Kudzu Rampant (Invitation Only)
Ran walked into the impressive entry way at Heolfor, freshly fed and feeling much better after recovering from his flight with a flight. Literally.
"Hello?"
There was an echo.
"Guten abend, aloha, hau, !kao, wes hal!"
He really liked the echo.
"Anybody home?"
He turned around and came face to face with the most dour statue he'd seen in ages. Then it moved. "Good evening."
"Oh hell! I mean, hello." Ran smiled brightly at the man, who didn't bat an eyelash at the color of his hair or the fact that he was wearing contact lenses with Hello Kitty on them.
"So I heard," the man said solemnly. "You must be Mr. Iyala."
"Last I checked," Ran said cheerfully. "You're Rupert?"
"Every day, sir," Rupert replied politely without a hint of laughter.
Ran put his hands on his hips and looked around. "So, I don't suppose you know where I'm going to be staying here?"
"Of course. If you'll come with me," Rupert said, with a gesture.
Ran, still looking around with open curiosity, followed Rupert. He declined the tour of the mansion, figuring it would be much more fun to sort it out on his own later, and opted to go right for his room. He also declined blood, having taken care of that necessity already. It was nice of him to offer though. Not his, obviously, but whoever he'd have sent along. Ran filed that away for the future. Free eats, right here at home. Convenient.
After they walked about five miles, up and down at least three hundred stairs, Rupert stopped in front of a room that was located at the end of a hallway in a quiet wing on an upper level of Heolfor. He handed the key to Ran.
"The suite has been furnished to your specifications, or as near to them as we could. Please let me know what else you require, and we will be happy to procure it for you."
"Thanks, Rupert."
Rupert gave a polite bow. Very proper, very nice. Ran watched him leave and then turned to the door of his new home. Fitting the key in the lock he turned it and entered.
His bags had already been brought in; they were out of the way of the door. The room was spacious, high ceilings and a sunken floor to give it a very open feel. There were very few walls and the rooms were separated by archways. Even the bedroom had no door; it was simply a continuation of the rest of the home.
Ran sighed and smiled; it seemed they were serious when they had fit this suite to his needs. Nothing enclosed, that had been his primary objective. No tiny rooms, no closets to be accidentally shut into. Even the shower was open, no curtain, no door, just a frosted glass panel to give it a little privacy from the rest of the bathroom.
The suite was decorated in colorful shades of blue and green and yellow over a white base. He loved it. Grabbing his largest bag he wheeled it into the bedroom, running his hand over the bright blue coverlet on the bed. Then he turned around and did a backflip onto it, sinking into the pillow top mattress.
"Oh that beats an airplane chair any day," he groaned out load.
Then there was a knock at the door. There were very few people it could be, really. He expected Amir.
"Come on in," he called, fairly certain it wasn't going to be anyone he didn't want to see. There was rarely anyone he didn't want to see. Even if it was a stranger he'd be fine with it.
It could work.
Amir and Mara extolled his many (dubious) virtues and he really hoped that being intimately acquainted with each other didn't bite him in the ass. Amir and Mara knew all of his flaws, even the ones that were not so obvious. But the Elder told him he had a mission for him already, which pleased Ran. He caught the subtle hint from Amir - subtle like a brick to the face. He would be good. Until he got bored.
When Jin finished giving him an overview of his first task Ran held up one finger. "So let me get this straight, sir. I get to dress up, play with the elite, gossip until my face falls off, and you're going to set me up with a date?"
He spread his arms and looked around. "Which dotted line do I have to sign on? I'm in. Should I wear my formal board shorts, or must I bust out the tiara?"
As he went on, somewhere in the back of Ran's head a little voice, very muffled and often ignored, muttered something about really hoping the Elder didn't grow tired of him quickly. He should shut his mouth now.
He remained silent for the exchange between Jin and Ran, since this was Night Order business and had nothing to do with the Hunt. Ran was Amir's and he would do what Amir told him to do; in this case, however, Amir had told him to come work for his Order here in Nachton. He still had three out there, doing their work and his. He would likely gather them in one by one.
Before that, he had to make sure Subira hadn't gotten to any of them. If she had, well... there were a few options. He didn't know if he'd be able to out-Command her; she was, of course, much older than he. He supposed he could do to them what he'd done to himself but that was a hell of a thing to do to anyone, even voluntarily. He didn't know if he could.
For now it was good to have Ran here. Amir was not as close to Ran as he had always been to Bao and Mara, given Ran's sometimes-flightiness and propensity to go off the grid for a few decades at a time, but Amir did know that Ran's loyalties had always been his. He would have been very surprised if Subira had gotten to this man. Ran was a lot more savvy than he came off.
((ooc: sorry for all the introspection, we didn't want to interrupt the actual conversation between Jin and Ran))
She moved around behind him and onto his other side, sliding her arm around his waist and leaning in to him. She had known Ran would like being given a job right off the bat; in fact they had both told Jin as much. Ran wasn't exactly a workaholic, he just didn't like to be bored. And working for the Night suited him well. Their styles were completely different but that had made them a fairly competent team in the past.
Mara tended to focus on sly subtlety. She was much quieter, much sneakier. She had seen Ran work like that on occasion but usually he worked best in a crowd, so loud, so seemingly open and easy to read that you would never suspect him of playing for a certain team. Mara could do that as well, just as Ran could do it her way, but they both excelled at what they did.
((ooc: Ditto Amir's note))
"You have heard correctly." He smiled serenely. Appearing thoughtful for a moment Jin shook his head. "I believe your oath to the Order should be sufficient; no further contract is needed....at this time."
Ran asked about formal board shorts or a tiara. Jin smiled. "Wear both if you think it helpful." This might turn out to be an amusing situation to place his sister in. He could just imagine her inner dialogue if her date for the gala appeared wearing shorts and a sparkling head piece. It would be worth attending just to see that situation play itself out.
"It is tomorrow evening." He sighed softly. "I am sorry that I cannot give you any better warning or advance notice but..." Jin spread his hands as if to say 'I did not know who I was meeting until now so how could I know you would be perfect for the job.'
Turning back to Amir and Mara, he smiled warmly at them both; he really wanted to finish the evening in their company. Returning his gaze back to Ran, he asked seriously. "Our relationship does not bother you?" He would prefer an honest answer to something Ran thought they all wanted to hear. Jin watched carefully as he waited for the answer.
Ran shrugged and smiled cheerfully. He would get a hold of something, somehow. Ran could improvise. He could also shop. He was almost never opposed to shopping.
"When is our briefing?" He was sure his Elder would want to have him meet his partner for this assignment, and Ran figured Jin would also have some names and faces, potentially, of the people they were watching out for. Surely they wouldn't simply be going in blind. Ran could hardly report on who the delegates had contacted if he didn't know who the delegates were.
Jin then asked him about the relationship between the three of them. His brow furrowed in innocent confusion as the question caught him completely off guard.
"Sir?"
His blue-and-black-swirled eyes flickered from Amir to Mara and then back to Jin. "I'm afraid I don't understand. Why should it bother me?"
He tilted his head sideways. If he'd expected such a question he might have flippantly responded that Mara's being off the market had broken his heart but that glib response had frozen on his tongue as he'd tried to quickly figure out what could be wrong with the three of them together. Maybe the fact that it was a threesome? Ran didn't have an opinion on that, except 'lucky bitches.' He'd had a few threesomes in his time and damn, they could be fucking hot.
It showed in Ran's blankly honest expression. He normally had no trouble sorting out business and pleasure, but in this case Amir knew Ran was trying so very hard to make a good impression because Amir had told him to be on his best behavior. It wouldn't last; it never did, although if they were both staying in Nachton indefinitely there was every chance that Ran might actually behave himself for the most part. Amir would murder him if he didn't.
"I think Ran has had his fair share of non-conformative adventures," Amir murmured to Jin.
Ran's response to Jin's question was about what she expected. But it was sort of cute, she thought - his sudden confusion. Five hundred years and he could still come off as naive.
She grinned at Amir's words. "Ran has had his fair share and several other people's fair shares," she corrected.
Ran simply shrugged and smiled.
"If you ask Rupert then I am sure he could find something suitable for you to wear if you do not have your board shorts and tiara unpacked. Give him an idea of what you want and I am sure he will be very likely to find it." In most cases Jin wouldn't have hesitated to say that Rupert could and would find anything that someone might want to wear to such an occasion, even on such short notice, but with Ran's obvious eclectic taste he was not completely willing to promise success.
He had turned the conversation to the news that he was engaged in a relationship with Ran's Creator and his sister. Jin felt Amir's grip on his hand tighten reassuringly and Mara snuggled closer.
Ran looked completely baffled. He hadn't thought the question that difficult but he supposed the honest surprise and confusion was his answer. Jin smiled when Ran asked why it should bother him and refraining from mentioning that it did bother some.
Amir pointed out that Ran had plenty of non-conventional relationships and Mara seemed to wholeheartedly agree. "Good. I would hate for there to be strain between us since we will be working together." He wrapped an arm around each of his partners and smiled. "And we'll be family eventually." He glanced at the pendant Mara was wearing and thought that they should find something to give Amir that made the same sort of promise from the both of them. Mara would have a good idea of what he would wear or not and Mai might have some thoughts of the safest adornment for a Huntsman. They didn't want to give Amir something too long or it would be a liability and a choker just didn't see to be Amir's style.
"Is there anything else you need or want to know tonight?" About the meeting or about him, Jin was willing to answer either. "If not then I am sure you are eager to get out and explore."
When Jin told him he didn't want any strain between them Ran smiled and laughed softly. Shaking his head he said, "No worries. I'm not a 'strain' kind of guy. Welcome to the family."
His good cheer was genuine and unforced. If Amir and Mara loved their partner and they all had an agreement together, then good for them. It had been ages since Amir had had a relationship of really any sort, and that it was with Mara was appropriate. He had long wondered why they weren't together. The reasons weren't any of his business, he assumed, and he was just happy to see them all content now. That Jin helped make them so was just fine with Ran.
Jin's dismissal was plain; he was through with him as Elder of the Night. Ran shifted his eyes to Amir, for he couldn't leave without checking with him too. Amir nodded curtly and waved his hand to Ran in a 'run along' sort of motion.
"I am eager to explore," he agreed. "I will see you tomorrow night. Thank you."
He turned and headed for the door, then remembered his manners. Turning back he offered a quick bow and then made his way out once more, this time heading to the front of the Manor to find Rupert and then make his way back into Nachton.
((ooc: Ran out))
"Well, that was Ran," he said, with a wry smile. "He's not as bad as some."
Really, Ran had grown up a lot since being turned. Amir didn't think he'd ever lose his energetic, bubbly way of moving through life. He hoped not, anyway. It was one of the things that really defined Ran. If five hundred years hadn't killed it though he didn't think it would go away on its own.
Amir took Jin's hand again and tugged him toward the doorway. "So, about the rest of the evening..."
Amir was between missions at the moment - well, really he hadn't had one in a while and he meant to talk to Elder Mai about that. He didn't want to go through Jin, that wasn't fair. But he did want something to do now that he felt able to control himself and be efficient.
For now, though, he reminded Jin that tonight was supposed to be a night off, mostly. "We could see a movie. Read a book. Play trivial pursuit."
Amir supposed he'd do any and all of those if that was what his partners wanted. Normally those weren't really his kind of entertainments but Jin and Mara had that effect on him, making him relax and do things he might not choose on his own. It was a good thing.
They all took their jobs seriously, of course, but as Acting Elder Jin had a lot on his plate and his dutiful, honorable nature meant that he was always trying to do his best. He took his position very seriously, and that only meant that he needed to enjoy his downtime all the more. They could certainly help with that.
It was good for Amir, too, Mara thought to herself. She had said as much to Jin in private as well. By playing one off the other she might manage to get them both to have some fun; Amir did it for Jin and Jin did it for Amir. Therefore everyone enjoyed themselves without feeling bad about it. Mara thought it was a perfect solution.
She made a little mental note to catch up with Ran soon, but he was best off exploring on his own to start with. He enjoyed it, and he would be perfectly safe. With his useful combination of abilities even if Ran got in trouble, he was very difficult to catch.
He looked at Amir and would have considered his question carefully but Mara was making it difficult for him to think straight. Jin sighed and closed his eyes as fingers made their way beneath his tunic and along his chest. He reflected, as he always did when she took advantage of this particular weakness of his, that he should never have mentioned it to her. Of course, the thought was always in jest and usually interrupted by more wonderful distractions. Like the fingernails that made him shiver as they made light trails down his skin.
Opening his eyes again, he hugged Mara to his chest and then looked around her to Amir. "I think we need to go back to our suite and play with the cat." With a wicked twinkle in his eye, Jin lifted Mara up and tossed her over his shoulder. "She seems kind of lonely. I suggest we spend a lot of time 'petting' her."
Jin leaned close to give Amir a quick kiss before heading out the door with his prize. "We will have make sure the jackal gets his exercise too." He murmured softly, knowing that he and Mara were plenty capable of seeing to that particularly wonderful activity.
Their party of three headed straight for their rooms and shut the door. Not surprisingly, they were not seen for the rest of the night.
((OOC: everyone out ))