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Post by Jaina Gemini on Dec 30, 2018 0:36:44 GMT -8
"Thank you," she said, getting up to circle the couch and head for the small linen closet next to the hallway leading into the back. She pulled out a pillow for him as well as one of the Afghans that they could get dirty with shoes since taking them on and off would only take up more time they didn't have. As a last thought, she grabbed him a bottle of water from one of the kitchen cabinets, just in case he got too warm. There was also a few bottles of his potion in here that she would have to remember to collect before packing everything away.
Jaina returned, offering him the fluffy pillow as well as the blanket before dropping down next to him so that he could find a comfortable position. Once he settled in, she returned to her spot at his side, exactly where she had been before with the goal to reassure him. It wasn't the same, no but the crackling fire cast a different feeling over their connection. Cozy now that the room was slowly warming up, especially when they lay closer to the fire.
"So, now that we have briefly discussed the sky as well the merits of it versus a fire, what else shall we discuss?" She mused, her hand resting comfortably across his chest and her head tucked in near his shoulder. "Probably want to avoid politics and religion...save that until we've gotten through the first year or are looking for a reason to quarrel." There were a great many topics she could summon if he wanted to discuss each other and get to know one another. However, he may very well have a line of his own, since it had been his idea in the first place.
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Post by Gideon Smith on Dec 30, 2018 0:41:29 GMT -8
He slipped the pillow behind his head and stretched out his arm so that she could snuggle in close. Instead of tucking his other hand behind his head, he used it to place over her hand on his chest. His fingertips traced her knuckles.
"Tell me more about your family, like what they do on a ranch? How they get along? Who are you closest to?" he asked in a flurry of questions.
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Dec 30, 2018 1:00:33 GMT -8
Part of her tensed at the question. Other than what they had mentioned briefly that day that they had actually had a conversation down by the river, Jaina had given out very little about her family. Of course, there was the matter of St. Roix but hopefully, Gideon wouldn't judge her mother by that standard. The Herbology professor was downright arrogant while her mother was confident. At least, that was what Jaina had concluded over the years. Many people would call the two things one and the same but she didn't.
"Well, we have about 15,000 acres, most of which is pasture for the cattle and a few horses. There are a few acres where we grow some of the feed for the animals - most of which we use to supplement in an attempt to reduce the cost of having to buy it elsewhere. However, as many cows as we have, there just isn't enough space to grow everything for them.
"There are chickens, one of my favorite chores actually. Not so much having to kill them for suppers but you get used to it after the first half dozen." From the sound of her voice, that wasn't quite true but it was a part of farm life. Nothing to be done but get over it, making it as quick and painless as possible. "There is a pack of dogs to help herd the cows and a couple tom cats that come and go, keeping the vermin population from getting too bad. And then there is Olaf.
"If you end up coming to visit, Olaf is the one animal you are going to want to hear from as little as possible." She said, her irritation obvious. "That is our rooster who tends to perch just outside Jace's window, which just happens to be underneath my room in the attic. That is one animal I look forward to ending - annoying bastard. Apparently, my brother insists we flip a coin on who actually gets to do it." Jaina couldn't help but laugh. "It wouldn't be so bad if the damn bird could tell time. He's usually up and at 'em about forty-five minutes before a normal rooster would start his morning alarm clock." That took care of at least part of his question. Not wanting to overload him, Jaina quieted to let him process all that.
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Post by Gideon Smith on Dec 30, 2018 1:08:02 GMT -8
"Olaf huh? That's a strange name for a rooster," he said, moving his hand until his fingertips were beneath the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "Sounds like a lot of work. Is it just your family that works it, or do you hire help?" He had no idea how things like that worked, he was a bonafide city boy.
"What about my other questions? Who do you get along with the most? Who do you look up to?" he asked, adding another question to the pot while he could.
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Dec 30, 2018 12:43:57 GMT -8
"A little patience," Jaina chided. "It's a lot to think of. I've never had to answer these sorts of questions before so...
"My little sister Ella gets to name all the roosters. And she always names them after her favorite cartoon character. Olaf was a snowman from the once-cute but after a couple dozen suffering through is quite annoying movie Frozen. Our last one was named Shrek." She sighed nostalgically. "I miss Shrek. He rarely came closer to the house than the front porch and never pecked at me when I went in to collect eggs. People will say otherwise but chickens, especially roosters, can be quite fierce.
"We have quite a few workers - Pops and my brothers. Then there is my Uncle Hank, whose two grown sons are more in charge of dealing with the crops since they have a few fields of their own. Just seemed easier for them to do it all, instead of having to go back and forth, trading equipment and all that. My eldest brother - Jack - a few of his friends work out there. During the summer, Pops gives any of the local high school boys a job if they want it but a majority of the workers are military veterans who don't have anything else to come back to. He built them their own barracks and maybe it's not exactly the Four Seasons but they all have their own bedrooms, a comfortable living room much like our Quad, and a kitchen and dining room. A lot of people tell Pops he's asking for trouble; some of those guys aren't exactly coming back in the best of health. Or they say he's just trying to look good, wanting to boost people's opinion of him.
"That has nothing to do with it," Jaina said firmly, derisively dismissing the idiots. However, she had no intention of going into why she knew it. There were more questions to answer and time was far too fleeting.
"As for the rest, every family has their pecking order, their rhythms - especially with such a vast age difference. Jack is going to be twenty-four in January while Ella just turned twelve. However, they are the ones that are closest now. I used to be her favorite since I was the one always taking care of her but then I left. Jack assured me he would take good care of her and she's still breathing," Jaina chuckled. "That has to count for something. He rides rodeo - nothing professionally but he and his buddies will hit a couple competitions during the summer. Of course, now Ella wants to as well when she gets old enough. My folks are just glad that she got over not being magical so are encouraging it, figuring it was something constructive for her to focus on."
She shifted her hand, grabbing the water that she had grabbed for him to take a drink. Either he could share, since it wasn't like they hadn't swapped germs before, or they could go get another one. Now that the fire was roaring, it was getting warm and Jaina had been talking a lot. She sat up just enough to keep from spilling on him before capping it and lying back down exactly where she had been, setting the bottle on the other side of him.
Comfortable again, Jaina's hand sliding back under his, she returned to the conversation. "El's the next. You have heard quite a bit about him already but he is the other of my parents' children who is a No-Maj. From what Mama said, he never had near as much problem with is as Ella has. Other focuses. He got interested in a military career when he was younger but knew Pops couldn't spare him so that he could actually join up. The most he could do was sign up with the National Guard. It takes him away a weekend a month, two weeks a year as long as they don't call up his unit for a tour overseas. They have been doing that a lot more - sending the National Guard over for three to four-month tours to supplement when transferring other troops. So far it hasn't happened but..." They all knew there was always a chance. Enough troops around them had been called up; it seemed like it was only a matter of time.
"I'm hoping it doesn't happen, however. He and Jem...Jemma," she corrected herself, "Are often thick as thieves. He's the only one she will actually listen to. She and I have never been exactly close, despite he being less than a day older. Just two different people. In spite of that, half-listening to bragging about her exploits over the last two years eventually became beneficial." Surely he could figure out exactly what and why, despite what little she had said. He didn't want tonight to be about sex and getting further into that was a path in that direction. Best to just leave it at that.
"I've already told you a lot about Jace. Music, magical beasts, accident. He's really close to Mama but we have a bond of our own. It's really hard to explain, honestly. We've just always clicked." It was the best she could do. Maybe if Gideon actually saw them together, he would better understand but there were just some things beyond words.
"And what people say about twins having super weird, freaky powers when it comes to each other? Some twins will say that they know if their match is in trouble or something? Or that they could feel what the other is? I can tell you it's true - at least, it is for the three of us. Unfortunately, we don't know why but we didn't all get that same sort of connection. Maybe because there are three instead of two." She shrugged slightly so he could feel it. "As I said before, Jace is an empath and then some. Jem is the one who gets the vibes about things, senses if something has happened for if something big could be coming. She's the reason we knew Jace had been in the accident, long before anyone would have started getting worried.
"Though she won't admit it, I also think she's the reason why the dress I wore to the dance was even in my trunk. I certainly didn't pack it." Jaina tried to go over everything she had said to assess if she had covered all the questions.
"I don't think I really look up to any of them. We all have our own niches in each other's lives. Jack is the one who has taught me all my Transfiguration tricks, got me way ahead of our classwork - in theory, of course, but he made it fascinating in a way our last teacher didn't." The memories of her younger years came back. "He would get me a random stick and make me practice the wand movements to make sure I got them exactly right. Charms, too, but Transfiguration was his passion - the one area that he really shined.
"El got me into the more physical stuff. We all always rough housed when we were younger but he taught me to hone what I thought I knew. We always joked that Jack was our protector but Elliot was always working to make sure we never needed Jack. He was the one that dragged me out of bed every morning and night during the summer I turned thirteen, trying to burn off all my extra energy. It was well meant; I know that now but back then, I called him every bad name I knew and a few that I made up. But he was stubborn, wouldn't let me give up. Still won't but his original intention was right; a good outlet for my energy.
"The rest you know." That had to have answered everything. |
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Post by Gideon Smith on Dec 30, 2018 14:22:04 GMT -8
He stared at the ceiling of the tent, his fingertips once again rolling over her knuckles as he took all of that information in. It was the most Jaina had ever spoken to him at one time, so it was a lot to process. When she finished, he nodded, knowing that when he came to visit he probably would have forgotten some of it by then and would have to be retaught.
He turned his head slightly so that he could kiss her forehead. It was quick but tender and he sighed again. He was quiet for a little while, listening to the crackle of the fire.
"When I come to visit you, where is one place you really want me to see?" he asked quietly.
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Dec 30, 2018 15:03:38 GMT -8
That was the easiest question that he had asked so far. "The old barn," Jaina said immediately. "You will have to climb a bit but it's the perfect place to fall asleep watching the stars. I spend a lot of nights out there, made my own little nest. Pops even let me drag an old mattress out there so I'd stop stealing hay to sleep on.
"Sometimes Ella will join me. On a rare occasion, Jace or Mama will make the climb but more often than not, it's just me. It's my favorite hiding place that's not really a secret."
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Post by Gideon Smith on Dec 31, 2018 13:06:23 GMT -8
"Watching stars huh? Ya just had to rub it in huh?" he said with a laugh. "Better hope it doesn't rain us out while I'm there. If it does rain, where would you take me?" he asked out of curiosity, wanting to know more about her home life as he was fairly sure he knew more about her school life.
He wondered if she was going to ask him any questions about his family or his life back in Boston. He turned his head and kissed her forehead while he waited for an answer.
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Dec 31, 2018 15:56:12 GMT -8
"You asked," Jaina said, her fingers lightly pressing into his chest, since she couldn't poke his side with her other hand. "What's the old saying? Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies.
"I wouldn't worry about it to much," she assured. "There are thousands of nights ahead for us to spend looking at the stars. Our time will come." Or so she hoped. By the time he caught up on his studies, it would likely be too cold to linger outside for long. However, spring would come eventually.
When he started asking more questions, Jaina shook her head on his arm. "Nope, not answering any more questions," she informed him playfully. "I believe it is your turn. I have quite a few things of my own I'd like to know.
"You've told me a bit about your parents but they aren't the entirety of your world. You said that you were born and spent the first part of your life in Maryland. Curious that you now consider yourself a Boston boy at heart." She posed. It had been something she had been wondering about for quite a while. There just hadn't been time to talk about it.
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Post by Gideon Smith on Dec 31, 2018 16:02:24 GMT -8
"I don't really remember much of our time in Maryland other than my near drowning experience," he said with a shrug of his other shoulder. "All of my real memories come from Boston. It's kinda like, not born here but I came as soon as I could," he said.
"Plus my parents found it safer and more prudent to move into the city, so when my dad got a job offer to work with the Boston DA's office, he took it. Mom didn't mind so much either, as she had more suburbs to sell houses in."
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Dec 31, 2018 16:12:30 GMT -8
"He's probably a lot busier here than he would have been there." Jaina knew Maryland geography quite well. After finding out it was where her mother had grown up, she had tried to learn everything she could. Gideon had only mentioned the name of his biologically-considered hometime once but it was one that had stood out enough in her head after a short stroll through what she had known. Boston must have been an incredible shock in comparison.
"Not the best memory to have; certainly not the one that would inspire much loyalty." She agreed. "What school did you go to? Who was your best friend? Back then, I mean. Surely there were people in your life before you came here."
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Post by Gideon Smith on Dec 31, 2018 16:19:54 GMT -8
"I went to Bradley Elementary school, and my best friend before I left's name was Jack Spencer, but he ended up stealing away my 'girlfriend' over the summer before I came here, so not much of a friend really."
"After my first year here, I was hooked. It felt like a home away from home," he said, still touching the back of her hand as it rested on his chest. It was quiet for a moment the only sounds being the rain overhead hitting the ceiling of the tent and the crackling of the fire before them.
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Dec 31, 2018 16:41:09 GMT -8
Jaina couldn't help but giggle. "I should have known...eleven years old and already a lady's man." She stilled, turning her head up toward him, placing a kiss on the only place she could reach - his neck. Soft and sweet and short but enough to emphasize what came next. "Makes me all for more grateful for you." Though it made her wonder... No, she really didn't want to go down that road. It just made her want to break things and they were supposed to be having a calm and peaceful evening. Best to focus on a safer topic.
She lowered her head again until she was comfortable again.
"So you told me about your boxing...what about the drums? Why that instrument? Were your parents the influence, wanting their son to be musical or just your own interest in the pursuit?"
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Post by Gideon Smith on Dec 31, 2018 16:53:24 GMT -8
"My parents got me one of those kiddie drum sets for Christmas one year and I took to it so well that my Mom actually went out and got me a real set of drums. They soundproofed my room so I could practice and just have fun with it," he said. "I would put on little shows when I was a kid for my parents and they used to get a kick out of it. I just kept going as I grew. When I found out the Choir needed a drummer, I thought hell yeah, I can keep drumming while I'm at school so I don't lose practice."
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Dec 31, 2018 17:25:43 GMT -8
She nodded, letting silence fall around them as she tried to think of other questions to ask. There were many - so many but with their time limited, they might seem a bit trite. He had already told her about some of his accidental magic before school and if she prodded him further about it, there was a possibility that he could turn it around on her. Definitely not something she wanted to get into right now...maybe not for a long while. At least until there could be a little longer period of time between the fight and that moment.
Besides, the crackling fire and the warmth it gave off, as well as the furnace that he was were soothing. Almost enough to lull her to sleep, if she wasn't wary. Neither of them could afford to get into trouble by missing curfew - prefect badge or no. Jaina almost asked if he was absolutely certain he had prefect duty tonight. If not, maybe she could get him to stay out a little longer. He should know the routes certain people took so that they could sneak back in. Or better yet, not go back in at all. Just lay here in each other's arms all night.
The reasonable side of her said, however, that that would be one of the more pathetic girlfriend moves. A manipulative girlfriend who doesn't appreciate what time she has. Jaina had her moments of drifting into that column - more rarely than others, perhaps but when she did recognize those slips, she owed it to Gideon to push it away. Be the reasonable, unneedy girlfriend that he needed right now.
Still sucked.
The only thing left was trite stuff. Something - anything that would take her mind away from those thoughts. "What's your favorite dessert?" SERIOUSLY? All the questions and that's what she came up with?
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