Tired of feeling sorry for myself -open-

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And so went Everett again like any other time. After a night pubbing, Eve had started flirting with another pretty one. Matthew had known this would happen and still he agreed to come everytime. That's what friends were for right? Before Everett went, Matt made sure he had condoms and his phone with him. In case he needed an escape, then Matt would come of course. It didn’t seem likely to happen, this one seemed decent for a change. Despite so, Matthew hated seeing his best friend in the arms of another. Even more he hated being jealous over it because he had no right to be jealous. Of course he never showed this jealousy, he was a supportive friend who wanted his bestie to be happy. But still he couldn’t control what he felt. For as long as he remembered, Matthew had liked his best friend. More than like actually. He had been in denial for years but finally had admitted it, to himself at least. He’d never tell Eve, such things would ruin a friendship. The former Gryffindor had hoped that if he just acted normal, the feelings would disappear soon. He was wrong.

He pouted at the door that Everett disappeared out of, hoping that maybe he’d return. Of course not. With a sigh, he finished his beer. He didn’t plan on staying late. It would be irresponsible. Pathetic even to sit here alone feeling sorry for himself. However as he looked up, he noticed he wasn’t alone at all. Someone else had taken Eve’s seat. “Um, hello,” he greeted his new company with curious eyes.

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Mary was tired. This was a fairly usual state of affairs for the redhead who never got enough sleep in any case, but now she was more tired than usual since she had spent the majority of last night doing paperwork. Mary hated paperwork. It was the bane of her existence. But someone or other had to do it, and it would appear that that was her, because those above her loved to delegate and those below her lacked the authority. So, it fell on Staff Sergeant Campbell's shoulders, and that was a name which was appearing on far too many forms as of late. Not only had she worked all last night but she had worked all day today as well, and now she was just about ready to drop. Of course, Mary didn't know what was good for her- otherwise she wouldn't be in the army- and so instead of going home and collapsing into bed as she wanted to, she had instead headed for the nearest pub, bought herself a drink and then looked around in search of a table. She hadn't found it. The place was packed, but her legs were killing her and there was no way that she could stand all evening. Instead, she picked a table at random and sat down opposite some strange man. "Hello." she responded to his greeting with a smile. "Don't mind if I sit here, do you?" Not that she was likely to move if he did. She needed to sit down before she fell down.

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Matt hadn't expected anyone to sit across of him but as he looked into the pub and saw how crowded it was, he understood. It was not like Everett was coming back to claim the seat. The blonde shrugged and looked back at the door that his best friend left through. "It isn't taken and this is a public place," he mumbled and sighed. The longer he stayed the more melancholic he felt. For a second his eyes went back to the person who had joined him. It was a much older woman. Shame, had it been a handsome man perhaps he could've found some distraction. Then again who was he fooling? Matthew was good at many things but flirting wasn't one of them. Besides he'd be both lying to himself and the other person if he appeared to be interested. His mind was still full with Eve. Until this very day, Matt wondered how someone like him got into Gryffindor, the house of bravery. He was a coward.

Part of him felt like leaving and going home. But he would only sit on the couch worrying for his friend's safety out there. He had to sober up and be ready to drive if the other needed him to. So he stayed here, drinking a plain glass of cola. He'd been a fool thinking this could be a night of bonding between best friends without Everett going off to flirt with people. Matt couldn't even blame him, he did this all to himself.

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Mary raised an eyebrow as she sank back into the seat, closing her eyes for a moment before reluctantly bringing herself back into the world of the living and focusing on the face of the man opposite, who did not seem to be enjoying his evening out. Although, fair was fair, Mary herself wasn't exactly having the time of her life either. As a serving member of the armed forces, though, she had learned to take her relaxation when she could. Fun and relaxation were not always the same thing. She was relaxed- more or less, although the penalty of a life in the forces was that one could never truly relax, always looking for the next threat. But she was definitely not enjoying herself.

For a moment or two, she simply sat and lowered the level of her glass somewhat, but eventually, the silence began to get to her, and the redhead glanced up sharply at the face of the man opposite. She didn't really want to pry into his private life- who knew what she might uncover?- but at the same time, the air of negativity hanging around him was beginning to affect her, and Mary could not afford to be in a bad mood at this time of night, or she'd never get any sleep. "What's eating you?" she enquired, her harsh Scottish accent strong and apparent even in that short sentence. Mary had never had any truck with the strong, silent type, and in her line of work, she met far too many of them.

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Was his obsession with his best friend starting to become unhealthy? Was he a creepy stalker? Hopefully Everett would never find out about Matt's forbidden thoughts. It'd ruin their friendship. Why couldn't he just see the other as a friend, just like how Eve saw him? Matthew hated himself for these feelings he never seemed to get over. If only he was an easy flirt like Eve, then maybe he could get some distraction even if it wouldn't satisfy him. Matt was talking himself crazy right now. He was so busy brooding that he'd forgotten someone else was sitting across of him. "Oh... hmmm... Trying to be the responsible friend," he mumbled and sighed. Matt finished his cola and toyed with the empty glass. He noted the woman was alone. "Waiting for friends?" The blonde asked his own Scottish accent was there but very light compared to the woman's. Through the years he tried to sound more like the Londoners. Hers brought him back home to the small village he left behind to be part of the big world.

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As she waited for the man to respond, the redhead lifted her glass once again, gloomily surveyed the contents and then swallowed most of them. She had had a hard day and she was in no mood for moderation, thank you very much. No, Mary was not an alcoholic, she just liked to drink. Having had a long and stressful week working, she needed desperately to have some form of relaxation, which was why she had not, as she had been tempted to do, gone straight home. She was in such a high state of tension that she would have been tossing and turning for half of the night in any case. No, she needed to unwind, otherwise there was a definite possibility that something would snap and she really couldn't have that. She didn't have time to snap.
She gave a short sharp laugh at his question, utterly devoid of humour. Honestly, Mary couldn't remember the last time she'd been out drinking with some friends. Did she even have any friends any more? She couldn't think of any. "Not exactly." she simplified.

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"Hmm.. Figures," he mumbled and tapped his fingers on the table. Why was he so damn awkward with strangers? He didn't even like women so it was not like he was nervous on that part. This woman was perhaps his only possible social chance tonight. A talk was better than sulking home alone. "Then what is a Scottish lady doing alone in a simple London pub?" Matt attempted on a conversation. "What part of Scotland are you from actually? 'm from Orkney but I try to meddle in with the Londoners. Think Ah did a bonnie good job at changing my accent," he tried to grin. Honestly this felt so forced but it was the best he could manage.

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The redhead raised an eyebrow at the man's response, but she didn't question it. One thing that one learned in the army- and she was a quick learner- was that there were some times when one did not ask questions. Some things were private, and one had to respect that. Especially among privates. That was a military joke; one which was told not to be funny (because it wasn't) but to relieve the tension- and Merlin, that could be high at times. "I'm a Skye lass." she responded with a smile. "An' ah cannae agree wi' ye there, laddie. That scunnin' English accent isnae a patch on the sound o'the Highlands. Ye'd've done better tae keep wi' the original."

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Matt ordered another cola. Screw it a pathetic conversation was better than brooding. She wasn't someone he'd usually approach, if he approached people at all. And he wasn't genuinely curious either. However, he'd take it. "Skye is nice," he nodded slowly as he thought back of the days he was there. He softly chuckled and shook his head when she told him to keep with his original accent. "I'm fine with how things are now," he admitted. For his job he needed to speak and write 'proper' English as his boss had called it.

@mary

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Mary smiled drily, leaning back in her chair and contemplating the mostly empty glass in front of her. Could she be bothered to order another? No, she eventually decided, she could not. She didn't intend to stay here for long in any case, so there was no point in ordering another drink when she would only feel like drinking half of it. "Have it your own way." she responded to the man's point, demonstrating what she thought of such a viewpoint with a shake of her red head. "Scots will always be the best language in the world sae far as I'm concerned."

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What a weird night. Perhaps he should go home and clean a little. No doubt Eve would come over in the morning for breakfast. Matt had to check if he had enough bacon to satisfy his friend. "Why are men so hard to please," he whispered in a sigh with one last glance at the door. Well as long as it kept Everett coming and happy. Sometimes his best mate was still a baby that he needed to take care of. Matt did so with love.

Matt grinned up when the woman argues that Scottish was the best language. "It is, however it isnae whit th' readers want tae reid. It disnae keep mah job," he responded with a full Scottish accent. There was still something of that little country boy left in the city man he'd build

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What a day it had been. Mary was uncomfortably aware that she was not quite as in shape as she had once been. No longer did she spend her days moving around constantly from dawn to dusk; instead, she spent the majority of her time sitting behind her desk. Occasionally, she Apparated somewhere and stood around for a bit. It was a thrilling life which she led. But she enjoyed it, and that was the most important thing.

"Whill, tha readers kin larn oor language as we had tae their." the redhead responded with a grin. The English did irritate her sometimes with the way that they expected the whole world to fit itself around them. They might have run the place once, but that was no longer the case.