[Forest] And who are you? [Any Adult]

[vamp]

"Another day of wasted lives go by.." The criminal mused to himself as he twirled a bowie knife tip down on the top of his index finger. "Another day filled with the foolish Ministry attempting to do their job."

"Pathetic." He spat the last word out venomously with a scowl to match it. As the lest word left his lips, he threw his knife forward and into the trunk of a tree, causing a gurgling scream to be produced from the tree itself. Where the knife had pierced the bark and wedged itself comfortingly between the cracks of the ancient wood, a thick liquid began to bubble from the wound. A black substance leaked from the cut and dripped it's way through each and every crack of the bark on the way down before spreading into the surrounding soil. Corruption. Anything that had met the liquid seemed to wither and die upon contact, leaving a path of debauchery in it's wake before it eventually seeped into the ground and disappeared as fast as it erupted.

Damien sighed softly, not only from restlessness, but from boredom as well. It had been how many days since a Ministry member came for him? He couldn't remember, although the rotting corpse at the base of his hide-out served as a makeshift watch. That is, until Thestrals and crows came by, picking and scavenging off of the meat. That, of course, sped up the process.

With his back slumped against the base of an ancient tree, the criminal looked to the midnight sky. Someone was approaching. Not bothering to move, let alone ready himself, Damien turned his head lazily in the direction of the snapping twigs. When who, or whatever came close enough to him, the crow on his shoulder shrieked before flying off to another perch; the next one a bit more safe. The bird had sense, the kind that tells you to run from conflict; especially the kind with Damien.[/color]

[Gabriella De Conti]

It had been Gabriella's turn to take watch over the forest. The Rogues were being ever careful these days. A change was about in the air and Gabriella didn't like it. There was a sense of restlessness about Hogwarts that chilled her to her core and seemed to bring out the worst in most people.

She was worried, worried about her future and the future of her compatriots. And at that moment she would have given anything to distract herself from the troublesome thoughts that kept creeping up on her.

Gabriella jumped backward her wand pulled out as a knife whizzed by her head. She glanced up at the wounded tree and felt pity. TWas a terrible deed to hurt the old trees. She gently pulled the knife out of the bark and looked to the direction it came from. A small cave was nestled between the hills. She smirked and headed in that direction-more than likely some bored thief seeking refuge from he ministry.

As she made her way towards the cave the scent of rotting flesh pierced her nose-perhaps it was someone more undesirable. Gabriella's grin widened.

As she entered the cave she saw a face she recognized though they had never met. "Steele I presume. Best be careful with this," she said tossing his knife towards him. "Someone might get hurt."

[vamp]

Damien caught the blade by the handle before sheathing it haphazardly. "Gabriella De Conti, Italian bella, Rogue wizard and former Ravenclaw." He recognized her, knowing everybody who had attended Hogwarts whether it be from the past or present, even if he himself wasn't among the graduated students.

"Hurting someone? That was my intention all along. What fun is it to 'be careful'?" The man questioned, more musing to himself than her.

A few moments passed by where Damien simply sat there quietly instead of pursuing the conversation, not really one to pick it up. If she wanted to hold the conversation with him, then she had to hold his interest. Without it, she was liable to end up dead.

The criminal chuckled softly right as a crow landed upon his shoulder, giving a soft caw. He then looked up to the bird with a malicious grin on his lips. "You hear? She wants us to play nicely." The bird's crimson orbs flickered over to Gabriella after Damien spoke to it and narrowed slightly as if assessing her every move and counting her heart rate as well. Soon, another cry was gurgled from the crows mouth, breaking the silence between the two humans.

"He doesn't approve." Damien stated quite dimly.

[Gabriella De Conti]

"Well aren't we a well informed miscreant." She said smirking slightly as he rattled off a brief version of her history. "Or at least a literate one." Any fool who could read ministry wanted ads could've told her most of that. If he were smart he would tell her more.

She stared at him in silence. No doubt he was more malicious that a school yard bully and it was said that he even cause a raucous in Durmstrang for his usage of the dark arts. "I've not the faintest idea. I've always felt that the idea of being careful was for the weak and faint-hearted." She said smirking guessing that he was planning on attacking her eventually. Gabriella hoped that he would try.

Her eyes strayed up to the untrustworthy crow. "You keep interesting friends Damian. Crows truly are unique creatures."

She laughed as he said the crow didn't approve of her. "I suppose its good that I don't seek approval from anyone let alone a bird." She replied whilst placing her hand on her hip. "You know if you're trying to frighten me you ought to try a little harder. I am Gabriella DeConti after all." She said with a slight chuckle. She had never been the humble sort.

[vamp]

At her words, Damien merely nodded in agreement. Well informed? You bet. Knew every last bit of her life in detail? You got it. Though, he wasn't one for much talk unless interesting, and this, Gabriella was not.

"Being careful.. keeps you safe. From death's door step, as they say. But alas, that is why I am here." The man said with another nod before folding his arms over his chest and relaxing back against the tree. Today wasn't a very active day for him.

After she spoke once more, which was slightly getting on his nerves, he caught her bluff. Calling me by another name than Steele? A mere guess, a bluff if that. Needs to feel important by being on a first name basis with everyone around her. Damien wasn't worried though, there was no way of her to know about him other than word of mouth, which, was hard to come by. A few books about his crimes had been published in the wizarding world, but never depicted him as the criminal. He kept nothing to show or prove his existence. No papers, no documents and certainly, no family. Basically, he was in limbo and inexistent.

The man then looked to the crow, giving it an expression of none. "Worthless creatures. Vile, corrupted scavengers." He remarked with a peculiar disdain.

As she laughed at her last remarked, Damien merely shrugged and held her eyes with his soulless gaze. "If you're fishing for compliments and flattery, get it from your coworkers or other men. Being graced by my presence is flattery enough, so take it well. But, I'm afraid that me, trying to frighten you, is ludacris. Not worth the time, quite frankly. No one special."

Damien chuckled softly. "You are only Gabriella DeConti, after all."[/color]

[Gabriella De Conti]

She smirked at him. He did know more than he let on...but he was arrogant and that would be his downfall. She slid down against the wall across from him. "You are thouroughly predicable. You should learn not to be. And I can't wait for the day I die. I am only hoping that someone more worthy and capable than yourself will be the one to kill me."

Her usage of his first name unnerved him-it was easy to tell. He had no idea how well informed she was and he was underestimating her. Though she had had only guesses of what his name was she now knew the truth. And she know knew exactly who he was. "Never play poker."


She read the annoyance in his face. He certainly didn't like her and she loved it. She loved that he apparently thought that everything about her was mere exaggeration. It wasn't. She was one of the best duelers to have breached the magical world in a long time. Few could best her-and most that could hope to were on her side fighting along side her.

"Whether you realize it or not Damian you try to attempt to frighten everyone you meet. And trust me when I say know my own skills and know that they are great. I seek nor need no mans approval, acceptance or flattery.

"You believe that you could beat me my boy. I was doing more powerful magic than you are know before you could walk. And I'm not even being arrogant now-I'm being realistic. Do you honestly think that by slaughtering a few ministry officials every now again that makes you a great dueler.

Sorry Damian, the ministry isn't known for its great magical capabilities for good reason. You have never been tested or tried against an opponent worth fighting or fought in any battles worth talking about.

"When you have-perhaps than you can insult my skills and attempt to wound my pride but until then I wouldn't bother because you don't have the capabilities to back it up." She said staring into his eyes. She really would enjoy his reaction. "By the way Damian, dark magic is not the most powerful magic-merely the most fun."

[vamp]

((Could you please stop RPing like Gabriella knows his name? Nobody in the world knows it; and that includes her. Please take the time to read his profile and understand this. And they're not near any walls, just out in the middle of trees.))

Damien just looked at the woman with the expression of sheer boredom on his face before tossing all that she said aside with an ,"Alright." She was making all the usual mistakes people did, and he couldn't blame her. Such incompetent and over confident wenches where over whelming in these parts, especially since 'everybody' was 'the best' in the world, despite their sheer lack of true skill and knowledge.

Where did she come off thinking that he was 'trying' to frighten her? Was she so insecure that whenever she met a man, she thought they were 'attempting' to frighten her? Or was she picking up on his power and cast it off as a mere fleeting emotion of 'attempt'. What ever it was, Damien wasn't going out of his way to do anything special. She was the one who decided to prance over and disturb him, near his own home and stick her nose where it didn't belong.

Besides, he didn't think he could beat her and kill her, he knew he could. The man had to have a laugh at her ignorance. Her pompous gestures and over zealous attempts were poor on her part and mediocre at best. He would love to see how she attempted magic when she was younger than him, or did she mean that when Damien was two, and she was in the womb, she had her hand around a wand and was casting magic in-uterus? What a joke.

Damien shook his head and merely rolled his eyes. He wasn't about to prove him to someone so worthless. Though, if she wanted to try him out and attempt to get th better of him, she certainly could try. However, it wouldn't turn out pretty.[/color]

[Gabriella De Conti]

((Sorry bout that...I just generally get the basics...and I def confused her age with another one of my characters whose about 40))

Predictable. Boring. That was what this Steele was and Gabriella was in no mood to banter with an arrogant fool who wouldn't even banter back. She found his persistent lack of personality boring and frustrating and far too difficult to get a rise out of. No need to fight someone who took so much effort to goad.

She sighed and stood up; she had wasted enough time with Steele. It was clear from his self-important manner that he thought the same of her.

"Its been lovely chatting with you darling. I severely hope we meet again under entirely different circumstances." She said with a slight bow of the head. And with that she turned her head and went in the opposite direction. She was much too classy to throw the first punch so to speak.