D'Eath London Home

Lorcan reached into his pocket and fished out a set of keys to the country house. He was about to toss them to Lilian when he glanced up and saw the stunning form of the blond in the doorway. It made him smile. She did know how to dress. She had chosen a wintry white cashmere sweaterdress that was figure hugging and accented her in all the right places. But then again, he hadn't seen a 'wrong' place. And the neutral colored heels she had chosen made her legs seem to go on forever. He preferred razor thin women and she certainly fit the bill. And the blond was a nice change. She was brutal and vicious, and a highly skilled assassin and a potionsmaster. He liked her. He liked her a lot. He liked the juxtaposition of the beautiful against the brutality, the elegance against the ice. It suited her well

"Good morning," her silky voice addressed him and him alone, ignoring the children entirely, her eyes focused entirely on him. He hadn't noticed that she had ignored them because his eyes were focused entirely on hers.

"Good morning," he said smoothly, motioning her to take the chair at the other head of the table. She accepted and sat with an elegance that wouldnt know how to ruffle a feather. Maybe he'd keep this one around a bit longer than the others. Maybe.

"Children," he said, still unable to break away from her eyes and her smile. "I'd like you to meet the newest addition to our family. Do say good morning to Zada Forbes."

The hostility in the air, even if Damien should be used to it all by now and even take joy in it, was almost too much to bear. He had to concentrate too much on his chewing; anything that would prevent him from burying his face in his hands, as if that alone could allow him a break from this. It was certainly wearing the family relations down. Yet, Lorcan was too caught up in his own fancy world to care about the details about his children. After all, Damien was convinced that it was just the need to have descendants, who obviously must make something of themselves to validate the family name, that the man was even interested in accommodating so many of them. Still, the boy knew better than to voice his complaints. It was still better here than with his mother, where he would be forced to live with her Muggle-Born husband, and the shame of having to deal with that. Besides, there were times that Damien saw a bit of his father in himself. And just for that, he did like the man. He could sense the exasperation coming from his father, and there was the ever fleeting bond of silence that father and son held for the moment as they were subjected to the conflict between the girls.

"Good morning, Alexis." Damien returned the greeting politely, having no reason to be bitter towards her, because there really wasn't any. Of course, he was biased enough to even offer a greeting as complete as this to her. Quickly enough, his father spoke. However, he simply nodded at his father's response to his suggestion. In truth, he hated competitions. Certainly, he was ambitious, but he liked to have the prize served to him on a silver platter. Of course, that was rarely the case. The boy shrugged to himself as he reached for his tea. He was never good with social situations, even if it merely involved his family. Yet, even as they were all family, Damien didn't grow up with them. Before his mother got married, and essentially became a Blood Traitor, life with her was better, much better. There were no siblings to fight with, no one to deal with. It was just him, alone, with his mother. That suited him, really. Of course, life is never made to suit anyone. Damien simply sat where he was, feeling awkward, and yet, resentful towards everything.

The voice of another sister, as she entered the dining room, interrupted Damien's thoughts. He nodded at her, as if that was all he could do to acknowledge her presence, before returning to what looked like needed a lot of his attention --- toasts. Damien allowed the conversation to almost fly by him before what his father said caught his attention. With eyes shot up from his food, the boy eyed his father. And then, it was almost as if he thought it natural about Lorcan already, Damien returned to his breakfast. Sure, it is yet another woman again. Still, since when has Lorcan really gone without changing his women for too long, or even have one around in the house who wanted to stay for too long but ended up being told to leave once he got bored? Damien had almost lost count, and that was saying something, since he had only been living with Lorcan for five years.

When this Zada Forbes, however, appeared at the doorway as if she was posing for everyone to admire, Damien did unintentionally give his attention to her. His penchant for older people was, as ever, still there. Besides, she had a strong presence, it commanded one to look at her. Damien shifted his attention to his father, who looked absolutely enamoured with the woman. Of course, it was always like this. Usually, though, the passion still wore off for the man, who moved on so much faster, and with such ease, compared to the sobbing women. To the woman, however, Damien couldn't even nod in greeting. She wasn't looking at the children, let alone him. What point was there then, in attempting to show some civility on his part? The boy shrugged to himself again, before stealing glances at the woman. She didn't look very nice, and that intrigued him.

A weird chill ran down her back as she looked at her father, whose attention was drawn away from them to someone else. Alexis followed her father's eyes up to the door way and found herself staring at the woman who she assumed was the one that was with her father now. Her assumptions were answered when he told them she was the new addition to their family. Even though she shouldn't mind it, knowing how her father was, Alexis shifted in her seat uncomfortably a little. She glanced over at Damitrius who also seemed uncomfortable with the woman's presence as she stared down at her hands again.

After only a moment of looking at her sister, Alexis found herself looking back and forth between her father and the woman, who seemed to be called Zada Forbes. The woman seemed to be ignoring them completely as she looked at Lorcan and Alexis bit the inside of her lip a bit. She got a very uneasy feeling from this woman, and she could tell that this one wasn't like the others her father had had in the past. She didn't seem as fragile as some of the past women he'd had before, and she wasn't sure if she should be frightened by her or not. Damitrius seemed to be in deep thought about something as she still hadn't bothered to look up at the woman or even address her at all.

Her mouth opened a bit to try and greet the woman, but no matter how much she tried, no words seem to form that would address her. Alexis's eyes merely followed the woman as she sat down on the opposite end of where her father sat at the table. Knowing that he would insist they greet her, Alexis made another attempt at greeting her, this time being a bit more successful. "G- good morning, Ms. Zada." she said softly, offering the woman a small smile before she looked away from her. Again, Damitrius had said Nothing and didn't seem to be trying too at all.

As the women appeared in the doorway posing for everyone Lilian felt like she was going to be sick for it wasn't a pretty site to see. Lilian shifted in her seat as she stared at the women that was before the, but she seemed to completely ignore that they were here. Rolling her eyes in annoyance Lilan look at Zada Forbes and gave her a fake warm smile. "Good moring Ms. Forbes."said Lilian in a soft sickly sweet voice telling her that she didn't like her. Lilian didn't like this Zada Forbes women at all, but then again Lilian didn't like any women that her father dated.

Lilian had a weird feeling about this women and it wasn't a good one either but as long as her father was happy so be it. As Lilian looked at her sisters Alexis and then Damitrius she seen they were more uncomfortable then she was about it. Looking finally at her brother Damien she seen he just merrily shrugged it off for it was always the same ole thing their father meet a women that he claim is the one she stays at the house for a month or two at the longest and then leaves. It was a never ending cycle and lets be honest it was chaos every time their father brought in a new women. If her father accpeted her to treat her like a step mother he was mistaken for she was completely ignoring them she wondered if this is how it was going to be for now on.


So many women came through this house Lilian lost count of how many women they had to suppose to treat them like a step mother. Although Lilian see it as a game, she guesses how long each women her dad ever dated would stay at the house. The longest any women was two months but that was it, she wondered how long this women would stay here. Lilian knew that some of the previous women her father dated was only interested in her father money and that was it and if they didn't get it they left. That was one of the reasons Lilian hated the women her father dated and sometimes they were just plain rude and ignored them like this Zada Forbes was.

Jeremy Mullins was a truly unpleasant individual; one that Alistair neither wanted to associate himself with nor be seen associating himself with. However, unfortunately it was the job of Jeremy Mullins to supply the apothecary with all of the odd bits of glass wear and pottery that (as of yet, Alistair reminded himself grimly) couldn’t be sourced elsewhere. All in due time, though. Do not think Alistair wasn’t looking. His desk was littered with sheets of names and places, the ornate pot of Floo powder he had by the fireplace opposite his desk unsettlingly empty, the greatest example of his desire to find someone - anyone - else. Until then, Alistair would have to suffer through the dreadful man’s presence. He’d have to peer over the log book and boxes stacked chest height so as to get a proper look at the grubby, mousy and grossly underfed human being. It was the perpetually chilled metal of the dog tags around his neck and the burn of the numbers and runes at the base of his throat that made him rethink killing the man where he stood. Azkaban in February was as unpleasant as Russia’s wasteland at the same time and Alistair had experienced both.

“S-s-sir...perhaps if you could make this q-quick I c-could...”

Alistair’s eyes, dark and overtly demanding, lifted slowly from the parchment that was grasped in his slightly grimy, ringed fingers. His eyes fell to the creature before him, watching it quiver and shrink back towards the door. Jeremy Mullins was no fool, let’s address this now. No matter how many times the man can be degraded, it cannot be denied that he is not stupid. No, in fact Jeremy Mullins knew exactly where he stood in the whole affair that was taking place this morning; and that was firmly under Alistair D’Eath’s shoe, thank you very much. Alistair, in this instance, had not made any move to do up the buttons of the shirt that had been begrudgingly ironed for him by the housekeeper that morning. Neither had he deigned to roll down the sleeves he’d brought up to the crease of his elbows as he’d relaxed in his seat, resigning himself to the work routine once more. So what Jeremy Mullins saw and rightly feared was a Death Eater and a marked one at that. Branded, he was, with much more than the Dark Mark - but with a passion for one long gone. Though it was clear the brunette did not share the same obsession as Bellatrix had, Alistair’s devotion to a cause long dead was evident in every pore of his body.

Rising, Alistair moved from behind the desk, taking with him his Yew wand which he tapped idly against his thigh, wondering whether to curse the man, kill him or just allow his thoughts to run wild with the thought of the former two. Of course naturally, the laziness of the man at such an ungodly hour of the morning reigned supreme and Alistair merely weaved through the columns of boxes, allowing the crackle of his magic to leak out into the air. He had known Jeremy Mullins since his Hogwarts days. The man, now in his late forties, had never been given a reason not to fear the dark-haired part-Vampire. Never, though, had Alistair seen the man quake quite as much as he was now. Vengeance, Jeremy Mullins understood, was something the Death Eater sought. He would have told Alistair his thoughts exactly: that he was not a person whose death would put Alistair to rest; but he didn’t, for fear that those words alone would cause Alistair to cast something unforgiveable.

“Want to go down the pub, Mullins?” Alistair’s voice clawed in the air, mocking, seemingly, the very fabric of the other man’s being. “I seem to recall a time where you desired something similar. Foolishly I let you go. Today, however, you will leave. You will return to your employer and tell him the order never made it,” a squeak left Jeremy Mullins’ mouth and he shrank backwards at the prospect of lying to James Ornell as Alistair suggested, “and you will explain that Slug’s and Jigger’s Apothecary will not be requiring your....wares until absolutely necessary. In fact, Slug’s and Jigger’s, dismayed by the lack of commitment of your company, requires compensation for the delivery - or lack thereof - of your ridiculously overpriced items. Got that, Mullins?”

And just like that, the man evaporated leaving nought but a plume of yellowing smoke where he stood. Apparation. Alistair smirked and shook his head, running his fingers through his dark, fluffed mop of hair. He needed it cut, he noted, but it could wait. Jeremy Mullins had been easy to intimidate. Alistair had never imagined it to be as simple as that had been. Not only had he secured the wares free of charge but he’d also profited from it - or would. Also, if his luck was to continue, Jeremy Mullins would also get a long overdue taste of the Cruciatus Curse. Later, Alistair promised himself, he’d inquire as to the state of Jeremy Mullins in St. Mungo’s. The jitters were bad enough now - courtesy of Alistair’s hormone-induced rages throughout his latter years at Hogwarts - any more torture and the man might just implode. Better that way though; one less parasite to have to deal with, Alistair supposed.

Before leaving, Alistair made sure to secure his office; no one in, no one out bar the House Elves that couldn’t be kept out even if you put a thousand different warding spells on the place. He was even sure to break the tracking spells on the boxes, though not before rerouting them so it looked as if they’d been lost somewhere in Surrey. Then, once satisfied, Alistair left the shop, making sure to lock up before depositing the keys in his trouser pocket and began to wander down the road back to the house on the edge of Knockturn Alley where he’d grown up. There, he instructed once more for the House Elves to clean the place which they begrudgingly made to do, and he took to the upper floors where he stood for a long while in front of his wardrobe wondering what to wear for the breakfast that he was informed by Garth, his father’s butler, was absolutely mandatory.

Alistair settled on a navy suit with another white shirt - much to the chagrin of Isla, his housekeeper iron-loving House Elf. Alistair tied his tie and pulled at the collar, trying his best to conceal the tip of the runic tattoo that Azkaban had had the pleasure of imprinting on his skin. This one was not like the rest. It was as ornate, yes, but it was one of the only ones he actually felt gave him some protection. Still, it was an offensive reminder of his years spent there and so he did all he could without resorting to glamour spells to keep it hidden. Despite his attempts, it still rose from his collar, stark against the chalky white of his shirt. Once he was deemed suitable enough to leave (which did, I assure you, take some time considering Isla’s fussiness) he did so, through the Floo.

The house Lorcan had moved them to had given Alistair the same impression as it had Damien - it was cramped. Still, it gave off a certain amount of glamour - the glamour Lorcan liked - and despite the smaller stature, it was pleasant. The voices rising from the dining room told Alistair exactly where he was supposed to go. He wondered idly whether he would have been better with a date of sorts. He felt for the little black book, thick with water damage and unfortunately not with names of women. He still covered a fair few pages with his consorts; some of the names regrettably scored out with ‘DEAD’ beside them in capitals. Thankfully, he also had his cigarette case. Smoking had never been something Alistair had done in excess. He had the same habit Hestia and Demeter had - he smoked when either already half-drunk, after dinner while drinking wine or while telling a story. He could recall them clearly even to this day sitting next to Hyperion on the couch chain-smoking as they recounted tales of Death Eater exploits. It had left an impression on the young Alistair, certainly. The silver case was almost comforting to him now.

Unbeknownst to Alistair, he was suitably late. Of course he was immediately informed that when Garth set eyes on him fixing his tie and his hair in the mirror above the fireplace. The butler did not inform him of the addition of someone else in the house, though; someone who was not a D’Eath. Thankfully Alistair was old enough to know better than to barrel into the room with excitement lighting up his eyes. No, instead of doing that he merely entered when Garth opened the door for him and gave the man a slight smile before giving his eyes a quick sweep across the room.

There she was.

Zada Forbes in all her glory had once again managed to exist out of regime. Alistair wasn’t entirely sure whether Lorcan knew what the woman was up to but Alistair wasn’t naive to her ways. He had an inkling she was playing him, most certainly, and Alistair couldn’t blame her. Lorcan was all but made of money and had made no attempts to hide it. However, her presence and his attentiveness to her and caused a palpable tension in the room, one that Alistair was sure he would’ve been able to cut and scrape onto his toast like butter. So where she’d neglected, Alistair decided it was prudent he show some affection, even favouritism, towards his siblings.

Alistair first went to Damitrius, the little Gryffindor who he had an odd soft spot for and couldn’t quite place why. He placed his hands on her shoulders, murmured his morning greetings in her ear and pressed a kiss to her pale cheek before moving onto Lillian. He tossed her hair over her shoulder, both to irritate her and to reach her cheek. He brushed his lips against it and gave her a quick pat on the head before mumbling, “Good morning, Lily,” to her. Then he went to Alexis, the only one who had managed to misplace her vampire blood in favour for the werewolf curse. He ruffled her hair a bit more affectionately, planting a kiss on her right cheek instead of her left as he’d preferred for the other two. “Good morning, puppy.” He cooed in her ear. “I have something for you later if you care to give me a moment. It’s perfect for both monthly issues that plague your person.” Alistair couldn’t help but snort in amusement and darted away with a certain amount of grace before she registered his words and sought to reprimand him physically. He didn’t fancy a fist in his gut this morning - especially not before breakfast.

So finally, Alistair took a seat beside Mr. Grumpy who understandably looked the most put-out of the lot. He was not only surrounded by women but his only form of male company was the worst anyone could hope for. Alistair wasn’t much better though and after eyeing up Damien’s toast, mumbled something about not wanting to kiss him and stole it off the boy’s plate, taking a large bite out of it so if the Slytherin decided to steal it back, there wouldn’t be much worth taking. Alistair gave Damien a smug, closed-lip smile, his cheeks bulging outwards as he tried to contain his toast, chew and swallow all at the same time. A hard task, admittedly, but he managed it.

“Got any strawberry jam?” he asked, glancing at all of his siblings before peering across the breakfast table that was laden with all kinds of foods, to the point where it became impossible for Alistair to ascertain where exactly the strawberry jam was.

He had made no move to greet his father or Zada. He drifted in and out whenever he pleased as a rule anyway. He didn’t realise that along with attending breakfast it had been a requirement to greet his insufferable father and the woman he’d been slipping a portion to during his time in Hogwarts. Alistair admittedly wasn’t bothered as Zada could be the plaything of all three D’Eath males if Damien was so inclined to join the complication of it all. It was something that Alistair felt was best kept between himself and his father. Damien didn’t need to get tied up in Zada’s web and though Alistair was sure it would be thrilling for the boy to lose his innocence with the blonde, it was not a chance Alistair was entirely comfortable with giving his younger brother. No one could complain he wasn’t a good brother..... or, well, that he didn’t try.

“Right then,” Alistair said, his eyes still ghosting across the table in search of the jam. “I want to hear about school. We have every house here bar Hufflepuff though I am sure there is one running around.” And wasn’t that a poorly masked dig? After taking another bite of toast, chewing and swallowing it, Alistair continued. “Grades wise first. You’re all taking after me, I hope?” Alistair smirked, raising an eyebrow at the girls seeing as it was difficult to turn his eye to Damien beside him also. Alistair hoped they’d excel at both O.W.L’s and N.E.W.T’s - unlike him who only excelled at the former and wasn’t actually present to sit the latter. He’d figured he was going to at least attempt to be a half-decent brother. There were too many now, he couldn’t openly resent all of them. That took effort - much more effort than it took to just be nice to them.

(OOC: Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...I got carried away, OKAY?!?! XD :3 Don't judge meeee!)

"Good morning to you, too," Lorcan was more amused than he was sure his son knew this morning. He was amused that the boy was late--but not too much. When Alistair asked for the strawberry jam, Lorcan merely flicked his fingers to send the jar to him. He didn't normally bother, but the unusual interested him today. When Alistair began a discourse on grades, Lorcan waved the boy's digs aside.

"Grades need to wait, I'm afraid," he said, not entirely disappointed at thwarting Alistair from baiting his siblings into rioting at the breakfast table. "Now that we appear to be assembled, I am presuming you would like to know what ever made me purchase such a tawdry little shop like Slugs and Jiggers. We certainly do not need the cash. And I know some of you presume you already know why Zada is now a member of our childhood.

"Zada, however, is my very worthy business partner. And she and I have formulated an arrangement, with no illusions, eyes wide open. Sorry if that disappoints you all to see me depart from the mould. She is a skilled potionsmaster, and she shares Alistair's dedication to making sure things get done properly and dealing with the little problems that sometimes come up. She brings to us additional investment capital and a certain Knockturn Alley potions lab that she was a partner in. It does appear her partner has managed to disappear. Furthermore, I have made my own significant investment. I have managed to buy an additional potions empire, in addition to Zada's own enterprise. The owner of the empire has also disappeared, and it looks like, regrettably, he may have crossed over the veil. At any rate, his reach with potions exceeded much farther than England. It is a highly lucrative empire that extends over nearly the entire wizarding world. They needed a potionsmaster who could carry it on, and I had cash that looked very attractive to them. With the addition of Slugs and Jiggers, there is nowhere else in wizarding England where a witch or wizard can buy potions, legally or otherwise, with one exception. St. Mungos. And they present no threat to us at the moment. As of now, we have almost a complete monopoly on all potions in the wizarding world."

"Now, in case you're wondering, there is purpose besides just making us ridiculously wealthy very soon, there is another reason Zada and I are pursuing this with such zeal. First of all, I have discovered that all of my children have an affection for cash and the things that it can afford them. So I see no loss in having more of it as long as I am at least in part supporting you all.

"Secondly, I am weary of our family being seen as being merely part of the wizarding world's nouveau riche. I loathe the Malfoys. Lucius is a rotting old fossil and so is Narcissa. They were fossils when I was a child and they exist on youth potions and various alcoholic sorts of pickling alone. Draco is nothing but a spineless jellyfish, and few of the other Malfoys are worth the air they breathe. It is time a family that has some strength decided to put itself in position for power and influence. Zada will be an asset to us there. And she is not afraid to help Alistair get rid of any and all unnecessary annoyances. I fully expect, that if you enjoy the luxury you have all become accustomed to, that you will participate in this with us. If you prefer to live in, well, a lesser lifestyle, I am sure Alistair or Zada will be happy to find you accomodations according to whatever wage you happen to be making.

"Now--ask your questions, if you have any."

Through the discomfort this Zada woman caused her, Damitrius found a reason to smile. Her half-brother Alistair had finally come into the room. It seemed that everyone except her actually knew he even existed, even Damien had known before her. Well, that didn't matter, the girl usually stayed away from the rest of the D'Eaths during breaks and the summer. Those times were basically the only times she was allowed to see her mother and step-father, and she definitely didn't waste any of the time she had with them by worrying about the others in her father's side of the family. Though it seemed like new siblings were coming out of nowhere for her, now it seemed her mother had been expecting a child from her husband and they'd never told her about it. So now, Damitrius had a new baby sister who by now should be about nine months of age.

Feeling hands on her shoulders, the girl finally looked up from her hands at Alistair. She gave him a small smile and said, "Good morning Alistair," to him. Her mood seemed to brighten immediately at his presence and even a fight with Alexis couldn't ruin her mood. She felt a bit odd though, she and Damien seemed to finally share something. That was strange, to her anyways. The two of them were complete opposites, he was a Slytherin she was a Gryffindor, he was a Dark Follower she was in Potter's Army, he seemed to actually like Alexis while she thoathed her older sister. Pretty much exact opposites in any and every way possible, so it seemed a bit strange to her that they both seemed to really like their older brother. This, though, wasn't enough to bother her like other things would've. She was just glad she had found someone in the entire family, out of all the children her father had, that she actually liked.

The Gryffindor had just been about to answer Alistair when her father began to speak. She seemed to immediately lose her voice and her smile dropped slightly. She looked down at the plate in front of her for a moment before looking back up at Lorcan as he spoke about why he'd bought the apothecary. She sighed softly and put her arm on the table, leaning her head on it a bit and pushing her index finger into the toast that was on the plate, that she had completely ignored until now. The weight she placed on the toast caused a small crunching noise and left crumbs on her finger when she lifted it up, out of the toast. She lowered her hand to her lap and wiped the crumbs from her finger gently. That had been the only noise that came from her during and after her father spoke.

The women that was currently posing before them in the doorway Lilian couldn't help to hate the women and she barely met her. Lilian huffed to heself with fire in her eyes for she had a bad feeling about this women, she didn't know what but she knew this women was bad news. "Tea Miss Lily?"the bulter asked her as she nodded. "Yes please and thankyou."said Lilian softly trying to keep a nice and calm voice but it wasn't working very well. Lilian was a very short tempered girl that didn't deal with changes very well, to be honest she didn't like what was going on right now.

Lilian's anger quickly went away as she seen her older brother Alistair walking in Lilian smiled for he always seemed to make cheer her up or make a bad mood go away. Doing his normal routine as he finally reached her Lilian gave him a annoyed look as he toss her hair over shoulder. "Alistair I spent a hour trying to get my hair this way!"said Lilian. " Good morning Alistair."said Lilian giving him a soft warm smile before she turned back to her toast. Alistair was her favorite sibling besides Alexis for she wanted to be both like them she looked up to them and admired them.

Lilian was about to answer Alistair on how she was doing in school as she heard her father voice rang out through the dining room. Her attention quickly snapped back on him as he spoke of why he took Slug's and Jigger's Apothecary. Now it all made snese now, but she wasn't quite sure she wanted to do business with the women that was standing before them. Lilian didn't say a word she just took another bite of her toast which tasted oddly weird and btter to her now. Lilian knew this wasn't going to be some walk in the park, she had a feeling the women either didn't like them or was just to interested in their father or all of the above.

If this was the way things were going to be from now on, Lilian was sure she was going to hate the women even more. Although Lilian didn't like any women that stepped foot in the D'Eath mansion for they were either snobs, out to get their father money or just wanted their father for a sex toy. Although her silbings told her to give the women that their father dated a chance Lilian nevered did for they were always out for something. Lilian had a feeling this women was the same way, she just couldn't figure out what it was yet but she was going to find out.

There was definitely tension in the air now. But it wasn't like the tension that she was sure others felt when she and Damitrius fought. No this tension was so thick you could cut through it with a knife. It seemed that none of the other two girls in the room liked this Zada Forbes. To be honest, Alexis didn't like her luck either, she just have her such a strange feeling and she could describe what exactly that feeling was. All she knew was that she wouldn't be able to trust the woman, even if she tried or was forced to, she wouldn't be able too, even if she led others to believe that she did. But it wouldn't be anything new really, Alexis hardly ever trusted any of the women her father had, guess the 'abandonment' of her mother caused this disbelief in those kinds of women.

But with the arrival of her brother, Alistair, the mood seemed to lighten. Everyone seemed to be so happy to see him. Alexis smiled as he said good morning to the other two girls at the table. She even chuckled a bit at Lilian's remark about how long it took her to get her hair the way it was after he tossed her hair over her shoulder. She shook her head in amusement and cleared her throat. He sure had great timing. As he approached her and he ruffled her hair, she lowered her head a bit as a reflex to stop him from messing up her hair completely. Alexis smiled and giggled a bit at him and said, "Good morning kitty," as she commonly used as a nickname of sorts for him because he called her 'puppy' and because vampires were like cats to her with their hissing.

After she finally registered his following words to her, she growled a bit at him and huffed softly, before she giggled a bit at his words. She would get him back in some way, but maybe later. He always found some way to make something into a joke, though usually it didn't bother Alexis. Usually whatever jokes he made she would laugh at, either because she really thought they were funny or because they were so dumb of inappropriate that it was funny. As he sat down next to Damien, she looked at him with a glare that she knew would tell him to watch his back because she would eventually get him for that comment.

Her attention soon turned to her father who had begun to speak again. In truth she'd much rather listen to how her brother and sisters were doing in school, rather than listen to why he'd bought Slugs and Jiggers and why Zada Forbes was important. Really she just had more interest in her siblings than the role that woman would play for the apothecary. Still she couldn't act like she didn't care about any of those things, so she looked attentively at her father as he spoke, though she was rolling her eyes everytime he said something about that woman, inwardly of course.

Zada noticed the children did appear to be rather spineless. No one had the guts to either agree or disagree with Lorcan. But perhaps that was good. Perhaps it would be easier to make Lorcan's plan work that way. She crossed one long shapely leg over the other and took a sip of her tea, watching the typical wealthy family dysfunction play out.

"Well, well," she smiled at Lorcan, satisfied, "you know the old saying, my darlling. Silence lends consent. It appears your family does enjoy money well enough that they will go along with you. And I am quite sure that Alistair and I can continue to work together without any issue. Alistair, would you be so good as to insure that Dent's former potionswenches are on board with us? If they're not on board, do please reduce our opposition in whatever way you see fit. Shall we merge my potionsworks with the larger Knockturn Alley works? I see no point in mulitple locations."

She looked across the faces of the children at the table and almost could tell their Hogwarts houses from their faces. The only Slytherins there immediately appeared to be were Lorcan and Alistair. She made a mental note to keep track of the rest of them. They did not need dissention in this project. She watched Lorcan cast a silent but warning glance at his offspring, but in the process, had she seen him give her a split second glare? Had he, after all, had some desire to spare the living products of his voracious appetite for lesser willed women? She wasn't entirely sure, but he did seem to have been trying to pass her a warning as well, in what felt like a fraction of a second. It made her smile, amused at his limited parental instincts. He preferred they not give her a reason to off them, but she had already made it clear. She had had to run because Gellert Grindelwald has misplayed his hand. She was not in favor of having to do it twice. Not without someone dying first.