New Blood

[Ioan Finch]

Being a leader in the Scitorari had proven to be a lot more work than Ioan had anticipated. It had been easy, when he had been a lowly member of the Romani Scitorari, to see where that leader had made errors that had resulted in his arrest. But, now it was much more difficult, mostly because he didn’t know all of the members that were being brought in. He wasn’t sure what to think of the newer ‘leaders’ to the group, the ones who thought that they had some read on a form of ancient magic that hadn’t been sought out yet. He could only hope that those men were making wise decisions about who they let into the group. Their success was contingent on their not raising too much suspicion and getting themselves arrested before they could even get their feet off the ground. Ioan had set the members of his group on fact-finding missions while he himself had been busy looking up people to recruit. Ioan was finding it to be a challenge, though he hoped that he would finally have a breakthrough today.

Sitting in a corner of the dark bar, Ioan swirled his amber colored drink, his green eyes gazing down into the liquid. The man was lost in thought. After a moment, he lifted the drink to his lips and took a quick sip, glancing towards the door as it was pushed open. He was in a good line of sight, able to see the door and the bar simultaneously. He had chosen this time specifically because the bar began to fill up at this time, which would provide them with just the right amount of cover to discuss certain things openly. Not that he expected any of the muggles in the area to understand what they were talking about anyway. The man watched as a pair of young college-aged girls sitting at the bar looked over at him and then leaned towards each other. He chuckled, remembering the days when he might have gone up to them, if they were witches anyway. Ioan had no interest in mudbloods. They just didn’t do it for him. Glancing at the door as it once again swung open, Ioan hoped that his meeting would begin on time. He needed to get home in time for dinner or he had the feeling that Adrianne would kill him, and she was the last person he needed on his back.

 

[Altiyan Lee]

Since graduating from Hogwarts almost five years ago Altiyan's interest in the Scitorari had only grown. He thought highly their ideals and views, having held similar views since he was sixteen. However, there was much about the organisation that he still didn't know, from what he figured they were doing their best to keep their organisations actions covert, and Altiyan was slightly apprehensive about what it was he was actually getting himself in for. There was much about the old Death Eaters that he didn't like, and he held mild suspicions that the Scitorari were going to be a weaker, pathetic rip-off, but another part of him said they were nothing like the old group and had promise. It was that confusion which made him slightly cautious about who he was on his way to met; Ioan Finch, leader of the Potions branch of the Scitorari. Altiyan, like everyone else who held an interest in the Scitorari, knew who Ioan Finch was, but other than his connection to the Scitorari Altiyans knowledge of the man went no further. To satisfy his curiosity Altiyan casually asked a couple of acquaintances for information, but other than he attended Durmstrang and has a wife and kids, nothing more could be discovered. Altiyan did not really expect them to find anything, if he were interested enough it would involve pulling in a few favours to get anything interesting, but men with power always had secrets. Altiyan arrived outside the bar and pushed open the door, immediately frowning as he crossed the threshold, 'Smells of mudblood' he thought viciously to himself as he scanned the length of the bar. Mainly muggles, he noted, and quite a few of them. He didn't need to check to know what the time was, he was familiar with bars and clubs and knew what times they started to get busy. As Altiyan entered a man sitting at the corner of the bar glanced up, it was Ioan Finch and he appears to have been waiting for him to show, Altiyan vaguely wondered if he had been waiting long. Without lingering Altiyan walked the length of the bar, signaling without words for the bartender to bring him a drink.
"Mr. Finch," Altiyan greeted with as casual nod as he made it to the corner where his companion sat, "It is a pleasure."

 

[Ioan Finch]

Ioan spotted the wizard as he stepped into the bar. He had heard from some others that the man was interested in joining the Scitorari and after speaking to a few acquaintances, Ioan was interested in speaking with him about the Scitorari. He already had some things going for him, namely his affiliation with Ioan's alma mater, Durmstrang. And, he had showed up. In a muggle bar. Ioan knew that some wizards were so prejudiced that they wouldn't even have met him here, and those were the people he wanted to avoid almost as much as the mudbloods. They nearly always ended up drawing negative attention to themselves for blasting muggles or endangering wizard secrecy, things that Ioan was keen to avoid for the very young Scitorari branch in New Zealand. It wouldn't do to have members who would end up being liabilities, not while they were still getting off of their brooms with the group.

Ioan didn't stand as the man approached, not wanting to draw the attention of the muggles in their direction. He gave Altiyan a once over, and nodded towards the seat across from him. It was odd to be called Mr. Finch, something that only people with whom he had business connections called him. Most of his Scitorari members and all of his friends stuck to his first name. "Good of you to join me, Altiyan" he stated as a runner brought the man a drink and took Ioan's now empty glass. "I'm not much for small talk. I was told you have questions, and I think I might have some answers...and some questions." He folded his hands on the small table between them and looked the younger guy squarely in the eyes, waiting to see what the man would ask. He knew that just as much as he was testing the guy, feeling out his words and actions to see if he was right for the group, that Altiyan was doing the same.

 

[Altiyan Lee]

Altiyan took his seat in the chair opposite Ioan and watched his movements carefully, even a persons casual movements could reveal a lot about themselves, and anything Altiyan could learn was something. He still had doubts whether the man in front of him could be trusted and if the organisation he was leading was something he wanted to be apart of. As his drink was brought to him Altiyan neither thanked nor took notice of the person who brought it, only glancing to where the glass was was put on the table. He couldn't help but wonder why exactly Ioan choose such a place for the meeting, in his mind he thought he knew why; it was a test. Ioan greeted him on a first name basis, something which Altiyan preferred, using last name formalities made Altiyan feel false and pretentious. And it were people who choose to exploit their superiority through means such as that which Altiyan disliked. 'So not all the leaders of the Scitorari are power-hungry authoritarians with large egos, recruiting subordinates to feel important' he mused silently keeping his eyes on the man as he continued. He finished by offering Altiyan the chance to ask him questions about the Scitorari. Altiyan smiled a small smile to himself, one that would not have gone unnoticed or unquestioned by Ioan. As Altiyan took a sip from his drink he knew it was another test, and the answer to it would come by the question he chose to ask. He amused himself with the though of asking how much of their meeting was a test of his character, as was blatantly obvious they were both cautious and curious of each other, willing to test the others actions and reactions. Altiyan thought it best not to waste time playing games by asking such a question. So as he placed his glass back down on the table again his smile had faded and he was serious again. His question was about something that most intrigued him and it was the question he most wanted an answer to before joining the organisation.
"What is the aim of the Scitorari?" Altiyan asked simply looking Ioan in the eyes. His question was left open for different interpretation but it was plain and obvious what he meant. Shrouded in secrecy Altiyan hadn't found much about the actions of the organisation and he wanted to know what exactly they planned to accomplish. He understood and agreed with their beliefs, but he could not believe they were just an innocent group of like minded people who shared morally questionable beliefs. Why were they recruiting to strengthen their organisation, they had to have some goal in mind. Altiyan suspected he might not get an answer, due to not being part of the organisation, but he wasn't going to sit there beating around the bush waiting for the time appropriate to ask. Either he got an answer or not.

 

[Ioan Finch]

Ioan's gaze only wavered once, when he thought someone was walking towards the table. It was a young guy, but he headed straight for the bar, only coming near to them because there was an empty stool besides them. Glancing back at Altiyan, Ioan listened to the question that he was presented with. He had not really had an idea of what the man might be interested in knowing, but he didn't think that the man would be so quick to ask the one question that Ioan wouldn't fully answer until he was an actual member of the group. Although he had people to vouch for him, Ioan still didn't fully trust that the man before him wasn't some kind of mole, planted to get information for another group. The Scitoraris certainly weren't the only group around, though they were the ones with growing numbers and notoriety.

A sly grin crossed the man's face as he thought for a moment, and then he opened his mouth to speak. "Look around you" he said, gesturing towards the ever growing crowd of muggles around them. There was a buzz in the bar loud enough to ensure that they wouldn't be overheard unless someone came too near. "The Ministry would have us believe that these...people" he stated, his last word coming out full of disdain, "are meant to be protected from the likes of us. Why do you think that they are so afraid of us using our powers wherever we want and however we want? Is it for their sake? Somehow, I doubt it. I don't think any wizard cares that much about them." Ioan paused and then continued a moment later. " It's because they want to limit us. Our abilities. And, we've decided that we're tired of them limiting us." Ioan sat back in his chair and waited to hear what the man would have to ask next.

 

[Altiyan Lee]

Altiyan listened intently to the answer Ioan gave him to his question. It was the exact answer Altiyan expected to get, one that eluded to the fact that they did in fact have an aim to accomplish but said nothing specific about it. But there was something about the way Ioan had said 'We've decided that we're tired of them limiting us' that answered the question for Altiyan and made him believe they were serious a serious organisation with a serious aim to accomplish. 'Bouleversement?' He gleefully questioned silently to himself. Altiyan hoped that the Scitorari were aiming for big change, right throughout the wizarding world and the Ministry of Magic.
Altiyan sat forward in his chair, circling the outer rim of his glass with his finger as he thought about his next question, he had asked the most important question and was quite content with the answer he got for the time being. He could think of only one other question that intrigued him, one more question which he was curious enough about to ask before allowing Ioan to question him.
"What makes the Scitorari different?" Altiyan asked suddenly, "The Death Eaters, and many groups since those days, have failed to accomplish any... change. Why will you be any different?" Altiyan had many reasons for asking such a question. The question, depending on how it was answered, would give Altiyan a idea of how strong the organisation was, or how strong they wanted the organisation to get. Also it tested Ioan's own loyalty to the organisation, did he believe they were going to accomplish anything? Or did he think they were going to fail?

 

[Ioan Finch]

Ioan watched the man's expression, but he was unable to read much from it. Altiyan didn't get up and march away, so Ioan figured that he at least was considering what Ioan had said. The man couldn't expect anything more. Sitting back, Ioan glanced around the bar once more, his eyes drifting to the door as it opened once more. As the hour grew later, the door seemed to be opening with more frequency as more and more patrons entered. His head turned sharply back to the man across the table from him as he asked another question. It was one that betrayed his age and his ignorance. An eyebrow arched over the man's blue-green eye as he spoke. "You think the Death Eaters failed to make any changes?" Ioan could think of several people,older family members of friends who would say and show otherwise. Ioan didn't think they had failed at all, but today was not the day for that debate. "Their mistake was that their loyalty was to one person and they followed him blindly and when he died so did they" Ioan stated plainly before continuing. "But, I think that what makes us different are our aims. The death eaters had limitations that don't exist in our group. We seek to find ways to prove to the magical community as a whole that we are being held back by the Ministry. There are those of us who choose to find this proof by instilling fear, committing murder and things like that, but as a whole, those is not our methods."

Ioan crossed his legs under the table, not willing to say any more about his group until he got some information from Altiyan. He uncrossed his hands, feeling the coolness of his Ouroboros ring which he had placed so that the symbol was not facing out. It was how he usually wore it, mostly so he wouldn't have to deal with asinine questions from unsuspecting strangers. "How did you find out about us?" he asked, truly curious about how the man had decided to pursue a meeting with Ioan. "What interested you about the Scitorari, especially since there are other groups.". Those other groups had flaws, some fatal and those members were either dead or in Azkaban while others were too small to ever take off as the Scitorari had done.

 

[Altiyan Lee]

The way Ioan talked about the Death Eaters made sense to Altiyan, and he noted the way Ioan mentioned the one leader of the Death Eaters and it became more apparent to him that the reason why the Scitorari had four leaders and not one, seemingly sharing the power equally. Altiyan nodded as the man across from him finished and prepared to move the conversation onward. Altiyan had noticed the excess flood of people entering the bar. It would soon become too crowded and they would run the risk of being overheard, still it was unlikely the muggles would understand what it was they spoke of. Ioan seemed to notice this also and moved the conversation to Altiyan. Asking him what he knowledge and interest was in the Scitorari. He was prepared to be asked questions by Ioan, expecting what would be asked and having already thought about some answers he would give. And when the first question was asked he didn't bat an eyelid,
"Started off as rumors, whispers of a group forming together. But, honestly, I didn't even give it a second though, no other group had ever caught my attention why should this be different." Altiyan answered truthfully, "Of course these rumors began to build up, whispers became mumbles and this previously unknown group was building in numbers and strength far faster than any before. Then it caught my interest, this time it was different."
"I began to look into it, " Altiyan stated, there was something about the Scitorari that Altiyan was willing to bet on. He held the same beliefs that many other organisations did, but none of them seemed to be going anywhere. The Scitorari were the group who seemed ready and prepared to lead a revolution, and Altiyan wanted to be a part of it. "Asking the right sort of people the right sort of questions and can get you far, but really I learnt nothing that satisfied my curiosity. This then led me to you, if I am to learn anything that is going to capture my interest completely who better to hear it from?" Altiyan probably said more than he had intended but felt he had made his interest clear.

 

[Ioan Finch]

Ioan appreciated that he didn’t have to wait long for an answer. It meant that the guy had put some thought into the meeting beforehand and had not decided to just show up and wing it. The Scitorari leader had grown up with many impulsive people and it wasn’t a quality that he admired. He thought himself to be quite calculating and preferred keeping company with others like that, these days anyway. Ioan could also appreciate the honest manner that Altiyan appeared to speak in. Ioan knew that he too would have ignored rumors of a growing group until something worth noticing took place. He figured it was the same for many people, especially people of their nature who often joined these groups despite what they had to lose. They, instead, saw what they stood to gain from membership. “Indeed, though I don’t think I’m as good of a spokesman for the Scitorari as my partners.” Collineus was a businessman and well-versed in convincing people of things, and Jacqueline was a professor, at the local school. Ioan smirked at the thought, and then grew serious once more. The room really was growing too crowded for his liking. He had intended the meeting to be brief, but it had gone on far longer than he expected as Ioan found himself actually enjoying the conversation. Still, he knew that he ought to think about ending the meeting or he would have hell to face when he returned home.

Tapping his knuckles on the bar, Ioan thought for a moment and then spoke. “What do you do for a living?” he asked, mostly so he could decide how useful Altiyan might be as a member. Their members appeared to be coming in from different walks of life, which was a good thing to Ioan. You never knew when someone’s skill set would prove to be useful. Knowing close to nothing of Altiyan, Ioan had no idea what his skill set was. So far, it appeared that he was decent at information gathering, at least decent enough to have gained this meeting. He wondered what else the younger man might bring to the group.

 

[Altiyan Lee]

Out of Character:

Finally accepted into the Scitorari ＼(●＾o＾●)／ -- If you didn't already know, heh.

Altiyan laughed softly at Ioan's modesty, saying that he wasn't the best representative of the organisation compared to the others. Even if it was true he had done a good enough job that Altiyan found himself even more interested in the organisation. There was barely a doubt left in his mind about the decision, he knew he had much to loose if he got caught as part of the Scitorari but he was willing to risk it for the good that could come of it. Also aligning himself with one organisation was not something he normally did. Altiyan was quite used to his life as a third party, sitting on the fence being temporary allies to one with the bigger pay check. He accepted the fact that joining the Scitorari would put a dent in his business, job offers from any opposing group would have to be turned away and Information on the Scitorari could not be sold on loosing him money.

There was a momentary pause between them before Ioan asked what he did for a living. Altiyan wasn't quite expecting such a question and it caught him slightly of guard. He ran his fingers though his hair and smirked, giving his line of work a title was somewhat difficult,
"Hmm...Guess you could say I am somewhat of a Mercenary and an Information Broker" Altiyan stated, the titles didn't quite fit but it summed it up a fair amount. "However your organisation is safe. Information about you will not be passed on through me" There was no lie in what he promised and he hoped he had made it clear enough. The bar was beginning to get very full and a couple made there way down to the secluded side where Altiyan was having his meeting. They choose to sit right behind him at one of the only remaining places - right within ear reach. Altiyan glanced at the couple and then back towards Ioan, uncomfortable with the closeness. He lowered his voice slightly,
"I have put a lot of thought into this." Altiyan told him honestly, "There is no doubt in my mind that this is what I want to do..."

 

[Ioan Finch]

Out of Character:

I think I might have had an idea

Ioan listened carefully, having grown used to reading in between the lines of what people said. It was a necessary task in this line of ‘work.’ People often weren’t straight talkers but if you listened carefully enough, you were usually able to get a good read on what the person was trying to say. Altiyan’s explanation didn’t require much reading between the lines. In a moment, Ioan nodded his head. “Good to hear. I’d hate to lose you so soon” he stated seriously. Since having children, Ioan had tried his best to not get his hands bloody, in any direct way of course. His hands were certainly bloody in more indirect ways. But, Ioan now had ‘people’ who actually enjoyed bloodying their hands up and he wasn’t going to be afraid to use them. He hoped that Altiyan was telling the truth about not sharing Scitorari information because if he wasn’t, he knew that Altiyan would have to be dealt with.

Having kept an eye on the increasing number of patrons in the bar, Ioan knew that the time for their meeting had drawn to a close. It would be impossible to tell who could hear what they were saying and what sort of people were in the place. He was still fairly certain that the bar’s population was just filled with muggles but sometimes one couldn’t tell. Ioan stood up, about to say some last words when Altiyan began to speak. Ioan’s blue- green eyes moved towards the man’s grey ones as he listened intently. “That’s good to hear, Altiyan.” Ioan held out his hand for the man to shake. “It’s been good speaking with you. I’ll be speaking with the others about you and we’ll get word to you soon” he added, before flashing the man a tight smile. He knew that Altiyan was right for the group and hoped that the others would be easily convinced. With a nod, Ioan slipped his hat onto his head and made his way for the door. He stepped out, glad when he was able to breathe in some fresh air as he made his way down the block towards the shipping district that he knew would be abandoned at this time. He walked swiftly, glancing back as he rounded the corner and disapparated with a crack to his own block. The day had gone well, in his opinion. The possibility of a new recruit and he’d made it home nearly in time. Those were the marks of a good day.