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Post by Tyler Jackson on Aug 27, 2008 3:00:38 GMT -5
Tyler sighed. He was here now, and everyone knew it. He had just been stuck in his house for so long, supposed to be under house arrest, that the opportunity to get out had been too good to pass up. He assumed that since the invitation was from a Ministry employee, he was allowed to accept it.
It was hitting him again now how guilty he felt for everything, how no one wanted him here. And looking at Emily made him want to turn right around and go back to that prison of a home.
He came further into the patio area, shaking his head at Amelia. "I'm fine, thanks," he said. He wasn't going to ask for anything. In fact, maybe he would just stay for an hour or so and leave. It would be enough to sate his hunger for fresh air, and not put anyone at ill ease for too long.
He met Cassidy's eyes again, almost asking her for forgiveness for coming out.
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Post by Cassidy LaRose on Aug 27, 2008 18:53:44 GMT -5
Cassidy, now that she had made her greetings to Amelia, now turned to Tyler and walked toward him. Ted Tonks was offering him a seat, and there was another one close by where she could sit as well. As she walked over to him, however, her natural shyness took over. She lowered her eyes and didn't quite meet his as she came to a stop in front of him. "You came," she said. "I didn't even know you were invited, or I would have come with you."
She felt a bit guilty at that. In her work to prepare for the trial, while the Ministry changed over to Vincent's administration, she hadn't been to see him very often lately. And she'd really missed him terribly. "How have you been?"
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Post by Angelique St. Clare on Aug 27, 2008 22:16:23 GMT -5
Angelique caught the little bit of tension going through the room. Since she was friends with Cassidy, she had heard most of the sotry from her. She'd also heard Vincent's side of things, as his likely replacement. And although she tried to remain neutral in such cases, she found herself somewhat partial to Tyler's story. She had no real proof, as Cassidy had been unable to find much evidence, but his behavior since the attack, and his very obvious attraction to Cassidy were definite points in his favor, as far as Angelique was concerned. Besides, the system had allowed her niece's killer to go free; it seemed impossible that someone like Tyler should be punished when there was so much reasonable doubt.
Eager to break the tension, Angelique decided to just come out and say what was on everyone's minds. She simply couldn't abide the "elephant in the room" situation. "Tyler, so glad you could join us," she said. "It must be nice to get out, after basically being on house arrest all this time. Have you received a date for your trial yet?"
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Post by Tyler Jackson on Aug 28, 2008 14:34:30 GMT -5
Tyler had given Cassidy a shy smile, a shy and nervous smile. "It's okay... I wasn't even going to come," he said quietly, only wanting her to hear that. Before he could answer her question, though, Angelique St. Clare spoke up, and Tyler was nothing short of mortified. For a split second, he had the 'dear caught in the wandlight' look but teeled his face quickly.
"There's no date yet," he answered, finally breaking his silence to the rest of the guests there. "I've been promised that it will be soon. Amelia, thank you so much for inviting me today," he adding, turning towards her with a nod.
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Post by Cassidy LaRose on Aug 28, 2008 23:00:41 GMT -5
Cassidy winced as Angelique blurted out the question. It was typical of her, of course. Angelique was famous for her blunt honesty. And Cassidy also knew that Angelique was on Tyler's side. Obviously she thought it would be a tension breaker to just come out and say what everyone was thinking. But it still had to be hard for Tyler. She wondered if it would be inappropriate to hold his hand.
Taking a breath, she glanced over at him with an apologetic look on her face. She hoped he knew that she supported him completely.
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Post by Vincent Corrigan on Aug 29, 2008 23:08:35 GMT -5
Since being elected Minister of Magic, Vincent had been running around like crazy, trying to put things into some semblance of order. Unsurprisingly, Erasmus Craven had left all of the files and paperwork a shambles. Vincent was beginning to wonder just exactly what the former Minister had been doing all day. It seemed fairly clear that he hadn't been working, that much was certain.
He was buried up to his elbows in work when he realized that he was supposed to be at Amelia's brunch. As much as he hated to stop working now, while he had a bit of a rhythm going, he also knew it was important to show that he cared about his employees. By seeing them on a social basis, he could show that he was a man of the people and that he could be approachable. He wasn't sure if being nearly an hour late would convey the right message, but it was the best he could do.
He apparated directly there, without stopping to pick up a gift. He was sure Emily had brought something nice, and that it was understood to be from both of them. The fact was, he couldn't come up with any appropriate gifts, and he was running so late that he really didn't have time to stop and get one.
He knocked on the door and was received by the house elf, who led him out to the patio. "Hi, everyone," he greeted them. He walked over to Amelia and shook her hand. "I'm so sorry I'm late. I've been buried under a mountain of paperwork. You wouldn't believe the mess Craven left behind!"
He glanced around, looking for Emily, when his eyes fell on someone else. Tyler Jackson. What the hell was he doing here?
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Post by Emily Alchemia on Aug 30, 2008 8:24:29 GMT -5
As Tyler Jackson walked through to the patio, Emily let a smile cross her face. She still believed that he was innocent, and she didn't hold anything against him. It wasn't his fault of what happened in her eyes. Of course there were still people that believed that he was guilty, and because of those people, she felt bad for him, however it was nice to see him out. She knew that being cooped up in his house must have been driving him crazy. Emily gave a wave in Tyler's direction.
She continued to look around and noticed Vincent entered. Giving him a moment to walk around, she noticed that his eyes set on Tyler. She remembered the two's last meeting and frowned. Vincent still seemed to be sore with him for what happened. Before he decided to walk over to Tyler, Emily's feet led her to Vincent. "You made it," she said smiling.
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Post by Vincent Corrigan on Aug 30, 2008 21:41:33 GMT -5
Vincent was still glaring at Tyler and was about to say something to him, when Emily's voice shook him out of it. He knew she was trying to avoid a scene... and he couldn't blame her. If he made a scene here, in front of all these Ministry employees, he would be the one who would look bad. He was the Minister of Magic now... he needed to maintain a certain level of decorum. Going after Tyler in this place would certainly make him look, at the very least, unprofessional.
He sighed, and, with one last glare at Tyler, turned to Emily, allowing the anger to leave his face and be replaced by a smile. Leaning in for a chaste peck on the cheek, he replied, "Emily, there you are. I almost didn't see you. I lost track of time and almost didn't make it at all. I hope there's still some food left," he added with a chuckle.
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Post by Emily Alchemia on Aug 30, 2008 21:51:54 GMT -5
Emily was relieved when Vincent gave up glaring at Tyler. She didn't understand why he still held a grudge against Tyler, but she knew not to push it. There couldn't be a scene with him being the new Minister of Magic. She didn't want rumors already going around about him having anger issues or something like that.
"But, it's better late than never," she said smiling. Emily put her arm around his waist and sort of gave him a sideways like hug. "Of course there's food left! It's much better than my cooking if I may add." Emily had been trying to improve her cooking with slight success here and there. Now she didn't burn toast, and she could cook waffles, french toast, and eggs successfully. The other courses, weren't as bad as they used to be, but could still use a bit of work.
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Post by Vincent Corrigan on Aug 30, 2008 22:08:06 GMT -5
Vincent moved with her to her seat and sat down in an empty seat next to her. "Nonsense," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Your cooking is fine, Emily. But I'm sure this magnificent spread is also very good. Everything smells wonderful." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before he reached across the table and began to help himself to some of the food.
He deliberately--and very obviously--did not look at Tyler Jackson.
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Post by Emily Alchemia on Aug 31, 2008 9:49:59 GMT -5
Emily gave him a you-can't-be-serious look. She shook her head slightly as she smiled. Taking a sip from her glass, she looked back to Vincent. Emily gave him a slight nudge with her arm. "Just be nice," she whispered. "Amelia invited him. You know a nice 'hello' to him wouldn't be horrible either." She knew that Vincent was probably going to think that she was crazy, but how would it be if he said hello to everyone but him? "I'm not asking you to carry on a conversation with him, just be polite."
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Post by Tyler Jackson on Sept 1, 2008 4:50:08 GMT -5
Vincent Corrigan was entirely capable of making Tyler feel as guilty as some people believed he was. He made up his mind to go with his earlier plan... to stay for just a little while, and then leave.
He reached for Cassidy's hand, without even really thinking about it, because he needed some kind of support.
He decided to take Ted's offered seat, because it was on the edge of where everyone was seated, which meant he could hide a little.
"Can we sit?" He whispered to Cassidy. He didn't want the one face he trusted to leave him.
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Post by Cassidy LaRose on Sept 6, 2008 2:12:12 GMT -5
Cassidy blushed as Tyler took her hand, but she didn't fight it. In fact, it filled her with warmth, even as her stomach twisted curiously. Silently she followed him over to the seats and sat down next to him, on the other side of Felicia. Through all this, she didn't let go of his hand. Even as she looked at the platters of food spread out before them, she was reluctant to let go in order to help herself. She wanted Tyler to know that she supported him completely.
Glancing at Vincent for a quick second, she then caught Emily's eye. She could see the encouragement in the woman's eyes, and it made her feel better. While Vincent Corrigan might have already condemned Tyler, even Emily was not so certain. Leaning close to Tyler, Cassidy whispered, "It's going to be OK, I promise."
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Post by Vincent Corrigan on Sept 8, 2008 22:11:46 GMT -5
Vincent let out his breath in a long, irritated sigh. Despite what Emily said, he just couldn't find it in himself to trust Tyler. The guy had an ugly past, and his attack on the Order just seemed like a return to his old ways. But Emily was right about one thing... he couldn't afford to make a scene here. He was the Minister of Magic now, and it was time to make the best impression. Besides, at least since Tyler was here already, he couldn't possibly pull anything now. Right?
"OK," he whispered, allowing the muscles in his arms and shoulders to relax. "I'll be polite. I won't be nice, but I'll be polite."
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Post by Tyler Jackson on Sept 8, 2008 23:17:02 GMT -5
Tyler's eyes lowered as she whispered to him, and it seemed like a huge weight had left his shoulders with just her promise. It meant the world to him... he wasn't sure why, but he didn't feel so alone when Cassidy made assurances like that to him.
A moment later, he looked up, a steely look in his eyes. He was on their side. He had reformed. He was innocent. And he was determined to prove it.
"I wanted to say congratulations, Vincent, on becoming the new Minister."
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Post by Vincent Corrigan on Sept 10, 2008 22:57:41 GMT -5
Vincent, who had just popped an olive into his mouth, nearly choked in shock. He coughed and spit the olive into his napkin before he turned to look at Tyler. Feeling Emily's warning gaze burning into him, he pasted on a polite smile. "Thank you, Mr. Jackson," he replied in a formal tone. "It was a tough race, and I was lucky to come out on top."
He resisted the urge to make a comment about Tyler's trial and instead helped himself to some fruit.
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Post by Amelia Bones on Sept 11, 2008 12:55:29 GMT -5
Ameliawas glad when Vincent arrived. She assumed the new blood would turn attention from Tyler and the mood of the group would relax. She was wrong.
She greeted Vincent as he came in and took her seat again between Felicia and Kyle. She was near the center of the table and could hear bits of each of the conversation taking place on the end. She knew Emily was trying to ease the tension between the men, she heard something like 'be nice' and 'be polite'. This made Amelia smile. She felt bad for her own tension when Tyler showed up, but seeing the look on his face made her feel even worse. And if Vincent Corrigan, the Minister of Magic, could be civil, it would make her feel slightly better. And then Tyler broke the ice, and Amelia's smile widened.
"You had it in the bag the whole time Vincent. Don't be so modest."
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Post by Vincent Corrigan on Sept 11, 2008 21:33:34 GMT -5
Vincent laughed lightly. "Modest... that's not a term many people use to describe me. I believe it was the Daily Prophet who described me as an 'overblown windbag with pointy hair.' But then, that Bambi Ackart isn't the most knowledgeable of reporters, wouldn't you agree?" He glanced over at Tyler then, recalling the scathing article that Ackart had written about Tyler. Now that he thought about it, the mere fact that the woman had basically condemned Tyler was a point in his favor. Ackart was a known idiot; her recent piece expressing doubt about the Dark Lord was proof of that.
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