|
Post by James Sirius Potter on Oct 29, 2016 5:10:29 GMT -5
Before they went out into the main office, Claire had made it a point to remind him that he needed to keep his head here – he needed to go with the plan, stick with the team and they would get this done. If he did as he so badly wanted, rushed in and tried to take control of the situation without knowing what he was getting in to – which he was still having to try so hard to keep from doing – then it could very well end badly for all of them. Sirius forced himself to keep calm as he spoke to her – telling her he would at least not do anything like that on purpose, after all, what good was he to anyone if he was dead? He hated that he had thought about it before – what it would have been like for everyone without him around – but because of those thoughts he knew he couldn’t let it come to that, ever.
"Certainly not. Don't be an idiot, then," she snapped.
A glimmer of normalcy hit him when she told him not to be an idiot – it was odd how things that he never thought much of, like her calling him an idiot for example, could help bring some sense of calm back to him, if only for a second. It was probably because even in a time of crisis, he knew he could rely on Claire – it all seemed possible as long as the two of them stuck together; and for a moment he remembered, this is the feeling he had forgotten when he had kept all those letters from her. The momentary thought of that issue – a conflict that had been so fresh and raw in his mind less than half an hour ago now seemed an entire lifetime away.
"Good. I know you can do this," she said, and Sirius took one last deep breath and hoped to God she was right. As much as he knew he could keep himself composed enough to get through brainstorming, figuring out where his daughter was being held and even as far as getting to her; but it was the second he finally lays eyes on Blackwell that was worried about. Even now, just the thought of it was enough to send a chill through him, that if he wasn’t careful would quickly turn from a passionate hatred to blacked out and dangerous. He wasn’t so much worried that he would do something reckless on purpose – his daughters’ life was a stake and he wouldn’t take a chance on that unless it was the only one he had. No, he was more worried about what would happen if that hatred, revenge filled rage took over and he lost control entirely.
Keep calm. Don’t worry. It will be okay. Those were probably some of the phrases that Sirius hated to hear the most in the world – how could anyone try to rationalize with someone who had seen even half of the things he had seen over the years? Yet these were the phrases that left the lips of many of the aurors when he and Claire finally walked out of their office – his features still fierce with rage and frustration as Claire set up the files. He ignored the impulse to lash out at one of them – he knew they were only trying to help, to keep him from exploding – but the last thing he needed was to be patronized – he needed to see results.
Claire had all the files organized on the table in seconds and she tossed him a marker as she said "Write down anything you've already thought of". Without more than a glance he caught the marker and turned around to the board and started to scribble down the file numbers and the names of cities where there were believed to be Nex headquarters. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the group worked together, tossing out ideas and suggestions based on what little information they had – and he absolutely hated to think about how little they had as a way to narrow down possible locations. He also saw Claire, who took of her heels and started to organize the files further into categories, grabbing additional files from the other room of filing cabinets.
That was when Blaine’s patronus had shown up – giving them a brief description of a location – and almost as soon as it had faded away, Sirius had started tearing through files again, asking Claire if they knew of more than one location in that area. Someone else answered from across the mess of files and he turned around, marker still in hand and wrote down the places and people the other auror mentioned – then turned back around quickly to the files, reorganizing them once again now that they had at least an idea of the location now. As he pushed files away that they no longer needed he noticed Claire again in his peripheral vision just as she ran off to the file room after a long moment of appearing to be deep in thought – running through her mental files rather than the physical ones no doubt, a skill he wished he had.
While she ran off he waved his wand at the desk with the fewest files on it, clearing it for when Claire returned before turning back to the board, clearing off things that were now irrelevant as the aurors debated in the background on different possible locations. He stared at the board, scribbling here and here – now that they were so close, his focus had finally started to come easier, the answer was in this office somewhere and that was the only thing standing between him and Cato Blackwell; and Sirius wanted nothing more than to close that gap, get Juliette to safety and unleash hell on Blackwell – his rage had finally been pushed into an unstoppable determination to end this all today if he could – then maybe they could actually live their lives.
After a few minutes passed, Claire was running back into the room and went right for the desk he had cleared, sinking into the chair and set down the first of the decade old files that she had dug up. "Find out exactly where this is," she ordered to the room at large while reexamining the entire set of folders for any other mention or information. At those words there were two aurors who came up to take the file and started immediately on finding the exact location on the place she had given them. A hopeful smile came across Sirius features for a moment as he turned to Claire, ”Have I ever told you you’re brilliant, and I love you?” he said without another thought, before limping across the room after the aurors to peak at the file she had given them.
Sirius had known the moment she bolted off that she had remembered something vital – and all she had to do was find the file. After the two aurors had taken the first file to do as Claire asked, she had started to sift through the rest of the files she had brought out with her – and even from across the room, the look on her face made it clear, she had found what she was looking for. He took a look over the shoulders of the two working diligently to determine where the place was, and a look at the file and the photographs in it gave him flash-backs to when he and Claire had worked the case that file was about so many years ago – things had been so different then…
Once he had seen the file he thought hard, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to remember as much about that case as he could – he had just taken over the department at that point and most of those cases ran together in his memory. Had they been to this place before? Frustrated once again, Sirius limped back across the room, wiping the board clean and starting over – he drew a rough map of the Cheshire area, trying to think of where there would be farm land, ranch homes, places where there wouldn’t be neighbors for miles and miles – that was the sort of place they were looking for. He ran his hands in his hair – almost pulling hair out in frustration, he paced for a moment between the board and Claire.
”Where the fuck is this place…” he muttered under his breath, mentally cursing himself for not worrying about “not important things” like an exact location during his early years as department head. Then he turned to Claire, about to speak when one of the aurors working on the location shouted that he had found it. Sirius looked to Claire then back at the auror. ”Well, spit it out then.” he said, that on-the-edge-of-insanity sound still present in his tone. The auror gave them the location and his first instinct was to apparate there now – but he controlled that urge by starting to pace again, gripping his wand tightly once more as he looked to Claire.
”Okay, so plan, now, common’ what do we know about the place, how are we doing this?” he asked. It was extremely difficult for him to not just lose his cool and try to take over – winging it upon arrival would be more than enough for him right now – but again, he knew that wasn’t the course of action they needed. So he waited, reluctantly, for Claire to tell him she had a plan.
|
|
|
|
Post by Claire Pierce on Oct 30, 2016 0:48:37 GMT -5
Despite everything going on, Sirius was remarkably restrained, more than she would have expected. Claire supposed that by now he really knew what would happen if he freaked out on the people in the office, lost it here or when they left, let the anger take control of him - she would not allow him to do anything. So he tried to work, going through files and listening when she told him to work on the board. She looked up periodically to check what he had added, scrutinizing the mess of information that he scrawled on the board, but would return to the files in front of her instead. Meanwhile, her team threw out ideas and talked and dug through papers, and she would interject without looking up, cutting in with probing questions and idea dismissals and abrupt analysis.
Once the patronus had appeared and then faded, the office descended into further chaos and harried discussion. But then Claire was deep in her head before disappearing to the file room for a hurried search through her thankfully extremely well-organized, systemized files. Sirius could make fun of her all he wanted, as he had for years, ever since she quickly took over the room as a young auror acting on her own mission, but it was moments like this when it truly paid off and saved them a great deal of time. After she had raced back with her files and gone through them until finding the location that had been buried in the papers and in her head, she could practically feel Sirius's relief from where he stood somewhere behind her at the board. ”Have I ever told you you’re brilliant, and I love you?” he said as he turned to her, a smile somehow there in his voice. She didn't look up from the papers she was studying now, but did say, just a bit dryly, "Not nearly enough."
Claire could see him limping now as he crossed into her field of vision above the papers and the desk as he moved over to take a look at what she had found. Worry about him limping and going into the action looming ahead of them broke into her thoughts briefly as she narrowed her eyes at him for just a second until he stood still, not seeing her but satisfying her when he stopped moving. She returned to the files, having found the two key pieces of information and handing them off but continuing to dig through for any other helpful bit that she could use. It was a balancing act between being diligent, thorough, and careful in their planning and moving quickly to take action and get everyone out of there safely as soon as possible. Claire was trying to go as fast as she could while still being able to formulate a plan with as much information as she could find. Once she had enough, she would jump to leave, just as Sirius was hoping.
Sirius drew a rough map of the area, trying to remember what he could, while Claire returned to the file room and emerged with an additional set of photos and notes. He was pacing when she approached him at the board, and she slipped into the spot between him and the board. "Shut up, Sirius, let me think," she said, but more absently than heatedly, as he kept angrily muttering to himself and the room at large. Instead she stared at her half-finished board and returned to the depths of her memory until more things came to mind. Picking up the marker, she began filling in the map and sketching ideas, now barely aware of Sirius pacing and the sounds of the office behind her. It was distantly, then, that she heard someone supply the location at last. It took a long moment to register, as she drew a pathway and reached deep into her memory at the same time, until she heard Sirius snap again. "What do we know about the place, how are we doing this?” he asked, demanding a plan, and bringing her back to the office. At least he was waiting for her to come up with a plan; she had nearly moved on instinct to hold him back from charging out of the office and into the home.
Without turning away from the board, she gestured Sirius closer and began issuing orders and demands to those behind her. As she received the answers she was looking for and photos she asked for, she looked at the board and let her mind work through it, bringing it all together. It was like a puzzle to her, connecting all of the clues and information and making it into a plan. A solution. She let Sirius interject and accepted some of it, but not the ideas that bordered on - or jumped over to - irrational or extremely dangerous or simply pointless, just like she did with the members of her team. But it was Claire who thought rapidly until she decided what to do.
Changing into her other pair of shoes and pulling her hair back again, she talked as she moved, and then continued to explain all while she cast the array of her very own protective spells, the signature Claire protections that she had largely developed herself as an extra safety method that others would have even more difficulty cracking, on herself, Sirius, and the team coming with them. After assigning roles and tasks and explaining her plan with as much precise detail as she could manage, she was ready to leave. In the last moments, she looked at her team and then back at Sirius. Without caring for once that they were all there and that this might anger or embarrass Sirius, she said sharply, "Okay?" It was just one word, but the implication was clear: are you ready to handle this, like I know you can? It wasn't that she didn't think he could handle the situation; she knew he was capable of it, but he just had to get out of his own head and stay in control, and she knew he could do it. But she didn't have time or enough eyes to keep watch on him during what they were about to do; she had to trust that he would not fly off the handle and go crazy. But then, softer, she added, "We're going to do this." They would go in there, they would succeed, they would be safe, and hopefully, they would get Blackwell.
|
|
|
|
Post by James Sirius Potter on Oct 31, 2016 6:16:59 GMT -5
As the group of aurors worked diligently to try and find the place where Blackwell was holding Juliette captive, Sirius was trying desperately to keep himself in a somewhat controlled state of mind. He was teetering on the edge of his sanity – and there were really only a few things keeping him at this deadly calm place, even if it was mostly on the exterior. Everything in his brain was telling him to get going – somewhere, anywhere. As long as he was moving he was progressing – which led him to start pacing about the office as he questioned himself, the other aurors and Claire, trying to come up with anything they connecting on Blackwell and Cheshire.
After Claire returned from the file room to the desk he had cleared in her brief absence, she had almost immediately found what she needed and set the aurors off to find a place only she would think of. For a moment, he stopped moving around and felt a short moment of hope – when he asked Claire if he had told her she was brilliant, and that he loved her, her response was brief – "Not nearly enough," – but even in his completely rage filled state, he felt a smile try and tug at his lips, though it didn’t last long. ”I’ll work on that then,” he said, and he meant that.
Sirius didn’t honestly know how long it really was between then and when Claire stood between him and the board, sketching out more of the rough map he had started, but it felt like ages to him. He paced around the room, back and forth, stopping only a moment in front of Claire to peak at the files she was going through, and then going right back to it. Muttering to himself, frustrated that he couldn’t think clear enough to be figuring this out faster, when he did stop pacing to stare at the board, he was still rocking back and forth from one side to the other, shifting his weight off his bad knee whenever automatically when he tried to lean that way, but not consciously noticing a bit of it.
As long as he kept moving, he wouldn’t do something insanely stupid – and he had to keep reminding himself that there were good reasons not to run on impulsive thoughts. There was a team of aurors all working furiously on this – Claire was doing everything she could to ensure that this happened as quickly and effectively as possible – all he had to do was stick to the goddamn plan for once and he hoped he would be able to keep what little composure he had through this mission, but the longer it seemed to take the more on edge he felt.
There were two big things that kept him in this state; one was not exactly a promise to Claire, but as close as he had been willing to make after the last time he was in the hospital after they had rescued his nephew Ethan. He had given her his word that he would at least try to think things through from now on – and that promise had paid off already during the mission that had put Claire on medical leave – which he momentarily remembered she was still on, though he knew he couldn’t trust anyone but her to lead this – there wasn’t another alternative, he couldn’t do this without her. So he had to stay focused for Claire – to keep her safe, to keep himself safe, as he had told her he would try to do from now on.
The other thing keeping him in such a paradox of his usual rage and a terrifying calm being rolled into one was Juliette. He had only just met his daughter and already they had been through so much. There hadn’t been much time for the two of them to get to know each other yet – the few conversations they had had weren’t always pleasant, but she was his daughter and with everything that she had been through, was going through, and still had ahead of her with this pregnancy, if the babies survived this ordeal, then he wanted to be there for her.
Those two things were what kept him from leaving the office the moment the auror across the room stated the location – his blood was boiling, not just apparating to there on the spot nearly drove him mad for a second – but he pushed that impulse away, instead turning to Claire and demanding a plan. Sirius was back to shifting back and forth – unable to stay still, he kept it in his head that as long as he was moving, he could control the impulse to leave and do something he would surely regret.
Another amount of time that felt like forever to him had passed by the time they were finished discussing the location, the layout, who needed to be where and more. He had more than once raised an opinion and tried to contradict Claire’s plan as too cautious, most of it coming out of his mouth before he had even finished thinking it through in his head. She took what ideas were worth it, but left took care of the rest herself – and finally they had a plan to work with and she turned to him and asked ”Okay?”. That one small word had a whole lot of meaning behind it, and Sirius only nodded in response – he was as ready as he could be, as controlled as he possibly could have been and he was ready to be out that door.
"We're going to do this." Claire said to him and he took a deep breath, trying so hard still not to forget the plan and rush in recklessly. Sirius looked back at her as she spoke, a look of fiery determination, the anger still pulsing through him, adrenaline pumping. ”Let’s go,” he said, loud enough that everyone on the team would hear it, prompting them to leave the office for Cato Blackwell’s home in Cheshire to save his daughter before he lost his mind.
|
|
|