September 6th 2010, 07:58
Ravensmead Cottage; St Albans, England



A moment of silence, for the last few moments of true quiet and peace that Lucrezia would see for a rather long time or, in any case, what would surely feel like an eternity and a half. For today, a most tragic and grueling day, was the first in the many surely atrocious days of having to teach her trade to none other than Phillip 'That-Bloody-Knob' Kinsey. Eight o'clock on the dot and the divvy was, unsurprisingly, nowhere in sight. Naturally, she hadn't expected any sort of punctuality from the dolt, but choosing his first day under her tutelage to be late was quite the egregious blunder. Quite.

Lucrezia had spent the entirety of the summer holidays by immersing herself in her studies and research, enjoying the blissful absence of blundering idiots and inadequate human beings let alone professors. So it was safe to admit that she hadn't dedicated much time towards questioning her poor decision regarding Mr. Kinsey and his apprenticeship. At the time, she had merely wanted the letters to stop, otherwise she would've probably gutted the little shite like a fresh, juicy and still very-much-alive fish. There was truly no arguing with the likes of Phillip Kinsey, not unless you depended on five neurons and one synapse to keep you functioning, in any case. Alas, today was the day, and whether she liked it or not, the boy would be here in her own home and wasn't that a terrifying a prospect? As such, alcohol was necessary in order to cope with her dreadful reality.

A long sigh later, Lucrezia's gloved fingers were curled around the neck of a glassful of wine, surprisingly a rosé she had received from none other than Arianne. That woman would've exhausted a fortune simply because of one item's color, as was the case with this particular bottle. It was the instant that the rim of glass touched her lips, before any of the liquid could have actually lessened the tragedy of this morning, that a thundering pounding cut through the otherwise silent house. Leave it to Kinsey to ruin any possible chance at a modicum of happiness. Following a long, almost heart-breaking sigh, Lucrezia pushed herself to her feet, abandoning the glass and the bottle of wine to a stasis charm. With only a second to spare to the idea that a single seventeen or was he 18? maybe 19? could've as well been five for all the good that it did him, or her year old cretin could have pushed her to drinking at arse o'clock in the morning, she moved from her dark study through the squeaking hallway and off to the foyer.

The massive door creaked open, revealing a wet mop of bleached-blond hair and a whining Kinsey. Lucrezia reeled back, blinking a single time slowly, futilely attempting to keep Kinsey's saliva off her person as he blabbered on and on. The corners of her mouth dropped even lower.

"—so sorry, 'fessor! I done cocked up me apparition, thingie just went demic! I popped up ova' the brew there, 10 'ouses down! Thought it looked a bit dicky mint, but I could'nae find me way about, I skenned around like a barmpot for the past 'fteen minutes, and then I saw the big ole scary haunted 'ouse and I thought to meself this must be it, aye? But then wha'if it wasn't, and I'd just look like knapper, knocking the mingin' hell out— "

Always a butcher of the English language, Kinsey talked wildly, swallowing every five words and so, nodding in every direction, throwing rain off his hair, at a rate that had Ezia frowning in confusion and still managing to somehow land his spit on her from a good one meter and a half away. Nevermind that he'd just implied that it was perfectly natural for Lucrezia to be living in the ole scary haunted 'ouse. She truly didn't know whether to be insulted at the gall or somewhat impressed with his perspicacity. Even if the number of the house was written right outside the gate as he had been notified. Feeling the oncoming of a rather astonishing headache, Ezia cleared her voice, hoping to stop the onslaught of those poor victimized words. Also the saliva. That would've been most gracious.

"Late, Mr. Kinsey" Lucrezia Di Luca said in her most ominous of voices, -low, clear and slowly enunciated - as she crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her hooded head upwards, as if to better see the boy at the end of her nose. "Exceptionally late" she added more gravely, eyebrows doing a slow dance as if to accompany the cadence of her voice. Kinsey's swallow was audible even over the thrashing of the trees and the plip-plop of rain. A small victory for Lucrezia.

"But it's just twenn'y minutes, 'fessor and then's this shoddy weather, and me 'ead's in the biscuits being me first time ova' 'ere—" he continued, looking like a fluttering little rodent, those grey blue eyes of his almost ready to pop out of his thick little skull. For all the height he had, he looked like a first year now, and Ezia felt a prickling of satisfaction, until she remembered that it didn't bode well to gloat. Not always.

"Stop your gibbering, Mr Kinsey and if you could kindly stop expelling your bodily fluids all over my person whilst talking, I would be quite grateful" she said with all the gratitude of a disappointed child on Christmas morning. His words were lost in his throat, mouth comically opening and closing a few more times, before he frowned and swallowed thickly once more. He nodded in understanding once. Good, now they were getting somewhere.

"Come in, Kinsey" she finally said after a moment, moving away from the door to let him enter. "And do please cast a drying charm upon yourself. Wouldn't want my old scary haunted house to have wet floorboards, now would we?" she added with a quirked eyebrow, corner of her mouth curled slightly. It was entertaining, if only for Kinsey's gobsmacked expression as he passed her inside. Simply because she chose not to, it didn't mean she lacked the capability to be humorous even if Arianne insisted she was hilarious all the time, but that woman was mentally deranged to say the least. With the door closed, she gestured for the clothes stand, a twitch of her nose the only indication that she would in fact see his ragged leather jacket among her coats as an abomination.

Once he was done, he turned to face her, attempting very hard to hide his curious gaze flitting over her home and failing quite spectacularly. She shook her head minutely, rolling her eyes and let out a long sigh. "Oh, good Circe, Kinsey. What did you expect? A torture room?" If only he knew... "The heads of my past victims mounted on the walls? Or perhaps house elves replaced by first years?" she asked seriously, gesticulating around the foyer as she did so. Kinsey's face was still very much utterly astounded, blinking in rapid succession with his mouth open widely.

And then he smirked, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as his body relaxed all at once. "Why, 'fessor did'nae know ye read our yearbook" he said, with a lopsided grin, teeth biting into his lower lip as he frowned a little, perhaps unsure if his tone or question were indeed welcome. Lucrezia smiled momentarily, lifting a curious eyebrow. "Oh yes, I find it quite a fascinating lecture, couldn't possibly fall asleep without leafing through it before bed" she dead-panned, pointing her words with several tilts of her head. Kinsey snorted loudly, still somewhat shocked and scratched his chin aimlessly. "To the drawing room, if you will, Mr. Kinsey. We have the matter of your tardiness to discuss among other things" Ezia then added with a purse of her lips as she moved from the foyer to the hallway. Any shape or form of amusement was wiped clean off his boyish face.

As they entered the dark drawing room, Lucrezia took the armchair, crossing her legs and motioned for the couch to a gulping Kinsey. The gramophone to her left played softly and Kinsey seemed to be itching to ask about it, all furrowed eyebrows and curious interest in his eyes. "Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice" she offered with a little chuckle. "An apt choice, if entirely coincidental, wouldn't you say?" she inquired, lifting the hood off her head and leaving it to drape around her shoulders. "Sounds very familiar, 'fessor even it ain't my beat" he replied in his botched English, nodding in interest. "Really am awfully sorry fer being late, won't 'appen again, I swear" he quickly added, swallowing thickly and genuine worry in his eyes.

"I am quite sure it shan't happen again, Kinsey, for if it does, you will find yourself in need of another Potions Master to apprentice under" Lucrezia said somewhat ominously, yet dreadfully monotone. As Kinsey made to utter another excuse, probably, she lowered her piercing gaze and quirked an eyebrow. "Do I make myself clear?" she added. A beat later, panic in his eyes, Kinsey nodded fervently. "Good." Leaning to the side, she grabbed a scroll from the divan to her right and unfolded it, revealing it must've been at least six feet long. "This is a draft of our master-apprentice contract. It explains both your duties as an apprentice and mine as your instructor. There is a detailed timeline of how your apprenticeship will unfold, a general syllabus which roughly describes the sort of knowledge you will be gaining from this apprenticeship, as well as the matter of payment and royalties regarding the potions, research and publications that will be produced during your instruction under my tutelage." Kinsey seemed hopelessly lost as he both attempted to comprehend her words and read over the scroll. Lucrezia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Uh, 'fessor, think I'm just gonna leave this to ye" he said confused, suspiciously eyeing the contract. "Good Merlin, Kinsey" she sighed again. This one was a true idiot. "We will meet in the presence of our legal counsel, preferably as soon as possible, to further discuss the contract and settle on terms that agree to both parties, before we sign and notarize the contract and make it official, yes?" He nodded swiftly. "Well then, send word to your attorney and we will schedule something when it is convenient to everyone involved" she ended tiredly, raising to her feet to arrange for a coffee tray. Just then, her trusted familiar slithered into the room, advancing towards the sofa and curling over the armrest. "I trust you know Soma" she said, her back to Kinsey just as a shriek and a rather unrepeatable expletive came from behind her.

"Ye, Christ almighty, I know Soma" he replied, voice an octave or so higher. She smiled to herself as she turned around and carried the tray to the ottoman. "Coffee?" she inquired taking her seat again. "Ye, thank ye, 'fessor" Kinsey replied as he leaned to pour himself a cup. "Aside from Soma and myself, there's also a pesky little feline that comes and goes as she pleases. You shall not enable her. For the life of me I haven't been able to pinpoint where she lives or how she manages to enter my home" she scowled and poured a cup for herself, pouring two drops of belladonna from the little vial around her wrist. "The house is rather big and you will have no business snooping around in any other areas than the laboratory in the basement, the kitchen, the lavatory and you may use this room for your breaks, am I clear?"

"Ye, 'course 'fessor, wouldn't dream of it" he replied, choking slightly on his coffee. She was sure that wasn't quite true, but there were measures in place for any unwanted attention. Especially on the second floor. "I do not often take visits, but there are a few undesirable acquaintances that have the poor habit of showing up announced. Ms. Desrosiers, for one" she said, adding the last words with a hint of amusement as Phillip cursed under his breath. "Yeh, Arianne told me she'd be seeing me outside o' work fer sure" he said, voice wobbly and unsure. Poor lad, having to suffer through that vile woman's whims every night. How... entertaining. "Oh, first name basis are you now, Mr. Kinsey?" she inquired, faux-curiosity in her voice but a smile upon her lips. "Uh. Ari-Ms. Desrosiers threatened to, uh, do things to me jun-meself if I ever called her anything other than tha'" he attempted to explain, cheeks reddening violently. Lucrezia fought a snort and nodded seriously. How very Arianne of her.

"I have arranged a station for you in my laboratory, but I expect you will start investing in some higher-quality equipment as soon as you have the means to. Until then, you are welcome to my utensils unless otherwise instructed, yes?" She didn't know much, but she could see the boy did not have any good financial prospects and nor did he have much in terms of support or family.  "Uh, thank ye very much 'fessor, I'll get to that, as soon as I can" he said, serious and with a hint of embarrassment. Did he even have a place to stay now? Was he still at Donovan's? She couldn't possibly ask... That would be exceptionally rude and why should she even care. The moments of silence were drawing longer and Lucrezia cleared her voice. "I am sorry for your loss, Mr Kinsey. I don't believe I've had the opportunity to express my condolences in person" the woman said, softer and somewhat awkwardly.

It had been almost half a year ago, but it didn't seem proper to bring mention of it while he was still her student. And at that time he didn't look like he'd take kindly to the sympathy party. He nodded curtly, a grave and distant gaze to his eyes. Apparently, he still didn't take kindly to it. "You will be preparing ingredients for now. Bat spleens, to be more exact. There's a cage in the laboratory, I will show you the-"

"Wha', ye mean live?" he interrupted shrieking, looking like something had just announced his execution.

"Of course live, Mr. Kinsey" she replied, giving him a befuddled look. "Any decent potioneer prepares their own ingredients. The quality of apothecary ingredients is often shoddy and their origin can only be described as suspicious." What had the knob expected?

He gulped again and nodded with a grimace. "After that, you will be left to familiarize yourself with the laboratory, the setting, the placement and also the ingredient cupboard. You will also have some studying to do -oh don't groan, Kinsey" she scowled and shook her head. "For the past few years I've been heavily researching poisonous plants and poisons native to the British Isles. You will be assisting me with said research for the moment. I expect you to be up to speed in two weeks. There are 1769 pages worth of research material, I will make you copies."

Kinsey wheezed, he truly wheezed and as she lifted her eyes to him, she realized he was aghast. It was quite comical, in fact. Pale as a sheet of paper, he was. Lucrezia estimated he had probably never read more than a hundred pages in his life. This would be entertaining, if tragic for Kinsey. "At what times does Arianne expect you at Le Masquerade" the Potions Mistress inquired taking a sip of her poison-laced coffee. "Sorry, wha'" the dunderhead asked completely lost in whatever horrors his mind was currently playing. "When does your job start in the evenings?" she reiterated, blinking absently. "Oh, uh... Half past five in the afternoon from Tuesday to Saturday. Mondays and Sundays are off, 'less Arianne needs me for errands" he said with a frown. She could only imagine the sort of errands Arianne would make him do.

"You'll have Saturdays and Sundays off from me, generally, unless I require dire assistance." Which she wouldn't, hopefully. It was enough to have to to deal with the dolt five days a week. "I expect you here at eight o'clock sharp every other morning, and you'll be dismissed at four in the afternoon, unless otherwise stated. Does that leave you enough time to get to Knockturn?" He nodded somewhat skeptically. "You'll also be joining me on trips for ingredients, lectures and other errands related to the trade. I will notify you ahead of time when that happens. Ah-" she stopped, frowning something terrible, as she sipped the last of her coffee. "There's a high chance my younger sister, Patrizia, might be joining me for the school holidays. You are to have absolutely no contact with her, or you might find yourself in a very dire situation, clear?" Merlin forbid if these two would join forces, and that was if Patrizia didn't manage to bite his head off the second she met him, as she so often did with anyone. Ezia was sure the Carstairs girl might have something to comment on that, and she found that oddly perturbing. "C-crystal" he replied on a stutter.
 
"Well then, would you like to see where you'll be brewing the next few years?" she asked, getting on her feet as she walked to the basement door, Kinsey on her trail. Her life was going to change drastically, that was for sure. In what way, Lucrezia couldn't quite tell yet.