(1938-08-12) Awkward Conversation
Details for Awkward Conversation
Summary: Chris walks into the restaurant and meets ghost-girl.
Date: Aug 12, 1938
Location: Farin Braw Restaurant
Related:
Characters
ChrisJanette

Farin Braw Restaurant, Diagon Alley

The Farin Braw Restaurant has every appearance of a pub that someone scooped up from a small Scottish village and plopped down in Diagon Alley. The entry door lets into a large room, crowded with wooden tables that are a bit scarred but are kept clean and well tended. Wooden chairs are surprisingly comfortable, because if you don't keep 'em in the seats, their money leaves with 'em. One wall is dominated by a long oak bar, polished to gleaming, lined with high stools for patrons who would prefer to be closer to the 'action'.

Chris steps into the restaurant/pub from the dim street. He stops for a moment to learn the layout of the room. He is not as old as many of the patrons, quite possibly a student although one in the older years. A serving girl nearby pauses while clearing a table that someone recently vacated, and eyes him cautiously before returning to her work of piling dishes into a large bin. She would seem perfectly normal even in a Muggle establishment, and she is probably a Squib hired for that purpose. When he sees her, the young man nods to her and offers a shy smile.

There is young girl near the one of the tables. Her straight long white hair are falling on her shoulders as these snowflakes on a beautiful and not windy winter morning. The same whiteness adorns her skin, giving some mystery and elegance. Moreover, if it is not enough, young girl is dressed in a very long soft gown, which easily can remind these fluffy clouds in the sky.

Girl sits very straight, mixing the cocktail with the bloody red straw. Likely, her lips would be colourless too, if not the lipstick, which has the same redness as straw.

There is no one with her. Moreover, nobody dears to look at her. Maybe someone thinks that she is just a ghost, but maybe people are intimidated by her speechless grey eyes or very haughtily raised chin. Not everyone could bravely glance at such young girl, who obviously understand herself as a lady.

The sweep of Christmas's eyes has not paused after he nodded to the bus-girl. He quickly studies each form, even of those whose backs are to him. However, when they come to the pale, ghostly girl, his eyes stop, not staring rudely but simply trying to decide something. He shrugs and continues to search for another table, but his eyes drift curiously back to the girl, always visiting only for a moment and then leaving to avoid unnerving her. He goes to a table and waits for a server to ask him for an order. He pulls a book from his cloak and opens it while he waits for the server to return with a mug of butter beer and a bowl of what appear to be pretzels.

Of course, while sitting and doing nothing, it is very easy to catch each curious glance. However, young girl is used to them. She pouts her lips haughtily and bites the straw, taking prolonged sip. Janette puts her one leg on another and starts swaying, letting the gown to do the same. She may look slightly skittish. But, if so, she must flirting with her imaginary friend or something. So, likely it is just her manner.
However, a new gaze around this place catches more attention of the ghost girl. One eyebrow jumps up briefly and dissatisfied or surprised sparkle starts dancing in her grey eyes. Thought, she does not say a word, just slowly licks her lips and leans back in her seat, canting the head to the right.

AFter he pays the server for his order, Christmas lays the book aside for the moment and reaches for the mug. He sips slowly on the foamy butter-beer. Then he reaches for one of the long pretzel rods. While he nibbles on the snack, he glances to the other table where the mysterious pale lady sits. A puzzled frown forms on his face but it fades and a smile of mild satisfaction replaces it. When she turns to look briefly toward him, he quickly shifts his eyes away from her. He reaches for the book again. He continues to read, but he steals glances at her over the edge of the book.

Some of the peeks are not seen, but some of them are obviously felt. People are not lieing, when they say, that you don't need eyes to say, when someone is staring at you.

However, girl just rolls her orbs sighing and carries that cocktail closer, keeping her back leaned against the wall. She licks the straw first, slowly and playfully, before immersing it back to the milk-shake and taking another sip.

When the drink is put back on the table, girl brushes her snow-white hair with the fingers in the same whiteness. She keeps the same manners of the young noble lady, trying not to lose self-control and, of course, not showing that she cares about some kind of stranger.

Christmas continues to read for a few more minutes, sipping butter-beer and munching on another pretzel but being careful to avoid dropping any crumbs into his book. Even if he could use a spell to whisk the crumbs away, why waste time if you can avoid the problem by being careful? Still, he cannot resist peeking again at the girl until finally, he sighs. He closes the book and tucks it into his robe. He returns the wand to the sheath that is hiding inside the loose sleeve of his robe. Then, scooping up the bowl of pretzels in one hand and curling his fingers around the handle of his mug, he stands front he table and walks carefully toward the table. He clears his throat and murmurs, "Excuse me? Miss?" His voice is just loud enough for Janette to hear, and no louder.

Young girl raises her eyebrow again. Grey speechless look is sticked at the man. She raises her cocktail again, finding the star with her tongue and taking prolonged sip once more. She cants her head and waits for the stranger to continue.

When the girl fixes her gray eyes on him, Christmas freezes for a moment. He did not have any charming line ready, but if he had, clearly that line would have fled at that look. He stammers, "I … well …" He looks at the bowl and the mug in his hands, and then back to the girl. "I once saw a girl at school who looked like you." He sighs and frowns. "I remember her looking like you." He shakes his head and shrugs. "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry to disturb you."

Laugh. Quite loud laugh ripples through the room. Loud and maybe even slightly cold. She takes another sip of her drink, before putting the glass on the table. She takes just a second for silence and then nods "You think there is many people around, who looks exactly the same as me?" her voice is quite cooly, but proud at the same time "Gryffindor…" drowls young girl "You are from Gryffindor. I remember you. I remember everyone…"

Christmas's blush is as crimson as his house colors when the ghostly girl laughs and then names his house as if she had been thinking of it for some time. For all that he knows, she was, while she sat there watching everyone. He shakes his head. "I … no!" he objects. "I'm not a git. If it /was/ you, you were with some Slytherins. I only saw you for a moment. I didn't have a good look, but …" He shrugs again. "I only saw you once, but I couldn't forget it."

Girl straightens even more, changing her legs now. Now the left is put on the right and sways slowly. Janette carries the cocktail closer again. She takes the straw out and licks it, before letting the straw sink to the drink again. Young girl's corner of the lip jumps up haughtily and she announces "Yes, I am from Slytherin…" at the mentioning, that he couldn't forget her, girl just chuckles. Yes, she chuckles, but quickly all the sparkles in her eyes fade and the gaze becomes speechless once more. "I would say, you couldn't forget my perfect dress, but… We should be with that uniform in the Hogwarts… But my hair is pretty too," and she starts whirling one of the locks.

"Oh! The dress is lovely, or what I see at least," Christmas answers. "So is your hair," he adds quickly. "But then, when I saw you, you were in your uniform and at some distance. As I said, it was only a glimpse." He glances down to his mug of butter-beer and he frowns. "Well, I'll go, then. I'm sure that you're waiting for someone. You don't seem like the type who would come here alone unless you were waiting for someone." Then he smiles sheepishly. "Enjoy your evening!"

"I was enjoying my evening… before you stumbled in with your curiousity…" whispers Janette and leans back against the wall. She frowns slightly, pouting her bloody red lips "I never wait. It is not preper for the young lady to wait for someone. If I am alone. I am alone, that means. I never wait for anybody," explanation leaves girl's throat and she thoughtfully raises the glass, but just to run through it;s edge with her fingers "So, you already disturbed my minds, they are far far away now… You could help me to catch them or…" she takes the last sip of her cocktail "another milkshake sounds good too…"

Christmas tilts his head and his eyebrows lift. "I don't know how I could help you," he admits. "I was curious because I remembered seeing you at school. You looked interesting. But I've already interrupted. I should go and not bother you."

Young girl waves with her hand for the serving girl and asks for another milkshake. Waiting for her order, Janette coolly turns her gaze away from the strange boy to the band on her waist. Jannette starts whirling it around her fingers, likely, trying to catch the thoughts, whis were scattered without any important reason.

"You remembered that I'm in Gryffindor," Christmas recalls. "I should have been glad. Now I'm sure that you'll tell all of the Slytherins about how I ruined your evening. That's grand. Yesterday I patched things up with a Ravenclaw, only to make another mess. Today I've managed to annoy a Slytherin." He lifts the mug of now lukewarm butter-bear and quaffs it. He shakes his head and concludes, "I should hide somewhere and hope that when I take the Hogwarts Express, it doesn't explode or something. Lovely. And term hasn't even started."

Girl raises her head back at the young boy very calmly and slowly in the same elegant manner. She brushes her locks back with the pale fingers and sniffs "Oh, don't be so self-centred. Your approach was not so grand, that I would trouble my tongue speaking about it…"
Serving girl comes back with the pink milkshake. Girl bites the straw and long sip is taken. She tosses her look at the boy again "World is going not just around you, …" Janette drawls, now staring at the man with inquiring gaze, likely, hoping to hear the name.

Christmas hands his empty mug, and then bowl that still has many pretzels in it, tot he server before she leaves after bringing Janette's milkshake. Then he objects, "I know very well that I'm not the center of the universe. I wasn't worried about me or what you think about me. I was concerned about what you think of Gryffindor and my mates in the house." Now that his hand is free, he rakes it through his hair. He looks intently at Janette and explains, "Our houses have been at odds for centuries. That doesn't mean that all Gryffindors want it to be like that."

"Also, you should know that not everything goes around your Gryffindor too, young boy…" and girl takes a few moments to enjoy her drink "Strawberies. I love strawberies…" she mumbles under her nose, before turning her attention back to Christmas "Blood and minds are telling almost everything about person. I can't read minds for now, but… Aren't blood and minds the most important criterions, tossing a child to one of the houses?.." *sips some milkshake* "Mmmm… That's so refreshing! You should try!"

"I don't think that either," Christmas denies with a shake of his head. "I never said that everything revolves around Gryffindor. Fine wizards and witches have come from each of the four houses. Only a fool would dispute that. Gryffindor isn't perfect. Neither is Slytherin. I certainly never thought that I was perfect." When Janette urges him to try a milkshake, he waves a hand. "No thanks. I wouldn't want to ruin your perfect evening. I'm sure that your own company is enough for you. Good night." Then he turns to stalk toward the door.

Girl just shrugs, whispering under her nose "Strange boy… I guess they all are the same there…" and she continues sipping her own drink, slowly getting back to the thoughts, which were interrupted by that young boy from Gryffindor.

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