Family Reunion (Liza, Jula and Aero)

"Oh... you can... you can breathe fire... literally." He observed tiredly. He supposed magic shouldn't be so unusual to him, especially considering what he and Zold had done in the past. "Well..." He said lightly. "It sounds like a lonely life... but you have friends now..." He wanted to be more coherent and a little more comforting, but he was fading fast. He slumped against the ground and sighed deeply. "But... that's the fate I want to keep from Evelyn. I have to see if that was her or not. That's why it's important. She never knew her mother, and if she's out there, alone... Her mother died, too. She and her mother Sara. I loved Sara so much... and Evelyn... they both... both taken from me. I couldn't lose Evelyn forever the way i lost Sara. I couldn't..." He exhaled again and stopped talking. At this point he probably wouldn't talk to Silence anymore. Silence's voice just turned into white noise in the background of his brain, and he fell asleep.


When the morning had come again, Alec was the last to wake up (probably not surprising considering his previous all-nighter), but he woke up with a start and sat up, grabbing for a sword at his waist, but there was no sword, and there was no danger. He rubbed his eyes and took a minute to pull himself back into the real world. He looked around him to make sure Geronimo and Silence were both accounted for. "I'm sorry..." he said, just because he felt an apology was in order, though he wasn't sure why. It was just in his nature.

Ger had wandered off to find something to make for breakfast and was just getting back with a few lifeless rabbits on a treble hook. "I see you're awake! You sleep like a log my good man!" Before Silence could get back from wherever she'd wandered off to, presumably to bathe despite the nearest river being a couple of miles off their course. "Ah don't feel sorry, happens to the best of us. Silence nipped off to do something or other she should be back soon. Watch your head she likes to climb trees, but has a habit of falling out of them just as easily." Thankfully Geronimo was wrong, and she didn't come falling out of the trees, instead she appeared from between the trees with an invigorated smile. "Oh you're finally awake are you, Alec? Lovely!" A good night's sleep had done wonders for her notoriously short fuse, and finding out that her friend wasn't angry with her had helped a fair bit.

A cold morning bath had also brightened her up, despite a slight chill from her somewhat damp hair. "Well, we should arrive there soon, least I hope so that river is freezing. I'd hate to have to bathe in it every morning for the next week." It took a few minutes for her to warm up in the early morning sunlight, but once her hair was dry her goosebumps went away and whatever shivering she'd been doing ceased. She deliberately faced away from Geronimo as she couldn't stand the sight of rabbits being skinned. She liked their fur, she liked how soft and cuddly they were alive, and she liked how they tasted. What she didn't like was the business between being alive and being food, namely the skinning. "You got any other plans while we're in Kaionar? Either of you?"

Well, now that Alec had received a good night's sleep and his head was a little clearer, he rubbed his forehead a bit and realized that he wasn't all that distressed or worried anymore. He thought back on the scene that he had come across with Silence, and went through it very carefully in his memory. And, he thought about what Silence had said. He had panicked at first of course, for good reason, but the idea that that one had been a fake was looking much more likely.

He knew that dreams didn't reflect on reality, but Dmitri had also been in his dream, too. In his dream, she was telling him that he should stop crying, and that she was fine, see? She would never kill herself. And they were reunited with a happy hug, right before Zold popped out and tried to kidnap her. But anyhow, as minor as that dream was, it made him feel a bit silly. His logical side was starting to overcome his emotional side, finally.

"Plans?" He asked, finally, when he stopped thinking about the whole scenario. "Ah... huh. Yeah... changing my plans," He said, looking like he was in deep thought. "I'm not going to confront Zold," he said. He stood and brushed himself off. "I'm just going to tell him that Dmitri is dead and watch his reaction. If he acts truly sympathetic, then that will confirm that that Dmitri was a fake. He wants to see me hurt, and I'll know from his reactions if he was involved. If there's any indication that he wasn't involved, I'll see it, and then I'll figure out what to do from there. But I think you're right. I don't think that was my daughter. And if thats' the case, I'd rather not let on that we know that. I'm not going to attack him... I'm not going to shout at him... I'm just going to let him think that he won. Hopefully that'll be the best way to keep her safe."

He glanced at Silence. "Are you going to ask him about your parentage still?"

"I fully intend to, as well as embarrass him with the way I dress. Nice to see your brain finally kicked." Now that this business with Zold was going to be taken care of quietly, something made her jittery and excited, but for the life of her she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Perhaps it was the prospect of finding her father. "Any warnings about this man that you could give me? Just in case things get. . .well. . .out of hand." Knowing her temper things very well could go horrendously awry, and in that house if you did something bad enough you walked in and never walked back out. "Hold on one second there, Missy." piped Ger. "At least thank the man for sending me back home, or we wouldn't be here. After that anything you do is your decision." This little snippet from the warrior brought on eye-rolling and Silence sighed.

"Fine, fine, "mummy dearest". Whatever you say." There was no end to the sharpened silver that was Silence's wit, and this was only the beginning. "I pity the man you marry, Silence. He'll need a spine made of steel to handle you." was the reply. Truthfully there was someone that she had her eye on, but she wasn't about to put him in jeopardy by mentioning him to Ger. After breakfast and packing, Silence essentially ran up the tallest tree she could find and pointed east. "That way we go! Straight line to the city!"

Alec smirked mildly at their little exchange. "Truth be told, miss Geronimo, i'm more worried about the man that YOU marry, should it ever happen."

Alec climbed back onto his horse and sighed a bit. "There are lots of things I need to warn you about. First of all, he's got plenty of protection wards. Now that I'm not as eager to kill him, it'll likely affect me more. He has a sort of "relaxation" ward around his house that just makes a person not really eager to fight. That's why he prefers diplomatic meetings at his home. And... more importantly... If you're hoping for a reaction, don't bother. I've never seen the man raise his voice once. I've never seen him shocked or surprised or dumbfounded." He shook his head. "If you want closure for the father you never had, or a heartwarming apology, or even attention for it, he'll most assuredly withhold it from you. He's a master manipulator. He generally figures out what a person wants, and then keeps it from that person. Just... don't go in there with high expectations," He warned. "And embarrassment is straight off the table. He doesn't get embarrassed by other people. Just... don't get your hopes up for whatever you want. Expect nothing more than a cold shoulder."

And with that warning, they were back on their horses and riding towards the city.

After a rather uneventful trip, and Alec getting more logical and less emotional every day, they finally arrived at Kaionar! Woot! Alec glanced at Silence. "Well... would you like to discuss your concerns with him first? Maybe that would be best."

"I doubt any man will ever lose that much common sense Alec, besides I have brothers who can and have carried on the family name so I have no obligation to marry." Time passed rather well after that and things perked up as they arrived in the city. Ger decided not to speak about Zold, and rather let Silence find out on her own. "I suppose that'll be my plan. But I'm not sure what I'll do when I actually see him. Telling him he's mentioned in someone's will might get his attention." That being said, after acquiring directions to the correct home and gathering her nerves, she marched up to the gates and found herself feeling more casual about her walking with each step. The house was not what she expected and she certainly felt out of place dressed the way she was*.

She did her best to knock on the door and wondered if anyone could hear her knock through what looked to be more of a vault door that the door to a personal residence. "Hello? I-I'm looking for a man named Zold, do I have the right address?" No she didn't feel angry anymore, but that didn't mean she wasn't nervous. Moreso she was scared of what answers she might get, or who would answer the door. She tried to force herself not to fidget with the bundle of papers in her hands, and that proved the largest of challenges yet presented with the matter at hand. "Please let someone answer...Please let someone answer." she muttered to herself, feeling a rather strong urge to run off the porch and forget this whole idea.

*[OOC: her typical circus-y attire with rich colors, indigo in this case, and a small bit of jewelry]

There was a voice on the other side. It sounded perturbed, but the walls were too thick to make out what it was saying.

After some knocking, a generic butler opened the door, with his eyebrows raised. "Mmmmmyeeesss?" He asked, in a stuck-up, Kaionar fashion. He eyed her clothes with disdain. "I expect you want to see Lord Zold," He repeated after she had said so. "Tut tut, what manner of harlot are you, then? I've never heard of call-girls soliciting door to door. The market must be getting desperate. Why, then, should I direct you to the Master of this home?"

"Franklin!" came a second voice, Zold's voice. It was the voice that had reverberated through the walls previously. It sounded no less perturbed. In fact, it sounded slightly more frustrated. "Manners!" Damnit, good help was so hard to find. Hopefully Alec would come crawling back on his hands and knees soon enough and he could fire this clown (but answering his own doors meanwhile was beneath him. What would the other nobles say?). Anyhow, now that the door had been answered, the Butler stepped back and gestured for Silence to come inside. "Mmmyesss the master is right over there if you wish to see him."

"Right over there" was accurate. Zold was sitting in a chair, at a table, with a cup of tea. He looked vaguely curious at the newcomer, and he, too, thought that she must have been a harlot at first. No... she looked too clean for that. But she was quite theatrical in her dress. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully when he finally studied her face. He was sure he had seen her face somewhere before. A long time ago. He had sudden feelings of nostalgia that he couldn't quite explain. He waved his hand at the obese butler. "You're dismissed," he commanded. The butler, as suggested by Zold, excused himself.

With that oaf gone, he gestured for Silence to have a seat. "I'm terribly sorry about that. Good help is so hard to find." He poured his guest a cup of tea and slid the cup over to her on a saucer. "It's Orange-blossom tea if you're interested. I have some honey and milk to compliment it, if you desire. Now then, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

The girl gave a rather hellish glare to the butler and did as Zold asked. "Thank you sir, I'm here at the suggestion of my mother, she mentioned you in her will." Sipping the tea helped, as it was what she did back home when things got to be too much for her. At his mention of finding good help she nodded sympathetically. "Oh yes I imagine so when there are standards which must be met. I was just about to rid you of that butler permanently for assuming I was some sort of..." just thinking about finishing that sentence made her hands shake even more so she stopped herself. "But I digress. Do you perhaps know a woman named Aerlyne Xerceis?" Surely there would be many questions to follow and she'd have to explain herself, but all too well did she know that she could talk someone into a coma, so she'd have to try and make it at short as possible.

"She's been gone for several years, and I only just found her will, else I'd have come here a long while before now to ask about her. You see, her husband, also deceased, denounced me from the day I was born and I began to wonder who my father was. I've been gathering her last worldly possessions, and your name came up in a letter she enclosed with her will. I know it sounds beyond ridiculous for me to just waltz in and ask so much of you, but anything you can tell me I'd be most grateful for." Trying to keep in mind that this man was usually selfish and only looked out for himself, she couldn't bear to leave out one final comment. "By no means did my mother insinuate this, but I have a family portrait of her and you seem to fill in the blanks concerning how I turned out. The man next to her is her late husband, didn't deserve her at all. Hated children." she sniffed.

Well that was interesting. When Silence mentioned that he was in a will, and in her mother's will no less, he decided he should just be prepared for anything. Ah, that name! There it was. It had been on the tip of his tongue. That's who this young lady reminded him of. Lovely woman, that was. It had been a shame that she had found comfort in someone else, but Zold hadn't resented her for it. He had been young and immature back then, like all young men who believed in romance. He even felt some regret when it became aparent that the woman was no longer of the living. Such a shame. As a way of preparing himself, and as a way of forcing himself to listen to all the details before talking, he refilled his own cup of tea to the brim, and began to drink quite slowly while Silence spoke.

That forethought did him much good. He closed his eyes and finished his tea as she implicated him as her father. What does a person say to that? The extra time he spent drinking gave him a little extra time to think, before he placed the empty cup back on it's fancy saucer. "I am sorry to hear of your mother's passing. I did know her," he confirmed. "She was a woman worthy of much respect, or so I thought at the time. That was quite a long time ago, and many of the details have been lost from that time, but I'm afraid I can tell you little more than that. Your theory is... intriguing, but unlikely. You must excuse me for feeling dubious about such a claim. You're not the first person who has claimed to have some connection to my line, and thusly, the wealth that it comes with. May I ask, then, what it is that was mentioned about me that made you believe that you are of my line?"

She looked more stunned than guilty when he mentioned money. "I'd actually never heard of you before I read the will, and if you'd care to see the letter yourself she doesn't mention your social standing. It was that she spoke so fondly of you that...that I dared to come here and at least inquire about her. Mother once told me that my eyes used to be the color of cocoa powder when I was about three, then one day they turned silver and they've been that color ever since." From the bundle of paper in her hands came the portrait of her and her mother with her much loathed stepfather. "Feel free to ignore the worthless trash on the left, he's of no significance, my mother's on the right. You have my word that regardless of relations I won't come bothering you needlessly." In essence she was telling him she had no use for his money, but for good measure, best to spell it out.

She sipped her tea, realized it was cold, and was tempted to reheat it but feared breaking the glass or startling the man in front of her. "I work for a relatively successful circus good sir, and the only money I could ask for is your patronage when we next come to the city. Personally, I'm in no dire need of money. On a less awkward note, I believe you're familiar with two of my companions, Geronimo and Alec, yes? The former wanted me to thank you for your help, and so would I. The circumstances surrounding my mother's death also separated me from my only childhood friend, and thanks to you we've gotten the rudest awakenings. Geronimo is no longer the skinny awkward ginger I remember, and apparently I'm the polar opposite of myself as a child. I was so quiet Geronimo dubbed me "Silence" and I kept the name ever since."

"Oh but enough about me, I've talked your ears off far too long. Would you care to tell me a bit about yourself?" There was some sort of sound in the other room and her ears pricked. "Surely your butler knows better than to eavesdrop. Does anyone else live here?" The assumption that his butler was listening in was meant to be a more "the audacity!" sort of statement rather than insinuating he had poor judgement when hiring help.

She looked more stunned than guilty when he mentioned money. "I'd actually never heard of you before i read the will, and if you'd care to see the letter yourself she doesn't mention your social standing. It was that she spoke so fondly of you that...that I dared to come here and at least inquire about her. Mother once told me that my eyes used to be the color of cocoa powder when I was about three, then one day they turned silver and they've been that color ever since." From the bundle of paper in her hands came the portrait of her and her mother with her much loathed stepfather. "Feel free to ignore the worthless trash on the left, he's of no significance, my mother's on the right. You have my word that regardless of relations I won't come bothering you needlessly." In essence she was telling him she had no use for his money, but for good measure, best to spell it out.

She sipped her tea, realized it was cold, and was tempted to reheat it but feared breaking the glass or startling the man in front of her. "I work for a relatively successful circus good sir, and the only money I could ask for is your patronage when we next come to the city. Personally, I'm in no dire need of money. On a less awkward note, I believe you're familiar with two of my companions, Geronimo and Alec, yes? The former wanted me to thank you for your help, and so would I. The circumstances surrounding my mother's death also separated me from my only childhood friend, and thanks to you we've gotten the rudest awakenings. Geronimo is no longer the skinny awkward ginger I remember, and apparently I'm the polar opposite of myself as a child. I was so quiet Geronimo dubbed me "Silence" and I kept the name ever since."

"Oh but enough about me, I've talked your ears off far too long. Would you care to tell me a bit about yourself?" There was some sort of sound in the other room and her ears pricked. "Surely your butler knows better than to eavesdrop. Does anyone else live here?" The assumption that his butler was listening in was meant to be a more "the audacity!" sort of statement rather than insinuating he had poor judgement when hiring help.

Zold narrowed his eyes in the direction of the Butler. "Yes," he agreed calmly. "He should. No matter. I'm sure your mother was quite mistaken." He stood and raised his finger at Silence. "Would you excuse me a moment?"

He walked out of the room, leaving Silence alone for a minute. After some polite discussion with his former employee, Zold re-emerged into the Foyer and escorted the unemployed butler out of his front door. He did catch sight of Alec and Geronimo, but he paid them no heed for now. With the rude man no longer in Zold's house, Zold closed the door behind him and returned to his seat by Silence. "My apologies, that was very rude of me to inflict such a person on you." He chose not to look at the picture she presented to him. He preferred his memories unsullied by these new updates, but they were important. He'd rather continue to think of the woman he once knew as a worthy individual, rather than a bimbo who chose to marry an asshole. That just made her dumb. He had had such a high opinion of her, previously.

Zold took a seat again, and took his tea-cup off of it's saucer, and while Silence had her tea-cup, he pulled its saucer away from her as well. There was some hot-water in a different teacup, which he picked up and poured onto each of the saucers. He took what looked like a pouch of salt out of his pocket, and sprinkled a little into each saucer. Then he pulled out a knife and intentonally sliced his thumb open, and let a good lot of drops of blood bleed into one of the shallow dishes. When he felt he had bled enough, he pulled out a hankerchief and held it in his wounded hand, stopping the bleeding. He set the knife on the table.

He gestured to the dish that didn't have his blood in it. "Please don't be alarmed. I'm sure you would like to know the truth as much as I do. I'm afraid I don't have any magic in my blood, but I've found a way of manifesting magic for my bidding regardless. If you would be willing to drop some of your hair into this one, or donate some of your blood, or even spit in it, I should be able to determine whether we have a common ancestry."

He did catch the bit about Geronimo and Alec, but as of right now, those two were of little consequence. Even Alec took a backseat to things at hand right now.

"Apparently I have a hint in mine, but it's nothing too fancy." With a look of uncertainty she debated spitting, but feared it would look rather disgusting for her to do such and instead pulled a hair from her head and dropped it in the cup. She withdrew the picture and decisively tore her stepfather's image out of the canvas with the intention of burning it once she left the house. "She'd have been better off raising me alone than with him, even if she only saw me to thirteen." Being twenty and looking forward to her twenty-first, it had been some time since all this happened but it tore her heart to pieces to think of it. "She did say, rather specifically, that she'd had relations with you prior to leaving Kaionar. How long before she didn't say, but her final wishes included coming to this city to find out what I could."

She began feeling increasingly guilty for coming by here at all, and dreaded the answer she'd get from this little test of his. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find any of the rest of my mother's side of the family, would you? Not to assume anything insulting, but you seem like the kind of man who'd know everyone worth knowing." Now came the silver tongue she'd been sharpening for the last six or so years, and her many varieties of flattery. When a wise man* said "men will always delight in a woman whose voice is lined with velvet", Silence certainly hoped this was the case, or she'd likely not get anywhere with the rest of this journey of hers. There was also something to be said about a woman who didn't fear making her own fashion statements, and that it made a woman dangerous. Danger, like most of life's experiences, is described by opinions and therefore is subject to change at each person asked.

By examining the young woman so boldly dressed in the parlor, with her charm and silver tongue well-accustomed to conning and flattery. In recent years she'd had to talk her way into many a man's good graces for the sake of the circus, but it would be an outright lie to say she didn't take pleasure in it. Being a woman was a good deal of fun when men weren't drooling over her...physique.

[OOC: *Brendan Francis]

Zold didn't answer her for a long while. Instead, he was busy with the dishes of water and their genetic code. Once Silence had dropped her hair into the dish, Zold put more of the powder into each dish (looking like he was adding the powder by small increments, as if to measure the ingredient by eye) and then stood to gather ink and a quill. Right ontop of the fancy table-cloth that the saucers were set on, Zold began marking beautiful calligraphy around each dish. They weren't any recognizable letters or anything, just abstract, artistic symbols. He encircled each of he dishes with identical symbols, and then set the ink aside.

For a few minutes, nothing happened afterwards. Zold raised his hand to her politely, indicating that he might be waiting for something, or focusing too much on whatever this was to address Silence's questions. It looked all rather complex.

Finally, after an intense pause, the water in each dish began to bubble, as if it was boiling. The ink markings around each saucer began to glow. The clear powder crystals that had been sprinkled into each dish began to darken to black. A little more time passed of the faux boiling and it became apparent that the crystals began to form a pattern like a mix between a snowflake crystal and a an orb-woven spider-web. The bubbles ceased, and the patterns settled into their final formation.

Zold examined each dish very carefully, clearly examining the exactness of each pattern. When he was done, he pushed Silence's dish back to her. From start to finish, the whole spell took about twenty minutes. That was how long Zold didn't speak to her for while he focused. But he looked... exhausted. Or annoyed. Or guilty. Or maybe a little of all of it. He leaned back in his chair and turned to face Silence with a very serious expression.

"Don't act coy," he snipped somberly. He was rather peeved. He didn't mean to take it out on Silence, but he had just had a very rude awakening. "Don't act shy. Not in that outfit. Not with your chosen profession. Madam, politicians do nothing except toss false flattery back and forth all day. I've come to recognize it by now. Using it on me is a great disrespect. We're beyond petty ass-kissing at this point."

He inhaled deeply, and exhaled. "But, you are correct. I know much of your mother's family, although I've lost contact with them over the years."

So, how to say it? How to spit out what he knew now? He felt angry. This was very unusual for him. His most recent wife had nearly made off with his daughter and he had fought tooth and nail to get her back... and only now he was learning that he had been robbed of a daughter much longer ago, and he had never even realized it. To make matters worse, the thief had been a woman that he had respected, and admired. He might even go so far as to say she had been his first love. All illusions of her shattered. If she weren't already dead, he'd have half a mind to find her and kill her again himself. How dare she rob him? How dare she keep something from him like this? What had he done to slight her so much that she respected him so little? As he thought about this all, he was sort of staring into the distance, his chin on his hand, his frown deepening. He didn't even know WHY he suddenly felt so infuriated. How could he miss what he did not know? And yet he did.

"Damnit," He muttered, and put his face in his hand. "Thank you, for coming to me as soon as you located your mother's will. Although it seems like nonsense, the -" He waved at the saucers with his off-hand. "-spell indicated that we are very close in lineage. Close enough... that it does appear that you have descended directly from me."

At every word he spoke a different emotion tried to force her to act, until he finally said she was related to him. "You're. . .You're my father. . ." she choked. She fumbled with the letter and held it out to him. "You could decipher her calligraphy better than I can, there were whole sections past what I mentioned that I couldn't read. Please forgive me, I'm so sorry." In some of the less legible writing there were details as to how she ended up in Golam to start with and in the few short months between leaving and having Silence, properly named Revena, she came to marry the girl's stepfather. Now the girl hadn't any clue what to say, she'd gotten one major answer, and was tempted to ask one final question. "I can't demand answers from you, and please don't feel obligated to give me one, but do you have any other children?"

Having heard of Rose from Alec, she'd rather simply ask as if she hadn't any idea rather than risk what was already a fragile relationship. "It's been seven years since she passed, and I've only just turned twenty. I suppose I'm not quite sure what to do, or what to say to you now. Forgive me for saying it this way, but I thought my father didn't care one way or the other about me or my mother. Mother never mentioned you to me and I can't see why with how she wrote so fondly of you." She tried to remember his comment about flattery and looked a bit nervous. "To be honest I'm quite used to having to use it in order to get anything done contract-wise with city officials. Old habits die hard as the saying goes." She kept fidgeting with her skirt and almost couldn't bring herself to look at the man she now knew was her father.

Her voice now all but failed her and she finally looked up at him, only for her eyes to well up with tears and look like shining glass. "This isn't how I planned to thank you for your help I assure you." she remarked as she rubbed her eyes rather childishly. "If there's anything I can do in return, please tell me." If he mentioned Rose she could think of several things related to her younger half-sister that she could pull a string or two for. He likely didn't want to hear any more from her so she clamped her mouth shut and stared at the floor.

Zold took the papers and stared at them with intensity, but he could really do more than skim them. He didn't want to be looking at papers right now. It gave him some background information, but he really didn't want that information. He wanted to punch her mother right in the mouth. That was what he wanted. He put the papers down with a violent and frustrated flutter of paper, and he rubbed his face with both hands again.

When she asked him about any other children, he sighed deeply, again, and leaned forward. He reached out as if he wanted to put his hand ontop of hers, but she was a complete stranger. His hand hovered over hers, and his free hand sort of was held out, like he wanted to say something. It was a hard conversation to have. He was torn, and unlike everything Alec had said, he looked fairly expressive about it. He finally tentatively patted her hand with his. "Revena.. Revena." He bit his lip. "I think it's safe for me to assume you already know the answer to that, considering your travelling companions."

He had been about to scold her again for not being straightforward with whatever it was she had really wanted to ask, but the explanation made sense. It was human for her to be afraid. He couldn't fault her for that. Hell, HE was nervous.

When her eyes started to tear up, his heart broke a little bit. He could have been there for her, but how could he have known? He barely even heard what she said otherwise he would have been confused about how he had helped her. His chief concern was that she was crying and he wanted to make it stop. He stood and wrapped his arms gingerly around her with his strong arms, and he stroked her hair gently. "No... shhh... no, don't cry. This isn't anybody's fault. Don't... don't be afraid of me. Okay? I'm not going to hurt you."

"Something about a kidnapping, and a cult." she sniffled. "I-I remember her explaining it to Mr. Firenza when I was little, she said something about a cult taking her away and something about a sacrifice. I know she got away, but the rest of the details I don't know. She always skipped over something in the middle and explains that she then went north and from there you know the rest." It took a few minutes but finally she got herself to stop crying. "After she was gone I felt quite sure my father didn't care about me. I kept looking on the off chance of finding someone who'd know, but after a year with nothing to go on, and the prospect of a roof over my head with the circus, I put that aside. We made a supply trip back to Golam recently and I fell into the cellar of what used to be the house I grew up in, that's where I found the papers."

She hugged him as well as she could, he was a rather large man, and hid her face in his chest. "I'm more afraid of your temper than you hurting me, but I suppose that's likely where I get mine from." Most everyone who knew Silence even remotely knew better than to make her angry. "Could...Could I meet Rose? If it's not too much trouble..." She knew of the girl, but was now rather curious to see her younger half sister. "If you'd rather she not see me dressed like this I understand." However she hoped her state of dress wouldn't affect his answer. If he started to say no she'd pull the pout, but that likely wouldn't do much good. Worth a shot though, worth a shot!

Zold sighed again. Oh cults. He rubbed his forehead. "What terrible luck. Well. It might be my fault after all," He said half-heartedly. "I seem to have that affect on women. It seems that joining cults is a trend for women after spending some time with me." He frowned. "Though I am sorry you felt that your father didn't care. I just didn't know. But... we can..." He wanted to say that they could fix it, but how? She was an adult now. He couldn't just start over with her and start being a father now that she had come into her own as a woman. "We can take this a little at a time," is what he decided on saying. "I know this is new and scary for both of us, but we're only human, and this is a lot for anybody to take in." he reached back and nudged some hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. He could believe a lot of this whole situation, but somehow the fact that his new daughter was a circus freak made him laugh inside.

"Of... of course you can meet Rose. I suppose that's up to you, whether you want to dress that way or not." He leaned back and went back to his own chair as he broke the hug. "Your dress would upset me more if you had had a proper upbringing, but it's clear that you didn't. I can't change that now, so there's no point in forcing civility on you. Well, as it is, you are your own person. You've grown up without my direction this long, I'm not about to start forcing it on you now. But... may I ask you a question, Revena? As you are now... having grown up without a proper father... Are you happy? Are you happy right now? Are you happy with the circus? If you're not happy... you can live with me. My door will be open to you."

"I've never known much else but the circus, I've lived with them for six years and we're a growing business. Forcing civility on me...?" Still being in the house she obviously now felt angry at the comment, but figured the feeling would pass. "Am I not what you'd have wanted me to be?" She was more than a bit hurt at his latter comments and rubbed her arm. "You've asked me a question that would break my heart with either of the choices: leave the only family I've ever known and the man I love, or risk you thinking I don't want anything to do with you. I'm happy where I am, but I'd be very sad if I lost either half of my world. I wish I could stay, I really wish I could." She was prepared for anything sort of outburst he could throw at her by now, and looked at her attire with a thoughtful shine in her eyes. "I suppose now that my shoulder's healed I could wear proper clothing instead of walking around in my formal work attire."

She couldn't do everything in the world to make him happy and she knew it, but she could meet him halfway. "I suppose asking to come visit now and then is out of the question isn't it?" She did have little things that she kept up with in the circus that he'd be interested in, but that could be discussed after all this emotion dulled down. "We have other services that we do on the side besides performing for the public." she suggested. "Informants, uhm "shipping" of goods and other objects of value, and a good few "novelty items"." She had to assume he knew what she meant by saying all of those and looked up at him. "Would you mind if I wrote to you during my travels? I could keep you up to date on all the big goings-on." She'd be here a little while anyway, if Ger and Alec left it would be just those two since she had other business in the city besides talking to her father.

"Ger doesn't plan on staying here any longer than necessary, my other friend I'm not sure about, but I seem to have quite a bit I need to do here. If you'd rather I not stay here I can find lodgings elsewhere in the city." There was no way she'd let slip who her father was in this place, she'd be a target moreso than she was just standing around in her current attire. She waited for his answer and glanced around at the large house with the feeling that she was rather miniscule in it. Hopefully he wouldn't be angry at her asking to visit rather than stay with him permanently, but he was a sensible man and she'd do her best to come and visit.

Zold tightened his lips at the delicate question. Was she what he wanted her to be? Of course not. He had wanted to have some say in raising her. Anything else beyond that didn't really matter. "Let me... explain my answer in a metaphor."

"Have you seen those picture puzzles, for children? Where pictures are painted onto a wooden board and cut up into little shapes? I imagine every person as being a puzzle. When a person is born, the puzzle is dumped out of its box and nothing is put together. People spend their whole lives trying to put those puzzles together. Of course, there is an end result - the end result of who we really are. But here's the tricky part. You have your own puzzle - and I have mine. Imagine now that when you're trying to discover yourself, your parents are also trying to put your puzzle together too - and their puzzles aren't completed themselves. And some of their parts get mixed up with yours because they try to put you together how they feel that yours should be put together - whether their pieces should be there or not."

"It's not that I'm unhappy with how you've turned out - I just would have wanted the chance to try to put your puzzle together to help you out, right or wrong as I may have been. Every parent has this urge. I'm sad I missed out on that. But, if you're happy, and you're not ruining your life my making uninformed decisions, I can live with that feeling."

He nodded a bit. "I'll have my tailor making something a little less... 'work formal' as you put it. You can of course keep it afterwards.

He patted her hand again, looking serious. "Stop. Stop trying to do business with me, or I'll think that's all you came for. If you want to say something, you don't have to make it sound more appealing for fear I'll disapprove, okay? Stop." He sighed. "Of course I'll see you at the circus. I'd be happy to. And I know about the circus's 'other dealings', I simply have not had a need for them."

Zold leaned back when she mentioned her 'other friend', and sighed lightly. "I'm certain he does think he has business. You can politely inform him that ...." Hmm, how to say this? Now that he discovered he had a new daughter, his cruel trick earlier seemed like it was too much, even for him. "... His son is fine and I'd prefer not to speak to him further on the subject. I was being petty and cruel."

His apology made her brighten and then she faded a bit. "Father or not you're still a total stranger, for me to revert to business talk is just a habit I need to break. And in reference to that trick you played I was there when it melted. The golem you sent didn't find Alec, it found me and I relayed the message." She shook her head and reached forward to hug him. "Since you apologized I don't see any reason to be mad at you for it. I guess for wont of better phrasing I'm in charge of legal matters and I'm a paid informant specializing in politics. And no I'm not afraid you'll disapprove, it's I'm trying to impress you and/or worry about eavesdroppers." Oh shoot, did he mention a tailor...?! "Did you say a "tailor"...?! I...but..." she stuttered. She knew there'd be no way around it but that didn't help the situation! Oh was she going to feel like a tied up pot roast when that person was done.

"Proper dresses are such a bloody pain. You men have it easy." Perhaps over the next few minutes she could loosen up a little and stop being so...awkward. "Just what sort of ordeal am I in for, father...?" she asked. His mention of a tailor was just enough to set her into informal talk with a hint of nervousness. "Want me to go relay your apology or perhaps invite them in? I don't suppose you want them hanging about in front of your house all day." Part of how she spoke was just how she talked everyday, and now moreso than in the past that resembled her business talk. "Just so you don't scold me in the future, my business tone and my everyday talking tend to overlap, and honestly around people of your social standing business talk is all I know. I'll do my best to work on that though, I promise."

Zold sighed deeply. "I am truly sorry about that. You weren't supposed to .... it was just.. It was supposed to be a threat, you understand. If Alec had seen it, he would have known it was fake. But I suppose I'll let him get on with his life if he's truly done with working with me. Like I said, finding good help is a pain, and your friend Alec fit the bill quite nicely. I'd really rather not let him go, but it seems that the votes are stacked against me." he rubbed his face again, feeling dirty for explaining his selfishness to his newly-met daughter. But she'd come to the conclusion anyway. May as well spit it out.

"Oh, relax, I can see you're not into whale-bone corsets and hoop skirts. I'm simply going to make you a presentable, appropriate dress... one that won't entice people (as my rude former butler) to make their remarks about a particular profession. You say that men have it easy, but we have a different problem, you see." He rubbed the collar of his doublet. "While we're not restricted in movement, you'd be surprised how men are judged by other men on uniformity. Unfortunately, the appropriate dress for men is made out of wool or leather. Regardless of temperature, men of stature are always dressed for frigid climates. It's ridiculous. But in my social standing, I simply cannot afford to be mocked by wearing cottons or satins." He stood. "Well, would you like to invite your friends in while I fetch a tailor?"

Zold waved at her lightly. "I suppose I can't blame you too much. To be quite frank, you likely get it from my side of the family - business talking." He grinned. "I simply grow tired of it I suppose after a time."

"I'll nip off and fetch them then!" she chirped with a grin. When Ger saw her at the door she nudged Alec and straightened. "We've been invited in apparently, shall we?" Meanwhile Silence had left the door cracked and was busy looking at the nick-knacks her father kept around his house. Some were a bit more bizarre than others, but they were interesting nonetheless. "I suppose you're right father. Suppose with all the judging that people do at the circus I've become a bit calloused to it. I've decked a man or two for propositioning me, more often than not it's Russell who does the hitting if he's around to see it. So, are there any places in this house that I'm forbidden to see? I understand private quarters are off-limits, that's common sense, but do you have any rules you'd like me to know?"

She was still nervous about this tailor business, but he said he wouldn't put her into something drastically uncomfortable so she'd trust him with his judgement. "Any person gets bored of business talk, no matter the setting, when it's the last thing you want ringing in your ears like an obnoxious cowbell." she replied. "Hellfire I get tired of explaining contracts for shipments after all of two minutes. Likely going to start asking for lawyers to make the trip instead of the merchants themselves because half of them can't bloody read their own writing much less mine." She became enraptured with a music box that sat on the mantle above the fireplace and looked at it as a kitten would look at a jingling brass bell. "You have quite a fascinating collection of trinkets, reminds me of my perfume bottles back home." Ger meanwhile was just walking in and not-so-fondly remembered the house as she had the first time. However her fiery gypsy friend had made herself at home, and that in itself forced her to relax a slight bit.

"Well... I did need to speak with him anyway," Alec said a little grumpily. Alec didn't really like the idea of going back inside the place either. But he hostility towards Zold kind of melted away once he crossed over the runes that were made for that purpose specifically. Well all right. It wasn't that bad now that he was here again. Even though his brain knew that was just the magic making him feel a little calmer, the rest of him didn't care that much. He opened the door for Geronimo like the gentleman he was to allow her in.

Zold tipped his head. "Not... forbidden, exactly, but it's probably for the best you don't go into the basement without a tour. It's a little rank, and very disorganized. I have a lot of delicate things down there that need to stay exactly where they are, so I'd rather not have many guests down there. If you're ever curious, please say so and I'll happily escort you down, but it's hardly a place for any real person to stay. It's simply... simply atrocious. Ah-" he turned his attention to Alec and Geronimo as they entered. "My friends. So nice of you to join us. I suppose I am indebted to you both for bringing my daughter back to me."

Alec gave him a look. That wasn't like Zold at all. He narrowed his eyes at him dubiously.

Zold leaned back again. "Yes... yes. many people call it clutter, but I suppose I can't help but to collect the strange and unusual. It's not something that makes my reputation any better about town, I assure you. If there are any trinkets that you find especially interesting, let me know, and I might be able to spare it for you."

"No, no, that's quite alright." She was sorely tempted to ask where she could find Rose so the men could chat, but likely enough that'd just make things worse so she sat down and looked between her friends and her father. "I'll steer clear of the basement then, I doubt I'll need to go down there while I'm here." Noticing Alec's look she sighed and pulled her hair back. "It's true, Alec, he's my father. Seems I've been wrong this whole time about him." Him being what she thought her father would be like. "Aside from firing a rather...annoying butler, he's been happy. Though being frank I was ready to send him flying with a broken nose for calling me a harlot." This made Ger break her silence and nearly double over laughing.

"I think Zold firing him was the kinder choice." she stated as she got herself under control. "Heaven forbid his first impression of you be that of an angry harpy. Though really how anyone can have a bad impression of you I don't know." The girl in question remained silent, contradictory to her usual behavior and shrugged. "He's sorry about the trick he played, and Dmitri IS still alive. If you're both planning on leaving as soon as possible then I'm afraid I can't go with you. I want to find out more about my family, and what's left of it lives in this city. Please don't be angry with me." It was obvious that they wouldn't be in that house, but once they were back outside the boundary she was afraid that Alec wouldn't think so highly of her for her decision.

Geronimo could see why she'd want to stay a little longer, but then again she didn't know what their other companion would say. She could only hope Alec didn't misunderstand her by thinking Silence was leaving her precious circus to live with his former employer, that just happened to be her father. "I think I'll go brew some tea, which way is the kitchen?" Silence asked as she stood looking rather nervous. It was too much to ask having to stand between her family and her friends.