[prp] Eggs? (leila + liam)

[Silverah]

Liam rose from his chair and left the parlor with long, even strides. A few moments later, he reappeared, a glass of iced tea in either hand. He handed one to Leila, then took his seat again.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Fear of oblivion is a powerful motivator," said Liam, after a moment. "I'm sure that every one of us has felt we were doing what was absolutely necessary to save our world... or some part of it."

He paused, taking a sip from his drink.

"Magic is an unpredictable beast at best," he said. "Being Ascencion's father has been an absolute delight, but her creation was anything but an exact science - and even now, I don't know if her existence saved this world from yours for a century - or is what finally brought the two crashing together."  

[cibarium]

Leila wasn't normally one for caffeine, but she accepted the iced tea. There would probably be some banter with Eve later on how she'd had tea made by someone else when she rarely drank it at home.

"When we broke the old sigil we ended up having to make a new one. It had our version of Ascencion as the focus instead." The ice rattled quietly in her glass as she idly swayed it in her hand. "I'm guessing that might've factored into how things played out. Some of us have looked back on that as a bad choice since then, after ending up here."

She gave a subdued smile to her lemon wedge. "You made a good kid, though, and it sounds like you've given her a good life. It's a mixed bag, but that's still something to be proud of."

silverah

 

[Silverah]

Liam's eyes slipped closed. He set his tea down and raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"You idiots," he said softly.

"Of course that broke it."

cibarium

 

[cibarium]

Leila just sat sort of awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what to say. This was far out of her league.

silverah

 

[Silverah]

Liam sighed. "Of course, what's done is done," he conceded. "What matters now is that you all come up with a way to fix what you've started."

Curiously, he did not say we.

"You may call on my expertise as little or as much as you like," he added. "But I'd prefer that any further ******** with my daughter's existence kindly not happen."

Cibarium

 

[cibarium]

"It won't," Leila answered wearily.

Truthfully, she was getting tired of feeling like an idiot and being regarded as one. She usually felt like one in matters of magic, but they'd all had less than a year to learn what was going on and none of them had known enough to make an informed decision about almost everything they had to deal with. It was like being handed a paddle in the rapids without really knowing how to use one.

She sighed. "That sums up most of it, I guess."

silverah

 

[Silverah]

"Well, then," said Liam, a light smile crossing his lips. "Thank you for coming by. It's lovely as ever to see you."

cibarium

 

[cibarium]

Leila laughed a little at that. "You don't have to say that," she said. It was painfully obvious she wasn't the same, to her at least.

Then she asked, "Do you know Ezra very well? I had something to ask."

silverh

 

[Silverah]

Liam nodded. "He's gone through some growing pains lately, I'm sure you've noticed..." he answered, "but I've known your son since he was just a baby. While I certainly don't know all the details of his upbringing, I may be able to answer some questions."

cibarium

 

[cibarium]

The answer helped Leila relax a little bit again. However, the offer for information made her wrinkle her brow apologetically and shake her head. "No, that's not it. The thing is..." She chewed the inside of her lip a little. "On top of everything else he's been through, I-- we took his parents away," she said. "And we can't replace them, he knows we're different."

Nothing Liam could tell her would change that. She would still barely know him. Not the way a parent who had been around should know him.

"So, he could probably use a family friend to help ground him a little, if you... could do that." Leila broke eye contact, and pushed a long lock of hair back behind her shoulder. "But it sounds like you've been in contact with him?"

silverah

 

[Silverah]

Liam nodded - while he certainly wasn't in Ezra's same situation, he could certainly empathize. "I haven't been in contact with him recently," he said. "As I only managed to claw my way back from the brink of replacement myself a few weeks ago and I've had a hectic time getting things back in order since - but I'll make contact."

He smiled. "See what I can do for him. Thank you again for the eggs."

Cibarium

 

[cibarium]

It brought Leila a small bit visible measure of relief to hear Liam agree to her request. She still felt guilty and lost and heartbroken, but knowing someone else would look out for Ezra -- someone who knew him -- meant she wouldn't have to worry so much on top of it.

Not that she was entitled to worry.

"Hope Renard likes them too," she said, smiling a little. "The binding protocol we talked over with him worked just about perfectly." Weird to say after all the mishaps everyone had experienced or inadvertently created, but it was true. "Anyway, I can get out of your hair now, unless you have more pressing questions about the state of the otherworld."

silverah

 

[Silverah]

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear that," said Liam, smiling tight-lipped at her. "I'll let him know."

He rose and offered her a hand, ready to see her out. "This strikes me as enough excitement for one day," he said. "You've given me plenty to consider. Please don't be a stranger."

cibarium

 

[cibarium]

Leila blinked, hesitated a second, and adjusted her gloves (they were, like, tennis gloves. they did not go well with her outfit) before accepting the handshake. "Thanks for inviting me in," she said, and then she was off to the rest of her day.

silverah

all done! biggrin