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Post by Constantine Dearborn on Dec 20, 2009 21:55:07 GMT -5
"Good," he said with a nod. It was true about Anton. Even Constantine was slightly afraid of his older brother. That was the one of the main reasons why he kept in touch every once in awhile, other than his sister and Damon.
"Besides, if I come to the dinner, just think how much discomfort that will cause dear Cassius." A half smile appeared on Constantine's lips. He loved to make his twin a little irked every once in awhile. "Just tell Anton that I'll come to the next dinner and just send me word when it is going to be. If I have to, I'll even take off work to be there."
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Post by Damon Dearborn on Jan 31, 2010 1:26:57 GMT -5
Damon laughed in spite of himself. "Yeah... I think the look on Cass's face alone will be worth it. Maybe we'll get lucky and that vein in his temple will start throbbing again. I always used to take bets with Cadence on what it would take to make it do that. It was almost always because of you."
He let out a loud sigh, as he thought back to a more innocent time. When he was younger, he had no idea what a death eater was. Dark magic he knew, of course, and he'd heard plenty about how purebloods were supposedly better. But now... everything seemed so much more serious. Was it really worth killing people because of how they were born?
"Look, Con, I need you to promise me something, OK? Promise me you'll be careful. Don't go doing anything crazy just to prove how tough you are."
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Post by Constantine Dearborn on Jan 31, 2010 21:10:27 GMT -5
"I knew you had to be making some kind of bets," Constantine said with a small laugh.
"And why would I go do something crazy just to prove how tough I am," he asked with his face going serious. Constantine didn't usually go out just to prove something. He did his job and only fought when he absolutely had to.
"I do promise that I will be careful, I always am. Don't worry about me going to go do something crazy. Don't you decided to go something crazy either."
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Post by Damon Dearborn on Feb 14, 2010 0:39:03 GMT -5
Damon laughed at this last comment. Maybe it wasn't funny, but Damon needed to break the sudden bit of tension he was feeling. "Hey, relax, big bro," he said. "I don't need to do anything crazy. I just am crazy. If I did something crazy on top of already being crazy... well, that would just be overkill, don't you think?"
He was grinning again, and it was as if he had never been worried or uneasy. Damon didn't like dwelling on darker thoughts. Yes, there was a dark side to life, but it usually showed up without warning, so it didn't do any good to spend your time worrying about it and waiting for it to come. Why not have fun with life?
"Look, even if you don't come to the next family dinner, can you at least promise to keep in touch with me? Like, let's say we go out for drinks once a week or so, just to catch up. What do you say?"
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Post by Cassius Dearborn on Mar 8, 2010 17:52:16 GMT -5
(Well, this DID say it was Open, and I feel it's about time to shake up this shindig)
It was entirely by coincidence that Cassius happened by the Leaky Cauldron then. He was supposed to meet someone later, someone Anton had put him in touch with, and he decided to come early. It always gave you an advantage when you were the first one there.
But what he was not expecting was to see his siblings... no, scratch that, his brother and the traitor with him. He should have just ignored them, but it was never Cass' inclination to steer away from a fight, and he smiled, a cruel twist to his lips, as he sauntered over.
He pulled a chair from another table, twisting it so that it was backwards as he sat down, his arms crossed over the back of the chair. "Well, good evening boys. I hope I haven't missed all of the excitement."
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Post by Constantine Dearborn on Mar 8, 2010 19:26:45 GMT -5
Leave it to Damon to make Constantine smile. Damon was the one who seemed to keep the family together, and he was also the one that helped Constantine relax. "That's true. We don't want you to overkill your craziness already. And you already know that I'll keep in touch with you. You're still family. Besides, who is going to crack jokes and make things feel easier?" Constantine gave Damon a grin before he took a drink from his mug.
Today was full of surprises. Just as he finished swallowing, Cassius entered. Constantine could tell it was his twin even if he had his face hid. He tensed up slightly when Cassius joined them at the table. He was going to keep his head on straight. He had to. Cassius, in Constantine's opinion, wanted to see if he could make him blow up. Constantine wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.
"Cassius," he greeted his brother. "Oh, you haven't missed anything, except for the fact that I promised Damon I'd be there for the next family dinner."
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Post by Damon Dearborn on Mar 9, 2010 16:36:34 GMT -5
Damon tensed up as Cassius walked up to them. Whenever Cassius and Constantine were together, an argument usually broke out. Damon was usually the one who had to play mediator, unless Anton was around. Anton usually could shut down any argument with just a few words. But in his absence, Damon was the one caught in the middle.
“Cass,” he said, trying to keep his tone light. “What a coincidence. First I run into Constantine, and now you’re here… What’s going on?”
And then Constantine was talking, taunting his twin about the next family dinner. Damon swallowed a groan and took a drink from his butterbeer. This had the potential to go very, very wrong. He only hoped it didn’t result in a fight that would get him barred from the Leaky Cauldron. He was going to run out of places to drink.
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Post by Cassius Dearborn on Mar 11, 2010 2:17:30 GMT -5
Cassius cast a doubtful glance at Damon. He was acting too light hearted. He was trying to stop anything before it even really started.
Often, he thought his family didn't give him enough credit. He made it his business to know people, to read them. Everyone had tells, little things they did that gave themselves away. Damon, for instance, raised his voice just a touch when he thought trouble was about to brew. "Must be my good fortune," he murmured, letting his eyes trail then to Constantine.
He was baiting his twin, and Cass knew it. The smile the splayed across his lips was fake and only too apparantly so. "Oh good. I'm sure you're well aware of how much you've been missed."
That was, not at all. Why Anton hadn't told Constantine that he needed to shape up or be denounced from the family, Cass would never understand.
"Maybe you can bring some kind of... casserole. I imagine you'd be into that sort of thing."
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Post by Damon Dearborn on Mar 12, 2010 0:03:11 GMT -5
Damon heard the tone in Cassius's voice and he began to brace himself. It was obvious that he was baiting Constantine, and even though Con was smart enough not to fall for it, there was still a good chance that it would lead to trouble.
"I was just telling him how Cadence was asking about him," Damon said.
Their only sister had, in fact, been asking about Constantine, no doubt in the hopews that he would stop by with presents for her. He hoped that mentioning Cadence would at least help to get some of the tension out of the air.
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Post by Cassius Dearborn on Apr 25, 2011 17:20:32 GMT -5
Cassius sent a dirty look to Damon. He barely even said anything to Constantine, and Damon was already trying to diffuse the situation. It annoyed Cassius, and the glance at his brother lasted longer and was a tad more piercing than it should have been before he let the corners of his lips twist into a grin.
"Yes... we've all been asking about you, Constantine." His eyes finally turned from Damon and back to his twin. If Damon wanted to diffuse this, he would have to try harder.
"But really... come to dinner. It's always an.... amusing time with you. What have you been up to, anyway?"
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Post by Constantine Dearborn on Apr 25, 2011 17:44:08 GMT -5
Poor Damon. Constantine knew that Damon attempted to be the mediator for good reasons. He did hate to bring Damon into the middle of things and he tried not to bring his younger brother into the situation. This was just between him and Cassius. He never really understood why they ultimately started fighting in the beginning. Sure, they had different view points, but people with different view points could be a little bit more civil around each other.
Before Constantine could answer the casserole question with a smart remark, Damon was changing the question.
"I was telling Damon earlier," Constantine started as he leaned on the table with his elbows, "that I was going to be fairly busy with work since I just returned from a trip. However, I think I might be able to make my schedule a little more flexible." He was sure that he could just put his paperwork off for a little while. There was no sense in working all night. He could use a break, even if it was just to mess with his twin.
Constantine's eyes never left Cassius. "After all, I would really hate to miss a wonderful family dinner, since you all have been asking about it. I would hate to disappoint you by not being there so we could catch each other up on life." There was a twinkle is mischief in his eyes. Although the two were on different sides, they were more alike than they really realized.
"What about you Cassius? What have you been up to, other than maybe trying to find those cookbooks so you could make the pie for dessert?"
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Post by Cassius Dearborn on Apr 25, 2011 18:05:56 GMT -5
Cas almost scoffed, and though he may have contained it, a barely amused look remained in his eyes. "Oh good. You know how your life fascinates me." The art of subtlety had been replaced in Cassius ' personality for a healthy dose of sarcasm. He didn't care what his twin dud with his life, as long as he didn't drag Damon, Quincy, or Cadence into it.
It was a thought that he had yet to voice out loud, but if it was in the stars That one if them would die in this war, he hoped it was Constantine, and he hoped it was by his wand.
"Cute," he said, eyebrows raised at the pie comment. "Just busy making the family proud. I'm sure you wouldn't be interested in hearing about something like that."
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Post by Constantine Dearborn on Apr 25, 2011 18:26:52 GMT -5
There were times when Constantine really wanted to be close to his brother. He wanted to know his twin, rather than fight against him. Of course, Cassius wanted nothing of the sort so Constantine was up against a wall when it came to him. He thought that it was mainly because of Cassius that he was more of the type of person to work alone. Growing up, he had to fight on his own and stand on his own. After all, he was the odd one in the family. Once he was able to completely move out once he finished school, Constantine didn't waste anytime doing so.
Cassius always knew how to strike a nerve and Constantine was getting better at holding his tongue from saying a lot of things. "Oh, making the family proud," he repeated. "I'm sure that sitting around all day day dreaming about things makes the family extremely proud. Or maybe it is the snide comments you make about people that supposedly makes the family proud. Whatever it is that you do to make the family proud, keep it up." There was sarcasm in his voice as he spoke.
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Post by Cassius Dearborn on Apr 25, 2011 19:00:02 GMT -5
At first, Cassius smirked. He'd gotten a rise out of his brother, and that was all he wanted. But Constantine just as quickly got under his skin, and his blood boiled instantly.
How dare Con tell him he was sitting around doing nothing? Besides the fact that That was Damon's mo, Constantine was the blood traitor, the bloody Auror, the black sheep, and he was questioning Cas' contribution to the family?
"Oh I will keep it up, you nasty little git. Don't you worry about that." He glanced at Damon again, just short of asking why he bothered to associate with Constantine. Merlin, even Anton hadn't disowned him yet. Was he the only sane one in the family?
He nodded at the glass in front of his brother. "You should keep a closer eye on your drink. You wouldn't want anyone to slip something in it."
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Post by Damon Dearborn on Apr 25, 2011 21:34:03 GMT -5
During this exchange, Damon had downed an entire glass of firewhiskey and signaled to the bartender to pour another. He would never understand why his brothers felt the need to fight the way they did. They were twins, for Salazar's Sake. Couldn't they find some kind of common ground?
Deep down, Damon longed for closeness with his family, but it just had never happened. He could at least have a conversation with Constantine that didn't involve pushing and demanding and giving orders. Anton's word was pretty much the law, Cassius was always trying to convince him of his way of thinking, Cadence always wanted something, and Quincy... well Damon was lucky if Quincy uttered two words to him. If anyone were ever to ask why Damon still talked to Constantine, that would be his reason--Con actually listened to Damon instead of just telling him what to do.
"Come on, you guys," he said, his voice desperate. "We're in public, not the living room. Do you really want everyone here to know about our private family issues?"
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Post by Constantine Dearborn on Apr 26, 2011 9:08:42 GMT -5
A smile had to be fought back. Constantine didn't really know why, but getting under his brother's skin was something he enjoyed doing. There was amusement in it all because they both could equally fester themselves under the other's skin.
"Oh, nasty little git," he said obviously amused. "I haven't heard that one in awhile. I would have thought since I was gone away for awhile that you would have come up with a better vocabulary." This time Constantine didn't hide his smile.
"I appreciate your warning dear brother. I'll make sure that I'll watch out." He raised his eyebrow. "You should make sure you watch your back in general. Your snide little comments could hit the wrong person the wrong way."
Hearing Damon, Constantine turned to look at him. "It's okay Damon," he said. "We're just having a pleasant conversation." They were in public, and he knew that if they were at home, the conversation would be more intense and heated. Constantine knew to keep things a little quieter, but he wasn't too sure about Cassius.
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Post by Cassius Dearborn on Apr 26, 2011 12:31:04 GMT -5
Cas didn't believe for one second that his twin was threatening him. Constantine didn't have it in h'm to kill anyone, or at least, Cassius was confident That he didn't.
His lip curled in disdain. There was a very brief period of time, before they attended Hogwarts, when the two had been inseperable. But their lives took drastically different turns, and though more similar than they realized, they had nothing in common except DNA.
He shrugged at Damon. "You let either of us know when we've been anything but civil here. Until then...." he trailed off, eyebrows raising, and he finally turned to the bar to order some firewhiskey. If he was going to torment his brother, there was no reason to stop now.
"What are you doing these days anyway? Besides criticising my vocabulary, That is."
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Post by Constantine Dearborn on Apr 26, 2011 17:19:17 GMT -5
No, Constantine wasn't threatening Cassius, he was actually warning him against others. If it came down to it, he didn't think that he would have it in him to kill his own brother. It didn't matter how bad they got into a fight, there was no way that he could get kill his own brother. Constantine had killed before since he had no other choice while he was on a mission, but no one knew about that and that was something he didn't ever talk about.
Constantine mentioned to the bartender he wanted a glass of firewhiskey as well. "I'm working," he replied. "Enjoying a few trips that my job includes, that sort of thing. What about you, other than daydreaming or making snide comments?"
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Post by Cassius Dearborn on Apr 28, 2011 18:36:26 GMT -5
Once again, it escaped Cas just how much the two of them had in common. His job required so much traveling as well. The two of them were like Yin and Yang.
"That about covers it actually. Snide remarks, all day long. At your service." He didn't bother to tell Constantine that he recently arrived home from an assignment in Italy, or that he promised to take Cadence there. He didn't bother to tell his brother much of anything, really.
"And you, Damon?'' He asked, eyebrows raised.
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Post by Damon Dearborn on May 2, 2011 0:24:30 GMT -5
Merlin, did they ever stop? Damon could never understand how two people who were so much alike in so many ways could always be at each others' throats every time they met. No, they really weren't being civil, as Cass had claimed. Just because their tones were pleasant and they weren't yelling or throwing fists didn't mean they were being civil.
He was wondering idly to himself what would happen if he let the two of them fend for themselves and stopped trying to mediate between them, when suddenly the conversation turned to him. He froze for a moment, gulping down a mouthful of firewhiskey, then turned slowly to Cassius.
"Uh... What about me?" he said. "There's nothing to tell."
He highly doubted that Cassius cared about some girl Damon had flirted with, and that was pretty much the extent of the news Damon had to report at this time.
(I'd announce the job here, but he didn't have the job at the beginning of the thread or he would have mentioned it to Constantine...)
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