Kings of the Hill

[Ioan Finch]

Did I lock the door to the basement?, Ioan thought to himself, pausing halfway down the corridor leading to the kitchen. He was pretty certain that he had, but that was not good enough for him. Not with what he had stewing in the basement. It had taken long enough to get the potion to this point. He didn’t want it to be tampered with in any way or its effects would be dulled. The children knew to stay out of the basement when their father wasn’t home, but he didn’t want to tempt them so he turned back to double-check. A quick turn of the knob assured the dark haired man that all would be well. The basement door was tightly secured from the curiosity that was his little girl. His son would be with him so he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to find a way into the basement. Turning back, the man headed quickly for the kitchen, to grab some snacks for his son and himself. Ioan had told Lorin the night before that he wanted to spend the day at the park with him, something that he tried to do as often as he could, though it never was as often as he would like. Ioan had done the same with his father and they had shared a good relationship…at least until his mother had passed away and the relationship soured. It wasn’t something that Ioan liked to think about especially now that he had his own son. Ioan was determined to not repeat the mistakes of his father. He was sure that he was smarter and that he had learned enough from his own dealings with his dad to not ruin the relationship he had with his son. Lorin was a good child who usually kept to himself and spent much of his time in his room, too much of his time. It was one of the reasons why Ioan and his wife had finally relented and allowed Lorin to begin traveling around on his own. Ioan was sure he could be trusted to do the right thing and find company with the right people.

“Lorin? Are you ready yet?” Ioan called out as he pressed his back against the door of the kitchen to head back into the living room. He had a knapsack full of snacks and things for the pair to do for the day. As he waited for his son by the door, Ioan looked forward to the day ahead. He knew what his schedule looked like for the coming weeks and knew that in several days he would be heading down to Australia with one of his colleagues to take care of some business. It was not going to be a pleasant experience for anyone involved, but it was a necessary trip. For the day, at least, he was determined to put Scitorari business out of his head and concentrate on his son. Soon, too soon if truth be told, Lorin would be leaving the home, off to one of the wizarding schools to obtain his magical education. Ioan hoped that his and his wife’s alma mater, Durmstrang, had the space to accommodate his son, but he knew that there was a chance that his son would be forced to attend the local wizarding school. This too was a matter for future thought but not for today. “Daddy…can’t I come too?” he heard as a pair of red eyes peeked out from under the table by the door. Ioan hadn’t even noticed his daughter laying there, a pair of stuffed unicorn toys in front of her. “No. Lorin is the only one I’m taking out today. We’re going to be going out tomorrow, remember?” he said, though he was only speaking to the back of her head at the end as she stalked away with a pout. He dreaded the day she became a sulky teenager as she was already fairly difficult at seven. At least his son was more even-tempered.

 

[Lorin Finch]

Tugging on his finest knitted pullover in an effort to brace for all weather types, Lorin cleaved open his bedroom door as a timid creature with questioning eyes. His father had asked for Lorin to accompany him to the park in Brightstone, an adventure certainly worth undertaking, though he could not help but question if this was simply a ploy to remove him from the sanctuary of his stale bedroom walls in which he found such comfort. But as an obedient son, Lorin found himself pulling the bedroom door to, and walking silently down the stairs. He paused, eyes pitting themselves upon his father's form as he checked the basement door.
Trust no-one, Lorin thought darkly, before continuing his venture down the remaining stairs and halting by the front door. Here he waited patiently for further instructions. He smirked a little at his child sister as she was denied the chance to leave the confinement of the family home. Today was for Lorin and his father. His day.

The journey seemed to pass in a wave of haze and soon enough the father and son had arrived at Takarokaro Park. Lorin was quick to notice the other witches and wizards cluttering up the public space. Some were couples laying beneath trees, drowning in each others arms and tender kisses. Some were youthful and noisy with dark clothes and the peculiar desire to dangle at strange angles from the available furnishings. Others were quite, restful and secluded. These were more like the people Lorin enjoyed the company of. People who did not wish to communicate with the outside world.
Lorin turned to his father, edging towards a quieter spot of the park, noticing a series of stone chess tables set out for those enthusiastic enough to take on a challenger in a battle of the mind. Lorin rather fancied a game, and his eyes strayed to that of his father's face, drinking in his expression with a questioning silence. He would not openly ask. They were most likely here on business. His father was a busy man.
Still, he should enjoy his mother's vacancy for one trip in a million.

"It's nice here," Lorin commented shyly, hoping to impress his father by being about as open as he ever could, "I should hope to visit here again, some day. Perhaps with company of a more similar age."
Panic bolted through him like lightning, realising the unintended rudeness within his comment.
"Not that I shouldn't enjoy the company of my father," he hurriedly added, "I am most grateful for the rare time we spend together."
Lorin lapsed back into silent thought, deciding that until he had control of the words tumbling from his peachy lips it would be best for them to remain shut.

 

[Ioan Finch]

As Ioan stepped into the park with his son, his blue-green eyes scanned the land. It was a natural instinct by now, one born from the suspicion and paranoia that came with being a Scitorari leader. All seemed well in the park. There were couples lounging around, stealing kisses from each other; children running to and fro– the hovering lilypads seemed to be quite popular; and then there were those seated here and there, alone, enjoying the company of a good book or the trees that surrounded the park. Ioan noticed his son edging towards a far corner of the park, and he followed along, eager to get away from the crowd as well. The tall man glanced at what that part of the park had to offer and then down at his son. Ioan had introduced his son to the rules of the game when he felt that Lorin was old enough to remember them. It had been a long time since they’d sat down for a game though; too long. Glancing down at his son, Ioan wondered how good he son might’ve gotten. Ioan looked at a face that looked remarkably similar to how he had looked at that age. The only differences he could note were the color of his eyes ( Lorin’s were more blue) and the state of his hair (Ioan’s had been a shaggy mess).

Surprise lit up the older Finch’s eyes as his son initiated conversation. It wasn’t often that he did, so when he did Ioan was always pleased. Ioan never knew what to discuss with Lorin, not knowing what children his age liked. So, more often than not, when they did speak, it was of decidedly un-childlike things – the weather or something in the news. At least when Lorin initiated the conversation, it was easier for Ioan to know what to say. Moving his arm, Ioan gave his son a quick pat on the back. “I am too, son” he stated quickly, pleased that Lorin was pleased with the park.

As they drew ever closer to the chess tables, Ioan removed the knapsack he had been carrying from his back. “Would you care for a game, Lorin?” he asked, his blue-green eyes looking from a more even angle, as he took one of the stone seats. Ioan wished he had had the foresight to bring his chess pieces which currently sat atop the bookshelf in the study that he shared with his wife, but he had been busy with other issues this morning. He glanced around, stopping for a few moments on a pair of elderly gentleman who were engaged in a fierce battle of the minds before wandering over to a tree on the outskirts of the park where a man stood leaning nonchalantly. With a sigh, Ioan moved his gaze away to the large bin in the center of the chess tables which appeared to be filled with chess pieces for use by the general public. He had forgotten about the meeting he had requested. “Do you mind gathering our pieces while I take care of some business?” the father stated to his son as he stood, leaving the knapsack on the seat he had just abandoned. Ioan walked over to the man and stood speaking quietly with him for a few moments, his eyes glancing over to his son every few moments to monitor his actions. Ioan gave the man a slip of parchment, gesturing to the paper as he spoke. As a loud crack cued the man’s exit, Ioan made his way back to his son, glad that was over with. He hoped that Bell had understood just how imperative it was that he got those ingredients and how displeased he would be if he didn’t.

 

[Lorin Finch]

This small sign of affection shown by his father in the form of a pat on the back left something of a lasting impression in Lorin's mind. One that would stay with him for life and reserve some level of loyalty towards the man he had looked up to and admired for so long.
Their time together was a rare and valuable gem that Lorin could treasure forever. His father had scarcely said an unkind word of his skulking off to his room post family mealtimes, and perhaps he understood that Lorin just found it easier that way. Easier to avoid confrontation. Easier to prevent further arguments with his mother or sister. Easier to concentrate on creating his little clockwork dream scape beneath the creaking oak frame of his bed.
Lorin shot his father a small, but warm smile. It was genuine. So much, in fact, that it caused his facial muscles to ache. He retracted it a little, buried his head beneath the neat curtains of hair, and awaited further instruction.

The suggestion and temptation of a chess match against his father- a chance to prove that he had, perhaps, inherited some small level of his father's skilled nature- was all too perfect for Lorin, and he nodded in agreement with the idea.
"That would be wonderful," he beamed, pleased that they could try something to test the minds of men.
Lorin was a little surprised by his father's request, but he was never one to question the business of his elders; his mother had taught him that at quite a young age.
Lorin, again, nodded, wandering over to the bin to seize their chess pieces. He gathered the units required and returned to the chess table to seat himself upon the stone furnishing, placing the pieces atop the table and setting them up.

Lorin stared down at his little army of men, having given himself the white pieces without really thinking. He paused in his seat as his father returned to join him, gazed up into the grown man's eyes in an almost apologetic manner. He felt it rude not to make the offer.
"I have set myself up to play the white knight," he began in a solemn tone, "but I can reallocate myself if you wish not to play black?"
Lorin knew his father to be a far more reasonable and less fiery being than his mother. She was a pale woman with a temper that could sear the face of the sun. Still, Lorin hoped not to offend his father, the only true support he could feel within his life.