Unexpected Houseguests

It was amazing that Robin was able to notice anything about Avery at all in his current state of mild panic. He looked to her for some sort of grounding on how to handle the situation and was surprised to find she looked as uncomfortable as he felt. In an odd way her sudden awkardness made him feel a little bit calmer. At least there was a chance that she was just as embarrassed as he was.

Still trying to appear cool and collected Robin shrugged, "She was pretty wonderful." Then I discovered I didn't know her either.

That might have been a bit harsh. There was never a time that Claire had been less than honest with Robin, he had just been unwilling to hear the truth. He had been so positive about the future they had together that never for a second had he considered she would say no to his offer. Just like that she had disappeared from his life without a backward glance and leaving the normally so cocky Robin to pick up the shattered pieces of his ego and heart.

He hadn't heard a word from her in over two years. Robin used to know her like the back of his hand but the moment she left everything he thought to be true had been turned upside down and warped. The years of brooding and rethinking had changed his view of her and it was impossible to say how accurately Robin really remembered the young blonde.

He used to know her but she had become a stranger.

"But I've got to tell you, Avery Bishop, there's no one I'd rather be spending the day with. Not even your wonderful sister."

Avery simply nodded at Robin's reply. Of course he would think Claire was great if he dated her. It made perfect sense. What didn't make sense was Avery's response to the whole thing. She shouldn't have been disappointed by his answer.

Guilt was something Avery had never really been able to handle. If she was being honest with herself, she absolutely knew that it had been her fault. Her fault that Claire didn't want to see her or get back in touch. Her fault that her parents couldn't figure why the sisters didn't get on. They blamed Avery as well. She didn't really have family after the divorce, regardless of her spending summers with them. She had only been eight when things started going wrong. It was all rather upsetting.

Shaking it off she flashed him a small smile, just in time to catch his second statement.

Blushing and smiling far too much for someone her age, Avery was able to push away her fear regarding his opinion of her due to Claire. As much as she wanted to ask if he had heard anything about her – or, well, about Candace – she knew she should accept the change of topic and be glad of it if not thankful. Perhaps Claire had simply not mentioned her? Acted like Avery hadn't ever been part of her life?

“That's quite a serious decision for having only met me the one time.” She noted, tilting her head to look up at him with a smirk on her face. She relaxed her arms and let them swing at her sides loosely. If she acted like she didn't care, everyone else would think she didn't care.

Robin shrugged, grinning mischievously.

"I trust my gut. Hasn't steered me wrong yet."

In all honesty, Robin's so called gut feelings got him into much more trouble than good. That tattoo? It had turned from awesome to shaming as soon as the alcohol had disappeared from his bloodstream. Could he make it to his house before gas ran out? Nope he really couldn't. Was it a good idea to kiss Holland Barnes when her boyfriend was just in the next room over? The black eye he received would hint to no. But besides his poor track record Robin blindly followed his instincts, insisting that they were always right.

They were getting deeper into Dublin now. The suburban atmosphere that Robin had settled in was giving way to a higher density of buildings. Spotting the sign for the underground he turned to Avery, suddenly realizing the question that he had neglected to ask in his rush to leave the house. "You don't mind muggle trains do you?" he inquired. This had been a problem for some of his other friends. Most wizards didn't take too kindly to the enclosed, underground spaces when you could apperate to your destination in seconds.

Robin saw the dangers quite oppositely from most. The thought of the sufficiently black tube of darkness pulling him from one reality to another was infinitely more claustrophobic than any muggle tunnels.

Mostly, Robin was attempting to completely forget that the woman standing next to him had any relation at all to Claire. He was sure that if he dwelt on this horrifying fact for too long he would go crazy. So many questions were swirling on his brain about the younger sister. Surely Avery could give him some sort of information about her life in the last few years? He needed to know something. Anything. The loss of contact with Claire was nearly unbearable. Part of him hoped she had found everything she was looking for and part of him hoped she was miserable, missing him, and alone.

Avery nodded dramatically like she believed him, though she had a feeling that no one could say that and be correct. His smile was contagious, though, and she found herself reaching a point she hadn't expected to reach for a good while – wanting to talk about the tough subjects. Usually, Avery avoided listing her problems around guys; things like her sister were obviously included in that list. Somehow, she'd managed to throw all of that out the window to its apparent demise ((OOC: *coughONCEcough*)). Instead of hiding her issues, Robin nearly made her comfortable with sharing them. It was quite odd and all sorts of backwards but Avery found that she didn't mind so very much.

More and more buildings rose around them, blocking the chilling breeze most of the time. Just at Robin asked about the underground, they passed one building on their way, the space between the structures giving way to a surprisingly harsh burst of wind. “If it means avoiding this wind, then I'm entirely open to them.” She joked, half serious.

They approached and headed down, Avery hardly noticing how she sped up to get away from the cold air. She glanced back at him over her shoulder adding, “I'm actually quite used to these.”

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, she turned to face him, knowing full well that she would block his descent, though he was a few steps above her and even taller than she was than usual. “I..” She attempted, wanting to clear any suspicions or anything of the sort, “I want you to know that I haven't heard from Claire since I left for school. Well, except during the summers when we were forced to live under one roof. But it's not like she mentioned you and I'm here to bother you or anything.”

Why did she go on and say things like that? Most every time she did, it just sounded like she really had done whatever she claimed she hadn't. Though she was being honest, it didn't seem to matter. What would he think? Subconsciously, Avery must have known that she didn't want him to continue on whatever they were doing – seriously, though, was it a date? She couldn't tell. - and have him wondering if Claire had sent the sister to see if he had moved on or some such. Nor did she want Robin to think she was there to make him think of her sister. Something told her it wouldn't matter, and he always would be comparing them, even in the back of his mind. That same something informed her that she likely wouldn't measure up.


((OOC: Sorry about the awkward almost gm-ing. I'm not quite sure what my brain was up to when I wrote this. That said, I love that Avery is all worried about everything. <3))

Robin trotted down the stairs with a bounce in every step. Each footfall took them deeper into the ground and away from the elements of an oncoming winter. Robin's cheeks became gradually rosy as they finally reacted to the wind that the pair had been walking in. Robin began to fall slightly behind Avery and he admired the bounce in her blonde curls as she moved down the subway stairs. His mood was rapidly improving, the issues of Mira and Claire all but vanished from his mind as he forced himself to think of more pleasant things.

It was this particular emotional trick that made Robin so hopelessly good at being happy. Where others liked to brood over their problems, Robin preferred to pretend like he didn't have any until they went away on their own. He was able to shove all emotional baggage in the corner for long periods of time, putting up an appearance of contentment for others until he was alone and could properly sort out his thoughts.

Muggles moved up and down the stairs, rushing towards the trains that would take them to their lives. The scene wasn't nearly as chaotic as during rush hour but was still filled with the hustle and bustle of a beautiful day. Robin was surprised at how completely his attention was held by the blonde in front of him. His curious eyes were known for straying but they remained trailing on her back, her perfectly fitting jeans, and those unbelievable bouncing curls.

Avery stopped suddenly and Robin was lucky to be paying enough attention so he didn't crash directly into her. Seeing her face, his absentminded grin faded and became a look of concern. This look only intensified as she spoke. Oh. Robin couldn't lie - he was a bit disappointed. While part of him was completely disturbed that any connection to Claire had opened back up in his life, another part was also pleased that it had happened. The news he so desperately craved would not be coming from her sister.

"Forced?" He asked, allowing his curiosity (that he had been able to so carefully silence before) to speak. "You don't get along, I take it?"

Robin had always felt like he knew Clarissa like the back of his hand. They had been so close for so long that he had foolishly assumed they knew everything about eachother. But with the appearance of Avery he was becoming increasingly aware of how infrequently they had talked about her family. Robin knew she had an older sister and that her parents were divorced but Claire had always closed up so much when he brought it up that eventually he abandoned the subject altogether. While he was aware that the sisters were less than close, he had never been told of the specifics. And while it was disappointing that Avery had not taken his opportunity to drop the subject, he also listened closely, hanging on her every word.

Avery nearly frowned as his face fell. She could feel her chances with Robin slipping away as she spoke - even more so when he spoke in return. If she had any to start with. She still couldn't tell what he thought this outing was meant to be - it looked like a date, and sounded like a date, but did that make it a date?

Was it not better to tell him she couldn't feed his curiosity now rather than have him ask her later? She would only end up disappointing him in the end. Her parents had made it known that Avery wasn't exactly someone Claire needed to look up to. Avery's tempter sometimes got the better of her. And besides, she spent her life with Dragons - and apparently, that was just strange. Needless to say, her holidays were often spent at Keiran's or with a friend who had no where to go either.

She felt his eyes on her even as she turned to let someone pass her, leaning against the railing. "It's a long story.." She attempted to brush it away, a hand toying with one of her curls. "We had a fight when we were very young and never got past it."

She gave him a moment to digest that, watching him for any reaction.

Finally, she shook her head, turned to face him, and set her hands on his shoulders. She probably looked rather ridiculous, as he was taller than her to begin with, and now was even more so with the help of the stairway. "Let's make a deal," She began. "When you leave that step," Avery looked down pointedly, "We go back to how things were at the pub. No awkwardness about Mira or my sister or anything. Yeah?"

Robin smiled at her, an uneasy feeling still in his chest. "Deal." he agreed firmly, making a point to step down to her level. Robin looked down at his feet and then back up at Avery, a genuine grin forming. "Let's go eat." he added, bowing his head towards the depths tunnel, from which he could just hear the whooshing wind of a train roaring past.

- - -

Lunch had been surprisingly good. The taste of his fish and chips had been infinitely improved by the fact that Avery had kept her end of their deal as well as Robin had kept his. Neither of them had breathed a whisper about the other blonde girls and by the time drinks had been ordered quite a bit of the awkwardness had faded away. The conversation had been a bit chatty at first - things like Keiran's absence, their jobs, and the weather. But even this smalltalk (which would normally drive him crazy) served it's purpose and Robin's bruised ego was healed with every passing second.

By the time desert was served Robin had genuinely forgotten about their conversation on the walk to the restaurant. After the meal Robin was able to conclude that Avery was in fact just as smart, witty, and pretty as she had seemed upon first impression. While this was, of course, pleasing if he was going to spend more time with her, it also presented new challenges. There was very little chance of remaining friends after you dropped the "I-bet-your-best-friend-I-could-make-you-love-me" bomb. Hopefully it would never come to that.

Robin paid for the check and left several muggle bills and coins on top of the check for a tip. He pulled both of their coats off of the hanger at the edge of the booth, handing Avery hers. He pulled his coat over his shoulders and began walking towards the doors, smiling and nodding at the hostess as he moved past. He pushed open the front door and held it open for Avery as she followed behind him.

"So where to?" Robin asked as the door swung behind them, leaving the couple back on the cobbled streets of Dublin. He knew that Avery lived in a flat in London - it was one of the many things he had learned over lunch. Normally he would have suggested taking a route towards her house but that was clearly not an option. Of course Avery could apperate herself back to the comfort of her flat at any moment, but Robin was surprised to find himself wishing they could spend a bit longer together.

"Can I show you the best Dublin has to offer? Or do you need to get back to London?" Robin raised his eyebrows, almost challenging her to say no.

Avery found herself comparing their lunch to outings with her friends - it easily was as amusing, though she would openly admit that the company was excessively more attractive. Being male likely helped. Even if she had Keiran for a best mate, that was all she saw him as, after all of these years.

Robin's laugh was rather contagious - or maybe it was the fact that they had dropped any and all awkward topics of conversation. Either way, she couldn't find anything to complain about. The conversation was easy, smiles seemed constant, and things were generally great fun.

At times, Avery worried her wit would get her in trouble, but he didn't ever seem to be offended. Contrarily, he seemed amused. She noted he seemed more open - rather like he was after meeting her and Keiran at the pub. Avery could still remember waking up the next morning, not even registering the fact that she had essentially told Robin to do lunch with her. When she was riding in the lift that morning she suddenly had remembered and grinned to herself.

They left the table, Avery trailing behind him. She took the jacket from him, putting it on before flicking her hair to keep it from being stuck in the jacket collar. She smiled at Robin as he held the door open and they made their way back into the chilled air. She suddenly wished she had brought some sort of hot tea with her if only to warm her hands.

She rubbed them together as he spoke, shrugging. The look he gave her made Avery want to laugh. "I've got time." She replied nonchalantly, like she didn't really care one way or the other. Giving him a rather snarky smile she added, "Show me around, Mr. Ivanov."