Who: Charlotte Brand & Lennox Campbell What: Valentine's Day date! (This time they'll actually get out for dinner!) When: Wednesday, 14th February 2000 backdated Where: A little muggle place Warnings: none
Chuck had just finished dropping Monty off at Ms. Atkin's, her not-quite-elderly neighbour (the woman was at least 60 but still sharp as a tack, and had been more than happy to care for her wee pup while she 'enjoyed her time with her young man'), before rushing back to her place to get ready. Not that there was any need to rush since she still had plenty of time before Lennox was there to pick her up for their date. However, Chuck knew there was a very distinct possibility she'd end up agonising over her outfit too much that she might end up making herself late - hence the rushing to try and be ready somewhat on time.
It was a bit silly really, as she'd actually had her dress picked out for the night about a week ago after having made plans for Lennox for Valentine's. She just wanted the night to go well... not that she expected it would actually go badly. And when she wasn't needlessly worrying about that her mind drifted to Monty before she managed to remind herself again about the chat she and Lennox had had about that. She just hadn't really celebrated Valentine's with anyone before, except for one time back at Ilvermorny - and that hardly counted. Even when she did happen to actually be dating someone around Valentine's the day never really got celebrated, and mostly she'd used it as an excuse to get chocolate when it went on sale the day after.
After almost another hour or so (and a little more worrying) she was finally ready, and relieved when she realised she hadn't made herself late - but only just so, since it was just five minutes later that Lennox had rung the doorbell.
"Lennox! Hi," she greeted cheerfully, unable to keep the smile from her face.
Meanwhile, Lennox was pretty sure that he'd forgotten that Valentine's Day was actually a thing. Had Chuck not reminded him of it, he would certainly have had to put it together at the last minute, for it had been literally over a decade since it had been anything but an afterthought. Even then, the guy he'd briefly been seeing at 22 wasn't one for the day either, given that neither were out beyond their families. The last truly celebrated V Day, then, would have been the girlfriend he had right out of Hogwarts. How old had he even been back then… 19? 20? He was practically shaking his head at the very thought, waiting for Chuck to open the door. His girlfriend, though they hadn't actually mentioned the words (see, Angus, he had managed to actually find one).
On that note, he was still a little shy as he arrived on Chuck’s doorstep, not sure yet how things would go. He'd never even been to her home yet, he realised, smiling at her across the threshold. “Hi…”
"It's nice to see you again," she said with a slight chuckle, before leaning in to brush a kiss against his cheek. "Well, come on in." She then stood aside and let Lennox pass before closing the door behind them both. Chuck then realised that this was the first time that Lennox had actually been to her place. "Welcome to my humble - if somewhat large for one person and her pup - abode," she announced, gesturing with her arm to the open plan living area beyond them. And it really was far too large for just herself (and now Monty too), but she'd fallen in love with the place and couldn't help the slightly impulsive buy; though thankfully it hadn't put her completely out of pocket when she'd bought it. The fact she had a rather spacious basement that was empty and unused was one she was currently ignoring.
"How are you?" she asked. It seemed the right thing to ask even if she had only seen him just a few days ago. "Would you like anything to drink at all before we go? If we have time that is..."
Lennox allowed his kiss to linger on her cheek in return for just a moment - the permitted intimacy was still a little strange to him, but he was growing ever used to it. He allowed himself the chance to look around, eyes flickering around the wide and open space, and couldn’t help but compare it to his own home and how different it was. Her place was airy and modern, his own darker and more cosy in style.
“I’m OK,” he said. “Still adjusting after our endurance stuff, but not playing means I’m more rested, so I guess it balances out?” he added, before looking at Chuck, his blue eyes following her as she pottered around. “We’re booked in another fifteen minutes, so it might be a good idea to head over there now, so we can feign a muggle arrival,” he suggested, referencing their booking at a non-magical restaurant.
This made Chuck smile. And while intimacy might be one of her many favourite things about a relationship, and something she felt at ease with, she knew it was something not everyone was maybe used to. So she was willing to give Lennox that space... as well as gentle prodding should it be needed. Not that she felt a need to rush into anything. If she knew of Lennox's thoughts about her home she might've given a slight laugh, and pointed ut she hadn't exactly gotten around to decorating it much; and that it was a lot bigger than the rental she'd been living in previously.
"I'm glad you're feeling rested. And... that does make sense?" she said, giving him a slight smile over her shoulder. She finished double-checking the windows, and the door to the garden were locked, before turning her attention fully back to Lennox "Besides, you kind of have to rest properly after any match, even if it's not a professional one and just some really intense training, right?"
Chuck nodded in understanding. "Good point," she responded with a slight smile. She walked over to grab a coat from the rack by the door - she wasn't sure how cold it was going to be, and it was better than getting caught out performing warming charms by a non-magical person.
Lennox, waiting patiently by the door, glanced around again as she selected a coat to go out in. “It’s not too bad out there. Not by Scottish standards, anyway,” he added, looking out of Chuck’s window. And it’s in the city proper, so busy enough to keep warm once we’re inside, at any rate.”
“Ready?” he asked again, giving her the chance to put said warming charms on her coat before leaving, if she wanted to.
"I certainly enjoyed our last date although it'll be nice to actually go out and make it to dinner for a change," she gently teased. Chuck certainly didn't mind how things had turned out that night (particularly with how thunderstorms tended to affect her), and so far they were continuing to turn out rather well. Still it was good to know the weather wasn't actually going to be so bad, and as much as she likely wouldn't have minded them staying in it was good to just get out and do something.
"Ready," she replied, having just finished putting her coat on and tucking her wand into the inside pocket of the coat. Then after ushering him back out, and following, she locked the door behind them before hooking her arm around Lennox's. "Shall we?" she asked, smiling up at him.
While Lennox blushed in response to Chuck’s reference to their previous attempt at a date, he also chuckled, which showed at least a small amount of progress where social skills were concerned. He was usually the type to do anything but sleep with someone on the first date (not that he counted it as a first - it was a third by his reckoning, still soon for him), but it was what it was. Unusually, he didn’t find himself regretting it in the least, either.
Following her out of her door and accepting her arm, he explained where they were about to head off to. “There’s a little place in Edinburgh city centre I found... not long ago, actually,” he began, not elaborating on his reasons for venturing into the city. “Wee place, tucked down a side street near the Royal Mile. They’ve only a few tables out front so it’s nae too loud. Had a couple left for reservations as I was passing, so I chanced it.”
Following this, he turned on the spot, disapparating along with her.
"It sounds pretty nice," she commented. She knew the fact that it wasn't too loud was a big plus for Lennox, and the fact that it was (more than likely) non-magical meant that nobody would likely recognise him enough to bother him. "Lucky us they had a couple left then, and on Valentine's to boot."
Chuck was thankful that when they arrived she didn't lose her balance post-apparition... or port-keying for that matter; and considering she did the latter often enough when visiting relatives it was definitely a blessing. "You know I don't think in all the time I've lived over here that I've actually visited Edinburgh more than a couple times," she said with a slight frown. It was one thing she hoped to change now that her workload was somewhat halved. It really didn't seem right that in the almost five years she'd been living here she'd hardly seen much of Scotland at all - let alone the rest of the isles. "And even then I think they were both for work. I'm glad I finally have a much better reason for visiting now."
Lennox smiled a bit as they walked out of an alleyway behind the King’s Theatre, safely exiting following their magical means of arrival. “You’ll see when we get there that, well, it’s not really a cheap and cheerful chain place or the most high end,” he began. “So it misses out on a certain market because of that. But it has character, and I don’t know about you, but I can handle character.”
A minute or so later, they approached the restaurant on foot and went in, the dimly lit front area less about romance and more about being cosy for the diners in the wood panelled room. It didn’t take them long to be escorted to their table, a round one in the back, not far from the warmth of the fire.
"Tease," she joked, chuckling slightly. "It's not something that bothers me either. I like things having character. It can be surprising, but really it just makes things interesting.”
When they finally reached the restaurant Chuck wasn't at all disappointed. Not sure of what she expected, and although they'd yet to eat, the place had already exceed whatever expectations she had. It was small, and cosy, without being pokey - and the dim lighting certainly added to the atmosphere of the place. Once they'd been seated, Chuck leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Good choice. I like it."
Lennox, not leaning in as far but certainly relaxed into his chair, focused on his date rather than immediately picking up the menu. No-one really came out on a Valentine’s Day date for the food anyway, did they?
As they settled down to their table, a waiter came over to offer wine and what would turn out to be a fun and relaxed evening began.
Although she wasn't going to say so aloud, Chuck silently admitted to herself being a little surprised at how relaxed Lennox was. She supposed that the fact they were in a small out of the way muggle restaurant, where neither of them would be recognised or bothered, went a long way to help but... well, it seemed that it might be more than that. Whatever it was though she wasn't going to complain.
As the evening continued easy conversation flowed back and forth between them; with Chuck tempering herself just a little as she knew she had a tendency to go on when the topic of something she enjoyed came up. Unfortunately, before she knew it, the evening was coming to an end as they finished their last drinks. A short while later, after the meal had been paid for, they were walking back to the apparition point.
"I've had a great time tonight... thank you," she told him, turning her head and smiling warmly at Lennox as they walked along. Chuck reached for his hand and laced her fingers through his. "Definitely a good first Valentine's Day date..."
Lennox didn’t mind the moments where Chuck found herself talking a lot - he was, after all, a man of few words, and it wasn’t as though his date was doing nothing but talk about herself. He was happy for her to talk, given they had shared interests, and while they may be different in terms of personality, their conversations allowed them to explore the fact that they had similar values, which was a considerable plus.
After he settled their bill, he offered his arm to her as they exited the restaurant, carefully making their way into a back alley without the notice of muggles passing in order to go to the nearby King’s Theatre. Secrecy achieved, he turned to face her, ensuring she was ready for the side-along apparition back to his place. “It’s not over yet,” he smiled, before they turned on the spot, disappearing into the Edinburgh night.