Cored

Chapter 38: Rules and Duels

Katherine clenched her hands into fist, barely keeping herself from stomping her feet.

"You've got to be kidding me." She glared at Picquery over her cup of coffee.

"You said you wanted to train like an auror," he said, sitting on the other end of her couch. "You didn't give any conditions about who did that training."

"How do you know he won't kill me?"

"He's not going to kill you, it's his job to protect you."

Katherine raised her eyebrow at the auror. "And when Quahog suggested it, he angry with Crawley or with me? Who is punishing more?"

"Crawley," he admitted. "You're just a bonus."

"Does it have to be him?" she groaned.

"It's the only way the President would sign off. And he's the only one has the time and energy to give to training. The rest of us all have other cases to keep on top of."

"What if Crawley convinces him that I'm doing something wrong? He already hates me, and then I wouldn't be allowed to train at all."

"Quahog thought you might have that concern," Picquery said. "He even gave me his answer for you."

Katherine looked at him expectantly.

"Checks and balances," Picquery said with a smirk.

Katherine rolled her eyes and went back into her bedroom. "He needs to recheck those balances..." she muttered under her breath.

"Katherine, come on," Picquery said from the doorway. "Crawley is not always the easiest guy to be around, there is no doubt about it. But he also is a very skilled auror. He'll push you harder than any of the rest of us would, which is probably for the best. And yes, he will be more likely to rat on you if things go off the rails. But I've chosen to trust you when you say you just want to learn. As long as you keep your word, there shouldn't be a problem."

She opened her drawers, digging around for an alternative to the pajamas she was still wearing.

"Fine, I'll train with him. But if he tries to kill me, I cannot be held responsible for my actions. I am proactively claiming self-defense."

"I'll let the judge know."

She looked at the smug smile on Picquery's face for a moment before turning back to her dresser.

"What is the dress code for auror training?" she asked, pulling out some options. "Will he be in a suit?"

"He might be. Wear what you normally wear," Picquery said. "You don't get to pick your outfit before a fight. But not that," he said when she pulled out her black skirt. "I don't think you'd be very comfortable in that."

Katherine looked at him peculiarly—if Crawley was in a suit, she could certainly wear a skirt—but she pulled out her jeans anyways to go with her plain gray t-shirt and a black cardigan.

After she got dressed, she took a little extra care on her makeup and hair. Crawley wasn't going to call her a little girl again if she could help it.

"Katherine?" Picquery said, knocking at the bathroom door. "I'm supposed to have you there in ten minutes."

"Good thing you drive fast," she said, opening the door and walking out into the living space. She grabbed her coat, gloves, and backpack and went out the front door before he could even finish rolling his eyes at her.

"Katherine, it's been three days that we went to the bookstore, and you haven't left the apartment since," Picquery said, catching up. "I know you're getting restless. Take this as a chance to blow off some steam. It's just a few hours while I get some work done and then I'll be back to take you home until Iz's shift."