Post by Talon Windwaltz on Mar 20, 2008 23:04:03 GMT -5
The Headmaster growled quietly.
Talon sat back in his chair and looked up at the terrified bullfighter, who was clearly expecting the Headmaster to leap to battle, wand drawn, and charge to victory at the Triangle Tunnel. Talon did not leap from his chair, but he did, however, remove his wand. He tapped it twice on his desk, and then muttered the well-known words, "Expecto Patronum."
A silvery white lioness pounced from the edge of his wand, lifesize and majestic, and turned her head to face her master. "Count Scorpius survived the battle at the Crypt, somehow. He is supposedly healthy and has gathered survivors of his former society. He is in the Ministry building. Whatever peace we have gained is going down the drain in a matter of seconds. Come to my office, immediately, we must talk about this."
And with that, the lioness sped off, hindered not by the walls and by the doorways, searching for the Deputy Headmistress.
Sylph had been at the lake when Talon's patronus found her, planting some butterfly bushes by Fiona's old hut. She had never been one for herbology but you couldn't help but pick things up when your father was an amateur gardener and your mother loved the subject. She saw the feline coming across the surface of the water, a ghost cat of the plains hunting her down. She ceased in her work, leaned on the spade she had been using and watched it all the way, peridot eyes blinking in the sunlight.
It came right up to her, and she stared it in the eye, warily waiting for its inevitable message. People didn't tend to send their patronus for minor issues; something had to be wrong here, and while Sylph had not seen Talon's lioness before there was something about it that was familiar and she was not at all surprised when it spoke with the headmaster's voice. When it was done, she rolled her head back and gazed at the sky, letting loose a sigh of mixed emotion. She would have cursed, but she knew Scorpius still had be to alive - he had been forcibly taken by side-long apparition, or so it seemed, not killed. Fenrir had been killed, but not the other.
Dropping her spade, the violet haired witch double checked on the position of her wand and jogged off in the direction of the arch, her long limbs making light work of the distance. Once at the school, however, she slowed her pace, not wishing to concern anyone who she might pass. Still, it wasn't long at all before she found herself at the phoenix. Patting the statue's cold head, Sylph greeted it tersely, and the door opened.
She wasn't dressed in robes today, just jeans and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Dirt streaked her forearms and cheeks while her hair was a mess - but nothing was unusual there - and her odd eyes flashed and sparked with green fire. She looked at the man that had been gone for so long, and cracked a devil-may-care grin at his face.
"You don't half know when to show up, don't ya boss?" she said with sardonic humor. Still, she was not one to be distracted. "Alright, so Scorpius is back in strength and is no doubt setting about letting all his old mates go free as we speak." A pause, followed by a simple, no-nonsense question. "What do we do?"
Post by Talon Windwaltz on Mar 21, 2008 11:37:18 GMT -5
The Headmaster began to grow worried as the minutes passed following his patronus's exit. He did not doubt that it would find its way to Sylph, nor that his deputy would fail to answer his call, but it still left him wishing there was some kind of magic spell that would allow him to see what the patronus saw, or hear what it heard, or at least in some way be present with it.
Not just sitting here, in the room, with an impatient bullfighter cramped inside a frame alongside his old friends.
Though Sylph made herself quick in rushing to the Headmaster's office, it still felt like an eternity before she got there. Talon was half-glad he didn't have a clock in his office to torture him. Every second that he spent sitting there in his chair, he could feel the bullfighter's faith in victory die, and he could only imagine the kind of hellish pain - if not death - that was befalling ministry security at the Tunnel.
It seemed that way, always, with Windwaltz. No matter how eager he was to protect everyone, he could never do it right.
Talon felt a load fall off his back the moment he heard the Phoenix outside lax in its stance and he saw his door open. Sylph walked inside, and, seeing her covered in dirt and seeming a gardener, the Headmaster couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved. He hadn't even seen the Deputy Headmistress since the Crypt, and that wasn't necessarily in the best of situations - seeing her in a much more relaxed state was a comfort to him.
"Well you know me," Talon muttered, "If things aren't problematic, I tend to make them. Speaking of which, I need to talk to you about that later - but there's no time for that now." He moved the picture of himself, Hayzie, Laura, Adhara, and Amy around, allowing the bullfighter wedged in amongst the teenagers to see Sylph. "You have a very good and precise question, there. My instinct tells me to go charging in guns blaring, but the last time we did that - well, Scorpius lived, and he got away too. Should we summon the teachers and go in for reinforcement? We're not necessarily soldiers, we're instructors."
There was that look again; guilt. Somehow Talon always looked as if he felt responsible for everything that went on in this corner of the wizarding world, even if he couldn't possibly be. Why that was Sylph had never really figured out - not that she had really thought about it before, mind. Hell, for all she knew he was responsible for everything that went on - no, that was stupid. She looked at him with an assessing expression, wondering how he had known about Scorpius and what he planned to do about him - if anything. Whatever he decided Sylph would most likely find herself going along with; she owed the man her loyalty for many reasons, and besides, she just wasn't the type to go against a friend.
Her lips twitched momentarily upward at his first words, but she didn't respond, not yet. This was too serious a matter to joke too much. Added to that was his cryptic comment - talk about what later? Sylph was too busy pondering that one to speak just yet. She watched mutely as the bullfighter jostled for position with a few ex-Gryffindors Sylph had known back at MH, and realisation dawned. That was how he had known.
"Well, I may be an instructor," she answered wryly. "But I'm a fighter too - as are you. Still." A slight sigh laced that word, filled with regret, perhaps, or frustration. "You're right. We won't be overly useful with that many Shadows running around the place. Still, we can't sit here and do nothing. Then again, our first responsibility is to the students. Do you think that some of the Shadows are likely to want to reenact the attack? Revenge, perhaps? Being locked away for so long can't have been any good for their sanity."
Post by Julius Plutus on Mar 21, 2008 13:19:14 GMT -5
Already uncomfortable with being crammed into a small frame with a group of Gryffindors, the bullfighter nearly tumbled out of the frame when another picture decided to pop into the room. A knight's squire, panting and out of breath--he was a rather plump fellow--looked up at the Headmaster and his deputy. Ignoring the cursing of the bullfighter, he began to speak.
"H-hounds... In the Tunnel," he said. "The MLE believes that the Lycan Lord is assisting Scorpius... The Dementors have also rebelled and left... Thought you should know."
The squire fell out of the frame and landed in another, trying to catch his breath as the bullfighter continued cursing angrily.
-Julius William Plutus- Minister Plenipotentiary of the I.C.W. to Spain
Before Talon could reply, another messenger came hurtling into the frame, causing a ruckus amongst the other occupants. Sylph's glittering eyes shifted to the newcomer, wondering what on earth could be worse than Scorpius being once again at large.
Ah. Of course. That.
Sylph's hands balled instinctively into fists the moment the word 'hounds' hit her ears. She knew what was coming after that, oh yes.
"Lycan lord my arse," she growled, her chin lowering and her eyes becoming dark. How could that madman be back? He had been ripped to shreds, electrocuted, fried in every way imaginable. How could the beast still live and breathe?
Now Sylph would be the first to admit that she had a blind-spot where Fenrir was concerned, but hearing the news that he was still alive and killing - after being so relieved at his supposed death - brought a haze of red to her brain. Her heart pounded in her chest, almost threatening to break through her ribcage in its fury and her jaw clenched as she ducked her head. Hayzie's murderer was still out there, probably causing more pain and misery. No, Sylph had been right before; they could not do nothing. Not now.
After a brief inner struggle, her flaming stare raised itself to Talon's face and she awaited his response in silence, not trusting herself to speak a word. The news that there were now dementors on the loose didn't even register with her, all she could think of was finding Fenrir and killing him.
Post by Talon Windwaltz on Mar 21, 2008 16:48:35 GMT -5
"He's not alive," Talon whispered almost dangerously, "Richard's dead. He's not alive. I watched him die. I was the one who did it." The Headmaster was notorious for holding disbelief in any situation that did not fit his own purposes - for instance, Fenrir returning to assist Scorpius in this raid on Triangle Tunnel. "Oh but..." Talon knew it wasn't wise, as a leader, to ever mutter those two words, however quietly. It was more thinking aloud than it was actual speech.
Talon's sapphire eyes flickered up to face Sylph's peridot ones, a look of discontentment clearly present. "Azrael. He has the power to awaken the dead, reanimate them, make them live again. It's worse than Inferi, they're not just mindless zombies...they're living, breathing, undead slaves. He took Richard's body with him at the Crypt, and said something about "reclaiming what was his."
That was the only explanation. Azrael had used his necromancy to reawaken the Prince of Wolves. What other explanation was there? That Talon's heart had been too soft to kill his friend? That he was still not hardened enough to take someone's life? No, Talon refused to accept that. It was his rival, and his wicked magic, that was responsible for this.
"We have to do something," Talon said, trying to change the subject from Fenrir, "The Dementor's Kiss is irreversible, and if they're on the loose they'll do just about whatever they want, and I doubt Scorpius cares either way for the well-being of anybody who isn't important to him."
The phrase "oh but" may be a distinctly unwise thing to say at the best of times, but luckily for Talon Sylph was too far off to be remotely perturbed by them. His first words of denial reached her ears but there was too much going on in her shock-addled brain for them to actually register. They were white, blank noise and nothing more.
Still, the mention of the Angelus Morti forced her to shift slightly. When Azrael was about there was trouble brewing - or already in action. She had to give the man some credit. He had pulled Talon's arse out of the fire more than once. The look on the headmaster's face told enough of the story, however, to make it deeply apparent that this was not one of those times. This was the bad Azrael his was talking about. Sylph forced herself to listen.
Ah. Inferi lycanthropes. Now there was an interesting concept, and not one which Sylph relished. Still. Inferi had weaknesses. They could not heal on their own. Skin did not knit, bones did not mend. And hell, she wouldn't even need silver. She was planning the fight already. Severing his head, smashing in the skull. Pain would not be necessary if he was dead. She could be... efficient about the whole thing.
But wait. The messenger had said hounds. Live hounds, presumably, or there would have been an addition to the sentence, a panicked swear word or two, perhaps. Maybe Talon was wrong. Hell, it would be as if that hadn't happened before.
Still, she said nothing, and listened to him talk. Dementors on the loose was bad. Yes. Bad. Focus now. Badness. She stood in silence, shoulders oddly stiff, awaiting her orders. This was his call, not hers. Her judgment was all out of whack now, anyway.
Post by Talon Windwaltz on Mar 26, 2008 23:59:54 GMT -5
Sylph's silence did not help Talon at all. The Headmaster was in a bit of a pickle, for he found himself an oft terrible tactician. There were some situations in which an excellent and irrefutable plan would save everyone, but in most cases, Talon found himself simply looking to the next person over in line for help.
As he had said before, he was an instructor, not a soldier. And no matter how powerful he was, he'd never be a general like his predecessors. He just wasn't cut out for that. Talon put his elbows on his desk and covered his face with his hands, blacking out Sylph and the room around him. Just a bit of quiet contemplation...maybe that would do some good.
Nothing. Talon looked back up at Sylph again, and then down at his desk. "We're..." Before he could go any further, a spectral creature leaped through his doorway and stood before the Headmaster and the Deputy. The Headmaster had never seen anything quite like it before, only that it looked slightly like a canine. His chair moved back a tiny bit, however, when the patronus opened its mouth and spoke in the voice of Talon's ally and rival, Azrael Jeremiah.
“Talon, the ministry belongs to me. You would do well to be a good ally and not interfere in my business here. Just keep to your little school and let the big boys handle this.”
Then the patronus shimmered away, back into the magic that bound the world, to be reused in whatever form it needed to be. A few moments of silence passed following the patronus's entrance, before Talon turned to Sylph, and muttered incredibly stiffened and monotonously, "The defense of the school, and perhaps in Drakborough, is all we can deal with now. We have to keep the Professors on alert, and possibly form a militia in town..."
Post by Julius Plutus on Mar 27, 2008 0:53:09 GMT -5
A patronus zipped into the room several moments later, its message simple.
"The Triangle Tunnel has fallen. Count Scorpius has toppled the Ministry Mansion. An Inferi army has seized control under Azrael. Julian Forbes has ordered all civilians to retreat. Julius Plutus has ordered the retreat of all Ministry personnel to Drakborough Village to prepare for possible strike by Society of Shadows or Angelus Morti. Julius Plutus has placed Julian Forbes in charge of Ministry Remnant. May fate watch over all of us."
-Julius William Plutus- Minister Plenipotentiary of the I.C.W. to Spain
All these messengers - patronus after patronus after patronus - were beginning to irk the violet haired deputy headmistress somewhat. Lions and hyenas were all very well and good - or not, in Azrael's case - but Sylph often wished that she could set her own spectral protector on them, if only to obtain some peace and quiet. Meanwhile, as she stood there scowling and attempting to think clearly through her shock and rage, Talon dropped his face into his hands - a poor sign from any leader. As he looked back up at her, his expression signifying that he was at a complete loss, Sylph glittering eyes softened a little. Talon wasn't much older than she - a year, maybe two, that was it. She couldn't blame him for not knowing what do to; she certainly didn't have a clue on how to deal with this. They needed someone older, more experienced. Someone used to fighting dark wizards and armies of the dead led and controlled by an arrogant twat with a penchant for making fools out of others. Who had that on their curriculum vitae?
The defense of the school, and perhaps in Drakborough, is all we can deal with now. We have to keep the Professors on alert, and possibly form a militia in town...
Sylph shook herself. Talon was right. For whatever reason, the headmaster was incapable of raising a hand against the necromancer... wait. What? Why the hell not?
"Talon," she said, her voice little more than a growl. "What the hell is the deal with you and Az? The man has a tendency toward the dark side of magic, wouldn't you say? Scorpius and the ministry I can understand leaving well enough alone - there are many of them, few of us, and I for one would be perfectly happy to let them destroy each other. But Az is... well, he's your responsibility in a way. You're his friend - sort of. Don't you think you'd better find out what the fuck he's up to? If he's a necromancer like you said, and he pulls that undead army trick like he did last time, there's no telling what he can and might do. Hell, if the Triangle is in his hands just as many people might die as if the Shadows had had their way."
Sparks were flying from her eyes now, green shards of electricity. If Talon hadn't known better he might have mistaken her for a fellow lightning mage; the air around her almost crackled with her pent up anger. But she wasn't. Still, if she possessed the headmaster's power she would have been at the Tunnel by now... possibilities flickered through her brain. Death, revenge, justice. She ducked her head and squared her jaw, trying to stop the pointless fantasies.
"The Ministry has fallen," she went on, her voice softer now, though no less filled with restrained emotion. "The Shadows and Scorpius have returned. Azrael has control of the central hub of wizarding Spain. Which one of those three issues do you think we might be able to deal with?"
Post by Talon Windwaltz on Mar 29, 2008 16:13:50 GMT -5
Talon did not shake or stir as the message came in that the Ministry had in fact fallen in Triangle Tunnel. His eyes simply stared forward, gazing at the spot where the second patronus had entered. Really, the sapphire orbs were staring into oblivion, contemplating the thousands of souls that were either mercifully resting or swallowed whole by escaped dementors. The people of the capital of Spain...left for dead, and there was nothing the Headmaster could do about it.
"He's not my friend," Talon said, his voice extremely quiet, "I'd never even think to call him that. That monster is utterly friendless, and he prefers it that way. I'd consider Count Scorpius a friend before I'd ever count him among mine." He was stalling, purposely spitting poison out at the name of the Necromancer, trying to find some way to release his anger at the whole situation. "That night that Drakborough fell to the Society during the War, I was with Azrael and Richard...we made an Unbreakable Oath, the Angelus Morti and I, that we would be...allies."
He softly lowered his fist onto the table, not having enough willpower to be truly aggressive. "That means he comes and helps me when we have gigantic monsters attacking our gates, and...I stay away when he wants to endanger the lives of the common people. Back then it seemed like the only way out of our current situation, and it helped...we would not have won the War if it weren't for the Inferi, but...now..."
His gaze turned from oblivion to Sylph, wherin he continued speaking, "If you'd like me to march down there and stop him, I'd gladly do so, but I could do little but die if I break the oath. If you want my help in stopping this threat, we have no choice but to forget the Tunnel and move on to protecting Drakborough."
It was lucky that Sylph had fallen into a silent rage following her speech; the headmaster was now choosing to speak incredibly quietly, almost as if he were ashamed of what he was saying - and quite rightly so. Sylph's glittering gaze turned on him fiercely, an emerald beam of expectation and hope against hope. She knew that her former tutor was going to betray her, she just didn't know how.
Still, at least Talon wasn't so stupid to call Azrael a friend. That was something. This, however, was the only consolation that fell from the lightning mage's lips. Was the man really that stupid? Unbreakable vows? Who did them anymore? Especially with known bastards like Azrael? Admittedly, the situation which Talon described and which Sylph herself remembered had been a desperate one, but still! There had to have been a way around it.
"Allies." Sylph muttered the word with distaste, almost spitting it as it rolled unpleasantly over her tongue. What did that even mean? The phrasing of the oath was vital, sure, and she could see Talon's own regret; not that it was tearing him up nearly enough for her liking. Still, she had to stand by him, she had to help him. Together they would just have to focus on what they could save. Like...
"Drakborough." The two spoke the name of the local town as one. Sylph's glare softened slightly, and her shoulders went back, her head up, ever the good lieutenant. But she wasn't done yet. "You know that as allies." She really hated using that word now. "Azrael might call on you to help him, making you a part of all this if it starts to go tits up?" Matter-of-fact logic, good. She needed that. Of course, it was clear that the necromancer wanted to do this on his own, but should for any reason his control on the Tunnel falter, Sylph knew that he would use the oath to make Talon help him. It came back to the wording of that oath, again.
"Just something to think about," she added, before moving on to more important matters. "So, the ministry are in Drakborough. Let them deal with that for the moment, and let us think of our domain. I'll alert the teachers, get them to put wards in place. We might want to consider another anti-apparition field in addition to the other one, too," she added absently. It had been Azrael who had put the first one up. "Once we're relatively safe here we can see what's what elsewhere."
It was then she realised that she might not just be the second-in-command. Talon was next to useless at the moment; Sylph was the one planning everything. She had to give something to him to do, something simple. He could seek out Plutus, or Forbes, or he could dwell on how to overcome Azrael by means other than his own power. The latter probably wasn't the best idea, given his current mood.
"You go to Drakborough," she stated simply. "Tell the people what's going on - they'll need to know if they don't already. The people from the Triangle will need somewhere to stay - ask the people of Drakborough to open their doors to them. Help the ministry set up protection - especially anything you can think of that will keep the dementors out. Find Plutus, find out what he wants to do next. Find out what he knows about Scorpius." Sylph sighed. Why did their lives never run smoothly?
"Don't worry about Firefox," she added, her words soothing following her barrage of suggestions, orders, whatever they had been. "I've got things covered."
Post by Julian Forbes on Apr 5, 2008 17:43:37 GMT -5
ooc: Talon, you've never mentioned whether or not if this room is apperation proof, but if it is then I shall modify this post.
ic: There was a loud crack in the Headmaster's Office, and a body immediately hit the floor a few feet behind Sylph. It belonged to a well-dressed man, who wore the garb appropriate of Elizabethan times, and girded with a rapier on his right side. The man's crimson and vermilion clothing was tattered and had several holes grazing the fabric. There was blood splattered on his clothes, but one couldn't tell on the crimson surcoat as it already was the color of blood. For those looking at the body it appeared that it was dead, but a sputtering cough disproved that belief. Blood escaped from his mouth and slowly the dark-haired man pushed himself to his feet.
And when he had risen, he found that he was not alone with the Headmaster as he had hoped, but also with the purple-haired witch that had attended the trial of the students. If he could glare with his foggy, grey Seer's eyes (even though he did not possess the ability to see into the future) then he would've at the girl because he had not intended to speak with anyone else but the Headmaster. Hacking out more blood, the man turned to face Talon and did not remove the hat from his head out of courtesy, for he felt that such pleasantries were not befitting of the times. "Headmaster Windwaltz," said Julian as he addressed him by his proper title, "Why did you not help the people of the Triangle Tunnel?" Forbes was barely able to keep his voice under control, not able to believe that all this heroic talk surrounding the man was for nothing.
"These people relied on you more than you may realize. Even after the Ministry took over as their protectors, your name still bore significant weight. They look up to you, because they know that you care about them. Where were you when they cried out as the Ministry Mansion was assaulted! Where were you when the Hounds led by Fenrir attacked or when the Inferi Horde took over the Tunnel! Look at me Windwaltz, I am but one man, and that is never enough. Had the fight been hopeless, then I would've gone under a pile of decaying limbs, but I still have charges that I need to protect. There was hope, there is still hope yet for those supposedly trapped in the Tunnel, but you have not acted! When I am told to regard someone as an ally, I trust them even if I have not seen their abilities and I trusted that you would honor your agreement with Plutus. To find you sitting in this office with your pupil shows me the error of my ways."
Forbes was frustrated beyond all belief, and even his noble upbringing was barely able to conceal his rapidly disappearing control. The man before him was supposedly the greatest wizard in all of Spain, able to defeat the Count Scorpius and the Lycan Fenrir, and yet he sat there like a politician. Julian knew that Talon had people to worry about, such as his students, but Talon should've had provisions already made considering that he had survived the Shadow War. His body shook from fatigue and anger, his foggy eyes began to grow stormy, and the Head Auror looked as if he were about to lose it right then and there. However, a level head sat on Julian Forbes' shoulders and he was able to remain marginally respectful.
"The Ministry of Magic has relocated to Drakborough for the time being. However, there is no centralization of that town and there is no way we can keep track of all those civilians and refugees. If a serious effort is mounted, we will not be able to hold Drakborough with our current numbers," continued Julian, his words stinging yet professional, "If all you can do is stay and brood in your castle, then as Leader of the Ministry Remnant, I order that you open your castle to the refugees and civilians of Drakborough. We don't have the capability to feed and protect all these people, and I will not have more deaths on my hands then I already have witnessed."
The Maltan Viscount stiffly walked past Sylph up to Talon's desk, and placing his hands on the wood he leaned forward; staring Talon straight in the eye. "Or if you are the great man that they said you are, that I hoped for you to be, then perhaps there still is redemption for your lack of action yet. You arrange a meeting with that Azrael, and you find out what the hell he wants. Or even better, since only the finest teachers are to be found at your establishment, perhaps you'll actually take the fight to him with us! Because if you don't, I won't spare any of my men over your precious castle: I won't have them die for a man that doesn't risk his life for them or the common people."
"Speak your piece Headmaster, while there is still time for idle talk."
Post by Talon Windwaltz on Apr 6, 2008 2:47:45 GMT -5
ooc: Well the room is in the Castle, and the Castle is Apparation proof. Not to mention it's MY OFFICE. I mean come on, am I going to let just ANYONE APPARATE INTO MY OFFICE AT ANY TIME?
Teagan Offline: This board is full of nostalgia.
Aug 22, 2020 8:39:09 GMT -5
Missing the old MH: gotta say missing when MH and all that was around.
Nov 6, 2019 0:02:30 GMT -5
Willow_lazy: why tf are there 400 posts about adidas
Sept 6, 2018 17:35:57 GMT -5
Azrael: I'm not hard to find, since I'm the only one there who goes by "Azzy", I'm pretty sure. XD
Feb 10, 2018 16:44:41 GMT -5
Azrael: Dunno if anyone still pops by here from time to time, but if any of you mofos do and still feel like gettin' yo nerd on, I've been hanging around this here place a bunch recently: www.roleplayerguild.com/
Feb 10, 2018 16:44:10 GMT -5
Azrael: hold onto your pantaloons
Jul 25, 2016 5:16:43 GMT -5