| Welcome Home | (Emersyn/Invite Only)

[Belasko (DELETED 12139)]

This Role-Play takes place in New York City a few months ago. It will be detailing the arrival of a family of Harpies that have decided to come to Harper Rock.

______

“Can't you see that you cannot control the man I am
I am not a puppet on your string
So maybe you should check yourself before you tell me what you think of me”

It was raining when the plane took off from London, and it was raining still when it landed in New York City. Belasko was accustom to the wet weather by now, four years in England did that to a person, so without even bothering to think he just slipped his umbrella off his arm and raised it above his head as he made his way out of the overcrowded airport.

The city hadn’t changed much in the four years he had been gone. It still had that too busy feel that made his fingers itch to tempt people into the chaos he had to offer. Even in the back of a taxi, he felt the need to be a complete arse, if he had to be trapped in a tin can with some scrawny human – he was not going to keep his mouth shut.

“So, tell me about yourself,” over the last four years he had dropped his New York accent and picked up the posh cadence of an Oxbridge educated Englishman, “I would just love to get to know you.” As he spoke, he kept his eyes upon the man driving him ever closer to the only woman who would ever hold his heart. He didn’t really care one whit about the man, but the silence was dull. The taxi driver regaled him with the troubles of mundane people; overworked, underpaid, too many responsibilities – “Oh.” Boring. “Mm.” Yawn. “I see.” He really should know better than to engage these people. By the time the taxi pulled up outside of his sisters' building he had already pictured grabbing the steering wheel and driving them up onto the sidewalk – at least that would be fun for half a second. “Thanks.” He passed over a hundred dollars and slipped out of the car without waiting for his change. He had **** to do.

Emersyn had done well for herself. The building was just as he expected of his sister, glass walls that made it seem larger than it was, cold steel everywhere to let people know that this was not a place of warm fuzzy emotion. Yes, this was just the type of place he could picture his twin building for herself. Even the secretary was what he would picture his sister picking. Long legs, big – assets, blonde hair. Oh yes, this he could work with.

A cocky smirk fell over his lips as he moved closer to the desk. “Hello, I’m here to see Emersyn,” cool as could be he leaned forward so that he was in her space, “Tell her that her little birdy has come home to roost.” He had no doubt that the human in front of him would do as she was told, after all, one look at him and it was clear that he and his sister were related.

Of course, just like every other time he ‘had no doubt’ things didn’t go his way. “Do you have an appointment? I can not let you up unless you have an appointment.” Now it was the receptionists time to look as cool as could be with that straight lipped glare.


“Uh…”

“Sir, I am sorry. You will have to wait over there…” A flick of a hand showed him just where she wanted him to wait, “until an appointment becomes available, otherwise, you will need to ring up and make one tomorrow.” And with that, the woman turned back to her computer and ignored his sputtering.

Blinking a couple of times Belasko did as he had been told and moved towards the waiting area. He had traveled over a vast distance to see his sister, and now he was relegated to waiting in a lobby for an appointment? This would not stand. He found a seat and threw himself in it before grabbing his phone from the pocket of his coat. If he couldn’t get to her - then she was going to bloody well come to him. “Right. Now I am mad.” He dialed his sisters’ number and waited. She was in big trouble.

[Emersyn (DELETED 12137)]

WEARING

“As you might imagine, Ms. Rainier, this position that I am in does not allow for mistakes. I am a very public figure in this city, and the last thing that I need is my private affairs plastered across the Times.”

There was a long and silent pause as Emersyn took the time to size up the man across from her. His business suit was perfectly tailored and pressed, the gold wrist watch standing in stark contrast to his black suit. His hair was neatly styled, his beard trimmed and maintained. To an untrained eye, it might have been intimidating. The sort of look that spoke of enough power in his pinkie finger to bring her entire operation to its knees. Except that she knew better and had dealt with enough men on a power trip to know it when she saw it. Maybe this man had influence, but so did a lot of them that came through her office seeking something a little more intimate than a photoshoot. The truth was, if they wanted the services she could offer badly enough, they quickly came around to playing by her rules. It was simply a matter of time.

The smile that graced her lips was sharp, predatory and never reached her eyes. Emersyn leaned forward across her desk, elbows pressed against the polished wood with fingers laced. Dropping her chin onto her knuckles she responded with quiet confidence. ”You can rest assured, Mr. Winston, that we hold ourselves to the highest standard of confidentiality. My girls are all required to sign nondisclosure agreements upon hire and face immediate termination if I receive any knowledge to the contrary.”

As she spoke, the computer to her right softly pinged, notifying her of an incoming message from the clerical staff and her attention shifted, reading it over quickly in an attempt to ignore Mr. Winston’s continued babbling about his privacy. A “little birdy” came to see you. He’s in the waiting room. Pouting.” Emersyn blinked at the message and re-read it a couple of times, puzzling out who would simply show up without an appointment. Dark hues locked on the quoted “little birdy” and they then widened. He would have told her if he was coming home...right?

”..--interested to see what girls you might have in mind.”

The spoken words yanked her from her thoughts and she twisted around to look the man over once again. A delicate finger rose to quiet him and she nodded her understanding. Just then, a buzzing from her desk drawer warned of an incoming call and her lips pursed. Opening the drawer, Belasko’s ridiculously large, charming smile greeted her and that was all the confirmation she needed. Las was home. The call went ignored, however, as she focused on the man before her. ”Mr. Winston, I do so apologize, but something unexpected has come up and I’m afraid I have to step out for a moment,” she told him with that same professional smile. A hand dropped, fingers tapping lightly against the top of a short stack of folders that she ever so slowly pushed across her desk in his direction. ”I have several profiles here of the girls that might fit your needs. Let me show you to a private room to look them over and then I will have Nevaeh meet with you personally to make the necessary arrangements.”

Emersyn stood and carefully adjusted her dress, stepping around the desk with ease as her stilettos heels clicked against the polished floor. The way Mr. Winston’s eyes lingered a little too long on her legs went unacknowledged as she carefully directed him to a nearby office. A single glance in her assistant’s direction was all it took for Nevaeh to be on her feet, moving in to take over the man’s comfort during his short stay with them at BoP. Once satisfied that all would be tended to, she returned to her office and set off a quick message to the front staff to cancel her next two appointments.

With that done, the woman took off through the halls to the elevator, impatiently pressing the call button while she waited for it to arrive. Once it did, she kept her finger pressed to the ‘close doors’ button of the elevator, ensuring that it made no stops along the way to the ground floor. There was no time for idle chit-chat and uncomfortable silences when there was even a chance that her twin was here, in the same building. As soon as they opened once again, she sped off toward the main entrance and the small, but elegant waiting room situated off to the side where she caught sight of Belasko, in person, for the first time in four years.

”Las!” she called out, immediately rushing over to collapse on the man’s lap, her arms wrapping around his neck to hug him tightly against her chest. Just as quickly, she pulled away, her hand striking out against his chest. ”What the hell?! You don’t even bother to tell me you’re coming home?! You just show up?!”

[Belasko (DELETED 12139)]

The waiting room was dull. There were no paintings to look at, and the people hurrying about seemed more interested in avoiding eye contact than conversation. Belasko frowned and tapped his fingers against the arm rest of his chair as he glared holes into the receptionist that was keeping him from his sister. I want to pluck her eyes out. Rip her to pieces with my talons and feed strips of her to my sister. For her part the receptionist ignored his hateful glares and simply directed people to their destinations. *****.

His head lolled backward, and his eyes trained on a small crack on the ceiling. This had been the longest he had sat still since his last lesson a month ago, it made his teeth clench and his fingers itch to transform into the talons he always kept carefully hidden behind layers of normality. Come on Em, this is killing me…

“Las!” Oh sweet music! Oh, blessed perfection…

And just like that, four years of pent up aggression seeped out of his body. He caught his sister and held on just as tightly, even the slap to his chest was not enough to prevent him from burying his face in her chest.

“What the hell?! You don’t even bother to tell me you’re coming home?! You just show up?!” I’m sorry. I missed you. Nothing will keep us apart again…never leave me, please.

He felt his heart constricting as he pulled back and planted a big wet kiss upon her lips. There was a smile in his eyes when he pulled back, the smile that only she could bring to him – the one that never touched the rest of his face but shone just for her.

“I wanted to surprise you, are you surprised?” He raised a hand and brushed at her cheek. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, just as faultless, his angel. I wanted to be with you as soon as I could, I didn’t even stop to change. I had to be here with you.

Being away from her had almost killed him. Not having her in his arms had been a constant agony that had led to more than one fight. She was his light and now that he had her back where she belonged, he was never going to let her go again. “Come on, let's get out of here and catch up.” Let's get out of view so I can break down a little…

[Emersyn (DELETED 12137)]

Emersyn was hardly one to live in absolutes as things were always changing. Rarely did anything in life stay the same, but for her, there would always be one exception to that rule. Belasko. They’d been together since before they were born and their relationship was a knot so complex that it would be an impossible task to determine where one of them started and the other began. For most of their lives, they were a permanent fixture for each other, never too far out of reach. Maybe that applied to Emersyn on a different level, though, because Las had always needed her. He struggled with being different and the resulting ostracism. They both did, but he always seemed to take it harder and so she learned to support them both. She adapted and took on a fierce protectiveness that still carried over to this day. And for the last four years, that part of herself was little more than a caged kestrel, restlessly attempting to fly while her charge roamed Europe freely without her.

Now, with Las securely wrapped in her arms, that anxious bird of prey settled and it was like the world somehow righted itself after going sideways over the years. ”Mm!” she hummed in surprise at the kiss she received, but otherwise could only blink at her brother as he pulled away with that secret smile. It was the sort of muted expression that told her more of what he was feeling on the inside than he willingly showed. It told her that while he was happy to see her, there was a torrent of more uncomfortable emotions to come. Emersyn turned into the man’s touch, eyes briefly falling closed only to open and refocus on Belasko. ”Of course I’m surprised, mon petit oiseau.” The words were little more than a whisper, something meant for just the two of them. ”I’ve missed you.”

Pulling back from the embrace, Emersyn considered her brother’s request as she glanced around the room. The agency was quiet at this time of night, save for the few selected late night staff that were always on hand should any of the girl’s be out. Still, her office was a place they’d likely be interrupted, but it was private long. Turning back to Belasko, she wrapped a hand around his own with a small smile and stood, gently urging him to follow. ”Let’s go back to my place. My car is in the garage across the street,” she suggested, gesturing in the general direction with her head. ”We’ll just need to run up to my office so I can grab my things.” Like her keys to the car that would get them back to her apartment. And she’d need to catch Nevaeh to inform her that she’d be leaving for the night and all calls were to be directed to the answering service. Besides, she knew that any further conversation was not something she’d want to do in public for any and all to see. This was her place of work and there was an image to maintain.

”...are you home for good?” she asked as she waited for her twin to stand, her gaze on anything other than him. It was the sort of question she didn’t want to ask out of fear for the answer, but she’d never been one to run in the face of her fears. The thought that this could just be a visit, that Las had every intention of returning to the UK, left a heavy weight on her chest that threatened to suffocate her and that restless kestrel once again fought against her cage. Much like the bird she shared so many traits with, her nails dug against the skin of Belasko’s hand like talons, clinging to his presence as she directed them both toward the elevator and back toward her office.