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Tweak says, "DIPS!"

Alicia Spinnet-Pucey (_alicia_) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2014-08-29 11:32:00

Entry tags:

character: alicia spinnet, character: susan bones, status: complete

RP: Friday Night
Who: Alicia and Susan, OPEN if you want to join the girls
What: People watching, catching up, maybe a bit of gossiping and checking of a ward
Where: Finnigan’s
When: Friday evening
Rating: SFW – will change if language requires it

‘All in a week’s work,’ her dad used to say, and while Alicia still had to work during tomorrow’s match, it was with a sense of satisfied completion that she left the office for dinner with the Fawley’s. It felt good to tell Mrs. Fawley that all the students would be escorted to the Hogwarts Express and get a proper send-off and that there had even been more volunteers than they had needed. The Portkeys had been picked up at the Ministry and would go out by Owl on Monday morning, unless people showed up to pick them up themselves. What did pain her a little was that she couldn’t have taken hand of the Rutherford’s herself, but Monday was Isla and Liam’s first day of school and Harry would be brilliant with them, she didn’t doubt it.

Barely had dessert been finished before Isla and Liam and asked if they could spend the night at the manor with their cousins, which in turn had had Mrs. Fawley let Alicia know, in no uncertain terms, that she really needed to put herself out there if she expected to ever find a new man. Alicia had squirmed a little because… well, she knew her mother-in-law was right, but it also just sat wrong with her. Nevertheless, an evening at Finnigan’s did sound good, so after she had kissed the kids goodnight and changed into something a little more fitting for a night at the pub, and Flooed back to the office.

Moments later she walked through the door, almost instantly spotting Susan sitting off to the side by a table. Picking up a glass of red wine at the bar, Alicia went to join her, giving her a quick hug and a kiss to the cheek, and a “hey, gorgeous,” before she slid into the chair where she, too, could follow the comings and goings of the pub. “How’s it going? Did you find that missing witch?”

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susanamybones
2014-08-31 01:08 pm UTC (link)

"There is something to be said for healing things slowly rather than instantly," Susan mused thoughtfully. "Sometimes a Healer or Mediwizard will fix you up and the bone will be fine, but the muscles around will still be sore for ages and ages afterwards." She laughed at Alicia's animation and reached across to pat her hand affectionately. "I love that you're excited about it, and I love the idea of improving things, especially around bloody performance enhancing potions - although you're not going to slice people up like Muggle sturgeons do are you?"

She tilted her head and smiled warmly. "I think sending the kids off to a Muggle school is a brilliant idea actually," she replied earnestly. "The fact that so many kids arrive at Hogwarts with poor literacy and numeracy skills because their parents didn't bother to take their education seriously, or had to work and couldn't afford a governess, it's atrocious really!" Susan felt herself blushing slightly, she'd been one of the lucky ones to have had a private tutor to teach her the basics as a child, but even she hadn't had a firm a basing as say Justin or Lucy had. She laughed gaily at Alicia's pained expression. "Merlin's beard, don't tell me that! They can't be that old already!"

"Oh you are bad Alicia," she said with a cackle. "Serves him right whatever you did or didn't do." Susan felt herself blush slightly at the other woman's frank appraisal. "I'm sure he does care," she answered.
"But I think he'd be far more likely to care about someone he's close with rather than flirty and carefree Susie Bones, don't you?" There was a wry twist to her mouth as she forced her mind away from the reasons she was so very flirty and carefree.

"The eye of the beholder?" She leant forward and stared at Alicia. "Oh shit," she said, pained. "You like him? Oh Alicia you like him! I had lunch with him the other day and flirted outrageously with him! I'd no idea! Godric and Helga I'm such a tart!" She massaged her temples for a moment, furious with herself for missing something so obvious. Still berating herself, she focused on Alicia's problem. "Well that makes sense," she said. "It's not illicit or anything, but it's not something everyone needs to bother with." She took out her wand and pulled the journal in front of her, poking at the ward in question. "You say someone who shouldn't have been there could see it," she asked, her forehead crinkled in concentration. She flourished her wand, performing a run down of various standard issue ward tests, plus a few of her own invention. "What?" she muttered in confusion, reaching into a different pocket and taking out a contraption with three interlocking rings that vibrated, causing the centres of the rings to glow blue. "Yes I know," Susan muttered to the contraption, poking it with her wand. Slowly, the lights changed from blue to purple, the flared brightly. Shrugging, Susan replaced the contraption in her pocket and looked up at Alicia. "There's nothing wrong with your wards dear. This mysterious person who I shall assume is male as a woman would probably not miss it, is in fact a parent."

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_alicia_
2014-08-31 02:41 pm UTC (link)

“Surgeon,” Alicia corrected Susan gently, a small amused smile playing on her lips. “Sturgeon’s a fish, but bloody hell, Suze! You really paid attention during field Healing, didn’t you? Or do you actually listen when I rant about Healing?” She grinned at her friend, highly impressed, although not altogether surprised, that Susan had been able to make that connection, especially since most magic folks tended to see Muggle medicine as a novelty and a passing fad.

“They’re not!” Alicia grinned, happy to have Susan’s support when it came to her children attending Muggle school. “I’m just horrible at counting. They’ll be six in December, so it’ll be another six years until have to put them on the Express. Obviously attending Muggle school doesn’t guarantee you can actually count, but I completely agree with you.”

Looking at Susan, Alicia tilted her head slightly. That question had her wonder about just how carefree Susan really was. She knew that it was Susan’s coping mechanism and had always doubted that she really was as carefree as she claimed to be. “Oliver cares about his friends and family,” she assured her, “even the flirty and carefree.” She had seen the two flirting and dancing at Dean’s party and now Oliver had mentioned a whateverherface that he knew and cared about and didn’t want to jinx, and that had Alicia worried. Because when it came to girls, Oliver was a bit like a dog chasing a car – once he caught it, he hadn’t a clue what to do with it – and she really didn’t want Susan to have to go through that.

All too soon, though, the table had turned and Susan had called her on… no, Susan hadn’t called her on anything, because it wasn’t like that. It just wasn’t, and that had Alicia shake her head. “I don’t like him,” she stated, then amended. “Well, I do, I mean, he’s my friend so obviously I do like him. But it’s not like that, so please, you don’t have to apologise for being flirty with him.” It wasn’t like she didn’t know about the girls he picked. Well, she didn’t know details or even which girls, but there were tells when he had spent the night with a girl and Alicia told herself that she was fine with that, because they were friends, he didn’t date and she represented the epitome of strings when it came to dating. “I just have the patience to put up with his grouchiness and he has the good grace to acknowledge my complaints.”

Alicia watched with fascination as Susan literally worked her magic on the journal. She knew her Charms and Transfiguration but it was always interesting to see it used by other people in ways very different from her own. When Susan reached the verdict, she felt torn. On one hand, she felt validated that her ward really was working the way she had intended it to, on the other hand, she felt dreadful that someone, anyone, would have found out that they had a child somewhere with someone because of something as silly as a warded entry about playdates. Add to that that rather than be sympathetic, she had stood her ground on the unfaultiness of her ward. “I told him that personal experience has proved that my wards are better at keeping out intruders than Contraceptive Potions are,” she said miserably.

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susanamybones
2014-08-31 03:46 pm UTC (link)

Susan blushed, slightly chagrined first that she'd managed to make such a ridiculous mistake, then at Alicia's praise. "Both actually," she replied earnestly. "Field Healing was really interesting, and is the reason that I don't send you, Hannah, Ernie, and Justin into conniptions every time I need a proper Healing. On the other hand I also totally listen when you go on your rants, mainly because you're de-shattering my ribs."

"Oh thank heavens, I thought I was suddenly thirty like in a movie Justin made me watch once," she said, dramatically placing the back of her hand on her forehead. "They're growing up so fast though, I really must come see the little devils soon actually!"

Susan shrugged infinitesimally at Alicia's frank appraisal. She'd never totally hid the fact that much of her behaviour could be linked back to the time when age nineteen she'd entered into a ménage à trois with a high ranking figure in the International Confederation of Wizards and her husband, a high level Ministry man. It had ended badly, and that's all the thought that she was willing to put into it. "Hmmm," she replied. "Maybe I'll send him an owl or something. I just, don't want to hurt anyone."

She watched her friend stutter and blush, her suspicions only growing more concrete by the second. "Uh huh," she murmured with a quirked eyebrow. "So you're saying that you've never lost yourself in those amazing blue eyes of his, and that you be totally fine if I pursued him?

She cracked her knuckles and leant forward to stare at Alicia with her Auror face. "So, is it Zabini, Wood, or Davies?"

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_alicia_
2014-09-01 05:40 am UTC (link)

“Ah,” Alicia laughed. “I knew that Healing you up had some benefits. At least now I know that one person listens to me.” If anything, Susan was a survivor, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected that she would soak up any information she could get about how to Heal the best the fastest.

“Justin made you watch 13 Going On 30?” Alicia chuckled. “I should show you Freaky Friday, I think you might like it. Or something with, I don’t know, gratuitous shots of half-naked men.” She waved that off. “Anyway, yes, you should stop by soon. Or if you’re going to the Puddlemere match… they’ll be there. Isla’ll be the one wearing blue and gold in the V.I.P section of Pride fans.”

Looking wonderingly at Susan, Alicia shrugged. “Why would you sending Oliver an Owl hurt anyone?” she asked her. “Unless you’re planning on sending him something unpleasant, of course.”

For a long moment, Alicia just looked at Susan not really seeing her as all kinds of thoughts flooded her mind. Would she be fine with Susan pursuing Adrian? She hadn’t even been aware, until now, that Susan had that kind of interest in him, and the thought of it happening did make her stomach tighten in a not so good way. Susan was beautiful and sexy, and Alicia wasn’t blind to how attractive Adrian was. But it was one thing to know that he was having the occasional one night stand with girls she didn’t know and something quite different when someone she knew actively went for him. Even so, as much as she wanted to object, it wasn’t her place to do so. She had no claim on him, no rights to dictate who he could and couldn’t see and to what capacity. Lowering her gaze she shook her head. “No, that’s not what I’m saying,” she admitted quietly and looked back up at Susan. “But I’m not blind either. Not to him and how gorgeous he is or to my situation. He doesn’t date, I’m not exactly one night stand material and I don’t want to lose him because of that. Besides, I don’t have a say in who either of you pursue. That’s not… that’s not my place to… That’s none of my business.” She sent Susan a small smile, hoping that she hadn’t taken offence of that. It would hurt, but Alicia didn’t like the idea of being the one to stand in the way of someone else’s pursuits.

With a small amused chuckle Alicia met Susan’s stare straight on. Had she been a dark witch faced with being interrogated by Susan she was pretty certain that she would have cracked and spilled everything she knew all at once. But she wasn’t, and though this wasn’t a situation where she was the Healer with a patient, that confidentiality still played a role in how she saw this. “Who says it isn’t McLaggen or Longbottom or Weasley?” she countered before she shook her head. “It really isn’t my place to tell, Susan. He didn’t know. He’s just had his life changed by reading a journal entry and I can’t imagine he even has a clue on where to start looking for this child he knew nothing about.”

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susanamybones
2014-09-01 10:51 am UTC (link)

"Other than the fact that it keeps me alive you mean," Susan smirked with a nod. "But I always listen, and I always remember."

"Mmmm gratuitous shots of naked men and/or women are definitely one of my favourite things. That said, Justin did take me to see Mean Girls in Leicester Square, which I absolutely adored. Have you seen it?" Susan threw her head back and laughed. "Oh Merlin, Isla is a girl after my own heart. You've raised her right."

She shrugged delicately. "You know me, hurting people left right and centre," she said in a deceptively casual voice, thinking of the the three month relationship she'd had with curse-breaker. "But I wouldn't hurt him in terms of sending him something horrid!"

Susan was cut to the quick by the panicked expression on Alicia's face, making her mind up about the situation. She liked Adrian, and could easily see herself falling for him, but if she had to choose between something that would probably end in a sort of friends who had sex with one another arrangement, and her friend's very real happiness she was more than happy to choose Alicia. "I think you do him a disservice Al, I've seen him talk about you and those twins of yours, I don't think he'd be so averse to settling down with the right person." She returned Alicia's wan smile with a bright one of her own. "I know you wouldn't ask dear, but I would never knowingly sleep with someone that a friend likes. It's not how I play."

She tilted her head and grinned. "If I really wanted to, I'm pretty sure I could figure it out. But you're right, it's not really my concern, just something interesting to think about." She made a disgusted face. "It beats Ministry gossip with the whole 'so and so is sleeping with so and so' and bitching about the budgets."

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_alicia_
2014-09-01 08:34 pm UTC (link)

“Keeping you alive is just a by-product, dear,” Alicia teased haughtily, though she couldn’t keep the snooty look on her face for more than a moment, then she was grinning at Susan. “I have to admit that I’m amazed that you’re even capable of registering anything sometimes.”

Alicia shook her head. “No, no I haven’t,” she sighed. “It’s a rare occasion that I get to the cinema, so movies are usually watched at home when it fits my schedule.” And all the other schedules that more or less dictated her own. She was still shaking her head, only now it there was an amused exasperation to her chuckle. “I swear, that girl’s been to Pride matches since before she was born, but she’s been a Puddlemere supporter since she realised there were more than one team in the League.” In no large parts thanks to Oliver, most likely, but it also made her proud to see, that even at five, her daughter had a mind of her own.

“Somehow I doubt you’d intentionally hurt him at all,” Alicia assured Susan, because she truly didn’t see how Susan Owling Oliver could possibly hurt anyone. Her main concern in this was for the both of them to get hurt because of… well, they were her friends and she couldn’t help but worry about them.

With a sigh, Alicia rubbed her thumb over her lower lip. Settle down? Was that what she was looking for? She had already tried settling down, but it had ended before she had truly learned if that was for her or no. But she was sure that she didn’t want a one-night-stand either, not with Adrian, not with anyone. But… But… She look up at Susan and shrugged. “I’m not even sure I remember how I play,” she admitted sheepishly and shook her head. Susan had seemed so excited about her flirty lunch with Adrian and Alicia felt like a fraud for not just being realistic and backing off instead of coming between them by hesitating and hmm’ing and hawinig because she didn’t know what she want, except that she didn’t want to lose Adrian. That pounding in her chest whenever she saw or thought of him, though, that tug she felt in her stomach… it felt familiar. It felt exciting. It felt good, it felt… frightening. “I used to be good at this game,” she groaned, mostly to herself.

“It doesn’t take much to beat bitching about budgets,” she chuckled, then sent Susan a smile of gratitude. “So now you have a puzzle to solve, but breaking wards, sneaking looks in other people’s journals or hiring a Cursebreaker to get your solution will be considered cheating.”

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susanamybones
2014-09-02 11:12 am UTC (link)

Susan made a noise similar to that of an Re'em being speared by an Erumpent. "Fear and pain wake me up, they make me focus. Unless I'm like, really injured. In which case I've usually passed out."

She groaned and slapped her hands gently on the table. "Oh goodness you must the movie is AMAZING and very funny!" She watched Alicia's expression soften, and felt herself smiling in return. "There's always got to be one traitor in the mix," she said sticking her tongue out. "Mind you I'm a bit surprised she doesn't support the Falcons, given how much she loves Adrian."

Susan tilted her head and smiled. "I think I could deal with being more friendly with him," she said at last. "He's a nice bloke under it all, and I can always use more genuine friends in my life."

"Oh please," Susan scoffed, looking Alicia up and down. "You're bloody gorgeous. Were you at all interested in women I would have hexed Adrian and run off with you myself," she teased, before forcing herself to to be serious for a moment. "The one piece of advice I can give you, if my experience means anything darling is that if you want to find something solid, and... real, that you don't treat it like a game. Games have points, and there is always a winner and a loser. The heart shouldn't be a battlefield." She examined her nails nonchalantly for a moment then looked up. "I will keep things more professional with Adrian though, I would hate for you to get hurt."

Susan frowned for a moment, then gave a grin that caused a passing witch to shriek in alarm. "A challenge. I do love challenges. A bit unfair about the Cursebreakers though, I know a few good Cursebreakers."

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_alicia_
2014-09-02 12:11 pm UTC (link)

Stifling a smirk, Alicia held up a finger. “I need to remember than one,” she said. “It’s been years since I lost count of how many times players’ve supposedly forgotten something because they were in pain. I may have to quote you.”

Her eyes flew open with surprise when Susan slapped the table, though she was soon laughing at her friend’s enthusiasm. “I’ll keep the title in mind for next time,” she assured her then drew in a deep breath. “I’m not that surprised about that,” she admitted. “She’s only known Adrian little over a year and a half, but Oliver’s been…” with a shrug she chuckled. “She’s known Oliver her entire life, and she’s got Hufflepuff genes, so she’ll love the man but not the team.”

Nodding slowly, Alicia smiled at Susan. “Oliver’s a solid friend,” she assured her, and it was true! It was when it came to girls and dating that he was a fool, but she would let Susan navigate that on her own; wouldn’t do to crush anything before it had even started.

Alicia snorted. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m not,” she said with a smirk. “It would be so much easier because I know how women think. Then I remember how I think and I praise Godric that I’m into men. It’s all circular, really.” With a sigh, she rubbed her forehead. “I’m not treating it like a game. Never have,” she assured Susan. “It’s just… the last time I went on a date with someone I cared about, I was still a teenager, I was married, and he was,” Alicia abruptly cut herself off from the ‘killed just a few hours later’, and shook her head instead. “It was easy, it was simple, it was just the two of us, and now there’re the twins, there’s work, there’s the Foundation, the Fawley’s. It’s just this big, huge logistical challenge all on top of the most important thing of them all, and that is if this in any way could harm Isla and Liam.” Or to sum it up; Alicia was scared of messing things up. And then there was Susan. “You shouldn’t have to change anything. Flirting’s two-way street, and if he flirts back, well… there’s your answer.” Leaning back in her seat Alicia looked at her empty wine glass, suddenly wishing she had a stiff drink or a couple of shots of something. Anything.

“No, no Cursebreakers isn’t unfair. Not to you. Using them would be unfair to the man in question,” Alicia said with a smirk.

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susanamybones
2014-09-02 05:03 pm UTC (link)

Susan grinned. "Oh please do use it, I love watching Quidditch players sulk."

"Maybe you can come over and watch it with us when it comes out on," she paused searching around for the correct word. "DVD? I think that's what they're called, those shiny disc thingies." She snorted but let the matter of Isla's allegiance drop. "Ah those Hufflepuff's," she said with a wink. "You need to watch them, they're crafty like that."

She reached across and patted Alicia's hand. "Please Alicia, to honour his memory, you have to live. I've seen what happens to someone when they let their grief become their life. They turn into someone like my father. As for the twins, well I think that they're resilient enough to deal with their mum finding happiness you know?" She shook her head slightly and smiled. She wouldn't push it, but she would be strictly business with Adrian - Pucey, rather - from now on. It was a small price to pay for her friends happiness.

"You know," she singsonged with a grin. "I know you don't like this person, so it seriously narrows down the pool of possible candidates. But, I shall let it drop because I don't actually care that much about finding out, it was just more a curiosity."

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_alicia_
2014-09-04 10:26 am UTC (link)

Alicia waggled her eyebrows, because Susan was right; there was a certain satisfaction to see any professional athlete pout for being told to not be a cry-baby.

Unconsciously, Alicia leaned closer as Susan searched for the word, and nodded when she indeed did find the right word. “That sounds like fun,” she grinned, “and you know you’re always welcome to come over. We’ve a bit of a varied selection, too.” With chuckle she sighed. “Yeah, you Puffs, have to be careful with you.” Alicia had never really understood how people so easily could find Hufflepuffs weak and naïve. True, she had had her own bias against Slytherins back in school, but never Hufflepuffs; her dad and brother had made sure of that.

Looking at Susan, Alicia could feel her eyes prickling slightly but blinked that away before it could turn into anything more. “I am living,” she assured her, “and it’s not grief or Daniel that’s holding me back. I miss him, of course I do, I didn’t marry him for his money or his good looks, but I’ve moved on, I know he’s not coming back and that I will never lose what we had. It’s just…” she paused and shrugged. “It’s new and it’s a little scary to sort of miss that part of my life again. But mostly I’m scared of losing a friend. Isla and Liam’s friend, too.” For years, her focus had been on the children, on the foundation, on her work, on people around her, and frankly it was scary turning that focus to herself, even if just for a little while.

Alicia actually laughed at Susan’s conclusion. “Who’s saying that his name was even one of the six names mentioned?” she said with a shake of her head. “I’m glad you’re letting it drop, and hopefully it’ll get settled soon and without too much drama.”

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susanamybones
2014-09-04 01:16 pm UTC (link)

Susan grinned hugely, reaching over to pat Alicia's hand. "It will be fun," she crowed. "We can stay up late, braid each other's hair - not sure how we'll braid Justin's but we'll think of something!" She quirked an eyebrow, interested at the mention of a varied collection. "Beware the badger, for it is long in the pissing off, but vicious in the retaliation."

She watched as Alicia visibly fought back tears, her own eyes becoming a tad misty themselves. "I'm glad," she said genuinely. "I'd hate to see you put your life aside until your kids were all grown up. You're not Lorelai Gilmore for Godric's sake." She wiped her eyes and grinned, proud of her friends bravery. "It can be scary, but I know that he thinks too highly of you to let that happen. We chatted about you on Wednesday and the way his eyes lit up at the mention of your name. You have to be brave girl."

She eyed Alicia beadily, and shrugged. "As long as it's not that complete prick, Zabini. The thought of him spawning is too horrifying to mention - although at least if it is him, he won't pull the whole series of "mysterious" death things his mother pulled."

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_alicia_
2014-09-05 12:01 am UTC (link)

Alicia laughed, shaking her head in agreement. “It will,” she agreed actually looking forward to this very loose idea. She loved Susan like a sister and she adored Justin, so watching silly movies with them seemed like the perfect way to disconnect from the world for a bit. “Oh, I’ve no intentions of pissing of anyone, badger or not,” Alicia smirked. “I may be Gryffindor, but I know how to pick my battles. Usually, at least.”

With a small, content smile Alicia drew in a deep breath. “That would never happen. Yes, it’s been put on hold for a bit while they were younger, but that’s just pure necessity unless you’re completely detached,” she mused. Her life had been put on hold, but frankly she believed that she had had a right to do so, even if it meant that it would take her a bit to get back to living a life that wasn’t directly connected to her children at all times. “You know, if you think about it, Lorelai didn’t set her life aside. She’s close, maybe too close, with her daughter, but she’s built up something solid for herself since Rory was born if you think about it.” With a smirk she shrugged. “I’ve been going over hundreds of applications while having the telly on in the background.”

Susan’s comment had Alicia snorting and shaking her head. “You really think McLaggen breeding would be better than Zabini spawn?” Never mind the fact that Zabini had been acting civil towards her for the past couple of years and had actually been a great support for the Foundation. Right now, however, she didn’t think that would be the smartest thing to point out to Susan, lest she gave away something that wasn’t really hers to share.

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susanamybones
2014-09-05 12:38 pm UTC (link)

Susan grinned triumphantly. "Good! You can even come over to mine if you like, I bought one of those new spell-resistant tellies, so I can actually watch things in my ridiculously oversized house." She grinned lovingly at Alicia. "Discretion is the better part of valour," she said with a wink.

She laughed and patted the other woman's hand, touched by the deep affection welling in her chest. "Well that does speak well of you I'll admit, plus it's done the kids a world of good." She let out a great snort of laughter at the detailed analysis of Gilmore Girls. "Touché Alicia, touché. I'm inclined to agree with you though, and at least you get some damn relaxation time!"

Shaking her head slightly, Susan pulled out her watch and grimaced. "Would you be terribly offended if I cut this short darling? I have be home soon!" She leant forward and kissed Alicia on the cheek. "Owl me or Journal me soon okay?"

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