тєяєη¢є нᎥggѕ (rationalizing) wrote in gbaic, @ 2017-01-29 20:39:00 |
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It was always awkward enough calling in family to inform them of someone’s arrest, but given not only the circumstances of her arrest and current condition but also the fact that Miles was well acquainted with his own position at the Hotel, this was an explanation that was going to be doubly complicated. Terence had made sure the room was well warded against eavesdropping, both mundane and magical, and had rigged the recording equipment to malfunction on command so that there was no official record of their conversation. Terence didn’t want to risk Miles saying anything that would end up jeopardizing his position here. “Mr. Bletchley,” Terence always hated having to be so formal with people he knew, however distantly, but it was just part of the job, “if you could join me in here, we have some things that we need to discuss.” Miles Bletchley had an obvious determination in his step when he’d been escorted to the Ministry. “What’s going on?” the man asked as he entered and the door closed behind Higgs. “Where’s Elizabeth?” “She’s at St. Mungo’s. Her partners weren’t particularly kind when they realized not all of them were going to be escaping. And whoever cast the spell wasn’t particularly concerned with the consequences of doing it incorrectly. You’d think they would have far more faith in her ability to lie,” Terence said, settling down on one side of the table in the room and gesturing for Miles to sit. “They’re still assessing her condition to determine just how much damage she’s suffered, but I’ve been told her possibility of recovery is a good one.” Bletchley pocketed his clenched fists as he walked up to the desk provided for them. He didn’t sit, instead he asked, “So, what sort of dance do you need to happen?” he visibly glanced at the recording mechanism. “I’ve already taken care of that, Miles,” Terence said, following his gaze. “And nobody’s going to overhear us, either. There’s a masking spell on the door and a muffling spell on the walls. But there’s no dance here. She got caught red handed. She’s going to have to be charged. Smuggling, conspiracy, resisting arrest. There’s a pretty decent laundry list of charges that the department’s come up with.” Flicking his wand to pull out the chair, Terence glanced up at Miles with a pointed look. “Sit down, you’re making me nervous.” Terence was so used to being that much taller than everyone, he wasn’t really a fan of someone looming over or near him. It took a few moments of consideration, but Miles eventually sat. His hands still in his pockets, and his posture stiff. “The good news, though. Her condition makes things more complicated, and with any luck, if she does recover, she should be able to cut a deal. We weren’t after her, and she probably knows where we can find the person we are looking for. But that all depends on how things play out from her. For now, they’re not going to toss someone who’s brain-addled in Azkaban. I hope...” Terence wouldn’t put anything past some of the people in charge. “Considering we have various familial connections to a more colorful collection of relatives, we’re yellows. What does this mean for the rest of us?” Miles asked as diplomatically as he could. Clearly more worried about his own standing than any others. “Oh, excuse me for thinking you might actually be concerned about your sister,” Terence said, unable to keep the acerbic edge out of his words as he heaved a sigh, raising a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “Don’t act so damn surprised,” Miles rolled his eyes. “You know just as well as anybody, Liz has never been the sort to give an eye for an eye. In fact she’s fucked a number people out of quite a bit, lately. So- do me a favour and just answer the question...” “You’re both already Yellow. With a confirmation of illegal activity and a charge on file, you will be upgraded to Red. The Minister’s not exactly understanding about stuff like that. But you’re a smart man. You’ll figure out how to get around it.” Miles nodded at the answer. He leaned into the table, “Who hit her with the curse, then? D’you see him?” Terence shook his head, “It was dark, and they were already in retreat. But there was someone with her. Malcolm. I didn’t catch a last name. He might be able to tell you more than I can.” The other man leaned back in his seat, “I know Malcolm…” A hand emerged from his pocket to scratch the tip of his nose. “What sort of deal can happen if I bring in the bloke you’re looking for?” “They’re going to want to know how you knew where to find him, for one,” Terence said with a slight chuckle before shaking his head. “It’ll be up to the people in charge, but at the very least, she’d probably get a reduced sentence. And if her condition doesn’t improve… They might consider letting her serve out her time in the ward there instead of Azkaban. I’m not sure you could bargain down the overall family ranking… But a showing like that, placing yourself on the right side of the law by choice… Maybe. Depending on how you play it, I could even see it getting you bumped down to Green. No assurances, but it’s surprisingly easy to game the system.” Miles’ brow was perked in skepticism, but instead of questioning the simplicity of what was proposed he asked, “Who's the top target then?” “Andrew Gudgeon. He’s been on the run since the Summerby trial, and every time we get close to him, he manages to slip through our grasp,” Terence said, the frustration of the case showing in his voice. “I’d respect his ability to elude the law more if I wasn’t the one having to do assignment after assignment and get nowhere.” “Andrew Gudgeon?” Miles chuckled a bit mockingly before giving other corners of the room a glance as if considering something. He let out a sigh of bemusement before offering, “I can get you Gudgeon. But… all charges against Liz get dropped and our ranking changes to Blue. Don’t care how it needs to happen bureaucratically - but that’s the offer.” There was an extended moment where Terence was quiet, a look of contemplation on his face. “I’ll talk to Vance,” Terence said, looking back up at Miles. “He’s a smart man. He knows an opportunity when it’s presented to him. Especially when an upstanding citizen is offering to help maintain the rules of law and order.” “Great,” Miles nodded, “I’ll make sure my lawyers are on standby for whenever you’re ready.” “I’ll let you know as soon as I have an answer,” Terence said, standing with a slight smile as he waved his wand, dispelling all of the warding on the room so that they recorder would kick in on the last moments. So much easier to make it look like a failure that way. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Bletchley,” Terence said, extending a formal hand to him to mark that they were no longer able to talk freely. “We will be in touch.” |