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Today was the day.
Luke had come on one of his rare visits to Misthallery, she could not pass this up. Her boyfriend was on the way, so close to her, and 17 year old Arianna Barde was all dressed up in front of the mirror and ready to greet him on the edge of town.
She had asked Tony to gather everyone and tell them that there was a surprise waiting for them. She hurried out and sneaked to the outskirts just in time to see a large, white van rolling up to her. She smiled as the man she saw inside got out and smiled back at her.
Lucius Baker.
She ran up to hug him and place a kiss on his cheek.
“You made it!” She exclaimed, “Happy 20th birthday, love; sorry I couldn’t make it.”
“Ya’re foine. Ya’re a family womon at heart,” he chuckled, placing a small kiss on her nose, “Ya want mo to stay for eawr second anny i’ two days?”
“Yes, please!” Arianna nodded as they walked leisurely back, “Goodness, can you believe it’s already been two years? You’ve made such an improvement on my life. Thank you so much, Lushi.”
The older man rolled his eyes at the nickname, a slight blush to his cheeks, “An’ Aw si ya’re still wearin’ th’ cross Aw gave ya.”
She gently held the silver cross at her neck, dangling from it’s thin chain and with a single sapphire in the middle. “Of course, I’m wearing it! It’s pretty, you gave it to me, and it’s good for Sunday masses.”
“Ya’re gooin’ moor often?”
“Not every Sunday, but your persistence in attending has rubbed off on me.”
“Good to hear!”
They had finally reached the heart of Misthallery, the Black Ravens quick to notice the man next to their friend. They rushed over to her, eagerly chatting.
“Guys, don’t crowd, please!” Arianna giggled before gesturing to her boyfriend, “Everyone, this is Lucius! He’s my boyfriend!”
There were small cheers and hellos, most of the group curious about the newcomer.
“ You’re the one she’s sent so many letters to and called so much!” Tony exclaimed, “You’re the mystery person!”
“Lucius, this is my brother, Tony, and these are all friends of mine,” Arianna introduced, “This is Marilyn, Wren, Socket, Louis, Badger, Scraps, Nabby, Tweeds, and Luke. Crow’s somewhere in the back I think.” She spotted him not long after saying so.
“Varra pleasant to meet o ov ya,” Lucius nodded. Marilyn seemed thrown off by his voice.
“Wh-hoah! Never heard that accent before, where are you from?”
“Mollisville i’ Lancashire; varra far from here.”
“Lancashire!?” Wren’s jaw dropped, “Gosh, that is far from here! Almost four hours, give or take!”
“Wo’th th’ journey iv Aw ged to si mi lovely lass,” Lucius smiled softly, rubbing Arianna’s shoulder and placing a kiss on the top of her head.
“Ari, he’s so tall!” Tony noted, “How old are you?”
“20,” he answered, taking note of the slight concern that immediately settled over the group, “Aw hooap thad’s nod a problem? We’n bin datin’ for two years, an’ Aw were born i’ just th’ wrang time. Aw were still 17 when uz sterted datin’.”
Tony’s mouth went into an ‘o’ shape, “Alright, I’ll let it slide as her little brother. You got to keep her safe though!”
“Aw promise, wi’ God as mi witness, young mon.”
He opted to stay with Arianna and Tony for a week at their place, the Black Ravens and Luke loving his company.
Well. Most of them.
Crow couldn’t understand why he felt his stomach lurch and turn every time he saw Lucius Baker that day, strutting around and gaining the adoration of the locals with his charm and love for the church. Of course, he had no evidence- why would he? Lucius was polite, handsome, charming and every other term you could use to describe the perfect Christian gentleman.
Like a holier Professor Layton.
The first time his hatred really kicked in, however, was late that night. The Ravens, Luke, and the couple had all gathered themselves in the large living room of the Barde estate. Tony, as young as he was, had chosen to go to bed early instead of joining the other older kids for a little underage drinking.
“Un ov ya is bud 16, th' rest are 17, is this really al’reet?” Lucius asked, raising a brow.
“Two years go by quick, one even quicker!” Marilyn explained, raising her glass with a smile, “Besides, Louis is old enough and we’re pretty responsible for our age. Just don’t call the cops on us!”
“Sooa lang as ya mek id hooam safe an’ seawnd, Ms. Mittigan,” Louis silently offered an empty glass to him, “Ta, Mr. Bordon, bod Aw’ll be abstainin’ from drinkin’. Darlin’ dove, dust hev owt other nor alcohol int heause?”
“There’s water, sodas,” Arianna giggled, “Grape juice if you want to pretend you’re drinking while still being sober.”
“Ta, love,” he petted her hair and went to the kitchen. After a while, he came back with a full wine glass of grape juice and a look of concern.
“Yer friend Mr. Triton is int kitchen squeakin’ loike a rat. Summat wrang wi’ him?”
Arianna sighed, “Must mean rats have invaded the kitchen again. At the very least a rathole.”
“They’ve been in shops for so long, Arianna,” Wren crossed her legs, “I swear, Luke’s the only person they’ll listen to. A shame Mr. Triton had to leave for America. Brought our only repellent with him.”
“Mr. Triton- Junior, Aw mean- con… tawk to animals?”
Socket nodded, “I mean, Mr. Clark could too, apparently. Luke just does it more often.”
“Huh.”
Crow felt his entire body go rigid, and he couldn’t stop his mouth from speaking his mind. “Is there a problem with that?” He asked in a harsh tone, “You seem uncomfortable.”
“Weel, Aw dorn’d leave Mollisville varra mich, an’ Aw’ve never sin sumun wi’... sich a unique ability. Forgive mo, Mr. Avadera, Aw dudn’d mean to imply discomfort.”
“Crow, you’re getting paranoid and antsy again,” Nabby said, “Go to bed, go home, go somewhere to pass out.”
Crow was ready to argue, but held back and sighed. “Fine, fair; I do feel a little wobbly right now. Drink safely, everyone.”
“God be wi’ ya, Mr. Avadera,” Lucius raised his glass.
Crow didn’t respond this time.
The next day, when he was sober, he still felt a wretched feeling in his gut. Something just wasn’t right. But whenever he brought it up, he was shut down by the other Ravens- the very people he thought would listen.
“Is it because he’s taller than you?”
“I don’t see why you’d have a problem, has he done something? No? Alright.”
“Lay off, Arianna’s happy isn’t she?”
“You sure it’s not because you’re jealous?”
No one seemed to trust his gut as much as he did. Every time he tried to lightly discourage Arianna, or tell her about his gut feeling, someone interrupted them. If not that, she firmly told him that Lucius was a good person or his light prodding went over her lovesick head. Was he wrong? Was his gig of running a black market and growing up to distrust people finally doing him dirty?
He didn’t think so upon the second incident.
It had become relatively apparent that, even if he didn’t say anything, Lucius disliked Luke’s animal speaking abilities. He’d discreetly compare it to demonic possession or even just being a demon in general by poking fun (whether it was genuine or not, Crow did not know) at his village elders- “I’ Mollisville, th’ elders wod hev yer heyd iv they cod hear ya speak loike a beast, Mr. Triton. Mooast churchgooaers wod.”
To his shock, everyone seemed to find this funny, while Luke took it as a challenge to make Lucius feel awkward at every chance he got. He started bringing animals in to talk to- from birds to cats, from rats to dogs, he even convinced Badger to bring his pet snake once.
Lucius, Luke, and Crow were all in the kitchen, the former two washing dishes when a dove landed on the window sill. It cooed, and Luke cooed back. Crow noticed that Lucius immediately stopped washing dishes, filled a shot glass with water, and began praying over it. When he was done, he looked directly at his dishwashing partner- still talking with the dove…
And splashed the water straight on him.
Luke was taken aback, before looking at Lucius and chuckling .
“Was that holy water?” He asked with amusement, “I saw you praying. So I talk to a dove and you spray me with holy water?”
Lucius’s face did not smile as he spoke, “Aye. To ensure yer purity, beast boy.”
Luke burst into laughter, doubling over as he wheezed.
“That’s funny! That’s hilarious, actually!” He turned to Crow, “I- Holy watered , Crow! That’s my second baptism, I guess!”
“You don’t think it’s rude for him to splash you like that?” Crow asked accusingly.
“Not at all! That’s hilarious! I think this is the funniest thing to ever happen to me! Gosh, Arianna’s lucky to have a master comedian like you as her boyfriend!” Luke doubled over again, laughing, placing a hand on Lucius’s arm for support.
Crow couldn’t help but notice the glare of discomfort the older man gave him, or how it twisted even more when Luke made an inhuman noise.
“I swear, Luke,” Arianna was suddenly in the doorway, “Those noises are going to get you killed- someone’s going to think you’re an alien or demon of some sort!”
Another noise escaped from Luke’s mouth as he straightened up.
“Now, hold on, I don’t make them alone in the wild, Ari! I’m a gentlemanly fool, not a gentlemanly idiot.”
“So you say.” She noticed the soaked spot of his sweater, before turning to her boyfriend, “Did you splash him?”
“Nonono, listen, Arianna!” Luke got the biggest grin on his face, “ Holy water! I talked to a dove, he prayed over the glass so now it’s holy water right? Funniest thing I’ve had happen to me all day!”
The woman hugged her beloved, kissing him before turning to her friend, “You’re going to drive Lucius insane with your animal talks and weird noises, I swear on my life, Luke Triton.”
“I’m getting him used to the local weird kid, don’t worry-”
Crow only watched them talk. He felt like a third- no, a fourth wheel. No one was listening. No one wanted to hear his gut out.
Maybe he was wrong.
But he was also pretty sure no one would pray over a shot glass of water and pour it on someone with a straight face the entire time.
These incidents between Luke and Lucius built up, continuing the entire week: Luke hissed, and Lucius pulled out a cross from his coat; Luke barked, and Lucius wrapped a rosary around his neck (‘a little tighter than usual’ Luke had even said); A quack, and Lucius started praying. But only he found it concerning.
The others just laughed and thought it was funny.
He tried bringing up his concerns again, now with the argument of Lucius keeping a straight face during each “joke” and how the sick feeling hadn’t stopped even after 6 days of the week had passed. “ No one keeps a straight face while jokingly telling someone to burn in hell,” he had said. Again, no one listened.
“That just makes it funnier!”
“Lighten up!”
“You’re being really paranoid about this guy.”
“Come on, Crow, Arianna’s happy, can’t you just be happy for her?”
“You’re the only one here who seems to have a problem with Lucius.”
“I think you’re finally wrong about something.”
Even Luke came to talk it out with him.
“I get it, you’re worried she’s falling into a predatory older man’s trap, right? He’s 20, Ari’s 17, it’s a reasonable fear! But Lucius is funny, and I don’t think you’ve seen just how much he and Arianna adore each other with all their hearts. He doesn’t belittle her, he doesn’t say the usual ‘mature for your age’ grooming bullshit. I genuinely think he’s fine! I get you’re worried, but try to pull through for her! Don’t worry, Arianna will be fine!”
Then he brought it up with Louis one last time, for an older person’s view on the matter. The answer he received was… less than pleasant to hear.
“Crow, you seriously need to stop worrying,” he had stated firmly, “I respect you as a leader, and you’re one of the smartest men I know. But you need to drop this . I get that you like her. You have never shut up about it. Well, I’m sorry to say this pal, but you missed your chance . And you have no right, gut feeling or not, to try and interfere with their relationship if nothing is visibly wrong to all of us. If she had bruises, I’d understand more. If she seemed subdued or deflated, I’d understand more . But she seems fine, he seems fine. For the love of God, Crow, just drop the subject.”
He didn’t come to say goodbye that last day.
He didn’t even leave his house.
The pattern continued, only now he tried to avoid people. He still slipped suggestions and was either ignored or shut down. Lucius would visit, do something odd that made people laugh, charmed them, went to church with Arianna, and so forth.
It stayed like this for the next two years. And then, on Arianna’s 19th birthday, he made an announcement.
Or, rather…
He proposed. And she said yes.
Crow had dragged her off as soon as the excitement was manageable and most attention was on Lucius, taking her to a smaller room in the Barde estate.
“Why’d you say yes?” Was his first question.
Arianna made a look of bewilderment, “Because I want to get married to him? What problem do you have with that?”
Fuck it. He wasn’t going to hold back this time.
“Arianna, something is wrong with him, do you not see that?!”
“Oh my God, not this again- Crow, you’ve been saying that for the past two years that you know him. I’ve known him for almost four . If something was wrong, I’d realize it- the Black Ravens would realize it, and yet you’re the only one who seems to see these problems!”
He tried to argue, but he was cut off.
“This is one of the happiest moments I’ve had in so… fucking long, Crow. Why do you want to take that from me? What possible reason do you have to keep trying to tear us apart? I’m marrying him, whether you like it or not, and you can’t convince me to do otherwise, do you understand?”
He could say nothing as she turned and opened the door to leave. She turned back for a moment, eyes shiny with unshed tears.
“And if you have too much of a problem with that, you’re welcome to leave and go home, Crow Avadera.”
And she left, leaving him heartbroken and feeling ready to throw up.
He left early.
They married in a small ceremony (they didn’t really have family aside from Arianna having Tony) on their fourth anniversary, and Arianna announced that she would leave with Lucius to live in Mollisville. She promised to write, maybe visit if she ever got a chance, and definitely send gifts every once in a while. She sent a letter to Luke- with pictures taken by Wren and Socket- to let him know the news. In a matter of months, she was gone, most of Misthallery gathering on the edge of town to see them off.
Again… most of Misthallery.
The Black Ravens eagerly anticipated the letters Arianna sent daily or weekly, waiting everyday at the postbox to see what the postman dropped off and taking turns in reading them. They learned a lot about Mollisville, they received handmade candles, treats, and old tools from the locals that needed new homes.
And they learned about the birth of Lucien, Arianna’s first child.
“She’s only just turned 20!” Crow had argued, “Bit early to be having kids- they’ve only been married a year!”
“Oh, you shush, you don’t have to hear this letter,” Badger shot back before reading.
Dear Ravens,
I’m happy to tell you I had a baby! Sweet little boy, we named him Lucien. I would’ve taken photos, but all the cameras here flash, and Lucius has very strong opinions about putting such a bright light in our baby’s face so soon. What you should know, however, is that he is a spitting image of my husband (he is a little peachier, though. Must be my skin). I may not be able to visit like I wanted, but I will try to start calling. Maybe I can get Lucius to drive us down.
Love, Arianna
The Ravens chattered, sending their joy for their friend to the skies. And while the twisted feeling didn’t settle after hearing the letter, Crow had to admit he was glad she was still safe.
The letters continued for next five years, all updating them on Lucien, how he looked more and more like his father with every birthday and how he looked up to him in the most adorable way. They got their first call and were all able to hear him for the first time- a soft little coo that turned into babbling. Sometime in the fifth year, they got another pregnancy letter.
"Guys, look!" Marilyn said as the others gathered around her, "Another letter from Ari! She had more babies!" She exclaimed as she started reading it to them
Dear Ravens,
The children are safe, I had triplets this time! Lucius was a bit upset- completely reasonable, as they all had red eyes, and neither of us have that. Seeing as I’ve never cheated and never plan to, I've convinced him they're his. At least, I think I have, but his growing temper in the past week worries me that I might be wrong. I’m sorry this letter’s short, caring for newborn triplets and a five year old all at once is hard, even with Lucius’s help. I'll try to write again soon- a longer letter, hopefully.
Love, Arianna.
"I don't like that she's showing worry over a temper," Crow mumbled, "So they had red eyes, a DNA test would solve everything."
"Lighten up, Crow, you’d be doubtful too if we married and had a kid with red eyes," Wren said, hitting his arm, "She'll be fine; Ari's a strong girl! Let's get to work on writing a response and just wait for the next letter for an update, okay?"
"Fine."
It was so easy to say that.
None of them knew what would happen four hours away, over 230 miles from Misthallery over the course of the next 22 years. Not even Crow.
None of them knew that was the last letter they would ever receive from the Baker house.