Kyna was cringing inside. She had once again turned into a blathering idiot. That wasn't at all how she had planned on phrasing it when she'd come up with the plan. It was times like these that she even more glad she had met Alec Kerr her, soon to be married, best friend. While she knew that she hadn't meant to say anything resembling the words that had tumbled forth from her mouth, she also knew that the woman Oliver was now staring at blankly was didn't look overly agitated. She may appear a little shy, even mischievous, but never embarrassed. It was time to regroup, and possibly retreat.
"I'm sorry, Oliver." Maybe
I can still get out of this without making a complete disgrace of myself.
"I–well, I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable." One deep breath. "It's probably
best if I leave now."
When he was still silent Kyna started to get
concerned. Had she caused him to have a heart attack from shock? It
may have been a bit abrupt, but surely it the suggestion wasn't so bad as to
kill him. "Oliver?" She waved her hand in front of his face. "Have I sent
you into a trance then? Is it that offensive?" Just as her hand was swing
to slap him back into reality Oliver Wood, professional keeper, blocked it with
a quick movement of his forearm.
Unfortunately, Oliver seemed to have forgotten that he
was holding a steaming cup of Pepperup Potion. The sticky liquid
splattered the wall and counter behind him, smoking slightly upon impact. He
turned and stared at the mess he had created. It took several more
seconds for him to fully grasp what had just happened. "You were going to
hit me."
"You deserved it!" Kyna nodded her head emphatically, as
if that would make it the truth. "You insulted me."
"I did not insult you. I hadn't even said anything
yet." He sounded unsure.
"And you don't think that was insulting. The
silence screamed of just how offensive you found it."
Oliver had the good graces to be apologetic over the slight he had
inadvertently given. "I am not offended. It is actually rather
flattering really. The thing is, well…" The internal struggle was almost
painful to watch.
"Let me stop you from digging yourself too much further." There was little in her tone that hid the aggravation she felt. "I am not interested in dating you." It rankled her that Oliver looked so relieved. "I need you for a date. In the singular."
"Oh, thank Merlin!"
"You see, I'm going to be in a close friend's wedding next week," He followed her down the hall, "and I can't very well go alone. I've been putting off finding a date." She stopped, as there were three possible doors. "Not that it'd really be a date anyway…More of an escort really…which one?"
"Which one what?"
"Which one goes to your room?" He pointed to the left and she roamed into his personal domain as if she'd done it often. "You'd work perfectly too. You aren't offended that I don't want anything more than a body there with me and you have potential to impress." He got a smug little smile and stood-up a little straighter. "Well at least you won't disgrace me completely."
"I'll do my best." She wasn't sure what he would do his best to do, but decided it might be better to not know at this point. "Care to tell me why I find myself in my room watching you snoop in my closet?"
Kyna continued to shuffle the clothes that hung in the wardrobe as she answered. "It can hardly be called snooping when you are present." Having examined all the items in the closet she gave a resigned sigh only to move towards a chair in the corner that was draped in various garments. She stopped short of actually touching it. "I am trying to assure myself that you own something to wear outside of Quidditch related clothing. So far I am still worried."
"That sort of stuff wouldn't be here." His inflection told her that he thought she wasn't quite right in the head. She rolled her eyes, "Of course, why would anyone keep dress robes in their wardrobe. Much better places to store them I'm sure. But you do have a set? And they fit?" Kyna tried not to get her hopes up too high. At this point she would get excited if he had a clean uniform to wear.
"My dress robes are at my parents'. No need to bring them here. They'd just take up valuable space."
"True enough. And space in this flat is at a premium." She drifted back to the hallway, Oliver once more following in her wake. "I guess that's it then. I should go and let you rest. You've got practice tomorrow."
"There is only one slight problem." She looked up at him as she gathered her package and coat. "What problem? You aren't worried about not getting along with Alec and the lot, are you?"
"No, I don't think that will be that difficult. As we both know, I'm a very agreeable person with excellent conversational skills."
She laughed. "Your conversational skill extends only to those discussions involving quidditch, but I doubt you'll have much control over whether or not you and Alec get along anyway. So what do you think is going to be the problem?"
"You haven't told me when the happy event is."
"Oh."
~*~
The morning of the wedding arrived, brining with it cloudy skies and a frantic Kyna. She had spent the entire night before pacing the front room going over her many lists. Marilla had eventually gotten disgusted with her anal-retentive flatmate around midnight. Kyna was informed that if she didn't calm down and breath there would be no alternative but to have her carted off to St. Mungo's. Kyna had a feeling that their couch would become the territory of a loud red-head in the not so distant future so Marilla would be open to having the flat all to herself.
She went to her room, cast a silencing charm, and continued to stalk about. Kyna woke up some hours later to Marilla pounding on her door and yelling that if she didn't get moving there wouldn't be a chance to get her hair done in time. Marilla had found inspiration at some point that night and was determined that Kyna's curls were going to obey for once.
It hit her the instant she opened the door. The best sent in existence: freshly brewed coffee. So far this was the only kitchen creation Marilla was willing to attempt. A mug was shoved in Kyna's hand as her flatmate shuffled past mumbling something about having ordered pastries.
Kyna inhaled the aroma emanating from her mug and gave a grateful sigh. "If your heading for the shower remember that I need to use it this morning too. No two hour soaks in the tub."
A grumbling sound could be heard just before the bathroom door slammed. Picking up one of her various lists Kyna scanned down to make sure everything had been completed.
1. Robes Ironed Check. Sparks had arrived from the Nenar Estate last night to 'Take care of Miss Kyna.' Marilla had owled her mum voicing concerns over Kyna's mental health the day before.
2. Find Shoes Check, thanks to a present from Marilla earlier that week.
3. Send Reminder to Oliver Double Check!
Scanning down the rest of the list, Kyna reassured herself for the 137th time that she had done all her tasks. She tossed that list into the fireplace and picked up the one she had written out last night and dashed back into her room. "Things To Do In The Morning" was scrawled in a large wavering script across the top of the scroll. Someone, most likely Sparks, had hung the pink robes from Kyna's beloved bookshelf. The matching gladiator heels were resting just below them. A neat pile of ribbons in several shades of pink along with few in deep gray was next to a brown paper package on her desk. Funny, she didn't remember purchasing anything that small.
Ha pensato appena la mia ragazza preferita avrebbe bisogno di una nota la ricordando al respiro. La collana è soltanto assicurarlo questo ha letto effettivamente la piccola lettera.
~Alec
Leave it to her best friend to know what she needed to hear. Placing the box back on the desk Kyna fell onto her bed and awaited the sound of the bathroom door opening.
Kyna managed to annoy Marilla much less the remainder of the morning than she had the night before. Her curls behaved themselves and had the ribbons, which were curled to match, strategically placed amongst them. The taming of the hair had taken the good portion of two hours, much longer than Kyna had allotted to the chore.
"You'd still have plenty of time to get ready if you would stop glaring at me and just go about it." Marilla, still in her pajamas and robe, busied herself putting the mugs from breakfast into the sink. She nearly tripped over a black mass located centrally on the kitchen floor. An angled head poked out from the cocoon and leveled her with a glare. Marilla glared back and dropped the mugs in the sink. "Bloody nuisance."
"Keeper," Kyna said in a gratingly sweet voice. "How's my sweetie?" If it was possible the cat smirked as he sauntered toward his owner. She scooped him up and cooed as she stroked his sleek fur. Keeper's response was to purr loudly.
"Sweetie my foot!" Marilla was puttering about with a kettle. "Just ask your precious where my Apparate is…bet the evil creature ate my poor innocent cat." She muttered the last bit, once more throwing a glare toward the accused.
With her prep time quickly dwindling Kyna, Keeper in tow, went to her room to finished getting dressed. She had just put on her new necklace and was giving her outfit a quick twirl. The feline perched no her bed gave a little nod of approval. All that she had left to do was put on those heels. They were amazing shoes, matching her robes beautifully, but Kyna wanted to put off attempting to walk in them for as long as possible.
Make-up! She had forgotten all about make-up! "MARILLA!" And the frenzy started all over again.
Marilla had managed to calm her down with only the threat of a full body bind. Make-up was quickly taken care of with a couple swishes of a skilled wand.
"Honestly, how you and that ice cube got to be friends is beyond me." Kyna chose to ignore the disparaging remark about Alec, or maybe it was being rude to her, and went back to wandering aimlessly around the flat. "'Rilla?" The other girl had settled herself at the kitchen table and was flipping through the Daily Prophet. "Where exactly is Apparate?"
The pair rummaged about the apartment opening cupboards and calling the lost cat's name. Kyna was in the pantry shifting packages around in search of the allusive Apparate when someone knocked. Marilla opened the door before Kyna had a chance to make it out of the back room.
"There you are!" Big blue eyes were staring blankly back asking 'where else would I be?' "Oh Apparate, I've been so worried." Ruby hair fell gracefully down as the grateful owner nuzzled her kitten. It had always amazed Kyna how Marilla could to that. When describing Marilla one was forced to use words like sleek, graceful and flowing. It was horribly unfair to have such a put-together flatmate. "Oh. Hello Oliver." Marilla was halfway to the kitchen when it must have occurred to her that it wasn't the cat that knocked. While her movement and general vibe was definitely polished Marilla rarely let that infringe on how she treated others. A professional quidditch player did not rank above a ball of white fluff and that is why Kyna could still stand the woman.
"I'll translate that for you," she chimed as she walked over to greet him. "What she was saying was 'Thank you for finding my idiotic cat.' I on the other hand will be much more cordial and invite you into our home." She gestured from him to come in and offered to give him the grand tour to which he declined.
"You sound like the McPherson of old, but your sure don't dress like she does." Kyna shrugged. "So was only Nenar's cat missing in action or is Keeper no where to be found either?"
"He is much to intelligent to get himself locked out for the night." The little devil made his grand entrance a few minutes later while Kyna was trying to remember where her purse had ended up. Keeper stalked over to the latest arrival, tail straight in the air, and primly sat directly in front of Oliver. The cat had never forgiven the other keeper for their first encounter. Being stuck in a closet and forgotten tended to leave a mental mark.
"I don't really need a purse anyway do I Rilla?"
Marilla shook her head. She had been trying to teach Kyna about fashion for years now, and this was just proved she was wasting her time. "A purse is not a necessary accessory but it does finish the outfit so to speak."
"Right. Well, let me get my shoes and I'll be ready Oliver." She reemerged a moment later toddling toward him.
"Oh, Ky! Give us a spin. I've never gotten to see you with it all on." Marilla's approval gave her more confidence and her stride became a little steadier but she was a long way from gliding as she'd seen Marilla do regularly.
"You look nice half-pint." Oliver was leaning on the wall just inside the living room. His own robes were of a deep blue-black. His hair hung loose over his forehead, a visible manifestation of the slight boyishness that had never quite died in him.
"Thanks. Your robes look nice as well."
He pushed away from the wall only to bow with a flourish. "My Lady, would you allow me the pleasure of escorting you out this beautiful day?" There was a snort from the kitchen as Marilla piped in, "It's overcast you, git." Kyna laughed at his odd behavior before taking the arm he offered. "Your chariot awaits." Once more from the kitchen. "The invitation is a portkey."
Once they were outside Kyna's curiosity got the better of her. "Oliver, what was all that in there?"
"I'm taking you to this wedding to impress people, right? I am just trying to act like a proper escort would act."
"When you think proper escort you think of a pounce who bows and speaks like he's out of some historical romance novel?" She knew she should have sent him a list of 'dos and don'ts' this week. Oliver was clueless.
"Well not exactly out of a romance novel, but I'm supposed to be with you. So I just thought I'd practice a bit before hand."
"Oliver, no one there thinks that we are dating."
"They don't?" He looked confused now.
"No, they don't." Kyna tried to think of the best way to explain. "If I had been dating someone suitable then I would have of course attended with him. Since I am currently with out partner I am only expected to bring an appropriate guest."
"Right. Glad that was explained. Could have been embarrassing."
They continued in silence for the rest of the walk to the portkey point. Kyna's hand gripped Oliver's more firmly as she handed him the envelope containing the invitation. "Think you can survive the snake pit?"
"They won't know what hit them."
And with that he pulled out the invitation and the disappeared from sight.
AN: Alec's note is in Italian. My very, very poor skill with the language means that it probably doesn't say "Just thought my favorite girl would need a note reminding her to breath. Then necklace is only to insure you actually read this."