Alasdair Buchanan keeps his secrets... (ecoutezmoi) wrote in reduxpitch, @ 2016-08-25 19:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | !thread, character: edward carmichael, character: pansy parkinson |
Who: Eddie Carmichael and Pansy Parkinson
What: Comfort after a loss
Where: Eddie's flat
When: 25th August 2002
Warning: pet death
Brochures from the post box - more information on flats from the estate agent he'd spoken to the week before - were tossed sloppily onto the side units in the living room, on top of others that had been untouched for the last few days while he'd been worried about the safety of his long term familiar and pet. Scrunched inside his hand was the letter from the muggle vets in Godric's Hollow, confirming that the old girl had been hit by a car and their recommendation was that she would not survive the injuries. Eddie knew that putting her to sleep had been the kindest thing to do for his loyal companion, but it didn't stop him from hurting any less. Certainly not when he looked to the corner of the living room and saw her cat bed, favourite bird toy lying where she had left it before the cleaner had carelessly let her out of the building.
Putting on a stoic face, Eddie went to the kitchen table and grabbed a piece of parchment from the table draw, scribbling a note to Pansy with an old green biro. His owl fluttered down from his perch, waiting obediently for his master to finish.
Pans,
Just got back from the Muggle vets in the Hollow. They had Mog. She got hit by a car, and well… the old girl didn't make it. So, yeah. It feels a bit shit right now.
I have some other news for you that is best in person, I think. Could use seeing your face.
Eddie
X
Minutes after receiving the owl, Pansy was on her way over to Eddie’s flat. She’d been out shopping; the owl had been lucky to find her when she’d stopped for a coffee and a bite to eat. She was laden with bags when she reached his front door; letting herself in she abandoned her bags, calling out Eddie’s name as she walked through the flat, looking for him.
Eddie heard his girlfriend's voice, turning his head slightly over his right shoulder as he responded. “In here” he called, sitting on the couch in the living room, one leg crossed over the other. He'd just about managed to collect up the flat brochures since he'd sent his owl, and they now sat in the coffee table in front of him. He'd waited calmly for her, eyes still wandering over to the abandoned cat bed.
Pansy could hear the sorrow in Eddie’s voice, the thread of weariness that had been there ever since Mog had gone missing. Much as she and the cat may have had their disagreements she knew how much she’d meant to Eddie - and she’d rather hoped that there would be a much happier ending to Mog going missing.
“Darling,” she sighed, crossing the room and curling up on the couch beside him, her feet tucked under herself as she leant in to wrap her arms around him.
“I’m so sorry about Mog.” She threaded her fingers through his hair, kissing his cheek as she hugged him.
Eddie instinctively slid his arms around Pansy’s waist, pulling her towards him and nestling her against his side. She was like a comfort blanket in that sense, and he kissed the top of her head, sighing before speaking.
“Thanks” he murmured against her hair, idly running his thumb up and down her arm. “I know she was old and had a long life, but… I dunno. It's going to take some getting used to, with her not being here.”
She set her head on his shoulder, her arm wrapped across his waist to hold him close. “Did you...bring her home?” She wasn’t sure how things worked with vets; she’d never had a pet of her own, and even if she had, her father would likely have arranged for a healer to visit the Manor just as he did when she herself was ill.
But then she didn’t know what Eddie would do with Mog’s body. Bury it? Keep her ashes in a box on the mantle? She was...at a loss. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to, nor was it something she was enjoying.
Eddie shook his head in response. “It seemed… too final” he said after a pause, leaning the side of his face to touch Pansy's. “I've got a few days to decide, anyway. They have a little pet memorial there” he continued softly, voice trailing off mid sentence.
He sat silently for a moment before speaking again. “So, do you mind if we change the subject for a bit? I did want to ask you about something…”
Lifting her head, Pansy gently kissed Eddie’s cheek, then leant her forehead against his temple. She was happy not to let him dwell on anything that might make him upset. And thinking about Mog...well that certainly wasn’t pleasant for him right now.
“We can talk about anything you’d like,” she murmured, sitting back a little. “Or nothing at all - the choice is yours.” She was more than willing to distract Eddie from his thoughts in any way he wanted her to. It was odd to experience a loss second-hand. Mog had been like family to Eddie, had been with him through so much. Pansy had no particular emotional attachment to the cat but because Eddie was hurting, she was hurting. Her heart ached for him.
She wasn’t sure she liked that.
Eddie sat up a little, straightening so he could reach for the pile of leaflets from the estate agent. He leaned back into the couch, instinctively seeking Pansy’s physical comfort, and began to skim through them. “I decided I was sick of renting somewhere, couldn’t really make it mine so much… so I went into the magical estate agent last time I was in Diagon Alley. Just to see what was about, you know?”
Of course, there wasn’t much holding him to this particular flat now.
Shifting to make room for Eddie to move, she slid an arm around his shoulders and threaded her fingers into his hair. She’d kicked her shoes off to get more comfy; it was easy to tuck herself into his side, wind around him as much as she could. She watched over his shoulder as he flicked through glossy pamphlets, pictures of doors opening welcomingly, duvets folding back from crisp white sheets.
“You’re thinking of buying a house?” She asked, more than a little surprised. He seemed so content in his little flat; but maybe she’d mistaken contentment for something else. He was making more money now; perhaps this flat was limited by his previous salary, not by his desire to stay.
Eddie couldn’t help but move his head around a little as Pansy’s fingers trailed his scalp. Tactile where his girlfriend was concerned, he couldn’t resist her touch, however brief.
“Mmm” he nodded, contentment more from physical contact than the notion of moving house. He picked up five brochures from the top of the pile, ready to hand them to Pansy one by one. “I’ve been getting itchy feet here for a while… limited space, feeling a bit isolated in a building with strangers… I guess I want a place where I can make things over exactly as I want and actually make a life there, you know?”
Curling back into her, the brochures on his lap, he flicked through for something. “This one is in Tinworth,” he said, handing over a brochure for a small, simply decorated cottage near the beach in Cornwall, “and these are all in Hogsmeade” he finished, handing over another four. The first two were larger and slightly more modern, though naturally more expensive. The latter two were smaller, but definitely had a sweeter, more “country cottage” vibe.
“None of them look exactly how I’d want them, but I haven’t been to look around any yet. I’m guessing I could redecorate how I wanted, but that’s not my area of expertise… what do you think?” he asked, looking at Pansy tentatively.
Pansy looked through the brochures carefully, taking her time to look at each cottage.
“Well I suppose it depends what you’re wanting the cottage for,” she pointed out. “This one,” she gestured to the third, “would be perfect for dinner parties, and having friends round in the garden. But it doesn’t look as traditional as the last couple - so it depends if you’d prefer ye olde country cottage, or something a little more modern.”
Eddie tilted his head so it rested on hers, listening to her as she spoke. He thought it was interesting that she used the third one as a point of reference, though he wouldn’t ask about that right away.
“See? This is one of the many reasons I like you” he replied, kissing her head before turning to look at the brochures himself. “But you know, I don’t know if I have a preference for modern or old fashioned, not from the outside at least, so I don’t think I can use that to narrow things down” he mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
She had a point about the purpose of the house, too, but he was still considering that at this point. “If it were you, and you were putting the money down on this, what would stand out to you?” he asked, looking at her with interest.
She pursed her lips. “The larger ones,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “So that there’s room for friends to stay if they want.” She smiled wryly. “And if it were me, there would need to be at least two rooms for my wardrobe, in any case.” None of the cottages were what she’d consider, if she was looking for a house for herself, with her father’s money. She wasn’t sure exactly what Eddie’s budget was - she suspected it was a good deal less than hers.
Eddie chuckled affectionately. “Note to self, have a couple of spare bedrooms for when Pansy comes to visit” he said, grinning down at her and giving her a kiss to show he was teasing. Reflecting more deeply on her words, he slid the first and last from the pile, leaving three more on Pansy’s lap. “Well, that gets rid of those two, then” he added, tossing the rejected leaflets onto a pile by the floor. “Pity I’d already got them to pre-screen for the price of the things, or that might help me narrow down” he mused, running fingers idly through Pansy’s hair.
“And a study, for writing?” She suggested. “You’re going to do your back in one of these days, curled up on the couch working on scripts.” Her nails gently trailed across his scalp as her fingers roved through his hair over and over, gaze on the shrinking pile of brochures. “So what brought this on all of a sudden?” She asked. “Or have you had itchy feet for a while?”
“That's a good idea” Eddie replied, drumming his fingers on his thigh before tossing the fourth - well, third now - brochure onto the rejected pile. It left just two - the first two Hosgmeade properties, more like houses than cottages even if country in design.
Eddie curled back into her, almost cat like himself as he enjoyed her attentions. “I only really rented this place out of necessity” he admitted. “I wanted to move out right out of school, this was the best place I could get, and it let me get away from the family for a while. Never really been a fan of the building, though. The best people who were here moved out and the ones who are left aren't exactly my cup of tea.”
“Well, I think a move is a splendid idea,” she murmured, kissing his cheek softly. “But right now, I think you need to put those down-” she pulled them out of his hand and set them side. “Come upstairs, and I’ll run you a nice hot bath.” Standing, she smirked. “If you’re very lucky, I might even join you...”
“I’ll contact the agent in the morning, go and look around them both… you can come look, if you want?” Eddie had begun, looking to include his girlfriend in the decision. But then, of course, Pansy started talking like that, something he never had been able to resist.
“Do, please” he replied breathily, letting her pull him up before kissing her.