Slave of Predation (Open)

[Laif Polk]

Laif walked quickly down the narrow path coming from a small, grey, dismal sort of building. The apothecary was the epitome of depressing; the shopkeeper kept the black curtains drawn year-round in order to "preserve" the collection of exotic odds and ends that graced the countertops of the illicit residence. The place was unbearable, as the shop keeper was about as friendly as a feral cat. Not to mention the putrid smell wafting from the back of the storage room, singeing the nostrils and confusing the senses. He’d always hated visiting such a sleazy place.

But he had to. The shopkeeper was the only one he knew to sell a particularly potent—and illegal— form of wolfsbane; one that could keep his disease in check far longer than the approved kind and even dull his senses to a point where every subtle smell on a person wouldn’t send him reeling.

He walked fast because he didn’t want to be noticed. He saw a lot of shady people these days, but none shadier than those eyeballing him from the shadows of Knockturn Alley. He stared most of them down and watched them shuffle away, but some smirked and dared him to say something. This place attracted dark people, no doubt about it.

Laif looked up at the sky, the fat, dark clouds swirling. “A storm’s coming,” he said nonchalantly, pulling out the dark pouch he had just finished refilling, “and the full moon’s coming soon.”

He turned a corner, popping the pills in his mouth, absently swallowing. A storm. An ill omen.

[Ariadne Kilgarrif]

Once upon a time, Ariadne had done everything she could to avoid Knockturn Alley. The poorly lit streets, the stench of ill-kept shops, and the wizards that spent their time there had always made it far less than welcoming. Of course, once upon a time, Ariadne had no need to go to Knockturn Alley. How things had changed.

After officially becoming an auror several years ago, Ariadne found herself in Knockturn Alley far more frequently than she had ever imagined; it was, after all, an essential location to the dark wizarding community. She had initially greeted each trip there with disgust, ecstatic when the moment that her work was over arrived. As time passed, however, she had grown accepting of her missions to Knockturn Alley, meeting them with familiarity and tolerance. She was not frightened to venture into the darkness that lay beyond Diagon Alley.

Ariadne trugged through the dank streets, ignoring the maddened whispers, glares, and beckonings of those people that hid in the surrounding darkness. Nothing new, of course. Her attitude toward Knockturn Alley had grown blasé as time had passed.

Turning on to a near-by street, Ariadne found herself nearly running into a man that stood just around the corner. She took several steps back, putting some distance between. "Merlin, I'm sorry," she apologized. It wasn't like her to be clumsy, but he had truly seemed to come out of nowhere. "Not the greatest first impression, I guess," she said lightly, a self-depreciating edge to her words. He didn't look like most people she saw in Knockturn Alley, and she hoped that he would react differently from them as well.

[Laif Polk]

As Laif thought to himself about the weather, gazing off but not really seeing and letting his feet guide him, he nearly collided head-on with someone. They both jerked backwards, wary of one another. It was common in Knockturn Alley to get a nasty jinx placed on you just for looking at someone the wrong way, or sometimes, just by being alive.

But when he saw her, he knew she wasn’t some insane witch or wizard that would go berserk, which is something he’d experience all too often on such occasions. She looked almost as startled as he felt, and not at all like one of the scumbags milling about. Her face seemed quite a welcome sight, truth be told.

Her face flushed slightly and she averted her eyes, apologizing and looking as if she thought he would strike her or something. He chuckled, unable to resist.

“No, don’t apologize. It’s my fault, strolling along and not paying attention. But I have to say, a woman walking alone in Knockturn Alley is a rarity these days, with all the shady people lurking about,” he said, watching her expression. “So I was a little surprised to see a pretty face instead of a nasty sneer, or some insane toothless grin.” She still looked unsure, keeping her distance.

“And don’t worry too much about first impressions. I always thought they were overrated, and at any rate, you didn’t try to blast my face off, so I’d say it’s gone swimmingly,” he smiled, sticking his hand out as he stuffed the dark velvet pouch into his pocket.

“Laif Polk, pleased to meet you. If it’s not too much to ask, how come you’re out on such a gloomy day as this?”

[Ariadne Kilgarrif]

Ariadne had to hold back a sigh of relief when the man before her chuckled. A genuine, simple chuckle like his was not something she heard very frequently; most were dark or lecherous, due in no small part to her line of work. Still, she kept her distance, until he had finally spoken. It surprised her that he took the blame, but she made no comment to transfer the blame back to herself; she wanted to hear what he had to say.

She was not surprised, however, by his next comment. In fact, it brought a tentative smile to her face. What's a pretty lady like you doing in a place like this? was something that she got quite often. Still, she wasn't about to turn down any sort of compliment from one of the only decent wizards she'd ever encountered in Knockturn Alley. If she were being honest, he wasn't a bad sight either.
Of course, his words about "first impressions" in Knockturn Alley certainly made sense. She gave a short laugh, her grin widening. She allowed the tension to ease its way out of her system. For now, at least, she felt safe enough to relax. She took his extended hand, giving it a firm shake.

"I'm Ariadne," she returned. "Ariadne Kilgarrif."

She tore her eyes briefly away from his, looking up at the sky. It was a gloomy day indeed. Her gaze met his again.

"Oh, it's not too much to ask. I'm here on business..." she paused. If she left it at that, he could potentially get the wrong idea and assume she was there for a darker purpose. "I work for the ministry," she clarified. "And you? What brings you to these parts, if it's not too much to ask?" She questioned, reusing his words. She didn't really expect an answer from him; whenever she encountered someone of a more amicable nature in Knockturn Alley, she found that they were there for personal reasons. She had never been one to pry.

[Laif Polk]

He was glad that she smiled; it eased him somewhat, took the air of tension away from the situation. After hearing her explanation, he wasn’t too surprised. He’d noticed more Ministry action the last few days, noting the quietness of the streets; usually, people bartered and dealt with illegal substances openly. For the last week, however, the really iniquitous wizards had been under the radar, for the most part. It was quiet in these parts.

After introducing herself, she asked him what brought him to Knockturn Alley as well, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was common courtesy, he knew, but he’d been dreading those words since he’d uttered them himself. She was from the Ministry, as he had guessed, and was probably sent here on the same mission like all of the other ones. If he told her why he really was in this place, he may very well end up in prison.

These days, werewolves were known to side with the darker underbelly of the wizarding world. The fact that he carried an illegal substance as well would most likely mark him as a criminal. It had happened before, although after careful explanation through interrogation he’d been let off with a warning. Except this time he was not so sure. The dark side was growing, and people were getting antsy again. He didn’t blame anyone for thinking he was up to something, but it was just so inconvenient.

He reached into his pocket absently and felt the velvet pouch once more, then decided, for her sake and his, not to mention much.

“You see I’ve got a sort of…sickness if you will,” he said, withdrawing his hand. “I get my medicine at the apothecary a few streets over. The shopkeep’s a loon, but he’s reliable. Gets his shipment on time…” he trailed off as a clap of thunder drowned out his voice.

What was he saying anyway? Why was he even telling her this? It might just end up bad for him. But something about her made him want to keep talking. It was probably her smile.

The silence following the thunderclap was followed by a quick flash of lightning, signaling the proximity of the storm. It would start pouring in a matter of minutes. He shifted uneasily.

“The storm’s coming. I don’t know what kind of business you’re on, but I’ve got nothing on my schedule. Mind having company…?” He didn’t want to stick around if she was busy, but he wanted to get to know her.

[Ariadne Kilgarrif]

Ariadne kept her expression neutral as Laif explained his reason for being there. Sickness… she couldn’t help but wonder what exactly he meant by that; certainly not your average case of influenza or strep. She remained silent, however, simply nodding. If she was to do her job properly, she would have pressed him for more information. He didn’t seem to be much of a threat at that moment, and so she chose not to interrogate him.

The sound of thunder caused her to jump slightly. She hadn’t been expecting the storm to develop so quickly. Lightning flashed soon after, and she knew that it would not be long before it started raining. She preferred not to be in Knockturn Alley when the weather was as such; it meant that she would be forced to share the shadows with all manner of unpleasant wizards. No, she wasn’t about to remain there. Her work could wait until the sky cleared up.

It was fitting, then, that Laif asked to join her for a while. She had never met good company in Knockturn Alley before; of course, there was a first for everything. A smile returned to her face. “Fortunately, my schedule just cleared up. And I would love to have your company,” she told him. Most people would have avoided being so honest, believing that it would make them seem too eager. In her experience, people preferred honest enthusiasm to feigned indifference. “Let’s just get out of here. Where would you like to go?”

[Laif Polk]

Laif was surprised at her answer. They’d just met and she was already happy to have him accompany her. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

He’d seen her jump at the thunderclap, supposed she might have been nervous about the storm. Or was it that she didn’t want to travel in Knockturn Alley alone in the darkening streets? He knew she must be on some sort of job, but she was quick to dismiss her schedule. He didn’t know if she was afraid or not. She certainly didn’t look frightened. He settled on the idea that she just felt safer with another person.

But the rolling clouds were heavily laden with rain. He wanted to get out of the streets, and surmised that she wanted the same.
He was grateful for the acceptance because he’d not always kept in touch with the Ministry. He hoped to get some idea on what the state of things was like these days. So far he’d kept human contact minimal, at the cost of being kept in the dark as to the world around him.

Ariadne asked him where he’d like to go. He smiled, meeting her eyes. He had no idea where he would go, actually. He’d been following his weekly schedule, one that he’d been doing for the past two years; waking up early in the morning, setting out to buy groceries, swinging by Knockturn Alley to scope out shady characters (while he was himself drawing suspicious eyes from people with his unkempt clothes and hair) and returning home to do it all again the next day.

Although, admittedly, sometimes something interesting happened, quite like today.

“I don’t have anywhere in mind, but maybe for now we should just keep walking,” he said, turning and walking in the direction Ariadne had been heading. “We’ll see if anything… interesting happens.”

“Speaking of interesting,” Laif said, glancing back at her. “Yesterday I happened upon a wizard who was selling a type of hallucinogenic potion made of Doxy eggs and the venom from a Norwegian Ridgeback—is this why the Ministry sent you? Anyway, I know where he’s at, if you want to check it out. It would probably save the time of tracking him down, anyway.”

He knew she was an Auror, even though she hadn’t said so. He could tell by the air of authority and experience she had. The simple fact that she walked alone in Knockturn Alley on a day like this was evidence enough. She must know a thing or two about the low-lifes of the wizarding world.

“And perhaps after that I could buy you a drink?”

[Ariadne Kilgarrif]

Ariadne nodded at Laif’s suggestion that they continue walking and see if something interesting happened. She sensed, however, a hint of knowing in his voice, almost as if he was sure that something noteworthy would happen; perhaps he himself was the key to such an occurrence. Either way, she continued walking through Knockturn Alley, matching his pace.

She knew that she had been right when he mentioned a drug-dealing wizard. The drug was hallucinogenic, made of Norwegian Ridgeback venom and Doxy eggs- the precise description that the Ministry had given her. She was about to inquire after his knowledge of the matter when he shot a question of his own her way: was that the Ministry’s reason for sending her there? Well, yes, actually; it was. Ariadne’s eyebrows furrowed. How had he known that she was an auror?

His proposal that they track the wizard down together helped to clear her confusion. Ariadne studied his face for a moment, looking for any hints of familiarity and finding none. His words hinted that he, too, was an auror. It was entirely plausible, of course, for her not to have met him until that point; there were many other aurors that she had yet to meet.

Laif then asked her if she’d like to get a drink afterwards. She let out a chuckle. Ariadne liked his style: work, then getting letting loose a little bit. It sounded like an excellent plan to her; of course, she was an easy girl to please, and she saw nothing wrong with it.

“I’m getting the vibe that you’re in my line of work; if that’s really the case, then it’d be nice if we could catch this guy together. It’s much less troublesome to deal with the nasties of the wizarding world when you’re aided by a skilled coworker,” she said, assuming that he was good at what he did. To her, he looked like someone who took his work seriously- something that she could appreciate.

Now, to address other matters: “And how could I refuse getting a drink with you? It sounds like a plan to me.” She told him with a grin.