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Tweak says, "This is Jezebel in hell!"

Regulus Black (toilandhazard) wrote in flippedrpg,
@ 2013-04-29 16:11:00

Entry tags:

ch: unwind: narcissa black, ch: unwind: regulus black, p: annalisa, p: kaitlin

Who: Regulus Black & Narcissa Black^unwind
What: Wine and hugs
Where: Narcissa & Bellatrix's unit
When: Last night [Backdated]
Rating/Status: Loooow/In progress

Regulus was stressed out. He didn't like the feeling that he wasn't a good parent or that he was inherently doing something wrong. He didn't like having to be stern with Castor or Bella when it was clear they were already upset. He certainly didn't like the assumption that they were going to be like their parents. He wondered if Linette was like that with him or if it was just his family. He could tell that Narcissa was stressed out, too. It was their first attempts at parenting and it made it extra stressful when they didn't get things quite right. Still, he would rather have Narcissa for his parenting partner than anyone else. If Linette showed up, of course, she would be Castor's mother, but for now, Narcissa could play the mothering role.

As Castor had requested a hug and a story before bed, Regulus complied. He had even tucked him in and pressed a kiss to his forehead, pulling the door closed behind him. He'd waited for a little bit to make sure he was asleep. Once he was sure of it, he grabbed a bottle of wine before slipping out of the room and over one door. He knocked lightly on the door. Hopefully after a couple glasses of wine everything would start to feel better.

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willtolive
2013-04-30 04:09 am UTC (link)

Ever since Bella and Castor had gone missing, Narcissa had been full of anxiety and fear for their safety. Her mind kept replaying terrible images of what might be happening to them, and by the time they were finally found, she had reached the end of her rope. She'd all but exploded at Castor, and then felt both better and worse; better for the fact that they were safe, worse for the fact that she'd yelled, even if the point had needed to be made.

It was ridiculous, really, how stressful it was to be a parent, or even just a parental figure. She felt worn down and raw, reeling from it all now that the adrenaline had worn off. She kept being surprised to find that she was not actually as trembly or as weak as she felt. And when Bella finally fell asleep for the night, warm and safe and fed and in her proper room, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Moving out into the main part of their shared unit, she closed Bella's door behind her and sat down on the couch. When the knock came, she got up to open it, and was incredibly glad to see Regulus on the other side. Without wasting a moment, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, finally allowing herself to indulge her worries and do something just for the sake of comforting herself (and him). "Regulus," she said, when she let go and stood back to let him in. "Come in. Bella's asleep."

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toilandhazard
2013-04-30 04:23 am UTC (link)

Regulus smiled as he felt Narcissa's arms wrap around him. He wrapped his arms around her in return, closing his eyes for a moment. As awkward as hugs had been when he first got here, he found that he enjoyed them a lot more than he'd thought he would. It made him feel better and it was a way to make someone else feel better at the same time.

There was another smile when he was invited in and he held up the bottle of wine as he stepped inside. "Castor's asleep, too." He was grateful to know where his son was and Bella. He was glad they were back and he could see them. He let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding for hours. "I'm glad I can say that."

He shook his head. "Glasses?" He could get them if he needed to, but he figured he'd ask if he needed to or not.

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willtolive
2013-04-30 06:59 am UTC (link)

The embrace was comfortable and comforting, and exactly what Narcissa needed. She'd needed the hugs from Bella and Castor as well, but those had been in large part intended to comfort the children; Regulus was one of the few people that she allowed to comfort her. She trusted him more than she had trusted anyone else in her life, and relied on him to support her as she supported him in return. That was why it had broken her heart to learn that she would lose him at home, but that wasn't something she was going to think about right now. She had more than enough to be upset about already.

"Me too," she said, letting out a breath. She completely understood what he meant; she hadn't realized how much she needed to know where Bella was and that she was safe until she genuinely hadn't known, for far too long. She needed it in a similar way that she needed to know that Regulus was alright, or any of her other loved ones, except more deeply, because she was responsible for Bella's safety. "Merlin, that was hellish, wasn't it?"

She closed the door behind him and moved over to the small table beside the couch, where she'd set the glasses. "Here," she said, holding them up for him to pour. "Fill mine up, please."

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toilandhazard
2013-05-01 03:04 am UTC (link)

"It was," he agreed. It felt like his chest was only just starting to stop being tight. He hadn't felt panic like that before. He'd been worried. He didn't want to feel that way again. It was the part of being a parent that was the worst: the worrying. It was this constant state of awareness and it was enough to drive a person mad.

Regulus moved over to pour the wine into the glasses before setting the bottle down and taking one of the glasses. "As little as I used to drink, I find that sometimes it helps a lot more than I thought. I'm beginning to wonder if this is why Father was so fond of scotch." Regulus was starting to believe that his father had a point.

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willtolive
2013-05-01 05:44 am UTC (link)

Narcissa took her own glass and then sat down with it on the couch, folding her legs underneath her. She took a long drink, feeling a little bit of warmth flood her veins, and patted the couch to have Regulus sit down beside her.

"We should not become alcoholics," she said, with a note of irony in her voice. "That would not be a good parenting decision. But having a glass of wine every once in a while, after moments like this, does help take the edge off." She gave a slight smile. "As long as moments like this don't become too commonplace, hopefully we won't end up drinking too much, right?"

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toilandhazard
2013-05-07 02:57 am UTC (link)

Regulus took a sip out of his glass before taking a seat next to Narcissa on the couch. His posture was still perfect. Sometimes he could relax, but right now, he was still too caught up in the stressed feelings that accompanied everything. Plus, it was a habit.

There was a soft laugh at Narcissa's words. "No. I think we should not," he commented after a moment, a hint of laughter still lingering in his voice. He also had to hope that these instances would not repeat themselves too often. "Let us hope that it will not." Because he didn't think he could handle that. It would be terrible. "Otherwise we may have to find a new way to cope. Whatever would we choose?"

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willtolive
2013-05-07 05:38 am UTC (link)

The warmth of the wine started to settle into Narcissa's body as she considered the question. She was relaxed, although she still sat perfectly straight as well; it would take quite a bit more liquor to get her to forget her upbringing or lose the physical ability to remain upright.

"I suppose we could always become horribly violent people," she said with a perfectly straight face, though she felt a strong desire to laugh. "The whole compound would fear us."

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toilandhazard
2013-05-07 05:58 am UTC (link)

If Narcissa had been someone else, Regulus might have taken her expression and words seriously. However, he knew her well enough to know she wasn't serious. His expression shifted to a more thoughtful one, as if he was seriously considering the idea. "We are two of the magically strongest people in this compound. Merlin knows Bellatrix would find it terribly humourous."

He tapped his finger over his lips briefly before adding, "Perhaps she could help with our fearsome image. We could ask her to stand there and look terrifying."

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willtolive
2013-05-08 12:25 am UTC (link)

"The one benefit of our upbringing, yes?" Narcissa said, finally unable to help a smile appearing on her face. "It would serve them all right for us to use it for our own gain." She was rather curious how she would measure up with the strongest witches and wizards around here, perhaps particularly the Dark Ladies, but to duel them would be to give away her abilities, and she preferred that they underestimate her.

As for Bellatrix, well, her sister knew what she was capable of, but Narcissa didn't really know what Bella's opinion was of any of this. She seemed disdainful of everything around her. "She might make us look less mean by comparison, though."

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