Traditional Tea

[Austiin Hayes]

Austiin rarely stepped a foot in Bleak Street. The first time he had come here, he was all but lost. Now, however, he knew he way around better than he thought he ever would. While not one to be frightened of anything these streets could throw at him, he did hold a disdain for the dark. There was no point in looking nice if one was going to skulk around in the dark. However, being under dressed was never an option in the Hayes household and there was need to be dressed appropriately. The wizard kept his hands in his pockets as he strolled along until he reached a sharp turn. He continued with his walk, finding himself growing bored as his route began drawing to an end. His purpose today was to meet with Eustacia, the leader of the Necromancy branch of the Scitorari, which he happened to belong to. He had met the woman enough times to know that she was not one to be tried, while Austiin was not one to actively seek death by her hand, especially since his purpose was to explore it, not experience it. He released a sigh as he stepped onto the doorway and paused to fix the button of his jacket.

Taking his hat of and holding it in his left hand, Austiin knocked on the door three times to let her know that he had arrived. He did not see much point in calling out, since he was not exactly itching to have the entirety of bleak street hearing his voice. He turned slightly in place to keep an eye on what was going on around him, and to allow enough room for the door to be opened to let him inside. The pure blood had made sure he got here on time, as punctuality was something he upheld. With his right hand back in the pocket of his jacket, he pursed his lips silently as he waited.
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[Eustacia Lancaster]

Grey eyes watched from inside as dark silhouettes passed by the drawn, scarlet curtains that framed the window of a quaint, almost medieval town-home situated in the center of Bleak Street. Shadows of men and women flickered along infrequently, tall and short, fat and thin. A small handful seeming to be, in subtle ways, not even entirely human. But of course, it wasn't uncommon to brush past a hag or vampire in these parts of the area. Yet there was no sign of the younger male that Eustacia expected. The elderly witch turned from the window, her charcoal shawl whipping behind her as she strode across the dimly lit living room and toward an impressive wall-mounted clock, where multiple intricately designed hands ticked quietly within its circular frame; a silver serpent biting its own tail. Here, a transparent crystal-tipped hand, slightly larger than its companions, pointed in the direction of a crescent sun. It was still early, she realised. Her guest wasn't meant to arrive for a few minutes more.

The Necromancer took the time to head toward the back of the town-home and into its warm, cozy kitchen. The warmth radiated from a stone brick fireplace, where a boiling iron kettle hovered atop an amber flame, its contents spitting heatedly inside as thick clouds of steam curled from its aged spout. Eustacia gestured a gloved hand toward a nearby tray resting along the kitchen's smooth bench. Immediately, the kettle left its position and followed its mistresses silent direction. Upon reaching the tray, it poured hot water into an awaiting teapot, the liquid hissing against tea leaves and filling the room with a sudden aroma.

It's contents drained, the kettle drifted toward the sink and rested motionless, waiting for its next fill. From here Eustacia took over, covering the teapot's hole with it's lid and and arranging two porcelain teacups by it's side. At her touch, one teacup hopped up and danced away, clinking towards an open window. The witch hissed, snatching the animated object as it reached the sill and muttering an irritated incantation. Instantly the cup went still and was returned to its tray. It wasn't the first time Eustacia had found one of her belongings suddenly alive and kicking. Her grandson had a habit of animating the inanimate when he was around, whether to intentionally annoy her or not she wasn't sure, but it had caused her endless grief. Life. Eustacia thought to herself. The exact opposite of where her interests lay. She'd tried countless times to get young Aeon to take an interest in her expertise, but to no avail. It was a shame, his talent in the art of Transfiguration was valuable. But it was no matter. One of her more prominent followers, to her knowledge, was similarly gifted.

Three rapid knocks sounded through the town-home as Eustacia exited the kitchen, placing the tea-tray in the center of the living room room table. On her way out, the elderly witch glanced sidelong once more to her ouroboros clock. The corners of her lips twitched upwards ever so slightly. Right on time. Lovely. she thought, and waved briefly at the tall oak front door ahead. Its latch unclicked and it swung slowly open, revealing the man she'd been waiting for. "Mr. Hayes." she said coolly, extending one arm out to her side. She preferred the man's surname. The spelling of "Austiin" seemed too...unprofessional. Still, she greeted him warmly. Or at least, as warmly as she could manage for a woman who's tone was usually ice cold and sharp as a blade. "Welcome. Do come in."

 

[Austiin Hayes]

Austiin smiled slightly as the wooden door opened to allow him access into the establishment. It was ornate, and suited the beholder rather well. He could not imagine the older woman in another setting without finding her presence there unnatural. Perhaps a morgue, though a very clean and methodically thought-out morgue. But any other place would be incredibly strange. As if seeing one's professor in the supermarket or something. "Ms. Lancaster," he replied in a similar greeting. Following her gestured arm, he further entered, and sat down at a table with what appeared to be tea set up and ready for them, a perk of coming on time and being known to do so. However, when he placed his hat on the edge of the table as to not disturb them while they spoke, it brushed against a spoon that, as if being disturbed from a peaceful slumber, jumped up and made a crazed dash for the window. "It seems you have an escapee." Before it could make its escape, he captured it and placed it back in its appropriate spot once he released the spell. It was quite hilarious, but he kept a straight face, but allowed his eyes to lighten considerably. It did not seem like Eustacia's style to have little animated cutlery lying around.

Once comfortable, he looked at Eustacia. To his knowledge, this would primarily be about the elections. He had been keeping a close eye, and found himself wishing that it was not happening. At the rate this was all going, the school was going to house more adults than students. The only candidate that wasn't out for Scitorari blood was the woman, whom he doubted would get anywhere. He thought she was an idiot, to be frank. Her views were sound, but she was naive if she thought that this country's inhabitants would vote in a woman that planned to remove muggle borns. Muggle borns were too much a part of the society in which they lived in, and opening a campaign saying anything against them was a surefire way to fail. Disadvantaged segments of the population were always the ones to cry pity and mistreatment, and there was always a larger group of sympathizers ready to cry along with them to gain even more support. The Matthias man had nearly made Austiin gag as he read his views. Going on about not being able to harm anyone, and wanted equality. He recalled rolling his eyes as he read the article. Pacifists weren't good leaders, they couldn't make the hard decisions. As with Kaster, if he had his way, aurors would be crawling all over the place. Austiin, having children in the local school, did not fancy having them seeing aurors at every damn corner they crossed. It might give them ideas. As for the last one, Kingsley, apparently Abbigale met the man, and appeared to all-but worship the ground he walked on. That was enough to have Austiin decide that he disliked all of them. Then again, he rarely liked politicians.

"I assume you have kept up with the election," he said, sipping his tea. "What are your thoughts on the candidates?"
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[Eustacia Lancaster]

Eustacia stepped back to allow the man to pass, before gently closing the door behind him and listening to it click, the lock falling once more into place. It wasn't a signal that either of them were locked in, more a sign of security, a preventative of unwanted intruders. She'd had her fair share of wannabe thieves attempt to enter her Bleak Street residence, none of which had been successful thus far. She'd literally opened the door on a man who had been pressed up against the wooden surface of her door, wand in hand while he attempted to penetrate her protective charms. He had toppled face first into her floor and lost hold of his only weapon. His ensuing screams of horror hadn't escaped the sound-proof field around her property.

She still kept his Missing Person poster on her fridge. The Aurors could never find her victims bodies.

Leading Austiin into the living room, the elderly witch showed him his seat before taking her own, draping her shawl along the back of the chair as she did. She was in the middle of lifting the teapot to pour its contents into a cup, when Hayes brushed a silver spoon that, like the teacup prior to him entering, sprang to life and attempted its escape. Eustacia paused in silent, straight-faced horror. This was not an ideal situation. Thankfully, Hayes seemed unfazed by the spectacle and was quick to disenchant the silverware. "The joys of having grandchildren." The Necromancer commented disdainfully, gently shaking her head as she resumed pouring. Only half her grandchildren had turned out the way she wanted them to. She believed her daughter's husband had stunted the Summers twins growth, poisoning them with misguided beliefs at a young age. She regretted cutting Katherine off for so many years. Her daughter running off to marry a half-blood had been a slap in the face for the dark witch and she'd let the family grow without proper guidance. The Necromancer wasn't making the same mistake with the Lancaster children. Emmett and Esme were both pure, and she would make sure that the Lancaster tree continued to flourish with perfection.

The Scitorari leader took a sip of her tea and placed it back down onto its saucer as Austiin questioned her on the current ongoing elections. She couldn't help but smile. The whole thing was a joke. "It's ridiculous. I'm surprised any of them were competent enough to actually become a candidate." she said with a ton that suggested mock pity for the wizards. She traced the rim of her teacup with a spoon before continuing. "None of them pose much of a threat. At first I was unsure about this Matthias character, with his firm stance on ridding the world of the Scitorari. However I highly doubt he'll win this election, no one likes a fanatic. Though I am curious as to why he's so adamant on his views. I'd like to see him in a debate with Ms Brandt, given her views against Muggle-borns. It's nice to see some support for our side, but she's not the most subtle and I don't see her getting too far. In this day and age, our society is too accepting." It disappointed her that the wizarding world was as it was, embracing those with muggle background like they were equals. If Eustacia was without her passion for Necromancy, she'd fit quite cozily in the Prejudice branch. "Next we have Kingsley. When I see him I'm reminded of a small puppy. Cute to look at, but weak and easy to crush. There's nothing to fear there. As for Kaster, I can't take him seriously. Aurors within the grounds of Hogwarts? I cannot possibly imagine that would go down well with parents. What idiot focuses on a school full of children?" she could have scoffed. Plato Aether, leader of the Elementalists had a similar idea of focusing on the school to recruit. The man had since become something of a joke among the other leaders.
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