Syrine Mardell: Would he have her meet him at his apartment then?

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: Yeah, he'd be cool with that. In fact, it would probably be the best place for them to meet. He's most comfortable there. :)

Syrine Mardell: *And so, although he probably knows well before she reaches it, if the door isn't already open she knocks announcing her presence*

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: He opens the door just after the first knock, nodding to her. "Good evening, Syrine." The door is opened wider and he steps aside, to allow her access. "How are you?"

Syrine Mardell: *She smiles.* I am well, and you?

Syrine Mardell: *And of course, steps inside*

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "I am..." He considers the question. "Well enough, I guess." The door is shut behind her, and he gestures to the living room. "I have been far worse."

Syrine Mardell: *She nods* Then thank Goddess for that much at least. *She heads to the living room, taking a seat comfortably on the floor as before.*

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "True enough." He manages a faint smile, before taking his own spot on the floor. "Life back in New York, such as it is, has not been too difficult for you, I trust?"

Syrine Mardell: *She shakes her head with a smile.* I never really got the chance to play tourist properly when I lived here before. It's actually been rather fun acting like a normal human family.

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "I rather envy you that," he says with a slight nod. "But I am glad that you have the opportunity to experience it."

Syrine Mardell: Then I will take you with me some time and you may experience it as well.

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: He blinks at that, and then chuckles a bit, rare, honest amusement to his face. "I...don't know what I would do with myself, honestly."

Syrine Mardell: *She chuckles* You will do what you do. But you will experience it, at least.

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: He tilts his head, considering her. "You have grown, haven't you?"

Syrine Mardell: *She smiles and nods.* A great deal, I'd like to think. I've worked hard at it over the past few years.

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "That is good. I am glad you have been able to do so." A slight nod.

Syrine Mardell: Well, it was that or die. *She laughs softly.* And I'm too stubborn to die...

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "Something else I am glad of," he says with a nod. "I must admit, I had always hoped you were okay. Something always had me believing, perhaps, you were. I doubted it, often...but it was always there."

Syrine Mardell: I always regretted not contacting you but I was afraid I would be hunted. You weren't the only one I left without telling where I was going. *A soft smile.*

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: He nods. "Nor would it have been safe really, anyway. I was busy hunting a Marauder, which is never safe."

Syrine Mardell: No, indeed it's not. Did you find the marauder?

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "I did. Ironically, here in New York."

Syrine Mardell: *She laughs softly* I'd have thought here'd be the first place to look. There seemed to be everything else you could possibly be searching for here.

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "It's...a long story. I honestly didn't expect he would have been here...unless Amara had been."

Syrine Mardell: He was following her?

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "He was following our cabal," he says with a shrug. "Looking for what he believed to be his daughter." He takes a deep breath, lips pressing tightly together. "I...never discussed Amara and my past with you, did I?"

Syrine Mardell: *She shakes her head.* I don't think you had the chance really.

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: He nods a little bit. "When Amara and I were younger...some 18 years ago...we were part of a cabal in Seattle. I had fled from Upstate New York to there, and we all met each other. There was myself, Amara, Sonja Thompson and Naomi Sansretti of the Ecstatics, my wife Belladonna, and Andromeda, both Verbena. And Robert Wright, of the Celestial Chorus."

Syrine Mardell: *She nods, listening quietly*

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "Robert was the senior member of our cabal. He was, as a Chorister, an odd choice perhaps, to associate with a large group of Verbena and Ecstatics. But he was a good man--a bit harsh and zealous, perhaps, but he was dedicated to the cabal, and to all of us. Especially Naomi and Andromeda." He pauses, taking a breath before continuing. His hand rises to bursh over his pentacle and circle around the edge, clockwise, before continuing. "I do not know when he went insane. At some point, he started to become colder...more distant. He began to speak to Naomi and Andromeda about splitting from the rest of us, forming a smaller cabal. He tried to convert them away from their Traditions to Christianity and the Chorus. He had to know it wouldn't have happened...but when it didn't, I believe his refusal to accept the situation warped his mind."

Syrine Mardell: *She frowns lips pursed* You're certain there wasn't an outside influence?

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "I am fairly sure," he says with a nod. "I have had almost two decades to consider it, and I do not believe there to have been anything else. Robert tried to hide it well, pretending to be normal, and he did a good job. But he was in permanent Quiet. In his world, anyone who wasn't Christian was a servant of the devil. Quite literally. He could see their Avatars, in his own warped perspective as demons and monsters." He pauses. "Bella noticed it first. The way he looked at us, shut himself off. She warned us, and Naomi, who was pregnant at the time, panicked. She fled Seattle. That pretty much broke up the cabal. Bella, Amara, and I stayed in Seattle...Adnromeda went to Nevada. Sonja went looking for Robert, who had caught on."

Syrine Mardell: Did you ever figure out what caused it?

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "Not precisely, no." He shakes his head. "My best guess is nearly the breaking of his mind, along with his tendancy to overuse his magic from time to time."

Syrine Mardell: Overuse of magic happens...or at least happened a lot here. Are the shifters still a very strong presence?

Griffen "Aconite" Aston: "I believe so." He shrugs. "I do not associate with them, as a general rule."

Syrine Mardell: *She laughs softly* For me, it was a matter of survival. *There's a pause and a tilt of her head.* Mm...and later love, but it began with fear.