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Post by Nuriko Elsywth on Aug 27, 2011 2:22:04 GMT -5
As the healer left them alone in the single room, Reece closed the door. With simple, economic sweeps of her wand she conjured up comfortable seats for everyone and a low table that sat in the center. A map seemed to be part of the tabletop wood. As everyone took their seats she checked on Ralin in the bed before taking a large armchair that she curled her legs into. Another wave of her wand and hot drinks appeared on the table.
“Have a piece of chocolate.” She advised, biting into an unwrapped candy. “You’ll feel better. Then have a drink.” There was quiet as they applied themselves to the first sustenance any of them had had in hours.
“We know Curse and Alex are trying to find Max and Mosrael. What else?”
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Post by Echo Ashaelyr on Aug 28, 2011 2:19:38 GMT -5
Echo stood near the door, guarding it and keeping an ear out for anyone coming near. To be extra certain they wouldn't be overheard, she drew her wand and cast a warding spell over the room. Blue glittering light fled to all corners of the room and sank into the floor, walls, and ceiling.
She nodded at Reece, her mismatched eyes steady. She refused the chocolate and drink and stood quietly with her back to the door. Something was bothering her, a feeling of confusion in the corner of her mind. Dark corners, filled with all of her fears. She was good at putting up walls, but not very good at facing what was behind them.
When Reece posed the question, Echo knew she'd need to speak up. Everyone was still reeling from the battle, the shock of Mosrael beating them yet again and taking a young boy into her clutches.
"We know that again Mosrael is one step ahead of us. She treats everything like it's a chess game, and we're the pawns." Echo said gruffly. "Well I'm tired of being a game piece. I'm sure if we put all our various skills together we can figure out a way to find Mosrael." Echo tapped her fingers against her chin.
"Know your enemy. That's exactly what we don't know. So let's find out everything we can about her. Who works for her, where her organization meets, any sightings or clues that could lead back to her. Maybe a place that would work for a headquarters was purchased from the Ministry; they could have records of recent purchases that fit the bill." Echo's golden eye twitched. Something was bothering her infection, as if a devious little bug had crawled under her skin and into her mind.
"I'm going to check on the hallway." Echo said, exiting the room quietly. When she was in the hallway, the scarred woman took several deep breaths, trying to mentally push back the alien influence in her mind. But it was too late.
I know who you are, Echo Ashaelyr. An insidious whisper in her mind, and with a trickle of ice down her spine Echo recognized the voice in her thoughts.
"Mosrael..." She whispered in horror.
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Post by Ralin O'Faerlun on Aug 29, 2011 22:57:57 GMT -5
Voices around him. Was he dreaming? Where was he? Questions assaulted Ralin's weary mind like a flock of angry woodpeckers. It also felt like something was eating into his chest, throbbing pain radiated from the wound where he'd been stabbed, as well as the deep gashes from the sectumsempra curse. Oh man, it had not been a good day. Ralin wondered if they'd decided to name a hospital ward after him like they had for his brother Dash just because he'd been to the hospital so much from Quidditch and the last war. Ralin seemed to have a knack for biting off more than he could chew.
Voices again. Why wouldn't they let him sleep?
His eyes snapped open. Ralin tried to take a deep breath and groaned from the pain. At least the mediwizards had given him a potion earlier to dull the pain a bit. His chest was wrapped in bandages and he was lying on a bed surrounded by Black Watch members. Did they think he was dead or something? Oh wait... as his brain woke up, Ralin realized they were discussing the battle.
"There's something you should know..." He croaked, his throat raw from screaming. When they looked at him in surprise, the young man tried to sit up against the pillows, barely managing to before the pain was too much. "Mosrael gave me a message."
Ralin's eyes closed for a moment as the guilt of failure hit him like an anvil. He'd promised Max that he would protect him, and Curse that he'd take care of him, and Mosrael had beaten Ralin and taken the lad.
"Sorry," he coughed weakly. "Uh, she said to give a message t'Curse. Is he here? Nevermind, it's important. She wants something called a silver shard from Mysteries and..." He struggled to remember. "She said to bring it to the place where ancient bones of stone are robed in green." Shrugging made him wince. "Anyone have an idea what that means?"
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Post by Echo Ashaelyr on Aug 29, 2011 23:25:02 GMT -5
Mosrael...
"You can't be in my head...I'm not cursed!" Echo whispered fiercely, feeling her hands start to shake. Not this, not another voice in her head (and if that didn't sound crazy, she didn't know what would). She'd never been close enough to the dark witch for her to cast a curse like this. It was serious legilimency.
Cursed? My dear Echo...you are more than cursed. You're well on your way to becoming the very things you fight. Relax... The voice in Echo's mind was sinuous, curling over and around thoughts like black smoke, like a snake. This is no curse. I could smell your infection even across the battlefield. I was looking for it, you see, I've heard of you, half-demon.
"Shut up..." Echo hissed under her breath, glancing worriedly at the mediwizards going about their business. She wanted to draw her sword and attack that cowardly voice, cut the mask from her face.
I can solve your little problem, half-demon. You see, after you deal with so much darkness like me, you learn things. That's how I'm talking to you, through your connection to the shadow-world. I can do this for a short time only, because I've met him."
"Don't say-"
Arokhaz.
Something stirred in Echo's thoughts at the name, uncurling from sleep, rising to the call. She shut her eyes and focused all of her thoughts on that shadow, putting up more mental blocks. You bloody witch! She screamed in her mind, rage coursing through her, trembling her limbs and clenched fists. Get out of my head! I'm going to find you, you cockatrice-faced offspring of a troll! And when I do-
Such a pity I can only keep this connection for a short time, we could have interesting discussions, you and I. Remember this, Ariadne...your friends, will you protect them?"
Yes. With my life. If there was one thing she was certain of, it was that. Her days were numbered, Echo couldn't run from that anymore. But if she could spend those days guarding her friends, she'd feel like she'd actually done something worthwhile in the end.
Can you protect them from yourself? That cold, scaled voice caressed her worst fear. It was too much. Echo's anger exploded and she shouted aloud.
"Shut UP and get out of my head!" The mediwizards in the hallway stared at her. Echo spun and started marching back down the hall towards the door, forcing herself to breathe and relax. The others couldn't know she was compromised by her infection.
Mosrael's voice began to fade away as the connection began to mercifully die. But her final words sent a shaft of ice through Echo's heart. You will turn on them in the end...
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Echo came back into the room, her scarred face carefully expressionless as she resumed her post by the door as it closed behind her. Seeing that Ralin was awake, she looked around at the others.
"Sorry about that, what did I miss?"
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Post by Siara Brightweather on Aug 30, 2011 3:54:44 GMT -5
With a snap of displaced air a tall, hawk-eyed woman appeared in the room. She was wearing dark jeans and a black high-neck sweater. Her golden eyes gleamed fiercely. The Headmistress of Hogwarts had been tending to matters at the school when a patronus from Curse and then Ralin O'Faerlun had alerted her to the situation brewing in Godric's Hollow. She'd wanted badly to join the fight, but decided to go to the Ministry and try to do damage control. Then she learned that one of her students had been kidnapped, and a staff member nearly killed. Furious, Siara had stormed out of the ministry, heading straight to where the Black Watch was meeting, having received a patronus from Echo alerting her to the location and time.
Seeing one of her staff lying in the bed, bandaged and bruised, the slow simmering fury in Siara grew hotter. She was a normally calm, composed woman, even in tense situations. But when those under her guardianship - including all of Hogwarts - were threatened, she became much like a mother bear.
"Ralin, I'm so glad you're still with us," she said, moving to his bedside and squeezing his hand gently. Looking up, the woman fixed everyone with a golden glare.
"All right, Max Kameren has been kidnapped, as I'm sure we all know. We need to move now if we're to have any hope of finding him. I don't know all the details, you'll have to fill me in. But I have a research room reserved at the Ministry for us to use. Once we're done here, we should head straight there to figure out where Mosrael is."
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Post by Reckony Pike on Aug 30, 2011 20:26:15 GMT -5
"I want us to be careful around the Ministry," Reck offered, coming to stand beside Siara so that he could check on Ralin himself. No matter how often he found himself looking at the bandaged-boy, he couldn't quite convince himself that Ralin was alright.
"It's like Echo said: we need to know who's working for her. Well, I can guarantee you that that person is right at the top of the Ministry, controlling everything and everyone beneath him. Jack Harkness. I don't trust that man farther than I can throw him, nor do I have any faith in those who support him. Let us not forget that Harkness gained his title through murder. He doesn't speak for the people. We'll do our research, we'll ask questions, but I implore all of you to watch what you say. You never know where the minions lie and no matter how much you think you know a person, they always find a way to disappoint you."
Reckony rubbed a hand through Ralin's hair and squeezed his shoulder.
"So let's figure out this clue. Reece, I think you have the most experience of all of us. What do you make of her riddle?"
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Post by Ralin O'Faerlun on Aug 31, 2011 17:22:38 GMT -5
Ralin frowned, feeling unease make him woozy. Reckony's words were cold and harsh, and what he said didn't sit quite right with Ralin. Maybe there was something to do with the Minister - maybe - but they had no proof he was a puppet of Mosraels. Although...he had to reluctantly admit that lately Jack Harkness hadn't been himself.
"Reck," Ralin said hoarsely, "We don't know it's the Minister, and I don't think the man murdered his way into the office. That just isn't Jack. Look, we don't have to blindly trust him, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions either." He looked at Reckony, wondering if he could get him to reconsider. But no, Ralin saw that stubborn gleam in Reck's eyes, one he was quite familiar with. When he got that look, Reckony was like a rottweiler on a burglar; he wouldn't give up until he finished what he set out to do.
"We should be suspicious of the Ministry, but let's not assume that Jack's in league with Mosrael. We can't put him in danger, or his family."
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Post by Reckony Pike on Aug 31, 2011 23:32:09 GMT -5
"He made his bed. He'll sleep in it!" Reckony's response was a bit harsher than he intended and he quickly made eye contact with Ralin to assure him that his anger was at Harkness and not him.
"Look, Ral, I know you're close with that family and I'm not asking you to throw them under the Knight Bus. In fact, I think it's best you not concern yourself with this part of our investigation because it would be grossly unfair of us to put you in that situation. I'm making these allegations based on intelligence I've gathered on my own. Based on information that has come to me directly from involved parties. I'm not making slurs lightly."
Reckony looked back at the Watch's collected soldiers, noting with great empathy that their postures spoke of fatigue and their faces of unguarded shell-shock. Their numbers were dwindling rapidly and Pike had no way of promising that they wouldn't continue to fall. Every step grew darker, every shadow more sinister. The Black Watch couldn't survive another battle; not without Curse Kameren.
"Siara, what of Hogwarts? Is she safe for the time-being? I tell you, if all this had happened just a few weeks later...all those kids. We're lucky."
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Post by Nuriko Elsywth on Sept 2, 2011 1:10:08 GMT -5
Nuriko was finding herself with a surplus of energy. There was a strange buzzing feeling in her, as if she were vibrating at a high speed or had just pulled up from a high dive. She drank the tea her mother offered, taking the bar of chocolate and pacing around the room. Her face was stretched in a half-grin, but it was more from excess nerves and energy than any emotion. She couldn’t sit still.
Reece sat in her chair, a comfortable armchair that she could easily swing her legs up under herself in. She cupped her second cup of tea in her cold hands and thought. She took the other’s comments and added them to her mental sums, but made no comment herself, and indeed seemed to not be paying much attention at all.
"All right, Max Kameren has been kidnapped, as I'm sure we all know. We need to move now if we're to have any hope of finding him. I don't know all the details, you'll have to fill me in. But I have a research room reserved at the Ministry for us to use. Once we're done here, we should head straight there to figure out where Mosrael is."
Let us not forget that Harkness gained his title through murder.
“I was there!” Nuriko flared suddenly from her position across the room. She met their eyes defiantly, her thoughts turning back to that day nearly two years ago. “Jack Harkness was one of the ministry workers that responded to the auror’s call. Minister Lloyd was dead when we found him in Mysteries!”
She lifted her chin, the jittery feeling making her feel as if she could float right off the floor. She hadn’t any business at the Ministry attack, but had managed to entangle herself in it anyways. She didn’t know Minister Harkness well, but stood for him in a refusal to let the truth be buried.
“Nuriko.” Reece said, rousing from the trance. She looked to Siara for the answer to Reckony’s question. She knew Harkness, he had been in her year at school, though in a different house. She was also familiar with Lloyd, she had been mentored by him before Jack. She couldn’t believe either of them would harm the other.
She stood, sending away the chairs as they emptied and the table. She looked at Siara as she assured them the school was safe. “We can’t assume anything. Assuming makes an ass out of you and me. I’m just an out-of-touch scientist, but I think the Headmistress’ suggestion is a good one. It would be best to continue this elsewhere so Mr O’Faerlun can get some rest. Where to, Headmistress?”
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Post by Maebh Breandan on Sept 3, 2011 20:59:53 GMT -5
Her friends were hurt. Maebh was still reeling from the message to come to the hospital for an emergency meeting. She'd been out of reach of the other messages. Undercover. Patrons' had to be blocked when she was pretending to be someone else. It had taken Maebh a while to untangle herself from her hitwizard persona. Sometimes the ministry had a hard time comprehending the fact that she was Maebh first and that Sarah Abbott was her alter ego.
A bit flustered, her hair a shade lighter than normal and her clothes hazardously put together, Maebh had slipped into the room in time to hear Reck's rant about the ministry and Harkness. If only he knew. Things were happening too quickly and it was becoming difficult to keep everything straight. Her two lives were merging and she could do little to stop them. Reckony must not know. His feelings on the ministry were clear. Anyone involved, especially with the department of law enforcement were not to be trusted. To him, nearly the entire ministry was suspect.
"It is possible that the minister is being controlled. Wasn't Kameren once under this woman's spell? Perhaps Harkness is a puppet and she pulls his strings?" She couldn't help but speak. Maebh had known the family nearly her entire life. Yes, the minister was acting different. he was power hungry and foolish sometimes but did it make him evil? Weak yes but not necessarily an evil person.
"Any case, this isn't the time to argue out these points. We should solve the riddle and back Curse up before this whole thing goes to pieces."
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