| Details for One Year Later |
| Summary: | One year after their first "date", Morgana and Lucian muse about the course of their mutual past and future. |
| Date: | 31 October, 1939 |
| Location: | Hogsmeade Beach |
| Related: | Halloween Dance - 1938 |
| Characters |
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To say that Morgana has been a little focused, and obsessive with her research lately is an understatement. It's almost like she's taking her NEWTs all over again, however she doesn't have class to attend, just a few hours in the shop every day than she's back at her books. Knowing that she might have been neglecting her poor boyfriend in the process she decided that she wanted to do something a little special for him. So on Halloween night Lucian receives an owl at lunch with a few simple instructions. One, dress nicely, but wear sensible shoes. Two, meet with Dragon and he will take him to a predetermined location. At least Morgana hopes the request she made with the hippogriff will be one he he agrees to. She did bring him extra ferrets after all! When and if he does follow the instructions, Dragon does not bring him to one of their picnic spots, instead he is brought to Hogsmeade beach, where in the dim light of the setting sun there is the outline of a square tent and the soft glow of a fire.
Lucian hopes that his sturdy workman's boots count as sensible shoes. The only other shoes he owns are those from his Hogwarts uniform, and the very fancy ones Ria bought him. As his boots hit the beach, he muses that he probably made the right choice. Just what is Morgana up to? He gives Dragon a vigorous pat on the neck, then bows in thanks for the ride. As he approaches the tent, he calls out, "Anya?" He'd hate to accidentally walk in on someone else's campsite.
"Over here." Morgana's voice comes from the water, and she is in fact standing a few feet into the lake. She is wearing a long black dress that is pooled up in the water, but seems resistant to getting wet. It has a deep v on the back, showing off most of the skin there and her hair is pulled up in a messy bun. There is a mask on her face, one he might recognize from the Halloween ball last year, and if he looks hard enough, he would notice the whole outfit is from that night. Seeing that he arrived she slowly walks out of the water and gives him a smile. "I'm glad thad Dragon honored my request."
Lucian rubs his neck, abashed that he didn't spot her in the water at first. His eyes linger over her bared back, then trail over the rest of her. He lets out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. "Stars, you're beautiful." He extends his hands to her to pull her close. His own attire isn't quite as fancy as hers, but it's "date material" — a button-down shirt with a simple vest and matching slacks. He suddenly lifts his chin in the beginning of a slow nod. "Ahh…I get it. Halloween…it was our first 'date'."
"I figured that you should actually see me in this costume, since the first time you eyes were not on me at all." Morgana lightly teases. "I can't say it was a great beginning of a date, but I believe the evening ended well." She does let him pull her close and she lightly bruses her lips over his. She's cold to the touch, but she was just in the water. "I wanted a do over, is that okay with you?"
Lucian shivers pleasantly at the touch of her lips. "Hey now, my eyes were…well they weren't on her." Lucian had made a point of it…though he must admit to himself that it was all to make Ria jealous. But that had been the plan, hadn't it? "But forget all that. You look amazing, and you'll get your do over. You know…I think this is what I was wearing, too."
Morgana pulls away enough to drag him over into the tent. "I know they were not, but you still didn't see me then Lucian. It wasn't until I fell into that bathtub that I think you realized that I was a female." She teases lightly, and turns her light blue eyes toward his. Even though she is wearing makeup, the dark circles under her eyes are hard to miss. "It's close, I think you had on a top robe, and maybe a tie of sorts, I will say that I do appreciate the view." Once inside the tent it is of course much larger in the inside that it seems. There is a small table with some food to nibble on, a bottle of wine, a wireless that is playing some soft music and some comfortable couches to sit on as well. "I just felt that night was important to me, and I wanted to celebrate it."
Lucian's blush is unmistakable when she mentions the bath. Even now, the alluring innocence of that evening stirs something in him. He squeezes her hand, and goes right to one of the chairs to pull it out for her. "We should celebrate it. Even if we weren't romantic, I think that night really cemented our friendship. Wasn't that the first time I showed you the lion?"
Morgana smiles at that blush, knowing full well what emotions those memories are bringing up. When he pulls out her chair, she'll settle in and smooth her skirts over. For now she keeps the mask on, even as she sips from a glass of champagne that was already chilled and waiting for them. "It was." She nods. "It was the first night that I felt you trusted me, and knowing that I felt I could begin to trust you as well. Even if I did have the inkling to snog you, despite the ruse we were attempting."
Lucian sits across from Morgana, taking up his own champagne. "You know…by the time we were on the beach, my eyes were on you. A little, at least. I was a mess then, of course. But I'm not blind. Even then I could see that you're beautiful, and…and in such a short time, you understood me better than Ria, who'd had near seven years to figure me out."
"I think we were both nervous when Medusa left. I am glad that we found something to take our mind off the potential of snogging. It might not have gone well if we had that night." Morgana has mused over it several times and has seemed to settle on that decision. "It took little time at all, even I was amazed by it." Setting the glass down she'll reach out to lightly touch his hand. "Even with all of that, you still doubt the magical connection between us?"
Lucian smirks, turning his hand to take hers, gently rubbing with his thumb. "I don't. Actually, this has been my point all along. If there's a connection, it's always been there. It's just gotten stronger over time." He lifts her hand to place a gentle kiss upon it. "But I'll be honest, I don't care any more if that heart had anything to do with it. All I care about is that we've got this incredible bond, and it's amazing."
"Well not always, if it had always been there, than it would have happened sooner. We did have nearly seven years of classes together, we were not complete strangers." Just a little anti-social apparently. "I know you don't care, and honestly, I should forget about it as well and just enjoy it. However I can't say I enjoy you know everything I'm feeling. A girl does like to have her secrets after all." She says with a smirk, before she lightly rubs his cheek.
"By 'always', I mean ever since we really connected for the first time. I'd say it started when we formed the bastard club. That's when I first started feeling closer to you." Lucian shrugs and takes a sip of his wine. "I know it makes you uncomfortable, having someone know what you're feeling. But, you know, I was already getting pretty good at reading you. It's going to happen with or without this bond. And who knows, maybe we'll learn to control it a little better. Just…preferably not with potions dulling our feelings." He nuzzles his cheek into her hand in a decidedly feline movement.
"It's not something I am used to experiencing, and yes you were getting very good at reading me. Still it's hard when I don't want to process what I'm feeling and you're right there telling me differently." Though there is a tiny feeling of Triumph when it seems that Lucian is finally agreeing with her, and that she isn't completely mad. The feline movement does cause her to smile, and some tension finally leaves her body as the wine, the proximity to the water and the music are causing her to relax. "So, do I get a proper dance now? We never got around to having one that wasn't for show."
Lucian smiles. It's a big, bright show of warmth that completely banishes the clouds that so often hang over him. He rises and steps around the table, lightly tugging on her hand. "As my lady desires." Leading her a few steps from the table, he lifts her hand up, resting his other on her waist, and begins to lead her in a close, intimate waltz to the music coming from the wireless.
"I like the way you say that." Morgana smirks, though it melts into a more genuine smile as he brings her to her feet. She's still barefoot, after being in the water earlier, but that doesn't seem to deter her from wanting to dance. The music is very accommodating, and while she normally wouldn't dance this close to him in public, there is no one around watching them to say it's improper. "I'm sorry if I've been a little absorbed in my work lately. I fear that it's only going to get worse, so maybe I should apologize for it now."
Lucian dips his head to buries his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. "I'm never going to be upset with you for working hard. I know you make as much time for me as you can. I just wish I was closer, so we could see each other more easily." He glides easily through the steps. It's nothing too fancy, but what dances he does know, he knows well.
"It's getting frustrating, to not have an end in sight. At least with the NEWTs I know when the exam was going to happen." Morgana still smells as she always does, that warm vanilla scent with a hint of spice in it. When he speaks about the distance she nods her head. "I know that's difficult, and that having to get up before dawn so you can be to work isn't easy from my flat. I don't have another alternative right now, but I wish that I did."
"I just need to finally do what I've said I'll do, and move to London. I just haven't decided for sure what I want to do with my life. The farm is…it's great, but it's too comfortable. I need to get out into the world. Maybe take some risks." Lucian leans Morgana into a dip, smiling over her before drawing her upright again. "Think you could handle dating a professional duellist? I think I could have a real shot at a title."
"I think it would be wise to take some risks, and the thought of having you there when I wake up and not have you gone because you have to go muck out some stables." She smiles when she is dipped and once she is back up right she pauses the dance. Putting both hands on the side of his face she kisses him, a long and lingering gesture before she pulls back. "I could handle it, and I know you could do it. I'll just have to hex any screaming fans who try to send you their unmentionables in the post." Lucian would detect a wave of anxiety from her, though her face doesn't show it, she does however let the dance continue.
Lucian gives her a reassuring squeeze, nuzzling his nose to hers. "The only unmentionables I want are yours." He takes her for a few turns, his smile growing. "Thank you for supporting me in this. I know it isn't necessarily the most safe and secure career path."
"And the one I am on is?" Morgana says with a tilt of her head and a slight smirk. As he continues to turn her there is a light laugh, before she just abruptly blurts out her next few words. "Move in with me." Though she looks like she wants to take them back the second after she says them.
The dance comes to an abrupt stop. Lucian is still holding Morgana close, but he's frozen in shock. After a few bemused blinks, he manages words. "Move in with you? You mean…actually living with you?" His eyes widen, then narrow as he tries to process it. "Wouldn't that…. That's a major step, Anya. I thought…maybe in time, when…if we were to get married, then…"
Morgana blinks several times and shakes her head. "Your'e right, that's a big step, a really big step. I just.." She laughs nervously and pulls away, going back for the wine to help smooth over the AWKWARD situation. She inwardly scolds herself before she continues. "It probably wouldn't be wise to move in before we get married anyway. The men in my family are still under the illusion that you don't sleep over in my flat and I'm still as innocent as snow. They might not think that if we lived together. I just.. blurted it out, I'm sorry." She gives him a nervous smile and another one of those laughs, as if she's trying to push it all away.
Lucian smiles and goes to her side again, rubbing her bare back affectionately. "Don't be sorry. It isn't that I hate the idea. Not at all. But yes, there are good reasons for us to wait." He waits for her to swallow a sip of champagne, then coaxes her to twirl to face him. "In the meantime, I'll get my own place in London, and we'll get to see each other a lot more."
Morgana shivers a bit as he rubs her back, not from the cold but the feel of his hand on her back. "There are plenty of reasons for us to wait and all of them are good. I'm just looking for something I have control of in my life, and that could be one of them but.. I'll stop trying to do that." When she faces him she'll bite her lip and sigh. "Here I go, trying to ruin a perfect evening."
"Nonsense. You made my day, just knowing you want it." Lucian wraps her up in his arms again, beaming down at her. "We're getting there, my lady. We both know the value of hard work, and it's going to eventually get us everything we ever wanted."
"I'm glad that I made this day special. This honestly is the longest I have been in a relationship and I don't want to make mistakes like last time." There are some nerves that well up in her at that thoughts. "I know, but I still feel that there is a long road ahead of me and it's dark and uncertain and I'm double guessing myself." Which Lucian can see that it was hard for her to admit that.
Lucian rocks her gently to the rhythm of the music. It's not quite dancing, but it's more intimate. "I know, love. It's natural. The future is scary. But that's why it's better that we have each other for support. The main thing is just to never give up. Even if that means using questionable potions on your boyfriend." He grins, chuckling silently.
"What if I fail Lucian? Do you think you'll be able to pull me out of that? Because it's going to be to be worse than what Conall did to me." Morgana says quietly, pulling away to look at his face. "I think however your path is more clear and I know you will do well. You are a fantastic duelist and I think you'll be happy to have your own future, and fortune."
"There's only one way you can fail, Anya." Lucian said with sudden seriousness. "That's by giving up. So that means the only person that can defeat you is yourself."
Morgana bites her lip as she listens to his tone and once he has finished she just lets out a laugh, that turns into a half sob that she takes a second to reign in. "I won't give up, but I am going to need a lot of support to keep going. These dead ends are hurting worse than I thought." Sighing she shakes her head. "Enough, I think that's plenty of self doubt for one day, don't you say?" She goes to dab at her eyes, but the mask is in the way. Taking his hand she'll lead him to one of the comfortable couches. "Why don't wa talk about where you're going to live?"
Lucian snuggles up on the couch with Morgana, tugging her to lean into him. "Somewhere in the Mysticked District, definitely. I don't think I'd do well in Muggle territory. I'll probably get a flat like yours. Think your family would get twitchy if I was in the same building?"
Morgana takes her mask off finally and settles in next to him, and even goes as far as nuzzling against his neck. "I think they'll be okay with it, so long as we are on different floors or something. Though if we're in the same building, it'll be hard to stay out of each other's flats." Closing her eyes she rests her hand on his chest. "You're also going to need to reinforce your walls."
Lucian's laugh rumbles softly in his chest. "Yes, that's true…and I'm comfortable with the idea. But we'll see. I suppose it will depend on what I can afford. I'll probably have to get another job, at least until I can get on the tournament circuit." He curls his arm around her to pull her up against him, enjoying their shared warmth.
"My building isn't all that expensive, however you get what you pay for." Hence the dents in the walls from the both of them getting a little over excited. "Do you at least know where to start? I'm afraid I know very little about it." Than again, Morgana wasn't one for dueling, not that she would have been bad at it, she just never bothered to sign up.
"There are different ways," Lucian explains. "Some tournaments have an entry fee, but the winner walks away with a victory chest. Sometimes even second and third place get a pay out, as well. The bigger and more prestigious the tournament, the bigger the winnings, and the higher the entry fee. But not all duels are part of a tournament. A lot of them are exposition matches or title matches. You usually have to have some reputation before you're offered one of those. Those are paid matches no matter what. The better you are, the more famous you are, the more you can demand for a duel."
"It sounds complicated, but I know you have the skill to do it. I think it will be an exercise in patience for the both of us." Morgana says, finally lifting her head off of his chest to look him in the eye. "If you ever need practice I would do my best to help. You know I have at least some skill." Leaning forward she presses her lips against his cheek.
Lucian hums softly at the kiss, turning his head to places one of his own on the tip of her nose. "You'd duel with me? I suppose I really should sharpen my skills. I haven't really practiced since Hogwarts. Everything else has sort of eaten up all of my attention." He gives her a wry smile. "Not that I'm complaining about a certain someone who enjoys my attention."
"Well, I had to make up for those last few months being devoured by NEWTs. I suppose that I could stop distracting you so that you caon focus on your work." Morgana winks, pulling away just a bit from Lucian as if she was really going to try and deny him anything further. "But yes, I would. I think it would be a good idea for me to keep those skills sharp. I can't get by on just potion making."
"True. You'll need a wide range of skills as an Unspeak-…hey!" He growls playfully as she pulls away, and curls his arm to tug her across his lap. "Where do think you're going?"
Morgana lets out a playful yelp as she is tugged over into his lap. Once she is settled in she'll wrap her arms around his neck and smile. "I just thought I would start now with getting rid of all of these pesky distractions. But I suppose that can start another day."
"Don't you dare even think about taking away my distractions," Lucian warns, grinning, and leans into her for a proper kiss on the lips, supporting her back for the full romantic effect.
"I suppose I can give in, one last time." Morgana says, leaning into the kiss and letting his arms wrap around her. "Though it's a bit scandalous, out here on the beach, where anyone could walk in on us. Though I suppose that has never stopped you before." There is a glint in her eye as she starts running her fingers through Lucian's hair.
"The scandal makes it even sweeter," Lucian affirms with a wicked grin. "After all, as you pointed out, it all started with you 'accidentally' tumbling into my bath." He teases her as his hand gently pushes her dress from her shoulder, and places a kiss on the newly bared skin.