Desiderium [Melody]

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

The black market was the ever-changing underbelly of Knockturn Alley. It seemed odd to consider that an area as disreputable as Knockturn could even possess such a thing: a market so twisted, depraved, and illicit that it required subterfuge from the dark wizards and witches that inhabited the alley…and yet here we are. It wasn’t a locale that Cas frequented regularly. One of the advantages of owning a semi-legitimate storefront was that he no longer had such a need to visit shady corners – now clients approached him, and he’d since managed to develop a healthy fencing operation.

Still…there were some things you could only find if you went looking. While the market never stayed too long in any one location, it was a laughable notion that someone like him would be unable to monitor its movements. And today, Cas was looking to flesh out one of his ledgers – you know the one, the journal in which he kept track of the particularly dark and the particularly dangerous artifacts that he encountered. If he found such a thing, he’d no doubt buy it on the spot and subsequently watch it become lost among the cluttered inventory of his store…such things did occur from time to time.

He examined the murky contents of a dusty vial while the potioneer chattered about prices. It had only taken one moment of critical analysis to determine that the potion, while certainly dangerous, wasn’t worth his time. Cas had hoped to catch a shred of gossip, something to pass on to his colleagues, but when it became apparent that it wasn’t going to happen, he brusquely cut off the chatter to ask a final question before walking away. Decorum didn’t exist here, and he wasn’t interested in wasting any more of his time. He shouldered through the thin crowd, eyes scanning the stalls for anything that might catch his attention. Anything at all.

@luthien

[Deleted]

Lúthien knew the odds of finding a familiar face at the black market. She'd been here with this face before, but only once, and she remembered the name she'd given back then. It was probably best to use it every time she came here, just to be on the safe side. Today she was scouting the market. She had ulterior motives of course, hoping to encounter Casimir. She knew he came here fairly regularly and she had a decent excuse to stop by. Since she was now a librarian she wanted to enhance her own collection. Or perhaps that of the school if required. She was very familiar with the forbidden section of the library already after all. She grinned slightly as she made her way to a book stall to see if they had anything good. Naturally they did and she still had plenty of cash from back in the bad days to spend. Now her income was sure to be lower but it was fine. She had enough supplies if she didn't overspend too often.

So as she got her hands on a very rare and expensive book on the dark arts, Lúthien couldn't help but grin like she had done back before she'd become Melody. Melody wasn't the type to revel in the dark arts, she considered them useful for research purposes only. She quickly restored her expression to a more neutral expression as she went over the pages. It was a very rare book with some magic that was rarely seen. A collectors item up to the point it almost could be called an artefact. She glanced around as she considered purchasing and noticed a very familiar face she'd hoped to see. She quickly bought the book and walked over to Cas, although she wanted to ensure it seemed like a more accidental meeting. This wasn't exactly the place to be picking people up, after all. Randomly approaching strangers was not particularly smart here.

She walked close to where he was and made sure to seem not to be after him. That was dangerous. She leaned close to him to look at something nearby. Then she found something interesting and played with it for a moment. She then casually asked him in passing. "Do you think it's worth the money? You look like a smart kind of guy, not easily impressed. Dressed in a way that wouldn't scare the people outside..." She let her eyes wander across his familiar form. "You look like you take care of yourself. Tell me, do you think this necklace is worth the ridiculous price he's asking?" She was hoping to lure him out by appealing to his business side, but there was a playful undertone to her voice. Not by far the serious or dangerous undertone he was used to around her. Not that he would know he was around somebody he knew rather than somebody he'd never met. It was almost a shame, but it was far too interesting to see if he'd treat her differently now. It was highly likely. Despite all their fun, their relationship and interactions had always been tense. He didn't trust her, so she couldn't trust him completely. It was that simple back then, but now? Everything was possible again.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

September 2025

Visiting the market was a different beast to tackle when you didn’t have something specific to buy or sell. It was best not to loiter– that only invited pickpockets and worse kinds of attention from shady sorts. Sometimes he had a particular dealer in mind for such a visit, but he’d come simply to browse for new merchandise before. It could lead to a rare find of the sort of artifact he could sell easily for a tidy profit, but mostly it assisted in establishing his presence as a ‘regular.’ That had its own value.

He stopped briefly to examine a selection of presumably human bones. There was a limited assortment already available at Borgin and Burke’s, but it wasn’t his specialty like other storefronts in Knockturn and he didn’t pretend it. The field wasn’t particularly riveting to him, and Cas could feel himself getting bored. It seemed he would have nothing new for Ouroboros from this trip, after all. That was a disappointment – things had been quiet since June, and it was now already September without any significant progress to report. It would have been preferable to find a new lead here, something substantial he could pursue.

But that was just how things were, sometimes. Disappointment was a staple of the job. Cas would have to regroup and reconsider the best strategy moving forward. But a voice tore him out of his thoughts – he’d been more distracted than he realized, and that was dangerous in a place like this. He could have berated himself for that, but he settled for a careful examination of the woman at the next vendor over. Her behavior seemed unusual to Cas. She clearly wasn’t a newcomer – she already had another purchase tucked under her arm and she looked comfortable enough in the area that it could be easily assumed that it wasn’t her first visit. But she spoke freely in a way that seemed odd in a place as guarded as the black market. It was a good policy to never share more than you had to, particularly with a stranger. Cas had gotten into the habit of keeping his observations on merchandise to himself – it was easier to jack up or haggle down the price when you were the only one who knew anything about it.

For all the oddness of the first encounter, she was clearly too experienced to not have a strategy in mind. Cas stepped closer with a muted smile, eyes sliding from the book tucked under her arm to the necklace in hand. “You seem to have a discerning eye yourself. There’s a collector or two out there who would pay well for such an addition to their library.” Although she hadn’t exactly offered, he gently lifted the necklace into his own hand to study it more closely. He had a particular love for antique jewelry that only slightly exceeded the interest of a beautiful (if not dangerous) woman. As it happened, knowledge of a piece like this came more from his curse-breaking days than anything he’d seen in his shop. And pieces with this particularly history could only have been smuggled out. “Persian jewelry is hard to find these days with such a difficult political climate. I would assure you that this piece is genuine, but I don’t believe I’ve given you any indication that I’m a trustworthy source.” He accompanied this last bit with a wry smile as he offered the necklace back.

@luthien

[Deleted]

While Lúthien despised the kind of person she displayed herself to be, there was a certain element of fun to be had in toying with those she'd known previously. If they didn't get suspicious about her identity she was pulling things off well enough! There was just too much cheerful chatter, which perfectly matched the persona she'd crafted for herself. While she found it absolutely disgusting, she could easily pull it off. It wasn't the first time she'd pretended to be something she was not to make her own life easier. Though last time it hadn't been for very long, since it was a technique she'd used on men she'd wanted to murder. That part of her life was over, unless somebody she cared about needed to find their meddlesome evil father dead. It was odd how she tended to bond with those that had criminal fathers. Maybe it made sense, hers had been one too.

It was easy enough to assess that Cas was attempting to decipher her. He always had wanted the upper hand in any social situation. The only edge that she usually seemed to hold was the fact she was regularly unpredictable in many ways and were both about equally clever, despite their very different tactics. Her internal chaos allowed her to process things very fast and she didn't often need time to make choices and moves in their little chess games of the past. That was his main disadvantage. He liked to make well informed choices and would need time to consider which option was best. Lúthien usually just went for it. She was clever and had good instincts and when that wasn't enough she was skilled enough to fight her way out of most, if not all situations. When she did plan something her plans rarely failed as they counted on unexpected scenario's. The biggest risk she currently had was that he'd recognise her. The advantage was that if he did here, selling her out meant nobody here would quite enjoy his visits. If this place got swarmed by ministry officials looking for a known fugitive, well it wouldn't allow the market to make much of a profit. If he recognised her and sold her out, he'd probably need to wait to do so. And if he didn't, the chaos would facilitate her escape either way.

She grinned as he spoke and handed the necklace back. "Regardless, I thank you for your input. It's very valuable." She said with a twinkle in her eyes that spelled mischief, before turning to the salesman with a far more serious face. It didn't take very long for him to overprice the item significantly based on what Casimir had said, expecting her to be far more trusting than she was. She smiled a sugary sweet smile. "I'd try swindling somebody else. It's quite clear you're overselling because you think I don't know enough to determine a price. Even if what my neighbour said is true, it's a high mark to pay. Considering circumstances and the general lack of honesty in a place like this it's far more likely the two of you are in kahoots with each other where he poses as a potential client while giving information you can use to price up your wares. You can tell me it's false all you want but I'd cut the price significantly if you don't want the other paranoid patrons to catch hold of a rumour that you're attempting to steal their money from them." She said with a strange intensity behind her words that didn't fully match the bubblegum smile she'd displayed earlier. The salesman looked displeased and she was certain not all days at the market would come at a suitable price but it was worth it with his next offer. She smiled as she handed the man that coins and dropped the pretty little thing into her pocket.

She then smiled as she turned back to Cas. "You hadn't given me any indication, but I've stopped by to stuff my book collection before. I noticed you in Borgins and Burke at several occasions so you either know a lot about curious items or possibly work there? Either way it gives you some level of trustworthy. I might seem like a bubbly little airhead but it helps when people underestimate you." She said with a cheerful twinkling little laugh. It was fun to be in control of the situation for a change. "So thank you neighbour. I think I am going to add this pretty thing to my personal collection and see if I can snoop up another book or two for my personal collection. Thanks for the help, it made the price a lot better!" She said and gave him an option to say something back, but making it quite clear she didn't expect him to be up for conversation. It was highly unusual in a place like this. She looked away for just a moment and then pretended to change her mind. "Might be a bit weird to ask, but if you're up for it at some point we could go for drinks? I'd love to hear more about your knowledge about pretty things." She said with a bit of a wink. Yes, she was clearly flirting just a little bit. But what was life without living on the edge? This was supposed to be a fresh start for her and she loved taking risks. It felt that of all the people from her old life, Cas was the most dangerous to seek out and Lúthien wanted to make sure she kept herself on her toes. Besides, she wasn't quite ready for their games of chess to be over.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Yes, she clearly knew what she was doing. She had set up the scene in the exact right way to haggle down the price skillfully – because of course there were no honest dealings here, but threatening to raise the alarm on a crooked dealer was a significant threat. The benefit of the black market lay in the anonymity it offered clients and it depended on the discretion of the seller. An untrustworthy dealer would never be able to find repeat business here. It wasn’t how Cas would have negotiated such a sale – he preferred to use his background to his advantage – but it was effective nonetheless.

He hadn’t been the target of that strategy, merely a tool, but he had to wonder if the encounter had been truly random. Her strategy confirmed what he had suspected, that she was a regular and knew how to handle herself, but her face was unknown. So perhaps a disguise – it wasn’t uncommon for clients to rely on potions or spellwork to change enough details about their face in order to navigate the area more readily. She had recognized him from Borgin and Burke’s – another increasingly common occurrence this past year since he’d become owner. Occasionally he would be approached by wizards and witches who knew his face, but where he couldn’t return the favor. It grated on his cautious nature, but such was to be expected with a promotion. He couldn’t place her face, but if she had purchased something at his store then he would know it from her name.

So with these details in mind, perhaps she had relied on strategy more than chance in this circumstance. He could respect that. He hadn’t said much thus far – there had been a time, during school and fresh after graduation, that he had been much more talkative. And revealed more about himself than he realized through what seemed like simple chatter. His mentor had been harsh about changing that habit, and now Cas struggled in the other direction. Choosing the thoughts that warranted becoming sentences, and the information that was harmless to share. So when she asked – whether he knew about curious items or worked at Borgin and Burke’s – Cas smiled slightly and responded, “First the former, then the latter. We traffic in items that have less of a universal value than a particular value for a particular client. That requires obscure knowledge.” His gaze traveled from the disgruntled salesman back to her. “And after that…I doubt I’ll ever underestimate you.”

As she mentioned going to hunt for more books, it sounded like she was planning on leaving. Cas had to check himself, as he had automatically opened his mouth to stop her. The impulse surprised him, but there was something intriguing about her and this small exchange of words. Her thought process, while clearly a very different style from his, had been fascinating to observe. She clearly had a highly refined taste for unusual artifacts (his bread and butter) and, well, she was one of the nicer things to look at in such a dark and chilling locale. The trip here didn’t have to be a waste if he left with her.

And it had been such a long time since he’d taken a day off. Since the events of June, Cas had just about cut off every activity unrelated to work (the Knockturn kind and the Ouroboros kind). He could be careful – nothing else needed to happen from here on that he couldn’t plan for. So it was a far cry from throwing caution to the wind, but he didn’t want to pass up any more opportunities. “I might know of a place nearby,” Cas suggested amusedly, eyes locked on hers. He knew what he liked, but he chose to avoid sweeping declarative statements. Ambivalence gave him armor from uncertain situations. “Strong firewhiskey and a small crowd. It’s the right sort of place to avoid being interrupted.”

@luthien

[Deleted]

Luthien had learned a thing or two in her time here. She learned that trust was important and impossible to give out. Trust was just how likely you thought somebody was to betray you. People were extremely wary of her when they knew her, but they were a lot less wary when they knew they could sell things for a very significant amount of money and Luthien never really came for common items. She always came here because she wanted something a little more special and rare. It helped her profile. High stakes buyer but there was a risk in negotiations. Nothing too harmful, if you played your cards right of course. This salesman certainly would not be making the same mistake again.

Cas was quiet, something that Luthien had slowly come to expect from him. He was the type to always due some careful consideration before he decided things. She was far more on the fly in most situations but could be very difficult and dangerous if she planned things out ahead of time. That rarely was the case though. She considered it a nice balance but he'd always seen her as a threat. That didn't exactly help them to get along as they got older. When they had been young it had been different and he'd been good companyy and a good friend. It was almost a pity life had thrown them such curveballs, but she played the game in the best ways she could and secrets came easily to somebody like her. The wolf in sheepsclothing.

She grinned when he said that he wouldn't underestimate her. It amused her, because he clearly already had. He failed to recognise her despite tthe history they shared, but she wasn't about to make him aware of that. She'd carry that part into the grave with her if she considered it the best option. Currently nobody on the planet knew the truth. Well, nobody but her. "Perhaps." She mused with an amused little smile playing on her face. "But most people let their guard down at some point. Perhaps in business I won't be able to get the upper hand any longer. It could be a bit of a shame, but I'm sure that we can work something out if we ever find ourselves talking sales between each other." She said with a playful little wink. Eventually they'd end up in such a scenario, probably. It wasn't certain but she could easily use that as an excuse to keep an eye on him.

The offer was unexpected to her, as she'd thought he'd shut her down like he always had before. Even more so now in this situation where it was obvious that she probably had some sort of nefarious business due to the mere fact she was present at this location. She allowed the surprise to show for a moment but soon found herself smiling. "Well that sounds rather nice. I'll surely be listening intently to your every word if you've got a story or two to share..." She smiled then. "About precious objects naturally. No need to get personal too fast. If you did I'd almost start to think you were the type to prey on innocent young ladies that find themselves purchasing items of visual appeal in places they probably made dirty to make the objects seem better than they actually are." She made sure to look more innocent than ever, her eyes slightly widened but the sparkle in her eyes never once dimmed. It was fun to flirt with him and see if there was a chance that he'd reciprocate. She didn't consider it particularly likely but it was fun to try all the same.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

She seemed amused as he suggested he wouldn’t underestimate her, laughing at a joke known only to her. Secrets were a consequence of everyday life, a currency that everybody traded in at one point or another. Some people kept their gambles small, little white lies meant only to protect the emotions of those close to them. Some were bold with their secrets, and some built their life on them. They were the lifeblood of Cas’s profession, and he was stingy with what he knew. There were some that had unlocked most of what he had to offer – there was almost nothing Titus could ask of him that Cas wouldn’t do – but he had slowly learned the give-and-take that came with offering secrets and receiving them in return.

This woman had secrets, he could be sure of that. She played a good game – she chattered as if to be an open book, and she offered up little observations seemingly free. But there was certain to be a hidden cost. The question was how hard he needed to dig to find it. Or really, how hard he wanted to. He could surprise himself with where his impulses led him at times. She suggested that perhaps they would eventually end in discussing sales at some point and that perhaps the power balance would change when the subject turned to business. “I hope not,” Cas refuted in response, a wry smile playing at his lips. “I’ve developed a rather strict policy against engaging in negotiations with people I am familiar with. It would be a shame to ruin the potential of this…connection with business.”

Cas had to resist letting his smile grow in any form – she played a good game and her ability to balance being engaged and still distant was an art. She mentioned the possibility that diving too deep too quickly into the personal was perhaps an indication of an unsavory personality. Cas gave an exhale of amusement. “I believe that was meant to be an unfair observation of my personality, but I find myself more offended at the implication that such beautiful artifacts need a dirty environment to shine.” He shook his head slightly. “At any rate, I defer to your judgment. No need to be too personal.” Cas allowed himself to take a fraction of a step closer to her as he studied her face. “But, if you judge the question sufficiently impersonal, I would be curious enough to ask your name. I find it unusual when someone knows of me while I cannot return the favor.” Titus would have accused him of acute paranoia if he had been around, but thankfully he didn’t need to watch Cas make a fool of himself. He had enough stories from school on that front.

@luthien

[Deleted]

It was very interesting to hear he no longer had interest in doing business with people he'd gotten familiar with. She found her face instantly light up with curiosity. She wanted to know what the story behind this was. Part of her was curious if that had anything to do with all the conflict they had gotten out of business in the past. She had to admit she wasn't particularly interested in rekindling that kind of relationship. If she was, she'd have to have approached him with a face he either would have known or she would have had to make herself known. Either didn't sound particularly appealing to her. She leaned in a little, giving a flirty little smile. "It sounds like you have an interesting story behind that no business policy." She said with a smile. "But I was only planning to head to the shop for business in hope of combining it with pleasure afterwards if we keep getting along as well as we seem to do currently." She gave him a coy little smile at that comment, allowing him to fill in the blanks as she was certain he could. He was right though, it was best not to let business get in the way of what they were currently building.

He smiled and chuckled slightly as he mentioned the offensive nature of her suggestion that dirt made beautiful things shine brighter. She observed him for a moment and smiled in the silence of her soul. "You're right that those knowing what they seek can find a diamond in the rough any place, as long as it is there." It was soft and musing, more an observation on her end for an outsider. She was being far more forward if one was aware of the full story. He'd always drawn her in and appealed to her and even in a place like this it was impossible for her not to see how incredible he was in her eyes. One of the few people capable of truly challenging her on a mental level. The fact he'd distanced himself from her had caused her grief, as if she could feel sand slipping through her fingers as she tried to hold on. This fresh start in their connection would certainly allow her to hold on a bit easier. For the first time while being in a very clear advantage, she only used it to give herself the courage to also open up a bit.

As he asked for her name she pretended to consider it for a moment in such an obvious matter that it was clear she was just being playful. She then motioned him to walk with her as he headed off in a random direction. She didn't want to linger too long here, too close to people listening in that she couldn't trust. "It's impersonal enough for as far as questions go." She said cheerfully as she walked forward, not overly fast as she wasn't actually in any sort of hurry. "But I prefer not to say my actual name in the middle of the market. They know me as Maira and that is enough information for them." She commented dryly, although the smile cheered everything up. Sometimes it was fun to be Melody. She then looked at him for a moment. "But since we've been getting along so well I suppose I'll take a risk and entrust you with my real name." Well, that was a lie. He already knew her real name. He was about to learn the one she'd chosen for herself though. "I'm Melody. Nice to meet you." She said, holding out a hand as if making the introduction formal. It was a good enough place to start, if any.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

The only thing that could be clearly read from this woman was that she must have hidden depths. It was perhaps an overly obvious assumption, considering the less-than-savory locale in which they’d met, but only an amateur made the mistake of believing themselves a master of reading people. There were involuntary impulses that could give a person away, that much was for sure. Sometimes a misplaced look or a nervous mannerism could give up the game by leaning the scales more heavily towards the other party. But the real experts knew how to control themselves to the point where what they revealed was much less important than what they’d chosen to reveal.

You could do it Cas’s way – the way he’d grown up had forced him to start keeping secrets very young, and he withheld every shred of information he could until it was the right moment to show his hand. It meant he could appear mysterious to most, but every piece of information that was eventually revealed stayed fixed. He rarely changed his habits, or his mind. But there was another way to do things, and it had been one that his most noteworthy adversaries and colleagues had accomplished. Lúthien, for example, had been the peak of unpredictability and chaos – being impossible to pin down by being impossible to predict. Her death had been perhaps the most unpredictable move of all…Cas wasn’t inclined to believe it had happened the way it had been reported in the papers, but for once he hadn’t pushed hard on finding out more. He was a curious person, to be sure, but he also had a sense for what secrets were too dangerous to pursue alone. He knew when to let things rest.

So yes, this woman had hidden depths because there was no doubt she knew how to handle herself in a place like this, and because her body language was saying more interesting things than her words. Her negotiating style negated the light and friendly façade she put on, and he couldn't deny he was curious to know where the show ended and her true nature began. How much of what he'd seen was who she was, and how much was just an illusion? Cas quirked a half-smile when she remarked that they seemed to be getting along, but he didn’t respond until she spoke about finding a diamond in the rough. His eyes connected with hers and he studied her intently as he observed, “You’re speaking from experience.” Her tone had changed to something softer than before, and Cas wanted to know what she was thinking about. But he wasn’t foolish enough to ask directly, so he took the comment at face-value for now and stated off-handedly, “In my experience, the challenge is not finding things of value but knowing what to do with them. People have a tendency of letting treasures slip through their fingers.”

He meant it both literally and metaphorically. In the more practical sense, he made his living off ignorance – people who for their own reasons were looking to acquire or dispose of unique oddities. He didn’t hesitate to take advantage of a situation if it yielded a hefty enough benefit, but he took care to bury the people he needed to walk over rather than leave them as future obstacles in-the-making. But he also knew that sometimes people could self-sabotage themselves – find themselves in possession of something precious but through their own faults find themselves losing everything that mattered. His eyebrows creased and Cas frowned slightly at the thought of his own shortcomings in life, and the opportunities he’d lost. In the end the ones that came to mind were not related to Borgin and Burke’s at all.

It wasn’t the time for thoughts like that and Cas forced himself to relax his features (and the tense set of his shoulders) as they left the vicinity of the black market. He’d been to the bar so many times that his steps were automatic, and he focused all his attention on his new companion – that was his way, after all, to dedicate his full focus to new opportunities. After a few coy comments she introduced herself as Melody and held her hand out to him. He stopped walking (they were almost there anyway), and took her hand – but instead of shaking it like he might a new business associate, raised her hand to his lips and lowered slightly to place a light kiss. “I’m Cas,” he introduced himself in a low voice as he gently released her hand. “A little traditional, but my upbringing demands it from me. You’ll tell me if you mind, won’t you?” His tone was teasing as he gave a half-smile and casually leaned back to straighten to his full height.

@luthien

[Deleted]

Part of her hated lying, but that was a very small part. All in all she delighted in the fact he was a completely different person around her becuase he had no idea who she was. It was very intersting, as it reminded her far more of the Cas that she'd caught glimpses of in her school time, far before everything between them had gotten convoluted and complicatd. She had made some highly irregular and sometimes insane choices but her heart hadn't changed one bit. She was still the same old chaos addicted drama seeking missile, hell bent on destroying things just for the fun of it. He'd gotten far more reserved and rarely opened up in any way. If only he'd opened up to her more.... She felt more balanced around him, as if she could make due with less chaos and destruction. Their battle of wits had kept her sane and kept the bloodlust at bay that her boredom caused or intesified.

She laughed heartily at his very astute observation people often let things of value slip right through their fingers even though they realised the worth of them. "I'm sure we've all made that mistake at some point in our lives. The differences can be found in two things. If people realise it and if they do, if they're willing to admit it. If they can't even admit it to themselves they end up far more likely to make similar errors in judgement again." She said playfully, painfully aware of the mistakes she made herself, even though they didn't show in any part of her communication. Did her see her as a treasure he'd lost or a burden he'd been released from? It was an interesting question, as it predicted the course of their new interaction. If he felt conflicted about it at all there was hope yet. She felt that what they had was special as few could actually properly meet them in their wit and quick remarks. It sometimes felt like passing notes in secrecy.

Yet the slight furrowing of his brow was plenty of information to her. There were things he personally felt he'd let slip through his fingers, even if she had no idea which things those were. It had to still bother him if he gave that information away so easily or he simply wasn't half as much on his guard as he normally was. This was good though, as she could easily use it to her advantage. This was almost too easy, although with Cas she knew things were never what they seemed to be. He had his unpredictable moments that kept the game they'd used to play in the past so much fun. No matter how predictable he seemed to be, the ace up his sleeve was never to be forgotten.

She'd offered her hand in introduction but there he went pulling out that ace of his again. He kissed it, in such an old fashioned way that she knew most girls would have swooned at that alone. A handsome and dignified pureblood with oldfashioned charm and manners? Those were increasingly rare to find. It was, perhaps, a good thing then, that Luthien didn't really care about status or charisma. A mind as blunt as a hammer just wasn't half as attractive as a nicely sharp wit that could hurt one more than they counted on. On that point she had to be a masochist. She smiled coyly. "Well well, you're a man of many surprises. I didn't look for manners like this in Knockturn Alley, although I'm pleasantly surprised." She winked at him before briefly looking over to the place he'd brought her. She could almost feel the tingling on her skin of where his lips had touched her hand and the low voice had also caught her a lot more off guard than she cared to admit. She found him very attractive but to have him flirt with her was not something she'd counted on, even if she hoped for it. If he'd known who she was he'd have been surprised by how much of an open book compared to normal that seemed to make her. It was strange and highly unexpected, even to herself. "So what do they serve?" She asked, still flirting relentlessly. She had to keep her mind about her if she wanted to make this work after all. She needed this to keep her new life, for he was the most exciting human she'd ever met and she never was bored around him. That was all she wanted by now. Not to be bored while trying to live a decent life.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff