Nikola's announcement was met with almost instant chaos. James and Nigel were demanding to know why he'd decided to leave. Helen was trying to convince him not to leave, and Gregory was trying to calm them all down. Only John and Kiri remained silent, though a smirk had spread across John's face. Nikola was blushing faintly. He hadn't been expecting this kind of reaction, especially from James and Nigel. He had perhaps expected Helen and Kiri to talk to him later and try to convince him to stay. He looked around at them, his blush rising as they became even louder. Finally Gregory slammed his hands on the table, effectively shutting the rest of them up.
"Nikola, you may want to answer their questions," he remarked, raising an eyebrow at the Serbian before turning to the others. "But we're going one at a time, starting with Mr. Griffin." Gregory nodded at Nigel.
"What made you decide to leave?" he questioned curiously.
"It was always my plan to leave London after I had graduated. I feel I will learn more by working, and I'll be able to better fund my research." Nikola shrugged slightly, trying to remain nonchalant.
"Nikola, please stay," Helen pleaded, reaching out to place a hand over his. "We could fund your research; you don't have to leave for that." Her eyes met his, and he read the sorrow there.
"I cannot stay here, Helen. I feel…trapped by everything that happened last year. I need to leave, for my sanity as much as the job." He laced his fingers through hers, and there were a few seconds of silence before Nikola turned to James.
"If this is because of your transformation, please know that none of us are afraid of you in the slightest," the older man stated, smiling.
"I know, and it's not. I simply feel a need to leave." Now Nikola turned to Kiri, who was silently contemplating the table in front of her, not even noticing that everyone else was staring at her.
"Kiri, why are you so silent? Surely you must be as reluctant to let Nikola leave as the rest of us," James inquired, leaning forward so he could see around Nikola. Finally, Kiri looked up, her green eyes wide and watery.
"It does not matter. My employer told me this morning that we are leaving London permanently. I'm only going to be here for another ten days anyway." Kiri glanced around at the others, tears in her eyes. Helen reached out her hand to take Kiri's. As Kiri stretched out her own arm in reply, the sleeve of her dress pulled back slightly to reveal the scars from where Nikola had bitten her. The others gasped, and Kiri pulled her arm back quickly, blushing faintly.
"Did you bite her?" John demanded, narrowing his eyes. Normally, he wouldn't have cared, but any chance to make Nikola seem like a complete bastard was one he would take. Nikola was staring at his hands, blushing shamefully and looking like he would very much like to disappear like Nigel could. Kiri placed a hand over his before raising her eyes to glare defiantly at John.
"It was my choice. Nikola was starving, he needed blood. I knew he wouldn't hurt or kill me, so I gave him some," she declared, squeezing Nikola's hand as she spoke. John's eyes flashed with anger, and he stood, sending his chair clattering to the ground.
"You will not address me in that manner!" he shouted, hands clenching on the table. Kiri stood as well, her own eyes suddenly changing to a grey-blue color. There was a flash of light, and when it faded Minku was standing where Kiri had been moments before.
"I will no longer allow you to treat Kiri this way. From now on you will be lucky if you even see her again, Mr. Druitt," Minku stated, her voice filled with an eerie calm that sent chills down almost everyone's back. Suddenly Nikola, who had been gaping at Minku, jumped up.
"What did you do with Kiri?" he demanded, eyes darkening. Minku chuckled faintly.
"Nika, I am Kiri. Kiri is me. In a way. We are a shape-shifter, only each form also has a separate personality," she explained. There was another burst of light, and Kiri was once again standing in front of them. "We can change form at will, although sometimes our emotions make it difficult to control the transformations."
"Is the mysterious employer of yours one of your forms?" James asked, furrowing his brow. Kiri looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.
"You could say that. My employer is all of us. We invented an employer as a way to explain long absences. For instance, if Minku wanted to be out for a while, I would tell you that I had a job from my employer, so you wouldn't wonder where I was while Minku was here."
"So who was funding your stay here? You couldn't have afforded your first apartment without payment." Now it was Helen's turn to furrow her brow at her friend. Kiri clasped her hands behind her back as she nodded towards Gregory, who was looking remarkably unperturbed by the events unfolding in front of him. For the third time that night, the others all turned in unison to gape.
"It's true. I first met Kiri when I was about ten, and my parents and I agreed to make sure Kiri would always have whatever she needed whenever she is in London," Gregory confirmed.
"I can also control how old I appear," Kiri added, seeing the confusion on Nikola's face. There was a flash of light, and a three-year-old Kiri was standing in front of him for a few seconds before Kiri returned to her eighteen-year-old self in another flash of light. "The only drawback is that my personality and abilities adjust to match the age I appear, so when I appear younger I have the mind and abilities of a child, and if I appear too old I become feeble-minded and weak."
"Wait, if you are your own employer, why do you have to leave?" Nigel questioned.
"I – I am afraid I cannot tell you that at this moment. It is…important that my reasons for leaving remain unknown." Kiri shrugged, looking apologetic. Before anyone else could speak, Gregory stood with a stern look on his face.
"I am afraid I shall have to demand that all of you retire to your beds. You are all looking tired, and it is my belief that the changes the source blood has caused are putting a great stress on your bodies. Good night." With that, he ushered them out, following the group up to their bedrooms in order to speak to his daughter. Kiri stopped Nikola outside his room, placing a gentle hand on his arm.
"Nika, are we…you don't hate me, do you?" she asked, her face full of uncertainty. Nikola sighed before placing his free hand over hers.
"Of course not," he assured her. "Uvek ću te voleti, sestrice." Nikola bent down to lightly kiss Kiri's forehead. Kiri giggled, smiling up at her friend.
"Volim te suviše, veliki brat," she responded, standing on her toes to peck Nikola on his cheek.
The next week went by in a blur. Nikola and Kiri spent the time packing up their apartment, while the others planned a going away celebration for the two siblings. With only six of them, the celebration was mostly just a nice dinner and the house to themselves for a night. Nikola's boat was due to leave at noon the next day, and they all went down to the docks to see him off. . James and Nigel said brief goodbyes, then John stepped forward, a proud smirk on his face. He clapped Nikola on the shoulder, knocking him sideways a few inches.
"Goodbye, old friend," he said. He stepped back and wrapped an arm around Helen, pulling her closer possessively. Helen pulled herself away and turned to the three men.
"Could Nikola and I have a few moments alone, please?" she inquired, her hands fiddling in front of her. James and Nigel nodded and walked away. With a glare at Nikola, John followed suit, leaving just Helen, Kiri, and Nikola. Kiri turned to leave, but both Helen and Nikola stopped her.
"Stay here," they both said, and Kiri turned back. Helen turned back to Nikola, eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"I'm going to miss you," she whispered, taking Nikola's hand. He stared at their joined hands for a few seconds, then looked up and held Helen's eyes.
"We'll see each other again, Helen," he promised. His mouth slid into a lopsided grin. Helen giggled, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Finally, she took a few steps back, still trying to hold back the tears. Kiri took a few steps back and took her hand, offering support. After a few seconds, she dropped Helen's hand and leaped at Nikola, wrapping her arms around him. While they hugged, she leaned forward slightly.
"Sam navijam za vas, znate," she whispered, voice apologetic.
"Znam, sestrice," he whispered back. She dropped down and bounced back to Helen. The two friends waved goodbye to Nikola one last time before turning and walking away to join the three men.
Kiri left London three days later, in the middle of the night. She didn't say good bye to anyone; all she did was leave a note on Helen's bedside table saying that she was sorry for leaving like that and that she would be back one day. She still had never told anyone where or why she was going.
Uvek ću te voleti, sestrice. – I will always love you, little sister
Volim te suviše, veliki brat – I love you too, big brother
Sam navijam za vas , znate – I was rooting for you, you know
Znam – I Know
Aaaand we've finished. That is the end of our journey (for now). Not a huge fan of the ending, but endings are hard, man. So, what did you all think about the reveal? To sum up what Kiri/Minku is, it's like having multiple personalities if every personality also had their own appearance. I wasn't sure if I explained that well in the story.
There will be a sequel eventually, as soon as I manage to get a chapter written, but I have another Teslen story I'm working on, which I'll probably be posting sooner/soonish. The sequel will be set during the Ripper murders.
On another note, we ended on the 23 chapter, which happens to be both my birthday and my lucky number. Look at that. I won't make you read anymore. See you all later.