Controlling Anger

[Quinn Locksley]

Quinn had been up all night. She stumbled down the stares and entered the pub, looking around angrily. She had not been on patrol, that is to say that it was not her turn. She sighed, rolling her eyes, as she took a seat at the bar. Respected Ministry official like me reduced to 'taking turn' at patrolling? she huffed, how absurd, how degrading! She clapped a hand to the bar and growled at the barman, "Firewhiskey, and bring the bottle."

She waited for her drink for about half a second. The service was very efficient, unlike some unreliable scallywags Quinn was forced to baby-sit day after day. She had seen Gregory Greenwich patrolling last night from her window in the Three Broomsticks and had set out to see why he, and not Ms Holmes, was patrolling. "Simply not shown up," she thought aloud, repeating what he had told her. She had not struck him, she had said nothing more to him, merely returned to her room.

How am I supposed to do my job if imbeciles such as Holmes can't do their own? she thought, downing her glass of Firewhiskey. It seared her throat, a burning she had come to enjoy and seek, as it went down her gullet. I can't! She had always know that this quicker training for Aurors would cost them much and this proved it. She pored herself another drink and sipped it thoughtfully, imagining sufficient and enjoyable ways to punish slackers.

[Gregory Greenwich]

Greg loosened his collar considerably, undoing the top button and pulling wearily at it; he needed to as he was sweating buckets but feeling shivers of cold fear flood down his spine. Quinn was incensed that he had patrolled when it had rightly been the turn of Theodora his beloved friend and roomate. Why she hadn't turned up for duty would hopefully remain a mystery; as much as he feared Quinn his loyalty to Dora was far stronger.

Yet still his knees shook slightly as he returned from yet another few hours of slaving away; guarding the streets of Hogsmeade and making numerous enquiries after mysterious goings on in the area, it was said that there were sightings of a criminal he had been trailing for many many long wearisome months; De Conti. But try as he might nobody had been forthcoming with her whereabouts, either they feared her retribution or else it was simply rumour. Either way he was no closer to finding her; as yet. Taking deep shuddering breaths as he stepped into the pub to meet with his mentor, Greg regulated his breathing sufficiently to calm his nerves quite considerably. Walking without hesitation now he slipped onto a stool next to Locksley smiling happily at her.

"Good day to you Miss Locksley," he called in merriment trying to buoy her flagging spirits. Seeing the spiteful look he had grown so accustomed to he kept his smile resolute, but not so infuriatingly wide as before and gave his report. "Nearby residents weren't forthcoming as to the whereabouts of who we are tracking, they're keeping quiet, whether through fear or not actually knowing I don't rightly know." Greg's smile slowly fled on seeing the sheer ferocity of his teacher's expression.

"E..e.err..s..so...yeah." he murmered his confidence rapidly falling once more under her steely cold gaze.

[Quinn Locksley]

Quinn had finished another glass when her idiot apprentice joined her by the bar. She didn't look at him as he greeted her. She knew that if she did, she would regret it. He gave his report, as useless and feeble as all the many others that she had been receiving. Training should be long and hard, she thought, not quick so we can have many out there!

She poured herself another and, taking a glass from behind the bar, she poured one for Greenwich. She pushed it towards him and stared dead ahead of her. She picked up her own glass and studied the content, resting her elbow on the bar. "To dead ends," she said and held out her glass. She now looked at him, a solemn, disheartened expression in her eyes and she hated that Greenwich could smile at a time like this.

She drank long and hard from her glass once they had toasted, not wanting her mouth to run away from her again. She slammed her empty glass onto the bar and looked at Greenwich. The lack of sleep and several Firewhiskeys had gone straight to her head and yet she was relatively sober. Another skill that she possessed that she rarely was thankful for. Yet she acted as thought she was slightly tipsy: it served severally purposes and it was something she had not done in a very long time.

She clapped the boy on the back and smiled, a rare truly friendly, loving smile. "You're a good Hit Wizard," she said, looking passed his head, "a good Hit Wizard but you need to get something..." She looked over her shoulder and then the other, checking no one was listening in. Satisfied, she signalled for the apprentice to come closer, she whispered, "you appear weak when you are drunk." She swayed on her stool a little and poured another drink.

[Gregory Greenwich]

Nonplussed Greg was incredibly surprised when he didn't feel the hot, scathing lash of her unabated fury raining down upon his unprotected head. Of course he was delighted, had he really done something right for once? Or was this yet another subtle test, with her he could never tell, her awesome intellect made him uncertain as to whether or not everything she did was planned to the full.

Confusion written across his brow Greg gratfully accepted the drink, though sipped it politely, awed that she could down them so quickly yet still remain in full control. He wondered why she was quite so disheartened, true they were stuck in a rut, but the situation could be far more dangerous, though Greg had to admit that Quinn likely much prefered danger and tension than sitting around getting little done; paperwork was a good example, he had never seen her do any paperwork as she probably believed it below her.

Greg would never question his irrefutable leader so murmered an agreement, "to dead ends," in a quiet voice.

Never in his wildest dreams could Greg have imagined what came next, he was isntantly overjoyed, literally buzzing with excitement, a compliment from Locksley was a huge deal. He couldn't wait to tell Theodora his brilliant news. But he remained icily calm for a change, realising she wouldn't wish for him to fly as high as a kite, he could tell his natural smile infuriated her, and gradually her well taught lessons were sinking in.
"Thanks," he mumbled simply, but then she continued with an even stranger comment; about drunkeness. "Err what do you mean by that?" He asked nonplussed. "I mean I appear weak all the time," he mumbled unsure of whether he really wished her to hear and sympathise or not.

"I try hard though," he begrudgingly admitted knowing he had to buoy his own flagging spirits.

[Quinn Locksley]

When the boy thanked her, Quinn shook her head ferociously and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "N-n-not at all," she faltered, then frowned and swayed a little more, "I should have told you so many time before it's just that I don't ..." Her expression expressed one of confusion. She stopped herself saying anymore.

She closed her eyes, licked her lips, and picked up her glass again. She sipped on it for a moment, leaning on Greenwich, then put it down carefully. "You're lacking in confidence, is all," she said. This fact was as clear as day and had she been soberer she would not have pointed something as obvious like that out, it just was not her way. She topped up her glass from the nearly empty bottle next to her and she filled Greenwich's too.

"You must just understand one thing about me," she said, pushing herself up and holding herself there by her hand on his shoulder, "I am a cynical pessimistic person who has experience much hurt. So I don't want to let people get close because if they do ..." she brought her face close to Greenwich's and whispered, "they die." She took up her glass and drained it again. How had she come to this ...? she wondered, drunk and spewing her darkest secrets to an apprentice.

[Gregory Greenwich]

This side of Locksley rarely surfaced, that was clear, but Greg really wasn't sure whether he prefered he like this or not, usually he could guess with some degree of accuracy how she would react; to say something he'd done wrong, but he couldn't help but wonder if this really were just a test, or the truth coming out.

"Oh," breathed Greg feeling thorougly confused, he'd believed she thought him a complete nuisance, a completely incompetent young fool.
Long ago he had resigned himself to the fact that he was actually a terrible Hit Wizard yet now she told him otherwise, but he wasn't much suited to the job skills wise, though he had a sheer determination that none could argue with. Another attribute he held dearly was his ability to track any living thing, but still those two traits wouldn't be nearly enough to become a fully fledged Hit Wizard, he knew he was steadily improving bu the pace just wasn't quick enough, he had so much more to learn and really feared he'd forever be an apprentice.

"I'm lacking in more than confidence," he admitted openly, he knew just how pathetic he could be, but he did try very hard, that was about all he had going for him. Taking a larger swig of the Firewhiskey, he coughed upon it, nearly choking, blinking back tears as he gruffly coughed; it really was strong stuff, and went straight to his head; perhaps he had better go steady with them.

The conversation had been confusing no doubt, but Greg had believed careful pondering and analysis later would make much clear to him, but then Locksley dropped a clangour regarding a subject he was terrified of.
"Dead", he breathed in a hushed whisper his voice, quavering and breaking. Trying to keep his face plain and ordinary, he failed miserably, his skin going a deathly white, though amazingly he didn't cry out in shock, perhaps he was too shocked to the very core to be able to cry out.

"Wh..wh...why d..d..do they..d.die?" He asked fearing the answera and finding it an enormous struggle to spit his words out. He'd also wondered as to what had happened in her past to make the terrifying woman she was today, but he'd never believed he'd ever find out, would she really divulge her past to him? A person she scorned and seemed to hate above all others?

[Quinn Locksley]

Quinn patted Greenwich on the back and laughed as he coughed on the whiskey. Quinn emptied the content of the bottle into her glass and topped Greenwich's up. She looked to the bar tender and raised the empty bottle. "Another for my fine young friend," she said and laughed when she saw he was laughing too.

The bottle came in time to fill her glass again. She filled it up and patted Greenwich gruffly on the back. "Poor fool," she said smiling into her glass, "swallow, don't breath." When his coughing had finished, Quinn put her hand on the bar to steady herself and she looked at Gregory as straight as she could. "With confidence all else will follow," she said, smiling as kindly as she could.

Then she looked away from him for a moment as though she forgot what she was just about to say. She leaned on the bar, sipping her Firewhiskey and she smiled at the barman. How pleasant that must be, she thought, to be paid to listen in to peoples conversations! But now was not the time for dreams.

Greenwich seemed surprised. She turned to face him, frowning intensely. She took his collar and said, "I killed them, of course!" It seemed so obvious. His naivety really did cloud many things to the young apprentice. "Sometimes they wouldn't die but I would ..." she waved a hand in circles and added, "figuratively speaking, of course." He was right, he was lacking in more then confidence but she knew that with it everything else would come.