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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 14, 2009 21:09:34 GMT -5
"But this is my fault!" he said. "If I hadn't hesitated before, they wouldn't have got away. When I realized I had them cornered, I should have sent for backup or something..."
Ultimately, that was where he now realized he had gone wrong. He'd gone in alone, knowing he was outnumbered. He had been cocky. He was lucky to have survived, but now his family was in danger.
"You're right... of course... The kids will have to be protected, though... and Lina and Mara." He sighed. "Whatever I do, Riley... will you stick with me?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 14, 2009 21:55:01 GMT -5
Riley nodded. How could she say no, especially when he asked like that?
"I want to help you Roland, so if I stick by you through this, promise me that you'll let me help, okay? Don't do this alone." It was too personal, there was too much at stake, and it was too dangerous for Roland to go at this alone. She had to help him.
"Now sit down, okay? We'll tell Angelique tomorrow, but until then, there's nothing we can do."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 14, 2009 22:05:55 GMT -5
Roland hesitated. The reality was that she was at risk just for knowing him, whether she helped or not. She could be hurt... or worse... just for being his partner. He didn't want her to get hurt. In fact, when he thought of that possibility, it filled him with panic. He should have been surprised by this realization, but he wasn't.
On the other hand, she was a capable fighter. And he needed all the help he could get. And having her there... he could be sure nothing would happen to her. He wouldn't allow it.
"You can help," he said. "We'll talk to Angelique tomorrow... and if I don't think I'm getting enough response there, or I keep getting the letters... I'm going to have to make a move on my own. But I won't do it without you."
He sighed heavily and sank down on the couch, burying his face in his hands.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 14, 2009 22:16:03 GMT -5
Riley sat on the couch next to him, moving slower than he did. "We'll be okay... and you're family's going to be okay. Just... keep me in the loop." It would be easy for her to ask since she was with him all the time. It was just a matter of whether or not he'd answer honestly.
"Some Christmas," she murmured, crossing her legs under her and putting her chin in her hand. "I knew there was a reason I didn't like your uncle." Not that it helped. But the man was a bastard, especially if he only came tonight to make Roland uneasy. He should have just taken him down. The room was full of Aurors, at least six of them. But like she told Roland, there was nothing they could do about it right now.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 14, 2009 22:27:21 GMT -5
He lifted his head and shifted his body slightly so that he could see her better. "Not all of it was bad," he said gently. "We managed to avoid killing each other, right? I think that's something to celebrate."
He wanted to talk about the kiss... or better yet, kiss her again. But he'd promised it wouldn't happen again. That was how she wanted it. And now that he knew about his uncle... it felt almost irresponsible to be concerned with such things.
He reached over and grabbed his glass of firewhiskey, in the hopes that he could temporarily drown this thoughts from his mind.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 14, 2009 22:31:34 GMT -5
"Yeah, I guess. But then, we should celebrate every day, shouldn't we?"
She watched him, still considering the news he'd just dropped on her, and sighed quietly. She couldn't imagine what he could be going through, and it must have been terrible to be that worried about your family. She couldn't blame him.
"I still haven't given you your Christmas present," she said after a moment, and smiled, trying to lighten things up a bit. "Stay here," she added, getting to her feet, and in the next moment, she was gone, headed to her apartment to grab the box.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 14, 2009 22:46:46 GMT -5
He watched her go, a slight smile on his face. He was actually very surprised that, despite all that had happened between them, she had decided to get him a gift. And he was more than a little curious to see what it was.
After she left, he lifted the glass to his lips and took another sip. He was exhausted, he realized. It had been a terribly long day, and he'd gone just about the entire full spectrum of emotions. In one day, everything had changed completely.
Despite what he'd told Riley, he wasn't entirely sure he was making the right decision in telling Angelique. Blake should have been arrested by now. He'd literally been right under their noses all along, and they couldn't catch him? It didn't make sense.
He'd finished the second glass of firewhiskey by the time she came back into his apartment.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 14, 2009 22:54:20 GMT -5
Riley was quick to come to back, and she didn't bother knocking, but she closed the door firmly behind her.
She took note of the second empty glass and frowned, but didn't say anything. He had a right to his vices, and who was she to stop him?
Sitting back in her spot on the couch, she faced him fully and handed him a fairly good sized box. "It's nowhere near as fancy as what you gave me, but Merlin knows you could use it."
Inside was what a muggle would see as a crockpot. It was magical, though, and it would be more like a homecooked meal than the take out Roland was used to, and all he had to do was tell it what he wanted. She thought it was perfect for him.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 14, 2009 23:10:01 GMT -5
He smiled softly. "I'm actually just honored that you thought of me at all," he said. "The way I've been acting... I'm not sure I deserve it."
His eyes locked with hers for a moment, his gaze softer than usual. Then he looked away and focused his attention on the box that now sat on his lap. He tore open the wrapping paper to reveal a plain brown box.
"If I open this box, it won't blow up in my face, will it?" he teased.
Without waiting for her answer, he opened up the box and took out a large pot. "This looks suspiciously like cooking equipment," he said, a wry smile on his face.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 14, 2009 23:17:43 GMT -5
Since he didn't wait for an answer, Riley decided not to bother giving him one, and just shrugged as he pulled out the pot.
"It is, and it isn't," she said, biting her lip while she watched him, unsure what she was looking for. "It's magic and you don't have to know anything about a kitchen to use it. All you do is use your wand here-" she reached over to point out the spot on top of the lid, "-and it makes whatever you tell it to. And I promise it tastes better than one more night of Chinese."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 14, 2009 23:24:42 GMT -5
Roland smiled. "Idiot-proof cooking?" he said with a laugh. "It sounds perfect for me. Thank you. I appreciate it. And I'll use it."
Transferring the pot to the coffee table, he raised his eyes to her. "What is it with us, Riley? Why do we fight so much? It's possible for us to get along, so why don't we? I really want things to be different."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 14, 2009 23:33:24 GMT -5
Riley raised an eyebrow to match his.
"Because we're both stubborn and neither of us agrees with the other about how things should be done, and I think some part of you is still angry that ever got saddled with a partner." She shrugged and smiled a little. "But maybe that's just me."
She hated arguing with him, but it was so easy sometimes. He just pushed buttons and she... well, she pushed back.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 14, 2009 23:47:03 GMT -5
"I don't blame you anymore," he said gently. "Yeah, OK. I was pretty mad when I was assigned a partner. I'd have been angry, no matter who it was. And for what it's worth, if I'd been assigned Cyrus as a partner, I think our arguments would have been worse than the ones you and I have had. But I'm not angry at you anymore. In fact... sometimes we make a pretty good team."
He sighed. He was tired, but he was strangely reluctant to let go of this moment with her. He felt as if he was on the edge of something, and this was possibly his last moment before all hell broke loose. And he was glad he got to spend it with her.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 14, 2009 23:55:32 GMT -5
"When we agree on things, we do all right," Riley said. They did make a good team sometimes. But she also knew that they could make terrible enemies, too. They were both too stubborn for their own good.
She sighed, seeing that look in his eyes. "I should go," she said. He was tired, probably emotionally. Family was exhausting, and then everything with Blake... she would be tired too. And if he wasn't kicking her out because he was being polite, she would help him out. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, I think."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 15, 2009 0:10:28 GMT -5
He reached out and took her hand. "Stay a little while," he said. He didn't have a good reason, but he didn't want her to go just yet. Tomorrow they could be back to hating each other, and he didn't want the moment to end.
"I... I'm kind of enjoying your company right now," he said. It sounded dumb, but it was true. "And I don't want to be alone."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 15, 2009 0:23:15 GMT -5
All he needed to do was ask her stay, but at the confession that he didn't want to be alone, Riley couldn't leave.
"Okay," she said, her voice soft, and she nodded. "I'll stay." He shouldn't have to be alone after the night he had, and the worries that were obviously weighing on his mind. Some maternal instinct or something kicked in, and she took the two empty glasses, lightly puling her hand from his. "Do you need another drink, or is there anything I can get for you?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 15, 2009 0:36:44 GMT -5
He smiled. It had been surprisingly easy to get her to stay. "Thank you," he said.
As she started to clean up the empty glasses, he tried to ignore the odd, homey feeling that came over him. What if things had been different between them? What if, instead of reluctant partners, they were friends? Or more? He felt an odd tenderness toward her. And he kind of liked it.
"No, thanks. I think I've had enough to drink for tonight. Unless you felt like making some spearmint tea. It's very soothing... sometimes when I can't sleep I'll make it for myself. My mother used to make it for me when I was a kid."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 15, 2009 0:44:50 GMT -5
Riley narrowed her eyes almost playfully and looked down at him. "Was that a hint, Roland? Because it wasn't very subtle."
She took his glasses into the kitchen however and said nothing more. She just started opening cabinets as she put the water on, looking for where he kept his mugs and his tea. He needed her, and Riley... well, Riley knew how it was to be needed, so she was going to be there for him. If he was surprised by it, he still had a lot to learn about her.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 15, 2009 1:02:01 GMT -5
"No, I guess it wasn't," he said with a soft chuckle.
He watched her as she went into the kitchen, and he found himself wondering what she would think of him when she looked inside his cabinets. He didn't really have a lot in his kitchen. He only had two plates, four glasses, three mugs, and six wineglasses. None of them matched; it was all just an eclectic collection of pieces that he'd picked up here and there. They were all in good condition, at least.
He kept the tea in the same cabinet with his food, all of which was junk food. He had three boxes of cereal which had all been in there for about three months. They were all stale. He also had some chips, some cookies, and cheese-flavored crackers.
He waited in silence for her to come back and make a comment about the state of his kitchen.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 15, 2009 1:12:58 GMT -5
It took Riley a minute to find the tea, but at least he stored it near the front of the cabinet. She wouldn't have felt comfortable digging through his food to find it, especially if she wasn't positve it was there. She had her suspicions about expiration dates, and thought maybe one day she's surprise him with a bag of fresh groceries.
The kettle finally whistled, and the sound gave even her a headache. It was kind of ominous for some reason, and she took it off the burner quickly, pouring them each a mug.
She brought both mugs out and set his on the coffee table so he wouldn't burn himself when he took it from her, and the only thing she said, which was completely non judgemental, was "If you take sugar, I don't know where you keep it."
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