| Details for Will and Testament |
| Summary: | Cillian and Elise chat in her father's store while she writes her will. |
| Date: | 1939-08-28 |
| Location: | Quills and Other Thrills Stationary Shoppe |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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The inside of this shop is bright and airy thanks to the large windows that face the alley. Besides the shingle swaying over the door, the window itself has been painted with the name of the store in bright silver, so no one can miss it. Neatly kept, the shop sells stationary and all things stationary-related. There's everything from fine parchment to translucent sheets of rice paper, vellum, papyrus sheets, and even watercolor paper with a small supply of the translucent paints nearby. There is every conceivable color of ink to be found in bottles large and small, and quills made from feathers ranging from modest raven feathers to opulent ostrich plumes with golden nibs. There are even some quills that will write what you think at them, no hands required. Blotters, dictionaries, thesauruses, diaries and journals, calenders, and in one corner an elegant writing desk of tiger maple and ebony are all for sale. Things are spotlessly clean, but somehow cheerful, likely due to the demeanor of the store's proprietor, Tristan Harper (who seems determined to live happy lives in spite of the unfortunate curse).
It's very quiet in Quills and Other Thrills Stationary Shoppe. Tristan is minding the front of the store, stocking shelves off to one side. On the other, Elise sits at the gorgeous writing desk - every so often they get a new one in, and this one happens to have been unpacked that very morning. Her toes brush the floor as she swings her legs back and forth, crossed at the ankles. There is fine parchment in front of her, and she's using her brilliant blue quill - the one with the bronze nib that she got for her 12th birthday - to write ever so carefully on the parchment, stopping occasionally to refer to another piece of paper. Her back is to the door, and the bright sunlight coming through the picture window catches the almost reddish glints in her otherwise very dark brown hair and turns the back of her neck pink. Rather than the usual braided pigtails, Elise's hair is curled and tucked up around her head - something fancy and pretty that she must have had help with. It's almost a grown woman's hairdo. She's wearing a black robe, today, with shiny matching shoes.
There is a list! Cillian has his list, he needs more parchment! And quills! And many lots of things! Like parchment and quills! He enters the shop, whistling all cheerful like with his satchel hanging on his hip, bulging as always as he smiles brightly at Tristan and provides him with a list. "Me Da and Father put in an order, I'll pick up everything on my way out." He says all poshly before squinting and noticing a familiar profile from where he's standing and he just blinks owlishly. "Mousie!" He greets cheerfully, flashing a grin. "Perfect, I tink I found a…" He trails off and frowns as he looks her over. "What happened?"
Elise looks up at the sound of her nickname - she'd been so absorbed in her task that even the sound of his cheerful order hadn't gotten through. "Hullo, Cil." She'll gesture that he can join her - there's enough room on the bench seat that comes with the writing desk, that the both of them can fit. She blinks a couple of times at him. "Happen?" she asks blankly.
"Ye look like the old lady that me Father visits for tea and to tutor her granddaughter every Tuesday." Cillian elaborates as he settles down on the bench beside Elise, trying to squint at what she's writing, rummaging in the pocket of his simple brown breeches (he just wears the brown breeches and a loose fitted poet's shirt that's green). "Here…'ave a piece of chocolate." He offers a truffle with a small frown.
Elise blushes and looks down, her feelings hurt. She's always cared about her appearance. "It's for Uncle Theo," she says, gesturing to her black robes. "He hasn't been dead all that long. I…" she sighs. "You know, I tried to act all cheerful at camp, because I'd already been signed up for ages and I didn't want to make everyone else depressed." She shrugs and toys with the feather on her quill. Cillian will see Elise's very neat handwriting - she's halfway through a document titled, "Elise Anne Harper's Will and Testament." It lists her few possessions, and the people she'd like to give them to when she dies. Her broom - her most cherished, beloved belonging - goes to Cillian. The remainder or her Quidditch supplies go to the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Her clothes go to various and sundry friends. Her toys go to an orphanage, and so on and so forth.
"I mean yer all looked all serious and yer hair is all…older fancy. Its not bad luv, trust me just…it doesn't look like yer very happy." Cillian is quick explain as he squints more at the parchment and just blinks slowly as he stares for a few moments and then he looks back to Elise and then down to the paper and he just hmms softly. "I see."
Elise reaches up to lightly touch her hear, looking self-conscious, and still blushing. She glances back at her father for a moment. "Mum wanted to play with it, this morning," she says. "I think it looks nice." She looks over at him, just a few inches away. "I'm a good actress, when I can prepare for it," she tells him. "I… didn't think I had to act… around you." She presses her lips together for a second. "If — if you don't want to be around me when I'm upset, well…" she shrugs. "I'll be acting normal at school. I've got to, for Luci. She needs it."
Cillian just frowns and stares at Elise for a few moments and sighs as he shakes his head and gets to his feet. "Eat year chocolate luv." He encourages. "I dun mind if yer upset but I have to know when you are so I can fix it, ye understand that don't you? Friends…care. I care a lot for you, you know that right?"
Elise watches him stand. "Don't go," she says in a tiny voice. "I… I care for you, too. And… I feel less sad when you're around." She gives him a sort of timid smile. She reaches for the chocolate and sort of toys with it for a moment. "What have you been up to, anyway?" she asks.
The young man settles back down on the bench, sighing softly and draping an arm around Elise's shoulders all companionly like as he gives her a little squeeze. "I 'ave been…workin' mostly at me Da's pub and studyin' languages with me Father…"
Elise snuggles in and rests her head on his shoulder with a little sigh. "What languages?" she asks curiously. She'll tip her head just a bit to look toward his face, but he's too close for her to focus properly, anyway.
Cillian wrinkles his nose. "He wants me to be learnin' Latin and Romanian next of course, somethin' about root and mother tongues. Me Da tinks its completely mental but then he was teachin' me how to mix drinks..so how can he judge?"
Elise gives the shortest, quietest laugh. "Alcoholic drinks?" she half-whispers, amused and scandalized at the same time. "Goodness! Well… at least you'll have a marketable skill when you graduate?" she suggests. "And Latin shouldn't be too hard, right? I was thinking of taking that, myself - maybe we can learn together." She rattles off something in German at him.
Cillian nods slowly. "Aye…but me Da just wants me to memorize all the types of alcohol, if I taste any before I'm sixteen, he'll remove me left te-" He cuts himself off. "Well. Lets just say it won't be a good idea for me to sip." He sticks out his tongue and then sighs. "Very well, we'll be learnin' Latin together…." He hears the German and quirks the eyebrow over his patch.
At the sound of the German, Elise's father straights up and eyes her sternly. "Ahem," he says quietly, just after Cillian almost says 'testicle.' Elise turns bright red and sits up very straight, removing her head from Cillian's shoulder. She looks embarrassed. "I forgot he was there," she whispers quietly. "I said… I said that you look… um… handsome…" And here she was, practically cuddling with him, too! "Latin," she squeaks. "Great!"
Cillian just looks as relaxed as can be, turning his head at the 'ahem' and nodding to her father with a flash of a grin and miming zipping his lips before he laughs softly, not cruelly at the compliment, blushing lightly but due to his complexion it really doesn't show as he shakes his head slowly. "Aye! Latin! We'll be studyin' hard together this year in school doin' scholarly tings!"
Elise, still red and facing the desk (with her back to her father) can't stop the giggle that bursts from her lips. She clamps a hand over her mouth to stifle it. Tristan shakes his head, almost smiles, and goes back to stocking shelves. Elise risks a peek at him, and then looks at Cillian. "Sorry," she whispers.
Cillian is doing his best not to giggle, snorting a couple of times and just winking to Elise as he clears his throat and coughs softly, whispering softly. "I like to hear you giggle, so its okay."
"If you like it so much you can always tickle me," Elise says before she can stop herself. And then she promptly looks mortified.
Cillian looks at where Tristan is and then back to Elise and then back to Tristan and then back to Elise and he clears his throat. "I tink…that can wait until…later. When ye 'ave sweets to pay in." He teases softly, clearing his throat again. Yep, avoiding dad glares.
Tristan, all unaware of anything amiss, goes into the back. Elise had been watching Cillian's eyes go back and forth between her and her father, and now that her dad is in the other room, she widens her eyes at Cillian. "Sweets?" she asks. Then she lifts her hand, still holding the chocolate he gave her earlier. "You want me to pay you to tickle me so you can hear me giggle?" She tilts her head a bit to one side. At least her blush is fading a little.
Cillian tries to follow the train of thought for a moment before his nose wrinkles. "Oh no no no, ye 'ave to /eat/ the sweets which is payin' me so I can tickle you and then you can giggle and then I can hear it and…" He trails off before shaking his head slowly. "Yep. Still doesn't make sense…"
Elise grins at him again, closes her fingers around the chocolate, and boops his nose gently. "Silly," she says fondly. Then her eyes drop down to his mouth, linger for a second, and she turns red again and looks away. Awkward, uncertain, doubting herself, conflicted. She shivers slightly.
Cillian bites his bottom lip when Elise turns red again and he sighs before giving her another one armed hug and if allowed a soft kiss to the temple before pulling back and starting to get to his feet. "C'mon now…lets see if ye can get out of here, we can swing by the Cauldron and see how many glasses of milk we can be drinkin' in like…five minutes." He waggles his eyebrows. "My treat!"
Elise closes her eyes at the kiss to the temple, leans into the hug and returns it. "Alright," she agrees. She'll stand and very carefully roll up her will. She stores it in a small hard case and stashes it behind the counter, then double-checks the desk to make sure she didn't leave anything on it. She'll hold out her hand, hoping he'll hold it. "Let's go!"
Cillian watches the will be stashed away with an unreadable expression, a look in his eyes far to old for his age but he just blinks when Elise looks his way and puts that smile back on his face with a soft laugh as he accepts the hand and squeezes it gently before raising his voice so Tristan can hear him. "I'm going to be takin' yer precious daughter for some tea at the Cauldron, we'll be back sir!" And then off he tugs and goes. Milk awaits!