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Post by Bellatrix Black on Sept 26, 2016 12:33:25 GMT -5
This was really too easy. From her hiding place Bellatrix was able to ascertain Alyx's greatest wish - and simultaneously deduce her biggest fear, being abandoned - and gain access to the girl's schedule. She would know right where to find her when the time came, and Bella's mind had formulated the perfect revenge. She would make this girl suffer greatly for the humiliation she had caused.
The street was beginning to fill with passersby, and a man was walking on the pavement directly toward her. She wouldn't be able to spy much longer, and she still had the orphanage to visit. Her eyes narrowing, Bellatrix was determined to pull off her plan without a hitch. She smiled devilishly as she pulled herself away from the window and sauntered off in the direction of the orphanage. As she passed the man on the sidewalk, she realized that she knew him, but did not stop for pleasantries. She had work to do, and suspected he had his own as well. She prayed silently that he had not seen her outside the detective's building as she crossed the street and headed onward.
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Alyxandria Rye
 
Sixth Year[M:10]
Each time that I tell myself I think I've had enough I'm gonna show you that a woman can be tough.
Posts: 154
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Post by Alyxandria Rye on Sept 26, 2016 13:20:24 GMT -5
"Yes!" she said eagerly, " That sounds perfect." she beamed.
Alyx's heart was pounding and she couldn't contain her excitement. Everything had gone better than she could have hoped. While she wasn't entirely confident that her parents could be located, getting the ball rolling had been almost too easy.
She couldn't stop smiling and shared her excitement with her friend.
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Evelyn Turner
Sixth Year[M:10]
My friends call me "Evie"
Posts: 209
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Post by Evelyn Turner on Sept 27, 2016 12:15:58 GMT -5
Evelyn beamed at Alyx. Being the positive creature that Evelyn was, she never doubted that things would work out for Alyx. She simply knew that they'd work something out about the payment, which they had, and next Alyx would be reunited with her parents. It was only a matter of time.
"I told you," she said happily.
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Post by Tom Linwood on Sept 27, 2016 12:46:46 GMT -5
Tom walked confidently down the street toward Chevalier Investigations. He'd done a modicum of asking after Rachael and everyone agreed, she'd be here. They had history, to be sure, but he optimistic that she still had some twisted soft spot in her heart for her first love. He would use that to his advantage.
As he neared the building, he passed a pretty brunette. Black. He recognized her instantly as the doting little Death Eater that bent over backwards for his "friend" Tom Riddle. Lord Voldemort, the others called him. To Tom, he was just Riddle. They didn't bother to exchange words as they passed, the girl looked on a mission and avoided his eyes before crossing swiftly to the other side of the street. Tom put her out of his mind immediately. He did not care what Bellatrix was up to, he had his own affairs to worry about.
Walking up the doorsteps to the office, Tom ran his hand through his hair. He would need to look as debonair as that last time she saw him. Well, maybe not the very last time, but certainly as charming as he had when he had bedded her last. He turned the knob and pushed the door open.
There she was. Older than he remembered, a little worse for wear, but still breath taking. She was talking with two school girls. If he were a younger man... He hung at the back of the room, but wouldn't be waiting patiently for his turn with his ex-wife. "Hello, love."
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Sept 27, 2016 21:08:36 GMT -5
Ricki was still smiling, glad that they could work something out, and was preparing to ask Alyx a few more questions about her background to help start with the investigation, when the door opened. At first, she thought it might be Milo, who she expected to come back from his latest job any moment. But when she glanced up and saw him, and heard his voice like something out of another lifetime, her face went completely white.
She only hesitated a moment, then jumped to her feet, drawing her wand and aiming it at him. Her eyes narrowed as she moved out from behind the desk and stood between him and the girls, shielding them with her body. "Get. Out." she said menacingly. "You are not welcome here."
She knew he was still out there, and had assumed eventually she would run into him, but she had rather hoped it would be under different circumstances. Like him in the morgue. Why did he have to show up now? Or ever?
Her hand, which held the wand trained on him, was shaking obviously enough that he would surely notice it. But if he made so much as a single move for his own, she would not let him get the better of her this time, the way he had all those years ago.
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Alyxandria Rye
Sixth Year[M:10]
Each time that I tell myself I think I've had enough I'm gonna show you that a woman can be tough.
Posts: 154
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Post by Alyxandria Rye on Sept 27, 2016 22:58:46 GMT -5
Alyx wasn't quite floating on cloud nine, maybe it was closer to cloud eight or seven, but she was pleased. Nothing had ever come easy to Alyx, and she didn't have the same optimism that Evelyn had. Still it was a mighty descent from cloud eight to the suddenly tense situation in the room.
The stranger that had entered was older, handsome, but also carried an aura of dangerous.
Alyx instinctively grabbed for Evelyn and stood behind Ricki. Her instinct was to run, but she fought her instincts and kept her eyes on the stranger while reaching for her wand just in case she should need it.
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Post by Tom Linwood on Sept 27, 2016 23:15:35 GMT -5
Tom laughed at Rachael's reaction. She always assumed the worst of him, which was probably a smart move on her part. But the shaking of her wand arm was noticeable, and he knew that she wouldn't be able to hurt him. Much. With a cool smile, he raised his hands slightly and said, "is that anyway to welcome your husband?"
He looked at the two girls, cowering behind Rachael. "Sorry, love. I didn't realize you had customers. I'll just wait," he said, gesturing to the waiting area, but not actually moving toward it.
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Evelyn Turner
Sixth Year[M:10]
My friends call me "Evie"
Posts: 209
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Post by Evelyn Turner on Sept 27, 2016 23:18:08 GMT -5
The sudden shift in atmosphere was disorienting. One minute Evelyn and her friend were sharing in a quiet celebration and the next minute wands were drawn and Evelyn could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She was frozen in place until Alyx grabbed her and pulled her behind Ricki, using the woman as a shield. She was too confused to speak, so she simply stared between the man and Ricki.
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Alyxandria Rye
Sixth Year[M:10]
Each time that I tell myself I think I've had enough I'm gonna show you that a woman can be tough.
Posts: 154
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Post by Alyxandria Rye on Sept 27, 2016 23:35:25 GMT -5
Alyx was far from cowering, but Ricki was older and it seemed to be personal. The woman's body also concealed Alyx's reach for her wand which was now firmly in hand and ready to use. Her mind wouldn't stop replaying the Hogsmeade attack, all the children, all the screaming, all the injured and even the death count. Alyx would fight if it came down to it, though she prayed for all their sakes it didn't come to that.
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Sept 29, 2016 21:18:17 GMT -5
Of course. She was happy now, just beginning a relationship with Milo after all this time, so of course he had to come back. The no-good, rotten, son of a banshee probably knew it somehow, like some kind of twisted radar signaling to him that now was a good time to come back into her life and make her remember things she had tried so hard to forget.
Her feelings for him, however, were not one of those things. She had no feelings for him anymore, and looking at him now, so smug and smarmy, she really honestly couldn't even see whatever it was she had once seen in him. Physically, she supposed he was still attractive, but she could see the ugliness underneath, like a dark creature hiding behind a sheer curtain.
"You are not my husband anymore," she said. "And stop calling me 'love.' You lost the right to call me that a long time ago."
She could see that he wasn't going to leave quietly. Rather than make a scene in front of the girls and potentially involve them in a fight where they might get hurt, she turned just slightly and said, "Girls, I think you should go back to school. Alyx, I will owl you later to work out the details of the job and to discuss the case. It was nice meeting both of you," she added, feeling a bit guilty that she'd never got the redhead's name.
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Alyxandria Rye
Sixth Year[M:10]
Each time that I tell myself I think I've had enough I'm gonna show you that a woman can be tough.
Posts: 154
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Post by Alyxandria Rye on Sept 30, 2016 1:30:49 GMT -5
Alyx wanted to stay. She wanted to help. The thought of leaving the woman - who only moments ago agreed to help her find her parents - with this obviously dangerous man, was unsettling. There was also the fact that he was blocking the door more or less and she wasn't sure about walking past him.
She looked at Evelyn to see how she was holding up.
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Post by Tom Linwood on Sept 30, 2016 15:11:18 GMT -5
As Rachael spat that he was not her husband anymore, Tom muttered "semantics" and shrugged his shoulders. Although his intentions in coming to see her were not rile her up, Tom couldn't help but find a bit of joy at how intensely she glared at him.
Rachael, ever the care taker, dismissed the youngsters politely and Tom noted that the dark haired girl eyed him warily before looking to the door. "Now, now, Rachael. You've gone and made the girls scared of me." Looking past his ex-wife, he made eye contact with Alyx. "I wouldn't hurt a fly," he said with a wink. He stepped away from the door and further into the room, allowing the girls to exit without concern. His smile was very smug and he moved to look at some of the framed pieces on the wall, keeping an eye on Rachael's shaky but relentless wand hand.
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Evelyn Turner
Sixth Year[M:10]
My friends call me "Evie"
Posts: 209
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Post by Evelyn Turner on Sept 30, 2016 15:18:16 GMT -5
Evelyn looked nervously between Alyx and the door, but as the man moved aside she grabbed Alyx's sleeve. "Come on," she whispered, knowing Alyx would want to stay. Evelyn was not as brave as Alyx, and she certainly didn't want to be caught in the middle of whatever was going on. "Come on," she urged again, "Ricki can handle it." In the back of her mind, Evelyn knew that detectives would have had to be pretty tough, seeing as how their line of work could get them into sticky situations from time to time. But what motivated Evelyn to move toward the door, hand gripping Alyx's sleeve, was not the knowledge that Ricki could take care of herself but fear of what would happen if they stayed. Evelyn gripped the knob tightly and pulled the door open.
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Alyxandria Rye
Sixth Year[M:10]
Each time that I tell myself I think I've had enough I'm gonna show you that a woman can be tough.
Posts: 154
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Post by Alyxandria Rye on Oct 1, 2016 1:31:16 GMT -5
Alyx wasn't trying to be brave but she was concerned about the woman whom she had just met. She didn't want to stay where the danger was, but she was conflicted. One look at Evelyn however and Alyx nodded.
She kept her eyes on the man and her fist gripped on her wand as she kept Evelyn behind her and moved toward the exit.
Once outside she turned to her friend, "Let's hurry back to the school." she said with the intention of getting a teacher or someone to come back with her and make sure that Ricki was alright.
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Post by Tom Linwood on Oct 2, 2016 2:31:47 GMT -5
Tom waited until the girls had gone and the door had shut before he turned to face Rachael, taking a step in her direction. "Still looking after the young ones," he commented. Tom had never spoken to Rachael about the incident with their son. He had heard the news of the boy's passing, but something inside him had blocked off any emotional response. Rachael was clearly not the same. She was a nurturer at heart, and he knew she would have been devastated.
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Oct 7, 2016 22:21:15 GMT -5
Ricki didn’t lower her wand, but kept it deliberately trained on him. Her grip was a little less shaky now that the girls were gone, but her arm was starting to ache a little.
She bristled at the mention of children, and narrowed her eyes at him angrily. He must have known what happened, and it felt like a slap in the face to bring it up at this moment. But she was not going to discuss it with him.
“Why are you here? Make it quick, because my arm is getting tired and I might hex you just to get it over with.”
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Post by Tom Linwood on Oct 7, 2016 23:13:08 GMT -5
"Can't a man simply pay a friendly visit to his wife?" He smirked and corrected himself, "EX-wife." Tom moved slowly around the room, inspecting the wall hangings and the pile of magazines left on small table. From the corner of his eye he watched as Rachael's wand followed him precariously around the room. He forced down his desire to laugh.
"How's business?"
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Oct 9, 2016 18:44:55 GMT -5
“After 20 years you just decided to drop in for a visit?” Ricki said, looking skeptical. “I am not interested in having a friendly chat with you. Not after what happened the last time we met. State your business and get out.”
What had she ever seen in him? She must have been seeing him through the rose-colored glasses of youth, because right now, all she saw was slime. He was so slick, so arrogant, and Ricki positively itched to wipe the sleazy grin off his face. How could he stand here and act like 20+ years hadn’t passed? How could he pretend that he hadn’t hurt her?
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Post by Tom Linwood on Oct 9, 2016 23:07:57 GMT -5
He liked her fire. But what he liked even more than that was how well Rachael's business seemed to be going. It wasn't the finest PI's office he'd ever seen, but clearly she was doing well for herself. That was important to Tom.
"Wow, Rachael, I must say your manners have severely diminished in my absence. It's a good thing I'll be around more often, to help you improve your people skills." He turned to face her, an amused grin on his face. "I'm moving back to town," he announced.
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Oct 14, 2016 22:06:40 GMT -5
At this point, it was becoming the elephant in the room, but Ricki was determined not to bring up the baby to him. She had no idea whether he knew what happened or not, but if he didn't know, in Ricki's opinion, then he didn't deserve to know. But how could he possibly act like she should be nice to him after what happened? Even if the baby had lived, he'd have to know that what he had done to her the last time they saw each other was more than enough of a reason for her to hate him.
"Pardon me if I am not enthusiastic about this news," Ricki said dryly, rolling her eyes. "I said before that you are not welcome here, and I meant it. I don't care if you're moving in next door, I don't want you coming around here all the time. You dumped me, and you lied to me, and then you hurt me. I've moved on, and I have a good life. I'm happy. And I do not need you hanging around to remind me of what a naive idiot I used to be. So I'll say it one more time, and if I have to say it again, I will hex you. What do you want?"
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