ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪɴ ᴀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʟᴇss ᴛᴏᴡɴ

               “ I don’t read it as well as I can speak it,  sadly.                            though I’m sure the library has a dictionary if I need to brush up. “

              emma smiled,  somewhat pleased with herself;  even acquiescence given as a joke,  in a joking conversation,  felt good.  it was like winning a conversation,  something she noted was strange to seek out in a conversation about winning.  nevertheless,  the airy satisfaction crept into her words.  “ as long as its for me, “  she agreed.  “ once you’ve lost the requisite one time you’re welcome to continue winning non - stop if it pleases you. “  

       she stopped and cocked her head in her own form of acquiescence;  she wouldn’t raise her hands and risk looking like she was mirroring him,  but it was clear this was her form of over - acted compromise.  “ ah,  but saying ‘ noooooo ‘ is part of this cordial dance we’ve tangled ourselves up in.  you’re stuck now  —  it’s the secret downside to charm,  I’m afraid. “  she smirked,  matching him smile for smile.               “ really,  though,  if this was all an elaborate ploy to earn some compliments,  you shouldn’t have. “  emma dropped the smirk for a wider smile,  an expression that showed she was enjoying herself.  she’d have thought he’d have enough compliments in his ear around here,  but there was no accounting for what a person liked to hear.  “ it’s no secret most of edin admires your looks and skills in equal measure;  I could whip up some appropriately gushing description of them right now,  if you want.                  of course,  it’d be in exchange for a talk I am very much interested in.  where’d you hear that? “  

DOC !

      ❝   Parla italiano?   ❞     The arch of his brow suggested he may have been impressed.

   His smile grew wide, his teeth impressively white and glistening behind upwardly curved lips. Whether she meant to or not, she was a riot and Caradoc would give her this praise.  ❝   I appreciate the permission. Merlin knows I never do anything without it.   ❞   His words were cheeky and an obvious lie, falling perfectly from the tip of his tongue as if he had been born to deceive. And maybe he had been.        There was a chuckle, calming in nature, but appearing genuine when it was anything but. Not that he was annoyed. Never. He adored hearing the compliments. He lived off them, as each pretty word buried his father’s own disappointment further into the sand. But there was a difference between having Emma admire him herself and having her relay the admirations of others. It was like a cheap knock-off of sorts.  ❝   What I WANT, Emma, is to hear more about you. Your hopes, your dreams, your Edin strategies.  ❞ He laughed. 

               alice  studied  him,  chin  propped  up  on  a  closed  fist,  the  other  hand  absently  tracing  the  rim  of  her  drink.  it  was  clear  what  choice  he  expected  her  to  make,  and  hence  what  choice  he  had  made.  and  she  couldn’t  deny  she  was  leaning  towards  making  that  same  choice  too.  but  she  had  a  feeling  he  knew  that  already.   ❛   —   is  there  a  reason  why  i  can’t  use  magic  ?   ❜ 

DOC !

   He tilted his head to the side, scrutinizing her carefully before answering her question.   ❝   I know it might make things a little easier for you, but Alice   ...  it’s against the rules.   ❞   He assumed she would ask WHY it was against the rules, so he casually knocked on the table before reiterating.   ❝  Hypothetically speaking, risk assessments were done in the past, and let’s say that the usage of magic in these circumstances had less than favorable outcomes. Or          because they said so.  ❞

               ❛   —   so  you’re  saying  i  should  believe  the  OTHER  half  ?  i  was  going  for  a  quarter,  actually.   ❜   alice  lifted  her  drink  in  a  wordless  toast  before  tilting  it  to  her  lips.   ❛   —  you’d  be  right  there,  i  do  know  a  lot  of  things.  ❜   now  it  was  her  turn  to  lean  forward,  surveying  him.   ❛   —  including  who  you  are,  i  CONFESS.  you’ll  have  to  excuse  my  fib  from  earlier.  what  i  don’t  know  is  why  you’re  here.  can’t  be  because  you’re  not  good  at  your  job,  i  think  your  win  at  the  obstacle  course  proved  that.   ❜   she  paused,  her  lips  curving  into  something  resembling  a  smirk.   ❛   —   won’t  you  SATISFY  a  girl’s  curiosity,  dearborn  ?   ❜

DOC !

      ❝  Rude.   ❞  The response was instant, a faux look of offense crossing his features as he folded his arms across his chest.  He watched her watch him, waiting patiently for whatever words that were sure to fall from her distracting lips. She seemed used to it          hard not to be, for someone who had surely been the object of interest for many a witch or wizard.    ❝  And here I was, hoping all those solved cases would’ve been proof enough. But I’m so happy the obstacle course did it for you.   ❞   He chuckled.   ❝  And seeing as I’m all about satisfying a woman   ...    ❞        He narrowed his gaze, quietly toying with the idea of LYING. But he tossed it almost as quickly as it appeared, the man reminding himself that he had nothing to be ashamed of. He would have done it all over again if given the chance.  ❝  You’re in a building. You’ve been told not to use magic.  ❞  Caradoc shifted in his seat, mainly due to his need to speak with his hands.  ❝  The doors are all locked and there are no windows. Your best friend is lying on the floor, bleeding out. Let’s set the building on fire for good measure too. Because who doesn’t like a little heat?  ❞   Resting his elbow on the side of his chair, he tapped his chin.       ❝  What do you do?   ❞

 ❛     my sincerest apologies, i haven’t yet been educated on the proper etiquette. i’ll keep it in mind for next time, i’m sure this isn’t exploiting the extent of your creativity.          ❜ the petite blonde allowed the tension built up in her shoulders to fall as she settled into the comfort of his humor, though she still remained vigilant as she followed along to their destination.  ❛     as far as torture preferences go, sure that does sound more appealing. i like the hands on approach you’re going for but i do have a question, do i have the benefit of having my wand on me while you try to draw on me ? or are you going to take that as well ?          ❜

DOC !

  ❝  There is no extent.  ❞  A confident smirk presented itself, the man toying with the marker between his fingertips.  ❝  I am unending.  ❞    Those two words were mumbled under his breath, perhaps unheard by his blonde company. They were, in a way, more for him than her. A reminder of sorts.       ❝  Do you NEED your wand?  ❞  He turned to face her, his expression knowing as he anticipated a specific answer. How some witches and wizards could so much as wipe their asses without their wands was impressive. How they could breathe without them, even more so. They relied so heavily on something so small. He understood it, lived it, but also despised it.      Caradoc liked to think he was better than that. 

            Understandably, Andromeda had been looking for a place that she could escape her peers. She needed a break from the constant stares and whisperings that seemed to follow her as of late. A frequent runner of the trails, she spotted the small stream running off into the woods days ago. When curiosity got the better of her, she decided to follow said stream and found that it opened to a much larger area of water. So, today, she decided that it might be nice to take a relaxing swim in it. She had forgotten, however, that Caradoc Dearborn also had the tendency to frequent this spot.             She didn’t know where she exactly stood with the older man after her embarassing outburst with him. Andromeda couldn’t blame him for wanting to avoid her after that. Her shoulders shrugged in response to his words as she finished removing her shirt and tossing it aside. “ I came for a swim… and honestl I didn’t think about you being here, ” She responded, “ Not that I can think of any reason to avoid you, can you ? ” As she finished her last sentence, she shimmied out of the shorts that she wore and let them also fall carelessly to the ground. Really, she didn’t have any real reason to be upset with Caradoc. She was truthfully embarassed by the emotional outburst that she had had and hoped it was something that could be FORGOTTEN.

DOC !

 ❝  Only if you’re looking to hurt my feelings.  ❞  With practiced nonchalance, he tossed his bag near the trunk of a tree, rolling his head to crack away whatever tension may have surfaced during his walk over. Caradoc was used to wild women        or whatever Andromeda claimed to be. If not including his rough and questionable forays into romance, he could push it back to his childhood. Whether it be his mother or his never ending line of nannies, he was always surrounded by the intensities of the opposite sex.         And speaking of   ...

  The man’s lips were contorted into a wicked grin as his gaze trailed along her lithe form. He never asked for her company, though he sure wouldn’t complain. He enjoyed nature for the sights, after all. And maybe that was the crux of his problem. He liked pretty things too much  ...   and if he’d learned anything over the years, it was the PRETTIER the more DANGEROUS.      ❝  You really forgot this was my spot?  ❞  He arched his brow, amusement so clear in his disbelief that it was a wonder he wasn’t laughing.  ❝  And before you make some snide comment about my name being on it        ❞    He walked several steps before confidently pointing to a different tree, his name carved beautifully into the bark.  ❝  What can I say? I’m possessive.  ❞

               “ with a face like this,  you can afford to be a little feudal now and then  —       but I can turn up the sunshine if you’d rather. “

           “ aw,  c’mon,  you’ve gotta know it’s all friendly competition. “ 

DOC !

       ❝  Had I known you’d go THAT high,                                     I would’ve opted for sunglasses.  ❞

           “ you said it wasn’t too difficult,  and still I expected far harsher terms.  I might actually be able to get something out of you if all it takes is politeness. “

              “ I’m a rather thoughtful person. “  she shrugged,  shaking the tension out of her shoulders.  “ though,  not so thoughtful that I’ll discard my elaborate plans to win without you. “  she smiled,  sweetly,  with intent to take any bite out of the meager threat;  in all truth,  she wouldn’t mind partnering with him and wracking up a victory.  “ winning together might be nice;  it’ll just have to come after you lose first. “  she raised a solitary brow at him,  smile turning amused.  “ are you trying to out - polite me? I say I’m charmed to meet you,  you say it’s a pleasure,  leaving me with no choice but to say  …  what,  that the pleasure’s all mine? “

DOC !

        ❝  I’m an open book. Just flip open the cover and caress the pages.                                 Tell me, do you read Italian?   ❞

  ❝  Then I guess  ...  ❞   He started, shrugging before making a soft sweeping gesture with his hands about the room; the tell-tale sign of a man who was compromising.  ❝  I’ll have to lose. For you, of course. ❞   The implication being that loss was only an option when presented as a choice. Doc never lost         only because, when he did, he made it seem like a joke. Either that, or he would turn the tide. He was far too good with words to be weighed down by something as trivial as failure.        So he merely erased it from his vocabulary. 

         ❛ Is anyone sitting here? ❜  Without waiting for a response, Rita took her graceful seat next to Caradoc, her signature dazzling smile glued to her lips. With a few whispered words, two mugs of coffee appeared on the table, and she nodded at the second cup as an offering to the man while taking a sip from her own.

        Rita was a big fan of a story, and Caradoc Dearborn was four novels in a series. She had been dying for a chance to speak to him since the program began, and after his recent win, this felt a good a time as any.

        ❛  Such a shame no one’s talking about your win, isn’t it? They’re all too focused on that catfight between Evans and Black. Both of them are being ridiculous, if you ask me. But I don’t want to talk about them — congrats are in order for you, are they not? Though I suppose you’re used to winning around here. You’ve done all this before, and with flying colours, I hear. Almost a shame you had to come back, but then we wouldn’t have been so lucky as to train with a real professional. A win for us, and a win for you!  ❜

DOC !

   Oh, he was excited. Caradoc heard many, many different things about the blonde. Until only recently, he learned that her name was actually Rita, and not, in fact, that one raging bitch. Finding his confidence to be something not easily skewered, he offered her a smile as she took her seat beside him. Now what was it about the witch that made everyone tick? He couldn’t see any horns, nor did he spot a tail.       But as a pureblood,   he knew all too well that the nastiest of women always wore the kindest of smiles. 

  ❝  I think their fight WAS a form of congratulations. I’m sure you of all people know how fun a disaster can be, especially when you have a front row seat. And you can quote me on that.  ❞  Leaning forward, he took the tea in hand and raised it to his lips. 

               alice  sat  back  and  allowed  him  to  scrutinize  her,  enjoying  the  attention.   ❛   —   i’m  ALWAYS  serious.   ❜   her  face  didn’t  change,  leaving  it  to  him  to  draw  his  own  conclusions  as  to  the  seriousness  of  the  statement  itself.  instead  she  tilted  her  head,  eyes  narrowing  playfully,     ❛   —   careful  of  calling  the  kettle  brown,  dearborn.  i  hope  you  don’t  expect  me  to  believe  you’re  not  full  of  SHIT  yourself.   ❜

DOC !

 Caradoc settled easily into his seat, folders strewn across the desk. He was so bored, he could confidently argue that he had lost the ability to understand the English language. But still, with round glasses settling on the edge of his nose   (  perhaps his only defect   )  , he flipped a page to study the back.  

    ❝   These would be so much better if they had pictures.   ❞    He mused upon the realization that someone had approached his table. With nonchalant eyes, he looked up to see a blonde staring back down at him. 

    A long, soft sigh of surprise escaped the parted lips of Caradoc Dearborn as he emerged from the cluster of trees. He allowed himself a moment to gather his thoughts, a steady gaze glued to the petite brunette standing in front of his favorite rock-climbing area         or rather, his ONLY rock-climbing area. 

        Edin wasn’t exactly bursting at the seams with nature locales. Had he wanted to go swimming, he would have to go elsewhere. 

   ❝   Didn’t think I’d be seeing you here anytime soon. Dare I say  ...  have you come to give my friendship bracelet back?  My wrist feels a bit naked without it.  ❞   //  @drcmedcs​

    ❝   To be fair, I’ll have to exclude myself.                          Honest.                  It’s not narcissism if it’s a fact, darling.  ❞

   ❝  Andromeda Black is a mighty fine kitten with mighty long claws            and I, being of sound mind and body, happen to love wild things.            And I’ve heard a couple rumors about her and one, James Potter   ...   which would just be, WOW, top notch. He is quite fun to look at, isn’t he?  

     It’s a shame Lily is a right mess. I might have heard some things about her too.     Merlin, could you imagine? All three of them?                  It’s a shame they’re not more of an adventurous bunch.  

      “ in that case,  I had better figure out what motivates you.  that nature could do with being exploited. “

       the edges of her smile tightened,  going as sharp as her focus.  she was frequently dissatisfied;  it irked her to think surface - level whining wasn’t enough to hide it.  “ I’ll just have to win next time.  it’s such a shame to not know something,  I wouldn’t want you to feel bereft. “  she nodded at him,  chin jutting out.                  “ emma vanity,  yes.  charmed to meet you.  and you’re caradoc dearborn,  yes? “

DOC !

      ❝   It isn’t too difficult. You can either say please and ask very, very nicely. Or you could offer to buy a lad a drink. Whatever tickles your fancy.  ❞