It was around six in the morning when Talbott made his way outside in order to clear his head. The previous night did not sit too well with him, especially due to a headache that appeared to be even more stubborn than he was since it would not go away no matter what he took.
Popping up his collar he dipped his head, trying to shelter his exposed neck from the harsh late autumn wind, yet he refused to head back in order to pick up a scarf. Strong hands found shelter inside his pockets, quiet steps wandering the empty streets. There was no one in obvious sight that early Tuesday morning, however he still scanned the building tops and each alley or corner he came across. The feeling of eyes surveying him still made his skin crawl. There would never be a way for him to get used to being under surveillance.
The conversation he had with Bill still played inside his mind, despite it being just an idea. It was still a damn good one in his opinion, however getting Talia to even agree if it ever came to fruition was another struggle entirely.
Turning a corner, his steps led him inside a Muggle café that was opened twenty-four seven. It was not necessarily a place Talbott could be seen in, however he learned of it from Talia and since it was close enough to the Ministry, he fumbled through his pockets in search of Muggle money, paying off a medium size coffee.
Casting his eyes on the large television screen, he squinted them slightly. He could never truly understand technology and how it worked, however the scenes playing in front of him still captured his attention entirely "Thunderstorms are expecting to make their way around Friday afternoon so don't forget your umbrellas."
"Dreadful weather we're having recently." The barista tried to make small talk after noticing where his attention was directed. Lowering his eyes, her breath hitched as she locked eyes with Talbott, coffee shaking in her hands when she placed it on the counter in front of him "Your coffee sir. Have a good day."
Talbott just nodded politely her way before exiting the establishment, hot liquid warming up his cold kissed fingers through the paper cup. A few days, they had just a few days left. Passing several store windows, he stopped in his track, reflection catching his attention.
No wonder the barista looked terrified, that stare of his was menacing. That coupled with the unique eye color, his height and sharp features made him an imposing man, one not many dared to get close to. Behind him, across the street, he notices a figure keeping a careful eye on him, Talbott looking slowly over his shoulder, fingers ready to draw his wand.
The man just gave him a curt nod, indicating to him he was in the watch party, two fingers taping his chest where his badge resided concealed underneath the fabric. Relaxing a fraction, Talbott only offered him a subtle chinwag prior to turning around and walking towards the Ministry despite it being too early in the morning.
At least at that hour it was not as crowded as during the day. It offered him enough time to enjoy his coffee and read through the daily paper, get caught up on any new news, eyes always scanning for anything that might have looked suspicious. He always positioned himself on one of the benches closer to the entrance, that way having the ability to scan everyone coming and going.
It ensured he was the first one to see Talia walk in through the doors.
As an hour passed, people started making their way inside, the clock on the opposite wall was indicating he also had to make his way to the training room shortly. Yet Talia had yet to enter through those doors. He still did not panic, she never came in at the exact same hour. Maybe she even took a different entrance that morning, there were several plausible scenarios he conjured in order to not let his mind warp into a pit of despair.
He had finished reading the paper, now just using it as a mean to distract him. The coffee was long drained from the paper cup, however he could have gone for a second one, deciding in the end to get one when they would take a break from training that day.
It was not until several people whom he knew should have been on the lookout started entering the building that his hands discarded the paper altogether, body lifting from the bench, eyes scanning the doors without missing a beat, rarely blinking.
It was not until the clock indicated he had five minutes to arrive in the training room that he finally took the elevator, repeating to himself that Talia was fine, that she must have been in the training room and he just missed her. However his heart skipped a beat when in front of the room stood Moody and Finnemore, both turning a pair of questioning eyes.
"Where is she?" Finnemore just shook her head, Moody telling him that Tonks and another Auror assigned to keep an eye on Talia did not make it in that morning.
At that very moment Talbott's heart sank, Finnemore's voice barely registering "Let's give them a few more minutes before we start panicking. All three aren't in, perhaps they are just running late today." However his mind was already working ahead, trying to use what little information was offered to him.
All three spun around when the elevator was called back, eyes set on its doors, waiting for it to make another descent.
"Please." Talbott begged inside his own mind, even the sound of his thoughts annoying him to no end. So weak and fragile, that was how his plea sounded to him, that was how it struck him to his very core. Yet the raw sinking feeling still filled him, despite his calm appearance. All his emotions screamed, his entire soul burning his chest alive, the fire of it chocking him "Please."
The elevator slowly made its way back down to their floor, however it appeared to not move as fast as everyone wanted. As the doors opened, Talbott's eyes widened at the sight before him. Wobbling on her feet was Tonks, one hand holding onto a rag that applied pressure to her head, half of her face bathed in crimson blood.
With the help of her other hand she held onto her colleague who was conscious however appeared to be in worse shape than her. Lastly, outside of the elevator, came out Lazlo, a severe limp indicating where his most severe wound was.
Everyone rushed to their side, healing being the first priority before questions were even asked. Tonks kept shaking her head, eyes burning through Talbott's as she continued to apologize, him hushing her since she was in no state to actually speak properly or make any sense.
Lazlo was the first however to even make sense, eyes focusing on the floor and not on Moody as he swore in a foreign language "Karol sent me an owl around four in the morning, the stupid thing scared me half to death." He shook his head, berating himself from being startled awake by such a silly thing when he had faced so many dangers throughout his career as a curse breaker.
"What did the note say boy?" Moody however was not in the mood for having the subject changed or the discussion swaying in another direction.
"Just to meet at a certain address, a street intersection, nothing special at seven in the morning." He focused back on Moody "He wasn't there, or at least, not him as in looking like him. But Talia was, three of her scattered around, but close by." His eyes travelled back to Tonks and the Auror who was with them "Talia caught my eyes only for a moment, sparing me a single glare."
"And that was enough to single her out." Despite Talbott wishing for his words to not be true, they were confirmed with a simple nod, Lazlo bowing his head in shame. Karol had used his own brother in order to capture Talia, used her hate for him. Moody glanced over at his pupil who just lowered his wand having finished healing Tonks "Long story short, they all know each other." There was no need for more information, they would not serve any purpose in finding her.
However they were still empty handed. Not only was Talia taken, but they also did not have in their custody anyone from Constantine's men.
Jumping to his feet, Talbott looked as if someone just struck him over the face out of the blue "Mirunna, I need your help." And for her it was clear what was going through her former student's mind, hunch that proved to be correct. While they did not have anyone in custody, they did have one single person who was captured and locked away, Jasper Munday, the start of it all.
And as Talbott explained it, it had to be him and Finnemore, he would not allow anyone else. Moody listened to his explanations, eyes jumping from his pupil to his colleague. Talbott was the exact mess Jasper needed to see, especially now that Talia was in the hands of the enemy. However as Talia explained after her visit, Jasper held certain feelings for her, despite how twisted they were. As for Finnemore? She would be the element, probably one of the few ones who actually genuinely cared for him throughout his life, reached out to him.
They would use his own feelings against him.
And in order to accomplish all that, Moody agreed, him going with Tonks to Hogwarts in an attempt to try and gather something from Dumbledore and Snape. He did not voice it, however he was proud at how Talbott kept a leveled head, brought ration ahead of his feelings. There would be moments when he would threat and break down, however he was certain those are reserved for his own solitude.
Finally, he was starting to think like an Auror.
As authorization was granted and they travelled towards Azkaban the following day, Talbott stopped feeling the cold wind against his face. His soul however felt as if it was freezing slowly, starting from the very jagged edges towards the flames burning inside of it, ice trying to snuff out everything inside of him.
"She would have been better off training with Moody." His cold eyes shifted to look at Finnemore. Her reaction was not immediate, her making sure he was done talking.
"I see, you are looking to throw the blame and think that if she was training with him, with you, she would have not been captured yes? Am I missing anything?" her voice barely registered as they entered the prison, steps coming to a halt so she could look up at him "You already started saying something so out with it."
"She would have been better off near me."
Her eyes scanned his tired face, noting the tension in his jaw, the sharp lines around his eyes, a thin pair of brows lifting "Perhaps you're right Talbott. But at the end of the day, we would still be here, because this is what Talia chose, for her to alienate herself."
He knew she was right, he played that scenario in his head, yet somehow a part of him still wanted to believe Talia would have chosen to take another path, see things differently.
"She's tired, she's sick of it." Talbott's eyes widened slightly upon hearing her words "She needs it to end one way or another, but be sure she will not go down without a fight." Pointing a finger at him she smiled "And that's because of you. Because someone dared to show her life is worth more. And that is why she is training with me. Now come on, we are wasting precious time."
That was the necessary boast Talbott needed to enter the room Jasper was in and he had to make certain he would not leave it empty handed.
As soon as the door closed behind them and Jasper locked eyes with his most recent visitors, he threw his head back, a sickening laugh resonating throughout the room, chains rattling with the motion of his body "If you're here, she's either dead or captured." Levelling Talbott with a glare, he grinned "Pathetic. I told her this would be the end result." His nose wrinkled in disgust as Talbott sat in a chair across from him.
Spreading his legs, he slid on the chair, getting comfortable, a bored expression taking Jasper in. He did not hold the same advantage as Talia, nor any wonder details he could whip up, however he did not need to know that "You used to call me a wild one, that until Talia proved you wrong, showed you she was actually the wild element." At the mention of her name, Jasper's eyes widened slightly.
"And it helped her very little now didn't it?"
Talbott's voice reverberate low through his chest "That depends."
Smirking did little to help hide how Jasper's brows lifted, however it was clear for Talbott that he knew why they were both there at Azkaban and not out looking for Talia. Turning his head, those dark beady eyes watched Mirunna "And let me guess, you believe I will help you out, for old times sake."
"I don't believe anything, assuming won't get me anywhere." They kept looking at each other, something else playing beneath the surface "But I do know for certain you could have killed me back at the camp, yet you didn't, you spared me. That is how I know where is still something in you worth saving."
Scoffing he looked back at Talbott although he was still speaking with her "There was no need to kill you. That was your for old times sake." Glaring at Talbott he sneered "But I don't owe you anything."
Leaning in, he rested his arms against the table "That's true, but I'm not here for myself and I think you know that."
"Obviously." Leaning in his chair, his chest pressed to the table "But I don't know where he is taking her given how I've been stuck here."
Nodding his head Talbott agreed with his last statement "But so was Constantine." Blinking slowly he pointed a finger at Jasper "And he's working with your men, the ones that you trained. Too bad Karol is a lose canon." That last statement intrigued the prisoner "He lets his ego cloud his judgement, takes matters into his own hands."
"Haven't had the necessary time to discipline that one." Jasper uttered arms raising slightly to show him the shackles.
Exhaling slowly, Talbott did not retaliate in any way to his statement "Talia Crane didn't heed your warning because she believes life should be lived differently. Running is not her operating mode, I thought you understood that much." Speaking that last name made him sick to his stomach, Jasper glaring daggers.
"Don't call her that."
"Why not? You basically tortured her in order to have that name leave her lips. You went through with everything because you believed she was that person. And you were right, she is after all a Crane, no shame in admitting it." He made his own skin crawl with how his voice remained the same, expression schooled in that stoic cold mask.
"It was too late to back down." Jasper spoke through his teeth "Everything was already in motion. From getting the dagger used on her from Hogwarts, to Constantine's escape plan, everything was set."
Talbott's hands rested on his legs under the table, coiling them to tight fists. After all this time, he finally learned what Jasper's henchman was doing at Hogwarts, the true purpose. Lifting his eyes, he leveled Jasper with a glare "Then chose a fucking side, here and now, what will it be, Talia or Constantine?"
Smirking he replied dryly "Well if you put it like that mister Winger."