Author's Note:
MAGNUS BANE TIME
Also, forced to use () to block off sections cause the dashes aren't saving for some reason :/
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Tessa picked at her sausages absently where they sat on the little white plate in front of her. On the other end of the table, Henry was spilling the details of some new idea of his to Charlotte, who was pretending to listen by bobbing her head up and down. Ying Wei, unaccustomed to the change of time between China and Europe, had woken staggeringly early and was on his third plate of breakfast. Agatha, rather than being angry, was absolutely thrilled by his appetite, and much to Tessa and Jess' horror was in the process of seducing him with a tray of biscuits. He picked out two and politely sent her away pouting. Jessamine muttered something under her breath, clearly relieved. At that moment the door to the dining room swung open. Tessa and Ying Wei glanced up sharply, prompting Charlotte to look between the two suspiciously.
"I love the smell of sausages in the morning." Will exclaimed, striding into the room and pulling out a chair in one fluid movement. Next to Tessa, Jessamine rolled her eyes and ripped one of the meaty links in half ferociously. "What do you put in these things that make them so damningly good?" Will hollered toward the kitchen.
"Wouldn't you like to know…" Agatha replied from somewhere unseen. Tessa was still getting used to the way Shadowhunter servants were allowed to behave toward their masters. Will sank into his chair with an ungracious huff. His eyes skimmed over Tessa's briefly and then darted back down to the empty tablecloth in front of him.
Last night Tessa had knocked on Will's door in the wee hours of the morning, pale and shocked. She had told Will briefly about what she had witnessed of Jem's attack. He had tried to force his way past her to ensure his friend was okay, but she had reassured him that Jem was fine now. Afterwards Will had become very withdrawn and sent her away from his room. She was surprised to see him acting so… typically, this morning. Then again, she had discovered in her short time at the Institute that Will was very, very good at concealing his emotions.
"Oh please Will." Jessamine muttered crossly, "It's just all the mashed up disgusting bits of meat she was too lazy to throw away." Charlotte shot her a warning glance, but Agatha clearly hadn't heard and was already wailing some high-pitched chantey of woe as she set a plate down in front of Will.
"I'm sorry Mister Wei," Henry said fretfully, having finally returned to reality, "this is a daily ordeal at the Institute." Ying Wei had been watching the events before him unfold in quiet amusement, but now he laughed out loud.
"It is no different in Beijing. I have three siblings, you know. We squabble endlessly." His story was interrupted by the squeal of the door opening. This time all of the Shadowhunters turned to see Jem standing in the doorway, smiling meekly. The only trace of the events of last night were the dark rings under his grey eyes. Tessa chanced a glance at Will. His face had fallen considerably now that he was no longer the center of attention, revealing just how worn he looked.
"Good morning." Jem said brightly.
"Good morning." the others replied in succession.
"You just missed Will and Jessamine's morning argument." Charlotte informed him.
"I'm sure there will be another one over dinner." He settled himself in a chair next to Will. Charlotte's eyes flickered between the two as they sat in tense silence beside each other. Charlotte was a clever woman, Tessa knew. She would realize something was not right.
"Mr. Wei," she began, folding her hands in front of her on the table, "I'm sorry I couldn't say a proper good night yesterday. Something came up." She shot a glance at Henry, who cringed like a beat dog. "I hope you and Jem got some time to catch up."
"Yes, it was nice to speak to him again." He smiled briefly.
"Charlotte." Jem spoke suddenly, startling everyone. "Perhaps I could give Ying Wei a tour of London today." Charlotte looked surprised, but Ying Wei even more so.
"I have no objections." she said finally. "Just don't be gone long. We never know when something will come up." Her words hung ominously in the air. For Shadowhunters, a pleasant day trip and a massacre could happen in the space of a few hours. Will straightened suddenly, knees banging the underside of the table.
"That's funny. Tessa and I were planning on going out today as well, on another matter." he said, grinning. Tessa looked up blankly.
"Is that so?" Charlotte asked, looking at Tessa suspiciously. Tessa met Will's gaze, his blue eyes insistent.
"Yes of course. How silly of me to have forgotten." she said with a weak smile. Charlotte sighed.
"I really don't think it's wise for us all to leave the Institute unguarded." she said softly, looking to Henry as if for reassurance. Henry, however, was gazing intently at a book he had brought to the table with him that was covered in various unpleasant looking stains.
"It wasn't a question Charlotte." Will replied colorlessly. Her lips thinned. The dining room was quiet. Even Henry looked up, although probably only due to the unnatural silence.
"Very well, Will. Make it quick."
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"I understand the urgency of our venture, but it was really quite rude the way you spoke to Charlotte."
Will and Tessa were seated in the Institute's only carriage, Bailos and Xanthos leading them through the crowded noontime streets of London. Jem and Ying Wei had opted to walk, for which Tessa was grateful; it was an unusually hot day and even in the shade of the carriage Tessa was stifling beneath the folds of her yellow dress.
"I never claimed to be polite." Will said wryly. He tugged at the collar of his deep blue waistcoat, the heat clearly making him uncomfortable as well. Tessa glanced away, willing herself to focus on the people that churned in the streets below and not on the smooth skin at the hollow of his throat.
"Why have you brought me along anyway?" she asked casually, trying to keep her voice from betraying her thoughts. He glanced over at her.
"Are you questioning my motives?" he asked carefully.
"Running off without a trace seems to be your style." she said, not without a hint of spite. "Why bring me with you?" He was silent, staring out the window. Sunlight flooded his irises and made them glow like gemstones.
"You're a warlock as well. If he doesn't want to help me, maybe he'll help you." His voice was emotionless. Tessa felt disappointment.
Outside she heard Thomas call to the horses, and the carriage began to slow. Will sat back from the window, giving her a meaningful look.
"We're here."
Thomas helped her out of the carriage and onto the sidewalk besides Will. They were standing in front of a small wooden door that opened into a London townhouse. It wasn't very wide, but it was at least three stories tall. Identical houses stretched down the street on either side. Tessa had a hard time getting accustomed to the streets of London. Every building on every street was nearly identical, except perhaps for the style of a door or a fresh coat of paint. Tessa wondered briefly if the man living inside had the whole building to himself or merely the first floor of it. She assumed most warlocks, living as long as they do, would be very rich indeed, and as his lover was immortal as well...
She was jarred from her thoughts when she heard Thomas call out to the horses, pulling the coach off the main road and head for a side street where he could wait for them. Will mounted the single step that led to the door and rapped on it. Silence. After a moment he knocked again, a little louder this time. There was a muffled thump, followed by the sound of feet moving across the floor, and then the door opened. Magnus Bane was leaning regally against the door frame, startlingly under-dressed in an almost transparent, exotic-looking nightshirt and breeches. Tessa reddened instantly but Will seemed utterly unfazed. Magnus surveyed the two through narrowed eyes and raked a hand through his messy black hair.
"Pleasure as always." he said airily.
"We'd like your help with something." Will replied, clearly not one for small talk.
"Well of course you do. No Shadowhunter has ever banged on the door of my home just to ask if he could sit down and have a cup of tea." the warlock noted spitefully.
"Thanks, I'd love some." Will smiled angelically, and then seized Tessa's hand and pushed past Magnus and inside. The warlock gave a groan of defeat before closing and locking the door behind them. Will was making his way quickly and efficiently through Magnus' home, and Tessa had to wonder how he knew just where to go. Before she could draw any conclusions though, a lean figure darted out in front of the two of them. Tessa gave a little gasp at the creature's appearance, for it could hardly be described as a man. He was short, withered and gaunt, with green eyes, matted grey hair, and a deathly palor.
"Archer, let them pass." Magnus called, suddenly standing beside Tessa. It was only when he was directly beside her she realized how incredibly tall the warlock was. Archer looked like a child in comparison, but the servant hardly seemed scared of Magnus. Rather, he seemed to be quite angry with him.
"You shouldn't bring Shadowhunters in the house. Camille wouldn't like it." the man said, and his voice was worn and rasping.
"Yes well, any complaints Camille has she can address to me personally. Step aside."
Archer sank back into the shadows of the hall, head down but eyes sharp with anger. Will swept past him and into the room just beyond, Tessa and Magnus close behind.
"Not much of a servant is he?" Will teased.
"He's not a servant he's a subjogate, and he absolutely despises me." Magnus said bitterly. Will was already pacing eagerly back and forth, while Tessa stood just inside the doorway, aware of Archer's eyes drilling holes into her back.
"Just out of sheer curiosity, do you own anything in this house? Do you pay the rent?" Will asked, eyes raking the sitting room, which was decorated with an assortment of either very vampiresque or very womanly objects.
"My services are payment enough." Magnus said, the corner of his mouth shifting up into a grin.
"We're not talking about magic are we?"
Magnus laughed, and then his eye caught Tessa.
"I'm afraid we're making Miss Gray uncomfortable." Magnus noted, leaning against the mantel of the now cold fireplace. "What exactly are you here for?"
"That's just the thing." Tessa spoke up, "We're not sure." Magnus blinked at them for a few moments. "Of all the stupid reasons you've barged in on me William…" he muttered, and Tessa's eyes widened in surprise. So Will had been here before, and often. Standing beside her, Will's face betrayed no emotion. "Sit down and explain."
Tessa and Will sat down on a small, vividly patterned couch that sat in the center of the room, close enough to each other that she could hear the quiet breaths between the words Will spoke.
"An old friend of Jem's has come to London from Beijing. He claims he's here on business." Will opened his mouth to continue but Magnus held up a hand. He sat himself on the edge of an armchair that had seemingly just appeared in the room, folding his long legs in front of him.
"So…" he said quietly, and his eyes were sharp as flint, "You'll be after Yanluo then."
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UPDATE: I posted chapter 4 only to find out that due to technical errors with Google docs it glitched out on me and I was forced to take it down. I have chapters 4 AND 5 completely finished but will not be able to post them until I get home tomorrow! Please bear with me :p
