Dinner: Interrupted

"Good to know," she said, not doubting that he could deal with England.  "I didn't doubt that you could fit in.  I truly just don't know very much about Asian culture.  The most I know is that Brian and I vacationed in Japan for a couple weeks, but we were on our own, out in the middle of nowhere, really.  So I didn't really need to know the culture much."


She frowned, thinking she smelled strawberries and pastries.  


"What is that?" she asked Angus.


"Your father's latest tea experiment," he smiled. "Strawberry cheesecake tea. I thought it was rather good, actually. You know how it goes. He blends it and then asks us to try it. Would you like me to send up some fresh almond cookies with that?"


"Sure," Marcus answered quickly before Khaat could turn him down.  He looked at Li.  "James is an emotional strain for her, no matter when he shows up.  I think she should take advantage of a stormy afternoon and relax with a good book and a cup of tea."


"You mean you two won't be playing backgammon or cards?" Angus teased.


"Probably at some point before the afternoon is over," Marcus said. "If she's in the mood for me to beat her again." 


"That's just wishful thinking on his part," Khaat said, looking at Li.

Li smiled as he caught the scent of the tea. "Smells wonderful" He said then listened as Angus spoke of the Okami and how he always came after her. "explains his manner towards her, he is an over bearing, angry were with little respect for his family." Li said " I noted that when and how he spoke to his brother."

"Hes not my brother, no im my eyes " Jack said walking down in his slippers and clean socks. "Caught the smell of that tea all the way up stairs, thought I would give it a try." He looked at Li again " ever since he modified his body and mind with sick potions hes not been my brother nor will I call him such, his blood in name only." Jack walked into the kitchen and pored some tea for himself.

Li looked to Angus " I can see it was and still is a sour point I will not speack of it again." he said

"Not speaking of him doesn't make him go away," Khaat said.  "Jack speaks out of loyalty to the ones he loves, that's all. As he said, there's no love loss between him and James."  


"Oh. Here," Marcus said, finding the dossier Brian had retrieved and had intended to give to Li to read. "Brian evidently intended for you to read the file we keep on him--which is more detailed than the Ministry file because we've had more in depth dealings with him.  You'll find the list of his victims quite long. Last summer, when the train went to take the kids to Hogwarts to start fall term, James blew up the aqueduct and caused the train to fall into the Black Lake. He killed several children, injured countless more, and used the event to get onto the grounds to kidnap and kill more innocent children. And that's not the first mass crime he's done. He's probably killed more in our generation than any other criminal."

He handed the file to Li.  Khaat turned quietly and went up to her room.


"What she's not saying," Marcus told him, "is that James nearly killed her--more than once. Her twin boys were born prematurely in a dirt cell underground because he had kidnapped her, and the stress was too much for her. He's also responsible for the scars you see on her face and her neck. What you can't see is that he so scarred and damaged her shoulder that her left arm is completely paralyzed. He suffers from bloodlust when it comes to her. Its why he's so obsessed with her. He terrifies her.  Her father seems to be the only one we know with the skill to heal her scars and her shoulder. We just haven't been danger free enough for him to have the time and the safety to do it."


"You might want to read it and get to know your enemy."

Li watched and listened as Angus spoke again about the Okami. He looked at the thick file and gently took it from him " I will do just that " he said and opened it his eyes scanning but his face showed the disaproval the more he read the more furrowed his brow became. 


He reatched out and picked up cup had accioed with the tea in, he listened again and nodded. " then that is why I was called, to help bolster your forces, here, against him , and I will do so with the utmost sincerity." He turned another page and read further down. He looked up the stairs to where he assumbed Khaats room was.


"Beauty is not just skin deep, but lingers in the soul." he said softly " Mrs Quinn has a strong spirit, he won't  get her." Li looked at Angus.

"Well, thats partly why Robert hired Marcus," Angus said.  "When James comes, he rarely comes alone. It sometimes takes shape as a skirmish like the one we had today.  We have different orders than Marcus does. We're entrusted with keeping everyone safe and the grounds secure. Marcus only has one order. He's the only one with a different order, at least to my knowledge."


"My instructions," Marcus said, "are to protect Khaat, no matter what, and for me, I've been instructed that the order supercedes everything else."


"Our jobs are to make sure that we keep everything and everyone else safe and secure. Marcus's one order is designed to keep us from needing to make choices or dividing our attentions," Angus said. "So far, its worked.  James has a way of causing chaos and pulling the rest of us away from her by causing multiple threats and dangers. So far as I'm concerned, the more hands we have to deal with him and his pack, the better because what we do know is that he will kill, without any thought or hesitation. I don't know if you've ever dealt with a serial killer, but he has no conscience whatsoever."

"Oh, he has a conscience," Marcus said grimly. "But its based entirely on preserving himself and perpetuating his pack.  He has no humanity left at all. His goal is to try to either eliminate humans or turn them to werewolves under his control. As far as Khaat is concerned, James has a very twisted idea that he owns her, that she is his property. He has no regard for her marriage or her family or anything she values or loves."

Li lsitened to them both talk taking in every word they had saidto him "Hai..I mean, yes, I have, but not like him, he..." He looked at Marcus and nodded a bow composing himself again "and you wish I too maintain security and safty of the compound, or do you have something spacific in mind for my talents?" He asked "Masutā lee did not specify my role here, what ever it is I will do to the best of my ability and more." He looekd out the window at the grounds beyond. 


Li looked at Marcus " I will make my rounds of the grounds." he said placing the file on the table close by him. " I thank you for the file it has enlightened me to who we have deal with." he told him and with a bow he left the room, walking out onto the grounds. Pausing he glanced around noting every ones position then he knelt down his hands resting palm up on his legs as he listened and meditated to the sound of the leafes and air around him.

Jack moved to look out the window " hes a strange one" he said and looked at Marcus.

"I am not the one you report to," Marcus said. "That would be Brian. Well, Brian runs the organization, but Kate and Robert own it.  I'm sure you understand the whole corporate differences between presidents and CEO's. Well, Brian is like the organization's president and Robert is, for all practical purposes, the CEO. But--if I had to guess, they'd want you to sort of float and go where you're needed. General protection, if thats where you're needed and more specialized protection if thats what is called for. But that's a guess.


"I'm not very familiar with Asian culture," Marcus said to Jack after Li went outside, " but what I do know is that is what is considered respect and good manners where he comes from.  I think what he's learned about auror work, that sort of thing, is to work smarter and not harder by making sure you maximize the working of one's mind. And, thats about as far as it goes for me."

Jack looked to Marcus and shook his head " hes still a strange one, but hes okay in my books" he said and chuckled " anyway Jess is making cinamom rolls and I want one hot out the oven" he said with a grin as he looked at Marcus " you want I should send one up to you, there real good." He added just as Steven walked past.

"shesh, you and your tummy jack, so is it an early morning work out just to work off those callories Jack" he asked and saw the look on Jacks face.

"Nope high metabolisum, I burn it off any way" he chuckled then he grinned at Steven " but if your up for a challage on the assault course im in." he saw Steven chuckle and nod. He smelt the rolls and smiled " humm, got to run guys." he said leaving Steven with Marus as he almost ran down the stairs to the kitchen.

"wish I had his metabolisum" Steven said and chuckled.

"Did she learn how to make Angus's giant ones?" Marcus asked. "Angus's cinnamon rolls are the size of dinner plates--when we can talk him into making them."


He listened to them talking about Jack. "Oh, look closer. Especially at Christmas time when the kitchen bakes around the clock.  He's got a little more 'insulation' then than usual," Marcus said.  His watch beeped and he reached down to stop it. He sighed. "Sorry. Forgot I set that.  I'm supposed to go into Diagon Alley and pick up a big order of more shoes for Khaat. Just what she needs. More shoes. More stilettos. I'm thrilled. Whether she likes it or not, I'm picking her up some flats. Her stilletos look fine but they cause a lot more work for me if trouble comes up."

Steven chuckled and nodded " ow I did noticed" he looked at Marcus watch as it beeped then listened as he explained " ow..want a hand , Im not doing much Jack and Li have the grounds covered , Jims around here some where doing..what ever it is he does." Steven said with a chuckle.

"an extra pair of hands might come in handy with all those boxes of shoes." he added hoping he might get out of the house for a bit, " but if you'd rather do it alone I'll understand" He stuck his hands into his pocket as he turned to leave the room " and Im not sure, might be, she has been working close with him latly she may have picked up the recipy from him."