Absit Omen RPG

"Moira, I love you. You mean the world to me. I never stopped thinking of you, and I never will stop thinking about you."

There had been expressions of how they felt during their relationship, but this was different to Moira.  Regardless of what happened she wanted this to work, to find a way to rebuild what had been nearly destroyed.  In hear heart she knew if she could believe in nothing else, she could trust in his love.  Deep down she knew he had never been far from her thoughts either during the last few months.

During their time together she had been allowed to see bits and pieces of what lay in Marcus' past, the experiences that formed the man he was, but she had never pushed for more.  It was one of those things she had accepted early on, to take the information she was given and try not to ask too many questions.  The night he returned it was simply habit to not ask for more then she was given.  She tried to respect the boundaries of his past, but perhaps that had inadvertently been a mistake.

She nodded in agreement and then added, "I do want to know...I think if we're going to have a chance we need to not allow there to be an walls."  Pausing for a moment, she felt her heart flutter a bit as she added, "I love you, too.  I never stopped."

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Dante has been a bit neglected lately.  I would love to have rivals, friends (if that's even possible for him), and possible romantic interests.  He needs to really grow as a character and he's been a bit stunted until now.

I would also love to see more plots related to the DoM.  Dante is a potions master and I do believe that he has, at least in the past, worked with materials that weren't strictly legal.  As a department head I feel he'd be a bit more careful about who he's seen with.

Also, we had a creature escape from the DoM in January and I'd love to see some fall out from that.

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Anna is an intelligent woman who has been working at the Three Broomsticks while figure out her life after the breakup of her marriage.

I'd like to see her find a new career path.  She was the counselor at Hogwarts and her background is in healing.  I'm not sure I want to send her to St. Mungo's though as I already have a character there.  Perhaps she might find her calling while talking to a patron?

I would also love to see her move on from her estranged husband with someone new.

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Jasper is perhaps the simplest of all...Would anyone like to sit for a portrait?  Perhaps someone is planning a party and needs a pianist.  I'm mainly looking for professional opportunities for him.  Any of the other musicians might also be classified as friends and rivals.

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Isaac has a book being published in March that is a bit of a memoir of his career researching Muggles and as the Muggle Studies Professor at Hogwarts.  Perhaps there might be some fans out there as this is not his first publication?  Or he might even ruffle some feathers with purists.

"I'm doing well, and you?" Moira asked returning Hadley's hug.  "Congratulations on your promotion."

She gave the other woman a genuine smile.  Hadley was a hard worker, and Moira certainly respected that.  Their jobs were not always easy and it took a great deal of dedication to complete the necessary training and continue on a path in healing.   Elixa arrived next and again she returned the warm greeting.  It felt good to forget about all the romantic notions connected to this particular weekend and just have a night out with the girls.

"Whiskey? Been that sort of day?"

"I think it's been that sort of year," Moira said with a slight shrug.  Steering the subject away from that she added, "I'm glad you ladies could make it.  Our table is right over there."

thread

I'll try to remind everyone via PM.  If anyone outside the St. Mungo's ladies wants to join just let me know.

~8pm

Valentine's Day was just a few short hours away, a holiday centered around being with a special someone.  She would worry about the romantic holiday tomorrow though, tonight Moira was out for a much anticipated lady's night out with her coworkers.  She had thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know some of the ladies she worked with outside their roles at the hospital.  After all, one couldn't just a person simply on their professional persona.

She had arrived a few minutes early to ensure the tables had been set according to the reservation she had made.  The restaurant would give the ladies in attendance a chance to talk, but the club aspect of it would allow for a bit more fun as the evening progressed.  Calaveras had seemed like the natural choice.

Wandering over to the bar to wait for the others she ordered a whiskey, sipping at the glass and surveying the location for the evening's festivities.

I like the 13th.

I will look at the locations today and get an intro thread up (hopefully). 

Marc Donnelly was not someone she gave much thought to on a regular basis if she could help it.  She had one encounter with him.  It had been terrifying and confusing all at the same time, and he had tried to stake some sort of claim over her.  He hadn't even been a factor she considered before until Marcus mentioned his name.  Could he have had something to do with all this?  Certainly it didn't take much poking around in the papers over the last year to make her involvement with Marcus quite clear.

"He could...there are any number of people who could be involved," she said, "and probably many I'm not even aware of." 

She didn't expect to be informed of the details regarding Marcus' abduction, but she suddenly had the feeling that question of who had been behind it all was still unanswered.  That, of course, meant the person was still out there and probably trying to come up with their next move.

"I don't want to dwell on all the possibilities and what ifs," she continued.  "It could be Donnelly....it could just as likely be someone else."

She felt like a liability.  She wasn't exactly helpless, but she was a healer by profession and by nature...fighting back when she needed to had never exactly been her strength.  Her attempt at joining the Dueling Club in her fifth year had been a disaster.  In the past she had always managed sticky spots by keeping her wits about her, but could she really place her faith that?

"I'd be lying though if I said I didn't wonder how long it will be before someone tries something again," she admitted.  "But, hiding from the world doesn't exactly do any good.  I took that path and while I was perfectly safe locked away at home..." She stopped with a sigh, looking down at her hands.  She had been safe at home, feeling rather useless and afraid and taking it out on those she cared about, and then Marcus had disappeared. 

Pushing the thought aside, she reached out for his hand, deciding on a change of topic, "Anyway...he's gone now, and I don't want to spend the rest of our time together dwelling on him.  We'll both have to take a bit of care, but I'm not going to let them win and be controlled by worry or fear."

Allowing a small smile she added, "Besides, I have a feeling you were trying to tell me something before we were interrupted."

"I'm rather convinced men were put on this earth to drive women batty," Moira countered dryly.  "In all seriousness, though, respect your boss while you work, but you have to be true to yourself.  If you can do your work effectively, then he has no reason to complain if you want to 'feel like a girl' for a few hours."

It was probably best that she hadn't been on that particular shopping trip.  Moira respected what Ciarra and Vane did.  On one level she understood that it required specific training and that it wasn't exactly a normal job that one could simply leave at the office for the weekend.  However, there was a part of her that recoiled when someone felt the need to control every aspect of another's life.

"Eesh, been a while since I heard that kind of noise.  But yeah a girl's night out sounds like a lot of fun.  And its a good way to drive my Father nuts."

She smirked at the men gathered around the wireless.  As long as they made beer and quidditch, then there would be men in the Leaky Cauldron gathered around routing for their favorite team.

"Well, I approve of that.  What about Saturday night?  And the dress code will be something....impractical," she said as a waitress approached.

Oooh...I like the dinner party idea.

Moira's relationship status would be considered 'complicated' but I like the singles awareness day thing.

Perhaps we could set it on the Saturday evening?  I was thinking one of the establishments in Diagon Alley.

Ok - I kind of fell off the face of the earth, but I want to get this going.

I think we should have the ladies have dinner somewhere and perhaps dancing after.  I'm trying to determine if we have a location that will allow for both activities.  I would like them to be able to have some conversations and establish a group dynamic.

Also, Kit, I'd love help.  Drop me a line if you're still interested!

When the man didn't simply take the hint and singled out Marcus she felt a pit form in the base of her stomach.  She had an uneasy feeling about him, and she was starting to doubt this was just some random encounter.  When Marcus stood to confront the man it didn't help her nerves and she turned slightly on the stool to watch the confrontation.  She was very aware of her surroundings, the muggles dining, completely unaware of what they could witness should Argent decide to escalate things.

Argent said something to Marcus in a lowered voice.  She managed to catch a couple words, enough to know that her unease was not completely unfounded.  It was a reminder that there would probably always be someone like this man waiting for an opportune moment to cause more strife in their life.  When he finally walked away she let out the breath she hadn't consciously been holding.  His parting words were to her and she held her tongue.  There were a hundred responses she could have given, but none of them seemed particularly wise at the moment.

As much as she wanted to down the rest of her drink, she folded her hands in her lap.  They were shaking a bit.  Was this the sort of man who could have been involved with Marcus' kidnapping?  How long would it be before someone else tried to ruin their lives?  How long before he made good on his threat and she lost him again?  It took a moment for her to realize that her thoughts had been of them and their lives as if they hadn't spent months apart.

Taking a breath she glanced over at Marcus, "I know I don't have to urge you to be careful.  I know you're capable to handling someone like him...but I don't think I can bear something happening to you right now."

Congrats!

"I'd like to convince myself he had some good reason to keep me in the dark," Moira admitted with a bit of a shrug.  "It keeps me from getting too angry and saying something stupid that makes the whole mess even worse."

There was a temper lurking under the healer's exterior.  It had reared its ugly head time and time again in the months leading up to Marcus' appearance.  Part of her was terrified she would say something out of anger and Marcus would be gone from her life again.  Kidnapping certainly made more sense than abandonment, but there was still baggage she would need to work through.  Learning to truly trust again wasn't always the easiest thing, and it was made worse by the fact that she felt twinges of guilt since she had spent months assuming he had left her.

She couldn't even begin to imagine how Ciarra had coped with Alex's behavior as a child if he had acted in a similar way.  Alex had been someone she trusted, but it wasn't the same.  If he father had suddenly shut her out she would have been crushed.

She was quite certain they could probably both use a bit of fun that day.  Ciarra's work didn't exactly seem like it left much time for fun or a social life.  She'd been gone for some time, away from home and the city.  Even with her time spent in the States, Moira couldn't imagine just leaving home for months at a time with little word to those she cared about.

"Men...I swear to god I will never understand them.  Then again I've never actually dated so I can't say I ever really tried to do so either."

Moira gave her a small smirk and said, "Dating doesn't help with understanding them.  I think most men like the whole being a mystery thing."  She took a sip of her drink, pondering Ciarra's statement.  Testing the waters she asked, "You know...if you're going to be home for a little while and interested in meeting someone we could plan a girls night out."

"Sounds like plenty has changed, in one way or another. Change is good though."

"You're right...I suppose the good thing is that I still get to do what I love every day," she replied.  Her career had always just been a natural fit.  She had never even contemplated anything else.  During her sabbatical she had truly felt lost without her shifts at the hospital.  Her job gave her a purpose and that kept her happy when the routine of every day life seemed to become a bit dull.

"I'll have a whiskey and coke, and she'll have...My name's Argent. What will you be drinking on this fine afternoon?"

Moira had just started to raise her glass to her lips again when her attention was drawn to the man who had just approached the bar.  If she hadn't been trying to not show any signs of discomfort when talking about Jason she might have noted the fact that Marcus' attention had been on this man before he even spoke.  Lowering her glass she looked at the man for a brief moment, confused and caught a bit off guard.

To be hit on at a club or in an establishment that was primarily a bar was one thing, but in a restaurant was a bit odd.  Plus she was with someone.  The man next to her was either extremely self assured and a bit egotistical or he was up to something.  Who actually was rude enough to interrupt a private conversation to try to hit on someone?

"Thank you, but I already have a drink," she said, holding up her half filled rum and coke a couple inches off the bar.  She tried to keep her expression neutral, even offering a small half smile, despite the slight annoyance that Marcus had been cut off from saying whatever was on his mind.  If they were lucky the man would take a hint and walk away...but she wasn't holding her breath.  "I don't mean to be rude, but we were having a private conversation."

Apparently the two weeks had brought about a few changes.  There had been many stresses on their relationship that had caused their arguments, the final one being that once Marcus left office he had been a bit lost.  It was natural.  She had been out of work at the time too and trying to get her life back together.  Their relationship had become a bit of a pressure cooker towards the end.  It seemed his plan would be a good fit, and it eased her mind in a way to know that he was working towards building something for himself.

I need to get away from the wizarding side of things. I've done everything I wanted to do there... well, almost everything.

He had started to reach out to reach out for her hand, but had stopped.  Moira felt her heart ache bit as she averted her eyes and took another sip of her drink.  In spite of everything else that had happened, trying to figure out where they stood and where they went from here had to be the most difficult to endure.  At one time there relationship had been relatively easy.  Now it was a complicated mess.

How have the... uh, your fellow Mediwitches and practicioners been at St. Mungo's? Anything interesting I may not know about?

"Well..." she began, pondering what to say and glancing at him, "I transferred floors, so I'm working Spell Damage now and I'm actually enjoying change.  There are more long term patients, so it is nice to be able to get to know the people I'm helping a bit.  I was also able to assist a bit with a charity event for the hospital on News Years Eve."

She paused for a moment taking a sip of her drink once more.  Then she added, "It feels good to finally be back at St. Mungo's and feel like I've reestablished myself.  I think changing floors was probably for the best.  After that whole mess with that boy trying to plant the runespoor eggs...it just never felt completely safe.^link

"When I was doing my training I tended to be pulled towards spell damage," she continued.  "So the transition has been relatively easy...it helps that Jason and everyone on the first floor were extremely understanding."

There was another good reason she had transferred floors...especially given the fact that she had been seeing Jason outside of work before Marcus returned.  Things hadn't been terribly serious given the fact that it had still be a relatively new aspect of her life, but it was still best they Jason was no longer her supervisor.  It had the potential to be rather awkward.

"Over all nothing has really changed though," she said, studying her drink.