Trolling the Mountainside [Nixie]

[Deleted]

Matras Mountain Range, Hungary
Last week of February, 2026

Every time Malcolm thought about how he was in the mountain ranges of Hungary... it made him hungry. The young man's stomach gave a low grumble beneath the many layers of material meant to keep him warm. He knew that soon he would not be allowed the luxury to sit and eat something more substantial than a packet of nuts because they were headed for treacherous territory. For here, in the mountain ranges of Hungary, trolls resided. Malcolm's face pulled into one of disgust at the thought of them.

There had been some recent documents procured by the Goblins that Malcolm worked for that seemed to indicate a rather elusive (read: hermit) ancient wizard who had hid himself in the deepest pockets of these mountains, knowing full well that no muggle nor wizard would come looking for him. Well, obviously he hadn't thought of a part-giant and a muggleborn when he'd had that great idea.

"Can we stop for brunch? I'm afraid the breakfast back at the Inn wasn't really enough but I didn't want to raid the poor little old lady's entire pantry," Malcolm confessed with a side-smile. The Keeper's wife had been grumbling (albeit in Hungarian and therefore incomprehensible to the young man) after he requested the second round. He really didn't feel he would be lucky enough to get a third. "I have some pickled stoat sandwiches me Mamman packed before I left yesterday, I can share ye some?"

@nixie

[Deleted]

February 2026

Nixie was a hard worker. She had enchanted clothing to help her small body not freeze, or likewise overheat, depending on where she was sent. She also was sure the have and enchanted backpack, so that she didn't have to visually carry a large amount of stuff. Her mother always insisted that her work was dangerous, she was right, though the woman had limited knowledge about it. Nixie only told her family what they needed to know about her job. She loved it and didn't want them trying to get her to stop. She normally traveled to tombs and caves tasked with solving puzzles, and liberating cursed objects. This job was a bit different. She was in Hungary with a part giant trainee that she had helped tutor when they both were in school. She had a soft spot for Malcolm and happily agreed to help take him on jobs while her friend Ilija was on hiatus.

She hiked in her warm jeans and her trusty hiking boots, her red hair let loose under a grey beanie and her old house scarf wrapped around her neck and mouth to help shield her face from the high mountain wind. She would love nothing more than to turn into a small fuzzy red fox during this part of the job. Getting to the location was never her favorite part. But she was with someone, and they didn't have an animagus form, or else she would have already suggested that. The man was about double her height which meant that she had to take more steps for ever one of his, a small pawed creature would have to take even more. It would tire her out. She had good endurance for these jobs, so she wasn't tired, it was just something she had thought about as she found herself adjusting to the walking pace of the man she was working with.

The job was locating an old residence of a reclusive wizard. This was important, because their were high chances of enchanted, and potentially cursed objects, so the job had to be done before Ilija came back. The night previously, they had stayed at a small in that provided breakfast for them before they started on their journey. She couldn't help but laugh as the man asked about brunch. She nodded, spotting an area that was more protected from the elements "Sounds fine, how about we stop over there." She motioned to the area. They moved to the area and the man offered to share. She shook her head. "I'm good for now, but I may take you up on that offer later, if there are any left." She said with a smile and a wink. She moved the scarf aside as she settled down, pulling off her bag and then pulling out a notepad where she had scribbled what she had learned about the job. She took the chance to review. But like most jobs, they really didn't know what they were getting themselves into, and for Nixie, this job was a bit more outside her comfort zone, so she wanted to ensure that she had as much information committed to memory as she could.

@malcolm

[Deleted]

If Malcolm weren't so very intent in traipsing up the mountainside, he may have noticed how the little Nixie had to work to keep pace with him. It was probably for the better, really, as he's probably earn himself a few choice words if not an attempt at a beating. If she tried to smack him, Malcolm would play hurt for sure - he'd learned to, over the years, for the fragile human dignity. Still, on the occasion that he came to a part that he could clear easily but Nixie would need help, he offered his hand whenever he could. It was such a cute little hand. Wonder what it felt like ..

"Great! Umph!" Malcolm sat down heavily on the underbrush of the forest - bad move. There was some unfortunate rocks that stuck out and almost up where the sun didn't shine. The young man almost went cross-eyed as he shifted gingerly, though he thanked Merlin that Nixie seemed preoccupied with her notepad.

"When have there ever been any left Nixie? Just admit it, ye don't want to taste my Mamman's specially pickled stoat sandwiches," Malcolm joked as he eagerly unpacked them from his bag and devoured them. "... are ye still doing homework on this job? What more can ye possibly read about?" Malcolm asked, his head cocked to once side before he used a hanky he'd been given by his Mamman to wipe away any mess on his face.

"We hide from the trolls until we come to the entrance of the cave with the um... Oh, what was it again?" Malcolm wrinkled his nose and looked skyward, as if the information on their quest was somehow written in the clouds.

@nixie

[Deleted]

Nixie was physically fit, she had been all her life. Being a curse breaker required this, along with a wise mind. Everyone excelled in different areas. Her favorite parts were puzzles, and times when she could work things out. But the job did often demand her to work hard physically. It was clear the man who was significantly taller than her had a much wider stride than the short woman. She didn't mind having to keep pace. She preferred to get to the work part of their assigned job sooner than later. She was a tough girl, opting to do what she could during the hike, though she was not above taking the man's hand when offered during more difficult areas of their hike.

Finding a covered spot to rest, Nixies pulled out her notepad to run though some of her notes. He offered her some food, and she had said that she was good. She chuckled as he mentioned the lack of left overs. "I'm sure their great, but my stomach isn't nearly as bottomless as yours is." She would never say anything bad about any mother's cooking. He then asked her if she was still "doing homework" and she nodded. "Just making sure that I remember parts that I wrote down and couldn't remember. When push comes to shove, I have found that you rarely have time to review your notes in the heat of the moment." It was a good point to bring up. She always made sure that she knew as many details of the job before the action really started. Once it did, there was no time for second guessing.

Malcolm then mentioned the gist of the job. She flipped to a page with a crude rune drawing that they had been told was the symbol that they were looking fore. "This one."

@malcolm

[Deleted]

Bottoms, was literally all Malcolm remembered hearing about when Nixie replied about the sandwiches. Although his mind was decidedly no longer on that which he had chomped into at that very moment and his cheeks flushed bright red because he'd allowed himself to think of Nixie's bottom. It was a very good thing that his colleague was an animagus and not a legillimens (as far as he knew, anyway). The young wizard realised that he had been biting on the one part of the sandwich for far too long and Merlin he hoped Nixie was too busy to notice his momentary fumble. "Mmph, yer," he mumbled around the sandwich, feeling obliged to respond as the redness of his cheeks burned brightly. Don't. Sneak. A. Peek.

Malcolm would have to walk slower on their hike if he wanted to even try. Her seated position was thankfully a reprieve from where his mind wanted to travel and so he managed to regain his composure and swallow his mouthful of sandwich. "Yer right 'bout that. Though I think I forget most things in the heat of the moment and just go wit' me gut," Malcolm said cheerfully. He'd blundered his way through a couple of hairy situations, much to his mentor's distress. "I think it's what's given Ili a few extra grey hairs - but don't tell him that," Hagrid said with a grin. He had promised himself he'd be far more careful on this particular mission though.

"That symbol? Why did they always have to be so cryptic," Malcolm groaned as he scooched himself closer to where Nixie had sat so he could get a bit of a closer look. "You're a better artist than I am Nixie. Look what I scribbled," he fumbled in his rucksack to get out his own obligatory notepad - one that he wasn't always keen on using but did so because those that trained him said he should. "Wait - did you hear that..?" he sat up straight and looked towards a noise coming from just over a ledge. It did not sound like good news.

@nixie

[Deleted]

Nixie found no issue with the word "bottomless" that she had used, and focused on her studies while Malcolm ate. She had no reason to think that her choice of words would lead to any other thoughts. She mouthed some of her notes and words that she insisted on memorizing. She smiled up at the larger man "Going with the gut is good, but what if it gets you in more trouble later on?" She took on her best tutor voice as she did. Though the red haired fox girl couldn't help but laugh as the man mentioned their friend Ili and the grey hairs he may have inflicted. The laughter didn't last too long as she paused out of respect. "I don't think your the only one, poor guy." She felt bad for all that he had gone through lately. The last time she had seen him, they had talked and he seemed troubled. But they were able to share some stories and some laughs.

Nixie had been in her fair share of sticky situations in the past. No matter how careful you were, as a curse breaker, it was bound to happen. Her first instinct was usually to turn into a fox and use her small size and quick reflexes to dodge and regroup. He talked about signs always being cryptic. She chuckled. "It would be nice if they had engraved 'right here' for everything we're looking for." The then smiled up at him. "But then it wouldn't be nearly as much fun." He mentioned his own drawing, and she was sure it wasn't much worse than hers, but before she could say anything, or he could fish his notebook out he seemed to hear something. Her ears weren't as good, but still, she shoved everything in her bag, and peered around the corner. She didn't get a good glance but she quickly pulled back with a gasp. "Not good news. Looks big." But most things were bigger than the small red head. She said softly, moving to put her bag back on her back.

@malcolm

[Deleted]

The bite of sandwich Hagrid had been chewing on was swallowed as his companion spoke almost as if Ilijia himself had possessed her. "Then ye hope that yer gut is good enough to get ye out of the trouble it's caused?" Malcolm replied sheepishly, a crooked smile on his face that usually got him out of trouble with his friends. The smile grew larger until he began laughing with Nixie just as she stopped. "I wonder what it's called when a ginger goes grey? It's not like I can say he pulls off the 'salt n pepper' look well," Malcolm wondered out loud, forgetting he was asking such a question to yet another ginger. "You're lucky that what happens on mission stays on mission - else I might just tell Ili you called him a poor guy," Malcolm said with a cheeky grin. He was pretty sure Ili wouldn't take well to being pitied.

"Merlin! Wouldn't it be grand," Hagrid enthused as Nixie spoke of far less cryptic treasure hunts. He wasn't so much for the puzzles like his coworker was, he just enjoyed getting out and about on wild adventures and doing slightly dangerous things whilst earning a paycheck. "You are such a nerd, Nixie," the young man teased when she said it wouldn't be nearly so much fun. He had never been the most gifted academically speaking and she would know that quite well, given she'd been a tutor in years past. "One day we'll come across a puzzle too hard for even you," he said with a waggle of his brows before the noise took his attention.

"Well... that's not hard," he joked in reply when Nixie said the thing that had made a noise was big. His rucksack was slung over his back in one quick motion and he closed the gap between them so he too could sneak a peak. "Ok, bad news is it's a mountain troll who's made a graphorn his bitch," Malcolm whispered to Nixie, "good news is.... it doesn't look like he's staying in control. Also better news... we're close to the entrance, look," Malcolm pointed to where the mountain troll was exiting a cave with the symbol they were looking for.

"How do ye want to play this?'

@nixie

[Deleted]

The job of a curse breaker was a dangerous one. Joining in as a young, bright eyed and eager recruit you tended to take risks. But mentors constantly reminded those who were new about the safety protocols. The longer the recruit works, the more ingrained in their mind to be safe. Then, in time, it is them who pass on the safety protocols, repeating them just as their mentors before, often greeted with the same eye rolling that they had previously given. She laughed as the younger man answered her. He had his own way of doing things. "That thinking isn't horrible for one who is part giant. May take a few spells. But what if you didn't have that? Something that may simply shock you, could knock me right out." It was the best way to put it. Giants had the trait of being partly spell repellant. It took a lot more to knock them down. While the exceptionally short firecracker had to be careful.

The two laughed together, and it almost felt like they were back at Hogwarts, her tutoring him and trying to find ways to help him figure things out in any special way. Malcolm mentioned red a ginger going grey, even stating that he couldn't imagine Ili with grey hair. "I'll tell you, a ginger doesn't lose their fire, even if their hair color changes." She laughed a bit more. She was speaking from personal experience, for sure. Generations of gingers had taught her that. Then the man mentioned "what happens...stays" and Nixie scrunched her nose at him. "Even if you did, I'm sure I could talk my way out of it. I'd just charm him with my winning personality." She teased, batting her eyes, and chuckling to herself. It was no secret that this job was more male dominated than female. But still the girl who barely reached five foot three inches was up with the best of them. Many new recruits had seen, or heard rumors of the girl standing up to a nearly six foot werewolf with anger issues, and successfully get him to back off. She was fearless. She knew Ili didn't like pity, but she knew some of the things he was dealing with right now, and had expressed to him that she was there to help with whatever he needed. Nixie supported her friends, no matter what.

Studying her notes and symbols, she nodded as he stated that it would be grand if their were simply signs like "right here" or "cursed item here, and this is how you break it" but their job wasn't easy. If it was, there wouldn't be such a high turn over, along with death and injury rate. If it was safe and easy, Nixie wouldn't be doing it. She loved solving puzzles, and thrived on the adrenalin high. It was how she lived her life. Never being able to stay in one place for too long. "It would be grand, but I think it would get boring." She winked up at him, with a special glint in her eye. She felt most alive when she was in a dungeon, having to work out some intricate solution. Then Malcolm called her a nerd, she couldn't help but laugh again. She had mentioned that it was funner with something to solve. "Why thank you. Wish my mum saw it that way." Unlike the man with her, her mother didn't see the puzzle solving side of the job, she only recognized the danger, and being a young woman in a strange land, out in who knows where dealing with who knows what. There was a reason she didn't tell her muggle mother the full extent of the dangers she faced.

Her eyes widened at the thought of a puzzle that even she couldn't solve. She was about to speak, when the strange noise happened. Nixie hadn't heard it, but she wasn't going to doubt her counterpart, just because he was still in training. While it was nice to take breaks and joke around, every Curse Breaker was constantly prepared to snap back into action the moment something happened. It was a side effect of the job. She had tried to sneak a peak, carefully, and noticed something quite large. Mentioning that, the part giant said that it wasn't hard to be bigger than the girl. Man that was right. She was sure she was the shortest cures breaker currently on staff. She would have rebutted, but now obviously wasn't the time. She debating on transforming into her small fox form to get a better look when the man slunk closer to pear around. Her eyes widened, and her breathing temporarily stopped at the description. "Sh*t" She breathed, pulling out her wand. He mentioned the entrance, and she slid around, getting a better look. She spotted the scene, and there it was. Worse new, the troll seemed to be leaving. That could mean a lot of things. Luckily the dumb idiot was focused on the gryphon who just wasn't having it. They had a chance to take it down, but then maybe would have to deal with the gryphon too. She would just rather not risk it.

The girl bit her lip as she pondered their next move. She pulled back a little, not wanting to risk her bright red hair sticking out, and drawing any unwanted attention. "Let's wait it out and see if it leaves." She motioned a little deeper into the out cove they were in. "We could move further in, and even if it comes this way, theirs a chance it'll just overlook us. If not, we should be ready. But I think that's the best cores." Sure they could probably take both creatures on. But it wouldn't be easy, and it wasn't a fight that she wanted to just jump into. But she kept her wand in her hand. She'd be ready if it came to it. But it would be best to wait it out and see what happened.

@malcolm

[Deleted]

The idea of Nixie being harmed because of Malcolm's stupid carelessness made the young cursebreaker wrinkle his nose. Of course he never wanted anyone to get hurt, but somehow it was funnier to see Ilija grumble off a bad spell or blow to the tummy than it was the idea of it happening to Nixie. "I promise I'll be more careful, at least while you're around," he said with the hint of a cheeky smile to hide the earnest desire to protect her from showing.

The pleasantness that came from their shared laughter kept Malcolm's grin plastered on his face even when Nixie said she'd just worm her way out of trouble with Ilija. "That's hardly fair, I don't have pretty little eyelashes to flutter at him - oh I mean, a winning personality like ye do," Malcolm shook his head as he finished off his sandwich in one big bite. "He'd just tell me to bugger off and stop annoyin' him."

On the subject of mothers and puzzles, Malcolm chortled because "I think it's in a Ma's handbook to disagree with cursebreakin' as a profession. Somethin' more respectable like granian breedin' is preferred." Olympe had long ago given up dreams of her boy becoming the academic type and each time he came home with a new wound they had the same conversation. Luckily the pair wouldn't dwell too long on this, as the noise of a mountain troll struggling to stay mounted on a graphorn had disturbed their chit-chat.

Malcolm internally cursed just as Nixie had, but he struggled to pull himself away from the dangerous creatures - they were so close to getting into the tomb! Yet as Nixie backed away, Malcolm recalled the promise he'd made mere minutes before and crept as carefully as he could away. The commotion of the troll and it's aggressive pet had drawn out another troll that could be heard making annoyed growls and grunts not far from where they were. Deeper in was the only suitable option now.

"It.. it might get a tight fit," Malcolm said as he stood up slowly, hunched over a little as the roof had begun to slope down. He was standing incredibly close now to the little witch and in an attempt to feel less awkward, he fumbled around in his cloak for his wand. "Cave inimicum," he cast the spell just in time - the graphorn had tossed it's rider and taken off. The trolls were now searching a wider area for the beast. "Are ye.. I don't want to squish ye, Nixie."

@nixie