Looking For Trouble

[Salvatore Abbatelli]

Salvatore had never been to New Zealand before, but his father had informed him of places that might be of interest to him. He had given him the names of some establishments and people that he might seek out when he arrived, in order to ensure protection while he was there. On his first night he had arrived in Dunedin in a back alley behind a hidden wall, and handed over three thousand galleons to an old and half-crazed warlock who had facilitated his transport, to ensure that no one knew that an Abbatelli had arrived. Though his father assured him that few if any in New Zealand would have known the goings on of their family and the other families of New York, he was not so sure. Never as trusting as his father, he tended to ensure silence was kept wherever he went, through bribes or threats or worse. After seeing the warlock he had made his way to an inn on the western half of the city, seeking out a woman named Iollani who he was told could safely get him to Bleak Street without any trouble. Another thousand galleons and a mangled portkey later, and he was walking the streets of Obsidian Harbour.

Finding Bleak Street wasn't hard, but maneuvering the furthest and darkest corners of its alleyways was. It took him almost half an hour to find his way back and when he did, for the first time in a long time, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He knew eyes were watching him, following his every step from heavy hoods and under wide brimmed hats. His hand gripped his wand within his robe, prepared to draw in a second's notice. He spotted a woman a few strides ahead, leaning against a wall and staring directly at him. His pace slowed but he continued walking towards her, drawing himself up to his full, though not tall, height.

"I'm looking for some people, woman. You know anyone by the name Finch, Aether, Black, or Cardosi? I'd pay well for information on where I could find em."

 

[Chinara YarAdua]

The Bleak Street could be described as a dark, dingy place, dripping with unseen dangers. Not many people had the guts to venture in this uninviting part of the harbor and those who did had either dark intentions or frivolous curiosity. Chinara was at the location she always was when she had to deliver a package. She had in some way to make a living and smuggling hard to find or to make potions, was an illegal but very lucrative business. She wasn't making many questions about the clients. The less she knew the better for her. She was just contacted by a higher ranking Scitorari, providing her the merchandise, the time and place the job was going to take place. Today she didn't have to worry much about the package she had to deliver. Usually she was assigned to hand over potions like liquid luck, draught of living death, essence of insanity and other concoctions intended to be used to deceite, cheat and other illegitimate reasons. There was the element of risk of course with aurors prying around disguised as bums but she had learnt how to fend for herself. She knew every escape route at these parts, every shortcut that could help her evade an ambush and the merchandise were under magical concealment, enchanted to look as empty vials.

Currently she only had a couple of beautification potions in the pouch wrapped around her waist under her black robes. Nothing too illicit except for their impurity and the questionable quality of the used ingredients. Sold at the same price as the ones available to the stores, were returning a greater profit. Chinara couldn't wait to get done with this and go back to the headquarters. This dark alleys always had her in a paranoic state of watchfulness. As she was waiting for the hag customer to come and get the potions, her eyes were scanning everyone passing at the narrow alley. Most of them were the usual suspects. Hooded people, dressed in black, passing by in haste to avoid becoming the sight of spying eyes. Chinara's attention locked on a man whose dress code alerted her as an intruder. Her heart raced when he seemed to be coming her way and but she remained collected and continued leaning against the wall. She retained a poker face as the stranger named the four Scitorari leaders but his offer for money in exchange of information, induced a mocking smirk. "Wow. You aurors are desperate." She scoffed at the man who possibly was an auror. It wasn't the first time she was coming up against similar interrogations but the offer of money was new. These alleys were buzzing with information and secrets but their reaping was a tricky task. "Friendly advice. Don't roam these parts tossing around those names." She advised and folded her arms. "It might get you into serious trouble." Chinara warned and swept a dismissive glance over the man.

 

[Salvatore Abbatelli]

The woman's tone was condescending, and Salvatore could feel an instant surge of anger coursing within him. He could feel his blood begin to boil at the sheer cheek of her words. Had she known who he was or if they had been in New York, her words would have been kinder and more respectful. But alas for him he was unknown here, perhaps a good thing for the time being, yet he had not been spoken to in this way in so long that it took him completely off guard. Her biting and sarcastic words, though thinly veiled as 'friendly advice', caused his formerly emotionless face to scowl and his eyes to narrow. A thought of drawing his wand and cursing her away entered his mind, for the briefest of moments but he knew to do so would be to err. As she had spoken he had gotten the chance to look her over, quickly and as well as he could considering the lighting and her dress. Dark skin and dark clothes concealed her well and kept her face almost hidden under the shadow of the wall, unless one were to truly focus their eyes on its location. Trouble, if ever I've seen it, he thought. Too pretty for a place like this and too sarcastic to live long without protection.

His scowl turned swiftly into a curved and toothy smile as he spoke, "If you're dumb enough to think that I'm an Auror, then you're either stupid than I guessed or the Auror's here are worse than back home." He paused, just for a moment, unsure of how to continue. But, I'm not an Auror. Just a man trying to find...how should I put it..like minded individuals. Peers, colleagues perhaps. I'm no friend of the law here, or anywhere for that matter, and I meant what I said. Good gold for good information. I just wanna talk to those who I named.

 

[Collineus Cardosi]

Collineus Cardosi walked along the edges of the Bleak Street, a home of his dear friend, Ioan Finch. Collineus hated being around this area with a passion. He missed his home field, which was in the center of Italy. He owned a large company that transported magical goods to all the magical community, as well as remained rather influential. He was also rather close with the Minister. Any closer and he was a friend of the man. Life got especially busy for the former Death Eater. Collineus was recently remarried to his secretary, someone who bore him an heir to give to Asparuh Zhefarovich, and now, Collineus had a son, an heir to his estate. He adored his two children, while deliberately ignoring his half-breed daughter and her husband, as well as their own children, if they had any. He did not care at that point. For now, he was most absorbed within the purity his own had. Collineus spoke highly of his son, saying he was just like his daddy. They named him after Collineus, and called him Cole for short. It was easier that way. However, while speaking with Ioan about some matters with the Scitorari, Collineus held his hand up to hold Ioan’s thought.

“Someone mentioned our surnames, Ioan,” Collineus spoke once Ioan stopped speaking. It was odd to hear their surnames by someone unfamiliar. The Scitorari leader straightened his tie, and made sure his suit looked suitable, before he turned his head to see who the owner of the voice was, which was many feet down the alley. It was not just their surnames, but the surnames of the other leaders too. Who in the hell could know all of them? The Aurors did not even know even one of their names, let alone all of them. This man had to be dealt with, or led astray. Collineus looked at Ioan and he smirked slightly, his Italian accent shining through his voice as quick as day, “Let’s play along...” Collineus motioned for Ioan to follow him before he approached an unfamiliar man with another woman, who warned him to watch what he said. Collineus’ serpent green eyes leered from the woman to the man, before he announced in a cool voice, “You rang?” Collineus doubted that the man truly knew what all he thought that he knew. The Scitorari were so damn secretive, it was almost ridiculous. Nothing like the good old days like the Death Eaters, which most knew their motives.​

 

[Ioan Finch]

In serious conversation with Collineus, Ioan Finch walked down the street paying only minimal attention to the people and places that they passed. The two men had just begun to venture down Bleak Street, heading slowly in the general direction of Ioan’s home though he had no intentions of going there with Collineus on this evening. His wife was home, one of her off nights, and she’d been a pill lately. There was no way that he was bringing his colleague to his home to face potential embarrassment at the hands of his wife. Her remarks could be scathing, to say the least. The two men weren’t exactly friends, but Ioan did get along with the man a lot more than he did with his other colleagues. Hands gesturing wildly as he discussed a particularly bad turn of events during a recent trip of his, Ioan was deaf to the fact that his name was being mentioned. He was more concerned with the punishment that he felt that the Scitorari who’d been on that particular trip deserved. Much had happened over the past few weeks, most notably the death of the Head Auror. Ioan had never met the man personally but his involvement with the Aurors who seemed to believe that they alone could determine what magic was ‘dark’ was enough for the Scitorari leader to not like the man. The potions master had been keeping himself informed on the Ministry by reading The Daily Prophet. It was surprising how much information one could glean just by reading what the press wrote. If anything should be kept track of, it was the amount of information that the press was allowed to reveal. The very people that the Ministry was afraid of had such easy access to many of the goings-on within the Ministry simply by reading the articles being written in the auror’s aftermath. Ioan almost felt bad for Cameron Kingsley, the newly elected Minister for Magic. He sure had a lot of work to do just cleaning up his own building. It would be good for the Scitorari. They’d have some room to breathe while the Ministry dealt with their loss.

“What?” Ioan stated, sure that he hadn’t heard Collineus right. They didn’t wildly throw their names around and the Scitorari in the area knew better than to do that themselves. What good could they do if everyone knew their names? Once the average person found it out, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to help themselves by revealing those names to the aurors. Ioan’s head turned in the direction of his colleague as he squinted to better see the figure at the end of the alley, the one who was apparently asking after them. The man was too far away, cloaked in shadows. With a slow lift of his shoulders, Ioan agreed to play along. When he was younger, he would have been quick to leap into action. Now, he was a bit more cautious and slow to react. Still, if Collineus wanted to engage the guy, Ioan wasn’t going to stop him. He walked just behind Collineus, smirking as his colleague spoke.

 

[Chinara YarAdua]

Chinara observed the man's features and she could discern a hint of resentment darken his eyes but she wasn't planning to back down. It was absolutely intimidating to be approached by a stranger at this grim place but if she had learnt something from her days as a Scitorari initiate, was to stand her ground and never flinch. The man's immediacy wasn't an attribute that an auror would have. Mostly their lot preferred to disguise in order to blend into the sullen atmosphere of the Bleak Street. Even if he meant serious business with her leaders, she couldn't just lead him straight to them. She didn't have the right authority to do so. Moreover, if this man really had to come in contact with the Scitorari elite, then he should had the right acquaintances and not address the lowlifes swarming these alleys like rats. The money he was offering to extract information, only proved his possible mendaciousness. "Foolish enough is to walk these alleys dressed like that." She sassed and nodded at his outfit, differentiating him from the hooded and black-dressed passerby. "People around here have a sharp eye for those who are not frequent visitors." Chinara pointed out and shot a warning glance over his shoulder. An old warlock with poor posture had stopped sweeping the front of his shop and laid his suspicious eyes on them. Just at the shop behind the stranger, an old lady was peeping from the window but quickly drew the curtains when Chinara spotted her. She knew these people and they knew her but having this man hanging around was going to stir unwanted attention on her as well. She didn't want rumors to spread among her comrades.

Her eyes inspected the man from the top to the toe and her gut feeling urged her not to trust. He looked foreign and if he was wandering around these parts before, Chinara would have remembered him. He was attractive but she knew that their adversaries were using looks as much as Scitorari were using to obtain information easier or subsequently blackmail. "Keep your gold in your pockets." She hissed offended. Chinara wasn't go to reveal information about their leaders no matter how much this man was going to offer. The man could have been indeed an associate or an aspiring future member of their organization but if that was the case, he had a really bad approach. "Mind if I ask why you wanna talk with the people you just named? What's up with them?" She asked and turned the questioning on him. Then with the corner of her eyes she caught a glimpse of familiar faces. Two of the Scitorari leaders appeared and joined them. Chinara remained calm, not sure if they knew she was one of them. She glanced back at the stranger and quirked an eyebrow. Now she was curious to see how the leaders were going to handle this but at the same time she wanted to slip away and mind her own business before getting into trouble as well.

 

[Salvatore Abbatelli]

The woman was smart enough, that Salvatore could tell. And she was right, he didn't look like the other occupants of the alley. Men and women walked with their heads down hidden under dark hoods, their robes and clothing blending into the walls of the buildings. He, on the other hand, was dressed in a fine suit, tailored to fit him. He stuck out like a sore thumb but that didn't bother him, he was used to it. He was confident enough in his own abilities to handle himself and in the knowledge none would know him here that he didn't feel the need to change his appearance. Her refusal of money surprised him. Who among the seedy denizens of Bleak Street would refuse money for information? The loyalty of that lot and others like them across the world was almost never true. The only person who would refuse gold for information on the Scitorari would be someone who was terrified of them or...A Scitorari. Of course, he thought. He wasn't about to just tell her why he wanted to speak to them, but before he could reply he heard a man's voice from behind him. He turned and saw two men, the speaker a well dressed man who looked to be Italian. His words hinted at his identity, and Salvatore realized that the speaker might be Cardosi, one of the men he was searching for.

"My name is Salvatore Abbatelli and I'm from New York City. You don't know me but I'd bet you know my father, Frederico Abbatelli. He's the head of the Abbatelli Family and he sent me here to search you out, he said one of you might know him or know of him. It's important that I speak to you, please." Looking back at the woman behind him he added, "Privately, if possible."

He felt nervous, but betrayed no emotion on his face. He was alone in a dark alley, a place unknown to him, now finding himself surrounded by Scitorari, or so he assumed. If they didn't give him a chance to speak to them, he'd be dead before he knew it, and everything he was sent he for would unravel.

 

[Collineus Cardosi]

Collineus raised an eyebrow as the woman continued to stick around. He did not recognize her inside of his ranks. Therefore, he did not care to know who the hell she was. He looked to Ioan and then back to the woman, before back to Ioan, basically nonverbally asked him if he knew that woman. He did not care whether or not she was, but Ioan's group was one that he respected the most. The one he respected the least were none other than the elementalists. However, somehow, they should all be united, despite differences. Collineus let out a simple sigh as the man introduced himself as Salvatore Abbatelli, and that he was from the United States. As someone who associated mostly with European areas, and in New Zealand only for Scitorari business, he was not familiar at all with those from the United States. Of course Collineus did not know him, and that made him raise an eyebrow toward Salvatore. The man was head of the family, and thought that he would send the man here in search of them. It was important, so he said, that he speak with them. Collineus looked toward Ioan, wondering what he thought about this. Well, first thing first, address the inferior, and correct if needed.

"Private matters should only be scheduled, so to speak. Woman, whoever you are, stay or leave, your choice." Collineus' voice was not exactly kind, but he figured she had better things to do than stick around. Collineus took a step toward the man, his serpent green eyes narrowed upon the man. "Let's get this straight, you think that we might know of this certain family, the Abbatelli and your father? Never heard of him, or your family for that matter." Collineus would only associate himself with those that would grant him powerful allies and strong alliances. He'd never stoop to partnering with Americans without a damn good reason, Scitorari related or not. Collineus continued, his icy tone cutting through the air like a knife, "As far as I am concerned, anyone that sends their son rather than themselves to search out random people certainly isn't worth my time." Collineus turned his attention back to his comrade. He spoke with a much kinder tone than before, his normal tone when speaking to someone like Ioan, "Should we head on to a place of class or do you rather us send a message?" They always said to not kill the messenger, when in reality, that's what they should do. Because...it sends a message.​

 

[Ioan Finch]

As they moved closer to the two individuals, Ioan looked them over to see if he knew them. The woman was younger than the man by a lot, and it seemed from their body language that they didn’t know each other. She seemed uncomfortable anyway, even more so when he and Collineus moved closer to her. As his partner looked back at him in what seemed to be an effort to see if he recognized either of the two, Ioan gave the man a curt shake of his head. He had no idea who either of the two were. The woman was much younger than those he hung around with and she wasn’t someone that he could recall having worked with in the past. The man had no distinguishing characteristics, though once he spoke Ioan didn’t need the man to tell him that he was from New York City. Ioan crossed his arms across his chest, his leather jacket tight against his biceps. The man’s surname was one that he did recognize because he had done some work in New York in the past. It was curious that the family would show up in New Zealand.

Collineus began replying to the man almost right away, so Ioan simply listened and observed. He smirked as his colleague addressed the woman in the group. It was obvious that whatever Salvatore had to say, he didn’t want said in front of the woman. Ioan stepped to the side, clearing a path for the woman to exit the conversation. Surely, even if she didn’t know who they were, she wouldn’t want to be down a dark alley on Bleak Street with three fully trained wizards. Ioan kept one on her waiting to see if she would retreat while he listened to Collineus continue. When he turned towards Ioan and asked him what they should do, Ioan shrugged his shoulders. “A message might be good. It’d let people know that they should be careful about who they ask for in public places. “ Whether or not he knew of the family, there was a right way and a wrong way to go about things. Going into a public place and shouting out information that was only let out on a need-to-know basis was very much the wrong way to go about things. It was the sort of wrong that could get someone killed. He reached for his wand, casting a quick charm down to the opening of the alleyway so that if anyone happened to glance down it they would simply see an empty alleyway. “See, I don’t know how you do things in New York, but in New Zealand, we have rules. Surely your father told you that before he sent you off” he shook his head as if he were talking to a silly child. “You’d have done well to learn them quickly before making demands on anyone’s time” he added as he took a step closer to the man.

 

[Salvatore Abbatelli]

With each second and with every word spoken Salvatore could sense an unnatural feeling growing within the pit of his stomach. Was it fear? Was it apprehension? Nervousness? It was likely a combination of all of them. The men were dangerous, especially the Italian. He could feel the intense gaze of the man resting on him, seemingly trying to penetrate his defenses and know him. The other man stood silent and watching, but when he withdrew his wand Salvatore's hand clenched his own and he began to draw it from his robe before seeing the man cast a spell down the alleyway. A concealment charm, maybe, he thought, Smart. They seemed to desire the woman to leave, which made sense to him. If they didn't know her then she certainly had no place here, but he had no power to force her. A feeling of dismay crept across him when the Italian said he didn't know of the Abbatellis. It was possible he had never been to America or perhaps had never heard of the Mob, but if that was the case then surely Salvatore would be dead sooner than later, though the other man's eyes seemed to open ever so slightly at the mention of that name.

The two men whispered to each other, quiet enough that he couldn't make out there words before the second man spoke. He seemed, not kinder exactly, but less stern or hateful than his counterpart.

"My apologies, honestly. I didn't know where to start to look, I figured here was the best place. Believe me, if we knew how to contact you otherwise, hell, if we knew anything other than a surname, I wouldn't be up in this alley trying to get information outta strangers. I realize there are rules for this sorta thing, but rules are hard to follow in this day and age. So many people ignore 'em and they change so often, it's hard to know 'em all. But truly, my sincerest apologies."

 

[Chinara YarAdua]

Chinara started feeling vulnerable cornered by the three men. Her instincts dictated her departure and once the prejudice scitorari leader gave her a choice, she had no reason to be around anymore. At the same time she noticed the hag she was supposed to meet and supply with the beautification potions she had with her.
"It's nice to be around fine men but I'll let you boys alone. Have fun." She said with a sly, alluring smile and a leer before walking away. She gestured at the hag to join her to the next alley for the exchange and left them behind her.

 

[Collineus Cardosi]

Ioan didn't mention knowing of the family, so Collineus assumed that Ioan didn't. As soon as Ioan took out his wand, Collineus felt tempted to take his own out, in case the man tried to do anything. Collineus might be getting up there in age, but he was still quick to act. His serpent eyes looked back to the woman as she spoke. She was leaving. He watched her as she walked away. If he were single, or married to his ex, he wouldn't mind doing some unspeakable acts with that one. However, that was definitely not the case. His eyes went back to the man, who's name escaped him for the time being. Once Ioan agreed to the sending a message part, Collineus bet that they were going to do away with the man. He took out his wand, eager for a kill, before Ioan continued, almost like talking to a child. He was not sure what they were going to do from here, but he would not act without a good reason. Yes, this man did need to be taught a lesson, here and now. And if this man were in Italy, he would have been hanged, possibly by his own intestines. Ah, such a sickening, sweet thought.

"Had you been in my country, you wouldn't make it out of here alive. In fact, that might still within the picture," Collineus smirked as he twirled his wand within his meaty fingers. Collineus took another step toward the man, and his eyes sparked with evil intentions. Collineus continued, "However, speaking of surnames of such powerful people, isn't that common sense...to not go looking for trouble? Tell me, Ioan, would you have done something so foolish? Even I know better when I step into unfamiliar territories." Collineus continued to smirk, with hidden intentions behind those darkened expressions. He looked to Ioan before he quickly changed his mind, possibly out of curiosity, "Say, should we humor the man and see what he wants while we are here? If we don't like what we hear, it wouldn't be too hard to deal with the aftermath. Either way, it should be quick. I'm simply dying for a good, goblin brewed beverage." If it was one thing to entice the former Death Eater, it was a simply aged wine or a delicious but burning alcoholic beverage. Hmm, he needed to show Ioan this fantastic, classy country club now that he was thinking about it.​

 

[Ioan Finch]

Out of Character:

I am so sorry!

If Collineus had been alone, Ioan was pretty sure that the man before him, this Salvatore Abba-whatever, would be dead. Collineus never did seem to have much patience. Ioan didn’t have much either, but he was never quick to get his hands dirty. He preferred letting other people do that sort of thing, a complete one-eighty to how he’d behaved when he was younger. Back then, Ioan had been a troublemaker, quick to anger and eager to fight. It was almost humorous to watch the stranger as he backtracked and began to explain why he had proceeded the way he had. The Scitorari leader crossed his arms once more, his wand pointing off towards the alley wall, some harmless sparks emitting from it when the guy annoyed him again by mentioning how difficult rules were to follow. Ioan knew that if he had been in the man’s position, he would have made it a point to find out what the rules were and how best to follow them.

Collineus must have been reading his mind – he swore the man was an Occlumens – because he said exactly what Ioan had been thinking. Shaking his head, Ioan spoke to his colleague as if Salvatore wasn’t standing right in front of them. “Surely not. I’d make it a point to figure out a better plan of action than roaming around the streets asking random people for help. On Bleak Street of all places” he rolled his greenish-blue eyes towards the sky before looking at Collineus as he continued on. The man’s eyebrow listened as Collineus seemed to entertain the idea of hearing Salvatore out. Ioan, of course, was curious about what it was that would bring someone all the way from New York, asking after four of the most dangerous people in the country. He wasn’t exactly sure that he wanted to know though. The Scitorari had enough going on in their own country without hearing about something happening half a world away. Glancing down the alleyway, Ioan watched as a heavily robed man walked by, seemingly oblivious to what was happening in the alley. Good. The charm is holding . Ioan sighed. “If we must. Can we take this somewhere else though? If we have to kill him, I’d prefer to not do it here” Ioan stated as matter-of-factly as if they had been speaking about the weather. His reasons were simple: He lived nearby and preferred to not take care of that sort of business near his home. “I could use a drink” he finished, mumbling the last words.