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Tweak says, "I Found Love Up on the Rooftop"

Alicia Spinnet-Pucey (_alicia_) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2014-08-18 16:20:00

Entry tags:

character: adrian pucey, character: alicia spinnet, status: complete

RP: Taking the Grouch out for Lunch
Who: Alicia and Adrian
What: Lunch, probably
Where: Starting out at Adrian’s place
When: August 18, 2004
Rating: SFW

Alicia looked around her office. She had just gotten there and already she was ready to leave. From the looks of it, nothing new had come in, so while she technically could sit down and take a closer look at her initial assessment of the players before the season began again, she would much rather go tend to a much more pressing matter: lunch. Again, technically she could sit down with whatever she found in the cooler while she went through receipts from the weekend’s shopping trip with the students, but…

Her eyes drifted upwards toward the ceiling and the flat above the next-door shop. With a smirk she picked up her purse and left the office, intent on pestering one of her favourite grumps into taking a break.

Knocking on his door, she started rummaging through her purse while she waited for him to answer the door. It was amazing the things you could keep and forget you had in a purse that had been Charmed to hold more than its own size. After all, it had been at least three years since the twins had used pacifiers…

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_alicia_
2014-08-18 09:34 pm UTC (link)

Without thinking, Alicia’s nose wrinkled slightly at the mention of mushrooms. She really didn’t like them, but kept that to herself. “Yeah, I have, ooh! They’ve artichoke hearts,” she smiled and looked up at him, fully aware that she needed to stay relaxed and simply forget all talk of girlfriends, both fake and real.

“One time only, though,” she continued. “Spent two weeks of training camp with Pride just outside Napoli three or four years ago. It’s really beautiful there.” With her mind made up about lunch, she closed the menu and set it aside. It had been a while since first her friends, then her family and most recently – about six months ago – that Daniel’s family, too, had started talking about it being time for her to move on, to get back out there and start dating again. And Alicia had tried, she really had, even making it to a couple of second dates, but it just hadn’t felt right. A lot of people, she knew, assumed that what she and Daniel had been superficial and spur of the moment. Granted, things had been fast, if you didn’t take into account the months they had spent being friends because it was inappropriate for her to date the son of her employers. But then the war had started and it had put everything into perspective and just as they had gotten started it had ended, but Alicia had never doubted that it was real for either of them

Then Adrian had become part of her life, become one of her best friend and so completely different from the friends who had known her most of her life. The fact that he hadn’t known her before had turned out to be much more of an advantage than she had expected. He only knew her as she was now and didn’t have any expectations of her to be the same as she had been before, before the twins, before the war, before Daniel, and she wasn’t about to throw that away. After all, how often did you meet someone who was as grouchy and grumpy as Adrian who could still make you smile?

“You?”

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adipucey
2014-08-19 02:04 pm UTC (link)

Adrian smiled when she found something she'd like - he worried his suggestion of mushrooms had put her off the place. Nodding at her question he said simply, "Yes, after 7th year," meaning during the war, but he didn't elaborate. Adrian's family may be well-adjusted now, but there were times in the past when they - especially his father - were a very sore subject.

Brushing off the memories he said, "You're right, it's quite beautiful, though I'm afraid I didn't get all the way south to Naples - we visited the Amalfi Coast of course but skipped the southern cities. We stayed in Rome, and did a couple of holidays up to Florence, but my mother preferred the cooler weather up the coast." He smiled his I'm talking about my family and an uncomfortable time false smile and was relieved when the waiter came to take their order.

"So have you tried out the journals yet? Finnigan is having a promotion tonight, a free drink to anyone who brings theirs in." He moved on to an easier topic for himself and hoped she didn't notice, and if she did, that she didn't mind.

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_alicia_
2014-08-19 02:57 pm UTC (link)

It would take a lot more than the option of mushrooms on a pizza to turn Alicia off a place. She just didn’t like them and though she could not fathom that anyone in their right mind would voluntarily eat them, she wasn’t going to deny them that pleasure. After all, she didn’t go around demanding that people couldn’t eat strawberries either. She was about to ask more about how his family had come to spend the amount of time in Italy that they apparently had, when the math caught up with her. It wasn’t anything they had spoken of, really, but she was never certain how people who had left the country felt about it. She had stayed, she had fought, and she could fully understand and appreciate them leaving to feel safe and really only got offended by it when people bragged about it or hinted that her staying behind was ‘typically Gryffindor’. Adrian hadn’t brought it up before, not in details, and she wasn’t going to push for more details. Still, his description had her smiling, though there was something about his smile that made her glad she hadn’t asked.

Once they had placed their orders she was about to ask about the northern part of Italy, but Adrian beat her to it. “No, no I haven’t,” she chuckled. “I picked one up just before I went to the office, but instead of testing it I decided to go harass you instead. Mum and dad are taking the kids out to visit my Nanna tomorrow, so I’ll be bringing them over once I’m done at the office. Drinks tonight sounds good. So, uhm…” Leaning forward she rested here elbows on the table. “How well do you know the northern part of Italy? I’ve heard there are some great places for skiing, but we’ve always ended up somewhere else. Maybe it could be worth trying out sometime?”

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adipucey
2014-08-19 03:19 pm UTC (link)

Adrian shook his head, of course she came to harass him instead. It just made sense to him - what else would one do on a Monday?

He swallowed when she asked about Italy again, though and his hands automatically fidgeted with his napkin without his notice. "Um, pretty well. Rome's not really northern, but it's easy to get up north from there. Florence isn't far, great for a weekend, and skiing is just a few hours drive. Sera loved it up there even more than Mother did, something about being cut off from the world in the mountains." Finally looking back up at her, his gaze having been on the table while he spoke, he said "We stayed something like seven or eight months, before heading to St. Thomas, where they all live now. Father..." He wasn't sure how to put it. Had to leave? Wanted to leave? Had to hide? "Father didn't want us in Europe."

Adrian had never spoken of his family's time in the war - his father's work, under threat, and it was never spoken of in the family, not since he'd finished his NEWTs and the family had explained their plan to leave. Just because Ryan Pucey had made potions in exchange for his family's safety doesn't mean he wouldn't be arrested like any other wizard who had anything to do with the Dark Lord. Adrian respected and feared his father for that reason (among others) and would probably take the family history to the grave if he had any say in the matter. They had fled, and disappeared, even from the Dark Lord, though Adrian had no idea how his parents had pulled that off... They got out, and to this day that was all Adrian considered important about it all.

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_alicia_
2014-08-19 04:09 pm UTC (link)

Alicia’s eyes were drawn to Adrian’s hands. She had asked because the geography of Italy seemed a safe topic, and she had in no way thought that it would lead to Adrian being this uncomfortable. She tilted her head slightly when he looked back up at her and was about to apologise when he continued.

For a moment, all she could do was look at him, the sincerity in his blue eyes really driving home the point. The Puceys were Pureblood, though from what she had heard of Sera and her husband they were hardly blood purists. So for them to have wanted to get away from Europe meant that there would have been a danger in them staying. At least that was the only way she could see it. Gently she put her hand on his, hoping to calm the nervous fidgeting. “We did everything we could to keep our family safe, too,” she told him softly, hoping that he would see that she didn’t see anything wrong with them having left for the other side of the ocean.

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adipucey
2014-08-19 04:27 pm UTC (link)

When she took his hand, he watched their hands together on the table for a moment before looking back at her. It seemed like she understood, but of course she didn't know the whole story. He had to leave it here, though. He had to let her think that was all there was to it.

Giving her a small smile, he said, "Thank you," simply and then moved his hand out from under hers to take a sip of water. "You realize that awful lunch conversation is what you get with your taste in lunch dates, right?" He asked, his eyes and his posture relaxing a little bit. Suddenly he leaned forward in his seat and tucked a stray piece of blond hair behind her ear and gave her a real smile. "Thank you, really," he said far more sincerely while sitting back in his chair, feeling self-conscious for the sudden display.

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_alicia_
2014-08-19 07:03 pm UTC (link)

Withdrawing her hand, Alicia brushed her fingers over her palm, almost as if feeling for herself that it was all in her head that she could still feel Adrian’s warm hand under hers. She smiled at his joke, chuckling softly, though mostly at the sight of him relaxing again. And then, just like that, he was right there, his fingers barely brushing the skin of her ear and yet it had her turn her head the slightest bit, chasing the gentle touch that she really shouldn’t have noticed. She heard his words, his gratitude, but what affected her the most was his smile. A smile that reached his eyes for once, and she got one of those rare glimpses of how handsome he really was. It made her smile, warmly, and then he sat back, and she felt… lighter.

“I believe awful lunch conversation were your words,” she smiled brightly and took a sip of her own water. “Besides, my taste in lunch dates are exquisite, I’ll have you know.”

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adipucey
2014-08-19 07:19 pm UTC (link)

With an honestly self-deprecating snort he replied, "You'll give me an ego one of these days, won't you?"

Just then their pizzas were brought out and Adrian was grateful - with their food, he felt less vulnerable than he had even a moment ago. He knew that being close with Alicia was something new for him, but sometimes he still wondered if it was a good idea to have someone so woven into his life - he wasn't the most social or trusting being, and sometimes their friendship threw that into sharp contrast for him.

"Um, anyway, northern Italy - I bet the kids would love the skiing there, and in Trieste there's Duino Castle, one of the most beautiful places in the world. If you go, let me know, I'll have to pop over and give you a tour of the grounds, it's all 14th Century, very northern Renaissance." Adrian's mother had made him learn a lot about Italian history while they lived there, kept his nose in books all the time, and she loved wandering the Castle grounds whenever she could. He wouldn't be surprised if he still knew the area by heart.

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_alicia_
2014-08-19 09:15 pm UTC (link)

“Probably,” Alicia smirked with a small wink at him, and looked away, grateful for the opportunity when she felt the heat in her cheeks.

Cutting off a bite of her pizza, she chewed slowly, savouring the taste – it really was delicious – as she listened to Adrian. It was oddly fascinating hearing him talk about a place in the way he did. “I uhm, I don’t know anything about architecture, so I have no idea what 14th Century and northern Renaissance means,” she admitted with a slightly embarrassed smile. “But I do appreciate beautiful places and I’m good at picking places with the right kind of snow. And the kids will love it, as long as there snow and hot chocolate.” The thought of Adrian ‘popping over’ for a tour, should she ever go to Italy seemed so… natural, so comfortable that she didn’t even think twice about it. “You like that area, don’t you?”

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adipucey
2014-08-20 05:21 pm UTC (link)

Adrian's smile was shy. "Sorry, Mother & Father were big on history education growing up - even muggle art, muggle music..." He shook his head and then seemed to gather his thoughts, "The Renaissance in the north looked a bit different than it did in Rome and in the south - the Medicis ruled Florence in the 1300's, they're influence didn't his Rome until a bit later, so the art, the architecture, it's got a more... Romantic style, to it, I guess, instead of the Church's more austere style back then. Not to say that Florence is romantic... I mean, it is a bit. And so is Duino. But," He shook his head, a funny grin on his face, "Anyway, it's beautiful. And yes, I love it up there, but I did appreciate the beaches in the south a bit more than the family. None of them like a good suntan despite where they ended up. I think they're cornered the market on sunblocking charms, but they like the island atmosphere they say." He laughed.

"Where else have you traveled?" They'd never really had this discussion... Adrian tended to shy away from travel talk, unless it was just St. Thomas.

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_alicia_
2014-08-20 06:07 pm UTC (link)

Alicia listened as Adrian spoke, she really did, but though she somewhat got an idea of what he was trying to explain, she couldn’t quite imagine it and was beginning to think that now she really wanted to go, so he could show her. Of course, the way Adrian seemed to stumble over the word ‘romantic’ had her attempt to cover up her smirk by eating of her pizza. “Sounds like amazing places,” she chuckled, Adrian’s laugh making her relax and push away the awkwardness that had been just moments before. He seemed so relaxed now, well, mostly, and hearing him speak of his family like this was nice. “Both places, I mean. Italy and St. Thomas. I think I’d be on the beach constantly if I lived there.”

Taking a sip of water, she swallowed a bite of pizza as she considered where to start. “I’ve travelled, but not so much travelling as going to one place for whatever reason. But I’ve been going skiing with my family every year since, gods, since I was three or four, I think, and there’s only three years we haven’t gone. So we’ve done all the big places for that; France, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, even Spain, and when I’ve travelled in the summer, it’s been for the beach… Greece, Tunesia, The Canary Islands… there’s this tiny island, Fuerteventura, that’s just goats and windmills and miles and miles of pure, white sand and azure water and the best seafood you’ll ever have anywhere. It’s amazing.” Her voice trailed off as her thoughts drifted to the warm lazy days she had spent there while the kids had been testing ice cream in the nearby village. Shaking her head she returned to the here and now. “And then I’ve been at training camps with Pride in Italy,” she made a small gesture as if to say ‘as you know’, “France, Romania and Bulgaria, so I’ve never really been outside Europe. Well, northern Africa, but that hardly counts.”

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adipucey
2014-08-21 04:25 pm UTC (link)

"I think you've got me beat," He smiled at her having listened to her list. It sounded like a lot of fun, and he imagined traveling with Alicia and the twins would be goofy and tiring and wonderful.

"Never really out of Europe though?" He shook his head, "The best beaches are in the Caribbean," he said with a wise nod of his head. Realizing the time though, he sighed, "I should probably head back to the lab soon, I've got to finish those roots today so they can set and I absolutely plan on making Seamus give me a free drink tonight." He waved for the waiter and asked to have their things wrapped for take away and asked for the bill.

"I know you said your treat, but let me," He gave her a smile that was hard to resist.

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_alicia_
2014-08-21 09:58 pm UTC (link)

Slowly, with a pensive smile, Alicia shook her head. “Not really,” she said softly, looking up to meet Adrian’s eyes. “I may have visited a lot of places, but I haven’t explored them, not like you have.” Which was alright, really. She had travelled pretty much her entire life, in the winter time to indulge in a hobby that wasn’t as readily available in Britain as it was in other places in Europe, and in the summer time to spend time with her family and relax away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. She had never been in any of those place for any significant amount of time, not like Adrian had, and she hoped that maybe one day she could try that too.

“The Caribbean, really?” Alicia smirked and shook her head. “I’ll believe that when I see it, but only if it really is better than Fuerteventura.” The moment Adrian sighed, she knew. She knew that sigh and she knew that their time was up, for now at least. “Yeah,” she agreed, though she sent him a small smirk. “Not really sorry I pulled you away from that, though.”

She had just pulled out her purse and was about to find the money when Adrian stopped her. For a moment, all she could do was look at him, a soft smile on her lips as she took in the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and the way his smile lit up his face. “All right,” she finally said and put her purse away again. “But then the first paying round is on me tonight.”

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	adipucey 2014-08-23 12:11 am UTC (link)
	"Fine then," he conceded. "Can I walk you back to your office or are you out for the day?" After paying, he stood and made way for Alicia, following her out to the street. It was a nice day for August - not too hot - and he enjoyed the walk back, partly dreading getting stuck back in the lab, but also excited for the next steps in his work. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

_alicia_
2014-08-23 04:07 pm UTC (link)

“Contrary to your apparent conviction, I do work during the day, too,” Alicia grinned before she nodded. “I’m not quite done at the office, so it’d be nice to walk back with you.”

Falling into step with Adrian, Alicia tilted her face up, and enjoyed the sun as they walked. This… this was the kind of lunch break she preferred, even if she did love both her jobs. She wouldn’t have objected to it lasting a bit longer, to having spent a bit more time with Adrian, but they were on for drinks tonight, and he did have a day job, and one that required a certain amount of punctuality at that, but this had been good. Today had been good.

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