Lost But Not Found (Michael)

[Zoya Morte]

Okay now she was worried. Scared.......would be inappropriate considering she wasn't scared, no. Creepy people hanging off wall and excessive darkness and pests weren't her scene, but that didn't mean they were scary too. Plus, it was helpful that Zoya had already finished her job here. As the newbie in the office, despite her repeated detailed accounts of her job back in the Land Beyond the Atlantic, she still got jobs that were hopelessly mundane such as shadow-y liasons with small time traitors. She had to meet, discern their value of intel and then recommend them to the department or in most cases, round them up and produce them to Wizengamot.

But Zoya being Zoya had managed to cause complications in this very simple job too. She was lost. Hopelessly. Her poor direction sense coupled with her absolute ignorance about this Alley had brought her into this mess. Frowning, she looked at sign after sign, recognizing none, feeling no inclination to enter any. Not that she would have recognized many signs from Diagon Alley, she had been gone for too long and hadn't spent much time reacquainting herself, but that place was much safer. Not to mention cleaner, she thought, glancing at the side and immediately wishing she hadn't. There was a man lying in his own pool of vomit. Okay now she was a little nauseous.

Hey, that looks a bit familiar. She thought, staring at a turn which was less shadowy and less filled with toothless, creepy vendors than usual. Her effort in placing the turn absorbed her and only someone crashing into her brought her back to Earth. 'Watch where you are - Oh nooooooo, not you again!"

[Michael Gamp]

Michael was just leaving the bar. He had stuff to do there. Ministry job, but also his own. Gamps were family of mercenaries. But in the same time, this job brought lots of money and information, which meant they were more like a leaders of wizarding mafia. Wherever Michael went, specialy at dark places, people knew him. And he had respect. Today he just needed to torture one guy who put his nose where he wasn't supposed to and go back to the office, when somebody almost knocked him down. As he heard her voice, he pushed away his urge to roll eyes. Instead he quickly covered her mouth with his hand and pushed her against the wall of the pub entrance, giving icy stare to couple of wizards passing by. Before he released her lips, he looked at her with warning to stay quiet.

"What the hell you think you are doing here?!" he hissed at her as he pushed her inside the pub hallway. What was she doing at the place where even auror don't go, for it's kind of pointless? The most dangerous part of Knockturn Alley, place where those who doesn't belong die very quickly. Michael liked it here. It was almost like piece of Czechia in saint Britain. But it definitely wasn't place for her.

[Zoya Morte]

Zoya's protest's were effectively muffled against the hand that clamped down on her mouth and she considered for a minute to bite it or something but then dropped the idea. Michael was, for the moment at least, her only way out of this twisted labyrinth so she settled on glaring at him instead. At his warning to stay quiet, she almost rolled her eyes at the theatrics and considered shouting for help saying that he was trying to kidnap her. In the present scenario, she doubted it would be useful. At best, it would summon indifference at worst, other people might try to kidnap her in hopes for a ransom.

When he released her however, she pushed him away and hissed back, "What the hell do you think you are doing?" She doubted it was his legitimate job that brought him here, obviously some seedy business had gotten him here and she was interested as to how he would response. She almost wanted him to lie so she could smugly correct him.

[Michael Gamp]

He smirked, of course she always had to have the last word. "Well, I can tell you what I'm not doing. Drawing attention at myself at one of the most dangerous places in UK. And before you start with that auror crap, let me ask you, how many of your co-workers you met here? This is the worst part of Knockturn Alley. People don't go here for missions. It's easier to wait for criminals to get out of there," he gave her a speech and shortly after shot another icy stare towards a guy, who seemed interreted in their conversation on his way out of the pub. The stranger simply walked away. Michael sighed. This will totaly cause him trouble in here.

"So, care to explain what the hell did you planned to do here? Take a walk?" he went back to her, really angry now. Teasing her wa fun, but at the place which was thousand times safer. Here, where people only waited to kill each other, he was angry she was there and instead of accepting his help, she kept hissing. He was supposed to protect her. Not let her get killed.

[Zoya Morte]

"I am not drawing attention to myself, you are drawing attention to me with kidnapping attempts." Zoya cut in, not that it had any effect on him because he went right on, getting really into his little speech. Hearing him talk made Zoya feel like she was a kid getting scolded by one of their parents and she unwillingly, he made her feel guilty. "Would stop calling me that? Do you think announcing my job to the world again and again in a place which you say is so full of dangerous criminals is the best idea?" She questioned instead, in her never ending quest for the last word. She wasn't about to let him know her exact reason for waltzing around Knockturn Alley, because he was right about aurors not usually venturing in to such places but Zoya already had work to do here so she figured why not finish a little job here anyway.

"I do have a job here. I am the new person at the office, you know? I pull the crappiest jobs." She countered in a slightly bored voice, looking around curiously at her surroundings. It wasn't as pathetic as the rest of the shops in the Alley but somehow there was a heightened air of danger here. A hypothesis which was only strengthened by the sheer amount of people Michael had to glare at to keep them away.

[Michael Gamp]

He looked at her shocked, amusement suddenly back in his face. "Kidnapp you? Darling, if I was to kidnapp you, you wouldn't be conscious right now, and you wouldn't have your hands and legs free to move," he told her honestly. "I merely tried to shut your mouth, because it's dangerous around here and you were drawing attention by shouting at the whole London," he told her. When she mentioned mission, he shook his head in disbelief. "Not here. You got lost, didn't you? If you had a mission in Knockturn Alley, it was one hell of closer to Diagon Alley and not here. You are clumsy, just as Rabastan told me. Go inside, you will go back with me," he said, last sentence was so dark and strict, it didn't allow any argument as he pushed her inside the dark pub, taking her somewhere in the back, where private tables were. He was going to go back soon, but still needed to wait a bit. "And don't even think about running or other crap. Or you will really end up tied to that chair. So you can complain about kidnapping," he hissed at her.

[Zoya Morte]

"I wasn't lost!" Zoya snapped indignantly, "I was......exploring." She corrected unconvincingly, but looking him straight in the eyes as if daring him to contradict her. "Stop pushing me! I can walk." Her protests fell on deaf ears because as usual, Michael just did what he wanted to do and pushed her in anyway. His voice was a no-nonsense tone that Zoya figured wouldn't be wise to counter. Yet, anyway. "When did your poor delusional brain start confusing me with your stay-at-home, subservient wife. I am neither your darling, nor do I answer to you and if you really think that I am just going to let you dump me in this shitty pub then Rabastan missed a lot of points about me." She stated in a determined tone.

"Oh yeah? With what exactly?" She queried innocently, dropping onto one of the cleaner looking chairs with an air of non-chalance. Americans were far more in tune with their muggle neighbors and she had picked up on some useful muggle tricks there. Being a pickpocket, for example. She couldn't help but smirk as she waited for Michael to realize that he no longer possessed his wand, Zoya having helpfully relieved him off it when he had been busy dragging her into seedy pubs.

[Michael Gamp]

"You know what? All that stuff about always having the last word, it's cute and funny. I give you that. But right now, at this very moment, I am the one who is saving your ass in here, want it or not. I could as well just leave you here. But let's face it, you are all by yourself and to those people, you are nothing. You may be skilled, but you definitely cannot take down twenty hungry men with dark magic in their sleeves," he hissed at her angrily. "So..." he started, "Care to give me my wand back? And I promise I will handle you back your wallet together with that pretty badge with your name on it, that can get you killed within second here, if I accidentaly drop it," he gave her a wink and a smirk. "You may have spent yours in America, but I grew up in Czechia. If you think I cannot survive without wand or that you will fool me with crap like stealing, you are deadly mistaken," he told her strictly.

[Zoya Morte]

"I don't have to have the last word, it just so happens that I usually do get it." Zoya countered, again trying to get the last word in. "And I suppose having you by my side is supposed to guaruntee my safety?" She scoffed, before realizing that this was a chink she could exploit to make sure that Michael had to take her wherever he was going to go. "So......what? Because the way I see it, you are going to leave me in here with the twenty creeps with dark magic skills so what does it matter. Maybe I will just go out with a bang and ensure that you get hurt too." Okay, maybe she overdid the drama but it was effective enough, at least, she thought so. "I mean, you are going to leave me here anyway, so...what the hell?"

"Yeah, because you questioning me about a million times on my job wasn't a hint enough.: She dismissed, even waving her hand in a gesture. She would have liked very much to remind him that she had managed to get his wand but decided not to aggravate him too much, he was her only way out of here now at least. "Oh, before you do, just take the money you had dropped the last time we met. I don't keep debts."

[Michael Gamp]

He narrowed eyebrow at her. "Why the hell would I let you here? If that was my intention, why the hell would I take you with me from that street instead of leaving you there?" he asked her. "You are such a child. Even in here, when you saw people back away from me, so it would be probably wise to stay around, you keep pissing me off as if you wanted me to leave. How did you survive in the world? Because with this, I'm honestly surprised you are still alive," he said to her before waving to bartender to bring them some firewhiskey. His request was fullfilled quite quickly. "I'm not giving anything back to you until you give me back my wand," he told her with a sigh. Seriously considering leaving her here for she annoyed him as hell in the moment. But he promised something to his friend. 

Seeing another idiot approaching them in the corner of his eye, he got up and grabbed him under his neck. "You know who I am?" he asked darkly, the man, suddenly terrified, nodded as he recognized him. "So, you know what to do to keep that ugly head of yours on your neck, right?" he asked, leaving the man be and watching him leave, shooting everyone angry glare before sitting back into his chair and taking a sip of a firewhiskey. "Not to mention, taking a wand of your only potentional ally when there are so many enemies, clearly with much worse intention, clever Zoya. Extremely clever," he said matter of factly, in a way disappointed parents talks to a child that did something foolish.

[Zoya Morte]

"What am I supposed to think?" Zoya demanded, irritated at being talked to in such a manner. "You certainly don't seem to be in a hurry to get me out of this dump. In fact, you just dragged me in further! What are we doing here? Hosting tea parties?" Zoya kept her voice low because she didn't want to make a scene or drag too much attention to herself, but something about their expressions might have given the idea because people were staring. 'I survived very well without you, in fact, better which just proves my point. Whatever it is you think you are doing, just stop it!"

"Fine." She muttered, taking the offered firewhiskey and looking thoroughly morose. She was about to take it out when Michael just randomly picked up some guy, threatened him and then walked back to his chair like it was no big deal. What just.......uh.....what the damn hell?! her thoughts were incoherent because she didn't expect violence of this level for something as small as staring. She looked around but everyone was just nervously staring at their feet and refused to meet her eyes. Who the bloody hell is this guy?

"Whoah......." The word slipped out but Zoya corrected it quickly, taking care to sound unimpressed by the incident, "......you really take your babysitting job seriously. I am not a child. Here take your stupid wand and try to keep it with you the next time." She added, rolling her eyes and holding out her hand for her wallet.

[Michael Gamp]

Michael took his wand and handed over her wallet, just like he promised. "This one had nothing to do with babysitting. He was assassin. Still is. Hired to come here, pretend he belongs in and then do a mess and hurt my family. What he didn't count on, was that I appear anytime soon," he explained as if it was the most normal thing to happen around him. And it was. He could get anything for anyone. But that sometimes cause more enemies, than friends, so he had to build some reputation amongst other things. "This, by the way, is precisely, why we are till here. I need to find someone and once I do, we are out," he added explanation of why didn't he drag her out just yet.

"And well, maybe I should start taking the babysitting part seriously. Considering the fact you manage to get lost in one simple street," he pointed out. She was cute and he still wanted her, but damn that girl was master in being annoying when she wanted. "And don't pretend like my company is so bad for you. As far as I can tell, you quite enjoyed the goodbye kiss few days ago," he decided to tease her a bit, even if he knew she will deny it and definitely add something to stop him from being amused.

[Zoya Morte]

Zoya took her wallet and tucked it into the back pocket of her jeans, slightly disturbed that Michael had managed to steal it so easily. Must be because she was so focused on stealing from him. "You live here?" She asked incredulously, zeroing in on the most commonplace detail out of the barrage of information about assassins. Then, the full impact hit her and she started getting excited at the prospect of going assassin hunting. "Really?! Awesome! Do you have an idea what he looks like, or anything? Why are assassins after you anyway? Aren't you like, on their side?" She asked, her eyes flitting around the room as she tried to place the many types of criminals degenerates around them. None of them looked assassin material, but then Knockturn Alley was a wholly different pool and Zoya had zero experience here.

"Its not one simple street." She insisted but it was a bit sheepishly, fiddling with her hands as she said so. She looked up at his next words and shot him a disbelieving look, "The only thing bearable about that kiss was that it was goodbye." She retorted snidely, pushing herself off the chair in one rare move of smooth grace. "Now are you going to get going and finish your manhunt or are we going to sit here bantering?"

[Michael Gamp]

"If I did live here, I wouldn't really tell you now, would I? This place belongs to my family, yes. Doesn't mean I live here," he replied before looking around again, before he laughed slightly at her excitement about hunting unknown assassin. "I told you I am no death eater. And I am no assassin either. Let's say I trade stuff. If we were in prison, I would be the guy who gets you everything," he explained. "Where my sympaties lie is a different question, but my loyality is only to me myself and my family," he told her in the easiest way he could come up with, who he was.

"Tell yourself whatever you need to, so you can sleep at night," he only smirked at her, repeating words he alredy told her once. "And not sure how you, but I prefer to know who I'm attacking first, before I actually start attacking," he replied, his attention back at the crowd. He had a suspicion that his target just entered. He could expect this one. That idiot simply never got over the fact, that stuff Michael can get isn't for free.

[Zoya Morte]

"You own this dump? And your assassin's randomly stake out buildings you own instead of going to the ones where you live in?" Zoya asked, "Some dumb assassins after you." She finished, smirking slightly as she settled back into her chair and poured out a glass of firewhiskey for herself. Her alcohol intake had increased drastically since her return but she always took care to stay reasonably sober. She didn't have many allies here and there had never been a dearth of people she had rubbed the wrong way. "Trade stuff? What.....kind of stuff?" She found herself genuinely curious about him, mainly because she knew he knew everything about her whereas she knew nothing about him. "Who is in your family anyway?"


Zoya just rolled her eyes and went back to checking out the crowds. Maybe it was because she was now really paying attention but the level of danger seemed heightened somehow. She felt her instincts tingling, something was going to happen and soon. And then, it did.

Michael had already established himself to be the toughest guy around here which mad it downright stupid to attack him. The best strategy was to take Zoya hostage, distract Michael long enough and then flee. Zoya knew all that, but she would really have to give credit to the assassin because he still managed to catch her unawares. A faint creak was all the warning she recieved before a man slammed into her, knocking her chair to the ground with her still in it. She wasn't an auror for nothing though and she managed to twist her body a little to side so that she could use her chair to knock the man away. As he scrambled to his feet, she drew out her wand, scooting up in a more upright direction. "Bloody twat!"

[Michael Gamp]

Before Michael could answer her question, she was attacked. He cursed under his breath for underestimating the idiot. But luckily, the girl wasn't all useless talk, so she quickly made the idiot to face her wand instead. Michael had to admit she impressed him. No doubt in that. The whole thing quickly draw attention of everyone. People went quiet, all of them staring at the assassin, unknown girl and very angry owner. It took another few seconds before everyone realized what just happened and suddenly couple of wands and daggers were touching back of the assassin, making his laugh bitterly. "Looks like your little sheeps are still more loyal, than I expected," he spoke, making Michael chuckle.

"Do you... should we take him to the Crypt?" Somebody asked, Michael only nodded. This wasn't something to sort out in the pub after all. And he needed to get Zoya back to Diagon Alley first anyway. Two man grabbed the assassin harshly, making him laugh again, they were to drag him down the stairs. "Wait," he stopped them, surprising everyone he turned back to assassin, punching him so hard his jaw was smashed. "That's for going after woman, loser," he hissed before nodding and letting the men to take him away.

"Well, you are not as useless as I thought, I have to give you that," he gave Zoya a smirk as everyone went back to their bussiness. "So, back to Diagon Alley? Or will we finish that firewhiskey?" he asked.

[Zoya Morte]

Zoya didn't notice much of what was going on around her because she was focused on checking out her injuries. There seemed to be a slight growing swelling near the back of her head and touching it made her wince sharply. The bastard knocking her must have caused her to hit her head pretty hard on the floor and now that her mild adrenaline rush was fading, she recognized the hurt. "You have some serious issues." She stated in reply to the assassin's comment about sheep or whatever. His laugh wasn't exactly normal and his actions had been downright desperate and stupid if the response of the people around was anything to go by.

"The Crypt?" She questioned, not that anyone was paying much attention to her. The assassin's laugh as he was dragged out affected Zoya because he didn't seem to be scared of whatever awaited him which probably wasn't something great. Isn't he even a little scared? What does he believe in that is so strong that it eliminates his fear? What are they going to do to him? The questions made her head throb so she gave up on wondering after them, pouring out another firewhiskey for herself. The ordeal merited another drink.

She looked back again as the faint sound of a bone crunching sounded across the room. "What the-?" Shaking her head, she looked back to her drink. There wasn't anything more she could do. "I am unsure, should I be insulted or proud?" She asked, rolling up her eyes and holding up her glass in his direction. "Firewhiskey." She answered immediately, wincing a bit as a pang of pain made her head ache. Might not be the best course of action, worst hangover in the world.

[Michael Gamp]

He took a sip from his glass as well, before looking at her with hint of worry. "Hey, you okay? Do me a favour and at least sit down," he told her with all honesty. Of course she will most likely push him away, but that didn't mean he didn't care. "This place has more, than one floor. Crypt is down there. I don't really think you would like it there much. And yes, I own it here. It has more to it, than you would expect by the way," he tried to answer some of her obvious questions. He wasn't really telling what she didn't need to know. Just a bit to feed her curiosity. 

"As for the things I trade, it could be anything. Information, things, sometimes even people. You name it, I get it. My family focused on this for a very long time. This place, well the crypt anyway, is like a centre of this trading stuff. But then again, when you are good at something, never do it for free. That asshole," he pointed towards stairs to the crypt where the assassin disappeared, "lived in illusion, that he doesn't have to pay. And when things started to look dangerous, because, well how would I ever gain respect if I didn't make sure people pay their debts to me, he decided he rather gets rid of me before I do the same to him or his family," he explained.

[Zoya Morte]

Zoya didn't snap at him because it wouldn't accomplish anything really but she did look peeved that she hadn't manage to escape without injuries. "I am fine." She insisted dismissively, refusing to listen to him and take a seat because all she wanted was to get back to familiar grounds and sleep. Listening without really absorbing anything he was saying, she studied her drink noting that the glass was infinitely cleaner than the leaky Cauldron. "You really need to redecorate. I hear  bones are in fashion. Handy shop a few way down too, sells all the merchandise for your skeleton needs." She joked, before she was forced to drop down onto the offered seat because the world had suddenly started to blur.

"Concussion." She hissed, trying to focus her attention but what she had difficulty doing in perfect sensibilities she could hardly be expected to do when hurt. "How exactly does your day-job fit into this? Sounds like you have a packed schedule." She was talking now mostly to distract herself from her head ache and nauseousness. She had had many concussions before, mostly because of her clumsiness and knew she had to distract herself and get home soon. "What are you going to do to him?" She couldn't stop thinking about that and figured she should ask it before she insisted on leaving this place, a thing she was avoiding because she didn't like looking weak.

[Michael Gamp]

"You would be surprised, how perfectly both my jobs work together," he pointed out, watching her carefully. "What if, instead of playing hero with firewhiskey here, I took you home. Or at least upstairs. We have comfy couch up there. And painkillers," he offered to her, avoiding her question about what will happen to the idiot waiting in the crypt. "And my sister made some delicious cookies," he added cheerfully, knowing the girl was into food. He didn't want her to sit here, pretending to be a hero when she was obviously in pain and needed some rest. They could fight another time, when she got better after all.

[Zoya Morte]

The comfortable couch and painkillers sounded good but of course, it was the cookies that sealed the deal for Zoya. She had been shaking her head, supporting her forehead with one arm propped up but at the mention of the word she snapped up, "Cookies?" She repeated, sounding and looking much younger than she was. "Yeah sure!" She agreed, getting off her seat and cursing herself for hurrying as the world tilted sideways. Gripping the table, she steadied herself, cheeks reddening as she waited for Michael to start so she could follow him.

[Michael Gamp]

He had to chuckle a bit at her reaction. "Not sure if I should be flattered you trust me enough to go with me or if it is just your habit to go even with the biggest enemy, once he has cookies," he couldn't help himself to say this, tease her a little bit. "Okay, take it easy, come on," he kept an eye on her as he led the way upstairs, towards heavy steel door. He unlocked them, checking up if they were alone and nobody was stupid enough to follow, before he opened them, allowing her to enter the hall in the second floor. Gamp family living space was so different from the pub downstairs. It was luxury, full of perks from both wizarding and muggle word. In the centre was huge modern, comfy living room.

"You can either stay here, or you can go upstairs. My room is the first door on the left. I'll get the painkillers, water and cookies," he told her with a wink before disappearing in the kitchen to get what he promised. His sister made him some cookies before she left back to school, but unlike his siblings, he didn't have ability to eat them all at one evening. With a smirk he put few of them on separate plate, got glass of icy water and painkillers, bringing it with him to find Zoya.

[Zoya Morte]

"I have to die eventually, at least this way I will always have cookies." Zoya replied, cheering up at the prospect of cookies. She followed him up in a daze, not really sure of where she was going and she tripped once but that managed to jolt herself out of her daze for a while so she finished the way without much incident. "Paranoid much?" She deadpanned, fighting the urge to roll her eyes at him checking out if anybody followed them up.

The Mortes had huge estates and vineries back in Spain but Zoya's current accommodations were so horrible in comparison that she had to stand and stare, barely noticing what Michael said as he left. Her eyes landed on the huge couch in the living room and she made a beeline for it, kicking off her converse on the way to drop flat out on the couch, falling asleep in minutes.

[Michael Gamp]

When he came back to living room, seeing her sleep, he smirked again, placing stuff he brought on the coffee table next to her. From the nearby closet he pulled out blanket and covered her with it, checking if she was still okay, he decided to leave her here, where she was safe, locking door behind him, he went down to the crypt, to solve the issue that was waiting for him there. 

When he got down and faced the idiot, who clearly now wasn't such a hero as he was before, he pulled out his dagger. "You see, you didn't pay, which means you owe me. That's the first strike. Then you send some lame pathetic idiot to hurt me and my family. Strike two. And you hurt her. Which was strike three. You know what happens to people like you?" Michael asked darkly, smelling the fear from the man, he went closer, stabbing him straight into his chest. "You should spent those last painfull seconds praying I will never hunt down family, bastard," he hissed into his ear, as life was leaving his body. 

Cleaning the dagger and his hands, he went back upstairs, sitting on his sofa, he pulled out a book, reading and waiting for the sleeping beauty on his couch to wake up.

[Zoya Morte]

The first conscious thought for Zoya was that she cocooned in something very soft and warm. Sighing, she drew the thing closer to her, wondering when her hotel had invested in such luxurious blankets. This memory, broke through her sleep and forced her to open her eyes, realizing that she was in a place she did not even recognize, let alone something which she saw everyday. Snapping up upright, she looked around, noting the glass of water on the table, the cookies and the painkillers and the unfamiliar but definitely luxurious surrounding. Oh no! please don't tell me they dragged me off home! She thought in rising panic, relaxing as she caught sight of Michael reading. Ah, right.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the only other occupant of the room, she picked up the plate and brought it to rest on her lap. "What did you do to him?" She demanded lightly, munching on the cookies and ignoring the painkillers. Cookies were her medicine.

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