Dealing with Little Girls (Kidnapped)

[Trevor King]

Trevor rolled his eyes at Pavel. He really hoped that Pavel's father would pay him handsomely for helping with this situation, because he really didn't like working with Pavel. The guy was just not that bright and had no understanding whatsoever about magic. Trevor wondered how he could work that to his advantage.

"No, of course wands can't track people. If they could, they would have already found you."

He leaned back in his chair and watched as Pavel began to scribble his ransom note. "Don't you want her to meet you somewhere specific?" he said. "Going back home would work, except you're not there right now. And you won't let me apparate you there."

[Pavel Novak]

Pavel resisted wincing when Trevor mentioned apparating to him. That's how they had gotten here, his mode of transportation, and to be honest, it made Pavel sick. How his type of people could possibly travel like that, like their stomachs being sucked into a vaccuum cleaner...

Pavel shook his head and turned back to the note. "She can come here," he offered. It wasn't like this was home to anyone, once he had Auriella and Danica back he wouldn't need this place to hide anymore, they'd head back to his mansion.

He sipped at his coffee and looked over to where Danica was sitting and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, since she hadn't even moved since Trevor had gotten here.

[Trevor King]

Trevor stared at Pavel for a moment. "She can't come here," he said, his expression clearly stating his opinion about Pavel's intelligence. "Not to the same place you're keeping the kid. She's a witch, remember? And her, uh.... man friend.... is a wizard. She could bring him here under a Disillusionment charm, then have him go off and find the kid while you're talking to If you meet, the kid shouldn't be here."

He frowned again, this time in deep thought. "But I'll tell yeh what. The kid can go to my place. My girlfriend can watch her. She'll like that. I'll just say I'm watchin' 'er fer a friend." Trevor's lip curled up in distaste at the idea of being "friends" with Pavel. "But remember, I'm only doin' this cause I'll be expectin; a big fat paycheck from yer daddy...."

[Danica Krizova]

Dani's eyes flickered to Pavel, while she had been watching Trevor with a keen interest.

"Nothing's wrong with me," she said, mustering as much heat in her words as she could for an 11 year old. She was her mother's daughter- she wasn't going to give in without a fight, or at least without letting Pavel know how much she didn't like this situation. "Henri and my mum will find me, and you'll be sorry." Well, he asked, didn't he? "And I'll tell your girlfriend everything," she threatened, adding this bit for Trevor's sake.

[Trevor King]

Trevor frowned, but didn't look overly concerned. Of course he had considered that possibility. Based on what he knew about the girl, it didn't seem likely that she would just passively sit back and be quiet. But he also knew that there were magical ways to keep someone from talking.

"Aye, but you won't be so talkative if I put a Silencing charm on you. Or a Tongue-tying curse."

He did not say either of these in a menacing tone, but sounded almost cheerful about it. This was not to say that the idea of using magic to force the child into submission was something he enjoyed. But he wanted the girl to think that, between him and Pavel, he was the one who wasn't going to be mean, but he was also not one to mess with.

He turned back to Pavel and the ransom letter. "Tell you what," he said. "We'll buy some time. Just add something at the bottom... something about getting back to her with more information. And we'll figure out where she should meet you and what we'll do with the kid later." When you're sober, he almost added.

[Danica Krizova]

Dani frowned at Trevor, mouth open to say something more, but nothing came to her. And knowing what she did of Pavel, she was probably lucky that Trevor hadn't used a silencing charm already. It was easier when she was just with Pavel. He didn't know magic, and that gave her some kind of hope, even if she didn't have her wand and barely knew anything.

She sniffled, not from crying but because her nose was legitimately running, and she felt hotter. Maybe the room was hotter. Still, she didn't feel particularly good.

"Tell her I'm okay." So much for being quiet. She sat up a little straighter. "She'll be worried. Can you tell her I'm okay?"

[Trevor King]

Trevor was cold, callous, and sometimes cruel. But he was not completely heartless, even if it did take a lot to reach the shriveled little stone that was his heart. He didn't care for children in general, but something about the way she sniffled, then asked in that tiny little voice of hers to tell her mother that she was OK, got to him for a moment. He looked up at the girl, at the scared, worried look in her eyes, and for a second, he was seriously considering telling Pavel to forget the whole thing and taking the girl out of there. Pavel was still nursing a severe hangover and could be easily overpowered, even without magic. With magic, however, he could knock the guy out before he even had a chance to duck.

But he didn't do that. As always, the lure of the big pay off was too great.

Instead, he cleared his throat and looked away. "Yeah, sure, kid," he said, turning back to the letter.

[Pavel Novak]

''Well where do you suppose I meet her?” Pavel asked. He wasn’t a wizard, he didn’t know what dissabalia abra cadabra crap Trevor was talking about. He just wanted his wife to come home and do what a wife was supposed to do. This was all so complicated.

He waved his daughter off. Children should be seen and not heard. That was the first lesson his father taught him. The second was don’t back down until you get what you want.

“Yes, you’ll get paid. When Aurelia arrives, you can take Danica away, keep her out of sight?” of course, locking her in the closet like he had done the night before would have worked too.

He added to the letter, she needed to come alone and without her wand. Pavel thought to himself that he should have snapped that damn twig when he had the chance on their wedding night.

[Trevor King]

Trevor needed to get out of here. That girl was starting to get to him, and that bothered him more than he cared to admit. This all should have been so much easier. If the girl had been crying and whimpering, he would have found her annoying and intolerable. Instead, she was trying very hard to be brave, and it touched the dried fig of his heart just a little bit.

On the other hand, Pavel he found to be annoying and intolerable. If it weren't for the promised pay, Trevor would be all too glad to just take the kid and run. Maybe he could ransom the girl himself... although he doubted that the mother had a lot of money. Maybe her auror friend would... did Ministry workers make a lot of money?

"Yeah, OK," he said gruffly. "That'll do." The letter looked complete enough now, so he took it from Pavel and folded it up. "We'll figure out the meeting place later, yeah? Give her a day to wring her hands and worry, so she'll be more willin' to do what you ask."

[Pavel Novak]

"Yeah, sounds good," Pavel was feeling less sick now and he stood up when he finished the letter. He checked his watch. Pavel was supposed to meet with his father and a bunch of corporate execuatives in a few hours and he needed to get ready. Which meant he had to get un-drunk, shower, shave possibly, and find something to hold over Danica until he came back.

"How soon until she gets it?" Pavel asked, his back now to Danica as he stood.

[Trevor King]

Trevor shrugged, not meeting Pavel's eyes. "Owls can be unpredictable," he lied. "She'll probably get it today, though. I'll try to get a fast owl. It'd take longer to deliver it any other way... if she lives in Hogsmeade, the muggle post won't be able to deliver it."

Unlike Pavel, Trevor had done his homework, and he knew quite well that she did live in Hogsmeade. It made sense, really, that she would live in a location that was only accessible by magic, because Pavel wouldn't be able to get to her there. Her mistake had been working in London, where anyone could find her.

Trevor wouldn't look at the girl or Pavel as he took the letter. "Right, then. See you later, yeah?"

He didn't even wait for a response before he was out the door. Outside the door, he apparated.

[Danica Krizova]

Daniel seemed to sit up straighter as Trevor gathered himself to leave. "Wait don't..." she trailed off, and he was gone anyway. It wasn't That she liked or trusted him, but between him and Pavel it was not her father she wanted to be left alone with.

When it was quiet, she sent a look at the man wondering whether next. "I need water. Or something. It's too hot."

[Pavel Novak]

Pavel looked at Danica, raising his eyebrow. It was no where neer warm in the warehouse, but if it would shut her up...
He walked to the restroom and filled a styrofoam cup with water from the sink. He put the cup on the table next to where Danica sat, water sloshed over the side. "Behave" he said to her, figuring the or else was implied before heading to the restroom to make himself look half-way decent.

[Danica Krizova]

As he walked away, though, the last thing Dani wanted to do was behave. She wanted to run, to find any way to get out of here, but she didn't know where she could go. Or where she was. And she was feeling too hot to even attempt it now.

Instead, she called after him. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"


(Feel free to end whenever)

[Pavel Novak]

He turned back to her, glaring. "Demanding little pain in the ass aren't you?" He walked in closer and leaned down to her level. "You'll either shut up and make due here, or I'll lock you back in the cabinet from last night, got it?"

[Danica Krizova]

"Well if you'd actually done this the right way!" Dani declared, using her bravado to cover her undeniable, heart stopping fear. She was terrified of Pavel, and even now, se bread herself in case he lashed out. Before he could though, Dani decided to add one last warning. "And the more hurt I am when Mum comes, the worse you're gonna get it!"

Sometimes, bravery bordered on extreme stupidity. Dani felt like she was walking this line now. She already vowed to scream until her lungs gave out if he locked her in the closet. She wasn't going to make anything about this easy on him.

[Pavel Novak]

The fact she even dared to speak back to him like that angered him. But what she said just infuriated him. Mostly because she was right, and his wife would be much more co-operative if their daughter was in one piece.

Furious, he threw the other chair she wasn't using across the room and it splintered on the wall. "You will sit here," he growled. "You with shut that f*cking mouth of yours, and you WILL behave." He took his hand and slapped her across the face, knowing it wouldn't bruise like a punch would. "And you will NEVER talk back to me again, do you understand?"

[Danica Krizova]

Tears sprang to her eyes when he slapped her, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. What else could she do? She was 11, she didn't have a wand, and there was no one around. All the bravery in the world couldn't save her now.

But she could still be a little smart alec. When he asked if she understood, she just raised her eyebrows and kept silent, not answering in the affirmative. He told her to shut up, after all, and if she didn't say that she understood, she had a viable reason for talking back to him again later.

[Pavel Novak]

"Good," he considered her silence an understanding and he spun back around and headed to the washroom, slamming the door and leaving Danica alone in the office for the time being.