It was really quite unfortunate that, in true literary fashion, the best laid plans of wizards (and the temporarily magically-disabled) rarely seemed to fare better than those of either mice or men.  After the weeks they'd spent identifying smuggled artifacts, tracing shady bank accounts, and matching suspicious dates, of course the lunch that they'd designated as their final meeting had fallen on the sole Monday when Dreogan Eleor, their co-conspirator, managed to get himself affected in true demonic fashion.  When Adon wasn't around to get offended, Jonas couldn't help chuckling over the sheer ridiculous of it all.  Normal people called in sick; wizards apparently owled in possessions.

Either way, between Dreogan's unfortunate situation and Jonas's side projects of hiring out to wanted criminals, getting randomly attacked by mummies, and having to spend entire evenings dealing with shifting familial paradigms, it had quickly become obvious that if they waited for everything to die down before solidifying the case for Trevor Reid's arrest, the other wizard would be free and clear well into the next decade.  They needed to lay things out now.  If Dreogan couldn't contribute his information and pass on the IMC documents that sported suspicious signatures, Adon and Jonas were going to have to find another way to get them.

And so Jonas found himself at the Eleor-Katz home for the second time in three days.  This visit came under slightly less auspicious circumstances than the last, which had really not been very pleasant, and he'd done his best to time it so that Akiva would be home from work.  Judging from the bits and pieces that he'd picked up from Adon, he was not at all surprised when her mage fiance wasn't present as she opened the door.  Dreogan had evidently not taken the events of the preceding days well at all.  His absence made the private investigator's task much easier.

"Yeah, actually, I was hoping I could dig up what I needed without having to bother Dreogan," he informed the woman of the house amiably as she showed him inside.  "I think I know what I'm looking for, so if you can get me into his study, I don't think it'll be too much of a trick to track it down."

Even considering how little he'd seen of her, Jonas liked Akiva Katz - she had more steel to her than was evident at first glance, and even after their slightly intense introduction over the phone, she hadn't actually tried to murder him yet.  Jonas was still cautiously expecting a threat on his life.  If anyone ever tried a stunt on him with Anna that was even remotely similar to what he had pulled, he had no doubt that he wouldn't rest until their head was staked on a pike on Tower Bridge, divorced or not.

"Got quite the earful from Houdini about what would happen if I were to bother him, anyhow - hell on Earth, me own worst nightmare, end of the world, all that sort of thing," he added, looking incredibly amused at the recounting of the threats.  Adon was nothing if not overprotective of his older brother.  Aside from the death threats, it was endearing.  "Although considering the amount of people who've offered to personally see to me funeral in the past few months, I think he might have a bit of competition if he tries to carry through on it.  Be a bit of a lark to watch, though."

"But either way," he concluded cheerfully, flashing her a lopsided smile, "it's probably worth trying to poke around on me own first, if you don't mind.  You're welcome to come help if you'd like.  Many hands, light work, or something like that, innit?"

The preceding days had not been easy ones.  Akiva was not sure how to deal with a fiancé that spent ten hours a day at temple, she didn’t know how to help him, and she certainly didn’t know what to do to make him feel more comfortable, more at ease.  He wasn’t around her enough to make that possible.  Even on a Wednesday, he was still out, and he hadn’t been at work.  She knew where he was – she had stopped by very briefly, to make sure he was still there, and he was, praying ceaselessly. 

She heard a whisper from someone about a psychotic break.  She had glared at them, they didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t pass judgment on him.  But she felt like her hands were tied behind her back.  When she went home, she just… had to occupy herself.  There was the immediate concern of taking Lady for a walk, which was very nice, a relaxing way to go out in the crisp, cold air and enjoy some time with her pet, and then feeding all of the animals – even Tabitha seemed to be acting strangely.  She sighed and met eyes with the feline for a moment, and she could have sworn she saw some trace of understanding in the cat’s eyes. 

Maybe she was going crazy too, she thought before putting on the wireless, though not too loud that she couldn’t hear if the lock was to click open, nor too soft that it would get drowned out by her thoughts.  It was a pasta sort of night, something easy and flexible, so she started a tomato based cream sauce on the stove.  So, when she heard a knock on the door and not just a simple walk in, Akiva walked to the door (preceded by a barking cocker spaniel) and opened the door to Jonas Trevelyan. 

She had met him briefly – once by phone, and then later that evening.  She was certainly not thrilled with him then, but he seemed like a nice enough person, once he wasn’t making her feel like she was insane on the phone.  But, he was doing what was best for Dreogan, she had to remind herself of that, and making sure she was alright at the same time, and once she accepted that point, she warmed up considerably to the tall, redheaded man.  He was friendly, and he was company, which was something Akiva craved in the past few days.  Without Sasha in the house and Dree being… preoccupied… she was glad for it. 

At the mention of the study, after pleasantries were exchanged, Akiva glanced toward the stairs, “That should be fine,” she smiled, “I don’t think he has many protective spells in there…” she looked up the stairs again, moving to the kitchen to stir her sauce, and smiled.  “Would you care for some tea? Cocoa? I know it’s chilly out… and from the sounds of it,” she smiled a bit with a half-laugh, “you might want to take a bit of a break from the threats on your head.” 

Adon was a good man, a better man than most, from Akiva’s experience, and he cared about his brother – that was entirely evident.  They had a special relationship, something at times, Akiva wished she had her own sibling for, though she was fairly certain at this point, there were a few people who could fit into the mold of the part.  “He’s not home yet, anyhow,” Akiva added with a slightly sad smile, moving toward the stairs, brushing hair from her face. 

“I’ll let you in,” she took her wand out of her belt loop (a convenient storage space) and tapped the study’s door, hearing one lock open, and knowing Dreogan far better than that, continued to tap along the edge of the door, hearing various locks popping open.  She glanced over her shoulder at Jonas, “He likes to make things secure,” she informed him, and opened the door, stepping out of the way.

Akiva did not like the study.  Something about it – she just… couldn’t reconcile how foreign it felt and it was like Dree’s space.  She had her kitchen – which she gladly invited other people into, but if someone walked in and just assumed the leadership role, she wouldn’t lie about being a bit miffed.  It felt like this was that space to Dree, and Akiva didn’t much enjoy going in.  She stood by the doorway though, to make sure nothing that Dree wouldn’t want touched was disturbed.  His scrying materials were in here (another thing that made her uneasy about the whole room), and she just wasn’t sure how he was going to feel about it being intruded upon. 

“He should have everything,” Akiva spoke to fill the silence, “you might want to leave him a note about it as well, he likes to know where things are and who has hold of them.  It’d probably rattle him if they were just gone…” she crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a bit protective of Dree’s materials.  He was having a rough time, perhaps too rough, so she didn’t want to exacerbate the feelings of not being in control and being at the mercy of others, “I think that’d put him at ease,” she nodded, more for herself than anything else at this point. 

There had to be, Jonas thought, some sort of karmic law of averages at work here.  For each despicable, completely unbearable bastard in the world, maybe there was an individual like Akiva Katz to balance them out.  The woman was like patience and grace personified.  He might not know exactly what she had gone through the past few days, from the moment he'd rang her through Dreogan's recent obsession with penance, but he could take a pretty fair guess at what it must feel like.  If anything similar had happened to Anna and he'd been told there was nothing he could do but watch and wait, he'd be a wreck - and that was him.  He couldn't imagine what it must be like for someone who wasn't used to holding it together.

Although he had to allow that relations with the Eleors likely gave one quite a bit of practice at weathering a storm.  Between the scars on Adon's face, the comments that the younger brother had made about Dreogan's previous occupations, and off-handed remarks by both brothers, Jonas couldn't help but get a sense that this sort of event wasn't entirely out of the ordinary for them.  That made him want to give Dreogan's fiancee even more credit.  It was hard enough to live through disasters, but constantly being the one on the sideline, forced to watch as your loved ones struggled and fell, had to be unbearable.

"Cheers," he replied cheerfully, staying out of the way to allow her to open the door.  Lock after lock - not unexpected with Dreogan.  Both brothers were methodical, careful; that was one reason it had taken them so long to build their case.  But some of their caution bordered on paranoia.  He couldn't help wondering what else Dreogan thought he had Seen, to make the younger man so wary.

Jonas flashed Akiva a smile as she opened the door, shifting position so that he could peer into the study.  It felt oddly like witnessing a crime scene.  So this was where the mage had been when someone - presumably Katsaros - had attacked him.  He regarded it from the doorway for a moment, half-listening while Akiva spoke.

The case they were building against Trevor Reid was simple enough in its own way.  When Adon had first realized months ago that there was likely corruption within the British Ministry, he had shared his concerns with his elder brother.  Dreogan, recognizing that any aid to the smugglers was likely to come from his own office, had kept a cautious eye out for hints of suspicious behavior.  Reid had showed up on his radar after carelessly signing some importation papers that he shouldn't had.  Unfortunately, signatures alone proved nothing; when Dreogan had confronted Reid, nothing had come of it.  The trick was tying it to something else.  None of Reid's Gringotts accounts showed anything suspicious, but by tracing some of his younger sister Aileen's dealings in smuggled artifacts, Jonas and Adon had happened upon a family account.  In a roundabout fashion, they'd finally managed to follow it to one of Reid's secret accounts, which had received payments on dates that matched those of the signatures.

It had taken weeks of digging, matching records, and double-checking identities, but they finally had something that they thought would stick.  All they needed now were the original papers that Dreogan had found; simple enough evidence to back up the charges.  But now, standing in the door of the younger man's study, next to a door full of locks that the bloke's fiancee had had to magically click open one by one, Jonas couldn't help but get the feeling that digging through those drawers and cupboards by himself was a monumentally bad idea.  Paranoia didn't usually stop at locks on a door.

"You know," he said, pausing for a beat as he considered the room.  "You're probably right.  And I don't want to have to add another name to me list of potential murderers, do I?" he inquired, flashing her a grin.  "Betterfit to wait and ask 'im where they're at.  That way, he knows I've got 'em and I'm not rummaging through anything that I shouldn't be by accident."

It was late, but not too late, and he didn't exactly have anything else that he had to get done tonight.  Anna was taking the children over to her parents' tonight; Jonas had a bad feeling that he knew what the subject of that conversation was likely to be, but when he'd offered to come along, she had given him an exceptionally dry look and assured him that she'd rather handle this one on her own.  Adon was probably expecting him back at some point, but he had his cellular number if he needed to ring.  The Auror would probably appreciate some time alone with his Muggle girlfriend anyhow.

Which meant that Jonas could stand to take some time and wait.  Akiva was right; he didn't want to unintentionally rattle Dreogan any worse.  Waking up to find that someone else had been inside your head couldn't be a pleasant feeling; finding that a nearly-friend and a co-conspirator had done nearly the same thing to your private study had to be worse.

"You mind if I take you up on that tea offer after all?" he asked thoughtfully, glancing over at her.  "I'd hate to be any bother.  If you'd rather, I can always come by again in a bit after Dreogan gets home."

She could see the hesitance in Jonas’ expression when she opened the door.  She couldn’t blame him, it was Dree’s space, somewhere that was important to him – and really held a lot of significance over the past few days.  She got a weird feeling whenever she walked by, and opening the door even felt like something of a disservice to him and Jonas as well.  It was something that shouldn’t have been done, and she felt almost panicky as Jonas considered going in and she stood out of the way. 

But, he started to speak before he touched anything, and reconsidered for himself.  She didn’t want to tell him how to do his job, she certainly didn’t want to inhibit his or Adon’s ability to get things done, but she also didn’t know what Dree had done in that room and what might happen if he touched the wrong drawer or the wrong file.  It might be hives or something, she couldn’t be sure.  It would not end well, and it seemed like Jonas was getting that too.  She laughed a little at his attempt at a joke, though the subject of murderers and murder suspects in this house was certainly frowned upon, it scared Akiva, frankly, though she knew Jonas meant nothing bad by it. 

Instead, she just nodded and continued to smile, “I think that’s a good idea,” she reaffirmed; glad that it was the decision he was going with.  It would be easier for Dree, to feel in control, and have some say in things.  She thought that might have been what he was looking for – some semblance of control, some way to know that he still had a grip on things – she tried to give him that whenever she could, but it was so hard sometimes.  She wanted to sit down with him, just sit and remind him that he was okay and that everything was going to be okay, but he seldom sat down long enough for that to happen.  He was keeping odd hours, she had trouble judging when he was even going to walk in the door.

Usually, it was at least before she went to sleep.  She could be happy for that, at least.  He didn’t really sleep either, but he was at least at home.  She missed him though.  Nodding as Jonas moved from the room, Akiva was happy to shut the door.  The click was actually a relief and as she tapped he wand along each individual lock, hearing them also click into place, it was comforting.  That part of her life, the part that was sucking the Dreogan she fell in love with out of his body was behind the door, and she was going to keep it that way.  When he got home, he could handle it on his own.

She hoped maybe that would actually help him a bit, she’d thank Jonas a thousand times over if it did.  She wanted Dree back or at least in a state of recovery.  Some progress, something would be better than what they were currently going through. 

And then there was the request for the tea, and Akiva brightened considerably.  “Oh! It’s no bother at all,” Akiva smiled, really hoping that he wouldn’t leave.  It was nice to have company, and she didn’t want t be alone.  She certainly didn’t want to kick him out if she had nothing better to do.  She was only making dinner and spending time in the kitchen (surprise). 

Leading him down the stairs, Akiva looked over her shoulder and smiled, “I’ll put a kettle on,” she informed him, practically skipping into the kitchen and grabbing her kettle off the stove, sparing a moment to twirl her wand and stir the pot of sauce before she moved to fill the kettle with a water charm.  “You can sit at the table,” she motioned to the pretty wooden set up with matching chairs, some flowers in the middle, just to make things look normal and warm, “it’ll be just a minute or two,” she smiled as the burner clicked on and the blue flames tickled the underside of the kettle.

She went into a cabinet and pulled out several boxes of different teas, bringing them to the table.  “You can pick whatever you like – I also have lemon, milk, and sugar, depending on how you take it,” she added, putting down the various mixes of tea – glad her habit of collecting different teas was going to pay off.  “He shouldn’t be out too much longer,” she babbled on, unsure of what to say, though knowing she should probably tell him about the status of Dree coming home… 

“Then you should be able to get what you need,” she walked back over to the stove top, really not able to stay still for very long, and bustled a bit.  She was hungry, so dinner was progressing nicely as well, a good prospect for the rest of the evening as well.  She glanced at Jonas, “I hope it’s everything you need – that it will be enough to get whatever you three are working on finished.  It’d be such a waste if it weren’t…” she lifted her wand and made the stirring motion again, the wooden spoon emerged in the pot moving seemingly of its own volition, slowing around the bend and coming to a cool halt.  “I’d hate to see this have been for nothing…”

Visible relief seemed to pass over Akiva as she closed the door again; Jonas couldn't help counting along to each of the clicks that indicated a secured lock.  He had lived so long with well-concealed secrets in his own home that finding a similar tension in someone else's didn't seem odd at first glance, but something in the witch's expression told him that this wasn't her preferred way of life.  The separation had been so matter-of-fact for the nine years that he'd lived with Anna; most of the time, he didn't even think that his wife suspected how much he was hiding, but he'd never gone so far as to require his own locked room.  The only reminders he'd retained from his previous life had been his wand and a couple of spellbooks, all kept carefully hidden away in a box under his bed.

Either way, here was evidence again that there was more to the Eleors than he might have guessed at first glance.  Adon had jokingly asked him recently if he'd looked into them; Jonas liked them enough that he hadn't bothered so far, but it might be something to keep an eye on in the future.

The request for tea seemed to be a winner.  Jonas followed, bemused and trying not to show it, as Akiva led him back to the kitchen, brimming over with enthusiasm.  The room was bright and cheery, with obvious care taken to arrange it; the private investigator glanced over the trappings with a careful eye as he eased himself into one of the chairs, taking care with his knee.  The inside of one's home said plenty about a person, and this room seemed to echo Akiva as much as the previous one, with its carefully locked door and concealed secrets, matched her betrothed.  It was airy and open and welcoming, with carefully kept details that seemed to match the woman's bubbling exterior.

"Cheers," he said again, flashing the woman a smile as he looked over the teas.  It took a moment to select an Irish Breakfast; he lined the other boxes up again.

"Even if he's not, I'm not in any rush," he added, stretching his bad leg out under the table as he leaned back in the chair.  Watching Akiva cook was fascinating.  It had been so long since Jonas had spent time amongst such effortless magic; it was certainly a reminder of what life had once been like.  "As long as it's no imposition, I mean.  Houdini mentioned that he was taking all of this pretty hard.  Not that I blame him," he added thoughtfully, his gaze playing over the cabinets and shelves.  "Got hit by the Imperius Curse once, and that was only for a few moments, but it was right awful enough.  I can only imagine what going through what he did would be like."

He flashed a grin at her final comment, glancing over at the woman again.  "Yeah, I'm sure it won't be for nothing," he replied reassuringly.  "We've almost got the case together, and even if Dreogan doesn't have what we need, we can dig it up again.  It'll just be a bloody headache to go through the official channels.  Although," he remarked carefully, his forehead creasing slightly as he glanced to meet Akiva's gaze, "I don't think what happened to him had much to do with the Runespoor investigation.  Sounds like it was more to do with those visions he was having about Adon."

That was good, it would appear she would not be kept alone with the animals until Dree came home again, at least.  She got so lonely in the house sometimes.  Just having the wireless on was usually enough to alleviate some of the anxiety she got from being alone so much – she couldn’t even begin to know how she had lived for so long.  She had Lady, of course, but that wasn’t a human companion.  Frank had lived in the same complex though, and they used to spend quite a bit of time together.

She’d have to send him an owl to come visit at some point soon.  Then he could keep her company one night too.  Jonas would be good company right now, and she smiled at him.  “You’re no imposition, I promise,” Akiva said with sincerity.  She wouldn’t kick anyone out right now, even if she was busy, she’d probably drop whatever she was doing just to spend time with another person.  It took her a moment to recognize that he was talking about Adon when he said Houdini, remembering it had been mentioned at one point that that was his nickname, though Akiva did not use it, really. 

While she watched the kettle, starting to see the steam, though only in tiny amounts, hardly enough to take it off the heat, Akiva nodded in agreement.  “He… he hasn’t been himself,” she admitted sadly, though with a tone of understanding.  She had taken some time to return to herself after what happened to her… she didn’t shut him out though… Shaking her head, she wasn’t going to think about that part, he was having trouble, and she felt selfish for considering her feelings when she knew how hard it was for him. 

“You’ve been imperiused?” she looked at him with a curious expression.  She could not imagine it would be pleasant, nor could she imagine ever doing it to someone.  She had heard, learned, that you really needed to mean the curse to do it – she couldn’t think of any individual that she would do that too – at least none she could put a name or face to, and even then… she shook her head… she couldn’t do it.  She would never. 

Taking two mugs out of the cupboard, Akiva was glad she finally really had a grasp on her kitchen.  She loved this place, it was her space, her sanctuary, and now that she was fully accustomed to the oven and the stove top, her counters, everything just became easier.  She removed her favorite mug and another from the cabinet.  The water was steaming now and Akiva turned down the heat, it clicked twice to alert her it was off, and the woman poured the hot water into each, pushing the kettle back onto the backburner of the stove. 

She flicked her wand in a circle again, another stir, and then tucked it back in her belt loop, picking up each mug and carrying them to the table.  She put the red cup in front of him and kept the pink for herself, thinking this was probably preferable, and she grabbed a mint teae packet from the mish-mashed box of teabags.  “I’m glad to hear it,” she smiled reassuringly, “I wouldn’t want anything to ruin what you’ve all been working so hard on…”

The tea bag stopped bobbing in the water though, when Akiva’s hand froze mid-air.  Dree had never really told her much about what he was doing, merely that it was an internal investigation and it was very sensitive material.  She knew nothing of the business, least of all that it was related to runespoors, and she dropped the tail of the tea bag, licking her bottom lip and lifting her brown eyes to meet his blue, curiosity and concern penetrating in her gaze.   

“What about Adon?” she asked, plainly and curiously, suddenly feeling her stomach turn a bit.  It was lucky she picked mint.  It was going to come in handy for settling the anxiety in her stomach. 

'Not being himself' seemed a bit of an understatement, considering what Jonas had heard about how Dreogan was behaving.  Or rather, perhaps he was being too much of himself - after a traumatic incident, most people retreated into their most basic state of being.  Some blamed others.  Others broke down.  Dreogan, apparently, turned inward in order to seek advice from a higher power.  They were all different ways of handling the stress, but Jonas couldn't help thinking that all of them were a little bit inane.  Going to pieces never solved a problem.

"Yeah, years ago, though," he replied easily, turning his attention to study the flowers in the center of the table.  It was a precise arrangement; an example of care being taken, yet again.  "We all went through it as part of Auror training, and it was being flung around a bit like handshakes during the war."  There was at least one particular incident that he wasn't entirely keen on discussing; he stretched his leg out under the table, too mindful of the soreness as it straightened.  "But plenty during the war was bad.  You either rolled with it and let life go on, or you didn't."

The tea itself was an amenable distraction.  Jonas dropped the tea bag into it, not taking much care, letting it saturate the water before he pulled it out again.  Akiva's sudden cessation of movement caught his eye.  He glanced over at the woman, frowning for a moment as he met her gaze.

It was clear that, whatever Adon's pointed remarks about how Jonas had been a bloody idiot, the private investigator was not the only member of their conspiracy party who preferred to play things close to his chest.  The day of the attack, Dreogan hadn't told Akiva where he was going or what he was doing.  She hadn't known about the Runespoor investigation or about Jonas himself.  It spoke to an all-too-familiar pattern, but even when Jonas had been living with Anna, he'd never lied to his wife about the work he was doing.  If he'd thought there was something that might cause trouble for her, he'd told her.  The only thing he'd ever kept from her was a secret that, while enormous, would have been far more dangerous if she'd known the truth when the Muggle-born hunters had come calling.

It wasn't his place to make this decision for Dreogan.  For all he knew, the mage had plenty of valid reasons why he wouldn't tell his fiancee about his potentially dangerous undertakings.  But still, just avoiding the subject felt wrong somehow, as if he were doing Akiva a disservice.  He had seen first hand how the Runespoor investigation could destroy the life of an innocent; it was forced to the forefront of his memory every time he encountered Tamis Raynor.

"Look," he said, quietly and cautiously, holding her gaze as he set the tea cup down.  Too bad this one didn't include the same caliber of beverage that the china at Raynor's home had held.  "I didn't come over here to go behind Dreogan's back.  But I -"  He paused, considering, as he tilted his head.  "I don't know the whole story," he said at last.  "He's been having a vision about Adon being murdered.  That was what triggered this whole mess.  He was trying to find out more about the bloke that he saw in the vision so that they could prevent it all from happening."

It was interesting to hear, she didn’t know that Jonas was a former Auror, or maybe she did.  There was something that sounded partially familiar about it, but then again, Akiva knew several people in the auror corps now, it was difficult to sometimes not get them jumbled up.  Perhaps there was another redheaded man she was confusing for him… possible, very possible.  Whatever the case, he spoke about the last war easily, something she was hard pressed to find in people and she looked at him quizzically. 

And of course, he was willing to bring up the bad parts.  Kiv nodded appreciatively at the appraisal of the situation.  It was certainly not the easiest time to go through and she could only imagine what happened to him.  She knew her experience had become one that led her to flee back to the muggle world, and she smiled sadly for a moment.  “A lot of people made a lot of decisions that they didn’t want to make,” she agreed with several slow, heavy nods.  That was true, she certainly had. 

Clearly he had some bad memories of it too, though she figured his were probably a little more terrifying.  She had been a student at the time, largely sheltered from the war until almost the end of it.  She had skipped her last year, the year of the battle, and witnessed none of it.  Jonas could not have been much older than her, but he certainly did have a few years on her.  And being an auror, well… that told her just about enough about what he had gone through during the time.

Sometimes, she felt like the decisions she had to make back then made her the person she was now, and without them, no matter how horrible they were, she probably never would have gotten to this point, but then she would take a moment and look at this point and see how thankful she was for those times before.  Of course, the things she didn’t like – the secrecy, the confusion, the ultimate sense of unknowing that were creeping back into her life was not appealing. 

She was more anxious than she used to be, she hated being alone for extended periods of time and sometimes she just felt… watched or something.  It was unnerving.  Like the hunters were back sometimes.  She sighed a little and just wanted to know if the anxiety she was feeling was attributed to what Dreogan wasn’t telling her.  Even if it was about Adon, it was affecting them all, and she anxiously looked at him for an explanation, something that Dree had not told her, though she suspected Dree had his reasons as much as anyone would. 

“I won’t say anything to him,” Akiva reasoned quietly, just wanting the information, an explanation for the behavior and the war path he put himself on to solve whatever was going on with runespoors or anything he was looking at.  If only he had told her… “I promise.”  She licked her lips anxiously and lifted the mug up to her lips taking a tiny sip – the tea was very hot.  The teabag tapped her against the lips. 

Before he continued, she put her glass down and waited quietly, expectantly looking at him for some sort of miracle answer to explain everything.  It said something, alright.  Dreogan would do anything for his brother, anything.  And here he was, trying to reverse his own visions, things he couldn’t even be sure were really the future, things he couldn’t be sure he could change, just to try and protect him.  Her head dipped a little, a small shake, eyes cast downward in thought.  He was something, always selfless, always trying to make things right.

“I should have known,” Akiva tapped her fingers on the side of the mug thoughtfully, “He’d… he’d do anything for him, you know,” she tilted her head to the side a bit, wrapping her hands around the warm mug.  Her hands were very cold at the moment, though for no discernable reason.  “So it was the scrying, right?” she pressed on, knowing Dree was very secretive about that habit, as Akiva disliked it.  It unnerved her, and this was a clear reason why.  It was not pleasant, it was not fun.  “That morning he had been scrying… and that person… this man…. He knew?  He used it against him?”

The biggest problem with telling the truth that it largely seemed to be proving to be addictive.  Getting into the habit of perpetually lying had come about more by chance than by design.  At the start of it all, he hadn't had much of a choice, but one untruth had led to another until it became much simpler to just avoid questions or invent something that made sense instead of knocking down his carefully constructed house of cards.

Reversing all that seemed like it should have been more difficult than it was.  But like lies, one truth led to another, and in this case, he didn't end up feeling like he was trying to juggle too many balls in the air at the same time.  Jonas couldn't shake the sense that this wasn't exactly his truth to tell, but that didn't change the sense of relief that came with not having to conceal anything.  If either Eleor wanted to take it up with him, he'd champion the cause of veracity until the end of time.

"Couldn't say, exactly," he replied, carefully and honestly.  "Adon's been wanting not to push Dreogan too hard, so we haven't sat down and asked him what exactly happened.  But yeah, the timing seems to match up alright."  They'd also found the mangled silver bowl in the fireplace; Adon had identified it as the one that his brother used for scrying.  "Houdini knows more about it than I do, though.  Mind magic was never me cup of tea."

An instant later, the realization hit that it was probably the wrong turn of phrase to use considering what they were drinking.  Jonas flashed the witch a sheepish smile, raising his cup in silent acknowledgement of the misstep.

"Or something like that," he amended, as ably as he could.  "But then, I suppose it's not for most of us.  How're you holding up through all this?" he asked with a frown, gaze shifting thoughtfully to her.  "Can't be the easiest thing for you to go through, either."

Akiva nodded in understanding.  She did not like upsetting Dreogan and certainly pushing him too hard was one way to do it.  Generally, she didn’t have to press him for too much information, and she knew when to back off.  With Jonas it seemed that she barely had to lean on him and information poured out of him.  If she were more interested in asking others about it, she might have tried to get much more out of him, but she shook her head, she trusted Dree would come around in his own time. 

She smiled a little as he equated mind magic with tea and Akiva lifted her glass back at him, “Thankfully there is nothing particularly mind altering about this particular brew,” she laughed a little, trying to be as pleasant as possible.  It was usually not very hard for her, but she felt a bit drained at this point.  She was a tough woman, a woman who had handled a lot more than anyone probably could have asked of another person, at least that was what she was coming to realize as test after test came her way, but she also had faith that it would all resolve itself. 

So, when he asked about how she was doing, Akiva smiled at him.  “If everything were easy you couldn’t appreciate the good things that come your way,” she responded genuinely.  “It might not be easy right now, but things will get better.”  She nodded slowly and continued to drink her tea.  It was comforting, something she always did when she was upset – just put a kettle on and sit, drink and think.  Gazing off in the distance for a minute, beyond Jonas’ shoulder, Akiva found herself chuckling. 

“You know,” she looked at him now, refocusing on the person instead of the wall behind him, “I never liked when he would do that,” she referenced scrying, “I always thought it could be… I don’t know… just wrong,” she shrugged, “But I suppose this is one of those freak things…” she didn’t really know, like Jonas, she was no master of the magic of the mind.  Dreogan was in tune with those sorts of things, he understood things so profoundly.  Sometimes, when she talked to him, she just stared.  He could so intelligent, it astounded her. 

Looking up, she twirled her wand again at the pot, watching the spoon move slowly, stirring it up – the aroma of fresh sauce filling the kitchen.  “But, it’s not anything we can’t get through.”  That was the final say in her book, they would work through it and persevere, it was how they were.  “It must have been horrifying to see though,” she glanced at him, trying to gauge the reaction, “What was it like?"

The red-haired man took a deep breath, letting it out quickly as he leaned back in the chair.  "Ah, I don't know that horrifying's the right word for it," he replied thoughtfully, mulling over the memory.  "He was acting a bit curt when I rang him over the phone, and then when he arrived at the restaurant, you could tell that something was a bit off.  Poor coordination, not acting nearly as friendly as he usually does, that sort of thing.  Nothing outwardly malicious at first, though.  Adon was the one who realized what it was - I would have just thought it was the Imperius Curse."

Even looking back, the symptoms were somewhat similar.  The sharp, jerky movements seemed to be the giveaway; certainly, they were something to watch for in the future.  But the same sudden shifts in personality.  Friends acting oddly peculiar.  After ten years, it was a bit disconcerting to run through the list of warning signs again.  That was one aspect of the magical world that he'd never missed.

"Even after we put the pieces together, though, I don't think there was time to be horrified," he remarked, raising the teacup to take a sip.  "Once you're in the thick of things, you just deal with it.  Seems much worse in retrospect," he added reasonably.  "I shouldn't think I'd like anyone mucking about in me head like that.  There's plenty I'm happy just keeping to meself."

That in itself was clearly the worst part of it all.  Jonas didn't think that he'd suddenly find religion the way that Dreogan had if he discovered someone had been messing about in his mind, but such an assault still seemed base.  He could partially understand why the mage had taken it so hard, though his self-imposed isolation ever since the attack did not make it any easier to find out what had happened or to prevent it from taking place again.

"Dreogan hasn't said anything to you about it yet, has he?" he asked after a moment, glancing quizzically at her.  This was not, he thought firmly, technically prying, which Adon had firmly forbidden.  If the elder Eleor had shared the information of his own free will, there was no reason why he couldn't ask after it.  "Has he said if he remembers anything in particular?  Or anything about the bloke who did it to him?  I know Adon doesn't want to push him, but it might help put the pieces together, the more we can find out." 

On the agreement that he would only visit three hours a day, Dreogan was allowed to continue his visits to the synagogue with the rabbi. Dreogan was not really seeking conversation. The synagogue was, really, the only place he could think of that was truly safe. His home had been breached. His own level would soon witness an arrest of a criminal within their own number. There was, really, no where he could go. But, the three hours were up, and Dreogan had left the synagogue.

As he opened the door, he noted a voice. Not Akiva's. ""Dreogan hasn't said anything to you about it yet, has he?"

Dreogan hesitated before closing the door, brow furrowing. He glanced back to see that Tabitha, who had accompanied him on his walk back from the synagogue, had made it in. The latch clicked softly and he proceeded slowly into the kitchen, still feeling the ache in his muscles from Monday's struggle. It had been more than a mental or emotional fight. Dreogan had used every muscle, every resource he could to resist the man. And in the end? It had been for nothing.

He didn't want to talk about this. But less still, he didn't want others talking about it. He closed the door gingerly before crossing into the kitchen.

"Has he said if he remembers anything in particular?  Or anything about the bloke who did it to him?  I know Adon doesn't want to push him, but it might help put the pieces together, the more we can find out."

"Jonas. I didn't know you were coming," he stated, looking down at their tea cups. Akiva had, as was natural for her, made him feel at home. Dreogan was fond of Jonas. But just now, he could do with a little bit of time alone. Dreogan considered whether or not he ought to vocalise this or go directly upstairs when he saw Tabitha dart before him. Scarcely had Tabitha crossed the threshold into the kitchen than the cat gave a mighty yowl, hackles rising and hair along the spine becoming great, jagged points. Ears flat, the cat prowled, moving closer and closer by degrees to Trevelyan.

A slight movement from the man provoked a great hiss.

"Tabitha!" Dreogan chided, amazed.

The cat snarled and spat, moving closer, crouching and ready to pounce. Dreogan quickly caught up with her, picking her up and struggled with her as she fought for freedom. She batted her claws in the air towards the man. "Stop it!" he whispered, tucking her paw safely in before recoiling quickly. "Ow!" He pulled up the sleeve of his coat to examine his forearm. There were several droplets of blood. He grimaced and looked around for Tabitha, worried she might make a second attempt.

It was an unnecessary fear. Apparently, in great haste, she'd fled the room.

"I'm sorry," he apologised, pulling his sleeve back down and beginning to meet Jonas' and Akiva's eyes before remembering that he did not do that any longer. "She's never. . . acted like that around anyone before." Except, he realised, moments before he'd been possessed.

Dree paled even more significantly.

"So," he tried to say calmly, "what were you two talking about?"

Akiva listened quietly, taking in the information that was offered to her.  Jonas was a wealth, apparently, and she was learning a lot about what was going on.  She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like.  She didn’t really notice anything different about him that morning; it must not have even looked like anything for a bit.  It must have been jarring… unexpected… but she supposed Adon was equipped to handle that sort of thing and Jonas was an investigator in his own right, there was something to be said there.  They were at least capable. 

Listening over her cup of tea, Akiva concentrated on Jonas’ story, his explanation of what had happened.  It was such a bizarre thing, something she had heard of, of course, but never really would have imagined would touch her life.  She supposed that was like most things that happened, until they were a distinct part of your life, it was unlikely that it would ever happen to you.  The worst things were only possible once they happened.  His candid talk about the whole thing was a breath of fresh air though.  It was nice to hear from another source, one that she knew was not going to break down if she asked too many questions.  She was far less concerned with making Jonas upset than Dreogan. 

At the question, Akiva looked up from her cup.  She didn’t really want to say anything on the subject, what Dree had told her seemed so… private.  It seemed like a breach of his trust to say anything, even if it would help him.  She wanted to know if he thought it was okay first.  Licking her lips, she bought herself some time with another sip of tea, faintly hearing something in the front room.  “Barely,” she answered somewhat untruthfully, she wasn’t much of a liar, but the less she said, the less likely it would appear that she was lying. 

“I should check dinner,” she said suddenly, getting up.  She could very well stir the pot or do everything she needed to do from her seat, but she felt like it would give her something else to look at, so if she was pressed to lie further, she wouldn’t have to look him in the face.  She knew Jonas was just trying to help, but she didn’t want to say anything behind Dreogan’s back.  He should reveal what he wanted to when he wanted to and to whom he wished to.  That was how things would be done right. 

She started to walk toward the stove when Dree emerged from the doorway.  She smiled in relief; this was going to make avoiding talking about him so much easier!  “Dree,” she greeted softly, “Jonas just stopped by,” she started to explain as she got closer greet him more properly.  There was a sudden hiss though, and she looked down at the grey, gaunt cat.  She was on high alert, ears back, back arched, stalking with her jaws curled and teeth barred.  Akiva looked anxiously at Dree and did not know what to do, her fingers twitched around her wand, but Dree was the only one who could deal with Tabitha.  She was a force unto herself and though she had learned to tolerate Akiva enough to be within a few feet of her and actually look somewhat content when she was being fed, Akiva did not want to risk interfering.

Dree did that for them though, and she looked on with horror as the cat thrashed in Dree’s arms, scratching him several times before bolting upstairs.  It appeared she was not a fan of the man in the kitchen.  Akiva saw the look on Dree’s face, that loss of color, and she looked down to his forearm, streaked with blood.  “I’ll get a cloth, don’t ruin your shirt,” she said quickly, putting a hand on his shoulder, trying to look him in the eyes for a minute, gauging if he was alright. He averted, which didn’t surprise her, but she was at least going to take care of him.
 
Grabbing a clean kitchen cloth from the drawer closest to the floor near the sink, Akiva started to run the warm water, soaking it thoroughly as Dree asked his question.  “Jonas needed something from you, so we were just chatting until you got home,” she answered with some level of honesty.  That was what had happened, after all.  “Do you want some tea, Dree?” she asked, “The meal won’t be ready for another twenty minutes or so… Jonas, you’re welcome to stay if you’d like,” she figured she’d extend the invitation, hopefully the two men would work something out – there would be some level of resolution after this.  IT would definitely help things along, at least. 

Even though he was not technically trying to snoop, it was impossible not to take in the signs.  The one word answer.  Avoiding eye contact.  Immediately changing the subject by choosing that moment to stand and check the stove.  Jonas took a sip of his tea, keeping any interest from showing on his face.  If Akiva knew something that might be useful, chances were that she'd share it with Adon anyhow.  Save for curiosity, there was no reason for him to interrogate her over it, and there were plenty of reasons not to, starting with Adon probably hexing him and ending with being a good houseguest.

He was prepared to blithely go along with the change in subject, discuss something else, when another figure appeared in the doorway.  Jonas looked up, his expression carefully masked for a moment as he tried to determine how much Dreogan had heard.  The cat, however, seemed to have other interests in mind - it hissed at him, and then escaped from the mage's arms and set off running with a yowl.

The private investigator swallowed, trying not to look too horribly amused by the greeting as he watched the feline go.  Cats were alright, but he'd always figured that if he hadn't been allergic, he would have been more of a dog person.

"Quite the gem, isn't he?" he asked nicely, setting the tea cup down as he glanced back at Dreogan.  "Yeah, sorry to drop in on you like this, mate.  We were talking about the other day.  But it wasn't that important."

Even in his own home, Dreogan still seemed nervous, jumpy; he avoided eye contact with both Jonas and Akiva, and even in the dim light of the evening, he looked pale.  Jonas lifted his tea cup to take a sip and finish the remaining liquid (even though it didn't have flowers, he couldn't help but be reminded of Tamis Raynor's drinking collection), his gaze shifting from Dreogan to Akiva and back again.  If the other wizard was that shaken by the attack, it was better not to show too much interest in him.

Akiva, apparently the ever-willing hostess, invited him to say.  Jonas gave her a quick, rueful smile.  "Naw, thanks, but I'm supposed to meet Anna and the kids," he lied easily, setting the empty tea cup down.  "I just really dropped in to pick up those few things for Adon.  Don't want to tax you lot with too much company."

"Your brother's been taken with the office, so he asked if I could fetch any files you've got on Reid," he informed Dreogan, bracing one hand on the table as he rose carefully to his feet.  "It'll save us some time, and then we can finally end this bloody thing once and for all.  Don't mind if I borrow 'em, do you?" he asked cheerfully.  "Didn't want to go and just poke around your study all on me own."

Dreogan frowned down at his arm, feeling the slight sting, but nothing worse than that. Akiva was coming over to tend to him. “I’ll get a cloth, don’t ruin your shirt.”

“It’s not bleeding badly. They're no need,” Dreogan protested quietly, looking at the couple of droplets of blood that settled along the raised, red lines on his arm. “The scratches just get puffy, but they’ll settle down,” he said, running a light hand over the scratches before turning his attention to Jonas, his eyes focusing on Jonas’ feet, perched upon the lowest rung of the barstool, then looking over to where the tea was in the process of simmering.

“Tea’d be good,” Dreogan stated before saying, to Jonas, “Tabitha’s female, actually.” It felt rather pertinent in that moment. “What did you come by for?”

Jonas told him it was the files, adding, ”It’ll save us sometime”

Dreogan was certain he’d not heard that right. He waited several moments, listening to the echoes of Jonas’ words reverberate in his head. Files couldn’t save –

“Oh,” Dreogan stated, the sudden realization of Jonas’ rather apparent meeting causing him to clear his throat. “You and Adon can have them; certainly. They’re in my office—” He hesitated. No one had been in his study. Not since the Aurors had come to investigate the scene. “Er, I’ll go get them,” he said, nodding as he turned away.

In the back of his mind, Dreogan wondered why Jonas might say that talking of Monday had not been important. It had changed everything.