Dreamgirls -- Jess

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Eleanor didn’t need to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies; she just liked to be in there after a days worth of shopping. She liked looking at things she could potentially get Cyrus for his birthday or even Christmas, though that was over half a year away, like leather Keeper gloves, or new boots. She liked to make sure her boyfriend had the best quality in everything so that he could play the best game of Quidditch he could. Today though she was merely browsing; she had heard about a new broomstick that was coming out and she was curious about the specs it had. Cyrus didn’t need a new broom and Merlin knew she’d fall off immediately after trying to get on, but still it didn’t hurt to look. She had shrunken her shopping bags so they fit in her purse; she was not one of those people who liked to carry around massive amounts of bags, hitting people every time she turned a quarter of an inch, so she had room to move. The store was quite crowded, but as she looked around she spotted a familiar face. “Jess?” she called, naming the familiar brunette. Jess had been two years younger than Eleanor, but they had both been big fans of Quidditch, and therefore had gotten on just fine. She made her way over to the girl and gave her a quick one armed hug. “How have you been?” she asked, trying to remember if Jess had a boyfriend. She didn’t remember any so she kept silent on that factor.


@jessavette

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Jess loved Quidditch. Ever since her first lesson on a broom she loved flying and Quidditch was one of the best parts of flying. The wind in her hair, the feeling of freedom. She loved it! It didn't help that she walked past Quality Quidditch Supplies every day as she made her way to the Daily Prophet Headquarters. More often than not, she couldn't help herself and ended up stopping in here on her way home, even though she didn't normally buy anything. The environment was enough to make her happy. She was glancing at some new flying gloves, but turned when she heard her name. She smiled when she saw a familiar face. "Eleanor!" Jess greeted excitedly, walking towards the girl and returned her hug. "I'm good!" Jess smiled, "You? I haven't seen you in ages!" Eleanor was a few years Jess' senior so they'd never been extremely close, but they still got along quite well. Jess was glad to run into her again after so long.

@eleanor

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Eleanor squeezed Jess briefly but tightly, then stepped back. “I’m well thanks! Just starting the Quidditch season with the department, so it’s busy as usual. I did the Triwizard Tournament this past year, so I feel like this year has simply flown by! Going back to my normal day job is so strange,” Eleanor chattered on with a giggle. “Oh and bigger news; Cyrus and I are back together, and I think,” she leaned in conspiratorially. “I think we’re in it for good. As in diamond ring good,” she whispered, wiggling her eyebrows. She and Cyrus had talked marriage in their seventh year at Hogwarts, but obviously that conversation had been halted after their breakup. After their trip to Paris though, Ella’s feeling on them being each others final someone was more solidified than ever. She supposed she’d have to wait and see, but Eleanor Percival wasn’t exactly known for her patience.

“Listen to me, prattling on. I want to hear what you’ve been up to, if there’s someone special in your life?” Ella asked, her eyes looking at the younger Hogwarts alumnus inquisitively. “Come, if you have time let’s do lunch right now,” she added, linking arms with her while she waited to see if Jess would accept her request. She hoped she would; Eleanor was simply starving!

@jessavette


ooc: hehe ella was a ravie btw

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Jess grinned when Ella explained how strange it was to be going back to her normal job. "You miss planning ridiculously difficult and dangerous tasks for teenagers?" she teased, quirking her eyebrows at her friend. Jess, to be totally honest, was impressed by all the effort that went into the Triwizard Tournament and all the tasks in it. She grinned and clapped her hands together when Eleanor started talking about Cyrus and their relationship. "Oh really!? I'm so excited for you!" Jess leaned forward and gave her friend a big hug, delighted by that news. 

Then Ella started asking about herself. Jess smiled and shrugged a little. "I've recently started dating someone." She bit her lip for a second. It still felt surreal, telling people about her and Fin. "Do you remember Finley O'Neill? A year older than me, in Gryffindor?" Which she only knew because he told her, but that was fine. Maybe Eleanor knew him. She nodded vigorously when her friend mentioned lunch. "Lunch sounds great! You have anywhere specific in mind?" Jess was so excited to spend some more time with such a good friend.

@eleanor

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Eleanor looked positively excited when Jess said she had recently started seeing someone new. “Ohhh Finley O’Neill! What a catch good for you,” she said gleefully. She certainly remembered him; he had been very good looking, and charming. She was pretty sure that her best friend had had a crush on him, though she never would admit she liked someone younger than her, especially not in school. “How did that come about?” she asked curiously, looping her arm in the crook of Jess’ and steered her away from the shop and down the street towards a little bistro she had recently discovered. “I have the most...wonderful experiences at this restaurant, taste bud wise,” she told her, stepping through the open doorway and requesting a two seater table by the window.

“I miss the busy go go go attitudes of everyone on the Triwizard Task force; it sometimes felt like I never slept but it was just like being on a high all the time,” Ella explained, scooting her chair in a little and taking a sip of water. She opened up the menu, as if she didn’t know what she was already going to order, but she did want to peruse the drinks menu. As she looked down, a thought struck her. “Hang on...wasn’t Fin friends with those...terrible women? Desi Rousseau and Elaine Dupree?” she asked curiously. She doubted, if Fin was dating someone as amazing as Jess, that he would still have contact with Elaine, but the thought slipped through her lips before she could help herself.

@jessavette

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Her friend's excitement for Jess was enough to keep her grinning as well. "Thanks. I definitely think so," she answered easily. Jess honestly couldn't remember a time in her life when she was as happy as she was now. She didn't get to see Fin as much as she wanted since they both had jobs, but they were dating. He cared about her and she enjoyed every second she got to spend with him. Ella asked how it happened and Jess chuckled as her friend started leading her to a restaurant. "Well, he helped me out one day when a bag of writing supplies slipped and then we just started doing things together a bit until we decided to start dating." It was a vague explanation, but Jess was sure Ella didn't want to hear every second of what happened between her and Fin. "I'm excited to try it then. Any recommendations?" she asked as she glanced through the menu.

Her friend started talking about missing the excitement and energy that came with planning the Triwizard Tournament and Jess nodded. "You don't have anything else exciting coming up to plan?" she asked curiously. "I'm asking as a friend, by the way. Not going to make this into a story." Jess didn't want people to assume that normal conversations with her could get them into trouble. She paused when Eleanor told her to hang on, then started talking about Fin being friends with ... no. He couldn't be! She was sure of it. Except ... she didn't know Fin from school. She only knew him from the last few weeks. She froze, not really knowing what to say. She had no idea whether or not he knew who Desirae and Elaine were, much less if he was friends with them or not. "I ... he's never mentioned them," she stammered, knowing that it wasn't an answer. "I don't know." Wow, this conversation was shaping up to feel like her lunch with Isolde a while ago. Except, then it felt like Isolde was trying to make it so Jess didn't trust Fin. She didn't think Eleanor was trying to do the same thing.

@eleanor

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Eleanor giggled. "Just my future wedding, nothing else work wise though," she said boldly, tossing her long brown hair behind one shoulder.  She knew she was being quite bold by making the statement, but it was pretty obvious to her what was coming next in her and Cyrus' relationship.  They had, after all, made that clear when they got back together, after she had turned down Nate's proposal to her.  That this was going to be it; no more games, no more questions.  She was his, and he was hers; that was all there was to it.  "It'll be the social event of the year whenever it happens," she added, nodding along with herself.  Of course it would be; Eleanor had been planning her wedding for almost ten years now.  She'd need a few months to execute the details, secure the location, and fall in love with the correct wedding gown, but the planning part was pretty concrete.

Eleanor hesitated, as if she was going to say something else when Jess mentioned that Fin never spoke of either woman, but thought against it.  Of course he wouldn't bring them up; who would?  One was dead and the other was the most wanted person in the country.  Best to at least give the illusion he had severed all ties at least.  "Well, hopefully nothing funny has happened, otherwise I'd get suspicious," she said with a giggle.  "Anyway, I think we should go with the cheese and meats platter to start, and of course some champagne to celebrate our relationships," she declared with a bright smile.

@jessavette

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Jess laughed when Ella mentioned that she was planning her future wedding. She knew the girl well enough to assume that she was teasing, but that there was also an element of truth to the comment. From what Jess could remember, Eleanor was a big planner so she wasn't really too surprised that she was already thinking about her wedding. It was natural for most girls to do that, especially when they got into a serious relationship with someone they really cared about. Jess couldn't help but hope that Eleanor's relationship with Cyrus would go just the way she wanted it to. "I'm going to get an invitation, right?" Jess asked with a teasing smile. "I mean, I wouldn't want to miss out on the event of the year." She laughed.

Jess noticed her friend pause for a moment and tensed, not wanting to hear Eleanor say anything about Fin doing things with Elaine and Desirae. She'd already had a very blunt conversation with Isolde about Fin and was not interested in any more. She trusted him. Was that so wrong? Why did everyone seem convinced that she shouldn't? To her relief, Ella didn't say anything about that, just mentioning paying attention to whether or not funny things happened. Jess' mind immediately jumped to the warning in her room, on top of her dresser, to stay away from Fin, but she didn't say anything. She didn't want to give her friend any reason to worry over her. "I'll keep an eye out," Jess promises before grinning back at her friend. "Sounds great to me!" Honestly, Jess was just hungry at the moment and really ready to eat basically anything.

@eleanor

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Eleanor pretended to think about whether or not Jess would get an invitation, before grinning broadly and waving her hand in the air. “Of course! I can already tell you I plan on having the dress be formal, black tie, as it’ll be with both our kind and my parents kind,” she explained, knowing Jess would understand what she was talking about. Like Ella, Jess was a Muggleborn as well, and her own extended family would likely be baffled if everyone showed up in dress robes for her wedding, whenever that may be. “It certainly will be the event of the year,” she said, sighing dreamily as she propped her chin on her palm, envisioning the small details of her perfect wedding in her head. “Let’s get me the ring first though before I get too far into this daydream,” she added, laughing as she sat up straight. It would not do for Eleanor to get too far ahead of herself after all.

Eleanor could tell the implication that Finley may have associated himself with Elaine and Desirae in college was bothering Jess; she wanted to say something, take it back to not worry the girl, but she knew it would do no good anymore. She knew that for her, once an idea got into her head, it was hard to forget about it. Thankfully, the waiter decided to grace them with his presence at their table, and Ella ordered the meat and cheese platter with a bottle of their best champagne. The champagne came out first, in a silver bucket filled with ice. The waiter popped it, and Ella applauded politely as was custom while he filled their two glasses. “To us, and our happiness,” she said, toasting Jess with a happy smile.

@jessavette

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Jess grinned when her friend assured her that she would be getting an invitation, going on to explain the type of wedding she wanted. It sounded beautiful and like it would work for both families, magical and muggle. "That sounds beautiful," she said. Jess was about to ask another question about what Eleanor had planned when she said that she should get the ring first before she started planning too much. Jess chuckled and teased her friend, "Yeah, that might be a good idea." 

Jess tried to think about other things, like how nice is was to be here with a friend, but her words about Fin really got under Jess' skin. Why was everyone saying that she shouldn't trust him? She knew their relationship was a bit sudden and that some people might think they were moving too fast, but it was Fin. He cared about her and she him and she didn't want this relationship to be anything but perfect, even though she knew that was highly unlikely. All relationships have problems. Jess followed Eleanor's lead when the waiter came back with the champagne (being so distracted she didn't even notice her friend ordering for them), clapping softly. She nodded to her friend at her toast. "To us," she echoed, lifting the glass to her lips and sipping it, her stomach in knots. She needed to let this go, move on and just trust Fin. "So do you have anything else exciting to tell me?" Jess asked, trying to distract herself from her poisonous thoughts.

@eleanor

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Eleanor smiled; she knew a proposal was in the future for her and Cyrus, but maybe she should perhaps hold off on making plans for her wedding day until that rock was on her finger. She hoped Cy would follow tradition and ask her father for permission - she was a traditionalist and a daddy’s girl, and she wanted her dad to be involved in picking out the ring. Her father knew her tastes to a T, and would help her boyfriend fit her ideals. She picked up a cracker and loaded it down with cheese and salami before nibbling on it daintily. “Heavenly,” she said after she swallowed. It had been a cheddar cheese, accented with a hint of truffle, and the water cracker and salami had been a lovely counterpart.

Eleanor could tell her comment about Fin and his possible friendships was really bothering her. “Hey, Jess do you want to just talk about it? Just...get it all out, so you can move on?” she asked, swirling the contents of her champagne glass aimlessly. Sometimes keeping negative thoughts bottled up could end up making it worse when it all came out, and Ella did not want to be responsible for Jess exploding at Fin a few weeks down the road after overthinking this.


@jessavette

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Jess took a cracker when the food arrived, putting ham and cheese on it as she smiled at her friend, who was obviously deliriously happy about her relationship. That was good. Jess was happy for her, even though she was stressed out for herself. Why did people keep on insisting that something was wrong with Fin? She was happy with him, falling for him and didn't want people ruining her happiness. 

Apparently Eleanor could tell that she was struggling a little, because she asked if Jess wanted to talk about it. Jess frowned. "Not really. I, well, I don't feel like there's much to talk about. I trust Fin. I care about him and I know he cares about me, but you're the second person telling me to be careful. I don't understand it." Okay, so apparently she did want to talk about it. She didn't know what else she wanted to say about it though, so she fell into silence.

@eleanor

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Eleanor nodded, looking sympathetic and a little guilty as Jess mentioned she was not the first person to say be careful. She wasn’t sure exactly why she felt guilty, as with any relationship anyone should always exercise a little bit of caution in the first few dates. She supposed she was being a bit hypocritical since she dove in head first with her own relationship, and even though she could swear up and down that she and Cyrus were different, they were destiny, perfect what have you, she knew it was still a bit unfair of her to judge Jess as she embarked in a new relationship. Unsure of what to say, Elle’s mouth opened and the words flowed out. “Who else has been telling you to be careful?” Great, Elle, that’s exactly the best way to start off this comfort conversation. She shook her head with a small smile. “Sorry, that was pretty forward,” she said with a chuckle. “Well, whoever this person was, perhaps they had your best interest at heart?” she finally said, putting together a cheese and prosciutto combination on a cracker and biting into it.

She took the few moments of silence chewing and swallowing; she took a gulp of her champagne before trying to speak again. “Let’s focus on that positive then; what sort of dates has he taken you on?” she asked, propping her chin on one of her palms. Hopefully by talking about these dates, Jess could be pulled from thinking about the fact that people were telling her not to trust Fin. Though, in all fairness, that thought was pretty unsettling.

@jessavette

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Ella seemed a little uncomfortable and Jess felt a little guilty for feeling so upset about this, but she was really starting to have strong feelings for Fin and didn't want to talk about her doubts right now. She bit her bottom lip nervously, not quite sure what to say. Then Ella asked who told her to be careful and Jess sighed. "Isolde. She works for the ministry. I met her a while ago when I did an interview," Jess paused a moment, looking away from her friend. "I ran into her the other day and we had lunch." Well, as long as she was explaining things, she might as well tell everything. "She didn't specifically say Fin was untrustworthy, but she told a story about a man she was in a relationship with a while ago and how he betrayed her. She said she doesn't want the same thing happening to me," Jess took a breath. "... but I don't think Fin is like that. I mean, I really truly think he cares about me." She looked up at Eleanor nervously. 

Then Ella was asking about their dates. "He's cooked for me a few times, we went out for dinner, gone on a hike, watched movies. Just the normal sort of things, you know." She smiled, thinking about the time she spent with him. She cared about Fin, trusted him even. She couldn't let others persuade her to not trust him.

@eleanor

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Eleanor racked through her brains; the name Isolde sounded familiar, but why? “Oh!” she exclaimed, snapping her fingers together in a sudden recognition. “I know her, she worked on the Triwizard Tournament with me,” she said, proud that she had remembered who the woman was. She thought she had seemed perfectly nice, though she had disappeared in November for almost two weeks and nobody was quite sure as to the reason why. Before she had left she had been a little shy, but when she had returned she seemed to have gained a personality in between. Personally, Elle found her a little odd, but she had been easy to work with. “How exactly did the topic of your relationship come up with her?” she asked curiously. It seemed strange that that sort of conversation would come up in an interview.

She kept her mouth shut as Jess went into detail about the type of dates Fin had taken her out for, including cooking a meal. “That sounds terribly romantic,” she told her friend with a dreamy little sigh. “I’m not positive Cy has learned to cook in the years since we split, but he certainly wasn’t one before,” she added with a giggle. In all fairness, Eleanor was not much of a cook either, so it worked out. “Is he a good cook?” she asked, taking a sip of her champagne while she waited for Jess’ answer.

@jessavette