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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 17, 2011 23:47:30 GMT -5
Milo had been on a few PI cases as of late. It was usually the usual, a spouse was wanting to know if the other was cheating on them. The current case that he was supposed to be working on was one of them. He had already gathered all the material for the woman. Turned out that he wasn't cheating on his girlfriend, he was trying to plan a surprise for her so he could ask her to marry him. He didn't want to ruin the surprise for the girl, but she was suspicious and quiet honestly if she was suspicious of him then, then how was their marriage going to end up.
He showered and dressed for the day. Feeling that he needed a good cup of coffee, Milo knew the exact place to go. Making it to his friend's place after the usual morning rush, Milo walked right into Joe's with a smile on his face.
Milo had been friends with Joe for several years now. Joe was Milo's best friend and really the only person he trusted. He greeted Aislinn with a friendly smile and greeting. She responded to him, then turned to help another customer.
"Good mornin' Joe," he said turning to his friends. "I take it everything is going well?"
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Post by Joe Dean on Apr 18, 2011 0:02:24 GMT -5
It was perfect timing. Just after 9 am, the morning rush slowed to a crawl, and Joe had a little more time on his hands. When Milo walked in, he had just finished cleaning out the old coffee pots and starting fresh batches to brew for the latecomers.
At the sound of his friend's voice, Joe looked up and broke into a grin. "Hey, Milo!" he said, walking over to the counter. "Everything's going great. How about you? What can I get you this morning?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 18, 2011 7:05:12 GMT -5
"Oh, you know the usual," Milo said with a small exaggeration in his voice. The usual did include the small cases here and there. Today, Milo was just going to take it easy for once. He was debating if he wanted to meet with the woman he was supposed to be working for about her future, or not so future fiancée.
"Other than that, it's going pretty good, can't complain." Milo rested an arm on the counter. "I'll take a cup of coffee whenever it is ready."
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Post by Joe Dean on Apr 18, 2011 18:38:42 GMT -5
Joe grinned. "It should be done brewing in a minute," he said, nodding back to the coffeemaker. "Since we're slow, I'll join you in a cup, and we can talk."
Joe always liked hearing about the cases that Milo worked on, even the typical ones. He didn't really miss being in the fight, like the old days, but he had to admit that there wasn't much excitement in his current career. He liked it that way; it was peaceful and comfortable. But sometimes he liked to live vicariously through his friend.
Of course, one thing he hadn't told Aislinn was that he had Milo tracking the woman who had killed Sandra. So far, she had proven very difficult to find, but he was always checking up with Milo to find out how the case was going.
"Anyway, how is Ricki? I haven't seen her in a while... I know she's not fond of my 'foul brew', as she calls it, but I've added a new line of gourmet teas that she might like."
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 18, 2011 18:47:19 GMT -5
Little did Milo knew, every time his partner's name was mentioned, he would falter just a little. It wasn't anything too obvious, and he was surprised that Ricki hadn't really picked up on it yet, or if she had, she hadn't said anything. She always knew every little detail.
It was a good thing that he didn't have anything in his hands. "She's good. I didn't go by the office first, so I'm not quite sure if she was there or not." Milo liked to think that he could be very 'in tune' with things, but sometimes he was far from it where Ricki was concerned with a few exceptions. He knew her almost every favorite item, color, food, all of that.
"What type of teas do you have now? I might get her a cup to go if she doesn't come here first."
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Post by Joe Dean on Apr 18, 2011 23:15:27 GMT -5
Joe smiled a secret sort of smile. Unlike Milo, Joe was not nearly so clueless when it came to such matters. He observed much of human behavior in his job, and had seen many budding romances over the years. And to him, Milo Chevalier was possibly the most clueless man he had ever known. He knew that Ricki was crazy about her partner, and he knew that Milo was sweet on her as well... but there was something always keeping them from admitting how they felt about each other.
Joe would never interfere, but sometimes he just wanted to smack his old friend, and make him see what was right in front of his face. After all, life was short, and it didn't make sense to be apart from someone if you both had feelings for each other. But he also knew that it would be sweeter for both of them if they realized it on their own.
"I went to this tea seminar and ordered all these black tea blends, some with bits of dried fruits and herbs. I've been told the black tea mint is pretty good. And I know she always liked the English Breakfast tea, but now I have it in whole leaf forms, instead of tea bags. I also have some fancy Darjeeling black teas, and something called green tea... it's supposedly healthy or something. It's probably not strong enough for her, though. Anyway, I think I've finally perfected the brewing process for loose teas, and I've got some good comments on it from customers."
The coffeemaker let out a beep to let him know it was done, and Joe went over to pour a cup for both him and Milo. "Here you go," he said. "Why don't we sit in the booth by the corner there? Aislinn, you don't mind covering the counter for a while, right?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 19, 2011 1:43:31 GMT -5
"They really put dried fruits in teas," Milo asked. As long as he had lived in England, he still hadn't quite fully understood the meaning of tea. He was always a coffee man, and maybe the occasional cup of tea. Of course he would really only drink it if Ricki made him a cup. He found that it was hard to say no to her, even if it was for the simple gesture of making tea.
"She might like some of the black teas. I'll pick one on the way out." Usually, Milo was good at deciding what Ricki would like best. He thought that that knowledge came with knowing her for several years.
He reached out and took his cup of coffee. Coffee was like his lifeline in the mornings. "Thanks," he said as Joe turned to Aislinn who nodded at her father's request. He smiled to her and then headed off to the booth he and Joe sat at nearly every time he came in.
"How is Aislinn and that boy that she's been talking to? I don't have to go do background checks or anything like that on him do I?"
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Post by Joe Dean on Apr 19, 2011 18:27:35 GMT -5
Joe chuckled to himself. He was always rather amused at the effect that simply mentioning Ricki's name seemed to have on Milo. They were cute together, even if neither of them seemed to want to admit it.
"Yes, we have a strawberry black tea mix that is pretty good. It has bits of dried strawberries and I think strawberry leaves as well. I've tried it... it's not bad. But you know I prefer coffee. The stronger the better."
He followed Milo to the booth and sat down, taking a sip of his coffee. "You know, I always thought I'd be freaking out when Aislinn took an interest in a boy. But this one.... He doesn't worry me. He's a good kid. A regular customer... he's been coming in for years. He goes to the university... real bookish fellow. Very shy."
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 20, 2011 0:50:26 GMT -5
"Very shy," Milo said as if he were in deep thought. "It is always the quiet, shy ones you have to look out for." He was just teasing. Milo smiled. "Although, I think I won't give her such a hard time about this one, but then again I wouldn't be a very good uncle if I didn't would I?" He laughed and took a drink of his coffee.
"One of them finally had the courage to say something to the other one," he said. "That's good. He's the sort of tall fellow with short hair and glasses right? The one that always used to come in with a book in his hand and look sort of nervous?"
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Post by Joe Dean on Apr 21, 2011 23:11:45 GMT -5
"Ha, ha," Joe said, rolling his eyes. Normally, he might even agree with Milo... when ever the muggle news reported on a crazed killer, the neighbors would always say "he was so quiet, he kept to himself." But the shy boy who spoke with a stammer and liked to read classical poetry hardly seemed the type. As an auror, Joe had learned to spot the suspicious types, even if they were the "quiet" type. There were always signs. Mason didn't give off any signs.
"Yeah, that's him. And she was the brave one. Can you believe it? I was so proud of her... I don't know that he would have ever had the courage to speak to her on his own."
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 24, 2011 15:00:25 GMT -5
"It's about time," Milo said. "He's looked like he has been wanting to say something to her whenever he's come in that I noticed, but he never could voice anything." He gave a shake of his head. Of course he could see things with others, but he was completely blind to himself.
Milo knew not to really ask Joe about how was his dating would go. After all, he would get the same answer he had received before. "You know what we need to do?" He leaned on the table with his elbows. "We need to go out one night, just us. We haven't had a guy's night out in awhile. After you close up shop, we could go out. I mean, it doesn't have to be to those clubs or anything, it could just be to a bar."
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Post by Joe Dean on Apr 28, 2011 22:22:40 GMT -5
It was true; Joe didn't date. He'd struck gold once, it didn't seem fair to expect it to happen again. He still loved Sandra as deeply as if she were still with him, and sometimes he would talk with her, as if she were still with him.
But that didn't mean that he wanted his daughter to isolate herself, so he was happy about this new development with Mason. Even if they just decided to be friends, Joe had a feeling that they were good for each other.
"Actually, that sounds like a good idea," Joe agreed. "I could use a night out... We could just go to the Leaky Cauldron, if you want. Or I know a great muggle sports bar a few blocks from here... they have a huge TV... they call it a widescreen. Sometimes they even show American baseball..."
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 28, 2011 22:30:43 GMT -5
"The sports bar does sound like a good idea. I've missed watching the Yankees play." The New York Yankees happened to be one of Milo's favorite teams and he swore that one season they were going to win the World Series.
"We might can do both," he said. "If the sports bar is too crowded, we could always go to the Leaky Cauldron." Milo liked that Joe was usually open to going out from time to time. He knew that the man could be busy, and Milo, himself, could be quite busy depending on the case he was working on.
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Post by Joe Dean on Apr 28, 2011 23:10:20 GMT -5
"Yeah, I just miss baseball in general. I can't get into cricket. Those goofy little bats just distract me too much, you know?" he chuckled and shook his head.
Like any American boy, Joe had grown up as a baseball fan, and had even dreamed about playing professionally. But of course, magic had intervened, and his life had taken a dramatically different turn.
"We should go on Wednesday," he suggested. "I think that the sports bar won't really be as crowded then, because there aren't any big local sporting events that night. And they'll be more likely to tune in some American sports. I don't even care who's playing."
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 28, 2011 23:19:43 GMT -5
The only other sport that Milo sort of cared about was Quidditch. That was one sport, other than American baseball that he could get into. "Wednesday night sounds good. I'll make sure not to do any work that night." There was a television in Milo's apartment and he could watch muggle sports on it, but he just never really watched actual television. If he wasn't pouring himself over a case file, he had a dinner date. Plus, American sports did not play on his television.
"I really am looking forward to just going out for a drink. It's been a long week already." Milo took a drink out of his mug. "I wish I could snap my fingers and certain things already just be done."
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Post by Joe Dean on Apr 28, 2011 23:34:20 GMT -5
Joe was sort of tempted to suggest that Milo invite Ricki along, but he held his tongue. But he really was going to have to do something to give those two a nudge in the right direction... he had never seen two people so completely clueless in his life.
"Yeah, and I haven't been out drinking in a little while, either," Joe said. "Most nights it's just me and Aislinn."
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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 2, 2011 9:19:30 GMT -5
"Well, we're going to change this. I'm tired of having those nights were it's just me, The Great Escape and a bowl of pasta as often as they've been happening." Of course he wouldn't mind it as much if someone specific was there.
"Of course, the night out will be good because I've been putting off doing paperwork. I'm going to have to stay late in the office one night soon to get it done." Milo didn't have to say that Ricki was there. When he was in the office, ninety-nine percent of the time she was there with him. Most of the time, she was the reason he didn't stay so late in the office doing work. She was always trying to get him to leave at a decent time and just taking care of him in general.
He knew that the night that he and Joe were going to go out, there could possibly be a little flirting with a few ladies, but what Milo didn't realize was that the reason he turned into a ladies' man when he went out was because Ricki wasn't with him. If they were together, he wouldn't look at another woman. However, if he noticed that she caught him looking, he would always play it off.
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Post by Joe Dean on May 4, 2011 22:55:55 GMT -5
Joe, however, really didn't flirt very often. Of course he noticed attractive women, and he was always friendly, but even after all these years, he just didn't feel that he could move on with another woman. Maybe one day, if they finally caught the woman who killed her, he would be able to move on, but for now he felt like his life was on hold. But he enjoyed watching Milo's exploits with women, even if he sometimes wanted to smack his friend for not realizing how perfect he and Ricki were for each other.
In fact, it was perfectly obvious to everyone but the would-be couple just how each one felt about the other. Sometimes when he was around the two of them, it took every bit of strength Joe had to just tell them to kiss and get it over with already. But Joe was fairly certain that Milo wouldn't believe him if he told him that Ricki was in love with him, and he knew the same was true of Ricki. How two people could be so good at solving mysteries and tracking down people and totally miss what was right in front of them, Joe would never understand.
"You should invite Ricki over for dinner more often," Joe said, unable to help himself. "Women love a man who can cook."
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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 5, 2011 13:51:34 GMT -5
Milo rolled his eyes. Ricki wouldn't ever see him in that light. She was dating other men, and never made any moves toward him. Of course, she probably could and Milo wouldn't have the slightest clue what she was doing. He never even thought that maybe she was dating other men was because she actually liked him and was just as clueless about the fact that he liked her. That thought never entered his mind once.
He waved a hand as he took a drink of coffee. "I cook for her sometimes. She stumbled onto the fact that I can cook, so ever since, I cook every so often, especially if we're working late because all of the paperwork. Then there are some days when I cook lunch during our break." Milo didn't want to annoy Ricki by continuously asking her over for dinner. After all, she didn't see him the way he saw her and he didn't want to lose what they had already. He didn't want to scare her away because he was happy with where they were. Well, maybe he wasn't exactly happy with where they were, but he was okay with it.
"Besides she's been going on dates here on and off and I don't want to bother her every night or anything."
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Post by Joe Dean on May 5, 2011 17:31:43 GMT -5
"Oh, really?" Joe said mildly, taking a quick sip from his coffee cup to hide the smile that tugged at his lips. "Is she serious with anyone? I always wondered how a beautiful woman like Ricki could possibly still be single..."
Oh, he was cruel. He knew it, but he just couldn't seem to help himself. Honestly, Milo had to be completely blind. If it wasn't for the fact that she was so obviously crazy about Milo, Joe would have considered asking Ricki out himself.
"You know, you should meet him. The guy Ricki's seeing. You know, to make sure he's good enough for her. Maybe do a background check..."
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