A Sweet Tooth (OPEN)

[Takata Umi]

Takata pushed open the door to Honeyduke, it giving off the familiar ring of bells he heard so many years ago. He thought often of coming back to Hogwarts, but Japan was where he had lived. He would not leave now unless he had a purpose to be there.

He did now. Teaching in Hogwarts? Quite an honour.

Takata smiled and took a box of sweets off the shelf, sighing, a smile on his lips.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Kiera entered the sweetshop and wrinkled her nose. There was absolutely too much sugar lingering in the air. She felt so completely out of place here, like a blood-streaked warrior in a kindergarten school. Which reminded her, what the hell what was she doing here anyway?

Oh yes, her new contact who wanted to contact her about a deal for her weapons armory, Cruor Sanctorum, wanted to meet her in Honeydukes of all places. Said that it would be sensible to hold such a conversation in such an utterly un-suspicious environment. Well, he wasn't here yet. Absentmindedly, Kiera wandered through the aisles of the shop, contemplating about the new deal. She absently stretched out her hand to pick up a sweet box from one of the shelves, but someone did it before her. Kiera turned to face the man beside her, "Uhm, you wanted those?"

[Takata Umi]

Kataka's head snapped to his right as he heard someone speak right beside him.

"Nani? Iie-" He started, being so used to speaking in Japanese and forgetting for a moment his place here in Britian.

"Oh! Sorry about that! No! Its fine! I only came here to think about the old times! You may have it if you like... Miss... What did you say your name was again?" Kataka gave a slight bow in apology, just not a full bow as most people regarded him weirdly whenever he did that in Hogwarts.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

"Kiera. Kiera de Auvergne." Kiera's voice was coolly polite as usual while talking to absolute strangers. "No, its okay, you can keep the box, I don't like sweets much anyway."

But then when the man bowed, Kiera's mind grew clouded for a minute with nostalgia. Unaware that she was speaking aloud, she almost murmured, "You remind me of my Sensei. One of them at least. Except the rest can't be called Sensei's coz they aren't Japanese."

[Takata Umi]

"Nice to meet you, Kiera-sama, if you don't mind me calling you that." Takata smiled, bowing forward slightly once more.

"Sensei? Hontou? I mean... Oh really? That is interesting!" Takata said softly, while taking the box off the shelf, and walking over to the counter, fumbling for the coins in his pouch, as he had mixed the wizarding coins with those from Japan, much to his embarassment.

"Gomenasai... I hope you enjoyed my embarassment." Takata laughed as he handed the change over to the slightly annoyed cashier.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

"I was taught by someone from Japan once, yes." Kiera stowed her own purchases and followed the man to the counter. Only if the man knew what exactly she had been taught. Nothing like what he was imagining, probably.

Kiera then watched as the man fumbled about with his coins, and almost, almost, smiled out of nostalgia. "My Sensei used to do that too." Then out of bland curiosity, "I didn't catch your name?"

[Takata Umi]

"Oh? Interesting! Which part of Japan? I was from Sapporo, Hokkaido. The snow festivals aren't something you could see here." He smiled, proud of his country.

"I am Takata, Takata Umi. Most of my British friends find it troublesome so they just call me Takky. For your convenience sake at least, its one... What's that term? Syllabus? Yes, one syllabus less." He smiled.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

"Which part?" Kiera became silent. It would be dangerous, and foolish on her part, to tell Takata exactly where she had learnt from her Sensei. The location of the place was a well-kept secret, unknown to most, and better so. Lying was the best option. "Kyoto." She responded shortly.

"I think Takata is fine for me, thanks." Then as the man stumbled over his words too, and mispronounced it, Kiera's lips quirked very slightly in amusement. "And for future reference, its syllable, not syllabus. Syllabus is what you teach in school."

[Takata Umi]

"Kyoto? Wonderful! Favourite sushi store? I mean, there's one in Kyoto you can't miss!" Takata smiled, upon hearing Kyoto.

"Ah..." His face sank at the misuse of words. He was good in English compared to fellow Japanese, and he was a perfectionist.

"Thank you for correcting me." Takata smiled.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

"Frankly I don't like sushi all that much. Not all that fond of fish." Kiera then paid for her purchases. Kiera grimaced slightly at the overly-sugary smell emanating from her purchase. She wasn't such a fan of sweet stuff anyway, she was more of a spicy food person, but if she didn't buy anything, Takata could get suspicious, wondering what on earth was she doing in a sweetshop if she wasn't buying anything. Of course the man seemed a bit oblivious, he hadn't noticed that she had lied about learning in Kyoto. Phew.

Speaking of which, the person she was supposed to be meeting for her deal wasn't here yet. Well, she could while the time talking to Takata, she supposed. When the man looked a bit disappointed at getting his words wrong, Kiera commented, "So you hate getting things wrong too? Same here. I can never quite get over it. Happen to be a perfectionist."

[Takata Umi]

"Oh...? Then how about the streetcar? Did you like it? Oh you know the stop after the church... What's the stop called?" Takata started to think, hoping that she could help him jog his memory.

"There's a perfectionist in all of us." Takata smiled.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Kiera smiled, inwardly swearing. The guy was oblivious, but he was asking her a lot of questions about Kyoto. Questions she didn't know the answers to. But she could cover it up easily, "Oh yes, the streetcar is quite nice. As for the stop after the church, you'd have to be a bit more specific. There isn't just one church in Kyoto you know."

"As for if there's really a perfectionist in all of us, I doubt anyone's inner perfectionist is quite as harsh as mine. She gets quite mad at my mistakes."

[Takata Umi]

"Oh wait... That's Sapporo that has streetcars. Kyoto has railway cars..." Takata said, smacking his forehead.

"You must either be confused, lying or forgetful." Takata said, staring at her. To be truthful, he was half hoping it was the first and last option, and he would be willing to close one eye and let it go.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Crap. Maybe Takata wasn't so oblivious after all. Not good. How the hell was she going to explain to Takata why she lied? That she received weapons training in a top-secret hideout and not in Kyoto? No, sticking to the lie was the best option, "Oh yeah........thats called a railway car? Sorry, I'm a bit bad with names." Kiera smiled quickly, then rapidly changed the subject.

"So.......what brings you here to Britain?"

[Takata Umi]

"I teach occulumency at Hogwarts. Just moved." Takata said, actually feeling relieved.

"You? A local?"

[Kiera de Auvergne]

"Occlumency?" Kiera raised an eyebrow. "You know, that's one thing I've always wanted to learn but never really got the chance."

"And yes, I was born in Britain. But I've spent the twenty-two years of my life on four different continents in ten different countries so........" Kiera smirked lightly. "I wouldn't call myself a local."

[Takata Umi]

"Yes... A skill used to enter the minds of others..." Takata said, clenching his fist dramatically.

"Hmm? I see..." Takata's guard was higher now. That smirk unnerved him somehow...

[Kiera de Auvergne]

"I thought Occlumency was just defence of the mind, and Legilimency was entering the minds of others. I suppose you mean Occlumency includes both then? Interesting......"

Kiera noticed that Takata's shoulder muscles were a bit tensed. She was a good reader of body language, and this sign clearly showed that Takata was on alert around her. He had hidden it well, it was expected since he was an Occlumency teacher. Kiera inwardly reprimanded herself, she was being a bit too obvious. "Being a teacher is quite a respectable post. I'm just a mere shopkeeper." Of course, Kiera amended mentally with a smirk, she was the shopkeeper of a weapons armory but Takata didn't need to know that.

[Takata Umi]

"I tend to teach both together. You can't start a fire without wood and match." Takata smiled, tapping his fingers against the counter surface.

"Shop? Amazing! What shop would that be?" Takata smiled, watching her. It was just his nature. To ask why.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

"You teach both? That means you're both an Occlumens and a Legillimens? That's.....quite impressive." At least Takata changed the topic.

Or maybe not. If she told Takata what shop she owned.......no. That wasn't an option. Or maybe....."I own a shop in Knockturn Alley. I know, the reputation of the Alley isn't very good, but the only available plot of land was there. The shop is called Cruor Sanctorum." Kiera smirked a bit again. She actually said the complete truth, for once. Her armory was called Cruor Sanctorum.

[Takata Umi]

"I'm bottom of the barrel." Takata smiled, shaking his head.

"Hmm... I ought to check it out sometime..." Takata wondered. Knockturn alley? Some dark shop?

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Takata was looking slightly suspicious.....again. Then Kiera glimpsed her contact outside the shop window, frantically gesturing to her. The contact kept gesturing to himself, then to Kiera, and then to the Honeydukes cellar. Kiera rolled her eyes. So much for being obvious.

"Umm, excuse me, I have to go somewhere. Talk to you later." Kiera quickly excused herself from Takata, then walked swiftly to the cellar. Her client was waiting there. Some negotiations later, Kiera withdrew her poisonous dagger from within her cloak, and handed it over to the client. The client similarly handed over a vial to her, and hurried away. Kiera held the pale-green vial up to the light and smiled, baring her teeth slightly. Black toad venom. Perfect.

[OOC: Now go spy!!! ]

[Takata Umi]

Takata bowed slightly and watched her leave the store, and he slowly started to think through the rest of the conversation. She was bad at
Changing topics.

"Here goes..." He placed a disillusionment charm on himself and followed her quietly.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

After exiting the shop, Kiera again walked swiftly. The green vial full of black toad venom lay heavy in her robe pocket. Kiera had sharp instincts though, and she kept looking behind her, having a feeling that she was being followed. Unable to see anyone though, Kiera slipped into the entrance to Knockturn Alley where her next client was due to meet her.

Her client, a blonde-haired, square-jawed witch was already waiting outside the armory. Kiera smirked, and without any words, handed over the Venom to the woman. The woman reciprocated with a similar smirk and carefully withdrew a steel-rimmed scythe from her bag, unshrunk it with her hand, and placed it into Kiera's hand. Then the woman disapparated.

Kiera ran a finger over the sharp edge. Oh yeah.

[Takata Umi]

"Miss Kiera, I firmly believe the trade of toad venom and lethal weapons were outlawed at some point of time." Takata said, removing the charm and holding his wand in his hands, starin at her.

[Sponsored content]