We Meet Again

[Tavish MacFusty]

April 6, 1883

Tav mused to himself that perhaps he should feel bad for the fact that he was meeting a girl who was friends with his sister. Of course, he justified himself by saying that just because he flirted with her didn't mean they were magically going to sleep together. Not that Tavish would have objected - Connie was of age and quite beautiful - but he wasn't scheming to sully her just because she was Vina's age or something. It wasn't some weird fetish or something, he just was attracted to someone who happened to know his sister. Though he could just hear his brother's reprimanding him for it, he didn't figure he much cared because at the end of the day it wasn't a crime to be friends with someone who was also friends with your younger sister.

He had already bought a bottle of firewhiskey and had two glasses at the table they were sitting at, sure that between them they'd make short work of the whiskey. He hadn't really gotten to go out much since he'd come into being the guardian of Kitten except for the one time he went to Vera and ended up staying the whole night. But that was a deserved reprieve and a nice catching up that he enjoyed with an old friend. If you could call spending most of the night in bed and not talking "catching up" of course. Worked fine for him though. Vera and he were two of a kind and he always enjoyed his time with her. He didn't know why they fell out of touch after Hogwarts but he was glad she was back in his life.

Checking his pocket watch he saw that it was five-ish and expected that Connie would walk into the Hog's Head any moment. He was interested to see how they'd interact when she wasn't dead sloshed. After all, they'd only ever met once and the rest of their correspondence had been in letters. But if she was anything like that in person, then he was sure they'd get along swimmingly. So he waited, fiddling with the glass and deciding to fill them up with firewhiskey for when she arrived. Shouldn't be long now at all.

  

[Constance Hatchitt]

Connie want entirely sure of what she was doing. The letters she'd exchanged with Tavish had all been burned upon arrival (after she'd read them, of course) and not even Harper knew what her cousin was up to. Not that Connie was talking to Harper nowadays. She wasn't. At all. Harper and she were at odds still from the March 10th fiasco, and Connie wasn't going to be approaching that bridge first. Harper had to. This was all on Harper.

She still felt incredibly sore from the grueling practice yesterday. Hours upon hours Connie flew around on her broom, swirling, zooming, zipping around corners. She was exhausted, but this 'date' with Tavish had been planned for close to a month. Connie couldn't just bail now because her legs felt as if they were on fire. No. She was a tough cookie. She'd suck it up and deal.

Besides, it wasn't as though they were going to do anything other than drink.

Maybe.

Probably.

With her hood drawn firmly over her head and her head ducked down low, Connie made her way to the booth where she'd first met Tavish. "Hi." She murmured, and down across from him with her back to the rest of the crowd. "Happy belated birthday." Connie had a present for him if he wanted it, but they likely weren't going to go there. Nope. It wasn't going to happen.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

He had to chuckle when Connie came to sit with him, cloak pulled over her head. He supposed, however, she was a young lady who was supposed to keep up appearances. He didn't tease her about it when she removed the hood, but there was a crooked grin of amusement on his face still. "'Ello lass. Thank ye for th' belated birthday wishes." He spoke, pushing a glass of firewhiskey closer to her. "From what Ah 'ear ye coul' use a drink." If she'd been working as hard as she had said - which he didn't doubt - then he was sure there were plenty of things she could use. If she were any other woman he might have even brought up such things. Hell, as it was he just about offered a full body massage. What could he say? He was good with his hands.

But there would be time for that later if that sort of thing ever came up. For now he'd just see where things went. And if she was interested, well then he wouldn't push her away. He was a sucker for a pretty lady and her whims so really it wouldn't be very hard for her to win him over. But he'd make sure it was what she wanted before he ever made a move. Tavish was a lot of things, but he wasn't pushy about such things. He would take what was offered but not if it was offered after pestering. There was no fun in being with a woman who didn't really want to be with you.

"So how ye been aside from quidditch an th' like?" Their letters were usually short and to the point, banter and whatnot but never anything too serious. He figured he could ask her such things now that they were face to face with one another. If she had anything she needed to talk about, he'd lend her his ear. And anything else she wanted, pretty much.

  

[Constance Hatchitt]

Merlin. Was he this attractive the last time they met? She'd been sloshed, and he'd been kind enough to lend an ear for her troubles. But that was a month ago now, and Connie didn't want to go there again. Cai was a jerk, Harper made a decision that was best for her (not that Connie would ever admit to such a fact), and Dianna was dead. There was no sense in being miserable about things that she could no longer control.

Had she ever been able to control it?

"To you!" She cheered, raising her glass for Tav to toast with her. "And to new lives." Tavish was a father (Connie pretended that didn't bother her at all) and she was pursuing her dreams of being a seeker. Everything was falling into place, however slowly.

Raising her arm hurt, though. Maybe coming out for drinks the day after one of her most intense practices wasn't her brightest idea.

Shrugging off her cloak, Connie scooted further into the booth and sat firmly against the wall. "I've been well, better than the last time you came across me. Tired a lot of the time nowadays, though. And sore. I don't remember being this sore after practices a year or two ago."

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

When she offered a cheer, he raised his glass as well and then brought it to his lips to take a nice swig. She went on to answer his question and Tavish was glad to hear that she was at least doing better than the last time he had seen her. She'd been well sloshed and quite upset if he remembered correctly. Of course, she wouldn't have talked much to him about it but he did know that apparently she had problems with loved ones leaving her. That was never any fun, but maybe she'd reconciled with some of the people. He didn't want to pry on their first sober outing together, though, and just left it at that.

Merlin help him, he had tried not to hit on her. He really did. But with the addition of her saying she had been sore, he couldn't help it. "Well if ye have need, Ah'm pretty good with mah hands and massages." He winked playfully at her. It was mostly just an offer to help but the added innuendo couldn't be avoided. He was stuck in his ways, after all. He'd been flirting with women since he was thirteen - it was second nature to him by now to do it. Hell, he was pretty sure he might have been flirting with women since before then.

"Quidditch is a rough game. Merlin, Ah 'member when Ah first started th' team at Hogwarts." He chuckled. His arm had hurt for a good few games as beater since he'd never had to work so hard at it before. Sure the MacFusty's had played makeshift games but he had never really had to put effort into it like he had then. It was just fun, but Connie was doing it for a living now. He could only imagine how hard the Harpies worked her.

  

[Constance Hatchitt]

Was he...no. He meant it in strictly the most professional of ways, right? A friend offering to help out a friend? Connie didn't know if she should take the offer. It could lead to more, and really she didn't need more right now. Some sex would be nice (she'd found that she genuinely liked it with Cailean) but she wasn't going to start whoring herself out for it. Sex would happen when it happened. Not before.

Blushing only slightly, Connie took a generous sip of her whiskey to give herself a moment. "In the middle of a pub? I dare say we'd be all over the prophet for months on end." But....she didn't live too far from here. And Harper was probably working late again. And there was a spare bedroom...

No. Not a good idea. Connie at least had to get to know the guy first.

"The only position I'm not overly confident in is as a beater. I can keep pretty well, and it doesn't take much skill to be a chaser. I'm just a bit too small to be a beater, and my body type is much more suited to seeking anyway." Fuck. She was rambling. Tav was going to think her to be some impetulant child. And she had the body type of a child: small, slender, flexible in all angles.

Bad idea, Connie. She chatisied herself. Very bad idea.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

Tavish chuckled. "We're at an inn, sweet, an' neither o' us live terribly far." He said with a shrug. "But if ye don' wan' mah hands on ye, then Ah understand." He said it nonchalantly. It was probably for the best. Because he had a feeling that he'd enjoy touching her entirely too much and really he should be trying to be more responsible. Old habits were hard to break especially when you had a most tantalizing woman in front of you. Tav was going to behave himself though and decided he'd respond to her little spiel about quidditch.

"Ah'd be a terrible seeker." He said. "Far too big fer 'at." And he was. Seekers were best when they were small and lithe. He was tall and muscular - beater was his best position. "Seems we exact opposites." He sipped his drink. He didn't doubt she'd be pretty good in any position, she just had that air about her that told you that she was a menace on the pitch. He liked that about her. She was lovely and feminine but by no means did she make you think she couldn't hold her own when things got dirty.

He thought it was kinda cute, though, her rambling. He wouldn't tease her for it - he figured he'd done enough by his little flirtation. It was getting easier to contain himself now that she'd more or less shot down his initial flirtation. Of course it didn't mean he wouldn't still flirt. He couldn't help it, but he wouldn't be as serious about it as he had been. Because if she wasn't interested then that was just fine.

  

[Constance Hatchitt]

"Mmm." She drawled out, holding her glass tightly in hand. "An inn wouldn't be a suitable place. Far too noisy and crowded, and it'd mean we'd have to be careful and sneak." Oh. Merlin. She wasn't refusing him, not in the slightest. And his hands...Connie didn't want to think about them in that exact moment. It'd only serve to make her face flush and her head get all dizzy.

Connie didn't want Tavish.

Nope.

Not at all.

She poured herself another glass and settled back into the booth with one arm crossed across her chest. "Ain't nothing wrong with being opposites. And I do hope we're opposites in more ways than one." He was big, and wide, and tall. And Connie was small, limber, but undoubtedly muscular.

Nope.

Not a chance.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

"Too true." He said when she talked about an inn. "But 'at didne cross out either o' our houses." He said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Perhaps she wasn't so opposed to him as he had thought. Of course, he could easily believe that. He knew he was a good looking man. Maybe a bit intimidating because of his size, but he was good looking nonetheless. Even with the scar on his face. He was the better looking of the MacFusty twins - and even probably out of most of the men period int he MacFusty clan. Or so he'd claim.

When she said she hoped they were opposites in more than one way he quirked a brow. "Well Ah can think o' two ways at least." He said with a chuckle. "Fer one, Ah'm a man and yer a woman." Opposites. Yep. "An' there's th' quidditch thing." He downed the rest of his glass and poured some more. "What kin' o' differences ye thinkin' bout?" He wondered if she had anything amusing to add to that subject.

Then again he could just be trying to tease her now. She was cute that way and he thought it was rather amusing because she was trying to act nonchalant but he was pretty sure he saw a little something under the surface. He may not be certain what that little something was, but he was sure he saw it. And he would tease the hell out of it in subtle, friendly ways because that was just how Tavish was.

  

[Constance Hatchitt]

"Did you want me to?" Connie immediately shot back with a smirk. "I'm perfectly okay with sitting here, drinking, havin' a grand ol' time." She took another drink of her whiskey, and topped off Tav's. "But we could always go elsewhere if you pleased..."

Fuck. What was she doing? She was being whorish and brazen. And everything had the likelihood of exploding in her face. But, he was offering, and she'd be stupid to decline. No. She'd be stupid to say yes. Premarital sex was bad. Very very very bad.

"You're built for one." Connie stated, gesturing to his arms and size. "I'm a scrawny little thing. Limber, which you might not be, but small nonetheless."

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

Tavish grinned. "Ye best quit teasin', lassie. Ah have nae problem throwin' ye over mah shoulder an' takin' ye somewhere tae have mah way wi' ye." He gave her a wink. If she wanted to be brazen then he could do brazen. He was the king of such things, after all. Of course he was mostly teasing. Unless she wanted to get serious then he meant it completely. He felt like he should be ashamed but she was a beautiful woman and Merlin she was talking about how limber she was.

"Ah'll believe it when Ah see it." He said at her admission of being limber. "Well Ah dunnae know, Ah can move better than ye'd think." He said it nonchalantly. He may have been big but he was athletic. He made sure he was as limber as his frame would allow which probably wasn't as impressive as her but he wasn't trying to get into a competition. He wouldn't, however, mind seeing just what her limits were on such a thin.

  

[Constance Hatchitt]

"Who said I was teasing?" She smirked once more, and took a leisure sip of her drink. They were both being brazen, and obvious, and certainly they should've been doing anything other than what they currently were. Tav should be home with his daughter, and she should be icing her sore muscles. It'd be easier then. It'd be much less painful too.

But. Connie had never been one to walk away from pain. Just as she'd never been one to do what was necessarily easy or right.

She chuckled, and her eyes shifted from his face down to the table for a moment before moving back up. "I guess we'll have to wait and see then, won't we?" I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

*OMG CONNIE WTF ARE YOU DOING.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

Things were quickly progressing from mild flirtations to possible propositions and Tavish was impressed that she was no longer seeming any bit shy. There was a hint of it before for a very slight moment but all of it had disappeared as she spoke to him now and he couldn't help but grin at her words. It crossed his mind that he should feel weird about being attracted to her - she was Vina's age after all - but it was diminished with her last words.

"Well ye let me know when yer ready, lassie, and we can test our flexibility together." He said it with a slight chuckle though he was quite serious. She needed only say the word. It didn't have to be that night, or even the next. But if she ever wanted to cross that bridge with him, he would gladly do such. He downed more of his drink and filled it up a bit more, gauging her reaction. Perhaps she hadn't realized what she had gotten herself into. Or perhaps she jut wasn't as proper as most girls her age would be.

  

[Constance Hatchitt]

Connie didn't feel confident. She felt that she was walking a fine line between her former life and her future. Every step she took led her in a different direction. Every step she took was halted by the rope tethering her to her past. Every step she took led her further into the depths of uncertainty. However, Connie was a Gryffindor through and through. The hat hadn't even been on her head for ten seconds before screaming GRYFFINDOR to the entire Great Hall.

So, she masked her uncertainty. She put on that brave face she knew so well from all the games she'd played. She stood up tall, and she pressed on. Because the future wouldn't wait. If Connie were to walk away from Tavish right now, she may be walking away from the love of a life time. Or she might not. The only sure fire way of finding any of this out was to dive in head first and face the consequences.

Downing the last of her liquor, Connie smiled as she felt the slight buzz take over. Unlike what she'd told Tavish, this was her first time drinking since March Tenth, and for the first time in a long time Connie was feeling the effects of only two drinks. "Or we could test it now." She said softly, only for Tavish's ears. Merlin. Connie didn't know what she was getting herself into, she may not even like it, but...Merlin. Connie wasn't even sure if she wanted to go that far or if she just wanted to kiss. Kissing was fun, and not as serious as sex was.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

If Tavish had been previously holding onto any notions that Connie was naive to the way things worked between men and women, they were completely diminished. The confidence she had when she suggested they could do whatever it was they were implying then told him that she had been with a man before. He didn't judge, of course. He had no right to judge and he didn't think it ruined a woman to explore her body before marriage. Perhaps that was just because Tav was a scoundrel. Or perhaps he was just a forward thinker. Whatever the reasons, he saw nothing wrong with Connie.

In fact, he found her terribly attractive. Confidence matched with beauty and the promise of a good time were things that Tav highly coveted. And she had all three. He enjoyed talking to her and he was sure he'd enjoy her in other ways too. So he more or less chugged the rest of his drink and grinned at her, making sure he saw no doubt in her eyes before speaking his next words. "We can do whatever ye like, Connie." That was a promise. Whatever she wanted, she would have. So long as it wasn't his soul or undying devotion. He wasn't a prince charming and he was fairly sure she knew that.

  

[Constance Hatchitt]

Hm. The rope around her waist got tighter. The line became thinner. Everything she'd once known meant so little. Connie wanted Tavish. She wanted to kiss him, and do other unsavory things to him. She wanted a lot of things. But none of those things were very logical for a girl of eighteen to ask for. None of those things made very much sense, either.

They needed to go home separately today.

If only for today.

"I'll be in touch, Tav." Connie mischievously grinned as she downed the last of her liquor and stood. "Depending on how practice goes tomorrow, I may take you up on that massage. Merlin knows I need it." Leaving. Yes. That was the thing to do. Just slip out of the booth with her head down low and apparate straight home. It wouldn't even take a second. "Give Kitten my best."