Mai Legacy
1.12 - Retaliation
“There is no reason James and Susan shouldn’t be able to start a legacy of their own,” Judge Marshal proclaimed, hitting his gravel on the desk.
“What? No!” Joaquin exclaimed, shooting up from his seat.
“It’s fair,” Judge Marshal said. "And if you don't sit back down, I will hold you in contempt."
“My family has been here for generations, you can’t possibly think this is fair,” Joaquin said, a hint of a warning in his voice.
Judge Marshal gave him a look, and Joaquin sulkily walked over to his parents. Rosaline and Bronson slowly walked him out of the courtroom, not looking back.
Hajar took her time following, loitering a bit near Susan. “If you started to think even for a moment that this was over… you’re wrong.”
She then hurried after the rest of her family.
James joined Susan, and the two cheered to themselves.
“We’re safe. Our family is safe,” James smiled. “We can make sure that this legacy grows and prospers.”
While the Le Chiens flew back to Windenburg, James and Susan went to a bar in the nearby town of Willow Creek to celebrate, as their flight didn't leave until the next morning.
Meanwhile, the Le Chien family sulked at their home.
“Do you think… could we lose it all?” Bronson asked Rosaline, looking at their legacy armor.
“Nonsense, Bronson,” Rosaline assured him. “It may be hard, but the two of us might just have to coexist.”
“You should know better than anyone that coexisting never works, Rosaline. Remember the stories your parents told us about our ancestor’s rivalry with the Shallots? They had to change the name of their estate to Von Haunt!”
“We’re too old for petty conflicts. As much as I want to fight back, it’s nearly time for Joaquin to become the next heir. I don’t have much time left, and I’m not going to waste what little I have on the Mais.”
In the next room, Joaquin and Hajar talked over a dart game.
“I can’t believe this,” Joaquin said for the millionth time. “James told me, I’m the reason he met Susan. I might as well be the reason his family is going to destroy out heritage!”
“Joaquin, hush,” Hajar whispered. “I don’t think those little Mais know what we Le Chiens are capable of.”
“What? Arson? That was hundreds of years ago, Hajar! Shit like that would get us thrown in jail so fast.”
Hajar angrily threw a dart, which struck the bullseye dead center. “Listen to me, Joaquin! I have the brains, you’ll be the brawn. I think I know a way to limit the Mai’s time…”
Meanwhile, at the bar, Susan shouted “You think the kids are alright?”
“Aarohi’s watching them!” James shouted back over the roar of the music.
“Where is it, Joaquin?” Hajar snarled. “You told me you knew exactly where it was!”
“My ancestors chose this maze for a reason, Hajar! It’s supposed to be tough to find!”
“We only have until James and Susan get wasted enough that they feel guilty for drinking while their kids are left at home and book an earlier flight back,” Hajar explained. “So get a move on!”
Joaquin and Hajar roamed through the maze of the Von Haunt Estate. They were lucky the ghosts of the Shallots didn’t encounter them, as it was unlikely they would have survived such an encounter.
“Here it is,” Joaquin muttered. He leaned down, and scrapped at the dirt to reveal a hidden trap door. “My ancestors built this place before the Shallots planted their hedge maze. They wanted a secret place to plot against them. I think that the gardener was actually paid by my family to plant the maze in a way that would hide this room.”
“Nobody wanted that long explanation, Joaquin,” Hajar sighed. “You always insisting on explaining every little damn thing so intricately was the reason I thought you were gay throughout all of high school."
“Really? Not the fact that I went through a phase where I married Sergio Romeo, of all people, until you came back into my life and set me straight? Okay, Hajar.”
“I wasn’t talking about after high school, moron. And I thought we both agreed not to talk about him? I did have to completely redo your house because you kept on going on about how much you missed him and all.”
“Let’s just get a move on,” Joaquin said quickly.
Joaquin and Hajar entered the secret room they' d been looking for, which was dark and damp. Joaquin fumbled around in the dark until he found a candle, which he lit with a match from his pocket. He then went and lit all the candles in the room.
The room was littered with cobwebs and dust.
Hajar walked over to a pile of wood and smiled. “And little did the police know, the start of the fire was still on the property,” she then paused and continued in a more serious voice. “Historians would kill to see this room, Joaquin. All those signs in the mansion still say no one knows how the fire started.”
“No one in my family has been back here in generations,” Joaquin whispered. “I’m lucky I was able to find it.”
Hajar walked over to a cabinet filled with little vials of various liquids. “I took enough science classes in college to know what these are. And my roommate was a witch. You can learn a hell of a lot from a witch, even if you don’t have their powers yourself.”
“You seriously know what those are? Wouldn’t they be, like, expired?”
“Who cares, Joaquin? We’re not trying to be nice. We’re trying to take our revenge.”
“But we’re also not trying to kill anyone!”
“Well, if we do, it’ll just be a tragic accident. Whoops! We’re not going to be blamed, anyways. None of us are witches.” Hajar shrugged.
Muttering under her breath, Hajar then began to pull various vials out of the cabinet.
An hour later, Joaquin and Hajar stood in front of the Mai house. “All the lights are off,” Joaquin said. “Do you think it’s safe to just walk in?”
Hajar shrugged, and pushed open the front door, which was, of course, unlocked. That Mais really weren't smart. The two crept into the house and past an empty kitchen. In the living room, they spotted the cribs and Aarohi, who was sprawled out on a couch, very clearly asleep.
“What do we do about her?” Joaquin whispered.
“Tie her up, toss her in a bathroom or closet or something. We can never be too careful,” Hajar whispered back.
Joaquin moved to do as she asked. Hajar, meanwhile, pulled a potion out of her pocket, and slowly approached the two sleeping babies.
“Do you two know what this is?” Hajar said quietly, holding the potion up.
The two babies, of course, did not respond.
“I call it an aging potion. This miraculous liquid has the power to strip years off of a life! You know, from the moment I heard your parents were going to start a legacy, my immediate concern was how it endangered any future wealthy prospects for me, but then I thought wow! These people are going to strip years of family history from my dear Joaquin. So, tonight, I thought, why not do the same to the Mais?”
Joaquin returned without Aarohi to watch as Hajar grinned and held up the potion. “If you learn anything tonight, remember that revenge is sweet, children.”
Hajar dumped the potion down the children’s throats, then she and Joaquin fled the house as the cribs started to shake and glow. Those babies would be significantly older when their parents got back from the bar.