RP: Moonlight Serenade (Grand Opening of Hammerside Fitness)

[shh_dean]

Date: 8 September 2005
Characters: Fleur Delacour, Dean Thomas, and anyone else.
Location: Hammerside
Status: Public
Summary: Moonlight Serenade
Completion: Incomplete.

Comments

[shh_fleur]

Fleur could not have been more happy or more proud as she stood in the atrium lobby of Hammerside. They had done it; she, Dennis, and Dean had done it. They had made their dream come true. Five months of hardship and work had paid off. Their businesses were debuting. The three friends had banded together and bonded, become like a family and with the love and support of their own families and dear friends, they had accomplished their mutual goal.

Of course, with Dennis' passion for jazz, no other genre of music would have been appropriate for the evening's festivities. Jazz standards for a Moonlight Serenade was the perfect romantic backdrop for the night.

Fleur noticed that Dean was incredibly nervous. They all were, really. They wanted everything to be perfect for the night and in reality, it was. Fleur smiled as she looked around the lobby and had to laugh in spite of herself at the ducks swimming and quacking happily in the main fountain.

Dennis had done more than a fantastic job in decorating the entire area with plants and garden settings. His passion and professionalism radiated in the comfort present throughout the lobby. And his juice bar was fabulous...the focal point for the whole lobby.

Fleur felt like she was home and when Dean approached her and hugged her she took a deep breath. "As ready as I shall ever be," she beamed, "Did you theenk we would ever do zis well back on zat day I met you? Zat day in ze rain?"

She glanced around the space, looking for Dennis or Oliver and his family as she smoothed her hand down her evening gown.

[shh_dean]

"I wouldn't have believed it and still don't." Dean smiled and let go of Fleur. "That first day, you thought I was hitting on you." His smile grew wider as he looked at her. "Funny but if you'd never come in and had some coffee, which you've addicted me to now by the way, all this wouldn't exist."

He straighted his suit jacket again and stepped back. "How do I look? I mean I know that Parvati is going to be lovely and I just want to look decent. Maybe I should have braided my hair." He rambled and fidgeted with his tie. "Of course, you look beautiful and if she looks as lovely as you, I'm in trouble."

He fiddled with his hair some, pulling out a dreadlock and feeling it spring back. Dean had almost thought about shaving his head, like Kingsley but that dread that his hair would never grow back played in his mind and he'd stopped just short of apparating to Exeter.

A duck quacked and Dean looked over at it while it wiggled its arse above the water before he glanced at Fleur. "Are you sure we can't take them and put them outside for a while. I'm afraid they're going to make an awful racket."

[shh_fleur]

"No," she replied, "Ze leetle duckies can stay inside. Zey will make our guests smile and Oli-vair's leetle sister can tend to zem if zey become too much trouble. After all, zat is her job here at Hammerside now zat she lives here. And besides, I like your hair ze way eet is right now, not braided like some 'ip-'op singer in London." She looped her arm into Dean's as guests arrived and looked around. She leaned toward him and whispered, "I do not know some of zese people. I had no idea ze population of Stoats'ead Hill had grown so much," she turned to him, "But eet is good for business, non?"

They had carefully moved the piano from Fleur's studio into the lobby earlier that day so the jazz ensemble could make use of it. The soft tones of the keys beneath the musician's fingers filled the space with warmth and happiness.

Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it ?
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight.

"I theenk it would be appropriate," she said as she gently tugged Dean's arm, motioning to the empty dance floor, "If you and I were to have ze first dance, non?" She smiled and waited for his reply.

[shh_dean]

"I guess it has actually. There are lots more people here and I'm feeling like an oldtimer." Dean smiled while he looked over the arriving guests, recognizing some and not knowing who others were." He led Fleur toward the dance floor. "I was just testing you about the ducks but if I get hungry." Smirking, he left his sentence unfinished. "Ah, so you like my bushy haired, looks like an odd tree look then."

Dean twirled Fleur onto the dance floor and then caught her arm when she pulled away a bit. He then settled into a gentle motion, leading Fleur around the dance floor as others watched before he leaned in and whispered. "Do you know that I wouldn't have had the courage to do any of this without you. You've become such a wonderful friend and someone who has changed my life for the better."

[shh_fleur]

"Do not dare touch ze ducks, Dean Thomas!" Fleur said as they began to dance. Dean was an excellent dancer and she told him so before she listened to his confession.

"It feels like so long ago," she replied as they danced, "Zat rainy day. It was fate, I theenk, ze two of us meeting. Do you remember ze day I took a flat and we came up with ze idea for all of zis?" She nodded and looked around the atrium lobby. "You made me brave too, you know? Just like a Gryffindor. You made me brave at a point in my life where I wanted to withdraw. You 'elped save me from my sadness. I want you to know zat."

She leaned forward and softly kissed his cheek. "Merci, Dean Thomas, merci beaucoup, mis ami."

[shh_dean]

"Thanks. Had to learn to dance to make up for the hair." He smiled and twirled her once into the middle of the floor, watching as other couples joined them.

"It wasn't that long ago but so much has happened. We have this. I have Parvati and you have Oliver." He smiled whimsically and thought about all that had happened for each of them. "You were brave already." Dean countered and shook his head. "I made you laugh and forced you to take me to Paris but all that bravery was you. You have it in spades."

"You know that I couldn't have asked Parvati out or been with her this long if I hadn't seen how brave you've been and how far you've come." He grinned at Fleur and squeezed her hand. "I don't know how you did it but you've actually made me alot braver than I ever was before."

[shh_fleur]

Fleur squeezed Dean's shoulder and lead hand as she grinned widely up at him.

"Eet is a good thing no one can over'ear us," she snorted, albeit, gracefully, "Can you imagine ze ridicule we would get from Oli-vair or Katie, or worse yet, mon Dieu, Shay-moose? Zey would make such fun of us, tell us to kiss before we make zem puke over our mutual admiration society." She giggled. "So sweet and syrupy with each other eet could keel people...but you know, I do not care in ze least. I like ze way we are together." She laughed once more.

"No, wait," she paused, "We should not be so bold because Oli-vair is rather sharp when he picks on people...you know? And Shay-moose, oh I 'ate to theenk of how much he would make fun of you!"

The song came to an end and Fleur looked at Dean. "You know, I theenk I could dance with you and talk all night, but business awaits us both, as well as our sweet'earts." She stood up on her tip-toes and kissed her partner's cheek.

"Merci beaucoup, Dean Thomas, for believing in me too."

[shh_dean]

"Oi, Fleur, you're going to make me cry." He brought his hand to his face and wiped away a mock tear. "I don't want to be picked on by those mean, mean boys." He grinned as he looked over at her. "I can handle myself unless it comes down to like fisticuffs. I think that Oliver fights like a dockworker."

"Parvati isn't here yet," He let go of Fleur and looked over the top of her head. Dean smiled and took Fleur's hand. "I'll see you later then. I saw Oliver over by the fountain. And I'll go find Parvati and see just how lovely she looks."

Dean leaned in and kissed Fleur on the cheek. "Thanks again for this, love." He pulled away and began to walk through the crowd.