It had been over a week -- what felt like a long, grueling grind of a week -- since her intervention in Diagon Alley.  The adrenaline of the confrontation had long since faded, leaving behind an ever-growing sense of frustration that there was something different that she should have done. 

Very little scared Raizel Cohen.  The faint of heart did not pick Gibbor, and the jumpy or easily startled did not last very long in the employ of Gringotts.  One man, however dangerous he might be, did not frighten her.  She would stare down Katsaros and all of Topuluk if she had to -- and the next time, she always thought bitterly, she would do more than stare.

But courage alone could not find a man or a group of men, and she was beginning to grow desperate trying to think of ways that she might search.  Katsaros had vanished; rumor had it that he was working for a man in England, though her inquiries there had turned up little that was of use.  Gözde and his men would likely be far easier to track down, but she did not want to awaken that beast just yet.  She had made quiet inquiries during her weekend home in Tel Aviv, though her efforts had stopped far short of making contact.  As much as Adon claimed that he had allies in the Near Eastern Auror Office, Raizel did not trust them.  If she ran into trouble, she knew she'd be on her own.

With no more leads to run down after her long days at Gringotts, Raizel had been left to frustratingly mull over the actions that she could have taken, if only she'd thought of them, if only she'd been quicker on her feet.  And in the process, she'd thought over other things.  It occurred to her that Adon Eleor -- though a better man than she would ever outwardly give him credit for -- was far too adept at leaving himself open to be hurt.  He and his brother both, they were good people -- but that meant that neither was willing to recognize that being good people made them vulnerable.  If she were still with Topuluk, she could have thought of a dozen ways to put them at the disadvantage, to provoke a confrontation, and that was even without the cruelty and manipulation that Gözde was so known for.  The Eleor brothers were easy men to hurt, easier still to goad, and they did not seem willing to make the hard decisions that would allow them to shore up their defenses.

But darker times would not linger unseen forever.  If the Eleors would not make the hard decisions that they needed to, then someone else would have to decide things for them.  It was with this sense of steely determination that Raizel had apparated to Dreogan's house on a Sunday morning. 

She had thought her approach through well in advance. Sunday seemed the day most likely to allow her to catch Akiva Eleor at home alone -- any time during the week, and the librarian was as likely to be at the office as her husband, and Raizel had no doubt that they'd both be home or out together on Shabbat.  She had knocked, scuffing her boots impatiently against the ground as she waited for someone to answer.  When the door had finally opened, it revealed the too-familiar figure of Akiva Eleor.

"Good.  You're here," Raizel said briskly, starting for the open doorway.  Invitations were for people who hadn't known the woman's husband since they were eleven.  "I need to talk to you."

She had fully intended to push past Akiva and into her home -- it would only drive her point if the woman couldn't stop her from entering -- but the second figure behind her made Raizel stop short.  The Cursebreaker froze for an instant, eyes narrowed, evaluating the threat.  The girl couldn't have been older than twenty, with whispy brown hair, freckles, and blue eyes that were too big for her face.

"You were at the wedding," Raizel said bluntly, eyeing the girl.  Even if they hadn't been introduced, she remembered her, one of many faces who had blended into the crowd.  "Who are you?"

Sunday mornings were generally a good time for Akiva.  They were kind of lazy, she might sleep in (or not, depending on how comfortable she was) and then make a good breakfast and clean a little, or do whatever needed to be done around the house.  There was no expectation of going to work or getting much of anything done, so she was enjoying the day. 

The entire weekend had been hard for her to get through.  She felt paranoid and certainly didn’t intend on going out by herself for a bit.  It was making her a little stir crazy though, particularly after being so exasperated with Dree as he attempted to teach her defensive magic.  It was not as though he was a bad teacher, she just felt overwhelmed, and frankly, did not think she could do it. 

He was very skilled, while she felt horribly unskilled in comparison.  It was frustrating and at the onset of tears, it had ended almost as quickly as it had started.  It put her a little on edge, and certainly made her more eager to do something she was good at… and she really wanted muffins…

She even invited Fauna over, providing she was not busy, to catch up and do some baking.  Akiva liked to spend a good deal of the day in the kitchen anyway.  Dreogan wasn’t home, as he was seeing Sasha at Sasha’s home, so it was a good way to surprise him when he got home.  And the presence of Fauna was a fantastic way to keep company. 

So, laughing in the kitchen, Akiva worked on one batter while Fauna on another, only to hear a knock at the door.  Dree would not have knocked.  Cautiously, she put down the bowl and gave Fauna a look before she approached the door.  She looked through the peeping tom and was surprised – Raizel? 

What could she possibly want?  It had to be her, considering nothing was alerting her of the presence of altering magic – and Akiva unbolted the door, frankly unsurprised by her frankness, and did not presume that she would be able to keep her out. 

“That is Fauna Blake, Auror-in-Training,” Akiva pointed out to Raizel’s accusations.  Though she could not see the woman’s face, she could only imagine it was hard with some unfriendly sort of countenance. 

Akiva quickly and deftly bolted the door and sighed as Lady barked from upstairs – a gate keeping her firmly locked up until after muffins were in the oven.  The cats were no where to be seen anyway, and Akiva brushed a stray strand of brown hair out of her face.  “Fauna, this is Raizel Cohen.” Introductions were clearly to be made, and Akiva walked back toward the counter, not sure how she felt about this woman in her house. 

“What do you need, Raizel?” she asked as she picked up the bowl, ready to stir again. 

Fauna would never be a great cook. The batter was just as likely to end up in her hair as it was in the bowl, and she'd gotten a big glop on the front of her old Three Owl Standard sweatshirt. But she enjoyed the process, laughing over her mistakes, and most of all she liked spending time with Akiva.

She'd been worried about her after hearing a vague account of the attempted attack over a week ago. Akiva seemed to be alright though, at least this afternoon. Of course, with Akiva and Fauna, the world could be crumbling around them and they'd still find something to smile about, some lighthearted story, or just now, Fauna's retelling of the night she'd gotten a tattoo. The kitchen felt like a safe haven, a place where their biggest worry was accidentally substituting salt for sugar.

The peace was disrupted at the sharp knock on the door. Sharing a glance with Akiva, Fauna followed close behind, hand close to her wand. A familiar looking woman entered, then looked at Fauna like she was the one who had just barged in. Akiva did not smile or welcome her, which was the equivalent of the average person flipping her the bird and barring the door.

Crossing her arms instinctively, she opened her mouth, about to introduce herself when Akiva did it for her.

That explained it!

Fauna glanced over Raizel Cohen, her expression somehow managing to look both uncomfortable and sour. It did not escape her notice that Akiva had tacked on the Auror Trainee title after her name, though she probably looked nothing like a trainee in her ratty jeans and shaggy haircut. If worst came to worst, at the very least Fauna knew all about making things awkward, and was not afraid to use her hair-tossing to nudge Raizel out!

Akiva had told her that the cursebreaker had scared off the stranger last week. And from what she'd heard, it was hard to tell who had offended Akiva more - the attacker or the rescuer.

"Hey," she greeted her in a dull, unenthusiastic voice.

Fauna followed Akiva's lead, returning to the counter and gingerly picking up one of the bowls in her hands. 

The girl was an awkward, gangly looking thing -- who, though it seemed impossible to believe, was apparently even more passive than Akiva Eleor, because she hadn't even responded to Raizel's direct question.  The Cursebreaker eyed her, obviously deciding how much importance to assign to her.  Normally, someone who couldn't speak up for themselves would have simply been ignored, but the assigned title of Auror-in-Training made her potentially interesting, if only because that meant she knew others like Adon and Eha at the Ministry.

But for now, the information that the boring girl might hold was less important than the reason she'd come.  Akiva Eleor had turned back to her house, waiting for her to enter in a clear invitation that she was welcome, and then returned to what was apparently her kitchen. "What do you need, Raizel?"

Evidently the woman had not been listening when she'd explained why she'd come.  Raizel gave a huff, rolling her eyes as she swept into the room behind the other two witches.

"To talk to you," she repeated impatiently, following Akiva to the counter.  She ignored the fact that the other two had immediately picked up bowls to stir; cooking was not important compared to the gravity of what she had come to impart.  Without waiting for acknowledgement, Raizel positioned herself right alongside Akiva, pressing against the counter so that she was clearly in the other woman's line of vision.

"I have been thinking," she began in a matter-of-fact tone, although this part was a given.  "About what happened the other week.  It was not good."  She pressed her tongue to the back of her teeth.  It was not good, but it could have been worse.  It could have been better, too, if she had reacted more quickly, but Raizel was not here to contemplate that particular burden right now.  She forged onward.

"And I think," she continued, each English word enunciated with clear and precise diction, "that it would have been better if you had known what to do."  She lifted her chin, her jaw set in a firm, stubborn line.  "It is dangerous, knowing the Eleors.  Something like that will happen again," she said grimly.  "So I think that you should learn what to do for the next time, so that no one ends up dead because of it."

It wasn’t as though Akiva did not understand the gravity of her situation, or the danger her husband’s work put them in.  It was certainly something she expected from the beginning and would have been quite disappointed if she thought their marriage and very quickly growing family was going to push him out of that and into something more tame. No, it was the perfect reason for him to be even more ardently in support of what he believed him, and Akiva supported him.

She even helped the new department growing as much as she could.  She continued working in the library, but spent time researching for Dreogan and communicating directly to help with their needs. 

Fundamentally, she agreed with the mission and the ideas.  She did worry though.  With what happened last week, it was closer to home than ever.  Having Raizel walk into her house and talk about it – she was uncomfortable with it. Particularly with Fauna there.

The young woman did not know much of the encounter, mostly because Akiva chose not to tell her.  It was not something she had to worry about.  Fauna had enough on her plate, and frankly, so did the pregnant woman who had dealt with it. 

“Dreogan and I have talked about that,” Akiva replied honestly. They had many conversations on the subject.  In between stirs of her batter, she glanced up, Raizel did not appear to be moving.  That also did not feel like the end of the discussion.  She would push, and Akiva would be forced to listen – at least for a short time, until she could be certain she could ask her to leave without being rude. 

“I’m afraid,” Akiva added, “I’m not talented with spellwork,” she glanced at the wand on the table.  It was a year old, practically brand new, after her last one had been lost – most likely destroyed… The statement was simple enough and true – Akiva had been stunted in her training, having to drop out her sixth year and it undermined her confidence with more complicated wandwork.  “So what do you suggest?”

At least this conversation was starting out more promising than the last had.  Dreogan and I have talked about that.  Raizel gave a short, approving nod.  For all of her issues with the older Eleor brother, at least he was not sticking his head entirely in the sand this time, even if he could not bring himself to do what needed to be done.

But then they were back to the same problem again.  What did she suggest?  Honestly.  Raizel huffed out a breath, her nostrils flaring, and did not try very hard to hide the fact that she was rolling her eyes.  If Akiva Eleor would simply listen to what she said, this conversation would take only half as long.

"That you learn what to do for the next time," she repeated, giving Akiva an impatient look.  She glanced around the kitchen, eyeing it appraisingly.  It was a big space, but not perfect -- too many hard corners, and too hard a floor, even if she vanished the table and all of the pots and pans in it.  She did not intent to give Akiva Eleor any extra reason to protest, or Dreogan any excuse to call this off.  Unnecessary injuries would be avoided, at least for the moment.

"Put that bowl down.  We will need a room," she commanded, directing her attention back on Akiva.  "A soft floor is better, and lots of space.  Furniture doesn't matter."  She could make it vanish, and probably bring all of it back intact.  "Well?" she asked impatiently, looking to the witch.  She paid no attention to the younger one, Fauna Blake.  If she were an Auror Trainee, maybe she would be of use, but Raizel doubted it.  She did not need passivity; that was what she needed to fix in Akiva Eleor. 

"We can go to where I am staying instead, but then we will have to apparate," she said dismissively.  "So it's better that we find something here.  What room would work?"

Even in their short acquaintance, Akiva had come to know Raizel as someone who did not ask for things.  She did not put on the pretense of manners, nor consider what she was saying – at least not on any human level – and it was probably just part of her personality, but she could not imagine her talking to everyone in such a manner. 

Akiva did not think she was more deserving than anyone else of respect, of course, but she was a person and this was her house.  If she could at least be a little more considerate of what she was doing and perhaps remember that she was not the only person in the room who mattered, it might make Akiva more inclined to work with her. 

Placing the bowl down, Akiva reached up and pushed some of her dark hair behind her ear.  She was not going to get rid of her, that was well established, and maybe, if Akiva was bad enough – which she was completely convinced she was – Raizel would see how much of a lost cause this really was and storm out in frustration.

She seemed the type to deem people as hopeless, and certainly had no patience if this interaction was any indicator.  “No apparating,” she said stiffly, an air of protectiveness about her.  She didn’t want to put her child in any more danger – and apparating twice last week had been stupid.  She wouldn’t forgive herself if something went wrong, and had only had enough time to pray and go to Mungo’s to be sure nothing had happened. 

Thankfully, they made it out unscathed that time.  So, she would humor her for a bit and sighed.  “In here,” she stepped from behind the counter and walked into the sitting room – it wasn’t particularly big, but the floor was carpeted and the furniture could be moved easily.  “Fauna can help you move the furniture,” she added, “if that would be better.”

Fauna made no attempt to hide the glare she shot at Raizel, as Raizel made no attempt to hide her exasperation and impatience with Akiva. Akiva, who was giving her perfectly reasonable answers. In her own home. In her own kitchen, where she was clearly in the middle of something. But with the way Raizel was throwing her weight around, Fauna wouldn’t be surprised if she declared herself queen of this castle.

Slowly setting down the bowl, Fauna glanced at Akiva in surprise, and followed the women into the sitting room. Though her intentions might be good, the cursebreaker didn't seem to be giving Akiva much of a choice, and Fauna didn’t trust her to respect Akiva if she couldn’t even do it while they were standing around talking. That was not only bothersome. It was dangerous.

"Sure," she agreed automatically, but made no move toward the furniture. Fauna stood next to Akiva, and studied her face.

"Are you ok with this? Because we don't have to." She gave her a serious look, pushing away the slight embarrassment she felt about asking in the first place. Akiva was like an older sister to her, and she knew she could stand up for herself, but even so, Fauna worried.

All of this was going much better than Raizel had ever hoped to expect.  For all of her lack of backbone, at least Akiva Eleor had realized how necessary it was that she learn how to handle herself better.  No apparating -- fine, fine.  Raizel nodded, waving a hand to show that such restrictions didn't matter.  She could work around apparition.  If Akiva wasn't very good at it, there was no point in drilling her to start out.  There were other far more urgent issues that needed to be addressed.  They could work on apparition in time.

“Fauna can help you move the furniture --"

"No, no, no," Raizel said dismissively, shaking her head.  She drew her wand.  "I will take care of it."  And with that, focused on the nearest arm chair, she began silently casting Evanesco.

As focused as she was, she still heard the question voiced behind her.  Raizel's shoulders tensed as the chair in front of her vanished with a pop.  Whirling on her heel, she leveled a venomous look at the Auror Trainee.  Whoever this girl was, Auror or not, she wasn't going to give Akiva Eleor a way out of this.  Raizel had already decided.  They were going to fix it, and that way, the next time someone came to take or injure the diplomat's wife, at least she wouldn't simply stand there like a lamb about to be led to the slaughter.

"Of course we have to," she snapped, each word forced out with crisp, hard diction.  "She knows how important this is, and what could --"  She cut herself off mid sentence, her jaw clenching, and tensed as she glared at Fauna. 

"No one wants anyone to die," she said harshly.  "If you choose to live a dangerous life and you can't do anything to protect yourself, then it's your fault if you get the people around you hurt."

Akiva gasped as Raizel made one of the chairs disappear.  She did not like that!  There were other ways to get this process done.  “No, no,” Akiva moved forward, putting her hand over Raizel’s arm, though she didn’t lay her and on her, just trying to get her attention. 

“Why don’t you just… shrink it all?” She gulped, hoping the chair would be retrievable.  It wasn’t as though she was very materialistic, but everything did match – and as much a she believed Raizel might have had good intentions (for the most part), but that did not mean she was going to be very considerate about their possessions – or necessarily remember to bring them back at the end… “I think it’d work just as well,” she added, trying to be authoritative. After all, it was her house and she really couldn’t go about without any furniture in it.

It seemed almost immediately though, Raizel’s attention was less on clearing the room and more on letting Fauna have it.  Frowning, Akiva crossed her arm across her considerably larger than she remembered chest.  “She’s just trying to be considerate,” Akiva cut in, explaining Fauna’s insistence that she did not have to do anything. 

She gave the young woman an imploring smile, “Thank you Fauna.”  Her voice, for that part, was at least in is normal, soft tone.  Though, when she turned back to Raizel, there was at least a minor difference in the harshness of tone, “And if you had let me get a word in,” she frowned, “I would have explained that myself.” 

Maybe not in those words, exactly, but it was important and she did know that.  Plus, she suspected Raizel wouldn’t stick around long once she realized how hopeless this was going to be.  “I agreed to be cooperative,” she pointed out, “so you don’t have to jump down anyone’s throat here.”  She let out a deep sigh and rubbed her stomach just a little, finding it the most comfortable way to stay standing anyhow. 

Fauna's eyes widened. For a second she felt like she couldn't breathe. Those words hit straight to her gut, sure as a blast from a wand.

Her body stiffened and her eyes flashed. She opened her mouth, but luckily, Akiva spoke up before she could.

Struggling to calm down, she nodded when Akiva thanked her, then glanced up sharply when Akiva agreed with Raizel, at least on the surface. She crossed her arms and moved to the side of the sitting room, not trusting herself to speak. Fauna wouldn't put it past Raizel to 'accidentally' vanish her away with the furniture, but she'd take that risk.

Though Fauna reasoned that out of anyone, Akiva had a right to be upset and furious, not her, she couldn't help how she felt at the moment. Fauna shot a worried glance at Akiva resting her hand on her stomach, and glowered in Raizel's direction, refusing to even look at her.

Fauna was tempted to demand that Raizel be careful. But they were in Akiva's home. This was Akiva's call. With dread building in her, she remained quiet, looking ready to butt in at the slightest provocation.

Raizel had been gearing up for another battle, squaring her shoulders and standing her ground, but Akiva Eleor spoke up and defused the situation again.  Raizel blinked, staring at the other woman.  Maybe she really had realized the importance of this.  Maybe the days that had passed since the run-in with Katsaros had been enough time for the dangers of her situation to sink in, or it had dawned on her that she alone might be responsible for the Eleor brothers getting hurt or killed.  Whatever the reason, the Israeli mage wasn't going to question it; she was happy to go along with the suddenly cooperative librarian.  Maybe this exercise wasn't doomed to fail after all.

"Yes," she said stiffly.  Even if she was happy that Akiva was suddenly on her side, she wasn't going to acknowledge the mild challenge.  After all, she hadn't jumped down anyone's throat.  "Good.  Then we'll start."

The Cursebreaker eyed Fauna suspiciously for a moment longer, and then returned her attention to the furniture.  She studied it irritably for a moment, and then raised her wand; it took a few murmured words and a series of quick gestures for the entire set of armchairs and sofas to shrink and then get swept to the side.

"There," she said briskly, returning her wand to her belt loop.  "Now." 

She turned her gaze on Akiva, looking the woman over.  "I think that we should start without wands," she informed her matter-of-factly.  "You won't always have one, and if you're not very good with spellwork, then we should work on a foundation first."  She gave her another appraising look, gaze moving over the librarian from head to toe, as if gaging her physical prowess.  The fact that she was very pregnant made this more difficult than it needed to be.

"What can you do?" Raizel asked bluntly, meeting Akiva's gaze squarely.  "Your husband wouldn't be very happy with me if we started with throws, I think."

Akiva winced as Raizel shrunk all of the furniture and just swept it to the side.  She decided, however, that it would be counterproductive to point out the respect of other people's things, considering she was being somewhat cooperative for the time being.  It would be beneficial to keep her happy, even if some of her furniture had dents in it - realizing, within the next couple of months, dings in the furniture would probably be the least of their worries.

That, of course, triggered the laundry list of things she still needed for the baby to stream through her head.  Hopefully she'd be able to get a lot of the material objects from friends, or even her sentimental parents who had put some of it in storage...

She shook her head, putting herself back in the time and place.  Tilting her head, she exchanged a look with Fauna, unsure of how this was going to turn out.  The Israeli woman was precise, and did not mince her words. 

It was both a blessing and a curse.  Akiva never had to wonder where she sat with her - unlike some others - but, generally, Akiva felt that she sat rather low of Raizel's scale of opinion. Some might say what others thought did not matter, but for Akiva, who sought to please where she went, being disliked was not a familiar, or comfortable, feeling. 

She squirmed a little under scrutiny and blinked when she indicated they should work without wands.  It struck her for a moment, and even if she had no confidence with it, she probably had more confidence in that, than she did with her fists.  She realized how white her knuckles were over the wand as she clutched it and swallowed hard.

"I... wouldn't even know where to start," Akiva said honestly, hoping that was the best policy to take here - it seemed to be Raizel's style, anyhow.  "I've never fought anyone before," she pointed out, honestly.  She didn't live an existence that really put her in harm's way... much.  And even when it did, the last time, she had been poisoned... The thought made her bite her lip and she looked to Fauna, then back at Raizel.  This was going to be difficult, she could already tell. 

The blonde woman snorted, giving a shake of her head.  "Yes, I noticed," she said dryly, slipping her left hand into her pocket.  She pulled out a rubber band, shaking it free, and then began to pull her hair back.

"This isn't fighting," she said matter-of-factly, as she secured her hair in a ponytail.  "It is surviving.  You aren't trying to beat anyone.  It's more important to be aware so that you don't get into trouble, and to know how to get away if you do."  She shrugged, the motion rolling off her shoulders, and then began to slip off her coat.  "Defending yourself is good too, but responding isn't always fighting."

That might be part of the problem, she thought, as she tossed the lightweight green coat aside onto the shrunken furniture.  Both of the Eleor brothers were clearly fighters.  Dreogan had always been extraordinarily gifted at defense magics, and Adon was one of the most prodigious duelers she'd ever known, even as a teenager at Beit Gaddol.  She'd seen the way he carried himself now; on top of his dueling prowess, he looked as though he'd added a layer from the more physical aspects of IDF training.  But psalmatic protection spells and the most aggressive curses or Krav Maga attacks weren't for everyone, especially not starting out.  Today, they'd start simple.

"So we will start."  She studied Akiva for a moment, and then shifted her gaze to the silent figure next to her.  Fauna Blake, glowering Auror Trainee.  The younger woman looked even less happy about the prospect of self defense lessons than Akiva Eleor did, but that didn't really mean very much.  Like Akiva, she didn't have a choice. 

"You've sparred?" she asked her, eyebrows raised.  She stepped to the side, her motions easy and fluid, shifting into the area of the room where they'd cleared an open space.  Even if she were young, if the British Aurors were worth anything, chances were good that Blake had had some training already.  That could be useful in making the point.  "You can help me demonstrate."

Fauna sent Akiva a reassuring look when she admitted that she'd never fought anyone before, not physically. It was difficult enough imagining the calm, friendly woman hexing a person, let alone hitting them. She could relate to that, having only shoved someone once. How terribly threatening of her!

Then it was back to glowering at Raizel, who had better not be doing any throws! Fauna didn't know much about pregnancy, but she was pretty sure jostling the mother wasn't safe for the future tiny bundle of noise and offensive smells. Fauna met her eyes when Raizel looked at her, about to argue with her if she was going to tell her to leave, and raised her eyebrows when she asked about her fighting experience instead.

Startled, Fauna glanced at Akiva, subconsciously shifting her stance to face Raizel better. Like any duel.

"Er, no," she admitted. "Not wandless. But... I think they plan on doing that soon," Fauna added with a touch of defensiveness.

"You can still demonstrate on me; I don't care," she said hastily, with another glance at Akiva. If it meant taking some of the pressure and attention off of her very pregnant friend, Fauna supposed she was in for an arse-kicking today.