Dear, Daddy [[Roderic]]

[Aliyah]

The slight breeze ruffled Aliyah's blonde hair as she made her way back to Corvidae. Her mind was abuzz with new information and torn feelings. If she had been conflicted before, there was no way that anything had gotten better. In fact, she felt more confused. and less willing to accept the apologies of her mother for keeping it all a secret for so long. It wasn't fair, but no one seemed to grasp that except for her.

The urge to meet him had come about suddenly. There was no planning or mention of trying to contact her biological father, Ric and Nate's father. And when she finally had the thought, she had juggled with it for days. If there was one thing she could say for sure when it came to her father and brothers, it was that Ric and Nate shared very different opinions of the man. While her older brother couldn't have cared less for the man, the youngest of the three put him on a pedestal. And here she was, as unknown to him as he was to her.

When she hacked into Nate's computer a little over two weeks ago, she had only been looking for a name. Instead, she got a name, number, and address. There had never been a plan to call him, to ask to meet him. But as the information sat on her dresser for 6 days, she simply couldn't take it anymore. The phone call had been brief and quick, and she never told him who she really was. No, she was one of Nate's professors, hoping to talk with him about his son's academic future. For such a deadbeat to Ric, he sure was quick to jump up and say he would come.

Ali came to halt and leaned back against the building to her side, replying the confession in her head. He had tried to deny it, only to eventually realize she already knew the truth. She was full grown, hardly a child, and so he had no reason to be interested in her or the life she had led. He asked questions, about her and her parents. His own brother, and he hadn't even known that his family had moved back to the United States.

When they had parted, she thanked him for coming. When he went in for a hug, she had to shrug him off. With her feelings in knots, she wanted to be alone to think. The blonde wasn't sure she wanted to give away the relationship she had with her dad, for one with her father. And still, that lone male, kept her forever separated from her brothers. They knew him, he knew them...and for 26 years, all three of them know hadn't known her.

"Are you okay, Miss?" startled her from her thoughts, and she glanced at the older woman watching her with concern. Giving her a smile, she nodded and gestured for the woman to continue on. "I am fine, thank you...just resting..."

She needed to tell her parents that she had met him. She needed to tell Nate...and Ric...

[Roderic]

Once a week I take a break from my routine. I search the city for rare things. Like faeshards. But I haven't found one in months. I'm starting to think there's something off with my tracking abilities. Maybe, I need to spend more time in the city to understand where to look at. I'll think about that later.

For now, I find a lot of things, mostly things I don't care about. Like wallets that were dropped or lifted by someone. Petty cash. I take it, only to buy something with it later. Because I hate keeping a paper trail on me. I wonder if Skylar would be willing to hold my cash for me. I'll ask her later.

I find a few other things too. Cellphones, watches. Those things I'll keep and see if anyone in the faction needs it. I don't, but it seems neither does the person who doesn't have these things anymore.

I'm in shadows, as usual. It's my preferred method of travel. No one sees me (event though I'm not really up to anything tonight), which means no one bothers me. I can travel faster this way, along with the ability to walk on water. So when there are crowds, I can try and avoid them completely with the river that runs through the heart of the city.

I've already gone through the Newborough, Wickbridge, and Coastside district. Next stop is the Honeymead area. My search isn't going so well, like last week and the week before. I'm starting to see a pattern. I definitely need to re-evaluate my techniques. Or maybe the night of the week. I decide to try that next week.

I manage to find another cellphone, but as I pick it up, I hear a man say, “That's mine.” I look up to see the guy grab for the phone I'm grabbing for, so I just nod. “Thanks, dude.” He believes I am a helpful citizen. Whatever. I let him believe it. “No problem, man.” I tell him and turn to head in the other direction.

And I freeze. Dread fills me from head to toe. I squint to make sure that I'm seeing what I'm seeing. It's confirmed by the way the guy plays with his facial hair. I can't move. I'm just frozen and people bump in to me, call me names, ask me if I'm stupid or retarded. I hear it, but I don't care.

He enters a hotel. Hotel West. My eyes travel left and then right. I expect to see Nate with him. Or somewhere, but I don't. Why is he here? Is something wrong with Nate? I'm sure if Nate was in some kind of trouble, I would have heard about it. No, I'm not caring enough to call to find out, but the only person that gets to make his life a living hell is me. And I haven't done that in a while. Not since I came to the root of the real problem. Timothy.

I'm torn between leaving the guy alone and pretending I didn't see him, to flat out confronting him. He probably wouldn't even know what I look like. I haven't seen Timothy in a couple years. Though, I doubt I've changed much.

But then I wouldn't know why he was here. His purpose. If it wasn't Nate, then what was it? My initial thought was a woman. It's likely, given his track record. But, no one is with him. She could be in his room, but that didn't make sense. The possibility of Nate seeing him was slim to none. The guy just didn't get out much. And since Nate's mom is back in the U.S. there's really no need to be discreet.

I decide to confront him.
I head in the direction of the hotel, the shadows slinking up and around me as I decide to take the discreet route. I head inside the hotel, and enter the elevator with him. He gets off on the eleventh floor, but I pause. I take a deep breath in, then out and count. To ten. And then I'm off. I can't afford to lose Timothy.

He heads to a room and I don't hear anything. Or anyone inside. Still, that doesn't mean anything. If it's another woman, I don't care. That's not my business. The door closes, but that doesn't stop me. I'm in, under the crack of the door and watching. He turns to the door, as if he's heard me, but I know that's impossible. He pulls off a tie as I move to the semi-closed bathroom door, only to find no one. There's only one toothbrush, one brush, and no signs of anything girlie in here. No products. He's here alone.

I'm going to take the direct route. I head back out of the bathroom and slide under the door. I knock, which pulls me out of the shadows. “Room service.” It's a lie, but at least he'll answer the door. The door swings open and he looks at me. And I can tell he recognizes me after all. I don't wait for him to talk. “What are you doing here?” I don't beat around the bush.

“Roderic.” He says as he looks past me. It's typical. He hasn't looked for, or at me in years. It's like I'm a part of him that he hates. But the feeling is mutual. “Why are you here?” I ask again. I'm not here to socialize, I just want an answer and then go.

“I'm here because of Aliyah.” He says as he steps aside. He's inviting me in, but I know he would rather I don't come in. He doesn't need to worry about that. “I'm not staying.” I tell him as I take a step back, and head down the hall to the elevator.

I press the button. I don't even know how many times, but I don't count. I just want the thing here. The quicker the better. I know logically, that no matter how many times I press the button, it won't call the thing any faster. But I still do it.

It finally comes and I shoot in. I'm alone. My focus is on Aliyah. I grab the phone out of my pocket and I notice that my hands are shaking. I try and text her, but I keep hitting the other buttons because of my shaking hands. I've never felt like this. I don't like it, but I don't know how to stop feeling like this.

I'm angry. No. I'm downright pissed. Furious, even. Aliyah stepped in to something she wasn't welcome to step in to. I feel betrayed. Timothy is the epitome of everything I hate. Loathe, even. He is the reason I am the way I am. But most of all, I feel powerless.

The door swings open and I just stand there, trying to finish writing my text. Three words took an eternity to write. Or so it felt that way. 'Meet me. Now.' It's not a request.

[Aliyah]

It was another ten minutes before Aliyah finally pushed herself away from the wall. The time had done nothing to soothe her fears about telling her family about meeting her biological father. The worst of it would come from the fact that she hadn't bothered to tell them beforehand, she knew that. That would be her parents argument, anyway. Ali couldn't imagine that Nate would care, but Ric certainly would. He had made no effort to hide the fact that he loathed the man that made his existence possible. And while she had no idea what happened, she wasn't sure she could blame him.

The vibration in her pocket signaling an incoming text. Dragging it free, she glanced down at the name, expecting to see Forsyth. Instead, 'Ric' stood out and loud and clear. A frown instantly formed on her lips, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She was not a firm believer in coincidence, and when she had only moments ago been preparing herself for a heated conversation, he suddenly popped up on her phone. The text was quick and precise, leaving no room for interpretation. He was not asking.

With a heavy sigh, she typed out a reply, 'Where?'

Figuring that the most likely place would be the apartment building, his or her own, it didn't matter. So, with slow steps, should she be wrong, she began to walk. If she was right, he had to be somewhere nearby, because their father's hotel wasn't far.

...he was going to kill her.

[Roderic]

Where? Where should they meet? If they met in his apartment, Skylar would be there and she would take the side of Aliyah. Women did that. Banded together. And if he met at Aliyah's apartment, then he faced the same problem with that human. The one he still wanted to remove from Aliyah's life. That was a later focus.

'Qz Graveyard. Last Crypt before you see Paragon.' I suspected she was at her apartment, so it wouldn't take her long to get there. Me? I could teleport there and be there in seconds. And that's exactly what I did. I was in front of the graveyard instantly after I sent her the location.

I went inside and turned left. I moved through the graveyard, my focus on trying to remove the feeling I felt, but as I thought about Timothy and why I felt this way, I found myself only more bothered and more angry with my sister.

So I stopped thinking about him for the time. I focused on getting to the location I picked out, scaling the top of the crypt and then drawing the shadows around me as I perched on the top of the building and just waited. I'd let Aliyah think she beat me here when she got here.

[Aliyah]

The reply came quick and it was no less clipped and short than the last, and Aliyah knew that he was angry. Furious, even. She had no idea if Ric knew about their father being in town, but whatever had him in such a mood was nothing good. Vaguely, she wondered if it might have something to do with Skylar, since the two of them butt heads often enough. The only thing against that idea was Skylar herself, since she tended to come to Ali with all her Ric problems. And so far, there had been no signs of Sky having any issues.

And that only left meeting him to find out what was going on. So, she took the shortcut across the river and entered into the Graveyard. It reeked of rotting flesh from the zombies wandering around, and the only thing that showed signs of actual life were the crypts that vampires would inhabit. The blonde had never been within one herself, and she personally didn't mind. Living in a crypt just lacked appeal. And anyone who thought otherwise was more than a little insane.

Stopping before the crypt she looked around. She could feel someone watching her, and she somehow just knew that Ric was around and lurking. "Ric? I know you are here, somewhere. Just come out!" she called to the open air, ignoring the grunts of the zombies as they turned at the noise she was creating. Making a slow circle while remaining in place, she looked for any signs of her brother.

"Tell me what this is about, Ric? Why are we meeting here?" she tried again with a sigh, a hand brushing through her hair in frustration and slight anxiety. An angry older brother was never a good thing, as he clearly demonstrated last time. And then again, she was no better. They shared that much, at least.

[Roderic]

I didn't move when she got here. I just waited and watched. I wasn't normally an individual that reacted without careful calculations and on whims or emotions. But tonight? Tonight, I wanted to do a lot of things. I wanted to strangle her, but found it pointless. Vampires didn't need air. There was a fleeting thought of cutting her head off, but she would inevitably be back. If I wanted to get rid of my sister, I would need to be clever and not react brashly.

I stand on the flat surface of the building I'm on as she screams out for me and even walks past me a little. "What have you done, Aliyah?" A hand moved to the lip of the building before both my legs swing over and I drop to the ground below. "Why did you bring him here?" I don't expand on who 'he' is, because she knows who I'm talking about. The list of mutual acquaintances are far and few between. "I told you to leave it alone. What did you think would happen? We would what? Get a cup of coffee and talk about what you missed? What I missed? What he missed?" I'm behind her, but still keep a fair distance from her. I don't trust myself to not hurt or kill her. "What were you hoping to achieve?" My face is void from any expression, though my tone betrays me slightly when I mention the words, 'he,' and 'him.'

"Was daddy everything you hoped he would be? Did you have a good dinner? Did he tell you how much he missed having you in his life? How different his life would have been?" My eyes narrow as they lock on to her. "Why is he here, sister?" Anger is heard when I call her by her title, the shadows around the graveyard curling around the two of us, threatening to strike at any minute.

[Aliyah]

The moment his voice rang out, a pulsing fear gripped her stomach. Would her own brother really hurt her? Through the interactions they did have, it was rare for Ric to seem so cold and emotionless, even at his most annoying. He was distant, yes, but never cold. And as Aliyah whipped around as he landed behind her, she met his gaze full on. There was no doubt in her mind that he was talking about their father, and despite her attempts to avoid it, Ric had seen him. It had never been her intention to have the two of them come face to face. She had just wanted to meet him, the man that not only made her life possible...but her two brothers, as well.

The subtle catches in his tone made her expression fall to one of defeat, and apology. There was no pity, no regret. Without taking a step toward her brother, she simply watched him as the wind whipped around them. "I needed to meet him, Ric..." she finally replied, voice nothing more than a whisper riding the breeze as it blew past. "You have to understand..."

Even as the blonde spoke the words, she knew that chances of his understanding would be slim to none. While one brother shared a deep love and respect for their father, the brother before her could only feel the opposite. Hatred and disappointment. And she understood why. The man she had met not even an hour before had hurt him, abandoned him.

Taking a tentative step forward, she took an unnecessary breath, "I didn't bring him here to hurt you. You weren't meant to know. And let me make one thing perfectly clear..." she began, her voice a little stronger than before, "I am not looking for a 'daddy.' I have one. Just like any adopted child would, I wanted to meet my biological father. Just to say that I did. And don't worry...he won't be making up for lost time..." While their conversation had been intense and full on conflicting emotions, Aliyah knew it was better this way.

Closing her eyes, Ali tried to focus on the trust she had built up when it came to Ric. If he was going to attack her, she wasn't going to watch it happen, nor would she fight him back. There was no point. "Why are you so angry?"

[Roderic]

I listen to Ali and realize that I'll never fully understand women. Or their sentiments. If she already had a dad, one that she was fine with, why the need to meet mine? Ours? She said I have to understand, but I don't. I don't understand why anyone would willingly want that man in their life. I knew my brother thought the sun rose and set out of his ***, but that was because things were different. Nathaniel lived with the guy, I saw him once a month. And that one weekend a month was a mix of awkward and uncomfortable. Add in the fact he was always trying to hurt my mom through me-the situation wasn't ideal. It wasn't something a kid should have to experience or be in the middle of.

"Well, I do know." I bark out, a slew of rare emotions rearing their ugly head. I hated that man. There were many times as a teenager I wanted to kill that man. I thought of methods on how to do it too. Poison. Accidental gun discharge as he had a small firearm in his closet. Trip him down or up the stairs. But the sole reason I never did was because of Nathan. No, I didn't like him at the beginning, and sometimes I still don't like him, but I'm not that kind of guy. Normally. Take a kid's puppy and kick it in front of him, and that's what I'd essentially be doing to Nate. So I took my ideas and desires somewhere else. Mom knew. That was why I saw a shrink most my life. She was ever so hopeful, but the damage done between the both of them, both intentionally and unintentionally was irreversible.

An arm snakes out and grabs her around her neck, tightly. I even squeeze it. "I'm not angry," Though my tone depicts that I am and I hear it too. "I'm infuriated, sister. I told you-But you brought him here anyways. You've betrayed me." I shove her away from me with the intent on shoving her to the ground. I don't even want to touch, Aliyah, or look at her. I want her away from me, because I don't know if I can keep to my code with her so close to me. I kill men-with the exception of those that put our species at risk. Then stupidity overrules gender.

Code: Select all

Roderic	Another PC	Moderate	Physically demanding	Aliyah	 Grab her neck	Succeeded