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Post by Riley Neves on Jan 14, 2009 21:07:11 GMT -5
Riley was angry, and for the first time Angelique would have seen, it showed in her eyes. Her jaw set and she nodded once, but said nothing, afraid that she would say something wshe would regret otherwise.
But honestly... she was Riley. She *never* complained. She always did as asked. And this one time that she does... Angelique just tells her she needs to try harder. It made her angry. She'd always tried her best.
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Post by Angelique St. Clare on Jan 14, 2009 21:24:42 GMT -5
Angelique could see that Riley was angry, and she honestly felt for her. Riley was not the type to let her emotions show on her face, so if she was this angry, Roland must have really gotten to her.
"Riley, let me tell you a story," Angelique said. "This is completely off the record, of course... It's just for your benefit. But when I was a young auror trainee in America, I was assigned to work with this guy... He basically treated me like I was a dumb female. He was patronizing, he was dismissive, and sometimes even borderline offensive. But I've always been the type who never took any crap from anyone, and he was no exception. Never mind that he was pretty much my boss; when he was being a jerk, I let him know it. And I worked twice as hard to prove myself to him. When it was time for my first evaluation, I got the highest marks he'd ever given anyone, and he later pulled me aside to say that he'd done those things to test me and see how tough I really was. He also told me that he admired my honesty and my strength." She gave Riley a sad sort of smile. "Two weeks later he was dead, killed in a fight with two dark wizards. And though I never would have guessed it in the beginning, when I heard about it, I cried."
Angelique dabbed at her eye with a corner of her napkin, then let out a sigh. She hadn't spoken about Simon in years, and the memory still stung. "I'm not saying any of that is the case with yiou and Roland," she continued, "but I do think that the payoff will be worth it if the two of you can learn to work together. You both have different strengths that match each other well. I'm sorry that it hasn't been the case on a personal level just yet, but give him a little time. If, at the end of the week, there hasn't been at least some improvement, I will consider reassigning him to guard duty. He cannot go back to the case he was on before, and that is final."
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Post by Riley Neves on Jan 15, 2009 13:31:56 GMT -5
Riley personally didn't think Roland was smart enough to go to all the trouble of testing her, but she kept this thought to herself. She also kept to herself that she didn't care what assignment Roland was given, she just wanted him off of hers. Her time shouldn't be spent arguing with her partner.
She sighed. "Thank you," she forced herself to say. "I think we're done then. Should I sent Roland in?"
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Post by Angelique St. Clare on Jan 15, 2009 13:38:57 GMT -5
Angelique didn't say anything for a minute. She just looked at Riley, a thoughtful expression on her face. Finally, she said, "Just remember, Riley. There are always two sides to a story, and people aren't always what they seem. Just be yourself and be strong, OK?"
She picked up her coffee cup and nodded. "Yes, thank you, Riley. Please send him in."
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Post by Riley Neves on Jan 15, 2009 13:52:17 GMT -5
Riley nodded once. "Thank you," she said again, getting to her feet, her blood still boiling. She could make it to the end of the week. It couldn't be any worse than today was.
She stepped outside, hoping Roland had returned from wherever he went off to, and sighed when her eyes landed on. She almost wanted to wish him luck.
"She's ready for you."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 15, 2009 14:12:25 GMT -5
Roland was feeling a lot better, having run down to the cafeteria for coffee and a muffin. The coffee in the cafeteria was notoriously bad, but in his desperate state, he didn't really care how it tasted, only that the much-needed caffeine was now entering his system. And the muffin was, quite possibly, the best thing he'd ever eaten. He made it a vow never to that long without eating again. If his mother found out, she'd drag him back home.
The muffin was now long gone, and he was halfway through his second cup of coffee as he looked through his mail. As usual, it was mostly a bunch of memos from Vincent... and another note on blackened parchment paper.
He opened it with a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. There, in red leters, were the words,
It's best to keep family close at times like these.
He wanted to yell, to hit something... to find whomever had sent this letter and hurt them. But that was surely what they wanted. He wasn't going to let them get to him... not this time. He had a job to do, and this wasn't it. He would take it to Angelique and let her deal with it.
But by the time Riley found him, he was as tense as a coiled spring. He jumped to his feet and nodded quickly, not speaking to her at all. He grabbed the note and his cup of coffee and headed for Angelique's office.
Before she could say a word to him, he handed her the note. "I got another one."
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Post by Angelique St. Clare on Jan 15, 2009 16:56:12 GMT -5
Angelique frowned and took the note from him, reading it quickly. A tiny crease appeared in the center of her forehead as she set the note down and looked at him.
"I'm not putting you back on the other case," she said bluntly. "And this is why." She gestured to the note now sitting open-faced on her desk.
"Roland, I know it's hard to give up on a case when you feel that you failed, and when your own family is potentially in danger, but this is for your own good, do you understand me? You're too close to this now... it's personal, and your parents will kill me if anything happens to you. So I'm asking you to please let me deal with this, and focus on the murder case."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 15, 2009 17:04:51 GMT -5
Roland stared at her, incredulous. "Wait... what?"
He set down his coffee cup and leaned forward in his chair, looking her in the eyes. "Are you saying that you pulled me off this case to protect me? Do you have any idea how patronizing that is? I can take care of myself, and if my family is in danger, I want to be the one protecting them. Don't you get it? I don't care about myself; they're all that matters to me."
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Post by Angelique St. Clare on Jan 15, 2009 17:09:34 GMT -5
Angelique sighed. "I understand that. But my mind is made up. You need to put that case out of your mind, and just continue to give me all of the threatening notes you receive. Don't even read them. Just give them to me and I will deal with it. In the meantime, you need to learn how to work with your partner. Riley never complains about anything, and she came in here saying that you were impossible to work with, after just one day."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 15, 2009 17:16:44 GMT -5
Roland let out a sigh. "She hates me," he said. "I may have been a little... unpleasant towards her..."
He picked up his coffee and took a long drink from the cup, wincing at the bitter aftertaste. "I couldn't stop thinking about the threatening note all day... I needed to be sure my family was OK. If I can't be put back on the case, you could please at least assign someone to check on them for me? Or let me check on them myself? I haven't heard from Cyrus..."
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Post by Angelique St. Clare on Jan 15, 2009 22:34:04 GMT -5
"You don't say," Angelique replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm shocked."
She crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head at him. "I need you to do better than that. Talk to her, communicate... don't just give her attitude. She says you acted like a spoiled child. I know you can do better than that. Now, I promise I will make sure your family is safe. I got a report from Cyrus last night, and your parents are at the school right now on patrol. I can tell Andromeda Black to keep an eye on your brother and sister at school. Will that help?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 16, 2009 0:17:38 GMT -5
Roland let out a sigh of relief. Hearing that Cyrus had filed a report last night made a big difference. And even though he had his doubts about Ms. Black's abilities to focus on her job and not her love life, it did help to know that someone close by would be keeping an eye on Jamie and Amandine.
"Yeah, I guess so," he said begrudgingly. "And I'll... try... to do better with Riley. But you know, we had this fight last night, she just happened to be coming home to her apartment next door and she caught me in a compromising situation..."
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Post by Angelique St. Clare on Jan 16, 2009 0:29:31 GMT -5
Angelique raised an eyebrow. "Yes, she did tell me about that. Drunk and picking up girls. Look... I don't really care what you do when you're off the clock, OK? I trust that you were at least careful enough to keep your wits about you and not say anything you shouldn't say. And I recommend that you be more careful with your behavior in the future. And that is all I intend to say about the subject."
She could tell he was frustrated, and she really didn't blame him. But what both he and Riley had to realize was that, in this situation, neither one of them was completely right, or completely wrong. There were two sides here, and they needed to talk them out and learn to work together.
"Roland, I don't expect to have to have another talk with the two of you on this subject, OK? I want you to talk to her, and learn to communicate. I really don't have the time or energy to keep mediating between the two of you. Tell her about your last mission, and about the threats. Get it all out of your system, then focus on the case at hand. Is that clear?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 16, 2009 0:38:34 GMT -5
Roland released his breath in an exasperated huff. He really had no desire to tell Riley anything. But he supposed she needed to understand why he was distracted. It really had not even been about her specifically. And a tiny part of him was a little bit ashamed about the fact that he had taken out his anger and frustration on her. Angelique was right; he was better than that.
Of course, as soon as he thought about the fight they'd had last night, all of those rational thoughts seemed to fly out the window. He still felt that she had made assumptions about him without giving him any credit or a chance to explain himself. And that she had stuck her nose in where it didn't belong. After all, if she hadn't come home at the exact moment Nathalia was leaving, Riley never would have known about it.
"Fine," he said quietly. "Thanks, Angelique. This won't happen again."
Without waiting to be dismissed, he picked up his coffee cup and walked out of her office.
On his way to his desk, he hesitated a moment, then changed his direction, heading over to Riley's desk. Taking a deep breath, he leaned down close to her. "Can we talk?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Jan 16, 2009 2:52:52 GMT -5
Riley looked up from the papers she was looking at. The movement was slow and exaggerated, and she raised an eyebrow in response. If she said no, would he stop bothering her?
She sighed, stopping just short of asking him this, and in a very professional tone said, "I don't think there is anything to say between us that could help at this point, Roland. I've been assured that you're good at your job, and I'm good at mine... right now, we have the same goal. Let's work towards it and leave it at that."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 16, 2009 9:33:42 GMT -5
Roland sighed. Of course she would have to make this hard on him... it was already difficult enough to admit that he had been wrong. Apologies were not his strong suit, and he had a lot to apologize for.
"I suppose I deserve that," he said. "But I owe you an apology or two, and maybe an explanation, and I would like to do it in a more private location."
He met her eyes, trying to convince her of the sincerity of his words. "I've been a jerk to you, and I think you deserve to know why."
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Post by Riley Neves on Jan 16, 2009 14:06:42 GMT -5
Riley was quiet for a moment, though she kept her eyes on him. Was Angelique forcing him to make ammends, or was he sincere?
"I'm not going to argue with any of that," she said softly, "But if you're doing this because she made you, you don't have to and I'll say you did."
There... she gave him an out, and she would be impressed if he took the last step to prove that he wanted to make things more hospitible between them.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 16, 2009 14:29:41 GMT -5
He only hesitated for a second. True, if Angelique wasn't forcing him to continue working with her, he probably wouldn't bother making nice with her. But on the other hand, he was more than a little ashamed of his behavior, at least his work-related actions. He had been a jerk, and he didn't blame her for hating him. He didn't even like himself all that much.
But he would leave out any mention of their fight the night before. As far as he was concerned, it was still off limits.
"She's not forcing me. But if we're going to continue working together, we need to clear the air a little. I know you don't like me, and I know that's my fault. I'm sorry. Please... just hear me out."
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Post by Riley Neves on Jan 16, 2009 14:40:48 GMT -5
Riley finally set down her papers and nodded. He made the effort, so she would stop arguing. She didn't deny that she didn't like him... he didn't like her either, so they were even there, she thought.
"All right, Roland. Then I am all ears. Let's talk. Where would you like to go?" He had mentioned somewhere private, and she was willing to let him talk to her wherever he would feel most comfortable.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 16, 2009 14:57:25 GMT -5
Roland relaxed visibly, having half expected her to tell him to go to hell. "OK, great. Um... we could go to the cafeteria," he suggested. "I could use another refill on my coffee. And it's usually pretty dead in there this time of morning."
He didn't think she'd want to go somewhere too private, it should be somewhere open. But he didn't want everyone, especially any of his family members, to hear what he had to say.
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