HIGGS, terence. (higgles) wrote in reduxpitch, @ 2016-12-06 14:37:00 |
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Entry tags: | !thread, character: max davies, character: terence higgs |
who ? max davies and terence higgs
when ? tuesday evening, 6th december
where ? higgs’ house
what ? dinner, again
part ? two
status ? complete
ooc: link to part one
“Close to the end of my seventh year,” Max answered. “Which would have been after you’d left school. We were friends for some time before that, though.” Max knew it was unusual to find each other so young, but he had no doubts about Siobhan. She was wonderful, and he would never meet another woman like her. He’d be a fool not to marry her, and it was hardly as if they were rushing in to this. “We had to be apart a lot after I left. I was at Cambridge, and Siobhan was dancing. Then she started her healer training. This will be the first time we’ve lived together, which I think is adding to the pressure to find the right house.” If they’d lived together before, in a flat they never intended to buy, perhaps they’d feel less like they needed to buy the perfect home straight away. Still, Max was sure they’d manage alright.
Max made a slightly surprised noise when Higgs revealed he’d grown up in Godric’s Hollow. “That’s actually where we’re focusing our search,” he said. “We started out looking at muggle neighbourhoods, but thought there’d be a lot more freedom somewhere we don’t have to worry about the Statute of Secrecy.” Maximilian Snr would probably be thrilled if Max and Siobhan ended up moving in next door to Higgs’ parents. Another Wizengamot judge right there to network with. “I want a house with some fields or woods nearby,” he added. “That’s what Roger and I grew up with. My father still lives there, in Somerset.”
--
Higgs nodded when Max explained how him and Siobhan had started to date in his seventh year. It made Higgs think how Alicia had been in hers when they’d met first. “Being apart a lot can be very difficult,” Higgs noted from far too much experience. “I’m glad it worked out for you,” he added truthfully, since he couldn’t really make the same claim. Then again, he supposed, that the second time around, it hadn’t been their distance that had pulled them apart. The bitter taste at the back of his throat, Higgs was unsurprised to discover, was still as sharp as it had been the day of the divorce, the day he’d asked Alicia for one. The knowledge that he had let her down still ate at Higgs in a way he simply had no idea how to stop.
“Fields, I think, are probably better,” Higgs commented, drawing himself out of the loop he was sure he could easily end up in whilst thinking of all the failures he made in his own marriage. “Less likely to lose a kid in them,” he said somewhat jokingly. Reaching for his wine, Higgs gave another nod at Max’s explanation that he himself had grown up with vast outside space in Somerset. “I’m sure you’ll find a house soon,” Higgs assured despite not actually have much of a reason to suspect this, apart from the fact that they were looking, so they ought to find something sooner or later. “I think, Marcus and I probably went a bit overboard by building a house,” he added with a small wave at their surroundings. “But it is a nice house,” which was true. “If perhaps very generously green,” Higgs added amused, since they truly had managed to introduce a lot of green into the decor.
--
Max nodded, because people had been telling him how difficult it was to be apart from Siobhan for years and nodding was the appropriate response. If he really examined it, Max hadn’t found it that hard. He liked having Siobhan closer, of course. It was nice that she was able to accompany him to events, and he enjoyed spending time with her and Roger more than once or twice a year. Still, the way people talked about being apart from their significant others was not really the way Max had experienced it. There had been floo calls, and owls. He assumed Higgs wouldn’t have had either of those, and he could see why that would be harder. “I’m sure some would say living together presents as many challenges,” he said, because he’d heard that too. “I think Siobhan and I know each other well enough that there won’t be too many surprises.”
Max smiled when Higgs said it would be harder to lose a child in a field. “I liked woods,” he said, a little wistfully. Maximilian Snr, perhaps, hadn’t been overly concerned about the possibility of losing his sons in a field - they’d both known better than to get themselves lost. “I can certainly see the appeal of building a house,” Max said. “You do end up with exactly what you want.” He glanced approvingly around the room. It wasn’t what he would have picked, but for all that he could see that it was nice. “With the wedding as well, though, I don’t think we need the added stress of builders and decisions. If we buy a house, we can make any improvements in our own time - while we still have a roof over our heads.”
--
“Perhaps different challenges,” Higgs suggested. He didn’t really have much of an experience in living with his wife. Ex-wife. Higgs frowned briefly at that particular thought. “I imagine it’s very situational,” he said rather than concentrating on thinking about how long it might take him to get used to calling Alicia his ex-wife rather than his current one. Even whilst separated, Higgs had never stopped thinking of her as his wife. “I’m sure you and Siobhan will be just fine,” Higgs agreed. “You clearly know each other very well,” which wasn’t necessarily to say that Higgs and Alicia hadn’t but their knowing of each other was much less based on a long friendship and more based on sporadic dating.
Higgs nodded in agreement when Max said that building a house might be too much stress with everything else. “Yes, it’s not the most common of things people decide to do after viewing half a dozen houses. Marcus just has no patience,” Higgs informed Max with some amusement before having some more of his food, topping the plate up with some more of the tiny dishes. “What did you like about woods?” Higgs asked putting one of the dishes back down, giving Max a glance.
--
Reminded by Higgs movement that there was plenty of food left, Max reached out for the dish he’d liked best, then stopped. There wasn’t much left, and he thought Siobhan would like it too. “We should put this aside for Siobhan,” he said, suiting action to words. He filled his plate instead from one of the dishes he hadn’t tried yet. “I’m starting to lose my patience, so I can sympathise.” Max hadn’t got to the stage where he wanted to build a house, yet, but he was more than ready for the search to be over. “Philippa has agreed to help plan the wedding, though,” he said. “That should help keep things from becoming overwhelming.” Max wasn’t going to completely leave the planning to the women, but there were definitely areas he was happy for them to cover - dresses, flowers, invitations.
The question wasn’t one Max had expected to be asked, so he took a moment to really think about his answer. Not, for once, because he was afraid of what it would say about him, but simply because he didn’t know until he thought. “Lots of things,” he said slowly. “I liked the shadows. Fields are either sunny or grey, but sunlight filters through leaves and branches in a way that changes all the time.” Mad hadn’t had enough free time to ever really learn the woods. “And I liked that you could walk and not really know where a path would take you, or what you’d find along the way. You don’t get that in a field - you can always see what’s coming.” Max smiled. “That said, riding horses in a field is a lot easier than riding them in a wood, so I suppose fields must have their place.”
--
“No, it’s fine,” Higgs said with a shake of his head. “I have more,” he explained with a small wave towards the kitchen. Reaching to take the prawn dish, Higgs moved it closer to Max. “Gambas,” Higgs informed him. “Sauteed prawns in salsa negra,” he explained, before smiling slightly. “I might’ve gotten a bit too into the cookbooks,” he admitted. Still, the dish was very good! Overall, Higgs was rather impressed with the selection he’d been able to make. There was enough leftovers to send Siobhan a bit of everything so she wouldn’t feel like she’d missed out.
Higgs’ smile widened when Max said that Pippa had agreed to help with the wedding planning. “You’ll have the best organised wedding ever, then,” he assured Max. “Pippa’s very good,” Higgs added truthfully. Of course, he knew he was at least a little bit biased in his love of Pippa, but not so much that he didn’t recognise that she truly was very good.
The explanation for why Max had liked being in a forest made Higgs smile into his wineglass, mostly to not look like he found it quite sweet, which he did. Wonder and adventure. That was what Higgs took from that. It was hardly something you wouldn’t expect all kids to have, of course, but there was still something almost endearing to imagine Max, the very well put together and closed off Max, as a child wandering around a forest in order to discover where different paths would lead. “I’ve never ridden a horse,” Higgs informed him instead. “I once road a camel, though,” he added thoughtfully.
--
Max nodded, making a mental note of the name of the dish. One day, he might see it in on a menu, and now he would know that he liked it. “You’ve done very well,” Max said, because it was true. After two glasses of wine, it didn’t seem quite so irritating, either. “I tend to stick to things I know I can make.” Max did try to branch out sometimes, because he knew it was important for Siobhan not to get caught up in a list of ‘safe’ foods. He didn’t usually share the results of his first attempts with anyone, though, except possibly Roger. He usually needed at least two tries to get it right. Cooking was infuriatingly unpredictable that way. “I make an excellent omelette,” he said, with a note of humour. It really was the thing he made most often.
“That will be a relief,” Max said. He approved of organised people. He knew that Siobhan could do it herself, or with his help, if she’d had to - but she was busy with work, and there was really no reason why she should have to. Pippa, as Max understood it, was not currently employed fulltime. He imagined that would make it a lot easier to plan a wedding. “Maybe I should have asked Siobhan if Pippa could find a house for us as well.” He was joking about Philippa doing it, but Max had started to wonder about handing over their (now extensive) list of wishes and seeing what some professional agent could find for them.
Max quite liked horses. As a rule, the bigger the animal the better as far as he was concerned. It wasn’t that he was scared of small animals like mice or birds, he just preferred a good big dog, or a horse. “I have never ridden a camel,” he said. “But I think the horse would be more comfortable.” He looked at Higgs for a moment, trying to picture him on a camel before shaking his head. “Did you -” He didn’t quite know how to phrase his question, so he tried another one. “Did you try much local food on your tours?”
--
Higgs smiled at Max’s assurance that he’d done well with the food. He had, himself, thought that the food was nice, but it was still good to have someone else agree. Higgs did also give a small laugh when Max said that he made an excellent omelette. “Well, I look forward to that for when I come over for dinner at yours,” Higgs said teasingly, before nodding at Max’s joking suggestion to just let Pippa find them a house. “You joke, but she picked most of this decor,” Higgs informed Max. “I mean, she suggested less green, but that’s besides the point.” Really, everyone but Marcus and Higgs had suggested less green.
“I’m sure you’re right,” Higgs agreed when Max said he imagined horses to be more comfortable. Higgs had not found riding a camel in any way appealing. At the question about food, Higgs gave a nod. “Sometimes. It depended on where we were and what the mission was,” he explained, which probably was quite obvious. “I did a lot of UN peace missions, so some of those involved a lot of dealing with locals,” some better than others. “On those occasions we got to see much more of the culture, which was nice,” Higgs said truthfully. He had always enjoyed being able to see the world. It was just unfortunate that most of the world he saw involved warfare.
--
“I can make other things,” Max assured Higgs. He didn’t think he’d be so ambitious as to try multiple different things, as Higgs had done, but he could make food that was suitable for company. Having lived alone for so long, it would be ridiculous not to be able to cook at all. “It might have to be after Christmas now.” They were already into December, and Max did not expect things to get less hectic in the run up to his skiing holiday. “Though I did promise Siobhan she could decorate my flat, and I’m sure she’d like you to see that.” Even if they couldn’t schedule a dinner, surely they’d have time for drinks or coffee. “Decor’s something we haven’t even thought about yet,” Max said. His list of things to sort out was never-ending. At least Siobhan would help with it all. “I think Siobhan and Roger would both be offended if I tried to put in this much green. There’ll probably be more blue. And wood. Siobhan and I both like wood.”
Higgs’ answer, helpfully, answered both the question about food that Max had asked and the one about how much of the world outside an army base Higgs actually got to see. He nodded at the explanation. “That’s nice,” he agreed, not sure what other word to use. He felt strangely awkward, afraid of asking the wrong thing. “Was that mostly in one area, or different areas? I assume the culture varies a fair amount, depending on exactly where you go.” Max didn’t know a lot about it, but he was interested. Maybe he’d get a book, then he might feel more confident trying to converse with Higgs about it.
--
“I’m sure you can make whatever you set your heart on,” Higgs agreed but his tone was almost a little too playful in its teasing. This, Higgs thought, was quite nice. Clearly, the answer to the stick that was shoved up Max’s arse was to give him some wine in order to relax. Higgs made a mental note to remember that as he reached to top up their glasses. “I guess blue’s acceptable,” Higgs added setting the bottle down. “Obviously, not as good as green,” he joked. “I actually prefer red,” Higgs admitted in a mock whisper to Max. “Tell no one,” he ordered with a grin, before taking a sip of his wine.
If Higgs had known that Max was worried about asking the wrong thing, he would’ve assured him not to be. Higgs was perfectly happy to answer questions and if there ever were ones he rather didn’t, Higgs would say as much. He tended to be quite good at knowing what sort of questions his answers would prompt, a lot like playing chess. “It often depended on the mission,” Higgs said. “I’ve done a few in Africa and a few in Middle East. Both came with a variety of their own peculiarities,” Higgs explained. He couldn’t, in most cases, actually tell Max where he’d been but at times it did also all blur into one. “But yeah, of course the cultures were varied. But more so than that, you end up working with soldiers from across the UN countries, so there’s an element of learning about their cultures, too,” Higgs added. It was interesting, at least to him, especially since Higgs wasn’t sure he’d ever spoken about his time in the army in relation to learning about different cultures.
--
Max chuckled. “My heart and several years of culinary training,” Max corrected. He’d had some very fancy meals in restaurants, things he was fairly sure no one could replicate in a home kitchen without first buying all sorts of specialist equipment or learning some of those very spells that were kept secret and passed from master to apprentice. “I think I’ll stick to prawns in brandy sauce and leave anything more complicated to the professionals.” Max reached for another sip of wine after Higgs topped up his glass. He shook his head as Higgs exhorted him to silence about his favoured colour, hesitating. In seeking a fitting response, his mind ventured down dangerous paths, about secrets kept or unkept. He turned back. “I suppose we might actually decorate the house with more than a single colour,” he suggested. “I quite like yellow. It’s cheerful.”
Beginning to feel full, Max leaned back a little in his chair, still holding his glass. “I hadn’t considered that,” he said, when Higgs mentioned working with other UN soldiers. “Do different armies have very different cultures as well?” He frowned, thinking he’d worded the question poorly. “The armies themselves, I mean. I know the soldiers obviously come from different cultures. When I think of the army, I’m sure what I’m really thinking of is the British army, because I don’t know anything about the French army or the Italian army. Do they have big differences?” He still wasn’t sure he’d got across his question the way he wanted, so he took another drink (which, really, was not likely to help matters). It wasn’t a question Max had ever given any thought to, and that made it all the more interesting to him.
--
Higgs grinned, just about managing to stop himself from giving a small, pleased laugh. He did find himself oddly pleased, though, at the chuckle that Max gave. There’s was almost a sense of reward having made Max laugh. Higgs found that thought really quite curious, but opted for giving a snort instead when Max said he supposed they might end up with more than one colour in their new house. “I’m sure that it’ll look lovely whatever you pick,” Higgs said. “Or more accurately, whatever Siobhan picks,” he corrected teasingly. Higgs had very little doubt that Max would just agree with what Siobhan wanted if she was very expressive in wanting it.
Taking another sip of his wine, Higgs thought about Max’s question, even without Max elaborating what he meant to ask, Higgs had understood it. “I don’t think there’s a great deal of difference in the way Western armies are run,” he said finally. “The discipline? The structure? Those are elements that all armies share,” he explained. “There’s a degree of...” Higgs paused giving a sigh as he tried to think of how to explain it to someone who had never been in the army. “Brotherhood?” He offered finally. “The way your mind works in those sort of situations can be a lot different than, well, not being in those situation. You’re always actively aware that other people’s lives rely on your actions,” which was somewhat fair, Higgs felt. It didn’t necessarily always apply if there was no evident danger, but then, Higgs had not done many missions that didn’t involve immediate danger.
--
“Siobhan does have excellent taste,” Max agreed, because it was simply true. “One thing I’m glad we’ve found in looking for a house is that we both like a lot of the same things. There have been relatively few rooms we’ve walked into where one of us liked it and the other one hated it.” Surely, that must make things a great deal easier. Max knew several people off the top of his head he’d have hated to try to find a house with, purely because they’d have wanted such different styles. Max had rejected on sight several houses made (seemingly entirely) of metal and glass, and yet presumably there were people who wanted to live in such places.
Max listened, both relaxed(ish) and interested as Higgs explained the similarities between the soldiers in his experience. “I suppose by now there’s a sort of… formula,” he theorised. “A set of principles that’s been shown to get the best results. The discipline and the structure. I wonder how far back you’d have to go to get more divergence, and whether non-Western armies are the same.” Max didn’t really expect Higgs to know these things. Probably there were books on it. Military psychology? The evolution of the modern military? Max might look it up. “Maybe we figured that out in the middle ages, and the changes to weapons haven’t really changed the actual commander-to-soldier interaction at all.” He glanced at Higgs. “Were you an officer?” He’d wondered before, but hadn’t been at all sure it was a thing it was polite to ask.
--
Siobhan, Higgs had little doubt, did have an excellent taste, which in turn meant that her and Max’s house would look lovely, once they did find one to purchase. Higgs did also nod when Max explained how it helped that they both agreed on what they liked and didn’t like. This was also not something Higgs had a great deal of experience with. Him and Marcus had been pretty quick in giving up trying to find a house. As for Higgs and Alicia, they’d been young and had just gone with things that were reasonably priced rather than something they particularly wanted. It had never been the plan to stay in the flat forever. Things just hadn’t quite worked out even remotely close to any kind of plan they had had.
“Military studies or war strategy is what you’re after there,” Higgs advised. He was hardly a reader, but Higgs, perhaps because of being a soldier, had tried to read some of the books. Some were mostly just frustrating, but a few had been quite interesting. He enjoyed the history. The more academic books often went over Higgs’ head in terms of their complexity. “A sergeant,” Higgs replied when Max asked him whether he’d been an officer. “Officers and soldiers have different ranking systems,” Higgs explained. “Officer roles are more leadership? Soldiers are more... feet on the ground, I guess,” he added, since Higgs didn’t necessarily expect Max to be aware of the difference.
--
“Am I?” Max asked, sounding unconvinced. He didn’t particularly want to read about how one actually fought a war, which was what war strategy sounded like it would be. He just wanted to know about the building of an army. Still, he could concede that Higgs had much more expertise in this area than he did. “Do you have any recommendations?” Max was, after all, a busy man who didn’t have time to read books that weren’t any good.
Max’s knowledge of the muggle army came almost entirely from his days at Cambridge. He’d had a few friends who came from military families, or who were on army-funded scholarships. Those had mostly involved officers. “I didn’t know that,” he admitted - a phrase that came far more readily to him after a few glasses of wine than it would have otherwise. “About officers and soldiers having different ranks. I suppose it makes sense to divide those two skillsets up.” He frowned slightly. “Did you think it worked?”
--
“I have a few books I can lend you,” Higgs said in response when Max asked if he’d have any recommendations. Higgs really wasn’t very good with books, but he did own a few that he thought Max might find interesting. “I’ll find them before you go,” he added reaching for his wine. Their food was mostly sat untouched by now, but Higgs couldn’t quite bring himself to get up and clear the plates. Not when there was still some wine to drink and the conversation had turned oddly pleasant. Higgs felt that if he was to get up now he’d somehow break whatever spell Max was under (wine, Higgs told himself, that spell was definitely wine).
As Higgs really hadn’t expected Max to know there was a difference, it did not surprise him when Max said as much. Maybe if Higgs, himself, had had slightly less wine, he would’ve wondered if Max often admitted not knowing something, but as it was, he just replied instead. “Personally, I felt it worked,” Higgs told him. “But I think it might depends on who you ask,” most wouldn’t necessarily criticise the way ranks were allocated and divided, but Higgs knew what the objections were. “I was never terribly interested in climbing the career ladder of the army,” Higgs admitted. “But I was very good at my job,” he added because that was fair. Higgs had made a sergeant well before the average age of sergeants and that had mostly been down of how good Higgs had been with people, as much as it had been about how good he had been at his job.
--
Max probably shouldn’t still be surprised at Higgs being nice, especially when it was only offering to lend a few books he had presumably already read. Nonetheless, it reminded Max to wonder why Higgs was being so nice now. Had he really changed? Or was it what Higgs had said, that he found Max fascinating? “Thank you,” Max said, dismissing the warmth in his cheeks as a result of the wine, and trying to cool it with another sip.
“Why not?” Max asked. The idea of not wanting to reach the top of whatever career you happened to be in both did and didn’t make any sense to Max. Max wanted to be the best lawyer he could be (or at least to be thought of as the best lawyer), but the next logical step in his career - at least according to this father - was to look into becoming a judge. Max knew he would do it eventually, but he wasn’t quite ready to give up his specialty and his office just yet. “Do you get to work with a team now, as a hitwizard?” Max asked. He didn’t feel it was necessary to ask whether Higgs felt the team had the same bond he’d described in the army - the way he’d spoken about it had felt to Max like something in the past, not something he also experienced now. “A consistent team, I mean. Or do you work with different people on different days depending on who’s available?”
--
Higgs bit his lower lip thoughtfully at Max’s question about why Higgs hadn’t been interested in climbing the career ladder in the army. There had been opportunities for him to do so if he had chosen, it wasn’t unheard for soldiers to switch to becoming officers. It wasn’t that Higgs didn’t know the answer, it was more that he had to think carefully of a way to explain it to someone like Max. They were very different people. Even now that they seemed to have found some common ground, Higgs knew the way they viewed the world varied a lot. “I’m very practical,” Higgs settled on in the end. “I like working with people, I like seeing what and how things are done. There’s a point in the army at which things become rather... academic, I guess,” he explained. “The higher your rank, especially an officer’s one, the more you end up working out of an office. That’s not something I consider myself to be very good at,” which, perhaps, was a bit unfair, because Higgs could do those jobs, he’d just hate them.
As for working in a team now, Higgs gave a small nod. “We have a team, but then that splinters out in smaller groups. It’s enjoyable enough,” Higgs commented because it was. “But there’s far too much paperwork for my liking,” he added with a small grin. Higgs didn’t see any point in pretending that he liked doing paperwork. The army had definitely been far preferred in how Higgs could just get on with things. Saying that, he was coming to enjoy his job as a hitwizard.
--
Max nodded as he listened. He didn’t really understand, but he could mostly respect that Higgs had pinpointed his own strengths and tried to line his career up with them. There was such a thing as being promoted to a job you actually couldn’t do, and Max thought it sensible that Higgs had avoided that. At least, he would have if Higgs’ job hadn’t been the army. “But wouldn’t it be safer?” he asked. “To be in an office?” Maybe not completely safe, it would still be the army after all, but Max couldn’t understand why you wouldn’t want to make the odds of being killed at work as low as possible. Of course, if Higgs had thought like that he probably wouldn’t have gone into the army in the first place.
“You tend to find that, in government,” Max agreed, tone almost playful (for him). Max didn’t really have a solution for that, though he would have liked to offer one because he liked finding solutions for things. It was something he considered himself to be good at. “I like paperwork.” Max was aware this was both unusual in the wider world but also fairly expected for a lawyer. His job did consist almost entirely of paperwork, after all, and Max was one of those lawyers who liked to keep files in triplicate, just in case any of the copies went missing. “Except when it comes to abstract art,” he added, forgetting he was talking to Higgs as he enlarged on his theme. “How do you explain what a piece that’s just shapes is?”
--
The question of whether it wouldn’t be safe to be an officer, made Higgs smile. “It would be,” he agreed with Max. It wasn’t really surprising that Max didn’t understand why Higgs would choose to put himself on the front lines when he could work his way off of them. Self-preservation was, of course, important, but it wasn’t the only thing that was. “But if I’m good at my job, then I can make sure everyone else is safe,” Higgs explained. “I trust myself more to do that whilst being a soldier on the ground, than somebody who plans missions without ever seeing them,” he added with a small shrug, wetting his lips before reaching for the wine.
When Max noted that he liked paperwork, Higgs grinned. “That is not very surprising,” he teased. Higgs knew of other people who also enjoyed paperwork. Why they did was beyond him, but Higgs was more than happy to accept that some people just did. The question of how one was to explain abstract art made Higgs laugh. Both because Max sounded so put upon by it and because it made Higgs imagine Max try to describe abstract art. “Can’t you just say whatever you want? ‘Two dogs playing with a wasp’ and then just add ‘but in abstract’?” Higgs suggested mostly jokingly. Presumably, Max’s job required slightly more precision than that.
--
Although Max had studied enough history to know that commanders were often blamed for heavy losses of troops, he had never thought to personalise that. He nodded. “That makes sense,” he agreed. If Higgs thought he wouldn’t be good in an office, directing a battle from afar, then he really shouldn’t do it, because people might die. “Do you think the same will hold true as a hitwizard?” he asked. “Presumably there are higher roles, or management, that you could be promoted into.” Max didn’t know whether the same would apply there, whether sending more active hitwizards into danger was something Higgs wouldn’t been qualified to do. “Are you just going to keep doing what you do now?” Max couldn’t imagine being satisfied with that. He was going to become a judge, eventually, but even if he hadn’t chosen that career path, he’d still want to be promoted, perhaps open his own legal practice.
“If I could tell it was two dogs playing with a wasp, that would be an improvement,” Max said candidly. He liked art, really he did, but not the modern abstract stuff that didn’t actually represent anything concrete as far as Max could figure out. “One artist told me to say the painting was of psychic energy,” he complained. You couldn’t draw energy, and Max wasn’t convinced ‘psychic energy’ even existed. “Apparently, psychic energy is very beige,” he added, since that had been the predominant colour on the canvas. “With blue streaks.”
--
The question didn’t necessarily surprise Higgs but it did make him pause, thinking of the answer. He hadn’t really given his career progression in the Ministry much of a thought. Higgs had spent most of the year just trying to adapt to a different type of job, he hadn’t really had a great deal of time to think about what he wanted for the future of that job. “I think, I would eventually like to lead teams,” he decided out loud. “Maybe be in charge of training the new recruits,” he added. Higgs was good at training people. That had always been one of the jobs he enjoyed. Being a hitwizard was hardly a job Higgs didn’t think he was suited to, at the same time, he was still unconvinced if this was a job Higgs wished to keep forever.
Max’s complaint made Higgs laugh, because it was so genuine both in distaste and in confusion. Higgs was not a man who understood abstract art, so he could certainly relate to the confusion. “Well, at least it’s educational?” Higgs asked with amusement. “Besides, isn’t the point of abstract art that you can see whatever you want in it?” Actually, as Higgs said it out loud he wasn’t quite convinced that was true. “Do you just perfect your ability to nod agreeably, instead?” Higgs teased. He couldn’t imagine attempting to have an artist explain what their art was about. “Questioning an artist's intent must be much more dangerous than getting shot at,” he told Max, the smile on his lips betraying the serious tone he attempted to make the comment in.
--
“Those seem attainable and valuable goals,” Max said, intending it as a compliment but sounding slightly more like a Hogwarts Head of House giving career advice. “I’m sure your experience in the army would make you a good candidate for both.” It seemed logical to Max that there would be many transferable skills, so Higgs was probably in the position - at least, if his self-assessment was accurate - to do well in the department he’d landed in.
Max didn’t make people laugh very often. He could talk to people, and keep them engaged and interested, but they rarely found him funny. It was nice, and he smiled at Higgs across the forgotten plates of food. “I nod agreeably very well,” he said, demonstrating. He returned the smile as Higgs teased about it being dangerous to question an artist’s intent. Most were quite good about it, really. Except Jun, who delighted in making Max guess what her pieces were of. “And yet I’ve been awarded no medals for bravery,” he replied, hiding a smile in his wine glass.
--
Higgs couldn’t help the snort that escaped him when Max informed him that his goals were most likely attainable and valuable. “I’ll have you read my cover letter when I apply for a promotion,” Higgs teased. Then again, he did also suspect that Max would be very good at that sort of a thing. Being a lawyer, no doubt, left Max in a position where he was very good with words. Concise things that got a point across without sounding overly convoluted. Well, Higgs supposed that being a lawyer also meant that Max was very good at making things sound convoluted, but you had to know you were doing it in order to be good at it.
There was a smile that Higgs felt almost settling on his lips when Max assured him he was, in fact, very talented at nodding. That smile fell a little when Max pointed out he had received no medals for bravery for his work. Higgs knew he was joking, but it still struck a pang low in his stomach. Higgs had received medals for his work. The last had somewhat been for bravery. Somewhat, because Higgs certainly didn’t consider it well earned. It was hard to acknowledge bravery when it involved having half of your team die.
“I’m sure someone could paint you one,” Higgs suggested jokingly, standing up to start clearing the plates from the table, distract himself from thoughts he didn’t particularly want to have.
--
At that moment, Max felt quite willing to agree to read Higgs’ cover letter if and when he applied for promotion. There was something satisfying, to Max, in writing or filling in an application when you actually had all the relevant skills and experience. He’d felt the same way filling out his application for Merlin College. He was about to say so when Higgs got up. Max stood as well, helping to clear the plates Higgs didn’t have enough free hands for.
“In abstract?” he asked, moving slowly and carefully on his way to the sink. He wasn’t drunk. He was just… careful. “Can I help with boxing things up?” he asked, gesturing to the plates that still had food. It looked like quite a lot. “Maybe not all of this. Unless we tell Siobhan that she can share with her colleagues.”
--
“I mean, it probably would just be beige with blue lines on it, but you could pretend it’s for bravery,” Higgs told Max jokingly as they moved the plates over. When Max offered to help boxing things up for Siobhan, Higgs nodded. “There’s some takeaway boxes in that cupboard,” he said waving a hand towards one of the lower cupboards. He paused slightly when Max said that perhaps they shouldn’t send Siobhan all of the leftover food unless she was specifically instructed to share. That made sense. Higgs was tempted to ask how Max found maneuvering around Siobhan’s trouble with food, but was unsure if that was necessarily a question Max would appreciate.
Bringing some more of the plates over, Higgs offered Max a smile. “How about you pick whatever you think Siobhan might like and we’ll do a separate box for whomever she might be on a shift with?” Higgs suggested. “There’s still some food in the pots, too,” he added waving his hand at the cooker that had some pans and pots sat on top of it. Higgs had, perhaps, overestimated how much one had to cook for tapas. “Do you want to take some for lunch tomorrow?” He asked thoughtfully.
--
“Fitting,” Max decided. Since his imagined medal was for dealing with abstract art, it might as well be a medal as abstract as the pieces he’d been complaining about. He nodded to the instructions, taking out the boxes and choosing the things he thought Siobhan would like best. “She’ll be popular at St Mungo’s tonight,” he said. Anything was better than the food at St Mungo’s, but Higgs’ food was much better than sandwiches from home.
The offer of food for lunch, Higgs once again being nice, came as a little less of a surprise this time. And there did seem to be plenty of food to spare. “Sure,” he said. “Thank you.” He did feel a pressure to do the polite thing and make sure he had Higgs over soon. “We’ll have you over for coffee and mince pies before Christmas,” he promised, far more readily than he would have done. Glancing around the kitchen, Max didn’t see a fire. “Do you have a floo?” he asked. He didn’t think he should apparate home after as much wine as he’d had.
--
“That’d be nice,” Higgs commented when Max said he’d invite Higgs over for coffee and mince pies. Whilst Higgs had no doubt that at least part of that was politeness, he did think that perhaps Max hadn’t actually had a terrible time tonight. Higgs certainly hadn’t. “Yeah,” Higgs nodded at Max’s question. “Leave the boxes for Siobhan and I’ll owl them,” he told him, wiping his hands. “The Floo’s just through there,” he added waving towards one of the doors exiting the kitchen-diner.
Walking towards the door opposite, Higgs glanced at Max. “Give me a second and I’ll find you the books I mentioned,” he added before disappearing through the door and towards one of the libraries in the house. It really was a very big house. Having located two books that Higgs felt Max might enjoy, he returned, handing the books over. “No rush in getting them back to me,” Higgs offered. “I’ve had a very nice time tonight, Max,” he told the other man truthfully. It had, at times, been awkward, but Higgs felt they had rather successfully moved past that.
--
Waiting for Higgs to return with the books, Max leaned against the fireplace. It seemed to take Higgs some time to return, and Max wondered how big the house was. The kitchen was certainly a decent size, but that wasn’t necessarily indicative. Perhaps Higgs had just misplaced the books. Eventually, he did return, and Max took them with genuine thanks.
His cheeks were still rosy with wine when Higgs added that he’d had a very nice time. “Yes,” Max agreed, almost without thinking. He’d been unwilling to begin with, and things had been awkward, but then he’d quite enjoyed talking about the military. It wasn’t something Max got to talk about a lot, especially not with anyone as experienced as Higgs was to know what they were talking about. And, as much as he always wanted to have Siobhan around and she would have made things less awkward, he somehow didn’t think they’d have spent quite as long on it if there had been three of them. “We’ll owl you soon.”