Chocolate Recuperation and New Acquaintances (Josh)

Guest

Lisabeth was getting rather restless with the latest assignment. It was some stupid personal preference essay, which meant she was forced to do it herself, and she was three paragraphs in when she realised she was out of the thing that kept her going: chocolate. At home, she wasn't allowed to have a lot of those, because they 'made her fat', but at school, she was free to eat as many as she wanted, as long as she bought them with actual money and not charged it to her account (which was, sadly enough, checked by her parents every month).

So, picking up her purse and slipping on some comfortable sandals, Lisa thanked Merlin that it was summer and she could, once again, wear dresses and skirts. Checking herself one last time in the mirror, she nodded in approval at her outfit and left her room. It was a Friday, after classes, so she was allowed to drop by Hogsmeade any time she wanted.

She had enough cash on her to pay for more than enough chocolate to last her at least two weeks, and so, leaving the castle behind her, she walked down the street, making sure her hat blocked the sun from shining directly on her face. There was nothing worse than a burnt nose, and despite the cooling charm on her dress, she could still feel the heat.

Stepping into Honeyduke's she smiled as the blast of cool air hit her, and almost at once, an assistant came to her side. The first time she was here, she had kicked up a fuss about being made to carry her own shopping, and ever since then, when she entered, someone was bound to help her, no matter how busy the shop was. Of course, as a Pureblood, it was expected. She was above muggle-borns and halfbloods, and knew it, so she didn't feel bad for those who had to wait in long lines and carry their own purchases.

"Twelve boxes of those dark chocolate bits," she instructed, then quickly added a, "Please." While she was above them in power and status, there was no harm in being polite. It was tedious, but apparently it made them feel better (according to her mother, not that Lisa really cared about how anyone other than herself felt). She herself moved towards the 'New Stock' area, looking around for anything she'd like to try.

Guest

Being the new head of the Murray family was satisfying for Josh. He had worked hard to get here - or as hard as any man could when he knew he was destined for the position. Perhaps a better explanation was that he'd worked hard to get there quicker. His mother was still grieving, which meant Josh had the freedom to make any and all the decisions in the household unchallenged.

Things had been changed, of course they had, his father had become much too soft for a Murray, for a man of power. And Josh simply wouldn't play by those rules anymore.

However, Josh's cousins were over as of late, and he detested them. Thus, he had made the excuse to get out of the house. Even if it was to Hogsmeade for the afternoon that offered a man such as himself little and less. He could people watch, and that made him hopeful for the day before him.

Pushing through the door of Honeydukes, Josh waved away the help, not wanting to be disturbed as he moved through the aisles. He noted the sound of a witch's voice a moment later, properly spoken, confident. With a tug of smirk on his lips, Josh moved towards the sound, just catching sight of the witch as she dropped manners across the idiot store clerk. Silently moving behind the witch, Josh paused for a moment.

"You almost convinced the store you meant to be polite." He told the Windsor witch, knowing her almost instantly because of her status. Not an heiress herself, but powerful no less. "I personally wouldn't have bothered." He added, eyes scanning the shelves as if he hadn't spoken at all.

Guest

There was not much that caught her eye, except for some new flavour of chocolate frog - strawberry chocolate - and she was just debating if it was worth trying (artificial flavouring was disgusting, but if it contained real fruit it would be quite satisfactory) when a voice directly behind her made her jump ever-so-slightly.

Raising an eyebrow internally, she stopped herself from turning for a few moments, instead taking a few breaths to calm herself. It was not right to speak when one was startled. Once she was sure she had control of herself a second later at most, she tilted her head slightly, taking in the male that stood behind her.

Lisa knew who it was. Of course she did; every legible Pureblood female knew the new Murray family head, for the simple reason that he was unmarried. The Murray family was extremely, extremely powerful, but in all honestly, Lisa did not think she had a chance. Her family held power - of course they did - but most certainly not on any level that would aid the Murrays.

"Mother said that being polite makes them feel better," she said airily, indicating with a slight jerk of her head towards where the assistant was standing. She kept her tone soft, not needing to raise it to be heard. It was always so tedious to have to speak loudly and strain her voice. "I personally don't care how they feel, but I can't go against mother's wishes," she added.

It was not typical to so boldly say things like that, but it was the truth. Lisabeth knew that the lowly assistant would not dare to speak against her if she had been rude, and she normally revelled in that fact. But one trip shopping with her mother had changed all that when she barked at one of the attendants to get her a size bigger with no please or thank you. "A lady should always have manners," Lisa quoted, making it obvious by her tone that this was not her own words.

Guest

The jump, no matter how slight, was not lost on Josh, and the smirk that had started on his lips had only grown in that moment, amusement touching his eyes for the briefest of seconds before fading away.

Even as the witch turned towards him, Josh made no attempt to hide his smirk at the fact she'd jumped, which was, probably, not the politest thing to do, but Josh had no reason to be polite to anyone, really.

The words from Lisabeth's mouth, however, were the same as any other Pureblood witch. Mundane, learned, and pointless. Traditions were to be upheld, and Josh knew this, but there was a fine line between blind obedience and good manners. His eyes, however, moved towards the assistant who was busy packing and likely trying to work out if he should come back or stay out of the way for the moment.

Simple creatures, most of them, not harming anyone, but fun to play with.

Turning his attention back to the witch before him, Josh shook his head at her statement. "Your mother is wrong. If she worries about such things." Josh told her, not caring for offending anyone in that moment. "People below us are inconsequential, and they should know it." Josh added. The opinion of anyone below him was of no interest, because interest in the common people's feelings was a route to coming undone.

"I do hope your brother learns that, it would be a shame to lose another." Josh added, moving away from the witch a little to pick out some dark chocolate that empowered the senses enough to make it worth eating. He could still hear Lisabeth from here, and the comment on manners of a lady brought the smirk back to his features.

"A lady only ever puts on a show." Josh replied, his voice still soft in that moment because they both knew a lady could be anything she wanted to be, so long as she painted the picture of a saint.

Guest

He was smirking, and for a moment she couldn't figure out why, and it irked her. She did not like not knowing, but then as she began to piece together what had happened, her eyebrows narrowed a little as she realised it was most likely at the fact that she had jumped. It didn't anger her, not fully, but she couldn't help but feel a little irritated at being a source of amusement.

The way he had moved into position behind her so quietly, and the way he had spoken... The evidence told her it was no accident. But Lisa was not stupid enough to go head to head with the Josh Murray, and instead forced herself to admit defeat in that area, as much as she hated herself - and him - for that.

"Mother is hardly ever right," she said, simply, agreeing with him without any need to outright say so. If it was the smartest thing to do, she wasn't sure, since she was basically admitting, through tone and word choice, that she did not really respect her mother. Nevertheless, it was true, and she was not one to hide how she felt about most things. "Thank Merlin dad is the one to make decisions in our family," she continued.

She didn't realise it, but the formal way in which she talked about her mother and the more intimate name she used for her father showed exactly how she felt about both of them.

"My brother? He can be a little..." She swallowed a swear word, reminding herself she was in public and not with her friends, where she could cuss all she liked and they wouldn't tell on her or be surprised. "...annoying at times, but he's no idiot." Her transition to a more polite version of what she wanted to say was flawless, so smooth even she almost didn't realise it. If he would, however, she couldn't be sure. "He knows his position. Like I said, dad teaches him. Mother is the one who sees to my education."

She chuckled at his statement, nodding once. Josh was certainly not what she expected. True, she had not expected anything really, but he was far more interesting than she could have ever imagined.

Guest

[color:290d=00FF00]The confession - for that was what he'd just heard - that Lisabeth was enough for Josh to gain an insight in to the witch's opinions and family life style. No matter how subtle the information might be, Josh was skilled enough to work out what hadn't been said via what she had said in that moment.

A skill that had taken many years to perfect, but was now almost perfect.

Almost perfect, because Joshua always, always strived for more.

"Your certainty in his decisions is quite strong." Josh commented, his tone neutral, but probing no less. Honestly he could not abide by the ruling of his parents, he never had. But, of course, nobody needed to know about the altercations that had happened in his family, or even, how he'd gained his own position by his own methods.

The comment on the education of her brother and herself was typical of any Pureblood, though he doubted Lisabeth's mother had been the one teaching. More likely a nanny under the ruling of her mother. "I would suggest these." Josh said, picking up a really sour sweet and placing it in the witch's hands. Rudeness was not something Josh was acquired to, simply brutal honesty. "It matches the way you speak of your mother, at least. But it'll likely give you an amusing expression too."

With that, Josh turned his attention towards the counter, no amusement showing on his face, because he was finished with this conversation.

For now, perhaps.

Guest

She did not bother to reply to his statement. He was a stranger, someone she just met, and while she knew who he was by name and face, she didn't know the slightest thing about him - who he was, how he ticked - and she did not like sharing personal details so willingly.

If he thought she would go blabbing her family secrets or her life story just because he was in a high position in a high-positioned family, he was wrong. Dead. Wrong.

In any case, to maintain the silence, she reached over, past him, and grabbed a box of the chocolate frogs. If they weren't real strawberry, she could very easily just give them to a friend and say it was a gift or something. It was always so easy to please people; just toss a bit of money here, throw a bit there, and people practically worshipped at her feet. And, Lisa knew, she had more than enough money to spend, although she also was smart about saving.

Perhaps it was her father - a shrewd businessman - who had instilled those qualities in her, for it certainly wasn't her mother, but whatever the case, Lisa spent lavishly, but also was diligent in saving.

As she turned, however, to motion for the assistant to come and get the box from her - she obviously wasn't going to walk over to him or anything like that - she felt another placed in her arms and glanced down, surprise on her face.

Biting her tongue to keep herself from saying anything rude or harsh, she listened to his words, raising her eyebrows as he walked off. Taking a few seconds to just breathe, she eventually lifted up the box and looked at the label, muttering the name under her breath before her lips twitched into a smile.

Josh had picked the wrong person to try and mess with, that was for sure. While earlier, she had avoided saying anything that could come across as rude simply for the sake of her family name, she was not to be messed with on such a level. The only reason she had not already come back with a retort was because Lisa was no fool; she knew what could ruin a family name, and that was messing with someone from a family with more power.

Josh was one such person. But now, he had started something - initiated rudeness - and Lisabeth was not one to stand back and just take it. There was nothing to say or do now, but she was patient, able to bide her time and wait for the perfect opportunity. Already she had an idea forming in her head. Turning to glance at the attendant, she barked, "Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to make me carry my own shopping?"

He rushed over and she dropped the two boxes into the basket, and made her way to the counter to pay. She left with more than she expected to get when she first planned this visit: a packet of 'super sour sweets' and an encounter she would most likely never forget.

» Hot Chocolate Everywhere ( Open )
» Fireplace and Hot Chocolate (Humphrey)
» Hot Chocolate and New Faces (Elyah and Prim)
» Hot Chocolate and Meeting Up (Roxanne/Serenity)
» Should I stay? Would it be a sin? (Josh)