nora is a harpie not a harpy. (notaharpy) wrote in find_horcruxes, @ 2010-03-11 21:27:00 |
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Entry tags: | gawain robards, nora alderton |
RP Log: Gawain Robards, Nora Alderton
Who: Gawain Robards, Nora Alderton
When: BACKDATED to Saturday, 7th March
Where: Nora's flat
What: Gawain and Nora spend Saturday night in bed. Get your mind out of the gutter. There's all kinds of talk in this, including Emmeline's wedding, Watkins' as an escort, and engagements.
Rating: PG
Somewhere out there, Rufus was proposing to Joanna Podmore. Which, Gawain had to be honest, was a chilling thought. If Rufus was married, that meant that the only company he was keeping in the Auror's long-time bachelor club was Moody, which, given that it was Moody, was hardly a comforting notion. Less comforting still, this might full well open Joanna up to even more danger than she had been experiencing as merely Sturgis Podmore's sister. She was going to be an Auror's wife -- an Auror's pregnant wife -- and the Death Eaters hadn't shown any restraint when it came to attacking those closest and most dear to his colleagues. And, as proven all to recently, to himself. He knew that the people telling him that he was blaming himself too much for the attack on the Quidditch matches were, in essence, just being helpful, but all the same he couldn't shake the guilt. Even if he dissected the attack logically (or rather, as logically as he could when so much of it was still tangled up in his emotions) so much of the impetus for it led back to him. Fact was, whether he had been innocent of the violence himself or not, his being him was the reason Nora had been hurt, and he'd have to live with that. "Hope you don't mind, I've already claimed the mug with the... ah, yes. The mug with the monkey on it." Words spoken as Gawain brought two cups of tea into Nora's bedroom, and offered the one in his left hand to the girl on the bed. He might not be able to make up for not being at the pitch that night, but he was at least with her now. "Did you bring me the elephant mug, though?" Nora disliked the whole idea of not being able to get up when she wished. She did everything in a hurry, and the leg injury slowed everything down considerably. Getting dressed meant that she'd have to finagle that one pant leg over her leg. Since coming home from the hospital, she'd been spending it mostly in skirts for that reason. Then there was the problem on not being able to get up flights of stairs. Apparating to the terrace might be all right, but there was no way she could really use the telescope she had up there. Even if she could, she wouldn't go out there anyway. Technically, it wasn't inside the house, and Nora didn't want to be anywhere that wasn't a living person's house after nightfall. She drug the pin-straight leg as she pulled herself into a position more ready to handle a mug of hot tea. "Wait. How did you claim it?" "I've spit in it," he replied without missing a beat, only to meet Nora's eyes an instant later with an arched eyebrow. "I took a sip from it, darling, don't look so alarmed. I always treat tea with the utmost respect." As evidenced, in this case, by the careful way he passed the second cup off to her -- though really, that may have been a little more for Nora's sake than the beverage's. Gawain, mindful of his own cup, gradually eased himself into a spot alongside her on the bed before, after a moment's thought, setting his mug aside on the bed stand. "I forgot biscuits, did you say you wanted any?" "No! No thanks. All this sitting around and eating's going to make me fat, and then I'll never get back into shape." It was already going to be trying. The moment she finished with her therapy, it was back to the gym and jogging and working out. It was killing her that she hadn't been able to go out for a fly, even, for two weeks now. Nora set her own cup down on the opposite nightstand. Tilting her head toward one shoulder, she glanced back at Gawain. "I like it when you call me darling. Actually, I just like hearing you talk." "You told me -- that's why I said it." Gawain, in turn, had leaned back against one of the pillows propped against the headboard, and turned to tilt his own head likewise at Nora. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't -- still -- difficult to see her, but it was overwhelming by a wealth of gratitude. At least he still could see her. At least she was still here. He perked his eyebrows. "I could read to you, if you'd like." "Did I?" With a slightly thoughtful expression, Nora narrowed her eyes as she tried to remember when. The days sort of blended together after a while, and really, was he complaining that she complimented him? Pssh. "Oh well. You'll just have to deal with it, because you'll probably hear it a lot." On the subject of reading, though, Nora shook her head. "Not yet. I want you..." Glancing upwards, she pressed her lips together, then clacked her tongue. "...to tell me about your week at work. What's the gossip going on? Not to business side of things - I mean people being, you know, people." That struck Gawain as a curious request -- as evidenced by the brief, mildly amused, furrowing of his brow as he, thoughtfully glancing away, attempted to recall any gossip suitable for present company. He stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing his ankles neatly as he became comfortable alongside her on the bed. "Well... do you recall Rufus from my dinner?" Gawain cast a look in Nora's direction as he crooked one arm behind his head. "He's proposing to his girlfriend tonight. Joanna. Possibly as I say this." "Didn't she - isn't she the pregnant one?" Pregnant! Having been attacked for being an Auror's girlfriend, Nora couldn't think of anything more awful at the current moment. It was bad enough fearing for her parents, for Mina, for Jeffrey, for Gawain, but supporting another human being who couldn't even run when she couldn't? Utterly terrifying a prospect. (And that didn't even encompass Nora's uncertainty over ever wanting to have children to begin with.) Shifting herself closer to him proved less than attractive as she had to tug her bogus leg nearer before she could move any closer. Her rigid knee and ankle made everything impossible, really. Sitting. Standing. Walking. Even taking a bath became a major ordeal, and left her with shaky confidence. "Well, I suppose it's good that he's proposing, considering...?" "I suppose, certainly." Though Gawain was hardly in agreement in this matter, as some old fashioned part of him reckoned you should wait to announce the illegitimate pregnancy until after the wedding was over and done with -- but who was he to pass judgment on his friends? He'd no idea what course of action he himself would take given the circumstances. Instead of dwelling on that thought now though, he reached for his tea and rested it, gingerly, against his chest. There was also the fact that, given that he'd been involved with Joanna himself (sometime long-esque ago, really), it was suddenly a little strange to be discussing the subject matter with Nora. Really, he thought, one was never supposed to discuss marriage at all with one's girlfriend. Still, he gave a crooked grin and glance sidelong at her. "Said he was cooking her a meal, actually, planned to do it right after. A bit difficult to imagine from this end, really." "You mean he's not doing anything fancy for it?" Nora looked surprised, blinking. There were a few things that bugged her about the scenario: namely that they'd done everything backwards. From what she'd heard, they hadn't even been dating when Joanna had gotten pregnant, and now, Rufus was proposing. If anything like it happened to her, she'd rather not get married. What if her partner was only proposing because he thought it was the Right Thing to do? Wouldn't that feel a little bit like entrapment, even if it was genuine? Nora knew her confidence wasn't quite so bold. "Unless... he's not the cooking type, and that's the surprise." "Does he seem the cooking type?" Gawain countered, apparently amused by her very asking. As if permitting her the time to dwell on this (large rhetorical) question, he helped himself to a sip of tea before relaxing again. It was difficult not to notice how difficult it was for her to move, and so he closed the gap between them himself as he leaned back again, and even attempted to slip an arm around her shoulders. Once there, he gave the top of her head a brief kiss. "I'm sure he'll get down on one knee. He's a good man, Rufus, and I'm not sure fancy suits either of their tastes particularly well." He paused. "Your friend's wedding, will you still be attending?" "Blimey... That's next week." As much as she wanted to go, Nora had no idea how able she would be tomorrow, let alone next week. Limping in that form-fitting dress was not appealing in the least, never mind the heels. Maybe there was some sort of potion she could ask Miriam about for a temporary reprieve from the pain of hobbling. The pain potion she'd taken before Gawain's return to her bedroom was beginning to kick in, and she knew that soon enough she'd be babbling idiotic things. If nothing else, it might get a laugh. "Are you going to be my walker if I do?" While uncertain as to quite what that entailed, Gawain decided it would be prudent not to inquire. It would only lead to him becoming distracted, and while she was apparently growing increasingly loopy, time was of the essence. "I'm not sure my attendance would be wise," he confided, diplomatically, and tilted his head enough so that she might be able to look up at him (and witness just how apologetic his features were). Really he didn't think her attendance would be wise either, but there was so little happiness going about these days, it was difficult to deny her a glimpse of it. "I was thinking of asking Watkins -- Edward -- to escort you, if you so choose." "But..." Edward being there wasn't exactly wise either, was it? No offence to her friend, but if there was going to be trouble, wouldn't a more senior Auror be able to assist more effectively? Not to mention, she just wanted her boyfriend there as her date and... Well, Nora wasn't sure how great Edward attending with her would be. Miriam and all. Nora pushed her lips to the corner of her mouth. It did no good trying to fight a pout in her current state. She didn't even have the presence of mind to think of it until after her lower lip jutted out. "Can't I just go with Miriam?" Watching her face fall wouldn't really make this any easier, but still Gawain felt the need to look down at her, catch her eye, before he continued. The hand of the arm that was wrapped around her rubbed her shoulder gently. "Of course, yes, but... well, it would ease my mind if I knew you were there with someone could keep an eye out for you." His eyebrow arched as a thought occurred, "...unless he's already attending with Miriam?" In retrospect, Nora felt she should have foreseen this. Her first thought had been, would they really do anything at a social function? But that answer was, quite clearly, yes if the Quidditch match attacks was anything to go by. Yes, it was possible. Somehow, she didn't see a mass of Death Eaters marching into the middle of a society wedding, but what did she know? In Quidditch, there were strategies for playing certain teams. The Pride of Portree had more fantastic Beaters than their Chasers; the Harpies Beaters were primed for the spotlight on those occasions. The Harpies Chasers were also required to take a hit to keep the Pride from knocking the Seeker off her broom. ...was she a permanent target now? Did she need to have protection any time she set foot out of her house? Probably. Most likely. Almost definitely. The answers came swiftly one after another. "He and Miriam aren't seeing each other anymore. It's really awkward." She fiddled with a loose string in her blanket. Turning to look up at him, she rested the back of her head against the crook of his elbow. "But if you think I need the protection, then... what else is there to do? Do you really think they'll attack a wedding?" "No, no," he assured with a shake of his head. It was a lie of course -- these people weren't above anything, that much was apparent -- but what use was there in scaring her even further? He paused to take another sip of his tea. "But with my not going, I'd feel much more comfortable if you had someone I trusted there in my stead." Ideally of course she'd change her mind and not go full stop, but at least Watkins knew what he was doing, and he wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. And while he hated to paint society with a broad brush, facts were that Gawain himself had been involved in the untimely death of the groom's uncle, and -- besides just being dangerous -- it would be rude in the extreme to make an appearance. "And he can chat up one of the bridesmaids. Think of Watkins' social life, Nora." "The bridesmaids are society girls," Nora returned, completely boneless against his arm. The pain potions had fully kicked in. Thinking had gone right out the window, and now all she could think about was exactly what Gawain had just told her: to think about Edward's social life. Last time she tried that, Miriam stepped all over him in her haste to let that cheating bastard back into her life. At least, that's what it looked like from Nora's perspective. She closed her eyes briefly before realising that she should probably speak up - for whatever reason now. "I think they're all engaged or married or bitches." "Or a mingling of two of the above -- it's certainly possible, yes, however it's equally possible that Edward is just the sort to bring out the best in them." Which is when Gawain realised that he was speaking far too much about that particular squad member, and, with a perk of his eyebrows, shook his head and reached out to set his tea down without disturbing Nora too much. "Regardless," he began once he'd settled back again. "Are you certain this is something you want to go to? In general. Do you think you'll have a good time?" "It's Emmeline's wedding. It's not like she's going to get married ever again. Once in a lifetime thing." Nora frowned, though. No, she didn't expect to have a good time, really. She expected to whisper to Miriam about the hats and how much the food and place-settings cost. She didn't expect that dancing would be very fun, what with its formality and social standards. ...maybe Gawain was right, though. Maybe it was too worrisome to go to. He was, in that moment, impressed with himself for curbing his tongue and not making any sort of remark about the once in a lifetime comment -- somehow, he doubted that would go over particularly well -- and mostly because it was clear that Nora placed a great deal of importance on her friend's big day. Gawain, for his part, was simply grateful to have an excuse not to attend another wedding personally, but even he could appreciate that not everyone was so against the events as he was. Some people (and bless their hearts) actually enjoyed attending. So he summoned up a reassuring smile and pulled her in to deliver another kiss to her temple. "Then you should go," he lied, for the sake of perhaps cheering her up one iota. "It will do her good to see you there, she obviously cares about your friendship very much. And you'll have fun -- just try not to snore too loudly during the ceremony proper." |