While the meeting had gone well, Ramon sensed the rising unease within the one called Larsen. He didn't believe for a minute that was his real name. nor had he seemed comfortable in the company of his granddaughters which surprised Ramon. In fact, the entire time, Larsen came across as very antsy and uncomfortable in the private area. "I'm wondering about him, I really am." He didn't resemble the Eduard of his granddaughters' description whatsoever. "What the hell happened to him?" Well, other than betrayal every step that he took.
Ramon couldn't believe the utter gall of those mongrels he'd already taken to task earlier for daring to intrude upon his turf. To frame the new tenants in addition to everything else? How dare they have the gall for such idiocy. He fumed as he returned to his granddaughters. He noticed that Denise, Maisie, and Jarl all rose to their feet with alacrity that made him realize there was definite pack mentality kicking in. all of them sensed danger surrounding them.
Electricity crackled in the air.
Jarl, Denise, and Maisie immediately surrounded Larsen though he calmed them with a single touch of a finger on their necks. Though his eyes glimmered with wild feral intensity. He radiated the electrical change but contained it with clear power that awed Ramon.
Rarely had he met someone with that channeled power. The only other beings were his guests and his granddaughters. Now he had to figure out a way to assist the group out of the restaurant without trouble falling upon their heads.
"I'll see my way out first." Rose stood up without haste. She gathered a bag of material. Jessie took another bag, while Ramon remembered his manners and picked up the third. The guests already reclaimed the remaining bags.
Rose's mouth tightened with anger. A rare indicator of her tension with the situation on the rise. Ramon sighed. He would have a tough time making her understand just how unstable Larsen Eduard had become in his years living as a pack leader. There was no telling what he'd done in the past while surviving.
Jessie met Ramon's gaze in understanding. "I'll keep an eye on her." She sighed. "No surprise visits allowed at the beginning."
"If ever," Ramon confirmed. "I don't know what happened to him. However, if the treatment he's receiving from ex-pack members tells me anything, it was horribly rotten." There was no telling just how big that pack of his was. Very numerous if his powerful demeanor was any indicator.
Jessie swallowed hard. "Okay, I'll do my best to convey that warning to Rose and the others." Her uncertain expression alerted Ramon to how difficult that might be.
Ramon smiled. "I'll count on your very best effort." He didn't request success because that was nigh impossible.
Jessie relaxed at his wording and bowed her head. "Right, I'll be off." She looked at the other three. "I enjoyed meeting you all. I'm going to learn sign language." She glanced at Denise when she asked. "Was its American Sign Language?"
Denise looked confused. Maisie looked baffled. "You used to sign with your fingers." Jarl explained. "There's an official name for it." He sighed and turned to Jessie. "Sorry, but I think it is actually a mishmash of several variations from all the countries we've travel through." He shrugged. "Most of it is probably ASL." He spread his hands. "I can't really help you with that."
Jessie smiled. "That's all right." She nodded to Maisie and Denise. "I hope to meet with you again and we can create projects together." She pantomimed sewing stitches.
Denise's face brightened and she nodded enthusiastically.
Jarl looked amused. "Anything to do with sewing will cheer her immensely." His expression turned watchful. "Unless it becomes something that turns dangerously time consuming."
Hmm, touchy subject. Time to put an end to it. Ramon cleared his throat. "End time."
Jessie winced. "Oh yeah, sorry." She skittered off with an embarrassed glance over her shoulder at Ramon. She wasn't going to forgive him for interrupting them, but he didn't care.
"Thank you." Jarl murmured. "I wasn't sure how to get rid of her other than being potentially rude."
Ramon shrugged. "Sometimes with her, you have to be." He liked this trio of Larsen's pack. Now if the others were able to be so amiable, he'd be happier. "How many others are in your group, just a rough estimate?" He knew that approximately twenty rooms could fit at least three times that many people if they willingly shared.
Jarl shrugged. "Not sure." He scratched his head in puzzlement.
Denise understood what he was asking. She held up both hands twice, and rocked her hand indicating the number fluctuated.
"Thank you, Denise." She smiled at him. She motioned something at the others who might've castigated. Even he recognized that she indicated trust in him.
Jarl rolled his eyes. "Yep, twenty is the approximate number. It raises and falls depending on each location we end up at."
Maisie shrugged. "We don't go over thirty-five if we can help it." She sighed, sorrow darkened her face before she forced the emotion away. "Anyway, thank you for tolerating our presence in your stronghold." She bowed. "Now we'll take our leave as well."
Tolerate their presence? Is that what he gave as an impression or was it his granddaughters. Ramon sighed but couldn't reassure them. Instead, he watched as they hurriedly dispersed into the crowd and literally vanished from sight. "Handy skill." He paid the bills for his granddaughters and the visitors. Though much to his surprise the host glanced at him in dubiousness. "They already paid for everyone." She spread her hands. "Though I told them that you would take care of it."
Ramon smiled. "Well, next time it'll be my treat." Stubborn and independent. Not willing to rely on anyone. That struck him as refreshing but troubling. Once more it spoke of unwillingness to rely on anyone else but themselves. In that case, why rent the house instead of trying to buy it outright? For them, he would've sold it. Granted, Rose would've been outraged if he'd done it, but sometimes he believe she protested more to state an opinion than really caring about the property that was mostly barren of life.
Softly whistling, he made his way out to the street and frowned. Instantly he paused to gaze around carefully. All outsiders were gone. The streets were completely empty. His eyes narrowed. "Damnation, what happened out here." He assessed the situation and blinked. Then his vision altered, and a dramatically scary scene appeared before his eyes.
There was a confrontation happening on the street between the five newcomers and the troublemakers plus six. He noticed his granddaughters were nowhere in sight which relieved him. Though he knew they'd arrive at any second once gaining wind of what happened. He waited to see what happened and immediately sensed two new arrivals. They arrived on the rooftops and simply watched. Their clothing was of present day, but they each held weapons that signified their origins from another time.
Ramon identified them as his guests. They were not happy with the situation, but their attention was on the troublemakers, not the newest tenants. They quietly discussed what they were going to do. Not much to Ramon's surprise, his granddaughters arrived on the scene as well. They brought reinforcements, much to his surprise. That made him realize they viewed the situation as very serious indeed.
Chills ripped through him as he witnessed a turf war in the making. Ramon grunted because he was in no shape for a fight. It appeared he wouldn't have to do it this time. So, he made sure to reinforce the shield that was holding everything out of sight of the general populace.
Even as he did so, the fight erupted. Fierce snarls and snaps alerted Ramon to danger. He jumped to a rooftop, just in time to avoid someone attempting to take him out. "Bastards." He swore.
"Dammit, you can't even get an old man past his prime?" A voice taunted. "I expected better from you, Orlin. After all, you were one of the finest apprentices of Noir."
A female appeared. Danger surrounded her in an obvious aura that made him suck in his breath at the vicious aura surrounding her. Eleanor? It had to be, though why she survived in spirit form bothered him.
"Shut up bitch. I don't see you going after your beloved amore." Orlin snarled. "You're nothing but hot air that needs to be dispersed once and for all."
Eleanor snorted. "What a fucking loser." She dismissed him disgusted.
"If you want any redemption, go after her and leave me alone." Larsen suggested coldly.
Orlin snorted rudely. "Nah, I'm more into you, Eduard."
"That isn't my name." Larsen snapped. "I left that past behind several centuries ago."
"You may have but many of us haven't." Eleanor growled. "You made a fool out of me." She swiped at Larsen and Orlin.
"Oh, hey now, that is a tad unfair." Thorn remarked sourly. "I think this is much fairer now, don't you, Jonah."
"Aye." Jonah appeared.
Neither one of them dressed in typical wear. "They picked Beltane to pull this shit of course." Jonah commented. "Of course, that invites in unwelcome visitors as well as the welcomed."
Beltane, huh? Ramon considered the ramifications. It made horrible sense and he sighed. "I'll have to bring more out of the hidden powers that be." Not something he intended to use until a later time when he meant to be in better shape too.
Now he didn't have a choice.
"Don't pull anyone else in, Ramon." A calm voice instructed.
From the left side of his vision, a green haired, black eyed, and blue skinned male sat on a well. It overflowed with water. In his hands a small ball glowed.
The color matched the shield that Ramon automatically reinforced without a second thought. "You are?"
"I'm Tamerlane. We'll do formal introductions later." His glowing black eyes focused on the combatants. "We already have too much problems."
Hmm, Tamerlane. Where had he heard the name? it was so long ago that Ramon merely focused on the present. He opted to do what Tamerlane until he could unravel the mystery of where he remembered the name from.
Even as he ruminated on the puzzle, he noticed the rumble becoming fiercer. Orlin and Eleanor teamed up against Eduard and he fought just as fiercely, not paying attention to other combatants. His eyes glowed, his hair flowed around his body and now he remained wildly glowing. Runes covered him from head to toe. All of them activated creating a miasma of black ink that swirled into mini tornadoes that circled Eleanor and Orlin.
"Oh shit, we're screwed." The other troublemakers muttered. He began backing away, looking for an exit.
Ramon tripped him, and his clothes ripped off. He was bound into place by Denise whose nose wrinkled in disgust at seeing stuff that wasn't her cuppa.
She remained to guard him, ignoring his threats, insults and curses. When he said something nasty, she kicked him in the genitals. That made him pass out. Denise returned her attention to the fight in front of her.
The rest of the combatants kept the extra troublemakers' from closing on Eduard, Orlin and Eleanor. They were strangled into the black miasma and crushed to ash. The troublemaker who teamed with Orlin and yapper that passed out, was rendered useless and deposited next to the other one that Denise guarded.
Seconds later, Tamerlane and Jonah opened another portal. Ramon's jaw dropped in shock. He hadn't realized who else had the ability. Even as his eyes nearly popped out of his head when Rose and Jessie joined their abilities with the two men.
Then they continued with the process of opening and holding the portal stable.
With no words, Eduard swung the small whirlwind tornados and threw them into the portal. His gaze flickered to the passed-out troublemakers.
"No," Tamerlane shook his head. "Dump the other worthless jerks through there. Those two I have a special punishment waiting for them."
Ramon began anticipating the troublemaker's punishment with glee. He could think of something else that would dump them into a very bad place. Therefore, he decided to wait and see what else would happen.
Jarl and Jethro threw the other screaming terrified troublemakers through the portal. It snapped shut and Rose and Jessie nearly passed out. Jonah and Tamerlane caught them with exasperated sighs and put them onto the street carefully.
Then Jarl and Jethro caught Eduard when he passed out. "Dammit, I knew this would happen." Jethro checked his pulse. "This was something he should've known would happen."
Jarl grunted. "This is what he was avoiding the entire time." He stared at Rose and Jessie. "I want to know exactly how they could predict this would happen." He turned his attention to Jonah and Thorn who watched him with cool stares. "The same with you two."
Jonah sighed. "We're his brothers." He gestured at Eduard. "He is Eduard Larsen Vanguard." He shrugged. "The family tree is complicated as hell."
Jarl and Jethro grimaced. "What an understatement." Ramon commented. "Now we need to fix the rest of this mess."
Even as he said that. Tamerlane dismissed the shield.
The two nude troublemakers awoke. Found they were released and began screaming hysterically as they ran down the cobblestone road, yelping and acting like hysterical nitwits.
"Wait for it." Tamerlane yawned.
Seconds later, the two miscreants were caught and arrested for indecent behavior. The bystanders who'd gone inside of the stores, now began coming out with stares and shocked comments.
Ramon blinked and he saw everyone else was gone. He turned on his heel and headed back to his home. He had a lot of questions he needed answering. Not only that but he needed to find any information about the Vanguard family tree.