Leon Orcot (under_arrest) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2020-07-22 08:56:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, erin lindsay, leon orcot |
Who: Leon and Erin
What: Meeting over drinks
When: Mid-June
Where: McNally's
Rating/Warning: Low/none
Status: Complete
McNally's was the usual place to hang out after work for cops. It really reminded her of Molly’s from back home. It had been a long day and Connor wasn’t due to get off work for another hour or so. Erin decided she would stop by the bar and just get a beer, relax for a while before heading home.
When she walked into it was busy like normal, she dodged a few customers, said hey to a few co-workers and make her way to the car. Looking around, she saw an open seat toward the back, heading over there, she noticed a man she seen around the precinct, “Hey,” she called out, “this seat taken?”
Leon missed The Double Tap, and he missed Dan, but now that Dan was off gallivanting around the country with Liv, doing whatever the hell it was they were doing - probably nothing legal, so probably better for Leon to not know - he had returned to his old stomping grounds. Shannon - the redheaded, middle aged owner of the bar - still remembered him and was kind to him. He guessed it would be hard to forget someone who’d passed out on the back booths and spent the night in the bar as much as he had back in the old days, though he hadn’t done that in a while.
But McNally’s was nice. He knew enough people here that he could have a couple conversations throughout the night, but could also just go off to drink on his own for a bit whenever he wanted to.
Leon looked up. Leon was good with names and faces, and the woman looked familiar, but he had enough drink in him that it took a few moments for her name to come to him. “Yeah,” he said, and then shook his head. “I mean no, no one’s sitting there. Yeah, you can sit there if you want. Lindsay, right?” That was the name he’d heard around, at least. He wondered if it was her first name or her last name.
“That’s me,” she said as she shifted to sit on the stool, looked over at the bartender, “beer, bottle, please.” She turned to look at him, “But call me Erin”, being called by your last name seems so official. “And you are….” she was trying to think, “Laurel’s partner?” she asked, “I’m paired up with Finn, he worked with her for a bit.” Erin explained she hadn’t met her yet, but heard good things.
She shifted, pushing some of her hair out of her face, “how are things in homicide?” she asked
“That’s me,” Leon echoed, grinning. “Leon Orcot. It’s nice to officially meet you, Erin.” Finn… He vaguely remembered Laurel talking about him. He was pretty sure he’d been transferred to… was it narcotics?
“Homicides homicide,” Leon said. “Find a body, get another scumbag off the streets.” Leon loved his job, but sometimes seeing all the dead… “You’re narcotics, huh? How’s that?”
“About the same really, just tracking down where they come from, going after the bigger suppliers, get some new CIs under your belt,” she shurg a shouder, “it’s work,” but it was something she had lived and new how to play the rules on the street. “Really can’t complain, always busy, you know?”
“No kidding. My dad used to be in Narcotics. Seemed like he was always working.” There was a lot more work out there for narcotics, thankfully. Less homicides over all, which Leon would never complain about. Even when there wasn’t anything new to look at, Leon could always go back and comb over the cold cases. “How’re you liking it? You just transferred in not long ago, didn’t you?”
“Yep, a few months back. I was in a special unit in Chicago, on my dad's team, I’m liking it here better.” She loved working with Hank, but here she didn’t have his constant eye on her, plus her and Connor. “Took them awhile to find me my place within the department, but I think I’m in a good place now.” Erin offered a small smile as she sipped her beer, now she needed to figure out what to do with the wedding.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Leon said. He knew how tricky it could be to be a newcomer in any precinct. “I guess you’ve already been shown all the ropes, but if you ever had any other questions, you’re always welcome to come bother me with them.”
She nodded her head, “Got cha,” she chuckled, “it’s odd being the new one,” she admitted, “I went right into the precinct my dad was in and then once I paid my dues, I was in the unit.” Erin shrugged her shoulders, “I thought I would just stay there, but met Connor and then found myself here.”
"I wouldn't know," Leon admitted. "Seemed like I already knew half the force when I joined, which I guess you'd be familiar with if your dad was already a cop." He took a swig of his beer. "Conner's your boyfriend? Was it his idea to move out here?"
“Fiancé” she told him with a smile, “his father passed away, left him some property and things, he got a good offer at the hospital about the same time, kind of all fell together and asked if I would join him back at his hometown and I thought why the hell not. I do love that guy.”
“Fiancé, huh?” Leon asked. “Sounds like you guys are pretty much all set up for a life together,” Leon said. He could barely even afford the two-bedroom apartment he was currently renting. Now that Chris was living with D, he was seriously considering downgrading again. It’d be a long time before he’d be in any position to get married. “Sorry about his dad though. He must be excited to be back.”
She chuckled, “We kinda have,” she shrugged and nodded her head, “I think he is, he’s mainly been working and such. I think he wished he’d be here a little sooner for his dad,” she shrugged again, she honestly wasn’t sure, he didn’t really talk about his dad before his death as well. She knew there was bad blood there and knew not to push him to talk about it. Like he didn’t push her to talk about her mom. “Anyways, enough about me, what about you? Someone special?”
Unbidden, D’s face rose up in Leon’s mind at the question, and Leon flushed, his shoulders tensing - if he were a cat, no doubt his fur would be bristling. “What? No! Absolutely not!” he exclaimed, and took a long swig of his beer. Why would she even imply that there was something going on between him and D?
Her eyes widened and she held up her hand, “Whoa…” she breathed out, “okay, just be single then….” she had no idea what that was about, “sorry…” Perhaps she hit a sore subject. “My bad.” She reached for her drink, taking a long sip from it, what the hell...
Leon flushed a little when he realized his outburst. “Sorry,” he muttered, rubbing the side of his head. “I got out of a long term relationship a few months ago. Now my ex is convinced there’s something going on between me and this other guy, and there isn’t. Guess it’s a bit of a sore spot.”
“Ah,” Erin breathed out, “well, sorry for asking, I didn’t mean to pour salt in any wounds.” She has had boyfriend issues, but none like that and honestly she was glad for that fact. She sighed, “maybe...talk to him?” she offered, unsure what to even offer other than that.
“Yeah, we’ve already talked,” Leon muttered, rubbing the side of his head. Seemed like no matter what he said, Alex wouldn’t believe that Leon didn’t harbour some secret feelings for D. “Sorry. It’s not your problem,” he sighed, but then added sternly, “but I don’t have feelings for D, no matter what you might hear.”
Erin arched a brow, but gave him a thumbs up, “I will tell them they are wrong, if it helps?” she offered, she heard from the horse's mouth, he doesn’t have feelings for D, whoever that was.” Erin finished her beer, just sat there for a moment, “I’m not one to give advice,” she told him , “but don’t worry about what anyone says, not their business anyways, right?”
Leon shot her a bit of a crooked smile. “Don’t know if that’d help. He’s convinced he knows my feelings more than I do.” He shrugged. Alex did know him better than just about anyone else, but that didn’t mean he was right in this regard. “He’d probably take that as just more proof that I secretly harbour feelings for him. I appreciate the offer though.”
Erin lagged, she couldn’t help it, but it was funny from her point of view, “Sorry” she said sheepishly, “I just won’t say a word,” she wouldn’t want to encourage anything on his behalf, especially since it seems to be a thing that bothers him? “Maybe one day he will see that you don’t see him like that.”
Leon flushed a little at the laughter, rubbing the side of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, maybe," Leon muttered. "Because I don't, you know," he insisted again.
He took another swig of beer, then waved at the server for a refill. He didn't want to talk about D or Alex anymore. "Anyway, tell me about Chicago. What was it like working there?"