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Lyra June Moon ([info]junebugh) wrote in [info]wished,
@ 2010-08-29 15:38:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:!2003: 08, !incomplete, lyra moon, stephen cornfoot, tristan dunstan

Who: Tristan Dunstan and Lyra Moon (And busy working, Stephen Cornfoot)
When: Sunday Afternoon
Where: Tea and Sympathy
What: Two new friends meet up for a spot of tea!
Rating: PG?
Open/Closed: Closed to Tristan Dunstan



Stephen Cornfoot had been stooped over a laid out copy of the Prophet when the front door of Tea and Sympathy was pushed open. The bells tied to the door jingled and jangled loudly but they weren't half as loud as the witch who burst forth into the relatively calm store. She paused just five steps into the shop and placed her hands on her hips. Stephen went stiff, laughed nervously and circled around the front counter to greet her.

"Lyra Moon, well look at y-"

"STEPHEN CORNFOOT!"

Stephen stopped dead, eyes widened and he regretted leaving his wand back on the counter. He swallowed hard.

"Uh..."

"Congratulations! Stephanie told me! I can't believe it! I mean, I can, but... you two will be very happy, I'm sure," she closed the gap between them and gave him a small hug before stepping away to settle at a nearby table for two.

"Now, be a dear, raspberry tea? I'm meeting someone," she flashed a smile and crossed her legs as she smoothed her sundress with the palms of her hands. Stephen rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"As you wish Madame Moon.. who are you meeting? And yeah, thanks."

"Tristan Dunstan," she said.

"Ah, name sounds familiar..."

"A Ravenclaw, older.." she was interrupted by the door opening again and she looked awfully hopeful for a moment but it turned out to be an old pair of cackling witches. Stephen hurried off to greet them and Lyra slumped a bit in her seat with a sigh. She was a little early still so she needed to exercise a bit of patience. It didn't stop her from perking up the next time the bells gave a jingle though.


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[info]elmlikedust
2010-08-29 09:18 pm UTC (link)
Tristan had spent most of his day clearing out old files, which he tried to do every year (and should have done every month). The bedroom he'd taken over as an office of sorts was about half the size it once had been, thanks to all the boxes crowding against the walls, constantly threatening to collapse despite the magical support. He usually enjoyed looking through the stacks of old reports and drawings and letters, but today he'd been happy to quit early and get out of the house. He brought some of it with him into Diagon Alley in the form of a fingerpaint smudge on one of the knees of his trousers, but if he noticed it it didn't seem to bother him. He'd always been a little hopeless as far as clothes went, anyhow. If he had something more interesting to focus on - for instance, meeting up with a charming woman who harbored an appreciation for Muggle literature, the finer points of school texts and happened to be rather nice-looking - they were the least of his concerns.

He saw Lyra at once when he edged inside the shop, and threw a polite smile to the man at the counter before crossing over to her. There was really only one person he cared to talk to, at the moment. He expected he'd find it a little hard to split his attention. "Hello," he said cheerfully, taking the opposite chair. "Two days left, is it? Are you ready for them all?"

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[info]junebugh
2010-08-29 09:38 pm UTC (link)
She had to fight the urge to stand up when he did come in. She didn't want to seem too eager or worse yet, desperate. Lyra's eyes did seem to brighten quite a bit when he greeted her. She leaned forward, an elbow propped up on the table and her hand placed against her cheek.

"I know! I'm so nervous, I don't know how I'll do until I'm thrown into it, I suppose. Madame Pince keeps telling me to buck up otherwise the sixth and seventh year might have no mercy. But I'll tell you a secret..." Lyra lowered her voice and arched her eyebrows.

"I plan on being the favored of us two, I just don't think I can possibly hush someone until I'm blue in the face like Pince does. I'm sure that'll make me popular."

She leaned back as Stephen brought her a cup of raspberry tea. He turned toward Tristan.

"Hello," he smiled, "Want can I get you? I just made raspberry for her and a pot of english breakfast is being made but I can make anything you'd like."

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-08-29 10:11 pm UTC (link)
Tristan was a little surprised by the amount of relief he felt when he realized - he was fairly certain - that she was pleased to see him. He wasn't a teenager, and surely he should have moved past that sort of anxiety, but ... this wasn't the sort of thing he was used to, he decided. That was all. He rested his elbows on the table, letting himself lean forward in his chair a little. "I doubt that'll be a problem. The upper forms know they can't give you trouble without bringing Madame Pince down on them - you're protected." He grinned. "And she does so enjoy shushing everyone. It would be a shame to deprive her of any of it. And by the time she leaves, you'll have inherited some of her - gravitas. By association, if nothing else."

Right, tea. Tristan didn't have to think for very long; he was prepared to take the first option that presented itself, really. "English breakfast would be wonderful," he said. "Thanks." He had been meaning to come by, actually, for quite a while - for the shop, not for tea - but he would have to make another trip.

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[info]junebugh
2010-08-29 10:19 pm UTC (link)
Stephen nodded and pointed toward a shelf of tarot cards and crystal balls.

"Should you want a fortune told feel free to grab at the cards or the crystals, or simply save your cups for tea leaf readings. I do individual readings or.. I can do couple readings too," he grinned, almost cheeky with the way he did. Lyra's eyes went wide and she looked like she might kill him for a moment but the expression softened.

She laughed, "Stephen, honestly..."

"I'll be back with your tea, sir," he slipped away and Lyra shook her head, embarrassed.

"Sorry, he's actually an old friend from school, but anyway... I'm sorry, did you want to get your fortune told? He's actually very, very good. Or do you not adhere to that sort of thing?"

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-08-30 12:33 am UTC (link)
"Can you," Tristan asked, clearing his throat a bit - rather more amused by Lyra's reaction than embarrassed. She knew the man, clearly, and if he had known he might not have chosen to come somewhere where her friends were staffing the counter, but ... it was all right. Under any other circumstances, he might even have said yes to the reading.

"I used to think it was all so much rubbish," he admitted, waving away her apology with a slightly shy smile. "But - I don't know. I've spent quite a lot of time researching trees - wandlore, mostly - and ... there are a lot of things in magic that aren't just calling out a spell and seeing results, aren't there. A lot of it's - slower. Harder to see. I haven't tried gone back to Divination in a long time, but I think it must be the same kind of thing."

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[info]junebugh
2010-08-31 10:47 pm UTC (link)
"But that's so strange to me, I mean, that any of our kind can believe ninety percent of our abilities and yet think Divination is complete rubbish. You know if our kind really did open ourselves up to being integrated with the muggle world... we'd quickly be considered gods, which of course some would want... but what we consider so mundane and normal is a power which we take for granted. Sure it may take loads of proper knowledge to understand a single, complex spell and even more skill to cast it but for the simple spells, the ones we consider everyday for use in our household those are still considerably more amazing to a muggle because it is, it should be thought of as such and Divination isn't so far off from the supernatural magic that controls.. Oh I don't know, say the magic of numbers we see in Arithmancy."

Lyra took a breath and sat back just in time to notice Stephen standing by the table with a cup of Tristan's tea and a plate of biscuits. He arched a brow and smirked as he set down the items.

"Thank you, Stephen," she muttered breathlessly and the seer's smile widened. He walked away with a chuckle leaving Lyra to apologize for her rant.

"Goodness me, I'm honestly not sure where that came from..." she took a sip of her tea, large, blue eyes peering over the tea cup at him.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-01 02:28 am UTC (link)
Tristan had been listening with an eager expression; he paused to nod his thanks when the tea came by, and had the grace to look moderately embarrassed for having called Divination rubbish within earshot of someone who more than likely did it for a living. "You're right, though," he said, wrapping his hands around his teacup. "There isn't any reason to think of it as something less legitimate than any other subject. There are plenty of famous prophecies, any number of well-known Seers who have proven themselves completely accurate - and in the Muggle world, the idea of Divination is one of the better accepted branches of the supernatural." He remembered being told about how his father's mother had been dead set on her horoscope every morning.

"But - I don't know." He took a sip of his tea, looking thoughtfully out the window before smiling at her again. "It's like anything only a certain set of people are capable of doing, maybe. There are bound to be naysayers, a certain amount of sour grapes, and even frauds. It's a recipe for a bad reputation, I suppose."

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-01 02:58 am UTC (link)
"Mmmhm," she understood perfectly well what he meant, even agreed with the observation. Lyra had never taken Divination too serious herself until later in life and had only considered it a strong magic when she had met Stephen, who had always taken it so seriously. His serious nature in regards to the magic helped her in not becoming so overly annoyed with how their professor used it to be overly dramatic.

Lyra said nothing for a moment, simply took to gazing upon him with a small, almost secretive smile blossoming upon her lips. Then she set her tea cup down and reached over to touch his hand.

"Can I try reading your palm? I haven't done it in ages..."

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-01 05:35 am UTC (link)
Tristan was edging toward 'nervous' - he wasn't quite sure what that smile was supposed to mean, but at least it was a smile - until her hand landed on his. His stomach leapt a little. He would happily comply - he'd suggested meeting here, after all, and surely there was a little bit of palm-reading to be expected. "You're welcome to, if you show me how," he said, turning his had face-up and scooting the plate of biscuits out of the way. "It's only polite to return the favor, isn't it?" He hadn't so much as tried it in more than ten years, and he couldn't remember whether he'd ever received decent marks for it. "I don't know if you're likely to see very much exciting, though." Although things had taken a turn for the more interesting, recently.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-01 11:04 pm UTC (link)
"I only remember a few key things," she admitted slowly as she slid to the edge of her seat in order to sit closer to him. Under the small table her knee gently jostled against his and she softly uttered an apology before allowing her knee to simply rest against his.

Her long, pale hands were carefully exploring the offered palm. It was the left hand she worked on first for this was what would show what he was born with. "The right hand, for males, is what you've accumulated in life. The left is what you are born with. It's the opposite for us females."

Lyra's fingertips began to dance over the middle of his palm. She was tracing his different lines when she spotted bit of paint on the right side of the palm. Lyra glanced up and flashed a brief smile.

"Well. It's fairly obvious, even if you didn't tell me, that you're made to work with children and you most certainly do... this scar, what is this from?" she ran her index finger over the scar for a moment then went about sizing up his palm against hers. Her hands were much smaller.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-01 11:31 pm UTC (link)
"It's all right," he murmured, watching her, a little bemused - and quickly losing a fight with his growing smile. "I remembered that much, I think. Whatever she managed to push through my head on the first day generally stayed ..." He trailed off. He was disinclined to talk about what he didn't know, at the moment, and watching her concentration was more enjoyable in any case. He didn't meet a lot of people who felt comfortable simply taking his hand and studying it, and he was very glad he'd happened across her. He was looking back at her with a faint sort of amusement when she lifted her face.

His eyes dropped to the paint on his hand immediately. "Oh - yes ..." Yes, I've just forgotten to wash my hands. Brilliant. The scar was a little less embarrassing, at least. "That's from chopping wood, actually. The Muggle way. The first couple times I did it were a little - a little rough." He resisted the ridiculous urge to tell her he was good at it now.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-01 11:45 pm UTC (link)
Lyra had to admit the idea of him chopping wood in such a fashion was... well, how she was imagining it done (shirt off from the sweating and those arms, goodness!) made her cheeks go so pink that she could feel the heat radiating up to her ears. Ignoring the obvious display of her embarrassment she went about inspecting those lines again.

"I'm sure you got better," she mumbled. Her index finger tapped against his life line and she glanced up sharply, eyes focusing on Stephen. He was leaning on the front counter, reading the prophet, when Lyra called out.

"Stephen, what does this mean, when the heart line begins in the middle?"

"Hmm.. mostly, it means they fall in love easily," Stephen smiled and Lyra turned her eyes back to Tristan.

"Interesting. And the way the heart line is broken like this? Emotional trauma. But everyone has some of that, if someone didn't that'd just be.. odd, don't you think? Oh, and if I'm not mistaken this life line is very close to the edge of your palm so it means you are cautious, which is good I suppose.. if you do fall in love easily," she turned her palm up now.

"See? I do too.. but I'm not nearly as cautious," she sighed. "I just leap without looking."

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-02 12:14 am UTC (link)
Tristan wouldn't enlighten Lyra as to the parka-clad, knee-deep-in-snow, humiliatingly clumsy nature of his first attempts at using an axe. As far as he knew, there was no reason at all for anyone else to be embarrassed about them. "I had to," he admitted, "or I'd have frozen all winter." Or been sacked, more likely, from the lodge he was working for at the time. But freezing sounded a little more impressive.

It was his turn to blush when Stephen offered his input. This was probably not the best thing to have come up on a first ... a first visit to the tea shop? Whatever this was. But Lyra didn't seem at all phased. "Cautious is - accurate enough," he said with a weak laugh. He couldn't really confirm the others. They sounded all right, but ... not to say out loud. "May I see?"

He reached over to take her hand, lifting it a little, the better to inspect her palm. "This one?" He tapped at the line he thought she had been looking at, glancing up at her for her answer. "I'll bet I'm rubbish at this."

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-02 12:25 am UTC (link)
Lyra was naturally the type to enjoy physicality with others. Mostly this meant she was the type to lean on a friend, hug a new acquaintance, kiss the cheek of a close girlfriend and she loved hugging on her family members. This may have bothered her eldest sister to some extent but she and Lizette seemed fond of the same expression of love. Really, she enjoyed affection..

But this wasn't affection. This was just reading palms, so why was her heart pounding so loudly? How was it that his hand upon hers was making her feel somewhat lightheaded? Lyra sighed, content with such a feeling. She hadn't had butterflies in quite sometime, actually.

"No, it's quite easy.. and if you get stuck, Stephen knows practically everything about what things mean. Just give it a try, let the magic reach out and read my aura. That helps too, can jog your memory a bit," she tilted her head a bit and watched him.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-02 12:51 am UTC (link)
"That's - actually an excellent point," he conceded, a bit surprised. It wasn't a purely intellectual, observational exercise, after all; if it had been, any Muggle could have done it. It was rare that he found it easier just to settle down a bit and channel something without thinking about it, but when he had no real knowledge to go on, it was a necessity, really. He ran his thumb along the flat of her palm, and tried to feel something. He couldn't have said whether the resulting sensation was from what he already knew about her - she seemed cheerful, open, a little fearless, sweet, but ... well, too sincere to be entirely so.

Now, if he could have translated that into terms that were recognized as a part of the palmistry canon, he would have something. No real luck there. "Not much in the way of caution, no," he said quietly. "This one - the head line?" He felt a little like he was taking his O.W.L. again. "If I recall correctly, that means you're - enthusiastic?" Well. It sounded right to him.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-02 01:09 am UTC (link)
Even if he was just reading her aura he was still doing a good job in her opinion. He was reading her which was just as good as reading her palm if not pretty much the same thing. He was reading her body.

The way he questioned his answer had her lifting a hand to cover her mouth and the roll of soft laughter that bubbled off her lips. She nodded and dropped her hand onto the table, palm up.

"I am very enthusiastic, well, when it comes to things I want, or.. like," Lyra laughed again and looked away for a moment as if entirely too bashful to properly look him in the eye. Her knee, resting against his, shifted slightly then grew still.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-02 01:40 am UTC (link)
"Not a total failure, then," he said with a sheepish look. "But I could have told you that without any lines, I guess. It shouldn't really count for full marks." He had started to settle into the idea that she seemed genuinely interested - unless she was just extremely enthusiastic indeed, the way she was looking at him (or not), sitting, touching his hand ... it was something, anyway. He wouldn't have pretended to know her well enough to say exactly what, but it felt good.

"But then, you've probably had proper readings loads of times, if the two of you have been friends since school." He paused to drink some of his tea - it was getting a little cool, but he honestly didn't mind at all. "I suppose it's not a bad habit to get into. It seems like it must be fairly - grounding."

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-02 10:21 pm UTC (link)
Those bright blues flickered back up to catch his gaze and then drifted to where Stephen leaned. She sighed softly, wistfully and moved her hand away from his and back into her lap. She too took the time to sip at her tea while considering his words and some sort of reply.

Sometimes she wondered if the sorting hat had been right to say she would've done well in Ravenclaw. Lyra didn't always feel as witty or clever in conversation as the Ravenclaws she met. Like now, how she had simply ran out of things to say on the topic so now she was trying to come up with something else to bring to the table. That wasn't too difficult though, Lyra always had something to say!

"Do you live about London, near here?"

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-03 10:43 pm UTC (link)
He didn't mind just watching her, really, although he guessed that would probably seem rather odd, even if it wasn't precisely rude. But he had never been terribly uncomfortable with silence. It might have had something to do with the fact that he often had trouble thinking of things to say when it fell to him to carry a conversation.

"No," he said, setting his teacup aside again. "I live out in Exeter, actually - in my parents' old house. I've been thinking of selling it and moving somewhere a bit more central, but it turns out selling a house is actually rather complicated." He smiled slightly. "It would be more exciting to live out here, I'm sure ... Are you in the city?"

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-04 05:33 pm UTC (link)
"That must be lovely, though," she mused with a sigh. "To live near the coast? Is it a very old house? I understand completely as my parents have entertained moving about for years... but never have due to the complexities of selling a house, especially one so thick with magic. There always seems to be too much to do to ready it for both magical and muggle buyers. They've given up, I think."

She leaned forward onto one elbow and rested her cheek against the palm of her hand.

"Hogsmede, moved there to be closer to the job. And actually, it's quite quaint. A bit like a cottage home... you ought to come visit sometime, really. I haven't entertained anyone there yet and I've been dying to do so."

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-05 05:05 pm UTC (link)
"There is some decent coastline - but mostly it's just boring farmland," he said, with a little more self-deprecation than he actually felt. He had loved it, growing up, but everything always seemed a little more wild and exciting when you were ten, after all. "I hadn't even thought about trying to put it on the Muggle market. I think my mother's family came up in it before we did, and they were wizards ... Still, it's too big for me, I really ought to try to get rid of it. A cottage sounds like more the thing."

He smiled. "I always enjoyed Hogsmeade at Christmas. Do you like it there, so far? I imagine it's rather peaceful. ... On alternate Saturdays, anyway." That was one of the other reasons he wasn't too keen on moving into the city - he liked the quiet. "I'd like to," he said truthfully, before he'd really had much of a chance to think about what exactly that meant. Maybe it was better if he didn't dwell on it for too long. "We'll both need a break, I'm sure, before too long."

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-05 11:52 pm UTC (link)
"Love it," she managed, her mind very much cluttered with a smattering of thoughts that had decided to crop up all of the sudden. Now, Lyra was not always so brave but she did have her moments as she was usually pretty honest with herself and others.

This happened to be one of those moments. He said he wanted to and so, with a cant of her head she smiled sweetly and said, "I could show you now, if you'd like."

There was a lot not being said behind that offer that she hoped she wouldn't have to say because being that blunt meant lacking tact, which she had plenty of in her opinion. She held his gaze firm with her own, ignoring the fact that Stephen, who had been listening the smallest amount, was now trying hard not to peek up from his paper.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-06 01:19 am UTC (link)
Tristan was sufficiently on-edge - not in an unpleasant way, but in the way he expected most people were when sitting down to tea with someone they'd just met and rather liked - to read enough into her words for himself. He could imagine any number of confusing options without asking, trying (a little nervously) to work through the possible benefits and negatives of accepting, as he wanted to do.

He realized after a very brief hesitation that he was living up to the cautious part of his reading a little too closely. It wasn't an impression he wanted to give, not in this. And ... he did want to go. "Now, then," he said, trying not to let his smile grow out of control, as he was sure it would look rather stupid just at the moment. "Perfect." He glanced down at his hands as he sipped at his tea, nearly finished. "... I'll try not to get paint on everything, I suppose."

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-06 01:38 am UTC (link)
Her heart gave a bit of a leap for joy and she tried hard not to look like a grinning fool. To hide her budding smile she pushed up to her feet and headed over to Stephen abruptly.

"Stephen, I apparated here but does this place have a... it would just be more conv-"

"Floo Gate? Yes.." he edged around the counter trying to hide his smile as well. "And the tea is one me," he grinned. Lyra gave him a warning sort of glance but said nothing as Stephen showed the pair toward a back room where a private floo was set up for the workers' convenience.

"It'd be The Three Broomsticks because I live just behind it, actually." She dipped a hand into the small, blue box filled with Floo powder and shot him a nervous smile that couldn't be hidden. Lyra threw the powder into the fire then called out the name of the establishment before stepping in.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-06 02:09 am UTC (link)
"That's - very generous," he said to Stephen, at once grateful (it avoided the awkwardness of insisting upon paying, and it was generous) and very mildly chagrined (having someone quite so invested in how his interactions with Lyra were progressing was ... odd). "Thank you." he seemed like a good sort of person, but under the circumstances Tristan wouldn't regret leaving him behind in favor of a bit of time alone. He followed them both, and tried to look as casual as he could when she glanced back at him.

And really, he didn't feel as nervous as he probably should have. There was something about her that put him at ease. it might have been her energy - it was just easy to talk to her, to spend time with her. He didn't always find it easy to spend time with people. "The Three Broomsticks, then." He followed her once she had disappeared, and managed a mostly graceful arrival at the other hearth. It was no great inconvenience to be covered in powder when you were already a little smudged up.

"Do you come here very often, then?" he asked, dusting himself off. It would have been nice to have someplace like this quite so close to home, but The Three Broomsticks itself made him feel a little like he had better be getting home before curfew.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-06 02:40 am UTC (link)
She managed a bit of a skip when deposited onto the other side. There was a greeting from across the way from some witch working within the establishment.

"Hallo again, love, back so... oh and with company, I see!" Lyra smiled pleasantly and gave a light wave before turning to make sure he came through okay. A bit dusty but, so was she. Lyra brushed off the front of her sundress.

"Oh, sometimes just for a good butterbeer but otherwise, no, not really. Unless there is good company to be had."

She lead the way out of the friendly tavern and made a steady stroll toward her cottage. It literally was just behind the tavern, separated by an old, red wooden fence. The place was exactly like any other building in Hogsmeade: quaint, small, and certainly old.

It had a very small, very thick garden in the front that she had been trying very hard to take care of, but not every flower was blooming as she wanted. It had a thatch roof and she had to bump her hip against the small gateway to get it to open properly.

The inside wasn't at all modern. Every bit of furniture was mismatched but somehow managed to fit in a sort of... eccentric, grandma chic way. She obviously adored antiques for there seemed to be a collection of old looking books, clocks, pictures (of people who weren't her family, though some that were) and odd and ends.

She let him step in before shutting the door behind him. Lyra took to leaning on that door, bright eyes watching him take in her living room area while she stayed still and quiet. It was as if she was contemplating doing or saying something but she hadn't quite the nerve to be that gutsy.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-06 03:09 am UTC (link)
Good company was probably the best reason to have someplace like that close by - it was what he most disliked about living alone and in the country. It wasn't as though he couldn't travel wherever he wanted, but he generally didn't, unless he had a reason. It would have been nice - would have helped his sanity a little, really - to have somewhere he go that wasn't all children or parents or work.

Her garden, though, reminded him of one of the things he did like about where he'd grown up - it looked a little wild, though well-cared for, and it brought a small smile to his face. His years of tending to the ancient rose bushes and other things that grew up around his house hadn't produced anything so very spectacular, but it felt warm, to him, and home-like, much like this. And the interior suited her - it was charming.

"Your place is great," he said quietly, turning to face her after surveying it briefly. "Perfect, really. I love your garden." It didn't feel empty at all, which was what he was most attuned to at the moment.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-06 03:26 am UTC (link)
Perfect. She wished everyone thought as much. Her sisters didn't exactly approve and even her father, though kind about it, did wish she'd live somewhere a bit more upscale. He never pushed it though, thank godric for that. Lyra pushed off of the door and smiled in such a way that the smile lifted up the very corners of her eyes.

"Thank you," she decided it was best to keep it at that and not explain how angry gardening had been making her lately. She swore she had a greener thumb when in school, but talking about something that made her mad wasn't what Lyra wanted to do.

And what she really wanted to do she refused to do because she was a lady and was not about to do something rash simply because she was dying to do it. Lyra sighed and slipped past him, doing the next best thing by taking his hand so as to lead him through her home.

There wasn't much to show and she could barely hear her own words over the pounding of her heart.

"Well this is the living room and the kitchen is through that door over there and.. this is the guest room," she opened a door and dropped his hand to do so.

"And then, you know, this is my room," she slid past him again to open the door adjacent to the other. It was a bigger room, filled with books like the living room and with a perfectly made up bed covered in a handmade quilt.

"It's small, but I do love it..." she turned then, slowly shut her door and leaned against it like she did her front door before. It was very, very small because when she turned back around like that there had to be no more than a step or two between them.

"Uhm, did you.. want something to drink?"

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-06 04:31 am UTC (link)
It startled him a little when she took his hand, but it was a very good kind of startled, the kind that spread up slowly through his arm without making him flinch. He followed her, letting his hand settle easily into hers and keeping pace with her as they went through the house. His initial impression remained - he liked it very much, although everything was overshadowed just a bit by the fact that she was leading him through her house at all, and touching him, and ... all of that.

He let go of her hand when she released his, and looked in to scan the books in her bedroom, at least as much as he could see the spines from the hallway. When she closed the door he stood looking down at her, not at all uncomfortable, strangely enough, to be so close to her. "Small is better, I think, if you're just one," he said. "It's very ... cozy. Much better than a big drafty farmhouse in the middle of winter, I promise you."

He didn't really want to have a drink, as that would certainly entail stepping back and leaving the close hallway - but he did want to stay, very much so. "I would," he said, "if it isn't too much trouble. Thanks." A moment later, he even remembered to step out of her way, looking a bit sheepish and very pleased, so that she could walk past.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-06 05:32 pm UTC (link)
"But you could fill the farmhouse from head to toe and make it cozy. This place wouldn't feel this small if I didn't fill it with things, I think," he was tall enough in comparison to her that she had to tilt her head back just to look him in the eye. Of course, this position didn't last long when he moved away for her to pass once more.

She sighed, as if somewhat disappointed but kept her smile pleasantly uplifted across her mouth anyway. Lyra wondered what Lizette might do. Probably very terrible things at this point and then she'd gossip with Lyra about it the next day. She pursed her lips and paused, turning her body the smallest bit toward him.

She was anxiously pulling at her fingers and opened her mouth as if to say something, almost leaned up on the toes.. but then lost her nerve, sank back down and made a move to hurry off toward the kitchen.

"I have water, juice.. apple, pumpkin and grape, uhm, and if you prefer I might have Moscato wine..." she said, breathlessly.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-06 10:17 pm UTC (link)
"I'm getting there, I'm afraid," he said, thinking of the stacks of books that occupied the of his bedroom. He'd run out shelf space too long ago, and hadn't really felt comfortable expanding into another bedroom. "Someday it'll be cozy enough to b a fire hazard, but ... not quite yet." He trailed off a bit because she looked uncertain about something, and he didn't want to talk over her at all, and she was getting a little closer, which was absolutely to be encouraged - but he was being a little stupid, really. He pushed his hands into his pockets and followed her, thinking it might be best to get out of such close quarters, as it was obviously pushing his mind into places it didn't belong.

"Pumpkin juice would be fantastic," he said, smiling as confidently as he could. Wine might have been more the thing, but maybe not, and if she decided not to have any, then what? Had this always been this complicated? "It feels right for Hogsmeade ... something else I haven't had much of since I was at school." He felt like he should offer her something, but he couldn't, could he.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-06 10:29 pm UTC (link)
Were all boys this difficult and oblivious? Lizette seemed to do pretty well with getting what she wanted out of her... well, wait, was he anything to be compared to Liz's dates? Was this a date? What on earth was this?

Undefined and driving her absolutely mad! Lyra opened her icebox and took out the pitcher of pumpkin juice and then the bottle of moscato with it. She then grabbed out of a cabinet two mismatched goblet style glasses. One was a deep, royal blue and the other was clear. She filled the blue one first with the wine and gave him the glass.

"Try this first, it's delicious, you might want it instead," she waited for him to try it before pouring the other glass.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-06 11:03 pm UTC (link)
Tristan, who knew pretty well what Moscato tasted like, suppressed a smile (or tried) as he raised the glass to his lips. He probably should have been embarrassed. It was clear by now, even to him, that he was being - helped along. But all he felt was relief, with a giddy edge that was getting harder and harder to ignore. "It's quite good," he said quietly, without setting it down. He had the decency to sound mildly ashamed. "You're right." He was grateful, too; it was much more straightforward than tea. He touched the rim of his glass to hers when she had filled it, watching her a little more freely. It was as though he'd given himself permission to do more than notice that she was really quite beautiful, more than worth watching.

"Do you mind if we sit?" he asked, feeling he really should make some effort. She wouldn't have to position him into place, too.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-06 11:25 pm UTC (link)
The other glass was filled once she detected he enjoyed what he was sipping on. Feeling very pleased with herself, Lyra clinked glasses and grinned.

"It's my favorite, unless I can find a good bottle of this stuff called Royal Decadence. It's a chocolate raspberry port, it's like heaven on the tongue, oh not at all," she lead them into the living room again and took a seat on the love seat couch situated between two old leather recliners. It faced a large pair of mahogany book shelves filled with books ranging from muggle and magical fiction to books of magical theory, Ancient Runes, Palmistry, Charmwork and several magical household books.

When he sat beside her she shifted a bit until her knee was bumping against his. She took a sip of her wine and lowered the glass to the coffee table.

"I'm so excited to get to entertain here! It seems everyone is so busy these days, it's difficult to get a good group of friends together for a night of dinner or.. something," her heart skipped a beat nervously as she placed a hand on his knee.

"Tell me you'll come often, give me a reason to break the wine out while we discuss books and.. and well, you know, things."

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-06 11:51 pm UTC (link)
"That sounds - rich," he said, laughing a little. "You've something of a sweet tooth, then." He sat beside her, after stopping briefly beside a bookshelf to look over a few titles. He didn't move his leg; if she was content to sit that way, he wasn't going to disturb her. It took quite a lot of self control not to look down at her hand, but he managed it."

"I would like that - really. I don't get much of a chance to discuss anything more complicated than ... well, princesses, and all of that. You know." He smiled a bit self-consciously. "I ought to get more in the habit of reading, again. I've been off it for a few months. Summer does that; I'd rather be outside, walking." His hand brushed hers as he set his glass down. "But now it's fall, and - back to business. I don't read as much Muggle fiction as I should, I think. I started in on some political theory a few years back, but I don't think I've got the head for it."

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-07 12:18 am UTC (link)
"Oh I understand completely," she was ultra aware of her hand being on his thigh. It was hard not to be and even harder to ignore the desire to do two extremes with that hand. Either she could take it back completely or.. she could be simply awful and let that hand slide just a bit further up. She did neither.

"I fear I won't get much time to read fiction this year. I think if I follow through with helping students in their studies with creating the groups I'll be re-reading textbooks of all sorts just to be of some use."

She grew quiet, took up her glass of wine to sip on and let her eyes drift over his face. He was rather pleasing to look at. She wasn't much of an artist but sometimes Lyra had insane desires to draw and right now she was aching to do a sketch of him.

"You know you have such wonderful eyes," she sighed, the words coming as the more wine she sipped the more relaxed she seemed to feel.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-07 12:42 am UTC (link)
"I guess Muggle Studies is your only hope. Well - I'll read something with you, if you like. We can fit in a chapter here and there." Her hand was still there, which was distracting, but ... less and less so as the moments passed and as he had a sip of his wine, and then another. "Not a textbook, though. I'm afraid I'd have to drop out after about half." He looked back at her unabashedly, for once. She had a very striking look about her, not just her eyes, but her coloring and - and her smile, definitely. It was lovely, and it was frequent, which was a very nice change.

Her words took him by surprise, though they probably shouldn't have. She seemed very open, to him. "Thank you," he said at first, mostly automatically, clearly a little amused - it wasn't something anyone heard every day. "... Really?" They were just ... brownish, as far as he knew. Not like hers, which were the kind of eyes you noticed as soon as you saw someone. "I mean - I prefer yours, without question." That ... didn't sound too stupid. Maybe.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-07 12:54 am UTC (link)
"You're welcome," she bit her lower lip and chewed on it a bit but never once broke the hold she had upon his eyes. What he said before was lost to her now. His preference for her eyes was nothing new to her. Everyone said that about the Moon girls but her especially. As if somehow she was gifted with the most obvious Moon eyes. They were so blue they were practically like weather, clear and bright as if they could glow in the dark.

She blinked, blushed and lowered her glass once more so she could lift that cool hand up to touch his cheek with her fingers. Very gingerly she touched on a dark strand of his hair and somewhere inside herself she could hear Lizette's voice practically screaming, 'do it, just do it, you're such a scaredy cat!'

"Tristan?" her voice came out so soft it almost didn't sound like it belonged to her. "You know, you could very well kiss me right now and I think I'd rather enjoy it."

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-07 02:08 am UTC (link)
Tristan felt himself smiling, but his brain seemed to be taking its sweet time in catching up - he opened his mouth to say something, realized (thankfully) that he was never going to think of a response to that that didn't sound utterly idiotic, and just gave a quiet laugh, instead. He cast his eyes down for a moment before looking back up at her with something just slightly more brazen in his expression. He raised his hand to her jaw, touching his thumb to her cheekbone and leaning in to press his lips to hers - gentle, tilting his face a little to very carefully coax her mouth open. It wasn't often he was able to stop thinking in time, and he was overcome with relief now - among other things - that he'd managed not to ruin this. It had been quite a while since he'd wanted to kiss anyone.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-07 02:25 am UTC (link)
She had been kissed before, that was for sure. A pretty girl like her had a small amount of experience in such things but nothing ever so exciting. Mostly she had casual dating experiences with wizards like Stephen and Irving, purebloods with the tendency toward artistic expression more than anything else. They were much louder and obvious in what they wanted so this experience, with a reserved sort of warlock, was very new.

And Lyra liked it, a lot. She had been dying for him to kiss her fierce for what seemed an age now but this kiss was perfection. It wasn't at all awkward (in her opinion) and he possessed such a gentle touch that she half believed she might've broken like a porcelain doll had he been much rougher.

Of course, the softness of it all didn't last very long when she was as ravenous as any starved person might be. Lyra's hand, still close to his temple where she had been touching his hair, planted it's self against his jaw then drifted up so her fingers could sink into those dark curls. She parted her lips just enough that when she turned her body more into him she could press close and deepen that kiss with a sweep of her tongue against his bottom lip.

Lyra couldn't seem to be close enough, either. She shifted to face him then moved forward until one of her legs happened to situate it's self across his lap, the other knee drawn up slightly.

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-07 03:03 am UTC (link)
He hadn't expected, when he'd suggested they have a cup of tea together, that he would find himself at her home, on her couch and with her practically in his lap. It was not how his teas usually resolved themselves. He could see his way to doing it more often, though - the way she was suddenly pressed against him, fingers in his hair, interrupted his breathing for a few happily stunned seconds. He drew in a deep breath and relaxed into the kiss, then, letting his other hand rest on her waist before falling to her hip to tug her just a little closer.

Most of his most recent attachments had been with women he'd met while working in the hostels he'd spent a few years at after graduating. That had been quiet some time ago, of course, but they came through London often enough - some that he'd never really got to know, some that he had, almost all Muggles. It was different; it wasn't as easy to be ... comfortable, with them. He could never quite be truthful. With her, though ... it was better than comfortable, it was more than exciting, and something about her made him less timid, somehow. It was hard to feel too shy in the face of all she brought.

He began to wind his arm around her waist. She was incredibly warm, he thought, and there was no reason she shouldn't be closer.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-07 03:33 am UTC (link)
There was a faint sigh pressed against his mouth and that kiss was broken long enough for her to take in a small hitch of a breath. Her eyes had been shut tight at this point and it was only now during this tiny break that she let them flutter open. Lyra tilted her head back and found her lips, tingling slightly from the kissing, quirked into a lopsided smile.

She adjusted the way she sat to be a bit more lady-like. Her leg was drawn down from his lap and she twisted to sit cross legged and sideways so that she was still facing him but not straddling him so!

"Okay," she managed taking a deeper breath and giving him a moment to adjust as well. She couldn't possibly hide how big her smile was growing unless she hid it by the very act of kissing once more, which she did. Lyra leaned forward, both hands coming to rest lightly on his shoulder as she did so.

Just before she pressed another kiss against his mouth she murmured sweetly, "I could really get used to this."

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-07 06:08 am UTC (link)
Tristan was grinning, too, glancing down as she drew herself up to sit beside him - as though acknowledging that perhaps he'd got a bit carried away, but, strangely enough, not overly embarrassed by it. It was that smile of hers: it really was disarming. He didn't see why she should have to hide it at all, but if it meant she kept closer to him, then he could see his way to doing without it for a little while longer.

"Mm - okay?" he asked, lightly teasing. He took her face in his hands, stroking through her hair at her temples as he kissed her again. "... I could, too. Better than used to." The more he thought about it, actually, the closer to perfect it sounded. He kissed at the corner of her mouth, looking about as relaxed, and as content, as he had all day. "I'd love to come over and talk about books." He could hardly believe his luck; it didn't quite seem real, except that he could feel it, perfectly concrete, in his hands.

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-08 12:01 am UTC (link)
"And.. to drink wine? And.. discuss..." her right hand, much warmer after pressing so firmly against his shoulder, now cupped his cheek so she could guide his face. Two more kisses were placed upon his mouth and then she paused, nose nuzzling against his cheek.

"..things.." oh, how intelligent! He was turning her brain to mush though so in her defense it was sort of his fault she was starting to sound so dumb.

Just as she pushed forward onto her knees in an effort to crawl over his lap (because lady-like be damned, she wanted this) a sound of wild tapping at her window broke through the heavy haze of her thoughts. Lyra groaned and settled back on her haunches for a moment, a glance thrown toward that window.

There was an owl hovering outside the window on the far right side of the room. Lyra pushed herself up, reluctantly, to open the window for the owl and take the letter it was carrying.

"Sorry, just a moment.. it's Madame Pince's owl. Calm down, Archimedes! Honestly! Here," she plucked a treat from a small bowl near the window and fed the owl before reading the letter. Her expression went from mild annoyance to complete frustration. She sighed loudly and looked about wildly for a quill to scrawl a reply back. Once she found one it took her another ten seconds to reply and another thirty to convince Archimedes to leave without three more owl treats.

"I'm sorry," she sighed again and took a couple steps toward the couch, hands nervously played with. "I have to go, Peeves just went and undid all of our work in the muggle fiction section..."

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-08 02:39 am UTC (link)
Things sounded pretty good to him, actually. He wasn't thinking about anything very much more well-defined at the moment - just her, and her hands and her mouth and the way she seemed to be shifting towards him again. It sent his heart beating a little faster, and he was reaching for her waist again when she sat back. It was only then that the tapping of the owl started to break through to him.

"Oh - it's all right," he said, breathing a bit harder than he might have liked. He ran a hand through his hair and felt a disturbingly strong moment of dislike for Madam Pince. ... And then for Peeves, when she delivered the bad news. How was it possible that a school full of witches and wizards hadn't managed to rid themselves of that nuisance for hundreds of years?

He overcame it after a moment. He gave her a small, regretful smile, and leaned forward off the couch, straightening, trying to pull himself out of the sudden rush. "No, of course - better get things ready for the start of term. It's only a couple of days now ..." He stood, slightly awkward - but really more happy than disappointed. It was going to be hard to crush the giddiness out of him, no matter what happened. "I'll just - I'll leave you to it, but ... I'll write, if that's all right with you?"

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[info]junebugh
2010-09-08 02:52 am UTC (link)
She almost entertained the idea of asking him to wait, as if a bit of good spell work could have the clean-up done in minutes instead of hours. But, knowing Madame Pince there would have to be time spent checking bindings, checking pages to see that none were missing and hand alphabetizing.

She watched him stand and fought the urge to push him right back down and forget all about the dumb owl, but she had already sent her reply. She could only imagine not showing up only to have Madame Pince showing up at her front door.

Lyra gave a rather good pout and begrudgingly headed toward her front door to hold it open for him. The pout lifted, though, when he mentioned writing. She lowered her gaze for a moment and shyly kicked the toe of her slipper shoe at the ground.

"I'd like that very much," she managed. And then, just before he left another bought of daring flooded her heart. She grabbed at the collar of his shirt and gave a good tug to pull him down as she lifted herself up onto her toes to give him once last kiss, and there was nothing chaste about this one. It even became difficult for her to pull back again as she took to snaking an arm over his neck and went about pressing her petite form up against his lithe frame.

But, eventually, she did, tongue sweeping over her lower lip a moment.

"Mmm, see you then, Tristan."

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[info]elmlikedust
2010-09-08 03:27 am UTC (link)
"Great," he said, with a wash of relief that made his smile widen a little, even as the prospect of stepping out her door was dimming his spirits. "I'll -"

Well, whatever it was he had been about to do, it could certainly wait. He hadn't thought it possible to be surprised again, but this was something else entirely, and he didn't help matters by taking hold of her waist again, shutting his eyes and drawing her in as close as he could. After a few moments he found himself wondering what would happen if he just started back in towards her couch - perhaps she'd come along. They were only books, after all ... they would be all right for a little while ... But then she stepped back and he let go, letting his disappointment settle down. He really should try to stay reasonable.

"I'll see you," he said, grinning like bit of an idiot and waving as he stepped over the threshold and made his way through the garden. He would have to keep himself from writing as soon as he got home, somehow. How long was he supposed to wait? Was there a rule?

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