Outfit

scritch scritch... The sound of a quill flourishing a signature was all that could be heard from the office on the second floor. Analiza Snark sat behind her broad oak and cherry desk in the opulent office of the headmaster... correction... headmistress, signing the pile of papers littering her desk. Pausing only to rub her temples in exasperation, since it seemed her paperwork had only tripled, if not quadrupled, since she got this job. Apparently handling children was a lot more difficult then handling the darkest and most dangerous magic in existence.

but there was one upside to all this trouble, one that she had hoped for and was not disappointed with, her opposition had made a mistake. Not intentionally, as the vandal was not necessarily representing the fledgling group, but she wouldn't let the media or the parents think otherwise. Bloxham had done her a favor, in a way, by destroying a part of the school. A favor that enlightened her to her next move. With SAWS pawn in place, it was Snark's move. In fact, her pawns were on their way.

knock knock

Speak of the devil! Smiling to herself, Analiza carefully stacked her pile of papers together and placed them off to the side beforepicking up her wand. With a wave of the viridian stained wood, the door to her office swung open and she greeted her guests with a smile. A cold, dangerous smile. "Enter..."

((Nicola first if possible))

Outfit

Nicola was making it through the days doing her job and occasionally popping down to Signature to visit with her friend Finn. She was trying to keep going and not lock herself up in her room, which despite all the trying not to she still did from time to time. Who knew that breaking up was this hard? Nicola was making a huge effort to not let her emotions interfere with her work and so far it had turned out fine. This was probably because she saw little of Gavin and had not spoken to him since the first day of school. Nicola was not about to go and search out more heartache.

Nicola had a job to do, which was why she was walking down the corridors to the Headmistress office. She had some completed work for Analiza and not to mention she had been called to the office at this time. Nicola had little clue what she was needed for but it was not something she questioned and she just showed up. After speaking the password and climbing the staircase she stood before the door and knocked.

Enter

Turning the handle she walked in and looked at her boss. “Hello! I finished some of that work you gave me.” She said as she walked over with her clipboard in hand and handed off the work with and outstretched hand. Now she was more than curious as to why she had been called in for a meeting.

It was said that the gang would meet up with his sister about something important. At first Gavin thought that having his sister as headmistress would be a disaster. He hated being watched and he knew that Analiza was going to keep a close eye on him. After all, Analiza was like his mother. Who knew how many times Gavin called her mother as a child... But now the relationship was defined, Analiza was not Gavin's mother even though she still cared for him like any other mother would. Jeez, sometimes she could get annoying but he did love her.

Thinking about it, Gavin had not really had a chance to speak to his sister since the start of the school year. She was so busy with all of her work that she had no time to even call on Gavin so this meeting was a bit of a surprise. He couldn't deny the fact that he was a bit upset with his sister, maybe a bit upset was an understatement. The more he thought about the past resent events, the more upset he was. It was even worse to think that he knew Nicola was going to be there... which was NOT a plus at the moment. He tried to listen to his friend's advice but it was hard since Atticus was Nicola's best friend.

Before Gavin left the common room, he looked for Atticus but that was short lived. He decided that walking alone was the best thing he could do. Gavin was often myopic and hated to be wrong. He usually pushed negative thoughts to the back of his head and just moved on, like he was trying to do. It was hard seeing Nicola every day, even when she had no idea he was watching her. There was still the possessive feeling he got when he saw her and he couldn't wait until that would pass.

He already heard voices inside the office as he turned the knob. He knew who was in there. Why wasn't Devlin there already, he would have made it so much easier with his carefree attitude. The guy would've been a saint in Gavin's eyes if he was there, but he wasn't. He slowly opened the door and walked in hesitantly. He didn't want to lose his temper like he did about a week ago. He nodded to his sister and walked to a chair that was as close to the door as could find and sat down. The saying 'seen but not heard' was what Gavin was going for at the moment.

When Nicola entered, Analiza's smile fell somewhat. Nicola was expected to join, as a witness, but she was not the one that Analiza was waiting with bated breath for. As the tall slim beauty handed Analiza the files she was asked to collect, Analiza gave her a scrutinizing once over. Pursing her lips, she shook her head a little in disapproval. This was the final straw. If Nicola expected to work for Analiza, then she was expected to DRESS like she worked for Analiza. Ana would have her in nice clothes if she had to buy them herself. Not that she would, she would simply dock the girls pay. How else was she going to learn her lesson?

"Nicola do you find that get up professional?" She let the question float in the air between them as she tore her eyes from the bulky sweater vest to glance at Nicola's work. It was a pile of lesson plans from the teachers, which Ana had sent her to retrieve. Pulling out the ones from the four new teachers Ana herself had hired, since she knew they would be up to her expectations, she looked through them for Potions, Defense and Ancient Runes. She had no idea what was taught under Greyfriars regime, but she had her doubts about it effectiveness. Especially in these three subjects, since they were taught by Gunnar, Mainwaring and Reid, two revolutionaries who she suspected had mutiny in mind and one who she simply did not like. Putting them aside, she vowed to go over them with a fine toothed comb soon.

Before she could chide miss Hames more about her clothing, a knock came at her door. Ah, so they finally came did they? She glanced at her watch before waving it open. Not quite late, but in Ana's mind, any time but early was considered late when you have the privilege of meeting with her. To her surprise, the one who entered was her own baby brother, not the scruffy young man she had summoned. His greeting was cold, which Ana had expected since she had barely given him the time of day this last week, but what did surprise her was how much colder his reaction to Nicola was. It couldn't be that he was worried what Ana would think of their relationship, since she not only knew about it but approved of the girl as well, and was acting coldly to put her off the trail. It had to be something going down between the two of them. Had he been younger she would have assumed it was a childish tiff that most teenage romances had, but at his age she was on the verge of having her first child. What in the world had she missed that week?

"There are two more coming correct?" She asked, though she knew the answer. Anything to break that horrible silence. "... They are late..." She stared at her watch as the hand twitched past the 12. So unprofessional... You really couldn't get good help these days.

Hands shoved in his robes he whistled a wicked tune, as Atticus made his way through the hallways. Maybe he was garnering a reputation as a wicked viper, because lately the younger years were moving from his way quicker than the year previous. Not that he was going to complain, last year Atticus had to wade through a sea of children who were too wrapped up in their own lives to realize they were making his wand hand itch. An itch that was proving to be easily scratched by a good hex to a loud mouth bloke.

The downside to having a compulsion for sneaky wand work meant he was the first one spied when things were up. If his need to right the wrongs he felt done onto him would make him the target of professors and other higher ups, he didn't see it as positive attention at all. All he wanted was to be left alone, Atticus didn't see that as much of a request.

That moron Fig had caused it all. If he had just been left in peace during class, it would have been so much better. No instead the arse had to open his mouth when it wasn't needed so Atticus filled the gaping hole between his teeth with slugs, it seemed fitting. 'Put trash in, get trash out. Open your bloody mouth, have it filled with the fruits of your own verbal tirade.' Or at least that was how Atticus had okayed it in his mind. There was a long owl on how he was a disappointment come from his mother, Atticus threw it in the fire of the common room.

Late, as always, Atticus rapped on the door of the office. "Hello," he said somberly as he entered into the room spying Gavin nearest the door. It looked like a good spot, taking a seat near his friend he looked about to the Headmistress and Nicola. His fingers found a seam in the chair and he slowly moved his fingertips over it remembering the grooves as he went, it kept him from opening his mouth. The situation was far more awkward for Gavin if anyone, he was sure of it, Atticus didn't feel out of place at all.

Outfit

Devlin was running fashionably late, a habit of his for many years running, but he was not particularly bothered by the fact. What was Snark going to do? Expell him? All that would do to him is add insult to injury, considering the fact that nothing else seemed to be working in his life right now. His business was stalled, as the beginning of the year did not present much for his type of services. His love life was all sorts of screwed up, with Fauna ignoring him and his fake relationship with Jordyn hanging on by pretense only, pretense he couldn't even enjoy anymore since every time they would kiss he would imagine Fauna and get a stomach ache. And then there was the whole "Knox is your father, your mother is a whore and everyone has been lying to you for 17 years" bullshit that he just discovered. It made family dinners very tense, especially since it took everything Devlin had not to pick a fight with his 'dad' about how he was now a triple threat failure, as a father, a man AND a husband.

So all in all, Snark calling him to her office was hardly a worry for him. It's not like she didn't know about the gang he had started with her own son and brother years ago. If she was going to force them to stop now, so be it. He could just find work outside of school, with people like Kingstreet and Tawse around, he would always have some sort of income. It was this fact in mind that kept him from slouching with depression and allowed him to put on a wide, albeit fake, smile as he arrived at the office. Before entering Madame Snark's office, he summoned a bouquet of orchids in vibrant emerald green and straightened his surprisingly nice clothes (considering his usual choice). Well here went nothing.

"Gooood Evening Madame... Miss Hames..." He said as he swept into the room, presenting the flowers to Analiza and nodding at Nicola. He hadn't expected Nicola to be there, and he briefly cast a glance at Gavin. Yep, still looking surly and disagreeable, they must still be in a row. Devlin couldn't help but feel a little bit better, at least he wasn't the only one having girl troubles. Giving his two right hand men a confident grin, Dev turned back to Ana. Taking a seat, or rather flopping casually into one, he ran a hand through his hair "Soooo, Miss S, to what do I owe this immense and immeasurable pleasure?"

It didn't take long for them to finally make their appearances. First Pennyapple showed up, moments after the meeting time, and then Matthews, several minutes after, made his appearance. He greeted her with a insincere smile and a bunch of gaudy green orchids. Her own smile was tightlipped and cool, and she immediately tossed the flowers. He seemed unperturbed and took a seat across from her with the air of a man who assumed he owned the place. In response to his rather arrogant display, Analiza's eye twitched in irritation. In a way she saw herself in Devlin. And in another she hated him. Or perhaps they were both the same way.

"Take a seat Matthews... This is hardly a social call." She said coolly. Once they were all seated she started. "I require your services, as they are. I have a great deal to do while I am in this position and I cannot do it with my own teachers and students attempting to oust me. I believe you all have heard of this group..." Reaching in her desk drawer, she pulled out a large pin and tossed it on the table. The letters SAWS were bright and clear across the front. "They were fine when they were just a bunch of punkass kids thinking they were grownups who knew what it was like to have to make a real decision, but now they have grownups who do have some semblance of power and they have support growing in the more radical rights groups..."

At this point, she turned away from them and stared at something on her bookshelves. "Now I, myself, have plenty of support from the opposing groups, so them having a few protests isn't all that troublesome... but they have taken it a step farther by not just vandalizing, but destroying, school property. This will not stand. I will not stand for it."

Turning back to them, she steepled her fingers and smiled coldly. "I need them removed. Not by force, since I will have the resistance against me multiply ten fold, but by sabotaging them from the inside. They don't realize it, but Bloxhams little fire has only given me the ammo I needed.. Correction, we needed. That is why I called you..." She leaned forward and smiled at the boys "... After all, it wouldn't be prudent for a headmistress to sabotage her own students, would it?"

Nicola kept her words to herself, which was growing to be a lot harder to do as of late. Who the hell cared if she looked professional or not, when she was lucky to even drag herself out of bed. At least she was not wearing any of her oversized and torn clothing, which she was now almost tempted to do. No she wasn’t about ready to lose her job when she just got it and in doing so lost her boyfriend in the process. “I am here to do work Ms.” She said quietly, “I didn’t know this was a style contest as well.” Nicola never had a good sense of style and she was very aware of it. She was a tomboy and that was that.

The door opened and Nicola made the mistake of looking up to see who it was, none other than her ex. She closed her eyes, Great, she thought to herself. This was not going to be a good few minutes. Nicola wished she could slip out but she knew that was not going to happen. Her employer was in a meeting, which meant she was meant to stay unless asked otherwise as she was a requested witness to this meeting.

Nicola took a seat as Atticus; a good friend entered the room. She managed to give him more of a smile than she thought she had the ability to muster at this moment. Nicola’s eyes dropped to her own clothing fiddling with it wondering indeed if it was as hideous as Analiza made it out to be. She felt like all eyes were on her of that big elephant in the room. Nicola just hoped Devlin would arrive and get this entire meeting going.

Speak of the Devil she thought as Devlin finally walked into the room and gave Snark a bouquet of flowers. She rolled her eyes and turned to focus on her boss and what she had to say. She listened as she spoke of SAWS that annoying group run by that freak O’Malley. Was that girl finally making a group that received members? Was she actually going to do some damage? Nicola was actually surprised that she posed a threat at all. God on O’Malley, even if it was annoying there had to be a bit of praise. She was curious as to what these three boys were to do so as to effect this so called group.

Boy, it was getting readily clearer to Devlin why the Snark boys were in Slytherin and where their devious mindset came from. Sure he had known Miss Snark for several years now, but it was purely on a superficial level. They really only saw each other briefly when he would visit Alex and Gavin, and then it was only for a few moments as she was generally in the process of being whisked off to work. He had always thought the Snark Matriarch was a demure lady whose claws were well hidden under elegant varnish, prepared to unsheathe when crossed. Now he was realizing that she was born Claws out and teeth bared. This thought caused Devlin to shift a little uncomfortably in his seat.

"Now I, myself, have plenty of support from the opposing groups, so them having a few protests isn't all that troublesome... but they have taken it a step farther by not just vandalizing, but destroying, school property. This will not stand. I will not stand for it."

SAWS... why did he know that name? Ah... yeah, those dorky buttons that so many 'concerned activist' students were donning nowadays. When he had heard O'Malley was forming yet another activist group, he had simply rolled his eyes and brushed it off. She was famous for her attempts to change a world that simply didn't want to change. Usually her attempts were all failures, and Devlin was tempted to label this one as such and tell Snark to relax and let it fall apart on its own. However, Analiza seemed adamant that they had to be stopped. Perhaps Astrid had found herself an actual following now. The idea frightened Devlin, honestly.

"... After all, it wouldn't be prudent for a headmistress to sabotage her own students, would it?"

Ah it was time for him to talk finally. Putting on a charming smile, Devlin leaned back and replied smoothly "Absolutely not, Madame Snark... And that is what we are here for, isn't it boys?" Devlin glanced at his two right hand men. Gavin was still looking surly and Nicola looked like she was searching for a hole in the floor to crawl into. I will make this fast Gavin, I promise... Devlin mentally told Gavin, hoping his eyes conveyed his thoughts, before turning back to his newest employer. Leaning forward on the desk, he clasped his hands and cocked his head, smiling "... However, we don't come free... or cheap... So before we talk sabotage, let's talk... Payment."

It seemed like hours while the group waited for Devlin, who always seemed to make an appearance like no other. Hell, he was probably tying a rope to a tree waiting to swing through the window. Rolling his eyes to himself, he let out a long sigh. After Gavin settled himself in his seat, he mostly stared at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact with everyone around him.

Why in the world did he even let himself open up to a girl? The boy couldn't be afraid of a tiny girl who he once loved and adored, strike that. He still loved her and the thought made him sick to his stomach and his head spin out of control. His eyes landed on her and after that, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked horrible, like she hadn't slept in days. Well at least someone could understand what he was going through.

Devlin entered the room and thankfully the spell was broken and Gavin was allowed to bring his eyes on Devlin, who always made his appearance known. Of course he was going to flatter Gavin's sister, it was what he did. Ana, who he knew too well, did not buy it. After hearing what both Ana and Devlin had to say, Gavin was speechless. Not because he was shocked but because he didn't even know what the hell SAWS was all about. Who cared about a little group of perky girls and fruity boys trying to get everyone's attentions? Not him. Apparently Gavin was the wrong one here; he should have paid attention to what was going on.

"How are we not going to get in trouble because of this? I know you are the Headmistress now, but Professors will catch on to what we will be doing... Unless you have a few ideas on how we won't get caught." Gavin already started to formulate his own ideas but he wanted to see if Ana already had a few up her sleeve.

"... However, we don't come free... or cheap... So before we talk sabotage, let's talk... Payment."

A smirk played at the corner of Analiza's thin red lips as Matthews demanded payment. She had expected him to do so, after all, her intell suggested that he didn't do anything for free if there was a profit that could be made. She supposed she could always use the age old blackmail of 'you will do it or I will ruin you and throw you out of school', since that was now in her power, but Analiza was more intrigued to see what plans they would come up with when they were invested rather then forced into it.

"How are we not going to get in trouble because of this? I know you are the Headmistress now, but Professors will catch on to what we will be doing... Unless you have a few ideas on how we won't get caught."

Analiza was a bit more surprised by Gavin's reluctance and cynicism, though she shouldn't have been. He had always been a suspicious boy, never trusting anyone fully, even his own family. She assumed it had something to do with seeing his mother killed in front of him and couldn't blame him for feeling distrust for even his own sister. It was wise of him, anyways, to question such a good deal. She was 'the man' now, and like most authority figures, you could never trust her to have your best interest in mind. She let the smirk slip as she leaned back in her chair.

"Why Gavin... I was under the impression that the three... sorry four of you, considering I also know that my own son is part of this little 'gang' of yours...have been running deals under the noses of teachers for years.... I am not asking you to do anything that would arouse their suspicion." She smiled sweetly. Gavin would just have to trust her to protect him. She was his sister and nearly his mother as well, and she had no intention of him or Alex getting permanently harmed over this ordeal. Matthews and Pennyapple she could care less about. They were lucky that they were so close to the Snark boys, or otherwise she would throw them to the dogs the moment their mission was over.

"You have nothing to worry about. I will take care of the teachers and I trust that you will operate with the utmost care and secrecy in regards to this particular job... And Yes, Mr. Matthews, it is a job and therefore there will be payment..." She turned her attention back to Devlin. Reaching in her desk drawer, she pulled out a bag of coins and placed them on the table deliberately so the clinking within made it clear that she wasn't taking this lightly "... I will pay you each 70 sickles per job... no more... no less. And there is no room for haggling."