Time to talk...maybe? (tag Lucian) on Labyrinth Gardens

Clara Abernathy

July 16, 2013 2:19 PM

Time to talk...maybe? (tag Lucian) by Clara Abernathy

Clara practically paced the floor bare in her dorm room as she talked to herself. Since the pool party and Charms class, she and Lucian hadn’t really had a chance to talk about anything that happened. She knew that he was going to talk Honey about their betrothal and see how she felt about things. She wasn’t sure if that discussion had taken place yet, but she was driving herself crazy with all the random thoughts running through her head. Ever since her father’s letter, Clara couldn’t stop the flood of thoughts that seemed to have invaded. She was completely lost on how she felt about meeting her dad’s new girlfriend. She was still slightly angry that he had been seeing this woman this whole time and hadn’t bothered to say anything to his own daughter about her. She supposed that he might have kept silent about it because he wanted to be certain she was the real deal before he said anything to Clara about it. She calmed a little at that thought, but the anger didn’t subside completely. She found her thoughts trailing to the break and her upcoming forced encounter with Dean. She found herself fuming again at the idea of being forced to spend time with someone she didn’t know with the thought in mind that they might like each other enough to agree to a betrothal. While she was angry about the situation, she found that she couldn’t be angry with Dean. He was in the exact same boat as her and like her, he was stuck spending time with a stranger. She sighed heavily over the thought and let the breath out slowly as she tried to calm herself. This was the time she needed her best friend the most.

Clara gathered up the light blanket she had picked for the outing she had in mind and folded it up, placing it in the basket with the picnic lunch the prairie elves helped her pack. She had sent an owl to Lucian the day before asking him to join her for lunch and didn’t wait for a reply. She figured like every other time, he would either join her or he wouldn’t. Either way she wouldn’t disappoint the elves by letting the wonderful lunch they made go to waste. As she gathered up the basket and slipped on her sandals that matched her jean shorts with the embroridered back pockets and her purple butterfly t-shirt, she thought about the message she sent Lucian. She frowned slightly, hoping that he didn’t take the message the wrong way.

“Lucian,
I was hoping that you and I might get the chance to talk before the break about current events. I’ll be out in the gardens around noon tomorrow having lunch if you want to join me. If not that’s okay. We can talk after the break if you want.
Clara”

Clara carried the basket out of the Pecari Common Room and out into the gardens as the suit of Armor jumped itself back into place, completely sealing off the door to their common room. She carried the basket with her into the gardens and found a small patch of grass with a small fountain nearby just a couple of turns inside. She put the basket down on the ground and removed the blanket. She unfolded it and laid it out on the grass. She placed the basket in one of the corners and sat down cross legged, kicking off her sandals. As she waited for him to arrive, Clara found herself talking to herself out loud of all the things she wanted to say to him. “I’m sorry that I missed the first fencing meeting…my cousin’s idea of practice borders on the edge of torture,” she said as if he were already there for her to talk to. She felt compelled to continue despite being alone. “My cousin Dimitri told me about it, but I got so caught up in practice and homework that it completely slipped my mind. I’ll be there for the next meeting though, I promise. He also told me that he accidentally ratted me out so I’m sure you’ve probably got like a million questions you want to ask me about it. Believe me, its not like I purposely didn’t tell you about any of it…its just hard to talk about sometimes, ya know. Its not that I don’t trust you or anything, I do…completely. Its just that…I don’t know. I guess I just feel weird sometimes. Like I’m the most over-achieved kid on the face of the planet, ya know? It feels weird to talk about sometimes because I already know I’m weird on my own, but telling people that I speak different languages, that I fence and dance and sing kinda seems like too much for some people to handle. Like I’m trying to show off or something.”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she continued the “conversation” she was having with imaginary Lucian until the real Lucian arrived. “I know it kind-of feels like I’ve been trying to avoid you since the pool party, but really I haven’t. I just didn’t want to get in the way of you talking with Honey and feeling like I was pressuring you on anything. I’ve just had a lot on my mind and trying to find the best way and time to bring it all up. My dad wrote to me and dropped basically the biggest bombs on me that I’ve ever gotten and I’m completely lost. He met some woman after like 10 years and he wants me to meet her over the break. He’s been seeing her this whole time and never even said a word about it. If that’s not fun enough, my cousin Arista is getting married over the break and as much as I would like to invite you to come with me to it, I can’t. My dad said that my grandparents have invited one of the boys from the birthday party to the wedding and they want me to hang out with him. I really don’t want to, but I don’t want to disappoint them.” Clara groaned aloud and dropped her head into her hands, shaking her head helplessly. For as easy as it was to say all of that aloud while she was alone, she worried that she wouldn’t be able to say it as easily to him if/and when he arrived.

Clara glanced up from her hands, resting her chin on her palms and sighed. She looked over at the fountain and smirked. “Its official, isn’t it? I have completely lost my mind. I mean, look at me. I’m sitting here having a conversation with a concrete cherub spitting water out of its mouth for Merlin’s sake,” she chastised herself. Clara laid down on the blanket on her stomach. She bent her legs at the knees and crossed her feet up above her bottom, kicking them lightly. She folded her arms on top of each other and rested her head on them as she waited. She was soo lost in her own thoughts that she missed any sound of approaching footsteps.

0 Clara Abernathy Time to talk...maybe? (tag Lucian) 232 Clara Abernathy 1 5

Lucian D'Alesandro

July 18, 2013 1:37 AM

There's no time like the present. by Lucian D'Alesandro

Lucian had finally been able to have a discussion with Honey about their betrothal, and it left him feeling slightly more confused than before. He let her words about how he would be using Clara to hide how he really felt stew inside of his head, and he tried to figure out what exactly it all meant. Who was she talking about? He didn’t dare to ask her, for he already had an inkling, and hearing her say the name would bring up many emotions he did not want to display in front of someone he had only spoken to once.

On top of all that, Lucian had no idea what to expect for his midterm break. He assumed his father would not be at home, since he wasn’t there when Lucian came back to school, but he had hoped he would at least make an appearance for the holidays. That is all Lucian really wanted, as well as the chance to talk to his father. They hadn’t spoken since the conversation they had before Lucian’s father left their home to return to Italy, and although he was still angry, Lucian did miss talking to him. He had considered asking his mother to allow him to visit Italy during midterm, but he changed his mind, and figured she would say no to anything involving her husband for the time being.

Lucian was lying across his bed, staring up at the ceiling, when he heard the arrival of the owl Clara had sent. He took the note from its leg and read her message to him. His stomach instantly felt as though he had been flying on a broom that suddenly stopped in mid air and dropped him 100 feet to the ground. It wasn’t that he did not want to talk to his best friend, for he found himself missing the time they spent together. He just wasn’t exactly sure what to say about everything. She had seemed more distant lately, which he assumed was because of family things or her own betrothal arrangements. In a way, he had been hoping to speak to her after midterm when he had more time to think over things. Then again, it couldn’t hurt to get everything out in the open so he would know where they stood before returning home.

The next day, Lucian was up early studying in the Aladren common room. He felt restless after waking up a few times during the night, and could not fall back asleep. After realizing that it was getting closer to lunch, he returned to his room to change his clothes. He put on a pair of khaki shorts, forest green polo, and a pair of his nicer tennis shoes. He also decided to wear a leather bracelet and a leather necklace with an owl pendant hanging from it. He wanted to be comfortable, but also look nice.

Since Clara invited him, Lucian assumed that she would be providing the food, so he quickly made his way to the Gardens. After roaming around a little bit, he spotted Clara relaxing on a blanket. At first, he thought there might have been someone else there with her, but upon closer inspection it appeared that she was talking to herself. Lucian stood behind a few shrubs and watched for a few moments, trying to muffle his laughter. Finally, he walked out in the clearing and approached her.

“Do you always talk to yourself this much?” Lucian said to Clara with a grin. He realized that she would probably be concerned that he heard the whole conversation, so he added: “Don’t worry, I was only standing there a few moments. All I heard was something about a concrete cherub and merlin.” He sat down across from her and used his hand to push his hair back. He then leaned back, allowing his arms and hands to support his weight behind him. “So..” he began, not really knowing where to start, “What’s up?”

0 Lucian D'Alesandro There's no time like the present. 223 Lucian D'Alesandro 0 5

Clara

July 20, 2013 5:35 PM

Okay, but you asked for it by Clara

Clara jumped a little when she heard the voice behind her speak. She rolled over onto her bottom facing Lucian and laughed slightly when he asked if she always talked to herself. She nodded slightly, crossing her arms around her knees. “Yeah its kind-of a bad habit of mine,” she confessed, nodding slightly. “Besides in all fairness, I wasn’t really talking to myself. I was talking to my cherub buddy over here,” she indicated the stone cherub spitting water into the fountain in front of them. “Problem with that though is that he’s apparently not a very good conversationalist. He didn’t say a word the whole time I was talking,” she complained jokingly. She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well.” She had hoped that by getting all of that pent up stuff out in the open that she might not feel soo nervous. She wanted to tell him about the letter from her dad and all the other stuff, but she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. She was not spending time with Dean because she wanted to, she was only doing it because she was being forced to. She had to make sure he understood that. Then there was the issue with her cousin spilling everything about her that she hadn’t had the chance to tell Lucian herself. She hadn’t done it yet because she was slightly afraid that he would think she was trying to show off or something. She didn’t think he actually would, but she had been afraid of it anyway.

When he asked what was up, Clara almost cried again. She couldn’t help it. Between the news from her dad, her cousin spilling on her and her other Aunt visiting that she wished would go away, Clara was a hot mess. It was hard for her to put on her normally perky face given all the new emotions that were coursing through her at an alarming rate. She had been told this process was normal, but she didn’t feel normal. She hated the emotional mess it turned her into. She felt the tears stinging her eyes as she recounted the last few days to him. Before she did that though she apologized for missing the first fencing club meeting. She had meant to go and sign up, but she had lost track of time because of practice and missed it. “Too much really,” she began, wiping away one of the tears that threatened to roll down her cheek. “I’m really sorry I missed your club meeting,” she apologized. “I meant to be there for it, but my nutso cousin had us running drills again and I missed it. I got to the MARS room after everyone had left.” She glanced up apologetically at him. “I will be there for the next one though I promise.” She hoped he wasn’t to angry with her for missing it. She moved on after her apology. “I got a note from my cousin Dimitri about the meeting. He told me that he told you about my…um…extra-curricular activities,” she finished briefly before glancing towards her feet.

“I didn’t tell you that I did all those things partially because you never did ask, but mostly because I didn’t want you to think that I was some kind of overachieving freak. Granted, I know that I’m pretty strange all on my own, but when you throw in the languages, the fencing, ballet dancing, singing, instruments and horseback riding into the mix, you have to admit it is a bit overwhelming for some people to deal with. Heck…even I have a hard time with it sometimes and I’m the one that does it. What does that tell you?” She took a couple of breaths trying to steady herself before she continued. “Hearing that he told you about all of that before I could kind of irritated me. I actually was ready to stuff him into a shipping box and mail him off somewhere remote until I realized that I couldn’t be that cruel to the people he would end up annoying. So I didn’t do it. Yay me…right?” She shrugged again. She continued. “Then if that wasn’t fun enough I get a letter from my dad…finally…informing me that my cousin Arista’s wedding will be in England over the break and that I don’t have to worry about inviting an escort because one is already being provided for me.” She swallowed a bit before she continued. She felt it was only fair that he know about Dean. “My grandparents have already invited one of the boys they introduced me to at our birthday party last summer and he will be taking me to the wedding. They expect me to hang out with him while we are there. Oh joy of joys,” she circled her finger around near her head sounding as bored as possible about it. She continued on, still hugging her knees and staring at her feet. “He continues his letter by informing me that he finally met someone since my mom died and that he’s serious about her. He wants to introduce us over the break. Meanwhile this is the first time he’s ever mentioned her and I don’t know what to say to him. What can I say? Its not like he’s giving me any choice here.”

She felt the tears falling down her cheeks and fought to stop them. Her voice cracked slightly as she continued. “I don’t know what he expects me to do. I feel bad enough that I’ve basically been a cruddy daughter to my own mother since I can barely remember her. How am I supposed to be a good daughter to this strange lady?” She did look at him at that point the tears still escaping her eyes periodically. She wiped at them with the back of her hand. “Then the cherry on this cake of just messed stuff is that I seem to be crying about just every little thing now which is soo annoying I can’t begin to tell you. Its like I’ve suddenly become bi-polar or something and I absolutely HATE it. I want the old me back and I don’t know how to make that happen,” she confessed, still hugging her knees. She glanced at him imploringly and then began laughing like a crazy person. “Aww man…listen to me. I sound like a blubbering basket case. Please just kick some sense into me right now please,” she jokingly begged. She wiped the rest of the tears from her eyes and fumbled around for a tissue. After wiping her nose she sat up straight. “Now that I’ve made a complete retard of myself, how did your talk with Honey go?” she asked non-chalently reaching into the basket for a sandwich. “There’s plenty of food in the basket if you want some,” she offered. She took a bite of the sandwich trying to distract herself from blubbering again.

0 Clara Okay, but you asked for it 232 Clara 0 5

Lucian

July 21, 2013 1:52 PM

I suppose I did, didn't I? by Lucian

“Yeah, stone statues don’t really give you much to go on. I prefer talking to my owl Ludwig.” Lucian waited for Clara to start talking about why she had asked him to meet he. He noticed that she seemed upset, and that her eyes appeared to be watering up. Oh no..please don’t cry, please don’t cry.. he thought to himself. Lucian had no idea what to do when girls acted emotional.

He didn’t really express his emotions very often, and luckily neither did his sister.
He speculated that was a result of his parents’ expressions of emotions, or lack there of. Lucian’s father had no problem expressing how he felt, aside from trying to contain his anger, and often encouraged Lucian and his sister to do the same. His mother, on the other hand, said that showing emotion was weakness. Even if she actually was upset, and it was completely understandable to be in a particular situation, she would still appear cold and un-phased like a statue. It is more likely Lucian and Alex learned to hold in emotions since their father had been away on business so much when they were growing up.

It was also unsettling to see Clara getting this worked up about something, for she was usually pretty laid back and upbeat. Lucian suspected that the reason Clara had been distant lately was not a good one. Finally, she began talking, and apologized for missing his first Fencing Club meeting.

“It’s okay,” Lucian said in response, “I was just surprised that you weren’t there. I mean, I didn’t even know you could fence. I guess I just figured you would be there as support or something.” He shrugged, hoping that his words didn’t make Clara feel worse. He wasn’t trying to make her feel guilty, but was just trying to organize his thoughts. “Then, your cousin rattled off this big list of all the things you can do, and I pretty much just stared at him. I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me. And you are playing Quidditch?”

After she explained why she didn’t tell him about her many talents, Lucian nodded. He could understand why she wouldn’t tell certain people about everything that she could do, but he was different. He was supposed to be her best friend. He listened quietly as she continued on about her escort to her cousin’s wedding, as well as how she would be meeting her father’s girlfriend.

Various emotions stirred their way through Lucian’s thoughts. She may end up betrothed to this boy. She may like him more than me. Stupid betrothals. He felt what he assumed to be jealousy, but he also felt a different emotion that conflicted with his jealousy. Lucian was usually logical and realistic, so he should have realized that Clara was going to be betrothed to someone other than him. It didn’t mean that things would change between them, but then again, there is always a possibility.

Lucian glanced up quickly, after intensely staring at the fountain behind them while thinking, and realized that Clara was now crying. He went through different scenarios in his head. What should I do? Should I hug her? Put my arm around her? Offer her a tissue? Do I even have a tissue? By the time he was done trying to decide what to do, Clara had already wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

After she had finished talking, Lucian stared at her for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. She obviously had a lot going on, so he tried his best to put aside the things that were bothering him. “Well…seems like your life might be a little more complicated than mine at the moment.” He reached into the basket and took a sandwich. Lucian took a bite of it and chewed slowly so that he had more time to formulate what he wanted to say.

“As far as this escort goes, I suppose it doesn’t have to be any different than Honey and I. Being friends makes things easier, and if you don’t really want to be betrothed you can always let each other off the hook.” He was handling the whole situation a lot better than he thought. Maybe the rationality and reasoning parts of his brain were overtaking his emotional part.

“And I understand why the whole meeting your father’s girlfriend thing would be pretty weird. I couldn’t imagine my parents with anyone else…but, since it has been a while since your mother died, I suppose it is not really that random.” He shrugged, and took another bite of his sandwich. After chewing it, he continued, “Try to give things a chance. They might not turn out so bad. And you shouldn’t feel guilty for not remembering your mother. You were little, and I doubt she would want you to feel that way.”

Lucian realized he wasn’t providing much sympathy, but he figured his logic was why Clara usually ended up talking to him. He was able to separate himself from a situation and give practical advice, well, at least most of the time. The way he had reacted at the betrothal dinner was definitely unlike him. In a way, he was glad that he wasn’t reacting in the same manner now, but he also wondered why he wasn’t.

“Honey and I talked, and basically came to the mutual agreement that she and I may date whoever we choose. I told her that I would not do anything too public so that her reputation would remain unscathed. So, I guess, the only person who will be out for blood when they see us together is my sister.” He smiled then, and looked into the picnic basket. “Mind if I have another sandwich? I love food.”

0 Lucian I suppose I did, didn't I? 0 Lucian 0 5

Clara

July 22, 2013 11:20 AM

Yeah, but I'm glad you did by Clara

Clara saw what appeared to be the eager expression on Lucian’s face regarding the basket of food and found herself laughing openly. She wasn’t trying to laugh at him specifically and hoped that he didn’t take offense to her laughter. It felt good to finally laugh for the first time in days. When she finally managed to get ahold of herself she wiped the few stray tears away with her hand. “By all means,” she told him cheerfully. “The prairie elves helped me pack extra food for just that reason.” She remembered the last time they had picnicked and he had mentioned then as well that he loved food. She had the elves pack extra for him specifically. She thought about his suggestion about giving the situation a chance when it came to her dad and his new girlfriend being together. She had to admit that he did have a point. She didn’t have to like the fact that he had a point, but she was at least willing to admit that he had a point. She nodded slightly. “I guess you’re right,” she lightly agreed. “I suppose its not exactly fair of me to be harping about this woman when I haven’t even met her yet.” She sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to wait until the break to find out.” She shrugged on that thought. She watched him chew on his other sandwich and finish it before he decided to try for another one. She knew that not telling him right off about the stuff she did in her spare time was probably a little off putting, but she couldn’t un-not tell him. She sighed again. She really hated upsetting people, especially since it was someone she cared about.

“I know this is going to sound really lame and all, but I’m really sorry that I didn’t tell you of all people about that stuff. It feels weird half the time being able to do it, let alone telling people that I can do it without them looking at me like I’m a freak or something.” She gave him an imploring look hoping that he understood what she was saying a little bit. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before she continued. “I didn’t really mention it because I didn’t want you to feel like I was trying to show off or make you feel bad about it in any way. I care about how you see me and I didn’t want to frighten you away by announcing that I was an overachieving freak,” she offered lamely. She knew the excuse sounded incredibly lame, but it was the truth. She cared a great deal for Lucian and his opinion of her. She didn’t know when he had become so important to her, but he had and she wanted him to know so which why she said what she said. When he brought up the subject of Quidditch she gave him a sheepish look. “Yeah…about that. That wasn’t something I planned on doing at all. That was a last minute deal,” she told him seriously. “My cousin is the captain of the Pecari team and I felt bad when there wasn’t enough people signed up to play for our house’s team. So I signed up to play to help her out. I was going to tell you about it in Charms class, but then I fell into the water box and soaked myself. I was soo preoccupied with trying to dry off that I completely forgot about it.” She knew the reason sounded weak, but again it was the truth.

“Can you imagine that though? ME playing Quidditch of all things…You would think I really was nuts,” she half-joked. “I am, but that’s not really the point here.” She smiled at him trying to lighten the mood a bit. She watched his face for any sign that he might be upset that she couldn’t invite him to the wedding and when she didn’t appear to see any sign of it she became a little disappointed. Maybe he didn’t really care whether or not she spent time alone with Dean. She could end being betrothed to him, but only if she chose to (unless her family decided they really were a good match and did it anyway). The last part of that thought made her frown slightly. Could he be worried that I’ll like being with Dean more than him? she wondered to herself. She raised a brow at that thought. Not possible. “You have the serious face again,” she playfully reminded him. “What are you thinking about that has the hamster running so fast on the wheel for?” she asked. “Just to throw this out there incase its what you’re worried about…I’m not saying that it is or anything, but just incase…Even if I have to spend time with the guy my grandparents invited it doesn’t mean that I’ll end up betrothed to him. Betrothals happen a little differently for my family than for most other ones,” she found herself explaining. “For my family they only happen if both of the intended parties, not our parents, but Dean and I, decide that we are good for each other. If WE decide that we are then the rest of the arrangements are made. If not, then they find someone else they think might be suitable. I get an actual say in the matter and I’ve already decided that he’s not for me. My grandparents are hoping that spending time together at the wedding will change that, but in all honesty it won’t. I’ve only agreed to do it so that I don’t disappoint them. Truth be told I would rather be going to my cousin’s wedding with you,” she admitted, blushing slightly. Since that wasn’t an option she reluctantly dropped the idea.

She was a little relieved, maybe, to discover that he had already spoken to Honey about their situation. They seemed to have come to some type of arrangement which was a good thing…right? She had very mixed feelings crop up when he mentioned that he had told her he wouldn’t do anything too public in regards to her reputation. What did that mean exactly? Did it mean that, should she and Lucian start dating, they couldn’t be seen in public together for Honey’s sake? She supposed that probably meant that skipping down the halls hand-in-hand at school was definitely out then. “I’m glad that you two had a chance to talk at least,” she said, her voice a mix of relief and confusion. “Although now I suppose this means no more hand holding in public for us,” she teased lightly, smiling mischievously. She laughed aloud at the mention of his sister wanting blood if she saw them together. “Yeah…that’s true enough. Your sister really does hate me, doesn’t she?” she shook her head at that. Clara had never had anyone hate her before. Well…that wasn’t entirely true. Her little cousin Ariel had a severe hate for just about everyone and everything that was magical. That included her family. Despite that she had never been hated before. She really didn’t know how she was supposed to react to it. So she didn’t react to it (much anyway). “I’m willing to bet that your sister isn’t the only one who hates me,” she commented lightly. It was a subtle hint towards Honey, but she wasn’t going to say so outright.

“I suppose your sister will just have to learn how to get over herself,” she grinned pleasantly as she said it. She knew his sister would blow a gasket if she saw them together, but Clara didn’t really care. Alex really wasn’t a concern of hers. What did concern her slightly was the unresolved issue that they still seemed to have. They never really did have “The Talk”. They were probably going to at the pool party, but thanks to Alex that never happened. She supposed now was probably the best time for it since they were by themselves and Alex wasn’t anywhere nearby. Clara sat with her legs crossed in front of her and absently plucked a blade of grass from the patch they were sitting on. She played with it as she got the words out that she seemed to be having trouble with. “I know we never really discussed the issue, but I think we probably should,” she tried to sound diplomatic despite the slight blush that burn her cheeks. “I keep getting referred to as your girlfriend and I can’t help wondering if that’s something that you want. For it to be true, I mean. If its not, that’s okay. I’ve just been really curious about how you felt about the issue since we haven’t had the chance really to discuss it.” She hoped that she didn’t sound as incredibly sappy about it as she felt. She still wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel about the situation, but one thing was clear to her. She was not willing to give up her best friend for any reason. She continued playing with the blade of grass as she waited for him to reply.

0 Clara Yeah, but I'm glad you did 232 Clara 0 5

Lucian

July 26, 2013 1:15 PM

Me too. by Lucian

“I am glad that you think ahead,” Lucian said with a grin as he began rummaging through the picnic basket to see what else the elves had packed. He bit into an apple as he listened to Clara talk about why she didn’t tell him about her many talents.

“As far as Quidditch goes,” he began after some time, “I suppose we are even on that one. I didn’t tell you that I joined a team either. It was a last minute decision for me as well, and when I saw you practicing…well, I just never got around to telling you I guess.” He finished his apple and leaned back to relax once more. Lucian paused to evaluate his feelings about Clara hiding her talents.

“I understand why you wouldn’t want to tell people about what you can do, but honestly, I think you should be proud of it. I mean, so what if other people can’t do what you can?” he began, pausing to think some more, “I don’t really hide what I can do and most of the time it isn’t showing off. Unless you are nearby…I might be showing off a little then.” He winked at her and laughed a bit.

“In all seriousness though, you are my best friend, and you don’t have to hide anything from me. I think it is pretty awesome you can do all those things, as long as you don’t get a big head.” He smiled at her, hoping she realized that he was teasing her a bit. “Your cousin seems to think that you can beat me in fencing. We will have to see about that.”

After she had finished talking about his discussion with Honey, Lucian sat back up and leaned forward so that he was closer to Clara. “I think we can still hold hands safely, but we just have to be careful who is around. You know how quickly gossip travels through the Pureblood community.” Their situation was complicated already, and Lucian did not want to risk making it even more complicated when the wrong people found out that he and Honey were inevitably ditching their betrothals. He did not want Honey to get into trouble with her family any more than he wanted to get in trouble with his.

“I think my sister will just have to get over it,” he shrugged a bit and sighed, “Hopefully, she will find someone else to bother.” He raised an eyebrow when Clara hinted at someone else hating her. “Who else would hate you?” he asked, then realized who she probably assumed would hate her. “I don’t think Honey hates you really, if that is what you are thinking. I mean, she doesn’t seem to care about me dating you. She may be on Alex’s side since they are best friends, but I don’t think she would have any reason to hate you other than that.”

As Clara brought up the topic of whether or not he wanted to date her, Lucian found his thoughts scrambled. He liked Clara a lot, but Heaven’s words from the Quidditch game seemed to be haunting him. Should he date her, but not “get attached”, wouldn’t it hurt Clara? He surely didn’t want Clara to get hurt no matter what happened, but shouldn’t he be able to go for what he wanted? So what if he did get attached? He didn’t want to marry Honey anyways. If two people liked each other, why did it have to be so complicated?

He pushed all of his doubts aside and smiled at Clara. “Yes, I want that. I think we should give it a shot and see how things go. I am prepared to put up with my crazy sister and other people’s opinions of our relationship if you are.” He stood up, and reached out his hand to help her up. “Would you like to take a walk?”

0 Lucian Me too. 0 Lucian 0 5

Clara

July 27, 2013 2:22 AM

I have a confession to make by Clara

Clara blinked in surprise as he answered her question. She almost wanted to ask him if he was sure, but found herself smiling instead. By the way he made it clear that he was willing to brave his sister’s insanity and public opinion if she was, she didn’t have to ask if he was sure. She watched him stand up from the blanket and hold his hand out to her asking her if wanted to go for a walk. ‘Absolutely,” she smiled, taking the hand that he held out to her. She continued to hold it as they started to walk through the maze. She wasn’t entirely certain who was leading whom, but it was nice to be walking. She was just glad that she remembered to put her sandals back on before they started walking. She grinned at his comment about her fencing “ability” according to her cousin and decided there was no harm in telling him the absolute truth. “My cousin greatly exaggerates my ability with a blade,” she confessed openly. “I know how to fence, yes, but as for being able to beat you at it…that’s highly unlikely. I would be lucky if I lasted a few minutes with my cousin let alone with you on the fencing field,” she told him simply. “My cousins are the fencers from the family, not me dude.” She supposed that on some level she should be proud of herself for having attempted a few things thanks to her dad’s encouragement even if she wasn’t any good at some of them. She nodded slightly. “While its true that I have done a few things since I was younger, I’m only talented in a few things,” she confessed, still holding his hand while they walked.

“I took pretty quickly to the piano and the violin. I can play a few pieces pretty decently, but that’s only because I practice like every other day it feels like,” she told him, glancing down towards the ground. “ I can speak Spanish and French with some fluency, but that’s because my mom’s family is from France so that’s all her family speaks and my nanny is from Spain so she taught me Spanish. Turns out I’m not too bad with those apparently.” She shrugged slightly. “I know how to ride pretty decently because horses are my family’s business other than grapes. I have two Appaloosas of my own at home, Dusty and Freckles. And before anyone praises me on my dancing skills I should probably tell you now, so there’s no surprise later, that I ballet dance about as well as a cat walks on water. Personally I think the cat would be more coordinated than I ever could be,” she told him. She grinned slightly at the thought of a cat walking on water. “Seriously though…my ballet teacher was once quoted as saying that I would be lucky to be able to pirouette my way out of a paper bag. My dad didn’t take too kindly to that assessment, but he couldn’t exactly refute it either. He and I both agreed, despite her stellar recommendation, that ballet was definitely not my forte and I gave it up. As for my singing…well…lets just say that I have a singing voice decent enough to where people aren’t offering me money to stop singing.” She knew that she had probably been rambling by this point, but she felt that if they were going to be dating he should at least know the actual facts of her many “talents” as he and her cousin had put it.

She thought about his comments about Quidditch and shrugged from them. “I wouldn’t worry to much about the whole Quidditch thing,” she told him glancing up at him while they continued to walk. “I’m sure you would have told me eventually.” She grinned at him for a second before laughing slightly. “Its kind-of funny though if you think about it. With you and I both on our house’s Quidditch teams, that means we’re going to have to play against each other,” she pointed out, nudging him gently with her elbow. “Aww… we just start dating and already we’re going to have our first fight,” she teased him lightly, laughing at the idea of it. “I won’t lie…its going to be a little weird playing against your house for the next game with you on the team this year,” she confessed. She shrugged. “Maybe it won’t be so bad. Maybe I’ll make it to the end of the game before I throw up all over myself or fall off my broom…whichever happens first,” she joked, smiling at him playfully.

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