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Tweak says, "Missed it by that much!"

Tina (thumbletina) wrote in 20somethings,
@ 2022-04-12 12:24:00

Entry tags:

c: celestina knottingley, c: daani johal, d: 2028 04, ~ complete, Ω: rp

Rp: girls night
Who: Tina & Daani
What: Dinner at the cottage (aka Tina's new home)
When: 12 April, 2028
Where: the cottage
Warnings: TBD
Status: in-progress

Daani was usually the one to cook and spoil Tina. She wanted to be able to repay her friend for all the help she had been when Miguel and Tina had gotten divorced. It had meant the world to her that Daani had been there for her.

Since the weather had been so good, and Tina was rather excited about the changes she had made to the garden. She had chosen for the pair to eat dinner amongst the budding flowerbeds that she had just started poking at last weekend with the help of Liam. Each day they spent together there made it feel so much more like their own private little hideaway.

Tina had cooked up a vegetarian lasagna, one of her mother's specialities. She had set it in the center of the wrought-iron table that was big enough for four. Plates and cups appeared as Tina swooshed her wand, setting the table with aid of magic. "The house is starting to look more like me and less like mum," she confided in her friend, as she moved to take the seat across from Daani.

The biggest difference in the cottage was that it felt a lot less Gothic romantic and much more warm cozy romantic cottage. Tina was working through the house one room at a time.

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princessdaani
2022-04-12 07:55 pm UTC (link)

It was nice to have someone else cook for her for once, and even nicer to find time to spend with Tina. Daani had popped home after work to strip out of her smart clothes and put on comfy purple leggings, yellow t-shirt and an oversized jumper for warmth.

"It's always been beautiful," Danni said, brushing a finger absently over the edge of the table as she set her phone back down. "But it does look more like you now, less severe," she said.

"This looks good too," she said, smelling the bubbling lasagne, which was wafting rich tomato and cheese into the surrounding area. She had a fondness for lasagne, but could rarely be bothered to make it herself, in contrast to several Indian things which took a similar amount of time and preparation.

"What's up next?" she asked, not sure if she was talking about the house or Tina herself.

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thumbletina
2022-04-13 01:17 am UTC (link)

It was the first time since her flat that she had tried her hand at decorating. "It means the world to hear that. I should you what I did with the master bedroom. It feels like mine, I've even got a few plants hanging in the windows," she said excitedly.

"Wine?" Tina asked, as an answer to the question, before summoning the bottle of red wine from the house. Something she'd picked up from her mother, love for a really good red.

"I think after that... Maybe eventually asking Liam to move in," she admitted as she used her wand to pour the wine. "What about you?" she asked curiously.

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princessdaani
2022-04-13 06:45 pm UTC (link)

"It's you, of course there are plants everywhere," Daani teased, but she was smiling. It wouldn't be Tina without plants spreading all over the house. And it wouldn't stop looking great either. If only her own black thumb didn't disagree.

Daani rolled her eyes and shook her head. She did sometimes drink, but she was happy enough without for now. "Maybe later."

The slow smile that spread across Daani's face was both super pleased and ever so faintly smug, before the latter was supressed. "Good for you two," she said. She was definitely of the opinion he was much better for Tina than her horror of an ex husband. She sucked in a breath and wondered if she should reconsider the wine, but sighed instead. "I'm still not ready to date, I don't think," she said. "But work is busy, and I think my India trip is finally sorted so I can confirm my portkey requests, so I've got some distractions from Manny dating again." It was a lot of info all at once and she served herself lasagne and made ready to start eating to give Tina time to process it all.

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thumbletina
2022-04-16 07:56 pm UTC (link)

She knew it was true, a habit picked up from her mother and father. The cottage was meant to hold plants, and Tina was taking advance of every special window she could find. Her idea for her mother's walk in closet was to put in windows and plants, make it her own sanctuary with plants. A good place to meditate and relax after work. It was a work in progress. She gave a warm laugh, nodding her head. "Wait until you see what I do with mum's walk in closet," she gushed, having no need for the walk in closet.

Her smile came off a bit shy, but it was because things were still so new with Liam. Moving in was still so far on the list. "Thanks, things are... Going really fantastic," she said happily, thinking back to just the night before when Liam had come by to stay.

"I don't think it's bad you're still not ready," she reassured her friend, taking a sip from her wine after. "Do you want to talk about him dating? Or India?" she asked. "I just don't want to pry if you're not up for talking about it yet." Tina never wanted to upset Daani, she could only imagine how much it would hurt to talk about Manny dating again. Especially if she wasn't ready yet. She wondered what had happened with that flower that had been left, had she ever gotten to the bottom of it?

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princessdaani
2022-04-16 10:48 pm UTC (link)

Daani remembered her own enthusiasm for decorating her new flat once she was more accepting of the fact she needed it and smiled. It was good seeing Tina enthusiastic about making her own space. "You'll have to let me know when it's done and I'll make sure to call in again. Not that you're going to stop me before then, but I'll make a special trip."

With how Tina had been hurt in the past Daani was still slightly cautious about overwhelming happiness for her friend, but Liam had given her a much more positive feeling whenever they'd spoken. And his interactions with Tina all seemed to be positive for her. She smiled broadly at her, glad that her friend got to be happy.

The heavy sigh that she let out made her lips buzz loudly. It was probably deeply unattractive, but she didn't care in the slightest in this company. "India is happier so let's go with the dating first," she said resolutely. "Mostly I'm happy for him, sad for me, you know?" she said, glazing over the feelings very heavily. She didn't want to dwell on it at the moment. "I actually muted Manny's accounts. I'm not sure I want to be surprised by that again, but I just want him to be happy," she said. It was true, even if it hurt to say it, She was the one who had been the architect of the hurt which passed around after all, not him.

"India should be fun though. I let all my relatives fight it out for the most part until they agreed what order to have me in and exactly the split they were happy with. I'm doing just over four days with Mata's extended family in Punjab where I'll try not to be washed away by the monsoons, and then just under eight days in Gujarat with Pita's side and the more direct maternal family, also technically monsoon season but the coast doesn't get as much rain," she said cheerfully. She had visited India in the summer before and knew that having magic helped a lot with keeping dry and safe, and all of her relatives were very competent at living in the wet conditions. "Then I get a couple of days at home before I'm back to work. I might just about adjust to being a reasonable temperature again!"

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thumbletina
2022-04-21 01:30 am UTC (link)

Tina glowed from the inside as she thought about just what it would take in order for the house to feel complete to her. It'd take Liam moving in and adding his own touches to the home. Sure, he helped her now, but it'd be different seeing his clothes in the closet, his shoes by the front door, his toothbrush next to hers. She couldn't wait for that day. "I'll be sure," she promised Daani, knowing already it was going to be at a warm little house warming with her closest friends.

Worry creased her brows, there was so much weighing on her beautiful friend. Gosh, she hoped she might be able to help clear that worry away. "I think that mute button is fantastic," she admitted then, taking a sip from her wine a moment later. "I muted Miguel's accounts when I divorced him, it was so liberating to know I'd not come across him anywhere," she said, setting her glass back down.

Those worry lines seemed to grow deeper as her friend spoke, shaking her head after a moment. "I cannot with you, monsoons. You speak of them like they're a slight drizzle and not something that could sweep you off this planet. Be safe while you're gone?" she asked, knowing Daani had been there previously. Daani was also a skilled witch, she would be more than safe. Tina also knew if she didn't say it, if something did happen, she'd feel terrible.

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princessdaani
2022-04-22 12:13 am UTC (link)

"I figure if I want or need to catch up for some reason I can still go looking, but I can be prepared, you know?" she said. The jab she took at her meal was a little more aggressive than usual, but in no way threatening to the dishes. She didn't want him out of her life entirely, but at arms length seemed the best for all concerned.

Daani had been privately slightly relishing the chance to give Tina the tiniest scare and she smiled wryly. "I absolutely promise to be careful, and I'll make sure I brush up on all the useful spells before I go," she said reassuringly. "My family are all magical and comparatively wealthy, particularly the ones I'm mostly staying with. Plus once I'm there I'll be sure to memorise a safe apparition spot or two in case we go to the village and get caught out." The blessings of magic were many. "I'm just glad I can finally put my specific portkey requests in. Those in country contacts are going to come in handy to get the internal ones in India set up."

Eating quietly for a few minutes Daani looked around at the garden, impressed as ever by its lushness, and as resolved as ever not to touch anything so she didn't mess it up. Then her eyes caught on a particular colour of a flower and frowning. "Hey," she said, quickly chewing and swallowing the rest of her mouthful before she said another word. "You know that flower and the poem I got? Either several people have decided I am now single and ready to date and work is the right place to leave me tokens of affection, or someone really likes me, because there have been other things." She had been pushing it to the back of her mind. Partly because there was no pattern and never a signature, partly because she was mildly flattered by it even if she wasn't open to dating, and a little because she had plenty of other things going on and nothing was very intrusive.

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thumbletina
2022-04-25 02:16 am UTC (link)

Tina completely understood, she had dealt with her own mixed feelings the day Miguel had stopped into the shop. They had been able to be friendly enough, but that didn't mean she wanted to run across how happy he was on winstagram. Her head bobbed in a nod, yes, she really did know.

There was a relief that flooded her hearing that Daani was taking extra precautions. "Thank you," she said in a soft voice, knowing she was being ridiculous the way she worried. Daani had taken these trips before, but still she worried about her friend's safety. Always would, Daani was family.

They ate quietly together, Tina enjoying the company. Her brows rose at Daani's hey, nodding her head to confirm that she did indeed remember the flower and poem. She had mentioned it to Liam, just in case something nefarious came from it. She wanted him to know about it as well, just in case he could help later. Worry creased her brows at hearing that multiple people have been leaving her little tokens. "What other things?" she asked, concern thick in her voice. "Were they as obscure as the flower and poem?"

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princessdaani
2022-04-26 12:44 am UTC (link)

It seemed like a good idea to tell someone about the gifts that had been appearing. There was definitely something going on, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was and if she should be worried about it. "Yeah pretty much, just flowers with little notes and poems. A few different sorts, no like big bunches or anything. Couple of little trinkets." The first flower and poem had seemed sweet until her friends had pointed out the slightly weird vibe of the poem. Everything else she'd received had been similarly innocuous and similarly impossible to pinpoint a source on.

She sighed heavily before she spoke further. "I'm torn because it's nice to be admired, right? My ego appreciates the boost, but like I said I'm not ready to date again. I don't think I'm ready to be emotionally vulnerable like that again, yet. So I don't want to really encourage it. But a girl likes get flowers, even if she kills them off quickly."

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thumbletina
2022-05-08 09:01 pm UTC (link)

Tina's nose scrunched as she thought back to that poem and flower, the terrible feeling it had given her. Now that there were more items being left, more poetry, it just didn't sound good. "You should be careful, just in case," she said, reaching across the table to take her friend's hand for just a second, squeezing reassuringly. "Just in case. It sounds like it might be someone you work with." She assumed there was far more security at Daani's work than there was at Tina's, and Tina knew that unless you had access, you couldn't get back to her, so she doubted anyone could just get to Daani's desk.

"You don't think it's Manny's brother? He works in the same place, doesn't he?" she asked curiously, poking about at her food.

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princessdaani
2022-05-09 01:06 am UTC (link)

There was a lot of sense to what Tina was saying and she'd definitely had a few qualms herself. "Yeah I've tried not to make a big thing of it since the first one. Just leave it there and take it away at the end of the day," she said. And given her track record with anything plant related the blooms generally drooped and died soon after they got to her home, even when she didn't put them right in the bin. "I know it has to be someone with access and probably not part of the actual translation office, but honestly that doesn't narrow the field as much as you think. A lot of the Ministry workers have access to ICW too, particularly our office."

The burst of laughter that escaped Daani at the suggestion of Rhys being the source of the gifts was both entirely involuntary and thankfully brief. "Oh, wow, sorry," she said in disbelief, after she'd covered her mouth for a moment, eyes wide. She reached over and sipped her water, wondering if it was a moment to switch to wine in pure surprise. "Er, yes he works at ICW too, and no I really don't think it's him. I've known him since school and there's never been anything like that between us," she said dismissively. Meanwhile her mind was reeling at the suggestion. Technically being in Security Riz would absolutely have access, but she had zero notion of him being involved in any way. Even if they had managed to generally maintain a friendship of sorts through all the Manny-related disasters.

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thumbletina
2022-05-15 08:17 pm UTC (link)

There was some relief that Daani didn't think there was any chance that Rhys was behind any of it. "Don't apologize, I'm just trying to think of.. Who, you know? They always say that you need to look at the husband, and so I sort of drew lines," she admitted with just the barest color rising to those beautifully dark cheeks. "It sounds like you two are still close though, that's fantastic," she commented, curious if it meant there were any feelings there. She supposed not if Daani was so amused at the suggestion that it could be Rhys.

"Keep me updated? I want to be sure you're safe. Have you thought about picking up anything for personal protection? Muggles make mace," she suggested, knowing her mother had insisted she take it with her the first time she had gone to a concert in Muggle London. They had both been so worried, Celestina had found it amusing. She had never used the blasted thing, it still sat in the back of a drawer somewhere.

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princessdaani
2022-05-17 05:49 pm UTC (link)

"No that makes sense, but it was so unexpected. Frankly if anything gets weirder he's the one I'm going to go to," she said. She trusted Rhys to do his job. She shrugged at the closeness comment. "Somehow we made it through the mess eventually even if it's a bit weird sometimes because of the history with Manny."

She nodded at the request to be kept in the loop. Easy enough to do, she generally wanted Tina to be up to date on her life even when they didn't manage to get together as often. "I think that might be illegal here," she said. "But I remember reading something about squirting perfume or muggle hairspray in someone's face being effective so I guess I could keep perfume in my bag now." She truly wasn't all that bothered for the moment but keeping some kind of spray bottle in her bag wasn't a bad plan.

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thumbletina
2022-05-23 02:02 am UTC (link)

"I think that'd be best," she agreed with her friend, before taking another bite of her food. It was worrisome, she was definitely going to mention it to Liam. Maybe he knew someone who worked at the Ministry. She wouldn't have them pry, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask if there were any new people there that were standing out for being weird. There was a slim chance that this was happening to someone else too. She could help without anyone knowing she was sticking her nose in, she hoped.

She took another sip of her wine, finishing what was left in the glass. "What are you thinking of doing for your birthday?" she asked curiously, hoping to be able to make plans for her friend's coming birthday. Maybe she'd notice someone at a get together that was a little too friendly with Daani.

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princessdaani
2022-05-27 06:32 pm UTC (link)

It was nice to move away from more contentious topics again and Daani hummed slightly to show she was thinking while she continued eating. "I don't know if I want anything too big. Maybe something where I can dance a bit and try not to subject everyone to my singing! It only sounds good when we try and do the languages challenge thing with work." Singing along to songs was kept firmly for being home alone, or with friends who didn't care. "Any ideas?" she asked.

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