A/n- Something a bit different today, a FE4 Gen 2 Modern AU. For this AU all the Gen 2 kids are vaguely college age. And yes, maybe I'm trying to make you feel bad for Ishtar and Julius a bit, but I like the whole 'he used to be really nice' dynamic the OG story had and wanted to write that a bit.
The Commission Files- File #a1317 The Accident
Characters: Ishtar, Julius
Based on: a commission by Assentlov on Twitter/X
Ishtar was standing in front of her bed in her underwear trying to decide which dress she was going to wear for her date with Julius tonight. Normally the choice wouldn't be much of an issue, but this time it was different. Ishtar had the feeling that something special was going to happen tonight, even if Julius had been pretty good about keeping it a secret, and she wanted to look her best. Heck, she had even put on her lacy underwear instead of something more normal, that's how much she was prepared. Unfortunately for her though all this time taken to decide on an outfit got the attention of her mother Hilda who suddenly burst into her room without knocking.
"Mother! I'm not done getting dressed!" Ishtar exclaimed as she quickly grabbed a blanket and covered herself up. Sadly this wasn't the first time something like this had happened and Ishtar knew as long as she continued to live in her parent's mansion it wouldn't be the last. Another reason why tonight was a bit more important to her.
"I can see that." Hilda replied nonplussed as she looked around the room with her usual disapproving look. Her gaze fell upon the dresses on the bed and she just felt the need to comment on Ishtar's choices. "Gods, don't you have anything more...I don't know, revealing you can wear. You're not going to get that young man's blood running with either of these rags."
"Well, I do have that purple dress you got for me a few months ago, but-" Ishtar started but her mother cut her off.
"Yes! That one would be perfect!" Hilda stated. "Just enough to still look fancy and leave something to the imagination." Then she finally looked at Ishtar, going out of her way to find more complaints. "Don't you think you should at least take a shower beforehand, I mean look at how dull your hair looks."
"You really think it's that bad?" Ishtar asked, partly because she was wondering the same herself and partly because she had learned to not challenge her mother on things like this over the years. She could not get out of this house quickly enough.
"Bad? You're my daughter, of course it's not bad, but it could be better." Hilda noted, using her manipulative voice, though Ishtar pretty much saw through it instantly. "Don't you want to make sure that nothing is out of place for your date tonight? You told me specifically you think it's going to be important."
"I guess I have time to take a shower." Ishtar said as she took a look at her clock. "Julius isn't supposed to pick me up for another two hours. Okay, I'll go take a shower."
"Good, I'm glad you decided to listen to me for once." Hilda commented. "By the time you're done your father and I will be out on some business of our own, so don't be expecting us to be around."
"Is there any specific time you'd like me to be home?" Ishtar wondered, but she kind of knew what the answer would be from past experience.
"No, not really." Hilda replied as if she were brushing her off. "Hell, stay over at Julius' parent's place if you think that will help seal the deal tonight." And with that she left and Ishtar just slumped down on her floor a bit and sighed. She loved her parents, she really did, but with her father having such a high political position and successful business ventures it just seemed like they were always so distant, like they didn't see her as anything more than just another thing to control. And like her and Julius had been intimate before, a number of times in fact, but hearing her mother talk about it so flippantly like it was something to be used for controlling people, again she was glad she was getting out of here with Julius soon. Julius' parents were actually quite nice, and so was his sister Julia. His father was the governor of Grannvale, but even then he didn't let his power really get to his head, unlike Ishtar's father. Either way she finally got up off the floor and headed to her bathroom to take a shower.
"Perhaps when we have our own place we can take showers together whenever we like." Ishtar sighed to herself as she took her underwear off and started fiddling with the settings of the shower. Being a mansion this house had all the modern amenities you could think of, including a shower with the works. Temperature control, an amazing ventilation system, and even an extra shower head you could pull out of the wall to wash yourself off from multiple different angles. And it wasn't as if Ishtar didn't enjoy using her shower, but it was definitely something she'd be willing to part with if need be.
"Ahh, just right." Ishtar commented when the water felt comfortable. So she fully stepped into the shower and started washing herself, using the second shower head to speed up the process a bit. She considered using it to give herself a bit of pleasure while she was in here but decided against it since she wanted to give her full stamina for such things to Julius if things went that way tonight. About halfway through her shower she heard her cell phone ringing from the other side of the glass, but she ignored it since she still needed to rise the soap suds off her backside and parts of her breasts. A few more minutes passed and her phone rang again, but she still ignored it because she was almost done with her shower and figured she would see what was going on when she got out. Eventually she finished up and as soon as she grabbed her towel her phone rang again. She picked it up and saw it was Julius' father who was calling her and who had been trying to call her earlier.
"Mr. Velthomer, is something wrong? Why did you try and call me so many times?" Ishtar wondered as she answered the phone.
"Ishtar, thank goodness I've finally gotten a hold of you." Arvis replied with a bit of relief. "You need to come to Dr. Manfroy's medical clinic as soon as possible, there's been an accident with Julius." Ishtar was so shocked that she almost dropped her phone right then and there.
"Is he okay? Is he alive?" She asked quickly and desperately.
"Yes, yes, he's alive and he's stabilizing." Arvis confirmed. "But you of all people know how quickly his health can change, so you should get over here quickly." Ishtar had been friends with Julius as they grew up and she knew about how sickly he could be and how he used to be plagued with blackouts from time to time.
"Yes, of course, I just need to get dressed quickly, I just got out of the shower." Ishtar noted as she wrapped her towel around her body and started heading back to her room quickly.
"There is something else as well, but I'll save that for when you get here." Arvis noted. After that Ishtar got of the phone and got dressed. Not in a dress or anything, just some casual clothing since she obviously knew her plans for the night had changed. Thankfully Dr. Manfroy's clinic wasn't too far away.
You may be wondering why Julius was taken there instead of a normal hospital, and that was a secret that only a few people, Ishtar included, held onto. If it ever came out it could ruin Julius' life forever, but he was a carrier of the most hated blood in all of Jugdral, Loptyr blood. Ishtar was never told the full details on how it happened or how his parents found out, but she kept the secret and never told anyone else, not even her parents. The people of Jugdral hated those with Loptyr blood because of things that happened generations ago and they were pretty harshly shunned when people found out. Not a very good look for a family with such political power. But Arvis didn't blame his son, he did his very best to care for him and his medical conditions that came with Loptyr blood, even going as far as hiring a private doctor in Dr. Manfroy who was willing to keep the secret as well. Ishtar felt that if she had been in the same position her parents would have hung her out to dry, so she really respected Arvis for how he treated his son. Eventually she made her way to the clinic and when she did Arvis greeted her and helped her inside.
"I know this isn't how you were expecting this night to go Ishtar, but I'm glad you're here and I'm sure Julius will be when he sees you." Arvis said taking her jacket and hanging it up for her.
"Of course, Julius is my best friend, even if we weren't going on a date tonight I would have rushed over here without a second thought." Ishtar noted. "Is he doing any better? Is he even awake?"
"He is, but he's being questioned by the police at the moment." Arvis stated.
"The police?" Ishtar asked in shock. "Why are they here? Do they know about...well you know?"
"No, they don't know anything, thankfully." Arvis confirmed. "And it'll stay that way because Dr. Manfroy is known for taking care of special cases like Julius, so him being here isn't too suspicious. But it does tie into the other thing I need to tell you." It was at this point that Ishtar finally got a good look at Arvis' face and she could tell he was very stressed out, even if he didn't sound like it, and that he had been crying recently. Before she could comment on it though he continued. "Julia is missing and...and..." Arvis had to take a breath before finishing his thought. "my wife...Deirdre is no longer with us."
"No, it can't be." Ishtar gasped in shock. Deirdre was always so kind and sweet to everyone she met, something horrible like this couldn't have happened to her. And as much as Arvis was trying his best to deal with the situation Ishtar could see his normal calm demeanor was starting to crack and fall apart at the seams. He needed to rest, badly it looked like, so Ishtar swallowed her own sadness at Deirdre's death for the moment and took charge of the situation.
"Mr. Velthomer, why don't you go home and get some rest?" She suggested as she put her hand on his shoulder in a comforting motion. "I can watch over Julius and make sure things are taken care of here, you need some time to yourself to think about things more calmly."
"Perhaps you are right Ishtar, maybe some rest will do me some good." Arvis admitted. "I'll go home and see if I might be able to sleep a bit. But if you hear anything about Julia's whereabouts make sure you call me immediately."
"I will Mr. Velthomer, I promise." Ishtar assured him before he walked out of the clinic and made his way back home. Shortly after the police were done questioning Julius and Dr. Manfroy let her in so she could speak with him.
"We haven't told him about his mother yet, we felt it might be too much of a shock." Dr. Manfroy told her. "So try not to bring it up." Ishtar nodded before she stepped into the room Julius was staying in.
"Ishtar...you're here." Julius said weakly as she walked in, though she could tell just seeing here here brightened up his mood considerably. "S-Sorry about our date tonight."
"No, no, don't apologize, I'm sure it wasn't your fault." Ishtar said as she sat down next to the bed Julius was laying in.
"Actually, it was." Julius said with a cough. "I was driving home from picking up Julia and my mother from the mall when suddenly I had a blackout."
"A blackout?" Ishtar asked with a bit of confusion. "I thought you stopped having those years ago."
"Me too." Julius replied, coughing again. "Ow. Honestly I was just as surprised as you were. So surprised that I just figured I was having a normal headache and didn't stop the car when I could. I ran a redlight and another car hit us from the side. At least that's what Dr. Manfroy said. Thankfully he was right there at the intersection so he was able to make sure things turned out smoothly."
"And he didn't see your sister anywhere?" Ishtar wondered. "You would think he would have seen where she went."
"He told me that by the time he ran up to the scene that she was nowhere to be seen and he was more worried about getting me and my mother to safety at that time." Julius noted. "I'm sure that Julia will make her way home eventually, though it's strange she hasn't called anyone yet. Maybe her phone broke in the accident."
"That could be." Ishtar agreed. "I just she's okay and no one is out there trying to take advantage of her."
"Julia is tougher than you think, underneath that soft exterior she's just as steely as our father." Julius commented before starting to cough some more.
"Hey, hey, take it slow, you know you don't have to talk if you don't need to." Ishtar said as she saw a glass of water and handed it to him.
"I know, but I want to." Julius said after he took a drink. "But I am getting tired again, so I guess I just have one more thing to say." He rustled around in his bed until he found something and placed it in Ishtar's hand. "Thankfully this didn't get lost in the accident." Ishtar opened her hand and saw that Julius had placed a ring in it. And not just any type of ring, an engagement ring.
"Julius I-" Ishtar started before Julius put a finger up to stop her.
"You don't have to give me an answer now, but I figured that this would be safer with you since I'll probably be bed ridden for a while." Julius told her. "I was going to propose to you tonight after dinner, after suggesting we walk over the bridge in the park with the nice view of the lake and the stars. I think it would have been really nice."
"I would have loved it." Ishtar assured him. "But even without all that, my answer is yes Julius. We've known each other since we were kids, we've been best friends practically all of our lives, how could I say no to someone as kind and thoughtful as you? But you need to get some rest. We can talk more about this later okay?"
"Sounds lovely to me." Julius said, a weak but happy smile on his face. "Thank you Ishtar, I know out of everyone in the world that you'll always have my back. And for that and many more things, I will always love you."
"And I will always love you as well." Ishtar said moving in and placing a kiss on his cheek gently. "Sleep well okay?" Julius nodded and quickly went to sleep. Ishtar felt a little bad about not telling him about what happened to his mother, but she knew that too much shock could be bad for him in this situation. Either way she stood up and exited the room, looking at the ring Julius had given her more closely. "Julius...such a sweet man shouldn't have to go through all this."
Later that night, around 2 in the morning, Julius heard some rustling in his room and turned around, quickly turning his light on to see who was there.
"Oh, it's just you Dr. Manfroy." He said in relief as he saw who it was. "Weren't you the one who said too much shock might not be good for me?"
"Apologies Julius, I just remembered I forgot to refill your IV bag with the painkillers so I was trying to come in here and do it quietly, but I guess my old bones are just too rickety for such stealth nowadays." Dr. Manfroy commented.
"Oh, you've still got a ton of good years ahead of you." Julius assured him as he stuck a syringe into the IV bag. At first nothing happened, but soon enough Julius grabbed his head and started groaning and convulsing on his bed. "Dr. Manfroy! I'm having another blackout!"
"I'll go get the emergency kit!" Dr. Manfroy said like he meant it, but he just stood there and continued to watch as the process continued. Eventually Julius' body stopped moving for a few moments before sitting up in the bed and looking at the good doctor.
"You have got to find a better way to activate the switch." 'Julius' said to the doctor in a deeper and more sinister voice. "The last time almost killed my vessel, and then what happens? I have to wait another thousand years?"
"Look, I'm trying my best here my lord Loptyr, but I'm having trouble finding the right mix of chemicals to bring you out more quickly and keep you out longer." Dr. Manfroy stated. "It's not like I have a lot of material to work with, as you know."
"Yes, yes, the same excuse as usual." Loptyr sighed. "You're lucky I need you so badly, otherwise I would have killed you by now probably. Especially since I'm confident you're using me for your own gain. But that's neither here nor there. Was the 'accident' successful?"
"Yes and no." Manfroy stated, getting an angry look from Loptyr. "The mother is dead, but the sister got away somehow. And she knows about you, so she's not going to be coming back to us anytime soon."
"You miserable old fool!" Loptyr yelled, knocking over the lamp on the bedstand in his anger.
"Not to fear my lord, I will find her, and when I do I've perfecting my mind altering drugs so she won't remember a thing, she might even come to aid us in the future." Manfroy stated quickly.
"For your sake you better be right. Now, about the girl, Ishtar. I want her to stick around. She gives legitimacy to our excuses and she is loyal to this vessel. And if all else fails we can use her to pass my essence on to the next generation. So make sure nothing happens to her, understood?" Loptyr continued.
"Understood my lord." Manfroy nodded. "If that is the case you might be pleased to hear your vessel just gave her an engagement ring and she accepted right then and there."
"Really now? Well, it seems that at least something is going my way at the moment. Gah! My hold is starting to wane. You better not screw this up Manfroy, or it'll be your head!" Loptyr threatened before he fell back onto the bed and gave control back to Julius. Julius for his part fell asleep instantly so Manfroy tucked him into the bed again hoping he didn't remember what had gone on tonight.
"Well, things didn't go as planned tonight, but I have a feeling we're still on the winning track."