Are you ugly? A liar like me? [Theoren!]

"F*ck my life." Jane muttered under her breath, making her way out of the Ministry building with a manilla folder tucked underneath her arm and a shoulderbag hanging off of her opposite shoulder. She was a nervous wreck, these past few weeks. Not only was she dealing with the guilt of playing her part in Eamon and Poppy's break up, and Eamon's subsequent heartbreak, but she was obsessively going through any file that she thought might contain the name of her best friend. Darren Hadditch.

Why was she sticking her neck out on the line like this? After her sessions with her therapist, a man who she truly believed needed much more therapy than she did, Healer McLaren, she had begun to sort of psycho-analyze herself. After all, she didn't exactly want to go talking to someone like him about how she, an auror-in-training who was supposed to uphold the law, was actually breaking the law. Could he turn her in for that? Or was he bound by some law, himself? Either way, she wasn't taking any chances. While he was a nice enough fellow, she didn't trust him. Nice or not, he was still a shrink. And he already knew way too much about her, anyway.

Right. But, why was she even bothering with this whole situation? What was her motive? Well, to protect her best friend. But, would she do the same for her other friends? Would she risk imprisonment for someone such as... oh, I don't know? Aeric? Her distant cousin? Would she cover for him like she was doing for Darren? And risk her own freedom? Jane's stomach dropped. No. No, she wouldn't. She would just assume that he had done something to deserve it. Merlin, I'm a horrible person...

In her mind, she ran through a list of everyone that she cared about, or who she thought that she cared about. There weren't many people, other than the Hadditch in question, who she would risk this much for. Yet, she didn't think twice about protecting him the way that she was. What was wrong with her?

Stopping, Jane needed a cigarette. Pulling a pack out of her bag, she heard someone call out to her. Now what?

Thank Merlin the day was over, for it had begun to feel as if it would never end.  The hours had passed with an excruciating slowness, as if determined to see Theoren suffer.  He loved his job, of course, but he hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, having been summoned in the early hours of the day to respond to an emergency in Ayr, Scotland.  Fortunately, it seemed to all have been a misunderstanding – an accident – but by the time he and Greaves had sorted everything out, it was time for their morning meeting.  And the rest of the day had been painfully uneventful; he’d been stuck sorting through and filing all of the paperwork that had been piling up over the last week.  It was a good opportunity to get caught up, when things were normally so much busier.  But by now, he was exhausted.  He wanted nothing more than to get out of the office.

The lobby was crowded at this time of day, as the majority of the Ministry staff made their departure for the evening – more crowded than he was used to seeing it, for his hours were usually irregular.  Theoren was standing in line to use the Floo, when he noticed a familiar face making her way toward the exit.  He raised a hand to greet her, but she didn’t seem to notice the gesture against the backdrop of the bustling crowd.  And she seemed distracted.  In fact, she didn’t seem to be doing very well at all.

Concerned, Theoren stepped out of line and went after her.  Not wanting to shout indoors, he followed her through the less-occupied street exit.  Muggle London was just as busy as the Ministry lobby at this time of day.  The narrow streets were crowded with automobiles, glinting in the yellow haze of the setting sun.  “Lennon!” he called, quickening his pace to catch up with her.  “Hey…” he said, stopping short at the expression on her face.  Like she really didn’t want to be bothered.  “Is everything alright?

Oh. Jane offered a small smile. It was Theoren. He looked concerned. Did she really look that bad off? She'd have to do a better job of hiding it. Not that she didn't appreciate his concern... She just didn't like making people worry over her. Somehow, it had always made her feel selfish; probably because she usually had her mother to worry about, growing up. There was no time to have anyone worrying over her. Now wasn't a time to start.

"Hey." Making her smile a little bigger and brighter, Jane shrugged. "Yeah. Just been having a rough time at work. How about you?" He didn't look so great, either. I mean, he looked exhausted, not that there was anything actually wrong with his physical appearance. "Rough day, yourself?"

Right. She'd almost forgotten about her cigarette. Taking a lighter out of her pocket, Jane lit up and took a puff. Hopefully he wouldn't mind. Eamon always whined whenever she smoked in front of him. But, what could she say? "Old habits die hard. You wouldn't happen to want one..?" If he did, she'd be glad to offer. She couldn't remember if he was in the habit, though. In fact, the only friend that she had who she was sure smoked was Darren. Why couldn't she get him out of her head?

Frowning for just a moment at the thought, Jane quickly recovered if only for Theoren's sake. She didn't want to worry him.

Nodding in understanding, Theoren accepted this answer without question; he’d heard that Auror Training could be difficult.  Grueling, even.  It made sense that she was stressed.  “Just… long,” he said with a shrug.  “Got called out early this morning, and haven’t been home since.”  It was just one of those days, but already Theoren was starting to feel better.  Just being out of the office seemed to help with that.  And at least he would have a day off tomorrow – he was very much looking forward to that.  Assuming, of course, that he wasn’t called out again.  But even if that happened, it wouldn’t be another day like today.

He chuckled softly at the joke, before giving a nonchalant wave in response to her offer.  “Nah, thanks.”  He’d never been one for smoking, though he didn’t mind that others did.  Theoren glanced toward the Ministry entrance and then back at Jane.  Although they hadn’t been especially close during their school years, he’d gotten to know her better since joining the Order, and was fond of her.  He was loyal and fiercely protective of everybody in the Order.  They were like family to him.

“Sorry… if I startled you.  Just wanted to make sure everything was alright.”  He smiled apologetically, reaching out to pat her once on the shoulder.  Though he was glad it didn’t seem to be anything a little time away from the office wouldn’t fix, he hated to think he’d stopped her for nothing.  It seemed a little overbearing.  But he also wanted to make sure she was alright.  “Not anything serious, though?” he asked, just wanting to make sure.

"Yeah?" Jane looked concerned, now. He really did seem awfully tired. "I'm sorry to hear that." He seemed stressed, too. She and Theoren hadn't been exceptionally close in school or anything, but she felt closer to him now. She even considered him a friend, though she wasn't really sure if he felt the same? Anyway, they were in the Order together, and they saw each other often enough there, on top of seeing each other at work. He was a really nice bloke, too. And she was appreciative to have a male friend, for once, who wasn't trying to stick his tongue down her throat. He seemed to be a real gentleman. It was... refreshing.

The auror-in-training offered a smile at his chuckle and continued to puff away at her cigarette. She'd picked up the habit back in second year. Darren Hadditch was a bad influence all the way around. He had gotten her started on the habit back then, and he was still influencing her. She really needed to hang out with guys like Theoren more often. He'd probably be a good influence on her, anyway.

"Oh, no. You're fine. I appreciate the concern, really. Not too many people ever really.. y'know... worry about me or anything." Jane's smile broadened when he patted her shoulder. "Nah. Nothing I can't handle. I could use a drink, though. Would you care to join me? I don't want to be one of those sad saps in the bar drinking by themselves, you know..."

It made him sad to hear that.  Sad that she didn’t have anybody looking out for her.  She deserved to have someone there, making sure she was alright, at least asking how she was doing.  He hated to think of Jane being neglected in that way, and was suddenly reminded of Lorin.  Though the two were nothing alike in his mind, he was loathe to think of his sister without any kind of support system in her life.  With a rush of guilt, he wondered if that that was exactly what she’d been facing these last couple of years.  He thought he’d always been there for her, but after what had happened last December, and from what she’d revealed to him at the beginning of the summer, as well as some of the stories she’d shared with him since then, he’d been forced to question himself.  He was worried about her.  And he didn’t know how to say so without upsetting her, so Theoren had decided it would be best to stay silent on the matter.  He now listened to the gruesome details of her private life as best he could, but it would be lying to say it wasn’t wearing on him.  But, he reasoned, that was nobody’s fault but his own.

And it wasn’t something he could talk about with anybody.  Ever.  To do so would have been a betrayal of her trust.  Not to mention, the whole thing made him feel, well, strange.  And guilty.  Lorin’s stories followed him around everywhere; haunted his waking hours and crept into his dreams.  He was having an extremely difficult time accepting this part of her life, but he knew he had to.  What was done was done.  To deny the past would have only done her more harm than good.  Theoren liked to think that he was helping her by letting her get it off her chest, no matter what it cost him.  He would dutifully shoulder whatever burdens she placed on him.

Theoren was happy when Jane asked him to join her for a drink.  It meant that he couldn’t be bothering her, at least.  And he liked the idea that he might be able to help her.  Certainly Jane’s bad day was nothing in comparison to the kinds of things Lorin was going through.  He smiled at her.  “Nah, I couldn’t let you be one of those, now, could I?” he said cheerfully.  “ ‘Course, I’d love to join you.  Leaky Cauldron’s not far… or did you have someplace in mind?”

It honestly didn't bother Jane much that people didn't tend to ask about how she was doing. She hated for people to think that she couldn't handle herself. She'd spent years building this "tough girl" reputation, and... well, people not being concerned about her just sort of came with the territory. Still, she had to admit that it was nice that someone cared and had taken the time out of their day to show it. She appreciated it. A lot.

"No, you couldn't." The blonde woman grinned, finishing her cigarette and dropping it to the ground before stamping it out. He really was such a nice guy. Why couldn't all men be as nice as Theoren Odell? Most of her male friends were... well, they weren't exactly knights-in-shining-armor, were they? There was Darren, who was consistently a pain in her backside. Ryan was a douchebag. Eamon, though he was getting better these days, was much the same at times... It was nice, having someone like Theoren around.

So, she was very pleased when he agreed to go and get a drink with her.

"Oh, the Leaky Cauldron's fine. I haven't been there in a while." Truthfully, she mainly did her drinking at home or at Eamon's or Darren's respective apartments. Not that she had a drinking problem, or at least she didn't think that she did. If she was honest with herself, she'd know that she could slow it down a little. At least she wasn't planning on getting sloppy drunk, tonight. After all, she did sort of want to sort of hold it together for Theoren's sake.

"D'you want to walk there, or we can apparate?"

“We can walk,” Theoren suggested.  It wasn’t far, and he didn’t mind.  He started off in that direction, allowing Jane to fall into pace beside him before getting too far.  He slid his hands into his pockets, and was careful to avoid bumping into any of the passing Muggles on the crowded sidewalk.  The evening was pleasantly cool without being too cold, and he realized there was a sort of comfort to be found in the hustle and bustle of the city.  It had been a while since he’d had cause to walk the streets of London.  He doubted the same was true for Jane, however, whom he was pretty sure lived nearby.  “How’s training going?” he asked delicately, hoping to get to the bottom of her unhappy mood, but not wanting to be too pushy and obvious about it.  She didn’t have to talk about it if she didn’t want to, but sometimes it helped just to have someone to listen. 

But there were some things you just couldn’t talk about – not with anybody.  Take his sister, for instance.  He imagined that that feeling was what a lot of what Lorin had been going through for the past three years; having the weight of a huge secret, one that was eating away at her, but one that she could not talk about.  He desired to remedy that, if he could.  Theoren clung to the hope that he was helping her, somehow, by letting her confess her wrongdoings to him.  It certainly wasn’t doing him any favors.  But he would do it anyway – he would do anything for her, if he thought it would help her in some way.  And now those secrets were his to bear, as well.  Theoren would never speak a word of the things she had told him.  Not to anybody.  And if she could feel lighter because of it, and safer in knowing that she had someone trustworthy to confide in, it would be worth it.  Whatever amount of confusion, uncertainty and uneasiness he felt as a result of it.

The sky steadily darkened as they continued walking, but it wasn’t long until they reached the pub; a nondescript little building squashed between two larger establishments.  Theoren moved to hold the door open for Jane, before stepping inside after her.  The room was lit by the flickering light of flames from the fireplace and the torches on the walls, and was crowded with witches and wizards who had stopped in for a drink after work, much like himself and Jane.  There was an empty table near the back, and Theoren gestured toward it.  “If you want to grab a table, I’ll get us some drinks,” he offered.  “What do you want?”

"Alright. Cool. I was actually kind of hoping that you'd say that?" Jane loved the city. Even in the seedier parts of London, she felt safe and at home. Probably because the seedy parts were exactly the parts that she had grown up in and lived in for the majority of her life. "I like to walk. It's... cathartic? Y'know?" Somehow, she felt comfortable in a crowd of people. Probably because of that old saying. You know, safety in numbers and all that? Except that, of course, she had a tendency to be a sort of a lone wolf. Not many people knew the real Jane. Not many aside from Darren Hadditch, that is...

How was her training? Well, it'd be going a lot better if a certain Dark Wizard wasn't complicating things for her. Still, she forced a small smile. "It's okay. Just.. stressful, y'know? A lot moreso than I thought that it would be. I keep on running into complications. But, what can you do, right?" Brushing some hair back behind her ear, Jane offered a small shrug as they walked along. Theoren was really nice. She was glad that he had stopped her.

"Anyway, you want to talk about your day any? Get anything off your chest?" She understood, however, if he didn't want to share his troubles with her. She, herself, was being awfully vague with him, after all. It wouldn't really be fair for her to get upset with him for not trusting her with his personal issues. Still, she thought that she might as well offer...

Soon enough, they got to the pub and he actually held the door for her. What was this, the 1900s? Most guys didn't do that anymore. Jane offered him a smile and a small, "Thank you," before heading inside.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Just, uhm... get me a red currant rum? Please?" With that, she walked on to find a table for them. She found a little one off to the side, with not too very many people around, and sat down to wait.

As it turned out, Theoren actually had no idea what Jane meant when she used the word cathartic.  He’d never heard it before, or at least not frequently enough to know what she meant.  He nodded in understanding nevertheless, figuring she meant something along the lines of relaxing or therapeutic.  At least, that was how he felt about walking, so it would make sense.  It was sometimes nice just to slow down and appreciate one’s surroundings.  It helped with not feeling so rushed all the time.  He found it difficult to dwell on anything negative as the cool, early evening air danced over his skin.  This seemed especially relevant after the long and stressful day they had both apparently had.

Though Auror training was a lot more intensive and challenging than what he had done to get on the squad, Theoren could understand what she was saying.  At least, he believed he could, anyway, for she was speaking quite vaguely on the subject.  “Yeah.  I’m sure it’ll get better, though.  It always does.”  Theoren gave a slight sigh.  “Not much else to say about it,” he replied.  “Just got saddled with a bunch of busywork for the rest of the day.  Would’ve liked to go home, have a break, you know, but we’re a bit backlogged with the filing and there wasn’t anybody else to do it.”  Theoren shrugged.  It was unavoidable, really, so he wasn’t too upset over it.  What was really bothering was the one thing he was resolved not to talk about.  Even though Jane might actually be able to give him some insight when it came to Lorin, he wasn’t about to ask for it.  He didn’t think he could bring himself to speak of the things Lorin had said, for even just listening to her relive the explicit details of her sexual history had made him terribly uncomfortable. 

Once inside the pub, Theoren nodded as she told him what she wanted to drink, then went up to the bar to place the order.  He had a brief but pleasant conversation with the barkeep, and a few moments later, went to find Jane with a glass of red currant rum and a mug of ale in-hand.  As he took the seat across from her, he slid her glass across the table toward her.  “Did I ever tell you my mother was an Auror?” he asked.  It was possible she might already know; Larissa had been involved in one of the more controversial cases of her time, and was now involved in organizing the annual fundraiser every year.  “Well, she talks all the time about how grueling training was, and how glad she was when it was finally over.  And she was in the top of her class.”  He might have been twisting his mother’s words to his advantage slightly, but he was trying to comfort Jane.  In truth, Larissa didn’t often talk about her work as an Auror.  “Unfortunately… I don’t think it gets much easier once you’re actually certified,” he grinned at her apologetically.  “But I guess that’s just part of the job.”