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Tweak says, "i want your D/N/A"

harrisonmc (harrisonmc) wrote in 20somethings,
@ 2022-09-05 15:40:00

Entry tags:

c: etta russell, c: harrison mclaggen, d: 2028 09, Ω: rp

RP: Looking for Recommendations
Who: Harrison & Etta
What: Casual Run-In, Book Shopping
When: 5 September 2028
Where: Flourish & Blotts, Diagon Alley
Warnings: TBD
Completion Status: ~~Ongoing~~ Faded Out

"Maybe I should've tried Muggle London." Harrison muttered under his breath. He let his hands fall across the spines of the books he was perusing, all of them books he'd read a million times. All of it, magical. "Are you looking for anything in particular?" A blonde, young witch asked, sensing his indecision.

"Not that I can tell," he smiled. "Thank you." He pushed open the door looking down the Alley before deciding to head in the direction of the Leaky, perhaps his search for a good read will be better amongst the shops of London.

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harrisonmc
2023-01-10 03:57 am UTC (link)

He noticed her shifting glances to the filing room. The Leaky was notorious for gossip, but most of the patrons seemed to be keeping to themselves. He reached a hand out to hers hoping to ground her.

"Death care." He repeated the words as if they had a great deal of weight. He was twenty-two and in peak physical condition. "That's something difficult for me to wrap my head around." He didn't want it to sound like bragging. If the roles were reversed he'd have a well thought out plan as well. "It probably should be something to consider now I have bludgers flying at my head on a weekly basis. Gavin doesn't exactly pull his strikes."

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funeral_bell
2023-01-10 11:33 pm UTC (link)

When he reached for her hand Etta's instinct was to snatch her own away. Not because she didn't want to be touched so much as she didn't feel like it was an appropriate gesture between them. However she left her hand there and gave a strained smile before moving back.

"It's kind of a neutral term we've taken to using more and more. It covers as much or as little as you need it to and works for whatever your perspective near enough," she said. It was true. It worked for everyone from those who had minutely detailed expectations for everything from the preparation of their body to the funeral, to those whose opinion boiled down to a wish for burial but where everything else was left to their loved ones.

She nodded, having seen plenty of people in a similar place for themselves or their loved ones. "I tend to think its worth anyone considering some basics, but I've got an unusual perspective," she said gently. "Oh, but if you do decide anything make sure you write it down and put it somewhere obvious. You have good healers around though, you're pretty safe for a potentially concussion inducing job. Right?" Or at least she hoped that was the case.

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harrisonmc
2023-01-12 03:03 am UTC (link)

Physical touch, not a thing. He noted. It was more of an instinct than anything, but not one everyone appreciated. They weren't that close anyway. He leaned back in his chair, maybe an overcorrection, but one he hoped said 'I respect your space'. He wasn't one of these ogres that got offended when simple gestures weren't returned positively to begin with.

He listened attentively to her explanation. "A bit of a carry over from medical, innit?" He'd overheard a similar term when his mother was being discharged from hospital. "It's all about what you want to accomplish." The personal details seemed just that. Personal. Definitely not something you discuss over lunch with a friend.

"Pretty safe." He assured. I can't remember a player being in any mortal danger since Cyprian Youdle and that wasn't even a player's fault." The safety regulations around spectators had come a long way since 1357 and most wands were at least checked at the gates nowadays. He thought about the 1994 Cup, but that was a tragedy and harsh reality for the entire wizarding world. "No, I think I'm as safe as I can be. Concussions and broken bones aside."

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funeral_bell
2023-01-13 01:25 am UTC (link)

Part of Etta wanted to explain that her aversion to Harrison's touch was less general and more contextual, but that both seemed far too complicated and mixed in with the fact it was partly couched in instinct. Plus she wasn't bothered by their conversation, more she had been concerned that other people might be. Or at least she was guessing he had noticed her glances.

"The two are pretty linked since they're usually about what you want doing when you're not able to say for yourself," she agreed. And very rarely were death practices set in legal arrangements, but that was just far too complex to be getting into over a casual lunch.

Just then their food arrived and the server gave them a mildly alarmed look at the conversation but said nothing about it. Etta thanked her then turned wide-eyed exaggeration to Harrison as she went away again.

"And this is why public conversations about that job usually end quickly." She grinned and stuffed one of her chips in her mouth, then added some salt to the rest.

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harrisonmc
2023-01-13 02:11 am UTC (link)

It was becoming obvious that he didn't know nearly as much about her as he thought. She was brave, but not outgoing. Guarded but more than willing to open herself given the right atmosphere. This was someone he'd gone to school with, practiced with, and he felt more like a stranger he bumped into outside of a bookstore.

He continued to listen while he parsed out how that made him feel. A stoic, silence washing over his face. Then the food arrived, and though Etta was smiling he couldn't help but wonder if she had many other people to talk to about this. Everyone talks about sports. Not everyone can talk about death as though it was merely someone you passed on the street.

He took a large bite out of the pickle spear that hid underneath his pub chips. "Thank you for sharing that with me." He offered after swallowing. There wasn't anything more he could say on the subject of her job that didn't make him sound like he was trying too hard.

The pickle was gone in another few bites and he turned to his sandwich. He'd leave the chips for now.

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funeral_bell
2023-01-16 11:19 pm UTC (link)

She shrugged lightly. "I rarely mind talking about it," she said. "But I don't usually bring it up myself, for obvious reasons," she said quietly, tilting her head at the departing waitress. "I, er, I live in the flat above the office. It's why I don't usually take people back there at first," she added apologetically.

"You know I also work in the craft shop and make fused glass art. So I have less alarming work stories to talk about too!" she said trying to steer away from the topic for a bit.

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harrisonmc
2023-01-17 02:13 am UTC (link)

"It's understandable." He didn't tell her he'd had a hunch. She already had that look on her face like she'd hidden something more important from his. He had to admit. If she'd walked him up the stairs above a funeral home he might have questioned it. She was right, most people would.

"Creative Collective, right?" He'd been hearing about more and more people taking classes or selling their homemade crafts. Images of mosaic colors catching the light and scattering a rainbow of light came to mind. "That sounds beautiful." He'd never been the creative type. That was more Skye's realm. He followed his brother into the more physical side of the world.

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funeral_bell
2023-01-19 12:17 am UTC (link)

"Collection, but yep that's the one," she said, some of her brightness returning now they had moved away from death as a topic. "I try to make beautiful things, but sometimes the kiln has other ideas! Or I do something when I'm too tired and forget how colours work and end up with sludge," she wrinkled her nose at the last part and shrugged a little. It didn't happen too often, but sometimes last minute inspirations turned more into last minute disasters. At least Caleb had introduced her to someone who would recycle her occasional disasters for their own craft work. She still had fun no matter what.

She took a huge bite of her sandwich and let out a small but happy sigh. Even though it wasn't something she'd grown up with it was a weirdly comforting food, even as a posh version.

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harrisonmc
2023-01-19 07:57 pm UTC (link)

"I'd like to see that sometime. Your work I mean." The words came out before he could really think. Is that something she would be open to? Their conversation so far reminded him that Etta was a private person who let people in on her own terms, not someone else's.

"That is. If that's alright with you?" He backtracked a bit. If it wasn't then he'd drop the subject altogether. He took a bite out of his sandwich.

He cared what she thought and tried to keep her presumed boundaries intact, feeling if she wanted to share something that she would.

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funeral_bell
2023-01-20 11:50 pm UTC (link)

Pleased, and not quite sure if this was edging on flirting Etta smiled. "I have pictures, by, like the bucketload, but if you want to come by the shop when I'm working I'd be happy to give you a personal tour," she said.

"Craft shop, clearly, not funeral shop," she clarified with a slightly panicked look on her face.

She didn't know if she wanted to flirt right now. She'd had plenty of fun with him, but she didn't do a huge amount of repeats, and he probably needed to process the whole funeral thing before she actually made potential moves in that direction again. She wasn't opposed, but she wasn't aiming at it right this minute.

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