Adult Discussions Over a Child's Treat

The stranger was as worrying as he was interesting. That was to say, he was quite worrying. The woman liked to pride herself on being the best at almost everything she set her mind to. Yet now, she couldn't with absolute certainty say that she was the best at dissecting a person's lies, games, and intentions. This Seamus could possibly be her match in the area. Yes, this was definitely not what she had expected when stopping to get ice-cream.

The man's insightful response to her teasing remark sounded rather like something she'd say, and had been a bit too on-the-mark for complete comfort. Katrina-Carlotta's curiosity was far stronger than her survival instinct's, that were currently telling her to kill or flee, and so the woman only tilted her head slightly to the right.

The wizard had answered her truthfully. The look in his eye made that clear. There was a flicker of amusement in his eyes when speaking, however. The male had clearly understood that she hadn't exactly told the truth and returned the favor. Katrina-Carlotta had to know more, crack his mask.

"Oh I couldn't agree more," the dark witch stated with a wave of her hand. "Businesswizards do have a tendency to make quite the mess," Katrina-Carlotta gave a knowing nod here, face slightly sympathetic. The woman was amused by the way that the two of them were most certainly talking about completely different things. The man across from her was likely talking about the political and metaphorical messes those involved in business seemed to be so fond of creating. On the other hand, the dark witch was calmly referring to how murdering those involved in large and prominent business almost always got her covered in blood. It was a shame, how some people could be so self-important that they truly believed that they could out-duel her.

At this point in the game they were neck in neck. This Carlotta that sat before him was exactly who she appeared to be and absolutely not at the same time. Had this been a normal conversation Matt would have made an excuse to leave and never come back. But Carlotta had intrigued him and he knew she felt the very same. Both older in age and shared similar experience in the art of using ones mind to the best of their ability. He rarely left the house with excitement about talking to someone and it wasn't every day he actually did enjoy a conversation. But stranger things have happened.

Perhaps he was completely wrong about Carlotta. Or perhaps his assumptions were correct and he was in fact speaking to one of the most dangerous witches in the whole of Europe. The thought did not phase him, in fact it only excited him even more. The adrenaline rush often caused by the game kept him running his facade and keeping his senses alert. He had even picked up on the witches scent. It was different, but he liked it. He had taken note of the wave of her hand. It seemed almost rehearsed, perhaps he was wrong.

"Terrible at dueling." he added absentmindedly as he glanced down at the paper for the first time since he removed it from his face. The goal was to make it seem like he was losing interest. Perhaps it would spark something inside her and she would break character enough for him to get a glimpse into her inner workings. It was a terrible tactic and probably wouldn't work on someone as skilled as Carlotta. "I myself find it enjoyable to toss a curse or two for some money. And those businesswizards always underestimate me." he told her shifting his eyes back to her.

He had completely forgotten about his ice cream and it was beginning to melt. Just one sign of how long their conversation competition had gone on for. Perhaps they would continue once night fell. Matt always enjoyed walks under the moonlight. Of course, he was mostly alone during those walks. Company was not often welcome, but there was something about Carlotta he wanted to hold on to. She sparked something in him. Interest? Perhaps.

Katrina-Carlotta wished that she could say she was a moment away from figuring the man out, but that would be lying. At this point, the male across from her was just as close to figuring her out as she was with him. It was an odd combination between a contes,t and a slightly unusual conversation. It was exhilarating.

"Oh, indeed," the dark witch agreed, attempting to keep the surprise out of her voice. So this mystery man had experience with dueling. From his words, the European would have to say that the stranger was more than just the basic above average that was often the case with so many men whom bragged about their dueling prowess.

"It's quite fun to be underestimated," Katrina-Carlotta continued. She adored proving people wrong, people whom thought that she was just always in the right place at the right time or a luck potion addict. Of course, the constant underestimation could get draining at times, but more often than not it was worth it just to see the look on people's faces. "And buisnesswizards to tend to be a cocky lot," the woman added with a small grin. It was amusing how many men liked to think of themselves as butch, and then died screaming like a little girl.

She would be careful, the assassin knew very little about the intelligent man sitting at the table with her, but Katrina-Carlotta couldn't help but want to know him. That was dangerous, considering that the man's allegiances where still unknown to her. But as the European lifted a small spoonful of vanilla ice-cream to her lips, the witch puzzled quietly over the fact that she wasn't sure if she even cared.

"Cocky and rich." he added to her statement with a smile. It may not be his main source of income but dueling for sport was a good way to make money on the side. There were many undergound dueling clubs he would frequent. An aspect of his personality nobody knew and nobody would ever know. It was a very dangerous thing to go underground while still breathing. He was taking some time to dwell into his own thoughts during their conversation. Would it cost him the match? No, it wouldn't but it wasn't helping him win. 

Matthew would definitely not underestimate the woman in front of him. The minute she sat down he was on red alert. She was a danger to him, he could tell. Not that he couldn't hold his own if she suddenly decided to attack. But the adrenaline inside him that made him crave the attack was not there. There was something calming about Carlotta. Perhaps he had met his equal in the world. For every action there is as an equal and opposite reaction. Perhaps, perhaps this witch was his reaction.

"Perhaps we should clear out." he said suddenly as he realized many of the people occupying seats had left. It would be a bit harder to hide their conversation topics without hustle and bustle. "That is if you want to join me." he said as he stood up and brought his paper with him. He snapped his fingers again and the leftover's in his cone flew into the garbage. "I enjoy a nice walk after some fresh ice cream."

"I wouldn't be opposed to a stroll down the Ally," the dark witch admitted with a small smile thrown in the direction of her mystery man. Rising from her own seat, the woman pushed the chair she'd been occupying back underneath the table with a small kick. The back of the almost weightless chair ended up perfectly parallel to the table's edge, and a small amount of satisfaction flowed through the witch's veins.

Strolling towards the door with measured steps, the European casually dropped her spoon and empty cup into the bin as she passed. She hadn't forgotten the male's first show of wandless magic, nor would she forget his second. it spoke well of her companion's power levels to have such fine control without the use of a wand or incantation. She'd have to keep an eye on that.

Stepping through the door without a backwards glance, the woman looked out over the cobbled road. There were only a handful of people out and about, almost half of which seemed to be carrying some sort of bag or purchase. While she hadn't been in the country long, Katrina-Carlotta did know her way around both Diagon and Knockturn quite well. Knockturn slightly better than Diagon, of course, but that was to be expected.

"Did you have any specific destination in mind?" Katrina-Carlotta asked lightly, turning to look at the hazel-eyed wizard whom had captured her attention.

As he and Carlotta exited the little shop the weather decided it was tired of sun. Dark Clouds began to form in the sky foreboding a nice storm. Matthew looked up and smiled a little bit. He enjoyed the rain. It brought an atmosphere he couldn't recreate no matter how hard he tried. And it was an atmosphere he welcomed whenever he could get it. He just loved the rain. 

He placed his copy of the daily prophet under his arms and his hands inside his pockets. Adapting a very casual and more relaxed type of body language. Perhaps they would take a small break from their game and actually enjoy a regular conversation. But Matt didn't want to do that; he was having way too much fun. It dawned on him that she had asked a question and he had been to involved in his thoughts. He hadn't answered her. He blushed slightly but quickly recovered. A fault. 

"Around?" he asked more than stated. "If you're feeling brave we could always take a quick stroll down Knocturn Alley later." he told her. He had been down Knocturn Alley on a number of occasions and all had ended in him having to curse someone for taking his wallet. He didn't like it down there but he didn't hate it. Plus there was great fun in challenging himself and his Brunette companion. "Looks like rain.." he muttered absentmindedly.

"Around," Katrina-Carlotta echoed whilst raising a single brow. Her tone was obviously amused, and her lips curled into a smile as she turned her head to glance at the man. He'd appeared to have gotten lost in thought and therefore been unable to quickly provide her with an adequate response. It was hardly more than a small blip, but as the wizard had previously been nothing but perfectly composed, so the woman would count it as a victory.

"Sounds like quite the little adventure," the assassin agreed lightly. All things considered, she was both more comfortable and familiar with Knockturn than the main ally. Katrina-Carlotta had purposely been very carful with her phrasing, however. Appearing too eager or knowledgeable about the darker place could have the adverse effect of scaring off her companion. Not that she thought it would, Seamus didn't seem the type to run from the first mention of something dark. One could never quite be sure what was happening inside the minds of truly brilliant people though, and Katrina-Carlotta was almost certain that such a description fit her new acquaintance like a glove.

After a few moments of companionable silence, the woman spoke up out of the blue. "Do you like rain?" the European couldn't help but ask. The man did seem to be pleased by the prospect of precipitation, and Katrina-Carlotta was undeniably curious. After all, this man fascinated her, and she wanted to know as much as possible about the secretive wizard.

Matthew was willing to bet that she knew Knocturn Alley better than he did. And he knew it fairly well. One of the benefits of sticking to the shadows most of his life and holding a poker face incredibly well was that he could easily blend in down Knocturn Alley. He took a step forward and the two began their walk down the alley. He really did enjoy the rain there was no doubt about that. Whether it was a slight drizzle or a thunderous storm rain had calming effects over Matt. "It calms me." he told her as he let his gaze lift up towards the gathering clouds. A slight smile formed onto his face. A true smile, a rare occasion on Matt's behalf.

Something had changed in him over the course of their little competition. Perhaps a part of him had been brought to life now that he had a challenge in life again. A part of him that had died many years ago. Carlotta was a mystery to him but he liked it. And the fact that she could equal him in mystery and cognitive defense was icing on the cake. Perhaps it was time to step up the pace. Perhaps it was nearly the time to break character and really go toe to toe. Or maybe he would simply put it off for a while longer. It did not matter to him. He kind of hoped she would make the first move towards it.

"You get into much trouble?" he asked her with a smirk. He didn't clarify his statement. He would let her imagination take it however she wanted. That would widen his glimpse into the inner workings of her brain.

The dark witch just watched as the man lifted his head to look at the sky. A true smile bloomed upon is lips, and the woman couldn't help but notice how it lit up his entire face. While they had not been expressionless throughout their conversation so far, both of them had been careful to keep a reign on what appeared upon their faces. Letting loose a little suited the man, Katrina-Carlotta mused to herself. Even though his smile was slight, the realness of it practically transformed the wizard's whole face.

She couldn't quite bring herself to say anything in response to his words, the witch had never been one to particularly care on way or another about the weather. Of course, it was easier to blend into large crowds in the winter when everyone was bundled up and walking swiftly. It was also easier to track or find people when the sky was clear and the days longer. Katrina-Carlotta had never really thought about the weather in terms of what she enjoyed personally. If she had to choose, the woman would probably pick those nice fall days. The days where the sun was out, but the crisp breeze cooled and swept leaves off the branches of surrounding trees.

"Lots of trouble," Katrina-Carlotta answered honestly with a glance thrown in the direction of the asker. The Death Eater couldn't be sure, but she had a suspicion that the male was trying to draw away a little from their competition. Oddly, she didn't mind. If the two continued with their rally of unspecific words with many meanings, they were never going to get around to knowing the other. It wasn't like Katrina-Carlotta was preparing to spill all of her secrets, but the way they were conversing before would get them nowhere. After all, she did want to learn about this stranger. "Occasionally it comes to me, but more often than not I'm the one whom goes looking for it," the assassin confided, slight heel of her black boots clacking against the cobblestone with her every step.