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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Feb 18, 2009 0:56:17 GMT -5
Lily sat at a table at a corner cafe in Venice, looking out over the canals as she sipped her cappuccino and nibbled some chocolate-hazelnut biscotti. It was mid-morning, the sun rising in the bright blue, cloudless sky. She sighed as she watched the traffic, throngs of people already about on the canals and in the streets.
It seemed surprising that it had already been a year since her graduation, and yet here she was. She had gone back to her father's birthplace of Napoli, but decided that life there just wasn't quite for her. So here she was in Venice instead, working as a Healer while she searched for a teaching position. It had been easy to get the job, and while it was something she truly enjoyed, she had always had a passion for teaching and wanted to pass on her knowledge to the next generation of witches and wizards.
Lost in her thoughts, she absentmindedly played with the biscotti in her hand as she continued to gaze out over the landcape.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Feb 18, 2009 1:29:11 GMT -5
He woke up late, and it wasn't a good thing. Julian might been late for almost everything, but he rarely sleeps in. And so upon waking up in his hotel room in Venice with the sun shining brightly through the windows, Julian failed to greet the morning properly and was as grumpy as anything when he dressed up and got ready for breakfast. But never mind getting breakfast from the hotel now; Julian wanted to walk off the sleep in his system. In a few more days he'll have to return to Paris to continue working and his holiday will be over.
What was he doing in Italy again? Ah yes, trying to convince himself that he needed a break from the work itself and not the people around him. But it wasn't the case, really, for he loved his work with music and enjoyed doing it. It was just the people... and it's not even the people at work. Julian merely needed to get away from a particular someone... again.
He had been walking for a while on the streets now, and finally the pangs of hunger got to him. It was time to eat so Julian picked the nearest cafe he saw, which was right in the corner of the street he was walking in. Picking a table, he sat down and tried to make up his mind about what he wanted to order.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Feb 18, 2009 21:15:41 GMT -5
Lily suddenly realized a man had wandered into her gaze, and though she hadn't intended to, she'd been staring at him vacantly for over a minute. How embarrassing! Ducking her head for a moment to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks, she sneaked a more surreptitious look from under her eyelashes.
Wait...that couldn't possibly be....could it?
Abandoning the pretense of casual glance, Lily peered at the man more intently. It was! Trying not to squeak with excitement at this chance meeting, Lily picked up her cappuccino and biscotti and stepped over to the man's table, swiftly settling herself in the opposite chair.
"So, Julian Auriole, what brings you to this little corner of Italy?" Lily asked in her most sultry voice manageable.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Feb 24, 2009 16:18:39 GMT -5
He'll probably take the usual things again. Julian liked tiramisu a lot, especially when paired with espresso. It was not to his normal taste, but he liked the effect of it the breakfast pair to his system. The tendency to be up and running made him busy with activities that involve the body and mind, allowing him to forget a few key things that would incapacitate him if he were to dwell on them. Such was the effect of caffeine.
After the server had gone off to get his order, Julian's gaze was turned to a young woman carrying what seemed to be her snack, and was moving towards him. He was slightly taken aback when she sat down infront of him, taking the chair opposite his and placing her snack on top of his table as if to join him without prior invitation. What's going on? Though admittedly this has happened to him before, Julian wasn't really that vain to expect such occurrences to happen on a daily basis.
So, Julian Auriole, what brings you to this little corner of Italy?
So she knew him. But did he know her? Julian's mind frantically searched through his memories for any face or name that resembled this woman before him and panicked when it seemed that he would fail to recognize her. He didn't want to be rude. But Merlin, he did recognize her, or at least was able to associate a face and name that might make sense.
"Since you're rather certain that I do not live in Italy, I assume you're from France as well," he remarked carefully, studying the woman and wondering if she was indeed the person he thought she was. "Did we go to the same Academy?" He was, of course, referring to Beauxbatons.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Feb 24, 2009 16:25:12 GMT -5
Lily was fairly amused at the mildly panicked look that crossed Julian's face when she spoke his name. Well, not quite panicked. It was panic mixed with...surprise, she supposed. Clearly he couldn't quite remember her, a thought that nearly made Lily laugh. In an effort to keep it together, she took a bite of her biscotti, chewing carefully and chasing it down with a mouthful of her cappuccino before answering.
"Yes, I attended Beauxbatons. You may not remember me, though. I was a few years behind you. We didn't really interact much before you graduated." She was smiling now, almost a coy smile, though in fact it, too, was an effort not to start giggling. Lily was rather enjoying watching his efforts to identify her. It had been a while since she'd had this much fun.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Feb 24, 2009 16:45:30 GMT -5
"Aah," Julian was then able to smile and relax. He had guessed right. He can only remember quite a few of the younger years during his graduation year, but perhaps he might guess another right answer. He was rather good with first names, but last names tend to escape him, except those of his professors in school and the conservatory.
"You're Lily, yes?" He dared not take a guess on her last name, especially if it will sound funny. Normally Julian wouldn't mind sounding funny, especially when it will make a woman laugh, but right now wasn't the best of mornings and he needed to feed himself first before getting his humor to work.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Feb 24, 2009 17:01:19 GMT -5
Lily smiled, a full smile now. "Yes, Lily Napolitano." She extended her hand in a mock token of formality. "Pleased to meet you." Finally allowing herself a chuckle, Lily took another bite of biscotti, then a large drink, before dusting off her hands. "You know I was actually born in Italy? I'm...getting in touch with my roots, I guess you could say. My father is a full-blooded Italian, and proud of it." Lily laughed. "I somehow doubt that's the case with you, so what brings you out here? France finally getting to you?"
Somehow Lily doubted his being in Italy was permanent. In the brief pause before he responded, she mused on his possible reasons for being here. A girl maybe? Quickly she glanced at his hand. No ring, so no wife. Perhaps a job? That was certainly plausible. He didn't appear to have a briefcase or other work-related bag with him. Puzzled, Lily awaited his answer.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Feb 24, 2009 17:44:45 GMT -5
Taking Lily's hand in to shake it as if they were new acquaintances, Julian chuckled a bit before replying, "Julian Auriole, at your service." Her humor was a fresh change, and it did Julian some good amidst that ugly morning. He watched as the young woman prattled off, only once taking his attention off of her when the server arrived with Julian's breakfast. But as soon as the server was gone, Julian forgot all about food, for he was soon engaged in the conversation.
"Just a short holiday from the music world," he replied easily, "I've been busy these past few months that I thought I'd run off to Venice for a while to give my muse some rest."
He found it interesting that Lily was a mix of French and Italian blood, like the woman Julian was running away from. How ironic. But taking Faye off his mind was important, so he focused on Lily and the fact that they met by chance.
"And how are the roots faring?" he asked.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Feb 24, 2009 18:06:57 GMT -5
The conversation paused as the waiter brought Julian's food, though it wasn't an awkward pause. "Music? Oh, that's right. You play....piano, right?" Lily thought she vaugely remembered that he played. "It's always nice to take a rest, and Venice is certainly a perfect place for that."
She smiled when he referred to her roots. "Well, my father was born in Napoli, and that just...didn't seem like the right place for me. I'm working here, which I like better, but I'd prefer to teach somewhere. It just doesn't seem like anyone wants to hire someone as young as I am," Lily said, her voice wistful. It wasn't so much that she minded being here--Venice was beautiful. She just felt like she was....drifting. It wasn't really a feeling that she liked, but it didn't seem to be a feeling she could do anything about, and that bothered her.
"So, how is your music going? Other than busily, of course."
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Post by Julian Auriole on Feb 25, 2009 18:27:32 GMT -5
"You can say I've got nothing else to wish for," Julian replied with a rather ironic sigh, admitting that there were indeed things that he wished he could do something about, but fear of the consequences was making him stop at a standstill. He hated his cowardice, and his inability to take risks, unable to go for his dreams because he was afraid to lose the things he already have grown accustomed to. Julian had been dealing with this issue for the last five years... and still he wasn't able to do anything else except to watch how things would unfold.
"What's your work about? Are you aiming for the Italian wizarding school?" he then asked, rather curious.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Feb 26, 2009 14:23:13 GMT -5
Julian's words were overshadowed by the deep sigh that came out of him. It seemed that his statement wasn't entirely truthful--although whether he meant to mislead her or himself remained unclear.
"I'm just working in Healing. Nothing major, and I hope not permanent. I just do what is asked of me." The statment seemed rather sad to her. She'd never meant to become just a drone, a slave of the system, but that was unfortunately the way it had worked out. Lily had always wanted to do something important, something to make a difference. Perhaps that was why she was so drawn to teaching. What could be more important or make more of a difference than shaping young minds? All these thoughts flew through her head the moment's pause before she answered the second half of his question.
"I would actually love to return to our alma mater," she said with a smile, thinking of the academy. "But at this point, I certainly won't be picky. The Italian school wouldn't be bad, I suppose. I think I enjoyed France more than I enjoy Italy, though. Perhaps it's because I spent more time in France. Italy takes some...getting used to, I guess you could say. I've actually been thinking about returning to France." Lily realized that she'd been rambling, and that Julian in fact wasn't saying much. Was it on purpose? She couldn't tell, but she determined to get him talking more.
"So, where in France are you staying? Where are you working? Tell me what's going on in your life right now." It was the most open-ended question she could think of, and she hoped to draw him into more of a conversation, rather than just her talking.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Feb 27, 2009 17:23:39 GMT -5
Normally, Julian would hate to oblige to talking when he certainly doesn't feel like it, but since Lily was so talkative, the pianist felt it was more than right to gaily engage himself in the conversation. What's the harm in being sociable? Not that Julian was a recluse of some sort, no... it was just normal for him to sometimes draw himself into deep moods that are hard to pull out from. It goes with the artistic side of people, he was once told, and somehow he found it true.
"Ahh, a Healer... that is a great accomplishment for someone young such as you," he remarked, clearly impressed that the young woman was working as one of the noblest professions in the wizarding world. And it was also a nice surprise that she wanted to teach as well. Julian thought Lily had philanthropic side to herself... way too generous with her talents compared to what Julian had been doing for the past five years.
"I'm staying in Paris, mostly, to do regular work. But I live in Nice, if you can call it living-- I might have to explain that later--" he added with a wink, "and I still hang about La Fiche Bleu.. I don't think I can ever accept the fact that Franklin will someday find it necessary to chop me off his payroll." The mention of his former house's Head earned a laugh from Julian.
"What I love about work are the overseas trips though, to either compete or watch talented musicians, young and old," he ended with a sigh, this one feeling more wistful than morose.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Feb 27, 2009 18:03:23 GMT -5
Lily grinned when Julian winked at her. Clearly there was a story there worth telling, and Lily was excited to hear it. The mention of overseas trips softened her smile. "I've always wanted to travel outside of Europe," Lily said, her voice expressing the yearning she felt. "I thought maybe I would someday, before I started really working, but it doesn't seem to be going that way." She ended with a chuckle. Of course it hadn't turned out that way. When did life ever go the way one wanted it to?
"So tell me about Nice! I don't recall ever having been there, and from what you alluded to, it sounds like you've got some great stories. And how is Franklin? I haven't seen him since graduation." Julian was so interesting, and she loved talking with him. How fortunate they'd had this chance meeting!
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Post by Julian Auriole on Feb 27, 2009 18:18:02 GMT -5
"You don't wanna know about Franklin," Julian chuckled as he shook his head, finding the topic of their beloved professor all too funny at the moment. Oh, why did he ever mention the man anyway? Julian proceeded to touch his food, which temporarily lay forgotten as the man summoned his stubborn will to eat something. He didn't regret surrendering though, for the food made him feel better about the morning, if the present company had not removed the gloom altogether.
"I've always lived in Nice," Julian said, proud of his Nicoise background, "and it's very lovely there. Of course, there's always a bunch of tourists in the Cote d'Azur, but Nice has enough sunshine for the neighborhoods to feel more lively than any part of France that I've been to.
"But right now, I'm more of a nomad, for I really dont have an apartment of my own ever since I moved out of renting my grandmother's apartment." Technically, Madame Montreau wasn't his grandmother, but years of his family being taken care of the great matron made it easy for Julian to consider her a part of the family-- along with her granddaughter of course. But Julian didn't want his thoughts to delve further in the direction. Detour.
"I often stay with my-- um, cousin," he said, realizing that in every single turn, there's always a path for towards Faye. It slightly irritated him, but he didn't want to ruin the conversation at the moment with his chronic issues.
"Where are you living right now?"
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Feb 27, 2009 18:27:28 GMT -5
Lily enjoyed their chuckle over their former head of house. The man had certainly been kind to her, and, as far as she had seen, to her fellow housemates. Julian continued talking as he pushed his food around on the plate, focused now on his hometown. He stumbled over his words as he mentioned his cousin, and her practice healing patients (usually incredibly talkative patients) told her that there was more to the story than what he was saying. Clearly, however, he didn't wish to discuss it, and given that they hadn't seen each other for years, Lily knew she didn't have the right to push the issue.
"I have a nice flat just a few blocks away," Lily responded to his question. "My job pays fairly well, so I can afford to keep a pretty nice place." She stopped, afraid that perhaps it sounded like she was bragging, and she certainly didn't want to seem like that kind of person.
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