One Way or Another, I’m Gonna Get You [Closed-Reg]

[Regulus Reinbach]

Regulus noticed the look Delaney gave when he suggested a dive. “I’m a drunkard first and a rich asshole second,” he explained, hoping a bit of self deprecation might make him appear more endearing. She hadn’t objected, but he couldn’t really imagine what was going through her mind as they walked. Most likely Delaney was hoping Reg would ease his guard and she’d get to slap cuffs on him. Suddenly a bar seemed like the last place they should be headed. Regulus supposed he could make up an excuse and bail, but that seemed rude. No, he’d answer some questions, leave Delaney with a slightly positive opinion and hope that she could get in Stavros’ ear that maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

“So, you don’t actually own a winery though,”

Regulus’ nose wrinkled at the accusation. “Not outright,” he admitted. “Wouldn’t want to. Too much to know about soil and growing seasons and types of grapes,” Reg added, waving his hand dismissively. Adrina knew all that from growing up in a vineyard, and she’d done her best to explain it to Regulus, but it just never stuck. He knew enough to make his pitches, but Regulus was a firm believer that despite proverbial warnings, books were judged by their covers just as wines were judged by their bottles.

“Are they notable vineyards? And why French? Are you from there?”

It seemed an odd line of questioning. The answers should have been obvious, or so he assumed, but given that he was rather more plugged in than the average person Delaney should be forgiven. “The regions are notable, the individual vineyards…I can’t say I’ve met anyone outside of the business who can name one they haven’t just visited,” Regulus said candidly. There was no harm he supposed in giving the names of the wineries, but it wasn’t as though they were particularly distinct. Once again, a voice at the back of Reg’s mind told him to tread lightly and stay vague. There wouldn’t be anything to find at his wineries, but Magical Law Enforcement poking around was the type of bad press Regulus would not abide.

”As for why France…I do have family there, some fond childhood memories, but its more about the grapes…the quality, the tradition, it’s truly unlike any other place in the world,” Regulus explained a wistful look in his eye as he gazed at an indistinct point up and to his right. The pauses and peaceful disposition were practiced, as he defaulted to the answer he’d given to countless shop owners. The far off look faded from Reg’s eyes and his posture straightened as he realized they had reached their destination. “This is it,” Reg said ushering Delany into the pub with a sign above the door that read ‘The Daft Draught.’

Once inside Regulus pulled up a seat at the bar. There were a hand full of patrons scattered about the place, but as Reg had hoped it seemed plenty private they they wouldn’t be bothered. “Alex,” Regulus called to the bartender who was scourgifying what Reg assumed to be the last of the glasses. “Do you still have some of the Cab Sav? I’m trying to brag about my wine,” Regulus smiled. ‘Should have’ Alex responded ‘your bragging’s about the only time anyone asks for it.’ Regulus’ brow furrowed at the less than ringing endorsement, but it wasn’t as though he expected anything else. He’d gifted a case to the draught for being one of the few establishments never to ban him, knowing full well it wasn’t the type of place where expensive wine was likely to be consumed, much less appreciated

Alex bent down behind the bar, disappearing briefly, before popping back up with a green bottle full of deep purple liquid. Carved into the green glass were intricate vines, that appeared to grow up the bottle, sprout leaves then little bunches of grapes, before disappearing and repeating the pattern. Regulus watched Delaney’s face for a reaction as Alex uncorked the wine and poured two glasses. Lifting his glass and giving it a few cursory swirls, a sniff for good measure. “Santé,”Regulus said in a smooth French accent, raising his glass toward Delaney’s in a quick toast before imbibing.

[Delaney James]

As they walked down the street of Alzubra, Delaney couldn’t help but to look around every few seconds or so. It was becoming more crowded by the minute and she was positive that she’d see someone she recognized at any moment. The men in her department would be wrapping up things for the day now; head to one of the bars for happy hour drink specials before going back home to annoy their wives or dogs for the rest of the weekend. For a moment, she felt a slight panic at the thought of encountering one of them wherever Reinbach was taking her. The Ministry pay wasn’t worth a damn if one wasn’t working in a high position so employees tended to flock towards cheap destinations. Delaney prayed this bar didn’t understand the concept of a happy hour. Hell, maybe it wouldn’t be such a terrible thing to be taken down Drear and shelter in some back-corner booth with her back facing towards the door. At his comment about being a rich asshole, it gave her hope that they were walking towards a ritzy establishment that the wealthy called a dive because it served top-shelf liquor they considered to be bottom.

His voice broke Delaney from her thoughts as he answered her question about the French wineries. ”As for why France…I do have family there, some fond childhood memories, but its more about the grapes…the quality, the tradition, it’s truly unlike any other place in the world.” She turned to look at him, scooting closer to avoid an older witch spewing about a missed sale to what could be presumed her daughter. As she did, an woody aroma pervaded into her nostrils. His cologne. Whatever he was wearing was strangely alluring. Delaney had always enjoyed nature as a child; still did to this day. Regulus smelled as if he just gone through a hike in the forest. The scents of the trees and the vegetation clinging to the fibers of his clothes. It reminded her of back home when she would get lost in the woods for hours. Sometimes, making a pile of leaves and falling back into them. She’d close her eyes and smile, breathing in the scents and listening to the distant chirping of birds or croaking of frogs from the creek that would be stumbled upon at the end of a trail her father made for her and Thomas.

The memory caused a smirk to involuntarily form at the corners of Delaney’s lips. Upon realizing this, she forced them back into the straight line they had been in since Reinbach’s first appearance. She briefly glimpsed up at him, hoping he hadn’t seen the bit of emotion she had displayed. Instead, she discovered he seemed to have wandered off to his own happy place. From this angle, she couldn’t deny how the sunlight shone perfectly across his features making him look like he wasn’t quite from this world. Aware that she was taking him in longer than she should have, Delaney shook her head and frowned. ”This is it.” As they stopped, her eyes landed on a slightly weathered looking sign. Though it wasn’t completely off the strip, it was far away enough from the Ministry that she doubted her co-workers would travel this far. Not when Mirage Lounge and Purgatory were in closer walking distance. A sense of relief washed over her as Regulus opened the door for her and she walked in.

The bar wasn’t anything spectacular, which did surprise her. A hole in the wall, sure, but not necessarily one Delaney wouldn’t find herself in at one point or another. She was a social creature when she needed to be but preferred quieter establishments like these. Bars whose sole purpose was to serve those down in their luck or who needed a distraction from the norm. The pair took a seat at the bar. She remained silent as Regulus called over the bartender. ”Alex. Do you still have some of the Cab Sauv? I’m trying to brag about my wine.” She couldn’t help but to roll her eyes. ”Should have, your bragging’s about the only time anyone asks for it.” Delaney also couldn’t help the laugh that escaped from her lips. She liked Alex already for sparing Regulus no expense. She kept her attention on him as he bent down and returned with a rather expensive looking bottle of wine. Her focus instantly found itself towards the sides of it. The vine carvings had been charmed to look as if they were sprouting before disappearing and repeating the cycle. It was fascinating. Magic never ceased to amaze her.

Yet she still said nothing as Alex poured the wine into two glasses he had set out to the side of them. The first one was slid towards her, which Delaney prompted responded with a polite, “Thank you.” Grasping the wine glass gingerly by the stem, she looked to Regulus. ”Santé.” She brought her glass to his. “Cheers.” About American as she could get. Bringing the glass to her lips, she twirled the contents around and sniffed. The nose carried immediate scents of black cherries and strawberries. Lifting it an angle, she opened her lips and allowed a small portion of the wine to cascade onto her tongue. She allowed it to sit for a moment, only swallowing when the rich tannins attacked her gums though softening the blow with an exquisite flavoring of dark red berries. Never before had she had such a taste on her palate. “This is delicious,” she found herself saying before she could stop the compliment. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a Cab like this before.” She helped herself to another sip. “Your winemakers certainly know what they are doing.”

[Regulus Reinbach]

If Regulus didn't know any better, he'd say Delaney was warming to him. At the very least she no longer seemed repulsed by his company. It was a small but crucial step on the road back to repairing the ill will Regulus had felt seething from Delaney just moments ago. This was going to be a delicate dance, and as they walked, Regulus felt himself forgetting for moments at a time that they were ultimately adversaries. Delaney wanted to believe the worst of him, so Regulus would need to be careful to expose all the lies without revealing too much of the truth.

Alex was proving to be the perfect set piece for getting Delaney to drop the idea that Regulus was some sort of master criminal. Reg and Alex had been friendly, though not quite friends at school. It was enough to build up a rapport that was nurtured by Regulus coming into the bar in early afternoon hours before the rest of the world deemed it appropriate to drink. They still weren't exactly friends, they didn't hang out outside of their interactions as bartender and patron, but that was what Regulus liked about their relationship. Alex was always there when Regulus needed him, and if he ever got too upset he could just leave and come back when he calmed down. There was no need to call and apologize, no need to explain his absence. It was all the benefits of friendship without any of the messy emotional attachments.

“Your winemakers certainly know what they are doing.”

Regulus flashed an 'I told you so' smirk. "I can only take credit for the bottle," Regulus said humbly. And though his lips had stopped moving in his mind, he continued: and the international distribution and the money to buy out the debt the winemakers had racked up before they made it to their first bottling. Boasting never seemed to go over well. Most people were more comfortable with the idea that a good enough product would sell itself and Regulus' influence was superfluous. Rather than fight that notion, Regulus just insisted that he have a tangible impact that people could praise or critique. Reg took another deep sip of wine and decided he's earned some light bragging. "The enchantment is meant to convey exactly what you just experienced, that this cab is unlike any other. It's like a taste test for the eyes," Regulus explained, grabbing the bottle and admiring his work. "Unfortunately, we have yet to find a way to make it visible through solid objects," he added raising his voice just slightly as he cast his eyes down the bar at Alex who had just finished pouring a tall brunette witches cocktail. Alex was unbothered by the comment, and Regulus broke into a short smile lest Delaney once again this he was accosting a liquor seller.

"So, Law Enforcement?" Regulus asked, suddenly feeling the need to get off the topic of himself, but not quite sure what questions weren't off-limits to a girl who had struggled to share her name. "I hate to sound like a cliche, but how does a girl like you get involved in something like that?" Regulus wasn't particularly proud of the implication that she was 'too pretty' for such a line of work, but he couldn't help that he found Delaney's line of work just as distasteful as she found his. He was genuinely curious about what made her choose that career path. It was easy enough to guess for the mouthbreathing wizards who were just looking for a new way to give swirlies after they'd graduated Galaxia, but despite the fact that she'd thrown him against a wall with no evidence of wrongdoing, Regulus doubted Delaney was that type.

[Delaney James]

Delaney wished she could have taken back the compliment almost as soon as it had left her mouth. She didn’t want this criminal to think that he had won her over so easily when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Had the bartender shown him a bit of humility? Yes. Had he invested his name on a winery that made remarkable wine? Yes. Two facts didn’t warrant complete resolution of dissipating any ill-will towards him. It would be utterly foolish to let her guard down so easily. Delaney simply wouldn’t be one of those girls who hung on his every word as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever heard. She was better than that and she’d be damned before allowing Reinbach to think she was anything less. Grabbing her wine glass, she opted for another sip instead of saying anything else that he could find flattering.

Her lips turned into a small frown as he smirked. Merlin she hoped that hadn’t been all the ammunition he needed to think that he had won her over. ”I can only take credit for the bottle.” Well, at least he hadn’t found it necessary to gloat any more than that. ”The enchantment is meant to convey what you just experienced, that this cab is unlike any other. It’s a taste test for the eyes.” At this, Delaney’s brow furrowed. ”Unfortunately, we have yet to find a way to make it visible through solid objects.” She couldn’t help the smirk that formed. “Well isn’t that cheating then? You’re saying that your wine could actually be terrible, but it’s enchanted to not make the drinker think that at all?” Chuckling, she turned her attention back to the stem of the glass and began rubbing at it with her thumb and index finger. “If so, you trying to make me believe that your more than a criminal is becoming more difficult by the moment Reinbach.”

When he changed the topic, Delaney couldn’t help but to roll her eyes. Perhaps she had touched a nerve and he didn’t want to validate her suspicions. ”I hate to sound like a cliché, but how does a girl like you get involved in something like that?” How did someone like her decide that one day they wanted to work in law enforcement? Although the female presence in that particular branch of government was certainly becoming more noticeable, it still was a field that was primarily dominated by men. The type of males that were either bullied on terribly during high school and felt the need to prove they weren’t weak losers anymore tended to be more prevalent. There were the few good ones, like her boss, who genuinely seemed to have a concern for the well-being and protection of citizens. Delaney hadn’t had a sordid childhood that she felt she needed to make up for. She supposed there had always been a desire to simply do good for the world.

Nowadays, it felt like there was so much evil. The numbers of individuals who genuinely wanted to help the world for reasons other than their own selfish needs were dwindling so rapidly that Delaney frequently thought it was only a matter of time before her kind became extinct. “Wanted to help change the world,” she finally said, wondering if such a statement may have been perceived as too personal. “I would like to think that those who get in my field have the same desire, but I think we both know that isn’t the case.” She propped an elbow up on the bartop and placed her chin in her open palm. “I wanted adventure in my life, but also, wanted to feel as if I was doing some good. Getting to travel to parts of the world and help apprehend criminals while I’m at it? That certainly sounds like killing two birds with one stone to me.” Delaney’s teal eyes took in Regulus. “And how about you? What major life event happened where you wanted to spend your time engaging in suspicious activity?” She paused for a moment before smirking. “I’ll keep it off the record.”

[Regulus Reinbach]

“Well isn’t that cheating then? You’re saying that your wine could actually be terrible, but it’s enchanted to not make the drinker think that at all?"

Regulus shrugged innocently at the accusation, but just below his skin, he could feel his blood begin to boil. The young man coughed out a gentle laugh as he brought his wine glass back up to his mouth and washed down whatever foul words had been bubbling in his throat. It didn't seem like Delaney had meant to insult his integrity, but the thought that Regulus would even entertain the idea of wasting his effort on a mediocre wine cut him deep. Luckily, the wine was doing its work as an antiseptic for his wounded pride and a genuine smirk crept across his features as he returned his glass to the bar, careful to keep two fingers at the edge of the base as though he feared it may run off if he let go entirely.

"If so, you trying to make me believe that you're more than a criminal is becoming more difficult by the moment Reinbach.”

Regulus had braced for this further attack on his character and found it easy to keep his demeanor pleasant. Still, he decided to use another sip of the wine to sort his thoughts. "You call it cheating, I call it advertising," he shot back with a devilish grin, pointing his now near-empty glass in her direction to emphasize that point. "And as far as I know there's yet to be a law passed against advertising," Regulus issued this line almost as a challenge. He knew Delaney had a point, the enchanted bottles had allowed Regulus to charge triple what the winery had when he took it over. It was a legitimate business practice, but it was also a premium paid for packaging rather than product...then again Regulus would argue the poor financial state of the vineyard when he got involved was proof that the price was too low. Perhaps the cost could be lower, but market research made it clear that customers draw a direct connection between price point and quality. Knowing this, keeping such a fine wine in an affordable price range was simply bad business.

“Wanted to help change the world,”

Ask a cliche question get a cliche response, Regulus thought cynically, but Delaney seemed oddly earnest with her answer. Stifling a tingling in his chest that was either a feeling of admiration or pity, Regulus distracted himself with refilling his wine glass and decided to top Delaney off while he was at it. He looked at Delaney, interested in her continued response.

“I would like to think that those who get in my field have the same desire, but I think we both know that isn’t the case.”

Regulus nodded attentively. He had at least a half dozen quips he could throw in here, but this was the longest Delaney had spoken all afternoon and he couldn't risk reminding her who she was talking to until he was sure she was done sharing.

“I wanted adventure in my life, but also, wanted to feel as if I was doing some good. Getting to travel to parts of the world and help apprehend criminals while I’m at it? That certainly sounds like killing two birds with one stone to me.”

The words 'how's that working out for you?' Were beaten back by a burgundy wave as Regulus glass had once again found his lips. "The problem with trying to kill two birds with one stone is you either need a really big stone, or really small birds," Regulus mused. The wine might be starting to get to him, but he was hoping to impart the wisdom that the old adage was flawed. The really big stone represented the incredible amount of effort it would take to really feel that you were accomplishing both tasks. Similarly, the small birds represented a less than satisfying achievement of both goals. Either way, you end up disenchanted and disappointed.

“And how about you? What major life event happened where you wanted to spend your time engaging in suspicious activity?…I’ll keep it off the record.”

Regulus smirked. "Before we go off the record I would like it on the record that suspicious is not synonymous with illegal." he clarified, making sure Delaney acknowledged this distinction before continuing. A couple more glass or cab and Reg might not be so cautious, but he was still in the hyper-vigilant phase of his emerging buzz. Regulus drank again from his glass and continued. "To tell the truth, I'm not even sure it is what I want. This is just sort of the life that found me," Regulus admitted. It felt true enough in the moment. Ever since he was born Regulus felt like his life had been more or less laid out for him. "But, if you want something more personal, I guess it goes back to the bender I went on that lead to having to redo my 7th year at Galaxia. Any other career options I had pretty much dried up after that," he shrugged, and grabbed another gulp from his wine glass. It wasn't as though he was the first student to ever have to retake a year, but there wasn't a long list of students who went awol on an international bender and continued to be fairly uninterested in making the most of their second chance. It was a little ironic that trying to escape his predestined future, only managed to destroy any other option. "It's not a bad life," he admitted. "And the pay is excellent."