First Meetings and Impressions Formed (Alexander)

Guest

"... 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."

A chuckle, petite and feminine, not rough and course like some, escaped her. While she didn't mind being friends with half-bloods, muggles were a step further than them, and she would never let herself become associated with one, except in passing. "It would be amusing if it was enchanted," she commented lightly, half wishing it was a possibility just for the amusement it would bring. That was the one thing she lacked growing up: fun. Even now, she hardly did anything that was remotely enjoyable, but it was just another of the small prices she paid for being in the elite bunch of superior purebloods.

"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."

At that statement, she felt a flush come across her face and made sure that she kept looking straight, so he could not see. He was taking her words and twisting it around completely, making her look like a fool. Anger mixed with a sense of preserving her dignity and, not faltering in her steps, she closed her eyes momentarily. Opening them, she calmed her mind and found the words she was looking for.

"I'm not saying I'm un-prideful. I take pride in my family, and myself, of course. I'm sorry if I came across as having low self esteem. I was only pointing out something I was once told, and have found to be true. Saying anything else would be falsehood, and you did ask me to be honest." She stopped talking, having reached a fork in the road and, taking a few seconds, decided to go left. As she started in that direction, she continued. "I never once said I was incompetent of being a good wife, and I'm sorry that you misunderstood, Cavendish. I merely pointed out the fact that I do not have natural beauty or talent, and must therefore work harder than most others to achieve the same results as them. This is, I believe, what sets me apart."

She paused, taking a deep breath of the cool and fresh air. Glancing over her shoulder to catch his eye, she added, "I used the wrong word earlier, I apologize. I don't just try; I do." In the heat of the moment at what she felt was him mocking her, she had not stopped to think of the consequences of her word. As the feelings of being scorned subsided, a stronger sense of horror filled her. Trying her best to retain a calm outer appearance, she didn't bother slowing down as she reach another split in the path and went right, hoping that he didn't take any offence with what she had just said.

Guest

"It would be amusing if it was enchanted,"

"When I become the Duke of Devonshire, I'm going to have it done. I don't care if the Muggles get confused, or frightened, it will at least give me something to be amused over." Alexander explained with a smirk holding his lips. Muggles were such inferior beings, it was fun to play with them on any and all occasions.

The monologue that came intrigued Alexander. Finally the witch was talking in a manner that was much freer. One that spoke of emotions and opinion. One that said Chara listened to what others said about her and worked to improve where necessary. She didn't try, she succeeded in everything she wanted to do. The younger witch even had the nerve to call him by his last name in something of a defensive manner. He was not affronted, not in the slightest. He'd gotten through to her, and he didn't mind how she came back at him.

"I used the wrong word earlier, I apologize. I don't just try; I do."

"You do indeed." Alexander replied, following her around the maze with a small smile on his lips. She was following the path well, so far so good. "It seems, as well, that given the opportunity you'd speak your mind as freely as any man. Whilst not wholly conventional in our world, it sets you apart from the others I've met." He told her, though his tone didn't give off an idea of whether it were a good impression she'd been setting or not. He wanted to see the witch how she felt comfortable, not how she was told, and it seemed they were nearly there.

Careful, determined manipulation.

"You know..." Alexander started, motioning for her to take the next left as they came to an stand still a moment later. "These things are amusing. The girl is put in such importance, which is ridiculous really. After all, you're all competent of the same thing. Bring my family riches, children, power. We have to do all this... for what really? My family will pick the highest price so long as I find the face pretty. Your father should simply have sent your portrait." He told her flippantly. Alexander had never been one to hide his views, and today would be no different. He disliked women because the ones he knew were nothing more than a pretty face.

All he was offered were pretty faces.

"Do you read often?" The boy asked, wondering whether her studies would be purely academic or whether she read newer materials, opinionated texts, dabbled in politics or topics resigned to men. Anything that would show a difference. Interest in him, rather than his family name would have been nice too, but not even Alexander Cavendish was brash enough to openly ask for attention.

Guest

"When I become the Duke of Devonshire, I'm going to have it done."

She laughed, properly, and grinned to herself. "That would be something. I might enjoy the maze even more then," she commented, purposely using words that would convey the expectancy of being able to still enter the maze to see his response. Hopefully it would be one that indicated to her that she had a fighting chance of being selected. She knew it was not something she was supposed to do, but she couldn't help it; not knowing how he was responding to her replied made her nervous.

His next statement made her blush, embarrassed. As freely as any man. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? His words almost made it seem like it was good, and yet his tone said nothing. It worried her, because her opinionated way of speaking had been very quickly stamped out by tutors, and although she still answered back in her mind, she usually kept her mouth shut and smile polite. That was what was expected of her, nothing more. She was not allowed opinions of her own; those of her husband, her family, and her in-laws were to become hers.

"Your father should simply have sent your portrait."

This time, her flushing cheeks were out of anger, and she bit her tongue in an effort to keep from exploding at him. It was in vain, and she found her dignity being questioned once again, something she could not stand. "What use is a portrait? They are merely a shadow of the person, unable to give one an accurate display of who they are," she scoffed out before catching herself and forcing herself to keep quiet. Letting out a quiet huff of air, she continued down the path, making turns as she came across them. If Alexander had the ability to read her mind, he would probably been shocked at the ferocity at which she was cursing him out, using words that no pureblood female should know, let alone use. But she was angry, and while she didn't dare do anything out of order, no one would know if she did it in her mind, and that was where she chose to let out her frustration.

"Do you read often?"

She almost laughed in disbelief; almost, but she bit her cheeks and took a few deep breaths, calming herself. She could not afford any more outbursts, that much she knew. Really, "do you read?" she mocked him inwardly, taking a few more moments to compose her thoughts before replying. "Of course I do," she said, trying and failing to keep the slight impatient tone out of her voice at the amount of contempt Alex's question had contained. Reading was her way of escaping, getting away from her parents' expectations. She practically had a whole library of books at her place, ranging from fiction to non-fiction; anything she saw that caught her attention when in the book store would be purchased on the spot.

Guest

"That would be something. I might enjoy the maze even more then,"

The comment brought a small smile to Alexander's lips. It was a very forward comment, but Merlin was that something he'd been waiting for. "You'll have to hope that today goes well then." Alexander replied smoothly, this was a little more entertaining, he decided.

The blush on the witch's cheeks made Alexander watch her for a moment, a smug grin touching his features. Apparently he'd said something she liked in there, though Alexander wasn't completely sure what. No comment came though, so the Cavendish heir simply followed her through the maze with nothing to add. Though, of course, the notion to ask why she was blushing had crossed his mind, but he spared her the embarrassment. This time, anyway.

"What use is a portrait? They are merely a shadow of the person, unable to give one an accurate display of who they are,"

Alexander's lips only grew in to a more smug smile. "True enough, your portrait would never tell me you put up a fight." Alexander replied, the tone of his teasing nature quite clear as they turned another corner. It seemed she was angry, but Alexander didn't much care for women's feelings. In their world, they were second best, and always would be. "But a portrait could also offer a witch who's not great socially to gain a husband of great power without doing very much. I do wonder if your father would have been better off that way." He teased lightly, it was quite obvious he was teasing too.

When the witch pretty much snapped at him in regards to reading, Alexander realised she'd completely misunderstood his question. "I wasn't calling you stupid, Chara." Alexander explained, motioning to take the next left that opened up to the middle of the maze. Before them stood a drooping tree and a bench carved from stone. Alex moved to the seat and sat down, looking back at the witch. "I meant what do you read." He clarified for the witch, motioning for her to take the seat beside him.

"How do you find the middle of the maze?" The boy asked a moment later, looking around and wondering what people saw in this place the first time they came.

Guest

"You'll have to hope that today goes well then."

She held back the urge to reply Isn't it? and instead smiled and nodded, not trusting herself to say anything just then. Merlin knew that he was getting on her nerves with all his comments, and she simply could not do anything - else, she added, a pang of guilt filling her at her lack of self control - that could possibly cause Alexander to pass over her in favour of another girl.

"True enough, your portrait would never tell me you put up a fight."

Again, she stopped a sarcastic reply from leaving her lips, instead focusing on the path she was taking, making sure that she didn't accidentally make the same mistake twice whenever she came across a dead end. His last comment would have normally had her eating herself from the inside out with worry that she had lost her chance at being chosen, but the tone in which the Slytherin had spoke told her otherwise. "Maybe he would have," she dared to reply, making sure her voice was also in a light and joking manner.

Addressing his previous sentence, she said, "That's true, but that might turn out to be a disaster, no? She may look pretty and poised in the portrait, but imagine for a moment that her training had not been properly completed, or she was not fully capable of performing her duties as required." She shook her head, knowing that this would be a disaster for the unlucky pureblood who chose to wed her. "It would be best to keep the tradition of personal meetings so that one chooses not only a pretty face, but a female with whom one can trust."

"I wasn't calling you stupid, Chara... I meant what do you read."

Following his indications, she made the left turn and stepped out into the middle of the maze. From everything that she had been told, and everything she had heard, it quite honestly came as a slight disappointment to see only a single tree and bench. If she had to speak blatantly, she expected more than what she was seeing, but it was beautiful nevertheless, and she knew why so many muggles loved to come.

Visibly relaxing at his words, she nodded once. "I apologize for my outburst," she said softly, moving to join him on the bench. Wondering where she should even start with her vast collection of books, she waited a few seconds before continuing with, "I read a lot. You should see my library one day, maybe that would give you a better idea of what I read, because there's just too many to name." She offered him a sincere smile; she didn't know it, but her eyes had lit up at the topic of books, for it was something she truly enjoyed doing. "It ranges from fiction to non," she added, wondering if this was what Alex wanted to know.

Guest

As they speculated the art of a portrait, Alexander didn't pay much heed to the argument. It didn't matter to him at all, simply a test to see if the witch could build and deliver a well thought out argument. The witch had, too, for which Alexander was quite glad. It showed that she simply wasn't regurgitating, because Merlin knew they couldn't have prepared her for this question. "Perhaps personal meetings are best." Alexander mused out loud, allowing the witch her way of thinking.

"It would be best to keep the tradition of personal meetings so that one chooses not only a pretty face, but a female with whom one can trust."

Alexander found that statement amusing, letting out a soft laugh. "I would hope it would take more than one meeting to realise you can trust someone. Or else you could be trusting someone who is going to harm you." He retorted, shaking his head. This was precisely why women were never trusted to hold power. They trusted much too easily. "And for what reason could I possibly trust you when I know little and less about you? In much the same way you couldn't trust me, either. And yet were asked to make a choice on the person we think we can trust in the future. Complexity at it's best."

When the information on her reading came in to play, along with a clever invitation to her home disguised in between, Alexander could see the witch was something of a closed book. Interesting. It would make things more difficult to get out of her, it would seem. "I see. A good variety of books then." The boy answered simply. There wasn't much else he could say. Instead, the boy looked down at his hands. Honestly, he didn't know what to talk about, this whole thing was seemingly difficult, but... not that he'd admit it out loud, Chara was perhaps the first that had made him smile. And not because he was laughing at her, which had been the case for a couple of the girls. Though, in fairness to Chara, those girls had thrown themselves at him in a very blasé manner. A manner that had made Alex decided no almost instantly.

Guest

"And for what reason could I possibly trust you when I know little and less about you?"

"None," she replied at once. Trust had always been something she hardly gave, and therefore did not expect to be immediately given trust, either. "We just met. Trust is earned, not freely shared among strangers.," she continued, brushing back her hair from her face. "But, seeing as we're in the same school, and same year, we can always build a -" she hesitated, considering the different words she could use before settling on one, "- friendship, and then let that lead to the trust, in Hogwarts."

"I see. A good variety of books then."

She smiled, but noticed his body posture and it faltered on her face. Was he okay? She wanted to ask, but not knowing how to phrase it without coming across as the worrying type, she let the awkward silence stretch for a few more moments. The cool breeze was beginning to annoy her, as it kept pushing her hair into her face, tickling her nose and cheeks. Deciding that it wasn't going to hurt too much, she reached back and tied it in a firm ponytail, something she knew she was not supposed to do, as it apparently made her look sloppy. At this point of time, she figured shed already said so much that she wasn't supposed to, that this one more act wouldn't make a difference. At least she would be more comfortable.

The silence becoming too much for her, she gave a shrug, more to herself than anyone else, and said, "So, what about you? I mean, you've heard about me, and I'm sure you must be bored. Tell me something about you." It wasn't a question she had been told to ask; she was honestly curious about the boy in front of her, the one with whom she could possibly marry. In the very least, she wanted to know something about him, even though she know she had no real say in if she was to be his wife. A friendship with her husband was the bare minimum she hoped for, with a real romance being a practically impossible thing to ask for.

Guest

"We just met. Trust is earned, not freely shared among strangers.,"

Now there were the words of wisdom! Alexander smiled a little more, listening to the witch talk about how they could build their trust at Hogwarts. The witch, he had to admit, knew how to play this game well. Make him agree to future meetings, make him think she truly wanted this for herself, as opposed to her family. "Perhaps that might work, if you really wish for that to happen." The boy replied softly, he meant it too. It was one thing other people couldn't offer, really. He'd had offers from France, Germany, Spain. But one that came to Hogwarts... Well, it would be a plus.

The silence afterwards wasn't uncomfortable to Alexander. He was quite used to being around people but not talking to them. He'd survived three years at Hogwarts that way. In the shadows, out of sight, out of mind.

"So, what about you? I mean, you've heard about me, and I'm sure you must be bored. Tell me something about you."

But that question made the Slytherin think. Obviously she would ask about him, and yet he wasn't sure what to say. Sitting up straighter, Alexander looked across to the witch. "I play sport, but not Quidditch." He told her, because that's what he liked to do most. With the integration with the royal line it meant his family was much more accepting of Muggle sports, which Alexander thought was fantastic. "I play polo, fencing and rugby mainly." He added. "My parents don't think I read enough, and I agree, but it's boring and I have better things to do. But mostly, I like playing tricks on people. Not pranks that are funny. But playing with their minds. Making them think they've lost things, sending them off on impossible tasks. Changing the order of things so they have to put it all back. It's amusing when people get frustrated with themselves. Especially when they can't pin it on someone else."

That, brightened the boy's face up. He was a natural manipulator of people, playing with their minds and bending their will. The talent hadn't surfaced to it's full potential yet, but given time it would become one of his most prized assets.

Guest

"Perhaps that might work, if you really wish for that to happen."

Did she? Or was she merely doing what was expected of her? In all honestly, she wasn't quite sure. The boy in front of her was the one her father wanted her to marry, the one she was supposed to impress so he would choose her. But there was just something about him that made her curious. Sure, most of the time when he spoke, he made comments and statements that infuriated her, made her lose her self control; still, she couldn't help but wonder if that was the real him or if, like she was trained to do, he was putting on a show. Besides, if he was going to decide on her, she'd want to know him beforehand.

Returning his smile - one that made her relax a little more because it meant she hadn't ruined her chances - she nodded sincerely. "I do. It would give us a chance to get to know each other better, opposed to just this single meet." And when the time comes to pick your pretty face, it would give me a better chance if we were friends, she added mentally. She knew she would need all the extra help she could get if she wanted a fighting chance of being Alexander's wife.

"I play polo, fencing, and rugby mainly."

Muggle sport. It would have come as a surprise to her if not for the fact that her father had told her beforehand that, as the family consisted of those in royal positions, it was not a big deal for some of them to participate in sports found among muggles. With that in mind, she had read up on a few types of sports, not knowing if Alexander played any, and if he did, which ones. Unfortunately for her, she only recognized rugby from his list of three. The only 'fence' she knew were the decorative gates that surrounded some homes; what weird creatures muggles were to have created an entire sport surrounding it. Curiosity getting the better of her - for she loved to learn new things - she only hesitated for a brief second before admitting, "I've never heard of polo or fencing before. What are they like?"

His comment on his enjoyment of tricking people, messing with their minds, made her even more intrigued than the talk of sports, although not in a very positive manner. It seemed to her that it was truly something he enjoyed doing, from the way his features lit up when he talked, and the length with which he elaborated on the different ways he did it. Keeping her expression neutral so as not to give away the shock she felt, she managed a smile. She could see how that might be interesting to some, but to her, she didn't think she would find it amusing. It might, however, explain the way with which he replied to her earlier. Like a perfect fit of two jigsaw puzzle pieces, something clicked inside her mind. "And have you been toying with my mind?" she inquired lightly.

Guest

"I do. It would give us a chance to get to know each other better, opposed to just this single meet."

"I think I'd have to agree." Alexander replied softly. The way the witch smiled, relaxing into the situation made the boy feel better. If she was relaxing that gave off the key signs that she was happy with the situation. With him. Where better a place to start than that?

"I've never heard of polo or fencing before. What are they like?"

Alexander wasn't surprised that the witch didn't know, the Cavendish heir was aware that both games were not sports for ladies or overly practised by Purebloods. Though, of course, it wasn't unheard of. "Polo is a game played on horseback. You have long sticks to hit a ball with and you have to score in the net of the opposition. It's good fun, actually. A lot of aristocrats play, so it's a good circle to be in. The ladies have luncheon whilst we play too, so it's something of a formal gathering more than a sport I guess." Alexander explained, it was probably one of his favourite games, if he was honest.

"And then fencing is duelling with swords. Much like magical duels in nature, but obviously more physical than them. Most of the time you use swords that can't hurt the other, but you can choose to use sharpened blades. I'm yet to do that, though, apparently I'm too young." The boy explained, his features quite clearly showing he wasn't overly fond of that idea. The fact he was the only living heir came in to play, but a boy of fifteen didn't understand these things.

"And have you been toying with my mind?"

"Not with your mind, no." Alexander replied honestly. "I think you're too clever for that to be successful." He added. "Though, I've managed to get you talking freely, so I don't know if that counts as toying with you." The boy concluded with an amused smile on his lips. He didn't harm people of equal measure, lesser beings were more fun.

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