December 24th, 1890 - Fort Lestrange

It was snowing lightly, flakes clustering on the bushes beneath the house. Despite the early evening weather, Cash was standing on the second floor porch in his peacoat, smoking a cigarette. He had been outside for a few minutes when he heard the glass door open behind him, and turned around to spot his cousin's wife. Cash decided very quickly that he could not safely ignore her.

"Well, here we go again," Cash said, because it was not the first time they had both been hiding during a family gathering. He pulled an extra unlit cigarette out of his pocket and offered it to Antigone. They were very much not friends, but at least at this moment they were allies in hiding on the porch, and he would rather deal with her than any of his (occasionally chatty) sisters.

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MJ made this!

If she had to endure one more minute of Ellory she was going to snap and throttle her in front of the whole family. That would hardly go down well, even if Tiberius might want her dead almost as much as she did, Tig doubted he'd approve. Not that she needed his approval or cared about it.

So as was becoming something of a custom whenever she spotted Ellory, Tig left the room and sought sanctuary literally anywhere else. That anywhere else presently just so happened to be the same place as Cassius Lestrange. She couldn't decide whether this was a good or bad thing, not until he started to offer her a cigarette and she decided it was probably leaning more towards okay. She hadn't developed a taste for the things but they did make her feel rebellious and oddly sophisticated.

Needless to say Tig accepted the cigarette. "What's brought you out here this time?"

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Cash shrugged his shoulders at her. Holding his cigarette in his teeth, he pulled his matchbook out of his coat pocket and struck a match. Cash held the lit match up to Antigone. "Less risky than lighting it with a wand," he explained, "You might set your face on fire." Although that would really jazz up Christmas.

"You've met our family, right?" he said, as if it was obvious. "I assume you're escaping the same thing."

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MJ made this!

Tig liked to think she could light a cigarette without melting her face off but admittedly she probably wouldn't attempt it unless she was trying to look like a badass.

As much as she'd tried to prepare herself for the lit cigarette she still couldn't completely override the violent urge to cough. She had to settle for loudly clearing her throat seeing as she couldn't quite suppress it completely. Her jaw involuntarily clenched at the sudden thought of Ellory and she nearly snapped the cigarette in half. Merlin's beard she'd spent the whole day soothing herself with imagining Ellory's violent departure from the world and while it had worked at first, now it only made the bloodlust stronger. Was there anyway she could quietly murder her in the night and not get in trouble for it? Would it be wise to suggest it to Tiberius once they were alone?

Shit how long had she left him hanging? "If you could get rid of one of them, who would it be?" Probably not the best thing to be asking him for a multitude of reasons but her head was still caught up in murder fantasies she'd probably never act upon. Not that evening anyway. Probably.

Hopefully.

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Cash gave a startled bark of laughter at her question. "Dangerous question, Antigone," he said, because it was. He brought his cigarette to his lips before he answered.

"My father," he said hollowly, because it wasn't like Lucius didn't know, and it didn't matter, and there was nothing Cash could do about his father being here besides. "And yourself?"

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MJ made this!

She quirked an eyebrow. For someone clearly taken aback by the 'danger' of her question he was certainly being very forthcoming. He had been quite candid with her the first time they'd smoked together though, was he like this with everyone or should she feel honored?

Before she answered him, she raised the cigarette to her lips and tried again. "Difficult question, Cassius." Ellory, Ellory, Ellory. "I'm spoiled for choice." This really would be the worst place to dispose of her, the whole family would be breathing down her neck and maybe Tiberius would let them have her... "Your father once slighted me in front of the entire family, you may not recall as it was quickly followed by news of your brother." While she no longer felt threatened by Seneca it had soured their relationship and she still resented the old wizard for humiliating her. In truth, however, Lucius Lestrange's greatest sin was the power he held over Tiberius. He was the cause of Tiberius' sudden vendetta against their offspring, would Tiberius blindly follow orders if he recommended getting rid of her?

"But Tiberius always speaks highly of him, why don't you?" He'd alluded to his fraught relationship with his father once before but he'd hardly surrendered any details. Suddenly she was very interested in knowing more. Tig took another drag of the cigarette and fixed him with an expectant look.

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Cash did not recall; less because of the news of his brother than because he did not remember the afternoon in question at all. Whether that was due to the tampering in his memory could not be said - Cash also tended to go somewhere else, in his mind, during family gatherings. Except for out here, when they were alone, he had little interest in the tribulations of Antigone.

"My father expects things of his sons that he does not of his nephews," Cash said, an answer that was vague and not entirely honest, but an answer nonetheless. "We do not know him in the same way."

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MJ made this!

"Are the expectations of a ward and a second son really so very different?" Tig was skeptical and felt denied information that might very well be somewhat interesting. "You can be honest, I won't tell." She probably wouldn't either, not unless there were some great incentive. "Who would I tell?"

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"Presumably your husband," Cash said, with a hollow laugh. Of course, Tiberius already knew a substantial part of the problem - but that didn't mean he was going to tell Antigone, either. "And I'm not sure I know enough about you to make that deal."

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MJ made this!

"I thought you knew my husband well enough to know that he doesn't care for gossip." Ugh he'd better tell her something interesting in a moment or else this would be tiresome, she didn't want to work for lackluster information. "And what's to know about me? I'm just your cousin's wife; I exist purely to bear children and look pretty. I couldn't be more harmless."

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"Have you ever disappointed someone so perpetually that when there is finally a real, solid reason for them to hate you you find yourself relieved?"

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MJ made this!

Apparently that worked.

Tig's face remained blank as she processed what he'd just said. She took a drag on the cigarette. Her truthful answer was no, no she had no idea what the hell he was talking about. She'd disappointed plenty of people probably but she didn't give a damn how they felt about it. She certainly hadn't ever felt relieved. Oh maybe it was like the time she was told she couldn't have children and she was relieved, that had disappointed Tiberius for sure... But then she was just relieved because she wouldn't have to be pregnant again and it was very short lived because Tiberius had immediately wanted to kill her.

No, his was a sentiment she couldn't understand at all but he might not say anything else if she was truthful. Oh but maybe this was a rhetorical question? Maybe he did want her honesty? "Not exactly." Well that sounded weak. "What did you do?"

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Antigone had never had reason to disappoint somebody because she had never had a way to; she was a cantankerous woman in a marriage to a black hole of a man, but she was exactly who she was supposed to be, on the face of it. And Cash was - something else.

But just because he did not take her seriously did not mean that he ought to - he could not just walk around blurting his secrets, not even to women who did not really know anyone important.

"We can make a trade," Cash said, "If you want. But I'm not just telling you. You could ruin my life."

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MJ made this!

A trade? A look of suspicion flickered over her features for a fraction of a second as she considered him and the question of trading information. What could he want to know? Not that she was going to tell the truth, that would depend entirely on what he was going to ask. She doubted whether anything he asked could possibly be of great consequence, in the scheme of things he didn't know her at all.

Tig didn't want to give up anything but she'd agree for two reasons: firstly, she was confident in her ability to lie to his face and get away with it, secondly if this was really some sort of life ruining secret then she simply had to know it. Hopefully he wasn't exaggerating too much, the build up had better be worth it. "Very well, let's trade then."

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Cash tapped his cigarette against the porch railing, sending ashes swirling to the floor.

"Why don't you have more children?" he asked, after a beat. He had his suspicions - Tiberius would not have proposed the plan he had if there wasn't something afoot - but it was the only thing he actually wanted to know. There was plenty about Antigone he didn't know, and plenty he did not care about - but Tiberius actually needed something from him, and Cash wanted to know why.

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MJ made this!

Tig was taken by surprise at his chosen question. Why that? What possible interest could he have in her offspring or lack thereof? What difference did it make to him? She eyed him with every ounce of suspicion she felt. Seeing as she couldn't tell why he wanted to know she was highly reluctant to offer him the truth - he probably wouldn't broadcast it but what if there was some other damaging way he could use it against her?

What was a convincing excuse that didn't cast aspersions on herself, her womb, or her marriage? Blaming it on nature or circumstance would give the impression she had issues with fertility, claiming it was intentional would not only be odd but raise more questions, what did that leave her with? Claiming regular miscarriages cycled back to the fertility issue, the alternative was to deny she was lacking in children at all but that was a lie so blatant it was beyond ridiculous. Unless...

She'd waited too long to reply without it being noticeable. Damn. "You do know how children are made, don't you?" Her tone was more condescending than she'd intended, she subsequently tried to rectify it. "It takes time, you can't just create life on a whim." After a beat she added, "I suspect you'll regret choosing that as your question in a few months." Tig feigned a small gasp. "Forget I said that. You can't tell anyone, not even Tiberius." Pleading didn't come naturally to her but probably if she'd looked teary-eyed and desperate at him he would've thought she was unwell. Or maybe not, did he know her well enough for that? "Your turn."

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