dedgulung "vexed italicizing trouble magnet" black (regulus) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2008-10-07 20:01:00 |
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Gaius had spent the afternoon after his conversation with Regulus trying to get himself in the right mindset for the evening and fiddling with glamour charms with some help from his sister. He wasn't completely satisfied with the way they'd turned out, but he looked different enough that he hoped no one would recognize him, particularly since he hadn't had a lot of extra time to be very picky about how they'd turned out. He wanted to get to the Ministry early and had arrived with plenty of time to spare before people would begin filing into the atrium to make their journeys home. After several days of preparation, he was confident that he and Regulus would be able to stick to the plan they'd discussed and make this appear like a completely natural or accidental death. Even so, there were many things that could have gone wrong and he was loathe to think what might happen if that were the case. He could never be completely sure and while he was relieved that he wouldn't have to directly kill anyone that evening, he was still anxious and occupied himself with pacing slowly back and forth while he waited for Regulus to arrive. Entering the Atrium with glamour charms in place, Regulus scanned for anyone resembling Gaius. Of course, with the minor modifications, it was not an immediate recognition, but after only a brief moment longer, his comrade was spotted pacing not far away. After briefly checking to ensure he had parchment and a quill in case the interview did come into fruition – it would not be very convincing if they had no means of recording for their hypothetical "report" – Regulus approached the older Death Eater, made eye contact, and nodded to confirm his identity and avoid the confusion that came of arriving in disguises. "Good evening." "Hello," Gaius said and ceased pacing. For a minute, he was tempted to smirk at the changes he'd made with his glamour charms - it was strange, since he'd expected him to look a certain way and was faced with some one who only resembled Regulus. But if he was going to do many more missions like this, he was going to have to outgrow his amusement at such things. It was only part of their mission, after all. He cleared his throat and head - back to business. "Are we ready?" Regulus nodded, turning to scan the area around them as the stream of Ministry workers began filing from the lifts. It was only amongst that sea of unfamiliar faces the that the thought re-occurred to him: "...Would you happen to know what he looks like?" The expression on Gaius' face dropped when he realized that he had no idea what Elias Bilberton looked like. They would have to figure out a way to tell him from the others or this would never work. "Do maintenance employees wear uniforms?" Regulus crinkled his nose slightly. He supposed they ought to have pursued finding what he looked like before the time had come to carry out the mission, but it was to too late now to dwell, and they would adapt. They would adjust just fine, and there was always his home if they missed him..."I do not know for certain, as I do not make such things my business, typically, but I would presume so. Logically, they would need to be distinct for other workers to know who to ask when they have a problem that...needs repair from the maintenance workers," he finished, pressing his lips together. "Do you have a particular idea in mind?" Gaius shook his head while he thought. They should have anticipated this beforehand - he should have thought of it, at least. He hoped that the man would be wearing a uniform of some sort and that it would stand out from the sea of men and women in smart-looking work robes. "Maybe they'll have their names on them somewhere. On a sleeve or a tag." "That is certainly a possibility, yes. I say we ought to move closer so as to have a better view of the workers. It will not take long to determine if there are any names on their uniforms, and if there are, we can remain close enough to scan each worker attempting to leave, yet far enough away to remain inconspicuous," Regulus responded, taking a step toward the lifts. They could not afford to let him slip past them, lest they waste time waiting in the Atrium when he is already at his home. With a nod, Gaius followed Regulus toward the lifts. He tried his best to be subtle while looking at peoples' lapels and shoulders to see if they had their names somewhere on them, which was difficult, since he had to look down at most of them. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw several men exit the lifts ahead wearing navy blue robes. He wasn't completely sure, but he guessed that they were all maintenance workers, since the employees who worked maintenance at St. Mungo's wore the same sort of robes. He nudged Regulus and jerked his head in the direction of the navy-clad men. "I think he might be one of them. We just have to get close enough to see a name, if there is one." Moving carefully to the side (and trying to look as if he was going to examine a stand with brochures), Regulus took a moment to look at each name in turn. When the first clump of workers bore no indication of "Elias Bilberton", he pursed his lips together and picked up one of the brochures. He had no time to even pretend to be reading it before another maintenance man came into his view over the top; open closer inspection, he was the one. Without delaying a moment longer, Regulus made eye contact with Gaius and nodded curtly, confirming their target to allow him a quick attempt at a silent Imperius before he cut in for an 'interview'. Gaius glanced at his target and withdrew his wand from his pocket as discreetly as he could. As he had suspected, it was extremely difficult for him to concentrate with the din of employees surrounding him, particularly with their voices echoing in the Atrium and amplifying the sound. Taking aim, he tried to block out the distractions and perform the curse. When he was unsuccessful the first time, he tried a second, then a third. Finally, he decided that he wasn't going to be able to do it as unconspicuously as was necessary and shook his head at Regulus. It was time to move in to 'interview' him. Catching the head-tip, Regulus carefully pulled out his parchment and quill as he steeled himself to actually speak to this Elias Bilberton individual. He would have preferred it if Gaius had succeeded with the Imperius so that the 'interview' would have been a nice idea rather than an actual reality, but this was their alternative, and if he had to momentarily pretend to be interested in the struggles and concerns of the average Ministry bottom-feeder, he would do so for the sake of their mission. And if he did not cooperate, they would just find his home and take care of the problem there. "Pardon me – sir," Regulus said as the man was walking by, tasting something rather bitter in his mouth at the need to be polite to their target. Offending him would be quite counterproductive, however, and he was not going to engage in counterproductive behaviours on their mission. Elias Bilberton paused, looking toward the voice and rather uncertain if it was he who was being addressed. When he saw a light-haired individual (not too long out of school, certainly) looking at him pointedly, he stopped, looking mildly puzzled. "Me?" A slight squirm of Regulus's mouth kept his lips from pressing together. "Yes. I come on behalf of the Prophet. We will be running a story revolving around the less-" competent "-glorified Ministry positions. Would you mind coming with me for an interview? Drinks at the Leaky Cauldron, perhaps – courtesy of myself, so you needn't concern yourself with the bill." Granted, that was not to say he oughtn't be concerned… With an openly surprised expression, Elias blinked at what he thought to be the journalist before him. He could not think of the Prophet ever taking a vested interest in doing anything except condemning or occasionally glorifying their law enforcement. It seemed strange (yet flattering yet staggering) that they should now – and that he should be asked. He knew his wife was waiting – but the Prophet. They might ask someone else if he turned them down, and he was going to be in the Prophet. "All – all right," he bumbled, looking rather pleased with himself. And for a rather different reason, Regulus felt quite pleased as well. After stealing a brief glance at Gaius to confirm that they had their target in the palm of their hands, Regulus turned his attention back to the maintenance man, allowing that feeling of triumph to show vaguely through a guise of appreciation. "How very agreeable of you, after such a long and underappreciated day of work…" Raising his voice slightly so as to allow Gaius to better hear the following statement, "I hope you do not mind that I brought one of my co-workers along with me. He had some questions as well." Looking this time in a cuing manner to his partner, Regulus gestured for Gaius to join them. After all, they were not actually going to the Leaky Cauldron, and both he and Gaius would need to stay together in order to ensure this plan went properly. Elias felt slightly uncertain as the second man was pointed out. He had never interviewed, so he was uncertain if it was typical protocol to have two journalists at once, but he supposed it didn't matter. He as a mere maintenance worker was going to be recognized…"Oh…that's fine, then." Regulus looked to Gaius with a rather more relaxed expression that he had worn just moments before in their preparation stage. Everything was going rather well. "Shall we move on, then? The nearest Apparition point to the Leaky Cauldron would work the best, I imagine." Gaius nodded and led the way to the Apparation point. He was pleased with the way things were going - it had been just like Regulus had said it would be. The man was flattered that they were paying him any attention at all. Gaius guessed that he was probably too stupid to realize that they weren't real Prophet employees. Anyone with much intelligence would have at leasted asked to see a press badge. Maybe this would be even easier than they'd thought. Once at the Apparation point, he waited for Elias and Regulus to Apparate before doing so himself. The atmosphere within the Leaky Cauldron was a stark contrast to that of the Ministry and Gaius had to pause for a moment while his eyes adjusted to the much dimmer lighting. While it was still noisy in the crowded pub, it was somehow more contained and less overwhelming than the flood of conversation in the Atrium. He instantly felt more at ease, even as Elias turned to look at them expectantly. "How do we do this, then?" Elias asked. Gaius suspected he was eagerly anticipating his free drinks. Of course, he had no intention of watching him get drunk while sharing the tedious details of his life, so he reached into his pocket and withdrew his wand once again. This time, he found it much easier to block out the noise from the surrounding patrons and performed the silent Imperius after only two attempts. He looked over at Regulus after he had Elias under his control and gave him a quick nod. For the sake of appearances, he looked directly at the maintenance worker and gave him a tight smile. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?" With a discreet flick of his wand, Gaius sent the man in the direction of the exit into Muggle London. Following calmly after the two older men, Regulus remained silent, subtly scanning around them to make sure no one was observing them. The last thing they wanted was to be caught performing an illegal curse, but everything was going remarkably smoothly. As they made their way into Muggle London -- an area he was remarkably unfamiliar with, given he lived in Muggle London -- he wondered vaguely what accident they would settle for. Would he be hit by a passing bus? Would he lose balance and fall from somewhere or other? He suppose the street truly was the most reasonable way to see to this accident, but he supposed now it was a matter of keeping watch for Gaius. They could not allow the curse to lift because the man would be able to claim he had been Imperiused. That was not an issue with the current plan because he would not be living to tell. Gaius fell back a little, letting Elias walk ahead of the two of them - or rather, making him. "Now what?" He didn't completely understand the concept of cars, but looking at them as they passed by, he wasn't entirely sure that being hit by one would kill the man and not just severely injure him - and that was not something they could afford to risk. They had to be sure that he was completely dead. "Now...I suppose we determine what precise execution we will settle for..." Regulus began in a quiet voice, loud enough for Gaius to hear but not so loud as to capture the attention of any passing strangers. "We need a reason for him to walk out there...a reason for him to be here in the first place...or perhaps we can retrospectively determine a reason for him to be in the area. Perhaps he can buy something...and somehow it ends up in the street, landing him in the position for the accident. Do you have any ideas for how to bring that into fruition, or any alternative ideas?" Regulus pressed his lips together and glanced at the small shops as they walked by. Gaius furrowed his brows at Regulus' words. He wasn't even sure if the man had money with him, much less Muggle money. "Maybe he can steal something. And then go running into the street." It wasn't his best idea but he wasn't sure how else to make it look as though the man had simply wandered into Muggle London and then continued to wander straight into a fast-moving car. He didn't have a problem with that, but Regulus was right - ideally, they should find a way for it to look a bit less like a completely random occurrence. Gaius doubted the man was all that familiar with the area, but in actuality, he didn't know the first thing about him, aside from his name. "I don't really have any better ideas," he added, keeping his eyes trained on the man in front of them. Nodding, Regulus's eyes scanned the shop fronts. "He need only be faster than the people around him. I imagine the frantic nature of being caught stealing is reason enough to go running into the street to escape -- panicking is conducive to mistakes, and running to your inevitable death is very much a mistake." Giving a curt nod, Gaius scanned the store fronts until he saw a corner shop. He sent the man on ahead and into the store as he slowed to a stop outside. He then focused on the road, knowing that timing would be everything in assuring their success. He waited until he saw a bus turn the corner and come roaring toward them. Inside the store, Elias reached for a loaf of bread and tucked it under his arm. As he came tearing through the shop door, Gaius heard some one inside yelling for him to stop but instead, he kept him running straight out into traffic and the path of the fast-moving bus. Gaius didn't look immediately when he heard loud horns and squealing breaks. He hoped that all had gone according to plan and that no additional action would have to be taken but it took him a moment to collect himself enough to look out into the fray where crowds along the sidewalk had already begun to gather. "Do you think he's dead?" He asked, his vision almost completely blocked by several of the onlookers. "I am not quite certain," Regulus said, hesitantly as he shifted a step or two closer to the gathering. "I cannot see anything..." The last thing Regulus wished for was to leave the scene without being certain they had been successful, so gesturing for Gaius to follow, he settled for the fringes of the group. The desire to immediately escape was certain tugging at him, but they had no reason to be suspect. The man had run into the street, and no Muggle was going to assume they had magically controlled him... Getting a glimpse seemed somewhat impossible, but the whispers seemed to confirm that their job had been sufficient. "I think we would be all right," Regulus said quietly, looking back to Gaius. He nodded again, fighting the urge to let a very self-satisfied grin wash over him. Now was not the time, nor place, to be looking pleased by what had just happened. He was, however, very pleased that their plan had worked. But they weren't completely done yet. Glancing around, Gaius nodded toward an alley that would lead them to the back of the corner shop Elias had exited only a few minutes earlier. "We can Apparate there while everyone's distracted." Gaius led the way, eager to return home and leave the remains behind them. Once safely out of sight, he turned to Regulus, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a subtle grin. "Good work," he said, as much for his own benefit as the other boy's. And then taking a quick look around to make sure there was no one behind the shop to see them, both Apparated out of the alley with a characteristic crack! that was drowned out by the sounds of commotion and approaching sirens. |