Basking

[astoria greengrass]

What she was doing wasn't for reputation's sake, but rather for politeness. "You're right, as is your father" She said in response, since there was little else she could say, at that point. Somehow, the way he called her honey at that moment did nothing but annoy her, though she didn't let it show. Instead, she smiled at him again, then reached up to remove the flower he'd tucked behind her ear and tying her hair back as a guise for why she had done so, leaving the Daisy sitting in her lap.

[graham pritchard]

That school girl crush of hers was seeming to fade the more he spoke. Maybe that was best considering Graham really wasn't in the market for hurting her in anyway, not Astoria, which he was sure was an inevitability. She was too nice for a guy like him. He didn't really believe that Astoria thought he and his father were right, especially when she took the flower out of her hair. But was he going to argue with her about it? No.

[astoria greengrass]

"But don't you get tired of it?" Astoria blurted out after a few minutes of silence. She got tired of it - tired of pretending that she wanted to be a quiet little pureblood wife and mother. She was always tired of it. "Don't you want people to know you for who you really are, not some contrived image that your father concocted because he's archaic and doesn't understand progress? Doesn't it mean anything that we've gone so far and changed so much?" She asked, since now she couldn't seem to stop herself, she was babbling again. "Don't you want to be more than your parents are, at least in some sense? I know it's easier, it's simpler, it's what we know - I know that better than anyone, I just... doesn't it... Why can't we be the ones to change things?"

[graham pritchard]

Once Astoria had finished talking Graham replied. "I do get tired of it. I feel that it's my duty as a son to make my parents proud though so it is necessary, at least until I'm no longer under their roof. I don't think people would really accept that I'm more than they originally thought and if they couldn't then I don't see why I should waste my time convincing them otherwise. I'm content with knowing I'm more than that, others approval, besides my parents isn't needed." Graham hadn't put much thought behind showing people that other side of him. "How might you act if you rebelled against your parents? Is there something that you even want to do that they restrict you from doing?"

[astoria greengrass]

Astoria almost laughed. Instead, she just shook her head. How could she have thought that he would understand. He was just a man; just a man who wanted to be just like their parents. "Nevermind." She said quietly, fiddling with the daisy in her lap. He wanted to make his parents proud, just as she did - and that was all there was to it. She should be able to respect that. Maybe she just wanted him to be as emotionally strong as she thought he was physically and mentally. It was probably just part of her silly little crush, thinking that he could be different.

[graham pritchard]

She hadn't answered him. It didn't really set well with Graham, not that he was upset that she hadn't snapped to and replied with something more than deflection but because he had actually been curious. "Rebellion without cause is pointless, don't you think? Such things, at least I feel, diminish those who rebel that actually have something worth fighting for." Graham didn't live a bad life, he was content, treated well, able to make his own choices- as long as he didn't do things that disrespected the Pritchard name, so to him, doing the small courtesy of keeping some things to himself didn't seem like cause to rebel.

[astoria greengrass]

Astoria did have cause to rebel. Betrothals and a life she didn't really care for seemed cause enough to her, but there was obviously no point in telling Graham that. She nodded anyway, something that likely would have made her mother proud. She didn't look at him, watching her hands as they ran gently along the flower he'd put in her hair, wishing this whole thing had never happened. It would have been so much easier to think he was the type of person she wanted him to be that morning; to have a hopeless little crush on him and that be it. "An excellent theory" She said honestly, though she still didn't look at him. There wasn't much point, was there?

[graham pritchard]

"Thank you, though it isn't a theory in my case. Perhaps it is for you considering you never did tell me what you would want to rebel against." Graham was looking at her. He had been the entire time despite the gesture not being reciprocated. Graham wasn't some yes man to his parents, not completely. He was kind to non-purebloods for example if they were worthy of it personality wise, a choice that his parents weren't pleased about. But other than that Graham didn't have anything in his life that didn't make him happy. Astoria was a female though, she probably had more to contend with than he did.

[astoria greengrass]

"It's not important" Astoria assured, because now she was nearly sure he wouldn't understand and she had no reason to voice her opinion; he could tell his parents who would probably tell hers - and then she'd be in more trouble than it was worth.

[graham pritchard]

"If it's important to you then that's all that matters." Graham knew that they had kept things mostly superficial between them but he had shared intimates with her so didn't see why she couldn't do the same with him.

[astoria greengrass]

"I don't think that's necessarily true. Maybe you're right; I should just respect my parents' wishes," Astoria reiterated. She continued fiddling with the flower, though she looked up at him now with a small smile. He hadn't convinced her of the fact by any means, but she would just pretend, like she always had.

[graham pritchard]

"Nothing is completely true, its subject to a person's opinion on the matter, to the knowledge an individual has, but it is my belief." Graham wasn't going to argue with Astoria decided to respect her parents' wishes, it wasn't his place first of all and he did the same thing, within reason, so it would have been hypocritical, which Graham tried not to be.

[astoria greengrass]

"A fine belief" Astoria said after a moment, nodding as she put her book back into her bag. Reading, for the day, was done. She wasn't in the mood for reading, now, something unusual for Astoria.

[graham pritchard]

For some reason Graham felt as though he had pissed her off or disappointed her in some way and he didn't understand why. What was it that she had expected of him? Maybe he should have just let her continue thinking that he was all brawn and no brain. Maybe that was why he kept most things to himself in the first place, cause when he didn't he got burned. He guessed his dad was right.

[astoria greengrass]

When he didn't reply, Astoria looked over at him again, "I wish I wasn't a pureblood sometimes" She admitted, "Because then I would be able to be more than just a pretty girl who would someday have a son and be perfect."