Open; back in black

[daleysebastian]

London was dreadful. Diagon Alley was worse. Hell, Sebastian wasn't sure he could even tolerate Hogsmeade yet; he'd have to work up to that one. He'd stick with Diagon Alley and see what happened from there

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[jemmadorny]

She'd been alerted to his arrival almost immediately when it happened. She had been following him now for weeks, tracking his every move. His name had passed through her paperwork, the accident surrounding his family's murders intrigued her from the start and Jemma couldn't break herself away from what she could find. She had been astonishingly busy following the War when she left Hogwarts, already involving herself in the investigations once she received her accreditation from the Ministry. She worked directly with the rehabilitation of the Ministry's reputation- leading the United Kingdom to once again have faith in their government.

She'd since built quite the reputation herself and ha been in high demand ever since.

Her team needed growing and she knew that Sebastian Daley was just the man to find.

"A little underdressed, no?" she asked, stopping just in front of him, removing her own sunglasses and placing them atop her sleek chestnut waves. "Or are you so into this bad boy look you'll welcome pneumonia?"

[daleysebastian]

Sebastian sighed. Why did people always want to interact? Did he need to wear a sign? Actually, maybe he could charm something to float over his head telling people they'd be hexed so to approach with caution.

She seemed to have a purpose, though. It might be worth it to Sebastian to find out. He pulled a hand from his pocket to drag the sunglasses from his face.

"Illnesses aren't really my main area of concern." He wasn't going to tell her he'd just come from Spain where it had been warmer at the time. He also wasn't about to tell her that when you had lycanthropy, all other illnesses became nothing to be concerned over.

[jemmadorny]

She had crossed her arms over her chest, the wind chill whipping through the streets of Diagon Alley causing her skin to tingle. She looked him over, her eyes taking him in slowly. She hadn't known him while they were in school- she steered clear of most Slytherins are they were far too droll to handle a five minute conversation.

Her lips curled into a smirk as she held her hand out in greeting.

"Sebastian Daley, my name is Jemma Dorny and I would appreciate it if you'd have a drink with me. There's quite a bit I'd like to talk to you about."

[daleysebastian]

As a rule, he was weary of anyone who tracked him down for anything. He didn't exactly have the best track record of being chased and coming out of it well. Curiosity being what it was, though, might actually be the thing that gets him killed in the end.

Sebastian heaved a very put upon sigh and took her hand. "Seeing as you already know my name, which I don't actually appreciate, by the way, do I have a choice?" He shook her hand and rolled his eyes as he let go. "Only if you're buying." There was no way he would guarantee that he wouldn't walk off immediately and he probably wouldn't drink anything because of the risk, but he might as well.

[jemmadorny]

"I see the mysterious thing you're going for," she said, nodding her head curtly. "But I've got to tell you, an alias would probably help."

She dropped her hand to the side, following their firm handshake. He looked less than pleased which didn't really surprise Jemma. She had a more than comprehensive file on Daley, she knew him the best anyone could without actually interacting with him. At least, that was what she liked to believe. Her team was top-notch.

She let her features soften, then, now that introductions were out of the way.

If she was going to convince him of anything, she needed to gain his trust.

"Of course- there's this nice, quiet place at the edge of Diagon-"

[daleysebastian]

"An alias wasn't necessary until I came back here," Sebastian told her without missing a beat. He had been abroad do long, he had foolishly assumed everyone had stopped looking and forgotten him. Then again, this wasn't some old school friend he couldn't have been bothered with.

This Jemma Dorny had business reasons; no one ever needed to speak with him for anything else.

The least he could do was hear her out before explaining that wasn't why he was here and that he was off the job for the next foreseeable future. Sebastian didn't bother to agree or disagree with her choice of location, just motioned for her to lead the way, even though he was fairly certain he knew where she was talking about.

[jemmadorny]

It was a quick, brisk walk and for a moment, all Jemma could focus on was the sound of her heels on the cobblestone walk. She directed Daley inside a small pub, a table in the corner already singled out for the two of them. There were a few places Jemma held business- most of them off the radar, less frequented or completely Muggle establishments. It was much easier to work that way when she knew someone from the Prophet was hanging on to her every word. She only liked to use the press when it was absolutely necessary.

She moved towards the back, already removing her sleek, white wool coat and hanging it on the hook on the back wall. She signaled to the bartender to bring her usual before turning to Daley.

"What can I get you?"

[daleysebastian]

Sebastian followed along without a word. Instead, he was cataloging all the changes since he's last been here and anything that might be suspicious in nature.

As they took their table, he was forced to admire her style. Not busy but not empty, mostly off the radar. If you wanted privacy in public, this was a good start.

"Straight whiskey will do," he nodded. He'd have gone with water but if she wanted to speak with him badly enough to ambush him, she had to pay some sort of fee. Sebastian Daley's time was never free. As they waited, he slid his jacket off, throwing it into the edge of the table and didn't acknowledge that it was still cool enough that a thin, long-sleeve t-shirt was insufficient.

"Your level of planning is either a hazard or asset, but I haven't figured out which yet."

[jemmadorny]

The bartender brought both their drinks to the table and Jemma offered him a polite smile, one that hid something behind the gesture. He was a close friend, one that had helped Jemma out in many a bind- and one that Jemma had helped in return. That was how she worked- on loyalty and trust. It was the only way to guarantee no double-crossing.

She pushed Daley's glass toward him before taking a sip from the blood red wine swirling in her glass.

"I try and use both to my advantage," she told him, her lips curling into a slight smirk. "Helps when you know who's watching. Which, I always do-"

She crossed one leg over the other, her fingers wrapped around the stem of the class.

"I have a proposition for you-"

[daleysebastian]

Lifting his glass, Sebastian swirled the liquid around a few times, watching the amber liquid shift and change shape before settling in it's original, placid state. He carefully set the glass back to the table.

There was no doubt she knew who was watching and must have eyes everywhere. After all, he'd been back less than a day and here they were.

"I would assume so. I can't promise I'll take it, but I'll hear you out."

[jemmadorny]

She expected that answer- had expected far more in the realm of persuasion on her end but she was pleasantly surprised it had been so easy, thus far. Of course, she wasn't going to delight in that for very long. Daley was a lot like she was- guarded, quiet, someone who didn't just jump into any situation - not without the proper facts. Of which, she had plenty of. The trouble was deciding what was going to work to bring him in

[daleysebastian]

As she spoke, Sebastian nodded along. He'd had similar offers in the past and, obviously, had turned them down. Over the years, he'd taken his naturally introverted personality and twisted it into something close to disdain for working with other people.

He reached out and lifted his glass, taking a small drink as he considered her. The sip stretched out longer than necessary before he set the tumbler down.

"Ms. Dorny, you seem to know so much about me. I'm willing to bet whatever dossier your team has worked up includes a detailed description of the job offers from multiple wizarding ministries that I've turned down." He'd nearly accepted the one in Australia but determined it to be too British. The French and American versions were turned down without a second thought.

"I'd also wager that it makes a point that I don't play well with others."

[jemmadorny]

"Please, call me Jemma," she said, easily.

She leaned back in her seat, listening to him intently as he spoke. There was only so much you could garner from a person on paper. But the way they moved, the way the spoke- well, it told an entirely different story. She nodded, understanding exactly where he was coming from.

"You misunderstand me, Daley," she continued, leaning her elbows on the table. "I don't work for the Ministry- the Ministry works for me. I play by my own rules and there isn't a single person in the United Kingdom who can get around them-"

[daleysebastian]

"Sebastian, please," he conceded. It was only polite, afterall. He might be antisocial and standoffish, but he was a Daley and that meant he knew his manners, through and through.

He tilted his head just slightly and watched her. She had that same easy confidence he'd learned early on to associate with power. This was a woman that, surely, was good at what she did. Which, admittedly, sounded admirable enough.

But Sebastian still found himself shaking his head. "And I play by my own rules. Somehow, I imagine that doesn't exactly mesh with your mission statement."

[jemmadorny]

"Sebastian," she repeated, the name rolling off her tongue in a dignified way- an effect she put on in a slightly teasing manner. "Can I call you Bash? It seems less formal- you know we try and make connections with our clients- make them feel like family- it's very important they feel comfortable with us-"

She paused, pressing her lips together for a moment as she squirmed in her seat, getting herself more comfortable.

"I appreciate your approach," she continued, genuinely. "I get the loner routine, I do- I was there once upon a time myself. But Jemma Dorny Associates- we're not just a legal team, we're a family ourselves. And we try and do what we can to make things right. I'm only extending an offer- you're free to decline at any time-"

[daleysebastian]

"Jem," Sebastian didn't bother asking if he could use the abbreviated version. He was slightly taken aback by anyone calling him Bash, but he wasn't sure he'd see her all that often after this, so there was no harm in it. "Treating clients like family is all well and good until you realize they're the ones messing it all up for everyone else."

He leaned his forearms on the table, going for lax but still controlled. He was nothing if not eternally in control of himself (at least most days of the month).

"It's not a loner routine. It's a lifestyle choice. I'm sure your firm is brilliant at what you do. However, I don't intend to be here long enough to be of any real assistance to you. As soon as I wrap up what I came to do, I'm on the first portkey out of the country."

It took everything he had not to get snippy when she mentioned family. A team that was like a family. All right, that sounded good, it truly did, but Sebastian had spent a long time without any sort of family - natural or made - and wasn't sure how you even dealt with