The Underground Mods (
undergroundmods) wrote in
undergrounds2017-10-09 09:30 pm
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
Five Years Later...
A lot can change in five years. Students who were at Redbright have now started their careers. People have moved out, moved in, started a new life together or apart. Some move on from the city while others return to it. But while the lives of its residents continue to grow and change, London remains as it has ever been: a focal point for magical power.
A tentative peace
The last five years have not been without conflict, both internal and external. The vampires have played with the politics of in-fighting and backstabbing. The werewolves have overthrown their leader and chosen a new alpha. The witches have suffered one scandal after another. And the fae have quietly engineered a small change here, a personal revenge there, until finally with Redbright and Hillingdon acting as neutral parties a peace agreement was reached between Circle Daybreak, the Islington Nest and the East End Pack. Their territories are still beholden to the same rules (e.g. vampires are still forbidden to enter East End territory and vice versa) but they are no longer in open conflict. Small steps, perhaps, but positive ones.
A delicate balance
The year is 2022. The balance of power in the city is now evenly split between the East End Pack, Islington Nest and Circle Daybreak, thanks largely to the rise of the werewolves and the new President Laura Roslin who simultaneously holds the post of Werewolf Representative.
Samantha Okeke lost her position as Witch Representative following allegations of corruption, and has been replaced by Diphylleia "Dee" Absin, a much more co-operative member of the Night Council. While Samantha has retained her title of Mother of Witches, there are rumours that she lost her powers during a confrontation with a powerful fae. Circle Daybreak firmly denies all such speculation.
The connections between the Redbright Institute and the Hillingdon Clan have grown stronger since the former is now perceived to be a more neutral force rather than tied to the Night Council, although Hillingdon certainly still has the less clean-cut image of the two.
Meanwhile, the Seelie and Unseelie Court have largely withdrawn from public life in the mortal realm except in isolated corners, though they claim the right to go where they please throughout the city. Consequently, there are no barriers preventing travel between the realms, which seems for now to be an acceptable compromise.
And after all, politics is the art of compromise.
Looking ahead
All in all, the vampire and fae presence in the city has reduced as the vampires move around and the fae decide that if they're invited it can't be that great a party anyway. The number of witches has recovered thanks to an amnesty allowing those who were once members of Circle Midnight to return (though the faction itself has not reappeared).
The biggest change that has been noticed first by staff at the Redbright Institute however is the increasing number of meta humans, in particular young meta humans, being discovered in the city. Often these are humans with no knowledge of the supernatural developing their powers for the first time. The reason why has yet to be discovered...
no subject
"What's brought this on?" Considering she wouldn't even leave him when he beat her half to death, something must've changed.
no subject
"...I'm pregnant."
And just like that, she starts to cry.
no subject
That's.
That's a pretty big deal.
Eames might not like this kind of emotional situation, but he's good at dealing with them. He stands and moves to sit next to her, taking a hand and giving it a gentle squeeze while she cries. Obviously she's only just found out, she can cry it out and then they can talk when she's a little more calm. Or less immediately tearful at the very least.
no subject
Now was the right time, she was still young enough, and she wanted so badly to be a mother. Sure, they had Bulls-Eye, but their fur-baby was nothing compared to the living, breathing human Nancy so badly wanted. And now with Fagin gone it was safer, too. They didn't have to worry about him around the child.
Nancy leans against him, letting him hold her, hold her hand. Her other hand rests on her stomach.
"God- I'm so scared, Eames. But I want this- I need this."
no subject
Truthfully the entirety of Eames' experience with pregnancy is his mother's sense of humour and a few, um. Encounters that haven't really taught him anything except the usefulness of mattress protectors. So it's not like he has a whole host of knowledge to fall back on here. But he has a lot of money and connections, and he knows some stuff about mortal pregnancies.
Which is probably why that bottle of whisky is gently sliding out of arms' reach.
no subject
She nods into Eames' shoulder. "I know- that's why I'm here- you're always- always so good to me, Eames. I've wanted this for so long- ten years, Eames, or near enough." She wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Fuck."
no subject
She knows she can't have both of these things, she has to make a choice. It sounds like Nancy's choice is the child, and he'll do what he can to help her have that. Eames sighs and lifts a hand to comb his fingers through her hair.
"I'll get you set up somewhere, find you a doctor," pregnant women need those, right. Doctors and whatever. Whatever, they can figure that out, "you can stay here until then."
no subject
She's about to accept the offer, when a thought occurs to her. She sits straight up. "No! You can't- he'll look for me here. It's the first place he'll go. It's not safe for me to stay with you."
no subject
"Half these houses are owned by the Unseelie and wards to keep out werewolves are child's play. The worst he can do is shout and throw rocks until he gets himself arrested."
And if need be, he knows Arthur has silver ammunition in his gun case, even if Eames would really prefer that he didn't. This house is probably the safest place in London she could possibly be.
no subject
"I don't want you or Arthur or Boxer to get hurt, Eames. Not on account of me. I ain't worth that much." She loved her friends, she always had, and always would.
She rests her head against Eames' chest again. "I'm so scared, Eames."
no subject
He keeps on stroking her hair, frowning. There is a point among all that though, he can't really invite such a volatile situation into his home without talking to Arthur first. But for the day at least, he'd understand.
Eames sighs, shaking his head a little as he thinks it through.
"Until tonight at least, while I figure out where's safest for you."
no subject
"He's- he's working today. Won't be back until late tonight. He'll want me home..." She looks up at Eames somewhat pathetically. "He'll be so mad I ain't there."
no subject
He sighs, bringing a hand under her chin to try and get her to lift her head and look at him, "he's going to be angry, that's inevitable. You can't put this off."
no subject
"I can't just not tell him- he deserves t'know I'm leaving. That I'm pregnant- last time I couldn't tell him, I couldn't bare to see him in jail... I love him so much, Eames."
And maybe, if she saw him again, if she told him, he'd change his mind. He'd want to have children with her. He'd stop hitting her, for the sake of their child. She'd keep the baby safe, she knew she would.
no subject
This is the worst thing about caring, when you can't just make someone do what you know is best for them.
Eames sighs in defeat, "I can't make you stay here, but you know he's going to beat seven shades of shit out of you the second you say you're leaving." He practically snarls at the thought, "and if you stay with him and that pregnancy somehow makes it to term, that child will grow up brutalised and scared. Probably turn out angry and violent like its father too."
Eames looks her straight in the eyes as he talks, voice level the whole time as if that'll impress the importance of what he's saying onto her.
no subject
She'd seen now how boys who grew up in that sort of environment turned out. Bill had been taken under Fagin's wing too, hadn't he? And the terrible things that monster did... She didn't want a painful life for her child. She wanted a happy, loving family.
She had loving. But Nancy had yet to find her happy.
"I know," she whispers, "but I don't know what I'm going to do without him."
no subject
He adds that last bit with a small uptick to his voice and a little smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. A little levity for a stressful situation.
no subject
"Thank you. Thank you, thank you. I can't do this without you."
no subject
no subject
no subject
"Let's figure out what the next step is," Eames says instead, bypassing the issue of guilt and apologies altogether.
no subject
"Okay... a place to stay? I need to go back and get my things." She had left with nothing but the whiskey bottle and the clothes on her back.
no subject
no subject
Bill had beaten her for their friendship, though he did that with anyone he thought looked at her too long.
no subject
"Let me make you breakfast first," he says, stroking her hair again, "eating for two and all that."
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)