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Post by Virginia duMaurier on Apr 7, 2009 21:07:36 GMT -5
"No, no... not there. A little more to the left."
Virginia hated working with movers, and if it wasn't for her occasional clumsy streak, she would insist on doing all of the moving herself. But her sculptures were too precious and she didn't trust herself not to drop them, even with a featherweight charm placed on them. Plus, with a whole team of movers, they could get everything settled in much faster than she could do on her own.
"No... my left, not yours."
But they were so frustrating sometimes. And they never listened. "OK, yes. Stop right there. Put it down."
That was the last piece, and finally it was in place. Virginia stepped forward to give the movers the appropriate amount of galleons. "Thanks again," she said to them. "Everything looks great. I appreciate your help."
When the movers were gone, Virginia looked around at her beautiful gallery. Her sculptures, most of which were abstract, but there were a few human or animal forms, were spread out around the gallery. But the walls were still empty. She had never been as good at painting as she wished she could be, so she focused on sculpting. It was very satisfying to her. However, she needed paintings for the walls. She hoped she could get some artists willing to show off their work.
Smiling to herself, she turned the little sign in the door so that the "open" side was now facing the street outside.
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Post by June Bankman on Apr 7, 2009 21:12:26 GMT -5
The sign on the door still read closed, but rules never applied to June. Even if someone tried to enforce them, she just laughed or batted her eyelashes, and she was exempt.
She caught the door as the last mover was leaving the place and let herself in. She hadn't seen Ginny in years... they owled all the time, but neither seemed to have the time to go visit. At least Ginny was finally in London, and June made a point to surprise her on her lunch break at the office.
She spotted Ginny, whose back was too her and she smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "Well look what the cat dragged in."
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Post by Virginia duMaurier on Apr 7, 2009 21:23:33 GMT -5
Virginia turned around, momentarily started by the unexpected voice behind her. But she broke into a smile at the sight of her best friend, June.
"Junie!" she said excitedly. "You came!"
Virginia threw her arms around June--one of the only people she allowed to call her Ginny--and hugged her tightly. "You look fantastic. I guess all the London smog hasn't been so bad for you, after all?"
Releasing her from the hug, she led June over to a little lounge in one corner, next to a large round sculpture that looped around itself and was hollow in the center. She called it Infinity. "Please, sit down and tell me how you've been. What do you think of the place?"
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Post by June Bankman on Apr 7, 2009 22:05:09 GMT -5
June's smile grew when Virginia turned around, and she returned the hug enthusiastically. "Of course I came!" She said. "How was I going to pass up seeing you the second you got into town? Or, you know... a couple days later."
As they walked towards the lounge, she took in the sight of her best friend and nodded. "You look wonderful as well, Ginny. I don't know which city's been better to us. Have any beautiful English men come in and simply ravished you yet?"
They sat down, and June made herself comfortable right away. "I think it's absolutely charming. You've done a lot of new sculptures since I last saw you. I love that one," she said, pointing to one across the room.
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Post by Virginia duMaurier on Apr 7, 2009 22:27:11 GMT -5
"No, not yet," Virginia said, making a face. "But if you see any, be sure and send them my way. I'll see if I can pencil them into my agenda." She giggled lightly.
She wasn't about to tell her friend that guys weren't exactly lining up to "ravish" her. In fact, the last time she'd had a date had been... actually she couldn't quite recall the last time she'd had a date. Weren't French men supposed to be romantic? Maybe she spent too much time in the art district, and most of the men there were gay. A part of her had just a tiny spark of hope that things would be different in England. A change of scenery... how could that be bad?
"Thanks," she said, looking at the one June had pointed out to her. "I call that one Joy. I don't know why, but it just makes me happy looking at it. But enough about me. What's going on in your life?"
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Post by June Bankman on Apr 7, 2009 23:52:57 GMT -5
"Oh, good Merlin, Ginny. You need to pencil me into that little agenda of yours, and we're going out. London has so many good looking guys. And they're all so sweet. It's unbelievable. Guys in France, by comparison, are jerks. And...." She raised her eyebrows as she added this, and nudged Virginia. "They'll all go crazy over the fact that you're not local and available. Trust me. But I'm serious. We're going out."
She tilted her head and considered the name for the piece for a moment, then nodded and smiled. "It suits it. Makes me kind of happy too."
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Post by Virginia duMaurier on Apr 8, 2009 0:12:43 GMT -5
"Going out?" Virginia said with a laugh. She was not exactly the type to go out to bars or night clubs. For her, a wild night out would be an evening at the art museum or a classical concert in the park. "Where are you planning to take me? And when? You know, so I can pencil you in."
She grinned. "Honestly, what I really need is someone to how me around town. Maybe we could just take a tour, you know? Now, come on, out with it. I keep asking about you, and you keep not answering. What's going on in your life? Are you seeing anyone?"
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Post by June Bankman on Apr 8, 2009 0:29:35 GMT -5
"Yes, going out," June replied. "I'll even take you shopping. Merlin knows your dresses are all too fancy, even if you do look gorgeous in them. And while we're out, we'll find you a guy to show you around town."
She made a dramatic show of sighing when Virgina kept pressing about her life. "It's boring, Gin. I work a desk job at the Ministry of Magic five days ago, and I go home to my boyfriend every night and make him dinner. Then I go to sleep and do it all over again." She smiled a little, knowing Virginia would ask. "His name's Talon, he's my age, and we've been seeing each other since I moved out here. And he's cute."
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Post by Virginia duMaurier on Apr 8, 2009 11:23:20 GMT -5
Virginia smiled. "Shopping sounds wonderful. I definitely need some new clothes. All of mine are so... French." She giggled again. "So I do think I can pencil you in for that. Tomorrow night?"
She wasn't going to hold her breath about meeting a guy to show her around. Sure, she would love to meet a guy. But she didn't seem to do welll in that area. She had almost convinced herself that she didn't need a man in her life to be happy. After all, guys didn't like needy girls. They wanted independent, strong, confident girls. The ones who liked the needy types were usually pigs.
"No, see, that doesn't sound boring at all. You've got a boyfriend, which is more than I can say for myself. I, as you can see, have been throwing myself into my work."
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Post by June Bankman on Apr 8, 2009 12:09:46 GMT -5
"Tomorrow night sounds perfect," June agreed. It occurred to her that Talon would probably want her to clear it with him first, but she still fought that every time he mentioned it. He wasn't her father; he didn't need to know where she was every waking minute. "When do you close up this pretty little gallery of yours?"
June wasn't as happy as she used to be, though it was near impossible to tell. She always acted to bright and cheerful. "Yeah. well, we've been together for a couple.. few.. years now, so it's getting to be more routine and less exciting. But that's the way it goes."
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Post by Virginia duMaurier on Apr 8, 2009 16:17:07 GMT -5
"I close at 6," Virginia said. "So I'll see you then, and we can shop until we drop!"
There was something just ever so slightly off about the tone of June's voice as she mentioned her boyfriend, and Virginia studied her friend carefully. "Well, that's normal, I suppose," she said. "But you love him, right? I'm sure you can come up with some way to spice things up."
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Post by June Bankman on Apr 9, 2009 21:36:38 GMT -5
"Well, good. I get off at 5, but we've been staying late the last few days... I can distract myself until 6. You're lucky you moved in after the attack, anyway. Your sculptures weren't ruined." And she wasn't hurt. That was all great news.
"Yeah. I'm sure I'll think of something. And of course I love him," she said, then laughed. "I wouldn't have put up with him for this long if I didn't. So tell me about you. Why did you decide to join me in London?"
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Post by Virginia duMaurier on Apr 9, 2009 22:12:35 GMT -5
Virginia shrugged. "There's not much to tell, I'm afraid. I've been working like crazy, and have absolutely no social life whatsoever. It's almost verging on sad at this point. But you know me. I refuse to let that sort of thing get me down. My art hadn't been selling lately in Paris, the guys stopped noticing me... I figured it was time for a change of scenery. Like, maybe I was getting stuck, you know? And I thought, what better place to go than London, where I can be near my best friend?"
There had also been a particularly nasty run-in with an art critic, but Virginia didn't think that June really wanted to hear about that. This was a time to look forward and start fresh, not reflect on the mistakes of the past.
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Post by June Bankman on Apr 9, 2009 22:42:16 GMT -5
Guys not noticing her was not a problem June ever had. In fact, she knew that certain things she did on purpose tended to attract guys, and it bothered Talon to know end. Still, he should know that she'd never want to be with another guy.
"Well, I'm glad you stayed in Europe, at least, instead of running off to America or something. Then I'd really never see you. I think London will be really nice to you. It did wonders for me, afterall, though the only reason I came was because I just wanted out of Paris. All that romance wears on you," she laughed.
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Post by Virginia duMaurier on Apr 11, 2009 22:21:06 GMT -5
"I thought about going to America," Virginia confessed. "But I think the pace there might just be too fast for me, you know? Americans, they have such different attitudes about things... I do not think I would fit in so well there. I do hope England will be good for me. I know it will do me good to be so close to you, at least. I won't feel so alone."
She smiled happily. Somehow, just having June close by made the place feel a little more like home. It was a good sign. "I can't wait to meet your boyfriend? Perhaps tomorrow, in the middle of our shopping, we could stop for dinner and meet him somewhere?"
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Post by June Bankman on Apr 11, 2009 22:45:42 GMT -5
June shrugged. "Actually, I can't blame you. I considered the States for a while, too. I'm not actually sure why I didn't go."
Fate, she supposed, and a strange twist of it that lead her to London instead, where she got a job she actually enjoyed, and a boyfriend whom she loved. And, now, she was close to her friend.
"Sure, I could probably convince him to come to dinner with us. He always complains I'm gone too much anyway. Are you sure, though? I always hate when people bring their boyfriends and I'm alone. I do not want to be one of those girls."
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Post by Virginia duMaurier on Apr 11, 2009 22:59:06 GMT -5
Virginia smiled. "I appreciate that," she said. "Unfortunately, I'm rather used to it. It seems I'm always the proverbial third wheel, if you know what I mean. And I really do want to meet this man you adore so much. As long as another couple doesn't come along with us, I'll be fine. And the shopping should be between just as girls... I'm sure he would be quite bored."
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Post by June Bankman on Apr 16, 2009 15:57:13 GMT -5
June waved her hand. "Yeah, he hates when I go shopping. But I'll ask him about dinner." Talon shouldn't have a problem with that. At least, she hoped he didn't, because it would probably lead to another fight.
"Besides, it's been so long since I've seen you, that we need a little girl time, don't we? It's a shame I never really made it back to Paris to see you."
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