RP Log: Caoimhe and Dorcas Who: Caoimhe Sullivan and Dorcas Meadowes What: Dorcas has a favour to ask, just in case. When: Friday, around 4 p.m. Where: Caoimhe's flat Warnings: Just some very light language.
Arriving at the designated time, Dorcas stepped up to Caoimhe's door and knocked twice, pushing back the copper-coloured fringe that fell over her eyes. She highly doubted Caoimhe would easily let in someone who looked like someone else, but the face of Daphne Claritas from the library's gala would hopefully be familiar.
Even acting in paranoia these days wasn't considered paranoia anymore, for any witch or wizard, let alone an Auror trainee slash vigilante on her off hours. She had tried to push the news of the Prewetts out of her mind, but not only did it persist, but it suddenly reminded her of her own family. As much as she didn't want Fabian and Gideon to believe they had a hand in this, she had to admit that if she was in their place, the first person she would blame would definitely be herself.
However, it was still highly doubtful that they would want to hear they could be right in their assumptions.
She had nothing on hand, except for her wand, journal and two rolls of parchments in envelopes. So in those few seconds she had to wait, her mind had no choice but to run through last night's incident again and again.
"Just a moment!" Caoimhe had come home just a few minutes early so she could get changed before Dorcas got there, but she was still pulling the old Ballycastle Bats t-shirt over her head as she came to the door. It was a bit of a rush of a day, but as serious as Dorcas sounded, Caoimhe wasn't about to fail to make time for her. For Dorcas to out and out say "it's important", it would really have to be.
When she got to the door and opened it, the wards slid aside for Dorcas - Caoimhe had just added her to Benjy's work that very day. People went on those wards on an as-needed basis, and the number who were allowed in were very few - but everyone was paranoid these days, so that was no real surprise.
"Come on in," Caoimhe said, stepping back to allow Dorcas/Daphne the space to do so. She would wait until the door was shut again before asking just what this was all about.
The minute the wards closed behind Dorcas, she took off the charms on her face, although the red hair was still there. This was probably going to be better handled with her own face, instead of a mask. Maybe some sort of mask would be preferred on Caoimhe, because hell, Dorcas really did not want to see her reaction to why she was here.
"Sorry for the short notice, I, uh... I figured the sooner I did this the better." There were times where sugarcoating worked wonders and other times, where it was just better off to rip the band-aid off right away and feel just a moment's sting of pain. This was a time for the latter.
"I wrote letters to two people. I want you to hold them and deliver them if I die before this war is over."
Caoimhe blinked.
The morbidity wasn't necessarily a surprise, once she thought about it. She hadn't imagined that this might be why Dorcas would want to see her, but it made a certain amount of sense. They were all of them in fairly constant danger, and with the Death Eaters for certain knowing about Dorcas that was even more true for her. To make plans in case of death wasn't morbid, it was smart. Caoimhe had made a will a year or so back herself, despite the fact that she didn't have much in the way of property, and had a life insurance policy that would see to Doyle if she kicked off early. Letters weren't Caoimhe's style, but she could see how they would fit with someone like Dorcas. Dorcas was good with words, and expressing her feelings; Caoimhe had always envied her that, much as she did Marion and the Nehru boys.
The real surprise was that she was the one Dorcas had chosen to give the letters to. They were friends, yes, but there were others to whom Dorcas was closer. Of course, the first two that Caoimhe thought of in that were Gideon and Fabian Prewett, and the two of them were in at least as much danger as Dorcas was. And Caoimhe was nothing if not responsible, so...perhaps she wasn't so odd a choice after all.
With that worked through more or less, Caoimhe nodded and answered. "Okay."
That blink gave Dorcas the feeling that her fellow Order member must have had questions. Despite that she didn't really voice them aloud, words promptly followed the nod Dorcas gave her as she stuck her hand inside her pocket.
"The recipient names are on there. Fabian and Gideon are going through a lot already, and you know, also outed, so..." She held up the envelopes for Caoimhe to take. "They were pretty much written at the beginning of this month, actually. I just wasn't sure how and where to store them." On the first of March, probably a couple of days after Michael had told Dorcas he didn't want her visiting his family. Despite her outburst with him back in February after he joined the Order, there was still so much more to say, which seemed to pile up day after day. There were just some things that were necessary, too necessary to let death stand in the way.
"Thank you. I trust you. I know you'll send them."
Another nod was the initial answer, along with taking the envelopes into her hand. However quiet she was, though, Caoimhe was still thinking. Dorcas sounded so certain that sending these letters would be a necessity, and that worried Caoimhe. Was Dorcas planning something? Had there been more specific threats? Only one way to find out.
"If it comes to that," Caoimhe allowed. "You have any new reason to think it will?"
That was expected. To be sure that something was going to happen seemed to be just another symptom Dorcas was showing, due to the aforementioned paranoia. "I am not planning on doing anything stupid, rest assured," she clarified. "After Benjy, Charity, and Doc, escalating attacks and possibly the fact that my father may be befriended by a Death Eater within his department... I'm just trying to make sure what I need done before, is done. But if I make it through the war, I'll just ask for the letters back."
And likely rewrite them or have a face-to-face conversation with the recipients about them. That would be an eventful meeting.
That seemed fair, really. Sensible caution in a difficult situation. And if Dorcas seemed a little frayed around the edges...well, she had been through a lot, and she was under a lot of stress. Caoimhe knew she wasn't sleeping all that well herself, so she could hardly blame Dorcas for carrying the same look - especially given that a nice party got interrupted by yet another disappearance the night before.
"I'll hold them in my desk here," Caoimhe said, her voice just a hair quieter. "And if you need me to, I'll send them." Because the reality was, it could very well come to that. They had learned that from Benjy, Doc, and Charity. It could be any of them. Caoimhe just hoped it wouldn't be Dorcas. She liked Dorcas, and Dorcas was good help with research, and Dorcas never made her feel weird for not being talkative. She would miss Dorcas, and Caoimhe was bloody well tired of missing people.
Dorcas gave her a smile, despite the morbid circumstances under which she was paying her a visit. "All right. I'll let you get to training. Will try to drop by if I can." It was almost like she would have to show up to show that she wasn't gone just yet, and that they were not going to get rid of her easily. If this habit of keeping on disguises kept up, Dorcas would end up with about ten alter-egos for the next several months. But if it kept her alive, she'd be grateful for all ten of them.
Caoimhe nodded once more, her lips pressing together as she thought over what had just passed between them. She was now responsible for Dorcas's legacy to whomever it was she felt she needed to speak to if she were killed. That was a heavy thought.
It was the reason, too, that though Caoimhe hesitated she still stepped forward and pulled Dorcas into a tight hug to say goodbye. She usually wasn't one for being affectionate with people outside her closest circle of friends, but with something like this, it felt as if maybe the act was called for.
The hug, she had to admit, caught her by surprise, but Dorcas' arms immediately circled around her too, returning the sentiment. It was touching, considering the reason she was there, and that feeling was enough to bring up a lump in her throat. Oh, dear Merlin, she wasn't going to get too emotional right here. Afraid she'd blurt out more than necessary if she opened her mouth to say goodbye, Dorcas opted to giving Caoimhe one more smile when she pulled away.
Then with some flicks of her wand, the charms were back on her face, and she headed back home.