Cassius' Shop of Jeweled Wonders

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cass gave a shrug of one shoulder, "So be it. We will see what happens," he stated simply and woke Kota up through their bond. He also told him what was going on and that he'd be deciding Ares' fate. But he also warned his lover that Ares had taken several photos that he knew Kota wouldn't want anyone else seeing.

He hadn't cared about the photos. He knew full well that Kota hadn't been a virgin when he'd gotten together with him, just as Kota knew the same of him. He didn't care about Kota's past. He only cared about the future he had with him. And he made sure that Kota knew that as he waited for him to come downstairs and deal with their new little problem...  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

A softly hummed spell and both were separated and Ares was bound immobile again as he stepped forward to pull Kota into his arms, gently stroking his beautiful hair to soothe him a bit, "Enough, my love... Calm yourself... Nothing can be decided in the heat of anger..." he said softly to him as he held him.

He turned to Alastor and motioned to his brother with his head, "Check his pockets and make sure he'll heal. His fate now resides in Kota's hands, as per his own choice. Joking or not, he made that decision on his own. If he didn't think I'd honor that decision it's his own fault," he told the brother softly then hummed a soft tune to help calm Kota down a bit.

He wasn't trying to influence Kota's reaction to the invasion of his privacy, just calm him down a bit. After a few more strokes through Kota's hair, Cass checked his hands to make sure he hadn't hurt himself. Thankfully, all he found was Ares' blood on his skin. No broken bones, just the beginnings of a bit of bruising that he could heal easily. But he knew that this had to be settled before anything else could be done.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius gave a heavy sigh as Kota left and turned to Alastor, "He'll stay bound for the moment but you might want to find out exactly why he did this. You should know that he's brought Kota to tears, though," he told him then went after his love.

He paused in the doorway of the bathroom, leaning one shoulder against the door frame for a brief moment, then moved to kneel beside the tub. He took Kota's hands in his and healed them with a softly hummed spell then pulled Kota into his arms to hold him as he cried, one hand gently stroking Orthius' feathers as well.

"I'm so sorry, my love... But it's up to you what will happen to him now... I can't make this decision for you, Kota-love. Only you can. He put his own fate in your hands when I gave him the choice. I don't know what's behind this or why he sought to hurt you this way but I trust you. Whatever he found will remain yours. I don't care about your past because it is in the past. What matters to me is our future. You know I'm always here for you, no matter what," he said softly, doing his best to encourage him and reassure him as much as he could.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cass simply held him for a long moment, humming softly to help Kota calm down. After a while, he pulled back and pushed a lock of Kota's hair behind his ear then tenderly caressed his cheek.

"I know, my love... I know what he did hurt you... But you need to make your decision with a clear head, not in the heat of anger. I cannot express enough how sorry I am that this happened to you. You trusted him and he violated that trust. I understand that more than you can ever know. I've been betrayed before as well, several times in fact," he said softly, stroking his thumb over Kota's cheek over and over as he watched his eyes.

"Tell me what I can do to help you. What can I do for you, my love?" he added in a soft whisper, his eyes showing Kota how much he cared for him and how much he hated that he was forced into this situation.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius gave him a simple nod and a tender smile, "I'll see what I can do for him. He will need something to focus on and I might be able to give him something to do. I'll talk to him about it later," he assured him softly, continuing to move his fingers through his hair and over his cheek.

"If you want me to, I can bring the letters and photos up here to you so you can go through them. I just need to know what you want me to do with Ares. I can bind him to an object and limit what he can and can't do. Or I can free him from his body and enable you to eat his soul. Or I can make sure that he dies permanently. I just need to know what you want, Kota-love," he said softly.

He wished there was some way to make this better for Kota. He hated to see him hurting like this and knew that Orthius was worried as well.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius leaned in to give his forehead a tender kiss then repeated it with his lips before pulling back, "I understand. I'll go get them and take care of it. Why don't you get into the bed for now. It's got to be alot more comfortable than the tub is," he teased him just a tiny bit then gave his lips another kiss before getting to his feet and heading back downstairs.

When he saw Alastor, he paused at the bottom of the steps then approached him first, "No matter what decision Kota makes for your brother, I have an offer for you. You can think about it for as long as you like to make your decision on it. But I have a job offer for you that you would do well to consider seriously," he told him simply then turned and headed into the studio.

Inside, he silently collected all the letters and photos without looking too closely at them and bound them together with a random ribbon before approaching Ares.

He stared at the ghost for a long moment, meeting his eyes, "Kota hasn't decided your fate yet. He's asked me to 'secure' you here until he does make his decision. I would say that gives you until sunset this evening or thereabouts since it's just dawn now," he explained to him then hummed the necessary spell that would ensure that Ares wouldn't be going anywhere even if the salt circle were removed.

That done, he headed into the kitchen and made up a cup of tea for Kota then carried it upstairs, setting that and the letters on the bedside table for Kota.

He thought about staying here with Kota as he read the letters, but decided not to and headed downstairs to sit in his favorite chair with Alastor instead.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius rested his chin on his hand for a long quiet moment before explaining, gathering his thoughts on the subject, "Sebastet needs someone to help her with security on the island, specifically in the village. She's got plenty of help up at the castle, but it takes time to get that help down here when its needed. If she had someone here who could help protect the humans and mixed marriages, it would pay handsomely. Free room and board are included as well as a very comfortable salary," he informed him simply, knowing it wouldn't take much for him to add on to the building to accommodate Alastor if he wanted to stay with them.

Equally possible was staying at one of the inn's; either the one Amity the ice elf started up, or the rooms over at Rex's tavern. It would entail Alastor getting to know those who lived in the village and helping them where needed as well as offering aid whenever there was a problem or attack.

But he had a feeling that the post was right up Alastor's alley, something he wouldn't have any problem with.

He didn't bother to bring up Ares' questions to him when he'd retrieved Kota's letters. Such questions were the height of idiocy. No, he didn't care who else Kota had loved in the past. He knew Kota was his right now. There was no changing that fact. He just didn't know how to get that through to Ares...