stop me when you've had enough

[Nathaniel James]

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Gemma Jones

i'm a hazard to myself i'll break it to you easy

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“Firewhisky, neat.” Nathaniel found himself at the Leaky Cauldron ordering himself a drink after a long and arduous day. Curse breaking was exciting, just as he’d hoped it would be, but sometimes things got a little hairier than expected. This time he’d been sent to some dark witch’s tomb deep in the Romanian woods. There were enough dangers in that forest, but the horde of inferi and deadly traps waiting inside the tomb had left him feeling on edge. As soon as he found the treasure inside, he alerted the bank and they came in to seize it all for themselves. Nate Apparated out of there as soon as he could, landing just outside of the bank itself. He could have gone home, but lately all that was there for him were painful memories. [break][break]

The bartender slid a glass of amber liquid across the bar to him and Nate flicked some coins onto the counter top, grabbing the glass and raising it to his lips. The drink burned as it traveled down his gullet, a burn that was all too familiar. It had been about a year and a half since he last tasted it. Nathaniel tipped the glass, watching as the liquid swirled inside it while his mind spun in circles. He remembered that night all too well. It was something he never wanted to forget, lest he fall back into old habits. A low sigh escaped him and he brought the glass to his lips again, hoping this time it would burn the memories away just for this one night. It hurt to think of her.[break][break]

The sound of a bell ringing reached his ears, but he didn’t look up to see who came in. Probably some wizard tired of shopping, looking for a bit of reprieve. Whoever it was, they came to sit next to him at the bar. Nate felt some mild annoyance at this - there were plenty of open seats around - but he brushed it aside, taking another swig from his drink. When the patron spoke, however, Nathaniel turned his head to look, recognizing the voice. “Gemma?” His brows pulled together in confusion. “I thought you were in Spain.” Nate sat up in his seat, turning his body to face her as a more relaxed smile fell on his features. “Was it at least better than Italy?” The two of them knew each other a little from work, often exchanging stories in between jobs, but he didn’t know her well. It was a shame, he thought. She was interesting, not to mention gorgeous, and talented to boot. Nate held up a hand to the bartender. “Her drinks are on me.”

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[Gemma Jones]

Italy had been a cinch. They had only one protection charm on the tomb that she’d been tasked to locate, and the goblins were quick to snap up all of the treasures that were inside. Spain, on the other hand, was a little more tricky - think the basin that the locket was hidden in when Harry and Dumbledore were collecting the pieces of he who should not be named’s horcruxes. Exhausted and a bit worn down, Gemma didn’t let a challenge escape her as she got back up before the basin filled again, only to be shot in the thigh by a rogue spell, taking a chunk out of the muscle there. A few conjured bandages later and she’d broken the curse, notifying the goblins to come collect their fares.

Gemma, on the other hand, popped herself to St. Mungo’s to get a quick treatment on the Spell Damage Ward, notified that she would likely have the scar yet unless she wanted it removed. But that was going to be on a different floor, and to be honest…Gemma just wanted to go home. Or get a drink - whichever came first.

Thankfully the injury hadn’t left her with a limp - it was sore, and the witch told her it likely would be for some time as that was some old, dark magic. But she wasn’t thinking too much on it as she sat down at the bar, barely noticing the person next to her. There were a few sketchy looking individuals on one side of the bar and she didn’t much feel like sitting with them. The bartender arrived and Gemma paused, tapping her chin before just requesting a firewhiskey, running her fingers over her long dark plait as the bartender walked away.

“Gemma?”

Well, as it turned out the person she’d decided was the safest to sit next to knew who she was. Crystal blue eyes flashed to a comparable pair of crystal blues, these belonging to Nathaniel James.

“I thought you were in Spain. Was it at least better than Italy?”

Gemma let out a small, twinkly laugh. ”I was in Spain, I finished up this morning with the goblins. Damn age-old tomb took a chunk outta my thigh, but that’s the name of the game isn’t it?” she offered with a shrug. ”No Inferi, though, so that’s a plus. Glad you survived that one,” she teased. Gem didn’t know Nathaniel that well, but was aware of which locations the other curse-breakers were headed to thanks to the goblins’ lack of organizational skills. The bartender came back with her firewhiskey and set it on the counter, and as Gemma was handing over the payment, Nathaniel held up a hand.

“Her drinks are on me.”

”You’re sweet,” she said, flushing slightly. Nathaniel was a few years younger than her, but absolutely adorable. Something about him screamed ultimate sadness, but she wasn’t able to pinpoint the reason for that yet. Perhaps in a few conversations she’d know his secrets. ”Thanks,” she said, tucking away her coins.

[Nathaniel James]

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Gemma Jones

i'm a hazard to myself i'll break it to you easy

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He couldn’t help but smile at her laugh. It had to be the cutest thing he had ever heard. Nate winced slightly when she recounted how the tomb decimated her thigh, rubbing his own as sympathetic pains traveled through it. She was right, though. That’s the risk they took by taking this job. Quite literally, it was in their paperwork. Gringotts is not responsible for any maiming, dismemberment, or death. The goblins really didn’t want to fork over any of their precious money on account of their workers. Especially if said worker was a wizard. Nathaniel tipped his head to the side, letting out an easy laugh. “It seems all I’ve been getting lately is inferi,” he complained, but shrugged it off. “Could be worse, though.” Could have been a dragon. He had heard Michael Williams entered a tomb with a Herbidean Black, but he wasn’t confident that was true. [break][break]

“You’re sweet. Thanks.”[break][break]

Nate waved off her thanks. “Don’t mention it. You deserve it after the day you’ve had.” He raised his glass to her. “To the goblins,” he toasted sarcastically. “If the greedy buggers didn’t exist, we’d be out of a job.” Nathaniel downed the rest of his drink with a satisfied ‘ahh’. Setting the glass on the counter, he motioned for one more. “But no more after that,” he told the barkeep. That was one habit he didn’t need to get back into. Turning back to Gemma, Nate offered her up a small smile. “So what do you do when you’re not breaking curses?” It had been a while since he’d been intrigued by another woman and, while he wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it, he couldn’t help but be a little excited. Scared, too, if he was being honest. The last girl he’d been interested in broke his heart. It’s in the past now, he told himself, but he didn’t know if he completely believed it. He’d just have to tread carefully. “I used to play Quidditch,” he offered. “But now I just read, play guitar, or run. Boring, I know.” There wasn’t much else for him to do. When he started working for the bank, he threw himself into his work, taking job after job. It scratched the itch of adventure and kept him from thinking too much. In the summer, he’d surf the waves near his loft. It was too cold to surf now.

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