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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 29, 2009 22:41:12 GMT -5
Since he was still on suspension, the days seemed to stretch out before him, much as they had when he was in the safe house. Except that now, he could actually venture out and see people. Yet, most of the time, he spent alone with Riley, and he had no problem with that. It almost made up for the one last day that they never got to have at the safe house.
But today, Riley was visiting Geoffrey, and Roland felt somewhat at a loss for what to do without her. He still had some people he wanted to see, but one of them, he knew, would be controversial. He had heard that Nathalia had attended his funeral, and had tried to console his father and uncle at Stu's afterward. And although he knew Riley would not approve, given his history with Nathalia, he still felt he ought to visit her, to thank her.
He debated with himself for a while, but finally decided to pay Nathalia a visit. He just hoped she would be working the early shift.
As he stepped into Stu's, his eyes found her right away, although she didn't see him. She was talking with another customer, so he quietly slipped into a table, the very same one he had been sitting at when he first met her.
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jul 30, 2009 12:06:09 GMT -5
For being the early shift, it was busy, and Nathalia couldn't wait for her shift to end in an hour or so. She was trying to tell one particularly inebriated man that she was cutting off his drinks, and he was having none of it. Eventually, she got him turned around and lead him to the door when her eyes caught a familiar face, sitting alone at a table.
Her eyes flashed back to the drunk, and when he was safely outside, she returned to Roland's table, one hand on the back of the empty chair, one hand on her hip, and an impish little smile on her lips. "I feel like I've seen a ghost."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 1, 2009 1:10:36 GMT -5
Nathalia was as beautiful as ever, but Roland's heart had blinded his eyes. He genuinely saw only Riley, and while he could objectively see that Nathalia was beautiful, it had no more relevance to him.
He broke into one of his crooked grins at her comment. It was pretty much the same thing he'd been hearing from everyone, and it still felt odd to hear it. He'd been isolated from the world for too long, and yet, it hadn't felt that long at the time. But then, he'd spent most of that time with Riley.
"Not you, too," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I guess you can imagine I've been getting that a lot." He nodded at the seat next to him. "I can't stay too long, but would you like to sit and have a little chat?"
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Aug 1, 2009 13:22:12 GMT -5
Nath shrugged. "Why should I break the trend, then, hm?" She asked, an easy, wide smile on her lips as she took him in. He looked good. Maybe more alive than she remembered... pardoned the phrasing.
When he asked her if she wanted to sit, she didn't even hesitate. "Stu, I'm on break!" she called, before her attention was back on Roland and she took the empty seat. "Where are you running off to that you can't stay long?" she asked.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 4, 2009 1:25:49 GMT -5
Roland leaned an elbow against the table. "Oh, you know. Things to do, people to see."
He smiled slightly, then shook his head. "I have to get back to Riley. My girlfriend."
It still felt strange for him to say the word. He had never had an actual girlfriend before. To him, it sounded childish, like something a 15 year old would say. His feelings for Riley were so deep that "girlfriend" seemed woefully inadequate.
Raising his eyes to meet Nathalia's, his lips quirked up in the corner. "She's the one I was telling you about. The one I thought hated me. Turns out I was wrong."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Aug 6, 2009 23:49:14 GMT -5
Nathalia didn't hide the way her smile faltered. She couldn't explain it. She was thrilled Roland was alive, thrilled he had come to see her, thrilled he got the girl so to speak, and completely understood the relationship she and Roland had. And yet, the way he just dropped the news... like yes, he wanted to say hello, but not for too long because there were people that were more important to him. She raised her eyebrows, mostly thinking to herself that she was putting too much into it.
She smiled again. "Didn't I tell you she couldn't hate you?" Nat said, though she actually couldn't remember. It sounded like something she would have assured him, though. "You looks great, Roland. You look really happy. Being dead has really done wonders for you."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 7, 2009 0:43:54 GMT -5
He would have had to be blind to not see the way her smile faltered, and he felt bad. He liked Nathalia, and wished there was a way he still be close with her without making Riley jealous. And he really hoped that she could find someone to make her as happy as Riley had made him.
He shrugged. "To be honest, I don't really remember very much of what you said to me that night," he replied somewhat sheepishly. "I was not in good shape. Still, I really appreciated the help."
He had to laugh at her compliment. It certainly wasn't something you heard every day. But then, his return from the dead was definitely not a normal situation.
"Thank you," he said. "I'm sure that's the first time you've ever said that sentence to anyone, right?"
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Aug 7, 2009 12:00:24 GMT -5
Nathalia laughed. "Yeah, you were pretty.... well, incapacitated that night. It's all right. I told you it would work out," she told him, winking a little and letting the frown fade from her face. "I wondered when you would be wandering back in here, though. I feel like I've seen your whole family, recently. Hayden was in here just last night." She said nothing of the conversation she had with him, though she did wonder when they would reunite. They both probably needed it.
"You know, you're right. It is definitely the first time I've ever said those words. But then, you probably like that, don't you?" She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. "Do you want something to drink, Roland? A double-oh-seven maybe? It's on the house."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 7, 2009 12:30:09 GMT -5
He raised an eyebrow. "Hayden? He almost never goes out unless I drag him out. I haven't seen him since I first got back, and we haven't had a chance to talk... I should probably head over and pay him a visit."
He laughed again at her comment. "Well, what can I say, I like to be different. Anyway, a double oh seven sounds good, but I should probably stop at one today."
He eyed her curiously. "Who else have you seen? Did Uncle Judah stop by for a drink, too?" He honestly couldn't imagine anyone else in his family coming to Stu's... His mother and aunt weren't big drinkers, and neither was Cyrus. And as far as he knew, his father didn't like bars.
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Aug 7, 2009 12:49:01 GMT -5
"Yeah, Hayden. I was surprised, too." She shrugged. "He's a sweet guy though. And it's probably not my place to say... bartender-drinker confidentiality and all that, but it would probably be a good idea for you to go see him. You two, though, trust me way too much where alcohol is concerned. His new drink of choice is one of my own creations as well." That smile on her lips was easy now, and she forgot just how easy it was to talk to Roland.
She stood up. "I'll be right back," she said, going behind the bar and mixing his drink, while Stu, who was rarely seen, was working while she took her break.
When she came back, she set the drink in front of him. "One it is. I probably shouldn't send you home to your girlfriend drunk. But yeah, Judah came in with your dad a few days back, and then Hayden was in here last night. And now you." The last three words were punctuated with a wider grin. "So maybe not your whole family, but enough of them."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 7, 2009 14:17:17 GMT -5
"Thanks," he said accepting the drink and taking a sip. "Whew... just as I remembered it," he added with a grin.
Actually, it seemed a bit stronger than he remembered, since he had not been drinking as much lately, but he wasn't going to admit that. He didn't want to seem like he was becoming too domesticated... not so soon, anyway.
"My dad was here?" he asked, frowning. "I'd ask you what he talked about, but I wouldn't want to ruin your bartender-drinker confidentiality."
He was really a bit worried about his father, but he didn't want to say anything about that. He may have moved back in with his mother, but it still didn't really seem like things were back to normal. He hated the thought that his parents were having trouble because of him.
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Aug 10, 2009 17:01:05 GMT -5
"Talked about you," Nathalia said softly, shrugging. She wouldn't give Roland the details, but she could afford him that much. "It was just after your funeral. You can't blame him for needed someone to talk to." She rather suspected that he wanted to get closer to Roland somehow, and talking to the people who knew him might bring him that. Or maybe he hadn't known she was there... she wouldn't speculate too much.
"But anyway, all of that's over now, since your surprise return. I imagine your family is thrilled. I have to admit, I'm really happy to see you, too."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 10, 2009 23:24:25 GMT -5
He released a breath. He had really expected as much... but it made him very uncomfortable to think of his father and uncle sitting in here, talking about him as though he were dead. Yes, they had believed that he was dead, and that was his own fault. They were supposed to believe it. But the funeral... his father sitting in a bar and talking about him... these were things he foolishly hadn't anticipated. Why hadn't he understood how much this was going to hurt them?
"Thanks," he said simply. "Yeah, they're all pretty happy. I'm happy to be back, too. This whole thing... it's been a pretty strange ordeal, and I'm looking forward to everything getting back to normal. Or... what passes for normal in my family, anyway."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Sept 1, 2009 2:07:11 GMT -5
"Sweetie, there's not a family a family on this planet that passes for normal, no matter what you might hear. I'm the poster child for an unconventional family, but I'd never have it any other way."
She sighed. Roland looked pretty bothered by the news that his family had been in the bar, but she was at a loss for what to tell him to make him feel better. At least he was back, right?
"So what happened?" she asked, her own curiosity setting in. "Where have you been for the last two months?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Sept 2, 2009 15:51:25 GMT -5
This was the part he hated. Lying. He had no choice, of course, but that didn't mean that he liked it. He paused to take a long drink from his glass, then forced himself to meet her eyes. "I spent most of it in a coma," he said. "I apparated just before the explosion, but I was pretty badly hurt and I lost consciousness right after. I was found by a muggle and taken to a muggle hospital. When I finally came out of it, it took me a little while to remember everything and get up the strength to come home. I actually left against medical orders... the muggles wanted me to go through months of physical therapy. But as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. They fixed me up good as new at St. Mungo's."
Angelique had come up with the cover story, and had even altered the records of a muggle hospital to show that an unnamed man had been found the night of his disappearance and had spent 6 weeks in a coma before waking up, then leaving against medical orders. It all fit, and it sounded reasonable. Too bad it was all a lie.
"But really, enough about me. How have you been?"
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Sept 5, 2009 16:43:14 GMT -5
"I thought stories like that only happened on muggle TV shows," Nathalia said, her eyes watching him as she told her what had happened. She had no reason to think he was lying, and she remembered reading something similar in the paper a day ago or so, but the way he told it... there was something about the story he didn't like telling. Maybe he was leaving details out?
She shrugged when he turned the conversation back to her, though she recognized that he would be more comfortable not talking about him. "Been fine, just working. Missing you, like everyone else in London. There's a new girl working here now named Vanessa... she's not much of a barmaid, but she sings really pretty, and the customers like her."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Sept 5, 2009 21:32:30 GMT -5
If she asked, he could have made a case for the fact that he was uncomfortable admitting weakness and hated being apart from his family. Both of these things were true, and if the story hadn't been a complete fabrication, that was probably how he would have felt talking about it. Roland did hate lying, and he needed to find the elements of truth in the lie in order to justify it in his mind.
"Well, I'm really glad to be home," he said, shrugging. "And I'm glad to see life was able to carry on without me. And you look like you're doing well. I take it you still haven't found what you're looking for?"
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Sept 5, 2009 21:42:16 GMT -5
Nathalia shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I have. What is you think I'm looking for, anyway?" Nathalia asked, though if he was talking about a guy who wouldn't kick her out at midnight, then no, she hadn't. Her answer, however, was her way of telling Roland not to press to hard for an answer.
She was comfortable with herself, and the one night stands had slowed down. She'd come to the realization that she was the kind of girl that men wanted to sleep with, but not the kind they wanted to take home to Mum. And she wasn't going to change so that she could be that person. if that meant she'd wind up alone... well, she would deal with it.
"I'm really happy with where my life is right now," she added, lying slightly, but she might not have even been aware of it.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Sept 5, 2009 21:51:08 GMT -5
He took a long sip from his drink and looked at her appraisingly. Her evasive answer pretty much assured him that no, she hadn't found what she was looking for. And that she probably still didn't even know what that was.
Now that he knew what it was like to be in love, he wanted it for the people he cared about. And he cared about Nathalia, even if he'd made some mistakes with her in the past. She deserved someone who could love her the way he loved Riley, and she deserved to feel that love in return. Maybe she wasn't ready for it... but he hoped she'd find it one day.
"You know, I used to say that, too," he said, quirking his lip up in the corner. "Well, I wouldn't have said happy. I always said I was content. But what I needed was someone to shake my world upside down. I hope you find that person some day."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Sept 5, 2009 22:03:29 GMT -5
"I'm still young," Nathalia replied, her smile looking more forced as Roland went on. "I'm getting you another drink. You're not nearly drunk enough for me to be talking to, right now."
Without giving him a chance to decline, Nathalia was gone, and Stu was giving her a look as she mixed another drink for Roland, this one stronger than the last. She just hoped the alcohol would make him a little less interested in her life. It was her tactic with other patrons when they wanted to get too personal. She could deal with groping hands easier than she could probing questions.
Setting the drink in front of him when she returned, she sighed. "I am happy, and I don't need any one person to affirm that for me. Besides, we've already gone over the fact that I'm a little too over the top for most people to deal with."
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