March 21st, 2005

Yet another week full of cases and dealing with criminals. I swear it feels like there are more criminals than there are people on the force somedays. But, that does not mean I'm going to give up. Myra won't either and I have feeling Joseph won't either. Somedays though, it is nice to try and get your mind off things by having a night out. Connelly and some of the other men had suggested going out for a drink. Wonder if Joseph has taken time to himself to relax…maybe he should come along too.

"So, it has really turned out to be a cliché soap opera case huh?" Sebastian remarked while leaning back against his chair and looking over at Joseph. It had become easier for Sebastian to move to sit by Joseph's desk than the other way around. Joseph tended to get off track about the messiness of his desk otherwise.

"Yes…somehow it has." Joseph huffed as he kept his notebook open in front of him. "To think the ex-husband had kept having a twin brother a secret from his ex-wife."

Sebastian bit his bottom lip slightly to stop from chuckling. Joseph actually sounding astounded, even a little bit, humored him too much.

"Yeah well, the guy didn't think it through very well though. Looking up birth records for him easily gave us the clue about the younger twin." Sebastian gripped the cup of coffee off Joseph's desk. At least his partner let him use his desk as a coffee cup placer. "Plus, I'll give you props for noticing the difference in the placement of their facial moles to show it wasn't the exact same person." Maybe he would have noticed later. However, it was better for someone to have spotted it early on.

Joseph smiled briefly and faintly. Sebastian wondered if the man ever smiled enough to show teeth or smiled longer than two seconds. "It was simply knowing how to observe is all." Joseph brushed off the compliment. "To think the ex-husband was that desperate to get back at his ex-wife by messing with her that way. I really do not understand people sometimes." Joseph scowled now longer than he had smiled. No surprise to Sebastian there.

Sebastian took another drink of his coffee before sighing. "Some people really don't like being scorned. That's why the warning about scorned lovers exist, Joseph." He chuckled with a hint of a grin. Even though he would admit he himself could not imagine trying to make an ex-lover look psychotic by saying their ex-husband robbed them when the ex-husband was clearly at work. Weirdos.

"Since we have to let the courts handle it now, we might as well move on to another case for now. Until the courts or someone else related to that case needs us." He suggested and Joseph nodded.

"Alright." Joseph flipped through his notebook. "We got a couple of missing person's cases we could look over." Both detectives frowned. If there was one thing for sure they shared, it was disliking not having caught a repeated offender that still kept on going. "That is, if you're in the mood."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at Joseph asking that. "You well there?" He asked without a hint of jest. Joseph huffed and shook his head.

"No, nothing like that. I just overheard you earlier talking to Connelly and the other officers. Something about going out to drink?" Joseph explained while Sebastian relaxed. He did not need his partner getting sick on him or thinking he was sick.

"You're right. They did suggest that. I was thinking of going with them." Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows and smirked slightly. "You could always come along you know."

Joseph's eyes widened slightly. "What? Go out to a bar?" The detective huffed loudly and scowled. "I don't like going around getting drunk and acting like a fool." Joseph affirmed while looking away. "So, no thanks."

He swore he could have called Joseph acting that way about the idea. From the way Joseph frowned at any talk of tomfoolery, he couldn't imagine Joseph being too into that kind of stuff. He furrowed his eyebrows more though as he finished up his coffee. After placing the cup down, Sebastian glanced over at Joseph's desk. "What about going to a museum?" He blurted out with his eyes looking at the Japanese lantern.

"What?" Joseph looked at him with slightly widened eyes and opened mouth. "Didn't you say something to your…. girlfriend about not liking museums?"

Ah shit so Joseph heard that conversation. Myra had wanted to go to an art museum to see an exhibit. He hadn't wanted to because staring at art invoked nothing in him but boredom. They compromised by suggesting they go to the exhibit that Sunday for an hour or so and then go to a theater to watch an action adventure movie afterwards. They both got what they wanted.

"Well…. if you happened to hear the whole conversation, I said I would be willing to go for a bit. I just didn't want to spend an entire day there." Sebastian tapped gently at the lantern. "And besides, I heard they had some exhibit on Japanese festivals and I think one of them involved lanterns."

Joseph shrugged softly while adjusting his glasses. "Yes, there is a celebrated lantern festival in Japan." He stood up from his chair and put up his notebook in his vest pocket. "I'm more surprised you actually paid attention to such a thing." He looked over at Sebastian with slightly furrowed eyebrows. "Do you normally like to surprise people like that?"

Sebastian chuckled and stood up from his own chair. He pushed the chair back under the desk of some person that wasn't in today. "I'm just more observant than you think is all." Sebastian stretched his arms above his head slowly to a nice stretch. "Now come on. I believe the museum is still open for another hour or so." He headed towards his desk to grab his car keys and cell phone.

"Two hours actually." Joseph said quickly as he walked passed.

"I think you were just looking for an excuse to go." Sebastian smirked and followed his partner. All he got was a loud huff in response from Joseph. He chuckled at that, choosing to walk besides his partner. They would have to decide who would drive and all of that. But, he found himself more focused on the fact this would be the first time they ever hang out outside of work.

"You know, I think it took me only three days to get Myra to go out with me." He joked with his smirk growing now.

Joseph raised an eyebrow at him before rolling his eyes slightly. "I guess I just require more work."

Sebastian laughed loudly and smacked Joseph hard on the back. "Oh man, Myra would be so pissed if she heard you say that." He blinked at Joseph glaring at him. Only when he noticed Joseph's tenseness did he huff and roll his eyes in an exaggerated manner. "But I think you might be right." He muttered to himself, still not used to how Joseph was so obsessed with personal space. Not like Myra was touchy feeling, but she didn't give him a death glare for patting her on the shoulder when they were just partners.

One step forward and two steps back might as well have been his life motto and the embodiment of his attempted friendship with Joseph Oda.