Shrieking Shack

I watch him as I push back to lean against the wall, silent tears escaping again.

ooc Crouch should totally like, kidnap her or something.

OOC That's the idea >

IC

"Apologies for the interruption folks!" He smiled crazily to mask his pain as he returned to the balcony. "Now where was I? Oh yes!"

An hour of hate inducing speech followed. Some left, deducing that Crouch was a madman or a pretender of Voldemort's crown. However more than a few stayed and listen to everything, soaking it in like a sponge. Crouch's words were very hard to ignore let alone decline. 

After the meeting had dissipated, Crouch returned to River. "Wow what a mouthful that was, I need some water." He chuckled awkwardly to try to make light of the situation.

ooc  great minds think alike.

ic
'Who are you?' I ask quietly.

"Me? I am salvation I would think..."

'No. Your...' I shake my head, trying to push myself up from the ground. 'your ruined.'

"River, I've heard people call me all sorts of names, but honestly I thought you'd be a little more creative than that."

"Anywho... so, want to stay at my house for 'However-long-it-takes-to-make-you-see-things-my way?"

'Go to hell'

"Already there River..." He picked her stunned form up, and got ready to disapparate with her.

'I hate you.' I whisper before we leave

The kitsune was... bored.
Well, when was he ever entertained?

Now that the Death Eaters had collapsed and gone incognito for a while, his sources of fun had inevitably dried up faster than a lake in the desert. He was still thriving from his contracts, their sacrifice of blood and negative emotions to quench the ever yearning ache, but he was incomplete. 

He'd come to the shrieking shack in the hopes of finding some foolish Hogwarts students, intending to validate the shack's name. The fright of teenagers was like no other delicacy, and it would give him great amusement to completely terrify them. He thought himself as doing them a favour, since their curiousity would no longer lead them astray.

Considering shrugging off his human body, his more fox-like features became apparant as he crouched, his tail poking out from under his coat. His ears were bolt upright, sensing for any intruders.

"Scaring children. Seems a bit beneath a thousand year old kitsune." Crest told him dryly as he stepped inside. His face was as firm and unmoving as steel, devoid of expression. Nowhere in his contract did it say he needed to be polite to the kitsune so he didn't even make the attempt. 

They were enemies and both knew it.

Lukas chortled to himself, cometely unaffected by the insult. "I can honestly do whatever I want with my remaining lifespan. Times are boring, what can I say?" 

The kitsune rumaged through his coat pocket , pulling out Cresr's contract. 

"At least I'm not terrorising your wife, that would violate the contract." The loophole being that he could terrorise everyone around her, including Crest. But that required... A lot more effort than this did.

"You don't like it do you?" He goaded. "This lack of conflict." He glared at the him, wishing that contract wasn't so necessary. But it kept his wife and family safe, so it was his cross to bare.

But this was about the current manipulation. He didn't have time to dwell on that.

"No, not at all." He admitted outright, pouting like a child that had been denied sweets. "But I'm sure you're aware that conflict is inevitable, and I'll bide my time until it shows its weary head again."

He offered a large grin, revealing his sharp canine teeth. "Or maybe... It's happening now? Give uncle Lukas all the gossip." He joked.

"That's all dependent on you." Crest tried to humor the kitsune, but clearly joking was something Crest had no aptitude in. He had no good timing or amusement in his voice but he attempted to smile slyly to sell the point. "You're the one with all the gossip."

Lukas concealed his smirk, appreciating the attempt Crest was making. The boy was no Slytherin, for sure.

'Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. That also depends on what my gossip would mean for you." Lukas's keen ears heard many rumours and conversations, whispers under the illusion of privacy.

"They're not gone and I know it. I wish to correct that. Surely you can see that informing me could lead to some crisis..." Crest was no stranger to manipulation but usually he was the smartest one in the room. This would tax his abilities of fabrication, to pretend he cared about his wellbeing.

"It would help you, and your survival helps my family."

"Oh please. Spare me the line about my well-being. Most humans would suffer less if I reformed myself into a more Benevolent type of guy." Lukas snorted; admitting he was an asshole was an easy feat for him.

"If I inform you, then your resistance flounders, and you can crush them. How would that aid me? Id have to give both contractees an equal amount of information." In his own warped way , Lukas was a man of honour.

"Would you though? The enemy has superior strength to me." He was careful to avoid the word 'us.' "They could crush me if I make a mistake. I would think this would just even the game."

"But you're far more resourceful. And its like you have a winner's bonus, since Mr cant-be-named expired a few months ago." Lukas saw Crest's point, but being on the winning side meant you had far more freedom than the losers. It depended on how valuable that freedom was.

"I do not know the price of freedom to humans anymore."

"Elaborate."

"I perceive both sides to be on even grounds, take that as you wish." He offered as an explanation. "You have the advantage of not being persecuted, for you were on the side who won the war. I may be overestimating that advantage."

"I am here to even the playing field, since closer fights cause more chaos."

Crest knew this was at a stand still and Lukas wouldn't budget on this matter. He needed to give him something, some small piece of evidence to sate him enough into revealing things...

Or maybe appeal to his chaotic side? He'd try the latter first.

"Surely even an unfair conflict would be better than the stagnation we're at now. Besides, your allies are not completely unintelligent. It'd be more chaotic for them to try and deluge my plans for themselves."

"True, which would imply I should not help you at all. Aiding people who want to support order is not in my intentions at all." 

 But Lukas shrugged, since he knew the guy was really trying to appeal to him. "I suppose I can help you out a little, but I'm not at liberty to say much else. I know a lot about the inside ranks but I physically can't speak at length."

Lukas had been bound to silence on certain issues, but he knew his loopholes. 

"There are a few Death Eaters that weren't in this game before."

"Who?" Crest demanded. He was used to barking orders and them getting obeyed at this point. "Who is she?" 

He cursed himself in his mind after that slip. His passion for uncovering the threat had gotten the better of him. He slowly exhaled to regain his composure, "Who are they?"