Tweak

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Tweak says, ""Feed your head""

keeper_captain (keeper_captain) wrote in quaffle_rpg,
@ 2009-09-08 22:21:00

RP: First Date
Who: Lavender Brown and Oliver Wood
When: 08 September 2005
Where: Diagon Alley
What: A date, he thinks
Status: Closed
Rating: PG

Oliver paced a bit in his bedroom and sighed. He wasn't sure what possessed him to ask Lavender to dinner, but he was committed to doing this. She was a nice girl, and it was just one date. It wasn't as if it had to be anything more. It had been eight years, and he knew Colin would be going off to school and he might want to have more to life than his son and quidditch. But it didn't make it much easier.

He picked up the small bouquet of daisies off the counter in the kitchen on the way out the door. Witches still liked flowers, right? He was rubbish at this. He was rubbish at dating before his wife died, and this only made it worse. Not that he and his wife really ever dated. Drunken shagging a few times before she showed up at his door didn't really make much of a relationship. Truthfully, the last serious girlfriend he had was at Hogwarts. He shook his head. For all the rumors of the sex god Wood was, he was just an awkward bloke.

He apparated over to Lavender's and took a deep breath. He smoothed down his dark blue button down shirt that he had tucked into a nice pair of jeans. Nothing too fancy, but he looked okay. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-11 01:44 am UTC (link)

Lavender stepped up beside him, taking his arm a bit shyly. She wasn't anymore used to this whole dating thing than he was. And perhaps that was good for both of them. When Lavender had been dating frequently, before the war, she had been a bit pushy. She probably would have scared him off. But now she was as awkward and unsure of herself as he was. It was going to take a little while for either of them to get comfortable with this. Although probably it would be easier for Lavender than Oliver, considering she had a good bit of experience with it.

"I know what the press is like," Lavender replied, still smiling a little bit. "I am one, if you remember." That was how this whole thing had come about. She interviewed him. He asked her for a date. She knew that the press could get a bit pushy. Lavender preferred to be more discreet, but she could be just as pushy when it came right down to it.

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keeper_captain
2009-09-11 09:54 pm UTC (link)

Oliver laughed and apparated them to the small cafe not far from Puddlemere stadium. The owners knew Oliver well, and they were escorted to a small both in the back, around a corner from the windows in the front, so the average passer by would not notice them. The waitress dropped off two menus and two glasses of water and promised to be back.

"It's not just the press though," Oliver said, taking a seat. "I don't want to sound like a jerk, because I realize I don't have a job without my fans, but they don't seem to get that I am just a normal bloke who sometimes just wants to have a pint, or a burger in peace." He shrugged and glanced at the menu. "Or take my kid to the park. Poor Colin, I worry about when he goes to Hogwarts people will treat him strangely because of who his father is."

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-12 12:56 am UTC (link)

Lavender slid into her chair. She got comfortable, crossing her legs under the table. She flipped the menu open, looking at it and then Oliver and then back again as he spoke. She nodded in understanding. Certainly all famous people felt that way. That didn't necessarily mean it was true. "Well, I'm sure it won't be too terrible. I mean, you're not the first quidditch player to send his kid to school. And there are loads of other famous people who do it. The Weird Sisters, for instance. And, well, I mean, we went to school with Harry. I'm sure Colin won't have much trouble with it." It could most definitely be worse.

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keeper_captain
2009-09-12 01:30 am UTC (link)

Oliver nodded, "I am sure you are right, but I have a hard time not being overprotective. After all, he's all I have." He shook his head and looked down at the menu. Surely he could find something else to discuss other than his son. No wonder his love life had been on hold, he really didn't have much of a life outside of his son and quidditch.

"So, other than ask uncomfortable questions to famous people, what do you like to do, Lavender." He'd ask her about herself, that way he wouldn't sound so boring. Katie was going to laugh at him. Probably Hannah as well.

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-12 04:37 am UTC (link)

Okay, so discussing his kid as probably the first mistake of first dates. Never talk about your kids. But Lavender actually didn't mind. She already knew about his kid and most everything else thanks to the interview. And considering neither of them had dated for a while, a couple of first date faux pas could be expected. If discussing his kid was the only thing they did wrong, then they were doing pretty good.

"I like to travel." Lavender grinned a little. She hadn't mentioned anything about it during the interview because it wasn't about her. Although she figured with as much as she knew about Oliver, it was probably all about her now. "Ever since my dad had a stroke a couple of years ago, my family started taking the holidays abroad for his health. I'm in love with the experience. I just can't find a job that lets me travel yet."

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keeper_captain
2009-09-12 04:45 am UTC (link)

"I love traveling, but you already knew that," he said with a smile. "I'm surprised you don't do travel pieces for Witch Weekly. I am sure people would love to read all about travels to exotic or even not so exotic locations." It seemed logical to him. After all, she wrote, she traveled, why not combine the two?

"Where have you been? Do you stay in Europe or have you gone all over?"

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-12 05:20 am UTC (link)

The waitress approached again, waiting for them to order. Lavender did, with very little hesitation. She was well versed in cuisine and had very little trouble deciphering the menu. And then she waited for Oliver to order before she continued with their conversation. And, of course, waited for the waitress to go away. Lavender wasn't quite as comfortable around other people as she used to be.

"I'd love to do travel pieces, I'm just not that high on the food chain yet." Lavender was struggling to get her foot in the door as it was. She had a job, sure, but it was lame. She was good at researching current fashion trends, but she'd rather be writing other stuff. "Mostly my family travels to Argentina. My dad likes it there. But we've been to Greece and Sweden and Australia and a couple other places."

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keeper_captain
2009-09-12 05:31 am UTC (link)

Oliver knew the waitress and gave her a friendly smile, ordering his usual dinner. He was secretly glad she didn't ask where Colin was, or who Lavender was. It was a bit weird he brought any bird here, and he expected questions to come eventually. Either way, the girl would get a good tip for leaving him alone.

"Well, maybe next trip, write about it and submit it? The worst they can say is no, right? Who knows, maybe you will break the scandal of the season. Though really, I have no idea what that might be." It certainly wouldn't be anything with him. He was far too boring.

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-12 06:37 am UTC (link)

"I don't even know if there'll be a next trip. I don't have the money or the vacation time. Otherwise I'd be all over that." Lavender hadn't had more than a weekend of free time since taking up her job at Witch Weekly. Her position until recently had been nothing more than gopher. And now it was gopher and whatever other assignment she could scrounge up to push her position up the ladder. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but she was hoping it would be worth it.

Lavender took a sip of her water, running a mental check to be sure she remembered to charm her lipstick to not smear. It seemed like it. She hoped she did. "And as far as scandals... well, I'm always up for a good gossip story, but that's not exactly what I'm after. I'm trying to write interest pieces that are a little on the fence, sure. I mean, I want it to feel like a scandal without actually involving one... if that makes any sense at all." It was no wonder her boss hadn't given her the go-ahead on all this. She couldn't get a concrete explanation of what she wanted to write!

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keeper_captain
2009-09-12 08:39 pm UTC (link)

Oliver nodded. He could understand. Early in his career, he had spent every waking moment on the pitch, perfecting his game. While he still spent a significant amount of time on the pitch, he tried to balance more now with a life. His game had not suffered too much for it. "Well, you could always write about your old trips. Or hopefully find some other hook." He did wish her success. She didn't seem like most other reporters.

"So, you want a big story, but not one that hurts anyone?" He thought he understood what she was saying, but really it was all a bit confusing.

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-13 01:17 am UTC (link)

"Well, that's not exactly what I mean." Yup. This was definitely why she couldn't get approval until the pieces were written. She needed to more clearly explain her arc and she wasn't exactly sure how. "Of course I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm not that kind of reporter." Yeah, that would be a great sentence to have left wide open. Especially after she'd just interviewed him. Leave him wondering if she was secretly malicious. No, of course not. She'd been a bit shallow and petty in school, but most of that had passed.

Lavender shifted under the table, uncrossing and recrossing her legs. And accidentally bumping his thigh with her foot as she did. She was suddenly aware of the space between them, the way they were pushed back away from prying eyes. But she shook it off. "I want something juicy. I want something that the readers will see and think Well bloody hell I just have to read that article!, you know?"

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keeper_captain
2009-09-13 04:28 am UTC (link)

"Well, I hope whatever it is you want to do, you are able to do it." He really didn't understand the publishing world, but he always thought people with talent would do well. He thought she was a bright girl, and surely she would do well, given the chance. He didn't think she was a malicious bird. That was the realm of Rita Skeeter.

"Juicy? What about an up and coming musician who used to be a quidditch star? My best mate, Kenneth? He's got a big gig in a few weeks. He was a footballer too, which not many wizards do. He'd be a great interview." Oliver was always willing to push his best mate's name out there, for obvious reasons. "Or maybe something on Roger Davies? Merlin knows he's always up to something."

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-13 05:10 am UTC (link)

Lavender flashed a winning smile. Of course he would say something like that. He had more talent in his big toe than Lavender had in her whole body. She had gotten lucky to even get a research-type job at Witch Weekly. And now it was just struggle after struggle to actually make something of herself. She was barely getting minimum wage. But she'd never say something like that. She just blushed a bit.

"Well, I want to work my way through some Quidditch blokes first." She paused. That sounded terrible. She probably should have reworded that. Lavender's face actually flushed again, a real blush this time. "I mean I plan to write at least half a dozen or more of the kind of article I'm working on now. Quidditch players, maybe the team owners, possibly other staff if I can find something worth writing. Roger is on my list, but so are half a dozen other people. I'm meeting with Marietta Edgecombe soon. Trying to get the female swing on it."

And then, of course, she realized that she had completely skimmed over the Kenneth thing. "Towler, yeah? I mean, the player turned musician?" She'd read all about his quidditch accident, picked up on something about football, but she hadn't ever been clear on that. "Maybe I'll stop by his thing and write something up to see if it catches attention."

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keeper_captain
2009-09-20 11:51 pm UTC (link)

Oliver nodded and smiled. "Well, quidditch does sell magazines. I mean, you put Malfoy or Miles on the cover and you're going to sell." He thought for a moment, sipping his drink. "Malfoy, there is an interesting bloke. His history is a bit spotty, but he overcame it to become fairly successful. I never thought I'd like having a Slytherin team mate, but he works hard."

Really, there wasn't a single person he disliked on his team. He thought that most likely gave them the advantage this season. They certainly needed it because the Wasps were the team to beat.

"Ken's a good bloke. You should stop by. I know a bunch of people from our house are going to be there. I have to go on threat of death from Katie. Surprised she's not threatening you either." Oliver and Katie had been close since her first year of Hogwarts. She was his son's godmother and one of the few women he allowed himself to get close to.

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-21 02:17 am UTC (link)

"You don't look in the mirror often, do you?" Lavender smirked a bit. "You're a handsome bloke, Oliver. We'd be as likely to sell copies with you on the cover as one of them." Especially shirtless. Although Lavender was trying her best not to think about that right now. Because it made her blush. And she was already doing quite enough of that. Lavender was feeling every bit the giggling school-girl with as much as she had blushed tonight.

Shrugging a little, Lavender mused over that thought for a minute. "Well, I suppose old rivalries die hard. But it seems a lot of that house-rivalry stuff was rubbish. I mean, I don't know what house half of my co-workers were in because they weren't in our year, and it doesn't really bother me." There were better things to worry about. As long as they didn't have the mark, she wasn't worried.

"I haven't spoken to Katie, actually. I guess writers don't really interact much with other writers. But I'll probably see if I can show up to Ken's thing." It couldn't hurt. Although she wasn't entirely sure she would feel comfortable going into a big group of her old house-mates like that. Lavender wasn't exactly the same as she had been.

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keeper_captain
2009-09-21 10:47 am UTC (link)

Oliver shrugged and blushed, "I'm an old man in the game. Besides, I hear Davies sells more covers than I do." Guys did keep up with that kind of thing, as vain as it was. After all, they did need some bragging rights. Though Wood was more worried about his performance on the field.

"You should come by. Even unofficially. Everyone needs a night out, right? I say this, and I haven't gone out to a pub and gotten properly wasted in almost ten years. I think that makes me old." He laughed and shook his head. "Or a parent."

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-22 02:14 am UTC (link)

Lavender laughed. "I honestly don't know who sells more covers, but I'd be more likely to buy one with your face on the cover." Even if she didn't know him better than Roger. Because, frankly, she found Oliver far more attractive. And his eyes were just... well, very much a good feature. She could see herself being a silly girl and buying a magazine because the bloke on the cover was attractive. She was still that shallow sometimes.

"There is a such thing as babysitters, you know." Lavender smirked at her little bit of snark. Yes, she understood that parenting took a lot of effort. But that's what babysitters were for, right? To give the parents a much needed break.

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keeper_captain
2009-09-22 02:43 am UTC (link)

Oliver blushed. She was a nice girl, and flattering. He could appreciate that. "Thank you," he said, taking a drink to cover up his embarrassment. He really didn't think he was that special.

"Yeah, I know, but coming home pissed out of your mind doesn't work well the next morning when you have an eight year old bouncing on your bed demanding pancakes." He shook his head. "I do get babysitters, Colin has a nanny, but I don't like leaving him overnight unless I am traveling for work."

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-22 05:13 pm UTC (link)

Lavender was the kind of girl who believed in the treat others the way you want to be treated philosophy. It wasn't always successful, obviously. And she did have moments where she slipped up, especially since her scarring. But for the most part Lavender was sweet because she liked when people were sweet to her. It was a do "do unto others" kind of thing.

"Well you should be careful you don't run yourself ragged that way. Everyone needs a break now and again. Even pro-athletes." Lavender grinned a little. She'd seen enough frazzled parents, trying to do everything and never taking time out for themselves, to know what that lifestyle could do. It was one of the reasons she had avoided it. Although certainly not the main one.

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keeper_captain
2009-09-23 08:27 am UTC (link)

Oliver nodded. "I know, I know. But I've only got 3 years left with Colin before he goes off to school. I do try to have some grown up time, but still, overnights are just a big deal. He's got some fears over me dying, because of his mum." Oliver shook his head, "But I am sure you don't want to hear me talk about him endlessly. It's just hard, he's been my life for the past eight years. Usually my friends have to tell me to shut up." He knew he talked too much about Colin, but he couldn't help it.

"Then again, once he is gone off to Hogwarts, I plan on doing something. Probably start off with traveling a bit, maybe even start transitioning to coaching. I can't expect to fly forever." Oliver had enough money to support himself and Colin comfortably for a long time, but he didn't want to leave the sport again.

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bright_n_bubbly
2009-09-23 07:20 pm UTC (link)

Lavender smiled and just kind of nodded. No, she really didn't mind hearing about Oliver's son. It definitely wasn't first date etiquette, but it wasn't a subject they could avoid entirely either. It just didn't quite make the most date-appropriate conversation.

"No, but you've still got a lot of good years left, I'm sure. Unless something horrible were to happen." Which they had already discussed. But it wasn't like he was old, especially by wizarding standards. He could probably play for ten or twenty more years yet. "I suspect coaching isn't quite as fun as actually playing. Then again I've never been real great at either."

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