A/N: I don't own Darquesse, Anton, Donegan, Tanith or Gracious. Thaddeus Gist is my OC though. Oh, the history below for Gists is entirely made up, obviously.
Anton had worked with mom to make sure a proper English tea was ready for our guest, and by the time of his arrival the Midnight Hotel was in a state of excitement. Our entire family couldn't be spared from duties to meet the author the moment he arrived, but we planned on trying to beguile the Englishman into staying for a while.
He arrived promptly on time and I was instantly smitten. He had the large black eyes common to any Gist, which shone with good humour. His short, shaggy hair was white with age and stuck out from under his brown tweed cap which matched his brown tweed suit perfectly. He carried a walking cane with a silver handle, which he leaned on slightly as he offered me a taloned hand in greeting.
"Ah, Darquesse, an honour and a pleasure, my dear." He said, showing his sharp teeth in a gentlemanly smile, then kissed the back of my hand, drawing a blush. Thaddeus Gist was courtly and rather sweet, and soon all the women of the family were rather smitten with him as he sat to tea. Mom and I were going to man the front desk but he wished for us to sit and we did.
Thaddeus was enchanted with all the children and after tea and the other delights he insisted they all partake in, he told us about his history. "I was born into good stock. Not rich by today's standards but well off and my parents adored one another. My father had the Gist, and naturally it was the love his Gist half bore towards my mother that shaped my personality."
"So, our children will always remain gentle?" Anton asked with a hopeful smile and Thaddeus nodded.
"Yes, it doesn't mean that they won't serve in war. We can, but we are just like everyone else, a mixture of evil and good. We don't have the dramatic shift in battle our parents had, but we can fight. Lord help you if you encounter more than one of us at once. We feed off one another's aggression at times like that. And like anyone else, we dislike those who fear us or would oppress us." He fell silent for a while, seeming to remember his own history, then smiled.
"And I can tell you several other things that aren't in my book. One, every child here was deeply loved by their mother. A Gist will not come to term otherwise. We don't have the intelligence of a mature adult, but we know enough. An unborn Gist will simply choose not to be if he or she is not loved." He turned to me as I held Tony to me with a horrified gasp.
"So I know you love your dear little Tony. Also, without even knowing anything else about you, I know you are as strong in magic as his father. It takes an extremely strong mage to carry one of us to term." He nodded, then looked at Teresa.
He put his hand in his suit jacket, then paused, considering. "Are you a very brave little girl?" He asked kindly and she nodded. "Then I must tell you how very much your story not only moved me to tears, but puzzled me as well. Teresa, my dear, those abominations that held you captive were not your true parents. Your true parents loved you very much, my child, and sadly the Sanctuary entrusted you to the wrong people. Would you like to see a photo of your parents, my dear?" He asked and she nodded shyly.
Teresa stared at their photo for the longest time, then took it to Donegan solemnly. He took her on his lap without a word and held her close. Thaddeus feared he'd upset her, but Teresa looked happy to have seen her real parents, even though she clearly missed them. "What happened?" She managed and Thaddeus sighed.
"That, my dear, is a tale for another time. But your parents very very brave, like you." He said and I shivered. I sensed that they'd died protecting her. Most likely from rouge monster hunters who saw any mage whose magic made him or her different as quarry to be cleansed from the earth. Poor Donegan winced, I think understanding for the first time where my fear had come from.
"You're one of the good ones, Donegan, my old friend." Thaddeus assured him. "I wouldn't have befriended you otherwise. You have compassion, something most monster hunters, and I so dislike the grisly implications of that phrase, lack." Donegan nodded and even Gracious looked solemn for once.
"There's no reason to grieve, my young friends." Thaddeus assured us. "Any full Gist such as myself had a rather clever father. You see, it was his Gist half who had to fall in love with my mother first. He simply convinced father's shall we say, light half, that it was all his idea." Thaddeus looked vastly amused and Anton blushed deeply.
Thaddeus looked at Anton, seated by my side on the couch, kitty corner to the older gentleman's chair. "Will you come out for me, brother, I'd like to prove something if I may?"
A look of surprise crossed Anton's face and his eyes shut, his Gist emerged, curious, but growled softly at Thaddeus.
"Anton, sweetheart, it's all right. Thaddeus is our friend, he won't harm us." I said taking my husband's taloned hand in mine and entwining our fingers. I kissed him deeply, seeking to reassure him that he was loved and there was no reason to be aggressive. When we parted, he looked contrite.
"My apologies, Mr. Gist." He rasped. "But I am protective of my wife and children."
"No apologies needed, but you, Sir, have proved my point. They are your children, but through sheer willpower Anton is yours, fully. You had to desire a child of your own apart from your, shall we say, light half. That is not to say that you adore Sable any less, but that young Anton is proof of your loving bond with your wife." Anton seemed touched, then his Gist half receded. He opened his eyes, a gentle smile on his face and took my hand in his.
Thaddeus smiled, his eyes dancing. "Many has been the less than love-inspiring wife who never had the joy of having a full Gist of her own. Like any man of reason, the Gist half of the father will simply refuse to have anything to do with her." His black eyes shone with amusement. "So. We have established that all Gists present, full or half are lucky and loved indeed. And if you don't mind I shall like to reserve a room for a few days. Our kind are rare, and it is always a joy to meet those who have stayed like ourselves." He nodded to the children. "And please remember that dark and light are only simplified terms. The darkest Gist can find love and even the lightest can have his own demons to wrestle."
And with that mom and I slipped away to the front desk to wonder what kind of remarkable life Thaddeus Gist had lived.
Full Gists, he explained over dinner, would have a magic close to the opposite parent. He smiled at Tony. "You, young man, will be as powerful as your parents some day, but who cares about that when there is dessert to be had, eh?" He asked, ruffling Tony's long black hair and Tony giggled. He'd been drawn to Thaddeus, utterly fascinated with his black eyes and talons. So had Teresa, who sat on his other side. Thaddeus had the head of the table, something Anton gladly gave him. There was something sweetly old-fashioned about the older mage that made you want to do things for him.
I rose to go get the dessert with mom, hoping the English really liked trifle and it wasn't one of those exports they'd been glad to be rid of. Thaddeus took to it wonderfully, insisting we be seated and proceeded to serve everyone himself from the dessert cart.
"I never thought I'd be served by a knight, Sir Thaddeus." Donegan said, and the knight frowned at him.
"Donegan, you promised not to tell. Stuff and nonsense those titles, is all they are. Sir indeed! You'd think the Queen herself had knighted me." He snorted gently and I liked him even more. For a man of noble birth, he couldn't have cared less about it. He cared a lot more about the trifle which he raved over.
And he cared about us as a family unit. He'd been married himself at one time, centuries ago, and he knew how important a spouse and children were to any man, Gist or not. He especially liked Sable, sensing her own inner Gist would be an exceptional beauty. He was an overall lovely guest, charming the men after dinner with talk of salmon fishing, hiking the mountains and exploring India.
As Tanith joined me in the kitchen to help with the dishes she smiled at me. "I like him, it's a pity about his wife. I think we'd have liked her too." She said and I agreed.
"True. And did you see how wistful he was when he heard we'd be traveling and the family always eats dinner together? I imagine he loves the English countryside too much to uproot, but given half the chance I'd keep him here. He's already doting on all the children like a grandfather."
"You too? There's something about him, isn't there? That makes you want to take care of him. Well, let's see if we can't invite him to dinner then. I'm sure everyone else will agree." We agreed though I pondered the puzzle of the full Gist. He seemed downright docile, as did the children, but I imagined he'd been fierce in battle. And something told me we never wanted to see him or any of the children that angry.
Well, well, well. The Gists are docile, for now. But how would such creatures fight? With magic or sheer rending strength? I suppose time will tell.