RP: Dinner for Two

[tt_cecilia.insanejournal.com]

Date: 30. November, 2001
Characters: Cecilia Proudfoot and Sirius Black
Setting: Early evening, Sirius' house
Content: TBD
Status: Open: Private


The basket on the kitchen table had been packed even before Jamie had left to join the rest of his class for the astronomy camp-out. Some of the faster growing vegetables in her own garden were on the verge of being ready for harvesting; another short week or so, she estimated, but they weren't completely right for tonight. So, she had made a round of the market, adding to the things she already had in her cooler and cupboards as well as a good portion of what most of all resembled dark turkey meat. She forgot which animal it came from, but she recognized it as a favorite whenever it was available.

After her shower she had let her hair dry into the stubborn curls she had given up on trying to tame, though she did let it hang loose, rather than tying it up in the usual ponytail. The clothes took a bit more consideration. Dinner with Sirius called for something a bit less casual than her regular everyday clothes, but they would be cooking, which took out some of the formality. She eyed her tank tops and cargo shorts longingly, but those wouldn't even be considered casual; they were her work clothes. Finally she settled on her white tunic with the black lace decoration over her sand coloured denim skirt and comfortable sandals. There, relaxed without being too casual.

With a light jumper draped over the basket, she apparated to Sirius' house, taking a moment to run her fingers through her hair, before she knocked on the door.

Comments

[tt_sirius.insanejournal.com]

"I'm afraid I have never understood some of Harry's motivations. He's like James and Lily in so many ways but there's Dumbledore's influence still lingering. I wish I'd had more time with him. I'm sure he'll come through, eventually. Hermione keeps in contact with him as well. If anyone can convince someone to come through, its that girl," Sirius commiserated grimly. He knew Kingsley sent messages as well but Sirius didn't know what was influencing his godson on the other side. All his friends were here. Could the hero complex still have such a grip on him?

He watched as Cecilia joined him on the sofa, sitting close. She had curves in all the right places. Distracting curves. Sirius arched an eyebrow but there was a slight pause before he answered, glancing down at his wine glass. "I don't judge them. It's the discoveries that I look for - to see if there are any similar plants on Australia. I crib the notes, to be honest. If I find the same plant over there, I just cross-reference it to the discovering Herbologist's report."

"I've always been something of a tinkerer - magical or muggle, doesn't matter. It keeps me... busy," he admitted. Sirius had been about to say 'sane' but he thought the better of that, given his history and what had been written about him. "What about you? What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Besides taking pity on the settlement's resident recluse."

[tt_cecilia.insanejournal.com]

Cecilia knew neither Harry Potter nor Hermione Granger well enough to know how one of the could be persuaded or the skills of persuasion possessed by the other; she had to trust Sirius on those matters, and settled for nodding in acknowledgement of what he was saying. From what she had heard, people were staying behind for all sorts of reasons, from believing they could wait out the cold that was coming to feeling that they'd rather die on their own terms than try to make a new life for themselves here.

His arched eyebrow had her tilt her head slightly in curiosity, wondering what was causing his reaction. "That's... actually pretty smart," Cecilia admitted, nodding, considering the way she was doing it. "I'm wondering if it wouldn't be easier for you if you transferred all the notes to your datapad so you'd have more to base a search on... but that'd probably take up too much space on your pad, so... nevermind." The datapad was a nifty thing, she could only agree to that, and she enjoyed using it and had become very familiar with it during her time here, but it did have its limitations, as did parchment and quills. Perhaps, in time, someone would find a way to make it better suited for large amounts of data without the direct connection to the command center's database.

As Sirius revealed what he liked to do, Cecilia's eyes were drawn to his hands. Long elegant fingers on slim hands; she could see how they suited tinkering and could easily imagine what they would look like caressing over gizmos and gadgets and naked skin. Shoving those last vivid images out of her mind by taking a drink, she smiled up at him. She got the feeling that 'busy' hadn't been the word he had meant to say, but didn't put more into it other than it was where he found his solace. "Taking pity on the settlement's resident recluse? Is that what I'm doing?" Cecilia's eyebrows shot up and she couldn't help but laugh softly at Sirius' description of her. "And here I thought I was stalking him, showing up at his house to push my company on him and make him accept that I really do enjoy his company," she teased him gently, as she leaned over to set her glass on the coffee table before she sat back, still facing him. "Believe it or not, but I enjoy working in my garden and... cooking what I grow there. But mostly, I just enjoy spending time with the people I care about."

[tt_sirius.insanejournal.com]

"If I did that, I wouldn't have anything to read when I come here," Sirius pointed out with a half-smile. It wasn't necessarily accurate as he read all the reports that came into the Command Center out of curiosity alone but he didn't say that. Sirius wasn't a trained Herbologist and his time on Australia was limited in what research he could do. He was building wards and mapping the terrain for settlement along with making notes on the animals that were potentially going to present problems for them. He chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not a scientist like you are, Cecilia. I'm just a scout."

He didn't miss that her gaze dropped but Sirius didn't think anything of it, his own attention just taking her in, flashing a smile when she laughed. It was such a pleasant sound and Sirius felt a surge of pride that he'd made her laugh. Without thinking, he reached over with his free hand and brushed her hair back from her eyes. "You should have been an Auror, then, if you managed to find me so easily," he teased sardonically in return. Sirius sighed and took a drink from the wine glass. "You're a herbologist. I'd find it strange if you didn't enjoy gardening. You're welcome to my yard. It's overgrown with the native plants here, if you want to expand your efforts," he offered.

[tt_cecilia.insanejournal.com]

"Ah, true," Cecilia smirked back at him. "Couldn't have that, could we? I mean having to read those dull and dreary books from the library rather than the thrilling Herbology reports?" Sirius' chuckle was a welcome sound, and not one she had heard from him before. She had seen him smile, smirk, even scowl and heard something that could have been a sharp bark of laughter, but the soft sound of his chuckle, she found, suited him. "I wasn't a scientist until I came here," she said with a small sigh. "Back there, I was just an Herbologist growing medicinal herbs, using my knowledge to enhance their Healing properties."

His touch was gentle, the gesture chaste in itself, but the few times his fingers brushed against the skin of her forehead, felt scorching and even when he withdrew his hand, she could easily have pinpointed each tiny spot precisely. Quirking an eyebrow, amused by his teasing, she reached up to take his hand. "I don't think it takes an Auror to find a man who's already given you his address and invited you over for dinner," she smiled at him, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze before she let go when he moved to take a drink from his glass. She considered his offer for exactly two moments, then nodded. "You know, I might take you up on that. Perhaps get a good vegetable patch going that you could use as well?"

[tt_sirius.insanejournal.com]

He chuckled again at her teasing, shaking his head a little as he did. "I've read most of those dull, dreary books. After the settlements were staked out and the wards raised, I was fairly bored until Kingsley sent me to Australia."

Sirius glanced toward the kitchen. The cooking food smelled good and he was mildly grateful for the momentary distraction from her touch. He was being a gentleman, more so now than he had been at the door when his better judgement had gotten away from him in an impulsive moment. "True but I don't think it would be a good idea to underestimate you. If I hadn't given you the address, I feel fairly certain that you would have found me again," Sirius pointed out, amused.

The wine was nothing to talk about but it wasn't terrible. They were starting to get older vintages through the portal. "You're welcome to do anything you like, Cecilia. Kingsley says its important that we all have gardens. I think he's afraid of something happening to the crops but I haven't seen anything in the reports to worry about."

[tt_cecilia.insanejournal.com]

"Generally, I'd say it's never a good idea to underestimate anybody," Cecilia mused, sending Sirius a small curious smile. "But if you hadn't given me your address, I would have just left it at that and figured that if I was meant to meet you again, I would, eventually. However, had I not respected your wishes for privacy, I'd just need to look in the directory. It's not that difficult finding people here, really." Watching him as she spoke, she couldn't help but wonder at the fact that not too long ago, she had been ready to leave, and now she was sitting here, feeling comfortable and relaxed with him. Maybe it was the topic of their conversation, it was safe, or maybe the intense blow-out had set them more in tune than they had been before.

"I think he's wise to worry about that," she said, unconsciously glancing in the general direction of the fields that had already been planted. "There are plenty of things that can lead to failed crops that can't be predicted or foreseen." Gesturing towards the mountains, she continued, "there's the volcano, for instance, and for all we know, this place could be the breeding area for one of the migrating species here every year in January, not to mention pest infestations, drought, wildfire..." She managed to stop herself before she got too carried off on the list of possible things that could go wrong. "Anyway, the private vegetable patches are easier to protect and they'll have people better prepared if we had to start over from scratch again."

[tt_sirius.insanejournal.com]

"I suppose you are right in that aspect. It's impossible to disappear on the settlements. Off of them... well, it would be rather too easy to do that. I had neighbors when the first refugees came through, that is, until they discovered who they were living next to. Within a week, both homes on either side of this one were empty again. It took no effort to find the requests for resettlement," Sirius explained with an uncaring shrug.

Sirius found the sound of her voice soothing, and he relaxed more listening to her talk, clearly on a subject that she had a wise opinion on. A small frown flickered across his forehead at the mention of the volcanoes - the ones on this island were active but he'd been to the top of the calderas and they were vast so the threat of another Pompeii was minor. "It sounds like you've given this some thought before," he teased dryly, giving her hand a light squeeze. "You're welcome here anytime, Cecilia."

[tt_cecilia.insanejournal.com]

"Sometimes people are just... ugh." Cecilia sighed deeply, shaking her head as she combed her fingers through her hair. The fact that they had been given this second chance, being relocated to a place safe from the disastrous winter that was brewing in their old world and to a place where every step to avoid a society divided by class, and still they refused give other people the same second chance frustrated her deeply. Still, it explained a few things. "That's... why you were so worried about how being seen with you would affect me?"

His comment, however, had her chuckling softly as she nodded. "It's what I do, Sirius," she smiled at him, touched by the gentle squeeze of his hand. "Or, well, it's what I used to do. Back then it just wasn't a volcano or pterodactyls I had to take into consideration, but the neighbor's sheep or a leaking greenhouse." Tilting her head slightly, she watched him for a moment. Then she smiled and nodded. "I hope I won't make you regret that invitation."

[tt_sirius]

"Partially. There was the fairly remote chance that you hadn't heard of me and I couldn't take that chance. Kingsley gets away with associating with me because of who he is here. I would loathe for you to suffer from your... friendship towards me," Sirius replied gravely. He glanced toward the front of the house, where the shadows of dusk were making it impossible to see further than the light of the front porch.

"And now you have volcanos, pterodactyls, dragons, continental shifts and neighboring sheep, cows, goats, chickens, and ducks to worry about. I'd add in whale-sized sharks but I doubt you go that far out on the water - at least, I hope you don't. I'm down at the docks once a month helping to relayer the wards on the fishing boats as it is," he added, slightly serious, slightly teasing. He felt a tension in his stomach at the thought of this witch out on the water in that kind of danger.

The timer in the kitchen began to sound, making Sirius realize just how much time had passed while they talked comfortably. He flashed a sly smile. "It's not an invitation I offer lightly," Sirius pointed out, rising to his feet and holding out a hand to her. "But I daresay you won't make me regret it."

[tt_cecilia]

"Hey," Cecilia said softly to regain Sirius' attention as he looked away from here, and with a gentle hand on his cheek, she physically urged him to do so. "Your friendship means more to me than their judgment," she assured him. "Simple as that. I told you, the only one whose opinion matters to me, is Jamie, although yours is beginning to gain a bit of significance as well, but as long as I'm not forcing you on him, I don't see how he could possibly have any objections to this..." she shrugged slightly. "If he does, I'll deal with that as well. Alright?"

"Among other things," Cecilia chuckled as Sirius listed all of the things she had to take into consideration here. "You forgot the downpours and generally different climate altogether, but yeah, it's a challenge, but one of the better ones." With a smile, she shook her head. "I'm not a marine botanist or marine anything, for that matter... I prefer my feet on solid ground, so I sincerely doubt that the whale sharks will be much of a concern for me, at least when it comes to my work."

The sound of the timer had Cecilia look to the kitchen, surprised that the food was already done. Time had flown as they had talked, and with a smile she accepted Sirius' hand. "We'll see how regretful you are when you're trapped in your own home, surrounded by edible plants."

In the kitchen, she opened the oven and moved the dish to the counter. Careful not to burn her fingers, she worked open the paper package and smiled satisfied when the aromatic steam came wafting out smelling perfectly. "Perfect," she beamed up at Sirius, and unfolded the paper completely, letting the dish serve as a serving plate for the fish and vegetables. "All we need is the bread and the wine."

[tt_sirius]

It took a moment of mental struggle not to cup her soft hand to his cheek but Sirius had given his word that he would be a gentleman and he would abide by that as long as she let him. Sirius nodded. "All right."

"After twelve years of feeling like I would never be warm again, I rather enjoy the climate here," he chuckled warmly after she made it clear that she didn't go near the boats. That was a thought that would have haunted him, to be sure. As it was, he was somewhat assured of her ability to safely explore - on this continent, at least. She was a thoughtful witch, so the risk of being near the volcanoes was minimized there.

Following Cecilia into the kitchen, he circled around behind her and opened one of the cupboards to select two plates. He set them on the counter and returned to the cooler to retrieve the bread and the wine bottle. "Done and done," Sirius declared with a flashing grin as he set the bread into a shallow basket then levitated both over to the table.

"Just getting the cutlery," he added, nodding that she should head to the table with the main dish. Pulling one of the drawers open, Sirius selected knives, forks, and a set of larger spatulas to transfer the fish, then he joined Cecilia at the table. "That smells great."

[tt_cecilia]

"I didn't say I didn't enjoy the climate," Cecilia grinned back at Sirius, "but when you're used to colder weather, even for an Herbologist, the change of weather is a challenge. It's a different mindset, so to speak." Looking at Sirius, she felt a sense of relief, of delight, that he was comfortable here, that he was no longer cold and hoped that he would eventually begin to seem more at ease with this second (or was it third?) chance of life he had been given.

Placing the fish on the table, Cecilia took a seat and gestured for Sirius to start serving. "Hopefully it tastes just as great," she smiled at him, and made herself comfortable, ready for a comfortable night with Sirius.

[tt_sirius]

Sirius' easy smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he began serving, first to her plate, then to his own while Cecilia refilled their glasses from the wine bottle. It was a much easier setting than had been earlier and he was content not to push the envelope there.

"Mmm, this is a great deal better than what I normally have," Sirius commented after taking a bite. He'd have to remember the trick of wrapping the fish and veggies up - it could work over an open fire as well though he normally stuck to what was quick and necessary out there.

Dinner passed with easy conversation, safe topics, and the wine smoothed out any internal arguments Sirius might have felt though he was far more interested in listening to Cecilia regale him with tales of her exploring adventures since arriving on the island.