Not What I Planned

Audriana hadn't had much luck with Hallie's watch search thus far, so her next thought was to head to Knockturn Alley to meet up a contact of hers. She was feeling like something of a failure at that point, wondering how long the girl would have to wait for Aud to just get her job done. If she was being honest with herself, she was mad that she was taking so long on one job, when she could have been working on another already.

Where had the blasted Death Eater or whatever taken the watch? And honestly, why leave the wand or the papers and take a watch? It was like the person was just trying to annoy Hallie or get some kind of sick revenge on the girl. It was easily one of the stranger cases she had worked on, now that Audriana thought about it.

The cloak billowed around her as she marched her way into Knockturn Alley. Perhaps she was crazy to be there, but Aud had long since discovered how to handle herself around people like the Death Eaters or generally dark figures she would have a chance to run into in the dark part of London. Turning the corner to the familiar street, Audriana looked about for her contact.

Immediately, his failure to appear made her suspicious. He had never been late before - he owed her and wasn't about to forget it. Not that she would have let him. That wasn't to say that Richard hadn't tried to best her previously, but he hadn't ever succeeded. She straightened and looked around with her eyes rather than her entire head turning to observe her surroundings.

Frowning, she back up against the building to her left, letting one foot lift to press against the wall as she leaned against it. From there, she could see the entire street and anyone who might pass along it. Several minutes passed and there was no sign of the Death Eater. Glaring darkly at the street, Aud pushed off the wall, pulled her cloak tighter around her and decided to just head back to Diagon Alley for lunch or the like. Anything to make her feel less annoyed at essentially being stood up.

That's what it came down to, after all. She wasn't exactly the type to have dates. Honestly, she didn't pay enough attention to things outside her work for it to matter. That said, she didn't know too very many people. Thus, when someone called her name from a side street, she nearly jumped.

"Swan." The voice called again as she turned to look down the street, hood falling off of her hair to rest on her shoulders.

"Where have you been?" She asked darkly, voice low as she narrowed her eyes at him. Richard was said to be sneaky, though she had yet to see any real proof of that. The man seemed, thus far, to really only be someone she was curious about rather than someone who caused problems.

"I was delayed." Richard shrugged in return, his dark eyes betraying his impatience and dislike of her.

"I'm glad you didn't forget that you owe me. There's no getting out of that, Richard." She warned carefully, hand poised on her waist as though she was just annoyed. Instead, her wand was hiding there beneath her cloak. She wasn't taking chances with someone who was not acting like himself.

"I know that," He snapped, eyes flashing in return. Richard then gestured down the side street. "Walk with me."

It clearly wasn't a request, for he started off without her. Rolling her eyes but staying alert, Audriana followed him down the side street. It wasn't ever a good idea to venture down the unknown parts of Knockturn Alley, but apparently she didn't have a choice. By the time they reached the end of the alley she knew it would possibly be the biggest mistake she had made since her first jab at Gavin back in Quidditch practice. That had turned into an all out war, but this.. This could be far worse.

Looking down to where Richard now stood, Audriana wanted to punch herself. Or just apparate. But she was hardly a coward, so she stood her ground. He had somehow gathered a couple friends, and the three of them stood at the end with their wands out. Careful not to pull out her wand too quickly, or make sudden movements, Aud stared them down. It wasn't until she heard footsteps behind her that she started to panic. Had he called someone else? ((OOC: 'Tis Robin I guess))

She didn't have the time to find out. Instead of waiting around to be attacked, she whipped her wand out and flicked it in Richard's direction. He was tossed in the air and she couldn't help the satisfaction she felt when he spun in the air before landing against the fence marking the end of the alley. Unfortunately, her excitement was short-lived. One of the other Death Eaters sent a spell her way, quickly followed by one from the other. She was almost certain one was the Crucio curse, because she hit the ground as the pain ripped through her.

She swore her head was going to explode at some point because she was having trouble keeping her eyes open - truthfully, passing out would have been easier, but she didn't very well want to leave herself without any sort of protection, even if it was hardly any help. Instead, she lifted herself up on her elbows and glared them down as best as she could.

Why was it that Death Eaters insisted on meeting in dirty, sketchy places? What was so bad about a nice coffee shop or the park? If Robin were in charge all of Knockturn Alley would be refurbished with marble floors, mahogany tables, and a trash collection system that actually worked. But alas, these helpful suggestions were always thrown aside as irrelevant by the management and Robin continued to be forced to meet business contacts in squalor.

On this particular night Robin had met Rhea in the backroom or Borgin and Burkes. The other Death Eater was above what she called "petty thievery" but could sometimes be counted on to help Robin when he really needed a favor. She had saved his life several times and he had saved hers equally as often. Their relationship was primarily business, though they had been known to go out for drinks after each near-death experience.

Rhea worked for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and tended to do more delivering of dark magically enchanted objects to rich buyers than actual raiding for items. She made a respectable living, dealing in both objects and secrets (which often proved far more precious). Naturally, Robin often used her as a middleman for things he collected, when the time was right.

As another major buyer, Burke was often Robin's second stop when he needed to get rid of extra objects. He had originally arrived in Knockturn with a small bag of gemstone studded jewelry for Burke but Rhea had arrived not too long after and the two other Death Eaters had been quietly arguing ever since. Robin soon became bored with the scene and let himself outside for a breath of fresh air.

Robin excited the shop, the little bell dinging cheerfully as he went. It was so stuffy in there. They could use some proper ventilation. He began to walk down the street, simply for the pure joy of stretching his legs and feeling the air flow through his lungs. As he walked past a side street he heard voices and saw several shapes moving.

Now, as a general rule it was not wise to venture into mysterious allys in Knockturn Ally without knowing who was down them. But Robin had never been one to follow the rules, so he started down the path, looking for something more exciting than the business transaction that was happening back at the shop. The closer Robin got the more he realized what sort of situation he had gotten himself into. The Durmstrang boy reached for his wand, drawing it just as a man was flung into the air.

As the attacker spun around Robin got a glimpse of her soft features and dark hair. Audriana? Immediately Robin turned his wand away from her and pointed it at the other men that surrounded her. Before he could fully process, Aud was struck with a spell and fell to the ground, twitching from the pain. Robin rushed forward, flourishing his wand at the first of the men and immediately stunning him. The second man was thrown against the stone wall of the ally with another flick of the want and the third's cloak burst into white-hot flames as Robin turned on him.

The third man turned and ran out of the ally the way he had come and Robin looked around at the others. The man Audriana had thrown in the air lay motionless on the ground, similar to the man who had hit the wall. With the death of it's caster, Audriana's curse had been broken and when Robin moved to her he saw she was no longer being tortured.

He keeled down quickly. "Swan, can you hear me?" he asked urgently, his breathing fast. She had to be okay. She had to be.

Merlin, that spell must have done a number on her. Audriana was sure she was seeing things – the last she had seen of the man she thought was above her was when he had infuriated her so much she'd nearly kissed him. Strange, she mused, that the idea of that actually made sense to her. Stranger, still, that his voice was so loud and he didn't seem at all fake as he kneeled next to her.

Her eyes focused more properly as she looked past him – the two (Wasn't it three?) attackers seemed to be either out or entirely dead. She definitely hadn't done that. That meant that the man over her must be real, didn't it? Realizing she had never answered his question, her eyes went back to his.

He looked particularly upset, didn't he? Odd. Though they had that odd tension, it was doubtful that he was so very worried about her as he seemed. Ignoring her throbbing head, Audriana lifted an eyebrow at him as she forced words out.

“What the bloody hell did you do to them, Ivanov?”

Aud had the sudden urge to slap herself. There he was, potentially being the savior in her fight, and she was griping at him. It seemed to be their way. It was how they did things, the two of them. But she could have died. She undoubtedly would have without him there. Blinking hard to push back any show of emotion, she made to sit up, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling herself up so her face was buried in his shoulder.

She let out a sigh which was muffled by the fabric of his shirt. “Sorry.”

She was alive. Robin breathed out a little sigh of relief, thanking whatever mystical force that controlled these things that she was okay. For a second he felt an extraordinary tenderness towards the brunette but the moment was punctured as she opened her mouth.

“What the bloody hell did you do to them, Ivanov?” He glanced over his shoulder to see the somewhat broken body of her attacker. Opps. Of course, Robin's actions had been completely clear-headed and intentional but he had momentarily forgotten about them. Yes, leaving a trail bodies around was incredibly messy but nothing he hadn't had to deal with before. He was most worried about Audriana, the good girl, who might decided that tattling was the right thing to do.

Before Robin could reply, Aud pulled herself up, using Robin as her personal support. Her arm was wrapped around him and the boy assumed it was just out of physical need after the weakening spell. It was only when her other arm wrapped around him equally as tightly that he realized what was happening - a hug. Robin and Audriana rarely made any sort of contact, nothing beyond the accidental brush of hands as they exchanged an object or an angry grab of the shoulder.

Being this close to Audriana Swan was unfamiliar and strange in the best possible way. He wrapped his arms around her tentatively and mumbled back "It's okay.", not even really sure what she was apologizing for. She had done nothing wrong. The most upsetting part of her hug was the fact that she smelled so lovely. A girl who had just been rolling on the ground had no right to smell this way.

He pulled away with uncharacteristic awkwardness, unsure with how to process what had just happened.

Once he was far enough from Audriana that he no longer felt the warmth of her skin, Robin was able to think more clearly. He mentally shook off the discomfort that had plagued him a moment before. "What was that for?" he asked, the slightest bit of amused accusation in his voice. She hated him. Hating and hugs did not go together as far as he was aware.

He looked away, unsurprising after she had mentioned those who were behind him. A response wasn't really needed, though, when she could see in his face that he hadn't intended to cause such harm. Brilliant. Could he be traced back to harming them? She would never forgive herself.

What strange idea had come over her, Audriana couldn't say nor explain. But the word had left her before she even knew it was happening. People who could have died certainly deserved a hug. Their savior even more so, she mused, trying to right her actions in her mind. He seemed hesitant to return the hug, but when he did she felt very relieved. If he hadn't, she would have berated herself mentally for far longer than she really should have.

The words breathed into her hair forced her to shut her eyes tightly, taking the moment in. Something like this was remarkably unlikely to happen again, and she wanted to memorize the strangely wonderful feeling of it. She should not appreciate this, Aud told herself. It was completely ridiculous and impossible and she knew it. When one saves your life, they deserve thanks as much as you deserve a moment to breathe.

That was what she kept telling herself as she felt him pull away to look at her. His words as well as his distance from her spoke volumes - he was attempting to return to their typical dynamic. His near-sarcastic smile mocked her and she had to consciously hold back a deep frown.

Toying with one of her fingers she looked at the ground briefly before catching his gaze again. "You saved my life. I very nearly got myself killed." The serious self-deprication in her mind was ruining her relief. She very nearly threw herself backwards in frustration, much like she would have were she sitting on her bed after a long day. Instead, she bit her lip, crying out softly at the pain it brought.

Audriana lifted a hand to the corner of her mouth, glaring at her fingers as she pulled them away to find traces of blood there. "Brilliant."

Robin shrugged as if the men lying dead around the ally were no big deal. Although playing a hero normally boosted Robin's ego to unhealthy levels, he didn't really feel like he had saved anyone. Simply at the right place at the right time. Anyone else passing by would have done the same for her. Well, maybe they would have done it with a few less corpses resulting.

Audriana reached up to touch her lip, bringing Robin's gaze to the blood that was gathered there. The sight of the dark red compelled him to move forward again. "Here, let me." Robin's wand was still in his hands after the initial attack and he now brought it up to her mouth. Quietly, Robin murmured a healing spell that made the tip of his ward glow a soft blue, which he delicately touched to the edge of her lip. Lowering his wand, Robin watched the skin closing up and leave only the smeared blood behind.

Robin reached out and tried to rub away some of the red with his thumb. This was only semi-successful and he quickly dropped his hand. "Good as new." he assured her.

Looking back for the third time, it became clear that they were standing in the scene of a crime. The third man had run off and surely had created some chaos in the ally. It was only a matter of time before the Ministry was here to look into things and the last thing Robin wanted to do was get called in for questioning. 'Murder' was not on the list of suspected crimes in his file and he intended to keep it that way.

"But unless you've got any other pressing injuries I'd really love to get out of here." There was a floo fireplace back at the shop that Robin was such they could get to without too much trouble. The time wasn't right for buses, trains, or planes. Robin wouldn't apperate but he could deal with the floo when the situation was urgent. And yes, this seemed to qualify as urgent.

Audriana was hardly listening to what he said; instead, she was was staring at him as he brought his wand up to heal her. She glanced at the wand as it moved away from her, but wasn't quite sure what to do with herself when his hand came up to brush the corner of her mouth. She found herself thinking back to the last time she had been in his house. There was some kind of awfully obvious tension there that she was so not ready to discuss. Or accept. It was quite awful, sometimes, to be a girl.

He suggested they leave, which was the first thing her brain accepted as words since he had released her from her impromptu display of insanity (also known as a hug). Nodding, she tugged her cloak around her as she stood, testing for any signs of other injuries. Other than some lingering pain from the curse and a bruised ego, she appeared to be alright. At least, she assumed as much until she lifted an arm to pull the hood over her hair - she certainly did not need random people in the Alley seeing her injured or recognizing her.

"Bloody hell." She groaned, pain shooting up her arm. Twisting it as best as she could, Aud found a large, already-black bruise forming on the back of her upper right arm. "Well that's fun."

Fighting with the hood, she used her left hand to pull it over her head before huffing loudly. "Let's get out of here." She said, touching her wand with her hand to ensure she had put it back in her pocket. She rather wanted to say her thanks, but he seemed so distressed that she didn't want to make it worse, turning to head down towards the main street.

Audriana wondered briefly if she should have panicked about leaving the men there, but then decided that if they were to ambush someone in an unfair fight, she didn't feel so bad about it. What she did feel bad about was that Robin had been drawn into it. If anything had happened to him while he tried to help her, she wouldn't have forgiven herself. Just because she was stupid enough to follow Richard down a side street didn't mean anyone else deserved any backlash from her decision. She glanced up at him from under her hood for a moment, brow furrowed. Why had he followed her anyways?

Robin began to move towards the exit of the ally but stopped as Audriana continued to assess her injuries. While her expression of pain put an unpleasant feeling in his stomach, he was equally determined to leave the scene of the crime. He would give her as much time as she needed to lick her wounds once they were in the security of her living room. Aud dropped her arm and followed his lead to leave.

Robin took off quickly, grabbing hold of her arm to guide her and ensure she was still behind him as he sped walked towards the main ally. About halfway out of their trap Robin stopped short, almost causing Aud to crash into his back. He pulled out his wand and traced a spiral pattern on the bricks, which immediately melted back and revealed what looked like a circular vault door in the wall. Robin tapped a code with his wand on a keypad and the lock clicked, swinging open to reveal a room behind.

"Ladies first." Robin offered, sweeping his hand through the air to present the opening for her to duck into. As soon as she entered Robin followed behind and the pair found themselves in the back storage room of Borgin and Burkes. Robin pulled the heavy door closed behind them and shut out the light from the ally, leaving only the dim lamp light coming from the walls. The hazy yellow-brown light flickered and gave the strong impression of needing to be cleaned.

"They've got a fireplace back here for emergencies. We can get to your house from here." Robin explained, his movements becoming softer and more natural now that the panic of the open air was gone. He smiled at Aud, feeling the slightest bit bad for practically dragging her down the street. With a few more steps and the moving of a couple cardboard boxes the fireplace was revealed. Robin handed her the china bowl full of floo powder and then flicked his wand at the fireplace, filling it with brilliant orange flames.

"After you, dearie." he nodded. Whatever she said he could easily repeat and follow her. While they were more or less safe back here, Robin wasn't keen on the manager knowing he had been here. He would feel much better when they were at a home. Any home.

Aud looked up at Robin as he gripped her arm, tugging her down the alley. She wanted to wince at the pull on her arm, but decide it wasn't worth whatever look he would give her. Clearly, Robin was in some sort of panic and needed to get away. That, she understood. Gripping the fabric of his shirt, she allowed him to tug her along.

He stopped and she was hardly able to keep from plowing into his back. Audriana was definitely distracted by the muscles in his back and arm for a moment as he moved to open the door. She didn't realize she was still clinging to him until they made their way into the room revealed behind the wall.

Her house? Robin had never been in Aud's house - that she knew about, at least. Did she really want him there? Yes, she decided suddenly. She needed to thank him. Make up for this. Not that she ever could. But the guilt of owing him would eat her alive, so she would have to think of something.

Her cheeks warmed as she lifted the hand from his shirt and watched him bring the powder over to her. Taking a handful, Aud closed her eyes and took a deep breath before calling out the name of her home. Her Grandmum's home. She had intended to sell it originally, but found that no place else felt so much like home. "Fiore Castle." The word came out in easy Italian, sounding like "fee-or-day". Aud wondered momentarily if Robin would react strangely, but stepped into the green flames before she could find out.

The air constricted around her before she found herself tumbling out of the fireplace in the downstairs sitting room. Aud brushed the soot off of her cloak before removing it and setting it over the back of the nearest armchair.

It wasn't like she had some enormous estate with acres and acres of land; Audriana lived in a two-story, four bedroom estate with far too many extra rooms she rarely entered, adding up to about fifteen thousand square feet. It was longer than it was tall, and arched around in a squared-off "U" shape. The castle was really much smaller than those one might visit on vacation, but had retained the name over the years. It sat on about ten acres, leaving ample room for running about or spending a day next to the naturally-made pond at the back of the grounds.

Settling into the arm chair, she waited for Robin's entrance, checking her arm once more and frowning at the bruise that was still seeming to get worse. If she really needed to, she could show Robin to the kitchen and make tea to soothe their nerves. Both seemed to be taking it quite rough.

Fiore Castle? Audriana disappeared into the green flames with a whoosh, leaving them dancing and cackling behind her. Before he could think too much, Robin grabbed a handful of dust for himself and threw it in the fireplace, repeating Aud and hoping to god that he had head clearly. "Fiore Castle!" Robin tensed up as the flames grabbed hold of him and thrust him into the black abyss. He held his breath as he flew by what felt like endless fireplaces, too terrified of choking on the ash that seemed to fill the air to take the chance and breath. And then just like that it was over and Robin tumbled into Audriana Swan's fireplace.

Tentatively he got to his feet, just glad to be on solid ground again. Bloody floo. He hated everything about it. It was better than apperation (but only by a bit) and was to be used when absolutely nessisary. Robin knew that if he had waited any longer to jump into the fire he never would have been able to and the last thing he wanted was for Audriana to see his greatest and most embarrassing fear.

Robin looked up at the room he was now standing in and he stood up slowly, straitening himself out and a puzzled expression filling his face. His first thought was that he must have gone to the wrong house, but no, there was Audriana sitting in the chair, lounging and comfortable in her own living room. He brushed off the ash that had clung to his robes during the floo trip and looked around the large room, taking in its ornate details. How was it possible that this was so.. nice? The room resembled his own home in Moscow, decorated expensively and lavishly, all to the tastes of his ancestors and maintained to perfection by enchantments and maids.

Robin wandered deeper into the room, hiding his shock with a nod of approval instead. "Not bad, Swan. Not bad at all." His eyes wandered about the room and a smug grin flickered on to his lips. It was quite a shock for Robin to realize that Audriana wasn't living in a shack - he had always just assumed she was poor. Effortlessly, Robin fell into the chair across from Audriana. He couldn't quite wrap his brain around things but if nothing else the new situation had distracted him from the terrible floo journey he had just endured.