Shady Peace (open)

[carson hale]

It was a regular Hogsmeade afternoon. The sun was shining, the birds chirping, and students from the castle were swarming the peaceful little town, anxious to break away from the school. Students were darting left and right, meeting up with friends and stocking up on school supplies they had run out of. For Carson, this was not the case. She had enough parchment to supply fifty students for the rest of their school years and enough ink to make a small pond. So instead of going to shop, she was headed for the dingy little pub just down the street.

The door to the Hogs Head swung open with an audible creak, the rusted hinges protesting as the door moved outward. Inside, the lighting was dim. Sunlight shone through the window illuminating dust mites that drifted through the air on invisible currents. Many of the students were ignorant of the Hogs Head's existence, choosing instead to fight for a table in The Three Broomsticks. Carson hated crowds just about as much as she hated loud noises. To her the Hogs Head was a hidden gem. It always had open seats and you could meet some really interesting, even if shady, people. Plus if she dressed right, she wouldn't get carded when she asked for something a little bit stronger than butterbeer, something like firewhiskey.

Her pony-tailed hair bobbed back and forth as she took dancer-like strides to the bar, her knee length black skirt swishing as she walked. There was something about the bartender's eyes that looked familiar but she just couldn't place where she had seen them before. Adjusting the strap of her slingy pack over her layered black and white tank top, she reached in the navy pouch and got out the proper amount for her order. Yeah, she was a regular here. "I'll have a butterbeer for now." She smiled placing the coins on the counter. In less than a minute she had a glass of butterbeer in front of her.

After grabbing her purchase, she made her way to her usual table. The dusty booth was located so she could watch everything going on outside the window but remain hidden from who ever would look in. As was the norm, she dusted off the seat before she sat. Yes, the Hogs Head was filthy and at times down right disgusting but those factors only gave it charm and character. Well, that and it repelled students who had any sense of self preservation.

With a flourish she sat down, her arms encased in black arm warmers smoothing her skirt to make sure it didn't creep to indecent heights. Maybe some of her friends would come in later, even though most of them feared the Hogs Head. They knew where to find her if they wanted or needed anything. Her hand reached to grasp the handle of the mug, bringing it to her lips for a small sip. Instant warmth flooded her. That's what she loved about butterbeer. Settling in for the long haul, Cari watched as students walked by, enjoy her time of peace and quiet.

[leon cortez]

Leon was in Hogsmeade village, “undercover” as usual. Truthfully, there wasn’t much crime to investigate, just the possibility of it. Trouble was always around every corner when the students of Hogwarts were involved. The streets were flooded, more so then usual, with students looking for supplies and such. In his opinion, there was only one good thing about the students being in town, which was Cari. He was sure to find her in the one place he would be lucky enough not to find other students or large crowds. The Hogs Head.

When you first walk up to the place, you would barely recognize it if it weren’t for the old, creaking hanging sign. The name was unusual and the picture on the sign was blunt. There was no metaphor or pretty euphemism. Hogs Head was exactly supposed to be a Hogs Head. As he walked through, the usual creaking of the door would alert some people of a new comer. He looked around before spotting Cari in the corner. She had not spotted him, so he pretended to ignore her as he walked over to the bar. ”Hey Abe, ill have the usual.” A bottle of Fire whiskey slid towards him. He left money on the table, including a generous tip. He also took two shot glasses with him.

He slowly walked up to her table, making sure he stayed within her peripheral vision. Would she realize that he was walking towards her? ”Hey kid, mind if I join ya?” He smiled, waiting for her to look at him. He knew that she hated it when he called her that. She was a pretty mature girl, and she liked to be treated as an adult.

He quickly sat down, putting the two shot glasses in the middle of the table while opening the bottle. He poured out an equal amount into both glasses. He quickly drank one while placing the bottle down on the table. ”How’s everything in school going? Anyone bothering you?” Leon was very protective of her. He still remembers the night they met. She ran into some trouble, and he had to rough up a couple people just to get her back to the castle. Of course there was more to the story, but that was for some other day.

[carson hale]

Watching the people pass by the building could be pretty interesting if you paid attention. Down the street Cari could see a girl yelling at her boyfriend, he probably forgot her birthday or something. She looked irate. So involved was she in her people watching that Cari didn't notice the newest occupant of the bar or his subtle advance on her table. His voice startled her from her thoughts and, quite honestly, scared her. Ever since she had hustled some hustlers and gotten into trouble, she had always tried to pay attention to her surroundings. So it came as a shock when Leon was so easily able to sneak up on her. "Old Man! Sit!" She yelled as he sat down. If he was going to call her a kid, then he would be called an old man.

Ever since he had saved her from some men she had played in pool, he had become like her big brother. She wasn't sure if he knew all the details about the night he had roughed up those men, but she was glad that he had appeared. Not only did she get out of a potentially bad situation, she got a good friend who she could annoy to her heart's content. Well, he called it annoying, she called it sisterly affection. "Drinking on the job, officer?" She teased when she saw him pour two shot glasses of Firewhiskey. It was still felt odd to drink in front of him, she feared he would tell her not to or scold her for underage drinking. If there was one thing she hated it was a good scolding.

Considering that it had been awhile since Cari had last seen Leon, she decided to let his teasing slide and pushed aside her silly fears by taking the second shot glass of firewhiskey. She drank it all at once, enjoying the burning sensation it left in her throat. "School's good. Got into a fight a few weeks ago but he came out worse than I did." It was nice to know that someone looked out for her and Cari smiled to let him know how thankful she was.

"There have been some pretty wicked parties. To bad you're not in Hogwarts anymore. I think a party with you would be fun." Not that she didn't enjoy their meetings at the Hogs Head. A party at school was just different, there was always the threat of getting caught and punished. As it was she was going to have to watch her p's and q's when she got back. It wouldn't do to get banned from Hogsmeade because she came back to the castle a little tipsy. Speaking of tipsy, she looked back to her favorite enabler.

"What about you? Is there anyone I need to beat up?" Her offer was genuine, even if laughable. Leon, since they met, had always looked out for her and she really wished she could return the favor somehow.

[leon cortez]

Leon smile widened at the comment about drinking on the job. "Shhh...You know I’m under cover." As serious and truthful as the comment was, he said it jokingly. Yes, he was undercover, but he always seemed to find trouble quicker when his cover had been blown. Call it a coincidence, call it luck, even call him stupid, but he never worked well if he got too serious about the job. The more emotional he got about something, the more in danger he would be.

And about underage drinking? Well, the kids now and days were doing it anyways, better it be in good company. He definitely believed that the girls especially should learn how to drink. Otherwise, one shot of any hard liquor and they would become victim to some jerk. As she took the shot of fire whisky he smile turned into a smirk. He poured himself another shot and quickly raised it to his mouth. 'Man, I’m not a good influence on her at all, at least she despises me smoking.' despise was probably the tone down version of how she felt about it. Last time he lit up a cigarette in front of her, he ended up with a black eye. It was probably true, he probably smoked too much.

"Fighting boys in school now? A pretty girl like you shouldn't be acting that way, love and hugs, not punches." He always joked around, telling her that it was proper or in proper to act certain ways. Who was he to say how someone should act? He guesses he just wanted the best for her, and he tried any way possible to push her towards a more peaceful and fulfilling life. But times were difficult and not how they used to be. Things were getting...darker? He couldn't find the proper word.

"Ahh, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Hogwarts. No one knows about this but the ministry, you’re Headmaster, me and now you. You have to promise to keep your mouth shut on this." He reached across the table with his pinky out. Yea, it was a kiddy thing to do, but he liked being goofy every once and a while. ”You need to be extra cautions around the school; something’s going down, I’m sure you know. I'll be entering the school any time now to run some investigations, but I might be there to stay. It seems the school will need some extra protection.”

And about him needing help with someone? Not really, he could handle things on his own, but he knew it was a term of endearment. ”Me? I’m good, don’t you worry about me.” He smiled as he continued to speak. ”You just take care of yourself for now. I might need you help soon, when I get into the school, but I’ll let you know.

[carson hale]

"I'm sorry!" Carson laughed when Leon told her he was undercover. "I just have trouble seeing you as an authority figure. You're too cool and fun." She smiled, even though he was only joking with her. Even so, she shut her mouth and would say nothing more of Leon's undercover-ness; she didn't want to cause him more trouble than she had in the past. It was a good thing Leon wasn't so serious about his job. If he was he might not be here sharing his firewhiskey with her. And if she looked farther back, he might have reported her to the Headmaster the night they had first met. No, it was good that Leon was the way he was, Carson wouldn't want to know him any other way.

Cari watched as he poured himself another glass. That's when he got that look on his face, the one that said he was thinking he wasn't a good influence. Yeah, she wasn't a mind reader but she knew that face well enough to recognize it when she saw it. It was hard to resist the urge to smack him upside the head. "You know, I look up to you for a reason. The only bad thing about you is your smoking habit. Which reminds me," She drawled with a half smirk, "Have anything in your pockets that I need to break...Like a cigarette?" Her attention switched between pouring herself another glass and watching how he would react. He did not want to bring out a cigarette while she was present, and somehow he knew this. Maybe it was the shiner he got last time he decided to light up in front of her.

"Leon! How many times must I tell you you're too old for me?" Cari joked after he called her pretty. She loved teasing him like this, it was one of her ways of getting back at him for calling her a kid all the time. "And just so you know, I am love and hugs. You should know better than anyone that hugs are my one weakness! I love hugs." She smiled, she loved annoying Leon with her hugs. Any chance she would get, she would surprise him with a hug. Her way of saying thanks for being a great friend and/or self adopted sibling. Self adopted meaning she claimed him as her brother without any of the actual paper work having ever been filled out or filed.

That's when Leon got serious, well as serious as a pinky promise can get. She stuck her hand out and wrapped her pinky around Leon's in the traditional pinky promise way. "I'll keep my mouth closed. Cross my heart." She did as she said and made an imaginary 'x' over her heart. Her glass remained untouched as he told her of what was going down at Hogwarts. It was actually exciting to think that he would be coming to the school! Maybe she could convince him to take some polyjuice and go to a party with her.

"I'll be careful. No worries there." It was cool that he trusted her enough to tell her something of that magnitude. "And any help you need at Hogwarts, just say the word. You'd be surprised how sneaky I can be." With a wink, she downed her second hot of firewhiskey, the sting not so prominent as the first.

"FYI, Leon. I'll always worry about you. What you do is too dangerous for me not too." She had leaned in to side whisper this to him, her eyes watching for anyone who could be watching them. What was it that Auror had once said? Constant Vigilance? Yeah, it didn't hurt to be constantly vigilant. Leon probably should have taken the Auror's advice to heart. He was way to off guard, he didn't see the threat right in front of him.

"Surprise HUG!" Cari giggled as she gave him another bone crushing hug. She wasn't lying when she said she loved hugs. She had to give him credit, he sure put up with alot from her, more than most would put up with.

"So what are your plans for the day?"[/color]

[leon cortez]

Leon smiled about the pocket comment. ”No no, I’ve got nothing in my pockets, cept for my wallet and some paperclips. Besides, I don’t need another black eye. People round work will begin to think getting my ass kicked on the job is an every day type of thing. I don’t need a bad rep.” He poured himself another glass, this time he waited until she was finished talking to take another shot.

”Ahh, but you know I think age is but a number!” He played along with the joke. He too saw her as a sibling, and he knew very well about her hugs. ”Yea,” He laughed.”I know about your hugs. And I won’t need to sneak around, on the contrary. I think ill have access to pretty much every square inch of that castle. But then again, I can’t rely on the school staff to know all secret passages.”

Why did people worry so much about his line of work? It wasn’t that dangerous, not for him at least. He was tough, and he had plenty of experience in any type of fight. He would never forget the time he took on three powerful wizards at ounce. Jinxed the first, disarmed the second, knocked out the third with a right hook and then went back and beat the second senseless with his fists. He dragged all three into the headquarters himself. This case was different though. Anyone willing to kill an innocent girl in cold blood would be a worthy adversary. A person without ethics, without morals, without fear of repercussion. That person was scary just to think about, but he was definitely up for the challenge.

And he was so into his train of thought that Cari caught him in a surprise hug. He hugged her back. ”Listen up kid, you making me look soft.” He smiled. ”My plans involve spending time with you of course, maybe even buy you something nice.” He was never the shopping type; he absolutely hated walking around, store to store. He thought back of all the times he spent with a girl friend, just walking around, waiting for her to come out of the changing room, smiling and saying it looks nice, then watch them stomp right back into the room to change because they were angry at the fact he didn’t say it made them look “exceptionally beautiful.” He was being sarcastic of course, but he honestly enjoyed spending time with Cari, not matter what the activity would be.

[carson hale]

"Paperclips?" Cari raised an eyebrow. Why on earth would he have paper clips? He didn't look to be carrying paper so what would he clip? The very thought baffled her. Perhaps it would be best if she just dropped it. Sometimes, Leon could be a real enigma. "Yeah. It would be even worse for your 'rep' if the people you work with found out you get your black eyes from a fifteen year old girl. I can hear the laughs now!" She chuckled, pouring herself yet another shot of the delicious firewhiskey.

"So... Total access to the school. We might have to sneak you into a party." Another shot down, Cari figured she would wait a minute before taking another. She hated to think of what kind of case would be bringing Leon to the school, so instead she busied herself with tapping her fingers on the table. It was hard, but Cari managed to stifle her laughter when Leon commented on looking soft.

"Well, you are getting a little chunky. Have you been eating those muggle donuts again?" Cari poked his side when she spoke. In the less coherent side of her mind she vaguely wondered if he was ticklish. Merlin knows she sure was.

"Awe!!! You're so sappy when you drink!" Cari smiled when he told her his plans for the day. "And you don't need to buy me anything, we have firewhiskey! We can drink a few bottles then try to walk a straight line somewhere. Who needs shopping?" She wasn't much of a material girl, she hated shopping unless it was for Quidditch or candy or liquor and generally stayed away from clothing stores unless she absolutely needed something to wear. Which was probably the reason she got along better with guys than girls. That and if you hung out with guys you could secretly ogle them from up close instead of from afar like most girls do. And don't forget the fact that they would hug and allow her to touch their sweaty abs after a grueling quidditch practice. All in fun and joking of course. 'Merlin I'm a perv.' She couldn't resist the smile that grew on her face along with a slight blush.

"Hey!!! Or I could buy you something nice." She half joked. Someone had to spend her father's money. It might as well be her instead of his new harlot. "But seriously, what should we do? Not that we have to do anything. I'm content right now hanging with you and getting completely drunk."

[leon cortez]

”It was just a bad joke, I don’t really have paperclips. Haven’t you seen those movies or cartoons were some kid pulls change and paperclips out of…ehh, never mind. You’re probably too young to remember the shows us older timers used to watch.” Leon was beginning to notice Cari’s face turning rosier then usual. She was a tiny girl, and though Leon knew she could hold a drink, he felt she was drinking a little to fast. ’Kids these days, they don’t enjoy a drink, and they just go straight for the buzz.’ He slid the bottle away from her, poured himself another shot, and laid the bottle down next to him. ”No more for you until you answer these questions. One, how in the world are you going to get me into one of your parties, and two…What do you mean I’m getting chunky? He looked down at his body and patted his stomach before lifting the sleeve of his shirt. ”This is all muscle. Don’t confuse the two, and don’t hate on donuts. They’re a man’s best friends out on the job. Without them I wouldn’t be able to put up with all the crap I have to.”

Leon smiled at the sappy comment and listened intently with what she would enjoy for her day. ”Walk a straight line huh?” Immediately Johnny Cash’s song “I walk the line” came to mind. The irony was that Johnny Cash himself was a heavy drinker until he cleaned up his act. He shook the thought from his head before continuing to speak. ”I didn’t necessarily mean shopping like clothing or jewelry, I meant anything you want to take to school with you. You know what I mean right?” He pretended to physically put quotations at the end of his sentence, hoping that she would catch the hint.

And then Leon heard her say that she wanted to buy him something. For some reason, he felt that it would be strange. He was the adult, working, making money for god knows what. He had a high salary, and he enjoyed his little house and what little possessions he owned. He really didn’t need anyone to buy something for him, but he knew she wanted to do something nice for him. ”You know you don’t have to buy me anything either, but if you insist, we could buy each other a little gift. Technically our anniversary is coming up.” This was a joke the two had. Their anniversary of course was the day that they met, when Leon had saved her and roughed up the baddies.

”And hey, its up to you, whatever you want to do, I’m down for. If you want to just sit her and drink, well just sit here.” He looked at the bottle of fire whiskey. They had just a quarter of the bottle left. If they were going to stay drinking, he would definitely need a refill soon.

[carson hale]

"You're probably right. The shows you watched as a kid were what? Fifty, sixty years ago?" Cari raised an eyebrow and tried to keep a straight face. Her good mood dampened when she saw him move the firewhiskey away from her. What was he doing?

”No more for you until you answer these questions."

Oh, so that's how he wanted to play! She would get him back,but it would have to wait. "Well, there is the Polyjuice potion, the uh, the spell that makes you look like your surroundings and kinda invisible. Darn it! I can never remember the name of that spell!" Her hands slapped the table in frustration but she quickly moved on. "Or we could go with the obvious and you could just walk in the front door like you own the place, start drinking some of the special coco, and have a blast!" With those words she held up the universal let's rock sign (pinky and pointer finger out, the rest in).

"Sometimes, us girls bring out Twister! For some reason the boys really like it when we break out that game." She didn't get it. The reason why the boys always liked to see the girls play Twister was confusing to her. Oh well, must be a guy thing. She shrugged.

"Awe! That is so adorable! You think you have muscles!" Cari pat his arm in a patronizing way. Of course Cari knew that Leon was basically a solid mass of muscles, she just loved teasing him too much to pass up the opportunity. "And FYI, I wasn't hating on donuts. They are too yummy and delicious to ever be hated upon by me." She cocked her head to the side and gave him a strange glance. "Though if they are your best friends, I am worried. Do the donuts talk to you?" Cari kept a serious expression on the exterior but inside she was dieing of laughter.

She listened while he explained what he meant by shopping and hoped that she wasn't mistaken. "You mean, you'd help me get supplies for special coco? Seriously? Dude! I love you and if I didn't think of you like a brother I would so totally propose marriage!" The words gushed out before she could think. Normally to get firewhiskey and other wizard liquors she had to bribe and flirt. And wear that really low cut top the male bartenders seemed to like. After she realized what she had said her hand flew to her mouth and her face burned a million different shades of red.

"Ah yes! Our anniversary. How about instead of gifts we meet up again and have some more firewhiskey? I really don't like receiving gifts." She muttered the last part. It wasn't that she didn't like getting presents, she just hated the idea of someone else spending their money on her when they could put it to much better use.

When she noticed Leon was a bit distracted, she followed his gaze to the bottle of firewhiskey. There was only a quarter of the bottle left. Had they really drank that much? The muggles were right, time did fly when you were having fun. And if Cari was correct, Abe would make a small fortune off her and Leon today.

[leon cortez]

”Lets just call it an invisibility potion. And that really wouldn’t work, what’s the point of being invisible at a party. Guarantee the social event will take a turn for the worst when the floating cup starts talking.” Or he could go with the obvious. Though it was true, he could probably just walk in, the thought of word spreading about the investigator partying with a bunch of the students was nerve wrecking. The trouble he would get in…he did not want to think about it. ”As much as I hate the taste and side effects of the polyjuice potion, its probably going to be the best choice. Rock on.” He held up the rocker sign too, smiling at the same time.

Sometimes the girls bring out twister? And the boys liked it? ”I’m sure they love twister.” Maybe he would go to these parties just to beat up any boy that looked at her the wrong way. Those boys were to young to be a bunch of perverts. ”And yes they do talk to me, thank you very much. They tell me I should bring them to the party. I don’t think I want to share them with everyone though, just you.” Of course he would have to figure out how to keep them fresh. Donuts weren’t exactly a common commodity in even this side of the world. He was sure he would figure it out anyways.

Leon heard and caught the comment about marriage too. She turned red as her hands flew to her mouth as if she had just spoken Voldemorts name or said some very naughty curse word. He himself was even a little embarrassed by the comment, but he did well as usual by playing it off, helping her out by making a joke. ”Now Cari, remember we have to wait until your eighteen, and I know girls now and days can do just about anything they put their mind too, but I still feel it’s the guys job to propose marriage. No offense.” He smiled and quickly took another shot of fire whisky.

There was just enough left in the bottle for one more. He lent across the table and poured the last bit into her glass. ”There, that’s for answering my questions, and yea, ill get you ‘supplies’ for school. Just make sure you don’t tell them were you got it, and try not to drink it too fast. It’s expensive stuff.”

Meeting up again always sounded like a great idea. He actually, not to Cari’s knowledge, counted down the days they would meet up again. He always made it seem like it was a relief to get away form her, but truthfully he felt alone most of the time. She helped that empty something inside of him. ”That would work, I’m not that great with gifts either. I’ll be right back.” He lifted the bottle into eye level and shook it so that she would know exactly what it was he was excusing himself from the table for. He was off to the bar again.

Abe seemed busy with another customer. He waited patiently for Abe to notice him.

”What will it be Leon, another bottle I suppose?”

”Yes sir, one more will do just fine…actually, make it two. I’m taking one for the road.”

”Now you know what I feel about drinking and flying your broom.

”Not to worry, I hate those things, I’m walking.”

Abe nodded his head and handed Leon two more bottles. Leon placed more money on the table, this time leaving a tip because it would be his last time walking up to the bar. He quietly walked back to his seat. He placed the second bottle at his side, and opened the other. He poured himself another shot before placing the bottle in the middle of the table. ”So tell me, is there anything new on your mind, any new idea for some adventure when your off from school?”

[carson hale]

Haha! Floating cup! Cari thought to herself. "Surprising as it may seem we actually had a talking floating cup at a party once. Turned out to be some of the Marauders. I still don't get how they just appeared out of thin air like that." Cari smiled at the memory. That had been one wild party, her memory from some of that day and the next still hadn't returned. But then again, maybe she didn't want to know what she did at that party. Some things were best left forgotten.

"Yeah. You're right, Polyjuice is probably the best option. We don't want a blemish on your pristine record, now do we? And if you got caught you'd likely be suspended or fired. I can't have that! What would I do without my favorite investigator to annoy?" Dramatically she put one hand to her heart and the other to her head. Maybe she should slow down a little on the firewhiskey. Nah!

"Oh yeah, they love Twister. But what's funner is when the boys get so drunk that I can convince them to play strip poker. Or that their clothes are trying to kill them. Both have worked in the past. I figure they get some enjoyment from watching us, we're gonna get some entertainment in return!" Cari laughed and softly slapped her hand on the table for emphasis.

"Yeah. Marriage between us would never work. One, I'd only use you for your body and two, I'm too hot and young to be tied down." Cari winked as she played off of his joke. Leon was cool like that. Whenever she embarrassed herself, he would always just shrug it off and act cool. She watched as he poured the last of the bottle into her shot glass.

"Thank you Leon." She smiled. Her parents may not have been around much but if there was one thing they had taught her it was that as a pureblood she had to have impeccable manners and always be polite. She never really used that rule unless she was around someone that she respected and Leon was definitely someone she respected. "I promise I won't tell anyone but I can't promise how long it will last. We have some pretty hellacious parties in Ravenclaw!" And it was true. When the books were away the Ravenclaws would play. And if they weren't in the partying mood there was always someone who would have a party with her. "You know, once I crashed a Slytherin party. Now that was a fun! They may have a bad rep but they know how to have a good time." She shook her head to get out of lala land and caught on to what Leon had said. She knew that firewhiskey wasn't cheap. Maybe she shouldn't tell him about that special discount she got when she wore that low cut shirt that Leon hated.

Leon got up and walked to the bar, leaving Cari alone with her shot glass full of firewhiskey. In one quick drink the rest of the liquid was gone and the shot glass was back on the table. Off at the bar, she could barely hear what Leon was saying. She caught something about him hating brooms and the thought made her laugh.

"Now why on earth do you hate brooms? They're great!" She playfully hit his shoulder when he got back to the table. Of course she thought they were great, she was a quidditch player. "Don't tell me you're scared of them!" Now that would be just plain funny, especially to someone like Cari who felt completely at home up in the air on a broom. Heck, if he knew half of the stuff she did on her broom he would probably take it and break it in half.

She fought the urge to ask him why he got a second bottle when he asked her about after school. Did he mean after classes in the afternoon or Summer break? She would just assume he meant the nearest break when the students were free to leave the school and go home. Maybe she would play around with him a bit before giving him a straight answer.

"Well, I've recently acquired myself a fake muggle Id and I plan on going to Las Vegas in the US and gambling. I might even take in a few of those neat shows, a couple of those all male reviews... You know, just sin my little heart out." Cari didn't know how she managed to say all that without busting up into peals of laughter. Carefully she watched Leon to see how he would react to her falsified plans.

[leon cortez]

”Their clothing are trying to eat them? Right, remind me to never fall for something like that.” He found the comment about her using his body very amusing. ”Please, you wouldn’t know what to do with my body. A young girl like you doesn’t have the right mind for something like that. But you definitely are too young for marriage. Shoot, I’m still too young for marriage.” The truth was, Leon wasn’t the marriage type. Any girl he has ever dated, left him because he was too into his job. He couldn’t “separate work from relationship time.” Was it his fault he had millions of people to save? He would probably settle down, once he retired…

Leon had returned from the bar when he was surprised by Cari’s question. ”Why do I hate brooms? I don’t trust those things. Its one thing I never got over from transitioning from muggle to magical world. Besides, as long as my feet are on the ground, I’m in one-hundred percent control of any situation. Up in the air, there are too many undeterminable variables…and….yea, I just feel much safer on land.” Leon took another shot. He was beginning to feel a buzz now. It took a lot to get him drunk, and this buzz would last until just the end of this bottle. ”But no, I’m not afraid of a broom. There one hundred and one different modes of transportation and brooms are the last on my list.”

The second bottle wasn’t because he was getting lazy, nor because at the end of this bottle, the two might feel a little too woozy to walk over to the bar to get another one. It was the bottle he was going to give Cari for school. He saw her eye the bottle as he put it next to him. He smiled a bit, knowing exactly what was on her mind. ”Slow down there kid, you know what that’s for soon enough.”

”Going to Las Vegas huh? One your own, to see male review shows? I highly doubt that’s going to happen. I won’t allow my little Cari to ‘sin her heart out.’ Could you imagine the gilt I will feel if you go and do something like that?” Of course he was being sarcastic with her in a way. He was completely serious about not liking the idea, but he knew very well that she was just joking…at least for most of it. He was sure she would like the ‘shows’ after her story of strip poker or clothing eating people. ”But seriously,” He smiled so that she would know that he understood it was a joke. ”what are your plans for the summer break?”

[carson hale]

Cari decided that it would probably be best if she just let Leon continue thinking she was a nice and innocent little girl. He didn't need to know about the party where she had woken up with more than a few 'what the hell happened's running through her head. It was actually nice for someone to think of her as the nice little sister for once, instead of the party girl. "You're right. We're too young for marriage." She nodded then gave him a wry smirk. "I'll never get married. Just one person until death do we part is bound to get boring." She winked, half serious about what she had just said. Truthfully, she just had to much of a wandering eye to stick to one person. That and she hugged every person within a hundred foot radius. Especially if they were cute and of the male gender.

"You are paranoid. No wonder you're an investigator." Cari laughed. Scared of a broom, it was kind of funny but Cari wouldn't laugh at Leon for his fear. Vaguely she wondered why brooms were so low on his list, if it was because of the reasons he gave or if there was some traumatizing experience in his past. Well, some questions were better left unanswered.

"Me slow down? You've drank just as much as I have if not more." She used her hands to gesture between them. The buzz was feeling pretty good but not strong enough to impair her judgment. At least, not yet. Probably, the intoxication was just strong enough to make her talk more freely and be more open and joking. But by the end of the next bottle she'd probably be so buzzed that she'd bee seeing triple and straight lines would be an impossibility to walk correctly.

"But alright, I'll take it a little bit easier." She conceded. It wasn't often that she got to spend time with Leon and she wanted to remember it, all of it. Who knows when his line of work could turn dangerous and he could be killed in the line of duty. The thought brought tears to her eyes which she hastily tried to wipe away. Damn alcohol always making me cry. Cari thought with an ironic laugh.

"Why would you feel guilty if I went to Vegas? I'd enjoy myself and I would even bring you back some of those little cards with the naked ladies on them." She pouted. There goes the plans for her next birthday. Maybe when she turns 21 Leon will be more allowing. Sometimes Cari forgot that he wasn't her brother, especially when he was so protective of her.

"Ok, ok! Vegas was a lie. No gambling or male reviews until I'm 21. Promise!" She held up her hand and placed it over her heart. "But really, I was thinking about a trip to a beach." Cari let this sink in before she added, "Swim-wear, optional!" She had heard of these beaches before and, not that she herself would forgo the swim-wear, maybe she could find a beach with a lot of attractive guys. "You wanna go?" She watched for his reaction again, an innocent smile on her face.

[leon cortez]

(ooc. Sorry it took so long. )

The funny thing is, Leon had similar view on marriage. But the thought of having someone there you can spend the end of your days with was… reassuring. It gave him something to look forward too. It was not even the mere thought of love, but the thought that he would not die alone or without cause. He joked about it often, but found it hard to tell himself it was in fact just that. He joked that he would die fighting his ultimate evil arch nemesis or villain. Someone that was his equal in strength and power. This way he would die for a good cause, and die in the hands of worthy company. Call it stupid, call it a mans mentality, but he wouldn’t want to go any other way.

”Yea, but I’ve got more experience under my belt when it comes to drinking, and I way at least twice your weight, maybe even more.” Leon caught the tears in her eyes after she had agreed to slow down. Something he said must of got her thinking. He knew of the dangers in his job, and the problems it caused socially. Keeping people around was difficult enough during normal circumstances. He felt bad for Cari, she never actually fussed him about his job. She threw jokes around here and there, but she never openly told him that he should find a safer career. But it was unfair to have her worry.

”I meant that going to Vegas is fine, but you really don’t want to go to those shows. There full of men that’s gone through years of plastic surgery and god…I mean Merlin knows what.” He smiled when she began to pout. He knew she really wanted to go. ”But if you really want to go, at least wait until you’re a little older. The muggles aren’t fond of minors running through Sin City. They will throw you in jail, and I wont be able to bail you out. But that trip to the beach was exactly what I was thinking about.”

He had been planning the trip for some time. With the money he was saving, he purchased a condo on Collins Avenue. In part it meant he had a nice little spot on the Miami Beach strip. It had a beautiful ocean view and it was on the second floor. This meant no high places… ”I want you to come with me this summer, to Miami. And its Miami Beach, not South Beach. Clothing optional only works further down the beach.” He smiled, he wasn’t sure if she was joking or not about the swimming attire, but he was sure she was just looking for a beach with good looking guys. Lucky for her, Miami was filed with the most beautiful people in the world. Or so they say. People from all over visited these beaches. He loved the atmosphere. ”So what do you say?”

[carson hale]

Cari's eyebrow inched higher and higher toward her hairline with every word Leon was saying. More experience when it comes to drinking, she would give him that. At least twice her weight, well duh! "Leon, did I hear right? Did you just call yourself fat?" Cari laughed knowing that he had said no such thing. It was fun being able to casually joke and tease each other, even though each day could be their last with this up and coming 'Dark Lord.'

"Well duh! I know that most of those men have been cosmetically altered but that doesn't matter. Honey with them it would be about their body, not who they were. Though ogling a fifty year old would be kinda...eww!" Cari shuddered at the thought. "Thank you Leon!" Cari hugged him again when he basically gave her permission to attend the shows when she got a bit older. "You can even come with me! make sure I don't hog all the hotties to myself. I'll even buy you a hooker. Goodness knows you need to get laid." She added just to see if he would blush. Scantly clad men dancing around, now there was a good daydream. "Thanks for caring so much Leon." Cari gave him a small genuine smile. She had no doubt in her mind that should she ever get into some trouble, he would try to help her out. He was just awesome like that.

Her eyes widened when she heard that he had bought a condo on the beach in Florida. Wow! "I say yes! Oh wow! This will be so fun! You, me, and the beach! No nudity? Darn! I was so looking forward to seeing your naked little butt." She slapped her hand on the table to show her fake disappointment. "But you'll have to promise me one thing!" Cari got a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Promise me that if we get there and I don't see any hotties that you will prance around shirtless for me. I'm still debating whether I would have you wear a speedo or swim trunks." Cari put her hand to her chin in mock thought. Leon was as close as someone could get to being family to Cari but just because she couldn't touch didn't mean that she couldn't look. He did have a great body and she WAS a hormone driven teen.