Marc chuckled, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Well, don't let me stop you in the middle of the Goblet of Fire.” he grinned. “Too bad I missed the Chamber of Secrets. I really like that one, if only to pick at it.”
“Oh, I got some sleep earlier.” he assured. “I knew I was going to have a night shift so I got some time off during the day. I can last the night, even if the coffee here is… not very good.”
Ariella grinned at home. "I like Goblet of Fire. I think it's the hair and the Yule ball that does it for me. I just like the whole ambiance of it all." Starting up her movie again, she was just at the beginning of the second task. It was the lake scene where the contestants had to jump in the lake and save something valuable to them.
"What about tea? Isn't there caffeine in most of those? And you are in England. English people drink tea." She did not care that she was stereotyping. In fact, she was looking to get a little bit of a reaction out of him. She was baiting him with that innocent smile.
“I appreciate Goblet of Fire. The subterfuge that’s going on the whole time. Though I don't remember Ron being this much of an arse in the books.” he chuckled, glad to be having a nice casual conversation. “And Hagird’s little romance makes me smile in this one.”
He rolled his eyes at the stereotyping and shook his head. “I already told you; I’m Irish. I just live here. I don't dislike tea but given the choice I will always pick coffee first. So, don't go there.” he chuckled a little, unfortunately used to this kind of treatment.
Ariella agreed with him. It was a nice little touch to the movies, especially at the Yule ball as Hagrid danced with he Heasmistress. She was surprised that it was something he noted. Most men cared more for the dragons and fighting than the romance. It spoke about his character, a romantic. Those were hard to come by these days.
"I can make a stereotype about you being Irish as well, though I'm not sure if you would like it more than the tea." He'd probably hate it more. There were more than a few things she could tease him about.
“I’m sure you can.” Marc sighed, decidedly not happy with this turn in the conversation. “But I’m also sure that I’ve heard them all before. Most likely in the academy when I was earning my place as an officer. Not to mention every day when I’m on the streets doing my job.” he pointed out. “Which one were you going to go with? Call me a leprechaun or make some comments about if I spend a lot of time at the pub or if I have a temper?” he challenged, his eyes narrowing slightly on reflex.
Ariella pursed her lips, turning her head away for a moment. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're way to tall to be a leprechaun. And you're missing the red hair as well, which is a dead give away." She shifted her eyes back to him. "I forgot you call it a pub here. Sounds so posh. I like bar better. And I like going to bars." She was going to poke at the whole drinking thing but not anymore. Besides, she wasn't one to judge. She enjoyed a few drinks, enjoyed partying and having fun while she was still able. It had gotten her into trouble a few times but that was just part of it.
"I'm not sure it's quite appropriate for you to be sitting in here," she changed the subject, lightly teasing him. "I won't tell, of course. My lips are sealed. You're too pretty for me to try to get you in trouble." For now, at least.
Marcus closed his eyes and looked away, rubbing his forehead. He didn't mean to get so riled. He was proud of his heritage but he had spent so much of his life defending it that this type of reaction came up too often. “I’m sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you.” he apologized. Though he had to chuckle a little as she pointed out his hair color and height. “Yeah, but a lot of people don't let that stop them.” he admitted with a helpless shrug. “And pub is just short for ‘public house’. Not quite as posh as you think. It's more like an inn or tavern.”
He looked back up at her, raising a brow at Ariella’s first comment but laughed softly when he picked up on the teasing. This was something he could handle. “Well, if you want me to leave, I can just go back into the hall and let you be bored. Alone. With no one to talk to.” he smirked softly.
Ariella shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't mad that he snapped at her. She could understand being made of of simply for they were. She had dealt with it enough. Turns out, bullying really doesn't get that much better in other realms either. "Okay, but when you inn or tavern I think medieval fantasy book or video game. And it still sounds cooler than bar."
Her grin quickly transformed into a frown. That was not how she wanted that to go. She was kind of relieved about the company. The other guard had just stood outside no matter how much she tried to coax him in. And the nurses never responded to her. "You know what? I take that back. Forget I ever said anything."
Marc chuckled at the comparison and raised a brow. “Considering how much of that stuff is based on Medieval England, I'm not surprised.” he pointed out. “Honestly, bar sounds like I should duck or have studied harder for law.”
“That's what I thought.” he actually laughed this time. He had been hoping that she would change her mind. Most of the other officers were very by the book and likely wouldn't have stepped in the room unless it was part of the job. But, while he enjoyed the overall conversation, he was also hoping to draw the possible attackers out by leaving the door unguarded.
Ariella shrugged. "If you're visiting a dive bar, you probably should duck. Something wild always happens at one of those." The last dive bar she had gone to on Earth, she had gotten into a bar fight with some guy who had been creeping on these girls and didn't know how to take no as an answer.
She shook her head, rolling her eyes at him even though there was no malice behind any of it. She raised her hand to her mouth as she yawned and shifted in the hospital bed. She was tired but she wasn't quite ready to sleep just yet. Not only did she want to finish her movie, she was curious about the officer sitting in the chair next to her bed. "So why move from Ireland to London. I thought England and Ireland hated each other."
Marc laughed at the warning and nodded even though he wasn't sure what a dive bar was. “I don't think I’ll be visiting America any time soon but I’ll remember that.”
He smiled a little as he noticed how tired she was and made himself as comfortable as he could in the hospital chair. This might turn into a long night after all. “Oh, it was years ago. My father got a surprisingly good job here and we stayed. Though I wouldn't say we hate each other. Just some radicals who keep a grudge for far too long.” he shrugged. “What about you? What brings a young American like yourself across the pond?” he asked, just as curious.
And Ariella didn't blame him. The time that she had spent in America hadn't been the best. The last time she had checked, women's rights were doing under question. She didn't know how much that had progressed and she didn't want to know. Just one of the few reasons she didn't prefer Earth.
She smiled, turning her head to him as he spoke about his family. Then huffed a small laugh as he spike about the difference between countries. Too true that people could keep long grudges. However, his question threw her off guard. She should have been expecting it but she had let herself get too comfortable. But she didn't let it show that she was put off by it. She simply smiled at him. "A woman has her secrets, Mister Malone. I can't give them all up on the first date. It ruins the mystery."
Marc let out an involuntary surprised snort at the coy response but shook his head. “I would hardly call being in a hospital room a date, Ms. Smith. But you keep your secrets if you want.” he smirked, turning his attention back to the movie.
“You know one thing that I really dislike about these movies?” he asked rhetorically. “They didn't put any actual dragons in it. They replaced them with Wyverns and expected no one to notice.” he shook his head.
Ariella threw her head back in a laugh as he snorted, then proceeded to wince as it hurt both her nose and her head. "I don't know, a movie, a bed, and we can easily call for food. Sounds like a date to me. The only thing we need is for you to join me in the bed." She knew that wouldn't happen but it was worth a try.
She raised an eyebrow at his words. "So, you're a little bit of a nerd then huh?" She gave him a teasing smile. "Most people don't know the difference. It's the same with Game of Thrones. They're wyverns, not dragons."
Marc let himself laugh at that and gave a slight nod. “Ok, you may have a point there but I have to decline. Technically, I’m still working and that would be very comprising. In multiple ways.” he reminded both her and himself.
“I prefer the term fantasy enthusiast.” he smirked back. “I’ve always been interested in myths and legends to an extent. But I have to admit, I still haven't gotten around to Game of Thrones.” he shrugged.
Ariella winked at him. "Well, the offer is still there if you decide to change your mind." Which she knew he wouldn't. He was passionate about his work and he didn't seem like the type to cross boundaries. Toe them, yes, cross, no. It was still fun to pretend otherwise.
She rolled her eyes playfully as he corrected her term. Essentially, it still meant nerd, even if it was just with fancy words. Fantasy enthusiast my behind, she thought to herself. However, as ge said he had never watched Game of Thrones, her eyes widened slowly in shock. Even she had seen the show. It was one of the few good things about being there. "How have you not seen it? Especially for someone who calls himself a fantasy enthusiast. That's like the fantasy of all shows."
Marc rolled his eyes at the offer and shook his head. “If we had met almost any other way, I would take you up on that in a moment.” he admitted. “But I don't mix business with pleasure in that regard.”
He let out a sigh and shrugged at the question before answering. “For two reasons really. The first being that I want to read the books first. It's more fun when you know the source material and can tear apart the directors choices or how the script was changed.” he chuckled. “And the second… I had to change my cable for financial reasons and haven’t gotten around to changing it back yet. It's just that simple.”
Ariella shrugged her shoulders with a sly smile. "Sometimes business can be pleasure. But it's your loss." She let out a small giggle. She couldn't contain it any longer. It had been too long since she had nice, flirty banter like this. It felt good. It made her feel lighter, happier. Even if it was just for the moment.
She nodded her head. "That's fair enough. Last I heard the next book still hasn't been published, however. That makes what, ten years I think." Unless it had been published in the couple years she had been gone but she doubted it. "Cable is overrated anyways. Streaming services are better."
“I know that.” he grinned back. Being an officer was hard work but he certainly enjoyed it. Or most of it. The paperwork could be a bit of a pain. Marc’s smile softened a bit at her laughter and couldn't help but chuckle as well.
“That sounds about right.” he agreed, even though he had honestly lost track of when the next book was supposed to come out. “And you're definitely right. Streaming is so much better than just flipping through channels and hoping you find something to watch.” he laughed.
Ariella brought her knees up, laying half way on her side. It felt more comfortable than just laying straight on her back. The blanket pooled at her waist as she shifted her body in the bed. The one thing she couldn't wait for was pants. The hospital gown was a little to breezy for her liking.
"So," she said, finished settling herself in bed, "what made you want to be a cop?" She really should be watching her movie but it had been awhile since she just had a conversation with someone. No strings, no jobs. Just a nice talk. She wanted to enjoy it while she could. "I'm assuming cops are looked upon a bit better here than in America?" Last time she checked there were protests going on about that.
Marc shrugged at the question. “It was a lot of things that just added up to this being a good job for me.” he admitted. “I loved sports so I did a lot of them to the point where I got a scholarship. But I didn't want to be a professional athlete so this was the next thing that came to mind.” he explained, raising a brow at her comparison to American police. “I’m afraid I wouldn't know. But, overall we are pretty well respected.”
"Hmm," was all Ariella said, nodding her head. "It's dangerous no? Are you okay with risking your life everyday? It must be terrifying." She had her fair share of near death experiences. There was nothing more that made you want to live than in the face of death. Knowing this, she still took the jobs she did, putting herself in dangerous situations. She supposed she liked the adrenaline.
Marc nodded a little. “Dangerous sure, but if we don't do the job, things could get worse. Terrifying… I don't usually scare easily. I try to think things through so I don't panic.” he admitted with a casual shrug. Though he wasn't sure how to phrase an answer to her other question on its own. Hopefully, what he already said would be enough. “However, because of my sports habits, both my dad and granddad called me an adrenaline junkie.” he added with a chuckle.
Ariella nodded her head slowly. Someone had to do the job and it was best if it was someone who cared about making a difference. Someone who didn't mind risking their lives to save others. She offered him a small smile in the end. "I think I can relate to that." She had just come out of a high speed car chase with people who wanted to see her dead.
Marc smiled back softly at her tone and gave a slight nod. He wasn't sure how she could but he appreciated the sentiment. “So, what do you do for work? Since you know what I do.” he asked politely, not entirely expecting an answer since she seemed to be keeping everything fairly close to the vest, so to speak.
Ariella was prepared for this question. In how she was going to evade giving him a direct answer. Barely any of her answers had been straightforward, she wasn't going to start now. "Whatever I can find. A little bit, a little bit there. Whatever helps me survive." And that was true. She did what she needed to survive. And other than today and her terrible flaw of self sacrificing herself for people she cared for, she generally looked after herself and only herself. She hadn't let herself get attached to anyone until this recent years. She scolded herself silently for allowing that to happen. If she had no one she cared about it was so much harder to truly hurt her.
“Oh? Are you a temp or some kind of freelancer?” he asked, not surprised at Ariella’s evasive answer. Marc was admittedly curious about her but was mostly just trying to keep a casual conversation going. If he happened to get some helpful information during the conversation, then that would be useful.
"Something like that." Ariella took up the dirty jobs that no one wanted. She had a few hard limits, she wouldn't mess with anything sewer related and she wouldn't kill anyone. At least not get paid to. A lot of it ended up being a bartending job for the few months she was staying but there were a few other things she would do. Whatever it took to survive.
Marc rolled his eyes at the short answer. Admittedly, it was more than he expected but it also showed that Ariella was not one to talk about herself. Perhaps it was just in this particular situation really though he had no way to be sure. “You certainly are an interesting woman to talk to.” he commented, turning his attention back to the movie.
Ariella smirked as she saw his eye roll. Had he really expected a straight answer from her? "Interesting in a good way or a bad way?" She didn't know which she would prefer, honestly. "You can't tell me this isn't the most fun you've had on the job in awhile? I'm wonderful. Anyone woukd be lucky to look after me." She was also completely full of herself.
