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Tweak says, "I AM THE CHEESE"

zacharias is a particularly good finder (overlooked) wrote in pandorarpg,
@ 2012-01-28 00:42:00

Entry tags:

!status: complete, ^date: november 13 2003, character: samara capper, character: zacharias smith

Characters: Zacharias Smith & Samara Chambers
Setting: Chambers home, Thursday morning around 9 am
Rating: PG
Summary: Well, Zacharias joked about it a few days ago and Samara needs a proper sort of present, doesn't she?

Strictly speaking he didn't need to be here for this part. Someone else could have made the delivery and he could have grabbed a few extra hours of sleep before the continuation of escalating radio show drama started full force. Sure, it could be curious timing once again showing the Smiths prospering while the world was going through a bit of a rough spot, but this was something he had been planning for a while. It might not be his place, but he had the money and the connections to make it happen. He also generally enjoyed putting people in awkward positions. He was still waiting for Ernie to learn he was now considered a major donor at St. Mungo's because the pay out on that would be fantastic.

However, today was about a trite comment at the news that Mrs Chambers didn't want to cook for her family. If that wasn't a sign she needed some sort of unwarranted assistance than he didn't know what was. (And if in the process he managed a few minutes with her young son, well, he certainly wouldn't actively call that research.) It turned out finding a suitable house elf wasn't that much of a challenge.

What was a challenge was keeping Taffy from bursting at the seams over his excitement of going to a new home. Were the elf not so set on the Chambers he might have even considered him for his own. While many a wizard didn't care for the company of house elves, Zacharias had always been fond of Lefty. She was a fine drinking companion now in his adulthood and a constant in his childhood.

Walking up to the front door of the Chambers residence, Zacharias paused to address the house elf. "Now, you better calm yourself because you simply wouldn't want to make a bad first impression with your new mistress, would you?" Simple as it was, it seemed to work. So by the time he was pressing the doorbell, the small house elf was half hidden behind him, waiting as patiently as he could to be let in the house.

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tracelines
2012-01-29 10:52 pm UTC (link)

Samara laughed. "He's not endearing, he's a smart arse. Don't worry, we are all well aware and not easily offended." She sat down on a chair and folded her hands in her lap. She wasn't terribly surprised that he didn't want to stay too long, after all it wasn't like they were old friends. Still, she wanted to know what this was all about. Everyone had some sort of agenda, even unconsciously; the Chambers knew that most of all as they did not do anything without thinking and planning carefully beforehand.

So the fact that he was here, offering a gracious and expensive gift to her because of a smarmy exchange in the journals was not at all lost on her. Through her smiles and light words, she was ready to find out just what was going on and why he would come here and offer this to her or her family. "We were interrupted earlier, but I would like to know: I know my maiden family was in good standing with yours but I was never exactly friendly with you over the years. I'm not really certain as to why you would decide to offer me a gift on my birthday, much less one of this magnitude."

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overlooked
2012-01-29 11:19 pm UTC (link)

Zacharias had never really cared for the planning of sort of great games that his mother or father could orchestrate - trading favors until you got the return you wanted. All of that was too convoluted for his liking. "As I said I came across Taffy and learned of his past ties Griffiths family, which I believe is on your husband's side," he said quite honestly because it had been somewhat accidental.

"Taffy wasn't of need in the household where he was serving and I had recalled you being in need of a house elf. I was simply in the position to acquire him on your family's behalf." Short of any momentary amusement he might have watching her politely try to navigate this situation, Zacharias didn't really have other motives or secret plans here. Well, not ones that impacted her or her family at all. For whatever else, he might be, Zacharias Smith was generally honest about most things.

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tracelines
2012-01-30 12:47 am UTC (link)

It wasn't that Samara had any reason to distrust him, but she also had no reason to trust him either and she had a learned behaviour from her husband not to divulge too much trust in people she hardly knew. Not that she always practiced that behaviour to his liking, but she did know better than to be completely accepting of this extremely odd sounding story.

She nodded and crossed her ankles, looking at him with squinted eyes. "Zacharias, please excuse my skepticism of your generosity but you do know how ridiculous this all looks, don't you? I'm no stranger to your reputation and I'm sure you're no stranger to my family's either so you can understand that I have absolutely no grounds nor reason to judge you, but this does seem rather obtuse even by our standards."

She looked at him pointedly. "I apologise for my rudeness, because I have not even said thank you yet, but ulterior motives are what I grew up with from grand gestures so generally I am to expect them, especially from a person I hardly know."

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overlooked
2012-01-30 01:03 am UTC (link)

"Well ulterior motives are generally how most proper circles work, but as you said you know my reputation." And boy did he have a good one. Zacharias had stood against his family because he refused to live up to his mother's admittedly reasonably expectations of someone in his position. By many accounts he was far from the ideal pureblood first born son, and yet he also fulfilled that sort of petulant privilege perfectly.

"Perhaps you also are aware that I have recently been reestablished within my family in following my father's recent death." He paused only because it was the sort thing he had learned to do in case someone felt a strong desire to respond. It also assured that the person might actually hear what came next. "And with that comes the burden of conspicuous consumption and I have little desire to acquire much for myself."

So, really whatever he got socially out of this move was over the moment the monetary exchange was made. This was just part of the small personal bonus.

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tracelines
2012-01-30 03:01 am UTC (link)

Samara nodded, not saying anything right away. She didn't know whether that was the truth or not but even if it was, why buy for someone you barely knew? Instead she said, "Yes, I am mildly aware of the situation with your family. I've gone through a smilar situation myself, y'know, when I married my husband. Marrying a Halfblood is never good for the image, of course, nor is taking his name. Though I suppose my father didn't have to die to reestablish me, but they did decide my husband was useful enough to bring me back into the fold. Though my father did die in the end, didn't he?" She gave a sour smile and shook her head. "I'm sorry to hear about your father, Zacharias."

Samara shrugged. "I never put much stock in what they had to say about my life and what I need to do to live up to their standards, but I don't think you ever did either. You might be back in your family's line because of your male status, but don't think that really changes anything. Don't think they are going to stop expecting the worst of you just because you're back where you were before. There are no such things as second chances in this game and if they didn't need you for something, they'd dispose of you permanently if they could." Samara did not sound bitter, because she never really had been. She didn't care about what her family had hoped to gain from her husband's genius, all she had cared about was using them in the same way they thought they were using them. She wasn't really even sure why she was saying all this to him, but she knew how it felt to go through this so it felt like something she should say regardless.

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overlooked
2012-01-30 03:21 am UTC (link)

Zacharias had never been one to willingly sit through advice of any sorts, but especially the unsolicited sort where the person thought they were somehow better than him. He wasn't sure that was happening here, but from what she was saying he could recognize their situations as somewhat similar. Except the Capper family also had a son.

"I acquired a house elf for someone I have known in passing, I wager that you are smart enough to work out how seriously I am taking my reappointed position." He had no delusion that he was only back in the game because he was the last Smith now. It was either that or giving them a heir or proving he was on track to provide for that. Except in some sick twist of the universe was getting both - his father murdered and a halfblood ginger bastard.

Still, at least until he figured out to do with the latter part of his current status, he had no qualms about abusing what access and leverage he did have. "Although if you really do feel it is too much, or that this gesture might some how make you indebted to me, which I can assure you is not the case, I will take Taffy with me when I go."

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tracelines
2012-01-30 04:49 am UTC (link)

Samara smirked but she didn't say anything to that. She had done her own share of spending her parents' money, but that was mostly to establish a home for herself and her husband and son which was all she had ever really wanted anyway.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Indebted? No, I don't think so. It's a nice gift but it's certainly not worth all that much fuss. Now you're thinking a bit too highly of yourself." Samara grinned and then shook her head. "I don't think the elf or my son are going to be too keen on me saying no, after all."

Jason and Taffy came into the room then, and Jason said, "Hey Mum, Taffy said that he knows all about Da's family!"

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overlooked
2012-01-30 05:05 am UTC (link)

Zacharias titled his head, shrugging in an easy sort of way. "Hey, I don't know what sort of insanity that people could read into a simple gesture." Not that it was that, however, he didn't think of it as anything more. More so, it was interesting to see the shift in Samara once a few things had been shared.

He glanced over to see the boy and the elf return, a smile tugging at his face. "It would seem that they are quite taken with each other." Especially as he didn't really have any intention to take the elf with him when he left even if he sad as such.

Catching the time, he pushed himself to standing. "Now, unless there is anything else, I really should get going."

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tracelines
2012-01-30 05:18 am UTC (link)

"Yes, it seems that way, doesn't it?" she replied, looking at her son and the elf. Jason had never had trouble creating his own fun without playmates but having someone around who was his own size might make things easier on him.

Samara stood and shook her head. "No, I suppose that will be all. Thank you very much for the birthday wishes, Zacharias, and for coming by. I hope you have a pleasant day." Samara thought her day couldn't really get any worse, all things considered. It was her birthday, after all, and she had her husband to spend time with and a party to attend to tomorrow - and now a house elf to help her prepare for it.

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overlooked
2012-01-30 05:35 am UTC (link)

"Again, Happy Birthday," he said rather than saying it was nothing. They both knew that wasn't exactly true and it was best not to bring that point up again. Zacharias glanced over at the boy and the elf again. It was good, he was sure, this was a good thing. A strange thing, but a good one.

He didn't say anything after that. They hadn't strayed far from the front door and he could easily see himself out. His mind heavy with the thought of a child playing with his house elf and how that made him think of his own childhood and the potential childhood he might now be involved in.

At least today would be a fairly standard day for him, the tailing end of the living inferi occupation, and maybe a few other things, but nothing big. It was good, it might even give him time to make some sort of decision as he doubted that Marietta would be patient much longer - if only because she knew it could make him squirm.

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