Tweak

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Tweak says, "You got it, dude!"

Xiang Chang (riverxiang) wrote in incanesco_rpg,
@ 2011-06-04 09:48:00

Entry tags:

!incomplete, remus lupin, xiang chang

Who: Remus and Xiang
What: Tea and talking
When: The evening of the 3rd
Where: Outside the Ravenclaw common room, at least to start with.
Rating: SFW
Status: Incomplete

She'd been sitting outside while she talked to Remus on the journals, so as soon as they'd agreed that she needed tea, she'd set off for the Ravenclaw tower. The fact that the question at the door took her almost a minute to answer properly made her even surer that she needed it. She'd worked herself up into a hell of a state, thinking about everything that had happened this summer. It was kind of embarrassing.

By the time she'd got the tea out and set it brewing, though, she was already feeling calmer. Levitating the two steaming mugs with one hand and carrying her teapot in the other, she started back down to the common room, looking around to check whether Remus hadn't already found his way in (he was logical enough that she'd never had many doubts about his ability to get past the knocker on the door) before she headed to the door.

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lupintime
2011-06-04 08:28 pm UTC (link)

His fingers caught the mug, wrapping delicately around the handle and the rim, trying to avoid the hotter spots. It wasn't too bad and it would cool off eventually; still, he blew on the hot liquid in hopes that it would move things along faster. "Thanks," he muttered over the cup, unable to hold back a snort that shook the entire mug that threatened to spill steaming liquid on him.

But that just made him laugh even more. "I don't mind Ravenclaw-y places, but a walk could be nice." Most people that didn't know him thought he was a Ravenclaw anyway and he got along with those students that were, to a point. However, he was wary of more weepy students looking for the comfort he was so awkward with. "Shall we?" He raised an eyebrow, turning for the door.

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riverxiang
2011-06-04 08:40 pm UTC (link)

Blushing a little, Xiang smiled, picking up her mug again - after a moment's consideration, she decided to leave the teapot where it was - and nodded. "Lay on, MacDuff. I'm always up for a walk." Blowing lightly on her tea, she took a sip and followed him towards the door, coming up beside him.

As so often seemed to happen, she found her eyes drawn to his hands. She liked his hands; there was something very deft about them. Hands, she'd always found, were quite important in how attractive she found people; weird, but life did tend to be weird. She made herself look away from him and back the way they were going, with a little smile. It didn't seem quite appropriate, to be thinking about crushes after all that had happened - but, she supposed, life went on.

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lupintime
2011-06-04 08:55 pm UTC (link)

"Hold, enough," he whispered, more to himself than to his present company because those were something like fighting words - not that he ever expected a fight with Xiang Chang. Especially not like that.

Remus started off down the hall, focusing on the structure of the building he already knew so well. It wasn't hard to steal his attention for something insignificant, that was the Ravenclaw in him, but he never really went too far with his mind (most of the time). "So," he began, glancing over at her as he took a steady sip of tea, the warmth and flavor enough for him. "How was your summer?" If the more serious subjects came up, they would talk about them later as he thought they could use something light to start with.

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riverxiang
2011-06-04 09:09 pm UTC (link)

"Fairly good, actually." Xiang smiled, a little sheepishly. "Like I said, I almost feel bad for having had a good summer, but... A friend of mine in my old theatre group was playing Silvia in Two Gentlemen, and I ended up filling in as Julia because I was the only one who knew all the lines well enough." She laughed, her smile widening slightly. She'd obviously enjoyed the experience. "And we went down to London, to tour the museums - that's always fun. How was yours?"

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lupintime
2011-06-04 10:44 pm UTC (link)

"That sounds brilliant," he envied her with bright eyes, thinking they shouldn't let these happenings overshadow good breaks. It was just something else, nothing to kill everything that came before. "I wish I could do something like that," Remus mused; not even he was too shy to participate if he had the option. "Mine was good. I explored some record shops, caught up on reading - didn't get too far, only 'cause my lists are so long." He let loose a small sigh, his thoughts ranging over all the places he still wanted to visit and the many books he had yet to open, as well as the music he hadn't even discovered.

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riverxiang
2011-06-04 10:54 pm UTC (link)

Xiang took another sip of her tea, looking up at him as they walked along. "That sounds like a pretty good way to spend a holiday, though. One of these days, I should have a trawl through some record shops myself; it's shocking how little music we have in our house." She smiled, a little wryly, and shook her head. "Did you find anything interesting? Music or books?"

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lupintime
2011-06-04 11:03 pm UTC (link)

"Oh definitely, I thoroughly enjoyed it," Remus shrugged, curling his fingers around the full width of his mug now that it was cooling down. He sipped and licked off the excess tea from his lips. "A house without music? That's unfortunate." He could imagine her household with at least classical sounds, something he liked along with the more rock n' roll sort of music. "Oh yes, Debussy, a French composer, and I started going through some of Keats' poetry. Nothing new, really, but an excellent start."

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riverxiang
2011-06-04 11:16 pm UTC (link)

"My house isn't quite without music," Xiang conceded, "but it's mostly limited to Mum's records of medieval revivals and Ye-Ye's old music orbs from Shanghai, which are beautiful, but not hugely full of variety. Mum likes the house quiet when she's working, so..." She shrugged, shaking her head to dismiss the subject, and took another long drink of tea. "I've heard Debussy is well worthwhile, and I have to admit, I do love Keats - even if it took me until I was ten to remember which was Keats and which was Yeats." She pulled a face, laughing.

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lupintime
2011-06-04 11:26 pm UTC (link)

"Sounds interesting," Remus' expression scrunched up a moment in his curious nature over these orbs. But he was kind of picky when it came to music - he either respected and relaxed to classical or danced around (admittedly terribly) to fast-paced, guitar jamming types. Everything else was okay and worth giving a try, of course, but he had his favorites. "Debussy is great," he nodded, "and yeah, all these poets with their similar names." Remus grinned over at her, adding, "Keats is one of my favorites. Larkin, too. Here is unfenced existence: Facing the sun, untalkative, out of reach." Pausing, a mouth full of tea, Remus turned to a window, a content sort of look on his face.

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riverxiang
2011-06-04 11:49 pm UTC (link)

"Loneliness clarifies and hidden weeds flower, neglected waters quicken?" Xiang asked, after searching her mind a moment to link the line to the poet properly. "I have to admit, I find Larkin a little bit depressing sometimes. He's either talking about the grim and gritty, or he's all about being alone, or both. He is an amazing poet, though."

She was quiet a moment, looking over at Remus over the edge of her mug as she drank. "...I did discover a new favourite myself over the holiday, though. Depressing far beyond anything Larkin could ever manage, but still one of the better contemporary poets I know of; do you know anything by Leonard Cohen?"

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lupintime
2011-06-05 01:14 am UTC (link)

Remus' eyes closed as she recited some of the lines, a look of pure satisfaction overcoming him. "I love it," he rationalized simply. "It's depressing and raw - but he can write about nature like any other romantic or sublime...writer." When he shook his head, his shaggy locks fell over his forehead, partially covering his eyes. Maybe he felt an affinity with the words, a sort of hidden loneliness despite the number of friends he had, all of whom supported him and his 'illness'. But he wasn't unhappy and so he figured it was okay.

"Oh?" He asked, intrigued at someone even worse. "I've," Remus paused a beat to think about it, "heard the name, but no. Tell me about him?" His eyebrows raised 'neath his hair until he looked like a curious puppy, holding himself and his excitement back, turning his attention to the tea in order to seem normal.

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riverxiang
2011-06-05 09:06 am UTC (link)

"I have not held my breath so that I might hear the breathing of God; or tamed my heartbeat with an exercise, or starved for visions," Xiang quoted, her eyes half closed, lowering her cup. "Although I have watched him often, I have not become the heron, leaving my body on the shore, and I have not become the luminous trout, leaving my body in the air. I thought of him because he frequently reminds me of Larkin. He's a Muggle - Canadian - gaining popularity in this part of the world. I think some of what he writes is purely beautiful." She smiled, looking up at Remus, and took a long drink of tea, holding it in her mouth a moment to catch the taste.

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lupintime
2011-06-05 09:17 am UTC (link)

"Huh," Remus mused, trying to remember the quote even as she said it. But it was difficult for him to remember spoken words as opposed to something written so he settled for the name as a note to look up later. Whenever he could get hold of muggle poetry. "I like it, I can see why he reminds you of Larkin. I'll have to read more to get a better taste." Leonard Cohen. He was also getting the urge to just sit with a pile of Larkin and Bukowski who was equally as depressing, just in a more blunt way. But that was thing about poetry, it had such a wide range to enjoy. And the fact that he could go back and forth with someone like this, someone who didn't think he was sodding nuts, was more than good. "Anything else happen...lately?"

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riverxiang
2011-06-05 09:32 am UTC (link)

Xiang leant back against the opposite wall, nodding slightly. "Mum's starting her research for the dissertation she's doing. She's working as a curator in the People's Palace museum back home. She's on cloud nine because she gets to spend her whole day organising bits of Muggle history - I think she's found her version of Heaven!" She laughed, fondly, then glanced downwards, her smile fading slightly. "I don't think she'd have signed up for it if the deaths had come a few months earlier, but..."

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lupintime
2011-06-05 09:39 am UTC (link)

"Oh." The single word, more like the utterance of a sound than an actual word, was all Remus could say at first. "That...does sound really fun," he added after a pause, his own smile tinged with excitement and clouded with a bit of worry. Xiang wasn't in any danger so far, but they all knew that 'blood traitors' weren't too far from muggle-borns. Of course, Remus was only a half-blood, didn't care for purity, and only part human (so they'd say) - though not many people knew about the last part, not even Xiang. But if they found out...He could only imagine. Which was why he tried not to. "My mum's finally trying to get out of teaching school children. She loves it, but dad's not been doing so well." He was getting sicker these days and his age, fairly higher than his mum's, didn't help.

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riverxiang
2011-06-05 09:49 am UTC (link)

Xiang pushed her hair back, reaching out with one hand to touch Remus' arm. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it?" Maybe it was selfish, but she'd rather think about the danger his parents were in than the danger hers were.

Don't be silly, she scolded herself, at the thought. You're safe. You're probably safer than half the students at this school. Just because we like Muggles doesn't mean they'll come after us...

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lupintime
2011-06-05 09:56 am UTC (link)

By now, Remus had gotten used to random touches, enough so that he didn't flinch anymore with the lightest contact. However, that didn't mean he liked it or was necessarily comfortable, though he made exceptions for certain people. "No, there's really not much to talk about," he shrugged and raised the tea to his mouth again - it gave his body an excuse to move, a reason for her to let go. It was one of those things he still disliked about himself.

"This tea is really good, Xiang. Do you feel better?" He was nothing if not an excellent subject-changer and avoider.

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	riverxiang 2011-06-05 10:20 am UTC (link)
	"Yeah, I suppose so." She smiled at him, pulling her hand back, and took another sip. "I'll have to write and tell Ye-Ye it's good, I think. He'll be pleased to know it's appreciated, especially when I think I've taken about half his stock of it." With a little sigh, she looked around her. "Shall we head outside? It's a gorgeous day." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

lupintime
2011-06-05 07:23 pm UTC (link)

Remus chuckled and nodded at her words. "I think that's a good idea, he'd probably like to know it works." Yes, it was true, Remus was even feeling calm and at ease despite where the conversation took them.

"Sure," he replied, starting to walk again. He wasn't a sports-playing, running-around type of guy, but he could appreciate nature and he spent enough time outside to be alright with it. Actually, it seemed to offer a lot.

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	riverxiang 2011-06-05 10:25 pm UTC (link)
	"I'll give him your testimony," she assured him, with a grin, and followed. "The real-life testimony of someone whose entire upbringing didn't centre around the healing power of tea." She looked down at her cup, then back up at him, hurrying a little to pull alongside him again. "So, are you looking forwards to the year?" (Reply to this) (Parent)

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