The Noir Mansion

"I'll trust him if my son does... but even so, I wish he found a better friend than him."

"Yes, he's a very unreliable and selfish fellow."

"But that aside, we need to get in there, find the evidence and then show it to the police... stop her for good."

"Yes.  It will be extremely far from easy.  We need to know how her mind works, where she controls everything, the traps she sets, when she even sleeps would be good, if she ever leaves the asylum and when...."

"Thank you very much for your help... " She smiled gratefully as she stood up, "Is there anyway I can repay you?"

"Nothing that I can think of right now, but it's alright, I'm happy to help!"

"Thank you again.. I'm going to find a good legal team and finally put an end to Heather."

"You're welcome. I don't know how long this will take, though. It could take weeks. Maybe even months."

"I am not worried about time, just so long as she harms no one else."

Haven nods, "Good."

"Well I appreciate your time, thank you very much!"

Haven nods, "It's my pleasure!"

The boy had donned his best disguise, waiting for Crest to offer orders and a means of breaking in. He wasn't too troubled, for his magic flowed through his skin more readily than his own blood. His searing hands were rusty, but he would be ready for whatever attempt they would make on the manor. Bryn wouldn't mind staying out of sight and watching for the girl's escape.

Through a pin on Bryn's shirt, a voice could be heard, a whisper but one of authority, "Two main entrances. Twenty two possible entry and exit points if we're including windows."

This posed a problem. Entering the manor would be child's play, without a doubt. It struck Crest as odd that a family so opulent would not invest in good security. But it also meant leaving would be simple if they were heard prematurely. 

Quiet, surgical precise was needed. And Crest was thankful to his old mentor only for giving him skills in this area. 

No other reason. 

"One of us needs to stay out here. I'll enter once we get probable cause that she is in here..."

Never one to slouch on research, he memorized the faces of the two alive Noirs, and any staff that was regularly at work there. IF an impersonation was tried, it would be doomed to failure.

"On it." He chose to guard the main front entrance, picking out all the window escapes. If he was not a half blood, he would never consider a window escape. An apparation would be easier, even if it left a trace.

He watched the windows regardless, sharp eyes tracking the movements from within. Everything seemed regular - of course it would - but whether this was true would be an entirely different matfer.

"Clear on this end." He whispered softly into the pin, pale eyes scanning the area around him as well as the house. He hoped this was not a trap.

"Silent as the grave." Crest replied in kind. He'd continually circled the house, keeping his focus sharp on any who approached the house. However each passerby was just that, a passerby.

A few might stop to look at the luxurious home, be it out of admiration or envy, but not one made a move on it. Each was just going about their way for their own lives.

Such was the way of things for hours... And it forced Crest to do some reevaluations.

Had Amaya misled the Noir heir? It seemed unlikely. She would gain nothing by deceiving him. It was only a thirty minute walk from here to the Eiffel Tower. Even if the meeting was a farce, it should not have taken him this long to get home. 

So what scenarios were left? 

Other interested parties had intervened. Which left them at square one.

"Something must've happened." He communicated to his partner.

"Perhaps the girl didn't feel safe going here." Bryn offered, considering the lack of sheer movement in the house. Either they were hiding or they were simply elsewhere. "After all, if Topher offered to help this would be the first place we'd come to." and of course, that had turned out to be true. He couldn't help but feel slightly defeated at this fact. 

"May wouldn't misdirect us on purpose." He was confident in this, knowing his sister far better than even some of her best friends. 

"The question is, what do we do now?" Bryn was open to suggestions, considering trailing Lukas, his sister or simply interrogating Meredia's attacker again.

"We could investigate the eiffel tower to see if there's any traces of where they may have gone." It seemed unlikely there would still be any leads there but he had to rule out any possibilities.

He cursed himself. He should've just intervened at their first meeting place and risk the public exposure. 

"We could also get another ally." Crest had just the person in mind, the sole person he even came close to trusting at the Ministry.

"who would that be?" he considered the timescale of the interrogation of the attacker, and the hours they had spent here. any magical trace was certain to be mixed and confused with others. Bryn was wary of the Ministry at best, but he had appreciated all that Auror Cayden had done for him and his sisters. She had acquitted Sydnay when she was struggling, and he found it a shame that it had not been enough at that point.

"We shouldn't waste our time chasing dead ends; we can still pull ahead of her now if we make a move now." He advised.

"Cayden." Crest told him bluntly as he thought about what other means existed. "IF the Ministry is being honest about trying to reform and I doubt it is, she's still the only person in their that can help with any meaningful surveillance spells."

Crest's spy network was small and usually adequate for most of his tasks. However he didn't have nearly the budget that the Auror Department did and any other auror would be less than likely to help him given his reputation for sending Death Eaters to them in full body casts.

"As far as I'm aware, Cayden is not fond of spying but we shall see. She hates seeing people dead before she can administer justice above anything else, so I'm sure we can convice her to help us as long as we don't kill the woman when we find her." The certainty in his voice was almost contagious.

"Are you permitted on Ministry grounds? We could head straight there. We have to assume that the woman cannot show her face there for fear of recognition." Bryn knew that the woman could be aiming to approach the Ministry to earn her own safety if she felt Lukas's power was not enough.

"I have no intentions of killing her. Dead, she gives no information." Crest honestly confessed to him. Though cold, it was strictly against his moral principles. Such was the actions of his old mentor, not him.

"As for if I'm allowed, probably not. But then again, I'm not allowed most of the places I go..."

"Then I can go. I'm neutral, if not on the good side of the Ministry. They'll take me in if I want to see Cayden almost immediately." He noted. "Then you can keep an eye for any movement on the outside. I guess I can handle the talking." his smile was encouraging, wondering if Cayden would respond more warmly to his presence than Crest's.

There was a certain logic to this. After all, the last time he saw Cayden their encounter involved Descole's head, a tremendous amount of force, and a desk...

Not to mention, Bryn was a far superior speaker. To Crest there was a world of difference between a speaker and a commander. Artemis was a speaker, a naturally born spokesman who advocated for peace and justice. Crest was a commander, he gave orders and they were followed. While good for ensuring results, it did little on behalf of friendships and alliances.

"Get it done. I'll keep watch." He consented.

"No time to waste." With that he apparated to the Ministry, bracing himself for what could be a tough conversation. He was worried, of course, but he saw no use in voicing it. Diplomacy was a trait that never faltered in him.