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Post by Christian Ravensdale on Jun 20, 2010 20:42:12 GMT -5
Christian Ravensdale fiddled with the cuff of his shirt. He didn't want to think that he looked rather silly, but he couldn't help himself. He had dressed in a tan and white plaid shirt that was open, showing a white A-top underneath. His hair was tousled slightly, falling in messy curls around his face. His jeans, faded with wear, were a light blue and slightly baggy on him. He smiled crookedly at Gage, holding out his hand in front of The Three Broomsticks as she walked up to him. "Hey, you made it. Good to see you." In the end, they had decided to meet instead of having him come get her, which worked out better for him anyways. It gave him time to shower after work.
He stepped aside and held open the door for her. "After you, milady." He glanced in and sighed in relief softly to himself. They were still open, which was good. He didn't quite feel like making their first date be at The Hog's Head. The bar was clean and well-kept and he couldn't help smiling at Madame Rosmerta, who was bustling around the tables that still had people inside. He motioned to Gage to walk in, fighting to keep his knees straight. Gosh, she was cute. He cleared his throat and walked in after her, trying not to stare at her delectable body.
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Post by Gage Carmichael on Jun 20, 2010 20:55:27 GMT -5
Though Gage had been born into a pureblooded family, she'd taken enough Muggle studies classes in order to know what was stylish in the muggle world. She'd always found robes to be constricting and uncomfortably hot. Her grandparents (with whom she'd lived most of her life) of course found her style to be shameful, and would always tell her so. But she didn't give two shits about what they thought.
Today, she'd made sure to dress to impress. It wasn't anything too revealing or sensual, or too formal. It was just casual enough to be normal and just fancy enough to show she cared. She also made sure to reveal at least some good skin. Dates were no fun if the person you were dating wasn't completely enthralled.
As she made her way into the Three Broomsticks after her date, she looked around. A few people smiled at her and waved, and she promptly waved back. Through her work, she'd met a lot of people in Hogsmeade and around London. She was quite popular, which made getting information that much easier for her.
As she made her way to one of the booths and took a seat, smoothing out her black skirt, she turned to look once more at Christian. He seemed quite taken with her. Smiling, she spoke. "So, Mr. Ravensdale, how do you like being an Auror?"
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Post by Christian Ravensdale on Jun 20, 2010 21:06:05 GMT -5
Christian blinked and looked at her, forcing himself not to frown. "You can call me Christian, Miss Carmichael." He raised his hand to flag down Madame Rosmerta and order a couple of butterbeers. He looked at her and then down at the table, drumming his fingers on it. "It's the best job I've ever had in my life. I couldn't imagine life any other way. It's such a change, you know...I came from Hufflepuff, and while I liked it, nothing happened. So now being in a place where I have the opportunity for danger and adventure is...it's mind blowing." He smiled sheepishly at her and grabbed a napkin, folding it in various ways. He'd rambled again. Wonderful. It was almost a relief when Rosmerta walked up with a bright smile on her face.
"Good evenin', both of you! I haven't seen either of you around these parts for a while. I didn't know you knew each other. What a small world!" She laughed a little, leaning in and hitting the table. Her bubbly attitude made Christian smile and he laughed as well in return. "Small world indeed. Madame Rosmerta, would you be a dear and get us two butterbeers, please? Oh, and a cheesecake for me too, thanks."
She nodded and turned to look at Gage. "And for you, chikie?" Christian bit his tongue and looked down at the table, unsure of what to say for the time being. He glanced up at Gage and flashed her a shy smile, suddenly reverting back to his normal persona. He just hoped that she didn't shun him for it.
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Post by Gage Carmichael on Jun 20, 2010 21:17:29 GMT -5
"I'll take a cheesecake, too, Rosmerta," she responded, smiling politely at the bubbly woman. She had always liked Rosmerta and her open, forthcoming manner. Whenever she needed information, Rosie was always more than helpful.
Returning her attention to her date, she found him smiling shyly at her. It was rather adorable, how shy he seemed to get suddenly. Being a forward person, she simply reached across the table and placed her hand on his. "A Hufflepuff? Somehow, I'm not surprised," she said with a light laugh, "You seem to be a nice-natured sort. "
Soon, Rosie returned with the butterbeers, setting them lightly on the table in front of them. "Cheesecake'll only take a moment more, dears. I'll be back in a flash," she said, pointedly smiling at Gage's and Christian's hands.
"I was a Gryffindor myself. Delilah...we went to school together." A look of sadness briefly passed through her eyes, but she banished it almost instantly. "Back to happier subjects! Back when I was an Auror, I enjoyed the danger and the intrigue as well. Still do, to be honest. But I feel like I can do more good as a Healer, and I've risen through the ranks quite speedily, thanks to Dumbledore's help. I think I'm one of the youngest Head Healers in, well, forever." She smiled, remembering Dumbledore's kindness after she had witnessed one of the worse cases of her life. It had been him that got her to take on a job as a Healer, making sure that she knew it would be a good change of scene and useful, to boot.
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Post by Christian Ravensdale on Jun 20, 2010 21:29:21 GMT -5
Christian slipped his fingers through Gage's, interlacing them. He took a sip of his butterbeer and sighed softly in content as the liquid slid down his throat, heating up his insides. He listened to her speak and caught her sad look, but decided against saying anything. She seemed like she didn't want to say anything more about it. He nodded as she spoke, acknowledging that he was paying attention.
I think I'm one of the youngest Head Healers in, well, forever."
Christian laughed at this and squeezed her hand. "Yeah, It's the same for me and being Head Auror. Dumbledore helped me as well. He's a great man." He hesitated and then in a daring move, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes on hers. He smiled crookedly and set their hands back down on the table just as Madame Rosmerta came back and set down their cheesecakes. She refilled their butterbeers and eyed them both with a grin.
"All right, y'all. Enjoy yourselves but don't have too much fun, ok?" She giggled and walked off, her skirt swaying around her as she moved about the rest of the bar.
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Post by Gage Carmichael on Jun 20, 2010 21:48:07 GMT -5
Gage fought an uncharacteristic blush as Christian kissed her fingers, his soft lips feeling good against the worn skin of her knuckles. Years of hard work and obscene amounts of washing had made them rough and a little bit dry, something that she hadn't really thought about until now. She hoped they hadn't felt bad against his lips.
"All right, y'all. Enjoy yourselves but don't have too much fun, ok?"
Gage smirked at Rosie's joke. Yeah, as if even SHE would be that naughty on a first date. Still, she was known for her forwardness. "I wonder what counts as too much fun?" she asked, putting on a playful look.
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Post by Christian Ravensdale on Jun 20, 2010 21:55:06 GMT -5
It was Christian's turn to blush. He looked away quickly and shrugged. "I don't know...blowing up buildings, wrecking muggle cars, burning books in a bonfire, and maybe mass murdering a few people...Things like that. Basically, nothing we can't clean up during work." He glanced back at her, his eyes sparkling playfully. He smiled brightly, his dimples showing up clearly on his face. He laughed a little and took a bit of his cheesecake. His eyes widened and he looked at Gage in surprise. "Oh mah gaw...you need foo try some of fiss". He swallowed his mouthful of cheesecake and spooned up some of her cheesecake to feed to her. "Try it. This is so delicious."
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Post by Gage Carmichael on Jun 20, 2010 22:00:15 GMT -5
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Gage said, smiling to show she was only teasing, "It's rude."
Still, Gage took the offered bite and chewed, savoring the delicious flavor. "'Oh mah gaw' is right!" she said once she'd swallowed her bite. "That is amazing." She picked up her own fork and began eating her own piece. "Mmm..." she managed. It was really quite delicious. "Rosie's outdone herself this time."
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Post by Christian Ravensdale on Jun 21, 2010 15:18:40 GMT -5
Christian nodded, happily scarfing down his cheesecake. He took a swig of his butterbeer to wash it all down and then gave off a satisfied sigh. He sat back in his side of the booth and gazed at Gage with half-closed eyes. He contemplated his next move, not wanting to take it too far, too fast...but at the same time, he didn't want to waste any opportunity for whatever reason. Plus, truthfully, Christian wanted a bit more than just a kiss on the hand.
Pushing off of the back of the booth, he leaned over the table, smiling boyishly. His eyes sparkled mischievously and lowered his voice. "Hey...want to go to Zonko's and buy some stink pellets and fireworks and set them off in the courtyard? It'd be fun. And we can seriously piss some people off." He laughed with mirth and his smile grew as he awaited her response.
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Post by Gage Carmichael on Jun 21, 2010 22:27:53 GMT -5
Gage laughed lightly. "You're like a child!" she said, taking a swig of her Butterbeer before standing up. "But I like it. Let's go!" she said, grinning down at him.
She hadn't pulled any good pranks in forever. Not since she'd become a 'grown up.' Back in Hogwarts, she was a notorious prankster. She and her crazy friends would do everything they could to make things difficult for the other students. In fact, Peeves had been a good friend of hers despite him being, well, a ghost. The two of them alone had caused more trouble than anyone had a right to, and she'd enjoyed it immensely.
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Post by Christian Ravensdale on Jun 21, 2010 22:45:39 GMT -5
Christian laughed and pulled out a couple of galleons, setting them down on the table. He grabbed Gage's hand without thinking and led her out, the smile still on his lips. He stepped out of the bar, taking in the brisk night air and turned to look at her. He smiled and pulled her close, pointing with his free hand up to the stars. "Look, do you see that constellation there? That's Cygnus, the swan. Isn't it beautiful?" He slipped his arm around her waist and held her there as he looked up at the stars, the light reflecting in his eyes. He stared in awe, taken aback by both the beauty next to him, and the beauty of the stars. He truly was a lucky man. He turned his attention to her again and smiled sincerely at her. I hope she's having as much fun as I am.
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Post by Gage Carmichael on Jun 21, 2010 22:56:03 GMT -5
Gage smiled comfortably with his hand on her waist. "Yes, it is beautiful. Although I've always preferred to call it the Northern Cross. It looks more like a cross than a swan, to me anyways. Honestly, most of the constellations are a stretch at best. Like Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. There is no drawing in the world that makes those stars look like legit bears!" Gage said.
Staring up at the sky, she felt more than ever like they were just a bunch of random balls of gas that just happened to look grouped together. She wondered why people tried to force them into shapes that they weren't really meant to create. What was wrong with living outside of a shape or a box of any sort? It reminded Gage of her own struggle with her grandparents. They always wanted to force her into some specific mold, but she felt like none of the molds fit without having to stretch things.
"So," Gage said after a moment of companionable silence, "What is your family like?"
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Post by Christian Ravensdale on Jun 22, 2010 22:59:45 GMT -5
Christian smiled softly, trying to figure out how answer her without offending her. Astronomy was something he felt very strongly about, and while he valued her opinion, he wanted to state his as well. Silence befell them as he racked his brain for a valid response, when she spoke again. He blinked and looked down at her.
"So, what is your family like?"
Suddenly his family portrait flashed in his mind and he laughed a little. "Well...I grew up with three sisters and four brothers. In order, it's Elsa, David, Diane, Maybelle, Josiah, me, and Blaine. We were all kind of mixed... I'm the third and final wizard out of all of us, so it's been fun practicing with Elsa and Maybelle. But my brothers...Ha ha...There's always some sort of shenanigan going on. For Christmas last year, for example... I was conned into charming the presents so that they would literally pop out of their boxes or bags. And they're all constantly playing pranks on each other."
His eyes softened as he looked down at the ground, recounting tales of his family. A slight smile played on his lips and he shook his head a little. "There's definitely never a boring moment with my family." He looked back at her and his smile warmed. "What of your family, Miss Gage?"
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Post by Gage Carmichael on Jun 22, 2010 23:12:11 GMT -5
Gage thought about the proper way to explain her family situation without making herself seem like a victim or just a rebellious and snotty teenager. She was neither. But she had brought up the subject, so it was only fair to respond in kind with something she often chose to value: honesty.
"Well, I didn't really know my parents too well. They were killed when I was a kid during the war with Grindelwald. I was an only child, so I didn't really have any sibling to kind of mix with and ended up being raised by my uptight grandparents. They're pureblooded and quite arrogant about the fact. Luckily, they follow the Light. They swear they're nothing like the Dark-aligned scum, but honestly? They think about blood purity about the same as those so-called Dark-aligned scum. Still, they're good people most of the time. They just get so...tiresome after a while. I'm too wild for them or something." She shrugged a little. It didn't bother her too much anymore; she just found her uptight grandparents to be a trifle irksome, but never could she truly hate them.
Even if she complained about them almost constantly to anyone who'd listen.
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