RP: Putting the Museum to Bed
Date: March 3, 2005
Characters: Cedric Diggory, [Jeff Whitecalf]
Location: Museum, then streets of Stoatshead
Status: Semi-private (they're walking down a public road)
Summary: Cedric and Jeff put the painting day to bed, then discuss Very Important Matters.
Completion: Complete
The day had been long, and the day before preparing had been even longer. Most visitors had come and gone by half past three and Jeff had begun closing paint tins, gathering brushes and dropping them in paint thinner to be cleaned. "There's an easier way to do that," Cedric told him.
"Probably," Jeff replied. "But don't mess with my clean-up mojo, ain't it? Get out of here and go mingle." Cedric did as ordered.
All but two hats had been sold, and the badges had run out about an hour ago. Cedric would far rather have run out than be stuck with loads extra, and he thanked Hannah, sending her off, hopping up on the table himself so he could be near the door. And also just because he was completely drained. He could hear the voices of a few folks lingering upstairs at the reception, and someone was chatting up Blaise at the table one over, an attractive young witch. Cedric wondered if she were more interested in books or Blaise himself. It made him smile.
When four rolled around, Cedric thanked both Blaise and Narcissa for their support and assistance, and when everyone had gone, he closed the doors, and turned with Jeff to the task of cleaning up downstairs. (Narcissa had already taken care of the reception, bless her.) He and Jeff found a lot of scattered brochures, a few buttons and even a hat that had been set down on a table and then forgotten. Cedric vanished what remained up to his office and he and Jeff took down the tables so that Cedric could Levitate them back to the closet where he'd had them stored, the guide ropes with them. The museum plans were Banished back to a spare office, and the paint-splattered plastic Vanished altogether. Cedric carried the money Spellboxes upstairs, too tired to go through them tonight. His mother's painting was taken back to its spot on the wall outside his office door, and the other artifacts were stored on the third floor under heavy protection spells.
Coming back down the stairs, Cedric found Jeff standing in front of the rear wall, staring at it with fists on hips. "That wall looks terrible, Jeff commented.
"I rather like it," Cedric replied, coming up beside him. "It has ... character." And it did, in an odd way, from the squiggly smeared strokes near the bottom no doubt done by children to the uneven but more regular swatches done by inexperienced adults, all interspersed with stretches done by people who'd clearly held a brush before.
"You're going to leave it like that?"
"I don't know. I might."
Jeff chuckled.
It took another half hour to finish all the clean-up. By that point, it was well after five and the sun was setting through one of the breaks in the day's showers. They decided to walk back. Cedric might be tired, but he preferred walking to Apparating himself and Jeff too. They stopped on the way at the market to pick up some food and a couple of sandwiches that they munched on the way home. "We're making pizza later," Jeff said as the strolled down the road beside the river, headed for Alpha Lane. "We earned it."
"Sounds good to me. Extra pepperoni and sausage." He popped the last of the sandwich in his mouth and asked around it, "So how do you think it went?"
"You got a decent crowd but not too many to handle. People seemed to have a good time."
"Yeah, I think it was a good mix."
"You see Roger?"
Cedric glanced over. "Just at a distance. I was talking to Rabastan at the time, I think."
"You need to go talk to him, man."
"I did when all this started. We haven't seen each other since. He's been busy, I gather; so've I."
"You're both avoiding each other is what you're doing," Jeff replied.
"What are we supposed to talk about? We used to spend a lot of our time together with Hermione. That's a bit awkward these days."
Jeff shrugged. "I didn't say it'd be easy. You could always go ask him how his business is doing. Looks like you may have some work for him soon, if he wants it."
"Yeah, I will. He gets first shot. I can even pay him this time around for more than supplies. He does good work."
"Then talk about that. Tapdancing around each other ain't helping anything." Cedric didn't reply and they walked in silence for a bit. "You going to talk to Hermione too?"
"I spoke to her today."
"Don't be damn obtuse. You ever heard the expression 'barking up the wrong tree'? You need to talk to her."
"Piss off. I'm not going to rush her into anything."
"You know what her answer'll likely be."
"Yes, I suspect I do. It's still hers to make, not mine to force out of her before she's ready." Cedric was silent a minute, then added, "Roger makes her happy. I saw that last night. I ... want her to be happy, Jeff. More than I want her, I want her to be happy."
"Very noble. And I know you're sincere because I know you. But I'm not hearing the more selfish side of that. You're human. Don't forget to let yourself be. How do you feel right now?"
Cedric thought about it. "Disappointed, a bit hurt, confused." His smile turned wry. "Maybe not surprised. I did some thinking last night, after I left the party. I needed to do some thinking." Jeff had found him later, walking by the river. "Hermione interests me, has from the start; she's a puzzle. She doesn't act like most people."
"You like puzzles."
"I do like puzzles. But it's not just that. She cares about people, and shows it by doing, not just saying. But sometimes ... I fear we talk past each other. I try to tell her things that interest me but I'm afraid I'm just boring her, being long-winded. Then she tells me things and I reply, and see this little frown, right between her brows here" -- he gestured -- "and I know I missed something important. But I can't figure out what. I admire her, I enjoy her company -- "
"You think she's hot."
Cedric laughed. "All right, yes, I think she's hot. She's a beautiful woman. But I don't know if we always ... connect the way we should. I think I frustrate her. That's not what I want to do."
"And she frustrates you?"
"Yeah, sometimes. More confuses me, I think. But I don't want to lose her friendship."
"Then don't."
"Easier said than done."
"Everything's easier said than done. I don't think she wants to lose yours, either, or she wouldn't have been there today." Jeff looked over at his friend. "It'll take time, even when everything's resolved one way or the other. Give it that time. But you're not a bunch of teenagers. And it wasn't like it was with Gwen, with years together and promises made, and lots of hurt feelings -- on both sides."
"I didn't say it was like with Gwen."
"You're not entirely over her."
"Yes, I am. It's been over a year. I don't want her back."
"Didn't say you wanted her back. I said you're still healing. Don't rush yourself."
Characters: Cedric Diggory, [Jeff Whitecalf]
Location: Museum, then streets of Stoatshead
Status: Semi-private (they're walking down a public road)
Summary: Cedric and Jeff put the painting day to bed, then discuss Very Important Matters.
Completion: Complete
The day had been long, and the day before preparing had been even longer. Most visitors had come and gone by half past three and Jeff had begun closing paint tins, gathering brushes and dropping them in paint thinner to be cleaned. "There's an easier way to do that," Cedric told him.
"Probably," Jeff replied. "But don't mess with my clean-up mojo, ain't it? Get out of here and go mingle." Cedric did as ordered.
All but two hats had been sold, and the badges had run out about an hour ago. Cedric would far rather have run out than be stuck with loads extra, and he thanked Hannah, sending her off, hopping up on the table himself so he could be near the door. And also just because he was completely drained. He could hear the voices of a few folks lingering upstairs at the reception, and someone was chatting up Blaise at the table one over, an attractive young witch. Cedric wondered if she were more interested in books or Blaise himself. It made him smile.
When four rolled around, Cedric thanked both Blaise and Narcissa for their support and assistance, and when everyone had gone, he closed the doors, and turned with Jeff to the task of cleaning up downstairs. (Narcissa had already taken care of the reception, bless her.) He and Jeff found a lot of scattered brochures, a few buttons and even a hat that had been set down on a table and then forgotten. Cedric vanished what remained up to his office and he and Jeff took down the tables so that Cedric could Levitate them back to the closet where he'd had them stored, the guide ropes with them. The museum plans were Banished back to a spare office, and the paint-splattered plastic Vanished altogether. Cedric carried the money Spellboxes upstairs, too tired to go through them tonight. His mother's painting was taken back to its spot on the wall outside his office door, and the other artifacts were stored on the third floor under heavy protection spells.
Coming back down the stairs, Cedric found Jeff standing in front of the rear wall, staring at it with fists on hips. "That wall looks terrible, Jeff commented.
"I rather like it," Cedric replied, coming up beside him. "It has ... character." And it did, in an odd way, from the squiggly smeared strokes near the bottom no doubt done by children to the uneven but more regular swatches done by inexperienced adults, all interspersed with stretches done by people who'd clearly held a brush before.
"You're going to leave it like that?"
"I don't know. I might."
Jeff chuckled.
It took another half hour to finish all the clean-up. By that point, it was well after five and the sun was setting through one of the breaks in the day's showers. They decided to walk back. Cedric might be tired, but he preferred walking to Apparating himself and Jeff too. They stopped on the way at the market to pick up some food and a couple of sandwiches that they munched on the way home. "We're making pizza later," Jeff said as the strolled down the road beside the river, headed for Alpha Lane. "We earned it."
"Sounds good to me. Extra pepperoni and sausage." He popped the last of the sandwich in his mouth and asked around it, "So how do you think it went?"
"You got a decent crowd but not too many to handle. People seemed to have a good time."
"Yeah, I think it was a good mix."
"You see Roger?"
Cedric glanced over. "Just at a distance. I was talking to Rabastan at the time, I think."
"You need to go talk to him, man."
"I did when all this started. We haven't seen each other since. He's been busy, I gather; so've I."
"You're both avoiding each other is what you're doing," Jeff replied.
"What are we supposed to talk about? We used to spend a lot of our time together with Hermione. That's a bit awkward these days."
Jeff shrugged. "I didn't say it'd be easy. You could always go ask him how his business is doing. Looks like you may have some work for him soon, if he wants it."
"Yeah, I will. He gets first shot. I can even pay him this time around for more than supplies. He does good work."
"Then talk about that. Tapdancing around each other ain't helping anything." Cedric didn't reply and they walked in silence for a bit. "You going to talk to Hermione too?"
"I spoke to her today."
"Don't be damn obtuse. You ever heard the expression 'barking up the wrong tree'? You need to talk to her."
"Piss off. I'm not going to rush her into anything."
"You know what her answer'll likely be."
"Yes, I suspect I do. It's still hers to make, not mine to force out of her before she's ready." Cedric was silent a minute, then added, "Roger makes her happy. I saw that last night. I ... want her to be happy, Jeff. More than I want her, I want her to be happy."
"Very noble. And I know you're sincere because I know you. But I'm not hearing the more selfish side of that. You're human. Don't forget to let yourself be. How do you feel right now?"
Cedric thought about it. "Disappointed, a bit hurt, confused." His smile turned wry. "Maybe not surprised. I did some thinking last night, after I left the party. I needed to do some thinking." Jeff had found him later, walking by the river. "Hermione interests me, has from the start; she's a puzzle. She doesn't act like most people."
"You like puzzles."
"I do like puzzles. But it's not just that. She cares about people, and shows it by doing, not just saying. But sometimes ... I fear we talk past each other. I try to tell her things that interest me but I'm afraid I'm just boring her, being long-winded. Then she tells me things and I reply, and see this little frown, right between her brows here" -- he gestured -- "and I know I missed something important. But I can't figure out what. I admire her, I enjoy her company -- "
"You think she's hot."
Cedric laughed. "All right, yes, I think she's hot. She's a beautiful woman. But I don't know if we always ... connect the way we should. I think I frustrate her. That's not what I want to do."
"And she frustrates you?"
"Yeah, sometimes. More confuses me, I think. But I don't want to lose her friendship."
"Then don't."
"Easier said than done."
"Everything's easier said than done. I don't think she wants to lose yours, either, or she wouldn't have been there today." Jeff looked over at his friend. "It'll take time, even when everything's resolved one way or the other. Give it that time. But you're not a bunch of teenagers. And it wasn't like it was with Gwen, with years together and promises made, and lots of hurt feelings -- on both sides."
"I didn't say it was like with Gwen."
"You're not entirely over her."
"Yes, I am. It's been over a year. I don't want her back."
"Didn't say you wanted her back. I said you're still healing. Don't rush yourself."