InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Know all the questions."

Asteria Elizabeth Greengrass (othergreengrass) wrote in unexpectedrpg,
@ 2008-06-29 23:58:00

Entry tags:

asteria greengrass, roger davies

W H O: Asteria Greengrass & Roger Davies
W H E N: Monday, June 16th, 2002
W H E R E: Rousillon, London, England.
W H A T: 2nd ~~date~~ Meeting
R A T I N G: E for Everyone.
S T A T U S: Closed / Complete

If anything Asteria was more nervous for this second meeting then she was for the first. In a weird sense, she was more nervous because at Rousillon, she was in her element. She loved this restaurant more then any other in the city...which, in all honesty, didn't make sense. Being in ones element was supposed to give you confidence, not make you worry more. She blamed her nerves on a certain Mr. Harper. She still couldn't believe he'd gotten her up on the bar. What a nightmare? She was still a bit shaky from that experience, invisible eyes had been following her all day and she just wanted them to bloody well disappear already.

After arriving at the restaurant she checked in for their reservation and waited patiently for Roger to arrive. Insane thoughts of whether he'd like the place passed through her mind as she toyed with a strand of her hair, a characteristic that came out when she was nervous. He hadn't sounded like he was disappointed in her choice when she had talked to him over the journals, but she supposed that seeing and hearing were too very different things.

When the waiter once again came up to ask her if she would like something to drink, she almost winced. Her head was still pounding from the night before, but despite this she did order a nice bottle of merlot. She did love the drink and perhaps Roger would like some over dinner. She wasn't about to deny him simply because she didn't know how to say no to her best friend.

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roger__davies
2008-07-01 09:44 pm UTC (link)

"Soon," Roger said with a reassuring smile. Asteria seemed driven and intelligent and Roger was more than confident that she would be rewarded for her hard work. Probably sooner than other people would be in her position. Though it was superficial, there was no question that beautiful people made it further in the world than people who weren't.

But the pleasantries had gone on for long enough, Roger realized with a sigh. Now they needed to progress into the less pleasant topic of their forced marriage and the details that came with it. "I suppose we need to talk about where we're going to live," Roger said, marveling at how strange the words felt coming out of his mouth, "and when we're going to have the....wedding."

Roger cleared his throat awkwardly, picking up his glass and swirling the wine in his glass.

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othergreengrass
2008-07-01 10:00 pm UTC (link)

Before Roger started into the topic of their marriage she could feel the tension start to build and her nerves start to react. She supposed they would eventually have to face these issues, after all they were running out of time.

She'd hoped this part of the conversation would never have to arrive. Not the marriage, but her actually confessing to some of the things she knew were going to cause some issues. Ultimately, he hadn't decided to be in this situation, so she reasoned it wasn't fair to let him head into this without at least warning him about the rapids.

"Um...before we get to that, I think it's only fair to warn you about my....quirks. After all, they'll probably be more difficult for you then they are for me." she responded, glancing nervously up at him, before her eyes returned to the spot on the table in front of her. "If you haven't noticed, which I'm sure you have, I don't exactly handle new situations very well. Anxiety levels go way up. I'm not going to lie, it's going to get worse before it gets better."

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roger__davies
2008-07-01 10:22 pm UTC (link)

Roger felt a little anxiety building up in his chest when Asteria started to speak, but it quickly vanished. She was so earnestly apologetic and awkward about it that Roger knew he would be more tolerant. He could never intentionally hurt her, despite the fact that he barely knew her. There was just something so...fragile about her. And Roger would do everything in his power to ensure that she didn't have to feel like this often.

"I'm willing to do what it takes to make things easiest for you," Roger replied in the gentlest tone he could muster. He truly meant what he was saying, and hoped that his voice and body language showed that.

"You just have to tell me how." It was hard for Roger to admit that he didn't know what he was doing, but there was no doubt that he needed Asteria's lead on this one. If he tried to do things on his own, he'd probably just end up making things worse.

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othergreengrass
2008-07-01 10:46 pm UTC (link)

She hadn't offered that great of an explanation and even that had been rather harder then she expected it to be. She honestly didn't know how her blood pressure wasn't any higher then it was. When he responded to her, she glanced back up from her place. He sounded much more sincere then she had expected for a virtual stranger.

"Patience....its really the only thing you can do and just...be normal. I'm never going to get past it if you're not." she responded, with a small shrug. "I don't exactly do the dating thing because of this very...not that we're dating...um...what I mean is...ugh."

Wincing at her inability to string a logical sentence together, she rested her elbows on the edge of the table, an uncharacteristic move on her part, and rubbed her temples. "This is not going how I wanted it to." she sighed, before attempting once more. "What I'm saying is that outside of my close friends, I don't exactly interact with a lot of....well, guys. The awkwardness stemming from that isn't going to help...though I'm sure at some point I'll make a fool of myself and everyone within hearing distance will be laughing...but I'm used to that."

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roger__davies
2008-07-01 11:22 pm UTC (link)

The softness spread from Roger's voice to his face as he listened to Asteria struggle to explain her...condition? It obviously made her uncomfortable, and she was quite worried at how they were going to work together. But Roger was willing to try to do whatever he could to keep her comfortable, because that mildly psychotic look unhinged him a little.

"I find it hard to believe that people laugh at you, Asteria," Roger said with a small smile as he looked over at her. Their appetizers arrived, allowing Asteria a few moments to gather herself again, and for Roger to devise something to say that didn't sound totally trite.

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othergreengrass
2008-07-01 11:33 pm UTC (link)

"Believe it. They do." She responded wrly, only then noticing where her elbows were and pulling them back to her sides and off the table. "As you are now a witness to, it's rather difficult and slightly embarrassing to explain, so I normally avoid doing that and stick with those I know. I suppose it doesn't help me any, but at least I'm comfortable that way."

Saying a soft thank you when the waiter set down their orders, she glanced back up to Roger. "The toughest part is going to be the first week or two of living together. I've only every lived with family members and close friends and haven't dared to trust anyone outside of that. It normally doesn't take me too long to adjust, but I suppose it can be quite frustrating."

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roger__davies
2008-07-01 11:43 pm UTC (link)

"Think of it as practice for your career," Roger offered, waiting for Asteria to pick up her fork before he started to eat. He may be starving, but there was something about Asteria that kept his manners quite sharp and on point. "If you can get used to living with someone, you can certainly interact with new people from all over the world with no problem. Right?"

After he said it, Roger wondered if he was crossing a line. He barely knew her, and knew nothing about her career, and now he was trying to offer her advice? As he waited, one of Roger's hands idly rubbed across the silverware that was nearby.

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othergreengrass
2008-07-01 11:52 pm UTC (link)

Asteria shrugged lightly and gave a small sigh. "In a way yes," she started, automatically reaching for her salad fork. "Though, the great thing about working in my department is that if you are meeting with international delegates you are usually dealing with a small number of individuals, which does help in my case. It's sort of like acting. You build up a persona, which I know makes me sound absolutely insane, but it's easier to deal with it if you're separated from it."

Taking a bite of her salad, she mulled over the conversation for a moment. "I suppose, we should probably discuss some of the details surrounding this marriage before I completely scare you off." she responded, with a wry smile.

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roger__davies
2008-07-02 12:01 am UTC (link)

Asteria's logic was slightly lost on Roger, though he kept quiet about it. If she was comfortable in small groups, why wasn't she more comfortable with just one new person? Or did it get awkward again when it was a one-on-one situation for her?

"It might benefit us both," Roger agreed, picking up his fork and taking a bite of his salad as well. It was good, and Roger took another few bites, allowing Asteria a few minutes to enjoy her food before he brought up the unpleasant conversation again. It was sort of strange, sitting here planning out events that would effect the rest of their lives, and he had no problem giving Asteria a little time to come to terms with the idea.

"Which place would you like to live in?" It was a big decision, but Roger wanted to make sure that Asteria was comfortable. He would have no problem moving into her flat if she so desired.

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othergreengrass
2008-07-02 12:09 am UTC (link)

She took advantage of the few moments of silence to organize her thoughts and separate herself from the nervousness and doubt that tended to overload her mind when she thought of actually attempting to wade through the issues surrounding their situation.

"I'd offer my flat, but I really don't think it's big enough." she responded, with a slight frown, bringing up an image of her flat and attempting to add another person to it...it just wasn't working. "In regards to the location affecting me, it's really not going to make much of a difference. If yours can handle another person, then I don't mind that being the location of choice."

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roger__davies
2008-07-02 12:39 am UTC (link)

"Mine's big enough," Roger nodded, trying not to sound too arrogant. There was no question that his flat was large and expensive, but in a way it was also largely empty. Roger knew how to dress well, and had good manners, but he fell rather short when it came to decorating. Perhaps Asteria's touch could fix that.

"Do we want a big wedding? Or just something small?"

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othergreengrass
2008-07-02 12:43 am UTC (link)

She felt a bit of tension drain from her when he assured her that his own home was big enough. On top of everything else, she didn't want to have to deal with trying to find a new place that they both liked.

In regards to wedding size, it was a simple question for her, though she'd be willing to negotiate if he was opposed to it. "I'd prefer small, if that's not a problem. A larger wedding is going to be much more difficult to plan in such a short period of time."

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roger__davies
2008-07-02 03:43 pm UTC (link)

"Small is good," Roger replied almost immediately, thinking of how the paparazzi would swarm at a larger function. He had a sneaking feeling that some photographers would manage to get in anyway, but a few was certainly better than the usual lot that enjoyed following him around at public events.

"I can't promise that there won't be some photographers there..." Roger said slowly, with a slightly sad look. "But I can hire security or something to try to keep them away?"

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othergreengrass
2008-07-02 03:55 pm UTC (link)

She hadn't really thought about photographers. She hadn't really payed attention to what would come along side being married to a Professional Quidditch player. She felt her anxiety spike for a moment, but caught it before it could get too far. "They do tend to be a bit bothersome, so I'm sure it won't matter if we have security or not. If it's small we can just keep the place and date amongst those who are attending." she responded, with a small smile.

She didn't want him to go through all the hassle just to make her comfortable. If he did that he'd never stop doing it and she'd never get any closer to managing her anxiety, not to mention he'd have his hands full.

"Was there a specific place you wanted to have it?" she asked, curiously.

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roger__davies
2008-07-02 10:16 pm UTC (link)

With her anxiety freshly in mind, Roger decided not to point out to Asteria that he rarely told anyone where he was going to be, and the paparazzi found a way to be there anyway. They were fierce and smarter than most people gave them credit for, and more tenacious than people could imagine. But she'd learn all of that eventually, though hopefully Roger could shield her from most of it.

"There's a nice little church where my parents got married, but I'm up for anywhere. Really."

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