Welcome to Gaia! ::

In his office Garos was busy working on the reports for the week past and this week. A couple of incidents with patrons who’d been kicked out for disorderly behavior. Beyond the occasional jackass who thought they could get away with touching, let alone attacking some of our wait staff was lucky that being kicked out was all that had happened, but they wouldn’t be allowed back in and the staff he had attacked were treated and given time off to recover from the ordeal beyond their usual days off. Cassarria believed in taking care of their staff and he was a firm believer that ideal meant doing everything possible to make their lives better. As he poured over financial reports which no surprise, they were up from the weeks prior, he also handled ordering any supplies they needed to daily operations. His focus was purely on his paperwork that the presence of anyone walking in was missed immediately.

When Laura dropped that tray of Fudge in front of him, his attention was split between the information she was giving him and having to process and the fact that she had brought him a tray full of fudge, his face a mixture of confusion and professionalism. He couldn’t get a word in until she spoke of her going out on a date which surprised him even more, since he recalled she’d not been in... How long had she been?



As she started to leave his professional facade finally broke, his chair had shifted only slightly when he got up his movement swift, he caught her arm with his hand causing her to look at him, the sudden questioning look on her face caused him to release her and stand back a step giving her a level of space that he thought was appropriate for someone like himself and finally spoke “i uh...” he lowered his eyes her appearance catching his attention as he slipped back into a professional baring, had she always been this beautiful? He couldn’t recall since he rarely took time for himself, he chose to work after his former employer died so long ago, his work the only thing keeping him from being murderous, and the exhaustion when he finally stopped keeping him from doing anything regrettable especially on Club grounds.



Finally, he spoke in a clear voice for the first time, no professional tone, just him “thank you for the fudge, and...” he paused a moment as he finally raised his eyes to look at her and finally seeing her “you look beautiful, and...” he paused again, his muscular form showing even in the dark grey suit he wore since he started managing the Club, his muscles were suddenly tense, and when he finally spoke again there was a slight tinge of sadness in his tone “enjoy your date tonight, I'll make sure that you are cleared of any duties this evening” he was hopeless, but if anything he had done something that he had never done previously. His muscular form slumped slightly as he turned and started to return to his chair, his eyes looking at the Fudge that was resting at the center of his desk, papers buried under it or scattered a bit. Had he been a fool to shut out everyone around him? Probably... he was protecting them, but from who? Himself? Or was he simply hiding behind his work because he was deep down afraid to get close to someone again, granted his relationship with Tenran had been mostly business and some casual, he was after all his butler and manager when Brimstone was still in operation. He had a love for them man because he treated him more than just an employee, he was a colleague, a confidant, Tenran didn’t speak of it much but he had cared about his butler and that in of itself meant much for the at the time young demon who’d been brought into the industry as a result of being bonded out to him to pay off a debt.



The debt paid, he continued to work for them man, he was hopeless without him and that was the way he preferred it to be. After the death, he had nearly lost himself to the pain of loss of a man who was too good for this world, admittedly there was question on whether it was necessary but Tenran had been chosen to lead the horde that was subsequently slaughtered by the wolves who fought back, he hadn’t heard of anything after that. Sometime after he had chosen to continue to be a use rather than seek an end that benefited anyone, but he had vowed not to get close to anyone after that and sought employment with the Club. He had simply come looking for a simple job instead the owner saw the value of his talents and put him in charge of the club as the manager, it was a role he took to easily and twenty years later he was still hard at it, though ten years this woman had been trying to get close to him, tried to give him something he wasn’t sure he knew how to handle, afraid that if he let himself feel that he’d lose her too.



Finally, he spoke up sensing her presence was still there, “i apologize for being an a**, and ignoring you and your feelings” his professional facade gone, only a demon who’d been ignoring the feelings who’d been trying for ten years to get him to see her and for whatever reason this act had caused a crack to appear on his carefully protected heart, his eyes showed a man who’d used his work as a shield, to the point of working himself to death. He had been well suited for the job but even he couldn’t continue this for much longer, he’d kept everything at arm's length as a professional courtesy, thought now he had to wonder what Tenran would have thought of his Butler and arguably his closest friend and ally hiding away behind his working environment, pushing everyone away for professional reasons. Truth be told he couldn’t say his friend would have agreed with this self-destructive path, Tenran had readily believed that one should enjoy life not just live, and well he hadn’t exactly been enjoying life, only living, only getting by.



When Garos turned around he was taken aback by the swift response she had given him, Laura taking a chance in hoping it wasn’t the wrong move having closed the distance and lip locked him. Whatever was left of his perfectly tailor facade shattered in that moment, he wrapped his arms around her bringing her closer to him suddenly needing her, suddenly desiring to feel alive not just living for the sake of living.

Varos, watched Cassarria leave taking in every curve she had and remembering he had other things that needed his attention, which made him frown since he’d been absent for a while and his mate while satisfied every time he came home because he made a point of making up for his absence every moment that didn’t require his attention to be elsewhere. When She went back into the temple, he turned his attention back to what was needed and went to the elevator to go to the offices to track down his very busy Garos before he made some calls of his own.





Garos let his guard drop entirely, lip locking Laura without hesitation, they’d been so lost in the moment that the throat clearing caught them both off guard, Garos standing between Laura’s legs his arms wrapped around her waist both looking up to see Varos standing in the door, the grin on his face as they suddenly remembered they were on the office floor, the embarrassment starting to show but both were surprised when Varos raised a hand “go home, take a few days for yourself and when you get back” he grinned “come see me, we may have additional problems that will need to be addressed” Garos started to say something but the look on Varos face told him to listen and just looked at Laura a moment before he grabbed her hands and pulled her up off the desk they both now making their way towards the elevator to go to the residential floor.



Varos laughing inside went into his and Cassarria’s office which was central to the floor, it had windows that could be darkened when privacy was needed for meetings, and simply sat down at his desk and started making phone calls for some of his contacts within the city he’d acquired as a result of doing what he did. He was going to exhaust other avenues before he called Cassarria’s Family, though it was likely he was going to have to send someone out to trace the bears path and find out where they were taken, which caused him to send a message up to Desmond and Bast’s room that he needed to see them in his office when time allowed.

Ice froze for about two seconds when he saw his uncle waiting for him but he admitted that he wasn't expecting this particular person for this appointment. He'd been expecting one of the cousins. They were unpleasant but they were still professional and covered their visits with design requests.

His uncle, however....

He turned a smile to Sally, his main secretary, as she handed him his mail and notes on calls. He was patient as she went through his appointments, pausing to glance at his uncle, "And your three o'clock has apparently changed from Thomas to Robert. He's actually been here since yesterday," she said simply then moved to get Ice one of his favorite coffees to make up for the problem waiting for him.

He gave a sigh and nodded to the beefy security guards Cassarria had insisted on stationing here for him. He was grateful for it today.

He moved into his office with Robert hot on his heels, ignoring him as he moved around his desk to put the mail and notes down then gestured to one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk, hoping that he was making a point that would be understood.

His uncle, however, was a royal b*****d on a good day. Unfortunately for Ice, this wasn't a good day...

Robert moved around the desk and punched him without warning, "How dare you keep me waiting!?!" he growled out as Ice caught himself against the desk.

Ice slowly straightened himself up and wiped at his lip, finding a bit of blood from where his teeth had cut the inside of his cheek, "If I'd known that it was you instead of Thomas, I'd have told them to ban you from the building. I like you about as much as you do me, Uncle. Now, instead of being the abusive p***k we both know you are, why don't you tell me why the hell you're here," he growled out, cutting a glare to the a*****e.

Robert growled at him again and slapped his other cheek, "You're going to come back home and make yourself useful instead of playing around here. We can make use of the sons from Thomas and George after you are in place. But you will toe the line and be of some use," he growled out, clearly expecting his intimidation to work.

Ice gave a growl of his own and shifted as he moved, taking on his demonic form as he grabbed his uncle by the throat to lift him off of his feet.

His demonic form was impressive: Nine feet tall, three sets of spiraling horns that curled around his head to protect his head and offer a threat to anyone attacking him from behind, a forked tail that had razor sharp edges, hands that ended in black claws that were actually deadly weapons on their own, his skin was a metallic blue but the exact shades changed as he moved to slam his uncle against the wall, his body was more muscular and even more enticing than usual, his hair now fell down his back with strange gold-colored beads here and there in it, he wore a pair of leather shorts with a metal harness and cuff-like bracelets at wrists and ankles made from the same metal, even his tail sported a few of the gold-colored bands as if decorating the lethal weapon.

He gave a deeper growl as he pressed the man hard into the wall, his ice-blue eyes nearly glowing, "I will do nothing of the kind... I will stay here and do as I please. You will never darken my door again. I will not be part of your plots and plans. And do you know why?" the question was rhetorical at this point but Ice answered it himself anyway, "Because if you don't leave me alone, I will remind you why you have always feared me," he growled again.

He dropped the idiot and stepped back, shifting back to his human form as he turned back to his desk, "I suggested that you leave now without protest and never come to see me again. Have a nice day, Uncle," he finished in a calmer tone that actually made the other man shiver as he held his throat briefly before simply walking out.

Ice sat down as the door closed and closed his eyes as he leaned back in the chair to breath for a moment. He opened his eyes as Sally came in to set his coffee on his desk in front of him. She stood there in silence then left the room for a few minutes. When she came back, she had an ice pack that she offered in silence.

He gave her a tired smile as he took it from her, "He's banned. If he shows up again, they can have at him," he said in a soft tone.

Sally looked at him for another moment then nodded, "I'll pass that on to security. You need to ice that before it starts swelling. I'll push the rest of your appointments back an hour to let you recover," she told him simply then left him alone.

He gave another heavy sigh and took a sip of his coffee as he put the ice pack against his punched cheek. Sally was right that he needed to take care of this. He didn't need Ravari to see him hurt. He really wasn't ready to explain his family to her.

Unfortunately, his hour wasn't long enough. But he had work to do and he lost himself in it, determined to distract himself. He did it good enough that he forgot about getting punched on one side of his face and slapped on the other side.

His day passed and he was mentally exhausted by the time his last appointment walked out the door and he pressed the intercom to request a cup of cinnamon spice tea and something sweet. Sally found some glazed pastries and brought a mix of those with the tea. As she set them down she gave a soft sigh, "You'll need the arnica salve this time. You're turning colorful in the way that clashes with your hair. Ravari is going to lecture you for it," she warned him.

Then Ravari and Ruby walked in...

I'm screwed... was his only thought as his best friend caught sight of his face.

He had a standard bruise on his right cheek and handprint bruise that covered the other side of his face. His uncle had large hands in human form and loved to use his full demonic strength in human form. It made for worse bruises and a nightmare of a relative...

As it was, he was going to have to put together a notice for the Queen about his uncle's plots. Maybe he'd get to lose another relative... That possibly held promise...

But for now, he watched Sally leave his office as Ruby pulled Ravari up to his desk with Ruby giving an aggressive growl over the bruises on his face.

Cassarria exited the elevator and went to look for Garos. She was surprised that he wasn't in his office and all of his staff said he left for the day.

While giggling...

Well... No matter... She guessed she would be justified in going to her office where Varos was. No one could say she didn't try to avoid the distraction. She had tried to see Garos first. She simply had no choice but to take action herself.

Yes, it made perfect sense...

She felt her smile spread as she approached her office and pushed the door open, "My love! I have good news and I have a clue for you!" she called out.

But when she opened the door, her smile disappeared into a disappointed frown, "Damn.... What are you two doing here? So annoying..." she commented in full pout-mode.

She crossed to sit on Varos's desk next to him anyway and waved off her siblings as they started to explain, "Don't interrupt me yet. Since I can't get distracted I'll have to focus on business first. My love... My good news is that our new head of security will be here in a week. We'll have to get an apartment ready for her. It will need better shielding and full protection against iron. We need to get the contractors in on that right away," she explained that piece first.

"I would have told Garos but he's apparently out for the day and his staff is giggling. So we'll have to get it started," it was a minor complaint but she could say it was justified.

"For your clue.... I mentioned the missing bears to a friend and all she could tell me was to look for Divine Power of some kind. I don't know if it's true Angelic or Fallen, but that's all she could give me," she delivered that one then left it in his court. He tended to be good with odd clues like that.

She moved to get off of his desk and headed for her own to get started on the apartment.

Should she call in Ice for this as well?

Hmm... Maybe...

Oh! She had an idea!

Yes. She deliberately teased her husband by NOT kissing him when she was by him. Might make him punish her properly...

She called in the contractors and got them working, deciding to set up the apartment special and put it on the Security Floor. It would mean that the contractors would have to be escorted for the work but also gave them a blank slate to work with.

Where? Ah! The corner of that floor was free! That would be it!

A few phone calls and it was arranged. She wrote a note for Ice about decorating the apartment with the few bits she knew about the woman.

While she did that, Zer and Ravenna ignored her and focused on what he was doing as they watched the bears leave. That done, Ravenna moved over to his desk again, "I can't offer much but I can your Trey here if we have a location on her," she offered.

Cassarria waved a hand in their direction as she checked the floorplan for the Security Floor, "Sebastet has a few of the pack. Check with her first," she said in a distracted tone.

Ravenna looked hesitant for the first time, "I'm sure that.... Ummm... I think Thera might be best for that trip, then," she suggested, licking her lips nervously.

Cassarria straightened up and put one hand on her hip, "Go see the cat, Rav... I'm sure she's got some carion you can play with by now. Just because she pulled a feathers out you're twitchy," she teased her sister deliberately, making Zer giggle then twitch.

Cassarria turned her attention to him, "As for you... You'll need to get with the elves on the Security Floor about the connections they need. Just don't zap anyone we actually like on the way," she shoo'd him out of the office, sighing when he simply disappeared.

Should she send a warning?

Nah... Security already knew about him so his sudden appearance there wouldn't be an issue. It would keep the elves on their toes as well...

That just left Ravenna.

If they could get rid of her, she might be able to help desecrate that desk properly...

Well... That did it...

She was right.

They desecrated both desks. And the wall.

She needed to tease him like that more often.

When he finally unlocked the office, her gown was back in place and she was thoroughly disheveled. She was also not going to be sitting comfortably for a bit.

As one of the secretaries came in to deliver messages to them both, she grinned at him, "Now that my bad behavior has been addressed..." she started with that tease, completely unrepentant, "What do you know about Garos not being in his office?" she asked, knowing that he had to know about it.

Then again, it wouldn't be the first time he'd sent her manager to do something, so the question was justified. Besides, Garos's secretary never giggled...

She looked at her notes from the secretary. One from the receptionist confirming the contractors getting to work. She did love prompt service... One from Philana with a lot of swear words involving a nasty surprise that she assumed had to involve Zer somehow. Another from the receptionist confirming the banning of Ice's uncle from the building. She needed the details on that one!

And one last one from her counterpart at Brimstone detailing some of RRT's little games from information she'd gained.

That one she passed on to Varos.

"Now then... What should we do

Cassarria nodded to her secretary who grabbed two more and started making calls. Then she simply took his hand and pulled him from the room towards the elevator.


She couldn't help but grin over Garos, "At least he finally pulled his head out of his a**. I swear that I was going to give him one more week before I locked them in a broom closet until he figured it out," she grumbled a bit, disappointed that she'd missed it...

"Zer is already down there. He likely startled Philana, if her note is anything to go by. Ill see about arranging the transportation for everyone while you set it all up. You'll have to be in the control room coordinating it all. We still can't risk them seeing you," she said simply as she leaned into him in the elevator.

She knew he hated it, but he got enough action when he sailed. It was still a risk and had her on edge every time he left. But she gave him the freedom he needed and was grateful each time he came home again.

She didn't say any of that. She didn't need to. It was the only thing they never said out loud.

All too soon, the doors opened and they went their separate ways.