they argued my right to ascension

The blonde man continues to remain where he stands, arms folded smoothly across his chest despite the chaos that has seemingly erupted from every direction surrounding his current announcement and declaration of familial ties. He had hardly come to this ridiculous dinner with any intention of adopting his brother's grandchild, children never truly having been the strongest of his skills, his lack of patience and callous demeanour often assuring they remained entirely away. Why he had even bothered to announce such things remained to be seen, the man simply having reacted before he had truly allowed the situation to be given the thought it had. Family however had always been....important, the past eighty years or so having been spent with the belief he had no relatives left save the single Alosi line he had merely watched over from a distance, the birth of the girl before him having been missed in it's entirety, his work having taken up so much of his time and attention that he had simply lost track over the years until fate or God or whatever it was that commanded such things had seen his past collide with him in the form of this overly blonde spitfire of a girl that reminded him not at all of his brother from whom she was directly descended and much more so of his Mother. It had been so long, too long, truly, since he had given her any real thought- the thoughts shoved hurriedly away as the Hartfords continued their shouting and threats of lawyers.

Did they truly have any idea how often the Council was actually sued? No lawyer with any sense would touch a case involving a Hunter, far too much money and power assuring the Council and its members were very near untouchable to the outside world, his proof of pedigree the only proof the Council would actually require before assuring he had what he wanted, no amount of legal aid available to the mortal market capable of denying his claim should he choose to make it- although why he bothered he hardly knew. He had no interest in a child, not really and yet- it was the principal of the matter. She was....family, she deserved better than this, better than a place that served god-fucking-knows what in the guise of soup- and because his brother would have done the same for him were the tables reversed, some sense of family duty....no matter how fickle....present within the boy still.

The sudden sound of hands slamming against the table saw the golden gaze of the man drawn away from a shrieking Mrs Hartford and Mr Hartford demanding the police be called, Azrael entirely content to remain calmly where he stood, frowning ever so slightly at the disruption as his attention focused upon Calliel herself, the clipped, frustrated tone of the girl earning her a scowl all the same as he managed a sigh- as if this entire conversation was a bother he hardly desired to have. She did deserve an answer he supposed and yet the sudden silence in the room provided a stage the man hardly wished to stand upon, his personal life an intensely private matter and one he was loath to share.

"I have no desire to discuss family matters here."

His own words were short, clipped, abrupt and yet the shouts of 'liar' from Mrs Hartford rather quickly assured him that such a desire was to go entirely unmet as his hand simply moves to reach for his back pocket, taking a moment to fish the wallet from within it, long fingers plucking a faded, worn photograph from within- the single and only piece of.....nostalgia he had ever bothered to carry, gently unfolding that creased and worn paper to offer it to the teenage girl. This time his words are softer, quieter, just loud enough for Calliel to hear alone as he speaks.

"It is a family photograph, the way they used to be done. If you turn it over the names are on the back- and the year it was taken if you don't believe me. That man there, on the end- that is your grandfather, your Mothers Father and my brother- Hadrian."

He simply paused, waiting for the girl to turn the photograph over, each name printed neatly upon the back in the order they stood, from the oldest brother- to the youngest. Hadrian, Cale, Lucifer, Felix, Asher, Hamish, Samuel (Saintly), Alekai the year printed neatly beneath it, the girl surely intelligent enough to understand that Azrael, at least- had not aged a day since the photograph had been taken, the man entirely as he appeared within the picture, if not with slightly more unkempt hair.

"Your Mother, Isola, was born shortly after this photo was taken, she has surely mentioned the name Hadrian before, she would have known it, but probably spoken it rarely- he died before she was one, they all did- except me. I became a Hunter, I......stopped aging, so to say- but I also stopped using my birth name, I became untraceable and most people assumed I had died along with my family that night. This was why I was never mentioned, your Mother never knew, she likely knew her Father had brothers, but was probably told they had all died. No one would have remembered our names. All you need is her birth certificate to prove what I am saying- if the resemblance to the eight blonde people in the photo is not enough."

He moves to take the small picture from her once more, no further words added, his own gaze lingering upon those faded images if only for a moment before hurriedly folding it away, returning it to his wallet and the back of his jeans where he simply had to look at it no longer. He could find her all the proof she wanted and yet in the end he supposed it hardly mattered. Attention returned to the Hartfords.

"She is almost 18, turning this into a legal battle is hardly worth it. She can make her own choices, she is old enough to know where she wants to live."

This hardly seemed enough to sway the Hartfords all the same, the wail of police sirens outside seeing those golden eyes roll slightly as he turned to the girl once more, words softly spoken again amidst the continued din.

"I...understand you have no need to trust what I have to say, though you should know each Hunter possess a weakness that can be...exploited by those who know, each weakness is unique to the individual, a price for the powers we possess. I cannot lie, not even a little bit. You can either come with me or you can stay here with these....people. If you're ever interested in knowing your family however I can...give you that information. Even if you have no interest in knowing me."

Few people were ever truly interested in knowing him, so much for the better he is assured and yet the offer stands all the same, golden eyes cast briefly towards the door and the approaching policeman before returning a final time to the girl. He was hardly a criminal, he hardly needed to run from them and yet a further altercation was not within his plans tonight.

"Are you staying here Calliel, or are you coming? If you could hurry up with your life decisions I would appreciate it."

Well- he almost made it an entire moment without being impolite- almost.

Azrael Evero

only fools walk where angels fear to tread