(Forest) Not the first, never the last

[Kim Rivers]

This was becoming like Kims favourite hobby, when she had nothing else to do, take a trip that would surely lead her into some form of danger or trouble. Though the creatures in here now, had for some reason, left her pretty much alone, and able to walk freely. Unless the count that centaur who had made her time in here, that night, pretty unpleasant. Though it didnt matter much to her, she was here, now, once again. She intented to make the best of it.

Wont be the last though, will it? A question raged inside her mind, No, it will not be the answer came without so much as a thought from herself. Her bright blue eyes scanned the darkness around her. Her eyesight being a lot better in the dark, than in the light. For reasons, she only knew to herself. Her hair was tyed up, her hood on the long billowing black robe pulled right over her head, so no-one could see the unmistakeable blonde-ness that was, Miss Rivers.

She often wondered what it was that enticed her so much about this place. Was it the darkness? The eerieness? The dangerousness? No, she didnt think it was any of these. Though she couldnt pinpoint what it was. It was strange, a strange feeling, a sense of something. But something she would class as friendly. Something that would class... The idea trailed off, she had no idea where she was heading with it.

She was now, far deep within the trees. Further than most students were. Though you couldnt tell Kim was a student the way she was dressed right now. Though, she wasnt sure what people would think she was. She was out here for herself. Nobody else. Kim didnt believe in bringing others along with her, didnt believe in relying on anyone. She liked her solitude. It was a comforting blanket. Knowing she had, herself and only herself to worry about now.

[Prof Octavious Everritt]

Stepping on a twig intentionally, after having spent hours searching for her, Leigh appeared out of nowhere and stood behind Kim, his eyes watching her patiantly, waiting for her to turn. He stood ready, wand in hand, hidden inside of the cloak he wore, the sleaves running straight past his hands. He looked at her and waited, the shadows under his eyes a saddening sign of his fatigue, but her pushed himself ever on and the one thing he was sure of, Kim would not like to see him. But before she turned, he began to speak.

'There is little to talk about except this, you're needed.' Leigh said, his face darkening as he spoke. 'We need someone like you, someone who has changed to the point where the shadows will grant you entry and spy for us. The Ministry is running rampant, we need a student to spy for us.'

[Kim Rivers]

Kim heard the twig snap behind her somewhere and she stopped. Listening around for some other sign of someone, or something. She was smiling underneath her cloak as she turned slolwy to face whoever it was. Kim recognised him in an instant. Leigh Addis. Though he looked tired now. Verging on the edge of old. Kim frowned when she realised who her follower was, and had a hand on her own wand.

"who says i would want to help someone like you?" She questioned, a hand tightening around the glass of her wand. "What makes me so special that you hunt me down like some kind of animal?" Kim pulled back her hood and looked at him properly. He seemed battle worn, though his face held other things. "I know the ministry is running rampant, Leigh" she added strain on his name as though it was poison flowing of her tongue. Everytime Leigh spoke to her, it always ended in some form of trouble. The last time, two people she cared about had died. "So you want me to spy on the ministry? And how exactly, do you intend i do this?"

[Prof Octavious Everritt]

'Help someone like me? You have no choice in the matter when it comes to the Ministry.' Leigh said coldly to the girl, his eyes blazing with authority. 'You are easy to hunt down, any person with a sense of the forest can do it, you smell of the shadows that once haunted me, Kim and that's a smell that you cannot clean yourself of very easily.'

Leigh took a step forward, quickly sitting down on a stone jutting out of the damp earth. The uncomfortableness of the rock was not a problem for him, he had slept on worse. Not once did he remove his eyes from her.

'I say you want to help someone like me, understand?' Leigh said, just as coldly as before. 'You're nothing but a grub living a meaningless existence. You walk through here like it's your home when it's not, you walk through here like you control it when you don't, you walk through here now and believe that what you are doing is the right thing to do.'

'Not once are you right in doing so.' Leigh said, his face remaining blank. 'You come into the forest to see refuge from the drab and dreary life of the school, no? The shadows are no place for a girl who knows nothing of what the world has to offer. Love, death and refuge are not things you find in shadows, Kim, only pain and misery from the escapism.'

He stood up and turned away from her and began to walk off, stopping slowly to turn and face her.

'The choice is simple, Kim. Help us or don't, we will find someone far better suited for the simple task we ask, that is if you're up to doing something for someone else for a change?' Leigh said, turning away from her and walking off into the shadows, where he remained hidden until she had made her choice.

[Kim Rivers]

"Of course I have a choice. Everyone has a choice" She bit back, her blue eyes hardening as her voice seemed to mix in with his. "I dont much care about being easy to hunt down, I am not hiding" Kim lowered her voice, though she knew she was stubborn, but she also knew somewhere, that he knew what he was talking about, the forest was a darker place now, darker than it used to be.

"Never..." She began walking over to him and squaring herself with him, "Never talk to me, about me, thinking you know me" her voice was cold, "I walk through here, because I want to, not because it's my home, because im not naieve enough to even start thinking that. And as for a meaningless exsistance, you'd know all about that, wouldnt you?"

"You dont know a thing Leigh, so stop talking to me as if you do" She turned away from him and crossed her arms around her middle. "I have seen Love, I've seen death, Pain and mysery, no matter how hard you try, walks in line with them. Never tell me about myself, you know nothing about me"

Kim didnt like being put into positions, especially by someone she could scarcly stand. Kim had fallen into a rut, where she wouldnt help anyone unless it benefited her somehow. The Ministry wasnt affecting her so she usually tried to keep away from it all. Though she knew there would be a time when it did, and if she looked back on today, knowing she did nothing... "Fine!" Kim yelled into the darkness, "You got your bloody help"

[Prof Octavious Everritt]

He had to hand it to Kim, when the pressure was on she did the right thing. He walked from the shadows as if they seemed to meld around him, shimmering away from view. He looked down at her and smiled.

'You've done the right thing.' He said clearly, speaking flatly with no tone. 'Now tell me, do you believe that the Ministry can be stopped?'

He wanted her answer, his eyes narrowing as he thought about what had to be done, the deaths and the disappearances that would have to take place, and the factor of his plan. He crossed his arms and looked away, his expression changing to that of a more somber one.

'How adept are you at following something in the darkness?' He asked, before she could answer.

[Kim Rivers]

Though she wasnt sure what she had managed to get herself dragged into now, she was sure it was nothing that could be classed as good, which inadvertatnly, made her mouth curl up into a smile at the sides. Though true, this was something she knew that wouldnt benefit her, and usually she would never agree to do such things, she felt like the outtake on this would eventually be something worthwhile. Though why, she had yet to figure out.

"You'd be amazed how different your right things, and mine are" She said. Kim still had her hand clasped around her wand, and still felt the need to grip it. Though she wouldnt need it, that she was sure of. "It depends on who's going against them. If its only me and you, against a ministry full of trained fighters, aurors and god knows what else, then no i dont think it can. Though if you have some crazy whacked out plan, which you seem to usually have up your, now not-so-dead sleeve then yeah maybe they can be"

He had asked for her opinion, she had given it honestly. Though maybe it was not the answer he was looking for, she had no time to lie, she didnt see the point. She saw his eyes narrow, and she had known this guy long enough to know that was never a good thing. She had spent years in his classes, she had even been out here in the forest with him, though that was something still fresh inside her mind and she felt her hand grip tighter around her wand, as though she wanted to pull it out and hex him into the next millenium.

"More adept than you'd know" She answered coyly. She knew he was an animagus so it would be a walk in the park for him, though she could see things clearly in the dark, much better than that of daylight. "Why?"

[Prof Octavious Everritt]

'I happen to have a whacked out plan up my not so dead sleave now,' Leigh said, hearing the tone she had spoken with. He smiled at her and turned to fully face her, drawing his hand over his face as shadows drifted over the small, lit places. The shadows seemed to move with a will of their own, but it was a simple spell that Leigh had cast, for the shadows of Morziak still remained entrenched in the forest, and those with the knowledge to summon them could control them.

'These shadows are where we're going, they cover the tracks, the light the very will of the forest. That is why I asked you.' Leigh said, turning from Kim as the shadows enshrouded him, disappearing him from sight. He couldn't see her, but he could sense she was still there. 'Follow if you can, the darkness covers all.'

[Prof Octavious Everritt]

((ooc: just go straight to the new thread with Kim's last name in it, we'll just make it we trudged through mud and got all messed up, lol.))