EXALTED

FINNIAN

[theresilent-uriel]

I'm trying with him, Finnian, but I learned from the beginning you watch your step and watch what you say in case he spins it negatively. It's unfair not just to you, to Celeste, when he is the one who set in motion bringing her back and then distancing himself because his hatred for the Princes run skin deep. I feel strung along and patience taken advantage of, that's by my own hand, so you're right. The next time I see him, I'm not swallowing any words I normally would out of fear. You are their leader. What father and coven member would I be if I blocked your right standing with your best fighters?

[tenacious-finnian]

I know it's usually the parents that say they're proud of the kid, but I'm proud of you, too. Everything that I've learned about my father, it's easy to become caught in a rut when you've constantly been pushed into it, and it's near impossible to come out of it, but I'll support you in anything you do, just as I know you'll support me, too. I want to be the kind of man who leads by example, both in the family and in the coven.

[colinxrosewood]

Where do you want to start? There's the coven slowly knitting itself back together, an upcoming war with a goddess, and my very complicated feelings for a vampire whose sex-crazed psycho father is aligned with said goddess.

[tenacious-finnian]

I'm well-versed in the coven slowly making itself whole again since I've spent many days and nights mending it, so we can talk about the war or complicated feelings since I know those, too. Though not for a vampire. I'm rather bland and stuck with my own species. If the tides are correct, the goddess and psycho vampire father will be no more soon.

[unrulyxaemon]

An argument's made, I don't hold the station I once did.

Uriel, the mopey puppy following the First Son and waiting for a connection that might never happen? I did say being Rhys' blood is kind of a good thing. You grew up with a different version that did not abandon her children who were raised by their aunt and uncle. Maybe not despise, but he seems bratty throwing a temper tantrum and I am one to speak of tantrums to know I didn't just inherit them from Wrath. Why would there be bad blood, cousin? Because you're the embodiment of the family I've grappled with my entire life? Bitter even, knowing you are successfully taking over your birthright while I and another cousin once removed or whatever is screwed over? I should be nicer to someone considered family, but I'm working on it.

[tenacious-finnian]

Uriel, the one who's stepped up and is actually acting like a father instead of shutting everything out like my other temperamental father, yes. That's him. I won't refute that my father is acting like a brat that needs a good scolding from someone who won't put up with his attitude anymore, like those before me. I hold no offense because you speak the truth, and given your circumstances, you're a lot nicer than I would have expected. While it's not my coven from my timeline, it's still a coven. Yet, while I still have a mantle, it's not how I wanted to obtain it. A limping and half-dead coven that would be easier to wipe out completely instead of working painstakingly to build it back up after the one who destroyed it refused to do so. Not so delightful a circumstance that makes it seem like I have a silver spoon at times.

[radiantlyxceleste]

My mother did the best thing for the coven by leaving it at your mercy. Rhys, of course, the conundrum of my twin's temperamental refusals. I can hear El's fear as we speak about not rocking the boat, but don't make the mistake my parents have and treat him with kiddie gloves. He'll jump the defensive, insult, try hitting you where it hurts, do not let him. It does cut through like a knife when I breathe most days knowing he's driving this wedge between us, but my crown comes first as it would if we were ruling the coven. It's still my home, but Hell is too.

[tenacious-finnian]

You sound like Helena right now, but no. I won't fall into the same cycle as those before me. My father is an adult, and I will treat him as one, even though he is an especially misbehaving adult. While the you of my timeline existed within the coven after leaving Hell in the hands of Pride, I know that family should not make you feel as though you cannot exist in both worlds. I hope that if all else fails, I will at least talk some sense into my father to not throw away the relationship he could have with you after years of loss.

[soullessxpandora]

Oh, Finny, I detect a hint of close familiarity with your version of Fraser, is that impression wrong? A blood locator spell would wrap up Benedict's self-inflicted exile and send the rest of the council members scattering if they aren't already deceased. You make your fathers both so proud, my grandson, you've inherited Rhys' ferocity and Uriel's kind-hearted benevolence. A true First. We'll be right there fighting beside you.

[tenacious-finnian]

No, it's not wrong, but there's no need to go into deeper detail than we were together and then we weren't after it didn't work out. Once I find Benedict's location, I'll dispatch him quick and let his body rot for the worms to feast on, as it should have a long time ago. That means a lot, Pamma, honestly, but we both know that I don't make both of them proud here. I understand how this version of my father got to be where he is, but I cannot allow your Rhys to continue as he is. I will be talking to him, and I expect it to escalate quickly given his aptitude for anger.

[sensiblyxmabel]

I see no reason but tell the truth. He is making the change for the better. My father has done nothing but train me to rule at his side in his realm one day and judging from my experience, my mother's the closest to a Queen of Death goddess as you can come. Uncle Finn, I know you aren't just alluding to family. A certain former council member's son, perhaps?

[tenacious-finnian]

Seems we're a lot more alike than I originally thought. I know what it's like to train day in and day out, but your mother deserves to be treated like a Queen– she has been a rock throughout my life, and she will continue to be one in the next. No, I wasn't alluding to just family, but we don't need to talk about that– just that I understand.

[emiliaxhan]

It's true, he will eventually grow bored the moment I break how he designed. Maybe he won't be the one killing me first but your own people.

I knew a former coven leader half a century prior who promised making a difference like you have, and yet, the council's rules corrupted him. He was the kindest, bright-eyed, and swore my freedom like a whisper of hope and then I watched him change. I can feel that psycho version haunting me, his face so similar yet so different from my Azriel, it's disarming. I spent too long in his timeline. Fearing it, yearning for it...it's a reason I went back voluntarily. How do you protect someone itching to set the world ablaze and beckon in a monstrosity? If I come back to the coven, Finn, you risk an uprising when they come for my head. If I come back, they will spend an eternity hating me...never trusting me. Do you trust me, Heir?

[tenacious-finnian]

Our people would have to go through me if they wish to cause harm to you, unbefitting of the crime, Emilia.

There is nothing I can truly say to make you see that I am not the man who had changed before your eyes, and I don't know what lies ahead of me in my time here either. What I do know is that I have so many people behind me, ready to keep me accountable for my actions, just as I am keeping others accountable. I know what's at risk if you come back to the coven, but there is always redemption if a person believes they can change. Trust is earned, Emilia, just as I know that you need to learn to trust me. Do I trust that you're not a true villain? Yes, I do. I would also trust that, if right now what you need is to see into my mind to understand my full intentions and to see the memories of my timeline, then I would give you the go-ahead.

[timely-cronus]

A compliment made more unique when you are technically an extended member of my family. Helena spoke highly of your trainings and her confidence in your place at the top affirms mine.

I have seen his timeline and what becomes of him and the Weaver, the destruction they would both afflict given the right scenario concerns me as much as what Bellora could do. This alternate Delacroix will break through the protective barriers, that is a certainty, but we need him set in a vulnerable moment. I cannot interfere with my time magic, however I know who can. When Azriel is at his weakest point, hindered, we reverse the damage he's done on the locks once keeping him at bay.

[tenacious-finnian]

That's true, I never expected to add 'technically related to the gods' to my family tree. Hel has always been my cheerleader, even when we were just children; if there's anyone I would want to disappoint less than my parents, it's her.

The problem with that plan is that there is no true way to reverse the damage. If I am understanding this correctly, these locks were made by Azriel, and the one true person who is best suited to assist with this particular problem of the mind is Emilia; however, we can see why that might be an issue, given how the other Azriel is coming through. The best second option we have is redoing the locks completely by a different locksmith and throwing away the keys– redoing everything by a different hand will stop the other version from crossing over.

[wickedlyxenvy]

If you can brave your way around this place, you should follow three right hand turns and reach her office.

Yes, but to fail pretty spectacularly constantly when you've done nothing but lose is getting ridiculous. My victories are few and far between, First Heir. My son gets this all the time, but you look like Rhys.

[tenacious-finnian]

I'm pretty good at following directions.

It's only because the failures are easier to remember than the victories. If what I've learned about this timeline and its inhabitants, you've had some pretty incredible wins. Your daughter pointed out my resemblance to my father as well, but I can also say that my looks are where my resemblance to this timeline's Rhys ends.

[violetxjameson]

A coven on the verge of collapse again when he comes through the door. Spiked heads, bloody battlefields, a dead goddess at a high price.

Sorry, my head's scrambled.

[tenacious-finnian]

I don't need to decode your visions to know what that's about.

It's never a good sign when your head is scrambled, Violet. You may not be my version, but I know this situation all too well. Would you like to do a breathing exercise with me? Maybe it will get you to focus a bit.

[ivyhollowvillains]

And is that standard practice in the midst of a war, leaving your coven defenseless while exterminating meaningless council ants? I send others to hunt my children for me, but to each their own, little heir.

[tenacious-finnian]

I did not leave my coven unguarded, as the majority of my family is here. It doesn't appear that your plan worked in the end, as you are here instead of relying on the ones you sent, Henrik.

[charismaticallyxalastor]

If you need errant council members gone, fine, I could wipe them off the face of the planet with a snap, but you better have a good plan in the works for the Delacroix problem. My mother's not the only one on the line.

[tenacious-finnian]

I don't see how barging into other people's spaces while acting like a micromanaging god yields positive results. You must be Alastor. To answer you in sequence: no, I don't need your help, as I am fully capable of cleaning up the coven. No, I don't have a good plan yet, but I am working with your father, as he is better suited to assist me with this issue. I know what is at stake, but thank you for the... insightful information.

[jealouslyxestella]

Hm, right, and maybe your First Heir aura will provide some kind of compass leading us the way out if all else fails.

Finnian, Finn, you really look like the love child of Rhys and El. Estella, begrudging Princess of Envy, and proud daughter of the First Mother herself.

[tenacious-finnian]

I wouldn't be surprised if I could at this point.

I get that a lot, and it's a good thing since they're my fathers. It'd be awkward otherwise. I suppose it would be unfair for me to welcome your mother to the family but not you, since you are her daughter and somewhere within the vast family tree, we're related somehow or another. Welcome to the family, Estella, daughter of the First Mother.

[divinely-helena]

Leave it to me. The grown version is buzzing to see you again, sweetie, her opinion points you to being the greatest uncle-cousin there ever lived.

Here's another option, stop biting your tongue. You know how I would give your father a piece of my mind without fearing any retaliation. Not speaking up and letting him do as he pleases while you carry the heavy grunt work sends a message that it's okay treating your family and your problems as acceptable. He's your father, but you're also his coven leader. Why approach this any differently than you would another member of the coven just because you're genetically linked?

[tenacious-finnian]

That's ever lived– that's a grand title that looks like I have some big shoes to fill.

You are a troublemaker when you want to be, you know, because it sounds like you want me to get into a fight with my dad. Which, if I'm being honest, sounds kind of nice right now. I have a lot of aggression that I can't keep carrying on my shoulders if I want to be level headed when the eventual fight against the vampires and goddess knocks on our door.

[sinfullyxpride]

At least, we're finally at the open-door policy stage. It was touch and go for a while.

[tenacious-finnian]

It's nice to see that you are just as devoted to your Queen in this timeline as you are in my timeline. I figured I'd keep my distance, given the security, but thought I'd introduce myself now. I'm Finnian, son of Rhys and Uriel– First Heir. You're the King of Hell in my timeline, and we had a close working friendship that I hope we can have in this one. Even if you aren't the King.

[fraserxhawke]

"Then I get killed. What's it matter to you anyway?" There were always other enforcers inept at taking his place, plenty in the coven army who are stronger or more powerful than his abilities. Benedict never wasted an opportunity comparing him and Jade, openly expressing his disapproval that he wasn't born a prestigious blood witch like his cousin, as if he could control what magic developed within his veins. Maybe motivation doing what needs done wasn't as crucial as a problem as he made it out to be, but whether the witch rather listened to every self-esteem bashing insult his father sent flying in his direction. That bottom line, when Fraser faced an enemy on the battlefield, he would choke. What little good from his mother he possessed hindering him as an enforcer and a witch deserving of his spot in the coven. He and Jadis always compared notes at the end of the day, fantasizing an execution worth Benedict's seat on the train to Hell. Fraser solely anticipated Finnian making his leave as soon as the vial was in his possession, but the asshole wasn't leaving. Did he not have better things to do than bother a former council member's disgraced son? "Don't talk like you know me, Finn, you don't know me at all. You're just another self-indulgent First who fell from a rift and think it's his right taking over a coven that doesn't deserve saving." Fraser bit back, watching Finnian take his wrist and mend the inflicted wound. Confusion flooded his mind why that brief touch tingled, the way he did not mind it, but the moment disappeared as the contact shattered. "Right. War's on the horizon. I'm always at my coven leader's beck and call." He swept into a curt bow with no trace of his usual sarcastic smirk before standing straight, shaking his head. "You're wrong, by the way. I know what people really think about me no matter how they prove otherwise. It's safer we keep it that way."

[tenacious-finnian]

"Despite what you think, I care about everyone within the coven. That means you." It was a truth carefully skirted. While Finnian would have cared about Fraser as a leader, as he does with anyone else under his umbrella, he cared more for this particular male once upon a time. A not-so-distant past that was an integral part of his history, yet it no longer held precedence in this timeline. There was no... them in this timeline. No familiarity, no lingering touches or soft glances. Just distance, just as it was before Fraser died. He shook his head to banish the spiraling thoughts, glancing to the floor, steeling his resolve. He couldn't cave. They couldn't be together in this timeline, either. Finnian knew enough about the timeline's cosmos that he was already disrupting Fraser's life, disrupting his chance at happiness that didn't involve him. After a beat, he finally looked at Fraser. "You're right. I don't know you, not in this timeline– but you don't know me either. My family failed this coven, and they let it rot and made countless people suffer. You say it doesn't deserve to be saved, maybe not, but I can see what it could be, and I'm willing to spill the blood, sweat, and tears needed to rectify their mistakes until the moment it's truly fixed, or I return to my timeline." It was his vow, his sole purpose as the Heir. If he weren't doing this, he'd be lost in this timeline. Maybe there was something he could thank his temperamental father for. Finnian frowned at the bow, stuffing his hands into his pocket with a measured exhale. As much as he didn't want to force someone into a fight under the banner of a coven they despise, he didn't have a choice. The foundation of the coven was too shaky for him to omit anyone who could help in the fight. "Before that battle happens, I'm starting to re-evaluate all of the warriors we have left. Seeing as you so helpfully pointed out that I don't know you, then I don't know the true scope of your abilities, and I can't trust Benedict's blatherings in his reports." There were no other evaluations for the remaining hex-witches or enforcers, made up on the spot that maybe there would be some way he could convince Fraser that there was something about him that was worth getting close to. Even if it was just his fighting abilities, it was a start. Yet, he knew he had to now include everyone else– the exhaustion in his bones already making him dread the fact that he added way more work onto his plate. This was... already pushing his imaginary boundary he had with the other male. "You'll be fighting me, personally," a smug smirk quirked his lips as he shrugged, "unless you're afraid of getting your ass kicked by a self-indulgent First."

[sensiblyxmabel]

Next time, I'll send one personally.

I totally understand your coldness toward my father, I do, Finnian. Death's responsibilities take him away from family, even as a young child, there were periods of time where duties plucked him from us. No one should feel worthless and without companionship, least of all, my mother. He has changed, though. Still atrocious with time-keeping, but a good father. The best father. I just hope he changes your mind one day.

[tenacious-finnian]

Your advocating for your father does put me at ease, Mabel. I don't like harboring ill will towards anyone who doesn't truly deserve it, so as long as he keeps changing and appreciates your mother and you, I won't have a problem with him. I understand how duties can take you away from the people you care about, personally, and how that might weigh on him.