Drinking the doldroms away (open)

[Bellatrix Black]

Bellatrix had been feeling particularly lonely as of late. She had not had any new summons from her beloved Dark Lord in weeks, and she knew better than to bother him when she had not been called on. She had been sent abroad with Rabastan taking her place as Rothschild's assistant, on a mission that resulted in very little information to report back. No excuse to see Him. Rodolphus, too, had been busy with work and she'd seen little of him over the last several days as a result. The time apart had began to make her ache for him in the pit of her stomach and she supposed that meant that she did truly love him.

She made a conscious effort to not think of Rodolphus as she pulled open the door to The Rusty Nail and allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Outside was bright and everything seemed flooded with sunlight. Even while moving through the shadowy walkways of Knockturn Alley the bright sun managed to illuminate many of the darkly dressed witches and wizards who sneered at the sun as they shuffled past. But inside the pub the sun had no effect. The room's only light came from the wax covered chandeliers that hung above the shabby wooden tables and the long, time-worn bar. The windows, covered in grime, gave no indication that it was only a quarter past 3 in the afternoon. The number of patrons sitting at the tables also gave no indication that it might, in more refined and sophisticated circles, be too early for drinking. Bella was in no mood to care about sophistication.

It only took a moment for her pupils to dilate and she quickly scanned the bar for a familiar face. Seeing none, she made her way up to the bar and sat on one of the faded leather bar stools. The bartender was talking with someone at the other end of the bar, but gave her a nod letting her know he'd be along shortly. Bellatrix sighed and tried not thinking of her stagnant role in the world for the past several months weeks.

She was unsuccessful.

Her mind wandered to thoughts of the other Death Eaters, all acting upon the wishes of the Dark Lord as they terrorized the mudbloods and the nonbelievers. She thought of her own latest mission and how her place in the Dark Lord's ranks felt in limbo. She wished for a new assignment, but knew that her place was wherever her master commanded her to be. At the moment it was nowhere, which made her blood boil and her soul ache. She was envious of those followers working at the Ministry, manipulating the system to further His agenda. Hell, she was even jealous of those witches who were content to sit about their palatial homes doing nothing all day. Bellatrix was never one for sitting idly by, but then again it had worked out well for her mother. At least she did not envy Rabastan, back at Hogwarts with all those children.

Bellatrix was so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't realized the bartender standing in front of her, looking impatiently on as she stared at nothingness. She finally came to when he cleared his throat and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Well?"

Bellatrix looked at him, startled, but quickly recovered from the surprise of no longer being inside her head and she looked nonchalantly away. "Firewhiskey," she said as her eyes shifted to the door behind her which was opening. A beam of sunlight poured into the room, surrounding a person who looked like an angel flooded with a holy light, obscuring his or her true identity.

[Trevor King]

Knockturn Alley was the place to go when you needed to go underground for a while. And Trevor definitely needed to lie low for now; between his involvement in that who stupid kidnapping scheme and his use of the Imperius Curse against an innocent young girl, well, it was safe to say that a few people might have been looking for him.

He hadn't even told Celia where he was going; only that he'd had to leave for "business" reasons. He'd come back to her once the heat had died down a bit, but for now it was best if she didn't know where he was.

He was actually staying in a very dingy, disgusting, roach-infested room above the Rusty Nail--a far cry from his preferred luxury. But here he could blend in with the shadows and the darkness... Although even here, he couldn't help but stand out just a bit.

He had been at Borgin and Burke's, selling a few more trinkets he had acquired, and now returned to the putrid pit that would be his home for the next few weeks.

He opened the door, a rare shaft of sunlight sneaking in behind him and blinding most of the clientele, who were more used to darkness. But he could see just fine, and his eyes fell on her in an instant.

"It might sound a bit cliche," he began, his Irish brogue thick in the air, "but what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

[Bellatrix Black]

As the door closed behind him, the angelic figure came into focus. Trevor King. Bella had seen him several times at the larger gatherings, but had never spoken with him. Oh, but she knew many things about this man. Anyone with real potential would sooner or later become a target for Bellatrix's curiosity. And jealousy. She'd asked Rodolphus and a few other friends at the Ministry to look into Trevor her and found a few little bits of information she thought best to keep quiet about, at least until it benefited her. His lineage was of especial interest to her, and in her single-mindedness she believed it could be his downfall were he to cross her or simply take favor over her in the Dark Lord's eyes.

She gave a stiff smile as he hurled an overused line at her. Raising her glass slightly she replied, "strong drinks." In reality, Bella enjoyed "slumming it," as Narcissa called it. Bellatrix could certainly be labeled as 'high maintenance' in many regards, but there was something about the dark and dangerous that had always beckoned her. When she was feeling particularly blue she often came to the seedier establishments, hoping that a few bad apples might cause some chaos and create some entertainment. Thus far it had been an uneventful trip. But the day was still young. Plenty of chaos to be had.

Turning back to rest her glass on the bar, Bella introduced herself, though she was certain she needed to real introduction. "Bellatrix," she said, offering her hand.

[Trevor King]

Of course he knew who she was. Everyone knew Bellatrix Black. She was well-known to be the Dark Lord’s favorite, and with good reason. She was as cruel as she was beautiful.

Trevor knew he was playing a dangerous game by aligning himself with people, who, if they knew the truth about his identity, would kill him without blinking an eye. It was really a bit of a lark for him, to try to surround himself with powerful people and to try and take a little of that power for himself.

In truth, he did rather agree with a lot of what the Dark Lord said, and even though he was one of the “undesirables” that they were trying to get rid of, deep down, he believed he was born to better things. It was an accident, a fluke of nature, that caused him to be born to dirt-poor muggles instead of to a great wizarding family.

So he would just blend in, follow the crowd, and keep his head low. Mostly. Because now that he was face-to-face with Bellatrix, he couldn’t help but think how useful it would be to get on her good side.

“Aye, I know you,” he said, taking her hand and pressing it to his lips. “You’re even more beautiful than they say you are. I’m Trevor King, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

[Bellatrix Black]

He was a smart man, to say the least. If there was one surefire way to get Bellatrix to pay attention, it was to compliment her looks. She smiled. "Lovely to finally meet you, Trevor." She leaned in, as if she were about to share a secret. "I've heard good things about you." He was ambitious and clever, some of the best qualities to have when serving the Dark Lord, so long as his ambitions did not supersede her place in the inner circle.

"Well," she said as took a sip of her drink, "we know why I'm here. What are you doing in a ruddy old place like this?"

[Trevor King]

Trevor shrugged. “Well, I can’t deny that sometimes I like the cheap and dirty drinks… I am Irish, after all. But the truth is, I got into a bit of trouble and need to lie low for a bit. First I cursed this girl with the Imperius Curse… just because I could. And then I got into a sticky situation involving a kidnapping… last time I take a job from some idiot muggles. Their money’s not worth the trouble, if you know what I mean. I thought it’d be good to bilk the idiot’s old man out of some money, but I’m the one who got screwed. Can’t trust them, I’m tellin’ ya.”

[Bellatrix Black]

Bellatrix scanned the room subtly to ensure no one was listening as Trevor divulged his dirty little secrets. It was a bit more information than she had anticipated from her seemingly innocent question, but he was intriguing. "Well, that's what you get for dealing with muggles, isn't it? Better to just slaughter the whole lot of them than try to make a few galleons. More fun, anyway."

She sipped her drink again and let the burn pour down her throat before looking more intently at him, leaning slightly closer. "Did you say you used the Imperius Curse on someone?" She whispered the curse's name. Even in a place like the Rusty Nail, one cane never be too cautious when talking about Unforgivables.