Tanjhenge Alley
This
side street is just as twisty as Diagon Alley, but
rather shorter. It holds the overflow for all that Diagon
Alley itself can't contain, and tends to be quieter, a little less visited, but
containing a cozy sort of cheer that is lacking in Knockturn
Alley. People bustle about, visiting the bank at the alley's mouth, the
apothecary opposite it, or the shops further down.
---
Nathaniel
is, as promised, lingering next to one of the tall white columns that stands at the head of the stairs of Gringotts.
Every few minutes or so, he paces the length of a step, his hands in his
pockets. He looks dreadfully formal, wearing the jacket that goes along with
his suit ... and also dreadfully warm, though he doesn't acknowledge that
particular fact as much as perhaps he'd like to. He frowns faintly as he gazes
as the passers by, waiting for the one person he's here to meet.
A
somewhat less formally, although not entirely casually attired, Darby makes her
way purposefully along Diagon Alley to the smaller
alley and more importantly, the bank at the mouth of it. A small bag is slung
over her shoulder, and her ubiquitous notebook is tucked up under one arm as
she jogs up the steps towards Nat.
Nathaniel's
pacing ceases the moment he spots Darby - he can't appear to be too anxious or
curious, after all. He folds his hands behind his back and stands at the top of
the stairs as he watches Darby approach, his expression slipping into the cool,
calculating mask that he seems to favour. "Miss Higgins. You'll forgive
me, I'm sure, if I beg of you to simply cut to the chase and tell me what
you've called me here for."
Shayla steps from The Frothy Butterbeer to Tanjhenge Alley.
Shayla pops, cheerfuly,
out of the Frothy Butterbeer. A large
bucket of water in her hands. A loose curl flops in her face and she
blows back into the mass.
Darby
arches an eyebrow, pauses for a moment, before she nods her head formally,
offering an aloof but polite smile. 'Of course, Mr. Zephyr.
I had no plans of ... beating around to bush, to borrow a colloquial turn of
phrase.' She lowers her voice after casting a cautious look about. "The .... .. ... ...... is simply ..... .. doing some
........... ... ......... . .... ...... . ...... .... . .... ..... ..... ....
.... ........ information. ........ the
........ .. the ...... ...... ..... .. said .. .. vague .. best. ... ...... ... sent .... your father's law ..... I ........
.. .. .... mother. . ........... contacting ... ......
.. the letter ........ ... found
.... ........ .. .. ...... surely, .. would .. bound by client
............... or .... ..... ....... restrictive law
and ..... ...... .. ..... .. ........ by ... of
information, .......... of what . ..... .. ....... .. .... However, .. occurred .. .. that .... ... being .. ..... .. ...
..... of conduct, ..... .. able ..
..... me .... ... ...... ........... .. .. ...... For . ..... of .... naming, of ......."
She pauses to stare off in the distance for a beat, then
continues, her voice kept low.
"...... ... want ....... to do with ... .... ...... . will .......... ... .. on .. way. I'm not ...... you .. ..
........ ...... which ... ... ........"
Shayla
quirks an eyebrow at the sudden whispering, before furrowing them in carefull concentration as she dumps the large bucket into a
drain that's built into the curb. She looks up at the two guys. "'Allo guys. You fella's been to the Frothy Butterbeer
yet?"
Melony joins you in Tanjhenge
Alley, coming from Diagon Alley proper.
Nathaniel
is standing on the steps of Gringotts with Darby,
where the two are engaged in quiet conversation. He smiles a bit wryly and
inclines his head. "I ...... ....
........ .. contact .... I assume ..
...... my father .. ........... ..... have indeed been fruitless. ... would ....
.. ... ...... permission .. ........ ..... .... proof .. relation and rights ..
............ ..... - .. ... have taken
years." His smile widens a bit,
becoming a touch more predatory.
".... so ... .... me .. ..... ... confines .. ... and .... discovery .. .. ....... I do ....
Higgins, .... .... cost you. But ...... I settle .. .. ......
.... need .. see the letter .
do ... .... it with .... ..
.. .... ....... piece .. .............. .... .... .... to .... .... .. ........ ...... at .... .. .. ... neck?" He glances up at Shayla,
an eyebrow quirking, then shakes his head slightly.
'No, I haven't. I've been rather entrenched in my own business.'
Shayla says excitedly, her Irish accent a
bit heavier now, "It's a very nice new establishment. I suggest you check
it out! We have great pies! Nuala is our head pastry
chef."
Darby
casts an almost sheepish look down, smoothing her skirt briskly before looking
back up at Nathaniel again. ".... I ........ as much. ... ...........
.......... ..... .. .... ......... ... .. .. attain,
... ........ ..... longer .... I ..
willing to wait."
Her brow furrows faintly as she shifts on the step. "Cost is ..
...... ....... to ... in .... ....... . am .... .... ....... .. pay .... .
.... ... prompt and reliable information."
She's so wrapped up in her own affairs that it takes a moment to
register Shayla addressing them, even with
Nathaniel's response. She turns, blinking as if surprised to see someone else
present, and with a polite smile, she shakes her head to the question. 'I've
yet to try it, I'm afraid. Been a touch busy with matters, of
late.'
Kira joins you in Tanjhenge
Alley, coming from Diagon Alley proper.
Shayla shrugs. "I always manage to
find time for good cookin'. If you want to drop by
try the meat pies, they're delicious."
Turning
the corner at the bank, a darkhaired woman with
sullen demeanor carrying a leather satchel slung
across her chest stalks down the cobblestone streets. Her shoulders are
slightly squared, and when one large bruiser of a wizard - likely a habitue of Knockturn Alley -
tries to stare her down, she stops in her tracks, looking at him coldly. He
bares his teeth. She bares hers, and then growls.
Melony strides into Tanjhenge,
a purse swinging by her side as she moves closer to Gringotts.
Mooooneeeeey. Of course, some things are enough to damper the thought of
good old money. Like youngins. As she passes by Shayla, the younger girl earns a disdainful sort of look,
though she follows the girl's gaze up to Gringotts
and smiles at -- well, rather, at /one/ of the two there, anyway. "Zephyr, how wonderful to see you. -
Ah, and Higgins, good day." The latter recieves a rather skeptical sort
of look.
Nathaniel steeples his fingers in front of his chest,
regarding Darby solemnly for a moment before he nods. "... Finding ....
... .... .. ......... to .... .... much
.. ........ ... .. ....... that you've ..... ..
... ..... ..... ........ I ..... ...... you anything ...... my .... ... it .....
.. .. you ..... agree ..
..." He pauses, then
laughs as if he's just made a good joke - it's not a very warm laugh,
however. "... you
have ... .. tell me what I'm to be looking ....
........ . ...... .... your ...... ..... ... only ...... .. family has ever
....... so I ... ...... find ... number of ........ in
his ......" He glances up, his cool
gaze taking in the dark-haired woman's appearance before he turns it on Shayla. 'Rest assured, little barmaid, that should I ever
desire a meat pie in a shabby old pub, your Frothy Butterbeer
will be the first I offer my patronage.' He scarcely pauses before launching
into a greeting to the newly arrived Slytherin. 'Robin, good to see you out and
about - we've seen far too little of one another this holiday.'
Shayla looks aghast. She walks out of her
place of emplyment and starts getting bad looks and
attitudes. "The Butterbeer is FAR from Shabby,
sir, I see to that myself!" She then turns to the witch who walked by
swinging her cruddy ole purse. "And I'm sorry if I stood in the wrong
place on the street. But it's usually a bit more polite to not look at all then
to look at me with some kind of disguting look on yer face."
Darby
narrows her eyes slightly, gently shrugging her bare shoulders. ".... well, ...... ...
..... .. .... inclined .. ......... ...... . be ....... to ..... ... ........ I ..
..... .... ..... right, quibbling over ..... is pointless until you .... .... .. .. I
.. ...... .. you. I'm ......
I'm ........ distracted. . find .... .. be . ........ ... sensitive matter."
She casts a quick look over at Shayla, before
turning back to Nathaniel. As she's about to speak further, Melony
arrives, and the younger Slytherin gets a polite but somewhat pained smile in
greeting. 'Robin, good day,' she replies in kind, inclining her head slightly.
Taking a half-step back, she opens her notebook and fluidly tears out on of its
pages. This is folded in half then offered out towards Nathaniel, held aloofly
between her index and middle fingers. 'Peruse it when you may. I have the
original in my keeping, should you need to see it.' Shayla
just gets another strange look, although Darby attempts to cover with another
wan smile.
Kira nods once in satisfaction, seeming content with
having stared down the large bruiser of a wizard. Her forehead creases slightly
as she turns to regard the girl who appears to be talking to her, giving Shayla a decidedly blank look, one hand on her leather
satchel, coming to a halt in front of her. "Eh?"
"Agreed,
Zephyr," Melony says with a nod of her head,
though any sort of smile she was sporting vanishes in an instant. The blonde turns on her heel, smiling prettily down at the girl.
"Child, you're chump-change. I think it would be in your best interest if
you shut your mouth before it got too far ahead of your..."
Melony trails off, as if searching for a word, before
looking reluctant as she allows, "well, I suppose it would be your mind.
Though, naturally I'm having doubts you are in possession of such." Kira gets a glance and a polite enough nod, before Melony lets her icy gaze fall expectantly upon Shayla.
Nathaniel
accepts the folded piece of paper from Darby, and rather than waiting to read
the letter in private, he unfolds it and turns his back on anything and
everything to read it - better to hide any personal reactions to the content,
after all. It only takes him a moment to skim the page before he folds it into
quarters and tucks it into the breast pocket of his suit jacket, nodding curtly
to Darby. "I already have some idea as to how I can go about finding what
it is you seek, Higgins. If it's satisfactory to you, I will owl with my
expected payment as soon as I am able to discern how difficult it will be to
execute my plan." He turns a smile on Shayla,
but it's far too toothy and condescending to be real. "Really, do you? I'm
sure it's gathering dust as we speak." Kira also
earns a look, and vague recognition flickers across his face - he evidently
cannot place her name, however, as he merely nods a greeting to her.
Shayla glares angrily and Melony and mutters out loud. "A Slytherin I figure,
they never do turn out so good." She shakes her head before rinsing out
the bucket with the tap butted against the side of the Frothy Butterbeer. Swishing it around to get all
the grime out. She pours it out into the drain imagining it splashing
all over Melony's pumps. She grins before realizing
she was completly missing the drain and most of the
water is now pooled up near Melony's feet.
Darby
watches the back of Nathaniel as he reads, largely tuning out what the others
are saying and doing. When he turns back, she nods with a small smile at his
words, murmuring a soft, "Splendid," that doesn't seem entirely
joyful. "I will look forward to your owl then, Mr. Zephyr." She casts
a look about now, studying the others now gathered here with a thoughtful air,
although she doesn't opt to intervene in any of the disagreement.
Kira not having yet moved from by the younger girl, is standing there watching the water swirl not only
near but around her own feet. Both dark eyebrows rise slowly but inexoriably heavenwards, and she says something in a mild
tone of voice - but the language isn't English.
Stuff. Liquidy, icky stuff. Around her brand new shoes.
Melony
looks down at her feet, eyes faintly widened before a moment, before she looks
up at the younger student. It's obvious she straining to maintain her
composure, even as she says rather smoothly, albeit with an obvious chill,
"Child, I hope you realize these shoes are worth more than you, your
shabby little pub, and undoubtedly your entire family /line/. And you will
bring me a cloth and you will inevitably /pay/ for these." And from the
glint in Melony's eyes, it's a question what form of
'payment' she speaks of.
Nathaniel
tsks and wags a mocking finger in Shayla's
direction. "So /well/. They never turn out so
/well/." He's got to say something, and since his shoes haven't been
ruined by water, it's the most convenient, trivial thing he can comment on - so
he does so, with that same toothy smile. "Robin, watch yourself.
We've a messy barmaid on our hands." He quirks a
faint smile as Melony makes it evident that she can
care for herself, and he takes this opportunity to turn back toward Darby.
"Unless something unforseen happens, Miss
Higgins, you can expect my owl by the end of next week."
Shayla looks to Melony
and shrugs. She takes her bucket walks back inside tosses a rag out to Melony frpm the open door and
walks back inside looking all to pleased with herself.
The door closing rather abruptly, the sound of a little bell can be heard from
the inside as the door slams.
Darby
arches an eyebrow at the entire scene unfolding before her watching almost as
if it were just a somewhat befuddling play. "Erm,
yes well, that should be most sufficient," she replies to Nathaniel,
before turning back to see how things will go next. She crosses her arms over
her stomach and takes a few steps over to lean up against one of Gringott's pillars.
Kira looks down at her own shoes, then over at Melony, then over at the door of the tavern. She lifts one
foot experimentally, examining her sodden footwear; it's not really the worse
for wear, since she's wearing heavy boots, but it's the principle of the thing,
yah? Yah, the young woman apparently decides, it is.
With a fatalistic shrug, she pulls out a small notepad and stubby quill, making
a note of the place's name.
Melony glances back with a half-grin at
Nathaniel, though she turns at the sound of Shayla's
departure. "I should buy that pub, really," Melony
says, blinking at the closed door, "and get them all out of business and
whatnot. Hm. No matter - I'll just owl the little brat's parents."
Looking down at her shoes, then, Melony makes a face
of obvious disgustion, stepping gingerly out of the
puddle and eyeing her shoes. "Ugh, little /twit/!"
Setting her left foot down after examining it, she looks up at Kira. "Ugh, and she got your shoes as well." Of
course, Melony's shoes are more important, you know.
"What
a rude little barwench," Nathaniel murmurs,
studying the pub's front thoughtfully for a moment before turning back to the
three girls. "Robin, is there something I can do for you? For that matter
... what about you?" He turns a politely questioning look toward Kira, gesturing toward her shoes just in case she isn't as
fast with English as the rest of them - she doesn't exactly look native, that's
for certain. He also gives Darby a brief glance, but when he realizes that her
shoes are still water-free, steps back and waits for an answer.
Kira finishes her writing, then
looks back up with an absent shrug. "Yah. Write
her employers." She indicates the parchment. "Rude
- no apology. Bad business, yah? Hmph."
"Not
exactly the sort of behaviour becoming of one wanting repeat customers,"
Darby offers in low agreement, shrugging her shoulders and straightening back
up off of the pillar. She tucks her own notebook away in her bag before tossing
the large purse back over her shoulder.
"/Very/ rude!" Melony
says in a tone indicating to possible whiney-ness. A smile is sent
Nathaniel-wards, but the blonde shakes her head and sighs. "No, it's quite
alright, Zephyr, but thank you so very much all the same." Turning to Kira, Melony eyes the parchment,
though she nods once. "True - but it looks as though they already had bad
business, doesn't it?"
Nathaniel
taps lightly at the uppermost pocket on his jacket, then
nods slightly to himself as he confirms the letter's continued presence.
"A fine idea," he tells Kira with an
approving nod before he gives Melony and Darby both a
faint smile and a nod of their own. "I fail to see how it would hurt to
alert them to the lack of manners that seems to be inherent in their employees
- but I imagine that's what stems from hiring children, so they may be hurting
themselves willingly. Even so, I urge you to write a letter - she hardly seemed
capable of repaying you for your losses, but perhaps the establishment would
provide compensation if a lawsuit were pending."
"Strange
that she would be so willing to displease prospective customers after going on
at length about the quality of the inn," Darby muses quietly. "But
then, perhaps logic is not her strong suit." She shrugs her shoulders, not
seeming overly inclined to try and figure that particular mystery out.
"I
don't see why they'd hire children at that age, at any rate," Melony says, flipping her hair from her shoulder. "But
I do plan to write a letter, yes. If she's a soon-to-be firstie,
I think I'll have fun kicking her down. Anyway..." The girl trails off,
glancing aside to Darby with a faint smirk. "Does appear to be that way,
doesn't it?"
Nathaniel
shakes his head and clicks his tongue. "Well, between here and that
Dripping Bucket down the Alley, I think I'll do well to just have my tea at
home and not take my chances on the garbage they try to pass as eateries and
pubs here." He steps down off of the stairs and gives Darby and Melony a nod and a smile each, though his smile to Melony looks a bit more genuine. "If you ladies will
excuse me, I have a few matters that need seeing to before the day is out. I
expect I will be seeing you both soon enough."
Darby
nods her head slightly at Melony. "Such a
conclusion could be easily reached, given the events of this afternoon,
yes," she replies matter-of-factly. "Fare thee well, then, Mr.
Zephyr. You know how to reach me when and if you've the need." She waves
briefly, returning the polite smile although it's not a great deal more genuine
than any given to her.
Darby recieves a nod from Melony, and likewise does Nat, accompanied by a genuine
smile of her own. "Right - I should be headed into Gringotts,
myself. I'll enjoy and revel in our next meeting more thoroughly, I'm sure,
Zephyr. Whenever that occaision
should arise, anyway. Nevertheless, I'll see you later. - And I suppose
I'll see you at school, Higgins."
"I
do intend on returning, yes," Darby replies not unkindly, with a
half-smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Best of luck in your letter
writing, then, and do enjoy the rest of your holidays." Not spoken with
any concern, these are more polite and formal statements. With a small nod of
her head, she begins ambling down the steps, in no seeming hurry to get
anywhere.
Melony nods politely to Darby, turning to
start for Gringotts. "Good day, then, Higgins. The same to you, of course." Why be snippity
when on okay-terms with others?