InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I believe in peace, bitch."

Marcus Flint (marcedflint) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2015-01-17 22:35:00

Entry tags:

character: bryony capper, character: marcus flint

RP: Dinner with a friend
Who: Bryony and Marcus
What: Reunion dinner
Where: Marcus' flat
When: Saturday, January 17th 2005, evening
Rating: SFW

Even after his extended absence, his flat felt far more like a home than anywhere else Marcus had ever lived. He supposed it had to do with the fact that he controlled the space, had made it his own in such a way that he hadn't been able to do elsewhere. For the first time in months he was actually able to relax, and could feel the tension slowly bleeding out of his muscles the longer he was inside the place he'd claimed for himself.

He'd finished cooking a little earlier than expected, the food waiting in the kitchen with a warming charm for Bryony's arrival, and left Marcus without anything to occupy his mind. It was a conscious effort not to pace, and instead he found himself standing by the window of the den, staring out over the street below, arms crossed over his chest. The view hadn't changed while he'd been gone, though his mind was far from what his eyes were seeing, cycling through all the same things he'd been trying to avoid thinking of but seemed unable to escape. The sooner Bryony arrived, the better, since her mere presence was usually enough to bring him out of these sorts of moods.

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goodlight
2015-01-18 08:38 am UTC (link)

The Christmas period had not been kind to Bryony. She'd been pressured to spend much more of it at Pineview Hall than she'd have chosen to and with it had come near-constant criticism and belittlement. Her mother had even put her on a strictly-controlled diet that had seen her lose a few pounds too quickly to be really healthy. After so many months away from her old home, going back had been a shock to the system for Bryony and she hadn't been entirely able to shake the resulting depression of spirits.

Seeing Marcus would hopefully help with the latter. Though she'd been back at her aunt Hecuba's since the second week in January, she hadn't seen anyone outside of Braith and occasionally Ophelia. Even at the studio her usual enthusiasm had been dimmed and she just knew Braith was reconsidering her apprenticeship.

After spending far too long making her excuses to her aunt, Bryony finally apparated into Marcus' flat. She smiled when she saw his familiar figure standing by the window. "Sorry I'm late..." she apologised as she approached, though they hadn't settled a specific time. "Have you been waiting long?" She paused at his side, part of her wanting to put manners aside and lean against him, just for a moment. Instead, she looked up at him. "How are you?"

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marcedflint
2015-01-18 04:26 pm UTC (link)

At the sound of Bryony's entrance, Marcus glanced over his shoulder, offering her a small smile in return. "You're not late," he reassured her, "and no, not long at all." As she got closer, he could see that there was something off - nothing too obvious, and if he hadn't know her their entire lives, he might not have even picked up on it. As it was, he was a little concerned, though he hoped that if it were anything too serious he would have already been made aware of it.

When she stopped next to him, Marcus didn't hesitate before reaching out to wrap one arm around her shoulders, ignoring the rules of their upbringing in favor of the simple comfort of being close to someone else. "I'm... here," he answered quietly, mumbling the words into Bryony's hair. "Which is better than being there, at the very least."

Pulling back slightly to look at her face, he asked, "How have you been?"

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goodlight
2015-01-19 01:28 pm UTC (link)

"Here's a good place to be," Bryony agreed, feeling her shoulders relax slightly as he reached out to her. She couldn't imagine having her own flat, living completely on her own. The idea was part terrifying - surely she wouldn't be able to cope? - and part wonderful. Still, Marcus was older, and a man, and had a (real) job so she assumed that he could cope just fine. Selfishly, she was glad he was here for her own reasons. She had once been a welcome guest at Flint Manor - but that had been before her father refused to honour their betrothal. She'd meant it when she said she missed him, though she had made use of his flat on a few occasions - and in fact, her broomstick was still in his cupboard, which he'd probably discovered by now. She'd been afraid that if she left it at Hecuba's over Christmas she'd find it and then her secret would be out.

Convinced that Marcus had quite enough to worry about with his mother, she smiled in response to his question. "I've been fine." Even when she was trying to lie to keep him from worrying, she couldn't quite bring herself to go any further than 'fine'. How she really felt was too complicated to go into - both agitated and listless, under- and over-whelmed all at once. "Glad Christmas is over," she admitted, far more candidly than she would have dared to anyone else.

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marcedflint
2015-01-19 05:19 pm UTC (link)

Being able to feel some of the tension bleed out of Bryony's shoulders had the effect of relaxing Marcus as well, relieved at having her nearby once more. There would have been no way for her to have visited when ensconced in his mother's house (his, technically, by the rights passed from his father's death, but that wasn't something he liked to consider), since Phillipa had made it clear Bryony was no longer welcome once the engagement had fallen through. Still, it was nice to know that she'd been around even in his absence - the extra broom in the cupboard was evidence of that, especially seeing as she was the only one the wards would allow in without Marcus himself being present. That thought brought up something he'd considered earlier, and with a small smile he said, "I saw your broom's still here - we'll have to go flying sometime soon."

It took some restraint for Marcus not to roll his eyes at her answer - after a lifetime of friendship, he could tell when Bryony wasn't telling the truth, or parts of it. He didn't press though, because if she had really needed to say something more, he was certain she wouldn't hide it from him. The comment about the holiday cleared up a lot of that non-answer anyway, and he nodded in understanding. Christmas had past without any recognition in Flint Manor, and it had only been once he'd started the paperwork for his mother's admittance that he even realized the new year had begun. "But now everything can get back to normal," he murmured, rather than focusing either of the attention on the negative pasts they'd just gone through.

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goodlight
2015-01-19 07:37 pm UTC (link)

Bryony smiled at that idea. Flying with Marcus had been, since the first time, one of Bryony's favourite things to do. They didn't get the chance much, especially when Bryony had been living in Pineview Hall. "I was going to take it home with me today." She was hoping it would help with the restlessness. She hadn't been out on a broom since weeks before Christmas and she missed it. "But of course I'd like to go flying with you even more."

Though the smell of the food was making Bryony feel hungry, she leaned into Marcus instead of pulling away, wrapping her own arm around his waist as they stood by the window. It was completely 'improper' according to how she'd been raised, but the longer she was here with Marcus the more she remembered that she neither agreed nor really cared how anyone judged their relationship. Frankly, if being 'too close' to Marcus scared off some of the men her mother tried to set her up with, that could only be a good thing. "I hope things go back to how they were before..." she said wistfully. "Is your mother -" She didn't know if he wanted to talk about it, so she let the sentence fade away. She wouldn't push.

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marcedflint
2015-01-19 11:08 pm UTC (link)

Returning her smile with one of his own, Marcus said, "We can go whenever you'd like." Remembering the owl exchange he'd had earlier in the day, he amended, "Except tomorrow morning, because I'm going to be at Appleby practicing with Roger." A part of him wanted to wince just at saying the name, what with how displeased the younger man was with him, but he pushed that aside in favor of paying attention to Bryony. "And you can always leave the broom here if you're ever worried about Hecuba finding it."

With almost anyone else, Marcus might have flinched or tensed at the additional contact, but Bryony was, and always been, the very definition of safe. She wasn't going to hurt him, not would she ever have any desire to do so, and these sorts of casual touches, though rare, were always welcome and had helped him adjust again after his imprisonment. He did draw in a deep breath at the mention of his mother, though he figured it was best to get that all out of the way now. "Phillipa's sick again, obviously. She's been declining rapidly, faster than I've ever seen, and I'm not sure..." Marcus trailed off, because admitting that he didn't think she was going to get better this time seemed too ominous and uncouth. After a moment of silence he added, "She keeps calling me by my father's name, no matter how many times I tell her who I am, and that he's dead."

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goodlight
2015-01-20 03:02 pm UTC (link)

"Next week some time?" Bryony suggested, thinking that she could get some practice in before hand. She wasn't really worried about performing well in front of Marcus - he had, after all, since her first ever time on a broom. On the other hand, it would be nice to at least try to keep up. She was glad Marcus would have a chance to fly tomorrow. He must have missed it even more than she had lately. "I always thought I'd tell her I was sketching it, if she found it," Bryony admitted, blushing slightly as she admitted to the deception. Though it was a necessity, she'd never liked lying. "But that wouldn't have made sense when I was out of the house for the holiday. I knew you wouldn't mind."

She listened quietly as Marcus explained, nodding slightly. She didn't know what to say. Though she knew Marcus better than anyone, she couldn't really imagine how he felt about Phillipa and the possibility that she might not get better. For all she hadn't been a positive influence in his life, she was still his mother... So, Bryony decided to leave that to one side. If he needed anything, whether it was to talk more or just some quiet company, he could ask her. "You're not your father, Marcus," she added, hoping it would help a little to know that someone knew and recognised him - even if it wasn't his mother. "I'm glad you managed to convince her to go to St Mungo's." It wasn't fair for Marcus to have to deal with all of the emotional impact and be responsible for taking care of Phillipa.

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marcedflint
2015-01-20 08:53 pm UTC (link)

Marcus nodded in agreement as he said, "Whenever's best for you." With the Quidditch break, he had a lot more free time than he normally would, which was turning out to be both a blessing and a curse. But if it allowed him some extra days with Bryony, that would hopefully mean he wouldn't get dragged in cyclical thinking about things he couldn't change. He didn't bother holding back a small grin at Bryony's answer, amused as he always was whenever she admitted to those sorts of white lies. "Of course I don't mind," he said reassuringly, because he would - and had - done far worse things to keep her out of trouble with her mother.

Inhaling deeply at her words, Marcus let out the breath in a long, slow sigh, hating to admit that it was nice to hear that reassurance from someone who knew him, and even more so from the person who knew him best. "Thank you," he said quietly, though the words felt inadequate. There were plenty of things that he was, not all of them very good, but he was aware that he was not, at least, a man like his father had been. With a rueful smile he admittedly, "I didn't really give her a choice in the matter, at the end." He considered leaving it at that, but since it was Byrony, he added, "she could only get spells to work about half the time, but I had her admitted when she tried to curse Rakey when she didn't recognize her." Marcus was more than capable of defending himself from anything his mother had thrown at him, but he'd found his limits to the abuse he would stand for with that incident, even if the house-elf wouldn't have actually been harmed.

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goodlight
2015-01-22 02:26 pm UTC (link)

Bryony felt her heart sink a little. Phillipa had been sick for many years to varying degrees, though Bryony only really knew about it second-hand through Marcus. Failing magic, not recognizing her own family and household and a short temper that had nothing to do with her illness seemed a hazardous combination. A little part of Bryony couldn't help thinking it would just be better all round if this were the end of it. Surely Phillipa couldn't be happy as she was? Of course, she didn't say so to Marcus - even if she wondered whether part of him felt the same. "St Mungo's are trained to deal with all this," she said, doing her best to sound confident. She certainly didn't envy the employees having to deal with her, but at least they were being paid and would feel no hesitation in using defensive magic if they needed to.

Continuing to lean against Marcus, she sighed. Both their parents caused them trouble, in their own ways. It seemed they couldn't go a year without some kind of drama - and Bryony had Shauna's wedding coming up later this year to 'look forward' to. She'd be expected to find a date, or else provided with one; expected to fit into whatever dress her family selected; expected to mingle with exactly the kind of people she least liked... And all of it without Marcus at her side. "Do you ever just want to fly away and not come back?" she asked quietly as she glanced out of the window into the sky. She never would, of course, and even if she did (where would she go?) she'd always stay in touch with Marcus.

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marcedflint
2015-01-23 12:55 am UTC (link)

Marcus specifically had avoided thinking about all the possibilities of his mothers illness. It was easier to take things one day at a time, though in all honesty he should probably start preparing himself for the fact that Phillipa might not be around for much longer. But he had no idea how to handle that line of thought - when his father had died, it had been sudden, though not entirely unsurprising. "I know," he said quietly. "There's a part of me that thinks I should have had her moved there a long time ago, but..." But he hadn't. For any number of reasons, though none of them seemed to come to him now that he'd finally gone through with it.

Echoing her sigh with one of his own, Marcus considered his answer. Back during the war, the idea had occurred to him frequently, though he wouldn't have known where to go or what to do with himself, not to mention that he was certain his father would have tracked him down, so nowhere would have been safe. "Not anymore," he told her truthfully, because, "even with all this, things are better than they used to be. And I'm... content, with life as it is now."

Pressing a light kiss to Bryony's curls, Marcus pulled away as he said, "Come on, let me feed you before I feel like a bad host." He smiled after making the comment, a gentle mockery of the rules they'd both been raised on about having guests.

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goodlight
2015-01-27 02:30 pm UTC (link)

Bryony's mouth twisted sadly. She could remember feeling like that, before Christmas. Where had it gone? And how was she going to get it back? At the same time, she wished they could both be more than 'content'. It didn't seem possible now - not with Phillipa ill and Shauna's wedding getting closer - but she hoped one day Marcus would find something that made him happy. As for herself? There was a nagging thought at the back of her mind that she would be happy if only she were thin. Then her family would accept her, then there would be no reason to...

Marcus interrupted that depressing train of thought and she let him, following as he pulled away towards the kitchen. "You could never be a bad host," she told him, smiling slightly. "This is the best place in the world." And, to her, it really was. There was nowhere else in the world she felt more comfortable - whether Marcus were there or not, whether there was food available or otherwise. "You have to let me help next time. I'm getting much better at cooking."

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marcedflint
2015-01-28 12:33 am UTC (link)

Flushing slightly at the compliment, Marcus answered, "I'm glad you think so." Bryony was always welcome, of course, and while his home made him happy, it was strange to think that someone else might feel the same way.

"I have no doubts about your cooking abilities," he told her with a small smile. "And it's just Caesar salad and baked chicken, nothing that required too much effort." Which wasn't to say that he wouldn't have gone to the extra effort if he'd needed to, but he'd wanted to keep things simple, after the chaos and complexities of his family house. "But next time just let me know what you want, and you're more than welcome to help."

Serving up two plates, he sat both at the table as he asked, "How is everything at the studio?" Marcus had always enjoyed Bryony's art - he wouldn't have gotten it permanently inked onto his body otherwise - but he was curious how it was going in a professional sense.

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goodlight
2015-01-28 06:24 pm UTC (link)

Bryony smiled and sat down, letting Marcus do the work of bring plates and filling glasses. If she had a space of her own, she'd have offered to return the favour but without it the best she could do was try to help in his own kitchen when he'd let her. She certainly wasn't going to invite him to dinner at Pineview Hall anytime soon. "It's been quiet since the show," she admitted. "We got the space back to normal but no one's really started filling it yet." Before the show, Bryony had been used to finding Ophelia's kiln full of new jewellery, Cadmus's statues-in-progress littered around both his space and the communal areas. Dean and Braith kept mostly to their rooms, but would ask her to help with potions or cleaning.

"I had time to set up my own canvas." Though she loved paint and colour, most of her work since taking on the apprenticeship had been in sketchbooks, trying to get people right in basic black, grey and white before she complicated them with colour. "It's the standard size but it feels huge. I don't know where to start..." The canvas had, in fact, been sitting empty and untouched in her corner of the studio for days now. When - if - she finished, it would be the biggest piece she'd ever done (not that that was saying much) and she didn't know what she wanted it to be of.

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marcedflint
2015-02-04 10:49 pm UTC (link)

"I'm sorry I missed it," he apologized quietly, even though he thought that Bryony would be rather understanding of his absence. He would have much rather have been there than stuck in the manor with his mother. Nodding his understanding, Marcus commented, "Quiet can be good." Merlin knew he could certainly use some these days, and though he was itching to get back on a broom and a training regimen, it was probably for the best that he didn't have Quidditch to over-complicate things at the moment.

Once everything was served, he sat down across from Bryony, smiling at the mention of mention of her canvas. "I'm sure you'll figure it out," he said reassuringly, because he was at least certain of that. Marcus was ridiculously proud that she'd followed her dreams, at least in regards to her artwork, and while he'd never been anything of supportive, he couldn't find a way to express that, so he just added, "I'll be excited to see it when it's done."

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goodlight
2015-02-06 01:42 pm UTC (link)

"It's alright," Bryony assured him. "It wasn't even my work." She hoped that if she ever did get a chance to show her own work that Marcus could be there - but if life threw up something more urgent she would still understand. "Dean's even on holiday this week," Bryony said. It had seemed strange to her - to take a holiday in January, so close to Christmas, but she supposed it made sense if you worked in a business that needed you to work during the festive season. As far as she understood, that was why Dean was taking time off now - because his friend ran the pub. "Not that he's very loud usually, but it's one less person to talk. And Ophelia's been quiet." Bryony still found Ophelia a little intimidating, and they hadn't spoken much, though she wasn't as bad as Cadmus who Bryony tried to avoid.

She frowned slightly, thinking of her canvas. "I hope so. You know you'll be the first to see it." Assuming, of course, that she actually put something on it at some point. She was getting tired of walking past it and seeing it blank, but she was running short of ideas. Feeling that they'd talked about her quiet enough, she decided to move the conversation on. "When do you start official training again?"

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marcedflint
2015-02-09 04:13 pm UTC (link)

Shrugging his shoulders slightly, Marcus answered, "Still, I wish I could have been there for you." It did make him feel a bit better that he hadn't missed seeing any of Bryony's work, and that she knew he would have been there if he could.

Smiling in contrast to her frown, he told her sincerely, "I'm looking forward to it." After all the support she had given him over the years, he couldn't imagine not being there for her in return.

"Not nearly soon enough," Marcus answered, warily considering flying with Roger in the morning. Aside from the personal considerations of that encounter, he was eager to get back on a broom, if only to have something to focus on to clear his head once more.

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