simple times (Rhys)

[ivanka luise krum]

April 7, 2027

Going into training to become a Curse-Breaker had been a dream of Ivanka's for years, and now she could only count down the months until she would be a real Curse-Breaker and not just a trainee. It made it easier that she had the benefit of having one of her older sisters in training ahead of her. She didn't have to feel her way through everything quite as much. No, she knew what she was doing—within reason. Rule number one was to try not to get killed, and Ivanka knew that she had a head start on that because of everything she'd experienced at Hogwarts.

But Elaine Dupree was a different story, really. Finding riches on behalf of Gringotts had the potential to give her enough to live off of into her eventual retirement, though that wasn't promised. Ivanka was certain that the goblins who ran the bank occasionally spoke about her in Gobbledegook. (Probably, they were saying something like, "Viktor Krum's daughter? Again?") She tried not to pay attention to that, especially because she knew how often people assumed that she had to be gossiping when speaking in Bulgarian.

In all, it hadn't been a bad gig so far. The goblins weren't actually very strict, so she could show up to training in jeans and trainers without their caring about what she looked like (not outwardly, anyway). The people she knew who had gone into Ministry work couldn't say the same, and Ivanka felt thankful that she didn't have a traditional desk job. The hardest part for her, admittedly, was in recognizing that she didn't actually know everything. A lot of the work was actually done through a process of trial and error, and she had agreed to meet up with Rhys Greyback, one of the Curse-Breakers, for some additional practice at identifying traps.

Though they wouldn't be practicing at the bank itself—because that was a great way to get sacked—they had agreed to meet there for ease of access. Ivanka wished that the Room of Requirement were still an option for her, because that would have been perfect. In lieu of that, Ivanka had to trust that Rhys knew what he was doing.

Finding him in conversation with one of the bank goblins about halfway down the marble entrance hall, Ivanka stayed back a few steps. She was standing far enough away so that she wouldn't interrupt them but near enough to them that Rhys would be able to see her there. As she waited, she glanced around and then fiddled with her wand holster at her hip, trying not to seem too eager to get going.

rhys alexander greyback
OOC: You pick where they're going.

[rhys alexander greyback]

In between the lens in light

You're not what you seem

April 7, 2027
ivanka luise krum

”I know.” Rhys responded, clearly annoyed as the Goblin stuck his long pointed finger in Rhys' face. This wasn’t a disagreement, however. Rhys learned very early not to argue with them. And perhaps it was that part of him that knew the feeling of being looked down upon. It wasn’t in Rhys’ nature to default to such a point of view—unless that individual had earned it. In this case, their discussion revolved around a particularly loud-mouthed trainee, Kirk. The same trainee that had been with Rhys in Greece the previous summer when they’d both blacked out.

The memory alone was enough to re-trigger the severe headache from the concussion. ”I will talk to him Bogrod. And if he still doesn’t listen…” Rhys quickly looked to his left and right. ”And if he doesn’t listen, I didn’t say you can lock him in a vault for an hour.” Rhys was half-joking, but he’d worked with Bogrod long enough that the Goblin took his hand out of Rhys’ face. Whether or not Trainee Kirk would end up locked in a vault was entirely up to how much he ran his mouth. The Goblin responded in Gobbledegook and walked away.

He sighed and looked to the side, the trainee of the day there. When Rhys had first met Krum, he’d done a double-take. Irina had been a trainee of Renfri’s and then with him a few times, but little Krum didn’t have the same startling eyes. But Rhys had to remind himself that his own sister was also among their ranks—making assumptions about siblings wouldn’t do either of them well. ”Ready?” He asked gruffly, adjusting the vest like holster he faithfully wore to work. Wand on one side, notebook on the other. ”Who have you been training with?” Rhys asked curiously. Sometime during the past month, he had promised himself that he would try and be a little bit nice to the trainees. Plus, any that made it past the first year of training stood a good chance. ”And you’ve been mainly in Egypt?”

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[ivanka luise krum]

April 7, 2027

Ivanka tried not to eavesdrop on Rhys Greyback's conversation with the goblin Bogrod, but it sounded tense. Honestly, the goblins always came across as intense, though Ivanka couldn't really blame them for that. She supposed that she would have been tense, too, if she had to deal with people day in and day out who didn't always know what they were doing. She also didn't want to make things any worse for Rhys (or for herself), and so she nodded her head simply in reply to Rhys's question. She was as ready as she'd ever be, though she really hoped that she didn't come across as some first-year who was nothing but a ball of energy. She was a Curse-Breaker (in training, but still) and ready for whatever that day's training brought.

And what it brought were more questions. "Who have you been training with?" Rhys asked her. "And you’ve been mainly in Egypt?"

Ivanka nodded. "I was there with Dahlia not long ago." Dahlia was out of training but still relatively green in the world of Curse-Breaking. Ivanka didn't think that that was going to be an issue, though. It wasn't like she was just sticking next to Irina all day, every day.

rhys alexander greyback
OOC: Colin granted permission for me to mention Dahlia.

[rhys alexander greyback]

In between the lens in light

You're not what you seem

April 7, 2027
ivanka luise krum

Rhys nodded. While he typically didn’t volunteer to work in Egypt, it was the usual place to take trainees. And thankfully, Dahlia did enjoy working in Egypt, so, despite his seniority, Rhys was able to send a trainee her way now and then. Since she had only graduated to full Cursebreaker the previous year, she was technically limited in what training she could give the new trainees. Rhys knew Dahlia was capable and wasn’t worried as long as it was Egypt. Rhys certainly couldn’t take trainees to certain parts of Latin America or even ruins in Eastern Europe where they were technically trespassing.

But this trainee was nearing the end of her first year and making it this far was quite an achievement. Trainees often leave before the end of the first year. But today’s training would be just that—training. ”How’s your Arithmancy and Astronomy?” Rhys asked. One was a required course for the trainees while the other was not. But Rhys had noted Astronomy’s usefulness in certain ruins and unlocking the puzzle. This particular sight was a good training spot for it but less useful in the latter half of the year after the Summer Solstice. ”We’re heading to South Africa.” Rhys commented, turning to walk toward the back of the bank where they could easily apparate from.

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[ivanka luise krum]

April 7, 2027

Rhys asked her how her Arithmancy and her Astronomy were. Astronomy wasn't a subject that most people tended to take at NEWT level, at least not in her experience. Ancient Runes had been the easiest subject for her by far. Her Arithmancy, meanwhile, was… okay. She had found it to be easier to understand than Divination (which she hadn't taken), but that wasn't saying too much. Ivanka wondered if Arithmancy had been relatively easy to grasp because it wasn't too far off from Ancient Runes, come to think of it. In both, there was a lot of decoding things involved.

"I took Arithmancy at NEWT level and got an 'Exceeds Expectations', but I only have an OWL in Astronomy…" she explained to Rhys, wondering if that would put her at a disadvantage as a Curse-Breaker.

They would be going to South Africa, Rhys added, walking towards the back of the bank. Ivanka followed close behind. How Arithmancy and Astronomy related to one another and to South Africa, she wasn't sure, either, but she had a feeling that she was about to find out.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

In between the lens in light

You're not what you seem

April 7, 2027
ivanka luise krum

The myth of cursebreaking. The story told to young students in an attempt to recruit them for a dangerous job so the Goblins could hoard their treasures. Rhys wasn’t particularly interested in getting rich or living some life of opulence, he liked the challenge of the job, and nobody could deny there was a thrill that grew addicting. However, working for Gringotts paid better than contracted work. Colleagues of his had gone to work for the Museum in Wales, finding ancient items that were neither lined with gold nor contained any jewels. That Museum held a special place in his heart, somewhere he’d gone as a boy to escape his life and what had sparked an interest in this field.

But not every assignment would result in a prize. Not far from the Eastern Coast of South Africa lay an ancient ruin that was still a mystery. But its existence proved to be a simple training ground for trainees who likely did not pay enough attention in Astronomy. Reaching the back of the bank, Rhys stopped and held out his arm so they could apparate. The next time Ivanka wanted to go here, she could go on her own. They appeared in an area that was sparsely populated. An open green field surrounded by trees and many stones in front of them.

At first glance, one might think of Stonehenge back in England, but this site was suspected to be much older. Adam’s Calendar. In reality, many sites such as this one on the African continent, but Rhys had trained here. Rhys began to walk toward the stones, clearing his throat. ”We are trained to find patterns. This is important at any site where we work.” Rhys began. Numbers helped determine one’s next steps while Runes told you what might be there. However, this involved many applications. Rhys stopped at the circle, the sun was high, and the most prominent rock cast a great shadow. It was obvious to him that it had something to do with time. And if one watched closely, the changes showed a simple monolithic calendar.

”Missing that pattern could mean one step in the wrong direction.” They spent so much time underground looking at their feet that they often forgot to look up. How many ancient civilizations relied on the stars for time, magic, and other things? Rhys had visited a few sites where timing had been critical. For example, the shortest day of the year didn’t provide them with much time to traverse through a large tomb, but when it was the only day of the year where they could move a stone door—they had to make it work. ”Tell me what you see here.”

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[ivanka luise krum]

April 7, 2027

Upon taking hold of Rhys's arm, the two of them Disapparated from the inside of Gringotts and found themselves outdoors. It must have been South Africa, Ivanka imagined, although she had never been there before to know what it looked like. They were in a field somewhere that seemed as though it could have been anywhere at all, even somewhere in England.

Before them stood some sort of a stone structure, and Ivanka was immediately reminded of the Druids. She didn't think that they had reached as far as South Africa, but perhaps she was mistaken about that.

"We are trained to find patterns. This is important at any site where we work," Rhys reminded her, to which Ivanka nodded her head without knowing what it was he wanted her to do or how it involved astronomy. She kept walking until Rhys stopped, trying to get a better idea of what it was in front of them, apart from a bunch of rocks.

"Missing that pattern could mean one step in the wrong direction," Rhys cautioned, and Ivanka knew that she didn't need to get too caught up in looking for any sort of runes or similar symbols that could make up a writing system.

"Tell me what you see here."

Knowing that Rhys had already mentioned astronomy to her while they were still at Gringotts, Ivanka decided to use that as her starting point. A circle in astronomy could represent a lot of things… "Is it some sort of an astrolabe?" she wondered aloud, hoping that she wasn't too far off the mark.

rhys alexander greyback