Katrina Camden, at your service

Sirius was grateful for Kat’s keen spellmanship as it kept their assailants at bay while he recovered from the blow to his table. He shook his head to steady himself again, checking over the top of the table to see how their enemies were fairing. Noting that one was knocked down and seemed to still be that way, he sent a blast at the other three which managed to knock back two of them. “Can handle myself, but four against one can only go on so long,” he breathed out, responding to her previous comment largely because he was still working out an answer to her second. When he looked over the table again, the fourth attacker had vanished, and he felt his heart beat wildly in his chest for a moment, scanning the room quickly for any sign of him. Suddenly, the fourth man reappeared from the furthest corner of the bar, clutching their shrieking waitress in his large arms. With a wand pointed at her head, the man sneered, his eyes pointed in their direction. He had evidently decided that fighting two against one, while his fellow menaces were incapacitated, was not in his best interest. “Oi, come on out, then, or the bird gets it!” he called to them, and Sirius took a moment to glance at Kat, for once without any real instinct as to what to do next.

Kat used the moment of quiet to plan out her next couple of spells. If these guys wouldn’t stay down by themselves she would just have to make sure that they couldn’t get back up again. Maybe a couple of transfigurations to keep them stuck in one spot, or at least long enough for Sirius to send a jinx flying. She knew that she was going to have to use more offensive spells when she joined, and she knew that she was going to have to hurt people to do it, but knowing that fact and being in the moment were two separate things.

It took her far too long to realize that there should have either been an angry buzzing in her ear or the sound of crashes from misplaced spells. Instead there was only silence. That is until the final goon popped up with the waitress. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! She looked over at Sirius for a sign, but the look in his eyes made it clear that he was unsure what to do too. 

Come on Camden, She thought. Use that big brain of yours and improvise.

Her head knocked against the wood behind her as she rocked backwards and took a deep breath in. It was now or never. She was new to this, but she did know that it wasn’t going to be easy. Kat looked Sirius in the eyes and she hoped that she looked confident. She couldn’t think of a plan, but hopefully she could buy him a few seconds to figure something else out. 

“It’s just me!” She shouted as she rose to her feet. “This idiot hit his head too hard after your friend’s last spell.” Pulling all of her years of experience dodging conniving mothers, and sidestepping disputes she looked at the man and lied;

“Let the girl go, it’s just us now. We can figure something out.”

He didn’t have time to look over at her question as another spell was cast at him, and instead yelled, “Not a fast one!” while sending another spell at the men. Sweat had already begun pooling on his forehead as he did damage control; two of the men were continuously sending spells at him, while one other aimed his efforts at Kat and another at the civilians. His body was moving continuously, gratefully having become well-versed in dueling over the past few months, as he tried his best to keep all four of the attackers at bay. Wishing for a moment that they’d been in a wizarding pub, purely for the possible back-up, Sirius took one second to look around for who was supposed to be his partner in this mission. Seeing that she was still with the waitress, his frustration boiled and he ducked to the right just in time to avoid another curse that was flung at him. Not having enough time to say anything to Kat, he rolled to his right again and lifted up, screaming another set of spells at the two closest men. When he ducked again there seemed to be a moment to breathe, and he took that chance to look over at Kat with an incredulous expression. “What’re you doing?! Planning on helping me at any point here? I said the woman needed to get out, not that you needed to—” But he was interrupted by another blast that destroyed his table, forcing him to dive behind Kat’s as quickly as possible.

“What am I doing?” Kat asked incredulously, “These people need help!” She shouted over the crashes and yells. She felt a wave of irrational frustration with him, “You seemed to be handling yourself so I thought I’d lend a hand to those who couldn’t!” The wave came crashing down and she found herself ducking around the table with a yell of “Petrificus Totalus!” She did not wait to see whether the spell hit as she crouched back in behind the table. Evidently, it was not as satisfying as she had hoped, what with an angry sounding lecture coming out of his mouth. Rolling her eyes she waited another moment before summoning a gust of wind to create a debris tornado and flung it towards their opponents. In quick succession, she sent off another spell with the intent to knock someone else off their feet. She felt a short lived moment of satisfaction when her spell hit the target before she had to retreat once again. When Sirius dove towards her, a sour voice in her head wanted to tell him to find his own table, but she found herself curbing her tongue. She could not resist, however, raising an eyebrow and asking far too sassily for someone in the middle of battle “Do you have a plan for getting us and them out of here then?”

-sees the waitress come out and he gets this sinking feeling as soon as she talks because he knows this is going to be the little thing that blows the whole thing to bits, and so isn’t shocked when the door beside him explodes into splintered bits but tries to cover himself as best he can, drawing his wand quickly to launch a quick counter spell and looks over at Kat, momentarily relieved to see she’s already got a blockade up, but is super distracted by the waitress who is screaming her head off while one of the men sends another spell at Kat, and he’s trying to hit one of the other dudes (there are four they’re super outnumbered) but like just wishes Kat and the woman weren’t even there- She needs to get out of here! -throws a nearby table over like Kat did and ducks behind it, tossing out wordless spells and jinxes whenever he gets a chance-

Hearing Sirius, she can’t help but roll her eyes and say under her breath. “No bloody shit” As she speaks she takes a quick glimpse over her table and tosses up a basic barrier before grabbing a hold of the waitress by her shoulders and speaks calmly to her,  “Is there another exit?” In no way did she feel as calm as she sounded. Her mind was running with possibilities and spells that she had not used since duelling club. She tried to compartmentalize her thoughts as the waitress calmed down enough to point at the hallway by the bar. “Okay, step one.” She tried to remember what the room looked like from her quick glance but couldn’t remember all the details. One thing that she knew for sure was that there were still people trapped out there, and they needed her help. People who had just come for a pint and a chat and had gotten tossed in the middle of this. Gathering all of her courage she rose up on her knees and shouted “Avis!” As a flurry of finches provided cover she assembled a channel of tables between them and the bar, pushing the waitress towards it. “Go over there and stay down! Don’t try to make for the hallway yet, I’m going to try to get more people.” Kat waited a moment to make sure that the waitress made it behind the bar before creeping her way forward and alternated between a steady rhythm of “Merlin’stits, Merlin’s tits” and offensive spells across the room. Taking one last breath, she steadied herself and got ready to move...

-was focused on taking note of the people around the house but noticed her get stiff so looked up, only to see the table staring right at them, their cover clearly blown, and so he starts talking as normally but quickly as possible, looking at her with a very serious expression- We need to go. Get your things as calmly as possible and walk closely to me, on my right. -gets up from his seat and pushes it in, waiting for her to do the same-

*grabs her jacket and tries to stealthily keep her wand in the folds of her jacket. She can’t help but try to glimpse over her shoulder and so when the waitress asks if everything alright she sort of jumps and starts to say with a smile:* Everything’s fin- *I’m dramatic af so that is when the spell lands near Sirius and she instinctively moves takes the waitress down and flips a table or something for her to hide behind.* Merlin’s B- *I’m going to say that a spell was flung her way but missed, causing her to flinch and say under her breath* Now what? *I don’t know what else to say, but she eventually realizes that she’s not alone in this bar so she takes a breath and calls out* You, alright?

-runs a hand through his hair as if he’s agitated as well, taking the opportunity to look more toward the window and notes that several individuals have started heading toward the building, trying to pay close attention to their appearances to see if he recognizes any of them/to remember to describe them later, and mumbles to her to maybe make it seem like they’re still annoyed at each other- Anything over there?

*she’s watching them from the corner of her eyes so when she sees a flash of movement- and she is new to this so she cant stop those instincts that when you see a blur of movement you’re going to look at it. So when she accidentally makes eye contact with one of them she can’t stop herself from stiffening in her seat and turning back towards Sirius without seeing if there cover is blown and hazards a warning to Sirius * One of them might be coming towards us. *speaks fast and low to explain/justify herself* Don’t want to turn all the way around just in case he isn’t.

-watches her as she’s talking, nodding along as though he’s listening but really he’s looking both to the left of him out the window and to the right, at the guys at the table, and when she pauses he drops her hand, waving his hand flippantly and leaning back in his seat casually, mostly so he can get a better vantage point of the house, but plays it off like he’s just trying to brush off her concern- M’sure s’fine. Dumbledore’d rather have you doing this, m’sure. -shrugs- McGonagall…she’ll move on. Knows how important what we do is. -scratches the back of his head, leaning forward so he can more intently look at the house, noticing some movement that way, and continues to speak normally- Hey, keep an eye on their table for me, just…inconspicuously. Need t’keep my eye over here.

*if he was paying attention he would have seen her squint at him about “getting over it” because even though she’s taking a more active role she still believes in helping through education and policy and stuff. So she’s allowed to be disenchanted about it, but he way he said it rubbed her the wrong way. Anyways, have more action tag: when he drops her hand she tosses it in the air and looks around all disgruntled like (which isn’t hard atm) as if she’s responding to him so that when she shifts in her seat so she can see the table out of the corner of her eye, it seems natural.* I’m on it. *pretends to be very interested in her fries and drink so it looks more like a tiff than a stakeout*

-is frankly half-listening to what she’s saying as he’s trying to keep an eye on the guys in the back, as well as the house they’re meant to be staking out and everything else in the restaurant while still looking normal, but nods and smiles to keep up appearances, his tone getting even more serious- Well, get one at the ready, ‘cause they’re not looking too friendly at us… -looks down at the table to avoid their gaze and then back up at her with a forced smile, grabbing her hand again and pretends to toy with her fingers all cutely and stuff- So, tell me how quitting went. And don’t be offended that I’ll be half-listening. -glances out the window again-

*Notes how he’s moving around so settles in/leans her head on her free hand to try to balance him out in terms of keeping up appearances* Creative insult coming up. *when he grabs her other hand she straightens up again and makes a show of shaking her one arm out as if it was asleep before resting her hand on her leg where her wand is so she could access it just in case. Gives him a small smile and glances around the room “absentmindedly”* It went as well as it could be expected. *lips turn into a small frown* McGonagall was not pleased. She spent a good hour trying to convince me not to leave. Dumbledore...*trails off in thought* I can never really tell with him. If anything he almost seemed...resigned to it, in comparison. *gets a little frown line in her forehead*Of course I didn’t really give McGonagall an answer as to why I was leaving, but he knew.

-glances down at her hand, a little surprised initially at how easily she made that move, but looks back at her attentively and follows her gaze as she’s describing her observations, now impressed that she noticed all these subtle details that he’d not bothered picking up on at all, and looks at her with a smile, clearly showing that he’s impressed while also retaining the flirtatious air around their table- Damn, well, you’ve got quite the eye, then. Good t’know they stick out more than we do, at any rate. If things go south, always the option t’make some commotion about Abbleby and skirt out’ve here. Good note, Camden.

*does a mini shrug and plays it off as if it’s no big deal* Sort of had to pick it up. *jokingly* A classroom full of eleven year olds with access to wands they don’t know how to use can be perilous. *swirls her drink around* Needed to be aware of everything that was happening or risk taking an errant spell to the back of the head or a student to sneak off. *small grin* I think I can manage some good insults, my sister complains about them enough so I should be able to use that.

Won’t regret it. Promise.

*crinkles her nose in regret* I don’t know, it smells rather foul. *Brings it up to her lips before hesitating* You’re sure it tastes better than it smells?

-rolls his eyes in a playful way at her joke, but his smile doesn’t really make it to his lips and he gets distracted scoping out the place, noticing a couple tables towards the back that have some menacing looking guys at them, but acts as though he doesn’t see them and turns back to the waitress when Kat addresses him- Mm, right, yeah, could ‘get the clam chowder? Thanks, love. -smiles at the woman genially and hands her his menu before turning back to Kat as the woman walks away, speaking with a smile on his face like he’s flirting but his tone doesn’t match his expression- There are some blokes towards the back, look like they might be here to watch out for us. Don’t turn around, just giving you a warning. Might not be able to stay as long as we thought. -winks at her as though he just said some horrific pick-up line, then reaches out to grab her hand from across the table-

*tenses at his warning but tries to play it off as a coughing fit and takes a hearty sip of her drink as she tries to remember what she saw when they first walked in. After a second she clears her throat and shoots him one of the smiles she would wear whenever she had to go to a social event* I think I know who you’re talking about. *takes his hand in hers and traces her thumb over it absentmindedly* Is one of them wearing a Chudley Cannon’s kit? *leans back in her chair* Was surprised to see such an obnoxious orange, especially considering this pub obviously favours Appleby. *tips her head to the side as if she’s responding to his flirtation, but is actually motioning to the Arrow’s team crest hanging off to the side* And by the looks of some of those Arrow’s fans they’re not too happy to see them either.

-decides they look a lil too business-y, or at least he does, because he takes this really seriously, so he slows his walk and takes her hand, looking over at her with a casual smile to remind her of the ~image~ they’ve got to put out, then walks as leisurely as possible till they get to the pub, then opens the door for her and picks a table right up against the front window, the perfect view of the house they’re watching; orders them some drinks when the waitress comes over, then turns to talk to Kat in a lower voice- So, we’ll have to converse like normal; dunno if anyone here’ll be listening in. Just…keep looking, if y’can, without making it obvious. Maybe ‘m the most borin’ bloke you’ve ever had dinner with, yeah?

*jerks to a stop* What? Oh. *continues on matching his pace and overall vibe until they get there* Converse like normal, got it. *rests her chin on her hand* Oh I’m sure with all my past experiences, *teasing* and your dull demeanour I can pull off the bored date no problem. *gonna say that the waitress comes back with the drinks and addresses her but also a little bit Sirius too* Could I get an order of chips as well please? D’you want anything? 

-nods- Yep. ‘Member, ‘m gonna apparate us a few blocks over, then we’ll walk like we’re just some average couple t’the pub ‘cross the street from the location, ‘nd wait there t’see who shows. -waits for her confirmation that she’s ready, making sure he’s got his wand and whatever else he needs, then apparates them like he said, starting down the dark streets together-

Right, *bobs her head and mostly talking to herself* I do this all the time, this is just...extreme people watching. *braces herself as they land and pushes all of the self doubt she has deep down and reminds herself why she’s doing this, forcing her walk into cool but confident strides* 

Y’ready?

*rolls her shoulders and smiles to hide a bout of her nervousness* As ready as I’ll ever be. *takes a deep breath to center herself* Might as well get going, yeah? 

-snorts, not having been looking at her when she said that last bit, and nods with a grinning smirk- Damn right they are. Look, ‘know McGonagall never would’ve taken you under her wing if y’weren’t talented and a damn good witch. And we need talented, damn fine witches and wizards in this fight. Need people with good wit and skill to get the job done. ‘nd just the fact you’ve been gunning t’do this for months now s’enough evidence that you’re true to the cause. Y’got my support, if no one else’s.

*speaks breathily, trying to convince herself* Right, yeah. *grows more confident as he goes on his spiel* Some tricks of mine might be a bit rusty, but I’m sure I can fix that without a problem. *sweet smile at the “y’got my support”* Thanks Sirius, it means a lot. *takes a deep breath and offers her glass with a smile* Well cheers then, to actually doing something.

-can see that she’s struggling to get these words out and come to terms with this, so kind of quietly lets her work through that, politely waiting for her to fully ask him what she’s trying to get out, and smirks a bit at her slight sarcasm- True, you’re probably right about that. Y’know, I’d just tell ol’ Albus to his face, right? When you’re quittin’, just tell him, “Albus, I’m doin’ this so I can join the resistance, so either use me or waste me, your call.” He’s not an idiot, he knows your value, he’ll get you into the next meeting and from there you’ll get started. -points his fork at her- Just–don’t let him convince you not to do it.

*snorts* That will be quite the conversation. *over-dramatic voice* “Thanks for this opportunity professor, but here’s my notice. By the way, any chance I could use you as a reference to join your merry band of rebels?” *takes another sip of wine because damn! she’s doing this and a lil more alcohol aint gonna hurt right, but then pales* Forget Dumbledore, what am I going to tell McGonagall? flushes at “know your value” because even now she has doubts that she’s even qualified and stammers the next part.* Thanks, for that. *takes a deep breath in* Right, don’t let him talk me out of it. I’m sure I can manage that *sheepish smile* after all, being stubborn and headstrong are essentially the missing fourth and fifth Gryffindor traits.