Many people will walk in and out of your life …
Category: Pink Sheep RPG
It wasn’t so very long ago that Astoria had pranced about Europe with Romy, decadently indulging in whatever piqued their fancy at the time. Oliver Wood had been like many men they’d been attracted to during those years; handsome, moneyed and as hedonistic as they were. She remembered how Romy had related her first nights with the Quidditch star. Her friend might have not noted the difference in her countenance, but Astoria had known Oliver was the beginning of the end for Romy. Their affair had been tempestuous, and after the two realized they actually loved each other, the wedding happened fairly quickly.
Astoria had always thought she and Romy would get married and start families around the same time. They’d talked about how their children would be friends and go to school together, how they would be as good friends as she and the Gryffindor were.
That was talk of girls though, and they had long since grown. Those years and those dreams weren’t so very far in the past, but life had a way of not going to plan. Astoria loved little Duff Wood to pieces, but sometimes when she looked at the toddler she still couldn’t believe that Romy had gone and started a family - that she was currently toting gifts for her friend’s second child was even more surreal.
All the same, she couldn’t wait to meet the latest addition to the family.
She Apparated into the familiar entry hall of Buckland Manor and only paused half a second; when she heard the lilting giggle of little Duff, she headed for the parlor.
Romy was sitting on the floor, holding a stuffed snitch out toward her eldest. For his part, Duff had pulled himself to his feet, using the coffee table for balance as he reached for the prize with the hand not clutching the table and contemplated trying to bridge the distance on his feet. “Come on, Duffer, come get the snitch!” Romy cajoled, wiggling the toy to make her little one laugh.
Astoria kept quiet as her godson took one wobbly step away from the table, a genuinely happy smile curling her lips as he wobbled another step toward his mum and the ever elusive golden snitch. She didn’t want to distract the little boy from his concentrated efforts and only swept into the room once he tumbled down to his bum. “You’re going to have to have two house elves trailing him soon,” Astoria told her friend. “He’ll be running before you know it.”
Her voice caught Duff’s attention and he turned to her with a bright grin holding out his arms. “Towia!”
After setting her bag down, Astoria swooped him up like he wanted and nuzzled his cheek before pressing little kisses to his face. “You’re such a little ladies man aren’t you,” she told the little boy as he giggled under her attentions.
She glanced toward Romy and dark eyes slid to the Moses basket on her other side. She’d seen little John for a precious few moments at Buckland the night he was born, but hadn’t yet had the chance to hold him and be properly introduced. “Asleep?”
Reaching up, Romy handed the snitch to Duff, who was still beaming up at his godmother, then turned to check on the tiny babe at her side. JD was tightly swaddled, but his blue eyes were open as he took in the room and its activities. She lifted him from the basket, kissing the soft baby skin of his cheek. “No, he’s up. Just taking things in. Did you want to trade men?” Romy asked with waggle of her brows.
She was glad to have her best friend over. JD had come a bit more quickly than Duff, but the exhaustion afterward was the same. Astoria had stayed long enough to see that everything was alright the night he was born, but left when it became obvious Romy was ready to rest. The gallery kept her away for a little while, but Romy was happy to get the chance to introduce the newest member of the Wood family to the woman who would no doubt be a regular fixture in his life.
“Seems some things never really change, hmm?” Astoria returned, smile curling her lips. “We’ll be forever maneuvering the men about,” she added as she pressed one more light kiss to Duff’s nose before setting him down next his Mummy. She gingerly followed him down to the Persian rug and tucked her legs beneath the hem of her little dress before holding her arms out for the newborn.
Dark eyes finally took in the tiny person in her arms, her smile softened. “He got his Papa’s eyes.”
“He does,” Romy said proudly, holding Duff’s hands as he bounced on his feet. “And I think he’ll keep them. Duffer’s eyes changed at about two months, but I think JD’s are going to stay blue like his Da. He’s definitely got more Scots coloring than his brother.”
“They’re both going to be ridiculously handsome,” Astoria said between coos to the babe in her arms. When she’d first held Duff like this she hadn’t a clue what to do, but these days she was seasoned in the care and feeding of babies and small children. Romy had brought Duff around to White Chapel nearly every day for the past year though Astoria knew that everything was about to change. Caring for two children under the age of two was a full time job and though Romy hadn’t said anything yet, Astoria knew that her best friend wouldn’t be back to the gallery.
“You’re going to be just as much trouble as your brother, aren’t you?” she said to the baby boy starring at her with wide blue eyes. “John Douglas Wood. Yes, that’s you.” A light tap to his nose made him blink and Astoria smiled as his tiny nose wrinkled at the intrusion.
She lifted her gaze to Romy. “I don’t envy you the work of raising Wood boys, but they are darling.” Her expression turned wry. “Who would have thought I’d like children?”
The pride was evident on Romy’s face as she looked over at her newest addition. She knew she was biased, but she couldn’t disagree with her best friend’s assessment. Her boys would be heartbreakers.
“I think we’d be hard pressed to find anyone who knew us in our wild days who expected babies to be in our futures. Not intentionally, anyway,” Romy joked with a rueful grin. ‘Wild days’ was no exaggeration. She and Astoria were well known among the young and fabulous crowd in their day. It felt like a lifetime ago now. “But we were always big on shocking people.”
“Once upon a time,” Astoria said, not wistful in the least for those days. She looked back on them fondly because of the brief time she’d had Romy all to herself, and for all the fun they’d had together, but there was just as much heartache from those years, and insecurity and immaturity in relationships, that Astoria was glad to have them behind her.
Astoria cradled John to her chest and rocked gently, but her focus was elsewhere now and the dark eyes that met Romy’s were somewhat distracted. “Julian’s trial is coming up.”
Setting Duff on his bottom, Romy gave him a toy to occupy him for a few moments while his mummy had a grown up conversation. She knew Astoria and Julian had had something between them, but that it had never blossomed into more. Still, it was taking a toll on her friend to see him in this predicament. “Any idea how its looking for him?”
Astoria shook her head. “Not particularly. I don’t know any details of the case except that apparently a lover of his found evidence that he’s up to some illegal activities and turned him in.” She still wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel about that. It wasn’t as if she and Julian had ever become anything. Still, the man had attempted a certain level of intimacy with her and she’d once vaguely hoped he might be persevere through her initial rebuff. Such and not been the case and Astoria didn’t expect him to be chaste, but it was still an odd situation all around.
Romy sighed, scooted closer to Astoria, and wrapped an arm around her. Her friend was an unusual position to be in, to be sure. Even though their relationship had never taken flight, she knew Astoria had to feel a bit of sadness and disappointment, maybe a hint of betrayal of any promise they might have had, all at the same time that she was concerned for the man she’d felt something for. “I’m sorry,” she said, resting her head on her near sister’s shoulder. What else was there to say?
Astoria managed a half-hearted sort of smile. “Don’t be. Nothing ever came of Julian and I in the end, and I don’t wish the man any ill will. He was nothing but good to me, in the end, and respected me. It’s more than I can say for any number of men in my past.”
“You did used to have deplorable taste in men,” the fuller-figured of the two brunettes teased lightly. Romy was more glad than she could say that Astoria had finally realized her own worth. Those who knew her best had never doubted that she deserved the best the world had to offer. “I felt obligated to bring more quality men into the world to counteract the pool of available men we had to weed through.”
Astoria glanced down at the baby boy in her arms. “And you’ve done an excellent job of that,” she said, smile turning warmer when she glanced back to her friend. “Love you,” she whispered.
“Love you, too,” Romy replied quietly, reaching out to tickle JD’s tiny belly.
Summary: Astoria comes to visit Romy and the boys. Grown up things are discussed.
It wasn’t so very long ago that Astoria had pranced about Europe with Romy, decadently indulging in whatever piqued their fancy at the time. Oliver Wood had been like many men they’d been attracted to during those years; handsome, moneyed and as hedonistic as they were. She remembered how Romy had related her first nights with the Quidditch star. Her friend might have not noted the difference in her countenance, but Astoria had known Oliver was the beginning of the end for Romy. Their affair had been tempestuous, and after the two realized they actually loved each other, the wedding happened fairly quickly.
Astoria had always thought she and Romy would get married and start families around the same time. They’d talked about how their children would be friends and go to school together, how they would be as good friends as she and the Gryffindor were.
That was talk of girls though, and they had long since grown. Those years and those dreams weren’t so very far in the past, but life had a way of not going to plan. Astoria loved little Duff Wood to pieces, but sometimes when she looked at the toddler she still couldn’t believe that Romy had gone and started a family - that she was currently toting gifts for her friend’s second child was even more surreal.
All the same, she couldn’t wait to meet the latest addition to the family.
She Apparated into the familiar entry hall of Buckland Manor and only paused half a second; when she heard the lilting giggle of little Duff, she headed for the parlor.
Romy was sitting on the floor, holding a stuffed snitch out toward her eldest. For his part, Duff had pulled himself to his feet, using the coffee table for balance as he reached for the prize with the hand not clutching the table and contemplated trying to bridge the distance on his feet. “Come on, Duffer, come get the snitch!” Romy cajoled, wiggling the toy to make her little one laugh.
Astoria kept quiet as her godson took one wobbly step away from the table, a genuinely happy smile curling her lips as he wobbled another step toward his mum and the ever elusive golden snitch. She didn’t want to distract the little boy from his concentrated efforts and only swept into the room once he tumbled down to his bum. “You’re going to have to have two house elves trailing him soon,” Astoria told her friend. “He’ll be running before you know it.”
Her voice caught Duff’s attention and he turned to her with a bright grin holding out his arms. “Towia!”
After setting her bag down, Astoria swooped him up like he wanted and nuzzled his cheek before pressing little kisses to his face. “You’re such a little ladies man aren’t you,” she told the little boy as he giggled under her attentions.
She glanced toward Romy and dark eyes slid to the Moses basket on her other side. She’d seen little John for a precious few moments at Buckland the night he was born, but hadn’t yet had the chance to hold him and be properly introduced. “Asleep?”
Reaching up, Romy handed the snitch to Duff, who was still beaming up at his godmother, then turned to check on the tiny babe at her side. JD was tightly swaddled, but his blue eyes were open as he took in the room and its activities. She lifted him from the basket, kissing the soft baby skin of his cheek. “No, he’s up. Just taking things in. Did you want to trade men?” Romy asked with waggle of her brows.
She was glad to have her best friend over. JD had come a bit more quickly than Duff, but the exhaustion afterward was the same. Astoria had stayed long enough to see that everything was alright the night he was born, but left when it became obvious Romy was ready to rest. The gallery kept her away for a little while, but Romy was happy to get the chance to introduce the newest member of the Wood family to the woman who would no doubt be a regular fixture in his life.
“Seems some things never really change, hmm?” Astoria returned, smile curling her lips. “We’ll be forever maneuvering the men about,” she added as she pressed one more light kiss to Duff’s nose before setting him down next his Mummy. She gingerly followed him down to the Persian rug and tucked her legs beneath the hem of her little dress before holding her arms out for the newborn.
Dark eyes finally took in the tiny person in her arms, her smile softened. “He got his Papa’s eyes.”
“He does,” Romy said proudly, holding Duff’s hands as he bounced on his feet. “And I think he’ll keep them. Duffer’s eyes changed at about two months, but I think JD’s are going to stay blue like his Da. He’s definitely got more Scots coloring than his brother.”
“They’re both going to be ridiculously handsome,” Astoria said between coos to the babe in her arms. When she’d first held Duff like this she hadn’t a clue what to do, but these days she was seasoned in the care and feeding of babies and small children. Romy had brought Duff around to White Chapel nearly every day for the past year though Astoria knew that everything was about to change. Caring for two children under the age of two was a full time job and though Romy hadn’t said anything yet, Astoria knew that her best friend wouldn’t be back to the gallery.
“You’re going to be just as much trouble as your brother, aren’t you?” she said to the baby boy starring at her with wide blue eyes. “John Douglas Wood. Yes, that’s you.” A light tap to his nose made him blink and Astoria smiled as his tiny nose wrinkled at the intrusion.
She lifted her gaze to Romy. “I don’t envy you the work of raising Wood boys, but they are darling.” Her expression turned wry. “Who would have thought I’d like children?”
The pride was evident on Romy’s face as she looked over at her newest addition. She knew she was biased, but she couldn’t disagree with her best friend’s assessment. Her boys would be heartbreakers.
“I think we’d be hard pressed to find anyone who knew us in our wild days who expected babies to be in our futures. Not intentionally, anyway,” Romy joked with a rueful grin. ‘Wild days’ was no exaggeration. She and Astoria were well known among the young and fabulous crowd in their day. It felt like a lifetime ago now. “But we were always big on shocking people.”
“Once upon a time,” Astoria said, not wistful in the least for those days. She looked back on them fondly because of the brief time she’d had Romy all to herself, and for all the fun they’d had together, but there was just as much heartache from those years, and insecurity and immaturity in relationships, that Astoria was glad to have them behind her.
Astoria cradled John to her chest and rocked gently, but her focus was elsewhere now and the dark eyes that met Romy’s were somewhat distracted. “Julian’s trial is coming up.”
Setting Duff on his bottom, Romy gave him a toy to occupy him for a few moments while his mummy had a grown up conversation. She knew Astoria and Julian had had something between them, but that it had never blossomed into more. Still, it was taking a toll on her friend to see him in this predicament. “Any idea how its looking for him?”
Astoria shook her head. “Not particularly. I don’t know any details of the case except that apparently a lover of his found evidence that he’s up to some illegal activities and turned him in.” She still wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel about that. It wasn’t as if she and Julian had ever become anything. Still, the man had attempted a certain level of intimacy with her and she’d once vaguely hoped he might be persevere through her initial rebuff. Such and not been the case and Astoria didn’t expect him to be chaste, but it was still an odd situation all around.
Romy sighed, scooted closer to Astoria, and wrapped an arm around her. Her friend was an unusual position to be in, to be sure. Even though their relationship had never taken flight, she knew Astoria had to feel a bit of sadness and disappointment, maybe a hint of betrayal of any promise they might have had, all at the same time that she was concerned for the man she’d felt something for. “I’m sorry,” she said, resting her head on her near sister’s shoulder. What else was there to say?
Astoria managed a half-hearted sort of smile. “Don’t be. Nothing ever came of Julian and I in the end, and I don’t wish the man any ill will. He was nothing but good to me, in the end, and respected me. It’s more than I can say for any number of men in my past.”
“You did used to have deplorable taste in men,” the fuller-figured of the two brunettes teased lightly. Romy was more glad than she could say that Astoria had finally realized her own worth. Those who knew her best had never doubted that she deserved the best the world had to offer. “I felt obligated to bring more quality men into the world to counteract the pool of available men we had to weed through.”
Astoria glanced down at the baby boy in her arms. “And you’ve done an excellent job of that,” she said, smile turning warmer when she glanced back to her friend. “Love you,” she whispered.
“Love you, too,” Romy replied quietly, reaching out to tickle JD’s tiny belly.
Summary: Astoria comes to visit Romy and the boys. Grown up things are discussed.