2302/Kingmaker: What Is The Cost

Kingmaker: What Is The Cost
Date of Scene:	02 July 2020
Location:	Keller Mansion, Palos Verdes Estates, Los Angeles CA
Synopsis:	Julian finds out some truths about his family.
Cast of Characters:	Emma Frost, Julian Keller, Gabby Kinney, Ruth Aldine, Illyana Rasputina, Rahne Sinclair

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Emma Frost has posed:
The Keller mansion in Palos Verdes is exactly what you'd expect: Opulent. Beautiful. Tasteful but ostententious.

William Keller has made his wealth in the financial industry-- stocks, bonds, commodities. It's like gambling, only largely with other people's money with a more fruitful and likely return on investment.

The portal opens outside on the grounds, a long, circular drive surrounded by well-maintained and manicured grass, ornamental bushes, and palm trees. A Rolls Royce and a Bentley are both parked waiting in the drive; the nearby garage has a few other cars in it, including 'toys'... sports cars, race cars... such the like.

Did Julian warn his parents he was coming? And bringing friends? That certainly is the question. However, for now, the grounds are quiet.

            Choose your own adventure!

Do you...

        a) Let the Kellers know you are here and knock on the door to confront them
        b) Avoid them and break into the office on the main floor in the north wing and see if you can find the contract yourselves

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller didn't warn his parents they were coming. He'd been told to come, he'd come when he damn well pleased and they hadn't said anything about not bringing anyone else. Not that he'd care. Especially at this point.

Julian's initial shock had, by late last night, festered into a vengeful anger. He was keeping his powers on a tight leash, wary of how they might lash out in his rage, but rage is nonetheless what had consumed him. He has every intention of confronting them directly and if, during said confrontation, some of his friends decide to poke around while the Kellers are distracted, that's just fine by Julian. He gave everyone a basic idea of the layout of the place, just in case they felt snoopy.

He does knock on the door, although not with his hand. He doesn't have those anymore. He just wallops the door with his mind and rips it off the hinges, knocking it inward.

"Looks like they forgot to lock the door," he says, striding directly in.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
With a little time to prepare for this visit Gabby had done herself up. Much as she knew how to. Her dark hair was gathered back in a neat braid she'd likely asked for aid in putting up, and she'd put on some red lipstick. Very red, shockingly red lipstick against her light-tan skin and dark hair combination. If she were cosplaying she'd nail Snow White without a doubt. If a bit on the more sun-touched side.

That and a pleasant black dress with red embroidery that she'd gotten to go with all of Julian's fancy tuxes that he enjoyed so much in that color combination, and ankle-boots to complete the look. She almost looked like a proper young lady striding in at the newly made door-less entrance with a beaming grin cast to Julian as she lifts her be-ringed hand toward him.

"Let's go see mumsy and daddy then."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Ruth was probably the smart one, the one who decided to leave the discussion early to get a good nights rest. For when it was time to hit the bricks, Ruth was all but ready.

Ready as in, she actually combed her hair. Instead of wearing a blindfold, she wore a pair of dark sunglasses and an outfit that made her look like Gogo Yubari. If anyone knew who she was, knew that she was a crazy dangerous, and emotionally wrecked kid.

So... portaling in. Ruth nearly didn't have the constitution to handle it, but the good thing is, she missed breakfast. And water.

Door off the hinges? Yessss..

"I am going to the bathroom." Does Ruth know where it was? Probably! She has reading minds on deck -all- day.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Side-steps through Limbo, for those unprepared, are unsettling at the best of times. With Illyana perturbed, it can be a harrowing to downright maddening experience, but she suppresses some of the nightmarish transecting of soul, body, and mind through directional axes that don't exist in the mundane world. A brief glimpse of scarlet and vermillion knife-edged mountains and pedestals created by abrasion hint at the endless winds skirling around Limbo's borderlands, and then they hit the Keller Mansion grounds. Not before the demon queen has a single statement of caution, though: "I can evacuate you without leaving the grounds myself. You get into trouble, make it obvious."

Then a question, simple enough, "How far is his office into the house?"

Light-footed and light-fingered as the blonde Russian might be, nothing quite matches tearing the hinges from warping wood and metal. Two sharp motions of her hands articulate precision against a standard glamoured veil, twisting light to effectively fall from sight. Scent is another matter, but Rahne's sensitive nose won't be entirely foiled. For all it matters, she starts lightly through the foyer and veers on whatever path Julian can supply from memory combined with wrenching her formidable arcane sight wide open.

Not something she often feels the need for in the middle of Westchester County but Limbo's Sorcerer Supreme hunts with every perceptive weapon in the arsenal.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    There is a moment in which Rahne, stepping into view of the mansion, isn't exactly sure which way she is to go. Should she go sneaking around with Illy or should she go straight on with Julian? It is a short wavering...before Rahne keeps walking straight, behind Julian and Gabby.

    Rahne, for her part, is dressed up...which means she has her 'special' outfit on. Which includes a dress and shoes....an ensemble that would be considered 'quaint' by the residents, perhaps....but it is her best stuff. At least, for now. Tossing her head back, fingers running through the short red locks, she intones quietly. "Aye...let's go see the parents."

Emma Frost has posed:
The sound of exploding doors draws the attention of all those denizens of the house, parental units and staff alike. There may be a few screams. A maid runs towards the back of the house from the foyer, praying loudly in Spanish.

A middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and a Tom Selleck moustache bursts into the foyer, already with cell phone in hand. William Keller isn't a coward, at least. When he sees it's his son who has exploded the entryway, his anger goes from a general protective of his property to a simmering disappointment. "Julian." He eyes the two young women flanking his son with distaste. "And I see you brought... whores? I don't really care what you get up to in your personal time, but you know better than to bring the unwashed into this house."

Meanwhile... Julian's directions towards the office are pretty good. The door to the office is locked, sadly.

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller crosses his arms over his chest, his ruined wrists on display. "Hello, Dad. Oh yeah, well, I know you wouldn't want to invite anybody unworthy into the house. Whores. Thieves. Demons," he says. He gives a relatively light push with his TK, just enough to hopefully knock his dad back onto his ass.

"Invite any demons into the house lately, Dad? Or maybe a long time ago? Sign any paperwork I should be updated on. You really should be careful when you do things like that, because your soulless son might make friends with demon queens who notify him of his lack of certain things."

"Oh, and these aren't whores. They're my friends," he says. Feels weird to say that, but he's sticking with it. "Y'know, people who actually give a damn about me. Unlike you."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Oh. Oh he didn't." Gabby utters just staring at him with a slow shake of her head, her own arms crossing over her chest in a mimicry of Julian. Fingers tap against her forearm causing that little gold ring to glitter. Okay, so this was going from subtlety to outright strong-arming. Not what she would have chosen but it was Julian's deal. She'd stand by his decision.

"Yeah you might want to start explaining things, you horrible shit stain of a parent. Before we decide to lend Julian a hand."

As she says this she raises hers making a fist in the air. That single thick bone claw breaks out the back of her hand, tearing skin in the process, only to stand there flipping him off.

"However he asks us to."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Ruth had a dog in this fight, though not this particular fight. Thankfully, Mr. Keller paid more attention to the three in front of his face and not the one sneaking off to the side. It wasn't that much of a sneak, really. Just a quiet cloaking of the self, altering minds that were unknown to her, so that they couldn't see the path that she had taken.

It was an aimless wandering, and while Ruth was no bully, in fact, afraid to bully, it didn't hurt for her to knock over a chair to send another maid into a tizzy. Did Ruth laugh about that? No.

"Sorry." She blurts out, then continues to roam. Thankfully, she had her wits to keep the distracting group of them within her eyeline. "I wonder if they will kill him.."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
By all accounts, the younger Keller /has/ invited a demon thief into his house. One who does not waste time with the Spanish benedictions, lonely people running through the household. A door lock, how quaint. Jangling wood and wailing alarms write the words to a damned sermon but no one comes near, and a pinpoint portal blossoms open to allow Illyana through into the office.

She moves through the space, awaiting a moment to locate the signature of a hidden contract. Attention immediately goes to the walls, seeking any cubbyholes concealed by paintings or handsome plaster painted that universally despised colour used by real estate agents everywhere, "Moonlight," possibly concealed by a portrait or certificates blaring William Keller's success to the world. Down to the floor, in the event here, too, might conceal the reliquary used by a man to bury his secrets. Look at his workings, damning lesser shareholders or mom-and-pop investors and his first born child. What does he care?

She wastes no time in isolating the contract, and if that proves to be locked or hidden behind two or three inches of steel, so be it. The portal can simply shear the front of the protective layers straight off, tearing it out of one existence and dumping it into the Veiled Court of Lesser Transgressions.

A bailiff jerks to attention and the demons cease flaying some laid-out miscreant, earning a yelp of protest at the sudden cessation. Today was punishment day and he's been waiting 666 days to enjoy it, dammit!

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    "Whore?!" Oh...he really shouldn't have called Rahne that. Those green eyes grow large as the nonchalant nature of just how that phrase was delivered hits the Scot. Then...those eyes narrow and, if Rahne could bristle without shifting, she would have done so at that moment. "Tha thu àrdanach asal..." The hands clench into fists, the short nails digging into the flesh of her palms. It is enough to remind her to maintain her composure, albeit barely.

    What it also does, at least outwardly, is to make the slightly over 5 foot redhead look perhaps a bit comical, just glowering at William Keller. At least, there is no growling. Not yet, anyways.

    "There be no whores here, less ye be talkin' about yerself." The words are calmer than that outburst of what can only assumed to be Gaelic. "Ye be worse than a whore. Ye are sellin' souls tae benefit yerself. That be lower than a whore. Conspirin' with Satan 'imself, ye are."

    If there is one thing Rahne hates, it's overbearing fathers. Combine that with what she views as sinning and...well..it is best to not be in Rahne's view. And...she has both in one person...directly in her sights.

Emma Frost has posed:
William Keller goes flying backwards, falling to the ground at the telekinetic push. "I AM YOUR FATHER!" he snarls. "YOU WILL SHOW ME RESPECT." But there is a little worry-- is it from the mutant threats in his foyer, or the mention of demonic pacts? It could be either. Both. He scrambles back up to his feet, holding a finger out towards his son. "And as for... souls aren't real, Julian. It was part of a deal. All this around you, our wealth and prestigue? It came from with that nonsense. It was part of a contract with the initial loan I took to build the company when you were an infant. Who told you about that nonsense?"

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller snorts, "You dumb bastard," he shakes his head. "You live in a world with superheroes and mutants and literal Norse gods running around, but you think demons are just fake? You sold my soul, you boomer fuck!" He pushes again, shoving his father back off his feet and then pushing him along the floor. It's honestly gentle, given his level of power, but it should be fairly intimidating and discombobulating. No m atter how he lost control of his powers, he'd never used them on his parents. That ends today.

"I told you. I made friends with someone with magic. Someone who could immediatelyt ell what was wrong. If it's such bullshit, how did she know all about it?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"If it's such bullshit why would someone even ask for a soul for part of a loan?" Gabby asks herself though she just stares at the elder Keller in the only way she can; with a pitieous look of contempt. "Wow. You're an idiot. A greedy idiot. Who sold his sons soul for money..." She looks to the side toward Rahne with lips pursed together.

"I didn't grow up with relgion but I'm pretty sure that means HIS soul is kinda up for grabs now, doesn't it? When he does he's going to Limbo, yeah? The not nice one."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
The revelation gives Ruth pause..

No longer cloaking herself for the masses, appearing out of thin air to those who do not know her, approaching the scene and the angry tones with caution. She makes sure to stay far back enough that the pushes of the father do not touch her feet, and if it happens to go that far, she would step around.

"Sorry." Ruth mumbles. "I think he is lying. Mister William Keller took a gamble and stands on the profits of the winnings."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Illyana halts before a filing cabinet of all things. The front of the doors vanish into the Veiled Court, the contents sniped purposefully in a collection of manila and green-back hanging folders to one of her caches held under viciously complex wards. All the lonely papers, where do they all come from? Another set of documents she rolls into a tight sheaf, sliding them into a hollow in the Soulsword's hilt.

For good measure, the computer -- if he has one -- vanishes in a second sweep of her hand to land on Julian's bed back at Xavier's in the off-chance he wants Kitty to do a complete sweep for further bits and pieces of a business empire. Her own business requires a different tack as she stalks back to the foyer.

William Keller
Faces the price in the house where sins were sealed
Lies on the floor,
Waiting behind him,
Bearing the sword that she keeps hidden in her soul.
Who is it for?

William Keller,
Cried justice and was confronted by his son with his name...

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    Souls are not real. Mr. Keller is pushing all the wrong buttons with Rahne. To so callously and so flippantly disregard religious dogma...all for money. It just does not sit with Rahne at all. The question from Gabby is heard. And...Rahne answers.

    "No. Not Limbo. Limbo is too good for the likes of him. He's goin' tae Hell." A glance levels at William as Rahne continues. "Because...he committed several sins. Several truly horrible, terrible sins. Shall Ah list them for ye, sir? Do ye know which...an' the price ye will pay for each an' every one?"

    One finger is held up. "Greed. Ye wanted money so bad that ye were willin' tae sell yer own son to eternal damnation. Do ye understand? Eternal. Damnation." The words are punctuated for effect, even as those eyes glare with righteous indignation at William. A second finger is lifted up. "Envy. Ye coveted. Yearned. Had to do whatevah it took tae get it. Sound about right?" A third finger is held aloft. "Pride. Ye think ye are bettah than othahs. Bettah than yer fellow man. Better than the Lord, even, tae throw away what He gave ye. He gave ye a son...and ye tossed him aside! Shall Ah go on?! Ye almost got the full set of cardinal sins..."

    Is Rahne actually....growing larger? As she lists off sin after sin...she does. It is a slow, gradual increase. A little more fur, ears elongating, the faint sign of fangs. It isn't until she finishes, talking to Gabby with those lupine eyes upon William that she completes her transformation to werewolf, the now-taloned finger pointing straight at William's heart. "Nay, Gabby. Limbo is too good for the likes of him. Mr. Keller here be goin' straight tae the depths of Hell!"

Emma Frost has posed:
Now there's actual fear in Keller's eyes. Between stab-girl, the demon queen, the magically appearing blind girl, and now a werewolf?

"If you kill me, Julian, you lose it all!" he stammers. "Not a cent to you, you understand? Everything will crumble!"

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Behind William Keller, the implacable voice of the demon queen emanates from a seraphic countenance. It's not to the father she speaks, but the son. "You were worth five point eight million dollars to him."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller shakes his head, "I'm not going to kill you, Dad. Jesus," he says. "Maybe I should, you weren't exactly Dad of the year to begin wtih. I would be okay with losing everything, but only if you were alive to lose it with me. I'd probably like watching that. That's the worst pain I could give you, I think."

"Tell you what. I'm going to take my trust fund. All of it. No more trickles. And I won't take another cent from you, not ever. You can cut me off after that. I won't make a scandal. I won't make a squawk. But I don't want you to bother me - or my friends - anymore. And if you do, I'll not only expose you as the fraud you are, I'll make as much noise and scandal about as possible. I'll cost you every friend you have and leave your reputation in tatters. And you might have a lot of belief in my abilities, but you know I'm good at ruining things. Imagine how good I'll be if I do it on purpose?" he says, crouching down to face his father directly.

The address from the 'demon' makes him look up, "Huh. I guess that's not bad. Especially if you did it a while ago. Still. You're obviously a lousy negotiator if that's all you could get for your only begotten son."

"So, how's Mom?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney listens intently to Rahne watching as the girl grows more angry, and larger. There's not a hint of fear from her about it though--Anger was something she was used to dealing with among her family and friends. So she merely reaches out to place a gentle hand against Rahne offering, hopefully, a cool and stilling touch as Illyana explains the sum gotten for him, and Julian responds. Her gaze shifts over to Ruth as well to smile toward her. "Looks like you lose, Mr. Keller."

"And if Julian can't ruin your reputation well enough... We are rather good friends with Emma Frost. Once she learns what happened, I'm sure she'd be quite happy to lend a hand. Didn't she email you just yesterday, Julian?"

Ruth Aldine has posed:
The emergence of Illyana's voice near to her causes her to jump and sidestep out of the way. One hand reaches to press against her ear, shoulders raise, and soon she begins to sway. That.. amount of money? That is more than Ruth will ever see in her lifetime. It was amazing, they think it's little but souls are -so- expensive!

"Nnn Take a car." Ruth blurts out towards the rest of them. "Sorry. You'll thank me later. Take a car."

Though, Julian's question about his mother nearly reminded her of the very last episode when Ozai jailed, stripped of his firebending and questioned by Zuko.

It's all becoming real! Cause Julian shoots fire! Or.. his hands burn! Ruth was amazed. Quietly though.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    The anger is there. Oh, most certainly. There is fire in those words of Rahne's....echoes of the sermons she herself had to endure. There is fury in that tone. The clawed finger reaches out from the now 7 foot werewolf, the tip just a few inches from the chest of the elder Keller.

    Then...Gabby's hand finds Rahne's fur-covered arm. And the effect is immediate. The claw lowers...and...while the anger is still there, there is more control now. It was as if Rahne didn't exactly realize what she was doing until that touch.

    "Yer still gonna go tae Hell. And Ah'll see ye there. Ah'll be waitin'"

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Among the Rasputins, Piotr holds the lion's share of nobility, most of the kindness and forgiveness. He acts as the counterbalance for the missing variable in the equation, for his adoring little sister no longer burns equally bright. The core nonetheless remains, the bulwark against the Fall predicated by Rahne's darkest admonishments from a righteous pulpit. Ruth doesn't cause Illyana's grip to waver on the extended weapon.

Inches from William's flesh, the Soulsword burns with an undiminished glow. Not steel: this is the very thing he sold away by contract, emanating a requiem faintly audible. Had Mozart sat by it and penned Requiem in D minor, K. 626, one would be hard-pressed to disbelieve it. The blazing point sheds an ephemeral radiance through the chamber, basking in the deadly bone claws and stylish sunglasses and a werewolf's luxurious pelt to leave women green with envy.

"He will know about James," she says, quiet and terrible words knelling with an emotion she has but rarely uses. Compassion. Perhaps the greatest gift Rahne and Jimmy ever bestowed.

"From you or from me, but he will know it all."

She tilts her head a degree, no more, the queen bestowing justice or the queen granting mercy; archaic gestures bound into the youthful maiden. "The flaws can be corrected. Indeed, they will so that spectre never haunts him or his children. You gained nothing when you sold everything. We will give everything and demand nothing from him."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Your mother is in the panic room," William says quietly. Of course she is. The explosion. Elizabeth Keller has always been a woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown as it is. There's a flinch at 'only begotten son', but he says nothing. He eyes the werewolf. "Hell is an illusion," he says in response icily. He has to believe that. If it wasn't for that belief, he wouldn't have been able to make the decisions he's made over the years. "And as for the choices I made-- I did what was best for all of us. For the family. And you would have made the same decisions in my place."

And then the demon queen behind him says a name he had hoped he would never again hear. "..." William actually slumps, looking defeated and somehow... less, for the first time in Julian's memories.

"I had //no choice//!" he says finally. "None! He was dying. We had nothing. No way to save either of them. I had to do what I had to do to guarentee a future where I could!"

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller looks confused, "What are you talking about? Who was dying? I don't understand," he says.

He looks back and forth between his father and Illyana. His burning hands form than, green flame curling around itself at the ends of his wrist, leaving heat trails in their wake as he approaches. He throws his hand and his flaming punch strikes above the fireplace, igniting the family portrait he posed for seven years ago, his ten year old self going up in flames first as the dormant oils within the painting light and consume it, falling to shattered pieces around Julian's feet.

"What did you do?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney was a talker. She was one who jumped to leaps of logic that often didn't make sense. Sometimes though, sometimes the weird way her mind worked just... worked. With hand still resting to still Rahne's anger she looks between the others at this unknown name and the sudden way that Julian's father just *breaks*. Just like it always did the first idea that comes to mind is blurted out without thought of consequence.

"James and... Julian?" A momentary pause. "Is this were we find out about the secret twin that's been hiding in the attic the whole time?"

Ruth Aldine has posed:
This time Ruth moves clear out of the way. Truths begin to trickle out when names were spilled, and all she could do was shut down and let it all ride out real time. If she could see during this, her head would be twitching from person to person, but right now? It just remains forward, towards the epicenter of voices.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    The comment of Hell being only an illusion doesn't shake Rahne at all, oddly. All the more troubling is that it seems to elicit a smile from the Scottish werewolf. A frightening smile, full of sharp, pointy teeth and absolutely no uncertainty at all. The sort of expression one sees when she has nothing to lose. With Gabby still grasping her arm, Rahne leans forward and down, so that her eyes are level with William's. With the frightful visage, pulled into that rictus grin, a single question is uttered.

    "Are ye sure about that?"

    Rahne does pull back, remaining next to Gabby....until the other shoe drops. This one in the form of another name....and the possibility of what it holds. There is a quick glance from Julian, to Illy, then to William, as the confusion is evident. Only to be replaced with a dark foreboding.

    A mood so foul that Gabby's calming influence may not last much longer.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Is there truth in those words? Illyana holds terribly still with the Soulsword unwavering, as though the very presence could act as a talisman to shed the truth. It cannot compel William to speak to his son and spill his guts out before Gabby, Ruth, and Rahne. Hers is not a pitiless presence, but she remains unyielding all the same lest someone react poorly and necessitate a sudden protective shift on her part. No one with the bright idea of backstabbing or making a sudden move is bound to quite escape her guarded stance. Something of an extra measure of care for Ruth is provided, given someone might just want those sunglasses.

That she's a complete blank for psychic minds also owes something to that care and consideration around them, an attempt to compensate out of respect.

Still, the slightest upnod confirms William's veracity in some part.

"Hell exists. Would it ease your suffering for me to show you, and rebuild your broken trust in Julian?" A soft offer, shorn of force. "There may be forgiveness, when you tell him of your desperate straits, but you could have bargained away your own soul rather than your children's." Not child. Children.

Those glowing eyes lift to Julian. "Let us talk later about what we can mend."

Emma Frost has posed:
William Keller lifts his head, looking at his only remaining son. "Your mother and I had nothing then. Less than nothing. What little we had had gone to trying to save your brother's life-- and for what? We couldn't afford his treatments, and there was nothing left we could do. What we had done already put us in debt beyond what we could even grasp. We lived..." he stops, almost choking for a moment. "We lived in a hovel, Julian. You had just been born, and the bills from that, from your brother... holes in the roof. Holes in the floor. Vermin everywhere."

He sighs. "I couldn't even be sure to keep you and your mother fed, even once James passed-- and we knew he was going to. The doctors said there wasn't hope for him any longer. Then HE came. We thought he was from the hospital, but he offered us stability. Hope. A chance to not be in the hole, to live every day without fear of losing our home, a roof over our heads, or going hungry. Never having to turn down treatment because we couldn't afford it. He offered us EVERYTHING. And it only cost a son I was losing anyway, and your soul. For that, he would loan us more money than we could even conceive of, education to use it to grow more, and a guarantee you would not go the way your brother did-- that you would never be sickly or hurt, that you would be more powerful than I could imagine." He laughs ironically. "Of course I thought you might be president one day, not... a mutant. But I suppose that's how it works."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller listens to it all quietly. He's facing away from his friends, from his father, just looking at the smoking hole in the wall where he just burned the family portrait. He'd always felt the loss, he realized. Even before he lost his soul, he'd realized that some connection had been severed. Like a phantom limb. He knew all about phantom limbs now, so he could recognize the feeling in hindsight. Something taken before he'd known it was there, so he'd never missed it. Until now.

"But I am powerful, Dad. Very powerful. But he lied about that other part, because I've been sick and I've been hurt. I don't just mean the hands, although, honestly, the FUCKING HANDS," he says, shouting the last, before his voice pitches low again, "But part of you always hated me. You think I couldn't tell? Even before you knew I was a mutant. I always thought it was my fault. But it was shame. Every time you looked at me, you remembered what you did. And even though you have your bullshit and your reasons and your excuses, you knew it was wrong. Even bad fathers know better than to sell their children to the devil. So you must be something worse than bad, right? Made you sick to look at me. Easier than being sick looking at yourself, I suppose."

When he turns, his eyes are glowing, green energy roiling in the depths of them. "Still, I think it's time we made a few things fair. I know how terrible your life was before, after all. All those holes in the roof. What a real damn hardship," he says.

And there's a terrible shaking as his power grips the house and starts to rip holes through the roof, through the floor. Sunlight powers in through a shattered crack going through the floor above and the two floors above that and Julian hovers in the air and basks in it, in the sound of it, of the ripping and the tearing. He has to savor it, has to find satisfaction in this destruction ,because, if he doesn't, then he'll only have his father left to destroy and, much as he hates him, he knows he can't murder the old bastard because then he'll never be able to let it go. He might not have a soul, but he wants whatever he does have left clean when he walks away from here.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney opens her mouth only to shut it again. She'd not been sure her guess would be right. It wasn't entirey but a sibling was there after all. One that died. One that died not just because he was on deaths door but because he, too, became a token to trade. Her gaze shifts to Julian sympathetically. Losing a sibling hurt she knew. Finding out you had one you never knew about? She could only imagine.

"Rahne," she offers quietly to the shifted girl. "This is his battle. We're just here for backup," she reminds even though it may not matter anymore with the rage she could feel practically radiating off the other girl.

"I think it's time for us to leave. Ruth, you wanted us to grab a car? I can hotwire..." Then the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire! Okay not literally. "Out. Time to go. Come on."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
"Oh." Ruth muttered quietly at the revelation of it all. Everything kicking into overdrive now, her steps slow and ragged to stand near to the gathered few, her back facing the door. "Kaboom. Sorry.." She says to herself, right as Julian begins to tear the house asunder. Surely, he wouldn't kill his father.. but there was a slight chance the debris will be the end of them all.

Both hands shoot up mid-chest, fingers sinching into a tight fist, almost as if she were straining too hard at wishing that none of this was real. But a shield covers them all like an umbrella, open on all sides, ready to follow Gabby, Rahne, and Illyana while Julian does his come to Jesus flight.

"Sorry.. but should we stay so that no bricks murder this man?" Ruth asks, but if she was ushered out during, she wouldn't dare stop them.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    The admission...that it was not simply Julian but another Keller male. That both were offered up as a sacrifice in both the physical and spiritual sense...that is almost too much for Rahne to take. It is all too much....almost. However, Gabby's words ring with truth...and it is enough to keep Rahne's humanity yet in control, fending off the wolf instincts. Snarling, the wolf girl turns away, her back to William. She simply cannot look at him anymore....will not, for doing so will unleash temptation that she may not be able to combat off fully.

    But...It doesn't mean that the religious Rahne will not speak at William. "Ye are nuthin' but a murderer. This house was built wit' money stain wit' the blood of yer sons. Ye would rightly deserve whatevah ill comes tae ye." Still....she does walk away, taking a few steps back towards the gaping maw that once held a door.

    Until Julian decides that, between ripping his father in two or the house, the house deserves his wrath. It is a good choice, one that in retrospect shows that yes, even soulless, Julian is far greater an individual that his father ever was. Still, what Ruth has mentioned also is true. Rahne just cannot allow anyone to be killed....including the wait staff, Julian's mother, and Julian's excuse of a father. And that...that is what breaks Rahne of the anger in her heart. Snapping her head up, Rahne nods to Ruth, as much good as that is going to do for her. "Stay, tae make sure nothing falls on the people 'ere. Illyana will send the father out if anything falls toward him. Let 'im get a taste of what tae expect when he passes on tae the next world."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Apparently, the pious and the damned share the exact same opinion. That might be concerning.

The house threatens to tear itself to pieces, chunks ripped out and order fallen. Any of those threatening to drop down on Illyana or the rest may get batted away in the process, but she draws the Soulsword back to her side in a slender sweep.

Though before the dust has settled and his voice might be rendered still or split with screaming, she cracks open a window the deepest reaches of the Abyss. Not Limbo; it is not Hell for all it appears to be, but plunging far deeper into the infernal fabric where tortured souls answer to eternal torments devised by far worse. "Your son did better than you. I, on the other hand, am a Lord of Hell." Julian's father can shut his eyes if he wants but it won't make a difference for anyone else who wants to see. A window to scry into the between spaces of a living horror, rather than a puncture wound to answer for later, full of livid wounds inscribed by horrors beyond what the human mind might conceive. She'll send a postcard and a fruit basket later for thanks to its demonic duke later, with a reminder about next month's meeting.

"Remember Julian's terms, Mr. Keller. Engrave them on your heart and your mind; remember he offered you freedom and dignity. Know you committed your sons to /this/ for eternity and worse. Call the demon you bargained with, or any other, and you will be delivered unto that without his mercy or my patience to shield you any longer." The portal snaps out as she sweeps by him, headed in Rahne's wake. Just in case.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney lingers just long enough by the door so that it's an easy out if needed. Thankfully it puts her far enough away from the portal of the Abyss that she doesn't get to see the finer details of it as the horrors are bestowed on William. Then the others stalk out, and she remains lingering behind just to make sure they all get out okay. Except...

She pauses, and then turns around to jog back to where the man lay on the ground. Without warning or preamble she swings her foot right between his like she's punting a soccer ball. "You deserve a little pain for all of that. Even if Julian held back." Leaning forward she whispers, "By the way he's dating this 'whore.'"

Standing up again she grins broadly as if she'd just had the most fun time in the world. No malice, or anger, just pure unadulterated GLEE that was completely out of place. "Bye! Don't have anymore kids. Ever!" And she jogs out again.