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Crescent City Institute - Tis the season
09:42 pm December 23rd, 2010
mightbeclever
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Tis the season
Characters: Leon, Gael, and Adelaide + Leon's parents, grandparents, and assorted guest
Setting: Christmas Eve, Paris France, Eytinge Estate.
Content: SFW for now
Summary: The twins are attending their annual family holiday party, and Leon brought Addy along with him. Later he has plans to take her back to a little hotel room he got for just the two of them, after a romantic stroll through snow covered Paris.


Leon was dressed in the same clothing he'd had for the winter ball. He smiled as he was greeted by a few of his grandparents' oldest friends. He waved and bowed, tipped his hat and moved about the party before making his way to the stair case again. He hadn't seen Adelaide since his mum and run her off to change. Meme had already started asking her about his girlfriend, and his Pepe kept asking if she spoke French...and then promptly forgetting that he'd asked.

He glanced up the steps again, sticking a hand in his pocket to check once more that box was still in his pocket as he took a deep breath. He'd shown it to his father, who'd beamed and thought well of the gifts. Pepe and Meme, however, had simply wanted to know if the girl was worth it at all. If he hadn't known better, he'd swear two had been talking to Gael about Adelaide.

"Come on, come on..." he murmured to himself. "Where is she?"

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Thread started by Adelaide Legaux
From: [info]legaux Date: December 24th, 2010 04:07 am (UTC) (Link)
At first she had been mildly nervous. Which was understandable of course, she was meeting Leon's extended family which was kind of important. But then Gael had started in. At first she thought he was teasing when he started to tell her they'd judge her on her posture because it was a measure of breeding. And that England should never be mentioned ever in any context at all. And if she blinked too much. But he seemed to be serious, and nobody batted an eyelid at the increasingly outrageous behavioural conditions he seemed to take a kind of wicked glee in relating to her.

By the time Gael had mentioned that at some point in the evening somebody would probably have called her fat, she was on the verge of utter terror. What had started out as an opportunity to meet their family seemed more like a punishment, or some Herculean test.

Once arrived, Leon's mother whisked her away to change into a dress which she was now convinced wasn't fancy enough or big enough to hide behind. She wondered how embarrassed Leon would be if she chickened out and tried to escape out the window in snake form. Probably a lot.

So, Adelaide summoned all her courage and meekly followed Amarente Shaw downstairs where certain doom awaited.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: December 24th, 2010 04:18 am (UTC) (Link)
When his mum touched his shoulder, Leon nearly jumped out of his skin with nerves. He'd never been overly nervous at this sort of thing, but he'd never had such a stake in it too. Either way, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled all the same at his mother.

"You look beautiful," he said sweetly, grinning as she patted his cheek adoringly.

"Don't worry," Amarente all but cooed back at him, "she's beautiful, and I adore her. That's all that matters. Don't take anything Meme and Pepe say to heart. They're just an old, bitter couple."

He snorted a little as Pat came to join them, smiling at his father as he clapped Leon on the shoulder. "Come on, let the two love birds be, darling." He glanced up the stairs to where Adelaide was still lingering and grinned. "Ah, there she is. Belle of the ball."

Leon turned, looking up at his girlfriend with a sort of startled look that took a moment to clear. But then...he smiled, tugging at his jacket as he rolled his shoulders and moved up the steps toward her.

"You look beautiful."
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From: [info]legaux Date: December 24th, 2010 07:23 am (UTC) (Link)
Addy smiled at him and whispered nervously, "Thank you. You still look very handsome." She had never been so frightened in her entire life. Gael had really scared all her confidence away, and there wasn't a whole lot to begin with.

She clung to Leon's arm as though her life depended on it. Pathetic. That would probably get picked at too, right? Oh well. The bigger picture was that she was spending Christmas with Leon, in Paris. She smiled at that, and at him, and wondered how on Earth Michi couldn't like him when he made her so happy.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: December 25th, 2010 02:23 am (UTC) (Link)
He leaned in and kissed her cheek gently as he let her arm snake through his. "Relax," he said softly, "you'll be fine." He then started down the stairs slowly, smiling as a few guest turned to look at them.

Looking at Adelaide, he grinned a little more. He slipped his other hand into his pocket, turning back to watch where he was going only to make a sudden full stop.

"Pepe!" He blinked, his smile faltering a little as his grandfather stood in his tux, looking Adelaide up and down as if he were inspecting a horse.

"So this is the girl?" He asked in French. Leon couldn't read what the man was thinking (he never could for that matter), readying his thousands of defenses when the man caught him off guard. "Bonsoir, Mademoiselle. It is a pleasure to meet you. Leon has spoken often of you."
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From: [info]legaux Date: December 26th, 2010 12:09 am (UTC) (Link)
Goddamnit! He'd just appeared out of nowhere, she didn't even have time to prepare herself. "Bonsoir," she replied automatically, startled. "I-- thank you." Oh dear god, what was she supposed to say next? She silently cursed herself for managing to get out of all of her parents' engagements. At least she'd have had some practice at this sort of thing.

She looked at Leon helplessly. Step in, please?
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: December 26th, 2010 04:41 am (UTC) (Link)
Leon's eyes danced between his grandfather and Adelaide before he pulled her a little closer. His arm pulled away from her's wrapping around her waist instead as he nodded to his grandfather.

"Yes," he said, "Pepe, this is Adelaide Legaux. Adelaide, this is my grandfather, Henri Eytinge."

Henri smirked, for a moment it seemed as if he could smell the fear coming from Adelaide. He didn't comment on it, instead he reached out and took Adelaide hand and lifted it to his lips as he bowed in a gentlemanly fashion. "Welcome to my home, Miss Legaux. I hope you find the evenings entertainment to your liking."

"I"m sure she well..." Leon started, before being cut off by a sharp glare.

"Can she not speak for herself?"
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From: [info]legaux Date: December 26th, 2010 12:10 pm (UTC) (Link)
Addy jumped a little. She wasn't entirely sure what he had said to Leon, only that it was said sharply and that she was the subject.

"Everything is lovely," she said evenly, trying not to let nerves pitch her voice into a squeak (but it was coming very close). Leon's arm around her waist was some reassurance to her; she turned her eyes to him and smiled. "Especially the company."
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: December 29th, 2010 04:07 am (UTC) (Link)
"Ah, very good then. Please...do not let an old man keep you from the party." Henri said, before starting to turn away. But then he paused, and looked back at Leon, "be sure to keep her away from the silver. Your Meme would be most displeased for it to disappear."

Leon blinked, staring at his grandfather. "She wouldn't steal the silver. Why would you think that?"

Henri paused, looking between his grandson and Adelaide for a moment before raising his hand. "A precaution, all the same. You're grandmother will want to see you." With that he turned to walk away, not caring to listen to any more objections Leon was ready to offer.

He could only stare after his grandfather, uncertain of what to say or even do. Had he really just heard all that?
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From: [info]legaux Date: December 29th, 2010 05:12 am (UTC) (Link)
It's a good thing by now that Adelaide never really picked up much of an interest in learning French. Her grandmother had beaten some of the basics into her, but gave up when it became apparent that she wouldn't learn it well enough to become a seductive young Catherine Deneuve. Just a grubby suburban kid playing make believe at best.

"Leon?" She bumped him with her hip curiously. Surely that didn't go so badly, right? "What's the matter?"
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: December 29th, 2010 06:24 am (UTC) (Link)
"Uh..." He blinked again, before turning to look at with a slightly smaller smile. "Nothing. He just mentioned that we should be careful of the snow, is all. Paris is dreadful at keeping the streets clear."

He lied, he realized, because telling her the truth seemed far too harsh for an already delicate moment. And she was pretty when she smiled. It wasn't worth the heartache to be 'sir honesty' at that moment, as such.

"Would you like to dance?"
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From: [info]legaux Date: December 29th, 2010 06:47 am (UTC) (Link)
"I'd love to." She smiled at him, not entirely sure how to describe why. Mostly just that they were there. He was showing her off to other people and that felt nice. That he was willing to dance because she liked it. And, because she loved him. A lot.

She wouldn't make him dance very long; just long enough to burn off a few of the nerves she was feeling. "Are all these people your family?" There was an entire ballroom full of them, and once people started dressing up she got a bit of Penguin Syndrome: everyone looked the same to her.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: December 29th, 2010 06:58 am (UTC) (Link)
He lead her out to the dance floor, shaking his head as they moved. "No, not all of them," he explained as he took her hand. "Half of them are, the rest among the most powerful witches and wizards of Europe."

Except for Harry Potter, at least. He wouldn't likely ever accept an invitation even if it were offered, seeing as his uncle had been a dark wizard. A number of his cousins, even, were supports of the cause. A few settled believed that Voldemort could come back still.

It was beyond ridiculous.

"They're all rather boring though. Meme likes the butter them up so she can get her way, is all."
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From: [info]legaux Date: December 29th, 2010 07:09 am (UTC) (Link)
She raised her eyebrows at a particularly pompous pair sweeping by them on the ballroom floor. "Okaaay... best behaviour then." Not that she had planned on making any trouble; she just didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Leon's family. Only now it seemed that she had to worry about not embarrassing him in front of them and The Elite as well.

"What do you do at these things?" She could see Gael being forcibly introduced to a girl who looked like an older woman trying to look younger... despite being a young age anyway. It was bizarre. Then, it dawned on her. "Ahh, you get matchmade."
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: December 30th, 2010 08:18 pm (UTC) (Link)
Leon laughed, looking back at Gael with little sympathy. "There is an advantage to bringing your girlfriend." Liked or disliked. Leon figured there was little chance of them trying to shove some other girl on him. "I told him he should have brought Michi. Or Janis."

Granted, it likely wouldn't stop it completely, but certainly lessen the affects.

"If you want, though, I am certain we could find you a rich, handsome bachelor to wed."
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 5th, 2011 07:00 am (UTC) (Link)
"Really now?" Addy teased. "Because I wasn't gonna say anything, but I totally spied a gorgeous piece of ass earlier and was kinda hoping I could sneak away and get on that."

Yes, she had made sure they were well out of earshot of others before she said that. She did have some sense of decency. That being said though, nothing could hide that big evil grin.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: January 5th, 2011 05:43 pm (UTC) (Link)
"Oh really? Did you get the name of this 'gorgeous' arse?" He grinned at her as they started to dance, Leon twirling her about once before pulling her close. "I'm sort of curious, do I stand a chance you think? I know my arse isn't all that big."

He, for his part, didn't care if someone over heard them. He was already certain he'd get a lecture about his choice of girlfriends, so what did it matter? His mum, at least, liked Addy.
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 5th, 2011 05:59 pm (UTC) (Link)
"Dumbass," she whispered affectionately, nosing his cheek in a way that would hopefully look more like an accident to anyone observing and not a 'I want to make out with you' substitute. He might not care if someone noticed her being crude, but she'd really rather not embarrass him in front of this supposedly draconic grandmother.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: January 6th, 2011 05:13 am (UTC) (Link)
"Good Evening, Leon." Suddenly interrupted any grand thoughts Leon had of continuing that conversation. Looking to the side he saw his Meme standing there, tall and regal. She reminded him of the Queen Elizabeth, not that he'd ever tell her that. "Is this the girl I've heard so much about tonight?"

Meme's eyes tracked up and down Adelaide for a long moment, before cutting back to her grandson. He didn't even have a chance to answer before she'd stepped up to him and started readjusting his coat and smoothing it over like a fussy mother. "This thing is so old. I cannot believe you wore it. Honestly. Now, be a gentleman and get me a drink."

There was no room to question as she all but turned him on heel and pushed him toward the punch.
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 6th, 2011 05:27 am (UTC) (Link)
Awww, crap. She'd heard Adelaide thinking about her. Crap! She could hear her thinking 'crap'! Crap! Shit! Stop thinking curses! Fuck! And then she'd gone and sent Leon away. It was more than a safety-blanket issue; they hadn't been introduced. Was she supposed to introduce herself, or wait for the older woman to do so first? Crap!

She attempted a smile, but it felt a bit more like a pained grimace. Fucking shit fuck fuckfuckfuckFUCK. "Bonsoir, madame," she squeaked.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: January 7th, 2011 03:40 am (UTC) (Link)
"Bonsoir," Meme said politely enough, though her gaze was particularly critical. "You seem to be quite smitten with my Grandson." Not that Meme asked for names. Instead she lifted one elegant hand and tilted her head to the side.

"I suppose I should be thankful that you are not a whore," she spoken in French, before smiling as venomously as any dark wizard could have done. "Are you pureblood? I should hope so, if we are to let you taint the line more."
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 7th, 2011 04:50 am (UTC) (Link)
Did she say something about potatoes? Did she just call her a potato? Adelaide kind of gaped at Meme helplessly. "... I am," she responded, both to the comment about being smitten with Leon and the question about her lineage. As those were the only parts of the conversation she actually fully understood.

Meme was smiling at her, but Addy wasn't comforted. Her animagus was a snake-- she could tell a smile from an attack display. This woman was ready to strike, and Addy was all but a snack-sized mouse to her.

So awkward. She really hoped Leon returned soon.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: January 8th, 2011 08:06 pm (UTC) (Link)
Leon was walking up behind Meme when the woman turned, smiling warmly at him before plucking the drink from his hands. "Ah, Leon, there you are. I was beginning to wander if you had found a pretty face to speak to." She leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheek warmly.

"Do not let me keep you. Your Adelaide is quite lovely," She spoke in English, glancing back at Adelaide for a moment. "Do remember to dance with me before the night is gone, yes?"

"Thank you," Leon replied to her with a weak sort of smile, before nodding and watching his grandmother move away. "...What was all that about?" Had she said anything to Addy?
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 8th, 2011 08:50 pm (UTC) (Link)
Adelaide stared after her for a few moments, almost as if she feared she'd come back all of a sudden. And eat her face off.

"I-- She asked if I was pureblood, and said I was... never mind." She didn't actually know what was said, so she couldn't very well tell Leon about it, could she?

Weak smiles all around. How many more of his relatives could possibly pop out of the woodwork to eye her up and down and... French at her? "So... How long do these things last?"
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: January 9th, 2011 08:50 pm (UTC) (Link)
"I got us a hotel room," he said smiling at her as they twirled about. "We don't have to stay till the end. We've officially put in our hellos."

He'd get yelled at, her was sure, for not dancing once with his grandmother, or for just disappearing in general. But he was eighteen now. BY wizarding standards, he was an adult, and thus...free to do whatever he wanted. So to speak.

"I have your gift. Do you want it?"
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 10th, 2011 12:43 am (UTC) (Link)
She frowned. "I left yours on your bed." It didn't occur to her to bring it. Also it was heavy and would have been somewhat difficult to conceal. "Anything you give me, you're going to have to carry," she added with a smirk. "No pockets."

She loved the idea that they could leave whenever they liked-- preferably now, but she didn't want to be the one to suggest it. She was a guest, that would be rude.

"If you wanted to leave, I wouldn't complain," she whispered softly, hoping no one could hear.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: January 10th, 2011 01:48 am (UTC) (Link)
"We could always go to my room and let you open the gift, then you wouldn't have to carry it at all. Or, we could gather up everything we wanted and make a run for it." He grinned at her, twirling her around for a moment.

"You, me...Paris. No one to tell us know. Could be exciting." He leaned in and kissed her gently. "Just tell me when, and I'll sweep you off your feet forever."
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 10th, 2011 03:19 am (UTC) (Link)
Addy raised her eyebrows and let out a small sound of pleased disbelief. "Someone is feeling charming tonight! Will I get to see the Tower?"

She smiled radiantly. 'Forever' sounded especially wonderful coming from him. "Let's go right now," she whispered, pulling him back for another kiss.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: January 10th, 2011 05:35 am (UTC) (Link)
"We can see anything you want, baby." He laughed, kissing her back as he turned to lead her to the stairs. "We can go to China for all I care."

He led her up the stairs with a smile as he checked to make sure no one was following them. The halls were sort as he rounded the corner and into the room he shared with Gael. "Now," he said, shutting the door as he pulled her gift out of his pocket. "I really want you to know...I did my absolute best this year. Which is nothing like the horrible gift last year's was."
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 10th, 2011 10:08 pm (UTC) (Link)
Puzzled, she tried to remember last year's gift. "Oh! I still have that," she admitted with a laugh. "And... I don't think you could do much worse if you tried." She grinned, clearly teasing., and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Merry Christmas," she said shyly, pushing his present closer.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: January 11th, 2011 07:21 am (UTC) (Link)
He pulled out the box in his pocket and handed it over to her with a smile, "happy Christmas." He picked up his gift and started to open it slowly, smiling as he opened it slowly. Pulling the book out, he opened it curiously, flipping though it before he smiled and looked up at her.

"Thank you, love..."
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 13th, 2011 07:50 pm (UTC) (Link)
Addy wasn't nearly so eloquent. She actually squealed upon opening his gift; they were just too adorable for words. The earrings were swapped out immediately, and she jumped up to squeeze him tight.

She was very pleased to see that he liked his gift. She wasn't sure about it; a book seemed like such a cop-out sort of present. But she was almost certain he'd find the contents interesting, and it seemed as though the owner of the store hadn't looked inside of it before offering it for sale-- or it would surely have been confiscated.

"I love you," she whispered softly. "And I love your gift," she assured him. In fact, right now? She loved everything.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: January 14th, 2011 11:16 pm (UTC) (Link)
He smiled at her, opening the book without really looking at it. "There is a necklace too," he reminded her as she put on the earrings.

And she might have thought the book was a cop-out, but it wasn't in Leon's opening. Looking down at the pages, his brow knotted for a moment, before lifting high as he smirked. He didn't remember if they'd ever discussed it, but...this book was bound to keep his interest for a long time to come.

"Thank you, babe." He smiled at her, looking up to kiss her gently.
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 18th, 2011 11:57 pm (UTC) (Link)
She might have been content to stay there a while, but Gael had wandered in looking for respite from the party and thrown a massive panic at seeing her and Leon making out beside the bed. She had a pretty good idea what he thought was going on, or about to be. She pulled a face at him (highly mature) and laughed at the look on his face as Leon grabbed her by the hand and dragged her out the door.

It was probably common knowledge that Paris was beautiful, but at night, at Christmas, it was spectacular. A light snow was falling, and the streets were blanketed with a fluffy carpet, and everything was softly illuminated by little old-fashioned gas streetlights, and strings of festive lights through the otherwise naked trees.

They wandered for who knows how long, visiting the Tower and the gardens, nosing up to the glass pyramid at the Louvre, resting briefly by the Seine and staring in awe at Notre Dame. Or she did anyway, he just escorted her about patiently.
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mightbeclever From: [info]mightbeclever Date: January 21st, 2011 11:50 pm (UTC) (Link)
"You do know that if we come back in the morning, when you can actually see all of it...it is still going to be a really old church, right?" Leon teased, his arms wrapped around her to help keep the night chill from bleeding through the jacket.

"Anything else you want to see?" He mused, resting his head against his. Thus far they'd been fairly lucky to not be cornered by locals, which he always hated. They liked to point out stupid things, like certain worlds he said with a strange accent. Like he could help being English.
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From: [info]legaux Date: January 27th, 2011 02:51 pm (UTC) (Link)
"You put things off, you miss them," she pointed out. "It might get wiped out by a massive mysterious tornado overnight, and then we'll come back and it'll be GONE and I never saw it." That being said... yes. It was an old church. A nice-looking one, but still just an old church.

She nuzzled up to him. "But anyway... there are other things I'd like to not put off anymore too."
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