Christmas Blues

[speakscanadian]

"You have got to be kidding me."

That had been Ray's initial reaction anyway. Nearly five minutes later and his language had turned a bit more colorful. He'd tackled the mistletoe methodically, trying to rip it away so it would let him loose but he was still caught beneath it, looking like a prized idiot most probably. It was pretty much the end of

Comments

[bulletrained]

Riza had been doing her best to ignore the loud, angry man caught beneath the mistletoe. Dealing with the Colonel and the likes of Major Armstrong had given her practice, but this person had a peculiar talent for being incredibly annoying. He was making it very hard for her to concentrate on her reading.

She looked up finally when he voiced his threat, making sure that their eyes met before she looked down again so he could get the full effect of her expressionless disdain.

"How exactly are you going to do that while stuck?" she asked evenly, paging through her book as though bored.

[speakscanadian]

"I have a photographic memory," Ray warned, squinting his eyes so he could get a good look at her nose. Once it was imprinted in his mind, he reached up at tug at the mistletoe some more. "I can find 'em and book 'em when I'm free."

If he ever got free.

[bulletrained]

It was probably a bluff -- he struck Riza as the kind of person who believed the louder he shouted a lie, the more believable it became. She could easily go read elsewhere and he probably would not recognize her again; her appearance was not remarkable.

But there was the chance that he wasn't bluffing, and he also seemed like he could be petty enough to follow through on his threat.

Riza sighed softly. Closing her notes, she stood and walked over to where the man was trapped, making sure to stop just out of reach.

"Your badge, please." She could at least double check his power to make a threat.

[speakscanadian]

"You can see it from there," Ray countered, holding up the badge for her to see. He wasn't stupid enough to hand it over to any Tom, Dick or Harry. "Detective First Grade, Chicago PD. IPD now."

[bulletrained]

Riza didn't try to take the badge from him, but she took her time assessing it.

Legit, unfortunately. And whether or not he had photographic memory, he was bound to recognize her now. She didn't really care to get on the petty side of the law, especially when she was trapped in close quarters with them.

"Thank you, officer," she said. Her tone was polite, without seeming obsequious compared to her earlier curt manner.

Her reluctance carefully hidden, she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek

[speakscanadian]

"Detective," Ray corrected, reaching for his badge before accepting the kiss. "Finally, finally," he griped, leaning back and watching the mistletoe expectantly. "Come on, that was a kiss. Let me go already."

[bulletrained]

Riza quirked an eyebrow as Ray continued to struggle with the mistletoe. Another example of the island's mischievous streak, it seemed. She probably should have known better than to believe a kiss on the cheek would suffice. If she had a gun, she might have tried shooting at the plant, but she was weaponless.

Too late to back out now. She let out a miniscule sigh and targeted his lips.