RP: The First Guest

[anon_rabastan]

Date: 20 April 2003
Character(s): Rabastan Lestrange, Hestia Jones
Location: Rabastan's house on Dunstan Road
Status: Private
Summary: Rabastan has Hestia over for dinner.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[anon_rabastan]

Rabastan chuckled. "My house elf, Fellen, did the bulk of the work. He despises filth and refuses to let me set foot in the kitchen. He won't even let me in there to make a cup of tea. Still, who am I to interfere with what he wants when it works out so well for me?"

"A tour it is," he said expansively. He was rather pleased with the opportunity of showing off his new home. It wasn't as grand as Lestrange Manor but it was certainly everything he needed. He'd picked out the decorations and colour scheme himself and he liked the simple elegance of it all.

He led her down the corridor towards the stairs "This is the ground floor obviously. The kitchen is through that door and the dining room is opposite."

He led her up the stairs to the first floor and pointed to one of the doors. "There's a formal reception room through there should I choose to host a larger party and that door leads to the guest bedroom."

They headed to the second floor. "Those two doors are locked and warded so please don't try and open them. The rooms contain books and objects that are a touch dangerous. Through there is the sitting room and library and my bedroom is the only room on the fourth floor." He paused and gave her a wicked little grin. "Want to have a look? Or we can go into the sitting room and have a drink."

[anon_hestia]

"Ahh." It made sense that he would have a house elf to help. "Well, it's good to see that you're well taken care of. I'd hate to see you out all alone in the big cruel world. Cooking your own dinner." Hestia glanced away and took a breath. She remembered teasing him at dinner that night, when the buttons had been pressed, and his reactions. She had to remember that she was in his house. That with just a wrong word, the Jekyll could change to Hyde, and she would truly be in trouble.

Hestia smiled. "Why thank you." She let him lead her through the house, noting the number of doors and where they led. She wanted to take a look at the kitchen, but she doubted it would be appropriate or appeciated by the house elf who was slaving away inside.

Instead, she let him lead her upstairs. That was one thing she was grateful for in her much smaller house, no stairs. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor, and Hestia kept her back straight, trying to ensure that she didn't pull a Tonks and trip.

The rest of the house was rather a whirlwind, and that didn't escape her. He swept her past the first and second floors, The first floor, while lovely, had been mostly unremarkable. The second floor though, had been interesting, only so far as he made it so obviously forbidden. Instead of commenting on the rooms themselves though, she instead said, "You make it sound like I'll be coming here often and have opportunity to snoop around. I'm touched that you enjoy my company that much."

He dared her with those looks, and she knew that. She also had a feeling that he knew that. She pressed her lips together, considering. "It must have a nice view of the town." She paused, her mind screaming at her that it was too far, too much. "Perhaps later though. I would like a drink."

[anon_rabastan]

Rabastan chuckled and arched an eyebrow. "Fellen has been mine since I was a child. My mother set him the task of keeping me out of trouble and I'm afraid I made him despair far too many times. He has always managed to find me, not matter where I am, though admittedly Azkaban did defeat him." He gave her a look of wry amusement. "Oh, I am capable of cooking for myself. Not to your standards, of course, but while Fellen is usually with me, there have been occasions I have had to fend for myself."

He cocked his head and gave her a long look when she commented on the locked and warded doors. He rather supposed that was what it sounded like and in truth he wouldn't object.

"I don't see why not," he said idly. "Coming here often, I mean, not the snooping around. I'd rather you didn't do that. And of course I enjoy your company. I'm not in the habit of inviting people I dislike around for dinner."

"It does," he said blandly then he chuckled when she demurred. He placed a hand at the small of her back and ushered her into the sitting room and library. The room was all bookshelves and wood-lined walls with a rich green carpet. Two comfortable armchairs stood on either side of the fireplace and a table and chair stood on the opposite side of the room. Tucked against the wall beside the door was a credenza containing various types of alcohol and two wrapped presents sat on the table.

He walked over to the credenza then glanced over at Hestia. "What can I get you to drink?" he gestured towards the table. "And those are for you."

There were two wrapped boxes on the table. One large, one rather small. Rabastan had thought hard about what to get Hestia and had eventually settled on something he hoped was appropriate. The larger of the two gifts held two cut glass cruets to be used for storing oil or vinegar, while the smaller of the gifts held a simple gold bracelet - nothing elaborate, nothing she would have to attempt to explain to others, but elegant and pretty nonetheless.

[anon_hestia]

Hestia, whose family had always been middle class, no matter which side you traced, didn't understand the need for house elves, and she had to admit, it sounded rather ridiculous, as though he had a nanny. A man that had to be in at least his forties, with a nanny. She fought back giggles. Not the right response. "Well, I'm relieved that you are rarely without the comforts of life." She smiled. "A little more relieved that you can actually fend for yourself if need be."

If Hestia were a gambling woman, she would have bet that she'd caught him off guard in that moment. The look he gave her, long and measured, and then the way he'd tossed out that response. That surprised her. She smiled, softer than the ones she'd been given. "Then you're lucky. I'm not much the nosy type."

His hand placed against the small of her back, and while the touch surprised her, the only thing she could think of was how grateful she was that it hadn't been her right side. She was almost petrified that he would be able to feel the slight raise to her scarred flesh. His reaction scared her more than Charlie's. Charlie would be horrified, but probably at least sympathetic. She wasn't sure how Rabastan would react. Would he be pleased at what his comrades had done to her? Would he know who had done it?

Hestia pushed it from her mind. That was her own paranoia making her act ridiculous. She followed him into the room, looking around at the shelves and the fireplace, impressed with the simple grandeur of it all. So this was how the better half lived. "A glass of wine would be nice. Whatever you suggest." Hestia looked over toward the table, surprised when she noticed the boxes.

Eyebrows knitting together, Hestia moved over to them. Opening the larger first, she laughed at the cruets, touched that he had gotten something that suited her so well. the second brought her no laughter, and instead made her eyes widen. She lifted the bracelet from the box, watching the light dance across the gold. It was simple, but it was lovely. She laid it over her right wrist, seeing how it looked. She then looked over to him, staring at him a moment. "Thank you. They're lovely." She couldn't even manage a joke, he'd surprised her so fully.

[anon_rabastan]

Rabastan refrained from pointing out that as a Lestrange, he was never without the comforts of life. He suspected she would not appreciate the sentiments; few would outside of the purebloods.

"That's good to hear," he said blandly. That was interesting news. It meant that he could still invite her here even when he was indulging in one of his entertainments. That would certainly add a rather piquant edge to things, to know what was upstairs while he was entertaining Hestia downstairs.

He nodded and took the bottle of white wine, a nice Sauvignon Blanc, that was sitting in the chiller and poured them both a glass as Hestia opened her gifts. He brought the glasses over to her and held one out to her.

"You're welcome," he said, inclining his head slightly. "I trust you will find the first useful. As for the second, I thought something that would not require to explain the provenance would be preferable to anything more elaborate." He paused and arched an eyebrow. "Though in truth, simple and elegant suits you far better than the elaborate and often gaudy baubles some women prefer."

[anon_hestia]

Hestia looked at him a moment, knowing that she was brushing on something potentially important. The rooms did interest her, and his assertion that she shouldn't go near them, and his apparent ease when she said that she wouldn't also interested her. Hestia knew the boundaries though. She was a guest here. She would not explore the rooms. They would stay in her mind however.

Taking the wine glass, she gently moved her glass, swirling the wine before she smelled it and took a sip. "This is quite good. Thanks."

He came closer to her, and she looked up at him. He was an interesting man, surprisingly thoughtful. She would use the cruets. They would be beautiful in her kitchen. And the bracelet was simple and perfect. It suited her very well, considering it'd come from a man that she'd only seen once before this. When he spoke about the bracelet, she fought the urge to blush. It had been a simple observation, but it still made her feel exposed.

Hestia recovered though. She set down the wine and held out her wrist, the bracelet laying across from it. "Thank you, I'm glad you think so. Would you mind fastening it for me?"

[anon_rabastan]

He inclined his head at her compliment. "I had Fellen retrieve a fair portion of the wine cellar at Lestrange Manor," he said amiably. "It seemed a shame to let the wine sit there and potentially turn to vinegar."

He smiled at her request and set his own wine glass on the table. "Of course," he said with a small bow. He deliberately let his fingers brush against her wrist as he fastened the bracelet then he stepped back a tiny pace to admire his handiwork. "There. Lovely. It definitely suits you."

He took another step back and reclaimed his wine glass. He also picked her glass up and offered it to her again. Her reactions were delightful to watch and her blush was very attractive. He had a feeling he was going to thoroughly enjoy this evening.

[anon_hestia]

"Quite a shame. This really is too good to let it turn into rot gut." Only someone like Rabastan could speak of his house elf that way, as though its accomplishments were his own. She knew that he didn't work for a living, but Hestia wondered if he'd ever taken pride in his own accomplishments. On second thought, no she didn't want to know.

His smile was almost contagious, and Hestia laughed as he bowed to her. She watched him fasten the bracelet, and her pulse quickened as his fingers ran over her skin. When he stepped away, she moved her wrist, causing the bracelet to move and glimmer in the light. "It does. Very much so." Now it was her turn to be bold, and she took two steps forward. She kissed his cheek and stepped away.

Hestia took her wine and raised her glass. She took another sip, this one deeper. She always had a penchant to drink around him. "Thank you. It's nice to have someone make an affair of my birthday, no matter how small."

[anon_rabastan]

Rabastan chuckled. "I'd also rather hoped that rifling through Father's stocks of wine might rustle up my brother. Rodolphus and I have been rather out of contact these last few years. I'm hoping he hasn't gotten himself killed because honestly playing the dissolute younger brother suits me far better than playing lord of the manor. I'll leave that sort of thing to Rodolphus. He's far more responsible than I am."

He arched an eyebrow when she kissed his cheek then smiled broadly and chuckled. "Why, Miss Jones, that is as fine a thank you as a man can ask for," he said rather roguishly.

He cocked his head slightly and gave a small frown. "Are you saying that your friends have forgotten your birthday? Surely not."

[anon_hestia]

"Oh?" He'd mentioned his brother before, but the mention always made her nerves stand on end. Rodolphus was an unknown, and he had been insane enough, evil enough or stupid enough to marry Bellatrix Black. "When was the last time you saw him?" Part of her wondered how different he would be with his brother around. Then she shook off the thought. She was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. "On the bright side, if he were dead, he would probably be here. Perhaps this is one of those times when no news is good news?"

Hestia laughed and took a deep sip of her wine. "Oh, not as fine as some, but those I generally don't give with only casual acquaintance." Another long sip.

"Oh, not all of them. My muggle friends seemed to remember. They sent me this dress after all." She gestured down at herself. "Other than that though, yes I seem to be forgotten." She smiled and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. My own fault for being away for so long."

[anon_rabastan]

Rabastan took a sip of his wine and shrugged, seemingly unconcerned about his brother. He both was and wasn't. He knew his brother could take care of himself but it was unusual for him to be out of contact for so long. "Shortly after the Dark Lord fell," he replied. "We split up to help throw off any pursuit." he considered her words for a moment. "I hope so. I don't know how hard he took Bella's death. It's just unusual for him to be so quiet for so long."

He arched an eyebrow and gave her a decidedly impish look. "I shall have to try and upgrade myself beyond casual acquaintance then."

"Well, at least someone remembered," he said wryly. He then looked her up and down, just enough to appreciate the dress and the way she looked in it but not enough to be offensive. "And I compliment them on their taste." He held up his glass in a salute to her. "Well, I shall just have to make up for that. Happy birthday, my dear Hestia."

[anon_hestia]

At his answer, Hestia had to admit that she had no idea whether he cared about his brother or not. She did know though that she wasn't going to find out. Rabastan kept things close to his vest. She wondered if that was because he wanted to keep his uncaring reputation, or because he was afraid of showing any potential weakness. "Well, he'll turn up, I'm sure." If not, well, it was no great loss to her, and part of her wanted to know how he would react to that.

Hestia flushed and took a sip of her wine. "Good luck, Rabastan." Though with his charm, she wasn't all that sure he would need it.

"Indeed. It was very nice." His eyes on her were disconcerting, even though she had invited the stare. He made her uncomfortable in all sorts of ways, and not all of them bad. "I'll be sure to let them know." He seemed to have no trouble that her friends were muggles, which was another interesting surprise. But then, this man wasn't what she had expected, so she should probably just open her mind and stop being surprised. When he raised his glass, she raised hers and grinned. "Thank you."

[anon_rabastan]

Rabastan nodded and smiled slightly, his expression more inward-looking than outward. "Yes, I'm sure he will. Lestranges are nothing if not survivors."

He arched an eyebrow at her, the impish look deepening. "Why, thank you." He was tempted to add a little more but decided not to. A challenge like this boded well to be rather fun and he would rather start from a good footing than put himself behind the eight ball.

He was about to reply when his house elf popped into the room and bowed low before announcing that dinner was ready. He directed the creature to take the wine bottle down stairs then offered Hestia his arm. "Shall we? Fellen will get quite upset if we let his dinner get cold."