[Ace's] how far you'd go, how much you're willing to risk [tag; Jane]

Strong hands rose to run over his tired eyes, letting his fingertips gently massage the sockets. It had been ages since he’s slept. Far too long, at least to be healthy for any one person. Aeric leaned back in walnut and leather bound office chair handed down to him. A sigh later he simple stared down at the paper work on the matching table. It had been too long for the leads he now got to be viable. Logically, he knew this. It only made sense now that the small whispers he heard about those who had threatened his family were only to distract him.  Still, the Regan needed to run down every lead. Needed to check every story because Kerr had nearly died and for that the boy was forever changed. Kerrigan Regan was not a darker shell of the boy Aeric had known.

The world they lived in could change a person. It could rip away the very fibers that kept them pure and innocent. There was a chance of losing what made most people precious, their humanities. For family Aeric would risk it all, the former Slytherin would give his soul to keep them safe. Not because it was his responsibility but because each of them, no matter how distantly or closely related, mattered to him. They all have their own lives they were living. They had hopes and dreams. Aspirations and fears just like him. The years had slipped by since the attacks and all had gone quiet but the man knew it was just to allow them to once again lower their defenses.

The chair gave a light squeak as he rose to walk around the dimly lit office. The bookshelves along the right wall held a mountain of folders and books. The elegant oak carved file cabinets  rested neatly beneath with a few drawers opened, files hanging out for easy grabbing. The black carpet on the floor sunk under the weight of his sock clad feet, he moved to make himself a drink at the small bar on the opposite of the room.  He poured the glass of whiskey before looking towards his office door at the sound of a knock.

He wasn’t sure he was really in the mood for a meeting. He had had a long night and arguing with a guy in a suit who presumed to know all was not the way he wanted to spend this late portion of his afternoon. Still as he moved back to his desk he uttered the words, “It’s open” as he moved to take his seat back behind his desk. Hopefully this was going to be the meeting that shifted the way his week had been. Hopefully.


@Jane Lennon

Well, great. There Jane was, knocking on her dear cousin/boss's door. He sounded like a complete grouch. I mean, not that she thought that he didn't usually sound like a grouch. Really, "broody" would be an accurate adjective for the man. Aeric Regan had a heart of gold underneath his gruff exterior, however, and that was precisely why she had come to him for help weeks ago. She needed more money, and he had informed her of her Regan family funded vault. Funny; Stuart and Amy hadn't ever mentioned it.

More importantly, he had given her a new job. She felt a little like James Bond, going to foreign countries and acquiring things. Specifically, she had "acquired" a beautiful necklace that he had requested and currently had it in her possession to deliver to him. Though she was an active member of the Order of the Phoenix and a former auror, Jane hadn't always been on the straight-and-narrow when it came to the law. She was good at "acquiring" things, and always had been.

Hopefully this will cheer him up.

Opening the door, the blonde greeted him with a smile before stepping in and closing the door behind her. "I got that thing you asked for." Producing a small jewelry box big enough for a necklace, she presented it to him. Her brown eyes searched his face for expression and she hoped she'd done him proud. She wasn't the type to gush or anything, but she admired and respected Aeric a great deal. She didn't want to let it go to his head, though, and so she mostly kept it to herself. His ego might make his head explode if she didn't. It was big enough already.

"So, was there anything else you needed?"

He relaxed as Jane walked through his office door, the soft click echoing around them as it fell closed. Green eyes watched her as she stepped more into the pace and his lips curved up as he smiled. “Hey.” He hadn’t been expecting her to come to him so quickly, he had after all just sent her out to find the necklace. The glass touched his lips and the warm liquid served to send heat throughout his body. “That was fast,” he responded as he reached out for the box. “I trust you didn’t have much trouble gathering this. I would assume not since you’ve brought it to me so quickly.” The box was opened and his eyes washed over the pendant. It had been years since he had last seen the necklace, in a photo of his mother as she stood in the kitchen. The memories came flooding back as he sat there, memories both good and bad. It was a gift for Etain, a token of his appreciation for believing he could lead their family and being there when he needed her most.

“Have a drink.” His head inclined to the bar as he took another sip from his glass. “I do have something else I need you to do, but let’s catch up first.” The glass touched wood and his body leaned back in his chair. “How have you been, stranger?” He had just seen her weeks ago but the two hadn’t had much time to catch up. The Regan clan was nicely sized so it made it hard to know what was happening in everyone’s life. He wanted to know the things he couldn’t find out on his own. “Besides getting this,” he pointed to the necklace, closing the box, “What have you been up to?” there wasn’t much new in his life, not that there ever was. “How is your mother? I spoke with her last week through owl, she was checking up on you through me.” His brows lifted as he chuckled, “She seems worried you’re not getting it with friends enough.”

It was nice to see a mother care about their children, even if said children were adults. He knew had she been alive his mother would worry about him and his sister’s, she only ever wanted the best for them. Though he knew this wasn’t the life she would have chosen for him, it was one he took on with grace. “How’s Charlotte? I haven’t seen her in forever.” He rose to walk over to the file cabinet, pulling a velvet pouch that held her payment, resting it on the desk as he sat on the edge. “I believe this is what we agreed about.” The pouch was pushed towards her as he smiled. “I think you were telling me you were apartment hunting,  I know a guy with a few nice properties if you wanted the information.”

"What can I say, cousin?" Jane smiled. "I'm good at acquiring things." Growing up the way that she had, all too often she had stolen things --food, mostly, though there were times when she had stolen other's possessions to sell for money-- out of sheer necessity. Her mother was sober and more stable, now, and she was thankful for that if only for her little brother's sake. She never wanted him to go through the things that she had endured, and she swore that she would do everything in her power to ensure that he would be spared her pain.

She moved to the bar and poured herself a drink. Working at Ace's as well had improved her bartending skills. The blonde woman took a drink before strolling to a seat in front of Aeric's desk and sitting down. "I've been good." She smiled again and took another drink.

"Working, mostly. Mum's good. She worries too much. What did you tell her?" Aeric worried too much, too. That was his curse, but also his blessing. He was the ideal patriarch for the family, in her mind, in spite of his young age.

"Charlotte's good, too. She graduated from Hogwarts this past summer, and she's going for healer training at Dilys Derwent now. I forget what sort of specialty she said she'd wanted to pursue, but I'm tremendously proud of her."

At the sight of the pouch, Jane's smile widened into a grin. "Thank you. It's always a pleasure doing business with you, cousin." She leaned forward, took it from the desk, and leaned back in her chair as she inspected its contents. It was, indeed, what they had agreed upon.

"Nah, not now. Ryan and I just had a bit of a fight, that's all." She turned a little pink at the memory of how dramatic she'd been about it. "But, thanks anyway. Good looking out."

"It seems so. I didn't doubt you but I didn't think you would have it done so soon." He wouldn't say he had doubt but he had some reservations as to when she would be returning to him box in hand. Aeric knew not to underestimate people but this was his little cousin it was his job to underestimate her. He was always so pleasantly surprised when she was able to prove others wrong. Despite her rough upbringing, Aeric could see that Jane was focused and it was why he had hired her in the first place. Being family would only get her so far and Aeric had always been a man who viewed actions higher than words. She told him she would deliver and the former Gryfinndor had done just that. "I'm impressed." He said with an expression that mirrored his statement.

He laughed, "I told her that you were getting out. Which wasn't a lie since you were out getting something for me. You should visit more, when work lets you. I think she misses you." He gave his opinion briefly. He always wanted his family to know that if they needed him he as there even if just for a drink or two. "You can't work yourself so hard, you'll end up like me." He joked as he lifted his hands as if to say always in an office was where she would end up. "I barely know what time off is. As shameful as it is I spend way too much time in this room surrounded by paperwork."

"Tell Charlotte to come by to see me." As was a tradition in their family he had a gift for her for furthering her education. It wasn't anything big just a bit of encouragement. Aeric knew what it was like to go out into the world and be unsure of what their future would look like. "I'm proud of her also. It's hard to stick to goals when the world is so tempting out there. I forgot what it was like to dream I've been buried behind paperwork so much." He chuckled at his own words, even more at how true they were. "Is she still living at home?" Maybe he could talk to his friend about a place for her, a personal gift from himself, maybe.

"I hope we can do lots more business." He grinned before his brows rose, "So you aren't moving and have forgiven each other?" He nodded a bit, "I don't know how you do it. I could never make it with a roommate...but then again I lived in a house that no moment was my own so I'm biased." Once more he chuckled, "Regardless, I'm glad things are good again with you two." He shifted to reach back for his drink, "So, things went smoothly on this run? No hiccups or anything? The next one may be a bit more tricky."