AN: Last one for this set :)
GIFTED AND TALENTED
"You're going to have to take them with you."
Sulpicia was tearing her hair out with Felix and Jane's bickering. It had become a constant stream of one-upmanship between the pair of them that Jane frequently won, leaving Felix seething with everyone else. The atmosphere was driving Sulpicia to the brink. She was doing her very best to shut them out, but trying to do costings for the newborn expenses - and therefore their saleable rate - to the background of her children's arguments was proving difficult.
Aro glowered at Felix and Jane. They had lowered their voices when Aro came home, but it was clear their argument was continuing. He'd only been in the south tower ten minutes and he was ready to give the pair of them a slap and send them to bed.
"I can't take them," he dismissed. "I have work to do."
Sulpicia slammed her books into the table. "What do you think I've been trying to do all day?!"
Okay, danger, danger! Aro said to himself, mocking his mate's stress (though some would say it was telling that he said so to himself and not to Sulpicia). He looked to his vampiric brood. Demetri and Alec, like their mother, were worn down by their siblings' bickering. They both quite enjoyed watching Jane take Felix down when Aro was around, mainly because the show came with fireworks then. Their father was much more likely to end the arguments by slapping Felix, which was fun for them, as his brothers. But suffering the show Felix and Jane put on with Sulpicia in attendance was tiresome to the extreme. Sully just didn't make it fun for them. Demetri and Alec had listened, on and off, all day long to Felix and Jane tearing into each other, accompanied by the odd shrill interjection from their mother which achieved precisely nothing other than to add to the noise.
Still, Aro thought, Demetri and Alec are the safer bet. "I'll take the boys," Aro offered. "Not Felix," he added quickly.
"You either take Felix and Jane or you put them both to bed before you go back out." Sulpicia wasn't budging. She wasn't being left with the pair of them any longer. Moving back in with her mother-in-law suddenly seemed a nice idea under the circumstances.
"Put them to bed?!" Felix repeated. Never a more audacious statement had been uttered in his direction. "I'm not one of your little witches!" he boomed at his mother.
That was it! Jane retaliated and Felix started again with gusto.
"Aro!" Sulpicia called over the din. Her annoyance had gone, it was a call of sheer frustrated desperation. "PLEASE take them," she begged.
Aro stomped over to the clock rack and collected his children's capes. Caius doesn't have to deal with any of this shit. Next, he threw them at Felix and Jane. No wonder Eleazar wants to save himself from this miserable existence. Clocking Felix across the back of his head and making a limp, half-hearted effort to do the same with Jane, he had the pair of them moving. Fucking kids! he thought, directing his bickering brats towards the dungeons.
"I'm not going down there!" Felix exclaimed, coming to a halt at the top of the stairs.
"Oh, are you scared?" Jane asked slyly, skipping ahead of her big brave brother.
"You should both be scared!" Aro replied before either of them could carry on. "Knock off this damn argument or I'll be locking you two in a cell."
Though Felix flinched, Jane, naturally, had no concerns at all. Aro didn't punish her, not really - the fine line that Felix clumsily walked with their father, Jane danced along effortlessly with precision. When they reached the bottom step and saw Magnus and Caius waiting for them, Jane decided it was time to try and push her big brother over the edge.
"Why have you brought the young ones with you?" Magnus asked Aro once he was close.
"Sulpicia would have killed them if I'd left them behind," Aro replied. "And more importantly," he added, "she would have killed me."
"Fair enough," Magnus chuckled. He would have normally made a point of greeting the children, but they had stayed a safe distance away so they could continue their war of words.
"Stupid oaf," Jane hissed at Felix.
Felix shoved his sister away. "Call me that one more time and see what happens."
Felix enjoyed these sorts of arguments with just about anyone else. Playing with Jane wasn't the same. Any other member of the coven, even his brothers, and Felix was sure of a fair-ish trial with his father. With Jane, Felix was onto a loser from the get go, and he knew it.
"Felix, shush!" Jane told him dramatically with a finger to her lips. She was taking steps towards her father as she spoke, drawing Felix into the site of his doom. "Newborns are impressionable, we don't want them catching your IQ."
"Fucking witch," Felix grunted, just loud enough for Aro to hear.
Spinning on his heel to face his boy, Aro took hold of Felix by the scruff of his collar. "What did I tell you?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Do you want a cell all of your own or can you control your mouth?"
As Felix floundered, Jane's contentment grew. Magnus gave the girl a disapproving look. "You can't just blame Felix, Aro."
"I can do whatever I like, Magnus," Aro snapped back. "They're my kids."
He really hadn't meant to be so terse and by the looks on Magnus' and Caius' faces, he had been far terser than even Aro had accidentally intended. Between a long day in the throne room, going home to arguing brats, those brats continuing their gripes … Aro was on edge. It didn't help matters that Aro was yet to get a clear answer from his father on Magnus' position in the coven, either.
"I apologise, my friend," Aro said quickly, pushing Felix aside with an expression that dared him to continue.
Felix rubbed out the ache in his neck. "You're still a witch," he told his sister. He just couldn't help himself.
"Oh, sorry," Jane replied sweetly. "Am I supposed to be offended by that?"
Felix scoffed. "I know it offends you," he said, smiling cruelly. "Remembering why they burned you keeps you up all night, doesn't it?"
Caius was reminded of what Demetri had told him at the last ball about the twins being difficult in their home during the early years after all they had suffered through the transformation. He was surprised to learn that it still bothered either of them, as Felix was suggesting.
Jane didn't let her feelings show, she simply turned the conversation back on her brother. "As opposed to Felix," she told the group with an air of confidence unbefitting a twelve-year-old. "He stays up all night wondering if his right hand could be a viable substitute for a girlfriend."
Caius burst out laughing, congratulating the girl on a dig well dug! Magnus and Aro were a little less obvious, both doing their best to hide their smirks over Jane's cutting comment. Felix saw them all, of course, and it only added to his ire.
Magnus got himself under control first. "Don't laugh," he directed to Caius sternly. "You're encouraging her."
Caius didn't stop laughing even when Magnus gave him a dead arm for his troubles. "Ow!" he complained through his continued sniggering. "It's impossible not to laugh when you know you're not supposed to!"
Felix moved himself away the action and turned his back on them. "Pricks," he muttered, glowering into the dark.
Jane, with her doe-eyed expression, looked the epitome of innocence, and Aro fell for it even though he knew better. Aro caught Jane's hand before she could go to her brother. You'll be staying with me, he thought. "Enough now, my princess."
Eleazar and Carlisle were last to join the dungeon crew. Carlisle chose to stop and speak with Felix whilst Eleazar sauntered past, eyeing the new inhabitants as he went.
"It's weird seeing these cells full again," he commented.
Caius had turned thirty humans in total, and those he hoped would cultivate the same gifts had been put together in the newborn cells. Some single cells held double, even triple residents. It had been a week since the start of the experiments and the successful ones had gradually come around from their transformation over the last few days. All adults, mostly men, as Hilda had requested.
"It's certainly been awhile since I had to spend so much time down here."
Since he'd tattooed Magnus, Caius had spent a good portion of every day in those dungeons. Magnus and Freyr had taken shifts to keep Caius accompanied, in case he needed someone. They didn't say so out loud, of course, much to Caius' relief. He didn't say so, either, but he was grateful they had been with him. It was getting easier, though. Now he had fallen back into the pattern of feeding newborns and general dungeon upkeep, he was starting to feel like his old self again. No, it was better than that. He was starting to feel confident in his old environment as his new self. Much better.
"Work your magic, El," Aro called over to his brother. He slapped a hand on Caius' shoulder. "Time to find out if you've been successful."
Eleazar went to the far cell and concentrated his gift on a pair of curious newborns, but not before he'd suggested to Carlisle that he really should leave Felix to his brooding if he wanted to stay on the right side of everyone.
Carlisle did as Eleazar had suggested. He didn't want to leave Felix, certainly not to replace the kid with Aro and Caius' company, but he was doing his very best to show he was one of the adults. He wanted to go off travelling again ... and without Marcus accompanying him, Carlisle knew it would be difficult to gain his father's support on the matter should he be anything less than perfect. It was an unfair appraisal of the situation, really. All Basileus wanted was for Carlisle to act his bloody age!
The most striking thing to Eleazar, having inspected newborns for their gifts many times in his years with the Volturi, was that these newborns seemed much calmer than usual, less anxious, less scared.
"How are you controlling them, Caius?" he called over his shoulder.
"Over-feeding and alcohol," Caius replied, gesturing to the barrel of bloodwine in arm's reach. Another, open barrel, filled with used goblets stood next to it.
"So, you aren't …" Aro made some lewd gestures in Caius' direction. "You know?"
"No," Caius laughed. "I'm not using submission."
"It's a bit soon for that anyway," Aro assumed. "You haven't let them out of the cells yet."
Caius shook his head, looking Aro dead in the eye. "I won't be using submission."
Aro shrugged and joined Eleazar. It was no skin off his nose either way. Magnus though, he was pleased. "Glad to hear it," he whispered to Caius.
"When did we last have newborns?" Aro mused aloud. "'63?"
"About then," Caius agreed. "This is Magnus' first batch."
Magnus suddenly wasn't so pleased. "I'm not having them!"
"Guards are yours, big guy," Aro called over, adding cockily, "As you so often like to remind us."
"And who will be managing the rest of the guard if I'm down here all the time?" Magnus shot back, hands on hips and cutting an intimidating figure of a man. "Are you pair going to start getting your hands dirty again?" he asked, looking between Aro and Caius.
"Good God, no!" Aro was quite offended to have even been asked such a thing.
Caius wasn't too sure how to answer - he'd already done more with the new batch than he would have liked! He went for distraction instead. "Carlisle," he called. "Have you seen your efforts yet?"
Going to the end cell closest to the playroom, Caius unlocked the gated door and brought out the young woman Carlisle had bitten under Aro's instruction. It hadn't gone well … the poor woman wore a vacant expression, her hollow eyes reminding Carlisle very much of the plague victims he had nursed in their moments before death.
"What's wrong with her?" He sounded wounded, poor lamb. "Did I do that to her?!"
Before Aro, or Caius for that matter, could interject with a cruel taunt, as he knew they would, Magnus stepped in. "It was your first attempt, Carlisle," he assured. "A few zombies are very normal to begin with."
"And you would know, how?!" Aro asked, knowing full well Magnus had never turned anyone.
Magnus turned a sharp eye on the coven king. "You're right, I've never turned anyone." He turned back to the youngest Volturi brother. "I've never gotten as far as you, Carlisle. Any I've bitten, I have killed."
Carlisle felt uncomfortably better hearing that. It didn't change the fact that he'd failed to turn the woman into a vampire and condemned her to certain death, but at least he knew that wasn't particularly unusual. It certainly meant he wouldn't have to suffer any jibes from Aro.
"So," Caius said, pushing the woman towards Carlisle. "Do you want to take her home with you?"
Carlisle looked horrified.
"Kill her then, she's yours to do with as you like," Caius told him, leaving the woman to roam around his dungeons aimlessly. "You might as well have some fun with her first, though." There was something off putting to Caius' tone, in Carlisle's mind.
Aro caught onto the joke quickly and was only too happy to join in. "Yes, brother. She's yours to do with as you wish. About as lively as you like your women, I believe."
Carlisle was disgusted! He was most perturbed when Jane joined in on the mocking, too!
"Am I destined to spend my days babysitting you lot?!" Magnus shook his head to himself. "Why must your minds always go to depravity before they find compassion?!"
Aro and Caius continued to laugh. They damn near doubled up when the zombie started stalking Carlisle around the dungeons.
Magnus took over and directed the woman back towards the playroom where he pushed her inside and closed the door. "I assume you will make use of her blood?" he said to Caius.
Caius wasn't so sure about that! "I, erm …"
"I'll give you a hand tidying up down here when Eleazar's done." That was Magnus' way of saying he would help Caius get through his first draining in ten years without having to announce to one and all that Caius needed any such help in the first place.
No one else caught on, but Caius chanced a grateful smile to the juggernaut. Carlisle did too, as he'd removed the source of his distress.
Eleazar wasn't naive enough to think simply removing the woman would be enough to stop Aro from taunting their little brother. He left his investigations for the moment and joined Carlisle, where he made sure to remind Aro that he was the oldest of the three of them and, if that wasn't enough, he would be going to their father if Aro was foolish enough to continue. He wasn't in the mood for his brother's childish play.
Aro might have stood up to Magnus - or Eleazar for that matter - but bringing Basileus into the fray wouldn't have been worth it. He turned his attention away from Carlisle and back to Felix.
"Get away from that woman!"
Felix damn near jumped out of his skin. He was only casually chatting up the newborn, he wasn't doing any harm. That said, he knew he was on his father's shit list. When he clocked the glint in Jane's eye, seeing yet another chance to get her brother into trouble, Felix shifted himself well away from the newborn and took his place at his father's side.
"Why haven't we had newborns for so long?" he asked, trying to keep it cool.
"Because," Jane started, "you and Demetri can't be trusted …" The girl tailed off with Magnus shaking his head at her pointedly.
"I've had too much to do," Aro corrected, answering his son.
"You?!" Magnus shot out in shock.
Caius was similarly confused. "You don't do anything!"
Aro wasn't having that. He couldn't really argue with Magnus on the matter. It was fair to say Magnus worked harder than any of the other masters combined, but Caius had an easy ride as far as Aro saw it. "Says he who hasn't worked AT ALL in ten years."
"I've made up for it these last few weeks," Caius reminded him, gesturing to the heaving newborn cells.
"Aro's been busy playing house, that's why there have been no newborns." Eleazar was bang on the money. "It's good to have the place filled again, a bit of new life in the coven is a good thing."
"Do you want a job, El?" Aro asked, looking his elder brother up and down. Layabout, he thought, when Eleazar simply shook his head in reply, smiling. "You're such an idle bastard."
"Ah, ah, ah," Eleazar wagged his finger in Aro's face. "You missed happy - I'm a happy, idle bastard, floating through life on your coattails."
Magnus had to focus on the floor to hide his growing smile. He knew Eleazar would shortly regret being so cocky about his unemployed status. Basileus isn't the sort of man to welch on a bet. He almost felt sorry for the Volturi prince.
"What gifts do they have then?" Caius was eager to see if the stress he'd suffered had been worth it.
"You have two levitators in here," Eleazar called over his shoulder, making his way back to the first cell.
"So, dropping them works?!" Aro was surprised, happy, but surprised.
Eleazar gestured into the second cell. "One of the ones Atia turned is a shield. Definitely. Not as strong as Renata, but still a shield."
Aro clapped his hands together. "We're keeping that one. I don't care how much we are offered for them." Renata was one of the best guards they had for protection - in a world full of talented vampires, a vampire who could block those talents was worth their weight in gold.
With the adults talking through vampiric gifts, Felix and Jane resumed their argument again! Magnus could feel the tension rising between the pair and he knew it wouldn't be long before Felix blew up.
"Can't you control her?" he asked Aro, eyeing Jane.
Aro tutted into the air. No, actually, he couldn't. Not in a way he was comfortable with, which was why Felix was taking the brunt of the blame and Jane was left unchecked. Aro wasn't about to admit that though.
"Leave him be, my dear one," he directed to his princess. The warm, loving smile hardly helped to subdue the little witch.
Jane responded in her true style. "I'm bored of playing with him now, anyway," she said sweetly. "He has the intellectual calibre of a parasitic protozoa."
Felix wasn't sure whether to be offended or not and wore the confusion on his face.
"An amoeba," Jane explained. "Idiot."
"So why did you say parasitic whatsit then?" Felix snapped. "To sound clever or something?"
"Yes." An evil smile graced the child's lips. "You should try it sometime."
"She is vicious!" Caius sounded impressed.
"Caius!" Magnus hissed sternly. "You aren't helping." He pulled Felix in close and worked on the boy's emotions to keep the lad calm. Felix still complained to his father for Jane 'picking on him', but at least it was calmly done.
Aro took his daughter's hand and gave a squeeze, believing the gesture would be enough to tell his daughter enough was enough. His boys couldn't dream of such gentle treatment!
"Just because I don't react, doesn't mean I don't notice."
Is that it?! Felix thought to his father, absolutely incensed. Is that all you're going to say to her?!
Magnus wasn't impressed, either. "The result appears to be the same, Aro."
Before Aro could respond, his attention was taken with the sound of soft footsteps coming down the dungeon stairs. Only Marcus made such little noise when he walked.
"I'm glad to find you all together." Marcus appeared in the middle of them all and proceeded to unroll a scroll of parchment which he then held it to his chest. "The regime for the newborns."
Everyone crowded him to see what was written, except for Jane ... she couldn't have cared less.
"Basileus and I have devised a rota to prevent any arguments between the two of you," Marcus continued, looking at Aro and Caius in particular.
"Why am I even on the list?!" Aro was seriously pissed! He had enough to do.
Marcus merely smiled and passed the scroll to Aro, making sure to point out the very bottom line - an instruction they all needed to be aware of. "Your father has requested that any and all complaints go directly to him."
"Brilliant!" Magnus was beaming. Despite his earlier protests, he knew he'd have to work with the newborns anyway, them being guards and all, but having the creator instruct the other masters similarly was a major bonus!
"Eleazar and Aro will be working with the newborns together," Marcus explained. "An hour or so a day has been suggested to devote to teasing out their gifts to maximum potential. Basileus would prefer more than that, though."
Everyone looked to Eleazar. Not that he was saying anything in response - he was utterly dumbfounded!
"Magnus, if you could spend the same at least on their physical training, that would be appreciated."
Magnus slapped a hand on Marcus' shoulder. "With pleasure," he answered happily. Looking over to the list Aro was still studying, he noticed something mildly concerning. "Why is Felix' name next to mine?"
"Basileus has suggested Felix should be involved with the newborns' training," Marcus told them.
Felix bounced on the spot. "I have a job?!" Yes! "Will I be paid?!"
"How many jobs have I tried to give you over the years?!" Aro asked. Not a single one of them had ended happily. Felix just didn't work, he messed around too much.
"You give me jobs like your job, it's boring." Remembering the hot water he was already in with his father, Felix tried to append his statement to something less offensive. "I don't mind going to work with you, Dad," he crooned, sidling up to Aro. "It's all the hanging around waiting to go home that does my head in."
Aro rolled his eyes to the heavens. "Good luck with him, Magnus."
"The boy needs something to do and he is good in battle. The newborns shouldn't have too much trouble taking orders from him. He'll behave for me." Magnus nodded at Felix with emphatic eyes, pushing for his agreement.
"I will!" Felix was still bouncing in excitement, bless him. "We will be doing proper work, won't we … I mean …"
It was too late. Aro was thoroughly offended by his son who clearly believed the king's role revolved around making fairy wishes and knitting wind!
"Caius, you will be responsible for the newborns whilst they are in the dungeons, as always. Feeding and the like."
Caius huffed, but he agreed to Marcus' terms. It wasn't like he had much choice in the matter anyway.
"Carlisle and I will concentrate on language and culture." With that, Marcus took the scroll and rolled it back up.
That didn't sound too bad to Carlisle, but he wanted to know the finer detail of the role he would be taking on before he agreed to anything. For the moment, he decided to stay quiet. Bobbing his head to Marcus, he went to join Eleazar - who had yet to say a word.
Aro pulled Marcus in close. "Carlisle's language skills aren't that great, are they?" It was important that the newborns were taught by the best - they were the coven's newest and greatest commodity, after all.
Marcus took a brief look over his shoulder, checking Carlisle wouldn't hear before he replied. "He will be working more on culture, I admit, but I hope having him with me will serve to improve his language skills, too." Marcus had said all he had to say on the matter and left, fully aware that Eleazar, at least, would have much more to say in his absence.
"Is that it?!" No sooner than Marcus had closed the dungeon door had Eleazar found his voice. "He swans in here making demands and we all have to such it up?!"
Eleazar, naturally, wouldn't have dared to voice such a thing in Marcus' presence – It was ill advised for anyone to publicly disagree with Basileus' oldest friend. Oh, to have such standing! Magnus thought to himself as he soaked up Eleazar's tension. Wanting to help the man, Magnus raised his left hand ever so slightly, but Eleazar caught the gesture.
"Don't touch my fucking emotions!"
"You need to calm down, El," Aro tried, attempting to smooth things over. "Everyone will be helping out, nice and fair …"
Eleazar took a step away. "I notice that none of your royal women are expected to do anything, still."
It was a weak ass retort, but he wasn't thinking clearly. He was pissed off! Pissed off with being given a job he didn't want, pissed off knowing this had been concocted by his father and Marcus so he had little hope of overturning the decision, but mostly pissed off with his dear old dad for landing him in a broil of emotions publicly without the decency of having a conversation with him about it all first!
Jane leaped in to defend her mother before anyone else had the chance. "Sully runs coven accounts," she reminded her uncle. When Eleazar's frosty glare turned on her, Jane took a step behind her father. She'd never seen her uncle even look unkindly towards her before.
"What about Freyr and Dora?!" he snapped, turning on Magnus and Caius.
Magnus was sorely tempted to tell Eleazar were to go, or at least to watch his mouth with him, but he feared it would be overstepping the mark somewhat - Eleazar being Basileus' son, eldest son, at that.
"Because Freyr does nothing with running the guard, does she?" he settled on saying.
"Dora does all my admin, thanks." Caius wasn't taking shit from Eleazar and he returned the man's attitude and then some. "Which takes up as much time as Carmen's role, swanning about the coven dishing out the pay packets once a month."
Eleazar was having a ridiculous overreaction to being asked to do something and Aro was finding the whole display very funny. "Go easy on him, Caius," Aro said, laughing, "he's never had to do anything around here before." Aro started howling in laughter as he remembered his brother's earlier brag. "'I'm a happy, idle, bastard, floating through life on your coating tails'. Gravy train's over, brother."
Eleazar was ready to blow. As out of character as his display might have been, he was still in control and he wouldn't disgrace himself by blowing publicly. No, I'll blow at Basileus, he thought. It's all his fault!
"Where are you going?! Aro called after his brother as he stormed from the dungeons. "You haven't finished telling us about this lot!"
"Work it out yourself!"
Eleazar was gone.
Aro was still wincing when he turned back to the group. "He'll be alright once Basileus has told him he doesn't have a choice," he told them, with little hope.
"JUST SHUT UP!"
Felix barking at his little sister, merely inches from her fragile face should perhaps have worried Aro a little more. As it was, he knew his princess would come out on top.
"You are way too excited," Jane told her brother, checking the length of her nails to prove how little interest she had in Felix and dripping condescension as she spoke. "You need to take your blankie to the corner and give yourself a time out."
Before Felix could react, Aro caught hold of the boy's wrist and pulled him away. "You both do realise I'm going to snap one day, right?"
"Not at her," Felix muttered.
Aro didn't reply. Instead he took his children back to their mother. Unfair as it may be to dump the pair of them with Sulpicia, it was better for everyone's health if Aro wasn't left to look after them for much longer.
…
After the afternoon in the dungeons, where Magnus had helped Caius with draining the zombie, no one had seen Eleazar or Carlisle. The odd guard had reported to Magnus that there were angry growls coming from the West Tower. He told them to leave it be, but it did force him into action with Caius. No way is Basileus beating me on this, he thought, I will have that letter before Eleazar and Carlisle start working! He called it a night in the guard hall - it was nearing midnight anyway - and left.
Letting himself into the ground floor suit of the North Tower, it was clear to Dora and Freyr for whom Magnus was looking.
"He's taking a bath, I doubt he'll be long," Freyr called over.
"Wait with us?" Dora had already fixed Magnus a drink and placed it on the side table next to his seat - his seat, because Magnus had named it so and now no one else ever sat there.
Magnus smiled appreciatively. "Don't mind if I do, my ladies." But he didn't sit, he went straight to the corner of the room and started tinkering with the desk. "How much dust is on this thing?!"
Dora saw the stuff swirl into the air when Magnus opened the cherry oak lid. "It hasn't been opened in years."
"At least Caius has a writing desk," Freyr said, pursing her lips towards her mate. "Magnus …"
"Before you say I don't own a writing desk, I will point out that you don't, either."
Freyr laughed in his face. "That's because I work from the masters' office, love, not because I never put pen to paper."
"Well you don't use it, either, Dora," Magnus returned. It was all he had to say as Freyr was right. "So you can pack the laughing in!"
"Who do I have to write to?" Dora questioned. It was known the woman didn't have a friend to her name, expect for the two in her living chamber, that is. "I'm a reader, not a writer," she added quickly, to sound less pathetic. "Freyr, how many books does Magnus have on the go again?"
Freyr's only response was to laugh out loud. Magnus, like Caius, was a man of action. His leisure time was spent working out, wrestling, doing things. Reading was way down his list of things he enjoyed. Still, hearing the pair of them continue to mock him without the ability to refute was annoying. Bloody women.
"Erm, Caius, you do have company," Freyr exclaimed seeing the younger master stroll through his chamber in nothing but a towel.
"You're not company," Caius shook his hair out, soaking Freyr, "you're here too often."
"Be careful," Magnus warned him as Freyr took a swipe at a dripping Caius. "They have their claws out tonight … erm …" Magnus paused, "why are you purple?"
"Because he bathes in boiling water," Dora explained.
Being submerged in hot water, as for humans, brought the blood to the surface. Of course, being a vampire, that blood was pale with the venom coursing through the veins and it gave Caius an odd colouring.
"It wasn't boiling," Caius scoffed. "We may be pathetically flammable, but we don't melt from heat alone."
Magnus wasn't convinced purple was a natural, or indeed healthy, look for a vampire, but he let it go with a bemused smile. "Are you going to get dressed?"
Caius flopped into his seat, ensuring the goods were covered with his towel. "Unless someone else is coming, I'm staying as I am."
"Leave him," Freyr said kindly, before changing tone to wind Caius up a little. "We have seen him in worse states than that."
Magnus' booming laughter filled the room. "I've put him in a much worse state than that!"
Whilst three of them found the memory hysterical, Caius huffed like a moody teen. "Why did you have to bring that up?!"
"I want you to be thinking about it." Magnus offered the seat at the writing desk to Caius with heavy hands on the back rest. "Come over here."
Caius was tempted to tell him to go fuck himself, but the 'reminder' had worked well enough to see him haul himself out of his comfy chair to join Magnus.
"Now sit down," Magnus told him, pushing a reluctant Caius into the chair and handing him a quill. "And start writing your reply to Hilda."
"She wrote to Basileus, not me, he can do his own admin." Caius tried to stand but Magnus' bear sized paws kept him in place.
"Hilda wrote to you …"
Caius cut Magnus off quickly. "I replied," he stated flatly.
Magnus scoffed. "I know you're lying."
"I replied!"
"Not only can I tell when you're lying, as you well know, I read Hilda's most recent correspondence with Basileus and she said you haven't replied to any of her letters in the last FOUR years."
Magnus raised a single eyebrow and looked down at Caius whilst he waited for them man to choose his fate. He was always mildly amused at how such a simple gesture seemed to invoke immediate regret.
"For fuck's sake," Caius snapped, dramatically dipping the end of his quill in the ink pot as if to make some point. "I have been working like a dog for the last week, you know?!"
"After a ten-year break, love." Dora was only too happy to join in and push Caius into impending doom.
Magnus gave her the dead eye for her involvement - he didn't like the way the two of them played with each other, as he knew only too well that it could - and did - so easily turn sour - but he stayed on Caius' case.
"I'm asking you to write one letter, not part the Red sea!" In a softer tone, he continued, "I'm sure you have enough energy for that."
"If you need help with the big words, Caius, just ask." Dora jerked away from Freyr just in time to avoid the slap heading her way. "I was only offering to help!"
Sure that Caius was going to write the damn letter, even if it was four years late, Magnus settled into his seat and drained his cup. "Keep it up," he said to Dora with a no-nonsense expression.
Athenodora wasn't quite so keen on that side of the developing relationship she and Caius had with Magnus and Freyr. She loved, really loved, being able to turn to the two of them in times of need, and she quite enjoyed winding Caius up with the threat of bringing Magnus in when things between them were fraught. She definitely liked spending time with Freyr and having a 'friend' in the coven after so long of living her life completely alone. But both Magnus and Freyr were quick to tell her when she was going too far, too - she didn't like that. Not that Dora could see a way to change it.
Caius had been quick to scribble out his reply and was already melting the wax to seal the document.
"Don't seal it," Magnus called over. "I want to see what you've put, first."
Caius eyed him warily for a moment. "You're turning into Marcus, you know? It's not a good look."
Magnus stayed unmoving with his hand extended expectantly. Caius looked to his paper, and then to Magnus, and back again. He isn't going to like this. Knowing he had no choice, Caius handed over his pitiful reply with a grimace.
Magnus glanced over the page and, disappointed, shook his head.
"Would you like me to read it for you, Magnus?" Dora offered sweetly, implying he couldn't manage it alone.
"You aren't too big for a slap, lady!" he told her, before ripping up the page he held and turning back to Caius.
Caius crossed his arms. "Why did you do that?!" he asked, knowing full well that his efforts were poor. "What else do I need to say?"
"More than 'transformation in progress' signed, 'C'. Don't be a brat, Caius, because if you act like a child, then I have to act like a grown up …" Magnus let his words hang in the air as he stared Caius down. He didn't want to get into an argument about it, he just wanted the letter written so he could deliver it to Basileus and clock off for the day. It was, then, gone midnight and he'd agreed to training with some of the guards at dawn - he was already pushed for time off.
Caius might have just shut the hell up and got on with it, but hearing his so-called mate laughing along, willing Caius to push Magnus into action … well, it forced him to reply, if only to salvage a little pride.
"What the hell does that mean?!"
Freyr cut in before Magnus could answer. "It means sit down and write to Hilda, properly."
"Be careful, Caius," Dora said, sly smile on her lips. "You're already dressed for the occasion."
Caius was sure he was blushing, absolutely sure. "If you're trying to take my self-respect, I have bad news for you, love - I gave it to your mother when she begged me to marry you all those years ago."
"I wouldn't have room for it in my trophy case - your testicles took up the last free spot. They sit right next to your hopes and dreams."
"That was a good one!" Freyr put an arm around Dora proudly and brought her in close. "But it's enough now," she whispered.
Having Magnus and Freyr around so much was shining a light on the unusual way Caius and Dora related to each other. Their teasing was just the way they flirted with each other, and in private, they quite enjoyed tearing a strip off each other - to a point. Caius wasn't so keen on their usual patter occurring in public … or private in front of Magnus and Freyr … or is this public? Caius couldn't work out what his chambers were anymore with the four of them spending so much time in there together. All he knew was that the temper was rising inside him and he didn't want to blow at his mate.
Magnus clicked his fingers to get Caius' attention. "Just get on with it, please," he implored. "You need to express your regrets for failing to reply before now, explain what we have done today, and what we hope to achieve. And when you sign off, write your bloody name."
It didn't take long, but his second attempt was good enough. Letter in hand, Magnus told them he'd be back soon.
Basileus had been arguing with his sons for literally hours.
"You will be taking on a proper role, and you know what else?" He paused only long enough to fix Eleazar in his sights. "When we do get some unaccompanied kids in here, and we will at some point, you're taking them on."
"Oh, no I'm not!"
Eleazar paced one side of the room with Basileus clear across the other, each keeping away from the other for fear of what they would do. Eleazar wasn't stupid - he didn't want to attack his old man, but he was so enraged by the decree of his new employment that he felt he just might forget his good sense and go in for the kill.
Basileus, too, wanted to tear a strip off his eldest for having the gall to argue with him about his new appointment, but after his talks with Magnus and Freyr, and especially his own mate, he was doing his level best to talk his sons into agreement rather than going immediately to his belt.
Carlisle and Atia sat between the pair of them. They had been watching as the tensions rose all day and Atia, in particular, was concerned about her mate's interpretation of 'talking things out' - it seemed much more like 'roaring things out', in her opinion.
"If you hadn't killed that pair in the dungeons already I would be turning them for you right now. You need something to do," Basileus boomed, without breaking a step.
"Says who?!" Eleazar shot back.
"ME!"
Atia looked to her poor windowpanes rattling with the force of the argument they were trying to contain.
"Do you really want to argue about it?" Basileus asked, daring his son to continue.
"Yes, I do actually." Eleazar came to a halt and jabbed a finger in his brother's direction. "Carlisle does fuck all around here and that's okay, why are you on my back?!"
"You're much older than him, in many, many ways," Atia tried to interject to settle her mate and son a little. All she succeeded in doing was annoying Carlisle, too.
"Great, why am I being dragged into this?!"
"Your brother will be working with the newborns, as will you." There was no room for manoeuvre in Basileus' tone, he was beyond pissed off. Eleazar had the sense to keep his thoughts in his head for the moment, but poor Carlisle, less adept at dealing with the man, voiced his.
"I don't mind helping out, Dad, but I don't want to be stuck doing this forever."
"You don't mind helping out?" Basileus repeated. "You don't MIND helping out?! Can you hear how entitled the pair of you have become?"
Carlisle shrunk into his seat beside his mother, (and protector, he hoped). "Life isn't meant to be lived in one place," he said quietly. "I want to travel the whole world and I won't rest until I have."
"Travelling? That's your calling, is it?" Basileus looked down his nose at his youngest boy. "To what end?"
"To no end," Carlisle shrugged. "Just … just because."
The warning signal finally went off in Carlisle's mind upon seeing his father turn on his heel and face the wall. In any other situation it would have been comical to see the creator of vampire kind growling at the stonework, but knowing Basileus was only doing so to avoid ripping off his head, Carlisle decided to end his part in the conversation and hand it back over to his brother. He hadn't expected Eleazar to turn on him, however.
"That's not a calling, Carlisle," Eleazar said accusingly. "It's dossing about on a wide scale rather than just in the castle."
Basileus spun around. "At least he can be bothered to do something on a wide scale, unlike you."
Hearing a thumping knock, Atia saw her temporary release and headed to the door, though not before sighing at her enraged mate. "Do remember to breathe between bawling's, my dear, or you'll become lightheaded."
She soon returned, guest in toe. "Magnus is here," she announced. "I imagine bringing complaints that your roaring is disturbing the peace at the Vatican!"
Magnus was hit by the emotions in the room as he walked through the short hall to the living chamber. Anger, frustration, annoyance … in one word - tension. At least Atia was calm, if a little fed up.
"You alright, El?" Magnus asked, seeing the older Volturi brother still pacing on his side of the large living chamber.
"No, I'm not alright." Eleazar tutted into the air and gestured to his father as though that were explanation enough for his ire.
"Still not on board with the idea of a job, huh?" Magnus pushed a little. Eleazar simply turned his back. "How about you, Carlisle?"
"I'd rather not be tied down," Carlisle explained quietly.
Oh, how Magnus wanted to laugh right then! "Yeah, an hour a day in the library will really impact on your free time, wont it?" The humour came through his voice even if he had managed to keep those chuckles to himself.
Basileus gave his friend a withering look and plonked himself down at the table, kicking the opposite chair out.
'Is that an invitation?' Magnus asked through his thoughts. Basileus merely grunted in reply but Magnus took it as a yes. He couldn't help the smile on his face seeing the creator clearly failing at his task.
"Quit grinning at me, they will be working."
Magnus nodded enthusiastically. "Of course," he said, chuckles now coming hard and fast as he dropped Hilda's letter onto the table.
"No …" Basileus didn't want to believe it. "You must have written it."
Magnus leaned back in his chair easily with his hands joined at his chest. "Feel free to check."
Basileus did! He dove straight into Magnus' memories and read the letter Caius had written for himself through the juggernaut's eyes. "You bastard."
"I wasn't a bastard, actually," Magnus said proudly. "Didn't need to be. Not even a raised voice."
"You didn't use your gift to tip the scales at all?" Basileus asked, hoping he had a way to turn the scales. Although, to be fair, 'no gifts' hadn't been a term to their bet.
"You've just seen for yourself that I didn't." It was time for some gloating, Magnus had earned it. "You dumped me in the proverbial right up to my neck, but I've come out smelling of roses, my friend." Oh that felt good!
Magnus and Caius had managed things very well in his opinion and Basileus, who had had his sons far longer, had descended into chaos, fighting with his boys for control. Magnus didn't think on the fact that he was comparing his relationship with Caius to Basileus and his sons, not at that moment anyway. He was far too happy to be able to put the knife in with the brooding creator. "I can see where Aro gets it from now, you're such a sore loser!"
"Agreed!" Atia called over from where she continued to talk Eleazar around.
Basileus looked offended! "I haven't lost yet."
Magnus smirked and turned in his seat to face Eleazar and Carlisle. "Ready to start work in the morning, fellas?"
"Tomorrow?!" Carlisle whined. "I had plans."
"Eleazar?" Magnus pushed.
His mother's efforts had been a waste. "Fuck off," he growled.
"Hey!" Basileus was on his feet and in his boy's face in the blink of an eye. "Speak to him that way again and you will be working with a limp! I will beat some compliance into you two if I have to."
Through all their arguments that day, Basileus had managed to keep his cool enough to avoid approaching Eleazar whilst he ranted at the unfairness of his life, as he saw it. That last comment to Magnus had flipped him over the edge and Eleazar had to wonder why.
"Why is Magnus so special?" he asked, stepping away from his father.
"Ouch!" Magnus feigned a wounded heart. "Thanks, El."
Basileus caught hold of Eleazar before he could pass. "Magnus is my friend, I am your father - you will show him the respect he is due, got it?!"
With wide eyes, Eleazar bobbed his head and went to join his mother on the sofa, hoping for her protection if the old man really did flip out. It troubled him, though, that Magnus had been elevated so high in his father's eyes that he was to be treated with respect for simply being his friend. Not that Magnus had deserved to be told to fuck off, of course, or that he wasn't deserving of respect in general - he was, Eleazar knew that and would, under usual circumstances have treated him as such - but this was something different. It was as though the respect due to Basileus for being the creator of their kind extended to his friendships. That extension obviously applied to Atia, and Marcus for that matter, but Magnus was a definite new addition. For the moment Eleazar forgot his annoyance with his father for going over his head to arrange this little 'get the Volturi princes to work' scheme and wondered how Aro would cope with such a decree.
Basileus heard his sons rolling thoughts, of course, but decided not to comment on it. He, too, was interested in how Aro would take the news. He hadn't intentionally set Magnus as special in the way Eleazar was thinking, it had simply been a natural reaction to one of his sons disrespecting his friend. That said, he wasn't about to revoke it, either. When Basileus retook his seat, he seemed calmer for having expended some of his pent-up rage.
"What happened to the talking we spoke about?" Magnus asked.
"I've tried it your way," Basileus replied. "It doesn't work."
Atia looked incredulously to her mate. "I must have missed your attempt, my dear."
That didn't help. Basileus tried his best to breathe through his annoyance.
"Try patience, my friend," Magnus suggested.
"Patience?!" Atia laughed into the air as though the very idea that Basileus could be patient was hysterical.
Why do women only seek to drive their mates crazy? Magnus wondered, thinking back to Caius and Dora. He was a lucky, lucky man that Atia wasn't employing Basileus' mind reading gift at that time, as he would have likely been leaving the West Tower less a pair of balls! Basileus heard him, though, and it amused him enough to enable him to shake the last annoyance with his sons.
"I have to save all my patience for when there are too many witnesses," he told Magnus, secretively pointing out Atia and then holding a hand to his own neck, pretending it was hers.
"You know …" Atia had started now, she had more to say. "Magnus achieved his goals without the need for a screaming match."
Basileus didn't reply to his mate, he turned to Magnus instead. "I'm going right off you. You make me look bad."
Atia didn't care that Basileus hadn't replied to her, she carried on regardless. "He is dealing with the most volatile coven member we have with peace and tranquillity, you are fighting with two of the calmest!"
The continued wittering of his mate, as he saw it, only served to rile Basileus back up.
Magnus decided to step up and settle things by talking to Eleazar and Carlisle before the creator really blew. "It's unlikely we will take on any more guards after this set for a while. Vampires only need close monitoring during their newborn year…"
"A year?!" Carlisle shot out. That was much longer than he wanted to be tied down.
"Entitled little …" Basileus started muttering to himself about his 'bloody sons' who 'do fuck all and expect the world' and other such disparaging statements of a frustrated father who'd lost a bet.
"Carlisle!" Atia turned on her youngest. She might not have recognised that she was the one to re-rile her mate, but she certainly saw that Carlisle had annoyed him. "Please! It's just a year," she said, stroking his arm and giving him the wide-eyed treatment to tell him to shut up.
"Maybe not even that," Magnus added, hoping to help.
"You will remain in post for the entirety of that year, at least." Basileus was done. He had spent the whole day resisting the urge to belt the little fuckers for daring to disobey him with this work thing and he was DONE. "Understood?" he asked, glaring at the pair of supposedly grown men who sat like sullen little boys before him.
Carlisle relented. His 'plans' were loose at best, he could move them. "Fine."
"No, not fine," Eleazar said from his brother's side. "I'm not doing it. It's a matter of principle now."
"Oh, is it indeed?" Basileus asked. He sounded so sarcastic that Carlisle briefly looked around to see if Aro had joined them!
"Carlisle, I suggest you pay Marcus a visit and see what your schedule will be." Basileus removed his belt and doubled it over in one hand. "Eleazar, if you need more convincing we can deal with that now."
"You're going to end up doing it anyway, El," Magnus implored. "Just save yourself the hassle."
"Yes, we all know how you hate hassle, son." Basileus said, daring him to test him further.
After what felt like the longest staring competition in history, Eleazar hauled himself to his feet with his head bowed.
Basileus breathed an internal sigh of relief and started to refasten his belt.
"Be sure to check with Marcus for when your presence will be required with the newborns, El. I expect you to put in some proper efforts with this new role."
"Of course, my lord." Good God, that stuck in his throat, but Eleazar went to the door, pushing Carlisle ahead. Before he left, biting his lip he turned back to his father. "Dad, you aren't really going to make me take on any kids, are you?"
"Yes, I am." Even as the words left his mouth, Basileus wasn't sure why he was being so dogmatic about something on which he had previously held so little opinion. The frustration of his day had really got on top of him. But, he stuck by his word, and he'd said it, so that was it in his unmoving mind. "Deal with it, son."
Eleazar's temper flew through the roof as he stormed out the door, quickly followed by Atia, who went to help calm her boy - both thinking Basileus was being a bit of a cock.
Basileus didn't even need to look at Magnus to know he would be grinning like a loon again. "Stop it."
"Didn't say a word, my friend." Not that he had to, the hand in front of his mouth may have hidden the smirk but the humour danced in his eyes.
"Get out of here before you do," Basileus suggested. He had his head buried in his hands before Magnus had even left the room.
Magnus flopped down into his comfy chair in Caius' chambers, accepted the drink Dora drew from the barrel for him and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling wholly satisfied in life. That's when it him … I compared Basileus with his lads to me and Caius! Why the hell would I … what? It stirred up some emotions in Magnus that he hadn't felt for centuries and even after all that time, he still wasn't ready to face them, let alone deal with them in any meaningful way. Quashing thoughts of his human life, of the sons he and Freyr had raised, and lost, he let the calm in the room subdue him until he was back to his relaxed state.
Freyr looked across and gave him a warm smile. "You seem pleased with yourself, love."
Magnus looked at the three of them for a moment. Caius losing to Freyr in a game of cards (because Dora half lay in his arms, could see his hand and was mouthing them to Freyr) and smiled to himself. Regardless of the painful reminders of his human life, he was happy with the one he had at that moment.
"Aye, I am a little."