Decisions and Choices (Pantera)

[Cindra Rourke]

ooc- too many ideas running rampant in my head to wait, hope you don't mind. I've been enjoying these two immensely. ;D

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She was doing something she never thought she’d do.

Cindra was pacing. Overhead the night sky had covered the landscape in the darkness of a new moon and she could barely make out the edge of the shoreline separating the Black Lake from the Forbidden Forest, but the gentle lapping of the water was soothing as she debated. Her shorter, thick-heeled boots occasionally crunched the small pebbles lining the shore under their leather soles, the rest of her steps muffled by the soft layer of fallen leaves. It wasn’t unusual for her to visit this side of the lake, even if she preferred doing so with the reassuring light of a full moon. Being this close to the Forbidden Forest wasn’t what was troubling her, it was, instead, whether or not to step into the Forest and contact Pantera.

Her plans had been upended and her window of opportunity had been cut incredibly short. Tuesday, and every night since, she should have been up to her neck in research, utilizing the best initial source she could, but thankfully she was warned before she left Hogwarts that evening. Three days had past and though she was glad to finally get word that she could safely proceed, it came with a complication… she would only have tonight to discover all she could. Which left her with only two options- handle it herself and glean all she could before hastily returning to the castle, or… have someone assist her and probably find what she needed with less hastle.

Never had she sought help before. Despite the curiosity she knew Portia had, he never broached the subject and she never offered. Seeking help now would reveal more about her to Pantera than she had planned at this point, even if it would be different than what Portia knew. The prospect of the two knowing things the other didn’t wasn’t a problem; Cindra just wasn’t sure how much they would share between them. After all, she liked her secrets as much as they did. However, she was an outside element in all honesty, in Portia’s business, so really there was little reason for them to divulge much in regards to her. In fact, she thought with a smirk, Portia's possessiveness would likely limit that exchange greatly.Perhaps she could even make it clear to Pantera that she’d prefer his silence on what he’d learn.

Somehow, she felt he might grant it.

Suddenly she stopped, her back to the lake as she sighed and stared into the deeper darkness of the Forbidden Forest, her fisted hands lightly tapping her sides as she sighed and ignored the breeze that tugged at her heavy cloak. If she was going, she needed to leave soon. She needed to decide now.

Before she could change her mind, Cindra set off, putting more distance between her and her blessed body of water with each determined step as she lightly fingered the wand that slid down her sleeve to nestle in her palm. As the darkness grew thicker, she reached over with her left hand and tapped the silver band on her right middle finger slowly three times. When he sent her the message it puzzled her at first why he would want a tap instead of a response but then she realized, if he weren’t in a position to read it, it would do little good.

She hadn’t seen Pantera for days and though she appeared as surprised and concerned as her colleagues who commented on his absence, she knew he was likely doing so to heal away from prying eyes. The knowledge only added to her determination to do this thoroughly and find a counter quickly. Finding a log to sit on, her mind set on giving him the choice, Cindra wrapped her cloak around her and looked around, wand in hand but hidden, and hoped he wouldn’t take long in finding her.

[Pantera Tsua]

OoC: Oh, no! I don't mind at all! If you hadn't I would have. xDD
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The moon couldn’t reach these parts of the wood and a thin layer of mist coated the floor, clinging crystalline droplets to the black pelt of the panther’s strong legs. Each step remained silent and its pace was uneven as it made its way over the labyrinth of black mangled roots, which shifted slightly under his claws, retracting in pain as the feline gashed spiteful lines across the thick roots. The creature moved with a smooth gait, which caused the muscles in its sharp pronounced shoulders and powerful haunches to bunch as its rather slender limbs moved into place. The panther kept its head low and its slightly rounded ears close to its head, allowing them to twitch toward certain noises, before ignoring others that didn’t require any attention.

The wounds had healed mostly, but were still rather irritating and sore, despite the fact they promised not to open unless Pantera mistreated them, the fact he’d resisted doing anything to exert himself had helped over these couple of days, but the male was certain the world beyond the darkness of the forest would make him regret this somehow. It always did. A shiver moved through the felines thick short fur and it paused in place for a moment, keeping one large paw hovering above the ground before it remembered itself and lowered the limb.

Three? Three shivers…

For a moment the Panther couldn’t concede what that meant, but it was an opportunity its mind to reconnect a little to the world he’d been absent in. The one without the centaurs, who were adamant that the Panther should remain out of their lands, the one without the large garish spiders, the old but sweet scent of unicorns and the sour destruction that followed the presence of the unfortunate jagged werewolves and other equally abhorred monsters.
A flush traced down the creatures spine, before it whirled round and put the strong muscles on its legs to good use, cutting through the mist like a black arrow as sects of Pantera’s mind pushed through, followed by memory and a realisation of what that signal meant. It was a bizarre feeling, to forget ones self like that, but Pantera enjoyed the sentiment when he could, perhaps a little more so then prowling the world as a dark beast.

In the end Pantera had turned that slip of paper into a silver tooth, which he’d attached with magics before he’d retreated to the depths of the Forbidden Forest. It was the only thing he could think of that wouldn’t come off on groping pieces of skeletal shrubbery, wouldn’t irritate him or constrain any movements… It wouldn’t be very good for messages, but when he changed back he could transfigure it into something more practical for its use.

Going from the woman’s preference to the Black Lake, Pantera presumed she would have entered from that direction, it would take longer to find her if he was wrong, but he’d know soon enough. The wind was strong in the less dense parts of the forest and if he adjusted his run a little, he should be able to lock onto her scent when he was close. Even as it moved the Panther had a smooth gait about it, each muscle moved with graceful coordination, and its sleek figure cut a strange silhouette as it moved, the slightly off-black hue of the creatures scars weren’t visible unless one was especially close, but the marks were everywhere and took a variety of forms, each one shifted as the creatures limbs did.

There.

There wasn’t even a rustle as Pantera slipped through the dark moist shrubbery and set a pair of primordial stark silver hues on the woman, pausing for a moment in place before he ducked his large handsome head and parted his short snout flat snout, exposing glistening black lips and a couple of large white fangs before he let out a low haunting growl. Allowing her some reaction time, the male lifted his head a little and prowled forward slowly, moving round the mottled piece of dead wood the woman sat on, keeping his silver hues locked sharply on her as he slowed to a stop, standing sideways in Cindra’s view.

Long time no see… Cindra. How’d it go?

Swept prompty across the silver band on the female’s finger, just as the Panther turned slightly and moved a little closer.

[Cindra Rourke]

The only discernable sound amidst the darkness of the Forest was her own breathing. The noises of life most common in any other forest would certainly not inhabit this one. It was Forbidden for good reason, for though some of the creatures that called it home were innocuous enough, like the unicorns, the rest were far too deadly for your average forest dweller to take the risk. Hence Cindra’s awareness of the deafening silence, the moment it changed could be the moment she needed to defend herself.

It was dense in the Forest, so much so, the breeze that had once whipped her cloak around was nothing but memory and now as she sat, listening when her eyes were no longer much use to her, the warmth of the wool and the two coins hidden against her chest was beginning to turn uncomfortable. She debated flipping back her cloak so she wasn’t covered so completely, but lowered her hood instead, slowly as to not cause so much sound that she might not hear any others.

As she lowered her hands, her right still gripping her wand, she closed her eyes, allowing her ears to take over completely. A moment passed and she felt the familiar tingle on the back of her neck as if she was being watched; yet she heard nothing. Slowly, she turned and tilted her head to her left, angling her head and her hearing when a low growl broke the silence and she gasped. Her eyes snapped open as her wand whipped out towards the sound. It only took her mind a second to process the little her eyes could distinguish, namely the feline eyes, and she knew it must be Pantera, but her heart was pounding against her breastbone with wild abandon to the point it felt it would crack.

As he came closer, she lowered her wand, swallowed hard, and put a hand to her breast like it could physically slow her pulse through flesh and bone. Her pulse echoed in her ears and she chided herself for reacting so. Course, the fact that once he was in her view, she didn’t feel all that bad for it, the panther was larger and more terrifying than she had imagined, but he had given her warning. She knew if he hadn’t she would have embarrassed herself more. Pantera might still have gotten a laugh out of her sitting there, gripping her chest like it was trying to fly away. At least she didn’t fall off the log.

Long time no see… Cindra. How’d it go?

At the electric tingle, she pulled her hand close enough to make out the words he inscribed on the silver band. A smile spread on her lips as she slipped her wand in her sleeve and watched as he drew even closer. The form suited him more than well, he almost seemed better suited to it than his human figure. It was an odd thought, she decided, as she noted his healing wounds and felt relief at the sight. “Indeed. I hoped you were doing well.”

Pausing, she turned some on the log, pulling a skirted leg up onto the moss-covered surface beside her. “As for that… I’ve made arrangements. In fact, I’m about to head off, but I was wondering,” she met his gaze and wondered what he would think of her proposition. “As I have limited time, whether you’d be willing to come along? Two eyes are better than one.”

What experience he had in digging up information, let alone if he would even desire to, was still a mystery where he was concerned, but she knew he would see the opportunity he was being presented. He would learn some about her methods… among other things.

It just might be enough incentive for Pantera.

[Pantera Tsua]

A shiver moved down the Panthers spine as the scent of fear tinged the air and the creatures slightly rounded ears twitched slightly in order to catch the sound of a heartbeat. He was close enough to hear it quite well as this point and her fear satisfied some inward part of the animal, whilst arousing caution in others. No startled animal reacted well; his first time exploring the dark expanse of the Forbidden Forest had taught Pantera that. The silver hues of the creature’s eyes didn’t change or soften, but the Animagus kept his gaze on her promptly allowing the sharp contrast of that moon-like silver against the rest of his darkness to give a primal edge to its unyielding glare. It almost literally drank up that fear but Pantera managed to twitch out of responding to it automatically and snapped his large sloping forehead toward the dark moist shrubbery, pausing a long moment before it slowly returned its attention to the female.

It was surprisingly hard to concentrate on words and the male’s ears twitched slightly at the noise, which generally had been louder then any one thing he’d come across in days. His small pupils retracted with focus on the female’s face, as he tipped his handsome head back a little, lowing his hind legs slightly to better accommodate the gesture.

Willing to come along?

Oh? Now what did she need that for? A lot of questions pushed themselves to the front of Pantera’s mind and he let the question hang in the air for a moment. He couldn’t see really why she’d need his help, but this was a preferred course of action and Pantera was almost glad the female had asked. Whilst she was right in saying two people were better then one, the male didn’t really think she had a shortage of people to use if she needed it, so he retained some level of suspicion for the question.

That didn’t change the fact that Pantera was reluctant for there to be any search at all, but at least this way he might be able to acquire something worth all the trouble that would follow. On first thought, the elimination of this curse seemed to fit the bill on its own, but it caused more problems then it solved, especially if they couldn’t find enough information to handle it in a reasonably discrete, or rather, smart, manner.

What was that? They?
Well, it seemed some part of him had gotten used to the idea then and with the additional value in learning a little more about Cindra Rourke, it all levelled out quite nicely in Pantera’s mind. He’d very much like to know how the woman worked, too and there was a very good chance the trip would be interesting too. Not that a couple of days holiday within the Forbidden Forest wasn’t, but it was a good way to transition back into humanity.

I’ll go.

The words sketched themselves quickly across the steel band again, then faded out quickly to be replaced by an additional sentence, that apparently, might’ve been an afterthought on Pantera’s part.

Which form would you prefer? Neither is especially conspicuous…

The Animagus almost hated the reluctance that came with the question, that sudden rush of rejection toward releasing himself from this form. It was a common misconception that the Animagi transformation was a simple transfiguration spell, that there was no bind toward the form and the person, that it was an uncostly thing to learn. Part of the problem with the spell was that both forms now made up the same person, the human form was no more Pantera then the Panther form was and that alone brought on internal confusion and even worse, difficulty when there was a preference between the two.

There were a lot of stories about how Animagi threw away their human lives and remained in the form of their animal until death.

Either way it would be odd, Pantera was suspiciously young and a Panther was even less subtle. Of course, Pantera could disguise himself with little issue, but the male hadn’t really put much thought into the question, past that initial rejection.

Why do you have limited time?

Wrote itself across the metal before Pantera tore his primal visionaries away from the female and dropped his head a little before arching his lean back into correcting his stance.

[Cindra Rourke]

It struck her as… interesting, that she seemed to be able to read as much in his gaze in this feral form as she did his human one. Cindra couldn’t claim to have been able to gauge the thoughts of an animal before, but this was Pantera and she had already become familiar with him, to a point, and would learn more through the course of their association, or was it more akin to friendship? It varied, naturally, her friendship with Portia, from what she felt was forming between her and this young wizard. For one thing, she found her ease around him came quicker than with Portia, and it felt less forced.

Friendship she was leaning towards, even if it felt odd to her, like wearing someone else’s cloak. You could warm up to it, but it still felt off. What made her come to this conclusion was essentially one thing, her concern for him. Concern like she felt wasn’t based solely on how his binding would impact his abilities, but more on the effect it had on him. That much she recognized, and perhaps he had too. If he hadn’t, she wasn’t exactly going to point it out to him. It was something she had trouble pushing aside, her inescapable sensitivities, which might account for the reason Portia handled her with satin lined iron gloves. He gave her weakness too much credit and underestimated her far too much because of it. If he knew half of what her weakness compelled her to do, he’d be shocked. At least she still had that secret over him.

As she held Pantera’s gaze, she noted his contemplating his response. Surely he was taking the potential gains of accepting her offer into consideration, so she wasn’t surprised to find his answer that wrote itself across the band as another tingle passed through her slim digit.

I’ll go.

Wiping the message away, Cindra grinned just as another tingle signaled more.

Which form would you prefer? Neither is especially conspicuous…

She almost wanted to laugh. Precautions had been taken; yet he seemed to be under the impression their destination required stealth. Well, it did, just not like he was probably figuring on. The way she worked, they’d stroll right in. Hell, she could tie bells to them and none would be the wiser.

“Which ever you prefer to Side-Along with.” Her grin turned into a playful smile. She could charm a portkey for him, but apparation was easier on the stomach and she doubted his healing wounds would thank her for the crude pull of portkey travel. “Though I have no real preference, it would be interesting to find out if that fur is as soft as it appears.” She chuckled lightly. It was probably the only thing she could associate with Pantera that was soft.

Why do you have limited time?

She looked at the band and lightly sighed. That question was bound to pop up. He was going to learn a lot that evening, and questions would likely abound before they were through. “Because if our presence is never to be known, we only have till daybreak.” Actually, nine in the morning was the true limit, but she liked to play it safe when possible. Were he not coming, she'd be there until the last minute, perhaps even having to resort to plan B.

"I don't leave trails," she added to her explanation. Checking the clasp of her cloak and mentally preparing herself for a long distance Side-Along Apparation, Cindra gave him a moment to decide, a grin playing about her lips again. Then, leaning slightly towards him, she asked, "Which will it be then?"

[Pantera Tsua]

Side-Along Apparition didn’t seem especially fun in either form; it was hard to stomach the transition between two places when one wasn’t in control of it. Although, four legs were better then two, more comfortable and definitely more elegant, though Pantera had yet to loose his footing entirely. It wasn’t the worse option she could have picked, however. Pantera’s head shifted slightly as he lowered his haunches and sat down silently, looking at the female with a glimmer of amusement dancing across that silver when she chuckled slightly.

Well that would be interesting. Pantera hadn’t even been touched with anything over then chains in this form, he didn’t doubt there would be some mild distaste for the notion, were he to be accidentally regarded as a pet, or just another animal. People weren’t very good at that, he’d found. Despite that intelligent glint, he was either to frightening to talk to at all, or he was cooed at or spoken to in other condescending mannerisms. It was unfortunate how often that happened too… seeing as more often then not Pantera couldn’t show his human form, he had to resort to using this one, if indeed a known presence was preferred.

Oh? So there was no need for subtlety? Pantera wondered where they were going, but it wasn’t really worth asking since they’d be there soon. But still, it was going to be interesting, finding out her methods, her mannerisms and how well she did under the pressure of this limited time. The animagus’s ears twitched forward a little too sharply as the female moved and he watched her pull her cloak together before moving his attention to her grin. He dipped his head low and prowled forward slowly, until he’d come up close the Cindra and then continued to half prowl round the woman a single time, before he came to a stop and tipped his dark, sloping head forward before he parted his black lips and let out a low grumble.

I think being an beast fits me rather well.

Sketched itself across the metal band, after the appropriate tingling sensation ran up the female’s finger. Just to note, the Panther’s fur was as soft as it looked, but it was course and defensively thick too, which made the pronounced scarring all the more surprising. The creature’s skin was tight against its lean form, and the muscles underneath were notable just from that little hold she took.

Don’t hold too tight…

More for her sake then for his, the stability between animal reactions and human hesitation was pretty much absent in this form, if she held tight enough to cause any pain then Pantera had very little doubt that he’d turn and snap at her. Which was the last thing he wanted/needed to explain.

Pantera tensed his body slightly in preparation and lowered his head until it was quite close to the floor, allowing the pronounced build of his shoulders to push against the skin at the back of his neck. He flattened his ears slightly, clearly quite uncomfortable with the prospect of apparation and half curled his long thin pole-shaped tail round one of Cindra’s legs.

[Cindra Rourke]

The image was clear in her mind, settling itself in the background of her thoughts as she sat, an eyebrow quirking as he prowled around her. The form truly fit Pantera well, his actions the physical form of his gaze when they last spoke. He liked his moments of silence and feeling things out, and she waited patiently while he did so then, even grinning deeper when he stopped and released a low grumble as she felt the arrival of his response.

I think being a beast fits me rather well.

She lightly chuckled as the message was erased, muttering softly, “That it does.”

Don’t hold too tight…

Despite it being him, she already picked up on the primal nature he was comfortable with. It wouldn’t do to just grab a hold of him like some stray kitten, nor would she want to aggravate his tender scars either. It was one thing to sit confidently beside a great black feline from which you felt no hostility and another to actually reach out to it. Even tamed beasts were tricky and often best left untouched. She had no doubt Pantera wouldn’t hurt her, but Cindra would prefer not to give his more primal instincts a reason to kick in. Accidents could happen.

As he lowered his head, looking strangely like an enlarged version of a black cat ready for its collar, she shook her head lightly and carefully lowered to one knee beside him, his tail half curled around her calf that hovered above the ground, his shoulders level with hers as she slowly reached out towards the back of his head.

Her fingertips gently grazed his thick fur first, its dense warmth amazingly intense as she slowly ran her fingers down his neck, inching their way down as more of her hand lowered until her fingers lightly dipped into the thick fur, her palm gliding over the soft surface. She didn’t try to hold back her smile, he was incredibly softer than she had imagined. Still moving slowly as not to startle him and her touch gentle, she stopped when her hand rested lightly on the side of his neck, near his shoulders. Her eyes had followed the path her finger had taken then scanned his scars to make sure that when she laid her arm around him, she didn’t put any weight on one.

Leaning in, she whispered, “I don’t need to hold so much as I need contact.” The smile was still on her lips as they disappeared with a muffled crack.

A few seconds later, she felt damp grass flatten beneath her knee and the smell of salt blowing off the sea behind them. Lifting her arm off of him, she lightly ran her fingers through and out of his fur as she stood and took in the sight of the stone manor in front of them. To either side the sound of waves could be heard though the coastline was several feet below the edge of the tree and foliage lined land they stood on. Dampness clung to the air and she knew it must have rained earlier that day.

The manor was old, built around the time of the Statute of Secrecy, forethought when tensions were reaching a climax and distancing the family from their Muggle neighbors was tantamount. The otherwise vacant piece of coastline had centuries of Muggle repelling, confunding, and protective spells weaved into the land, so that there was little space left for apparating. Muggle eyes would see a 1600’s ruin if they had miraculously managed to get close enough to make anything out. The building predated apparation chambers, but thankfully, the wards were so sophisticated, she need only lead him in for them to allow Pantera’s passage.

Cindra tilted her head forward before leading him towards the manor. Her cloak whipped about her in the wind, her pace quick as she reached an innocuous looking stone wall, like any one might find in the Irish country side, came into view once they were close enough. She slowed to ensure he was close enough before stepping forward, a section of the wall vanishing as she walked through, the tingle of the wards trickling down her back as it settled back in place behind them.

At the aged door, her hand lifted and paused, her gaze turning to him as she spoke. “Welcome to Slánroimh.” And as she reached out, her palm not even making contact with the handle, it slowly opened and revealed a castle like interior lighted by sconces on the stone walls. And a pale green eyed house-elf, clad in a graying teatowel bearing the Rourke crest, practically bouncing on its feet with a small package in its hands.

“Young Mistress,” it cried, moving to hold the package out to her before noting Pantera and suddenly pulling it back against its chest as it looked up at her questioningly.

[Pantera Tsua]

There was a strange agitation when he felt hints of the female’s hands, but she was clever enough not to have done it quickly and so all Pantera did was turn his head slightly, feeling the impressions of her fingers before the entirety of her palm and then the slow movement she made at the back of his neck. It was an alien feeling, abstract and strange, her hand almost felt lit it was draining warmth from him once she’d settled it and Pantera had unknowingly tensed somewhere during the moment, to better stave off an obvious shiver as more unconscious reactions threatened to get the better of him. Cindra was surprisingly careful and he didn’t feel her accidentally brush across the scarred parts of his body, at that the male let a silver hue twitch toward her face, which was pretty much level with his large body now that she’d knelt.

Pantera had always been away she was concerned for him, to a degree, but he was still absently surprised that she was being that considerate. It became apparent that he hadn’t really given that part of her personality enough thought, sure, he could read some movements and expressions and he enjoyed her banter and the observant way she looked at things. The female had a smile on her face, apparently enjoying herself and Pantera slowly turned his head toward the dark shrubbery in front of them, before it suddenly jerked away from him after a short whispered correction.

Pantera let out a low grumble once they’d landed and kept his ears pinned back for a moment more, shifting his feet as he retracted his large powerful claws from the earth and shivered as the female removed her hand. The animagus shook his body free of that abstract feeling of apparation and twitched his ears toward the low whisper of waves crashing close by, he tipped his head up slightly and took in the brash scent of crisp salt, crumpling his snout slightly into a sort of grimace at the overwhelming intensity flooded his senses for a moment. The air was moist and the ground was sodden with a thick wet that muddled up all the scent trails that cut across the grass.

Cindra moved off and Pantera lowered his head as he prowled a couple of paces behind the female, pausing only once as his fur stood on end, there was a lot of magic here, but there would have to be, like with Hogwarts and the train that took the students there; there was always a chance muggles were going to wander stupidly into the place and discover something they couldn’t handle. Of course… from the looks of this place, Pantera imagined the magics would have been set up throughout the centuries.

The male didn’t pause and prowled through the wall after Cindra, casting it a sharp glance over his shoulder after he’d past, another shiver traced Pantera’s spine and he shook himself free of it, before beginning to move again. It was only this far in that he felt the moisture from the grass pushed through his thick pelt, but he thought nothing of it and stopped behind Cindra with a curious glance round as she reached out, and the door then opened graciously on its own.

At this point, Pantera didn’t doubt this was a family home, these were the sorts of place large pure-blooded wizarding families loved; he knew from experience. Of course, he suspected it was the Rourke household, from how all these defensive magics opened simply at Cindra’s presence, rather then requiring something more. Pantera wasn’t particularly impressed that he’d been allowed in so easily, there were a number of ways that could backfire, but very few people would dare try to tackle prestigious and pure families nowadays. In fact, such were usually worshipped.

Pantera’s eyes fixed on Cindra as she spoke and he lowered his head slightly to look through the doorway, letting his ears twitch in mild irritation as the house-elf jumped around in apparent happiness at Cindra’s return. Pantera kept its eyes on the creature, ushering a low grumble as he slipped through the doorway and into the room, looking round observantly before he turned somewhere in the middle of the room and returned its attention back to Cindra.

I hate house-elfs… silly creatures, oathing themselves to wizards; being controlled by choice doesn’t sit well with me at all.

Though most weren’t in their line of work by choice anymore, it had all started at a supposedly harmless meeting point in the crumpled dregs of the past. They were still irritating creatures, but they had some curious and respectable powers to them, none the less.

What do have that will help here?

At this point, Cindra’s limited time didn’t make sense; not unless there was some sort of inquiry as to why she was here, and not where she was supposed to be. That was easy to charm one’s way out of and Pantera didn’t doubt the female could do that exceptionally well if she wanted to. Perhaps then it was difficult with family? Or perhaps she was just trying to avoid Mister Rourke?

Why isn’t your presence to be known?
Promptly sketched itself across Cindra’s ring when Pantera decided it was an insignificant detail enough to just ask about, especially since there were too many circumstances that the answer relied on for him to be able calculate it.

[Cindra Rourke]

Whether or not it was just getting over the sensation of the long distance side-along or the inherent uneasiness of being in a foreign place, Pantera didn’t appear very comfortable as he went in ahead of her, grumbling, before turning his eyes back to her.

I hate house-elfs… silly creatures, oathing themselves to wizards; being controlled by choice doesn’t sit well with me at all.

Choosing to address that later, she gave him a look that said as much as she stepped forward and bent down to the house-elf. “It’s alright, Pip, he’s with me.” The house-elf gave the panther a final look before returning her gaze and holding up the package to her. “Thank you,” she smiled, taking the brown paper wrapped parcel. “Set some of the usual out for us, will you?” Pip grinned and popped out of sight with her sweetly made request. It irked many, the way she didn’t order him around, but she learned as a child she got far more out of the house-elf with kindness, not that she wouldn’t have given it to him otherwise.

What do you have that will help here?

Cindra looked over at Pantera. “It’s not what I have, but what my father has.” She then waved for him to follow her down the dimly lit hallway to the left, the walls strangely devoid of family portraits. Instead thick tapestries hung from the ceiling, the only stone showing where one was absent so a wall sconce could appear.

Why isn’t your presence to be known?

They passed the open stone archway of the library, which one might have assumed they would enter, but instead she continued on, leaving the floor to ceiling shelf lined room behind until she came to the door at the end of the hall. Even before she was close enough to reach out to it, she could feel the intricate wards her father erected over it. “Because,” she replied, meeting his gaze, “My father greatly underestimates me. He thinks me ignorant to his… interests, and I prefer to keep it that way. His ignorance is my advantage.” With a wink she then turned and placed her hand on the center of the door, her eyes closed, as she systematically lowered each ward.

As the last fell, she removed her hand, shaking it as the muscles protested from the procedure. Before she mastered her wandless abilities, her wand had worked as well but slower. There was a greater awareness of the process when you literally reached out to the magic, she could sense its nuances and adjust accordingly. Luan Rourke’s own pride kept him painfully predictable, and so her breaking into his inner sanctum was ridiculously simple. It varied little.

“I’m not sure what you know of Luan, my father,” if he didn't know she was his heir, he did now. As for Luan, most knew of his influence over the Ministry, his ability to manipulate members like puppets on a string. She wasn’t sure how many were forged, or manipulated, but that wasn’t what she was most interested in, his political power plays. “But politics isn’t his only hobby.” Setting the package down on a coffee table near the fireplace, she took off her cloak and draped it over the leather sofa she now stood in front of.

The room appeared to be a large office, her father’s study in fact, with seating by the fire, a desk near the far wall with a bookcase behind it, and a large amount of wood paneling lining every other inch of the walls’ surface. A window one either side broke up the white painted paneling, under which sat simple unadorned cherry wood tables. Her hand still tight, she pulled out her wand and gave a quick wave, the paneling vanishing to reveal books from floor to the top edge of the windows, the once plain stone around the fireplace receding so deep shelves full of curious items lay visible, and the two cherry tables now suddenly bore glass tops that revealed even more items laying on black velvet beneath.

“He’s a collector.” Few knew of his little hobby. Those that did were fellow collectors, or wizards who could procure them. It was funny, thinking that Luan played a role in her meeting Portia. Funnier still that their meeting wasn't to Luan's advantage.

Cindra stepped over and picked up a small jade figure from one of the shelves by the fireplace, she couldn’t hold it long as it quickly drew her own body heat from her with alarming speed. Her fingers were numb and cold to the touch as she set it back down with a slight wince. For some reason it had always been her favorite piece, the first one she dared investigate when she finally broke in during her parent’s absence thirteen years before. “Father has a collection of books that would make Hogwarts jealous, particularly in the Dark Arts," she commented, wrapping her warm hand around nearly frozen fingers.

She could sense the sickly sweetness of their magic. It was an unavoidable discomfort she had dealt with numerous times, but it turned her stomach nonetheless. Quickly she lit the fire, the smell of which would help her focus on something other than the dark ripples. Cindra told Pantera to make himself comfortable with a quick glance before returning to the parcel. She figured his curiosity would get the better of him, sooner or later. Sitting on the couch she pointed at the glass topped display table under the opposite window. “Those I’d highly recommend not touching. We lost a house-elf to the bronze letter opener there.”

While she left him to his own devices for a moment, she opened the package and eyed the velvet wrapped object inside with excitement. It wasn’t an easy favor she had filled, months before, but it just might have paid off... and made this easier.

[Pantera Tsua]

Pantera promptly ignored the house-elf after that initial look and turned his attention to the room they were in as Cindra spoke in a kindred manner to the unfortunate creature. Frankly, he wasn’t surprised, not only did the female seem to have an underlying kindness to her, but she was more then clever enough to realize she’d get better things out of the elf if she spoke to it on the same level as she would a friend. Pantera was just happy the Tsua didn’t deal much with said creatures, they preferred to use dark magics to trick people into doing their whim, rather then servants. Unless of course they were owed, then slavery was enforced, useful or not. It had been rather interesting the last time a debt had occurred within the Tsua main house, a small pack of werewolves had been incorporated into the group; precarious as it might first seem, they knew better then to act like the rabid dogs they were in front of Pantera’s father.

One of them was a ministry fellow, who Pantera charmed an acquaintance out of and had proved to be a good source in recent years. The only price was, that Pantera had to get a hold of an original altered subduing potion for three nights of the month, at no pay; of course. Boy, that had taken some convincing, to the point where Pantera rathered he should have felt bad for forcing an oath out of the moon-mad creature. It had been quite a cruelly opportunistic move on his part and the man was still sour about it, to this day.

Pantera slowly turned his head toward Cindra when she spoke again, in time to watch her beckon him to follow, his ears twitched upward, before one twitched in the direction of the house-elf, before he lowered his head and prowled after the female. Her father… well, depending if she was the heir, as he suspected, then that would mean she was talking about Luan Rourke, no doubt that guy had some rather questionable stuff. A growl that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle reverberated through the panther’s throat as it tipped its head up after her statement about ignorance.

That was a good principle, no matter who her father was. It always helped to have one over on anyone and there wasn’t much distinction between friend, foe, family and business. Or at least, that was how Pantera figured it. It wasn’t long before he got an answer to his current most pressing unanswered question and paused a step, still absently surprised even though he’d suspected it.

I’ve heard about him and from experience I wouldn’t imagine it was his only hobby.

So she was the heir to the Rourke family, well that made things more interesting for starters and Pantera found it mildly amuseing that they seemed to have similar thinking patterns toward their ‘betters’, similar… but not the same, it was hard to generalise stuff like that.

Pantera followed the woman into what looked like a study and wrinkled his snout slightly at the scent that hit him upon entering, there were a number of scent trails pertaining to humans, but crisp smell of age overpowered most of that, mixed with a tinge of magics and decay. The shiver that traced his spine lingered longer then it should have and taunted lose loose parts of Pantera’s mind as he prowled round the room with his head low, inspecting what was revealed before bristling stiffly. In less then a second Pantera had made the smooth transition back into a tall, strikingly lithe male and was bent over the glass casing, housing a large quantity of things that incurred another shiver down the male’s spine.

Some he could name, others he couldn’t.

”Hogwarts? Pft. I’m jealous…” Pantera looked perhaps a little worse for wear there he appeared as a panther, he was a little pale and his lips had blackened even more, along with frames of his eyes which narrowed slightly as they strained attention onto the objects through the glass, before a smirk fluttered across his face and he stepped back to look at the shelves that had been revealed. Pantera had on a form flattering but soft long sleeved top with no neckpiece at all, the fabric only really started passed the roll of his arms leaving all his neck and shoulders exposed. The parts where he was lightly bandaged were visible from the extra layer they had over the rest of him though, and he was dressed rather lightly, probably as not to stress his wounds.

One of which could be seen cutting a horribly sore looking crimson across his shoulder, before it curved down his back and vanished completely behind his neck.

Oh, Pantera liked this room, not only because of the things in it, but the taint they exuded in the air, he almost felt the need to laugh giddily at it, but he didn’t think doing so would do anything but hurt in this form.

”I won’t touch unless I know what it is… not because of the risk, more because of how much the damn thing is worth.” Pantera flashed a grin, but turned his head only afterward tensing slightly with a short pause after turning a little too hard. His sharp eyes flickered to the parcel in her hands, then to her expression before he tipped his head, causing the large disk earrings in his heads to dances and sing slightly as they twitched under his, stylishly unkempt dark tresses. Of which weren’t managed enough to stay away from the male’s eyes and curved darkly over his brow until he flicked them away.

“What’s that?”

[Cindra Rourke]

“Hogwarts? Pft. I’m jealous…”

Cindra mentally chuckled. She had the same reaction that first time she slipped into the study and finally figured out how to counter her father’s little protective illusion. Her desire to delve into every tome filling those hidden shelves overwhelmed the nausea she was struck with those first hundred several times being exposed to the dark tinge in air. Though many had indeed been read by now, her unease had still kept her from avoiding those thick with the dark tinge. She hadn’t needed to figure out her father put additional disguising charms on his darker texts, she had only to reach towards one to sense the spine she was reading was false. Her hand always ripped back of its own accord, except for the rare occasion she felt her reasons for doing so outweighed her desire to avoid the Dark Arts. Such as now.

“I won’t touch unless I know what it is… not because of the risk, more because of how much the damn thing is worth.”

Perhaps her relation, and the knowledge she would one day inherit everything in that room, gave her a different perspective. Cindra learned all she could about each piece, unless it pointed towards darker magics, and once she knew about them, she didn’t hesitate to touch when it could safely be done. Holding them was a far different experience than merely looking. Some of the pieces, like the jade figure, still fascinated her like they had as a young witch and not taking a moment to experience it felt like a waste. Still, the millions of collected galleons spent in that room mattered little to her. The knowledge tucked away in here was the greater value; in that, her and her father were alike. Luan occasionally traded pieces for others he coveted more, but usually it was exercising his influence that constituted his payment… he never parted with his knowledge. Cindra, however, wasn’t as covetous.

Opening the letter she had lifted from on top of the velvet wrapping, she held a single finger up in response to Pantera’s question as to what it was. The parchment held the familiar, small, scratchy writing of the contact she had cleverly slipped away from her father. The fact he had his eye on several pieces in the room hadn’t escaped her notice, so she played her cards well. While she had hoped he was lending her a book she knew her father hadn’t been able to acquire, she was surprised by how far off she was. The man was definitely playing his cards with her as well.

Damn Slytherin, she could hug him.

“No,” she gasped, crumpling the letter quickly, his words of advise tucked away, as she tossed the parchment into the fire quickly, her fingers rushing to lift out the small bundle her eyes were now glued to, her hands ignoring the urge to pull back from the sensations emanating from it. Even through the velvet, she felt it’s ovular shape before she set it in the center of the table and flicked the edges of the wrapping off.

Clever wizard had her indebted. She knew the item from one of her first exploits; having helped ensure it fell into her contacts hands instead of her father’s. He trumped her and it was bound to bite her back soon, but at the moment she couldn’t care that much. The idea hadn’t occurred to her until she saw the tarnishing silver case, its dark nature preventing it from ever holding a pristine shine again, it’s glass lid foggy around the edges from age, but Pantera would have an advantage over his father if it worked.

“A Konservier case,” she breathed, half wondering if he recognized the rare trinket, while her fingers itched to pick up the item which was no longer than and barely deeper than her thumb. They had been illegal since the late 1800’s, and while many were only found near the German town in which they were created, few escaped the destruction of World War II and the fight against Grindelwald.

Cindra smiled despite the turn of her stomach as she looked up at Pantera, whose return to his human form escaped her during her excitement, her eyes briefly noting the visible bandaging. He looked much better than she had left him days ago and she was glad she had been gentle with him, his fur had covered more than she thought. She wondered if he was starting to piece together the idea she was feeling more confident in now that they had a preservation case, a dark yet innocuous looking item that could keep tissue as fresh as the day it was cut.

“Your Konservier case,” she amended with a sparkle in her eyes.

[Pantera Tsua]

There were so many volumes Pantera had only heard tale of and so many others whose words taunted his curiosity. The male pulled out a long white wand from the band of his trousers, it wasn’t his own, but it served under a different purpose then casting magics. Holding the very end of ivory wand with the sharp tips of his fingers, Pantera drew the objects tip across the air in front of the books, going slow enough so that the wand pulled in the direction of a certain one. The male stilled immediately before a sharp crack resounded from the end of the wand and Pantera dropped it promptly to the ground, he didn’t even look as the ivory wand flushed with black and instead slid his fingers down the spine of the book the wand had pointed out.

Carved from unicorn bone, the wand was, a substance that wasn’t often used because of the cost it took on the hunter, there were other issues with the item too, but so long as you didn’t hold onto to it for too long, then usually there wouldn’t be any problems. The purity of unicorn bone acted like a sponge for dark magics, because part of the unicorns abilities were purification, its body acted like a filter while it was alive and even after the animal died, its bones continued to soak up the imperfections in that part of the forest. Curses like these took their toll on the bone much faster then natural darkness though and so Pantera wouldn’t have long to skim through the book in his hands before the magic placed on it would resurface. There wouldn’t be any change in the spell once it resurfaced, however, because nothing was really done to it, save for a subtle transition from one place to another.

Another shiver burst down Pantera’s spine as he handled the large book, he had to press his arm to the spine of the volume and hold it awkwardly in the center to even manage the objects weight, but he didn’t seem to mind as he flicked through it, tipping his head to the side as the ivory wand began to decay on the floor. That hadn’t taken as long as usual and Pantera looked probably too amused by the revelation as he closed it and slipped it back into place on the shelf.

Initially Pantera hadn’t meant the cost of the item was important, but its worth could be measured in a variety of other fashions; money was the least important object; it helped to have lots, of course but there were always ways round that. The male’s dark eyes flickered again from the shelf and back toward Cindra as she gasped out an incredulous ‘no’. The male was about to turn back to the shelves when he saw her hands grasp the velvet and pull it off the minuscule case, which aged decrypted shiver and a glossy glass lid.

His mind whispered its name at the same moment she whispered it aloud and Pantera narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn’t like the amount of effort getting one of them would entail, but it was an interesting trinket to use… Though it depending on how she wanted to use it. The light of one ones mind made the most distinction between those uses. His eyes fixed on Crinda smile and part of his mind mentally groaned at how much he was going to be indebted to the woman, even though he’d noted her surprise at getting the item, perhaps she’d requested something else? Only her provider decided to trump her… you’d be surprised how often that happened. Even if you weren’t particularly good friends with some suppliers, they always made an effort to overdo their job, just so you’d owe them.

“ My Konservier case? …” Pantera took a step toward the female, but his movement was slow and thoughtful. “ Do you intend to use it as a distraction? If I put… a piece of flesh in there then that’ll distract my father’s spell. Maybe, but it would need to be charmed a little; magics tend to go for the biggest target of what they’re looking for.” It would be good way to get out of this curse without being too brash about it and then, it would be worked on until eradicated entirely. Pantera wasn’t especially confident in that idea though and tipped his head in further thought toward it.

”If not that, then what do you intent to do with it?”

The prospect of how she attained the case agitated him currently though and Pantera lifted a hand to his head, pulling his hand through his dark tresses before he closed his eyes. “How much did that cost you?” He managed eventually, with a half scowl as if to say he still disapproved of her help, especially to this extent. "No, better yet. How much will I owe you?"

[Cindra Rourke]

She followed his slow movement to shorten the space between them with a smile. Something in his look told her he did indeed know what the item was and her suspicions were quickly confirmed. Not only that, he also had picked up on her plan for releasing him for Mister Tsua’s horrid bond. However, he only had it partly correct, but then she did interest herself in knowledge not just restricted to the wizarding world, so his short sightedness didn’t surprise her. Her father suffered the same Slytherin affliction- disregard or indifference towards Muggle science.

“If not that, then what do you intend to do with it?”

Now her smile turned to a calculating grin as she stood and rounded the table, the distance between them even smaller as she paused a few steps away from him, her torso turned towards the shelves behind the desk. “Oh no, that’s exactly what I had in mind.” What she didn’t say was, now that I have the case. “But you’re still thinking in terms of you being bound to him,” she added, then pulling her wand out and heading towards the shelves, ready to get to work, sure he was confused by her words as it seemed they had already established that.

Cindra had become rather at ease around Pantera, as she had become increasingly prone to turning her back on him. It had taken considerably longer for her to do so with Portia, but she didn’t focus on the distinction. Similiaries did not make them the same.

“Yes, I too deduced that his spell aims for the largest area affected, but then you’re both thinking like predictable wizards.” She began slowly moving her wand over the shelves in front of her, saving her hand for more unpleasant tasks later as she cast a simple charm to make the disguised Dark Arts text faintly glow. It wouldn’t be difficult to counter the charms on them, but it would be a hassle to put them all back on, one by one. It was far easier to look inside, the cover being the extent of the charms effect, and look for what she needed. She couldn’t hold back the grimace she made at the prospect as she turned to look over her shoulder at him.

“Binding, involves touch, pieces of the one doing the binding, such as fluids and flesh, it’s the means of identifying the master of the bond. Nothing new to you I suspect.” His earlier response indicated he knew this, and though repeating it might seem unwarranted, but she needed to be sure he followed her. “It’s more than that. It’s not just the fact that it’s a part of the caster, ancient wizards might not have realized how it exactly worked, but it’s the DNA found in all our cells that makes a piece of us unique. That is what truly is bound, the piece of the caster, not the one that piece is implanted in. That is why it is so perfectly attuned to the caster, the master… it’s already a part of them. There’s no room for mistakes. Our magic is a part of us, so naturally it also recognizes the magical residue left by your father’s wand, but it’s a secondary connection. Take it away and he could still activate the bond.”

Her eyes passed over the table before falling on him again. “Yes, we’ll be putting a small piece of one of your wounds in there,” she nodded towards the case. “But we’ll also be putting every bound piece of your father he left behind in there with it. So when it does aim for the biggest target, it will be… just not how you thought it would.” The glint in her eyes betrayed her enjoyment of having solved the puzzle. Pantera might be boggled as to how she planned to manage such a feet, but she knew every step they would need to take. Now it boiled down to details and safety measures.

As Cindra turned back to the bookshelves, numerous spines now glowing with a pale orange light, he cut in.

“How much did that cost you?”

Her hand had stilled a moment at his question. Telling him she had no idea… yet… wasn’t a good idea. She knew he didn’t approve of her helping like this and despite the fact she wasn’t going to let him change her mind on the matter, she didn’t want to irk him more than necessary. Thankfully, he quickly changed tactics and asked how much it would cost him.

Looking at three glowing spines closest to her, she grinned. “How about you just keep me informed as to what you learn about the coin and we call it even?” she asked with a playful note. They both knew that might turn out to have been the greater sacrifice on her part, but she didn’t care at the moment. Cindra doubted either of them, Pantera or Portia, would ever understand how she could enjoy overcoming a difficult challenge just for the sake of doing it. She chuckled lightly to herself at the thought before recalling why her chest felt so uncomfortably warm. “Speaking of which…” reaching down the front of her cleavage, she pulled out the coin from her encounter with Portia days earlier and with a rub to counter its concealment, flicked it towards him. “Here’s yours.”

Her focus back on the books, the glowing spines mocking her, she tried to inhale the smell of the burning logs to ease the rolling of her stomach. Knowing time was precious, Cindra gritted her teeth and grabbed the first of the three books. Her eyes closed and she swallowed back nausea from the contact as the unpleasant feeling moved through her palm, reminding her what sort of magic flowed through the text as she took a deep breath and opened her eyes long enough to check the title page before quickly slamming it shut and thrusting it back on the shelf, a wave of relief passing through her the moment her fingers left the leather binding.

“Borsonski, Kolakivona, and Itou,” she suddenly said, the authors’ names burning in the fire escaping her lips, her voice airy and shaky. “Look for those three.” Cindra swallowed again, regaining herself. “One of them should tell me more about how he might have cast it, and if we’re lucky,” her hand paused over the next book. “One might even have the exact spell. I want to know more before I chance hurting you unintentionally.”

Cindra sincerely hoped they’d find them quickly, she never liked this part and Pip couldn’t bring the tray soon enough. At least Pantera didn’t seem bothered by the dark undercurrent in the room.

[Pantera Tsua]

Pantera watched the female step closer and lifted his arms slightly, before folding them loosely over his chest as he listened, narrowing the dark frame of his eyes slightly at her vague words. He had no doubt she’d elaborate though, or explain parts of the idea that, apparently, he’d gotten incorrect. She turned toward the shelves, then from Pantera completely and the male hadn’t missed the sentiment in it. Though he couldn’t say he thought it was especially wise, he couldn’t say there was any point wishing malice on the woman either, if not just to spite this… comfort. It was abnormal and Pantera wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it, sure the male had acquaintances he had fun with, but it was all to a certain point and unfortunately Pantera lacked that loyal portion of the brain. The male hadn’t met anyone he could safely say he wouldn’t exploit or use if the time arose when he needed it.

Pantera kept his eyes on Cindra’s back as she began an apparent explanation and repeated something he already knew, it was just a way of being thorough, the male presumed and waited to her to get to the rest of it, switching his gaze from her to the bookshelf as the letters on the spines of various volumes began to glow and read different to how they had previously. It was nothing that shouldn’t have been expected and Pantera didn’t look twice at it.

Muggle science again? Pantera tilted his head slightly at the explanation and picked up the general jist of it, but it seemed it was definitely something the young dark male would have to investigate. Though anything founded by muggles didn’t seem like an exciting thing to incorporate into Pantera’s mind, it seemed valuable enough. Especially considering how he wouldn’t ever have thought of it if Cindra hadn’t brought it up. It would be an interesting thing to incorporate into spells of any sort, come to think of it and, from the way Cindra could analyse binding with the knowledge… there would probably be a lot of other things he could exploit with it.

Pantera grimaced slightly at the prospect of toying with his wounds, especially when such tended to go horribly wrong, but noted the look of enjoyment on her face. Well, it was justified really, puzzles were a brilliant thing, figuring one out correctly usually pulled a large amount of satisfaction out of anyone. “How do you plan to separate the ‘bound pieces of my father’?” Pantera didn’t like the prospect of that either, so far it all seemed a little too easy, but then if you looked under the surface of that, he was being helped by a very capable woman, maybe it was supposed to be easy?

He got it, it would be the biggest piece after the bond had been switched from him…to that piece in the box. It made sense, was logical and would help with dealing with the issues that resided outside the spell.

Pantera fixed a sharp glare on the female as she stilled after he’d asked her how much the Konservier case had cost her, from that reaction alone the male could assume it was either a rather big price, or there was some other need to be careful with her answer and Pantera averted his gaze in a flush of irritation. Silly woman, sure he liked her and he knew that she was comfortable around him and seemed to enjoy his company, but this was too far to go in spontaneous sentimentality.

He should’ve been happy that she was taking more risks, instead of analysing everything to the point of boredom… but this could all end at a point impossible to recover from. There was taking risks and then there was being plain hopeless with it. A sharp noise shifted through Pantera’s earrings before he turned his head to the side and shook it very slightly after having changed his question. The last thing he wanted was a bad answer and if that’s what he was doomed to get, then he’d tweak the question and get a more valuable answer.

The coins? Portia’s coins? Pantera choked out a laugh; didn’t they already have an agreement pertaining to that? But he understood, figuring out the coins was something Cindra had thought a lot about, they were an intricate and…as of yet, unsolvable puzzle to her, the relief of finding out some factual things would have been something difficult to pass up, especially if that information was being passed around.
Pantera hadn’t noticed the coin until he turned his attention toward the female, but at that point it was far to late to have a planned reaction sent to his arm and so, it all happened on instinct and the male’s hand twitched open in mild surprise to the heat the small object emanated.

”Alright, I’ll give you that one. But if I find out you’ve done something that outweighs the information…” The male shook his head again, despite the fact Pantera’s features remained as smooth and as impassive as usual, forgoing the occasional hints that Cindra was good at picking up on, but the irritation was there, openly so. “You’re being quite brash with making deals with me, too.” He pointed out, flipping the coin into his other hand, watching it turn hastily in the air before it slapped into the center of the opposing palm it had started in.
”I’ve gotten a lot of easy access passes out of you already… Are you sure that’s wise, Cindra?”

The male scowled slightly as he turned his gaze back to her, watching her tense visibly every time she picked up a book, then relax as she, rather hastily, pushed it back into the shelf. “You’re not a fan of the Dark Arts, I presume.” Pantera mused, letting a small smirk pull at the corners of his lips, not as her expense… but the new contrast it offered between them. Pantera felt nothing but pure excitement and power when he handled such items. It was a good feeling, Pantera liked it, but he didn’t loose himself to it, though, part of him felt that was rather unfortunate.

Pushing himself up, Pantera moved to the book-shelf and stooped low, scrutinizing the spines of a couple of glowing words near the floor. Itou? Sounded familiar… but there was no reason to voice it, chances are Pantera had come across the name before. “ Pain isn’t really an issue anymore. Its not a necessary factor, so you can overlook it.” He knew she wouldn’t. If she wouldn’t back off helping him, then she wasn’t going to be any less cautious about hurting him.

”Here. Kolakivona…”

[Cindra Rourke]

“I’ve gotten a lot of easy access passes out of you already… Are you sure that’s wise Cindra?”

Leave it to Pantera to effectively render her immune to the effects the dark sweet tinge of the books was having on her by completely distracting her thoughts. She felt the corners of her mouth curl upward as a half chuckle escaped, another text being slammed shut in her hand. “Don’t get too use to it, Pantera.” Still smiling, she didn’t grimace as she got on her tiptoes and with an outstretched arm, grabbed another book. “Had my father’s plans not been suddenly changed, I wouldn’t have brought you here… yet.” Putting the book back, she looked over at him and cast him a grin before returning to the shelves.

“As for wise,” she tilted her head as she thought a moment, grimacing as she pulled down a tall, thin, red silk bound tome. “Perhaps you should know now I occasionally follow my instincts without question,” Her brow furrowed as she realized she never took notice of the book before, but continued her initial thought, albeit as an afterthought. “Such as since we met.”

Cindra swallowed a few times, finding this particular book more unsettling than the previous ones. She was looking at the black and golden images woven into the silk when he noted her aversion to the Dark Arts, turning her eyes towards him through her lashes, and gave a small snort in reply before turning back to the book and flipping it open.

There were many foreign books amongst their collections, hers and her father’s, and though she read a few languages, the one she was greeted with was not one of them. Sighing, she ignored the violent roll of her stomach as she shifted it into the crook of her elbow so she could cast a translating charm on the first page. And she rolled her eyes.

“Pain isn’t really an issue anymore. Its not a necessary factor, so you can overlook it.”

She turned and saw him checking the books near the floor. A lock of ginger hair fell in her eyes as she shook her head. “Perhaps not an issue for you.” Inflicting pain wasn't something she normally took pleasure in. Then Cindra turned back to the page staring her in the face, translated, but clearly not the title page one expected to be there, it was the last one. Rolling her eyes again for not having remembered the obvious, she countered the charm and flipped the book over in her arm with a sigh and another wave of nausea. Lifting the back cover, she cast the charm again and smiled as best she could.

“Here. Kolakivona…”

“Thanks,” she said softly, taking the book from him in her wand hand, the addition of which only intensified her unease. She held up the other silk bound one. “Found Itou.”

Quickly, she went back to the couch, placing the two books beside the case and breathed easier once the contact had been severed. No sooner than she set them down and leaned back from them, Pip appeared with a crack, setting a large tray on the opposite end bearing a small assortment of fruit and cheeses, a tea service, as well as two glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey.

Thanking the house-elf, who eyed Pantera again, only in his human form now before disappearing again, relief washed over her face as Cindra reached for the firewhiskey. It had been by curious accident that she learned the numbing effect of it helped her deal with the discomfort of delving into the Dark Arts. Pouring herself a finger of the liquor, she took a rather large first sip.

“We can hold off on the Borsonski if you wouldn’t mind helping me go through these two.” If one of them proved useful, they wouldn’t need the third anyways. The warmth of the alcohol slid down her throat, tingling all the way down to her stomach where it weighed down pleasantly. “Are you handy with translating charms by any chance?” she asked, looking at the Itou, not particularly relishing the extra time sifting through it would involve. It was a pity translating more than two facing pages at a time often posed too much risk of things getting ‘lost in translation.’