Pansy Wisteria Parkinson (pugmylife) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2016-10-15 16:49:00 |
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The truth was, Pansy was lonely. She was usually quite good at keeping herself company - because really, who was as good company as she was? - but it was one thing to keep herself occupied for a few hours and quite another to have to do it for several months. She didn't have Daphne or Tracey here, nor her parents, and she was on the outs with Draco, which was really quite unfortunate because out of all the people here, he probably could understand her situation the best. But he was off being an arse, and she still hadn't forgiven him for breaking her heart, so that was out. Neal was excellent company, that dear man - Muggle though he was - but she wasn't the sort to be joined at the hip to anyone, not anymore. Which left Mary, Neal’s irritatingly attractive friend, to discuss wine with when Pansy was in the mood to deal with her. And meeting new people who may also have an appreciation for wine. She hoped this Pepper person could hold a good conversation. *** Pepper was always happy to discuss wine. She wasn't the most knowledgeable by far, but she knew her way around a wine list and there was an opportunity to learn more by talking to Pansy. Plus, she hadn't been lying when she said it was always good to be on the good side of the wine supplier. She'd yet to refill her closet to her desired specifications, but there were a few pieces that would work well for the casual conversation they were going to be having. She chose dark wash skinny jeans, a navy blue blouse, and ankle boots, which were both comfortable and looked amazing. Making the right first impression would go a long way. She arrived at the Apothecary in the early afternoon and put her sunglasses on the top of her head once she was out of the sun. Pepper perused for a few minutes before finding her way to the wine section. She pulled a bottle of red off the shelf to examine the label, one that she recognized from home as being particularly good, but she hadn't had it in a long time. Pepper knew she'd purchase that, though she also knew that she was going to need to get a job sooner rather than later if she wanted to get herself back to the lifestyle she'd grown accustomed. *** The blonde was easily recognizable from the network, although Pansy had never met her in person. Pansy had an eye for detail and a great memory for faces, which meant she recognized the woman as soon as she entered, and she meandered over. “It’s a new label we just brought in,” she remarked, upon seeing the bottle Pepper was perusing. Her accent had the smooth, drawling tones of the privileged class. “I’ve only tried one of their blends, but it was good enough I thought I’d give them some space on the shelf.” *** Pepper smiled warmly at Pansy, immediately putting two and two together. "It's quite good. I've had it a few times over the years, but the last time was a few years ago at least. It's the one downside of not planning my own functions anymore," she replied, pushing an errant strand of red hair out of her eyes. "Reds and blends have always been a particular favorite of mine. I can't vouch for their whites, but the reds are well worth the space." She held her hand out for the other woman to shake. "It's lovely to meet you in person, Pansy." Despite what she'd said about always making friends with the wine merchant, there was nothing fake or insincere about Pepper. She genuinely wanted to get to know the other woman better. *** Whereas Pansy was very comfortable with intrigue and deceit. In this case, however, she genuinely did want someone to discuss wine with. She supposed she could be friendly, even if it was with a Muggle. She even remembered to shake the woman’s hand! That particular Muggle custom had taken her a while to get used to. “A case of their pinot gris just arrived,” Pansy said, once they’d released hands. “And I just so happen to have an open bottle for sampling. Care to try? For Muggle wine, it’s quite acceptable.” *** Pepper grinned broadly at the suggestion. "I would love to," she replied. There were many types of whites, but Pepper preferred the dry blends and the same could be said of her preference in reds. Pinot Gris tended toward the dry side, so it was likely she'd enjoy the bottle Pansy had in mind. "Forgive me, but I'm not familiar with the term Muggle," she prompted, knowing it wasn't a vineyard for this particular brand. "Is it the region this wine is made?" Pepper could admit when she didn't know something, at least. She didn't think Pansy would judge her for it. *** Oh, this lady was just so earnestly polite Pansy couldn't bring herself to laugh at her ignorance. Contrary to popular belief, Pansy wasn't nasty for the sake of it. She tended to do it out of carelessness - or to get a rise out of someone. She had a feeling Pepper wouldn't rise as beautifully to her bait as any of the Weasleys would. That didn't mean, however, that she wasn't above having some fun. “Muggle,” she said blandly as she levitated the bottle towards her. “It means non-magical.” *** Pepper's eyes widened just slightly at the display of magic, silently thanking all the years of insane shit she'd seen for giving her the ability to react so minimally. "I see. Well, it's good to learn something new," she replied, offering Pansy a wry smile. Magic had been the one thing they'd been able to avoid for the most part. The only real exposure she had to it was Thor, who stood by his description of science and magic being one in the same. She left that one to the scientists to figure out. This kind of magic was something new entirely though. "That must be very handy," she added, thinking of all the ways magic could be useful in everyday life. *** “Quite,” Pansy said, both impressed and disappointed that Pepper didn’t react more visibly. What use was it to shock a Muggle with magic if they weren’t shock with it? “Although I do have to admit,” she added as she waved her wand so the bottle would pour wine into two glasses, “I am impressed at what Muggles have managed to accomplish without the use of magic. These phones, for instance. So very convenient.” *** Having the bottle pour their wine made Pepper smile and she raised her glass to the other woman in thanks before swirling the liquid just slightly in the glass to let it open up just a touch. Then she brought the glass under her nose, enjoying the aroma for a brief moment before taking a sip. "Technology is one of our many vices," Pepper agreed, "as is good wine and good food. This is marvelous, really." For a white, it was certainly very good. She would consider buying a bottle of it if she knew her dining partner's preference was white. "The human mind is capable of so much, if given the proper encouragement and funding." Sometimes, the best ideas never saw the light of day because of the bureaucracy of funding. "Do you interact much with Muggles in your world?" *** “Heavens no,” Pansy said with a short laugh. “Muggles are very much not the thing in my society. Among the right sort of people, anyway. But then I became the wrong sort of people, and I had to interact with them much more. I don’t recommend becoming the wrong sort of people, by the way. It’s really not pleasant.” She spoke casually, as if she were just telling an entertaining story, but behind the words was an undercurrent of hurt and resentment. *** Pepper wasn't sure of exactly what to make of Pansy's reply. The younger woman was hiding behind her casual tone. She'd been in enough business meetings and dealt with enough people to know what kind of undercurrents to look for and there was something deeply troubling about Pansy's. It made her want to help somehow, but they didn't know each other nearly well enough for that. "No, it certainly isn't a pleasant life to lead," she agreed carefully, taking another sip of the white wine. "It's not always easy to be the right sort of person to the right group of people, particularly if the situation gets...out of hand." That was a more delicate way of putting it. "Madison Valley must be an interesting place to find yourself in. How long have you been here?" *** “I really don’t remember,” Pansy said, after a moment’s thought. “All the days seem to blur into each other after a while.” She poured more wine for Pepper. Oddly, she found herself liking the woman. Normally she abhorred the sort of polite diplomacy the blonde was exhibiting here, but in Pepper, it came from a place of sincerity. Perhaps it was her association with Neal, or her experience with not-so-sincere sorts, but Pansy appreciated that sort of genuineness these days. “And what about you?” she asked. “Do you run with the right sorts of people?” *** Pepper accepted the wine with a smile and a nod in thanks as she considered the question. "I try to," Pepper replied. "It's much easier to do so in my personal life as opposed to professionally. When running such a large company, it's often very difficult to persuade people to support policy that would cost us more money, for example, just because it would benefit our employees exponentially." It helped that Tony agreed with her as he still held some sway with the Board, and her own maneuvering had kept her in the majority's graces. "I did get the impression that it's easy to lose track of time here. I haven't quite decided if that's a good thing or not, but perhaps when I do, I'll finally be settled." The thought of being settled in Madison Valley was somewhat scary as Pepper had always had higher ambitions than a small town could offer. *** “It won't take long,” Pansy said with a roll of her eyes. “Honestly, there's not much here. Settling should be easy.” She couldn't quite say she had settled herself, though. It wasn't that she couldn't have; she just hadn't brought herself to be complacent. There were too many things outside her control here. *** Settling wasn't nearly so easy, and the look Pepper gave in response was clearly skeptical. "I don't know that I agree with that. This isn't exactly a typical thing that happens to someone, at least not in my world," she replied, careful to keep her tone as non-confrontational as possible. "I never thought I'd find myself back in small town America. That alone will be something of an adjustment." Maybe she had become the city girl socialite her parents had always been afraid she'd become. Her ambitions had always included traveling around the world and becoming a successful businesswoman, but maybe arriving in Madison Valley was a way for the world to tell her that she needed to get back to her roots. She thought she'd been doing just fine as she had been, though. "The only option is to adapt, so adapt I will. I've been thrown far worse curveballs," Pepper pointed out with a grin. *** “It helps to have low expectations,” Pansy added, completely ignoring the fact that Pepper had had to temper her words. She hadn’t missed it; she just decided not to address it. So much easier that way. “But if you’re expecting excitement, culture, sophistication...well, you’ll have a harder time settling, yes. There is so very little here. Where is the art? Where is the theatre? Where is the drama and the inspiration and the songs that speak to your soul?” *** "Oh, that I'm familiar with," she replied with a grin. Low expectations in her personal life were a given, though it would be somewhat interesting to see what her experience would be with a small town she knew nothing about. At least in her hometown, she had the advantage of knowing just about everyone. "The lack of art is disappointing to say the least," Pepper agreed, though she was still hopeful she could find art suitable for wherever she chose to make her home in this new place. The apartment she'd been given was perfectly fine for now while she got her bearings, but she wasn't sure if it was where she wanted to be for the duration of her stay if it was to be a long one. "At least there's good wine, and good company." *** “Good wine, at any rate, thanks to me.” Pansy spoke without any braggadocio; it was simply a statement of fact. “And good company.” A small curve of her red lips promised mischief - but fun mischief. “As for good art…I do know of a very good artist. If you are looking for a piece, you should talk to him.” *** Pepper nodded in acknowledgement. The good wine was most certainly thanks to Pansy, and she was looking forward to getting to know the other woman more. A distraction - in the form of fun mischief - was most certainly something Pepper was interested in, and her expression said exactly that. It was always fun to let her hair down and every once in awhile, and if the media wasn't following her every move? Waiting for her to fall flat on her face? Well, then she was even more for it. "Oh?" That piqued her interest considerably. "I curated an amazing collection in my world," that had been donated, but she was over it. Mostly. "I was hoping a few pieces might make the apartment I was given more...to my tastes?" That seemed the best way to put it. "I'll take his name, along with these two bottles of wine, I think," she said with a smile. *** Pansy smiled and picked up the bottles. A sale and a meeting with a woman who wasn’t a great waste of time. Maybe this muggle town wasn’t going to be so terrible after all. |