Closed Retrospect

It was a relief that it was finally spring. Winter hadn't been easy in the last two years, though Ai had remained utterly quiet on the matter. She'd never had the best health when it came to being pregnant, which is why most of her pregnancies had been kept quietly until the information getting out was inevitable. But now, she could feel that there was a definite change in her body since the last. Which was not surprising considering the incidents that happened then. It was just best not to think about that. But nowadays, it felt like potions made her feel worse when she felt ill. It was perhaps for the best that most of the children didn't stay in the manor full-time and that Nik preferred to spend time with Liam so she wouldn't be worrying any of them. It was both easier and harder to hide from her husband but Ai knew him better than he knew her even after almost twenty years of marriage. Today, at least, was one of those days that she was feeling normal, though if she wasn't careful she'd need a rest soon enough. But there would be none of that today because she was due to meet Laurent in a matter of minutes. At least this time, she wasn't cornered and was more prepared since she had called this meeting. She didn't know why Laurent was meeting with her son, but she hardly trusted the man with Mikael's welfare right now since his kids and Mikael were still on equal standing. Until their deal was in effect, Ai wanted to make sure he stayed far away from her children.​

Laurent, of course, took his time arriving at Ai’s beck and call, never one to rush when he didn’t feel it was necessary. Despite Ai being one of the Head’s of the family, Laurent hardly considered her necessary. The air was crisp today, but tolerable, not his favourite season, but certainly better than Winter. He liked Autumn the most, he always felt it was the most interesting of times. He adjusted the cuffs on his favourite tailored suit as he stepped into Ai’s office. It certainly was not common for her to summon him like this. Usually he would suffer the indecency of being expected to ask for a meeting, and then waiting several months for a reply, which was hilarious when one considered their closeness geographically. Just another point on the list of reasons why she and Liam (mostly her) were not fit to be the Nightray Heads. He’s been saying it for years.

“Well, you look well, Ai,” he said smoothly, though by the fact he’d not seen her around as much recently (look, he wasn’t a stalker alright) he wasn’t sure how true his statement was - not that he cared, seeing as he would have rather preferred Ai be a bug under his shoe if given have a chance. She was so difficult to read sometimes, and not for the first time he wondered if she was a legilimens. She was even harder to read when she was guarded - like now. “I must say, I was rather surprised to receive your summons. It’s not often you call on me willingly.”​

Ai was not at all bothered that Laurent was late. She'd expected it because he was a petty little man. Most of the Nightrays were really. And it wasn't like this was her first time dealing with them. She'd been working for the Nightrays for years before she even married Liam. Had known Liam in school. As much as she loved her husband, he could also be a petty man. She was pretty sure he wrote the definition for it in the dictionary. And so, she was completely unbothered and working on some paperwork when Laurent finally deemed it appropriate to grace her with his presence. She lifted her head after a moment passed with his greeting. "And you as well, Laurent," she said as she waved her hand at the paperwork to send them off to whoever needed to receive them. "It's not often that I feel the need to," she said as she leaned forward on her desk, elbows resting on the surface before resting her chin on her hand. "You do splendid work and I respect my relationship with you and your siblings enough to not grace you with my presence more than necessary," she said with a small smile that was almost regretful. An emotion she didn't really feel when it came to their long history. Said demeanor didn't last long though, as her gaze hardened just a fraction, the small smile sliding off her face with practiced ease. "But you'll have to excuse me for being curious as to why you've been meeting with my son."​

Laurent chuckled lightly at Ai, because honestly he really did find her quite hilarious, both as a person and as the head of the Nightray family. Ah but should he perhaps pretend that Liam is the head? Since that was the general family lie? Laurent couldn’t remember meeting someone so useless, except for maybe Sebastian. He took up residence in one of the more comfortable chair’s in Ai’s office and crossed one leg over the other, making himself comfortable in her presence, as if the room and the chair itself had been prepared specifically for his comfort. “My dear Ai,” he said, his voice laced with silken charisma that they both knew was unnecessary, but Laurent had been raised to always be polite, especially to those who thought they were superior. “Your vigilance as a mother is - how shall I put it? - admirable. Touching, even.”

He paused, and leaned forward a little so she had to look at him when he spoke. “I understand your concern. Truly, I do. Mikael is at a… delicate age, isn’t he? Curious. Receptive. It only felt right to offer him a little guidance, a conversation or two - nothing more than gentle conversation. After all, isn’t it the duty of the older generation to pass on what wisdom we can?” Not to mention the promise he’d made to help Mikael until his children had been assessed and that hadn’t happened yet. What was wrong with giving Mikael a few key pointers on how to fight for what he loved? Or pointing out that it could be easily used against him?

He leaned back a bit then, and grinned. “Rest assured, I have no intentions that should alarm you. If anything, I was merely attempting to ensure the family legacy is carried forward with a bit of… refinement.” And after all, if Mikael deemed not to tell his mother - cherished as she was - about what they talked about, that wasn’t really his problem now was it? “Unless, of course, you believe I’ve done him some harm? That was never my aim.” He tilted his head ever so slightly. “But I am curious, Ai. What is it you’re truly afraid of?”​

If Ai had to pick a Nightray she hated dealing with the most, it would be Laurent. Which was unsurprising, because it used to be his mother. Wait. No. It used to be Alexia's father because Sebastian was a violent man. Francesca was just a b!tch really. Unfortunately for Ai now, Laurent seemed to have been an eclectic mix between his uncle and his mother. "Why thank you dear. You've always been so kind," she said with a small smile before calling for tea to be served for her and her guest. Dodrey appeared only moments later with the drinks and Ai took her cup - jasmine. Dodrey really was the best. She didn't know what tea he'd decided to serve Laurent but it was hit or miss anyway if the man would take the silently offered beverage in front of him.

Ai wouldn't have been able to stop the snort even if she'd wished. She tried of course to be the picture of calmness and grace. But describing Mikael as curious and receptive was a little too much to take seriously. "I do so wish I've raised such a child, but alas, my children seem to like taking after their father more than myself," she said with an exasperated sigh. Of course, the closest was probably Eurydice, but even she was like her father a lot. It still amused her to this day that Jai and Tizi who were Liam's sons in everything but blood had taken after him more than they did her. As she would always tell Kelsey and Bryce, perhaps she'd be lucky with the next one. She let Laurent ramble on about guiding and imparting wisdom on Mikael, which Ai was definitely calling a load of bull. Still, when asked if she believed he would cause her son harm, she smiled serenely. "Of course not." She definitely thought he could have done something. "I trust you implicitly," to do a load more harm than good. "In fact, I'm quite grateful you've taken on such interest and initiative in the future of the family," she said before taking another sip of her tea before setting it aside.

With the tea having settled her, especially with the tiredness seeping into her bones and making her a little drowsy, at least the drink had made her more alert and awake. "I would just like to request you leave the education of my school-aged children to my husband for now, especially since I'm sure you have your hands full with your twins. I heard there was another letter from the school?" she asked curiously, folding her hands on the desk, tilting her head just a little. The next generation of Nightrays - her children's generation - were an eccentric bunch just as much if not worse than her husband's. Between Theodore's constant need for a date, Mikael being a throwback of his father, and Evelyn being in detention most days than not since becoming an heir. Well. Everyone had their hands full. "Besides, my children still have much to learn from Liam after all, and I wouldn't want to confuse the children by switching mentors now," she said gently, though there was a hint of warning in her tone for him. "I'm sure you will have your chance to mentor Mikael if he defeats your children once the challenges are issued. That was the deal, wasn't it?" Until Mikael was ahead of the twins, Ai didn't trust Laurent to not do him harm. If she were honest, even with the deal in effect, she still wouldn't, but at least safeguards have been put in place.

With the matter of him asking about her fears however, she merely gave him an amused smile, "I'm not in the business of airing out my skeletons. I'm afraid you'll have to dig them out yourself."​

Laurent accepted the tea because it was only polite, and honestly he rather enjoyed the idea of Ai having to serve him, since he would soon be the head, because he would puppet Sebastian just to do it. He was a courteous guy if nothing else, and whether or not he actually drank it was irrelevant, this was about the optics of it, the politics of it. So he let the steam swirl under his nose and then set it to the side untouched. He didn’t need to actually drink it and honestly he wasn’t 100 % convinced Ai wouldn’t have figured a way to subtely poison it. She had always been sneaky in that way, not that he was going to call her out on it at this moment. He chuckled, leaning back into his seat again. “Ah, yes. The ever-faithful Liam,” he said, thinking back to a time he might have considered them friends, not good friends, but when he and Gabriel were tiny children stealing bugs for experiments, Liam had seemed like such a distant thought. There were reasons why he hated the entire family.

“A man who wears fatherhood like a badge and treats legacy like a private game of chess.” He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head slightly, considering Ai with vast swathes in intrigue. “Tell me, Ai - how many more times do you think the children will take after him before it starts to concern you?” The comment was mostly flippant, but he had buried a needle into the words. He liked to make a show of feigning acquiescence, and he leaned forward into his hand on his chest to mock his own deference to her, the head of his family. “Of course, I will respect your request.” For now, he said, a thin smile touching his lips. “But you must forgive me if I find it difficult not to offer advice when I see… potential being squandered. Mikael may not be receptive, as you say, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t watching. Listening. Even the most stubborn child eventually looks for guidance in the most unexpected places.” After all, Ai had told him he was to teach and train Mikael if his own children were shown to be incapable or ineligible, would this not be him fulfilling such a promise?

And then she moved on to Evelyn. The headache in his own base. He knew she would see the irritation he tried to hide, she was an excellent reader of people, that was part of the problem. “Yes, the school,” he said, clipped for a second before his tone smoother out. “Evelyn continues to display… initiative. I would be more concerned if she wasn’ttesting boundaries. I dare say that’s what Nightrays are born to do, wouldn’t you agree?” She should know well the kind of boundaries a Nightray might push. “Besides, I trust her to choose which rules are worth following.” This conversation was quickly moving in directions very quickly and he was adjusting and adapting, he could only hope to catch Ai out on something or other. “And yes, the deal. I do remember it. And I intend to honour it - when it begins. I just thought a bit of preliminary advice might give Mikael a fighting chance. We wouldn’t want the game to be over too quickly, would we?”

He tapped a finger on the arm of his chair, and grinned. “As for skeletons - ah, Ai, you wound me. I thought we were long past games of hide and seek.” She should know better than to point out skeletons in people’s closets, since she had many more than he did. “But no matter. I don’t need to dig. You’ll show me. One day. They always do.”​

Ai kept a smile on her face, it was too easy to keep it on around Laurent, even with how much the man irks her. She knew he found her even more irritable than she found him, so keeping her serene facade was usually well-worth it. "Well, I certainly don't mind them taking after him as much as I actually complain about it," she said, amusement coating her tone with every word. As if Laurent had said something that was almost too funny. "I did marry the man," she reminded him - it was hardly needed considering her marriage to Liam is how her leadership of this family all started. In fact, it was hardly her marriage that was the beginning. But it definitely perhaps started when Liam and her first crossed paths. It was no secret how much it still irked some of the conservative Pureblood factions that she was the matriarch of this family. But that was not a discussion for today. "Why? Are you concerned your children are taking after dear Dominique more?" Her tone was teasing, though honestly, she doubted the children taking after Dominique more was a better option. She was a Snow and a Zhefarovich before marrying into the Nightrays. Vicious family line. She had no doubt Dominique had claws even if they'd barely spoken words. "Thankfully for both of us, Mikael will not remain school-aged for much longer." After all, she did just say to leave the school-aged children to her and Liam. Mikael would be due to graduate soon - as were Laurent's children.

It was hard to keep the amusement off of her features at Laurent's irritation that was plain for her to see. In fact, it was just a little bit hard not to push the proverbial nail on the coffin - comparing Laurent's children to other eccentric Nightray children. "Why of course. Theodore does the same thing, we all know that. And I remember when we used to get letters about Tizi nabbing someone's stuff again," she said with an all-knowing sigh. She knew which comparison would irk Laurent more. Which was most definitely why she said it. Where else was she to get amusement from this little conversation? "Nightrays make the rules," Ai said with a nod, Nightrays had their own rules to follow she supposed, and the rules in the family were always subject to change at the whims of the Head. "I doubt the game would be quick, the heirs this time seem to like biding their time." Or at least those around Jai and Tizi's age. Perhaps they just weren't as interested in the position as much as the previous generation was. She knew Tizi wanted the headship, but even he was biding his time. The question was Mikael's age group. Evelyn was hardly the patient sort. Sebastian always did seem like a follower. And Mikael, despite his laziness, had always been eager for the position. She had a feeling challenges would be issued soon and the games would begin.

Ai grinned right back. "Now why stop playing games that have always been so fun?" Skeletons. Did she have a lot? Perhaps. That she was hiding from Laurent? Barely any. Ai liked to think sometimes that she was an open book. You just needed to learn how to read. It was perhaps just unfortunate for most people that they didn't. "I look forward to what you find," besides, the skeletons buried in Ai's closet had always been related to death - it wasn't like that was a secret to Laurent either. He knew perfectly well some of what was hidden within.​

Laurent made a low, unimpressed noise at the back of his throat, sharp as a knife thought velvet, but he didn’t bother to hide the smirk tugging at he corners of his mouth. After all, Ai had always known exactly what buttons to press, and it was no surprise she was pressing them now. She had always gone out of her way to understand people in this way, he thought she preferred it, preferred to know which of the people in her life she could manipulate easily and which she had to work harder on. It was one of the very many reasons Laurent had always found her to be so bloody irritating. And so dangerous. A thorn he would soon have no choice but to remove from his side, and if she would not go willingly, he would resort to less savoury measures. Whatever she deemed to push him into. “You say this now,” he observed, folding his arms into his chest. “But you seem to mistake me for someone who forgets history, Ai. I remember all of it, and I would just rather not relive it thought my own blood, if that’s all the same to you.”

He shook his head slowly, as if the very idea was enough to age him prematurely. Even Laurent could not hide from the truth, so much as he might want to, and though Ai liked to make herself seem like she was better and he was less than, he’d never taken the life of another, and yet… He leaned in gently, just enough to make his next words a little more intimate, “as for the heirs, they can bide their time until they rot for all I care.” he said, his voice regaining some of it’s lazy drawl. “Better patience than rashness. I’ve no interest in another generation tearing this family apart because they thought they were more worthy than another, and couldn’t keep their wands sheathed.” He leaned back, two predators baring their teeth to each other. “Suppose it would be too much to hope you’ve run out of skeletons worth finding.”

"You wouldn't want me to get bored now would you?"​