Taking the Next Step

[Xander Killick]

Xander Killick sighed deeply. He'd exhausted most of his alleys to help himself learn more about Alchemy. The philosophers stone had alluded him for years, and he lacked most of the knowledge to create it, but he had been searching for most of his life & he'd discovered enough of the magic required to at least have some sort of effect on his life. It wasn't enough for him, though, and he'd set up a meeting with a member of the Scitorari under a false pretense in order to attempt to gain access to their wealth of knowledge. He had spent a considerable amount of time tracking them down, and he'd managed to come across at least one of the members. There was always something to find if you knew where to look, he had learned that lesson years ago. It was entirely possible, however, that he had been fed false information and he could be back to square one. He sat down in his chair, and awaited his guests arrival, hoping that this would be the break he was looking for.

 

[Ioan Finch]

Ioan had heard the whispers among his brethren of someone asking a lot of questions, digging for information. Ioan didn't like that. Of course, there was the possibility that the person would prove useful and become a member of their group. But, there was an equal possibility of the individual having some ulterior motive that would be damaging to the Scitorari in the long run. The stakes were high, and Ioan had ultimately decided to check this person out on his own. If there was need to strike quickly, Ioan wouldn't hesitate to act. The Scitorari had too many plans, too much at stake, to allow someone to continue asking too many questions about them. Donning a basic wizarding robe with a hood, Ioan knocked on the man's door, entering the space where the meeting had been scheduled with a nod and a brief 'good evening.' The hood cast a shadow on the features given to him through the use of polyjuice potion, an added precaution. Ioan remained silent, expecting that the other man would speak first.

 

[Xander Killick]

Xander only barely noticed the other man slink into his house, and that was with him looking attentively for his approach. He put on a smirk, and flicked his wand to pour a drink for the two of them. Xander didn't mind that he had infiltrated his house, in fact he had expected it, and would have been disappointed if he had used conventional methods to get inside. "Welcome, Mr. Finch! May I interest you in a drink?" He asked, as he took a sip out of the one that he had poured for himself.

"I won't waste your time, and I'll get to the point. I've been asking a lot of questions to find someone like you, and I need your help." He said, not wasting any time. He didn't have time to beat around the bush, and he knew that Ioan also wouldn't want to have his time wasted. "My name is Xander Killick, and I want to join the Scitorari." He stated, and knowing that wouldn't be good enough, he continued. "In order to make use of your knowledge to create a philosophers stone, and I'm sure i don't need to tell you how that can benefit both of us." He finished, taking another sip of his drink. All of his cards were on the table now.

 

[Ioan Finch]

Ioan wasn't pleased to hear the man call him by name. Heads would be rolling, literally if need be. Ioan didn't have just himself to think about in these matters. He had his family and the Scitorari, his second family, to consider. "No" he stated briefly. He never trusted drinks from people he didn't know. Experience from jobs he'd done had taught him much.

Glad when the man didn't delay, Ioan listened with no comment until he finished. "Those are bold statements, Mr. Killick" the Potions leader stated. He knew this could be a trap set up by the Ministry, so he chose his next words carefully, all the while considering how long it would take him to get to his wand if that was the case. "There's been talk for weeks about your questions" he stated, "Why should the Scitorari help you?"

 

[Xander Killick]

Xander smirked when he didn't accept the drink that he had been offered, he had expected as much. He could have been offering the man poison for all he knew, not that he would, especially considering he was a lot more interested in joining this man then he was about killing him. He toyed around with the thoughts of killing him, but they were pushed out of his mind fairly quickly. He noted that the man didn't look very happy when he had called him by his name, but he dealt in information and he didn't like to find himself at a disadvantage.

Xander grinned when the man told him that there had been chatter of him for weeks, he had expected as much, the kinds of questions he had been asking would not have gone unnoticed. He was unphased, however, by this. He frowned at his next question. "I'm sure I shouldn't need to explain to you the benefits of my research. I'm not the kind of person that does half a job. You help me, and I'm sure I can help you." He said, and once again a smirk touched his face. He was indeed making bold claims, and there was every chance that he might not be able to live up to them, but he had come too far for his research to be in vain.

 

[Ioan Finch]

Ioan darkened some more at the man's grin. He hadn't meant that as a compliment. The talk hadn't been good, most people wondering what this man's angle was. Talk of him being an undercover Auror had gone around as well."You make bold statements and you lack discretion" the potions leader stated with distaste in his tone. For some of the Scitorari, such behaviors were ok, but it wasn't Ioan's way. He was done.

Moving quickly, Ioan headed for the door, his hand on his wand as he was still undecided on what to do with this man. Finally, for the first time during the visit, he cracked a smile. "We'll find out if you're all talk. And if you are? We kill you" he finished, apparating with a crack. He'd left no contact information, no anything. That would come with time, with some more surveillance of this man to see if he was who he said he was. And it would come once the person who'd given away his name had been taken care of.