On the day that Jack and Reina’s team of Shadowrunners were called in to a weird Carnival with affordable real food according to Truck, Electra was pre-engaged on a day which started off as a scheduled day to check up on Conner Cubelos health. This in turn shifted into meeting the Cubelos family by being invited to the family’s home for a BBQ dinner. Gerald personally insisted by stating it would really help out Conner, who personally chipped in and took Electra’s hand. Electra quite honestly wanted to refuse but found she absolutely couldn’t as it would genuinely make the two of them happy, even though it meant getting a little bit closer to a situation Electra didn’t want to be in again.
Electra got to meet the family which included the Elderly John and Gerald’s Magician father, Samuel. Electra despite her distinctive appearance, was welcomed with open arms for saving Conner’s life and she also had the change to check up on John’s health as well. Sadly there isn’t a cure for ageing but John did share some of his personal experiences with his father as well as some general stories of the pre-magic world.
At some point she received a call from Reina asking if she was available for a mission at a Carnival but Electra politely declined as she was pre-engaged with something else. She wished her friend luck though. Conner looked genuinely sad if Electra had to leave and Electra soon learned that because Conner was sickly, he didn’t have many in the way of friends. In fact outside of the store, Conner just had his video games and family. Conner reminded Electra a little of herself when she was young but Electra had one being though, her Mentor Spirit. Her Mentor Spirit ironically was more kind to Electra and gave her more attention than her own parents and she didn’t see her Mentor spirit often. Sometimes years went by in between the occasional visits and it was almost always in how she was improving with her magic and helping others or inspiring her on some kind of invention or the like.
Conner had family though, parents and grandparents even a great-grandparent who loved him very much. When a social conversation between the Cubelos’ regarding family turned into a question about Electra’s family brought up by Elsa, Samuel’s wife, Electra became visibly upset and fell very quite. Gerald ran interference by having Conner show Electra his gaming counsels which included a still working but very glitchy 70+ year old XBOX 360. Electra was quick to leave with Conner, thankful to be away from such a touchy subject.
Conner introduced her to a game called Skyrim, something made in the final days of the pre-magic world. The counsel itself looked like someone had been trying to maintain it to keep it working and Gerald would later explain that there are still Hardcore Gamers out there intent on keeping the older systems still working which included something called a Nintendo Entertainment System. Apparently the family’s Talismonger shop isn’t the only place in Seattle to still have oddities of old tech. Some of these people are Elves and Orks and mundane men alike who were Samuel’s childhood friends growing up.
Sometime after about an hour of playing, Conner’s XBOX began the Red Ring of Death and soon the game crashed making Conner visibly upset. Electra calmed him down by asking him if he wanted her to fix it and if he would like to help her do so. Conner looked up at her a bit surprised and then got a big smile and loudly proclaimed “YES!”. Working with computers and hardware Electra had some tools on her and Samuel kept some around just in case between the tools Electra was able to take the XBOX apart, study it, fix it and put it back together though the process took some time though, roughly four hours to be exact. Conner helped by getting the tools she needed and handed them to her and by holding pieces so Electra could fit them together.
While Elsa was cooking and helping with John, Samuel and Gerald came in to watch Conner and Electra bonding over a video game counsel. By the time dinner was ready, Electra with Conner’s help had got the old machine working again and it allowed Electra to learn about the machine that she, with time, could possibly make one that worked with current tech on top of older tech that possibly wouldn’t break down as much as an older system could.
Dinner went by a litter easier as the conversation was mainly about Conner’s video game counsel and Electra helping him fix it. John made a joke about Electra being able to fix machines as well as people and Electra laughed a little stating she was no mechanic but could mess with computer hardware a little. John laughed at that and told Electra she didn’t have to be so modest while both Electra and Elsa both stated that he, John, still had to watch his cholesterol. During this time, Electra couldn’t help but notice Samuel was staring at her a bit and then felt weird, she soon realized he was casting a spell on her. Off all spells it was Compel Truth….the nerve! Electra would verify this when, after dinner, Gerald and Conner would spend some time with the Xbox 360 before Gerald would take his son to bed and tuck him in.
Samuel would use this time to talk to Electra a little.
“My son harbours feelings for you, why do you shy away from him?” Samuel asked
“Gerald is in his thirties and yet you still interrogate anyone he brings home, though with manipulation spells?” Electra asked avoiding the question intentionally.
“That’s cute, you should cast a little stronger next time.” Samuel stated, referring to Electra trying to cast Analyse Truth on Samuel but he managed to resist it. “Also, don’t avoid my question.”
In Sperethiel, Electra responds with “Oh you conniving bastard. Please stop where you stand.”
Samuel raised an eyebrow and frowned a little, “I speak Sperethiel too.” He spoke in Sperethiel.
“How…?” Electra began flabbergasted
“Since Tir’Tairngire was founded, Gerald and I do some trade arrangements with folks there. It seemed a courtesy that we should learn it for politeness. I now feel compelled to ask, how do you know it?” Samuel continued.
“I would prefer not to say. Please leave me alone” Electra stated, as politely but deliberately as she could be.
“My son is a good man; I would prefer he be with someone honest.” Samuel continued, getting very suspicious, “Who are you, ‘Electra’?”
Around this time Gerald had returned from putting Conner to bed and came just as Electra yelled at Samuel to leave her alone and ran away. Electra made it as far as the front porch before Gerald caught up with her. Samuel was stopped by Elsa and John, who both wanted to know what was going on.
Electra was in tears but was too physically weak to pry herself away from Gerald, who had a little bit of muscle do to having to move some heavy boxes of product for the store. Instead all she could do was cry for a few minutes before part of her slipped.
“Electra, what happened?” Gerald asked honestly, concerned for her.
“I want to tell but I don’t want him to hurt anyone I care about again.” Electra whispered.
“My father can be a nuisance, but he means well.” Gerald spoke softly “Still I will talk to him.”
“Not him…my….father.” Electra stated.
Gerald quieted a bit.
“He…he set me up to marry someone. Out of jealously that someone….hired a hitman team. I lost….I lost the man I loved that night but didn’t know it.” Electra was whispering at this point.
Gerald went silent and listened and held her for a bit as close as a friend could be.
“Something took over the man I loved. Physically he was fine I saved his life. But he wasn’t the man I knew or fell in love with. We…we ran away his mother, him and I. I thought time could fix it but he just got worse… more violent more destructive.”
At this point Samuel had approached within hearing distance as he used a double image of himself to distract his wife and father while he slipped away. Gerald noticed him in the corner of his eye yet both men stayed silent and listened.
“We were…expected our first child. I was so happy as was his mother but he…” Electra had placed both hands on the area where her scar was. A scar that was no longer there thanks to the Easter she spent at that strange big catholic church. “His gang wanted him to prove his loyalty, they demanded a blood toll.”
Gerald got visibly upset “Electra…”
“He stabbed me. The blade was long enough it….killed the baby and almost killed me. I fought back, was able to subdue him. There was a lot of blood. I was able to stabilize and heal myself but the baby….” Electra’s tears were returning
Gerald held Electra closer as she was crying while Samuel shook his head and turned away.
“It was a boy. Cullen, that’s what I was going to name him. When he died…part of me died. Who I was then died the night I lost my unborn son. The Doctors had to take the child out of me but they couldn’t revive him. When I was physically better I ran. All because of my father, he took everything from me. Some Christmas present.”
“Your father, he…” Gerald began, angry and saddened by this
“I would rather you not know his name and for your safety I will not tell you my name unless I know without a doubt you, Connor, your family which includes your annoying father won’t be killed.” Electra cut him off. “It’s Electra, Electra Sakura. Just Electra.” Electra firmly said.
Electra tried pullying away once more, her eyes looked longingly at her car. Her body language spoke as though she wished to run and was uncomfortable here.
“Electra I care for you and…” Gerald spoke not wanting her to drive in this emotional state “I’m not him, I’m someone who is stable and can look after you. Conner likes you and loves looking forward to your visits and.”
“I fear kissing. And I hate Christmas.” Electra spoke this while looking away from Gerald. “He kissed me when he stabbed me on Christmas day. Please let me go.” Electra begged.
Gerald released his grip on her with sad eyes but surprisingly Electra didn’t run away from him. Instead she tugged on his shirt a little.
“Uhm…when’s Conner’s birthday?” She asked changing the subject.
“January 26th.” Gerald asked and looked at her curiously. “Why?”
“I wanted to make him an XBOX that could work with modern and older tech in case he wished to download more games.” Electra admitted honestly.
Gerald smiled at that. “Id’e think he like that.”
Electra smiled back “Good” She laughed a little.
Feeling better she left, but not before giving Gerald a hug. “Thank you, Gerald.”
When she left Gerald that evening, she didn’t see Samuel come out of the door. For Samuel placed a hand on his son’s shoulder and told him “Give her time to heal. She’s afraid but she does care about you and Conner”
Gerald shrugged him off forcibly and looked his own father in the eye “Never do that to her again.” Gerald went inside leaving his father there, who shook his head and entered after.