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"I think that eventually… our absence… from the festivities will be… noted," Irene heaved between laboured breathes as Raven trailed searing kisses along her jawline. They had managed to pull the clairvoyant unnoticed into a room on the ground level that the hosts were using as a makeshift cloak room for the winter ball being held at the Xavier family’s manor in Oxfordshire.
Raven compelled themself to pause in their efforts leaving their lips pressed against the other woman’s skin in a smirk before tilting their neck back and down slightly to look directly at their associate. Irene was quite the vision, pressed up amongst the fur lined cloaks padding along the walls of the cloakroom. In her deep azure gown, which complimented Raven’s own cobalt hue, with its off the shoulder neckline that left her collarbone and the slightest hint of her bosom on display. Her dark chestnut brown hair artfully pulled back into a chignon.
If it were it not for the rosy flush that spread across her exposed skin and the slight askew the tinted glasses that she wore to protect her milky unseeing eyes from light damage, the clairvoyant would be the picture of immaculate poise.
“Well, lucky for us that your ability would alert us of that becoming a potential problem.” The redheaded shapeshifter remarked with an amused tone. “It’s also late enough for our fellow ball invitees to assume we’ve departed for the evening.”
As they leaned into to continue to lavish Irene with their attention, their lover placed a finger on their lips that caused them to pause. “While I am one of the most powerful clairvoyants in all of Europe, we both know that’s not how my ability works darling.”
“And as much as I do enjoy your attentions,” Irene continued. “I would like us to avert any potential scandal of me being found in the embrace of someone who does not appear to be my husband, let alone another woman sporting cobalt skin before we’ve even had the chance to debrief,” she explained with a slight hint of exasperation in her voice. “That would require the execution of a large number of contingencies that I would rather like to avoid.”
The shapeshifter sighed in exaggerated annoyance. “It’s not the first-time marriage and respectability has ruined our fun,” they remarked with a groan as they loosened their hold around Irene’s waist and took a step back from the other woman.
The clairvoyant took a step closer to them, and in a quick fluid motion had the taller woman’s back up against the line of coats instead.
“I’m not opposed to your receiving your attentions my darling. Nor am I opposed to bestowing my own attentions upon you,” their associate voiced as she began to loosen the shapeshifters cravat to reveal more of their neck. While it was unnecessary for Raven to even wear clothes, they mostly chose to wear clothing while performing any sort of reconnaissance. “We simply require a balance between that and the debriefing bit.”
“So,” began Irene as she snaked her arms around the taller woman’s neck. “Were you able to find Brian’s private files and were you able to take the ledger stored amongst them?” she asked as she leaned in and began placing feather light kisses along Raven’s jaw heading towards the shell of their ear.
The red head let out a small chuckle. “Brian? No longer Lord Xavier? Should I be jealous?” They teased.
That earned them an irritated huff and a playful nip on the earlobe in response. Irene looked up at to level a gaze for added affect. “Answer the question Mrs. Darkhölme.”
“Yes, and yes I did. It’s stored safely in the lining of my coat,” they confirmed with a sigh as their lover continued to trail her lips against their jaw, leading down to the expanse of their neck. “And unfortunately, it appears to be the worse of the two scenarios you foresaw.”
Irene sighed in exasperation. “Meaning Lord Marko is also in the fold and those two dolts are doing Essex’s- well Milbury as they know him- dirty work under the guise of brilliant scientific discovery.” Irene clarified into the crook of the shapeshifters neck. “Well, at least where Xavier is concerned. Marko is probably getting some sort of financial benefit from the project.”
Raven hummed in agreement as they thought of the troubling implications of the documents they had found in Lord Xavier’s study. File upon file filled with the results experiments done on manifested mutant children. Children that include Lord Xavier’s son, who could not have been any older than five. The same boy his lordship has been parading around the party all evening for his guests to fawn over his bright precocious heir. How someone could do that to their own child, Raven genuinely could not understand.
Seeming to notice the far-off look in the other woman’s eyes, Irene moved her hand from around Raven’s neck to gently cradle the shapeshifter’s face and turn her slightly, so they were looking directly at one another.
“Libste… We can save the boy, and the others, from this at least. We now have the ledger with the labs on their payroll.” she whispered while grabbing the taller woman’s other hand and placing a feather light kiss in their palm. “And when we locate the facilities, we can lay fury and vengeance upon them.”
The last bit drew a small smile from the shapeshifter before their brow furrowed in confused. “From this at least?”
The clairvoyant sighed sadly, “We can save the boy from those who wish to experiment on him, but we won’t be able to save the man he will become from his own deluded centrist sensibilities.” She shook her head as if to shake away her dread. “Never mind that for now though, we’re about to received some unexpected company so you might want to change back into your other form.” She explained as she took a few steps back from her partner to readjust her glasses and smooth her gown. “And be a dear when your done and help me into my cloak; your own cape and cap are on the rack right next to it. My cane also managed to roll over there”
Raven did as they were instructed and slipped into the same appearance she donned anytime they and Irene were working in a public setting. By the time they had put on their own Inverness cape and deerstalker cap and had grabbed Irene’s cloak, the door of the cloak room burst open.
“He’s a vulgar man and he’s much too familiar with you!”
“Sharon, Kurt Marko is a dear friend and a respected colleague! To suggest anything further outrageous! And this is hardly an appropriate discuss to have in this venue-”
“Do not think me a naïve child who is unaware of the type of dalliances-”
Raven chose that moment to cough loudly, in hopes it would discreetly alert Lord and Lady Xavier that they were not alone as they had most likely been hoping. For the briefest moment, panic spread across both of their faces as they realized two of their guests had overheard part of their argument, before both slipped back into their well-honed façades of gracious hosts and blissfully happy couple.
“Detective Darkhölme! Mrs. Adler-Darkhölme! Are you both leaving so soon?” Brian asked making a point to sound warmly disappointed at the prospect of their departure.
The shapeshifter confidently smiled at the man. “Lord Xavier, I only ask my clients call me Detective Darkhölme. As you are not my client, I must insist that you call me Rupert.” They confidently insisted in the voice they specifically donned in this form. Unlike the many disguises Raven donned when on missions: Rupert was facet of their whole.
Raven had never quite felt completely like a man or a woman… whatever those titles really meant. The manifestation of their ability had been a blessing in many ways. But the biggest bless was it allowed them to don whatever form felt most affirming at any given time. Rupert was just a more masculine, and less blue, version of her baseline appearance. Their hair remained the bright red it naturally was, and they added a beard or moustache when either were in vogue. When they were at home in only Irene’s company, there were times when they would stay in their masculine form, with the addition of their base blue hue, for days or even weeks at a time.
“Well in that case,” the other man began warmly. “I must in turn insist you, like Irene, call me Brian. None of these silly formalities between hopefully new friends?”
“Yes, and as new friends, we hope you didn’t get any… misconstrued opinions of us from the conversation Brian and I were discussing as we walked in-”
“Darling do you remember over hearing anything from their conversation?” Irene cut in to ask her husband who was amid helping her into her cloak
“I cannot say I recall anything other than the low volume of their voices.” Raven responded as they handed their now snow prepared wife her cane and offered her their arm.
“With my husband departing back to our townhome in London tomorrow for a case, we regrettably must be away for the evening,” Irene explained disappointment on display in her tone, as she accepted her husband’s offered arm. “I am looking forward to come to your home this Monday for afternoon tea, Lady Xavier.”
“Please call me Sharon, as I most definitely will be calling you Irene,” the lady of the house teased. “I was absolutely thrilled to hear from Brian that you’ve agreed to take on the archivist position for his project! All his research papers have made homes in every room in this manor and our townhome in London. I will be very glad to have my home back.”
“Yes, we are absolutely thrilled to have you join the team Irene!” The doctor proclaimed. “Having renowned associate of a rather famous detective is quite the get for us, even if only on a temporary basis.”
“The honour is all mine,” the clairvoyant responded. She used her free arm to grab her cane she had lent against her leg while she had put on her outerwear. “Until Monday.”
Both couples gave each other their goodbyes and well wishes, and the Adler-Darkhölme’s left the Xavier home with a dinner invitation to follow Raven’s return from London, and the ledger safely stored in the inter pocket of Raven’s cape.
Later, in their lengthy ride home in their personal carriage, once Raven felt they were far enough from the estate, they took out the ledger from its hiding spot. “I’m going to make a copy of this before I leave for London tomorrow.” They relayed as they pulled Irene into their lap. I’ll use the typewriter for the copy I leave here so the letters are embossed and write it in German so only you and I can read it.”
“Perfect,” their wife responded she leaned in closer to them. “And now the game is afoot.” She summarized and placed a soft kiss on the corner of their lips.
She leaned back and wrinkled her nose a bit. “Mein libste. You know that I love you in all your infinite forms. But is there anyway you could make your beard in this form less prickly?
A bright laugh startled itself out of Raven. “I shall see what I can do to remedy that.” They took their wife’s gloved hand and pressed a firm on her knuckles. “Will it always be like this? Trying to avert one catastrophe after another?”
The clairvoyant sighed sadly and wrapped her arms around Raven’s neck. “I’m sorry my love, but I can not foresee that it ever will,” she admitted in a solemn tone. “But our actions will make a difference, that I can assure you of.”
“Well,” they breathed as they leaned in closer so they could caress their wife's nose with their own. “Let us hope we can eventually succeed.”