In The Zone [Sebastian/ Ren]

[Ren Satoshi]

Assignments.

It was one of the rare times that the eldest Satoshi was truly focused upon what he was doing. Espcially in this case. reports of a Catalonian Fireball egg being moved through London had filled him with a renewed vigor. Save for the fact that he had no idea where to go in this country, nothing could bring him down from this positive mood. However, Sebastian said that he would assist him in finding the egg since he had known full well where the tavern that the person who had the egg was going. It hadn't sounded so wonderful when he had explained the location, then again, a dragon egg in muggle London was something that made Ren just a bit uneasy. If it hatched before he got there, there would be some hell.

It had only taken Ren fleeting moments to gather the necessary things from his new office tucked into the halls of the Ministry (his name on the door, interesting, could get used to that). His wand never left his side, but he gathered a fireproof bag, fireproof gloves replaced the leather ones that covered his hands (both hands were covered in that delicate frost pattern, curious...) a satchel of dried Chinese herbs that was used to calm dragons when burned, a tin of a very strong smelling medicinal salve for burns and bites, and he changed off his white coat to a brilliant crimson one that was lined in dragon skin. He'd be getting closest to the creature, and precautions were going to need to be made. He'd also grabbed a phial of a liquid that appeared to be burning.

Bless the Phoenix and his work.

This little phial would set the drinker ablaze with no pain. This was a Hail Mary of sorts. If the dragon was trying to hatch in a dangerous place, where it could get hurt, he could grab it with no pain to himself and appirate it from the location. It was only in dire circumstances that he would use that.

Finally prepared, he put the items inside the bag and slung it over his shoulder and used his freed hands to ull the length of hair back and away from his face, tying it in a low knot at the base of his neck, his bangs pulling away and falling into his face, giving him an oddly soft appearance. However, the fierce determination in his eyes was showing the true nature of the wizard at the moment. There was a burning passion in his face, a renewed sense of worth and belief in himself. "I'm ready when you are. Lead the way."

Then, he hesitated, "Stealth is of the essence until I can assess the immediate danger to the egg, especially if there are mature dragons searching for their egg. They won't hesitate to burn London down, and I don't want that. First, I need to check and see if there are any signs of adults coming. If not, then, the priority is the egg. If it's hatching, well, we have a whole new game." And that was a game that someone would likely get hurt in. Nothing he hadn't managed before. That salve was a godsend.

Black eyes scanned over the notes in the report again, this was something delicate. He would as soon as die before letting that dragon get hurt. Luckily, he was good at his job and it never got to that point. His reflexes were fast, he could work without having to see (thank you blind fighting training), and was faster than the average wizard when it came to being observant. "You don't have any idea how thankful I am for your help. I couldn't do this in a foreign area alone without losing a limb. Thank you."

[Deleted]

It was amazing just how serious and focused one could be when the situation called for it. Leaning against the wall outside of Ren's office, the Hungarian mused quietly to himself as Ren gathered the things that he would need in order to successfully complete this particular job. It was also amazing just how easily he had consented to helping Ren despite the fact that he did not know him. While he told himself that his willingness to assist was simply to ensure the well-being and saftey of the baby dragon, something that would not have been out of character for his animal loving heart, he honestly could not be so sure that that was the only reason why he was helping. Thankfully, before he could delve too deep into reading his own actions, Ren had exited his office with some new items and dressed now in a bright crimson cloak that he assumed was fireproof.

Ren told him that he was ready when he was to leave along with telling him to lead the way. It was quiet for a moment before he spoke again, giving him a bit of detail about just what it was that needed to be done. They would need to be stealthy - something that Sebastian had already known considering just where it was that they needed to go to - until Ren could assess any immediate damage towards the egg. He would need to ensure that there were no adult dragons searching for their egg for they would set London ablaze and that was something that Ren obviously wanted to avoid. If there was no sign of adult dragons then their focus would shift to the mere retrieval of the egg itself, unless the egg happened to be hatching.

It did not take a genius to know that someone would more than likely get hurt if the egg happened to be hatching.

After a moment of letting that information sink in, Ren spoke again this time thanking him for his willingness to help him, something that he simply waved off.

" I would have to be heartless to not want to help, especially when the life of a baby creature is at stake. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I should inform you about a few things about the pub we are going to, just in case you ever find yourself needing to go there without someone who is familiar with that place. One, never accept a drink from anyone there, no matter how innocent or friendly the gesture may seem. They have a habit of lacing their drinks there with some questionable substances. Two, never state your full name or profession. You do not want these sorts of people to know who you are or what it is that you do for a living.

He turned and began walking back to the entrance of the Atrium.

" Lastly, always have one eye on your belongings, especially your wand. Always. Pickpockets are a big problem where we are going and you do not want them stealing whatever it is that you need"

[Ren Satoshi]

Ren nodded as he spoke, understanding the precautions as he moved quickly, keeping a half step behind the taller man. "I made a practice of not accepting drinks from people years ago. Or trusting many people. It's just a quick life lesson for some." And it was necessary for someone in his condition. All he needed was another alcohol induced panic attack.

As they moved into the Atrium, he untangled a section of his dark hair from the single dragon fang that gangled from his earlobe. "We will have to attempt to blend in and gain intel it seems like. Sounds like fun!" His lips twisted into a smile that bordered on sly, despite being serious business, he had to joke a bit.

"Will we be appirating there?" He finally asked, glancing up through his lashes toward the other male's dark eyes. He had some rocky experiences appirating himself in areas that he was not familiar with. Usually wound up missing his mark by a mile or more. "If so, I might have to grab a hold of you. I am not the best at appirating."

[Deleted]

The older man nodded calmly at the other's words, agreeing completely with what Ren had said to him for he knew that he was completely right. There were many sick and twisted people in this day and age that would take advantage of a trusting person without a second thought. While he himself had never had to worry about such a thing due to his intimidating appearence, he knew that a majority of the population could not say the same as he could about the matter. Ren's cautious nature would make it easier for the two of them to stay safe during the retrieval of the egg, something that made him feel slightly more relaxed. Hopefully this would mean that their visit to the pub would prove to be a short and unevenful one.

When Ren spoke again, this time saying that gathering intel would be fun the taller male glanced down at him, greeting that sly smile with a small smirk of his own. " It is fun and it should be somewhat easy for the two of us to do considering the fact that a good majority of the pub's inhabitants will probably be drunk out of their minds will make this somewhat easier. " He was confident that the two of them would be just fine.

As they continued walking towards the Atrium, Ren asked him if they would be apparating, something that was answered by another nod from him. " Yes, I figured that since time is of the essence on this particular manner that it would be best if we apparated there since it would be both faster and easier for us to do." When he said that he would need to grab onto him because he was not able to apparate very well, the taller man nodded. " Very well...I don't see why that would be a problem. When we apparate just be sure to hold onto my arm tightly and we will be there before you know it."

[Ren Satoshi]

The Atrium re-opened to its vast and broad space once more and the sound of two pairs of boots echoing off the wooden floor was the only sound that was discernable over the low hum of chatter. Ren stretched his gait to keep abreast of Sebastian and as they reached the center of the Atrium, he turned and faced Sebastian, both gloved hands taking the strong inner curve of his arm and holding it within his grasp before Sebastian made the move to Appirate them from the ministry and set them on their way to the pub across the city. It felt as if the motion would rip him away and his arms constricted to press the shorter male flush to the other's shoulder and his eyes squeezed shut as his hair whipped against his face. The inside of these appirations was always far more interesting than the outside, it seemed.

When the world settled around them, he slowly released Sebastian's arm and smoothed the stray hairs that flew all over his face before he turned and looked at the run down pub and his nose crinkled with a look of disgust. Really, must muggles gravitate to places like this for a descent drink?

First, he scanned the skies, took a deep scent from the air, before standing very still and listening very carefully. His head shook slightly, signaling that there was no mature dragon in the immediate vicinity.

Without waiting long, he turned on his heel and opened th pub door, entering without making a sound. The way he moved through the pub managed to not capture much attention, save from some cat calling from drunken female patrons, which didn't even spring color to his cheeks. His boots barely made a sound on the worn wooden floor and his eyes visablly narrowed at the smell of liquor in the air, mixed with the pungent smell of sweat. He moved with a sort of arrogance that made him unapproachable, and those dark eyes became soulless pits to any daft enough to try to capture his gaze.

It was in the dimly lit back corner of the bar that he saw the egg and without letting his face show his excitement, he moved to a table near it, sitting at one of the seats and gesturing to the seat in front of him, a tight grip on his items not noticeable from the coverage of the gloves. He listened quietly to snippets of conversation, musing silently over bits that he could hear. His eyes flickered from person to person, returning to sweep over Sebastian for a moment before returning to the others.

Why was that something he seemed content to do?

The man that sat near the egg, positioned very close to the fireplace, was fixing him with an expression that made him slightly uncomfortable. There was a long stillness that passed before the man picked up a tankard of ale and began to let it dribble down his chin, staining his garments a garrish shade of amber, coaxing an unaudible sigh of relief from his lips. As he focused quickly on the egg, he began to notice a slight tremor to the large shell. "Sebastian..." He hissed in a breath, "It's trying to hatch. It's too near the heat."

[Deleted]

The moment that the two ended up in front of the pub was the moment that Sebastian immediately brought his guard up. From this moment on, they would have to be careful until the moment that they retrieved the egg. Dark eyes watched as Ren tested the area for the presence of any mature dragons, his tense body relaxing when the smaller man stated that there were no adult dragons nearby. It seemed as though they were safe for now. It was a mere moment later that Ren made his way into the pub and Sebastian quickly followed after him, face morphing into a cold and stern mask the very second that he stepped foot into the pub.

The strong scent of alcohol and the pungent scent of sweat immediately assaulted his senses from the second that he walked inside, causing his nose to wrinkle slightly in displeasure as it always did. It seemed as though no matter how many times he had gone into the pub, he just could not get used to the horrible scent. Adding to that already unpleasantness that the pub had, was the fact that they seemed to have attracted the attention of some drunken patrons. Cat calls were given to Ren from a group of drunken females and while he himself could not help but frown slightly at their lack of dignity, he was impressed with Ren's complete lack of a reaction.

It never ceased to amaze him just how a job could change a person completely when the situation called for it.

He followed after Ren across the dark and dingy pub, his dark gaze narrowing on anyone who dared try and approach them, managing to effectively scare them off each and every single time. When they finally sat down, Sebastian allowed his gaze to wander from person to person, his gaze never settling on them for far too long in fear of someone taking his attention as an invitation for them to come and join him and Ren. His attention was focused on the bits of the different conversations that were happening around them, trying to see if there was any mention of the dragon egg at all.

His dominant hand sat comfortably in his coat pocket, resting on the wooden base of the wand that he had been given by his brother. Slowly, his gaze moved to the table next to them, his gaze locking on a man that was sloppily drinking what appeared to be a large cup of ale. He could see the other fix Ren with a gaze that seemed to make him uncomfortable before he took a large swig of his ale, the golden liquid falling from the cup and staining the man's clothing with it's unpleasant smell and color causing Sebastian's nose to wrinkle slightly again in disgust.

This man was absolutely disgusting.

His attention was drawn to Ren when his name was called and he was told by Ren that because the man was sitting so close to the fireplace, the egg was beginning to hatch. Dark eyes narrowed slightly at the information and his mind began racing trying to come to a conclusion on what it was that they could do to gain possession of the egg without making too big of a scene. His eyes locked on the tankard of ale and a plan immediately sprang into his mind, though he would turn his attention to Ren first.

" I do have an idea on what we could do, however I believe that because you are more experienced than I am in these sorts of things, I should question you first. Do you have any idea on what we should do before I share my idea?"

[Ren Satoshi]

If there was a plan, he could not think of one himself. This is why he had a crew of people with him on these sorts of assignments. While he could think on the fly, he was extremely uncomfortable in this pub and if he made the wrong move there was no knowing what sort of things would happen. "If you have a plan, I'm glad to hear it." He shifted positions in his seat and his dominant left hand slid casually into his coat pocket, fingers wrapping around the base of his wand as his face continued the mirage of being genuinely disinterested with the comings and goings of people through the pub.

The man near the egg was shouting something at the server, brandishing the tankard in the air. Oh, he was gone. Drunk and fully wretched as ever. Ren shook his head slightly, some people. How in the world did someone like this get an extremely rare dragon egg? Something wasn't quite adding up. Perhaps there was a dealer selling the eggs around here somewhere...that was an idea that required some digging and some visits with the network of wizards in intel based in locations surrounding the pub. That was something for another night.

Movement out of the corner of his eye made his head turn and someone was approaching the table. Damn drunken women. His body instantly went ridgid and his eyes made an astonishing turn to soulless and cruel, the slight hunch in his shoulders dropped and he glowered fiercely, radiating coldness. Something in that instant made the woman quickly veer off and attempt to captivate another male in the pub. As if women would get to him anyway. "The only thing that I can really think of doing is if you would provide a distraction and I can lift the egg out of here and get it somewhere safe for it to hatch." He had a place in mind, actually.

The place was somewhere secluded in London known as Lundy, Puffin Island to the locals. He had taken an injured Welsh Green up there to care for it a few months ago and found the cliffs to be generally void of people. Plus, his crew was certain to keep supplies there for injured dragons as well as for hatchlings. "There's a secure hatch site in Lundy that is stocked with supplies, it's near the western cliffs. If I can get the egg there, I can help it hatch and be sure it's nourished properly before my crew gets here and they can watch it while I talk to the Minister about establishing a sanctuary here. If I have my way, it would be there. There's so much space and no one lives there." He liked to ensure all of the information relevant to any assignments he was doing was known by all parties. That way, if someone was not where they were supposd to be, he knew.

[Deleted]

" Well there are a few things that we can do to get that egg, the way that I see it, though most of them are not exactly conventional manners."

Then again, he himself was not a very conventional man to begin with.

" I always have a vial of sleeping draught hidden on me inside of my coat pocket in case I ever find myself needing to drug the wizard or witches that I am ordered to bring in. I would merely need to go up to the bartender and slip him a few bills of muggle money and I know he would look the other way. From there the tankard of ale would be sent to that vile man and judging from his mannerisims, I do not think he would turn down a free ale. When the draught starts taking affect, we simply play the part of the concerned citizens and help him outside. From there you can take the egg to the location that you have in mind while I find somewhere that he can rest safely for the remainder of his slumber."

After all, Sebastian was not a completely heartless man. This man may have been absolutely vile in almost every sense of the word, but he was not a criminal.

" If you do not agree to my drugging him, he seems the sort to appreciate the company of a beautiful young woman." A dark gaze left Ren's face, jumping from person to person until it landed on the form of a attractive woman that seemed to be glancing at him every so often.


" I am sure that I can convince one of them to come and help me distract the man long enough for you to sneak away with the egg as well." Once Ren would sneak away with the egg, then Sebastian would simply excuse himself from the conversation that they would be having and leave the bar himself, even if he ran into any sort of trouble, he was not worried because Ren would have already been long gone with the egg.

" Either plan you choose to go along with is fine with me, just let me know so we can get this started."

[Ren Satoshi]

Ah, to drug or to seduce. So, that was the question. Not really a mix he had expected, but the sleeping draught was an ingenious plan really. His frame lengthened in the seat and he tossed his bangs to one side with a casual toss of his head before replying, "The draught." Heaven forbid seduction lead to that thing breeding.

He cast a glance back to the man and shook his head again. With people like that, who needed alternative entertainment? He was finishing this tankard as they spoke, swaying dangerously in his seat, eyes glassy. Every time he saw glassy eyes like that...

He saw En in that ending intimate moment between them.

Involuntarily, his body tensed and his eyes wrenched downward. He was frantically chasing that memory away as the all too familiar searing pain shot through his chest.

Focus. Focus!

You have a job to do!

"Fates. Draught him. Please." He needed to get out of there before the memory returned to plague him.

In preparation, he changed his gloves and stretched, shooting a glance to the egg. "Soon. Soon you'll be free of that shell." He spoke in a low, nurturing tone.

Was he speaking to the dragon...or to himself?

[Deleted]

Upon recieving an answer from Ren, the man nodded simply his gaze suddenly becoming cold and uninterested as he glanced away from the confused young woman before standing up and slowly making his way up to the bar counter, leaning against the cold wood as he waited calmly for the bartender to approach him. Working up a fake cheerful expression on his face, he spoke to the bartender carefreely, making up some sort of story about him wanting to pull a prank on his friend by slipping a little something special into his drink. He asked if the man would be willing to look the other way for a tip and pulled out a small stack of muggle money, smirking inwardly when the foolish man began to practically drool from the mere sight of the money.

" So will you help me then good sir?"

" Aye, Aye. Hand me the money and the bottle and yer friend will be in for a nasty surprise, he will."

He handed both supplies to the old man, watching with sharp eyes as he added all of the contents of the small vial into the tankard before pouring a healthy amount of ale into the large glass and mixing the contents together. He then retrieved the bottle from the careless bartender and spoke with the waitress, directing her to the man's table before returning to his seat with Ren, carefully tucking the now empty glass vial into the saftey of his coat before glancing at Ren. " It has been done."

His gaze moved to the waitress who had just set the tankard down onto the intoxicated patron's table and watched as the man began to attack the drink as if he was a thirsty man who had just found water in the middle of the desert. Now all they had to do was wait until the draught began to work it's magic on the man, something that would not take too long. He had the finest of potion masters brew the draught for him to ensure that it was extra strong and the ale had enough of the draught in it to knock out a full grown elephant.

It truly would not be long now.

[Ren Satoshi]

From the table, he watched with a vague hint of interest as Sebastian spoke to the bartender. Despite his smile being false, he could the sight of it causing the edges of his lips to twitch upward. It was nice to see him smile.

Things unfolded under two sets of watchful eyes, and finally, Sebastian returned. He nodded at his words, watching the drunkard as the draught set in. He blinked slowly, swaying in his seat, before shaking his head vigorously. Soon his head began to droop and then he winced as the thick skull thudded on the table.

Show time.

He jumped up, laughing heartily at the "joke" and moved over to the area where the man had passed out and carefully moved the blanket that the egg was wrapped up in and laid it over the man's slumped figure. "Really! Next time you mustn't drink so much! Just imagine if I weren't here next time!" He was speaking as he gingerly covered the man up and by the time he stood once more, the egg was deftly moved out of the heat. He picked it up, only to see a bright amber eye looking at him quizzically through the cracked hole.

Oh...hello...

He found himself moving the egg out of the pub quickly after that, his heart hammering madly. Too close! Too close! As soon. As he turned the corner, he was gone before the next shadow shifted.

The pop sounded on the cliffs in Lundy as Ren let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, you little troublemaker. Let's get you...what's wrong?" There was a soft squeak from the shell. He'd shocked it's little body with the climate change.

"Oh, no. No, no. Hang on. I can make it warm again." He uttered quickly. From the bag, he grabbed that phial again and downed it in one gulp. Instantly, blue flames leapt over every ounce of Ren's body and he held the egg close to his. Best, rocking back and forth softly. "Come on...come on...out of the shell." Gloved hands ran over the egg and he gazed at it hopefully.

"This better work, or I'll smack that little...Oh!" The sctitching and scratching inside the egg began again. Suddenly, he found the shell breaking apart within his hands and he pulled away the pieces until the brilliant purple scaled baby dragon was sitting contentedly in his arms, jet black snout shoved upward and against his neck.

Ren giggled uncontrollably as the reptile flicked a forked tongue over his skin. "No fair now! No fair! Let's find those mice, Hm?" The potion fire vanashed, and Ren stood to carry the small dragon toward a large bottle full of...well...some stuff that would make one queasy, save the dragon. The tip of the bottle was ushered with care between tiny teeth and greeted with a sort squeak before it started to suckle. "Yes. Eat up. Get strong."

[Deleted]

The very moment that the man's head hit the table loudly Sebastian stayed seated in his chair, watching as Ren quickly gathered the egg into his arms, hurrying out of the pub with the egg that was in the process of beginning to hatch before his own dark gaze moved to rest on his newly acquired burden, mind swimming with just what he should do with the passed out drunkard. Half of his mind, the more logical and cold-hearted half demanded that he just grab the man and dump his slumbering form in the nearest alleyway so that he could return home and get the night over with. The softer part of him demanded that he at least leave him in the lobbey of the closest hotel where he knew that the man would be safe.

Sighing, the tall Hungarian stood from his place and slowly made his way over to the sleeping man, lifting him up and using his strength to support the limp body that lay against him. The unconcious man stunk of alcohol, something that caused Sebastian's nose to wrinkle in disgust as he began making his way out of the pub, waiting until he was completely safe from being seen by muggles before apparating to the entrance of the nearest wizarding hotel. He was not worried about the man waking up, there was enough draught in his system to ensure that he would be sleeping soundly until at least the next afternoon.

It was there that Sebastian carelessly dumped the man's body onto a chair and quickly left the lobby, making sure to be seen by as few people as humanly possible before he apparated away to the living room of his London home, ready to put an end to the day that had been filled with new experiences and encounters. As he readied himself for bed, his thoughts shifted to Ren and the dragon egg. He wondered how everything had went on Ren's part of things and while the logical part of his mind assured him that things had more than likely gone well, he couldn't help but want to hear the details from Ren himself.

He almost hoped that they would someday meet again.