Rivers and roads [Malcolm]

[Deleted]

i counted all the lights in london

they don't shine as bright
they don't pierce the night

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So Lina was finally on her way. It was exciting. Terrifying, yes, but exciting. Just the night before, she had set down with Max and Rose to discuss how she was getting along with the Death Eaters and what their next steps would be with the Order. The twins were laying low for now, keeping their head down and working quietly as waiters for local eateries. Maddy was halfway through her last year of school and had her own struggles: Lina remembered. Her social drama and academic concerns were probably only amplified by the worry of having her identity discovered and financial concerns. The older siblings were trying to keep Maddy's life as normal as they possibly could. They knew they couldn't provide for the way that their parents did, but when she wanted that latest scarf or skirt, they got it for her. If she was dying for a new record from the Twisted sisters, they got that for her too. Maddy only had a few years of childhood and innocence left. Lina, most of all, wanted to maintain that life for her. There were so many arguments about how Maddy hated being treated like a child, but they would eventually end with Lina showing Maddy empty closets, refrigerators, and bills for every expense of living they had. The arguments shortly stopped after Lina revealed everything to her sister, quietly and calmly. That's how Lina dealt with every situation, and it always worked to her favor.

Still, it was hard. Lina was very good at putting on a face and pretending that everything was alright, that she wasn't scared, worried, or hungry. But they were all in this boat together, and they needed to make things right. It was the only way.

Whenever Lina needed to think or have a moment to herself, she would wander through Alzubra Alley. On this particular afternoon, Lina thought of her past weekend. She had the strangest of occurrences: two training sessions in one day. One with the Death Eater Adonis and the other with the Order member Ashton. It amused her how the drills and the training resembled each other. Both of the boys were also easily frustrated and cold. Being between these two groups and not siding with either of them gave her a unique, interesting perspective. It showed her just how much defense groups had in common. They both believed in something so true to them, so pure and right in their minds, that they would immediately kill another man they called their "enemy." It was interesting, and she had thought of it before the incident, but now it truly showed her that even the good side had its flaws. It was interesting that her parents, two innocent, half-blood associated wizards, would have to suffer as they did. She bit her lip and swallowed the choking feeling that kicked at the back of her throat. No tears, she ordered to herself.

In just a half an hour, she would be meeting yet another Order member for dinner. Lina didn't think too much of it. She knew, of course, that he was probably a skeptic of every new member that joined the Order and simply wanted to brief her. Her story was prepared. In fact, Lina and her siblings had spent months preparing and planning every move, plans A-Z, backup plans. They were ready for anything that might come their way. What else could they do? If they ever planned to get their life back, they had to work through it, and Lina was sick of doing it paycheck to paycheck. This Order member, Malcolm was his name, couldn't pose as much of a threat to her as the thought of losing her parents and her wonderful life forever. If meeting the Dark Lord himself didn't make her flinch, she highly doubted that this man would be able to make her bat an eye.

Every few minutes, Lina checked her watch, then sighed and continued leisurely strolling back and forth through the alley. After Christmas it had gotten particularly cold in Austria, more so than the winters she was used to in France. Austria was lovely in many ways, but it lacked the glamor of the Parisian streets and the charm of French countryside. Before Lina left for Beauxbatons, she would spend her summers helping the farm next door to her home. The farmer was a nice man and admired Lina for being so down-to-earth and loving of creatures. He taught her about different kinds of animals, magical and non-magical alike. He taught her how to feed them, raise them, comfort them, and befriend them. The people she met and knew in France were all like this. The stereotype about the French being cold and rude had completely gone awry. Yes, they were a very self-perseverant and protective people, but there was nothing wrong with that. Once you showed them your loyalty and a bit of kindness, they were more than willing to return it. Lina snapped out of her daydream and blinked her eyes again around the square, her gaze falling upon the Germanic-like structures of all the buildings. She sighed, and made a mental note to herself to visit her home country at once.

It was about time to meet Malcolm. She would probably be early, but, then again, if she guessed his agenda correctly, he would probably beat her to the table. No matter, he was the least of her concerns at the moment. Alina put on a light hearted smile as she entered the Dragon's Claw, scanning the restaurant to see if she could spot a man at a table, alone. A hostess quickly approached her and asked if she wanted to reserve a table. "Actually, my company might already be here. Was there a man who sat down?" The hostess gave her a confused look. Lina wasn't being very clear. "His name is Malcolm. I don't know much about his appearance, though." Well, this was getting awkward. The hostess smirked and motioned for Lina to follow her. Ah, excellent. Now it appears as if I am on a blind date. Lina rolled her eyes and tried not to let the hostess's assumption annoy her. As the hostess approached a man sitting alone, Lina took a good look at his face as he raised his eyes from the menu he was holding. She felt her entire body grew cold. Malcolm? Mr. Talbott? Lina could have remembered those icy, blue eyes from anywhere; she had seen him years ago. She was even introduced to him by her aunt and uncle.

This couldn't be good.

Lina smiled wider, trying to hide what she knew her pale face might reveal. "Hello, Malcolm," she said smoothly and took a step forward to him. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she offered her hand to shake and bit her tongue to prevent her vocal box from emitting a loud shriek.

song/poem lyrics: "Apsidistra Flies" by Stars
outfit: Here
tag:  Malcolm
word count: 1,159
notes: Hope this works alright!

[Malcolm Talbott]

It wasn't often that Malcolm got the chance to get away from the school during the working year. Not because he didn't like to, but because of the sheer mass of students that had returned this year. At least last year, more of the parents had still been reeling in the aftermath of the Battle of Gringotts, so some had withheld their student's admission in favor of home schooling. Since all had been quiet for months now, they were all back and needing to be caught up from the gaps in their alternative education. Granted, as of late, there had been more activity concerning the 'secret' organization that he belonged to, more meetings, and with the return of Grace, things had certainly become rocky within the group. There was no designated leader, they worked as a team for the most part, but it seemed that the addition of the female, had somehow shifted the dynamic. He supposed it was good, to keep himself this busy, it meant that they were starting to make some progress. It was also giving him a good reason to get himself off of the Castle grounds more often, to socialize. He didn't like very many people, and while the professors that surrounded him on a daily basis did provide adequate mental stimulation, there was only so much academia that he could handle. Even he needed a break from time to time. He also needed to settle the matter of Alina. She was a question mark for him, almost as quiet as he was.

Had he been here for another reason today, he might have had better cause to enjoy himself. He assumed that a neutral ground might put the stranger more at ease, might help her to open up to him. He wanted to make sure that all of his ducks were in order before he allowed himself to even consider trusting her. It was her Surname...it triggered memories that he hardly ever had cause to reflect on. It reminded him of the now faded mark that dominated the expanse of his left forearm, hidden so easily now under salves and charms. It was no longer a part of his life, and yet he couldn't bring himself to remove it. It was still something that he had once done, something that he had once believed in, as well as motivated him to continue moving forward. If he ever were to stray from his cause, the mark was always able to snap him right back to where he needed to be. Did Alina have one? Hidden somewhere on her frame, disguised as something else? Certainly, they had tested her, but it wouldn't surprise him if she had found another way around it. While he didn't know much about her as a person, there was something about her eyes and the fact that she didn't ever smile whenever she spoke. It triggered alarms in his mind. Pair that with her unique surname? It didn't look promising in his opinion.

Whenever he had asked her to dinner, it was before their first real meeting. He had also carefully taken into account the things that Ashton had to say about her, and had made certain to arrive to the restaurant they had agreed upon well before it was time for him to be there. He was able to drink a little, indulge in a pre-dinner snack, and prepare himself for anything. He had read the menu at least three times. The Dragon's Claw had always been one of the nicer places to enjoy a meal in Alzubra, and had so many wonderful choices to indulge in that he always had a hard time choosing. Checking his watch he lifted the menu into his hands once more, she should have been there any time now. Sure enough, the waitress was approaching with a blonde, slight woman walking just behind her. She looked familiar, but he didn't know why, he couldn't place her face. She just had something about her, like everything else, that reminded him of bad things. At her smile, he attempted half of a smirk, but knew that it wouldn't come across as convincing, his mind was too busy attempting to place her. ”Hello, Malcolm,” Setting the menu back on the table he nodded, waving a hand at the chair across from him, but he didn't rise to greet her. “I trust you found the place alright Ms. Beaumont?” his tongue enveloped her last name, he knew that it wasn't the first time he had said it. He had to know somebody else with that name. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you,” Pushing the other menu in front of her, he lifted his torso from the chair to shake her proffered hand once, his eyes never once leaving her face, before taking his seat once more. It could come to him eventually. “The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure. Thank you for taking the time to indulge me for this little get together.” there was a heavy air of skepticism in his voice as he spoke slowly, lowering himself back into his chair as he did so. “I do hope that you're hungry, the calamari here is excellent”

[Deleted]

i counted all the lights in london

they don't shine as bright
they don't pierce the night

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Lina still remembered peeking behind the staircase as the then-Malcolm shook hands with her aunt and uncle. His cold blue eyes met her own briefly, before Lina scurried up the stairs to avoid punishment for the Beaumonts. Of course, her wicked cousin stood at the top of the stairs with a smirk on her lips. She slapped Lina across the face and grabbed her by the collar, pulling her face directly in line with hers. “Curiosity killed the bitch,” she whispered at Lina before pushing her aside. As she followed the waitress and found Malcolm’s gaze, she wondered if her cousin would end up being right. In her quest for revenge and ramifications, would she end up getting herself killed? It had been years since she had seen Ana and she intended to keep it that way.

Malcolm recognized her, and Lina felt that instantly. No matter, she knew that the only thing he really recognized were her eyes. How many baby blues could have Malcolm peered at in his life? If it was anything that jeopardized her safety, it was the false last name. It instantly crossed her mind as they both sat down at the table. “I trust you found the place alright Ms. Beaumont?” Lina smiled again, looking towards the hostess and thanking her. “Please Malcolm, if we intend on working together, I insist you call me Lina,” she said with the same, sickly sweet smile. Call me anything but that wretched last name, she thought to herself. “And yes, thank you for asking, I found the place quite alright. I’ve heard only good things,” Lina said. Malcolm had not once removed his eyes from her in this entire length of time, not even to look at the menu for a slight second as most men do. It was impressive; worrisome, yes, but impressive as well.

”Thank you for taking the time to indulge me for this little get together.” She didn’t need to ask why he had asked her to meet for dinner, it was quite obvious. He didn’t trust her, and he was right not to do so. Lina kept meeting these strangers in this foreign land. Austrians were an interesting people. Where the French were a little too honest about their opinions of others, Austrians were so polite it hurt. And it was never sincere. Lina didn’t know his background, but by the look of his eyes and bone structure, she guessed Scandinavian. Or perhaps British. Her German accent was still thick, so recognizing other accents was nearly incomprehensible. People almost immediately guessed she was a foreigner, and more specifically, a French speaking foreigner. At the bars, this was to her benefit because Austrian men had all these fancies and fantasies for French girls, which bought her many a drink. In other situations, however, within the Order and as a Death Eater, she was questioned on loyalty, laziness, too much pride: all the wizards assumed the French to possess. She was growing tiresome of it, but she had to keep up her ‘Austrian guard.’ “Of course, thank you for suggesting it,” Lina said, flipping open the menu and glancing down without reading any of the words, “In fact, I always thought that for any, ah, cause to succeed, there must be communication between the members.” She looked up and met those blue eyes again. Their eyes seemed to pierce through one another. If it weren’t for the fact that he stared at her like she was already a committed criminal, Lina would have found those eyes and that man quite attractive.

“I do hope that you're hungry, the calamari here is excellent” Lina nodded her head, observing the menu again. She felt his eyes on her and was unable to focus on the words. What kind of questions did he have for her, she wondered? He was smarter than to ask her for a detailed history of her past. “An excellent recommendation,” Lina smirked as the waitress approached them with the wine menu, “Do you drink wine, Malcolm? I’m something of an expert, myself.”

song/poem lyrics: "Apsidistra Flies" by Stars
outfit: Here
tag:  Malcolm
word count: 683
notes: Sorry for the shortness! Getting back into the swing of things, now!

[Malcolm Talbott]

Every second that Alina was in his presence frustrated him more. Not because of the company, she seemed to be perfectly nice, but there was just something that he couldn't place. Like it was niggling at his brain waiting to be realized and he didn't want to have to wait for things, whatever they were, to click into place. “Please Malcolm, if we intend on working together, I insist you call me Lina,” Hardly much of a nick name, eliminating just the one letter. A part of Malcolm would always hate familiarity. As such, he hadn't given her permission to use just his first name but she had taken it upon herself to use it. Seemingly elevating them to a social level he wasn't sure he was comfortable with. Truthfully, he didn't like many people other than his mother addressing him by his given name. Irrational, he accepted, since nearly everybody of his age or close to it called him Malcolm. At least it was better than a cutesy name. That, he couldn't stomach. “Lina, of course.” he digressed as she took her seat. Squabbling about names would only be a waste of time. “And yes, thank you for asking, I found the place quite alright. I’ve heard only good things,” It was a business dinner first and foremost, the other members of the Order seemed to have accepted her. He knew Ashton wouldn't have just brought anybody on, but this time he couldn't just accept the man's judgment. The way that her own eyes were locked onto his, like a power struggle just kept giving him the feeling that she was hiding something, or at least not wanting him to look too deeply into herself.

“Of course, thank you for suggesting it, In fact, I always thought that for any, ah, cause to succeed, there must be communication between the members.” At school it was far more easy to manipulate people, he could just stare at them until they cracked. Threaten them with detention or prolonged periods of awkward silence in his office. Most, would do just about anything to keep from having to spend too much time in his presence. He intimidated them, he didn't like that he couldn't do that here. She was supposed to be his peer, an accepted social confidant but he couldn't break that barrier. He willed himself to try another approach, to think that perhaps another tactic would prove more fruitful but he couldn't get himself to stop staring at her. Her surname echoing around the confines of his brain, beckoning his memories to surface. To make the connection that he just couldn't. Useless. “Agreed,” Merlin this was frustrating. His hands pulled his menu into his lap, where it rested still unused, he knew what he was having, not that he was really all that hungry. His eyes finally broke their contact and moved to the table setting in between them. There were very few things that he didn't know, and even less that took him this long to find out. He could only hope that if he moved on, something might end up coming to him.

“An excellent recommendation, Do you drink wine, Malcolm? I’m something of an expert, myself.” indulging was hardly going to help him, but he wasn't one to refuse a good glass of wine. Perhaps he could gauge how much of an 'expert' that she actually was. “By all means,” he gestured to the wine listing the waiter was handing her. Surely he could stomach a few glasses without harming his mental state. He kept getting flashes of a younger woman, who did look similar to the woman sitting across from him, her younger siblings near her, some sort of outing perhaps? It just didn't make sense, he couldn't have known her before. At least after they had ordered, and were away from the prying ears of the waiter floating around their table he could press her for something that might click better.