Sheppard Place
Hidden far back out a dirt road near Punaluu was a white bungalow, surround with trees. The structure itself had many Spanish features with it asymmetric design, stucco, and half-arched entry way and windows. What had once been a garage was opened to a wood shop without a single power tool. The driveway continued around the house to back where other structures existed.
Nia led the way to the house she'd been given the address for, from Simon, back when they'd discussed first the possibility of Hawaii. Luckily she'd been able to find a phone and call the lad back in Oxford before they'd come, or heaven only knew when she'd manage to get him on a line that worked again, Wizards being notoriously difficult to chat with. She smiled over at Fred as they came up to the door and gave him a wink. "This shouldn't be too terrible, they raised Simon, after all. And everyone here has been so friendly." She knocked twice, solidly, but nothing hard enough to actually rattle a door. Dressing in an appropriate way to meet the Warden Parents of a friend might have been stressful to some, but Nia, well, they'd gone shopping! So she arrived wearing a pair of black jean shorts that left a good amount of her long, bronzed and toned, legs bare, all the way down to her honest to God flip-flops in bright blue. For a shirt, she'd opted for a comfortable, bright blue tank top that had a strange sort of lightning pattern in black over it, like someone had done a negative tie dye on it. Her hair was back, pulled into a flowing ponytail of dark brown, leaving her face and gray eyes easily seen.
Fred, meanwhile, looks rather more nervous than Nia. Not really having met Simon back in Oxford, and therefore not exactly sure how Simon had been raised, he knows a lot less of the Wardens than Nia does - mostly that they're Wardens. His phone is off, with battery detached, and his watch has been left behind in their room. No sense tempting fate, after all. He himself is wearing lighter-weight trousers and a shirt, suitable for warm climates, and is lurching along with the help of a walking stick. He went out with it yesterday, and was regretting it since about four minutes outside the hotel room. "Fingers crossed," he says to Nia, with a certain wariness. Wardens, after all - and Fred a magical mass murderer. It's enough to make anyone nervous.
A loaded shipping pall was set out of the driveway near the house filled with nearly thirty bags of animal feed stacked on top of it. Wind chimes danced as they approached the house and the sound of wood sanding, within the shop, came to a stop. A older gentlemen of Polynesian decent, sun tanned with salt and pepper hair, playing at being 60, came walking from around the house. Sawdust covered his red and yellow Hawaiian shirt and downward onto his board shorts and bare legs and flip flops. With a wide smile, he offered a cheerful 'Aloha!' He paused to shake and dust off the sawdust from his arms and clothes. "It's customary to start our meetings off with a hugs, but I'm trying not to get you both covered in sawdust. That is, unless you're selling something, because then I'd be torn." The man chuckled as he managed to get the majority of the dust off of him, save his feet, looking at the two of them.
Nia reached out to rub along Fred's shoulder, giving him a supportive smile. "It'll be alright, and besides, this is a good thing. Knowing who's here and who we might need to see at times." When the sound of the sander cut off, Nia turned toward the man walking around the house, offering him a wide, bright sort of smile. "Aloha! Not selling anything, though your son did say I should give you a hug for him when I ran into you, so... I suppose it can wait until you're not covered in sawdust, though." Nia's Brazilian accent had thickened up a bit, after spending some serious time in South America, but her English was still solid, as it's not like she'd stopped speaking it with Fred there. "I'm Nia, and this is Fred." She motioned to herself and then to the stick-bearing Fred. "I'm hoping Simon might have mentioned us possibly stopping by to you, but if not, that's alright, too. Do you have a moment or two, or is there a better time for us to come back, Mr Sheppard?"
Fred's shoulder under Nia's hand is solid with tension. "I'm still here," he points out quietly to Nia, summoning a smile from somewhere - a smile that does brighten on seeing a man covered in sawdust and obviously enjoying life. "Aloha," Fred smiles in return, since that seems to be the custom here, trying to cover his nerves and mostly succeeding. "Don't mind me, I'm just the moral support."
Shep chuckled at Nia's explanation, walking up to the two. His arms went wide and he wrapped Nia in a hug, picking the woman up off the ground, patting her back, and settling her down once. "If it was a hug from Simon, he'd excuse the sawdust.." The man turned to Fred, angling his arms to get past the walking stick and give the man a warm hug and a pat on the back before releasing him to the wild once more. "Nia. Fred. They call me Shep, it seems easier on the haoles not calling me Ka'Koa." He paused a moment to ponder and nodded a couple of times, "Simon did mention you stopping by. Congratulations on the wedding, and there's supposed to be a gift..." The man scanned the immediate area. "I'll ask my wife where it is, but she's out in the barn dealing with the pig." He thumbed to the house, "Can I get either of you a drink? Something to eat?" The man chuckled, "Now is a better time than any, the surf is pretty lax."
Nia returned the hug, and didn't seem to shy away from it, squeezing the man solidly. She'd gotten used to hugging his son, after all, and one didn't skimp on a hug meant to greet a friend's family member. She patted him solidly on the back in return and turned to watch him hug Fred, a little smile on her lips as she anticipated the awkwardness there, though mostly the amusement stuck to being a glint in her grey eyes. "Obrigado, Shep, we were very happy to be able to get married. And this island has been a long deserved, wonderful, honeymoon. We've only been here for a couple of days but it seemed the better choice to see you sooner than later, for many reasons, really." She shook her head gently. "I'm not hungry or thirsty, but if you or Fred would like something, please, don't neglect the need." Nia didn't look particularly concerned one way or the other, though any real tension she'd held seemed to melt away fairly easily now that she'd actually met Shep.
Fred gets given a hug; he's still stiff with tension, but he doesn't try to fight it - in fact, he returns the pat on the back. It doesn't make it any less awkward than it ever is for an Englishman being hugged, but Fred does at least know how to be polite in someone else's country. "Thanks," he says to the congratulations, and at the mention of hospitality, says, "Only if you're having something." Again, manners, albeit probably not Hawai'ian manners.
Reaching to the back of his shirt, Shep lifted it to open a hard case linked to his waist band. Thumbing it open, he pulled out a pair of Koa wood glasses and opened them to put them on. He inspected Nia for a silent moment, his eyes scanning down her exposed skin, nodding to himself. "Antonio de Barros styled... Was this moment official business? Simon made it sound like this was your honeymoon." The man smiled all the same, even as there came the muzzled roar of a wild boar that echoed around the house and through the trees. "And that would be someone feeling ornery today." The man sighed, but quickly replaced it with a warm smile. "Jo made up some lemonade, and I have some roasted breadfruit. Nia, hun? I have some O negative as well, in case you change your mind." The man headed past them to the door, flicking the wood a couple times in different spots, and a slide lock undid itself. "I'm always losing my keys in the surf." He chuckled and headed inside, "Comon in!"
The inside of the house is filled with comfortable, gentle reminders of a time long forgotten. The walls hold symbols of other existences, from spears to shields, to decorative artworks depicting long ago tribes, trials, tribulations. Some of them are downright beautiful while others look deceptively ordinary, like a piece of wood with single carvings on them. The furniture is simple, and obviously quite comfortable and lived on. Nothing too light, but nothing too dark, all done in gentle earth tones. The floor, it would seem in deference to the sandy surroundings, is done in pale blue tile throughout the entire house. The living room welcomed everyone with the kitchen beyond, having long since had its separating wall removed to leave the main part of the house as open and inviting as those that lived within it. Despite feeling decidedly like a home lived in only by fully grown adults, there was no scent of closure to the place, as if the windows often spent most of the days, and perhaps even the nights, wide open.
Nia cocked her head to the side and gave a curious sort of smile to Shep, raising her brows gently. "Good call, do you know Tony?" She blinked and seemed surprised, but not unkindly so, and simply followed Shep into the house. "I hope she's alright out there with the... pig you said? If she needs any help, I'm at least strong enough to hold onto something." Nia chuckled softly, though it was a little on the dry side. "Though animals don't tend to appreciate me as often as they maybe once did." The mention of a little something that would actually sustain her if she drank it caused her mouth to water, and Nia quickly swallowed back saliva before clearing her throat softly. "Actually, now that you mention it, I could use that drink, Shep, thank you. We're not here on business so much as needing to still be able to uh... well continue with what your kind son Simon had been helping us with. We'll be out of our stock soon, actually quite soon, with this being a real vacation for us. And I was wondering if we'd be able to work out a trade for more of the serum for my saliva, with yourself or with another wizard here on the islands." She'd made sure not to talk about anything wizard related outside, but once they were indoors, Nia didn't shy away from it. Glancing over the walls, Nia smiled slightly. "Your home is lovely Shep, thank you for inviting us into it." She stayed close to Fred, almost as if she wasn't quite in the mood to be too far away from the slightly limping man. Maybe she was fond of him indeed.
Fred hides his general cluelessness under a mask of being impassive, following the other two in and finding a place to perch politely-but-awkwardly in classical English fashion. His gaze flicks across the walls, catching on various bits and pieces on display before returning to Shep with a smile. "Thanks for letting us in," he says. The 'And not killing us on the spot' is more of an unsaid thing, but it's not exactly difficult to intuit.
Shep chuckled, "Tony? I haven't known him as anything other than Antonio. I haven't seen the man in 270? 280 years maybe? I made the mistake of using the Sight on the man, so it stays at the front of my mind like it just happened. We share an interest in tattoos. Lots of people through the Ring of Fire sport them in connection to their beliefs." Shep headed to the kitchen, opening a cabinet to get a couple of glasses down, and opened an old ice box to get out the lemonade to fill the glasses. The man snapped his fingers, "That's what Jo made up, several vials of anti-venom." The man returned to Fred with the glasses and offered one to the man. "Some men have the right eyes for beauty." The man chuckled, "Saliva? I never touch the stuff." He gestured to farther indicate it was a joke, "But my wife will be all sorts of excited to hear." He gestured to the walls, "That's mostly her, the house in general is her ideas. Back when Darwin's writings came out, she applied evolution to theory of anthropology, following family lines for stories to track down archeological sites..." The man shook his head, clearly proud that he followed that much. "The pig... That's an individual cursed by Kamapua'a. Always interesting around here."
Nia snickered slightly and shook her head. "I was very young when I had these placed on me. And before that, a problematic youth. He was trying to calm me during some of the harder parts, when I was having trouble, and said if I called him Tony, I'd feel better, and he'd feel better. I still called him Tony the last time I saw him, maybe a decade ago myself." Nia moved to take a seat next to Fred where he'd chosen to perch, then glanced at him with a grin. "Antonio de Barros is the man that gave me my tattoos, from St Giles. Very skilled. But very... precise. As you well know." She winked to Fred and then looked back at the walls for a moment. "Your wife sounds like a very intelligent woman, Shep." She looked back over to the Warden and raised her brows. "It sounds like it. I've heard a couple of stories, but never anything really in depth about Oahu yet. We've really only just arrived, but I'm sure you all have some surprising histories and mysteries to discover. It's much like that in every little pocket of civilization in South America as well. They all have their stories, only half of which are embellished, while the other half are played down so as not to terrify everyone into sleeping with both eyes open."
Fred takes the glass from Shep with a murmur of thanks, then takes a sip. He doesn't turn many hairs at the idea of Shep and his wife having been around and functioning while Charles Darwin was being published - he's know several Wizards and stranger things, after all - and it seems someone might have warned him about taking the islands seriously. "Kamapuer-ah?" It's not quite what Shep said, but it's hopefully close enough for government work. To Nia he ahs his understanding. "Gotcha." And then it's back to Shep again.
Shep took a drink of his lemonade, raising his index finger before lowering his drink. "Sanding a board got the best of my manners. Do you prefer bag or glass, Nia. Temperature? Warming it up is no trouble at all, but I understand why you would want it cold." He gestured to the couches, "You're both welcome to sit, the furniture is grandchild tested." Listening to Nia, the man nodded in agreement. "I was canoeing the Pacific in my youth. Down playing the terrifying is the only way to get a couple thousand men and women to paddle towards the horizon. This island should have a saying about not digging too deep. A plague killed hundreds of thousands before Cook showed up. Every time they dig to lay a foundation, it is testing the dead." He nodded, "It's interesting to see how an artist evolves over time. Paint a picture of an apple everyday for a century, and no two will be the same." The man smiled at Fred, "This is why Shep is easier for everyday." He spoke more slowly to pronounce it again for Fred, without a hint of judgement. "Kamapua'a." He continued, "God of rain, fertility, this side of the island, and husband to Pele. The gods are never far off its people. Something to be mindful of if you stay longer than a vacation."
Nia licked her lips, taking a slow breath before she managed to speak, and notably swallowed first. "Cold is fine, actually. And refreshing, in its own way." She smiled to Shep and then nodded to him as he spoke about the histories of Hawaii not necessarily highlighting the real, underlying dangers. "Oh wow, so your Gods are really active if they're still cursing people. Wow.. that is very good to know, Shep, yes." She glanced over at Fred and grinned. "I think we had already considered living here for the rest of our lives after the first day on the beach, with no violence or danger giving itself obvious chances to be had. It's been a very nice change for us, and sleeping for more than two hours at a time has been even better."
Fred shuffles back a little further into his seat, then takes another sip of his lemonade, his hand lifting to Nia's shoulder to squeeze reassuringly. "On the surface it looks a lot like paradise," he agrees. "Knowing there's a bit more to it - is reassuring, really. Kamapua'a. Hopefully that was better - thank you, sir." Nerves always lead to old habits, and calling senior people 'sir' and 'ma'am' is one of the old habits Fred hasn't managed to break yet. "Well, sleeping and running down the stocks of antivenom." Blink. Blush. "Ahem."
Shep nodded, finishing his drink, he took the glass to the kitchen to set it down. Heading down the hallway, he flicked at another door that opened with a much heavier shift of metal. He stepped inside for a minute before stepping outside. The door closed and relocked behind him as he exited. Returning, he handed Nia a gourd with a glass stopper in it. "You're welcome to take that with you." In his other hand, there was a small vial with a rubber eyedropper, and he passed it to Fred. "One drop, once a day. We have very beautiful sunrises, sunsets and flowers, even if you are thinking you're just going to just have polite conversation at breakfast. Anyone with native blood has passion and yearning for kissing and endless sex, and the exploration of bodies should be something faced without shame." And the contrast of British versus Hawaiian shows itself. The man took a breath, "And if you are going to stay, there is a large homeless population and people coming and going. A dinner bell for all sorts of supernatural creatures. The foolish ones gain the ire of one scion or another and they are dealt with quickly. The smarter ones... The politics would require months of lecture." He walked over to open a book of business cards, searching the pages. "The Sheriff of Oahu county is an emissary. Very helpful, and a good friend. Not a man to cross."
Nia reached up to accept the gourd of life-giving blood, and offered Shep a grateful smile along with a nod. "That's very kind, thank you Shep." She looked at the vial Shep handed to Fred and her eyebrows went up rather high for a moment. "Only one drop a day, no need to drink the whole thing at once? And it lasts for the day rather than a few hours?" Disbelief was somewhat thickly laced through her words, which edged nearly to the unintelligible with the sudden thickening of her accent. Or perhaps it was the slight amount of drooling she was doing, as she pulled the stopper from the container in her hand and got a nice, solid, whiff of blood. She glanced down as her eyes took on a darker, shining quality, and then seemed to dim to nothing but black, shining orbs. She took a drink without saying another word, because let's face it, hungry is the only thing she really was, all the time, without question. Her eyes closed and she breathed slowly while she left the liquid in her mouth, soaking her parched tongue, and temporarily forgetting there was anything but that sensation in the universe.
Fred takes the vial and blinks at the instructions, but doesn't object. "Sir," he says, then offers Shep a faint smile at the rest of the man's words. "Blame the Catholic upbringing," he says. "I do. As far as I know I don't have native blood, but by that description I just might." He winks, then tucks the precious vial safely into a pocket. "Thank you. So, an all-you-can-eat buffet of mortals - yeah, I can see how some things'd get interested in that. Is there a handy guide to the local politics? I try not to be thicker than I have to be." He glances Nia-wards as she looks into the gourd, and what he sees there has his smile broadening and his body tensing purely by reflex.
Shep pulled out the business card, and walked it back to Fred to pass to the man: The card was described with the information of one Iokua Kamaka, Sheriff of Oahu county. He nodded to Nia to let her have her drink in peace. "To activate it, you need to put a piece of your wife's hair in it. Make sure you keep it out of direct sunlight. Also, it will be attuned to her saliva alone, so don't start thinking you will be immune if you toss yourself in the den of red court." The warden chuckled, "It seemed only right to say, because I've never seen a Watcher or a member of the Order of St. Giles to stay idle for long. No judgement, but take the time to learn the lay of the land. Also, embrace the Spirit of Aloha, it is a very real and powerful thing that prevents open warfare." The man laughed happily and clapped Fred on the shoulder and shook his head. "Jo would likely say the same thing about herself in reply to that." Scratching his chin, he shook his head, "White folk tried for a couple of centuries to write everything down. The Brief History of the Hawaiian People is 400 pages, if that gives you an idea of the complexities at play without the rest of the world showing up. Accorded neutral territory is The Sunken Pig. It's on the leeward... West side of the island, north on the road that takes you towards the Volcanic Beach." The man sighed, and he looked at Nia to wait for her to finish drinking.
Nia made sure only to allow herself a total of 3 swallows from the gourd before she plugged it again and licked her lips, making sure she didn't leave any red on them from the contents. When she opened her eyes they were still black, but she was wearing a relaxed sort of smile one might get after just getting a good massage, or maybe just having eaten a good, hearty meal. "Muito obrigado, Shep." Her voice had even lost a little of its tension. When she turned her eyes to look at Fred, it was with a lopsided grin, something a bit more personal. "So be kind, loving, and enjoy ourselves. But be smart if something happens that isn't so enjoyable. I believe that's something we can do." She looked at Shep then and stood, offering out her hand to the man. "You've been more helpful than I could have even asked for, Shep. Please, give your wife all of my gratitude. I'm hoping we don't have to darken your doorstep again, but if we do, I'll be sure to make sure I bring her a gift in exchange for the serum she was kind enough to make for us." She nodded her head to Shep, her eyes slowly bleeding back to their pale, gray color as she seemed to come back into herself, and could only smell the blood from her own lips instead of the waiting gourd.
Fred takes the offered card with another nod of thanks. "Nia's hair in the vial, and keep it out of the sun. Gotcha, and again, thank you to both you and your wife." He pulls out a handkerchief to wrap the vial in, just to make sure, then tucks it away in a deep, secure pocket. "And no open warfare. That's... going to make a very, very nice change. Here's hoping no-one opens warfare on us, and that the politics mostly understands we're not locals and doesn't hold it against us. Sheriff Kamaka - you said he's an Emissary, any idea what sort of Patron?" His hand returns to Nia's shoulder now she's finished her drink, and then he rises a few moments after she does. "Yes, thanks very much indeed, Shep - and if we can be of any assistance, let us know."
The Warden scratched the back of his head, kept his warm smile, and shook her hand. "I do believe that was the wedding present that Simon wanted you to have, but lacked the ability to make... Oh." He chuckled and watched over to a closet to open it, scanning the contents before pulling out a long box, addressed and stamped. "And this one." He carried it to the table to set down for them to open. The man shook his head, "This visit was a pleasure, you're welcome to stop by again. And well..." The man paused, "If you can talk to someone for me. I understand the policy of St. Giles, but a member of the White Council is trying to help an infected of the Tlazolli. I stated my worries, but he isn't showing signs of addiction and it's been a year and a half. There are emotions there." He hesitated and looked back to Fred. "Uli... Sun goddess of sorcery, life, justice, balance, peace... It's a long list, but most everything has its own god. This one is closer to a capital 'G'. That wide sphere puts him as a party to all to keep the peace. If the collective of emissaries had the position of Warden, it would be someone like him."
Nia stilled for a moment and had to force her jaw not to gape open. "A Tlazolli infected that's survived for over a year? That's... He must be doing quite a lot to help her, and she must have had some really strong reasons to live." The thoughts racing in Nia's head were fairly vast, and it forced her mouth to stop working for a moment. "If you give me contact information for them, I'll speak to them gladly, Shep. Anything I can do there, I will." She rubbed her arm along her side for a moment, looking thoughtful. "I'll have to thank Simon again, as that's one of the best wedding presents I could think to have received. And for the package." Nia grinned slightly and glanced at the box, curiosity obvious there, but also a strange, oddly youthful delight, maybe just for the fact that there was a package addressed to herself and Fred, a present! She looked over at Fred and grinned wider. "Ah.. someone that you'll probably have to meet, then, meu amor."
Shep nodded to Nia, going back to the book of business cards, but set it aside to get a old flower address book, pen and notepad. He flipped through it to get to the right page, copying down the address and number. "The girl does not like Wardens very much... She had talents before she was infected. The Venatori were involved as well. It is one of those situations that would require bringing down a city block, but creating a power vacuum that would be filled in quickly by something so much worse. Jo and I are the Wardens for the whole Pacific. The Council's policies were made with Rome in mind. Here, we have gods and their children, emissaries, Faithful, demons, devils, everything in between. The kids help too, but it feels like too much to put on their shoulders." Ripping off the page, he folded it and walked it to Nia. "The only Vampire Court we don't see on this island are the Black Court. Though we had to help out in Northern Alaska... Months of continuous night are a strong draw."
Fred nods his agreement with Nia. "We can talk to one or both for you, definitely," he says, then blinks at the list of things the Sheriff's Patron deals with. "Blimey," he says, then grins. "Although, if the collective of emissaries could agree on the colour of the sky, it'd be the first time in history. I'll go look him up." He grins at Nia, then looks to Shep again. "Again, thank you."
Nia accepted the piece of paper and slid it into her pocket, worrying at her bottom lip for a brief moment with her teeth before she nodded. "I can understand the issue of a power vacuum being taken up by something worse. I'll see if there's anything I can do for this woman, and will do my best to avoid mentioning that we should come talk to you two at all." Nia smiled warmly at Shep, then stepped forward to offer the Warden another hug, wrapping him tightly in her arms and squeezing like she was bidding goodbye to an old friend. "Thank you from me again, as well, Shep. Take care, and we'll get out of your hair and let you enjoy the rest of your afternoon." Nia then reached out to slide her hand across Fred's lower back, once the hug was done of course. "Are you ready to make the trek back to the bus stop? We can maybe make it over to the hotel in time to get ourselves in at their happy hour." She grinned and seemed to be trying to get Fred excited for the walk, poor limpy lad that he was. With her other hand, Nia reached out and picked up the box that Shep had given them, so they wouldn't be leaving it behind and creating another reason to bother the wardens again any time soon.
For the contents of the box, two Koa wood handled umbrellas with a note: To the Bride and Groom, Sometimes, the rain will fall. And sometimes, that rain becomes a downpour. When that happens, it's good to have a strong partner to lean on, that won't break under the pressure. -Simon
Shep was sure to give the proper hugs goodbye, and wished the two well as they left the house. Once they had started walking, the Warden seemed intent on getting back to whatever he'd been sanding when they arrived.
And Fred, lurching as he was, didn't seem too bothered by the idea of the walk back. In fact, "...Happy hour? Right." And off he lurches, with a care for the precious vial, as fast as he's ever lurched. He's fit enough to keep this pace up for /ages/, if there's a drink at the end of it.
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