Post by Admin on Aug 23, 2020 3:42:26 GMT
Not quite what it seems
(OOC: Combined threads from the previous site)
Ivy Sekmet
Ivy sat in her bedroom in the small shack she currently occupied on the grounds of Hogwarts. She was staring at the worn piece of parchment she currently had resting on her lap. It had arrived the week before and since then she had taken it out constantly to stare at the offer made for her to take the life of a woman named Eve. There had been few details given, just a date and an address. The parchment had been kept in her pocket since it had arrived. Though her hut was normally left undisturbed Ivy had not remained uncaught by being sloppy. So anytime her services were requested she either destroyed what she was given, or kept it on herself at all times. She checked the time and let out a curse as she jumped to her feet. If she didn't get going soon then she would fall behind schedule and that would end up a disaster.
The woman rose to her feet and stood before a mirror studying her reflection. She had on the typical attire for a kill, black boots, black pants and a black long sleeved shirt. There was a bag sitting on the floor near the door that contained a change of clothes, some basic medical supplies, and her weaponry. She wouldn't get out any of her blades until she was closer to her target. The only one she had was the small knife she had strapped to her right wrist. Her wand was in its holster on her left wrist. With one more glance in the mirror she smiled and made her way out the door, bag in hand.
She was heading into London to make her kill and that made her feel slightly nervous. It wasn't often that she killed so close to home. She preferred to travel a bit to kill, it made it easier to stay anonymous. Ivy had no desire to get caught in the midst of slaying someone. No she wanted the money to keep coming in, and that wouldn't happen if she were caught and sent to Azkaban. Where Ivy knew she would be given the Dementor's kiss. If it were to come out how many she had killed, and her methods she was sure that there would be no mercy offered to her. Ivy reached New Dawn Street where the house she was supposed to be at was located. So slowly she walked down the street in the darkness looking at the addresses. When she reached number 756 she raised her eyebrows and reached for the parchment again. She pulled out the parchment and scanned it over and confirmed the location. But she was definitely confused. The place was nothing more than an old shack placed towards the back of a lot overgrown with weeds. It didn't look like the kind of place anyone would live in, but still she crept forward. She had her wand in one hand and knife in the other as she made her way to the door.
There were no lights on in the interior but that did not dissuade her. After all the woman might merely be asleep, some people did retire earlier than others. She took a deep breath as she reached out and turned the handle of the door. She was surprised to find it open and smiled as she pushed open the door and silently crept in, despite the heeled boots she wore. Ivy entered into a small hallway, and listened for the sounds of anyone from within. Hearing nothing she slowly moved forward, peering into the open doorways as she went. In the silence she heard what sounded like a crackling fireplace and sped up slightly heading towards the noise.
There was a glow coming from underneath the one closed door in the hallway as she went to open it a slightly evil smirk crossed her lips. But it faded once the room was revealed to be empty of persons. Ivy was starting to get angry, if she didn't complete her task she wouldn't be paid. Other than that, she would also have wasted the entire evening. She was already feeling the pre-kill adrenaline running through her veins and started to worry that she would have no way to dissipate it. Ivy walked further into the room and looked towards the fire. Confusion once again crossed her face as her brown eyes studied the words above the fireplace, 'Facio Non Surculus Nuntius' in what appeared to be old blood. The writing was a faded brownish red color that seemed to be almost flaking away. As she moved forward to get a closer look she glanced around the room slowly and spotted a skeleton lying off to one side of the room. It was obvious just looking at it that the skeleton was human, the bones were slightly yellowed, she supposed that it had been there for awhile. So there was no way that this body could belong to Eve, the woman she was after this night. Ivy squatted down in front of the bones and studied them starting to get quite annoyed with how the night was turning out.
Bernard Brackenbury
With each step taken on the old floor, the wood creaked under Bernard's weight. He walked the hallway slowly, holding a lit lantern in his hand to guide his way, in an attempt to not disturb his subject, who was likely to become violent should she get overexcited. This wouldn't cause Bernard any harm, but it would make things go slower than he preferred. No doubt Joseph Witchard would worry should his grounds keeper stay out too late.
Bernard opened the living room door slowly with his free hand, causing the light from his lantern to illuminate the dark living room. And there she was, in all her glory. His target, inspecting the ancient bones of this house's last occupant. "I'm afraid Eve has been dead for some time, Madam Sekmet. I apologize for bringing you here under false pretenses, but I was asked by my employer to meet with you and talk with you. And, may I say, your timing is impeccable." Breaking the silence, Bernard said the last sentence as he stared at the grandfather clock in the room. The clock was covered with cobwebs, and the glass was broken out from it. The hands were completely still, and there was no ticking sound. It was obvious that the clock hadn't functioned in years. Yet Bernard looked at it as though it was working perfectly, showing the precise time Ivy arrived.
Bernard wasn't smiling, and there was no trace of fear for standing in the same room as Ivy Sekmet. He turned his face back to the woman and studied her. This is what they were working on.
Ivy Sekmet
As she knelt there studying the bones Ivy heard the creaking of footsteps nearing the room. She tensed up slightly and quickly got her knife at the ready, but did not rise from her position on the dusty floor. The footsteps sounded to heavy to belong to a female and Ivy began to wonder if she had been set up. The room was lit up as the door to the room creaked open, but she made no move as to having heard it. She waited until the voice spoke before slowly standing up and turning to face him.
"I think her being dead is quite obvious." Ivy said coldly as she studied the man standing before her. She toyed with the knife in her hand, running a fingertip over the blade as she listened to him speak, chosing to digest the situation before speaking again. Though she had no fear of the situation she did not like the fact that he had the upper hand. It always made her slightly uneasy to not be in control of the situation. Her gaze followed where his landed to settle on an old broken clock. She raised and eyebrow and shook her head.
"And why pray tell should I stay and listen to what your employer wants me to hear?" Ivy asked in a low voice as she glanced around the room. She should have realized something was wrong the second she entered the place. But the lure of the promised money had been too much to resist, and look where it had gotten her. Ivy had ended up basically backed into a corner. "After all I came here to kill, granted you aren't a woman named Eve," she paused and eyed him with a dark smile, "Why shouldn't I kill you instead?"
Bernard Brackenbury
Bernard allowed a little smile to form on his face at her words. She was an angry, unruly woman. She was rough around the edges, a lot different from her predecessor, but she was trainable. She would be molded by her experiences.
"Try to kill me if you must, Madam Sekmet," said Bernard, approaching an old rocking chair in the living room, "but I'm far past the stage of being killed by ordinary means. Forgive me, but there's still many laws of magic that this world doesn't understand. Why, even in death, Eve Marsden (he gestured to the skeleton) still has much to learn." Flashing Ivy a quick, sinister smile, Bernard took a seat in the rocking chair, sitting his lantern on the stand to his right. He leaned back in the chair and put his hands together, surveying Ivy.
"Why should you stay here and listen to what I have to say?" He gave her a small, pitying smile and shook his head. "It's not the simple, Ivy," he said softly. "You're here because you were chosen to be here. It's destiny. It doesn't matter what you do, what lengths you go to, where you choose to hide, it will never be enough. You're here for a reason. It is determined to have you. You can't escape your destiny." Bernard paused, feeling he had gotten his point across. Now he needed get his second point across. "But this isn't a curse, Ivy. This is a blessing. You've been chosen because you're special. You need to take control of your herd. You need to take your rightful place as leader of the Seven."
Ivy Sekmet
"May I ask sir who implied I would attempt to kill you with ordinary means?" She asked coldly as she watched him approach a rocking chair that she had not noticed until now. She disregarded his next statement and kept her eyes trained on him as she tried to figure out just what she was still doing standing there. Her instincts were telling her to do something, anything. But she was stuck in place unable to will herself to move.
"There is no such thing as destiny." The woman said with a dead look in her eyes. "We make our own future. So if that is your argument then you had better come up with another one quick. Since you brought me here I am sure you know who I am, and just what I am capable of." Ivy said as she took a few steps forward, still toying with the knife in her hand. Her gaze went across the room to where her bag had been carelessly tossed in a corner. She would feel more comfortable with it closer, where her other blades could be retrieved quickly.
As he continued speaking she couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up in her throat before spilling out her lips. The Seven, she had heard of them of course. Who hadn't? But they had never seemed the sort she would offer her allegiance to. Sure some might consider the woman to be evil, cruel and other things. But everything she did was done for money, and well of course pleasure. But there was no pay to be had from working with the Seven, at least not from what she had heard.
"I am not quite sure that would be appreciated either by the current leader, or by its members." She said quietly as she tried to digest the information that she had been told. She was starting to think the man might be a bit crazy, the way he was speaking of destiny and her being the rightful leader. "I think you are mistaken. I have no intentions of leading the Seven, I never even had any intentions to join them. So obviously I am not the right choice for the job." She said while shaking her head.
Bernard Brackenbury
"Maybe not yet," said Bernard, not taking his eyes off her. "But give yourself time. You will be. You've only just begun to understand what you're capable of, Ivy."
Bernard smiled slightly. "Let's back up a little bit, shall we? Let's put off talking about the Seven, and talk more about you right now." Bernard gestured to the old writing above the fireplace. "''Facio Non Surculus Nuntius'", he read aloud. "It's old inside joke among leaders. Some leaders, mind you, not all. It's Latin. Roughly translated, it says 'don't shoot the messenger'. You see, leaders are not always completely leaders. Most everyone answers to someone. If you lead a large group of people, but you answer to someone above you, you're a messenger for your superior in addition to being a leader for your people. Now you, Ivy, have never shown interest in being a leader. When you became pregnant with Isolde and her father began to abuse you, you could have easily taken charge of the situation. But you didn't," he said slowly, giving Ivy a questioning look. "You chose to leave rather than take charge. You left the country, and during your exile to Egypt, you met men who knew even more about combat than you do. Throughout your days of training there, I watched from afar as you honed your skills. You grew confident, powerful, more capable than you ever had been. You had, as you do now, all the skills you need to begin. But again, you didn't choose to be a leader. No, you took your post as an assassin, and thus submitted to following orders from other wizards. Even today, when you could be doing wondrous things, you've settled for a modest career as a school gamekeeper. I admit your aid to Joseph Witchard does not go unappreciated by the powers at hand. In the end, though, you are still a servant to this world. Forgive me, Ivy, but I'm at a loss as to why you've made the choices you have made. You're very different from Daniel Marsden. You don't look for greatness like he did, even though it was determined long ago that he would be a voice. I have to ask why you've done what you've done?"
Ivy Sekmet
Ivy chose to ignore the mans first statement. She knew full well what her potential was and had no need to get defensive with him. A tight smile came across her lips as she listened to his translation of the latin phrase. She had recognized it but was unsure whether or not she agreed with it.
"Well I suppose that all depends on how annoying the messenger turns out to be." She said with a smirk in place, her voice still cold. Ivy had already decided the man was safe from her, well at least for this evening he was. Now in the future she was undecided about how to treat the man. As he continued speaking her smile fell and a cool glint came into her eyes. The events he chose to speak of were for the most part things she chose to ignore about her past. Jacob and Isolde were nothing but bad dreams to her at this point in her life.
Sure that was most likely an overly idealistic way of looking at her past. But it made it easier to do what had to be done. Ivy always tried to leave her past exactly there, in the past. And as he continued to speak she shook her head slightly. She was living life as she enjoyed to. Though at times putting on an act was easier said than done.
"I live my life as I see fit. That is all I have ever done, and all I have ever wanted to do." The woman said in a soft voice. "I do not look for greatness because I do not see the need for it. I kill when I have to urge to, I train when not doing that." She stared at him with a cool smile in place. "I work at the school because it provides a good cover, and because Joseph Witchard seems quite ignorant to what I am, and what I am capable of. The man truly has no idea just what and who exactly he is having watch over the grounds."
Bernard Brackenbury
"But's that's the difference between Witchard and myself," said Bernard simply, shrugging. "I do, Ivy. And I tell you, right here, right now, that you needn't seek out greatness. Greatness sought you out. You may not need it, you may not want it, but that is neither here nor there. It wants you." He put extra emphasis on "it" and "you" in an attempt to get through to her. He had to admit that she was putting up a bigger fight than he had anticipated. As knowledgeable as Bernard was, he was not the one in charge. His powers, though they were greatly increased years ago, were still limited. In spite of all this, however, he knew why It wanted her. Her spirit and determination would go far in her guiding her people.
"History is only made every so often. It was made a good few years ago at Hogwarts. A young boy named Daniel Marsden wandered into the Forbidden Forest, curious about an ancient and absurd myth. He stumbled across a man named Aldo. Aldo, while not a leader himself, was also a messenger. He was also special in that he could tell who had been selected. He brought Daniel back to meet his people, and discourse broke among them. Aldo's leader, Ess, saw Daniel as a threat. Daniel left the forest and never returned, but it didn't matter. Ess had lost favor with It, and his reign was over. He died a pitiful death, shameful death. Ivy, I sit before you now to tell you that Marsden didn't learn from Ess' mistakes. His reign is over.
"But I'm done with explaining, Ivy. I can see that you're not ready to take a leap of faith, so I'm going make things easy for you: what do you want? You can have anything you want, so long as it doesn't go against It's wishes."
IvySekmet
As the man continued to speak Ivy found herself shaking her head without even realizing she was doing so. He seemed to be madder and madder as time went on. But still the woman was feeling a bit intrigued, even if she wasn't willing to admit it to herself. She stood there listening while running her fingertip along the blade of the knife. Ivy knew at this pont that she was not going to use it against the man, but she still felt more comfortable in the situation with it in hand.
When he mentioned Marsden a slight chill ran down the womans spine. Even when they had attended school together she had been both drawn to and repulsed by him at the same time. It seemed that the effect had not changed. When he spoke of Marsden losing favor a smirk settled into place. It seemed like something that would end up happening, and it looked like that would work out in her favor.
"Well if you knew anything about me, then you would know that I am not one to take leaps of faith." No, Ivy was one to analyze and study a situation carefully first. To think about the benefits as well as the drawbacks. But now here she was being offered anything she wanted within reason. She wasn't sure who or what this It the man kept referring to was.
"Hmmm, what do I want?" Ivy murmured aloud. It had always been about the money for her. "I want to be assured that I will still be making a decent amount of money. I dont earn a good income from Hogwarts, but I refuse to leave that post. So I need assurances that I will still be able to have the money to do what I want or need to do." With that Ivy walked over to one dusty wall and leaned against it as she studied the man. She wondered what his response would be and whether or not any more madness would be spoken by him, or at least what she was convinced was madness.
Bernard Brackenbury
Bernard listened to her request, eager to hear what she most desired. When the said she wanted money, his face fell. Was that all people cared about? Her very words brought an image of an angry and powerful Daniel Marsden to his mind. The Seven were very wealthy, and in that, Bernard suspected that Marsden had lost his way somewhat in his desire for more and more gold. And here Ivy was, having been offered what she would come to realize someday as the chance of a lifetime, asking for the same thing. It was severely disappointing; honestly, he had expected a lot more from someone he was assigned to offer this job to.
After a few moments of silence between them, Bernard, cleared his throat. "Ivy, are you positively sure that's what you want?" He sounded skeptical of her choice. "You have a chance to do a lot of good. There are so many better things you can ask for. You could help a lot-"
Bernard broke off suddenly. The roar of (possibly) a man could be heard in the shack. The room they were in began to shake violently, as if there was an earthquake. Bernard, who looked positively frightened at what was happening, looked around the room in alarm. Every time he moved his head, he would see someone walk away in the corner of his eye, nowhere to be found when he looked to the direction they had been walking. Dust fell from the ceiling and glass frames shattered as the the house greatly shook. His heart was racing. He would have gotten up and ran for it, but he couldn't move. He was petrified by fear.
And then, without any warning, it all stopped. What appeared to have been an earthquake died out quickly. There was silence throughout the whole house again. As Bernard looked around their surroundings, still appearing scared at what had just happened, he saw that he and Ivy were the only ones there. There was no longer any trespassers out of the corner of his eye; no one who seemingly disappeared when you turned to face them.
Breathing heavily and still looking alarmed, his hear still beating fast and hard as if he had just witnessed a brutal murder, looked up from the new mess in the house to Ivy. There were to be no more questions. "All right," said Bernard, his voice strained and serious. "All right. You've got it. You'll never have to worry about money ever again. You will have all of your financial needs met until you pass on."
IvySekmet
Ivy was about to respond to the man and tell him the reason she wanted the money. It wasn't really for her. She wanted to be sure if anything happened to her that her father and daughter would be well cared for. Granted her daughter knew nothing about her existence but that didn't matter. But Ivy did not have a chance to explain any of this though. The room started to shake violently causing her to stumble forward, she barely stopped herself from falling to the ground.
A gasp escaped her throat. It seemed as if the room would crumble around them, that was how hard the room seemed to be moving. Dust and bits of plaster fell from the ceiling sprinkling over her. Her breathing as well as her heart rate sped up, it was a frightening situation after all. But then it suddenly stopped, Ivy forced her breathing to slow down. Which in turn helped her heart rate return to normal.
"That is fine." She said slowly, trying to maintain an even tone. "I guess the obvious question now would be what happens next? I am quite sure that Daniel is not going to hand over the reigns willingly. It is also doubtful that his followers are going to be eager to have a new leader take over." There was a hint of laughter in her voice as she spoke. This was not something that she ever imagined happening.
Bernard Brackenbury
Bernard was still uneasy, even though the commotion had stopped. He chanced a look around the crumbling house, now beginning to catch his breath again. There was nothing there; no trespassers or anything. Nothing was shaking at all. Though still frightened, the house was as still and quiet as it had been before he had foolishly opened his mouth. "I'm.... I'm sorry," he said, speaking not to Ivy, but to apparently no one. "I forgot myself." With a deep sigh, Bernard hung his head and rested it on his palm. He shook his head. "I should have just listened," he said in a disquieted, regretful tone while ignoring the fact that Ivy was standing right there.
Bernard looked up at Ivy and swallowed in an attempt to make his mouth a little less dry. "And now you wait, Ivy," he said softly. He stood up. "There will come a time when Daniel Marsden will approach you. He will hire you for your unique services. As your work relationship matures, he will grow distrustful of you, recognizing that you are a threat to everything he holds most dear. But someone very close to Marsden will recognize that you are their rightful leader. His people will abandon him, and during the last days of his reign, he will show you what you need to know to lead." Bernard walked up to her, his expression very grave. "He will realize what he has done wrong, and he will confide in you. Do not make the same mistake he did, or the Number will see to it that you suffer the same fate."
(OOC: Combined threads from the previous site)
Ivy Sekmet
Ivy sat in her bedroom in the small shack she currently occupied on the grounds of Hogwarts. She was staring at the worn piece of parchment she currently had resting on her lap. It had arrived the week before and since then she had taken it out constantly to stare at the offer made for her to take the life of a woman named Eve. There had been few details given, just a date and an address. The parchment had been kept in her pocket since it had arrived. Though her hut was normally left undisturbed Ivy had not remained uncaught by being sloppy. So anytime her services were requested she either destroyed what she was given, or kept it on herself at all times. She checked the time and let out a curse as she jumped to her feet. If she didn't get going soon then she would fall behind schedule and that would end up a disaster.
The woman rose to her feet and stood before a mirror studying her reflection. She had on the typical attire for a kill, black boots, black pants and a black long sleeved shirt. There was a bag sitting on the floor near the door that contained a change of clothes, some basic medical supplies, and her weaponry. She wouldn't get out any of her blades until she was closer to her target. The only one she had was the small knife she had strapped to her right wrist. Her wand was in its holster on her left wrist. With one more glance in the mirror she smiled and made her way out the door, bag in hand.
She was heading into London to make her kill and that made her feel slightly nervous. It wasn't often that she killed so close to home. She preferred to travel a bit to kill, it made it easier to stay anonymous. Ivy had no desire to get caught in the midst of slaying someone. No she wanted the money to keep coming in, and that wouldn't happen if she were caught and sent to Azkaban. Where Ivy knew she would be given the Dementor's kiss. If it were to come out how many she had killed, and her methods she was sure that there would be no mercy offered to her. Ivy reached New Dawn Street where the house she was supposed to be at was located. So slowly she walked down the street in the darkness looking at the addresses. When she reached number 756 she raised her eyebrows and reached for the parchment again. She pulled out the parchment and scanned it over and confirmed the location. But she was definitely confused. The place was nothing more than an old shack placed towards the back of a lot overgrown with weeds. It didn't look like the kind of place anyone would live in, but still she crept forward. She had her wand in one hand and knife in the other as she made her way to the door.
There were no lights on in the interior but that did not dissuade her. After all the woman might merely be asleep, some people did retire earlier than others. She took a deep breath as she reached out and turned the handle of the door. She was surprised to find it open and smiled as she pushed open the door and silently crept in, despite the heeled boots she wore. Ivy entered into a small hallway, and listened for the sounds of anyone from within. Hearing nothing she slowly moved forward, peering into the open doorways as she went. In the silence she heard what sounded like a crackling fireplace and sped up slightly heading towards the noise.
There was a glow coming from underneath the one closed door in the hallway as she went to open it a slightly evil smirk crossed her lips. But it faded once the room was revealed to be empty of persons. Ivy was starting to get angry, if she didn't complete her task she wouldn't be paid. Other than that, she would also have wasted the entire evening. She was already feeling the pre-kill adrenaline running through her veins and started to worry that she would have no way to dissipate it. Ivy walked further into the room and looked towards the fire. Confusion once again crossed her face as her brown eyes studied the words above the fireplace, 'Facio Non Surculus Nuntius' in what appeared to be old blood. The writing was a faded brownish red color that seemed to be almost flaking away. As she moved forward to get a closer look she glanced around the room slowly and spotted a skeleton lying off to one side of the room. It was obvious just looking at it that the skeleton was human, the bones were slightly yellowed, she supposed that it had been there for awhile. So there was no way that this body could belong to Eve, the woman she was after this night. Ivy squatted down in front of the bones and studied them starting to get quite annoyed with how the night was turning out.
Bernard Brackenbury
With each step taken on the old floor, the wood creaked under Bernard's weight. He walked the hallway slowly, holding a lit lantern in his hand to guide his way, in an attempt to not disturb his subject, who was likely to become violent should she get overexcited. This wouldn't cause Bernard any harm, but it would make things go slower than he preferred. No doubt Joseph Witchard would worry should his grounds keeper stay out too late.
Bernard opened the living room door slowly with his free hand, causing the light from his lantern to illuminate the dark living room. And there she was, in all her glory. His target, inspecting the ancient bones of this house's last occupant. "I'm afraid Eve has been dead for some time, Madam Sekmet. I apologize for bringing you here under false pretenses, but I was asked by my employer to meet with you and talk with you. And, may I say, your timing is impeccable." Breaking the silence, Bernard said the last sentence as he stared at the grandfather clock in the room. The clock was covered with cobwebs, and the glass was broken out from it. The hands were completely still, and there was no ticking sound. It was obvious that the clock hadn't functioned in years. Yet Bernard looked at it as though it was working perfectly, showing the precise time Ivy arrived.
Bernard wasn't smiling, and there was no trace of fear for standing in the same room as Ivy Sekmet. He turned his face back to the woman and studied her. This is what they were working on.
Ivy Sekmet
As she knelt there studying the bones Ivy heard the creaking of footsteps nearing the room. She tensed up slightly and quickly got her knife at the ready, but did not rise from her position on the dusty floor. The footsteps sounded to heavy to belong to a female and Ivy began to wonder if she had been set up. The room was lit up as the door to the room creaked open, but she made no move as to having heard it. She waited until the voice spoke before slowly standing up and turning to face him.
"I think her being dead is quite obvious." Ivy said coldly as she studied the man standing before her. She toyed with the knife in her hand, running a fingertip over the blade as she listened to him speak, chosing to digest the situation before speaking again. Though she had no fear of the situation she did not like the fact that he had the upper hand. It always made her slightly uneasy to not be in control of the situation. Her gaze followed where his landed to settle on an old broken clock. She raised and eyebrow and shook her head.
"And why pray tell should I stay and listen to what your employer wants me to hear?" Ivy asked in a low voice as she glanced around the room. She should have realized something was wrong the second she entered the place. But the lure of the promised money had been too much to resist, and look where it had gotten her. Ivy had ended up basically backed into a corner. "After all I came here to kill, granted you aren't a woman named Eve," she paused and eyed him with a dark smile, "Why shouldn't I kill you instead?"
Bernard Brackenbury
Bernard allowed a little smile to form on his face at her words. She was an angry, unruly woman. She was rough around the edges, a lot different from her predecessor, but she was trainable. She would be molded by her experiences.
"Try to kill me if you must, Madam Sekmet," said Bernard, approaching an old rocking chair in the living room, "but I'm far past the stage of being killed by ordinary means. Forgive me, but there's still many laws of magic that this world doesn't understand. Why, even in death, Eve Marsden (he gestured to the skeleton) still has much to learn." Flashing Ivy a quick, sinister smile, Bernard took a seat in the rocking chair, sitting his lantern on the stand to his right. He leaned back in the chair and put his hands together, surveying Ivy.
"Why should you stay here and listen to what I have to say?" He gave her a small, pitying smile and shook his head. "It's not the simple, Ivy," he said softly. "You're here because you were chosen to be here. It's destiny. It doesn't matter what you do, what lengths you go to, where you choose to hide, it will never be enough. You're here for a reason. It is determined to have you. You can't escape your destiny." Bernard paused, feeling he had gotten his point across. Now he needed get his second point across. "But this isn't a curse, Ivy. This is a blessing. You've been chosen because you're special. You need to take control of your herd. You need to take your rightful place as leader of the Seven."
Ivy Sekmet
"May I ask sir who implied I would attempt to kill you with ordinary means?" She asked coldly as she watched him approach a rocking chair that she had not noticed until now. She disregarded his next statement and kept her eyes trained on him as she tried to figure out just what she was still doing standing there. Her instincts were telling her to do something, anything. But she was stuck in place unable to will herself to move.
"There is no such thing as destiny." The woman said with a dead look in her eyes. "We make our own future. So if that is your argument then you had better come up with another one quick. Since you brought me here I am sure you know who I am, and just what I am capable of." Ivy said as she took a few steps forward, still toying with the knife in her hand. Her gaze went across the room to where her bag had been carelessly tossed in a corner. She would feel more comfortable with it closer, where her other blades could be retrieved quickly.
As he continued speaking she couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up in her throat before spilling out her lips. The Seven, she had heard of them of course. Who hadn't? But they had never seemed the sort she would offer her allegiance to. Sure some might consider the woman to be evil, cruel and other things. But everything she did was done for money, and well of course pleasure. But there was no pay to be had from working with the Seven, at least not from what she had heard.
"I am not quite sure that would be appreciated either by the current leader, or by its members." She said quietly as she tried to digest the information that she had been told. She was starting to think the man might be a bit crazy, the way he was speaking of destiny and her being the rightful leader. "I think you are mistaken. I have no intentions of leading the Seven, I never even had any intentions to join them. So obviously I am not the right choice for the job." She said while shaking her head.
Bernard Brackenbury
"Maybe not yet," said Bernard, not taking his eyes off her. "But give yourself time. You will be. You've only just begun to understand what you're capable of, Ivy."
Bernard smiled slightly. "Let's back up a little bit, shall we? Let's put off talking about the Seven, and talk more about you right now." Bernard gestured to the old writing above the fireplace. "''Facio Non Surculus Nuntius'", he read aloud. "It's old inside joke among leaders. Some leaders, mind you, not all. It's Latin. Roughly translated, it says 'don't shoot the messenger'. You see, leaders are not always completely leaders. Most everyone answers to someone. If you lead a large group of people, but you answer to someone above you, you're a messenger for your superior in addition to being a leader for your people. Now you, Ivy, have never shown interest in being a leader. When you became pregnant with Isolde and her father began to abuse you, you could have easily taken charge of the situation. But you didn't," he said slowly, giving Ivy a questioning look. "You chose to leave rather than take charge. You left the country, and during your exile to Egypt, you met men who knew even more about combat than you do. Throughout your days of training there, I watched from afar as you honed your skills. You grew confident, powerful, more capable than you ever had been. You had, as you do now, all the skills you need to begin. But again, you didn't choose to be a leader. No, you took your post as an assassin, and thus submitted to following orders from other wizards. Even today, when you could be doing wondrous things, you've settled for a modest career as a school gamekeeper. I admit your aid to Joseph Witchard does not go unappreciated by the powers at hand. In the end, though, you are still a servant to this world. Forgive me, Ivy, but I'm at a loss as to why you've made the choices you have made. You're very different from Daniel Marsden. You don't look for greatness like he did, even though it was determined long ago that he would be a voice. I have to ask why you've done what you've done?"
Ivy Sekmet
Ivy chose to ignore the mans first statement. She knew full well what her potential was and had no need to get defensive with him. A tight smile came across her lips as she listened to his translation of the latin phrase. She had recognized it but was unsure whether or not she agreed with it.
"Well I suppose that all depends on how annoying the messenger turns out to be." She said with a smirk in place, her voice still cold. Ivy had already decided the man was safe from her, well at least for this evening he was. Now in the future she was undecided about how to treat the man. As he continued speaking her smile fell and a cool glint came into her eyes. The events he chose to speak of were for the most part things she chose to ignore about her past. Jacob and Isolde were nothing but bad dreams to her at this point in her life.
Sure that was most likely an overly idealistic way of looking at her past. But it made it easier to do what had to be done. Ivy always tried to leave her past exactly there, in the past. And as he continued to speak she shook her head slightly. She was living life as she enjoyed to. Though at times putting on an act was easier said than done.
"I live my life as I see fit. That is all I have ever done, and all I have ever wanted to do." The woman said in a soft voice. "I do not look for greatness because I do not see the need for it. I kill when I have to urge to, I train when not doing that." She stared at him with a cool smile in place. "I work at the school because it provides a good cover, and because Joseph Witchard seems quite ignorant to what I am, and what I am capable of. The man truly has no idea just what and who exactly he is having watch over the grounds."
Bernard Brackenbury
"But's that's the difference between Witchard and myself," said Bernard simply, shrugging. "I do, Ivy. And I tell you, right here, right now, that you needn't seek out greatness. Greatness sought you out. You may not need it, you may not want it, but that is neither here nor there. It wants you." He put extra emphasis on "it" and "you" in an attempt to get through to her. He had to admit that she was putting up a bigger fight than he had anticipated. As knowledgeable as Bernard was, he was not the one in charge. His powers, though they were greatly increased years ago, were still limited. In spite of all this, however, he knew why It wanted her. Her spirit and determination would go far in her guiding her people.
"History is only made every so often. It was made a good few years ago at Hogwarts. A young boy named Daniel Marsden wandered into the Forbidden Forest, curious about an ancient and absurd myth. He stumbled across a man named Aldo. Aldo, while not a leader himself, was also a messenger. He was also special in that he could tell who had been selected. He brought Daniel back to meet his people, and discourse broke among them. Aldo's leader, Ess, saw Daniel as a threat. Daniel left the forest and never returned, but it didn't matter. Ess had lost favor with It, and his reign was over. He died a pitiful death, shameful death. Ivy, I sit before you now to tell you that Marsden didn't learn from Ess' mistakes. His reign is over.
"But I'm done with explaining, Ivy. I can see that you're not ready to take a leap of faith, so I'm going make things easy for you: what do you want? You can have anything you want, so long as it doesn't go against It's wishes."
IvySekmet
As the man continued to speak Ivy found herself shaking her head without even realizing she was doing so. He seemed to be madder and madder as time went on. But still the woman was feeling a bit intrigued, even if she wasn't willing to admit it to herself. She stood there listening while running her fingertip along the blade of the knife. Ivy knew at this pont that she was not going to use it against the man, but she still felt more comfortable in the situation with it in hand.
When he mentioned Marsden a slight chill ran down the womans spine. Even when they had attended school together she had been both drawn to and repulsed by him at the same time. It seemed that the effect had not changed. When he spoke of Marsden losing favor a smirk settled into place. It seemed like something that would end up happening, and it looked like that would work out in her favor.
"Well if you knew anything about me, then you would know that I am not one to take leaps of faith." No, Ivy was one to analyze and study a situation carefully first. To think about the benefits as well as the drawbacks. But now here she was being offered anything she wanted within reason. She wasn't sure who or what this It the man kept referring to was.
"Hmmm, what do I want?" Ivy murmured aloud. It had always been about the money for her. "I want to be assured that I will still be making a decent amount of money. I dont earn a good income from Hogwarts, but I refuse to leave that post. So I need assurances that I will still be able to have the money to do what I want or need to do." With that Ivy walked over to one dusty wall and leaned against it as she studied the man. She wondered what his response would be and whether or not any more madness would be spoken by him, or at least what she was convinced was madness.
Bernard Brackenbury
Bernard listened to her request, eager to hear what she most desired. When the said she wanted money, his face fell. Was that all people cared about? Her very words brought an image of an angry and powerful Daniel Marsden to his mind. The Seven were very wealthy, and in that, Bernard suspected that Marsden had lost his way somewhat in his desire for more and more gold. And here Ivy was, having been offered what she would come to realize someday as the chance of a lifetime, asking for the same thing. It was severely disappointing; honestly, he had expected a lot more from someone he was assigned to offer this job to.
After a few moments of silence between them, Bernard, cleared his throat. "Ivy, are you positively sure that's what you want?" He sounded skeptical of her choice. "You have a chance to do a lot of good. There are so many better things you can ask for. You could help a lot-"
Bernard broke off suddenly. The roar of (possibly) a man could be heard in the shack. The room they were in began to shake violently, as if there was an earthquake. Bernard, who looked positively frightened at what was happening, looked around the room in alarm. Every time he moved his head, he would see someone walk away in the corner of his eye, nowhere to be found when he looked to the direction they had been walking. Dust fell from the ceiling and glass frames shattered as the the house greatly shook. His heart was racing. He would have gotten up and ran for it, but he couldn't move. He was petrified by fear.
And then, without any warning, it all stopped. What appeared to have been an earthquake died out quickly. There was silence throughout the whole house again. As Bernard looked around their surroundings, still appearing scared at what had just happened, he saw that he and Ivy were the only ones there. There was no longer any trespassers out of the corner of his eye; no one who seemingly disappeared when you turned to face them.
Breathing heavily and still looking alarmed, his hear still beating fast and hard as if he had just witnessed a brutal murder, looked up from the new mess in the house to Ivy. There were to be no more questions. "All right," said Bernard, his voice strained and serious. "All right. You've got it. You'll never have to worry about money ever again. You will have all of your financial needs met until you pass on."
IvySekmet
Ivy was about to respond to the man and tell him the reason she wanted the money. It wasn't really for her. She wanted to be sure if anything happened to her that her father and daughter would be well cared for. Granted her daughter knew nothing about her existence but that didn't matter. But Ivy did not have a chance to explain any of this though. The room started to shake violently causing her to stumble forward, she barely stopped herself from falling to the ground.
A gasp escaped her throat. It seemed as if the room would crumble around them, that was how hard the room seemed to be moving. Dust and bits of plaster fell from the ceiling sprinkling over her. Her breathing as well as her heart rate sped up, it was a frightening situation after all. But then it suddenly stopped, Ivy forced her breathing to slow down. Which in turn helped her heart rate return to normal.
"That is fine." She said slowly, trying to maintain an even tone. "I guess the obvious question now would be what happens next? I am quite sure that Daniel is not going to hand over the reigns willingly. It is also doubtful that his followers are going to be eager to have a new leader take over." There was a hint of laughter in her voice as she spoke. This was not something that she ever imagined happening.
Bernard Brackenbury
Bernard was still uneasy, even though the commotion had stopped. He chanced a look around the crumbling house, now beginning to catch his breath again. There was nothing there; no trespassers or anything. Nothing was shaking at all. Though still frightened, the house was as still and quiet as it had been before he had foolishly opened his mouth. "I'm.... I'm sorry," he said, speaking not to Ivy, but to apparently no one. "I forgot myself." With a deep sigh, Bernard hung his head and rested it on his palm. He shook his head. "I should have just listened," he said in a disquieted, regretful tone while ignoring the fact that Ivy was standing right there.
Bernard looked up at Ivy and swallowed in an attempt to make his mouth a little less dry. "And now you wait, Ivy," he said softly. He stood up. "There will come a time when Daniel Marsden will approach you. He will hire you for your unique services. As your work relationship matures, he will grow distrustful of you, recognizing that you are a threat to everything he holds most dear. But someone very close to Marsden will recognize that you are their rightful leader. His people will abandon him, and during the last days of his reign, he will show you what you need to know to lead." Bernard walked up to her, his expression very grave. "He will realize what he has done wrong, and he will confide in you. Do not make the same mistake he did, or the Number will see to it that you suffer the same fate."