Harvard, Wiley & Handelsohn

[Trillian]

THE MESSAGE ON BEN'S PHONE had referred to the company as HWH, but Ben recognised it as Kerr's lawyers, though he'd had to think about it for a bit.  He'd called them back and asked for Joseph Wiley, as directed by the message left on his mobile.  He found out that the firm had somehow discovered Kerr's death and were appropriately gracious about consoling Ben while also informing him that they could handle everything on his behalf.  First they needed to read out his will, which was in their possession.  Ben was first surprised then not that Kerr even had a will.  Initially it was a shocking concept - a vampire with a will?  But HWH handled many supernatural affairs because Joseph Wiley was 'in the know'.  One of the partners (either Harvard or Handelsohn, Ben wasn't sure which), was rumoured to be a supernatural.  He didn't really care, though at one point such a thing might've been interesting to him.  He was simply relieved that everything could get handled.

He was sitting beside Ichabod on a semi-comfortable cantilever chair opposite Joseph Wiley and two of his assistants in a large conference room.  The cushions of the chair were really plush, but cantilever chairs were too modern to be truly comfy, and he supposed it made sense because lawyers didn't really want people to linger.  He rethought himself - maybe they did, because of billable hours and some such - but looking modern was perhaps more important.  These inane thoughts helped him deal with the situation at hand, because he was sitting beside Ichabod in a room where Joseph Wiley (whose name had only ever been uttered to Ben in passing during all the time he and Kerr had been together) was about to re-confirm Kerr's death.

Ichabod was beside him because Ben figured he would've been called in separately anyway.  He introduced Ichabod to the two assistants upon being greeted at the reception desk, and they didn't seem surprised by his presence.  The assistants had introduced themselves but Ben forgot their names almost immediately after.  He and Ichabod were shown into the conference room and offered a place to sit while Joseph Wiley made his way over from whatever else he was doing.  Ben supposed Kerr must've been pretty important to the firm if one of the partners was reading the will instead of one of the two assistants.

Now they were all in the room, five of them looking at each other as Joseph Wiley got settled and looked at the paperwork he'd walked in with.  Ben was sitting back in his chair, and was kind of aware how Ichabod was seated.  The three lawyers seemed pretty comfortable in their skins also, but sat with their spines professionally straight.  They all had straight hair combed back or to one side, and likely would have straight teeth when they smiled.  Nobody was smiling though, this was serious business and the firm felt professional upon entering.  Not quite as intimidating as walking into the City Ward building though, surprisingly.  Perhaps it was because Conner threw Ben a curve ball on a personal level as well as a professional one.  Who were these people except for the faceless hive of Corporation?

"Yes, I'm ready," Ben said in response to the question of if he was prepared for the reading of the will.  His voice sounded flat and bland.  He was as ready as he was ever going to be.

[Existentially Odd]

Joseph gave a tiny smile that managed to not show any teeth as he acknowledged Ben's preparedness, and then turned his attention to the file before him.  His voice was deep and his manner of speaking rounded thanks to many years of showmanship in the courtroom.  The way he read the 'Last Will and Testament of Kerr Galvin' was therefore slightly more dramatic than casual, his lilting intonations and upper class British accent gifting the reading a feeling of importance even beyond what their professional attitudes had achieved.  The details were grand and the list of entitlements long though, so his grandiosity was more a matter of pacing for clarification, rather than showboating.

"We are gathered here tonight for the reading of the last Will and Testament of Kerr Donahue Galvin, amended March 2010.  Under normal circumstances, disappearances require seven years of confirmed absence before legal death is invoked but Mister Galvin's Will clearly outlines that, should he disappear in events that are commonly believed to be his death - even though no body be found - all his worldly possessions are to be distributed accordingly to his partner and next of kin, Benjamen James Samson, as soon as humanly possible so as to not affect Mister Samson's quality of life."

At this, Wiley glanced up as if to confirm that the young man sitting directly opposite him on the other side of the ornate conference desk was, indeed, Benjamen Samson and that he understood the circumstances under which he'd been brought to these offices.  His gaze was inscrutable though, and he could well have just been looking at Ben to prove that he'd been supposed to contact the law firm much sooner than now, given that they were under Kerr's direction to transfer his belongings to Ben as swiftly as possible.  Something Wiley had said had caused the man to his left to frown, though, and he began to sift quietly through papers of his own as the senior partner continued.

"The details of the Will are quite straight forward and we don't expect it to be contested in any form, given that Kerr named you, Mister Samson, his sole beneficiary.  This means that you now have independent control of three properties in the city: 1710 Patterson Cove Lane, 14 Chapel Street and the Herring Point development - construction has only recently begun there, of course - and six properties outside the city: the castle and estate in Scotland, the Galvin family estate in Killarney, the Loman apartment in London, the villa and marina in France and the cottage in Italy.  Technically, the hangar in Switzerland for the private jet and the helicopter is also your property, though it's not a residence.  In addition to the properties, you have a generous list of assets at your disposal, which I've detailed here," Wiley said, sliding five stapled pages across the expansive table towards Ben.

"You'll note the yacht is moored in France but it can be brought to the United States if you wish, as can all the vehicles housed at each property, if you so desire.  They're listed, of course.  The antiques and artworks are either stored securely or displayed accordingly in the property they most suit but all can be brought to the place of your choosing, should you so desire.  Now, these are the items you own outright, but Kerr had stock or was part-owner of a skiing chalet in Switzerland, eight racehorses in New Zealand and Australia and a vast collection of companies listed here," the lawyer said gently, sliding another document across the table towards Ben.  This time it was only two pages long and the second page didn't have nearly as much information on it.

"I'm sure you're aware of the liquid assets too - the money in multiple bank accounts.  There's really only about forty or so million stored in this form and I have all the account details ready to hand to you should you wish to move any of it around - Kerr always enjoyed controlling it all online - but generally we handle it so as not to draw too much attention to any single account holder.  We care for the entire estate just as discreetly, ensuring anonymity.  With a net worth of over four billion dollars, it's prudent to protect our special clients so that they don't accidentally find themselves on the Forbes list or in the spotlight in any form," Wiley smiled and this time his teeth showed, because he was genuinely proud of his firm's cleverness at dodging the limelight on supernaturals' behalves.

"Of course, you're welcome to opt to rescind our control and take over all of it at any time because it's all yours now, but if you wish to continue to retain our services, I assure you that you won't regret it.  We offer twenty-four hour service, three hundred and sixty-five days a year - sixty-six in leap years - and we act as your representative at any time, in any situation necessary.  Our fees are built in to the profits margin and our investment team is ever-diligent and dedicated to increasing the net worth of the estate, as our firm has been since the fourteenth century.  So... have you any questions?" the lawyer asked gently, his pudgy fingers folding together before him on the desk and his gaze kind as he read Ben's reaction before he even said anything.

[Trillian]

"Uh..."

Ben's head turned to face Ichabod's profile, which looked about as stunned as he felt, but there was little emotion Ben could read from this angle so he turned back to face the lawyers.  When the list of city properties had been read out, Ben was aware that the Capital Building apartment hadn't been mentioned.  He had an inkling about March 2010 and why Kerr's will had been updated, but it made no sense for Ben to be the sole beneficiary.  Had Kerr already set things up for Ichabod separately?  Was everything already in Ichabod's name, like the penthouse at the Capital along with a bank account?

Four billion dollars? When he'd heard forty million he'd thought that a massive amount that he couldn't ever imagine having control of, yet when everything was all added up with the companies and properties and all that stuff, he was worth four billion dollars?  It was so ridiculous an amount Ben couldn't even imagine it.  He certainly had no idea how to manage that kind of money.  Kerr had even handled all the little things, like paying off their combined credit cards and filling out tax forms for Ben because he was still technically in the land of the living with his original social security number and I.D.

The papers with the list of companies on it that Ben now owned sat on the table between himself and the lawyers because he hadn't picked it up.  His hands were in his lap, his left hand fisted around his right thumb.

"Uh," he said again, but this time had a follow-up sentence.  "What about the rest of it?" he prompted, thinking only of the Capital apartment because it hadn't been mentioned, and if the lawyers had been intending on calling Ichabod in separately, then there had to be more.  "For Ichabod."  He gestured at Ichabod beside him, who was doing his usual quiet trick.  If their positions had been reversed, Ben thought it unlikely he'd have anything to say either.

There simply had to be more.  The Capital at the very least.

[pinkroses]

Ichabod hadn’t said much beyond greeting Ben as they arrived and were ushered into the conference room. He hadn’t been expecting something like this and the request to come had been a surprise – he’d never had to deal with someone close to him dying and having to go through all of the legal matters involved with that. Of course Kerr had lawyers, of course he had a will (after his own sire had died not that long ago he had to have considered it) and it was just such a Kerr thing to do, it be so organised about something so morbid.

The brunette was leaning forwards with his elbows on the table, his ankles hooked together under the chair until the lawyer began to speak. He glanced up as Ben answered, seeing that the question wasn’t directed at him so not speaking, but giving a tiny nod because he felt like he should somehow show he was paying attention.

Although he barely moved no doubt Ben would have felt his body stiffen as the lawyer began and his hands, already clenched into loose fists, tightened until his nails dug into his palms. Everything? Ben got everything? Ichabod hadn’t really expected much, after all, like Wiley was saying, Ben had been Kerr’s partner, his next of kin. And Ichabod was… the third wheel. But really? He hadn’t been left anything?

As Wiley began listing out everything Ben now owned Ichabod tuned out slightly. He leant back in the chair, unclenching his hands and pressing his palms against the arms of the chair. March 2010. Kerr had amended the will March 2010 – before Ichabod had mentioned that he wanted to be sired.

Ichabod blinked as Ben spoke and he glanced towards his brother, gazing at him blankly for half a second, his mouth dry. He hadn’t been paying attention to the list of properties (what did it matter, it was all Ben’s) so had missed that the Capital Building hadn’t been mentioned.

“That’s it. I was sired April that year. After this,” Ichabod said quietly, gesturing slightly towards the lawyer and his assistants. All his worldly possessions. So even if things weren’t listed, whatever missing that Ben was talking about, they were still Ben’s.

[Existentially Odd]

Wiley blinked in surprise as Ben demanded to know about 'the rest of it', the lawyer's gaze straying with some confusion towards his companion when he was outright referenced.  Wiley's expression was legitimately baffled and it was obvious that he was unaware of Ichabod's connection to Kerr until Ichabod stated it clearly and then he flushed, glancing down at his paperwork in embarrassment.  Thankfully, his discomfort at realising that Ben's companion was a little more than just moral support - as he'd assumed when sighting the pair - was shortlived as his associate leaned towards him from his left.

"There is more!" Anthony Gedrick whispered, his expression earnest as he garnered Joseph's attention.  When he was looked at, he glanced at Ben and Ichabod as well and cleared his throat, straightening up as he realised that all the sets of eyes in the room had turned towards him - even the associate sitting on the other side of Wiley was leaning around to look at him.  He'd begun with a whisper but immediately realised the folly of such, when dealing with extraordinary clients such as these, and his cheeks pinked lightly as he adjusted to dealing with the focus he was now getting.  He was able to take it in stride quickly enough and turn to address the two vampires across from him, though.

"Mister Samson and - Mister Conners, I presume?" he queried, thinking that it would be highly unlikely that there'd be two men in the city named Ichabod but he wanted to be absolutely sure before he proceeded.  When he received affirmation, he continued.  "Right, well, there were to be provisions made for Mister Conners - Ichabod - in Mister Galvin's Will but he didn't manage to-"

"What do you mean 'there were to be provisions made'?" Joseph Wiley interjected imperiously.

Gedrick stammered to a halt, cast an apologetic look towards Ben and Ichabod and turned to his colleague.  "There were.  I had numerous meetings set up with Mister Galvin with regard to it but he didn't ever manage to get to the offices so that we could alter the official documentation."

"It was all verbal?"

"Yes, exactly, but he contacted me on the," Gedrick quickly rifled through the papers in the file he had before him, pulling out what those with superior sight would immediately identify as an annotated list detailing the conversations he'd had with Kerr, the dates they occurred and the general content of each.  The list ran onto two pages.  "Well, the first time was in May of that year, when he shared with me the news that he had another, er, fledgling," Gedrick read carefully, pausing to smile up at Ichabod, "and that he wanted to amend his Will at some point to include him as a second beneficiary."  He looked back at his colleague.

"Mister Gedrick," Wiley said sternly, "it's highly unprofessional and inappropriate that I, as nominated head of Mister Galvin's affairs, am only hearing about this now."

"You were busy, sir," Gedrick shot back, frowning a little because neither client had called them out for their lack of etiquette and he knew that this conversation was largely being driven by his superior's embarrassment at not knowing everything pertaining to this case.  Since nothing had legally been altered, however, Anthony had been taking meticulous notes and acquiescing with Kerr's wishes until such time as actual changes were made - Wiley would certainly have been informed, in that case.  "And since Mister Galvin arranged countless meetings," at this he indicated the paper he held with his other hand as a reference, "but was either too busy or too distracted to attend them, he cancelled consistently and I didn't feel it necessary to alert you every time it happened.  Had it ever come about, you would certainly be expected to know about it."

Wiley's feathers seemed slightly less ruffled as he listened to his colleague's explanation but his next words were still mildly gruff.  "So nothing of a legal nature was ever accomplished?  What did you mean with 'there is more', then?"

"Well, even though Mister Galvin didn't manage to come here to change everything, he called me about... a year ago," Gedrick paraphrased, though he flipped a page on the list he held to check his dates were accurate, "and told me he'd had the deed to an apartment in the Capital Building here in the city changed to bear Ichabod Conners' name because he was, as of that time, the sole occupant in the apartment.  Previously, his and Ben's names were on the deed but he'd altered that and made another meeting with me at that point to begin dividing up more of his assets.  He was especially intent on giving Ichabod access to an account with a few million dollars in it - I'm not sure if he managed to organise that for himself or not?" Gedrick queried, looking at Ichabod.

Wiley was busy looking at the Will, searching for some indication of what Gedrick was saying and missing the look that passed between he and Ichabod.  "Why isn't there any mention of this in the Will?"

"Well, because the Capital apartment was no longer Kerr's asset, I removed it."

"You didn't make an amendment!" Wiley pointed out (though he seemed somewhat satisfied that he'd got to the bottom of why the document he was reading from was inaccurate according to his clients).

"No," Gedrick admitted sheepishly, "because Kerr insisted I just remove it for the time being and when he came in, we'd alter everything officially, that there was no point drafting up a new Will until he'd put some thought into it and discussed it with Ben.  He insisted," Gedrick repeated, sounding somewhat flustered now because he'd technically done something illegal in not fully altering the standing Will.  "You know how he was," he finished, his expression appealing as he gazed at his colleague.

"Yes, I know," Wiley sighed, finding it completely within the boundaries of believability that Kerr Galvin had pompously called up, insisted they make an alteration to his Will and not got around to following it up accurately.  "Well, there you have it gentlemen," he said with finality, smiling over at Ben and Ichabod in turn.  "There was the extra apartment but I assume the deed for such is held on the premises, if Kerr was able to amend it himself to reflect Mister Conners' ownership but that is, I assure you, the only thing missing from his Will.  I offer my apologies that your, er, sire didn't manage to make any meetings with regard to divvying up his assets more fairly--"

"He made many attempts at it, I assure you, he just never managed to find the time," Gedrick interjected apologetically, gaining a minor frown of reprimand from Wiley before he continued his commentary.

"Yes, well, Mister Gedrick, be that as it may, we who are left must decide how to proceed from here.  Mister Samson, would you like to discuss some sort of division of your assets now or would you prefer to set up another meeting after you've had some time to discuss matters with Mister Conners and come to some agreement?" he queried as kindly as he was able.

Wiley did his best not to look at Ichabod as he gave this prompt because, frankly, the situation was made awkward by a lax sire (he had no idea how important Kerr's role in the world of superntural politics had been and was therefore likely justified in assuming Kerr to be a distracted, arrogant vampire as many of them were, rather than a man who genuinely had had so much on his plate that he'd never found time to attend to things he ought to have) and it wasn't his place to deal with the after-effects.  Ben Samson was their client now and it was he alone to whom Harvard, Wiley and Handelsohn would answer.

[Trillian]

It was quite affronting, to be told about everything he had and then to have this muddle of what Kerr might have or might not have wanted.  He was angry at Kerr for not going through with at least one of the appointments.  He was angry that he didn't know anything of Kerr's thoughts about chainging the will and it was too late now.  He was angry at the lawyers for making it messy again.  They'd called him up with the promise of making things easy on him and it was something they couldn't fulfill.

"You were supposed to keep everything neat and tidy," he blurted out to the partner and associates in an accusing tone.  He then turned his intensity to Ichabod, wondering if he was going to make things messy and difficult too.  "Are you going to contest the will?"

Time seemed to slow down for Ben, who felt like his future hinged on Ichabod's answer.

[pinkroses]

Ichabod’s dark eyes slid from Ben to one of the assistants when Anthony spoke, as everyone else’s did. He firmly ignored the obvious discomfort of Wiley, there was no point in making things worse here by making the lawyer feel awkward when Kerr had apparently forgotten about him.

“Uh, yes,” he confirmed his name warily, wondering what was coming and listening more carefully this time. So Kerr hadn’t forgotten about him, but if he hadn’t changed his will did it matter? A frown creased his forehead at the arguing between the two as he tried to work out what was going on.

According to Anthony the Capital Building apartment was in his name… but Ichabod hadn’t seen the deed for it and had no idea where it was. But if Kerr had said it had been changed into his name then Ichabod would have to believe that… and have a hunt of it when he got home. He blinked at the question directed at him about an account with a few million dollars in it and then shook his head slightly. He had no idea if the account he used had his name on it – Kerr had given him a card and told him not to worry about it and Ichabod had trusted him.

He didn’t know if he was glad or not that they went back to squabbling together and he didn’t need to answer. He could try to find some documents at home. Maybe he should have looked some documents up before coming but he had realised he might need to.

Ichabod kept his gaze fixed on the lawyers as Ben suddenly turned his anger on him, his dark eyes settling on Anthony, completely clueless as to how to respond. Contest the will? Should he? Would he get more? Did he want more?

“No,” Ichabod said quietly, turning eventually to Ben. “I mean, if the Capital apartment is in my name, and… I don’t know if Kerr set up an account or anything, but… I don’t need any of that other stuff they listed. Or even, what was it?  A few million dollars?”

And if there wasn’t an account? If he had the apartment and nothing else? If Ben decided for some reason he didn’t want Ichabod to have any of the millions of dollars he now owned? It wasn’t like he had Kerr to make him want to keep the apartment, he could sell it and imagined he could live quite comfortably off that for years at least.

He tore his gaze away from Ben and back to the men sat opposite them, folding his hands in front of him, wondering if they thought he was being an idiot for not contesting it, or not even going away to discuss any of it with Ben. But what was the point in stringing it out? He wouldn’t have a leg to stand on really if he tried to contest it. Kerr hadn’t had time to make anything more legal and Ichabod didn’t blame him for that, he’d seen how much Kerr struggled to even have time to spend time with him and Ben, let alone getting out to see his lawyers.

“Are we done here?”

[Trillian]

So Ichabod was a nice guy after all.  He had the Capital apartment and Ben had everything else.  A ridiculous amount of everything else.  Of course he wasn't going to let Ichabod have just an apartment and no money to live off, especially if Kerr hadn't got around to making the account for him.  Ben knew it was something Kerr would likely do, and he was going to respect that.  If Ichabod had chosen to challenge it though, there would be little mercy shown on Ben's behalf.

"No, I think while we're here we should get something better organised for you," he said in response to Ichabod's question, before the lawyers could respond.  "Like Kerr wanted," he added, figuring Ichabod would protest Ben's giving him anything, but not if it was the wish of their dead sire.  He turned back to the lawyers and listed off a few things from the top of his head.

"If I've got forty million in cash like you say, Ichabod should have half of it.  That money's supposed to last an eternity, right?" he said, glancing over at Ichabod momentarily but not giving enough pause for anyone to speak, the lawyers included.  "You should handle both of our assets, but separately, because Ichabod and I lead separate lives.  I don't have a clue how to handle that kind of money so if you can keep doing what you're doing to keep me anonymous that'd be good.  Um,"

Here Ben paused, for he'd been just about to offer Ichabod his choice of one of the properties overseas, but he didn't want to lose any of them - especially not the ones he hadn't seen, and certainly not Kerr's family estate, and there was no way he was giving up a castle.  Very suddenly he was feeling greedy and selfish, and so he closed his mouth and waited for someone else to speak.

[pinkroses]

Ichabod glanced sideways at Ben as his brother said they needed to get something organised for him. With the way Ben had turned on him a few seconds earlier he’d half expected Ben to be happy to leave it at that, whether Ichabod had his account or not. After all, officially Kerr’s last desire was for Ben to have everything. But maybe it was just emotions running high, apparently Ben wasn’t all bad.

He half opened his mouth to say he didn’t need forty million, as his brother expected, but shut it again abruptly. He couldn’t really imagine how much money that was – but he couldn’t really think what he would do with a fraction or that so what was the point in arguing over amounts? Half was simple, easy, fair.

When Ben did finally paused Ichabod put in, “Yeah, I’d be happy for you to keep looking after my share as well,” he said, glancing between the men opposite again. Kerr hadn’t spoken to Anthony about giving him anything else that had been listed, not that he’d mentioned anyway, so Ichabod didn’t even consider that he should have any of that.

[Trillian]

Something was nagging Ben about the properties listing, but other than thinking about all the overseas ones and not wanting to give any of them to Ichabod, he wasn't sure what it was that his mind had stumbled over on the reading.  Was it the hangar for the jet and... fuck, a helicopter?  Had Ben heard right?  Maybe that was it.  No, it had been something else.  As Ichabod spoke, accepting and not opposing being given half of Kerr's money, and not asking for anything else, Ben thought as hard as he could.  He glanced at the papers between him and the lawyers across from him, the two pages that had the list of companies that Kerr had invested in, and the thing that was dancing at the edge of his mind in the shadows disappeared completely.

Apple Incorporated?  Kerr had invested in Apple?  The Apple, as in computers and iPads and iPods and iPhones and all that stuff?  All thought left his head as he started looking down the list of companies Kerr had invested in, but nothing else stood out quite that much.

[Existentially Odd]

All three lawyers had started taking notes the moment Ichabod declared he wouldn't be contesting the Will, nodding as the pair decided to just split the money, at this stage.  Wiley took it upon himself to sum up proceedings thus far while he glanced every now and then at his colleagues' notes to be sure they were getting everything down as he spoke.

"Alright.  So you both agree to employing Harvard, Wiley and Handelsohn to continue the management of your affairs.  The directive to exactly halve the monetary funds has been given by Mister Samson," at this, he looked pointedly at Ben, waiting only a moment for either confirmation or objection before he continued on, "with separate accounts established to accommodate your differences.  Anthony Gedrick is likely to be chief staff member assigned to your assets, Mister Conners," Wiley said, indicating the man to his left just in case their visitors hadn't put a name to the man's face yet, "while it is highly likely I will remain as principle executor of Mister Samson's estate."

He paused to look at his colleagues here, receiving a distracted nod from each as they both continued to scrawl notes in their books, glancing up only rarely as Wiley continued.  "We will draft up the appropriate documentation to reflect these circumstances and likely call each of you in to verify and sign the contracts in the next week, or once the division of assets is finalised.  I'd suggest you might also like us to create Wills and nominate beneficiaries for your substantial assets so that they can be ratified in the same meeting?" Wiley then said, his eyebrows raising pointedly.  He saw no point in merely being fund handlers and signing contracts when it was the perfect opportunity to think on a more prepared and holistic scale.

"Perhaps you'd nominate one another to receive your assets should anything... unforseen happen?  Perhaps you have others who would benefit?  Failing that, you might simply decide to repay the firm by investing it with us, as your sire did when he helped my many-greats-ago grandfather establish this business in the seventeenth century," the older gentleman smiled.  He wasn't being greedy so much as taking pity on two souls that seemed completely out of their depths when it came to substantial amounts of money and exhorbitant lists of assets, trying to give them suggestions that would help them decide what they might do if something happened to one of them.  Obviously, it was possible despite their species, or they wouldn't be sitting in this room dividing up Kerr's estate.

"If it's too much to think about now, you're more than welcome to call and discuss your choices at any time with one of us, and it is certainly something worthy of serious consideration."

[Trillian]

Ben looked over at Ichabod perusingly, for he had family that still loved him while Ben had walked out on his years ago.  Then there was that hint about the company being repayed with investment.  Seriously?  Like there wasn't going to be a bunch of massive fees handling Ben's and Ichabod's money?  They could now bill two people separately for doing the same work they'd billed Kerr for.  Twice as much for the same.  Looked like supernaturals got the same kind of lawyers everybody else did.

"I think your company's doing just fine," Ben commended with a hint of sarcasm.  "We'll set up our wills separately.  Ichabod's got living family," he supplied, which he figured the lawyers probably already knew through Kerr.  He didn't think he'd see Ichabod's portion coming back to him ever again, which made giving him more stuff just that little bit harder again.

[pinkroses]

Ichabod offered a small smile to Anthony when he was informed the man who had spoken up for him would be in control of his assets. Really that did make him a little more comfortable that if Wiley was to take it on.

He chewed on his lower lip as they suggested making a will. God, this was all so ridiculous. They were vampires, they weren’t supposed to have to deal with this kind of thing. But obviously that wasn’t the case.

“They don’t know about all this. I think… giving them everything would just lead to more questions than they need to ask. But… we should talk about it, think about it,” Ichabod said, glancing sideways at Ben. His parents were happy as they were, dropping 20 million dollars and no explanation on them if something happened would just distress them. Would it matter what happened to it if something happened to him. They could have some, but he didn’t care about the rest. He didn’t have any siblings, it was just his parents left. And as much as he loved them he was hoping they would be long gone before he died.

He pressed his palms to the edge of the table, ready to push himself away and leave unless anyone else had something to say. He just wanted to go find the deed and think about what had happened tonight.

[Existentially Odd]

Noticing the body language shift in their clients, the lawyers stopped scribbling notes and straightened up.  Gedrick smiled across at Ichabod as he closed his documentation, readying to say his farewells.  "I'll chase down the whereabouts of the Capital apartment details for you and have the paperwork and all the bank details ready to hand over the next time you come into the ofiice," he assured the vampire confidently, standing up and holding his file and notebook against his chest with his left arm.

"Yes," Wiley chimed in, eyeballing Ben with an equally charming smile - if the smiles of sixty-plus year old lawyers who'd been in the game of 'reassuring' anxious clients for over forty years could be considered charming, "and I'll keep an eye on the Overlook project and have some updates ready for you when you next visit," he declared, his tone summative, because he assumed Ben knew what he was talking about.  He didn't bother to close his documentation as he used both hands to push his ample frame into a standing position, ready to lean across the table and shake his client's hand.

The third member of their team was still silently arranging her belongings and had yet to stand.

[Trillian]

Ben blinked as he stood up and met the handshake.  There it was, that thing that had been dancing away from him after the reading of the will.  Something about construction at a property at... where?  Overlook?  Wasn't the beach house an overlook too?  Kerr had started a new project up without telling Ben about it.  What was that all about?  A surprise, perhaps?  Well.  If it was a surprise, Kerr had certainly got him good.  The overlook was a good name for it already, considering he'd completely missed it during the reading of the will.

"Can you tell me more about it now?" he asked, dropping the handshake and looking over at Ichabod, who he figured would just say his goodbyes and leave, unless he wanted to listen in too.  Ben had no objections to that, but he wasn't going out of his way to invite him to stay, either.  He suppose he'd been exclusive by saying 'me' instead of 'us', so conciliated with an additional: "Did you want to hear about it too?  I have no idea what the fuck it is."

He was obviously in shock, to be swearing in this situation.  It was inappropriate and out of character, because Ben rarely swore.  He shrugged at his fledge brother, thinking maybe the Overlook had been intended for both of them.  Or maybe for Ichabod alone.  Perhaps that was why Ben had been kept in the dark.  He was suddenly feeling angry and helpless again but he squashed it before it got to his face.  He thought.