tik tik tik ((open))

Absinthe was sitting alongside a building in Knockturn Alley wasting her life away. She hadn't been paying attention to what had been going on since it wasn't her business at all. Getting out a pipe, she began to smoke some tobacco and let out a sigh enjoying the sensation it was giving her. Sure, she had made quite a few bad decisions in her life, but she was quite thankful for the fact that she was still able to get her goodies. Her life depended on them; she hated the occasional withdrawals she got that it would definitely be time to pick up her usual stuff soon since the tobacco was getting quite boring. Seeing a figure approach her, Absinthe asked, "What do ya want?"

Medusa needed to get out of their little hiding place where she had gone undercover after the final battle with many other order members and aurors and others that had stood against the Dark Lord. It was good to be surrounded by people that thought alike, but she was not a person to be confined for a long time. She had to find out if her husband had managed to survive the 50 years that had passed, only to find out that he had been killed along with other aurors, fighting against Voldemort's ever growing army while she had been locked away at Hogwarts.

The pain she had thought would hit her did not come. Instead she was filled with a feeling of emptiness. Her husband was dead. The man that had stood by her through all these years. The man that had raised their beautiful daughter with her. He was dead and whoever had killed him would suffer a fate worse than death. Medusa had not gone to Wolfclaw to play fair or by the law, even if she usually stayed on the right side of it.

Shouldering aside two younger wizards, Medusa made her way through Knockturn Alley, in need for a good drink when she walked into a younger woman who immediately started to piss her off with her attitude. Not that it was difficult at the moment. "I want nothing from you, child, now be a good girl and move out of my way." she snarled, as she usually did when one of her students got too cocky.

Rolling her eyes, Absinthe began to smoke out of the pipe once again and blew out a few rings of smoke. The woman actually looked pretty cool and shrugged. "What's in it for me if I move?" she wondered as she began dropping a bunch of ashes out of the pipe disappointed that it wasn't giving her a high of some sort. "It ain't easy bein' down these parts if ya only got some tobacco." Absinthe started to miss her weed and crack even more since she hadn't heard from her dealer in days. "What ya even down here for anyway?"

Medusa took a step forward till they were only inches apart, her eyes narrowing slightly at the younger woman, though her lips moved upwards into a small smirk. Taking the pipe right out of her hand, she took a draught and blew the smoke into the girl's face. "I might let you live." she answered the question. She just never could resist an opportunity to provoke people. "Only weak people depend on artificial stimulants, little girl. It's a pity that young people like you are already so hooked on that shit. It makes you vulnerable." Medusa pulled back slightly, observing the witch in front of her. She was quite a few years younger than herself and that made her think of her daughter. If Tatsu would start doing drugs, she'd be in bad trouble with her, that much was for sure.

Of course Medusa had gathered some experiences with drugs and hallucinogenic potions of all kinds when she was still at Wolfclaw, but then again, she had experience with other kinds of stimulants there as well. Killing and torturing were the drugs of choice in Czechia. But unlike other poor souls, she had not let it control her life. "I'm just here for a good drink, but you shouldn't run around here on your own. These are dark times and someone might take advantage of you ... dependency." she drawled in a soft purr, the teasing sound coming back to her voice.

"Lemme live? I already livin'!! I be livin'!" Absinthe responded getting up as the other took her pipe. "Tobacco bad! Tobacco last resort!" She began to play with her bleach blonde hair squinting her eyes at Medusa. "What even is yo name? I be Absinthe. Momma, when she was my momma, named me afta' alcohol." It was quite strange to have a more traditional middle name when your first and last name happened to practically sound like something one could get addicted to.

Crossing her arms, she asked, "Whad'dya mean by that? I ain't weak! I ain't a lil' girl either! What makes you say 'dat?" Absinthe was in denial about her addiction and has been for who knows how long considering the fact that she had dropped out of school because of it. "A good drink? Where? I might find my dealer since I haven't heard from him in days!" If this meant she could get her goodies, she was going to take that chance. She was determined to feel alive during such times. "I ain't been payin' attention to what's goin' on! I mind my business and survive, woman!"

"Absinthe?" Medusa chuckled, then broke out in loud laughter. "That's priceless." she commented after calming down again, several seconds later. She inclined her head slightly and observed the young woman in front of her with a thoughtful frown on her face. She seemed kind of innocent and naive, but at the same time, she appeared to be slightly messed up. Drugs and alcohol? That never ended well. "Did your mother love alcohol so much that she needed to name her child after it?" Shaking her head, Medusa snorted before starting to walk past the girl and down the road. "You're coming or what?" she threw over her shoulder without turning back; the girl would follow if she wanted a drink and Medusa was not here to baby-sit anyone.

As they walked, she kept her eyes straight ahead, but started to talk again after a few moments in silence. "Every kind of dependency makes you weak." she stated coldly. "What would you do to get you next fix? What if you would only get it from one person in the world and he wanted more than just money from you? Drugs don't only weaken your body, they also weaken your mind as well and without them, you're off even worse because you got addicted. It messes you up, but I guess you experienced that already." Medusa glanced at the girl beside her for a second before turning her eyes back to the alley in front of them. In times like these, you couldn't afford any kind of weakness.

"Why ya gotta laugh at my name like 'dat?" Absinthe asked. "I ain't doin' the same to ya!" She gave a shrug in response to the other's question. "I don't know! I don't know stuff about momma!" Absithe began to follow Medusa slowly trying to catch up to her.

She tilted her head hearing the same old thing about her dependency. "Again, whad'dya mean by 'dat?" I don't know anything 'bout ya, but ya don't see me criticizing ya!" Rolling her eyes, she listened to Medusa's lecture. Does what she do in her free time even her business? She didn't think so, and she never made a big deal out of it unless it's been weeks without whatever would give her a satisfying high. "Oh, really? I don't think so! It strengthens me!" She began making punching motions to the air. "Pow! Pow! Pow!"