QuittingA season's worth of effort, frustration, and stress was bearing down on Ludo Bagman. It wasn't that he disliked his team but--things just felt so restrictive in Falmouth. It was as if people had such negative expectations of them from the start of things that Ludo found himself playing into those dirty tactics. He didn't pride himself on it exactly, and it was certainly something easy to do given the circumstances. There was just a small part of him that misses the Hufflepuff team. But it was almost done. The season was coming to a wind and the piece of parchment inside his duffel bag held a rather large secret for the Falcons beater.
The game on (and off) the pitch wasn't the only thing creating frustration and stress in Ludo, however. The light scent of jasmine and freesia wafts through the Falcons locker room after practice; he closes his eyes and allows himself to become lost in it for a moment.
"Wotcher, Bagman." The high-toned greeting came out loud and unexpected as Ludo works on finding clothing. He dares to risk a glance in her general direction, not quite sure what to expect out of Drea Johnson today. There were times when she could be extremely tame, almost innocent, with how she acted...and then there were the days where it took everything Ludo had to not do something.
He finally dares a peek at her, and the vision in front of him wasn't entirely displeasing. He smirks as his eyes run up and down her richly colored skin, the way her hair curls when let loose from the tight updo from the pitch, the subtle curve of her breasts under a flourescent green bra. He let out a quiet cough, shifting his weight before looking back down at his things. "Good practice today, Johnson," he replies. It was an honest compliment, considering how practices usually went for Drea.
She grins, moving closer to him to grab things out of her locker. "You weren't terrible yourself, Bagman," she said as she slowly slips a very small pair of jean shorts over her hips. "You certainly know how to handle that bat," she adds, giving him a cheeky wink as her arm brushes against his before moving to work at the button just below her navel.
Ludo coughs, trying to determine what she was getting at with the comment. He wants it to be a thinly veiled attempt at rousing him up. He quickly decides that will be how he pushes at things, bugger it all to hell if it wasn't. He leans one arm against the wall, letting his eyes freely roam her body once more, a very amused grin on his face. "It's not the only thing I'm capable of handling," he said, moving to cage her against the wall between his arms.
"Is that so?" Drea challenges, an eyebrow raised in response. She doesn't move in discomfort, but she doesn't feed into what Ludo was doing either. She has one hell of a poker face when it came to this sort of thing.
"Yeah. 'Course, I have a feeling you may know what you're doing with a bat too," he adds huskily, finally letting one arm drop down to slowly move against her curves, relishing the feeling of her breast and waist before settling on her hip.
Drea smirks before laughing. "And I assume you'll be wanting me to show you just how far my expertise goes next?" She leans in towards Ludo, her lips and teeth grazing at the side of his neck before moving to his ear. "And what will the management say when they hear about our...extracurriculars?"
Ludo's eyes roll into the back of his head before he lets out a slow, shallow breath. His other hand moves down to her other hip now before he makes good work of his upper body strength and lifts her up. "I'd just as much tell them to fuck off," he replies, his voice a mix of grittiness from strain and trying to control himself. "They can't tell me what to do after this season anyway, I'm set for Wimbourne before the next one starts." he adds with a grin.
Congratulations, Drea Johnson, you are now officially the first to know that I'm done with this damn team, Ludo thought to himself as he maneuvers his way through the locker room, easily holding up Drea as they move.
She squirms a bit in his grasp, trying to become more comfortable. Ludo being traded (or trading himself?) is certainly news, and while she briefly wonders what the management would think of this revelation, she is far too distracted by the current state of things to be too caught up in Ludo Bagman's career. "Well, it looks like someone's deserving of a going away present then," she manages finally, her fingers running through his hair as she spoke.
Ludo finally decides that the bleacher seating between the two walls is the best place to situate themselves for the time being. He teeters at the edge for a moment before sitting comfortably, with Drea in his lap. He lets out a contented sigh at the feeling of her on top of him, yearning for things to continue past this point.
Drea makes her intentions obvious as she pushes her hands under his shirt and pulls the material up and off his body. Her lips move to explore his body while he lets his hands do the same on her. Her skin feels soft under his rough, calloused hands and he feels himself growing hard at the thought of her completely naked. It's a sight he's caught glimpses before in the showers...Drea isn't exactly a modest creature when it comes to public nudity, but the thought of her like that now, is nearly too much for him to handle.
She gently pushes off of his lap and makes quick work of removing his boxer-briefs and shorts, and he lets out a sigh at the sudden lack of constriction. Her hands move across his abdomen and down, wrapping around his length. He lets out a content growl at the feeling, encouraging her to continue. Drea's repositioned herself so she is kneeling on the ground at the end of the bench, and she smirks as she looks up at him. "So, what'll it be for your going away present, Mr. Bagman?" she asks finally, her hands pumping at a relaxed pace. For once, Ludo's not quite sure how to respond. He lets out a grunt before shrugging, deciding to leave it up to Drea's whim and expertise.
Drea rolls her eyes. "I figured you'd be a man capable of telling a woman exactly what you want," she comments quietly, lowering her head to gently kiss at his inner thigh. "Perhaps I was wrong about you though, Bagman." She moves carefully to press a kiss to the opposite skin. She rolls her head to the side, her breath tickling warm on his member as she breathes out. "All you have to do is say the word," she says, her voice airy and quiet.
He lets out a deep sigh. "Well, for starters..." he says finally, the now patented Bagman grin spreading across his face. He leans back, putting the weight of his upper body on his right arm before moving his left hand to caress her hair. "I think we should put those lips to better use."
She laughs at his comment before obliging, her lips parting as she slowly takes in his length. Ludo lets out a heavy, slow sigh, his mind occupied with the feeling of her mouth as she envelopes him. Her pace is slow and teasing, but she's definitely an expert with her tongue. The pace ebbs and flows; sometimes picking up to the point where he thinks he's on the brink of losing it before she suddenly slows down, teasing him away from release. His hand stays on the back of her head, though it takes all he can muster to not control her movements with it.
Instead, he finds her hair tangled between his fingers, which pull and attempt to coax a faster pace from Drea. It shocks him when her own hand moves up and wraps around his, pushing it down with some force. Her eyes dart up to look at him, and the fire and intent behind them is nearly enough to send him over the edge. Taking her movement as a sign of encouragement, he begins to guide her a little more firmly, and the vibration of a hum from her is all he needs to confirm that he's doing exactly what she wants. He increases the pace of her movements and groans at the euphoric feeling that comes with her taking him entirely. His vision begins to blur and before he can warn her, he spills himself inside her mouth with a loud groan. His arms go slack and he lowers himself so he's lying on the bench, his fingers loosely curled in Drea's hair.
He hears her cough and clear her throat and wonders briefly if he should have given her a choice in the matter. Her quick movement to straddle his waist, however, tells him he doesn't have much to worry about. Drea leans down and places a gentle kiss on his temple. "Are you pleased with your going away gift, then?" she whispers to him before pulling away enough to see his eyes.
He pauses to give it thought before smirking. "It'd be terrible of me to rob you of some sort of parting gift, now wouldn't it?" He's not ready to move, but knows that it's only right of him to return the favor. "I do believe I've worked myself up enough to require another shower..." He had the distinct feeling that Drea would not argue with the suggestion.
topAloneChristmas of 1982 at the Quigley household didn't feel too out of the ordinary from others. There's the addition of a new grandbaby for Deena and Crawford, and Mason brought home a girl for the first time in years. Between time with Leo's family and running around with a newborn, Sophie finally felt at ease. So while Leo and her parents were talking and taking the opportunity to get plenty of time holding little Eleanor, Sophie decided to sneak away from the parlor.
She carefully slipped her winter boots and coat on before exiting the house, trying not to create too large of a commotion in the process. Her favorite childhood memory was of her and her brothers spending time in the small, rickety treehouse that Mason had begged and begged for in 1961. When their father finally gave in, it took everything that Sophie could muster to talk Iwan and Mason into letting her play with them. Iwan was the easy sell, but Mason had a tendency to be ruthless towards their half-brother.
Coat wrapped tightly around her body, Sophie looked up at the house--no doubt still holding on due only to the magical reinforcements added to it over the years. She smiled sadly at the tattered window curtains Deena had forced Sophie to sew one summer (because she needed practice with needle and thread---right, whatever Mom). She let out a slow breath, watching the vapor as it danced in front of her in the cool December breeze.
Surely the house was firm enough, Sophie thought fleetingly. She had not been up the makeshift ladder in years but she figured that it would hold (and if not, she had her wand on her to cushion any sort of fall that might occur). Her hands stung as she placed them bare against the snow-covered wood pieces nailed haphazardly to the tree. She brushed her fingers on her coat hem between each grab, flexing the muscles in her hand as she did so. Reaching the top, she pushed the trap door open, a loud groan of a creak erupting from the hinges. She winced at the sound before continuing her ascent into the treehouse. It was significantly smaller than Sophie remembered, made smaller by the fact that she was not alone.
"Iwan," she said with surprise, pulling herself up into the house fully before shutting the trap door and sitting on top of it. "I wasn't expecting anyone else to be up here."
Iwan shrugged, picking at something on the floor of the treehouse. "B-b-better than b-being ins-s-side," he responded.
Sophie let out a small sigh. She disliked how hateful their family could be towards Iwan. In her childhood she never fully grasped the situation, and now that she had grown into adulthood she
understood, but she still didn't find it to be a valid excuse. If anything, the steely remarks and attitudes would be better geared toward their mother, given that Iwan had no say at all in the matter of his birth. "You shouldn't have to sit out here alone. Especially on the holidays."
He looked over at her, a small smile on his face. "Y-you're usually the r-r-reason I come at all, H-Harry."
She felt a pull at her heart when he used his childhood nickname for her. She'd honestly looked up to her older half-brother when they were young, even if the rest of her family didn't really want him around. She smiled, looking down at her lap awkwardly. "Yeah, well, sometimes you're the only reason I put up with this shit, too," she said before looking up at him again and laughing. "It's freezing out here though, are you sure you don't want to come in and see your absolutely adorable baby niece?" Sophie extended her hand out to him, hoping that he'd take it and come back inside with her.
Iwan sat for a long while, no doubt mulling the situation over, before letting out a deep sigh and grabbing his younger half-sister's hand.
topUnexpectedLudo Bagman sat at his worn mahogany desk, not quite sure what to make of his current situation. He was very happy with it, to be sure, but it was--well, it was delicate, to say the least. They were both so young and, in a way, there was a hell of a lot of irony to the entire situation. He tapped his quill against his desk, trying to come up with the write words to express things properly. With a sigh, he finally set to work.
Miranda
You'll never guess who just stopped by the house...He sat back and looked at the journal, somewhat satisfied with the wording of things. He waited anxiously for the response from her to appear below his own, and she was quick to appease him.
Ludo
And who would that be?Ludo chewed on his lower lip, trying to decide how to approach it. On the one hand, he was quite excited about the news. On the other...there were days where he wondered if Ralph still held things against him. The past had always been something that Ludo preferred to keep there, especially now. He'd been through so much in the past three decades, surely he wasn't the only one who had let go of those old grudges and prejudices?
Miranda
A one Arthur Frobisher with a most interesting request.The response was almost immediate.
LUDO
OH MY GOD HE WENT OVER THERE!!!!!!!Ludo noted the large amount of wasted ink and laughed. There was something to be said about women and their ability to read into things.
Miranda
I've given him my blessing, of course. I'm hoping that, for young love's sake, it's a mutual feeling?It was certainly unexpected, finding the son of Miranda and Ralph in his living room, asking for his daughter's hand. Ludo knew the question had not been asked of her yet, as Ophelia has always been an outspoken, bright and bubbly girl. But there's something that feels right in all this. And maybe with a little luck, it could ease things between Ludo and his future son-in-laws parents. Maybe.
topTalkIt had taken a lot of reassurance from Mary MacDonald-DuBois that there was no way that Mr. MacDonald could get his hands on one of his rifles before she could get Gabriel to RSVP yes to Michael's annual birthday party at the farm. Personally, Mary felt proud of how things had gone in the past year.
Their relationship had been rocky--intensely so in the beginning. There were moments in the past where she wondered how things could have been different between them, but now knows it's silly to think of such things. And honestly, Mary was very happy with her life. She had a beautiful son, lived in a foreign country and got her journalism career fully off the ground, and now she was happily married with a baby on the way in January. And she knew that if she were to ask Gabriel, he would say many of the same things about his own life.
Mary was in the kitchen, trying to get things put together along with Augustin when there was a knock at the front door. Wiping her hands off, she went to get it, assuming that it was one of her sisters showing up for the party. Her smile grew when she opened the door to find Gabriel. She opened the door and ushered him in, but not before giving him a quick hug. "God, Gabriel, you're..." she paused, trying to find the right words. "You look brilliant. Everything good at home with Rachel and the children?" She cleared her throat before crossing her arms across her chest.
Gabriel nodded in affirmation. "Everything's just great," he said, short and to the point.
Mary responded with a small smile. "Well...er, Michael's upstairs, still napping. But you're welcome to have a cuppa in the kitchen. Augustin and I are just trying to finish up a few last minute things," she explained. She inwardly breathed a sigh when he made his way to the kitchen and took a seat at the kitchen table.
They could do this, they could be comfortable around each other--talk, discuss things. Michael deserved that, at least, but in some ways she felt like they both deserved that as well.
topEscapeSamantha smiled happily as she held on to Ava's right hand in her left, Thomas grasping her left in his right. They were walking slowly on the beach, taking their time returning to where the rest of the Cadwallader clan sat, enjoying the afternoon. It had been a long time since a family holiday together, but Samantha was so glad they were able to escape the hectic pace of life, even if only for a weekend. Even more than that, she was pleased that Thomas was able to come along with them. She knew that he and Victoria were close, but it would be good to see how he and Scott got along as well. Every few steps or so, Ava would insist on them picking her up and swinging her between them, and Samantha had no issues with obliging the young girl's whims.
When they rejoined the rest of the family, Samantha took a comfortable seat next to Thomas, ready to relax into a book and casual conversation with her siblings. "You know," she said with a smile, "There are some fantastic ruin sites not too far away. I bet Ava would love to see them." Samantha meant the suggestion honestly. The suggestion was met with a frown from her brother and weariness from her sister, but Samantha was sure that by the end of the day she would have the group convinced that it was as safe as could be. This was definitely going to be a holiday for the books, though, Samantha was sure of that.
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