I've Just Seen a Face (Clo)

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Aerick was in a state he didn't want to be in; numb disbelief. Madelina Blackhawk was dead.  Just when it looked maybe, just maybe he had found someone he could confide in, she was taken from him.  The flashes of the accident still flashed beneath his eyelids; the stopped double decker bus on the side of the road, her dark hair just fanning out from underneath.  Obliviators and the Mediwizards had arrived on scene trying to help but it was too late; all they could do was make the Muggle crowd forget what horror they'd just witnessed.  Aerick though had left before they had the chance to erase his mind, though now he wished he had let them.  He was restless, prowling like a wild animal in a cage.  If Madi didn't exist, then why was he still feeling all these emotions?  He felt far less as a python; he allowed his mind to go blank as the serpent took over.  He'd taken to transforming whenever it all got too much; it helps numb the pain, but it wasn't seeming to go away.

A bar shift and an errand for Elaine had Aerick up the entire night.  Aerick should have felt exhausted, but he knew the minute he collapsed into bed the nightmares would start again.  So he made his way towards the Leaky Cauldron; he had been friendly with the new bartender there, he would not judge him for drinking this early.  As he walked through the crowd, the collar of his black overcoat drawn high, he knocked into someone.  "Watch where-" he began to snarl, then stopped suddenly.  He saw the face of the girl he had knocked into; he didn't know who she was, where she was from or anything.


But she was beautiful.


@clodagh 

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@aerick

Clodagh had had a particularly rough night. She was still getting used to the whole 'sunset at 4' thing, plus refamiliarizing herself with London. Basically, she hadn't been able to make it back to the Leaky Cauldron last night. Needless to say, she'd been stuck on the streets as a mouse. She'd thankfully found shelter inside a gutter, but that meant she'd been awake most the night. So yes, she was exhausted, but she was used to it. This was a common occurrence, and so she was able to function off of little to no sleep. Didn't mean she liked it though. She'd transformed back only about half an hour ago, and had finally wandered back to the Cauldron. She was intending on going straight up to her room and sleeping for a few hours, but fate had other plans in store. A stranger knocked right into her. Due to her already poor sense of balance plus exhaustion, she didn't manage to catch herself, and was sent flat on her butt, eyes blinking rapidly as she mind caught up with her body. It took a second for her to comprehend that someone had bumped into her, or that she was currently on the ground.

Clodagh immediately looked up and right at the person she'd run into. Her cheeks flushed bright pink. Not only was he a complete stranger but absolutely gorgeous. "Sorry..." She managed to squeak out. Then she remembered that she was still sitting there, flat on her butt, like an idiot. Her cheeks flushed a deeper pink and she quickly scurried to her feet.

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Aerick was at a momentary loss of words until she squeaked out an apology. “Oh no, please it was my fault, I wasn’t watching where I was going,” he said, reaching out a hand to help her up before realizing she was already getting up on her own. He raised the hand to run through his hair and gave a small sigh. “I’ve had a long night; barely slept so I apologize for snapping,” he admitted to her. “Are you alright? You didn’t injure yourself in the fall did you?” he asked, wondering why on earth he sounded so concerned. He didn’t know who she was, where she was from, what her blood status was, whether she was like him or on the opposing side. He knew nothing at all about her, except she had fair skin, dark hair and pretty blue eyes. “Were-were you heading to the Leaky Cauldron?” he asked her curiously. Perhaps they were destined for the same destination.

@clodagh

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@aerick

In just a moment, this handsome stranger went from slightly hostile, or was it just annoyed, to civil and slightly thoughtful. He even seemed to be moving to help her up, but she'd made the mistake of getting up to quickly. Stupid! She almost lost her balance right then and there, just because she'd embarrassed herself and unintentionally ignored his attempt to be a gentleman and help her. His attempt to take the blame surprised her, enough so that her eyes widened just a touch. "It... It's alright..." She managed to breath out a response, only because she knew it was the polite thing to do. His next comment even sounded concerned, asking if she was alright and explaining that he'd been up most the night. Yup. She understood that. "Oh... No- I mean yes..." Ugh, smooth. She let out a breath, trying to stop this horrible verbal failure. "I mean, I'm fine. Thank you."

"I... yes. I was. Am. Heading to the Leaky Cauldron I mean." She stammered out a decent response, forcing another small smile and blushing just a little. She really didn't handle strangers well, especially handsome ones that knocked her over and then expected her to be able to think straight while drowning in those gorgeous eyes. "Are... you heading there?"

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Aerick nodded as the girl confirmed she was okay; he wasn’t sure why he cared so much but he did. He was not the kind of man that wore his emotions on his sleeve, or really at all. It was why Elaine relied on him as the Enforcer of the Purifiers; he didn’t care what he had to do to get the information from someone. His mind flickered briefly to what he had done with the girl from the Department of Magical Games and Sports - Madelina had brought her into the Club before she died, and between the two of them they had gotten all the information he needed for Elaine. He had been rather relieved he hadn’t had to resort to anything too intense, which was a weird feeling for him.


“I am; hopefully you will not judge me but it has been a long night and I am ready for a drink at...nine in the morning,” Aerick admitted, checking his watch and offering her a half smile. “Walk with me?” he asked suddenly, gesturing to the sidewalk. “The name is Aerick Adler by the way,” he offered, waiting for her to introduced herself.

@clodagh

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@aerick

Clodagh nodded in understanding. "I wouldn't judge. I know what that feels like." She commented before she had time to really think about it. Immediately after she blushed slightly, embarrassed. When he asked her to walk with him she blinked in surprise, then mustered a genuine smile. "Sure." she accepted immediately, so quickly she even surprised herself a little.

It was only then she realized something. His accent. He was American. She was so used to the American accents from spending so much time there recently she hadn't even noticed it was out of place until this very moment. "You're American." She thought aloud, then proceeded to blush intensely. "Sorry, I mean... I didn't even realize it for a moment. What.... what brings you to London?" she asked with that same awkward hesitation as before. She really didn't handle strangers well. Because only after asking her question did she remember he'd offered her his name. "Oh! Sorry, I'm Clo. Well, Clodagh. Clodagh Fitzpatrick. But everyone calls me Clo." She rambled. She knew her name was a little... unusual. It was very traditional Irish, so many people hadn't even heard it before.

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Aerick gave her a small smile as she stepped into stride with him. He looked over at her with a raised eyebrow when she suddenly declared he was American. “I am, from New York,” he confirmed, looking away with a wry chuckle. He never tried to hide his accent; he’d moved to London almost five years ago. Most people who lived in a country with a new accent ended up with some strange little hybrid consisting of both, but Aerick had strived to keep his American accent alive. It made him more approachable, something Elaine had always found useful at least.


“I’ve been in London for five years now; I moved here for...a change of scenery from the States,” he told her, his smile faltering slightly. His main reason of course for getting out of New York started and finished with his fathers’ confession. There had been evidence he had come to the United Kingdom after he ran off, and it was in Aerick’s nature to go after and find him. While he had not succeeded in tracking him down, he had discovered a whole plethora of opportunities and resources in London that he had not had in New York; including wand lore books that far surpassed any expectations he could ever have. “Clodagh is a very Irish name, what brings YOU to London?” he asked, holding the door to the Leaky Cauldron open to her to pass through.

@clodagh

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@aerick

Ugh, Clodagh was so embarrassed! It was rude of her to just blurt information out like that! And what if she'd been wrong? She almost missed a step as she hurried to keep in step next to him as they walked but thankfully managed to catch herself and smiled sheepishly. Thankfully he didn't seen offended, and even went on to offer more information about what had brought him to Europe and she gave him a relieved smile, grateful for the slight save. "A change in scenery is always nice." She answered.

As the questioning turned on her though, she blushed again. "My parents like tradional Irish names." She explained, but paused for a moment as to what brought her to London. "A lot of reasons. My family is here, and I haven't spent much time with them in the last few years. I... I travel a lot. For work. Sort of. I'm a writer. I spent some time in America before coming back a month ago, but in the South. Pretty far from New York." She rambled slightly. It was almost like she could help it, the words just kept spewing out. Thankfully she stopped by the time he held the door open for her. Again. She blushed and smiled. "Thank you." she thanked him as she quickly hurried inside. There weren't many people in right now thank goodness.

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Aerick smiled again, his jaw felt weird from the lack of smiling he had been doing in the past years. There was just something about this girl though that seemed to at least dull the aching feeling he had in his heart. “My name is from Norse legend, I think,” he said with a half shrug. He’d been an only child, so there wasn’t all too much rhyme or reason why his parents had chosen the name they had. “Do you have many siblings?” he asked her as he slid onto a barstool. “I only have been to New Orleans myself, what did you think of the South?” he asked before turning to the bartender. “A pint of mulled mead, the one from the States you have,” he instructed, specifically requesting a mead from New York that he was partial to. As the bartender brought over his drink, he tipped the cup towards Clodagh before taking a sip. “This particular brew was made in my home state of New York, care to try a sip?” he asked her, holding out the glass.

@clodagh

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@aerick

Norse legend? To be honest, She knew very little about Norse mythology, but now she was curious. Who might he have been named after? Being the writer she was, she liked to read, and research. Especially mythology. You could use it to give stories an interesting twist, tying the past and the present together. At the mention of siblings she smiled sheepishly. "There's five of us total. Karney, Mannix, Cullen, me and Emma." She knew, especially for Europeans, that was quite a few children. But she'd never known any different. Being raised around the world, constantly on the move, meant her siblings had been her best friends growing up.

New Orleans. That's where she'd been. Despite her intense exit, she still liked the city and the people. "It's fascinating. The culture is so vibrant and exciting and so different from other parts of the country." To her amazement, she'd followed him to the bar. And even more shocking, the conversation was still going. Despite reaching their destination. Somehow she'd managed to sit on the stool next to him, with out even realizing what she was doing until he held out the pint to her, asking if she wanted to try it. Immediately her face turned beat red from blushing. "I-I- No, thank you. That's.... That's okay." Good god, could she just converse normally for once?! "I... I should... probably go..." She didn't sound sure of that answer at all, more like she was just saying it because she was convinced that he wouldn't want to continue the conversation with how awkward she was acting. "I mean... you... you probably have things to do.... and- and I wouldn't want to disturb you." If it was possible her face looked even redder....

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Aerick nodded along as Clodagh listed off the names of her siblings. “That must have been an interesting dynamic to grow up with,” he said. He had wished many times growing up that he had had other siblings, but after his fathers’ revelation and subsequent abandonment of him and his mother, Aerick was glad there were no other siblings to feel the same and the pain they had. “What do all of them do for a living?” he asked, curious to know more about the family. He wondered if it had to do with being alone a lot as a child; what life would be like with other people around all the time so close in age.


Aerick felt a weird sensation when Clodagh stammered out that she should probably go. What was he feeling, exactly? “Don’t,” he heard himself saying quickly. He realized then how much he had been enjoying her company; usually he found girls like Clo annoying and irritating. He frequently lost his patience with blushing stammering girls. But for some reason, he felt different about this one. “Please….stay. I don’t have anything to do,” he added quickly. He had not heard from Elaine in over a week; his last mission from her with Uriah had been a success, but he was obviously cautious that she’d pop up unexpectedly with something new for him to do. Someone new to intimidate. He wondered what would happen if it ended up being Clodagh; he seriously doubted she’d have information vital to Elaine though.

@clodagh

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@aerick

Clodagh actually giggled softly when he said it must have been an interesting dynamic growing up with her siblings. It was, but her siblings weren't all that had made it interesting. "You could say that. My parents are traveling Magizoologists, so they raised us all around the world." She explained. Raising five kids in general wasn't an easy task, but five in the road? Well, Clodagh still didn't know how her parents had done it.

Clo froze on the stool when she heard that single word. Don't. Eyes widening, she held her breath, obviously stunned by his response. But even more so when he continued. It was almost like she was shocked that he might even consider having her stay. Finally she managed to swallow the shock and forced herself to nod, shifting back on the stool so she was leaning against the back again. "So... uh... do you have any siblings?" she stammered out.

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Aerick was relieved, surprisingly, when Clodagh agreed to stay with him a bit longer. He didn't really understand why he wanted her to stay so badly; she was beautiful yes, but there was something else. Something about her that she wanted to find out more about her. It was like the hole Madi's accident had ripped through his soul was starting to feel like it was being repaired. He didn't know how to feel about that. He waited for her to sit back down, watching and listening as she asked if he had any siblings of his own. He shook his head with a small smile. “No, it was just me. My parents decided that one was more than enough for them,” he said, his smile turning wry. He had been glad in the end to not have siblings; his coward of a father had shamed him and his mother with his lies; he would not have wanted another sibling subjected to their shame. “Did you attend Hogwarts though? Or were your homeschooled since they were traveling so much?” he asked her, taking another sip of his drink. Dwelling on the thoughts of his father would only make him angry; there would be time enough for that when he found him. Elaine had promised if any of the Purifiers found him first they would bring him straight to Aerick. And he would have his venegence.

@clodagh

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Clodagh honestly felt a little bad when he said he was an only child. For her, having siblings had been one of the best parts of growing up. Sure, they hadn't always gotten along. And Clodagh had felt so different from them that it made it hard to relate sometimes. But that hadn't changed how much they'd loved each other, or that they'd have been there for her no matter what. "That's too bad...." She softly commented, unable to stop her thoughts from being expressed verbally. Well... He probably didn't think it was that bad, since he'd grown up with that! Immediately she blushed, realizing her blunder. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. It must have been nice." Heavens, she didn't want to insult him! She barely even knew him!

She let out a slow breath, embarrassed by herself but hoping to at least salvage the conversation. "My parents let us chose between Hogwarts or Homeschool. I decided to go to Hogwarts. Did... did you go to Ilvermorny or a different school?" She didn't know how many schools were even in the States, to be honest.

@aerick

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Aerick chuckled a little at Clodagh’s comment; their lives had obviously been completely different growing up but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sure, when he was younger Aerick had wished he had had more siblings to play with, but after finding out about his father he was glad they had chosen not to spawn any more children, if only to save them from the shame and anger Aerick carried around with him now at all times. “Truth be told, it’s better this way. My father he...walked out on my mother and me, so it’s easier that less people are affected.” He left it at that; he didn’t know her feelings on Muggles and didn’t want to chase her away by saying anything too radical.

“I went to Ilvermorny. I was in the Wampus house, which symbolizes the warrior,” Aerick explained; he had heard how Hogwarts students were sorted on character traits, which was odd to him. Perhaps he was just used to the way Ilvermorny did things; he still remembered walking into the Sorting Chamber and being selected by Wampus and Horned Serpent. Foolishly naive as he had been as an eleven year old, Aerick had gone with Wampus. While in the end it fitted him to a tee, his idolization of his father had been misguided. “What house were you in?” he asked her. If he had to guess he’d say Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff; from his limited knowledge of the Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony and Clodagh herself, he’d wager one of those two.

@clodagh