A Clash // Lissianna & Alexander

[Gideon Conleth]

Gideon wasn't a fan of the way this conversation heading, mainly because everything McCarthy was saying was annoyingly reasonable. The idea that any men would try to force themselves onto any woman was an uncomfortable one, doubled by him mentioning Liss.
The terrified brunette who'd hidden from him behind the Hufflepuff. No, that families life hadn't been easy, but still, McCarthy's back story wouldn't exempt him from the decisions he'd made.
Gideon could see the difficult choices McCarthy had faced but still, in the professor's head he'd made the wrong ones.

" You had a choice between coming clean and risking her leaving or lie to her and let her walk eyes closed into a trap..." Gideon didn't give his view on the matter since it was already very clear to both of them what Gideon thought of this situation.

Well... apparently this barrier was going to be more trouble than he'd first envisioned. Damn it... He didn't like the idea of working with this man, but is was fast becoming obvious that he had very little choice. If he wanted to keep Lissiana safe then he was going to have to listen.
Joy...
"Well you will need to take her through the barrier," he relented, speaking as if their was something sour inside his mouth.
"Is there anyone at the manor to take care of her?"

Gideon glanced down as McCarthy directed him too, noticing a wand. Oh...
No, Gideon certainly didn't want McCarthy touching it, but with Lissianna in his arms doing it would be impossible. He looked up, fixing the man with a cold look.
"Pick it up and hand me it. You seem smart enough not to curse a man holding the woman you love."

But the man was right. They were going to need to work with together, like it or not. The fact was McCarthy could do this without him, but Gideon couldn't do it without him. It was an uncomfortable feeling.
"Fine, but this changes nothing. I don't like you, nor do I trust you."

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[alexander]

s t a y and see the smoke and who's still standing when it c l e a r s.

His lips formed a tight line at the other man’s words. He didn’t expect to get some sort of forgiveness or pardon, nor was he entirely sure that was what he was looking for. Had it been from someone else – say, her – then he would have practically been begging for it. Had it been under other circumstances, he might have considered. Right now, he just wanted to ensure that Lissianna would be safe and he would live to see another day out in the world. He swallowed his pride for a moment, making sure that he didn’t say anything to intentionally spark conflict. That wasn’t the smartest idea. After so many errors, Alexander knew that he had to tread lightly around Gideon. No, keeping quiet about the backstory from here on out was likely much easier than thinking that the other man could possibly relate. They were in two separate spheres, him on the outskirts of society, a fugitive trying to get by. Conleth was a professor and had worked at the Ministry. Certainly, their lives ran in two different cycles.

He nodded slightly, not bothering with any words until there was a question to answer. Alexander had a feeling that if he were to say anything back without thinking, it would make this more troublesome than it already was. He glanced down as he pondered his choice of words, swirling them around in his mouth before relaying the information to the other man. “She has a house elf. Whisper. Whisper can take care of her.” He paused, eyebrows raised slightly. There was a tint of amusement to his tone and face, but just as quickly as it had appeared, it was replaced by stoicism. He was forcing himself to be calm, to fend off any panic. Showing any more weakness could either be very good or very terrible at this point, he figured.

He was trying to replicate the coldness of the other man’s eyes, but somehow, he just couldn’t do it. A wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows as Gideon told him what to do. The animosity was hard to get around, yet alone an order. He flinched, forcing himself to look back down at the wand. He bent down to pick it up, stretching out his hand. His fingers were shaking, but he ignored it before picking up the utensil. He had straightened up, weighing it in his hand. His own wand had been longer, but that was understandable. By the time he had reached out to hand it to the other man, his hand was shaking again. He quickly attempted to stuff it between Gideon’s fingers. His eyes were on the ground as he dug the nails of his other hand into his palm. These people had wands, they were able to perform magic as they pleased. Both of them were on a different level than him, and he was on the receiving end of demands. His brow creased as he turned slightly to look in the direction of her home.

His jaw was set as the other man’s next words reached him. Alexander’s eyes narrowed as he glanced back in Gideon’s direction. He took a step closer, ready to take Lissianna’s unconscious form. His voice was full of venom as he spoke. “The feeling is mutual.” Once more, he found himself almost resentful of the idea of some sort of common ground. He knew it had to be reached if they were to get Liss home in one piece. That didn’t exactly mean it had to be easy to swallow. He stretched his arms out to take her, before turning. He forced himself to stop scowling as he took the first steps in the direction of Cale Manor.

“It’s this way, sir.”

He froze instantly, eyes wide. Sir? No. No, no, no. Had he really just said that? It had been a reflex, second nature. He remained still for a long moment before shaking his head. This was not the ideal place to shut down, not now. The man was his equal; Alexander was a wizard as well. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that wasn’t true. Even if the paperwork weren’t necessary, after all that had happened, he was still a second-class citizen. The laws may have been a way to assume and retain power, but that didn’t make him less of an outcast anymore. It was too late to undo the time of servitude or the way that his thinking had been modified. He bit his lip before he started to walk again, his pace significantly faster this time. The sooner they got Liss somewhere safe, the better. He couldn’t handle this for much longer.

tag: gideon and lissianna! | lyrics: over my head by the fray. | notes: i totally blame my fiction class for his breaking down.

[Gideon Conleth]

Gideon was sure both men could agree that this situation was not ideal - even if it was nessesary. And it was nessesary - keeping Lissianna safe was the one thing they could both agree on. The body weighed in his arms, and Gideon couldn't help but feel responsible. It seemed as if stress had brought on her fainting, and Gideon definitely had had a hand in that.

As McCarthy handed him the wand Gideon took it a little awkwardly, before finally managed to slip it into the young woman's pocket, the flying trousers were tight enough it would be safe. Or it better be, because he could only imagine how unimpressed Lissianna would be if she woke up to fine the pair of them had lost her wand... No, she would not be happy with either of them.

They began walking, aparently both of them realizing that they should get Lissianna somewhere she could lay down and continue their silly fight at a later date when...

“It’s this way, sir.”

Gideon paused for a moment. What?
Had he just said... Sir?
Okay.... the world just got entirely more screwed up than it already was. Great. Gideon knew there wasn't time to deal with anything in that sentence right now. Si instead he just shouldered past the younger man, careful not to hurt Lissianna and continued up the street.
"Which way? Or are you just planning on standing there and being useless?"And calling me Sir! Gideon added in his head. He did not want to deal with someone calling him sir right now, the wrongness of it was just too much. Well, he could deal students... That was one thing but McCarthy? no what was just wrong...

[[Not my best >_< sorry]][/size]

[alexander]

s t a y and see the smoke and who's still standing when it c l e a r s.

His little slip had been enough to have Alexander in a near-panic state of mind. Sure, the other man had some form of authority, but that had been a different time. He was in a different place, under different conditions. Yet that one little word had been enough to show him that things hadn’t truly changed for him. It had been painful and difficult enough to rewire his brain the first time. Undoing what had been done would take a lifetime, if it was even possible. The physical scars may fade, but the emotional ones would never truly vanish. His hands were shaking again. If only he could just maintain composure, just long enough to get through this. For a painful moment, he wished that he had never gone to work that day, that he had stayed home and pretended to be ill and avoided the situation entirely. He was responsible for everything that had happened today, reminders that things – mistakes, outcomes, everything – were still his fault.

At Gideon’s words, the younger man shot him a glare, though didn’t say anything in response. He probably would have snapped something back had he not been fully aware of the animosity that still existed between them. Lissianna passing out did nothing besides give them a common goal, or maybe it even made the professor despise him even more. As soon as she was safe with Whisper, he imagined that things would only get worse. If Alexander stepped too far over the proverbial line, he figured that he would likely never see the light of day again. Even the thought alone caused him to flinch, though he managed to walk forward. It hadn’t been far to Cale Manor, if he remembered correctly. Although, he also noted, the last time they had gotten side-tracked numerous times. It seemed so foolish now that they had taken time to go to Honeyduke’s, that she had invited him to dinner. Normalcy seemed so far away right now.

Useless.

That word was still burning in his brain. He mine as well have been, with the rate he was making things worse. It didn’t matter what he thought of himself in this situation. Hell, it didn’t even matter what Conleth thought of him. Perhaps useless had been a good term. He forced himself to focus on the task at him, blinking several times as if that could break the spell. They were nearing the edge of the town, and the sinking feeling in his stomach seemed to increase exponentially. Even though every minute crept closer to a time when Liss would be safe in the manor, it also moved to a time where he would have to completely own up to his mistakes. He wasn’t even sure what he was going to do then. Run away? It didn’t seem entirely out of the question and he knew it would be safer for all of them. He would pack everything up and vanish without a trace, that would be a good start. Next time, he’d make sure to stay hidden.

“At least I know where I’m going,” he remarked after a moment, scowling. He fell silent as he turned a corner, his pace still brisk. He wasn’t going to slow, not if he could help it. The situation was less than ideal, he wanted out as soon as possible. There was a question nagging at him, but would it be right to ask? He almost didn’t want to know the answer. It was only when he became increasingly uneasy that he blurted out the first part. “Why didn’t you turn me in that first time?” His words came out barely over a whisper, his eyes focused straight ahead. His tone took on a more malicious tone as Alexander elaborated. “You could have completely avoided any other contact. Did you think I wasn’t stupid enough to interact with people? Or was it inconvenient to deal with it? Guilt?” Never mind the fact that this man likely had no idea what the entire story was, and Gideon certainly didn’t know what had happened to the younger man in the months following the arrest.

tag: gideon and lissianna! | lyrics: over my head by the fray. | notes: blah, sleepy.

[Gideon Conleth]

In some weird way Gideon saw the way he handled Alexander's little slip as a help to him. What else could he have done? Turned around and demanded an answer? Just laugh in his face? That would have just caused more fighting, more tension, and more delay in getting Lissianna somewhere warm and out of the cold.
Nope, much easier just to bypass that whole thing and... Try to get along for young Liss's sake. Try being the important word.

And he'd said she had a house elf...
"You trust this House Elf? She will care for her properly?" Some House Elves could be.... Dangerous. Well, maybe dangerous wasn't the word. But some were more trust worthy than others. A contented House Elf could be the most loyal friend, but ones that weren't? Sure they had their rules, but the little buggers wouldn't think twice about exploiting loopholes. This one could be either.

“Why didn’t you turn me in that first time?”

It was quiet, but Gideon heard. The answer though wasn't quite so simple though. The professor swallowed, keeping his eyes straight ahead as he carried the unconscious body.
" Its complicated..."

To be honest, Gideon wasn't even sure. Only when he'd first seen
the fugitive there had been no hate there, only guilt as McCarthy had suggested. Something had changed between the pair, and as much as he hated it he needed to admit the switched had probably been caused by Lissianna.
" McCarthy I have nothing against you. What passed between me and your family was regrettable. I do not expect to be absolved from that. Honestly I thought you would skip town the moment you saw me... though you proved me wrong." Did that count as an appoligy? It was probably as close as Alexander McCarthy was going to get.
"What I have a problem with is you putting her in danger... The guards find her with you... Then that's game over for her. She doesn't deserve that, and you need to realize that."

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[alexander]

s t a y and see the smoke and who's still standing when it c l e a r s.

Alexander raised his eyebrows slightly at Gideon’s question, but he didn’t answer with any sort of acidity or sarcasm. That was unnecessary right now. He was having a hard enough time keeping stable without causing any more animosity or disagreements between them. Besides, would Alexander be fine with taking Liss home if he thought her house elf was going to turn around and cause trouble? “Whisper? Yes.” He paused to clear his throat before elaborating. “Lissianna treats her more like a friend than a servant. Whisper is a shy little thing. If Liss trusts her, then I do.” He nodded once, as if that could somehow reassure himself. He should have known by know that trusting someone could be a dangerous thing. Hell, Lissianna had trusted him, not knowing fully well what the consequences could be. The thought dragged another pang of pain through his gut, though he barely even blinked as he continued to move. Still, he hadn’t figured the house elf would be a problem. She seemed far too timid to turn around and become malicious or invested in self-gain.

He fell silent as the other man explained himself, though a short quip managed to escape him. “’Regrettable.'” The word was said as though it burned his tongue, barely over a whisper, as Alexander shook his head. Conleth could have picked any adjective in the world to describe what happened between him and the McCarthy family, and that was what he was going to settle upon? To miss someone’s letter in time or not be home when they came by was regrettable. To apply the same word to something that added to the irreversible damage done to a single family was stupid. It did no use to argue now, though, and he quickly swallowed any other words, his gaze hovering somewhere near the ground. He wasn’t going to look over. He couldn’t bring himself to, his posture slouching slightly. Perhaps if he bent his shoulders far enough, the ground could swallow him up and spit him out in another life. The probability of another life having a different outcome than this was very high, he imagined.

His tone was surprisingly even. “I should’ve left. I don’t know what I was thinking. Running into anyone from…” He trailed off, trying to search for a term. He didn’t want to think about the time that had elapsed between getting arrested and finding his way to Hogsmeade. That would certainly make things worse. The last thing he needed was some sort of breakdown. “Running into anyone from before everything should have been enough to convince me to skip town. It was a risk I should have picked up on, even if I needed the money. All the forged documents in the world don’t make up for the truth.” A heavy sigh left him as his eyes slid shut for a brief second. It was true. Just because he had papers telling people that his name and blood status were different didn’t mean it was reality, nor did it really do much to serve for any protection.

“Thank you for letting me go that first time. As much of a disaster I have created, I certainly would not deserve it now.” His voice had dropped significantly. He reached up with one hand to run it through his hair, as if somehow he could brush the words off. Thanking the person who had wiped his mother’s memory was not his ideal reaction, but at least he was alive and not harmed. He fell silent for a long moment, trying to figure out what else he could say. “I thought if she didn’t know, it would somehow protect her. After all, if something happens to me, they’re going to ask about Alexander McCarthy first.” A deep sigh left Alexander before he finally glanced over at Gideon. “What do I do? I-I mean… I’m technically…” He broke off. The “s” word would be difficult to say aloud. If only this were less complicated! If the other man knew his situation, perhaps it would have been easier to figure out what to do to keep Lissianna safe if the Guard came knocking at her door. He scowled as he looked away, shoving his hands back in his pockets. “Never mind.” He couldn’t tell Conleth about everything, nor did he really want to. Not now, not ever.

tag: gideon and lissianna! | lyrics: over my head by the fray. | notes: angst man is so moody, seriously.

[Gideon Conleth]

So this Whisper was trust worthy. Well that was one he could calm down about. Gideon couldn't help but ask, after all what would have been the point of keeping her safe and bringing her all this way just to have some angry vengeful house elf take its frustrations out on it's unconscious master.
"If you think..." Gideon muttered, relenting finally. He would have to trust McCarthy on this - Gideon had no choice.

The conversation had taken a weird turn, and not one Gideon had expected. The pair been still weren't friends, good God no, but the terms enemies was fast becoming ill fitting. Gideon had nothing against him, not really, but the issue remained of the woman in his arms.
"I thought you'd run. Honestly I did. I hadn't counted on you being attached to someone here, perhaps it was an oversight of mine."

Oversight sounded like an understatement. Gideon shifted the young woman in his arms, they better be close - Lissianna may be heavy but still, it hadn't been a short journey.

McCarthy seemed so sure that if in Lissianna's case that ignorance would be an excuse. He'd thought that, if Lissianna thought he really was his cover story, then she would be safe.
Niavity, that was the word for it.
"I've worked for the ministry. I've seen how it works, and I'm sorry but that's not it. I can tell you that, I've seem it..."
He swallowed, wondering how far to take this point. It wasn't his preferred line of conversation, but McCarthy needed to understand just how much danger he was putting the young woman in.
"If she's seen to be with you, then she's a risk to the government. If they were to take you and leave her it would cause resentment, and that's dangerous. Most likely she'd find the same fate as you."

It was a hard conversation to have, but Gideon needed him to understand the danger. Hopefully now he would.

"You know what I think you need to do, but I can't make that decision. I think you need to keep Lissianna safe in whatever way possible. And you know how that needs to be done." The man sighed. Surely this man would't be an idiot and take them both down... right?

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[alexander]

s t a y and see the smoke and who's still standing when it c l e a r s.

He should have run. As soon as he saw someone vaguely familiar, he should have left and never even considered returning. Still, he had needed a lifeline, some way to figure out what was going on besides just running. If anyone knew anything about his family, he could only pray they would somehow be here. In a twisted way, Alexander had been correct. And yet, it was all completely wrong. He had gone about this whole thing in exactly the way he shouldn’t have had. He spoke to people, let himself get attached to one, and found that he didn’t want to leave. He’d been so stupid; it was all just a fantasy. He couldn’t live as if there was nothing wrong in his life. Now he had put not only his own, but someone else’s life in jeopardy. He shook his head. Freedom still wasn’t yet a word that could be applied to him, no matter how much he allowed himself to get caught in the moment.

He wanted to scream.

Even though he had his own opinions, the other man obviously knew what he was talking about. Gideon was right. This appeared to be a recurring theme, he mentally noted with a hint of sarcasm. Every potential course of action that flickered through his head was either something that wouldn’t keep Lissianna safe, or likely would be the last desirable one on is list. He remained silent. What else was he supposed to say? He’d just been told that the past weeks had really just been him living in some sort of fictitious false world. His lips formed a tight line as he contemplated a response, but really, there was nothing he found he could say. The question had come from him. If he didn’t really want Gideon’s answers, he shouldn’t have asked.

He ran a hand over his hair before finally saying anything, waving a hand to gesture vaguely in front of him. “We’re almost there. It’s just over there.” A pause as he mulled over what to say. He was losing whatever fight he thought was going on in his mind, so perhaps it was best to push that away. Dragging everyone down wasn’t in his plan, but he still had to fix what he could. His sigh mirrored Gideon’s before he glanced over at the other man. The hill. He recognized it instantly, remembering the shuddering sensation that had coursed through his arm when Lissianna had first shown it to him. He was frowning as he nodded in the direction of where he visualized the borders were. He could only hope Whisper would be waiting for Liss, and that the house elf wouldn’t attack him for bringing her back like this. “The shield is there. The crest of that hill. The manor isn’t far.”

Alexander hesitated before turning towards Gideon. “I can take her from here.” He was going to have to, but he wasn’t just going to say that. A part of him was relieved that he would almost be away. There were so many unanswered questions, but now wasn’t the time to ask. Maybe he’d end up with the answers eventually. This whole ordeal was the opposite of what he wanted; he just had to make sure that he actually solved problems before making more. He reached up to briefly run two fingers over where an ache had settled in his head before looking at the other man. Wasn’t he no better than Lissianna if he knew who Alexander was and what he was doing? Wouldn’t his position make it more dangerous? He swallowed any words about it before nodding curtly. “Good luck.” Somehow, it seemed appropriate to the young man. Perhaps they’d both need it.

tag: gideon! | lyrics: over my head by the fray. | notes: nothing clever to say here.

[Gideon Conleth]

Honestly? Gideon didn't hate the man because he was a slave, or rather escaped slave. Hell no one should be forced into anything as horrific as slavery, but what he was doing? Oh why would you pull someone as innocent as Lissianna into a screwed up life of a fugitive? That was the bone of contention between them. That's where Gideon's sympathy ended... If McCarthy was going to put someone he cared about in danger (for what Gideon could see) were selfish reasons then there would be problems.
It was a difficult situation and was acting like a firm wedge between the pair.

“We’re almost there. It’s just over there.”
Gideon's head nodded ever so slightly, the only sign he had listened. What was there to say really? This was difficult... And Awkward, though right now they just needed to get Lissianna sorted out. Poor girl, this was allot...

“The shield is there. The crest of that hill. The manor isn’t far. I can take her from here.”
Gideon tensed, Lissianna in his arms. He didn't want to give her up - okay that sounded weird. Rather he didn't want to give her to McCarthy. It was like delivering her into danger, and yet he had no choice.
"Keep her safe. But remember what I've said..."
Gideon passed her over carefully and took a step back, jaw set.

"You too..." Gideon nodded curtley before turning and walking away.
Why did this feel like a mistake..?

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