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Tweak says, "It's ridiculously romantic ♥"

demelza! (quixotically) wrote in contentious,
@ 2008-09-29 13:57:00

Entry tags:

demelza robins, theodore nott

WHO: Demelza Robins and Theodore Nott
WHERE: The Brazen Unicorn
WHEN: Sunday, September 28, evening.
WHAT: Demelza invited Theodore out. Cue awkward?
RATING: PG (?)
WARNING: None. Maybe: Alcohol consumption - they are at a pub, right?
STATUS: Semi-private/Incomplete

There were a few things on Demelza's mind as she stepped outside the door of her shared flat. One was the fact that Marlowe's habit of walking into things was actually quite worrying, and perhaps she ought to have him checked with a vet - you know, just in-case. Sure, he was ageing, but he wasn't that old. Not yet. He ought to have a few good years in him yet! And it didn't matter that he was a prickly bastard of a cat, he was hers and she loved him. Most days.

The other things on her mind were Trystan. And his lack of a life. And Ginny. And her post-break-up depression. And Llewellyn - and the fact that she knew he missed his parents even if it didn't show. She missed them too, and they weren't even hers. And Diggory, and her worry about how he was coping so far away from them all. And -

All in all, there were a great many things on Demelza's mind, most of them significant. It was no wonder she had been desperate for a night out. Why she'd invited Theodore Nott to come along, she couldn't be so sure. Like she'd explained to Ginny (who's reaction was not particularly helpful, to put it nicely), it was probably because she'd felt sorry for him. Or something like that. It didn't matter, anyway, and she wasn't going to justify it to anyone. Especially not Trystan. The prat.

Within seconds, she'd Apparated safely to the dark alley opposite the pub. She emerged into the mellowly-lit street, glancing back and forth before crossing the road and pushing her way through to the bar. It had a bit of a wet name, that she could agree with, but it had a great atmosphere otherwise - and there was dancing and alcopops - and they had a jukebox with Muggle classics. It was no wonder she loved it.

"One lime Breezer, please!" she ordered, having to raise her voice above the din to be heard. It would be hard to find her, what to call him? Acquaintence? It would be hard to find her acquaintence in here.

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mrnott
2008-09-29 10:19 am UTC (link)

To put things very lightly, Theodore generally hated pubs. It was only out of extreme boredom and a dangerous sort of sick curiosity that he had accepted Demelza's offer, and even then he was hesitant. He didn't understand people that were so effortlessly nice. He always looked for some sort of ulterior motive that would put them ahead, and in Demelza's case, Theodore could only fathom the criticism she would receive for associating with him. After all, he was the quiet, mysterious loner sort - not really the type that one would readily socialize with. And Demelza had invited him out. To a pub. Sounded date-ish, didn't it? Theodore was sure that this was purely an awkward social call, but it was highly likely that people would talk.

When Theodore entered The Brazen Unicorn for the first time, he had instantly decided that he didn't like it. First of all, he quickly picked up on the reoccurring muggle theme throughout the pub, and almost immediately felt like a bit of an outsider. He knew so little about the culture that was not his own, and he wasn't really willing to bend in order to discover it, either. For one, it had nothing to do with him, but more importantly, he found it depressing and confusing. A world without magic was not one he was eager to delve into. In addition to this, the fact that people were dancing in this pub brought a second set of concerns to the forefront of his mind. All he could do was hope that Demelza didn't like dancing, or at the very least, didn't expect him to partake in it.

When Theodore spotted the girl, he felt a touch of anxiety wash away. It was no secret that he was terribly anti-social in a crowded setting such as this, and he was already having second thoughts about agreeing to come here. Everything was too loud and people were packed too tight. In fact, the mere act of crossing the pub and get to Demelza involved Theodore rubbing against a few strangers on the way by, and he really hated touching people he didn't know. He was such a mess when out of his element.

"I thought less people would be out on a Sunday night," Theodore 'greeted', sliding up beside Demelza at the bar and leaning against the counter. He thought better of his decision almost instantly and wrinkled his nose in the most prissy fashion, straightening up again and rubbing imaginary filth off of his elbow. A least he'd warn all black - if the place rubbed off on him, it would be less visible. Getting over himself quickly, Theodore took a moment to regard Demelza a little more closely, his eyes slightly narrowed and watching her as though trying to read her thoughts. He was still trying to figure out this invite. "I hope you didn't come here to dance."

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quixotically
2008-09-29 11:51 am UTC (link)

Demelza's drink arrived within a fairly quick response time, considering how many people there were waiting to be served, and how short the number of bartenders on duty there were. Collecting the bottle with its puff of precipitation hovering over the lime-green liquid, she selected a stool that wasn't next to the slightly depressed-looking, unshaven bloke who had clearly taken one too many shots of -- she didn't even want to know what.

She was just about to take a sip, when a male voice spoke to her close enough for her to actually hear and without shouting. Afraid it was the emo drunk man after all, she turned her head cautiously in the direction of the sound. Theodore. She breathed a deep sigh of relief. "It's still early! And this pub is popular," she explained.

He seemed to be preoccupied with dusting something off his sleeves, but Demelza didn't see anything on them. Maybe he was just a little nervous. From the sounds of things, he didn't seem to get out much at all, and in her experience - the more out of practice you were with something, the more paranoid you felt. Maybe she ought to have suggested somewhere a little calmer. Capella's, maybe. But that would probably involve a much more formal sit-down dinner and not at all the casual fun night out she was aiming to have.

If she could just get him to relax.

"I might, if I see someone I know, but you don't have to if you don't want to," she replied nonchalantly. "Are you hungry? I was going to order a plate of chips."

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mrnott
2008-09-30 12:03 am UTC (link)

"What? Oh... yeah," Theodore responded awkwardly, shifting in close to Demelza as a large man pushed past him towards the dance floor. Taking a quick glance around his immediate area, he eventually decided that it was time to sit down and get out of the general flow of bodies. Perhaps he would feel better about the crowds if he wasn't facing them directly? He knew for sure that liquor would help him out. This in mind, Theo grabbed the stool next to Demelza and moved it over close to her before ungracefully taking a seat on it - he was looking to be able to hear her when she spoke to him. The obnoxious noise in this place didn't leave him with a lot of other options.

"I'll have---... I'll have a firewhiskey on the rocks, please. And we'll have some chips," Theodore ordered as the bartender approached, his voice a little too quiet in the beginning until he realised he'd have to shout to get anyone to hear him. He really did hate this place. He had the sneaking suspicion that Demelza had picked it so he would be forced to keep his hands to himself or something. It seemed like something she would do. Like he would touch her in his right mind anyway! She practically had guard dogs protecting her, and he wouldn't have been shocked if she was packing a chastity belt in her trousers. The last thing Theo needed was that sort of trouble.

"Why do people enjoy pubs?" Theodore suddenly asked, turning his attentions back on Demelza now and narrowing his eyes at her thoughtfully. He grabbed his whiskey when it was offered to him, immediately lifting it to his mouth and taking a fair-sized sip. Wincing, he set the glass back on the bar, his fingers drumming on the side while he waited for the ice to warm the rest of the beverage... and perhaps take some of the bite out of it. "I mean, I get it, it's a breeding ground. Anyone can get a bird sloshed and take her home - it's a free-for-all. I still don't see the appeal for those who wish to just have a nice, innocent time."

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quixotically
2008-09-30 10:53 pm UTC (link)

He was awfully close to her, she didn't mind, per se. But it was a little odd, she could admit that. Sipping at her drink again while he ordered, Demelza tried not to grimace as he shouted just by her ear. Perhaps they ought to get a table somewhere down the back where the noise was a lot thinner.

Just as she was about to suggest it, though, he provided her with the perfect opportunity - mixed in with something of an insult. Perhaps he hadn't meant it as one, but it irked her a little. "Depends on the girl," she returned. "I don't go home with just anyone. And I like it here because a lot of my friends come here and I like the dancing and chance to, you know, have a drink and some good fun. And maybe," she teased with a small mischievous smile, "you just need to look at it from a more innocent perspective."

Someone familiar, brunette and female stopped at the bar to order a drink for herself - ugh. It was Rose. Demelza was not looking forward to any further encounters with that woman, she might pour the contents of her bottle of Breezer all over her brother's ex.

"Listen do you want to get that table back there? It's so loud, I can barely hear you," she suggested at last with a little urgency in her voice.

They'd just have to wait it out for the chips. Damn.

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mrnott
2008-10-03 12:23 am UTC (link)

Theodore lifted his brows with Demelza's suggestion about his non-innocent point of view, his eyes drifting over her shoulder and to the dance floor to consider this. No, he was fairly certain that he was right on this one. Men (Straight men, at least) tended to look so unnatural when they danced, and yet so many forced themselves to get completely sloshed and partake in the activity anyway. They'd do anything to rub up against a half-decent looking bird and attempt to woo her into lifting her skirt later in the night. Theo knew the game. Of course, he'd never danced with someone to get them to sleep with him - thankfully he'd never been so desperate.

Theodore blinked and rolled his eyes back to Demelza when she suggested they move, turning his head to look in the direction of the back tables. Well. That would have been a good choice in the first place considering Theodore's intense hatred of crowds, but this wasn't the time to point that out. Right now he was focused on getting away from the bar. Clearing this throat, he nodded in agreement, opening his mouth to reply when the bar tender set down their plate of chips in front of them. "I'll get it," Theodore stated firmly, reaching into his pocket to pull out the proper change while keeping his eyes on Demelza - watching her suspiciously now. She suddenly seemed awfully eager to move, which is something he honestly hadn't noticed until right now.

"We're on the move," He stated, grabbing his plate and drink after paying and lowering himself from the uncomfortable stool. He was lanky enough that this wasn't a big jump down, and skinny enough to move through the crowds with relative ease. He did feel a bit like a waiter carrying their plate, though. Thankfully managing to snag a booth as another couple left the bar in each other's arms (Three guesses on where they were headed now), Theodore took a seat at one end and set down the chips and his drink before signaling for Demelza to join him. "Is everything alright?"

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quixotically
2008-10-03 01:24 am UTC (link)

Getting down from the stool was a little more difficult for Demelza than it was for Theodore. She was wearing a dress, for starters. And it wasn't exactly hemmed below the knee, either. Wisely leaving her drink on the counter, she hopped down without doing anything stupid, like exposing herself. Not that anyone would have seen, most people were quite preoccupied with their own affairs, but it was a natural thing to be concerned over. After all, she had a little modesty in her.

Collecting her bag and drink, she followed her friend-acquaintence-unoffical-date-thing(?) through the crowd to the table up the back. As she dodged between dancers, the pool players and the general dilly-dalliers who made somewhat annoying obstacles as they tended to move subconciously right in the direction of her next intended step - she could hear the music dimming already.

"Hmm?" she queried as she took her seat and set her drink down at last. "Oh, I'm fine. I just spotted someone I didn't want to talk to." Might as well be honest with him, she thought whilst glancing at the chips. They looked delicious. She picked out one that looked particularly crunchy and broke it in half to let it cool a little before attempting to eat it. She'd burnt her tongue one too many times to trust hot food so uncautiously.

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mrnott
2008-10-03 01:50 am UTC (link)

Theodore tried not to watch Demelza too much as she sat down, his eyes instead shifting between her and the plate of fries. He felt a little awkward about this outing because he didn't know what it all meant, and was therefore attempting to act as innocent as possible while the two of them pretended that he wasn't the most awkward company in the world. He could chat for hours one-on-one in a quiet setting, but the music and dancing around him was distracting and making him freeze up internally. Not to mention, Demelza was too sincere and nice to him for Theodore to be his usual tormenting self. She was giving him a chance, it seemed, and Theodore really liked that. It almost made him want to continuously be kind to her. Well. Until he fucked it up somehow or he discovered something extremely annoying about her. She'd passed the first test, at least. She seemed to have a brain between her ears and she wasn't throwing herself at him. That meant he could show at least a little respect towards her.

"A man or woman?" Theodore asked while looking back towards the bar, meanwhile grabbing a chip off of the top of the pile and shoving it into his mouth. Bad move. Really bad move. Wincing, Theodore attempted to cover up the pain, leaving his lips open a touch so he could clear his mouth of some intensely hot air while bringing a fist up to shield part of his face. Eventually he would swallow, pursing his lips at his own stupidity and hoping that Demelza hadn't realised his little display. He really did need to get out more. He was so easily embarrassed by the littlest things. It was hard to be as smooth as he aspired to be. "Watch those. They're... really fresh."

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quixotically
2008-10-03 02:23 am UTC (link)

"A woman," she replied, placing both halves of her chip on the very edge of the plate - waiting for them to cool a little longer. For some reason, she could never explain why, she wasn't a fan of sauce. She just liked her chips just the way they were, but she was not averse to chicken salt, and by the smell of them, they were beer battered and sprinkled with just that.

Too busy contemplating the way she liked her food, Demelza was oblivious to the struggle with the too hot chips going on across the table, so she sipped at her drink instead. "She's my brother's ex-wife, and she just likes to taunt for all the wrong reasons. I can't stand her, but I didn't want to have an arguement with her so I thought it would be better if I just avoided her entirely. It's easier that way? I mean, I'm not being a coward, I just don't feel like having yet another arguement tonight."

"Yeah, I thought that might be the case! Did you burn your tongue? I always do that with coffee and hot chocolate and then I have to explain that I'm not crying, I'm just in pain - but that it's okay, don't worry, it's not a big deal."

She really needed some people in her life who didn't fuss so much. And possibly find a reign for her tongue.

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