Belle had an interview at InterPride. It wasn’t her first choice, obviously. She had specialized in defense law (with Magical law.) Her first choice was Clarion’s, but she had also, more or less, burned that bridge as far as she was concerned. Belle wasn’t going to let her pride take the blow of applying there and not getting accepted, just because she was a mother of three. (And, perhaps, because she’d pissed off Clarion, but that was neither here nor there.)
There were not many options in Swynlake for being a solicitor. Either she was working at Clarion’s or InterPride. There were other firms in the Next Town Over, but they were not magic focused and Belle refused to do that. She had a goal and that goal was to better things for Magicks. Not to help Mundus. Many might say she was too early in her career to be drawing these hard lines, but Belle had always been stubborn and idealistic.
And she believed that she could get the job at InterPride. She was qualified. They were looking for new lawyers to bring on, to continuously bring in fresh blood and a new eye. It would give her opportunities too, potentially. To travel. To make a difference in other places. If her family ever considered moving, she would be able to get a job at any of the InterPride locations.
They also had daycare right in the building which Belle could not deny had factored into her decision to send in an application. There had been plenty of back and forth the last month between herself and Hades about it. Weighing the pros and cons of her going back to work, of how they would manage with the children, and the house as it was. They talked about it as if it was a militaristic endeavor. Just as serious as any other life decision they’d made. (Well, except for getting married. That, Belle considered, to have been done on a whim.)
So, here she was now, on the sixth floor of the building, having been lead to an empty conference room with a large oak table and told to wait. She did her best not to fiddle and thankfully, she was not kept waiting long.
The door open and Belle stood from the seat she had taken--
And looked right into the face of the enemy. She had known, of course, that Nuka Blackwell worked in InterPride’s legal department. (It had been factored into both the pro and con sides of her list.) But, of all the people to conduct an interview! Belle blinked once in shock and then recovered, smiled her most charming smile.
“Hullo, I’m Belle Acheron,” she said, holding her hand out. “It’s a pleasure to meet with you. Thank you for taking the time. I, erm, brought a copy of my resume, if you don’t already have one.”
Everything is Proceeding as I Have Foreseen . [Nura]
@nuka-blackwell
The day was arriving. Slowly, but surely. In all her thousand years, few things were predictable. You got ahead by learning to be unpredictable and predictable all at once. Human beings would just as likely do as you suspected as much as they wouldn’t. It was in being fluid and flexible that she had gotten this far. Now, she was so close, she could almost taste her victory.
Which meant this party had to be both fluid and entirely rigid. It would be, perhaps, the most important party she had ever thrown or attended in her entire life. And Zira had attended plenty of important parties in the past. She had been at the opening of Les Noces. Had been around for Victory Day in 1945. Woodstock.
This had to be better than any of those.
A tall order, but Zira knew that they were up for it.
She stood in her office, with samples of fabrics strewn about, several canvases were set up on easels with different concepts.
“No masks,” Zira said at once, knocking one of the boards off its easel as she stood with one hand in the crook of her elbow, the other holding a glass of red wine. She took a sip.
“It is too bad we already did a gold themed party. What about silver and gold? Or is that too limiting?”
In this day and age, it was important to keep contacts more than ever, because those who dealt in the things they needed were going further and further underground to escape persecution. The internet made it easy for amateur sleuths to pat themselves on the back for chasing those of certain professions underground. So, connections were important.
Selina Mug was a woman whose mother’s mother’s mother’s mother had known the Blackwells when they were still the Lyons. A powerful witch with the shadow of a beast. The original Mug witch had passed that power on to her daughter and Zira had kept in touch, until that daughter grew into a powerful witch in her own right. And so on and so forth.
Now, their rented silver Porsche road down the narrow streets of Rome, Nuka in the driver’s seat, Vitani in the passenger, and Zira in the back idly scrolling on her phone.
“How much longer? My fangs are starting to itch,” Zira huffed, running her tongue over her teeth.
ZIRA:
Kovu had done as he had been tasked, as they all had been tasked, and Zira was both unsurprised and pleased. She stood now, just behind where Kovu sat on the couch in one of the rooms deep within the manor. Her hand was on his shoulder. In her other, she held the grimoire gently in her arms. Cradled like a child.
"As you know, your brother as succeeded in the mission that I had sent you all on." She let this comment hang in the air for a moment. "But, do not be worried. There are plenty chances at redeeming yourself. It seems that dear Merlin did not make breaking this spell easy." In fact, it was the most edited spell in the entire grimoire. Morgana trying over and over to break it.
"There are many objects that will need to be collected and people who will need to be discovered. I trust you are up to the task?" Her gaze flicked between Nuka and Vitani.
VITANI:
Vitani barely bit back her glare as her mother rubbed in that Kovu was clearly the Chosen One, yet again. God, it was exhausting. Of course the gimoire was in the Pride U library, of course Kovu found it because he was the one Mother had planted at the university.
That wasn't special. Vitani would have found it if she was the one at the uni, or Nuka.
She didn't hate Kovu and she didn't even hate Zira -- she could never, Zira was more than a mother, she was a god to Vitani even hundreds of years since being turned. What she did hate? That their mother had to rub in that Kovu was her favorite, shiny, new child.
She imagined she'd grow tired of that in a couple centuries. Vitani could tolerate that.
"Of course, Mother." Vitani said, in the spirit of powering through two hundred years of Kovu coddling.
NUKA:
There was irritation in Nuka's clenched jaw but other than that he was beyond relaxed. He didn't want to give Kovu anymore to brag about. Good for him. Just made him want to kill him even more and it was fun to imagine throwing Kovu through a couple walls and out a window.
As usual those thought just made it seem like Nuka wasn't mad on the outside.
"Of course Mother, surely we're at least capable of this small task."
KOVU:
Kovu sat comfortably on the couch in front of Mum, looking all too smug. Yes, he could see the irritation in Vitani's eyes and the tense way Nuka's jaw tightened. He'd learned to pick up on those habits over the decades. Which didn't take much, because it happened quite often.
He didn't blame them for clearly being jealous though. Maybe if they worked just as hard as him, they'd get the attention he got.
"Of course!" He leaned his head back on the couch to look up at Zira. "What all are we looking for and we'll get right on it." He looked back at Vitani and Nuka, smirking. "Right, guys?"
ZIRA:
"Of course, you are," Zira said, her voice confident. It was just enough to smooth Nuka and Vitani's ruffled feathers. She squeezed Kovu's shoulder gently before moving around to perch on the couch. Reverently, she opened the pages of the grimoire. The spine cracked deliciously and it fell open precisely to the page that she needed it to.
"It may not be so simple, little one," she told her youngest affectionately, appreciating his eagerness. "Some of these may, in fact, prove difficult. An Ambassador to the Underworld? The Fairy Queen. A dragon scale. The mythical knife sideris. There are simpler ones, too. Fairy dust is almost laughably easy to acquire these days. There is already an enchanted painting here in the house. A sorcerer's wand can be plucked with ease..."
VITANI:
Vitani cocked her head to the side and listened intently. Bloody hell, Merlin was a tosser.
“So are you delegating, Mother?” Vitani asked. “Or do you want all of us on everything?”
NUKA:
The ones that sounded difficult just made Nuka want to get them so much more. To be the one to show up Kovu. The younger vampire needed to be put in place.
"Or it's a free for all, whoever can get something easier just go for it." Nuka didn't want to plan even though he probably should.
KOVU:
Kovu could have laughed at these. For example - all he'd have to do is walk up to Tink and bat his eyes. Boom. He was sure to get some fairy dust that way. No compulsion even needed.
"I'm all up for a free for all," He said, smirking at Nuka and Vitani. "I've already got a few plans in mind since I'm so charming around town. Don't hurt yourselves keeping up."
ZIRA:
It pleased Zira to see them all so eager to carry out her plans. How patient she had been, raising these little soldiers. Now the fruits of her labors were finally beginning to play off. It was thrilling. It made her want to jump ahead, sink her teeth into the prize.
However, she had a thousand years of control, so she just breathed deeply, then smiled, ever so fondly at all of her children. "If you'd like to work it out amongst yourselves, I wouldn't be opposed, as long as everything is collected by the time we need it. Which appears to be...September 3rd, next year. So, plenty of time. I am sure you won't disappoint me." It was said affectionately, but there most certainly was the undertone of: or else laced through her words.
VITANI:
Vitani glared at Kovu but bit her tongue. She'd been alive centuries longer than him, knew her mother much better than he did, so she knew this was no time to put him in his place. Not in front of Mother at least. Give it a few centuries and he won't be such a shiny new toy anymore.
"We'll have it all before then." Vitani said with certainty she wasn't sure if she truly felt. "This is why you created us, it's the least we can do for what you've done for us, Mother."
NUKA:
Just under a year, for someone who had been with Zira the longest that felt so soon. Too soon. But that didn't mean he could get scared now.
What was the end of this, where would they be after. Their goal was so close and for a moment Nuka forgot all about Kovu until he zeroed in on his smirk and Nuka's own pride spiked. "I'm sure all your little connections will prove useful. Surely just as our more adult ones will be just as helpful as well."
KOVU:
Kovu's eyes darted to Nuka at his comment, his smirk falling. But only for a moment before growing back across his face, flashing his fangs. "I'm sure." He looked to Zira. "Don't worry, Mum. We won't let you down. We did learn from the best, after all."
He stood finally, an excited energy making his shoulders bounce now that they could get the plan really under way. He couldn't imagine waiting as long as any of them for this. Hell, even under a year felt too long to him. It was plenty of time.
"It'd be best to start with the easy stuff, get it out of the way and what not. Especially if its stuff that'll hardly be missed like pixie dust or even a wand. Stuff like that goes missing all the time. I think Pixie's is the best hunting ground, though the library is also a surprisingly good spot to hit too I think if you want to find someone alone and unsuspecting like young students."
ZIRA:
Zira stood as Kovu did, though she made a lap around the room. She touched Vitani's chin, lifting it so she'd look at her. "I created you because I was lonely and because I love you," she told her, her hand moving to tuck some of her pretty hair behind her ear.
She turned to Nuka next, moving behind the chair he was sitting on. Her hand trailed from one broad shoulder, across his neck, to the other. "You will all be necessary to complete our mission," she assured.
Finally, she came to a stop next to Kovu. Her youngest. Her most eager. The best of her, truly. She leaned in and kissed his cheek fondly.
"I don't doubt you will all do me very, very proud."
When one had endless centuries to live, certain rules must be followed. There was a decorum, an order to the life of a vampire, which separated them from less civilized Magicks--such as brutish werewolves. These rules were for the good of their kind. It meant that they had been bale to survive, flourish, even as other Magicks were mercilessly persecuted.
If you were a smart vampire, if you followed the rules, you were not in danger.
Zira knew these rules. She had written a few of them herself, they changed over the years to suit their society. For it was a society. One of the highest order.
Which was why she had come to Anthony Coleman’s door. She had known about him for a good while now, both in and out of Swynlake. Just as she knew about the Hauntleys (though, she would not expose herself or her family to them, as they clearly could not keep a secret. Their paths would cross eventually, but until then, Zira was not going to make the first move.)
The door opened to reveal a man, not unattractive (though, was any of their kind?) Zira smiled warmly.
“Hello, Anthony Coleman, yes?” She didn’t need an answer, she could hear the stillness of his heart. “My name is Zira Blackwell. These are my sons, Nuka and Kovu. We’ve just moved to town and are planning to stay a while.”
