x. (xxoxoxx) wrote in reduxpitch, @ 2016-08-21 14:55:00 |
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Entry tags: | !thread, character: xavier ansari, retired character: aisling astor |
who: aisling astor & xavier ansari
where: tea shop in muggle london
when: 21 august, afternoon
what: post-family breakfast
status: completed in docs
Family breakfast was possibly the one constant Xavier had had for his entire life - barring the time he’d spent away at Hogwarts. No matter how busy his father was with work, no matter what he was doing with the band, come Sunday morning everyone was sat around the table together. His mother insisted on it, though it didn’t come as anything pushy or an obligation so much as something to look forward to. It was for family, but also people important to family. That was why Xavier had invited Aisling. She’d met his family before, of course - his father just in passing but his mother and sisters several times over the years they’d been in the band together. This was different, sure, but Xavier didn’t see it as anything that different. His family already liked her. He hadn’t wanted to push, because everyone viewed family differently. He knew he had a good, close relationship with his, but he knew enough people who didn’t. But she’d gone with him, and it had been nice having her there - though he’d had to pull double duty as host and occasional translator, but he didn’t have a problem with that. Afterward Xavier took her a tea shop in the neighborhood, a place he’d gone often when he’d been living more as a muggle than a wizard. It was a nice shop, a nice change from the usual tea shops they went to. Not that it was a problem to be recognized, but it was relaxing to go somewhere where they didn’t have to worry about prying, watchful eyes. The table they had by the window was small but cozy, and Xavier returned from the counter with their tea to set down as he sat across from her. “So… better or worse than expected?” -- The thing with having breakfast with Xavier’s family was that Aisling really had been nervous. She knew she had no reason to be. Especially because she had met them before. Xavier’s sisters were absolutely lovely and his mum was fantastic, and sure, Aisling didn’t know Xavier’s dad very well but he, too, seemed nice. None of this, however, had made Aisling not feel nervous. She may have held Xavier’s hand a bit too tightly when they first arrived but by the end of breakfast, Aisling had mostly forgotten she had been nervous. She had, of course, been on her best behaviour throughout, but then there was no such a thing as Aisling’s ‘worst behaviour’. Thanking Xavier for the tea, Aisling laughed at his question. “I didn’t expect it to be awful,” she told him honestly. She really hadn’t. Aisling had worried that they might not... approve, but frankly, she was still worried about that so it seemed redundant to bring up. She was glad, though, that they had gone out after, able to talk. It seemed oddly grown-up, which she supposed they were. “Your family is very lovely,” she said. They were. Aisling took a sip of her tea, after blowing carefully at it. Settling the cup back down, she gave a small shrug Xavier’s way. “How did you think it went?” She asked since that seemed fair. -- Xavier grinned softly when she said she hadn’t expected it to be awful That was good, at least. He didn’t think anyone who knew anything about his family would have. He folded his arms on the edge of the table and leaned against them, his grin melting into more of a smile when she said they were lovely. He’d always thought so. “I think it went fine?” he said, raising a shoulder in a half-shrug. “I mean, everything was normal, but with you there too.” He let one of his hands move over to take hers, holding it loosely. “They like you, you know.” -- Aisling gave a small laugh at Xavier’s words that everything had been exactly how it was when she wasn’t there, just with her. “Well, I am very glad it’s always so lovely,” she told him with a smile, giving his hand a squeeze when he reached out to take hers. “I know they like me,” Aisling confirmed because she did. Perhaps she just wasn’t convinced they liked her with Xavier, but Aisling was smart enough to realise that that had actually nothing to do with Xavier or his family and everything to do with her own worldview. “No one’s ever introduced me to their family as their girlfriend,” Aisling said with a small smile. It wasn’t a complaint, hardly. Aisling had never dated anyone who she cared enough about to want to be introduced to their family. “And I guess,” she shrugged slightly. “I don’t know, my family is very different,” Aisling noted since they really, really were. “I just don’t want yours to--” There Aisling shrugged again because she didn’t actually know where she was going with that. Judge her, perhaps. Which was ridiculous, because she knew they wouldn’t. The Ansaris really were lovely. -- With his tea slightly cooled, Xavier took a small sip as he listened to her speak. He hadn't ever really introduced someone to his family like that, mostly because he'd never had someone. He'd dated casually, seen people casually, but never had someone he was in a relationship with. His family was his family, though, and he’d known everything would go well. They were glad he was happy, more than anything. He knew Aisling came from a different world than he did, even though they were technically from the same one. “Don't want them to what?” he asked, his brow furrowing a little. -- “It’s silly,” Aisling replied shaking her head. It was silly, she knew that. “I suppose, I just want them to like me,” she settled on, raising her free hand to stop Xavier from objecting. “And I know they do, both because you’ve said and because they were very nice to me,” they had been, Aisling was aware she shouldn’t worry. “It’s not really on them, or on you,” she explained with another shrug. “Families are odd to me,” Aisling finally settled on. “But yours is a delight,” she added with a smile and it was true. Aisling really had enjoyed the breakfast. Looking around the shop, Aisling smiled. “It’s nice here,” she told Xavier. “Your neighbourhood,” she added somewhat teasingly. It was very nice. “Thank you for showing to me,” she offered with another squeeze of Xavier’s hand. -- Xavier sat quietly for a moment before giving a nod. “No, I get that,” he replied, his thumb stroking over the back of her hand. He really did, because of course she would want them to like her. It was natural to worry, and that wasn't changed by the fact that she had nothing to worry about. “They are a delight,” he agreed with a smile. “At least, I think so.” His smile grew a little at her comments about the neighborhood. “Oh, you're welcome. It took a lot of effort, bringing you here and all.” -- “You think correctly,” Aisling assured with a smile. Xavier’s family were hardly the problem, nor was Xavier. Aisling knew all this and that had been why she had pushed herself to agree to go to the breakfast with him. Nothing bad had happened, nor had she expected it to. Aisling mostly suspected she’d just have to get used to it and she would get used to it. It might just take a while, but then, it hardly seemed like they had much of a shortage of that. At his comment, Aisling frowned. “Did it?” She asked unsure whether he was teasing her or being serious. She could easily see it being either, really. Xavier had been the one to ask if she’d like to come, though, so Aisling suspected perhaps she was just being unnecessarily sensitive about the whole thing. -- At her frown, Xavier smiled a little more, shaking his head. “Of course not, Aisling.” It hadn’t been any effort at all, honestly. He’d been glad to have her there at breakfast, and then taking a stroll down the street to the tea shop? Clearly not much effort had been made - though not because he wouldn’t, but because he hadn’t needed to. “So what do you think, on our way to killing the band and causing all kinds of sad songs to be written?” he teased. “Because I’ve been working with the squirrels, I think we could be good.” -- Xavier’s comment startled a laugh out of Aisling and she shook her head. Everything she worried about was silly, that much as very clear to her. Xavier was lovely and he made her laugh, even when she worried, so it clearly could only indicate good things. “You think you could be good,” Aisling repeated with amusement. “I don’t know, Ansari, which one of them is taking the drums? Because I feel that Andrew could train one of them. Maybe Pinocchio, he’s the one with the nose,” Aisling explained waving her hand in front of her face in a miserable attempt at indicating which squirrel she was referring to. “Does Xavier and the Squirrels have to perform sad songs? Or are all the sad songs staying with Quake?” Aisling asked curiously. “Because I’m not very good at writing sad songs,” frankly, Aisling wasn’t very good at writing any kind of songs. Writing music was much easier for her, but she did suppose she could write some sad violin pieces. -- “I hadn’t figured out which one would be on the drums,” Xavier said with a hum, tilting his head in consideration. He took a long sip of his tea, mulling it over before giving a nod. “Pinocchio would be brilliant, I’m sure. I’ll have to talk to Andrew and see how he feels about working with him on it. He doesn’t have anything better to do, after all.” He grinned as he thought about performing sad songs with a band made of squirrels. It was a silly picture in his mind, as he wasn’t sure a squirrel band would be able to perform much of anything serious, so definitely not sad. “I think we’d have to have some cheery ones in there. The squirrels would insist on it.” -- Aisling was going to suggest that perhaps if Xavier just put Evan near the squirrels, Andrew would be willing to teach them, but before she could, Aisling realised that this was highly likely not a great plan. Evan, if anything, seemed to distract Andrew more than help. “Perhaps we can enroll them in classes,” she decided. Perhaps they could even enroll them in classes with Andrew! He was a Gryffindor, after all, so therefore probably up to a challenge. “The squirrels are very demanding, it’s true,” Aisling nodded with a grin. “They take after their owner, I’m sure,” she added before he could, moving her chair so she could be close enough to Xavier to run her lips over his cheek softly. “So will there be more things for me to be shown here?” She asked curiously. The tea shop was excellent, Aisling decided, and the breakfast had been, of course, lovely. Now that Xavier had managed to banish the anxiety out of Aisling by discussing squirrel rock bands, she felt more at ease with the idea of being there. -- “We could,” Xavier mused, smiling at the thought. It was very silly to think about, but so was having a band made of squirrels. “I think we might need to find squirrel sized instruments first, so they're able to practice properly.” He smiled a little more when she moved closer, his head tilting into the kiss she gave to his cheek. “I suppose, if you wanted to see things,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I'm not sure if any of it’s exciting? But there are definitely things, if you wanted.” -- “It is exciting,” Aisling told Xavier honestly. Perhaps walking around and just looking at places wasn’t in itself, inherently exciting. But the fact that they were places that Xavier had grown up in and around, that to Aisling made it far more exciting. “It’s nice,” she confirmed. “To see where you grew up,” Aisling added with a tiny shrug of her shoulder, giving his hand another squeeze. Glancing through the window, Aisling smiled softly. “Besides,” she said turning back. “I much prefer to see it now than at a different time when it might be raining,” she teased softly. Truth was, Aisling probably would quite like to see it in rain, too. Or certainly wouldn’t object to it, at least. -- “I mean, I guess I don't think it's too exciting because it's just old places to me,” Xavier said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “But I can take you around. I know you're very excited to see the primary school I went to.” He took a sip of his tea before slipping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in closer to him. “Oh I don't know, it's alright when it's dreary out too. Not a whole lot different, really. The rain just makes it better for cuddling and drinking tea along the way.” -- “Better for cuddling and drinking tea, you say?” Aisling repeated with amusement, shifting closer when he pulled her in. “I do like the sound of that,” she confirmed amused. “Might have to come back when it’s raining, then,” not that Aisling would have objected to anyway. With a small shake of her head, she grinned at Xavier. “And seeing your primary school is very exciting,” she assured him. It both was and wasn’t. It would be exciting because Xavier would show it to her, and that was really plenty enough of a reason to see it, as far as Aisling was concerned. |