Pater Familias (invite only)

Subject: Pater Familias (invite only) Sat Aug 22, 2020 12:36 pm

They had landed in a private airfield a few miles south of the Milwaukee International Airport at just after three their time, only to find out it was still very much mid morning in America. The idea to fly on Friday morning had been perfect as it made them miss as little of the weekend during the journey as possible, making the most of their stay. The landing and reception had been discrete, no requests of queues or passports or luggage declaration. Not that there was much to declare in Azalea's single suitcase anyway.

Having had lunch on the plane, the duo was in no mood for further refreshments as they waited for their ride to the hotel. To no one's surprise, a limo drove up to greet them and Jacques pulled the door open for her, following her into the spacious car with plenty of room to stretch one's legs and a mini fridge full of cold beverages to help battle the August heat.

As they drove way, Azalea couldn't help but notice the telltale signs of a camera flash bouncing off the limo's shiny surface. Despite the private nature of their trip, someone had got wind. Jacques didn't seem perturbed though, making erh raise a quizzical eyebrow.

"How on earth do you deal with this all the time?" she asked, perplexed as she neatly crossed her legs in front of her, utilizing the ample seating space. "I once dated a guy who was... into Quidditch," she admitted, the memory as surprising as her impromptu confessor.

"He was photographed some and I always hated it. We spent years without the press knowing who he was with." On the plane, Jacques had explained a little about what "being a Clement" meant and for one thing, it meant not having any privacy in a public place. The witch herself would never want that life, to be constantly judged in the public eye. Perhaps that was why Elenore left? Though judging from the camera flashes of a few minutes ago, the press here was not impervious to a Clement visit.

The limo weaved and dodged through the busy midday traffic, arriving at their hotel in less than twenty minutes. The staff at their temporary resident had been warned ahead of time as a good number of men in suits stood outside, waiting to greet them and take their bags. A few more cameras and phones went off, some for private use and others for promotional reasons until finally Azalea and Jacques were shown to their rooms, connected through a hidden door as the manager discretely informed them.

Having spent their time on board the Clement's Heir's private jet watching movies and talking, the two travelers were both tired enough to not care for lunch and take up the offer of naps. Bidding Jacques a good rest, Azalea entered ehr own room and locked the door behind her, kicking off her heels and jumping into her bed with a happy sigh. Her mood only improved when she found the room came with a spa bath.

Just as she was contemplating a bath however, her mobile pinged, alerting her to a text from Josh. His short message of "Arrived safely" was not a question but a statement, as if he knew. Regardless, the witch replied with a "Yes sir" before sending him a picture of the extra large bathtub with the caption "Already missing you".

His text also reminded her that she had a text of her own to send. Swiping up to her phone camera, the witch moved to the desk, holding up a journal stamped with "Kimpton Journeyman Hotel" and snapped the picture, sending it to Victoria.

"Guess where I am"

It took only a few minutes for a barrage of texts to come her way, Victoria's excitement reflected in too many question marks and exclamation points. Slowly, the Potion Mistress explained how she was so early, where she was and that they could meet for dinner after Victoria and Jackson had finished work. Once that was over, the witch finally began to peel off her travel clothes and made a beeline for the spa bath.

Azalea stayed in the bath for well over an hour, relaxing her cramped up joints before she exited the tub and wrapped herself in one of the fluffy robes provided. Though she had been left to nap very politely by the Frenchman, Azalea herself knew she would never sleep. Not without Jake or Josh for company. Nevertheless, she closed her eyes and rested, thinking over all she had learned that morning.

Before today, she had never really pictured the Clements as having any problems. This trip was an eye opener in that sense at least. The brunette supposed everyone had a problem.

At about four p.m., the witch finally moved from her bed, well rested and ready to meet Victoria. A quick text to Jacques confirmed that he too was awake and ready and they agreed to meet in half an hour.

The knock on her door came at exactly half past four, proving that among Jacques many good virtues were the gift of being on time. Fully dressed and make upped, the witch opened the door and stepped out, dressed more casually than she ever dared at Murray Manor.

But this was America, it was home.

Over here, she could be whatever she wanted to be. And right now, she wanted to be just Azalea.

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Subject: Re: Pater Familias (invite only) Sat Aug 22, 2020 1:20 pm

Having landed safely in Milwaukee, and driven across the city to their hotel, Jacques was suitably tired by the time they made their way through the front doors of the hotel they'd opted to stay at. Thank Merlin for the sunglasses being in place to avoid all evidence of the tiredness from being seen as he'd helped Azalea from the car and up the front steps to the hotel.

The duo had parted their separate ways when they got up to their rooms, and the subtle notion of their being a connecting door between the two rooms made the man frown slightly at the manager before looking apologetically to Azalea.

The Frenchman had waited for Azalea's door to shut behind her before continuing in to his own room. The place was nothing much to look at, and almost as soon as he'd sent the text to Kiranjeet to say he'd arrived at the hotel, his phone had been ringing. Answering with a smile, the Frenchman had spent his time filling the Quidditch star in on what had happened thus far -- which wasn't much truthfully -- and then listening in to the witch's day of training. The first preseason game that was happening midweek was getting the witch a little bit nervous, but by the end of the two hour conversation, Jacques liked to believe he'd calmed the anxieties enough in the witch for the day.

From there, a nap hardly seemed worthwhile, so instead the Frenchman showered and returned to his bed in just his towel. Checking the time, and working out how long it would take to get from the hotel to the chosen restaurant of that evening, Jacques had proposed meeting up with Azalea at half past four to ensure they were on time. The confirmation had come only moments later, and the man had turned to the task of readying himself for the evening. The 'casual' suit had been the man's decision in the end, and after ensuring his hair was in place, the watch his parents had bought for his birthday secured, and the sunglasses tucked carefully in to the pocket, Jacques had turned his attention to the witch next door.

At half past four, the man had knocked lightly on Azalea's door and waited barely any time for the witch to appear. Azalea's choice of clothing had Jacques take another look at the witch, the light filtering in the room from behind had made the outfit appear much more stunning upon second glance, and the young man could not help but to smile as he met the witch's eyes. "You look beautiful, Azalea, as you always do." He complimented sincerely. "Ready?"

With the witch collecting her purse and phone before hurrying to leave the room, Jacques offered his arm to Azalea as they walked -- quite aware of the heels she was wearing that brought her almost to his own height.

"Hopefully we won't catch too much of the traffic, I think we've left enough time to meet Victoria and Jackson on time."

And they had, it would transpire as the limo arrived outside Sobelman's Pub & Grill shortly before five thirty that evening. Once again, the photographers had followed the couple around the city, Jacques paid the flashes no mind as he once again aided the witch from the vehicle, and in to the place they'd agreed to meet Azalea's friends. Being the first two there, Jacques had moved to the bar with Azalea, turning to see what she would like to drink and ordering for them both. Apparently, the bar tender recommended the local beers, and after a quick thought had recommended the 'Old Milwaukee'. One sip of the cold beer had told Jacques the man knew nothing about alcohol whatsoever, but ever the polite man he was, Jacques simply agreed with the recommendation, before turning back to Azalea and striking up conversation for the plans for the weekend -- if any.

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Subject: Re: Pater Familias (invite only) Sat Aug 22, 2020 2:01 pm

"You look beautiful, Azalea, as you always do."

"As always, you're very kind," the witch replied, noting his own chose for the evening. When Victoria had sent ehr the location for their chosen eatery, Azalea had no notions it would come with a dress code. But even if it did, Jacques was well above that. Oh well, perhaps today her French companion will finally have the all American experience of watching grown men in track bottoms and giant bibs fighting with waiters to be let in before the barbecue runs out. The mere notion made her smile.

"I just... feel so much more myself here,' she confessed as they walked towards the gilded elevators, arm in arm. "Must be something in the air, I haven't felt this free in a very long time... Though I suppose that's patriotism for you," she mused as they entered the lobby.

It was impossible to miss all the camera clicks as they climbed into the limo again, and even more camera clicks as they exited the vehicle at their destination. Thankfully though, no one followed them in as they took their place at the bar. They were early no doubt but it was better this way. She had told Jacques most of the details about their hosts for the evening but she had left out one important thing. When asked to order drinks, Azalea quietly requested an apple juice while the young wizard with her made a heroic effort with beer.

"If it's not too much to ask,' she began, ignoring her glass in favor of speaking to the Frenchman,"We would all appreciate it if alcohol did not company our food. Jackson is... he's been sober for many years now but there's no reason to to challenge fate."

She didn't even have to finish her explanation before he nodded, the beer disappearing at a single motion of his hands, replaced with a same glass of apple juice. The brunette smiled gratefully towards him, glad that he wasn't going to judge Jackson on the politician's past mistakes. "Victoria is extremely protective of Jackson. You wouldn't believe it looking at her but she can be downright scary when removing all alcohol from the vicinity. She even shoos away waiters at parties who try to offer him any." Azalea hadn't exactly told Jacques of Victoria and Jackson's relationship but she was equally certain the Clement Heir could read between the lines.

A few minutes later whoever, the conversation took a lighter note with Jacques inquiring what Azalea intended to do the next day, a topic the witch was more than happy to discuss. "Well, it will mostly depend on Victoria since she has the day off. But I imagine we'll be doing quite the girly shopping and catching up. I'd invite you to join us but you'd be bored out of your mind commenting on dresses all day long."

That being said, she did point out that they would metre for both lunch and dinner on Saturday before heading out for New York. "Jackson has invited you to hang out whit him while we do our shopping. He's a member at the country club if you want to golf. Otherwise I hear he's quite into fitness and does a very challenging gym routine if you want to join him." Though Azalea didn't know the extent of Jackson's prowess a the gym, she was almost certain Jacques could keep up.

The duo was on their second round of apple juice when a loud squeal from the restaurant entryway alerted Azalea to the fact that Jackson and Victoria had arrived. Jumping off her own bar stool, the witch dashed towards the new arrivals, reaching to gather Victoria in her arms before anyone had the chance to say anything. The incoherent noises that followed would have baffled anyone who wasn't accustomed to girls nights out.

By the time they were done hugging it out, the men had joined them, decidedly more formal and probably more than a little embraced of their dates.

"My apologies," Azalea began, her smile making her entire face glow. "This is my bestest friend in the world, Victoria, and that's her employer and friend, and incidentally my former student, Senator Jackson Blake."

"Miss Azalea," the senator greeted with a wink as he leaned in to kiss her cheek politely. "You are even more beautiful than I remember, and I have a good memory." Then turning to Jacques he added "Mr. Murray, I presume. these two talk about you a fair bit from what I gather."

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Subject: Re: Pater Familias (invite only) Sat Aug 22, 2020 2:35 pm

The news Azalea would be coming state side was one that had Victoria all but bouncing off the walls in the last couple of weeks of August. The witch had not seen her best friend in way too long, and the prospect of having Azalea here, in Milwaukee, was one that could not be shifted. Jackson had had to coax her out of the high pitched excitement of "Azalea'scomingAzalea'scomingAzalea'scoming" with a very calming tone that only subdued Victoria for a few seconds to slowly, and in a normal pitch, tell him that Azalea would be coming to Milwaukee the last weekend of August.

From there, it had been planning with Azalea.

Where they should go to dinner the first night. What they would do on Saturday -- shopping had been the easy answer as Victoria really did need to reinvent her wardrobe once more with some dresses that would just graze past her knees for work. From there it would be lunch and another evening meal with Jackson. Azalea had noted she was coming with her friend, Jacques, and Victoria might have forgotten to mention that part to Jackson as she made plans for both men to spend the day together without either one being told. It was only going to be a day and a half, but Victoria had ensured she would get to spend plenty of time with Azalea before the witch headed off to New York to meet up with Jacques' sister.

It was a countdown from that point, and by Friday, Victoria's excitement was palpable as she signed off documents to head out to the post that evening. Jackson's excitement was there, too, but that was probably more for the food than anything else.

Everyone had been ushered out of the office at five o'clock that evening, the insistence for everyone to go home making Victoria feel much better for her own 'leaving early'. The witch had changed in to a summer skirt and blouse combination that had made Jackson look to her with a grin upon his features that made the younger witch blush almost profusely as he drew her close, and pressed hungry kisses to her lips.

"Later," Victoria had promised him with a soft peck on the lips, thankful that she hadn't applied her lipstick as Jackson playfully nipped on her lower lip in frustration at being told no. Smiling up at him, the witch had let him enjoy himself for another couple of minutes whilst they had the privacy of the office, only a few, though, before she gently pulled away. They would be late if they delayed much longer, and as the witch applied her lipstick in the small compact mirror from her bag, the finality of the teaser for later that evening had been provided.

The drive to the bar was like a lifetime, truthfully, the anticipation building tenfold the closer they came. Victoria was almost too bouncy as they pulled up at the kerb, not waiting as she usually did for Jackson to get the door for her as she hopped out the SUV. Jackson had made it to her side by that point though, and together the politician and his legal adviser had entered the bar.

The squeal that had erupted from Victoria's small frame had turned the heads of almost all of the bar.

And the hurried crossing to the witch before enveloping herself in Azalea's arms would not have been out of place in the younger witch's books.

Jackson had followed, standing awkwardly by the side as the two girls talked quickly about how much they'd missed one another, how the other looked amazing, how good it was to see each other again, and then a repeat. Only when the hug had taken it's full course and the older witch caught up with herself did Victoria realise that their dates had been neglected completely.

The introduction made Victoria beam at the male stood beside her, taking in Jacques for the first time, the notion of familiarity touched the witch's features, but for the life of her, Victoria could not place him...

"Mr. Murray, I presume. these two talk about you a fair bit from what I gather."

From beside her, Jackson had accidentally made the wrong assumption of the male with Azalea, and Victoria realised, belatedly, that she hadn't told her boyfriend exactly who Azalea was bringing. An awkwardness took over, Victoria looking to Azalea briefly to try to wordlessly ask for help because the younger witch did not know her best friend's companion's full name.

"Actually, I'm Jacques Clement. Lord Murray wasn't able to join us, and I'm by far not lucky enough to be dating Azalea." Jacques gently amended, the smile upon his lips showing that no harm had been done with the slip of the tongue. "Can I get you both a drink?"

Victoria gave an apologetic look to the Frenchman at that before supplying her own drink order of a lemonade and lime juice, before Jackson took up his usual request of a Sprite. With their drinks in tow, the quartet found themselves a table before taking up the menus.

"So," Victoria was quick to strike up conversation as she barely glanced at the menu. "How's Ethan? And Josh? I loved the way you styled his hair the other day! Have you shown Jacques the pictures of his hair all spiked up? Ethan, I mean, not Josh!" The witch explained to the Frenchman before the male could get the wrong impression.

"Have you seen Jake over the summer? I hear Clara has been helping him with the kids, that's so great of her to do that! I miss them both so much! I wish Jake had come back with mom and dad... but there's still time!" The witch quickly gushed, waiting for Azalea to answer each and every one of her questions.

Then, turning to Jacques, the witch continued on so as not to leave him out.

"I hear you met Azalea at university at one of those parties. You're studying to become an Auror, right?"

"Right! I graduated this year, actually. Now, I have to decide whether to join the French or British Ministry. But, with the turbulence at the moment, I'm trying to decide the best option." Jacques's reply came before his attention turned to Jackson with the girl's circling back to their own conversation. "What are you having? Any recommendations?"

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Subject: Re: Pater Familias (invite only) Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:38 am

Most of August in the little apartment Jackson had near permanently moved into with Victoria was occupied with only one notion: Azalea's Coming!!!!!!

Ever since the older witch had called Victoria and told her of the plans, the lawyer had been beside herself with joy at seeing Miss Azalea again. It was wholly satisfying watching his princess run about with such renewed energy especially given the sad nature of the work they had to do. But with the Californian witch's arrival to look forwards to, even Victoria found a reason to smile and be excited after a day trying to reunite families and sometimes failing in her pursuit to do so. As far as Jackson was concerned, his old Nightshade Head could visit all the time.

More good news came in the form that it would not be Victoria's brother accompanying Miss Azalea to the United States. Jackson had picked up that she was being escorted by her boyfriend whom the Senator already liked by sheer virtue of not being Jake Newbury. Miss Azalea was much better off without that douche.

Despite making plans to kingdom come for the one and a half day Victoria would get to see her friend, the Princess wasn't exactly sure which flight to await. So when that morning a loud squeal came from the lawyer's office, no one was surprised it was because Miss Azalea had landed. Sloan had even managed to raise a questioning eyebrow but know better than to ask. From there onward, his princess was one giant buzz of excitement until they were pulling into the restaurant agreed upon by the two witches.

While the two brunettes embraced each other, Jackson took a minute to study the man standing by Miss Azalea. While the senator had never exactly asked Victoria what Miss Azalea's boyfriend did, he had no qualms about the man's social status. The older witch traveled in circles Jackson could only dream of, her first boyfriend was a testament to that.

"Actually, I'm Jacques Clement. Lord Murray wasn't able to join us, and I'm by far not lucky enough to be dating Azalea."

"Clement, by any chance the Clements of Versailles Palace?' the politician questioned, simultaneously trying not to screw up his nose at the mention of "Lord". What was up with all these European men and their frills and bells? "I had the pleasure of meeting your mom and dad briefly at the Cayman Islands some years back."

When Jacques nodded his affirmation, Jackson fund himself warming up the young wizard. While the truth of Miss Azalea's travelling circle still held, he was sure the Clements were as filthy rich as they come, and yet he hand't introduced himself as any "Lord".

"Can I get you both a drink?"

A lemonade and sprite later, the four young folks were seated around a comfortable booth, the best in the restaurant in fact when the questions began. Victoria's excitement was too high to contain, not that anyone would want to as she shot off question after question in her pursuit of knowing everything that had happened to the older witch since the last time they spoke.

"Ethan and Josh are both doing well," Miss Azalea replied, her own brown eyes sparkling in the soft restaurant lights. "And yes, his styled hair photo has gone quite vital among people we know, much to his grandmother's dismay. She thinks it's undignified but we have to remind her he'd not yet four so we can have some fun."

"And what about Kir? How has he been?" Jackson managed between the question. "Last I saw him and Clara, they were very busy with the move."

"They're fine too, in fact, dad is actually here in New York, probably doing some art or filming project. Maybe if he has time, we'll meet him on Sunday." The words were spoken casually, is if it didn't matter either way. He wondered if they were just so used to living apart by now that being together hardly mattered.

"Clara is absolutely ecstatic spoiling the kids," the older brunette continued. "She dotes on ivan and Adrienne and I'm sure they flee the same." Despite the positive feedback, Jackson noted there was no mention of the illustrious Jake Newbury.

Converaton then naturally steered to Miss Azalea's date who confesed he was a qualified uror, a man who knew a hard day's work then. Traits to be respected in Jackson's opinion. Finally hen the catching up was sowing to a half after twenty minutes, the question of food arose.

"This place serves just about the best burgers in Milwaukee Jacques," the politician offered, pointing to the menu where large burgers were attached to skewers placed in filled mugs. "Good beef, pure Wisconsin cheese, greasiest fries this side of the pond. You know whet they say, come for the cheese, stay for the coronary." A round of laughter went around the table before everyone placed their order, Jackson sticking to more classic two pound burger serviced in a plate on a bed of heaping fries while Miss Azalea swallowed her inhibitions and asked for a platter of spicy wings to share with Victoria.

"So, the politician began when the waiter had left with their order. "Victoria tells me you're planning to see your sister in New York. You should have invited her here. As my mom always says, the more the merrier. We could have made room for her on the table too."

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Subject: Re: Pater Familias (invite only) Tue Aug 25, 2020 1:10 pm

The bundle of excitement that came through the door of the pub was not how he'd imagined Azalea's best friend, in truth. Jacques had been warned of a bubbly attitude and a friendly person that one Victoria Newbury might be, but Azalea had not nearly accurately summed up her best friend in truth. The very tiny person that Jacques met was one that he felt drawn to almost straight away upon seeing Azalea's features light up, and the carefree nature was a welcome break to the usual subdued nature people found them in these days.

It was almost like having Mimosa around.

Victoria's companion, though, was very much as Azalea had explained him to be. Jackson Blake was a good natured man, easy to talk to, and much more reserved than the small witch he'd arrived with. The fondness upon the other man's lips as he watched the women greet one another would have been a tell tale sign of his feelings for the younger witch had Jacques not already known about the relationship between the two Americans, too.

"Clement, by any chance the Clements of Versailles Palace?"

Jacques was about ready to nod his affirmation of that much when he noted Jackson's lips about to move again, denoting he'd already met Jacques' parents only a moment later. The Frenchman let the Americanisms slide with the titles given to his parents. "The very same family," Jacques agreed not wishing to put to much weight on all of that. The name Blake was not one that had reached the Palace, and Jacques would rather not offend his new companion with the point of not hearing of the man from his own family.

As the girls turned to talk of Josh and the children that Azalea found herself in the company of, the men listened politely in to the conversation. The picture of Josh's son with his hair all array had brought a smile to Jacques lips on receipt of the message, and the memory of Ethan Murray posing for Azalea's pictures was one that would bring a smile to his lips once more. "I was surprise Joshua was happy to have that picture taken, truthfully, but I'm sure everyone enjoyed it!" The Frenchman laughed along, leaving the conversation be from that point so as not to push himself in to the conversation more than he was needed.

Victoria's agenda was largely associated with catching up on how all the children were doing, though, asking if Azalea had any pictures to share that she hadn't already, and delving in to her own mobile device to share pictures her brother had sent of his own children that Azalea hadn't seen herself.

The talk was easy going, something Jacques was grateful for given he'd never met the Senator and his legal aide before. It made it all the more easy for him to forget that this was only a quick stop before things got... heavier with the visit to his sister.

Food came first, though, and as Jackson boasted the quality of Wisconsin's food -- something Jacques did not believe for a second to be true -- the younger man glanced over the burgers on offer. Cheese, apparently one of Wisconsin's 'delicacies', seemed to be something the Frenchman should try, and it only took one glance at the menu to show that everything would be covered in it. With little else to really comment on, the men both made their orders the largest on offer, with the ladies ordering a little less but still ensuring they would be full by the end of dinner. "Hopefully the food won't disappoint, starting to feel more than a little peckish now." Jacques mused, their lunch on the flight seemed a long time ago now, but the wizard was sure the food was not going to touch what they'd been served before.

"Ah, yes, we're going to meet up with Elenore on Sunday afternoon." Jacques agreed after taking a sip from his drink once the waiter had gone. "She's studying music at Julliard's and has been so busy with it all, she hasn't managed to head home since she started almost two years ago." The man explained, leaving out how his sister had refused to come home, and completely ignored all correspondence she'd been sent to date.

"I didn't wish to intrude more than I already have on Azalea's trip to see you guys, so I didn't think inviting her would have been a good idea. Perhaps next time, though." The gracious bow out of that conversation would hopefully stop further questions along the lines of his sister, though Jacques wouldn't completely bat the conversation away.

"Azalea told me that the two of you are working to bring families back together who have been forced apart by the new laws that were put in place earlier this year. I can't say how pleased I am to hear that people are fighting for the right thing to be done. Do you do a lot of work in this area?" Jacques asked, the question open to both Jackson and Victoria depending on who wished to field it.

"Oh, and Azalea noted that whilst the girls were shopping tomorrow, you wouldn't mind if I joined you at the gym? My plan was to hit the gym at our hotel whilst Azalea was busy, but if you'd be happy to show me around Milwaukee, or point me in the direction of a better equipped gym, I'm all ears!"

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Subject: Re: Pater Familias (invite only) Tue Aug 25, 2020 1:41 pm

The conversation flowed easily as the quartet sat around the circular booth, Azalea and Victoria squeezed next to each other with the men flanking either side. The informal nature of the hotel and Victoria's brindled excitement going a long way to make everyone comfortably and happy. That was until Jackson brought up the youngest Clement.

A fleeting look of worry flashed in the older brunette's eyes as Jacques tackled the question gracefully, proving himself both humble and grateful for the invitation. The witch smiled proudly at him, genuinely glad his evening would not be marred by the sadness that had brought him to America.

"Azalea told me that the two of you are working to bring families back together who have been forced apart by the new laws that were put in place earlier this year. I can't say how pleased I am to hear that people are fighting for the right thing to be done. Do you do a lot of work in this area?"

Even as the younger witch blushed at the compliment, the senator smiled fondly. "I'll be honest," Jackson began as their food started to arrive. "It was Vic's idea but once she pitched it, the whole office was on board. She's a bit of a superstar at work, I've never seen anyone say no to her."

"Jacksonnnn," the little lawyer pouted for a second before smiling.

"It's true though, don't let her fool you. She's united countless families since we started. I'm better versed in political laws, congress, House, different branches of government. Victoria here is our policy genius."

"Here, here," Azalea chimed in, raising her glass. 'To Victoria!"

"To Victoria indeed," the two men chimed, joining in with their own glasses. Just as they had finished the toast, their food arrived, heaping plates for both Jackson and Jacques while a combined platter of hot wing band spicy salsa for the witches.

"Oh Granny Weatherwax, wings! I cannot remember the last time i had wings. This better be real hot sauce."

A giant grin broke across Jackson's face, as if someone had personally named him a superstar. "Indeed they are Miss Azalea, and we can get them hotter for you if that's not enough. Real American food like you get nowhere else in the world!"

"Oh, and Azalea noted that whilst the girls were shopping tomorrow, you wouldn't mind if I joined you at the gym?"

"It would be my honor,' Jackson replied, showing some restraint as his own burger was set in front of him. For the sake of present company, he merely picked up a fry and chewed, leading the table into starting on their meal. "I'll even go easy on you your first set," he joked, chuckling himself to show there were no hard feelings.

"And while you guys are flexing at the gym, Victoria and I will be getting donuts at a mall. I miss the smell of malls. Can you believe I haven't been dress shopping for over a year? Everything I need just... appear's at Josh's. It's convenient but how do you sneak into a Starbucks on the way to your closet? More appreciative laughter followed her statement as everyone dug in. Azalea herself picked up a wing, snapping is cleanly in two between her fingers before inserting a piece daintily into ehr mouth. The witch chewed for a full minute before proclaiming the spice level satisfactory.

"Oh Vic, how are your folks setting in?' she finally asked, reaching for another wing. "I know they left in a hurry but knowing your mom, they would probably have cleaned, unpacked, cleaned some more and settled in by that evening." Alexis Newbury ran a tight ship, it was one of hwr many finer qualities, and among the only qualities that would be discussed with her daughter.

Once Victoria had answered, it was Jackson's turn to ask his question.

"You're still teaching at Hogwarts if I remember correctly right, Assistant Potioneer, though forgive me if I got that wrong. Victoria does all my remembering for me," he aided fondly before his brow crinkled.

"Funny, I always thought you'd prefer Herbology - you were wicked good at it back in the day with your wines."

"Vines..? the witch asked confused, reaching for her glass of apple juice. The wings were indeed spicy, and spicier after eating three in a row.

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Subject: Re: Pater Familias (invite only) Tue Aug 25, 2020 2:27 pm

Victoria could feel her cheeks warm through as Jackson complimented her work to Jacques. The soft whine of his name as he more than overdid his complimenting was well deserved, but really, the witch didn't mind him doing it.

"We still have a long way to go before we'll be close to finished, though." Victoria pointed out, almost in vain as the table toasted to her success in the policy making. Any further explanations on that point were moot, though, as the food arrived on scene. Jackson and Jacques' almost matching platters of food proving to be a challenge for each of them as they both took in the food. The platter of wings for the two girls was equal in size, but between the two of them, Victoria was sure they would manage to make a good dent, and what they might not finish, Jackson at least would be on hand to finish.

A light chuckle left Victoria's lips at Azalea's outburst at the American food, watching her delve in to the wings without a second thought. "You really should take Josh to an American restaurant some time, for fun!" The younger witch insisted, taking up her own wing and mimicking Azalea's actions of breaking it apart. "I'm sure seeing him with finger food would be more than amusing!" She added, dipping her wing very lightly in the spicy sauce so as not to over power the wings too much.

The wry smile on the Frenchman's lips attested to much the same sentiment, Victoria believed as she smiled at him in return. Jacques might not have said it, but he agreed with her, she was sure of that.

At the talk of the gym, Victoria left the boys to it, on that subject she could not comment, barley understanding how Jackson found time to spend in the gym. He enjoyed it, though, and she would not suggest he didn't do what made him happy.

Which was where the witch paused as she noted her boyfriend's lack of enthusiasm for his plate. Normally one to devour a plate the moment it arrived, Jackson had opted to pick at his fries. Subtly, because the witch knew how devilishly accurate papparazzi could be even from a distance, the witch touched Jackson's leg in reassurance. "Everything alright with the food?" She asked gently, but it was not Jackson who replied to the question.

"Best to just get in there?" Jacques asked from across the booth, looking like a lost child as he tried to decide the best plan of attack on the monstrously sized burger before him.

"Yup!" Victoria replied excitedly to that.

For anyone who didn't know Jacques Clement, it would have looked like a man eating a burger. To those who did, they would clearly see a man so very used to fine dining trying his very best to fit in with his present company. The burger oozed from each side as the Frenchman picked it up, and slopped messily upon the chips left beneath. It would bring a moments contemplation on how he would fit the burger in to his mouth -- which would be impossible at best -- before doing his best and taking a decent chunk from the burger.

Despite best efforts, though, a mixture of cheese and sauce would catch hold of the man's cheeks and leave its presence known. Putting the burger back down in place, the Frenchman would reach for his napkin to wipe the mess from the burger, and then his cheeks, chewing all the while as he tried not to look too amused with the situation.

"You Americans never do things by halves!"

The group would laugh at that much, before carrying on with their own food.

"I wish I had a self filling wardrobe!" Victoria insisted. "I don't have enough hours in a week to get everything I need done! Nor do I have my bestie here to help! Merlin knows Sloan is no help!" Jackson laughed with her at that much, but the joke would likely be lost on the other two.

"Mom and Dad are settled back in. Jackson and I actually went to Eden Prairie and readied the house for them before they returned. Dad's really happy to be back in the US, he didn't like the UK very much anyway. Mom's missing Jake and the kids terribly, though, she feels guilty for leaving them, but I told her that she'll see them soon." Victoria explained, though the witch knew that the last part of the sentence would likely not prove to be true at all, but there had to be hope. "Mom's getting back with all the ladies in Eden Prairie, though, back in her circles, so she's really happy with that. She didn't get in with as many groups in the UK, so she at least had that now."

Jackson's question, though, proved to be a conversation starter.

One that confused Azalea.

And made Victoria realise that she'd been missing something vastly important in her friend without realising.

"Leafy!" The youngest witch exclaimed.

The table looked at her for a moment.

"That was what Jake had nicknamed your vine, kinda stuck." Victoria explained. "But Jackson is right, you did have your vines... they were... part of you, I guess. I'm not sure, I never asked how they worked to be honest."

Which was true, she hadn't.

"What do you mean, part of Azalea?" Jacques asked, clearly not keeping up with what was going on as he tried to mop up his hands again on the napkin.

"The vines kind of lived inside her, I guess? They were controlled by Azalea. Really useful when you needed an extra pair of hands to do something. Or to lift things. Azalea's vines used to make really light work of my wheelchair back then." Victoria explained, and Jacques simply looked inquisitively across at the witch beside her. No questions came, though, but the man was clearly interested in knowing more. More that Azalea probably couldn't explain to them seeing as she didn't seem to know what to say to that.

"Has Azalea told you her big news?" Jacques prompted, perhaps sensing that the topic might not be the most comfortable for all involved.

"News?" Victoria asked, rounding on her friend, already putting the topic of the vines to the side because news was much more interesting.

________________________________________________

~ Profile ~ Vickson Playlist ~
~ Slender ~ 30 ~ Bookworm ~ 5' ~ American ~

Subject: Re: Pater Familias (invite only) Wed Aug 26, 2020 9:57 am

Had Azalea been less immersed in the conversation, the brunette would have noted Jacques approach his plate with the reserves of a soldier stepping on enemy ground without backup. As it was, she was having fun chatting with Victoria and snapping through her own plate of wings. It was only when the Frenchman declared he was just going for it that she realized this must be... unusual for him. For while Jacques was no Josh Murray, the witch figured he didn't have much occasion to at like this.

"You can do it" she cheered softly, a cheer that was picked up by the table heartily as he bit into his burger, complete demolishing the part that hadn't been inches closed. His bite however, was given a hero's welcome as everyone else cheered, passing him napkins to clean the cheese, mayo, sauces and lettuce from his cheeks and nose.

"Good man!" Jackson declared, picking up his own burger and taking a generous bite. Hands more practiced with such delicacies however, the politician only let a few wisps of lettuce slide out from his bite, reaching for a napkin to clean up after. "Here in America, we're not ashamed of food on our faces, it's our way of life!"

"Hear hear!' Azalea concurred, snapping another wing and deboning it in one fluid movement before inserting it between her lip, a drop of salsa staining the glossed skin of ehr lower lip before it as swept away by a darting tongue.

From then on, food and conversation both flowed smoothly, pleasantly and without anyone being self conscious, that was until Jackson mentioned her career choice. Or more specifically, a wine.

"Leafy!" Victoria supplied before elaborating that it was a name given by her brother. However when the young witch tried to explain the nature of the vines, Azalea found herself more and more confused.

"But Jackson is right, you did have your vines... they were... part of you, I guess. I'm not sure, I never asked how they worked to be honest."

The French wizard took the queston from her when he asked how vines could live inside Azalea, to which the lawyer had no answer. Victoria looked at Jackson for help who promptly put his burger down.

"Come on, you have to remember. you won so many Herbology exhibitions with them. They had dueling application, and medical applicators, the schools always gave you extra greenhouses to work with because your vines were so promising. Headmistress Evans was right proud."

The words were still alien to Azalea, the witch trying to jog a memory that was far too comfortable in the present. In the end, she gave up. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm getting old and forgetful," she offered with a nervous laugh.

Luckily, her date came to the rescue.

"Has Azalea told you her big news?"

"It's not a big deal," the older witch stated just as Victoria asked "News?".

"Now we have to know," Jackson added, words coming from around the burger in his hands.

"I just found out a little while ago, that's why you don't know but... I've been promoted a little bit. I'm now the permanent potion mistress, and Head of Slytherin!"

Both Jackson and Victoria burst into congratulations, Victoria in her usual high pitched manner and Jackson with his more hearty but muted enthusiasm. They both felt she deserved the new titles. "It's not that big a deal guys," the American witch assured them both. "Kessler probably wants to save money and time that would go into hiring someone new and training them, that's why-" But no one would hear of it. Another round of non alcoholic beverages were ordered and yet another toast made to her success this time.

The rest of the meal followed in the same jovial spirits, with laughter, jokes, food experiments (Azalea neatly swiped a fry from Jacques' plate and dipped it into her apply juice before taking a bite) until no one could eat another thing. When it came time to pay, the manager informed the table there was no need as the Senator had already taken care of that ahead of time. Even as Azalea began to protest, the politician waved it off. "I have a running tab here Miss, they'll adjust it in that."

Even though they were done eating, the quartet spent another hour nursing drinks at the booth, no one wanting to leave. Finally when the clock struck eleven and Victoria inadvertently let out a tiny yawn, Jackson spoke up.

"That's our queue I guess, though I wish it wasn't. I haven't had this much fun in a while. Can we give you folks a lift somewhere, my SUV's around back and we have more than enough space."

________________________________________________

Come Plot With Me <3

Subject: Re: Pater Familias (invite only) Wed Aug 26, 2020 12:13 pm

Dinner was a really nice catch up, not weighted by the presence of a stranger as all of them gave to the conversation in equal parts. Jackson was good enough to keep conversation going with Jacques when the two women ran down a topic of conversation that wouldn't interest him in the slightest, and equally Victoria picked up with Jacques when the topic crossed to a Jackson and Azalea topic. All in all, the younger witch was quite happy with their evening, and Jacques Clement seemed to be remarkably down to earth for a man who clearly had a vast amount of wealth to his name.

It was as the hour grew later, and the food had settled nicely that the day caught up on Victoria, and despite her best efforts, the small yawn that crept up on her had not gone unnoticed by Jackson. The light blush touched her cheeks as he noted his cue to get her home.

"I'm okay!" The witch tried to insist, but the agreement to get home and rest before tomorrow's big day of shopping was agreed upon before Victoria could really argue her case.

The food had been paid for by the tab Jackson had at the restaurant which left Azalea a little put out, but Jacques had kindly pointed out that they could get the tab for tomorrow night's dinner instead. Satisfied with that much, Jackson's offer at a ride home had been accepted by Jacques. Perhaps the Frenchman knew that it was on their way home, or he'd just been kind enough to allow the girl's more time together, whatever the case was, Victoria and Azalea had bundled in to the back of the SUV together, still talking excitedly about their plans for the next day whilst the men took up the front seat.

Jacques' question of the make of the vehicle as he looked around was lost on Victoria's ears as she recounted her plans for the next day and what she really needed to get whilst they were out.

The fifteen minute drive to the hotel was not nearly enough time for all the information Victoria wanted to give to her friend, but after giving Azalea the warmest hug and squeeze the witch could muster on the sidewalk, Victoria had moved back in to the SUV with Jackson feeling much more relaxed than she had in a very long time.

"I really enjoyed tonight." The witch told her boyfriend as she laced her fingers through his free hand. "Thank you!"

The last was said in no more than a whisper as Victoria brought Jackson's hand up to her lips, pressing soft kisses in to each of his knuckles as he drove with the gentle reminder that she had not forgotten her promise at the office.

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~ Slender ~ 30 ~ Bookworm ~ 5' ~ American ~

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