Welcome to Gaia! ::

Augustus felt the shift in the room before the shadows began to move, it rippled through his blood like flames rushing through the wilderness in a wildfire. He could feel a tingle across his skin, the atmosphere positively electric, charged with the power of the god as he arrived. The liquid gold gaze of the Disciple traveled to the fireplace to watch as the fire died before it roared suddenly and aggressively back to life, a subtle smirk breaking that otherwise stony expression he'd been using to mask the slight unease at the wraiths announcement of an unexpected arrival. Now he understood. His invitation had been accepted. He waved his hand and the snake vanished in a wisp of white smoke, setting his glass down on the ledge and straightening his elegant tie as he turned towards his newly arrived guest.

Augustus looked up toward the rather well dressed individual who had stepped from the shadows and into the Disciples domain. He gracefully leaned forward, a signal of respect for the position the deity now held. His hand slid up across his chest, fingers pressed delicately against the rich material, while the other had been positioned behind his back. The male bent effortlessly at the waist and back up, righting his naturally perfect posture again. He was cautious, observing this new god with a careful and experienced precision. He felt that perhaps he should have been surprised that the deity had actually come to him, but he knew relatively nothing about Grendel so he could hardly hope to make assumptions about what the god would or wouldn't do. He had no intention of starting either.

"Indeed I am. I see you received my invitation." His eyes never left the form of the male standing across the room as he spoke, his demeanor calm despite whatever was happening beneath the surface. Any personal feelings kept expertly in check. "I hope you can forgive the unusual circumstances surrounding our current situation. It is an honor to have you in the home of the Giovanni, however."

As Grendel spoke once more he kept silent, listening attentively to the deity. He had never heard a voice quite like Grendels before. Where the gods voice reminded him of an approaching storm, Augustus's was smooth and almost intimate, like silk, or fingers on bare skin as they slid down the curve of a spine. It seemed this new god was in the market to shake up the dusty, tired order of the past. He could admire that. When his bloodbond with Caine had been broken he felt no real loss aside from a wane in power, an agitating and unpleasant side effect. He had no loyalty to Caine to begin with aside from the tie that had saddled him to the god. But it had never been one woven out of respect, that was for certain.

The question hung in the air for a moment, the tall male gesturing to the couch in the event Grendel desired to have a seat. It was all very well and good that he knew the deity could do as he pleased, but that wouldn't make him neglect the simple gestures of hospitality so common among the Giovanni during social ocassions. "Would you care for a drink?" He picked up his glass, raising it to his lips while he took a slow, easy sip. When the glass lowered his intense gaze rose to meet the god of vampire's own before he responded. His tone relaxed. "Please, tell me what changed your mind."

"How kind of your friend." The Disciple seemed neither put out nor disappointed when the Deity declined the offered hospitality, in fact he rather expected this would be the result given they both were individuals with plenty to attend to. Social calls for the pleasure of company alone were usually spent in more intimate settings... and never with business partners, associates, or gods. This visit felt like a formality, an assessment on whether or not the Giovanni would bend the knee. He suspected that had Gendel intended on replacing him he would have done so immediately, not waited. He didn't give off the energy of one who wasted time. The corner of Augustus's lip curved in a serpentine smile as his claws slid around the rim of the crystal, his gaze finally breaking from the god to settle upon the fire as he contemplated the reason given for the retention of his Disciplehood. Interesting.

He was right to assume as he did, this new god. Giovanni loyalty to one another ran deep, despite some anomalies in the blood here and there which were always dealt with quickly and harshly. This strong loyalty was both by choice and by careful design. The clan made it almost impossible to betray one without betraying several others. It was never truly worth the risk. As for loyalty to anyone not Giovanni, well, Grendel also had plenty of right to be suspicious of a clan with an origin rooted in usurping another. Augustus smiled, but it was a cold smile birthed from the memory of this very night so many years ago. How fitting for it to now be the night when such a moment as this unfurled before him.

"Believe it or not I have no intention of lying to a god and no qualms in revealing to you where I stand on the matter at hand." Augustus took another sip from his glass before sliding it along the ledge over the fireplace, keeping his arm outstretched across it while his claws settled along the rim and his gaze flicked toward Grendel once more. The gold of his eyes dancing even in the absence of the fires reflection. "I have no respect for your father. The position, yes. A bloodbond is a powerful method of servitude. Willing or otherwise." While his face betrayed no sense of agitation his tone sharpened slightly in distaste. "That being said word travels fast and it appears you are absolutely not your father. In fact, if what I have heard is accurate, you appear to actually be a deity with a genuine interest in his people. That is something I can respect."

Augustus paused, his gaze still steady on the male across from him. "I bare no shame or remorse for my decision to carve a path into eternity for the Giovanni. Unlike a simpering power hungry fool, however, I have no intention of putting my family, my clan, or what has been built here at risk for any futile and ultimately unsustainable power grabs that would only serve to destroy everything we are. If you want my loyalty you have it. If your concern is my trustworthiness you can find solace in knowing that my motivations for power are weighted wholly by my desire to see this family succeed and thrive. Any risk that would put them in danger is not a risk I am interested in taking." His voice was steely, unwavering, he meant every word and a kind of tempered fierceness backed them. When it came to his clan he refused to play games.

Augustus’s lips curved into a rather handsome, if not terribly cold, smile as he listened to the god speak. The gold of his eyes focused intently upon his guest. So, he’d taken Caine’s domain. Admirable. Perhaps he would be worth following, even beyond just the information the male had gleaned from the stirrings and rumors of a deity actually invested in his people, not just one who would throw his weight around without purpose or direction. Either way, the Disciple’s priority was survival and his clan, and turning against a god, especially their race’s god specifically, was disastrously stupid. Even beyond that, he kind of liked this new deity. As much as one could like a deity anyway. He had a sort of… well he lacked being full of s**t. That was always an admirable trait.

His claws clicked thoughtfully across the top of the marble shelf, one following after the other in a rhythm as he considered the deity’s words carefully. His gut told him it was the right move, and he trusted his gut. “You know…” He began, flexing his claws back and up before giving them one final tap altogether against the stone where they came to rest. “It will be a rather… refreshing change of pace to hold Discipleship under a worthwhile deity for once.” His claws found the glass again and he raised it in a quick toast. “Al dio del nuovo mondo.”

As he took a drink, his gaze lifted at the mention of a boon. Interesting. There was one pesky little thing the Giovanni could do without. Well, there were plenty of pesky things they could do without. This one in particular… “Using the word curse, I take it you already know what it is I would ask of you.” The Disciple set his glass back down, running his claws through his long silken hair. “The Lamia’s Curse. Our Proxy Kiss. I would ask that it be removed.” The bite had plagued them since their clan’s conception. Having it removed would be exceedingly beneficial, not only in upholding the masquerade but also... well, it was best to say that there were many perks to not killing someone with a bite. He didn’t need to elaborate.

The Disciple chuckled low as he regarded the Deity, his smooth voice gliding across the air, filling the space between the two with a calming energy. "No, I suppose not. However, you could have been worse than Caine. So there is that." Augustus observed the deity closely, watching to guage his reaction to the request to remove the bite's potency. He spotted the wavering illusion, those razor sharp teeth that were too long and too terrifying, before they vanished behind his facade. The male felt a stirring of curiosity. The Giovanni weren't the only ones wearing masks, or so it appeared. It seemed the request pleased the god and for that he was grateful. They'd suffered the bane long enough. It was time to shed it once and for all.

"As you desire." He inclined his head politely at the request to proceed, the electricity in the air sending an uneasy shiver through the room. His liquid gaze slid to the door as he felt a familiar presence lurking on the other side. He'd deal with his son later. Why he was skulking around outside the office doors Augustus could only guess at, but he sent a stern message his way nonetheless. 'Don't interupt.' His family could be a little too curious for their own good at times, though some more than others and to who knew what end. So long as it didn't put the clan in jeopardy he wasn't one to stifle ambition. As the voice resonated in his head Augustus approached the deity calmly, the closer he got the stronger that buzz in the air, the charge of power coursing and churning through the atmosphere.

It was intimidating to say the least yet the Disciple remained calm, any unease meticulously shielded from his features or demeanor. Only the arrogant and foolish felt no trepidation before a god. The eyes of the deity bored through him, as if picking him apart molecule by molecule and weighing all they found. He had never felt so exposed and it made his jaw set firmly, yet the second snap of the Deities voice through his mind made the male force himself to relax. This was a riptide he had to let carry him out to sea. If he wanted the curse lifted there was no point in fighting the one offering the gift. Augustus lowered his head into Grendel's outstretched hand, pressing his forehead into the palm. He felt every nerve in his body ignite energetically, the power shivering across his skin like a cold autumn breeze. What a way to start April 4th.

Augustus had felt the weakened connection since his awakening, the waning of strength that no matter how many bodies he drained never seemed to blossom into the full potential he'd once enjoyed before the tie to Caine had been broken. Having your power suddenly sapped and inaccessible was less than ideal, especially just waking from Torpor. As much as he hated anyone digging around in his mind, let alone his essence, he didn't fight the deity. To get his power back, to help alleviate the burden of the curse on the clan, personal sacrifices of comfort or preference were generally to be expected in one form or another. He'd been through enough to recognize them when they came.

The sensation was anything but pleasant at first and the Disciple closed his eyes calmly to avoid narrowing them as a mark of his distaste. However the discomfort shifted to a wild charge of energy that coursed and filled his entire being. He felt the space where his tie to Caine had once been become occupied once again, replaced by a stronger one as his bond shifted. Shedding the old master for the new, the finality of this step not going unnoticed. He'd made his choice and the last echoes of his tie to Caine vanished as if they never were. All the better.

As that power steadied, and his connection to the god sealed, he felt reinvigorated. His powers fully returned. The wraiths in the house and the catacombs shuddered and moaned. Soft distant screaming erupting from deep within the earth as the hold on them grew vicelike, his control absolute over the spirits in servitude to the Giovanni. The shadows in the room grew oppressive, a chilling breeze sweeping through the house. The door to his inner office opened abruptly, several dark forms moving quickly in and out of sight before they ultimately moved away, summoned by the sudden return to power and then repelled by the presence of the deity. The entire household, at least the immortals, would feel the surge in power and a change in presence. The strength of the clan awakening in full.

As Grendel broke the touch the Disciples eyes opened and a serpentine smile lifted the corners of his tantalizing lips. The male practically glowed with radiance now, his eyes like liquid gold embers when they opened, exuding a terrifying presence and control. He inclined his head towards Grendel subtly, his lips parting just a fraction before he spoke. "Then the deal is done. You have my loyalty and that of the Giovanni. Now that our business is concluded would you care to join us for dinner?" His voice was the same as before but now laced with a kind of resonating presence that sent shivers along the skin.

He wasn't doing it purposefully, he knew the deity would be immune to it so there was no point in exhuding presence over someone who held power like that. The return to his own power simply brought him back to the way he had appeared and sounded before the severance of the tie to Caine. Augustus meant what he said and he would not stand there and tell the deity he could call on them when needed, or that should he require they would do as asked, the god already knew. Augustus moved toward the door, preparing to leave and finally make his appearance before the Famiglia who likely were wondering by now what was taking their Disciple so long. He could always chalk it up to dramatic flair. His gaze returned to the god, waiting for the dismissal, he couldn't be certain the deity would accept the offer but it stood either way.

(Continuing heeeeere. c: heart )