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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 30, 2008 0:13:01 GMT -5
Dare's eyes widened, and his heart stopped. It was as though Ariel hadn't spoken. "Sh~," he said under his breath. He couldn't leave, couldn't. He had to stay here. What if Tom ratted them out? Dare reached out for Markise's arm, holding it tightly through the layers of his cloak, and apparently a jacket, too. He shot a meaningful look at Logan, then backed quietly onto the staircase, out of direct view of the bar. Listen, he mouthed, just in case the two hadn't heard.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Nov 30, 2008 0:14:54 GMT -5
All Markise had heard of it was "kid with all kinds of colors in his hair," but that had been enough. His first thought was, of course, him. Had someone seen him and Ariel? He wished he'd heard the beginning, but before he could think too hard on it, Dare had pulled him onto a low stair. Listen. Markise listened, concentrated as best as he could.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Nov 30, 2008 0:18:40 GMT -5
It didn't take much for Ariel to link Dare's panic with the guy, even if he couldn't very well know why the guy would be looking for them. But he stayed quiet anyway and tilted an ear towards the bar, watching out of the corner of his eye.
At the bar, Tom shook his head and continued looking down at the mug he was cleaning. "Not seen anybody like that." The man asked again, giving a couple more details as though that would help Tom, but Tom continued to shake his head. "Nope, and if you're not getting anything, get out." The man glared at Tom and turned from the bar, leaning against it and looking out over the people.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 30, 2008 0:22:15 GMT -5
Dare's heart was still beating too fast to stand a chance of slowing any time soon. But Tom had said no, and now that the man was looking around, the best idea was not wandering Diagon Alley. If the man searched there, he might find Dare, or even Markise. Why in hell had Markise had to dye his hair again? If he was blond, he wouldn't fit the description. Dare tugged at Markise's hand and gestured up the stairs with a nod. He wasn't letting Markise go out, either.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Nov 30, 2008 0:27:08 GMT -5
Markise had figured out by now that it wasn't him and Ariel the guy was looking for. It was Dare and Michael, and it had to have something to do with Dare's transfigured hair and eyes, and the strange clothes. Markise didn't say a word, but followed silently, only sparing a glance back at Ariel. He could see how he might be in danger, and wasn't at all opposed to hiding from it.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Nov 30, 2008 0:31:01 GMT -5
Ariel didn't like where the whole thing was going, but he supposed that he really didn't have much choice other than to follow Markise and Dare up the stairs, though he spared one last look around to see that the man was heading towards the stairs. A second later he saw the man pass to go through the door to Diagon Alley. Then he turned completely and jumped up the couple of stairs to catch up with Markise and Dare.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 30, 2008 0:36:36 GMT -5
Dare hadn't looked back once he'd started. Markise had his hood up, and Dare was blond. There were three of them. He told himself that as he flicked one glance past Ariel and turned into the hallway. Wait here, he mouthed. He wanted to check on Michael first, not least because he knew what a horrendous invasion of privacy this was.
Michael was sound asleep and covered to the neck with blankets, so Dare waved them in, holding one finger in front of his lips to ask for silence. He'd explain what he could when they were settled and the door was locked.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Nov 30, 2008 0:40:56 GMT -5
Markise was far too busy trying not to vomit from nerves to say a word. He followed without argument, and looked around at a room that was a level of cleanliness he was sure the rest of the tavern had never seen. How long had Dare been in here?
There was Michael in the bed, and Markise looked away quickly, not wanting the reminder. One bed. It wasn't difficult to do the math. His eyes diverted to the table and chair though, and widened all over again. The pile of potions and bandages were nothing compared to the bloodstained shirt and the puddle of torn cloth that might have been pants at one time. Markise's heart stopped, and his gaze shot to Dare. What was happening?
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Nov 30, 2008 0:43:23 GMT -5
Ariel walked in and shut the door behind him, raising an eyebrow at Michael and the state of the room, but not caring enough to ask questions. He assumed they would be getting some kind of answer soon enough. He took off his cloak and then went to lean against a wall, then slid down it. He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned his head back against the wall.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 30, 2008 0:49:33 GMT -5
Dare moved past Logan to lock the door, then gestured for Markise to sit. The floor really was the most reasonable place, considering there was only one chair to go with the table and little room left over. He looked at Michael as he waited for Markise to get seated, then licked his lips and tried to think of how to say this without saying too much.
"Our families don't want us to be together," he started in a murmur, beginning with a base of truth that left Michael's personal history in the shadows. "One of them is... a fanatic, you could say. Michael was injured in a fight and we're waiting it out here." It was a pathetically short story, but it was as much as he thought he could say.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Nov 30, 2008 0:52:17 GMT -5
Markise's eyes were still wide as he looked at Dare, that strange blond Dare who had obviously given him less than a skeleton of the story. He got the bottom line, though. There was some kind of fanatic after Dare and Michael, and he was dangerous. Markise suddenly decided that he wasn't comfortable sitting with his back to the door and slid across to sit closer to Dare, pulling his cloak around him again, even if the room wasn't that cold.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Nov 30, 2008 0:55:13 GMT -5
"And you think that some dingy little pub is going to keep you safe," Ariel stated, rolling his eyes and then shutting them. If they hadn't been safe at Hogwarts, then how in the world was a pub supposed to do the job? He was deciding that, aside from some lingering discomfort, the floor was decently comfortable and that he wouldn't mind taking a nap on it, if they weren't going to be leaving for a while.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 30, 2008 1:02:41 GMT -5
Dare's eyes narrowed at Logan. "We were dropped off here as a safe place, and I can't get us home. Michael's in no condition to be moved, and even if he was, there's no way in hell I could apparate us that far. Speaking of which, how did you get here?" Dare kept his voice low, praying Michael wouldn't wake up. Maybe Markise or Logan knew a way back to Hogwarts that he didn't. Dare glanced back at Michael again, his brows creasing. There was no way he could move Michael, not without tearing his wound open all over again.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Nov 30, 2008 1:07:09 GMT -5
Markise couldn't speak for a moment after Dare's whispered rant, as short as it had been. He'd seen the way Dare looked at Michael. He wants to marry him. That didn't make it hurt any less. Markise looked down at his hands, or at least at the spot where they were hidden beneath the folds of his cloak. "Brin's taking a night class in a little shop off Diagon Alley," he said softly. "The guy there let us across because I'm her brother." That wouldn't do Dare any good with Michael injured, though.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Nov 30, 2008 1:09:29 GMT -5
"How the hell did this happen if you two were on school grounds?" Ariel asked, forgetting that he had intended not to ask questions. As far as he was aware, though, Hogwarts was one of the safest places around. And why would they have been off of school grounds? It was obvious they hadn't gone to a club, especially if the way Markise had dressed was normal for American club-goers.
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