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Post by Ash Blackwood on Aug 9, 2017 15:13:35 GMT -5
A girl slipped into a narrow alley near the jewelry store. She had a childlike face, but her height gave away that she was older than she appeared. She was draped in layers of cloth, mostly earth tones, and what might have once belonged to a Society girl, though a thin, charcoal grey summer cloak disguised some of it. She reached a pale hand through a fold in the cloak, into a hidden pocket in her skirts, and withdrew a beautiful old necklace made of multiple strands of gold studded with heavy sapphires. She glanced up, matching eyes making certain that no one could see her, then dropped the necklace and drew her wand.
Diffindo.
There was a puff of dirt, and the necklace broke neatly, one strand severing from the rest. She squatted and tucked away her wand, then gathered the broken necklace into her hands. With one hand she gave her cheeks a few hard pinches, then chewed her lips briefly and blinked quickly to make her eyes shine and give her lips and cheeks some color. She took a deep breath, smoothed her skirts — a hopeless cause, really — and headed back out of the alley.
Ash took her time crossing the street, stepping around the odd puddle from a recent rainstorm, skirts swishing, delicate boots (if old and worn) picking their way across the cobbles. She paused outside the door, took a deep breath, then entered. She hadn't done any real research, had never learned to research things really, but if he ran a jewelry store, he'd have to know something about the piece in her hand. She certainly didn't.
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Post by Emilian Sota on Aug 9, 2017 15:51:44 GMT -5
Emilian didn't even really need the shop anymore. Well, he needed it, just not financially. With yet another fluent language being added to his collection, more international connections, and his extra cross-continent role, he was doing well in the pockets. But the shop, the quiet shop now mostly free from overt hate due to the time that had passed, was certainly needed. A man who had once thrived among others now often felt more at peace working on tiny loops of silver and gold.
When the little old bell above his door tinkled, he glanced up from his work and quickly ran his eyes over the girl who walked in. Well, she might be old enough to be called a woman. "Can I help you?" he asked, straightening his back in his seat as he slid a glove back onto one hand.
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Post by Ash Blackwood on Aug 9, 2017 15:59:47 GMT -5
Ash pretended she hadn't seen that subtle motion, the hiding of one hand, nor the fact that he'd actually looked at her. It made her blood quicken just being noticed, and when she managed to speak, her words were breathy and far too quiet. "I have a necklace," she began, blushed at her own foolishness, dropped her eyes, and put all her concentration into being louder. Loud like Ferox and Lisette, like her brothers, like everyone else in her world had been. That was her intention, at least. What she managed was a soft throat-clearing and just enough volume to be heard in the quiet shop.
"I have a necklace that needs fixed," she said, then remembered that the man behind the counter was no servant, but had once been a member of the elite. "Please," she added, though it didn't occur to her to step further into the shop.
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Post by Emilian Sota on Aug 9, 2017 16:08:16 GMT -5
Some people still seemed wary around him, of course, and it was hard not to immediately read the girl's actions as such. Emilian gestured for her to come forward, anyway. "Let me see," he said. While it looked like she might be low on money, repairs were often simple enough that the jewelry itself mattered little. "Don't worry, most of what I get around here is repairs, I've gotten good at it." He pushed aside some of the things cluttering his counter to give them room.
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Post by Ash Blackwood on Aug 9, 2017 16:15:49 GMT -5
Ash took a quick, bracing breath, then prodded herself to move. When she reached the counter, she brought up the necklace and lay it down carefully, as though she hadn't just broken it herself. She'd taken it and a few other things from home before being sent off to Lisette's, and though she had no idea of any of its value, this was one of her favorites.
"I don't know if it's worth anything," she said. "Will it cost a lot to get it repaired, or should I just sell it?" Do you want to take advantage of me? You can, if you like.
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Post by Emilian Sota on Aug 9, 2017 16:27:34 GMT -5
Though Emilian's eyes widened briefly when presented with the necklace, he otherwise hid his surprise at the intricate piece the girl lay before him. Perhaps she had stolen the piece? His gaze turned to her again, taking in the signs of quality hidden beneath the frayed edges, and opted not to question where it had come from. Directly, at least. "This is an impressive piece," he said. One covered and one uncovered hand gently spread out the necklace, his eye immediately caught the damage.
"This is worth quite a bit," he said, leaning closer and pulling an eyeglass toward him for a closer look. "It's old," he paused and glanced up, "not that old means money." His eyes shifted back to the necklace. "Quality, but broken." Like the clothes the girl in front of him wore. "Still beautiful." Like the face of the girl in front of him. He cleared his throat. "The repair will be simple, unless it's enchanted, and I can do so for cheap."
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Post by Ash Blackwood on Aug 9, 2017 16:35:35 GMT -5
Enchanted. That was something Ash hadn't considered. Well, she hoped it wasn't. "It's been in my family for ages," she said, weaving the sob story that was really actually true. Because she'd made it so. "I've lost my family, the house is gone, and I don't want to sell this, but I can't stay at an Inn forever." Do it, she told herself. It felt so wrong, but she had to, didn't she? She was still a moment, then raised her eyes in the hope of meeting his, just for a moment before she looked demurely back down. Her heart raced.
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Post by Emilian Sota on Aug 9, 2017 16:52:48 GMT -5
Everyone was the victim of a fallen family house nowadays, it seemed. Emilian wasn't interested in probing and finding out details, especially when that resulted in confusion and problems for him more often than not if a pretty girl was involved. He did, however, make the mistake of glancing up at her at the same time she looked at him. His icy eyes lingered after hers had dropped, but he tried to shake off anything it made him think that had nothing to do with the jewelry.
"I don't offer pawns," he said, dragging his eyes back down. "I have payment plans available. Unless you want to get in here and do inventory to pay off the repair." Or maybe he could go the pawning route. Or simply buy it. He probably shouldn't offer her a job, however temporary. "A temp position could get you on your feet."
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Post by Ash Blackwood on Aug 9, 2017 17:01:06 GMT -5
Ash forgot herself and looked up again. This time her eyes stuck without the self-consciousness she'd been radiating so far. Position. Do inventory. "Do you mean... working? For money?" That was something that had never occurred to her. She'd only wanted to see what he looked like, to decide if she wanted to try seducing him so she could stay here. Whatever pawning was, he seemed to think she'd wanted that, but work?
"I can pay for the repair," she said, and looked back down again, still boggled by the offer as she moved aside layers of hanging cloth to expose the heavy coin pouch seated against her thigh. She scolded herself for being so flustered. She'd intended to reveal it as an offer, not as a solution. Nervous fingers released the pouch and she quickly covered her exposed skin again. Now her cheeks were a vibrant rose, and she wouldn't look up.
"How much will it cost?" she asked, and dropped the pouch on the counter before drawing both hands back against her bodice.
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Post by Emilian Sota on Aug 9, 2017 17:10:35 GMT -5
Emilian's lips curved before he even realized he was amused at her response. Amusement had been in short supply for years. He put away the eyeglass, folded his hands together, and looked up at her. The skin he'd caught a glimpse of, but he had mostly forgone that particular pleasure for a long time. "So you have money, but are offering to sell this incredibly expensive heirloom? Why are you staying in an Inn if you have a money pouch sitting on your nicely-shaped thigh?" Could she get more flustered? It wasn't against the rules to play a little bit when it wasn't his food anymore.
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Post by Ash Blackwood on Aug 9, 2017 17:20:27 GMT -5
Ash's blush had faded very little, but it rose up again. "I'm staying at an Inn because... it's close?" No! Try again! Why had she offered to sell it? To see if he'd try to screw her over, that was why, and he hadn't! Nicely shaped thigh. Oh dear god, could she get any more embarrassed?
"May I stay here?"
Yes, it appeared she could get more embarrassed.
Her brows furrowed. "No, please, forget I said that. I..." I can't think of a lie fast enough. She had to say something, though! "I ran away. I'm twenty," she added, looking up almost indignantly. She got flustered all over again at his eyes, blue like hers, but pale and intense. She looked back down, and her fingers twisted at the folds of her clothing.
"I want away from my family. Do you know the Blackwoods?" Quiet! Stop, Ash! "Not the... the ones at Hogwarts, the ones that are in the news all the time, but the real Blackwoods. They're horrid, my family is horrid, and... I don't know anyone, I thought... you... Oh, God." She brought up her hands to cover her face, as though by hiding she could disappear and take back her running words. This was why she never spoke. This was why being invisible was good.
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Post by Emilian Sota on Aug 9, 2017 17:28:21 GMT -5
"I know the Blackwoods, the Hogwarts ones, at least. I know of the others. I was once best friends with the Hardt married to the Hogwarts Blackwood," Emilian said. The facts that he sort of worked for them and that his dead wife's daughter had been adopted to them didn't seem all that important. "You could have gone to them, they're good people. So why me?" A ploy to get to the money? How much did she know?
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Post by Ash Blackwood on Aug 9, 2017 17:36:59 GMT -5
Her hands dropped. "Go to them?" Her eyes were wide, incredulous. "They're the reason I don't have a home anymore! They kicked me out!" Yes, it had been three and a half years, but she was sick of being Lisette's doormat, and her kids' doormat, and the doormat of everyone except the blasted elves!
"I thought... maybe," she began, looking down again and tilting her head a little to the left. "You used to be friends with them... I think..." She shook her head, squeezed her eyes shut a moment, then opened them, tipped her chin up slightly, and tried again. "To be perfectly honest, I heard your name in conversation and finally decided to try living instead of hiding." She glanced at him, then slid back into her demure posture without a thought. It really was her default.
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Post by Emilian Sota on Aug 9, 2017 17:50:57 GMT -5
The girl knew nothing about what had happened, it seemed, but that seemed secondary once she revealed that living with him meant living. Emilian chuckled. "You think living with me would be living?" he asked, tilting his head slightly at her. "You're pretty, you come from a name with a good and a bad side. Did you hope I'd take you as my lover and free you from your leashes?" He couldn't do that, he wouldn't do that.
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Post by Ash Blackwood on Aug 9, 2017 18:10:03 GMT -5
Ash blushed deeply again, and though she wouldn't look up, though she gave no verbal reply, it must have been apparent that yes, she had hoped for pretty much exactly that. "I..." She closed her mouth, gave some thought to her words, then tried again. "You know... the other Blackwoods," she said, hoping he'd follow along. "But you're not friends with them. I don't want to be friends with them. You're the right... distance?" She made a face at her own awkwardness, then stomped, frustrated with herself. Her hands curled, then released.
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