Not My Division

As much as Osmund was eager to be attending Beauxbaton, he was less than enthusiastic about the trip it would take to get there. Though new books were in Osmund's opinion the best sort of books, he loathed any sort of shopping trip that involved being with Helena, which, unfortunately, was every shopping trip. He was promised a pet to bring along with him along with all the other requirements on the shopping list if he behaved, but that was something easier said than done. Helena didn't need to do anything to annoy Osmund. Just seeing her face set the boy off.

The older witch would surely follow him around like an annoying puppy everywhere he was to go, but much unlike an annoying puppy, the woman had authority on him and he'd very much like a pet to bring along with him. After all, he'd be a laughing stock of the school if he traipsed on in with Fido in his arms. Fido was a fish. He had asked for a dog when he had moved with Helena to Fort William, but being that their living quarters were small, the woman had denied his request. After much persistence on Osmund's part, the woman caved and bought him a pet. Unfortunately, the pet was much smaller than he anticipated and didn't do much but open and close its mouth and stare blankly back at him. Osmund wanted something better than a fish and with this promise of a better pet, he assumed he could at least try to behave.

But moments upon entering, the pair were already starting to bicker. Helena wanted to sit down for some lunch, ordering herself a meal and asking Osmund what he wanted, but the impatient boy wanted to get moving. After a small tiff, the boy settled with a tea, but left soon after it arrived. Helena frowned and called after her progeny to receive a scoff from the young teen. "I'd like to be among my own people. You are not my division," Osmund replied and watched the woman's face fall. But she had a soft way of dealing with the juvenile and let him go on his own, so the boy walked on away and sat down at a table, passing many others that contained people, but opting to sit on his own.

Linette had been so worried that she would have to go on her shopping trip all by herself. Or worse, with fat old Tante Patrice who smelled Benoit's old boots. She wasn't even her real aunt. Just an interfering old witch whom her father employed out of his meagre wage to look after Linette whilst he was at work. It wasn't that she minded going on her own. Not by any means. Linette had often gone down to the local wizarding shops back home all by herself. This though was something she wanted to share with her father. He was going to be left all by himself with no-one but Tante Patrice for company and she always went to her own home every evening straight after serving up dinner.

She smiled up at the man by her side as they entered the pub. Her face fell when his boss cornered him. She could tell by his body language that the day he'd been given off was now revoked. How could he do that to them? Linette sulked as she heard her father's apologies and order to be in the pub when he'd finished work at the end of the day. He handed over the money pouch and a key in case she needed more with a warning not to lose either. Then the man was gone. The eleven year old huffed at such rudeness. She daddy couldn't afford to offend his boss. Not when he now had to pay for her supplies for Beauxbatons. Mother couldn't help. She had Benoit and Louise to spend necessities on.

With no way of changing the circumstances she took a deep breath and looked around for a table to sit at. First thing she would have to do was plan where she would go and when. Her stomach growled. Make that order first and then plan. With that plan in mind she looked around for a spare table and made her over only to have a boy beat her to it. The nearest spare table to it required her walking around an arguing couple so rather than find another she decided to try a different tact. With her brightest smile painted on her face she stopped behind one of the chair opposite the boy. "Hi. I know you beat me here but would you mind if we share the space? I promise not to talk too much. I can do that sometimes but I will control myself." She made lip buttoning motions as she finished speaking.

The tea was hot and over-sweetened, which Osmund discovered upon allowing the first drops to pass through his lips. The boy nearly spat the tea back out but managed to swallow it with a grumble. Clearly the people here had no idea how to brew a good tea. But as if that weren't enough to make Osmund uncomfortable, suddenly a girl was approaching him, wearing a large smile and spewing out words faster than Osmund could tell her off. She seemed to have wanted to sit at the table. Osmund frowned.

"You're not doing such a swell job controlling your mouth right now," Osmund replied, rolling his eyes and downig another gulp of what he was sure more sugar than tea. His eyes traced disinterestedly across the pub, looking at all the people at the tables. Was this some sort of high traffic day for shopping or was it always this busy? Osmund didn't know, but what he could deduce was that much of the tables were preoccupied. His eyes met back with the girl's. "Okay, sit." He all but commanded. "But if you annoy me in the slightest, you'll be forced to leave."

"Wasn't I?" she replied apologetically. "I'm sorry. I really will be quiet now." Linette was quick to sit before the boy changed his mind. He did seem to be rather grumpy but she'd had plenty of experience with grumpy thanks to holidays with her older brother. Of course with him she didn't keep her mouth shut. This stranger was a different matter all together.

In an effort to make sure she didn't do as he warned her not to do she reached for a menu and began to study it intently. Lily knew the menu off by heart from the other times she'd come with her father but still she read through it just in case there was any changes. Nothing new had appeared and the only things she'd never tried she had to wait until she was deemed an adult. It didn't take her long to decide and Linette placed the menu back down on the table before flagging down a waiter.

With her order of butterbeer and ham & cheese sandwich made she then turned her attention to the boy in front of her. Her hands were flat on the table, palms down as she considered what he warned her against before. Did he mean she wasn't allowed to talk at all? She could read through her list of things to buy again and work out where it would be best to go first. However, right now with her empty belly, that didn't really appeal. She cleared her throat. "Could I at least introduce myself? Just a name? Linette. What's yours so I don't refer to you as boy in my head?"

The girl apparently didn't need to be told twice as she immediately took a seat, and with a squeak of the chair pulling in close to the table, the pair fell silent. Osmund made himself look disinterested and facing elsewhere, but he was very conscious of her presence. He watched through a corner of his eye as she placed an order with a waiter, using willpower to not immediately scorn at the waiter for the sin of teas in front of him at that moment. Silence continued. Her order was brought. Osmund finished the last of his tea, the cup clinging against the wood of the table.

His eyes darted towards her upon the first words she had said to him after her apology. She asked a question, one of introductions, but before Osmund could reply, she spat out her name. Osmund rolled his eyes. "Pleasure." The 'to meet you' seemed to have gotten stuck in his poor attitude. The boy swished around the dregs of his tea, watching it with intent as he replied. "I am Osmund hollow." His last name being a trophy in its own. The Hollows were a distinguished family and he bore the name with pride, unlike his mother, whom he couldn't understand why she gave up her destinguished prize. "You may call me Osmund or Oz. Ozzy or any other 'adorable' nicknames are not to be used in reference to me," Osmund stated it out plain. If she was to be a student of Beauxbaton, either incoming or already there, it'd be best she'd know what to refer him by, rather than making a fool of herself.

"Osmund or Oz," Linette repeated. She ignored his last name. Last names didn't mean much to her. Hence her leaving off her own. "No problems with giving you any other nicknames. I don't like them anyway." She shrugged as she picked up the toasted sandwich the waiter had placed in front of her. "I always believed in calling people by the name they were given." With those last words spoken she bit into the sandwich. Thus silence descended again.

Her impression of the boy as she studied him again wasn't exactly favourable. For starters he seemed to be rather irritable and not a bit friendly. Whoever he was she hoped she wouldn't run into him too often at school. Linette didn't like to lose her temper with anyone unless their name was Benoit Puchard. With him preparing for his school up in the frozen north there wasn't any danger of running into him any time soon.

"Perfect," Osmund replied, sounding disinterested, not that things like whether she liked nicknames or not mattered and sort of brushed it off. He wasnt sure if he liked her. She had the potential to talk a lot, Osmund could tell from her babble upon coming to his table, yet she didn't do so bad with toning it down after Osmund asked her to. She could prove to be a useful acquaintance if she could behave. But Osmund said they weren't going to chatter uselessly and that what he wanted to stick to doing. If only he had the power to leave right now on his own measures.

Instead of bringing his own problems afoot, Osmund took a different approach towards it. "How long will you be here for?" His voice untainted by any emotion. From a stolen glance back at his mother, he could tell it'd be awhile before he'd be leaving, but maybe she'd leave first? Potential acquaintance or not, Osmund preferred silence among himself rather than in a pack, so really it was best for her to leave soon.

This boy was very rude, Linette decided. Not quite in the way her brother was but still rude. That however was not going to stop her from being nice to him. She didn't want to get into an argument with anyone at Beauxbatons. Holidays with her brother would be bad enough. At least they were short.

She looked down at the half-eaten sandwich in her hand and then up at his face. "Until I finish eating. Are you trying to get rid of me? You could go first if you're that annoyed with my company. I'm not stopping you." She returned her attention to her sandwich. The sooner she finished the sooner she would be out of this boy's hair. Next time she needed somewhere to sit she would ensure the person was friendly first.

With the sandwich finally finished she turned to the untouched butterbeer. "You will be happy to hear that once this is finished I will leave your company and go off into the outside world to shop." She made a big show of drinking it slowly before placing the empty glass on the table. "Now I will leave. Maybe I'll see you around sometime." Or maybe not. She stood and left the table feeling a little down that she'd failed to make her first friend. He was closer to an enemy but Linette was determined to make sure that never happened.

"Pardon you, but this is my table," Osmund replied, indignantly. She was right, of course, that he could also leave, but leaving meant trying to find another spot that was empty, which didn't look too likely as every table seemed to have at least one or two people seated at them. It seemed to him that this was the better of the two evils and so he remained and tried not to stare as the girl finished up her meal

As rude as he had been before, the boy was now at least making effort not to criticize her on the way she drank her butterbeer. He wasn't sure if the loud gulping noises were just her trying to down the thing before Osmund really lost it or if that was just how she usually drank. His rubbed his temples tenderly as he tried to ignore the sounds. It'll all be over soon. And sure enough it was. She had finished, stood up and bade a decent goodbye in contrast to how Osmund had been treating her. Nonetheless, Osmund didn't repent, but instead made a motion of a bow and sunk back into his seat at his table where he could wait peacefully alone.