afraid of being seen | cas

[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

THE WINDING WALK FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF Mysteries to the Ministry elevator was unnaturally dark. Claire had never enjoyed it, nor did she make a habit venturing into the 'dungeons' of the Ministry. However, the department had an uncanny ability to seize cursed evidence from scenes that made Claire's paperwork extremely difficult to complete in full detail. It meant she often had to have lengthy arguments with the bloodless, elusive staff members when her boss breathed heavy down her neck about an untraced photography, or killer necklace.

The elevator itself, at least, was oft filled with a crew of other staff members. Claire placed herself in the back corner and made a point of looking busy as she read over the new Mysteries Request Form with a careful eye, side-stepping moving bodies as they came and went until she felt the elevator jerk forward as it made a stop and another figure stepped in to join them with a curt greeting and a floor request she didn't care to listen to.

Claire very nearly didn't lift her head to see who had joined them just one floor up from the dungeons, that was until she felt the uncanny feeling of eyes boring into the side of her face. Looking up curiously, Claire did not catch a nosy colleague peering over her shoulder. In fact, she felt herself freeze as she was greeted with the side of Casimir Karkaroff's infuriatingly blank face. As if he hadn't even seen her standing just a foot away from him, the doors closed and Claire's ability to flee closed with it. As if prompted by her own unwavering stare, she saw his head turn and didn't avert her gaze quick enough so they caught and locked. The form was held under her chin, her expression surely foolishly dumbstruck.

"Karkaroff," Claire croaked in greeting, jerking her head in what she hoped was a perfectly friendly nod before she turned her head down sharply. She could no longer see a single strip of text in front of her. It all garbled behind a frantic set of eyes, the parchment crinkling as her fingers flexed restlessly. She hadn't seen him in months, and even then they hadn't spoken in even longer. Claire felt that phantom humiliation veer its head, lingering from the Order base, having resorted to asking for his help desperately after she'd suffered her curse for weeks. "You look... well?" It came out like a question and she cringed into her parchment, almost hiding her face with how closely she examined it. 

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

April 2029

Cas didn’t much care for the Ministry. It was a necessary evil to contend with, acknowledging its existence while he worked dutifully to sidestep it at all costs. His business depended on his ability to be discreet and go unnoticed, which was a difficult task for a store as well-known as Borgin and Burke’s (especially with the history that came attached with it, and the British’s long memory when it came to all things Dark). A long time ago, he’d nudged Ana in the direction of Law Enforcement when she’d been on the verge of finishing school – seeing the advantages that would come with a Karkaroff in the heart of the beast’s lair to watch out for her family. Besides, Ana definitely had the personality for it…Damian wouldn’t have survived doing as he was told.

Since Borgin and Burke’s was too high-profile to be simply ignored by the Ministry, and Cas had taken the necessary painful steps to ensure he could be properly informed if there was ever the need for it (like these pesky raids the Head of Law Enforcement liked to randomly carry out)…well, he’d decided to drive into the skid. And make a point of visiting regularly to demonstrate that his permits were in order and avoid the irritating publicity of Aurors in his store. Everything was done through Ana, of course, since he couldn’t rely on any other Auror to ask the right questions and avoid asking the awkward ones. Once upon a time, he’d also used this cover as an opportunity to pass on Order-related information about particularly suspicious Dark artifacts that might be going to Purifiers. But it’d been ages since the Order had disbanded and there was no need for that anymore…

With his seemingly empty briefcase in hand (a neat little protective spell in case a thief got any ideas), Cas let himself be jostled through the fireplaces of the Atrium and into the elevator. He was as he always was – calm, cool, and carefully collected. At least until he saw her. He felt his face almost immediately (defensively) settle into a blank expression as Cas noticed a conspicuous blonde head bent over a form like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. His pulse began to race as he forced himself to stare straight ahead until it was almost a compulsion to look again. They locked eyes and the only satisfaction he got was seeing her face turn bright red.

“Slater,” he returned coolly, swallowing slightly as she turned away from him, then back, then away like she couldn’t decide what to do with herself. But he could control himself better when there were other people around. Claire had gotten too talented at making that control slip, or completely shatter – but not when Cas had an audience. Then he knew how to perform like his life depended on it (which had been true for so many years). “I am well. You’re as articulate as always.” His tone was laced with amusement, because for such a spectacular Auror – well, she didn’t know how to act casual. Or blend in. No, she’d always done her best work when it involved standing out and blasting her way to the right answer. He found himself idly fidgeting with the handle of his briefcase – maybe the only outward sign that he might potentially be a little nervous – but Cas forced himself to stop and grip it tightly. “You must be going to Level Two…unless you can’t find your way?” Even in the middle of a crowded elevator at the Ministry of Magic, he couldn’t help himself.

Claire Evangeline Slater

[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

THE HEAT THAT SUFFUSED OVER CLAIRE'S FACE was a familiar humiliation. She could only picture her frozen face, having schooled her expression into a mask of carelessness, undermined completely by the flooding of red across her cheek and nose. Made all thew worse by Cas's impenetrable expression of cool stoicism. She wanted to smack his cheek to match her own, but gripped her form instead and cleared her throat, mouth pinching as he replied evenly, rendering her momentarily speechless.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped, reeling back as if she'd been struck, her careless expression falling entirely. The tension in the elevator thickened, and Claire was suddenly aware that they were not alone and turned her face away, though her foot began to steadily tap with agitation. A part of her wished he wouldn't speak again, that he wouldn't care enough to bite down when he hadn't even tried to contact her in months, but of course he couldn't.

"Can't you just be pleasant?" She asked him suddenly, turning her head so sharply to look at him that her short hair would have whipped the cheek of the employee behind her if he'd been an inch closer, or her hair an inch longer. "Do you have to try and humiliate me at work, as well as out of it?" She asked him with a flaring of her nostrils. "Not that where I'm going is any of your business." She added, turning her head back to face the front, wishing he'd drop his fancy briefcase on his precious, well directed toes. Alas, he appeared to be gripping it so tight it blanched his knuckles. The only admission that he was not as cool as he looked.  

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

It was still satisfying to get a reaction out of her, even if it was one of the easiest things in the world. She was refreshingly honest about what she thought, although being in a crowded elevator made Cas feel extremely skittish. He’d always been a touch paranoid, but the constant stress of being undercover for the Order had made it a thousand times worse. And now? Being in a tight space, with the feeling of several pairs of eyes on him…well, it didn’t bring out the best in him. “I am being pleasant,” Cas said, his tone and face equally blank as he looked over at her. It was a defensive mechanism, a way of ensuring that nobody got any sense of weakness from him whenever he felt particularly vulnerable. “Isn’t this just a simple conversation?” Not that anything had ever been simple between them. But it was much easier to be detached when he thought she might find it maddening, because Cas lived to get a rise out of Claire. And set aside the complicated nature of their years-long back-and-forth until when he was alone in his flat and didn't have to worry about being watched or judged.

Cas shuffled to the side as several people shuffled out of the elevator at the next floor, although his eyes stayed fixed on Claire. He figured the tactful response to her question would be to say nothing at all, especially because it would mean acknowledging that he saw her outside of work, but Cas couldn’t help it. “Of course, it was my mistake to think that the Auror might be going to Law Enforcement. I’ve learned my lesson.” The elevator dinged again as it stopped at Level Two, and Cas fluidly stepped out. But then he stopped, turned slightly, and held his arm out to block the doors from closing so that others could get out after him. Claire was the last one left on the elevator, and he raised an eyebrow at her as if daring her to pretend that this wasn’t her floor and that she wanted to continue on to Level One.

He could guess what sort of thoughts were running through her head right now, even without being a Legilimens. But some part of him hoped that she might try to take a bite out of him. They’d been at odds for years, from petty bickering while they followed a lead to full-blown arguments while they accused the other of walking away. He’d never felt the adrenaline course through him like that since he’d retired from cursebreaking, and going head-to-head with Claire was addicting. But they didn’t have much of a reason to see each other anymore, and so he’d played his part and kept his distance. As cool as he might act…yeah, he felt the absence. So he lingered to let their interaction play out for a few seconds longer, at least until they’d have to separate and go back to their regular lives again.

Claire Evangeline Slater