The next day found Tina, Graves with Newt and some other Aurors were around a table watching the new photos from today's corpses as Graves was trying to hold back his wrath because somebody makes his job worse because he cannot catch him and every time he was ready to catch him, he disappears with the result the anger of Percival Graves to grow up day by day and everyone they were hoping that Newt would have managed to change the opinion of his friend to help them or they should start looking for another job.
''Mr. Scamander' said the president as he entered the hall wishing to see a hunter but she was faced with some scary Auros and Tina with Newt staring at the floor and a very angry Percival Graves. ''Where is Miss Red?''
Newt sighed and did not know how to say that the woman who could help was gone because this morning when he got up and went to the hunter's room to wake her up the room was empty and it seemed like no one had ever slept in the room . Newt was ready to say something when the room door opened and Ara walked in saying.
''Sorry for being late. I got caught up enjoying my last few minutes of not being here''
The woman walked into the room wearing black leather clothes and her white hair was on a ponytail with no trace of make-up, she sat in a chair and put her legs on the desk grabbing the envelope by Graves's hand ignoring the other presentations.
''Where have you been? Asked Newt with relief as he thought she was gone after the conversation he had last night in his living room.
''What the fuck are birds so excited about at 5 AM?'' Growls Ara throwing the envelope on the table as Newt laughing as he knows that the hunter is mourning the morning wake up. ''I miss Romania's cold and the wake after 12 noon''
Newt quickly gave her a cup of coffee as he knows a lot of bad and even more sarcastic can be without coffee, the others watched the interaction between them and it is very weird about Newt to see him talking to someone and looking at him at the same time but the weirdest at all is that Newt touched his hand on the woman's shoulder and vice versa without Newt to be disturbed as everyone knows he did not like physical contact.
"Newt says that you were skilled at discreetly burying dead bodies" said Tina trying to draw the magicology's attention away from the woman and to hide jealousy from her voice with great success but why the hunter keeps staring at her as if she knew something Tina did not know.
''You say that like it's a bad thing'' said Ara as if it were the most normal thing in the world. I want all the details of this case! "
"The first body have been found in the church on Pike Street in New York City hung up side down without eyes" Tina answered as she trailed her eyes over the file."The second victim was found in a cellar of wine in a restaurant and our last victim had been found by a woman in the market "She murmured quietly, then sighed." All of them were non-Maj "
Ara was silent for a while, trying to process everything.
"Whoever did this has, no imagination"
The colour drained from Tina's face and Newt quickly held up her hands. "Calm down, she is trying to scary you. She is not that scary. She used to do bullet."
"Which gives me the skills in need to strangle you with my feet" Ara mocks, suddenly delighted."I have more imagination that him " She announced softly, as though they weren't right in the middle of a conversation.
Graves, Tina and Newt were watching the woman as she at a chair a put her feet on the table.
''The table is Italian'' It was the first thing that the Graves said.
''So are these heels'' She answered sarcastically and Newt tried to hide a smile. Tina turned to stone when she saw it in front of her.
"Like I said , no imagination "Ara lifts a perfectly sculpted eyebrow." I know gangs who use metal pipes, kitchen utensils, hot wax, melted plastic, spices. I know someone who use knives to skin people alive and force them to eat it.. "
As Ara continues to speak about the turture methods, some people turned their head at her in disgust, some women wanted to puke hearing the detail of and others were shocked of Ara, the way she spoke of those things, it was like those things was soo common for her like the morning coffee before work.
After been focusing on the files for almost over three hours and refused to see the pictures of the victims, Ara stand up to leave the room but the woman wanted to make spectacular exit.
''I'm returning your nose. I found it in my business'' said the woman trowing a blue file over the desk
''Why-what-t''
They all watched is a shock as their boss stumbling over his own words but he cannot say anything as the woman left the room with Percival Graves after her.
''Oh,'' Newt thought.
Everyone watched as their director frozen in his place watching the woman walks out of the office, smirking.
"Come back!" Graves announced, getting up to his feet and marching out of the room."NOW!"
The woman chuckled, then hout taking her eyes off of him raised her shotgun, ready to shoot him."I am not one of your lab dogs, my dear Director!"
"You really think that you could stick your nose in my business without me noticing?"
Graves noticed the woman's nervousness and tried to understand why she was acting this way but when he heard her voice there was no trace of nervousness. 'Which of was your favorite part of my life?''
He asks his friends about her and they told him that she is worse than Gellert when it comes to killing people. He heard that she actually make their lives a living hell. He was told that Ara will stalk them and let herself being seen. Then she would capture them torture them for a few years and then she will drain them of wetter and by putting salt in their wounds so their wound won't heal as fast and then she would let them go and repeat the cycle till the person go crazy commits suicide.
"I want you out of my building!"
"And I would like to have a pony but the life is a bitch!"
Graves blinks rapidly at her and immediately fires three fast curses spells towards her opponent - but Ara disapparates with a faint pop, reappears 5 feet behind Graves and she pulled her guns from her thigh holsters.
There is a moment of stunned silence.
"Careful what you do to a good woman..you have to deal with the monster you created," "Newt says smugly, as mutterings break out amongst the spectators.
Graves stares in disbelief because honestly Ara -
"You hit me!"
Ara actually looks somewhat perturbed. 'You may be the fucking director of the MACUSA .' She glances down at the gun in hand. 'But this is not stopping me from kick your ass"
She pulled the trigger and promptly disparates from her starting position. Graves calls up a shield spell and the stunning curse rebounds off of it, but a grenade Ara threw sends flying Graves' way from his new position sails right through, forcing Graves to duck. She turn up down a table using it to blocks a returning curse dematerializes out of the way of a second and sends a knife towards the auror from behind her. Graves barely avoids it, and Ara has already gone by the time the next spell is thrown in her direction.
Graves temper snaps.
'Will you STAND STILL so I can hit you!' he roars.
The spell that Graves used against Ara was a jinxes aimed to distract and annoy - one to coat the floor beneath Ara's feet in ice, another to try to knock her legs out from under her.
Above them, Tina can hear Newt lose his composure entirely and start laughing. Ara can clearly hear it too because her face turns even redder than previously, which Newt honestly hadn't thought was possible. Graves wonders if he ought to suggest that the woman get her heart checked by a man- she looks awfully stressed.
Graves drops his shield charm and sends a jet of white-hot flame spurting out of the end of his wand towards Ara. She hastily relocates herself to the other side of the room, but Graves simply turns and the flames turn with him, setting three-quarters of the arena on fire in one sweeping motion. She can't see Graves try to hit her with a spell - the flames are cutting off any direct line of sight. Graves shouts something that she doesn't quite catch over the crackle of the fire and the flames surge towards her, rapidly consuming the safe ground.
'Asshole.' She mutters.
She'd somewhat hoped she wasn't going to have to resort to this. She's not entirely sure where in the arena Graves was last standing, but she is fairly confident that the man isn't daft enough to set the ground immediately around him alight. Luckily for her, she is very good at the apparating blind.
She tucks her gun back into its holster and takes half a step forward, pushing off her right leg. She disapparates mid-step and reappears just to the side of Graves, driving a roundhouse kick directly into the man's chest and catches him around his waist, apparates both of them slightly into the air and twists Graves towards the ground. She can't see man's face, but she's not imagining the panicked spike of Graves' magic as he hastily casts a wandless cushioning charm. It's likely the only thing that stops Grapes from breaking part of his spine when they impact the floor.
She attempts to pin the man down, but in addition to being older than him, Graves also has the advantage of bulk. Graves gets a knee between them and pushes her off. She rolls away, takes a glancing blow to her ribs before finding her feet. She just about brings her hands up into a guard position to stop a series of mid-level punches as the man falls back on her boxing training. The impacts send him reeling. For a split second her guard slips. Graves takes full advantage, driving a punch into her's throat.
The woman staggers backward, tries to take a breath in - fails and chokes. She slams both of the heels of her boots into the auror's back, who pitches face-first into the wooden floor. The woman turns her downwards momentum into forwards roll and comes to her feet in a smooth motion, then endlessly grab Graves' wand to her hand. Around them, the magical fire sputters out.
She waits to see if Graves attempts to get up, but the man appears content to lie face down on the floor of the arena, groaning slightly.
'Yield?' She asks, her voice echoing slightly due to the amplifying charms spelled into the ring.
It takes Graves a few attempts to form the words, but eventually, he manages to croak out 'Yield.'
She sighs in relief, then startles as cheering erupts from above him. She'd somewhat forgotten that they'd had an audience. She glances up briefly and gives a small smile to Newt, who's waving enthusiastically. Then she turns back to Graves, who is in the process of gingerly attempting to sit up.
There's quite a lot of blood on the man's face, where his nose had smashed into the ground. Probably a broken nose.
She ignores him and strides towards the exit.
From the other side of the building Seraphine managed to make it all the way to the top floor of the MACUSA building simply by glowering at anyone who tried to get in her way. The woman slammed the door of Graves' office open so hard it knocked a very lovely framed watercolor from her all with a crash. Percival's head snapped up at the noise, but when he saw who.
"Can I help you?"
The door swung closed behind her, and Graves was alone with the President, who was fairly vibrating with suppressed emotion.
"You know perfectly well why I'm here. How dare you!"
There were only a few people alive who could've caught the self-satisfied twitch of Graves' mouth, but unfortunately, Seraphine was one of them.
"She is a warlord."he murmurs and Seraphine feels her shoulders tense.
Graves blinks at her for a moment before his eyes narrow. "You were aware of this?" he asks, and."You brought a murderer here?"
"Yes , I was aware of that " The president says flatly."You like it or not , the woman has the skills, the sources to help us, so be a good boy and play nice with her"
Graves rolled his eyes, finally deigning to stop his work and turn to face Seraphine.
"You're joking."
"No" She smiles sweetly.
"She hit me!"
Seraphine doesn't look happy with his answer though."You attacked her first!"
Graves comes to a halt a few steps ahead of him. He doesn't turn around instantly, just looks ahead at the trees and the sun for the moment. It's evening, the sun is starting to cast orange shadows across the sky. Graves looks at them for as long as he can before he turns to Seraphine.
"She is a non-maj!"
"She has captured your special attention," it was a statement since the evidence was clearly written on the man's face.
Graves looked at his friend hoping to mask the truth behind Seraphine's words. "She is murderer," he replied trying to convince himself.
"For Merlin's pants, Percival. Just make peace with her and let her help us because as faster we finish with the case, she will be out of your life."With that, the woman went back to glaring at the man before her. Graves raised a brow at her in confusion.
"Fine"
"Be careful," she warned.
"It's me," Graves gave her a cheerful smile before taking off.
Seraphine sighed, watching him go. "That's part of what I'm worried about."
Another, quieter clang and two small thuds lead Graves further into the lockers of Aurors and toward a side room. And then he rounds a corner and is met with—Ara's back.
Ara's bareback.
When he does that, his every move is a casual invitation to look, and they're all equally easy for Graves to ignore.
'I've been in far more than my share of fights and I've never had that many scars!' He thinks to himself as he analyzes every scar from the woman's body.
There were several cuts-whip cuts- zigzagging across Ara's' back. He saw the mark of hands and chains around her neck.
The scars get concealed, the old wounds hidden away, everything carefully prepared to be seen. But this Ara isn't like that at all—this Ara is Ara uncovered; and Graves's raised a hand unthinkingly to touch even before he glances down Ara's' side—
But he was sure that she was assessing whether or not he was a threat. He'd seen that look in the eyes of some of the bruisers and hardcore scrappers in a cell. Everyone else might've had said they were crazy, but Graves was sure that if he could stare down a cornered lion, its eyes would set perfectly into Ara 's face and everyone one of those prison rats'.
"Graves," she says.
Graves frowned but kept quiet, memorizing the tattoos covering Ara's' arms and torso. Playing cards, skulls, cursive script, roses, hell he could even see an eagle in the overlapping collage of black and white images that seemed to mesh together into one cohesive picture on Ara's pale flesh.
"Take a picture." She grumbled darkly, narrowing her eyes at Graves as if daring him to keep staring without permission.
"I'm sorry about the file but I don't trust people very easy," Graves assured her, the depth and gravel of his voice both surprised her and soothed her. As he spoke she could feel her eyelids slowing surrendering to sleep under the influence.
"I know the feeling."She smiled slowly.
"Look I don't like you and I can see that you feel the same." Graves manages to get out, each word drawn from his lips."But because my boss is a bitch for another word we must work together!"
"You're sure you can handle my temper if I am in your team?" She asked, with a cheeky grin.
"Somehow, I think I could manage."Graves rumbled, and even though he was grinning now, he wasn't joking.
Ara just smirks at him kind of patronizingly. Like she is looking down on Graves, even though Graves is the only person, room There are not many things in the world more annoying than that look. Soon the air grew thick with a tension that could be cut through with a knife.
The President cleared her throat from the doorway and both Graves and Ara straightened in their positions ike they'd been caught conspiring.
"Everyone is waiting for both of you" Seraphine's face was grim.
Upon the observation deck, Newt watches his boss depart the ring then ran after Ara. The memory of their expressions during the duel is going to remain one of the highlights of this entire trip.
'Nice to know your friend is as terrifying as ever.' Abernathy remarks.
Newt beams. 'You should have seen her when we sparred last Christmas. She'd just gotten back from a trip in Asia. "
Any nebulous plans regarding that scenario are put on hold as Ara finally appears on the observation deck. Immediately a loud chorus of applause, along with a few whistles, breaks out.
'Sorry for the delay.' Ara says." "Percival Graves is an asshole with the narcissistic issue. I spent a little while trying to convince Graves to go to the medic's wing.'
Newt watches in amusement as Tina struggles for a moment and then seems to find his voice. 'For his broken nose? Surely he could have fixed that himself?'
Ara shakes her head. 'I was more concerned about his ribs, to be honest. The last time someone pulled that last move on me, Newt fractured three of them.'
All heads snap around to Newt, who shrugs. It's the truth, after all.
Tina and Queenie look fairly stunned.
'You broke three of your friend's ribs?'
Newt and Ara don't seem to quite comprehend the reason for everyone's disbelief. Newt walked over and hugged her. Then, they both grabbed their coats to go to the diner to celebrate. They walked past a corner, in shadow. In that shadow was Graves. He wore the face of a man whose world had come crashing around him. He found his match.
Porpentina Goldstein was absolutely perfect in Newt's eyes. Newt Scamander wasn't perfect in anyone's eyes. His smile was crooked, he was too up and around, too energetic, too annoying, too weird . No one understood him, not even Theseus or his mother. But then he met Tina and her brown eyes, bright smile, and middle-head bore into Newt's soul and made him feel like there were fairies in his stomach. The only problem was that he didn't know what to say to her.
She visits his suitcase often, helping him tend to the beasts and listening to him talk about and to them. She never minds when he starts rambling about all his special creatures, and she finds it endearing when he compliments her using the only metaphors that come to him easily. Your eyes are like salamanders.
Still, even though he knows Tina understands, Newt wishes he had the words. It would be so much nicer if he could just do what Jacob and Queenie do and trade affectionate whispers or call each other names that mean nothing to anyone else. It would be better than his awkward motioning and fleeting eye contact.
"What are you working on there, Newt?" Tina asked, looking over the man's shoulder. Newt covered his paper with his arms, blushing as red as his hair.
"N-nothing. ," he stuttered out, whisking the paper off the desk.''I Am thinking about Ara!''
"Oh ." Tina scoffs as she tries to hide the jealousy in her face and voice.
"It has been four hours since the last time I saw her. Maybe she has been kidnapped." Queenie says wearily.
"Sorry, what?" Newt interrupted, wondering if he'd heard correctly."Ara knows about 30 different ways to kill someone with a paper clip, and she tried about 20 of them on me when I tried to stop her"Newt said looking around the table."She'll escape in, what, twenty minutes? We just need to remember to bring enough body bags when we go pick her up."
"Have you lost your mind"
All the head turned at the direction of the voice, a very angry and worried Theseus Scamander stormed into the MACUSA looking for his brother.
"Of course have you."Theseus didn't really mean it; it was more a kneejerk reaction than a reasoned response.. "That woman has ICE in her veins, Newt. There is nothing she won't do. And she will set shit on fire for the sole pleasure of watching it burn."
"You don't know her." Newt said, his tone silken, his voice smooth over the emotional equivalent of a layer of broken glass.
Theseus shifted his fierce gaze from Newt to the window, Graves come out of his office to see what is happening and why are those screaminngs.
"What is going on?"Graves asked , looking curiosity between Newt and Theseus.
"You must threw that woman out of MACUCA."Theseus growled. "Red is a monster and maybe is the one who killed all those people."
Newt grabbed Theseus's wrist and pulled him back forcefully." She will never do that. She may kill for money but never for fun."
"Have you forgottenfor for who she used to work?" Theseus hissed as Newt took hold of his arm, and he pulled away from him with a glare.
"What?" Graves muttered, leaning back in his seat. Theseus looks at him smiling.
"You don't know?" Theseus asked cautiously."This is precious."
"Theseus," Graves snapped."What are you talking about?"
"Don't you dare Theseus. Fuck" Newt swore quietly, running his hand through his hair.
"She is a monster."Theseus hissed across the table."She i use...-"The word was barely out of his mouth when someone knife slammed into the chair next to him. He froze, mouth open in shock.
Newt and Theseus turn their heads toward Ara Red. They both knew that she was too good to have hit him at such close proximity, but it was the threat that made him pause.
"Do not insult one who could kill you without a second thought." She advised calmly.
"You wouldn't " Theseus said uncertainly.
"No." She agreed. "But I wouldn't want to upset Newt." She let that thought sink in for a moment.
She didn't wait for Theseus to look away before returning her attention to Graves.
She smiled. "I'm guessing," she said slowly, "before I came back Thesesu has told each of you what a," her voice changed seamlessly into a flawless mimicry of Theseus', "bloodthirsty, backstabbing cunt I am." She smiled as she said it, that same wolfish, unfriendly grin Theseus would have used in saying the same words, then switched back to her own accent. "And he probably backed that up with some choice stories. I want that shit dealt with now, before any of you go inside my head."
"You have to leave."Theseus said, his eyes flicking to Ara with clear irritation.
"Dont worry, darling," she said, so low no onr could barely hear her. "I would like stay here with my Fido. But, honestly, I do tend to leave the country quickly whenever I've committed murder, whether there's any chance I might be fingered for it or not."
Theseus nodded grimly, and Newt was a little pale, but he didn't look too freaked out. Well, his best friend was a warlord. Even though he usually help her , even though she was currently trying to discover whether or not someone else had done something illegal and morally indefensible, she was dangerous woman. He knew that, and he liked her anyway.
Newt his head. ''Where have you been?''
"I'm was busy''
"What did you do?"Graves demanded, trying not to sound aggressive.
"Really?" Ara asked, and she didn't sound angry or confrontational, just confused. Well, her tone was maybe a little harsher than usual, but she didn't seem to be trying to start a fight or anything." I asked around for information . ."
"Ι didn't found something." She replied honestly, meeting Graves' eyes. "I swear, if you actually start growling I will flick you on the nose like a naughty puppy!''
They both stilled for a moment, breathing heavily and startled by their suddenly intimate proximity. Unable to help himself when faced with the all too familiar sensation of restraining Ara, Graves leaned in.
Graves' eyebrows rose"You find nothing?."
She shrugged one shoulder. "It happens," she said with an air of indifference.
"Not to you, Red," Thesesu countered.
Ara scoffed, and looked towards Newt, for help, to make the man leave, Newt wasn't really sure, but he was having fun watching Ara squirm at bit. He wasn't going to tell his brother leave, yet anyways.
"What you want me to say?"
"That people lost their trust in me because they found out that I work with MACUSA ,or that I lose clients one by one because they think I got in the light side of the law."Ara confessed, gripping the edges of the dess, her gaze to the floor"That is you want to hear?"
Theseus frowned, turning to face her and considered his answer thoroughly. "No," he naturally replied.
Ara looked up meeting Theseus's gaze as soon as the monosyllable left her mouth. "Good,"Ara barely whispered in return, her eyes as sad as Newt had ever seen. His heart clenched at the sight.
"Can we work now please?"Graves asks.
"I agree "Ara stepped forwards.
"The world is falling apart." ,Newt stated after overcoming his shock.
"Newt!."Tina reprimanded.
"What? ! Ara refuses to agree with someone or admit she is wrong."continued Newt pouting."I know her."
Ara smirked widely and Graves turned away to smile out of the window. It was so obvious that they have feelings for each other.
"We found a body"Graves said slowly, licking his lips. Ara had to force herself not to watch the slide of his pink tongue over the plush curves, keeping her gaze on Graves' eyes.
The woman was looking at the photo. The victim was a man in his 30s, without a wife or children. From a rich family with no siblings. The man's body was nailed back to a tree with a branch back to his heart, his fingers were cut off, but what piqued the woman's interest was that his ears were missing from the corpse.
"Miss Red?"
She seemed unfazed.
"Your thoughts?"
"The first victim was missing his eyes!"Ara started, brow furrowing."The second victin was untouched, I meant that it had all the part of his body, it been found at the market thawing away like it was nothing."She continued as Graves settled back into one of the chair, interlocking his fingers over the table. "But the last one..."
Newt frowned and turned around to face her."What it's?"
"You know who difficult is to do this?"Ara pointed at the picture."Put someone on a tree, on a fucking tree, you want a lot of time..."
Ara brow furrowed even more deeply, and Graves wished that he could erase the expression from the woman's face, but that would involve tipping too much of his hand.
"Why took a lot of time making all those things?Why him? Why not the others?"Ara said, glancing at Graves."What it was so special about him?"
"Whoever is this person, it not the first time who kill" She murmured softly
Tina spouts what is apparently her question."How do you know?"
"Missing parts" said Ara and Graves at the same time as they looked at each other and then at the file because there is also red in their cheeks and they try to hide it but it did not go unnoticed by the President and Newt.
"The stitches around the wounds are so clean and perfect. This person knows what is doing" Graves answered just as casually. Even from the corner of his eye, he could see that her expression gave nothing away.
"We gathered informations for those three but they had nothing in common"Tina says , looking at Graves.
"For us!"Ara pointed out."Maybe the victims had something in common and only the murderer could see!"
"Or we have a crazy looney around the t..."Ara said like a reached back and smacked her of the head.
Newt frowhed at her ''We will not have another Cyprus' situation''he said like a stern parent. Tina almost laughed but covered her mouth to stop herself.
"Cyprus?"asked Graves seeing the anxiety, the anger and the pain that radiates from the face of the warlord.
"Oh, Cyprus" Ara said in a tone that meant that there would be no further discussion.
"Anyway" Ara with a smile pulled a knife from her jacket's pocket."I will talk with some 'friends' of mine , to see if they know something!"
"And now, I am leaving because i have more interesting things to do."
She started to walk out but turned to give her friend another knowing look and a nod before walking out of Graves' office.
At the midnight, Ara sat at the bar tapping her fingers on the sides of her glass. Some wizard bars and on occasion she'd wander into a no-man bar when she didn't feel like being recognized. Sh'd never get extremely drunk, he liked to people watch to pass the time.
Today she was at a little wizard bar on the opposite side of town, people recognized her.
"The warlord!"
Ara chuckled.
Dear ,Merlin.She really heated when people call her a warlord, she was not a politician or a leader, she was a fighter, a murderer.
She built to kill and manipulate.
She was , perceptive and held herself with a grace .Despite this she hated being a warlord, she hated being posh, she hated the insipid little idiots she was expected to socialize with. She was almost unbearably smart, snarky, compassionate, and broken
She had been abused for a huge part of her life until a knife got stuck in the hearts of her parent. It was the first time she got a little taste of power and blood finding herself like it. Power gave her control, over her people and her life.
It gave her control over her own future, a privilege that too many underappreciated and threw away like scraps to the dogs.
Ara Red had never been so foolish.
However, power alone was not always enough. She saw with clarity that it was how that power was wielded that ultimately mattered.
She had discovered that the most productive use of power was to incite fear. Love was fickle and could often be bought or undermined, and loyalty was rare and useful but ultimately transient in accordance with the follower's own desires and goals.
Fear, however, was pervasive, seeping into the mind and soul like a cancer and taking root. Fear could cow the brightest spirits and crush a rebellion before it had even begun.
"Hey," comes a light sultry voice on her left. Ara looks over to see an attractive man, brunette hair, "Can I get you a drink?"
"I have one." Ara states, motioning to the drink in her hand and then taking a sip.
"I see," The man replies but he doesn't leave, instead he sits on the stool beside her much to Ara's annoyance, "What are you doing after this?"
"Going home," Ara mumbles in a bored tone, taking a sudden interest in the scorpion pins on her cuffs, polishing them off.
"Want some company?" He pours leaning over towards him.
Ara looks over to him. "No, thank you. "
The man shrugs his shoulders, "Well if you ever change your mind, you know where I am." He smirks at her and sends her a wink as he slides from his chair and saunters off.
Ara was used to meetings like that. Often men would hit on her at bars and sometimes even women. She used to like it when she was alone, she didn't have many close friends so the attention was nice.
She ordered another glass of whiskey when a voice said."Still addicted to whiskey, I see." The husky voice had her reaching for her gun at the same time she spun around to face a concerned-looking face of Elijah Mikaelson.
Elijah Mikaelson anyone that holds the name Mikaelson is surely a threat to any creature that dares cross its path with them. They are well known for the destruction and the death that they bring anyone that dare try to cross them. However, only a handful of people were spared from the ill traits of the Original family and very few that still struck the hearts of even the evilest and twisted men.
"What do you have for me, Elijah?"
Elijah stands there staring at the woman before him. He had been shocked when he had met Ara for the first time when Klaus come to America with the warlord in his arms. He had fallen in love with her and wished that she could see it. Instead, she finds that love is a weakness just like his brother. They all love her, even Rebekah, but they also honor her choices.
However, even if she doesn't believe in love, Elijah will be working to gain her love. Kol has mentioned that he, too, would love to woo the hunter.
Klaus had growled at them both, stating that if he finds even a hint of them forcing themselves on her in any way, he will kill them. She is his.
"Absolutely nothing for you"Elijah stated, and carefully watched Ara's face to see his reaction. Instead of what Elijah was expecting, a resigned recognition, confusion flashed over her face.
"You gotta be kidding me!"
Elijah gave her an apologetic look and Ara sighed.
"This job is a pain in my ass and I took it two days ago!"She argued, sounding tired.
"I still can't believe that you work with MACUSA!"
... "Shh!" Ara touted and covered Eligibility mouth.
"Lot of ears!"She made a motion around the room turning her gaze to the Vampire."I am not work with them. I am just a consultant"
Elijah frowns.
"Consultant for..."
"Killing!"She smirked."I am expert on this sport!"
Elijah stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face," You sound like Niklaus!"
Ara snorted. "Sound like?"
Elijah gulped his fifth shot of whiskey looking at the woman. "How is your life at MACUSA!?"
Ara never sat with the other co-workers during breaks and lunch, they could be found gossiping and bragging about their lives, while Ara either remained silent or no where in sight. Not a soul at MACUSA knew a thing about her or her personal life. A side from her name, and the fact she was Newt's friend who had recently moved to New York City from Israil.
It had only been 3 since she had left her home and moved to America. There were two other women who shared the office with her. A short, stocky woman, seemingly around the age of fifty-two, who was named Susan. The other girl wasn't much taller than Susan, but was as thin as a poll. Ara knew she was twenty because she seemed to mention it every other day. Her name was Beatrice.
Only by them people outside of the office can leard things about the hunter. They had learnd hunter hates tea and three day a week she visit the gym at MACUSA, she prefer drinking whiskey of vodka instead of coffee in the morning ,she carry almost six weapons with her and she is master of torture.
"And don't make me start with Newton's last pet!"
Tina has a bright personality with bouncy brown hair and a contagious smile. Basically, she is the polar opposite of Ara. Something about the joyful sound of Tina's hopeful, happy voice made Ara tear one wall down and be kind for once. The innocence in her voice reminded her of someone she used to know. Tina had yet to see the true horrors of the wizarding world. Ara couldn't find it in her heart to be bitter or sour towards her.
"Are you alright?" He spoke softly. "Would you like for me to join you?"
"No, I'll be fine. Enjoy the rest of your night. I shall see you again soon."
Ara slowly and quietly opened the front door to the mansion. She crept inside, and shut the door silently. Three steps in and the room is as dark as he had left it earlier that evening. There's someone sitting in the living area.
"You're late."
Ara flicks the lights on, gun already in hand, but in the new light, she can see it's just Newt lounging on the one-seater by the window. He's staring at the ceiling and only when Ara takes another step in does Newt's head turn on the armrest to face Ara with a look of bland amusement. Behind Newt, the skyline of New York stretches out dark into the light.
Ara puts the gun away. Says" Newt, don't do that!"
"I could have killed you. Anyway, you souldn't be at MACUSA and where is your pets?"Ara poured out questions.
"Waiting for you to return home. I must say, I was a bit astounded when you weren't home at most by eight," Newt replied, coolly."Ara-.."
"Can-" She interrupts him, stopping her pacing and catching his eyes for a moment. "Can I have a drink?"
Newt nods and fixes them both a glass of scotch while Ara continues to pace through Newt's living room, from the front end of the kitchen isle to the sofa and back. Newt can hear how Aria takes a shuddering breath every now and then and from the corners of his eyes, he can see that she runs her fingers through her already pretty disheveled hair time and time again. He sets the decanter down, takes a deep breath, and turns around, a glass in each hand.
"Here," he says as he places one glass onto the coffee table in front of the leather chair. "Drink."
She stops dead in her tracks and watches Newt walk around the coffee table and sit down onto the couch. Her eyes are as wide as saucers and her mouth is slightly open. "Yeah," she murmurs when Newt is settled and leans back against the backrest. "Yeah."
"Tell me what's wrong," he asked quietly, taking her hand in his.
"The last mission was very ugly."
There it was. Newt sighed, holding on tight to his friend.
"M'sorry Ara, that's just-"
Aria squirmed again and Newt let her readjust to lean against the couch. Newt reached for a blanket and wrapped it around his friend's shoulders.
"Get it out Ara."
"I'm a monster, Newt. I'm a child-murdering monster."
"No, Ara , you're not."
Newt pulled Ara to meet his eyes but Ara focused on her lap, tears falling. Newt sighed and pulled her into a hug again.
"You are not a monster Ara. You're a human being. You were medically discharged woman; that happens sometimes. You're a survivor and I'm sorry that by being a survivor you're also suffering from things you'll probably never tell me about."
Ara sniffed, and after a minute she got up from the sofa. She swiped away the tears nodding awkwardly.
"You are amazing, "She said putting a hand on his cheek.