he's rather nonplussed with the blasé way in which his son answers the door. he eyes the paint-stained shirt, the stain on his fingertips, and sighs. he's a lover of the arts himself, yes, and has several works from renowned artists hanging upon his halls in his estate in celestic, but their family is and has always been meant for more than artistic endeavors. 

especially, as it seems, the fate of the world depends on all the brilliance their kind can muster. 

"do you often answer your door without knowing what's on the other side?" he raises a brow. it comes from a point of concern, but he can't keep the condescension from his voice. 

then, "i've come to see you. and to inform you i've officially settled into mossdeep. may i come in?"

Xander Belmont

☉

i don't get many visitors. a cheap shot at the fact that he hasn't made it around yet? or just a sad state of affairs regarding xander's social life. inclination towards the latter, he thinks, as he crosses the threshold and cherry-picks his way through the hoarder's nest that's become the apartment. and what a small apartment it is too. 

he's always urged his children to make it out on their own, to make a name for themselves, and that the family funds were theirs so long as they were put to good use - education, research, etc. still, it's a sorry sight to see his eldest child and only son living in such unremarkable quarters. 

his expression gives away his thoughts on the place. xander stands before a half-painted canvas and idris looks it over briefly, then crosses his arms. 

"the foreseeable future. your mother's in sinnoh looking into her own work and mine in celestic has come to a close. your sister is already stationed here, what with how volatile the region is, and i wanted to keep an eye on her." and you. "it was the smartest move."

he shifts his weight. "how are you since the incident?"

Xander Belmont

☉

the scraping sound of brush against canvas stops, but idris doesn't comment. you've always been sensitive. disappointing, that after the incident he's only seemed to become more brittle. he'll have to speak to kiara, see if she can spend some time with him. maybe some of her strength can pass onto him. 

"good to hear," he says, but he's not looking at xander anymore. he's looking at the piles of art supplies, the emptiness despite all of the things in this room. 

annoyance flickers. "of course i remember him. do you honestly think his revivification machine would exist without my help?" draxon is a byproduct of idris' extensive work with the man. 

"what of it?"

Xander Belmont

☉

does he truly care so little about his - their - legacy? the fact that xander isn't even of idris as a footnote is preposterous. he's half a mind to think his son is joking, but he speaks so blithely, and with such ignorance, that a muscle in idris' cheek flicks. he harnesses his contempt, however, and moves from standing to a sitting position on xander's couch. 

of course, he has to move books and other oddities to the side so he actually has a place, and he does so with a look of distaste upon his features. 

"and?" he says, waiting for the punchline. "i didn't realize you'd come here to do charity work. you always liked cleaning up everyone's mess but your own, didn't you?" he muses aloud. one of the stacks he'd moved aside on the couch totters and falls to the floor, as though to emphasize his point. 

Xander Belmont

☉

and he is proud of him, truly, but xander standing there in the midst of his own messes, proudly proclaiming about his feats, simply rubs idris the wrong way. his children aren't meant to be martyrs, with their own well-being on the backburner to boost others (who very well don't deserve it). so he holds contempt and refuses to give xander the praise he seeks. 

"oh, don't be so churlish." it's not about strength. draxon and petra are trusted companions and would defend him to their death, but he doesn't believe them strong enough to take on an ancient golem. no, the difference between idris belmont and people like professor creighton is intelligence. 

the knowledge to prepare. had draxon proved too unruly to tame, idris would have had him put down, but he'd been revitalized in a controlled environment, studied and worked with for years before calling his revivification a success. 

idris catches the rock with ease. fingers hold the piece gently. he doesn't have his tools on him, but he's a good enough eye to recognize that this is old. and that he can't place its makeup with his naked eye. 

"have you done anything with it? any sort of test?" he frowns as he smooths some of the dust off. 

Xander Belmont

☉

he raises a brow at xander. ah, struck a nerve, has he? if xander wishes an agitated reaction from him, he certainly doesn't receive it. no, because idris is far too interested in the rock in his hands. he'd prefer to handle it with gloves, but he doesn't even bother asking if his son has a pair. no doubt the ones idris had gifted him several years ago are in the dump or lost somewhere in xander's messy apartment. 

"and you've known about this for how long?" he sighs. while hoenn has been at the forefront of alien invasion and numerous attacks, xander has held what could be the key to understanding all of it on his bookshelf, left to collect dust. it's deplorable. 

he scowls. silph's dismissal of him in his early career is still a sore spot and xander knows this. he tries, and fails, not to seem prickled by the notion. 

"if you were truly serious about that, you'd have done it already instead of displaying it like some sort of eclectic collectible." he snorts. "no, i'll take this to mossdeep and confer with my partners."

he does another broad sweep of his son's apartment, in all its disarray. "would you care to join me? i believe you ought to, considering it's your find."

Xander Belmont

☉