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Post by Nina Wilder on Apr 29, 2010 15:23:59 GMT -5
Nina laughed. "Yeah... I think you poisoned that tuna salad last time I was here. I'm not so sure I trust your 'good meals.' How you managed to keep Cam alive..." she grinned a bit cheekily and nudged Janet. Honestly, her sister's bad cooking was just a good excuse to skip lunch.
"Brunette... really? Maybe he is a mama's boy afterall. I keep teasing him about that, but if this girl looks like you..." Nina was still teasing, of course, and the grin she flashed said as much. "But 'wild' seems right up his alley. God, I'm so excited. What time are they supposed to be here?"
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Savannah Lyons
Seventh Year[M:10]
Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.
Posts: 326
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Post by Savannah Lyons on Apr 29, 2010 16:09:13 GMT -5
Cameron shrugged, smiling to himself. "The original plan was to apparate, but you don't know the way there, and I don't know how good I am at side-alongs. Elliot would skin me alive if I spliced you." What he didn't add to this comment was that he would never forgive himself if anything happened to her. Especially now that she was acting different, he had sort of taken it upon himself to protect her. Or some stupid knight in shining armor concept. As he helped her out of the passageway, he smiled and nodded. "Yes, Honeydukes. One of the mutiple reasons I love this store." On a second thought, he added, "Hey... do you want anything?" Savannah wondered if he even felt the same spark shooting through him that she felt whenever he touched her. It didn't even surprise her anymore; in fact, she rather looked forward to it. She was standing next to him now, and even though she no longer needed him to help her, she didn't feel inclined to let go of his hand. Instead, she smiled and closed her eyes as she breathed in the scent of chocolate that hung in the air. She didn't eat a lot of chocolate, thanks to her father, but on every Hogsmeade trip she would go to Honeydukes anyway, just to smell the chocolate and imagine what it tasted like. And then he was asking her if she wanted anything. Almost involuntarily, she nodded. "Yes," she said. "I mean... maybe we could bring some to your mother."
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Post by Janet Wilder on Apr 30, 2010 13:15:33 GMT -5
Janet smiled. "That's the good thing about boys. They pretty much eat anything you put in front of them. Still, we did have a lot of takeout..." She rolled her eyes at this.
Really, it had been a good thing that for all of Cameron's fussiness as a child, he hadn't been a picky eater, too. He was a high-energy kid, and he had the appetite to match.
Glancing at her watch, she frowned. "Actually, they should be here any minute now. I really feel like I should have some food... hey, do you think I should order a pizza? All kids like pizza, right?"
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Post by Nina Wilder on Apr 30, 2010 13:56:25 GMT -5
Nina shrugged. "I dunno. I never liked pizza, but that's just me." Personally, she wondered if the girl would be self conscious eating in front of Cameron. Girls got like that, sometimes. Then again, they were both betting on the girl being bold and wild, so she probably wasn't self conscious about much.
"Yeah, I think pizza's fine," she decided, after coming to this conclusion about the girl. She was anxious, but not just to meet her. It had been a while since she had seen her nephew, or her sister, and she missed them both.
"Anything new I should know about while we wait?"
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Post by Janet Wilder on May 3, 2010 14:05:47 GMT -5
Janet didn't say it, but she didn't think that Nina quite qualified as an example of what young people ate. From what she had seen, her sister didn't eat a whole lot. The mother in her couldn't help but worry just a little bit about her sister... it was only natural. Nina seemed healthy enough, but she still sort of watched her sister any time she was around.
"Well, I think I'll order one. Just in case. It would still have to be better than my cooking, right? Unless I just made sandwiches."
Of course, she hadn't really planned for this little event all that well, and she was rather lacking in lunchmeat and things, so pizza just seemed like the safest option.
She went over to find the phone and made a quick call, ordering two pizzas--one with pepperoni and one with plain cheese, then returned to the sofa to sit next to her sister.
"I'm afraid there's not too much exciting going on here with me. I've been selling real estate... It's not exciting, but it's a job. And I'm trying out for first cello at the orchestra, but that's about it. How about you? Where have you been?"
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Post by Nina Wilder on May 4, 2010 16:16:22 GMT -5
Nina laughed. "I don't know... knowing you, you might poison the sandwiches on accident, too." She was only teasing, and she nudged Janet to tell her this. "Get a pizza. I'm sure it will be fine. And Cam's always hungry, so it won't go to waste even if no one else wants it."
Nina was quiet while Janet ordered the pizzas and came back to talk to her, telling her what she'd been doing. At her career choice, Nina made a face. "I respect you that you can do that... I never could. More than four hours of showing people around sixty homes that they'll nitpick would drive me crazy. You have the patience of a saint. Have you thought about teaching music? Parents pay a lot, and at least it's what you like to do. You'll have to tell me if you get the spot." Nina said most of this in one breath, as she often did when she spoke.
"I actually just flew in from Hong Kong. A friend of mine was getting married. The procession was on elephant... Seriously, Janet. It was incredible."
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Post by Cameron Wilder on May 4, 2010 16:38:29 GMT -5
Cameron shrugged, smiling to himself. "The original plan was to apparate, but you don't know the way there, and I don't know how good I am at side-alongs. Elliot would skin me alive if I spliced you." What he didn't add to this comment was that he would never forgive himself if anything happened to her. Especially now that she was acting different, he had sort of taken it upon himself to protect her. Or some stupid knight in shining armor concept. As he helped her out of the passageway, he smiled and nodded. "Yes, Honeydukes. One of the mutiple reasons I love this store." On a second thought, he added, "Hey... do you want anything?" Savannah wondered if he even felt the same spark shooting through him that she felt whenever he touched her. It didn't even surprise her anymore; in fact, she rather looked forward to it. She was standing next to him now, and even though she no longer needed him to help her, she didn't feel inclined to let go of his hand. Instead, she smiled and closed her eyes as she breathed in the scent of chocolate that hung in the air. She didn't eat a lot of chocolate, thanks to her father, but on every Hogsmeade trip she would go to Honeydukes anyway, just to smell the chocolate and imagine what it tasted like. And then he was asking her if she wanted anything. Almost involuntarily, she nodded. "Yes," she said. "I mean... maybe we could bring some to your mother." Cameron laughed at her response. "Look at you being decisive. I like it," he told her, his tone light, though he did really mean it. Usually, she was all about being, well, submissive and letting everyone else make the choices. "There are some raspberry things here that my mom adores, and I know Nina would get a kick out of some every flavor beans." He stopped and realized he had just slipped and told her someone else would be there too. He didn't want her to panic, so he hadn't said anything yet, and decided to quickly spin a story out of it. "Sorry, I forgot... Nina's my mom's sister, but she's a lot closer to us in age. She was visiting my mom this weekend. Anyway, she's harmless. I promise. What do you like here? It'll be on me."
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Savannah Lyons
Seventh Year[M:10]
Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.
Posts: 326
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Post by Savannah Lyons on May 4, 2010 18:33:43 GMT -5
Savannah blushed and thought he was teasing her for not hesitating. It was true; she usually was submissive, and she probably wouldn't have suggested getting candy if he hadn't done so first. But he asked, and for once, she answered impulsively.
But then he mentioned Nina, and for a second she froze. Just exactly how many people were going to be there? He wasn't planning to show her off like a prized sheep or something, was he?
But as he explained, his words put her at ease. She could handle his mother and his aunt. Right? It wouldn't be too scary. Still, she felt her stomach squirm nervously. What if they didn't like her?
"OK," she said bravely as they walked into the candy shop from the back, quickly blending in with the other customers. "I'm sure it'll be fine."
Biting down on her bottom lip, she looked around the shop. "I don't actually know. I've only ever had chocolate frogs once or twice. Elliot brings them for me sometimes. But I don't... I usually don't have candy. I just come in here on Hogsmeade weekends to smell the scent of chocolate. Maybe you could pick something for me."
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Post by Cameron Wilder on May 4, 2010 18:50:38 GMT -5
Cameron felt a little guilty, seeing the way she froze. And really, he only invited Nina more for his mom's sake than his or Savannah's. He was going to be home, he wanted to see her... with or without Savannah. And he knew that Nina was a whirlwind, but he also thought that Nina would really like Savannah.
"Wait... what? How am I supposed to... wow." He wanted to but one of everything in the store. "Wow," he repeated. "Well... you have to help me out. They have chocolate with fruit flavors, so if there's a fruit you really like? They have mint stuff... they're chocolate peppermint hearts are really good. Awkward shape, but they taste good. Oh no... you know what? I have a candy that you should try... but it's muggle and they don't have it here. So let's get something here, and we'll just make one more, quick stop on the way. Is that okay?"
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Savannah Lyons
Seventh Year[M:10]
Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.
Posts: 326
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Post by Savannah Lyons on May 4, 2010 22:20:39 GMT -5
Savannah was curious about what kind of muggle candy Cameron thought she would like. It all sounded good to her.
"The peppermint hearts sound good, too," she commented. "I can't quite imagine what chocolate and peppermint would taste like together."
He probably thought she was incredibly naive and stupid. So many things she had never tried, just because her father made her feel like she shouldn't. Chocolate and candy had been forbidden by her father, along with so many other things that Cameron probably took for granted. And in that moment, she felt so incredibly deprived. She wanted to experience all the things that had been denied to her.
"But I don't mind if we make another stop," she continued. "Does your mother cook?"
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Post by Janet Wilder on May 4, 2010 23:38:11 GMT -5
Nina laughed. "I don't know... knowing you, you might poison the sandwiches on accident, too." She was only teasing, and she nudged Janet to tell her this. "Get a pizza. I'm sure it will be fine. And Cam's always hungry, so it won't go to waste even if no one else wants it." Nina was quiet while Janet ordered the pizzas and came back to talk to her, telling her what she'd been doing. At her career choice, Nina made a face. "I respect you that you can do that... I never could. More than four hours of showing people around sixty homes that they'll nitpick would drive me crazy. You have the patience of a saint. Have you thought about teaching music? Parents pay a lot, and at least it's what you like to do. You'll have to tell me if you get the spot." Nina said most of this in one breath, as she often did when she spoke. "I actually just flew in from Hong Kong. A friend of mine was getting married. The procession was on elephant... Seriously, Janet. It was incredible." "Oh, come on, I'm not that bad. I somehow managed to keep Cameron alive all these years," Janet said, laughing. "But that might just be because he's managed to build up an immunity to the poison after all that time." She assumed a mysterious smile and raised one eyebrow, then laughed. It seemed like she and Nina fell into an easy pattern, joking around with each other and teasing, and Janet was really glad to have her sister back. Although she was playing it cool, the truth was, Janet was a little nervous about this girl Cameron was bringing home. What if this girl was not good for Cameron? What if their relationship was deeper than he had let on? What if...? Janet never would have thought she would be the type to get pregnant at 19 without being married, but she had. And although she didn't regret it, she certainly didn't want Cameron to repeat the pattern. "Oh, real estate's not so bad. It's better than waiting tables, anyway. Especially if you're me and they deduct broken dishes from your pay." Her smile was wry at this. "I do music lessons, too... mostly piano. But it doesn't pay as well as it used to back home, and I needed more money than that, especially since the orchestra pays nothing." But Nina had that way of--without intending to, of course--making her feel like her life was so very limited and dull. She didn't resent it, but there was a tiny spark of jealousy there, nonetheless. "Hong Kong? Elephants? Wow... That really must have been something. And hey, if the groom got cold feet, she could have the elephant trample him."
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Post by Nina Wilder on May 5, 2010 11:41:19 GMT -5
"Well, Cam's like a pig... they eat anything and it never affects them." Nina stopped and scrunched her nose before she laughed slightly. "Not that I'm calling Cameron a pig. That's harsh."
Nina wouldn't say it out loud, mostly because she thought Janet might get angry if she did, but she also wondered if Cameron hadn't gotten some girl knocked up. He'd be the type of guy who would probably marry her, and definitely wouldn't run away... or so she hoped. But she wouldn't have been terribly surprised if the girl he was bringing home did have a bun in the oven.
She tore her thoughts away from that, though, and laughed. "Yeah... I guess she could have. Oh, but the wedding was beautiful. I might drag you to Hong Kong for mine... if that day ever happens. You know me... there's not going to be a single thing traditional about my wedding.
She pulled her legs up under her body, sitting in the crook of the couch between the arm and the back. "So.... you seeing anyone?"
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Post by Cameron Wilder on May 5, 2010 11:57:47 GMT -5
Cameron was taking his time through the candy shop, stopping to consider things he thought she might like. Merlin, there was so much that she didn't know, or hadn't experienced, and there was a strange, burning desire in him to be there with her when she experienced everything. One, because he wanted her to experience it, and two, because he wanted to protect her from things she shouldn't experience. Hell, he wanted to protect her from guys like him.
With that sobering thought, he picked up two of the peppermint-chocolate hearts, two bags of Every Flavor Beans (despite telling her not to, she should try them), the raspberry filled chocolates his mother liked, and a white chocolate bar that transformed into a singing bird. He thought she'd like that too. "Anything else you can think of that you might like?"
When they were up front, ready to pay, Cameron laughed heartily at her question. "No. In fact, we try to keep my mum away from the kitchen as much as possible. She used to try really hard, though."
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Savannah Lyons
Seventh Year[M:10]
Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.
Posts: 326
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Post by Savannah Lyons on May 5, 2010 16:24:38 GMT -5
Savannah spent the time just looking at everything, allowing herself to enjoy being there. That was what she usually did; just came in and looked at what was there, but never bought anything. This time, she let Cameron decide what to get... and maybe the next time she came, she could decide for herself.
"I really don't know..." she started to say, but stopped. "Oh, I know! I've always wanted to try gum. My father always said it made people look like cows chewing their cud." If her father didn't like it, then Savannah wanted to try it, just out of spite.
She laughed at his comment about his mother's cooking. Somehow that seemed refreshing--a woman who couldn't cook. Her father had always insisted that cooking, like sewing, was women's work, and had made sure Savannah learned how to cook. Luckily for her, she was good at it, and she enjoyed it far more than she had enjoyed sewing. But Cameron's mother... Savannah was already getting an image of the woman in her head. She was unconventional and independent--two things Savannah very much wished to be.
"So you probably ate a lot of food from restaurants, right? Have you had pizza? I never have. I've always wanted to try it... My father said anything greasy or that you had to eat with your hands wasn't a proper meal."
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Post by Janet Wilder on May 5, 2010 16:38:48 GMT -5
"Well, Cam's like a pig... they eat anything and it never affects them." Nina stopped and scrunched her nose before she laughed slightly. "Not that I'm calling Cameron a pig. That's harsh." Nina wouldn't say it out loud, mostly because she thought Janet might get angry if she did, but she also wondered if Cameron hadn't gotten some girl knocked up. He'd be the type of guy who would probably marry her, and definitely wouldn't run away... or so she hoped. But she wouldn't have been terribly surprised if the girl he was bringing home did have a bun in the oven. She tore her thoughts away from that, though, and laughed. "Yeah... I guess she could have. Oh, but the wedding was beautiful. I might drag you to Hong Kong for mine... if that day ever happens. You know me... there's not going to be a single thing traditional about my wedding. She pulled her legs up under her body, sitting in the crook of the couch between the arm and the back. "So.... you seeing anyone?" Janet laughed. "He's a boy. That's pretty much synonymous with 'pig,' isn't it?" Now that the thought had occurred to her, Janet was getting pretty anxious for Cameron and the girl to show up. She needed to know that her worries were unfounded and that her little boy hadn't done anything that would change his life forever. Although Janet wouldn't change a single thing about her past, she certainly didn't want Cameron to follow the same path she had taken. "I would love you go to Hong Kong with you. In fact, I'd really love to go just about anywhere. This London weather is so gloomy... it makes New Jersey seem like paradise. I thought when I first started playing the cello that I would get into a world-class orchestra and tour the world... But that didn't exactly pan out. And no.... I'm not seeing anyone. Well, I did have a couple of dates with the French Horn player in the orchestra, but he dumped me for the harpist."
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Post by Cameron Wilder on May 5, 2010 16:55:45 GMT -5
"Gum... that's easy enough." Cameron took a step back from the counter where he dropped everything he collected for them. The gum was up front, and he skimmed over the choices. "You'll want to avoid that one... makes your tongue feel like it's on fire. Uhm... this one's good," he said, picking one up. "Tastes fruity, never loses the flavor?"
He had completely lost track of time, as Cameron often did, and didn't realize that he was going to be much later than he told his mother he would be.
When Savannah asked about pizza, Cameron looked up, frowning. He just realized what she was doing, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. She was trying to rebel against her father... which was fine, but... he just felt uncomfortable.
"Yeah... we had pizza, usually on Friday nights. My mom always tried to make sure we had mostly healthy stuff, and we ate a lot of sandwiches. We can probably order one today."
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Savannah Lyons
Seventh Year[M:10]
Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.
Posts: 326
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Post by Savannah Lyons on May 5, 2010 18:27:44 GMT -5
It wasn't that she was trying to rebel against her father. Well, she was, but there was more to it than that. She was also trying to experience different things... trying them on to see if they fit, so to speak. For too long, she had felt as though she was stuck wearing a dress that was too tight, too confining, and she wanted to try on something else that might fit her better. To do that, she wanted to try new things, and decide for herself what she liked. She might not like everything she tried, but then it would be her own decision, and not her father's.
"Fruity sounds good," she said, smiling. "It doesn't matter about the pizza. I want to try it, but I wouldn't want to put you or your mother out, or anything. What are we going to do while we're there? Just talk?"
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Post by Cameron Wilder on May 5, 2010 18:48:18 GMT -5
Cameron frowned deeper when she asked that. He hadn't really thought that far ahead. Cameron didn't think. That was his problem. He didn't have the attention span to follow anything through, so he did things on impulse, and they always figured themselves out. Or other people helped him figure them out.
"I uhm... I don't know," he mumbled, rather hoping she wasn't paying attention. "I figured dinner or lunch or something. My mom like board games?" God, that sounded so beyond lame that Cameron was suddenly really starting to regret his decision to take her to see his mother. What if it was awkward and they all just sat there staring at each other?
"Or we can just drop in and say hi and then go do something. I'll figure it out."
He paid for their candy and gum, handing the pack of gum to her and leading her towards the door.
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Savannah Lyons
Seventh Year[M:10]
Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.
Posts: 326
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Post by Savannah Lyons on May 5, 2010 19:43:14 GMT -5
It all sounded nice to her. The only board game she had ever played was wizard's chess, so that sounded interesting to her. Or maybe his mother would have one of those television things she had heard so much about. She wouldn't have minded just sitting there and watching that. Pretty much anything would have been better than what she usually would have been doing today. Of course, that thought gave her a little pang of guilt, and she hoped that her uncle and Tyler were doing OK.
"It doesn't matter what we do, Cameron," she said. "I was just wondering. I'm just glad to be--"
She stopped, realizing what she had been about to say. She had been about to say that she was glad to be with him. And it was true... but she wasn't sure how he would take that. In fact, she wasn't sure how she meant it.
"I'm glad to be doing something different," she amended quickly, as she began to work on opening the package of gum. After she unwrapped a piece, she looked at it for a minute, then up at Cameron. "Now, just let me get this straight... I'm supposed to chew it, and not swallow it, right?"
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Post by Cameron Wilder on May 5, 2010 20:12:32 GMT -5
"Yeah, well, sitting around staring at each other sounds.. awkward, so... I'll think of something, okay?" Merlin, he hoped if all else failed, he could count on Nina to rescue any awkward situation. She was usually pretty good for that.
He shook his head quickly. "Thank Merlin you asked, I completely forgot." Clearly, he took quite a lot of things in his life for granted. Savannah was showing him this, and he didn't want to take anything for granted. He wanted everything to be as amazing as it was to her.
"Yeah, just keep chewing. And it's okay to chew it with your mouth open. Trust me, sometimes it gets awkward chewing mouth closed."
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