wessidestory (wessidestory) wrote,
@ 2009-10-18 19:03:00

"You're not wearing that are you?"

"Yeah, you look like a wanker."

Wes rolled his eyes to the ceiling before turning around to face his two sisters who were standing at his open door with identical devilish grins. "First of all," he began, holding up an index finger and pointing it at Tilo. "Lalita's the fashion expert so you and your opinion can kindly sod off. Second," -- he turned to Lalita, his eyes widening -- "what's wrong with this?!"

"What's not wrong with it?" she said matter-of-factly, stepping into the room and looking at the sweater in distaste. "That sweater is from, like, two seasons ago."

"It's a bloody black sweater! How can you tell what season it's from?!" Wes demanded.

"Oh, Akash," Lalita said, shaking her head pityingly. She reached a hand out to tug at the fabric.

"Well, whatever," Wes said, slapping her hand away defensively. "Tallie won't care."

"What time's she getting here?" Tilo asked innocently, still standing at the door.

"Don't you worry about it," Wes said threateningly. "You made quite enough of an impression on her the last two times she's seen you, you've done enough."

Lalita grinned. "Trying to impress her, are you?" she asked, and gave him a once over. "That sweater won't do the trick, I can tell you right now."

Wes groaned and pulled the sweater off, tossing it onto his bed and gesturing towards his closet. "Fine, go, pick something."

Her eyes lighting up, Lalita immediately stepped towards the closet, picking through the shirts and sweaters. Though Wes didn't have much to choose from, he was sure Lalita would be able to pick a coordinated outfit that the occasion really didn't call for. He'd made plans for Tallie to come visit him over the holidays, and if it were up to him, he'd have loved for it to be a low-key event that a simple black sweater would be perfectly suited for. Though his parents were -- thankfully -- under the impression that Tallie was only a friend, once his sisters heard she was coming, they predictably started to make an ordeal out of it; Tilo teased him more than usual and Lalita fretted over his hair and clothes. The only reason Sonali wasn't lecturing him on how to treat a lady was because she was settling into her new home with her husband. Wes wished Nandini were around to tell his sisters to take a bloody sedative but she was even more popular than Wes and was usually out with a friend or five.

Wes sat down on the corner of his bed, watching Lalita deliberate between shirts and Tilo entered the room to sit next to him. "Don't know why you're looking so glum," Tilo said, nodding her head towards Lalita. "Lala's just trying to make you look like less of an arse. It's no easy feat, you know."

"Get out."

"Hey, respect your elders!"

"What! You don't deserve --"

"I'm your older sister, you should think of me as sacred."

"Yeah, well, Indian people believe cows are sacred, too -- I suppose I can see where you're coming from n--"

"Ugh, shut up, you two!" Lalita snapped, turning and glaring at them. "This bloody takes concentration, yeah?"

"Sorry," Wes and Tilo both mumbled. As soon as Lalita turned around, Tilo shoved Wes's arm and quickly leaned away when he tried to shove her back, and they silently squabbled as Lalita sorted through Wes' clothes. Wes hoped Tallie would arrive soon, as he was not sure how much more of this he could handle.

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tallieho
2009-10-19 07:29 pm UTC (link)

Tallie shivered as she stepped off the train onto the platform at Hogsmeade station, and she tightened her scarf around her neck to compensate for the sudden cold. It was nice to be in the fresh air though, after being holed up on the train for hours, watching the landscape get wilder and snowier as they travelled further up north. She immediately set off in the direction Wes had told her, a grin now spreading across her face in anticipation now she was nearly at her destination, after the long journey. Though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she'd missed him in the weeks that she'd been stuck at home, so she was excited now that he had held her up on the offer of visiting. There was a small part of her that was nervous to meet the rest of his family, but she tried not to linger on those more worrying thoughts, preferring instead to be determined to make a good impression.

A short walk later, Tallie found herself at his doorstep: the house hadn't been hard to find, and she could tell it was his right away, both of which had made it a lot easier. She dilly-dallied a moment before she knocked on the door, and ruffled her hair self-consciously as she waited for an answer. She idly wondered whether his hair had returned to normal by now, and how his family had reacted when they saw it - from what she had seen in Hogsmeade earlier that month, it would have been an amusing sight.

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wessidestory
2009-10-20 03:48 am UTC (link)

"There, just roll up the sleeves -- yes, just roll -- fine, I'll roll them -- oh look at you!" Lalita stood back and admired her work. She'd forced Wes into one of his white button ups from school, and had managed to dig out an old pale yellow sweater, a Spencer gift from Christmas past, from the back of his closet. After scolding him for never wearing such an ace sweater, and ignoring his protests that pale yellow was going to impress a girl even less than a black sweater from two seasons ago, she and Tilo had managed to pull the sweater over him. Now he was standing in front of them feeling very much like a mannequin, a grim expression on his face.

"I look like a royal poof."

"Well, yeah," Tilo said, nodding. "You can't expect her work miracles, can you?"

Wes made the motion as if he was going to backhand her and was about to say something snide when a knock came at the door. "Oh, shit," he fretted.

"I'll get it!" Tilo exclaimed.

"Oh, no you won't!" Wes said, pushing past Lalita and reaching out for Tilo's wrist but she was much too quick for him. Already bounding down the stairs, Wes had to take them two at a time and still couldn't catch up to her.

Tilo threw the door open, and squinted for a moment at the bright snow. Her eyes quickly adjusted though, and she grinned at Tallie. "Thank God you're here," she said. "Akash has been a right pain in the arse, making us help him choose between colognes--"

Wes caught up to Tilo at last and bumped her out of the door frame with his side, and he laughed nervously. "Whatever she just said, it was a lie," he said hastily, and stepped aside to let Tallie in, swatting at Tilo behind him who had just reached up to flick the back of his ear.

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tallieho
2009-10-20 06:11 pm UTC (link)

Tallie's anxiousness mounted as the door opened, but Tilo's exuberant welcome immediately dispelled many of her worries, and she grinned at Wes and his sister as they battled at the doorway. She felt a little pang at the shared camaraderie, thinking how fun it must be to be always surrounded by people your own age to keep you company (though perhaps living with Tilo 24/7 might become a little wearisome).

"Don't worry, I can tell," Tallie said sweetly to Wes as she stepped inside, making sure she flashed a grin at Tilo over his shoulder when she thought he wasn't looking. Tilo calling him 'Akash' again like before in Hogsmeade made her wonder whether she was supposed to do the same - she didn't want to look rude, after all. However, she decided to ask Wes about it later, not wanting to embarrass herself in front of his sister.

"Nice jumper," she said quietly to Wes, and added, "Nice to see you again, by the way!" in Tilo's direction as she loosened her scarf now she was in the warm, and setting down her bag at her feet, resting her hat on top of it. "Oh, and you have a lovely house," Tallie mentioned politely, looking around with interest as she fluffed her hair after the removal of her hat (because hat hair wasn't quite the look she was going for when meeting her ... friend's family). She had never been in a house inhabited by magical persons other than herself, so she was naturally curious, as well as getting to see where Wesley Chandar spent his holidays.

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wessidestory
2009-10-21 05:19 am UTC (link)

Wes raised an eyebrow in surprise at Tallie's compliment, not quite sure if she was being serious or not; he was inclined to believe that she wasn't seeing as how she loved to tease him and because, honestly, a yellow jumper?

Tilo gave Wes a shove, moving him out of the way so she could respond to Tallie's greeting. "You as well," she replied brightly. Wes was looking around at his small, clean but very lived-in house. "It's not that nice," he said, rubbing the back of his head and giving Tallie a grin. Meanwhile, Lalita was descending the stairs, smiling at Tallie, never having seen her before.

"You've met Tilo, unfortunately," Wes said (to which Tilo's smile turned to a glare and she slapped him upside the head), and gestured towards his other sister. "This is Lalita."

Lalita approached Tallie and put a hand on her shoulder, ushering her into the house. "Come on, you must be freezing," she said. "Let's get you into the kitchen before --"

However, it was too late: Jaanu had been attracted by the door opening and bounded down the stairs. He jumped around Lalita and sprang up on his hind feet, able to get up to around Tallie's stomach each time.

"Bloody hell," Wes muttered, unable to imagine a worse welcome for Tallie to his home, and he attempted to snatch the tiny dog out of the air before he sent Tallie running for the hills.

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tallieho
2009-10-21 07:39 pm UTC (link)

Tallie smiled at Lalita as she approached the grouping at the bottom of the stairs and Wes introduced her, raising a hand in greeting. "Hi, I'm Tallie," she replied amiably, but before she could make a move towards the kitchen she was met rather exuberantly by a shock of black fur aiming straight for her. With on hand on Wes' arm she tried to regain some of the balance lost from the impact as she laughed, attempting (and failing) to stroke Jaanu as he bounced up and down. Despite what some might think having witnessed her love/hate relationship with Achilles, Tallie actually quite liked animals - just not those seemingly intent on inflicting actual bodily harm.

"What an adorable dog! What's his name?" she cooed, grinning at all of them. Wes seemed to be agitated, but she wanted to tell him not to worry: after being cooped up in her conservative, quiet house since the beginning of the holidays it was such a pleasant change to experience some semblance of excitement.

Once Jaanu had settled down enough to let her pass, Tallie went with Lalita to the kitchen, saying as she went, "Thank you for inviting me, I was nearing the point of falling into a coma back at home ..." She couldn't wipe the smile from her face: she felt more comfortable than she had expected here, and with Tilo providing no shortage of entertainment, she was quite enjoying herself thus far.

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wessidestory
2009-10-22 06:31 am UTC (link)

Wes managed to pick up Jaanu, and when the little nuisance continued to scramble around in his arms, he passed him off to Tilo who cooed softly and clicked her tongue to calm him down. "Jaanu," she replied to Tallie and turned back towards the dog, smiling at him and leaning her face close to his, her tone turning to that of one that would be used while speaking to an infant. "He is adorable, isn't he?"

"Three guesses who he takes after," Wes said with a grin.

Together the three of them walked to the kitchen, where Wes pulled out a chair for Tallie to sit down. Parvati's back was turned to them but she promptly turned around at the sound of Tallie's voice.

"Oh, hello!" she exclaimed. "It's Natalie, right?"

"Tallie," Wes corrected.

"Sorry, Tallie," she said with a smile. She gestured towards the cupboard at Lalita, who then fetched a glass to pour water into for Tallie. "Sit down, sit down. Are you hungry?" she asked, as Lalita set the glass down in front of Tallie. "Do you live far from here?"

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tallieho
2009-10-22 04:58 pm UTC (link)

Tallie sat down at the chair Wes offered her with a grateful grin and fiddled nervously with the scarf in her lap, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the attention. They were all so nice - not that she hadn't expected them to be, of course, but she was flattered by the warm welcome.

"Hello," Tallie replied a little shyly to Parvati, smiling at her. She was conscious of wanting to create a good first impression, and not embarrassing Wes at all in front of his mum. "Oh, I'm fine, thank you," she said, blushing, when she was asked whether she wanted anything to eat, not wanting to be a nuisance. She thought idly to herself what a shock Wes would get if he were to visit her house: she couldn't imagine her mum offering anyone, not even her best muggle friend, Will, any sort of food or drink (can't you just get it yourself? I'm far too busy, she would tell Tallie before retreating to her study or the university).

"I live down in Surrey, so it is quite a trek," Tallie said with a small laugh, remembering her early start on the train that morning. It hadn't been too bad though, if not as luxurious as the comparably smart Hogwarts Express. After she spoke she glanced over at Wes, as if to say, am I doing okay?, and quietly thanked Lalita for the glass of water, taking a small sip.

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