InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "MOAR"

Cho Quigley (charmingcho) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2015-06-21 13:12:00

Entry tags:

character: cho chang, character: tristan travers

RP: Meeting up
Who: Cho & Tristan
What: Checking in
Where: The Leaky Cauldron
When: Sunday June 21st, 2005
Rating: (Most likely) SFW

Cho dressed casually and waited at the magical entrance to the Leaky Cauldron with a little bit of a nervous flutter in her stomach. She and Tristan had been close in school - not as close as she was with Mel and Mari, of course, but there was so such thing as that. When he'd been arrested, she'd been devastated. Sure, they were just kids, but had he known about You-Know-Who returning? Had he known Cedric was in danger? She was heartbroken all over again, in a series of years that just never seemed to give her a chance to fully heal.

But he'd seemed to be trying since he'd been released, and lately he really seemed to just be... Down. She couldn't put her finger on it, exactly, but as someone who'd spent years being "fine" and in reality was horribly depressed, she had a feeling something was wrong. So she'd reached out, despite her own anxiety and feeling like maybe she was stepping over some weird boundary she'd put up since running into him months ago. She'd reached out on St. Patrick's Day and then gotten scared again and pulled back. But this time she was reaching out not only as an old friend, but as someone who'd been there.

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alliterative
2015-06-21 10:40 pm UTC (link)

To say Tristan was wary was an understatement. He wasn't sure what to make of people acknowledging his existence outside of things like handing over and picking up cloaks, telling him where to plant what, scheduled appointments with his therapist and probation worker, and his immediate family (which included Titus and Fluffy). For the most part, he'd begun to think he was a ghost, and he'd come to terms with that. He was a ghost trapped in a shell, and he was alright with that. He was a ghost in a shell, and he found he could live with that. He didn't have to do a lot of thinking as a ghost in a shell, and he certainly didn't have to do a lot of interacting.

And then people responded to him.

And if he were honest, he didn't know what to do.

He knew even less of what to do when Cho invited him for tea. But he'd accepted her offer, warily, because, ultimately, whatever instincts about polite society had been drilled into him as a child had known what to do.

Tristan put on simple black robes, thinking this wasn't a fancy occasion, and he wanted to be comfortable. People also didn't seem to pay much attention to background colours and neutrals like greys and blacks and browns. He didn't fuss with his hair much, save for brushing it, tucking his behind his ears a bit to keep it out of his face. And his face... Well, he definitely used a few well placed charms to conceal any dark circles or thinning of his person to prevent any strange looks or concerned questions. He didn't know that Cho would comment on his looks at all (not even his hair, which had been growing out for years and was still growing out. Maybe he'd cut it one day), but he didn't want to take that risk and be stuck swatting at awkward questions and potential sidelong looks. He was fine enough, healthy enough, thank you, and that's how he looked. And any tiredness was to be expected from working nights, after all

He used the Floot Network to arrive at the Leaky Cauldron, not wanting to bother with Apparating. (Although he had his licence, it wasn't always the most pleasant experience, and he thought this day had the potential for all sorts of unpleasant experiences. He didn't need to add one more. Not that Cho herself was unpleasant; just everything in general could add up to be that way.) He stepped out of the fireplace, brushed himself off, and looked around, not sure from where she might be headed.

It didn't take long to find her, and he approached, stopping a proper, polite, safe distance from her. "Hello," he said, with a light voice and smile.

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charmingcho
2015-06-21 11:59 pm UTC (link)

When Tristan gave her a smile with his hello, she nearly sighed in relief, but proper manners had taught her otherwise. She nodded and said, "Hello, Tristan, how are you? You look well," and indicated a small table. The Leaky Cauldron wasn't the most usual of tea spots, but she figured it was better than Sweet Nothings (where the staff tended to watch her just because she knew them all so well) and she wasn't sure what other spots would be open on a Sunday and Father's Day at that.

It wasn't long before a server came over to greet them Cho ordered a jasmine tea with lemon. Once they were alone again, Cho figured this was her invitation so she should probably start some sort of conversation. "So how are things going?" She was never sure where to begin with him.

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alliterative
2015-06-22 01:40 am UTC (link)

"I'm alright, thanks. You look well, too," he said, with a nod at the table. He didn't have time to ask her how she was in return before sitting down and ordering tea. He decided on a simple honey and lemon tea, and, as the server left, he wondered if it would be rude to order something to eat as well. Then again, if he did, it may unintentionally force them to sit longer together than either may end up wanting to. He didn't assume either of them would want to leave immediately, but he also liked having the option available.

At her question, Tristan shrugged. "They are, I guess. Just are." What else was he supposed to say? He idly traced the wood grain of the table with his index finger. "Wingbeat seems to be doing well, so hopefully that means I'll have a job for as long as it's around," he said with a smile. He didn't want to mention that part of him was actually worried he might be fired. He did his job well, but he'd thought he'd done well at the bar, too.

"How are things with you," he asked before he could let himself dwell too much. "And you're business, too," he added, remembering she had some kind of event planning business.

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charmingcho
2015-06-22 01:49 am UTC (link)

Cho nodded in understanding - it seemed like years of her life had passed in a 'they just are' state. "They're lucky to have you, it seemed like Charlie was shopping around for quite a bit for new hires." She meant it - she wasn't sure about the business of the bar, of course, but Tristan had always been very smart and well-regarded in school. Well, until... Everything.

"The club is really popular, I'm sure it's not going anywhere." Their tea was brought over then and she thanked the server before taking a tentative sip of the too-hot drink. Setting the cup back down she'd been grateful for the moment to think. "Things are... Confusing, most of the time. Except for work, at least. Wedding season is... auto-pilot, a lot of the time, there's little time off, less time to breath properly." She smiled. "Otherwise, well, it's not well-known but I've been seeing someone. It's unusual territory for me," she admitted. He'd known how head-over-heels for Cedric she was, or she assumed he did, it wasn't as if anyone in Ravenclaw - especially their year - could have missed it. It was still strange to her to be so happy with Finbar, despite it having been nearly a decade since Cedric's death. She swallowed, that was painful to think about even in the best of situations, though, let alone sitting across from Tristan.

Changing the subject she asked "Are you learning much about bartending at the club? I've always thought that would be fun to learn."

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alliterative
2015-06-23 02:51 am UTC (link)

Tristan wasn't as sure that Charlie, or anyone, was lucky to have him. It wasn't like his job was too hard. He was pretty sure a recent graduate from Hogwarts could do it. However, he didn't say that. Instead he nodded, listening as Cho spoke, glad that she kept talking before their tea showed up. Then he was glad the tea showed up, allowing him to fuss with it a little bit, testing the temperature and adding a few cubes of sugar.

Stirring the sugar, Tristan continued to listen to Cho as she spoke. He didn't know much about event and party planning, though he could imagine it was not a stress-free occupation. From what he learned at Wingbeat, some people could be needlessly demanding and picky. He assumed it was something that was magnified when those sorts of people were planning events and outsourcing some of the process to a company with the purpose of putting events together. He wondered if it were better for everyone if they did that, or if people would be better off not having to be hired by such personalities.

"Oh?" he said, eyebrows raised at the mention of her seeing someone. What was good, right? He thought it was. If she were mentioning it, it had to be. Or maybe she was just being polite... "I hope it's going well," he said sincerely, giving her a small, kind smile. "Even if it's unusual territory, I do hope it's all going well."

He didn't blame her for the subject change, though, secretly, he wished she'd changed it to anything else. He took another cautious sip of his tea before shrugging and saying, "I did, yeah. More than I'd known prior. Now I'm learning about the cloakroom and checking cloaks." He kept his voice light and expression open, friendly. "From what I can tell, this face," he waved his hand up to indicate his face, "is better at convincing people to check their cloaks they might have otherwise kept at home than selling them cocktails they're already going to buy."

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