Part II: Like Father, Like Son
The overseer bowed his head out of courtesy."Castiel, it's a pleasure to see you again. I must admit that I wasn't expecting you. I hope your father is well?"
'Castiel?' Jillian contemplated silently to herself. She recognized the name as the only known offspring of Cartius, though this was the first time she had seen him in person. The hyur woman took note of Vertigo once more, noticing that the bodyguard remained several paces behind Castiel but still within close range. The miqo'te's head tilted casually in each direction, scanning the surrounding tunnel. The golden mask made it impossible to discern what emotions her face displayed underneath. Jillian couldn't help but wonder why the woman was with Castiel to begin with. She was usually only seen at the side of Cartius himself. Perhaps it was meant to be symbolic, one of Cartius's many subtle mind games that he was so infamous for.
"My father is doing quite well," Castiel stated in response to the overseer's inquiry. His voice was clear and defined, confident even, with a small hint of an Ul'dahn accent. Another point was tallied into Jillian's secret mental scorebook on the youth's attractiveness. "He is currently shifting his focus to other projects and is leaving me in charge of this operation from here on out. That won't be a problem, will it?"
"O-of course not!" The overseer forced a smile. "We're honored you'll be overseeing this project and I look forward to seeing how well your father no doubt prepared you for this." Jillian couldn't help but grin to herself. She knew that the overseer was annoyed over the fact that someone more than half his age was now his boss. She was impressed that Castiel was able to intimidate the gruff highlander. Another point was tallied into her mental scorebook.
"What's the status report?" Castiel went straight to the meat of the matter, wasting no time in diving into his new project.
Nodding, the gruff hyur overseer gestured toward the large stone gate. "We can't force our way through without risking damage to whatever is inside. As you can see, there are two slots in the door. One on each side. The slot on the left has much greater depth, no doubt for some kind of rod. The slot on the right has practically no depth. Looks like some kind of coin indentation. Both slots seem magically sealed, meaning only the exactly correct keys will work."
Castiel walked up to the gate, examining each slot carefully in silence. He then positioned himself directly in the center of the gate and placed his bare hand flat against the concrete. The hyur closed his eyes as a faint blue aura began to surround his entire body. Jillian watched in awe along with the rest of the crew. She knew that the Mavanix family was gifted in magic but had never actually seen a true demonstration. Despite her lack of experience in the magical realm, Jillian could still feel the intensity in the air. Wealthy, confident, handsome, and powerful. She would give him a perfect score in her imaginary book were it not for his last name.
Almost as soon as the aura appeared, it vanished again. A sly smile crossed Castiel's lips. "The artifact my father seeks is definitely inside. So I suppose all we need now are the two keys to access it."
Jillian looked shocked. How did he verify what was inside? The hyur woman suddenly recalled a pleasant memory of her grandfather. The old man once flaunted a powerful magical ability to her called 'astral projection' when she was but a child. The aura that had briefly surrounded Castiel reminded her greatly of that. But her grandfather had told her that it was a very difficult skill to utilize, let alone master. Jillian was even further impressed, assuming that ability was what she just saw.
"But that'll be like finding a needle in a haystack," the overseer stated matter-of-factly. "If the keys are not in your father's museum, anyone could own them. Finding either one could take years, never mind actually obtaining them."
"But of course," Castiel responded with another confident smile. "Don't you know? The search is half the fun. Lock down this area. Nobody should be allowed in. Nor should anyone know of its existence until further notice."
"That's it?" The overseer looked somewhat puzzled. "What about the keys?"
"Leave that to me," Castiel said confidently as he started to walk away from the gate and past the nearby crew. He didn't say another word as he and Vertigo slowly disappeared out of sight down the gloomy tunnel.
'Not too different from his father,' Jillian thought to herself quietly. 'If that's the case, gods have mercy on whoever he thinks has the keys..."
==========================
((OOC: Parts 3-5 can only be viewed by those who are in my primary linkshell at this time)).
The overseer bowed his head out of courtesy."Castiel, it's a pleasure to see you again. I must admit that I wasn't expecting you. I hope your father is well?"
'Castiel?' Jillian contemplated silently to herself. She recognized the name as the only known offspring of Cartius, though this was the first time she had seen him in person. The hyur woman took note of Vertigo once more, noticing that the bodyguard remained several paces behind Castiel but still within close range. The miqo'te's head tilted casually in each direction, scanning the surrounding tunnel. The golden mask made it impossible to discern what emotions her face displayed underneath. Jillian couldn't help but wonder why the woman was with Castiel to begin with. She was usually only seen at the side of Cartius himself. Perhaps it was meant to be symbolic, one of Cartius's many subtle mind games that he was so infamous for.
"My father is doing quite well," Castiel stated in response to the overseer's inquiry. His voice was clear and defined, confident even, with a small hint of an Ul'dahn accent. Another point was tallied into Jillian's secret mental scorebook on the youth's attractiveness. "He is currently shifting his focus to other projects and is leaving me in charge of this operation from here on out. That won't be a problem, will it?"
"O-of course not!" The overseer forced a smile. "We're honored you'll be overseeing this project and I look forward to seeing how well your father no doubt prepared you for this." Jillian couldn't help but grin to herself. She knew that the overseer was annoyed over the fact that someone more than half his age was now his boss. She was impressed that Castiel was able to intimidate the gruff highlander. Another point was tallied into her mental scorebook.
"What's the status report?" Castiel went straight to the meat of the matter, wasting no time in diving into his new project.
Nodding, the gruff hyur overseer gestured toward the large stone gate. "We can't force our way through without risking damage to whatever is inside. As you can see, there are two slots in the door. One on each side. The slot on the left has much greater depth, no doubt for some kind of rod. The slot on the right has practically no depth. Looks like some kind of coin indentation. Both slots seem magically sealed, meaning only the exactly correct keys will work."
Castiel walked up to the gate, examining each slot carefully in silence. He then positioned himself directly in the center of the gate and placed his bare hand flat against the concrete. The hyur closed his eyes as a faint blue aura began to surround his entire body. Jillian watched in awe along with the rest of the crew. She knew that the Mavanix family was gifted in magic but had never actually seen a true demonstration. Despite her lack of experience in the magical realm, Jillian could still feel the intensity in the air. Wealthy, confident, handsome, and powerful. She would give him a perfect score in her imaginary book were it not for his last name.
Almost as soon as the aura appeared, it vanished again. A sly smile crossed Castiel's lips. "The artifact my father seeks is definitely inside. So I suppose all we need now are the two keys to access it."
Jillian looked shocked. How did he verify what was inside? The hyur woman suddenly recalled a pleasant memory of her grandfather. The old man once flaunted a powerful magical ability to her called 'astral projection' when she was but a child. The aura that had briefly surrounded Castiel reminded her greatly of that. But her grandfather had told her that it was a very difficult skill to utilize, let alone master. Jillian was even further impressed, assuming that ability was what she just saw.
"But that'll be like finding a needle in a haystack," the overseer stated matter-of-factly. "If the keys are not in your father's museum, anyone could own them. Finding either one could take years, never mind actually obtaining them."
"But of course," Castiel responded with another confident smile. "Don't you know? The search is half the fun. Lock down this area. Nobody should be allowed in. Nor should anyone know of its existence until further notice."
"That's it?" The overseer looked somewhat puzzled. "What about the keys?"
"Leave that to me," Castiel said confidently as he started to walk away from the gate and past the nearby crew. He didn't say another word as he and Vertigo slowly disappeared out of sight down the gloomy tunnel.
'Not too different from his father,' Jillian thought to herself quietly. 'If that's the case, gods have mercy on whoever he thinks has the keys..."
==========================
((OOC: Parts 3-5 can only be viewed by those who are in my primary linkshell at this time)).
