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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 2, 2009 16:32:28 GMT -5
"I was just teasing you, Roland," Riley said said, and her eyes lifted from her wine when he mentioned Fabian. Did it matter who her friends were, by name? She didn't know why he asked.
"Yes," she said slowly. "Like Fabian. And like Geoffrey... he works in the Ministry, too." She ended it there, hoping he didn't put it together and realize she only had two friends. She didn't mind, honestly, but she didn't want his pity.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 2, 2009 16:40:50 GMT -5
Since he only had one friend that wasn't related to him, he probably would not have judged her for that. He was too distracted by who her friends were to notice that she was only mentioning two of them.
"Prewett's a nice guy," he said unenthusiastically. In his mind, he added, but he's a git. He didn't know why, but seeing her with Fabian Prewett the other night still bothered him. He honestly had nothing against the guy.. at least he hadn't before.
"Geoffrey?" he repeated, forcing his mind off of thoughts of Prewett. "Do you mean Geoffrey Montgomery?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 2, 2009 16:53:53 GMT -5
Riley nodded, smiling that he knew who she was talking about. "Yes, that's the guy. I've been friends with him forever, it seems. He's probably the only reason I don't live in the office." Especially when she had just been starting out, she wored so long and so hard that Geoffrey had to come get her some nights just to make her go home and eat, or sleep.
She took another bite of her dinner, realizing she was actually hungry. Besides, she didn't really know what else to say at this point.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 2, 2009 17:05:23 GMT -5
"Geoffrey's my cousin, actually," he said. "We don't know each other that well... we don't see much of Mum's side of the family. But he's a nice guy."
And although Roland wasn't one to notice such things about other guys, he also knew that girls found Geoffrey attractive. He'd once overheard a couple of witches giggling and whispering about Geoffrey in the elevator. Why, exactly, were all of Riley's friends male? And why did he care?
"You said you like dancing," he said, changing the subject to stop his mind from wandering down that dangerous path. "You mean like, at a club? Because I really can't picture you at one of the clubs. I went to Spellbound once... never again. Of course... I don't dance. At all."
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 2, 2009 17:16:17 GMT -5
"Oh, that's right. Geoff told me he was related to you... I had forgotten. You two are nothing alike." It wasn't an insult, just fact. She remembered him mentioning being related to Roland when they met up the other day.
She followed the change of subject easily. "Actually, when I take the time off, I go to the clubs quite frequently. One of the bouncers at Enchanted knows me by name now. And yes, that's fun, but when I say dancing, I mean more traditionally. My mother put me in ballet... long story. But that was the one thing she tried that stuck. I know some ballroom dances, too."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 2, 2009 17:25:47 GMT -5
"No, we're nothing alike," Roland admitted. "He had more in common with Cyrus, really, than with me. But he's more mature and responsible than Cyrus. I can see why you'd get along."
There was a compliment in there. Maybe it was subtle, but although he and Geoffrey weren't really close, Roland rather liked his younger cousin.
Listening to her talk about dancing intrigued him. It almost made him wish he knew how to dance. But he always felt foolish when he tried to dance, and ended up not trying. "I bet you're very graceful. I've noticed it when you move sometimes. I move more like a bull in a china shop."
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 2, 2009 18:06:22 GMT -5
Riley shook her head, though she was smiling. "I think how we move is more an insight into our personality more than anything. When we work, I think things through, I try and invision outcomes and how I need to act to get to the outcome I want, so my movements are more controlled and to you it seems graceful. You go in wanting to get the job done, guns blazing... there's not a lot of grace in that. Though there is a time and a place for both."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 2, 2009 19:14:17 GMT -5
He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a doer, not a thinker. I make decisions on the fly... sometimes that makes me reckless or impulsive, but I don't like sitting around, overthinking situations and waiting for something to happen. That's why this thing with Cyrus bugs me so much... if it were me, it would have been resolved ages ago."
He took a sip of wine and gave her a sideways look. "I guess that's why Angelique paired us together... we need a little of both of our qualities for this case. But the trouble is, our strengths are in opposition to each other. But you know... there have been a couple of times where we've made a good team."
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 2, 2009 19:38:22 GMT -5
"I know we did," Riley said, agreeing with him easily. She didn't think she overthought things, but she certainly did think a lot, so she didn't argue the point with him. "The thing about it, Roland, is that we're both good at what we do, but we're both awfully hard headed. Angelique wanted us to complament each other, I'm sure, but we're just too different. We're going to clash no matter how hard we try not to. But I wanted you to know that I'm going to try. I'm going to try harder, anyway."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 2, 2009 22:00:26 GMT -5
She was being so... nice. It was almost too much. He wasn't sure how to take it. He was half-tempted to start teasing her again, just to see if he could make that little crinkle appear above her nose again.
But he knew that she was right... that they had to try harder to get along. They probably would always argue a little, but maybe they could keep it to a minimum until they were finished the case. Then, with any luck, Angelique would reassign them and it wouldn't matter.
He couldn't understand the strange pang he felt at the idea that, sooner or later, he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. He pushed it aside, unwilling to think about it.
"I know I'm not the easiest person in the world to get along with. I know can have some nasty mood swings... and it doesn't take much to set me off. But I'll try to keep control. This case... it does matter to me."
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 3, 2009 15:02:39 GMT -5
"Hey," Riley said. "I admit that I've been a royal pain in the arse, too. Neither one of us has been especially... kind to the other. But we're figuring out how to work with each other, and I think, when we do fall into rhythm, it works very nicely."
There was a vague compliment in there, too. She laughed. "Enough about work. You don't cook, you don't dance... what am I going to do with you, Roland? What do you do when you're not working?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 3, 2009 15:49:27 GMT -5
Roland heard the compliment hidden in there, but decided not to make a big deal out of it. It seemed they were slowly developing a little understanding of each other. He hoped that soon they would have more times when they worked together smoothly, instead of clashing all the time.
On the other hand, of course, a part of him rather hoped that they wouldn't always get along completely. It wouldn't have felt natural for them.
At her comment, he gave a sheepish grin. "Oh, so now you've figured out my terrible secret," he said. "I'm actually rather boring. Most nights I either end up visiting family or I stay home, order takeout and read. Occasionally I go out and I drink... But it's probably better if we don't talk about that."
He genuinely did think of himself as a rather boring person--at least when he wasn't working. One thing he and Riley had in common was a love for the job. Roland didn't have any real hobbies--he didn't dance or cook or do anything artistic. He didn't even play a lot of games, with the exception of chess, which he was very good at. He really only had two things that mattered to him in the world, his family and his job. Anything else was merely a distraction.
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 4, 2009 3:21:47 GMT -5
Riley smiled when he mentioned going out and drinking. "Yeah, maybe it's better if we stay away from that topic. I was just still mad at you over our conversation with Ms. Weaver, and... well. You sort of deserved it." She glanced up and shrugged, though there was a hint of an apology in there. They were well hidden, like the compliments they gave each other.
"So it turns out you're as much of a work a holic as I am," she mused, not surprised. "I bet your family loves seeing you when you visit."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 4, 2009 10:20:40 GMT -5
"I did deserve it," he admitted. "Look... I know you didn't believe me when I said I didn't do it very often, but it's true. Like I told you before, my mother raised me to respect women, and I do. I wouldn't... well, I wouldn't take advantage of a woman. I like women who know their own minds and aren't afraid to stand up for themselves."
Again, there was a hidden compliment in there. That description of the kind of women he liked applied to her as well. Of course, he was not implying that he liked her, at least not in that way. But he was starting to have a new appreciation of her, at least.
"Even still, I wouldn't brag about what I did. And I swear to you, I never revealed anything about the assignment or the department or you. I know what I can say and what to keep quiet. But you're right. Normally I am a workaholic, and it was wrong of me to imply that it was a bad thing when I said it to you."
He hoped that would be the end of the discussion, and that they wouldn't need to talk about it again. He actually felt a little better, being able to clear the air on that subject. He even smiled a little as he answered her next question. "My mother loves when I visit, especially when it's just me. She gets to grill me about my personal life and stuff me full of food. Two of her favorite activities."
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 4, 2009 15:00:38 GMT -5
Riley waved it off. It really had been none of her business. "If it puts you at ease, I swear to you that I gave nothing away to Fabian, either." A small, impish grin met her lips, and she added, "But I did kind of pick him up in a bar."
And anyway, Fabian was an auror.
"Well, with the way you've told me you eat, I can hardly blame your mother for trying to feed you. She probably just wants to make sure you don;t starve to death, and I think it's in a mother's nature not to trust that you won't."
She tried to imagine how Roland's mother would act, and she really couldn't blame the woman at all. Riley always said she didn't want kids, that they would get in the way of work, and whatever thousand other excuses she came up with, but the truth was that she wanted a baby. Not right now, of course. But she was good with kids, and probably wanted a baby more than a husband.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 4, 2009 15:22:26 GMT -5
Roland flashed his crooked grin at her. "I'm in no danger of starving to death," he said, nodding towards his plate, which was almost empty. "See? I do eat. I just... when I'm left to my own devices, I get a little careless. I'll tell you another secret... I have a big sweet tooth. At least when it comes to my mother's baking. She can always get me to eat dessert. Dinner... well, not so much."
He chuckled lightly and looked over at her. "You're muggleborn, aren't you? Do you ever go to the muggle movies? I really like their movies, and their music, and most of the books I read are muggle books."
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 4, 2009 15:58:06 GMT -5
Riley didn't know why, or when she would ever need that bit of knowledge, but she stowed that fact away in her mind. Roland and mother's baking. It was practically written on a notecard in the filing cabinet of her brain.
She nodded slowly, not sure why at first he was asking about her lineage. As he continued though, she understood and smiled. "You know why, I think?" She asked, continuing before he could say anything. "It's so simple. They don't take things for granted the way we do. They can't use magic, and we find it kind of fascinating. I do anyway." She shrugged. "I have theories about a lot of things, but I'm sure you noticed. What's your favorite muggle movie?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 4, 2009 16:41:05 GMT -5
Roland had finished the last of what was on his plate--a rare thing for him, even when he was eating takeout--and set it aside. "I haven't seen many movies," he confessed, "but the few I've seen I've really liked. I saw this movie a few months ago in a theatre... it was called The Godfather. It was very interesting. I also like the James Bond movies... I saw one of them last year and had to go out and see the other ones. I like to see the kind of things muggles come up with. What about you?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 5, 2009 14:43:09 GMT -5
"I like the James Bond movies," Riley said, smiling a little. They just found something they had in common... this could mean the end of them, she thought sarcastically, a joke that she just didn't verbalize.
"I also like horror films. Nosferatu... it's an old one, but a classic. I just saw Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things... they're terrible and I shouldn't watch them, but I do." His taste in movies seemed a bit more intellectual, and Riley had seen The Godfather. She liked it, but she liked movies for a bit of fun more than anything. She hated that she was thinking about how he would judge her on that, since she usually never cared what anyone thought.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 5, 2009 17:01:12 GMT -5
He had expected her to make some comment about how he seemed to like "guy" movies. But he hadn't expected that she would admit to liking scary movies. Once again, he was surprised by her personality. There was definitely more to her than he'd thought. He wished it didn't intrigue him.
"You like to be scared," he said. It wasn't a question. "That's interesting. I wouldn't have expected that. I also haven't seen the ones you mentioned... I'll have to check them out."
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