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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 4, 2009 18:50:03 GMT -5
Roland looked down at Natalie, wondering just what she wanted to talk to him about. Was it about the case? Or was it something else? Something about her expression gave him a strange feeling, especially since she wanted to talk to him without Riley. "Yeah, sure. We can talk."
He shot a look at Riley before they started back to the school.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 4, 2009 18:55:31 GMT -5
Riley met Roland's eyes and just shrugged slightly. If he was looking at her to see if she knew, she had no clue what was going on, or what Natalie wanted to talk to him about.
On the way back to the castle, she retiterated again how thankful they were. "You really have helped us a lot, Natalie. We do appreciate it."
(I'm sorry that was so short)
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Natalie St. Clare
 /Admin 
Second Year
Empath[M:10]
I'm distilling everything she said into a potion
Posts: 707
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Post by Natalie St. Clare on Mar 4, 2009 19:05:52 GMT -5
Natalie gave her a shy smile. "It's OK. It feels good to use this stupid power of mine for something good. I hope you catch the person who killed that girl. It reminds me of what happened to my sister. She didn't deserve it, any more than Katie did. What happened to her... it wasn't fair. She was just minding her own business, and someone killed her for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have been anyone. Why do innocent people have to die?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 4, 2009 19:19:07 GMT -5
Riley glanced at Roland, and then looked back at Natalie.
"I could tell you all of the nice, pretty answers, if you want to hear them. But I'm sure you've heard them all before. Do you want to know the truth, Natalie? Yes, bad things happen for a greater good down the line that we can't see yet. Maybe Katie died so that we can find out who did it and stop any more students from dying. But bad things happen to remind us that we need to keep fighting for what's right. Does that make sense?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 4, 2009 19:38:15 GMT -5
Roland had a hard time taking his eyes off of her as she spoke. When she wasn't looking at him, his gaze went soft. She'd said it all so perfectly. It was the reason he believed so deeply in his work... He did it so that innocent people wouldn't have to die. So far, he felt like he wasn't doing that great of a job, because people were dying all around them. But he knew that he would give his life to help others, if it became necessary.
"She's right," he said softly, tearing his eyes away from Riley with a great effort. "Sometimes terrible things happen, and that's when we all have to take a stand for what we believe in. We can sit back and let it happen, or we can fight. I choose to fight."
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Natalie St. Clare
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Second Year
Empath[M:10]
I'm distilling everything she said into a potion
Posts: 707
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Post by Natalie St. Clare on Mar 4, 2009 19:46:22 GMT -5
Natalie looked up at each of them as they spoke. They were both good people, and she really admired them for standing up for their beliefs. She only hoped that they would work things out between them and that what she saw wasn't true.
Looking at Riley, she gave a tiny smile. "My mother died fighting for what she believed in," she said. "You remind me of her in a way. You're strong, and you have a good heart. Both of you do."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 4, 2009 20:48:25 GMT -5
Riley smiled. "Thank you, Natalie. You desrcibed your own traits, too, you know." Maybe the girl's mother didn't just die... but part of her lived on in Natalie. It was a shame she had to know sorrow like that, though.
"Natalie, if you ever need anything that we can help with... your dad knows how to find us, all right? I'd like to return the favor to you someday."
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Natalie St. Clare
/Admin
Second Year
Empath[M:10]
I'm distilling everything she said into a potion
Posts: 707
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Post by Natalie St. Clare on Mar 4, 2009 21:32:51 GMT -5
Natalie simply smiled her tiny, mysterious smile. "Thank you. I will."
They were almost at the school now, and Natalie stopped walking and looked at Roland. "I want to tell you what I saw now," she said. She looked at Riley for a moment, as if uncertain, then pulled Roland over to a nearby tree and whispered something to him.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 4, 2009 22:07:21 GMT -5
Roland listened to what Natalie had to say. At first, he was somewhat in awe of her powers, but as she told him what she had seen when she touched his hand, he wasn't sure at all how to react. When she was finished talking, he hesitated a moment, then took a breath.
"Thanks for telling me," he said simply.
What else could he say? He just gave her a smile, then took her hand again, leading her over to where Riley was standing. Their eyes connected for a fraction of a second before he turned and continued to talk toward the castle.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 4, 2009 22:13:36 GMT -5
Riley was, naturally, curious, but she didn't ask. Afterall, she had her moment with Augustus that she was keeping quiet, and if it was from Natalie, it was probably quite personal. It bothered her how much she had to rationalize not asking what had just transpired.
Riley thanked Natalie one more time when they brought her back to Wesley's office, and she smiled at the man. "You have quite a remarkable daughter, Mr. St. Clare," she said.
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Post by Wesley St. Clare on Mar 4, 2009 22:38:19 GMT -5
Wesley smiled at them both. "I've always thought so," he said proudly. "Even without the powers."
He stepped forward and took Natalie in his arms. "I'm glad she was able to help. And I really hope you're able to catch the killer. With so many terrible things going on around us right now, it would be nice to see a little justice be done."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 4, 2009 23:01:05 GMT -5
RIley nodded in full agreement.
"Well, tell you what, Natalie, when we catch the people responsible, you'll be among the first to know." Riley thought the girl deserved that much, to know that she had helped bring about that justice.
"We'll let you get back to your days, now. But thank you both again. We'll be in touch."
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Natalie St. Clare
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Second Year
Empath[M:10]
I'm distilling everything she said into a potion
Posts: 707
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Post by Natalie St. Clare on Mar 4, 2009 23:07:41 GMT -5
"And I will tell you if I see anything else," Natalie said. "If the killer is here at the school, it's possible I may get a feeling from them, or brush up against them or something. Whoever did it... I want them to be caught."
She gave Riley a smile, then turned her haunting gaze to Roland. "Remember what I said, OK? Be careful." The smile had faded from her face and her expression was chillingly serious.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 4, 2009 23:12:21 GMT -5
Roland had been very quiet since talking to Natalie. His mind kept turning over the things she had said to him, trying to process the information. When she spoke to him again, he looked up and their eyes locked. He couldn't quite breathe. Remember? How could he possibly forget?
"I will," he said quietly. "Thanks again. And thanks, Wesley."
He didn't breathe again until they were outside of Wesley's office. "You know what, Riley? I think I want to go back to the Ministry. I'm feeling kind of... run down. OK?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 4, 2009 23:18:36 GMT -5
"Okay," Riley said, surprising herself by not arguing with him. She knew that whatever Natalie said to him got to him... Riley picked up on things better than she was given credit for.
She nodded. "Okay," she said again. "We'll go back. I don't mind calling it a day." She had softened towards him considerably since earlier that morning.
They had to walk out to the edge of the grounds again, and she was quiet for half of the walk. But after that, she had to ask. "Are you okay?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 4, 2009 23:27:52 GMT -5
Roland didn't answer her question right away. He took a few more steps, then stopped to rub his head. "I don't know," he answered truthfully.
"That was... weird. I really feel sorry for Natalie... how does she live with that every single day? I mean, it's not even just people, it's.... everything. All around her. I hope she's strong enough to handle it. She's a sweet kid."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 4, 2009 23:37:05 GMT -5
"She's a very sweet kid. And she's really mature," Riley said. "I think she understands things well enough to be able to keep her wits about her. I think she's got a bright future ahead of her, actually." She had hope, anyway, and wasn't that all you needed as a kid?
"Roland," she said, gently reaching out and touching his shoulder. "What did Natalie say to you?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 4, 2009 23:41:13 GMT -5
He gave an odd little twitch when she touched his shoulder. Then, turning to face her, he shook his head, refusing to meet her eyes. He still needed to process the information Natalie had just given him, and he wasn't ready to talk about it. In fact, he really wanted to be alone with his thoughts.
"I really don't want to talk about it," he said. "Come on, let's just get back."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 4, 2009 23:49:29 GMT -5
"Roland," Riley said, knowing he'd make it hard for her and not tell her. "I imagine it was personal, and I understand that, but it's obviously bothering you, and if I can help..." she trailed off, figuring it would be implied that she wanted to help him.
"We can go back to the office and just relax over a cup of coffee?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 4, 2009 23:55:47 GMT -5
Oh, he needed coffee alright. Possibly spiked with something alcoholic. Seriously, how was he supposed to react to hearing that? He didn't blame Natalie for telling him... but he wasn't sure he wanted to know. There was too much, and it didn't seem to make sense.
"You can't help," he said bluntly. "Thanks for asking, but I'll... I'll be fine. Let's just get back." The border of the Hogwarts grounds was just ahead.
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