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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2017 22:42:51 GMT -5
like a house of cards Well, the local hole-in-the-wall dive wasn’t going to work out anymore. Margot had gotten into a little tiff with the owner’s brother and well, blood is thicker than fat tips apparently. She didn’t want to watch the first match of the season at school… As awesome as it was to cast the games up on the wall of her classroom, she definitely preferred good ol’ fashioned bar atmosphere. She wanted the sound of old, salty men talking shit about the opposing team, the smell of old, stale, spilled beer and peanuts. She wants shit bar food that would make a weaker stomach bloat and cramp. Greasy, awful nachos and stale beer.
She wanted an American bar.
Exhaling slowly as she reached the edge of town, Margot looked around and then closed her eyes and canted her head to the side before apparating somewhere… else.
With a crack, Margot found herself in a Zurich alley. She swiped her hands down over the sleeves of her jacket out of habit, as if she were dusting herself off, and then stepped out onto the busy street. She walked for a little while; just letting her feet take her somewhere new when she stopped. Wizarding bars, restaurants, etc were pretty well known, but this one… She grinned.
”Thank the greasy American gods.”
Turning, she made a direct route toward the restaurant and stepped inside. It was like Wing Dome, but Swiss. The walls were lined with TVs showing any sport anyone could imagine. Quidditch, Baseball, Football, Soccer, Tennis, Golf, Cricket, Volleyball, etc. There was a TV designated for any competition. There was even Chess and Wizarding Chess. Margot leaned against the door as if her legs were giving out on her.
Did she die and go to heaven?
HOW DID SHE NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS PLACE?!
It took her 2.5 seconds to slap her hands on the bar top and smile wildly at the bartender as he looked her way. He rose an eyebrow at her and she just grinned.
”Please, God, tell me you have Mac & Jacks on tap.”
He smirked, gave a little amused shake of his head and then started to pour her a glass. Margot ran her hands over her face and groaned as if he just gave her the orgasm of her life; causing a laugh to come from the tender as he placed it in front of her.
”I think I love you.”
Gesturing to his wedding ring with a wink, he turned and left her to help another patron before she plucked the menu from the bar top and glanced over the options.
”This is definitely Heaven.”
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2017 3:29:03 GMT -5
Every bar had it's subtle charm to it. They also had their town drunk, or rather their hooligan. Every bad had their trouble maker, their peace keeper, that lonely nomads and their women. But Ryon Gallagher had given up on that life exactly five months ago. Just as his ex-girlfriend had given up on him. It was the fame that kept her away, or rather the fame that kept him from home. Her needs were not being met and that had actually cost him more than he ever imagined. Of course as time went on things were destined to change, and like Quidditch your safety was not absolute. As a beater it was his job to prevent the chasers and seekers from scoring, but it was also his job to keep the other beaters off of his teams back.
As Ryon's life was crumbling apart, so was his focus on the game. One minor distraction had cost him his career and even the nurses at St. Mungos couldn't guarantee his return to the game. Magic couldn't repair what had happened and the ladies and men did as much as they could to bring him back to normal. The state of his shoulder after getting battered was beyond repair according the muggle physicians. His career was over just because of one distraction.
Now that distraction so happily sat on his lap as he looked up at the screen in front of him. The Tornadoes were definitely giving the Harpies a run for their money, but that was to be expected. With their second string keeper in, it was difficult to stick with a perfectly formed team. "The blue 'er goin' ta win this'n aren't they Niamh? Look't em. Poor 'arpies don' 'ave a clue wha's 'appenin' innit the truth." The four month old sat in his lap giggling as little miss grabby hands went for the mushed apples and pureed carrots.
While Ryon was still in his sling, he didn't let that get in the way of the things that were most important to him. That being the little girl in his lap and not a care for anything else. Sipping on his beer off to the side and setting the glass just out of reach he grinned and held out the spoon for her, the widest smile on his face. "Aye, there ya are. Eat it up yea. Yer gonna be one 'o the best Quidditch players ou' there when ya get a bit older."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2017 14:48:21 GMT -5
like a house of cards With her favorite beer in hand - in Switzerland of all places - Margot turned to survey the room. Not in a creepy, who-am-I-gonna-hit-on way. Margot wasn't that type of person. If she went to a sports bar it was to watch the damn sport. She didn’t want to talk about anything except the sport, what was happening, the history of it, predictions, and friendly trash talk. Mostly friendly. It could get pretty real pretty quick for Margot and sometimes her tongue was sharper than she meant. Hence her not being in Chillhorn currently.
But she wouldn’t have found this place if she hadn’t of mouthed off, right? So bully for her.
Wrong.
Sitting at a table right in front of the Tornados and Harpies was Margot’s self-proclaimed arch nemesis.
”Gallagher.”
His name was sneered with distaste under her breath.
It had been a windy and rainy game. The visibility was shit and they’d been tied. Margot had been Chaser for the American Nationals for two seasons by then and was quickly garnishing interest from better teams. Her loyalty and closeness to her family anchored her to the Americans, though. Had she accepted the offer, she wouldn’t have been facing Ryon that day. Her gut burned with the memory. The bludger had hit her perfectly in the ear; knocking her off her broom and sending her down to the ground a hundred yards below. The doctors said it was a good thing she had been unconscious before she hit the ground. She was limp as a noodle, which didn’t allow her to try and brace for impact and therefore saved her life.
Her hearing and the bones had mended easily enough, but Margot’s balance was never the same. She couldn’t get more than twenty feet in the air without getting so sick from the vertigo that she’d vomit and fall. She went to specialist after specialist, both magical and not, to try and find a way to fix the issue but some things just can’t be forced to heal. Margot was kept on the National’s practice squad for a while, but when it became clear she couldn’t get on a broom again, she gracefully retired from the sport. She kept it quiet and hid from the media for as long as it took them to forget about her. And forget they did. Up and coming talented athletes took over the spotlight and then Ryon’s own injury.
She took a little bit of sick satisfaction that he suffered a career-ending injury himself. She’d praised karma, never thinking she’d ever run into him again. Well. Karma. You’re a bitch.
Frowning, Margot tried to figure out another way to see the match without being seen by Ryon but he was at that damned table with no way for her to enter that section without him seeing… seeing… a baby?
Margot’s brow furrowed and she froze. Why did Ryon have a baby in his lap? Of all guys to reproduce…
Maybe it wasn’t his? No, she had to be. She looked just like him. The kid was definitely his. When the fuck did he have a kid?! She admittedly didn’t keep up on the tabloids because, well, they’re the damned tabloids but she was pretty sure she would have heard through the grapevine if Ryon Gallagher got hitched or knocked someone up.
As if snapping from a dream, Margot realized she was coming up to Ryon’s table. She was a few steps away when it dawned on her that her legs were fucking traitors, but when she was about to stop and turn around before he noticed, the little one in his lap leaned forward and slapped her hands on the table making cooing noises so damned cute Margot could feel her ovaries exploding. Bracing herself and exhaling, Margot stopped herself a polite distance from his table. She wasn’t even sure if he’d recognize her.
”When the hell did you have a baby?”
… Okay, not exactly what she meant to say. Was her entire body out to get her today?! She pursed her lips and closed her eyes; lifting her hand up to scratch her forehead and shake her head at herself. Goddamnit.
”I mean…” Squinting with one eye and canting her head to the side, Margot had an expression somewhere between utter embarrassment and apology. Mostly embarrassed. ”She’s cute.”
Also not what she meant. What the fuck was she trying to say?! Margot exhaled slowly. She had no idea what she was doing. Seeing Ryon had resurfaced a whole lot of suppressed anger and resentment, but seeing him with a baby just… confused her. Shaking her head, she laughed and stepped back; glancing around to see how many people were noticing her metaphorical faceplant moment. Thankfully not too many were witnessing her foot-in-mouth-deer-in-headlights catastrophe. Just the guy that mattered. That’s all.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2017 22:52:30 GMT -5
Now Ryon was more than an asshole when he played the game, outside the pitch and the locker room banter he was actually quite ridiculous and nice. Inside the pitch his head was in the game, he was strict and aggressive, or was. No longer able to play the game he was only able to live vicariously through other people, but once he was healed completely he would be able to coach. That was his goal. So while he was healing he had decided to take Kasch up on an offer to instruct teams for Quidditch and help run the matches. It was going to be a definite nice change of pace, and he'd be able to see his kid more than when he was on the road.
"When the hell did you have a baby?"
That defintiely caught him off-guard while he had his brown ale sitting on his lips and he looked over to see Margot Lacroix. Ryon took a sip as he looked down to Niamh with a smile and a shrug and then back up to the blonde haired woman that he vaguely remembers ending her career.
"I mean... She's cute."
There we go! That was a much better response to the fact that Ryon did indeed have a daughter. A smile spread across his lips as he set his beer just out of reach for the tiny.
"Oh ya know, when she wa' born." Ryon's thick Irish accent was more at play now than it had been for a while. Taking time away from the team to spend with family only encouraged it more. Rather than being with the English and a number of other ethnic groups and language barriers, Irish was his native form. "Almos' five months ago. She's been gracin' this Earth with her presence. Say 'lo to that lovely lassy Niamh."
Ryon held up the girl's hand and made her wave softly and leaned in. "'Ello, there, me da' thinks tha' yer blockin' the television though, so take a seat or git outta tha' way. No offense." His voice was as high pitched as he could make it as he faked the words for his kid.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2017 23:31:40 GMT -5
like a house of cards "Oh ya know, when she wa' born."
Margot scrunched her face. Yeah, okay. She supposed that was the correct answer to that question. As sarcastic and as useless as an answer could be.
Exhaling slowly, Margot shifted her grip on her beer nervously; feeling anxious as she stood there like some weird fangirl at their table. Ugh, fangirl of Gallagher? Not likely. Still. Baby usually meant mother, and Margot glanced around searching for whoever may be headed back their way or looking at Margot like a mamabear. The expressions that flicked across Margot’s face were many even as Ryon took the chubby little hand in his fingers and forced a wave; creating a high pitched fake baby voice and alerting her of her less-than-desirable position.
She quickly grabbed a seat and then blinked; pausing as her beer hovered just a hair over the table top and she realized what she’d just done. Sit down?! What in the actual fuck? Margot was going to have to have a stern talking to with herself later tonight. Glancing sideways at Ryon and the baby, she cleared her throat and then lifted her beer up to her lips; taking a long pull of the lighter amber brew before setting the half-finished glass down on the table. Glancing up and away from herself, she quickly looked over the score before she snapped her teeth and made a small sound of victory when the Harpie’s chaser managed to get one past the keeper after narrowly dodging a wicked strike from the Tornado’s beater.
”Yes!” She hissed; leaning back comfortably as she lifted one leg up and rested her ankle on the opposite knee. ”Comin’ back.”
For a moment, Margot was distracted enough by the match to forget she was sitting at Ryon’s table before a few fat little fingers grabbed hold of her sleeve and yanked while she was lifting her beer up to her mouth again. She startled, narrowly avoiding spilling her Mac & Jacks in her lap as she blinked at little Naimh and then up to her father. Gnawing on her cheek in thought, Margot shifted to face him a little better once commercial was on, and switched her beer to her other hand so it was the furthest away from the baby.
”So little Naimh’s mom won’t mind coming back to the table and a strange woman is sitting here, then?” Margot asked; pronouncing Naimh’s name with her accent making it sound more like Niev.
What the fuck are you still doing at his table, Margaret?!
Sometimes she hated herself.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2017 1:35:49 GMT -5
With a content sigh as Margot moved to sit down Ryon shifted the babe in his lap. Tiny baby was actually quite heavy, but he was thankful she could somewhat keep her head up while sitting in his lap propped up against him. A smirk had made itself known as she sat and he looked over while it looked like she hesitated.
"Ah! Non' tha' at this table Lass! We're Tornadoes fans 'ere. Ballycastle or Tutshill, no room fer anyone else." Of course he was just joking. Ryon Gallagher didn't actually care which team won unless it was the team he had retired from.
There was an eruption of giggles as the little ginge in his arms moves and grips Margot's sleeve. The smirk on Ryon's face was very obvious as she switched hands and he looked up as she spoke. Commercials meant casual banter and massive amounts of cuddles.
"So little Niamh's mom won't mind coming back to the table..."
Ryon looked to her and shrugged. "Nah, 'er mum isn' comin' back e'er." Ryon shook his head and brought the beer to his lips taking in a very long drink through the process. "She could burn in 'ell if tha' were possible, but nah."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2017 19:10:13 GMT -5
like a house of cards Margot raised her eyebrow at him. It wasn’t very often a mother splits and leaves her child to their father. Especially when it’s someone as famous and well-known as Ryon. Her eyes flickered briefly to his sling and then back to his baby. Especially when his sudden “retirement” had been so recently. Her ear and jaw started to ache and she rubbed her lips together in thought; lifting her free hand up to rub at her face nonchalantly. As if all she had was an itch. She exhaled softly and nodded; lifting her beer back up and finishing it off before setting the empty glass down well out of reach of little Naimh.
”Maybe her mum couldn’t stand the Bats.”
It was said with the best intention of being funny, but it came out a little more bitter and aggressive than she wanted. She heard it as soon as it left her mouth and she wanted to just bang her head against the wall. Her hand moved from her cheek to cover her mouth before she sighed and let her hand fall into her lap.
”Sorry, that… that came out wrong.”
Clearing her throat, she caught the eye of the bartender and nodded once before she lifted her eyes back up to the television. The game was back on, giving her no more time to explain or try to make it better. Shaking her head at her own damn foot in her mouth, she tried to focus on the game and willing the Harpies on coming back and kicking some Tornado ass. As they watched and the Harpies fought an uphill battle, she gave a quick thank you to the waitress that brought over a second round of beers. Mac & Jacks for her, and whatever beer Ryon was having for him.
She dragged her teeth over her lips and simply held her beer in her hand. At a pause in the action, she glanced back at Ryon and then nodded toward his arm.
”That happened because of her, didn’t it?”
Ryon had been the best. To go toe to toe with him and come out on top was a rare feat. To have a beater get the best of him at his own game was… shocking. She could only imagine he’d been distracted, and seeing as the little one in his arms was just about the right age, well…
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2017 19:53:32 GMT -5
Ryon smiled and bounced the little babe on his knee ever so slightly and wrapped his arms snuggly around her, his eyes flicking back to Margot if only for a moment.
"Maybe her mum couldn't stand the Bats."
Okay, so that was a little funny and he did catch it even if her tone was completely off. Ryon couldn't help the snort that came from him as he held in a laugh. Shaking his head again he waved a free hand before grabbing his beer.
"Nah, I totally got ya. Pretty hilarious if ya ask me. No need ta apologize." Ryon just smirked softly as she cleared her thoat and they turned back to look at the tv. He was of course cheering to the Tornados, but he was definitely less than into the game. Especially since the Bats weren't playing today, and the wound was still definitely fresh in his mind.
"That happened because of her, didn't it?"
"In a sense, yea. We were playin' an' she was there. Easiest way fer the other team ta distract me was ta actually go after tha crowd. Ya know? Seen as the girlfriend at tha time was there." He shrugged a moment and he shook his head. "Should 'ave let the bludger nail 'er. But then in tha' case Niamh wouldn' be 'ere." He smiles softly and takes a drink of the fresh beer.
"Ya wan' somethin' ta eat? They've got pretty good wing 'ere. Prolly the best I've 'ad in years. Less I was o'er in America. But git what ya wan' it's on me."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2017 22:18:14 GMT -5
like a house of cards She was consistently shoving her own foot in her mouth and he was taking it all in stride; even laughing at her poorly toned jab. His attitude toward her was completely throwing her off. Margot felt off balance and she absolutely hated it. She kept glancing over at him as he watched the match; half his attention on the bouncy little bundle of adorable in his lap. Over the time she’d been forcibly benched, more or less, Margot had created this image of Ryon that was Disney villainous at best. Sharp teeth. Beedy eyes. Thirst for blood and no heart or soul to stop him from ruining people’s lives. Talons for fingernails. Cloven hooves for feet… You know. Satan. But here he was, bouncing this baby girl on his knee while he had a fucking diaper bag full of supplies and toys next to him with a quick smile and soft eyes. He might as well have a single-father-halo shining above his head.
If only… something she could strangle him with.
Margot shook her head at herself and shifted her position so she wasn’t facing the TV very much anymore. As much as she loved the sport, if it wasn’t the American Nationals she wasn’t crazy committed. Though she did have a good friend who played for the Harpies, so her attention was somewhat captured by their comeback above, the pair of gingers on her left were gaining more and more of her focus.
With her weight resting on her elbows and her beer well out of the reach of Niamh, Margot’s attention shifted to the babe as she reached her fingers forward and wiggled them on the table in front of her. The game was quickly caught up by the little darling as she squealed out a little laugh and slapped her pudgy, baby-food covered fingers down toward Margot’s. She pulled her hand back quickly and gently tapped her fingers on the top of Niamh’s to garner another hard laugh in response. Margot grinned; captivated by the little thing before she glanced up at Ryon with a raised eyebrow.
”I could put away a pound.” Easy. Wings were Margot’s Top 5 favorite foods. Slap her in a Wing Dome and she’s packing away pounds of poultry. Not that anyone would think she could from her frame, but Margot used to be and still was quite an athlete. Although she couldn’t fly, she had picked up in several wreck sports leagues in the states and played nonstop until her call from Kasch. Baseball, football, soccer… It didn’t matter. If it was physical competition, she was there. Now that she was in Switzerland, it was… a little different. But that wouldn’t stop her from gorging on wings given the chance.
Smiling, she returned her attention to the baby until the little girl lost interest. Or rather, considering Margot had interrupted her dinner date with her dad, until she got hungry enough to start getting fussy. Margot leaned back in her chair and nursed her beer as Ryon stepped in and took care of his little girl.
”I think I remember hearing about that game. I admittedly didn’t watch many of the Bats’ matches for a while,” She started with a small expression of distaste on her face - her wrestling emotions not completely hidden from her features as she turned her eyes up to the television to glance at an ad for an amateur Quidditch gear brand that her friend on the Harpies was centered in. ”I was a bit pissed when they didn’t take action beyond the fine for the Falcon’s aiming for the crowd.”
It wasn’t something that never happened, granted, and it wasn’t so clearly written in the rules that teams couldn’t get away with it. Some teams even coached on how to go after the loved ones in the crowd without getting caught. It was something that royally pissed Margot and many other players off, but the big wigs, so to speak, were slow to update the rules. Or enforce punishments.
”I’m sorry that happened to you.”
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