Carlotta "Magic the Muggles" Pinkstone (nosecrets) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2009-07-06 19:19:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ! [1980-07] july, anastasia mulciber (née aesalon), carlotta pinkstone |
RP Log; Anastasia Mulciber & Carlotta Pinkstone
Who: Anastasia Mulciber & Carlotta Pinkstone
When: 7 July 1980 (?)
Where: Carlotta's sitting room; Moor Gate Manor
What: A ladies tea.
Rating: LOW.
Status: Complete.
Carlotta had instructed the elves to prepare tea for the afternoon and she now sat in her sitting room idly petting her Kneazle Rhiannon. She had opened the drapes as she usually did when she was ready for tea, and the sun came in through the windows reminding her that it was summer. Her friend, Victoria, was keeping to the upper rooms for the afternoon. Although Carlotta did not believe that Anastasia truly intended Carlotta any harm - if they intended her arm it was Mr Mulciber that would have been sent no doubt - she was not going to take any chances with Victoria's life. As a Muggleborn Victoria would not be someone that Anastasia would consider even worthy of being in the house. To be honest Carlotta would prefer that Victoria was mostly forgotten about until she could leave the country properly. Carlotta was somewhat curious as to what the other woman might be interested in talking to her about. After all, the Pinkstone family - despite their wealth - did not touch the Mulciber's in either purity or Gringott's accounts and so such a visit was unusual. Carlotta had lived through the war with Grindelwald, although she had been quite young at that period of Wizarding history and while she herself had never been raised with the strictly purist philosophies that seemed to be so en vogue for the moment she knew them well enough. She had almost married a Nott after all, and although she was never sorry for a moment that she had said no to that potentially loveless life, the reality of it made her realise that as a single fullblood witch with money, she could play society more than she had attempted to in the past. Recently those thoughts had been on her mind, although she was uncertain how much longer that would protect the charities that she had carried on from her parents, or those that she had hoped to protect. It seemed that people kept dying, or disappearing, and keeping one's mouth shut was essential. Luckily, for all that she was quite opinionated, she could also maintain a level of politeness. She heard the door open, and kept her fingers on Rhiannon's fur as she waited for Mrs Mulciber to be shown in. To be completely honest, Anastasia didn't know very much of Carlotta Pinkstone, besides that she was a journalist, that she was fairly influential, and that she liked causes. Well, this was a cause, even if it was one that Anastasia herself wasn't particularly fond of. And if someone who had, in the past, shown more liberal predilections was on their side, so much the better for them. Of course, Carlotta was right to presume that, had she been intended any harm, it would have been Iago that came to meet with her. As Anastasia entered, she was relatively cheerful, he dark hair tied up, a new blue dress on, and her wand tucked away in her handbag. Prim, non-threatening. Anastasia followed the elf into Carlotta's sitting room, comfortable enough in her surroundings. She had been somewhat worried -- Carlotta may have had certain prerequisites that meant her help was desired, but she was a middle-aged woman who was unmarried, and the idea made her uncomfortable. Women, proper women, didn't marry because they were in some way deficient, and she couldn't help but wonder what Carlotta Pinkstone's deficiencies were. Greeting her hostess warmly, she smiled. "Good afternoon, Miss Pinkstone." Lowering herself into a chair, she continued, "It was very kind of you to invite me here. I would have had you to our home, but unfortunately, my husband and I do not have one anymore." Carlotta for her part gave Anastasia a warm smile and welcomed her into the living area, motioning her into a nearby chair. It might not have been the opulence of the Lestrange, but the Pinkstone Manor had been in the home long enough that it was well furnished and quite well decorated without Carlotta being required to put any extra income into the process. Had she been required to it would not have happened, as she preferred putting extra income into her 'projects'. "It is my pleasure, Mrs Mulciber," Carlotta said easily. "I will have the elf bring in tea. I had heard, of course, about the tragedy at your home. It is unfathomable what these people will find acceptable to do. I hope that you and your husband have found a place to live in the meantime?" The concern was genuine. Carlotta was not unaware of what was going on, or what this woman's husband might have been involved with, but she also could not help but feel some compassion for the loss of a family home. She knew what hers meant to her parents, particularly to her mother. Carlotta was correct, of course, that besides the loss of lives, the destruction of homes was one of the few things that the Order and Albion had done to really hurt people like Anastasia. They weren't just buildings. They weren't even just homes. They were history, and in Anastasia's estimation, the one thing that really separated the purebloods from the rabble was their history. Comfortably seated by her hostess, Anastasia felt comfortable enough discussing the matter though, of course, she knew better to touch on why her family had been targeted. "We've found accomodations with Rodolphus Lestrange and his family -- he is a friend of my husband's -- and while his home is very comfortable, it is not, of course, the same as having your own home." Not to mention the embarrassment of having to live off of someone else's charity. But an ancestral home was not something that could simply be replaced, and to live in someplace new was unthinkable. "I only hope that your home doesn't become a target as well," she replied, graciously. "It is very lovely." "Thank you," Carlotta said with a smile. "My parents, well, my grandparents really, left me the home. It has been around for quite a while and I do enjoy living here although I wish sometimes I had more to share it with. Still, one has people over for tea and for dinners, and it is something. Not to mention my foundations keep me busy, so I cannot complain. I hope that you will be able to find someplace for yourself here soon enough. No matter how close family friends are, it is not quite like being in your own home, I am certain." The tea arrived then and Carlotta drew up two cups, one for Anastasia and one for herself. "Sugar or milk?" She asked politely before handing the tea over to her guest. "I suppose one really cannot be guaranteed that one will not become a target these days. It seems impossible that you can lay low at all, nor does it seem that being involved in projects that benefit the entirety of the Wizarding World means anything. If they are willing to attack and destroy the Foundation Centre," Carlotta shook her head. It was quite true that staying with the Lestranges was not the same as being at home. Only having one son, and he who had been out of the house most of the year for the past nine years, Anastasia was used to a large, quiet home, nothing like the fullness of Rodolphus's estate. It wasn't that the home didn't have the capacity for all of his permanent guests, it did. But she found it unusual to encounter others on a regular basis wandering the halls when she usually knew where Iago would be in the Mulciber Manor, and how to find (or avoid) him. It was somewhat uncomfortable, and for once, Anastasia had wished that her own family was in England, so that they could live on their hospitality instead of Rodolphus's. To stay with family, she thought, was more natural. She gladly accepted the tea and added sugar to her cup, quietly thanking Carlotta before sitting back slightly in her chair. It was, she thought, less intimidating, more friendly. "I've heard very much about your charitable work," she added after her thanks. "It's quite commendable. In fact, I must admit, your philanthropy is what has brought me here today." She was trying to appeal to the part of this woman, whom she didn't really know, that obviously cared very much for others. Anastasia found that commendable, and while she certainly was not a manipulative person, she knew how it was necessary to present yourself differently at different times, with different people. Carlotta took a sip of her tea and kept a smile on her face while watching Anastasia. She certainly had her fingers in enough projects and while the idea of breaking the statute of secrecy and work with Squibs were among her preferred philanthropic causes, she did not disapprove of what the Foundation did, if she did occassionally disapprove of how they went about it. The idea that women must be mothers to be worthwhile, for instance, had bothered her incredibly, and of course the handling of the dragonpox vaccines the previous autumn had hardly been subtle, but even with that, the Foundation did do good things and Carlotta would not overlook that, simply because she did not approve of everything that the Foundation did. It was why she had the projects she had. "Indeed?" Carlotta asked Anastasia, taking another sip of the tea. She wondered what on earth Anastasia could be interested in her taking a part in. She had done some work for the Foundation, of course, although not a great deal as she tended to frequently be overlooked in society function and had her own projects at any rate, so she had not spent a great deal of time looking for work in the Foundation. But perhaps it was something else that Anastasia was here to address anyway. "Well, thank you, my mother was quite involved in these projects and it was a natural extension for me to take up those projects as well. Certainly it has been a pleasure." "I regret that my involvement has been sporadic, at times. Particularly when Demetrius -- my son -- was young. I spent more time mothering than doing anything charitable. But in those times I missed it very much." Anastasia, knowing that these sorts of women, the ones who didn't marry and have children, could be sensitive about the idea that they were less worthy because of it. Personally, she couldn't see why any woman wouldn't want to have children and marry. But she was loathe to say so to Carlotta. "One always feels so much better about themselves when one has something to do." A slight pause. "But, an astute woman such as yourself is surely aware that the Ministry has implemented many new policies these past few months," she continued. "And of late, some of us, myself included, have thought it necessary to make sure that all of them are fair and beneficial to the people of Britain. Someone needs to provide oversight, and our new organisation, the Concerned Citizens for the Truth, would like to do that. I wanted to know if you should like to be involved." Carlotta nodded. She was certain when one had a family that one's ability to stay involved in these things in the same way that she had the opportunities to do. But then her charities had been her life, and for the most part she held no regrets about that. "I know that if I'd had a family, I would have left far more up to my boards of directors and so forth," she laughed lightly. "As I did not, I've been able to help a number of others with their families and their lives which has been rewarding in its own way I think, but I certainly agree that one must have something to do. Idleness is the tool of the devil, my mother used to say." The latter question, however, caused Carlotta to pause and take a sip of tea. She had just finished up an article for the Quibbler on the work of this organisation - the Cncerned Citizens for the Truth. She had been the one who had reported on the groups organisation, and she had her own suspicions about the validity of this groups results. It wasn't anything she could have proven, certainly, but rather a sense of intuition that she had that something might not be precisely as it appeared. "I am familiar with the group of course," she said quietly, as much to buy for time as anything else. "What sort of involvement would you be interested in?" "We are still in the process of many investigations," Anastasia responded. There were a great many things that the Concerned Citizens for Truth were uncovering (well, or 'uncovering,' as the case sometimes was), and she wasn't sure of where to begin, or what would appeal most to Carlotta. For her part, she didn't particularly like dishonesty when it came to these things, but it was, unfortunately, sometimes necessary in order to keep up appearances. And for Anastasia, appearances were important. "I'm sure you've heard about the trouble in the Wizengamot?" The whole thing was a public relations nightmare. Surely people had heard that the Muggleborns were only being retried as per Albion's demands. And surely some people would assume that those who hated Mudbloods would want to sway the verdict. But, as she had pointed out in their meetings, Albion had a vested interest in that as well, so she smoothed it over. "Several prominent members have been Imperiused, our group has discovered. And, of course, since you have so many media connections, you may be able to help us let these things be known. People have a right to know what is going on." Carlotta had heard about them, of course. Had in fact, just put the finishing touches on an article that she would be sending into the Quibbler when her meeting with her guest was complete. She'd spoken to the people involved and had reported on the 'conclusions' that they had come to, but in Carlotta's mind, they were conclusions a bit too neat and tidy. Oh, she loved a good conspiracy theory as well as the next person, but the fact that Death Eaters had not been seen attacking the government, but were more likely to be seen now protecting it? No, she thought the conspiracy was more likely to side in favour of the Death Eaters being the government. She nodded though. "Yes, I have heard about that," she said thoughtfully. "In fact have just finished an article speaking with several members of the group. It really is sad the lengths some will go to in order to discredit and disrupt the rebuilding process of our government." She tched softly. But the real question was whether or not this was a group she was interested in being a part of. At best she might be able to actually guide some of the questions the group was addressing, but she suspected that the 'investigations' and the 'results' that were published would be as edited as the Daily Prophet had been. She sat her tea down on the table and shook her head. "It sounds as if it would be a wonderful project, Mrs Mulciber, but I believe I simply do not have time. The fundraisers for several of my foundations will require me to invest a goodly portion of my time in them, and I believe this is the sort of group that if I were to be involved, I would want to be able to put my complete time and energy into the group." Carlotta hoped that the rather sincere flattery would be enough to not get her into trouble in this project. Anastasia hesitated. She could push harder, put up more arguments for Carlotta's involvement. She knew that the woman would be an asset to the organisation, but perhaps she had been the wrong person to come. Perhaps they hadn't uncovered the right project yet to entice her into it. And Anastasia didn't like to be pushy -- at least, not with people who weren't her husband and son. And to people who didn't know enough for their own good (Evangeline Macnair came to mind.) Since Carlotta was none of these things, she didn't want to push, particularly because if she did, she might come off as using intimidation. "Of course," she said slowly. She finished her tea, setting the cup down delicately in its saucer. "I understand, you are a very busy woman." It hurt somewhat to say this, because she felt that, for many, they believed that woman like Anastasia were not busy. "However, if you decide to change your mind -- more of our upcoming investigations may interest you -- the invitation is still open." Carlotta smiled in a friendly way. There was no point in being rude even though she had no interest in being involved in what she suspected might be a bit of a puppet organization at best. She also knew her suspicions of what this woman's family was involved in and had not any particular interest in annoying the wrong person at this point in time. "And I do appreciate the invitation, Mrs Mulciber," she said warmly. "It is a pleasure to be thought of and I do hope that you will not consider this a waste of your time," Carlotta might not think much of women that did little but keep house, but she was educated enough to know that many of the women who had no 'career' persay, gave a great deal of their time to the assistance of others and she was certainly willing to give Anastasia the benefit of the doubt in that regard. "It has been perfectly lovely to have tea with you, and I will certainly contact you should my scheduling change. I am convinced that the group has much to offer our country in these troubled times.." The statement was unusually diplomatic for a Gryffindor, but keeping one's hands in charities and dealing with Boards of Directors had meant that Carlotta had been required to be well versed in political diplomacy within society, and she had found it a skill worth cultivating and keeping within her personal relationships, even when she was extraordinarily controversial in her written work. With a clearing of her throat, Anastasia learned forward to kiss Carlotta on the cheek, a genial gesture that betrayed her continental origins. It was a gesture of good will, to show that she wasn't upset at the refusal. Which, really, she wasn't. She was sure they would figure something else out, involving Carlotta Pinkstone or not, she had no doubts about that. "It was a pleasure meeting with you, Miss Pinkstone. Thank you so much for your hospitality." Thanking your hostess, of course, was only the proper thing to do, even if the tea had been cold and the company terrible (which it had not). "I do wish you the best of luck in all of your projects, Miss Pinkstone," she added, collecting her bag and withdrawing her wand. She waited for a house elf to take her out -- it would be terribly rude just to leave, or to Apparate out of the house. She would have to report back after she left. Carlotta smiled and accepted the gesture, which was quite friendly and indeed it had been a pleasant enough meeting. "And thank you for dropping by, Mrs Mulciber, do have a good evening." She nodded, and her elf appeared to take Mrs Mulciber out, leaving Carlotta to pet her Kneazle and wonder if she should have possibly said yes. |