RP: A picture is worth a 1000 words...
Date: May 15th 2003
Characters: Su Li, Greg if he replies
Location: Su's place on Old Wells
Status: Private.
Summary: Su can't shake the dream she had. It's time to get this plan into action.
Complete: Incomplete.
Su's mother beamed at her. Her father stood behind the woman, looking displeased and even angry. Su's heart dropped from her chest to he stomach in record time at the sight. She would do anything to make her father smile again. But it was a fruitless effort. She had given in. Her destiny was set. There was nothing either of them could do about it. And it had been her choice. Hadn't it?
Glancing down, her white wedding dress flowed and clung to her, making her feel sick and dirty. What was she doing here? Why had she just married Xin of all people? Oh, it was obvious why.
Her plan had failed. Her mother hadn't approved of Greg, even under the effects of Polyjuice Potion, and had put her foot down. She could still see her mother's angry face and heated words of warning and dread when Greg failed the task (not that she blamed him. Even now, chained to a man like Xin by matrimony she couldn't blame him). "Marry that man and I'll disown you, Su Li! I'll disown you and never speak to you again!" It was cruel. It was heart wrenching but she had nowhere else to go. Nothing else to do.
So, she'd taken the plunge.
An arm slid around her shoulder, pulling her to a man's side. Casting a look sideways, she saw it was Xin. He leaned down, for a kiss, and Su could fill the bile rising in he throat involuntarily.
Su jerked upward. The dream she had left her unsettled and a chill ran though her body. For a moment she didn't know where she was or if she was married to Xin or not. Casting a confused look around her bedroom, she breathed in the red walls and furniture she had taken from her apartment. She was still safe. She had time.
While the comforter she had was warm and very tempting to stay under, she knew she had to get moving. They had met with he father and had her blessings, but she still had faith that she could make it through this situation unscathed and with her family - as fragile as it was - still intact. Taking a deep breath, she tossed her blanket aside and stood up.
After throwing on her robe, she moved to the spare bedroom she had made into a makeshift office, and settling behind the desk. It was sparsely covered with blank parchment, quills, and a folder that contained any information - as scarce as it was - on the hospital and who she knew first-hand was working the project. She wasn't digging up dirt on them. In fact, it was just basis information like their names and what they wee doing for the hospital personally. Nothing actually personal about them or that she hadn't heard from Barr herself.
Pulling a piece of parchment in front of her, she looked down at it. She couldn't seem to form a real owl to send to Greg. She couldn't mention the dream - No, it had been a nightmare actually. Beyond dragons attacking her it was probably her worst nightmare. Marrying Xin. Being saddled with a man like that the rest of her life.
Glancing up, she noticed the photograph of her parents she had hung on the wall. She was twelve in the photo. Hogwarts was on summer break and her parents had whisked her away to Beijing to visit relatives and old friends of theirs. Xin had been there. She remembered the thirteen-year-old boy quite well; he had been lanky and tall for his age. Especially compared to the other boys around. His smile had been a sign of friendship to her back then, but now the thought of that smile made her feel like it was just as lecherous as his current one. But still, the girl in the photograph had a smile on her face. So did her parents. Behind her parents' eyes though, she know saw sadness, discontent, secrets that they tried to shield their daughter from. But they couldn't. She couldn't be expected to ignore the face her parent slept in different bedrooms or that there was no love between them. At twelve, there was no way she could understand what love was. But at twenty-four, she knew a bit more. She knew how to spot it, what it looked like, even though she had never felt it for a man herself.
Strangely, it pushed her forward, urging her to grab the quill and write. She wanted to find love. She wasn't going to settle for anything less than love. And the first step in now settling was to allow Greg to help her. What else could she do anyway? She was stuck in the situation she was in now. Utterly stuck.
Greg,
I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm planning on having dinner at my parents' in London this weekend. I was wondering if you could perhaps come with me and we could start convincing my mum. You know. The sooner we get started, the sooner it will be over.
Owl me back, please.
Thanks,
Su
Characters: Su Li, Greg if he replies
Location: Su's place on Old Wells
Status: Private.
Summary: Su can't shake the dream she had. It's time to get this plan into action.
Complete: Incomplete.
Su's mother beamed at her. Her father stood behind the woman, looking displeased and even angry. Su's heart dropped from her chest to he stomach in record time at the sight. She would do anything to make her father smile again. But it was a fruitless effort. She had given in. Her destiny was set. There was nothing either of them could do about it. And it had been her choice. Hadn't it?
Glancing down, her white wedding dress flowed and clung to her, making her feel sick and dirty. What was she doing here? Why had she just married Xin of all people? Oh, it was obvious why.
Her plan had failed. Her mother hadn't approved of Greg, even under the effects of Polyjuice Potion, and had put her foot down. She could still see her mother's angry face and heated words of warning and dread when Greg failed the task (not that she blamed him. Even now, chained to a man like Xin by matrimony she couldn't blame him). "Marry that man and I'll disown you, Su Li! I'll disown you and never speak to you again!" It was cruel. It was heart wrenching but she had nowhere else to go. Nothing else to do.
So, she'd taken the plunge.
An arm slid around her shoulder, pulling her to a man's side. Casting a look sideways, she saw it was Xin. He leaned down, for a kiss, and Su could fill the bile rising in he throat involuntarily.
Su jerked upward. The dream she had left her unsettled and a chill ran though her body. For a moment she didn't know where she was or if she was married to Xin or not. Casting a confused look around her bedroom, she breathed in the red walls and furniture she had taken from her apartment. She was still safe. She had time.
While the comforter she had was warm and very tempting to stay under, she knew she had to get moving. They had met with he father and had her blessings, but she still had faith that she could make it through this situation unscathed and with her family - as fragile as it was - still intact. Taking a deep breath, she tossed her blanket aside and stood up.
After throwing on her robe, she moved to the spare bedroom she had made into a makeshift office, and settling behind the desk. It was sparsely covered with blank parchment, quills, and a folder that contained any information - as scarce as it was - on the hospital and who she knew first-hand was working the project. She wasn't digging up dirt on them. In fact, it was just basis information like their names and what they wee doing for the hospital personally. Nothing actually personal about them or that she hadn't heard from Barr herself.
Pulling a piece of parchment in front of her, she looked down at it. She couldn't seem to form a real owl to send to Greg. She couldn't mention the dream - No, it had been a nightmare actually. Beyond dragons attacking her it was probably her worst nightmare. Marrying Xin. Being saddled with a man like that the rest of her life.
Glancing up, she noticed the photograph of her parents she had hung on the wall. She was twelve in the photo. Hogwarts was on summer break and her parents had whisked her away to Beijing to visit relatives and old friends of theirs. Xin had been there. She remembered the thirteen-year-old boy quite well; he had been lanky and tall for his age. Especially compared to the other boys around. His smile had been a sign of friendship to her back then, but now the thought of that smile made her feel like it was just as lecherous as his current one. But still, the girl in the photograph had a smile on her face. So did her parents. Behind her parents' eyes though, she know saw sadness, discontent, secrets that they tried to shield their daughter from. But they couldn't. She couldn't be expected to ignore the face her parent slept in different bedrooms or that there was no love between them. At twelve, there was no way she could understand what love was. But at twenty-four, she knew a bit more. She knew how to spot it, what it looked like, even though she had never felt it for a man herself.
Strangely, it pushed her forward, urging her to grab the quill and write. She wanted to find love. She wasn't going to settle for anything less than love. And the first step in now settling was to allow Greg to help her. What else could she do anyway? She was stuck in the situation she was in now. Utterly stuck.
Greg,
I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm planning on having dinner at my parents' in London this weekend. I was wondering if you could perhaps come with me and we could start convincing my mum. You know. The sooner we get started, the sooner it will be over.
Owl me back, please.
Thanks,
Su