Darkened Eyes You See

There was once a time when he would have fit into a place like this. Dressed nicely, trimmed beard, a walk of confidence about him, but that was all gone now. He was getting better, sure, but it was a slow process. He was still much smaller than he used to be, gaining weight was never easy for him, but he actually fit into normal sized clothes now. None of his old suits, all perfectly tailored to him, were of any use to him now. They were all too big and looked absolutely ridiculous on him, so he dressed like a normal wizard, which he hated. He was always about standing out from the crowd, being different, now he just blended in and he needed it that way.

Not many people knew about him being out of Azkaban, and the few that did, thought he had been released. His getting out had been kept very hush hush because of the repercussions it had. He was the leader of the Death Eaters, well if you asked him he was the alleged leader, and now he was out. If it got out the public would freak, they all saw him as some sadistic monster, when in reality he hated the Death Eaters. They were mindless drones who used to do whatever he wanted without question. It was humorous, really, he had once had them set Diagon Alley ablaze just because he wanted to see if they would do it. Fools, the lot of them.

But one of them had betrayed him, one of them had alerted the Ministry to him being their leader, and that was why he was captured. Everything he had worked for, all the progress he made, it was put to a complete stop. He no longer had a mindless army, Silvyr was still around, Sophie was gone back to Russia, and he had not heard from Whight since his release. Everyone who had once been in his chain of command was gone except one. So now he was back to square one, well, almost. He had one person to take out.

He did not know who it was that had betrayed him, but they were foolish to think they would get away from him, he would find them and he would kill them. Slowly, painfully, he would watch the life drain from their eyes. It had become an obsession to him in Azkaban, one of the few things he thought of that kept him going, and now that he was free he would exact his revenge. It was about sending a message, that message being, it is not smart to F*** with Aaron Marcheti. He had been given his position of power for a reason and that reason being that he was terribly powerful.

Now he sat in the corner of Satans, his eyes scanning the place for a female, the person who had allegedly stepped up to his post. He heard the Death Eaters had crumbled since he had been gone, at least that is what Silvyr had told him, and it alarmed him. He wanted them to grow in power, not diminish, he needed them after all. Now he needed to get back into the loop, he needed to contact their current leader. She probably thought he wanted to take his position back from her, but she was wrong, he did not want it for now. He had too many other things to take care of first before he tried to reclaim his throne.

He had asked Silvyr to get into touch with her, to meet him here, he wanted to be in public. He did not trust her in a private place, he knew nothing about her, and he did not want to be taken advantage of in his weakened state. Here, she would not cause a disturbance, at least he thought not.

Katrina-Carlotta was... facinated. The former Death Eater leader wanted to meet her. The witch knew exactly what had happened to the man, her connections always had been rather impressive. His choice of Satan's had been most interesting. The woman wondered if this had been the man's home turf, or perhaps a common hangout. It would certainly make sense for a person to want to meet someone like her on their own ground. But it wasn't his home turf anymore, it was hers.

True, she hadn't been in this country for long, but the dark witch knew Satan's incredibly well by this point. The Du Hunt had done the basic checks on all the regulars, and could tell when the bartender was having a slightly bad day. It was a far cry from anything she'd ever called home, but it was good enough for now.

There were a few reasons why Aaron Marcheti could want to meet her. He may want his leadership back, but considering his past that was unlikely. He may want revenge on the Death Eaters, which was possible. However, Katrina-Carlota just couldn't see the man attempting to destroy the group. Running away from the Death Eaters and completely ignoring that he'd ever been one of them was a small possibility, but then the wizard wouldn't have requested a meeting with her. In the assassins mind, this left only one true alternative. The man wouldn't rejoin them, but he would be involved somehow. Using the group for his own ends, came to mind. Still, she would tread as she always did.

It had amused her a bit that the ex-convict wanted to meet with her. She wasn't even the Death Eater's leader, not really, not yet. The current leader was Lorcan D'Eath, but anyone who thought about it could tell that was only temporary. Lorcan was brilliant with finances, and he was the owner of their headquarters, but the man held a distaste for anything he considered dirty work. Katrina-Carlotta was already gearing up to take over. She'd spoken to Lorcan very briefly, and had read between the lines. The witch would need to have another talk with the half-vampire, much needed to be done if she wanted to get the Death Eaters into any sort of decent shape.

The woman did wonder just how much Marcheti knew about her, considering that almost everyone dark knew her name. Katrina-Carlotta Du Hunt, infamous assassin. Practically all the governments in Europe were after her, including the British. The dark-eyed woman had traveled the world, picking up dark magic from every country she passed through. She'd fought in numerous wars, killed warriors, kings, and politicians alike. She was an assassin who never failed, and a had a tongue so sharp legend said it could cut. The European had laughed when that one had gotten back to her. She'd had the same reaction upon first hearing the comparison between her and Bellatrix Lestrange, the witch hadn't been sure if she should be pleased or annoyed. It was a complement, surely, Lestrange was powerful and practically unbeatable. However, the witch was also insane, lost in the darkness. No matter what the newspapers portrayed her as, Katrina-Carlotta would never allow herself to become that.

Striding into Satan's, her eyes immediately drew towards the unfamiliar man in the corner. Sending the man a short nod, the witch strode straight towards the bar. Before she had gotten half way there, the barman was already reaching for the wine she preferred. Scooping up the glass when she reached the bar, a nod was all the bartender received for his efforts. Finally heading towards the man she was here to meet, Katrina-Carlotta slipped into the seat across from the male who had requested this meeting. "Well hello Aaron Marcheti," the woman said, words smooth as the flat side of the dagger hidden in her boot.

Aaron noticed her as soon as she walked in, it was not hard, he could tell when someone was walking with a purpose or an air of confidence. Most people walked through life, looking for direction, needing someone to coddle them all along the way. Then there were people like Aaron and Katarina, who knew what they wanted, and they did whatever it took to get it. Even though Aaron was nowhere near what he used to be, he never lost his stride, and he would never lose his pride.

He had to be careful with how this meeting went, she was a powerful witch, but powerful witches/wizards were his specialty. There were numerous times he had stared in the face of someone who was a so called "powerful" wizard and it ended with them at his feet. Ne'os Emof, Lorcan D'Eath, Felix Barker, all notorious dark wizards and all of them were under his thumb. It was all about offering them something they couldn't refuse, and all dark wizards wanted the same thing, power. Offer a person power and they will do whatever it takes to have it, even if it meant serving another man, idiots.... all of them.

She slid into his booth and Aaron watched her carefully. It was not noticeable, he had a keen awareness that was unmatched by any, but he was watching her every move. Any quick movements, any change in body language, he would spot it. It was all important, whether the person thought so or not, and Aaron would catch it before it was too late.

"I am not a man who likes to waste other peoples time, and I certainly don't want to waste my own time, so I am going to get straight to the point." He was blunt, he was serious, he wanted his vengeance and he would have it. "I was betrayed by a Death Eater and I spent six months in Azkaban, this much you know. You may not be the leader of the Death Eaters yet, but everyone knows you are next in line, and that wanna be villain Lorcan does not have the stones to keep the title to himself. So as the next in line you can give me what I want, and in return, I will give you something that you want."

She may not have known what he had, but he knew more than she could possibly know, Aaron still had a spy in the Order. Silvyr was forever loyal to Aaron, and he had been taught everything he knew by Aaron, so Aaron knew his information was always valid. Plus he also had ties with a certain someone, the leader of the Order, Jack Dyllan. "It really isn't that complicated, we trade services, simple as that. I want the name of the Death Eater who betrayed me and I give you direct access to my informant in the Order."

He leaned forward and he crossed his arms, he did not want her to try and counteract him, he knew he had the upper hand when it came to offers. "I know you don't have your own spies, and Silvyr would never betray me, so it seems this deal is kind of tilted in your favor. But would you give up one of your own? The answer needs to be yes, because if you don't, I will find out who it is, personally, and then I will destroy the Death Eaters. Don't think for a second that I couldn't, because as powerful as you think you are, trust me when I say that you would not stand a chance against me."

He nodded his head and then he sat up. "So tacky threats are, never been a fan, but alas it is what it is. I am sure you have your counter threats and all of that jazz, but again, I do not want to waste any time. So, what do you say we skip the whole destroying of each other route, and go right in for the mutual friendship? I'm quite friendly, really." Mixing threats with hospitality, it was fun, a nice little curve ball. He was sure she would appreciate his straight forwardness, or she would get angry, he never could tell when dealing with their kind.

As the man directly across from her spoke, the dark witch was analyzing his expressions. Everything that came out of his mouth was what the man himself believed to be the pure and honest truth. It was rare to come across someone with his amount of power that didn't just play games. Then again, the wizard had probably figured that any games played between them would likely just come to a standstill.

Aaron was interesting, very interesting. Katrina-Carlotta had always liked interesting. Seeing no problem in allowing the wizard to know this, the dark witch looked into his eyes and simply said, "You're an interesting one." His eyes told her that he was at least proficient at both Occlumecy and Leglimency. That was unsurprising. She was a master of both as well, along with memory manipulation.

"You're correct, I don't have an informant inside the Order. I have a plan to get one, but that doesn't mean information wouldn't be appreciated," the witch told her companion smoothly, before pausing. "I am currently unaware as to who betrayed you, but it shouldn't be too hard to find out. There really is no need to threaten me into giving up a name, it's not as if I'd want a possible traitor among my ranks in any case," Katrina-Carlotta told the wand maker honestly. "If they betrayed you, the chance that the same person would try to betray me is a little too high for my liking, considering the price placed upon my head," the witch continued with a smirk and a single raised brow.

"You know," the European started, shifting to take a sip of wine, "I think I actually liked you, until you underestimated my abilities against your own. Really Marcheti, if you've opened a newspaper anywhere in Europe within the last ten years then you'll at least know some of what I can do. It never pays to be over-confident, I've felled many a wizard with that mindset."

Eyeing the posture of the wizard whom had not long ago resided in Azkaban, it was fairly obvious that his back was bothering him. "You really should do something before your back gets any worse, do you- never mind, of course the British don't have any spells for that sort of thing. The incompetence of this country," Katrina-Carlotta spoke aloud, most of what she said a low mutter that she was almost certain the man would be able to hear.

Taking another sip of her drink, the woman wondered just what the male would think of her accent. Almost every language she spoke, was with the accent of the native country. The only exception to this was English. Her English was perfect, but held a slight accent of both Russian and German combined. The result was rather interesting, and the witch had never cared to get rid of it. It was amusing, since the way she spoke caused most to assume that she was from at least one of those two places. In truth, while she knew her way around both Germany and Russia quite well, she'd never truly lived in either one. Katrina-Carlotta had always been a fan of throwing people off.

He wiggled in his seat when she mentioned his back, she was right, his back had been giving him problems. He had plans to get it fixed but he wanted to live with the pain for a bit, it drove him, it let him remember where he had just come from and it helped to keep his mind focused on revenge. Maybe it was a bit morbid, sure, but it worked.

"I have underestimated nothing, don't confuse my confidence with foolishness, do you think I have not opened the papers or heard of you? Katrina-Carlotta Du Hunt, lived in multiple countries, never attended Hogwarts or any other school, known assassin who was trained by two no name dark wizards, you have traveled and you have left chaos in your wake, and here you sit thinking that is some sort of accomplishment. That you deserve some sort of medal for your crimes, well, they don't give out medals for murdering people. They hunt them and they try every way in the world to kill them."

"Now try and find information on me? What do you find? You find real accomplishments, things people think they care about. They see an accomplished wand maker, a business owner, a people person who would go out of his way to help someone out. But is any of that true? Do you think Grindlewald or Voldemort spent their young lives wreaking havoc on everything they saw? No, they acquired power in secret, without having to worry about being chased down by some foolhearty auror who wanted to put their head on a platter."

"Hopefully you see where I am going with this. You are powerful, that much is certain, but do you honestly believe you are on the level of some of the greatest dark wizards? Look at me, I am almost ten years younger than you, and yet we sit here as equals. By all accounts you should be trying to murder me because I am a threat to you, whether you want to believe it or not, I COULD kill you. I could stop everything you have worked for in your entire life with the piece of wood in my robe. I do not underestimate you, I have estimated you quite well, but I do not fear you as you do not fear me."

Aaron stopped his rant, he certainly had not lost his ability to talk in his stint at Azkaban, but everything he said was true. Aaron was off the radar, he had been caught as the head of the Death Eaters, yet here he was a free man. No one was any the wiser because he got that idiot Jack to sign off on him. AND SHE KNOWS he is a Death Eater. Sometimes it was like child's play with some of the people he knew.

"You don't need to have a plan to get your own spy, I already have one, and he is good. True power comes from patience, not rampaging through the streets and flicking your wand in peoples direction, trying to get your name in the Prophet for your own egotistical goals." Aaron eyed her wine as she sipped it, he was never a fan of alcohol, he liked being in control of himself at all times. Plus it did not help that he became drunk way to easy. He only drank when he knew he had to so that he could gain someones trust.

"Excuse my rants, you must understand, I have been in a position of power for a very long time. I am not used to people talking to me on equal terms. My words are not threats or insults, simply me trying to get my point across, I do not think of you as a lesser witch if that is your worry. I know that if you pulled out your wand we might duel into the early morning, but you are too extreme in your ways. How can you gain anyone's trust if they are trying to kill you?" It was true, he was so used to dealing with people sucking up to him or trying to prove their worth, in all honesty it was nice to speak with someone who considered themselves equal to him. It was refreshing and it kept him grounded.

"I can heal my back at any time, but I don't for a reason, it is a constant reminder of what was done to me. When my task is accomplished, I will heal it, but for now I am fine." It was half true, he was not fine, but he did need the reminders. It made sure he woke up every morning and took care of business that needed taking care of. "You can call me Aaron, by the way, I hate being called Mr. Marcheti. My father was Mr. Marcheti, and I am nothing like the man, he was a good person where as I am not."

( I was thinking of having the betrayer be an NPC, cause I am going to murder the balls off of him. )

Katrina-Carlotta had not been this tempted to disembowel someone in years. First, the man had the nerve to insinuate that she was just some kind of dark attention-seeker, and likely did so to make up for lack of true talent. Then he basically told her that she'd never achieved anything to truly be proud of. The witch had multitudes of non-dark accomplishments, not that all whom liked to paint her as a crazed villain would acknowledge that. After all this, the wizard had the gall to inform her that he was certain he had her pegged quite well. Really, she wanted to fight him and see what he thought then, but now was a time to be civilized.

"Marcheti, I have traveled, murdered, and caused chaos, but I don't consider any of this an accomplishment. My accomplishments are what I learned on my travels, what I gained through those murders, and the distractions I caused through that chaos. I thought you were supposed to be smart, did you not consider that everything that ever ends up in a paper is there for a reason? To be used as a distraction while I attend business on the other side of the world, to prove a point to an enemy. I never do things without reason," the witch spoke simply and with little emotion. This little man just didn't understand anything outside his own little country.

"You consider me foolish for painting a target on my head, I would usually agree. However, I have never once been caught. Not due to skill, though I hardly lack it, but because I've layed plans, while you assume things without knowing. Every government boasts how they are hunting me. How may Aurors are assigned to my case? Not a single one. The European governments have long ago learned that anyone assigned to me never wakes up the next morning, not even making it through one day of duty. I took out quite a chunk of wizards, but they've learned. No-one is hunting me, I'm hardly that foolish," the woman eyed up the man across from her as she spoke. It always did amuse her when intelligent people saw two twos and mentally assumed twenty two, instead of four.

"You tell me that I don't know the definition of a real accomplishment. No, I can't craft a wand. But I've done more for this world than you, of that I am certain," this came out bitter. Katrina-Carlotta really couldn't help it. When she'd been in her early twenties, her travels had brought her to Africa. Needing the practice and having nothing to do with herself, the witch basically lead and helped win a revolution. The European's reputation in that continent was of a powerful and wonderful mistress of many magics, who was ruthless in war, but was the person whom millions owed their freedom. She was practically a bloody god there. But Marcheti didn't know her, she wasn't the witch who would do absolutely anything for power, though she did like it. Katrina-Carlotta's obsession was control. The two were so similar that they could often be confused, but the woman always knew what she wanted. In the end, control over others wasn't even her primary wish, it was complete control over herself and her doings. Again, both things were closely related, but not the same. If the had Du Hunt wanted more power, than she would've had far more of it by now.

"I could kill you because you're a threat," the woman admitted bluntly, "but you are useful, and interesting. You're of the impression that we sit here as equals, but I promise you that we are not. You ask if I could compare to Voldemort or Grindlewald, but I would never want to be either of them. Both were far too lost into insanity, and did not understand the definition of the word adapt. Considering that I have taken down both Light and Dark Lords of other countries, because England isn't the only place in the universe, you know, I say that I'd likely be able to hold my own against either in a duel," Katrina-Carlotta spoke, her tone thoughtfully. While the two dead lords would've had the advantage of power, she had the most unique and diverse dueling strategies of anyone she'd ever met.

Taking a breath, the witch pursed her lips a bit at said, "you must excuse me as well. Despite popular belief, I do not thrive off my reputation. Nor am I exactly or only what it entails. I shall call you Aaron or Marcheti, no Mr. You may address me as Katrina-Carlotta or Du Hunt, whatever pleases you." With that, the dark witch raised her drink to her lips.

(( NPC makes sense, we can come up with a random DE... or... Katrina-Carlotta has recently killed a nameless NPC DE. That could be a twist. ))