Searching

[Sabrina Emmerich]

Winter in New Zealand, while slightly warmer than back home in London, still managed to be colder than Sabrina was prepared for. It didn't help that she'd temporarily forgotten about the shift in climates, and, as such, expected warm summer weather. Standing by the port, Sabrina hugged her chest tightly, shivering. Clad in only a short blue dress and black flats, Sabrina mentally kicked herself for her folly. She happened to be a little ditzy at times, she knew. Happens to the best of us, right? If she'd thought about it, she could have conjured herself up a jacket or something, but logic wasn't exactly Sabrina's strong point. She liked abstract thought, she could ponder meaning and such for hours, even days. But logical thought didn't come naturally to the twenty year old girl.

It wasn't like she really wanted to be in New Zealand, though it seemed like a nice enough place. London was her home, after all, but all that was left there was her senile mother, who was in St. Mungo's and could barely remember her. It hurt her a lot to visit her, and while she knew she should, she tried to avoid seeing her whenever possible. Now, she was in New Zealand, searching for her long lost half-brother. He knew nothing of her, no doubt, but she knew of him. He was ten years older than her, German, and his name was Johannes. Her mother had disappeared from his restrictive pureblood family (for she was only a muggle-born, herself), met her father, and she had been born. Sabrina Lorelei Emmerich. The girl with no purpose in life, a student of philosophy, and essentially quite desperate.

 

[Lex Skyweave]

Lex was wearing his typical sweater and longcoat when he noticed the girl who was, for winter, essentially half naked. His cigarette was at the filter, he opened his pocket ash tray and deposited it. He walked towards her, taking keen notice of her physical beauty.

"Evenin' ma'am." he said to her. "Little cold out isn't it?"

 

[Sabrina Emmerich]

At the sound of a voice, Sabrina looked up to see a man - who'd actually prepared for the cold - with a cigarette, eyeing her off. Sabrina brightened up slightly, she'd always been taught to be polite and friendly. "Hello," she said, warmly, with a small smile - betrayed by the quivering of her lips due to the cold. "It is, rather. I'm afraid I wasn't quite expecting this upon my arrival here." She paused for a moment before tilting her head slightly and standing up straight. "Is there anything you were after, sir?" she said, innocently, though she knew what he wanted, most likely. It was the same every time. She knew his type well.

 

[Lex Skyweave]

He pulled his wallet out of his coat pocket...

And put it in his pants pocket, taking off his coat.

"I was wondering if I could buy you some coffee to warm your bones." he said, handing her the coat.

 

[Sabrina Emmerich]

She hesitantly took the coat, though she didn't very much like people giving her sympathy. Well, it was more that she hated being indebted to people. Sure, she wasn't rolling in cash, but she was perfectly able to take care of herself. She could get by well enough on her own, and she didn't think it right for people to take pity on her and give her sympathy. She always felt required to pay them back, and she didn't want to take beyond her means.

"You could take me for coffee if you'd like, but I refuse to allow you to buy me anything," Sabrina said, stubbornly. She had her rules and generally, she stuck to them.

 

[Lex Skyweave]

Lex chuckled. "Easier for me, then." he said. She seemed determined to stay independent. That was fine by him, he didn't mind headstong women. They reminded him of his cousin. She had been a spitfire, Rachel. He had to admit, when he was younger he'd had a crush on her. He grew out of it, lucky for him, and for her. He held out a hand.

"Lex Skyweave." he said.

 

[Sabrina Emmerich]

Sabrina smirked at his statement. He wasn't going to try to force any charity on her. That was a good thing, she didn't need charity. Friends were always good, people to talk to, though she had a lot of trouble finding that. People weren't usually that interested in what she had to say.

"Pleasure to meet you, Lex," Sabrina said, taking his hand and shaking it gently. "Annie Jenkins." Okay, that was a lie, but she gave the false name without hesitation, with no change in expression, so surely he would believe it. She felt bad about lying to him, or people in general, but she always wanted to be careful. Who knew what people could do to her? That's why she had to protect herself.

 

[Lex Skyweave]

"Pleasure's mine, Annie." he said. "Now then, there's a place 'round here serves the best coffee I've tasted." He continued. "Called the Nihil River. Owners a bit of a clever****, but he knows how to make a coffee." He finished, beginning to walk. "So what brings you to new zealand?"

 

[Sabrina Emmerich]

Sabrina shrugged and nodded. "Sounds pretty good to me," she conceded. She liked drinking coffee, though admittedly she couldn't tell a good brew from a bad one. If it was coffee, and if it was hot, she'd drink it. Some ones tasted slightly better than others, but Sabrina barely noticed. She generally went for what was cheap, of course. Following Lex, Sabrina thought carefully about how to answer his question before opening her mouth. It made a nice change from her usual pattern of speech. "Family reunion," she said, not exactly lying here. Though, it wasn't exactly a planned reunion. "My older brother moved here and I haven't seen him in about five years..." Make that twenty. "I only just got here today, though. Are you from around here?"

 

[Lex Skyweave]

"England," he said. "Though the cockney accent is usually a giveaway." he added with a grin. The 'River' was not far. He opened the door for her. "I'm in New Zealand workin' a case... I'm a Private Detective consulting with the ministry here." he said as an explanation for why he would be working a case. "Oy! Jimmy!"

The bartender was a slim, very very tall man.

"Skyweave. Who's the girl? A date?"

Lex scoffed. "I would be so lucky. Naw, she's just a new acquantance." he said. "It's cold out, thought she could use a hot cup to warm her."

"You buyin' it for her?"

"Would've. She wants to pay." He replied.

"I wouldn't argue with that." Jimmy said. "What can I get you, young lady?"

 

[Sabrina Emmerich]

For a detective, he sure gave away a lot. Maybe that was a good thing, though. Maybe it meant he could be trusted and he could trust her. Having a reasonably pretty face was always an advantage, Sabrina thought to herself with a small smile. She wasn't the most beautiful girl around, but she could admit she was pretty.

She rolled her eyes and sighed as they spoke about her as though she wasn't even there. "She would like a latte, please," she sighed. "She also has a name, and it's Sabrina-ahh. Sh!t." Realising her foolishness too late, Sabrina hung her head in shame. "Oops." She looked up at Lex, biting her lip apologetically. "Terribly sorry for not introducing myself properly before. Can't be too careful, you know. It's Sabrina, actually. Sabrina Emmerich, at your service." She lowered her head in a mock bow, though on the inside she was kicking herself.

 

[Lex Skyweave]

Lex raised an eyebrow at her.

"For someone hiding your identity you're not doin' a good job of it." He said with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." He added. He looked up at Jimmy.

Jimmy shrugged. "I have a patron/bartender confidentiality agreement." He said with a smile. "What was her name again?"

Lex turned to Sabrina. "Y'know, I can't quite recall." he said.