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Tweak says, "I'm your bestest only friend."

Astoria Greengrass (sew_perfect) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2014-08-21 19:49:00

Entry tags:

character: astoria greengrass, character: cho chang

Who: Astoria Greengrass & Cho Chang
What: A trying day means a need to relax (and maybe make friends?)
Where: Finnigan's, The Corner
When: Thursday evening
Rating: SFW

Astoria wasn't really one to drink on any random Thursday evening, least of all in a public place, but she'd had such a long day that the thought was too tempting. The day had started out bad enough, with her having woken to nausea and having thrown her guts up, and then since it was inventory she had to go in despite her illness. Thankfully she felt better by mid morning, but she couldn't choke down breakfast, and even lunch didn't appeal much to her.

The inventory would have been fine, except somehow a boggart had gotten into a corner of the back stock and had run havoc all over the shop. It took hours to find it, figure out for sure it was a boggart, cast Ridikulous and get it away, and then of course they had lost count of black traditional robes and had to start all over. Add to that the fact that Hogwarts was starting soon and there was a steady stream of customers coming in wanting her famous 'cute-charmed' school robes for girls and it was enough to drive any witch to drink. But Astoria's stomach, weary from it's morning workout, was not interested in alcohol, and so instead she thought being in a space with some relaxing music and maybe the chance to meet someone to vent to brought her to Finnigans. It was strange-the space reminded her somehow of the Slytherin Common Room, where the low music was often accompanied by the squid lazily swimming by, and she always felt comforted being in that space. She might not have been the most social of people, but there was something about being around other people reading and relaxing that got her out of her own headspace and let her relax. Besides, it was Thursday...tomorrow she'd be expected at the manor and then it would be non-stop wedding planning all weekend. It was lovely to be around people who didn't care about color swatches or favors.

Astoria went right for the bar when she arrived, but she ordered a butter beer, just something sweet and warm to ease her stomach, and then made her way to her favorite space-The Corner. She wandered over to the take and leave shelf, picking up a book whose title appealed to her. "Sense and Sensibility. I could use a bit of that," she said, to no one in particular.

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sew_perfect
2014-08-23 02:04 am UTC (link)

At the sound of a familiar voice, Astoria turned and smiled at the familiar face of her wedding planner. Even if she specifically came here to get away from the stress of planning a wedding, she did enjoy Cho's company and her support in all her decisions, and she was sure she could have a conversation with the other witch without it devolving too much into shop talk.

"Is it? I haven't read as much muggle fiction as I'd like. I read a book that someone left here, Anne of Green Gables, and I liked it quite a lot. Perhaps because muggle life during that time wasn't TOO far off from magic life, except for the lack of magic that is." She made her way over to Cho's table and raised her brow, hesitating for a moment. "Would you mind a little company?" she asked, tentatively.

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charmingcho
2014-08-23 03:28 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, I love that one. My mum's a muggle, and a total nerd, so I read quite a bit of muggle literature, on summer breaks and the like. But I do love a good witchy romance every now and then, too." She smiled brightly and closed her ledger.

"Sure, I've just been catching up on the accounting," she rolled her eyes. "Looking to escape for a bit?" Cho indicated Astoria's book and butterbeer. Her own glass of white wine was getting a bit low, but the butterbeer did look nice.

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sew_perfect
2014-08-23 07:18 pm UTC (link)

Astoria neglected to mention that her mother would not have approved of her choice of reading material, but that was, of course, one of the beauties of staying in her own flat and coming to Finnigans. She was able to step outside the small little wizarding world and experience a bit of muggle culture. Sometimes she had to ask a lot of questions about what things were that they were talking about, but in the older ones that wasn't the case as much, and she certainly liked the characters. She smiled and nodded, "I love a good witchy romance too, actually, anything with a bit of romance is liable to find it's way to my bedside table."

She was grateful when Cho agreed to let her join her. It would be nice to vent to a real other person, and her question hit the mark. "Unwinding, yes. It's been quite the day. Inventory at the shop today, and a boggart got loose and managed to wreak havoc for a while. It was awful." She took a sip of her drink, loving how sweet the Finnigans version was (much better than the Leaky). "How about you? You looking to escape?"

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charmingcho
2014-08-25 02:54 am UTC (link)

Cho nodded in agreement, "Nothing like the fantasy of a strapping young wizard sweeping you off your feet, right?" On second thought, though, she added, "Not that you need to fantasize about that, with your own happily ever after already started," she gave Astoria a kind smile so as not to seem jealous.

"A boggart?" Cho gave a squeal of unhappiness, "I hate those things, ugh," she felt her body and her face tighten up in displeasure. "How did one get out in the shop, I wonder?" She thought out loud.

Looking back down to her ledger, still sitting shut on the table, she reached for her wine glass thinking back on the conversation she had with Melinda about expanding the business and sighed. "Every day lately, not that I don't love what I do," she added hastily, realizing she was still speaking to a client. "I love planning parties, I love attending the events, seeing people so happy on their special days. But running a business is more than that, as I'm sure you know."

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sew_perfect
2014-08-25 03:02 am UTC (link)

Astoria nodded, but laughed a bit. "Yes, I do have my own handsome wizard sweeping me off my feet. But everyone could always use with a bit of extra romance in their life, don't you think?" She didn't think that just because she was going to be married she'd tire of romance. If anything, maybe some of those witchy romances would give her ideas to spice things up.

Astoria shrugged and shook her blonde locks. "The store is terrifically old, sometimes they hide in dark corners. We should have shook it out long ago, but there are parts of the back stock we never enter. Anyway, it wasn't even the worst of the day, if you can believe it. I spent the whole morning throwing up, it was awful."

"I do indeed. Thankfully I don't run the business, I just design clothes and work with clients, but doing inventory reminds me of how little I enjoy that end of things. But," she added, taking another sip of her sweet drink, "I do have a mind for figures. I wouldn't hate doing that too, but I think I have a while before I'd call the business my own." She smiled at Cho and patted her hand, "I know you'll do wonderfully for our wedding, but trust me, it's the last thing I want to talk about at the moment. No worries about clients accosting you after hours."

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charmingcho
2014-08-25 02:35 pm UTC (link)

"In that case I'll have to tell your groom that he's not doing his job, you should have more romance than you know what to do with," Cho smiled genuinely. It really was wonderful to see people so... happy. Part of her sort of believed she'd always be the girl who's first love died, and people might never see her glow the way Astoria did.

When Astoria explained the rest of her awful day Cho looked back up at her face, startled. "Vomiting? No! Are you alright? Did you floo the hospital? Or at least Pucey for something to settled your stomach?" Looking down Cho added, "Something other than butterbeer?" and gave Astoria her best 'stern' look (which, to be honest, wasn't very stern at all). Her face softened though when Astoria admitted the wedding was the last thing she wanted to talk about. "I'll admit, I'm glad to see you outside of planning meetings, sometimes it feels like that's the only way I see anyone at all anymore, besides Melinda of course, she lives just upstairs from me," Cho wasn't sure how well Astoria knew the girls of Ravenclaw. Certainly, Cho had only been given the opportunity to plan the wedding because Astoria's mother had attended a lavish Pureblood wedding in Ireland that Cho had designed and executed a year ago. Apparently she'd liked what she'd seen, but it had surprised Cho to get a letter inquiring about her services either way.

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sew_perfect
2014-08-25 11:44 pm UTC (link)

Atoria laughed at Cho's admonishment of Draco. She didn't take any offense or think she meant anything by it. In all honesty, she thought Draco walked a fine line of being romantic without ever being soppy. The fact that he was sometimes a bit mysterious to her was part of the allure. She knew she loved him; she wouldn't ever marry someone she didn't love for them and not because her family told her she needed to, and that was all she needed. "I'll chastise him as soon as I see him next. I'm meant to go to the Malfoy Manor tomorrow actually, after I visit home. Right now, this is exactly where I want to be."

She waved away Cho's concerns and shook her head. "I'm perfectly all right, must just have eaten something off last night. And butterbeer has more sugar than alcohol, and it's warm, so it's doing wonders, actually." She nodded and rolled her eyes in sympathy. "I know the very feeling. Working girl means no time to socialize, though if you're anything like me, you'd not have it any other way." She set down her glass and her book and rested her hand on her chin. "It's tiring, but there's nothing I love more than being creative at work. I could never be one of those stay at home types who just dotes on their children and has no personality their own." She colored for a moment, realizing she just described her own mother, not to mention her mother in law, but she didn't really care. She wouldn't ever be like that. Not that she didn't like her mother or Narcissa, it just wasn't her way.

"Not that there is anything WRONG with that," she added after a long pause, picking up her drink and taking a long sip to cover her blush.

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charmingcho
2014-08-27 05:12 pm UTC (link)

Cho laughed, "I'm very much like you in that. Even on my nights 'off' from running events I'm doing the books or out meeting new clients. Though I will say that's one of my favorite things about my business - having a nice glass of sangria at Finn's is considered work," she giggled.

Shaking her head and then nodding it emphatically Cho agreed, "No, I know what you mean, don't worry at all. My mother stayed home with me until I went to Hogwarts and then got involved in who knows what but certainly not a job. I admire her for it, but I could never do it myself." She wrinkled her nose at the thought. There had been a time in her life, at school, when she thought she'd love to settle down and have a family, lots of crazy little kids, but that thought had long passed.

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sew_perfect
2014-09-01 08:05 am UTC (link)

Astoria laughed and made a tsk sound of apparent jealousy, even if she didn't really mean it. "Wine would be nice, if it didn't have the unfortunate habit of staining, and some of the assistants are sadly none too careful." The design studio wasn't large, and it was a careful dance not running into her coworkers, she couldn't imagine adding alcohol to that mix.

She exhaled and nodded, glad she hadn't offended. "I just mean, I get a lot of hints from my mother and my future mother in law, but while I definitely see children in my future, I also love what I do tremendously. I can't imagine a world in which I'd want to stop. I just hope Draco doesn't have to hear endless comments about it." She smiled at her companion and then gestured to the bartender. "How about I buy your next glass, on me. I'm switching to orange fizz, but you deserve a glass at least after all your kindness and excellent ideas for the wedding."

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charmingcho
2014-09-01 05:43 pm UTC (link)

Cho laughed loudly - not nearly as ladylike as she'd been taught, she knew - at Astoria's joke. It really was funny to her, the thought of wine at 3 o'clock on a Tuesday in the seamstress shop. "I can't imagine," she gasped out, allowing herself a moment to chuckle and settle down.

Shaking her head, much more sober, she agreed, "I hope he isn't either. I'm sure Draco knows who he's marrying, and if he wanted someone more like that, he would have gone for it. I also think Narcissa will calm down with time, she's fierce, she just uses it for different ends that you or I do," she shrugged. Astoria would get along just fine in the Malfoys, she thought at least.

She smiled when Astoria offered to buy her a glass, "Well that sounds quite nice, and I think I'll put my ledger away, but you know you don't have to, especially to thank me for working on the wedding, it's been a real pleasure," she said, because it had been.

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sew_perfect
2014-09-01 06:12 pm UTC (link)

What Cho said was precisely what Astoria wanted to hear. Yes, Draco ought to know what he was getting into. If he wanted to marry someone who would suck up to him and do everything that was expected, he would have married Pansy like the other woman so desperately wanted. She didn't mention this fact. She never wanted to give Pansy Parkinson the satisfaction of knowing she unnerved and angered her. "I hope so too," was her reply, added with a shake of her blonde hair, putting bad thoughts behind her.

"Of course I don't have to," Astoria said with a wave of her hand. "I WANT to. Besides, I could always use more friends. Let's talk as friends then, no more business talk at all. You'll need to tell me about this book and why it's so good," she added. And with that, Astoria pushed her bad day behind her. It was time to try and be comfortable with more people, after all.

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charmingcho
2014-09-01 06:50 pm UTC (link)

Cho smiled brightly, "Well in that case, pinot grigio please. And as for the book..." She leaned forward, remembering back to her Austen kick the summer after her fourth year. She'd been taken with the idea of a grand romance back then, and her mother had been all too happy to share her love for muggle literature. The great Jane her mum had called Austen. "Well, it's her first book. Not my favorite of hers, but I do truly love everything she wrote, so that's not a critique, I promise. I was in a romantic mood when I was 14 or so and Mum let me spend a whole summer reading Austen." She sighed wistfully. It hadn't been long after that she'd started seeing Cedric, who was just what she'd wanted - dashing, humorous, handsome, and truly good.

"What other muggle literature have you read?" She knew Astoria hadn't read much, but figured she'd probably started somewhere before now.

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