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last online May 3, 2024 10:04:25 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jul 31, 2020 3:23:33 GMT -7
Post by Casimir Elias Karkaroff on Jul 31, 2020 3:23:33 GMT -7
“What can you do?” Cas echoed in agreement about unhealthy habits. His whole lifestyle, on the surface, appeared rather abhorrent to the average person. There were aspects of it he found distasteful, but Cas had found a system that worked for him. It included everything he always sought – the power in Knockturn Alley that came from Borgin and Burke’s, and the knowledge from Ouroboros that he was setting up his legacy (albeit an unusual one). That was all he needed, and in sum it was significantly less than what most people chased after. No messy attachments to other people needed, for one. As Parvati returned to the topic of safe houses, Cas shuffled the papers in front of him. He agreed with her about the storefront – the warlock’s apartments were certainly more private, but the prospect of an unknown first floor dweller made him nervous. It would be risky even to look into the private affairs of whoever owned the space, and it complicated the issue of getting Ouroboros members from outside to inside the place. The apothecary presented its own challenges and prospects. “We can have one of our members in the Ministry look into it on their end,” Cas suggested as he examined a picture of the shop. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the thought of Teddy Lupin doing the research, but it didn’t matter. “And in the meantime I can look into acquiring the property. Maintaining the store to appear abandoned might be the better choice. Keeping the store operating would be helpful in disguising the traffic of Ouroboros members, but it also invites the possibilities of eavesdroppers or spies.” Alternatively, maintaining the proper enchantments to repel intruders would assist in keeping a seemingly abandoned property empty. At any rate… “I’ll need time to set up a chain of buyers and sellers for the place. The property can’t be linked directly to me. If I’m compromised…” Cas would have used the word ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ because it really only could be a matter of time, but even that seemed too morbid for him. The safe house (or houses, if multiple were set up) needed to survive longer than him. He had a similar policy for particularly illegal purchases he ran out of his store, but this one would need to be even more protective against investigative individuals. Such a process could take weeks, maybe months if he was careful. parvati patil macmillan
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last online May 3, 2024 12:53:49 GMT -7
HOGWARTS CAMPUS STAFF
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Jul 31, 2020 9:38:59 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Jul 31, 2020 9:38:59 GMT -7
June 29, 2025 "We can have one of our members in the Ministry look into it on their end," Cas said of whether or not the Ministry still had anything to do with the property after the apothecary had been forced to close. "And in the meantime," he added, "I can look into acquiring the property. Maintaining the store to appear abandoned might be the better choice. Keeping the store operating would be helpful in disguising the traffic of Ouroboros members, but it also invites the possibilities of eavesdroppers or spies." There was that, and Parvati had to remind herself that a disused building wouldn't look anywhere near as suspicious in Knockturn as in Diagon or even Hogsmeade.
"I’ll need time to set up a chain of buyers and sellers for the place," he went on. The property can’t be linked directly to me. If I'm compromised…"
"Yeah. Of course," Parvati replied quickly, not leaving time for Cas's voice to trail off substantially. It was an unfortunate thought, but they had to do everything in their power to guard themselves against anything that could come back to haunt them. "Please, Cas," she gently implored him as she poured the hot water over the coffee in its filter, "if you find you're too far in over your head… promise me you'll say something?" A safe house was the least of what he needed to be sacrificing himself for. "There are certainly options that aren't nearly as dangerous for you," and she knew that he must have known that. "Somewhere in the Welsh valleys, the Hebrides, the Lake District…" There were options. "Please, just… don't worry yourself over it." If it turned out that it wasn't something that he could do without putting himself at great risk, it wasn't worth it. "We're all at risk as it is, and that's hardly cowardice."
Casimir Elias Karkaroff
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last online May 3, 2024 10:04:25 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Sept 4, 2020 5:28:27 GMT -7
Post by Casimir Elias Karkaroff on Sept 4, 2020 5:28:27 GMT -7
Parvati’s rush to cut off his dangling sentence suggested she had reached a similar conclusion to his. She continued on, asking him to inform her if he found himself in trouble and that there were other options available to them. She’d finished pouring the coffee, so Cas accepted his cup and took a long drink to avoid answering right away. Her concern could almost be considered touching, but, Cas reasoned, it was more likely concern for the organization than for him personally. His role in Ouroboros was rather unique, and as a result he had many secrets the Purifiers would find interesting enough if they stumbled across him. Finally, he gave her a brittle smile as he set his cup down. “My life is plenty dangerous as is. A safe house won’t be the tipping point,” he promised, idly fidgeting with the cup. He knew that she was right, in a sense – someday he would find himself too deep in the game, and potentially in trouble. And he wasn’t sure he’d share that with anybody. It would be safer to collapse in on himself than risk wiping anybody else out with him. Cas would fight hard to remain a relevant player for as long as he could, but it would be better to go quietly (when the time came). Still, Parvati didn’t need to know. So, he nodded slowly and said, “I will. But setting something up in Knockturn will be worth the risk.” The events of the Quidditch match had shown everybody that the stakes would only get higher. And the meeting of Ouroboros’ leadership had shown him not to get too comfortable with the idea that people trusted him. Fine, that suited him for now. Cas took another sip of coffee and asked Parvati, “What do you intend to do next?” parvati patil macmillan [Maybe we should wrap up soon? One more post each?]
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last online May 3, 2024 12:53:49 GMT -7
HOGWARTS CAMPUS STAFF
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Sept 4, 2020 6:09:21 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Sept 4, 2020 6:09:21 GMT -7
June 29, 2025 "My life is plenty dangerous as is. A safe house won’t be the tipping point," Cas reminded her; what they were up against, at that point, was far worse, anyway. The risk of acquiring a property wasn't that great, in the grand scheme of it all. "I will," he also added to her, at her reminding him that it would be perfectly fine if he needed to sound the alarm for any reason. "But setting something up in Knockturn will be worth the risk." "Alright," Parvati nodded. He knew his own circumstances best, and she watched as he sipped the coffee she'd prepared for him before sitting back down again. "What do you intend to do next?" That was the question, wasn't it? And not just for herself; for all of them, besides the short-term of figuring out properties for safe houses they could use. "Other than recruitment," she noted—because there were only so many people whom she trusted to bring into Ouroboros— "I should probably check with some of my contacts from my Witch Weekly days," she considered, given that it had been some time since she had had direct access to such a steady stream of information. There was only so much she could do with the information that she learned as a counselor. "And find out what they know that hasn't reached us yet. I think that's probably best for now," because even the general public—for the most part—knew with whom she was associated and because the deaths at the Quidditch match were still so fresh. "People know I knew Hermione," she clarified after a moment, and that wasn't to mention Laurel Fawley or anyone else. "I can't exactly let on that I know what I do, obviously," or that it wasn't just poor timing and a freak accident that had led to mass casualties, "but… hopefully I can get some new leads on more than where to buy the latest dress robes."Casimir Elias Karkaroff
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last online May 3, 2024 10:04:25 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Sept 4, 2020 12:06:26 GMT -7
Post by Casimir Elias Karkaroff on Sept 4, 2020 12:06:26 GMT -7
Cas’s smile turned wry as he sipped his coffee. “Well, it’s always important to dress sharp,” he responded with a hint of dry sarcasm in his tone. But she did have a point – there were benefits to contacts in the media, any media. Journalists had a way of ferreting out information and nosing their way into places most people couldn’t. It was a valuable skill set to have, and if you couldn’t have it yourself then it was always good to know someone who did. So he nodded slowly to acknowledge he’d heard Parvati. “We should meet again soon, then. Once we both have more to report.” They had their assignments. Reaching out to old contacts, setting up safe houses and fail-safes in the case of emergencies, and naturally addressing the question of recruits. Cas would need to follow-up about Shreya, and his curiosity had been awakened with this new recruit Parvati had been so mysterious about. And he had his own leads to follow, something he would need to keep away from the organization until he had something more concrete in his hands. He liked to present a finished product, rather than the messiness of a job half-done. Always so much to do. They sat in silence for a little longer until Cas checked his watch and determined it was time to go. He finished his coffee and set the mug down firmly. “I’ll be missed at the store soon,” he said as he stood and grabbed his seemingly empty briefcase. He hesitated before continuing, “Thank you for the coffee. And the conversation.” Cas didn’t want to linger much longer, so he made a swift exit – he’d need to wander Hogsmeade a little to lose any potential tails before returning to Knockturn Alley. Conversations with Parvati were always odd. They had a good rapport, but they came from such different backgrounds that it really shouldn’t work at all. But…somehow they always managed. She'd become a constant in his life he was glad to have. parvati patil macmillan [End thread!]
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