March 13th, 1891 - Transfiguration Teacup Trials

In a rarity, Noble was actually into an event they were attending as a family. Noble had wanted to go standing room only to save a bit of money, but had then become worried that the girls - or worse, the public - would catch on to things if they were in the standing room area with members of the working class. So: stands. They could survive it.

A fan fluttered to the ground in front of him on their way to the stands. Noble bent to pick it up before he recognized the pattern; he knew this fan, because it was Daff's.

He hadn't seen her since picking up the ingredients, nearly a month ago. And it was lucky and by chance that Noble had seen her fan before he saw her, letting the various Greengrasses get a little ahead of him on their way into the stands.

"Miss Potts," Noble said, extending it to her. His mind was already whirring - if he was clever about it, they could probably snatch a little bit of alone time to talk to one another here. "I believe this is yours."

---

@"Daffodil Potts" @"Elsie Beauregard"

  

---

set by Bee

Now this was an event Daffy found entirely worthwhile! She of course loved the theater, but what a day this would be! Anything that was particularly out of the ordinary or extraordinary in any way was something she could truly enjoy. Senna and Thistle were with her today, her newly married sister serving as a chaperon for the first time in earnest. Daff also highly suspected that her Aunt Ailsa and Uncle Ewart were here as well; this was definitely their kind of event. She honestly hoped to run into them at some point.

They had seats in the stands, a gift from her new brother-in-law after Daffy had expressed an interest in going. Little did she know it was going to be doubly in her favor. She and Noble were on a good streak with seeing one another so far this year, once or twice a month at that, which was delightfully often, but she certainly had not be expecting to see him today, even less so than at the Sonata.

As they moved through the crowd she was struck by a peculiar sight and paused to stretch to see, dropping her fan as she was jostled by someone trying to get by. Before she could bend to pick it up, it was being handed back to her by a pleasantly familiar face. "Mr. Greengrass, how kind of you." The fan itself wasn't hard to recognize, who else would have a fan with bright yellow daffodils on it, aside form someone actually named Daffodil? It was quite fitting. "This is a pleasant surprise." She quirked an eyebrow at him playfully.

---

  

---

"Yes, it's a pleasure to see you again," Noble said, at ease. His mind was whirring: was there a way for them to actually speak alone today, or would they be stuck to small talk in the crowd? They could snatch a few moments now, surely, but they wouldn't get the chance to have a real conversation - which was what he desperately wanted any time he was with Daffy.

Maybe under the stands? They were too in the crowd for Noble to verbalize this thought at the moment, but he considered it - and Daff was clever, maybe she would notice if she saw him moving.

"Are you planning to root for anyone specific, Miss Potts?" he asked, keeping to the small talk - still trying to unlock the secret of spending more time with her like it was a puzzlebox.

---

The following 1 user Likes Noble Greengrass's post:1 user Likes Noble Greengrass's post
   Fortitude Greengrass

---

set by Bee

Smiling slowly at both her luck and his handsome face, she hummed out here agreement easily. "Indeed it is, we just seem to keep running into one another," The reply came out in any airy tone, which fit her, but also hopefully carried a hint of nonchalance for anyone listening.

"I am in fact, my Uncle Ewart is participating." He was quite ingenuous when it came down it to. Most of the extended family was some kind of creative. "Do you know anyone in the race today?" The small talk became a little tedious after a while, but it might be all they got today, unless they could plot out a few minutes alone. Daffy would take whatever she could get.

---

  

---

"Oh, how exciting," Noble said in an impassive voice, like she was any school acquaintance and he did not know anything about her extended family. Ewart Fraser would be good in the race, he bet - from what Noble heard, he was a creative eccentric, which was very teacup transfiguration of him. "I think that Mr. Billy Darrow is participating, we're friends from school, but that's it." As if she didn't know exactly who his friends were already, and couldn't identify which Darrow he was talking about on automatic.

He was going to have to go under the stands and hope that she decided to follow him, if he was going to get away with actually talking to her - there was no way to drop a hint in the crowd without anyone catching on.

---

  

---

set by Bee

"Lovely," Daff smiled slowly. What an interesting cast of characters participating today. Her Uncle was undoubtedly an eager participant, but she hadn't pegged this to be Billy Darrow's kind of thing. How unexpected. Honestly she'd have thought Thistle might have signed up, as she was eager to see the trials themselves, but apparently she hadn't thought to. Maybe next time.

Senna was looking at her as the crowd started to move again and so Daff had to wonder if they were going to be reduced to sneaking glances across the crowd today instead of getting to make time to actually talk. It was looking that way and she was about to say something polite in goodbye, when she thought of a last-ditch possibility. "I wasn't paying attention when I came in, did you happen to see if there was a place selling cocoa, Mr. Greengrass?" She had in fact seen the concession on the far end near the base of the stands when they'd arrived; cocoa was her favorite and he knew that. Perhaps that would be enough of a vague hint.

---

  

---

Oh, she was clever. And even if she wasn’t thinking of, heading to the hot cocoa stand would also give them the option of dashing under the stands - maybe. Noble couldn’t decide if that level of risk was worth it, for all that he desperately wanted to kiss her.

“Oh, there was someone where near we came in, I think,” Noble said, affecting a tone as if he didn’t much care where she was or whether or not she got cocoa. “I wish you luck in finding it, Miss Potts.” Maybe that was too much - he considered winking, decided against it, and followed his siblings up the stand.

---

The following 1 user Likes Noble Greengrass's post:1 user Likes Noble Greengrass's post
   Daffodil Grimstone

---

set by Bee

Delightful, she seemed to at least make him aware of the possibility. Now hopefully they would be able to see one another from their places in the stands to notice if the other disappeared for a while. "Wonderful, thank you. Enjoy the event, Mr. Greengrass." She said in that same airy tone as they started to move away.

She followed her sisters to their seats and Daffy waited a while for everyone to get situated before she dared to look around for Noble. It took her a few moments longer to find him, but he was within view, so hopefully they might be able to work something out...

Everything got as little muddled we the event began, quite exciting and for a bit Daffy got lost in the excitement of it all before she realized that now would be the perfect time to escape. "I'm parched, I'm going to find some refreshments," Senna looked annoyed that she would be getting up, but Daff waved her off with a smile. "I'll be right back." Probably.

And with that she made her way through the crowd with a little difficulty, everybody engrossed in the start of the race, though hopefully thoroughly distracted. Reaching the stairs, she felt like she could finally breathe again and jotted down them toward the concessions and hopefully a few minutes with her beau.

---

  

---

Noble was half paying attention to the competition, and half keeping an eye on Daffy a few rows down. This was fun, and he wasn't even impatient about it as he watched people go through the effort of transfiguring their teapot for the beginning of the trials - and then there she was, making her way down the stands. Noble made a vague effort of excusing himself from the nearest sibling - wanting to get a hot cocoa before anyone injures themselves, we can share, et cetera - and rose to follow her, careful not to trace Daff's exact path as he got himself down out of the stands and through the crowd.

It was easier to catch up with her once he popped out of the thick of the crowd and was heading towards the concessions stand instead. "Miss Potts," Noble said with a wry smile, slowing from the half-trot he'd used to catch up with her on leaving the thick of the crowd.

"I hope you'll do me the honor of letting me treat you to cocoa?" A hot cocoa wasn't going to break the bank - the bank was already broken, so that ship had sailed - and he didn't think he wanted to watch her buy something for herself when he was right there.

---

  

---

set by Bee

Daff had slowed down considerably after breaking free from the throng of people in the stands, hoping Noble had seen her leave. Even if he hadn't she could get her cocoa and return to the stands and nobody would be any the wiser. It would be far more delightful if they could take a few, just a few minutes, to themselves. A little something to hold onto until the next time they were able to do the same. It was by no means any way to have a relationship, but in this case they had to do what they had to do.

His voice beside her pulled her from her reverie and a wide smile to grace her features. "Mr. Greengrass," She returned, the formality of last names still feeling awkward on her tongue. Not since they were young, third, fourth years, had they bothered with such titles. "I would enjoy that very much, though I do have some pocket change from home myself," She offered. Her father had given them each a little spending money for the day. She didn't expect Noble to pay for her, not when he had his sisters to consider still. "I'm just happy to see you." She added in a low murmur, casting a look out of the corner of her eye at him.

---

  

---

"I'm happy to see you, too," Noble said brightly, if in an undertone. Less quiet: "And really, I insist." Never mind that this wasn't the sort of thing he should be insisting on, Daffy didn't know that, and what Ford didn't know wouldn't hurt any of them. They reached the stand and Noble ordered two cocoas, handing one off to her as soon as the exchange was completed.

"Would you like to -?" Noble said quietly as they stepped away from the booth, tilting his head towards the side of the stands as an indication. It wasn't private enough for anything to happen, but maybe they could just talk for a few minutes, out of the bustle of people, without their families around.

---

  

---

set by Bee

Daff didn't argue about the cocoa, no need to, but she would have happily paid for herself. It wasn't worth it though, not when they got such little time together. "Thank you," She smiled genuinely at him as he passed off the cocoa, accepting it gratefully, enjoying the sensation of the warmth on her fingers.

"I've got a few minutes," She could reasonably get away with a chat for a little bit. Her sisters were engrossed in the race and she could easily make an excuse for a long line or a hard time getting back through the crowd. It was worth it for a few minutes of his company. Daff moved toward where he'd indicated. "We need to get better about coordinating our events." She chuckled. This was twice in the last month or so that they'd run into one another unexpectedly. Then again, Noble attended far more social events than she did. It would become suspicious if they managed it too often.

---

  

---

Noble laughed lightly at her. "I'd certainly be happier about coming to things knowing you'd be here too," he said. He leaned against the side of the stadium, his back facing the stairs so that he was looking at her with the expanse of Padmore Park behind her, rather than at the race itself or at anyone coming down from the stands.

Of course, the more they were at events together, the riskier things were - they had to be as careful as possible, never mind how much he wanted to see her.

"Not the same as the greenhouse either way, though," Noble added, quirking an eyebrow at her.

---

  

---

set by Bee

Any event was better when you had your preferred company. Daffy would take any excuse she could get to see him, but it was always, unfortunately, not in the way they would like. Daff struggled, even now, to keep the composure and decorum necessary in such public places. All she wanted to do right now was reach out, tangle her fingers in his hair and kiss him, but she couldn't even get away with a casual caress of hands.

"No, though those could probably be more easily arranged." And more enjoyable in her opinion. She'd been quite hot and bothered last time. It would be suspicious if he was always at the shop however. There really was only one solution to this problem and it was a ways out still. Taking a sip of her cocoa, she cast him a bit of a look over the rim, hiding her smile behind it.

---

  

---

"I could need some more ingredients," Noble said, a little flippant, "Whenever works for you." He had to be careful - he was, constantly, careful - but as long as things were spaced appropriately and as long as he did actually return with ingredients - and as long as he actually needed them, Noble could not buy things just to be buying things.

---

  

---

set by Bee

"I'm never short on ingredients." She chuckled again. If ingredients was going to become a code word of sorts, she was already highly amused. "Keep all the good stuff in the back, where nobody goes..." Daffy trailed off, thinking back to their last encounter yet again, with a bit of a wistful grin. An involuntary little shiver went down her spine, but she hid behind her mug of cocoa, taking a sip to dispel the sensation.

"I trust your last visit to the shop was satisfactory?" The question was two-faced, obviously, but she was partially asking about the herbs she salvaged from the shop disaster. Hopefully the things she'd had prepared for him had come to some good use. Though it had truly been their guise to see one another, and it had worked, that she was able to help him with his business along the way, was just a little perk.

---

The following 1 user Likes Daffodil Grimstone's post:1 user Likes Daffodil Grimstone's post
   Noble Greengrass

---