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 Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 10:33 pm
A little-known fact about the world of summoners was that it was very enclosed. Only those with extreme talent were ever brought in from outside, but within anyone with the right traits was welcome to learn - provided they had the gift.
Mhin Hae-min lacked the gift to summon but had a peculiar power, a side-effect of being so close to two of the most powerful summoners in centuries; she could spot, at a hundred paces, anyone with the talent to summon. That had brought them her assistant, Guinevere, though the girl might never access the ability to summon a demon. It would bring them, someday, apprentices for Tae-yul and Edward. Maybe even someday the bloodlines of Fauste and Mhin would continue. Even so, it seemed that five families would become four, and Hae-min smiled a secretive little smile.
No, not many people had gifts like Hae-min did. Except her brother, her dearest person, her Irish twin - Tae-yul. She glanced up from her magazine and directed a more sincere, happier smile to him; he looked up from his ledger to meet her eyes and quirked something like a smile. No matter: Her brother had been awfully perturbed lately, ever since Edward had agreed to go to that casino opening with the redheaded summoner. Mischa? Mischa.
She looked up and outside, gray-blue eyes glittering with pure appreciation of her surroundings. Then her smile vanished, and she only didn't lose her composure because of her many years of etiquette training.
"Dongsaeng," said Hae-min, "That man outside... he is a Moriarty."
Tae-yul sighed. He trusted his sister's instincts, but all the summoning clans had dispersed; the chances of finding a Moriarty or Mephisto or Kafka here, on Gaia, was minimal. "When I see it, I'll believe it.."
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:01 pm
When Levi Dreyer did anything, he did it with purpose, and with will, and with vigor though he was dressed in mourning greys and blacks, striding down the street. Narrow grey eyes sparked with determination, and quietly, he strode toward the door of the shop which bore the decidedly inauspicious, though entirely expected, moniker over the front window: Daemonolgie. He was not holding his breath, but if his father's accounts of his mother along with Levi's memories of the woman and her preoccupations had anything to do with it, this was the place he might find the information he required.
It had not been easy getting here, though; especially not the part that included putting his recently-deceased father's accounts in order. Erich Dreyer had not been a frugal man, and upon his passing had left his son quite a few debts to settle. Once that had been done, and Levi had found himself without any further necessary connections other than his job at the local crime lab, he'd decided it was time for him to simply move along, now that there was nothing tying him down. And so he had decided upon moving to Gaia, starting a new life. Still, he had hardly expected to find, in the fresh-begotten seeds of it, some of the ashes of his old one.
There were lots of strange things here in Gaia, and not the strangest among them the tales that he'd heard of a shop catering to those who wished to contract with demons. After a bit of searching, he'd discovered the proprietors' names. While he did not recognize one so well, the other rang a bell in his head. Fauste. His mother had mentioned that name -- he was sure of it, though he'd been young at the time. She'd done her best to give her young son some of her knowledge in what short time she'd had him, before she'd had to send him away with his father... something that until the day he died, the elder Dreyer had never felt the need to explain, no matter how often Levi had asked. If he cared to find out, the older man had said, he'd have to find someone else. The man's face had fallen into weary nets of lines, then -- and eventually, Levi had learned simply not to ask. In the end, the exhaustion had claimed him young, and the lawyer had simply fallen asleep atop his files.
One could not fight the march of fate, after all. Despite that, to Levi's curious, analytical mind, all knowledge was worth having -- especially if it might explain to him his mother's fascinations, and the stories his father had passed on to him before he had become so absorbed in his work. Proudly, confident that he'd be able to find the information he sought here, Levi approached the door with its odd knocker, a pale brow rising behind the dark rim of his glasses. Morbid tastes, indeed. He didn't hesitate, however, lifting the thing and letting it fall again with a resounding, dull thud. Tasteful.
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 12:36 pm
Tae-yul looked to the door, gray eyes decidedly uninterested. He brushed imaginary dust off the corner of his book, an expression of deep thought on his face. With Gin-hul unable to summon, he was the patriarch of the Mhin family line. There were many things that came with that title... Many.
So he turned to his sister and said, "Ask him if he has an appointment."
"...He's one of us," said Hae-min, her eyes wide enough that Tae-yul could tell she was somewhat flabbergasted.
Still, he shrugged and said, "Ask him if he has a ******** appointment."
She rose after a moment, and opened the door with her normal smile, bright and sincere. "Good afternoon," she said, her voice lilting under her heavy pan-Asian accent; "Do you have an appointment?"
It must have made an odd picture; the tiny, delicate woman with her dark hair and traditional red dress framed by the decidedly morbid and dusty interior. But if she was aware of the dichotomy, Hae-min's face gave no indication of such.
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:20 pm
The rise of Levi's blond brow did not seem to be stopping anytime soon. In fact, it seemed to be destined to connect with the golden curls at his hairline at any given moment as he looked down at the dainty woman. That was hardly what he'd expected to see emerge from that particular door... and chirping like a bird in sunshine, no less. One hand rose, palm resting on the doorframe, and he inclined his head gravely.
"No," said Levi, deliberately; his own voice was faintly rough with the traces of a German accent, and though he'd grown up speaking English, he had to consciously shape the words. "I've no appointment, but I come bearing questions instead of a request. Perhaps I might beg a moment or two of time?" His smile, when it came, looked as if it had not been used for a rather long time; it was pleasant, but faintly awkward, as if it was not quite at home on the handsome, sober features. Levi's gaze shifted after a moment, peering past the woman and into the dusty shop. Though he was not at all inclined toward allergies, he felt the sudden urge, not entirely physical, to sneeze. He quelled it quickly as he was able, brows furrowing almost sheepishly.
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:23 pm
Hae-min tilted her head a bit at the accent, and after a moment she bowed her head in greeting and stepped back far enough for the blond man to enter. But once he'd passed her, the expression changed a little - calculating, and then to open curiosity - whatever test he'd been given, he'd passed. She sent a pleading look to Tae-yul behind the newcomer's back, but if the younger Korean saw it, he gave no indication. With a quiet (and utterly polite) sound of disgust, she walked over to a desk and started to organize work for Guinevere to do when the girl came back next.
Only then did Tae-yul place a strip of leather into his book to hold his place; only then did the calm gray eyes look up to meet the Moriarty stranger. He didn't smile; he didn't sneer; he gave no indication of interest at all.
"Well?" His voice was like a whip cracking through the silence, astonishingly masculine and harsh for such a small and effeminate person. "Introduce yourself, boy." It was slightly insulting. Tae-yul could not be much older than the man, if he was at all, and he was certainly much shorter.
"Dongsaeng, behave," said Hae-min from her table.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 5:55 pm
As he padded into the shop, Levi's footsteps were very quiet despite the fine dress shoes he wore, and his gaze was curious, quiet, as he surveyed the interior of the shop before looking toward the grumpy stranger with the book. His own quiet gaze was swiftly appraising -- but if he came up with a conclusion, it did not show on his fine features. He offered a half-bow, quick and precise, acknowledging the man without acknowledging the insult. His expression did not change.
"I am Levi Dreyer," he replied with an inclination of his head and a faint upward quirk of the corners of his lips, just on the edge of humor. "To whom have I the privilege of speaking?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 7:44 pm
"You were wrong, Hae-min," said Tae-yul. "He is not a Moriarty. He said so himself."
The woman sighed. "My name is Mhin Hae-min; this jerk is my brother, Mhin Tae-yul, patriarch of the Mhin family. He is rather rude, I hope you'll excuse him."
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 6:40 pm
"It is pleasant," said Levi quietly, offering another bow to Hae-min -- this one was deeper, more polite and gentle, "to meet you, Miss Hae-min. There was no insult given, but I think that he may be wrong." The faint, half-there smile seemed to solidify, deepening; a small dimple flashed in one cheek. "My mother's maiden name was Aurelia Moriarty, though I hardly see why it matters -- though she is why I am here. As I said, I do have questions." Though he was facing Hae-min, Levi's warm, mild voice was carefully tuned so that it was easily audible for both of them, if Tae-yul even cared to listen.
His mother's surname was something he'd discovered on his own, very recently; the knowledge was half of what had led him here. He certainly couldn't have remembered that on his own -- a five-year-old boy hardly recalled the first name of his mother, let alone her surname. But when his father had died, Levi had spent days going through all of the old man's things. One of the last things he had discovered, in fact, was a wedding invitation -- Aurelia Moriarty, to marry Erich Dreyer on May 15th, a spring wedding. Erich had kept, long after his wife's death, the ancient, fragile wreath of orange blossoms she'd worn, carefully tucked away in a silk hatbox.
For his part, Levi did not understand that, but it hardly mattered, now.
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 6:48 pm
Hae-min smiled, a shy and pleased expression. "It does matter, Mr. Dreyer, because of tradition. Tradition is important, you see. If you're untaught, but without the lineage, we cannot teach you from our grimoire. In fact, without lineage, a Mhin won't teach you at all." She blinked, a shocked look passing over her face. "Abeoji spoke of Aurelia Moriarty. She left the States, did she?"
"It does not matter," said Tae-yul. "To the surviving Moriarty, I am obligated to answer his questions. Please do make it brief. I do have things to do."
The woman sighed. "He really is very nice once you get to know him," she whispered to Levi.
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:03 pm
"Ja, she did," replied Levi, with a nod of his head; it dislodged pale curls from their neatly tucked-back setting. While he did not quite understand the first part of what she said, he filed it away for examination once he'd more pieces to add to that particular puzzle. "To marry my father. They lived in England -- halfway between America and Germany, you see? My father was German." The confidential whisper made the smile on Levi's mouth curve more deeply, and he nodded, keeping a chuckle from his voice.
"And while my mother did not tell me much about what my father called 'her fascination' because I was very young, she did speak of the Fauste family because they were nearby. Summoners, she said -- like her own father." He turned back to face Tae-yul, grey gaze narrowing quietly to look at him. "Like you, unless I have put together the pieces of this puzzle wrongly. I know little about it, but I wish to. My father and I were compelled to leave her when I was young, and I have since wished to know why."
His broad shoulders straightened, his smile fading. "It is surprising to find someone I presume is from the family that my mother mentioned often enough, here -- the citizens of this place are surprisingly talkative, I am finding. I had hoped he would have more information... if there is information to be had."
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:12 pm
Hae-min jerked to attention, grayish-blue eyes widening noticeably this time. She smoothed the skirt of her red dress and left, climbing a set of stairs behind a heavy velvet curtain. Really, the shop was turning out to be quite spacious now that Levi was inside and the space could really be seen.
Now the German man was alone with Tae-yul, who did not look pleased. Surely Hae-min hadn't known what exactly Levi was asking - it was quite possible, she was quite innocent sometimes - because if she had been aware, she would not have left to go find Edward, leaving Tae-yul to explain the disappearance.
"Your mother is likely dead," snapped Tae-yul, irritated at having to explain a traumatic part of his life. "Some years ago there was a purging of the summoners by the thrice-damned van Helsing family. Very few summoners worth knowing escaped." So far, it seemed like it had been Tae-yul, Edward, and Martel - Hae-min had come after, but not long after, and alone. It had been... a frightening time. For all involved, he was sure, but shoot him if he felt any pity for the hunters at all. They had murdered infants in the cradle.
Then he shook his head. "You've got no ******** training," he muttered unhappily to himself. "********."
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:56 am
For a moment, Levi froze; broad shoulders stiffened, grey eyes narrowed sharply behind the sheltering lenses of his glasses. He said nothing, only turned his gaze to one side, seeming momentarily faraway, teeth catching his lower lip.
"Hm," was all he said, quietly. If the German was feeling anything in particular, he was very good at hiding it. The pieces fit with alarming clarity and ease; the puzzle snapped together. Fearing for her son's life, Aurelia must have intended to protect him; sending him away must have been a harsh, but simple decision. Erich, feeling betrayed and hoping that she would someday make it back to him, had spent the rest of his life a lonely, distant man. It explained, neatly and effectively, why his mother had never come back, and why his father had been willing, even eager to wait for her -- and why, in Levi's earliest memories, he recalled the man being much more bright, smiling, and open.
"If you're speaking of me, no," he replied quietly, brows furrowing. The pain, if you could call it that, was something to be folded up, and put away in a corner of his mind to be taken out and examined later, analyzed until it eased. It didn't stop him from feeling just a bit... winded as he turned his mind to the other again, looking back to Tae-yul. "I do not. But I am clever enough, and pick up things quickly."
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:38 pm
"You'll need training," said Tae-yul, an angry expression on his face; "Unless you would prefer to one day turn around and find your birthright failing you."
Tae-yul ground his teeth. He was the patriarch of the Mhin family; he was no stranger to duty, he was no stranger to how much work Edward put in (though the Fauste family had always seemed lower ranked to him). It would be detrimental to force the elder summoner to take on an apprentice. Additionally, Tae-yul had the advantage of having an actual family from which to expand his power base, where Edward was... alone.
"I will teach you," said Tae-yul, his expression now imperial, "what you must know. Untrained children have no place bearing a summoner's name." Then he lapsed into thought again.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:56 pm
"I am grateful," said Levi after a moment, unsure of himself for the first time in quite awhile, "for your offer of teaching. Thank you." Admittedly, he had very little idea what he was getting himself into, but Tae-yul had the air of a man granting him an immense favor, in an almost unrefusable manner -- and all knowledge, for Levi, was worth having. This was no exception. If it was what his mother had sacrificed her life in the name of, then in fact, it must be quite important -- and he intended to find out. "What exactly will I be learning, then?" inquired the German, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:51 pm
The Asian man - who, for all the fact he was shorter than Levi, was quite imposing - snorted. "It was not an offer. If you had not agreed, I would have killed you." There was some kind of aura about him that made most people think he would do it, as well. Maybe it was the atmosphere of the shop contributing as well: a curiously oppressive thing just now, the feeling of being watched so intense as to be an actual physical sensation.
No one seemed to notice it but Levi; Hae-min, leading a much taller Caucasian man down the stairs, seemed quite as happy as before. "Dreyer-nim," she said cheerfully, "This is Edward Fauste." And she pushed the taller man towards Levi with a smile.
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