Slithering out of the Darkness

[Plato Aether]

Manaus, Brazil

Plato Aether sat alone on the terrace of a small cafe overlooking the great river. In the heat-induced calm of a sweltering afternoon his obsidian eyes were watching the sun painting traces of gold on the river's surface. It was a mesmerizing and hypnotic sight, and one he'd gazed at for too long. He turned his attention to the cafe, looking past the tables and their bright yellow umbrellas to what he could see of the cafe's interior. In the heat of the afternoon the place was all but empty. Certainly there was no sign of the woman he was waiting on, a woman who was running atypically late.

As the leader of the Elementalists he had chosen to keep a low profile of his organization ever since the Scitorari had made their presence felt to the public. Power was what they were all craving for but they had different views on how to obtain it. Plato had eventually accepted the fact that the other leaders were too narrow minded and obsessed with their own believes to clearly see where true power was originating from. He had let them take a step forward while he and the Elementalists were patiently waiting in the shadows. He wanted the spotlights right on the other subgroups while he and his minions were scheming their way closer to the ultimate power. Patience was their strongest weapon. It always was. Their group had ancient roots and although Elementalists had been reduced to ashes several times through history, they were always reborn when no one was expecting it, remaining forever young and hungry. Tiny ripples could grow into sweeping tsunamis and the Elementalists knew that pretty well. It was time for a big tsunami to disturb everything but first they needed a few ripples before the grand event.

He shot a cold look at his watch and his jaw tightened when he realized that his appointment was late. He certainly didn't like being stood up. He and his comrades were believing in the power of the elements and time was the strongest out of all. He wanted his time to be spend wisely and not be wasted by the incapacity of others. He was expecting to hear a convincing excuse when his appointment was finally going to arrive.

 

[Milena von Gunten]

Whether her appointment was at a peaceful café on the banks of Negro river or on an iceberg in Antarctica, Milena von Gunten was going to be dressed as classy as always. Wearing a slick, black skirt suit and with her high heeled shoes echoing against the slated pavement, she was striding purposefully towards her destination with her long, blonde hair waving over her shoulders. She was holding a leather briefcase and her icy blue eyes were scanning her surroundings behind large shades. She wasn't expecting to meet her partner at a café in the heart of the Brazilian metropolis but she was fully trusting his choice. The eagle-owl she was received meant serious business, the kind of business they were usually discussing under extreme secrecy at their headquarters or at one of their secret bases. A café however, was hardly offering the secrecy they needed.

She halted in front of the café she was told to find. She knew she was a little bit late but it wasn't the easiest task to find a café in the middle of a busy city. Remembering she was told to get to the shop's terrace, she climbed the stairs rather than entering from the building's main entrance. The second floor of the café included an interior bar with three lines of tables arranged with precision but the most part was occupied by a spacious terrace with many tables and yellow umbrellas. A couple of waiters had awaked to her strong presence but she didn't really need their assistance. She had spotted the man she was looking for. It wasn't hard as he was sitting alone at a table outside while the rest of the café was empty.
"A diet soda please." merely said to the waiters who rushed to serve her and she headed to meet the man who was waiting her at the terrace.

Just a glance at the view of the flowing river and Milena knew why her partner had chosen this place. "You can't stay away from water, can you?" she commented as she was taking a sit next to the man. Plato Aether was an old friend and comrade. Milena had worked a lot with him to reborn the long, lost glory of the Elementalists. They have been travelling together for years, searching for forgotten temples and undisclosed locations around the world in an attempt to get in their hands forbidden knowledge. She was trusting the man with her life but at the same time she was intimidated by him while she knew what he was really capable of. "I'm late. I know but next time please find a place I can find relatively easy." she replied when she noticed the way he was looking at her. She set her suitcase at the foot of her chair and decided to change the topic immediately. "How was the trip in the Amazon?" she asked and took off her shades to place them on the table. Plato was a man of few words so she was always initiating their long lasting conversations. "Do we have anything new of high significance?" she continued and crossed her legs to sit comfortably.

 

[Plato Aether]

Plato observed the wild rapids of the river sparkled in the sun. Even the distractive urban sounds couldn't muffle its thrumming as it curved gently through the city. He could have been sitting there silent for a long time just feeling the rush and power of the river. Plato was considering this liquid spirit as an unnoticed spy meandering unsuspectingly through human's settlements. It could flow indolently for a long time, rising no suspicion until one day its waters were going to flood everything in a matter of minutes and drown anything with their impetuous greed. He got lost in thoughts of destruction and chaos until the door to the terrace slided along its tracks and announced the tapping of high heel shoes against the floor. His obsidian eyes locked on the elegant, blonde woman coming his way but his expressionless feature didn't twitch a bit. Plato retained his poker face even when she made a comment about his obsession over the water element. He let her apologize for her delay before babbling in an attempt to make him forget. He waited for her to finish before finally speaking.
"I thought you were aware after so many years working together that I abhor apologies Milena." his voice soft like snow and dry of emotions.
"Next time be on time and don't try to hide behind cheap excuses." he warned her coldly.

Plato turned his attention back at the river thoughtful as he watched a tourist boat in the distance going downstream.
"People underestimate water's power. Millions like you look at this river and see it as an attraction, as a way to travel. They tend to forget that up to sixty percent of their body consist of water and about seventy percent of Earth's surface is water-covered. Control the water and you can control people's thoughts, emotions, body." he asserted and looked back at her. "I will give you and advice. Whether you keep it or not it's your own business." he went on. "Never trust water. Even a straight stick turns crooked in it." he quoted and watched the impact his phrase had on her by studying her features. "Well, it could be a wasted advice. You can't fully understand the beauty of water. You are more of a pyromancer after all." he decided to stop procrastinating with lectures about the elements and talk with his partner about more important matters.

It wasn't more than a week since Plato had visited with a few trusted fellow Elementalists the depth of Amazon jungle in search of local tribes. This operation was brought out under extreme secrecy even from his closest allies. Now that some progress was done he could entrust Milena with more information. "Amazon went as planned." he started. "We found the tribe's shaman and he accepted to join our cause. It wasn't hard to brainwash him. We just referred to a prophecy involving him finding all wizards and witches talented in elemental magic. Apparently he believed it and he will soon start locating recruits for us." he concluded still expressionless but with a distinct glow of satisfaction in his dark eyes. "What about you and the relic I asked you to get for me from that Mayan temple?" he asked. He was expecting to hear good news from her. What Plato hated the most, even more than loafers and excuses, was failure and worthless people.

 

[Milena von Gunten]

Her inexhaustible self-confidence dropped when Plato finally talked. His icy voice warned her for the avalanche that was going to come her way if she was going to defy him again. He retained her swagger but inside her she was shaking as the man's statement was categorical and he was meaning it. She prevented herself from apologizing again as this was going to ignite his fury and she contained herself to a nod of comprehension. Her silence lingered longer as he started talking about his favorite element and the one he was more powerful. She had seen him using his power of water twice and she was aware of what he was capable to do. He wasn't the type of man you would usually cross and Milena wasn't planning to do that while she wanted her life. Even more, Plato had helped her a lot with her family business of potion cosmetics spread across Europe and become a dominant power in the field. "I just prefer burning down what I don't want in my way." She replied with a shrug after he said she wouldn't understand his advice. "But I guess drowning to death your greatest enemies gives you another kind of satisfaction." she added to show him that she wasn't disdaining his own ways.

A smile flashed back on her lips upon hearing that the operation in Amazon went as planned. The man they have been searching for a month into the dense jungles of Brazil was a gifted shaman of a tribe named Botocudo and legends were suggesting that he was capable of locating witches and wizards with natural talent in elemental magic. Their plan was to utilize the man's power and locate skillful children or even adults around the world. Their ultimate goal was to recruit them, train them and promise them power and wealth. This was one of the many agendas the Elementalists had and although it was still unripe, having this shaman on their side was a good start. "This is great news!" she snickered as a waiter arrived with her refreshment. She waited until the waiter left and she raised her fizzy glass. "To the triumph of our organization!" she toasted and had a sip of the soda. Plato didn't seem to have a drink or any intention to join her toast.

Instead, he asked her about her own task, the one he had set her last time they had met. "I have it right here." she stated and picked up the suitcase from the foot of her chair. She unclipped it and opened on their table to reveal the blue, velvet covering inside and a piece of white cloth, bundled in the center. She took the cloth in her hands carefully and handed it to Plato. "I didn't have a hard time. Seducing a muggle archeologist and making him take me to the set of tunnels where it was resting for eons undisturbed was an easy task." she commented and gestured at the object that was wrapped inside the white cloth. She waited him unfold it and see his satisfaction settling on his face.

 

[Plato Aether]

It might wasn't visible outwardly but Plato could sense her demoralization. It wasn't also evident but he enjoyed seeing people being afraid of him like shaking dogs with their tail between their legs. To him, it meant that he was still somone to be reckoned. However, Milena wasn't just another recruit, another inferior for who he had zero respect. Milena had proved to be really capable and efficacious throughout the time they had spent together as partners. Plato may was authoritarian but he was also fair, not forgetting those who had assisted him all those years. So his irritation disappeared when Milena showed to comply with his remark. He let her make her toast but he didn't join her celebration. Plato was never celebrating until he had achieved his ultimate goal and this was just a tiny step with countless more to come.

It was a rare scene but there was a change on Plato's features as she reached for her suitcase. His dead eyes glowed like embers rekindling in the blackness of abyss. He leaned over to see the content of the suitcase and in the end he was handed the cloth wrapping the valueable object. Milena was explaining how exactly she managed to obtain the artefact but he wasn't quite listening. He unwrapped the cloth to reveal a stone. Thin, about two inches big, made of pure quartz. "Excellent work Milena." he recognized her good job, still standing the stone closely. There were many carvings on it, some of which he was able to recognize. "Hieroglyphics." he mattered and dim smirk carved on his own face. Among the different symbols was that of a human skull, the biggest out of them. "One stone less." he affirmed and pocketed the stone. "It seems you're getting good at locating these stones. You're going to find another one for me. You're going to lead the operation in Malta." he announced to her without giving her any option of choice.

 

[Milena von Gunten]

Milena's devilish smile couldn't get any broader when she heard Plato appreciating her work. It was the ultimate reward as the leader of the Elementalists was only recognizing the efforts of others when they had really done an exceptional job.
"You are quite right. They are indeed hieroglyphics." She confirmed as he was studying them carefully. "If you need me I can found someone to translate them for you." She offered as she was unable to do it herself and she was curious to find out what was all about these stones they were collecting all of a sudden. "May I ask why we need these stones we are tracking down? What's their use, what's their purpose?" She asked him. She hoped she didn't sound too nosy but she didn't like to execute commands and yet to be kept in the dark with no knowledge of the purpose of this operation. Her need to learn more was beat by what she heard him saying. Her elation was followed by exasperation when she was informed about her next mission. "You must be kidding Plato. I thought I was going to help him with the magical creature breeder." She hissed incensed. The truth was she wasn't expecting another field trip back to back. She was hoping she was going to help with the extraction of information from one of their captives.
"Please, let me help you with this." Milena almost begged in order to make him change his mind.
"It's been years now since this man has been dwelling in our dungeons. Don't you think we should start getting answers about the whereabouts of the scroll case from him?" She queried in an attempt to make him consider her assistance.
"You know I can make him speak if you let me talk to him. Send some of our newest recruits to Malta. I can be of great use at the headquarters." She tried to persuade him although it sounded like he had already made up his mind.

 

[Plato Aether]

He shot a penetrating gaze with those obsidian eyes when he realized that her curiosity was peaked.
"No need for that. I have my own people to translate it for me." he coldly rejected her offer. He was trusting people he knew very well and he had no idea who she was going to consult for the hieroglyphics. His deadpan face was affected by her profound need to learn more about this random quests of stones from different cultures around the world. "Don't worry Milena. Be patient and you'll get updated just in time." he assured her, hoping he had fed her curiosity for some time more. Plato knew exactly when to do announcements to his team and when to fill them in about their future plans. It wasn't the right time just yet. Not until he was confident for his next steps.

Plato was expecting Milena's reaction to her newly acquired assignment. He tried to hide his pleasure of watching her begging him to give her another, more suitable assignment for her according to her judgement. "I understand your request but I am afraid this is already arranged. I'm sorry." he stated, his voiced laced with tranquility. Although she was implying incapacity from his part, she didn't provoked his fury this time around. He new better than her when his captive had to speak. Everything was a matter of great timing. "As long as we have this man under our control we will learn where is the scroll case. Good things take some time to happen and this is no different." he quoted, wanting to share nothing more about this matter with her. "You should better start preparing for your trip in Malta. I need someone I trust greatly there and you are that person. I won't tolerate any objections." he warned her, reading on her face the need to negotiate this further more.
"I am convinced that you're going to cooperate with your new partners pretty smoothly." he added and waited to see the damage he had done with the words he had just spoken.

 

[Milena von Gunten]

Her irritation was reflected in her icy, blue eyes and she didn't want to hide it. She wasn't one of his many brainwashed new recruits to be sent at minor missions. Their clash was going to inevitable as her anger's fire was fueled with each word Plato was adding. "I don't understand how can you be so sure that this man is going to talk." She decided to express her disagreement moderately. "You are too soft with him. We should torture him to death. Then he's going to tell us everything he knows about the scroll case." She supported her own methods as the most effective. There were times she wanted to make things her own way. Plato was playing for time too much. She on the other hand, wanted to unleash everything she got and claim anything she desired. Even the low profile they were keeping for such a long time was opposite to her ways. If she had the right kind of influence over the organization, the whole wizardry community would have been aware about their presence and terrified about their capabilities.

Plato's irrevocable decision made her anger erupt like a long, oppressed volcano.
"No way Plato. There's no way I'm going to search for another stone of yours. I had enough hard time locating one for you in the Mexican jungles. There's no way I'm traveling again half the globe to collect something I'm not even informed of why it is of such a high importance." She went on like a stream of lave cracking out of the earth to consume everything on its way. "New partners?" She barked furious. "What exactly do you mean by saying new partners?" She stormed, knowing she won't like what she was about to hear.

 

[Plato Aether]

Plato's tolerance was running out like a water well during a drought but made an attempt not to erupt his own temper like she was doing. He crossed his arms against his chest and listened to her questioning his leadership, something he wasn't expecting to hear from her. It was true that people were talking what they really believed when they were dominated by wrath.
"He's going to talk when I want him to." he insisted keeping his voice emotionless despite his own enervation.
"Do you know Milena when we humans are the most fragile?" Plato asked her not really expecting an answer.
"When we love we become the most vulnerable beings ever created." he answered himself his own question still emotionless as she was looking at her. "This man has family. To be more precise, he was a big family I can wipe out of existance if he won't cooperate with us." he pointed out knowing already enough about his prisoner's life and weaknesses. "Exploiting others' weaknesses. You should have known by now it is the most convincing method of getting people eager to work with you." he quoted and his attention was drawn again by the flowing river. His jaw clenched when he heard Milena complaining again. He wasn't looking at her as she kept rumbling unstoppably, keeping down his annoyance. "Yes, new partners." he confirmed. "You are going to work with a few other people and you will be at the head of the mission along with another person I trust as much as you." he notified her hoping she would just shut up and stop wasting his forbearance. "As the more experienced, I am expecting you to be collaborative and helpful with your new partners." he added, sounding as a warning as his obsidian eyes pierced hers.

 

[Milena von Gunten]

Milena preferred working with her own team of apprentices, the people she had trained so far. It was easier to assert herself and control the group of people under her command. In addition, the people she was already working with them were disciplined and knew exactly what she was expecting of them. A new bunch of young minions was going to be a headache, something she wasn't eager to get through. What really aggravated her was Plato's assertion that she wasn't going to be the head of this operation. Not at least on her own. Her icy blue eyes looked at the man next to her with doubt. She hoped it was a bad joke but when humourlessness never let a muscle twitch on Plato's face, she realized he was serious and he was expecting her to just go with it. "No way!" she shook her head, flatly objecting with this idea. "I'm not going to do this Plato, I'm sorry. It will be my way this time or just forget me." She threatened him. It was her time to play that card, knowing that her assistance was invaluable to him. "I'm assuming you have already made up your mind. We can't do something about it so if you don't need me for anything else, I should go." She shrugged and stood up, expecting him to stop her with a compromising solution.

 

[Plato Aether]

Plato watched emotionless his partner exploding and expressing her dissatissfaction openely. She wasn't in the right position for negotiations. Her job was to follow his orders and carry them out successfully. Plato was tired of words. Suddenly, his hand clasped like a mouse trap around Milena's fingers as she stood up to leave. His displeasure made him tighten his grip and a layer of frost started spreading across Milena's arm with a cracking sound. "Sit-down." he ordered her as her skin started freezing from her fingers up to her neck underneath her clothes. "Sit down or I'll snap your arm to ice shards." Plato spat another threat and forced her to sit back down on her seat. A few deep breaths calmed down his fure and released his grip. The thin layer of ice cracked and dissolved as he took his hand off hers.
"You see what you're making me do now? I never wanted to bring this out but you leave me no other choice." he leaned closer to her with his obsidian eyes still firing sparks. "Follow my orders or your daughter is going to suffer in my hands, you hear me?" his menacing smirk could bring chills to any men's spine. "Of course I know about your past. I know everything about you. Every little, guilty secret you're trying so hard to keep buried." he talked before she was able to speak of what was swirling in her mind. Plato loved to be one step ahead. He always was, usually giving a surprise to his adversaries.
"Let me hear from these two, luscious lips. Are you going to follow my orders or you prefer to receive your daughters dead body?" he whispered and placed his hand on her cheek, his thumb tracing lustfully her trembling lips.

 

[Milena von Gunten]

Milena von Gunten was expecting the man to try convince her with a compromise that would benefit both of them. She knew pretty well that he needed her assistance. But the man with the dark eyes didn't use words this time. She felt his tight grip squeezing her hand and she was prevented from walking away. She looked at him surprised when his hand turned ice cold. Fear flashed in her eyes as she heard the cracking sound of forming frost. "Wha-?" The woman muttered and watched in agony the ice spreading from her fingers up to her shoulder slowly. Milena could no longer move her arm and felt shivers down her spine. It wasn't because of the steaming ice covering her whole arm. It was caused by the combination of shock and intense fear. Milena was usually admiring this man, his determination and how he had managed to pull the elementalists out of their ashes and rebuild them but there were sometimes she was loathing him.

The once fearless woman was now trembling like a leaf. Her icy, blue eyes widened to fill with more fear and shock when she heard the man referring to her darkest secret. How exactly he knew it? She had made sure she wasn't going to face again the deeds of her past but now Plato was dragging them out of where she had tried to bury them forever. "How-?" Her shaking voice was barely heard. She didn't finished her question as the man answered on his own. A new wave of fear flooded her when he claimed he knew everything about her past. Her worst fear had been materializing out of nowhere. She never wanted to deal with the demons of the past and Plato was turning them against her. "How do you know about my daughter?" Milena managed to finally complete a sentence. She was still standing motionless as the ice was threatening to move farther than her shoulder and gulp her whole. She realized that she didn't want to know what exactly knew about this long-kept secret. Inevitably, she was going to do what he desired. "I'll do everything you want. I swear!" Her voice came as a plea. She tried to swallow her dread but a lump in her throat was not letting her. "Please! Release my hand! Please!" She begged and struggled to keep the burning tears in her eyes.

 

[Plato Aether]

A menacing smile grew broader on his expressionless face as the power of ice spread all over the woman's arm. Plato had a relish for the fear he was inflicting to other people. Her eyes were usually sparkling malevolently but now they were deluged with dread. Her pleas were like music to his ears and he had turned into a predator enjoying watching his pray struggling a few moments before the final blow. Despite his urge to snap her frozen arm into million pieces, he released his tight grip and the ice retracted like a heat source had melted it away. Usually the leader of the Elementalists was able to contain his emotions but now it was differently. The same predator willing to deliver the final blow to his victim was now blood-stained and hungry for more blood. He just wanted to get her some additional agony and he had the perfect idea to do that.

"You still don't believe me when I tell you I know about your daughter." he said coldly and shook his head in disappointment. In fact he knew that he was quite convincing about this assertion but he needed an excuse for what he was planning to do next. He stood up all of a sudden and grabbed her again from her wrist. "I don't want you to question my sincerity again. Let's have a look at your darkest secret MIlena." the menacing smile returned again on his face but not for long. The location suddenly changed. The umbrellas, the tables, the chairs, everything zoomed into a vortex of colors. The idyllic cafe in the heart of Manaus gave its place to what seemed to be a park. It was earlier than afternoon now and a bit colder. They were no longer in Brazil but hundred of miles away. Plato and MIlena appeared in the location like they were spat from another dimension, yet the people enjoying their morning walk around them, had noticed nothing.

HIs hard, obsidian eyes scanned the area and widened with delightment when he spotted what he was looking for. Plato released her arm once more and placed his own hands on her shoulders as he whispered in her ear from behind her. "There is your little secret." he gestured with his head at a young woman in the distance. He let her a moment to see the young woman and realize who she was looking at. "Ah yes! Your daughter. The child you left years away to die in the woods, has now became a mother of her own." he prompted her to have a better look. "The apple falls close to the tree. Pff, what a lie." he chuckled amused. "In our case, the apple fell far away from the tree. Your daughter seems to thrive where you have failed miserably" he belittled her and smirked when he noticed that his words had an effect on her. "Why don't we go to introduce ourselves. I wonder how she would react upon learning that her mother left her to be mangled by the forest's beasts." he suggested with a creepy expression as he was testing her. He had no intent to go and speak to the girl. He wanted to bring Milena a step closer to her fears. Furthermore, he needed the girl, her daughter, in case Milena had again the brilliant idea to talk back to him or generally disobey him. Next time this was going to happen, he was going to do the work that the beasts of that forest hadn't done twenty one years ago.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

It was one of briars days off. Willow had woken early. She had cried, briar had tried to consol her, feed her, change her but nothing had seemed to console her. In a last attempt to make her feel better she had apparated them to one of willow favorite parks. A park with a playground that she could play on and that she always seemed to have an adventure on. This seemed to do the trick the fourteen month old laughed gleefully and as soon as they landed ran as best as she could to the slide. She knew some of the other parents would look at her as she let her one year old go in the slide on her own thinking she was a bad mum. Briar knew otherwise. She had never been conditioned with half hearted adventures and it had never done her any harm and she was bringing willow up the same way. After the slide the little girl wanted to go on a climbing frame. She watched the girl struggle trying to get up a few of the different ways before she managed to get up the steps. Briar peeked through the railing. boo she said as willow laughed. Next was the firemans pole. Not that willow knew what the poll was for. Instead the girl jumped off the edge and landed in the sand. Briar picked her up and brushed her off and gave her a hug. i think that is enough of that for now she said. She had just become aware that there was a couple standing a way away from here. She hadn't noticed them arrive but she did notice they were boy looking at her intently.
She wasn't sure who they were but the way they were looking in her direction made her a little uncomfortable. She started to walk willow in her hands towards the pond as the girl liked watching the ducks there. Unfortunately for both of them they hadn't seemed to have woken up. Looking back to where the couple were standing she saw that they were still there looking at her. Shrugging she went over to them they were starting to slightly unsettle her. And she wasn't one to like getting unsettled. She felt like the rabbit chased by a fox, and she hated being a rabbit, she was more used to being the fox. hello are you okay there? she asked. Hoping that they were just a couple who's shielded had grown up reminiscing in times gone past or some old macaws fans who had just seen one of the one season chasers from the team. However something told her none of the above was right.

 

[Plato Aether]

Plato remained silent with a soft smirk and read all the emotions now flooding the woman beside him. Whether she had regretted the deeds of her past or not it was unknown but Plato thought it was unlikely to have awaken her maternal instict after so many years. It wasn't awaken back when she abandoned the baby in the forest, let alone now. Plato knew Milena for twenty years, enough to make an impression out of her. She was definately an independent woman, aiming to the top as she was steering the colossal business left from her father. She didn't really matched the profile of a woman getting married and having kids to consume her time.

The Scitorari pair must have caught the attention of the young woman with the baby. Plato was expecting Milena to tell him to get back and leave the park but she seemed to have lost her ability to talk from the shock. The girl strided with the same determination Milena had and now that she was getting closer, Plato could discern a few identical characteristics between them. Since Milena hadn't uttered a word yet, Plato thought he should handle her daughter. "Oh, yes. We are good." he replied first and pursed his lips as he was examining the girl with his obsidian-coloured eyes. "We've been debating here whether you are Briar Rowan, the Macaws' Chaser." he added pretty convinsingly. "You see my wife is a real fan of yours." Plato continued and wrapped his arm around Milena's waste.
"But she's quite shy. Could we have an autograph from you? It would be great." he beamed, something he was so rarely doing. It almost hurt to pretend but he was exceptional at wearing his masks.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar listened as the man said that they were fin and just trying to decide if she was her or not. she glanced away. she still want used to having fans. she liked attention she had come to realise, even now appearing in the prophet every now and then when it was a slow news month, the last time if she remembered right was a slightly twisted interview about what it was like raising a child in a werewolf family. that kind of story that only bored house wives or those with a special interest in the situation or as was likely the case of these people her dare she think it fans would read. what also striked her odd about these was that they were not the usual people you would think of as huge quidditch fans, the man and woman seemed older and smartly dressed with a sort of class that wasn't usually seen at quidditch matches. then again it was surprising what quiddich fns looked like, it was after all a sport for everyone. "I am, or rather i was until a few years ago" she said. note that there was another briar Rowan playing in the quidditch league that she knew of, and she was sure there was non in the macaws.
when he said he and his wife were rather big fans she did her best to hide her pride. thankfully this was easy as willow started to fidget and wanted to be put down. she put the toddler on the ground letting her toddle off running after butterflies that were far quicker than the one and a bit year old. keeping an eye on the girl to ensure she didn't end up in the pond Briar smiled at his request. "thank you. it is great to meet you both, mr and mrs, umm what were your names" she said offering a hand shake. there was a time when she thought hand shakes were most utterly bemusing, even impolite, but she had spent so much time in meetings that they had become a sort of almost normal way of meeting people. "I am afraid i can't, I don't have a pen or paper" she said. genuinely sorry. she knew how having something as simple as a squiggle on a pice of paper from someone you were a fan of could make your day, and it wasn't as though an autograph was hard or taxing or cost her anything. before looking around to see where willow had gotten to. currently still far away from the pond to be worried about.

 

[Milena von Gunten]

MIlena felt sweet warmth again as the ice retreated and the man released his grip. She avoided to say anything else and avoided to look Plato in the eyes as she was clenching her wrist. He had left several fingerprints against her pale skin and fear inside her. She didn't want to make anything and provoke his anger again but it seemed to be too late already. Anger or maybe sadism was already awaken and greedy. He wanted to see her suffer more and Milena felt his tight grip again around her wrist. "I believe you!" She snapped desperate, afraid of what he was going to do to her now. She hadn't the chance to react. She was pulled away from the sun-bathed cafe, into a tunnel of obscurity. Her feet landed on solid ground and a park stretched before her. "What are we doing here?" She asked afraid of what he could have come up with his nasty mind, MIlena's icy, blue eyes locked at a young woman playing with a baby. "Why are you doing this to me Plato? I told you I'll do anything you want." She tried not to sound too scared but there was a begging tone in her voice. She was now refusing to look at the woman and the toddler. She wanted to leave and go away. "Are you kidding me?" She tried to keep her voice low as he was testing her limits by suggesting to go and introduce themselves to the girl. Milena just wanted the ground underneath her feet to crack open wide and swallow her out of sight.

Her colleague might was playing his mind games with no intention to carry out his threats but the young woman approached them on her own. Milena felt her hands cold. Even colder than a few minutes ago when Plato turned them into ice. She couldn't utter a word. She remained still, holding her breath while Plato was over enjoying himself. The baby hadn't touched her cold heart twenty years ago when she was abandoning it in that forest and she was now looking confused at the young woman who was supposedly her daughter. She could see the resemblance. There were some familiar features on the girl's face but the eyes was of that muggle that Milena had fell in love just after her graduation from school. While Plato was continuing acting convincingly, she looked at the toddler. She couldn't even process the idea that this was her granddaughter chasing butterflies. Finally, Milena found the courage to talk and take the situation in her hands.
"Mr and Mrs Veight." She replied when the woman named Briar asked their names. "I'm Helen and this is my husband Gaylord." She introduced herself and Plato with different names. Her own was the first she could come up at the top of her head but for Plato she found a name that would stultify him. A sort of small revenge for what he had done before.

You wanted to play, didn't you? She thought and wrapped her arm around his waist to pretend the lovely couple. "Oh honey, you are so out of date." She sang and nudged her supposed husband teasingly. "Ms Rowan is no more a Macaw player although she used to be a great one some time ago." Even pretending to be the happy housewife was making her feel sick. "It's alright. We shouldn't waste your precious time with your daughter. Nice to meet you in person." She beamed at her daughter. "Come on honey. We should go." She suggested, wearing a broad smile. She begged inside her that Plato was done with his little games. She wanted to leave and never see that woman again.

 

[Plato Aether]

Plato couldn't help but wonder if Milena's daughter was a natural with elements like her mother. If that was the case, the young woman would make a nice addition to his collection of recruits. But he was violently drown out of his thoughts when Milena seemed to be repossesing her dynamic attitude. He glanced at her when she introduced themselves as the Veights but what knocked him down was the name she chose for him. Plato smiled and slightly tightened his grip on her shoulder.
"My parents must have had a strange sense of humour." the Elementalist leader commented. Plato had no intention to let this meeting go in vain. Milena might was looking forward to leave but he had different plans.
"Please excuse my ignorance on the subject. I am not a Qudditch enthusiastic but what interests me are working mothers that are coping well with both of their roles." Plato shot a remark targeting Milena about her inefficiency to be a mother and her choice of working on her career. At the same time he wanted to win Briar's liking. He sure wanted to keep in touch with her now that he had finally the opportunity to talk to her.
"You see, I am an independent journalist and I am working on an article about women thriving both as professionals and mothers. It would be nice if we could meet again and dine possibly together while talking over your every day routine. My wife is a great cook, I promise you won't regret it." he proposed and cuddled Milena and grinned.
"Here, let me give you my card...now where I put it...oh, there you go." Plato searched his pockets for a card. At the moment he had handed it over to Briar, it was writting the name Gaylord Veight and the profession of the journalist as well as the address of his New Zealand lake house.
"I would really appreciate if you accept my offer and give me an interview. Send me an owl if you make up your mind." he said and got back to his alleged wife.
"We hope we didn't bother you much today. It was nice to meet you. Please, consider my proposal, okay? Have a nice rest of the day." and with that, he touched Milena on the shoulder and they both disapparated.

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The Brazilian sun's rays tickled his skin as he apparated along with his partner at the terrace of the riverside cafe. He walked passed the tables with the yellow umbrellas to reach the table where the two of them were sitting. The suitcase with the stone brought to him by Milena was still waiting them there. Strangely enough, they weren't any other customers around. Just him and her and the two young waiters, standing in the far end. <COLOR color="#000">"Sit." Plato ordered her as he sat down. He glanced at the opposite scenic bank of the river and he started talking.
"I am glad you haven't lost your acting skills. For a moment, you almost made me miss the presence of a wife by me side." he said with a sardonic grin and turned his attention on her.
"Also, next time let me choose my name if you don't mind." he commented on her attempt to humiliate him before her daughter.
"I hope this casual meeting will remind you from now on who pulls the strings. So, are we now okay with the job in Malta? Are you going to lead your new partners into yet another successful operation?" he asked. Plato expected nothing but a positive answer from Milena. He had showed her how well he knew her past and how easily he could make her present a hell.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar wondered what was going on with the couple as they introduced themselves. "It is nice to meet you both" she said. thinking about it it certainly wasn't something she would have said three years ago, but her job required her to be nice to people, and well it managed to rub off in her personal life too. she looked to see where willow was and she could see her waving at the insects with her baby hands. She had yet to teach her the ways of a hunter, how being still could often attract the target, and sitting still would likely cause them to lad on her hands.
looking back at the couple she could see that the lady was eager to leave however he wanted to talk more. "Don't worry, i didn't play for the team that long" she said. though she felt like she was a strong asset for the team. when he said what his interests were she understood why he wanted to talk. "It is a bit of work, but thankfully I have my family support, my mom looks after willow when I can't. and thankfully my work is fairly flexible when i need to be she said, referring to iris Margera as the margeras had taken her in as one of their own when she was fourteen, and still wanted her even if she partially blamed herself for Jacksons death even know no matter how many times she told herself she couldn't be, and even though she ran away afterwards and ended up becoming a werewolf. "she took the business card "If you want an interview feel free to contact me." she said giving her wand a flick to cause a business card of her own to appear in thin air. and she handed it over to him.
looking back over her shoulder she saw the toddler had chased the butterflies towards the pond and was now gaining interest with the dragonflies. "willow, keep away from the water" she called, the girl just looked at her smiled giggled and went closer, the she certainly had her parents rebellious spirit. at the wives persistence the man said they had to leave. "Don't worry, you haven't bothered me at all. have a nice day" she said before turning and heading towards the pond who's edge she had just reached. Briar Picked her up as she let out a cry in protest before looking back to the hill where mr and Mrs veight had been standing which was now empty.