InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "LOVELY BUNCH OF COCONUTS"

zacharias is a particularly good finder (overlooked) wrote in pandorarpg,
@ 2011-10-31 16:53:00

Entry tags:

!status: complete, ^date: november 01 2003, character: cade warrington, character: zacharias smith

Characters: Zacharias Smith & Cade Warrington
Setting: DMLE holding cells, 8 a.m.
Rating: PG-13 - for swearing currently
Summary: Last night Zacharias just wanted sex, instead he got to spend time in lock up.

How the fuck was this his life? In the past twelve hours things had gone from boring but normal to turned completely upside down. Slumped over the small cot in the corner, he was staring at nothing in front of him. Zacharias had been looking forward to excitement, he certainly never expected to be the center of it all. He scrubbed his face with his physically clean hands, hoping he was just going to wake up and this was going to be not real.

He could still feel Potter's blood all over him, like he would never be clean again.

And to think they thought he was the one who killed Potter. If that was the cause he wouldn't have gotten caught standing over the body like a moron. Hell, if he had killed Potter there certainly wouldn't have been that much blood. It just bothered him. No, Zacharias Smith would have done a much better job of it - not that those sorts of thoughts and the I'm not really thinking here comments they prompted were supporting his case. Merlin, he just wanted to go home.

As far as he knew they couldn't have any solid evidence on him, which meant that they couldn't keep holding him. Zacharias Smith might have been arse, but he wasn't dumb. He knew his rights. And while he might have been a little bit screwed, they weren't going to lock him away without something more substantial.

Hearing someone outside his holding cell, he looked up again. "Time again for another round?"

(Post a new comment)

godofwar
2011-11-01 04:23 am UTC (link)

Cade knew that technically he shouldn't be down in the tombs, where they kept the worst prisoners being held, and he definitely shouldn't be seeking out Zacharias to speak with him. It wasn't his case and it would likely be frowned upon. But strangely enough, Potter's death had finally given Cade the one thing he'd always wanted - full recognition as an Auror. And as an Auror, he was allowed access to the holding cells without supervision.

Cade supposed he should thank whoever killed Potter for the favor, but he wasn't feeling so generous.

He wasn't feeling particularly generous towards anyone at the moment. He'd been up for approaching forty-eight hours. While he'd stayed up longer before, his mood grew exponentially worse as the hours dragged on. So Cade's black mood was this side of pitch when he stopped in front of the cell holding Zacharias. "Trust me, Smith, you don't want a round with me," Cade said quietly.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

overlooked
2011-11-01 04:53 am UTC (link)

Zacharias shook his head, a dry laugh escaping him when he realized just who was outside his cell. Cade Warrington. Well, wasn't that just special. "I don't know," he said, leaning back against the wall, "those seem like odds I might want to take." It might even help to get him out of his damn head for a moment. Because if he wasn't getting out of this cell anytime soon, he would take whatever he could get.

"All I've been doing is sitting here, so I could use the exercise." He stretched his limbs a little, putting motion back into his body and shaking the heavy feeling in his head. Zacharias was honestly exhausted, but that wasn't something he was going to show. Instead he would do what he had always done best and just default to his basic setting. "That or breakfast, funny how peckish this shit makes a man."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

godofwar
2011-11-01 06:11 am UTC (link)

Cade snorted at Zacharias's claim. They both knew the likelihood of Zacharias standing any sort of real chance against a trained Auror in a fair fight was slim to none. And Cade didn't fight fair. Approaching the bars, Cade arched a brow. "The only exercise you'd likely get if we went a round would be from you running away." It was a joke, harsh and unsympathetic much like Cade himself.

He watched Zacharias stretch, knowing the narrow cot he'd had to lie on wasn't even approaching comfortable, but all Cade said was, "The body's needs don't care for circumstance. Lucky for you, you'll likely be getting out of here soon. Well. I doubt you'll consider that luck after too long." The papers had already hit the stands and Zacharias was likely to find himself persona non grata soon enough.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

overlooked
2011-11-02 01:21 am UTC (link)

"Well, I can an exceptional runner." He could even be sprightly if he needed to be. Zacharias also wasn't to be underestimated in fight, but that also depended on his motivation for starting the fight in the first place and while he might lose when it came to wands, fists were a whole a different ordeal.

"Which is to say they don't have a damn thing on me to hold me any longer." Not that it came as any surprise. He had already been here long enough, so long that he was actually looking forward to returning to his crappy flat. "Although, it sounds like I might be front page news along with Potter." He really shouldn't have sounded amused, but he just didn't know how else to respond.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

godofwar
2011-11-03 09:02 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, there's no doubt about that," Cade said without a hint of humor or censure, just a simple statement of fact as far as he was concerned. "But don't get ahead of yourself. The Ministry might not have anything to hold you on at the moment, but don't think for a moment they won't take the first excuse they can find to drag you back in here." He gave Zacharias a pointed look. "Especially with you sounding so pleased with yourself."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

overlooked
2011-11-04 01:27 am UTC (link)

"That right there sounds like justice." Not that it wasn't expected, it was the new world order brand of justice. And here he was caught with the boy-who-lived's blood on his hands. They wanted a villain and for whatever reason he had been cast in that role. Maybe that was chance, but his ability to fill that role was just classic Zacharias Smith digging his own hole a little deeper.

"So, just between you and me, do you think I did it?" He wasn't sure if Cade would answer the question, but he had to ask.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

godofwar
2011-11-04 04:11 am UTC (link)

Cade knew exactly what Zacharias meant about the Ministry's brand of justice, but he merely shrugged. "It's better now than it used to be. At least you're being released instead of held indefinitely." It was the something public would likely have preferred in this case - it was the beloved Harry Potter who had died after all - but the ministry had actually learned to do a few things right over the years.

Zacharias's question didn't exactly surprise Cade, but he hadn't been expecting it either, so he took just a moment to answer. "No. I simply don't think you're that stupid. At least in this case." It was the honest truth, unvarnished.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

overlooked
2011-11-05 01:41 am UTC (link)

"Right? I mean not at all my style and just unnecessarily messy." It was one part sarcasm, but far more parts truth. Not that Zacharias Smith really spent any time thinking about how he might kill a person, but he imagined if he did it would be a much cleaner operation. And it certainly wouldn't happen when he was about to get laid - that was just sacrilegious or something.

However, if the cards weren't already stacked against him, he was doing a great job of doing that himself. "Unless that's..." he cut himself off before he said it. Not that stopping himself once proved he was any smarter or more tactful.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

godofwar
2011-11-06 01:29 pm UTC (link)

"I can't say I've given much thought to how you'd murder someone, but I do know you're at least smart enough not to stand around covered in your victim's blood for someone to find you." It would be a stupid mistake more common to a crime of passion, and while Cade knew that there were plenty of people out there who were no fans of Harry Potter - present company included - Zacharias was the only person at the Gala to be found covered in blood. As far as anyone had seen, anyway.

Whatever. It wasn't Cade's case to bother himself with, and he was ready to leave Zacharias to his own devices, but that aborted statement stopped him. "'Unless' what?" Cade asked with sharp interest.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

overlooked
2011-11-06 02:34 pm UTC (link)

A better man would have said nothing. A smarter man should have made up some lie to cover his arse. Unfortunately, Zacharias Smith wasn't really any of those things. He was just a man who had been stuck in a cell for far too long and never knew when to hold his tongue. "Unless I did do it and wanted you all to think it was out of character for me."

Yeah, that was exactly the sort of thing he should say to an auror regardless of whether he was a friend or on the case. Honestly, that probably wasn't something he should say to anyone. And he really did have it right the first time.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

godofwar
2011-11-06 02:44 pm UTC (link)

Cade closed his eyes briefly and resisted the urge to bang his head against the cell bars. Or better yet, bang Zacharias's head against them. "And on the other end of the spectrum," Cade finally said, slowly and with infinite control. "You've just proven yourself too stupid to have come up with a plan like that. Smith, you're very, very lucky that I'm not on this case and that I'm under no obligation to report this conversation." Cade stepped back from the bars, more to help keep himself in check than anything. "Now try not to say anything else that completely moronic before you get out of here."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

overlooked
2011-11-06 02:52 pm UTC (link)

Zacharias couldn't help but smile. Maybe this was what going crazy felt like. It certainly sounded that way to him. Surely, no sane person would be upset that he was just told he was too stupid to commit a murder that he knew he was innocent of. "I'll do my best," he said that smile just growing a little. Not that his best would be probably be enough, but he really didn't have much of a choice. Right now, he just needed to focus on sitting down and keeping his mouth shut so he could get out of here.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

godofwar
2011-11-06 03:01 pm UTC (link)

He'd do his best? The look Cade gave Zacharias was clearly doubtful, but all he said was, "You do that." He started to leave, but paused and took small package out of his cloak. It was one of his reserve rations that he kept on him at all time - just in case. He pulled the tab to activate it and warm the food inside, then tossed it through the bars to Zacharias. "It's designed to not leave a trace, so it'll disappear in twenty minutes. Eat fast."

That done, Cade left Zacharias to eat - or not - and turned his mind towards the case he could do something about: that of Dmitri Zurlo.

(Reply to this) (Parent)