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Tweak says, "Everybody wang chung tonight"

w_hopkins (w_hopkins) wrote in unexpectedrpg,
@ 2008-07-10 20:25:00

Entry tags:

ginny weasley, wayne hopkins

WHO: Ginny and Wayne
WHEN: [Backdated]
WHERE: The Riverside Tavern
WHAT: Working things out
RATING: E for Everyone
STATUS: Closed / In progress

Wayne was tired, he'd been that way all day. He hadn't stayed up too late, but he'd been seeming to drag behind all day and there was nothing that could be done about it. Eating, moving around, taking a short nap, nothing had helped. So when Kevin finally appeared for his shift Wayne was more then happy to see him. In all honesty, he just wanted to go to bed, but he'd told Ginny that it was alright to stop by that evening and he wanted to get this all worked out. The way he saw it, one less thing to stress about was one less thing preventing him from a good nights sleep, which was something he truly needed.

After making sure Kevin was fully into the swing of things, Wayne escaped out side. After being cooped up all day, he desperately needed to cool breeze. Given the name of the pub it wasn't surprising that there happened to be a river running alongside the building. Glancing up and down the road for a sign of an approaching individual, he headed down toward the river edge and claimed a favourite spot beneath one of the trees. If he wasn't careful, he would end up falling asleep out there to the sound of people bustling around inside the Pub and the sound of the water in front of him. At least being out here meant that he couldn't miss Ginny when she arrived. She wouldn't be able to apparate directly inside the pub, and would have to approach from the road.

Picking up a small stone, he tossed it into the river before leaning back against the bark of the tree to wait.

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weesli
2008-07-10 08:57 pm UTC (link)

Ginny, who had arranged to meet with Wayne around twenty minutes ago, had gotten to work extra early that day and left earlier than she normally did. Especially recently, she had been spending a good deal of time at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. At first, it was to distract her from destruction - either of her own sanity or of any innocent victims health -, but it had more recently been because she needed the money. Considering she had been living by herself and working, she had more money to her name than she used to. George had admitted to helping pay off her fee and Ginny was determined to both repay him and make sure he wasn't angry, disappointed, or had a feeling of obligation toward her. The last one was one a normal person wouldn't consider bad, but when it came to money, Ginny refused to take charity in the form of it, even from family.

And so, when Ginny had arranged to meet with Wayne, she had just recently returned to her flat. She had changed out of her clothes between the sending and resending of owls, donning herself in too-baggy jeans and a better fitting yellow button down shirt that met exactly at the waist of her pants. When the last owl was received, Ginny had thrown her hair into a low ponytail and changed her shoes. She did not notice her frequent sighing and biting of her bottom lip and her lack of company didn't notice, either. She was never one to truly, eternally care if people liked or disliked her. Wayne's arguments, though, bothered Ginny almost as much as anyone else she had ever argued with. She didn't know why, but she was slightly perturbed about the amount of dislike Wayne may have held for her. But something with Wayne put her on the defensive. or was it something with the marriage decree? This meeting, she supposed, would help her differentiate.

Ginny, when she was ready to leave, took a deep breath and apparated to the same spot she had their first meeting. However, her shoulders were less tense this time, and her jaw was not set tightly. She was hopeful from the tone of Wayne's writing, that this meeting may go a bit better. That is, if she let down some of her guards and, perhaps, if Wayne didn't beat stubbornly at said guards. Ginny repeated not to take herself so seriously in her head. Hopefully, the thought would linger long enough. Tossing stray hairs out of her face, Ginny walked up to the pub, spotting the vaguely familiar shape of Wayne sitting outside. Ginny, unblinkingly, stopped a small distance in front of Wayne, facing him, looking down at him, tucking her fingers into her pockets. "You've been let off on your break, have you?" She said it as lightly as she could, but she had been told her voice sounded like it held more meaning than she often meant. "How nice of your boss."

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w_hopkins
2008-07-10 09:32 pm UTC (link)

Wayne glanced up when he heard her arrive. There had been a few moments of silent waiting but nothing too bad. In all honesty, he was quite glad for the few minutes alone to relax and collect his thoughts. Today had been a bit busier then normal, but he certainly wasn't complaining. A bit more income wasn't exactly going to hurt him.

"Yeah, nice guy, that one." he responded, his tone light and with a hint of amusement. He did feel slightly bad about the previous argument but he figured they had both been a stubborn fools and he wasn't going to feel downright distraught about it. It was in the past and he'd much prefer to keep it there. There were more important things to deal with then what had happened in the past couple days. "Though, his cooking skills certainly aren't the greatest. Believe me, I know."

After a moment, he pushed himself up, using the tree trunk as leverage. "Well, I suppose we have things to discuss." he responded, brushing some of the grass from his jeans. "Did you want to remain out of doors or we can use the Pub. There aren't too many people still in there."

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weesli
2008-07-10 09:58 pm UTC (link)

Ginny had come into the habit of being on time, but not too on time. It was a strange dichotomy between her mother, who strove to be early to arrangements but was often thwarted by the litter of people she also had to get there on time or, even, her better half. Arthur, you see, had every intention of being on time, but would let his absent-mindedness delay him. Ginny had grown up in a rush of inconstant arrival times. She was usually the first one to be ready, either because her mother dressed her up longer than she did any of the boys or because Ginny didn't take long to decide on clothes. However, as she had grown into an adult, she had decided she liked being just on time. That is, if she had time to decide.

The corners of her mouth drew upward without much effort as Ginny could see Wayne was a hard worker. She noticed it even before he mentioned working extra hard to pay off his fine. She blinked down at Wayne as he spoke. The tone of his voice, which seemed less hostile than she'd remembered it sounding before, allowed her to breathe deeper and push her lips into a small smile. Pulling her hands out of her pockets. "Lucky dog, people usually hate their superiors" she said, bowing her head slightly and looking between him and the landscape behind him. "Ah, well, no one's perfect, right?" They clearly had very little problem with small talk. Hopefully the big talk would go as smoothly.

That being said, Ginny pivoted a bit on the spot as Wayne rearranged himself, finally offering the water front the attention one normally would. She had noticed it before, but had waited to take it all in. Ginny sighed and shook her head slightly, pulling her eyes away from the river. "It doesn't matter to me. You just got on break, didn't you? You want to go back in there?" Ginny honestly didn't care either way. However, she did note the fact that he had stepped outside at all. Maybe it was because he was still working the last time they had met, or maybe it was because he wanted to be outside. Then again, maybe she only noticed it because she wanted to be outside. She always chose that option if it were represented. "It is nice out." Ginny raised her eyebrows and grinned, rocking on her heels a bit, her hands finding their way back into her pockets.

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w_hopkins
2008-07-10 10:11 pm UTC (link)

Wayne shrugged when she asked if he wanted to go back inside after working. The Tavern was just...another part of life for him. It couldn't possible feel anymore like home then it already did. "When you spend as much time here as I do, it starts to become a part of home. You can't get tired of being there." Granted, if he thought about it, he probably spent more time at the Pub then at his actual apartment, not that he could really complain. At least with the pub there was interesting conversations to be had.

Glancing back between the pub and Ginny, he shrugged once more. "A walk sound fine with me." he decided, his own hands finding their way into his pockets as he took a step toward the road that worked it's way through the small town, before hooking back. "I could do with the exercise anyway."

They walked in silence for several moments before he bothered to breach the topic they needed to discuss. "So...any suggestions on where we're suppose to start?"

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weesli
2008-07-10 10:35 pm UTC (link)

As home-oriented as Ginny was, she had still not decided, in her now adult mind, which she preferred. The quirks of living at home were ones that endeared Ginny most when she was alone in her flat. When she was home for longer than an hour or two (mostly spent in their yard or in the kitchen), Ginny missed the parent-less, gnome-less, emptiness of her flat. And when she was home by herself, she often missed company. And so, of course, Ginny could understand Wayne's feeling toward his pub. Afterall, again, she could see it was extremely important to him.

Ginny smiled broadly as Wayne agreed to stay outside. Sure, it wasn't as rural as the Burrow, but it certainly wasn't as polluted as Cambridge, where she lived. She had already liked this meeting better than the last, even if it is only because she had gotten her wish. She was certain, however, that if Wayne really objected to the outdoors, he would say so. The exercise. Ginny let out a small airy laugh and nodded. "Ah, there you go. Multi-tasking. Smart." Ginny's shoulders were now almost completely relaxed as she followed behind Wayne, only to meet at his side, when they stepped into the street.

Ginny had told herself that one more moment of silence and she would be the one to bring up the inevitable topic, the topic that pushed them into communication with one another. Ginny sighed again, pursing her lips and looking at Wayne's profile as they walked. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she began to speak. "Suggestions? Maybe. I'm new at this whole getting married thing, you see." Ginny nodded, looking forward again. "Uh, how about... when? And where. But when would make more sense to start with." Ginny had known planning a wedding was a lot of work, even for the most organised souls. She had, since she was younger, that she was going to keep things as simple as her mother allowed. However, the situation itself forced a bit of complexity onto it all.

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w_hopkins
2008-07-10 10:52 pm UTC (link)

"See, that wasn't so hard, even for someone who's new to the whole marriage thing," he responded, turning an amused glance in her direction. When and where. You couldn't get much simpler then that. Simple he liked. Simple he could handle.

As for being outside, Wayne really couldn't complain. You simply couldn't live in a rural community without enjoying being outside with wide open spaces all around you. Out here it wasn't a surprise to wake up and find some sort of wildlife in your yard. You couldn't escape it so you had best enjoy it instead.

"I'm not sure how long we have before they take further action in order to rush us along." he responded, frowning slightly to himself. There really hadn't been much detail in the document that was sent with the fine. It had simply stated that he was expected to pay a certain amount by a certain date. "I'm assuming they want it done as quickly as possible, which doesn't exactly help us any."

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weesli
2008-07-10 11:45 pm UTC (link)

Ginny arched one eyebrow and shrugged, feigning modesty. "What can I say? I'm a bright one." Smirking beneath the hair that fell over her face from her ponytail, Ginny lowered her shrug and bit the inside of her lip in thought and, slightly, in anticipation. Simple was the way to go when dealing with something as complex as what they were heading into. Ginny, herself, had thought it a brilliant plan to start with the who, what, where, when, and why. The who was about the only thing she knew for sure and, until recently, she was not so sure about that.

The yard was, really, her favourite part of her home at the Burrow. Spotting the pigs, gnomes, and other various creatures was something that would settle her mind any day. Ginny certainly was glad she changed her shoes before she left her flat. Sure, the dress code was not very strict at the joke shop, but the well worn loafers she was wearing was a much better choice. Ginny's eyes found Wayne's profile again, one that she was beginning to memorize if only by accident.

Her eyes narrowed in thought. The Ministry, apart from forcing all of this upon people, really had seemed unorganised or, at the very least, awful at compromise. Ginny filled her cheeks with a sigh and let it out slowly through her mouth. "Well, all right. The who is you and me. What? A marriage, right?" Ginny nodded these off her mental list. "When would have to be soon, then, you're saying. I can take off whenever." That was one of the many perks of working for her brother, not to mention he would probably have to take the day off to be there, as well. "You're the one with the life and the plans and the pub. Whatever's easier for you that I can comply with, I will."

It was a strange turn around from the last time they spoke. Ginny, however, wasn't talking to Wayne last time, she was talking to the Ministry, through the hot haze of her frustration. As it was, Wayne was much easier to talk to. "Soon, though." Ginny stated, nodding curtly and squinting ahead of them. Considering the fine they already had to pay and, well, the Weasley's monetary upbringing, Ginny also preferred something small because of the costs. "Would you want to have it here? In Ireland." Ginny looked along at the small buildings, still able to hear the water even without looking at it. There was no doubt it was rather lovely there.

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w_hopkins
2008-07-11 12:08 am UTC (link)

He chuckled lightly at her inital comment before remaining quiet as she spoke, listening to what she was saying with care. Things were going to get a lot more complicated before they got better, but at least this was he was sure that they would eventually reach the 'better' aspect.

"The pubs usually pretty low key on sundays. A lot of the people living here go are religious, so church going and drinking don't usually coincide very well. I can close the pub on a sunday without causing too much rukus in these parts." he responded, with a light shrug. He'd been here long enough to know the ins and outs of the best business times to the point of being able to predicit the busiest times and the slowest.

"I'm not too concerned with where we have it. I grew up here, but you grew up...well, not in Ireland." he responded, somewhat awkwardly. He wasn't sure where she grew up. "So, I don't mind compromising on that issue."

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weesli
2008-07-11 01:21 pm UTC (link)

The corner of Ginny's mouth jerked up again, mostly as an initial, subconscious, reaction to hearing Wayne laugh. It was drastically a more pleasant sound than that of doubt, condescensions, and sarcasm. Ginny was not mulling over in her mind why, exactly, she was cohering to this compromise. She had promised not to change her mind for Wayne's sake of stability and she can almost not remember why she changed her mind to begin with. She could certainly remember why she disliked this plan, but what changed her mind was a personal succumbing to facts she didn't like. Reality, however, was something Ginny had learned to notice, something she usually noticed before other hot heads. Sure, this seemed far better than arguing. But was it better than surrendering her right to marry who she wanted if she wanted to? At the moment, she was compromising and arranging that very thing.

To be honest, from what Ginny had seen of the pub, she thought it was nice. And not just because it was a pub. She was beginning to realise, apart from personal and monetary details, why Wayne was in the pub so much. She liked it, in short, even if it is far from her home - both of them. Ginny looked for a moment at her feet, which passed in front of her eyes, alternatively. Ginny squinted in front of them, pursing her lips. There was a hint of a smirk, however. She could hear the small apprehension in his voice. Ginny realised, in a quick flood of thought, that they did not know each other. Sure, she had known this already - it was her leading argument -, but they really didn't know anything about each other. It was overwhelming for a moment. That is, until Ginny realised she had known this all along.

"I'm from Ottery St. Catchpole. Near Devon. Currently living in a flat in Cambridge." She sounded like a personal advertisement. Ginny nodded, answering Wayne's unsaid question before his spoken one. "There's one thing we won't have to learn after we've been shacked up together." Ginny's eyes moved back to Wayne, sighing, again as her mind also moved back to the subject. "If it's too much trouble to have it here, I know the yard at home is big enough to hold a big wedding." Ginny nodded, recalling Bill and Fleur's. "I'm sure it can handle a small one. But, alas, it's been done." Ginny, after mulling it over in her mind, could picture a rather nice gathering in this area.

"You said something about your grandparents," Ginny blinked at him, "Do they live here? Whatever's easier for them should be put into consideration, too." Ginny looked forward again, raising her eyebrows and taking her hands out of her pocket. She rested her forearm along the back waist of her jeans, and her other hand on her hip. "Grandparents have royalties over parents. Or so I've heard."

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w_hopkins
2008-07-12 12:20 pm UTC (link)

"Ottery St. Catchploe. Near Devon." he responded, more to himself then anything. If he was going to remember that then he needed to make it stick. Usually saying it out loud helped out. He figured it probably wasn't a good thing to forget something like that. "I'll remember that."

He smiled lightly when she mentioned his Grandparents. Had his Grandfather heard her worrying about them and traveling he would have had a right old fit. The man liked to think he could do all the things he could when he was Wayne's age. Wayne couldn't count the times he had to talk his Grandfather out of something, or get him out of trouble. If he thought someone believed he couldn't do something, he'd do it the hard way just to spite them. "They can still use the floo system. Grandfather would probably argue to apparate, but it certainly wouldn't be a good idea. My luck, he'd leave his teeth behind and I'd have to go get them." he laughed.

"Location, in all honesty, is up to you." he added, with a shrug. "I'm good with whatever location you choose."

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weesli
2008-07-13 12:00 am UTC (link)

"You'll remember eventually." Ginny spoke casually at these details, even thought there was an impeding force, heavy on her chest that, indeed, he would eventually learn more. She would, too. Usually people knew each other very well before the whole marriage proposal. And even then, the road after the wedding was one of deep learning. It made all of this seem unreal, ridiculous, even. Ginny was trying out this whole compromising and sticking with it thing, no matter how ridiculous it seemed. The optimist in her was taking lead. "At this point it doesn't really matter."

Ginny had to mull it over in her mind - she didn't, in all honesty, really have a preference between having it at the Burrow or having it at Wayne's tavern. Both were rather lovely, but Ginny did not want to seem as though she was choosing one for any specific reason. However, Wayne had insisted, more than once, that it was up to her. Luckily, as well, Wayne's grandfather would never have to hear Ginny suggesting Ireland because of his old age. After a few moments in thought, Ginny sighed and brushed hair away from her face. "I think I'd like to have it at home, actually. Ottery St. Catchpole. Near Devon, I mean." She smirked. Afterall, Ginny had been to Ireland twice now. The Burrow, it seemed, was somewhere one really had to visit to understand where she came from.

Looking quickly up at Wayne, Ginny furrowed her brow. "That all right? I mean, it's a lot of room, but I think the small company we're planning on having, it should be spacious, simple. Give us a lot of room." Ginny shrugged. "Which could be nice." At least, compared to her small flat and the surrounding buildings. Ginny racked her mental list again. "I decided where. You get when." Ginny grinned up at him. "Our team work is astonishing. Better than some voluntarily married couples." Ginny had nudged him with her side, just stepping over the space between them. Half of her was simply seeing how he'd react - so as to gauge his personality. The other half was sincere.

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w_hopkins
2008-07-13 12:11 am UTC (link)

When she nudged him, he grinned, staying on the same path. He wasn't surprised that she had picked her home...though in all honesty, he wouldn't have been unsurprised had she picked Ireland...which was strange in it's own sense. He figured, he was a rather difficult person to surprise. When one always expected a change in plans, the arrival wasn't very impressive. "Ottery St. Catchpole, near Devon, sounds great. I don't think my family has been there so it shall be a learning experience. They need to get out more often. I've been saying it for years."

"I think I ended up with the harder question," he joked, pausing for a moment to consider the possibilities. He had both of their schedules to contend with. "I don't really know how long it takes to plan a wedding, having never done it before, but what about next weekend. Hopefully, the Ministry will hold off on taking any further action against us."

The Ministry really was the wild card in this scenario and he wasn't exactly sure what they were planning to do next. He did know, however, that they should probably expect more surprised down the road.

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weesli
2008-07-13 12:49 am UTC (link)

Ginny was pleased enough with his reaction. Now that they were no longer shouting at one another, it was a little consolation to see a pleasant look on his face. Her own scowling muscles, she knew, had become sore from the past days of worry and frustration. To be honest, Ginny had thought the pub would have been a lovely spot, something different, but still rather personal. However, Ginny felt that her mother would have liked to have it at the Burrow. And Ginny had been mulling over the idea that Ginny owed her mother something a bit more than other children owed their parents, especially as of late. "Well a wedding will be enough motivation." Ginny smirked. "At least more motivation than your telling them for years, it seems." She hoped humour was now allowed near the vicinity, according to his last reaction.

Ginny laughed lightly. "Hey, my decision was hard!" Her hands rose to fix her ponytail up a bit more, tucking her stray hairs behind her ears. "You have a busier schedule, anyway. Afterall, I plan on being an unemployed housewife which means you need to work long hours and bring in all the living money." Ginny looked forward again, her mouth in a small smile. She was joking, of course. Their agreeance was a small weight off of her chest. She could feel her breaths feeling deeper and clearer. Ginny, in all honesty, had a rather personalised schedule. Sure, she had been working a lot. Nearly everyday and at quite long hours. Half was for the pay, half was because she had been one of the people to convince George to stay with the shop after the war. "That sounds good to me." Ginny blinked. "We're both amateur wedding planners. People will forgive us, I think."

Ginny sighed. It seemed as if they were getting somewhere, but she still felt like it was leading to an even more frightening void in time. Planning and executing said plan, she could do. She could get married. Living out a married life, she wasn't sure. Well, she was confident she could do it. Perhaps not correctly, but it was always something she would just know how to do when the time occurred. "And small, we're keeping it, right? Hopefully you won't be disappointed if it's nothing over the top. No gold plated champagne seating charts or jewel encrusted centerpieces." Ginny's mind feel to the details of Daphne and Harry's wedding. Ginny had known she always wanted a simple wedding, no matter what her mother would suggest. Not only did they not have the means to arrange such an event, but those types of details were ones that didn't satiate Ginny's taste in weddings.

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w_hopkins
2008-07-13 08:32 pm UTC (link)

Wayne, for his part, had his own doubts about this entire situation, but he also knew the consequences of going against the Ministry. It appeared as though they were truly serious about this marriage decree and he'd always been good at weighing up the options, which was exactly what he was doing now and he'd be doing it for some time to come.

He chuckled lightly at her comment about being a stay at home wife and knew she was joking. He really didn't believe anyone could sit at home and do nothing. He went stark raving mad if he had to take a day off and there was nothing for him to do. More often then not, he'd go and pitch in back at the Pub until Kevin or Saoirse kicked him out again.

"Definitely small." he nodded, pulling himself back to the conversation when she mentioned the size of the wedding. He'd never been a really big fan of crowds and he figured an overly large crowd would add more stress to the situation and there was certainly enough of that going around as it was.

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