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Chapter 156: Unwanted Applications

Nathanial sat in the reading room with Ichigo; he was helping the pup read an English book. Liam's 'short' test on Akemi's blood started an hour ago, and as time went on, Liam's frown deepened along with the time he spent glaring at the small bowl holding a small amount of blood. The last time Nathanial peeked in was a half-hour ago -- he'd been told very sternly to stop. Still, even without actually looking in, Nathanial's magic senses could tell Liam hadn't moved and that he was really annoyed. Maybe even a little scared.

Sakura and Akemi were downstairs watching Dr. Who. It was a show Nathanial wanted to like, but it was often too creepy for him; today was no exception. Some statue aliens, Weeping Angels, were stalking people, and it was scaring Ichigo and him. Aedan and Den were there watching it with them, and Den kicked Nathanial out of the room, saying something about Liam not forgiving Den if Nathanial's heart stopped because of a stupid show. A bunch of the other Spirits had left to do some shopping/touring downtown, since the rest would be joining them before Nick and Micah came home anyway. Conor was back up in 'his' room working, and Dirk was in the kitchen baking bread -- but given how often Dirk happened to poke his head in to ask questions or check their drinks, Nathanial was pretty sure Dirk was primarily there to keep an eye on him. Or were the Spirits monitoring the unknown factor, the Ohtoris?

Ichigo leant forward over the book to look into the sitting room. "Is oji-san sick?" Nathanial knew that meant 'uncle.' "He's sleeping much."

Nathanial's heart dropped in his chest. "Y-Yeah. He's been fighting it a long time, but that fuss upstairs..." He shook his head. It was a fuss he caused, and there wasn't _anything_he could do to fix it.

The small Otter pushed in a bit more firmly to Nathanial's side and stayed silent for a moment. "Is Phoenix Monk-sama family to me?"

Nathanial looked down in surprise. "No. Why?"

Ichigo tilted his head back to look up at Nathanial. "He is Ohtori Souryo in Japan. We have the same family name. Mother-chan says it is his title and his name, so I should change when I talk about him in English, but I don't understand."

Dad shivered a bit on the couch, so Nathanial levitated a blanket into the dumbwaiter as he tried to answer the question. "'Phoenix Monk' isn't really Liam's name; it's how we talk about all_of his lives. He's Liam Smith this time; he was Yoishi Takahashi in Japan, and Li Song -- using the Western name format -- in one of his earlier lives in China." Nathanial hit the button to bring the blanket down and watched Ichigo work through translating what he'd heard. Nathanial thought it was quite the achievement to be even _that adept at a second language at Ichigo's age. "He's the Phoenix Monk like your mom is the director of historical art at her museum."

Liam appeared to have moved a bit from his stool in the basement, but Nathanial worked at keeping his mind from peeking in just in case the Ancient One was doing some delicate tests. It'd be really cool to have another brother, but the thought didn't buoy his spirits the way it did earlier; he was too worried about Garret. Then there was Nick, and his own troubles keeping his magic controlled. Nathanial pulled his arm out from behind Ichigo. "One moment, please." He walked over to his father and caught the blanket as it drifted to him. Nathanial spread the light covering across Garret and noted his father's fur was a bit ruffled. He gently smoothed the fur on Garret's forehead with his thumb before leaning down to softly kiss the spot.

Garret stirred with a quiet sigh. He started a bit when he opened his eyes and saw Nathanial, but smiled soon after.

"Hey, Dad." Nathanial forced a smile in return; the white of Garret's right eye was mostly red with large vein-like striations crossing the remaining white bits, and it looked like a dam had burst in his iris, letting blood spill in to cover a third of the normal blue, right up to the edge of the pupil. The left eye wasn't _as_bad; the sclera was mostly covered by the vein-like striations rather than solid red, and the iris had two pools of blood, but they only flowed over a quarter of the blue.

In the kitchen, Dirk put the tisane Liam had left for Garret into the microwave to heat it up.

Nathanial sat down on the edge of the couch facing his father and the door to the library. "Afternoon. How are you feeling?"

The older Akita shifted a bit so he was partially lying back on the arm of the couch. "Better. How long was I asleep?"

"Around an hour and a half; there are a lot of leftovers for you to eat when you're hungry."

Dirk walked in with a large mug of tisane. "If your stomach is unsettled, I'd avoid the colcannon; the cabbage and dairy would just aggravate it." He gave Garret the faintly steaming liquid. "Drink. Doctor's orders."

"Yay." Garret sniffed it and seemed relieved it wasn't one of Liam's more foul medicines; it was actually just the healer's soothing tisane with an extra ingredient or two. He took a tentative sip. "So, what's the verdict?" Nathanial tried to look his father in the eyes, but he just couldn't look at the signs of transformation with equanimity; Dirk just stared at Garret grimly. Garret dropped his gaze to his mug. "He is, then?"

'Oh, that's _what Dad is asking about.'_Nathanial held his tail firmly with one paw and plucked at the fur with the other. "W-We don't have an answer, n-not yet, anyway."

"I thought Liam said this would be easily determined...with a short test."

Nathanial rubbed some of the fluffy fur that came loose from his tail between his thumb and index finger. "Er, well, it's us, Dad. When has any test gone smoothly, with predictable results? I'm guessing something came up. I'm avoiding checking in on Liam--" As if saying his name was a cue, Nathanial could sense Liam calling him. "One second." Nathanial sent his mind down to the basement; Liam was pacing with a frown on his face. *You rang?*

"No; I have no bell, and you are not my servant. I did, however, wish to speak to you." Liam didn't sound happy, but his tone took on a trace of contemplation. "Den said you had gone upstairs, and I did not sense you watching, so how did you hear me call? I was about to go use the intercom."

Nathanial shrugged, but addressed Dirk and his father first. "Liam is talking to me." He switched back to the basement, idly noting Dirk offering Ichigo some fresh bread. It really smelt good. *I could just tell. You said my name, and I heard it. I didn't hear you talking to Den, though.*

*Oh? Hmm.* Liam flicked his fingers in front of him dismissively. *Regardless, how is Garret? Has he awoken?*

Nathanial used telepathy and spoke out loud simultaneously. "Yeah, Dad's awake. Just woke up, actually, and is drinking that medicine you left."

Liam nodded curtly. *Good. I am pleased he slept; he needed to recuperate. As for the test, I obviously encountered some difficulties, and I have no solid answer. I will come up to discuss them.*

"Okay; Dad, Dirk, Ichigo, and I are in the sitting room." Nathanial froze. He barely sensed Jay teleporting into the area a few blocks away, and suddenly vanish. Yet, there was an odd...reverberation. Some...echo that pulled at his senses, like someone had plucked at a powerful thread of magic and just let it vibrate. Even if he hadn't sensed Jay, this would've drawn his attention no matter how busy he was . He cast his mind to the place he sensed the magic and saw it was a smaller house roughly en route to Geoff's. Actually, it was the house the Lion Priest stood on to watch the roads way back when Liam cleansed the Taint from them. The roof Nathanial had pushed the Priest off of.

Dad, Liam, and Dirk all called out in concern. "Nathanial?" Liam must've felt something across the telepathic link, while the other two likely saw the guilt and fear on his face.

The sound of the Lion's terrified roar and of his bones shattering threatened to overwhelm Nathanial, but he pushed them aside. The door to the house opened, and Giselle Leutzinger -- Helika's mom and the St. Bernard Knight that'd helped him at the airport -- looked out. "Agent? How can I help you?"

Jay was apparently still there, but some spell was hiding him from Nathanial. The Akita focused. Yup, he was there and looking very professional. Why would he...? Wait... Gisele wasn't a Knight anymore. She was a Fur who knew about the Hidden World, without the protection of the Knights or Monks. Nathanial hoped he was wrong, but then why was Jay making a point of trying to conceal his magic signature? Concealing it but leaving a beacon for Nathanial, if his suspicions were right.

Nathanial stood, stepped away from the others in the room, and prepared himself for opening a portal. "I'll be right back."

Liam yelled up from the basement; he'd already begun running while Nathanial was distracted, with Den jumping up to follow. "You will not be going anywhere without me!"

Nathanial didn't want to delay and didn't think any company was necessary, but considering how hurt Liam had been yesterday when Nathanial snuck off to deal with the Knights at the airport... "Hurry up before Jay does something we'll all regret."

Garret frowned. "What do you mean?" The basement door flung open to let Liam and Den through.

"I think the Agents are going to wipe the memories of the ex-Knights." If only he knew how to warn the rest; he wasn't too worried about Sergeant Heimdolf, not yet, since he was at work and there weren't enough agents in this area to get all of them at the same time -- not unless his ex-Knight friends lived scattered across the municipality or Hugh's replacement called in reinforcements.

Den growled. "I thought Hugh knew our feelings about them."

Liam sharply exhaled through his nose. "It is not Hugh, but his boss or another director. Remember that Hugh is on disability leave."

Nathanial didn't answer; he just opened a portal inside the Leutzingers' home. He walked through. "Jay, what are you doing?"

The Jackal had identified himself and received permission to enter but wasn't even fully inside yet. He looked really guilty, more than a touch desperate, and maybe relieved at the same time, when he saw Nathanial. "Uh, nothing, bro." The Jackal shook his head. His tone became professional and he straightened up. "I'm here on official matters, Mr. Marks. Your presence is required, er, not_required. Please return home and let the Society conduct its business." The 'slip' aside, he sounded like he was reading straight from the Arcane Society rulebook -- deadpan and robotic, entirely unlike the bouts of professionalism Nathanial had seen before. Now he _knew something was up.

Gisele looked down at Nathanial and Liam, then over at Den. She looked really wary, now. She was surprised to see Nathanial, of course, but she'd probably guessed he wouldn't just 'pop in' without something bad going on. "Nathanial, who are these two? I'm guessing that's Liam Smith, and...a relative of Faelen's?"

Nathanial dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Yes, Gisele. This is Liam Smith, and this is Faeden O'Connor, advisor to Alpha Luke McDougal of the Cork Clan. Guys, this is Gisele Leutzinger, former Knight. She's a friend." He looked back over at Jay. "If this is official business, Agent Jay, then it's not 'nothing.' What business does the Society have with an ex-Knight -- in particular, one the Spirit clans owe a debt of honour to? If this is about a Fur knowing about the Hidden World, then you can just leave; I've petitioned the Monks to accept her -- and the others -- and you can't do anything to them until the petition is resolved." That was just a guess, but he was pretty sure it was true -- or true enough to buy some time.

Jay looked thoroughly relieved, though Liam seemed a bit peeved that Nathanial was still pushing this. Considering the situation, Liam wasn't likely to dispute it, though. Faeden added, "You should tell your superiors that I'll be notifying the alphas of all the clans about this, Agent. This is an inexcusable provocation, coming on the heels of the meeting we had with your director yesterday."

Liam shook his head. "This is not a matter a director should be involving himself in; it is far too political. Who gave the order, Agent Jay?"

Jay half-turned to the door. "You know I can't answer that. Please, guys, you know I don't want to do stuff like this, but it's orders. You're right about all of it, and since the application with the Monks is filed, I can go. He thought he'd get the drop on them--" He gestured at Gisele. "--you, but Nat-man's got you covered. Mr. Doull would have, too, if he knew." He nodded toward Nathanial. The vestiges of his professional demeanour dropped as the Jackal pulled Nathanial into a quick hug. "Thanks." He kept his paw on Nathanial's shoulder after letting him go, and the gratitude in his voice was obvious. "I was sure my spells wouldn't fool you, especially the last one--" He winked. "--but I'm the best at the sneaking stuff, so they sent me here." He jumped and grabbed for his phone. "Oh, shit! I gotta call Sis!"

Nathanial pulled his phone out. "I'll call Ella, you call Arrie. If Arrie has fucked with any of them, there'll be hells to pay." Den pulled his phone out, too, and dialled Conor's number.

Gisele's large paws were clenched into meaty fists. She was visibly pissed -- understandably so, in Nathanial's opinion. She muttered, "Whoever ordered this is going to pay."_Gisele shook her head and tried to keep her voice level when she asked Liam, "So Faelen _is a Spirit? Helika will be disappointed."

"He is. As is Geoff, as I'm sure you had heard."

Ella finally picked up. "I'm busy, Nathanial."

Nathanial snapped, "Not any more, you're not. Get back to your office; I'll be talking to whoever gave you those orders."

That feline growl faintly coloured her voice. "Don't take that tone with me, Nathanial. I like you, I respect your powers, and I empathise with all the trouble you're dealing with, but you don't get to order me around. I'm guessing you found Jay."

"Yes, and I'm sorry for snapping at you, but this is totally unfair. It's been a day, Ella! I've petitioned the Monks on their behalf, but this was way too short for anyone to reasonably have a chance of wrapping their head around what's going on. They were fired from their jobs on top of this! If I hadn't taken the initiative, the chances of anyone being able to take stock of their situation this quickly is-is zero! Doing this to them is wrong!"

Ella sighed. "I know, but the laws--"

"--don't apply anymore. The Monks have them covered until the petition is heard. The Spirits are spreading the word, too, and whoever gave the orders will be wearing this shit."

The Jaguar sighed. "I hope so. I'll go back and call off the others."

Nathanial's ear twitched toward Jay; he was getting into a heated argument with Arrie. "Jay's talking to Arrie, but he might need some backup."

"--section 1, chapter 1, subsection 3, paragraph 2 supersedes that! Members of the Knights Templar are exempt from any law pertaining to Furs, unless explicitly stated otherwise!" The Jackal cut off her rebuttal. "I answered that already, Arrie! Shaolin Monks and Hunters of the Damned count as Knights for the purposes of all laws, directives, commands, etcetera, unless specifically ex_cluded, as per _Appendix 2: Categorization of Various Entities For the Application of Arcane Society Laws._So until the Monks make an official ruling, _they are responsible for the ex-Knights, and their protection covers them. If you think Lars broke a law, bring him in, but you can't do anything to him until the Monks are informed and have a chance to respond."

Nathanial snarled out, "She touches Sgt. Heimdolf and the Society won't be able to keep her safe, no matter what they do or where they try to hide her."

Ella hung up her phone immediately, and Nathanial heard Arrie say she had to switch lines. Jay, meanwhile, addressed Nathanial. "Chill, bro, she's barely gotten three words out to him. He's at work and is absolutely refusing to go anywhere private with her. Apparently, the sarge doesn't trust Arrie and kept saying that he would only talk business with her, and business could be done around his co-workers." The Jackal grinned wolfishly. "It was causing a bit of a row." He became serious, oddly serious. "And, dude, threatening an agent like that is verboten. Arrie'd be well within her rights to haul you in if she heard it; it's not like you could claim it was idle, either. Everyone knows you two hate each other, and you have the magic to pull it off."

"B-But--"

Liam sliced the air between them with his paw. "No, Nathanial, Jay speaks the truth. Do not make a threat you are unwilling to follow up on, do not make a threat that is not addressed to the target directly, and use threats sparingly so as to not devalue their effect. Furthermore, threatening a person in authority is risky, and you already have far too much to deal with without adding unnecessary complications." Really, though, Nathanial felt he would be willing to follow up on his threat if Arrie hacked at Sergeant Heimdolf's brain like she did Principal Davis's.

Den nodded in agreement, making Nathanial feel really ganged up on. "And Arrie was being dealt with. I'm constantly telling Alpha Luke that adding threats into a situation someone else is handling just makes it more difficult. Jay was keeping her occupied, and you'd already warned Ella about the situation."

Nathanial wasn't willing to let it drop easily. "But why was Arrie allowed to do _anything_associated with memory modification!? You know what she did to the principal!"

Mrs. Leutzinger's eyes blazed fiercely. "Wait! What!? Principal Davis? Is this agent the reason why Jordan suddenly has brain tumours?" She didn't need to hear a verbal answer; their reactions spoke volumes. Nathanial felt a faint thrum in his jaw as Gisele lost control of her fury; the St. Bernard was a chi-adept, though nowhere near Liam's level, or even Chris Hubbard's. "Why does she still have a fucking job?!"

Jay still lingered in the doorway and appeared close to just leaving to avoid the conversation. "Because, sis, the principal lady was -- is -- resistant to memory mods. My work just wasn't sticking, not with the Nat-man here triggering the suppressed memories. Arrie stepped in when our little bro was being interrogated and his heart was flipping out; she...doesn't do finesse."

Liam drily added, "I have gained the distinct impression she cares little for what happens to others, as long as the letter of her laws protect her."

Jay looked down at his phone. "Oh, look at the time. Sorry, dudes, gotta jet. Lots of work, you know." Nathanial watched the flow of magic around the departing agent closely. Being able to teleport around without using portals, particularly if he could keep Furs from noticing him arriving or leaving, would be extremely useful. Portals just attracted too much attention from those...things. He was so close to figuring out this spell!

Liam half-sighed and half-growled. "I cannot say if you will be accepted into the Monks, Mrs. Leutzinger. You have a strong advocate with Nathanial, but I am opposed to allowing Knights into my order. We have been betrayed too many times in the past, and each time it resulted in many of our secrets being stolen. Many of your fighting techniques are ours, and they were never meant to be used to slaughter people based on their birth."

Gisele frowned down at the small Rottweiler. "I don't slaughter. Neither do those Lars called up to help save the plane. We joined the Knights to keep our neighbours from being used as food, nothing more, and I'd never even heard of the Monks until a few years after I had first joined the Knights."

Nathanial tentatively reached out and put his paw on Liam's arm. "You, u-um, you could tell if they lied couldn't you? Have them swear loyalty to the Monks, and that they wouldn't give away any secrets? These are the people the Monks need. People who are willing to go against their orders based on what's right, and not blindly follow what they've been taught. Like Tex did in the hangar. He was willing to die to save Avery, a Spirit, because he knew what they were doing was wrong." Liam sighed again, this time in defeat. Nathanial found it a bit strange that he was able to change Liam's mind so easily; he'd never considered himself eloquent, not in the slightest, but just a few words seemed to bring Liam right around. Maybe he was unintentionally using some sort of magic? "Um, Liam? I'm not using some sort of magic on you, am I? Not like Micah can? I-I want to convince you, sure, because I think this is the right thing to do, but I want it to be your choice."

The Ancient One gazed into Nathanial's eyes. A tender smile lurked around his muzzle. "No, there is no magic, Sweet One, none other than the most powerful one ever known." The gentleness vanished. "I most likely can tell if they lie, and I would insist on oaths being taken. Binding oaths upon Styx."

Gisele frowned. "I'm Christian, I don't swear on Hellenic things."

"Styx is not a Hellenic 'thing.' She is a very powerful Titan, and I have personally seen her. An oath taken in her name is binding even for a god."

The St. Bernard crossed her arms and her frown deepened into a glower. "There's only one god, and no such thing as Titans."

Liam arched an eyebrow. "Empirical evidence, my dear. I have personally seen gods and Titans; I have walked through the gates of the Underworld and spoken to Charon on the shores of Styx. You have no such first-hand accounts. Even in your texts, there is implicit acknowledgement of other gods, else why is the line, '...and you shall have no other gods before me,' there? You cannot put something that does not exist anywhere, whether before or after."

Nathanial tapped his muzzle in confusion. "I thought Styx was a river, not a person."

Liam glanced over. "She is both and neither. Is a Dryad a tree or a soul? You cannot state that it is but one of the two aspects, nor adequately describe the entity as a mere sum of its parts." He flicked his fingers out dismissively. "This discussion is irrelevant at this time. I am busy."

Den hung up his phone. "Conor was pretty angry; he almost sounded like his father. I need to get back for the conference call."

Gisele still glowered but said nothing more on the topic of gods and rivers. "Can I give you a list of applicants, Nathanial? As you mentioned, Tex had left the Knights during the hangar fiasco, but he wasn't the only one. There has been a fairly large exodus of Knights as word gets around."

Nathanial nodded, but Liam looked like a prune. "Liam, the Monks need more members if we ever hope to build lasting peace. We can't change the world if the world doesn't know we're here."

"When have I said I wished to change the world?"

The Akita smiled at his friend. "Then what purpose do the Monks have? They're just playing out the role that the Society has given them, the 'good cop' to the Knights' and Hunters' 'bad cop.' Right now, they're just another police force keeping tensions from boiling over." Nathanial gestured to Gisele. "These are the people we_need._ People with empathy, with open minds, and that have a strong sense of justice."

Liam still looked unhappy, but he only said, "'We'? You are not a Monk, Nathanial."

Nathanial smiled. "No, maybe not, but that doesn't matter to me. I don't care what group anyone belongs to; I only care about their hearts and willingness to make the world better. It's something I can't do alone."

Liam hung his head, defeated once again. "As I've said before, you are not alone, my hopelessly idealistic friend." That was much along the lines of what Liam had said during their first supper with Den, when Nathanial said he was going to job shadow with Sergeant Heimdolf.

Den clapped Nathanial on the shoulder. "He does make a lot of friends, but seriously, I need to get back."

Gisele nodded to them. "I guess I'll be talking to you later. That was a good sales pitch, Nathanial, but so was the one that convinced me to become a Knight. Right now, I don't think I have much of a choice, not if I want to keep my memories."

Nathanial opened a portal into the basement, its usual spot, and shrugged. "Yeah, we'll talk later, ma'am, but Liam has mentioned that there are associate members in the Monks. My aunt is one. They occasionally help out in mundane ways, but mostly are there just to keep the Society from messing with their memories." Sadly, both Liam and Gisele looked thoughtful at that. "I'd prefer it if you guys were active members, but it's an option." He hopped through the spatial rift, followed by Liam and Den, and closed the portal behind them.

Liam tipped his head toward Mrs. Ohtori and Akemi in response to their deep bow. "We will talk here. Den, please send Garret down on your way up."

Den trotted away immediately. "Yes, sir." Aedan climbed up from off of the couch and left, too.

Nathanial began making some tea, and by the time everyone had settled, it was ready. Liam perched on the edge of Nathanial's usual chair -- Nathanial sat by Garret on the love seat today -- and took the offered cup. "I apologise for the delay. The tests were not as definitive as they should have been. Even after running a great many, I have no normal answer. For those familiar with Arthur Conan Doyle's works, this quote may come to mind: '...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' It is, I believe, the case in this instance." He paused, perhaps to let someone comment, but everyone stayed quiet. "I have no means of categorizing Garret's influence upon Akemi; that there was influence is of no doubt, but he is of almost equally little doubt not his father." Again, a pregnant pause. "Akemi is a Marks. He possesses the same unique resistance to certain influences. He also carries the signs of vampiric influence particular to Garret's children. On the other paw, Akemi has far more evidence pointing to another male providing the majority of the genetic material."

No one seemed to grasp what he was saying. Nathanial tapped his muzzle in thought. "So...Mrs. Ohtori, I'm guessing you checked her, didn't have the vampiric markers, meaning Dad didn't change her. That must mean he did something to her temporarily, perhaps leaving a magical residue in her that altered any child she carried. It probably faded after a while without some sort of magical power source." Liam appeared thoughtful, and he looked at little Ichigo at the same time Nathanial did. "Can Liam run some tests on you?" Mrs. Ohtori looked confused and worried, but she didn't hesitate to agree. Ichigo didn't seem to be following the conversation at all; it probably contained too many new words and was said too quickly.

Liam nodded. "Yes, I do wish to examine you, as well." He tipped his head toward Nathanial. "You are correct, Sweet One; I did test Sakura-san and found no evidence of Garret's markers." That was the second time Liam called him 'Sweet One' in the last dozen minutes, but Nathanial couldn't tell if Yoishi was exerting any influence on Liam beyond that or not. Liam knelt in front of Ichigo and nicked the little kit's pad with a small knife. A tiny drop of blood welled out. Liam closed his eyes to concentrate for a second. "No, there are no vampiric markers. I could check for signs of the Marks legacy, but I highly doubt there would be one without the other." Liam took a tiny jar out of his pocket and dabbed a small amount of salve on the cut. He returned to his seat.

Nathanial really expected Akemi to have said something by now, but he just kept glancing at his mother as if expecting her to ask all the questions -- that was, when he wasn't staring at his armband or twisting it around. Perhaps Sachiko was aware of some of this, and the armband did more than hide Akemi's Mage magic, if he actually had any.

Dad gazed into his teacup. "So...is he my son or not? If he's a Marks, then he is, but you said he's not my son."

Liam's brow furrowed. "I truly believe that question is irrelevant. The far more important ones are why_he carries those signs of your influence, how long that alteration period might last, and how many other people may also be changed. Perhaps the most important question is _why? Who did this is quite evident."

The Nosferatu. Dad came to the same conclusion. "Can Nosferatu come back? Or could another Demon use his work to gain influence over us?" Akemi stopped playing with his bracelet and held it firm on his wrist. Sakura glanced over to make sure it was on, too. Had the Demons gone after them before? Nathanial knew Liam had noticed this, too.

The Ancient one sipped his tea. "I do not know. Ancient Vampires can be very difficult to kill -- _permanently_kill -- so I expect the same is true for their creators. I would imagine the Knights that killed Verdru would know how to keep it from returning, but they may not have had the chance to do so, given how fierce the fight sounded."

Dad began shivering; Nathanial put his arm around his father and held him close. "Fuck. I thought I felt him earlier. He knows where I am."

Sakura pulled Akemi closer, too. She said something soothing to him in Japanese, and the pup rubbed the bracelet Sachiko made him. Liam arched an eyebrow. "So, Sachiko was aware of this influence, and the possibility it would attract the attention of a Demon?"

The Otter lady nodded after a brief moment of hesitation. "Yes. She didn't know why, but she could tell more was happening as he entered puberty. The...dreams--" Akemi whimpered, and Sakura stopped talking to gently shush him.

Liam held up a paw. "It is not necessary to hear it all now. I do not have the strength or the time to do anything about it right now, anyway. Sachiko has it under control, and I have a great many time-sensitive matters on my plate. The Nosferatu is exerting its influence to continue what it started with Garret, and I am beginning to believe this is exactly what its intentions were -- to acquire mortals it could work through." He smiled faintly at Akemi. "Do not worry overmuch. Sachiko is a very potent guardian, one even a Nosferatu would have to be careful to avoid angering. You are also carrying a very powerful resistance in you, courtesy of Garret. I will speak to the Monks and see about getting you a teacher; you will need to learn how to control your magic, and there are techniques you can learn from my order that will also help." The malicious twinkle Nathanial always associated with a pending fight between Liam and Geoff lit up Liam's eyes. "Unfortunately, soldier boy, this means you'll be stuck spending more time in your bedroom, so perhaps you'll see why it's important to keep it clean." Sakura immediately looked horrified that her son was being chided over his messy room, and she whirled to scold him fiercely. Liam realized this and added, "A joke, Sakura-san. I was teasing him over his reaction when he saw my room. It is very sparse."

Nathanial curiously asked, "Are Kitsune really that dangerous? I know a nine-tails is very strong, but we're talking about a Nosferatu here."

Liam shrugged. "In a head-to-head fight? No. However, Kitsune don't fight openly when they have a choice, and their magic is such they almost never have to fight when they do not wish to. Nosferatu also avoid open confrontation and prefer laying out long term plans, ones that can take decades or centuries to come to fruition. Thus a Kitsune is possibly the worst sort of foe a Nosferatu can acquire: they are Near-Immortals that grow stronger as time goes on, they are _extremely_vengeful and do not forget grievances, and they are experts in the same battlefield. Strength in combat matters little when working through subterfuge."

Nathanial smiled and tipped his head to one side. "And why aren't we asking her for help? It sounds like she already has reason to get involved."

Liam arched an eyebrow. "I consider her debt to me resolved, and I do not relish the idea of incurring a large debt to her. However, this would be more of an alliance... Yes, I do believe that is a capital idea. I shall draft a letter for you to deliver, Sakura-san." That mischievous twinkle lit up Liam's eyes. "And I request you say nothing about meeting me until she appears before me in person."

Mrs. Ohtori seemed to be quite taken aback by that, but she merely bowed her head and said something very formal-sounding in Japanese.

Dad stopped shivering so much. "This means something to me, Liam. I need to know: is Akemi my son?"

His first answer was a sigh. A long, frustrated sigh. "How can I answer that, Garret? Can he have two fathers? Then yes, he is your son. Is a son only determined by which sperm fertilized the egg? Then no, he is not. Did you play a major role in who he was at birth? Absolutely. I cannot cast some spell to point out what percentage of 'him' comes from you, but everything magic-related is due to you. Otherwise, his Akita appearance is most likely derived from his mother. It is possible_that you added to it, as he bears a more-than-striking resemblance to your family, but you also look _very much like Akemi Masashi. It might be coincidence. I just _can_not say."

Nathanial looked over at his father, and away again when he saw all that blood in his eyes. "That's enough for me, and enough reason to keep in touch." His phone beeped to say an e-mail came in; it was the homework for the morning classes. There was quite a lot. "Sheesh, I'm going to be stuck doing homework most of the weekend when I'm not playing the host."

Liam pulled out his phone and looked at it. "Indeed. This is a lot of work. If there are no more questions, I will start on it before kung fu."

Garret and Sakura shook their heads. Sakura stood up and bowed. "No, and I think it is time we left. There are a few places I wish to see before we leave for Prince Edward Island."

Garret leapt to his hindpaws. "I'll see you out, then." He turned his head to Nathanial. "Why don't you join Liam, Nathanial?"

"Okay." He bowed to the Ohtoris. "I hope to see you again before you leave." Nathanial smiled at his new brother. "And I'm really glad I got to meet you."

Akemi still seemed uncertain about what he'd learnt, but knowing his father was still his father appeared to help him cope. "Yes, me too, nii-san."

Yeah, Nathanial was an 'older brother' to another pup. He smiled.