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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 19, 2009 1:16:11 GMT -5
The investigation into Katie's murder had been unexpectedly delayed by the attack in Hogsmeade. The entire Auror department had spent some time working on the follow up from the attack, and doing routine patrols around Hogwarts to ensure its safety.
As a result, Roland and Riley had lost quite a bit of their momentum in their investigation, and in their working relationship. A few nights after the attack, Riley had invited Roland over for dinner, and there had been an ill-advised kiss.
Today was the first day after that kiss when they would be working together as partners. And the thought of it had Roland in quite a sour mood. He didn't want to see her, or talk to her, or in any way be reminded of what had happened when he tried to kiss her.
But the case was important, so there was no further point in avoiding it. Roland arrived at work, with his usual breakfast of a muffin and black coffee, and settled down at his desk to go through his mail.
He hadn't got any of the threatening notes in a while, making him hopeful that the death eater he'd killed in the attack was, in fact, the one sending the notes. But today, as he flipped boredly through the memos from Vincent, he spotted a familiar-looking black parchment among the work-related mail. His stomach dropped as he tore open the seal and read the message inside:
You may be rid of one of us, but there are still three others.
He stared at the note for a long moment, trying to decide what to do. Angelique had a lot more on her plate than a few threatening notes. He couldn't even imagine that his case was even on her priority list at this point. But the threat was still obvious...
After a long moment, he folded the parchment up again, and slid it into his desk drawer. He would deal with it later....
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 19, 2009 23:23:12 GMT -5
Riley, on the other hand, decided it would be better not to even think of the kiss. It hadn't meant anything anyway. She wasn't sure why she kicked him out after it, but hopefully that was water under the bridge, and today would be just another day.
She came into the office at her usual time, which was disconcerting that she always seemed to arrive after Roland, unless she made an effort to be there first.
She had a coffee in her own hands, and it felt strange coming back to this after the attack.
She decided to stop by Roland's before getting things squared away at her own desk. A moment later, she was appraoching him and smiling. They had been working together well lately. "Good morning, Roland."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 19, 2009 23:52:21 GMT -5
Somehow, the sight of her smiling face did not improve his mood one bit.
He hadn't eaten any of his muffin, but was gulping from his coffee cup as though it contained the elixir of life while he went back through their notes on the investigation. At the sound of her voice, he looked up and frwned deeply when he saw her smiling. She'd thrown him out after the kiss and now she was smiling at him?
"What's good about it?" he practically growled, dismissing her by looking back down at his notes.
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 20, 2009 0:14:28 GMT -5
Riley's smile disappeared instantly. "Your sparkling personality for one," she returned, her voice sounding sincere and friendly but the sarcasm was heavy in her intentions.
"What happened today?" She asked, deicidng that, all right, he wasn't a morning person. He had never been particularly friendly in the mornings. It was a good thing to realize, and she only wished she had come to this conclusion earlier.
"Puppy die?" She added under her breath.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 20, 2009 0:35:15 GMT -5
He looked up slowly, his expression frigid. "Nothing," he said. "I'm just anxious to get to work, that's all. We don't have time for pleasantries."
The less they talked, the better, as far as he was concerned. It had been a mistake to try to get to know too much about each other. Their relationship was supposed to be strictly business, not personal. The attempt at closeness had led them to the kiss.... and that couldn't happen again.
He held out the notes. "Need to refresh yourself on the case?" he asked, his tone indifferent. As he spoke, his eyes drifted to her lips and lingered there for a moment.
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 20, 2009 0:41:06 GMT -5
Riley bit her lip to keep from flat out telling him to go screw himself. She wanted to, badly.
Instead, she smiled, the expression on her lips sickeningly sweet. "No thank you. I'm quite up to date on the case, but it's sweet of you to offer." She gave him a scathing look and sighed. "I'm going to go to my desk, get things in order, and we'll go to the school in about an hour. I'm hoping, by then, you'll be awake and a little more tolerable."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 20, 2009 0:54:27 GMT -5
It took an enormous effort to pull his eyes away from her lips, especially since she seemed to be going out of her way to call attention to them. His hand tensed on his coffee cup, but when he spoke, his voice was cool. "Fine," he replied. "See you then."
He didn't comment on the rest of what she had said. It didn't seem necessary. After all, she had made it perfectly clear that she didn't like him no matter what he did. Maybe that first impression was impossible to get over. But whatever it was, he no longer felt it was worth it to make an effort anymore. She hated him; he might as well give her a reason.
He looked back down at his notes again, silently waiting for her to leave.
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 20, 2009 1:06:57 GMT -5
"Can't wait," Riley said, turning on her heel and walking away. God, what was his problem? They hadn't seen much of each other since they attack, but they had a moment then, and things had been going so well.
She sighed deeply, hoping it really was just that he wasn't a morning person, and in an hour or two, he'd be back to a tolerable self.
She went to her desk. Tomorrow, she wouldn't deal with him until later. It would be fine, he'd be awake, and she wouldn't get an angry start to her morning.
The half hour flew by for her, and she sighed, steeling herself to go back to his desk.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 20, 2009 1:30:41 GMT -5
He had spent the hour picking at his muffin and staring blankly at his notes. To the casual observer, he might have looked deeply involved in his work, but it was really quite the opposite. His mind was distracted and scattered, skipping wildly between the threatening note he'd received, and his kiss with Riley. For some sadistic reason, he kept replaying it in his head, as if trying to change the outcome.
As a result, his mood had only managed to get worse, not better.
When Riley approached, he was sitting stiffly in his chair, furiously jotting down notes while sipping from his second cup of coffee.
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 20, 2009 2:25:14 GMT -5
Riley just looked at him for a moment, then took a breath.
"I have Natalie's class shedule. If we leave now, we should be able to catch her." It was all she said, reading his body language well enough to tell that the coffee hadn't kicked in yet. She was half tempted to tell him that she was willing to talk to Natalie alone because frankly, Roland looked like he could terrify a young girl.
"Are you going to be okay doing this? She's young. You... don't exactly seem like a very friendly person for her to be open with right now."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 20, 2009 2:41:04 GMT -5
The look he turned on her was so cold it could have turned her to stone. "I know how to talk to a little girl," he said snidely. "I have a little sister, remember? I never yell at Amandine. Why don't we just get to work and you can stop making comments about my mood, OK? I'll be fine when we get there."
Although the black parchment was certainly on his mind, the majority of his bad mood was directed at her. And maybe it wasn't fair to her, but he was still angry and frustrated about that kiss. The mistake. He'd also never admit it, but he was hurt by what he saw as a rejection. When he was hurt, he lashed out.
He looked away from her and started to walk towards the elevators. "I'm actually rather anxious to meet Natalie. I've never met an empath before." His words didn't match his tone, which was still tense.
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 20, 2009 3:22:35 GMT -5
"I wouldn't bet on that," Riley said. "And if how you're talking to me is any indication of how you think a female should be spoken to, then I really think you should stay here. Furthermore, you're angry, and do you really want to meet an *empath* in that kind of mood? I'll meet you at the school," she said, rolling her eyes and walking away to the area she could apparate from. He would follow, eventually.
"And the first sign she gives of not liking you, you're out," she called over her shoulder.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 20, 2009 3:36:22 GMT -5
He scowled after her as she walked away. He was fully aware that he was acting like a complete arse, and he didn't even care anymore. It was what she expected from him, wasn't it?
But as much as he hated to admit it, she was right about one thing. He would have to temper his anger if he was going to meet an empath. The anger and tension he was feeling at that moment was so strong, there would be no way the girl wouldn't sense it. He wouldn't wish this on anyone, especially not an innocent little girl.
He reached the elevator bank and paused, leaning against the wall and taking a few calming breaths. It took a few minutes before he was ready to go, but finally, he got in the elevator and rode down to the approved apparation area. Once there, he apparated to the school grounds and began to walk towards the school. He could see Riley up ahead and felt the fragile hold on his temper begin to slip again.
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 20, 2009 4:23:19 GMT -5
Riley heard the distinctive pop! of his apparation, but she didn't turn around to see him. She was seething, but trying so hard not to let him know. She didn't mind her biting remarks anymore. She was done treating him professionally.
All the way up to the castle, she was breathing deeply, trying to relax before they saw Natalie. This would be an interesting meeting, certainly. She just hoped it went okay.
She finally waited for him in the entrance hall, sighing. It was going to be another long, long day.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 20, 2009 14:48:13 GMT -5
Roland tried not to even look at her as he made his way to the castle. Somehow, just the sight of her made him tense all over again. He tried to think calming thoughts, and force all thoughts of Riley and that damn kiss out of his mind. If he couldn't do that, then Riley was right... he shouldn't be meeting with Natalie today.
Luckily, the brisk walk up to the castle helped him burn off some of his frustration, and he was, if not calmer, at least less angry than he had been before.
Of course she didn't wait outside for him. And he wasn't even sure she had waited for him at all until he pulled open the doors to the entrance hall and stepped inside. She was waiting for him, looking decidedly impatient.
He didn't look at her. "Where are we going?" he asked, since she was apparently running the show today.
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 21, 2009 13:29:47 GMT -5
"Wesley's office," Riley replied. Her voice was softer and more controlled, and it was obvious that she used the walk to the castle to calm down as well. It was more for the fact that she didn't want to seem angry to Natalie rather then worried what the girl would see or feel from her.
"I already spoke with him, and he was going to get Natalie for us." It just seemed easier than searching all over the castle for one student who could really be anywhere.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 21, 2009 14:57:07 GMT -5
"Great," Roland replied in a neutral tone. He didn't bother to say anything else to her, figuring there was no point. What did they need to talk about, anyway? The point of all this was to talk to Natalie, not to each other. He really had nothing he wanted to say to her, anyway.
They walked up the stairs in silence, heading back to Wesley's office. It was odd; the last time they had been there together, they were getting along. Now, of course, they weren't. And for no other reason than the fact that he'd kissed her. He wished he could get over what had happened, but instead, it was still there, standing between them like a tangible barrier. It honestly hurt every time he looked at her, but he would never admit it.
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 26, 2009 21:49:55 GMT -5
He was infuriating Riley, honestly. She wanted to kill him and wipe that smug, too good for her look from his face.
She took a deep breath and sighed. Be calm around the empath, she thought as she lead him towards Wesley's office. It would be fine again when they were back on the case in full swing. Dinner had been a terrible, terrible idea and she wished she didn't regret it as much as she did. Chalk it off to another mistake, in a long line of personal mistakes.
She knocked on Wesley's door.
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Post by Wesley St. Clare on Feb 26, 2009 22:26:44 GMT -5
Wesley was sitting with Natalie, explaining to her what they needed her to do, when he heard the knock on the door. He stood up and gave Natalie a bracing smile before going to open the door.
"Hello, Roland, Riley," he greeted them, looking from one of them to the other.
It didn't take an empath to sense the tension between them. Wesley was a bit surprised by it, since his previous meeting with them had been free of tension. He decided he would watch them carefully, and if Natalie seemed upset by the tension between them, he would ask them to do it another time. Or perhaps Natalie could help them resolve their issues... he didn't know for sure.
"Er... Come in," he said, stepping aside to let them pass. "This is my daughter, Natalie. Natalie, this is Roland and this is Riley. They are both Aurors... like your mother."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 26, 2009 22:30:48 GMT -5
Roland moved into the room, still not looking at Riley. Instead, he smiled politely at Wesley, then focused his attention on the little girl sitting there.
She was small, with her father's brown hair and a pair of huge, hypnotic blue-green eyes. She gave the impression of a girl who didn't smile often, and he didn't doubt that those eyes could see things others couldn't. He felt instantly humbled by this small, ethereal girl.
"Hi, Natalie," he said, his voice soft. "It's nice to meet you."
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