michael corner (humanist) wrote in perdition_rpg, @ 2009-03-14 18:39:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! 1998-03, bianca spinks, michael corner |
Saturday, 14 March 1998
Who: Bianca & Michael
Where: Hogsmeade; Madam Puddifoot's.
When: 14 March 1998.
What: Cheesecake!
Rating: PG
Status: Complete, logged.
Michael usually looked forward to Hogsmeade weekends, but this one even moreso. With all that had been happening recently within the walls of Hogwarts, getting out of them was a reprieve he had been anticipating almost as much as he was anticipating the end of the year. That he and Bianca had made plans to find cheesecake together hadn't do much to assuage his excitement either. They'd already looked in every other shoppe that they could think of that might serve cheesecake to no avail and their last option was the infamous Madam Puddifoot's. Michael had been there on previous Hogsmeade excursions and he could honestly say that it wasn't a place that he'd visit again under normal circumstances, but he'd make an exception this time -- for cheesecake. And Bianca. Upon entering, Michael found himself overwhelmed by the tacky dećor and smothering atmosphere. His memory of the place had either not served it justice or they had added even more hearts and cupids to every available surface since the last time he'd been there - it was worse than he'd expected. He'd already been dive-bombed by flying cupids wielding pink and red confetti twice before they'd even been seated. "Well, this is nice," he said, smirking a little as he looked over his menu at Bianca. "You could certainly say that," Bianca replied, lifting her eyebrows somewhat sceptically and glancing up at Michael from the confetti she was attempting to pick out of her hair. She'd never stepped foot inside of Madam Puddifoot's and, while she was pleased that Michael was willing to be assaulted by confetti-wielding cupids with her, she was quickly discovering that the tea shop wasn't really in her tastes anyway. Or possibly anyone's. It seemed to be what the establishment stood for that was so important to everyone. Abandoning the confetti in her hair for the time being, Bianca gingerly picked up her own menu and began scanning its contents. "I hope there's cheesecake here. I can't believe we haven't found any yet." Not that she was complaining that it had taken them so long to find the dessert. She was glad to have Michael's company. "Me neither," he said, glancing back down at the menu and furrowing his brows. "Considering what fine dining establishments they have in the area, I'm surprised." Michael couldn't keep himself from being sarcastic -- he was already beginning to feel claustrophobic in the tiny room and annoyed by those pesky flying things. This place had better have cheesecake. "Aha!" Michael reached across the table to point at the corresponding area on Bianca's menu. "Cheesecake -- finally." It was strange to feel relief over something as simple as cheesecake but Bianca allowed herself a tiny sigh of relief. The dessert genuinely was one of her favourites but braving the teashop would have been disappointing if they hadn't found what they were looking for. "Finally," she echoed, lifting her head to catch Madam Puddifoot's attention. She watched the woman squeeze between the tables and then turned to Michael to double-check. "Two cheesecakes?" "Two cheesecakes," Michael affirmed, before handing the menu to the woman. "Please." Once the woman was gone, he took a good look around them to make sure that no one was within hearing distance -- well, the place was so small that everyone was within hearing distance, but most of them appeared to be more interested in their respective significant others than what Michael would be saying to Bianca. So, leaned across the table and kept his voice as low as he could. "I talked to some people about that thing. The thing with Parvati, I mean." Bianca's eyes widened and for a brief moment she wasn't sure that she'd heard Michael correctly. "You what?" There was no denying that she trusted his intelligence. Otherwise she'd have never come to him with her problem in the first place. She also trusted him not to share her lapses in judgement. Her unwillingness to see Parvati Cruciated was certainly a lapse in judgement and she couldn't believe he'd told someone else. However, the two of them alone hadn't found a solution. Come Friday, Bianca would either have to resort to something rash or she would have to accept the facts. With a defeated sigh she leaned forward as well, propping her cheek in her palm. "Who? And what did they suggest?" she asked tersely. "They're not going to say anything" he said. "And they weren't very helpful, anyway. Some one suggested that you Confund him and have Lavender stand guard, but I don't get the feeling that she likes you very much." He took another glance around to make sure that their conversation was still just between the two of them. "The only two other things that came up were the suggestion that you either talk to Parvati and see what she wants to do or you just let him...you know." Making only a non-committal sound in response, Bianca glanced up in time to see the shop's proprietor beginning to head towards their table. She quickly pressed a finger to her lips before sitting back in her seat and remaining silent until the woman left, mulling over her options in her head. Once they were alone again, she leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I don't trust Lavender and I wouldn't ask her for help." She averted her eyes, looking at the table instead of at Michael. "I don't think this is such a good idea anymore. Stopping one person wouldn't solve anything, would it?" "No, I guess not," he said, pausing to take a large bite of his cheesecake. "But, look--" He set down his fork and leaned forward again. "You don't understand what that curse feels like and I don't even know if I can explain. I hope you never have to feel anything like that." He sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. He was loathe to try and remember what it had felt like, not that anything that painful would let itself be easily forgotten. Feeling foolish, she sat back and set about idly cutting her cheesecake into bite-sized pieces. She'd forgotten that Michael had been through the curse before. She'd avoided asking Parvati what to do out of respect for her situation but in a roundabout way Bianca had still ended up being insensitive. She hated that terrible curse and she hated that she was forced to repeat it over and over. It made her feel cruel and, while she knew she gave into her baser emotions far more often than she knew she should, she didn't want to be cruel. She wanted to be proper and correct. "I'm sorry," she mumbled before busying herself with a bite of her cheesecake. She chewed and swallowed before she spoke again, leaning toward him. "I just don't know what to do. I feel utterly helpless." "I know what you mean," Michael said. He poked at the top of his cheesecake with the prongs of his fork, staring at the pattern they made in the surface. "I don't feel like I have any control over anything. Maybe that's why I tried to free the newts -- I mean, I know that was stupid, but at least I got to decide for myself. Kind of backfired, though." Bianca simply nodded in response and took another bite of her cheesecake. She supposed she could understand that. "Thank you for listening to me, Michael," she said finally. "I'll consider asking Parvati what she would like for me to do but thank you for your help. I don't have the opportunity to say what I'm thinking very often and sometimes it feels overwhelming. Sometimes I feel like I might...explode, I suppose." "Well, please don't," he said, grinning just slightly; however, the change in expression was short-lived and he leaned forward. "You know you can talk to me whenever you need to. And I'm not just saying that." Bianca suddenly felt pleasantly overwhelmed by Michael and she couldn't help but smile at him. "I really wish there were something I could do to repay you but thank you," she said weakly, feeling a bit like an inadequate broken record. She impulsively reached for his forkless hand and awkwardly squeezed his fingers before just as awkwardly returning her hand to her own side of the table. Michael was taken by surprise, but it didn't stop him from smiling in a way he new must have looked really silly. "Don't worry," he said with a wry grin. "I'll figure out something you can do to repay me eventually." He had been thinking about reaching across the table to take her hand back when one of the cupids flew by his face, throwing handfuls of confetti straight at him. It took him a moment to clear it from his vision and to keep it from tickling his nose into a sneeze, but when he had managed it, his mood had noticeably soured. "Stupid...cupid thing." The attack may have soured Michael's mood but Bianca had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. In the midst of their serious conversation, she'd forgotten where they were. She absently brushed bits of confetti from her side of the table as she leaned toward him once more, glancing around to make sure no one would overhear her. "I had no idea this place was so disturbing," she admitted in hushed tones. "I'm not sure that the cheesecake is really worth it. Or that this confetti is at all sanitary." Michael grinned and took another look around at the shop -- it wasn't a place that he'd have ever visited if he hadn't been dragged there (which had been the case on his previous visits) or if he hadn't been looking for something like cheesecake with some one like Bianca. He was relieved that she thought it was all as distasteful as he did. "I never thought I'd come in here ever, let alone multiple times." "Well," she started, shyly looking down to inspect her fingernails and feeling a bit ridiculous in the process. "I don't think I'll ever ask you to come here again, if you don't mind. Next time we'll have to settle for subpar desserts." Bianca lifted her eyes and warily watched one of the cupids douse another couple in confetti. "I do rather like chocolate cake." "Is there anyone who doesn't like chocolate cake?" He took another bite of his cheesecake and followed Bianca's gaze toward the cupid. He thought it was a little counterproductive to have something flying around that was more or less assaulting each of the guests as they ate, talked or whatever some of them were doing -- Michael couldn't quite decide. Bianca took another bite of her own cheesecake and chewed thoughtfully, allowing her eyes to drift from the cupid to the couple below it. She quickly returned her attention to Michael and shifted in her seat. Now that it was easier to pay attention to her surroundings, it was difficult to find somewhere else to look that didn't involve a scantily clad cupid or a preoccupied couple. It was awkward. Plus she was sure she'd gotten a rather intimate look at one of the cupids that had flown over their heads. "I suppose," she said, stabbing another bite of her cheesecake with her fork, "someone who is allergic to chocolate wouldn't like it very much." Despite her discomfort, she smiled over her fork at him. "Good point," he said, grinning as he stuck his fork into his mouth. "That would be one of the worst things a person could be allergic to, I think." Out of the corner of his eye, he caught another cupid flying toward their table and narrowed his eyes at it, hoping the thing would take a hint and stay away from them. It seemed to heed his warning and veered off toward another table, so Michael busied himself with his cheesecake once again. He had his fork half-way to his mouth when a group of the flying cupids hovered over his head long enough to drop a pillow on him, red and heart-shaped. Indignant, Michael reached up to swat them away, but they were far faster than he was. "Oh, I couldn't imagine being allergic to chocolate," she replied, pursing her lips in amusement as she watched Michael narrow his eyes at one of the cupids. She took a bite of her own cheesecake and nearly spit it right back out as she watched the group of cupids drop a pillow on him. She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand and sounding a bit choked as she attempted to swallow at the same time. "I don't believe they like you very much." One of the cupids chose that moment to shower Bianca's head with confetti and with an annoyed glance upwards she added in a low voice, "I don't believe I like them very much." Michael didn't think laughing would have been in very good taste, so he tried his best to keep a straight face, even going so far as to take a large bite of cheesecake to occupy his mouth. When he finished chewing, he grinned and shook his head at the cupids. "I can't imagine anyone could like them very much. Do you want to get out of here?" It didn't take Bianca very long to find an answer to that question and she gave Michael an enthusiastic nod. "Yes please." The few remaining bites of her cheesecake were covered in confetti and she looked forlornly at her plate as she reached for the coin purse in her pocket. She wasn't entirely sure how this part was actually supposed to work and she was at a loss as to whether or not they were on the sort of outing where she could expect him to foot the bill. "I can pay," she said, hesitantly. "I'll pay," Michael said, motioning for her to put her coin purse away and reaching for his pocket to retrieve the remainder of what he'd set aside for Hogsmeade weekends that year. He considered it polite practice to foot the bill when he took a girl out -- he'd seen it work well in the past for his brothers and it was just how he'd been raised. Chivalry wasn't dead, his mum had always made a point to tell him and his brothers, people were just succumbing to sinful negligence where their manners were concerned. Right, mom. Either way, Michael was going to pay. He slipped enough money to cover their cheesecakes and a small tip for the waitress before sliding out of his chair and waiting for Bianca to lead the way out of the steamy little tea shop, where he hoped he'd never have to take a girl again. In the doorway, he reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thanks. Even if that place is a little weird, the company was nice." Bianca stopped and turned to Michael when they were on the street with a teasing smile on her lips. "The cupids, right? I'm sure if you asked one of them to accompany you they would. If only to drop more things on your head." She tilted her head to the side and lifted her eyebrows slightly before sobering somewhat. "Thank you as well, though. For helping me and buying me cheesecake. I had fun." She glanced down at her watch and, noticing it was much later than she'd expected, hooked her thumb in the direction of the school. "I should go. I have rounds tonight and I should have a nap." She briefly considered doing something impulsive, such as hug him, but didn't feel entirely comfortable initiating it. "Goodbye then," she said finally, turning and starting in the direction of the school. She wondered briefly if Sasha would be willing to listen to her talk about her afternoon before coming to her senses. |