undergrounds | Five Years Later...

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Samantha Okeke lost her position as Witch Representative following allegations of corruption, and has been replaced by Diphylleia "Dee" Absin, a much more co-operative member of the Night Council.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Meanwhile, the Seelie and Unseelie Court have largely withdrawn from public life in the mortal realm except in isolated corners, though they claim the right to go where they please throughout the city.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...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He feels for her, he really does. But he's so tired and this isn't exactly that out of the blue that he can't muster the proper level of compassion that he knows he should show at this moment. He thinks about it for a moment and then sighs, looking down at his coffee.

"Just get yourself dried off," he tells her, trying to give her something to focus on.

Eames is pretty much without compassion. He'd had a lot in the beginning, for him anyway, but at this point that currency is depleted.

Still, compassion might be lacking but that doesn't mean he has to be cruel. He gestures to the clothes, "those shoukd fit-- I think that jumper might be yours," and looks aside at Arthur. What else is he supposed to do here?

Nancy nods. "Thank you," she says, pulling the towel closer. Magic would be easy to use, to dry herself that way. But she's been so tired that something like that would take a lot out of her. So she'll dry the old fashioned way.

Nancy looks at the jumper. "Yeah- yeah, I thought I'd lost it." She picks up the trousers and the jumper. "let me get changed..." She shakily rises and retreats into the next room to change. They don't need to see the bruises on her ribs. Or the tattoo she now carries on her left flank, the initials W S carefully drawn so they were encircled in a heart, the same way Bill's tattoo had her name creating a heart.

When Nancy goes, Arthur reaches out his hand for Eames', looking to pull it in and kiss his knuckles. "I can get her set up in the guest room or she can just sleep here," he proposes, looking to see what Eames prefers. "I can deal with it all - you can go back to bed."

Eames smiles tiredly at the gesture, letting Arthur do whatever he wants with his hand, and shakes his head.

"It's fine, this is my problem anyway." He frowns a little as he speaks, expression apologetic, "I'm sorry all this woke you up."

It doesn't take long for Nancy to discard her wet clothes and slip into the far more comfortable pair of trousers and her jumper. Folding her clothes, she carefully, silently, made her way back into the living room and back to her seat on the couch.

This time when she sits, barefoot, her knees are up to her chin, and she wraps her arms around herself. Tomorrow, she'll hate herself for doing this to Eames and Arthur, letting them see her at this, her brand new weakest. Tossed on her ass by her boyfriend after another round of another fight.

"You two can go back to bed," she says finally. "I'm okay by myself. I'll be gone before you wake up."

Arthur just takes a sip of his coffee, wanting to object but deciding to let Eames take the lead on this. He’ll stay to make sure things are civil so he’s not going to bed until Eames does.

Somehow, 'gone before you wake up' really pisses him off, even if he knows it's Nancy's way of trying to be considerate, as small of a burden as possible. Eames' upper lip curls in a sneer and he nods, silent for a moment before he grits out a low, "of course you will."

It's all the disappointment and anger he'd felt last time they saw one another, reignited and boiling over, and he slips his hand out of Arthur's to gesture at her angrily, "that's what you do, isn't it? Just slip away like you never even gave a shit and hope no one notices."

Nancy withdraws further into herself, letting out a small whimper. She's changed so much in the last five years- or perhaps this was how she always was, and the time Bill was away in prison was a great experiment.

"No- I just- I don't want to be a burden." Her back is wedged between the armrest and the back of the couch. "I'll clean your flat, if you want." Like that made it better. Still, bargaining sometimes had an effect on Bill, maybe it would work on Eames.

“No, you’re not cleaning the house,” Arthur says, in the tone of a mediator, holding out his hand to gesture that they certainly don’t need her to do that. He’s not going to try and translate Eames’ harsh words but he does turn to him with a warning look. “Eames, maybe try to be a little gentler.”

He doesn't want Nancy to clean anyway, he doesn't want her to do something for him as if that makes it okay.

"Gentler?" Eames turns to look at Arthur, practically disbelieving, gesturing at Nancy but not addressing her anymore, "are you-- she can't just come here banking on our generosity like the last few years never happened, Arthur."

They think so little of her they can discuss her as if she isn't even there. It's no matter, it's not like it's new. She can remember nights in the den with both Bill and Fagin talking over her. The boys would report it even happened when she was unconscious, like she was nothing.

Nancy let's out a small sob as she wraps herself tighter in the blanket.

“She’s not banking on anything,” Arthur says sharply, sitting up a bit. “She’s hurt and scared and didn’t know where else to go. This whole thing is fucked up but it doesn’t help for her to think you hate her.”

"I don't." It's almost defensive, as if the idea that he hates Nancy is ridiculous even though he's done a pretty good job of acting like it so far.

Eames shakes his head, voice a little weaker (but still somehow deeply annoyed) when he looks at Nancy and adds, "I never have," for some clarification. Even if he's still fighting the urge to tell her to get the fuck out of his house.

But this coffee desperately needs some Irish so he's going to leave and do that. Just pour a whole lot of whisky in it.

He does hate her. Nancy is sure of it.

"It's okay," she whispers, "You can hate me. God knows I deserve it." She doesn't expect them to pay attention to her.

“Nancy, he literally can’t lie, so if he did hate you he wouldn’t have been able to say he doesn’t,” Arthur says, gesturing at her abruptly. He’s a solutions man and Nancy’s warped perspective isn’t going to get them anywhere. “We’re only upset because we care. We don’t want to see you like this.”

"I know," she says, because she hasn't spent her entire life around fae or anything. "Take it as permission, then. You both are allowed to hate me- throw me in the street if you want. It's what I deserve, showing up here like this." She gestures at herself.

"I'm sorry, I don't want anyone to be upset- that's why-" why she'd withdrawn from everyone. "-I should never have come tonight."

Arthur shrugs and shakes his head, glancing toward the kitchen. He’s so damn tired. “Maybe not, but you’re here now.”

"you don't have to sit up with me, Arthur. If you're too tired..." She didn't want to burden them anymore than she already did.

"There's not really anything that can comfort me now anyway." Nothing but Bill.

Arthur’s too tired to put on a compassionate face right now and he’s impatient with this whole narrative. If that makes him kind of a jackass, well, he’s a perfect match for Eames.

“I think both of us just want you to be safe and we know you’re not right now but you won’t let us help you. You need to start seeing at some point that you’re in more danger the longer you keep things the way they are.”

Nancy's brow furrows. "no- I'm not- look, I'm happy with him. I love him, and he loves me. Everyone sees the surface and assumes they know the whole story- He needs me, Eames. He was a bloody wreck when they locked him up. When I met him outside... His entire being changed. He looked at me and I knew everything was going to be okay. he loves me, Arthur. He's got my name tattooed above his damn heart- and I'm the only person he's got anymore. The only person that can control him. He listens to me, even when he's his wolf." She takes a sip of coffee, slowly coming down some.

"I won't leave him. And he won't leave me. Thick as thieves, right? And things are better now- before he got arrested, when we were together then... Things are better now. They really are." She looks at him with shining eyes, the love she has for Bill clear on her face.

"I love him. He loves me. we're meant for each other. being with him... everything feels right, Arthur."

Arthur just shakes his head the whole time Nancy speaks. “Well he obviously doesn’t listen to you when you tell him to stop hitting you,” he says coldly, sitting back and sighing.After a moment he tries again with a gentler tone. “It doesn’t matter how much you love each other if something like this can happen and you’re left with nowhere to go because he made you cut ties with all of your friends. I’m sure he does love you but if he can’t stop himself from doing this to you then you’re not safe. He could kill you.”

Nancy's quiet when Arthur speaks, letting his words wash over her. she immediately wants to tell him he's wrong and bill would never do that to her! But she doesn't. She looks down at the cup in her hands, and after a while finally speaks, looking up at him with clear, bright eyes that don't fit the situation at all.

"At least when I die, it'll be by his hand."

Arthur responds with a cold, hard stare. “How do you think saying shit like that makes us feel? You could have a happy, safe, long life and you’re throwing it away for a piece of shit.”

He shakes his head and stands up, taking his coffee with him. “I’m going to bed.”

"no! don't!" She reaches her hand for him. If Arthur left then she was alone, doubting that Eames would ever reappear.

"I'm sorry- I don't want to make you feel bad but it's my truth. I shouldn't even be alive right now, with my life. This is how it's always been for me." She swallows. "Please stay?" He won't. she doesn't expect him to.

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