The Strange Case of Dr. Davenport and Mr. Moreau

Aspen nodded to his response. She believed him when he said he didn't think it was chore. She also sighed when it came time to walk inside. The daughter of Bellona wasn't sure if she should expect anyone to be up or anyone to interact with them, but she wouldn't put it passed her father to be up at this hour, especially if not all his kids were home and he knew about it.

As soon as they walked in the door and it shut, she heard a voice and saw a light flicker on. Speaking on the devil, she turned to look at her father. "Yes, I'm home." Aspen said and without breaking eye contact she spoke up again. "I've had quite a bit to drink tonight, and needed help getting home safe." The brunette usually had the tools to cope with her father and keep situations calm with him. However, while intoxicated she had less tools to do that. Aspen was still going to try though.

"I can see that." Michael calmly stated. He stood firmly in position, leaned against the archway leading into the hallway. The house was so architecturally spectacular and massive that a tiny piece of Christian was jealous behind the waves of anger washing through him. "Aspen, set your alarm for early. You know how early." Michael stated. He was pretty good at disguising his voice with a stranger in the house, but you could detect a familiar sense of solemn disappointment. "As grateful as I am for the help of our lovely public servants, we need to talk."

"Not a public servant, I work for the Legion. Same rank as your highest son and daughter." Christian replied, snappily.

"Son, your title rings hollow, don't you think? It's good to see the legion's lower branches are eager to move forward, but it's absurd for you to realistically compare yourself to my children, don't you think?"

"I'll tell you what you can with your lower br-" Christian lost his temper in a momentary flare, but thanks to Aspen, was able to recover.

Aspen nodded her head when her father mentioned to set her alarm for the morning and she knew what time. Of course she knew what time. If she didn't she knew she wouldn't forget it later. She knew her father would make sure of that. It wasn't long before her dad started using some of the words he usually used to describe the demigods placed in the lower down cohorts.

Aspen decided to cut in before it got too heated. "I'll set my alarm dad. I'm not really feeling well, so I was hoping to go up to my room and get some rest. Would it be okay if I set my alarm clock to earlier than usual and we can talk then?" Aspen asked with a soft and calming tone. She always made sure to ask him if things were okay rather than just trying to tell him what she was going to do. She often figured it showed some kind of respect to her dad. At least she hoped it did.

Micheal kept his eyes on Christian. A pleased look was on his face, that he had successfully tripped the lesser boy into a trap. Christian now stood still, he clearly was angry but stayed still. His lack of words only made him all the more angry. He felt like to not speak up to Michael Davenport was to fail his own beliefs. But, with the emotional roller coaster that had been his life lately, Christian couldn't even handle his switch. He wanted to yell, cry, and fight all at the same time. He just stayed silent. Seething with negativity.

"Earlier than usual. That's taking some initiative, Aspen. I can appreciate that. Very well, I'll see you in the morning." Michael said. He turned his back, only taking a few steps before stopping to speak again.

"Aspen, I trust that in the future you'll choose to spend your time with better company?"

Her words and her tone were the biggest key to reasoning with her father and was essentially how she could still get what she wanted without getting into conflict. Something to this day, she doesn't believe her siblings knew how to do. That and Aspen really did have some respect for her father. She knew he wasn't always the easiest to converse with or wasn't the most likable person, but he was still her father and he had taken care of all of the Davenport children.

"Yes, father, I will. Goodnight and I will see you in the morning." She said to him before gesturing Christian to go towards the stairs.

Christian wasn't surprised by the head of the Davenport's comment. But when Aspen complied so simply, it broke just a small piece of him. He was disappointed at himself for being here. He just let his head fall and was grateful no one from camp was here to see what was happening.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Goodnight." Michael Davenport said, flicking the lights off without a hitch. His footsteps could be heard, predominate, walking back down from where he had came.

Christian didn't say anything. He just wanted the night to be over. He continued to keep Aspen up and support her, while he took his first steps on the stairs. How bad could things be that he desired to leave Camp for a quest with the Virgos?

Aspen walked in silence up the stairs with Christian. She hadn't meant what she had said. She knew how to comply to avoid conflict. Now wasn't the time to argue with her father either. The daughter of Bellona knew when to pick her fights.

It was at the top of the stairs Aspen stopped and looked at Christian. "I didn't mean what I said, Christian. Tonight is not the night we could have won that battle, and you know that as well as I do." Aspen said in a hushed tone and a sincere look in her eyes. She was being genuine. "I'm really sorry." and with that she pointed to the door on the far right side and was gesturing at that was where their destination was.

Aspen tried to console him. All he could do was slightly adjust his hand to hers and give it a gentle squeeze to assure her, he wasn't mad. He knew she was just saying what she could to avoid a fight with her dad. It wasn't Aspen's intentions that got under his skin. Everything she'd done tonight had taken so much strength and conviction. He felt his heart strings pull as they made it to the top. Any one of these room's could be Rowan's. It was a slap to the face.

He opened her door, and tilted sideways so they would both fit in. The fact that they could have both probably fit in standing normally was only a testament to how impressive the house was. The last time he'd been in here, his life was much different. Aspen had threatened him to get out or suffer consequences.

Christian helped her over to the bed, and helped her adjust down. Whether she wanted to sit or lay.

Once they made it to her room, she took his help into sitting on the bed. She could feel her head spin a bit, and knew closing her eyes for long periods of time wasn't going to be the greatest idea. Aspen looked to Christian as she stood there.

Aspen had totally forgot about all the art that was around her room. There were canvases painted and hung up on her walls, there were even water colour painting placed around the room. It was something Aspen did a lot of in her spare time. Some of the stuff was school projects, but most of it was personal interest.

"I sort of paint, but uh thank you a lot for helping me get home." She said softly. A lot of the stuff was different paintings of landscapes she had been to over the years. Capturing the beauty in places really meant something to her.

Christian couldn't make much out as much as he wanted to in the dark. He took out his phone and turned the flashlight on. "I don't wanna turn your light on. Make you look directly at a bright light, you know." Christian explained. His tone was lacking any energy or excitement. Then, he began to see the paintings. He wasn't an art enthusiast by any means, yet, he saw them and knew.

"Aspen. They're beautiful." Christian remarked. There was all sorts of things. He scanned his light from one end to the next. It seemed there was no end. Then, he caught a glimpse of her closet door slightly open. He moved the light more, and was able to play it off smoothly. He knew he'd seen a wedding dress. He only felt more guilty.

"How many people know?" He asked, looking at more of them. "Is there... anything else you need? Anything I can do for you?"

Aspen nodded in response to Christian as he mentioned he didn't want to turn her light on. For that she was very appreciative of. She was fairly sure if she saw a bright light like that at this moment it was going to feel like her retinas were burning out. She watched him look around the room at the stuff she had up and he commented on it.

"No one really. It's something I keep to myself. Well besides school. My minor is in fine arts. Something that'd be very frowned upon by my father, but I think I make up for it with working towards a double major." Aspen said with a slight pause before speaking again. "I should be good, but thank you. It means a lot to me."

"Your dad's a jackass." Christian commented, the subject was very sour for him, but he was certain that Aspen realized it. "You need to be able to be happy with your life, Aspen. He needs to be happy with his. Though, I don't think that's hard to think when you think you're God on earth." Christian sourly remarked. He flicked the light on his phone off. He just couldn't get the wedding dress off of his mind. How few people in the world could relate to Aspen and her struggle?

"Does tonight matter?" Christian asked. He didn't quite know why he was pushing the extra mile for her, but he way. "Will you still feel the same way about everything you said tonight, tomorrow morning?"

She knew what Christian was saying was true. Her father was a jackass, and she should go what what she wanted regardless, but Aspen didn't say anything in response. She just let him talk about it. It was true painting was something she loved dearly, but it wasn't something she wanted to do as her major regardless.

When his question came it slapped her in the face. Almost like a 'wake up' slap and she looked to him. She reached out for his hand in attempts to comfort him. "Yes. Tonight will always matter." She said spoke quietly and kept eye contact with the legacy of Mercury. "I will feel the same way I feel about things tonight as I will every day and every night that follows it. You have my word."

The contact was comforting to some degree. The recipient and the gifter didn't make a whole lot of sense, but at present moment, Christian just didn't have people who understood. Corinne didn't understand what the addiction was or meant, and he just didn't want to spend time with her. There were too many complications. Lennie was too naive, and Christian felt like he'd failed her. Those in his Cohort who were far under him looked to him and Corinne for guidance. It didn't make sense for him to change that to a vice versa situation.

"Seriously. I like what I've heard tonight." Christian assured her. He tilted his head slightly, considering what Michael Davenport had said. "Well, most of it. If something was to happen when I go out with the Virgos tomorrow, would you still get clean?" He asked, keeping hold of her hand.

"If something were to happen to you, I'd still try to get clean." She said firmly and gave him a gentle squeeze of the hand to reassure him. Aspen continued to look at Christian. Even though it was dark in her room, she could make him out fairly well.

"I don't want to be dependent on something anymore. It's not who I am. I've let myself slip." She spoke, but still hadn't let go of his hand.

Christian almost didn't want to leave. He didn't want to go out and face the real world again, which wasn't usual for him. Christian typically loved to face hell, no matter what it looked like. But in this instance, he couldn't do anything to fix the issues, to fight hell back. He couldn't fight the way some people were looking at him now. He couldn't fight the agony that he'd face going back unto detox.

Christian gave her hand a squeeze back. "That's what I like to hear." Christian said, in a truthful but solemn tone. Then silence followed, a heap of it. "I should go. You know I'm not really liked here."

It was a weird feeling, but Aspen couldn't physically let go of his hand. For some reason she felt a need to keep hold it. Maybe because it was the first time she felt someone truly and genuinely believe in her, or maybe the simple human contact was nice for a change. There was a silence for a bit before he spoke up a bit.

She sighed a bit and she let go of his hand. "You're always welcomed here by my standards. I'm sorry others don't feel the same way. If you want, you can stay here tonight. My dad doesn't wake up until five in the morning, and no one usually wakes up before him. It is closer to the Virgo's house. They live just down the road, so it's easier for meeting up with them. But just an offer if you want it. "

"Of course they do, and of course he does." Christian replies, but there was a slight smile on his face. "Sometimes things are just how they look." He insisted. You would think the Davenports and Virgos would both live closeby, and you would also think someone like Michael Davenport wakes up that early in the morning. Then, his emotional state reminded him of why he was so emotional.

He hesitantly removed the bottle out, and slid one more painkiller out before popping it into his mouth.

It really wasn't a good idea for him to stay. But then, he was also so vulnerable. What if he set up Rowan to fail? Took more of his pills out? If there was anytime to do it, it was right now. "You might not believe it, but, I could easily get down from this window." He said. It was possibly the first thing he'd said all night with a truly light heart.

The fact of the matter was most of the big name families lived on the same street. The road they lived on was one of the first streets with houses on it for families to live in. The homes just got passed down from generation to generation until there was no one else to give it to and it just went up for sale. Although, only those with lots of money could afford the homes.

When Christian mentioned he could easily jump down from the window a grin grew on her face. "I believe it, only because I've done it plenty of times. All of us Davenport kids have had our rebellious years and we've all had the same rooms since forever." She said. It was mostly in her teens around fifteen that she'd sneak out, but those days were long passed.

"You?" Christian asked, a single eyebrow raised and a grin appeared. "Seriously, the great Aspen Davenport snuck out of her estate?" He guessed it wasn't so out of character, after some of the things he'd learned about her tonight, it wasn't so far-fetched. He tried to physically imagine what a younger Aspen might look like. He assumed she was much better of a person now than then.

"I hear more about you than I do Liam. People say you were the most strict in the business. What else did you do that people don't talk about?" Christian asked. It made him feel closer to reality to know he wasn't the only one who repressed an impulsive and rebellious nature.

Aspen laughed at the mention of people saying she was strict and she shook her head. "Please, if that's what people say about me, they need help." She couldn't believe that's what they said about her. It was true at times she had been strict, but she was a saint compared to others in cohort one. "I was only an opito. I had authority telling me what to do. Besides that, there's some brutal people in cohort one. There's a few who have similar views to my father, some who are just ruthless, some who aren't above stabbing you in the back to get higher in rank, you had to play dirty and know people to get anywhere in the first cohort." Aspen said and then shifted over in her bed to leave room for him to sit if he wanted to.

"What else did I do? Well, I pulled a few pranks on some girls who were being b*tch, that was kind of funny actually. I'm all about vigilante justice, maybe that's why people think I'm strict. Besides that, I just tried to be the best I could be to finally get out of my older brother's shadow. Make a name for myself is all I ever wanted to do."

"Cohort One being brutal? Who would have thought?" Christian remarked and chuckled. Of course, their perspective was different. Christian accepted the seat on the bed, and sat next to the older girl. "Don't worry, I hear about all four of you. Though, I hear your name a lot more in the Fields of Mars." He admitted. Apparently, Aspen was a class A badass. He'd always tried to spread people away from that idea. But he had a feeling that would be changing soon.

He glanced towards her and nodded. "Well, I'm a fan of your work in that case." He smiled. "You know, I've never liked the way they separate people into Cohorts." He opened a thought he'd never shared with anyone outside of Five. "My people are made to think they're just tossed in the 'not fitting parts' bin. Told they're not good enough, and put with the rest of their kind. They have to live with that, and no matter how hard I fight it, some people always try to reinforce that they're lesser. Just because they had a rough childhood. Because no one would vouch for them in their early days."

"That's because I was almost always in the field of mars. That or the training room in the basement. I lived and breathed battle strategies, fighting techniques, using weapons, all of it. It gave me a rush like nothing else could. It made me feel powerful to be able to wield any weapon I wanted. It made me feel respected. I even kicked Liam's ass once. We were like nine and ten though. Could probably still do it now." Aspen said half joking. She figured if she really wanted to she could, but she wasn't going to actively seek it out.

When Christian started to comment about not liking how everyone was separated she nodded in agreement. "Being in a higher cohort doesn't even mean anything. People judge you hard. You have to know people and a lot of people to get in cohort 1 or 2. Honestly though? I think the real strength is coming from those who work hard and push passed whatever it is they're dealing with on the side. Cohort five used to be the powerhouse a long time ago. How would you like to see everyone divided, because we aren't all going to fit in one building."

"My people are strong." Christian defended. "I do a lot for them. I mean, its been delayed a lot, lately. But my partner is just as good. She'll be watching over everything when I leave tomorrow. Our Optios are great, and committed. I can truly say that if I die, I'm happy knowing I'm leaving the Cohort in the hands of two very capable and strong women." It was one of Christian's more proud things in life. He felt him and Corinne were good for the Cohort.

"I don't know. Age, strengths, godly lineage, even random would work better, Aspen, than social status. No one deserves to have to wake up every morning thinking they 'got the bad Cohort.'" Christian insisted. "If Cohort really didn't matter, I'm sure Cohort One and Two wouldn't be the only Cohorts to have Virgos and Davenports. No offense." For once, he really meant it. He didn't want to offend.

"None taken." Aspen said to his comment about social status. She looked over at him and sighed softly. "I didn't mean to offend you in any way. I didn't mean cohort five wasn't now, but the respect used to be given to cohort five. Way back when. At some point that all shifted."

She thought about everything he said and she nodded a bit, "I wish no one had to wake up feeling that way. I think it's stupid that something like that they way people talk about it, makes other people feel. At the end of the day, we should all be striving to work together as an entire unit, but we're far from that as a camp, and that's probably what could break us one day."

There were a few moments of silence before Aspen spoke up again. "I would have loved to see some of use Davenports end up in four or five and see what our father would have done. He already freaked out when Rowan was placed in the second cohort, even though she's managed to make Centurion and I never did."