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Tweak says, "Are you coming or staying?"

nikolas vaisey doesn't need a broom to fly (besserwisser) wrote in wished,
@ 2009-12-26 23:10:00

Entry tags:

!1997: 12, !incomplete, daphne greengrass, npc

Characters: Daphne Greengrass and Astrid Vaisey
Setting: December 26, 1997 at Flygt Manor, about an hour after breakfast
Status: Incomplete
Summary: During the Vaisey trip to Sweden, Astrid decides to investigate her potentially future sister-in-law.

If there was one thing Astrid Vaisey was not known for, it was subtlety. Even for a nine-year-old girl, she was markedly precocious and tended to speak her mind on matters of all kinds. This morning, she had eaten breakfast with the family (and their special visitor, who she had been observing with uncharacteristic silence these past three days) in a strange bout of aloofness, very intent on eating the hot buns, bacon, and fruit set before her. As soon as her parents had permitted her departure, she'd run out to the stables and spent a good forty-five minutes watching some of the reindeer grazing. She'd wondered if she ought to throw something in there to cause them to start and, maybe, fly around a bit.

Knowing that if she did such a thing her mother would be furious, Astrid had instead wandered back into the manor, cheeks and nose reddened from the cold. She supposed Nikolas must be off with Daphne. Daphne. Astrid wasn't sure how she felt about the older girl yet, but was certain she'd have to form some opinion, whether for better or worse. Today, preferably. If there was one thing Astrid knew, it was that opinions of others must be formed quickly - and three days had been far too long. Although, she certainly admired the girl's looks and style, and Daphne had gotten her the most lovely gifts for Christmas.

After properly disposing of her outdoor clothing and snatching an orange from the kitchen, Astrid sauntered down the corridor that led to the guest quarters, listening for any signs of life. Maybe she'd catch her brother and Daphne snogging, or something else amusingly exciting. As she was shooing away one of the remaining wolfhound puppies that had begun trailing her, she heard a small noise from the guest room she knew Daphne to be staying in. Ah hah. Didn't sound like snogging, perhaps (although, what did snogging sound like, anyway?), but at least there was someone there.

With little regard for the guest's privacy, Astrid walked right up to the door, open just barely a crack. She pushed it open and barged in, a look of curiosity on her face.

"Oops! Hello! Fancy you being here." She raised an eyebrow and picked at the orange peel absently. "Alone."

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daphne__g
2009-12-27 05:10 am UTC (link)

While Daphne could not deny that her Christmas gifts were exceptional, it all lacked one very crucial thing - they weren't from her family. No matter how much Daphne tried to tell herself that they were very nice gifts, she couldn't get over the fact that they weren't from her family. While initially Daphne was looking forward to escaping from her parents for the holiday, she was actually feeling homesick after waking up in an unknown bed for the third day. She was teased horrible by the one week spent at home before being rushed off to a freezing environment to spend six days on a bloody farm (at least, that's what it looked like to her). She was greeted unceremoniously by a pack of dogs which drooled all over her coat, and attempted to jump on her. Then, during the tour of the grounds, a frisky reindeer decided her mittens looked like a tasty treat. To top it off, her room was significantly smaller than the one back at home, and the bed felt lumpy (all of course was NOT the case!).

Retiring back to her room after breakfast, Daphne began to wonder if Astoria was having as miserable a time as she was. Probably not, especially since Draco's gift arrived. The bloody prat wanted to date her sister exclusively?! Daphne didn't know how she felt about that - while Draco came from a very prestigious lineage, he was also.... well, Draco bloody Malfoy. Daphne knew all his positive traits, and all his bad ones, and she still hadn't decided whether which ones she favors more. Draco Malfoy wants to date MY sister?! No matter how much Daphne wanted to scoff, and sneer at such a thing, she didn't have Astoria's feelings to keep in mind. Daphne was a difficult girl to get along with and most of the time she kept people at an arms length away from her. However, when it came to Astoria, Daphne was a completely different person. Painstakingly protective of her, and constantly concerned, the last thing Daphne would ever wish upon her sister is sadness.

Flopping down on the bed, her hand smacked one of her gifts which she tossed onto the bed the night before. Pulling the box on to her lap, she opened it to find the hair combs. Turning over the piece of metal decorated in gems, she glanced up at the mirror from the vanity facing her bed. Sighing, she pushed her brown hair out of those shocking blue eyes and placed the comb in her pin straight hair. Squeaking slightly as the comb scraped over her flesh, she ripped the gem encrusted hair accessory from her hair, and tossed it into the box.

"Sodding...---" Voice cut off abruptly as the door was pushed open suddenly and standing there was the youngest Vaisey. Blue eyes flickered from the girl to the orange before glanced back up at her. Astrid was certainly at interesting girl. She was nothing like Astoria, while Astoria was far more reserved, Astrid had that wide eyed curiosity about her. Yet... something about Astrid made Daphne smile. Perhaps just the mere fact that having a grown up with younger siblings made her more patient around them?

"Were you expecting someone else to be here?" An amused smirk curled on her lips.

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besserwisser
2009-12-27 05:24 am UTC (link)

Astrid just shrugged, standing just inside the room, rocking back and forth between her heels and her toes. She gave Daphne an appraising look, almost too boldly to be considered polite, and then raised her chin.

"Of course not," she said, affecting an air of primness that was not at all her usual demeanor. Not seeing any reason to remain where she was standing (never mind that this technically wasn't her room at the moment), Astrid walked fully into the room and stopped just short of sitting on Daphne's bed. Her knees rested against the side of the mattress, and she pocketed the small clementine before touching anything else.

"I thought you might be with Niko, but I haven't seen him all morning, and here you are." Her eyes darted to the box Daphne had just discarded the comb into. "What are you doing, anyway?"

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daphne__g
2009-12-27 05:33 am UTC (link)

Feeling compelled to make room for Astrid to sit down, Daphne subconsciously pushed the boxes closer to the head of her bed as the girl rested her knees against the bed. Her air of primness reminded her greatly of Sebastian, and the way he tried to emulate their father and his haughty attitude.

"Oh, no, I haven't seen much of him either. Have you tried his room?" Waving her hand over the space that was cleared away for the girl, she motioned for Astrid to make herself comfortable.

When she questioned what she was doing, Daphne looked at the box which she carelessly tossed the hair comb into, "I was just admiring my gifts." Plucking the box back up, she lifted the hair comb and turned it over in her fingers, "Did you like your gifts? I selected them myself. I wasn't quiet sure what you might enjoy, so I decided to go with something safe." A mink stole and pearl bracelet is always safe, right? For some reason, she figured she wasn't living in a house full of fur protesters.

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besserwisser
2009-12-27 05:50 am UTC (link)

This answer seemed to satisfy Astrid. She took a seat on the bed, one leg bent in front of her and the other dangling off the mattress, and nodded vigorously.

"Oh, yes!" she said with a wide grin, "They were wonderful. You have great taste, you know, I've noticed."

She paused for a split second, and then added, "Though I wasn't looking for Niko at all. Actually, I was looking for you, so I seem to be spot on."

Astrid let her eyes wander across the span of the room. This was one of the larger of the six guest rooms they had in this wing, and it had been several years since Astrid had bothered to set foot inside of it. Still, when she did happen to enter them, she always found it interesting how different they tended to look depending upon who occupied them. It seemed Daphne had tried to make herself as at home as possible, and Astrid's gaze came to rest on the wardrobe, where a few clothing articles rested. In the corner, a pair of boots sat rather unused, and Astrid blinked in recognition.

"Ugh. He got you those, didn't he," she stated, making a face of distaste. "I told him not to. He said they'd be useful, but they're also ugly, and I tried to tell him that a girl doesn't want a practical gift for her birthday. Well, maybe I do, sometimes, but please."

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daphne__g
2009-12-27 06:15 am UTC (link)

"Brilliant." Was that a wave of relief that just washed over her? Daphne never realized how stressful it was to shop for a family that she hardly even knew. She was grateful for the small amount of time she spent with Nikolas before coming to their home. While it seemed like she wasn't listening to him, Daphne was hearing his every single word when he described his family.

"For me?" A rather surprised look washed over Daphne's face, "Why? Did I do something wrong?" Daphne tried to recall if she had done anything a bit questionable. She should have fought that reindeer for her mittens back?

Daphne's gaze followed Astrid's towards the pair of boots sitting in the wardrobe. "Oh thank Merlin! I'm not the only one who thinks that." Snickering, she nodded towards the boots, "I was worried I would offend your family if I didn't wear them." Which was why Daphne hadn't discarded them yet. She was tempted to toss them in the trash when she received them, but her mother told her that would be impolite, and would send the wrong message to the Vaisey family.

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besserwisser
2009-12-27 06:25 am UTC (link)

"No, nothing wrong. I just haven't talked to you much at all and I can't very well come home from this with out an opinion," Astrid said matter of factly.

She gave Daphne a sly grin and chuckled briefly. Astrid was observant, and read the surprise in Daphne's face. If anything, she found it amusing. Instead of stringing that out, she returned to the topic of gifts. It seemed safe...for now.

"Our mother said the same thing, about them being a weird gift, but only once. I was the one that kept pestering him, yet he did it anyway. It's not as though you could really have much use for them back in England anyway, it doesn't get that cold there." She stroked her chin. "At least the Christmas gifts were better. I think, anyway."

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daphne__g
2009-12-29 05:16 am UTC (link)

"Good enough," Daphne nodded. Astrid was certainly more... outspoken than Astoria, and that sly grin made Daphne smirk. Nikolas only spoke briefly about his younger sister before, so Daphne didn't really know what to expect. In the back of her mind she was picturing the girl to be an obnoxious, whiny, nine year old - luckily, that was not the case.

"Merlin, no." Shaking her head, she pushed the box off her lap, "And when we're not in England, we're in Greece or Marseilles. Two very warm, Mediterranean locations. So, there is really no need for them..." Her voice trailed off briefly as she looked at the boots in the wardrobe, "Though, it seems I might start spending more time here." Daphne wanted to say 'because of the marriage' but she couldn't pull herself together enough to say the M word.

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besserwisser
2009-12-29 05:33 am UTC (link)

Astrid's eyes widened in interest and childish curiosity.

"Ooh, Greece and Marseilles? How exciting!" she said, the pitch in her voice just short of a squeal. "I've only been to France twice, and it was Amiens. Greece sounds so amazing though."

Needing a change in position, Astrid folded the leg that had been dangling off the side of mattress neatly beneath her. She narrowed her eyes shrewdly and studied Daphne's expression. The older girl seemed suddenly uncomfortable, and Astrid didn't take long to figure out why. She knew that Nikolas wasn't very fond of the marriage idea, and imagined that Daphne must not be either.

"Perhaps," she began, looking down at the bedspread and picking at a single loose thread. "You know, I thought it was silly they had you come with us to Sweden. Our home in England is much less...well, it's probably closer to what you would be used to."

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daphne__g
2009-12-29 05:48 am UTC (link)

Daphne had to smile as Astrid's eyes widened, "It is. My father is Greek, and my mother is French, it's only expected that we have homes there. Perhaps, one of these days you can come visit our home in Greece. After all, your family was gracious enough to invite me." Daphne did wonder if that was proper etiquette. She wasn't sure what was considered to a proper courtship. Was this even considered "courting"?

Daphne's gaze followed Astrid's to the bedspread, watching closely as the girl picked at a loose thread. "I don't mind," That was a lie, inside, Daphne was steaming mad. She was mad her parents for accepting the invitation, she was mad at them for forcing her into this entire mess. "I suppose, this is just giving me some insight into what my parents are getting me into."

Clearing her throat, she glanced over over to window, "So, tell me, Miss Astrid, what do you do for fun around here?" Daphne was dying to change the subject to something other than her predicament.

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besserwisser
2009-12-29 05:59 am UTC (link)

"Well," Astrid said, her eyes moving up and to the right, as though the thought may suddenly appear in midair above her, "I suppose it depends on your idea of fun."

She gave Daphne a very serious look, suggesting a gravity that this conversation didn't otherwise appear to have. "I like to spend a lot of my time outdoors with the animals, or exploring the grounds. Shopping in the towns and city is a lot of fun, as well. Especially now, when everything is lit up. But, you don't seem very keen on the animals, or the weather, really, so I can't say that any of the things I tend to do here would strike you as enjoyable."

Perhaps this had been a bit blunt and, well, rude. It was rare that Astrid saw much point in sugar coating things, but just after she finished speaking, she looked a bit embarrassed. It wasn't Daphne's fault that this wasn't her cup of tea, and Astrid supposed she'd sounded rather accusatory just not. For someone who hadn't been raised in this sort of environment, this trip would seem downright bizarre. Daphne had been dealing with it quite well, all things considered.

"But, er," Astrid added quickly, looking back down at her hands, "There's other things. Indoor things." She searched desperately for something. "Cliche, maybe, but I do enjoy chess."

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daphne__g
2009-12-29 06:32 am UTC (link)

Daphne could appreciate honesty, she wasn't very fond of sugar coated answers. It wasn't like Astrid's observations were very off, either. Daphne wasn't much of an outdoors type of girl, she hated animals... at least all the drooling, biting, clawing, loud types. Especially the kinds that insisted she be their friend and attempt to drag her into freezing lake water. Yes, the squid incident was still very fresh in her memory, and likely left her traumatized and wary of animals for the rest of her life. It was a mystery how she was dealing with all the animals at the Vaisey's home.

Fixing her wool skirt over her knees, fingers smoothed out invisible creases. "You are correct," An amused smirk curled on her lips, "I'm not very keen on animals, or the weather." Nodding in agreement, Daphne wasn't very fond of shopping either. Most of her time at home was spent playing the violin, or spending time with Astoria, or Audrina, or Blaise. She wasn't a very social person, and would prefer to spend her time curled up by a warm fire reading a book rather than shopping.

"Well," Daphne reached for the gorgeous chess set the Vaisey's got her, "I have yet to try out my new chess set. Perhaps you could like to play a round?" Arching a finely sculpted brow towards the girl, a challenging smirk curled on her lips.

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besserwisser
2009-12-29 07:45 pm UTC (link)

A small, more reserved smile spread across Astrid's face, and she nodded.

"I'd like that," she consented, "I'm decent enough at it, but Nikolas tends to beat me."

She reached over to where the set was resting and took one of the black rooks in her hand. Holding it up to examine it more closely, she admired the craftsmanship, and wondered if perhaps she ought to ask for something similar the next time an occasion arose. Astrid already had one, but she'd been with her parents when they had purchased this one, and had been secretly coveting it since. Still, she liked gobstones more at the moment - something she may eventually outgrow, her father had implied (perhaps more hopefully than he'd intended).

Waiting for Daphne to set up, Astrid inquired, "Have you ever played him?"

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