Fleurs in abundance

The French had always been less powerful than the Brits - even in the Muggle World. Elijah didn’t understand it himself but if anything, the Art world was something Selene should have gone into. She had the face that all of the artists wanted so Elijah didn’t see why not. He couldn’t think of anything better at the moment. They needed blondes and they were lacking in that particular department. In fact, Elijah hadn’t painted a blonde woman in the longest time. He was so sick of redheads and brunettes and every other colour in the hair-colour rainbow. A blonde was just what the doctor ordered. If there was a doctor of art then he was ordering a blonde - there was nothing better than that to sort out a painting brick wall that had closed itself around Elijah’s mind. In fact, as luck would have it, Selene was blonde. However, he’d have to be especially nice if she was going to let him paint her. She was difficult, if he remembered rightly.

“Oooh. Secretaries. You know what they say about those, right?” Elijah grinned wolfishly and took another drag from his cigarette. He slid between a French couple who protested immediately but Elijah paid them no mind. He moved back to Selene and slipped an arm around her waist as he flicked the cigarette into a gutter. Elijah blew the smoke away and looked at the French girl, an eyebrow quirking upwards. “I smoke because I need to, Lena.” Elijah told her simply. “It breaks up the monotony and it keeps me calm. I kicked the habit not too long ago but, if it is any consolation, it isn’t as if I’m smoking twenty a day. I barely even make eight. And what sort of French girl are you to shy away from a cigarette? You’re definitely not what I expected, that’s for sure. What’s with all of the surprises? Why can’t you just be predictable, love? Remind me to take you to a club sometime, eh?”

Elijah held ups his hands in defence, though he wasn’t quite able to get the smile off of his face. “Chill, beautiful. You’re preaching to the converted, love. They’re there to do a job, though - just like I am. None of us matter as long as the right person gets paid. That’s how it works with every profession. I’m sure you’ll see that in the Ministry. Bent as a nine-bob note -- the lot of them. You’ll have fun with that, I’m sure.” Elijah smirked at her and ran a hand through his hair. “Finding a muse isn’t that simple. You’ve got to find someone who actually makes you want to paint. It’s like finding a soul mate I suppose. It’s the missing jigsaw piece. They’re fleeting though. Their jigsaw piece will change and they stop fitting. That’s how it works, then we’re back to square one. I haven’t had a muse in the longest time. It would be nice to find one again. I’ll have to keep my options open, I guess.”

“No sex at all?” Elijah echoed. Of course he’d pick that one. “You’re as pure as virgin snow.” He murmured with a smirk. “How interesting...” He trailed off gently and chuckled. “I think anyone would rather see their children with a boyfriend than the British Ministry. It is a hell hole after all. Should I ask some of my cousins to look out for you; to make sure you don’t get sat on by some of the sleazy bastards that work there?” Elijah squeezed her to him laughed once more. “Good luck though. Perhaps, before you step into the Ministry, you try all of those things you’ve denied yourself. Sex...Booze...maybe not the fags but the first two...definitely.”

“Bloody hell. Do you know Frank Longbottom? Or that Rise bird? You sounded just like the pair of them then. It was uncanny. Alright...where on earth are you taking me?”

Selene shot him a dirty look when he joked about Secretaries. "I am quite capable of 'andling myself zank you." She said sniffing slightly, and looking away from him uncomfortably. But suddenly he had his arm around her, and she was almost offended again, staring up at him, unsure of what to make of the physical contact. The one thing she had reserved in her life for her dancing partners... no one touched her.. even her family didn't bother, hugs were a no-no, and family kisses? Yeah right... but he... he had his arm around her, and she was immediately tense, watching him as he guided her along, arm wrapped around her waist. He teased with her, and she couldn't help but become suddenly shy. It was so unreal! This wasn't happening.. it was a dream surely.. a very vivid dream.. well obviously now it was a lucid dream, because she had just thought about it being a dream. She decided to use a technique to help find out if she was dreaming without having to pinch herself, she found something to read not to far away, then looked up at Elijah's face, and then looked back and read it again. Damn.. she wasn't dreaming..

"I do not try to be surprizing..." She said frowning at him. "No one 'az called me surprizing before.." She said glancing at him. "Eez eet wrong zat I do not enjoy inhaling smoke zat eez bad for me? I grew up at Beauxbatons.. not at some club my entire life." She said frowning and then shook her head. "I 'ave never been to a club." She said simply. "I spend my time at 'ome, school, or at ze dance studio.." She said and glanced away from him. Damn, she sounded like a total kid now.. she had no life at all.. and he was talking about clubs, and booze, and things she had never even thought about thinking of... and yet... the way he said stuff about it seemed not as bad as she knew they were. He smoked, he drank, he had sex.. and she was a complete virgin, had never had a drink, nor even thought of inhaling smoke from a cancer stick.

Selene looked up at Elijah as he explained how people worked, and then as he explained muse. She frowned and then shrugged. "What if you were your own muse? Like... with dancing.." She frowned, and then shook her head. "With dancing... sometimes I do not want to dance.. sometimes... I just want to give up, and not work on ze move I know I 'ave to get right... So I stop for a beet.... and I theenk to myself, 'you can do zis.. you know you can..' and zen, I guess I just do eet." She smiled slightly and shook her head, running her hand through her hair. She was surprised at herself that she had allowed him to keep his hand around her waist, but somehow she had a feeling that even if she had pushed him away, he would have come back at her again... so she allowed it.. this time.

Selene shook her head. "I am not completely virgin! I mean..." She sighed, and looked up at him. "I 'ave seen not nice theengs, I 'ave seen... death, and despair, 'ow zat eez being virgin I do not know.. I watched children cowering in fright in front of a Vampire... and got zem out of ze school safety.. watched people blow up... I am not a virgin in sites zat people cause around ze world... no thanks to your.. booze, and sex.. and drugs." She shook her head in an upset way, though she wasn't sure what had gotten her riled up. "I do not feel ze need to go out and... try zings zat will not benefit my future.." She said frowning at him and looking away carefully. "Frank? Rise? No.. I 'ave not.. but eet eez right zere." She said pointing down a narrower street, at a tiny cafe set back into the wall a bit, the window looked a bit grimy, and it looked a bit deserted, but it was definitely where Selene had pointed.

"I 'ave friends zere.. and zey have great tea." She said smiling at Elijah, and without thinking about, grabbed his hand and pulled him down the streets towards the little cafe.

Bloody Merlin wasn’t she boring? Elijah hated the Virgin Mary trollop all girls seemed to feel the need to pull. He liked the bad ones. He liked the ones with tattoos who had a love for leather and lacy underwear. He was usually in it for the instant gratification and half of the time so were they so it was win-win. He loved the allure, the danger of the girls that should have been out of his league. Selene was the complete opposite. She was Daddy’s little angel and nothing like he was used to trying to get in his bed. Not that he was trying to get Selene in his bed mind you. It wasn’t as if that was a horrible prospect but that wasn’t what was on his mind. He knew better than to press Mira. He knew better than to sleep with people now. Still, he could tell a lot by a woman’s waist and cradling Selene’s as carefully as he did, Elijah could tell that she was flexible - though, seeing as she was a dancer that wasn’t exactly record breaking news. She was flexible though. That was interesting. That was very interesting.

“Wizards don’t actually get Cancer, you know. It is a myth...” Elijah reminded her gently. “Cigarette kill Muggles. The only thing that is similar in their effects on Wizards and Muggles is that they’re addictive - if not more so to the former.” Elijah shrugged non-comittedly. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. You’re daddy’s little girl aren’t you? You’d never go to a club and dance like a real person with carnal desires. You’d never drink your entire body weight and you’d certainly never have sex with some random guy. The cigarettes are irrelevant and only idiots smoke. I don’t defend myself here. But come on, baby girl...you’re missing out here. You’re what? Seventeen, eighteen? It’s time to grow up a bit, beautiful. Get a life. Go out with me one night, yeah? I’ll take you to a club. I won’t let you drink too much because you strike me as the light weight type but you can have enough to feel the effects. And I swear to Merlin I won’t let you sleep with anyone but yours truly. Is that reassuring for you, beautiful?”

Elijah grinned savagely before barking out a laugh at her words. “Be my own muse? Oh please. I don’t want to paint myself, Selene. If I had it my way then the only thing to suggest my presence on this world when I leave it would be my art, my children and my headstone. Art is immortal. I don’t want to be. I just need to find someone to paint...someone I want to paint. It’s a difficult process to have to go through. Really you should feel sorry for me. So may legs to try and get into right proportion...so many bloody breasts to draw. You know...it’s enough to make you swing the other way after a while. Falling into bed with a bloke definitely breaks up the monotony.” Elijah smirked at Selene before chuckling. “Bet that has never crossed your mind either. What about both, eh? Are you familiar with the term ménage à trois, baby?” Elijah snickered. “We’re going to a club. End of story. You, sweetheart, need to be educated in some of the finer arts.”

“Look, love, just because you’ve seen death doesn’t mean you’re not a virgin. So what if you’ve seen the light fall from someone’s eyes as if it were never there in the first place? So what? That doesn’t mean a thing. You, darling, are as virgin as they come and just because you stood up to a vampire and ferried a load of insufferable firsties out of Hogwarts doesn’t make you any less of one. We clear? However, we’re going to fix this so you will be able to actually claim that you’re not a virgin. Virginal, baby. You carry your v-card like it’s a holy-freaking-book. Virgin, love. V-i-r-g-i-n. Viiiiiiiiiiiirgin. Do you know how bloody desirable you are because of it though? Secretaries! Virginal secretaries. Those poor swots working in human resources will think all their Christmas’ have come at once. Never let anyone but the bossman bend you over the desk love because otherwise, you’re not going to get up the career ladder what so ever. Booze won’t kill you. Sex will blow your socks off. Drugs, however, are a waste of time. Don’t do them - that’s bloody weird. Tried it once...ended up arse over tit in someone’s bath. Strange...strange...vile stuff.”

Elijah shrugged and looked up. “Ah! Food! Fantastic...I’m bloody starving.”

Selene was basically stumped on how to respond to his cigarette theory. Wasn't it just enough that she didn't find the site of people blowing smoke out of their mouths like a chimney appealing? It was like he was attempting to turn her into something she was not, and it was almost.. thrilling, but scary in a way, her heart was up in her throat, and all they were doing was walking and talking about it.. imagine what it would be like if they actually went and did that kind of stuff... smoking, and... and.. dancing, and drinking.. the thought made her feel so scared, she nearly stopped. In all truth, the real reason she did none of that stuff, is because she was horribly afraid, horribly afraid of how people would look at her after that.. she had always determined that she would get a job, and move away from home, work on her own, and make a living. She didn't need a family, or help from anyone but herself, it was her way of thinking.. and then he came along, and offered her something she had never really factored into her life... fun.

Selene opened her mouth to protest being called Daddy's little girl. She most certainly was not Daddy's Little Girl! If she was she wouldn't be so eager to leave the house! Get a life of her own.. Carnal desires... drinking your own body weight... sex with random guys.. it was just wrong, and she felt wrong even thinking about it, it made her shiver somewhat, her insides were quaking, and she was stunned, listening to him, to numb to respond to what he was saying. She stammered out at his saying that she needed to grow up. "I do not find... zat doing.. all of zat will 'elp me grow up." She said shakily. What was wrong with her? She was shaking like a leaf in his grasp, and she wanted nothing more then to find a way to get away from him.. find a place to leave. But then he said something that made her so numb, all she could do was allow him to guide her along. Have sex with him? Yeah right.. a man like that... a man.. who did all of those things.. the.. dancing with carnal desire.. and smoking.. and booze.. it just... the thought of even touching him in anyway that was inappropriate.. she was pretty sure she was about to faint dead away, right there on the street.

His sudden turn of conversation about swinging the other way, it made her look straight up at him and frown. "I do not approve." She said suddenly, shaking her head. "I.. I mean.. I.. I do not approve of any of zat at all! Ze.. The... sex for no reason! I do not even want to 'ave a relationship in my life at all! So why would I... even think about it... why would I want... I mean... My entire life.. I 'ave decided zat I would not, EVER have a relationship.... in fact.. what you are doing right now.." She gestured to his arm around her waist, "And what we did in ze empty classroom.. zat... eez ze first time.. zis eez ze second... zat I 'ave even been touched by someone who isn't family... and even zen.. zey do not touch me.. and yet.. you just.. barge in.. and.. and.. grab me all over, and.. make my head spin... what do you want with me?" She asked, looking up at him pleadingly. "Why me? Why can you not just.. let me live my life.." She was shaking all over, and she knew that this man was planting things in her head, that now that she knew him, would not go away.

"You make me want to though.. you make me want to follow you blindly.. do what you want.. and.. eet scares me! Eet really does!" Then he basically started to pester her about her choice of words. "Virgin.. can be taken in more zen ze sexual way." She growled out, glaring up at him. But then he called her desirable, and she felt a flush creep into her cheeks. She shook her head. "I would not... I would never!" She suddenly pulled herself from his grasp. "I do not know what eez wrong with you.. are you high? Drunk? You did not appear to be back in the square... but now..." She sighed and shook her head at him, afraid of him now.. afraid of him in every sense of the word. "I would never let anyone touch me like zat.. EVER." She nodded vigorously. "I do not care eef I am.. desirable.. or.. or.. you think zat of me.. zat I would even think about it.." She groaned and ran a hand through her hair, glaring at him, afraid of his touch, now more then ever, earlier she was only allowing it because he wouldn't have let her go otherwise, now though.. the thought of his arm around her, well it shocked her, and repulsed her.. something was wrong with this man, something needed to be fixed, but he would never be fixed.. it was a fact of life, so she knew she just had to run.

But.. she had taken him to the restaurant.. and.. she had gotten a flower from him.. and he had been nice earlier, so she decided that she would get some lunch with him, and that would be it.. end of story. She'd have some tea, and then part ways, go dance off her emotions at the Dance Studio later... if that would help.. what he said would be stuck in her mind for ages.. and there was no unhearing it.. "Yes.." She said simply and dragged him down the road, dropping his hand at the door, and walking inside. "Bonjour! Je suis de retour! Avec un ami!" She called, and grinned at the person behind the bar. "Thé pour moi, et tout ce qu'il veut ..." She said simply, finding a table in the empty restaurant, and sitting down weakly, her hands shaking as she folded them on the table, trying to make it look like she wasn't so shaken.

Even though he’d just told her that drugs weren’t his thing, she still assumed he was high. How typical. Just because he was being crude didn’t mean that he was out of his tree. Elijah didn’t like drugs. He’d been there, done that and they weren’t great. They weren’t fun. It was rubbish waking up in the morning without a clue where you were, with a splitting headache and goodness only knows who lying naked beside you. Elijah knew that much of the same happened with alcohol but at least he could handle that somewhat. Drugs were a waste of time. He liked to remember what he was getting up to, even if he was in a perpetual state of complete confusion. Still, he couldn’t blame her for her assumption. His moods hardly made sense but he hadn’t been born to be an open book. If he had been then Chase probably wouldn’t have left him. In fact, if he’d been an open book then she probably wouldn’t have even thought about becoming anything other than a voice of in the background in relation to him.

She would have been smart about it. She’d been smart when it counted though; had she not been then it could well have cost her, her life.

Elijah was going to leave Selene to her own issues with sex and alcohol. He wasn’t going to force her - not if she really wanted to. In reality it was her call. He was just winding her up to see if he could get a rise out of her and he had succeeded. He liked seeing the cogs in her mind turn as they did. He liked watching as her opinion of him so drastically changed. Well, he was assuming that this is what he was seeing. The expressions on her face were dead giveaways and she was hardly subtle about it. He didn’t actually think that winding her up would have been as easy as it had been. She was sweet and far too sensible for her own good. She did need to loosen up a bit but it wasn’t up to him to decide whether she did or not. That was ultimately on her.

When they entered the shop, Elijah listened to her exchange with the people who worked there. He plucked a menu off of one of the tables and he opened it up, wondering whether they served what he usually had in the mornings. Obviously he wasn’t by the river and he certainly didn’t have his guitar with him but that didn’t mean he didn’t want a crepe. So that was what he ordered, a crepe with everything on it - strawberries, bananas, chocolate; the works. He put the menu back in the clip that was between the salt and pepper shakers before leaning back in his chair and looking at Selene, wondering which bits of her monologue he should pick out and play on. It was all much of the same, her anxiety over stepping out of the box her parents had put her in. He wanted her to do it. He wanted her to take that leap. He couldn’t make her though; as much as it irked him.

“You don’t have to you know,” Elijah reminded her as he ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, I know it sounds like I’m making it all out to be a necessary part of life but really, the sex is. You want to have kids don’t you? You want to have hundreds - well maybe not hundreds but you get the picture - of mini-you’s and mini versions of your hubby-to-be right? You can’t be afraid of it. Alcohol you don’t need to have fun but it is a drink like everything else on this planet. It goes with food doesn’t it? Blue cheese and the like? But it’s also a way for people to relax. It doesn’t help that it is a proven depressant but it does relax people. Me personally, I don’t drink as much as I say I do. I’ll make my way through a bottle of wine a night but I won’t drink it all. Having said that, there are a lot of near-empty wine bottles knocking around my studio. Have you ever done that? With any drink I mean? Like...you’ll get to a certain point and time will pass and you’ll get another of the same drink but you’ll never go back to the one you finished? It’s weird.”

Elijah chuckled to himself and smiled at her. “So do you come here often?” As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he cringed. “That wasn’t meant to be a pick-up line. It was an innocent question.”

Selene shook her head to his first question. "I 'ave never wanted kids... I 'ave always wanted to be by myself.. kids are just nasty little... I mean... zey are just not for me.. I am not ze mother type... I have self confidence issues, and I simply want to work, so no.. sex eez not necessary, when one does not want kids." She said simply, "I don't want a 'usband either... I 'ave never dreamed of being a 'ouse wife... I do not want a man by my side, and I am perfectly happy doing what I am doing right now.. so obviously sex... love.. zat eez all irrelevant to me.. ze reason I am who I am... I do not go searching for ze person who supposedly will make me happy.. I am 'appy now.. I do not need a man to be more.." She said simply, and smiled when the waiter brought her her tea.

"Erm... I try to drink all of what I get out.. but yes.. occasionally, I guess I do do zat occasionally... eef I 'ave a carbonated drink... and I 'ave plenty in the fridge.. yes.. I do do that.." She said, and found herself smiling slightly at him. It was possibly the first thing they had agreed on, and she looked at him, unsure of whether or not this meant anything.. probably not. It was obvious that no matter how hard Selene tried to make it sound like she didn't care, she was curious, and she was in awe of the people who had everything she shunned in her life. She had never really wanted a husband to be honest.. but a boyfriend... a lover.. someone to show her she was a little bit special.. well, that was a small dream of hers.. just once, to feel special.. not boring, or not even surprising, just.. special.

Selene looked at Elijah, and then felt herself smile. "Yes.. I do come 'ere often... zey are my friends.. a good family who run zis place... and I come 'ere for tea.' She said, and to enhance what she said, she gently raised the cup to her lips, and took a sip, sighing and leaning back in her chair. "Zey know exactly 'ow like eet even.. and ze best part.. zey do not understand English... we are safe talking eet, with no possibility of eavesdrop.. unless eet eez by a costumer.. and as you can see, zere are none." She smiled grimly, before sipping her tea, and watching the waiter bring his crepe to him.

She was sweet; unbelievably so. Elijah couldn’t help but smile at her. He chuckled and shook his head before reaching forward to pick up the salt shaker. He turned it over in his hands as he thought, musing on her words. He followed the salt round with his eyes as he thought, not quite sure he believed her words. He’d never met a woman that didn’t aspire to have little versions of them running around. That wasn’t him being sexist; it was just what they seemed to all crave - not children necessarily, but a family. He wanted the very same. He wanted to see smaller, sweeter and kinder versions of himself running around causing trouble wherever they stepped foot.

He wasn’t particularly looking forward to the trouble he knew his offspring would get into while at Hogwarts but he wanted to see the mischief in their eyes, their carefree attitude. He didn’t want them to be burdened with the Krum way of thinking. He didn’t want them to believe that the Krum train of thought was the right one. He didn’t want them to think that the world was just going to serve itself up on a silver platter. That was the way he thought yet he knew it to be wrong. It was the way his father thought and it was the away his father before him had thought. It sickened him to the very core at times yet he couldn’t stop that train of thought. He didn’t want that instilled in his children. He hated it yet he had to go with it. He had no choice.

One day though...he’d leave. He just needed an excuse. One might argue the mistreatment over the years had been enough but Elijah wasn’t strong enough. He’d never been strong enough and he was quietly terrified of the idea that he’d never be strong enough.

“Children aren’t that bad,” He murmured with a wistful smile. “They’re little terrors at times, sure, but it’s when they’re asleep when they’re at their best...or when they just want a cuddle and you’re sure why but you let them anyway and you end up falling asleep and waking up late in the afternoon wondering where the day went.” Elijah smiled a little and shook his head. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been home,” He chuckled to himself. “I miss my babies.” He fished his wallet out of his back pocket and opened it up. He took out two pictures, one of the three of them - him, Thierry and Fauve - and one of a little baby...one who he hadn’t seen in a very long time. He placed them on the table and smiled sheepishly. “My family - sort of. I’m missing the third. Katherine. She...her mother got custody of her.” Elijah sighed heavily. “Merlin knows she wouldn’t let me within a hundred yards of her if she could get away with it. I just want to watch my daughter grow up - you know? It’s difficult when you’ve got people breathing down your neck one side and someone denying you the rights you should have...the rights I should have.” Elijah ran his fingers through his hair and groaned loudly. “Why on earth am I telling you this, Selene? You’re making me talk again.”

He grinned sheepishly and took the pictures back. He slotted them back safely into his wallet and pocked it once more.

“I keep meaning to tidy but I keep the bottles...promising myself I’ll make some sort of sculpture out of all of the glass. Most of them just have candles slotted into the tops now...and are absolutely covered in wax. They make for beautiful window features though.” Elijah chuckled and shook his head. His eyes flicked back to Selene and he cocked an eyebrow at her. “Why wouldn’t we be safe? What interest could our conversation be to those around us? No matter though. I’m sure the conversation between an artist and a dancer is incredibly interesting if you’re looking in. Think about the range of subjects we discuss. We haven’t spoken about books yet though have we?”

Elijah cleared the table, putting the salt shakers and such on the floor, and pushed the plate between them. He unravelled the cutlery by his elbow and took the fork. He poked the crepe a bit before spearing a strawberry and putting it into his mouth. He chewed it and swallowed before gesturing for Selene to have some.

“Eat. It’ll make you feel better. Books then...what’s your favourite book?” He asked her.

When Elijah said he missed his babies.. her whole body went numb.. he had children? She could feel something like a weight being dropped into her stomach, and her gaze immediately fell to her tea. She should have guessed... him being Elijah Krum and all.. he'd have children, and maybe even a wife.. he was the kind of person who had it all.. fame, fortune, and a lovely wife who was true to him, no matter how much he cheated. He was the luckiest man on the planet.. and she? She was just a low life, French woman, who was afraid of getting to involved... people like Elijah Krum, never liked people like Selene Brun.. it just didn't happen, so why was she still hopeful?

Selene carefully took the pictures and looked at them. "Are zey all yours?" She asked, staring in dismay, trying not to let him see just how disappointed she was. Her heart had broken into a million pieces, what little heart she had available for anyone anyway... She wouldn't admit it to herself.. but she was head over heels for Elijah Krum, and no matter how much she wished she wasn't... she was. He was the bad boy type, who could still be nice and sweet, that attracted people like Selene to him. He called her attractive, joked around, told her about himself... and yet he smoked, and drank, and had sex... it was everything Selene was not, and she knew she had no chance with him. Ever.. not in a million years. "She 'as red 'air." She said looking at the picture of the baby. "Zey are very pretty.." She said softly, blushing before taking another drink of her tea.

"You tell me because you wish to... even eef eet feels like you do not.. you do inside..." she said and pointed at his heart. "Eet eez ze stranger fantasy.. you know nothing about me.. so you wish me to know everything about you.. eet eez natural." She said simply and took another sip of her tea, trying to hide just how horribly depressed she felt now that he had shown her his kids.. and the fact that he had at least had a wife.. if not had a new one now... "Zey are not wizards.. we speak about say.. 'ogwarts.. and zey 'ave no idea what we are talking about.." She said shrugging. "Eet makes it easier zen.." She smiled at him, but it disappeared quickly, and her gaze fell back down to her tea unhappily.

Selene didn't even bother arguing and picked up a fork and doing the same as him, savoring the taste before swallowing and looking at him. "I read... ze normal kind I guess.. I mean.. when I say normal.." She sighed and absentmindedly ran her hand through her hair, taking another bite of the crepe. "Epic Fantasies... Regular fantasy.... Fiction, non-fiction.. I'm pretty general in my reading I guess.. though I tend to stay more on the epic fantasy side... I do sometimes enjoy a nice romance novel." She said and then flushed bright red. Not many people knew of her guilty pleasure romance novels, and she had just admitted having them to Elijah Krum.

Quietly, Elijah couldn’t wait to go home. There was only so much of the French capital a young man could take. He’d evolved somewhat from the shy fourteen year old that had become the partier that he was towards the end of his year in Paris. No, Elijah preferred the quiet life now. He loved lounging in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine and a book in his hands. He couldn’t go out and spend the entire night in a club like he would have done nearly two years ago. He was an old spirit now it seemed. He couldn’t handle that party lifestyle. The fact that he was more suited for a bottle of wine and a good book now was something that made Elijah smile. He talked about the clubs and the alcohol and the sex like it was something he lived on. He didn’t anymore. He could live without all of it and he did for the most part. He loved his wine, in fairness, and he was never going to say ‘no’ to a beautiful female. But still, he could probably live without it all - and in reality, he didn’t need the bloody cigarettes as much as he convinced himself he did.

“All of them? No - only the littlest. That, um...that didn’t end well between me and her mum. She and I ended on a bad note. She doesn’t want anything to do with me now.” Elijah shook his head sadly. “You probably wouldn’t understand. It kills me a little more every day knowing that somewhere my daughter is being raised by some other bloke.” He cut up a bit of the crepe and shovelled it into his mouth, determined not to let slip the emotions that still wracked him - the self-hate that plagued him. He would never get over that day. He’d never get over the loathing that rolled off of Chase in waves - the loathing that was directed towards him. It made his heart clench. He couldn’t stand it yet...he had no choice. He had to put up with it. He had to deal with it. He had no choice in the matter. “But um, the other two, my eldest two...they’re adopted. From France actually. They’re French.”

Elijah felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment, though why he was not sure, and he ducked his head a little. How strange they looked; one blushing into her tea and the other blushing down into his food.

“Strangers...I don’t exactly talk to them much. You’re not a stranger to me, Selene, not completely.” He smiled gently and cut up another bit of the crepe. He put into his mouth and looked over at the people mincing around behind the counters. Muggles. How bizarre. “Why is that you choose a Muggle establishment? Why not a Wizarding one?”

“Beautiful,” He laughed. “So you’re typical then. Despite living in a fantasy you too are looking for a way out of this grim reality - if only for a second. I’m much the same. I like historical-fiction really though. I fancied myself a writer at some point but then I realised that I didn’t actually know where to start so I discarded that idea before it even began. Say...I was reading something the other day actually. I’ve been reading a couple of books every few days...it’s getting obscene. It was incredibly well written. I can’t exactly tell you what it was about because I’d give it away but how about I lend it to you? And maybe...you might say no but I'm going to try my luck anyway -- would you let me paint you?"

Selene listened patiently as he spoke about his child's mother. She had left him? How sad, the fact that she would leave him for something... though it made her wonder what he had done to deserve it... oftentimes, it wasn't really the woman's fault they overreacted.. there was a hidden cause, a tension that had built, and she wondered what had made this girl snap. She listened to him sadly, and then reached across the table and patted his hand gently. "I do not understand.. but... I can sympathize... I do read books, and zere eez a lot in zem zat I learn about ze things zat I shun." She said smirking and looking away, hiding her own embarrassment again. He looked upset now though... thinking about his ex.. and she frowned. "Why do you do eet zen? Why... why do you go after people eef zey only 'urt you in ze end?" She asked, her eyes narrowed, staring at him. "I do not get eet... eef... zere eez zat possibility.. why take eet? Why... risk your happiness.." She stared at him and frowned, carefully removing her hand from on top of his, and putting it back in her lap.

"We are only not strangers because of what happened in ze classroom Elijah, do not tell me differently.. You.. make eet appear zat you barely know me.. and yet claim to know me better... and still.." She frowned, speaking into her tea now. "You are ze only one I 'ave let even... think about touching me.. when I say touching I mean!" Selene said looking up at him and blushing hard. "I mean.. 'ow you put you arm around my waist... and... and... I let you dance with me... ze.. ze only people who do zat... are ze people I dance with at class... even my parents do not..." She said frowning, and then looking up at him shocked that she had spoken so plainly.

She listened to him speak about books, and nodded. "Writing eez a good profession.. zough a risky one." She said nodding slightly, and listening as he spoke about some book. "Erm sure.. I would like to read eet I guess..." She said and then froze when he asked his last question. She stared at him for a long, LONG moment, sizing him up, surprise choking up her brain. She felt her mouth fall open, and she couldn't do anything but stare at him. Suddenly her mouth shut closed, and she found herself glaring. "Do not theenk me stupid Elijah Krum... I do know what you do with your models when you are done with them... what eez ze catch? Why do you want to paint me of all people? Ze woman who has never drank a drop of alcohol in her life... ze woman who eez afraid of sex, and taking a risk... ze woman who can't even look at a cigarette without flinching... what eez ze catch?!" She growled out, glaring at him and pushing her mostly empty tea cup away.