The Seat of the Soul

[Aidan Blackwood]

"Oh wow," Lisa's voice came out like a whisper as she looked at the front of the office, looking it over, "You took my advice! It looks even better than I thought it would!" she clapped her hands together.

Aidan chuckled, shaking his head, looking over at his assistant, "You say that as if you doubted me," he said, "I do like to say I'm smart, and it wouldn't be smart to think I know the first thing about decorations," he said, shaking his head once more. He held a key out to her, "Go check it out. I've been in there most of the day so I am going to go get some lunch, late as it is," he said.

Lisa took the key with a nod, "I'll go check everything out and make sure it all looks perfect!" she beamed before heading inside.

Aidan snorted at her enthusiasm but started down the walkway. He'd picked her from some of the staff at St. Mungo's that he'd worked with because he thought she'd have a pleasing and positive aura for the customers coming in. She was a bit too much for him personally, but he knew not everyone would enjoy seeing him first thing. Depending on their media exposure, he might come off as the opposite of comforting all own on his own. He found a nearby place to grab himself a coffee and something to eat, though he did note the proximity to Knockturn Alley. It was hopefully not an unfortunate proximity for his office, and, hopefully, Lisa's thoughts on decor would be enough to bring people in. He ordered his "lunch" and moved to sit at a table in the cafe. He looked around, trying to get a general feel for the people in the area. He'd have to think of a way to advertise after all. Advertising was a game of tact after all, and he didn't want people thinking he was some kind of snake oils salesman as the muggles said.

[Artemis Bane]

Artemis had a bad run-in with one of her former clients and it was starting to get to her. They demanded this and that, even after she told them that there would be no further contact after their contract. The job was starting to take its toll on her, both physically and emotionally. Most people would think, because of the job, she does, that she doesn't have much in the way of emotions. However, that is not the case. She has just as much as the next witch or wizard, she just chooses to shut them off and out of her life in order to do her job.

She needed a vacation from her life, and that just wasn't a possibility, doing what she did. Everyone always wanted something from her, whether that be, a job done or her behind bars in Azkbhan. When she started her career, she took pride in it, doing the things that most people wouldn't do. Taking out the 'bad guys' that the typical law enforcement wouldn't. Hit Wizards would have loved to get their hands on her then. She really shut out all the emotions of things and did her job with a smile on her face. Now, the fun was gone and it was just work. People thought she would kill anyone for any amount of money but that wasn't the case and no matter what she told them or how she explained it, they insisted upon it. It was all very draining.

She was just finishing up a job, and had stopped in Knockturn Alley for a few supplies when her need for coffee struck. She knew she had plenty of other things to do before heading home. She would need the pick-me-up before continuing on her way. She walked into a little cafe just outside of Knockturn Alley, the bell announced her arrival and she made her way up to the counter. Her Outfit wasn't exactly subtle but she didn't care. Once she reached the counter she removed her hood to reveal her golden locks beneath the black hood. "Coffee, black, no added frills." She nodded to the person behind the counter, paid them and walked to a nearby table to wait for her order. Grumpy wasn't a strong enough word to describe how she was feeling in that moment.

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan couldn't help but look at the woman as she walked into the coffee shop, raising a brow as he took her in, trying not to immediately start to analyze. Some people just had an eclectic taste. He looked back ahead as she placed her order, in case she were to look so it wasn't obvious he was staring and listening. He tapped his finger before smiling and thanking the employee that brought him his food and coffee.

When she was seated nearby, "Just out of curiosity," he said as the means to start the conversation, "What constitutes as "frills" on coffee?" he asked, stirring a bit of sugar into his own, "Frills hint at the idea of it being unnecessary or decorative in nature, but depending on who you ask, sugar and cream and the like is very much necessary," he smirked as he looked towards her.

He more than anyone understood the idea of poking a bear or curiosity killing the cat, but that rarely stopped him. Especially with his patients. Not that she was a patient, buuuut she was attractive, and there was something about her that said he should try and get to know her. Maybe she needed some help and just wasn't the kind to let herself have it.

[Artemis Bane]

Artemis couldn't be bothered by people's staring and studying her. Not that she minded being analyzed but an attractive male but, the point of it was she was quite uninterested in any sort of male attention. Her outfit drew lots of stares, comments, and rather irrational fear of her. Well, she supposed it wasn't that irrational considering what she did for a living. After taking her seat, it wasn't long before her black coffee was delivered, after all, it was just a quick pour from a pot into a cup. She nodded at the gentleman who brought it to her.

She had the cup to her lips when she heard the voice of the man whose eyes seemed to find her as soon as she walked into the cafe. "Frills, just as you said it, unnecessary additives. In my opinion, whipped cream, caramel, and mocha flavoring are all unnecessary when one is in a hurry to take in as much caffeine as possible in a short amount of time." She wasn't opposed to the idea of cream and sugar, or even the whipped cream and flavor it was just, at this moment, she needed something to slap her in the face to wake her up. Not sweet, decadent delights. "To each their own, I suppose." She said simply.

He was not bad looking and she did not mind the conversation, as long as it didn't last all day. She had things to attend to and people that wanted to meet her today. Besides, she was feeling especially kind today, so why not indulge the rather attractive man who was sitting just a table away from her? "Do tell me, are you a flavored creamer guy, or do you like the milk or half & half?" She smirked, a full-blown smile would have to be earned.

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan nodded as she responded, a slight amusement in his eyes as he considered what she said. Analyzing was a habit of the profession perhaps, but he considered her words before responding to the question she posed, "Depends on the day, honestly," he said, "If I'm in a mood of just trying to wake as you say, it's probably just half & half, if not milk, depending on what's available to me. If I'm wanting to sit awhile and enjoy it, then likely something with a touch of vanilla and caramel," He said, shrugging a little, "It's good to take the time to enjoy the good things once in a while, don't you think?" he asked, sipping his own coffee now.

There was no denying she was attractive, but there was certainly something... under the surface, something intriguing, something he felt needed to be scratched, though he had an inkling not even she knew it. Something in the way she carried herself just hinted at it.

[Artemis Bane]

A smirk played at her lips as she listen to him explain on what days he would have the sweetened drink. She couldn't argue there. "Alright, Fair enough. Suppose I can't argue that, as I too have done the same thing. Today is a day of no frills but perhaps tomorrow I'll really frill it up and get caramel, whipped cream, and the caramel crunch on top." She shrugged her shoulders in response to his question. However, she stood up, grabbed her coffee, and took a seat across from him. She didn't think he'd mind, and if he did, well she could finish off her coffee and leave.

"I do like to enjoy the finer things in life once in a while, when I have time for it that is." There was something about this man, that was now seated across from her. He had a way with words, a way to keep her interest without really trying all that hard. If some other random stranger had asked about her coffee order, she probably would have scoffed and ignored them. Then why was he different? His body language and the way he spoke suggested he was intelligent. Artemis did love finding people that could keep her interest and it didn't really happen all that often.

"What exactly is it that you do Mister....?" She tried to poke and prod her way into his brain but it all depended on how receptive he was to it.

[Aidan Blackwood]

He most certainly did not mind, "Ah, really decadent then, it sounds quite good," he said, smirking himself at her "really frilly" coffee. He watched as she sat across from him and sat back in his seat, seeming actually more comfortable now. He chuckled at her prodding and nodded, "You can call me Aidan," he said, "I just set up shop here in town, but I'm almost certain if I tell you what for, you might not want to talk to me anymore," he chuckled again, "Most people don't. No one wants anyone to know they've been talking to someone like me," he smirked, his eyes showing that amusement once more.

"Also everyone usually assumes I'm trying to mess with them once they know it too, but I can assure you, I'm not very good at that, I find honesty gets me far more than other tactics," he shook his head before sipping his coffee again, "I just like to have a nice chat every once and a while and make myself new... acquaintances," he looked at her, raising a brow as if asking if that was a fair assessment.

[Artemis Bane]

She nodded and took another sip from her coffee. Perhaps she should have gone all out with the frills now that she was talking with this random man. "Hmph, had I known I would be sitting here talking with you, I might have gone with the frills." She grabbed a packet of sugar from the table, ripping it open she dumped it into her coffee. "Well, Aidan, my name is Artemis, I can't say it's a pleasure to meet you as of yet, but keep up the way you're going and it just might be a pleasant encounter." She raised her brow when he went on to say he just opened up shop and that he didn't want to tell her what he did. She shook her head as she stirred her coffee with a spoon.

"Ohhhh, no no, Aidan. Now that you have piqued my interest, you have to tell me what you do. Trust me, I'm sure it's not any worse than what I do for a living." She picked up her cup and took a sip, studying his face. She couldn't get over how incredibly handsome he was. She was trying to shake off the fact that he was easy on the eyes but she couldn't. Most men she met were...bleh. But not Aidan. She chuckled and shook her head. "Not many people can mess with me without me knowing about it. So please...do tell me what it is you do for a living."

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan chuckled at her comment about maybe getting the frills and smirked, "I'm glad I'm interesting enough you decided you might want those frills," he said. When she insisted on getting to know what he does, he raised a brow, "Oh I'm not saying it's bad, it's just what people preconceive about it," he said, "Let's just say... I'm a healer. Though I heal more than physical maladies," he said, watching her expression to see what her initial reaction would be to that information. It would say a lot about how the rest of this conversation would probably go.

[Artemis Bane]

She scoffed and shook her head slightly. "Now now, Mister Aidan, don't get a big head on me now." She frowned slightly before shrugging her shoulders. "Bad is up to intrerpretation. Sort of like beauty being in the eye of the beholder." Artemis leaned forward towards him slightly and raised her own brow. "You kill people for a living don't you?" She let out a laugh and leaned back in her chair. "Come on now, out with it."

A healer...More than physical. "Oooh! You're a shrink." She chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "So what, a lot of people need those sorts of people and you're just a man trying to provide that service." She didn't really care what people did for a living. Besides, maybe he could delve inside her broken mind and fix the pieces that were shattered. Put her whole again, but that would take trust and getting inside her mind, the dark and rather scary place.

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan smirked a bit seeing some people turn heads hearing her say "Shrink", "Indeed, that is the muggle term for it, isn't it?" he mused as he sipped his coffee once more, "I know people are going to be hesitant about it, but a lot has happened to our community and people need to have someone they can talk to about those things," he said, looking out the window, "I'm hoping with time, I can expand and hire more people to help even more, but it's shocking how much people don't think of our community needing the services at all," he shook his head.

"But now that you've posed the question about my line of work, what do you do? Are you a rose with thorns?" Aidan smirked as he looked back at her, bringing himself back to the conversation at hand and not talking about himself.

[Artemis Bane]

He really saw himself as a hero of sorts. Perhaps he was in his own mind, Artemis didn't see the benefit of it all but then again, she hadn't actually given it a try nor was she willing to let someone in like that. It was a hard road for someone to gain Artemis' trust to even be friends with her, let alone to dig into the mind of a criminal who was tired of their life. "Sounds rough, I do hope you succeed in your line of work. I do think there are people out there that need to talk through their problems, and I'm sure they will find you in time."

"Thorns? Oh no, darling, I carry knives." She gave him a coy smile as he smirked at her. He had no idea what he was getting himself into and she wasn't sure he could handle it either. Then again, she wasn't ready to expose herself to a stranger. How was she to explain what she did without alerting this man that she killed and tortured people for money? "I can't tell you that information. It's private, and no, it's because you work in the field you work in, but to be quite honest, I don't trust you enough to share too much about myself."

[Aidan Blackwood]

By no means did he see himself as a "hero", but rather he felt he was a necessary cog towards better care for the magical community. And perhaps prevent people from ending up in Azkaban. When she responded to his question, he smirked lightly, "I imagine so," he mused and when she said she didn't trust him enough for more, he held up his hands, "Fair enough," he said, "It is a lot to ask people that kind of thing right away," he said, "What kind of information do you trust someone with at this initial point in a relationship? And I'm not asking from a shrink's point of view."

[Artemis Bane]

"Don't worry, doc, I won't hold the fact that you're a shrink against you." She shrugged and looked down at her almost empty coffee cup. What kind of information did she trust people with this early on in the 'relationship' is that what he called it? It was laughable. Artemis didn't have those, she had clients, targets, and payouts. "That is a good question, Aidan." She tapped her index finger on her chin. "Ah, I know what I can tell you. I am 37 and I do have parents that are still married. I also attended Hogwarts, sorted into Slytherin, big surprise there huh? She turned to the counter and mused whether or not she wanted to order another coffee. "Why don't you buy me full to-the-brink frilly coffee and I'll think about telling you more."

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan smirked as he watched her, finding her rather... intriguing. He had a feeling from how she talked and what she said before about what she thought he did that she was likely some sort of hit wizard or something of the sort, but he wouldn't pry it out of her. When she shared the information, he nodded, though he'd admit she was older than he would have assumed, but he wasn't about to say that out loud. He chuckled at her comment about him getting her her "frilly" coffee, "Same as what you said before then? Caramel, whipped cream, and caramel crunch on top?" he said before starting to stand up to go get the coffee, "I'm rather enjoying this conversation," he mused with another smirk.

[Artemis Bane]

Artemis smirked and gracefully crossed one of her legs over the other. She picked up her coffee cup and tipped the rest into her mouth before setting it down and sliding it to the edge of the table. "Yes, same as before. You should get yourself some as well, we could be here a while." She let out a quick laugh before tossing a piece of her blond hair over her shoulder. She was really entertained by this healer, she wanted to know more about him, what he really did outside of work and what kind of person he was. Why she wanted to know all of that, she had no idea. She hadn't felt a connection like this in a while but she wasn't going to punch a gift horse in the mouth. He was attractive, intelligent, and well-mannered. Why not take things where they can go and see how far she could get? What was the harm?

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan took their empty cups and tossed them as he walked to the counter. He placed their orders before coming back towards the table once he'd paid for them, "I might have gotten tea this time instead of coffee. Too much caffeine isn't too good for someone who's got to be by patients for a long period, depending on the situations," he snorted a bit as he sat back down across from her, tucking his wallet away in the inside pocket of his jacket, by his chest. He gave it a little pat, which put a bit of a seal on the pocket so it couldn't be easily picked. Nothing against her, more a caution from experience.

"Now. Should I reciprocate the information while we wait for my end of the bargain to arrive?" He hummed a bit in thought, amused clearly, "I suppose I can. I'm 40, though I suppose I'm not far away from 41. Both of my parents are alive, well, and retired. I also attended Hogwarts and was a Ravenclaw, as I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear," he smirked, "Though my accent then was definitely to the point of being unintelligible," he chuckled, shaking his head

[Artemis Bane]

She watched as he stood up and made his way to the counter. Once he was up from his chair she smirked to herself and remoistened her lips with her tongue. He walked back to the table and took a seat across from her once more. "Ah, well that indeed does make sense. Besides, there is always time for a good cup of tea." She did enjoy tea as much as the next person, but she also knew after this rather interesting encounter she would have to go deal with rather seedy people that she didn't want to even think about. She watched as he patted his wallet, placing a seal on his pocket and she smirked. "Not much of a trusting person? Not that I blame you, I do the same thing. I do no trust easily as I can see you could be the same." She let out a light chuckle.

"Yes, please do share your life history and story with me, darling." She smirked and waited for him to share the same information as she had given him. "Forty? You don't look it that is for sure." She tried to think back to her schooling years, a Ravenclaw, three years her elder with a Scottish broke. She couldn't put her finger on it, wasn't entirely sure she remembered him. Although she should have, he was a handsome face, maybe they crossed paths once or twice, but she couldn't recall. Perhaps it was better if she hadn't previously slept with this man. "Can't say I remember you..." She shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, are you up for a challenge? Say we play a game, we ask each other a question and we either A, answer the question honestly or B take a punishment the other assigns." She didn't trust people, but she wasn't afraid to go out of her comfort zone either. Especially when it met learning something about someone.

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan hadn't paid much attention to the younger classmates, so if he had known her, he hadn't really "known" her enough to remember who she was. He chuckled at the comment about his age, "I appreciate that," he said and also shrugged at her comment about not remembering him. Not a big deal, it was a big school. He raised a brow at the challenge, leaning forward onto the table, "That does sound interesting. Are we just trusting each other to be honest? Especially considering we both just established we don't trust easily," he smirked again, "Who's to say I won't lie to avoid whatever punishment you concoct?"

[Artemis Bane]

It was probably better that they didn't remember each other in school. Artemis wasn't exactly the clean-cut girl that he probably takes to bed anyway. Not to mention, she might talk to him today if she had known him then. "Just being honest. I don't say things just to get into someone's pants, or to make them feel good. At least not much anymore." She grinned and leaned forward when he did. "Well, no we are not just going off of pure trust here, as we both know neither of us trust, as you said, easily. So," She pulled out a small vial. "I have a truth potion here, we both drink some, and if we do answer the question we know it will be the truth." She grinned and handed him the vial. "You can test it if you don't trust me."

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan looked at the vial and chuckled as he took it, "Ah, thinking of everything are we? Good idea though, though I guess then we should set some kind of bounds on questions so we don't ask anything that's going to make the other want to end the game early," he said as he set it back on the table, "Mind you, I don't think there's anything I've got to hide," He shrugged a little before looking as their drinks were brought to them.

[Artemis Bane]

She grinned at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Just something I carry around in case I need it. Job security if you will." She shrugged again and looked down at her coffee. "Now this is perfect." She picked it up and took a long sip leaving a little whipped cream on her nose without realizing it. "Well, don't have anything to hide either. I guess if you don't like the answers you get, then you won't like me as a person so shall we get started?" Yes, she was leaving her occupation open at this point. If he was going to turn her in he would have to have the proof. There was also the idea that if he did not like her answers then there was no point in pursuing anything further. Friendship or otherwise. "Bottoms up, handsome."

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan raised a brow at the part about "job security" then chuckled, pointing, "Before we start, lass, you've got something on your nose," he smirked, finding the look rather adorable, even though she had no intention of coming across that way, "I know that stuff does come along easily or cheaply, so how much do we use?" he asked, dipping his tea bag in the hot water as it steeped and put some sugar in it.

[Artemis Bane]

She grinned and shrugged her shoulders at his curiosity when it came to her job. She tilted her head and reached up and touched her nose. "Oh my." She rolled her eyes at herself and let out a small laugh. "Hazards of whipped cream coffee, I suppose." She wiped the cream off her nose. "Oh, don't worry about the cost, I can get them fairly cheap in a little shop nearby." She smirked when he asked how much. "Just a drop, on the tongue is all. It will last about an hour so be mindful of what you do after this." She watched as he dipped his tea bag into his coffee and added the sugar. "You really are a sweets kind of guy aren't you?"

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan had to keep a straight face as she laugh, the sound causing a stir in his chest. What was that? He pushed it out of his mind and he nodded as she explained that it was just a drop but then chuckled at her comment, "Just with my drinks. I don't do sweet snack foods much," he said, "But it's your truth potion, so I'll let you go first, and then we can start this little challenge in full, yes?" he said, sipping the tea, "You say you like sweets, what are some other things you like?" he asked, "Top favorites right off the top of your head."