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Chapter XLII Thesought.nd the Paparazzi Kitty

Lucas just let out a loud yawn as he awoke from his slumber. He had slept surprisingly well considering everything he had been through the last few days, though he did frown a bit when he didn't wake up next to Ian. Sighing he looked at the calendar near his bed, Tuesday November 29th, tomorrow would be his mother's funeral and he was dreading it. He really wasn't looking forward it because in his mind it would make it real, that his mother really truly was gone.

Shaking his head so he could properly clear his thoughts he looked around his dark room, his eyes eventually settled on the clock on his nightstand and it showed the time as 6:20 so he had enough time to get ready for school. (Since they had missed so much school over the past few weeks their father absolutely refused to let them take both today and tomorrow off.)

Getting up he dressed himself in a plain set of boxers (once again sleeping in the nude since he had gotten so used to it over his time with Ian) After he was covered he gathered his uniform and headed out he was surprised to see his Aunt Daphne and Uncle Cody talking with Curt in the TV area of the loft in very hushed tones. It wasn't often people came up here, which was part of the reason he decided to have his bedroom in the formerly unused but furnished attic.

It must have been important if they'd come up here to talk he reasoned, and not in the main sitting room. Hastily he rushed towards the bathroom so they wouldn't notice him. As he got into the shower his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to snoop in on their conversation as he washed himself, feeling incredibly thankful that they had their hot water heater enchanted to never run out.

"Are you absolutely sure honey? This is a huge decision especially in your final year of school... Have you even cleared this with your Uncle?" Lucas heard his Uncle Cody ask him firmly. "Transferring schools is one thing, but this is staying in Canada... and if you decide to stay you won't be able to change your mind later."

Curt just nodded calmly before he spoke. "I did ask him of course, asked him yesterday even. I want to get to know Lucas and Erin better. Plus help look after him at home, make life easier for Ian." He joked lightly before becoming serious once more. "Plus Greenhart is an excellent school! It would look amazing on any Uni application. I looked up the statistics and Greenhart students have easier times getting into their Universities of choice, and I really want to get into a good medical school." He said. "Uncle Evan actually agreed to take me, so I could take the entrance exams today if you guys gave the okay, and it would be a simple enough task to get my grades transferred as well."

"I know it is a huge thing, especially in my final year, but this is a chance for me to see and get to know my cousins, the ones I thought I'd never meet, and my best friend is here also." His parents just looked towards obviously torn. It was obvious they were reluctant to leave their son behind, but at the same time neither seemed willing or able to dispute any of what he said. Lucas himself was in shock in all honesty... he was surprised that Curt would be so willing to transfer schools and move to Canada just to look after him. "Eve supports me also!" He exclaimed. "Said that it was a noble idea and she was proud of me," he said looking very happy that his girlfriend supported him in this.

Sighing his Father just sat up and looked him in the eye. "You truly are serious about this aren't you?" Curt just gave a firm nod. "It is a big decision as I have already told you, but if you are sure you have our blessing." He said.

"We will miss you of course, seventeen or not, you are still a baby to us. You can be ninety and you would still be as such," his mum replies gently, "But like your father said we will accept your wishes if you truly are serious about it. If you pass your entrance exams, you can stay here and we will send your things."

Curt beamed and them and hugged them both before he started walking away. "Thank you! I'm gonna get ready so Evan can take me there! I'll tell you two about it when I get back!" He said before walking out of sight. The two parents just looked towards each other and sighed before following his lead. Seeing that it was probably clear Lucas turned the shower off and cast a quick drying spell on himself before getting himself dressed. Looking at himself in the mirror, he noticed he looked different... maybe not so much in a physical sense but at the same time he noticed his posture was different. He was more upright than slouched and he held himself better... more confidently. It was weird, seeing such small changes.

He felt so different ever sense Ian had entered his life. He legitimately felt like his pain was slowly fading the pain of betrayal and the bullying he had received. Even after all the insane things that had happened he would have never traded the wolf for anything.

After looking at himself for a few more minutes he swiftly exited the bathroom and went downstairs. He figured he had enough time to fix a quick breakfast for everyone. When he entered the dining room he saw that his dad sitting next to Curt and Xander. He seemed surprisingly relaxed honestly, more so than he could ever remember seeing that he was often busy with work, though he had taken the week off and had requested local work for the next while...Saying he couldn't afford to go out of the country when things were as they were. He almost looked like they man he remembered when he was little, before he had started growing more distant.

He missed those days, really did, and the possibility that he and his father could hopefully go back to that made him happy. Though it still made him miss his mom, and he swore to himself that the Cabal would pay for their actions. His father was the first to notice him and he smiled brightly, probably the biggest smile he had seen in years from the man. It was nice seeing him smile, especially since he had looked tired and stressed the last few days handling both the funeral arrangements as well as the ever intrusive press.

Lucas still shivered about the random paparazzo who had snuck into their home. The fact some were willing to invade someone's personal property disturbed him. He could only imagine what celebrities went through, and briefly wondered if they bothered the Mansfield Clan much? Even outside the Hidden World they were a very high profile family being a very influential family in British affairs. He should maybe ask Ian that.

"Ah, you are awake! I was about to send your Cousin to get you and Erin. You don't have to worry about breakfast, Rita is cooking, so sit down and relax for once." He said as he gently patted on the seat next to him which he took.

"Where is Uncle Aydin?" He asked looking around, kinda surprised he didn't see his Uncle around. His father just gave a small shrug.

"Apparently the staff had an early meeting today before school so he headed out pretty early." He said before looking towards Xander. "What were you doing so up early anyway if I may ask? I got up right before he left and you were at the table reading."

"I never needed much sleep... I don't know if it's because I'm a Changeling or not, but I have never had trouble getting up early," the young Fox said kindly. "But thank you for letting me stay in your house Mr. Mason, I appreciate it."

The elder Fox just gently waved it off. "It is no problem," he said as he saw his son sit down, "Sleep well?" Lucas simply nodded in reply, his mind was too caught up in other things. "I know you probably want to just stay home, but you already missed a lot of school and you won't be going tomorrow," the man sighed, "I never thought this would happen..." he continued sadly.

"Hey Dad..." he asked meekly. "Just what were you and Mom going to do when Erin and I left for college? The only reason you two got married was because she became pregnant with me right? What made you decide to have another child?"

His Father just gave a small wince at the question but soon answered in an honest if uncomfortable tone. "Honestly? We were planning on divorcing and going our separate ways. We originally were going to do it when you finished, but we decided to have another child since Marie wanted a Daughter and it got pushed back. Make no mistake, we did care for each other, and we both loved you two more than anything in this world and neither of us ever regretted the marriage, but we never truly were in love with each other." He admitted. "We decided that it would be easier when you two were adults."

Lucas just nodded, while he understood the reasoning he did admit that he still would have been devastated at the news. He knew a few classmates whose parents had gotten divorced, and they had all said that it sucked no matter how old you were. At the same time though it would have been selfish to wish they would have stayed together.

"Oh..." Was all he could really say as he put things together, "I guess that makes sense in a way, but it wouldn't have been easier I don't think. Even as an adult the thought of your parents divorcing would still be rough."

Evan just gave a nod before he hugged his son. "I know, I figured it still would have been hard, though I have hardly been the best father these past few years. You reminded me so much of myself when I was your age. My teenage years weren't the greatest, I loathed my foster father growing up, though I did like his wife, my foster mother. I actually had a foster brother as well, but we often argued and fought... kinda like real siblings really." He said with a chuckle. "I still saw my sisters and brother often of course since I was able to stay in Cork and we went to the same school, but it wasn't the same."

"I was worried because you were a very sensitive boy growing up always more into the artistic dealings than sports, and I was afraid you were going to get hurt which was why I kept on telling you to man up so you wouldn't be hurt, but that was naive. I am really sorry. I became no better than either of my fathers, and hurt you despite hoping to protect you." He said painfully.

"I cannot say this enough son, but I am so sorry for everything I have put you through and I am so sorry it took Marie's death to make me realize I had almost wasted your childhood. You will be graduating next year and the fact that I wasted so much time being selfish..." Evan simply shook his head. "I am really sorry. But my boss has agreed to let me off of traveling for the next few months, it won't pay as well, but I am needed here." He said kindly.

Lucas didn't say anything however, being more focused on trying not to cry. He was finally getting the affection he had so desperately craved from his father but only after losing his mother... The silence lasted for several moments before Lucas sensed Erin coming down the stairs. Reluctantly he removed himself from his father's embrace and rubbed away the tears. Once she entered she was already fully dressed in her uniform. Even Curt was dressed surprisingly well. Evan gave her a large smile as she entered just as his Aunt Rita came in with numerous platters of food hovering around her with Agent Wallace following close behind. He was honestly glad that it was Agent Wallace who had been assigned to stay with them. While he did like Agent Wilson well enough, the raccoon seemed more distant than his partner. Breakfast was a nice time and everyone was talking in a happy fashion, though Lucas was sure everyone was just trying to forget what tomorrow held.

He really wasn't looking forward to seeing his grandparents, and he seriously hoped to God... or well any God who was willing to listen at least that after tomorrow he would never have to see them again... Hera was the goddess of family right? Did she also help with keeping family AWAY? He really needed to ask Ian more about Greek mythology... he really needed to stop saying that, since the Olympians were very real and could get particularly pissy when they wanted to.

Sighing he rubbed his temples lightly. He was still almost completely ignorant about the Hidden World and its customs. He knew that they were a lot who took tradition VERY seriously and Clan honour was a big part of life in the Clans. Mages kept particularly impressive records on all births and deaths, and each Clan had an enchanted book that kept track of all current and former Clan members (mostly the women who married out of the Clan and their husbands) and their birth and death dates. Some like Ian's dating as far back as the 1300's, and that was just from the time the Clan took control over Scotland. Records of the period before Scotland had been lost, so very few Mansfield's could truly trace their ancestry past that. Though from what Ian had told him, his mother had been looking over the English Clans Ancestral records of pre-14th Century period.

He had been told the story of Hector Mansfield 'the Conqueror' (not to be confused with the Mundane "William the Conqueror" who led the Norman Invasion of England, which coincidentally was where a large amount of the English Clans originated from.) It was an interesting story, though the fact the entire Clan outside Hector himself had been wiped out completely, leaving him the last person living to bear the Mansfield name saddened him a bit, he could only imagine what it would be like to lose your entire family. Shaking his head, he decided to focus more on his sister. She looked like she hadn't slept well, he noticed. He could see small dark bags forming around her eyes which concerned him a bit. She was talking with Xander about school of course, how he thought about it amongst other things, and just as he was about to ask if something was wrong his father immediately stood up and dusted his paws on his jacket.

"I will be driving all of you to school today, I cleared it with Mansfield and the Agents." He exclaimed out of nowhere. That honestly surprised Lucas somewhat, his Father had never drove them to school and it seemed unusual that he who be so willing to break a system that had worked quite well. Though, he did remember that he was going to take Curt to the school, so he could take his entrance exams so he figured it would make sense for him to just do it all at once.

"I will be busy with other things and Agent Wilson is meeting with Agent Parker about the investigations regarding the Cabal attacks against your family and the recent spat of murders in Alberta, particularly the sister of Alphonse Carter." Agent Wallace explained which made Lucas's ears jump in surprise. Why on Earth would they need to discuss a murderer in Alberta? He wasn't the only one who looked confused because Xander asked what he himself was thinking.

"Why are they discussing the murder? Are magical means a possibility?" Agent Wilson simply shook his head at that however.

"Quite the opposite actually, Charlene Chambers Alphonse Carter's sister was married to Damien Chambers, the second son of the Chambers Clan who are the controlling Clan in Alberta. The murderers are definitely connected to the Hunters, and their actions against us have escalated dramatically in Alberta in the past few years. They have gotten far bolder in their actions which can only mean bad things. The AGC (Alberta Guardian Core) have requested assistance in handling things since it has quickly gotten beyond their ability to control so they are asking GC's from the neighbouring provenances to help."

"You mean British Columbia and Saskatchewan?" Lucas asked which made the Agent smile.

"Yes indeed, both the BCGC and the SGC have agreed to send three agent teams to aid in helping things get back under control. Agent Wilson is already there and I will be going shortly. Though we already are assigned here Agent Parker thought that having all Agents debriefed even if they aren't among the selected teams."

"Just how long have you and Agent Wilson been working together Sir?" Xander asked in a curious manner.

"For nearly fifteen years, we have been working together since our recruit days and we were each-others best man at our respective weddings." He replied as he took a cord from around his throat and showed them a gold wedding band.

Erin let out girlish squeal of joy at seeing the ring. "Oh! I had no idea you were married!" She exclaimed while clasping her paws in front of her. "Why do you wear your ring around a cord and not on your ring finger though?"

"Standard policy for Agents." He explained in a kind fashion. "Stuff like wedding rings are kept off your fingers to keep them from getting away, but I never go anywhere without it. Not only would my wife probably kill me, but it makes me feel at home... Not that you haven't been excellent hosts of course, but I miss my wife and boys." He said as he put his ring away and back under his shirt." I talk with them every night before bed. I miss home, but a bodyguard's duty is a bodyguard duty, and the pay is good."

"You have sons?" Lucas asked mildly surprised. The bear seemed to be in his early 30's, maybe 32 or so if he could guess, so it did make sense that he would have at least one kid if he was indeed married, but it still surprised him. The man beamed a brilliant smile and Lucas could just feel the joy and love coming from the man.

"Yup! Got three! Tom who is eight, Will is six and Max is three. I got pictures if you want to see!" He said as he took out a bunch of pictures from his wallet and passed them to the young fox. Looking at them he saw several pictures of the boys. All were bears and looked much like their father, though the oldest looked like a polar bear instead of a grizzly like Agent Wallace. From their mother he guessed.

They looked incredibly happy in the picture, another showed all of them as well as the parents the Agent holding the youngest, positively beaming in pride and a stout but gorgeous polar bear woman dressed in what looked like a prim and proper business suit. The oldest was wearing a baseball uniform and holding a big trophy while the middle child was hanging onto his Dad's arm, swinging around with grinning madly with his two front teeth missing.

"That was taken at the little league Baseball tournament. Tom's team had won the regional game and were about to play the National Finals. They lost, but I was so proud of them!" He exclaimed. "I hope I can get back home before the next season. I help coach the team so I couldn't miss it."

"That's awesome! What about Agent Wilson?" Erin then asked.

"Got five kids himself. They range from ten to two. Sweet kids, his son Marcus is on the team so he and Tom are good friends," he said before putting them away. "But we should all get going, BCGC HQ is in Victoria so I got to move, I will probably be back pretty late though, but I assume you all will be fine?" He asked, his words directed towards their Father.

Evan just nodded and shook the bear's paw. "I can handle myself Agent, I am not a Knight for nothing after all. So take your time and spend some time with your family you are Stationed in Victoria correct?"

"Yes, all Agents are generally stationed within Victoria and are sent out when needed. Agent Parker is a noted exception since he lives here in Vancouver and ports to work since his Clan has a personal portal in their home so he can get back quickly if needed." With that the Agent headed off, Lucas was surprised to see that his father had let him borrow their mother's car, though it made sense. Agent Wallace didn't have his own personal car and with his mother gone no one else was going to use it.

Almost in after the rest of them sans Aunt Rita who agreed to watch the house and children (Apparently his Aunt Daphne and Uncle Cody had gone holiday shopping in Seattle for the day and didn't want to ruin the surprise for the kids. Mages didn't technically celebrate Christmas, instead they celebrated the Winter Solstice which lasted from December 21st to the 25th, and was generally filled with family festivities, though the younger Mages sometimes referred to it as 'Solsticemas' since Christmas did influence the holiday over the centuries).

Getting in the car they drove in relative silence. He, Erin and Xander were in the back with Curt sitting shotgun. The rottie was surprisingly well dressed in a simple blue sweater and black slacks, though he seemed nervous. Obviously thinking about the exams, but he was positive that Curt would pass them with no issues. The drive itself was largely silent and soon enough they found themselves in the school. It was chilly outside of course, but Canada was almost always rather chilly especially in the fall and winter months. He smiled when he saw Ian's car sitting next to them and waved towards the wolf who seemed to be waiting patiently, presumably for him he figured! Ian returned his wave immediately, beaming ear to ear which Lucas blush lightly.

Shortly afterwards everyone stepped out if their receptive cars and Ian, seeing the lot was empty gave Lucas a quick but firm hug when he reached him.

"Hey Babe, sleep well?" He whispered as he let go. Lucas simply nodded since Ian's hug had briefly knocked the wind out of him. "That's good! I slept well myself, but I did miss you this morning." He said with a dirty wink that made Lucas's face go so red he was worried he would burst into flames, especially under Ian's smouldering glaze until Curt decided to break it up by punching Ian's arm in a playfully rough fashion.

"Down boy! You can molest him later, but school comes first."

Ian just scowled, rubbing his arm a bit obviously sore from the hit, but he just harrumphed and turned towards his friend. "What are you doing here? And why are you dressed so nicely?" He asked him in a mildly confused tone. Then it seemed to snap into his head all of a sudden and he exclaimed. "Seriously? You are here to take the entrance exams aren't you?" He asked amazed. "Are you really thinking about transferring schools in your senior year? Isn't that risky?" Curt simply shrugged him off though.

"A bit, but I wanted to get to know Lucas and Erin better, plus I think I would be more useful here looking after Lucas when you can't plus I miss you, Rich and Greg." He said. "Trust me on this, I thought long and hard over the last few days. I love Scotland, but I love my family and I've wanted to meet my cousins for a long time and now I have the chance to make up for lost time." Lucas could only blush at his little speech and even Jonah looked ALMOST impressed.

Things quickly turned just as Richard stiffened and looked down as if embarrassed and Lucas swore he saw a tint of red in his dark cheeks. Turning around he saw Allison walking up to them looking her normal aloof self as she walked right past him and in front of Richard.

"Hello Richard," she said in a calm manner. Lucas still was somewhat odded out by the fact that the coyote actually used Richard's first name, while he was still 'Mason' even after knowing each other for nearly two years. But oh well, Allison always did things her own way. "I received your text, and yes, I should be free tonight after school if you are. We can establish the destination of our date after school. Is that acceptable?" She asked in her usual firm tone.

Richard immediately shot to attention face most definitely red under his fur and his ears twitching madly as he tried very hard to hide just how excited he was. "Of course!" He exclaimed loudly before he coughed, obviously embarrassed at his outburst before trying again. "I mean... yes, it is completely acceptable! Maybe we can go to a movie and a diner or something?"

Lucas was legitimately shocked when he saw Allison SMILE! It was possibly the first time he had ever seen her do so. Even Richard seemed surprised.

"Yes, those do sound nice, but we will see after school. Catch you in homeroom. Goodbye Richard... and Erin, Mansfield, Mason, Moore and McKellar." She said before walking away into the building, Curt staring at her as she went.

"Who the hell is she and how did she know my name?" He asked dumfounded. "Also is she normally so scary? I mean my danger senses went off immediately when I saw her." Ian just chucked, seemingly amused he wasn't the only one who got alarm bells around her.

"That is Monet... and yes she is always that scary but you will get used to it. Richard is completely infatuated with her." He said before giving his baby brother a firm elbow which made the younger wolf let out a quick 'ouch'!

"Ian!" Richard let out embarrassed. "Stop it!"

Greg who had been remained silent the entire time finally then decided to intervene and set everyone straight. "Maybe we should be heading to homeroom?" He suggested firmly. "I don't want to be late."

Lucas nodded, it probably wouldn't do to be late. Uncle or not, Aydin was a very stern if fair teacher, and had told him before that he would not show him or anyone else favouritism at school. So after separating and wishing Curt well on the exam (speaking of which exams were coming up in a few weeks he really needed to start studying for them) they all went their separate ways and headed to their homeroom.

Once he stepped in he saw that Jai seemed to be snoozing in his chair, and by the bags under his eyes it was obvious he was exhausted. Were his dad and sister fighting again?" Not wanting to wake the cheetah he s sneaked by and sat at his own seat. He saw his Uncle sitting at his desk looking at papers, presumably grading a few papers. Seeing as he was busy Lucas decided to leave him be before focusing back on Jai. The cheetah seemed to have awoken from his slumber and was stretching in a typical feline manner. Once he finished his stretching and wiping the sleep from his eyes he saw Lucas and waved him over.

Curious to what the cheetah wanted, as well as somewhat at worried by his almost sickly appearance he complied. Walking up he saw that Jai did indeed look exhausted, as if he hadn't slept any the past few days. "Hey Jai, how are you?" He asked in a kind fashion.

"Doing fine, you?" He asked before looking behind the fox. "Hello Mansfield!" He said cheerfully. Looking behind him Lucas saw that Ian had moved as well.

"Same to you Jai, but call me Ian okay? You alright though? You look sick have you gotten any sleep?" Jai just shook his head no. "Why not? Your Dad and Sis still arguing?"

"No, they aren't, that dispute has been settled thankfully, just been really stressed lately. I've been pulling all-nighters for exams, as well as putting the art column together. We've got a lot of drawings from all years, and I am in charge of selecting what will be shown in the paper for next month." He said. "That effectively doesn't leave me time to sleep and when they try..." He said before stopping mid-sentence and shaking his head. "Never mind, I am fine. Hopefully I can get more rest after I finish the column and exams are over, but until that I will just have to be short on sleep I guess." He sighed to himself. "Nancy Hodges is supposed to help me with the column, but she keeps putting it on me."

Lucas knew who he was talking about. Hodges had gotten a reputation of being a freeloader. The mink was one of the prettier girls in his class so often had no problem dumping her work on boys, though he was surprised she was actually part of the Newspaper club. "Why don't you tell Williams? He is the head editor isn't he? He can probably get her to work and let you rest. No offense but you look like crap man." Lucas told the cheetah who laughed.

"Still wouldn't do anything, threatening her would just result in her quitting. The only reason she joined was because it would be a way to get an extracurricular credit without doing any actual work." He muttered annoyed. "Nobody else was willing to work with her, so unfortunately I got stuck with her. I don't really mind... been chugging a lot of Tim Horton's coffee... place is a godsend when you are tired and need a nice coffee while working on your stuff." He said while yawning again.

"Tim Horton's is great, haven't been there since October with things have gotten so hectic though." Lucas admitted to himself. "But you should still try and get her to help. It really isn't fair that you are doing all the work and she gets part of the credit."

Jai just shrugged and yawned again. "Never thought you so optimistic, but she is hardly unique. There are a lot of people who are like her in this world. Best way to get by them is to just ignore them and trudge on with it. I love doing journalism, it's my planned major in college. Hope to get a journalist job at an actual newspaper! If they are actually still around by then..." He said sadly. "Internet has really done a number on them."

"Isn't there internet news sites? Plus you could be a TV journalist right?"

Jai just shrugged lightly at that. "I guess yeah, but it won't be the same you know? The paper has been around longer and has a history. It's what sparked my love of being a journalist," he admitted shyly, "My sis always said I was a nerd because I always pilfered around old newspaper articles and stuff. Always pretending to be writing these huge news stories and stuff. Heck, I actually tried to get our teachers to start a newspaper club for us back when I was in primary school in Mumbai." He finished in a wistful tone.

"You lived in India?" Lucas heard Greg ask in an interested tone. "I knew you were of Indian descent but had no idea you actually lived there."

"Yeah, my siblings and I were born here in Canada actually. We moved to India when my brother was about three months. We lived in a pretty nice neighbourhood in Mumbai, I miss it sometimes actually," he said with a sad smile. "Sure it was super crowded, but the culture was nice and my family was respected. My mom is a successful paediatrician and my Dad is a Surgeon."

"What made you leave?" Greg then asked which made Jai look down and frown.

"We left because of the terrorist attacks. We tried to ignore them, but after the all the bombings in 2003 my parents thought enough was enough and moved us back here. Since my siblings and I were Citizens by birth we got into school pretty easily. Lucas and I wound up going to the same middle school and our mother's became friends, though we never really interacted much since he was always around Thomas Harvey." He said before wincing a bit and shooting Lucas an apologetic look which the fox simply shrugged off.

"That sucks, I'm sorry you had to leave India...I have family there in Kolkata and used to visit them every summer, but have always loathed it." He said bluntly. "The anti-British sentiment still remains there, and I identify as British more than Indian growing up in the UK."

Jai just gave him a calm nod. "Yeah, that would make some sense. Sorry your family doesn't treat you as well as they should. I love Canada also really, much as I miss India I like living here. Outside of people like Emmet who harass me for being Muslim I don't have any real problems fitting in... though my family were never particularly devout in their religion and my sister sometimes drinks with her college friends." He said.

"So you don't abide by your religion's dietary laws? I'm surprised." Ian admitted. "Even Dr Közen keeps them, and he isn't that observant either." Jai just nodded, as if understanding what he was talking about.

"Dr Közen also grew up in Turkey which is largely Muslim, so it makes sense that he would be stricter in terms of keeping halal. I grew up here in Canada... I still don't really eat pork much but my parents typically turn a blind eye when I get myself a BLT or something similar. I order them sometimes while I am at Tim Horton's as theirs are actually pretty good," he replied before turning towards the clock, "Looks like the bell is about to ring however. I'll see you guys later! Thanks for checking up on me." He finished before snapping his fingers. "Oh! I almost forgot! So have you decided if you are gonna contribute? You don't have to right away. You don't even have to put anything for the First December paper, but I'm still curious."

"I think I will... I'll try and work something up after tomorrow or something..." Lucas told the cheetah. "Probably won't be so good, I haven't drawn in two years so who knows how it would turn out."

Jai's face positively lit up at that and he suddenly grabbed the fox in a hug. It caught him by surprise honestly, Jai was only an inch or two taller than him and he was rather lanky but his hug was surprisingly firm. Though as quick as he hugged him he let go looking rather embarrassed.

"Thank you!" He said shyly just as the bell rang. Giving them a sheepish smile the cheetah quickly rushed out at top speed (and being a cheetah it was quite fast indeed.) Lucas just looked towards Ian and Greg who both shrugged noncommittally which made him sigh. He was glad he made the cheetah cheer up though, he looked like he needed it. Lucas honestly felt bad that he had so much piled up on him at once, but just as he was about to go out to the hallway he was stopped by his Uncle.

"Hey Lucas, can I talk to you for a moment, Mansfield and Moore can meet you in class." He said looking calmly towards the other students. Ian looked like he was just about to say something, but a particularly withering look quickly silenced anything he could come up with so he simply nodded and told Lucas he would meet him later before he and Greg walked out of the room leaving him and his Uncle/Teacher alone.

"What did you want to talk about Unc- I mean, Mr. Közen?" He asked, correcting himself mid-sentence. He had remembered the fact that Aydin had told him to refer to him as Mr. Közen while in school since it would avoid any accusations if favouritism towards his nephew and student.

"I saw you talking with Jaidev Mishra, I am glad you decided to check on him. I had noticed he looked tired and I was preparing to keep him after homeroom to see if he was okay, but you did my job for me." He said cheerfully. "Since he is one of the few Muslim students I do feel obligated to look after him more closely. I feel it as a responsibility of mine to help and protect them. Which is the same way I feel about you, my nephew." He said while he cheerfully ruffled the boy's head furs. "Keep an eye on him please Lucas? Make sure he doesn't overwork himself to much please."

Lucas gave the tall sheppie a small nod. "Will be glad to!" He finally stated. "We share our last classes, but outside school I can't do much."

"Yes that makes sense. ha, but yes when you can keep an eye on him?" Lucas just nodded. "Good." Was all Aydin said before he rushed Lucas out saying that the fox should be heading to class and needed to get his first period stuff together.

With that Lucas was off towards French. He had actually enjoyed the class. Learning a foreign language was a handy and useful skill to have if you ever went abroad (or to Quebec but he digressed.) Just as he reached the door and entered the bell rang which made the teacher just a particularly nasty stare towards him for almost being late. After apologizing he explained that Mr. Közen had kept him for a bit. Seemingly satisfied the teacher gruffly waved him away.

Quietly he walked towards his seat and sat himself next to Ian. "What did your Uncle want!" His boyfriend whispered towards him.

"Not much, asked me to look after Jai. Says he feels a responsibility to look after him since they are both Muslim he asked me to help make sure he doesn't overwork himself too much. He also noticed that he looked a bit rough..." Lucas whispered back. "I actually think Jai might be gifted though, like Tyler."

"Really?" Ian asked in a rather surprised tone as he scratched his chin. "What makes you think that? Can you sense that? I know the Knights employ people called 'Searchers' who have the power to track gifted people so they can find and recruit them and help train them and stuff. I believe the Brotherhood does as well, but not really sure..." He admitted. "They are very secretive naturally, and as shown by Monet not exactly the most social bunch. They apparently exist so they can keep both the Council and Knights in-line."

"That is indeed pretty interesting..." Lucas said before turning his focus on the teacher for a bit before turning back towards Ian, "So basically they are always recruiting people?"

"Basically, they provide a safe place for the Gifted. They have had a long history of persecution as 'witches' if you will. It actually had gotten so horrific that the Council and Knights were both forced to step in and order the hunts ceased on threat of retaliation. Suffice to say they ended almost immediately." He said smugly. "Probably one of the few times the two ever actually worked together fully on. Usually they have the 'enforced cold war' thing watching to make sure the other doesn't mess things up. The Hidden World's secrecy has always been a fragile thing, but nowadays it's even more tenuous with all the tech available, and the fact information can be sent and accessed anywhere and anytime. But we manage."

Lucas nodded once again. "Why was the Hidden World created? I doubt Mages would have much trouble protecting themselves as you can bend the forces of nature on a whim, not to mention Mages are sturdier and harder to kill."

"True but let's face it we would be vastly outnumbered and the sheer amount of military tech would level the field. We hid because the Elders saw that the Mundane could one day fight us, and we would probably lose. We learned that during the French Revolution... Almost all the French Clans lost someone to 'Madam Guillotine'. The reason was because the French Council enforced neutrality during the Revolution, since half of the Clans wanted to keep the royalty while others had Republican leaning and favoured a republic. It was done to prevent a Mage civil war from breaking out."

"Why were Mages targeted?"

"We were the social elite naturally." He said seriously. "We were among the richest and the fact that we would do nothing angered both sides, and caused Clan Compound. As I said lots died and many of the Clans still bear that grudge."

Lucas just sighed. He sure did have a lot of questions, but hopefully with his friends he could find the knowledge he sought