The United Kingdom

Maxxie chuckled under his breath at an insult closer to home. That sounded about right, bring some culture into the mix. Go figure that she could still be annoying even a few drinks down. Actually, as his eyes bounced to the bottle in front of her, he was guessing more than a 'few'. He shook his head after watching her take a drink. Yeah, she was definitely smashed.

He wasn't surprised when she tried to make a break for it either, but winced at the way she wobbled the moment she was on her feet. Reflexes kicked in and despite how much he would absolutely love to watch her fall on her ass, he still leaned forward when it was obvious she was going to fall.

Apparently he had made much more of a negative impact than he'd originally thought, because it would take some willpower to jerk away from him like she did. One of Maxxie's eyebrows darted halfway up his forehead. "Asshat?" he repeated. "Seriously?" Well, at least she was creative.

He shook his head as he stepped off of his stool again, an easy movement given how tall he was anyway. "I think you've had enough alone time." Unfortunately, like he had a tendency to do, Maxxie forgot about the fact that they were in a full bar. He could only imagine how this situation looked from the outside. Bad. Very bad.

Suddenly there was a hand on his chest, keeping him from taking a step closer to Avalon, and a warning growl that was much too animal for a human. His eyes dropped towards the hand on his body, grateful that there weren't claws at least, but mentally cursing himself for not realizing someone was that close to him.

Maxxie rolled his eyes, lifting his gaze to the being the hand belonged to. And he froze. The man was shorter than him, just by a little, blue eyes looking up slightly. His posture was fierce, coming to defend the damsel in distress (which Avalon certainly was not). But there was something oddly familiar about those eyes, brown hair, scruffy face...

His gaze dropped to the chain around the man's neck, disappearing under leather and a black shirt, and found what he was looking for. A star-like scar, just above the collar bone. "Kellen?"

The werewolves eyes went wide as well, first at being recognized, then wider with realization. "Shit." Maxxie, at least, was well trained enough to know when someone was about to bolt. His own hand shot out, long fingers getting a good grip on the man's leather jacket.

"Relax, I'm not here to arrest you this time. But mind helping a fella out? Since you decided to be big, bad, prince charming?" he nodded towards Avalon, smile on his face. The wolf sighed deeply, his posture deflating, and gave a submissive nod.

Ava was literally bristling, eyes narrowing on the wizard before her. Max had no right to tell her she'd had enough alone time. That wasn't his call and if she wanted to get bombed alone at a bar in a foreign country then that was her choice.

Then there was a hand on Maxxie's chest. Ava wasn't sure if it was beer goggles or not, but the man attached to that hand was attractive to say the least. He looked strong, rough, in a very good way. The witch had to shake her head for a moment to clear her mind. Now was not the time to be oggling had strangers with the most annoying person on Earth standing right in front of her.

Avalon may have been drunk, but even she could tell that the atmosphere between the Max and the stranger got a little tense. Her eyes narrowed at the auror's words. Skipping over the part about a possible arrest for this Kellen guy, she instantly didn't like the 'help a fella out' part. Especially when she was the task to be helped with.

"Why don't you take a seat." She suggested, the index finger of the hand not securely wrapped pointing out to one of the barstools behind to wizard. In one quick motion Ava flicked her finger back into place and before Max even knew it the stool in question jerked forward and knocked him off his feet. He landed on his side with a loud thud.

The room went silentand then errupted in laughter, mainly thanks to the goblins that littered the room. Avalon reached her free hand up to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter. "Oops." Her muffled voice announced, eyes water in laughter. She accidently dropped the whiskey bottle, the glass shattering and the smoking liquor gushing out.

That was when the bartender had it. "Out, out all three of you. Sorry Maxxie, but you found your yank, now take her out before she trashes may bar." Zela yelled over the roar of cackling goblins. The other bar occupants just went back to their own business. Zela used her wand to open the bar door.

It took Maxxie a full minute to understand what had happened. One second he was rolling his eyes way to dramatically at Avalon, and the next he was on the ground. Actually, he didn't know he was on the ground until Kellen was reaching a hand down towards him. "Did she just....?"

"Looks like it," Kellen finished the thought easily, glancing a little warily at the witch behind him as he pulled Maxxie up to his feet. The Wizard was still a little dumbstruck, running his hand over his ass when a shell-shocked expression. Neither man seemed upset by the laughter around them, but Maxxie winced the moment Zela lost it. She'd always had a short temper with him.

"Sorry love!" He pulled a handful of coins out of his pocket, giving it an unimpressed look but still slapping them down on the table before he motioned with his head at Kellen.

The older man shook his head, obviously exasperated at having been kicked out too, but in a fashion typical for him he didn't say a word. He clamped an arm around Avalon's shoulders, knowing well enough that the witch was much too drunk to steady herself. It was much colder outside of the bar, cold enough Maxxie was already shrugging his trench coat back on.

"So, what's going on between you two?" Kellen asked, bored sarcasm lacing his voice. "Trouble in paradise?"

Maxxie shrugged one shoulder. "Apparently I'm annoying and prejudiced. Who knew? But I have to work with her so whatever. Actually--"

"No."

"--I could really--"

"No."

"--use your help on something!"

"No."

Was it wrong that she enjoyed the shocked look that found its way onto Maxxie's face? Nope, certianly not. Ava kind of liked the fact that she was able to cause confusion in the wizard, well that and the fact that she laid him flat on the floor. There was a warm feeling the filled her stomach, maybe in a weird sense of pride, but that didn't matter. As long as the warm feeling wasn't falling down her leg then everything was good.

Apparently, the fact that they were being told to leave didn't really register to the witch. When Kellen's arm went around her shoulder and he lead Ava out of the bar, the woman made a childish growl in protest. Her legs fumbled underneath her to keep up with the werewolve's walking. At least he was nice enough to take it slow.

There was a chill in the night, one that Avalon was fairly used to concidering the area she grew up in had similar weather. It was refreshing in a way and the temperature certainly sobered her up a bit. Not a lot, only enough for her body to figure out she was rather tired.

She didn't really listen to what the men were talking about. Ava's brown eyes blinked in a slow fashion and stayed closed for a few seconds each time. The wind's slight nip resulted in her sticking closer to Kellen. He was warm and he was something other. She really didn't need to be told, she just knew. It was a slight difference in his scent or even the energy that surrounded him. The man felt familiar just because of that.

"I'm not...working with you." Her voice slurred as she looked at Max. "I quit already." Her nose scrunched up in an unpleased manner. "Go find someone who wants to put up with you...asshat."

The last time Kellen had seen Maxximilian Tiberius the younger male had been fresh out of Auror training, and he himself had still been a troublemaker not worth anyone's time. Time hadn't seemed to change the young Auror much though, he was still full of way too much energy, his hands never seeming to stop moving. There was maybe a new tattoo or fifteen, new scars...The boy had a reputation, he knew that much.

He looked down at the witch that had suddenly moved closer into his side, not minding at all. He was used to it, actually, given that werewolf blood made him run about ten degrees hotter than the average human. He had half the mind to lend her his leather jacket, but was hoping the cold might help sober her up. Or at least keep her awake.

"You are too working with me," Maxxie sing-songed, skipping in his steps every once and awhile. "Because apparently you can't quit. Or apparently I can't not not work with you. Maybe you should just say you've decided to be nice so that we can both go our own ways and no one has to know any better."

Kellen rolled his eyes, because the woman was obviously too drunk to follow any of that, but he was also pretty sure Maxxie just liked to hear himself talk. He wasn't really listening himself, honestly. Actually, he was leaning a little closer to Avalon, getting in a good sniff. He could smell it almost immediately. Something feline under layers of magic and woman. Interesting.

Maxxie spun in his stride, walking backwards now as he surveyed the pair, clicking his tongue ring against the back of his teeth. "Is asshat my new nickname?" he muttered, thoughtful expression and all before giving a shrug and spinning back around, airplane arms out as he walked along the curb. "I guess it's better than 'witch bitch'."

Kellen snickered, and Maxxie threw a middle finger up at him.

Avalon was most certainly not in the right mind to be dealing with Maxxie. Hell, she was sure she'd never be in the right mindset to deal with the auror. He just irked her, his very existence just pushed her buttons. That was probably harsh to say, but those were the vibes she had gotten from the moment they had met.

"Fuck you." She growled, pushing away from Kellen and standing on her own. "You purebloods are all the same; privileged and superior-minded." Ava could feel the adrenaline rushing through her body, her hands were visible shaking from it. "Do you know why you need someone like me to hold your fucking hand through this case?" Her voice was rising, finger pointing right at Maxxie. "Because relations are strained through your bigotry. The wizarding community has pushed all other magical beings away simply because they thought themselves better." Her speech was growing more articulate, albeit her speech was still a bit slurred. It was obvious that the alcohol was working itself out of her system rather quickly.

A sharp throbbing began in Ava's temple and she reached a hand up in hopes of lessening the pain. Sobering up while upset was never good in her opinion, especially when the only thing awaiting you was a horrible hangover. She wanted another drink, just to relax and forget all about stupid Max. For the first time in a long time, Ava had to curse her body's quick response in breaking down alcohol. "Enough. On the off chance that the 'Great Maxxie' needs my help, call. Until then I've had enough." She said in a finished tone. Turning around slowly the witch began a slow walk down the street. There were plenty of places she could go to drink some more, it was just a matter of navigating the city.

Kellen let her go when she suddenly pushed away. She was standing anyway, so he didn't feel the need to hold onto her anymore. His eyes went a little wide at her words though, and he immediately shot a growl and a glare in Maxxie's direction. "Don't."

The boy was standing his full height for once, shoulder's drawn up, fire in his dark eyes. He was visibly biting on his tongue to keep his words down, which was surprising enough on it's own. It was unknown if it was Kellen that stopped him, or the irritated decision that Avalo wasn't worth his energy.

"I'm done," he muttered, the lowest and calmest his voice had been since they'd met. He made a motion that was half of a bow and half of a wave to Kellen before his trench coat swirled around him, followed by the tell-tale pop of apparition. Leaving Kellen alone. With the witch. This night was proving much more difficult than it had meant to be. Much.

He stared after the woman with a scowl on his face. It was in his nature to walk away, he didn't ask for any of this, but he could practically hear his mother screaming in the back of his mind to never let a drunk female go off on her own. Even if it was obvious that she could take care of herself. She would beat his ass if he didn't follow.

"Hey!" he finally called, just loud enough to be heard. "Want a drinking buddy who knows the city?"

She didn't acknowledge any possible reactions from Maxxie. Ava really didn't give a crap if her words offended the wizard or not. Her reasoning came from a sound place, aka experience. Pureblood families did tend to see themselves as better than others, no matter who those others were. Unfortunately, Avalon had learned a long time ago that she needed to hold her own against such groups.

The witch didn't get very far until before Kellen's voice caught her attention. She turned her head to face him as the werewolf trotted over to her. Ava was a little surprised and took a second to look around to the place their little trio had once occupied. Maxxie wasn't in sight, but her eyes still scrutinized the man before her in suspicion. She had to wonder if this was some sort of scheme on the auror's part to keep her under survalence.

Then again Kellen was a werewolf, which usually meant he and the auror department weren't on the best of terms. Avalon let a sigh slip out before she reached out and securely wrapped one arm around Kellen's own. "I suppose, good thing you decided to join me. Not sure how long I would have lasted walking down the street without having to sit. I needed something to keep me up." The alcohol was definitely dissipating, but it wasn't gone. For the time being, she'd allow the werewolf to act as her cane.

"I'm Avalon by the way, feel free to call me Ava. No I don't want to talk about Max and no I can't tell you why I'm working with him." She introduced herself before jumping right into the night's subject of taboo. If Kellen was going to drink with her he'd have to refrain from mentioning the asshat.

Feeling a bit at ease, but still a bit suspicious of her new found companion, Ava stopped them from walking and puled a small container from her pocket. Removing her grip from the man, the witch reached up to remove the Muggle contacts that gave her eyes a normal color. They were getting rather uncomfortable and since Kellen was something other, she didn't feel obligated to look completely normal. Stuffing the container back into her pocket, she grabbed his arm once again. "So…how long have you been a werewolf?" Might as well get a conversation going while they walked to wherever the man was going to lead them.

If she had just ignored him, Kellen probably would have went on his way. Found somewhere cheap to crash for the night and backpack his way to Ipswitch probably in the next evening or so. But she looked back at him, which meant he wasn't done being a gentlemen, so he slowly made his way to where she was standing. He could see the inner turmoil, but eventually she gave in. Hell, he supposed he could use a few more drinks anyway.

He let her lean with a small smile, checking their surroundings before picking a direction to go. A nice little pub with a place to stay was his go-to. Especially this late. He shook his head slowly at her words, but didn't say anything. He wasn't one to pry, so after her description of off-limit topics he simply supplied his name: "Kellen. Kellen Grey." Ava was a pretty name. It seemed to fit her.

Kellen moved to catch her when she suddenly stopped, but she was stable. One eyebrow arched as he watched her movements, but soon figured out what she was doing and just smiled. "Better," he mumbled, his own bright eyes searching the new cat-like blue green. "Prettier." He waited until she had a new grip on his arm before starting across the street.

The question didn't startle him, but he took so long to answer that for a moment it actually didn't seem like he was going to. After a moment his free hand reached up, fingers moving at the raised scar on the back of his neck. "Twenty five years, give or take," he finally muttered.

He nodded towards the picked pub before stepping away from her just enough to open the door up. Outside, it looked abandoned. Inside, it was large, warm, and very obviously a part of the magical community one way or another.

Ava liked attention, especially from men. It wasn't like she expected it, but she sure appreciated when it was presented to her. She supposed it was just human nature to want that type of interaction. Therefore, Kellen was presented with a bright smile in response to the easy growing conversation and flattering words. Stepping in on her behalf when Max had been with them earlier had also helped her ease into the werewolf. Being handsome also helped his cause.

The werewolf was gentlemanly enough, he opened the door for her and helped her inside. The conversation paused a bit from there as they ordered their drinks. Ava bought another expensive bottle of fire whiskey, the stuff was her favorite after all. It was fun to drink it in the right company, she'd had smoke-ring blowing contests in the past so there was aways that possibility in the future.

"So…twenty five years, that's a good chunk of your life." Avalon said, continuing their earlier conversation as well as pouring herself out a shot. She downed it in one easy motion, her nose scrunching up at the taste before a bit of smoke escaped the confines of her mouth. The witch tilted the bottle to pour out another one as well as one for Kellen. She pushed the small glass in his direction before speaking again.

"I grew up with a few people who had been bitten as kids, one when he was fifteen. It was hard, though I think it was easier growing up in America than here. Not that there's not prejudice in America, it's just harder to find people who aren't mixed anymore there. Most people view lycanthropy as an illness instead of a real threat. Barely any pureblood families left too." That and the American Ministry had specific laws protecting the rights of werewolf bite victims.

Kellen had never really been much for small-talk, but a few drinks in would make him decidedly more sociable, and he'd already been drinking all night long. Of course werewolf blood processed alcohol fast enough that just as he was buzzed it was already gone. The stronger stuff, like whiskey, would last longer.

They picked a table in the back, giving them enough space to have their own conversation. This pub was a little more laid back than the last one, so Kellen slouched in his seat and tossed his drinking buddy a lazy smile as they got back on topic. "All my life, really," he muttered. "I don't remember being human." He tossed back a drink, which fell smoothly down his throat before smoke escaped through his nose.

"It's unusual to see kids," he continued. "Most of us were a mistake. The bit should have killed me, teeth just barely missed my spine." He brushed his fingers over the bite that was hidden by hair and leather again, more absentminded than anything. "It wasn't really that hard growing up...rough, a bit painful, but I had a good pack helping me through it." And eventually, you just get used to it.

He waited until she poured him another drink before he sat up a little. "It's all in the mindset. Lycanthropy isn't an illness or a threat it just is. It's like being left handed or having red hair. It's different, but it's there. It was pretty easy growing up here. People mostly leave you be unless you're stepping in their garden." He downed another drink before turning the conversation onto her.

"So what's your mix?" he asked. "Werecat? Nemean? or just a shapeshifter?" He could smell it on her, the feline scent, but it wasn't strong enough for him to really pick out. Then again, he may just not know the smell, which was very possible as well. "Born or bitten?"

Avalon silently nodded her head after listening to Kellen's story. She supposed that perspective played a large role in how one saw there life and the witch was willing to bet that the werewolf had a rather positive outlook on his life. He was lucky in that aspect. Ava had read cases and incident reports where life essentially beat the bitten down. It was sad, in some aspect you needed to have the right mentality to really get through being changed.

"Hmm," She began, sipping from her shot this time in thought. He had answered her question, so the least she could do was answer his. Then again, she was buying him a drink. Then again, Kellen wasn't Maxxie. He had manners and appeared to have a personality that was bearable to be around. "Born, not bitten."

Ava remained silent until she finished off the last of the liquid in the tiny shot glass, it took all but a few seconds. "My dad's Nemean, though that's not what they call it." 'Nemean' was the name that the wizarding world used to identify the race of humanoid felines. "Being born's the only way you can be it."

She poured another shot for herself, refilling Kellen's as well. "Mom's a witch. She's what most would call a 'free spirit'." She air quoted the two words and shook her head. "In other words, she decided to see what was really out there. You know, the things that were beyond the tiny wizarding world bubble."

Her eyes scanned around the bar, force of habit really. It was relatively docile, which she liked, and on the quite side. Nice honestly. "So Kellen, what do you do?" Ava's eyes returned to her companion, a smirk turning the corners of her mouth. There were so many interesting ways to answer the question. She was kind of looking forward to actually.

Kellen smiled at her apologetically. "Sorry, 'fraid my knowledge on felines runs a little low. I'm sure..." he trailed off, biting his tongue. What he was going to say was that Maxxie would have, undoubtedly, had some kind of joke about 'dogs and cats' running around, but he knew she wouldn't appreciate it.

He took his new shot and nodded his thanks before throwing it back, listening to her story. Most werewolves in their world had to be bitten. In fact, at least in Britain, the only form that was born worked differently: wolf 90% of the time, human 10%. He didn't really understand it, but he'd never met one either.

"I can relate to that," he mumbled as she spoke about her mom. He was the same way, there was so much world to explore, things to see, people to meet. He'd never get over the itch that life was too short to do it all. He noticed the way her eyes scanned the bar, and wondered for a moment what it was. Paranoia or general curiosity? He'd been so lost in his own thoughts that he nearly missed her next question.

Kellen laughed lowly, leaning across the table to grab the bottle and pour them both another shot. "Ah now neither of us are nearly drunk enough for that answer."

Kellen smiled at her apologetically. "Sorry, 'fraid my knowledge on felines runs a little low. I'm sure..." he trailed off, biting his tongue. What he was going to say was that Maxxie would have, undoubtedly, had some kind of joke about 'dogs and cats' running around, but he knew she wouldn't appreciate it.

He took his new shot and nodded his thanks before throwing it back, listening to her story. Most werewolves in their world had to be bitten. In fact, at least in Britain, the only form that was born worked differently: wolf 90% of the time, human 10%. He didn't really understand it, but he'd never met one either.

"I can relate to that," he mumbled as she spoke about her mom. He was the same way, there was so much world to explore, things to see, people to meet. He'd never get over the itch that life was too short to do it all. He noticed the way her eyes scanned the bar, and wondered for a moment what it was. Paranoia or general curiosity? He'd been so lost in his own thoughts that he nearly missed her next question.

Kellen laughed lowly, leaning across the table to grab the bottle and pour them both another shot. "Ah now neither of us are nearly drunk enough for that answer."

Kellen seemed to be a genuinely nice guy in Ava's opinion. Since the two had walked off together, the werewolf had generally been open about things pertaining to himself. Though they hadn't been together long and she was sure there was still most of him that she didn't know about, the fact that he openly evaded the question about his career struck her as rather curious. Her eyes focused on the man before her, before a smirk curled her lips and she was pouring them both another shot.

"Well then, I suppose we'll just have to remedy that, won't we?" Avalon said in reply to his 'not nearly drunk enough' statement. Alcohol tended to loosen lips and the witch was more than willing to wait patiently for the answer.

Picking up her glass and sending Kellen a cheers, Avalon down her shot and visibly relaxed. The warmth of the whiskey left a nice feeling in her chest. "Any important people in your pack?" Prying was fun, especially when the question got personal. Ava, as a scientist, had to ask questions, some of which were more intimate than others. That and the fact that she had almost an entire bottle of whiskey in her system made boundaries fly out the window. "Maybe a girlfriend or two?" The last bit left her smiling humorously at Kellen.

A sound to her left caught her attention. The loud laughter from the group was almost startling. Nothing important was really happening, just a witch levitating a drunk wizard in his chair. After another scan of the room, her eyes went right back to her companion. Ava was raised to be cautious, to scrutinize everything. It's what made her a good scientist and what kept her alive in more unsavory situations. Nemean culture wasn't exactly the easiest to live in, but the adults made sure that their children grew to be strong.

Kellen chuckled and shook his head at Avalon's challenge, but it wasn't like he didn't have a reason for not drinking through the nigh/ So he nodded and just raised his glass, tapping theirs together before they both took a drink. The burn was just a comforting warmth by now.

He smiled at her question. "Everyone? My parents are my everything." It didn't even matter that he was almost thirty, he would always be their boy and he knew it. "My brothers." He shrugged one shoulder and poured himself another drink. "No girlfriend though." Not for a while.

Werewolves were rare, and often the girls were a lot to take. He didn't have a problem with strong or independent women, but a lot of werewolf females tended to be too rough for him. He liked to just throw his feet up and relax every once and awhile. The only really important relationships he'd had in the past were too complicated. Humans were too risky, witches were another brand of difficult. Dating just wasn't easy for him.

He chuckled softly as he watched her survey the room. "You remind me of an auror," he muttered, because that was the biggest reason why they stood out. Except for Maxxie, boy had a way of surveying the room without ever moving his eyes. It was an odd little talent that obviously worked in the kid's favor.

H didn't mention that aloud though. For reasons.

The answer was an expectant one. The way he had mentioned his pack before left Avalon with little doubt of the male being uncaring about who he considered family. Save for her parents and one of her older brothers, Ava's own family wasn't very close. In fact, some of her oldest siblings had disapproved her father being involved with a human while her mother's family pretty much held the same views. Needless to say, family gathers weren't the most fun events.

"You remind me of an auror." The comment kind of threw Avalon off guard. She hadn't been expecting something like that. A small smile curled her lips as she poured out more alcohol. She'd never really though of the comparison before then, but it did seem to fit.

"I was raised like one." The witch replied lightly. It wasn't like she carried baggage around for her rougher upbringing. It was good for her in the long run and benefited her more than it hurt. She'd grown up doing things differently than her peers and Ava acknowledged that long ago. To be honest, she kind of liked it. The whole experience was both unique and cultivated the best skills in her. She hoped that somewhere in the future, she'd be able to raise her own kinds in the same manner.

"The world's a dangerous place," A small wrinkled began to form on her forehead as she glare down at the table they were sitting at. "You shouldn't know that." Another shot down her throat. With the alcohol both the frown and the glare disappeared and her eyes were once more back to Kellen. "So, where you from? Ever left the country? Any interesting sexual escapades you'd like to share?" A large grin formed on her face as she finished. There was nothing like a barrage of cliche question to follow up a potentially awkward situation.

In the end, Kellen actually really enjoyed his night with Avalon. They had a lot of the same views...like how the world was a dangerous place. He'd nodded along with that one, taken another shot, because hell yeah he knew. He knew. He'd opened up a little more than he usually did, told her he was from Lexington and all the other countries he'd been to, which wasn't as much as he wished but still a decent number.

The question after that had sent him into laughing hysterics, and he'd simply offered her another shot but never actually ended it. The bartender cut them off long before he was actually interested in leaving, but he supposed it was probably a good thing. It'd been a good night though, and he'd simply laughed when they finally stumbled their way outside.

After that it was cabs and hotel rooms and finally saying goodbye, maybe sobering up a little bit after that, maybe thinking about just how beautiful she was. By the time he finally made it back to his bed for the night, he found himself actually missing her. He kind of hoped he'd see her again, but knowing Maxxie...well, he wasn't quite sure what would happen there.

While the night had been pleasant and fun, the morning...not so much. While Avalon could definitely hold her liquor, there had been way too much whiskey the previous night. By the time the bartender had cut them off, they had been well into their third bottle of the stuff. Adding in the bottle at the first place that the witch had almost finished on her own, there was no surprise to the sharp throbbing killing her head. Hangovers were not fun.

Ava hadn't even had time to think about Kellen, nope. She was too busy worshipping the porcelain god in the wee hours of the morning. There were spells that would fix all that up in a jiffy, but Ava was punishing herself. Mostly because a certain assinine auror had seen her in a relatively inebreated state. The suffering would be a reminder to not ever let an enemy (because that's what Max was) see her in such a pitiful state ever again.

It wasn't until around nine that an owl was pecking at the windowsill of the hotel she was staying at. She would have ignored it if every peck didn't send a mental nail into her skull. Casting a simple spell on herself that fot rid of the hangover, Avalon walked opened the window from her visitor. It landed on a chair, she took the letter, and it was off. Apparently she didn't need to reply.

The letter was from Penrose, a formal apology pertaining to how his staff conducting themselves and a request for her to go to a meeting at the ministry at noon. A sigh escaped the young woman at the thought of having to see Max again. He really just irked her.

Putting on her big girl pants though, she got herself into a proffesional state of being and at eleven she was off to the Ministry of Magic. When she arrived with time to spare, all she could hope for was that she'd have so much work to do she wouldn't really have to deal with her so-called partner.

"Did you have a bad night?"

"No."

"Did you eat something weird?"

"No."

"Breakup?"

"No"

"Did--"

"Jessica!" The witch leaning over Maxxie's desk looked up suddenly at another one of their coworkers, who was currently pinning some article from the Daily Prophet on their board, which meant it was probably important but no one was really paying attention. "I'm going to save you some time," the wizard said, tiredly. "He's been in this mood all morning and we have yet to figure out why."

Maxxie hummed noncommittally and Jessica frowned even deeper, like a worried parent might. He was sprawled across his desk, chair about a foot away from it, head on his arms and frown on his face. He looked close to tears, honestly. The first hour of being at work people had mostly avoided him, with sidelong glances. After the second hour, they were worried. Because Maxxie Tiberius barely sat still for a minute much less this long.

Jessica leaned over him again, pushing her fingers through his hair, but he still didn't move, only his eyebrows arched against his forehead from being pulled by his hair. "Do we need to call a nurse or something?" she wondered aloud, kneeling to try to get a good look at Maxxie's face.

"He's fine," Justin Welsh muttered as he walked down the aisle between their cubicles. "He's just upset because he's never dropped a case before."

The entire office went quite again, so quite a pen could literally be heard as it bounced across the floor. Jessica's eyebrows arched. "He dropped a case? Which case? The Lessinia case? Can he even do that?"

Justin shrugged. "He's Maxxie. Throw a big enough fit and he can get whatever he wants. Threatened to quit, even. Now they've got him on desk duty probation which is probably why he looks like someone just kicked his puppy."

Jessica's jaw was almost at her knees. "On what grounds?" she asked, knowing the extensive work that went into refusing a specifically assigned case.

"Professional misconduct and inability to perform to standards required," Maxxie answered blankly, staring at the wall in front of him as if it offered the answers of the universe. "High risk of danger due to persistent negligence and inability to create a professional working environment."

Apologies. That's what awaited her when she had finally walked into Penrose's office. It was rather surprising, yet on one hand it wasn't. The tension had been so thick between her and Max that it was no wonder he had dropped the case. Hopefully that meant she'd be receiving a more professional and appropriate partner.

"No, I apologize as well." Avalon replied politely. It was only in common courtesy really. The young wizard also had one hell of a headache, somewhat resultant of her activities from the night before. No more fire whiskey for a long while.. Penrose also mentioned that it might take them a bit to find another suitable auror with an available opening, so in the mean time she'd have to work alone. This information Penrose emphasized that during her time alone, it would only be research related work.

Eventually she made it out of the man's office, closing the door behind her with a heavy sigh.She understood about wanting to keep international relations on the positive, but the man just wouldn't stop with the apologies and pleasantries. It was rather annoying and it kept Ava from doing some of the work related to the Lessinia case.

She made her way down the hall rather slowly. She was hoping to avoid Max considering his apparent termination from the assignment. Just as she was about to turn into the cubicle area where most of the aurors were stationed, a sensation travelled down the back of her neck. It was like a tickle, right at the base of where her neck met her shoulders. It stopped her in mid step.

Avalon slowly turned her head to see nothing. It was strange really, she didn't just get feelings like that for nothing. No, her Nemean blood heightened her sensitivity to a number of things. Almost like a sixth sense, she could feel ill magic.