The night calls...(Open)

[Lilith Braeden]

She sat on a bench, her dark clock wrapped around her. It was late or early, depending on how one looked at. The night called to her, it was her time. The stores all in a pretty row, closed and locked up tight. Her red hair was coiled in a bun at the base of her head. No one would see it, her hood covered her hair and her milk white face. A handful of street lamps were lit, the only light beside the flicker of her lighter as she smoked cigarette after cigarette. She had little else to do. There were other places she could go. Places to drink and dance, but not tonight. Tonight, the young girl sitting alone on the bench craved the peace and solitude the empty Alley offered.


Snuffing out one, she pulled the pack from her robe pocket, lit another one. Smoke rolled in the air gracefully, blown from lips as red as her hair. She thought of her name, her life, her job, and her destiny. A person's name held great power. The first glimmer of knowledge about a person. Her name, in particular, rang true. Born of night from the dark valley. Lilith Braeden. It described her perfectly. The dark stain on her soul, her heart. She held it, cherished it, drew her power from it. She was stronger at night, in the dark. The Braeden line had been around for centuries, though few had ever heard of it.

She had hated the orphanage. Not the workers, but the children. The workers had been half way decent to her. It was the children she loathed. No manners, the lot of them. Though, she supposed, it was difficult to teach manners to apes. Lilith had always been a pretty girl and many had tried to adopt her. A bad temper caused her to lash out and she was always returned. She preferred this, choosing too be alone. The children always teased her because of this. Perhaps, later on she would burn it down.

Her father had come for her, shortly after her 17th birthday, after the glamours and spells broke that her nameless mother had placed on her before the woman dumped her at the orphanage. He had taught her, given her power. He often beat her, if she didn't pick up something quickly. She was grateful for it. The beatings made her tougher, stronger. Though, he was getting older and was quickly losing his usefulness. He would not be long for this world the next time she saw him.

The perfect job had been offered to her and she couldn't turn it down. Lilith had no need for a job, she could have lived off her family money. But people who had no job and seemingly did nothing all day were often looked upon with suspicion and she could little afford that. So, she took the offered job of curse breaker. Besides, it allowed her to travel the world, on the goblins money, to cause her own brand fun.  


Her destiny was for greatness. Soon the world would know her name and whisper it with fear.  Soon. The waiting killed her, but it had to be done. She needed more people for her cause. Strengh was on her side, but Lilith couldn't be everywhere at onc. It shouldn't be hard, though. People were drawn to her, they almost couldn't help it. She was born with an unworldly and unnatural charm. It was possible to fight it, but most didn't. Only the strongest of will would stop them from being sucked into her web if she wanted.

Her thoughts drifted to and fro, little moments in her life that molded her, smiling and smoking.

[Tristan Clarke]

Tristan did not mean to stay at the ministry so late that night. But he had a particularly difficult case that he had been working on and it was definitely taking the life out of him. He was upset that with Emily being home only a few more weeks, he was not able to spend as much time with her as he would have liked. Instead he was so devoted to his work that he had no idea what she was doing during the days. He hoped she was not getting into trouble and that she was able to take care of herself okay. Emily had always been a very independent kid, something that was necessary given the circumstances of their family dynamics. Still, while Tristan could not change the past, he still always felt a twinge of guilt on nights like these, that he had not found a new wife after Rachael died just so Emily could have a mother, perhaps more siblings, anyone to be with her on nights like these. 

There was no rush in getting back home though. It was so late that Emily was sure to be fast asleep, knowing it was useless to try to stay up late waiting for him. It was good enough. Tristan was stressed, looking through documents and articles and statements and pictures and coming up nowhere. Little information had been spread out to the public about a prisoner from Azkaban having been able to escape over a month ago, mostly because there was no understanding of exactly how this man was able to do it. And Tristan had been part of the team trying to investigate the cause. As lawyer, he was studying the evidence that had been found so far to figure out if the escapee had received aid and if so, were any laws broken. But in his countless nights searching through the evidence, he was coming up short. Either this prisoner was very good at escaping or his partner was very good at helping him. The investigative team as a whole was not doing so well and it was frustrating everyone. 

Tristan walked down the street of Trio's alley, hands in his pockets, listening to the sounds of night. With the area being empty, the usual sounds of people bustling to and fro were replaced by the sounds of a slight breeze in the air and the crickets chirping. It was rather relaxing actually. Tristan took a deep breath and let the natural sounds of the night relax him. He looked up at the sky. Unfortunately he could not see too many stars, perhaps for all the clouds in the sky. Even though he had been born and raised here, moving to Greece had caused him to realize that there actually existed a world beyond rainy Britain. 

Tristan then noticed a young woman sitting on a bench on the side of the road. He first noticed the light of her cigarette rather than the woman herself. Upon seeing her light another cigarette, he felt a sudden craving deep in his stomach. He groaned, realizing as his stress level had risen dramatically in the past month, so had his terrible habit that he did not have the gall to tell Emily (she would kill him if she knew that he had started to take up smoking more frequently). He made his way over to the bench and sat down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his own cigarettes. 

He then smiled at the woman. "Can I get a light?" he asked. "And may I ask what brings you out here this late at night?" He did not know why he was striking up conversation with a stranger. Perhaps it was just to help take his mind off of everything else that was running through it. 

[Lilith Braeden]

Well, she was shocked. Maybe a few people here didn't roll up the carpets and go to bed so early. Lilith had been jarred from her thought when she had heard a slight groan. Sounded male, not too old. Hmm, perhaps a little conversation wouldn't be amiss. A little flirting never hurt anyone either, if she was so inclined. He joined her. Another smoker apparently, they seemed few and far between in Britain. "Of course." She flicked her lighter, cupping her hand around the flame to block the wind, and raised the flame up for him. "It's my pleasure." Chancing a peek from the safety of her hood, she smiled to herself again. Not bad looking either.

Now to be the mysterious stranger or the friendly night owl? Warring with herself, she choose the later. Smiling, Lilith pushed her hood back and raised a hand to smooth down a few stray curls that had worked loose. Time to turn on the charm.  "My job has...unusual hours at times." She shrugged in a what can you do gesture. "I'm used to being up all hours. It's often hectic, jumping from place to place. I come here a lot when I'm home. At night, after all the stores have closed it's so quiet and peaceful. I just sit and enjoy the night and the peace." Shut up Shut up Shut up. Mentally she was kicking herself. Merlin, was she so in need of someone to talk to. She had followers, she didn't need friends or more than a casual night.

Lilith snuffed out her cigarette, pausing before she lit another one. No, she could wait. Lighter in her left hand, she turned it round and round between her fingers out of habit. On impulse, Lilith offered her hand. "I'm Lilith. Lilith Braeden. Pleasure to meet you." Maybe she did need a few moments of companionship. Her life plans were right on track, nothing more could be done until fall. What was the worst that could happen?

Smiling softly, she turned on the bench a bit to face him. "Might I ask the same of you? You're the first person, besides me, I've seen out this late in a long time."

[Tristan Clarke]

Tristan could not help but smile warmly back at the woman who introduced herself as Lilith. He thanked her for the light and he took in a deep breath letting the nicotine get into his system as quickly as possible. He had heard from his friend who was a mediwitch that nicotine was a stimulant but he found quite the opposite effects. It made him quite calmed and relaxed after a stressful day. That friend was also on the list of people who were not allowed to know about his new worsening habit. 

"Hectic job. Working crazy hours. Sounds just like me. You don't happen to be a lawyer, are you?" he said with a smirk. He knew there were plenty of other professions out there that were much busier than his. It was just the recent cases that were keeping him stressed at the moment. "You're right, though. It is so much nicer and peaceful at night when there are less crowds and people bustling about. It gives you a moment to really appreciate the world around you." He leaned back on the bench and took another drag of his cigarette, glancing up at the sky. 

"Oh yes, how rude of me to not introduce myself," he stuttered, quickly switching the cigarette to his left hand so he could shake hands with her. "I'm Tristan Clarke. And I will say Miss Lilith Braeden, you have such a beautiful name. Goes with a beautiful face." It was a good thing it was so dark out so Lilith would not notice that Tristan's ears were turning a little red. He was just trying to be polite and make nice conversation. He did not mean for that compliment to slip out. "Anyways, I'm, uh, out late tonight because I was dealing with a case that seems to never want to follow the 9 to 5 rule. I'm not usually out this late but it's nice to have a little company at this hour." 

[Lilith Braeden]

Perhaps she had made the right choice in coming here tonight. Peace and quiet and a good looking man. Yes, tonight she would have fun. Lilith laughed softly while giving her head a shake. "No, I'm not a lawyer. I'm a curse breaker with Gringotts. The last job was...hard. So, I'm taking a few weeks off." The conversation continued and, while she didn't let herself go, she did relax a bit. After lighting another cigarette and shaking hands, she leaned back on the bench. Her legs stretched out in front over, she was quite comfortable.

When he glanced at the sky, she followed suit and frowned. "It looks like it might rain." Lilith paused, working the frown off her face. "But what the hell, it's not like a little water will hurt us, right?" She laughed brightly, the first real laugh in forever and it felt good. "Speaking of enjoying things and water, did you know that behind the apothecary is a little pond? I was talking to this girl at the ball, I guess she's the owner's wife or something and she was telling me about it. It was a gift from him think. It sounded quite pretty." 

Lilith forced a blush for show and grinned. "Well, thank you for the lovely compliment. It means born of night from the dark valley. Lilith was courtesy of the orphanage and Braeden from my father. He found me when I turned seventeen" The grin took on a cheeky look. "The face I'll take credit for though." Tristan, now there was fine name. It fit him. "A strong name it is. Tristan was once a Knight of the Round Table." She smirked. "Are you a white knight, Tristan?"
 
She pulled her knees up under her, that way she could look at him and still be comfortable. Resting her chin in her hand, she nodded. "Ah, a tough case. Now that I can sympathize with. Would you like to talk about it? Who knows, I deal with all kinds of people with work, maybe I've heard something and could help."

[Tristan Clarke]

Tristan raised both eyebrows. "Well your job sounds so much more interesting than my boring desk job," he said with a laugh. Sure, when he was younger, the idea of being a lawyer and standing up for the good guys seemed like a fantastic job in an idealistic world. In his daydreams, he was the hero, saving people an defending them to make sure that justice was always served. What was not part of his daydreams was the constant slew of paperwork. And the very little time he did spend in court was usually dealing with small cases of petty crimes. However, this current case showed some promise of interest and that was why he was devoting so many hours to it. 

It looked like Lilith was becoming more relaxed and comfortable as they talked. Tristan enjoyed it. Though normally shy, he had few friends so it was nice to get to talking to a new person outside of his friend group or work colleagues. "Indeed, but I feel like the rain here is as common as having coffee with breakfast. I've gotten so used to getting stuck in downpours, you're right, I don't think it's a big deal if we get caught in a little sprinkle." Tristan hoped it did not rain too hard though. He wanted to spend more time out here, getting to know Lilith. Tristan smiled as she told him about the pond behind the apothecary. "I did not know about that. I will have to check it out sometime. It does sound very nice. And how thoughtful of him to have that set up for her."

Tristan's eyes opened wide when Lilith revealed that she had grown up in an orphanage. "Ahh, so you've also had a unique childhood like me. I wasn't in an orphanage as long as you though. Got adopted soon after my mom dropped me and my sister off. I was 12 though. Dad was already dead so he couldn't come save me from there but my adoptive mother was an amazing woman and I am forever grateful for her." He smiled at Lilith, amazed at how easy it was to talk about some of the darkest parts of his past. He had told very few others about his childhood. But there was something about Lilith that made him feel at ease. Or maybe he was so overworked and tired that he was just not quite int he right mental state to be his usual quiet, reserved self. 

"It's funny you say my name is strong," Tristan said, his ears turning red. "It actually means confused or sad. I hate to break it to you, Lilith, but I'm no white knight." Better to shatter any illusions right now. 

"Oh, the case?" Tristan pursed his lips. "There's not really much I can tell you right now because most of it is being kept confidential. It's stuff we don't want leaked to the public or it might cause mass panic. And we don't want people panicking without knowing all the details just yet. We're just dealing with an investigation regarding a guy who is very smart and resourceful and is having us run in circles trying to figure out where he is and how he got there."

[Lilith Braeden]

“Interesting, well that’s one way to put it I suppose.” Lilith had been telling the truth about the last case she had. It had been difficult, taking days to unravel the curses. Normally it was easy for her, after all, she was practiced in curses. But she somehow had missed one and had gotten hurt. “I took the job because it was exciting and gave me a chance to travel the world.” She paused here, taking a drag of her cigarette and then sighed, before continuing. “Like I said, the last job was hard. There was an accident and well, I’m still a bit sore.” Lilith was, honestly, still a bit shocked about the whole thing. Had she not been the one hit, she would have loved to try and duplicate it.

How odd. She hadn’t enjoyed herself like this in a long time. It was nice actually. Maybe if things went well between them, she would keep him around for a while. Lilith nodded. “It does rain an awful lot here. Though, I’ve been in worse places. At least it’s not snow.” Her hair was starting to escape again and she pushed at frustrated. Taking it out of the bun seemed the best option, but with the air damp it would frizz badly. Giving up on it, she returned her attention to her companion. “I snuck over there last night. I suggest checking it out. There are all kinds of flowers and it’s quite pretty.”

Again, Lilith was struck with how odd things were going between them. Since he had shared some about his time in a slammer, as she often thought of orphanages, she would do the same. It didn’t matter to her anymore, now that she was grown. It wasn’t her fault she had been dumped there. “It’s nice you found someone. I was a…difficult child. Had a nasty temper. I actually went home with a couple families but I always pitched a fit and was brought back. My mother dumped me there right after I was born. My father found me when I turned seventeen.” Funny, she was used to charming people, it was a bit different to be the one charmed. But Tristan was certainly pulling it off.

She waved off his comment about his name meaning something different. “Meh, different cultures, different meanings. I pick the meaning I like and roll with it.” The cheeky grin returned to her face. “Not a white knight, hm. How about a dark knight? That would be more fun anyway. I’m not an angel myself.”

“Oh, well, I understand.” She stated in regards to the mystery case he was working on. “That makes it a bit harder to find anything out. How about if I hear anything about anything, I’ll let you know.”

[Tristan Clarke]

Tristan frowned. "Well I hope there won't be any lasting damage from that accident," he said with a worried look. Perhaps it was his 14 years experience being a father, the majority of that time being a single father, but he had a habit of caring about other people a little too much. Including strangers whom he just met. He decided to not ask any further detail about the accident in case it left a psychological mark as well as a physical mark on Lilith. 

He took another drag of his cigarette and laughed when Lilith mentioned that at least there wasn't any snow. "You've got that right. I am not looking forward to another winter up here. I used to live in Greece and I can tell you I was spoiled by the weather. I'm glad to be living back up here but sometimes I do regret moving from that paradise." Tristan and his wife had gotten themselves a house by the waterside in a small town in southern Greece. It was a nice muggle town that was quiet and full of friendly people. That was where Emily was born and that was where Rachael had died. Though the years were few, they were much simpler times, the few years of Tristan's life where he was truly happy. 

"You know, it's tough to find the family that fits you best. And we come with a lot of baggage some families aren't ready for. But really, I think it's just that we're independent people and adoptive families don't expect that," Tristan shrugged. "My story's a little different. My mom dumped me with my dad when I was born and I didn't see her again until my dad died. That's when I was thrown onto her doorstep and she quickly turned me away. It was a rough year, to say the least. But I think it was for the better. My mom was not meant to be a mom. I'm glad she birthed me but I'm so glad she did not raise me."

Tristan then laughed when Lilith asked if he was a black knight. "I'm just not a knight at all," he clarified. "I'm more the fool to be honest. I'll be the first one to run away at the sight of danger. I'm not really someone to look up to and be fond of." He took one final drag of his cigarette and then threw it on the ground, snuffing it with his foot. "Do you think we'd be able to see that little pond this late at night? Or do you think it would be trespassing?" 

[Lilith Braeden]

“No, I’ll be fine. I’m just sore still.” She rolled her shoulder, trying to loosen it back up. It had gotten a bit stiff from sitting so long. Truth be told, she had nearly lost her whole arm. Lilith shifted a bit, uncomfortable with the show of concern. She just wasn’t used to it. Most the time, Lilith found the concern forced, something only done because it was expected. Tristan, however, made it sound real and that bothered her.

When he laughed, she couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face. “I know what you mean. I hate the cold. Usually, I try and take jobs that will let me go somewhere warmer.” As he spoke of Greece, her smiled widened. It was one of the few jobs she had taken a few days off after, just to enjoy herself. “Oh, you’re so lucky to have lived there. I got to go once and it’s just beautiful. Especially the beaches. I don’t tan, just burn, but it was so worth it.”

Lilith frowned, puffing her cigarette. “I think that’s worse. You knew what you were missing. I had no idea and was happy for it.” She paused here, shaking her head a little. “It sounds like our mothers were of the same breed. Some people just aren’t meant to be parents.” When she was small, she wished for the comfort and love of family, the companionship of friends. Her wish for friends had been squashed early, being the loner, the ginger, the weird kid. Family went shortly after that when she decided she didn’t need anyone.

The first quote that popped in her head was the perfect one for the situation. “Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared.” Following Tristan’s lead, she too finished her cigarette. She stood, turning to face him, hand held out for him to grab if he chose. “We should go. The lady said I could come look at it.” Her smiled turned to a cheeky grin. “Besides, you’re a lawyer. Isn’t that what you do, get people out of trouble?”

[Tristan Clarke]

Tristan gave Lilith a warm smile. "I like that. 'Courage is doing what you are afraid to do,'" he repeated. "I will keep that one in mind. Still, there have been many times I've run away from things I am afraid to do so I have no courage whatsoever. My daughter is the brave one, she'll go headfirst into things without even thinking about fear. She's much more like her mother in that sense." Tristan chuckled, thinking about how much stress Emily usually put him in, with her fearlessness putting her in situations he would have fled from when he was her age. But that was why she was a Gryffindor and he was a Hufflepuff. They were sorted into different houses because they were different people. He would just grow a few more grey hairs worrying about her all the time. 

He took her hand and stood up. "I keep people out of trouble when they have done nothing wrong," he clarified. "But I am a stickler for the law. Basically, I'm a huge goody-two shoes. But if she said it's all right for you to check out the pond then I see nothing wrong with us going to have a look. If you could show me the way." 

As they made their way to the apothecary, Tristan noticed that he was still holding her hand. Thank goodness for the dark night because his ears were turning red. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and let go of her hand, running his fingers through his hair. "Uh, anyways have you always lived around this area or have you traveled a lot with your different jobs?" he asked, trying to make conversation. 

[Lilith Braeden]

Lilith frowned; glad it was dark so he wouldn’t see. She hadn’t counted him having kids. Carefully, she pondered this new information. Was it something she could deal with? Maybe. Depending on the age of said girl, it might not be so bad. Just not a small screaming one. The thought occurred to her then that he was probably married. Well, only one way to find out for sure. “You simply must tell me all about your daughter. And your wife?” Lilith phrased this as a question. There could have number of circumstances at hand and she wasn’t going to just assume something and possibly upset him.

Holding his hand while he stood, she gave him an eye roll. “Well, Sir Goody Two Shoes,” Yes, she made a joke about the knight thing. “I’m not so sure you want to hang around me then. I’ve been known to do some wild and crazy things. But,” she added with what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, “You’ll be happy to know I’ve only been arrested like three times.” That was true and all three had been minor things. Normally, she was far more careful.

They walked slowly; Lilith just enjoyed Tristan’s company. If he wasn’t married, she could probably deal with a kid. She chuckled to herself; she wasn’t much older than a child anyway. He dropped her hand and she couldn’t help a small sigh. She tucked her hand into robe pocket. “I lived here most my life, but work takes away a lot. I get sent to the States a lot, not sure why. Anywhere besides here and Greece for you?”

Reaching the Apothecary , she slipped down the small alley beside it. He wanted to see the pond so she figured he’d follow. Passing the building, the yellow painted fence with the gate came into view. “Well, here we are.” She pushed the gate open and flipped the switch on the wall up. Hundreds of fairy lights had been strung around the pond casting a colorful glow on everything. “What do you think?"

[Tristan Clarke]

Tristan gave a hearty laugh when Lilith asked about his daughter. "Don't let Emily hear you ask that. She claims that I am such a doting dad, going on and on about her," he joked. "I'll try to real it in so I don't talk your ears off about her. But she's a bright fourteen year old girl. Gonna be starting her 4th year at Hogwarts in a few weeks so of course I'm quite proud. I may drive her nuts all the time but I can tell you the two of us are partners in crime. We've been together through a lot of stuff." Seriously, Emily was the best thing that had ever happened in Tristan's life and he was so grateful to have her after all these years. Emily was the only constant, really, in a world full of uncertainty. "And I actually don't have a wife right now. Emily's mother passed away 11 years ago from illness." 

Even though the pain was still there, time had made it easier to say that fact so nonchalantly, forgetting that it might come as a shock for others to hear. He grinned at her statement of doing wild and crazy things. "Well, maybe I should stick around you. Emily says I need to learn how to loosen up once in a while. First step is staying out way past my bedtime. Next is checking out this pond with you. So, clearly you're a good influence. Just don't get me into too much trouble, okay?" He chuckled. It was nice to feel at ease this evening. The tension in his shoulders was loosening every moment he spent with Lilith. 

"Never been to the States," he said. "Must be a fun place to go. But I've only lived here and Greece. After Rachael and I got married, we had our honeymoon in Paris but other than that I actually haven't been to any other countries." Tristan sighed. "It makes me sound so boring, doesn't it?" 

By this point, they had made it through the alleyway and to the pond where the lights came on and Tristan let his mouth hang open in awe. The way the fairy lights twinkled against the still water was unbelievable. The water sparkled like glitter. He looked over at Lilith and saw as the glow cast on her face and grinned. "This is pretty amazing," he said to her. "Thanks for taking me."

[Lilith Braeden]

Well, fourteen wasn’t so bad. Teenager she could deal with. Old enough to have some common sense and manners. “She sounds lovely. You should bring her by one evening and we’ll have dinner or something. I bet we’d have a grand time and she can tell me all about Hogwarts. I didn’t get to go but the view from Hogsmeade, it looks amazing.” Her face sobered. “I’m terribly sorry about your wife, though. It must be hard, raising a child all on your own. I couldn’t imagine.”

“Oh, past your bedtime. Yes, I must be a naughty one.” she said with a laugh. “I don’t know that I’d be a good influence, per say. I just go with what pops in my head.” If Emily says it, it must be true. I’ll tell you a secret. Even adults can have fun too. But I promise not to get us arrested.” He seemed to be relaxing a bit, she was glad. That, after all, was the point of the evening. Have a bit of fun and see where the night took her. It was nice to have some else along for the ride though. “So, how late are we extending bedtime?”

Lilith pursed her lips. “Honestly, there are some beautiful places in the States, but there are some not so pretty. I get so confused over there. They call things weird things. Like, chips are fries and crisps are chips. I just order food and wait and see what shows up.” Laughing, she shook her head. “It doesn’t make you sound boring. Most people never go anywhere. The only reason I get to go is work.”

The bright smile painted her face. “You’re welcome. I just… It’s just so beautiful, I wanted to share it with you.” She glanced over at him, with the lights it was a bit easier to see. He was better looking than she first thought. That was pushed from her mind as another thought evaded her mind. “How far are you willing to go with this whole loosing up thing?”

That being said, Lilith went into action. She pulled her hair tie from her hair, letting the red curls fall down her back. The shoes went next, then her robe, all in a pile. Giving Tristan a wink, she pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a plain black tank top. Wriggling her pants off, she was pleased to find she had remembered underwear. She took off at a run, jumping in the pond with a squeal. Bobbing to the surface, Lilith pushed her hair back, grinning at him. “Well, come on then.”

[Tristan Clarke]

"I'm sure Emily would love that," Tristan smiled. "We could get together before she heads off to school." While Tristan had been doing his hardest to be the best dad he could possibly be, there was no doubt that Emily never had a strong older female presence in her life. Now that she was moving onto the teen years and being more resistant to the doting dad act, Tristan had been more vigilant about having more of his female friends around her. His friend, Kelly, for example, was doing a marvelous job taking Emily out to hang out with the girls and offering her advice and perspectives that Tristan himself could not always offer. "Thank you," he said with a nod. "It hasn't been easy taking care of her but Emily's such a good kid that I can say I'm really lucky to have her for a father." 

He tapped his finger against his chin as he thought about how late he wanted to stay out. It was already extremely late and he was sure his daughter was fast asleep so she wouldn't realize whether he was there now or later. Plus he did not have to go into work early the next morning so he could afford to sleep in. Plus, he really wanted to spend time with Lilith and get to know her better. She definitely was a presence he enjoyed being around. "We can extend it until my old bones start to get really tired. Which isn't right now. I feel wide awake so we'll see how long this lasts," he laughed. "This is amazing, though. I'm so glad I get to see it. You're right. It is beautiful." 

He raised his eyebrows at Lilith's suggestion of loosening up more. He was not sure exactly what she meant by that until she was removing articles of clothing and then running toward the pond itself. His eyes opened wide, unsure if it was technically legal for them to do this. They were already pushing the limit by coming here at night, even though the owner had said it was okay for Lilith to come by here. But now they were going to swimming in some pond. There really was the rational side of Tristan that was warning him of all the implications of they were caught here. There was the legal ramifications and then there was just the embarrassment. And he could not imagine what would happen if Emily found out what he got caught doing. His ears turned red at even the thought of that. 

But there was Lilith, grinning at him, with the light of the moon and the glow of the bond shining down on her. There was something about the atmosphere in which Tristan just could not resist. He sighed and then kicked off his socks and shoes. He shyly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his extremely pale chest, and then he took off his pants as well. He waded in the water slowly, letting himself adjust to the temperature, and constantly looked around, hoping no one else would come by and notice them. It would take a lot to get the tension in his shoulders to relax. It wasn't often that Tristan was up for doing something adventurous. If jumping into a pond in your underwear in the middle of the night counted as adventurous. 

"There," he said with a smirk. "You happy?" 

[Lilith Braeden]

“I’m free this weekend if you’d like, my treat.” Maybe the kid wouldn’t be so bad. Oddly, Lilith was looking forward to meeting her. It was an odd feeling for her, who normally didn’t care about much of anything. She liked shopping and a number of girly things, but never had anyone to do them with. Yes, that was it; she was sure, just looking forward to some company. “No, I imagine it hasn’t been easy. I’ve heard girls are harder to raise than boys. Teenagers are harder. That being said, good kids are usually the product of good parents. Which means you’re a very good father.” It was all true. She had been one of those difficult kids and she was shocked she turned out as normal as she did.

Wow, if Lilith hadn’t seen Tristan for herself, just heard him talk about himself she would have thought he was ancient. He couldn’t possibly be much older than her. “Well, old man, you just let me know when you can’t keep up any more.” She shouldn’t tease him so, they barely knew each other. But he had seemed to take her in stride so far which was a good thing. Gazing out over the water, Lilith smiled and spoke softly. “One day, I hope I find someone that loves me this much.” Long ago, she had pushed away silly notions like fairy tales and happy endings but that was one hope she couldn’t seem to push away.

The water was nippy, but it felt so good against her hot skin. Especially, her sore arm. Her poor arm, just below her left shoulder was still red and angry looking. She figured the scar would never go away. She tread water, her hair floating out behind her, just watching him. The wheels were turning in his head. Probably trying to figure out if there was a way they could get in trouble. With as much as she had been around here, she had yet to see an Auror. Even on the off chance they came, she doubted they would be in any serious trouble. Should that happen, though, she was sure he would get some ribbing at work. But often was the price of fun. Sometimes it was work it.

There, now he was coming around to the idea. A wide grin colored her face as she watched him undress. Mmm. Now there was something worth looking at. A bit pale, but so was she. “Yes, I am. You don’t have to keep looking around, though. If anyone shows up, then they show up. I don’t think we’d have time to run now.” Laughing, Lilith made her way over to him. Her attention was drawn to his arm where a dark scar marred the skin. Seems that was something else they had in common. Gently, she ran her finger so very lightly over the scar. “What happened here?”

[Tristan Clarke]

"Don't make fun of me for being...cautious," Tristan said, figuring that was the best word to describe what he was trying to do. But he could not hide the fact that he was a little nervous. First of all, he was in a pond on someone else's property in his underwear. Second, he was in his underwear. Third, he was with a very attractive young lady while he was in his underwear. Everything that could possibly go wrong was running through his head and it was instinct to keep looking around, expecting someone to show up. Of course, logic would tell him that it was highly unlikely that anyone was going to be around at this time of night. "You're right though, I really need to relax and enjoy myself. It's every day I get to be this adventurous." 

He allowed himself to sink deeper into the water, letting it cool him off. It really was the perfect night to be in the water. The humidity was making all his clothes stick to him but now he felt refreshed. He waded closer to Lilith. It was then that she had her fingers running over the scar on his arm. He reached up to his arm as well and let his hand cover hers. "I could ask you the same about yours," he said, nodding toward her shoulder. It looked a lot more fresh of a scar than his was. 

"This one is old. I got it when I was 11 years old," Tristan explained. "A death eater that came for my dad had also tried to hit me, too, with some curse or another. Luckily he missed me and I got away with just a scratch. It aches sometimes but I don't think it's got me connected to anyone like Harry Potter's famous scar or anything like that. It's just your regular old mark from a failed curse." Indeed, it looked more like the skin had been lightly charred, it being a little darker than the rest of his skin. It was one of many reasons he did not often expose too much skin in public. But aside from the occasional night when it ached, he really did not think much about it. It really became a part of him as much as a birthmark would. 

"I've got my fair share of magical scars all over the place," Tristan smirked, pointing to his nose. Along the edges of it, where his nose attached to his face, there was a faint, lighter scar, tracing around the edge. "This is where Emily got ahold of my wand when she was younger and accidentally charmed my nose right off my face. Regrowing the nose was not a pleasant experience, let me tell you that." It was something he could laugh about now but at the time, it was terrifying, the prospect of living the rest of his life without a nose. 

"And now that I've shared, it's your turn," Tristan said with eyebrows raised. "Your shoulder does not look very happy right now. Have you gotten it looked at?"

[Lilith Braeden]

“I wasn’t making fun of you. I was teasing you. There’s a difference.” She said it with a smirk, but she hoped she hadn’t offended him. It was only meant in good fun. Though, she had to admit, sometimes her sense of humor was something only she could understand. The smirk turned to a frown as she bit her lip. Lilith’s mouth opened, she was going to apologize but it snapped back shut when he told her she was right. Okay, so he wasn’t upset. “Oh, I know I’m right. Sometimes you just need to relax and enjoy the crazy.” Laughing softly, she splashed a little water his way.

Once again, Lilith was so glad she had chosen to come here tonight. Warm night, good company and a little of the crazy. She, of course, was the crazy. Something else that was crazy was her face. Her cheeks flushed as he placed his hand over hers. It didn’t last long, though. When he gestured towards her own scar, she simply shook her head. Later maybe, she would explain a bit more about it, but for the moment, it was his turn.

Death eaters were so stupid, she thought. She was too young to really have anything to do with that war, but she had read the newspapers at the time and books about it in more recent years. They were far too free with their killings. Things like that should be planned and drawn out for maximum effect. But now was not the time for such thoughts. “Very lucky, I’d say. I was a bit young at the time, but I remember reading the newspaper a lot back then. They certainly didn’t mess around.” It looked oddly like it had been burnt. “Yeah, well, Mr. Potter’s always been a bit of a special case.”

As he gestured to his nose, Lilith had to squint to see what he was talking about. It was faint, but there was another scar, if one could even call it that. “I’m not entirely sure that counts, as it’s barely there.” A couple times tonight, the thought had come to mind that for two people that were vastly different, there was much that was common between them. And again, similar but different. It was actually a touch eerie. She winced, that was awful business. “I was helping out the nurse at the orphanage a couple years ago, right before I left and a little boy did nearly the same thing but it was a couple fingers. I imagine a nose is even worse.”

Hmm, there was that concern again. She had half hoped that he would ignore it, but guess not. “Well, I was seeing a healer in the States for a while, till I was well enough to come back here. I, um, just haven’t had the time to find someone here. Besides,” she paused here, giving her arm a poke, “I’m sure it will be fine. “ She was still a little embarrassed by the whole thing. It was her partners fault. If he would make more of an effort to get along with her it wouldn’t have happened. “Anyway, I have a far more interesting one that’s shaped like a question mark. I’d show it to you, but we just met and I’m not that type of girl.” At this, Lilith grinned and gave him a wink.

[Tristan Clarke]

"Yeah, losing the nose was tough. But I lucked out that my friend was able to help me regrow it," Tristan said with a chuckle. His fingers touched his nose, remembering those few hours he went without it. Now it was funny to think about, but at the time, it was terrifying. His face was distorted and her learned that indeed, your sense of smell really affected your sense of taste. He was not sure what he would do if he never got to enjoy the taste of a good Italian dish again. Plus, his voice sounded weird, like he had a cold. He was lucky that no long term problems came of it. And of course he fully forgave Emily for her accident. He was more grateful that she was able to do magic. Prior to that, she had showed no signs of having magical potential and he was concerned that his daughter was going to be a squib. But she clear is as magical as the day is long. 

He moved closer to Lilith, lowering himself so that he was eye level with her shoulder so he could get a better look. He carefully reached out so he could touch the skin. It looked quite red but it was not warm. He turned to Lilith's face to see if it was causing her any pain having him touch it. He had no idea what could have happened to have caused that scar, but he was sure that she needed to get it seen. Call it his paternal instinct, but he figured it was better to have it checked out and be nothing than to let it sit and be something terrible. 

"Listen, Lilith, I have a really good friend who is a mediwitch," he explained. "She's the one who fixed my nose actually. She's super smart. It would make me feel at ease if you just got it looked at by her. Even if it's nothing. Because it could be something, you know?" 

Perhaps it was the quietness of the night, the glow of the lights around the water that reflected onto her face, and the closeness of the two of them, but Tristan felt extremely comfortable and at peace at that moment. He realized then how close his face was to Lilith's, and his heart beat a little faster, sending the blood up to his face. He immediately backed away, running his fingers through his hair. 

"Um... that is... if you want," he said, clearing his throat multiple times. "I mean it's just a suggestion. I'm not a doctor or anything.... I just don't want you to have any long term problems with that shoulder."

[Lilith Braeden]

Well, that was unexpected. Delicately, Lilith raised an eyebrow at the man studying her arm so closely. Her lips pursed as Tristan touched her arm. It hurt, not as bad as she thought it would, but it was touchy. At this point, she was fairly certain that if she saw her partner she would kill him. They hadn’t liked each other since day one. So naturally, they had been forced to be partners for nearly everything. But how it happened wasn’t important, as long as she healed. Wait, former partner anyway. Lilith had pitched a major fit until it was agreed she could get a new coworker.

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. The scar, injury, whatever it was, it should have been looking better by this point. The friend he was talking about had done a fine job with his nose. Maybe she should agree to it. “Hmm. Maybe I’ll think about it. It really should be looking better by now.”

They had been having a good time so far, talking and having fun. Just a small gap between them, she looked up at him, smiling softly. She had thought perhaps things were going to go a bit further between them. Ah, there it was. The odd shyness. Sighing as he backed away, Lilith was both amused and annoyed at the embarrassment that was obvious on his face. “No, you’re right. I do need to have it looked at. I guess, tell me how to get up with her friend and I’ll work something out.”


A thought popped in her head and she had never been good at impulse control. “Tristan, let’s be honest. There’s an odd tension between us and we need to get over it.” At least she thought he felt the same way. If not, well, they could go their separate ways. Without waiting for an answer, she went to him. She placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him.

[Tristan Clarke]

He should have seen it coming. It was rather obvious the tension between the two of them. They got along great the moment they met each other and began talking. Tristan was definitely doing things that were out of his comfort zone which including staying up past his bedtime and going on late night adventures with a woman he had just met. And he had dated enough women to know when the familiar sensations filled up within his chest that told him that he could not pull away any time soon. It was not like Tristan was particularly bad at flirting. He did get married once and had a kid after all. But it did not mean that he was the most charming, smooth talker in the world. But Lilith seemed okay with his awkward shyness and his hesitance. 

Tristan was not a particularly spontaneous guy so there was no way he was going to make any first moves if there was something sparking between them. And there was definitely something sparking between them. Whether it was from the magic of the night or not, they both knew what was coming. It was just a matter of who would make the first move. And Lilith indeed did as she kissed him. Having been a good while since Tristan had kissed someone, he allowed himself a moment to enjoy the feeling of lips against his. 

Perhaps it would be okay to be a little more spontaneous tonight. He had already had been on that trajectory to begin with. Perhaps it was Lilith's energy that was motivating him. He smiled and put his arms under the water and around Lilith's waist, pulling her closer. He did not expect anything to come out of this night. But if something did, he would be happy. If the magic of the night only lasted until the sun rose, then he would be fairly content with that too. 

Their bodies touching now in the water, Tristan leaned forward and let his lips press against Lilith's, kissing her for just a little bit longer, letting his lips linger against hers. "Is this getting over it?" he asked in a whisper.