we'll have halloween on christmas [:dash]

Holiday season already. It seemed to Sindri that the year had gone by in the blink of an eye and the man could hardly keep up pace - he couldn't remember a time when things had ever moved so quickly. Wasn't it just spring? Sindri recalled the new life and warmth of the season fondly as he fumbled to tuck his button up into his slacks, wishing that the weather was still nice enough to get by in a t-shirt. Although, the occasion didn't quite call for old threads that had seen far too many days in the dirt and sun. Sindri was going to his work Christmas party that the higher ups had put on for all of the departments to get together and celebrate. His mates were more than happy to attend for the free booze and food, but Sindri was far less enthusiastic - a boat party with a DJ wasn't quite his speed.

For weeks leading up to this night, it seemed that all anyone in the office could talk about was this party. Sindri felt like at any moment it was going to make his head combust. The man had been dodging the inevitable questions about who he was bringing as his plus one to the big event left and right - pretending to be busy was his go to escape.  Sure, he could opt for the easy way out and take one of the single girls from his branch but, much to his mates' dismay, Sindri didn't want to bring just anyone.

Adele Clemens (formerly Bristol) was the newly divorced, and painfully heartbroken middle-aged witch that worked in Sindri's office. She had been married to her husband for thirty years before the two were divorced - turns out Bill was looking for someone considerably younger to occupy his time in his old age. The woman had been blubbering about the place for weeks before Sindri decided he had to do something to cheer her up. Adele was one of the only people to help him out after his promotion from an intern, so he figured the least he could do was go to the Christmas party with her. She was a lovely woman, and Sindri was happy to have a distraction that he didn't have to feign any sort of attraction to. After all, he would be seeing Arden and he needed any excuse to appear occupied. More than anything, after their last emotional encounter, Sindri was nervous to see her again despite the time that had passed.

Sindri apparated first to Adele's and then to where the boat would be departing from in London. As much as he was not looking forward to it, he had to admit that the bosses had done a great job putting the whole thing together - the boat was far from the tacky scene he had imagined. The large vessel exuded holiday spirit from the moment the duo stepped inside and Sindri was taken aback by how warm and inviting the whole ordeal was. A crowd had gathered, but it was clear that the boat had not reached its capacity yet. Sindri pretended to not be looking for familiar long brown hair and petite frame as he scanned the room for his mates.

A few guys from his office waved Adele and Sindri over to where they stood on the other side of the room far too enthusiastically - it was obvious that they had already started taking advantage of the open bar. The scruffy middle-aged man from the retrieval of magical creatures department who introduced himself as Norris was visibly taken by Adele before she even spoke a word. Sindri couldn't help but feel that this was set up by his friends who much preferred to live through their single mate and force him to talk to girls than have him entertain a divorcee. Norris wasted no time whisking Adele away to get her a drink and Sindri shook his head. "Good on ya, boys..." He shoved his friend playfully in the shoulder before going to get a drink himself on the outside deck. "Ditched by Adele Clemens..." Sindri mused to himself with an entertained grin despite the bruising of his pride.

Dash had been very close to avoiding this party. She wasn’t really interested in dancing and the fact that they were stuck on a boat for five hours meant that to escape the busy atmosphere, she’d actually have to apparate away. The chance of Sindri being there was less than appealing. The last time they’d encountered each other had concluded with her falling asleep wrapped in his arms. The next morning she’d rushed out, barely saying goodbye and declining his offer of breakfast. The whole situation had been awkward and messy emotionally all around, but Dash put it all on herself. She felt ashamed for throwing herself at him. Ashamed for allowing things to get to the point that they did. His rejection cut deeper than she’d understood at the time.

So all in all, the brunette wasn’t entirely sure why she’d eventually agreed to go. Her friends were quite persuasive, she thought, holding two different earrings up to her ears and comparing them in the mirror. Dash had explained things briefly to Lucas and he’d been as sweet as ever. She was aware that he was probably going to ask her out again, but would that really be such a bad thing? He was a lovely guy. Maybe she should say yes. A part of her wanted to.

A knock at the door got her attention. The woman quickly chose a pair of earrings, gave herself a quick puff of Ruari’s perfume and rushed to the door. The earrings were Ruari’s too, of course. Dash had a painfully limited collection of accessorising items. It wasn’t often that Arden Dasher dressed up for anything. She didn’t really like wearing heels and jeans and a shirt were infinitely more comfortable than a form-fitting dress. The girl had pierced ears, but it was rare that she wore anything other than plain studs in them. Tonight was an exception. The slim brunette wasn’t sure whether she was dressing up to impress Sindri or Lucas… Or because she wanted to make sure her ex thought that she had everything together. All she knew was that she wanted to look nice tonight.

Ruari had a lot of suggestions about what she should wear, but most of them were floor length ball gowns and the ones that weren’t generally seemed to have dramatic plunging necklines or were skin tight. In the end, they settled on a dress that was short, but long-sleeved. It was tight, but not made from a thin material that would have her feeling like she had to pull her stomach in the entire night. The dress was nice, and at least Dash could wear boots with it. She felt nervous as soon as she stepped outside her door, and it had very little to do with Lucas or her other Dublinite colleagues that had come to pick her up. She felt Lucas’s gaze linger on her body and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

They travelled via portkey and then apparated to catch the boat. Dash made light conversation, ignoring the butterflies in her tummy and the alarm bells telling her to go home. Lucas wasn’t the only male whose attention she seemed to have caught tonight, but instead of letting it make her feel self conscious, the brunette decided to take it in her stride. She’d barely stepped on to the boat when she caught sight of him. It was still jarring to see her ex lover, even though she’d guessed that he might be here tonight. He was dressed nicely, too. He looked handsome, she realised. More so than usual. 

She watched him for a moment as he went to get a drink and left for the outside deck, before making excuses to Lucas and her other workmates and moving slowly away from the group. She took long strides straight to the bar, letting the fact that she was dressed up far past her level of comfort fuel her feigned confidence. In reality, she felt dizzy with nerves. After collecting a drink, Dash went out on to the outside deck too. “Sindri,” she said, walking up to him like she knew what she was doing. She just needed to apologise. That was it. One simple, flippant apology and she’d be out of there in no time. Her confident smile faltered a little when he actually turned and their eyes met. “Hey,” she greeted, suddenly self conscious about the amount of make-up she was wearing and the length of her dress.

Sindri.

The man had heard his name called out as such thousands of times, but in this particular instance, from that mouth, it sent a chill up and down his spine. Taking extra care to not let the the glass of whiskey slip from his hand, Sindri hesitantly turned on his heels to face the person he knew for certain that had addressed him. It wasn't as though the twenty-two year old believed he could avoid his ex for the whole night, he just felt as though he needed a few more hours of pep-talking before he could actually maintain a conversation with the woman. Sindri. Right, Sindri. You. The man reminded himself that he wasn't having an outer body experience and that he was, in fact, being spoken to.

Say something. Anything. Sindri mentally pleaded with himself as he took in Arden's ensemble. In that moment, the panicked thoughts that had just been rampant, fled his conscious. All he heard was a deafening silence screaming back at him, even the obnoxious laughs from the women on the top deck didn't reach his ears. The man couldn't remember a time that he had even seen Arden look so dressed up. Was she wearing earrings? Lip stick, even? This was huge. Sindri knew Dash well enough to know that much. But Sindri couldn't deny how good she looked. He drank her in from head to toe, taking extra care when his hazel eyes flicked over her legs.

Social norms were not something he could fixate himself on when the brunette girl stood in front of him looking like that. It dawned on him then that Dash was no longer dressing up for him and that she was instead impressing some other guy. Briefly, he wondered if that some other guy went by the name of Lucas. After the pair's run in over a month ago, Sindri did a little background research on this mystery man who had been trying to woo Dash. Perhaps he was just curious but more likely the case was pure jealousy. A few of his mates in his office knew of him and vouched that he was nice enough. Sindri would like to think whoever she was with was treating her how she deserved to be treated.

"Arden!" Sindri spoke up entirely too enthusiastically, his voice a decibel louder and more high pitched than usual. He took in a sharp inhale of cold air when their eyes met, and he quickly moved his gaze to distract the situation and himself. "I - wow!" He motioned to the petite woman in front of him, not hiding how he felt about how amazing she looked. Even with more fabric than half the young girls at the party, Sindri noted that she still managed to look just as sexy, if not more. Fear now somewhere in the bottom of his drink, he took Arden in for an awkward embrace, pausing to kiss her cheek. Then, ceremoniously the other. Is that what normal acquaintances did? Sindri wasn't sure, but there was no going back now. "Have you been well?" He took a step back, habitually ruffling his hair. She had to know he was nervous. "Taking care of yourself?" Sindri winced. What did that even mean? She had a way of taking any ounce of composure the man had and running with it.

She was tense as he took in the sight of her. Legilimency would be an amazing skill to have right now, she thought nervously. The woman could see the surprise in his eyes, but she hoped he didn’t think it was too much. She waited for him to speak. A warm, gratified feeling spread somewhere in the pit of her stomach when he did. Dash looked stunning, but it was as if she’d been waiting for Sindri’s reaction to verify the fact. “Thanks,” she said with a small, self conscious smile. “I let Ruari dress me tonight… I put my foot down when she was trying to slip me into hundred-galleon embroidered ball gowns though.” The brunette chuckled softly at the idea. Sindri knew how over the top Dash’s dressmaker friend could be sometimes.

“She wanted – oh.” Dash stopped talking as her ex went in for a light hug. The woman held her glass steadily, surprised at his lips on her skin and surprised again as he kissed the opposite cheek too. The gesture sent a strange tingle of electricity down her spine. Sindri looked nervous, but Dash hoped that it wasn’t because he wished she hadn’t approached him. The girl took a quick sip of her wine before nodding and dabbing at her lips politely. She smiled, trying to put him at ease. “I am. How are you?”

Dash winced visibly, assuming that by ”Taking care of yourself?” he was referring to her messy state last time they’d seen each other. She’d basically thrown up in his bathroom and then left as quickly as she could. At the time, talking had seemed like the worst possible option. She’d slept most of the day away at home. “Oh,” she said sheepishly, turning her head slightly to glance at the bright city lights past the visible shore. “I wanted to apologise.” Dash’s hazel gaze dropped to the floor before flicking back up to meet his. Her expression was soft and apologetic, though inwardly she felt mostly embarrassed. “You know, for… last time?” The girl’s reddened lips twitched into a faintly embarrassed smile.

“I don’t know if you heard about the moonwhale that beached itself off of Tinworth? I know you have family around there…” A lot of family, in fact. Tinworth might as well be called Trickettworth, as far as Dash was concerned. She’d been to enough family Christmasses in that area to get a good idea of just how big his family was. The woman shook her head slowly, a frown appearing on her delicate features. This was awkward. But she felt completely compelled to apologise. “It was a big day. I hope it wasn’t too… Uncomfortable. For you, I mean.” The girl offered a faint smile, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear out of habit before realising that Ruari’s styling had meant that not a hair was out of place. Her hand fell back to her side and she took another long drink of her wine.

Sindri chuckled at the mention of the Regan woman dressing Dash for the event. He could have guessed as much, the tiny brunette in front of him was, admittedly, not typically one for dressing up. He had always liked Ruari, she was an unconditionally good friend to Dash especially when the couple started having problems - he heard the pair were living together now from a mutual friend and he was happy to hear they remained so close. "I should have known," He clicked his tongue, starting to ease himself into being more comfortable in the conversation. Normally, he was the one doing the reassuring, so the whole fish out of water feeling was equal parts terrifying and foreign. Sindri concluded that no length of pep-talking would have prepared him for this. The awkwardness of seeing an ex was inevitable, but he was sure they would find a balance soon enough. It was only Dash after all, there wasn't a person in the world he had been so open and himself around. The woman knew him inside and out, and that was what was scared him the most.

"There are a few gowns around the place, actually," Sindri mused with wide eyes. His former one-date-and-ditch, Sierra, was one of the women particularly overdressed for the night. It was typical of her to look for attention in such a vain way. "I'm afraid I'm terribly underdressed for the big night," The man looked down at his own choice of attire, grey slacks and a plain white button up sans tie. A handful of co-workers were fully suited up but Sindri, like Arden, felt a bit stuffy in anything too formal. "How dare I?" Sindri laughed to himself, taking a swig of his drink, forcing comfortability no matter how difficult it seemed.

Things had just started looking up when their last encounter was brought up. Sindri had hoped this wouldn't happen, but he was naive to honestly believe that it wouldn't. "Oh, no don't be," He shook his head, flailing to assure her that it was him that was in the wrong. He should have never suggested that she go back to his place, it was wrong in more way than one. The man was never one for talking about his feelings and this was no exception. Sindri wanted to explain to her everything he was thinking, but instead stood there blinking at her like an idiot. "It happens," He croaked with a shrug of his shoulders. It happens? What was he talking about? He didn't have much experience with relationships but he was fairly certain that kind of thing wasn't particularly normal. This was getting more painful by the second. "Ah, yeah, dad told me about that alright," Sindri ran a free hand through his tufts of messy hair. "Terrible..." He added, forcing another gulp of his drink. It didn't take much to get him drunk and at this rate he would be blind by the end of the night if he kept up pace.

"So you're enjoying the new department, then?" Sindri asked, avoiding confrontation in the way he had perfected over the years. Discussing his feelings was never the man's strong suit. Both he and Dash had moved on from their internships, Sindri was now working as head caretaker for injured birds, his furniture business on the side. Keeping busy was a healthy distraction for the past year.

“You look lovely,” she protested softly, giving him a quick, appraising once-over. Her favourite attire for him, as strange as it might sound to some of the people on this boat, was actually work clothes. Casual, practical clothing. Stuff he could go hiking or camping in. The brunette wondered briefly about when the last time they’d gone camping together had been. They’d camped somewhere near a river and slept outside most of he time. They went skinny dipping in the icy water. It felt like a lifetime ago. She liked his hair messy and his skin sun-kissed. She liked it when the same applied to her too.

Dash raised her eyebrows slightly when he said that it happens. That was what Ruari had said too. The brunette didn’t say anything, but her expression was uncertain. Was it what happened? Did it feel like something casual, that just happened, to him? It didn’t feel like that to her. Still, he seemed on edge and ready to gloss over her apology and she allowed him to make it as painless as possible. The witch guessed that he was trying to spare her feelings. She parted her lips to speak, protest somehow, but decided not to say anything. She tried to ignore the new wave of guilt as she drew the conclusion that his uneasiness was all on her. Her heart gave a tight squeeze as she swallowed her words.

The woman nodded. “Keeping tabs on me?” she asked, forcing a gentle, joking smile. She’d been determined to move on. Abstaining from asking people about his life was hard, but she’d managed to do it for months and months. Things had only changed after their last encounter. Somehow, she’d suddenly needed to know all about his life and where he was at. It kind of sucked. “Sea creatures mostly, but generally it’s bigger creatures. We go out on the boat sometimes to document breeding, numbers, habitat sustainability… things like that. There’s a lot more field work.” She nodded. Work had been nice and distracting, it was true.

"How about you?" she asked, taking another sip of her drink and raising her eyebrows with the question, "If I was still at Modesty Rabnot, you'd probably be my boss." A half-teasing smile graced her lips for a moment as she considered the idea. The brunette glanced down at her empty glass, unsure about how long they could keep this kind of small talk up. On one hand, it felt completely natural. She knew him well enough that that should be the case. On the other hand, things were strange and tense and she didn't want to misstep. She played with her glass for a moment before glancing back up at him with wide eyes. "Sin, are you here with anyone? I'm going to get another drink... did you want to...?" Dash gestured at his near-empty glass too, her gaze inquisitive.

Flushed, Sindri flattened out the tiny wrinkles on the breast of his button-up. As good it felt to hear her compliment, the man felt guilty of such praise, no matter how innocent it truly was. It felt dangerous. Sindri was hyper-sensitive to the things Dash said and did only because she was Dash. Every word, every tick, every movement, he dissected to the point of driving himself mad. Sin made a conscious effort to get out of his head and maintain eye contact - assuring himself that it was the normal thing to do in polite conversation. The man had no problem socializing with, quite literally, anyone else, but this was trickier than any old situation. Sindri was ever calculating, especially when it came to Arden. He and his old flame had a delicate history. A history that had an effect on his every word, conditioned to string together and form makeshift sentences.

Keeping tabs? Sindri just about choked on his drink, taking a moment to compose himself and come up with a response that wouldn't dig his hole any deeper than he afford to climb out of. "I -" He blushed, mouth agape, as he failed to come up with an excuse. "Y'know, people talk..." Sindri grinned, suddenly unaware of the cold breeze outside. "Around the office..." He added with a nervous laugh. He couldn't exactly say that he had been asking about her without coming off like the pathetic ex-boyfriend that it no doubt made him sound like.

Thankful that Dash didn't seem to phased and continued talking about her new work, Sindri nodded in response. "Ah, sounds nice to be out on the water so much?" He inquired. As a couple, most of their outdoor activities in some way or another included water. Sindri was in his element in and on any sort of water, so he was envious that she got to be surrounded by it for work. "Oh!" Sindri nearly shouted. "You remember that potion, the sea sickness one?" He asked enthusiastically. "I can write the ingredients down for you... I mean, if you still needed it," Sindri spoke with a tinge of sadness in his voice that replaced the enthusiasm of just a moment before. He remembered from their early years on the water that she had a few bouts of sickness when they first started dating. Sindri was a care taker by nature, and this was not lost on the fact that she was no longer his girlfriend.

"I suppose I would, hm?" Sindri joked, visibly more relaxed as their conversation moved forward and the alcohol hit his blood stream. The man made a mental note that he should probably switch his drink of choice if he wanted to make it to the end of the night without making a complete ass of himself. "Nah nah," He shook his head. "Still there a few days a week with the injured birds, alright," Sindri explained. "But I've been spending a lot of time on the furniture thing," He added nonchalantly. Sindri felt painfully uncomfortable talking about himself. "Oh, drinks, yeah," He replied before thinking, which was rare for the man. Resisting the urge to lead Dash inside with his hand on her lower back, Sindri instead opened the door and motioned for her to step inside so they could go to the bar.

"Actually," Sindri spoke in a whisper, bringing himself close to her so that she could hear him over the terrible music that had started playing throughout the boat. "I do have a date, but I'm afraid she's already ditched me," He gently elbowed her side and nodded in the direction of Adele and the man that had stolen her away who were now deep in conversation in the corner of the room. "You remember the effervescent Miss Clemens?" Sindri couldn't help but laugh. "Apparently I'm just not exciting enough for her..." He joked.

“It’s nice to be so hands-on,” she admitted with a nod. “It’s hard, dirty work. You’d love it,” she joked with a laugh. The two of them had that in common, at least. They enjoyed good, honest work and neither of them minded getting a bit dirty in the process. They both loved water and swimming too. She smiled at his suggestion, but he obviously hadn’t taken into account the fact that she’d been working there for eight months already. Dash doubted anyone would have put up with seasickness for that long. “I have the recipe still,” she replied softly. It was stuck to one of their kitchen cupboards at home and Dash often had a small vial lying around that she took for longer sessions out in the water, just in case. “We spend a lot of time inland too,” she clarified, “Lakes, streams…” His concern was touching, but she tried not to read too much into it. Her last conversation with Ruari about Sindri had been confusing to say the least. She still wasn’t really sure how she felt. "It's nice to be outdoors. I love Ruari, but honestly, I hate living in the middle of the city. Don't tell her that," she added with a smile.

“The furniture thing,” she repeated, amused. Sindri had always had trouble talking about his accomplishments. She raised her eyebrows a little, letting him know exactly what she thought of his dismissive tone without pressing the issue.

Dash’s eyes widened slightly as Sindri moved a little closer and confessed to having a date. Uh-oh. She almost missed the second part of what he was saying, as her mind was already going through ways that she could escape his company. Was his date nearby? Could she see them? Oh Merlin, was it Sierra? Dash panicked, certain that one look at the blonde on Sindri’s arm would make her want to apparate home, but the sensation dissipated at his next words. “Adele Clemens?” she asked, suddenly quite puzzled. The brunette’s hazel gaze followed Sindri’s to the middle aged woman in question. She laughed softly too, the smile brightening her expression momentarily. “Her loss,” she teased gently.

After a moment, her gaze softened and a slight, sympathetic frown appeared on her pretty face. “I heard Bill asked for a divorce two days before their anniversary,” she said softly, uncomfortable about gossiping but simultaneously comfortable about sharing this information with Sindri. “I feel for her,” she added simply. Adele looked happy now, but Dash knew what it was like to lose something big and important in her life – she was standing next to him right now. Adele’s relationship might have been five times as long as Dash’s but she could still empathise. A sudden, strong sense of nostalgia swelled  in her chest. Her gaze drifted back to Sindri, but she tried to push the feeling away. She wasn’t nearly drunk enough for any kinds of confessions and she’d always been too easy to read. Sindri, especially would be able to tell what she was feeling. Unless he has forgotten, a voice in her head reminded softly. She didn’t know how she felt about that.

She glanced away from him quickly, covering up her strangely sentimental words by closing the distance between her and the bar. “A cider and a beer, please,” she told the man serving drinks. “Unless you wanted something else?” she added quickly, turning back to Sindri with her eyebrows raised. “Sorry – habit.” She smiled apologetically, but the gesture was lost as someone appeared seemingly out of nowhere and clapped Sindri on the shoulder. He was unfamiliar, and Dash guessed that the young man had started working with Sindri sometime in the last year, after she’d left the reservation. She glanced between the two as the new guy mentioned something about one of their female co-workers. “…And who’s this?” he asked Sindri loudly, clearly already mildly intoxicated. The man’s eyes appraised Dash’s body slowly and indulgently, and she felt a strange sense of apprehension.

Sindri peered across the room, strangely proud as Adele was chatted up by the mystery man with a beard. He hadn't seen the woman laugh like that in what seemed like ages, and he liked to think that he played a part in that, no matter how minuscule. "Ah no, she's lovely," He protested with a thoughtful grin, recounting how the middle-aged woman was always saying that if she were his age she wouldn't let him out of her sight. Sindri always assured Adele otherwise, that she would be with some investment banker that had a fat salary, but he was flattered nonetheless. "She's been having a rough go at it..." He agreed with Dash, a hint of sadness in his tone. "I don't think she wanted to even come out tonight, honestly," Sindri confessed with a shrug. "So I insisted on taking her," He explained with a gentle smile. "Annnd look how well that turned out!" Sindri joked with a laugh.

"Bill's always been a prick, anyway," Sindri couldn't help but let his anger get the best of his choice of language. The man had a soft spot for Adele, and he couldn't understand how any self-respecting person could do that to such a gentle and caring person. "Remember, that Halloween party?" Sindri closed his eyes briefly, traveling back in time to when they first started at the Reserve. "Bloke was drunk, hitting on all the new interns?" He shook his head, visibly disgusted at the thought of it. "She's better off," Sindri added, catching the attention of Adele before shooting an encouraging wink in her direction. The woman blushed, dismissing him with an eye roll before re-investing in her conversation.

"Yeah, beers great," Sindri agreed, reassuring the bartender. "You're alright," He turned back to Dash with a polite smile. He hated hearing her apologize for something so silly, but it was in her nature. It was part of the reason why he had fallen for her in the first place, after all. Habit appeared to be the theme of the night. Just as he grabbed his drink, Sindri felt a heavy palm slap his back. "Oof," He coughed, taken aback by the surprise contact. "Mate, did you seeee the new girl? That dress, whew!" Gareth, a relatively new intern Sindri's age had very obviously taken full advantage of the open bar. Sindri liked the blond despite their differences, he was always pushing the man out of his comfort zone. In fact, he was the main driving force behind the Sierra debacle. Sindri watched, a pained expression on his face as Gareth did little to hide the fact that he was checking Dash out.

"Gareth," Sindri put his arm around the shorter man, his smile more of a wince now. "This is Arden Dasher," He looked to his companion, hoping the name would ring some sort of bell. He was sure he mentioned her by name despite the fact that they had been broken up before Gareth started at the Reserve. "What a beautiful name for a beautiful lady!" He exclaimed in response, taking the brunette's hand into his own before planting a sloppy kiss on it. "A modern day Lothario, this one," Sindri couldn't help but scoff at the interaction, squeezing the back of Gareth's neck playfully. As much as he hated to admit it, he was jealous. The hardest part about this conflicting feeling was that he couldn't act on it.

She watched the older woman thoughtfully for a moment, thinking about how typical it was of him to go out of his way to make someone else’s day a little easier. “You’re sweet, Sindri,” Dash said affectionately. Sweet was an understatement, but she was sure he’d take no higher praise. Sindri didn’t like being excessively complimented. Adele hadn’t wanted to come out? Dash hadn’t wanted to come out tonight either. Lucas had (half) jokingly offered to be her date for the night, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t take a date to an event where Sindri would be. Ruari suggested she turn up looking sexy with a bit of man candy on her arm, but the makeup and the short dress was about as far as she’d gone.

“I remember,” she said with a nod. One of her workmates had warned her from the beginning that the older manager was a little shady. The Halloween party had been much less classy than tonight’s event, and much smaller. It seemed like Bill Bristol had managed to crack on to every girl in the room. “Including me,” she reminded him with a soft shoulder bump. Sindri hadn’t been very happy about that. The brunette grabbed their drinks with a thankful smile and passed the beer to Sindri, the gesture all too familiar.

When his friend held out a hand for her to shake, she let him take hers. In a moment, he’d raised her hand to his lips. “Oh,” she said, raising her eyebrows in disbelief and shooting Sindri a look. “Wow.” Dash was lost for words. The situation was too strange, too bizarre for her to wrap her head around. Instead of letting her hand go, Gareth stepped forward and tugged her into a loose kind of embrace. “Come dance with me,” he said insistently, an inebriated smirk plastered all over his otherwise attractive face. Dash was surprised he’d be so forward. She was displeased that someone would be so forward with Sindri right there (he must not have mentioned her?), and a teensy bit flattered that he’d picked her to be so forward with. It must be all the makeup, she decided.

Laughing lightly, Dash extricated herself from his body, removing the hand at her waist and stepping backwards with a polite, amused smile. “Maybe later,” she told him with a nod. The brunette looked expectantly at Sindri, waiting for him to back her up. “Want to head back outside?” she asked quickly.

"Ohh, I quite recall..." Sindri trailed off, shaking his head in disgust. The Halloween party had taken some serious restraint on his part, he remembered, his eyes closing briefly for a moment in thought. If Bill wasn't his higher up and the husband of a personal friend, the night might've ended considerably different than it had. Ultimately all Sindri could do was stick by Dash's side and make sure the man wasn't too forward. "Worst part is Adele didn't seem to have any idea," He added sadly, shooting another glance toward the woman who was now far removed from the situation. She and her bearded companion were heading to the dance floor hand in hand, spilling their drinks and laughing all the while. Sindri grinned, visibly pleased with the outcome of the night despite his mildly bruised ego. It was his goal to help Adele have a good night, and it appeared she was doing just that.

"Come dance with me," Sindri couldn't help but groan in protest. Gareth could hit on the woman all he wanted but as soon as Arden showed the first sign of disapproval, Sindri decided that he could intervene. That's what friends did for friends, right? He assured himself it was. It was clear that she was uncomfortable, and he couldn't blame her. Gareth, sober, was forward enough as is, but drunk he had reached a whole new level of creep. "Mate, c'mon," Sindri gingerly touched his friends shoulder, pulling him away from the petite brunette. "Don't you think your date would love to dance?" He raised his eyebrows a small grin spreading over his lips. Gareth had mentioned taking the cocktail waitress he had been sleeping with for a weeks, and Sindri assumed she had to be around somewhere being chatted up.

"Outside?" Sindri repeated slowly, trying to understand. The alcohol had slowed his response time considerably but it was clear that Arden wanted to put as much distance between herself and his blond co-worker as possible. Sindri wasted no time in doing just that. He led Dash toward the exit that opened up to the front deck of the vessel. There were a few elegant couches and chairs scattered around community tables and delicate fire displays. Sindri instead headed toward the the railing of the boat. Their travelling party would be passing through the main London waterways, so he figured why not take advantage of it. "So," Sindri began, resting his palms on the rail and leaning forward comfortably. His posture was a far cry from the start of the evening. "No Lewis tonight?" He fought back laughter, but his dimpled smile gave him away. "Oh I'm sorry, Lochlan?" Sindri pressed, trying to keep his composure.

It was deceptively easy, but Dash felt like she was walking on a tightrope. Things had gone from horribly awkward to unusually comfortable in a snap and she wasn’t sure how to maintain it. She wasn’t sure if she could balance. He opened the door for her and the gesture was familiar. Sindri’s friend melted conveniently into the background. “New intern?” she questioned curiously, flattered that she’d received attention from the man, but thankful that he hadn’t been any more insistent.

The two stepped outside and Dash cast her eyes around to the other people outside. It was still relatively early and the deck hadn’t filled up too quickly. It seemed that most of tonight’s guests were more interested in the free drinks, canapés and magical dance floor. “You didn’t ask me if I came here with a date,” the girl pointed out amusedly, giving him a look. After a moment, she added, “I didn’t.” The woman turned her hazel eyes out to the water again, thankful for the warming charms keeping them safe from the icy air outside. “And it’s Lucas.” Dash bumped Sindri’s arm lightly with her shoulder, thankful that they’d somehow gotten past their initial unease, at least for now. Their conversation still somehow felt precarious.

She didn’t want to stop talking to him, but she felt like it was possible for them to run out of things to say. After that point, she was sure things would go downhill. Sindri must have a lot of friends here too, and Dash wasn’t even entirely sure that he wanted to be out here talking to her. She took a deep drink of her cider. “He’s here,” she answered, waving a hand flippantly and resting her glass against the rail of the boat. Dash wondered briefly if Lucas was wondering where she was. Or if he knew where she was. “He’s around somewhere. We came here with a group.” The brunette felt like the comfortable conversation she was having with her ex could end at any moment, but she also wondered if she was enjoying it too much. Was it possible to be horribly anxious about something that you were simultaneously strangely relishing? If she could tell the Dash of one hour ago that she’d be on the deck with Sindri alone, actually talking, she wouldn’t have believed it.

The woman straightened the skirt of her dress with one hand absentmindedly. It seemed to hitch a little when she walked and she wasn’t used to wearing things so short. It wouldn’t take an expert to work that out. Fumbling for something to say, Dash filled the silence with the first thing that came to mind. “How’s our pup?” she asked, wincing internally at the accidental use of the possessive ‘our’. “How’s he taking living in the city?”

"Ah, yeah, been with us... just over a few months now," Sindri replied, pausing to purse his lips in thought. Gareth had a way of making himself completely comfortable in any situation, around any person, and Sindri had to remind himself that his co-worker hadn't been at the Reserve very long. "Good bloke, though," He was quick to add as a smirk crept over his lips. "Just a bit... cheeky?" Sindri struggled to find the appropriate adjective.  Dash had seen first hand just how cheeky the blond could be, but she was lucky to have gotten out of his line of fire before it got too risque. "I have seen that man with more drinks poured on him and more slaps to the face than anyone I have ever known," Sindri said between chuckles, recalling the dozens of times he had seen the younger man get reprimanded for his less than bashful chatting up tactics.

Sindri, for a moment, had forgotten just who he was talking to. Arden Dasher, the man remembered as he made eye contact with her, temporarily paralyzing his relaxed facade. Maybe it was the drinks, or perhaps he was just fooling himself, but Sindri had started to feel dangerously comfortable around the woman. He wasn't sure were the line was drawn in this situation. How long was too long to chat? Were they being too friendly? Sindri couldn't be bothered to try and make sense of it all then. He much preferred to at least try and avoid the inevitable questions that would come from this encounter.

"Luucas, right, how could I have forgotten?" The man practically growled his name, throwing a hand into the air as if finally remembering the name of a long lost friend. "Well..." Sindri began, looking back out over the water. "I guess I assumed if you were here with someone you wouldn't be here with me," He explained. As much as he tried to hide the jealousy from his tone, he failed to completely mask it. Sindri shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as if to dismiss the feelings that plagued him, it was easier to keep it friendly. "Am I keeping you?" He added quickly, glancing back to the party which had filled considerably since they stepped outside. His mates were probably wondering where he was as well, but Sindri didn't mind. They had plenty of time left for force their single friend on all of the potential prospect they had scoped over the course of the evening. He winced a little at the thought of it.

Sindri was so thankful that Dash had re-directed the course of the conversation that he hardly noticed her use of the possessive 'our' when asking about Bear. "He's adjusted fine," He replied, a dimpled smile spreading over his lips as he thought about the animal. Sindri was a natural caregiver and animal lover, so raising a dog was one of his proudest accomplishments. "We get out a lot to the parks in the city," Sindri felt in some way like he was reassuring Dash that he wasn't neglecting the animal. "I think he likes the change of scenery..." He added convincingly. "Like father, like son, hey?" Sindri laughed. He loved nature, and never in a million years pictured himself a bustling city and happy. But he was just that. Being lost in a crowd of complete strangers was therapeutic.

"You should visit him more," Sindri immediately regretted the words as they came out of his mouth. Had he crossed the friend boundary and entered pathetic ex-boyfriend territory? He cringed. "I mean, if you'd like," He wasn't helping his case. Sindri forcibly shut himself up by taking a few gulps of his beer.

“I guess you’re right,” she answered softly. Dash felt like his intonation was more intimate than was appropriate, but who was she to say what was or wasn’t appropriate? The girl didn’t know how to behave, or where lines were. With no experience or manual on this topic, she had to feel her own way around their new relationship. They were navigating it together. Besides, it was more than likely that she was simply reading into things. She’d been doing a lot of overthinking lately, especially after Ruari’s insistence that perhaps, perhaps there was a chance that this chapter of her life wasn’t entirely closed yet. Maybe she liked the way he emphasised that she was here with him. She tried to shake the feeling. It was disconcerting.

She followed his gaze out to the water with a smile. “Of course not. You know this whole boat thing isn’t really my… scene.” She gestured loosely in the direction of the dance floor. The whole thing was doing her head in. Dash didn’t want to dare think about any possibility other than a polite and distant acquaintanceship between the two of them. At the same time, it was impossible not to wonder. The brunette wasn’t sure if Ruari’s words had put these ideas in her head, or simply opened her eyes to thoughts that were already there. She felt like she’d lost her place. Dash tilted her head slightly, showing him a smile as the light breeze gently blew strands of hair against her cheeks. “Am I keeping you?” she teased gently, ducking her chin a little and glancing up at him. There was a curiosity in her gaze that hadn’t been there moments ago.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was talking about himself, rather than their dog, when he answered her question about living in the city. Then again, it was entirely possible that she hadn’t just been enquiring about Bear when she’d asked. A part of her wanted to know everything about his life. How long did it take him to adjust to the sounds of people, rather than wild birds, in the morning? Did he still go fishing or hiking in any of the places they’d been together? She hadn’t. A thousand questions bubbled to the surface of her mind, but she only seemed to be able to voice the most trivial of them. “Do you miss having a veggie garden?” she asked. Dash missed their garden. She liked putting work into something and having tangible results. She liked feeling productive and benefiting off of her hard work in such a tangible way.

Dash’s hazel eyes flicked to him sharply. Perhaps she wasn’t entirely sure that he’d just said what she thought he’d said. She blinked, a little lost for words. “Should I?” she asked finally, “would that… be okay?” The girl’s voice was hesitant. In no time at all, the casual façade had faded out of her expression entirely. She couldn’t hide the sense of sentimentality that she felt, even though she knew that it might make him feel uncomfortable. Dash was an emotional creature, and he’d always been able to read her so well. Her body shifted slightly, facing him instead of the water now, as her attention was focused on his next words. Without even realising it, she was touching his forearm lightly. She was suddenly vulnerable, unsure, seeking some kind of support or validation and looking for it in the entirely wrong place. “I don’t want to intrude on your life, Sin.” The nickname slipped out for the second time this night without her even noticing.

Following her gesture back to the party with dim eyes, Sindri nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean," The man shrugged his shoulders. "Might as well make the best of it?" Sindri nudged his beer bottle. "Open bar," He added with a small smile. It wasn't like the man was much of a drinker, but tonight he was an aspiring one; liquid courage was the only way he was going to survive whatever this was happening with Dash. Things had yet to get awkward, but Sindri knew the turning point would come eventually, they couldn't go on with the small talk forever, after all. "Ah, no, you're not," He was quick to assure Arden that she wasn't hoarding him from his friends. "You saw! My date ditched me, what else am I to do?" Sindri laughed, taking the bottle to his lips for another swig. Truth be told, he liked being around her. Much more than he liked being forced on the other single co-workers by his mates.

At the mention of a vegetable garden, Sindri fought the feelings of sentimentality swirling around in his lungs. "I -" Sindri began, but had to pause to think his answer through. He did miss it. But the thought of it made him think of Dash, and he remembered why he had moved to the city in the first place. He had to get away from all things that were too painful for him to deal with, veggie garden included. "You know, I keep busy with the furniture, I haven't really noticed..." Sindri trailed off. He wasn't lying - it was just that he forced himself to forget the feelings associated with the hobby as opposed to organically being beyond them.

"You should," Sindri nudged her with his elbow. He couldn't see why she couldn't see Bear from time to time. The animal was hers too after all. "I'd say he misses you and your treat giving," Sindri smirked, recalling how generous the brunette was with the biscuits when he first brought the dog home. "Dash..." Sindri began, his voice soft. Arden's use of his nickname had struck a chord for him emotionally, and he felt himself melting into the floor. Just as he was about to insist that she wouldn't be intruding on his new life, a loud voice captured his attention. "Arden! Arden, c'mere!" Sindri practically groaned out loud as he discovered who the voice belonged to. Lucas. The man was half way out the door, excitedly waving at the woman to come inside. "Annette is opening her gift!" Sindri couldn't help but stare at him, knowing the look in his eye was betraying his calm demeanor.

"This guy..." Sindri said under his breath. He turned back to Dash with shrugged shoulders. "Better go, then?" His question came out more like a statement and the anger in his tone was quite obvious. Before she could even answer, Sindri gave her a polite nod and headed back to his own friends inside, not giving Lucas another glance. There were about seven shots calling his name. Sindri needed a distraction and he needed it fast.

An hour later, and nearly six standard drinks down, Sindri Trickett was drunk. In fact, his whole crew was drunk. The group of men made complete idiots of themselves on the dance floor and had conversations with co-workers they knew they would regret the next work week. Lucky for Sindri, he was a charming drunk. He opened up, becoming far more social than he was sober, and this seemed to surprise some people. As he swung his former date, Adele around on the dance floor he noticed Dash out of the corner of his eye. And she was with him. Forget the rest of their group, he had them singled out. Sindri suddenly paused, excusing himself from the woman and ignoring any sensibility he had in the beginning of the night.

"Ooh!" He sang out, throwing his hands in the air as if reunited with old friends. "Top bloke, this one!" Sindri draped an arm lazily over the man, patting him on the chest with his other hand. "Sindri, mate, I don't think we have been properly introduced!" Sindri grinned at him mischievously before turning back to Dash with raised eyebrows in mock surprise. "Arden, whyy have you failed to introduce us?" He asked, having a hard time  keeping the smirk from his face. He was making a complete ass of himself, but Sindri had to admit, it felt good. He was harboring a fair bit of hurt when it came to the woman on his left, and the drinks only fueled it.