OPEN POST

[brobeforehos]

OPEN RP POST
√ tfln spillovers
√ picture prompts
√ may contain nsfw content

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[slytherout]

Great (many times over) Uncle Ansula wasn’t playing with a full deck - but the old man was still a charming host. Possessing that twinkly-eyed, wizened sort of good-naturedness that seemed to be unique to wizards of a certain age (four hundred and fourteen thank you very much) he enjoyed shuffling about his castle, though the odd visitor made it all the more enjoyable. Despite his advanced age and dotty demeanor, Great Uncle Ansula loved to entertain, be it a traveling scholar, or - his favorite, family.

For the most part Aldric enjoyed visiting the family castle, particularly without his parents. He didn’t appreciate the way Ansula asked after his sister, Theophania. He wasn’t prepared to handle that sad issue, especially not while in front of Mae, and he avoided looking at her, frowning at the back of Ansula’s head as the old man led them at a brisk shuffle towards the east wing to show them their rooms.

“Fine.” Aldric managed, his ordinarily relaxed demeanor tensing at the corners.
“With that dear postman?” His uncle sounded almost dreamy when he spoke, making Aldric cast an uncertain, and very brief glance in Mae’s direction before muttering out an affirmative.

The doors of their incredibly elaborate suite swept open with a flourish, guided by a flick of the old wizard’s wand, and not a moment too soon for Aldric’s liking. It was a good distraction, and again he chanced a look over at Mae, far less sheepish than the last had been.

“You’ll need to unpack,” Ansula said serenely, as he lingered by the door, his wand disappearing into his robes. “Remember,” the old man’s gaze cut to Aldric. “Watch where you end up.”

Looking back to Mae Ansula gave her a kindly, warm smile before he shuffled away again, heading down the hall as Aldric closed the door behind him, dropping his suitcase as he turned around, looking for the decanter of wine he knew would be there.

“Right, well. He’s a right pisser, as you can see.” Aldric’s composure was quick to piece itself back together, flashing her a relaxed smile before he crossed the sitting room to the port and glasses positioned just off to the side of an immense, ancient-looking case of books, pouring himself a glass before he held the decanter up, looking to her and tilting his head questioningly.

[brobeforehos]

Mae's father is the reason that she has been bitter about pureblooded families, and her only connection to them, so being in the sprawling estate of Aldric's uncle is actually her first brush with this amount of whimsy and wealth.

"Here I thought my mum's family is comfortable," she jokes, once Ansula's left the room, taking a look around out of pure curiosity. She spots Aldric grabbing the wine, and finds a fancy armchair to sit down in, giving him a beckoning gesture to indicate she's game for the booze.

It's strange, in a way, to be here and to be enjoying herself already. She expected to be rejected on arrival, much like her father had rejected both her and Jamie when they had shown up at his doorstep and asked to be acknowledged. (Then again, he had already built himself a new family by that point, a pureblooded political alliance, and children beget with his muggle mistress showing up at his manor to be asked for acknowledgement had been a nightmare. Much like the man himself was a nightmare.)

But Ansula, for all his eccentricities, was a jovial old man. And the house was interesting.

"Are you alright?" she asks Aldric, with curiosity and concern. "You looked tense." The moment his sister was brought up, in fact, though why he'd be ashamed of that is beyond Mae. After all, she's a half-blood, why would she judge? "You don't regret bringing me here already, do you?" she adds, as a tease.

It doesn't betray the nerves she feels, truly. He wasn't exactly her friend in Hogwarts, and they only reconnected once school was over, but bringing a girl over to your rich uncle's house is still a bit of a big deal, isn't it? She hasn't given it a name, and they haven't really done anything other than share a few walks, letters and drinks together. So maybe it is just friendship and companionship that's strong enough to warrant an invitation to spend a week with Aldric. It is the best vacation she's been on so far, and they've only just arrived.

[slytherout]

"My parents always were vague about whether it was Ansula or his father that helped build the Floo but," Aldric cocked his head around at the elegantly appointed suite they'd been given. "It was a lucrative undertaking. Ansula still lectures scholars sometimes, it's tricky seeing how he's daft as a brush, but I'm told now and again he'll hit the nail on the head."

Aldric tap-danced around the remark about how tense he was, keeping his tone light and his shoulders loose as he rambled off that fascinating little factoid about his very great uncle and put conversational space in between the mention of his tension - and by proxy the topic of his sister.

It wasn't shame that motivated his need to redirect the conversation - he missed her, he loved Theophania, he treasured the letters they had exchanged since she left home, but he wasn't ready to share that with Mae just yet. He hated the part of himself that continued to benefit from a family that had ejected his sister for her Welsh mailman, and he was a coward, who wasn't ready to see that realization dawn on the face of the girl he liked.

"Regret it?" He narrowed his eyes incredulously, smiling as he ducked his head down to take a drink of wine. "Not at all, Ansula's fascinating, but he's a lot to handle. You're my wingman Crawford." Aldric fixed her with a cheeky wink before he turned towards the windows, using his wand to draw the heavy drapes as he continued to enjoy his glass of wine.