MILO.
โAs if they would allow me to wear anything else to an event like this.โ Milo mused back. Not that anything his sibling said would stop him from doing what he wanted, when it came to fashion he did not argue with an expert. Just like he would not argue artillery with a Warden. โOh, I can definitely get you in with them. If anything, Iโll give up one of my standing appointments. Itโs not like I actually need another suit.โ A light chuckle fell from him. It wouldnโt stop him, by any means. Call him spoiled, but he quite enjoyed having someone from the fashion industry in the family. If he could share that perk with an old friend, it was all the better. Especially considering his main expertise was no longer in the cards for Remus. Not a bad thing, quite the opposite. All fun and games until someone gets addicted. Then it becomes a problem and thatโs not something he wished on anyone, least of all a friend. Even if it did contradict how his fortune was made. Heโd much rather distribute pleasure in small doses to the masses than leave someone with a monkey on their back.ย
The blonde was quick to shake his head at the mere idea of indoctrination by a band of idiots in skull masks. โAbso-fuckinโ-lutely not. Bloody scum, the lot of them.โ He scoffed it out with an extra bit of venom. The scowl quickly softened when the next words left the other Seraphim. He wondered if Juno would enter their conversation. Milo had witnessed a lot of death in his thirty odd years on earth. So much that heโd become numb to it, as just another part of business like paperwork. Not that one, that death would stay with him for a long while. He could not begin to imagine what effects it had on War and the Wardens. โWhile I enjoyed our previous truce, and yes I am well aware I am affiliated with those who broke it, this doesnโt sit well with me. They need to atone for what they did to your family.โ He placed a hand on the other manโs shoulder and gave it a light squeeze in an attempt to show what comfort he could offer. As if there was anything he could say or do that would ease the pain of that loss. He sincerely wished there was anything he could do and should the opportunity arise, best believe heโd be there to offer his support. Even if it didnโt include the support of Pestilence, in this single instance.ย
He swallowed the lingering poison of the previous topic with a sip of gin and welcomed a new string of conversation. โHonestly, not as much as youโd think. I did hear about the campaign, of course. But, Iโve been so buried under bullshit, I havenโt had the time to keep up with everyone like I used to.โ A shame really, he felt like he used to know so much more of what was happening across rival lines and the city. Now he needed to rely on other sources to stay informed where he could no longer linger in the shadows and listen. It was bound to happen eventually, and that was why they had Dominions and advisors at the end of the day. โFrom what I have heard, most think itโs a bold move- which it is. I think the rest is just envy. With all the ties you all have, I am sure youโll do just fine.โ His lips twisted into a smile. โDonโt think Pierce is a name that can help in that area but you need some word out to the working class, let me know.โ A genuine sense of happiness formed in his features when he heard the confirmation of the family his friend was forming. Perhaps a bit of envy underlying the grin that was followed by a matching gulp from his own glass. โGood. Congratulations, you deserve all of it Rem. I mean that.โย
A sigh fell when the question turned to him. โAll work and very little play for me. Though Pierce is expanding their reach into South America, through some clients in Mexico. Pest, is Pest and Pinketts are Pinketts. Trying to get the crown a bit less tarnished before I get an ego about it.โ A breath of a laugh followed because while he would love to get into the details, that wasnโt possible between them. โOther than that, Iโve been looking into some new business ventures of my own but I havenโt gotten them fully sorted yet. Dadโs been nagging me to settle down with someone, but I think heโs just gettinโ sentimental in his old age.โ Milo shook his head and finished his drink at the thought of carrying on the Pierce name. He didnโt even know where to start with that one.ย
โ
They need to atone to what they did to your family. A simple sentence, a sentiment uttered a hundred thousand times by a hundred thousand different mouths across enemy lines. No one outside their ranks would dare defend Deathโs actions, no one can justify the recorded and treacherous killing of Juno Warden, all her familyโs sins aside. Words like these ring hollow over time, sympathy doing nothing to quell the familyโs worries or losses. But when Milo says it, Remus does find comfort; outside of his own family, he is one of the only people Remus still respects. He gives a solemn nod in response, washing down his initial reaction with the cold drink, suddenly thankful that the noise of the party nearly drowns out their voices.ย โI still canโt believe sheโs gone,โ he says, stuck reliving crystal clear memories of his little sister in all her grace and sophistication. Mangled with emotions, Remus feels everything from sadness to anger to relief to guilt to grief in each mention of her name. It takes the support of a recently returned wife to keep Remus from turning to old coping habits, powders and pills that will only pull him down further into despair โ is this what Milo thinks he wants now?ย โIn a strange way, itโs made Saint and I closer. Weโre not at each otherโs fuckinโ throats anymore,โ he says with forced laughter, knowing Milo was a witness to the youngest Wardenโs rise to infamy, and Remusโ jealousy brewing in response.ย
Two old friends, each a prince in their own right, inheriting their own corners of the empire of London and all the responsibilities that come with it.ย โOh trust me, I get it,โ he laughs, more genuine this time. If thereโs one thing Remus Warden always needs more of, itโs time; stretched between Bellum and War and the campaign and preparing for the birth of their children, Remus hardly has time to play catch up with acquaintances โ Milo is, as usual, the exception.ย โIt certainly is a bold move, but then again, thatโs why I did it. Iโm no politician, which is exactly what the people want. Itโs time for some fucking change.โ He says it simply, unbothered by all the buzzing press, itโs nothing new to Remus anyway. โWell,โ he starts, ever the strategist, โeven if you canโt help me, itโs very likely we can help you.โ Thoughts of his brotherโs new Archangel security plans run through his mind. โIf elected, Iโll have industry leverage where it matters.โ Pharmaceutical regulations, fixed prices on common medications, things to have a hand stretch into other territories. โHave to work with Parliament to check off the to-do list, of course, but money always fucking talks.โ
Able to recognize a fellow man stretched paper-thin, Remus nods in knowing response. โThatโs quite far from home,โ he murmurs, swirling drink absentmindedly in hand as he considers the logistics of managing business that widespread. โAnd youโre doing this through proxy, or does this mean youโre traveling these days?โ A question asked out of curiosity over his old friend and a desire for intel from Pestilenceโs Seraphim. Remus leans closer to his friend, pushing the words carefully out his mouth, though he smirks as he does it. โDo you still think Michaela will give it to you, or will you have to take it for yourself?โ
Thereโs no stopping the laughter that tumbles from Remusโ mouth at the news of the nagging. Parents grow up and want grandchildren, itโs the nature of things โ more so when thereโs an inheritance at stake, a global empire. โGood luck with that. Thereโs only one way to stop that from happening. Proposals, weddings, babies, that kind of thingโฆโ Things Gabrielle herself nags her children over, Remus only recently reaping the rewards of a happy soon-to-be grand mรจre. โYou have to admit, thereโs something creepy about a middle-aged man living a bachelorโs life.โ Not that Milo was there, yet, but itโs true the kind of life they both lead will age them.



















