Closed Conference Crush

[Monty Pendleton]

The walnut-panelled conference room thrummed with conversation. Monty took off his coat, but he was still uncomfortably hot. It would have made no difference if he'd stripped down to his underpants - although it might have given him something else to think about besides the hundred ways his presentation could go wrong. He had made it this far by convincing himself that presenting several years' worth of research to an audience of intellectuals would be no more difficult than delivering a potions lecture to a class of adolescents. The difference, he realised, as he waited to be called up, was that children tended to fall into one of two categories: disinterested, or easily impressed. Apart from a wizened old man who had spent the last twenty minutes systematically shovelling the entire spread of the refreshment table into his face hole, not one of the assembly tonight appeared disinterested, and Monty had attended just enough conferences himself to know that a crowd of this calibre was not impressed merely by the substance of a presentation; the originality, delivery, and potential for personal benefit were equally influential factors. In short, he was destined to make a mess of it.

He reminded himself why he was here - not to impress these clever witches and wizards, but to share with them what he had learned, in the hopes that someone more venturesome than him might make use of the information. Still, he couldn't help but think that nobody would care what he had to say. His research into the use of Peruvian Sundew extract in regenerative potions had revealed something quite unprecedented, and indeed useful, about magical techniques of concentration, but whether or not this would excite anybody in the room hinged on them having a particular interest in the subject. Then again, the same could have been said about the presentation that had just ended; Monty had been paying so little attention, he wasn't even sure what it was about.

The chatter hushed as the next speaker was invited to the podium. This was Monty's cue. He smiled as he made his way to the front and turned to the audience. He thought about making a run for it. And then he began to speak.

Twenty minutes later, it was all over. All of the planning, the preparation, and the rehearsing in front of the mirror had more or less paid off; he hadn't forgotten anything he'd intended to say, and though he'd hesitated and stammered his way through the most interesting part, his nervousness could have been attributed to excitement. Presently he hurried towards the doors, which had become blocked with the crush of people leaving for lunch. Terrific. It was no good trying to push through - everybody was going in the same direction. He would just have to wait. He took controlled breaths to keep his lightheaded relief from turning into lightheaded panic. It was still too hot. Which architect had decided this meeting room didn't need windows?

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Working in a field like Rupert's came with a lot of benefits, not least of which being the opportunity for continued learning. Rupert considered himself a man of many talents, and that was largely due to the dedication he had to expanding his craft. Though he didn't often work with potions there were certain potions and rubs or polishes that could be quite useful in both the removal and application of certain curses, and it was a field it was better to be well-versed in than not. So when he heard of a conference on the subject, Rupert had of course leaped at the opportunity to attend.

And so often, opportunities like these came with their own particular benefits. Though he had paid attention and even taken a couple of notes, Rupert had found himself quite distracted during the speech by the speaker's appearance. He had spent so much of his time and energy getting his business established in New Zealand that Rupert was dismayed to realise it had been quite some time since he had indulged in flirtation, a problem he was eager to remedy. He was pleased to see the man hadn't immediately hurried out of the room like so many of those only interested in lunch. Perfect. He put on his most charming smile as he approached, tapping the man lightly on the upper arm for attention and letting his hand linger a moment. "Ah, Mr. Pendleton, I must thank you for the talk. I found your approach to your craft particularly enlightening, and so well explained. I don't deal with potions all too often in my own work, it was thrilling to hear them spoken about with such... passion." He smiled like a cat with cream, hand still resting softly on Montgomery's upper arm, light enough to be easily brushed away if the other man so chose, but Rupert quite hoped he would allow it to remain.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty startled, but he managed not to jerk away. "Oh - er... Well, I'm relieved somebody found it interesting," he said jovially, nodding in the direction of the fleeing crowd. "Though I can't say I blame them. The sausage rolls smell delightful." Oh, Christ. What was he saying? Someone needed to filter the things that came out of his mouth, because he was clearly incapable of doing it himself. He withdrew politely from the man's hand. "Are you here all day?"

Sorry for the million year delay @Rupert Cresswell !!! If you don't have muse for this any more don't worry about it ^^

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert suppressed a laugh at the other man's clear surprise, keeping his face calm and measured. He chuckled lightly at the man's joke, nodding, and easily lowered his hand when Mr. Pendleton pulled away. "I suppose that's true, but so often I find the hunger for knowledge outweighs physical hungers. Well, some of them anyway." He added flirtatiously, giving a small chuckle, careful not to lay it on too thick. Pendleton was clearly jumpy, and he didn't want to push too far too fast. Keep it simple, keep it light. "I am, as a matter of fact. My field requires me to have quite a broad understanding of different magical disciplines, so I'm always eager to learn from the wisdom of others. How about yourself?"

 

[Monty Pendleton]

"Yes, yes," Monty said. "I must admit, I'm not very hungry; perhaps it has the same effect on me." The blockage in the doorway had cleared. This would have been Monty's chance to escape, had he not put it out of his power to leave by implying he had no interest in the only thing he might presently want to leave for. His forehead was starting to shine. "Yes - I was thinking of staying - but, actually, I just need to get a bit of fresh air," he said quickly. "Sorry, I am interested, really. Would you like to join me for a walk? Tell me more about your field; what do you do?"

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert chuckled lightly when Montgomery agreed with him about the food, moving ever so slightly closer to the other man. He could see Montgomery was slightly flustered, but that was just perfect, as far as Rupert was concerned. He smiled when the other man invited him on a walk, face filled with a perfectly measured level of charm. "Oh, a walk sounds delightful." He smiled, heading towards the exit with Montgomery. "I specialise in cursed items, making them safe for use and display. The field tends to require quite a broad set of skills, as different cursing methods have been popular in different regions and eras. Never boring, by any measure, but it does require a fair amount of time dedicated to research and study."

 

[Monty Pendleton]

The fresh, cool air on Monty's face was almost as effective as a sip of calming draught. Admittedly, it also helped to be in such calm company. The man walking beside him had a manner which managed to put Monty at ease without trying. "I'm sure," he said. "That's fascinating. I suppose you'd need to study history in exhaustive detail, and even then there must be many methods that have never been documented. Actually, I picked up rather a rare book on dark charms in potion-making the other day, by - er, what's her name... Hortensia something-or-other. I believe it's one of about a dozen extant copies. Have you heard of it?"

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

The calm, cool air of the outside was a welcome change from the stuffy conference hall, and here it felt as though Rupert and Montgomery were truly alone, exactly as he had hoped. He listened in interest as the other man discussed his field, balking slightly at the book he mentioned. "I have certainly heard of it!" He said, unable to conceal his genuine surprise beneath his usual suave exterior. "I don't suppose you could be persuaded to allow me to borrow it? Or even look, under supervision, of course. I swear I would take the utmost of care, but I've heard it's a fascinating volume, and I'm sure I would find the knowledge quite useful in my field of work."

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty couldn't hold back his smile. So rare an opportunity it was to enthuse with somebody about old books, he would have more eagerly have spent the rest of the afternoon chatting to this stranger than gone back inside to watch another two presentations, even if he might have learned something interesting. "Of course," he said. "To tell the truth, I've not had a chance to read it yet myself. I'm sure I will, but, well, I've been busy with this research, and it isn't the sort of book you can dip into. It's rather laborious reading. In any case, it is currently functioning, to my deep shame, as a very expensive table ornament. I'd be thrilled if it could be of use to someone. Perhaps..." Monty hesitated. "Perhaps we can arrange something, yes. Sorry, I don't know your name - although you look oddly familiar. Have we met before?"

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert knew he had let his carefully curated charming persona crack in his excitement, but to his relief Montgomery seemed to have only taken that as a positive. He allowed the enthusiastic grin to remain as Montgomery discussed the book, not making his usual attempts to control his expression. There was clear advantage to allowing Montgomery to see this side of him, it seemed. "Ah yes, I apologise for my rudeness!" He said quickly, touching the other man's arm for a second. "Rupert Cresswell, it's a pleasure to properly make your acquaintance. You... may have met my brother Miles before." He said, measuring the risk of Montgomery already having heard of him through Miles. Damage that could easily be undone, if it had been done at all. "He's an Arithmancer, I'm often told we look quite similar. As far as the book, I would owe you quite the hefty debt for that opportunity, it would be an honour."

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty wished people wouldn't touch him when they apologised. He wished people wouldn't touch him full stop. Unless they were pulling him out of mortal danger, it was completely unnecessary. Still, if the occasional nudge was the price to pay for such good company, Monty wasn't going to complain.

"Not at all," he said. "The pleasure would be all mine. You might want to plan to devote an entire afternoon to it; as I say, it's quite intensive. I'll give you my contact details before we leave."

Miles... Monty scrambled, unsuccessfully, to connect the name to a face. Yet he was sure he had seen that face, or a very similar one, before. "Yes, perhaps I have met your brother. It is a very small world, after all. Do you live in New Zealand, or are you visiting for the conference?"

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert's grin widened as Monty invited him over to read the book. "That would be excellent." He agreed, unable to help a quick aside; "I do so enjoy spending an intensive evening with a fellow scholar..."

He nodded when Monty asked about his living situation. "I do indeed, I've been here for a bit over four years now. Quite a lovely corner of the globe, though I do find myself missing England from time to time. It's so much easier to acquire resources in bigger countries, after all." He smiled charmingly. "How about yourself, how long have you been this end of the world?"

 

[Monty Pendleton]

"Good. Splendid," Monty said, though his voice betrayed the sudden uneasiness he felt. In all of his excitement at meeting somebody likeminded, he had almost forgotten that Rupert was not a friend, but was, in fact, a complete stranger. Well, Monty was an adult. He could invite anyone over to his house if he wanted to, couldn't he? Yes, but it mightn't be a good idea...

Anything resembling an accurate judge of character could have popped up right about now and been very well received, but it didn't.

"Oh... I move back and forth," Monty said, vaguely. He had only been vaguely listening. "Shall we go left, here? It looks like we can do a loop back to the building."

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert gave his most charming grin as Monty agreed, hearing the hesitation in the man's voice. He had gone a little too far, it seemed, and the last thing he wanted was to chase the other man off so suddenly. "If there are particular volumes you've been looking for I could take a look through my own collection if you'd like, I've been able to secure a few antique books over the years through my work." He said lightly, trying to shift the conversation away from innuendo and back to more concrete academia, clearly more of a comfortable zone for the other man. He didn't argue when Monty began leading them back towards the building, smiling lightly. "I must say, it's a breath of fresh air meeting someone likeminded. Sadly, my work often takes me into unsavoury corners. I relish the chance to converse with a fellow academic."