A drink and a chat

Felix was exhausted.

Girls, life, hiding. It was so much on him that he was a wreck almost daily. Is this how people were who usually had a conscious whispering in their ear? He had learned he had one and it was pissed off at him. It was like a nagging voice in the back of his head, berating him for being an idiot. Angry that he had done all those things. Grief-stricken with his own choices. Felix was feeling a lot of things, and he managed to find himself back to the place where he knew some of it could go away.

So he sat in The Poison Apple, sipping a firewhiskey and sulking. He couldn't do anything, he was stuck in a rut with no way to get out. He was a wanted Criminal on the run, with no connections, and no help to get him out of the situation he had dug himself into. So he sat there, a hood pulled down low over his head. Hiding his face from the other patrons at the bar.

He had managed to pickpocket another man out in the street, and found out he was pretty wealthy with a good amount of coin in his pocket. So Felix was treating himself to dinner as well. A half-eaten sandwich resting on the counter, forgotten for the moment as he downed his glass and ordered another.

The bartender was pretty familiar to Felix now, and while he was sure the man didn't know who he was, he occasionally chatted with him. Talking about meaningless dribble and the weather. However it was kind of nice, having small chat with a person who had no idea who he was. Knowing he could actually talk to, and not be killed, by a man who had no connection to him.

The bar was probably filled with people just like Felix. Criminals on the run, hiding from someone. Murderers, thieves, bandits, Hags, Werewolves who wanted nothing to do with the situation with James Blood, Vampires who were hoping for a late-night snack. People who Felix had once fit in with fine. Instead... he was even hiding from them. What a sad life he led.

Marie Voisard didn't like England. There wasn't a day that went by where she didn't question her decision to relocate to the island. She missed France. Instead of sun and Saturday morning markets, she got fog and drizzles of rain. She could see the charm of the place, if she looked hard enough, but right then the woman was just content to sulk. She'd moved here as a favor for her best friend, and if it wasn't for her loyalty to Katrina-Carlotta she'd move back in an instant. Alas, the Head Death Eater had needed her, and so the dark witch had been forced to find some way to entertain herself.

When it came down to it, Marie was a strategist above all else. People could throw whatever label they wished at her, but none would ever be so accurate as that one. At a glance, the witch wasn't all that special, and she knew it. She was pretty, but only if she was one's type. She was intelligent, but her smarts were nothing to brag about. She was competent with magic, but she knew many that were far more proficient than she. What made Marie so successful, was that she knew how to use every single one of her talents for all they were worth. She used the full potential of everything she had, and reaped the rewards with a smile.

She'd spent the last six months cultivating her place in the Ministry, rising up the chain of command as swiftly as she could. The job of Undersecretary to the Minister had practically fallen into her lap, and Marie could not have been more pleased. Then the name Felix Barker had started popping up in the newspapers, and the witch's interest had been perked. The woman had been tracking his doings, back when the man had been committing crimes, and Marie simply couldn't help but want to contact him.

That was how the brunette found herself walking into the Poison Apple on a Tuesday evening, a knowing smile curled upon her lips. Ordering a glass of red wine from the bartender, Marie slipped into the seat beside a certain familiar-looking wizard. Saying nothing until the bartender returned with her drink and then wandered off with her coin, the witch turned to the man, smiling lips painted cherry red with lipstick.

"Felix Barker, I have a proposition for you," Marie said softly, crossing one leg over the other, "how about we go upstairs and have a chat, yes?" Not bothering to wait for a response, the woman slipped off of her recently acquired seat, and headed for the stairs. Stopping only a few steps away, Marie looked over her shoulder and raised a questioning brow, before striding towards the steps once more, glass in hand. If she swayed her hips a little more than was strictly necessary, well, she could blame it on the heels.

Peace and quiet, and a slowly blurring vision was suddenly rudely interrupted by a very pretty lady in heels, who swayed over towards him and sat down. He turned his head slightly away from her, to hide his face, but it quickly became clear that wasn't needed. He turned his head sharply towards her and drank in her features for a split second, his eyes resting on her crossed legs for a moment longer then necessary before up towards her ruby-red lips again.

She looked... almost familiar, but he couldn't place why. And before he could so much as respond to her sentence, she was up out of her chair and heading towards the stairs. Felix turned and watched her go, a look of pure shock on his face as he did. Who was this woman? How did she know it was him? Why did she look familiar? Questions flew through Felix's mind as he slowly rose, almost in a trance. Throwing some coin down on the counter, he pulled his hood tighter and moved away from the counter.

The lift of the eyebrow, the swaying hips.. Felix felt like a dog on a leash, being pulled along after his master. Eyes rested firmly on the woman's bum, Felix followed after her upstairs and into a small private room. Handsomely decorated even for the establishment. Felix barely took the time to glance over the room before his eyes settled on the woman again. This time he let himself take her in a bit longer. Focusing on her clothes, her hair, her makeup.

"Who.. are you? How do you know who I am?" He asked, losing the usual gruffness he put into his voice to disguise it. Instead letting full Felix Barker voice ring through the room as he pushed his hood off his head and stared at her. After his unusual kidnapping, Felix could feel his usual rising of paranoia run through his veins.

She was obviously a trap, and he had walked straight into it. He had certainly given himself away anyway. For he should have ignored the attempt anyway. Pretended he didn't know who she was talking to. Now they were in a private room and there were probably Aurors filling the room below the pair. After a moment of panic, as his eyes darted towards the fireplace, and then to the window, painfully aware of how few escapes there were, he let his eyes settle back on the woman.

"And what do you mean...proposition?"

Marie smiled as she entered the private room she'd set aside ahead of time. It may have been something of a presumptuous move, but a man like Felix would never let someone walk away after admitting to knowing his identity. After all, if someone walked up to her and accused her of being the witch behind the enormous but elegant crime web of France, well, she certainly wouldn't allow them to leave her sight without answering a question or five.

"My name is Marie Voisard," the Frenchwoman shared with a smile, "Undersecretary to the British Minister for Magic. And I've been watching you for a very long time." Breaking eye contact with the man before her, Marie took a few steps backwards and to the left in order to settle into the comfortable armchair directly across from the room's bed. Normally the witch would never put herself in a situation where she had to physically look up at someone she didn't know, but she had enough of an upper hand that the sacrifice was worth it. Her heels were starting to become borderline painful.

"Don't look at me like that, darling," Marie scolded, "I'm not about to turn you in. I want to help you. You made a very powerful ally when you killed Auror Henry Allard. That ally, of course, being me." Taking a sip of her wine, the witch shifted awkwardly. This wasn't how she acted, not really. This was how Le Papillion spoke, not Marie Voisard. The woman had always been very careful about her two identities blending, and for many years it hadn't been a problem. Nowadays, though, her two lives seemed to be getting more and more intertwined with every day.

"Look," the witch said bluntly, tone transforming from smooth and silky to something gruffer as she relaxed and allowed her accent became more prominent, "you offed someone I hated a few years back, and now you're in trouble and I have the power to help you. I'm probably your best bet. Take it or leave it." Releasing the air she'd breathed in with a soft huff, Marie brought her glass to her lips once more.

She really did hope that Felix made the right decision. It would be rather upsetting, watching all that potential go to waste. Having someone like Felix owe her, well, there were endless amounts of use for something like that. Then again, perhaps the situation could be just as advantageous if he said no. Then she could break him out of Azkaban when he inevitably ended up there, and he'd be grateful all the same. But no, she'd rather that be avoided. Dementors were by far Marie's least favorite creature.

Felix felt a stirring of recognition at her name. And her title made him almost fall backwards. What the hell did the Undersecretary to the Minister want with him? If she had found him, why hadn't he been picked up yet? Sure he had been a bit sloppy lately, after two years of being on the run he was starting to get too tired to care. But if she had tracked him down... why wasn't she here with about a million aurors to take him in?

She sat down and Felix slowly sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes glued to hers. She spoke and he immediately looked away from her, nervous about irritating her now. Felix however couldn't look away long as she continued, and he felt his gaze drawn back to this mysterious Marie who seemed to know all about him, and yet wanted to help. The Undersecretary to the Minister wanted to help a wanted Criminal who happened to have tortured and nearly killed the Minister's daughter and various other relatives and friends.

She obviously didn't care for her boss much, nor did she care for aurors, as she seemed to have an issue with one in particular. Henry Allard.. the name rang no bells, but then again he hadn't exactly been on speaking terms with the Aurors that had chased him down, only to be tortured and killed in a cave, most of them left to die. Felix contemplated for a moment, thinking back to all the men in the cave, wincing as he did so, but trying to picture it more clearly. There had been eight of them, and Felix could barely remember their faces, let alone anything else about them.

Felix raised his eyebrows at the woman as she spoke again, her voice changing to something much more natural and less business-y. She had the power to help him, and she wanted to, because he had offed some auror? Felix didn't buy it for a second, but he carefully looked away for a moment.

"My troubles are a bit more complicated then a simple killing would... repay.." He said slowly, staring at the ground between his legs as he contemplated the offer for a moment, biting on his lower lip, his forehead furrowed in concentration. "What... would I owe you? For helping me... it's a big debt to pay.. my freedom is a costly thing, especially for someone of your rank." He said slowly, as though chewing on the words before he spit them out.

Carefully he looked back up at her and smiled slightly. "Name your price and it's yours though.. I'd do whatever it takes to be free.."

He caught on quickly, Marie would give him that. It was good to know, that she hadn't wasted her time spent keeping an eye on the man. That had happened all too may times. After all, it was easy to seem impressive on paper. It was far more difficult to be impressive in person. Marie knew that she was seeing raw reactions, the way and speed at which the man's mind worked. The witch shifted slightly in her seat, the ladylike part of her brain rather pleased that Felix had sat down shortly after she did.

"I don't want to help you because you killed Allard. His death was just what brought you to my attention. As for why I want to help you, you're interesting. And I can," Marie informed him, tone light and mouth curling into something that was almost, but not quite, a smile.

"That was quite the dangerous promise to make, Mr. Felix," Marie practically purred after a few months of thoughtful silence. "You don't know me, haven't been in my presence for longer than a few minutes, and you've already vowed to do whatever I ask? Someone certainly knows how to please a witch," Marie continued, words adopting a teasing undertone.

Still, she would hold him to those words. What did she want, of Felix? The Frenchwoman wracked her brains, only to come up blank. So, perhaps there wasn't anything she currently needed the wizard for, but that definitely didn't mean she wouldn't one day. Marie rather liked having others in her debt.

"You would owe me a favor," Marie responded after enjoying a lingering sip of wine. "As for my rank, the Ministry isn't my only job. My other occupation is a lot less legal, to say the least, so I wouldn't get too caught up on my the title." Setting down her wine glass so that it was balanced precariously upon the arm of her chair, the dark witch rolled her shoulders and arched her back in a stretch. It was still an odd feeling, not always having her familiar with her. Sadly, Alis was not exactly small, or a common species in England. It was a pity, and just another reason for Marie to dislike the island.

Felix couldn't help but feel a stirring of pleasure at her words. Well of course he was interesting, he had always been interesting. It had been his greatest pleasure in life, finally getting recognition for what he'd done, and here was a woman who knew of it all, knew what he'd done, liked that he had done it, and found him interesting. He was starting to see her in a whole new light, and he sort of liked what he saw.

She spoke of his promise and he looked away for a moment, again, chewing his words before he spit them out. "I've been hiding and on the run for too long... it's been years, and yes.. I do honestly believe I'd do whatever you say to repay you of this debt... it would be life changing to me.." He stared at his hands only a moment longer before letting his eyes slide once more to her.

He was restless, and fidgety, and he felt an old habit looming on the edge of his consciousness. A desire to snap his fingers, it had been a sign of irritation before. He hadn't done the act in years, having been too busy and scared to get agitated. Now however, it wasn't because he was angry, more nervous and confused, and only a tad bit aroused.

Her voice was like a purr, and was intoxicating to his senses. Just about every one of them was on fire, and he longed to get closer to her to drink in his saviors presence. She mentioned a favour, debt, something to be thought of in the future, and Felix let that sit as he digested it before nodding once. He didn't care what she had him do. He'd track down her worst enemy, he'd torture again, if only to have her clear his name. So he could walk down the street, and maybe one day just be apart of the crowd.

He seriously would do anything for her at this point. "I would be honoured to owe you a favour.." He said softly, his eyes fixed on hers as he looked at her in determination. He was ready for this, for the start of a new life with the help of this beautiful heroine. "Do... do you have something in mind already? Because I have wracked my brains, and without influence I do not know what I could do to get out of the situation I am in.. without at least being thrown in St. Mungos.. if not killed on the spot or thrown in Azkaban again." He said with a light sigh, running his hand through his hair, but never keeping his eyes off of this angel.

He could only think wonderful thoughts as he looked at her. She spoke of her illegal side and he didn't even care, he wasn't exactly one to talk when it came to doing illegal things. Kidnap, torture, and murder were a bit high on the illegal side of life, and he had done all three. There were few things Felix Barker hadn't done, and that was only because he lacked the power and social standing to be able to do them.

"But.. with your help..." He was lost in thought, his mind whirring, his thoughts almost visible as his eyes darted back and forth along the ground, not seeing it as he organized his thoughts, his hands resting on his knees as he wrung them together. Nervous, excited, and extremly happy all at once, this new turn of events so startling he was completely dazed and unable to focus any longer.

Marie rested her chin in her hand with a self-confident smile, mind already ablaze with ideas. There would be many ways to do this, she'd had two half-formed plans growing within her mind from the moment Felix had walked into the room behind her. The only thing she had to do now, was choose the best one.

Rigged ancient justice magic would look good to the public, but held too large a chance of going wrong for the woman to be happy with it. Rigging the trial, on the other hand, would almost certainly work. She held a position of power, and had the connections. Really, the witch could have pulled this off with only one of the above, but with both it'd almost be too easy.

Still, it wasn't good enough. It would get Felix off the hook no problem, but it would hardly change public opinion of him. She would do that too. After all, she was the best, and the best didn't settle with a half-done job. The only way to change public opinion would be to prove his innocence. Or more accurately, falsify it.

Smile twisting into something extraordinarily self-satisfied, Marie leaned forwards. "I've got a plan. We're not only going to keep you out of Azkaban, we're going to prove your innocence," straightening her back, the witch took a sip of wine before continuing.

"After all, it wasn't you who did all those terrible things. It was someone else, stealing your identity with polyjuce. You weren't even in the country, for Merlin's sake!" Marie explained convincingly before allowing her eyebrows and tone to return to normal. "I have someone I can get to testify for you. We'll fake his suicide in Azkaban a few weeks later, and you will walk out of trial with your freedom and your reputation completely in tact," Marie announced smugly.

"How does that sound, you flatterer?"

Felix had to admit, the woman was good. The moment she launched into her fake story, he knew for a fact that what she said could be done. A man with polyjuice potion? It was almost too simple, she had a man to testify, she could get him out of jail not only with his reputation in tact, but with people falling all over him in an attempt to clear up any anger they'd thought towards him. He'd be under the public eye, and sure he'd have to remain calm and act like a different person for a while, but when he was out from the radar... he could slip back into old habits.

Felix let the thoughts simmer for a moment, thinking about them and how it would affect his life, before he nodded. "How do you suppose we get past Vertiserum during the trial though? Obviously they aren't just going to believe that story.." He said with a bit of anxiety in his voice. It was a real situation... they would be monitoring any liquids that went into his body, making sure he wasn't taking anything else. The Vertiserum would be carefully prepared by a person of no contact to him. That was if he could even get to the trail stage.

Felix looked her over for a moment. She had an air of confidence about her, and she obviously had it all planned out, he was just being informed how it would work. He simply had to play along. "And how are we going to get to the trail stage? I can't exactly walk into the Ministry with my hands in the air saying that they've got the wrong guy." He said with a smirk.

"Easy," the woman said, "if Marc testifies to the crimes under Vertiserium, there shouldn't be any need for you to do the same. But we'll have a plan just in case the Wizengamot gets finicky, of course. The trick with truth potions, is that they force people to tell the truth as they know it. If Marc, that will be our testifier, believes he committed those crimes, that's what he'll say. If you can't remember killing anyone, you'll be able to say that you have no recollection of doing so. I have a friend who is extraordinarily skilled in memory manipulation. Toss your memories into a pensive for the duration of the trial, twist Marc's mind a little, and the most powerful truth potion on the planet is no bigger an obstacle than a glass of pumpkin juice."

Redistributing her weight, the witch lifted her glass back to her lips. "That's the problem with humanity," Marie added after a moment of silence, "you tell someone that it's impossible to get around a potion or a spell, and the brain believes it. No-one even tries to get around things, already convinced that they can't simply because someone told them so as a child. That's something of a specialty of mine, taking things generally accepted as fact and throwing them out the window."

No matter who a person talks to, or where a person goes, the word "can't" is always prominent in conversation. Now, Marie isn't the type to say that there is no such thing as impossible, of course some things aren't possible! However, people are far too liberal with the word. A wizard gets stuck on a problem, and suddenly it's just not possible. Something hasn't been done, and people automatically assume it can't be. The trick to life, something Marie had learned at a young age, is that there is always a loophole. Always.

"You won't be walking into the Ministry. Or rather you will be, after committing some petty crime and getting caught by the aurors. And you will get brought in for questioning, only to transform into someone else entirely an hour later. Our scapegoat admits that this isn't the first time he's stolen your appearance, and we have a case," Marie rattled off easily, like she created plans to deceive all of Wizarding Britain every day.