elizabeth f. fortescue (ringmybell) wrote in valesco,
@ 2013-04-08 22:45:00

Entry tags:

RIAN!
"Smile!"

Katie's grin was wide and bright as she held up her spoon of mint chocolate and peanut butter chip ice cream. It was obviously hard for the little girl to hold the pose as the ice cream was making both she and her mother drool, but Liz snapped a quick shot with her camera and Katie stuck the creamy portion into her mouth. Liz quickly captured her daughter's look of complete delight. She stood, adjusted the lens of her camera as Katie dribbled down the front of her shirt.

"Oy, messy Cakes," Liz said with a laugh, "go find Grandpa and tell him it's bath time."

The girl jumped out of her seat and began to holler for her grandfather, who was somewhere in the back of the ice cream parlour counting inventory. Liz was taking pictures for a new menu, and maybe shots that could be blown up and put around the shoppe. It was a light, easy task, and she definitely needed to casual time with Katie after the past few months of panic and stress. At least one thing had remained constant, and that was how easily her daughter could make her smile.

Liz disappeared around the counter to put her camera away when the bell jingled, announcing that they had a customer. Deciding to be cheeky, Liz put on the silly paper hat that her father had his workers wear (both of whom had disappeared once Liz had shown up, as she was more than trained in scooping perfect six-tier cones). She stood up with a wide grin, "Welcome to Fortescue's, home to over two hundred and thirty-six unique ice cream flavors, how can I make you smile today?"

She blanched, the cheery spiel slipping out of her mouth so quickly that it took herself a moment to realize she was saying it to her ex-boyfriend, "Rian?"

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happydays
2013-04-09 08:19 pm UTC (link)

When one wanted ice cream, there was only one place to go and that was Fortescue's. There really wasn't a great place to get the best ice cream in London, let alone the magical world. The only problem was trying to time his cravings and appeasing his sweet tooth with the owner's schedule so that the father of his ex-girlfriend was not at the front. It had taken Rian a few tries to get it set up properly, not that he was trying to avoid the man for any bad reason. He just wanted to avoid that knowing, almost pity filled look that took upon the man's face when he ordered his double scoop of the daily special.

He wasn't eating through his feelings, he really wasn't. He just liked ice cream. Mostly, he wasn't.

When he walked by the store window the coast seemed clear enough that Rian was surprised to see a lack of just about anyone in the store. It wasn't quite warm enough to drag out the early afternoon spring ice cream eaters, but he could dig into a specialty at just about any point of the year.

He certainly wasn't expecting to see Liz pop up from behind the counter and greet him like a normal store clerk. Her question registered and his mind helpfully supplied that seeing her was enough to make him smile - causing a light blush to rise on his neck and ear tips - but he just offered her a polite smile and turned to look at the flavors instead of making eye contact.

"Uh, yeah hey. Sorry, I wasn't - I'm not stalking you. I just. Ice cream," he stammered, pulling one hand out of his pocket and indicating the display in front of him. "I yeah. I can go if you want? Or not. How are you doing?" he asked, finally looking up at her and trying to control the awkward and conflicting emotions that were battling for dominance.

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ringmybell
2013-04-10 01:04 am UTC (link)

"No! I---" Liz shook her head, gesturing toward the various tubs of ice cream, "Who am I to stand between you and your delicious treats?"

Oy. Vey. Liz's shoulders shrugged awkwardly as she tried to come up with an excuse to leave, but while part of her was ready to bolt straight through the ceiling, another, more whiney part wanted her to stay and talk to him. It hadn't been a fight that had ended things with Rian, it had been---life, her, her craziness, Katie, Ian, him! Things had just become too much and Liz had realized in a sudden and abrupt manner that she couldn't handle 'too much.' Not yet.

So her answer had been to ask for a break, to be---broken up. Rian was most certainly one of the nicest blokes she'd ever met, quieter than most of her friends (or at least, what was remaining) and very understanding of her craziness. Because that's what it was: she was crazy. She was an undiagnosed loony who still had permission to spend time alone with a very young child. Liz was just waiting for the day that the healers from St. Mungo's came and carted her off in a straight jacket, but until then she suffered through her anxieties on her own and made a mess of what could've been good things.

"I'm doing all right," she said with a nod, looking down at the counter to take a breath. Liz lifted her head and cocked it to the side, "How's your sister? And the job and---you?"

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happydays
2013-04-10 06:42 pm UTC (link)

"I mean if you- yeah. I mean, okay," Rian acquiesced to her gesture. He really did want ice cream, even if the awkwardness between them was eating him from the inside out. He wanted to put his hand on hers to reassure her, to let her know he wasn't mad or angry, any of the emotions that might come from being dumped so heartily and randomly - her explanation had made sense in a Liz sort of way, and who was he to feel angry about that?

The mention of his sister caused a pinched expression that he quickly folded away, even though everything had been marginally better than it had when she first got married, her being sick didn't really help the matters given how stubborn they both were about, well, everything. "She's better, as soon as she was back on her feet she was up trying to boss everyone around and to get back to work, you know her." Even if Liz didn't really know his sister that well, she knew enough from his perception of her anyway. "And Katie? She's doing well too?"

It felt awkward to ask after a kid that wasn't his, that he had no claim to except that he'd spent time in her presence and really enjoyed it, being with her and Liz. He was very glad to hear she'd made it through, out of the hospital. "Work is fine, the same really. Got to have those forms completed in triplicate right?" he offered her a half-smile, his work was enjoyable, boring most of the time, but enjoyable.

"I'm-" How did he answer that question? That life kind of sucked without her, that he still loved her, that he just wanted to talk to her sometimes, to get that rush of feelings and energy he got when she was around. That wasn't really fair of him to say, so he shrugged. She'd know it was a lie, she'd have to know, because how could someone go from being with her, having their lunch dates, to nothing at all and still be okay? "I'm fine. Really. How are you? You looked rather nice at the benefit the other night."

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