soul for sale | cas

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

everytime I slip away

it feels like a crime

December 25, 2025
Casimir Elias Karkaroff

Christmas Day. While in other families, it might have elicited an excited reaction--bright-eyed children all racing down the stairs to open their presents and hoping all their wishes had come true for the year. It was not the Karkaroff family way. All Christmas Day reminded Ana of was harsh words from mother, her older brother's condescending stares as they physically towered over her, and the uncomfortable dress to wear to dinner in a cold and dusty room. Going home after she had graduated was a formality really, and she had been silently grateful for the Windsor Christmas party to excuse herself from seeing her brothers--the irresolute and the impertinent (as she liked to think of them). Though it would still be a family day and the perfect cover for a final conversation. Ana walked into her living room, holding a simply wrapped present in her hands, placing it on the coffee table as she awaited her brother's arrival. Nobody ever questioned their time together. They were siblings, after all, and especially not on Christmas Day. The previous evening had only been uneventful in that the Ministry was able to release the breath it had been holding at the fear of another attack with so many in attendance.

She poured herself a glass of whiskey, it wasn't her favorite as she preferred a sweet red or white wine, but it kept her tolerance level at a manageable level. There were plans to discuss. It had been just about a month now since her last meeting with Leo at the Ministry. And although she hadn't fully understood all the gibberish, he had spouted about the technical side of the plan she trusted him if only because her brother did. Ana had questioned trusting somebody else in his grand scheme, but he had insisted. She was a suspicious person, especially of her coworkers--these activities were blatantly illegal, and she didn't need the career she worked so hard for to tumble down like a house of cards. They had both worked so hard to rise above (or try to) what people assumed of their name. But, Cas trusted Leo. And trust was rare to earn from a Karkaroff, so she stopped questioning it--at least out loud.

While Cas had not opened his heart to embracing magical technology, Ana at least had her cell phone. Learning how to use the small device had been frustrating, though she would never admit that out loud either. It was...convenient. And when she had spoken to Leo under the guise of having an issue with working the device, he had seemed knowledgeable. It was reminiscent of when her brother started talking about some artifacts that had come through the shop or an old story from his Curse Breaking days. The passion, the knowledge--it was all the same. From what they had discussed, Ana would provide Leo with a Case number and an Evidence Item number, and he would handle the 'behind the scenes', as it were, and that was where the gibberish had begun for her. She sat in an armchair, absent-mindedly swirling her whiskey glass and the contents as she ran through everything in her mind. They were less than a week away from their goal--this precariously balanced house of cards was almost ready.

A knock sounded from the door, and Ana placed the glass on a side table, slowly making her way to the front of her London flat as she opened the door. The expression on her face was a bit annoyed but otherwise perfectly normal as she opened the door and stepped to the side to allow room for her brother to pass. "It's not like you to be late. Merry Christmas, my dear brother." Maybe she was missing home and the amount of sarcasm she saved all year for her other elder brothers.

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[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

25 December 2025

Today was a day like any other, as far as Cas was concerned. He didn’t believe much in the sentimental or nostalgic, and he only partook in those emotions as it became strategic. That had always been the family way, after all – to never let any opportunity go undiscovered, and to create those opportunities when they didn’t immediately present themselves. Europe’s remaining pureblood families were locked constantly in a game, one large game of never-ending Wizard chess. Christmas, then, wasn’t about the presents or the family time. It was about leveraging the day for all it was worth – exploiting vulnerabilities that always appeared around the holidays, or organizing exclusive events to sit down and conduct the real business that couldn’t be discussed anywhere else.

This year, at least, Cas and Ana were spared the painful experience of traveling to Prague for the holidays. Their mother usually insisted on all her children returning home, although the occasion was always devoid of any warmth or affection. Only cold, disinterested conversation until they all grew sick of each other and separated. The Windsor Christmas Ball had been the perfect excuse, something even their mother could see the value of for the family. Even so, Cas had still internalized all those lessons from his childhood. Christmas was not a day to be wasted, and he had no intention of doing so.

The big event was less than a week away. Cas had spent over a month creating a strategy from nothing, putting together a plan and setting all the different pieces in motion. He still had one loose end to address, one more person that needed to be recruited – but he had already set a time and place to meet Jasper, and Cas was sure he could win his old friend over. Until then, he focused completely on the difficult task he had set himself – pulling the tablecloth from the table without anything crashing to the ground, as it were. His part was almost over. He had spoken to everybody that needed to be involved, assigned them their roles, and watched everything come together slowly. Now he and Ana could take advantage of Christmas Day – the most natural time of year for two siblings to spend the day together – in order to review every last detail and ensure they’d left no loopholes or vulnerabilities. Then he could only sit back and watch as the plan succeeded or failed.

Cas tucked Ana’s present under his arm while he waited by the door. As she opened it, wasting no time before shooting off a snarky comment, Cas raised an eyebrow at her before stepping inside and letting the door close behind him. “Merry Christmas, Anya.” He ignored her observation that he was late – having not been home since the day before, he had needed to stop by his flat to pick up her gift and the plans, so it really couldn’t be avoided. But he had no interest in sharing any of those details with his sister. Instead, Cas eyed the whiskey in Ana’s hand before responding casually, “A little early in the morning, isn’t it?”

anastasia marie karkaroff

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

everytime I slip away

it feels like a crime

December 25, 2025
Casimir Elias Karkaroff

Cas immediately commented on the glass in her hand when he stepped inside her flat, closing the door behind him. "Why break tradition?" She responded dryly. When they went back home, she tended to have a glass of wine or whiskey or really anything to make the family experience more tolerable. While others might have found themselves more talkative while inebriated, Ana found herself relatively calm. With less than a week away from the execution of Cas' plan, Ana found that she was uncharacteristically nervous. Not enough to frazzle her completely, but enough that she noticed. She didn't like the feeling. For her next steps were always mostly planned and thought out and with some options. It was high risk for everyone involved, primarily herself, as a respected Interpol agent and all she had worked so hard for. And if they connected her actions to her brother, it would be his downfall as well--both their work toward the redemption of their family name would crumble rather quickly.

Ana and Cas were both detailed people, which was crucial here. Ana often found that the downfall of many schemes, at least by the criminals in her line of work, were from flying too close to the sun. She walked over into the living room and back into the armchair she had occupied a few minutes before. His present was still sitting on the coffee table, they never made a huge display of gift-giving, but they still did bother with getting something for one another. At least year, she was spared the hassle of getting anything for her other older brothers. Alek never complained about his gifts--though she doubted he truly liked many of the gifts he received, and she always found trouble finding something for her nephew. She didn't have a lot of experience with children outside o the rare occasions she would see her nephew. Damian, however, was another story. He was picky and demanding, much like a spoiled child who would refuse a watch because it was made with silver instead of gold. Just the thought made her happy for the whiskey in her hand. She sipped a small amount of whiskey while she waited for Cas to make himself at home.

"Your friend informed me that he was ready." Leo, the IT employee that had a history with her brother. He had communicated with her via the other half of the two-way mirror she had given him. The entirety of the technology side of things was beyond her comprehension, which made her uncomfortable only because it wasn't in her complete control.

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[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Cas eyed the drink in her hand, but refrained from needling her like he was prone to. He always based his actions on image – how would an action be construed by the people watching, by those who mattered? He had his agenda that he worked towards quietly without calling unwanted attention to himself. But Cas never moved until he was sure of the repercussions. Still, it was only the two of them in Ana’s flat, and she had good reason to be drinking. She was the lynchpin of the plan, and its success or failure would depend on her ability to follow every step and improvise as necessary. Ana had the highest stakes here, the one with the most to lose. With the nature of the operation, it had been impossible for Cas to arrange otherwise. He was placing an incredible amount of trust in his sister – Ana was the only other person in the world who knew the entirety of the plan.

They were both detail-oriented and absolutely nothing had been left to chance. They had done their reconnaissance, created contingency plan after contingency plan, and asked all the hard questions. There were people who preferred a different style, one defined by chaos and a lack of forward-thinking. They did what felt right, and dealt with the consequences later. In light of how much risk Ana was accepting, Cas refused to allow even a hint of suspicion or backlash to remain. So he didn’t comment further on the whiskey, instead side-stepping Ana so he could place his neatly-wrapped gift on the coffee table besides hers. He also deposited his briefcase at the foot of the table, which appeared empty (and would until Cas had lifted its protective enchantments).

“Alek passes on his best wishes, and hopes you’ll visit soon,” Cas mentioned idly as he examined Ana’s flat before taking a seat on the couch. He and Alek still wrote to each other regularly, mostly dry letters related to family matters – recent transactions in and out of the family vault, ensuring the staff was executing their duties, and what social invitations the family had received to ensure they were rubbing elbows with the right people. It was tedious, but it assured Cas that Alek was staying focused and following his instructions. He didn’t say anything further, and the silence on his youngest brother was telling. Cas wasn’t in contact with Damian, and Alek only mentioned their brother if he’d created a new problem they needed to solve. He gave a small sound of acknowledgment when Ana confirmed that Leo was ready. He placed his elbows on his knees and gazed intently at the coffee table. “Let’s start at the beginning. Walk me through how you plan to remove the dampener from storage,” Cas suggested, removing his wand from his sleeve so he could begin to lift the enchantments on the briefcase.

anastasia marie karkaroff

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

everytime I slip away

it feels like a crime

December 25, 2025
Casimir Elias Karkaroff

Cas didn't comment on her drink further, which was a bit unlike him. It wasn't even noon, and she was halfway through her glass. She made a mental note of this for later. It wasn't important right now. She looked at him at the mention of her other brother. While she was close to him in her own way, it wasn't the same. His indecisiveness frustrated her, but he meant well and was at least on the same page about certain family goals.
"I'll write to him when this is all said and done." She responded flatly. Cas sat down and made himself comfortable before asking Ana to start from the top. She paused before answering him, going through the high-level points in her own mind as she had repeatedly been practicing as the date drew closer. It was imprinted in her brain, her own steps, and accounting for possible delays or other things that might occur. Whether it was a colleague stopping her in the hallway as she made her pay from point a to point b or if the Ministry was attacked and forced into a lockdown. They had tried to think through everything, but even that was never one-hundred percent.

"Ok." She began. "I've already given a Case number and two Evidence Item numbers. He tried to explain to me how he was going to swap them behind the scenes--but if i'm being honest, I don't understand that part at all." She spoke. As much as she didn't want to admit she didn't know something, she would never pretend to be in her element in the tech world. She paused again, it reminded her of a nagging feeling she had--it was small, but it was there. "Cas, I know I keep asking. Are you absolutely certain about him?" Her questions were often futile on this point. He was the expert they needed, and in the perfect position to help, Ana's nagging feeling was merely from her general distrust of anyone. She paused again. What was the next step? "Once Leo has done his....updates. I'll have an intern retrieve all evidence items for that Case and bring them to me. We often have interns retrieve items for us when we're working on cases." Nothing out of the ordinary there, and she'd worked with enough interns to know what would and wouldn't be suspicious. Her only snag here would be if said magical dampener was recognized somehow and appeared out of place, but the benefit of interns was they rarely questioned when told to do something, let alone her.

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[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

With the formalities out of the way, the two Karkaroffs could get to business. In the interest of limiting the possibility of a leak or misplaced information, Cas had avoided writing anything down. All the important players in this operation were Occlumens, so the plan was protected from wandering eyes or a suspicious Legilimens. It was cautious behavior, bordering on paranoia, but Cas was determined to close every loophole. He wanted to leave no trace of the plan behind, nothing that would incriminate him or Ana or Ouroboros. It was key that nobody could question or wonder about the dampener after they smuggled it out of the Ministry.

He nodded slightly at Ana’s explanation from Leo, although Cas’s mouth flattened in displeasure as she questioned him again about his trustworthiness. Cas didn’t appreciate his judgment being called into question, but he answered anyway – the operation had to go perfectly and Ana was only covering their bases. “Leo and I have worked together for years. He has no loyalty to the Ministry. He’ll do his part.” Just as Ana had said, Cas also didn’t understand the technological side of the plan – a pesky shortcoming of his, although he’d learned early enough in life that in these cases there was nothing to do but delegate the work, expect the other side to carry things through, and prepare a contingency plan in case they couldn’t. “So the intern retrieves the dampener along with the other evidence. That leaves you the human security guard to take care of, while Leo addresses the electronic paper trail. What happens if someone goes looking for the dampener later? What do they find?”

anastasia marie karkaroff

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

everytime I slip away

it feels like a crime

December 25, 2025
Casimir Elias Karkaroff

Ana had spent the better part of the last month and some weeks committing things to memory, running through them over and over in her mind. She had to keep a cool head, show nothing of being uncomfortable. She had picked up some of the more basic Occlumens' training exercises again for this effort. It was important to keep her mind strong, regardless of the task at hand. She looked at her brother when he defended their man on the inside. She knew he would, so she didn't flinch despite her lingering misgivings. There wasn't anything that would change her brother's mind at this point, and Leo was already filled in on the relevant details. Any other Magical Law Enforcement Official might have been troubled to hear that a Ministry Employee with such vital access to its systems and information and that skill set was not actually loyal to the institution. Still, she only had to look at herself at that point as well.

She still had to give her brother credit. He wouldn't have placed such responsibility on just anyone--regardless of their knowledge or skillset. She nodded. Ana had asked the question, which was now answered, moving on. Cas inquired about the next step, to which she took a breath. It was the same repetition in her mind, only now she was expressing it verbally. "When I have the item securely at my desk, I will give the intern another task and head to the evidence locker. A simple memory charm should suffice to clear the last hour or so." It wasn't something that required the skill level of an Obliviator by any means, so nothing she couldn't handle on her own. "After Leo does his...technical activities, the system will show that the Unspeakables have it." She wasn't sure what to call Leo's tasks, nor did she even begin to try and label them.

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[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Nothing about this last month had been easy – there were so many moving parts to keep an eye on, ensuring that everybody moved in coordination with each other while keeping his secrets to himself. Ana was the only other person who knew the entirety of the plan. Leo didn’t know about Ouroboros or the Purifiers, Ana’s choice of intern wouldn’t believe this was for anything besides work, and knowledge of the safe house he’d chosen for the dampener’s storage was limited to him, Titus, and Ana. Most of Ouroboros didn’t know about Cas’s plan to acquire and hopefully repair the dampener, and even the squad leaders only knew he was currently working on a project involving the Ministry. Only the bare minimum to ensure the organization could work together, instead of accidentally hindering his efforts.

Ana knew how to ask the right questions, if only because her mind worked very similarly to his. She didn’t have his history with Leo but Cas indulged the suspicion if only because it wouldn’t hinder the plan. Ana and Leo still had the twin mirror set, and she’d do her part regardless of how she felt about it. Cas nodded slowly as Ana walked him through the intern’s role – send him away, take care of the guard, and have Leo wipe any electronic remnants of Ana’s changes. That would ensure that, to anybody who checked later, neither Ana nor the intern had ever been there at all. As for the Unspeakables…it was an ingenious way to justify the dampener’s disappearance if anybody else wanted it. Absolutely nobody, including the Minister of Magic, had the necessary clearance to discover what occurred in the Department of Mysteries. If anybody ever went looking for the dampener, their search would end with being informed the dampener had been loaned out to the Unspeakables.

Cas was satisfied with this part of the plan. It required careful coordination between Ana and Leo, and ensuring the intern and security guard were taken care of properly. But it could be done without leaving any trace of Ana, Leo, or Ouroboros. “The dampener has a somewhat distinctive appearance,” Cas observed as he leaned back on the couch. “Someone might recognize it once it’s out of storage. How do you plan to address that?” He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it anyway.

anastasia marie karkaroff

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

everytime I slip away

it feels like a crime

December 25, 2025
Casimir Elias Karkaroff

Normally, she didn't find much merit in these activities. She knew what she was doing, and being asked to repeat her tasks like a school-age child annoyed her endlessly. However, with the stakes this high, she would make an exception--plus she wanted to be absolutely certain of all their movements. It was like chess. You tracked all your pieces and thought five moves ahead and tracking the possibilities of what your opponent might do and how one might react to that. That was all this was, a calculated and perilous game of chess. What was different about this particular mission was how relatively low key it was for Ouroborus within the organization, but it wasn't for the family either. This was really about retrieving a device from an institution that half the time wasn't paying attention and the other half blocked by paperwork and bureaucracy. Despite her many years working alongside the UK Ministry of Magic and bringing justice where needed, she could admit it felt irresponsible to leave the item there and in its current state.

Cas didn't ask further questions on what she had explained, it was already planned in her mind, and Leo had not caused her any issues or any doubts about his ability to perform his tasks. Her question earlier had merely been about his reliability not to say something to the wrong individual. However, Ana had found out he'd been in the Ministry many years though she could not honestly recall ever seeing his face before they met a month before. They moved on to the next part, how to get the item out of the Ministry without it being immediately recognized. Ana could hardly walk out with the remnants of an ancient magical artifact so boldly. Not even she could get away with that. "Transfiguration." She spoke simply. "Nobody will question me walking out with a purse." Sometimes, there was no need to complicate things, and considering the size of the object, transfiguring it into something small that would fit in her pocket was more of a challenge than something like a medium sized handbag. "The office won't be busy with the holidays and early hour."

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[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Cas leaned back on the couch and stared at a distant point on the wall. His brain was working furiously to review every detail, examine every step for loopholes or potential pitfalls. He and Ana had invested so much time and effort into the plan – recruiting all the necessary experts, subtly investigating the Ministry’s layers of security, and slowly piecing together a cohesive timeline. They had followed Ouroboros’s methodology perfectly – covert, calculated, an operation to accomplish their goal while avoiding as much detection and noise as possible. It would be a shame to trip at the finish line because they’d neglected an important detail. But Cas was sure they had covered all their bases – and both Ana and Leo were experienced enough in their respective fields to improvise as necessary.

The Transfiguration was an elegant solution – it was a relatively simple Transfiguration, nobody would question Ana carrying a purse, and it would be less likely to set off any alarms in the event of something going wrong. Cas said something to this effect out-loud. “It will be less likely to trip any alarms if there’s a lockdown.” Avoiding a lockdown was their number one priority, mostly because of the unwanted attention and extra security it would bring. A lockdown meant there was a higher probability of catching Ana with the dampener if she attempted to transport it as is, but a Transfiguration made it trickier to identify. Besides, most of the security measures used by Gringotts or the Ministry were meant to catch concealed individuals, not Transfigured items. Cas was less familiar with the Ministry, but after years of working for Gringotts he had developed a solid understanding of what could and couldn’t pass through their security. Most items in the wizarding world had some sort of enchantment that most security measures didn’t even bother to check for anything besides Dark magic. “And then you bring it to the safe house,” Cas finished, still staring at the wall as he thought through the plan. Not an Ouroboros safe house, but the one he and Titus had set up independently of the organization with Ana as Secret-Keeper. He had spent the last month applying his own protective enchantments, anything he could think of to keep its presence secret.

Her last point was an important one – they had chosen the date of the heist precisely because it was going to be less busy due to the holidays. Most workers would be on their holiday break, and the remaining ones were less likely to stick around for the odd hours (coming in early or leaving late). Cas nodded resolutely at the thought, then redirected his attention to his sister. “The holiday break should remove most typical obstacles. But don’t take an unnecessary risk that could compromise the mission. We do better than Heliopath here,” Cas muttered. He found Heliopath…annoying, to say the least. Their recklessness, their endangering behavior. Ouroboros was better than that -- their operations certainly seemed to leave less property damage, at least. And Cas was determined to keep this quiet -- he didn’t want anybody poking around the dampener, or discovering it in Ouroboros’s possession until he had found a way to repair it.

anastasia marie karkaroff

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

everytime I slip away

it feels like a crime

December 25, 2025
Casimir Elias Karkaroff

Ana nodded in agreement. Yes, the safehouse. She'd recently been made the secret keeper for a new location. Though the rest of the organization wasn't aware of its existence or location, except Titus, of course. In a way, they were their own group, really. The security measures in place at the Ministry, as she understood them, were more for detecting intruders and individuals that had no business being in the building. Still, it was hardly foolproof. If the Ministry wanted this item under a reliable lock and key, then the Minister should have placed it in a Gringotts vault with a dragon guarding it. Nothing they were doing was considered dark magic, so those sensors would not have been tripped either. She knew about Gringotts security due to what her brother knew, just as her own knowledge of the Ministry was useful and even Leo's as well on his end of things. Still, with the addition of more technological systems, the longer they waited for this activity, the more difficult she figured it might be to subvert the current measures.

She nodded again though this part was quite repetitive. 'Unnecessary risk.' Her brother's favorite phrase and favorite warning for her and anybody that would listen. Still, he was correct. They had to be better than Heliopath when it came to such things, calculating their risk and next steps rather than running in blind. Perhaps it was a habit from both their careers to take care with next steps though Ana was willing to take a bit more risk when needed. Certain boundaries could be bent, after all. "Well, I'm sure Heliopath would have just barged in, hexed the employee managing the evidence locker, and blown a hole in the entrance." The direct approach might have been more efficient but did nothing for stealth or prevent any risk. Hardly the chess game they were playing and more like a small battle. Ana drank the remainder of the whiskey in her glass, their plan was solid, and they all knew their part. The only item left was to execute. "Everything's ready, Cas." She said confidently, though even she knew to stay mindful. One didn't want to be caught too close to the sun. In the meantime, they would do what they always did, bide their time and keep their ears open.

She leaned forward in her chair and placed the empty glass on the coffee table. "Well, now that we've gone over that again. There's your Christmas present." She motioned toward the neatly and simply wrapped present she had placed on the table before his arrival. It was Christmas, might as well do the family thing for a few minutes.

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[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Even with all their similarities, Cas was aware of the stark differences between the siblings. He worked best from the shadows, pulling the strings behind-the-scenes and without anyone the wiser about his role. Cas knew artifacts intimately, but his greatest strength was that he knew people. Their natural impulses, how to move them in the most optimal way to achieve the greatest result. Ana was more direct, undoubtedly so. She had become nearly unbeatable in the field, and she still sometimes preferred to blast and steamroll to get to the perfect solution. In some ways, she would have been well-suited for Heliopath, although Cas had taught her better than to ever be so reckless.

Still, he had no better reaction except a slight grunt as Ana described Heliopath’s preferred methodology for confronting their problems. Because she was right. “Almost correct,” Cas grumbled automatically. He still couldn’t help himself when it came to correcting his younger siblings and instructing them to be more precise in their answers. “Heliopath has good coverage in the Ministry. Someone would swipe their employee badge and never think twice about it.” He shook his head slightly at the thought of leaving such a blatant paper trail. In reality, he could spend the rest of Christmas slipping into a near-rant about Heliopath and everything they did wrong. But both of their time was worth more than that. So he gave a nod at Ana’s assertion that everything was ready. It wouldn’t do to overplan, either – they would only get into their own heads and freeze on the big day.

Cas’s eyes drifted to the presents, and he slid Ana’s gift over to her before picking up the one she’d left for him. It felt like a book or two – and if it was, then they truly were more similar than either would likely care to admit. Cas unwrapped the gifts slowly, taking care not to tear the wrapping paper and leave it intact. He examined both books and – he couldn’t resist, rolled his eyes. “I have such a warm and thoughtful sister,” he said out-loud as he examined the book on Ancient Runes, and the old copy of Julius Caesar. It seemed innocent enough, but for someone in-the-know the symbolism was heavy.

anastasia marie karkaroff
[End post Cas!]

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

everytime I slip away

it feels like a crime

December 25, 2025
Casimir Elias Karkaroff

Ana nodded. Her brother had a point. Although she wasn’t familiar with all the members of Heliopath, she knew whomever Cas had told her about. It had made her wary at work but not to the point of arousing suspicion. And as far as she knew, it was outside of Interpol. Nobody had come up on her radar yet on that front. It made sense to her. When it came to Ministry employees, they were hardly behind the scenes. Aurors enjoyed being in the field and on the front lines—action versus waiting patiently. Heliopath’s preferred modus operandi. Ana could relate to that, but she also knew it was essential to bid one’s time. Certain criminals in her experience required patience. Many of them managed to dig their own graves by making a single mistake that caused them to be trackable. In those situations, rushing in meant losing the advantage. From her understanding, that was the critical difference between Ouroborus and Heliopath—patience. And this is where she and Cas excelled.

”True, but they hardly have the patience to cover their tracks in any case.” cut corners and skipped steps were the folly of many plans. Those mistakes cost them in the justice system in her world, people being let go on technicalities instead of their own merit. An Auror could very well take the dampener out of the Ministry, but now their name was tied to this item in the system, their name on the check-out log, and missing item. She had to give Cas credit for enlisting the help of an IT employee, and one he apparently trusted so much. Their lack of knowledge in that area could have cost them. But, everything was ready—it was just waiting for the date and time they had carefully chosen.

Cas pushed a simply wrapped package toward her, her face stoic. Christmas was not and would likely never be some ‘happy’ occasion. A formality at best, and whenever her mother finally decided to die, she’d probably never step foot in that wretched house ever again, let alone buy something ‘nice’ for Damian. Her other brothers, she had no issue finding something for them and even her young nephew. She unwrapped the package quickly, as if to get it over with, and was completely unsurprised by the gift inside. “The dueling techniques for the Advanced Student”, she opened the cover and saw his note. ’Your form could use some work.’ She gave her brother an unamused look. ”If only everyone should be so lucky to have a brother who looks out for them as you do.”

[end]

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