Chapter 26
Previously: Obsidian: Crystal Heart – Chapter 25
When next it is the library, not a salon or sitting room, they convene in, Mariam isn’t sure how that puzzle piece fits into the not-quite-emerging picture, but then, what she can tell is that Mr Lancaster is the indulged runt of this ‘litter’. Where he hardly said a line at at all when they were meeting last in Hartlepool, now he is the one asking most questions. That has rather elicited some fond looks from the others. He is the official scholar of the barony, but he appears to be going at any data gathering with the ardour of a scientist and the curiosity of a child. She can respect that. Worse, she can relate to it and rather enjoys it. Oh very well, she can play.
After all, she has a contract, she’s safe. So she offers him a game of twenty questions back and forth. It’s obvious that, clearly, there is more going on here than haunted castles and reputations in fear of being besmirched. Even if this is not a con job by the official definition, she has her suspicions that there are things that shouldn’t be mentioned, or people might lose titles rather than reputations.
With a wink she lifts her tea cup. “We signed ourselves into mutual silence, I believe, so let us enjoy ourselves with it, shall we, sugar? Which, by the way, is rather preferable to honey.” Good, that last one got the chuckle from Mr Harker she was hoping for. And he clearly agrees on the contract being the basis of their safety. After all, he markedly pulled the baroness onto his lap, and Mr Silver didn’t even hesitate to sit down absolutely indecently close to both of them, and his only reaction to getting the lady of the house’s legs on his lap was a smile.
Oh yes, obvious sin. She rather enjoys the tableau, she has to say. It’s a fun puzzle and my, those are three beautiful people on display. If there is so much sin here, maybe she just might have a chance at it herself.
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This is fun! Yes, they could just ask each other outright, but it’s so much more fun to circle around and try to figure out what kind of secrets they have this way.
Obviously, it’s not at all socially-appropriate, and it seems they finally have someone who can actually teach them, but for now, they can get to know each other, and Arthur feels so much less anxious about it than he would’ve expected just yesterday.
Miss Powlett, Mariam, was startled about the magic castle but not freaked out, so yes, she’ll fit in with them, he thinks.
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“I’ll take that face as a yes, sugar, and go first. Question one, for how many of you do I need to figure it out?” Not that she doesn’t think this is more of a game of elimination than of who it is. Certainly something is up with the baroness, and even if the equally impressively red hair on Quincy doesn’t mean he’s the same thing, he’s a molly menace (she’d wager her tits on that). Frankly, it makes her so happy to have somebody like that in the house. She’s not really old enough to know how it was before the paranoia the Wilde trials inspired. Well, rather, she knows what the increased paranoia cost her. So not being alone, like the baroness pointed out, means she doesn’t have to do everything alone.
Not face everything alone.
Not that she will admit to liking that.
But that’s not the point, the point is that it’s still on her mind if her fiancé and Lancaster are the adopted humans of the bunch or not. She’s suspicious of her fiancé. She still doesn’t know how he does that orientation change. Although, he’s not done that since the contract, what changed?
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Arthur flashes her a grin. It’s not a yes/no question, but it’s not like he cares about strict rules or whatever, and it’s just far too much fun to be able to answer: “Everyone.” And tilt his head and add: “Possibly a bonus someone,” because Hannibal. “My turn. So did your previous fiancé chicken out because of it?”
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Touché. Mariam could wiggle out of the question, because ‘it’ is a perfectly vague statement, but where would be the fun in that? Especially when she’s in a room full of people now admittedly non-eligible for British titles. No, the danger is low to her, and actually, she might gain from that honest answer.
“Yes, and before ever getting close to my virtue, as I might point out.”
When that gets a snort and “Bore,” out of Harker, she chuckles back.
“I rather assume he would have been a bore even there. My turn.”
She ponders if it’s a waste of a question, but then again, the mannerism is different so it might also give her indication on her suspicion about the baroness.
“Are the two redheaded ones the same kind of merry, walking shock for proper British citizens?”
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Arthur’s delighted with her astuteness, and doesn’t bother to hide it. “Yes, they are!” Now to narrow things down. Magic and aberration are the most likely candidates for supernatural secrets. “Does your secret run in the family?”
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That question has Mariam huff a laugh, because she wants to play, she’s not even intending to cheat, but she can’t answer. Oh this is vexing! “I honestly can’t tell you. What I can say is that they’d rather I didn’t exist. So that question doesn’t count, you get a free one.”
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That answer dampens Arthur’s mood somewhat, and he tells her: “That sucks,” while he considers how else you distinguish magic and aberration powers without outright asking, since that would be boring. “Okay, is the use of your secret taught anywhere?” Cambridge, after all, has a magic course. Only for the rich and powerful, who get away with having it and can even get recognition for their skills, but it is a teaching institution.
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Now that looks like he actually feels for her, she can’t say she expected that. Okay, maybe she sees why he’s the obviously-cherished runt of the litter. He’s a sweet man. So she doesn’t hide the smile.
“I appreciate your sympathy, but I believe I just bought myself a better future, so please don’t let this spoil our little game here. As to being taught, oh, I wish! Maybe there is, but certainly not in this country.”
Which yes, should tell him that she’s an aberration, and she didn’t drop the hint she could have about mood, that would be too easy if she gives information away. Ah, but it was a good question, so she’ll steal it. “Could any of you be taught in your kind?”
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Arthur smiles back at her, allows the mood to pick up again, and nods, is about to confirm that he could, but, wait- she didn’t ask who. “One of us, yes.” He considers. “In this country.” After all, from what he gathers, the dhampirs could be taught at the Court, if they could go to the Court.
And that makes her a likely aberration, and the next fun thing to do would be to figure out what kind of power she has. Which, with aberrations, can be anything, but he likes the challenge. “Is your secret showy?”
Not that he’s sure how you’d define ‘showy’- is John’s? In the dreamscape, very, outside of it, it’s very subtle.
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Oh, there is extra information to be had in these reactions, there was a wrinkle on the baroness’ nose when Arthur added on that outside the country there might be options. Those options don’t seem good and likely means that it’s her who would have to go, which means it’s either Silver or Lancaster who are the mage. Which really isn’t too much of a new piece of information, then again, no, she corrects herself, it means that only one of them is a mage. Which leaves the other to be a wide variety of things given that the entire castle is haunted.
Wait, haunted, if this is necromancy… oh, how delightful, Arthur might have trapped her in technicality! It could still be both of them who are mages but only one of them practicing a school that would be taught in Britain!
Dark magic… would she mind that? Well, that entirely depends on the use thereof. Being waited on by ghosts doesn’t seem terribly evil to her. She’ll have to choose her follow-up question well, or just ask outright. Maybe that would be funnier.
First, she has her own question to answer though. Is her power showy? Hm, in theory, it can create very showy things but she hasn’t really seen that. Going over the instances she believes are definitely a product of her secret she has to conclude that no, showy is the wrong word for it. So she shakes her head. “It is not.” Oh, why not, he can have a bit extra. “In fact, it is very hard to spot, even for me.”
With that tidbit out there she can sate her curiosity. “Can only one of you be taught in this country because only one use of it would be seen as permissible before queen and God?”
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Arthur was tilting his head, intrigued by a power that is hard to spot even for the one using it, but then is surprised by her question. He’s not sure what she’s getting at, so also not sure how to answer it. “Er… no, I don’t think that’s it?”
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Those two are fun to watch! And even more fun to get the extra information that goes into both their question process. It technically is against the rules, but Quincy can’t stop himself from showing off a bit and baiting, so he cackles.
“A haunted castle might indicate a necromancer in our midst is the insinuation I believe.”
He’ll take that look and thought of ‘Oh, I’m getting to you yet!’ from Mariam as his reward. She’ll be a great sparring partner for his quips and a lovely social player to back up their forest goddess in her painted-on-at-best human disguise.
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Arthur’s aware he’s giving away too much by recoiling a little, but: “Oh!” He catches himself before he protests more, but he’s sure Mariam can read that intent just as well as if he had.
That she might consider their castle haunted didn’t even occur to him. But it would look like that, wouldn’t it?
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This Lancaster has far too much of a natural talent for being endearing, in the way a shy puppy is endearing. That recoiling was so obviously uncomfortable and no, Mariam doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable, (yes, clearly, endearing little puppy to her puppy-trained sensibilities, and fast,) so she’s back to smiling gently at him. “I shall simply take that as a no and add that it was not meant as a barb. What is your next question to move away from the obviously upsetting topic?”
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Okay, Arthur decides, yes, Mariam is nice. “Thank you,” he tells her with a smile, then considers his question. What kind of power is subtle like that? Not something physical at all, then. Possibly illusion. But maybe it’s because of thinking of things that are uncomfortable, and because of what they’ve been through recently, but he can’t help but ask, with a bit of trepidation: “Um… does it influence emotions?”
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Oh, now that is a question that’s interesting to herself. She hasn’t as such ever looked at it in this light, so now she has to actually think about what the correct answer is. This is curious enough to take her pen out, (yes, this time she has her well-loved notebook with her,) and she starts twirling it in thought. Well, in a way, the word order is the wrong way around. But that would only have been the obvious question if he knew already. Does it influence emotions when it’s active?
Oh, she feels like a cheat for the answer, but that is the truth. “It probably could.”
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Huh. ‘Could’, but not ‘does’- So it isn’t something that manipulates emotions directly, which Arthur has to admit is a relief. Something less specific in what it influences? Very curious. But it’s Mariam’s turn to ask a question first, so he gives her an attentive look.
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That little pause didn’t really give her enough time to gather all her pieces together. But with the extra information from reactions, she suspects that no, it’s only one of the non-redhaired people who is a mage. Where to go next? How can she get any closer?
Wait, the recoil about a type of magic might be a hint for it being Lancaster who is the mage. What kind of magic would the sudden orientation change on Silver even be?
And another point, Harker is good, but she doesn’t think he’s good enough to have guessed at ‘necromancer’ from what she gave away out loud. Which means, is it him or is it Silver who is clearly getting intimate with her in new questionable ways? How can she ask?
Oh, the naughty way obviously.
“Which of the men is already assuming it’s fine to stick things in my head and even telling on me that way?”
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“Er…” Arthur says, while he tries to figure out whether that statement, or her tone, make him uncomfortable, (well, it does, a little, otherwise he wouldn’t think about it, but…) and whether or not Quincy’s telepathy is invasive or more… catching things that are being sent out.
Not that he doesn’t get how it can be considered invasive, he has some very strong opinions on Radu’s powers, after all.
Also, does John’s sending her to sleep for tiny moments count?
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The way Lancaster hesitates, the baroness doesn’t even try to hide her dirty grin, and Silver and Harker are doing their equivalent best at looking, well, innocent would be far too strong a word, but well, to match each other in non-commitment to any comment. That tells her one thing for sure, there is certainly a good amount of dick sucking going on in this house. Now she’s right back to wondering if that’s only the baroness, but it’s not an answer as to who she has to smack about leaving her thoughts behind a privacy screen.
Still, the way those three are with each other… It’s rather hard for her not to chuckle, but she can at least hide it behind her fan. Not the sound, but that’s okay, she can mock chide.
“I can at least clearly tell who the scoundrels here are. I certainly have no honour or virtue to rescue with you three!”
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“…Does that qualify as an answer?” Arthur asks, because, well, she’s owed one, and she asked directly for who it was.
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“Hardly on whose power it is, but I’m too amused to mind, so go on, ask your next one, sugar.” She’s still chuckling, and kind of trying not to be a bit giddy, because, well, men and their bodies are so strange to her, she kind of wants to have a very inappropriate girl talk with the baroness, who clearly is her senior in knowing about sex with men. And if she has to do it, then she’d at least like to be well-informed rather than stumbling into the prospect blind with useless guidance like ‘just think of your duty’. No, thank you.
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Right, yes, next question. Not a physical power, not directly one that influences emotions, but could… Time to exclude some things. “Is it an illusion power?”
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Now that’s a fascinating guess. Of course she never thought of it that way, but given the data she gave him, she can see how he would arrive at that conclusion.
“No, it is not.”
Now she has to catch up, the cards are stacked against her, given that she has to guess at four people, but then, she has suspicions, and if they are at the exclusion stage, she can fire back. “Is more than one of you an aberration?”
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Now that one’s easy. “No,” he tells her with a grin. Now what else to ask her- oh! She said she doesn’t always notice herself… “Can you consciously control your power?”
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She got a good bit of information there, but his question makes her chuckle, because she’s right back to feeling like she’s cheating, after all, he won’t like the answer. Oh, and actually, that formulation works.
“Not unless I cheat myself into it. Can the two redheads consciously control their power?”
That should tell her something about werewolf or not.
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“Under normal circumstances, yes.” Not so much if they berserk from hunger, or if they’re just discovering it.
Cheat herself into it? Now that’s interesting, but also confusing. He tilts his head in thought. So it has to be fuelled by a quality of herself, one that’s malleable but not entirely conscious. Well, there aren’t that many options that he can think of. If it’s not conscious thought: “Is it controlled by your emotions?”
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Maybe she has a misconception about werewolves? Damnation, there goes that hope for a better clue, and that with him getting so very close. Answer first, then ponder deeply what she could ask next.
“Yes, it is, well deduced.”
Now if she could deduce much of anything here, she’d be happy.
Well, she got good information last time she went naughty, so she gives the way the baroness is lounged out across two men a meaningful look before grinning but delivering her words perfectly even:
“Making some assumptions about sin in this house and certain expectations of joining in, would children of either father be aberrations?”
Okay, that question was worth it even if she doesn’t get any verbal answer! Is she glad she had her fan ready there, the face of utter terror on Harker is delicious and worth the laughter, as is the obvious jealousy explosion on the baroness, including, clearly, it is not a trick of the light, that’s red in her eyes, and, oh, oh, now that is a hint! Mariam is sure she saw a glint of fangs before Silver put his hand over her mouth. She is being growled at here. Maybe she does have misconceptions about werewolves, because oh dear, does that sound like one of her dogs!
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Arthur rubs his ear, because that shriek of Quincy’s was both loud and high-pitched, and too near him for all that.
Not that he doesn’t feel some sympathy- that’s kind of how he feels about other aspects of… intimacy, after all.
It was a good question, though, so he tells Mariam: “Yes,” and maybe now they can move on before Darcy turns wolf so she can fluff herself up more threateningly.
And he’d rather think about what Mariam’s power could be, too. Controlled by her emotions doesn’t tell him what it does. And there’s so many options. It doesn’t seem to influence anything physical, or make anything seem like something else. But what else could it do? The possibilities are as vague as they’re endless, aberrations are rather famous for being totally unpredictable. Hm. “Would your power be any good in a fight?”
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Wait? Yes? Both fathers would lead to aberrations? So whatever it is, it isn’t hereditary? Oh, werewolves get bitten, maybe that doesn’t transfer via birth? This is vexing her, so much, but that also makes it fun!
As is having to give Lancaster yet another vague answer.
“Not actively, but depending on my mood it might be the most powerful asset for everybody on my side.”
On her side, right, and the offer from the baroness was for not being alone. Wolves come in packs, don’t they? Oh, and werewolf bites. Oh, this might help her. “Does my fiancé not have red hair because the Lady Rossmore has stuck her fangs only into one of her two lovers?”
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Fuck! John didn’t mean to sabotage the game but that question is so ridiculous that he couldn’t hold the amused grunt in. Dolt. He’s trying hard to get back to neutral, but with the way his girl is giving his neck looks, he’s starting to wonder if she might end up demonstrating dracial ideas about how much her fangs belong in there.
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“Uh… What?” Arthur finds himself confused by that question. “…No, that’s got nothing to do with the hair…?” Oh, is she assuming whatever Darcy and Quincy are, is… infectious?
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Now, that gives Mariam two nice pieces of information, if she just knew what to do with them. Ugh!
Clearly, there is lots of biting going on, and she’s willing to wager that the baroness enjoys it the way Silver snorted at the insinuation that he doesn’t get bitten. But despite the biting, no transference, wait, no change in hair colour. But then, no, only one aberration. But then, both men would father aberrations.
Was that Arthur tricking her with assuming she is an aberration (correct) and just stating that that would lead to all her children being aberrations?
If she asks if the baroness is the only one with fangs she’s gaining nothing, after all, she confirmed that both redheads are the same kind already. She might be at the point where she has to ask more directly. She’s running out of time.
But it’s not her turn, so she gives them all a vexed look and slight huff before turning back to Arthur. “Your turn. You are making better headway than me.”
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“Well. So far,” Arthur allows. “But now there’s lots of options.” Something that’s not well-controlled and subtle but could give her side a great advantage. “Um. Can you control time?” he ventures. That would be vague and subtle and powerful.
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“No,” Mariam finds herself chuckling at that guess, “no more than the rest of us by going one direction down it. Although I suspect my power can influence the perception of time in some cases.” That might be a good distraction to have him run off on.
Well, there’s nothing for it, she has to be a bit more direct in her questions. “Do both red-haired sugars turn into the same kind of animal?” The behaviour patterns are so different, and going by the food choices, she still suspects werewolf for the baroness, but Harker is vegetarian, tall, and social, some kind of werebird, maybe?
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Oh, they’re at the ‘turning into an animal’-guesses? Arthur’s curious how Mariam has arrived at that- but then Darcy was growling. It’s a lot of fun to be able to say: “No,” to that, though.
Hm, something perception-altering, but only sometimes, and not an illusion power- really, it sounds like something really… diffuse? Abstract? Oh, wait, he should take a step back. “Does it consistently control a specific thing at all?” He’s jumped to some conclusions, there.
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Good, that tells Mariam that they can be the same kind but come in variations, and if it’s not transferred by bite and would not be transferred to a child of Harker’s, there might be… oh. That was inattentive of her.
Silver had mentioned that the baroness is indeed a Westenra by blood. Not by birth. And Silver is so obviously close to both the redheads, and an aberration. Those powers can be so very much all over the place. But wait. Arthur isn’t. And most likely a mage. Animal forms, related by blood. They all work together. Now that’s a whole new hypothesis! She will have to investigate.
First she has to answer Arthur’s question, and well, she’s not sure she would say control is something her power does, let alone consistently, and if it’s a specific thing is a matter of philosophical debate, so after a moment of weighing her words, she shakes her head. “No. Question, did you and Silver make the two redheads?”
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Now Arthur can’t help but exchange a baffled look with John. “What? No? How?” He has no idea what theory Mariam is working on.
And, damn, now what does he do with that? He wants to know what she can do! “No to one of the conditions of my question or several?”
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