You've Got A Friend In Me | Benji

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It was a lazy day at the casino. Bella was relaxing in her office, Matty curled up in her lap and purring loudly. The witch was poring over paperwork and bills, casually scrawling on a sheet of parchment that was filled with more doodles than actual numbers. This was her least favorite part of being a business owner. She wanted to be engaged, spending time with her customers and maybe having a drink or a cigarette. She was too much of a people person to be cooped up in her office trying to figure out math. But she never would have gotten where she was today if it wasn't for the long nights of studying entrepreneurship and economics. A knock at the door made her and Matty lift their heads, Bella pulling her quill away from the drawing of a butterfly she had been working on. "Come in," she said pleasantly, sitting her quill back in its ink pot and leaning back in her chair.

@benji

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Benji hated when Bellamy had to be locked in her office working on the business side of the business. He also preferred when she was out and about. One, so he could see her because he was a worry wart) and two, because he knew she preferred to be part of the action. Thankfully, not every night was like this. Tonight seemed to be busier on the paperwork side so he wanted to cheer her up. He made sure his security team was in place and then ordered two drinks and made his way to the office.

When he knocked, she told him to come in and he pushed the door open with his shoulder, a drink in each hand. "Thought you could use a break, Bell. Breaks are good for your brain," he said nodded firmly. This was a fact, and he knew that. He stepped further in and placed her drink in front of her. He stayed on the opposite side of the desk, but didn't take a seat yet.

@bellamy

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When Bella saw who entered her office, she immediately pushed her paperwork to the side. "Benji, darling!" she said excitedly, clasping her hands together with delight. She gratefully took a sip of the drink he placed before her, savoring the flavor. She placed the drink back on the table, swatting Matty away as he tried to sneakily sniff at the concoction. "How's everything outside? Nothing out of the ordinary, I hope?" she asked. Nothing exciting had really happened since that auror arrived to arrest the dark witch that had snuck into the casino. That had been quite the adventure. Security had been heightened since then, but it seemed that common thieves had heard about the arrest and were steering clear of the casino. Bella looked at the bookshelf that hid the vault room. It was starting to collect dust again. That was good. She hoped it stayed that way. Taking another sip of her drink, she added, "I hope you're not working too hard, either. Breaks are good for your brain." She stuck her tongue out as she tossed his words back at him. She enjoyed their banter and their friendship, and it was nice to have little moments like this.

@benji

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Benji grinned as she greeted him, moving her paperwork to the side at the sight of him. She took a sip of the dink and he smiled, taking a sip of his own. She asked how everything was outside and he nodded at her guess that nothing was out of the ordinary. "Your hopes are correct, my friend. Things are doing just great, guests are happy and safe," he assured her, finally moving to take a seat and taking a sip out of his drink. She then called him out on working too hard, taking his own words and repeating them back to him. He laughed as she stuck her tongue out and raised his glass, "to brain breaks," he said, leaning his glass toward her before taking another sip.

As he lowered the glass, he spoke again, "so, are you ever going to be able to grace us with your presence this evening?"

@bellamy

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Bella smiled as Benji made himself comfortable. She tried to keep her office as homey as possible, a welcome place for those who were allowed in there. For her, it was a safe haven, a home away from home. She spent more time in her office than she did in her house. The place looked like she had just moved in, even though she had bought it five years ago. It was easy enough to keep the place clean, of course. Her house elf kept the place spotless. But Bella's office and the casino were her true home.

She raised her glass as Benji raised his, toasting their break. She downed the glass greedily and placed it on her desk, looking at her warped reflection in the material. "I haven't decided yet," she said thoughtfully, spreading out a few sheets of paper and glancing over them. "I'm still sorting out the final wagers from the Triwizard Tournament. A lot of people had it on that Chevalier boy to win. Poor kid." She covered up the papers again and pushed them to the side, not wanting to think about the results of the tournament. There had been a winner, yes, but there had been far more losers. "You know what? I think I will take a step outside. It's better than being locked away in this dump. She rose to her feet, knocking an insulted Matty to the floor. She offered a hand to Benji. "Care to join me?"

@benji

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Benji didn't drink his glass empty as quickly as she did, taking his time as she spoke. She hadn't decided if she was coming out tonight yet, spreading the papers on the desk and talking about the Tournament wafers. He nodded, setting the now empty glass down and leaning forward to glance at the papers himself. She spoke of the French kid before sweeping the papers away. He grimaced, "yes..." he was wondering if they should even accept this betting pool anymore after what had happened... but he wasn't sure if that comment would be logical. Maybe they could ask the people who bet if they wanted to donate that money to the Fund for the survivors instead... but he wasn't sure if everyone would be happy with that idea. He didn't bring this up yet, though, as she said that she decided she would step outside.

She stood, and he stood too. He nodded and smiled at her offer, taking her hand and guiding toward the door. "I'm happy to. I can have Barnes take charge while we jaunt about," he said, always ensuring her that his job was being done.

@bellamy