Chloris "not really a traitor" Burke (exquisitebeauty) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2009-03-13 18:04:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! [1980-03] march, chloris burke (née lestrange), demetrius mulciber |
RP Log: Chloris Burke & Demetrius Mulciber
Who: Demetrius Mulciber and Chloris Burke
When: Friday, March 13th, 5 PM
Where: Burke Manor
What: Tea time. Chloris meets Demetrius and...hilarity sort of ensues. Chloris' evil is epic.
Rating: PG
Status: Complete
Demetrius left the Ministry promptly at five, Apparating to Burke Manor and striding up to the doors with a very false confidence. Truthfully he was rather nervous to meet Chloris. While he may have befriended and otherwise charmed Rabastan and Marius to an admirable degree, he wasn't sure he would work as well with the elder sister. The aloof confidence and ability to down stiff liquor could only really get one so far. But hesitation wasn't really the way to take care of these types of things. So he raised a hand and knocked. The door was opened promptly by a human servant; if there were any elves in Burke Manor, one would be hard pressed to find them. The man took Demetrius' coat and told him to wait while he announced Demetrius to the lady of the house. It was probably around 5 minutes later that a female servant appeared in the door, though she looked a bit skeptically at Demetrius. As Chloris' lady's maid and Burke Manor housekeeper, Chloris had told Felicity enough so that the woman didn't quite trust this man. "Mister Mulciber, if you'll please follow me. Mistress Burke will meet you in the parlour." The woman led him through the grand hallway to the elegant parlour, and gestured for him to enter, "Take a seat, and she will be with you shortly." The woman shut the door behind him with a soft click, and the sounds of her footsteps echoing on the floor dwindled away to nothing as she went on with her day. It wasn't long before Chloris entered the parlour through a different door, a quite understated entrance for the tall woman. She eyed the man for a moment, her lips slightly pursed as she took in this suitor to Corbina. Demetrius stayed silent and perfectly patient throughout this, sitting down in the parlour and trying to appear as relaxed and impassive as possible. Burke Manor was rather splendid looking, truthfully, and he took a moment to just appreciate the look of the parlour. Though he was rather hoping this wouldn't take up too much of his evening, he had prior engagements that needed to be honoured... He stood as Chloris entered, looking at her carefully. She was rather pretty, and rather more intimidating looking than Corbina. He didn't speak as she entered, keeping quiet and avoiding the risk of sounding stupid. She could speak first or they could do this meeting in entire silence, yes? It didn't seem terribly unreasonable. So straightening his back and smiling slightly, he waited. After being in meetings all day, Chloris had changed for her meeting with Demetrius, donning her new red business dress she had yet to wear socially. She was still upset with her sister and her family in general, but that was not the purpose of this meeting. The purpose of this meeting was to get to know, at least a little bit, the man who wished to become part of the Lestrange clan. "A pleasure, Mr. Mulciber," she approached him and extended her hand to him, "Please forgive the abruptness of my correspondence, I have grown quite used to business correspondence which lacks the usual panache of societal niceties." She looked the young man over, and other than his height, was not quite won over. His hair needed a cut desperately, and he looked far too casual for her tastes, especially when meeting a potential future sister-in-law. He should have more taste. "Please, take a seat," she gestured for him to take a seat on the couch while she herself sat delicately in an armchair. Her features were obviously of the same familial pool as Corbina's, but there was an elegance that Chloris had long tried to instill in her sister that was lacking in the younger Lestrange daughter. At least, it was lacking in Chloris' eyes. Chloris rang a small bell, and a maid entered immediately, as though she had been waiting outside the door. "You can serve what we discussed earlier, Amanda. The tea and such," the woman nodded and bowed lightly to Chloris and disappeared behind the grand doors. The Burkes lived like royalty, but because of the way they treated their servants - with the highest regard - there was an unheard of loyalty from their staff. "My husband believes he recalls that you work, or worked, with Caracturus?" She wanted to get the most unpleasant of subjects out of the way. She needed to know his regard for the man she loathed for his treatment of his son, and their family in general. "And a pleasure to meet you as well," Demetrius said as he took a seat, pushing his hair out of his eyes slightly as he did so. "It was no trouble, the past few weeks have been rather overwhelming, planning things too terribly in advance has been difficult." He paused, keeping his face perfectly aloof, but worrying. The way she had looked him over gave him cause to worry, at least. He wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion (he didn't expect he'd have time to go home and shower and change before he had to leave for Dartmoor, and didn't want to ruin his nicer clothes), for one. This probably wasn't going to be easy, but he had anticipated that. "Forgive my attire, I came straight from work to here as to not be late," he added. "But...yes, I worked for Caracturus for a little under a year," he continued, finally getting to her question. He wasn't sure how she felt about the elder Mr. Burke, so he refrained from commenting until he saw her reaction. "Though now I work as an Undersecretary in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." She nodded in acceptance of his clothing, though she didn't exactly appreciate that this was what he wore to work at the Ministry. They had taken over. Shouldn't some level of decorum return to the ruling government? Obviously not, if that was what an Undersecretary wore to work, "I certainly could have accepted a much later time, if you had wished not to rush here. Though I do appreciate your accommodating my schedule." Not that she had given him much of a choice. "Only under a year? That seems like a rather short period of time for one to hold employment," Amanda entered with a tray and set it on a side table. She began setting things on the small table between Demetrius and Chloris, a silent observer to the tension filled meeting, "was it simply that your ambition drew you elsewhere?" Or did you find something disagreeable with Mr. Burke? She wasn't about to openly speak ill of her father-in-law, estranged as he might be, to a man she did not know. "I suppose I could have, but I-" am running off to duel my mortal enemy in less than two hours didn't quite fit. "Didn't want to keep you too late, and I have a bit of paperwork I need to fill out as soon as possible, so I wanted to get more pressing matters done as early as I could manage. Demetrius clasped his hands together, considering his words very, very carefully. "It was not exactly a prestigious job," he said slowly. "I was injured in the fight for the Ministry and release of the prisoners at Azkaban, and shortly after that I left Borgin and Burkes. Shortly after that, I was given the chance to work at the new Ministry. So I suppose one could call it ambitions, it certainly wasn't a job I intended to keep for a long period of time, at any rate." She picked up her tea as soon as the maid finished preparing it. It was late for tea, but she was in no mood for aperitifs. She weighted his words in her mind, and could not decide if she should be offended because he deemed her a 'more pressing matter' or if she was flattered because he found her more important than his paperwork. Given that he fancied Corbina and wished to court her, she couldn't help but leaning toward the former rather than the latter... but now was not the time to debate that, "I do appreciate your meeting me even moreso, Mr. Mulciber." Chloris sipped her tea delicately, once again mulling over his words. At least he had not wanted to stay a shopkeep for a long time. But was it really necessary for him to work at all? Corbina deserved a gentleman of wealth and prestige. She was quite certain this young man did not have much of either. "I am sorry to here you were injured, but at least it was for a noble cause, I suppose." She set her tea on the table, "You must be in the Dark Lord's favor to be given such a grand position after being a shopboy." It was a bit of a backhanded compliment, but she didn't quite care if he noticed or not. "I healed well, at least," he said casually, taking his own tea after a pause. He wasn't really in the mood for any sort of eating or drinking, frankly his stomach had tied itself into knots when he realised he would have to meet Mrs. Burke and take care of Macdonald all in the same night. Demetrius had to restrain himself from twitching a little at being called a shopboy. "I like to think my previous job had no bearing on the position I was given, whether positive or negative. I had intended to leave the shop whether or not I was given a position in the Ministry. It wasn't exactly a job of necessity," he explained, raising his eyebrow ever-so-slightly. Did she sincerely believe he had been a shopboy for any reason other than his own benefit? He almost wasn't sure he wanted to impress her at this point, but he had to keep up appearences. She nodded, "I cannot say that I am not relieved. I would hardly think that anyone in my family would approve of a courtship below Corbina's class and social standing." Chloris wasn't about to skirt around the issue at hand. Normally she placed societal niceties on everything and played the game as well, if not better, than most of the others in society. However, the slight she had suffered at the hand of her family still stung, and she felt no need to be exactly gracious with this stranger who now held a hold over her sister. "Do you enjoy your work at the Ministry?" She looked down at her perfectly manicured nails for a moment before her green eyes settled on him once more with a penetrating look. While she did not have the brawn of her brothers or the intelligence of her sister, Chloris had learned the art of intimidation from their father, and it was perhaps her greatest skill. Other than being a mother, of course. "I wouldn't even had considered asking if I thought I was lacking the appropriate standing," he replied calmly. Looking at her calmly, not letting anything other than a sort of bored interest show on his face, he didn't shrink from her stare. This was nearly as troublesome as his initial talk with Mr. Lestrange, but he had gotten through that, he could survive this. "It is fulfilling," Demetrius said, considering his wording carefully. "More fulfilling than working in a shop, though a bit busier too." His qualms with his Department Head aside, and the fact that he sometimes did miss working in Borgin and Burkes, he did like his job and couldn't let anyone think otherwise. "There are many young men who would do such a thing. I had not been formally introduced to you, so I was unaware of your character. I am a bit overprotective of my sister, especially after her stay in the North Sea. Surely you must understand that," Chloris looked him over, unimpressed with his body language that seemed to imply that he was bored or perhaps even disinterested. It didn't bode well for him. "I am glad to hear it. A man must have an occupation that stimulates his intellect. I certainly hope the Ministry is providing that for you," she stood and rounded her chair, though she never took her eyes off him. Her fingers trailed the mahogany trim on the chair and she finally looked away from him, her mind collecting her thoughts before she spoke next. "As you are indeed courting my sister, I am certain you are fully aware that she and I are not as close as other siblings. It is something that has plagued my mind and heart for sometime, and so I will make a confession to you, though I barely know you," she turned her eyes on him once more, intense and nearly fierce, "I have hopes that when my sister finally settles down, she and I might be able to finally see eye to eye. I am not blind to the fact that I will most likely need her husband to help me facilitate this transition." She began to take a turn about the room, her hands folded delicately and held against her waist, "You are courting her, and already I have been denied that information until told by our mother rather than from Corbina's own lips. Or your own." She pursed her lips and looked at him with more than a touch of scrutiny, "Do you imagine this trend continuing as your courting progresses?" "It is entirely understandable that you would be protective," he said agreeably, shifting ever-so-slightly. He smiled briefly, before his face became impassive again. "It is certainly stimulating enough," he said. Demetrius was entirely taken aback by her statement, of course he knew that she and Corbina weren't exactly the closest of friends. But the directness startled him, and for the first time his face betrayed a bit of emotion, he raised his eyebrows as he listened and, despite his best efforts, looked a bit shocked. Looking up at the woman before him, he swallowed (with a little difficulty) and carefully, very very carefully, thought of something to say. He couldn't really tell her the truth, could he? Her failing relationship with her sister was nothing he wanted to involve himself in, not even a bit. If she wanted to mend she and Corbina's relationship, she could do it with Corbina and not involve him at all. But of course, he couldn't say that. "The circumstances directly following the beginning of our courtship were extraordinary at best," he said in a careful tone. "With the library being destroyed and Mr. Lestrange being injured. I was extremely busy for a few days after that at works, as well, and I'd assume Corbina was naturally too busy worrying about her brother to think about things that are, in comparison, very trivial." He paused for a moment, his blue eyes staring a hole into her. "You are not my relative, Mrs. Burke, so I hadn't given much thought to whether or not you knew. I suppose I assumed Corbina would notify you in due time, but apparently I was mistaken." Another pause, the tiniest of smirks, and he continued. "But unless after every significant step in this courtship something is blown up or someone is seriously injured, I don't believe you will remain so uninformed." His posture relaxed slightly. "It is natural to want to mend your relationship with your sister, and if you think I could be helpful to that in any way, I will make the attempt." This was, of course, somewhat of a lie. He didn't care to help, he didn't even think he could help. But if it was any sort of comfort to her, then he could lie a little. Chloris stopped walking and watched him as he shifted and looked shocked. She knew her directness would be disconcerting, and she would use it to her full advantage. Corbina was never going to allow Chloris to become a part of her life without some prodding. She was still uncertain about this gentleman, if you could even call him that when he wore such livery, but if she could instill in him some of the severity of the situation... The corner of her lips curled into a half amused smirk to match his own, "I daresay that if every step of your courtship is marked as such, perhaps you had both look elsewhere for your respective spouses." She rounded back again, and though she did not sit, she stood to the left of her chair, her hand gently resting on the arch of its back, "I do not want you to interfere in the dealings of women, Mr. Mulciber. I hardly believe you have any desire to do that. Merely support my cause. Family should be top priority, don't you agree?" She rounded her chair and finally sat again, and leaned forward to pick up her teacup before she spoke again, "It is not only important to me that Corbina and my relationship is mended, but important to our mother. She has been quite put out that her daughters have not been very close. And you must understand if something is important to both my mother and me, it can impact any decisions my mother may make, or what she may encourage her sons to make." It was a veiled threat. Mess with Chloris Burke, then you messed with Thubana Lestrange, who in turn, would mess up your life completely. "I do, of course, wish to have you and Corbina join Hephaestus and I for dinner. Perhaps in the next few weeks?" Demetrius raised an eyebrow. "I daresay you'd be correct, bad luck is one thing but being constantly trailed by disaster would just be a bad omen." Considering her words once more, but knowing he was not going to impress or otherwise win Mrs. Burke over, he thought of the best thing to say even if it was a hopeless case. "Family is always the most important thing," he agreed. He didn't really miss the threat in her words, though the severity of it was naturally lost on him. Nothing terribly bad could happen to him just because Corbina and her sister didn't get on, really. "Of course. And while I don't intend to interfere in the affairs of women, I can support your point of view and completely understand it. Any mother would be put out that her children do not see eye-to-eye. That's natural. I will keep it in mind." Another short pause as he considered her offer. Even if tonight went badly, a few weeks from now he would likely have recovered, in the off chance he even got hurt. "I'll have to look at my schedule, and discuss it with Corbina, but I think it would be a pleasure to dine with you and Mister Burke," he said in a careful voice, controlling his flattery and sounding as pleasant as possible. She lowered her chin and listened to his responses, satisfied if just for this moment. Of course, she wasn't even speaking to Corbina at the moment, so he needn't worry just yet, but she was going to make use of his promises. And if he did not cooperate with her? Well then Chloris Lestrange Burke would make his life a living hell. She had the power to do it. There was a lot she could do, whether he realised it or not. "Certainly. I did not intend for you to give me a specific date right now. I also need to consult my schedule. With the groundbreaking of the museum coming soon, I have been incredibly busy." She rang the little bell, and Amanda reappeared to clear the tea away, "I do wish we could have met longer, but I am afraid the architects are coming in to show me their final drafts of the building." She stood and extended her hand to him, "It was a pleasure, Mr. Mulciber. And I do hope to see you soon." "Of course." He stood, looking at his watch as he did so. Grasping her hand very briefly, he gave her the slightest of bows before turning to leave. "It was a pleasure to meet you finally Mrs. Burke, I expect we'll be seeing each other again soon," Demetrius said over his shoulder before leaving the room. Stopping only to get his coat, he Apparated away as soon as he possibly could. He wondered briefly if he should tell Corbina how it went before he left for Dartmoor. |