a simple hello | renard

[Deleted]

a quiet face.

27TH DECEMBER 2024

THE LEAD UP to Christmas was one that Flora had looked forward to until she viewed her calendar earlier in the week. The twenty-second was a full moon, a harsh time for the Lowell girl and other werewolves alike, allowing her to come to the realisation to why she looked so sickly as the days led up and as well as the days that had passed. This full moon was a harsh one, yet the Lowell remember to take the Wolfsbane potion, returning the humanity and the aggressiveness against humans. Not that she usually found any. From the days that came next, Flora remained ill-looking around Christmas, and the same way her Christmases had been for the last four years, Flora kept it simple. A small Muggle-inspired cooked meal of her own. Flora enjoyed cooking, but didn’t exactly have the right amount of space to express her creative mind.

The twenty-seventh was the day Flora returned to work, considering the Ministry couldn’t risk closing for the entire holiday the same way other places could. Strolling inside from using the Floo Network, Flora was almost half-an-hour early for her shift. But thirty minutes gave her enough time to read through the case files her boss decided to drop on her desk. Arriving on level four, she nodded to the receptionist with a smile and pushed open the main doors that welcomed her view with a bunch of desks, plaques scattered at the front of each of them with everyone’s name. One name had always stood out to her though, Renard Goyle — as he sat in front of her. In the small amount of months she had been in the Beast Division, she had never found the moment to even mutter a Good Morning or a simple Hello. It was perhaps along the idea of having an entire conversation, though a greeting was fine for her introverted self.

Resting back in her chair with a sigh, Flora reached out for the first folder upon her desk. Luckily she only had six to deal with today and hoped at least one of them was around the registry of a Werewolf and none being around the Capture Unit for Werewolves. Being a werewolf herself, Flora was sure even her own name was registered somewhere, though she always believed anything related to Werewolves should have been allocated to the Beings Division rather than the Beasts. It was unfair really, but the Lowell had no voice or friends to vent to of her opinions. Curse her sceptical side.

renard walt goyle & hopefully this works!

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[renard walt goyle]

@flora

12.27.2024

Another day, another set of beasties to clean up after. It ceased to amaze Renard just how many were out there, and today was no different. No less than six cases were on his desk that morning, but just flipping through them told him that they were going to be lengthy tasks to complete. And then there was the monthly visit to the werewolf hotel, which he despised beyond belief. It was like they knew of his distaste for the dogs and purposely stuck him on that detail just to spite him. Obviously they didn’t because he kept that to himself, but it was still suspicious.

Renard had gotten in early that morning, mainly so he could get an early start on his cases, dividing them out to his coworkers and figuring out who was going to tag along with him for the fun ones. Susan Windsor had decided to join the Being division, which was right across the hall from the Beast division, and that felt like a stab in the heart to him. Renard thought they had gotten along swimmingly during her internship. Apparently dealing with things that could talk was more up her alley though. Instead, he had a somewhat newish employee that sat across from him – a woman from Australia that he hadn’t really bothered to learn about. To him, work was work, and thus far they hadn’t been placed together on any cases. He didn’t even know her first name yet, and a quick glance at her desk to see her name placard only rewarded him with her last: Lowell. He also noticed that she had similar looking files on her desk, which probably meant they were finally paired together. Better late than never.

At some point, while he was getting coffee and on a short smoke break, Lowell arrived at her desk. Renard returned to his own, noticing that she was going over her copies of the day’s cases. “Looks like we’re together today,” Renard sniffed as he took his seat, a small sip of his coffee reminding him that the Ministry went cheap on their caffeine. “I don’t care what we start with, so take your pick.”

[Deleted]

a quiet face.

THE SMELL OF cigarettes and coffee filled Flora’s nose which led to a small nose wrinkling at the stench. It was a weird combination that the Lowell could never understand. With a nose like hers, the strong scents from both items blocked off a persons true scent or the one they covered with cologne or perfume. Every scent bugged Flora as a whole. With the case files in hand, she barely registered that the man she hadn’t exactly spoken to before was indeed…Speaking to her. They had been finally paired together and while it didn’t bug the Lowell, she didn’t really like to speak to strangers. Even if they were colleagues. ”I’ve been wondering who Goyle was this whole time.” She admitted, forcing a smile on her lips while her hands dropped down the files slowly. ”Flora. Flora Lowell.” She introduced, sticking out a hand.

Their pairing together was something that Flora knew would be a little rocky, especially as she didn’t know the man, but she bit back the need to be sarcastic and gloomy around him. It was their first time together, she didn’t want to set a bad impression…Just yet anyway. Sitting proper in her swivelling seat, pale eyes looked upon the cases the higher ups had in mind for each of them. There were the simple cases, heading over to the homes of a certain family, to remind them to register themselves and their children on the registry, a possible trip to the werewolf hotel just a few days early from the monthly time, or even take up a report a werewolf had written in regards to abuse from a fellow wizard in the wizarding world. A brow rose at all the options, and while Renard had given her free-will to choose which one to start with, she couldn’t even pick. The werewolf hotel was one Flora had been avoiding all of these months, somehow managing to avoid it. She knew the moment she set foot in that hotel, another wolf would cross track her scent, and while she didn’t mind of the others knowing of her wolf-self, she would rather avoid prying eyes.

A sigh left her lips in frustration, baffled on which one to choose. She then looked up at the coffee-smelling man, her straight face of frustration twisting. ”Flip a coin? Heads for Werewolf Hotel, Tails for visiting the family to register. Then the rest of the day follows from whatever mood we’re feeling?” It was an offer she hoped he wouldn’t refuse. She just prayed the coin wouldn’t curse her so easily. Like the bite of a werewolf did.

renard walt goyle

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[renard walt goyle]

@flora

12.27.2024

“That’s me,” Renard said rather dully, sticking his own hand up towards hers to shake it. “Renard. I guess they put rookies through more training than they used to,” he added. His own training had been quick: a lot of research and studying of the creatures they dealt with on a daily basis and the countermeasures to remove or eradicate them. Obviously they couldn’t go around willy-nilly killing every magical creature that got in their way, since that would break literally every international and magical conservation law in existence, but sometimes drastic measures had to be taken. Especially with life or death situations, like a pogrebin horde or a lethifold brought in through black market trade. The latter he had only dealt with once but it had been the biggest pain the ass to defeat.

Flora suggested they flip a coin to decide which they did first, and Renard nodded his head as he pulled a sickle out of his pocket and set it on his desk in front of them. “Best two out of three, that way both get a shot to even it out.” Flipping it the first time, it landed on heads. Renard took a deep breath and did it a second time, hoping that he could push off having to deal with Doris and the werewolf hotel for a few extra hours by getting the family first. The second landed on the tail side, and he let out a laugh. “Of course it’s making us go to the third. Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Chuckling to himself, he flipped it one last time, getting heads once again. “Guess the hotel it is. Grab whatever you need for the day because I don’t think we’ll be back at any point.” Sliding his jacket on, Renard made sure he had all of his case files for the day, his wand, and the necessary potions and tools for the rest of the jobs they had later in the day. Content, he headed towards the apparation area so they could go to Horizon Alley and the werewolf hotel.

[you can jump to them being at the hotel!]

[Deleted]

a quiet face.

FLORA SHOOK HER HEAD IN slight agreement. Considering where she had come from, with rules around each division being rather…harsher to the victims, the Lowell had a lot of things to learn when she had taken up the opportunity again in Britain. ”The Ministry back home is no joke. So different from here.” It was like the werewolf had to start from scratch, learn everything the rookies were taught in a few simple months in the span of a year or so. It was ridiculous. Though, the reminder that each Division worker was guided through difficult scenarios including ones that potentially involved dramatic measures were the ones Flora wished she could simply forget. The coin was the best choice the Lowell had for the both of them, but given the look on the Goyle’s face, he seemingly didn’t mind which one they actually begun with. Lips twitched up at his comment, a brief nod in agreement. But alas, heads won the second time, meaning the hotel was their first pit-stop of the day.

”Ah—Alright then.” She said, pushing herself up from her seat, grabbing her own jacket and the required case files for the day. As well as her wand, and all other necessary items. (Thank Merlin for magical bags, could keep a whole house in one.) The result of the coin toss was one the Lowell wasn’t too joyous about, especially now it meant the wolves inside the hotel would cross-track her scent far easier than a frightened family that needed to register. Following behind the Goyle, all of Flora’s confidence sunk to the pit of her stomach from the realisation, but away they apparated, the sight of the Ministry replaced with the dark bricks that surrounded Horizon Alley. ”Blimey it’s cold.” She muttered, tightening the straps of her jacket. Flora then proceeded behind Renard, her arms awkwardly crossed while the two approached the Werewolf hotel.

It was a large scaled place, filled with many windows and even floors. As expected of a hotel. The Lowell murmured a soft thanks to Renard as she passed by him while he held open the door, the indoor decor of the place leaving Flora in slight awe. What she hadn’t expected is the chirpiness from the woman behind the counter, glasses stuck on the bridge of her nose while her eyes lit up at the sight of Renard. Maybe they knew each other? Her name tag flashed Doris, but Flora let her eyes wander, looking within the lobby, noticing a few others. Then came the scents. They rushed at her all at once, young werewolves, old and normal adults, all scattered in the hotel itself. Her hand drew from her crossed arms, raising to cover her wrinkling nose.

renard walt goyle

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[renard walt goyle]

@flora

12.27.2024

Renard chuckled at his colleague’s comment about the cold. He had been in worse. She would never understand the numbness that accompanied the vast halls of Hogwarts during the winter months. Those were months he was glad he never had to experience again. For being in a modern age of magic, the magical school did an excellent job of refusing the basic of necessities. The dorms were overly warm during the hotter parts of the year and the corridors had little to no warmth in them during the opposite times. “You’ll never get used to it,” he finally said after tightening his own jacket around him, bringing the zipper as high as he could without choking himself. “The muggles say global warming, and for once I think they’re right. We get boiling summers and freezing winters,” Renard shook his head incredulously. “It’s all their fault for that though. Can’t really blame dragons for it this time.”

Into the werewolf hotel they went, and Renard immediately approached his old friend Doris. Calling her his friend in his head made the vitriol flow a lot more smoothly when it came down to it. They equally hated each other, and he was sure that she was the only one that actively knew he despised werewolves. Renard had never actually told her that, but the way they interacted had to make it obvious, especially with repeat encounters over the years. “Morning Doris. Hope the moon treated you and the guests well this month,” he sniffed, turning up his nose a bit at her. Her desk was perched high up for god knows what reason, and she was always staring down at him over the top of her round glasses. Renard produced the paperwork that he always had her sign off on, indicating that there weren’t any incidents when the full moon rolled around. So far there had yet to be one, but he knew the day of reckoning would eventually come. It had to. “This is Flora, she might be replacing me every now and again, so be nice to her, will ya? I don’t mind a little bark with your bite but not everyone is me.” He tutted the older woman as he pushed the paperwork across the desk at her. She was giving him the silent treatment today.

[Deleted]

a quiet face.

LUCKILY ENOUGH FOR THE WEREWOLF, back home in Australia the weather had always been somewhat stable. At least, stable in the bubble of her mind, unstable to the rest of the world. Australia was an odd place, warm during the supposedly coldest months of the year and cold during the implied hottest months of the weird. See? Weird. The Lowell found it funny though, especially as she moved over to the UK, how the bundles of her summer clothing had immediately been replaced with thick sweaters and numerous scarves. But even now as a werewolf, things were a little warmer for Flora. ”Just like home.” she murmured, adjusting her jacket so it would be easier to trap in the heat rather than let it go. ”Sounds like global warming to me. Except Australia is strangely enough the same…” Forty odd degrees was nothing for Flora, especially since she spent twenty odd years in the country.

The minute the two set foot into the werewolf hotel, Flora instantly regretted allowing the coin to fall onto that option. Surely getting a small family to register would have been a lot easier, calmer on her sensitive nose and would most definitely reduce the risk of her nerves flaring up. Renard spoke to Doris as if the two were old friends, introducing Flora casually, but the women remained quiet. Before the werewolf could wave up at the woman, to help her seemingly forget about the threatening scents nearby, the Lowell paused, noticing how Doris burned her stare at her. It was then when another lingering scent flared up Flora’s nose when she realised why. Doris was just like her. And Flora was almost sure Renard had no idea.

”Nice to meet you.” She finally said, needing to clear the tension in the air before any questions were asked. ”We just need to see the records of everyone staying…Families, couples, people alone. And ensure they’re all…Registered.” Flora felt awkward for asking such a request, especially now she knew of Doris’ secret and vice versa, but things like this were necessary. Doris nodded in agreement — finally — taking some time to disappear and retrieve the log. Flora let out a sigh of relief, turning back at Renard with a forced smile on her lips. ”Doris seems…nice…” She said, feeling the need to comment something completely stupid.

renard walt goyle

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[renard walt goyle]

@flora

12.27.2024

“Never been,” Renard half-grunted when his coworker mentioned that Australia was still the same, weather wise. He didn’t really have any interest in leaving Europe despite having the funds to do so. Keeping things normal within his schedule was how he liked going about life. Travel was frivolous and a waste of both his time and money. Money that could be spent at the casino. It was sort of contradictory, he knew that, but he liked spending in a way that he was comfortable. Going somewhere just to take pictures and have memories was useless when he would eventually forget what places and the people were like. And everyone was going to die someday too, so what was the point of retaining useless information and memories? Having to see Doris was really putting him in a cynical mood, more so than usual, and he absolutely hated it.

Flora stepped in to talk to Doris after Renard introduced them. Leaving them to do their little exchange, he strolled around the lobby of the hotel, peering curiously at some of the paintings and art that was hung on the walls. He had never had a chance to look at the place before, usually preferring to torment and sneer at Doris since she always gave him an earful every time he came in. “She’s a bitch,” Renard answered from across the room as he saw the older woman disappear into a back room. “But she keeps them wrangled up during the full moon, so I can’t complain. Last thing I want to do is go hunting. There’s too much paperwork involved in that…” he trailed off as the woman returned and slapped the registry down on the counter. Renard was sure she had heard him call her a bitch, but that wasn’t anything new for either of them. He somewhat hoped that if a werewolf snapped and escaped the hotel, Doris would send the beast his way. It would bring them full circle when he showed up a few days later sporting a new fur coat and a smug grin.

[Deleted]

a quiet face.

”IT’S NOTHING SPECIAL.” SHE SIMPLY told him, saving the possibility if he ever had the idea or interest in going. Flora still wanted to see different parts of the world, but felt it was rather silly to do so alone. Plus while she was making a considerate amount of money now, the galleons only filled the savings bank. Nothing to spend really. ”At least, Queensland isn’t. I don’t exactly know much about Perth or Sydney. The ‘good’ places.” She added, raising her fingers and forming quote marks at ‘good’. Though, one thing Flora knew was, it was a costly price to travel between UK and Australia. It was good she didn’t have plans to return. Doris however…Made Flora feel uncomfortable. She escaped to the back room and Renard spoke up, revealing his views on her.

Flora smiled then, but the smile soon turned into widened eyes. ”If one of them gets loose during the full moon…We have to hunt them?” Call the Lowell stupid, but that was one thing she wasn’t even aware of. She simply thought the Beast Division was involvement in their lives and simple paperwork. Then again, she hadn’t even been there a year or so. Doris returned promptly, and the fear in Flora’s eyes soon returned. She hoped her expression and postured showed how she pleaded for Doris not to reveal anything. Instead the registry was slapped in front of her and Flora dug into her own bag to obtain her copy of the records. Index fingers lined up to both papers, trailing down and recalling all of the names that matched. The next name on the Minstry’s list was Flora’s own, but with her legal family name instead of the one she used now. The higher ups of the Ministry were aware of course, but Lowell was fitting for a banished werewolf. Her finger pushed past it, and in a matter of time, she gently pushed the large some of papers in Doris’ direction. ”Perfect.”

The Lowell looked up at Doris, reaching out for the Ministry’s papers and returning them to her bag. ”Everyone’s here and they’re all registered…Thank you Doris…” Turning to Renard, she shot him a smile. ”Shall we get going? We’ve still got that family to register.”

renard walt goyle

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[renard walt goyle]

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All of the cities Flora listed off, he had heard of before, but had never taken interest in whether or not they were good or bad places to go. Renard supposed the weather was nice over there, but he had also heard that the seasons were opposite. So going on a trip in the middle of the English winter would mean being met with a warm summer sun. That had its perks, he supposed.

If Renard was in the habit of letting his jaw drop whenever someone around him said something stupid, it would have been completely slack right about now. She didn’t know that they had to hunt down escaped werewolves? What sort of things were they teaching new hires these days? A wolf running freely on a full moon was highly irresponsible by the Ministry if they didn’t capture it in time. Flora clearly didn’t understand the ramifications that could come from letting it roam. Not everyone locked their doors and stayed inside upon nightfall, and werewolves had absolutely zero self-restraint. They didn’t care who was in their way. They only saw red. “Yes, we hunt them down if one is loose during a full moon. The Ministry doesn’t want us killing them if they haven’t done anything, but a werewolf is still a werewolf, Flora. I think we can all agree here that having a wild beast running amok isn’t the safest thing in the world, and Merlin forbid it gets out into the muggle world. Then it’s our skin on the line.”

Why did he even need to explain this to her? It was common sense, really. Renard wanted to add more to his speech but Doris had returned in by then, and he turned his scowl on the old lady. The feeling was mutual on her end, and she was staring daggers back at him over the top of her glasses. “Thanks Doris. See you next month,” Renard waved at her as he turned back to Flora, who was suggesting they head over to their next job. “Works for me. Faster we get this done, the less paperwork that will roll over into tomorrow. Let’s just hope they’re the calm type. I hate the rebellious wolves. They always get defensive when it comes to their children…” he shook his head as he started walking for the door of the hotel. “Ever seen a werewolf child? If you think the stories of the adult ones aren’t something to scoff at, they’re a nightmare.”

@flora ● 417 ● Limbs by Chelsea Grin

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

a quiet face.

FLORA FELT STUPID. OF COURSE, the Ministry would do something of those sorts for wild, rampage werewolves. Perhaps her higher ups never informed her because…Flora was a werewolf herself? She wasn’t the kind to lash out during her changes, she stayed far away from the city during the full moons or took a Wolfsbane potion. Whatever usually floated her boat. Renard’s speech only left the Lowell feeling more uncertain about herself and opening up with others…What if they discovered she was a werewolf? Would she suddenly become a person to keep an eye on, or an easy target? Merlin she didn’t want to think about that. ”A werewolf being found in the Muggle world would bring an end to our secrecy immediately…” And that was a sight Flora didn’t want to see.

But with the two of them heading towards the door, Renard spoke down to Flora and she was sure he was speaking. But she heard none of it considering her eyes remained locked on Doris’. She knew. Surely she knew. ”Huh?” She found herself saying before laughing and nodding. That seemed to work in most instances. ”I can’t imagine how strange it must be…” She paused then, but with the brisk air hitting at her cheeks once they stepped outside, she turned to Renard slightly. ”Do you know exactly where we’re heading to next? I can’t recall the address from the file…”

renard walt goyle

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[renard walt goyle]

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“Exactly!” Renard pointed at her with the pen in his hand, “Now, I’m sure we would try to twist it as a rabid dog when modifying their memories, but it all depends on the amount of damage it causes.” He shrugged, and clicked the pen a few times, annoyed that he wasn’t even sure of the plan if something like this did actually happen. What he had just explained sounded like what the Obliviators would come up with, or a similar story to spin the muggles that got in the way. “At the end of the day, a werewolf is only different from a rabid dog by leaving less evidence of an attack behind. I, for one, do not want to be on the wrong end of either.” He was much more of a cat person anyways. Dogs were goofy and dumb, and they were far less independent than he would like them to be. His cat, for example, practically took care of itself aside from needing to be fed and watered daily. The Baron was a great feline, and they had been tolerant of one another since school. The only difference these days was that he was starting to get lazy, his age directly reflected by the size of his belly and the amount of hours spent napping on the window sill.

Werewolf children were strange indeed. Renard had seen the registration list a few times over the years, and it baffled him how many there actually were. There was no surprise of course that they were typically fathered by the same few alpha wolves that roamed Europe. Hogwarts alone had a handful currently. There had been a few when he was there too, but they were kept under close watch. Surely they had to be doing the same things with the current litter there. “Here it is,” he pulled a sheet of paper from his folder on the family, handing it over to Flora. “We should be able to walk from here. I’m not too fond of apparating right in front of people’s doors like some Ministry officials are,” Renard rolled his eyes, thinking of some of their higher-ups who were always about punctuality and getting jobs done in the least amount of time as possible. Dropping in right on a person’s doorstep was rude, and while he was the dictionary definition of that at times, they at least deserved to have some warning that people were approaching.

@flora ● 410 ● The Listening by Lights

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[Deleted]

a quiet face.

BEING SOMEWHAT OF A MONSTER caused damage. Flora knew this. It caused damages between herself and her mother. Not that there was a perfect relationship between them anyway…”I don’t think anybody would want to be on any end…By any means…” She responded with a quiet laugh. She knew later on, the questions or the ‘what ifs’ would soon appear in her mind, as well as a fantasied situation that included herself…Ah overthinking.

Taking the paper from Renard, eyes scanned over the location for the families’ home. The Lowell nodded up at Renard once he mentioned that the family were within walking distance. ”I don’t think I’ve done that yet…Nor would I want to.” It seemed a bit rude to do so and over-professional anyway. Flora started the walk by the Goyle’s side, her eyes trailing back down to the document. The family was small, a mother, father, and now two children. Twins who had reached ‘that’ age. How cute. The Lowell could only hope for the best the moment they would step into their home. ”Is it…hard? Getting families to register?” Renard had been on the team a lot longer than herself, why not ask questions?

renard walt goyle

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[renard walt goyle]

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“You’re funny, Flora,” Renard chuckled as she repeated his thoughts on not wanting to be in the way of a werewolf. “There are some people out there, especially in the Ministry, that would love to fight a werewolf and come out on the other side a winner. They see it as a trophy. Like big game hunting in Africa. Same thing, really.” As much as he wanted to see the creatures eradicated from the planet, he wasn’t the type to go out seeking them. He knew all of the spots too, but that was far from being Renard Goyle’s calling in life. Monster hunting was better suited for people who had nothing to lose. The last thing he wanted to do was throw away the entirety of his inheritance and leave his sister alone with his horrible parents. Death by werewolf would be unbelievably selfish of him.

Flora asked about the difficulties involved in getting families to register, and Renard nodded his head. “Sort of,” he began. “It all depends on how they were turned and what they have at stake. I’m not sure what the case is for werewolves in Australia, but over here they tend to be lower income and have trouble maintaining jobs. Uptight Ministry officials like us showing up at their door and forcing them to register their names isn’t exactly the warmest welcome, wouldn’t you say? Makes them feel like we’re always watching.” In this case, the Ministry was. They knew all about how the children had been turned, and Renard couldn’t help but hate that it had happened. Why children? If being a werewolf was as terrible as the ones he dealt with whined about, then surely making more of their kind should be a united effort. It didn’t make sense to him, and even more so when parents turned their kids. “I have a feeling mum and dad aren’t going to be happy that we’re about to add Timmy and Jimmy to the register. But they should have thought about that before biting them,” Renard grumbled as they reached the address. “After you. I’ll let you take the lead on this one.”

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