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This thread is devoted to the personal plot of Elinor Danvers, my Ministry character, as well as Macavity's lovely Diagon Alley character, Nigel Garrettson. This thread currently includes Elinor's home and will soon include Nigel's. In the future, more characters and/or places may be included.
RP #1: The Dinner Date - Elinor's home
July/August 2078
Following an incident involving amortenia, Elinor has demanded offered Nigel a visit to her apartment for dinner. This is the first time one of them has been to the others' home, hence being an important checkpoint in their relationship.
SPOILER!!: Elinor's Apartment Description
Just a few blocks down from Diagon Alley, on the third floor of a lovely apartment building, is the home of Elinor Danvers. The door opens up into the living room, furnished with dark wood bookcases to the left. Immediately on the right wall is a collection of picture frames. Some of them include newspaper articles. The most noticeable case included a wand sitting inside.
SPOILER!!: The Corresponding Newspaper Clipping
Notorious Serial Killer Meets End
Solander Grundy, infamous murderer, died this past weekend in Diagon Alley. It was not a battle of magic, nor were Ministry Officials swarming the alley. Instead, Mister Grundy was apprehended by perhaps the most determined woman to catch him. Nine years ago, The Prophet reported the death of James Danvers, only one person in the path of Mister Grundy. He left behind his wife, Elinor Danvers, who had been investigating Solander at the time. Miss Danvers, now a worker with the Ministry, single-handedly apprehended Mister Grundy, ending the fifteen year hunt for him.
However, concerns have been raised about the method used to catch the dangerous fugitive. It appears that Miss Danvers had been aware of Solander's wherabouts for several weeks. However, members of the Ministry say that she made no reports. She acted alone. It also appears that she made no attempts to catch Mister Grundy. Elinor, currently a member under the division for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, sat down across from her husband's killer for a casual lunch. She had no authorization from Magical Law Enforcement, leading some to question the incident.
It appears, however, that the Ministry was not the only ones interested in ending Mister Grundy's reign of terror. For it wasn't the green-eyes woman who brought about his death. Instead, a bottle of wine appears to have been the culprit, even though no trace of poison was found in the remains of the bottle. It is unknown how this bottle came to be in his posession. Solander's body showed mixed symptoms of poison, making it impossible to pinpoint an exact solution.
After confirmation of his identity, Mister Grundy's wand was stripped of it's core and awarded to Miss Danvers. When asked about the encounter, the ministry worker made no comment.
The other frames contained smaller clippings in which Elinor was mentioned. There was one picture of a younger Elinor with her parents, and one below it of her and two other young women, her sisters.
Past the bookshelves to the right of the door was a large window looking down towards the front of the building, covered loosely with beige curtains that matched the paint on the walls. In the center of the room was a black leather sofa facing an enchanted fireplace. A dark coffee table sat between them.
Obviously, being an apartment, there was no opportunity for an actual fireplace, so it was enchanted so that once a fire was lit, the smoke disappeared. On the mantle was a glass box, inside which was a wand on a small stand. To the right of the box was the only visible picture of Elinor and her deceased husband, a small picture in a silver frame.
Across the living room from the front door was the hallway. To the right was a bedroom that Elinor used strictly for storage. Nothing sat in there except a few boxes and an old chest of drawers. The door was always closed. The small bathroom was next to that. At the end of the hallway was the kitchen, tiled. Against the right wall was the kitchen table, where three chairs sat around it. The apartments were once a muggle building, and Elinor had kept the refrigerator in the corner, still in use.
To the right of the kitchen doorway was Elinor's bedroom. There were two chests of drawers and a desk with a mirror along the far wall. Her closet was kept open. The apartment was very quiet, very lonely, but beautiful. Not unlike it's inhabitant.
RP #2: Meeting the Family - Elinor's Parent's Home
After Elinor's sister, Clarice, spills the beans to her parents about Elinor being in a relationship with Nigel, Elinor's mother has insisted upon a meeting.
SPOILER!!: Nigel's Apartment
A simple apartment for a simple potions master.
The door on a second-floor corridor of the apartment building opens up onto an open floor plan that encompasses a living room, dining area and kitchen. Two tome-laden bookcases and a central fireplace divide the living room, including a well-loved couch and leather chair, from the rest.
Thankfully due to his ownership of the shop, his kitchen no longer smells perenially of noxious potions since Nigel has taken to keeping most of his work at Slug and Jiggers. However it is still well-used by the man, well whenever he's alone or not eating out. The dining table in turn remains clean most of the time except for the past sploches from his earlier work.
Past the dining table you'll find a hallway leading to a bathroom and Nigel's bedroom. The latter a quiet retreat from the world filled with light colors and the hand-painted foliage upon the walls.
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No one had set foot in Elinor's home for ten years. Of course, she wasn't in the same spot. She had been living in this apartment for about two years. Still. Nigel would be her first guest ever. The house was spotless, and smelling of roasted pheasant. No doubt it was the fanciest thing she had cooked in ten years, or maybe ever. But she didn't overdo it, no. She was very VERY careful not to overdo it.
Needless to say, Elinor had stressed out over what she was going to wear. This wasn't a FORMAL dinner, but it wasn't really casual, either. She had decided on a dark blue dress she never really wore. She felt purple was more her color, but she therefore wore it a lot. This was a first for both of them, so why not make it a first for the dress? It was a simple little creation that shimmered even in the soft light. She had combed her hair thirty or forty times, so it was absolutely perfect, or so she might think if she combed through it twenty more times...
She stopped herself from looking at the clock every two minutes. She made sure Nigel knew how to get there, and she knew he would do everything in his power to be on time, or fashionably early... or fashionably late.
She was driving herself crazy.
She poured the cider vinegar into a bowl and set it on the table after taking the whistling teapot off the heat. Apple cinnamon raspberry. She thought of it as her good luck tea. Right now, the lab technician thought about her situation, and decided she needed as much "good luck" as possible...
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To say Nigel was nervous about the proposed dinner was an understatement. He honestly hadn't been to another person's house for a meal since the last time he had visited his mentor. The man had for the longest time been one of the few he had felt comfortable enough to be himself around. Valentina had been close as a woman who shared his love for potions but they had only really been friends.
Elinor was the first woman in a long while that was beyond a friend.
Following her directions, he had left his own apartment with time to spare for he didn't want to risk getting lost and being late. Surely that would ruin whatever meal and mood Elinor had planned. Not that Nigel had any clue as to either at the moment. He was dressed in relatively nice clothes of a pair of place dress slacks and a deep green shirt that tended to bring out his eyes. Thankfully both had been clean with not a smudge of his work on them anywhere.
When he he had reached the right door, the potions master took a deep breath to try and ease his nerves. Fidgetting and brushing the leg of his pants, Nigel finally stopped himself and reached his free hand up, knocking on the door. A beautiful potted orchid hidden in the grasp of his other.
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She was startled by the knock at the door-- After all, it wasn't a sound she often heard. Elinor rushed out of the kitchen, undid the lock on the door, and opened it, almost jumping for joy. She missed him all the time, after all.
"Don't you look charming," she half-chuckled as she practically beamed up at him. "Well, don't just stand there, get inside," the woman prompted, standing aside to let him through, not noticing that he had something concealed in his other hand.
"Make yourself at home, please. I need just a second to get something out of the oven," she said, as soon as she had shut the door behind him. Disappearing back into the kitchen, she took only a moment to pull out the four stuffed pheasant breast halves and exchange them for the pan she had prepared the desert in, keeping it warm until the main dish had been finished. After she had placed them on the appropriate platter, and made sure everything was on the table and ready, she joined him once again.
"I hope you remembered to bring your appetite," she said, staring up at him with quiet awe.
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Having been fighting not to figget, Nigel looked over when the door finally opened and the doorway framed Elinor almost as if meant to be. "Thank you. You look..nice," he replied inwardly kicking himself once the words were out for using such a generic word when she looked better than nice. The potions master nodded at her words and obediantly followed her inside her apartment as she closed the door behind him. When Elinor disappeared into the kitchen, Nigel absently wandered around the room looking at things, just reaching the framed items when the woman called his attention back and he turned around.
He couldn't say if he did or didn't remember to do such a thing. Nigel just knew he usually just cooked simply for himself when he didn't grab something out and what he smelt from the kitchen seemed much more...complex then what he was used to. "Oh...this is for you," he remarked finally revealing the plant and holding it out for her to take.
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She glanced between him and the wall, where was hanging what might have been her pride and joy. Might have been. If Nigel wasn't in the room. "Good piece of history, there," she said as she glanced over the words she had read over and over... and over.
The woman was genuinely surprised at the beautiful flower. She hadn't noticed that he had anything with him. He might as well have conjured it out of thin air. She took the pot carefully in her hands. "Thank you, Nigel," she leaned over the flower between them and planted a kiss on his cheek before passing him to set it on the table beside the sofa. "It's lovely."
A plant might have seemed an awkward gift to give, if it wasn't Elinor and Nigel. It seemed that neither of them knew exactly what they were doing. It wasn't awkward. It was sweet. Almost innocent. She blushed just a little at the thought and unnecessarily smoothed her dress for a moment.
"Well... The food is ready when you are," she offered. Although she had saved room for this meal all day, his arrival had put a knot in her stomach big enough to make her forget about it. "Is there anything in paticular you'd like to drink? I made cinnamon raspberry tea, but if you would prefer something else, that's no trouble." Now she was just getting paranoid. Again. Darn him and the feelings she had for him. DARN THEM ALL.
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Nigel nodded as Elinor spoke having clearly noticed where his attention had lay before turning towards her. He turned back momentarily to glance once more at it as he hadn't gotten very far only to catch mention of her deceased husband. Okay...not a good thing to think about at the moment, he mused to himself as he turned his back on it once more while the woman thanked him for the gift.
"You're welcome." He smiled ever so softly at the kiss on his cheek, gradually becoming more and more comfortable in showing the little signs of happiness. The shopkeeper had felt it only proper to bring something and had opted for flowers out of his choices, settling on the beautiful plant before them when he made his final decision.
One step down and now the next followed right after, the duo seeming to wait for the other to do something. Finally Elinor broke the silence taking lead as happened most often and Nigel listened to what was being said. "Cinnamon raspberry tea will be fine," he assured her as Elinor seemed to be working overtime to making him happy or at least content. "And we can have dinner now if thats alright." Perhaps with the food they wouldn't seem quite as awkward as they appeared to be at the moment, neither sure of where to start and end.
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"That's perfect," she said, eagerly taking one of his hands and leading him towards the kitchen, very eager to show off her hard work. Easily the fanciest thing she had ever made.
She gestured to the table, where two places had been set across from each other, each place with a small bowl and a reasonably-sized plate. She cleared her throat and gestured to each feature in turn. "We have here bacon Clapshot... This is, of course, Cock-A-Leekie soup," she said as she stirred up the bowl with the ladle she had placed there. "A bowl of plain old steamed corn for good measure, and this," she gestured to the center platter proudly, "Is roasted pheasant breast, stuffed with an apple-and-breadcrumb filling, for which I have prepared a cider vinegar dressing," she finished, pointing to where the thin sauce was set out.
Oh, yes. She was quite proud of what she had accomplished. The dishes were still steaming gently from where she had waited until the last possible minute to finish them and set them out.
After appraising Nigel's reaction for a moment, Elinor turned towards the stove and poured the two cups of tea, setting them down at their respective places. She hovered for a moment behind her chair, in case there was something missing.
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Nigel nearly started as she eagerly took his hand and lead him into the other room, the man quickly recovering from the quick gesture from his companion. However he couldn't or at least hadn't thought to prepare himself for the virtual feast Elinor had prepared for them, on a table set for just the two of them. Right...no surprise guests so eat the food with them. The potioner listened attentively as the woman described the various dishes, nodding occasionally to show he was paying attention.
"It all looks and smells delicious," he said not able to help but note the fact that most if not all of the dishes were Scottish in heritage. Nigel wasn't aware of any connection Elinor had there so it was obvious she had done it for him. Another effort on her part to make him comfortable in newer environments and experiences. He was tempted to move to take out her chair like he had before in restaurants, though hesitant in case it was too close.
"Um...shall we?" he finally asked his hand on the back of his chair as she stood next to her own. The potions master posed to move and take a seat so she didn't have to wait on him if she was.
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If it was a crime to be proud, Elinor would be going to Azkaban tonight. "Thank you," she said with a little nod. "I never cooked Scottish food before, so I practised until perfect. I think I can say perfect, because I had to eat my mistakes," she added. Elinor wasn't a bad cook, but inexperienced when it came to things of this magnetude. She had been waiting all day for this meal, and was quite pleased when Nigel indicated he was ready.
She pulled out her chair and sat. "I'll let you pick from the pheasant first," she said as she helped herself to the clapshot. The four breasts were pretty much equal sizes, but it was only polite.
"I'm really pleased I got the chance to cook for you," Elinor admitted as she set the bowl back down. She wasn't going to let this evening be filled with dead air. No, sir.
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Nigel gave sniff to his surroundings, the smells from the table reminding him of some of the good times in his life. However it hadn't been a long time since he had been around this type of meal, at least homemade. Restaurant cooking could only manage so much. Eat her mistakes? Ever the perfectionist she seemed to be which is part of the reason they were together at the moment after all...she never gave up in hounding him and showing him just what he was missing. A life and people outside his shop and customers.
"Well I'll admit it certainly seems right," he commented as he reached for the pheasant on her instructions. The shopkeeper doing his best not to fight what she told him. No point in trying when Elinor was just going to win anyway...she had that power over him. But it was far from the controlling that he escaped when leaving his step-family. He took one of the pieces from the platter and placed it on his plate before patiently holding it out for her to take when ready. "Somehow I would expect nothing less from you."
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'It certainly seems right'. Could he have said anything to make her more happy? Probably not. She took the plate from him and dished out the second portion of pheasant before setting it back down. As she portioned out a bit of corn for herself, he spoke again.
"Well, your mother did tell you, I'm sure, to find a woman who loves to cook, didn't she?"
It was at this moment that she realized that she had never heard Nigel really talk about his family. And so her innocent and lighthearted question turned into a genuine curiosity about his mother. Elinor couldn't picture his mother as anything like her own, but she hoped, for the sake of the evening, she had not just stepped into dangerous territory.
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Exchanging the plate of pheasant for the clapshot, Nigel spooned some onto his plate, the smell reminding him of his past even more as it was brought closer to his senses. The utensil was stopped from returning to the bowl for a moment or two when he heard what Elinor had said concerning his mother. That was certainly an interesting turn of events yet a completely innocent inquiry and something that he should have expected.
Family heritage and food...family history.
"I'm sure she might have said something like that," he finally mused as he finished the movement in returning the spoon to the bowl of food, setting both back down on the table. Not that he would ever have known her to say as much seeing the fact that the woman in question was no longer there in his life. Just one of the many things the shopkeeper had yet to mention about his life but not necessarily an unpleasant memory.
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She couldn't help but twist her lips into a smile at his oh-so-very 'Nigel' response that forced her to keep talking. She was not going to spend this dinner in silence. If that meant going to war with Nigel's shyness, or awkwardness, or whatever it was-- She would do it. As she picked up her knife and sliced an end off of her pheasant breast, she said the only thing that had come to mind.
"My own mother always tried to tell me that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Which is funny, because I don't believe she ever cooked a day in her life..."
It was true, but she realized that, even though she knew nothing of Nigel's mother, her mother had no place at this dinner. So Elinor had to do a bit of quick thinking, indeed.
"I hope I can do justice to the meal," she admitted, trying not to nervously await his reaction to the food. She didn't know her way around Scottish food all that well, and she knew, especially from Nigel's adorable faint accent, that he would be the only person she might ever have the chance to cook for who would know. On the other hand, she could never picture Nigel saying that anything was wrong. That made her feel a bit better. Maybe. She didn't know.
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Nigel absently added some corn and such to his own plate, which in the end made sure he had a little bit of everything to give it a try. He nodded at the quote directed by Elinor of her own mother's words. It certainly explained the way she took care of him in the food department, not only with the meal set before them currently but the lunches and such he was brought at work. "Maybe she didn't need to cook..." he mused knowing her daughter didn't hand-cook what she gave, at least not all.
His full attention was brought back to their dinner as Elinor commented on her hopes of his approval. The smells had certainly passed inspection, the familiar notes of various spices found within the air above the various dishes. Picking up his utensils, Nigel cut into poultry and brought it to his mouth to taste. The pheasant was moist and delicious just as Elinor had no doubt intended it to be...as it was generally supposed to be.
"It's very good," he admitted truthfully after chewing the piece and swallowing politely before speaking. The shopkeeper wasn't buttering her up just because for it really was cooked well. "I'd say it was a success," Nigel assured her as she looked over at her.
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"Perhaps," she agreed easily with him, raising her cup of tea to take a sip. She knew almost nothing about her parents before her and her sisters were born, but Elinor could not even imagine the vision of her mother at a stove. The idea seemed almost laughable, but it had been so long in any case.
A success. The knot in her stomach untwisted slightly at his praise. "Thank you." The woman tucked her hair back almost nervously as she looked back at him across the table. Almost. But she was feeling much better now. "It was my oldest sister, Shelley, who taught me how to cook. Where she learned, I don't know, but I have a distinct memory of her setting me up on the counter while she was in the kitchen."
As Elinor had a bite of the meal she had worried over, she found that she was surprised at herself for sharing that with him. Although... Wasn't that a normal thing for... couples? The word sounded strange, even in her mind. But, after all, wasn't that what they were? A... couple? The lady just hadn't really thought of that. So, on that same train of thought, maybe she wasn't surprised to have shared that with him.
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Nigel could see that his words had been taken as high praise by Elinor and he nodded an answer of welcome to her thanks. He proceeded to taste other portions of the meal one by one and even mixed together with a bite of pheasant as he listened to the revelation into his girlfriend's past and family history. Family working together in such a mundane thing as cooking a meal. "Now that certainly sounds like a pleasant memory. The kind he couldn't exactly share since there were few and far between in his life.
He was gradually learning more and more about his dinner companion.
Wait...girlfriend? That was what they were...wasn't it?
And that was a new thought for him, the idea of being a couple. It wasn't as if he had been a single man, a bachelor all his life since his teen years. He had had dates at various times in his life though there wasn't really anything with them. This...THEM...was a new experience and took getting used to.
BAH. Not my finest post. >_< But a post nonetheless.
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A pleasant memory. She would by lying if she said she didn't have many of those. Before her last years at Hogwarts, she could recall many such memories. But time had a way to twisting and fading things, so she had to wonder if the things she remembered really were the things that hapened. In the end, she guessed it only mattered that they made her happy, whether or not they were real. "It is," she nodded gently, before taking a few bites of her dinner.
And so they had come to the first real silence of the evening. At first, she found it uncomfortable. Then, as she let it go, she realized it wasn't a bad thing. She thoughtfully chewed her pheasant and suppossed that, affluent though both of them may have been, there were some relationships that did not require anything to be said.
When she couldn't help but glance fleetingly across at him as she took another sip of tea, Elinor debated over whether or not silence was really a bad thing. She decided to test those waters by not pressing her train of thought any further. Instead of opening her mouth to speak, as much as she wanted to, she merely enjoyed her food before it got cold.
It didn't matter if she said anything. There was nothing that demanded saying.
RP #2
The home of Alyssa and Charles Hall was not unlike the others on the stretch of road. Lavish. Well-kept. Spacious. The Halls liked to surround themselves, it seemed, with people who were just like them. Pure-blooded and rich. The house was old-- Vines crept up the sides, and the paint, although still bright, was cracked upon close inspection. It was, perhaps, a bit intimidating. Nevertheless, it was Elinor's childhood home.
The woman kept a tight squeeze on Nigel's hand as she apparated them just inside the gates in front of the home. Se was glad, secretly, for a practical reason to hold is hand. It was unfortunate the situation was one were holding his hand would probably be the best thing about it. She had dressed simply for the fall afternoon, remembering her mother's agitation at women who didn't wear gloves outside. Elinor wore them just so she would not earn a disapproving look. She knew she was in for plenty of those.
After looking herself over, she looked over at Nigel, hoping, in the back of her mind, that they would decide against doing this visit today. Her stomach was doing flips, and not the pleasant kind that the man at her side sometimes gave her.
After that pause, and after having no encouraging words to offer, she led him to the front door, where, after another uncomfortable pause, she knocked.
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Last edited by GlassXRose; 01-29-2013 at 01:26 AM.
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It was probably a good thing that Elinor had a gloved grip on his hand as they apparated away from her apartment where they had met, to land before the house Nigel could only assume was her parents' home. Her home where she had grown up. Else the potions master might just be tempted to turn tail and flee, quite restless about this meeting. He was no Gryffindor...never claimed to be...and meeting one's significant other had always been known to be nerve-wracking.
It just didn't help they were of the class much like his step-father.
Those who cared about things that made this whole issue more than a little awkward.
Nigel had taken great care to be cleaned up and dressed nicely but on the other hand not wanting to look like he was trying too hard. A fresh haircut to make sure his hair wasn't lanky and a nice outfit...blue like he had been told he looked well in and to avoid much black. Swallowing he looked over at Elinor, meeting her gaze as she in turn looked over at her. He nodded, giving his silent assent before he followed obediently beside her as the lab director lead them both up the front path.
Another pause and Nigel took a deep breath, willing his resolve to get this over with not to flee from his person. As the knocks reverbed against the door, all the former Ravenclaw could do was wait.
A shiny-headed, spry old man bustled down the hallway to the door, eager to have a look at the youngest of the Hall's children, now all grown up. The last remaining servant opened the front door and smiled across at the lovely lady. He seldom had a chance to greet visitors. The Halls were very quiet people.
The servant bowed briefly at the waist before standing aside to let Elinor and her... guest in. It was hard for the old man to think of him as any other word. They had no coats or jackets, so all he could do was bid them a good afternoon, smile, and lead them down the hall and to the left, where Mr. and Mrs. Hall were waiting.
Alyssa had perched herself in one of the armchairs in the sitting room across from the sofa. She had kept a watchful eye on the street outside the large window across from her. Finally, her daughter and her... interest appeared. The woman straightened, tucked her crossed ankles under the chair, and waited as she listened to Chester answering the knock, shooting her husband a look as he paced behind her shoulder.
Charles could do nothing but look back at his wife, unsure of what, if anything, she was trying to communicate with her glance. He was wearing a black velvet smoking jacket over his suit and vest, which he adjusted upon seeing Chester cross to the front door. He stopped his pacing and clasped his hands behind his back, pausing beside the armchair beside his wife. The man allowed himself a quiet sigh in anticipation of what the afternoon would bring.
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Elinor appreciated Nigel's reassuring smile, and held her breath as she waited for someone to answer the door, silently hoping it would be her father, rather than her mother. It wasn't until she saw Chester on the other side that she remembered that her mother was above answering doors.
Wait. Chester was still here?
Elinor suddenly felt a lot better for some reason. Chester had aged quite a bit since she had seen him last, but she still saw him in her minds eye with a nice crown of snowy-white hair. He was always her best friend as a child.
"Hello, Chester," she greeted warmly, nodding back to his bow and 'good afternoon'. She followed behind Chester, trying to not cast another glance back at Nigel.
When they reached the sitting room, and the servant stepped aside, Elinor somehow felt a little better. There they were. Mom and dad. Just... waiting. This was suddenly a lot less scary. She noticed that her mother was sitting in one armchair, and her father was standing by the other. She was relieved that they had left the sofa for them to sit.
Elinor could do nothing but smile a little. Was 'hello' the right thing to say? Eh. It felt weird. But she did, technically, have to introduce Nigel, right? Right.
"Nigel," she started after a shaky breath, "This is my mother, Alyssa, and my dad, Charles. This is Nigel Garrettson," she then introduced to her parents. Right? Isn't that how it goes? That sofa was starting to look really nice.
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Nigel had no thought on who could possibly be the one to answer the door. And upon it opening to the face of a friendly older man, he almost wished it was indeed Elinor's father and they were over-analyzing the possible negative aspects of this gathering. It proved to be a fruitless wish however as the woman greeted him with his name, something the potions master doubted Elinor would do to her paternal relation. Even if they were the completely distant sort of father and daughter relationship.
A servant it seemed, greeting them before bading them follow to wherever it was their true hosts resided within the palacial residence. Nigel gave the man a simple nod of acknowledgement and hello as his words failed at the moment while he slipped into his silent, observing personality. If anything it was a weak search for some sense of stability and normalcy to his life at the moment.
Get a grip, Garrettson...you're not a complete coward.
Trying to get such a grip, Nigel prepared himself for the inevitable. Before long they were lead into a brightly lit living room, man and wife situated within. He remained quiet for the moment, letting Elinor introduce them to each other. Her mother, Alyssa in the one chair and her father, Charles, standing beside.
"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Hall," he spoke, greeting the the older couple with respect, not quite sure about using their first names unless they were willing to allow him. It was with relief that he realized he had used the correct last name and not the Danvers Elinor earned from her deceased husband.
Hands folded neatly in her lap, the older woman's eyes crinkled up, as they often did in thought. Her daughter had grown into quite the pretty woman. And she had taken the time to put gloves on her hands. She was surprised, briefly, but didn't let the surprise cross her face. The two looked good standing there next to each other. She, of course, smiled in greeting. "Hello."
Her eyes swept over the both of them quickly, as tough she couldn't make up her mind as to who to think over first. She finally gestured to the sofa. "Please, have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable."
Charles' smile was hard to contain. It had been far too long since he had seen his youngest daughter. He wanted to walk forward and hug her, but... Alyssa seemed to have a different tone in mind. He, too looked the young man up and down briefly and nodded his head once in greeting.
He looked past the two to Chester, who was still waiting. "Chester, you may bring in the tea," he nodded, dismissing the man, before taking a seat in his respective chair. He knew his wife would not start the ball rolling, and judging by the... frankly terrified faces of the... couple across from them, it was up to him to try to strike up a conversation.
Unfortunately, he didn't have, really, the slightest clue as to where to start. Before he could even think of what to say--
"So, Elinor, how did you come to neglect telling us about Mr. Garrettson for so long, and your sister had to be the one to inform us?"
Charles' wife had quite the way of making people feel at ease. Thankfully, Chester had only to take the tea off of the heat, and was back swiftly, setting the tray on the coffee table, before retreating once again. The older man tried to make his offer sound somewhat reassuring, but he had little experience in that, either. The question came out a bit flat. "How do you take your tea, Mr. Garrettson?"
|Who's On First? | Challenge Accepted.| | :Ink For Blood: | Team SUITS!|
Poor Nigel. Elinor didn't do more than glance his way, but she could just sense the nervousness pouring off of him. She wished she could say he had no reason to feel that way. But... she was nervous, too. She was thankful that they were finally offered to sit down. The lab worker felt as though she might faint, and she was sure Nigel wasn't feeling his best, either.
The sofa was obviously rarely sat in. It was not uncomfortable, but firm. She found herself unable to sit back. The woman removed her gloves and set them on the table, before setting her hands on her lap, unsure of what else she might do with them.
Although Elinor wasn't thirsty, she was looking forward to having something occupy her hands, and potentially her attention. Maybe, just maybe...
And, without hesitation, her mother started. She wasn't going to let her make this uncomfortable. She wouldn't. Elinor took in a silent breath.
"Well, I just didn't think about it. Clarice asked, as Clarice is prone to do. By the way, did you happen to invite them today?" Seriously. She couldn't tell if er sisters would be better or worse. Probably worse. Elinor was the youngest, and therefore... Nigel would be a walking target. Oh, sweet Merlin, please let that answer be 'no'.
And dad-- business as always. At least there was that.
"No sugar," she compulsively answered his question. Then she realized she had done that and cast a glance over at Nigel. Well... that was right, wasn't it? Nigel didn't take sugar with his tea? Wasn't it the girlfriend's job to know that?
Anyway.
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Last edited by GlassXRose; 01-29-2013 at 05:11 AM.
Toothless - Napoleon of Crime - Gryffinclaw - Owl Emissary - Pirate Auror - DoctorDonna
Nigel tried his best to attempt a read at either parent, basing it on anything his companion had said about them. However for now it was up in the air. At least permission had been given to sit down and Nigel followed Elinor in taking a seat down upon the couch as the remaining seating in the room. He settled absently in place upon the leather fabric as he left the starting of the conversation between them to the elder couple. They had after all been the ones to inquire from Elinor about the status of things.
Her father...Chester...seemed to be the more open and polite of the two, the man calling for the tea that had supposedly been prepared even before their arrival. Proper hostess duties and protocol was on the table from the beginning and he would follow as best he could. From what he could remember anyway since it had been a while since he had been in this position.
But then it was Alyssa who started the questioning, the potions master deferring to Elinor since it was directed straight to her. Would it really be that bad that they had waited on their telling? It wasn't like either had thought of it much in the first place until it had been forced upon them by the circumstances. When a question was posed to him, Nigel was about to speak when he was beaten to the punch and inwardly was amused that she had spoken up in his place.
"Yes...no sugar," he answered, giving his own contribution and confirming Elinor's words. Sugar in his tea was never his thing and after the sugary effects of the love potion on his tea that instance it had turned him off completely. " Though perhaps a little lemon if you have."
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Love Beyond Measure 
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