InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Be irrational, it's more fun!"

Bryony Capper (goodlight) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2015-05-26 13:59:00

Entry tags:

character: bryony capper, character: genie de la lune

Who: Bryony and open
What: Has Bryony been stood up?
Where: Finnigan's
When: Tuesday 26th May, 7.35pm
Rating: Depends who shows up! SFW for now.

Sitting alone at a table by the window, Bryony tilted her glass so that the little remaining pumpkin juice sloshed over the flakes of ice. She'd ordered the drink over half an hour ago, when she'd arrived ten minutes before she was due. The date she was supposed to be waiting for was nearly forty minutes late, which almost certainly meant he wasn't coming. Paralysed by indecision, Bryony just sat there, watching people arrive in pairs and teams for the pub quiz. If she left, and her date showed up after she'd left she knew it would somehow become all her fault. On the other hand, wasn't staying for twenty minutes after they'd supposed to have moved on to dinner elsewhere a bit pathetic? Either way, Bryony would have to report that the date had been a failure - and she'd be hearing about it for weeks.

The pub was getting more and more crowded, people settling into teams, Seamus walking around to hand out sheets of parchment for the answers. Bryony was taking up a table for two to herself, and more than one person standing was looking covetously at the free chair. As she noticed someone approaching, Bryony braced - honestly not sure what she was going to say.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

goodlight
2015-06-05 01:07 pm UTC (link)

Bryony wasn't at all sure what tapping anyone on the cheek would do - perhaps it was some muggle idiom she wasn't familiar with, that really meant something else? Working with Dean, even as indirectly as she did, she'd found expressions like that were quite common. Fortunately, she was able to slip away to the bar so that she didn't feel like she needed to give a response.

Once there, she glanced down the drinks menu and ordered a small glass of wine. It wasn't her favourite thing to drink, by any means, but it was expected of her, at meals and dates and weddings, and so she ought to try harder to get used to it. She returned to the table with the glass in one hand and a large-ish bowl of 'assorted nuts' in the other. "I prefer painting," Bryony admitted, trying to pick up the conversation where it had left off. "But drawing's an important first step, for a lot of things. Portrait work, especially."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wolfinboots
2015-06-11 02:41 am UTC (link)

"Painting is cool. The only thing I can paint is a house," Genie joked, thanking her for the nuts and picking up a couple to munch. "My friend Alex, he sketches some, but he won't hardly ever let any of us see it. I can't even get him to sit for a photo, though, let alone a portrait." She sighed with faux drama, flashing her a smile.

She sniffed the air surreptitiously and smelled the wine. Not her thing, but whatever. She took a long drink of her beer. "So do you do portraits for people?" she asked curiously, heedless that any of her various questions or chatter could be prying.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

goodlight
2015-06-12 12:59 pm UTC (link)

"Oh," Bryony said as she settled back into her chair. "I'm the same, really. I mean, I used to be." As she tried to explain herself, her words came a little too fast, her nerves not entirely settled. "Before I started my apprenticeship I'd only really show my sketches to one or two people. Now I have to try to be less nervous." She knew she needed to learn to take criticism, but it still didn't come naturally to her to invite negative comments on one of the few things she felt some pride in. "I've never been asked to sit for anything, though." She managed to bite the 'obviously' back off the end of that sentence - not wanting to invite questions.

Bryony sipped her wine, wincing involuntarily at the sour taste of it. "Not yet," she said. "That is, I do do portraits, but I don't sell them, they're just for practice. And it's mostly me asking if people mind if I sketch them, rather than people requesting things from me." She had her sketchbook with her, as she always did, but she didn't say so.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wolfinboots
2015-06-15 03:43 am UTC (link)

Genie did wonder what made the other woman so nervous. The scent puzzled her a little, given she wasn't even doing anything she thought would make someone uncomfortable. She mentally shrugged and figured she'd try to help. "It's hard, I'm sure. It's a personal thing, right? That's what Alex always says when I try to steal his sketchpad." Her eyebrows raised a little at the tone and she looked Bryony over, and her eyes weren't disapproving. She might be athletically built herself, in part because of her were metabolism, but she loved most all sorts of looks. "Well, then, people are just stupid," she said in her blunt manner.

She wrinkeld her nose after Bryony winced. "Here, this probably tastes much better than that. Most wine is just, like, vinegar, right?" She offered her nearly full glass of beer. She nodded. "Well, that's really cool. Practice is good in any field. I like to play with potions. Can't tell you how many times I've ruined one before I get something right."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

goodlight
2015-06-16 12:22 pm UTC (link)

Bryony nodded her agreement. "I think that's been the hardest thing," she admitted. "Letting people look at my work as part of my apprenticeship. I know it's helpful to get comments from people who're more practiced and more objective but..." But it still hurt. The first time Braith had criticised one of her sketches, Bryony had spent the evening crying in her room and been unable to look at that particular piece again for weeks. It was a flaw she knew she needed to work on, but she didn't really know how. "It's not really stupid. Braith and Dean don't need to practice anymore, so they mostly do commissions or their own work they're going to sell." She knew that drawing a variety of body types was important, but was quite happy not to be used for that particular reason. "I don't know any other apprentices, and only a couple of people who just sketch for fun."

Bryony looked dubiously at Genie's beer as she pushed it across the table, but it would be rude to refuse. "People keep saying it's an acquired taste," she said, almost apologetically. She didn't mention that she sometimes wondered why she should want to spend time acquiring a taste for something she didn't naturally like. As far as society was concerned, that was exactly what she should do. Her expression brightened when Genie mentioned potions. "I like potions," she said. "I spend a lot of my time right now practicing with the different potions Braith uses. The recipes aren't as set as they were in school, and because people paint differently they need potions to act in different ways. I have a lot of notes." She kept careful records for Dean, Braith and herself so she could always (try) to whip up a potion that behaved accordingly. "For example, when I paint I use a lot of watercolours, so I have to use less water in my potions or they'll get diluted and the canvas will get saturated."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wolfinboots
2015-06-18 12:14 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah. Criticism of the things we love..." She shrugged. "I admit, I've been reluctant to pursue more formal post-school education because I don't want to be criticzed, in part." Though it was far far far from the only reason. Not to mention she'd never finished school properly in the first place. "I'll have to convince Alex to meet you. I don't think he's ever met anyone in the wizarding world who does art, just some artsy sorts here and there in the Muggle world." Like all her pack, they were generally pretty removed from the centers of things, especially Alex, with all his scars.

"It's one I've never acquired. Though a nice, sweet, sparkling wine, usually a cheaper sort, is good on occasion," she mused. "But mostly I prefer a good beer or ale or cider."

"Ohhhh, there's potions used?" Genie's attention, already on Bryony, sharpened further, almost like ears pricking in interest. "That's so neat. I've never read anything on those," she said. "That makes so much sense, though."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

goodlight
2015-06-19 11:45 am UTC (link)

"It took me a long time to put a portfolio together," Bryony admitted. "And when I did and I showed it around a few artists..." She paused, then forced herself to continue. "I found a lot of people who weren't interested in teaching me before I met Braith. My portrait work isn't really very good, and it's not what I'm most interested in, so..." Bryony was eternally grateful that Braith had seen something in her landscapes that made it worthwhile teaching her. She smiled. "I'd like to meet him, though. I can show him round the studio, if he's interested."

Bryony didn't honestly like wine or beer much, though she'd never tried cider. They all tasted the same to her - like alcohol, and nothing else got through. "I won a cocktail-making evening once," she remembered. "I liked those. They just tasted fruity and sweet." Her sweet tooth was alarming, and she knew she should be training herself out of it... but how could she help liking what she liked? "I know they sell some here," she gestured to the bar. "But I don't know what half the ingredients are, and I don't want to buy something and not like it." Not that money was an issue for her, really.

Noticing Genie's enthusiasm, Bryony gave a brighter smile - one earned by genuine pleasure and not just politeness. "Oh, yes. You can use potions to imbue crayons and pencils with special properties - I haven't really learned that yet." It was one of the things Bryony was most looking forward to because she hoped it would work well with her landscapes. "And then any painting that involves movement has to be soaked in potion first." Bryony knew the details of the method were secret - but surely just mentioning that potions were used was allowed? "You won't find the recipes in books, though. You have to learn as an apprentice from an established artist."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wolfinboots
2015-06-23 02:23 am UTC (link)

"Well, it would make sense to me that not everyone does the same sort of thing. Some people like doing people, some like doing geometric shapes, et cetera," she said, waving a hand through the air. "He might be. I'll ask him. We've been out of touch so long that we don't know what all is out there like that." She shrugged slightly. She paused for a moment and then spoke, not quite hesitant. "He's got scars. From the war." She gestured toward her face. "It'd be a kindness to me if no one makes him uncomfortable?" It was the main reason Alex stayed away from the wizarding world so much, but if no one would ask too many questions, they might not realize what the scars came from.

"Ooooh, cocktails are nommy," she said with a nod. "Fruity ones especially. Mmm. You should definitely get a cocktail if that's your thing. Daiquiris are grand."

"Oh that's so cool," Genie said. "I hadn't realized." She tilted her head and listened. "Ah damn. I have no art skill so I suppose I'll not learn that. Potions are just so... so..." she waved her hands and grinned, showing her inability to find a word to describe it.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

goodlight
2015-06-23 10:32 am UTC (link)

Bryony nodded. It was something she tried to remember, that she didn't need to be brilliant at everything. "I think it's harder to become known if you don't do portraits," she said by way of explanation. "People don't really commission landscapes. It's more that they see something and like it so they buy it. But work by an unknown artist isn't going to be seen anywhere, and if it is it's going to be less valuable. I'm not really at that stage yet, but one day I hope to be." She was aware she was talking a lot, but she felt as if Genie might actually be interested - and there seemed to be some holdup with the quiz in any case. Her expression turned more serious as Genie explained. "Oh, of course not," she said. "Some of Dean's work relates to the war, but he doesn't really talk about it unless someone asks." Which, of course, Bryony had never done.

"I should finish this first," Bryony said, gesturing to the small glass of wine. "I really have to get used to it. My sister's getting married soon." And there would be champagne for the toasts, and champagne was even worse than wine, as far as Bryony was concerned.

Bryony gave a resigned sort of smile. "It's that way with a lot of people. Dean and Braith are both great artists, but neither of them like potions much." It was why Bryony often made up their potions herself. "I'm not fantastic at potions, but I was good enough. Especially -" She paused, pursed her lips. "Especially when I wasn't working with Professor Snape."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wolfinboots
2015-06-30 07:44 pm UTC (link)

Genie listened and nodded. "I can see that, I guess, since people tend to commission the portraits," she agreed. She smiled. "I figured. I'm just very protective of him. He's had some bad experiences."

Genie wrinkled her nose. "Congrats to your sister though expecting you to drink stuff you don't like is sort of mean," she said. "No offense," she added belatedly, realizing her mouth probably would get her into trouble.

She grinned. "Yeah, old Snapey was very off putting. I'm largely self taught. I have a nice set up in my kitchen though. My mates and I, we have two places side to side, and we cook in the one, and I brew in the other."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

goodlight
2015-07-02 03:06 pm UTC (link)

Bryony nodded. Though the idea of her being 'protective' of Marcus was obviously ridiculous - he was bigger, stronger, older and more than capable of looking after himself - she still understood the impulse. "Everyone did," she said, sadly. "I'll do my best to make sure no one says anything."

If they'd been talking about anyone else, Bryony might have agreed but she just couldn't see this as not being her fault. "It's inconvenient," she said, "not liking wine. I should learn to like it." She was parroting what her mother had said - that everyone liked wine, that it was an acquired taste and that not developing it made her seem unsophisticated and childish.

"I had a tutor," Bryony admitted. "My parents didn't want us at Hogwarts after Cedric Diggory's death." Bryony was grateful for that. It had given her a safe space in which to learn the basics of her chosen subjects, at least until she returned to Hogwarts under the Carrows. "I only brew in the studio at the moment, and the space isn't great. I'm living with my aunt and she doesn't have space for brewing at home."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wolfinboots
2015-07-04 03:22 am UTC (link)

"Inconvenient or not, you can't change your tastes." Genie shrugged. "At least, not without something big happening, at least most times." Like a werewolf bite, or a trauma, or something along those lines. "In the grand scheme of things, wine isn't a big deal. Now if you were into drugs or something, that'd be different altogether." Genie grinned at her. "Then I might have to harass you into doing something about it."

"You're lucky. I ended up not getting to finish school, for the war, but I don't think I've failed on the self teaching bit." Not when she could make a working Wolfsbane, which not every potions brewer could do. "But if you need space, well, I know I'm a virtual stranger but my mates wouldn't mind if I had someone else in the kitchen sometimes. I know all about not having space."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

goodlight
2015-07-07 11:33 am UTC (link)

Bryony pursed her lips slightly. In her heart, she wanted to believe that what Genie said was true. She'd certainly never had any success with her ongoing campaign to learn to like wine, but she put that down to the same lack of willpower that meant she couldn't curb her habit of snacking. "People say it's an acquired taste," she pointed out. "Not just my mother. I know other people who used to dislike it and now they enjoy wine. I just need to be persistent." She shook her head, blushed, but still managed to smile back at Genie's teasing. She didn't want to mention her actual failing - preferred not to bring it up when possible.

"Yes," she said, growing more serious. "I was very lucky. A lot of people looked after me." Granted, the one year she had been at Hogwarts had been awful, and Marcus being imprisoned after the war hadn't made her life any easier. Still, she was grateful for all that Marcus had done for her, and what her parents had tried to do. "I taught myself drawing after I did go back to school," she said. "I'm sure you've done well." She smiled at the offer. "Thank you, that's very kind. I don't really need to brew anything complicated just yet... but when I get to that stage of my apprenticeship, maybe I will."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wolfinboots
2015-07-11 05:00 am UTC (link)

Genie shrugged. "More power to ya, girl," she said genuinely. "I'd rather take the easy way out and slurp on the yummy frozen drinks. Best of luck to ya, though." She meant it. She didn't understand it, and even thought it a bit silly, but to each their own, honestly.

"Self taught is sometimes the way to go. I mean eventually I might pursue something more formal, but I have a lot to sort out before that happens." From her werewolf status to the fact she had no NEWTs or anything to show for any of her education. Most people wouldn't want to sponsor a werewolf in anything. And that reminded her she really had to stop procrastinating over contacting people about Owen. Soon, she promised herself. "Just let me know. Or Alex, if you've met him by then. It's all good."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Complete?

goodlight
2015-07-13 02:03 pm UTC (link)

Bryony wasn't used to discussions ending in her favour - but it was nice that Genie seemed happy to let Bryony make her own decision, even if it was a different one than she would have made. Bryony didn't feel like she was being judged or disregarded and it was a good feeling. "Maybe I'll have a cocktail next," she suggested, smiling shyly. "I don't need to drink wine exclusively to try to get used to it."

"Thank you," she added, genuine feeling colouring the word. She would have said more, but an Irish-accented voice announced an end to the delay and started asking the first question. Bryony shifted her chair to be nearer Genie's so they could share the same piece of paper as she wrote down what she thought was the correct answer.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -