A Promise Fulfilled

Jul 25th, 2018 09:35 PM

Jason lets out a wistful sigh, "Devereux? It's... well, it's an adopted name. A parting gift from my old mentor, Emielle. The surname I was born with is... no longer mine to bear. I can't even tell you what it is, honestly."

He worries his lower lip for a moment before reciting softly, "'And so shall the third of thy line be dead to thee, stripped of name and title, never again to claim ties to thy blood or hearth'." He stares at the table, fidgeting with his cuffs before continuing, "That's just a semi-recent translation, mind. The original agreement is ancient, but no less binding for it, sadly. The most my parents could do was quietly manipulate my eldest brother into creating a modest bank account they didn't technically know about that I would be able to access if I ever escaped."

He shrugs, "Still, Devereux isn't a bad name. It holds some small weight in the old world, and even more among those who hold certain titles."

He leans back in his chair again, a small smirk tugging at his mouth, "And it's not really a big deal anymore, but how to put this delicately? They weren't bad parents, but the circles they run in are... somewhat conservative, and they couldn't very well risk having one of their sons found in bed with another family's son. Or, heaven forbid, a commoner. Think of what people would say!" His smirk falls and he lets out a deep sigh, "Still, it was probably for the best. Given that I knew what was coming, it would have been... well, painful for all concerned to cultivate a relationship when I knew I would be vanishing, possibly never to return."

He sits back up in his chair, the slouch sliding off his spine like water, "And my qualifications aren't really anything to brag about. It was easier for all concerned to just arrange for private tutoring and distance classes, so I wasn't exactly lacking for assistance." Jason's hand comes up to rub at the back of his neck, a nervous gesture, "But I had plenty of free time and I quite enjoy academia, so I ended up with a bachelors degree and a couple of graduate certificates before I left. And there's a masters thesis floating around on the cloud somewhere I really must get around to hunting down. The trick is having them transferred to my name." He pauses for a moment to consider, his eyes drifting skywards, "Hmm... your clique is quite skilled with subterfuge and the like, I don't suppose you guys would have any ideas?"

He sets the thought aside after a moment, bringing his attention back onto Quick, "A problem for later. But I wouldn't say I'm rich. Modestly comfortable. I expect my brother is probably paying attention to the account I'm using, so he'll know probably start quietly shifting more money into it soon enough." A smile comes across his face again, "He always did have a soft spot for me. Benefits of being the youngest, I guess."

He shakes himself out of the reverie and winks at Quick, "But as long as you let me have my way, then we'll get along just fine."

**Quick** · Jul 29th, 2018 10:40 AM

Quick stares, wide-eyed for a moment. Jason had lost his name through... some Fae bullshit? An old deal cut like a folk tale? The Elemental practically seethes with disgust and anger. If there was ever a way to one-up someone's story of capture and escape, Jason hit the mark. Taking a deep, calming breath, Quick finally blinks and disengages his stare. "I, uh... probably couldn't think of a way to say how terrible that sounds. Definitely not in public."

"If you say it wasn't that bad, I'll take your word for it. But it sounds like it was bad. To me, anyway. Don't really know if my parents knew, but they weren't the ttype to care."

"What I'm hearing is that you're a little bit of a nerd." He says, teasingly. "Nothing wrong with that. Unless you spend your weekends collecting stamps or something." Then, more somberly, "I had a full athletic scholarship. But, you know, things happened. Never had a chance to go." He wouldn't add how he'd used the grants to live like a nomad for the first year he'd gotten back. Not an impressive story to share with Mr. Pedigree.

"Comfortable is a step up from where I've been." Jason had moved past his question pretty quickly, but Quick still feels like he should bring it up. "But myabe you could ask John about your little problem. He seems like the type to be good at it. Better than I would be, anyway. My run with a street gang taught me the con, but nothing that complicated. Plus I've basically gone legit."

A challenging eyebrow shoots up at Jason. "We'll see. I've got a reputation for getting what I want." The ghost of a smile rests on his lips, but he lets the challenge hang in the air between them. Seeing how Jason would react.

Jul 31st, 2018 01:18 AM

A bitter chuckle escapes Jason's lips, "It wasn't ideal, no. But I try to look on the bright side, if you'll pardon the pun. I may have lost much of what was precious to me, but it wasn't for naught. That's kind of part of the deal, really. How did Emielle put it? Always balanced, never fair?" A tight smile crosses his mouth, "It's fine, really. I've come to peace with the facts of the situation. I don't know if any of my ancestors siblings escaped, but I'm working on plans to make sure I'm the last one that has to try."

He fidgets with his cuffs for a moment longer, before continuing, "And it's good to know you didn't have to deal with difficult parents over the matter. Being accepted for who we are by the ones we love is important. Doubly so for people like us, in both sense of the phrase."

Jason lets out a bark of laughter at being called a nerd, "As much as I hate to admit it, I suspect nerd may be the correct term. And no, I don't spend my weekends collecting stamps. I much prefer old books of limited interest. Both more interesting and more useful than mere stamps."

His eyes drift downward from Quick's face for a second when he mentions and athletics scholarship before Jason drags them back to Quick's face, "Oh, for which sport?"

A street gang? Interesting. That would explain how he fits into the Winter court. Jason would honestly have expect Spring, were it not for the mantle about Quick at the summer coronation.

He raises an eyebrow, "Basically gone legit? Sounds like there's a couple of stories worth hearing hidden behind that qualifier."

Jason leans forward at Quick's challenge, a barely restrained grin tugging at the side of his mouth, "Well then, I suppose the question is simple, isn't it? What, precisely, do you want?"

**Quick** · Aug 1st, 2018 07:25 PM

Bright side. Right. With the flickering flames and whatever. The pun detracts (a little) from the grimness of Jason's story. "Just... don't go discussing those plans. Out here." As if on queue, Quick glances around nervously. No one seems to be paying them much attention. Which is good. But it only goes so far in making him feel better.

Quick leans back and sighs. "Thing about people like us? Most of that 'being accepted is in the past. Parents don't even know where I am."

Jason's self deprecation lightens the mood a little. He even grins. "Bet you could find a pair of glasses that would fit your look. Red-brown plastic frames, I think. But not too thick. Definitely not the lenses as big as a coffee mug." His eyes widen, again, and he blinks a few times. "Oh. But we were talking about your books or whatever." Which is followed by a playful smirk.

"Track. Sad thing is, the running got even better when I got back. But the money is gone." Aaaand he said it anyway. Leave it to some cute, nerdy ginger to get him talking about embarrassing things. "Parents think I went to college. That I'm in college. Now. Pretty flimsy story, honestly. If they looked? It'd take them 5 minutes to find out I'm living in Cali."

"Yeah, yeah..." he says, trying his best to dismiss the inquiry. "But you don't want to hear about that. These nice people don't, either." He certainly has stories, but most of them involved taking advantage of people or, you know, Mark.

Quick matches Jason's lean, coming within maybe 6 inches of his face. "Someone who can keep up with me. Who isn't afraid to have a little fun. Or.." he leans back again, giving a little shrug. "Someone I could change to become that."

Aug 2nd, 2018 12:32 AM

Jason nods at Quick's warning, his face warming a hair at the reminder of Circe's less than subtle warning, "Of course. I've been made well aware of the rules regarding Club Business." His eyes flick to follow Quick's movements as he looks around. Winter's penchant for secrecy, or something more, I wonder?Jason's smile goes a little grim at quick's statement, "I know that feeling, mine probably aren't certain of anything either. My eldest brother probably knows I'm out by now, and probably has at least a rough idea of where I am, if he's paying even a little attention."

Jason lets out a peal of delighted laughter at Quick's antics, before responding with a grin "I don't think that would be wise." He gestures to his hair and eyes, "I'd never be able to see where I was going past the glare on the glass." His eyes narrow teasingly at the comment about his books, "We could discuss my reading habits if you got a few hours and a notebook, but I know my taste in reading isn't for everyone, so I thought I'd spare you. But if you prefer..." He trails off, his smile amused.

Track. Huh. That would explain some of Quick's better assets. Jason's face warms as he fights the blush down, internally cursing his genetics and how easily they show embarrassment, "That uh, that makes sense. I'm not much of a long distance runner, but I'm not useless in a sprint." He pauses for a moment, musing, "I feel like there's a decent joke in here somewhere about the speed of light."

He shrugs and continues, "If they care enough about you to check then you're not doing too badly on the parent front. Do you keep in contact?"

Jason sighs, but lets his face soften, "I would, in fact, very much like to hear everything about you." He pauses for a second, deciding how best to blunt the impact of his latest case of foot-in-mouth, "But if it's an uncomfortable topic, I'll let it lie." A wry smile crosses his features as he says, "But if you're worried about me thinking less of you for it, please don't. I was born into the nobility. There's nothing you could possibly have done that my ancestors haven't also done, probably with far more enthusiasm."

Jason leans back into his seat, face flushed. Light above, but he's breathtaking. He lets Quick's words sink in and considers, it for a moment. I don't really let loose all that often. Though that's more a question of opportunity than inclination. It couldn't hurt to try, I suppose. And what better opportunity than this?

He smiles, decision made, "Alright then. Next time, you pick the time and place. I'll admit I'm curious to see if I can 'keep up', as you put it."

**Quick** · Aug 5th, 2018 08:12 AM

Quick nods, satisfied with Jason's answer. He'd take his word on it.

"Your brother... he ever take a trip over There?" It seems worth asking. If his brother knows Jason was taken, was it because of this family-fae 'agreement' or... firsthand experience?

"A few hours?" He chuckles under his breath and shakes his head. "Maybe just a summary?" The Elemental's brow lilts just enough to show some curiosity. Books really aren't Quick's thing, but they seem important to Jason.

"Not really. Once or twice since I got back. It's been hard. They remind me too much of a... 'past life', if you know what I mean."

Quick's mouth settles into a thoughtful frown. "If you say so. But still... best not to talk about it here. Less-than-legal activity. And all that."

"That so? Who says there is going to be a next time?" Quick manages a halfway serious look for all of 3 seconds before cracking into a smile. "Alright. I'll think of something."

This might be a good place to wrap things up. But Quick will answer any further questions before closing out.

Aug 17th, 2018 04:46 PM

Jason nods, the smile on his face mirroring Quick's, "I'm looking forward to it."

Yeah, this is a good spot. I'm going to be withdrawing Jason for a little while because of RL time constraints. I'll bring him back when things have calmed down.

A Promise Fulfilled

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