done (open)

[greyback]

Isaiah bit his lip, his absent habit of messing with the piercings in his lip not enough to quell the relatively minor anxiety he felt. Really, he was in well over his head with this, having never been in a situation quite like it before. But he had committed to helping the nameless young woman, the voiceless victim of a terrible fate, no matter how long it took. She had seen some real evil, and Isaiah was determined to show her that not everyone in the world wanted to harm her, not everyone was bad. And in times as dark as these, everyone needed a little light.

But as they entered the lobby, the young woman looked like she was about to lapse into some sort of a panic attack, as if he had suddenly turned savage on her when all he had done was suggest that she sit down whilst he retrieved the paper. That, Isaiah definitely would not be able to handle, it was definitely a bit beyond his means to handle a breakdown. And then, in something that he absolutely had not expected, the woman handed back his wand, mouthing to him the summoning spell. Though, if he thought about it, it was a logical decision.

She didn't seem to want to be left alone, but she didn't want to go up to his flat either, not that he blamed her for that. Isaiah accepted his wand, flicked it, and less than a minute later one of his notebooks and a pen came zooming to his hand. Once the writing materials were in his hand, he gave his wand back to the girl in hopes that it might calm her down before leading the way back outside, she had seemed almost frightened by being in the slightly cramped lobby of the apartment complex.

"Just a bit further," Isaiah said encouragingly, heading over to a bench. He occupied the far left side, so that way she would have as much space as she wanted. Isaiah opened the spiral notebook, flipping past his notes, outlines, and research to a fresh page, more than halfway through the notebook, and he clicked the pen so it was ready to use. After scribbling with it in the corner to make sure that it worked, Isaiah offered the notebook and pen to the young woman, relieved to finally have a bit of an easier means of communication.

"Right, so why don't you tell me your name?" said Isaiah, only then remembering that he had neglected to ask. It should have been one of the first things out of his mouth after "are you okay," but he just hadn't thought of it back in the alley. Once he got her name out of her, then he would ask where he should take her, though with the luck that he had been having, it didn't seem that it would be in her favour to give him anything specific. But one thing was for sure, they couldn't sit on this bus stop bench forever.

[alice]

Alice watched as the stranger looked at her, eyes wide. He obviously hadn't been expecting her to be so willing to hand his wand back to him. Still, he summoned what he needed to. She watched as a pad of paper and a pen flew towards him, landing promptly in his hands. Alice stood there, hands playing with the hem of her sweater, as she awaited the man to say something. Without a moment's hesitation, the stranger began to lead her to a bench. She followed, gaze wide, afraid. She didn't know if she would ever smile again.

That was all very dramatic, but that's what it felt like. To a young girl, only sixteen, something like this seemed like the end of the world. If she was unable to regain her voice, Alice feared that it very well could be the end of her world. Her future was riding on her voice, and if she didn't have that, then she had no future. She wasn't cut out for a regular desk job. She knew that. Still, this wasn't looking good. Alice didn't even think that she remembered how to smile. The muscles in her face felt dead.

"Just a bit further."

Alice sat down beside the man on the bench, angling her body away from him and distancing herself as much as she possibly could. She was out in the open now, so she could breath easier, but that didn't mean that she wasn't exceedingly uncomfortable. She heard the click of a pen, and she directed her gaze back towards him, watching him inquisitively, albeit warily.

"Right, so why don't you tell me your name?"

Alice bit her lip, taking the notebook and pen from him. Her skin brushed against his, and she flinched a little, snatching her hands and the tools within them away. Taking the time to cover as much of her hands with the sleeves of her sweater, she began to write in shaky, loopy script. Alice Faye appeared on the paper. She began to hand the book back to him, then hesitated before writing something else. Yours? appeared next. Turning the notebook, she reached forward, handing him the book, eyes downcast.

[/size]

[greyback]

Isaiah was surprised with himself for being able to keep his calm, as well as being this patient, while in one of the most demanding nicotine withdrawals he'd ever experienced. The days before he had needed to take his half-brother in, when he had gone from the couch of one friend to the next, he'd been able to spend whatever money he could get his hands on for cigarettes, but now... Well, Isaiah needed to be an adult- he had to pay rent, had to pay bills and buy groceries, there wasn't always enough left for his own addiction, no matter how much he craved it.

Though now that he had something to channel the energy of his roaring addiction into, namely getting this girl someplace where she could be taken care of, it wasn't bothering him as much. He watched as she scrawled her name on the paper, Alice Faye, and asked for his. "I'm Isaiah," said he, pausing a moment before adding, "Isaiah Greyback." He wasn't particularly fond of his surname, people automatically linked it to his father, and he had to grudgingly say yes, that Greyback, and then watch them flee. If they hadn't already been frightened off by his assortment of tattoos and piercings.

He mentally smacked himself for not thinking of the typical reaction before saying it, this woman, Alice, was already struggling to trust him, he could see it, and now he had given her a huge reason not to. Anyone magical, even the muggleborns, had heard of the infamous Fenrir Greyback, and to have his father's tainted name... That had been stupid. It wasn't as if it were a common surname, Isaiah had never met another Greyback, it was times like these where he wondered if he should have kept his mother's name, even after he had been kicked out.

But there was no use kicking himself over what had been said, he couldn't take it back and start over or anything. "Okay then, Alice," said Isaiah, continuing on in that same gentle tone he had been using with her all along, "do you want me to take you to your home?" Isaiah would feel a lot better leaving her with, say, her mother or father, than he would with anyone else. But when he had asked her earlier if there was anyone he could contact she had shook her head. Was it possible that she didn't have anyone?

[alice]

Alice watched as the man took the paper and pen from her, reading what she wrote. He seemed very intent on something, and he was fidgeting ever so slightly. Alice was a very keen individual and did plenty of people watching. It came with her love of performing. The man obviously wanted to get his hands on something, but that's where Alice stopped thinking. Her mind continued to grow dim with dangerous, depressing ideas as to what he could be craving. It was all too horrific. He pondered something for a moment before finally looking up, smiling slightly as he spoke.

"I'm Isaiah. Isaiah Greyback."

Alice's blood ran cold, and immediately guilt washed over Isaiah's face. He was related to the infamous Fenrir, he had to be. That only made her cringe away from him. His father's reputation was well-known, even to a native Frenchwoman, such as herself. Still, he was helping her, and he probably didn't even know his father. All of this made her uncomfortable, but she looked up, managing a small, insecure smile and a nod of her head. That motion in itself made her feel as though her body were made entirely of lead.

"Okay then, Alice, do you want me to take you home?"

Home. Once again, the word came up. Alice took the pad of paper and the pen from him, looking at the paper as she thought about how to respond. Was home really the best option? Probably not. St. Mungo's would be the best bet, or Hogwarts. It all depended on what questions would be asked. Both places would undoubtedly contact her parents, and she didn't want them to see her as she was. Biting her lip, she hesitatingly wrote out St. Mungo's or Hogwarts with a trembling hand, pushing the paper towards Isaiah. There was no turning back. He would make the decision for her.

[/size]

[greyback]

Isaiah saw how the woman cringed away from him, frightened by the very reputation of his father's name alone. Really, he hated the assumptions people made about him, he wasn't a Death Eater, nor did he aspire to be, he hadn't inherited lycanthropy, and he'd never even met his father. To think that just a name would automatically make people assume he was just like Fenrir was ridiculous, though Isaiah couldn't say that he blamed any of them- names carried a lot of weight in the British magical community, you were judged on who your parents were and what they had done, not anything that anybody could change about that.

Isaiah noted her apprehension, but she still gave a wary smile, which he had definitely not been expecting after what had happened to her. Again, he was not surprised by her reaction, no, not home. It made him wonder what her own home life was like, was she not on good terms with her parents? Or had she perhaps been doing something that she wasn't supposed to be- and didn't want her family to find out? Though she did, at least, give him alternatives, writing "St. Mungo's or Hogwarts." Isaiah felt his throat tighten.

Alice did look young, but was she young enough to be a student at the school? Like a sixth or seventh year? The idea that something like that had happened to anyone, let alone an underage girl, was sickening. Did no one have mercy anymore? But theirs was a fallen world, getting darker with each passing day it seemed. For whatever reason, the school seemed a better option to him, he could take her up to the nurse, and she'd be safe there. "Right, I'll take you up to the school," said Isaiah, "here, take my hand." He offered his hand to her, he would allow her to come to him. At least not much contact would be needed to for him to take her along when he apparated, just a slight touch would do.

[alice]

Alice watched as Isaiah's face fell. She looked at him, feeling her face flush. What was he so concerned about? He swallowed the lump in his throat and she could tell he was immediately uncomfortable. She looked away, hiding her face. She didn't need anyone's pity. This was her own doing, she'd deserved what she'd gotten. There wasn't anything she could do about what fate had done to her, and, while she was broken, she wasn't going to let some stranger take pity on her for whatever reason. It wasn't in her style.

"Right, I'll take you up to the school. Here, take my hand."

Alice looked up, her eyes catching Isaiah's before looking down at his outstretched hand. She stared at it for a moment warily, as if it were an animal that could potentially be rabid. Yes, he would take her to the school. He'd been honest, trustworthy even, for all this time. There wasn't any deception in his voice. The thought of taking his hand made her cringe. Still, she knew that she needed to. That didn't help to reassure her any.

Biting her lip, she pulled her cardigan up around her hands as much as possible. Even if it was minimal, the feel of the soft fabric against her skin made her feel safe, as safe as one person could feel when the world seemed to be falling around her. She reached out, setting her clothed hand in Isaiah's, looking up at him with wide eyes. This way, she wouldn't have to feel her skin on his. She didn't know how she'd ever be able to feel safe with a man's skin ever again. That thought frightened her immensely.

[/size]

[greyback]

Isaiah waited remarkable patiently for someone having a horrid nicotine craving for Alice to pull the sleeve of her sweater over her hand before placing it against his. For the sake of not losing her somewhere along the way, he ever so gently curled his fingers around her hand, his touch meeting only the soft fabric of her sweater. "It won't take long," Isaiah said gently before disapparating from the bench, not bothering to check if there were any muggles watching. The sensation of being squeezed through a very tight tube was brief, and with a snap that was situated between loud and quiet, the pair had reappeared just outside the Hogwarts gates.

Isaiah was quick to release Alice's hand, even if he felt the need to offer her at least some physical support, she obviously didn't want him to touch her. And after what she had been through that day, Isaiah couldn't say that he blamed her. He looked up at the gates awkwardly, he hadn't been back at the school since he had graduated, and he didn't know how exactly to open them. Thankfully, he didn't need to think long, as the bars simply dissolved away, as if sensing who was there, and that it was important for them to be granted access to the grounds.

"It'll be a bit of a walk," said Isaiah, the grounds of the school were extensive, "will you be all right to go the whole way?" Alice seemed weakened, and her staggering limp wasn't very reassuring. But he wouldn't insist on supporting her, not after what she had been through. And they could go as slowly as she needed them to, Isaiah didn't have anything to do other than make sure that Alice got up to the school safely. And even if he did he wouldn't think of abandoning her until she had gotten safely to the infirmary.

[alice]

((OOC: I'm not sure if there's much more we can do with this, do you?))

[greyback]

((OOC: Nope, not really much else to be done with it, I agree. Dead?))