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Rosemarne Malinowski Doge (D'argente) ([info]avant) wrote in [info]valesco,
@ 2008-10-03 21:22:00


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Entry tags:amery wilkes, rosemarne doge, venice vega

[Amery!]
She was going to go to jail.

Whatever Estella tried to tell her about maybe being able to find out the questions beforehand and passing that way had not but Marnie at ease. What was worse was that she had to meet with that fellow from the Ministry and she was -- well, Marnie didn't take well to stress.

Which was the reason she was standing outside of Amery Wilkes' office at 6:40, pacing and wringing her wrists and occasionally clapping her hands together. This was not good. This was so not good.

...there was no way she could possibly retain anything that they were going to talk about tonight and she knew she should have just canceled but she'd only just found out and -- and!

UGH.


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[info]otets
2008-10-04 08:41 am UTC (link)
Amery was nursing what could have been the start of a very promising killer headache when he noticed the time and, to his lingering shock, that he was due to meet Rosemarne D'argent-Doge, as some scouting had led him to find out.

Truthfully, he still couldn't believe he'd been brow-beaten into this arrangement, but what could he do? But when Miss Vega had let him known that Mrs. Doge had arrived some time ago, but when he checked the time, it was 6:40.

It was not a far walk from his secretary's desk to his office. In fact, it was rather short. The length of one small hallway, even.

Which is when, after listening very carefully, he thought he heard someone pacing outside his door.

Getting up, he opened it and quirked his eyebrow, folding his arms as he leaned against the door.

"You know," he said, "it generally helps to knock."

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[info]avant
2008-10-04 08:46 am UTC (link)
She half-jumped the moment that he spoke. "Er, I know. But...uh." She smoothed her hand through her hair and glanced to him, a bit sheepish. "I'm just a bit...well, rattled."

Because of the marriage act, not that she'd say so immediately. Rosemarne Doge - oh God, she had to memorize all the details that they were going to make up - was definitely on-edge and not very good at covering that fact.

She nodded, though. "And if you're busy - are you busy? I can just come back ... later."

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[info]otets
2008-10-04 08:10 pm UTC (link)
He raised his eyebrows. He had cleared some late meetings for the purpose of this meeting... and if he recalled correctly, there were muffins that were involved in this trade-off. It seemed as though all necessary details for this meeting had been arranged yesterday, and yet she expected him to be... busy?

"No," he said slowly, "as a matter of fact, I am rather free at this moment."

But upon closer inspection, she did look slightly more frazzled and out-of-it than he surmised was 'usual' for her.

"And excuse me for the brusqueness of this statement, but you rather look as if you might throw up? Are you quite alright?"

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[info]avant
2008-10-04 09:41 pm UTC (link)
There were muffins - she'd managed at least to bring the blueberry-raspberry strudel ones that she'd made earlier when she was expecting not to go to prison - in a bag hanging off of one of her arms.

Of course he wasn't busy, she'd already agreed to meet him which meant being busy during the time they were supposed to meet would be ridiculous ... but she'd rather been hoping that some sort of last-minute business would have made it polite for her to leave without learning a thing. But he wasn't busy which means he'd made efforts not to be and she didn't want to be rude...

Marnie laughed awkwardly when he asked her what was wrong and rubbed the back of her neck with one hand, ducking her head down. "Oh, it's just -- there's supposed to be some sort of test on Monday," for me and my fake husband, "And I've never been very good at exams, so I suppose I probably might throw up if I think about it too much." But really she should be 'studying' even now.

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[info]otets
2008-10-04 10:04 pm UTC (link)
There was something decidedly abnormal about this girl that made Amery respond in no way to how he thought he might. Frankly, it was disconcerting and he did not approve of it in the least.

"An exam on Monday?"

What sort of exam did an out-of-school woman like Rosemarne D'argente-Doge need to take, which was not of the sadistic sort of exam Amery might make her sit, just to be unpleasant?

D'argente-Doge.

And she really was terrible at spitting out her married name.

And Amery had never heard her maiden name before.

He raised his eyebrows for the second or third time already. "Well. An exam. Do go on."

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[info]avant
2008-10-04 10:10 pm UTC (link)
This was some sort of horrific prelude to how the actual interview about their marriage was going to go, Marnie was sure of it. She continued to wring her wrists and glanced to Amery, big, soft doe eyes glimmering uncertainly biting on her lip.

"Well, my husband and I -- Mycroft and I," she corrected, "we haven't been married all that long and I'm so terrible at recalling details in the first place..." and at this she looked rather crestfallen, "So I don't think I'm going to do very well no matter how Mycroft does and I'll have to go to prison." The last bit came out in a rather hurried rush of breathless words.

"But!" And maybe it was a measure of just how upset she was that she even managed to hiccup once or twice before she continued, "Well, I'm sure you don't care."

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[info]otets
2008-10-04 10:25 pm UTC (link)
"Oh, I," he cut his tongue on the word, mostly out of some odd enjoyment of watching this woman flail, "care. Quite, quite deeply, in fact. And I'm sure you could use a broad shoulder to bemoan the worries that your newlywedded bliss may soon come to an abrupt halt."

Was it mean to tease like this? She was probably stressed enough as it was, but, well, really. He never got to do things like this often enough.

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[info]avant
2008-10-04 10:30 pm UTC (link)
Perhaps it was mean to do this to someone in such a fragile emotional state, but the fact was that Marnie was just distressed enough to not quite catch the full impact of the sarcasm in his voice.

That was probably the reason that instead of stalking away in a huff, she set down the bag of muffins on the ground and threw her arms around Amery so that she could start to half-sob about not meaning any harm and only wanting to have the same rights as everyone else.

...totally your fault, Amery.

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[info]otets
2008-10-04 10:37 pm UTC (link)
There were some things Amery was never, ever willing to take responsibility for.

And this, for the information of all parties present, was one of them.

He had already experienced the hurtling of the one-woman force of Rosemarne Doge (and he could not stop repeating that full name in his head) in their first meeting, and it suffices to say that he was completely thrown by the split-second contact they'd had.

It was more than fair to say that at this moment, he had not one bloody clue as to what to do.

There was a partly-talking, partly-sobbing woman in his arms and he was quite sure that he'd inadvertently driven her there.

"I--er--," and these were his really nice robes. Why did this sort of stuff always happen when he was dressed nicely? "I'm sure that... everything will be..." he winced, "fine."

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[info]avant
2008-10-04 10:41 pm UTC (link)
Hindsight was always twenty-twenty, and Marnie was the first to admit that she had hindsight in spades, but had about as much foresight as a ball-peen hammer.

Merlin, okay, she'd thrown herself at someone that she'd barely known for twenty minutes collectively and now it was painfully obvious that he was being awkward as hell for it. She sniffed (into his shoulder, probably leaving all manner of bodily fluid on the fabric of his robes) and drew back, folding her hands in front of her awkwardly.

This was embarrassing. "I --" she glanced up to him again, "O-of course. Yes."

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[info]otets
2008-10-04 10:49 pm UTC (link)
He couldn't lie, he was rather relieved that she had torn herself away from him. It wasn't necessarily that he had an aversion to her (although he probably should have), it was more that she was touching him. As in physically. And on good days, Amery allowed handshakes, and that was probably it.

It probably stemmed not only from his childhood environment, but also the fact that he strongly believed he was much cleaner than most everybody he came into contact with.

Except maybe she did smell nicer than most.

Amery sighed inwardly and looked at her, like he couldn't really believe what he was about to say. "I'm sure you'll do... very well... in proving your love to your new husband."

However much of a sham it may or may not turn out to be.

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[info]avant
2008-10-04 10:54 pm UTC (link)
Marnie had been raised by an anthropologist with a fond love of music and arts, so she'd spent much time as a child being held and cuddled. There was also the fact that her mum was probably just a little eccentric. The mun can attest to the truth that most anthropologists were at least a little bit odd.

"....well, thank you." Because anything else that she might've been thinking about saying was definitely not appropriate for conversation. She nodded, though, and bent down to pick up the bag of muffins.

A moment later she offered it to him, if a bit hesitantly. "Er, I'm probably in no shape to -- learn -- anything, but I'm sure I'm taking up enough of your time to warrant these."

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[info]otets
2008-10-04 11:00 pm UTC (link)
He took the bag uncertainly, as most of his actions taking place around this very strange girl seemed to be performed. "I--er--thank you."

But Amery felt like he should probably say something a little more. What exactly was the protocol for situations like these?

This was precisely the reason why he hated people as a whole, because he always felt like he should say something, but never quite knew what it was supposed to be.

"I'm-- I--wish you... great marital bliss."

Oh, for Merlin's sake, this was probably one of the most uncomfortable things he'd ever done in his life.

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[info]avant
2008-10-04 11:04 pm UTC (link)
This was definitely not an appropriate time to start laughing, but Marnie couldn't stop herself from doing exactly that. It was absurd - she was making him so very uncomfortable and he was trying to be helpful bit it wasn't helpful in the least - and laughter seemed like it might diffuse the situation at least somewhat.

Whether this was a correct assumption or not was up for grabs. She coughed once the fit had subsided and nodded, though.

"So -- reschedule, maybe." Because this was definitely not going to stop her from learning Russian, damnit!

Hopefully she'd made it obvious she wasn't laughing at him, or he'd probably be supremely offended.

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[info]otets
2008-10-04 11:07 pm UTC (link)
Looking annoyed, he folded his arms and waited for the giggles to subside.

Oh, honestly, this was some kind of gigantic joke being played on him, right? It had to be.

But she still managed to look so supremely hopeful with those giant doe eyes that he felt she might start crying if he said no.

Not that he really could, anyway, since he already agreed.

"Yes," Amery nodded, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "We can reschedule."

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[info]avant
2008-10-04 11:10 pm UTC (link)
And she well might have. Good call on that one for once, Amery.

"Oh, good! I'll -- I'll owl you." Perhaps in a week or so when her life was less of a sham than it was now. She nodded to herself and flashed a polite (if a bit shaky) smile to Amery before turning on her heels to walk off.

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[info]otets
2008-10-05 02:34 am UTC (link)
Still slightly in a state of surprise, he walked back to his office and kicked the door shut.

That girl completely threw him off his game. She clearly had a bad presence.

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[info]veevee
2008-10-05 02:48 am UTC (link)
It wasn't until she saw the girl exiting out the hall that Venice bothered to slip into Amery's office, brow arched.

"Marnie, hmm?" Colour her very amused. The girl had seemed like a skittish hamster as far as she was concerned.

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[info]otets
2008-10-05 02:52 am UTC (link)
He shook his head. "Don't ask me why, she cornered me yesterday and cause a lot of confusion. I don't know how or why, but I was somehow browbeaten into teaching her Russian."

Leaning back in his chair, he folded his arms and regarded her cheekily. "Well, I don't suppose you'd barricade her from coming in next time?"

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[info]veevee
2008-10-05 02:54 am UTC (link)
"I sincerely doubt the ability of that diminutive little woman to browbeat anyone, Mr. Wilkes." Let alone someone who was supposed to be -- she assumed -- associated with the Dark Lord. Honestly, it was a little scandalous that he'd even consider teaching her Russian.

She snorted, leaning on the doorframe of his office and taking a similar stance. "That," she remarked, "is most certainly not my job."

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[info]otets
2008-10-05 03:36 am UTC (link)
"I have a soft spot for frail, frantic women?" he asked dubiously, raising his eyebrows. "And it may not be your job, Miss Vega, but out of the goodness of your heart and your adoration for me as your superior, surely you would take it into consideration?"

He raised his eyebrow invitingly.

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[info]veevee
2008-10-05 03:38 am UTC (link)
She let out a sharp bark of laughter at his questions and slid away from the doorframe to walk over to his desk and place her hands flat against the surface of it, leaning toward him slightly.

"The goodness of my heart. I should hope that I've been your secretary for long enough that you've realized that is a very poor basis for argument."

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[info]otets
2008-10-05 03:47 am UTC (link)
"Mmm," he mused leaning forward on the desk with his elbows and resting his chin on his knuckles. "I have to admit, I had very low expectations for that working as I'd hoped."

Amery sighed loudly and leaned forward more. "Of course, I did notice you neglected to deny your adoration for me...?"

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[info]veevee
2008-10-05 03:49 am UTC (link)
"In purely the professional capacity, naturally, as you would never promote inter-office relations," she murmured, deadpan.

Certainly he was attractive enough, pureblooded enough that she wouldn't say the thought of it was entirely repulsive.

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[info]otets
2008-10-05 03:55 am UTC (link)
Smirking, he leaned back, raising his eyebrow. "Of course, it would be highly unprofessional for me to solicit you. I'm extremely pleased with the fact that we've established such a secure working relationship that you know me to be far more proper than that."

Never mind that this particular "working relationship" had continuously been on his mind since about the moment she'd worked for him.

Because that was neither here nor there, obviously.

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[info]veevee
2008-10-05 04:01 am UTC (link)
"That, of course, and the fact that solicitation makes me sound like a cheap trollop." She stood straight again, walking smoothly around the desk so that she was able to take a seat on the edge closest to Amery's chair.

She propped one foot up against the arm of it and smirked. Venice was certainly not going to make the first concrete move in this.

There was far less possibility for blackmail that way.

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[info]otets
2008-10-05 04:13 am UTC (link)
"Miss Vega," Amery said, sounding very pensive. "There's something about your calf that simply amazes me."

He placed his hand carefully above her ankle, being sure not to actually touch it.

"I can't quite put my finger on it, to be honest, but it is a fine piece of human anatomy."

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[info]veevee
2008-10-05 04:24 am UTC (link)
Oh, he was going to resort to dirty tricks? She was just fine with that.

Venice was well-versed in convincing people without actually doing any convincing. "Is that so?"

She leaned forward over her own leg to get a good look at her own calf. "You shall have to inform me when you figure out just what it is."

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[info]otets
2008-10-05 04:27 am UTC (link)
Well, it was nice to know she was happy with going along with him and his assault of her leg.

"You know," Amery mused, leaning away from it slightly, to get the full view of it, "I think the problem is that it's bent. Perhaps if you just lay it out here?" he indicated the top of the back of his chair, "I might better be able to look at it."

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[info]veevee
2008-10-05 04:46 am UTC (link)
She clicked her tongue when he leaned back, arching her brow. She certainly wasn't going to be putting her leg up on the back of his chair anytime soon, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to stretch her leg out for him.

Venice shifted, sliding her leg along the edge of his desk until it was fully straightened.

"If you insist..."

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[info]otets
2008-10-05 05:06 am UTC (link)
"Hmm," he said, appraisingly. "Yes, this is quite a lovely specimen. Tell me, do people often exhibit extreme signs of jealousy at the sight of such appendages?"

Amery shifted his hand, as if to touch, before drawing back. "Oh, that is, if I may...?"

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[info]veevee
2008-10-05 05:10 am UTC (link)
"You may not, in fact."

She arched a brow at him then, flexing her foot once before she let her lips twitch into a smirk.

He could look all that he wanted, but if he was going to touch then he'd have to do so without permission, as it were.

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[info]otets
2008-10-07 04:59 am UTC (link)
Amery had really never thought of himself as having a leg fetish. In fact, he really didn't like to think of himself as having any sort of fetishes, however, that might not be as true as he had been hoping it would be.

But he had to admit, looking at Miss Vega's calf was suddenly making him reassess his approach to anatomy, particularly in the opposite sex.

"Have dinner with me," he breathed, looking up at her where she perched. "Tomorrow. Sunday. Whenever."

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[info]veevee
2008-10-07 05:07 am UTC (link)
There was something utterly intoxicating about having a man under your control. Venice had discovered this after her brother's untimely death.

When it was your boss, though, and someone deep in His ranks...well, that made it even better. She arched a brow down at Amery, contemplating the offer. She even tapped a fingertip to her lower lip while she thought.

"Dinner," she drawls lazily, "Perhaps Sunday. Somewhere nice, though."

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