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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 5, 2009 0:01:51 GMT -5
Riley sighed. "That's right," she said after a few more steps, waiting until they could apparate before she stood in front of him and met his eyes.
"I can help. I promise I can... you just need to decide to let me." She waited so that she could give him the oppertunity to avoid her, which she suspected he would. But she stood her ground, her eyes on him just hoping he would stop pushing her away so much.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 5, 2009 0:08:45 GMT -5
He sighed. "Riley, please... Just drop it, OK? You went off and talked with Rookwood and didn't tell me what he said, so would you just allow me to have this secret? Maybe..."
He shook his head. He didn't want to tell her. What would she think about it? He was almost curious enough to tell her, just to see her reaction... but he didn't. He was still trying to process the information himself.
Since they were now in a spot where he could apparate, he did so, effectively ending the conversation.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 5, 2009 0:12:34 GMT -5
So he thought. He would have ended it effectively if he hadn't mentioned Rookwood. That cuased her eyes to harden and her sympathy to vanish a little, but it wasn't really his fault.
She apparated after him, catching up quickly.
"Rookwood was different. That's hardly fair, Roland. I'm not trying to pry, I'm just trying to help you." She didn't care who was around. Half the office was used to seeing them fight now, anyway, usually from the apparition area to the Auror department or back. Riley suspected the only reason they got away with it was because they were getting something accomplished with the case.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 5, 2009 0:23:45 GMT -5
"Well, I was trying to help you, too," he argued back, effectively shifting the subject away from his own issue. "Need I remind you, you went behind my back and interrogated a potentially dangerous subject alone. I was told I was not supposed to go on alone in this, and that we were supposed to work together. I can't even believe you would go back in there to talk to that git after the way he treated you the first time! Who knows what he could have done?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 5, 2009 0:41:58 GMT -5
"You weren't supposed to do anything alone. I was never given that rule, Roland," Riley said, angrily trying to defend herself. It wasn't like she wanted to go back into his office, alone, but she knew he knew something, and she knew how to get it out of him. Doing that meant not having Roland around.
"And I know what he could have done and I took that risk and it helped us in the long run! Why are you so bloody stubborn?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 5, 2009 0:47:48 GMT -5
"Oh, so I have different rules from you?" Roland retorted. "How exactly is that fair? Look, I may have screwed up my last mission, but until then, I've done a pretty damn good job, and I don't like feeling like I'm being punished for one little mistake!"
He let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Don't tell me what Rookwood said to you. But I'm not going to tell you what Natalie said to me. I don't want to talk about it. Period."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 5, 2009 1:05:13 GMT -5
"I was doing it for the case!" Riley shot back, and then she bit her lip. Argueing with him was counteproductive and really only ever gave her a headache.
"Fine," she said, sounding like she was 14. "I don't care what Natalie said to you. She probably just told you you're..." She stopped herself there, realizing she was about to say something unnecessarily cruel. She took a breath. "I'm going to write up a quick report. I'll leave a copy on your desk when I'm done."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 5, 2009 1:10:45 GMT -5
"Fine," Roland snapped. "You do that."
He was feeling frustrated again, the brief moment of calmness now gone. And yet, as usual, it wasn't really her that was bothering him. Arguing with her was really almost a way to blow off steam from what Natalie had told him. He was lashing out, and it wasn't her fault. Of course, if she hadn't kept pushing him to talk about it, he might have been able to avoid it.
Without another word, he stalked over to his desk and sat down, burying his face in his hands.
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Post by Ted Tonks on Mar 5, 2009 1:21:39 GMT -5
Ted was standing at his desk, leafing through some papers that he needed to catch up on. He'd been out of the office for too long, and had to take a while off after the attack. Today was his first day back working, and, as luck would have it, Riley and Roland were at it again.
His face was down, like he was still reading, but his eyes were on them, and he was smirking. They were like a couple of kids the way they went at it. He watched Roland storm off first, and then Riley, and he swore she looked like she was three seconds away from sticking her tongue out at him.
When she was gone (in a huff, he might add), he set his things down and headed towards Roland's desk. He didn't know the guy that well, but that didn't stop him.
"I'd offer you a drink, but I'm still on duty, as it were," he said. "Sure looks like you could use one, though."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 5, 2009 1:33:07 GMT -5
Roland was exhausted, and it was only a little after noon. He wasn't even sure what it was; whether it was from all the fighting with Riley, or if it was about what Natalie had said to him. Oddly enough, his mind seemed to be focusing more on Riley than on Natalie.
At the sound of the voice above him, Roland raised his head slowly, eying Ted warily. "Can I help you with something, Tonks?" he said. He intended to sound rude, but his tone came out sounding weary.
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Post by Ted Tonks on Mar 5, 2009 1:39:58 GMT -5
"No, I'm fine, but thanks for asking," Ted said, sounding far too confident at the moment. He felt like being in a good mood, anyway.
Looking over his shoulder, he could see Riley from their position, and he wondered how best to approach the subject. He watched her long enough to make sure Roland's eyes had gone to her as well before turning back to the other man. There was a mischevious twinkle in his blue eyes.
"She's pretty, isn't she? I'm telling you, if I didn't already hit the jackpot with Andromeda, I'd be taking her out."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 5, 2009 1:50:46 GMT -5
Roland's eyes had followed Ted's over to Riley and softened, as they often did when no one else was looking. When Ted turned back, however, Roland quickly narrowed his eyes.
"She's..." He started to say one of his typical comments about how annoying and self-righteous Riley was, but somehow couldn't bring himself to say it. "She's high maintenance," he said.
Actually, that wasn't true, either, and he knew it. He was the high maintenance one. Or maybe they both were. But 98% of their arguments had been his fault.
"Is there a point to this?"
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Post by Ted Tonks on Mar 5, 2009 1:55:33 GMT -5
"High maintnance," Ted repeated, considering that one. It wasn't exactly what he thought Roland would say about her, but he didn't know Riley too well. Maybe she was high maintnance. Or maybe she just needed someone that could keep up, which, coincidentally, Ted was pretty sure Roland could.
"There is a point actually, and it's this. We all know what's going on, except the two of you, appearantly, and it's really time you do something about it before it drives you insane. Things like this aren't about brains and working it out... there's no logic to it, Roland. So do us all a favor and act on this before one of you kills the other."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 5, 2009 2:05:26 GMT -5
Roland stared at him blankly. In the back of his mind, he knew exactly what Ted was trying to say, but he was not ready to admit it yet. "What's going on?" he repeated. "Well, if you know so bloody much, why don't you tell me what that is? And what exactly is it I'm meant to do? If our arguing is bothering the rest of you, we'll do our best not to do it in the office. Or maybe Angelique will finally reassign us, and you won't have to listen to us anymore."
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Post by Ted Tonks on Mar 5, 2009 2:12:42 GMT -5
"That would be the worst thing you can imagine right now, wouldn't it? Being reassigned after you've just had an arguement, and knowing she would have no reason to ever come talk to you again."
Ted was serious now. For being the easy, laid back, class clown of a guy, he was also quite romantic and all of that, and he actually hated to see anyone go through what Roland was going through. Lord knew it wasn't fun.
"Arthur Weasely and I are going out for drinks before New Years. You should come with us." In fact, it seemed like a brilliant idea to Ted. Arthur would be able to relate to Roland because of Molly, and Ted couldn't certainly relate. Being on love's bad side was agony.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 5, 2009 2:21:01 GMT -5
Roland sighed and began to rub his head again. "She drives me crazy," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Ted was right about one thing. The way things were going, he and Riley were going to kill each other. But he was still firmly of the opinion that she didn't want him.
There was also the issue of what Natalie had said to him... and what that meant. He still wasn't sure, and the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.
He raised his eyebrow at the invitation and was about to give an immediate no, but then he hesitated. What was the harm, really? "I'll think about it."
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Post by Ted Tonks on Mar 5, 2009 2:30:16 GMT -5
"Yeah, she drives you crazy... but just wait until it's the good kind of crazy. It'll be worth all of this."
Actually, there was another factor in this that Ted was ignoring, at that was Riley. She was harder to read, and Ted wasn't sure how she felt about Roland. But Merlin, the man was so hopelessly in love with her... how could she not be flattered by that, at the very least? He heard rumors of her and Fabian, but chose wisely not to bring that up right now. Maybe after a couple of drinks.
He smiled. "Can't ask for more than that. Arthur hasn't given me a date yet, but I'll let you know," he said, honestly somewhat surprised that Roland hadn't told him to shove off yet.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 5, 2009 2:44:10 GMT -5
Roland's eyes flickered across the room to Riley's desk. It still hurt to look at her, but at least from a distance, when she wasn't yelling at him, it was easier to admire her. She really was beautiful, and he seldom allowed himself to appreciate that fact.
Sighing, he looked back up at Ted. "Sounds good," he said, unable to muster up much enthusiasm. "And, hey... Congratulations on working things out with Andromeda."
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Post by Ted Tonks on Mar 5, 2009 13:46:37 GMT -5
Ted smiled. "Thanks. I'm lucky I found her," he said, and his smile was a little dreamy as he thought of Andromeda and what they had been through. He was extremely lucky she took him back, and he planned on letting her know it for the rest of his life.
In fact, he might have jumped the gun, but when they let him leave the hospital wing, he went and picked out a ring for her. Then, of course, he felt like an idiot, and it was now sitting in the top, locked drawer of his desk, and neither Arthur or Veronica even knew about it.
"Well," he said, looking from Riley to Roland. "I have to get back to work. Hang in there... we'll come up with a plan about her."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 5, 2009 16:54:48 GMT -5
Roland was about to ask what he meant by "come up with a plan," but decided to keep his mouth shut. Ted was obviously assuming that Roland wanted to do something about his feelings for Riley. He didn't. He thought if he ignored it, he could forget about it. He didn't realize what a mistake that was.
"Thanks," he mumbled, then looked away from Ted to go fishing through his desk for a bottle of headache potion.
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