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[ullrich_wm]

Week Name/Date/Time: 'Countdown to Darkness' / Friday, October 28th / 8 p.m.
Location: Corridors
Open To: Liesl
Currently Involving: Ullrich

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[ullrich_wm]

Ullrich waited, his outward appearance one of complete patience. Inside, he was growing quite antsy and anxious, eager to hear her response. He found that her own outward emotions were quite hard to read, much as his were. He saw initial surprise, of course -- but that was to be expected.

He could see no twinges of trust, or suspicion, or even relief. This game would be one that was a tad harder than usual, and that made the assassin in him nearly laugh in glee from the thrill of it all. A true challenge; when he succeeded with this, he would gain even more respect and noteriety in his field. Not to mention the pay he would receive for such a job.

As she finally spoke, he was torn from his fantasies. "Ja," he replied smoothly, keeping his voice calm and level. "My apologies for having not corresponded with you sooner. You see, I had written a letter for you, but I was sent out earlier than expected." He reached into his robes, pulling out a small parcel. It was wrapped in shipping paper and twine, and was perhaps his more brilliant additions to the plan.

Who would question such an act of kindness? A letter, asking her to meet him in Hogsmeade the following day when he was 'set to arrive', wrapped with a small bar of Germany's most famous chocolate. This, children, is why you do not take candy from strangers.

But oh no, Ullrich was no stranger to dear Liesl! He was her protector!

He offered the barest quirk of his lips, then leaned down to speak in confidence. "Well, I suppose they won't be knowing that," he replied. "But yes, your's alone, for reasons I'm sure you are aware of, liebling."

[liesl_jacobs]

One might wonder why his employers gave Ullrich such liberties with time and manner of deployment. He was willing to dance around his prey as if he had an eternity to fulfill his duty, as if he had the luxury of taking pleasure in it. And Liesl was none the wiser. Given her temperament, she expected whomever would come after her to attack nearly on the outset; but she wasn't about to give this Auror the benefit of the doubt, either.

That is, until he presented the parcel. Her pristine brows arched in surprise, reaching bemusedly for it. She felt as if she ought not to touch it without dragon hide gloves, although she could not explain her misgivings. Liesl had steered clear of all the Aurors in the castle, not trusting a single one of them, even having attested to that fact in her irksome journal. All the coming in and coming out of the castle; who was to know who was whom amidst such chaos? Not even the professors seemed to remain for long around here anymore. Was Hogwarts really all that safe?

She did not move to open the package, instead letting it fall guardedly to her side as he leaned down to speak quietly to her. He had a fine way of speaking, as if he might be very cultured; or better yet, as if he might like people to think he was. His voice had a purring quality to it, quite soft despite the harsh nature of their native tongue. And... and he called her liebling. An endearment she reserved for very few, indeed, and even then mostly in sarcasm.

Her jaw tightened. Really, that was a liberty he shouldn't have taken. He didn't know her well enough for that.
He probably never would. Mistake Number 1 for Ullrich.

"I see," came the simple, unamused response. "And what does this entail? Are you supposed to follow me around like some lost puppy?" Alright. It was evident she was unhappy now. You would assume Liesl would be pleased about news of protection given her constant state of fear. But that was Liesl for you, always looking a gift horse in the mouth. Not to mention she didn't like surprises.

[ullrich_wm]

Ullrich laughed. It was a rich, rolling sort of sound, hearty and amused by her words. "Goodness, no," he replied at last, the laughter fading and leaving the barest smile on his lips, that faded soon after the laugh. "I'm merely to keep my eye on you -- follow you, perhaps, at times. But as I'm sure you'd wish it, I'll be staying far behind and out of your way."

His eyes twinkled slightly, a noticeable gleam in such dark irises. He knew the way teenage girls worked -- she would likely decide that having him watch her from afar, never bothering to speak to her, would be even more loathsome than having his company occasionally. Oh, he wasn't going to worm his way into her companionship. He was going to earn himself an invitation.

"I know this is most frustrating for you," he added, speaking in a more genteel manner. "If there is anything you'd like, anything that will make this... burden more bearable, do tell me. I would hate for my mere presence to put you at unrest." He frowned at that, playing every bit of the protector, eager to make his charge at ease.

"Regardless, that is all you should expect of me for now. If I receive orders that inform me of further danger, or that direct me to step up my watch, I will obviously take action. Or..." he trailed off, looking down the hall oh-so-thoughtfully, "...if you happen to feel particularly threatened at any point. You may always call on me."

He gestured to the letter and parcel he handed her with a nod of his head. "My address in Hogsmeade is included, write day or night. I tried to board here, within the castle, but it seems the other Aurors have taken the available rooms."

Ha! Other Aurors? He hadn't even tried that time. This was going to be far too easy.

[liesl_jacobs]

Liesl licked her lips, a habit of hers when she was either contemplative or bracing herself for something unpleasant. His laugh should have set her at ease; but the sweet quality of it almost seemed at odds with his character. Here he had just come straight out of the woodwork and was behaving as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Liesl felt completely out of her element here. She was looking desperately for a legend on the map but could find none. Wasn't her world already upside-down? Was there such a thing as being more topsy-turvy?

She didn't like the way he assumed to 'know' how frustrating any of this was for her. He had a presumptuous demeanor that she did not appreciate, as if he was an old friend. When he gestured again to the parcel, she regarded it thoughtfully for a moment, then took it roughly in hand and moved swiftly past him, daring to put her back to him. Liesl strode to a window sill where she could sit, more or less, and ripped savagely into the package. She discarded the suspiciously delicious-looking chocolate, which she recognized -- how easy that would have been, if it was poisoned. Shrewd green eyes scanned over the letter's contents, everything there as he said it would be. But really -- so much was missing. Those narrow eyes lifted to him.

"There are no official documents here. Nothing from the State or the German Ministry. Not even Dumbledore. No letters to confirm your station here. That seems odd," she said in her most accusatory tone. "What have you to say to that?"

She didn't even blink as she awaited his response. Liesl was certainly good at the poker face.

[ullrich_wm]

Ullrich watched her, seeing a terrible unease settle around her. He waited, wondering just what was going through that so-obviously-untrusting mind of hers, when she moved so quickly that he had to blink and pull his mind from his thoughts and pay attention to her actions. Ahhh, she was reading his letter. He smirked lightly, just enough to satiate the desire to do so, and it was gone by the time she looked back up at him and spoke.

Ullrich looked, for a moment, surprised. Not exactly because he hadn't been prepared, but because she, for some reason, felt it was her right to see such documents.

His arms crossed loosely over his chest, and he shook his head slowly.

"You are a ward of the state," he reminded her, brows raised. "The only people that are required to see orders and cofirmations are your caretakers -- who are the ones who issued it -- and Dumbledore. I'm on my way to see him now." And, as he was prepared to meet the Headmaster, he pulled another folded letter from his pocket.

He doubted she'd be able to tell it was all forgery as he was expecting to pass it by Dumbledore, so he opened it up without hesitation and held it out for her. "That is what I have to say to that."

Really, it was almost cute how determined she was to be suspicious of him. Pity really; if she wasn't going to be dead soon, she'd have made quite a good member of society. People were generally too trusting, and she seemed to have already learned that lesson long ago.

[liesl_jacobs]

Ward of the State.

Liesl flinched visibly as those words were said aloud. She'd never actually mentioned that bit to anyone in this school, not even when she'd included the trouble she believed she was in to Preston or Wesley; her eyes darted from one side to the other as if she feared someone might overhear their conversation. The idea that she was an orphan, and not even one capable of minding her own legal affairs, was humiliating. And now he was talking down to her. This was just getting worse and worse.

He held out a letter and she snatched it gruffly from his hands; she supposed she ought to be a little more careful or gracious in his presence, if he was as powerful as he was supposed to be. A misstep could mean him giving her a nasty memento from the tip of his wand. But Liesl had never been gracious, and was only careful when she tapped into rare reserves of patience. She was certainly not patient at this moment. Her beady eyes scanned over the letter; it seemed alright, but she wasn't one for legal jargon. She supposed she would have to let it pass. Reluctantly, she handed it back to him, chewing on the inside of her bottom lip as she seemed to think things over.

"How long will you be here? Are you stationed here every day?" She wasn't sure whether she liked the idea of a shadow, but she was also not pleased about the confirmation that there was such a danger out there to warrant one. If the Ministry felt it was a necessary precaution, perhaps she had better go along with it.

[ullrich_wm]

Ullrich watched as her eyes took in the forgery, inwardly smirking as she handed it back to him. He gingerly took it and folded it back in on itself before sliding it once more into his coat pocket.

He nodded slowly as she asked a few more questions.

"I will be here until the job is done," he replied simply. "Until the threat is gone-- actually, I take that back," he added thoughtfully, pointing his finger in a 'Hold on just one minute' gesture.

"I will be here until you are no longer in this position. If, when you come of age, you decide you'd like to keep me around, I will stay for you." He watched her intently, making sure the depth of his tone was just right. Making sure that she knew he was there for her alone -- after all, he was.

He waited for a moment, before prompting her further; he rather liked this game of Twenty Questions -- it was quite a bit of fun to come up with his answers, because she did tend to have rather interesting thoughts that came out in curious expressions. He wondered briefly if she was always like this, with anyone and everyone, or if she merely was so harsh with him because of the lack of trust.

No matter; he'd gain that trust eventually, and he'd be able to answer his own curiosity with experience.

[liesl_jacobs]

Her lips twitched into a smirk then. Oh, he thought he was doing her a grand favour, didn't he? Thin arms folded squarely over her chest as she looked him over, a sly gleam now evident in those green eyes.

"Until the threat is gone," she echoed dutifully, one ankle crossing smoothly over the other. Liesl had all but forgotten her previously anxious state to have a bath and burn every stitch of clothing on her as soon as humanly possible; she was now quite bent on remaining here and questioning this man to find any fault with him, if she could. "Wouldn't that require, oh... actually hunting for such a threat, instead of simply following me around, waiting for something to happen?" Her head tilted slowly to one side. "We could be waiting forever, in that case. Are you proposing to grow old with me, Herr Morgenstern?"

And there she knew she'd got the better of him, or she liked to think she had. Liesl eagerly awaited what response he might have prepared for this. Really, she wanted to know just what he and his employers were doing, if anything, to stop the people who were posing this threat. Or were they taking the passive route?

[ullrich_wm]

She was smirking at him. He wasn't sure if she was more annoyed, or relaxing just a bit. Either way, he kept his own guard up and listened as she repeated his phrase. It was a very good thing that he wasn't argumenative, or her little quip might have bothered him.

As it was, he merely returned her smirk with one of his own, but just a touch more gentle and less condescending.

"I am here to protect you," he reminded her, dark brow arching on his forehead. "I am not here to gallop through the dark forest, looking for the threat -- that is the perfect opportunity for them to move in and do their work. It would be ridiculous of me to take such risks."

He looked off, nodding toward the very forest he'd mentioned. "There are already those out there whose task it is to find the perpetrators."

He looked back to her, his gaze strong and dark. "I'll not leave your side to become a hero, Miss Jacobs."

[liesl_jacobs]

No, he looked anything but the vision of a hero. All shadows and billowing cloaks, shaggy hair before brooding eyes. Quite the anti-hero, in fact. One would think someone like him might be at home in the dark forest. But alas, he claimed he would be going nowhere near such a place. He would be glued to her hip, it appeared. And what was this about--

"--Already those out there? You mean there are more of you on this deployment?" Liesl was tempted to add 'All for little old me?' but fortunately held her tongue -- a rare triumph on her part. She frowned at him, feeling at a loss. It was all such a surprise, so unfounded, just when she had become accustomed to feeling lost and on her own in this. Now she had swarms of people helping her? People she didn't even know about? This didn't agree with her. She almost preferred getting what little help she could from Wes and leaving it at that.

Especially when this Ullrich fellow continued to stare at her so determinedly. Like his eyes might bore straight through her. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, perhaps more unsettled by the fact that she actually admired the depth of his eyes. They held secrets, like dark pools begging to be waded in.

[ullrich_wm]

Already those out there?

He repeated her question in his mind, followed by a short, drawling 'Why not?' He offered her a somewhat weak smile -- but even that looked like a touch of brightness on his serious face. "Of course," he replied gently, turning from her and moving to the large stone windows. It was the first time he'd taken his eyes from her since she stumbled upon him.

"You must put more faith in those that wish to protect you," he lied, knowing that she shouldn't invest half-a-thought in 'those' people. No one had issued protection orders for her, despite the state knowing what sort of danger she could be in. Perhaps it was because of her location.

After all, not many would have expected someone to be able to infiltrate and carry out the job.

He paused, looking quite contemplative as he gazed out at the dark skies, before turning his eyes back to her once more. "Do you have any more questions of me, Miss Jacobs?" he asked politely, striking a languid pose against the wall as he crossed his arms over his chest.