Long Time No See

[Serendipity]

“Just tell him to finish the order by noon tomorrow or its his arse on the line, not mine.” Jack stared at the floating head of Keith Miller in the fireplace.

”Of course sir, of course. I’ll get right on it then.” The head nodded furiously in the fire.

“Of course you will, or else your arse will be on the line as well. Now run along Miller you have things to do.” He fluttered his hand in front of the fire.

”Good day then, sir.” And with a pop the head manager of Caulfield Textile Corp was gone.

Jack didn’t bother to bid the man a goodbye as he moved across the sitting room towards his paper filled desk. The desktop was barely visible, but he knew exactly which papers to pull when he needed them. Since he didn’t have much paper work to do for the company he had devoted most of his time to the unveiling of Emma’s father. Years after graduation and he was still stuck in the same spot he was in when he left. Most of the parchment was scribbled on with names of various men that attended Hogwarts with his mother, though there were gaps of wizards who had disappeared during the rise of Voldemort.

He was determined to figure it all out. He just had to. Not for his own sanity, but for his sister. She deserved to know the truth, no matter how much it would kill her. It had been too close when that strange man arrived at the door when she was ten. Too many questions began to rise, and he’d be damned if she learned the truth from some stranger and not her loving brother.

Pulling out the chair in front of the desk he picked up the newest find and took a seat. After grilling a couple of Hogwarts alumni he learned that his mother’s best friend during their school years had been merely a few blocks away from his flat for god knows how long. He had arranged a meeting with her about a week ago, but when he turned up at The Leaky Cauldron she never showed. When he asked his mother about her friends no show she became terribly uncomfortable and dismissed the question. Odds were she spoke to the witch and told her not to show up. So now he was forced to take another route, a situation that was becoming far to common for him.

[Haddock Vibe]

Ethan had meant to send off an owl to let Jack know he'd be in town this week, but between getting his stuff packed up, saying goodbye to friends in Florence, the three days he'd spent drinking coffee at the corner cafe that led to the street upon which Rhyssen now lived (his intention each day having been to go and talk to her - to see her - something), and then preparing and reviewing all his plans for his upcoming first year as Professor of Charms at Hogwarts, he had precious little time to do so.

It still felt like a dream.

Today, though, he'd finished up in Diagon, most of the day having been taken up in Flourish and Blott's as he worked out with the shopkeeper just what books he wanted for the students to use. All the basics were represented for each year, as Ethan knew that it was essential for students to learn the basics, but he had added books on experimental charmwork to the roster for each year as well as a Latin dictionary that he particularly liked - a Muggle one.

After a quick stop in at Ollivander's, the little old shopkeeper still the man with the most amazing memory, hands down, he stepped through The Leaky Cauldron and hopped the subway uptown getting of a few streets from Jack's. Reaching the door, he rapped his knuckles on the front door.

[Serendipity]

“Come back later, I’m busy.” He yelled from across the room. If he had wanted visitors he’d have asked that girl from three flats down to come on over in that skimpy number she liked to wear around him.

Still the knocking on the door persisted, and Jack let his head drop back as a long frustrated sigh passed through his lips. Murmuring under his breath he tossed the pieces of parchment onto his desk before slowly rising to his feet. “Would you calm the hell down I’ll be right there…”

He pushed the chair out of his way and slipped around the brown leather couch that sat in front of the fireplace. He wished that he had noticed the briefcase on the floor before he kicked it over. The contents, which happened to be contracts with new customers, spilled across the floor as the case snapped open. He began to curse madly during the rest of his trip to the door. When he reached the door knob he swung the door open as one last curse came rolling off his tongue.

This was followed by an unusual greeting. “Holy shit!”

[Haddock Vibe]

Ethan's only acknowledgement when he heard his friend's words was to continue knocking, the resulting cursing that followed growing steadily louder and clearer before the door opened to reveal a grinning Ethan. Taking in his friend's expression, he only grinned the harder. "You're still the same scuzzy wanker you were the day I last saw you, Caulfield."

And that had been a good two years back - when he was still with Rhyssen. Even though the two had kept up a fairly consistent correspondance (in guyspeak meaning about two owls a year) Ethan had yet to tell Jack much of what had happened his life over the last year and a half. It was just too damn hard to write out what had happened with Rhyssen.

His thumb absently started to play with the ring on his left pinky at the thought.

Not waiting for an invitation beyond the 'holy shit' he'd gotten, he moved past Jack and took a look around the place, taking note of the parchement all over the floor as he took a laguid seat in an armchair. "Looks like you need yourself a housekeeper, too."

[Serendipity]

"You're still the same scuzzy wanker you were the day I last saw you, Caulfield."

“Bite it Haddock, bite it hard.” He smirked, resting his hand on the door frame. “ Hey I cut my hair…at least some of the scuzz is gone.” With a shrug he moved aside as Ethan pushed himself into his flat.

It’s not like he expected him to ask, and it wasn’t likely that Jack was going to roll out the bloody red carpet for him.

"Looks like you need yourself a housekeeper, too."

Swinging the door closed Jack spun on his heel and shot him a mock glare. “ Well sure Ethan, come on in. Hey while you’re here why don’t you just make yourself at home in my armchair and criticize my organizational skills.” Leaning over he began to gather the papers that were scattered across the floor. “But now that you mention it I’ve got a hot number a few doors down I wouldn’t mind seeing in a French maid get-up. So..” He stood up with the stack of papers, not giving a second thought as he tossed them on the couch. “ What’s your business here? In town for something, or did you really just miss me that much?”

[Haddock Vibe]

"That's what it is, Jack. I missed ya. And that damn fine arse of yours," he cheeked with a wink as he stretched out, crossing one ankle over the other, hands linked behind his head.

There was something great about kicking back with a friend as old as Jack. A level of comfort he'd not felt in the presence of anyone in a heck of a long time. With Jack there wasn't any facade that had to be put on; no need to watch his words or keep his comments to himself. Just the simple act of being.

"How's textiles going for you?" he asked. "And any luck on the Emma front yet? Did you ever hit up that guy down in Africa on that?"

It had been a very weak lead. Horribly weak. But any lead was a good lead in the search for the man who'd fathered Emma. Ethan understood that. Of course, Ethan hadn't done much in the search for his father, but that was a very different ball of wax - as the saying goes.

[Serendipity]

“Yeah I know its awfully hard to resist.” He picked up an old shirt from the couch and threw it at Ethan before dropping down onto the couch.

Jack propped his legs up on the small coffee table he had placed in front of his couch. For a pretty lazy chap he had to admit he was an ok interior decorator. Not that he was going to drop everything and start fluffing pillows and picking out flower arrangements. What he had done with the simple furniture was more then enough to show his spec of femininity. Course the dirty dishes in the sink, the clothes on the floor, left over dinners scattered along the table, and a blizzard of paper work countered that femininity and showed the true colors of Jack. The true lazy slob colors.

“Eh, business is business and as long as I don’t have to do anything alls well in my eyes. Last month I raked in a hefty sum and only left my flat once. “ He grinned.

He loved that about his job. Owning his own business gave him the freedom to slack off as much as he wanted as long as he paid someone else to run it for him.

"And any luck on the Emma front yet? Did you ever hit up that guy down in Africa on that?"

“Screw luck, I need a freakin miracle. Do you know how many people I pumped for information down there about that fella?“ He huffed. “ And all I got was a measly couple of facts and some rash that took a week to clear up. At this rate it looks like Emma‘s pops is going to remain a man of mystery for awhile…”

[Haddock Vibe]

Catching the shirt, he wrinkled his nose and made a vague comment about perhaps getting his clothing washed before he tossed it over his shoulder shaking his head as Jack bragged about not leaving the flat. Let his eyes roam about the place he grinned.

"Shame, that's what it is."

He pursed his lips as Jack gave the impromptu report on his findings. It was beginning to look like a dead end trying to find this man. Not that Ethan would ever give up - mostly because he knew that Jack wouldn't and that was good enough of a reason for him to keep working on it from his end. "That's the breaks. We'll nail it down, though. We've got to. You know..." he began, before shaking his head and then picking up his words again, "you know...there is a charm I've been working on that might come in handy. Something you could use on your mum. Completely harmless...I think."

Seeing a look of interest, he continued. "It's a turth charm of sorts. Something along the lines of the charm that's used in most truth or dare games - Merlin, remember those days? - but it's a bit more low key and has the added effect of a memory charm of sorts being added to it to make the person not recall speaking of what they did. Problem is, I've not really tried it on anyone. It's more a theory...but..I could work on it. See if I can't get the kinks worked out."

It was a stretch, charming a friends mum, but if the situation got desperate enough then one took the necessary means. And at least in this case, the charm couldn't be called illegal since it didn't even technically exist yet.

[Serendipity]

“Truth charm?” He shifted slightly on the couch. “ There’s a fancy idea. I can just picture my mum on a truth charm.” The thought made him shudder, “It’s bad enough she went tramping around with some other bloke and had Emma…who knows what other skeletons are hiding in her closet. With my luck I’ll find out I’m not even her son.”

Which he had to admit he had wondered after he first discovered the news about Emma. After enough hunting on that issue he dismissed it once he actually found the right documents of his birth. Funny how Emma’s documents seemed to vanish after she was born. When he had asked his mum what happened to them she made up some stupid story about how they were packed away somewhere and she’d have to look for them. Ten years later and he was pretty sure she hadn’t even tried looking.

“ How long do you think it would take before you perfected it? I mean I’d say lets have a go now, but I’d rather not singe my mum into a pile of ashes or something.”

[Haddock Vibe]

Ethan studied Jack silently for a long time after the other one spoke. He'd do it. He'd work out the kinks, test it, and then use it. He just needed to be sure that Jack was serious about it. At last, he gave a nod.

"Two weeks. A month, tops. I've got it pretty much all worked out, it's just the angle of the wand and the intent behind it that I'm still attempting to figure out." Leaning forward, his fingers lacing together, he nodded again. "As soon as I get it down, I'll owl you."

That being determined, he stood up and walked over to the well stocked liquor cabinet (wouldn't be Jack if he didn't have himself enough libations to get an entire harem pissing drunk) pulling out a bottle of firewhiskey and pouring himself a shot. Downing it, he blinked a few times before pouring a second and pouring one for Jack. Capping the bottle, he walked back over, passing one of the shots off and reclaming his seat, this time though he only watched the amber liquid.

"She broke up with me. It'll be a year in three days."

He'd told no one about it yet, at least nothing of any note. Anake had to be told - she'd come to visit a month after the breakup and that had been nothing short of uncomfortable and miserable. But as far as friends went? Well, he'd not told anyone about it. Though it was a sure bet that Bonnie and everyone at her wedding had figured it out a few months back when he crashed her nuptials.

[Haddock Vibe]

The untouched shot glass found a new home on the crowded coffe table at Ethan's feet as Jack reacted to the news. A part of Ethan felt horridly guilty that he'd not informed his friend long ago, but then it wasn't like Jack seemed to care all that much. Leaning back into his chair, he linked his fingers behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.

"No. I've not seen her since the day that I took my last bag from the flat."

He paused then, not sure how much he really wanted to delve into the whole situation and yet if he couldn't speak of his true thoughts on the subject with Jack, who else would he be able to tell? That he'd not shared it with anyone, not even Koa, attested to the fact of just how much he still wasn't able to grapple with the fact that she wasn't his anymore.

"I've thought about it. I don't even know where she is anymore. Hell, I wouldn't even know how to go about contacting her. But, maybe she's better off without me." It was a belief he'd held so often when the two of them had been dating that he wasn't all that far off from believing it again. This time around there was far more creedence to the belief.

He had the shot glass back in hand and downed before he was aware he'd moved. "You got a few girls on the backburner, Caulfield? Some fun birds we can call over for a good time?" He held out his shot glass for a refill.

[Serendipity]

To be honest he wasn’t surprised things with Ethan and Rhyssen ended on a bad note. The two fought so much during their years at Hogwarts he was actually more surprised they didn’t kill one another. Then again when Ethan was with her he was possibly the happiest man he knew. Which was something Jack had always been quite jealous.

"You got a few girls on the backburner, Caulfield? Some fun birds we can call over for a good time?"

As Ethan held out his shot glass for a refill Jack shrugged at the question. “There’s a good shag a few doors down but I think she’s sorta pissed at me…” He leaned over and poured Ethan another drink. “ Last time I went to her place she threw a vase at me and told me to piss off. Which is better then last time when she hit me with a hex and gave me massive body hair for a week.” He chuckled, and then took another swig from the bottle. “Eh, she’ll cool down in a few days and then come back to me. It’s how it usually goes.” He shrugged again.

[Haddock Vibe]

Ethan studied the refilled glass, grinning over at Jack. "Still charming them left and right, are you?" Downing the drink, he set the glass down and stood moving to the window and watching the street in silence for a few moments.

"I've been looking into hunting down my father. Gave it up for Rhyssen. Heh, I gave up a lot for that bitch." The drink definately aided in assisting him in letting down his guard.

"Your offer still stands, yes?" He turned, his eyes finding his friend's. "I'd not hold it against you if you wanted to back out."

He ran a hand through his hair crossing to the coffee table and taking a seat on the edge of it, pressing his fingertips together. Clearing his throat, he gave a huff. "I ran into someone in Hogsmeade. A girl. Her name is Madyson Devereux. I need to know absolutely everything that can be found out about her. Everything. There was something so familiar about her, though I know I've never seen her before. It was the eyes. She had my eyes." He spoke the last few sentences on a whisper. It still had him on edge.