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Tweak says, "I welcome our new overlords!"

allegrarosier (allegrarosier) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2014-10-28 12:20:00

Entry tags:

character: allegra rosier, character: percy weasley

Who: Allegra and Percy (NPC Lucy)
What: Another handoff, and an awkward conversation
Where: Finnigan's
When: Sunday morning, 10am sharp.
Rating: Probably SFW.

Allegra paced anxiously, waiting for Percy to arrive. Ordinarily, the parent giving up custody for the week was the one to make the journey, but Allegra had requested, for once, that Percy come to her. There was a conversation they needed to finish.

Lucy, bless her, was singing away in Italian at the top of her lungs. She was completely oblivious to her mother's anxiety. "Is Daddy coming soon?" she cut herself off mid-song to ask.

"Daddy's coming when the big hand gets to the XII, and the little hand gets to the X. Remember we talked about the clock?"

"Oh yes. The big hand is only at the XI so there's one... two... three... four... five! Five more minutes until Daddy gets here, right Mamma?"

Allegra, in spite of her trepidation, had to glow with pride. Five years old and telling time, rather beautifully and accurately too. "That's my smart girl," she said, picking Lucy up and kissing both cheeks. "You listened so well, and I love the way you're showing me that you remember."

As the two beamed at each other, there was a noise in the grate. "He's early!" Lucy squealed, wriggling to get down.

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abidingpercy
2014-10-28 03:01 am UTC (link)

Percy both loved and hated Sundays; he was either greeting his daughter or telling her goodbye, so the day was truly bittersweet. This would be his last full week with Lucy before he started with the Prime-Minister and he wanted to make the most of it.

The moment he stepped through the floo at Finnigan's, he was nearly tackled by an armful of red-haired five-year-old. "Pumpkin," he beamed, picking her up and lifting her onto his hip. She was the brightest ray of sunshine in his life, and it was nearly impossible to be sad when she was at his side. "How was your week?"

"Auntie Gemma brought me a Weird Sisters shirt, and..."

He listened indulgently as she listed off the events of the week and walked her over to where Allegra sat. "Good morning, Allegra. I hope you're well," he offered, as ever trying to be civil with Lucy there to witness.

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allegrarosier
2014-10-28 03:13 am UTC (link)

"I am, thank you Percy," Allegra said. She was usually on her best behavior in front of Lucy anyway, because she didn't ever want her daughter to see her parents fighting.

"I... took her to see my parents," she told him with an expression that bordered on envious. "Apparently, your mother bakes scones with her, and then your father is very naughty, much to Lucy's amusement. I thought perhaps my mother would enjoy baking with her. But I was wrong, of course - my mother's idea of baking is to order the house elves to whip something up, and I can't imagine my father being naughty, even when he was a child."

"I had to show Nonna how to make scones," Lucy said with a wrinkle of her nose. "It's a good thing Grandma showed me, otherwise Grandpa Rosie wouldn't have any scones, Daddy. But do you know what? Grandpa Rosie is a good boy, not like Grandpa Arthur. Grandpa Arthur sneaks the scones when they're still hot and then he does the hot potato dance! Grandpa Rosie said he wouldn't have any until after dinner. Wasn't he a good boy?"

Allegra had a sneaking suspicion that the lumpy, lopsided and ever-so-slightly burned scones had been thrown out as soon as she and Lucy had left that day. She also suspected that bloody Molly and sodding Arthur would have eaten each and every single scone, whether Lucy was there to see them do it or not.

"So I guess your parents are... okay," she said. It was as close as Percy was going to get to hearing her say she was okay with Molly getting Lucy during his working week.

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abidingpercy
2014-10-30 05:05 pm UTC (link)

Percy nodded, not surprised at Mrs. Rosier's lack of prowess in the kitchen. "Grandpa Rose was indeed a good boy," he agreed. Whatever he thought of Allegra's parents, he tried to hide his personal feelings for Lucy's sake, even if he was often afraid of just what sort of values they would pass onto his daughter, consciously or not.

"My parents are fine, thank you for asking. And Grandma Molly is very much looking forward to spending some extra time with her Little Lucy in two weeks' time." He encouraged Lucy off his hip so that he could sit down at the table and indicated that she should sit in one of the free chairs. He then took a small bag out of his pocket, enlarged it with a spell, and took out some parchment and coloured quills to set before his daughter. Her face lit up and she reached out for a purple quill and started drawing on the parchment.

"I trust the two of you had a lovely week together?" he asked even though the question had already been mostly answered. He was nervous about this meeting, particularly after the question he'd been asked to consider this past week, and the longer he could delay a response, the better for him.

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allegrarosier
2014-11-04 09:57 pm UTC (link)

"Mamma mi ha portato allo zoo," Lucy said. Her attention was on the parchment and the colored quills, and not what she was saying. Allegra smiled fondly and translated for her.

"We went to the zoo," she informed Percy. "And Lucy has decided that her new favorite animals are the elephants, because they have a mummy, a daddy, and a baby elephant at the zoo."

Lucy occupied, Allegra stood and gestured toward the bar, where she could keep an eye on Lucy but talk to Percy relatively privately. "So, um. Have you had a chance to think about what... what I asked?"

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abidingpercy
2014-11-05 03:48 am UTC (link)

He smiled affectionately down at his daughter. "They also have long trunks that they can use to carry or handle objects, quite efficient. And they have excellent memories."

Percy rose up and followed Allegra, his jaw tight. "I have," he replied, glancing over at his daughter again. There had been a temptation in her request, the desire to have another child to love and to love him back just like with Lucy, who was such a brilliant child that any parent would want another just like her. The timing, however, could not have been worse.

"Perhaps if you'd asked me a few weeks or months ago, the answer may have been yes. Unfortunately, with my beginning a new position, I just can't see myself fathering another child. I will be missing enough of my time with Lucy that I would only miss more of both of their lives."

He did his best to look conciliatory, not wanting to make a scene, but also wanting to keep his bridges with Allegra unburned. "Perhaps after my time with the Prime-Minister is over, should we both remain unmarried and unattached, then would be a good time to reconsider. I do appreciate the offer."

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allegrarosier
2014-11-06 11:29 pm UTC (link)

Allegra's small smile froze on her face. Although she had realized that this was a huge ask, and that the chances of him agreeing were slim, it was still a blow to hear him say no.

"Yeah well," she said gruffly. "I mean, it wasn't that big of a deal. I'm hot, I could find someone else easy enough."

But finding someone who would be as good a father as Percy would be a more difficult task. "So just... take your kid, yeah? I've got things I need to do today, and the last thing I need is to be hanging about here while you faff around like a prat."

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abidingpercy
2014-11-08 05:58 pm UTC (link)

He could feel his hackles going up at her response - she often had that effect on him - but he tried to remind himself that she was upset and possibly hurting, and that provoking her would only make things difficult for Lucy.

"You are a beautiful woman, Allegra. I wouldn't completely discount the possibility of your finding someone to make you happy and give you another child. Whatever our differences, you deserve someone to love you that isn't your child."

With that, he stepped away and toward the table where Lucy sat drawing. "Are you ready to go, Pumpkin?" She looked up and grinned and immediately put away her parchment and quills, as she had been taught. He shrunk the bag again and placed it in his pocket. "Now why don't you go kiss Mamma goodbye, I think she can use a Lucy kiss right now."

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allegrarosier
2014-11-10 02:12 am UTC (link)

Turning her back on Percy, Allegra gathered Lucy into her arms. She buried her face in her daughter's sweet-smelling hair, closing her eyes and hugging Lucy tightly. Too tightly, evidently, if Lucy's indignant squeak was anything to go by.

"Mamma, you're squeezing me!" she said, voice slightly muffled by Allegra's hug.

Reluctantly, she put Lucy down and watched her scamper off into Percy's arms. "Have a fun week," she said in a somewhat choked voice. "I'll miss you, Luce mia."

Intellectually, she knew that Percy's reasoning was sound. It always was. He never did anything without agonizing over every little detail and potential outcome, and writing endless sodding pro and con lists, and researching things to within an inch of their life. He was a solid, dependable man.

But all the logic in the world couldn't make a dent in the rock sitting in the pit of Allegra's stomach. She swallowed convulsively, feeling the sting in her eyes and the ache in her throat that signalled tears were likely. Not wanting Lucy to see her cry, she smiled brightly - and fakely - and waved goodbye.

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abidingpercy
2014-11-10 02:31 am UTC (link)

"I'll miss you too, Mamma," Lucy replied, waving.

Percy took her hand and walked her out of the pub to where he could Apparate them home. He'd seen the way Allegra had held Lucy and felt sad that it had come to this, but in the end, he had to make the best decision for them all.

"Now, what do you say we have a nice brunch at home, shall we?"

Lucy grinned up at him, remindind him yet again how much she was his world, and Apparated away.

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