InsaneJournal

Cambina had lost all track of days. They blurred together and she had been grateful for the snacks in the office and the cushions in the training room. She'd been napping there and spending her off shift hours training or going for a run. Which meant that when she was up for a coffee break, she didn't expect to see William Rosier there.

"Will," she said in confusion. "Weren't you just here?"

Will was standing by the coffee pot, casually as if he was supposed to be there, and holding a full mug of coffee of his own. He shot her an amused look and raised an eyebrow at her. "You really have lost track of days. No, I was here yesterday afternoon. Now it's Tuesday and my orientation is over for the day." That did mean his first few days on the job were shorter than usual, which was certainly odd in itself. But now he was free to check on the workaholic auror.

"I see they're easing you into life in the mines," Bina teased, refilling her cup from the department coffee pot, so used to the heavy coffee that it didn't bother her anymore. It hadn't felt like a day had gone by. It was unusual to see him at the office, but she supposed she'd have to get used to it. Especially if they got engaged.

Will just shook his head at her as he plucked the coffee cup, once filled, from her hand, and replaced it with the one he was holding. "Really easing. First day was Ministry paperwork and orientation, today was DMAC stuff. Policies, tours, the whole thing. One more day for the subdepartment orientation," he shrugged. "But at least they have good coffee."

"Poor boy. I'm sure you have no idea what to do with yourself with all the free time," she teased, taking a sip of the coffee and glancing up at Will at the switch. "Did you need something or…?"

"Yes, I have been finding things to do with myself," Will admitted with a shrug as he looked down into the coffee cup he'd taken from her with some suspicion. "Currently, I'm suspecting that you haven't taken a real break in...a little over four days now? It's Tuesday, I think I need to steal you away for a bit of a break Miss Bulstrode." He refused to address her as 'auror', even within DMLE offices. Another slight casual shrug as he figured he'd risk it, Will took a sip of the sludge as he glanced back up at her.

Bina took the cup back from him, switching them and going back to the familiar sludge. She couldn't handle it and it'd be cruel to subject William to it. "We're in the middle of an investigation, Will, I can't just leave."

Will let her take back the cup after his sip while he looked off for a moment, considering the taste. "Well...that would wake a person up, I'll give you that." It was still quite awful even if his face didn't show that. "Actually, interesting fact I learnt recently, not only can you leave...I'm pretty sure at this point it's legally required you do. Turns out there are limits to how many hours aurors can stick around before they're obligated to take a longer break." He shot her an innocent smile, as if he hadn't been chatting up one of the girls at the front desk (and brought an extra cup of coffee as a bribe) to find out all this earlier. "I'm not planning on stealing you away for a whole night, but I figure we can compress our usual Tuesday evening into fewer hours to refresh you some."

"Effective is what it is," Bina said with a smile before rolling her eyes at him. "I do leave occasionally when they kick me out." Of course, it was usually to go for a run or train, but she didn't tell Will that.

"I have work to do."
"Bulstrode-" came the warning from across the office.
"Fine. I'll go off for a few hours, just give me a few minutes," she said huffing out a sigh. "Wait here."

Bina went to her desk, closing things up and warding them shut. She ran a hand through her hair and grabbed her dragonhide jacket before coming back, handing a sheaf of notes to a colleague on the way. "You're an ass, you know that," she told William as she led the way out of the office.

Will raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smile at the insistence that she did get out of the office, because while that was likely technically true...he'd be willing to drink this sludge for a year if she'd actually gone home or slept on a bed in those 'breaks'.

When she left, and when she came back too, Will was hiding a slightly smug smile of victory behind a sip of coffee. He let that speak for him rather than say anything until they passed the front desks of the DMLE offices, where he smiled at one of the witches manning the desk, and were out towards the elevators. "Such an ass, manipulating my way in to give you a break that'll actually be worth it rather than you napping at your desk or in the training room or who knows where." Will shot her a smirk and offered her his coffee cup again, now that she'd left the sludge behind at the office.

"Do I need to get used to this? You showing up at my work? There are rules, protocols, I'm in the middle of an investigation, Rosier, I can't just go off with you when you're randy," she hissed, ignoring his coffee for the moment.

Will took the refusal of the coffee, and her mood, in stride as they waited for the lift. "I don't expect you to, you're a workaholic and professional after all. Besides, then I'd show up far too often."

"Your supervisor seemed keen to let you off, how long has been nagging you to?" Because he strongly suspected it'd been for most of the day.

Cambina rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove. "Leave off, alright? It's fine."

Will grinned back and stepped backwards into the arriving elevator. "Should I worry about you returning the favour, Miss Bulstrode?"

Bina rolled her eyes at him as she stepped in. "I'm in the middle of an investigation, William. I can't just- you can't just-"

Cambina ran a hand through her hair, pacing in the elevator. "Look. You're taking your sweet time with things, but I'm not going to let my-" a wave of her hand- "whatever just waltz in and demand I take a break. I don't care what the rules are, you don't just get to be my keeper or whaterver."

In contrast to her pacing, William stood in the elevator calmly. His expression got a bit more serious as he surveyed her. "Bina, this isn't a regular thing. The DMLE is at its busiest and you've been at work for more than 4 days straight, I'm quite sure you haven't gone home either. How long did you think it'd take before someone you knew would want to drag you home? If I hadn't, someone else would've. Someone who might've insisted you take the whole night off and go home." Considering that her mother no doubt had plenty of DMLE connections, he wouldn't be surprised if she pulled some strings to get Bina to be forced to go home for longer than just a few hours. "I would think you'd prefer this option before someone pulled strings or one of your higher ups forced you to take a night, or day, off and make you miss more." It was more a favour in his eyes than anything else.

"We protect our own," Cambina huffed out. "Frank or Alice will usually make sure I go off the clock and nap a bit. I cover nights and weekends for them when they need to be with their kids. Tara or Mum will bring me food, but I don't just get fetched like a child or-" Or someone's wife.

Except that's what she would be, eventually. She would be William Rosier's wife. Which her sleep addled brain couldn't process. She was in the zone. "I just need to focus on the investigation, while it's fresh.. Will, you have to understand.."

Will refrained from mentioning that one of the ex-cons they had in custody had once been an auror, protecting their own? But it wasn't quite the same issue. Though what she was saying had him curious about how much relations had improved with her mother. "I'm sure they would, I wasn't fetching you as much as coming by to see if you wanted in on our usual Tuesday and a preemptive break to get them off your back. If want to go back to the offices, you can of course, but I'm not sure 'fresh' is the right word to describe any of you right now." He wasn't going to stop her from heading back, one didn't force Bina into things. The best bet was guiding her into them and even that could have difficulties.

"Oh, Tuesdays.. right.. I probably owe you an IOU for tonight regardless," Cambina said, slumping against the elevator. There were dark circles under her eyes. She knew Black and Prewett weren't guilty, but she wanted to find something to use against them in this investigation. A chance to lock them up and throw away the key. She sniffed herself. "I don't smell that bad. I have showered."

Now it was Will's turn to roll his eyes as the lift doors opened for them. "Not the fresh I meant, you know that." He stepped back to let her exit first, he was raised to be gentlemanly after all. "IOU regardless? How so?"

"Because my mind is still stuck on work and it's not a full night," Cambina said, heading out and going towards the floo on autopilot. "You'll be surprised how much I can go without sleep."

"I'm not sure I would be," Will shot back, letting a bit of a teasing tone creep in as he caught up to her and walked beside. "But I still wouldn't count this as an IOU, seems unfair to you. I got you out of work and it still doesn't count as a Tuesday?"

She shrugged. "Well, I guess it's up to you, but the offer is there," Cambina said waiting for Will by the floo. "Your place or mine? Where are we even going?"

"Mine, I have the scotch and curry, it's been a while since we did that combination it seems."

Cambina followed Will through the floo to his place and stepped through the fireplace, dusting her shoulders off. She headed to the kitchen, sinking into a chair. "I shouldn't drink on duty."

Will didn't want to point out that he didn't see this break being as short as she likely did, one didn't get Bina to manage sleep by telling her that was the plan. Getting her here alone had been some effort. "If not scotch, what would you like instead?" She was over often enough that she could be comfortable getting her own drinks or rifling through his fridge, but he liked to offer anyway out of ingrained manners. "Personally, it seems like you've had the sort of day that needs a scotch and I'm not about to tell anyone what you drink on your breaks, but I'm sure I have non-alcoholic options." Granted, not that many.

She ran a hand over her face. "I don't know. Lady Noir tied up and delivered to the DMLE? Black and Prewett back in Azkaban or dancing at the end of my wand?"

Bina stifled a yawn. "Coffee, if you've got it." She couldn't remember when she'd napped, yesterday probably. But she thrived off throwing herself into her work. It meant she didn't have to think. "Did you mention curry?"

Will poured himself a scotch while she decided, levitating it off to sit within arm's reach of her in case she changed her mind. "If I could deliver that, I'd have a lot more power than I do and/or I'd be a vigilante and you wouldn't be quite so fond of me," he teased slightly and moved off to start the coffee while he spoke.

"Ah so that part got through, yes there's curry. I got takeout before heading off to your office, it's still in the bag over there." He indicated the general area without really looking, just a vague wave of his hand. Warming charms, naturally, kept it from getting cold while he was gone.

Bina levitated the curry over, opening it nand setting it on the table before absently reaching for the scotch and having a sip. She took the curry out and accioed herself a spoon, digging into it rather ravenously. She arched an eyebrow. "Growing fond of my curry shop?"

Will pulled up a chair to join her, opting to accio plates and utensils towards them and setting them out. He shrugged at her question, as he placed a plate in front of her. At least she was eating. "It's more convenient." Not really true but what did it matter? He had ordered accounting for the possibility she'd join so he'd ordered her preferred curry. So what, not like he didn't like it himself. "Is that WICCA food thing not feeding you curry? I'm starting to question the point of it now," he teased.

"The WICCA thing is the reason I'd eating more than just stale pastries and crisps the last four days," she explained, propping her foot up on his chair. Cambina accioed a quill and parchment and started taking copious notes in a strange shorthand while eating with the other. She was trying to come up with charges that could get Black and Prewett in Azkaban.

"Rosier catering clearly offers more." Since she was taking over his chair, Will just stood and served himself, walking around to stand behind her a get a glimpse of what she was working on. Clearly the woman didn't know the meaning of break, but not like he'd do any different in her position. He was notorious for copious notes, and had notebooks of warded and concealed ones of extensive nature. Including one that covered much of her family, and her. "Any luck?" Will squinted a bit as he tried to reason out some of the auror-speak shorthand on the page.

"Not the right kind of luck, unfortunately," she said as she kept writing and eating. She wasn't worried about Will deciphering it and chewed on the edge of the Will's quill. She paused for a sip of scotch and looked up at him. "Are you bored? Without working twelve plus hours a day?"

He could only figure out bits and pieces, and some sections were entirely indecipherable. Working for the Prophet gave him some exposure to some of the official terms aurors used, but much of this was clearly shorthand based off auror jargon which was foreign to him. "I'd imagine faking anything wouldn't do much good if you want them in long term..." Will mused idly as he leaned over her to take the glass of scotch after she was done and have a sip himself. "Ridiculously so. Orientation doesn't give you anything to really work on other than some housekeeping sort of paperwork, and it turns out they don't have overtime for beginner trainees and it's not encouraged you stay longer during that time because you'd need supervision." There was a slight grumble to his words. "Thinking of what to do with the extra time."

"Freelance for the prophet? Plot world domination? Plan a wedding?" she teased as she took the glass back from him. She pulled him down as well, stealing a kiss from him. "No wonder you're loitering around the office. I'm surprised you haven't gone out of your mind."

"Might conflict with government work, I'd start with UK domination, and not traditionally the groom's domain," Will smirked back in response to her suggestions. He walked around so at least he was in front of her now, and leaned over, his hand resting on the back of the chair and pushing the whole thing back slightly so it balanced on its back legs somewhat. His shark-like grin came out for a moment before he kissed her more thoroughly, not like they were at the Ministry and had to hold back or limit her to stealing the odd kiss.

"Anyway, it's only been two days so give it time, I probably will go mad. Might need to think up side projects or minor freelance work elsewhere." The Prophet he'd already done, but perhaps he could use the connections and skills for private ventures or businesses. Maybe her father had a need for a former reporter for something, overlooking press releases, who knew. If he found he had too much time off on his hands, he'd certainly have to look into something.

Cambina chuckled. "Well, I certainly don't have the time to plan one. And we've already proven our lack of traditionalness."

She closed her eyes, losing herself in the kiss for a moment, before pulling back. "Will." A quick nip of his lip as she nudged him to set the chair back to rights. "I need to work and I should get back to the office. I can stay for dinner, but then I should head out."

"Alright," Will agreed just to ease her fretting about work, though he certainly didn't plan on not trying to coax her to stay longer. He let the chair back on all its legs and smirked at her. "So are you just using me and Tuesday nights for dinner, Miss Bulstrode? That might be a penalty IOU."

"Foolish me thinking that dinner was an essential part of Tuesday nights. And I did already say you could get an IOU for tonight." She knew she had to be out of the office for at least four hours, but that time could go quickly with William. "Is that better or worse than using you for sex?"

Will pretended to consider the question. "Hm, worse I'd say. Neither of us gets anything we couldn't manage from the witch running the Ministry cafeteria. Besides, I know I have you for a few hours at least, and you don't eat that slowly." He sat in the free chair and leaned back. "Planning on finishing those notes of yours? Not sure how much help I'd be with ideas though."

"Trust me, if I could get curry like this in the Ministry caf then I'd have even less reason to leave the office," Bina admitted honestly before laughing. "Take your best shot," she said as she handed him a sheet of parchment. The varying levels of encryption codes and shorthand meant the notes wouldn't have even made sense to one of her colleagues.
"Maybe I should just marry the owner of the curry shop then."

"And no doubt give your pureblooded father a heartattack in the process. Is the diabolical plan to inherit through that and start your own curry chain?" Will joked as he took the parchment from her, looking it over. Clearly he wasn't going to get information out of it, he could tell that just from looking at it, but he used a lot of encryption codes and spells in his own notes so at least he was familiar with the possible styles and at least this would give him an idea of what she used. Whether that'd be useful in the future, he couldn't say, but information never hurt.

Bina chuckled. "No, that's far from the plan." Bina's father was worth much more to her alive than dead. She plucked the parchment back from him and added a few lines of shorthand as another thought came to her. She went back to the curry in front of him. "It's just so fucking frustrating. The bloody journals and that Ollivander boy. All of it. People crying for their release - they're bloody criminals found at the scene of murder."

Will took the parchment back when she was done, finding it to be an interesting challenge actually and a look into the way her mind worked. "People are impressively uncooperative and in an uproar for all the wrong reasons." Of course he meant the uproar about Prewett and Black being brought in, but he didn't consider the whole case as anything more than a way for the ridiculous Noir to get caught. After all, it was just a muggle, who cared? The Order idiots had no doubt not actually done it, they were far too blood traitorous to kill a muggle, but it was a convenient incident to get them locked up or at least made pariahs again.

"You keep stealing my notes and I'll stop taking them," she said, having some idea of what Will was doing. She didn't think he had a chance, but then there was a fair amount she didn't know. They both had their secrets. "Which makes my job harder. Without public cooperation, can't lock those bastards up. They should be thrown in Azkaban without a trial, but no… apparently that would be unfair to traitorous criminal scum."

"Only stolen them once," he casually shot back with a smile. "They're too preoccupied with fairness." Life wasn't fair, and Will certainly thought his life showed that well enough. People were being giant hufflepuffs about this whole thing. "I hardly see how locking up scum who were at a murder scene is unfair. How goes the investigation, amidst all this uproar?"

"I'm sure you can guess. It'll be pointless unless we bring in Lady Noir and have a confession. I mean, I know we can arrange that but there are do many do gooder gryffs in the department. What we need is results. Not theories. It doesn't even matter if they're right or not," Bina huffed out a sigh, finishing the glass of scotch and getting to her feet to fetch the bottle. She stopped behind Will's chair, tugging him back and kissing him hard. "I need- well, to watch that scum on the end of my want, but maybe something second best?"

Will gave her a sympathetic look at the do gooder Gryffs. "Crucioing them in interrogation isn't allowed? Or are you only authorized to use it in the field?" He had to silently agree with her though, results mattered and somehow so many people didn't understand that. Theories and arguing about methods were usually just a waste, having results at the end of the day was the important thing. Leaning back in his chair, Will shot her a feral grin in response to the kiss. "I'm sure we can arrange something."

"Not when they're actually talking," Cambina complained. "We're not supposed abuse the privilege." Her tone made it obvious how she felt about that. She tugged William up by his collar. "Help me relax?"

Will stood up with the collar tug, stepping forward so he was right against her. "Shame, I'm sure you would've enjoyed it," he responded, his voice low with a bit of slytherin smile to it before he kissed her hard. "Deal. I think it's more than warranted."