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Welcome to Charming, the year is now 1894. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.

Where will you fall?

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Queen Victoria was known for putting jackets and dresses on her pups, causing clothing for dogs to become so popular that fashion houses for just dog clothes started popping up all over Paris. — Fox
It would be easy to assume that Evangeline came to the Lady Morgana only to pick fights. That wasn't true at all. They also had very good biscuits.
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#17
Gideon nodded with a smile and even went so far as to offer his hand in official greeting. He wasn't about to kiss her fingertips or the like though, getting the distinct impression that wouldn't go over well with her. She was clearly far from the tittering and bashful sort of debutante he was more accustomed to meeting. Though, he'd never been one to get overly active in the season. At least, not before. But with Billie in the picture now, well, things were changing. "Gideon," he said as the quick shake of hands was had, "And you already know I'm an Ollivander."

As it was, he hardly recognized the first names being given as her siblings. The last name was familiar enough but he still hardly paid much attention to such things. "Nothing wrong with that," he answered with a shrug as he had two more foggy whiskies poured for them before turning his attention to one of the Jewell brothers to have a discussion briefly. A knowingly sort of smirk was seen by the brother as he glanced to Marlena from over Gideon's shoulder. Gideon just shook his head but gave the other man a handshake before his attentions were turned back to Miss Scamander.

"Looks like we're in luck," he said before pausing to take a drink of the foggy glass, grinning as the fog was emitted from his mouth once again before continuing on, "I've been offered a buy one get one sort of deal. You can take my free bottle if you'd like." It might have been a but too forward and even presumptuous for him to think she'd accept such a thing for free but he hardly seemed phased by it.


#18
The handshake was a wise choice on his part and one that Marlena was moderately surprised by, though not unpleasantly so. Men that attempted to touch her with more expectation than they would touch other men bothered her for reasons she was not altogether clear upon – it was what was done, she knew that, but still it disturbed her to her very core and Mr Ollivander immediately cemented himself in her estimation for his reticence.

She would even go so far as to say she wanted to see him again. Wanted to show him off as a friend she had made without February being the beautiful butterfly that inevitable brought men towards their little group. He was hers. She knew it was a strange triumph but she felt it all the same and with whiskey coursing through her veins Marlena lost sight of the bred-in sense of failure she ought to feel at her lack of skill in this department and instead felt pleasure course through her.

“Aren’t you the generous soul?” She said playfully, smile breaking out as she leaned in towards him. “Let me get you one to say thank you won’t you?” She glanced at the glasses before them with a wry smile. “Or one after these. You know Gideon,” she said with a smirk as she picked up her glass, testing out the name on her tongue and finding it flowed pleasantly. “One might deduce that you’re trying your hardest to get me drunk.”



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#19
This was simple. Easy even. This nonchalant sort of flirting. It was what Gideon was actually good at. And, truthfully, he preferred things that way. It was far simpler than actually trying to find a wife. Perhaps he needed to switch his tactics up. Go with what he knew best and then simply see where it had the potential to go. That was how it was supposed to go after all, wasn't it? Problem was, he had never really pursued anything beyond an idle flirtation and perhaps a brief affair. Though anything physical was never done with someone like Miss Scamander. No, proper types expected something more than a casual fling. And back then, well, he hadn't been interested in such a thing.

But no, with the way she was leaning into him and smiling, he almost wondered if that was a route to go. It wasn't wholly proper or even remotely how a gentleman would act. But.. if it was a means to an end... He'd have to think more on it even if she made it hard with the way she smiled and suggested getting the next round of drinks. "I think I could be okay with that," he said, flashing a grin back at her, "But just one." He couldn't very well have her buying multiple drinks after all.

Then she was saying his name, he quite liked that, and suggesting he was trying to get her drunk. He feigned a look of shock and even brought a hand to his chest and pointed at himself. "Me? Get you drunk?" he feigned a shocked tone as well but the mischievous twinkle in his eyes and slight smirk would give any of his supposed shock away in an instant, "That would be wholly improper and not at all the thing to do." But then, all jokes aside, he leaned closer to her much as she had already done to look her in the eye. "Unless," he started, slight smirk on his features as he spoke just above a whisper, "Of course, you'd like me to be doing just that."



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#20
Oh dear Merlin, this was quite the experience. Handsome young men, and older, decidedly less attractive specimens, had flirted with her before of course - she was not a complete shut-in, after all and when she tried she knew she could be reasonably attractive herself - but she had never once actually found it so curiously enjoyable. Perhaps, despite all this time of convincing herself otherwise, it wasn’t too late to change her nature? Would it really be so hard to at least try to be fond of a man? And she thought it might actually be rather easy to be fond of Mr Gideon Ollivander than most men of her acquaintance. His charm was evident, even to her, and perhaps she ought to make the effort before she became a total lost cause if only to make her mother happy?

“I wouldn’t be entirely opposed I suppose,” she replied with a tilt of her head, wondering briefly whether she should attempt the sort of coquettish smile she had seen her sister and other debs deploy at will, before deciding against it. She hadn’t been pretending thus far, so what was the point of trying to convince him that she was a demurring debutante now? He had seen her drinking whiskey like a trooper, the illusion was probably shattered already.

“Are you always loitering in one shop or another or do you sometimes go outside?” She asked, eyes flickering up as she contemplated the fact that he seemed to be a great deal closer to her than he had been a moment before. When had that happened? Had she done that without even realising? Up close his features were strong, he smelt of wood and, inevitably, whiskey, and Marlena felt a flush go through her she couldn’t identify: was this how she was supposed to feel when a man was close? Was this panic?

No, that couldn’t be right, she wasn’t at all prone to nonsense like that! She laughed to cover her sudden jitteriness.

“You’ll look like a vampire if you stay in dingy storage rooms all your life,” she quipped, quite aware that she spent her life in an office that, for security reasons, didn’t have windows.



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#21
Gideon's smirk pulled slightly up on one side, resulting a lopsided sort of grin. He was quite pleased with her response and it was more than obvious, if not by the smile but the look in his eyes as well. Not that he was the type to just try and get ladies drunk so he could take them home. Miss Marlena Scamander wasn't exactly the type he should even be considering such a thing with either. But as he sat there, their faces not too far from one another, he couldn't help his gaze from flickering to her lips. He felt the desire to have a taste of them, guessing she tasted very much like the whiskey they'd been having together.

But before he could go for it, propriety be damned, she was asking a question and then laughing. He'd have to bide his time, apparently, before he got a chance to taste those lush lips for himself. If she'd even let him, that was. He had a feeling she might, hoped she would. She hadn't put on airs like most debutantes, anyways, so he didn't find it too hard to believe that she might just let him get a small taste.

Leaning back so as to not overwhelm her and risk ruining any chance he may have, his own chuckle echoed her own as a result of her remark of vampires. "You'd actually be quite surprised," he began to answer rather easily, "During the less busy months, I like to travel. I stop off at different tree farms across the globe to see to see to particular harvests of woods for my wands. I also like to take a personal part in collecting cores. My wands are the better for it."



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#22
Was she imagining it or had his eyes glanced down at her lips? She couldn’t be sure: it had been years since anybody’s had and she was hardly in her sharpest frame of mind, but she was sure she had seen something. Marlena remembered the same look in Begonia’s eyes, but she had never seen it in a man’s and couldn’t decide if it was different or not, didn’t know whether it would make her feel the same at all.

Could it? Could anything? When he leaned away she felt a curious mix of relief and disappointment that only served to confuse her more – how could she feel both? None of it made any sense and Marlena hated nothing in the world as much as a puzzle she couldn’t crack.

“You sound very hands-on,” she replied with a small smile, feeling back on familiar ground now that she couldn’t see the flecks of different colours in his eyes. “I so rarely get to travel, most of the mysteries of the world have a tendency to come to us.” Which wasn’t always a good thing but did make her work rather more stable than most. “As we’ve learnt this summer I suppose.”



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#23
Gideon was a man through and through as his mind instantly went to a more improper place at the mention of his being hands on. He was very much a hands on type of person. Both in his work life and private. Though, thinking back on it, it had been some time since he'd enjoyed the touches of a woman. Clearly that needed to be remedied.

"That I most certainly am," he responded, a smirk coming back to his features with the underlying meaning of being hands on being very much in his thoughts.

He nodded at her following remarks, however. Her department likely had to deal with the damnable artifact that had seen to the awful fog that had taken hold over the summer. "Glad that one was seen to though," he added idly, eyes still focused on her and lingering over the features of her face. Would it be too bold to ask if her if she wanted to leave? Probably. Perhaps he should bide his time further. "Did you get to see the artifact yourself?"


#24
Marlena didn’t notice his emphasis and nor did she begin to form a theory as to why he was smirking so languidly – though it didn’t take much guessing – because the moment he mentioned the artefact she was swept up with it once more. The summer had brought with it many disappointments, among them the fact that she hadn’t been allowed to go to Irvingly in the first bloody place, but nothing galled her quite as much as the fate of the artefact.

she replied with a dour scowl. “Crouch wouldn’t even let me get in touch with the Egyptian Ministry to see if they’d let me examine it. Apparently it’s all best left alone,” she scrunched up her nose in irritation, taking a good sip of her whiskey to curb it. “I could have turned it into something good. Probably not as good as this whiskey,” she smirked up at him. “But something to make it all worthwhile.”



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#25
It seemed she wasn't all that keen on the turnout of the Egyptian artifact and that it was a bit of a sore subject. Gideon couldn't help but to continue to smirk as she took another drink of the whiskey, though. He found he quite liked her company. There weren't many women that could handle their whiskey in such a way, after all.

"Not sure there's much more than could be better than this whiskey," he agreed. Though, that could be the whiskey itself talking.

"So then, if you could do a bit of traveling, where would you go?" he asked, sipping his own whiskey.



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#26
Oh, now that was the question. Lena had seldom thought about what she would do if the atrium of the Ministry ever began to render her insensible with irritation, largely because such an eventuality was beyond her comprehension. She loved her work so much but the thought of what was out there...it gave her shivers and she wasn’t at all sure whether that was a good thing or not.

“Where to start,” Lena quipped with a small smile, settling in for what she was sure would be a long list on her part.



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