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+--- Thread: A Request [Belizna Estate] (/thread-1642.html)
A Request [Belizna Estate] - Natalie Grey - 09-10-2024
Her days were filled from dawn to dusk, and still lacked sufficient hours. In fact Natalie could not recall the last time she’d slept in her own bed rather than caught naps on her apartment sofa. The Northbrooks owned an old property in Switzerland, so she’d known a little of the restorative process, but there was a reason these old Russian estates, abandoned since the Bolsheviks, had remained in ruins for so long. They were money pits.
Natalie poured everything in; sensible with the investment, but reckless with the amounts. Had she asked, her mother would have been in ardent support of the project, and likely relieved to see her daughter so rooted in something productive, but Natalie was still ignoring her calls – and the family money. Instead A K Holdings supplied the shortfall. She hadn’t seen Adrian since she’d brought him here and made her impulsive offer, and Belizna was now far from the ruin it had been that balmy summer night. He hadn’t been wrong to remark the manor’s suitability for a destination hotel; between the grounds and the austere gothic castle, an unusual sight in this part of the world, there was an unrivalled grandeur to its sense of history. But as she’d told him then: this wasn’t about profit.
Adrian’s office was responsive, even at the unusual hours Natalie worked to sometimes, and she was content not to deal with the man himself. She availed of his contacts as well as his money, and it had undoubtedly helped expedite the work to have both. The manor was structurally secure, much of it habitable if still largely empty. Several rooms were furnished now, and she spent more time here than the sterile apartment in central Moscow. It would likely take years to see it fully finished, but what had been completed in the relatively short time was nothing short of formidable.
Pushing Belizna to be ready to open its doors commanded much of her time, and if Natalie was not managing the ongoing project, she was networking – work she liked less, honestly, though it was easy to be charming and sow the seeds she needed. Zhenya had been a surprisingly vocal and vociferous ally there, being much loved already in the most elite circles of Moscow’s social scene, and with grudging acceptance that she could not do everything by herself, Natalie was slowly letting the woman do more to flutter rumour of the cause in the right ears. For some nights she was simply too exhausted to don the mask herself.
Amidst her busy schedule, today’s particular job had not exactly been planned for. Natalie had had no intention in informing the Channeling Consulate of her plans, let alone Brandon’s sly military arm, but Mexico’s machinations were all rapidly coming to a head. She kept abreast of the changing politics, though she remained distant from her own witness of their foundations. Jessika Thrice paid for her title in blood, as did Scion Marveet, but it was the discrete arrival of a Mexican delegate that urged her hand to interfere. She’d known little of Commander Vellas before then, and that little comprised of things she sometimes wondered if Jay was actually supposed to impart, or realised he did. Gaining access to him had not been easy, even for a Patron’s granddaughter, but Natalie was persistent, not least with sufficient motivation. If she could gain an audience with the Ascendancy himself in order to discover what had happened to Jay after his arrest, she could certainly find the man he trusted to lead his men now Jay was a Dominion among them.
Michael had given little away over the call, not least whether he had been surprised to receive it. Reaching out to him was not without risk, and she disliked the notion it was a tentative bridge which might prove dangerous to her down the line. He was a generous and eloquent speaker, though, and Natalie reasoned it suggested he would be amenable to the request she would make of him. Charm and certainty were her tools, though she would use leverage as necessary. And he agreed to the meeting at least, intrigued by the project she described, else by the woman who moved mountains to speak to him directly in the first place.
Snow coated the grounds, obscuring quite how overgrown it all still was. The steps had been cleared, and she perched on one to wait at the agreed time, a number of privately opaque holos arranged across her lap. Natalie had a desk inside, but beyond the cavernous marble foyer and hallways, she never would have heard an arrival. The sounds of workmen were distant, but aside from that there was no one else here. Unless Toma was lurking, though Natalie saw less of her these days; presumably because she was staying out of trouble.
She was dressed for the winter, a fur-lined hat over light-gold hair, and a thick coat belted snug around her waist. Alarmingly pale eyes sat in a face currently flushed by the cold, though by her neutral expression, the temperature did not seem to bother her. For once it was not Belizna that occupied her attention while she waited for Michael’s arrival, but a matter more personal. Natalie was rarely idle. Jay had not asked for her help (and it was undoubtedly very illegal) but it hadn’t been difficult to use her position as ambassador to pull the strings to deal with his family’s estate back in the US. The animals had already been cared for, but it seemed he’d ignored every other communication from the lawyers concerning the property and what was left of the farm. Ensuring the family belongings were packed up into storage had been simple enough. It was doubtful he’d ever want to go back there, but it felt wrong to leave it all to rot. If not for Jay, then for Cayli. But his father’s debts were eye-watering, and the financials were all tangled. She had no doubt Jay would never want to know, and she never planned to tell him; she was settling what needed settling, but probate was a glacial process.
RE: A Request [Belizna Estate] - Michael Vellas - 09-12-2024
In all his time in Moscow many things had happened but this was perhaps the strangest so far. A mysterious call that bypassed all protocol from an extremely influential woman who claimed to be housing a kind of refuge for women who could use the Power outside of the Custody's grasp. She was either very desperate or an incredibly astute judge of character to have contact him. The most likely thing such a call would do would bring the Ascendancy down upon her head.
Of course, he may very well decide to do just that, should she prove untrustworthy, but the idea of powers unconnected to Nikolai was something to be considered. The man had enough power as it was, and Michael did not want to see those with the Power used as weapons and pawns. It was why he had accepted the position he had in the first place. Nikolai was a necessity, and he had done much good for the world but he feared what would happen should one of their kind actually achieve total dominance.
The irony of his attire was not lost on him as he walked towards the location given to him. In movies one would wear a bulky, dark coat hiding in the shadows, yet he was now known for wearing such clothing that it would only make him conspicuous. Instead he wore a slim fitting maroon shirt covered by a similarly coloured jumper and jeans with a white beanie to at least obscure some of his features, although he was not overly concerned about discovery. He had been transported by men he trusted implicitly and had taken precaution with webs to disrupt electronic surveillance. It would take someone specifically tailing him with a high degree of skill to follow through the crowds he wound in and out of to know where he was.
As the building came into view, he kept hold of the power. He was not about to walk into this place defenceless, and Morven had provided some insight into what he could do to protect himself against a woman, should the need arise. With the amount of power he filled himself with, anyone would have a hard time placing a shield around him, and as for a fight, he knew enough. Nonetheless it was a risk, but one he decided was worth taking. Besides, it was good to be back in the city. He had spent too long in the Garden constantly having to watch his back.
He stopped at the the front of a building that looked like some kind of hotel. He looked around, wondering if he had the right place and spotted a woman sitting on the stairs. "Excuse me," he asked politely. "Is this the Belizna?"
RE: A Request [Belizna Estate] - Natalie Grey - 09-15-2024
She’d been expecting the sounds of a car, not the approach of a lone man.
“It will be,” she answered to the voice above. A swish of fingers closed the screens she had been working on, and she folded the wallet ready to slip back into a pocket. A moment of caution preceded the lift of her gaze, but only because the last time she had waited on steps like this, it had ended with her unconscious. That was a year ago now, and yet the unsettling memories of Africa never really left her. Sometimes the little sweeps of fear caught her anew at funny moments.
He wore no uniform, and had no men accompanying him. Or at least none he brought up to the steps. Natalie knew Jay’s tells by now, but saw nothing to suggest whether or not Michael was holding his power ready. Hypervigilance seemed a soldier’s due, though, and she would not be surprised. She did not reach for her own, only stood, slipping the wallet away and offering a gloved hand in welcome. Her sharp eyes watched for signs he recognised who she was, and if he was astute enough he might notice the glimmer of amusement in her. “I expected more pomp from a Custody man. I have to say I am relieved.”
Since she’d bypassed convention to reach him, she did not err on the side of formality now, though naturally she’d be responsive to his reactions should it prove necessary. Whether Natalie liked it or not, Jay was as beholden to this man as he was to the Custody, and though it was something he had chosen, it did not mean she would be easy in her judgements. Michael Vellas had been selected by Nikolai Brandon after all; she had preconceptions, and they weren’t necessarily glowing. But she’d give him the benefit of an honest chance. And things would be far less complicated if she could work with him easily.
“I plan for its doors to officially open in the New Year, but there is still a lot of work to do between now and then.” As she turned to press open said doors, she glanced for a read on his reaction so far. She was curious to see if he’d made presumptions in turn, about why she had invited him here or what she hoped to gain by it. The entrance foyer within was large, and quite silent but for the echo of their footsteps. “Would you like a tour first? The building is quite grand in all, but I’m afraid most of it is no warmer than outside at the moment.”