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Post by Kit Cunningham on Jul 24, 2009 14:26:33 GMT -5
Kit had started to walk to the party, but at the sound of her name, she turned around to see Riley, holding hands with a man that could only be the famous Roland himself. Well, this was already an improvement; Riley was actually speaking to her.
She broke into a smile and walked over to them, extending her hand. "Hey, Riley," she said. "You look like you're feeling a lot better. And this must be Roland? I'm Kit."
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Post by Riley Neves on Jul 24, 2009 17:28:57 GMT -5
They were in bad shape tonight if Riley even had a hard time letting go of his hand so that Roland could shake Kit's.
"This is Roland. Roland, Kit is the Auror who had the... unfortunate luck of transferring here the day you... disappeared." She chose that word carefully. "And I'm sorry that you didn't get the welcoming you should have," Riley said. She hated apologizing, but she knew when she was in the wrong. "Especially from me."
And then she was quiet, letting them interact.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 24, 2009 18:43:03 GMT -5
Roland smiled, stepping forward to shake Kit's hand. He held out his left hand, because he was still holding Riley's hand with his right. Yes, it was going to be a long night if they couldn't let go of each other's hands for just a short minute.
"It's nice to meet you, Kit," he said. "Riley's told me a little about you. I'm sorry if my, er... absence... caused any problems for you."
He silently surveyed her, and he could easily see why Riley hadn't liked her. She had a look about her of someone brash and opinionated. She wasn't someone who could slip quietly into a room unnoticed. She would find a way to be noticed.
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Post by Kit Cunningham on Jul 24, 2009 21:55:00 GMT -5
Seeing them together, Kit understood. And one of Kit's finer qualities was the fact that she never held a grudge. She easily forgave people who had slighted her and didn't blame them if they didn't like her. She could be hard to take sometimes, and she knew it.
"Hey, seriously. Don't even worry about it. Either of you. Riley, I know you were just upset... and I didn't make things any easier by opening my big mouth and sticking my foot in it. I shouldn't have said what I did. One of these days I'll learn to think things through before just blurting them out. Anyway, it's cool to meet you, Roland. I feel like I'm meeting a superhero with how much I've heard about you."
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Post by Riley Neves on Jul 24, 2009 22:00:54 GMT -5
Riley smiled, giving Roland a sidelong glance. He hated being thought of as any kind of hero, and she understood it, finally. He didn't do it to be a hero. He did it because it was about his family. It was all of them that needed a hero, and people create what they need. Roland was just the easiest thing to turn into something they all needed.
"I rather imagine he's all you've been hearing about since you came. Our office tends to stick to one person. Before you showed up, it was Ted Tonks. Now that Roland's back... who knows. Maybe it'll be you."
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Post by Kole Hobbs on Jul 24, 2009 22:16:41 GMT -5
[Okay, i moved it so it would make more sence, cause i was too lazy to just modify it.]
Kole had decided last minute to go to this Auror shindig that was being thrown. He put on a muggle white dress shirt and black jeans with black shoes. Simple, like Kole.
He walked in, slightly reserved. It took him a while to get used to people. He caught Riley's eye and nodded a hello. He had met her, maybe for a second, not long ago, but Kole knew that it wasn't the best of times for Riley, being that it was during the "Roland is Dead" phase of events. She was talking to Kit, who he had also met briefly. Kole walked to the table in the corner and got himself a drink.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 24, 2009 22:30:32 GMT -5
Roland shook his head. "I'm not a hero, much less a superhero. Despite the whole back from the dead thing, I'm really just a regular guy. And Riley's right. Pretty soon, the fuss will die down and the office gossip will be about someone else."
Personally, he couldn't wait until that happened. He had never done what he did so he could get attention or praise or anything else. He just wanted to protect his family, and other people's families. That was all that mattered to him.
Another person he didn't recognize had walked past them, and Roland shook his head. Just how many people had started since he'd been gone? It had only been two months.
"Come on, let's get in there," he said, giving Riley's hand a squeeze.
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Post by Riley Neves on Jul 24, 2009 22:49:01 GMT -5
Riley pulled back on Roland's hand, letting Kit walk in in front of them, and she smiled at Roland.
"Don't feel uncomfortable tonight, okay? A lot of people are going to call you a hero. But we can go home after this is all over, and you can play hero to me, okay?" She wiggled her eyebrows and almost laughed, but kissed him before she could, before they went into the Auror office.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 24, 2009 23:17:47 GMT -5
"I don't mind being your hero," he replied, kissing her quickly. "I rather like it. But you understand why I don't like the attention, right? I'll let them do it, just this one time, but when we come back to work, I really just want to focus on getting my job done."
He reluctantly pulled away, but still kept his hand locked onto hers. "So, do you think there'll be music at this thing? Maybe we could dance."
This was another one of those things that he was willing to do for her, even though he didn't like it himself. He didn't think he would be dancing to any fast songs, but a slow song... well, that would be a perfectly acceptable excuse to have Riley in his arms in front of everyone. And it would make her happy.
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Post by Riley Neves on Jul 25, 2009 17:40:18 GMT -5
"I know, I understand it," Riley said with a small nod. "But they needed to have a reason for your death... so they made you a hero. You can't blame them for that either."
She smiled at his next words and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "You don't like dancing," she said, as if reminding him. As if he needed reminding. It was a sweet thought, and she knew he only offered because she liked to dance. It made her adore him even more. "Maybe we can sneak away while everyone else starts dancing?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 25, 2009 22:16:49 GMT -5
He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. "No, I don't like dancing. But I never told you why. The truth is that I'm not very good at fast dancing... I feel like I look stupid, and... well, I don't like to look stupid. And slow dancing... it always felt like such a romantic gesture. I couldn't do it with someone I didn't love. It's like... it's the only way to be truly intimate in a room full of people. I wouldn't want to share a moment like that with just anyone. But with you... I think I might learn to like it."
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Post by Riley Neves on Jul 26, 2009 10:54:28 GMT -5
Riley smiled slowly as she watched Roland and as he told her his views on dancing. Even if he was lying a little, it was still incredibly sweet, and she wondered, again, how she managed to push him away so much in the beginning. She knew why, she just couldn't believe that her resolve had lasted that long.
"I love you," she said simply, leaning up to kiss him one more time. "Come on, we can't spent all night in the hallway."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 26, 2009 12:16:43 GMT -5
The fact that he had been pushing her back probably had a lot to do with it. He understood now why he had acted that way in the beginning. He'd been attracted to her, and it scared him. When he was scared, he acted tougher than he really felt. But once he'd admitted his feelings for her and made the decision to try for a relationship with her, he had committed completely. That was how it was with him; he never did things halfway. It was always all or nothing.
"I love you, too," he said, smiling.
He gave her hand one more squeeze, then he led her down the hall to the Auror office. Almost unconsciously, he took a deep breath just before they walked into the office. He would have denied it, but he felt just a tiny bit nervous.
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Post by Riley Neves on Jul 26, 2009 19:49:42 GMT -5
Riley may not have known he was nervous, persay, but she knew that he was uncomfortable with the whole thing. And Merlin knew she couldn't blame him. She was going to be there for him tonight as support if nothing else. She would introduce him to everyone new, and take over the conversation when she could tell he had enough with it. It was all going to be fine, and she wanted to make this easy on him. He hadn't been back very long, and she wondered if he would be overwhelmed with all the people.
Going into the office, she put on a smile. "You already met Kit," she whispered, and looked around. "See the guy with Andromeda and Ted? That's Kevin. And that's Kole," she said, nodding towards the other new guy. "Who do you want to start with?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 26, 2009 22:42:19 GMT -5
Roland had never exactly been the most social person in the world. Sometimes, when he was in a good mood, he had the ability to command the room by showing off his self-confidence and sarcastic wit. Other times, he had been known to go through entire dinner parties without saying a word. When he'd first come back, he had been in such high spirits that he had been at his best. But that effect was starting to fade a little. Still, with Riley by his side, he couldn't help but be in a good mood.
"Er... Kole seems a bit lonely there in the corner," he said. "It wouldn't hurt to start with him, I suppose."
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Post by Riley Neves on Jul 27, 2009 0:53:17 GMT -5
Riley nodded. "Figures you'd start in the corner where the fewest people are," she murmured, smirking slightly. "You know if you don't go to them, they all will come to you."
But she lead him towards Kole anyway, smiling as they both approached him, and she said hello. "Kole, good evening," she said. Of all the new Aurors, she felt like she knew him the least. At least they both knew each other's names. She motioned to Roland, whose hand she was still holding. "I wanted to introduce you to Roland Ferrera. When we return to work, he'll be my partner. Roland, this is Kole Hobbs. Is there any relation to the girls who own the bakery in Hogsmeade?"
Well, she hoped. They hadn't actually gotten that far with Angelique yet.
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Post by Kole Hobbs on Jul 27, 2009 1:39:00 GMT -5
Kole grinned when Riley brought Roland over. He figured standing alone in the corner would get him attention, maybe he should have moved toward a crowd...
"Riley, hey," Kole said politely. "And pleasure to meet you Roland," Kole didn't want to act like he idolized Roland. He was the hero throughout the Ministry, yes, and Kole was very impressed. But he figured Roland had gotton enough of the superhero publicity already, and Kole didn't want to bug him more.
"Yes, my sisters Kim and Kat own it," Kole said smiling.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 27, 2009 15:12:06 GMT -5
"Yeah, yeah," Roland had mumbled to Riley as they moved over to talk to Kole. To him, it all felt a little fake, to think that these people, many of whom had never spoken two words to him before, would now think of him as a hero and would feel compelled to talk to him like some kind of celebrity. He didn't want that kind of attention, and had never asked for it. But he'd promised Riley he would have a good attitude about the evening, so he smiled as he was introduced to Kole.
Roland appreciated that Kole didn't attempt to give him any special treatment, and the smile soon became genuine. Still not letting go of Riley's hand, Roland extended his free hand to Kole. "Nice to meet you, too, Kole. I don't think I've ever been to your family's bakery.... usually when I go to Hogsmeade, it's to go to a bar. But I'll have to check it out. I'm sure it's great."
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Post by Kole Hobbs on Jul 28, 2009 1:43:05 GMT -5
Kole shook Roland's out streetched hand. "Yea, the girls have a good thing going for them at the bakery," Kole said. He had just been there to see Kat the other day, on the day Kim wasn't working, since it was just easier to avoid his sister than start yet another argument with her.
"So how are you doing getting back to working here Roland?" Kole asked. "Getting used to all us newbies?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 29, 2009 12:01:10 GMT -5
Roland smiled and looked around the room. "Well, I'll know better once my suspension is over," he replied. "But it does feel really good to be back here. I've missed the place... and it feels pretty strange to know that so much has happened since I've been gone. But, hey, at least my old desk is still waiting for me."
He nodded toward the empty desk near the front of the office. He knew Riley had been the one who had insisted on keeping that desk open for him, and he loved her for it. "How about you? Are you getting used to things around here?"
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