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Tweak says, "Do I dazzle you?"

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.

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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."

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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.

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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.

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