Promises

Alexa walked in and sat down in the corner. It was quiet in the pub and Alexa was glad. She waited for a certain someone to join her. Alexa took her coat off and her eys locked on the doors. Hopefully that certain someone was alright.

Trudging her way slowly up the street towards the tavern Ciar's darkened grey eyes kept most people from approaching her. It was not a good day and her eyes, body posture, and heavy footfalls were tell tale signs. She roughly pushed open the wooden door and her eyes did a quick precursory scan of the area, looking for any hidden danger. Spotting the person she was meeting the teen moved forward with a dignified pace.

"Thank you for meeting me, Professor," she said quietly, not wanting to draw attention to their gathering. Giving her hand a little tug forward and looking downward Ciar said, "It's okay, cub. She won't hurt you." From the spot he had hidden behind his sister's robes a small dark haired child stepped forward. He was roughly seven years old and held his sister's hand tightly, blue-grey eyes containing a myriad of emotions but predominantly fear.

"Please Sit Ciar, and please you can call me Alexa." She said with a warm smile. Alexa put a privacy spell up with a flick of her rist. She looked down to see a little boy peeping from behind Ciar's leg.

"This must Be Zephan, It's lovely to meet you. Don't worry I won't hurt you Zephan, I promise you that." Alexa said with a warm smile to the boy.

"How are you both doing Ciar?" Alexa said to her. She looked tired and warned out to Alexa.

The boy looked around his sister's waist, his head reaching up to her waist. He had followed her from somewhere down the street to meet with some woman called Thorpe. He was slightly afraid, he knew that Cici would never allow him to get hurt but after what he had witnessed there was a fear that was lodged deep into his being, that would be there for a long time. He gazed at the tall, blond lady and felt himself anger at her.

"I know you won't hurt me, woman," he snapped, his child's voice sounding odd as he spoke like an adult. "My Cici would never bring me to meet someone that would try and hurt me. She'd protect me and keep me safe." Zephan released Ciar's hand and crossed his arms as he took a seat at the table. "I may only be seven but I'm not a child." His eyes flashed and the fear in them was taken over by anger.

"Zephan," Ciar chided lightly running her fingers affectionately through her brother's brown hair. "Be nice to the Professor. She's one of the only people we can go to." Taking a seat at the table she pulled out a length of black ribbon and used it to tie her hair back into a low pony. Directing her grey eyed gaze on the Professor she commented, "Not to be rude, Professor, but I don't feel comfortable calling you by your given name. It... It's to awkward for me, especially being your apprentice."

The Irish teen shook her head slightly. "Anyways, you once offered me a place to stay if ever I had need. That I could come to you when I needed you." Ciar locked her eyes on Thorpe's. "I need you now. More importantly, Zephan is going to need you. I can't provide my little Wolf Cub what he needs, no matter what he says." This earned her a glare from the boy that she ignored. "Zephan cannot stay with me at the Castle. I won't be able to look after him while I'm in school. Professor, I need you to take care of my brother. I need him to have someone to look out for him when I can't."

Alexa eyes widened at the seven year old boy's anger.

"I didn't mean to anger you Zephan." Alexa said calmly.

"That offer is always open Ciar to you and your brother. You won't be staying in your castle alone Ciar, You can come live with me in Thorpe Manor. You will have your own rooms, training rooms and such. The place needs some more residents in them and my house elfs will love to cook for more people. The question is, would you like me to take custody of you both?" Alexa asked her.

"Don't worry about him," Ciar said softly, lightly kicking Zephan under the table. "He's highly intelligent for his age and forgets that he is still only a youngling. That's the main reason I need someone to look after him. My parents decided to try and undo all my work to teach the kid manners." Another glare that earned the boy a light smack on the back of his head, even though Ciar never looked his way.

The Irish teen ran a hand across her smooth hair and heaved a small sigh. "I just need custody of Zephan. I've been on my own for a long time. Please," Ciar's grey eyes took on a strange look, "I don't need anyone else. I just need someone to take care of my Cub and allow me to visit him."

"Ciar, you are not of age yet. If the minisrty or anyone found out you were living on your own they will put you into a magical children's home and might be adopted into any random family. I would love to take you and your brother into custody. You can still go to your home and do everything you want. I want to look fter you and make sure you have a life ahead of you and so with your brother." Alexa said with concern for her.

A low growl echoed from Zephan's throat. He knew that his Cici was hurting and it wasn't because their parents were gone. It was because all the responsibility now fell on her and she had to find somewhere to keep him safe too. She didn't care about herself only that he was taken care of and the family heritage was kept proud and tall. His eyes travelled over the adult and he made some quick determinations. She seemed safe and seemed genuinely concerned for him and Cici.

"Yes," he said suddenly startling his sister who glared at him. It was his turn to ignore her now though. "You will take Cici and I as your wards or adopted children or whatever it is the stupid ministry people want to call it." Zephan wasn't fond of the ministry or any authority for that matter but because he was still young he had to submit to it. Not that he enjoyed it. He stopped Ciar's protest by standing in his chair and clamping a hand over her mouth. "No, you's is gonna listen to me this time," he demanded stamping his foot slightly. "You never think about yourself when I'm involved. I dun want you taken away and you know that's what the pooheads at the ministry will do. I need you, Cici. If this is the way we can stay together then we'll take it and you'll like it." Grey eyes blazed as Zephan turned back to the blond woman in triumph, Ciar's defeat reflected plainly in her eyes.

Alexa raised her eyebrows at the boy. Ciar had to knpw he was right. She couldn't leave him. Not now, Not Ever. She needed to be looked after too. No matter what.

"I would listen to your brother Ciar. He is right. I will look after you both. I will provide a home, clothes, care, food, things for school and what ever else is needed for you both. When you turn of age Ciar you may do what you want. You will always have a home with me. the Question is Will you let me look out for you both?" She asked them.

Ciar's head hung in defeat, her grey eyes listless, shoulders slumped, and her pride in tatters. Once again she could not contest that her brother had beaten her. She didn't think of herself because no one else ever had. From the time she was old enough to walk she had been at the service of others because she didn't matter. It was not easy to accept the help for herself but she knew this time there would be no getting around it. Even though she was legal in less than a year she still had another year and a half of school left and she didn't know what she was going to do after school. She needed the woman whether she liked it or not.

Never lifting her head the teen drew out a scroll from her inside pocket and slid it across to the Professor. She had anticipated that her own custody would be dragged into this agreement and, though it didn't help her wounded pride, she had come prepared. Taking a bottle of ink and an eagle feather quill Ciar slid them to the woman. "It's all done up and legalized by the goblins and the ministry," she said quietly. "You just have to sign at the bottom and we're legally yours with our own last names. All the other legalities will be taken care of by my goblin adviser."

Alexa's bright green eyes searched the scroll that now was in front of her. She smiled at both of them and with no hesitation, Alexa got hold of the quill. dipped it with the offered ink and scratched her signature on to the scroll.



Alexa looked st them both with warmness in her eyes.

"Thank you for letting me have the oppertunity to now take care of you both." Alexa said with a small smile.

Ciar never raised her eyes from the table even while she set Zephan back down in his seat properly. Her posture one of defeat she took back the scroll and sprinkled some sand from her brother's pockets on the ink to dry it without causing smudges, before rerolling it and stowing it back into her pocket. The bottle of ink was stoppered and it followed the parchment, while the nub of the quill was wiped and the feather tucked into her hair.

"Promise me that Zephan will be completely safe and that you won't treat me any differently while at school," the Irish teen whispered. Ciar didn't know if she'd be able to control her temper if people started talking about her having to have a guardian. She was especially frightened of what Lucifer might say.

"Ciar look at me! There's nothing bad to have a Gaurdian. I'll be your Professor in class and your Gaurdian at all times. Zephan will be completely safe with me and so will you. Hopefully you can both start to gain my trust." Alexa said to them both. Alexa knew it was really hard to trust someone you hardly knew.

Crawling down from his chair Zephan walked around the table and stood by the blond woman. Laying a small hand on her leg he said, "Cici does trust you. She wouldn't have come to you, especially with me, if she didn't. But she ain't used to trusting people cause our parents sent her away when she was only eleven. Even before then she didn't trust them cause they used ta hurt her. They would hurt her real bad and then shove her in a box. They all thought I didn't see but I seen almost everything cause nobody noticed me."

He moved a bit closer. "You seem nice and real concerned for Cici. You'll keep her safe for me, right? I know eventually she'll start to open up. You's one of the only grown-ups Cici's ever trusted. And if Cici trusts you, then I trust you."

Alexa watched the boy. She smiled and layed a hand on his softly. Her green eyes smiled also.

"I know Zephan. I promise to keep both of you safe. I promise to not hurt either of you and you can always trust me. I had a very simular childhood and I don't want it to happen to both of you. You both deserve happiness. So you can both come with me to Thorpe Manor now. You might meeet my father, Thadeus Thorpe who will hopefully and quickly gain your trust. He is the Director of Staff at the Furmage Asylum. He will love to meet you both." Alexa said to them both.