Act of God

[Justinian]

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[Justinian]

D E M A N D

"It's been brought to my attention that Verity threatened the Lady Frost during one of her visits.  She's our guest whom we've promised safety, and close to the hunter, Gareth besides. That can't be allowed, Niall.  Verity will send her and her distinguished companion a formal apology for the rudeness," Justinian said, and it wasn't out of the blue, necessarily, since they had been discussing general matters of the house and their women, but Justinian's manner was casual enough despite how serious he was that Niall may have misjudged how set he was on the matter.

"He's just a hunter. We culled their ranks once and we'll do it again, if we have to," the younger vampire returned dismissively, scoffing at the very idea that Verity would apologize to anyone, let alone a mortal and her hunter lover.  He didn't care if the hunter in question was a triste and old, he'd spent those years mucking around in the mud like the rest of the humans he spent so much time with.  It was an ignorant way of thinking, but he wasn't entirely wrong, as anyone who had seen Gareth traveling in the middle ages could attest.  Justinian had...other thoughts on the matter.

His tone and mood switched like Niall had leaned on a button that he hadn't even known was there, and the device he was reading from lost his attention in favor of the Master of the house.  "Oh, he's just a hunter?  Yes, Niall, your mighty attack on the hunters.  It was well-executed, you killed many of them and their loved ones, and they will tell stories about a dragon appearing in their midst for years to come.  Bra. Vo," Justinian sneered, raising his hands to clap them slowly, mockingly with a lean towards his fledgling.  Niall's eyes narrowed at the condescension, but Justinian did not give him the chance to speak yet. 

"Your little tantrum in 'culling the hunters' ranks' has done nothing more than draw in the forces of balance that we have so long tried to avoid. Do you have any idea of the dangers that have begun circling your little house, boy?  Marcus Walker is here now--" he went on, only for Niall to interrupt with a a short, disbelieving laugh at the mention.

"What, the Boogeyman?  Justinian, please, I am the Boogeyman they should worry about."  He grinned and meant it despite the edge of irritation behind it at having his accomplishment belittled, with plenty of cause to believe that he was exactly as terrifying as he claimed.  Whereas Niall was trying to be dismissive and poke fun at his sire's concern, Justinian's point only became more intense in the air between them, more charged.

"This Boogeyman will take your house apart brick by brick if you give him cause to.  That he is even here at all should make you afraid, because he has forgotten more years than I have lived, and he is not the worst of it." 

"Ah, yes, your legendary hunter.  He's older than the rest, but honestly, he's a Frost brute."  While Niall hadn't advertised it, he had looked into Gareth, at least his recent identity and exploits, and he was not all that impressed. 

"Gareth is not just a hunter, you arrogant fool.  He is The Hunter. He is The Hunter who will unite the others, who will inspire more where you've already sown the seeds of grief and vengeance, and when he comes for you, he will have you and there will be nothing you can do about it. "

"Justinian, you're starting to sound like an old woman with these folk tales.  The time of legends is past, that's why so many of our kind would rather listen to the glory days as told by a supernatural historian.  He's a loner, and frankly, the fact that the hunters can band together into guilds is shocking enough for how badly they work together.  There will be no great hero uniting them under one banner, it's all stories."

"Idiot.  Do you think I'm making guesses based on unfounded fears?  There have been other cities, other fortresses before this one, and this one has fallen before.  His presence in this land after so long in the old countries is a bad omen, and I will not allow you to doom us all."

"This is my house, Justinian."  Finally, anger was winning out over caution and the desire to smooth over his sire's concerns rather than fight them.  Niall could take a lot from Justinian when he had to, because he had to, but he'd grown arrogant as the years had passed, enough that he wondered if Justinian really had any right to dictate what he did in his own house.

"You will stop this course before The Hunter feels compelled to kill us all, and you will tell your mate that if she offers a single threatening glance towards Gareth or his woman, I will personally exterminate her favorite species to discourage the behavior."

"JUSTINIAN."

"YOU WILL DO AS I COMMAND, DO NOT FORGET YOUR PLACE," he roared, standing up from where he'd been seated fairly comfortably thus far.  His voice, so rarely even raised anymore, reverberated through the room and outward with the sensation of his power, and one could be sure that anyone in the rooms nearest vacated immediately.  Niall was the only one who remained, and though he refused to be visibly cowed by his sire's temper, his volume decreased.

"Forget my place like Alexander has?" Niall sneered, taking the shot that had been burning with him since the other ancient had reappeared.  He'd never liked Alexander, though, and wished that the voodoo man had wiped him off the face of the planet, or that he could have discovered his state while he was still mortal. 

Justinian was not amused.  "Alexander has been by my side since the beginning.  You will respect him and his loyalty, Niall."

"Has he, though?" Niall asked, tone turned mocking himself.  "He doesn't seem to be in any of our corners since he got back, or even seem to like being here.  In fact, he was distant and uninterested even before his little vacation among the mortals.  Even your darling Iloquil has noticed."

"Alexander has ever been a force of balance himself, to go where he feels he is needed.  He will be there when I need him, as he's always been, but I do not dictate his actions," Justinian ground out.

"Oh, but you would dictate mine?  It seems you have some strange ideas about loyalty, sire.  It has not been Alexander at your side these years, but me.  He barely acknowledges your interests, or regards them with disgust, and yet you regard him with such faith.  He is a soldier, a weapon to be directed at targets and no more.  I am the one who stands beside you," Nial snarled back, hands on the table in front of him and eyes flashing with some of the very madness that his creator instilled in him.

There was a long pause between them, the energy near crackling in the room before Justinian himself took the few steps needed to plant his hands and mirror his fledgling.  His dark eyes were hard, angry as a god on the brink of an Act of Wrath.  "Verity will send Lady Frost and her distinguished companion a formal apology for the rudeness, and if there is even a doubt that she is sincere or that there is any follow-up retaliation, I will be reminding you both what the Old World used to be like."

With that said, Justinian straightened, taking up his tablet and leaving the room where his fledgling seethed.  He had a lot to think about, and the realization that he was perhaps mellowing out in his old age was a concern.  The depths of his Wrath had been forgotten.

[Justinian]

H I S T O R Y

The situation was out of hand, and Justinian was furious.  It had finally been revealed what had happened in regards to Jillian Frost, particularly who was to blame for it, and even the punishment that had been dispensed wasn't enough to ensure that there would be no farther reaching consequences for this debacle.  Bacchus had paid for the insult and near injury with his life, and had it not been fitting to allow the young huntress to exact her own form of justice at the same time, Justinian would have drawn the process out longer to assuage their own anger at having their promise of safe passage and their word as hosts stomped over. 

He would like to think that the Lady Frost receiving word from her warrior friend would be enough, but given who else was highly concerned with her safety, a personal apology had been deemed appropriate.  Justinian didn't like them, but he was more than capable of the diplomacy necessary to offer one, and he certainly didn't mind the opportunity to speak with Gareth personally on peaceful terms to see for himself what the Hunter's state was on it.

He was obviously not expected to be the one at the door when Gareth himself answered it.  "Justinian.  What do you want?" the Hunter practically growled, and Justin gave him a smile and an inclination of his head, polite.

"I've come to talk, may I come in?"

Gareth seemed to legitimately consider saying no, and it wouldn't have actually been the first time that the hunter had shut the door in someone's face, but he clenched his jaw and wordlessly moved out of the way so that Justinian could enter.  It had been a long time since he'd been in the man's presence, and Justin was not a fan of being reminded just how imposing the big man was.  It was after Justin had draped his coat over the back of the couch and they'd sat down in the living room, Gareth eyeing him expectantly, that Justinian bothered to speak.

“What festive decorations.  Have you spoken to Nicolas at all?” he asked, the tone very casual, like he was inquiring about old friends that had simply fallen out of touch, and to some strange extent, perhaps it was like that to him, even if the hunter in front of him would certainly not consider them friends.

Gareth’s eyes narrowed slightly, a deep hum reverberating from him as he considered his answer and watched the ancient vampire.  “I have, you’ll have to be more specific.”

Justinian waved his hand, scoffing.  “Don't be so difficult.  The last time I had a real conversation with him was not long after the two of you did battle with the Dark Fae, and he was quite unwell.  He seemed to have recovered, but I never asked after him.”

“Ah, yes, I heard about that.  He was as surprised as I was that you weren’t there to kill him,” Gareth said, no accusation in his voice, but with a very matter-of-fact way about it.  Justinian took no offense, because he had been there to kill the old bastard.  Nicolas had shown up to the door of the little hut in the woods with that wicked axe of his in hand, looking near death and fierce in the way a cornered wolf who would tear apart whoever dared disturb it did.  Alexander had shamed him for even planning on trying to murder him when he was recovering from the last great battle, and Justinian had given in on his friend's sense of honor and also being strangely uncertain that the father of the forest's old magic wouldn't draw up the strength to destroy them, as well.  Given that Alexander had made it clear in no uncertain terms that he would not be helping him, they had settled on a more polite and reasonable route.

They'd shared the old man's fire, and snared a large, healthy buck to keep him fed while he was healing.  Then, they'd left, and while Justinian had certainly heard stories of Nicolas' exploits and even seen him on a few occasions in shared company, they had interacted very little.  "Nonsense, he deserves better than that in death."

"You killed Malachai simply because you found an opportune moment," Gareth ground out, and it was obvious that he still wasn't over it, which made Justinian hesitate a few beats before he brushed it off. 

"Yes, and that was rude, but he comes back eventually," he said, shaking his head like that would argue the point for him that it wasn't the same.  "So Nicolas isn't here?  You haven't invited him to dinner or in for a job?"

"Justinian, what are you here for?" he demanded, and the vampire stared back into that glare.

"I'm here to offer a formal apology to the Lady of the house."

"For what?  And what does Nicolas have to do with it?"

"Because anytime the three of you are in the same area, fortresses fall, and I'm not interested in being present for this one," Justinian snapped back at him, and Gareth's jaw clenched, but he tilted his head.

"Malachai is here?  In the city?"

"I didn't say that.  The fact that you're here is reason enough for me to worry about the other two showing up."  Shit.  He'd thought for certain that Gareth would know about Malachai's new life as Marcus Walker, but this suggested otherwise, and he didn't need to give the Hunter his missing ally.

“I hunt monsters, Justinian.  You have nothing to be concerned about if you aren’t one.”  The way Gareth said that, so very blunt and yet looking at him as though he could look through him, made Justinian uncomfortable in a way few things could do anymore.  It made his temper flare a bit, but he swallowed it down, choosing to stick to his official purpose for being there.

"Jillian Frost, Gareth.  I would speak with her."

If Jillian had known that someone was visiting their home, she would have perhaps found reason to stay at her warehouse longer. As it was, she'd already finished her work for the day, and wanted to go home - so she could open her jewelry box and look at that ring again.

She was like a child admiring a bauble. Every day, for at least a few minutes, she opened the box the gaze at it - to reassure herself that it was over, and done with. And now she had the only thing left of something older than dust that had now returned to dust.

She walked through the door, about to go straight for the stairs, when she heard a familiar voice. Her blood ran cold, and she realized that Justinian was in her home. She heard him speaking, and she heard Gareth speaking, and since they weren't yelling - they were actually talking at normal volume. She didn't want to listen, instead turning and going straight back for the door. Her hand was on the knob when Gareth called her name.

"Fuck," she hissed. She was pretty sure that she was about to have to have a very uncomfortable conversation. Aloud, she said, "Coming, darling!" and did her best not to slink into the living room.

Both men stood as she entered, Justinian inclining his head in the less formal modern version of what would have been a polite bow in years past.  "It's good to see you, Ms. Frost.  We were concerned by your absence, but our own investigation unfortunately didn't yield quite the results we needed.  While we are quite glad that your warrior brought the truth of Bacchus' indiscretion to our attention so that he could be punished for his disrespect both to you and our rule, Iloquil and I felt that a more personal touch was required as well."

Gareth, who Justinian assumed knew what he was talking about already, was holding a pretty impressive poker face except for the way his eyes widened and he turned them to Jillian.  The mention of Bacchus and indiscretion was utterly terrifying, if he was honest.

Justinian kept talking, but Gareth was staring at Jillian instead.  "We apologize that you had to endure his behavior and that you felt unsafe under our hospitality.  As you know, he gave his life, but we would also offer you the belongings he left behind at our estate, as well, should you like them for your research.  Some of them are quite old."

"Feel free to have your servants drop it at the warehouse with my colleague." She paused, and there was a darkness to her voice that Gareth found wildly unfamiliar. "I've already got my souvenir."

Justinian smiled at that, and it was a moment in which she and the ancient were understanding each other well.  "Yes, my dear, and well-earned, at that.  Thank you for your generous hospitality today, but I must be going.  Should you be inclined ever to grace us with your company once more, you are quite welcome and Iloquil would be delighted, but you are under no obligation and it has been made clear that you are to have full immunity under our names.  You have our numbers, should you have any problems."

He stood, nodding to Jillian and then to Gareth as the Hunter also stood, and took another look around before he made for the door.  "Quite festive.  Does Nicolas know how much you indulge in this holiday?"

"You're joking," Gareth said dryly, though he wouldn't deny that he liked the Christmas concept, even if he knew the legends personally.  "He's the one who's sent me the worst of it."

[Justinian]

R E C O V E R

"Now that we've dispensed with the formalities and pleasantries, please speak freely, Stefan," Justinian said, spreading one hand open palm up to gesture that the air between them was his. Stefan was presumably the last individual he and Iloquil would have before them that night, and so while he was ready to be finished with the task, Justinian was also not pressed for time before they saw another. That, and there was obviously more on the young man's mind than they'd addressed with the ceremonial portion.

"Thank you, sir. Ah, sire," he said, correcting himself. Justinian made no indication he'd even noticed, and merely waited. "I offer no challenge to your rule, of course, and have sworn under your laws, but I..."

The young vampire trailed, as though searching for wording. Given how everything had gone down, particularly the situation ending with Niall and Verity both very dead, it was understandable that even a seasoned soldier would be nervous under the gaze of the King and Queen Who Would Rule, which was what was happening. Justinian took pity on him.

"You were unfairly used as a tool, and you do not wish to be any longer," he finished for him knowingly. "The unicorn had a potent effect on you, boy. I was there, I remember."

Iloquil had not been there, but she did not look more than politely curious at this revelation, even if Justinian knew there was much more interest behind that gaze. Stefan had a reputation, and Niall had pushed him to further heights, but they had already wondered if it was too far. It had merely been a question of whether he would snap and need to be removed, or if he would withdraw. They had their answer.

"Precisely, sire, though I would have worded it less...accusatory," he offered, hesitant. Stefan had lived under Niall's rule, and while Niall presented a gentleman's air most of the time, his closest operatives had learned otherwise on more than one occasion what the Nightmare King was capable of. "My heart lies elsewhere."

"Nonsense, justice has been dispensed with, but wrongs haven't been forgotten," Justin said, honestly glad that more people hadn't been witness to the end. It left their imaginations to come up with many different variations on how Niall had been slain and by whose hand the final blow had been struck (the Monster Hunter was the most popular, though Alexander and Justinian had both featured in the tales), but none could truly fathom the horror of the truth. Justinian didn't offer anything to confirm or deny any of the stories. "So tell us, what would you desire instead?"

Here, Stefan hedged once more, obviously worried that he'd incense the new leader just when he'd found himself with something resembling hope for the future. "I was asked to join Nicolas Santos in his travels, to learn under him. I would like to say yes."

That made Justinian pause, sitting back thoughtfully and sharing a look with Iloquil, who was no longer 'politely' interested. It was full-blown intrigue, and while she didn't necessarily let her mate make all of the decisions, she was pleased to let him address it. He thought on it, regarding Stefan and letting him sweat a bit, even if the young vampire made no attempt to explain further or backpedal, and finally smiled, actual amusement slipping over his features as he teased. "Well, if it's your heart that desires this, how could we argue? We grant you leave, and hope that perhaps this will help destroy some of the mistrust between the old hunters and our people. Train well, Stefan."

It was after the young vampire had left, presumably to go give the old bastard his answer, that Justinian sat at his desk, Iloquil lounging over a chaise with a handmade book written in flowing script that he frowned over his paperwork. "Who are we still missing of those active in the area?" he asked, glancing up at the young mortal assistant.

"I've made up the list, sir. Most have returned with some sort of response to schedule, this is the only one who has outright refused to swear fealty from this round," he said, pointing to the name with an asterisk and note beside him. Justin hummed, looking over the names and nodding.

"Contact the guilds, I think Frost would do nicely for this one. The usual account, and," he paused, looking up. "What do you think, my dear? A donation to each? I know it's irregular, but it may help with morale."

"Considering the work you're about to put on them, it's only fair, my love."

"Yes, you're right." To his assistant, he nodded once more. "Repeat our annual donations to each guild, call it a Christmas present for all that they do."

"Of course, sir. Is there anything else I can help with before I leave for the evening?"

"No, once the accounts are prepared, you may go. Oh, actually, I'd like Jeremiah and Scarlet scheduled, separately."

Another look was shared with Iloquil, who raised a fine, perfect brow, and he smiled. It was time to bring the wayward children under heel.