Welcome to Gaia! ::

He recognized the name of the chide on the headstone Anita had stopped at, but time had robbed him of recalling the face. When one lived so long, it was difficult to keep all the faces alive in his mind. But that's why he kept such fastidious records. The oldest were still on scrolls, the newer were kept in tombs and books.

"Tell me of the party. Did you learn anything? Did any of the others come?"

He traced a paw over the name on the headstone with reverence before drawing his rosary through his fingers. An old habit. A remnant of prayers he once did while still alive. He still recalled the words, though their meaning felt lost these days. Now his prayers went to different gods. And they had gone unanswered for some time. Were they slumbering, as he once had? Or would they be woken by the gathering of the clans that seemed to be getting more and more frequent these days?

Ashur watched her as she recounted the names and faces she had seen at the party. Seemed it was quite the turn out. He bristled at Giovanni's name. Despite the fact that he had been doing his best to keep to the shadows himself, he was beginning to sense that word of his awakening was beginning to circulate. How it was, he was not sure, but something in his bones told him that was the case. The Disciple knew he would not be able to keep his identity concealed much longer. Certainly, adopting a new name upon awakening had shielded him for some time, but that privacy would soon end, he suspected. Perhaps Bennett had let his secret slip...he had trusted his eldest daughter too much. She had never truly belonged to the clan, but he thought she was loyal. Still, she was distracted these days. With a flick of his tail, he brought his full attention back to Anita.

"Very good. We need to start bringing everyone home. We need to find them all. The world is changing, yet again. You felt it with Grendel, but I think that is just the beginning." For a moment, the concept of them as a family flickered through his mind and he scowled at the idea. The concept of family had been made a mockery by Giovanni all those centuries ago. He would never consider his clan his family. Even those who shared his blood or even his bed. They were a means to an end.

The Disciple returned her smile with a proud one of his own. She would help bring them home. Wednesday was working on new recruits, but he trusted Anita to find the rest of the clan and bring them back in to regroup. Never again would he allow his clan to grow so unchecked as it had before. Better to keep them closer, keep tabs on them. But of course, he was far too busy to do that himself. This is where his trusted few came in. Further, Anita not only took care of their clan, she had bore him strong daughters. Both the girls had made their home in the tombs easily. They didn't display the rebellious streak the Bennett always had. That's what he got for having children with a clanless girl he knew little of.

"It would be good to see them. I see Erato often in the library. They both seem dedicated." Ashur had taken a more paws-off approach to raising them. He had, perhaps, been overbearing with his first daughter. It's possible that was what drove her to be who she was. Calliope and Erato seemed better. More focused. More loyal, not just to him, but to the clan. Likely because of their mother's drive. He traced his paw over the tomb they were near once more, paying a quiet respect.

"You did well with them. Just as you did Apollo when he was embraced." Rarely did he offer up praise so plainly, but there was no denying it. While he though strong children would further his cause, he was not the most paternal figure. He was too involved in his studies, in the clan as a whole.