"I, Ragnor Fell, extend my welcomes and services as I stand in as the High Warlock of Brooklyn. As always I desire the most stable relationship between downworlders and Nephilim, and so I offer whatever assistance I can to the Institute of New York."
Izzy looked up at Alec once she had finished reading the message that had been delivered only moments ago. Izzy and Jace were standing next to each other, looking down at Alec, who was seated in one of the armchairs in the library, feeling like a child being told off by his parents. Sebastian was also with them, standing in the doorway and surveying the scene from as far away as he could.
"Care to explain why there is a new High Warlock and Magnus no longer seems to be in the city?" Izzy asked, looking at her brother impatiently.
"Magnus and I kind of… broke up. He left soon after that," Alec said, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"Alec, why didn't you tell us?" Izzy asked in a softer tone.
"I don't need your looks of pity to remind me how badly I fucked everything up," Alec said bitterly, watching Izzy flinch away as he swore, something he very rarely did.
He felt guilty for attacking his sibling, but he just wanted to be left alone, which was why he brushed off Jace's hand as his parabitia tried to comfort him.
"I'm going out," Alec said as he walked out of the library, leaving his brother and sister to stare after him in confusion.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to go as well," Sebastian said as he felt the tension in the room remain even after Alec had left.
Sebastian walked through the hallways of the Institute, fascinated by how similar it was to his own home in Paris. Those memories made him feel nostalgic as he remembered the safety he had felt with there, but the Clave had decided he was not to return to France, as he was 'too isolated from the world of the Nephilim' in Paris due to the beliefs of his Aunt, who had wanted to keep him away from the politics and prejudices of the Clave. Sebastian was starting to understand why they had made that decision, but he wouldn't go against an order of the Clave, and it wasn't like he had any way to get home anyway. Sebastian found himself in the training room, another place in the Institute that was identical to his home. Sebastian walked into the room, and trailed his fingers over the weapons displayed along the walls, until he made his way to the weapons cabinet. Inside was just about every weapon imaginable, and Sebastian smiled as his hands came to rest on a rapier, a thin and delicate sword, which also happened to be his weapon of choice. Many shadow hunters preferred heavier and more powerful weapons, but the elegance and swiftness the rapier allowed had always drawn Sebastian to it. Sebastian removed it from the cabinet, measuring the weight of the weapon as he tossed it from hand to hand and moved to the center of the room. He hadn't trained since his encounter with Jonathan, however it came back to him easily, and Sebastian felt his body loosen as he practiced a few familiar moves. He even started to smile as his body continued to relax, and tire. Sebastian started to feel exhausted quicker than usual, but of course he was not as fit as he had been, and he still needed to regain much of his strength, so he put down the weapon after a few more minutes, resigning himself to having something to eat before he continued. Sebastian was surprised to see Alec watching him as he turned to leave, and he greeted the older shadow hunter.
"I've never actually seen anyone fight with a rapier before," Alec confessed as he decided to follow Sebastian to the kitchen.
He couldn't remember when he'd last eaten properly, so Alec decided that some nutrition would do him good.
"Yeah, I have never been much of a traditionalist, and I was always a skinny child, so all of the other swords were too heavy for me to handle properly," Sebastian explained. "How about you, you look like the kind of guy to use a broad sword or something like that."
"I think you have me confused with my younger brother," Alec joked, his mood having improved, "I use bow and arrows."
"Look at the two of us, both breaking the rules," Sebastian said lightly, and Alec laughed at the comment.
He was pleased to see that Sebastian was loosening up and settling into the Institute, even if he did still look like he desperately needed to eat.
"Again, I'd offer to cook, but…" Alec said.
Sebastian simply shook his head and shooed Alec to the other side of the bench, and quickly took control of the kitchen.
"Why do your siblings always tense at my name?" Sebastian asked as he started to prepare some ingredients, and instructed Alec to start chopping vegetables, just about the only assistance Alec could offer when it came to cooking.
"We've kind of been calling Jonathan Morgenstern by your name, he's adopted it as his identity, for the time being," Alec said, feeling strangely guilty. "And, he killed our little brother, Max," Alec continued, looking down and letting his too long hair fall over his face and mask his emotions.
"I'm sorry," Sebastian said as he placed a hand over Alec's hands as a comforting gesture.
Once Sebastian had finished preparing the risotto he had made for lunch, Alec gaped at him in shock.
"You can cook!" He said, amazed, as he happily ate his food.
Sebastian smiled, and shrugged his shoulders.
"What can I say? I'm French."
Alec smiled, and continued to eat, realising how hungry he actually was. Sebastian ate his own meal slower, but his body also appreciated the nutrients. Soon enough Izzy was drawn towards the kitchen by the smell of a well-cooked meal.
"Sebastian, did you make this?"
"Why does nobody here actually believe I can cook?" Sebastian asked Alec jokingly, his lopsided grin giving him a cheeky look.
"Because nobody else can," Alec replied.
"Hey! I am not bad myself, I should cook for you sometime," Izzy said to Sebastian.
"By the Angel Izzy, we're not trying to kill our new guest," Alec said, earning an indignant look from Izzy.
"I am not that bad!" She said.
"Yes she is," Alec whispered to Sebastian, making him chuckle.
"Whatever he's saying, ignore him," Izzy said as she sat down with her own dish.
"Why aren't you hanging out with Simon, I though you two were actually connected at the hip."
"Shut up Alec, you sound like Jace," Izzy said lightly. "Maybe I want to spend some time with my brother."
"Looks like I'm ruining family time," Sebastian said.
"More like saving me from it," Alec replied, once again earning a grin from Sebastian, which made Alec feel unexpectedly happy.
Alec shook his head, as if that would get rid of, or explain, the strange warmth that Sebastian seemed to radiate onto Alec.
"Alec, we do need to talk," Izzy warned.
"I think that's my cue to leave," Sebastian said as he got up and rinsed off his empty plate. "I'll be in the training room if anybody needs me."
"Aren't you meant to be resting?" Alec asked.
"Later," Sebastian said dismissively, shooting Alec one last smile before leaving.
"Alec, you know exactly what I'm going to ask," Izzy said once she was alone with him.
"And you already know I don't want to talk about it," Alec replied staring down into his empty bowl.
"What happened with Magnus?"
Alec sighed heavily before he started to speak.
"As you know Camille has been in town lately, and she and Magnus used to date. Anyway, she told me to come meet with her, because she could tell me about Magnus, stuff he'd never tell me. I don't know why I agreed in the first place, I think it was because everyone who knew Magnus, and that I had met, had either already slept with him, or told me what a carbon copy I was of all of his past boyfriends. Anyway, Camille also started to talk about a way for me to make Magnus mortal, but that wasn't why I was talking to her, it was to find out about Magnus' past, because he'd never talk about it. It was stupid of me, so fucking stupid, and then one time Magnus followed me, and found me in the subways, and then he broke up with me."
Alec took a deep breath as he finished speaking, actually feeling more relieved now that he had actually told someone what he'd done.
"He did what?! If I ever get my hands on him Alec, I swear on the name of the Angel I'll kill him!" Izzy said.
"Wait, what? Izzy, it's my fault."
"Okay I admit, not the best move on your part, but still, Magnus drove you to that, and the he just left you, and then left the city!"
"He's a coward, and I always said he never deserved you," Jace said as walked he into the room.
"Jace? How long have you been listening?" Alec asked.
"I heard everything. Sorry, I would have said something, but you'd already started talking, and I figured you'd be more comfortable telling Izzy," Jace mumbled.
"So these past two weeks, while we've been all bitchy to you, you were dealing with your first break up?" Izzy asked, her features suddenly distorted with guilt.
"Kind of…I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't want to admit how much I stuffed up," Alec replied.
"Alec, do you seriously think we care about that?" Izzy asked.
"Yeah bro, any guy that dumps you isn't worth the dirt beneath your feet," Jace added, and Alec couldn't help but smile a little by the warmth provided by his siblings.
All the time he'd spent isolating himself from them had meant he'd forgotten how caring they could be.
"And it's a good things he's skipped town, otherwise he'd have a real problem to deal with," Izzy said threateningly, and the look Jace gave Alec showed that he was all in favour of whatever revenge plan the two could come up with.
"You two don't need to worry about that, let's just focus on Sebastian, okay?" Alec asked, feeling a little awkward over having so much attention drawn to him and his breakup. Alec was also finding Sebastian an increasingly pleasant distraction, and perhaps a shot at redemption, both with himself, and with the Clave.