InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I don't expect you to change."

Walden MacNair (walden_macnair) wrote in asphodel,
@ 2008-04-22 20:33:00

Who: Walden MacNair and Boudicca Selwyn
When: The evening of 21 April 1979 (slightly backdated)
Where: A little food place in Scotland
Rating: PG
Summary: Walden takes Boudicca out to dinner, further seeing if the two of them will be amiable for each other in the future.

Walden felt great. The attack he had taken part in with Tala Travers earlier that afternoon had gone off without a hitch. The bloody Order didn't even make it to the scene in time to stop the torture. He and Tala were lenient this time, he knew, but they were just playing - enjoying the sounds of the family screaming as they used several unforgivables on each of them. The father and younger daughter had passed out, but the mother and older daughter had remained alert for quite some time. Still, he would have liked to have played a bit longer, but he knew he had to return home to take care of some business before collecting Boudicca for dinner.

He shouldn't have felt nervous, he was Walden MacNair for Merlin's sake, but a part of him did feel such. Maybe it was because the seriousness of the situation had kicked in earlier that week - he had abandoned Dolores to whatever whim she might find herself on and decided to concentrate his efforts on Boudicca instead. Walden wasn't as young anymore and he knew the estate required that he married someone with money to their name and someone who could ensure that the Walden line would continue for years to come. It was the burden his father had left him when he died, but he took it willingly.

Dressing in a nice pair of robes, he checked his watch to ensure that he wouldn't be late. Satisfied that he would be right on time when he arrived at the Selwyn estate, he apparated there and knocked on the door.

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amoralknowledge
2008-04-23 02:01 am UTC (link)

A house elf answered the door, greeting Walden politely with a little bow of his head.

"Please come in, Mr. Walden Macnair, sir," he said in his high pitched little voice. "Miss Boudicca is just upstairs right now, but she should be down shortly. Derry will tell Miss Boudicca that Mr. Walden is here, sir."

Before the elf had the chance to pop upstairs, however, Boudicca's voice came from upstairs, sounding exasperated.

"For Merlin's sake, mum! It's a restaurant, not a ball! I am not changing into that frilly atrocity!"

"Boudicca, dear, I'm just looking out for your best interests!" came Mrs. Selwynn's voice, following after her daughter, after Boudicca started heading towards the stairs. "After all, the last time you went on any sort of date was--"

"MUM," said Boudicca emphatically, hoping that her mother wouldn't finish that sentence right in front of Walden. "Walden is here to pick me up now."

"Oh! And here we've been keeping him waiting," said Mrs. Selwynn, descending down the stairs hurriedly after her daughter. "Terribly sorry about that. Just trying to help Boudicca pick out something nice for your night out."

What Boudicca was wearing was a simple cream colored sleeveless dress, with matching long-sleeved dress robes for modesty and warmth. Evenings in England and Scotland got rather chilly, after all.

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walden_macnair
2008-04-23 11:16 am UTC (link)

Stepping inside, Walden's only acknowledgment of the house elf was a terse nod when the thing said it would let Boudicca know that he was there. Raising his head towards the stairs, he rose his eyebrows and looked nothing short of amused. The things women went through were amusing - it was just a restaurant and it hardly mattered what she wore so long as she wore something appropriate.

When both mother and daughter descended the stairs, Walden gave a bit of a smile to the mother and glanced over at Boudicca. "You haven't kept me waiting," he assured them both. "I only just got here." Clearing his throat, he held out a slip of paper to Boudicca. "The coordinates for where we're going if you'd rather apparate by yourself and meet me there."

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amoralknowledge
2008-04-24 11:07 pm UTC (link)

"Oh no, I'm ready now," said Boudicca. As much as she loved her mother, she was fairly certain that she would start screaming if she heard any more lectures on making sure to dress in a way that was attractive - but not so revealing that she looked like a 'scarlet woman'. Clothing didn't matter as long as it was clean, appropriate for the occasion, and didn't look hideous on the person wearing it.

"Well, you two have a wonderful time," said Mrs. Selwynn. "And watch out at night - there are some unsavory people who would try to rob well-dressed wizards and witches."

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walden_macnair
2008-04-26 05:58 pm UTC (link)

Walden nodded at Boudicca, looking back at the door to ensure that the house-elf was there and being diligent enough to open the door for them. He had just turned to take a step out the door when her mother began wishing them a wonderful time.

Turning back and with a patient smile, he nodded to Mrs. Selwyn. "I've no doubt we will and you need not worry about our protection, nothing will happen to your daughter." Glancing at Boudicca, he waved his arm to the door. "Shall we?" He was going to be a gentleman about this and let her go first; his mother had taken the time to teach him that sort of thing, so he figured he might as well put it to proper use.

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amoralknowledge
2008-04-27 04:06 pm UTC (link)

Boudicca nodded her head and stepped out the door, waiting for Walden on the front porch of the Selwynn home. For a moment, she wondered why her mother would be so concerned over their safety. Did her mother really not know that Walden was a Death Eater? Well, if she didn't, Boudicca wasn't going to clarify that detail for her. They generally wore masks so that they would remain anonymous, after all. Boudicca only knew who some of the Death Eaters were based on who came over to the Selwynn house when her parents were away. She minded her own business and read while Oswald met with his associates, but she did know who was coming over.

She was glad Walden suggested apparating. It was faster, and it didn't involve Boudicca on a broom. That was always a disaster.

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walden_macnair
2008-04-27 06:17 pm UTC (link)

Walden stepped out onto the front porch with Boudicca, hearing the house-elf close the door behind them. "That's always an awkward affair," he murmured, more to himself than to her, but it was still loud enough for her to overhear if she wanted to.

Clearing his throat, he adjusted his robes and pulled his wand out. "Right then," he said, reaching out and gently grasping her arm. He may have given her the coordinates to the location they were going, but he felt more confident apparating them there himself. "Hold on tight and we'll be there in a matter of seconds," he said as way of warning before concentrating and apparating the two of them to the northern part of the country and then on to Scotland where he had reservations waiting for them.

The restaurant they were eating at was a wizarding one, tucked away in a small wizarding village. It wasn't overly large or fancy, but it was known to serve many prominent witches and wizards on a regular basis. And it was Walden's favourite place to eat since he was a child. Holding the door open for her, he stepped inside behind her and gave the attendant his name. Within moments, they were seated at a nice table near a window and were being served champagne in a glass.

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amoralknowledge
2008-04-27 10:28 pm UTC (link)

Boudicca nodded in response to Walden's remark, then held on to his arm for side-along apparation. She'd never been to this restaurant before, and though she was competent enough at apparation, side-along appartion was sometimes best when going somewhere one wasn't familiar with. After all, Walden would be able to clearly envision where the door was. Boudicca, on the other hand, might apparate somewhere just on the general premises. Possibly even on the roof. She made that mistake once.

"You've been here before, I take it," remarked Boudicca. Walden seemed to be quite familiar with the surroundings here.

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walden_macnair
2008-04-29 12:41 pm UTC (link)

"Many times," he answered, glancing around for a moment and taking in the place. It had been mildly redecorated in the past few months since he had been there, but so long as the food and the service were the same, he didn't really care. "When I was younger, we would come here at least once a month. It was my mother's favourite restaurant and eventually became mine over the years."

A moment later, they were greeted by a waiter and given the menu and a rundown of the specials that evening before being promised that he would return. "If you like pasta, I recommend the Alfredo or the Chicken Parmesan; they're my personal favourites."

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amoralknowledge
2008-05-01 03:08 am UTC (link)

Boudicca listened to Walden's explanation, hands folded on the table. It showed a certain amount of care to take her to a restaurant that he'd enjoyed since he was a boy. It also spoke well for the restaurant, if he'd been coming here even after his parents' deaths. Any restaurant that could maintain regular clientele for over a decade probably had good food and good service.

The redheaded Ravenclaw alumni had never gone out of her way to dine out. She had a small bit of a sweet tooth, but more or less found what she needed in the house elves' cooking. Usually, Boudicca only went out for dinner when attending an event with family or friends.

"I'll try the Chicken Parmesan, then."

And perhaps a breath mint afterwards, she thought to herself. Walden did look rather nice in those dress robes, and she didn't want him to think she had bad breath.

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walden_macnair
2008-05-01 03:21 am UTC (link)

Walden liked the fact that she was attentive and willing to take his advice on what to eat. It showed good character and a willingness to trust him, something that was crucial to their current arrangement. Nodding approvingly, he gestured the waiter back over to their table.

"Good choice," he said first before ordering the Chicken Parmesan for her and the Alfredo for himself. While he could have ordered the same, he really was in the mood for Alfredo instead. Once the waiter had disappeared to place the Order with the kitchen, he turned to Boudicca. Where it had been nothing but bothersome conversations with Dolores when the two had dinner (conversations that were one-sided, mind), this was different and he was grateful for that.

"Just out of curiosity, does your brother know you're here with me?" he asked, grinning just a bit and finding the idea of a protective older brother amusing. Of course, he could be the complete opposite, Walden rarely spoke to him at Death Eater meetings, and the eldest Selwynn could be like most other purebloods and happy that his sister could potentially be married off soon.

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amoralknowledge
2008-05-02 02:34 am UTC (link)

"He does, and he's got a variety of opinions on the subject," replied Boudicca with a bemused smile. "There was the standard big-brotherly threat that you'll be sorry if you make me cry, being glad that I'm dating the right sort of wizard..."

She trailed off for a moment, a slightly devious look playing across her face. Those things were both true, but more than anything, Oswald was concerned that Dolores would come for him next. Oh, she had the right values. He didn't deny that. He just didn't want to be dating her. The pink overdose was one of the sister-friendly reasons he'd listed. Boudicca was certain there were other reasons he felt were inappropriate to tell her.

"He's just rather dismayed that Dolores Umbridge is single now because it means she might start hinting to him that she's available."

Rolling her grey eyes, Boudicca also added, "Oswald also thinks you really have no idea what you're getting into with me and that if we get married, entire rooms of your home will be filled with books."

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walden_macnair
2008-05-02 02:59 am UTC (link)

Walden had a bit of practice with older brothers, though the majority were just as anxious to try and marry their sisters off to the best wizard possible. But he was somewhat relieved that her brother was protective over her; it meant that he cared and, if things did work out between them and something happened to him as a result of his Death Eater activities, then he knew that she would still be cared for. Not that his estate wouldn't be enough, just that she would obviously have someone there.

He chuckled, raising his glass to his lips and taking a sip. "Tell him not to worry. From what I've heard, she has her eyes on someone at the Ministry and he's a bit older than she is." He shook his head, amazed that she so easily accepted that their dreadful thing was over with.

"Does he?" he queried, tilting his head to the side and considering her. "I'm still getting to know you, but you're not that much of a handful yet." He was teasing her lightly, trying to figure out if there was more to her than meets the eye.

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amoralknowledge
2008-05-04 03:58 am UTC (link)

"It's the bookish thing," said Boudicca, shaking her head. "Apparently, being interested in staying home and reading about advanced applications of ancient runes as opposed to throwing society parties makes me a terrible prospective wife."

That much was true enough, and Boudicca supposed that Walden needed to know that while she could be coaxed into going to social events, she was not one of the socialite ladies. If he wanted a wife that he could get along with, that was one thing. If regularly hosting social events was one of his expectations...well, he'd be rather disappointed if he married Boudicca.

With a little smile, Boudicca added, "I'm really not much of a handful unless you get into a debate with me on a subject I've done a lot of research on."

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walden_macnair
2008-05-04 04:29 am UTC (link)

Walden raised his eyebrows, looking nothing but amused. He let her explain how she wasn't the socialite type, preferring instead to stay home with her books. Chuckling to himself, he took another sip of his drink and sat it on the table.

"To tell you the truth, I hate those parties myself. It's a room full of stuffy people - since my mum made me and - well, made me go to them when I was younger, I grew to hate them. I'd sneak out halfway through dinner usually." Unfortunately, he wasn't able to do that nearly as often anymore now that he was older. He never opened his home to any, but he was often required to go elsewhere for them and make an appearance.

"I think you're enough of a handful," he teased lightly, returning her smile with his own and shrugging his own shoulders. "But I'm not complaining. I think we'll manage well enough though"

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amoralknowledge
2008-05-04 09:37 pm UTC (link)

Boudicca relaxed a little as Walden clarified that he wasn't much of a socialite himself. She wasn't one to charge right into anything, preferring to weigh the pros and cons of a decision carefully. That piece of information was a little tick on the 'positive' side of marrying Walden. Many pureblood marriages didn't start out with the couple being in love with one another, but the ones that tended to work out at least involved liking one another in a platonic way.

"There's also the fact that I want to work in the Ministry in the Department of Mysteries someday," Boudicca added. She might as well be honest about everything all in one sitting. If Walden was going to change his mind, she might as well tell him everything that might make him change his mind now, before she got attached to him as anything more than a friend.

"Obviously children would delay that a bit, or involve a significant leave of absence, but I do intend on working there eventually."

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