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Post by Shava on Feb 6, 2016 20:55:59 GMT -5
Rosalie caught a hint of something between brother and sister, but the moment was gone before she could decipher it. She realized when he asked that she'd forgotten to mention the date, but the official invitations had only gone out a couple of weeks ago, and they'd been occupied with other things. "June twenty-first", she answered softly. Rose didn't think she'd ever been to a wedding that wasn't some time in June. She wondered if it was considered the proper thing, and resolved to ask her mum about it later. She could just picture Gran's face if she asked to have the wedding in the fall, or in the winter even. There would be the incredulous stare, the shaking of the head, the lengthy scolding explanation about proper social ettiquette, and that would be it. Rosalie pictured herself in some white, fluffy, confectionary-type dress and subsequently shuddere. No, she thought to herself, most definitely not.
Rosalie realized a moment too late that it was probably not a good idea to swat at him in front of his mother, but when she checked to see if anyone was paying attention, she was surprised to see the three adults smiling in a rather amused fashion at the two of them. She suddenly felt like the center of attention, and while she didn't necessarily mind it during other times, it made her feel rather shy now.She gave Taranis a flustered look. "I don't blush for your amusement you know", she pointed out, pouting, "I haven't figured out how to control it yet." She stuck her tongue out at him. When he hopped up and disappeared, he left her feeling rather confused. She wondered if this was how he felt during her epiphany moments.
By the time he'd returned, her curiosity was peaked. His back was turned, and as a result she had no idea what he was doing. She knew only that her parents looked rather impressed, but resolved to stay put like he'd asked. When he handed her the little turtle, she laughed, running a fingertip over the knotwork gently. "He's adorable!" she exclaimed softly. "Did you say he's lucky too?" The red and gold would make him perfect for a dorm decoration, she'd put him on the stand next to her bed for her dormmates to exclaim over when she got back. For the moment, she glanced up at Taranis with a rather silly smile on her face. "I think I'll name him Taranus", her eyes twinked merrily. "What do you think?"
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Post by Shava on Feb 6, 2016 20:58:04 GMT -5
June. Hmm. That should be plenty of time to get the ring, he hoped, he'd have to talk to the lawyer about times since he wasn't rock sure on the rest. But when she complained about not doing it for his benefit he became more serious, though his eyes were still dancing a bit. "Rosalie. I don't want to upset you or anything, but you are cute when you blush." His voice dropped a bit so only she could hear him. "And you do know most guys who are really interested try to make a girl blush, try to get a reaction. I'm just good at getting you in the right spots. I'm sorry." He didn't really mean to make her uncomfortable, but there was only one way for her to get used to it and learn to control her blushing and that meant lots more of it. So maybe a touch of that was why he felt he needed to do something special for her and the turtle came to mind. "Yes, it's a good luck charm on his back and turtle hold the secrets of long life in Chinese society." He wasn't expecting at all to hear the name she chose tho. His jaw dropped and he blushed a tiny bit on his cheeks as he looked at her. "Uh...okay, you can do that." He smiled awkwardly and sat back down beside her and picked up his drink again. "So does that mean you forgive me for teasing and all that? Cause you know even my sisters don't have one of those. He's unique, as well as cute. Oh wait, you named him a guy so he must be handsome, I shouldn't say cute. " He winked at her and chuckled. It was in that state as he reached for another cookie, he heard two things. One, Boann and Aimid got into a quiet argument, the kind where he could tell by the sound of their voices they were disagreeing about something small, but mom didn't catch it. Second, he heard the words "Death Eaters." He became rather quiet listening and heard enough about her father muttering about their supporters pushing for some new people in charge and suspicions from several people about their activity in the halls of the Ministry itself. His eyes met hers and the seriousness showed that they were both listening. Death Eaters in the Ministry maybe? That was a scary thought, though Taranis thought that meant pushing certain views and making it tougher for those without pureblood. With Voldemort gone as he had read and Potter around, surely the only thing they could do at all was try and influence people like any politician. Taranis had not been convinced by Rosalie yet that the stakes were deadly. He had the impression her parents could be in serious trouble and he was willing to step it up and help out in saving their jobs. He knew she was worried about something, but since she had not revealed how dangerous things really were, and could not because of the detention he was under, he had no way of knowing how tough this game was about to become.
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Post by Shava on Feb 6, 2016 20:59:58 GMT -5
Rose quirked a smile, "I know Taran, I'm not upset." Then, as though obliging him, she flushed a rosy crimson, but didn't answer the compliment. After she'd pouted about his pointing out her tendancy to blush, it seemed odd to say thank you. She grinned, "So you say nice things to get a reacton?" She knew she was giving Taranis a hard time, but she couldn't resist teasing him. In reality, she had no idea what guys did or didn't do when they liked a girl. Her friends had always been quick to point out that she was rather oblivious to such things. However, acknowledging that fact in her own mind and admitting it to Taranis were two entirely different things. After all, he was right. It struck her rather soundly how well he knew her, how well they were beginning to read each other. Not too long ago, Taranis had been a friend, a quidditch buddy, someone to flirt with, and beg notes from. It felt odd to think that had only been two months ago, and that they'd come to this point in so little time.
She leaned into his shoulder. "Don't be, there are worse things than being able to make a girl blush you know." She glanced to the kitchen briefly, assured that everyone's attention had been turned elsewhere, she brushed her lips across his cheek. "There, that one's just for us." She listened to Taranis as he explained the history of the turtle as it was to the Chinese. She wondered how he knew so much about something like that, whether he'd studied it or if the information had been handed down. Rose realized also that there was so much she could learn from him, a whole world of information she'd never touched on before. The thought was rather intimidating, but the bookworm in her exulted. After all, the more one knew, the more there was to know. He seemed rather embarrassed by her choice of name for the turtle. Good, she thought, let him be the uncomfortable one for a moment or two. She'd barely finished the thought when he asked for her forgiveness. She laid a hand over his and squeezed. "Of course, nothing to forigve."
She nodded laughing, "he's very handsome", she agreed. After a moment's hesitation, she leaned so that she could whisper in his ear, "and he isn't the only one." She wondered if it was possible to make him blush, and resolved that she'd eventually find out, one way or another. Rosalie felt the silence as an almost tangible thing as their parents talked. She knew most of what was being discussed through her meetings with the DA. She didn't bother to look startled, Taranis knew enough not to be surprised, and what's more not to ask questions. Still, hearing that things had developed so far made her stomach churn. She knew that life in the wizarding world would eventually reach a point that not even marriage to the right person could protect her family. The best she could hope for was to buy them more time. At that moment, she'd have married a death eater if it meant protecting her family's safety. She was, however, infinitely glad she didn't have to.
She wondered briefly how Taranis would react when he eventually found out about everything she was involved in. Would he be proud? Disappointed? Then a difficult thought: would he forbid it? What's more, would she listen if he did? She knew some wizarding marriages used a modified form of the unbreakable vow. She wondered if that was required in a pureblood marriage...maybe there was something to be said for eloping after all. Speaking of marriage, she wondered how Concerto was doing with Gran. "I hope Concerto's okay", she said suddenly. "Gran volunteered to take care of him for us today." The image if Concerto with curled fur and a fluffy red ribbon around his neck made her blanch.
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Post by Shava on Feb 6, 2016 21:01:18 GMT -5
Smiling as she turned the tables on his words he responded "Well, let's say that seeing the reactions I get certainly encourages me to do it a lot more then I might normally." Her hidden kiss brought a smile to his face and he softly laughed. Is this how it was going to be, that they were going to be sneaking stuff all the time like this? "Well now, I like sneaking stuff between just us. It feels so much nicer having it private..." Glad to see the turtle was a hit and had made a kind of instant forgiveness, Taranis felt the day had been a very successful one indeed. More so when she inflated his ego again by saying the turtle wasn't the only handsome one around. "Heh, be careful now, don't inflate my ego too much. I try to avoid being a jerk you know," he leaned over and whispered in her ear, letting his breath fall hot across her ear and he finished with a hinting kiss below her ear. "I'm going to be competing with this turtle now am I? Cause I only have one treasure I have my mind on at the moment..." The discussion of politics and happenings in the Ministry bothered him, again cruxing on that halfway between adult and child time which was almost upon them in truth. "Politics. That's going to be not fun to be thrust into. Not that we can avoid it."Her sudden comments about the cat surprised him very much indeed. "Wait a minute, is your grandmother fond of cats? Does she own a pet?" For that matter, how would he deal with a cat himself -- or any pet? Farmers love their animals, but it was a very different kind of relationship then a pet was. Herds, animals, he understood all of that through his neighbors as well as his family, but not pets so much. "What's it like having a pet, Rosalie?" Taranis wondered if she had the capacity to understand where his question was coming from or the ability to translate it for him. "You know what? let's hold onto that question till i meet this little cat of yours first, that might help."It wasn't very long after that (with mugs emptied) that her parents began to speak about getting ready to go and he went to fetch the note to give the lawyer's owl, snoozing on a perch in the corner waiting for the return message. It had been fun and he very much enjoyed the visit (and he still had to walk them back) but he'd rather it was longer. Maybe his time at her place would give him more insight to how things were going to be going. Stepping outside he released the owl and turned back inwards to help with coats and such, thinking they had a good ten minutes before the lawyer could make his way back to the farm indeed.
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Post by Shava on Feb 6, 2016 21:02:41 GMT -5
Rather than be flustered by her turn of phrase, Taranis found his way out of things rather smoothly. Rose couldn't help but be both impressed and mildly frustrated. He was more difficult to rile than the average person, and certainly more comfortable in his skin than most of the guys she was accustomed to. Rosalie flushed at his words, wondering if he double meaning behind them had been intentional. As she searched his eyes, she saw no reason to believe it was. She shook her head, hanging out with Taranis was making her paranoid for that sort of thing. She could also see rather plainly that things were wrapping themselves up in the kitchen. She glanced down at her empty mug and sighed softly. Today had been so nice, she hated to see it end.
Despite the warm flush that took over at his words, she managed to send him a cheeky grin. "And you generally succeed", she answered teasingly. Her grin melted, competing with the turtle? The image of Taranis in a race with a real turtle popped into her mind, and made her chuckle. "Hardly", she answered softly. However, his next words brought her up short. He really was entirely too good with words. Nonetheless, the sentiment made her smile, and sent warm tingling sensations down her spine.Rosalie nodded her agreement. Unbeknownst to Taranis, she'd already been rather thoroughly shoved into the world of Ministry politics. It was an ugly place, full of half-truths, backstabbing, and more than a few cases of shady dealings. The idea that those people ran her country had caused Rose to lose more than a little sleep in the beginning. She sighed gently, she couldn't worry about that right now. "It's unavoidable I guess", she said after a moment's hesitation. "Its almost hard to fathom being grown all the sudden", she confided softly. "I remember sorting during first year like it was last week some time."
Rosalie laughed and shook her head. "I don't know if she's actually fond of cats, or just fond of having a captive audience to dress", she informed him. "She doesn't have any pets, but she volunteered to take Concerto for the day, so I guess she must enjoy them." Truthfully, the idea of Gran coddling anything was a foreign concept to Rose, but she refrained from saying so. She thought about the question before she answered. "It can be...challenging at times" she admitted. "Concerto was a runt, so he has to be bottlefed at least four times a day." She shrugged, "but mostly its just nice to have someone to ramble on too. He's a rather good listner so long as he's allowed to stay on my bed." Rosalie nodded, "that really is the only way to learn. I'll warn you though, he can be a bit prickly to newcomers. He bit mum the first time she tried to pet him."
Rosalie heard her parents saying their goodbyes, and she watched someone dissapointedly as Taranis went to fetch the note to send out. It really was very nearly time to leave. Rose stood and brushed off her jeans. After saying their goodbyes, Rose, her parents, and Taranis made their way outside. She glanced around at random, trying to commit everything to memory. Too soon, they had arrived in front of the waiting van. Her father shook Taranis hand, and she had to laugh when her mother kissed him on the cheek. They both waved as they climbed inside. Rosalie turned, "guess this is it then", she murmured softly. She reminded herself that he'd be coming to see her very soon, and it took the edge of disappointment out of her tone. "Today was wonderful, Taran. Tell your sisters I'm game for a sleepover any time." She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and leaned up so she could kiss his cheek. "I'll see you soon okay?" She pulled away, and made her way to the van. Just before she disappeared, she turned once more, smiled, and blew him a kiss.
-Fin- ]
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