[Pre-Game 16] New York, The Time In-Between

[arsgoetia]

November, 2013
"I have to live there sometimes, too," Tristan had said, as he lounged on the couch with a laptop on his lap, Fon and Kieran on either side, safe from wandering hands only because Tristan's first true love, the iBook, was taking up most of his attention. "So it's fine if it's a nice place, right?"

"Your idea of nice is enough to give me an inferiority complex and Maddy a panic attack," Kieran had responded dryly. "Try to be . . . reasonable."

The smile Tristan had given him left nobody any reason to believe that he would compromise in the slightest.

✧ ✧ ✧
December, 2013
So, the townhouse was very nice. But the decor was warm and dark instead of being the big white and open airy concepts that Tristan liked—something a little more earthy and comforting, with walls of bookshelves, not a lot of windows, and a small backyard with a flower garden and a fish pond and a high wrought iron fence.

The walls were stone and meticulously covered with ivy, and Tristan kept trying to bring home alarming lawn ornaments until one of the animatronic reindeer made Maddy shriek inexplicably loud, and then they were just quietly no longer there and nobody asked about them anymore.

Tristan had the Master bedroom on the top floor. He left shortly before Christmas on 'business,' as it were, with not a lot more in terms of details, and probably nobody asked anything more. His room remained locked. He hung a sign on the door that said "Bluebeard's Room."

There were several spare rooms in the basement—just in case, of course—one of which unofficially became Maddy's room (though both he and Itachi stayed at the school), then a little more officially as he started to spend weekends there more often than not. Robin, Fon, and Kieran each had their own rooms on the upper floor, though Tristan made sure to arrange for an unreasonably comfortable den and study, complete with entertainment center, so the main floor of course saw most of the action.

And of course, there was the espresso machine.

✧ ✧ ✧
January, 2014
Christmas was more-or-less uneventful. Warm, but quiet. Even Kieran took a bit of a break from studying (a little bit . . .); Maddy and Robin had time off school, and Itachi didn't have to work. Even Maddy's anxiety, which had been increasing lately, seemed to unwind a little over the holidays.

It was the first weekend of the Winter semester where everything started to get topsy-turvy again. Namely, Maddy showed up for that weekend's planned pizza-and-movie-trilogies (it was original Star Wars this week) with . . . well.

A distinctly uninvited guest.

Comments

[dammitmaonmaon]

[wearing a St. Dominic's uniform, latched heavily onto Madison's arm]

Did ye miss me~? ♪ Fo~on where's Fon?

[boatsights]

. . . he's new in my class and he followed me home . . .

[the_straight_man]

...Is he ...you know, safe?

[dammitmaonmaon]

Ah had me shots an' everything they wouldn't let me in th' country otherwise.

[troublebrewing]

It's you...

[dammitmaonmaon]

It's me ♫ Ah live here now.

[troublebrewing]

You do, do you... mm, there should be a spare bedroom available in the basement.

[yourpeacock]

Someone brought home a stray?

[the_straight_man]

So this is your Maon, huh.

[yourpeacock]

[nods!]

That is my Maon.

[dammitmaonmaon]

FON ♥

[leaps on]

[yourpeacock]

[HUGS FOR THE BOYFRIEND ♥]

You're moving in?

[troublebrewing]

Technically I think the stray followed you home.

[yourpeacock]

I think it's more likely that he followed Maddie, actually. But we'll find out.

[fraternalorders]

[Arriving a bit late with a box of cupcakes]

[......why is Maon here]

[the_straight_man]

....Hey, are those cupcakes?

[dammitmaonmaon]

Allo, Itachi!

[troublebrewing]

Oh, are those cupcakes? Shall I make some coffee?

[she says, as if there isn't already a pot going]

[dammitmaonmaon]

[later, with pizza in one hand and a cupcake in the other, swinging his legs as he sits on the couch happily between Fon and Madison]

Tis not actually a complicated situation or anythin ah'm gonna hide. Ye ken ah work wi' tha Intercession—ye hae met me mum, tha Kincades, Cillian Prewett, an' so on. At this point ainlie a few o' us ken juist wha bides 'ere an' who yer. We hae reason ta believe there's gonna be trouble in one way o' ainther. So ah'm here ta help.

[boatsights]

You're here to be my babysitter.

[dammitmaonmaon]

Ehhh . . . Ah cannae say na tae that, bit ye'r aye th' yin in charge, ye ken.

[troublebrewing]

If there is, what can you do about it?

[dammitmaonmaon]

Ah juist hae connections, that's all.

(frozen comment) February, 2014

[arsgoetia]

Despite Maon's warnings (and his presence) the first few months of the year were not overly eventful. Madison's birthday came and went—he turned 16 without appaearing to cause any sort of angelic crisis, which was some sort of blessing, surely.

Maon stayed with Madison at the school, and somehow charmed his way into some level of tolerance, if not quite friendship. And there were worse things than having someone around whose expertise was apparently soothing lullabies, when Madison's nightmares began to increase in frequency.

"Just keep your heads down," Tristan advised Kieran, when he came to visit for a few days. "We have as many wards as possible on this place, and Prewett is taking care of things up at the school. There's nothing more you can do right now, and even I don't know what's going on down below, in the grand scheme of things. Asmodeus is keeping the balance, Michael is pretty quiet, but . . ."

"But that can change at any time," Kieran agreed, tired. "Maon said they're looking for Madison."

"They're looking for Gabriel," Tristan corrected, frowning. "Both upstairs and downstairs. And precious few of us know who's who. And you'll want to keep it that way, if you want the kid to be safe."

March, 2014

[arsgoetia]

"Maybe you should invite Shuri to come visit," Madison said one day, at lunch. "Maybe . . . just him. And Sera? Nobody else, though. Just for a visit."

He didn't elaborate on why, and when questioned about it later, he just seemed a little confused. He didn't know them that well? If they wanted to come, that was fine.

. . . Kieran passed the invitations along.