Not Happening (OPEN)

Alise pushed herself from the chair, almost tumbling to the ground. She dusted off her shirt with a smile for the elf.

"You have no reason to respect me, Miss Ketty," she explained, "I'm thankful you made dinner! What is it?"
Reaching over to help Sacha up, Alise gave the man a triumphant gaze. She had won! No more Miss!

Ketty pursed her lips, amused. Clearly, the woman hadn't grown up in one of the old wizarding families, most of whom would always believe elves to be inferior beings. The Rusnaks were an exception, of course. Their elves worked for them of their own volition, and no one respected how very powerful house elves were better than Sacha.

Still, it was a change.

"Everyone is deserving of respect," the elf stated, matter-of-fact. She lifted the lid from the tray and set it aside, before turning her attention to Sacha. "I will be going, now."

"Thank you, Ketty," Sacha told her as she vanished. Alise seemed rather confident that she had won, but he knew how strictly the elf tended to adhere to etiquette. He didn't say anything on the matter, however.

Allowing himself to be pulled up, he moved over to the tray. Serving a portion into one of the dishes, he handed it to Alise, before serving some food to himself.




OOC: I don't know what she made! It's appropriately purebloodish, but not overly elaborate >.-

Alise took the bowl and stared at the food gratefully. It looked rich and fatty, so she didn't expect to eat much of it. Sacha would probably see that she would eat more, though.

She walked back to the couch and curled up on it, taking a large spoonful of the food. She curled her toes happily at the taste.

"It's amazing!" she exclaimed, taking another bite. She kicked her legs childishly, obviously too happy about the fancy food. "God, I wish I could always eat like this!"




(I just assumed it was some sort of rabbit stew or something,)

"Eat what you can," Sacha said knowingly. He gave a small smile. "Ketty is the best cook I know. I'll be sure to let her know you enjoy her cooking. She'll be flattered." The man ate his own stew, content to let her speak or not.

Alise spun her spoon around in her stew, pondering deeply. She took in another spoonful and sighed.

"I'm sorry," she set her spoon on the edge of her bowl. "I know I'm not your first choice for a wife or a mother. I'm not like you. I'm not like-" she gestured to the room around them, "This."

Sacha set his dish aside, gazing placidly back at her. "I can't imagine I am your first choice for a husband, either," he remarked.

"This," he copied her gesture, "money, status - there is far more to a person. Believe me when I say this actually matters very little to me. Whether you would be my first choice, or my last, you are the mother of my child, and I will see to it that you are cared for. Because family matters to me."

Lise blinked and looked back down at her plate. She always felt as if he was scolding her. She knew he really wasn't, but... She pushed away the bowl, a sign that she had dropped the subject.

"You're right," she agreed as she propped her knee against her chest, then wrapping an arm around her leg.

Sacha noted her response, suppressing a sigh. "Case in point," he said softly. "It would seem I've been too brusque, again." The man rose from the chair, moving to sit beside her on the sofa, body angled towards hers.

"I am not the best at... being caring or empathetic," Sacha told her. "Frankly, I'm often accused of being unfeeling. You asked if I had some fetish or emotional problem. The answer would be the latter. I don't let people close to me. I believe I've forgotten how to do so, really. Even with Matthew, I fear that I am not giving him the care and attention he deserves."

He reached out a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "You are beautiful and charming, young. It would almost be shame for you to marry a man like myself." Sacha drew in a breath. "If at any time, you feel that you are... unhappy, I will allow you to change your mind. I ask only that you do not deprive me of my child, nor my child of me. I know what it is to grow up without a father."

Alise got on to her knees to face the man, nodding intently. She let him speak, her hands tangling into his. Her eyes flickered around, tryng to disect what was happening. When he was finished, she leaned foward and wrapped her arms tight around him.

"I wanna get close to you," she murmured into his shoulder, "I'll be caring enough for the both of us! And, I'll never take away our baby! Ever! It's yours as uch as it is mine, really,"

She ignored the young cmment, Really. She was almost 22! He couldn't be too much older.

Sacha let out a soft exhale, belatedly realizing that he had held his breath while awaiting her response. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Somehow, her words moved him. They were so very selfless... and welcome.

At a loss for words, Sacha gave Alise a gentle squeeze. Turning to kiss the side of his head, he finally said the only thing that seemed appropriate.

"Thank you."

Alise started at the feel of his arms, then slowly relaxed into his grasp. She ran a hand through his hair, returning his kiss before gently pulling back.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," she smiled, adjusting to sit comfortably. This situation was almost painful, really. Forced to be with someone was so awkward and different fr her. Never really being the faithful type, Alise didn't expect this relationship to last very long, but she'd try. For the kid.