A Not-So Veiled Interest

[Sienna London]

One chime... two chime. The door sounded hesistant. Or was it the one holding the knob? Indeed, Sienna had started having second thoughts to coming into Borgin and Burkes, but it wasn't for the fact that she didn't look like their typical customer. She had dressed up smartly in an immaculately white robe, her usual attire of white turtlenecks and skirt underneath and her tall boot heels clacking from Diagon to Knockturn.

But she had no worries about that. She had gone to many supposedly frightful stores, for they seemed to have the right kind of books for a sort of "riske" cooking. But what did worry her in the back of her mind was the suspicion from the Ministry. Why would she go in there? It seemed to her that they had grown secretly in surveillance because of a few disappearances here and there, not that it was none of her fault, of course. Who would accuse a learned woman with a spot-clean record?

But her second thoughts affirmed the first. She would go there, just with a little bit of a different outside appearance. Appearing as if she hesitated in coming in, she walked in, the cold and snow guiding her inside.

Getting to the clerk, she made a nervous smile. "You don't happen to have the ingriedients for a prep school level potion? For a pepperup potion?" The clerk pointed to an aisle down the corner, and she nodded as she left his sight.

Though as soon as she went to the aisle, she took a "wrong" turn into the one part of the store, finding what she was looking for. Dried herbs, an assortment that had its deadly values.

"Oops, I must have went the wrong way," she said to herself as she reached for one vial.

(closed)

[Aros Orphe]

"Wrong way indeed..." a voice said, hidden in the shadows the corner of the room, a large shelf casting a shadow over the corner, further shielding him more from the eyes of the customers. Surprisingly he had found her in the shop while he was replenishing his empty stock of herbs. He quickly hid behind a foul smelling liquid when he spotted her. He knew that he could've simply said hi instead of sneaking around.

Though sneaking around came instinctively to Aros, especially when it came to that witch, Sienna.

He emerged from his hiding spot, dressed, as always, in a full body black cloak which seemed to be a fashion trend with the people of Knocturn. He raised an eyebrow at her choice of clothing, eyeing her white garments up and down,

"...My eyes hurt by looking at your clothes." he said simple, crossing his arms, "Must you always attract attention to yourself, silly girl?"

[Sienna London]

Sienna had decried out of the corner of her eye and heard his voice. Aros. She didn't make a welcoming comment, not even scoff at his calling her a "silly girl".

"They say white is a symbol of purity and innocence. I felt quite innocent today." She fingered the vial, reading it's latin name. Her head turned suddenly at him. "You would think me to be innocent, no?" She placed a smile on her lips.

[Aros Orphe]

Aros laughed silently, as to not draw attention to themselves. He moved towards Sienna from his hiding position with such grace that it seemed that he was simply floating to her. He took his position by her right side as he looked up at the many sorts of herbs and vials that probably weren't at all 'innocent',

"Sienna... the only people who think that you are truly innocent are the people who do not really know you..." he said with a slight laugh,

"...Purity indeed..."

[Sienna London]

"Some people aren't meant to know," She put back the herb and started sifting through the small packets. Perhaps she could grow an entire garden of dangerous plants, she thought with a wild enthusiasm. She picked up the seeds, but didn't look at it exactly. She knew to play the staring game with Aros. A question flickered in her mind, one she had forgotten in the midst of her missions. "Tell me, Aros... what do I owe you?"

[Aros Orphe]

Aros chuckled, eyes alight with laughter as he examined a vial of Nundu's blood, a key ingredient to few extremely deadly poisons. He turned his head and looked at her, a slight smile gracing his features,

"Why so worried about what you owe me?" he asked, moving towards her, his hood slightly covering his eyes,

"Don't worry...You'll know very soon..."

[Sienna London]

Sienna gave him a long, hard look before returning to her business. But she still spoke, her tone affirming and sounding quite busy. "Well, I reccommend you don't beat around the bush too long. I might be out of town for some time. I have some... business to attend to." She paused and closed her eyes for exactly one second. Her future grew out of its stability, and every day her fears grew as well. It was a selfish fear, though. She just wanted to survive this.

[Aros Orphe]

"Out of town, eh? Anything important that I should know that's making you leave?" Aros asked inquisitively, searching her eyes to see if anything was betrayed. She was one of the rare people he encountered in life that was hard to read,

"It's a shame...You owe me yet you have to go...Coincidence?" he asked, a smirk placed upon his face.

[Sienna London]

"It wouldn't be such a coincidence if you happened to come along," Sienna said numbly. Her tone was bored and almost annoyed. She had lost interest in the herbs. They were too expensive for their own good anyhow. She moved on to liquid vials right next to the herbs.

[Aros Orphe]

Aros' interest was poked at what she had said, a seemingly offhand comment towards him. He gave Sienna a confused look, one that he often didn't use only when it was necessary,

"Excuse me? Me come with you?" he asked, repeating what she had said in order to grasp it. The confused look was wiped off his face as it was replaced with the usual stoic aura that her held,

"Where? If it's just some little vacation of yours, don't waste my time." he said with an annoyed tone, though his interest was still peaked, "You must know...I got things to do, people to kill and whatnot. Where is this place you have in mind?"

[Sienna London]

Sienna held her eye to a blank space and smiled. "I've piqued your fancy, I see. You don't have to worry. I have no desire to go on a bloody holiday with you. This is strictly business." Turning her face to him, she added in a whisper, "I suggest you take it up with Miss Cross."

[Aros Orphe]

"Ah, business only? No pleasure?" he asked with a teasing frown that usually wasn't placed on his face, "Alas, you break my heart, London."

He shoved his hands into his cloak pockets as he leaned against the shelves, making sure that no glass jar or any vials were going to drop on him, "It seems that the Mistress is quite busy nowadays." he said quietly, looking over at his fellow Deva member, "I'll go with you. I'm feeling a bit cooped up here anyways..."

[Sienna London]

"Ah, well, Aros... you can keep your pleasure to yourself," Sienna said briskly and coldly. She wasn't much for humour nowadays, yet her biting sarcasm was consistent.

Dodging looks from one down aisle to another, she put the vial back in its place and she motioned with one finger to follow her to a remote area of the store. "We have a mission," she said as she walked down that way. "The Ministry's getting too keen on the castle."

[Aros Orphe]

Aros had to smirk at the coldness that lingered in her voice. She wasn't much fun at all anymore it seemed. He looked at a particular potion as she talked. He turned his head briefly to look at her before looking back at the potions,

"Why would the Ministry be interested in the Castle?" he asked, grinning at her, "Only a murder of a esteemed professor happened there." he ended sarcastically,

"So what did you have in mind we do?" he asked, looking at her from under the dark confines of his hood.

[Sienna London]

"There's been a few more developments involving some past missions," she whispered. She felt paranoid to say it out in the open in that store, but she knew the clerk there. He involved himself in dark business as well.

"We need a distraction," Sienna added, glad he asked her the next question, since it was very relevant to what Cross wanted. "Let's say London is in need of a wake-up call."