Visiting the Townhouse (Rhian)

Subject: Visiting the Townhouse (Rhian) Mon Feb 26 2018, 00:09

Late June, 2040 || Song Residence

Summertime meant that he would allow himself some time to properly relax and visit his family. It seemed silly to think this way, but it wasn't a proper summer if he didn't go and visit his grandparents. His mother had made it a tradition that for every summer that he returned, he would visit his elders. It was always great; there was always food, music and more importantly...well Rhian.

It was embarrassing really; he had a crush on her since he realized that she was a girl! He remembered it clearly: he was seventeen when the axis shifted in their friendship and he found her to be...well beautiful. Since then, he found himself at first avoiding her all together until the panic attacks ended and now...he accepted it for what it was. He simply liked her because she was the only girl that he really interacted with, at least that's what Ben assured him when he finally decided to listen.

So as he opened the door to the Townhouse and the smell of lunch wafted his way, he knew he was home.

"Grandma Lavender? Granpda Atticus? Rhi?" he called out curiously as the door shut behind him.

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

A piece of parchment sat on the desk in front of Rhian. Such a little thing, in the grand scheme of it all. But she could do nothing but stare down at it and blink. The rest of the flat was quiet this time of morning, as Lavender and Atticus were out taking their morning walk. It was their habit, as they got up their in age and wanted to stay as healthy as possible. Also, it allowed them to greet neighbors and friends they saw down at Mrs. Lovett's for the usual breakfast crowd.

This changes EVERYTHING! she thought, feeling her heart pounding rapidly in her chest.

Since school had let out at the end of last month, Rhian had resigned herself to a life at Hookfang, tending bar and taking care of her foster parents as long as they would have her. As she worked her way through the years at Hogwarts, they had been nothing but loving and supportive, never once making her feel a burden or unwanted. Even when Connors dad made small remarks on her moving out, Lavender would simply hush him and change the subject.

Pressing the slightly curling parchment flatter on the wooden surface, she rose and walked out into the kitchen, moving more on habit than intention. Her mind was still on the letter.

She was accepted! They want me! Having read it a couple dozen times in the half hour since it arrived, she still couldn't believe it. Rhian pulled out bread and cheese from the refrigerator, starting on a few grilled cheeses for herself. Glancing at the clock, she had to assume her foster parents had gotten caught up with some acquaintance or another and would be out for a while still.

Almost done with the first sandwich, she flipped it one more time before hearing the door open and an all too missed voice. With a small gasp, she turned and quickly ran through the kitchen and into the livingroom, spatula in hand.

"Connor William Bailey, you ass!" Without breaking her momentum, the brunette practically leaped at him, her arms going around his neck. "It's been weeks since school ended and I haven't seen you once."

Subject: Re: Visiting the Townhouse (Rhian) Mon Feb 26 2018, 00:32

Oof.

Before he could say anything a small pixie size girl came tumbling through and clasping on to him. The soft scent of her perfume or whatever she wore made him know exactly who it was. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. She fit perfectly in his much larger frame and he felt so pathetic at how a hug affected him so much.

'You cannot do that. She is your best friend, and a muggleborn. Your father will kill you.' His conscious warned him.

Even then it was hard to take into consideration those warning as she held onto him so tightly. Pulling back, he couldn't help but kiss her cheek and let the door fully close behind him. It seemed she was the only one around, especially if she used that kind of language.

"Woah woah, I did not come here to get mauled" he teased before walking to the kitchen. "Though I will take the grilled cheese." Before she could say anything he had cut it in half and was eating half of it for himself. She made the best grilled cheese.

"Is grandma and grandpa off gossiping through town as usual?" he said after he surfaced from taking a large bite of the grilled cheese. "They still do that right?"

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

Connor always gave the best hugs. On her worst days, and there were quite a few, Rhian wished she was able to bottle the feeling of them, like a personalized Pepper Up potion. There was just something about the strength in his hold, the surety of it, and the obvious acceptance, that made everything alright.

And on good days, like now, she was almost bouncing with happiness.

Feeling the soft kiss to her cheek, she felt the familiar flip in her stomach, happy to have her childhood friend back. Life was always better when he was here in Mistwick with the rest of the family.

She barely had time to register Connor's words before half her sandwich was being stuffed in his face. A scowl twisted on her lips, but didn't so much as reach her eyes. "Well, I get to maul you all I want if you're stealing my lunch, mister." Her pretend angry face held only a moment longer before she let out an easy laugh, grabbing more slices of bread from the loaf and spreading butter on them.

"Yeah, they should be back soon. You know how they are." The pan sizzled when the butter touched down on it, and she inhaled the amazing smell. "You can have the rest of that one," she commented.

Since the pan was hot, the second one didn't take more than a minute or two before it was on her plate and she could turn the burner back off. Leaving it to sit for a moment, she turned back to Connor. "You'll never guess what I got in the mail this morning!" Her grin stretched from ear to ear.

Subject: Re: Visiting the Townhouse (Rhian) Mon Feb 26 2018, 00:57

When he was blame for eating her lunch, he merely sent a wink her way making sure that there were no hard feelings over it all. After all, most of his life was intertwined with hers and to him there was nothing better than stealing lunch from the girl in front of him. There was...there was nothing better than the girl in front of him.

It was actually pathetic; he was truly pathetic and he knew that if Ben was here he would have already gotten hexed for being so stupid. But something about the way she mock glared at him as he ate her sandwich made him know that this was just right.

"What'd you get kid?" he teased looking around wondering what she was hiding. Though at her grilling another sandwich he signaled her to two more.

There was so little excitement in her life that for every joy he wanted to make sure to be there. After all she deserved the most that the world allowed her to have.

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

Rhian caught his signal for more sandwiches, but those would have to wait. At Connor's question, she couldn't help but crave the approval of the boy in front of her. While she'd had a younger sister, Once upon a time, since coming to the magical world, the boy had been the closest thing to a big brother she could imagine. His opinion meant the world to her. Especially with the nature of the letter.

Dusting the crumbs off her hands, she stepped away and Apparated to her flat on the highest floor, swiping the letter off her small desk. A quick second later and she was back in the kitchen, a bounce in her step.

"It came about an hour ago. I haven't had a time to tell your grandparents, cause they left before. But I know they'll be so excited! And I could maybe use your old text books, if you don't mind. That is, if you're not still using them for anything. And I've still got some spare quills and parchment lying around from Hogwarts, so it won't be much trouble to get by with that for the first few weeks at the Academy, I don't think."

The need for breath stopped her rambling. A blush crept up her cheeks as she bit her bottom lip, trying to stop the constant flow of thoughts rushing through her mind. There was so much to do and only two more months to do it in!

Dragon Trainer in Training the Acceptance Letter read.

Subject: Re: Visiting the Townhouse (Rhian) Mon Feb 26 2018, 01:23

If he was perfectly honest he was curious to see what she had in store for him, and as she apparated rather than run up the stairs he new that she meant business. So Connor waited patiently, eating the second half of the sandwich until the girl properly appeared once more.

It took him a while to properly process what Rhian was saying but once it all clicked, his eyes widened. The initial feeling was pride; that his best girl had managed to get the lottery and properly be accepted to MAE. He knew how hard it was and how limited the choices were in acceptance for mudbloods. So as she proudly showed him that she wanted to be a dragon trainer like him...well he rushed to properly kiss her cheek and hug her once more.

"Congratulations!"

Would it be painful to see her all the time? Absolutely. No matter how much he loved being around her the idea of having her was a slow torture. Not just because he was awkward about his feelings, but seeing her not realizing what he wanted was just pathetic.

Don't be selfish be proud of her' and he was.

"You seem to astound me everyday Rhi. And no worries you can have all my books, they're in good condition. I swear I skimmed them" he grinned.

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

Wide eyes greeted hers as Rhian awaited Connor's reaction. She could practically see the gears turning in his mind: the sheer luck that she, of all Muggleborns, would have been accepted to study at the Academy. Really, she hadn't ever thought there was a chance when the staff at Hogwarts mentioned applying. She'd heard of others, with better grades and better family lines, that had been turned away in the last few years as their time came. And while she'd done well in Care of Magical Creatures, she never imagined it would be enough!

Another hug and she was fit to bursting with happiness. It wasn't until his verbal congratulations that she realized she'd been a bit unsure of how happy he'd be. It wasn't just that she got in, but she'd be following in his footsteps. Something she knew older siblings resented from time to time.

She should have known better. He'd never been anything other than supportive of her dreams.

With a blush on her cheek again, she got back to work making more sandwiches for the pair of them. "Thanks," she responded. "Though I should probably kick your butt if you've been slacking that much, in truth. What do you do all year at school if not study?"

Honestly, she didn't know. Since he'd left Hogwarts, she'd seen him here and there during breaks, but they'd drifted a bit apart for some reason. She'd wanted to visit him on campus, but had never had the opportunity. Never having seen the castle, she was brimming with curiosity on how life there would be different than her last seven years.

Subject: Re: Visiting the Townhouse (Rhian) Mon Feb 26 2018, 23:15

Her happiness practically radiated off of her face and he found himself immensely proud of her. It was not easy to get into MAE; he himself had been surprised by the sheer fact that they had let him in. Yet when he did, he remembered how his mother had cried and his father had shaken his hand proudly. He knew that his grandparents would feel the same way.

"Do grandma and grandpa know?" he asked curiously.

Because if they did, he wondered if there would be any cake left. He meandered over to the cooler to see what he could find. No such luck.

'What do you do all day if not study?'

At her question, a sly smile rose from his face. "One does not tell his secrets. Maybe I have a secret girlfriend for all you know." He didn't. He should though. After all there were enough girls that had no problem showing it but he couldn't take it. Instead rather than study, or party, he was mothering his friend and making sure nothing exploded from his experiments. It was a dangerous life, but he liked it.

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

Finishing up the last sandwich before adding it to the pile, Rhian couldn't help but feel a soft sting of tears at Connors question. Man, I'm all over the place today. She blinked back the stupid things, not understanding what was going on. The idea of her foster parent's reactions was already overwhelming, and she hadn't even broken the news to them.

"Not yet," she threw over her shoulder. "I'll tell them when they get home." The sound of the cooler opening caught her attention and she just knew what Connor was after. A small laugh escaped her, "Stick around long enough today and you know she'll bake your favorite if I ask." In truth, she had just as bad of a sweet tooth as he did. Though she tried not to indulge too much, without Quidditch or anything else to stay fit.

Grabbing the two plates, she passed Connor's to him and headed into the livingroom, perching on her favorite end of the couch. They had a small dining room table for the family, but when it was just them, Rhian preferred to be comfortable. In her leggings and a long, light sweater, she pulled her legs up to her chest to serve as a ledge for her plate. Her bare toes enjoying the soft material of the well loved couch, she chomped down on her own food.

A pang of hurt shot through her then. A girlfriend? Why wouldn't he have told her if someone new was in his life? It wasn't like he needed her permission or anything - she wasn't actually blood family - but she'd thought they were closer than that. A small frown tugged at the corners of her mouth, a tiny crease developing between her brows as her chewing slowed with the thought. It barely took a moment though for her to decide on being 'supportive'.

She swallowed with a tiny bit of trouble. "Well, I hope she can put up with your snoring." Okay, she couldn't help but rib him. They'd had enough living room camp outs through the years, passing out on their respective makeshift beds or available furniture when the hour got late. He really put the meaning to 'sawing logs'.

Subject: Re: Visiting the Townhouse (Rhian) Mon Feb 26 2018, 23:52

When Rhian said that his grandparents didn't know, he felt touched at the fact that he knew before them. The question came out of him before he could control it.

"Am I the first you told?"

His voice was very soft and somewhat surprised. He expected his grandparent's to know first, especially with how much they loved her and how much she loved them.

Following her to the living room he found himself sitting in his usual spot and began to eat. His teasing about his fake girlfriend he was surprised at her reaction. Instead of being frustrated, he laughed at her comment.

"Well she hasn't complaint yet. Maybe she truly loves me." Ben never complained, but then again the weirdo never slept. So maybe that was that. "Seriously though, living on campus, there is always something to do."

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

With another half sandwich left in front of her, Rhian didn't think she could take another bite. Her throat felt closed off. Probably all the excitement of the letter, she reasoned to herself. That's all it could be. She set the plate down on the low coffee table and wrapped her arms around her legs for comfort.

What would it be like to be loved like that, she wondered. Through her years at Hogwarts, she'd never found time to worry about boys and their nonsense. Sure, she'd watched as the other girls in her year flitted about like bimbos, trying to impress the latest center of attention. But Rhian wasn't ready to bring anyone else into her life for most of her time in the castle, content as she was with her small slice of happiness. Connor and Tess were enough for her.

Doesn't hurt that no one was interested, a condescending tone flitted through her mind. She couldn't really argue with it.

"You'll have to show me around your usual haunts when the time comes," her small smile not completely chasing her dampened mood away. "I'm sure you've gotten into as much trouble as possible the last couple years."

Looking out the small window facing the main street, Connor's earlier comment came back to her, helping her to get closer to that happiness again. "Oh, yeah. You are the first to know." Her eyes focused back on her knees, remembering the way his voice went hushed when he asked. "Maybe we don't tell your grandparents that? Don't want them to feel left out on the surprise."

Subject: Re: Visiting the Townhouse (Rhian) Tue Feb 27 2018, 00:30

Connor wondered what it would be like to have a proper girlfriend and not be so love sick over a girl that made it obvious that she not only did not feel that way over him but that she was oblivious to his infatuation. No matter how many factors that he expressed to Ben about the situation, Ben had told him that he was basically screwed.

It'd be easier for him to just let it go, but what was he to do? He figured that everything passed eventually and it would be better than dwelling on it. So he laughed off her comments.

"I am a good boy, I don't know what rumors you've been hearing" he tried to look appalled but failed miserably. "But seriously most nights are mostly Ben and I hanging out with me making sure he ate. I...I have a twenty year old child I take care of." He ran his fingers through his hair smiling.

But at her admittance to sharing her information of MAE, he smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll practice my shocked face before they come so when you share it properly I'll act surprised again."

So as they ate most of their food and chatted over everything he found himself missing this. It was nice to just take in the day and he missed this greatly.

"What are you the most excited about?"

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

Rhian's laugh twinkled through the flat at Connor's mention of Ben. Those two had been an odd pairing almost as long as she'd known him, and in the beginning she didn't understand why Connor put up with the other boy. But after she'd met Ben....well, she still didn't understand most of the time, to be honest. She'd asked time and again, but it was hard to see the side of the cold Slytherin that Connor apparently did.

Still, it never ceased to make her laugh, the two of them together. And if she was pressed, she knew it was something she appreciated about her childhood friend. How loyal he was, and not just to her.

"As if you could hide anything, Bailey." The thought alone of him being able to pull that off was absurd. "We both know you're a terrible liar."

Speaking of Lavender and Atticus returning, she stood and grabbed their plates, moving back to the kitchen. Her foster mom would never complain about cleaning up after the pair of them, but Rhian always tried to take care of herself. She gathered up the other dishes and started washing them in the sink.

She called over her shoulder to Connor, not sure if he'd followed. "You know I've always dreamed of seeing a dragon in person. I've been jealous of you for the last two years, getting to work with them. And now I'll finally get my chance!" Not able to contain her enthusiasm, her mind wandered as her hands moved on instinct. "Oh! Do you get to work with hatchlings? Or just the adults?"

Subject: Re: Visiting the Townhouse (Rhian) Wed Feb 28 2018, 00:09

At her laughter, Connor found himself laughing as well. Ben was always a handful and while he wasn't sure when everything changed it was definitely something he never regretted. Ben was unique, awkward, cold and yet there was something there that he could not particularly pinpoint. He would say that Ben needed some love, but as to what gender...well he wasn't even sure.

"What can I say? I'm a former Hufflepuff" he shrugged. "I'm not just good at finding things"

Though when their conversation changed to one about dragons he found himself turning and following her to the kitchen once more. Pulling the stool he sat down once more and smiled at her excitement.

"Well the first year it's mostly textbook stuff. Hatchlings are hard to deal with because of how protective their mothers are, but you do get to see one. My last anatomy class had them hatch" he sighed smiling. "It was amazing. They're so unique and each their own ferocious character. I love them..and you will too" he gave her a lopsided smile.

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

Bubbles rode up her arms as she finished scrubbing the pan, smirking slightly. "Oh, like when Atticus tried to hide that new broom from you in fifth year?" They'd been back from Hogwarts for the holidays, his birthday coming up in two months. Rhian was never quite sure what tipped him off to go looking for his gift so darned early, but he wouldn't leave it be, dragging her along in his newest quest.

If she hadn't been so good at crafts, they would have gotten in serious trouble for opening the wrapping early. She'd wrapped it perfectly back into place, hoping his grandparents were none the wiser.

She listened to his talk of school, placing everything in the rack once she was done. Drying her hands, she turned towards the stool and Connor, leaning back against the counter. She nodded at the comment on first year. Of course it would be more academic. The professors would want to arm her with as much information going in as possible, before setting a fire-breathing creature in front of her.

"No doubt," she replied.

Happily ready to continue talking about dragons all morning, she stopped short at the sound of a key in the front door. Her eyes lit up at the only explanation. Looking over to Connor, she worried at her bottom lip for a moment, her stomach fluttering.

"Here we go!"

Finished

» Take In The Sun With Me (Rhian)
» A Gift From Me To You (Rhian)
» Rhian Kael
» Why are there no maps? (Rhian & Tess)
» In for a Treat (Rhian and Connor)