Hunting a Mad Man -Open-

[Bao-Yu Liang]

The desk was organized and tidy. Parchment, scrolls, quills, news articles clipping were present but each had its rightful place. The desk was comprised of several solid pieces of Ash, Bao-Yu’s favorite wood. Four feet in length by two and a half feet in width, it was the perfect size for all of an Auror’s professional belongings. The Auror office was a complex organization of desks, with offices that lined the walls. Veteran and rookie Aurors shared the desk covered main floor while Senior Aurors, the head of Magical Law Enforcement, and other officials resided in the offices. Each Auror had a partner, or series of other Auror’s that they worked closely with and as a result, the desks of these Aurors were routinely put closer together.

Directly across from Bao-Yu was Marishka’s desk. Today was the day she was suppose to return to work. The long time friends and confidants, the partners that worked closely with a few other Aurors; the buzz was about Marishka’s return but also the case she had been working. When Santori had gone out of commission for a couple of weeks, her case involving her ex-husband was officially handed over to Bao-Yu. Unlike Marishka, who preferred to hunt, to be out in the field and to track down her pray by natural instinct, Liang preferred a cautionary approach. She researched, planned, then unleashed. Marishka did plan, but she planned while on foot. Polar opposites; that what they were.

Bao-Yu pulled one of the nearest article clippings, the clipping about the Dark Wizard Alexander Santori. Liang knew the man, personally. He put Marishka through hell when the two had been married. Abusive physically, emotionally and mentally, the man was a complete package. When word got out that Alexander was the Dark Wizard responsible for the deaths of various people during home invasion robberies, the Ministry thought Marishka was the one with enough insight into his mind to bring him to justice. Perhaps she had too much insight. The man had been her husband, after all.

Alexander had not been spotted since his fight with Marishka and other Aurors. Liang had still found a pattern to his madness, a pattern to his victims. It was one that Marishka had been working on and Liang had finished developing. For now, the top priority was awaiting Marishka’s return to the office…

[Marishka Achille-Santori]

She was tired.

Her eye was still in the process of healing. Although it could be opened, closed and blink with no swollen hindrance, the facial muscles still ached with each action. The only thing that seemed to settle the area was a hot shower but unfortunately she could not just stand in one for the entirety of the healing process. The area was a light yellow now, the purple and blue having faded as blood vessels died and were carried away by the body, the skin desperate to return to it’s prior state. Today was her day back to work. Her first day in weeks.

A new wand, a new wardrobe, a new broom, and a new awareness of her surroundings. Since the duel with Alexander, everything seemed surreal to Marishka. Untrusting, frigid, emotionless yet confused, those were only some of the every changing tell tale signs about the Auror many knew as the woman whom had her butt handed to her in a duel with her ex-husband. The ministry was abuzz today. Wizards and witches went about their own business, allowing Marishka to simply flow through them. She was a bird in the sky and each person she weaved through acted as a cloud. She glided, dodged, and occasionally bumped past people as she made her way to Level Two. Santori had not spoken to anyone since her leave. Not the Minister, not the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, not her Seniors and not even Bao-Yu.

Upon exiting the elevator, Santori was immediately greeted by the numerous and loud conversations taking place amongst the Aurors. Cases involving thefts, unauthorized animangous sightings, and attempted dark spells by novice wizards seem to take the vast majority of peoples time and efforts. Making her way through, her eyes rested on the back of a familiar head.
Bao-Yu Liang

Passing right around her, Marishka set her purse on her desk, along with her penguin coffee thermos. Taking her seat, she took immediate note of what particular articles Bao-Yu had seemed to take an interest in.

“Boss give you the case?” Marishka asked, glancing up at Bao-Yu before turning her attention to the desk before her. It was wiped, cleaned, and apparently cared for in her leave. Not a single spec of dust, her papers left the way she had them. Nothing was amiss.

[Bao-Yu Liang]

"Hey, you."[/i] Bao-Yu replied instantiously upon Marishka's question. This was not going to be an easy river to navigate. Santori did not like her cases offloaded on people; call it the female version of the male ego complex. This was suppose to be her case and her case alone but as things began to get out of control and with one Wizard, her ex-husband, taking out a group of Aurors in a single attempt, there was a problem.

"About this," Liang said glancing down at the articles, "Yeah. Only because he knows how close we are. He was planning to give it to Romero,"[/i] Bao-Yu lied, "but I convinced him that since we both have such a long history and I also have intimate knowledge on Alexander, I should take the case over. He said ok."[/i]

Liang did not like lieing to Marishka but the woman had already recieved a physical beating. She did not need to recieve a mental one because the Boss thought she could not handle her own case. Honestly though, the change was the right one; though for now Marishka probably felt worse than ever about it. About everything.

It was time to change the subject.

"How did wand shopping go?"[/i]

[Marishka Achille-Santori]

“It went well.” Marishka pulled her new wand from her shirts sleeve and set it on the desk in front of her, “An eleven and a half inch ridgid Horbeam. The core is Hippogriffs feather and Boomslang Venom. “ Even saying the words felt odd. It was so foreign to describe any other wand besides the one she had always had at her side. This one, it felt adopted; almost forced upon her. Still, it was a wand. She had a positive reaction to it and after spending a couple of days getting acquainted to it, she was ready to weild it in the field.

“She has quite a kick to herself. Longer than I am use too and there are times,” Marishka paused as her eyes continued to slide up and down her wands shaft, “That it feels like its trying to connect with me in some way. Almost surreal.” That was borderline schizophrenic chatter there and with so many stick-up-the-butt Aurors walking around, if any of them overheard that single comment, they may want Marishka to have a psychological examination.

“You aren’t going to find anything in those clippings. I went through the exact same ones. The reporters are too busy bedding people to get information that they are not aware they are be given nothing of use.” Was she bitter? Yes. Would it impact her ability to do her job? No. What Auror honestly like any Daily Prophet report? Not one that she could think of offhand. “I checked his Gringotts account, his typical places he hangs out at. It was not until I started from square one that I found him. Right back where it all started from… the location of his first theft.”

[Bao-Yu Liang]

Bao-Yu was already irritated. Marishka was not ready to be back, that much was certain. She was taking offense to the fact that her Partner was given control of the case and it appeared she was trying to enforce her own experiences onto Liang. Granted, Bao-Yu was a control freak and someone else chiming in about what they experience was not something the Auror felt like hearing but she needed to remember what Marishka had been through with the man they were hunting.

“You’re wand is a strong one.” Liang replied. It was true. Just the description alone told the power that wand now held. Liang’s was basic, much like Marishka’s previous one had been. “Let’s hope it kicks some serious tail when we are in the field.”

“As for the case; I’ve seen your notes. I did the same thing. I checked out his regular spots. He is a man of traditional habit, he does everything by repetition. The only thought I can come up with as to why a man of habit would change would be because he has new habits. I’m beginning to think he changed how he does things. Granted, he would be doing the exact same routine daily; what store he goes too, where he eats lunch, the routes he takes, ect ect. If we can someone crack the location of where he is, we can find him just by sitting and waiting.” A lengthy and unnecessary explanation for the wanted Criminals ex-wife, but Liang needed Marishka to fully understand that this was her case now, not Santori’s.

[Marishka Achille-Santori]

"He isn't stupid." Marishka responded bluntly. "You're talking about a man whom can seem to flip his emotional state like a light-switch. This man was able to fool all of us; not just me. We were all at our wedding. Not a single person here ever suspected he would hurt more than a fly. Alexander has always been a step ahead. Changing his habits is not something thats new. Thats a sign that he is evolving. He's predicting what we plan to do next."

She did not like being told off, not in the subtle in your face manner at which Bao-Yu seemed to be attempting, "If you want to go play hide and go seek with him, go ahead but when Alexander ambushes your group like he did mine, it'll be your hide the ministry wants. We missed him once. We can not miss him again."

People were beginning to stare at the two Aurors as they minced words. Her first day back meant Marishka could not draw too much attention to herself, "Alexander was the Wizard in school that no one could beat in dueling club. He was the guy that would manipulate any all around him to get what he wanted. If he feels threatened, more people are going to get hurt."