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Post by Curse Kameren on Aug 10, 2011 21:03:21 GMT -5
The dark, dim London sky for once perfectly reflected the mood of the man standing under it. A lot had happened in twenty-four hours, things went from looking better to getting worse. Telling Bowre about his suspicions was a mistake; the man had turned before Curse could explain how he wanted to help him, and now things were uncertain. Would Harkness exercise control over his curse, or would he call upon his Mistress for retaliation? He had pulled Max from the muggle world into the safety of Godric's Hollow just in case; better not to have Amelia and Peter be involved if it did break out into spellfire.
The dark hallways of the Department of Mysteries echoed with Curse's footsteps, and green eyes looked upwards at the tall ceilings. This was a place he wasn't supposed to be, but he had run out of options. He hadn't found anything on Daniel Nienmorhai, not anywhere. This was his last hope.
He approached one particular office, his heart racing a bit faster as he stopped at the door. It wasn't an uncomfortable racing, however, it was one he was all too used to. There was a sign on the door, denoting who might be behind it: Arianna Blackthorn - Senior Runic Researcher
He didn't knock, for fear of the sound reaching someone else's ears. Instead, he spoke, quietly so only someone behind the door could hear him. "Ari? Are you here?"
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Post by Arianna Blackthorn on Aug 14, 2011 18:54:48 GMT -5
Ordered chaos was a state of being for Arianna Blackthorn. It just wasn't feasible for her to get anything accomplished in a spotless, ordered, alphabetized, office with everything tucked neatly away in an assigned spot. She wasn't exactly a slob, though. Trash was almost always in the bin. Most of her books were in a shelf, or if they were stacked haphazardly around the room it was because she needed them. At the moment only a few large tombs were on the edge of her large desk. Most of the floor space was clear, except for the corner where a couple of crates stood. She'd been about to pry open a crate when she heard the soft whisper. The words broke the concentration that usually enveloped her as she worked. A quick glance at the clock showed her it was well past most of the workers being there. The whispered question made Ari aware of the giddy sensation that belied the presence of Curse Kameren, ex-aruror hunk and potion professor stud.
Hair in a messy bun, with several wisps framing her face, she opened the door. She'd been expecting him, but that didn't prevent her from working.
"Hi," She said softly, as she reached for his hand. Once he was safely in her office, she locked the door and spelled it. If anyone tried her office they would see the spell that showed she was working on a dangerous rune. People knew to stay away, then. Sometimes, her work was dangerous if interrupted.
Door safely closed and privacy insured, Ari briefly kissed Curse. It was a quick kiss because she knew how worried he was and that they had a lot of work ahead of them.
"Anyone see you?" She asked, wondering if they needed to be concerned. She could just image the gossips the next day. 'Oh, that slinky Cursed Kameren was slithering around Mysteries..wonder if their committing him as an object....that Blackthorn loved to study him...'
"How are you..." which was probably the first question she should have asked him. "So, where do you want to start?"
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Post by Curse Kameren on Aug 14, 2011 20:20:04 GMT -5
"Hi," She said softly, as she reached for his hand.
Curse smiled at her in greeting as she guided him inside, but the smile was a bit strained. He was glad to see her, but she was one small light in a hazy fog of worries. It hadn't taken long after the formation of the Black Watch for Curse to realize this wasn't a life he wanted any longer. Though he still craved the puzzles auror cases and dangerous musings brought him, the novelty of the adventure had worn off. He was tired. Tired of the backlash that came along with fighting, of the pain it caused him when he made a mistake. He wanted to live peacefully. Hopefully, if he could find something to keep Mosrael at bay, that dream could become a reality. Peace may one day be something attainable.
Just one more fight, one more time putting himself in danger for the sake of the Wizarding World. He wasn't sure how much more his could take.
Curse kissed her back as Arianna's lips briefly met his, though he found himself almost immediately missing the contact. Part of him wished this was a more casual visit, but they had work to do. Max was waiting at home. He had no idea what was going on, just that he had been taken from his mum's and placed under supervision of the Watch. He'd expressly told the Watch to avoid Bowre; at the moment, the man couldn't be trusted.
"Anyone see you?"
"No." Curse shook his head, leaning against the door and watching her with tired green eyes. He was sure no one had seen him. He was an auror, he knew how to get around unnoticed when he needed to be. More so, he knew the Department of Mysteries nearly as well as he knew Law Enforcement. He had spent a lot of time in Mysteries, whether he liked to or not. However, since he was no longer Head Auror, he was no longer allowed into the more restricted areas of the Department of Mysteries. That was where Arianna came in; they needed information that may be locked inside Mysteries, and she had access to it. She was putting herself out on the line nearly as much as Curse was, putting her career at stake for him if they were caught. He would make sure that didn't happen.
"How are you..."
He closed the small distance between them and embraced her, letting himself break for a moment. They had work to do, but he was worried and being around someone he was so open with made it more difficult for him to keep his worries at bay. He kept his words concise and quiet, the tone sounding stiff as he spoke. He was very obviously just trying to soldier on. These were things he had to do. "Tired. Worried. Time to work, though."
"So, where do you want to start?"
"Daniel Nienmorhai." Curse took a step back from her, clasping his hands behind his back. He regretted to admit that was all he knew about his research subject: a name. He had found nothing else. "He has some sort of important connection to Mosrael. I need to find out what."
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Post by Arianna Blackthorn on Aug 15, 2011 17:26:07 GMT -5
Weary. Arianna could see it in Curse's eyes, posture, everything about him seemed worn down. Concern filled Ari as she examined Curse, still in his embrace.Even his kiss, although rushed and sweet seemed to convey his tiredness. Or was he just drained? It was the Black Watch, she knew, and meeting the masked lady again. Why couldn't his life be simple, quiet, restful? Enough with the chasing, the battles, crazed people and long hours. It was hurting him...but Ari wouldn't say anything. She was just a researcher, didn't understand the need for adrenaline to come from chasing bad guys. A musty, old volume wrinkled with age or a mysterious runic object roused her blood. Still, there was a part of Curse that was also a watcher, a studier, it was what drew him to potions.
Ari stood back, watching Curse as he answered her question. Relief flooded through her. If anyone had seen him, knew that he was there with her and then checked to see what she worked on afterwards....there could be trouble.
"How are you..."Concern knitted her brows...and then Curse swooped her up in a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him, giving him comfort. Gently, she rubbed soothing circles on his back. His muscles were tense and his words terse. Overworked. Stressed. He needed a vacation. They all did.
"Tired. Worried. Time to work, though."
"After all this is over, you, me and Max are going on a vacation," She stated as she slowly pulled away, squaring her shoulders.
"So, where do you want to start?"
"Daniel Nienmorhai."
The name drew a blank. Who was this person? What connections did they have to this mystery?
"He has some sort of important connection to Mosrael. I need to find out what." "Alright. We should start with his ministry file. Mysteries holds records of every magical person in Britain, and a few mugles. No one will be in the room tonight..." Ari said once again tugging on Curse's hand, and leading him into her lab, and through a small door that led to a small narrow hallway with a door. Ari stopped, pointed her wand at the door and said "records". The door glowed a pale, peach like the color of parchment, before opening. Ari strode forward. "Welcome to the hall of records." She said in a false cheery voice. The room was a very large, massive square with all four walls of filing cabinets, except for a couple of small doors. In the middle of the room were large tables stocked with quills, parchment etc. Book cases framed the tables, creating a room in a room.
Ari purposefully strode to the nearest wall of cabinets, wand still out. She paused in front of one of the small drawers, turning to Curse. "Do you happen to know his birthdate, or middle name?" She asked hopefully. She doubted it. With out that information she'd get the files of every Daniel Nienmorhai, ever born. While it was a rather uncommon sounding last name, there could possibly be more than one. The wall didn't deferiate between middle names.
Resigned to her fate, Ari summoned the files by tapping on one of the drawers and calling out the name she wanted. The drawers began to shift, until the d's were in front of her. A drawer just above her waist opened and Ari reached in lifting out a hefty stack of parchment, tied in neat bundles of varying sizes. Each bundle represented a different person. Luckily there weren't too many daniels. But that didn't mean they had the right one.
"We can start with these, and then we can summon anyone that is mentioned in the files to see if they match Morsel's description." Ari said as she marched to a work table.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Aug 15, 2011 20:51:05 GMT -5
"After all this is over, you, me and Max are going on a vacation," She stated as she slowly pulled away, squaring her shoulders.
"I'd love that." Curse smiled at her as she pulled away, letting her go. He would love that; the more he thought about it, the more comfortable he got with Arianna joining Curse and Max's family. She had proven herself so far, staying by his side and not running even in difficult times. Parts of him still worried, though. Though they had had some tougher times lately, it was nothing compared to before. He needed to know if she would stay strong with him if tragedy struck again, or he couldn't trust her. This fight with Mosrael would only get worse before it got better, he knew, but he still hoped Arianna didn't have to think about running again.
"So, where do you want to start?"
"Daniel Nienmorhai." She gave him a perplexed look, and he elaborated. "He has some sort of important connection to Mosrael. I need to find out what."
Curse followed Arianna as she guided him along, into a hall of records. He had seen the hall before, had been there on auror work and the few times Mysteries solicited admitting him as a subject. Though he always denied them, he knew the department had an extensive file on him and his bloodline alike. Now wasn't the time for curiously checking on those, however, it was time for research on a different name. Daniel's identity needed to be solved for the sake of the Wizarding World.
"Do you happen to know his birthdate, or middle name?"
Curse closed his eyes, his expression darkening for a moment as he tried to dig last-minute for the information. He had tried to probe Mosrael's mind through his own shattered link, but he hadn't gotten much more than the name. He was lucky to have gotten that, really. His prior research hadn't helped in any way either. Whatever happened to Daniel Neinmorhai, it had been covered up. And that was where Mysteries came in. "No, nothing else. Sorry." He frowned; he was working with a professional researcher, he couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by Arianna's experience over his. He knowledge over him and intimidation was part of what attracted him to her, though, and it was nice to feel that disappointing sting of shame around her every now and then.
Arianna resigned and instead pulled from the files in 'D', a very large file indeed. Though to Arianna it seemed there were few, to those who didn't do research for a living the various bundles looked like a project. Curse could read quickly, however, and he was sure between the two of them they could find something.
"We can start with these, and then we can summon anyone that is mentioned in the files to see if they match Mosrael's description."
Curse nodded, approaching her and taking the files out of her hands. "Let's do it." He smiled at her, dropping the files on the table and opening the first package.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Hours passed, to not much avail. There had been considerably more Daniel's than the couple had anticipated, and wading through them was a considerable task. Curse glanced up at Arianna, his emerald eyes watching her as she scanned through another file and placed it aside. So far, none of these people had been their Daniel. Curse packed up his own pile, placing it aside with the discarded before he moved on to another file.
This one was small, yellowed with time but barely touched. There were only a few pages to it: a short life. Curse opened it, pausing as his emerald eyes found the words.
NIENMORHAI, DANIEL.
"Ari..." Curse reached across the table and touched her, his voice distant as he soaked up the words in the file. Daniel Nienmorhai, Born 1987, died at the age of sixteen...
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Post by Arianna Blackthorn on Aug 16, 2011 17:29:50 GMT -5
No rest for the hunters of the wicked. An electric shock zipped through Arianna when Curse admitted that he'd like to go on vacation with her. The sentence had just slipped out of her head without much thought. An impulse that he agreed with. Her heart soared and she longed to be on a beach somewhere, or anywhere else with Curse and Max. Funny, how life changed. A few months ago, Arianna was terrified to be in the same room with Curse. Now, she was frustrated if they weren't alone. A silly, goofy answering grin lit up her face as she backed away. No work would ever get accomplished if there wasn't a bit of distance between them.
It took only a few minutes to reach the hall of records but in that short time, Ari became serious, her mind exploring all of the options. There were only so many ways to approach a problem like this and too few facts. Really, all they had was a name. No identifying pieces of information, like an age, the real name of a family member. Nothing. She hated to ask curse to exploit his fragile link with his ex captor but if he could give her something...
"No, nothing else. Sorry." Waiting with bated breath was pointless. A bit disappointed, Ari made sure, Curse was alright. He looked even more tired but his eyes did not have that hallow look to them that creped her out.
Together they shifted through the folders of the various Daniels. The name apparently was very popular in the passed. Once Nienmorhai had been a common last name, in various spellings. There was a baker, a curse breaker, a petty thief, several ministry workers of various departments and ranks, a poet, a healer, and someone who use to be a Daniele. All vary interesting people but not the one they were looking for. Or so she thought. When something looked promising, Ari handed the file to Curse to see if his link brought him any insight. She'd been flipping through a thick file of a black market dragon dealer, who panted Draygin's Dragon Dung-lizer, when Curse called her name.
"hmm?" Air didn't bother to glance up immersed in her work. She was nearly a hundred percent sure, this was not the person they were looking for. A soft touch ripped her out of her work zone. An annoyed scowl spread across her face but she managed to keep in her disgruntled what. Her peevishness was banished when she saw Curse's face. He found something! Excited, Ari leaned over the table to read the file backwards.. It was a thin flimsy thing, which struck Ari as odd. If the boy had died young there would have been an investigation surely. Or at least a report from Mungo's.
"Can I see it?" Arianna asked as she reached for the file. Quickly she skimmed it. The boy attended Hogwarts, received pretty good marks, teachers' comments told the story of a boy who excelled at intellectual theory. Curiosity led him into detention a few times. Died in his sixth year. Little was reported about his death. Again, that struck Ari as odd. Barely a mention in the news papers. There was no official investigation. Attack by wild animals in the Forbbiden Forrest. Little sister witnessed.
"This paper is odd...feels heavier..." Ari said softly, speaking more to herself than Curse. Ari rubbed an edge of the parchment between her two fingers to check if their was another piece sticking to it. Nothing. But what accounted for the slight weight? Age of the parchment? But it wasn't entirely old. The parchment should have been thinner than the older pieces in the file...On a hunch Ari grabbed another piece of parchment, and laid it on top of the file. With her wand she whispered a quick spell, transferring the "official report" onto the blank parchment. Beneath the brief report was a half page of hand written notes.
Ari read them out loud.
"Official law enforcement investigation denied. A high ranking ministry official says there is no need, death was accidental, despite contradictory evidence. Looks more like an explosion than animals. Sister, Rianna, unable to be questioned at the scene. Healers, say it is a mental break. She keeps muttering something about a masked..." That was it. A tiny paragraph but it confirmed everything. Sort of. What kind of creature could cause the boy's death and make it look like an explosion? Couldn't it be a dragon? Or something...Who covered everything up and why. Where was this sister now. Did she heal?
Ari looked up at Curse, a feverish excitment in her eyes. "This is it isn't it? Could this Rianna be Morsrael?"
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Post by Curse Kameren on Aug 16, 2011 21:14:11 GMT -5
Curse was already lost in thought as Arianna read the file, having read it before she took it. This was his Daniel. He knew it, he felt it. A pang of pain went through him as he dug for confirmation of it, but he was too lost in the history to care. The pain meant it was true. This was their Daniel. Mosrael's weakness was somewhere in here.
His eyes met Arianna's as she found the notes. He stayed quiet but listened. "Official law enforcement investigation denied. A high ranking ministry official says there is no need, death was accidental, despite contradictory evidence. Looks more like an explosion than animals. Sister, Ranna, unable to be questioned at the scene. Healers, say it is a mental break. She keeps muttering something about a masked..."
Sister. Mask. This was their Daniel. Was this Ranna Mosrael? Was her brother the secret to taking her down? Wait. Ranna...
"This is it isn't it? Could this Ranna be Mosrael?"
Ranna. Ranna Nienmorhai. Somewhere, deep inside his mind, that name struck him. It was when he was cursed, something he'd nearly forgotten. Something locked away. He had been Head Auror. Ranna Nienmorhai. "She's in the Ministry. Ranna." He sounded distant, his mind working as he tried to put the pieces together from his bound and broken mind. She had been locked away from him after the curse was shattered, every memory of her. Ranna Nienmorhai. The more he thought about it, the more it had to be. This woman was Mosrael. It had to be. If he knew who she was, he could find out her history. He could track her down. He could end her.
"Ah!" Curse jumped as his muggle wrist watch suddenly burned white-hot. The face glowed a bright red, flashing bright in Curse's eyes. He looked up at Arianna, tempering the panic before it could hit his eyes. The time had come, and they were too late. They couldn't act on this information, they didn't have time to know what to do with it. And his home was under attack.
"Max."
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Post by Arianna Blackthorn on Aug 16, 2011 22:00:30 GMT -5
A swift spark of satisfaction swam through Arianna. The look on Curse's face was confirmation enough. This was the file they had been searching for hours. She leaned back in her chair, watching Curse as his eyes became distant, unfocused. He was looking inside of himself, reaching for her, confirming if this was the right person. The missing link to this whole mystery. Soon everything would be over and their lives would be quite, well quieter. No life could be quite with an overactive, inquisitive budding wizard with no magical control and a talent for mischief. Just a few more things to research, then the hunting began. Yes, once Mosrael was defeated, the Kameren's and Arianna would take a very relaxing very long vacation away from all trouble. No shoes, no worries, no problem.
The distant, faded voice of Curse broke her musings... "She's in the Ministry. Ranna."
The smile slid from Ari's face. The ministry. What department? Did she know this woman? Did this monster have access to this room. Would she be able to figure out if they had looked up this file...merlin, did they just make matters worse. But this information was important and they could--would use it before she figured everything out. They had too.
While Curse was lost in his memories, Arianna stood up and went to the wall of files. She started the search for a Rianna Nienmorhai, ministry worker. The files had just finished rearranging themselves when Curse cried out. Terrified that Mosrael had notice Curse probing the link, or that someone had found them, she whipped around, wand aloft. A flashing red light emitting from Curse's arm surprised her. Frowning, she stared at the strange device. What was it? She'd opened her mouth to say something, her nerves a bit jittery as a off feeling overcame her. Something wasn't right.
Curse's utterance confirmed it.
"Max."
"He's hurt isn't he." She stated softly, her face a ghostly pale. Max, something was happening to that sweet child. Why now? Couldn't something like this happen another day? Surely, this was something like Max blowing up the house, or making the pets switch bodies or something. No one was hurting him right...but Ari had a feeling this wasn't as simple as Max doing underage magic.
"Sorry, we shouldn't be standing...can you appraite out of here?" She asked, shaking herself out of her shocked dazed. Ari hadn't the ability to bypass the ministry's wards but rumor had it that Curse Kameren could.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Aug 17, 2011 13:12:39 GMT -5
"He's hurt isn't he." "Not if I can do anything about it." With a wave of his hand, the various files around their study desk flew in all directions, organizing themselves as if Curse and Arianna had never been there. He stood, running a hand through his hair as he tried to keep calm. He was slowly falling into auror-mode; cold, calculating. He needed to be precise if he was going to keep Max safe. His love for his son would make him sloppy if he let it. He took Arianna's hand, guiding her out of the room and out into the hallways of the Ministry. The worries about them being seen together were gone as he headed through the Ministry, towards the lift. Let them talk, the rumors wouldn't hurt anything. They would assume the two were shagging in her office before they'd think they were researching the dark lady, that was the way the rumors worked. "Sorry, we shouldn't be standing...can you apparate out of here?" "Everywhere except the Department of Mysteries." He said shortly, stopping at the lift as the door slowly opened and the couple entered. His eyes flashed the silver of a patronus as he spoke the words. " Expecto Patronum." A white-silver owl shot out of the lift, breaking off in several directions at once as it alerted both the Watch and the Aurors. Curse had many powerful friends to help defend his family when he called upon them. "Arianna," Curse squeezed her hand as the lift's door closed and they slowly started upwards. He looked in her eyes and she could see there was fear in him, but that fear would cause him to act. Protect. There was no other option. If it came to it, tonight, Curse was prepared to lay down his life to Mosrael in place of his son. "Whatever happens, keep yourself safe. I can't lose you again. I love you so much." The lift stopped at the Atrium. The couple stepped out, hand-in-hand. He met Arianna's eyes, leaning in and kissing her. It was quick and urgent, but there was a lingering love to it. This could be their last kiss. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman, he knew now more than ever. If tonight was his last, it would be alright because it was spent with her and he would be defending his son. Without another word, Curse held Arianna's hand and thought of home. He turned sharply on his heel. Nothing. They couldn't apparate. How did they block him from his own home? "They've blocked apparition," Curse started forward, another idea coming to him as he headed out of the Atrium, out into the night sky. "I have a different way. It's a bit of dark magic, unfortunately, and it isn't very comfortable, but it's fast. Hold on tight to me." Curse's arms held on tight around Arianna's waist, holding her up as he started the spell. Suddenly the two shot off like a rocket, black smoke enveloping them and leaving a trail as they flew. Curse laid a cheek on Arianna's head as his sharp emerald gaze navigated forwards, toward Godric's Hollow. ooc: Okay, you know this flying thing the Death Eaters do in Harry Potter? Yeah, that's what Curse is doing. Anyways, there's flight time or whatever, so we should hold off a little and let the battle begin before we get there. Thanks dear, this was a good rp! Feel free to do a closing post of your own, as well. Sorry if the god-mode stuff is bad, I can change it if you aren't comfortable with me moving you. ^^
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