Double Double, Toil and Trouble... (Mostly Trouble)

Lilith stood in the center of the room. It was something like a laboratory, set in a dungeon-scape much like that of Hogwarts. It was Lilith's secret space within the lower levels of Eden. Most knew where her quarters were... but this? Only select individuals knew how to get here, and had to be given instructions by either Corvus or Lilith herself on how to arrive at the proper corridor.

A couple of cauldrons bubbled around the witch for she was fond of multi-tasking. In truth Lilith was actually amidst an experiment in one corner and going about standard potion requests on the other side of the room. Because the experiment was volatile and could easily contaminate the rest of the works in progress, a shield that resembled the translucent sheen of a cyan soap bubble as large as the room served to isolate it.

Normally, it was the preference of this Potions Mistress to work on potions at home. Her reason for going against the standard could be summed up in a word: Corvus. It had been Corvus who asked her to see to Ariadne's potions skill. Having known the wizard for as long as Lilith has, she got the distinct feeling that at least some part of him wanted Ariadne occupied rather than taught...

She took one final glance around to make sure everything was set. It seemed to be. All that was needed was the arrival of her victim - er, that is, her assistant of the day: Ariadne Grey. While Lilith waited she sat at a desk at the back, penning the final touches on an article she had been commissioned to write for a potioneering journal while keeping a eagle eye on the door.

The morning had finally come, the time for Ariadne to begin carrying out her sentence. True to form, she hadn't slept much, instead spending her night meticulously bent over some article of clothing or the other, ripping out seams and re-assembling them in a much different manner than their original state. She wore the results of her labours proudly upon her person, the tight-fitting corseted dress shrinking her already-small waist to absurdly tiny proportions.

Not that she expected to run into Corvus -- he was clearly avoiding her, Ariadne was not stupid -- but she did hope to annoy Lilith by adopting her favourite style of dress. It was basically the one small thing she had over the potions mistress at this point, and she carried it as far as she possibly could without being reprimanded by Corvus. After all, it wasn't like Lilith had a monopoly on corsets, and Corvus himself was a little too fond of coercing Ariadne into the tightest, most revealing attire possible. There would be nothing Lilith could do about it, besides be unpleasant -- but as that was already a given, she really might as well use her only ammunition.

Therefore at the unholy hour of eight in the morning, Ariadne could be found rapping at the door of Lilith's secret laboratory, running on fumes and large amounts of caffeine-laced magical stimulants, her eyes looking unnaturally bright and slightly glassy.

Lilith glanced up from her paper at the rapping. With a quiet sigh she stood and, heels clicking loudly, walked towards the door. She spelled it open and took the last few steps to the door.

A critical caramel eye took in the other woman's appearance. Being no stranger to sleep deprivation Lilith quickly explained away the symptoms found in the state of Ariadne's eyes. Although the witch didn't recall seeing her fellow Purist very often something told her that the other woman was markedly different somehow. Just how, Lilith wasn't sure. She was however a little irked that Ariadne managed to lace her corset tighter than Lilith herself could accomplish. Even with the help of house-elves and occasionally Jericho, Lilith's body just couldn't accommodate such a tiny size. Lilith came to two conclusions, but only time would tell which one was correct.

Ruby red lips tightened into a neutral frown for the time being. "Well... At least you're on time," Lilith murmured and stepped back to let Ariadne inside. "Please close and lock the door behind you."

"What precisely is your level of potions expertise, Miss Grey?" she inquired, keeping her tone at a light, sugar-laced curiosity.

"As Corvus commanded," Ariadne replied woodenly, her voice a jarring departure from her highly animated eyes. If she was truthful, the corset was not precisely the most comfortable garment she'd ever worn -- although she'd rather die than to admit it to Lilith. She turned and waved her wand almost lazily, making the door slam shut and lock ominously behind her. Corvus had made it clear that she was to obey all instructions, so there was no point in belabouring the point or giving Lilith the satisfaction of knowing how much it truly irritated her.

Ariadne's goal was to annoy Lilith as much as possible while concealing her own annoyance to the best of her ability -- very simple and most easily accomplished by complying with Lilith's demands as thoroughly and without delay as if they were being made by Corvus himself. Therefore, she answered the follow-up question as soon as she turned to face again.

"N.E.W.T. level," she said simply, her face impassive despite the spark of pride present in the fact that she'd gotten N.E.W.T.s in every single one of her classes -- no mean feat. Although her lack of friends or a social life made doing schoolwork quite a lot easier, she hadn't liked it enough to continue her education past Hogwarts. Her parents fortune rendered it unnecessary for Ariadne to take a profession, and instead she lived on the interest of their gold, a fact which she felt made her superior to anyone who had to work -- wage slaves, she thought of them privately, and the term certainly applied to Lilith, in Ariadne's estimation.

"Although of course it's been nearly a decade since then," she added, her tone just as light, although tinged with unmistakeable boredom.

"Of course," Lilith murmured at the wooden response, waving a hand in dismissal of the topic. She barely flinched as the door slammed and locked, pouring over a tome on one of the tables. The woman was stooped for little more than a full thirty seconds before straightening to face Ariadne properly.

N.E.W.T. level expertise, and less than thrilled about what was in store. Lilith nodded plainly, "Pity you didn't go further. But I suppose the craft isn't everyone's passion or hobby."

"Each station is clearly marked, and I have a list of items that need doing if you would get started on these first?" Lilith elaborated. A raise in pitch normally denoting a question punctuated the words despite the fact it was more a command. The witch gave the parchment containing said list a few taps with her wand before handing it over to Ariadne. A quick scan of the list showed that many of the things were along the lines of tedious preparation: chopping, peeling, slicing, grinding... even the extraction of a toxin from a few of the puffer-fish found within an aquarium against the eastern wall.

"If there is anything that exceeds your level of skill, do skip it and continue with a different item," Lilith added, a hint of challenge creeping into her voice.

Aridne couldn't be bothered to respond; she simply nodded down at the list in her hand. From what she looked over in her cursory overview, it was exactly what she expected: highly tedious, time-consuming tasks that were more unpleasant that difficult. Perhaps a lesser witch might have struggled with the difficulty level, but Ariadne was nothing if not skilled in her use of magic. She got the feeling that at the end of the several hours it would take to do all of this, there would be something even less fun waiting for her.

With a sigh, she walked over to the first station and began crushing sopophorous beans with the flat side of the silver knife provided, carefully collecting the juices in a flask also provided. By the time she was done with this first task, nearly forty five minutes had passed; there were nine more stations to go. Somehow Ariadne doubted that there would be breaks to use the loo or eat a meal. Fortunately she was accustomed to such feats of endurance as Corvus demanded nothing less that absolute commitment, no matter the cost to health or sanity. It was one of the reasons why she was so thin; although she'd always had a naturally slim figure, since being in Corvus' service she frequently had to fight to keep from becoming positively gaunt.

She wondered, as she moved to the next station, if Lilith had ever realised just how much pressure she was put under. Judging from the side glances she noticed coming from the older witch -- probably not, and if she knew, she was not likely to care except as it concerned herself. If Ariadne ever dropped her guard enough to admit this, Lilith would only exploit the weakeness ruthlessly as a means to advance herself further, rather than taking it as the cautionary tale it was. Not that Ariadne would ever tell Lilith such a thing. Let her kill herself trying to take Ariadne's place; it would put an end to no small amount of her misery.

Lilith was neither here nor there at the silence. It was probably in Ariadne's best interest not to question the to-do-list anyway. For one thing, Lilith had no other reason to give her the tedious work other than to irritate her. Corvus had ordered to keep her busy, but still: keeping Ariadne busy meant that for a while Lilith too would be kept busy. As Ariadne set to work on the stations, Lilith sat at her desk to finish composing her article. "In the event it interests you, most of these potions are in progress by request of Corvus," the witch murmured and effectively buried her nose in the text.

Time seemed to go by slowly for Lilith. Although for now she was effectively 'babysitting' as per her view of things, this did give the witch valuable time to get many things done that had been put off to the side perhaps a bit longer than she had intended. By the time Ariadne had finished with the sopophorous beans, Lilith had finished the article she'd been working on first thing this morning, sent it out via an owl, and had begun outlining another.

It was only when Lilith's House-elf silently nudged a tray of breakfast into her peripheral view that the witch remembered food. Brown eyes glanced over at Ariadne with her usual suspicion, but there was also something else there. "Do provide for my guest as well," she whispered to the elf, gesturing toward the younger witch. In her eyes it would not do if Ariadne dropped from lack of proper nourishment even if Lilith did not particularly like the other witch.

Not a fan of cold food, Lilith paused in her work and indulged in the hot breakfast Jericho must have settled on. Whomever got to the House-elf and put in a request first would be what was served. As inconspicuously as possible, the House-Elf deposited a full tray of hot food and drink beside Ariadne and waited to see if she required anything extra.

The next station required Ariadne to grind a small pile of bezoars, a task which no doubt would take twice as long as the first. She felt rather than saw there was someone beside her, and, expecting Lilith, looked well over the head of the house-elf before she saw the tray and decided to look down.

"No," she said simply, turning from the tray and continuing her task, clenching her jaw and breathing through her teeth in an effort to avoid smelling the food. She rejected Lilith's generosity partially because she had an inkling about the older witch's tolerance for a variety if poisons, but also because she knew better. There was a story in the Greek mythology that came to mind, of Persephone in the Underworld, which taught the lesson never to accept food in hostile or otherwise unknown circumstances. It wasn't as though Ariadne was unused to lack of this sort, besides which she was unsure whether or not Corvus would approve -- the unknown in this particular situation.

That he was angry was decided -- furious, even. He'd never turned her away from his side before, which was precisely what terrified her; his lack of response. Oh certainly, he'd given her the cold shoulder, and she him, but this was a different beast entirely. This punishment was not physical pain or even verbal scars, but an emotional hell only he could construct for her -- he, who seemed to be so untouched by love himself. Perverse was exactly the word for it, and so she would be, perversely declining food or rest or anything of that sort until the task was completed. He told her to labour under Lilith's watchful eye, and Ariadne would do exactly that.

Until Corvus himself told her that her assistance was no longer necessary, she would obey the command she had been given, with a ferocity of attention to detail he'd never seen before. He would forgive her, goddamnit, and if he wouldn't allow her to tell him how sorry she was in person, then she'd show him through Lilith, who would have no choice but to report back to him eventually. This, she knew, would hurt Lilith like nothing else could -- being completely unresponsive to any and all tactics she employed, in favour of showing her exactly what she could never be to Corvus.

She had Jericho, she had a household and other things to preoccupy and to clutter her mind, but all Ariadne had was Corvus. All she'd ever had was Corvus and that was why, even having made the stupid mistake she'd made, Ariadne would come out on top. Even her weakeness was exactly conducive to Corvus's needs -- her weakness being Corvus himself, or rather, that most irresistible of all ideas, the hope that he might someday love her.

A crow black as night made his way inside the labyrinth of Lilith's lair. If one would wonder how the crow managed to find his way through the walls, one would have to know that this was no ordinary crow. Corvus' familiar was filled with many secrets.

He was carrying a note from his master. The note entailed that Corvus needed Lilith in an hours time; Lilith and only Lilith - it also instructed that he would need a large portion of her time.

As he entered the dungeon-type exterior, he flew a circle around Lilith dropping the note before he landed on a ready made perch. It was his usual position there. It offered the best views. He rested, watching both women carefully. His marble black eyes darted towards Lilith first before resting at Ariadne. His face as neutral as all animals were but to say it was expressing mockery would not be an abnormal conjecture.

"As Miss wishes..." croaked the elf, tentatively removing the tray and vanishing quietly from view.

Lilith peeked out from around her desk at the goings-on. She supposed the refusal made sense, if the other witch felt herself in hostile territory. There was nothing Lilith could or would do to make Ariadne think differently. If Corvus didn't seem to have the amount of attraction he did to the younger woman, Lilith would have been very tempted. Yet such a waste of pure blood was literal blasphemy to the cause they all fought for.

It surprised the Potions Mistress just how dutifully Ariadne worked. Of course, Lilith had not worked with the other woman before insofar as she could recall. Corvus would require a report. Thus far, Lilith had nothing nasty to say that wouldn't be a lie. The quiet in which they both worked didn't bother her any. In fact it was preferable to other assistants she'd had that would not stay silent for one moment.

Minutes after sending off another potioneering article to one of the publications she wrote for out of sheer fun, Lilith did a double-take as a winged creature soared not out - but in. Lilith watched it fly into the room and then circle around her. Shortly before settling onto a rather specific perch the bird dropped its parcel. Lilith deftly caught the parchment item and glanced at the bird in an attempt to recognize the sender.

It was a crow. And not just any crow, but Loki: Corvus' faithful familiar.

A grin twisted itself around Lilith's lips and sparing not even a moment opened the note. Curious yet delightful were the thoughts running through her head upon reading the contents. The only question was what to do with Ariadne. Lilith didn't fully trust the other witch enough to leave her alone in the laboratory. Perhaps an external task would do. Lilith had all she could do to refrain from musing the word 'fetch' and not giggle evilly to herself, but managed.

Tucking the note into her corset, Lilith first provided the crow with a treat and some water and then strode over to the shelves to begin looking for various ingredients. Which ones she was running low on, and others she had regrettably allowed to run out. The task would have to be thorough and take much time. Her estimate of just how much should not be off, lest Ariadne conclude her duties complete and return to Corvus. That would make none of them pleased at the present time.

With magic's help, Lilith had composed a list of items that was considerable. Some items had been deliberately hidden to provoke thoughts of an outage but were in all actuality well-supplied. The only problem was it did not seem to be enough to keep Ariadne busy for very long. If Ariadne was efficient enough to earn the spot at Corvus' side then this list would be time-consuming but still child's play. Lilith had to toss in a little something to make the task properly challenging for her compatriot. A glance to the clock told Lilith she had twenty minutes before she was due to meet Corvus.

Once again, Lilith sat at her desk. She feigned flipping through a book. In reality she was piecing together a fictional item grown in a fictional location, that had to be collected with great care both to the ingredient and one's life. It was rare, and dangerous, and conveniently not within the knowledge of simple apothecaries. When Lilith had finished with a decent replica of something that could have come from the book, she stood.

Since Ariadne's arrival Lilith had done little to approach her outright. Now, however, the witch took deliberate steps toward the work station Ariadne was seated at. "I must leave to see to an urgent matter. Would you like a change of pace in activities? Stretch your legs a bit?" Without waiting for an answer, Lilith plowed onward. "I have a list of ingredients I am short on. If you would be a dear and collect them...?"

Even engrossed as Ariadne was in her task, she would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to have notice the entrance of Loki, Corvus' familiar. The grin that graced Lilith's face did not at all reassure her; with a barely audible sigh, Ariadne continued to work as the older witch walked about the room, busting herself with various objects.

Lilith's preoccupation took long enough that by the time she sat back down at her desk, Ariadne had begun to assume that the missive had been something simple, perhaps informing Lilith that Corvus was leaving Eden for a shirt stretch of time. It wasn't until after she'd done with the bezoars and was eyeing her next task -- flobberworm mucus -- with a rather reluctant gaze when Lilith interrupted her.

Clearly, the letter had contained more than she'd thought; Ariadne's face flushed in anger as she imagined exactly what it might be that Corvus wanted. Namely, to flaunt Lilith in front of her face, which the older witch was only too happy to encourage. The glance she bestowed on the parchment shoved at her was only cursory; all of it nothing more than busywork, and disguised as little else than such. Her stomach turned horribly, making Ariadne glad she hadn't eaten yet. The effort she made at keeping her voice level and her gaze averted was nearly Herculean, but she acquired herself remarkably well, under the circumstances.

"I am to do your bidding as my lord requires it," was her only reply, along with the briefest of curtseys as she waited to be dismissed properly.

Lilith watched with interest the magma of fury bubble beneath Ariadne's skin, staining the pale complexion pink. The slightly older witch maintained her air of arrogance despite it. If she knew Ariadne as she presumed given what little information she had to go on it would seem that the younger woman had no interest in a shopping trip on Lilith's behalf. Then again, perhaps something else had crossed her mind. After all: they were both dalliances of Corvus. Might it be that Ariadne was jealous of Lilith's current spotlight? Plausible, the witch decided.

It took all of Lilith's self-control to not appear too amused by the younger witch's efforts to remain calm and collected. "Lovely," she replied, then added a pack of supplies and some money for Ariadne to take along with the list. "You may purchase most of the items at the apothecary or acquire them fresh. Personally, I prefer the latter.

"And do save the last item for until after you've finished everything else. It is a very rare find that need not occupy the bulk of your valuable time," Lilith explained. "If you've no questions you may be dismissed."

Clenching her jaw so tightly it seemed that she might grind her own teeth into dust, Ariadne accepted the money and supplies quickly, as eager to be free of Lilith and the horrible little dungeon as Lilith likely was to be meeting with Corvus. She wondered whether he would ask after her -- probably not, though. That was what Loki was for. Lost in her musings, Ariadne barely caught what Lilith was saying.

Managing to tune in somewhat and pick up the gist of her words, Ariadne flushed even deeper. The message could not be clearer; these items had been chosen because they would take her away for a good long time. It was all she could do to keep her pretty features from twisting into a snarl.

Having no questions, Ariadne simply nodded curtly and turned on her heel, nearly forgetting to unlock the door in her eagerness to leave.

Lilith mentally chided the corners of her lips not to twitch, lest they betray the amusement within. Something she had said clearly did not set well with Ariadne. Vaguely she wondered what it could have been - what was going on in the raven-haired head at that precise moment? No matter...

Once Ariadne had left, Lilith performed a few mandatory clean-up spells. She examined the items her assistant had managed and found that they were done well for someone of N.E.W.T.-level potioneering. Making sure the prepared ingredients were put away was Lilith's number one priority. The other items could wait.

Heeled boots clicked across the stone floor as Lilith sauntered toward the door. With a final glance around the room her chocolate orbs settled upon the raven. "Do tell him I am on my way," she informed the crow brightly. In a single movement Lilith blew a kiss to the creature as she performed a bow, then turned and tread the familiar path to Corvus' study.