Post by Liessel on Apr 28, 2024 12:55:19 GMT -5
Liessel would be found sitting at the dining room table of the Knightsbridge house, a tray of tea off to the side, a cup just within reach, cold and untouched. She was staring down intently at a business card that had been wrapped securely in a piece of waxed paper as it lay before her on the table.
London was not a place that existed, just then, by the faraway look on her face. She was a lifetime away, worlds removed from the luxury living she'd come to know with Aurelia Dumitru.
Eli came down from the room where he'd been staying with her. He'd wanted her to not be alone while the Flynns and Aurelia were away. During the day, he was present at Flynn and Flynn in Kings Orchard. In the evening, he was here. He came into the dining room with a smile. Which quickly disappeared as he looked at the expression on her face. "Miss Erphale?"
Against the table Liessel's hand closed as if she had just grasped something to pick it up. Then she was blinking, and the faraway look was gone. Her hand relaxed against the table and she turned, the echo of Eli's voice just making its way through to wherever she had been, "Eli," A look was cast around her, and then down to the card and the neglected tray and its tea before she was looking back his way, "Sorry, what were you saying?"
"Are you okay?" He asked. He pulled out the nearest chair to sit down with her. "What's wrong?"
"No, it's -- uhm," Her brow pulled in tight as Eli took a seat at the table with her, "I had been thinking about Gerold and Mister Jefferson and my mind must have wandered. It's been happening a lot since I got back from seeing the Yew."
He gave her a strange look, then his eyes shifted towards the card that lay on the table in front of her. "What is that?" He asked. He didn't reach for it but shifted his posture to get a better look at it.
"A card," Liessel picked the wax-paper wrapped thing up and shifted it across the table closer to Eli, "That Mister Jefferson gave me. He said to warn Mister McDowell about this person who had gone to Mister Jefferson's asking questions about, and looking for, Gerold and Ethan, both. Please, keep it wrapped in the wax paper. I was warned not to let anyone touch it."
Eli picked up the card inside the wax paper. He did not unfold it. But rather, smoothed it flatter against the card to be able to read it. After a moment of puzzlement, his expression turned sour. "Son of a Babylon whore."
Liessel coughed, choking on the breath she'd just taken in. One hand rose to rest against the flat of her chest just beneath her throat while the other reached for her cold cup of tea, "I'm sorry, what?" She choked out, eyes narrowed on the card that Eli held.
He seemed to not hear her as he stared at the card for a few more seconds... Then he turned to look at her with deliberate slowness. "Tell me everything Tom said."
"He said," The teacup was set aside slowly, her attention on Eli renewed with the tone that had come to him as he spoke, "That two gentlemen had come to his apartment. He was told by one of them that the Grand Eye wanted him to find Gerold and another Frontiersman. There was some insinuation by the man who brought the orders that Gerold and this other man are being -- hunted --" That word from her was almost a whisper, as if saying it out loud and with anymore volume than that would have made it more concrete, more real, "He -- didn't tell me much about the other man except that he was Mediterranean, and had a strange sense of fashion, and that we should warn Mister McDowell to keep an eye open for him while he is staying here with us in Mister Jefferson's absence. He's gone -- He's gone to find Gerold."
Eli forced himself to sit the card back down on the table... He set it down and with a little too much force because there was a thump where his fingers made contact with the table through the card. Gently, still wrapped in the wax paper, he slid it away with two fingers away from them both. "They BOTH came from the Grand Eye?" He asked gently.
Where she sat, Liessel straightened as she watched Elijah's reaction. His tension gave rise to her own. "He didn't say," She answered, her eyes on the card where Eli had pushed it to rest before she looked his way. Something within her wanted to rise and fetch her kit, it wanted to fetch Waymaker and stalk out the door for a hunt of its own. "But the man who brought the orders from The Grand Eye was, and the second gentleman -- the one whose card that is -- was with him."
"Well," Eli breathed. "If Gerold is still looking for proof of corruption... He has it now."
Carefully, slowly, Liessel placed her hands on the table, palms down and fingers splayed. It was keeping her from following that inclination she had, "I'm going to need you to explain this to me, Elijah. Be as clear as you can, because Mister Jefferson and Mister Schoen are out there, and the Grand Eye wants to use Mister Jefferson to find Gerold."
He nodded. "Figures," he muttered. Then he looked up at her face. "Right. Okay." He ran a hand over his hair and sat back in the dining room chair. "Shortly before we came to Harroway, Gerold, Eddie and I were visited by Tollander... I can't quite tell you what Tollander is, but he is an enemy of Augustine. He helped cleanse the land after we killed Higgins in my home lands in Alabama... He is a being with a very distinct purpose. The rules he must adhere to are nothing like the laws of Man."
Against the table, Liessel's fingers dug in as Eli began his explanation. What he was telling her did not help to take the tension out of her arms, it only fueled it. "Who is Higgins? And what did this being with 'very distinct purpose' want with you all before you came to Harroway?"
"Higgins was a demon under Augustine's employ... It was believed that Gerold and Oliver had ended him, but he survived somehow... Anyway-- Higgins leaves a stain on the land where he goes. Like most of Augustine's people do. Part of the purpose of the Frontiersmen is to sniff out these places, kill the creatures drawn to them, etc. I suppose it was because of me being Oliver's reincarnation, but they'd taken up residence on my homeland. My father's lands. My birth place. He had tainted what was mine... And I'm fairly certain it was purposeful." He shook his head. "So. We killed Higgins. Well. Fidel did... Tollander... Healed the land from the wound that was left." He frowned. "Anyway-- I was given the impression that Tollander is of the…divine... Variety... So he shows up just outside of the place where Eddie is keeping Gerold safe. He said 'this is for you. Read it with gloves.' It was an envelope with magic on it. Inside was a letter from Augustine...and a card with this name on it. Antonin Diamandis."
By the time that Eli was done, Liessel had curled her fingers down and balled her hands into fists. The thought that Mister Jefferson had been so close to one of Augustine's puppets and hadn't known it -- that he was out there looking for Gerold in a race against them made her voice far more quiet than usual. "Gerold must have touched something close to the nerve of the corruption for them to expose themselves like this." She breathed out, trying to steady herself, "What did the letter say?"
"The letter was addressed to 'My fine Explorer'. I was under the impression that Tollander had intercepted it, but he does seem pretty passive, so probably not the one who did the actual intercepting?" He shook his head. "The letter talked about a woman named Doctor Briars... And how the recipient should be expecting her to arrive at their doorstep soon. It also mentioned that dues were owed, like prices to be paid, but no more detail than that... It wasn't meant for me, but Tollander delivered it to me to let me know what was happening here in London right under our noses... In his words, they're burrowed in deep... And while I was committing this letter and it's details to memory, Gerold was screaming at Tollander."
Doctor Briars. My Fine Explorer.
Neither of these meant a thing to Liessel, and that was of no surprise at all. Frontiersmen work, and those involved with Augustine had been a field she had not dipped her toes into at all, except for some mild interest when she had first learned of the state of things before, and after Denver. It had been a mild interest, yes, but only because her slender shoulders could only hold so much weight and she had been very careful with where she made her footsteps known.
All of that should have been where her interest was, and there were questions about the contents of the letter, but the first thing that came out of her after a moment was, "Gerold was yelling at Mister Tollander for bringing the letter to you?"
Eli scratched the side of his nose. "Not quite... I don't know what was said initially, I was kind of off in my own little world examining the letter... But when I became aware again, he was saying he'd done his service, never asked for anything, but he was asking now... And he wanted to help you."
He shook his head again. "Tollander drew a map in the dirt that Gerold understood, but at the time I did not... As soon as we went back to the house, we packed to make our way to Stonehenge and came through the gateway to Harroway."
If I close my eyes, and then open them, you will still be here, right?
Try it.
He was undeniably still there.
I am so very glad that you came.
I want to be here, right where I am.
She didn't want to smile. What she had just heard from Elijah was not a smiling subject. But that memory as it bloomed from the back of her mind tugged at her lips and brought it on.
That was how they had gotten there. That was how they had learned where to go to cross from this world into Harroway -- the Gate that Liessel wasn't needed to open.
The thought of Gerold standing there, yelling at a divine being, making demands -- she didn't hear the roar of his voice often, but she knew where it lived within him. She had heard it before.
"Gerold --" she breathed out with a sigh and shook her head, pulling herself back into task, "What will you do with this information, Mister Whitmoor?"
He was silent for a long time. Simply sitting there and looking thoughtful. Wheels were turning. Every once in a while, the hamster got ahead of itself and flipped itself on the wheel. That was the split second hiccup of confusion that crossed his features as he sat there in silence... Finally, after about 5 minutes of unresponsiveness from him, he looked up to meet her eyes. "Given that Tom and I are both Hucksters, I might be able to get this information to him... But have faith that Tom is no fool, Miss Erphale... He knows that the corruption may lead to the very top. He won't lead them to Gerold. He'll lead them on a wild goose chase if he thought he couldn't find Gerold. Just to give Gerold more time."
Liessel waited. She knew the look of someone lost in thought when she saw it. Time ticked away, seconds turned into minutes, and still she waited until she saw the focus come back into Eli's eyes, and she found herself nodding to what he was saying, "I know that Mister Jefferson will do everything he can to keep Gerold out of their hands. I know that they are both aware of how deeply the corruption goes, but if there is a chance that we can get this information to Mister Jefferson, then we need to take that chance. We need to try, at the very least, so tell me what I can do to help."
"I don't think you can," he told her honestly. He didn't sound happy telling her that. "Being a Huckster is all about a battle of wills against creatures of another dimension to make magic happen... I haven't used it since the night of Esteban. I..." He chewed his lip. "... Don't regret what I did... But I'm not comfortable using the Manitou again so soon." He shook his head."Doesn't matter. I have to." He thumped a finger several times, aggressively, against the card. "This.... Is bullshit. They need to know. Ethan needs to know. I can't let my fear get in the way of that."
Her frown was a thin line against her lips, "This information can easily be given to Mister McDowell when he arrives. That will not carry any delay but for the time that it takes for him to reach our doorstep. But you -- what will this do to you?"
"I have always trusted this form of magic, miss Erphale... The fact that I am so hesitant now is hard for me to admit... The answer is: I don't know. Maybe nothing. Maybe something. Maybe the one attached to me tries to alter our standing deal. I don't know."
"That is too many unknowns," She told him with a shake of her head, "Are there any alternatives that you can think of before we commit to this?"
"Given time, I'm sure I could. But time is not something we have. At best, it works. No problem. Af worst, I get possessed by a demon and the Flynns will know."
"Oh well," She brought a hand up and waved it through the air as if to say by all means, "In that case --," Her frown hadn't budged, "What can you do to make sure that the worst case does not happen, Mister Whitmoor? I am not qualified to preform exorcisms."
"Well, there are a couple of things we could try... A restrainment circle. I can do the preliminary work, but you'd have to activate it seeing as I'll be inside... It's also not in my wheelhouse."
Liessel shook her head, "If it is not in your -- 'wheelhouse' -- then it is not very helpful to us because I have never done something like that. I am following your experience here, Eli, so if there is nothing that you and I can do to make this safer for you, then please just tell me. No straw grasping. I am only asking because I do not wish to see you come to harm by these efforts."
He grimaced by the time she was done. "I'm not beating around the bush, miss Erphale... It's not in my wheelhouse because of the curse. It is simple enough-- like doing a protection circle. It takes miniscule energy and a trigger phrase to activate it. Once done, I can try to get word to Tom. And IF I get possessed, I won't be able to leave the circle "
She had to stop herself from answering quickly, restraining her tongue from slipping free of her control, "I am sorry, Elijah," Liessel said with a shake of her head, while she made the effort to keep her voice from shaking, "This is all just really, really frustrating. And I do not know what to do -- and the thought of you putting yourself into this position to get Mister Jefferson this information -- if you get possessed, what do I do?"
He looked frustrated and a little helpless in that moment... And then defeated. "I don't know. I've never been this insecure before."
"Don't," Liessel warned with a shake of her head, "Do not even start with that right now, Eli. I know this is a lot of pressure, but you are the best that we've got right now. I cannot do it, and I do not know of anyone else who can. You are a Fronstiersman. What would the Fronstiersmen do?"
Eli looked dumbstruck. He didn't know how to process that... He wasn't a Frontiersmen. Technically. Did he carry that torch? Did he carry their beliefs? He... Didn't know how to answer that... What would the Frontiersmen do? The only Frontiersmen he knew were Gerold and Tom... But he knew them. He cared for them. In a way, he loved them. They were as much family to him as the Flynns. He looked up to meet her eyes. "I'm gonna need a minute to answer that question." He muttered.
"Trust me, I am not going anywhere," She answered quietly.
He nodded. He walked away, through the kitchen and out the back door. There, on the porch, He started to pace.
It would take Eli a while to come back in... He'd come back in to get his jacket and his hat, then he'd gone right back out again. At some point, he rolled and smoked a few cigarettes. At some point, he'd sat down on the floor of the porch and began to play cards with himself. Maybe as a method of trying to calm himself or steel his nerves. He'd left her alone for nearly an hour when he came back in, still with his hat and jacket on to look for her.
Eli would come back in to find that Liessel had cleaned up the tea she'd never drank. The card hadn't been left on the table, out in the open unsupervised. Liessel had taken it with her into the sitting room where she had curled up on one of the plush chairs with her feet tucked up beneath her. One of her notebooks lay open, balanced against the armrest of the chair, and she was turning pages carefully while reading over some notes she'd made. When Eli came into the room, she looked up shifted her weight so she could drop her feet down off the chair. The notebook was slowly closed without her looking at it.
His demeanor was serious and solemn. His hands were at his side, but as he stood there, he tucked hands into his pockets. "You can be mad at me later. I attempted to send Tom a message. It didn't work." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look, miss Erphale, I am not a Frontiersmen.... But I could be. You asked me what they would do... Gerold would want us to keep looking for Mary Hodgkins... And Tom would want us to stay put... But since we can't just stay put or not look for them, since this information is vital... I do have a suggestion...call Father Camejo. Get him to bring Persephone. See if she can summon Seth."
You can be mad at me later.
Just as slowly as she had closed her notebook, Liessel rose from her seat. She kept her eyes on Eli as she listened, biting back on the worst of her snap responses.
...Gerold would want us to keep looking for Mary Hodgkins…
That's why she was there and not out looking for Gerold.
...Tom would want us to stay put…
That's why she was there and not looking for Gerold.
There were more reasons than that -- her father, keeping an eye on Ethan, the business of Flynn and Flynn -- the fact that she would not allow herself to become to Gerold what they had made Catherine to Tomlin Jefferson.
She breathed, feeling the spring within her tighten. "Mister Seth is -- should be -- with Gerold right now. We can try this," Liessel was measuring her voice, trying to keep it steady against everything within her that wanted to be let loose. Eli wasn't her target, and he didn't need to feel that lash from her, "but I do not want it to leave Gerold alone out there. I know we are very short on options, thank you Elijah."
"For the sake of expediency, we can relay this information and let Persephone try to summon him there in Rome... Or have them come here. But I don't know how long that will take."
"Which ever option is the quickest," She said, "We do not know what they are aware of, but even if they are aware of this the confirmation of it could help them."
He nodded decisively. "Then let's make that phone call," he said, nodding towards the direction of the telephone.
"The message, then," Liessel was stepping away from where she had been seated, sparing a moment to place her notebook on the seat instead of leaving it precariously balanced on the armrest, "Should be that the Grand Eye is working with Antonin Diamandis, who has proven ties to Augustine. Both Diamandis and the Grand Eye are looking for Gerold. Mister Jefferson has been ordered out to find him but is planning to run interference instead. -- How does that sound?"
He nodded. "The Grand Eye is either involved at worst, ignorant at best."
"You said before that the connection between Mister Diamandis and the Grand Eye was proof of the Grand Eye's corruption," she was moving past Eli, heading for the doorway of the sitting room, "Have you changed your mind?"
"The corruption is there whether he himself is aware of it or not."
She stopped just briefly to give Elijah Whitmoor a little nod and to say, "Then, I will not amend the message." Before she was stepping out of the sitting room and heading for the phone in the foyer. Within moments, she'd have her call placed and would be waiting for the other end to pick up.