St.Mungo's
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31 years old
Gryffindor Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Theo Ashland on Nov 15, 2016 9:42:26 GMT
Finally, after months, Theo was back in action. He wasn't usually that sentimental of a guy, but damn if he didn't get a little teary eyed walking back into the hospital that morning. He almost lost it pulling on those hideous acid green robes in the locker room. No matter the memories now attached to this place, this job gave him purpose. All those years ago, when he first decided to sign up for training to become a Medi-Wizard, Theo had been lost. He was mature enough to admit that now. He had nothing going for him and then he did. To think he almost lost that forever was, simply put, unthinkable. He would have begged for this job back, if it had come to that. Who was to say if it had actually come that close. In true St. Mungo's fashion, Theo was shown no mercy on his first day back. There were no easy days at the hospital; just normal days, and hell days. Today was somewhere in between, he could see that just by looking out into the waiting room after putting his uniform on. He was nervous, about a lot of things. He was nervous of what his coworkers would think of him now. He was nervous to see if his new wand would adapt to the magic he needed it to perform. He was nervous about Mali and if she was handling it all okay. He was luckier than her in that he didn't have to stay in the building the whole time he worked. The third floor still loomed above his head, both literally and figuratively, and he knew it had to be hard for her to be up there all the time. At least he got breaks from the place, even if it was to go mop some poor sop or the other off his kitchen floor. Theo cut through the busy waiting room and headed for the Medi-Wizard's station in back. He was nervous about that, too, but he tried to hide it as he entered the place and searched for a familiar face. He knew Tristan McAlister was far from happy with him - but they were partners, and Theo needed that sense of normalcy today more than ever. Their job was tough but they'd always been able to rely on each other. Theo realized he had utterly broken that over these past months, but really, it wasn't all his fault. Surely Tristan would understand (honestly, Theo wasn't too sure of that; the two of them were more alike than they sometimes liked to admit, and he himself knew he would have a hard time forgiving something like this, had it been the other way). Spotting the tall blonde easily, Theo made his way over, easing a small smile onto his face. "Tall, dark, and handsome - reporting for duty," he saluted the man, trying his very best at casual as he leaned his tense frame against the wall. "You haven't gone and replaced me, have you?" Maybe they could just have a good laugh about it and it would all blow over. Yeah. Right. |
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St.Mungo's
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24 years old
Slytherin Alumnus
Sass
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Tristan McAlister on Nov 16, 2016 5:23:23 GMT
The first news he'd heard about Theo was when he showed up to work only to be told his 'temporary' partner had been reassigned. Thank Merlin. Tristan wasn't known for his mental prowess by any means but Hobbs, the man they stuck him with in Theo's absence, was positively dim witted. He was useless, to be honest. It was easier for him to just do things on his own than to depend on him. The tall, blonde Medi-Wizard wasn't sure how he felt about the whole ordeal. A little hurt, he and Theo had been partners and the man hadn't seen fit to confide the whole murder thing in him. They were supposed to watch each others backs, he trusted Theo with his life, but Theo obviously didn't reciprocate that level of trust.
Maybe he felt a little abandoned too. No word from Theo, not when things got cleared up and not even a day ahead of his triumphant return to work. The man just hung him out to dry and forgot about him. Tristan had his own share of abandonment issues and Theo had pushed all the right buttons for that. It was time to determine just how he felt, though, as he sat at the Healer's station with his feet propped up because Theo was heading right his way.
He made it to his feet as the older man approached, unsure of what was going to come out of his mouth when he opened it. His face remained an impassive mask, hiding his emotions even from himself. There was a sort of numbness, a defense mechanism for when he felt so utterly betrayed. When Theo spoke, Tristan decided what emotion to feel. Anger. Pure and unadulterated anger. There was no hello, no 'I'm sorry for hiding something from you' he just tried to play it off like everything was right in the world and he hadn't spent months tied to a door knob for a partner.
Tristan's fists balled up at his sides. He'd had it. Nothing had gone right for him. Eoin was dating someone, Theo didn't have the decency to act like the whole thing bothered him. He grit his teeth, no longer bothering with the neutral mask. Tristan swung on Theo. They did their best talking with their fists, and his connected beautifully with the older man's jaw and damn did it feel good.
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St.Mungo's
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31 years old
Gryffindor Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Theo Ashland on Dec 20, 2016 0:25:40 GMT
Tristan climbed to his feet as Theo made his way over to the blonde, and it gave the older man a millisecond of pause. As the older of the two, Theo also constantly made claim to the crown of taller (and better-looking, but that's a whole different story) - but it was certainly debatable, especially at times when Tristan used his full height to look so obviously displeased. Or maybe that's what truly gave Theo that moment of pause - Tristan didn't look like anything. The blonde had truly perfected the art of the expressionless mask, something Theo couldn't comprehend and, sometimes, found more than a little intimidating. Theo couldn't hide when he was angry, and that made him vulnerable; Tristan could, and that made him dangerous.
Still, because of that utter lack of expression, Theo held onto that hope that maybe Tristan wasn't angry at him - all the way up until the blonde's fist swung up at his face. Theo had no time to move or even brace himself; he took the full force of the hit right into his jaw, feeling like he'd just tripped face-first into concrete. His head snapped to the side and he stumbled back a step, blindsided. Honestly - really, truly, honestly - some part of Theo knew this was the only way the two of them could ever resolve anything more than a few drunken insults. It wasn't like this was the first time. Theo might not have understood Tristan's ability to hide such anger right under the surface, but he understood perfectly well the need to transfer that anger into something real and tangible when it became too much to hold. He just didn't expect the bloke to bloody punch him at work.
Theo also didn't expect his own reaction. Oh, he was angry. Livid. After a few moments of pale, blinking shock, his face colored with a hot redness and he stepped right back up to the step Tristan's hit made him stumble. He was right in the blonde's face. His incredibly punch-able face. But instead of returning the favor, flying his own suddenly balled-up fists into that face, Theo clenched at his own jaw - rubbing at the bruise already forming there and glaring down his nose at Tristan. For probably the first time in his life, Theo was going to let someone get a hit in on him. He was really trying here. "Oookay - y'done, mate? I'll let you have that one. I probably deserve it." He sighed. "I know you're mad. I want things to go back to the way they used to be so please, just tell me how to do that. And if you're going to bloody hit me again, wait until after work, would you? I've got enough trouble as-is."
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St.Mungo's
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24 years old
Slytherin Alumnus
Sass
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Tristan McAlister on Dec 20, 2016 7:14:58 GMT
Theo's face was much more expressive than his, one could read the surprise and... not quite fear. Theo wasn't afraid of him, but there was certainly something there as he made his way too his feet. Theo's reaction to being hit nearly rivaled the satisfaction he got from the feeling of his knuckles connecting with the bones of the man's jaw. He had no time to respond as Tristan's face didn't betray him, not even as his fist cut through the air and surprised, his old partner lost his footing. Perhaps it was a sucker punch, but if anyone deserved it then it was him.
Tristan remained impassive even as his fellow troll recovered and invaded his space. They'd been there before, standing toe to toe ready to bash eachother's skulls in. He wouldn't flinch under Theo's furious gaze, wouldn't back down and give him that satisfaction. If Theo was going to strike him back then no amount of bracing or flinching would help, he'd have to take it and then repay it and then they'd be locked in a fight until one of them beat out all their anger or someone dared to pull them apart. His own fist clenched again by his side, muscles tensing in his arm. Surprisingly, nothing came. No punch, no fake out, no nothing.
Theo's words coaxed up Tristan's eyebrows, the first show of emotion he'd managed to draw out of him. "Probably?" he asked with incredulousness in his voice. "You deserve a whole hell of a lot more than that." He could feel the tension in his arm, urging on another swing but the blonde resisted. For now. "I'm sorry if my punch inconvenienced you, maybe if you'd bothered to speak to me at all over the past two months, was it? We could have arranged for a better time." There must of been a secret Snark class for tall, blonde Slytherins at Hogwarts because he was perfectly fluent in it. The lighter troll pocketed his hands in an attempt to quell the urge to start swinging, an act of mercy for Theo. "Far be it from me to create more trouble for you." His gaze moved briefly to the man's chin, the bruise made him feel just a tiny bit better about things.
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St.Mungo's
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31 years old
Gryffindor Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Theo Ashland on Jan 9, 2017 5:29:52 GMT
Tristan finally showed some emotion in his face - unsurprisingly, it didn't make Theo feel any better at all. That little quirk of his eyebrows was enraging, like it was all Tristan could bother to give in response to what Theo considered a heartfelt (or at the very very least, practical) plea. Theo's own eyebrows drew downward - now he couldn't move, couldn't step back, even if he wanted to. Every inch of him felt wound up. "I know that," he said. He knew he wasn't going to get any pity out of Tristan, he didn't want it, but he didn't want the man to have any upper hand on him either. Theo wanted a fresh start and a level playing field and he was going to work hard for it.
And it became incredibly clear that the hardest work he was going to have to do was resisting knocking Tristan's lights out. The blonde knew the most direct route to right under Theo's skin. He was snarky and insufferable even on his best days; it just so happened on those days, he was teaming up with Theo rather than doling it out against him. "I've been a bit busy the past two months, in case you haven't noticed." He tilted his head at Tristan, glancing down at the movement of his hands to find the blonde stuffing his fists away in his pockets. Theo finally took that step back, out of his immediate personal space. "I don't mean it like that." Theo noticed Tristan's gaze wasn't exactly on his own eyes, but rather another part of his face, and he moved his hand to cover the tender spot on his chin. "I know all of it is my fault. All of it. Every single thing I could have done differently. But I didn't, and here we are. And I don't really plan on fucking this up again, so do you just want to make this harder for yourself and stay mad at me?"
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St.Mungo's
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24 years old
Slytherin Alumnus
Sass
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Tristan McAlister on Jan 9, 2017 6:34:38 GMT
Theo wasn't very practiced in hiding his emotions, Tristan could read every single thing on the man's face. The drawing down of his eyebrows, the determination not to be the first one to give in. It was very uncomfortable to stand so close to each other, to invade one another's personal space.. It was a very animalistic challenge which spoke very well to their trollish nature. Each of the two men wanted to be the bigger, more intimidating troll and neither would give up. "Do you?" he drawled, voice flat as if the whole ordeal bored him. "You came prancing in here like you were expecting a welcome back party." Tristan was certainly vying for the upper hand, Theo was going to have a tough time getting it.
The tall blonde cocked his head to the side at Theo's excuse, eyebrows knit in mock confusion. "Have you?" He was all sarcastic questions today. "I was under the impression that you've been sitting on your arse for the past two months twiddling your thumbs while the rest of us work to smooth out the mess you left behind." There was just a small hint of bitterness in his tone. When Theo left there were shifts to cover, holes to fill. There were feelings too, and abandonment complexes to deal with. The small, vulnerable orphan that resided under Tristan's thorny armor didn't take people's sudden absence very well, especially when it felt like Theo had shut him entirely out of a part of his life with secrets. He had considered the man a friend, probably one of the closest ones he had (although that wasn't saying much. ) Not all abandonment was physical removal, some of it was emotional.
Tension thinned between them when Theo took a step back allowing the wound up feeling of anticipation ease from Tristan's punching muscles . He enjoyed his victory very much, the smallest of smug smiles settling on his face. His own posture relaxed into something less casual and a little slumpy. Theo seemed keen on taking the blame without really taking it, sort've like 'i messed up but you can't be mad at me for it'. Taking the blame without taking the responsibility and Tristan rolled his eyes. "The benefit of making it harder on you certainly makes the option of staying mad worth the consideration. Do you really think you can just waltz in here, say you're sorry and everything will be okay? Oh, but you haven't said that yet, have you?" The smile fell away to a sneer that looked unsurprisingly at home on his pretty face. "You just want to pretend nothing happened so you can go on and get right back to how things were, right?"
It was his turn to invade Theo's personal space. Tristan drew himself up to his full height and closed the distance Theo'd taken with his step back, looking the man right in the eye. "It won't go back to how it was. I trusted you then, I don't trust you now. My apologies if that's more 'trouble' for you."
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St.Mungo's
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31 years old
Gryffindor Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Theo Ashland on Jan 26, 2017 3:55:57 GMT
Gods, this was excruciating. Theo had a hard time with apologies - and as the habit of a thirty-year-old man, that probably wouldn't be changing anytime soon. He just didn't see the point of begging for forgiveness. Perhaps that view came from him having to do it so often over his years - why waste the time? Why couldn't everyone just move on and forget what happened and try to do better next time? Theo's life was made up of a whole bunch of that trying. Realistically, he understood hurt feelings didn't exactly work that way. But his own hurt feelings always topped out over other's, and he just wanted to forget. Forgetting made it hurt less.
He had to let Tristan know as much. "I was expecting the past to be left in the past." His voice almost had a pleading edge to it - almost, if it wasn't so drowned in sass. Tristan brought that out in him like no one else, the blonde possessing so much of it himself. His sarcastic questions even prompted Theo to strike The Pose, hand on his hip and head cocked, a pose that did him no favors when he was in danger of getting his face punched again. He laughed in Tristan's. "Sorry. Been trying to stay out of prison so I could come fix it myself. Which I'm still trying to do now, if you would bloody let me."
The brief moment of space between him and Tristan was like a breath of fresh air - and just one breath, because it was extremely brief. Maybe Tristan wasn't interested in hitting him with his fits anymore, but he was certainly hitting him with the truth. Theo had to apologize. He couldn't force anyone's feelings just like they could never force his own. "Mate, I'm not expecting it to be easy," he tried. "I'm just saying I want to try. And of all the people here, I thought you'd be the one that would give me that chance." Now he was pleading, though as always with his emotions, it was mostly in his eyes. He liked Tristan. The man was as much of a friend as he was a challenge. "I'm sorry." It felt so insincere. Why were people always so stuck on those two little words?
They clearly didn't help. Theo's point was proven, to him, of the ineffectiveness of apologies - Tristan was still mad, maybe even madder than before. He was back in Theo's face and saying something that punched Theo right in the gut. Tristan didn't trust him. Theo expected that from the others...but Tristan...Theo supposed he'd hurt him just as much, hadn't he? Maybe worse. They were partners. Admittedly, a thousand other things had been on Theo's mind above telling Tristan the truth. It wasn't a matter of distrust for Theo, really, more a matter of distraction. Going on with the day-to-day with Tristan and pretending nothing had changed made it easier to forget.
"I'm going to change that." Theo looked Tristan right back in the eye, determination set in his jaw. "I won't expect anything from you. But I'm going to change that." And just like that, Theo deflated. He had a long road ahead of him. "Do you still want to work with me?"
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