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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 8, 2007 3:08:44 GMT -5
D'rorah listened carefully, somewhat surprised to hear that, other than the possibility that John was upset over Dylan's flirting with John's sister, there wasn't any really solid experience that had happened between the two to cause John's enmity. She trusted Dylan was telling the truth, but simply found it odd that such apparently deep emotions could be assigned almost arbitrarily.
She watched as Dylan took a seat and sat herself on the bed, just out of arms' reach. "So then, how would you like to spend the remainder of the day? I assume we should plan for lunch and dinner with your mother, and other than that, our schedule is open. If you are up for the walk a bit later, I would still like to see more of the town," she added. "Though, if you prefer not to walk at all, I understand." She sat, waiting to see what thoughts Dylan might have on the matter of how to spend the remainder of the day. If they intended to take the train back, they would be leaving fairly early the next morning, so this would be their only real free time in Alconbury.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 8, 2007 3:24:00 GMT -5
Rubbing the ears of his now awakened friend, he pondered for a minute what he might want to do for the rest of the day. His eyes somewhat distant, his mind wandered for a moment over the earlier procession. In a kind of detached manner, he continued to pet the dog that was now cuddling up beside him.
Blinking and shaking his head slightly, he looked back up to D'rorah. "I'm not sure..." he said quietly. "There isn't really much to do around here," he added honestly, wondering what might interest her. Penciling in a walk for after lunch, he checked his watch. Just over an hour had passed since they had sat down for the procession and he found himself slightly surprised at how slow everything had gone; it seemed like hours since they'd left the house.
He ran over the potential activities for the afternoon in his mind. Visiting the blacksmith might need to come during the school holidays considering their reasons for currently being here, not to mention any menacing foster brothers lurking around. Aside from a brief tour of the town, there wasn't much available.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 8, 2007 3:35:27 GMT -5
D'rorah nodded slightly at Dylan's mention that there weren't many things to do in Alconbury. The idea of a walk appealed to her. She was trying to find the added idea of simply having time to relax as appealing... but of course, that was somewhat difficult to reconcile herself to after being accustomed to constant activity. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Perhaps you would care to change into more comfortable clothes," she suggested. "If you do not think it would be a problem, I noticed a rather nice piano downstairs that I should like to try out." A vague smile could be seen in her eyes at this last remark. She had no access to a piano at Hogwart's and she did rather miss the opportunity to play.
She reached out a tentative hand to pet Darius, who had thus far not really allowed her close enough to attempt such a thing. He didn't seem to stir at the addition of another hand petting him, so she joined Dylan in that for a moment as she considered the day ahead of them. "Other than the walk, it might be best to leave the day open. Will your mother have some sort of plans for dinner? I was somewhat surprised she did not walk back with us."
Something about the presence and bearing of Astraeus Cooper piqued her interest. She supposed that it was likely the fact that the woman had barely spoken to her since her arrival in Alconbury. She had been intensely curious about Dylan's family, but had found relatively little satisfaction from Astraeus so far for that curiosity.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 8, 2007 3:47:04 GMT -5
"I think she mentioned something about us being invited down to the blacksmith's for dinner," he said quietly, wondering how that might go. His hopes weren't too high, to say the least. "She wanted to stay behind for the gathering," he added, referring to the small congregation that was currently being held. Not having wanted to endure this event any longer than possible, Dylan had pertinently decided to skip this extra happening.
Nodding silently at her comment, he actually found that he'd rather like to hear her play. He hadn't listened to the sound of a piano in years; not since his mother had ceased the activity after the death of Darius. "You go ahead," he said quietly, his hand on the head of his furry friend.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 8, 2007 3:59:01 GMT -5
D'rorah nodded as the dinner plans he mentioned, having thought there might perhaps be something of the like scheduled. She felt slightly odd about joining them for dinner, not quite feeling as though she would belong among them, but made no mention.
"Would you care to join me?" she asked, as she rose from her seat on the bed. "Or perhaps you would simply like some time to yourself?" She bent down and kissed him softly before straightening and heading on her way downstairs. She was rather pleased at the whole notion of sitting before a piano again, despite the circumstances which had brought the opportunity about. She made her way down the large marble staircase quietly, finding her way back to the piano she had spied with little difficulty. Seeing a large quantity of sheet music nearby, she smiled a bit. She selected a few pieces of Liszt and Schubert, but decided to begin with a piece she knew by heart from years of having played it with her mother. Taking a seat on the bench, her posture straight and fingers delicately curved over the keys, she took a deep breath and set to work on her private concert for the afternoon, beginning, of course, with Lieberstraum.
As she focused on the music, the rest of the world simply fell away, leaving her alone with sounds which evoked memories both painful and pleasant. There was no concept of time... only of measures steadily passing by underneath her fingers.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 8, 2007 4:13:29 GMT -5
Returning her kiss gently, he watched her leave and sighed lightly. Allowing his body a moment of pure relaxation, he simply flopped backwards, his head coming to rest on the soft pillows. Staring at the ceiling and exhaling slowly, he then rose off the bed and decided to remain in his current clothes, figuring he would simply wear them to dinner anyway. Picking up Darius and carrying the playful dog in his arms, he made his way downstairs, a rather wonderful sound meeting his ears. Smiling in a small show of happiness, he found D'rorah seated before their piano, looking every bit as elegant as his mother used to during the process of music making.
Without a sound, he took a seat behind her and simply listened, his smile becoming softer and far more genuine as she continued. Breathing deeply, he allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment and rest his head against the chair. His body relaxing almost completely, his mind travelled to wherever the music chose to take him.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 8, 2007 4:35:33 GMT -5
D'rorah played almost without ceasing. As one song flowed into the next, she found herself falling deeper and deeper into the music, unaware of anything happening around her. She might have been there for minutes or hours, not noticing as time slowly slipped by. It must have been a rather long time, for she managed through many lengthy pieces, finally ending with Moonlight Sonata and another run through Lieberstraum to lighten the mood. When she finally pulled herself from the music, she looked up at the clock to see that more than two hours had passed since she had seated herself in front of the piano.
She began slowly gathering up the music she had used, re-ordering it into the neatly appointed stack she had found upon first arriving downstairs. For the first time, she noticed Dylan's presence behind her. "Did you have any requests?" she asked quietly, not turning around. Thinking it perhaps appropriate to the situation, she began playing Tu Che Di Gel Sei Cinta from Turandot by Puccini, her voice rising in a clear soprano she had inherited from her mother to go along with her piano skills. When she finished, she simply sat there, waiting for a request or response.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 8, 2007 4:52:57 GMT -5
The music relaxed him to no end, and he actually drifted off into a light sleep for a while. Reopening his eyes, he found the reason that he'd woken. She had stopped. Before he could respond to her question, however, her fingers began to work again, weaving a tune that had never before reached his ears as her voice accompanied the piece.
As she finished, he smiled softly. Planting his feet on the floor, he quietly walked to her, draping his arms around her shoulders and connecting his hands together. Leaning his head around, he gave her a soft kiss and smiled. "You play beautifully," he said quietly, kissing her again. "But I'm afraid I've no idea about this kind of music. I always just listened and appreciated it for its beauty," he said, referring to the happier times when his mother had played.
As this thought occurred, he suddenly wondered where his mother was. Surely the gathering should have finished by now. Shrugging it off, he planted another kiss on Dee's neck. "If you're wanting to get a walk in before dinner, we should go soon," he said quietly.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 8, 2007 5:09:01 GMT -5
D'rorah melted as she felt a pair of arms drape around her. "Thank you," she replied quietly to his compliment. "Though, I am certain your opinion is somewhat biased," she added with a soft smile. Feeling another kiss at the back of her neck, just above the high collar of her robes, she swiveled around to face Dylan, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply in return. "Yes, a walk would be very nice," she replied quietly before kissing him again as she slowly rose from the bench. Her arms tightened around him, pulling him closer as she found herself lost in his eyes.
She had paid no attention to the remainder of the room, having focused completely on Dylan as she ceased playing. So, she was startled to hear the somewhat pronounced clearing of a throat from the back of the room. Her arms automatically returning to her sides from reflex, she broke her gaze with Dylan and allowed her eyes to seek out the source of the sound. "Good afternoon, Ms. Cooper," she greeted quietly, suddenly feeling intensely awkward. Her mind whirled with Astraeus' possible responses, few of them ending well. Her body tensed as she waited for a response, thinking it unlikely that a mother would approve of such activity between her son and his new girlfriend in her own house. Here she had barely even met the woman and she had allowed herself to be caught in a passionate embrace with her son in her music parlor. She watched Dylan from the corner of her eye for some indication of his own reaction as she willed her heart to slow from the slight racing that had ensued from her initial shock.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 8, 2007 17:51:33 GMT -5
Smiling happily, he gave her another kiss before hearing a quick clearing of the throat from the doorway of the room. D'rorah arms releasing him, he found that he was actually rather annoyed at his mother for having interrupted such a perfect moment. His face blushed so minutely that most people might not pick up on his embarassment. His mother, however, had known him all her life and would immediately notice the small, red tinge his cheeks had now taken on.
D'rorah's quiet attempt at normalcy did not go unnoticed by anyone in the room. Astraeus looked quickly between the two, and Dylan, quite unwilling to believe that they had done anything wrong, slipped his hand into D'rorah's in a sort of unsaid defiance. His mother knew nothing about his feelings, nothing about the connection the couple shared, and he would not be bullied into feeling guilty. He met his mothers eyes and saw that she was wary. Of what, he didn't quite know.
"We're expected in an hour and a half for dinner," she said quietly as mother and son continued to stare at each other. Dylan was incredibly glad that she hadn't done anything over the top; this situation was largely unexplored territory afterall. "Change, Dylan, you have dog fur all over you," she said bluntly, leaving the room. Looking down, he found that she had been right. Sighing discontentedly, he squeezed D'rorah's hand gently.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 8, 2007 18:01:27 GMT -5
D'rorah felt a hand slip into hers and thought she felt somewhat reassured. She noticed the guarded look in Astraeus' eyes and worried about where this budding distate on Astraeus' part might be heading down the road.
D'rorah nodded at the message that they were expected for dinner in an hour and a half. She didn't particularly feel as though she and Dylan had specifically done anything wrong. Truthfully, they had been in situations Astraeus would likely have found far more angering over the short course of their relationship. She looked over at Dylan's clothes. She had been so absorbed in his eyes that she had failed to notice the dog fur, but it was certainly true. She turned back to face Dylan as he squeezed her hand gently, not sure what she should say.
She looked to the door once to ascertain that they were actually alone this time before leaning in and kissing him softly. "I apologize... I do not intend to cause any friction between you and your mother." She remembered, not too long ago, stating that she didn't wish to impose by accompanying Dylan home for the holidays. Though they were still a way off, she found herself thinking it would certainly be a good idea to cancel any plans she had to accompany him home... she was beginning to have a feeling she would not be welcome here after all.
She looked toward the courtyard door. "Perhaps it would be best if I found some way to occupy myself. I have time for a quick run. Or sparring, if you are interested?" At the moment, she didn't feel particularly welcome in the house and hoped Dylan would understand her desire to get out for a bit.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 9, 2007 2:08:07 GMT -5
"The friction would have been there regardless," he said quietly, regretting the fact. Returning her kiss, he nodded at her suggestion. "I don't think I'm quite up to any strenuous exercise at the moment," he muttered, genuinely unwilling to continue using his legs. "But do whatever you need to feel more comfortable," he said quietly, his hand moving to rest under her chin. Raising her head gently, he looked into her eyes and attempted to express his feelings for her without words. Not knowing if she would comprehend exactly how much he loved her, Dylan kissed her softly.
"She'll come around, Dee," he said softly, referring of course to his mother. He knew it must be a bit of a surprise for Astraeus, though the latest encounter with her had actually surprised him somewhat. Then again, he hadn't known what to expect in the first place. Providing her lips with another soft kiss, he rested his forehead against her. "I'll be in my room if you need me," he added quietly, pulling away to leave and intending on having a small nap before dinner. Normally he wouldn't even consider such a thing, but today appeared to be a day full of the unknown.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 9, 2007 6:22:03 GMT -5
"The friction would have been there regardless,"
"But..." she trailed off, the thought in her mind nonetheless. You said she would. She squelched it immediately. Obviously he had been mistaken and there was no point for her in pushing the issue now. She simply nodded mutely as he state that he was not up to exercise at the moment, understanding all too well. And then she found her chin lifted and he was gazing into her eyes. Something about all of the love in that gaze, only made her feel more alone at the moment, irrational though she realized the emotion was.
Somehow she found herself wondering if Astraeus actually would come around. Of course Dylan would say that, he understood D'rorah... even loved her. There was another kiss and then he pulled back to leave. She stood, rooted to the spot for a moment. She wanted, more than anything, to throw her arms around him, to ease the discomfort of what felt like a sort of rejection. Instead, she nodded quietly as he stated that he would be in his room. Of all her possible courses of action, going with him was the one that most appealed to her... and the one she knew would be least wise at the moment.
She turned to head to the front door, feeling even more alone as it clicked shut behind her. She felt, for the first time since arriving, that she was on the proper side of the door for a change. She thought of a run, but then changed her mind, deciding that she didn't want to have to change clothes and take another shower before dinner. So, with no idea of exactly where she was going or exactly why she felt so... odd, she blinked back something she would never admit was a tear and headed off toward the direction of the main town street.
Though it felt like she walked for a long time, it couldn't have been more than an hour, for she wanted to make sure she was back for dinner. Regardless of her own discomfort, she had come here in order to support Dylan in his grief for his foster father... and she wouldn't abandon that duty. With half an hour to go before they were scheduled to be at dinner, she found herself in the sitting room, waiting for Dylan and Astraeus.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 9, 2007 21:12:01 GMT -5
He waited for her to finish verbalising the currently incomplete sentence. Realising that her thoughts would remain her own, Dylan smiled briefly before turning to leave the room. Making his way up the wide staircase slowly, his hand running along the marble banister, he wondered what D'rorah might have initially wished to say.
The thought was pushed from his mind as he re-entered his bedroom, flopping down beside his dozing dog. Having woken the small animal, Darius promptly climbed onto his stomach and continued to add to the already large amount of fur present on his shirt. Absently rubbing his companions ears, he received a lick in the face and smiled vaguely. Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes and fell into a light sleep.
Waking up after what must have been around an hour, he opened his eyes blearily and looked around. Picking Darius off of his chest, he climbed off the bed and changed into some fresh clothes. Wandering down the staircase once more, he walked into the sitting room wearing some furless black pants and a dressy, white, button-up shirt. Seeing D'rorah, he walked over to her and smiled weakly. Sitting beside her, he took her hand in his and kissed it softly. "Did you find something to do?" he asked quietly, hoping she had.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 9, 2007 21:31:44 GMT -5
"I walked," she replied quietly. "It is a very nice town," she added. She returned his weak smile as he kissed her hand and leaned over onto his shoulder. "Dylan..." she trailed off, wanting to find a good way of making a bad statement. "We spoke before of me accompanying you home over the winter break. I no longer feel that would be wise. I do not wish to usurp your mother's time with you; nor do I wish to impose upon her hospitality."
She lifted her head to look at him. "I simply... well, given her apparent feelings toward me, I do not wish to cause problems within your family," she added quietly. She hoped he would understand... sure of anyone else she had ever known, Dylan was one of the few who actually understood her. She had thought that perhaps his mother, like he, would understand her. As she spoke, her arms moved around him, as though she were holding him close even while slightly pushing away. Realizing her actions as she simultaneously realized that Astraeus should be joining them any moment, she straightened, pulling her arms back to herself.
"I just think it might be prudent to allow her to gradually adjust to the idea of us... so that things will be more comfortable later," she added. She certainly saw this as a long-term situation and some part of her sought Astraeus' approval... she didn't want to always have that awkward space between her and Astraeus. Normally not someone who particularly cared for what others might thing of her actions and decisions, this deference to the feelings of another felt somewhat odd for her.
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