None of them said a word for a few moments after Nathan had spoken. The rest of the pub continued oblivious, not many wanting or willing get involved with whatever was troubling the young boy. A fact Elison thought was fair enough, the boy's clothes were nice but chances were he didn't have the kind of money needed to hire the men who drank in the Rook. No money and likely anything of value to any of them, plus he was too young to fuck so that was also out of the question.
Jaspar took a deep breath before turning back to the piano and starting to play a new song. Elison blinked surprised, he had assumed that the boy had taken off his gloves to have an insight into Nathan, but the seer was acting almost nonchalant for a strange reason. The music was more classical than some of his earlier pieces though Elison had no idea what the name of it was.
Nathan slumped suddenly and fell onto the table fast asleep. Jaspar's fingers stumbled but he carried on with the song. "Did he just fall asleep?" Jaspar asked frowning, apparently listening to the kids breathing.
"With some help," Leo chuckled, waving a small bottle at Elison to show what he had used. The liquid in the bottle was bright purple which suggested it was of magic origins and not some drug Leo had managed to source for such occasions. "Still not sure how much the boy knows about the supernatural. I figured it would be best for him to sleep through the night and think of all this as a very bad dream."
"That's a fair idea," Jaspar mused, his fingers continuing to move over the keyboard but in a faster motion as the music picked up. "Last thing he needs to do is get caught in the web of the supernatural world."
"Maybe too late for that, but we'll see," Elison commented darkly, the music turning more serious with his word. Elison couldn't help but wonder if Jaspar was just playing now or if the song genuinely went along the notes he was playing. Elison shifted and picked the now deeply asleep boy up and placed him on one of the wall sofas which lined the pub. The man didn't even stir as he was moved.
"He's tiny, smaller than Jaspar is," Leo mused, looking at Nathan now he was laid out. Nathan was a little chubby but he was barely 5 foot 5 if Elison judged right. Jaspar was just 5 foot 6 at best, which Elison liked because it meant he could move the man easily. Leo himself was only an inch taller than Jaspar but Justice was 6 foot 1.
"Oi," Jaspar said, almost darkly. "I'm not that small."
Elison smirked but said nothing, instead looking at Leo again. "I know John has rules about people going upstairs but are there rules about bringing pillows and blankets down?" He asked with a gruff tone to disguise the fact he was concerned the boy wasn't comfortable enough. Being about Jaspar was starting to affect him a little. The human liked having moral debates when Elison least wanted them.
The blanket which Jaspar had used when he had first been brought to the Rook had migrated upstairs and into their share room. Jaspar liked the texture of it and it helped him feel safe during the rare moments Elison had to leave him alone in the rook.
"No. The rules are just about letting people up there," Leo replied, moving over to the boy and kneeling down to reveal a slide away cupboard under the sofa. "Don't worry though, we have supplies down here," he smiled up at Elison before passing him a pillow and a blanket which was similar to the one Jaspar liked but a navy colour inside of brown. "Too many regulars who use the bar like the retreat instead of going home," he explained with a chuckled.
"Then how come you never hand them out when we are going to sleep?" muttered one of the regulars who had overheard the comment.
"Maybe if you showered a bit more, we would," Leo said flatly while Elison gently lifted the boys head and put the pillow under it and spread the blanket over him. "Our laundry bill would skyrocket if we started handing them out while you guys are still covered in mud, blood and gods know what else."
There were loud protests at Leo's words but none particularly serious. Justice just had a grin on his face as he cleaned some glasses before it turned sad again as he looked at the underage boy they had in the bar.
"He's very young to be in such danger," Justice said sadly.
"Not that young. Soon enough he's legal," Someone mused, sparking flinches from Justice, Jaspar and Leo. Elison rubbed Leo's shoulder, and Leo looked up with with a smile and patted his hand with a look that said, 'go worry over your own boy. I'm fine'. Just because Leo hadn't been a donor like Jaspar and Justice, didn't mean he hadn't suffered in his own ways at the hands of the slave trade in the city. His colouring was extremely popular after all.
"The minor leagues are often more dangerous for the people around the mark," Oct yawned from his seat at the bar. He stretched and climbed off his seat with a loud creak to move over and retrieve his book from Elison. Oct had deep bags under his eyes but his eyes were soft as he looked at the fast asleep young man. "Still. He be may be close to being legal, but he's not yet. Whoever is behind this is playing a dangerous game," he said darkly, pulling a cigarette out of his coat pocket to light up.
Jaspar finished his song before closing the piano lip. He stood up and moved over to them, Leo pushing a chair out of the way before Jaspar could hit it. "Can someone pass me his hand?" he asked. Elison blinked. Now Jaspar was going to read him? When Nathan was asleep. Was that even possible?
"Sure," Leo shrugged, gently taking Jaspar's hand and pressing it against Nathan's limp one. Jaspar flinched and tensed as something flashed through him. The seer let the hand fall out of his and he shook himself slightly, looking viably more green and pale now. "Anything interesting?" Leo asked almost bluntly not really aware that Jaspar looked about to throw up.
The man inhaled sharply and reached out to find a chair to sit on. Elison quickly moved over to help him and put his hands on the Jaspar's shoulder to reassure him. "This city," Jaspar croaked, his words full of hate and horror, as well as sounding incredibly exhausted. "Someone is going to burn him alive in a coffin."
There was more than a couple of hisses around the room at those words, the entire room falling silent as they turned in unison to look at them. Elison leant down and kissed Jaspar on the forehead. The method was a known one for killing a traitor or to send a message, but it was one thing to use that method on someone who had committed a crime or a sin and another to use it on an innocent child. Literally innocent, Elison could smell it on him. Nathan was innocent, he had never committed a black sin or anything which would justify him being killed that way.
"I'll get Calder to check over the crematoriums," Elison promised darkly. "That is not an acceptable way to kill someone who is only seventeen. No matter what trouble the child has gotten themselves in to."
"Elison, sweetheart, Jaspar is about to throw up after those words and I don't exactly blame him," Leo said dryly, giving an Elison a dark glare now paying attention to how Jaspar was looking. Elison shot him a look back but Justice made a noise of agreement.
"That's a message killing," Oct murmured, taking a deep puff of his cigarette completely ignoring Leo's blatant hint to stop talking about the killing. "They are rare and I only know of a few people who would use that particular method. Two of them wouldn't break the rules and do it a child, which leaves just one man." Oct's voice was husky at the best of times but at the end of his musing, his voice was practically a dog's growl.
The older man looked at Elison darkly. Elison nodded at the look in his eyes. He knew who Oct was talking about. "I thought he was out the city," Elison said darkly. "Calder is still angry over the last incident which went wrong."
"Can you see Slade or Aku doing this to someone who still technically a child?" Oct asked dryly. "Unless this Johnny has found the Holy Grail or some other holy relic, I really doubt they would do this," he paused.
"Aku might, but he's been trying hard to remain on Calder's good side to my knowledge," Elison mused based on what he had heard through the grapevine.
"Could be someone new," someone grunted. "We are starting to see a changeover in talents."
"And dive straight into burning someone alive? That's not an easy thing to stomach. Even rouge dragon shifters don't do that to their enemies," Oct said darkly. "We have someone messing with the way this city is run. It's about time more of us started watching out for who is responsible."
"Things are never that simple," Elison murmured. "John and Calder are playing power games too. People always slip through the gap." The pub was still silent, everyone thinking in those own minds about the implications of those words. The Rook was a specific crowd of people but if those two men went to blows, the majority of them would fall under John's influence. Regardless even if Lord Calder was their official boss. The power dynamic was dangerous and no immortal or long-lived was going to piss off a Fae by siding with a human.
"Teenagers don't normally get burned alive though," Leo said with a tightly neutral tone, breaking the silence. There was a low murmur in the pub following the words.
"I think..." Jaspar gulped before continuing. "I think I'm going to go to bed," he said stiffly, standing up from his chair apparently having heard all he could stomach for one night on the topic. Elison let his hands slip from the man's shoulders. The human was upset.
"Sleep well," Oct commented, his voice more clear again." Don't worry about the kid. We'll find out who is planning to do this to him," he promised with enough edge in his voice to prove his intentions. "At least for tonight, he's safe."
"Thank you," Jaspar nodded. Jaspar had learned quickly not to thank you to people anymore but Elison suspected he just didn't care anymore if he owed Oct a favour as long as someone stopped Nathan from being burned alive. Elison understood that feeling, of course. Jaspar was only a couple of years older than the man.
Elison followed Jaspar upstairs, as normal a sea of voice wishing them goodnight and watched him get ready for bed silently. "Jaspar..." he started finding some power to actually try to say something to the seer.
"I don't really want to talk right now," Jaspar said quickly, his voice more numb than sad. He collapsed on the bed and buried his face in a pillow. Elison reached forward and ran a hand down his side gently. Jaspar was silent for a moment before turning his head from the pillow. "Have you ever done it? Killed someone by burning them alive?"
"No," Elison said truthfully. "I have never had the stomach to be an enforcer. You have to be a special kind of soullessness to be able to do that job." Elison paused. "No one who is a regular at the Rook as ever done it either."
Jaspar wordless tugged on Elison's arm. Obediently, Elison laid down and let Jaspar cuddle into him and tremble, and for once not about his own fate. Which is when a more obvious fact slammed against Elison. Jaspar had seen it happen. The seer would have likely felt the heat, heard the screams and maybe even smelt the burning of Nathan's flesh as he was murdered. As Jaspar began to weep, Elison rocked him and stayed strong. One of them had too.