Do you hear the drumming?

Eleanor Clarisse Adams Durmstrang Alum Youngest member of the Wizengamot It's not here yet but it's coming on, and all our strength is faltering,

[lucianvalcourt]

"I suppose not," Lucian replied. In all honesty, he expected worse. Truth be told, Lucian spent the few weeks prior to returning home wondering if she still thought of him as the way she did before he left. The two didn’t exactly leave on the best of terms, but for some reason, Lucian felt as if it were all behind him now. Although, he doubted that it was the same for Eleanor as well.

He nodded once before turning his attention towards the bartender, pointing to whatever El was drinking and holding his fingers up, ordering two more. He slowly turned back, feeling her gaze burn into him. She would have questions, for sure, but Lucian wasn’t sure if he was ready to give them to her yet.

Lucian waited for their drinks to arrive before saying anything else. He took a long sip, letting the alcohol burn, having missed his favorite London-brand whiskey that he couldn’t find overseas. “I reckon I have a lot of catching up to do,” he told her before finishing off his drink in a second gulp.

[eleanorclarisse]

There were at least a dozen questions that came to mind, each one fueling her anger a little more than the last, the sensation making her feel far more adolescent than she ever had. But she wasn’t the clingy ex-girlfriend in this situation, though the latter half of that title was something that could be attributed to her as well. Right now, she was the pissed off best friend, wondering just where the hell he’d been for the last year and why he couldn’t have managed to send a simple owl during his eat, pray, love extravaganza.

Had she meant that little too him or was he out of his mind? The former a question she wouldn’t lose her dignity over to ask and the latter was one she already had the answer to, the alcoholic beverage placed in front of her beckoning her name like an old friend, but she left it there, not willing to touch his peace offering without an actual apology.

“A lot is subjective. You’ve avoided communication long enough. Another day couldn’t hurt.”

[lucianvalcourt]

The first thing he noticed was how is usual spot at the bar was taken by a long haired blonde. Lucian’s first instinct would have been to approach his mysterious lady in pursuit of her time and his seat, but he wasn’t that person anymore - or he tried very hard not to be.

He also noticed how the bartender wasn’t the guy he remembered. Or was he? For Lucian, all the unimportant faces just seemed to blur together over the months. However, one always remained perfectly clear, and it just so happened to be the one staring at him at this exact moment.

Eleanor.

He straightened his collar before walking toward her table, his eyes falling to the empty glass and her mountain of paperwork. Typical El. It almost made him smile. 

"All the bars on this street and you’re still coming to the shittiest one," he commented just before sliding into a seat.

[eleanorclarisse]

She hadn’t sat in their usual booth in months, eventually giving it up to whichever local decided to walk in that night, finding the space foreign without her usual company, staking claims on the next one over. Something about the action was a little too cliché, too reminiscent of new year resolutions where the change of a calendar year was to be held accountable for a different identity. If ‘New year, new me’ had actually rung true, El would have given up drinking altogether, but instead, she found herself with the  same bad decisions, just in a different booth.

Her usual spitfire tongue was kept quiet as Lucian made his way over, the brunette simply studying him for a moment as he walked and was then seated, expecting an explanation and almost laughing was she wasn’t given one, though the humor of the situation was lost on her, leaving her mostly cold. “Some things don’t change when you fall off the face of the planet.”

[lucianvalcourt]

Lucian finds himself returning home to the streets of London after being abroad for nearly a year. He’s traveled to several countries, taken advantage of an abundance of luxuries, and lost himself in foreign streets, time and time again. It was all in the name of “finding himself,” or that’s what he told his family, at least.

Now, the former Prophet journalist roams the city, familiarizing himself with places that he had nearly forgotten about. He reaches the bar that he basically called home before leaving on his trip and decides to take a visit, instantly hit with a face-full of nostalgia the second he enters the door.

[eleanorclarisse]

Long nights at the office led even longer nights at the bar as the brunette sought out answers for unclosed cases at the bottom of glass bottles, the alcohol burning her throat sip by sip, but she kept at it in between reading lengthy paragraphs of jargon that had long stopped making sense. Eventually she pushed the files forward, having had enough for the night and needing a moment to clear her head, the chime of the door ringing a little too loudly in her ears and in her nearly drunken haze, she could make out a figure that looked all too familiar standing under the welcome sign, blinking for a moment before registering who it was, her eyes remaining focused on him.

Lucian.

[kelsonellisiii-blog]

[he frowns when she gets up, but the frown disappears quickly. instead, he sits up and holds out his hand] Hey, wait, Eleanor. 

[eleanorclarisse]

[she stops in place, turning on her heel to face him, eyes meeting his as she says point blank] You don't get to pull my heartstrings, almost fuck up my career, and then leave without a goodbye--I was more than your attorney, Kelson. This was personal.

[kelsonellisiii-blog]

[he closes his eyes again, reverting back to his mummy-like resting position. progress has been made, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get tired out by putting actual effort into being human, especially after an hour of just that] I’ll consider it. 

[eleanorclarisse]

[any other person would have quirked a brow or narrowed their eyes in response, but El sat quietly, expression perfectly trained to appear emotionless, standing from her spot on the bed and smoothing out her skirt] Enjoy your nap. I'll have Mark check in on you in an hour for dinner.

[kelsonellisiii-blog]

[he props himself up on his elbows raising an eyebrow at her] With you, maybe. If you make it through my long list of applicants just begging at the chance to room with the ex-hit man. [he flops back on the bed, pressing his lips together] But maybe not here. 

[eleanorclarisse]

I'll provide a good review, mention how little you snore and your non-existent smoking habits. [watches as he does so, stating more so than asking] You'll see me before you move out.

[kelsonellisiii-blog]

[he glances at her this time, and he looks tired, stressed, everything that would accompany his sleepless nights and demanding appointments. his lips turn up slightly at her optimism; it’s a welcome change from how he’s felt lately, if nothing else] Home free. Yeah. 

[eleanorclarisse]

You're welcomed to stay here, but after seeing me everyday for a year, I'd assume you'd want some separation. [her tone is teasing, biting back the smirk that threatened to form on her lips at his smile] Clingyness isn't very becoming.

[kelsonellisiii-blog]

[he opens his eyes, but looks at the ceiling rather than her, frowning as his eyes run along the lines in the paint. its not so much that he’s consciously avoiding looking at her, its just that he’s consciously avoiding looking at her. he doesnt move beyond the open eyes] I think my file says I’m “making progress” if that’s what you mean. 

[eleanorclarisse]

[her expression turns solemn as she pushes him gently, trying to lighten the mood of the room, optimism in her tone] I could have told you that, but look at this way: only three more months  till you're home free.

[kelsonellisiii-blog]

[he hears the heels and closes his eyes; he knew she’d make it over to him eventually. he’s a little worn out, otherwise he’d get up and answer the door himself, but he doesn’t. he keeps lying on that bed with his eyes closed and tries to ignore the pounding headache starting just behind his eyes. between the questions he’d had to answer and the words his doctor had repeated today, over and over until they rang in his ears and he couldn’t pretend he hadn’t heard them, it’d been a bit of a long day. but still, when he speaks, his voice is normal, practiced. he knows it wouldn’t fool her one bit.] Come in. 

[eleanorclarisse]

[and so she does, a soft smile immediately fitting her lips at the sight of him, a habit that had formed over the last couple of months where despite the circumstances and everything else going, just seeing him in an arguably better environment where he was safe brought her joy. she takes her usual spot at the edge of the mattress, an action that already crosses the line in the world of ethics, but doesn't move closer unless she's asked in some way, posing the question she's meant to ask despite him growing tired of talking about it] How'd it go?

[kelsonellisiii-blog]

[so hes in his room, maybe having just come home from a particularly disorienting session, so he’s lying on the bed a little rigidly, his hands folded carefully over his stomach, and the only part of him that moves is his eyes when they have to blink. he might not have said hello when he got back, just went straight to the room and almost shut the door, but left it open a crack instead, because she should know she’s welcome if she wants. not that it would stop her if he had closed the door, probably]

[eleanorclarisse]

[With the new living situation--the term new loosely being used as this has been going on for the last nine months--the amount of protective spells placed upon the outside of her home had increased, completely sealing the place off for any outside visitors other than herself and their new live in Auror hired to protect the pair as well as accompany Kelson to his occasional hearings and appointments. Having let herself in after a long day's worth of work--or a week rather, proven through the dark circles forming under the concealment charms upon her skin, a much better method of makeup if you ever asked the brunette--she left her files on the kitchen counter, swapping them for an apple from the fruit bowl without so much of a pause between her movements, a hello called to Mark and making her way to Kelson's room, the noise of her heels on marble flooring a giveaway of her arrival, but she knocks regardless on the door, giving him some sense of autonomy in the prison of her home.] 

[eleanorclarisse]

-smiles gently because she’s probably also missed this banter, finding it amusing more than anything else- I’ve missed your cockiness.

[lucianvalcourt]

-keeps himself from replying with ‘and I’ve missed you’ and just goes for the smile- You say that now…

[eleanorclarisse]

-shrugs her shoulders though the smile slips off her lips- I don't think it'll change considering the circumstances.

[eleanorclarisse]

-smiles slightly at that- I could have helped if I knew.

[kelsonellisiii-blog]

-shakes his head- No, it was alright. I wouldn’t have wanted… it was therapeutic. 

[eleanorclarisse]

-quirks a brow- Wouldn't have wanted?

[eleanorclarisse]

I wouldn’t go that far.

[lucianvalcourt]

It’s okay to admit it. He’s not around.

[eleanorclarisse]

-smiles gently because she's probably also missed this banter, finding it amusing more than anything else- I've missed your cockiness.

[wms5012]

[holding-handz]

[weeadizzy-deactivated20151231]

[eleanorclarisse]

-raises an eyebrow- But?

[kelsonellisiii-blog]

Well, I actually didn’t use magic. Not that I couldn’t have, but, yeah. 

[eleanorclarisse]

-smiles slightly at that- I could have helped if I knew.