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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 26, 2009 18:22:40 GMT -5
Roland was a wreck by the time he arrived back in the office. It was late, after hours, but somehow he knew Riley would still be there. He needed to talk to her desperately, but he couldn't do it here.
He rushed down the hall from the apparation area, barely even looking at the faces of his coworkers. His first stop was at the MLE office, where he explained the situation at Lina's house--leaving out the personal aspect of the incident--and asked someone to stop by with a potion for the baby's cold.
After he had done that, he continued on to the auror office and straight toward Riley's desk. As expected, she was there, hard at work.
"Hey," he said breathlessly. "Are you about finished here? I need to talk to you about something, but I'd rather do it at home."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 26, 2009 18:28:16 GMT -5
Riley's body barely moved, but her eyes trailed up to meet his, slowly. Riley tried to be patient with him since Christmas, but he was just a loaded gun lately. It wasn't directed at her, but she was usually the one that he took it out on. She understood, and she felt for him, but it was getting really annoying.
"I actually still have a lot to do, Roland. Can we talk tomorrow?" And then, her chin rose so that she was looking at him more square on, as if she just realized. "Wait... is this about your uncle?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 26, 2009 18:43:41 GMT -5
He nodded. "Yes. Please... Riley, this is really important. I know I've been a jerk. Again. But I need your help right now. I'm afraid this can't wait. Unless you want me to go off and do something stupid without you."
He was still jittery, and his eyes were filled with fear. He wouldn't have blamed her if she blew him off, but he needed her right now.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 26, 2009 18:48:34 GMT -5
"Okay," Riley said, throwing what she was working on in a drawer and locking it. She did this even as she stood up, holding up her hands. "I'm coming. Just calm down," she said.
Grabbing her bag, she nodded towards the apparation area. "I'll meet you at your place."
He wasn't tense. No, he was jumpy. That alone meant that this was really, really bad. It had him wound up, and like she always tried to do, she was going to be there when he needed her. Whatever was going on, they would figure it out. Together.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 26, 2009 18:52:29 GMT -5
He drew a shaky breath, then nodded. "Thank you," he said softly.
He hurried down the hall to the apparation area, then forced himself to concentrate on his apartment. After a moment, he apparated, standing once again in the hallway outside of his apartment.
As he waited for her, he leaned against the wall, trying to calm himself down. His heart was beating very rapidly, and his breathing was shallow. He still felt the effects of the attack as acutely as if it had just happened. Yes, Lina was safe, but for how long? And what of the rest of his family? He would sooner die than allow anything to happen to them.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 26, 2009 19:00:07 GMT -5
When Riley apparated, she waited for him to open the door before she said anything. If he was expecting an interrogation once he got inside, he was also wrong.
Once inside, she headed towards his kitchen. "You want tea or a glass of firewhiskey?" She asked. She remembered where his cups were, and while she hoped he said he needed the tea, she had a feeling otherwise. "And then you can tell me what happened. I'm all ears."
She was trying to take care of him again. For once, he should let her.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 26, 2009 19:36:29 GMT -5
His answer was immediate. "Firewhiskey. You don't even have to bother with a glass."
If he hadn't been so agitated, he would have noticed the way she was taking care of him and even teased her for it. But he was not in a teasing or flirting kind of mood.
While she was gone, he began to pace the floor. His mind was still working almost frantically, trying to work through what he was thinking. His thoughts were not pleasant, filled with doom and gloom.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 26, 2009 20:00:11 GMT -5
She came back, a glass in hand filled with firewhiskey. She was not going to just watch him down the bottle, no matter what he said.
"Sit down," she told him, coming up to him and putting a hand on his shoulder, directing him to the couch. "You're going to give me a headache pacing like that," she added, handing the glass over.
"Talk to me."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 26, 2009 20:38:09 GMT -5
He let her direct him to the couch and he sank down onto it with a heavy sigh. Taking the glass from her, he quickly swallowed about half of the glass before he turned to her.
"There was an attack today. Lina was in Hogsmeade with the baby, and someone followed her and cornered her in an abandoned area by the apothecary. I received another note warning me that she was in trouble and where she was heading. When I got there, she was trying to fight him with the baby in her arms... I fought him and chased him away, and neither Lina nor Mara was hurt... but they could have been. And it would have been all my fault."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 26, 2009 20:45:14 GMT -5
Riley licked her lips. "And it's the first time they've actually attacked." it wasn't a question because she knew. Still, it was weird that they warned Roland. Why would they have given him the opportunity to save her? And why go after Lina and the baby?
She nodded. "Okay, so we bring Lina in to give as best a description as she can... Height, voice, mannerisms. Anything she's got. And then we get every non Auror in your family into protective custody, and we find these guys and end this. No one is hurt, and we'll keep it that way."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 26, 2009 20:57:19 GMT -5
Roland shook his head. "No. No, Riley, this has gone on for too long. They've obviously been sitting back, making plans, and now they're starting to put them in motion. Well, I'm not going to play their game. I'm the one they want, not my family. I have a plan... You're not going to like it."
He wasn't even sure he liked it, and part of him almost hoped she'd have a better solution. But to him, going by the book didn't seem to be the way to go. It was what was expected, which meant to him that his uncle would have already thought of a way around it.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 26, 2009 21:04:41 GMT -5
Riley sighed, looking at him and his half empty glass.
"Tell me your idea, Roland, and if it is a bad idea, we're going to do things my way. The normal way, okay?"
She would listen to his idea, but she believed him when he said she wouldn't like it. She had a feeling it involved a half baked plan about going after the Death Eaters alone… in which case, no, they were going to do it her way.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 26, 2009 21:17:26 GMT -5
He was so nervous and jittery, he really wanted to turn to her for comfort; to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. It was an odd feeling, but he was so used to taking care of everyone, and in this moment, he wanted her to take care of him. It wouldn't happen, or so he thought, so he pushed the feeling aside and took another sip from his glass.
"Everyone I know is in danger. My family, my friends... you." He wasn't even sure which category she fit in, so he kept her separate. "I can't stand for that. Not when I'm the one they want."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 26, 2009 21:35:30 GMT -5
Riley sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"Roland, tell me your idea."
She was worried. He was delaying telling her what he was thinking, which really meant she wasn't going to like it.
She shook her head. "Roland, we need to tell Angelique, and let her take it from there. She'll now what to do."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 26, 2009 21:41:44 GMT -5
Roland frowned. "Oh, like she's done such a great job so far? I've done what I was supposed to do all along. I told her about the notes. I told her about my uncle. And yet he's still walking around out there, giving orders to his cronies to attack innocent women and children just to bug me! No... I've had enough of this. It has to end."
He sighed, the firewhiskey now starting to dull the panic he had been feeling. "I need to confront them. And either they need to die, or I do."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 26, 2009 21:55:51 GMT -5
Roland seemed far too willing to say that. "You want to go after them. Alone?"
Riley just blinked. So she was right. “Roland, Angelique took you off the case so that you wouldn’t go after them like this. No, there are better ways to do this. There’s protocol.” Granted, Death Eaters didn’t exactly work by protocol, but that’s why the Aurors were better and more organized, right?
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 26, 2009 22:07:44 GMT -5
"Screw protocol," he said. "What has it got me so far? They had the information they needed all along... my uncle should have been arrested weeks ago. And if we play it by the book, and they arrest my uncle... then what?"
Roland sighed and began to rub his head. "As much as I would love to see my uncle rotting away in Azkaban, that's not going to work. If we arrest these guys, I'll have to testify about what I saw. That's why they want me, Riley. They don't want me to talk. They're trying to intimidate me into keeping quiet. Even if I caught all three of them, that's when the other death eaters are going to jump to their defense. And me and my family will be in worse danger than before. Prison... it's not an option. This is kill or be killed."
He took a sip from his glass, then leaned closer to her, his expression very serious. The alcohol had somehow managed to soothe his shattered nerves and help him to think a little more clearly.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 27, 2009 0:53:30 GMT -5
"Angelique didn't know how dangerous the situation was. As soon as she hears that a member of your family was actually attacked, I'm sure your case will be top priority. And what happens if you confront your uncle and kill him? It will be the same as if he goes to jail... there will be more to take his place, and you'll still be in danger."
She said all of this in one breath and slowed down for a minute. "So yes, let's go after them, but let's do it with a team and the right preparations and when your family is protected. Let's do this how we're supposed to."
How else could she explain what a bad idea this was? "What if your uncle's already thought this out, and he catches you off guard? Can you imagine what that would do to your family?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 27, 2009 1:15:59 GMT -5
"She's dealing with the followup from the attack, and she's getting pressure from all sides. Do you really think she's got time to take care of my little problem?"
He'd expected her to argue with him over this. Hell, he wanted her to. He hated this plan almost as much as she did, but he couldn't see any other way to be sure that his family would be safe.
He sighed and gulped down the last of his drink. "Riley... I don't want you to think I like this idea, because I don't. My uncle is smart, he's obviously been planning this all along, and he's going to expect us to handle it by the book. The trouble with doing it by the book is that it's predictable, and easy to work around. I know it's dangerous... but do you have a better idea? One that my uncle won't expect?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 27, 2009 1:22:19 GMT -5
Riley stood up, now being the one who needed to pace. And she needed to get away from Roland. This was the difference between them. He charged into things head on... Riley needed to think about them and make sure all paths had been considered. At least in work. In their personal lives, it was the exact opposite.
"I don't understand, Roland," she started. "If you don't like this idea, then let's find a good one. The protection we can give your family would be superb. We can use the Fidelus charm if it's necessary. But going after three Death Eaters, when you only know who one of them is, and expecting to come out the victor is... it's... "
She ran a hand through her hair, which was falling out of the bun she had it in and sighed. "Give me a minute and I will come up with something. Because if you do this, Roland, I'm not going to help you."
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