Absit Omen RPG

Xavier nodded as he walked along with Raine, "Partying with Virgil? I imagine that was quite the riot." The last time he had been to a party with all of his former classmates had been for Figaro's birthday. The group had gone bar hopping and it made for a rather enjoyable night.

He shrugged, "Never got an invite." Although he had spent all of his years at Hogwarts sharing a dorm with Carstairs, he wasn't exactly close with Virgil. They had simply run in different circles while at school.

He let out a rye chuckle, "No. I mean, I am Scottish, I just don't really talk to that side of my family anymore." He neglected to mention the fact that he had no idea where that side of his family was anymore. He was sure Grandma Anna was dead, his mother too probably and Merlin on knew what Uncle Cinaed was up to.

He rubbed the back of his neck and added a little awkwardly, "I went to my Dad's place actually." He wasn't sure how much Raine knew about his tumultuous relationship he had with his father, "ended up having a drinking contest with Peyton. My sister was not happy about that. Especially when I made her bring him back to Nick."

Xavier watched, impressed, as she downed the whole bottle before even leaving the shop. He was reminded suddenly of how much he enjoyed being around Raine (and also of the last time they had been out drinking together)

His sly grin turned to a genuine smile. He was half expecting her to turn down his offer, only because he was used to playfully flirting with the red head and having her repeatedly turn him down, "I think I can manage," He gave her a wink and led her out of the shop, though allowing her to take the lead once outside.

"So, what were you up to that necessitated such a potion?"

Xavier raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes when she actually tried the drink he had offered her. He had to admit, he was expecting her to refuse. He gave a light chuckle when she vividly described the colour and took the drink back for himself.

With a smile still on his lips he mentally chided himself. He had actually forgotten that Raine was a half blood. Aside from Ayla, she had been one of the only half bloods he had associated with while still holding a lot of his ingrained purist views. Then again, when you were related to a witch like Ira Almasy is was hard to focus on any of the rest of the family. Then again, he imagined many felt the same way about him and his own uncle.

He followed her to the counter and gave her a sly grin again, "If I pretend I don't know what it is, will you let me take you out to breakfast?"

"Oi!" He called out as she stole his hat but there was a smirk on his lips and a sparkle in his eye. Even if she was hung over and stealing one of his favourite hats, she was still a breath of fresh air after the early morning meeting he had to attend.

"I happen to look rather dashing in that hat, thank you very much."

He looked to his cup and purposely took a long sip, "Non-alcoholic." He tipped the cup as if toasting her, "Cook's specialty. Believe the muggles these days are calling them protein shakes." His Great Uncle, affectionately known as Cook, had begun making them for the youth who insisted on drinking himself to an early grave.

"Best cure for a hangover. You should try it." He offered her the cup though he doubted the Auror-in-training would ever drink anything he offered her. Especially given the unnatural greenness of said drink.

Dear Ayla,

I know I keep telling you that I'm going to stop writing you but I can't stop. You haven't even written back to the like three or four I've written. I think at this point I'm just doing it out of habit or to get all these thoughts out of my head.

I've been trying to be mindful of the hour I send my Owl to you but if it's any consolation, she's always enthusiastic about taking letters to you. She must like you.

How's Hogwarts treating you this year? It's almost jarring not going back. The first of September came and went and I spent it in mindless meetings instead of on the Hogwarts Express. At the very least I think I may finally be getting better at this whole business thing. The company does pretty much run itself and I much prefer going out to the Ranches.

Either way is still better than hanging around the big empty mansion. It's just me and Cook these days. Briar moved out at the beginning of the summer. I told her she didn't have to, it was more her house than it had ever been mine but I think she's still mad Arathorn gave it to me instead of her. Last I heard she's been living with Peyton, how weird is that?

If you feel like writing back this time, tell me all about school, yeah?

With Love,
Xavier

There was a sound of shattered glass and the squelch of liquid underfoot. Though Raine had been able to keep her own Potion Bottle from falling, the patron she had bumped into hadn't been as lucky. The rather large and burly looking man was red in the face. He was obviously angry but may have also still been drunk from the night before, "why you little b-"

He reached for his wand but was cut short by another patron taking hold of his arm, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." The second man spoke in a posh sounding Londoners accent. He was dressed rather smartly, black pressed slacks and shiny dress shoes under a tailored travelling cloak. He wore a fedora that casts shadows on his face inside the already softly lit Apothecary. The only thing out of place about the man was the violently green drink he was holding in a hard plastic cup that looked like it was bought at the nearest Poundland.

With his back to Raine he added, "wouldn't be the smartest move to draw your wand on an Auror, now would it mate?" There was a flash of gold as the business man handed over some galleons for the stranger's troubles and shooed him away.

A nervous looking store clerk came over to clean up the mess as the business man turned fully to face Raine, "Drunk, hung over or clumsy? Which is it today Almasy?" Xavier tipped up his hat and gave his former classmate a roguish grin.

Xavier let a smirk dance across his lips, "Discretion I can do." Truth be told, he only asked because he was more or less legally obligated to. The last thing his company needed right now was more bad PR. Aunt Sheridan would have his head. She had a hard enough time trying to deal with him inheriting the company, he didn't need to make things worse by making bad business deals.

He grabbed a pen and a note book, flipping it open. He started to write a few things down before snatching up a business card, scribbling on the back and handing it to Sasha, "This is the info for the head of our Distribution Department. I'll let him know to get in touch with you and we can set up a regular schedule of shipments for you. Prices can be determined as we go."

He sat back in his chair, marvelling at the former Ravenclaws insistent pursuit of knowledge, "What kind of research as you doing? Just out of curiosity."

Xavier had let out a soft chuckle when Sasha mentioned giving flobberworms to people he didn't like. While he was well aware of the joke he was tempted to mention that the former Ravenclaw must have a lot of people on his list considering the quantity he was looking to buy. He kept it to himself though, allowing the other man his joke.

Curiousity was certainly piqued and he eagerly took the list handed to him. As Sasha continued he scanned through the ingredients. Along with breeding and conservation his company helped move, obtain and create ingredients for general potion making - anything they didn't need to kill the animals for, unless the animals themselves had died under 'ideal' circumstances. He wasn't about to repeat O'Morain's mistakes.

"It will take some time with the quantities you want but I'm sure we can work out a deal."

He placed down the list and looked to Sasha in all seriousness, "As for the more abnormal request, I'm obligated to at least ask - you're not planning on doing anything nefarious, now are you?"

Receiving the letter from Sasha had been a welcomed surprise. Ever since leaving school he felt as if he was finally coming into his own. Despite the fact that he now found himself the head of a multi billion galleon company, he felt as though he had finally become the man he had been desperately trying for in his final years of school. Reconciling old (or even forming new) relationships had helped that along. Sasha being a perfect example.

He had arranged for the meeting to take place at the manor rather than one of his offices. When the former Ravenclaw had arrived he had been escorted to Xavier's study. The large room was lined with bookcases, a large bay window that looked out on to the grounds, a roaring fireplace and large desk and two highback leather armchairs all in gorgeous shades of burgundy and mahogany. He had motioned to the chairs while fixing them both a drink.

He handed the glass to Sasha while taking his own seat, "The transit'on defini'ely wasnae smooth. I was mor'n willin' ta give it all up but I thin' I've found me groove wi'h it."

He nodded along as Sasha mentioned the business aspect of their visit, "o' course. Shouldnae be too hard ta arrange. The breedin' facilities are doin' well right now. Especially wi'h thee smaller creatures. Christmas season, right?"

He leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other curiousity sparking in his eyes, "Abnormal purchases? Do tell, Herr Schlagenweit."

Xavier smirked at Fig, one hand on his own drink. As Raine made herself comfortable at his side, he let himself relax, putting his own arm around the back of her chair (not quite on her shoulders but close enough to feel some heat)

He was tempted to leave Figaro hanging but he didn't think the amusement they'd all get out of it would surpass the trouble they'd get into. They were all adults now and needed to be more careful about their shenanigans.

"Our dear friend Anton, is o' thee muggle vari'ty."

He glanced towards the door as well, trying to gauge how long was an acceptable time to take for a smoke break. He screwed up his mouth in thought, took a deep draw from his drink before plowing forward with something that was obviously bugging him, "So, ah know ah'm no' thee portrait o' broth'rly love 'ere but should I be worried 'bout Bevans. Ah'm not gonna watch 'im cheat on Peyt'n am I?"

As the pack of them had filed out of the van at the first pub Xavier had excused himself for a moment to operate the atm at the front. One of the first things that he had learned about his late Grandfather (and perhaps the most surprising) was that the company had a separate Muggle expense account - just in case. The funds themselves appeared limitless. Xavier didn't know the exchange in Wizard to Muggle money but had been in enough bars in his short life to know trying to pay your tab with galleons was not the way to go.

Before rejoining the group he had made sure to slip a few extra notes to their bearded waiter, make sure he kept the drinks coming and didn't ask too many questions - especially considering that the drunker Figaro got, the louder he got.

He was sat next to Raine by the time they were all ordering and stuck to a gentle lager himself. Something he nearly spat out when Raine mentioned Nicholas' bedroom preferences, "'oly feck Almasy. I couldae done withou' tha' imagery." He shot a bemused but slightly concerned look at Nick. Still not sure how his brother's relationship even worked.

"Cheers." He raised his glass to the toast, relaxing a bit as Raine decided to see fit to share his personal space. Despite his promise to be a gentlemen he wasn't sure if he could keep it if she kept that up - and the drinks kept flowing.

Xavier chuckled at Sasha's warning. He still didn't know what an Autobahn was but he'd be willing to take the former Ravenclaw's warning to heart. He may have fallen in love with the muggle transportation and the large collection of classic cars his grandfather had left him, but he was willing to accept that there was still a lot he needed to learn.

He sent a sidelong glance at Bevans. For a moment he had wondered if his brother was here but watching Nick flirt with the muggle boy he suddenly doubted it. While he wasn't too well acquainted with Peyton's relationship with the former Gryffindor he did feel as if the flirting would be at a minimum had his brother been there. He suddenly wondered if it was even his place to be worrying about such. He didn't exactly have the best record of looking out for Peyton's well being. More often than not, over the years, he had been the cause of his older brother's worries.

He was thankful for the distraction in the form of Raine holding close to him as the gaggle of near adults filed out of the flat. He nuzzled back into her placing his hand on hers as she held his arm, making the pair look much closer than they ever really were, "Sasha's mate Anton." He whispered back, "he's a muggle. I don' thin' 'e knows bout Sasha's magic."

He added as an after thought, "an' don' worry, I'll be a perfect gentleman."

The swirling of the sudden apparition had not helped Xavier's current disposition and he leaned heavily on his uncle as he was guided into the house. He didn't recognize the place but that wasn't really a surprise. He doubted that within the years since he had last seen him, his uncle had turned his life around. This was likely just another safe house or hidey-hole. Xavier figured the less he knew the better.

As he was deposited in the large armchair he watched his little cousin. He had grown so much since he saw him last, he had been little more than a baby then. Now he was like a real person, full of energy and a surprising amount of joy given his current situation. Xavier noticed the woman's blank expression right away and at first thought she was dead. He felt a pang of guilt twist his heart as Fionn showed off the galleon he had given him. This was no life for a kid . . .

Xavier lolled his head and looked up at Cin as he was addressed, "Nah ah'm fine. Nuthin' left anyway." He furrowed his brow and it took him a while to realize who Briggs was. He watched the blank woman move to make tea and suddenly became suspicious that she was being Imperiused.

"Nate did nuthin'. Got a thin' fer 'is wife. Wen' ta see 'er." He ran a hand through his hair and down his face, "She wasn' 'ome. I enned up wit Nate instead."

He leaned his head back against the armchair and closed his eyes for a moment, "Fi looks 'appy."

Xavier waved him off as he mentioned being surprised that someone would want to know what he thought. He actually understood that feeling even if he didn't exactly experience it himself. They were both experiencing a whole new world here. Being an adult was no easy task and it seemed everyone they knew were more or less thrust into it with no real preparation. Xavier didn't have the luxury of being picky. He would take all the advice he could get regardless of where it came from.

As the vehicle was stopped he turned in his seat slightly to face the other man. He nodded along with everything he said and took his time to absorb it all. He had never thought about it like that. He wasn't sure he was the right person to run the business but it was definitely possible that someone else could do a lot worse. His uncles and cousins seemed like an easy choice but would any of them bear a grudge against him. Being a part of the family business was like second nature, were there any of them that thought they'd be getting control over him. The company was supposed to go to his father but Henry had never wanted it. Didn't it make sense that it went to him? After all, he was the only Wentworth left, even if most people knew him as a Tawse.

"I neva though' o' it that way." He added sincerely, "thank ye." He offered a small smile and restarted the car, continuing it down the gravel road, "an 'ere I though' I was done wit studyin'." He chuckled dryly, almost expecting the former Ravenclaw to say something along the lines of one always needing to study in life, "Maybe I should take one o' them business courses." While it was said in a playful tone, it probably wasn't the worst idea.

Xavier simply shrugged at Cinaed's inquiry. He had no idea how the drink was made but Basilisk Bile could explain the violent vomiting and the hallucinations. In any case, he wasn't about to have another round any time soon. At least the remedy sounded easy enough, "Git me 'ome an Cook'll do the rest." The old grizzled wizard was more than used to taking care of his drunken arse by now anyways. Not to mention, Xavier was paying the man a tidy fortune to do so. Most of his grandfather's serving staff had kept on because of the young billionaire's generosity.

Cinaed painted a picture of an very undesirable welcome at St Mungo's and Xavier sneered. For a moment he narrowed his still violet eyes at his uncle. He was a little more than surprised that he knew about Xavier current status, "ugh, no. No more reporters."

He pulled himself to his feet, still wobbling and put his hand against the brick wall to keep from falling over. He couldn't even feel his feet let alone be sure he could walk on them. He looked to his uncle, a million questions racing through his head. If Cinaed knew Arathorn had left him his fortune, did his mother know? Did she know his father was back? Was she even alive? Where had she been for the past three years?

None of his burning questions made it past his lips, though. Instead he pulled a galleon out of his pocket, twirled it over his knuckles like a muggle con man doing 'magic' and handed it to his little cousin.

He glanced back at Nate, "sorry for the mess mate," with a side eye at his uncle he added, "an' the trouble."