RP LOG with nograndma | Call of duty

[lotterylucky]

Riley exhaled slowly as he drove up the drive of what was supposed to be the Scottish Prince's estate. It was different to what he was expecting, maybe a little smaller than Blaise's place, but he had natural royal resources at his fingers. Despite the world having believed he had been killed by wolves when he was mortal, over the years, he had managed to take back a lot of the wealth he would have inherited if he had lived and bore children. But that was the Ventrue blood at play. Ambitious, powerful, determined to succeed. Blaise had it in bucketloads. Toreador were more of a mind to appreciate the beauty in things, have possessions not because they were valuable, but because they were stunning. This place was no exception. It had been awhile since Riley had been in Scotland. Whilst Blaise reigned over other parts of Europe, Britain did not fall into his powers, nor would he ever want it to. It was no secret the allegiance between Scotland and France in the Kindred realm, and that was all Blaise and Ros' doing. They were extremely close, extremely loyal to each other, and hence their countries connected.

After a flight from Paris to Edinburgh, Riley had a military car waiting for him and they rode the rest of the way into the city. He glanced over at his passenger with a small smile. "Nervous?" he asked her. "I'll hand it to you. It must take a hell of a lot of balls to take on a Buchanan for life."

"You believe the scuttlebutt in the ranks and I've got plenty of balls," Eddie replied as she shot him a crooked smile. "Anyway, yes, I'm nervous. Extremely nervous. Possibly more nervous than my wedding day. That I could handle. There wasn't really a lot of time to think it over, we just did it," she revealed to Riley. She pushed her red hair back from her face and glanced down. It was going to be the first time in a long time Austin had seen her in something other than fatigues. She'd practically beaten Riley up once they'd hit the airport in Edinburgh so that she could shower and change. There was nothing like sitting on a plane with Frenchwomen to make you feel even less clean and presentable in fatigues. "Austin's not so bad once you get to know him. They're all pretty easy to get on with so long as you're not threatening the family, or pissing them off. So, erm... are you sure this is okay? I've never... I mean, I know about Kindred. I've just never... Suddenly I'm not so sure of myself."

Riley nodded slowly. "So I heard," he began as they made their way into the winding streets of the Scottish capital. "Did you get cold feet about tying the knot the way you did? I'm going to be completely honest with you, I don't really know if anything is okay right now. I only have piecemeal reports and a few conversations with a Prince who is infamous for being evasive and cool. He never reveals what he doesn't have to. There is knowing about Kindred, and there is being around them. Blaise can be quite confronting when you meet him, you should be warned. The Scottish Prince is a female, and a different Clan. A lot less with the feeling like you're meeting Dracula sort of thing. They're both stunning, and you won't be able to help feeling overwhemled around them because they have an ability called Presence. You are just automatically drawn to them, no questions asked. You want to be drawn to them. That can be with any Kindred, but it's like a hundred times more intense around a Prince, and then even more around Blaise because he's so fucking old, basically. But they're no threat to you. Unless, of course, you try to infiltrate into anything going on with Logan. He's got about six extremely protective Kindred on his case right now. Best to just let that side of things play out. As for Austin, he was there when Logan died. Everyone was. Austin tried to resuscitate him."

Eddie's hand shook as she touched it to her forehead, trying to process the fact that they'd just flown between three countries. She wasn't sure, but she thought there could have been a fourth, or even fifth one involved with the stopovers. The jet lag wanted to set in, but she couldn't let it. "Jesus. He never mentioned that. He said that Logan died in front of him. But this Scottish Prince, she's the one doing the Embrace, right? So chances are I won't meet her until she wants anyone to see Logan. It's just this French one I have to worry about. The guy with all the mojo. Wow, Austin is really not going to like that if I look I'm going to wet my knickers over him at any point. Not that I want to. I have my man, and I am more than happy with him. I've just missed him. Things weren't exactly smooth after the wedding night, you know? It was suddenly back to business, and then all of a sudden Austin was leaving. To answer your question though, no, no cold feet. It was just something that felt right. Maybe not the perfect wedding, but what's perfect anyway? He was there, I was there and it was the right time."

"I wasn't there, but I've been told. They just arrived at the place, Logan had just sent a text message saying he wanted to be Embraced. They got there, and he collapsed in the front foyer. Once that happened, it was the end. He stopped breathing, his heart stopped. He was bleeding from the brain. It was pretty full on. But yeah, Austin tried to bring him back. He panicked. But Logan died. I've heard that neither Austin nor Rory have been doing well since it happened." Riley shook his head. "It's not that. It's not a sex thing, by any means. Okay, yeah, Blaise is ridiculously hot and could probably turn straight guys gay, but Presence isn't a sexual thing. It's... well, it's the whole sensation. Hypnotic, almost. Don't get me wrong, under the initial exterior and urge like you want to know more about him, he's a good guy. Very selfless, very loyal and dedicated. He reeks of expensiveness and royalty. Plus, he's my boss. I'm mostly answerable to him. He calls all the shots, and has eyes and ears everywhere. Yeah, I married a colleague, too. I know what it's like to get back to business... and the downside of that sort of thing. So just keep it real. That's all you can do."

"It didn't work out with your colleague?" Eddie couldn't help but ask, doubt starting to gnaw at her gut at this piece of news. "Part of me felt like we're not going to make it if we don't stop for moments like these. I know I can't always just drop and leave a war zone, but my husband's brother died. I need to be with him. If Austin can't cope right now, then he needs my support. I can't give him much support through radio silence. Hypnotic Princes... great. Lawson's never really been like that, and I've known him for a little while now. Treating Kindred is even more interesting. Nothing like being told to fuck off because all they need is a decent meal to heal themselves. Of course, fresh blood is in short supply as it is in a war zone. Especially in triage. They're all injured, or worse. Medics are usually the only upright ones. We get to sit there with our arms out instead of hooking up a Kindred with an IV. Of course, they still need to get treated in private. Not just everyone can treat them."

Riley sighed and scrunched his nose up with a hint of cynicism. "She tried to poison me to knock me out of the running for a promotion I was in line for that she wanted. Like I said, downside of marrying a colleague. I'm not saying that happens to everyone, though. Far from it. She and I were just too alike. I deeply loved her once. She gave me a lot of things I needed at a difficult time in my life. But it got too cutthroat because we were both ambitious. But Austin's already outranking you, and he was when you did this. Not to mention you do different jobs. So, it doesn't sound like that sort of thing is even an issue with you guys." He raised his eyebrows a little. "Are you saying you've been a Kindred snack? Not that I can judge on that at all, by any means. Seriously, cannot. I'm just curious, though. Rory has a complex about that and I don't know how he could feel if he stopped to think Austin might have been. I can tell you though that I'm pretty sure Austin needs you. I spoke to Juliette yesterday. She wasn't sure either brother was eating or sleeping much at all, if at all."

Eddie shifted in her seat and tucked her hair behind her ears as she started to fret over how she looked. There was this strange urge in the back of her mind to make sure she looked as good as she could when she saw Austin for the first time in a while. "She tried to poison you? Are you serious? Christ... And I thought we had it rough. I suddenly don't envy you. I'm not about to poison Austin over anything. I don't want to kill him. Same as I don't want him to wind up a snack when he has no reason to be. As far as I know, he hasn't been. He doesn't really know about me being one either, and for now I'd like to keep it that way if that's alright with you. It's just a medical procedure in a strange way. I don't actually... I don't know how to explain it. I do it for the good of the soldiers. I don't know that I'd do it for any other reason." Eddie huffed out a breath when the car didn't seem to be going fast enough. "Well, that's not a good thing. They need their sleep and sustenance even if they don't feel like they can be bothered. I guarantee he'll be smoking again, though."

"Actually, she did poison me. It just sounds less intense when I say she tried. She poisoned me, I got really sick and ended up in the infirmary. She said she never wanted to kill me, just put me out of the running. Still, I had to deal with it. Seriously, I've had extremely bad luck in my love life, so really don't use me as a yardstick by any sense. I'm not going to tell anyone. Blaise feeds off me because I'm his taste, and I'm fresh blood. Conveniently so. I happen to actually like the rush feeding brings with it, too. He never puts me in danger, and it's few and far between. Not something I regret at all. Never will." Riley laughed softly and nodded. "I saw Rory smoking at the hospital when Logan was a patient. I didn't realise up til that point he was a smoker, but it's a stress thing, apparently. Sleep and eating can be one of the hardest things when you're grieving, though. It was quite and ordeal what they watched, and it was only at that point, they knew Logan was going to be Embraced."

Eddie was quiet for a long moment before she let out a low whistle. "Wow, she's... wow. That's some pretty intense shit right there. She just poisoned you for a promotion? She has to be a dormant psychopath. No offence. No wonder you got a divorce. Did she go to jail or anything? My love life hasn't been smooth either. Austin's the first bright spot in a while. I always figured it was easier to not get attached to people when I kept getting shipped back and forth. This whole war's gone on for way too long, and half the time we never know how long we will be home for. It's just not right to pull someone into that who doesn't understand. Guess I was always going to marry a soldier in the end." She gave a nod. "Exactly. I'm fresh blood, but I can't afford massive 'donations'. Not when I have a lot of other patients, so it's kind of a bit there, and a bit here and those of us that are, erm, well, the medication - we rotate. Smoking as a stress reaction is natural for any Buchanan. I just haven't seen it come out in Austin for a while. I really won't be surprised if he has been smoking. They had no other idea that Embrace might wind up as the final option?"

"She got stripped of her rank, so basically kicked out of the Army. That was the decision of the court-martial. She also signed an agreement to never come near me again and an immediate divorce was granted. It suited me. Seriously, I didn't want her in jail or anything. Maybe I'm a pushover, but that's just me. When it comes to relationships, I'm very drained these days. Hopeful, but drained," Riley admitted quietly. He wasn't sure he could ever give up on love, he was just very wary of it. "How did you guys fall in love, decide to marry? If you don't mind me asking. All I heard was that you're the medic assigned to his unit, and you've all been Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Austin's high ranked for his age, and decorated, so he knows his shit. It must be hard, though. A hard foundation to build a relationship on. Not to mention the more basics of one, like sex and stuff. I know it's not exactly easy to indulge when you're assigned. Have you ever thought about... okay, I'm not meaning this to sound like a recruitment drive or anything, but what about working on Operations somewhere, rather than on the frontline? Oh hell, they knew it was a maybe. Logan never outright said no, he always left it hanging, and literally did right until until the last minute. Did you know Logan, or he's just the brother-in-law type thing?"

Eddie's eyebrows just stayed up as she listened, and she was reminded again about how much she did not envy this bloke for what he'd been through. "Still, wow. That's some seriously fucked up bollocks. Who does that? Okay, we're all technically trained to kill, but that's just insane. Are you in a relationship now? Oh, well, me and Austin... It was just one of those things where in an instant everything just changed. I looked at him while I was changing the dressing on one of his wounds and he was different. There was just something more there. He's always been a good looking bloke. Can't deny those Buchanan genes, you know? But this was... He wasn't just my friend who I knew was hot. He was this guy that I suddenly wanted to jump and ride hard, and to wake up with his arms wrapped around me and to make him pancakes." She smirked faintly as she started to laugh. "I never said the first thoughts were romantic. Just that he switched from a mate to something else. I could just suddenly see him as the bloke I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and if there was a chance that we got out of there, and could start something... I wouldn't have been opposed. Only we somehow managed to start something without getting out of there. Does any of this make sense? I also just knew that if we didn't jump on the chance - dare - to get married, maybe we'd convince ourselves it was a bad idea once we did get home. Plus if I lost him I never would have coped. It would have been a whole bag of what ifs, and what could have beens and those things drive you crazy. At least this way I'd had him for my husband, even if it would only be a couple days. I don't need to tell you that none of us can ever really predict what's going to happen. Logan and me had just been talking through email more than anything. He knew me as Austin's mate. He didn't know we were anything more. He was... He was MIA before we even got to say anything, and now we know why."

Riley nodded slowly. "I'm seeing someone now. Taking it a lot more slow than I normally would. But when you get thrown out of two really fucked up relationships, you generally try to tread a little more carefully. To be honest, I wasn't even sure I should try again, or if I was ready. I felt like relationship Kryptonite," he said with a shake of his head as he glanced over at the GPS to see how much further they had. She wouldn't want to be stuck in a car with him while her husband was waiting not too far away for her. He just didn't know it yet. "I've heard a lot about those Buchanan genes, unfortunately I've only really seen the combative side in force. Or Logan, who was really quite poorly towards the end there. His memory and mood were all over the place, and he was physically very sick. Could hardly stand sometimes. He didn't last as long as they thought he would. I think there's probably a sense they felt cheated, and maybe guilty for not having more time with him. It can't be easy. I wish I could promise your reunion with Austin will be a happy one, but I don't think so. Maybe you can help him, though. It just sounds like you did what you had to do. If it felt right, that's all that matters, really."

Eddie was starting to bounce her leg, a habit she'd picked up off nearly all the guys in her unit, and Austin. It seemed to be more of a male thing, but when you spent enough time around them with very little oestrogen breaks, you tended to pick up a few things. "Hey, nothing wrong with slow. Sometimes it's the best way to do it. If you're happy now, that's all that matters. Just maybe make sure this new girl doesn't cook for you if you can help it. At least that way you know what's going into your food." She bit down on her lip as she forced herself to stop bouncing her leg and glanced out the window. She didn't even know what she was looking for, but surely they couldn't be too far away? "I only really know Logan through email. By the time I was a consistent part of Austin's life, the brothers were already on a pretty much not-talking thing. Especially Rory. It was hard not to want to ask about him, but Austin just always looked pained when he thought about his brother. I realise he was away because of work, but that didn't mean he didn't actually want to be able to talk to all his family. And for them to talk to each other. They're not as hard as they appear. They're fun-loving guys. They've just had a lot of shit to deal with."

"Rory's... multi-faceted," Riley said with a small smirk, still remembering his own first impressions of the Scot. "Very, very multi-facted, like a diamond or some shit. I think everything he has been through he still holds deep inside him, and it doesn't take a lot to bring it to the surface in certain situations. I honestly saw very little of Austin, and when I did, he was in super-sergeant mode. Very evasive, very secretive, very professional. But I know what that's like. He was analysing the situation, scoping it out, before he let himself relax. Then he was at Blaise's estate, and Nina and me mostly kept our distance at that point out of respect. I still met with Blaise regularly, because I needed to know what is going on. Seriously extremely long story, but if Logan becomes Kindred, there could be a hell of a lot of danger or risk that sets off. Blaise wants that diluted as much as possible, so that is where my team steps in. All the sorts of things going on in the background that he doesn't want Rory or Austin worrying about, or even thinking about. They have too much to consider already. But Rory's definitely not for the faint-hearted. He's the roughest of the three of them, but they tell me he used to be the biggest softie. It's hard to see, but it does come out."

"He lost his wife and child, I think that can turn anyone into a hard bastard," Eddie admitted with a shrug. She knew a little of what Rory had become, but mostly Austin had kept his mouth shit. Until word came that Rory had been hurt. She ran her fingers through her hair again, suddenly nervous at the prospect of meeting the unknown brother as Austin's wife. Surely it would have come out by now, otherwise she was going to be dropping one hell of a bombshell on an already fragile bunch. "So Rory's the diamond, Logan will be the Kindred and my husband's the super-sergeant. It's quite a way for those boys to come. Sometimes Austin does talk about his childhood. I find it hard to reconcile the two images in my head. Maybe Austin stayed the most grounded. I don't know. I've never seen all three of them together. Now they're together under the worse of circumstances."

Riley shrugged. "It wouldn't surprise me. From my experience, deployed soldiers either keep it completely and efficiently together, or they break down when it all gets too much. Austin seems to have it together to me. In fact, I'm told he kept it together right up until Logan just literally dropped dead in front of him, but who is going to keep it together with something like that? Logan's his big brother, he probably looks up to him like nothing else. And they were close once. They have all said that. The situation was just against them. But man, they drew together once they knew how sick Logan was. They were both there for him, no questions asked. It was heartbreaking to witness. Especially when they were told Logan only had three months. He barely even made half of that."

Eddie shook her head as she felt tears well up in her eyes and swallowed back a lump. "Austin's strong with a lot of things, but I can definitely picture him breaking at that point. Like you said, who wouldn't? But he's probably going to feel like he has to be strong, but he can't. He's allowed to grieve. I don't care if Logan's going to come back to life, he's still allowed to grieve for his brother. This might be a Kindred's normal, but it's not ours. We've still got all the emotions to work through."

"Even if Logan comes back, he is going to have quite a significant gap in his memory. There are things he won't have recollection of, and he'll be different to what everyone remembers. I'm hoping not too different, though. It will be easier if they can at least bond with him. Like I said, I've spoken to Juliette because Blaise has been unavailable. She's his 2IC, and his mate. Ironically, she was also seeing Rory, and a lot of shit hit the fan there. But she's keeping a close eye on everyone. She seemed worried about Rory and Austin, so I can only assume they're a bit of a mess. They went to see their parents last update I had," Riley told her, trying to give her as much information as she could so she wasn't going in blind-sided. "You're going into a pretty intense environment. A lot of Kindred around, two Princes. It's... full on."

"So you said before," Eddie answered with a slight nod, even if she was starting to feel overwhelmed. "I know about Juliette. Austin told me. I actually argued for her side of things. I know what she did was mean, and it must have hurt Rory terribly, but I don't think she did it on purpose. She was just doing what at least one Buchanan does best and cutting Rory off to protect him. She loved him enough to try it, and it backfired. That's not her fault." She smiled a little as she looked out the window and then gave a small shake of her head. "I wish I could have gotten here earlier. I don't think Austin's going to be feeling too good after the conversation with his parents. Having to tell them that Logan's dead? It's awful."

Riley nodded. "For sure, but Rory's heart wasn't something she should have been playing with at all if she wanted to protect him," he pointed out. "Seriously. The guy has been through enough. Not that I can talk. I didn't know how to take him at first, but those circumstances were extremely strange and I was barely sure of anything myself." He turned a corner and the GPS beeped and the mechanical voice told them they had two miles to destination. "They've got to plan the funeral too. I mean, there is still a chance the Embrace won't work. The choice came with an ultimatum, so to speak. He didn't die and was immediately drained for the Embrace. There was a delay, and we didn't know how long he was dead before there was intervention. If he doesn't wake up, the funeral will be needed as usual anyway."

Eddie cursed under her breath before she gave a small shake of her head. "Poor Austin... Poor Rory. To have to still plan their brother's funeral. Well, I have to at least help with that. I need to stay around. I can't just leave Austin with all of this. I'm not that much of a bitch. How many strings are there left to pull, because I might just be needing all of them." The car turned into a driveway, and Eddie could feel her jaw drop slightly. Maybe this place was small in comparison to Blaise's palace, but she had nothing to compare it to, and to Eddie, the manor was huge. "I need another shower. I'm not clean enough for this place."

Riley waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about shit like that. Seriously, I've lost count of the amount of times I've been at Blaise's place all sweaty and grimy after missions. He likes debriefs ASAP, so he gets to put up with filthy soldiers sitting on his chairs that are probably hundreds of years old in dirty camos and shit. And Blaise always looks like he stepped off a catwalk or something. Kindred-chique." His phone buzzed when it started to ring and he had to switch the GPS off to answer it. He slowed down a little so he could answer without needing the hands-free and started a conversation in fluent French with Blaise. He glanced over at Eddie for a moment as he raised his eyebrows and then call ended. "Okay, so he's like a fucking ninja, too. He knews you're here, but he hasn't told Rory or Austin. He wants me to make sure you're going to be okay coming into what you are."

Eddie just stared at Riley after the conversation had started, the French unfortunately going over her head. It wasn't a language she'd had time to learn yet. Then she just snorted in amusement. "My husband's in there. I don't have a chance to be anything but okay with it. And I also don't want to know how he did know I was there. I'm happy with a lot of the ninja Kindred ways still remaining a mystery to me. Do you think I'll be okay?" she asked Riley as she raised her eyebrows a little. "In your professional opinion. And saying that Blaise looks like something of a catwalk really isn't making me feel any less dirty."

"No, he's just making sure you're not about to have a nervous breakdown or anything. It's purely chemical. You go in there on a super emotional high, he won't let you anywhere near where Logan is resting. Blaise does actually care, he'll be worried you're going to be okay coming into basically a completely Kindred realm like the home of a Prince. It's a lot to deal with. Even Rory and Austin keep leaving the situation to keep their heads clear." Riley wet his lips as they pulled up out the front of the manor. "Blaise makes everyone look like window-washers, if that makes you feel better. At least, everyone who aren't his Ventrue or Toreador counterparts. Do I think you'll be okay? No, I don't. But I think you'll be okay enough not to be an issue. I think once you see Austin, it's going to be near impossible for you not to respond to him. But it's okay. Logan's away from the main foyer of the house. Not many people have been near him, apparently. I just asked."

"It makes sense that they're keeping him separate. If he's in a, erm, fragile state? Delicate doesn't seem right either. But I'm assuming Embrace isn't easy, and that waking up from it isn't easy, either. I'll be okay for as long as I need to be, and maybe I'll go out in sympathy for Austin, but I'll pull it back together. If I'm on Kindred soil, then I'll be respectful. I'm not about to freak out and start screaming." Eddie held a hand against her stomach as she felt it do a flip the closer she got to the house. It meant she was getting closer to Austin and she really had missed him. "I'm here to support Austin. That's all."

Riley shut the car off and grabbed his phone and the keys, shoving them in the pockets of his jacket. "It's not easy, no. I've heard many horror stories, but admittedly never seen it in action. There are a lot of factors at play here, so it's going to be interesting to see how it all goes down." He got out of the car and rounded it to come open the door for her. "Plus, Logan was very sick and very weak when he died. It might take a long time for him to regain his strength as a Kindred, regain control of his mind. Time will definitely tell." The front door of the manor was opening and what looked to be a butler was standing at the top of the stairs waiting for them. Riley would never get used to all this rich stuff.

Eddie was smiling at the fact that the American soldier had opened the door for her, and even gave a slight soft laugh. "Your new girlfriend's a seriously lucky girl. I hope you realise that. Gentlemen are hard to find these days. Those other women that let you go were clearly fucked up. Thanks for coming to get me, by the way. I don't know if I said that before, but thank you, Sergeant Finn." She turned her head to look up at the stairs and the butler and just shook her head. "It's really not the Kindred that will be throwing me off balance."

Riley wasn't exactly sure what she was referencing at first. Sometimes he didn't realise that in comparison to some guys, he did actually have manners and was raised to be a gentleman. His mother would probably slap him down if he lost those skills. He really was a traditional small-town boy at heart. He just laughed a little, with a hint of bashfulness in the action. "It's nothing, really. And you don't need to thank me at all. You really don't. I want to help how I can and I knew Austin was digging his heels in. Once a Sergeant digs their heels in, that's pretty much it." He led her up the stairs with a smirk. "And hey, just enjoy it. Pretend you're staying a five-star hotel or something. Far cry from the Sandbox, right?"

"Far, far cry," Eddie agreed as she reached up to give Riley's shoulder a squeeze before breaking away from him. The butler held his hands out and at first she couldn't work out what for until she realised she was clutching her bag tightly and held it out with a sheepish smile and a nod of thanks. She looked around the foyer and up at the carved ceiling, still in awe of how different this was to how she'd been spending the last year. "So where's Austin exactly? Do I get a map to navigate this place?"

That wasn't an answer Riley had, so he cleared his throat. "She's here to see Sergeant Buchanan, mate. Can you have him brought--" But he was cut off when a very pointed expletive filled the room, and he looked up to see Rory standing there, and a moment later, the second living Buchanan brother was at his side at the top of the stairs, though this one had frozen and apparently seemed to think standing and gaping in shock was the best option. Riley gave Eddie a small nudge, but she was already looking like she was about to explode just seeing Austin.

Word Count | 5,646