Daddy Issues [Castle]

[Oathkeeper Emi]

August 14, 2010
--

Emi stood outside the house. It was smaller than she had expected, but still bigger and nicer than any place she had ever lived in. She looked down at the paper, and back up to the house. This was it. This is what could have been. The house she was looking at could have been her home if things had turned out differently. A lot of things would be different if only... if only.

She took a deep breath and held it, but didn't move. Under one arm, she had her mother's journal with the photo and letter. She had done her best to make herself look presentable, too. After their little night time excursion the night before, she didn't look like she had been rolling in a barbecue pit. Her hair was clean and brushed, she had washed her clothed as well as she could. After all that, she still didn't look like she belonged here- because she didn't.

Blowing out the breath, she finally stepped up to the front door and lifted her hand, pounding on the heavy wood as loudly- but politely- as she could. And then she waited, terrified of who would answer.

[Castle]

Castle waited beside her, but back a little further from the door. She looked nervous as hell, and he knew there was nothing he could do about that, so he stayed silent. He was mostly here for moral support, anyway.

Like Emi, he'd put forth an effort to clean himself up earlier. He didn't want her father, or whoever the heck answered the door, to see her standing there with some dirty weirdo. He'd washed all the dirt, soot and grime off of himself and his clothes, and then took the time to repair the burnt fabric to the best of his ability (which actually turned out rather well).

What would come of this fateful meeting? Who knows. There was no point in thinking about it too hard.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

I'm already not liking this.
--

After a few moments, someone came and answered the door. Emi froze, trying to figure out if this was her father or not. It wasn't. Whoever he was, he raised an eyebrow at her and asked "Can I help you?"

"I dadhablargh.... I mean.... shit. I'm here to see Nikolas Rosenthal. Is he around?[/color]" she finally stuttered out, completely embarrassed at her lack of grace. And tact. The man nodded. "Yes, but you'll need to make an appointment and come back at a later time. Mr. Rosenthal is a very busy man."

Emi's eye twitched. "Yeah well, trust me, he's not too busy to see his on... his daughter.[/color]"

She stopped herself before she said "only daughter". For all she knew, the man could be married and have twelve children. Which meant she could have half-siblings. She hadn't thought about that. The stranger inside the house was surprised to say the least.

"Oh," he said. "I thought you looked familiar. Come inside, quickly. Don't track any dirt in. In fact, go ahead and take your shoes off outside. Mr. Rosenthal is very picky about the way his home is kept."

While Emi was crouched down on the porch taking off her sneakers, the man was giving her a good, long look. "Those are not appropriate clothes, at all, miss. Are you aware your midriff is showing?"

Emi looked over her shoulder at him and scowled. "Oh, really? I'm so glad you told me. I would have never noticed.[/color]"

"Well, the baron will never see you dressed that way. You'll have to change clothes. Your... friend, too," said the man, gesturing to Castle. "There are things in the house for you to wear."

Emi turned back to her shoes. "Oh, for the love of...[/color]"

[Castle]

Dadhablargh? It was hard to keep his face and the palm of his hand from becoming acquainted with one another, but Castle managed. He kept his hands busy by crossing his arms, and he tried to look casual as he watched the awkward scene continue to unfold.

Of course the subject of attire came up. He didn't have to glance down at himself to know that his choice in wardrobe was even less appropriate than Emi's. Normally, he would have told anyone who questioned how he dressed to go jump off the world's edge, but this was a delicate situation.

He would have to behave himself for her sake. He nodded at the man, though not without a subtle "I'm only behaving because I choose to" overtone, and removed his own shoes. While he was kneeling, he cast Emi what he hoped was a reassuring glance, and then stood up with his shoes in hand and waited for the guy to let them in.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

I haven't worn a dress in years...
--

Emi stood up next to Castle and the man lead them inside, introducing himself. "I help your father with his business," he explained, as he rushed them through the house. "And take care of his clients, or in this case... other people who might come to visit."

The suspicious sideways glance was enough to tell Emi that this guy wasn't all that sure she was telling the truth. She didn't know it, but he wouldn't have let them in if he wasn't so afraid of Nikolas's temper. Imagine she was telling the truth and he didn't let them in. Of course, if she was lying, he would probably be angry, too. He had mentioned earlier she looked familiar, and with good reason, a reason she was about to find out.

He pointed to a room and said "You, girl, in there. There are clothes in the bureau that should fit you." He turned to Castle. "I'm sure the are some childrens' clothes around here for you somewhere."

Emi couldn't help but snort and choke down a laugh at that one. She waved at over her shoulder. "Good luck, be out in a second.[/color]"

She didn't know what she was expecting when she walked in. It was a clean, all white bedroom that looked it wasn't being lived in. Once the door closed behind her, she was free to freak the hell out. She put her hands in her hair and bit her lip. What the FUCK am I doing?! she thought. What is all this? Who is that? Oh my god, oh my god.

She hurried to drawers. She didn't know what to expect there either, but it sure as hell wasn't a dress. It was full of dresses. So was the closet. She resisted the urge to bust up out of that bedroom and run screaming back to the orphanage, but she stopped herself at the door and leaned against it with a slow groan. Then, she got up and stomped back over to the drawers, grabbed a random garment out of the top one, undressed and put the dress on. It was green, which was a nice color on her, but it was a little too short. Most skirts were, which is why she hadn't worn one since she quit school.

She stepped back out into the hall way, face burning. "There. Can I see Mr. Rosenthal now...please?[/color]" she asked, forcing the please at the end.

"Hmm. If you aren't his daughter, you are a very clever fake," said the man who let them in. "I can see the resemblance."

[Castle]

Castle caught sight of the suspicious glance and returned it. He knew that Emi being accepted as what's-his-name's daughter right away was just too easy. So, why had this person let them in?

The blatant insult thrown his way was a successful distraction from that train of thought (Emi being called "you, girl," wasn't that good to hear, either, but he stopped being mad about that when she stifled laughter at him). Castle glared daggers at the guy and resisted the urge to punch him in the face. There just had to be something that would piss him off during this visit, didn't there?

Unfortunately, he didn't have anything to use as a comeback, so he grudgingly went into the room he was directed to and shut the door. Honestly, if the baron was so stuck up that they had to change clothes just to see him, then this would be either a very long or a very short visit. After some searching, Castle found a pair of boring black pants, a white shirt, and a suit jacket that were close enough to his size and put them on.

He reunited with Emi in the hallway. She was in a dress. Castle stopped and did a double-take. He'd never even dared to imagine her in a dress before, but it was actually kind of flattering on her. He immediately thought of his mother and the changes she would make, but for what it mattered, Emi looked good.

Of course, he had to smirk a little at how uncomfortable she looked. It let him forget his own discomfort for a while.

"Yeah, that's great," he said to the guy's last comment, "does that mean we can see him now?" Oops. Forgot his manners. "Uh, please?"

[Oathkeeper Emi]

I don't know what I'm gonna BLAAAARGH.
--

The man stopped and thought about it then, with his arms crossed, looking at the two of them. They were half-way presentable now, but he needed to stop and think. The girl... it was obvious she was telling the truth. He had been employed by the baron for a long, long time and he saw just how much Emi resembled her mother. Not only that, but the eyes... the demeanor. Even the way she was combing her fingers through her hair. All of it was very very familiar. Either that or she had been stalking the baron long enough to very naturally adopt his mannerisms and attitude.

"This way," he said and hurried past them and on down the wall. Emi followed behind him, feeling quite uncomfortable without any pants or shoes. He brought them to a door and motioned for them to wait while he knocked. Emi crossed her arms. Suddenly, she was beyond nervous. She was downright anxious, and shaking.

"Mr. Rosenthal, you have a visitor."
And then, faintly, from inside the room: "Send them in. Make it quick."

The man opened the door and stepped out of the way. Emi was standing directly in front of of the door, and the desk Nikolas sat at was straight ahead. He looked up and froze.

[Castle]

And there he was, like the photograph only older. To Castle's mutual fascination and irritation, the eyes of the father and daughter were identical in color. He always thought that Emi's were a great shade, and seeing it on someone else, someone like this guy, was unwelcome, even though there had to be dozens of people with irises like that.

What came next was a long, awkward silence. Castle fidgeted and bit back several comments, such as "Yeah, she's your daughter," or "Pick your jaw up and let us in already so we can leave."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH.
--

Emi froze as well, and they stared at each other for a while. Finally, Nikolas got frustrated. "Well, don't waste my time. Come in," he snapped. Emi felt herself get pushed into the room and she sat stiffly in one of the chairs in front of the desk. She chewed on her finger for a minute and pulled out the journal. She put it on the desk in front of him. He looked at it and at her, and he sighed heavily.

"Well. I'm honestly surprised it's taken this long," he mumbled, picking up the journal with one hand. Emi smiled bitterly. Actually, it was less a smile and more just baring her teeth.

"I've been kind of busy.[/color]"

Just like that, he accepted the truth. He knew it was her. There was no denying it.

"Why now?" he asked, setting the journal aside. "What do you want?" Emi leaned forward. "I don't want your money. I don't want us to be happily reunited and live happily ever after. All I want is for you to tell me what really happened between you and my mom and why you never came to see me or even acknowledged I exist.[/color]"

Nikolas gritted his teeth. "Stupid girl. You should have just asked for money."

[Castle]

He didn't like Mr. Rosenthal's tone. Not at all. However, he remained silent and followed Emi into the room, taking the other vacant chair. He hoped this would be over before something snapped. He was already in a bad mood from the doorman or whoever he was, not to mention he didn't have a great first impression of Emi's dad from what he read in the journal.

Things didn't get much better. Nikolas automatically assumed she was here for his money, which wasn't a surprise. However, what he said afterward, after Emi took the time to explain herself, was, and it was not a good one.

Castle stood up. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded sharply, "Are you threatening her? All she wants is answers!"

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Wow, so my dad's.... he's special.
--

Nikolas glared at Castle, his jaw clenching and Emi did the exact same thing. Simultaneously. "Castle! Sit the fuck down![/color]" she screamed at him, grabbing his arm. "Don't ruin this for me, you jackass![/color]"

Emi's father rubbed his temple. Oh dear. What monster had he created? He supposed this is what he deserved: a child just like him. The screaming and flailing and general chaos got tiring. "Quiet, both of you!" he shouted at them. Emi snapped at him.

"Don't tell me to be quiet, you....you ffff---... I don't even know what to call you! I literally can't think of an insult to describe how much I really fucking dislike you![/color]"

She stopped for a minute to catch her breath, very aware of the tears stinging her eyes. Now was her chance to tell him what she really thought.

"You never returned any of her letters. You never came to see me. I grew up in an orphanage because you cared more about your reputation and pride. There was no way in hell you were going to admit to knocking up a prostitute, am I right?[/color]"

Nikolas sneered. "How can you be so sure that's what happened? I did come to see you, up until you were four years old and that senile old woman who took care of you forbade me to see you because she didn't like me. Once a month for four years."

Well, that put Emi back in her place. She slumped back into the chair. He had to be lying. She didn't remember that. Nikolas kept on his rant. "And you want to know what really happened between me and your mother? Fine, I'll tell you. Your mother was a spoiled, greedy, materialistic woman who would have rather sold herself than live an average life. I made the mistake that backfired in my face in hiring her. To get her to stay quiet about the true nature of our relationship, I paid her four times the amount she normally charged. I ended it then and there and never saw her again."

Emi couldn't believe she was hearing this. "What about the letters? She said she sent you letters and you never replied.[/color]"

Nikolas shrugged. "To be honest, I didn't believe her. It didn't seem too out of character for her to make up the whole thing. In fact, I almost didn't believe the news she had died until I went into to town to see for myself. I went to her house, and it was true. Her maid told me where you were and I went there straight away."

"You never replied or even bothered to check because you thought she was making it up? Are you fucking retarded!?[/color]"

[Castle]

Having his arm grabbed and being yelled at by Emi nearly pushed him over the edge. Then, he remembered that she was the one he was trying to defend in the first place. He was still going to tell her that using that language wasn't much better than what he just did, but then Mr. Rosenthal snapped at both of them.

He was seething now, but he lowered himself slowly back into the chair. Things heated up between Emi and her father, and he just watched. All attempts to control manners were apparently tossed in the trash.

"Yeah, seriously," he muttered in agreement to what Emi said, though his tone didn't reach an easily audible level.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Gurrrrl, oh no you di'int.
--

Nikolas leaned back into his chair, an air of indifference surrounding him. He tapped his fingers on the desk for a moment before answering "Obviously, you have a romanticized and skewed idea of your mother's personality. You didn't know the woman but I knew her in a very intimate manner for years and I can assure you, it was completely in character for her lie in order to get my attention. I wasn't about to feed into that and let myself get dragged back into her web."

Emi squeezed the arms of the chair until they creaked. Her face was disgusted. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. But, it was too late to go back. "But what about me? You knew where I was. You are my biological father and you obviously have a little bit of power. It wasn't Kagabu keeping you from seeing me. You could have come and claimed me as your own if you really wanted to, but you didn't. So don't blame the old lady for this. You really have no regret at all about abandoning your own flesh and blood?"

Nikolas combed his hand through his gray hair. He had long, slender fingers just like Emi. "Not a single bit of regret. I did what I thought was right. You have to understand, though, part of the reason why I did not claim you was for your own good. I have neither the time or the patience for children, especially children as young as you were. You would not have been happy in my home."

That killed the half-siblings theory then. Emi almost leapt out of her seat to wring his neck until he bled out of his eyeballs, but she had one final thing she wanted him to hear before she killed him. "I wasn't happy either way, you dick."

"Hmmph. I suppose you are right," he replied. He gestured towards her arms, bare in the short sleeved dress. "After all those are not natural scars, from a fight or childhood accident, are they? Judging from the placement, straight lines and varying depths and healing, I'm assuming they are self-inflicted.

[Castle]

If he was asked about it later, Castle would be unable to pinpoint what exactly set him off. Maybe it was the scar comments, or maybe it was something before then. Regardless, he ended up on the other side of the desk, papers scattering behind him, the heel of his palm jammed into Nikolas Rosenthal's face.

The chair the old man was sitting in toppled backwards, but Castle caught the old man himself by the shirt, though only to push him against the far wall. The windows on that wall rattled sharply.

"Listen up, shit head," he growled. Unlike his usual tendency to get louder when he was angry, his voice was at a dangerous low. "I don't know what exactly you're trying to accomplish by being a dick to your own daughter, but making comments like that puts even a baron at an all-time low."

Unbeknownst to him, small wisps of darkness began to rise from his shoulders as he kept the baron pinned.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

AhhhAHHHHHH what's going on here!?
--

Emi had been just about to pull a similar stunt and throw herself over the desk to strangle her father, but Castle beat her to it. She was stunned, and watched the entire scene from her chair with her mouth hanging open. But then she realized, she should probably do something.

Her father's butler/servant/whatever was flailing around behind them, threatening to call the police or the castle guards and Emi couldn't help but snap "There aren't any more castle guards, stupid![/color]" as she jumped out of the chair and scrambled across the desk. She grabbed Castle by the back of his shirt and pulled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Get off of him before Spazzy back there has us both arrested![/color]" she yelled at him. Meanwhile, Nikolas was in shock, staring at the purple haired demon that had him pinned to the wall. He couldn't speak, couldn't move. He honestly thought he was going to die, having never really been put through this kind of abuse anymore. And what were those wisps of darkness coming off him? He truly was a demon.

Finally, Emi jumped down from the desk and tried to wedge herself between Castle and Nikolas. Even if he was being horrible, Emi wasn't about to let Castle kill him. One, because she didn't want her only living relative to be murdered. Two, she didn't want Castle to be a murderer. More than anything, she had noticed the same darkness Nikolas had. And that scared her. If she hadn't noticed, she probably would have just let Castle beat him up. Now, she was worried he would actually kill him. What was happening to her friend?

"Seriously. Lay off him.[/color]"