:D
Several hours without internet or anything to do means I write. Lucky for you lot, I guess.
Not going to bother to link to the previous four parts, just in case I run out of internet time. If you really need them they're on a post a few days back.
Disclaimer: no, still not mine.
"Dean, it's Lavender. Meet me at 8 at Blake's on High Street. We need to talk. The place is dress cas. so you don't need a tie."
Other people made plans and checked schedules - Lavender Brown made reservations. Everyone who knew her for any length of time knew that when she said "meet me" it was either going to be good for you to show up, or wonderfully bad, and either way you wanted to go.
Dean sighed as he erased the message on his machine. He knew it would undoubtedly be in his best interest to show up. He also knew exactly what Lavender would "need to talk" about.
It wasn't bloody fair, he thought to himself. Seamus had been his best friend longer than Lavender's, shouldn’t he be the one to understand the man?
With another sigh he headed back into his bedroom to see what he had to wear that would qualify as "dress cas." to the ever stylish Ms Brown.
***
It was characteristic of Lavender to be fashionably late whenever she went out for fun. Blake's was one of her favourite haunts, and Edward, the head waiter, knew never to expect her for at least fifteen minutes after her reservation, while her party might come upwards of ten minutes early. So when she breezed in at 7:30, still in her work clothes, he was taken by surprise.
"Lav, my dear, I'm sorry but your table isn't ready yet," he managed, not showing his shock. "I can seat you at the bar..." He would not suggest that she was waiting. A woman like Lavender did not wait.
Which is why he was utterly flabbergasted when she assured him the bar would be fine and added, "Sorry to be so early, but a meeting ran overtime and I didn't want to be late."
Lavender Brown? Worried about being late? It was unprecedented.
"Edward, darling," she said as she breezed past him towards the bar. "Pick up your jaw off the floor. This is important."
***
Dean was nervous, and it just got worse as the night went on. Bloody Lavender apparently didn't talk 'business' during dinner, and trying to come up with conversation topics when the only thing he could think about was that damned kiss was bloody impossible.
"Explain," he finally said. "If you don't talk business during dinner, then what's with all the business dinners you go on with Seamus? I've heard him mention your 'expense account'..."
She laughed. "It's something my favorite consultant came up with. He's an American, which explains a lot, but his idea was, essentially, that young professionals get put under so much stress and need an outlet. He'd practically worked my boss around to paying for me to go chat with a psychiatrist once a week when John mentioned Seamus. It's far cheaper for them to pay for me to go out with my best friend and relax once a month or so then a shrink would be, and, since I'd never actually go to a shrink, it made it far more likely I'd actually take them up on it."
"Huh." Dean looked incredulous. "They pay for you to go out and party?"
"No dear, they pay for me to look out for my mental health by taking an evening to relax with a close confidant. It just usually turns out that we go partying."
"What do you do for this company that's so important?"
Her smile was slow, almost predatory. "I bring them a whole new market. I'm the Head of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs and Consulting Advisor to Marketing."
"What?"
"Translates to Wizarding Consultant."
"So, it's true then, about things becoming more integrated here? When I first saw Seamus' mobile I was stunned."
"Mmm, yes and no. It's very slow integration, if you can call it that at all. Essentially, our world is being careful and controlled about the interaction between worlds. No Muggle company can deal with any of our markets without having a licensed Wizarding Consultant working for them, and likewise any Wizarding company who wants to get their paws into the Muggle markets."
"Weird..."
"Oh, it's marketing and capitalism at its finest. Hell, you've been in the States, surely you've got some experience with this."
"Not really. The artistic community tends to avoid talking money at all costs. Surely you didn't think all the statements about 'starving artists' were jokes?"
"How depressing," Lavender said with a small smile. "Lack of forethought is what that is."
***
Dean finally lost it when the coffee and cakes came. "Lavender," he started, a dangerous glint in his eye.
"Yes Dean?" Gone was the relaxed, carefree veneer, as Lavender dropped straight into her 'professional' mode.
"Er..." he hesitated, somewhat confused by her shift in demeanor.
"Seamus," she said. "We're here to talk about Seamus, and drinking."
"Er, yes." It became readily apparent that unless he said something right now, this conversation would go the way that Lavender wanted it, and Dean wasn't sure that that was the way he wanted to deal with things. It was really, he thought, something to be discussed between himself and Seamus, and wasn't really any of Lavender’s business. "Look Lav," he said, forestalling whatever she was about to say. "I kind of think that this is something I should talk to Seamus about."
Lavender grinned. "Good man," she said, picking up her latte and leaning back in her chair.
There was something highly unsettling at the way she was looking at him. It rather felt like she was surveying him and seeing a chessboard. And a chessboard where she had just put him in check at that. It’s too late for me to try and deal with this, he decided. "I should probably head home." Reaching for his wallet he added, "Shall we get the check."
"Oh, don't worry about it." She waved away his offer. "I can cover it."
"You sure?"
"Wouldn't want to see my favorite artist starve."
He couldn’t help but smile at that. "All right. Thanks. I'll see you later." Rising, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and headed out of the restaurant.
Lavender finished off her drink, wrinkled her nose at what was left of the chocolate cake on her plate, then signaled Edward.
"All done?" he asked, coming towards her.
"Yes," she said. "Put it on the account."
"On the... Certainly."
The woman smiled up at him. "If the company can pay for Seamus to watch out for my mental health they can damn well pay for me to watch over his."
"Ah." Edward nodded, then hesitated. "You don't normally worry this much over his... affairs. This one is... special then?"
"Mmm, very."
***
Not going to bother to link to the previous four parts, just in case I run out of internet time. If you really need them they're on a post a few days back.
Disclaimer: no, still not mine.
"Dean, it's Lavender. Meet me at 8 at Blake's on High Street. We need to talk. The place is dress cas. so you don't need a tie."
Other people made plans and checked schedules - Lavender Brown made reservations. Everyone who knew her for any length of time knew that when she said "meet me" it was either going to be good for you to show up, or wonderfully bad, and either way you wanted to go.
Dean sighed as he erased the message on his machine. He knew it would undoubtedly be in his best interest to show up. He also knew exactly what Lavender would "need to talk" about.
It wasn't bloody fair, he thought to himself. Seamus had been his best friend longer than Lavender's, shouldn’t he be the one to understand the man?
With another sigh he headed back into his bedroom to see what he had to wear that would qualify as "dress cas." to the ever stylish Ms Brown.
***
It was characteristic of Lavender to be fashionably late whenever she went out for fun. Blake's was one of her favourite haunts, and Edward, the head waiter, knew never to expect her for at least fifteen minutes after her reservation, while her party might come upwards of ten minutes early. So when she breezed in at 7:30, still in her work clothes, he was taken by surprise.
"Lav, my dear, I'm sorry but your table isn't ready yet," he managed, not showing his shock. "I can seat you at the bar..." He would not suggest that she was waiting. A woman like Lavender did not wait.
Which is why he was utterly flabbergasted when she assured him the bar would be fine and added, "Sorry to be so early, but a meeting ran overtime and I didn't want to be late."
Lavender Brown? Worried about being late? It was unprecedented.
"Edward, darling," she said as she breezed past him towards the bar. "Pick up your jaw off the floor. This is important."
***
Dean was nervous, and it just got worse as the night went on. Bloody Lavender apparently didn't talk 'business' during dinner, and trying to come up with conversation topics when the only thing he could think about was that damned kiss was bloody impossible.
"Explain," he finally said. "If you don't talk business during dinner, then what's with all the business dinners you go on with Seamus? I've heard him mention your 'expense account'..."
She laughed. "It's something my favorite consultant came up with. He's an American, which explains a lot, but his idea was, essentially, that young professionals get put under so much stress and need an outlet. He'd practically worked my boss around to paying for me to go chat with a psychiatrist once a week when John mentioned Seamus. It's far cheaper for them to pay for me to go out with my best friend and relax once a month or so then a shrink would be, and, since I'd never actually go to a shrink, it made it far more likely I'd actually take them up on it."
"Huh." Dean looked incredulous. "They pay for you to go out and party?"
"No dear, they pay for me to look out for my mental health by taking an evening to relax with a close confidant. It just usually turns out that we go partying."
"What do you do for this company that's so important?"
Her smile was slow, almost predatory. "I bring them a whole new market. I'm the Head of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs and Consulting Advisor to Marketing."
"What?"
"Translates to Wizarding Consultant."
"So, it's true then, about things becoming more integrated here? When I first saw Seamus' mobile I was stunned."
"Mmm, yes and no. It's very slow integration, if you can call it that at all. Essentially, our world is being careful and controlled about the interaction between worlds. No Muggle company can deal with any of our markets without having a licensed Wizarding Consultant working for them, and likewise any Wizarding company who wants to get their paws into the Muggle markets."
"Weird..."
"Oh, it's marketing and capitalism at its finest. Hell, you've been in the States, surely you've got some experience with this."
"Not really. The artistic community tends to avoid talking money at all costs. Surely you didn't think all the statements about 'starving artists' were jokes?"
"How depressing," Lavender said with a small smile. "Lack of forethought is what that is."
***
Dean finally lost it when the coffee and cakes came. "Lavender," he started, a dangerous glint in his eye.
"Yes Dean?" Gone was the relaxed, carefree veneer, as Lavender dropped straight into her 'professional' mode.
"Er..." he hesitated, somewhat confused by her shift in demeanor.
"Seamus," she said. "We're here to talk about Seamus, and drinking."
"Er, yes." It became readily apparent that unless he said something right now, this conversation would go the way that Lavender wanted it, and Dean wasn't sure that that was the way he wanted to deal with things. It was really, he thought, something to be discussed between himself and Seamus, and wasn't really any of Lavender’s business. "Look Lav," he said, forestalling whatever she was about to say. "I kind of think that this is something I should talk to Seamus about."
Lavender grinned. "Good man," she said, picking up her latte and leaning back in her chair.
There was something highly unsettling at the way she was looking at him. It rather felt like she was surveying him and seeing a chessboard. And a chessboard where she had just put him in check at that. It’s too late for me to try and deal with this, he decided. "I should probably head home." Reaching for his wallet he added, "Shall we get the check."
"Oh, don't worry about it." She waved away his offer. "I can cover it."
"You sure?"
"Wouldn't want to see my favorite artist starve."
He couldn’t help but smile at that. "All right. Thanks. I'll see you later." Rising, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and headed out of the restaurant.
Lavender finished off her drink, wrinkled her nose at what was left of the chocolate cake on her plate, then signaled Edward.
"All done?" he asked, coming towards her.
"Yes," she said. "Put it on the account."
"On the... Certainly."
The woman smiled up at him. "If the company can pay for Seamus to watch out for my mental health they can damn well pay for me to watch over his."
"Ah." Edward nodded, then hesitated. "You don't normally worry this much over his... affairs. This one is... special then?"
"Mmm, very."
***