Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I'm reaaaaaaaaddddddddddy!!"

Username: 
Password:    
Remember Me
  • Create Account
  • IJ Login
  • OpenID Login
Search by : 
  • View
    • Create Account
    • IJ Login
    • OpenID Login
  • Journal
    • Post
    • Edit Entries
    • Customize Journal
    • Comment Settings
    • Recent Comments
    • Manage Tags
  • Account
    • Manage Account
    • Viewing Options
    • Manage Profile
    • Manage Notifications
    • Manage Pictures
    • Manage Schools
    • Account Status
  • Friends
    • Edit Friends
    • Edit Custom Groups
    • Friends Filter
    • Nudge Friends
    • Invite
    • Create RSS Feed
  • Asylums
    • Post
    • Asylum Invitations
    • Manage Asylums
    • Create Asylum
  • Site
    • Support
    • Upgrade Account
    • FAQs
    • Search By Location
    • Search By Interest
    • Search Randomly

Essery Elizabeth Oakby ([info]oakbye) wrote in [info]wished,
@ 2010-10-03 21:21:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:!2003: 10, !complete, essery oakby, severus snape

Who: Essery and Snape
What: Chess & Kittens
Where: Snape's office
When: Tonight
Warning: TBA


Essery came back just a bit earlier than she thought she might, but it was still after curfew and, on seeing what she'd brought back, Sinistra had offered just to keep watch until the last few lights went out about Hufflepuff, too. Which left Essery with her hours free - and with one very new tenant in her rooms to contend with. Honestly, she hadn't been expecting to come back with one, her jokes last week aside. Still, how could she resist that smooshed up face and those blue eyes peering up at her from the box outside the M&S?

It did leave her with a problem, though. She'd wanted to spend the night in another hard fought chess game - Severus was quickly becoming someone who she looked forward to talking with, and after their last conversation... Well, she had been looking forward to playing. And she doubted he'd want the kitten running about his office. Still, she couldn't leave it in her rooms alone, and she couldn't stand him up. So she found herself at his office door in a pair of jeans and an old charity tee-shirt, knocking, with the kitten purring and trying to climb out of her arms.

As soon as he opened the door, she was already apologizing. "I know that you likely don't want him here, but I didn't want you to think that I wasn't interested in playing. I can't leave him alone in my rooms, though, so I was going to take a rain - " before she could finish excusing herself, the kitten had managed to jump out of her arms and past him, into his office, and she was cursing under her breath and nursing a new scratch to her forearm.


(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-09 03:13 am UTC (link)
"No." And Minerva had been her own, and ... well, he hadn't really engaged with the other heads of houses unless it had been absolutely necessary. "It's possible I simply wasn't paying attention; it was nothing I was very interested in. Did you grow up with animals?" The only ones he'd dealt with had been strays. And Lily's cat. Nothing of his own that he had ever given a damn about.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-11 02:03 am UTC (link)
"Not really," Essery shrugged, "we had a few pets here and there, but being away at school... mum was so busy, we didn't really have anything other than our school pets. My owl, you know..." she smiled across at him, then looked down at the kitten again. "I think I'll like having one, though."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-11 02:16 am UTC (link)
"Owls are a bit different, I should think." They were useful, for one, and lived off in their own habitat, at least here in the castle. "But he seems ... good-natured enough, at least. I've never had one, but I do remember some nasty specimens in the neighborhood." He nudged the cat away with his foot, gently enough that it could probably pass for something like petting.

He picked up his rook, considering moving it along. "I suppose it makes for decent company, if you don't mind the side effects." He brushed some of the fur off the front of his robes, or tried.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-11 02:19 am UTC (link)
Essery leaned back in her seat waiting for him to make his move, nodding. "Well, it will be nice to have something in my rooms other than me. I'm used to living alone, but I'm also used to having quite a bit more drop bys from friends than I can have living here at the castle, and my brother would be by all the time at my old flat. The rooms echo a bit too much for my taste after all the students are in bed."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-11 02:33 am UTC (link)
"It isn't very social, no, at least not for Heads." Not that he had ever been bothered. The hour after curfew had always been his favorite. After another moment, he pushed the castle out to the middle of the board. "You are allowed visitors, you know," he said, glancing briefly up at her. "Although the hours aren't ideal. And there isn't very much to do if you're not interested in board games, I suppose." He smiled faintly. "Raid the kitchens, maybe. I've not made a habit of it."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-11 02:37 am UTC (link)
"Have to keep your imposing figure?" She grinned as she said it, she was obviously teasing but not out of malice. "I know I can have guests. My brother came up a few weeks ago, because I was upset about something. But most of my friends wouldn't be able to see Hogwarts, much less come in, and those that could really aren't close enough for me to invite up, unless they work here already."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-11 02:50 am UTC (link)
He let out a quiet snort, making another failed attempt to free himself of white cat hair. It was going to require wands, clearly. "I don't like being fawned over by house-elves, that's all." He raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised, although he should not have been, to hear her describe her friends. "I see. No, no Muggles visitors, I'm afraid. I hope your brother's well," he added as an afterthought, unable to find anything nice to say about him off the cuff. "Personally, I think the face of the staff has improved somewhat, as far as company is concerned - despite all of my complaints. No Death Eaters, no Ministry moles, no egomaniacal idiots ..." And then there was her, of course.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-11 02:56 am UTC (link)
"Not that we know about, at least," Essery almost giggled, when she laughed that time, and she made a move with her bishop, toward his castle, trying to force a retreat. "No, I think I'm finding I like the company of a few of the faculty here more than I'd expected." At that she looked up at him, then back down to the board with a grin. "But still, my rooms are too big for just me and no visitors. So, unless you plan on not having me come up for all of our games, I think the kitten should be just fine."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-11 03:08 am UTC (link)
"The year is young, isn't it," he conceded, resting his chin heavily in his hand and taking a moment to decide which of his colleagues could most likely be a embittered servant of the Dark Lord in disguise. He let himself smile at a few of the less likely options - and then at her, when he looked up with a skeptical expression after she had made her move.

"Yes - I must say, you're preferable - very much preferable - to the last best-selling author we had on board." He did not retreat, pushing another pawn forward to reinforce his position. "And I don't mean to drag you all the way up here all of the time, of course. If you think you'll have a better chance if we place elsewhere, I'll be happy to let you give it a try." And with that he poured himself another half a glass of wine, somehow managing to do so smugly.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-11 03:11 am UTC (link)
For a moment her mouth hung open in indignation, then she smirked a little and moved her knight instead, taking the pawn he'd moved up to threaten her with. "I don't know, maybe the change of scenery would you do well." Why yes, she was inviting him to her rooms. When exactly did she start planning on these chess games the way she would dates?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-11 03:22 am UTC (link)
"Hmph." He watched the bits of broken pawn slide onto the floor, and wondered whether they would survive their encounter with Essery's cat. The odds seemed slim. "We'll just see who pulls the advantage, then. If I were given to betting - But then, I wouldn't want you to think of it as a challenge." He would have had to have been much more confident to wager anything at all, but there was no need not to act self-satisfied. Or to fail to accept the invitation.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-13 10:11 pm UTC (link)
The cat was fussing with the hem of his robe, but was easily distracted by the still moving (in some cases) pieces of pawn as they fell to the floor, and so at least left his robe alone for a moment to chase them. Essery waited for him to move, chuckling. "Oh, I don't know. I tend to like a challenge."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-13 10:47 pm UTC (link)
The cat wasn't doing itself any favors interfering with his clothes, but as it subsided before any threads started unraveling, Severus let the infraction pass. For now. "I suppose you do," he said, supposing anyone with her job and her willingness to take on feral animals was probably not about to shy away from challenges. "All the better, then. I don't think I would enjoy letting you win." He moved a bishop out, opening a path for his queen a few moves down the road, and did not trouble himself with hiding his sharp smile.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-13 10:50 pm UTC (link)
She thought she was seeing that smile more and more, lately. Sometimes it was almost shy, as if it was so uncommon to him that he wasn't quite sure how to do it anymore. But moments like this it made him look hawkish, but pleased, and she smiled in answer and took her time thinking out her next move, her castle sliding to switch places with her king for a bit of defense. "Well, I wouldn't be going about forging friendships with mysterious and dangerous men who have the ability to fire me, otherwise."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-13 11:12 pm UTC (link)
It was rare that he smiled unless someone else had good reason not to, but he was certainly doing so more often these days - and it was an odd feeling. This was nothing that he'd had anything but passing thoughts about for quite some time, and 'rusty' would have understated the case somewhat. "Mysterious and dangerous?" He arched an eyebrow at her, clearly amused (and probably flattered). "You've been listening to stories. You're probably the more curious quantity, among magical people." He shifted his attack to focus on the castle's new position.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-13 11:36 pm UTC (link)
"I haven't been listening to anything," She contended instead, watching him play with a soft shrug. "It's your demeanor. You've definitely mastered the mysterious and foreboding genre."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-13 11:44 pm UTC (link)
He couldn't deny that, really. He might have argued that he wasn't trying, but that probably wasn't strictly true, either. The fact that she probably thought he had gave him pause for a moment. "I don't think I have very much to be mysterious about. I suppose it's force of habit. Foreboding ... just comes with the job. I don't mind it terribly." He sat back, taking out his wand to summon up the last few pieces of broken pawn that had failed to escape the cat's clutches.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-13 11:47 pm UTC (link)
Essery moved again, this time advancing her knight a bit forcefully, and then looked around for the bottle of wine to summon it and refill her glass. And top his off while she was at it. "I wasn't criticizing. It works for you. I don't quite thing your attempting to tell jokes all the time and hug the staff when they were sad would have quite the same hold on people."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-13 11:54 pm UTC (link)
As strange as it was to find someone who actually sought out his company, it was even more jarring to hear someone approve - well, at least not disapprove - of his performance here at school. "I assume they would decide I'd been possessed," he agreed immediately. "Probably correctly. - I'm glad you don't find it overly offensive." He glanced sidelong at his wineglass. She was going to affect some kind of change, at any rate, if he drank that.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-14 12:46 am UTC (link)
"I find it ..." refreshing wasn't the right word, she knew, and as she searched for a word that was, she took a too long drink of her wine, laughing as she lowered the glass again. "I don't know. You're an enigma, I suppose, but I enjoy this more than most people probably think I ought to... which is generally my cue to start enjoying things more."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-14 01:04 am UTC (link)
"Other people are usually quite tiresome, yes." She was full of the kind of pleasant surprises that were shocking in the straightforward way she simply put them forward - not at all tiresome, in other words - and here was another one. He wasn't sure why he had always been under the impression that you didn't tell people you enjoyed their company, but he had been. He took a sip of his wine, although he had probably had enough. "I would prefer it if you ignored them."

Well. He wasn't quite as good as she was at being direct, but that didn't surprise him. Frustrated, maybe.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-16 01:41 am UTC (link)
Essery had always found it easier to tell people what she thought of them when she had the chance. It was harder with men she was interested in, but she was trying too hard to tell herself that she wasn't interested in him - her much older former professor and now her boss. It wasn't appropriate, or possible, and she still found herself thinking about things she could do for him, ways to drag that smile out of him.

"You'd prefer I ignore the cue, or the rumours?" She knew which he meant, though, the coy smile she had as she played said that much.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-16 01:51 am UTC (link)
"Read all you like into the rumors," he replied, half a smile hidden behind his wine glass as he watched her, his eyes moving only briefly to her hand and to the board. "I don't think they could possibly paint me any blacker than they already have." He was pretty certain she did know what he meant, and for him the problem was not that it was inappropriate - he had never given a damn about what was appropriate, at least not where he himself was concerned, else he might not have spent his entire career shamelessly playing favorites and bullying twelve year-olds. It was more that he was groping his way around territory that he had lost the lay of a long time ago.

He wasted no time in moving his next piece, slowly adjusting his play to the defensive move she had recently made. "As for cues, that's up to you. But I've never found common wisdom worthy of much attention."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]oakbye
2010-10-16 01:55 am UTC (link)
"You're only saying that so I'll keep coming up," she said it as if she knew, as if she was sure, though she wasn't entirely. He was a mystery, that hadn't been teasing, and he was harder to read than almost anyone she'd ever met. "So that you can keep thrashing me at Chess. We might have to pick up other games I'm better at. Gobstones, maybe. Happy families..." She laughed, moving again, walking the line between defense and offense.

When she was done she looked up at him evenly, like she was evaluating him, then smiled again and took another drink of wine. She was starting to feel warm, again, and wondered if the wine he'd summoned hadn't been a little stronger than her sweet red had been. "There are quiet a lot of rumours. Perhaps you ought to just clear them up all at once for me?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]in_the_grass
2010-10-16 02:08 am UTC (link)
He wouldn't bother denying that; of course he was only saying it so that she would keep coming up. ... Well, not only. "Not Gobstones, thank you." He was wretched at it, and it reminded him of long, awful afternoons indulging his mother's one fond connection to the wizarding world. It might have been his least favorite game in existence. Aside from Quidditch, of course. "I don't know the other. Cards, perhaps."

He resisted the urge to do more than look back at her. He could have read more deeply than her face, he was sure, if he had wanted to, but that would have crossed too far from 'appropriate,' for him. He very rarely felt that way. "If you'd like," he said, almost lightly. He expected simply pulling up his sleeve would answer most of them, really, but he was strangely reluctant to go into ... that. Which was stupid; it was public record, and he had been sure for years that he had almost nothing more to hide. He drank his wine and set his glass aside. "It's a lot to cover. But I am not, in fact, a demon. That's important to begin, I think."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]oakbye, 2010-10-16 02:12 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]in_the_grass, 2010-10-16 02:21 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]oakbye, 2010-10-16 02:25 am UTC

(Read comments) -

Home | Site Map | Manage Account | TOS | Privacy | Support | FAQs