Ace in the Hole | open

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It was a blustery, dreary Wednesday afternoon. An absolutely terrible day. But you couldn't tell from inside the casino. All around there were cheers, jeers, cursing, and the wondrous sound of jackpot buzzers. Bella loved it when the buzzers went off. The thought that someone,
somewhere just received a great blessing was euphoric to Bella. She could feel the excitement permeate the entire room. Slipping a cigarette between her lips, she casually strolled the playing floor, occasionally taking a drag on the tobacco, her eyes alert and aware.

She was surrounded by Purebloods. Most of them were harmless, just normal people looking to feed their gambling addiction. Bella could sympathize with that. But others were a little more nefarious in their purposes. They thought they were better than everyone else just because of their names and their blood. Those were the ones the Order had Bella looking out for. And she was very good at her job. She was pleasantly conversational, never once letting on that she was tracking every movement and micro-expression a person made.

Bella pulled the cigarette from her lips and let it dangle from her slender fingers while she exhaled a cloud of silvery smoke. Smoking was one of the many habits she had picked up from the Americans during her travels. Her dark eyes scanned the room once more. All seemed peaceful. The lucky chap who won the jackpot was still celebrating nearby. Bella smiled and lifted the cigarette to her lips again. Just as the paper touched her mouth, she felt someone bump into her from behind. She stumbled,
the cigarette falling from her hand and landing on the floor. "Excuse me?" she said, half-polite and half-annoyed.

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Zeph didn't remember the last time she had been to a casino. It was certainly before she adopted her children. She recalled Mera and her going to one on a date once, but that was also before they were married. Being a mum, Zeph didn't really get into a lot of vices like gambling those days. Therefore, she normally wouldn't find herself in a place like Gambling Galleons.

She wasn't there as a mother though. She was there as an Auror. A notorious dark witch was on the loose, and had been tracked down to the casino. Zeph had the unhappy task of locating her inside and bringing her in. She would be going it alone as some of the Aurors she usually worked with got put on other assignments due to how grim things had been in England as of late. Zeph wasn't afraid though. She went it alone before and could do so again.

Zeph was looking through the crowd for her target. At first, she wondered if she could spot anyone in the masses. However, she then saw the crooked hat associated with the dark witch. She made her way over quickly... or as quick as she could... and then bumped into someone. She sighed as she saw her target was gone. Still, she could be polite to the one she bumped into.

"I'm terribly sorry," she said. "I saw someone I was to... meet here and wasn't paying attention." She had to be careful just who she told of her assignment.

@bellamy

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Bella thoughtfully studied the woman that bumped into her. Short, cropped hair and sharp features: someone who meant business. Bella's eyes narrowed. People came to her casino for business, yes, but there seemed to be more than this women than stock market woes.
There was a fierceness to her that was hard to miss; a woman on a mission.

Leaning down to pick up her cigarette, Bella frowned at the still-smoldering in and flicked the wasted cig into a passing waiter's ashtray. She would just have another one later. She was much more fascinated with this new specimen than with poisoning her own lungs. She looked the stranger over again, looking for any indication as to her purpose at the casino. She looked like the average witch, but the hardness to her face betrayed her. Still, it wasn't Bella's place to pry into anyone's business. She had her own to run, after all. Putting on a dazzling smile, she spoke in her usual musical way and said, "That's quite alright. It is pretty crowded in here. Can I get you a drink?
Or have your party paged?"

@zephyra

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Zeph smiled a bit as the witch seemed to brighten up and was no longer upset about getting bumped into. She then asked Zeph if she wanted anything, making it clear that she worked there. That didn't mean she could be trusted just yet though. Zeph had been after plenty of dark wizards who had reliable allies, some in high positions. Also, Zeph was a bit undercover, so she needed to blend in, and that meant buying something if necessary.

"Um... diet cherry cola if you have it," she said. "And no thanks on paging my party. It's... sort of a surprise." The dark witch would definitely needed to be surprised or else she could get away. Her foe was known to be crafty. She then found the witch in the crowd again. She was slipping into the employees area, a smirk on her face as if she was about to do something quite nasty. Zeph decided to take advantage of this and see if the one she was talking to was in league with the villain or not. It could also throw the dark witch off if security walked in on her.

"Um, probably none of my business, but I don't think that woman over there is an employee here," she said. "You may want to address your employer." Zeph obviously didn't realize that she was talking to the owner.

@bellamy

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As soon as the words were out of the other woman's mouth, Bella began waving her wand. From the bar across the way, she could easily see the drink mixing itself. With another delicate flick of the wrist, the fancy glass began floating toward them, coming to rest before the stranger. "There you are," Bella said pleasantly. She always tried to keep her patrons happy. Happiness was important. Sure, it was also good for business, but money was hardly a concern for Bella. She could buy and sell half the wizards in the building if she wanted to.

The woman's eyes raised and a small smile played at her lips when the other witch told her to inform her employer about the witch Bella had just seen sneaking into the employee lounge. The smile faded and Bella's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Not only was the room only for employees, but the vault was located in a room just around the corner. Bella flicked her wand again, thinking of her first Christmas at Hogwarts. From the tip burst a silvery wisp of light that twisted and shaped into the form of a fluffy Ragdoll cat: an except replica of her Matty.

"Tell Alonzo we have a little problem. Someone is trespassing in my casino and I want it dealt with quickly and quietly," she instructed. As the cat bounded away, she turned back to her guest. "We'll take care of it," she said with a knowing smile.

@zephyra

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Zeph smiled as she took the soda. She took a sip and beamed a bit. That was a great soda. She wondered if the other drinks were just as good. Maybe she would come back on a casual basis, and bring Mera along, pending her spouse good be talked into going to a casino. There was no harm in just a little gambling after all.

"Cheers, mate," she said. "It's very good. Oh... how much do I owe you?" She reached into her bag to grab some money.

Zeph then watched as the woman took charge... like she owned the place. Zeph then remembered a Daily Prophet article once, something in the leisure section. She had felt the woman looked familiar. It was Bellamy Fawley. The way she reacted to the intruder made it clear to Zeph that she was not in on some dark plan. Her Auror's instincts told her that the woman could be trusted.

"Ms. Fawley, is it?" she said. "Maybe I speak to you quickly in private?" She had to be quick indeed in case this Alonzo ran into some trouble with the dark witch. Once Zeph was at liberty to speak, she whispered, "My name is Zephyra Anders. I'm from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The intruder is a dark witch and I'm here undercover to catch her. Is there an alternate entrance to that room?"


@bellamy

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Bella wanted to savor the stranger's enjoyment of her mixed drink. If she thought it was good, wait until she tried the dragon-firewhiskey. But she didn't have time to dawdle or even giggle as the woman tried to pay her. No, there were more important matters to attend to. Her patronus came bounding back, fluffy tail swishing in the nonexistent breeze. It simply nodded Alonzo's answer before disappearing.

The witch turned her attention back to her new companion, who seemed to have finally realized who Bella was. She couldn't hide a smile at that. When she asked to speak to Bella in private, she merely nodded and led them to an alcove that was mostly deserted of patrons. There was no need to get them all in a tizzy just yet. She could easily handle any threat to her casino.

"The intruder is a dark witch and I'm here undercover to catch her."

Okay, maybe she couldn't.

"You have my utmost cooperation, Ms. Anders," Bella replied with another nod. "There's a hidden door in my office that leads directly to the vault room. That's no doubt where she's heading. There's enough gold in there to keep someone happy for two lifetimes. Follow me." Without waiting, Bella whipped around and began casually strolling toward her office. She smiled at the patrons and glared at the security officers, silently letting them know there was trouble afoot.

Once safely in her office, she pointed at a bookshelf, which would swing open when tapped just right and lead them to the vault room. "That's it. Dark witches aren't exactly my forte, so maybe it's best if I let you handle this."

@zephyra

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Zeph should have known. The dark witch was a common thief, something who used the magic she was born with to steal and plunder. Zeph didn't know what disgusted her more... criminals who wanted to do great evils or ones who just committed crimes for petty greed. Whatever the case, she had to be caught.

"Thank you for your help," she said. "This isn't the first place the witch has struck. She's harmed people elsewhere, even killed someone, so please be careful and have your security watch out for the safety of your patrons." She followed Bella to the alternate entrance. She smiled at the casino owner. "Thank you again. Hopefully this won't take long." Zeph placed her soda down and made her way inside, wand at the ready.

She stepped in to see the witch looking over the gold just as Bella predicted. The owner was right. This amount of gold would make anyone filthy rich, and rich criminals had a lot of influence. Zeph slipped in and placed the wand to her back.

"Let's not make things messy now," said Zeph. "Come along with me." She then saw someone she thought was Bella's security. She was about to say things were well in hand when his wand was aimed at her.

"Lower your wand," said the man. Zeph then sniffed the air.

"Polyjuice Potion..." she said. "Clever." The two criminals then stood by one another and took aim at her. Two-on-one... Zeph loved those odds.

"Protego!" she yelled, shielding their blasts. "Stupefy!" She blasted the man down, but the dark witch fled out of the vault. Zeph gave chase, and soon they were back out at the casino. Zeph looked at Bella as she ran.

"Have the exits blocked!" she said. "And check your staff for Polyjuice Potion containers!"

@bellamy

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All Bella could hear was muffled commotion from the vault room. She leaned from one foot to the other, wanting to jump into action but also trying to leave what could be a dangerous situation to the professional. She could make out the words "Polyjuice Potion...Protego!..." and finally "...Stupefy!" Bella clenched her fists, wanting desperately to help.

When Zephyra suddenly appeared in the doorway, Bella's eyebrows raised in alarm. Immediately, she slashed her wand through the air and three Ragdoll patronuses burst from the tip. "Find Alonzo. Tell him to be on the lookout for polyjuice potions and anyone that looks suspicious. I want this place on lockdown." As the cats bounded away to do her bidding, Bella walked briskly around her office to an alarm surrounded by a glass door. She opened the door, and pulled the alarm. An alarm began blaring and red light flooded the room. The doors and windows began closing, covered by metal, magic-proof shutters. She could hear the panic of the patrons and quickly left the office, motioning for Zephyra to follow her.

Once she was on the game floor, Bella pointed her wand to her throat and murmured, "Sonorus." Her voice became projected and reverberated around the barricaded building. "Please do not be alarmed. We are currently undergoing maintenance. Please continue with your regular activities. We will be finished in a moment." That seemed to calm most of the crowd down, and many went back to playing slots or cards.

Putting her wand in her coat pocket, Bellamy turned to Zephyra and said, "Just tell me what else you need."

@zephyra

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Zephyra was grateful for Bella's help. Not all business owners were so cooperative with Aurors. Many thought that just the presence of an Auror would hurt their business, even if said Auror was protecting them. Bella was obviously not like that. Zeph watched as the security did their jobs. At least with the place locked down, there would be no escape for the witch and her friends, assuming there were wards against apparating. Zeph was sure that was the case.

Bella seemed to have calm the masses, and when they separated a bit to go back to their games, Zeph managed to get a clear look at the room again. Now she wasn't only looking for the witch, but anyone who was dressed in the same attire. That ugly hat was hard to miss. So far, she didn't see anyone. Zeph looked over to see Bella with her wand out. The last thing Zeph wanted was to put the other woman in danger, but this was her casino. Zeph thought of how she could help.

"A sudden distraction," she said. "The witch is no doubt relying on the normal activity to sneak out somewhere. Something that will cause the patrons to suddenly move somewhere else will cause a bit of panic in our intruder and her friends. It's worth a shot anyway."

@bellamy

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"A sudden distraction, huh?" That was tricky. What could possibly be distracting without causing mass chaos in the enclosed space? Bella scratched her head and looked around. Suddenly, an idea came to her. "Wait here," she told Zephyra, before running back to her office.

Bella reached under her desk and groped around for a moment before her fingers brushed against something fluffy. "Hello, my love," she cooed, "You're about to become a hero." She dragged the cat out of his little bed and set him on the desk. Grabbing one of his wind-up mice, she bewitched it to run permanently wherever she directed it. "Go play!" she told Matty as she hurled the mouse out of the office. The Ragdoll scrabbled to get a hold on the mahogany desk and scrambled after the mouse with Bella hot on his heels.

She followed Matty back into the game room and sent him running through the crowd, waving her wand like a madwoman. The wild cat began to attract the attention of the patrons, and many began to follow him around, laughing and cheering. She pointed her wand to the right of the room and Matty - and the crowd - followed. Scanning the mass of people, Bella noticed three in particular that had no interest in the entertaining pet. "There," she whispered to Zephyra, pointing them out.

@zephyra

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The distraction was quite clever. It was amazing how fascinated people were by a cat... or animals in general really. She couldn't judge them. The family bulldog, Inspector Snout, was always good for a few laughs, especially for her children. In any case, the plan worked. Almost everyone in the casino were paying attention to the cat... almost. Bella then pointed to those who weren't. In fact, the trio was now making their way out the door.

"Thank you, Ms. Fawley," she whispered. She knew better than to confront the three head on. She had to take at least one of them out of action quickly before she faced the other two. She sneaked up and cast a binding spell on him. The other goon with the witch fired at Zeph, but the curse was shielded. The goon then charged, but Zeph aimed at the floor.

"Aquamenti!" she chanted. A puddle of water formed and the goon slipped on it. One hard thud on the ground and he was out. Now it was just her and the witch. She took aim and prepared to fight the villain. However, the witch dropped her wand and raised her hands.

"I'm just a thief," she whimpered. "Not a good fighter."

"Well that was unexpected," said Zeph, though she slowly stopped over. Soon, she had the three tied up, and she looked at Bellamy.

"Mind watching these three while I summon some friends?" she asked.

@bellamy

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Bella watched with mild amusement as Zephyra found and subdued the intruders. She glanced around at her patrons, most of whom were still occupied with Matty, who had finally caught his mouse and was vigorously pummeling it with his hind legs. No one seemed to have noticed that two wizards and a witch that had been previously trying to rob her had now been apprehended and were sitting moodily on the floor. It was all very amusing, but it also made Bella a little sad. What had happened in those three's lives to make them feel the need to steal? And what had she done so wrong as to become their would-be victim. People were strange, for sure.

Bella looked over at Zephyra and nodded, smiling. "Oh, they're not going anywhere," she said cheerfully. Pointing her wand at the three, she uttered, "Incarcerous," and gave her wand a little flick. Thick ropes sprung from the tip of her wand and coiled around the three thieves, binding them together. They struggled and squirmed, but the ropes held firm. Smiling at Zeph, she said, "Take all the time you need."

@zephyra

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Zeph smiled and nodded as Bellamy told her to take what time she needed. Fortunately, that wasn't usually long. She'd send up a signal with her wand, the Aurors would apparate there, and they would take the prisoners in. And it was as simple as that. She went out, made the signal, and there they were. It seemed like things would go smoothly from there... or so she thought. The Aurors made their way in, and got the trio to their feet.

"I'm surprise you caught Agatha Grump so fast, Anders," said one of the Aurors. "She's one of the most dangerous outside of Azkaban right now." Zeph was about to respond when suddenly the witch began to change, soon looking completely different.

"A decoy!" she said. "She took a nip of the Polyjuice Potion as well. That means the real target is..." She then turned when she heard a woman scream. The real Grump had a wand to her throat. She glared at the Aurors.

"I see my paid distractions did their job," she sneered. "Just enough time to rob the lovely Mrs. Hollydrop here of her amulet... one with a lot of magic behind it.

"But... it's just a family heirloom," gasped Hollydrop.

"Seems you don't know a lot about your family then..." said Grump.

"Let her go!" demanded Zeph, aiming her wand. However, she had to be careful not to blast an innocent.

@bellamy

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Everything seemed to be going well. The thieves were bound, Zephyra was taking care of her business with the aurors, and Bella simply stood guard to make sure there were no more interruption.

Suddenly everything got weird. A scream went up from the crowd of patrons and Bella whipped around to see an identical copy of the witch she had tied up holding one of her customers by the throat. Bella snarled. No one treated her clientele like that. No one.

All eyes were on Grump as Bella stared the dark witch down. Zephyra couldn't get a clear shot. Neither could Bella, for that matter. But someone could. Bella paused for a moment and then stuck two fingers in her mouth. A shrill whistle echoed around the room. At first, nothing happened. But then the pattering of small feet could be heard. Seemingly out of nowhere, Matty began barreling toward her, aiming right at Grump's feet. The cat darted between the witch's legs and made her stumble, giving Bella just the shot she needed.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she shouted. Grump stumbled again for a moment before becoming completely paralyzed, falling to the ground with a heavy thump.

@zephyra