Nicolas Quentin is a man of many mysteries; he is an eccentric man, hard, severe, with a vicious tongue, and a more vicious approach to every case he undertakes.
You would think a man so highly appreciated and desired for his skills as a lawyer would become a greedy, cold man.
He is.
Yet, he is also kind.
The amount of cases he does pro bono is double that of his list of rich clienteles; at times, Emilia thinks he only caters to the rich, except the odd few he likes, just to gather funds.
He's put people, who's life had been at the bottom, on their feet again, found them proper jobs, proper housing, proper support.
He is a slimy little snake, easily getting around in the loopholes and squeezing dry the higher authority.
It had been a happy accident, their friendship.
The poor sod absolutely adores Naomi, practically worships the ground she walks on.
At first, he'd only tried to get on her good side, but a night involving misery, alcohol, and an accident that they will never speak of again, and they became as close as siblings.
Emilia sits back, assured in her friend's ability to shred anyone for her sake, in her arms Ruby is snoozing, red hair splayed over Emilia, one strand sticking stubbornly to her mouth.
"This is ridiculous, you're calling Quentin to a school brawl."
Behind Emilia, Seth scoffs.
"I'm calling Nick for a school brawl that disfigured my son's face."
"Oh, don't exaggerate. Your freaky son only has a bruise."
The insufferable man crosses his legs, spreading his arms across the back of the couch - he acts as if the whole room, whole school really, is his.
"God, I forgot how insufferable you can be."
A soft, barely there, knock on the door interrupts them.
A boy sticks his head through the gap, looking around meekly, not daring to make eye contact with anyone.
From the corner of her eye, Emilia spies Arlo's rigid shoulders, thrown back - it is curious, the way the harsh lines on his face smooth to something softer, kinder.
"You must be Sirius, come in love."
Emilia beckons him in, holding out a hand for him.
He is, for a better word, a hallow creature with hunched shoulder, and long black hair that covers a soft rounded face, he walks slowly towards her, his gait uneven as he leans heavily on his right side, only a firm nod from Arlo encourages him into the room. Thin, calloused fingers touch her palm, hesitantly, like a kitten.
"Hello love, I'm Emilia."
His eyes jump to the group of boys, gathered about the ring-leader's father.
"Now, love, why don't you tell me exactly what happened. Arlo told me a bit, but I'd like to hear it from you."
The slip of a boy trembles, eyes shifting frantically to every surface in the room, more than once he eyes the door skittishly, Arlo steps next to him, conveniently blocking the other side and the door, he curls a protective arm around the boy's shoulders, although now that he stands next to him, she can easily see how he dwarfs all the other boys his own age. It's no wander Arlo took to him so quickly, despite his prickly personality, he is in many ways a protector at heart and the instinctive drive to protect his younger siblings had been obvious from the first day the children came to live with her.
Hesitantly, he begins to speak.
"I'm alright," the boy, Sirius, says softly, head lowering further.
"Do you mind if I have a look?"
She waves a hand at his body.
He eyes seek Arlo again, and with his approval, he allows her to unbutton his shirt.
What she finds is horrific. Bruises upon bruises, on every inch of skin.
Emilia whirls around, snarling.
"If your boy doesn't end up in jail, you can spit on my name."
He sits up, amused expression sliding away to something serious. They both know the severity of the issue, and they both know that he cannot allow his son to take responsibility; his future would be ruined.
Emilia attempts to pry the story from the thin boy, but he stutters and stutters, avoiding giving any direct answers. So, she goes with a different route.
"Listen to me Sirius, I will ask you a few questions and you just have to answer yes or no, do you understand."
Sirius nods.
Arlo inches closer to him.
"There is this boy, and he's very clever, so clever he goes to a private school on a scholarship. The other students there don't like him much, because of his background. Yes, or no?"
"Yes."
"And this boy is particularly tormented by a group of boys. They hit him, spit on him, swear at him, humiliate him, but no one helps him. Yes or no."
"Yes..."
"But one day, another boy helps him. Stands up for him. This boy is also hit and hurt by this group. Now, they go after the boy's siblings too. Yes, or no?"
"Yes."
Emilia shifts Ruby in her arms, reaching out to hug Sirius to her side. She softly murmurs platitudes and promises. Emilia's heart clenches, his tears the bane of her composure.
"There you have it, and excuse my limited knowledge, but considering the circumstances, we're looking at battery, harassment...the list is long."
"There's no need to go so far, I'm sure we can solve this between ourselves. After all, they're just children."
The man smiles.
He is vile.
"When he threatened my brother with a knife and tried to stab him, was he still a child then?"
It is Jasper that takes them by surprise, softness all melted away to hardness.
Emilia fixes her gaze on the culprit.
"I hope your father has become extraordinarily rich, because nothing can protect you from Nicolas Quentin."
"Quite true, my dear friend."