8 Feb 1895 — A Bistro in London

With the cook and housekeeper having Saturdays off Dominic was made to fend for himself down in the village. In a surprising change of heart though, he'd instead sent an owl to his sister asking if she wanted to meet up in London instead. Not one to turn down an invitation from her reclusive brother, his sister's affirmative was returned as immediately as an owl could fly back and forth. The creature was given a hearty treat, and Dominic made his way down to London to his sister's favorite little bistro.

Now sat in their usual spot, furthest from the door with his back to the wall, Dom placed his order of steak, vegetables and potatoes, settled in and was reading a copy of the Daily Prophet (actually it was a copy of the Daily Prophet from two days ago; he’d forgotten his book) when he was so rudely interrupted by something quite unexpected. A dinner roll to the side of his head. Snapping the paper shut, Dominic flicked his gaze towards the direction of where the missile had come from.

He half expected it to be Delphie, but she'd clearly stated she'd be joining him for tea after dinner and not a second before. So his gaze instead landed on the woman nearest him.

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Hurling! Female, MC/WCAB

  

Daesyn was supposed to be meeting someone from the bank today, someone three feet tall with large ears and a scroll with her next assignment. Instead, an owl had been sent to her to inform her that.. "Due to a terribly important incident of a financial nature, Mr. Boogamdin would be unable to leave the bank today." So now it was her, her food and her boredom until she could be bothered to apparate home.

She watched as a gentleman read his paper, a very handsome gentleman indeed. Perhaps it might be a chance to have a little fun. She tried to catch his eyes as he glanced across the top of the paper. She tried to catch them again as he turned the page. A third time she even craned her neck a little so it was obvious that she was looking. Then, she didn't know what came over her, but she picked up her fork and flicked, aiming to ruffle the two-day-old papers and get his attention. Oops.... she missed the paper and hit his head. She quickly put down the fork as he looked over.

"Oh, I'm so very sorry I didn't.... oh Merlin who am I kidding? I'm Daesyn. It's a pleasure to meet you, has anyone ever told you that you are very handsome." He would be confronted by rather pretty but somewhat wrongly dressed women. She wore trousers shirt and a matching waistcoat. These were clearly clothes tailored for her physical shape so she maintained her feminity whilst eschewing the accepted dress style for her gender.

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Dominic Orpington

  

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Thank you MJ for this art

Whatever he’d been expecting, it certainly had not been…this. Dominic stared at the woman as if she might as well have had a curse put upon her and grown two heads. What happened to a dropped fan, or fork or something other than lobbing a piece of food at someone’s head to get their attention?

The woman introduced herself in first name only, and he had to wonder if she even had a last name; or if that was, perhaps, her only name and she used it in a more professional manner than women in society normally did. He was extraordinarily out of the trends that seemed to grip Society by their toes however, so he sought to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“Not in such a direct manner, no.” He responded brusquely, snapping the paper in his hands to right it before he went back to perusing the columns.

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Well, she had finally got his attention but perhaps not to his pleasure if the snapping of his paper was to be interpreted such. The woman chatted quietly to the waiter before speaking up again towards Dominic. "I've never been much good at indirect you know."

The waiter placed a fresh drink of whatever Dominic had been drinking before on the table on Daesyn's bill.

"Please accept my apology, I did not intend to actually hit you in the head." She grinned and chewed on her lip a little to prevent herself from laughing, getting a proper look at him after he had briefly lowered the paper confirmed his handsomeness but his reply indicated a different tactic might be in order.

"Hasn't the weather been lovely these last few days, might I ask what brings you out today? I was hoping to meet my employer but he shall not be attending." She still had a playful cadence in her voice but she was trying to be more proper. Dae wasn't entirely sure what had possessed her to throw a dinner roll at the gentleman but boredom and idle hands had never been the woman's friends.

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Dominic Orpington

  

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Thank you MJ for this art