{s w a y f r o m t h e t o p o f f t h e l e d g e} {reed/headlesshunt}

Roslyn liked to spend her time around her favorite people, especially during certain milestones like her birthday. Or, at the very least, around her birthday. It was funny to her that Reed had become one of her people, when he so clearly was not throughout their Hogwarts years. The irony wasn't lost on her though it was a comfort that she could demonstrate enough personal growth to have the circumstances be what they were. So here they were out in suitably chilly and windswept moors, the perfect setup for the headless hunt games.

She knew enough people thought it was a bit too, well, creepy but Roslyn had always leaned into situations that sent little jolts of fear through her. She could never pin-point if that was the adrenaline junkie in her or the athlete in her. Lean into the pain. Ghosts weren't scary (exception being the Bloody Baron, of course, though to her there had always been something exceedingly sad and tragic about Slytherin's ghost) especially when you were surrounded constantly by Nicholas or even the Friar.

It was nice that the headless hunt games coincided with her vacation, at any rate, because it meant she could drag Reed with her. She'd even reward him by offering herself as arm candy. She was dressed relatively casual with an extremely comfortable sweater and tight legging combo but that was mostly because her plan was to find a nice cozy spot and indulge in a bit of a snack picnic. It didn't occur to her that she'd chosen a stereotypically romantic outing (if you eliminated the ghosts) until she'd finished cutting off the bloody crust off the bloody cucumber and mint tea sandwiches. She'd felt so guilty about it she'd made enough for a second basket for Jade and Maisie to pick on. (In addition to the basket she’d made the boys because they were hopeless)This wasn't a date anyway, even if she happened to latch onto Reed like an octopus as they tried to find a good place to set the blankets she'd brought.

Her friends would just have to enjoy her bouts of terrible domesticity. "Here!" she declared in satisfaction as she eyed the tree trunk that would serve as the perfect back rest once she'd set the first blanket down. "I've got the blue bell flame jars in my bag if you want to fish them out." she said as she let go and started setting up. They were a bit early but she didn't want to miss the start of the hunt and she wanted to be comfortable and mid chew when it did. She'd made tea sandwiches and thai toast to snack on and had brought a thermos of warm tea, some chilled butterbeer, and an assortment of berries, chocolate, crackers, and cream so they could make s'mores over the jars of blue bell flames she'd packed up.

Roslyn was, to the surprise of none, extremely food motivated.

@Reed Stringfellow

Reed had shown up on time, and with a bottle of wine, to what Roslyn had invited him to. It was unlike him to turn down an invitation, no matter who it was from or how much it might have seemed like a date. Not that he was uninterested in having a date with Roslyn, she was an absolute babe and a total catch, so long as she knew nothing serious would come from it. Despite their bickering in Hogwarts, Reed had come to enjoy the Auror's company. She was a killer sparring partner, and she didn't mess around when it came to eating after exercise. They had a lot in common, actually, so he didn't see a bad side to this endeavor. And Reed was constantly examining every angle.

Just like he was as she took a half step ahead of him, her godawful sweater was far too long, but Reed could imagine what her backside looked like in those skintight pants underneath the flowy fabric, and he made no effort to hide the fact that he was. She'd packed a hoard of things, and of course, he'd offered to carry them as they set out to find a spot. Reed had dressed as casually as he ever did, but it was a far cry from the half-naked young witches and wizards sprawled out on the lawns. It was a weekend, and sure it was a special event, but it was also March. Multitasking to both admire the twenty-something witches in their off-season sundresses while also judging them; Reed was reminded of a saying his mum used to tell his sisters. No one will buy the dragon if they get the hide for free.

"This seems suitable." He agreed softly, though Roslyn was already getting to work and barking out Aurors. Spoken like a true Gryffindor, he thought and smiled. Reed set things down to find the lanterns she had asked for and felt like he was digging into a bottomless pit. Eventually, he used his wand, accioed the bluebell flame jars, and set them out for Roslyn to decide where they should be set up. It was a good spot; Reed decided as he surveyed the area. A tree to so no one with a corporeal form could get the drop on them, and good sightlines across the grounds, Reed nodded. He pulled at the knees of his trousers, the habit of a loyal suit aficionado, but it was unnecessary. The impressive amount of magic weaved in Marchesi suits ensured that they never wrinkled and were never too stiff. Reed sat down on the blanket; the fabric seemed to model with him, holding its shape and never pulling.

 "Do you think you packed enough?" He asked, smirking.

It would never cease to amuse her that Reed was probably the best dressed man of her acquaintance. (Harlan was high on the list, too, but she wasn't going to count him). She really wanted to poke her friend and wondered what it would take to get him to just slum it with her. It wouldn't be Reed if he did of course, and she'd seen him in far more casual settings. Even a man like Reed couldn't comfortably spar in a three piece suit, though she didn't doubt that he could. She completely missed the way he was trying to ogle her arse or the way he was admiring the women she really couldn't be bothered paying attention to. Ros was a bit single-minded sometimes, once she'd determined she was in a safe environment. She tended to assess exit and vantage points more frequently than she considered people a threat.

Her teal eyes flickered over towards Reed as she got settled in, gaze straying towards the movement of him pulling at his trousers, before she snapped them away. Reed was an extremely attractive man with an unfairly aesthetically pleasing build and especially nice thighs.

She grinned in response to his teasing, eyes sparkling rather mischievously, before she shot him a pout. "Are you saying you don't want to try my food? Its not every day a lass cooks for you without having some sort of ridiculous expectation in mind when it comes to you." she pointed out smartly, as she hid a grin. Reed, she knew, had a habit of keeping things rather casual and it amused her immensely that he let her just be when it came to things like this. He was a flirt and she knew he'd bed her should she show an inclination but she also knew it was him being opportunistic as opposed to having any serious designs on her. It was a very specific sort of friendship, theirs, and one she very much appreciated.

Her bright teal gaze slipped past Reed a second later as she spotted a familiar set of hair and shoulders. Curious. She hadn't realized Aiden and Danny would be within bloody hexing distance when she'd packed them their own food.

“Well, now, let’s not be hasty,” Reed said, his smile fading as he pulled his eyebrows together and gave her a severe look. It didn’t last, though, and soon enough, he was smiling again. “Besides, not even you could eat all of this food alone.” Not that he knew that was undoubtedly true, but it didn’t matter, and Reed let out a soft chuckle as she moved things about some more.

Reed had no intentions of dating Roslyn, but he knew that wasn’t why she had invited him along either, so it was like having the best of both worlds. He got to enjoy a wizarding event with a beautiful witch and not have to deal with the complications later. Reed never had to worry about sleeping alone, he was more than covered in that department, so the fact that it wouldn’t be Roslyn warming his bed tonight was of no consequence.

The wizard watched as she looked behind them, her gaze lingering too long for general curiosity, and Reed’s icy blues followed hers. “Do you know them?” He asked, silently sizing up the kids she was looking at. Of course, the two wizards weren’t children, but to Reed, any wizard without the good sense to wear a suit was basically a toddler.

"I'd try my best, then banish the rest." she quipped, annoying at having rhymed, but grinning despite herself, and enjoying his answering smile. Reed knew by now she was a goof, though she calmed the desire to jump him with rational thought. Reed had always been a test to her reflex control, first by the fiery wrath of her temper and then by the irrational desire to want him to react. She figured part of the allure was that she wanted to strip his control away, layer by layer, in any way she could. Anger, laughter, desire... it didn't much matter because she enjoyed seeing the affect she could have. It was probably some twisted power thing, she was sure.

Rivals to friends were muddy waters but she splashed around it regardless because it was Reed. She'd jump him if she thought it would help past the initial surge of satisfaction. Part of her brain told her he'd keep things both simple and infinitely pleasurable but she was self aware enough to know she would not and, well, she'd rather keep her mouth to herself than risk loosing his company. He wasn't a warm man and, well, it had take work to get to this point in friendship. It was just sometimes the desire to win an argument presented itself by the pull to tug his hair and bite his lips. The thought of messing him up when he was always so put together.  She wondered if she was a masochist, keeping company with incredibly fit, incredibly tempting men that pulled at different parts of her brain.

"My cousin and his friend." she said, half grinning, as a spark of mischief entered her teal eyes. "Want to give them a show?" she asked, full lips curving up into a devilish grin. Perhaps she would get to see him a least a little disheveled, if he ended up playing along. Clearly she enjoyed playing with fire.

Reed's eyes slid back toward Roslyn, and then an eyebrow rose in confusion. Not because he didn't understand what she was insinuating, but because he wondered why she was so intent on giving her cousin a show. Coming from a long line of Stringfellows, it wasn't entirely unheard of, but he had never imagined the Hayes family to be the sort. He thought on it for a moment, but not longer than was appropriate before he shrugged slightly and spoke, "Maybe another time," Reed said, politely declining her offer but smiling at her anyway.

He was still confident that he had not misread their friendship or the terms of today, so Reed settled against the tree and folded one shoe over the other comfortably. "From the looks of those boys, they probably wouldn't even understand what they were seeing." Reed laughed at their expense but kept his eyes on Roslyn.

"Pity." she said, sighing, as she leaned back disappointment tugging at her a little. It wasn't even just wanting to annoy Aiden, either, though that had made it an easier request to make. Leave it to Reed to make her question her own motives. "I blame the suit." she added, letting her gaze rove over his form appreciatively, before flickering her gaze up innocently. She matched his smile, letting it slowly blossom into a grin, before she took a sip of her drink. "I think they're waving." she said, laughter in her tone, as she shook her head.

"You'd be right. They're all ridiculous. Endearing but ridiculous." she said, amusement mingled with fondness lighting up her features. "They're both rather harmless." she tacked on meeting Reed's gaze with her own only to swivel to the side as she caught movement. "Oh." she murmured, eyes widening in excitement, as she caught sight of the first ghostly silouhette. "Looks like its starting." she added, fascinated.

"The suit is never to blame, Roslyn," Reed conjured a serious look as he corrected her, but soon enough, even his icy blue eyes turned soft again, and he smirked. The boys began to wave, or at least he took Roslyn's word for it, and Reed shrugged. He had no use for teenagers (even if they were adults, they looked like children), and he wasn't interested in meeting her family (not that she had asked him to). Reed smiled as she called them ridiculous, though, understanding the tone of her voice and the look on her face as she smiled back at them. Roslyn had big sister energy, and Reed recognized it.

"They're both rather harmless." She mentioned, and he chuckled low in his throat, "I'd assumed as much," He hadn't thought of either of them to be much of a threat when she'd pointed them out, and hearing Roslyn proved him correct. Not that Reed wasn't still aware of how far away they were sitting and hopeful they'd keep it that way.

The headless hunt was underway now, and Reed turned back to the entertainment as ghosts began tossing their heads, juggling each other's, and performing other stunts as if it were some opening act. "Have you placed any bets?" He asked, pulling out a cigarette from the case inside of his suit jacket and rolling it between his thumb and forefinger out of habit.

"Thats objectionable." she quipped, though her amusement was apparent. Truly she had a bit of a thing for men in suits. She'd never admit it but something about tie's and the way the fabric fit just right across broad shoulders... Yes, she did have a bit of a weakness and Reed Stricklander looked pretty amazing in a suit. He knew it, of course, but it was nice just the same. Its not like he was unaware he was unfairly attractive, either, so she could enjoy it without guilt.

"Maybe. You?" she asked, grinning impishly. It wouldn't be any fun if they hadn't and she suspected, knowing Reed, that he probably had something high stakes going on somewhere, though she didn't have proof. She usually kept her gambling pretty relaxed and low stakes. Mostly she just enjoyed the gratification of being right and winning... and she could do that with something small. She had a reputation to maintain, too, so there was that.

Reed lifted his shoulders at her smugly, but he didn’t answer the question out loud. While Roslyn was on the up and up, being an honest Ministry Auror and all, Reed lived in a grayer area. Most of what he did was not technically legal, but the caveat was even those shady things were usually at the behest of the Ministry itself. It was a don’t ask, don’t tell, get results sort of situation, and Reed had always managed to find a way to make sure he was the one who benefited most. He did his job for the Ministry, and he did it well, but it didn’t mean he was about to go and tell Roslyn the details. They were friends, and he wouldn’t put her in a situation where she might need to draw a line.

So yes, of course, he had placed bets, and no, they weren’t all entirely legal. The crinkle around his eyes likely filled in the blanks, and Reed carried on. “I wish you luck, then,” he said with another smirk. Reed leaned on the backs of his palms, the silver of his watch digging into his wrists as the festivities began. Ghostly apparitions rode across the sky, and magical fireworks rang out into the night. And despite all that was occurring around them, Reed spent more time watching Roslyn than he did the event.