Versailles - November 2025 (Louis)

Subject: Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 3:03 pm

The Prime Minister of France and the Ministress of Magic for the country did not often have cause to run into each other but lately it seemed they had been seeing more of each other than their own cabinet members. Of course, some bipartisanship was expected when France had agreed to lead the wizarding world into taking its first steps towards unity with the non magics. But elected leaders had not been present at the summit to understand the finer points of the deal. In fact, elected leaders barely seem to be present for the important things. For while they ran the day to day business of moving the country forwards, any important decisions regarding France as a whole were made by the heart and soul of her land - the Palace of Versailles and those who reigned there.

No mater what the public was led to believe, the decision of pushing wizarding France into the twenty first century came from the palace, and the elected officials could agree or find themselves uncollected the end of the year. Lord Louis Clement was infamous for listening to everyone but doing only what he saw fit.

But the lady Clement, perhaps she could be persuaded. No one who had seen the Lord and Lady Clement together up close could deny the amount of influence she had on her husband but the verdict was still out on her own convictions. The woman who was beautiful enough to inspire a thousand artists and break a million hearts spoke rarely to a large audience, preferring to mostly watch her her husband speak from a corner. She wrote no books, quilled no op-eds, displayed no radical opinions on political events or added her voice either in support of or contradicting a social development. Nothing gave an insight to how Her Ladyship thought and reasoned, there was no channel linking the witch to her innermost feeling that outsiders could detect.

And this led many to make the grave mistake of believing Vanessa Jhalak Clement simply had no opinions to share. That she stood by her husband as little more than a pretty ornament present to enhance his own prestige. Of course, those who made that mistake, only did so before they had the pleasure of meeting her in person. Prime Minister Xavier Jugelé and Ministress of Magic Aline Dumas had had such a pleasure multiple times, which was why they were here.

When the invitation from the palace had arrived in response to their combined missive requesting an audience with His Lordship, both of them had been hopeful. If Lord Clement was ready to hear them out, perhaps they had a chance. After all, their demands were far from unreasonable. But when they had entered the palace, their cavalry temporarily housed in the outer areas while the two were ushered into the main keep, they had been informed that Her Ladyship would be with them shortly. Both government officials had exchanged a careful glance, finding themselves rare allies in a highly extenuating circumstance.

The conversation that took place in the few minutes the servants left them alone was brief and unanimous. They had to change tactics, appeal to Her Ladyship's emotional side. Perhaps it was best that Lord Clement himself would not be present. If they could convince his wife, their job was done. And after all, they both agreed, unburdening themselves of any guilt they felt, what they were requesting was for the good of everyone. Having agreed on the plan of action, the two stopped speaking, waiting for the servant to return and show them into Lord Clement's study.

"La reine Clément va vous voir maintenant."

Both of them entered the study calmly, greeting Her Ladyship one by one. In addition to the polite pecks on her cheek, Minister Jugele offered her a bow of respect ingrained into his family for generations. His grandfather had always insisted that when one saw a Clement regardless of age, gender or marital status, one bowed or curtsied. Aline followed with a more clumsy curtsy, her German education showing clearly.

"The palace welcomes you," Vanessa replied with a smile that made it perfectly clear the invitation was not unconditional. "Unfortunately, lord Clement could not be here today, but I hope I can be of some service. Please, have a seat."

It was the Ministress who began. "Your Ladyship, we realize your time is of great value so we shall not mince words. No one knows for sure what is going on at our southern border, and the longer we remain ignorant, the more danger we are all in." The words were spoken with true conviction because the witch clearly believed them.

"It is true, Your Ladyship. We have evacuated all our citizens from the effected areas, magical and otherwise. But we can't tell them why. Snow is nothing new to us, and the people will grow restless if not informed." Working with his colleague, he tried to bring the argument full circle. "We have to know what is going on if we are to prepare for it in a timely manner. Thousands of French lives could be at risk."

Vanessa merely stayed silent, letting them talk themselves into the case they'd clearly been preparing for some time now. The area that had experienced the unusual snow storms in October had been isolated, the citizens removed and the land shielded off via both magical and muggle means. Now it was finally time to decide what to do about it and the elected leaders of France appear to be under the impression that they had a say in the matter.

"Et comment suggérez-vous que nous combattions la situation?"

"We have to send in our best men, M'Lady,' Jugele was quick to reply. "Our military, in which His Lordship served for years, and our special forces."

"Our team of Aurars is only awaiting orders too," The Ministress insisted, not to be outdone. "France has the best men and women to her name, all of whom will die for her in a heartbeat. All they require is a signal from the Palace and we will have dealt with this come dawn tomorrow Lady Clement."

"Then we are in agreement,' the Monarch nodded, her face no longer in the polite smile. The two guests however failed to notice this, taking her words to mean they had won.

"Not all of us, M'Lady. his Lordship still requires some convincing..."

"He intends to go in alone, with a handful of personal guards, Your Ladyship," Aline added to sooth her colleagues statement somewhat. "France would never heal if anything were to happen to her Lord Clement. We simply beseech he allow us to send some of our highly trained experts with him."

"And these experts of yours... they work for a salary non?"

"They are great patriots, Your Ladyship. They would die for France in the blink of an eye."

"And the men going in with my husband would kill for him in less time," Vanessa Clement finished quietly.

It had not taken her long to realize that whatever was happening at the border was not simply a matter of country. By declaring war on a system that had served the magical world for centuries, they had angered nature. And nature saw no border lines or country laws. They had started this and now they were going to finish it. In such a situation, they did not need Aurars and military officials. They needed those who had been loyal to House Clement for generations. Me who would do as instructed without questions or hesitation.

"Forgive me, Lady Clement but we were not included in the decision to merge with the magical world. We were not informed of the timeline to do so until it was decided. the palace does us a disservice by valueing our input so little. We deserve to know what is going on as much as anyone else so we can all collectively come up with a solution."

"On the contrary Monsieur Jugele, the palace has shown you great respect in notifying you of its decisions," Her Ladyship corrected, her grey eyes stern and her expression smooth as if carved from stone. Her tone left no doubt that should the Minister not appreciate such an honor, it would be easily taken away.

"You will know what we deem you to be ready to know. After all, knowledge is the greatest weapon to be misused, would you not agree Aline?" the Ministress had no chose but to nod helplessly. Though the use of ehr first name, remnants of a time when she and the Lady Clement were at Beauxbaton together, gave her one last hope.

"Vanessa, don't let Louis go in there alone. What Xavier and I are suggesting is for the best."

The Lady Clement nodded, rising silently to her feet to indicate the meeting over. "You're mistaken in thinking he's going alone." She spoke in lieu of parting words. Perhaps they needed reminding that Lord Louis Clement was never alone.

"I will be accompanying His Lordship to the southern border." And the way she said it made the implication perfectly clear.

There was no force on earth that could harm her husband when she stood by his side.

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Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Rsz_ve10

Subject: Re: Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 3:04 pm

The meeting that had been offered to the Palace had been one Louis had all but refused to take. His frustration of how the Minister of Magic and the Prime Minister of France could beckon him as if a errand boy had been discussed with his Lady wife as they lay in bed one evening, her slender frame tucked safely in to him as he spoke with the clear frustrations of the scenario they found themselves in. As always, Vanessa Jhalak Clement had been the only one with the capabilities of soothing the Lord Clement's frustrations of the day as she spoke softly about what they were going to do, instead of playing the game the French authorities wanted them to.

It had, therefore, been settled between the two of them to reply to the request with a no for a meeting with the Lord Clement, but instead a meeting with the Lady Clement instead.

An invitation that was quickly taken up by the authorities.

Louis had paid little and less mind to that much, simply allowing Vanessa everything she needed for the meeting with the two public figures. Ven had asked for nothing more than his study, and Louis had accepted without question on that point.

The morning of the meeting had seen the two rise early, Ven moving to her dressing table to get ready for the morning as Louis sat atop their bed with his breakfast, watching, as he often did, the way in which she readied herself for the day. The Lady Clement's eyes would catch him in the act from the mirror, but the Lord Clement would simply smile warmly back at the witch. The smile would grow larger if the Lady Clement quirked her eyebrow at him, questioning how, even after all these years, he found this to be interesting. No answer ever came, Louis didn't need to supply one, but as he cleared his breakfast and the tray was taken away, he resigned himself to the fact he was going to have to get moving with the day's activities.

Leaving the Lady Clement alone with her ladies, Louis had washed and dressed in his own privacy, checking himself over in the mirror as he straightened his tie to make sure it was just out of line, but not noticeably so. Returning back to their room, Louis interrupted the dressing of the Lady Clement only briefly to wish her good luck with her endeavours that day, and not feeling remotely bad for the fact his wife's hands moved up to straighten his tie without question before he dipped his head just enough to claim her lips for his own in a chaste kiss of good luck.

For a moment, the Lord Clement did not move, before the same raised eyebrow came that would always tease him, to the grave he suspected.

"Alright," Louis murmured softly, letting his wife go now. "Bonne chance!"

Exiting their rooms, the Lord Clement hurried down to his father's study, knowing he was perhaps slightly later than he'd intended, but also knowing those he'd summoned that day would be ready, waiting and would never comment about a minor delay.

The Lord Clement was not wrong, either, for as the doors opened to the largest study in the Palace, he found half a dozen men already gathered around the table. All of them stood upon his arrival, and Louis nodded his greeting to them all. "Gentlemen," he acknowledged, moving around to his father's seat and sitting down before all the others resumed their seats. "Thank you for coming, I appreciate it is short notice, but things are a matter of urgency." Louis explained, not dithering around niceties for too long.

"As you'll all be aware, there are disturbing readings coming out of the South of France. These readings are causing international whispers which are slowly harming both the economy and France herself. We do not know what are causing the strange outbursts in the weather in the South of France, but we must get on top of them before they become much too worrying. That is why you've been called here today." Louis explained, looking around the men gathered. All of them owed their lives to the Clements, all of their ancestors had worked with the Clements for centuries, and above all else, all of the men gathered were specially trained in areas of combat, research techniques, magical and muggle diseases, and many other specialisms. An elite force, so to speak, but one that had been specifically harboured by the Clements in the hope of never needing it.

The world was changing, though, and the men were being pulled from their desk jobs, or other tasks around the Palace, to aid the Clements now.

"We will be flying down to the South of France this afternoon." Louis explained, his eyes immediately going to the man who was primed for such instructions as head of the militarised vehicles available to the Clements. A short nod was returned, with a soft 'm'lord' to show his ascent to the instruction, but nothing more. "I don't know how long we will be gone from Versailles, so I would suggest you pack accordingly. Our mission is secret, all information with be kept within our group, and therefore, your families will know very little more than this."

With that, Louis drew the men's attention to the data that was already known, and their plan going forward. Another half dozen men would be joining them, and the Lady Clement. There was a hush in the conversation at this part, a few glances at the Lord Clement, but nobody dared to outwardly question the Lord Clement in his decision. For another two hours, the men sat talking their tactical plans, and working out the final preparations for their operation. By the time the meeting had closed, the plan was airtight, and the men left the room to collect their belongings for the trip, and then prep for their given field.

Louis had been left in the study with his own notes, contemplating the information they held with a deep frown upon his features. The final part was to visit his Maman, and denote their trip to the South of France. As the only Clement left at the Palace, it would be her place to take any impromptu visitors they might receive. Though Louis offered her very little in the way of explanation for their leaving, the older witch had muttered something of an acceptance of her task, before Louis politely dismissed himself with a brief pause to thank his Maman. There was little to no love between the two of them now, that was not a secret, but Louis knew the importance of family, despite their actions.

***

The flight was not comfortable, in truth. Despite being in one of the best helicopters you could buy, it was meant for military operations. Definitely not fitting for the Lady Clement, whom Louis had given the most spacious of seats to with all of the equipment forced in to every other space in the machine. Both of them had poured over the most recent data readings that had been sent to them just before they took off, discussing the ideas of what this could mean.

The level of magical energy in the atmosphere was growing, despite how the area had been shut off. Uneasiness crept in to Louis' stomach, wondering if he should have left Vanessa home at the Palace, where it was safe... but he knew that they were never stronger than when they were together, that was what had encouraged him.

"The readings are increasing again, m'lord, m'lady!" The information was shouted above the noise of the aircraft, but the boy speaking looked apologetic toward the Lady Clement for speaking in such an uncouth manner. Turning the machine he had been typing frantically in to before now, Patrice Laurent, pointed to the readings that were currently coming in, showing large spikes in magical energy.

"It's getting stronger..." The Lord Clement spoke, his hand moving forth to show how the readings were gradually increasing with time as he looked across to his wife. It was unsettling, of course, going in to the unknown, but they had to do it. "Still nothing to note where it's coming from?"

"Not yet, m'lord." Patrice replied, grimacing with the notion of giving bad news to the Lord and Lady Clement.

Louis sat back in his chair, his eyes shifting to the world outside and the passing countryside of France. Worry would be written in to his eyes -- not fear -- because a threat was building in their country, and if it was building here, Merlin only knew what could be happening in England, America, or Scotland.

They had to stop it, before the children got hurt.

Or worse.

Before Ven got hurt.

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~ Lord Clement ~ Profile ~ 55 ~

Thank you to the amazing Ruby for the signatures! <3

Subject: Re: Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 3:04 pm

The flight was far from comfortable, but Vanessa Clement was not on this journey for comfort. She was there to do what she always did, stay by her husband's side and process everything going on around her at lightning speed. As they hovered thousands of feet up in the air, the Lady Clement had already realized the thing their guards were just starting to understand. With raw magical power this significant, their wands would be worse than useless. Reliance on other magical objects was tenuous at best and the Lady Clement had never quite trusted Muggle technology despite having been the driving force behind launching said technology in the wizarding world.

Their greatest weapon going in would have to be their wit, and fortunately for all the people assembled inside the small airborne vehicle, there was plenty of wit and sharp mindedness to go around.

The snow storms that had begun as isolated incidents separated by a decent geographical measure had long since consolidated into one huge phenomena, and as they neared the southern border affected the worst, the snow outside the helicopter window became more persistent. The machine they were in was fully equipped to handle natural weather conditions, even the harshest of its kind. Buy this snow was jarring, hitting the blades of the helicopter like tiny rocks, just waiting to jam the engine operating the device.

"Deploying shield!" one of the men cried out in warning and almost instinctively, Louis reached for her even as everyone else reached to secure their own seatbelt. A moment later, a transparent layer of magic spun over the helicopter, deflecting tiny, bullet like snowfalls.

"We're looking for a safe place to land," another voice declared as one of the hardened snowflakes bypassed the shield and hit a window. "We're trying to get as close to case zero as possible but there might be a bit..." the voice paused, clearly considering present company. Vanessa ignored the discomfort, she was not here to make anyone comfortable.

The Lady Clement was here because she was required to be here.

The young man with the readings looked paler than ever as he read something only he understood on his screen. It had been largely thanks to his mapping that they had discovered where ground zero even was, hidden underneath that snow. And it was a fair assumption that whatever started all this would at least have left traces there.

"Brace for landing, it isn't going to be gentle!" the pilot called out, adding a hasty "M'Lord, M'Lady" in the aftermath. his courtesy clearly hadn't been left behind in Versailles. Closing her eyes, Vanessa pictured the first time she had sat atop a horse. not in pubic, Grandmere would never have allowed it. No the first horse Vanessa Jhalak had practiced on was a pony tied in the privacy of the palace stables. Grandmere had stood and watched the whole time, her wand at the ready should the child under her supervision as much as bounce once with the motion of the beast.

And five decades later, the lesson had still remained. When the helicopter bumped hard into the snow, throwing everyone off their seats and held restrained only by their belts, the Lady Clement remained where she was, calm, unmovable, untouchable.

And with Louis by her side.

Slowly, the advance guard began to disembark. They had managed to land only a short trek away from the originating source of magic - and its power became even more apparent as they left the safety of the helicopter.

Despite the sheets of snowflakes steadily falling from the sky, the temperature was as warm as could be. If one were to close their eyes, it would be as if walking in springtime.

This was magical snow, their worst fears had been confirmed.

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Subject: Re: Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 3:04 pm

As they grew closer to the centre of the problem of France, the helicopter started to struggle with the weather outside. Magic was presented to help the great metal beast, but even that was being broken through by the force they were reckoning with. Louis' features grew more sombre as each moment passed, a light crease in his forehead showing that he was thinking, analysing, and trying to work out what they were about to come up against when they landed.

Emotions had never needed to be hidden from his wife, and the Lord Clement was not hiding now as the team around them prepared for the landing.

The instructions to hold on didn't really need to be called out, but they had been. Louis' eyes moved from the world outside, to Ven, keeping an eye on his lady wife as they readied to land. Ready to move to her aid should it be required to ensure she was not hurt in the landing procedure.

It was not the Lady Clement who had needed help, though, as the helicopter landed, all members aboard the helicopter were thrown about in their seat, save one. Ven had remained perfectly poised throughout it all, whereas he had been thrown hard against the restraints of his own seat belt, the strap holding him fast around the middle in an almost painful manner. With a grimace, Louis pushed the release catch as the seat belt, getting to his feet and offering his hand to his lady wife to aid her from her own.

"Reste près, ma chérie," Louis spoke softly to the witch, pausing for a moment as the others moved out of the vehicle before them. Not because he doubted his wife's abilities, but because he would never forgive himself if she came to harm on this trip. Leading them both out of the vehicle, Louis was almost ready to shiver, except... it was warm.

Snowing... but warm.

The news made a shiver run down the Lord Clement's spine in that moment, his eyes darting back and forth at the space around them.

"It's magic." Louis stated aloud, not to Ven, she didn't need to be told, she already knew. "We need the readings as quickly as possible, Patrice. Francois, Lucas, we need to contain the perimeter, I want a ten mile exclusion zone, to begin with."

"M'Lord," came the duo of replies, Francois and Lucas apparating away in that moment.

"Isaac, I really need your team to work on finding the source." Louis added, stepping closer to the centre of their problem. His right hand opening very slowly as he took the steps, reading himself, if needed, to defend France from the problem they now encountered.

"Vanessa..." Louis spoke softly, his left hand reaching out behind him for his wife's hand.

There was an unsettling feeling growing in his stomach.

One that suggested whatever was coming was going to be bigger than they'd both imagined.

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~ Lord Clement ~ Profile ~ 55 ~

Thank you to the amazing Ruby for the signatures! <3

Subject: Re: Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 3:04 pm

The men obeyed Louis' orders like the trained soldiers they were, no questions, no suggestion, no hesitation. The one her Lord Husband refereed to as Isaac turned white at being directly addressed before his gaze returned to the device in his hands, his fingers almost flying over the glass surface that told him things others could not understand.

Vanessa remained calm, hr hand in Louis and her coat wrapped around her despite the warmth. Machines told a lot, the Lady Clement had had to concede in the past. But raw magic, that was soemthing only intuition could guide. Ahead of them, a large bank of snow had culminated, radiating no heat but looking as if it could be from the north pole. The lack of any blustery wind only fed the artificiality of the set up, drawing both the Lord and Lady Clement close to the bank.

Together, hand in hand.

"C'est originaire de là, n'est-ce pas?," she asked so quietly, only Louis would be able to hear. The man nodded only once, showing that once again they were in complete sync. A moment later, their conclusion was confirmed by Isaac who came running towards them.

"M'Lord, M'Lady, it's... coming from under the snowbank but... there's a problem." When no queries met his declaration, the man lowered his gaze and continued. "e don't know how deep it is... Logically it should be only a few feet but my system is picking up... endless depth." The incredulity in his own voice was clear. The man was visibly grappling with the idea of an infinity charm underneath the snow bank.

"And we cannot get in magically," Louis concluded, phrasing it as a statement not a question. Using magical devices would do more harm than good in this case.

"Yes M'Lord," the man struggled once more, raising his eyes to Louis before lowering them immediately from respect and adulation. "But we can't physically dig endlessly, can we?"

"There will be no need for that,' Vanessa finally spoke up, for the first time since having greeted the men before boarding the helicopter. "Please clear as much of the superficial snow bank as you can, there is one source of magic that can be used safely here."

Because while no one was aware of it, there had always existed a very unique magic between the Lord and Lady Clement, one that required no conduits like wands or gadgets, one that was housed in their very bodies and souls. And it was never more amplified than when they were together.

The rulers of France would have to descend into this magical trap themselves to challenge whatever lay underneath the false snows.

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Subject: Re: Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 3:05 pm

The air was completely off all around them. Almost stagnated in one moment, then rushed full of sparking invisible energies that left the hair on the nape of Louis' neck on edge. It was unsettling, truly, to be witness to such extreme powers, and only a fool would suggest they were not scared of what was emanating it's powers from the snow banks before them.

A fool would probably be speaking loudly right now, declaring the folly of this mission. The Lord Clement remained quiet though, trying to work out what was happening to the country they had worked so very hard to keep safe against every trial and tribulation of the world. His heart beat might have surged with the adrenaline of the unknown, but the features of the man remained neutral, eyes belying a calm that would be drawn from by all around him. Only one person would know the truth, and Louis was safe with the knowledge that Vanessa would never judge him for it.

Isaac moved away from the Lord and Lady Clement, fetching the rest of his peers and the shovels to begin the work on clearing the snow bank as he'd been instructed to do. The team hurried in to place, shovelling as fast as they could manage whilst keeping up good progress with the pile that had accumulated. Vanessa had been right with her summation. There was only one kind of magic that would get through that, and once they were past the outer layers of the magical charms, they would be alone, their team outside of the charms, waiting with only baited breath for their return.

"Tu peux rester ici," Louis began, his head turning towards his wife marginally before he caught sight of the small, knowing smile. The smile that denoted his own foolish idea, but never an utterance to contradict. A small smile touched the Lord Clement's lips in return, knowing he would not be able to persuade Ven to stay safely above the surface even if he tried for a hundred lifetimes. The subject was gently left at that, with the steadfast reasoning that it would be safer if they were together, as they had always meant to be.

An hour, perhaps more, would pass before the snow bank was finally moved enough to allow the Lord and Lady Clement access to the magical energies. A number of the shovels had been scorched or else melted from the raw energy as they connected and each of the members of the team looked highly apprehensive as they moved forth to take one final look together. Isaac's machine still read with the same results as before, leaving the younger man to look vastly worried about the idea of the Lord and Lady Clement descending in to unknown depths, politely trying to dissuade the two of them, only to be silenced gently with a small shake of Louis' head.

"We have to know what is down there," Louis reminded all of the team, who carefully nodded their understanding with a mixture of 'm'lord's being added to the mix. Louis' concentration had gone back to the uncovered area of snow for a moment, before he spoke once more. "Keep all the machines working whilst we're down there. Document everything. And, whatever is down there, do not harm it unless you're given explicit instructions to do so." Louis finalised, waiting for the show of understanding to be completed before he motioned everyone to step back.

If Louis' heart had been hammering before, it was no match for the pace now set as blood rushed through his body. Turning back towards the source of the energy, Louis readied himself with a careful breath. Not looking sideways to Ven, knowing she was ready from the gentle reassurance of her hand in his, Louis closed his eyes knowing his wife would be doing the same as they channelled the magic that they were only capable of when they were together.

To an outsider, very little would look to be happening as the couple stood together, the magic was not one to be a flurry of colours, nor one of extravagant movements that would be common place within the magical world. There was no need for incantations, because there was nothing in the world that could capture the magnitude of the magic between the Lord and Lady Clement.

It simply was.

For a time, the world would stand still. Very little would move, very little would change, the team brought forth to help with the expedition would see the Lord and Lady Clement stood above the snow bank one second, and then after blinking only once, there would be no sight of the Lord and Lady Clement.

Below the surface of the snow bank, the Lord and Lady Clement would come to a careful landing in the middle of a cavernous, icy expanse. Not made beautiful by any means, the ice had been sculpted in what looked to be an almost explosive manner. Harsh edges, jagged icicles all around, the place did not scream one of comfort in that moment. The prickling sensation at the base of Louis' neck only grew in that moment as his eyes moved around the space, trying to make sense of what he was seeing before him.

Books lay scattered across a makeshift table before them, but from here, Louis could not make out the type of book they might be. Crass depictions of stools had been made to sit around the table, too, denoting there to be at least four inhabitants of this area. Empty food wrappers nestled in and amongst the books, too, showing they were dealing with something that was... possibly human, or at least on the same capabilities of the species.

Items of clothing were scattered around in places, but from there... Louis had little else to work with from the information in the cavern.

"Who are you?"

The voice startled Louis as he turned quickly in the direction it had come from. Automatically his body had placed itself between Ven and the voice to protect her from the unknown. But as Louis' eyes found the source, the act seemed almost... juvenile.

Before him stood a child, possibly no more than six years old. The olive skin of the child suggested that she was either from the Southern borders of France, her accent not really one the Lord Clement could place.

Behind her came another, a boy with darker skin, maybe a couple of years older than the girl who had spoken. His eyes were much more cautious, less curious, much darker as he tried to work out who the two strangers were.

Children.

The problem was children?

"My name is Louis," the Lord Clement started, not caring to use his full title because these were children, they did not need to be scared. "And this is my wife, Vanessa." He continued, his hand gently bringing Ven forth until they once again stood side by side. "We came to see who was making all of the beautiful snow falls happen."

The wording was careful as he spoke, making sure not to frighten either of the two children before him as he did so. The Lord Clement's voice had changed from the one that had spoken last from above the surface, the soft tones he'd used with his own children when they'd grown up replacing the more authoritative tones of the Lord Clement.

"What are your names?" Louis asked gently as his eyes found a third child in the background, not wishing to be seen, but not quite capable of keeping their curiosity at bay when hearing the voice of a stranger.

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~ Lord Clement ~ Profile ~ 55 ~

Thank you to the amazing Ruby for the signatures! <3

Subject: Re: Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 3:05 pm

There was not much to smile about out here in the warm snow and the worried people. The Lord Clement's orders were being followed to he exact because the troops obedience to their liege lords was bred into them firmer than any fear or mechanism of self defense. These were men who's families were owed to the greatest House in France, men who had been told that should the Gods themselves descend to earth and give them an order that opposed one given by the Clements, their choice would be painfully clear.

This caliber of loyalty could not be found on any Auror squad, and that was the point.

Still, when Louis stated that she might stay, not even a question, just an utterance that was meant as fanciful, the Lady Clement did let a hint of a smile shine through her otherwise, smooth features. Her Lord Husband always knew how to lighten the mood. There was no way Vanessa Clement would let her husband go into certain danger without his greatest asset as his side. "Ce serait discutable," she offered so quietly that only he could hear. In truth, the sound merely brushed ehr lips, not needing to be emitted out loud for him to understand.

If his intentions in leaving her here was to keep her safe, it would not work. They were connected on a level everyone had failed to explain but if the Lord Clement got hurt, his Lady Wife would not be far behind. And geography or distance had little to do with it. The moment his heart stopped beating, hers would too come to a natural end, it was a truth Vanessa had excepted about herself long ago. And the Lady of House Clement was exceedingly grateful for it. Life without Louis by ehr side... would be no life at all.

She felt his heartbeat quicken as his hand reached for hers, she felt him draw breath in her own lungs and, in the moment they closed their eyes to begin their descent, she felt all his uncertainty and trepidation. In turn, Vanessa was nothing but calm, exuding soothing austerity which, if not comforting, at least put to rest all the negative energies surrounding the duo as they descend into the partly excavated snow bank and after a minute, disappeared from their mens' sight and radar.

To the troops above, the two sources of magic identified as the Lord and Lady Clement would have quietly beeped out of existence.

As they descended into what looked like a beggar's lodgings, Vanessa kept her focus on the magical energies colliding with her bare skin and being reflected back, the smooth invisible Armour she always had at her disposal completely covering her and extending that protection to Louis though he may not be aware of it. The pure, raw magic down here was intense enough to incinerate and it made her realize that was why the snow was so warm.

It wasn't unnatural snow, it was simply being warmed faster than it could cool. The magical field around the area was so intense, temperature could not decided which way to stabilize, radiating a kind of heat that defied natural order.

She hand't even noticed the children, trying to make sense of this magical aura, but her attention was pressed upon them when Louis spoke to one. The Lady Clement noted the children carefully as ehr husband introduced them, taking in the old ragged clothing, the unwashed face and hair and the rough edges of the children. Even the one in the shadows looked like a silhouette of a girl who had never seen a proper gown in ehr life.

After a moment of silent conversation between the two children, and Vanessa assumed it was silent because they merely looked at each other without speaking a word, the little girl replied.

"My name is Aurore, this is Pierre." Pierre didn't look too happy that his name had been divulged too. Apparently the permission he'd granted the little girl telepathically only extended to giving her own name.

"Bonjour Aurore-Marie, Pierre," Vanessa spoke softly, coming into view from behind Louis where he'd angled his tall frame in front of her. The witch used the most common middle name associated with "Aurore" though the Lady Clement could not guess at the boy's middle name. For a moment, Aurore's eyes grew wide, something shining oddly in them before Pierre looked her way and she was forced to compose her features once more.

"Where are your Maman and Papa? I'm sure they would liek to see all the snow you made."

Another look was exchanged between the two children but this time, the girl was the first to look away, reaching a decision without her companion's approval. "I don't know," the little girl admitted, one hand reaching to worry the already semi shredded hem of her sleeve. "There was a storm like this and then Ellie and I lost them."

Lowering her eyes guiltily she continued to address the her feet. 'the storm was hotter than this... they might be hurt...."

"Aurore!" Pierre's voice was a wild, guttural thing, raspy and painful to the ear. He clearly hand't spoken out loud for a while. The girl shrank both at the reprimand as well as the thought of what could have happened to her parents.

Pretending as if the child's feral cry hand't disturbed her deeply, Vanessa simply continued. 'And is that your sister over there?" the brunette refused to use the name given by Aurore, "Ellie" was no child's name and Vanessa was not about to address a stranger that way. the shadowy silhouette in the background bristled, confirming the shape of a girl.

Aurore-Marie shook her head slowly. "Ellie's really little... she doesn't know what she's doing.... We keep her in the other room."

The shadow detached itself from the background, morphing into a plain looking girl of perhaps fourteen, almost on the cusp of womanhood judging by the frame revealed beneath her tattered clothes. Either her garments had fallen apart here or been damaged before she found ehrelf beneath the magical snow bank.

"You can't stay here," she declared, her voice quiet but authoritative. 'We're just children but we know how to defend ourselves. We can hurt people." She sound like she spoke form experience, both of being hurted and of hurting others in retaliation.

"Everyone trees to hurt us, well we can hurt them back."

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Come Plot With Me <3

Subject: Re: Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 3:05 pm

The children were careful, speaking without words between them as they tried to work out their uninvited guests. Faced with strangers, they were making decisions carefully, and Louis could not blame them for being cautious. But, just because they were trying to be unnaturally careful for people their age, didn't mean they completely managed it.

Whilst they stole glances back and forth, Louis took those moments to take in their surroundings more. The squalor was evident, the lack of adults growing more and more clear as he took both the children and the room in. There was very little organisation to anything, most places had a number of things scattered in and amongst food wrappers and toys and other items Louis could not make out from here.

As their attention came back to them, though, Louis' eyes returned to the children, ensuring they felt like they had his undivided attention so to put them in some kind of ease. The Lord Clement did not speak, though, he didn't need to speak to have his own opinions heard, and children always took to women easier than men. The calming tones of the Lady Clement beside him would work wonders his own voice would never be able to muster.

Behind the two children, Aurore-Marie and Pierre, Louis could find his eyes locking with the child in the shadows, but apart from offering the child a small smile, Louis did not hold the gaze, knowing not to challenge someone who wished to remain hidden. The child knew he knew they were there, and that was all that would matter for now.

Aurore-Marie's explanation of what had happened gave an insight that Louis had fast been approaching the conclusion of. The fear of what they had walked in to came to the point of reality as Aurore-Marie explained that this storm had not been the first they'd created, and that they had more than likely hurt their parents in the process.

Obscurials.

The power of the three children before them had already shown to be more powerful than most things ever witnessed in their community, and knowing exactly what they would be working 'against' if they came to suggest something the children didn't like made Louis very aware of what they were doing. Vanessa's calm beside him emanated as it always did, though, unnaturally calm in every situation, perfectly poised to deal with anything they were thrown.

"Everyone tries to hurt us, well we can hurt them back."

"We're not hear to hurt you," Louis replied gently to the older girl's words. "We are hear to help you, actually." The Lord Clement explained -- not for the oldest witch's benefit, but for little Aurore-Marie's and her sister's benefit. Wherever the room was that the youngest witch had spoken of, they would need to be shown, and trust was going to be needed to do so.

Pierre's eyes were untrusting, his body clearly showing the distrust of the two strangers who had come here. He could not be blamed for that, either. It did not rush Louis, though, knowing better with age that rushing in did not always work out for you, he took a moment more before he spoke again.

"We were worried, when we saw the snowfalls. The snows you've made have come very early, you see, and though they're very beautiful, they do tend to scare other people. That's why some people," Louis looked to the girl who had chosen not to give her name to call on to her words, "may have tried to hurt you in the past, because they're scared.

"We're not scared, though." Louis assured the children, looking to Ven who confirmed his words in her own manner. Gently kneeling down, Louis picked up a small stone in the ground -- making sure not to move too quickly and spook the children. The man simply held the stone in his palm for all three of them to see clearly. "You see, we're like you. We can do things a lot of people can't do. Things that can often seem scary to people who don't understand, even when they're not scary at all."

With that, Louis' looking to the stone that had turned in to a soft, plush bear. A replica of the one Elenore had had as a child. The eyes of young Aurore-Marie grew slightly at the sight of the bear, her head turning to Pierre and the other girl to see how they were reacting to the show of companionship. Slowly, carefully, Louis took a couple of steps forward and held the bear out to Aurore-Marie to show her that it was real, that he hadn't played tricks upon her. To re-emphasise that she was not on her own.

"We're here to help you," Louis spoke gently once more, waiting with baited breath for an answer to come from the children.

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~ Lord Clement ~ Profile ~ 55 ~

Thank you to the amazing Ruby for the signatures! <3

Subject: Re: Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 3:05 pm

As the children spoke of self defense, Vanessa felt the energy in the room darkness further. Whether they were actively trying to hurt the Lord and Lady Clement or the evil force was an unconscious by product of their current state, she could not say. The brunette did however kept a firm hold on the invisible Armour that guarded the two souls from the darkness of this enclosure. As Louis handed the girl a stuffed bear, Vanessa's eyes strayed from Pierre tot he unnamed teenager who had come out of the shadows. The idea of his own toy was softening the young boy's gaze but he older girl looked unmoved.

Once Aurore had taken the bear and examined it from every angle, she stood holding it up to her own eye level, unsure what to do with it. Very, very slowly, the child brought it close to herself until finally, she had the bear held in a loose hug.

"Do... I get a toy..?" Pierre finally asked of Louis when it became obvious that the bear wasn't going to hurt his little companion.

"Of course you do," Vanessa replied gently, gesturing to Louis who picked up another rock and this time transfigured it into a black and white orb of some kind.

"Boys play with footballs," Louis offered, extending the leathery orb to the child. It was some kind of ball but not one Vanessa had ever scene before. it looked nothing like the Quidditch apparatus she knew of but it must have made sense to the boy who, after contemplating it for a minute, let out a hesitant smile.

"Delphine look!" he called out, accidentally revealing he name of the older girl in his growing excitement. "I have a football. Papa and I can play now!"

The older girl remained stone faced, the toys not impressing her in the slightest.

"Would you like a present too? Perhaps a new bow for your hair? Or a sweater in case you get cold?" The question was directed to Delphine but not obviously so, giving the child ample opportunity to ignore the Lady Clement. While it was obvious toys and trinkets would not do the trick, Vanessa had not failed to notice the severe markings running up and down the teen's tattered sleeves. Whether those markings were self inflicted or not, Vanessa knew the child would probably like them out of sight.

After a long moment, Delphine shook her head, but her expression was no longer as rebellious as it had been a while ago. Clearly the mere offer of a gift was enough to signal peace.

While the witch had been focused on Delphine, Pierre had been busy with the "football", bouncing it a few times before giving it a gleeful kick. At once, the energy in the room changed to something darker, something a lot more malicious. The ball the boy kicked hit one of the walls, denting it considerably with a force unnatural for such tiny feet.

The ball deflated in a similar fashion tot eh boy's face. But the Lady Clement picked up on it at once.

"Why don't you come with us, we have a while playgroup full of toys for all of you. And maybe we can find your parents too? Then you can show them all he clever things you can do."

It was slowly donning on the woman what these children were, and with it the obvious solution. Obscuri could not survive if they had no hosts. And given how much these children had achieved in such a short time, they were host to some very powerful entities.

"I don't want to go anywhere," Delphine insisted, this time a cautionary gaze towards Louis that was an instant giveaway. Another time, Vanessa might have lamented what had happened to the child. But right this moment, a lot more was at stake. "There are bad man outside, I know they are. You brought them. I saw you!"

The information provided by Delphine was useful on two levels.First, it confirmed to the Lady Clement what she had suspected all along and second, it revealed to them that the child somehow had a view of the outside, above the snowbank. whatever power she possessed far outdid their own equipment that could not sense a thing in a magic field this dense.

"If you saw them, you also saw that we chose to coem alone, because we didn't want anything to hurt you," the brunette reasoned, throwing the child into a renewed thought process. Yes, she may have seen the men descend from the plane with them, but she also knew they were here alone. Vanessa could almost feel Delphine's teenage mind trying to process the two facts together.

in the end, it was Aurore who made everyone's decision. "I want to go with them," he announced to no oen in particular, now holding the stuffed bear as an extension of herself. "Ellie and I need to find Maman, she'd be worried."

"I want to play with the toys you have..." Pierre added silently, probably hoping to replace the ball he had crushed as easily as he probably could a human skull.

"Why don't we go retrieve the baby, and then we can decide what to do," the Lady Clement suggested politely and after a minute more of silent eye conversation between the three, Aurore grinned.

This way," she spoke up, walking towards another dark corner of the habitat. Pierre followed her into the shadows but Delphine didn't move, wanting to bring up the end of the line for safety reasons. Louis and Vanessa followed the younger two, heading into an almost pitch black corridor that opened out into a dimly lit area with several doors to each side. This was apparently where the children slept.

"Umm.. Ellie isn't well, she doesn't know what she's doing most of the time. Just don't be scared please." A first, Vanessa wasn't sure if the child's warning was necessary. But as Aurore opened the door to the baby's room, it became clear that it truly was.

The sight that greeted them required every punch of control Vanessa had to not gasp or pull back. For there, hovering over a sleeping child in a bassinet, was a dark, cloudy shape with evil white eyes, shrouding the infant like an inky cushion, draining off her natural magic and growing thicker by the second.

An Obscurialk in its original form.

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Come Plot With Me <3

Subject: Re: Versailles - November 2025 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 3:06 pm

The toys worked the magic words could not with the younger children. The small tokens of kindness bringing forth a bond between the two adults and the children before them with much more ease than should have been acceptable. Louis had managed a small smile as Pierre tried the ball out, wincing slightly as the ball burst and flattened with the force it was kicked to the wall. A sure sign that this was not something they could let their guard down over if they were going to work this through.

"Don't worry about it," Louis assured Pierre in almost the same breath that Vanessa explained they had more toys for them, should they decide to come with them. Louis had simply nodded in Pierre's direction to show that this was true, and the sparkling wonderment in the boy's eyes showed that he was already won over before the children had their silent conversation about what they were going to do.

Aurore-Marie was the one to announce it, even though Delphine had insisted she didn't want to go. A positive response to their request was more than they could have hoped for. But the children had agreed, and they were not going to argue with the decision that had been made in that moment.

Following after the younger two children, Louis cast Ven a small look as they moved on. Silent as they always were when talking to one another, Louis had left Delphine to his wife. The small glance he'd received from Delphine had been enough for Louis to know he would not broker any kind of bond with the child, but he could work with the other two.

They were pulled up short as they reached the small room, though, being told that they shouldn't be scared of what they saw next. For a moment, Louis wondered if the child was physically deformed in some manner, or else hurt but none of the children had known how to right the damage. Either one of those would have been the easier idea to deal with, anything instead of the sight that was given to them as they stepped in to the bedroom of the baby.

The dark form surrounding the small child was hideous. Clearly feeding off of the small child it took all of Louis' energy not to step back upon seeing such things. The idea of an obscurial had, until now, been one of fiction to the Lord Clement, only being something he'd read about in the histories of France. The pictures in the books depicting the obscurial form would never have readied anyone for seeing it in the flesh. The Lord Clement's features remained unchanged as his eyes took the child in, only Ven might have noticed the slight change of colour in the man's cheeks.

A moment of silence sounded before he knelt down to Aurore-Marie's height.

"How long has your sister been like this?" He asked gently. The young witch glanced sideways to Pierre, and then up to Delphine.

"Umm..." The witch started, clearly thinking hard about the question. "I'm not sure..."

"I found them a month ago." Delphine interjected, and Louis gave her a thankful smile before he turned his attention back to the younger girl.

"Can you tell me Ellie's full name?" Louis asked.

"Elenore Lissette Boucher," Aurore-Marie supplied, looking between Louis and Ven to see if that was acceptable. "Maman likes the people in the big house. But I don't know where the big house is."

Louis' eyes softened slightly in that moment, how could they not? The fact the young witch's mother liked the Palace, and had chosen to name her daughter after his own would not go amiss to any of the Clements, and especially not him. "Your maman picks very beautiful names, for both her daughters." He complimented, rising up once more. "We're going to make sure Elenore Lissette gets better, don't worry."

With that, Louis watched Ven gently take the child in to her arms under the unfaltering gaze of Delphine. When Ven had managed the small child in to her arms, Louis offered his own hand to Aurore-Marie who took it much too quickly and sidled in close to his side. Pierre's eyes had darted to the movement, unsure how to ask for the same thing, but being offered the Lord Clement's other hand a moment later.

Delphine followed after Ven, watching the baby closely as they moved back in to the larger room.

"There are going to be other people outside when we go back up. But don't be afraid. They won't hurt you, I promise. They're with us to help get you out of here. There's nothing to be frightened of." Louis told Pierre and Aurore-Marie as they walked through, his voice loud enough for Delphine to overhear, but not insisting her presence in the conversation.

"You're safe now," he concluded, though the dread was filling him up completely as they spoke.

Obscurials didn't live past ten -- best case scenario.

And there was no documented case of any obscurial ever being successfully treated of this condition.

Four children would be coming with them, but though the Lord Clement was speaking hopefully, he really couldn't keep the promises he was making.

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~ Lord Clement ~ Profile ~ 55 ~

Thank you to the amazing Ruby for the signatures! <3

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