Observer Interlude
Clementine bit on her thumb nail as she paced in her apartment.
Everyone was blaming her for what happened, she wasn't paid for doing her job. Just because she wasn't backed by a cabal, it was okay.
It was okay that fire that ate memories was blamed on her.
It was okay that one of the Adamantine Arrow who jumped the gun and ended up comatose was her fault.
It was okay that she was suddenly blacklisted from the local cabals.
No, no it wasn't okay.
The guy that got thrown in a coma was from some important family. Said family was into the old magi related to the Silver Ladders. Add to the fact that she's an apostate mage that led the group there made her the perfect fall guy.
All those connections and good will she had gathered, gone.
In one week she had gone to be the rose of the local mages to six feet under. People edged away from her or acted like she was poison. It wasn't her fault that the changeling had that much fire power.
Both figurative and literally.
The fire ate through the apartment then the next, it burned through the mind and ate the very soul of everything it came into contact with. Nightmarish flames that burned neon in brightness from what the report had said.
She wasn't there.
That's what everyone wasn't getting. She sent the signal, a beacon, to one of the teams on the lookout for him. It wasn't everyday a greater fae made themselves apparent for anything.
Let alone some unknown no name that nobody has heard of.
This guy had his named jammed into the archives involving Arcadia. The Guardians of the Veil were looking into his name throughout all their musty old tomes. The Free Council vouched for her, but they figured it was better to drop her.
All because of a faery that she had met in person.
The sound of her teapot whistling broke her forlorn pacing.
She sat at her coffee table with a cup of vanilla infused chamomile in hand. She took a sip frowned then added a tablespoon of sugar. She sipped again and nodded, that was the level of sweetness she was looking for.
Maybe she needed to take a step back.
Ever since her senior year in high school she had been immersed in magic. She cut off so many non-magi ties that she could count the number of her sleeper friends by hand. It was horrific what happened to her mom and dad. It didn't take long for other mages to take notice of that amount of mana she had accumulated over a matter of months.
She declined all offers.
Her parents death was her fault…..
She paused her thoughts, maybe she needed to go out for a bit, clear her thoughts.
But not alone.
She activated her watchers at a certain werewolf's home. It would take a few days to know exactly when to give him a call, but she needed someone.
Someone who didn't know about her being a mage.
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*Several days later*
"Needed this?" Clementine asked Jonathan. The reluctant werewolf gave out a happy hum as a response. They were eating ice cream away from any mages. It was what both of them really needed.
But Clementine knew there was a catch to all this.
He had been told to stop beating around the bush and seduce her already. Meaning there would be no interruptions for the day. She may had been able to hide how much that made her nervous.
Jonathan was a nervous mess at the start until she said ice cream would be nice.
It was around eighty out. They got the ice cream cones and ate it outside in King's park. It was close to the University and she didn't mind sitting next to him under a tree.
Clementine wondered how to get this over with.
It's not that she didn't think about sex it was that she never bothered with it. She had a natural connection to the Thyrsus path, but it never affected her love of tech. Other Awakened thought she was just weird because of that.
Her extensive collection of plants in her apartment said otherwise. She may not be animalistic, but she liked her roots where they were.
"So, anything you want to do today?" Jonathan asked
She held her chin in thought and answered ", let's see, maybe a movie?"
"Well, it has been a while since I've seen one," Jonathan said.
He ate the waffle cone and licked his fingers. Clementine knew he hadn't really done anything normal other than school. She was pretty sure she knew the last he watched the television ……..
'Wow,' was all she thought; she didn't realize how creepy she was being.
Clementine made sure to have kept all her eyes away from the bathrooms. But some of these pure guys had no qualms with moving around naked. Jonathan was probably the only peep show she hadn't seen. She had seen him in only boxers a few times. She looked at him still licking his fingers, she wondered what type he had on.
"Uh, do I got something on my face?" He asked. His calm face indicated he had no clue what she was thought. Clementine smiled sweetly and put her cone his way.
"Want it, Jony? I'll need room for popcorn later," She said with a slight blush on her face. He smiled back as he took her treat. She stared at him, he took long laps on her barely touched strawberry.
Clementine wondered if he did that on purpose.
"Um," Jonathan paused for a moment and looked at her.
"Whats up?" she asked with her still present smile.
"Well, ya see, I kinda can't go home for a a bit, fumigating," He started to say.
She could practically see his nervous wolf like ears twitch.
"And," she drawled out.
It was cute that he was so nervous. It was obviously a ploy to get into her apartment. She heard his dad telling him he wasn't allowed back into the house until he slept with her. They thought that was what he kept meeting up with her for. That it had nothing to do with the fact that they were forcing him to be a part of their pack. Or the probable years of treating him as low as dirt. Or the sexual indiscretions from older women he dealt with.
"Well, I hoped it'd be okay to crash a night at your place?" Jonathan was really nervous.
Clementine once again debated absconding with him.
She felt that he wouldn't be against it either.
"Sure," She said as she scooted closer to them.
He stared at her for bit and said ", you sure?"
She got closer to him and leaned into him. Slowly he wrapped an arm around her.
"Sure! just don't try to lie again, you suck at it," she said.
He hm'd at her words.
Well, she never had to use the blood of a virgin for any of her spells anyway.
She just hoped the stalkers his family sent weren't going to watch.
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Jonathan stared down at the girl in her bed sheets.
He had always felt low. He was the unimportant child, the runt of the litter. The one everyone thought would amount to nothing. Jonathan smiled wistfully, nothing by the pure standard anyway. He knew that escaping alive was slim, knew that he had only his life to risk. He supposed his family noticed and kept trying to keep him in line.
They knew he had no real love to this territory.
His family had done very little to endear themselves to him. They were so happy when he changed and congratulated him. Treated him like one of their own, but he was distant. Never wanted to be around them to celebrate victories. To socialize or even shown interest in any of the daughters they introduced him to.
When they finally confronted him about it….
They worked him over to remind him where his place was.
His only response to their constant pestering had been a matter of fact tone.
"Ah, so you all caring was just a act."
That earned him a beating, nothing he hadn't known before.
Now, he looked towards Clem. She had snuggled up to him in her sleep. That bought him more satisfaction than any praise his parents gave him. He huffed at the thought of their fake affection. But it also meant something else.
Something now tied him to this wretched place.
It infuriated him that he let his smaller head do the thinking. Even if he could go they'd tear Clem apart in retribution. It was their modus operandi, fear to control the masses, power to cow them. It was why he never mourned whenever a family member died.
It was one less potential opponent to think about.
Jonathan slowly breathed in the earthy scent of herbs and flowers. Around her apartment were menagerie of potted plants, some he never heard of. Clementine's apartment was not what he expected. He thought about all their talks about the internet, tablets, the new mobile phone coming out, the internet, and computers. There was only one custom tower and monitor in her bedroom.
It was odd that she didn't have more tech around. But she admitted to having a green thumb and it showed.
Clementine softly snored into red bed sheet covering her. She had been wearing red summer dress and a red hood. It was like she knew he was a wolf. Jonathan may have ripped them off of her like the wild beast.
"Hey, still awake?"
He glanced down at her, she squinted in the dark.
"Yeah."
"What's got you up and pouty?"
"Pouty?" He quirked a brow at her.
She snuggled into him with a giggle.
"Yeah, you got serious face on," she sat up with the blanket covering her ", what's wrong?"
He looked at her eyes and saw that she was genuinely concerned. He debated on what to do, so he made a decision. He kissed her suddenly, he didn't let up until she groaned under him. She gasped as he kissed her neck leaving small bites. He traced his lips to her ear and said something that made the girl shiver.
"I want you to see all of me."
With hands on both sides of her head she stared at hs form. He was always on the slim muscular side. Not one of those guys with bulging muscle, you couldn't tell without his clothes off that he had them. Now he was more hairy, muscular, bigger and borderline inhuman. He gave Clementine a awkward smile with sharper looking looking.
"Is it wrong that I think you're hotter like this?"
Jonathan just stared down at her, he thought she might need her glasses. The lights were off after all.
"Well, since we're finally being honest," Clementine started, she looked a bit nervous.
Jonathan's hair stood on end as the scent of flowers and spice exuded from her. It was always around her, he thought it was some nice scented lotion or homemade soap. But it was deeper, it was from her very flesh. Slowly he moved back onto his knees and waited for an explanation.
This was the girl he just spent the day with then had been intimate or several hours.
"What happ- what are you?" Jonathan was surprised and unlike other uratha he had the self-control not to freak out.
She sat up with glowing green eyes.
"I'm a mage," she said.
Around her room a blueish green glowed around them. The plants glowed brightly and showed the her face as flowers covered the walls on walls.
"So your possessed by a nature spirit?" He asked.
Clementine quirked a curious brow at him ", no my atlantean heritage just acted up and I got magic powers because of them."
"Atlantea- as in Alantis?" He asked slowly in disbelief.
"Hey, mister I'm descended from a giant wolf and the moon, don't judge me on weird ancestry." she stated flatly.
…..
Jonathan paused and admitted ", fair."
There was silence in the iridescent glow of the room.
"I may have known you changed a while ago…." she admitted.
Jonathan was bewildered, but he figured out how she did it.
"Magic?"
Clementine put out her hand with a smile. A low light formed in her hand, it was shaped into a butterfly. Multiple of them fluttered around them, Jonathan glanced around the moving pseudo-insects. He poked one and it dissipated in little motes of light.
With a smile she said ", I can see through these little guys when I focus and get a general location when they poof."
He had no clue what to say. He had a magical stalker who had- wait.
"Poof?"
"Yeah," she poked one making it break apart ", poof."
"Heh," was all that came from Jonathan's mouth.
Well. it wasn't as if he had any real complaints about being watched. But…..
He pounced on her with his lips onto hers. It was hungry, primal, and filled with wanting.
Clementine had no problem with that.
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"Is this all?" Trishia asked.
She twirled a piece of her blond hair as she looked through various photos.
The suspected werewolf associates, possible friends, humans with actual knowledge, the ignorant humans that got drag in, and the mages. The Tremre have made contact with the local cabals and drew up a non-aggression pact with them.
As long as their goals didn't come in conflict with one another they'd avoid fighting each other. She supposed it was easier to work with the more 'human' side. Rather the ones that looked more human all the time. It was no secret that the werewolves had a dislike to humanity. At least the locale variety.
Mages viewed their working with the local spirits that wanted mankind out of the wilder territories aggravating. Apparently there may be something worst running around. Something that has the mages wary.
She looked at the picture taken of Kinjen. Him in his human guise from what the Tremre said. He was a furry man, but looked like he could snap you in two with his bare hands. The fairy's glamour hid the supposed cat like appearance he had.
"What do you think?" Her muscular companion asked.
Maybe it was just her, but everyone was far too eager about this fight. There were skirmishes before this little war. But what had made it all become so….
"Hm, I think Van, that our dear fairy man might have the answer to a question that's been bothering me," Trishia answered.
"Hm, what could that be?" Van asked.
"When did this war even begin?"
Van was quiet and stared at the blond with the others. Wasn't it when a one of their businesses had been destroyed. Or was it that one of theirs went missing in werewolf territory. The territory of Canada had been in conflict for years. They had to have recorded what instigated the fighting, but ....
Van froze, he remembered combing the records of their bouts with the wild curs for the local Mekkhets. But there wasn't a exact date on when it started. Just vague mutterings of a meeting gone wrong with the prince.
The problem was the local prince had only ever sent representatives to deal with other species.
"She's very much correct to ask."
They turned and knelt at the owner of the crisp and experienced voice. The darkly dressed man in an expensive red and black suit with a silver wolf hanging from his shoulder walked in.
"Rise."
At his word all rose from their position and parted from his path. Trishia really hated being in the presence of the man. He was always staring with his blood red gaze. It was uncomfortable.
"This 'fairy man' knows things from what I am told."
Trishia and the others nodded.
"Bring him here, I would like to discuss what he does and doesn't know personally."
They all responded with a bow and a ", yes my liege!"
Trishia wanted to protest, she wanted a taste of the man herself…..
Why did it feel wrong to bow towards the prince?
He was the prince, so why did she feel as if this wasn't correct?
She looked at one of the photos and saw one of the wolves from the night she met the fairy. That hound with a petite girl with the glasses looked like good leverage. They had just got out of the cinema with him protectively staying near her.
It'd be sweet if it weren't for the fact that one bad mood swing could kill that girl. The girl herself looked far younger than him. Trishia wasn't one to judge one's kinks, but she was sure the man was years older than the girl.
Maybe she can get the a bit of info on what the man could know.
"Get someone to follow this girl, find out her schedule, and see to it that the dog with her doesn't notice any of you," Trishia ordered several by the walls.
They moved out with a series of nods.
Trishia's eyes focused on the Kinjen photo. The man liked to have green tea with a pastry of some sort every morning. She resisted licking her lips in front of the others. Any hint that she might disobey the princes orders would cost her chances at him.
That fairy's blood was hers.
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Jumper Achievements
-Obtained a stalker
