. He took a shaky breath, looking at James and Firuza. "So now you all know the truth. They let my family get taken. They brought it on themselves. Still want to kill me?" he snapped.

"I think I want to go to England," Link said hotly.

Link wasn't the only one who wanted to go to England, but Link had his team present, and that was a big difference for him. James was going whether he got the others on board or not, but he'd feel a hell of a lot better with the kind of backup he trusted. Here, he just had Antoine, and maybe Firuza, but he still figured she'd choose her people over him and he didn't blame her for that. For his own good, however, he'd prefer to have people he trusted on his side.  If he was going up against the people who had done those terrible things to children, above all else, he knew there was no hope for him if he was left hanging.

"England, it is, but I need to make a few calls first. I have friends who would be very cross with me if I didn't invite them in for a suicide mission," he joked, a defense mechanism for when he figured shit was going to go south.  If they were planning on taking on a whole guild, it would get nasty at some point, and that was without counting Midnight. Wonderful.

"Must be good friends," Murphy pointed out, glancing to Eithne and then back to him, which prompted the narrowing of James' eyes and a look from his brother.

"Very good friends."

"You're bringing Broadsword in on this," Eithne stated, not even asking, and though the changeling's face remained completely impassive, he didn't have to answer.  She didn't need it, and apparently, neither did the others.  Aaron whistled from down the table, Murphy glanced to Noelani, and James looked to Antoine once more.  Their reputations always did precede them.

"Guilty." 

 Corinne's eyebrows merely raised as Desmond brought up Broadsword. She knew some of his team members - not Harvey, because she didn't spend a terribly large amount of time in America, but certainly Emile and Sam. Emile was a trainer for Frost UK, so she had actually worked with him in the past. She had to cover more than the UK, unfortunately; by the time things had come to a head with the Onyx situation, she was safely with Frost Russia and dealing with none of it. Had she known... 

"I can help with my own contacts," she put in.

Antoine glanced at her, clenching his jaw. "How will we know that you won't get rolled over by bigger vampires?" he asked pointedly. Nobody sitting in that room really knew why he was asking, but it was obvious that her statement of being there didn't nearly cover it.

"I'll involve my sire," she said.

"What does that tell us? We don't know who your sire is," Eithne blurted. "You're old enough to have kept it off the books. No offense Corinne, but most vampires your age are loopy."

Murphy stared at her for a long moment, then said something to Lani that nobody heard over the room break out into murmuring. It was true, nobody knew who Corinne's sire was - Antoine had assumed it was Justin or Iloquil for the way they'd overpowered her, but now she was making it sound like her sire carried some weight those two didn't. Like they needed another ancient in their midst.

Corinne looked Eithne directly in the eye and spoke. "I keep my sire out of your books because he has no place in them. That should tell you what you need to know."

"Well, it doesn't tell us anything," Taro snapped. "Who's her sire? Orpheus? Thanatos? Those two are ancient and batshit," he pointed out.

Murphy pinched the bridge of his nose, listening to the group argue amongst themselves. "It's Klaus," he said flatly.

"Niklaus," Corinne corrected. "And I believe he could be of help here, since he has spent much of his time in Europe. Desmond, Fawkes and I have worked together in the past. He finds my talents useful in interrogation," she said, glancing at Antoine for a half-second, then back to the Fae.

Declan (Sam) and Emile were two of the better members of Broadsword for Corinne to be familiar with, since they were both professionals and not 'weird'.  You couldn't say the same about Kes, Liam or even James himself, not as the best first impressions for the team, especially if you were going for, 'we totally know what we're doing and we're not completely batshit', since they were all quirky, at the very least.  Get Liam going on something he was working on and he might never shut up, Kes was definitely out there and should never be trusted in a airborne vehicle (or so James claimed) and he sure as hell wasn't the epitome of 'normal'.  He had good people he was bringing in.

Apparently, Antoine doubted whether that was true of Corinne, or if she could be trusted to be involved herself, but their quick discussion as to the identity of her sire, including her 'keeping him out of their books' made James wonder.  Murphy's revelation as to the actual identity of said sire didn't do all that much for James, though mostly because the guy really did stay off the radar.  For Murphy, though, Klaus was a pretty big deal, especially after meeting him and getting a feel for him.  There was power behind that bastard, whether he let it on or not.

"Niklaus, whatever," Murphy said with a wave as he released the bridge of his nose and glanced across the group.  He'd had Eithne look into the vamp, and they didn't have an age other than 'old', a power, or much of anything.  He didn't waylay entire towns, but Murphy had trouble believing that he was totally peaceful for all of those centuries, either.  "I don't know enough about his power to say whether he'd be useful, but he's pretty damn calm and collected.  If he's insane, he hides it well."

He didn't have a lot to go on in vouching for the vampire, but he'd been there long enough while they were all working on Cobriana, and they'd only just finished.  He wasn't expecting to see the bastard again so soon.

"Does he now?" James asked, and though it could have been directed at either of them, he was looking at Corinne specifically, and mostly meant it in regards to her mention of Emile finding her talents useful.  He wasn't sure he wanted to know, especially with the way she and his brother were exchanging looks, but eventually, he'd find out.  He just didn't want to do it in a way that was detrimental to Antoine or his state of mind.  "I'll be sure to send your regards when I talk to him.  Your name?"

He didn't like being surrounded so completely by people he didn't know, but as soon as he had her name and they made a break to collect themselves, he was calling in a few of his own.  He had someone else he thought could be useful, as well.

Klaus? The name didn't mean anything to him, mostly because the vampire stayed far enough out of everyone's way for a reason. Antoine looked Corinne up and down at about the same time James did, and it was for a similar reason. She claimed to know a member of James' team, and he wagered that it was either Declan or John, but by the way she spoke of him finding her talents useful, and having firsthand knowledge of what her talent was, he'd bet on John. That man was intense, and just the type to utilize such an ability.

"I think introductions all around are little in order," Antoine muttered beneath his breath. "Her name is Corinne," he said more clearly, raising an eyebrow at her before turning to look at his brother.  He kept his thoughts about who would be more likely to use Corinne's devastating ability to himself, mostly because there was no reason to interject his opinion into the already-tense exchange. "Corinne, why don't you tell him what you do?"

He could find other ways to make it tense.

Corinne smiled when Murphy admitted ignorance to Niklaus' power. "He will prove useful in helping to put your house in order, I am confident. He spoke highly of you." She smiled, and it was almost unsettling. Klaus had mentioned that he'd come across a Fae hiding in Diamond and told Kore to keep her wits about her, which she had done to the best of her ability. It had amused her to realize that the O'Sheas were Fae, but she hadn't been as surprised as the others.

When James spoke to her, the lilt in his accented voice almost accusatory as he reiterated her statement of Emile working with her, Corrine's smile changed. It froze on her face, though she was so much like a doll that it was almost missed at first. It wasn't until she uncrossed her arms and walked toward him that Antoine realized she was taking his taunt seriously. He reached out to grab her by the wrist, missing her barely as her celerity brought her right to James' back before they could blink.

"I promise, this will not hurt," she told him. She placed a hand on his shoulder gently, and let a small wave release. Since Fae were unaffected by most drugs humans had, her ability may have been a little jarring for him. It was as though his brain had an endorphin release at the brush of her fingertips, and warmth would spread through him, from his belly to his toes. His head would feel fuzzy, but comfortable - in fact, he was very comfortable. Euphoric.

"Corinne," Lani warned.

She released him and took a step back. "It's highly addictive," she explained. "Especially to humans." She glanced up at Lani. "It's easier to show then to explain, I'm afraid," she added apologetically. She didn't look at Antoine, who was practically foaming at the mouth.

At Corinne's assurances, Murphy pulled a face that was very obviously an unhappy, forced smile, not so sure how he felt about her sire 'speaking highly' of him.  As far as he was concerned, speaking of him at all was more than he was interested in from someone of Klaus' age and supposed power, having met and gotten a feel for the vampire.  He seemed like he could be a fantastic ally, but the fae (especially one who'd been around like Murphy had) weren't particularly known for trusting others.  The Irishman couldn't help but feel as though the smile she gave him when she made the promise on her sire's behalf was partially at his own expense. 

"Hope ol' Klaus is as happy to keep your word as you are to give his," he pointed out, giving her slightly narrowed eyes like he wasn't sure he trusted her.  The ancients were all batshit because humans just weren't designed for that kind of longevity, so in his book, the ones that made it that long couldn't be trusted.  If Klaus and Corinne weren't obviously insane, there had to be something lurking under the surface that just hadn't been made known, yet.  He didn't want it coming up when it was least convenient for his people.

While Murphy had much more information and just plain didn't trust them all, James didn't know what her ability was.  That meant he had no clue how it was that John had utilized it, but the man had some skills that even Declan hadn't been big on using, not if it wasn't absolutely necessary.  That she knew him as Emile meant that it had been after the team had disbanded, and then the man wasn't confined to Declan's ideas of what was acceptable and what was going too far.  James would trust John with his life on a mission, and had in the past, but working on his own?  He wasn't sure exactly where John would draw his line.  Corinne's power could have been anything.

At his brother's mention that introductions all around were in order, he tossed Antoine another look, then shrugged and glanced across the people gathered almost like a challenge.  The problem was that it put his back to Corinne for a moment.  "James," he offered, because seriously?  Cat was out of the bag on this one, but if it was just a small group knowing both of his identities, then Diamond wasn't the worst one, he figured.  Not that he had much of a choice, but it wasn't revealing his other teammates unless they slipped up themselves, and he didn't regret doing it for his brother.  It was worth it, because here was Antoine, alive and about as sane as anyone could have ever hoped after what he went through. 

Unfortunately for James, he was about to get a much better idea as to what his brother had experienced, particularly from Corinne.  Her words and his enhanced understanding of his surroundings due to his fae blood offered him enough warning of her approach that he started to stand, but that didn't get him very far.  When her hand touched him and her power washed through him, it felt...well, amazing, enough so that he sat right back down as though his legs hadn't actually been prepared to hold him.  He'd never felt that warm and content before, and for a man who'd never experienced actual drunkenness or had any luck with recreational drugs (he faked it well enough, but human drugs and alcohol just didn't work; Murphy tended to dose his drinks for a little added 'oomph'), it was more than just 'jarring'.  Declan had gotten creative in treating him for his injuries and iron poisoning when he'd survived Midnight's attack, mostly trying to relieve pain and make him sleep, but that was essentially the extent of his experiences.  Her power hit him harder than he was prepared for, and when Noelani called her off, he swayed a bit in his chair, blinking it all back and then twisting to stare up at her wide-eyed.

"Highly addictive?" he demanded, voice a little higher with some weird mix of upset, indignance and do-not-want, and he pointed at her, eyebrows shooting up and expression making clear the fact that he was painfully serious.  "You keep your distance, hear me?"

Maybe he was overreacting, but for a man whose skill-set, and sometimes life, required being as in control of his power, his mannerisms and his surroundings as was possible, that loss of control in a wave of endorphins manufactured by a vampire ability was terrifying.  It also felt amazing, which made it scarier because he could certainly see how that could be highly addictive and desirable.  It didn't take much in the slightest to understand that, and even as he was telling her to keep her distance, it felt like the harsh reality of the shitty situation ahead of them was crashing down around that awesome high.  He didn't appreciate it, and all of this was before considering just how much vampires liked fae 'snacks'.  Not trusting that easy comfort was in his best interests.

 She held her hands behind her back, suddenly on the other side of the room again. "Of course," she replied to James, nodding once with lidded eyes as she agreed to comply with his demand for her to keep her distance. She didn't precisely enjoy what she did - just because she could put the people around her in a state of euphoric high didn't mean that it did much for her. Corinne couldn't even have normal friendships because of her ability - in fact, the Diamonds and a few members of Broadsword were all she did communicate with because they were all (mostly) able to resist the very low buzz she put out even with her aura dampened. And even then, she still couldn't be around all  of them for long periods of time. Taro or Murphy, yes, because they had that supernatural resilience - but Firuza or Nicolette? They were limited to hours between contact due to the simple fact that humans weren't meant to be exposed to something like that for extended periods of time.

Corinne glanced to Antoine before addressing Murphy, the briefest flicker of their shared experiences dancing before her eyes. The rage she felt towards Rajz at this point was nearly palpable, and she pressed her lips together before speaking. "I assure you, he has a vested interest in this." And he would - when she confessed to him what had happened. She hadn't exactly spoken to him in a little while, though a few years for vampires was like a few months for humans. When you had forever, time tended to shift in the severity of measurement.

She raised her eyebrows as the mirror on the wall darkened. Irene was already explaining that she'd left a mirror open for the Onyx hunter that Desmond had told her he would be contacting, just in case he was nearby. As it turned out, a few well-timed text messages under the table may have done the trick. Alexander walked through the mirror, loosening his tie as he did so.

The audibly trembling breath (it was almost a gasp) Corrine took in was loud enough that most of the people on her side of the room heard it. She stood, wide-eyed, lips parted as one hand pressed against her chest in shock. She was too stunned to even say his name, but her eyes squinted slightly as emotion wrote across her face. Her other hand went over her mouth to silence her lamb-like cry as her eyes became stained with tears.

"I take it you know eachother?" Antoine asked gruffly.

James didn't exactly require her to stay across the room, but he wasn't going to argue if she was going to. The funny part was that he was one of those few people that could handle spending time around her without her natural aura wearing on him; he just wasn't inclined to be best friends now that he'd experienced it. Maybe after he got over it a bit. Maybe.

At least he'd managed to get his texts off to Alexander before she threw his game off.

"I'm sure he does," Murphy muttered, but there was no denying that having Klaus in on this one would help, as long as the ancient didn't display some of the crazy the fae was certain had to be waiting to reveal itself at the worst moment. It never failed. When surprises were least convenient, that's when they appeared. Take Alexander for an example.

The Onyx hunter was...interested at the prospect of mirrors as transportation, but between Desmond and Irene silently managing that shit, he found one quivering into a doorway and gave it a shot. It was still a little disorienting to walk through into a very different place (even the elevation and air quality were noticeably different), but he loosened his tie a little like nothing was out of the ordinary about his appearance there. That would have been much easier if not for the female vampire's reaction to his presence, but hey, points for effort. He actually tensed, narrowing his eyes at her somewhat and then regarding the rest of the group, ending with Antoine.

"Not to my knowledge, but I'm starting to get used to people I don't remember recognizing me," he offered, a little apologetic when he looked back to Corinne. Her expression and obvious emotional response suggested they hadn't just known each other, but well. "Alexander Darling, of Onyx New York. What's this about Europe?"

What was this?  The vampire with the power that looked like it would fuck humans up just being around her for any kind of period of time appeared to know Mr. Darling of Onyx, which was intriguing as all hell just on its own, but Alexander's comment about getting used to people he didn't remember recognizing him was all the more interesting.  Naturally, James had noticed that Darling had some sort of power to him, but that was more because it was hard to miss if you knew what you were looking for.  Considering how highly recommended the man came from Devraj Rashana (who James had worked with once or twice on John's recommendation, and who he knew was never a man he'd be willing to cross unless he was absolutely certain Rashana wouldn't survive, much like John himself), and how obviously human he was, it was an unusual situation.  Unusual was exactly the kind of thing James liked, but then he saw the man work, and he was hooked.  Alexander was a puzzle that he would figure out.

Corinne was also interesting, but he didn't like that her power could give her an edge over him that almost nothing could, so he was content to watch from afar and learn what he could until he realized her interest in his hunter friend.  Naturally, he knew that Darling couldn't have simply appeared out of thin air a few years ago, but the man's obvious skill and training, not to mention natural stick-up-his-arse military bearing, suggested to James that there were records on him.  It was just figuring out the name they were under.  He hadn't for a second thought that Alexander could have appeared and had an alias because he didn't know where he came from, and he sure as hell didn't expect this vampire to have missing information.  This looked promising.

The changeling looked to Antoine and shrugged to cover up his sudden increase in attention to the situation, though part of his attempts to figure Alexander Darling out had quickly become pushing his buttons and trying to get reactions out of him, so he was bound to pull something.  "Suicide mission, Darling.  I remember those being a specialty of yours," he offered, smirking and going for a much more playful tone than anything else this damn day had deserved, and true to form, Alexander rolled his eyes and approached the table, glancing from face to face like he was looking for someone more helpful.

He got someone marginally better in the form of Murphy, who had answers, but not until after he'd shot Eithne a look, then leaned towards Noelani in the seat beside him, and finally just blatantly stared a few seconds.  "Long story short, the UK guilds need a make-over.  Am I the only one going to comment on the fact that fucking Alexander is here?  Desmond, James, whatever the fuck your name is, have you lost your fucking mind?"

That the ancient vampire was holding his aura down so tightly that he felt more like Noelani, just a powerful human, made no sense to the fae, but he sure as hell wasn't interested in any game that fucker might have to play.  His interactions with the vampire were limited, but where that man went, there was blood and death in his wake.  He was a soldier, an ancient, immensely powerful one, and yeah, that was awesome to have on your side, but some weapons just weren't worth it. 

"'Scuse me?" James blinked, sitting forward in his seat even as Alexander stiffened just slightly, on guard.  He still hadn't released that aura of power that Murphy knew he had somewhere in there, and that was also irritating.  Why hide?

 Corinne would have been subject to years of abuse at the hands of Justin and Iloquil had Alexander not been there to shield her from it. He'd always given them other things to focus their attention on, never understanding why she stuck around because he was too dense to know she was there because he was. And he'd dropped off the grid a few years ago, and Corinne had kept her distance.

Until they'd FOUND her, anyways, and brought her under much duress to Rajz. Even as powerful as Klaus was, he mostly stayed out of her affairs to keep off of the grid, and she'd never been as powerful as he had - a disappointing protege, Justinian called her (not Klaus' words, but she'd believed him all the same). They'd always tortured her under the pretense of "toughening her up", and the perfect refresher course was to have her toy with a captive hunter - Antoine.

Except, she wouldn't comply. She kept asking where Alexander was, and they wouldn't tell her (in fact, not knowing only incensed Justin more, which made him motivate Rajz into motivating Corinne). Before she knew it, she was sustaining moderate damage with firestone and the crushing madness that Justin offered bearing down on her. She felt guilt like the fire of a thousand suns, because part of her had snapped a little, taking his absence out on the hunter. And now that hunter was looking at her with tortured eyes, eyes that reflected concern over her sudden negative reaction. It made her sick, disgusted in herself.

She choked a sob into her palm, not just because of Alexander's emergence and his obvious confusion, but because she had made an effort to not think about the party she played with Antoine's torture, but it was too late. The power rolled off of her like a tsunami, cresting across the room. The humans all felt nausea instantly, Firuza almost falling out of her chair as she dry-heaved. Eithne even felt the unease creeping into her stomach, but she was very not human, and so it was more the blinding euphoria that threw her off. Even still, she tried to make her way to Corinne to get her out of the room before she flat out killed them all. She found her voice long enough to yell, "You were supposed to protect me!" at Alexander, and then her weight shifted from the Fae.

Antoine, having taken a knee to swallow bile as he felt seasick, pushed back up into a shaky standing position. This was a familiar feeling to him, and even as Eithne went for Corinne, he came in from the other side to help her. The two of them grabbed her by the arms and dragged her out of the room before it got any worse, though Antoine's gift for physically contacting her was to vomit all over the floor. Out in the hall, she was still over-emoting, and only stopped when the hunter, freshly vacated stomach and all, slapped the everloving shit out of her.

"Corinne, you're losing control!" Eithne yelled, shaking her when the slap didn't seem to phase her any.  The grip she had on Corinne was firm, but the power was still coming, and now instead of the fuzzy warm euphoria, she felt sick and dizzy. As a last ditch effort, she forced her own energy out, and it surged through her hands in a bright flash of hot white sparks - almost like a firework. A perk of being a Seelie was having a nice concussive offering of energy, or 'light'. Vampires were particularly susceptible to it, and Corinne was no different. With a shriek, she fell back from the duo onto her ass, then went onto her back, drawing her knees up to her chest as the pain radiated through her.

"God damn it, watch that fucker!" Murphy snapped, pointing to Alexander, who wavered on his feet and put a hand out to grab the table for stability in a reaction that was strangely like the other humans in the room.  James gasped, getting hit with more of the euphoria again than anything, though it was like too much of an incredibly rich cake, the stomach upset threatening even through the amazing feeling, and the much more powerful fae of the group jumped up from the table behind his sister, trying to throw up power almost like a shield to preserve those remaining in the hall from her effects.  Murphy still felt it, just as Eithne did, but he didn't have physical contact with the out-of-control vampire, and he had a little more oomph than his sister just from centuries of training, fighting and taking abuse.  They were both powerful, but he was older, stronger, and protective as hell of his beautiful, precious sister.  She was taking shit from an upset vampire, and that made him want to fuck up the creator of that upset.

Considering Corinne's parting shot at Alexander before she was dragged out and the ancient that looked like he was about to spill his guts (why, though, when the much younger vampires at the table hadn't suffered nearly as badly?), that gave Murphy a target, though it was an impressively powerful one and he was determined to keep that power shield up to help the to rest of the guild members until Corinne showed her roll.  It shouldn't take long, but damn, did it suck.

"What did you do to her, Darling?" James demanded, up out of his chair as soon as he had enough of a handle on his situation to stand and approach the hunter, setting a hand on the man's back and looking both concerned and a little cautious.  Alexander's confusion being so apparent didn't help, but James patted him on the back as the power died down and pulled a chair out for him.  "Better figure it out fast, and might I suggest flowers?"

"Stark, shut the fuck up!  Get your buddy's ass out there to stop her before your brother fucking OD's on that shit!" Murphy snapped, not sure if Desmond was aware that such a thing was possible, but as soon as the changeling heard that, his jaw clenched and he forced a thin smile at Alexander. 

"You heard the man, up we go," he instructed, grabbing Alexander by the arm and pulling him to his feet.  The hunter, despite not having the power of a vampire behind him, was better trained and could have removed himself from Desmond's grip even in the wake of the sudden blast of Corinne's power, but he didn't try.  The woman's reaction, her accusation, demanded his presence whether Murphy or Desmond tried to get him out there, or not.  He just hoped she didn't turn him instead out.

"You throw shitty parties, Mr. Stark," he muttered as he righted himself and started across the room with the changeling at his elbow.  He might have shrugged Desmond off, but as soon as he passed Murphy and the slightly glowy area of space in front of the man, he was almost knocked off of his feet by the force of what Corinne was still putting out, and though Desmond suffered a much more pleasant and still disorienting blow, his hand was at the hunter's side and trying to keep him steady when he faltered.  "Uhn, god, I hate you."

"You say that so often that I'm beginning to think it's code for something else," the changeling cracked, urging Alexander on, and the human didn't struggle with him.  He kept moving, however pale and clammy he got, and how much he looked like he was swallowing down unpleasant urges.  James was personally certain that Darling was too smooth to do something as base as vomit his guts out in a hallway, but it was looking like there was a chance he was wrong by the time they were upon her. 

Just in time, Eithne blasted the hell out of the vampire, and Desmond whistled, almost dropping Alexander and causing the human to stumble and curse.  Between the two of them, he maintained his feet, but Desmond got a decent punch to the shoulder out of it that he took rather graciously, and the hunter righted himself as her output shut down.  He seemed a little unsteady still and way too pale, but as soon as he was standing on his own, he wasn't the changeling's concern so much anymore. 

"I'm sorry, whatever I did or didn't do," Alexander started, putting his hands in front of him to show that he wasn't armed while he approached and knelt in front of Corinne, and Desmond turned his attention to Antoine, who he was guessing was the cause of the vomit-smell out there.

"Alright there?" he asked, all concern while he set a hand to his brother's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

 By the time they'd gotten out into the hall, Antoine was on his hands and knees, gulping breaths of sweet, cool air. His whole body felt clammy as the unpleasant sea-sick sensation faded away. He nodded in response to his brother's question, then pushed himself up and stood, grabbing onto James' shoulder inelegantly for a moment of support. He was trembling, but it wasn't permanent. "I'm okay now," he assured him.

He looked at the other hunter as he slowly approached the downed vampire, and shook his head a little. "She's just as fucked up as I am," he muttered - not to anyone in particular, but he knew James would hear him. "That Rajz fellow really did a number on us. I can't help but feel a little better knowing that it wasn't just me, that it's not just because I'm human that I was so damaged. I know it sounds bad, but..." he trailed off. Some day he'd have to tell James in greater detail what he'd been through, but now wasn't really the best time.

Corinne, on the other hand, was trying to regain her control. She lay with her eyes squeezed shut and tried to stabilize her mind, which happened eventually. "Thank you," she said, her voice a little strained. "I couldn't stop on my own." She was speaking to Eithne, and the Fae nodded. Corinne knew that the blonde hadn't meant to hurt her, and she was grateful that she'd done it when she had, or else things might have been a whole lot worse.

She sat up slowly, hands flat on the floor and one knee drawn up while her other leg was still straight in front of her. Alexander was kneeling before her apologizing, and she couldn't understand why he didn't know who she was. It was upsetting, but if she overreacted again, she would hurt the people who were present, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"You don't know who I am?" she asked. She couldn't help the fact that her voice broke when she asked him, and she felt exposed and vulnerable enough that she had to look away for a moment. She had the ability to show him - she could easily take his hand and show him her memories, but she was afraid to touch him at the moment.

James was absolutely fine with being a support for his brother, especially here and now, shortly after finding out that Antoine was actually alive.  He'd do whatever the fuck his little brother needed, and that included putting his arm around him and squeezing, not interested in encouraging guilt, feelings of weakness, or anything else.  They were going to clean this mess up, Antoine would clear his name and go back to being a free man, if that was all they could do.  It was heartbreaking that there was so much irreversible damage here, but not all was lost.  James was clinging to that fact.  "Shh, it's not bad.  You're strong, and thank god for it.  I'm here now, and you couldn't get rid of me with a prybar, understand?"

They'd deal with this, however they had to, and maybe James couldn't magically fix everything, but he could help with the healing, and if that involved tearing through the UK guilds, then he was in. 

Alexander would also be totally in, once the whole thing was properly explained to him, but he was just a little distracted by the vampire as she sat up, silently questioning whether he should stay there or give her space in case she lost control again.  If she did, he was pretty much guaranteed to puke, which would suck, so he hoped she didn't.  If he'd somehow hurt her badly enough that she thought it was warranted, then he'd have to deal with it, but she could at least let him know what he'd done, first.  That would help, though he was still thinking it was more of a 'what he hadn't done' kind of situation, based on what she'd said.  Now, seeing the hurt on her face, hearing it in her voice as she asked if he didn't know who she was, he was just more certain.  It had taken over five years for him to find anyone who knew him and could say that he wasn't a complete ghost, but all he was finding were vampires and powerful individuals, all of whom seemed to expect something incredible and dangerous out of him; considering how dangerous he knew he currently was, that was a bit frightening.  Justinian and Iloquil were frightening, just in their shocking level of emotional involvement when he was around, and now this woman.

She might have felt exposed and vulnerable, but he was still a human kneeling before her, pale and unsteady, knowing that she could level him with but a thought.  This wasn't a projection of him, but the real thing, and that made him vulnerable.  He paused after her question, not wanting to confirm her fears, and the sympathy and apology flooded his expression again, knowing he was about to hurt her.  There wasn't much of a way to soften the blow. 

"I don't remember who I was.  I woke up in an alley about five years ago and was taken in by a hunter.  Almost everything before that is a blank," he explained, with the 'almost' in there because of Justinian and Iloquil.  He still didn't remember the things they obviously thought to be true (things that were impossible), but there was no denying that there were things hidden deep in his mind that stirred for the two of them.  If this woman knew him before, the same might happen.

Also, as much as he wouldn't have preferred to have this conversation in front of Eithne, it meant he might finally get some straight answers.