finalflight | psl; [a marriage of inconvenience]

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psl; [a marriage of inconvenience]

THE AUBEL ESTATE is located in Derbyshire, England, a stately old home reminiscent of centuries long past. Long ago, it had fallen into disrepair and abandoned until previous generations of the Aubel family purchased the land for themselves, having found their fortunes in matters of real estate. Since that time, the outside has been restored and the inside has been renovated at least three times. Four, if you ask the uncle who remembers the one summer where the chandelier fell from the dining hall, taking a large portion of the ceiling with it. How embarrassing, if such a thing is true.

In its present state, it straddles the line between the old and new. The large, prominent rooms are ostentatious as they are filled to the brim with austere English culture; the smaller quarters, traditionally used by the servants and staff, are far more modest, and over time have allowed the tendrils of modernity to creep in as a result. Regardless, the home is impressive no matter how you look at it, and there are few who do not cast an envious glance at the estate as they pass by Derbyshire on their way to town, or perhaps northwest to Manchester, if they've even farther to go.

PHILIP AND JAMES AUBEL, father and son respectively, are the owners of the home, though only the father remains for any extended period of time. And even then, he only stays perhaps one or two seasons at a time, until he returns to his home in London, spending one or two seasons there, before returning again, living out his life of retirement to the fullest. James visits nearly every week (driving in from Manchester, and back) in the Spring, until the first freeze of Winter, when nothing will grow. Though they have a staff of two dozen -- give or take, depending upon the time of year -- taking care of the estate and its grounds, James is more diligent about keeping up appearances of the house, showing a special interest in maintaining the complex hedge maze on the land directly behind them. Only he keeps access to its center, a literal walled garden of seasonal flora.

AS RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WOULD HAVE IT, James has been drawn into an arranged marriage by his father and an old business acquaintance. She is scheduled for an extended visit soon, and the staff have done a meticulous job of preparing the hall for her arrival -- and the rest of the rooms, as well, if she is expected to make her living here permanent, one day. Today, the weather is clear and the help is eager to aid her in unpacking. The grounds are green and the family dog, an old greyhound with cataracts in one eye, bounds up to her with a slow wagging tail. The father will greet her, of course, with all the usual formalities, and though he doesn't know her all that well at all, she at least seems nice enough. He disappears soon after, leaving her to her own devices as she sees fit. James himself is nowhere to be found.

Somewhere, sooner rather than later, a collision course of first impressions will take place.

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D I R E C T O R Y;

➤ shitpost.
➤ first impressions.
➤ diamonds.
➤ text her, texter.
➤ saviour.
➤ flirt.
➤ closer.
➤ cross-examine.
➤ PARTY CRASHERS.
✶ elle + devon
✶ elle + corvus
✶ ian + james + corvus
✶ devon + james
➤ alien abduction.
➤ sleep now.
➤ bathe.
➤ remember.
➤ drink.
➤ welcome home.

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[James feels a tug at his sleeve, and he glances over to see Devon standing next to him. He smiles at her, glad for her return, and nods; there's a sense of... something off, something he can't quite put his finger on, but for now, he'll merely look at the young women who were vying for his attention, smile, and say:]

Excuse us.

[There's not much else his admirers can say, and none seem quite bold enough to pull him away from his fiance proper. As such, James takes Devon by the arm and begins to escort her out.]

Find what you were looking for? [He offers, debating whether or not to feel out with his mind to get a sense of what was going through her head.]

[One of the girls with the keener eye notices Devon's ring when they walk away and there's an, "Ah," that passes between the two friends. Not that it matters as Devon and James leave the museum.

Devon seems distracted, as if she's retreated into her own thoughts much like how she was at the beginning when they first met. But she replies to James easily enough.]

Mm. No problem. Got everything I needed.

[She glances down as if just noticing that James had taken her by the arm. Why was she filled with such doubt towards his touch now of all times? Maybe it was the stress piled on from all of her obligatory visits and the approaching wedding date. Maybe it was her realizing another layer of weight that came with this relationship that they were in together and she had yet again underestimated it. And unlike last time when Devon made up her mind, she had no idea how to handle this by herself.]

Ian might be at home, but he'll go visit a friend's house when we come back. I'll need to make sure he's had a snack and...

[Her voice trails off and she falls quiet once again.]

[He waits for Devon to finish her statement as they walk, and when she doesn't, James has to raise a brow.

Definitely something off.

When he reaches out to feel her emotions, he's met with a swath of something that feels like uncertainty. He looks at her profile for a moment before asking.]

Is something bothering you? You've gone awfully quiet.

[Is something bothering you?

There's a flash of irritation at that question and she hates that she feels irritated at all.]

I'm fine.

[She says that more quickly and more sharply than she intended.]

Getting dragged around by my mom must have taken a toll on me. I'm definitely gonna rest when we get to the house.

[James definitely feels that spike of irritation. He's actually a bit surprised at it, blinking at her.]

...all right, then. It's been a long day, and maybe a nap will do you good.

[And maybe he'll ask her more about it later, when they've settled back down at her home.]

[And she leaves it at that. Devon's quietness settles over her for the rest of the ride home.]

* * *

[True to her word, little Ian's sitting on the couch with Vice President who's chewing on a toy while the boy plays a game on a tablet. He looks up when he hears Devon and James entering and waves to them.]

Hi. Had fun?

[Even Devon has to give him a smile even though she doesn't answer with words. She walks past him, giving her brother a pat on the head and VP a few scratches behind the ears before walking upstairs without a word. Ian blinks, confused at first, but then realizes what's going on to an extent. He puts down his tablet and then gets on his knees to rest his arms on the back of the sofa, looking questioningly at James.]

What is she mad about?

[James follows Devon up the stairs with his gaze, and he turns to look at Ian, the smallest frown on his face.]

I don't know, exactly. [He sits on the couch with an exhale.] She's fine one minute, and the next? She barely utters a word to me on the way back home.

[Ian plops down on his bottom again, dangling his legs.]

Something must've happened. If she's not telling you anything, that might mean she doesn't know how to talk about it or doesn't wanna talk about it.

[He glances upstairs and then back at James.]

She only goes upstairs like that for her, "Leave me alone," time. Guess she wants to brood and bum out.

[He sighs a little exasperatedly, though it's a bit exaggerated.]

And yet if I was acting that way, I have no doubt she'd tell me that it'd be best to talk about it, don't you think?

Brooding or not, I should go up there and ask her exactly what's wrong. For all I know, the issue might just crop up again -- and I don't enjoy being in the dark. Especially if it was possibly something that I did.

You know, I gotta hand it to you. You're handling this real well like an adult.

[Ian, he IS an adult!?]

But be careful, man. I don't even like knocking on her door when she's like that. Girls are scary.

[He gives Ian a lopsided smile at the "adult" remark, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead, he shakes his head, saying:] The terrors one faces when one is engaged. Such is my duty, it would seem.

[And leaving Ian with that thought, he stands, heading over to the stairs.] Wish me luck.

~*~*~*~*~

[Knock, knock, Devon.

James' knuckles rap lightly on Devon's door, even though it's a formality at best.]

Devon?

[Ian had left for his friend's house right after his conversation with James, giving him a thumbs up before leaving him alone with Devon.

Devon, in the meanwhile, has changed out of her clothes, after finding an old set that was untouched by her parents. Most of the clothing left behind when she moved to England were mostly sleeping ones consisting of pajama pants and light shirts. She's already dressed in a very casual set, something she would never wear at the estate. England's weather usually didn't call for shorts anyways.

She had always had a habit of retreating to her room when things in her life were too stressful such as school and job hunting, or when she was just in a bad mood. Not so different from anyone else really, but it was a very specific habit of hers, shutting everyone out just so she can wait out her sourness.

She's just finishing off painting her nails while laying flat on her stomach, legs crossed behind her, when she hears James knocking on her door outside. Without really thinking, she answers.]

Come in.

[... Okay, self, Devon thinks, now you gotta deal. Great.]

[James opens the door, stepping in and lightly shutting it behind him. The first thing he notices, of course, are Devon's (almost) bare legs, crossed behind her. He then notices what she's wearing, and he has to blink in pleasant surprise.

Not now, he tells himself. She obviously wasn't in that sort of mood.

He walks over to her bedside, indulging himself to sit at its edge.]

So... [He trails off, looking at her expectantly. As if giving her the chance to say something first, before he really has to pry.]

[Devon looks up at him, waving her hand in the air to let her fingernails dry.]

So.

[Okay, terrible start. She has to reprimand herself because she doesn't WANT to be in this mood, but at the same time, shutting people out was easier than having to deal with him right now. Devon pushes herself up so that she's sitting instead.]

Thinking of taking a nap right now?

[James is definitely getting Bad Mood vibes, and he's not even having to use his empathy. He raises a brow, but gives himself a moment before he chooses his words.]

You know me. A nap always sounds wonderful. And yet how can I sleep peacefully knowing that you're glowering at me from across the room?

[Well maybe not glowering, but it gets the point across.]

That's why I'm in here so the glowering can bounce off into the nothingness that is my bedroom walls.

[Devon, that's not helping the Bad Mood Vibes.]

No, I'm pretty sure they pierce right through them.

[Yeesh.]

Are you going to tell me what's wrong, or are we going to keep up this back-and-forth indefinitely?

[God, when he puts it like that, she feels even more foolish, even more childish. There's even a part of her that wants to act out and be more selfish, to just push him away again and...]

[She exhales deeply and then her shoulders relax as if giving up and Devon moves closer to lean her head against his shoulder.

She didn't want to push James away. Even if they had their push and pull moments together, having him far from her is far from the truth.]

Sorry.

I'm... I'm mad at myself. For feeling mean about you.

[Even James feels some tension leave his body when she puts her head against his shoulder. He puts an arm around her, pulling her a little closer, reassuringly. Her statement is puzzling, regardless.]

"Feeling mean"? Did I do something wrong?

No, no.

You're just too popular.

[He makes a face.] Popular?

[A beat.]

I'm actually a bit more anti-social than you might think, Devon.

[Is that... what the issue was? It doesn't clarify anything. ~~James is a stupid alien.~~]

[JAMES... Devon wrinkles her brows and nose, something that happens when he says something that shows how off he is in terms of communicating with people and truly understanding them. It's a good thing they've gotten as far as they have in their relationship because Devon has found that taking her time to explain is better than being patronizing.]

I'm talking about how those two girls at the museum were flirting with you and how a ton of people around us were checking you out.

Oh. That?

[That. That, like it's nothing. Like it's practically lost its novelty to him.]

That happens all the time. I wasn't trying to outwardly garner attention.

[DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER, DEVON?]

[... Cue the muttering as she runs one hand through her hair.]

I can't believe I have to admit it...

James. I was... [Swallows as if she has to say something poisonous.]

I was jealous. I didn't like what they were doing. And I didn't like people staring at you either like they wanted a piece of you.

[A beat. And she raises up both her arms in a shrug.]

I mean, I don't blame them.

[It's nice to know, some levity remains even in her sour moods.]

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