[TTD] car rien n'est gratuit dans la vie [rhiannon]

Christmas time was always hard.

There wasn't ever quite enough cash in hand at the Macnair household, and this was no different. Roderick had grown accustomed to this and had lowered his expectations for Christmas morning, but Archie and Kelsey were both still young - Merlin, Kelsey wasn't even ten yet - and dreamt of larger than life gifts. A new broomstick for Archie. Dolls or pets for Kelsey, who was too young to really remember having Sally around and was lonely without her brothers during the school term. There was no way a pet was going to fly, nor was Archie on a new broom, but a new doll - really new, not handed down from some of Mum's siblings or cousins - was something an older brother could maybe deliver on.

He had Floo'd into Diagon Alley earlier that morning, trying to avoid the crowds and failing. He managed to find a Broom-Broom Kit as a manager's special at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes - not as good as a whole new broom, but an unexpected find for his brother. There hadn't been any of the new enchanted My Little Abraxons in his price limit at the toyshop, but some from last season were still there. Kelsey wouldn't be thrilled but there would at least be another gift under the tree.

The whole time he was shopping Roderick made sure to keep the collar of his cloak up and his hood pulled down - if there was anyone from school here to see him buy these little gifts he would never live it down. He couldn't pass them off as gifts for Brietta, or for himself, and he sure didn't want his classmates to watch him comb through the clearance aisles. People knew the Macnairs' weren't wealthy, sure, but they didn't need to know that.

Snow crunching under his boots, Roderick walked aimlessly through the streets until he came upon a quieter corner of the shopping district. It wasn't one he had been to before, and he found himself intrigued by a sign reading "Stringfellow's". Basil's family? Intrigued, he entered the store.

Immediately he realized that this place was Not For People Like Him. All around him were jewels, gorgeous stones glinting in the light, almost like they were humming in the quiet atmosphere of the store. This was posh.

His eyes darted around wildly. There was a shop attendant who had spotted him, and was making their way across the display floor. It wouldn't do to leave right away but what could he do? Humor the attendant and then make an escape later? No, Roderick wasn't smooth enough for that. He didn't want anyone to know he had been out today, let alone here.

Out of the corner of his eye, Roderick saw young Morfessa and did some mental math. Pureblood? Check. Slytherin House? Check. Someone who probably wouldn't rat him out? Check. Worth a shot, anyway. He made eye contact with the attendant and mouthed 'I'm with her' before striding over to his housemate.

"Hi," he said quietly. "Can I join you?"

In the case in front of them, there was a beautiful brown gemstone on a silver chain, almost chocolate in colour. "It's quite pretty, that. Are you eyeing it for someone?" It was a goodnatured conversation, or he intended it to be, anyway. The necklace reminded him of something his mother used to have. Roderick hadn't seen that piece in a while, come to think of it. "Christmas shopping is a drag, innit?”

@Rhiannon Tegan Morfessa

Christmas shopping was always a great time to Rhiannon. Sure she wasn't the shopping type overall, but when it came to her family she could do it all the time. She had gotten here with Gabriella, and some help from the house-elf probably under instruction by her father, and the two were almost inseparable. In this situation, they weren't too far from each other. Rhiannon was in this jewelry store while Gabriella was just next door searching for something. They weren't too far from each other, but the idea that she was a bit far from her mother made Rhiannon a tad concerned. Sure Gabriella kept a strong face in front of her, but Rhiannon was wise. She knew that her mother hadn't been the best in crowds nor was she always the bravest of people. So she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind having left her alone in another store, but she needed to make a surprise purchase for her and this was the only way of doing so.

Looking around the Stringfellow store she found a multitude of items some a bit too pricey for the young girl. She was only thirteen, after all, how was she supposed to afford all these things? She had a small amount of money to cover some of the more gaudy or discounted items, but overall she wasn't rich or anything. Well that was when it came to the money she had earned or found herself. Now when it came to the money she may have pilfered from her parents then that was another question. Just a galleon here and there nothing too noticeable though, but it added up after a while. So here she was with a nice amount of coin to buy her family some nice presents. Still, she didn't much like the idea of taking money unasked from them. Rhiannon would, of course, have to smuggle some money back to them without them noticing. It wasn't stealing, but just borrowing for a short period. That was always fine right?

The young witch found herself standing near a silver necklace with a brown Sillimanite gem attached to it. It wasn't a pretty color to Rhiannon who would have much preferred to get a Flourite gem for Gabriella, but this one was on a sale today. Sure it was only a few sickles on sale, but it meant she would have more to spend on others. She continued to linger at the case for quite some time to the point she didn't even register someone was approaching her. Then when they addressed her quickly turned to the voice to see an older boy. A fellow Slytherin and student. What was his name again? Rodney? No, it was Roderick. Roderick Mcnair was someone she had known about though never really got to talk too much in school. She had also known about his family and some of their experiences. The two had a similar background though some social differences did make them distant to each other at the same time. Still, if she was taught anything by her father it was that using social networking to advance in society was the utmost importance. So she put on her kindest face and addressed him back.

"Of course," She gave a small nod to the older gentleman and continued looking at the jewel pondering if she would buy it or not. Would her mother even like this stone? Maybe she could just get her a new tome to read? Would certainly be easier since the two had a strong love for literature to bond on that, but something about a new necklace enticed her. It was probably the slightly vain side of Rhiannon that made this present choice seem more sensible. Her thoughts, of course, were interrupted by Roderick who asked if she was eyeing the stone for someone. "Yes, In fact, I'm looking into purchasing this for my mother." Mother, it still felt weird to say. She hadn't seen Gabriella as her mother for the longest time and yet here she was seeing her as just that. Not that it was a bad thing she did, but it was strange to the young girl. It would certainly take some time to get used to using the word casually.

Then came the complaints. Rhiannon had to suppress rolling her eyes at the boy's comment. If shopping was such a drag why was he even doing it? Certainly, he had a house-elf that could do the shopping for him? Even if the rumors about their family being a bit desolate were true the family was pureblooded and should have handed down a house elf for generations. Rhiannon sighed slightly and asked, "If you don't like shopping would you like to join me then?" She gave him a pointed look before continuing, "I could use an outsiders opinion and I'm sure you could bring some interesting insight into my choices." It was a simple offer that he couldn't refuse. If he was indeed in such a state like the rumors were then being by her side would make him seem less inconspicuous. Sure she was four years his junior, but if anyone should ask they could always play it off as them being cousins or something. Which probably wasn't that far from the truth anyways with all the pureblood interbreeding. "So what do you say?"

Rhiannon Morfessa had whipped around quickly when he first spoke to her, but she didn't leave or seem that perturbed or startled. She even responded to his questions in a pleasant tone of voice. At school, that wouldn't really be the reaction Roderick would want from an underclassman, but here in this store way above his class, Roderick felt a sense of relief that Morfessa had accepted him into her company, at least for now. The Morfessa family was an old pureblood line and a rich one - it wouldn't do to get on their bad side before he had even graduated. And the elder Morfessa, Rhiannon's father, had at least known Uncle Walden, or Uncle Walden had known him, or something. It wasn't that ridiculous for the two of them to be seen together. Roderick kept his collar up, just in case.

"If you don't like shopping would you like to join me then?" asked the girl, giving him a bit of a look (was that a glare she was shooting him or was that just how her face was?). "I could use an outsiders opinion and I'm sure you could bring some interesting insight into my choices."

"Oh, uh, sure." Roderick scratched the back of his head, looking back at the gemstone in front of them. "Well, I reckon if your mum looks like you," he started, then paused, giving the younger girl a second look. Dark brown, almost black hair, pale skin. It was like looking at a portrait of Roderick's own mother as a child, or one of her sisters. It wasn't absurd to think there was a distant relation, Roderick didn't know many of his cousins, but the similarity threw him for a moment. Recovering, he started again. "If your mum looks like you, I think the colour works really nice with the hair. And that bit in the middle, the white bit, really draws the eye, so that's nice, innit?" He was a bit out of his depth, Roderick wasn't known for his love of jewelry, but deep down, if he had the money, Rod was sure he would get that necklace for his own mother.

The two of them were able to chat for a little longer, and were about to make their way out of the shop when Roderick heard someone shouting - his name? No, it was -

"Ron? Mr. Weasley! Ron Weasley can I talk to you?"

She could sense his weakness. Rhiannon hadn't talked with this upperclassman before, but she had heard the rumors. She had known what he was like to other students and though his methods were crude, to say the least, she didn't reprimand him for them. No, the teachers would do that he was just another person to her. A means to an end if you will. So the fact he agreed to her proposal was at the vest least expected. It was a win-win situation for both so he would have to be an idiot to not take her offer. That was one of the things she could pride her house from. Outside of the few goons of her house, the majority of them were smart enough to get by in society especially when their values might not align with those of the general public. The pureblooded families were becoming scarce and their traditions were getting more and more diluted. Although their family never had anything such as arranged marriages or the like she figured if they did Rod would certainly be a candidate for such an occasion. If he was so easily manipulated as he had been so far though she would doubt he would make an adequate spouse for the young witch.

Still, it was nice he was at the very least playing along with her which proved entertaining to say the least. As they examined the Sillimanite gemstone Rod began comparing it to her mother. The first image to appear in Rhiannon's mind was Gabriella, but she doubted this is what Rod meant. No, he probably meant her birth mother. Rhiannon had no memory of her birth mother had only known her for about a day of her life. She had no memories of that timeframe and she doubted anyone did. Then he talked about the stone itself and Rhiannon had to suppress her eyes from rolling to the back of her head and laughing at the poor fool. Really? The white bit? How uncultured was this boy? It mattered not though she had already decided she was going to buy the necklace anyways. His comments were nothing more than flavor text to her. Rhiannon wasn't just about to say nothing though as she made a simple response, "Yes, I see what you mean." Rhiannon got the attention of one of the workers and told her she would be buying the necklace. As the woman took the jewelry from its case and took it to be wrapped up Rhiannon talked with Rod for a bit longer.

When the clerk returned with the gift wrapped up, quite terribly to Rhinanon's tastes, the two began heading out of the store. Then someone shouted a name most foul. A Weasley was here? Those blood traitors? Just great she was having a decent day and she would have to deal with those ginger idiots. How could they even afford to be in this store she had heard they were nothing but rats who scrapped by on the handouts and leftovers of other more affluent witches and wizards. That's when she heard someone else began to yell.

"That must be Hermione then! Miss Granger over here!"

"Could this day get any worse," Rhiannon said a little too audibly. Did those imbeciles think they were the Hermione and Ron? Were people blind? It was quite frustrating to even be compared to that of a mudblood. Sure she was smart Rhiannon could give her that, but she was still filth and filth will always stay filth. Rhiannon took a deep breath to calm the raging fire burning in her heart and put on the fakest smile she could and explained to the two people who came running up to them. "I apologize, but you seem to be confused. I am not Hermione Ganger as she is much older than me." The two people then got a good look at Rod and Rhiannon and realized their mistake and apologized before leaving the two of them alone.

Once the two people were out of the shop and out of Rhiannon's eyesight a scowl appeared on her face. "I have never been so insulted," She turned to Rod and glared at the older boy. "You look nothing like a Weasley those people must be blind." She crossed her arms and shook her head and began talking to herself, "A mudblood? really? Unforgivable." She began grumbling under her breath about how stupid people were. She needed to blow off steam badly now. What would her father feel like if she told him of this obscene turn of events? If only cursing someone for insulting them wasn't frowned upon in their society she would have had a few hexes she would have shot at those plebians.

Morfessa held herself with such poise his mother for such a small girl. It was ... weird. Some of Roderick's cousins, the Lovecraft cousins, were a bit like that, very society, and his mother liked to pull out her old albums when she'd had too much to drink and lament about the old days before grandfather had blown the inheritance or whatever. Roderick couldn't really follow and wasn't interested in following. This was just, the classic pureblood wealth affect, he supposed. He longed for it. As Rhiannon bought the stone (a decision Roderick took no credit for) he marveled at the size of her purse. He would kill for that kind of spending money. Maybe literally.

He had so little to talk about with her - she hardly knew him, he hardly knew her, so he just waited anxiously for the clerk to return with the present, gift-wrapped and all. "Let's go, then," he said. "I'll leave you be when we get a bit 'ways."

They had hardly stepped out the store, Roderick hadn't even a chance to excuse himself from the situation when they were accosted by these loonies who thought they were Ron Bloody Weasley and Hermoine Bloody Granger. Anyone else might have been complimented to be mistaken for the third and second most famous wizards of recent memory, but Roderick recoiled. Rhiannon muttered darkly to herself - he couldn't make it out but it didn't seem positive.

Again, acting with a competent haughtiness beyond her years, Rhiannon swiftly put these fools out of their misery. Roderick was grateful but ashamed - this was the second time this week, he thought, that he had been mistaken for a damn Weasley. Sometimes he wished his parents had waited a little longer to start hating each other - maybe red hair could have been a Macnair trait, not a blood traitor one.

As if sensing his embarrassment, Rhiannon spun and glared at him and accused him of... not? Looking? enough like a Weasley?

Today was weird. Diagon Alley was treating him really weird this week.

"Are you... good, Morfessa?" He didn't care, not really, but muttering to yourself in public was generally frowned upon. He waited for her to confirm before stepping back. "Right. See you in January, then." He paused. "Happy Christmas."

He turned and fast walked to the nearest familiar Floo. He was done with holiday shopping for a while.

[[out]]

"Yes lets," Rhiannon said simply to Rod's request for them to leave. She had grown tired of this whole affair and was ready to get back home to her garden and books. It wasn't like Rod wasn't a bad companion on the contrary despite his situation he at least seemed sane in comparison to the masses at Hogwarts. So maybe she wouldn't mind hanging out with him and talking with him outside of classes. Though she doubted they shared many interests.

Once they left the shop and disposed of the two imbeciles who mistook them for the mudblood and the blood traitor. Rod had some sense to check up on Rhiannon. Though his words had a lack of tact she took a deep breath and did her best to calm herself. "Yes, I'm fine," she answered him and gave him a cold stare. She wasn't fine, but she would at least tell him the words he probably wanted to hear.

He began stepping back as if retreating from a hungry bear. Was she that intimidating to him? Whatever it didn't matter it was the holidays and she had a gift for her mother now. Things were going to look up once she got back home. "Farewell to you too," Rhiannon called out to Rod as quickly made his way out of her sight. She sighed as she looked up at the sky and muttered, "Why are all men so unreliable?"

[[OUT]]