First Meetings and Impressions Formed (Alexander)

Guest

The morning air was crisp and fresh as the three stood outside the aged wooden doors that were newly polished. Chara pulled her scarf tighter around her neck as a light breeze tried to make a quick snatch at it. The dress rustled and brushed against her legs as her father knocked on the door. Almost at once, it was answered by a man not distinguished enough to be a member of the family who owned the house, and it was only natural to assume he was their butler. He ushered them in with all the politeness that a butler should have.

It was mid-October, and while other students at Hogwarts were stuffing their face with food, lazing around, and playing the fool with their friends, Chara was fulfilling her duty as a fifteen year old Pureblood. It was sometime during her first week back at Hogwarts that she received the letter from her parents, telling her that, during her midterm break, she would be paying a visit to the Cavendish family. She didn't need to ask for what; all her life she had been prepared for this, raised for the meetings such as this.

As they stepped inside the house, she couldn't help but wonder at the majesty of the entrance hall. While she had, of course, heard of the Cavendishs, she could not have imagined that their house would be so grand. Of course, while she took in the sights and marvelled at them on the inside, she kept her poise straight and a calm composition outwardly, as per her training. Next to her, her father was a half head taller, but that was only thanks to the height of the heels. They made no noise against the carpeted floor as she and her parents were led towards the drawing room. The butler opened the door. Hands in front of her, not dangling at her side, she walked in alongside her parents, eyes already taking in the three others in the room. She recognized Alexander at once, standing between his parents as she was, from around Hogwarts.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish," she said in the most polite tone she could manage.

Guest

Alex was not overly fussed about the whole arranged marriage idea. He knew it was expected of him, but he at least knew he had a choice in the matter. To an extent, anyway. There would be the choice of which girl out of the handful that were acceptable would be the one he spent the rest of his life with.

And as his mother reminded him, it would be the one woman he had to remain faithful to for the rest of her life.

It was likely one of the things that they disagreed on.

The half term meant Alex was home with his parents, and he knew he had visitors that day. His man servant had helped him change in to his suit, a simple black number, that teamed with his perfectly styled hair in the most alluring of fashions. Alexander knew he looked exceptional in what he was wearing, and that only meant he was much more confident than he usually was.

As it drew nearer to the hour they would be meeting the Fletcher family, Alex moved down to the drawing room with his parents, they didn't have to wait long for the door to open and the Fletcher family to move in to the room. Alexander's hands slipped in to his pockets as he took in the daughter. He was never subtle about these things, taking her in properly for a moment before the witch spoke, addressing his parents, but not him. Well then, he thought to himself.

"Good morning." His father, William, replied to the family, moving to shake Chara's father's hand. "We have tea laid out in the library room. If you're not opposed, we'll leave Alexander and Chara to get to know each other whilst we talk business." The Duke suggested, showing the man through to the adjoining room. Only when the door closed did Alexander speak.

"Good morning." He acknowledged the witch before him, a charming smile touching his lips. "It seems we have time on our hands, so, what would you like to do, Merlin knows I've shown enough girls around the house when they're not interested. So, instead of boring you, tell me what you want." Alex's tone was verging on short, and was most certainly matter-of-fact. But, that was simply because he found the whole process tiresome, and it was simply better for them both to be at ease with one another.

Guest

Extending a hand and firmly shaking with the Duke, Marco nodded at the words. "Splendid idea," he said, following the directions of the man with a discreet nod towards Chara. She watched them leave. As soon as the adults left, she turned back to face Alex.

The words out of his mouth surprised her, although she kept it well hidden, the polite smile never leaving her face. All the preparations, all the lessons she had and not one had covered this. Be polite. Listen to him speak and agree with whatever he says. Speak only when asked questions. Keep it short and simple. Show him why he should pick you. Let him boast and nod along... Those were all the things she had been running through in her mind.

Not knowing how she should respond, she took a few moments before she spoke. "I don't see why they wouldn't be interested in the house. It looks like it holds a lot of interesting history," she said, keeping her tone light and friendly.

Truth be told, she wasn't too fond of historical items, but she wanted to show him she was unlike the other girls. Her father had stressed quite a few times how important it was that she got Alexander to choose her; a marriage to the Cavendish family would prove to be a substantial move if the Fletcher's were to regain their former status. She didn't want to let him - or her family name - down.

Guest

"I don't see why they wouldn't be interested in the house. It looks like it holds a lot of interesting history,"

Alexander listened to her reply, and his eyebrow already began to rise in that moment. Of course, she would be interested in the house and it's history. History was overrated in Alex's books, but then most lessons were. He preferred action, doing things that made you feel as if you'd accomplished things. He wasn't stupid, of course, his family would never allow him to be stupid. But interest in such things was always lacking for the boy.

"How quaint." Alex replied, obviously not in any way impressed with the answer he'd received. So textbook, so boring. If he had a house for every time he'd heard such lines, he'd probably be on to owning a second county soon. "Do I need to ask the question again?" The boy continued, he knew the answer he wanted, he would simply have to hope that she followed the same path because today was not a good day for tolerance in the boy's books.

Guest

Watching him closely for any indication of how well she answered, she felt a pang of disappointment when his face showed no interest in what she had said. Always being one who followed the rules, she obeyed everything she had been told. She never had been good at improvisation, simply because she was not expected to do anything besides what she was asked to do. Was this some sort of test? Was Alex trying to see if she was properly trained?

"Do I need to ask the question again?"

She inclined her head slightly, mind racing. This was not a very good start at all, and it worried her. She shook her head; this, at least, was the correct answer. That she was sure off. “I…” she paused, trialling off as she drew a blank. “I don’t know,” she admitted softly. It was by far the most embarrassing thing she had ever done. She was always the one who had an answer for everything, so that she could impress. That was indeed the only reason she was introduced to so many different subjects as a child; she was expected to be able to maintain in depth conversation with anyone she met about a variety of topics.

Guest

“I…” she paused, trialling off as she drew a blank. “I don’t know,”

Alexander was once again not impressed by the witch, letting out a soft sigh and turning on his heel. "Come, I will show you the ground." He told the witch, barely taking a step before the butler was in front of them with a coat for the Cavendish heir and another one for the witch behind him. There was absolutely no shortage of things prepared for the duo dependant on the decision. Being original rarely worked in this household.

"Would you prefer the gardens or the mazes, or I suppose we can move down towards the farm area if you'd prefer?" The boy asked, knowing that tourists took over the home at times, but everything was always available to him.

Just ignore that this isn't quite 150 words.

Guest

The sigh made her cringe inwardly again, knowing her answer had been terrible. When he turned away, she felt a sickening churn in her stomach, hoping with all she had that he was not ending their meeting, for that would mean she failed, and her parents would be disappointed in her. The butterflies did not let up even when he mentioned taking her out onto the grounds; this may be her first meeting with a prospective husband, but it was a very important one. In fact, her father had told her it was most likely the most important one she ever did, and that alone put a lot of pressure on her.

Moving to join him, she accepted the coat with a smile and a softly spoken word of thanks. It was no surprise to her that they were attended to hand and foot. More than that, she expected it; it was a sign of authority and status, and if no one had offered either of them what they needed within seconds of asking, it would not have been a good thing.

"Would you prefer the gardens or the mazes, or I suppose we can move down towards the farm area if you'd prefer?"

By now she had realized nothing she said had done any good, and decided that she would just answer honestly. If all her attempts at giving answers she thought would make an impression hadn't worked, she saw no other option. "I think the mazes would be nice. I've heard a lot about them," she answered, waiting for him to lead the way.

Guest

As Alexander slipped his arms in to his coat, waving away the butler who tried to do the coat up because he could manage that later if he so wished. Walking through the house at a relative speed, Alexander waited for the witch to catch up with him.

"I think the mazes would be nice. I've heard a lot about them,"

It seemed to Alexander that the witch had hear everything there was to know about his home, the things in it, and just about everything possible. Though, he reminded himself, she'd probably been preparing for this for a very long time. Tucking his hands in his pockets - because that really annoyed his mother when he did that, and Alexander really liked to break her rules of decorum - he stepped out in to the grounds. "The mazes are something fun." Alexander replied, though the flatness of the statement betrayed his true feelings towards that part of the house.

"But, you might enjoy the centre of the maze, if you can find it!" He told her knowingly, a small smile touching his features. It didn't overly matter to him if she did or did not like it. Whomever he chose to be his fiancé wouldn't have much choice in liking it. But, he was probing to see if she could formulate an opinion of her own. It would made make for something more interesting if one of the girls he was presented with could possibly do that.

"So, apart from your name, I know nothing of you." Alex stated, as they crossed the lawn, looking sideways to the witch. "Why should I choose you? And please don't give me something you've memorised." He told the witch, motioning for her to take the next right where the gardens opened up and the start of the maze could be found.

Guest

He walked much faster than she expected, but once she got over the surprise of him not waiting for her, she quickly caught up and matched his speed, only being a few steps behind him. Following him out of the house, she had to force herself not to stop and stare around. The gardens they were walking past were beautiful! The foliage were all nearly trimmed and although almost the entirety of the trees were numerous shades of brown and a few leaves floated lazily down, the ground was practically devoid of any of the dead leaves.

"The mazes are something fun."

The tone of his voice suggested to her that he did not at all enjoy it, and she sighed mentally again, for she had made yet another bad choice. "You don't like them?" she asked, distracted by the sights and not really thinking of what she was saying. Almost at once she realized her mistake and wished she could take it back, but it was too late. The distasteful statement was already out there.

At his comment about her liking the middle of the maze, she smiled but didn't reply. He already thinks he can predict what I like? she thought to herself but, of course, said nothing aloud. Instead, she followed him as they headed in the direction of the garden maze.

"Why should I choose you? And please don't give me something you've memorised."

Why should he choose me? she wondered to herself. Because my parents want him to? She almost laughed aloud at that statement, but kept a straight face as they continued towards the maze. And of course, he had gone and told her to keep it original and not use one of the lines she had been fed throughout her years, so those were all out of the question. Now that she was actually thinking about it, she found that she quite honestly didn't know. He had probably met many, many girls before her, so what made her so different to the others?

"I don't..." she hesitated, about to admit, for the second time, that she didn't know, but suddenly it hit her. Taking a deep breath, she started again. "I don't pretend to be perfect. I'm not perfect, but I do what I'm told. I may not be naturally beautiful or talented as other girls -" and this was what she was told once by a frustrated tutor, who was, as expected, fired on the spot, "- but I try. I work hard and try my best."

It was then that they reached the maze. Looking at the tall hedges in front of them, a genuine smile took hold of her features. She always enjoyed a challenge, especially one of her mental capabilities, and a maze would be, to her, something she would actually like. Stepping forward and into the gap between the living walls of the maze, she decided to take the right path and started in that direction.

Guest

"You don't like them?"

"I know the route to the middle like the back of my hand. These things become tiresome when you can do them with your eyes closed. Mother and Father don't believe it necessary to have it magically enchanted. Apparently it might confuse the Muggle tourists who believe it's okay to invade our home through the summer months because the house is historical." Alexander replied. Of course his family had to run through the Royal line enough for their homes to be invaded by the public frequently. Though, Alexander did enjoy the small pranks he made at the start of the season for unsuspecting Muggles to fall in to.

Muggle baiting was probably the most fun thing to do in the big house.

The was a pause where Chara decided to pause, thinking about his question. He was glad she took a moment to think, the idea of a brain being at least present was possibly the one thing this witch had over the other candidates so far. The stuttered first words that cut off had Alexander rethinking that statement momentarily, but the witch began to speak more coherently a moment later.

"I don't pretend to be perfect. I'm not perfect, but I do what I'm told. I may not be naturally beautiful or talented as other girls -"

Well, if that had been an option for the answer he had been expecting to come from the girl's mouth, it most certainly was not the one Alexander had thought she'd come up with. It was also... somewhat of a surprise to hear a witch put herself down when they were in the Pureblood status. Confidence had always been a given in his house.

"- but I try. I work hard and try my best."

Redeeming herself seemed to be a quality Chara held quite well, because without that addition, Alexander might have asked her that if she didn't think so highly of herself then why should he? Broken objects were not something Alexander was interested in playing with. "I appreciate your honesty." Alexander replied as she stepped in to the maze, he followed her lead, wondering how successful she would be. For now, she'd taken the right turn, but he couldn't help but wonder how long that would last.

"Though, I wonder if you deem yourself neither beautiful or talented in regards to others yet try your best... How is it that you believe you are not on par with them?" Alexander asked, amusement touching his features as he toyed with her. "If I want my wife to be the best on offer, can you step up to that role, or would you tell me that you were simply 'trying'? The Cavendish family is a proud one, and yet... you're not proud."

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» First Impressions Are(n't) Everything [Christopher]
» First Impressions Are Never What They Seem (Josh)
» First Meetings (Aurora)
» Unexpected Meetings [Alexei]