Talbott waited outside the training room, rubbing his hands together, before shaking them freely trying to ease the growing in pain in his muscles. He knew training with Moody would be hard, however somehow it was always harder than anything he imagined. Thankfully he had a sort of a head start ever since Mirunna was training them back at the camp. Even Jasper somewhat helped increase his endurance in certain matters and tasks.
Fake or not, it helped and there were a lot of lessons learned down the road for all the time spent there, so it was not all for nothing as he initially thought.
He suddenly jumped, thoughts focusing back on the reality of the moment when he heard Mirunna yell out "Come on Talia, harder, faster, think of this dummy as your enemy!" A strained groan travelled through the closed door, several punched interacting with the hard material. She had a different way of training, more physical when it came to it at the end of the day. Yet it appeared that sort of effort was a better match for Talia since she was more used to it. It had been her way of dealing with anger at the end of the day and she showed more discipline as well.
More sounds resonated from inside the training room, Talbott focusing back at the door when something solid was slammed against it "Again Talia, shake it off, back up now yeah?"
"Merlin's beard this is impossible." However he did hear her pick herself off the floor, rapid footsteps signalling she charged directly at the opponent or whatever she had to face.
Resting his head against the wall, images from their training days flooded his mind. She was rather calm and collected when having to deal with an opponent or just train in general. He could read the concentration on her face, how her features hardened all at once under the pressure of the moment, yet she did not back out. She stood her ground all the time.
Even when she faked loosing against Jasper, she still gave him a run for his money. That was how she always handled things. Even as she bowed her head, she would grit her teeth, glare directed his way from under her hair as she mocked him internally. She would lose her footing on purpose, despite her balance being rather good. She would not dodge on time, daring to take a hit, despite it hurting her. Yet Talbott could see on her face how she always chose her moment, knowing exactly which would hurt more and which would not.
A yell bounced off the walls, Mirunna berating Talia "Where is your mind, where is your focus? Think of it as Jasper. Again."
Talia was quick to retaliate and raise her voice "Don't you dare mention that name in front of me." Once more she was hurled to the door, slamming against it, this time more violently. If it was one thing Mirunna did not agree with was insubordination and Talia crossed a line with opening her mouth to retaliate.
"You do not get to make that decision, it could very well be me saying it or anyone else. We're done for today, we're already three hours over the normal programme."
With that as soon as Talia picked herself up from the floor, the door flung open, Mirunna offering a nod Talbott's way, dreadlocks falling to her face "Alright?"
"Alright." Passing him, Talbott directed his eyes towards Talia. She looked worn out, sweat coating her brow, hands and legs red in some placed, spots that would surely form bruises in a few days. She shook her head as she rubbed the back of it, cursing under her breath as she picked her stuff off the floor, a dangerous glare being directed at Mirunna's back.
There she was, raw and dangerous, a sight not many got to see. But they believed it would serve her well in the battles to come "Let me shower first please. I am livid." All Talbott did was nod his head and let her get going, telling her he would wait outside for her since he needed some fresh air. Being locked up for too long in a room with poor ventilation was not ideal.
She did not take long, usually being quick to get ready no matter the occasion, stepping outside fifteen minutes later, looking like a new person. The redness in her cheeks subsided slightly, as she managed to calm down the temperature of her body with a warm shower. Or cold by the looks of it, since her skin felt cool to the touch as he extended a hand to take her bag "Hungry?"
"Sure, starving. Diagon Alley?" and just like that with a smile she was back to her normal self, the one Talbott came to know better than anyone in her life.
As they walked towards their destination they chatted casually on the topic of training and how it was working out for both of them. It was alright for most parts, it was required and they were actually getting the crash course, pushing themselves, learning in a few days what others would in a couple of weeks. It had to be done, as the entire Auror camp misshape alerted the Ministry, made them look for signs of corruption and new dark organisations possibly surfacing.
As they navigated through the busy streets, passing Gringotts Bank, Talia's name was called out from the crowd. Bill Weasley waved, urging the pair to approach him and a stranger. While Talbott kept his normal pace, he suddenly saw Talia passing him, eyes set on the person Bill was with.
The moment she was in his face, she immediately addressed a question "Do you know Jasper Munday?" as the answer arrived in the form of affirmation, Talbott froze near Bill not understanding what was happening. Her eyes darkened like the sea on a stormy night, all traces of the clear turquoise colour vanishing, the muscles in her jaw visibly tense.
"He asked about you darling, a lot of questions." Talbott lifted his brows slightly as the thick accent reached his ears. It was not British by any means but he did not have more time to dwell on it. Next thing the boys witness was Talia's fist delivering a clean uppercut, knocking Bill's acquaintance on his back. She did not waste a moment as his teeth clattered together, her body following his, another punch breaking his nose.
Bill and Talbott had to pry her off him, the man laughing as he remained on the ground, blood painting his face red "Missed you too you bitch."
"Are you mad? Both of you, what is all this?" Bill was stupefied and entirely blown away by the sudden violent display. Talbott turned a pair of questioning eyes towards him as the man picked himself up, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.
"Let her go and I will hit her, just so we're clear." A sickening sound resonated through his skull as he rearranged his nose, groaning at the pain that made his eyes water "Fucking Hell Talia, you're as vicious as ever."
"I'll show you vicious you good for nothing excuse of a man." She struggled against the arms holding her, eventually lifting hers as if surrendering "Let go." Slowly the hands holding her unravelled, her looking as if ready to sprint from her spot, yet refrained from attracting anymore stares from curious passers.
"Care to explain why you jumped him?" Bill offered her an exasperated look as if he was ready to pull his hair out. All Talia did was frown, pushing back a few stray hairs that were in the way.
"No worries Bill, this is not uncommon for her, though you do have more bite now." Talia took just one step forward, the man tensing under her gaze despite his frame being much larger than hers.
"He is Lazlo, former Durmstrang student, current curse breaker. I'm guessing you're here to answer questions about your brother Karol aren't you? When you see the cunt, tell him I'm coming for him." Lazlo spit to the side, however he did not appreciate her words.
"Look here you little shit, I didn't know what Jasper planned alright. I don't give a shit who you are or pretending to be to be fair, but he is still my little brother and I need to find him before he does something he'll regret." Running a hand over the top of his head, he sniffed his nose, pulling a used napkin from one of his pockets to dab the blood "He threatened us, but I know Karol hates you more ever since we've been shagging."
Bill opened his mouth but no words came out. Talbott remained in the same position as if being carved in stone, glare directed as Lazlo. Talia however just let out a mocking laugh "Don't flatter yourself, you can barely get it up."
If he did not want to punch her then, it was evident he was willing to knock her teeth in for that sole comment "Not my fault you're an intimidating whore, you look ready to kill a man in his sleep or snap it off." That single line earned him a kick between the legs, Bill pulling her back before she delivered another one to his face.
"Who are you, what is all this?" her eyes lowered to the hand holding her, Bill letting her go the following moment not wishing to be hit as well.
"Another insult out of your rotten mouth and it will only get worse." She warned looking back at Lazlo "What did he ask, what did you tell him?" it took him a few more minutes for him to get back on his feet, but eventually he started speaking once more.
"If I had known I was dealing with a" he looked around as if afraid to speak the name "Crane, I wouldn't have touched you with a ten foot pole. Jasper explained what to look for, he showed me and my family pictures of your parents and believe me when I saw Constantine's eyes it was clear you were his daughter. You have the same cold and lifeless eyes he does." Talia shaped her hands into fists at her side ready to pummel him back to the ground "But I didn't say a word, Karol figured it out on his own. Even if you're a bitch, having to go through that made me understand more about you."
Talia was quick to retaliate upon hearing his words "I don't believe you."
Gesturing towards her, he cut the air between them with his hand "Well you never did now did you? You only used me. So who is that, your new toy?" he pointed a finger at Talbott, Talia quickly taking it ready to snap the bones under his skin. One look however was enough for Lazlo to figure it out "You care about him." She did not understand what he saw on her face at that very moment, yet it appeared it was something he never seen directed at him despite wishing so.
She let go of his finger, turning on her heels "I don't want to see your face again Lazlo."
"Right." As she took a few steps creating some distance he called out to her "Talia! You're in danger." However she did not turn to look at him, she knew very well how it has always been. Talbott stood there, eyes travelling between Lazlo and Talia, in the end offering Bill an apologetic look before sprinting after her before she reached the Leaky Cauldron. She almost recoiled from his touch when he grabbed her hand to turn her around on the spot, yet chose not to. Something about how Talbott looked at her, silent anger igniting his eyes alongside so many questions spoke volumes for her.
She let her head dip, eyes closing as she regulated her breaths, calming down the anger that swelled inside her chest "It clicked in my head the moment I saw him. He was the only element in common, the only one I saw once after graduation. I don't know how I didn't see it earlier, I'm getting rusty."
Talbott's fingers gripped tighter around her hand "Due to me?" his voice was low, rumbling from within his throat, sounding deeper than usual. As she looked back up at him, somehow she would have preferred for him to yell in her face, anything would have been better than how he normally displayed anger.
"No, it's not because of you, don't say that." Letting out a heavy sigh she knew it was not an ideal time to keep silent "I'm sorry you had to see that. There isn't much more I want to discuss on the subject though." He kept looking at her, rarely blinking, however he let go of her entirely. If she did not enjoy his company in the slightest, then why did she sleep with him? How much wider could his knowledge have been that she used him back when they were students?
"How much more surprises are there Talia?" the dark colour of her eyes has not yet dissipated entirely, however some bright lines were starting to make their way through as she continued to look at him, words failing her altogether "How many times will I be caught off guard trying to make heads and tails of your behaviour?"
"What did you expect, for me to stop and tell you the story then punch?"
"Yes, exactly. Think before you act." Raking his hands through his hair he saw her shaking her head in disagreement "What now?"
Getting up in his face, they were ready to both explode in a full on fight "And you think you always have time to think? I'll tell you now before that delusional bubble bursts, you don't always get that chance. Sometimes you need to act and fast, because your life or that of someone you care for can make that difference, that split second that you stop to get lost inside your head."
His eyes widened in a dangerous way, his entire demeanour telling her to take a step back, yet she remained rooted on the spot.
"I can't start telling you all the details, all the people I know and what conversations I had with them. What I can tell you though is that the majority of people from my past will act just like Lazlo. They don't like me because of how I acted towards them. But I will not sit in front of anyone apologising for it, not even you." She studied his face, eyes back to the darkness she displayed towards Lazlo "I know very well what I did. I am alive because I acted, because I made a decision. Don't look at me asking if there are more surprises. Damn well there are and I will used every one of them to ensure no one harms you."
"You two, home, now!" turning their heads, Bill stood there, face red from anger, brows drawn together as he pointed towards the exit of Diagon Alley "You have some explaining to do."
Even though they were reluctant, once Talia agreed, Talbott followed suit. Of course he knew about the Crane family, however he was only a child when they were sent to Azkaban, yet people were still reluctant to speak about them in public. They would gossip about them, turn truths to fables or worse, however now that he stared at Talia he did not know how to distinguish truth from fiction.
"There are a select few out there who believe I am still alive and are looking for me." Talia began, however she looked different from when she told Talbott. She was tired of it, on everything surrounding than name "As far as I am aware there are few who know for certain. Enemies such as Lazlo's brother Karol, although I am not dismissing Lazlo for the life of me, Jasper Munday and more than likely his men. A few select allies, Talbott, Snape, Dumbledore and Moody."
"Moody knows?" Talbott looked as if he had just received a slap across the face.
"I told him my real name, that's why he agreed to make me an Auror." Leaning against the counter she looked at Bill and Talbott "Talbott knows the most information out of everyone, probably more than Snape and Dumbledore combined."
Bill nodded his head, taking in the information "Alright and what sort of artefact are they after? Do you need help hiding it?"
Talbott waited for Talia's move on that one, her letting out a heavy sigh "Honestly as this point it feels like the entire world knows, not a select few. Some days I don't even know what cards to play anymore." Undoing a few buttons on her shirt, she revealed a part of her scar to Bill "If you know how to remove a heart without killing me I am all ears."
"Bloody Hell." Bill suddenly felt like he was going to lose his lunch "But you were a wee girl, a child. What?"
She understood his reaction, the very idea of parents doing such a thing to their own child was horrifying "Calm down, panicking over something that occurred fifteen years ago will not help, I don't need my mind dwelling on the past, I need in the present and set for the future. So chin up Weasley."
His eyes travelled to Talbott, who had not taken his eyes off her, mind still working on the aftermath of the events from that day "Thank you Bill." He finally turned towards him "For everything, but staying here is only going to cause more trouble. Don't tell Lazlo we were here." Glancing at Talia, determination dwelled in his eyes "Pack your bags, we're going to stay at an inn for the remaining week until we move."