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     Garden Retreat (Tess)

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    Benjamin Watson

    Benjamin Watson

    Potioneer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyMon Feb 26 2018, 23:08

    End of August, 2040 || Kuchvary Manor

    If Ben had to listen to one more projection of the Potions market in the next few minutes, he was going to hex off the few hairs these aging men had left on their posh, liver-spotted domes. Really, with the endless gatherings and banquets, fundraisers and galas....soirees and parties...Honestly, don't they ever sicken of each other's company? As few of these imbecilic things as Ben attended, he was about ready to set fire to the curtains and the others be damned.

    Throwing back his third tumbler of thirty year old scotch, he placed the small glass on a passing waiter's tray and slipped out the back of the main hall, into the plush gardens. While he was never one for sunbathing or adventuring - that was more Connor's rhelm than his - he did have a great appreciation for plants and their various uses. Unfortunately, this was not one of those gardens.

    It didn't take long for him to wander far enough away from the party to barely hear the music drifting through the dense hedges amid the blossoming trees and perfectly cultivated underbrush.

    He reached up to rip his tie loose and off completely, stuffing it in his pocket and unbuttoning a few of his top buttons. Another thing he hated about familial obligations. The requirement to present an image; one he had no interest in being involved in. Passing by a small section of flowers, a stem of strange leaves caught his eye in the back. Having nothing better to do, he leaned down to investigate.
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    Tess Holmes

    Tess Holmes

    Healer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyMon Feb 26 2018, 23:24



    Sitting up straight, her legs properly crossed, and a expressionless face was how Tess found herself being. Her brother Mycroft had insisted that they attend, at least for the sake of being seen. But in reality she knew that he was really interested in the whole meeting. Potions brewing was a natural gift that the two of them shared. It skipped their brother, but it was one thing that brought them both together.

    So in turn she was his 'date' of sorts so he would be able to take in the atmosphere and see the figures, while she, the pretty face would be able to be seen and find a proper mate. It was not going to happen, she made sure to glare anyone who dared stare too long. But as he gripped her knee tightly, she returned back to her docile expression.

    "Can I take a walk?" she whispered to him. "My legs are falling asleep."

    "Then you shouldn't have worn those heels"

    A glare was sent his way, and a tight grip on her knee was enough of a response to get her to huff. No matter how many she attended she could not be the least interested in numbers.

    "Go to the garden, I can't stand seeing your face right now."


    "Love you too"

    And with that she casually walked out of the meeting to allow herself some breathing room. It was truly a shame that in the midst of summer she was stuck at a business meeting with numbers. Politics was their aesthetic, yet Mycroft believed in making it grow through business and so here they were.

    Her walk was a short one, moving through the main path until...well until she could get out of the supervision. One heel off..then the other.

    "Ah" her toes wiggled into the grass allowing her to go back to her original height. Looking around she found herself taking in the beauty that was the garden. Her hand gripped her heels as she walked through taking in the prettiness of it all. That is until a lean figure leant over a plant.

    "Oh sorry" she said in surprise of realizing she was not alone. She wasn't sure just why she was apologizing, but it was a reflex.


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    Benjamin Watson

    Benjamin Watson

    Potioneer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyMon Feb 26 2018, 23:51

    Softly padding steps made their way into Ben's little alcove as he continued to study his new specimen. Of course he'd heard her coming, clear as if an elephant was trampling through the foliage. A small intake of breath and hasty apology were nothing if not dull, predictable.

    What for? his brain responded instantly. Almost as quickly, as if the other boy was right next to him, he heard Connor's usual admonishment. "Not good." It had filled his ears in person enough times over the last decade.

    Still, sometimes the young man's lips moved without his permission. "What for?" Slipping his wand from his pocket to sever the stem as close to the root as possible, he chocked the encounter up to another botched human interaction. This was when they usually spat out some cold remark and turned away in a huff. It was so common he didn't bother bracing for the rejection.

    He stood straight, pulling his tie out once more, and transfigured it into a small, seal-able bag for the plant. He'd examine it more closely back home. Whenever he was to be released from this nonsense. Not even paying attention, Ben had no idea if the stranger was still there or not.
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    Tess Holmes

    Tess Holmes

    Healer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyTue Feb 27 2018, 00:04



    Apologizing for interruption was completely natural for her to do. Perhaps it was the idea of her being of the weaker sex that asked for her to apologize for simply existing. Rhian constantly admonished her for apologizing, especially in this situation. Because whatever she was expecting, this was not it.

    The gangly boy had the audacity to be rude to her. She found herself being annoyed at how he did it so simply.

    "Social niceties......Watson"

    She remembered him clearly. Being around the same age as her middle brother she found herself going over the families in her head. At a young age she was forced to learn all of them, and he being the heir of the potioneer family was clearly enough.

    At at this time she was being ignored. Well then, if that was the case...she found herself sitting against the rock and stretching out her sundress to properly sit down and rest her feet. Her heels were thrown onto the side and she sighed ignoring him in return.

    "That is Welwitschia you know. Well mixed with Euphorbia obesa, you can tell by the shape." her comment was off handed and somewhat bored herself.

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    Benjamin Watson

    Benjamin Watson

    Potioneer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyTue Feb 27 2018, 00:53

    An off-handed scoff escaped Ben's mouth. 'Social niceties'. As if he'd ever cared for them before now. A quick glance to the girl in question, assessing and he gingerly stuffed the small bag into his pocket, told him all he needed to know.

    Holmes. Youngest. Newly graduated. Conforming to expectations.

    He rolled his eyes, not bothering to respond. Boring. This patch of plants didn't seem to have anything else he was interested, so Ben meandered over to the next, wondering if there was actually a seemly good distraction in this rubbish these people called a garden.

    To his dismay, the girl seemed to settle into place within his little haven. Of course she did. Just as he was set to tune her out completely, her voice grated on his nerves. He eyes shot over to hers, mouth set to a firm line.

    "Obviously." In truth, he hadn't recognized it right away, scolding himself inwardly. Thinking back on it, however, he noted the lack of cones giving way to gender. Even so, it would be interesting enough for is collection. "Identifying is not all there is, Holmes. You should know that by now."

    While they'd been two years apart, as a fellow Slytherin, he assumed she held at least a passing competency in Potions. And obviously a working knowledge in this realm of Herbology.
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    Tess Holmes

    Tess Holmes

    Healer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyWed Feb 28 2018, 00:16



    At his scoff, she too found herself rolling her eyes. He was a prickly character and she found him to be simply awful. She briefly remembered him during her time at Hogwarts, he was always by himself, or with that Hufflepuff that was friends with Rhian. He never bothered even to introduce himself the few times that they were there.

    She knew it was not obvious. The plant offspring would not have been completely noticeable to a normal person. But she was not a normal person, she never had normalcy from a odd brother and her odder father.

    "If it was so obvious, then why collect it? The genus is clearly there and the phenotype is obvious because of gender. So I ask you, going to play kitchen with your fellow hufflepuff boyfriend? Or are you going to throw it away now that the plant is seemingly common?"


    Her tongue was sharp in her comment solely on the fact that he too was unpleasant. She believed that the worst part about all of this was the fact that this was better than the talk inside.

    " And sixteen words in a few minutes. Must be a new record for you am I right?" she grinned.

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    Benjamin Watson

    Benjamin Watson

    Potioneer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyWed Feb 28 2018, 00:42

    The girl was content to continue this meaningless conversation, but Ben found no need to directly engage. Instead, choosing to focus on anything else in their little area of nature rather than her. It was a tried and true tactic that usually meant people would leave him be sooner rather than later.

    The comment about Connor did not warrant a response. In no way was she important enough to discuss his only friendship with. While the other boy needed no protection from Ben, neither did Holmes deserve any sort of explanation for their odd relationship.

    A last bit of her words caught him unexpectedly, however. "Only an imbecile would throw something away just because it appears insignificant. Where would we be if someone thought Aconite simply a beautiful flower, nothing more?" Frowning slightly, he didn't quite understand why this idea bothered him as much as it did. His voice grew softer. "Just because you can't see potential doesn't mean there is none."

    His eyes unfocused, Ben had retreated into his mind. While this terrible conversation was preferable to the boring happenings inside the manor, he even had to admit to himself that this much talk was more than he usually bothered with.

    Why? he mused, mouth twitching slightly at the conundrum.
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    Tess Holmes

    Tess Holmes

    Healer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyWed Feb 28 2018, 00:53



    'The tongue is a sharp thing, but it can do enormous damage. Use it wisely' Her grand-mere's saying rang into her head as she witnessed how his tone changed. Usually, with a sharp comment, a direct and harmful comment to weaken the person was enough for them to go away. It had been useful for the majority of her life and successful, that is until she met Rhian. When the muggleborn took note of her tongue, she merely let herself cool off and then return as if nothing happened. It was after that, that her best friend told her that she was 'not good' with people. Their unusual friendship was cemented after that for sure.

    And now here she was, taking in the young man, who instead of being stung enough to leave the place in peace, instead went on a rant about plants. There was one phrase that changed her tone on him. "Just because you can't see potential doesn't mean there is none."

    "...You're right" she agreed in a bit of a surprised tone. "Though I fail to see why this plant would be considered as significant as aconite, I see your point and deem it fair."

    Was that a bitter taste in her mouth? Perhaps. A Holmes was never wrong, at least that's what her father told her. Still, she found herself moving a strand of hair from her face and really taking the odd boy in front of her in.

    "I apologize for my rudeness, but your rudeness caught me off guard. It was uncalled for and frankly unwarranted. I-I had heard things about you and it seems all are true. That is, that all you care about is potions, that blond, and herbology" at the last word she lightly pulled a lily from the ground and caressed the petals.


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    Benjamin Watson

    Benjamin Watson

    Potioneer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyWed Feb 28 2018, 01:15

    A normal person would thrill in having caught the girl off guard, but Ben could care less how Holmes regarded his comment. Whether her opinion matched with his meant very little to him and his work. He would still be taking the specimen back to his flat to run some tests.

    Remembering her comment on 'social niceties', however, he made the effort to nod ever so slightly at her concession.

    His eyes flicked over to her at the movement he caught there, watching her move her hair in what could be seen as a self-conscious reaction. Not like you'd know. Connor was quick to point out how terrible Ben was at reading others. Though, most of it was from lack of trying.

    The barest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "What else is there to life?" Lifting his chin towards the house behind them, he was almost amused at his next thought. "You can't honestly tell me you find that nonsense worth a damn."
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    Tess Holmes

    Tess Holmes

    Healer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyWed Feb 28 2018, 23:20



    If she was perfectly honest, the idea of them actually talking seemed unlikely. Both were too different yet in the same world. It was weird. How was it that she found more interesting people out of her circle? If she never looked outside her bubble nothing would be deemed colorful or lively.

    Yet here she was staring curiously at a lily as an awkward moment passed between two young adults. That is, until he made a joke. Tilting her head, a small tentative smile rose at what seemed to be a joke.

    "I tend to be tied down by brunettes" she added nonchalantly as she alluded to her own best friend. The blond, Connor that Watson and Rhian both hung out with was nice enough. A bit dull, and dense but it was obvious that he cared deeply for the pair. Not that she took any part of that. One friend in the world was enough.

    "You can't honestly tell me you find that nonsense worth a damn."

    "Well, if I shouldn't know anything about what is going in there" she pretended to be dim for one second before truly showing her colors. "But I find that the idea of the percentages in selling from poisons to love potions and the economy of it all is quite dull. No one cares about the numbers. Give me explosions, chaos, new discoveries. But..then again I'm not the intended public."


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    Benjamin Watson

    Benjamin Watson

    Potioneer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyWed Feb 28 2018, 23:58

    A small crease developed between Ben's eyes as he watched Tess's face change. It was subtle; he wasn't even sure if most people would notice all the tiny details that came together. But she seemed to soften in a way that truly didn't make sense. The barest hint of Connor's voice drifted through his mind. Nothing specific, just that usual tone the other boy got when he was fawning over what's-her-name.

    He mentally flicked both the voice and his analysis aside, slightly put out.

    "What you and that lion do on your own time is absolutely none of my business." While most people would have said this in a sarcastic matter, Ben was nothing if not serious. All that mess of infatuation and the feelings that went along with that were a constant nuisance in his Hogwarts days. Thankfully at MAE he could avoid it for the most part.

    For a fleeting moment Ben was almost surprised at the rush of business jargon that fell from her lips. Until he remembered who Tess was, who her family was. And simply, who he was. No matter the effort he expounded to distance himself from his family and their lust for more power within their circle of influential contact, he could never quite shake the more boring side of Potions that he was tied to.

    Her latter words intrigued him. A short hum escaped him. "Yes, explosions are fun, if not particularly enjoyed by all." Connor had done a right job in chastising him the last time a piece of furniture was lost to his experiments: his favorite chair.
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    Tess Holmes

    Tess Holmes

    Healer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptyThu Mar 01 2018, 00:08


    "What you and that lion do on your own time is absolutely none of my business."

    Before she could try to cover a gracious guffaw, instead a giggle fit arose. The ridiculous idea of her best friend and her being more...she lost it. After all of that she wiped some tears from her eyes, her cheeks red from humor.

    "Lion? My my, I see she even has a nickname with you boys," her eyes brightened. She knew she had to tell her best friend about this one. While she was not the most demonstrative person in the world, she knew that when Bailey smiled at her friend there was something there. Her friend was lovely, but a bit dim.

    "Those who do not enjoy explosions do not know the art that comes in making them." she waved it off. "But I have to say, I'm surprised you're not back there. That's...that's what you all do."

    At least that's what Mycroft said. Her eldest brother was the biggest fan of potions and the business of it all. He had met the Patriarch of the Watson family to discuss the prospect of investment. And much to her annoyance she had seen most of the conversation. It seemed that it was what they were known for. A new potion did not come out of the market if not approved by the Watsons it seemed.

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    Benjamin Watson

    Benjamin Watson

    Potioneer In Training


    Garden Retreat (Tess) Empty
    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptySat Mar 03 2018, 02:07

    Ben's eyebrow crooked up in question at Tess's obvious amusement. Even Connor didn't find him more than passingly funny at the best of times. 'Infuriating' was the more common word the other man attributed to him. Even so, there was a bit of strange warmth in his chest at being referred to in a group sort of way with the only person to stick around long enough to call a friend.

    "Yes, well. He does mention her quite often." Incessantly, in fact. Ben figured he knew more about the girl than anyone in their right mind should. Especially seeing as how he'd barely seen her in the two years since graduation. And not much before that, really. But he could recite childhood memories she and Connor shared, her favorite past times, silly quirks. Honestly, it took up too much of his own mental power to even think about it.

    The closest thing to a smile he'd shown since coming out to the gardens touched his lips at her description. "Quite," he responded. "Bailey has proved to be less than fond of my own recently. Attached to his possessions as he is."

    His light mood was gone just as quickly as it came, when she mentioned his family. Resigned boredom settled into his body then. "My family is quite...prevalent in these circles, yes. But I may fall over dead if I had to put up with those silly numbers games they play. Honestly, they spend their entire lives worrying about accumulating more wealth, and never get around to spending that which they already have." While his family took the usual vacations when he was young, his parents hardly ever enjoyed them; constantly attending to business even then.

    Looking at his watch, he noticed that it was nearing time for this gathering to end. "Lucky for the wizarding community, they should be done scheming for the day."
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    Tess Holmes

    Tess Holmes

    Healer In Training


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    PostSubject: Re: Garden Retreat (Tess)   Garden Retreat (Tess) EmptySun Mar 04 2018, 00:24



    At the fact that Connor mentioned Rhian often was definitely not a surprise. Both of them often times revolved around one another, both sharing smiles, those looks and it was honestly depressing to watch. Not because she wanted that. Oh no. But rather it was frustrating to see two clueless people actually go about their lives pining over one another.

    "I know how annoying that can be" she shook her head.

    If there was one night that Connor didn't pop into their conversation it would be a miracle. It was such a norm that it no longer irked her like it did in the beginning. She wondered just how long their orbiting would last.

    "Bailey has proved to be less than fond of my own recently. Attached to his possessions as he is."

    Her lip twitched at the thought. Growing up in her home there was always a bit of chaos when it came to potion brewing. Her father had given them a wing to do as they pleased so long as they kept it to themselves. Mycroft would use it to brew experiments, Winston would hide out to drink for the most part, and she would use it as well for brewing. Rhian had often times told her that, no that was not a normal thing people did. But then again, when was her family ever normal?

    What she had asked had obviously dampened his mood as his dry humor quickly became one of a bitter tone. It was fascinating to see his opinion on the subject of his family; not many shared their own opinion. Maybe it was the privilege of being male and the heir at that which gave him that advantage. Maybe his family didn't care about the perception of people as hers did. But she could not air out her family's dirty laundry to just anyone.

    The bell signaling that the luncheon would start and after that they would all leave signaled that she had to find her way back. Her brother would be very upset if she was found talking to a boy. Getting up, she dusted her dress off and kept the lily by her side.

    "You're right, I should head back. I'd rather not people start gossiping of my disappearance." Turning back to look a him a slight smile appeared on her face. "It was a pleasure to speak with you...and no that was not a social nicety."

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