To Your Doorstep [Raine, Open]

[Sharei]

Isaac breathed in the crisp mountain air and shivered. It was not a tremble spurred by the cool night, but by the half-frustration half-excitement that pounded just below the surface of his skin like a second heartbeat. The tick of his motorcycle's engine as it cooled at the foot of Raine's front step was inaudible beyond the rush of the blood in his ears, and it was several long moments before he could collect himself well enough to trust in his ability to articulate. It was only when he felt ready that he turned toward the front door of his friend's large colonial home and ascended the steps.

'Do not get worked up. After centuries of searching, you are unlikely to find the answers so conveniently close to home. You know this.'

And yet despite the logical part of Isaac's mind, or perhaps in spite of it, the feeling tingling through his body and tightening his stomach into uncomfortable knots would not subside. Only recently Isaac had come to understand the true depth of Raine's collection of forbidden artifacts, some of which were quite magical and even more dangerous. As a Director in the WDSA and a member of the board, technically it was his responsibility to try and get the immortal to relinquish them, but he was of an entirely different mind on the matter. He had promised to help convince the historical department to allow custody to remain where it was, and in doing so secure his own access to the relics. Perhaps - just maybe - there was a diamond among the rough and some old text would allude to a clue to Isaac's goal. And if not, of course, there was always the witch.

Morgan had been Isaac's original target before he had discovered the trove that existed below Raine's home and she was still the target despite the revelation. More precisely, it was her knowledge that Isaac wanted rather than the witch herself. He cared little for the woman beyond the fact that she was not registered, a topic that often came up between himself and the other residents of the mountain when they met officially. Thankfully this was not to be an official visit. Isaac was not wearing his typical dark suit and tie ensemble, and instead had chosen a pair of coal slacks and a deep red button down that matched his scarlet eyes under his leather riding jacket. The helmet that had protected his face on the ride up the mountain as the dread sun had been setting had been left on the bike, and he made no attempt to hide his inhumanity as he always had in the city below. He had gone casual tonight, a sign of the personal nature of the meeting, and was glad of it. The suit would have chafed under this unusual sense of anxiousness running rampant through his system. He almost felt as though his form might break apart with it.

One leather-clad hand lifted to the door. It hesitated for an uncharacteristic moment and then Isaac rapped his knuckles against the large wooden door. The porch was wedged beneath a colonnade of stone and edged on either side with hedge, providing a haven from wind and rain. The drive expanded beyond it in a circular gravel road that lead back out to a main gate of wrought iron. The whole complex had been walled in, and although Isaac would have stopped to admire the beauty of Raine's home at any other time, the all-encompassing desire to find something, anything that might be of use blinded him to its majesty. He was rarely impatient, but right then he just wanted someone to open the damned door.

[kilnarak]

Of those currently visiting the mansion, Ari was the one who was asked to go fetch the door. Marchelute had told him that he didn't have to do what the others told him to, that they weren't above him in any way, but still he tended to feel that way. In this instance, he didn't really mind it; when the three of them got to talking as they had been, it only served to remind him he was so much younger than all of them. It was a little discomforting, but he tried not to let it show. And well. Morgan still made him slightly uncomfortable, even if she no longer seemed to hate him outright anymore. And Raine was... well. He wasn't really sure where he stood with the red-headed man. 'Family gatherings' like this left him a bit uncomfortable.

Anyway, he was the one to head out to the door, taking it as an excuse to stretch and get a bit of a reprieve from his discomfort. Raine had said something about cameras and an intercom, but Ari had no idea where any of that was. He just went to the door and, after fumbling with the locks, opened it.

"Yeah, what-" His words cut off abruptly as he recognized the man at the door. His tan features blanched and his green eyes widened, and then, without another word, he shut the door again and backed away. Well this suddenly got distinctly more uncomfortable. Why would the cop be at Raine's house!? He turned, intending to hurry back into the other room to tell the others of this development.

[Sharei]

Ari turned only to be confronted with the man he had seemingly left outside on the step, leaning ever so casually against the inside wall of the main foyer. Isaac picked invisible dust off his leather-clad shoulder, seeming quite interested in the pursuit over the presence of the other man. He did not look up as Ari made an undignified sound halfway between a yelp and a squawk, even though it echoed through the foyer and off down the hall and offended his heightened hearing. Instead he merely dusted off the leather, straightened his jacket and pushed gracefully off the wall. Only then did he plant his scarlet gaze on the shifter. "That was rather rude," he hummed. "Do you often leave the guests of the the proprietor of the house out in the cold? That isn't very hospitable of you."

[Marshmallow]

Though he was often content to remain a hermit up on the mountain, Marchelute was a frequent visitor to the secluded manor. It could almost count as a second home, in fact.

Marchelute had been lounging on an over-large sofa in the den, where they had all been gathered for drinks and conversation, which had inevitably turned toward reminiscing about the "good old days". He'd felt a touch guilty for carrying on about matters which Ari, in his relative youth, could know nothing about - but there was hope that the shifter would grow more comfortable in time. At the very least, Morgan hadn't made any threats against him during the visit, so there was that.

When the doorbell chimed the arrival of a visitor, it was Ari whom had been tasked to answer. The demon chuffed disapprovingly at the old Irishman for not getting up to do so himself, but Ari hadn't seemed too put off by the request. Marchelute settled, though wondered who would come calling all the way out here in the evening, and briefly considered the merit in hiding himself. He still had those old illusion spells, which admittedly had seen a little more use of late. If it was a human visitor, it wouldn't do to be seen, so perhaps--

His train of thought was interrupted by the startled yelp that echoed down the hallway. That had definitely been Ari. What on earth was out here that would scare the cat..? A mixture of curiosity and protective instinct pulled him from the sofa with a low rumble. With a shuffle of wings and click of talons across the hardwood, Marchelute left the living room and made for the front door.

He was slouched forward, leaning on his wings as he walked, but when he got to the foyer and the source of Ari's startled cry, he straightened up to his full height. He knew that scent, and those scarlet eyes. This was an agent he was well acquainted with, and normally Isaac would be greeted with a chuff, maybe a puff of smoke if he was feeling playful. But Ari was clearly alarmed, so it was a bass growl that issued forth instead.

[Sharei]

And there it was. Raine had warned him when he'd left the office a few days past that he might have guests at the manor when Isaac decided to drop by. He had not been exaggerating, and certainly not where it pertained to one of them. Isaac turned as Marchelute entered the corridor preceded by the subtle scent of burning coal and smoke. Though the heat of the fire demon's body was only mild at the moment Isaac could feel it across the space that separated them, almost as a threat to what might come if the other man's ire was aroused. Though he had no fear of Marchelute, he equally did not want to be on the receiving end of his aggression if he could avoid it. This night was about discovery, not mayhem.

"Good evening, Marchelute." Isaac held up a hand in greeting, clearly showing that he was neither armed nor hostile. It was one of the few concessions he made to the other alpha male. "I thought that this little kitten smelled oddly familiar when I met him in the city. Sorry for the shouting there, I admit I might have played a little trick on him." He afforded the fire demon a warm smile as he slipped off his jacket. "I've come to see Raine. I'm assuming he's in, but is he available to talk for a little while?"

[kilnarak]

Ari had flinched back from the sudden reappearance of Isaac, edging back toward the door. When the man finally looked at him with those red eyes, his hackles raised and he twitched another step away. He didn't have an answer for the man's chastisement, staring at him mutely. He couldn't think of any reason why vampire-cop would be here. Raine had invited him? Why would Raine do that? This man was bad news!

When Marchelute appeared, Ari abruptly made a short dash for the demon, ducking under a wing and all but sliding around behind him to put the demon's protective presence between himself and the vampire-cop. "Why's he here!?" Ari's voice was a low unsettled hiss, intended only for Marchelute to hear.

[Marshmallow]

He'd just opened his mouth to speak, but the words halted in his throat when Ari suddenly darted beneath the fold of one of his wings. Marchelute blinked. What even..? He turned slightly, lifting his wing enough to regard the cowering shifter pressed close to his side. Ari's fearful whisper made him frown, and a soft, animal sound of concern rose from him.

Tucking his wing over Ari again, Marchelute turned his attention back to Isaac. The shifter's fear may have been misplaced, but it was still cause for worry, and so his posture did not relax even after Isaac greeted him. His lip curled and another low growl rumbled, an instinctive warning for the other male to keep well away from Marchelute and his mate. He caught himself after a moment, frowned, then cleared his throat and willed himself to relax. It was just Isaac, not some rival. "Apologies..." he sighed, pushing instinctive responses aside for the sake of civility. "Raine's in, yes. We were just in the lounge. It's probably fine if you want to step in and talk."

[Salandis]

Raine was not in the lounge. He was, instead, in the hall. A raised eyebrow, and a glass in hand, he drawled “Ah didnae think it would taek two of yer this long tae welcome a guest.” He looked at Ari, hiding under Marchelutes wing. In any other situation it might be comical, but Raine was aware of how little he knew about Marchelutes newest… partner.


“We were in th’ Blue lounge.” Hecontinued. “Ah have opened up one o’ the casks o’ ’35. Please, come join us.” He made his voice as welcoming as he could. After all this would probably prevent a few felonies, and Raine had better things to do than spend a century in jail.


“Ari, if my old friend here unsettles yer, yeh can retire t’ the west wing. We will’nae be needing it.” He offered. The west wing was where Raine had built an entertainment centre that could potentially be mistaken for a cinema.
It was the least he could offer, and making it plain that Ari was also welcome here wouldn't hurt. 

[Sharei]

A frown touched the painter's lips when Marchelute growled at him. He was not unaccustomed to the other male's aggressive nature so it was not as though he shouldn't have expected it. In fact the first time that they had met, Marchelute had tried to eat him. Granted, the large creature had assumed him a helpless hiker on the mountainside and an easy snack at the time, so it had been less about territory and more about hunger. Still, he knew better, but that did not stop Isaac from being annoyed by it. He still didn't understand why the kitten was so afraid of him, and that too annoyed him. He was usually able to charm a person so easily that he barely thought about it. Perhaps the animal could sense his darkness. Or maybe he just really didn't like cops.

Raine interrupted them before the conversation could get any further. It was probably a good thing, as Isaac was not feeling as charitable as he normally might. Maybe it was anxiousness talking? He forced himself to sigh, expelling the negativity with that breath. When he turned to Raine it was with a warm, friendly smile. "It would be a pleasure to join you," Isaac said. He peeled off his coat and put it away in the closet and then gracefully slipped off his shoes. "You always have the best years," he added, and meant that. Isaac sported a refined selection of alcohols at his own manor but Raine always managed to outstrip them. He wasn't entirely sure how the other man did it. "I apologize for disturbing your guests, and in particular the little kitten. He took quite the exception to me when we met in the city, as well. I'm still not sure why. I was on duty and investigating a disturbance with a spirit, and as you know I don't get pulled away from my desk for just anything. Perhaps the experience has spooked him. Or perhaps it is because I am a vampire? You know how people tend to have their stereotypes and fears..." To Marchelute, he said, "and of course, I assure you he was never in any danger. In fact he saved me from some rather persistent real estate salesmen."

[kilnarak]

Ari pressed himself against Marchelute, hiding against the much larger man as he glared warily at Isaac. He had enough bad luck without it following him home. A low whine rose in his throat when his presumed protector greeted the source of his unease with both civility and a sense of familiarity. Vampire-cop was a friend of the family? Or at least an acquaintance. He didn't like that at all!

... but what could he do about it? He didn't have any proof that the man was bad news, aside from word-of-mouth - and that sounded more like a bad dream than something actually true. Although, maybe given the city, being trapped in a lightless box with an angry ghost was a more normal occurence. When Raine strode in fron behind them, he flinched slightly. Then flinched again when the red-haired man addressed him. It wasn't an order, merely a suggestion, but still it sounded to him as if he were being dismissed. 'Go play in the other room, child, the adults need to talk.'

Was refusing the offer, with that thought in mind, childish then? He flinched yet again when Isaac called him 'kitten', his fingers curling against Marchelute's side. He forced himself to step away from the demon, frowning at the vampire then looking aside. "I'm not your kitten," his voice shook slightly, and he fell silent a long minute to still it. His gaze flicked up to Marchelute, uncertain.

"He..." Well, he hadn't caused any harm, and truly, Ari had initially been uncomfortable with him because he was a vampire... and a WDSA officer as well. "He trapped us in a lightless box! Y-You can ask Bruse, he was there! He was upset too!" Ari frowned then folded his arms over his chest, hunching his shoulders slightly sulkily.

[Salandis]

Raine frowned somewhat, and rubbed the side of his nose. In truth he hadn't really thought about what Issac was capable of, although he knew that has head of security he would certainly have more than the normal vampire bag of tricks. With Raine hanging up the sword and living a mostly legal life, he hadn't bothered with any contingencies around WDSA avoidance. So he simply shrugged. "Ah'm sure there was a good reason, Ari. Mebbe talk about it later? Fer now remember, you are all have guest-right here tonight. And you don't have tae worry about cops any more, yah know? We a'nae braking laws. Although" He grinned. "If tha' '35 goes tah waste, that would be criminal."