Noon-ish

Oscar chose Calaveras as the location for his luncheon with Aileen to discuss the cafuffle over the flower display that had been sent her. In the time since their letter exchange, Oz had gained a little insight into the matter. When he had personally gone to make sure the lunch was added to his appointment book, he found his secretary was away from her desk. Normally, Oz would not have bothered to enter such trivial information himself. But a meal with his ex-wife, which was sure to be entertaining, was hardly trivial at all.

So, Oz sifted through his date book for the time slot that Aileen had indicated in her last letter and began to quill in her name. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something else that caught his attention. On the date of Valentine's Day, there had been the notation of "Send Aileen Flowers".

His brow furrowed as he recalled something he had written to Aileen in his responses about possibly feeling inclined to send her an ugly display of flowers. Yes, he remembered joking about that to one of his colleagues in Administrative Services and his previous secretary had rolled her eyes at their humor but had obliged Oscar in writing in the reminder anyway.

Oscar now put two and two together. Is new secretary could not have known about the joke and further, she certainly could not have deduced that it was more talk than action from the new Wizengamot Member.

When she returned to her desk, Oz eventually discovered that his secretary had asked around about who Aileen was and someone had told her it was his wife, intentionally or unintentionally failing to add that the marriage had been in the past and it had come to a bitter end.

Oz was hoping to share this story with Aileen eventually at lunch, but he'd probably wait a while first to see how the encounter went. He considered it could play to his advantage to keep that information obscured.

For now, Oz sat at a table in quaint establishment, sipping on his drink and patiently waiting for his ex-wife to arrive in all her dignified glory.

In the harsh light of day, breathing in the cold winter air, Aileen felt a twinge of embarrassment over the way she'd acted towards Oz on February 14th. Overreacted, really. Just a bit. The garish and humiliating bouquet of flowers had set her off, and then the following letter war had only made things worse. It had been a while since Aileen had stooped to such petty insults and allowed herself to get so upset over something as trivial as a failed marriage. Compared to her other recent problems, Oz should be the least of her worries.

But she wasn't meeting him to apologize for her behaviour - oh, no. She was meeting him to find out how such a huge miscommunication could have happened. A part of her (the vain part) believed he had sent the flowers and that he was simply trying to deny it after she'd expressed her horror, but the logical part of her wanted to know the truth. A small, minuscule part (a heart so small it rivaled the Grinch's) was also curious to see how he was doing in general.

Aileen strolled into Calaveras with her usual confidence, bringing in a chill that was due both to the weather and her demeanor. She was not going to get upset this afternoon, she told herself. They would discuss the mix-up calmly, like adults, and then they'd part ways and rarely have to see each other again. She handed off her coat to an attendant and smoothed out her hair. Aileen was dressed nicely, perhaps too nicely for a luncheon, as Abby had pointed out with a pout this morning. It had nothing to do with Oz, Aileen had told her, and everything to do with the fabulousness that was her wardrobe. Abby had at least giggled at that.

It took her a moment to find her ex-husband. He was already seated, holding his drink in the familiar, self-assured way that she'd seen dozens of times before, quiet but still exuding presence. A familiar jolt of conflicting emotions went through her, only dulled slightly because she'd been expecting to see him. She got all that in the way he sipped his coffee.

Aileen put on a neutral, pleasant expression and gave him a small smile as she sat across from him. "Hello," she scooted her chair in a bit. "I hope your busy weekend at the office went well?" Her voice was light and teasing. She was unable to resist poking fun at how 'strapped for time' he'd told her he was, though her way of bringing it up now sounded much less petty than her response in their letter exchange.

Oz continued to sip lazily from his drink until his ex-wife arrived. And as he expected, she made quite the entrance. A woman of her stature, beauty and class always did. It was no surprise that heads turned to watch her glide through the establishment as if she were still riding on her broomstick, feet barely touching the ground.

For a brief moment, midsip, Oz wondered if it was this mesmerizing aura which had captured his interest years and years ago. Holding the drink away from his lips, Oscar tilted his head ever so slightly as he watched Aileen approach. He was comparing the vision of her he had now to the many he had had from the past. There was no doubt that Aileen was stunningly beautiful woman now. But there was something missing and Oz could not quite pinpoint what it was. He considered it might have something to do with her being less rigid then, with her features softened by innocence and a flirty, carefree nature not yet jaded by the harsh realities or expectations of the outside world.

With this concluding thought, Oz finished his sip and set his drink down as she slipped into her seat. He clasped his hands in front of him, resting his elbows on the chair's armrests. He let her have her fun in engaging in pleasantries if it made her feel better. He even smirked at her lighthearted jabs about his busy schedule.

"Afternoon, Aileen," he finally greeted her. He returned her smile with an equal amount of pretense before calmly informing her, "My weekend was swell. As you must be well aware...I don't do Valentine's Day anymore. So work is naturally the best way for me to occupy myself during those festivities."

It was no secret that Oz was a love-hater these days. But the extent to which he sought to enact revenge on love was not fully known by all, as most simply thought he just avoided it altogether. Which was true.

Oz narrowed his eyes at his ex-wife. Then he inquired, "What about you? Surely my flower bouquet must have gotten your Day of Love started with a bang. Or have you managed to cast aside the affection of all your potential suitors?"

At one point, Aileen might have found Oz's reluctance to partake in romantic festivals and showy displays a touch gratifying. The idea that she had such power over someone when she wasn't even around him, wasn't even trying, might have amused and flattered her. Even though their divorce had not been pleasant, there was a time as a young woman in her twenties that she would have nodded smugly and thought, 'of course he's not over me'.

Now, however, when he told her that he 'didn't do Valentine's day', she found it completely exasperating. If he wanted to scorn romance for the rest of his life, then fine, but did he have to make her feel guilty about it? No, he did not. It was unnecessary, and made her defensive, and brought up all sorts of unpleasant emotions and memories that she didn't want to deal with over lunch.

Her eyes narrowed and her eyebrows spiked up as he went on, asking how her Valentine's Day had gone after his hideous flower delivery, and poking fun at her potential suitors. She managed to keep a small smile on her face, though it had turned frosty, and rested her chin in one hand as if mulling over her many prospects.

"What flowers?" Aileen asked in her best innocent tone, contrasting with the mischief in her eyes.

Her plan to act like a calm, rational adult was quickly slipping away. She paused, then her face lit up in an epiphany. "Oh, those flowers. The ones wilting away in my office. My other suitors sent me so many bouquets that I simply can't be expected to remember them all," she widened her eyes mockingly.

After a moment, Aileen dropped the oblivious act, took a sip of water, and then coolly informed him, "If you must know, I went out with Alberic Grimm that night."

She offered no elaboration on that statement. Aileen just glanced at him as she opened her menu, curious to see if he'd laugh, glare, or surprise her by not reacting.

It wasn't unusual for Oz to meticulously inspect and observe the people in his life, his surroundings or the situations in which he found himself. This instance proved to fit in perfectly with this idiosyncrasy. Carefully observing Aileen and her mannerisms was nothing new either. It's just now Aileen was so much closer than she usually was. Normally he was relegated to noting her behavior from afar, since they both seemed to prefer keeping a strategic distance.

Seeing his ex-wife up this close was both a blessing and a curse, as he was reminded of all her best attributes as well as her most despised flaws. They were a package deal, even in an impersonal meeting such as this.

Oscar toyed with his napkin and smirked at the mention of the flowers again. "Yes, those flowers. I do apologize for that." He splayed one hand out, palm up and continued to explain. "Believe it or not, that was not done on purpose or in jest. Even if months ago I may have been inclined to pull a prank such as that." Oz brought his hand up to stroke his chiseled jaw. "You see, when I was still an Administrative Services, I joked with some of my colleagues about sending you the most retched floral arrangement imaginable for Valentine's Day, in honor of your....well....deplorable treatment of me in the past. Surely you can see how I might be justified in planning such an act, right?"

His eyes glinted with amusement as he shifted slightly in his chair, leaning towards her. "At any rate, I wrote that in my appointment book a long time ago, never intending to follow through on it." He waved the whole idea off. "Well, as it turns out, when I got bumped up to the Wizengamot, I got a new assistant. But not a new appointment book. She didn't know it was a joke." Still smirking, he finally added, "And some of my colleagues didn't have it in them to correct her."

Oz sat upright again and his face took on a more serious expression. "Really, Aileen. You should be more grateful," he scolded. "The poor woman thought we were still married and she tried her best to make sure that you got something beautiful as a token of my affection. I'm sure we both know what would have happened had I really been behind this."

With that, he picked up his menu and began to peruse the selections, peering over the top of it to see her reaction. But his lips formed a grim line at the mention of his dear cousin, Alberic. One, the other, or both were trying to make his life a living hell. He wouldn't put it past them to be making a conscious effort in doing so either.

He paused his perusal and his blue eyes iced over. "Oh really," he hedged in an even tone. "My cousin? I do hope he realizes that dating you is bound to end disastrously. Your success rate with men of a certain calibre is on par with the Cannons' win percentage in Quidditch." He shrugged. "But then, there is always room for improvement. And, perhaps....he speaks your language?"

It was a rhetorical question and Oz returned to his menu.

Aileen looked at Oz in surprise when he began to explain the bouquet mix-up so readily. She'd expected him to drag out the misunderstanding or make her sit through the entire lunch without an explanation. They hadn't even ordered yet. So now that she understood what had happened, she could simply walk out at this point.

But that would be rude and petty. And Aileen loved to think that she wasn't as rude and petty as her ex-husband, who had in all seriousness just told her to 'be more grateful'.

Her eyes narrowed and she offered him icy silence in response. A part of her was very irritated that she'd been turned into a joke around the office to the point where he made sarcastic notes about her in his appointment book. It was embarrassing, and his condescending tone made her want to send him a surprise gift of her own and see how he liked it. The bouquet hadn't even been that bad. The card. The singing card had been the worst.

In the middle of her scheme to send him a dozen hooting duplicates of the Reid family owl that he detested so much, his mouth thinned at her mention of Alberic, and Aileen felt a smug flare of satisfaction. Aha! His disgruntled reaction showed on his face, even if his words claimed ambivalence.

"Only you would compare relationships to Quidditch," Aileen commented dryly, pretending to look at her menu. Honestly, she wouldn't be surprised if he started making 'capture the Snitch' jokes. She did not feel inclined to correct him that her date on February 14th hadn't really been a date, and she and Alberic certainly weren't 'dating'. Let him make his own assumptions.

"I don't think you're in any place to judge. I'm not the one making sarcastic notes in my appointment book and acting surprised when someone takes them seriously."

Aileen paused, arching an eyebrow at him. "It's not as if your dating prospects impress anyone. Dolly St. James," She scoffed, shaking her head. "Really? Is that the best you can do?"

Clearly, she hadn't forgotten Bombay's dinner party.

Oz couldn't help but feel a tad bit smug as he sat across from his ex-wife. Knowing that he was capable of annoying her was a lovely feeling indeed, especially after what she had put him through years ago. This wasn't even close to being payback enough for what she had done to him. If only she knew just how much he could ruin her if he wanted. And that was what always gave Oz pause.

To ruin her or not to ruin her?

Perhaps keeping her on the brink of ruin was just enough fun to keep him waking up with a smirk on his face every morning.

Even without his explicit knowledge or blessing, the flower bouquet fiasco had managed to ruin one day in her life. As long as he could keep himself involved in it somehow, she would be irked. It was perfect enough for him. And now she was going on about what he chose to compare relationships to. He could barely suppress the urge to roll his eyes and just allow her voice to drone off into oblivion. But when she mentioned his appointment book, he couldn't follow through.

"Yes, maybe I shouldn't judge. But then, my sarcastic nature makes that difficult. I just can't contain myself," he drawled. He took a rather large sip from his drink before narrowing his eyes at her. He finally admitted, "I was hardly surprised that my note was taken seriously." Then he tilted his head a bit, still looking at her with his patented air of Whitman conceit. "But I am surprised that you seriously thought Dolly and I were actually dating."

He finally averted his eyes from her face and went back to deciding what he would eat. He quickly debated whether he wanted to say the next words that came to mind. Steeling himself, he bit out, "I had the best once. But she ended up being nothing more than a disappointment." There was a hint of regret or sadness in that statement, which Oz quickly obliterated with a cold, "The best is overrated."

Aileen regretted bringing up Dolly almost the instant the words were out of her mouth. Now he knew it had affected her. She raised her eyebrows and pretended not to care when he said that he wasn't actually dating Dolly. A part of her, though, felt relieved. The woman wasn't right for him. So why flirt with her if it was nothing serious? This coming from the biggest hypocrite on the matter.

Her hands stilled on the menu when he threw in a barb, telling her he'd had the best, but that she'd been a disappointment. The small note of regret in his voice made her feel guilty for a second. Her defenses were up in place just as he came out with his next comment: the best was overrated.

Aileen put the menu down, kept looking at it for a moment, then glanced up, giving him an unamused glare.

Why did he always have to do this? Every time they spoke. Every time they met. It was the same outcome. She didn't like feeling guilty and rarely allowed it, especially concerning her personal life. They were over. Their marriage was over, had been for a long time! Yet he seemed to relish revisiting the same conversation, purposefully upsetting her for no other reason than because he still felt slighted. And every time, any warmth she felt for him was extinguished the second he rubbed salt in the wound. She was left feeling like a cold, heartless person.

It wasn't just him, either. According to Witch Weekly, she used her wiles to lure unsuspecting men and break their hearts. Abby had shown her the Valentine's Day edition. She wouldn't be surprised if the gossip magazine had gotten all its information from Oz. It bothered her more than she'd admit that people must see her as some kind of harpy, sinking her nails into poor, defenseless souls. She was the one who felt slighted, just by having her name attached to liars like Trevelyan and hairy little monsters like Bombay.

But Aileen could handle gossip magazines. What she had a difficult time with was knowing that Oz thought so little of her. He actually knew her, or had at least known her well at one point.

"Perhaps you need to rethink your expectations," Aileen said coolly. "If you're the one who continues to feel disappointed, that's not my problem."

It was a ridiculous thing to say. Better that, however, than to admit she was tired of hearing about a mistake she'd made more than ten years ago.

Seeing her bristle brought a hint of a smile to Oz's lips, lighting up his face ever so slightly. Some might even say that it made him more attractive, especially if they were not a fan of what his brooding did to his features. His enjoyment of her discomfort was tempered a bit by the next part of their conversation.

Oz clucked his tongue at his ex-wife's comment about expectations. It was an absurd suggestion and he felt it was imperative that he tell her so. "You of all people must know by now that I will never lower my standards. I have always been committed to my family's goals of marrying for purity, wealth and prestige. And I will continue to be."

Their server came to collect their food orders and though Oz was tempted to arbitrarily order for her what he knew she liked, he refrained from doing so. They were no longer married and she was clearly capable of having her femininity pampered by other fools.

Still, he leaned closer to continue his previous point. "Call me a snob, but if a potential Whitman spouse does not meet that criteria, they will never win my approval. And I don't mind saying that my disapproval knows no bounds." He paused, debating ever so briefly about whether he should admit to her what he said next. "Even my own brother's marriage to that...." He gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Muggleborn, Myrni Levartian. She's not fit to be a Whitman."

There was that victory smirk. She resisted rolling her eyes at at the statement that he was committed to his family's goals to marry for purity, wealth, and prestige. There was a time when she would have agreed with him wholeheartedly, backed up his ideals, and even helped him make that a reality. But now, it just sounded tired to her ears. Aileen could understand it, relate to it, but she wasn't impressed by it anymore. All that meant to her was that he'd always find fault with whoever dared be attached to his family. And he'd do anything he could to preserve the Whitman standard.

Luckily, she was saved from making a comment about it when the server arrived and she told him what she wanted to order. She gave the server a polite smile that fell from her face as soon as she looked at Oz again.

He leaned forward and continued to explain, while Aileen's eyebrows inched up.

"...And I don't mind saying that my disapproval knows no bounds."

She was well aware of that!

Aileen looked slightly surprised when he brought up Myrni as an example, and drew back in her seat, annoyance spiked again. The insult wasn't even directed at her, which made her reaction so puzzling. She rarely cared enough to feel offended on another person's behalf.

"Your brother could do much worse," she commented dryly.

"Myrni Levartian is intelligent, accomplished, and understands how to be pleasant for a reason other than gaining favor." If that last one was a jab towards Oz, she was just as guilty of it. She chose not to acknowledge that fact.

"I hope you're not making her life absolutely miserable," she scolded him lightly, giving him a look that betrayed how strongly she felt about it.

Apparently her friendship with the fellow professor went deeper than just surface politeness, than just having an ally against some of the other professors that she despised. It was an uncomfortable feeling and she didn't much like it. For the millionth time that afternoon she wished she hadn't said anything at all.

Oz did not understand Aileen's reaction to what he said about Myrni and his brother. The fact that she said that Nathan could do worse and then her defense of the woman left him speechless for a moment. If he had been eating or drinking, he would've choked.

"Wait. What? Who are you?" Oz looked at her with such incredulity in his crystalline blue eyes. "Because you simply cannot be the same snobbish Aileen Reid that I was married to for less than a year. One who reveled in her purity and the Whitman riches and of course, all the acclaim that came with it. Was all of that so offensive to your senses that you've now turned sympathetic to mere commoners?"

Oz gave her another look, this one filled with repugnance.  "Since when do you go around defending the likes of Myrni Levartian?" he demanded. Oz would have cared a smidge about whether the dark haired Arithmancy professor was intelligent, accomplished, pleasant AND was the most gorgeous woman on the earth. Oscar extended his index finger and waggled it in the space between them. "Tell me truthfully, Aileen....let's say theoretically you were still married to me....would you REALLY want someone like her as your sister-in-law?" His knowing gaze bore into her. "Would you want to sit with the likes of her at dinners.....and converse with the likes of her about all the silly muggle things she would have to talk about? Would you want your pureblooded children to grow up with her halfblooded ones?"

Oz didn't even wait for a response before he dismissively declared, "Who cares if I was making her life miserable? She's not fit for my brother and that it is that."

Aileen would have loved to see the smirk drop from his face in any other situation. His disbelieving stare only reminded her that she sounded like one of those sentimental loons who thought muggles and wizards could coexist peacefully if they tried hard enough. She was not defending muggles. She was only defending Myrni. There was a difference!

Of course, he brought up the stark contrast between what she was spouting now and how she'd acted years ago, when she'd taken advantage of the decadence and privilege that being a young, married Whitman pureblood had offered her. Her eyes narrowed at him, mocking the word 'commoners' in her head, but she was too uncomfortable by her sudden noble outburst and him calling her out on the irony of it that she didn't know what to say.

He went on, wagging his finger and asking if she'd feel the same if she were still married to him. Which would make Myrni family, and the halfblood spawn family. Aileen knew she was a hypocrite. It was easy for her to stand up for the woman because she didn't have to deal with other purist families raising a stink, the scandal, the gossip, the knowledge that they were diluting the family line, the pureblood families that would reject the halfblood children and scorn them from social events. The situation was not simple, it was not a laughing matter, and anyone who claimed they didn't care about these things had never been raised by Reids or Whitmans and did not understand the consequences of marrying a muggleborn.

Aileen stayed silent throughout the scolding, up until he let a clue slip that he had been making Myrni's life miserable.

She shook her head. "Their engagement is not your business or mine, Oz. It's your brother's and Myrni's," she paused, looking exasperated and cautiously hesitant at the same time.

"It doesn't matter how I would feel about their halfblood offspring. And believe it or not, it doesn't matter how you would feel, either. She has other decent qualities. Focusing on something she can't help or change won't do Nate any good. You might try letting him make his own decisions."

That statement went against everything he believed, everything she was supposed to believe in. It was his duty as the older brother to 'guide' (control) the family and ensure they made the right matches (obeyed him) so that the Whitmans continued to be influential, powerful, snobby and elite purebloods. She understood how it worked. Trevor was the same way.

Still, she almost sounded tolerant, and she was half-amazed that she was continuing this argument with him. So, she tried to direct it back on him.

"What did you do, exactly?" Her voice was flat and she tried to look as disinterested as possible. Knowing him, he wouldn't tell her just to spite her.

Again Oz watched Aileen. And he knew what he said struck a chord with her. He knew he was right. He nodded smugly and triumphantly declared, "See? Exactly. You know what I say is true, Aileen. Another reason I'm sure you are glad you're no longer married to me," he snidely jested." His triumphant look was quickly morphing into something more sinister.

"Please don't lie to yourself. You and plenty of others like us can sit around with the noble intent of trying to be nice and accommodating to them. But  behind closed doors you and everyone else is secretly glad that someone like me has taken up this cause. To purge our kind of impurities by any means necessary. You're happy that someone else is doing the dirty work so that you can sit back and enjoy the benefits," he bit out. Strangely, his words could have been very bitter sounding. But they actually were filled with a vehement pride in his beliefs. They were the beliefs he wished every other pureblood would uphold. But sadly, he saw more and more purebloods letting them fall away in favor of something as tedious as being tolerant.

Oz was so caught up in his own thoughts and the subsequent words that he spoke that he hardly registered anything else that Aileen spoke until she asked him what he did to his once would-be sister-in-law.

There was a long silence between them as Oz's lips formed a grim line. "What did I do? What any decent, pureblooded brother would do...." He gave her a look that mocked her need to even ask. "I endeavored to do whatever I could to break them up, of course."

Discomfort and irritation was slowly giving way to real anger. She'd told herself that it wouldn't happen, that she wouldn't let him get to her, but one look at his triumphant expression made her blood boil. To think, she used to admire his arrogance, saw his dogged devotion to pureblood ideals as courageous, and his superior attitude as something to live by. He was still a handsome man. But there was something ugly and rotten in his expression, the tone of his voice, and it was like a mirror reflecting on herself. Aileen glanced away as he told her that she should be glad about his behavior.

When he admitted that he had tried to break up the couple, Aileen glanced back, shaking her head. This wasn't just about Myrni anymore. She related it to her sister's situation as a squib. She related it to her own experience, when she'd introduced her parents to the Runes scholar with the blood traitor family, and had been forced to choose between them. Arguing with Oz wouldn't change his mind or help anything at all. But he was a convenient target, and looked so damn smug and self-assured.

"Of course," she bit out. "Because you're doing this for the sake of the cause, aren't you? It's not about you, but your ideals," she widened her eyes mockingly at the last word.

"It's your responsibility to ensure your brother marries someone pure," she went on. "If that means acting like an asshat, all the more power to you!"

She paused, then lowered her voice to a quiet, almost conversational tone.

"So please don't lie to yourself. You enjoy making everyone else miserable. You're bitter, and you can't stand to see your brother in a happy relationship, and no one is ever going to be good enough."

Aileen slanted him a look, knowing she was going too far, and unable to care at the moment. "I hope they do get married. And have seven halfblood children. All Whitmans."

Oz was most comfortable in his smugness and conceit. He often made a home between them and loved being wrapped within their tender loving care. And even if it was cold and careless, he did not mind because he reflected those traits ever so well.

The self proclaimed keeper of the Whitman ideals sat back and snatched up his glass and proceeded to drink from it, still feeling quite triumphant. He didn't even care that his ex-wife would likely fire back at him, trying to scold him for his actions against Myrni. Her harassment would fall on deaf ears. And he had a spell to ensure that if need be....

In between sips, he attempted to curb her argument. "Hold on there sweetheart. They're not just my ideals here." He indicated to them both and everything between them. "They're our ideals. Or are you trading in your pureblood status all of a sudden?" He chuckled maliciously. "Oh I'm sure your parents must love looooove the thought of that sort of thing...."

Oz's voice trailed off behind another long sip of his drink. He was hardly prepared for her next comment and as such, his surprise and horror to hear it caused him to cough up what he was just about to swallow.

The liquid splattered off his plate and practically jumped across the table, just slightly dripping onto Aileen. If what she said hadn't been so offensive to him, he would have been pleased with that.

Instead, he gasped, "You've gone mad." He reached for his napkin to begin sopping up the mess that had been made. But he continued to rant sarcastically, "I feel as though I must go mend my bleeding ears now..."