Dancing On And On • •

[Harrison Marshall Bryant]

Harrison was never about to say that his life was easy. Financially there might never be a care in the world, but he still had to contend with the family back in England and the regular clashes with his father. He had resigned himself years ago to knowing that he would never see eye to eye with the man. They were both too similar and yet too different for an understanding to ever be reached between the pair. However, they were also both too passionate and stubborn when it came to the family business to ever let their own ideas go, even if they were supposed to be gradually allowing the company to transition from father to son. It was frustrating, and left the young Bryant in far too many foul moods than was necessary for a man in New York City. His unexpected run in with Athena and the unplanned parting with his latest ring had just been the quickest way to spin his mood around in the longest time. Harrison had enjoyed her pleasant company and it had made a nice change for the perpetual student who was so used to only socialising with classmates for group projects, or talking to employees about work related matters.

Time had moved on since then, but Harrison had still been amused by that day. A break in his routine was rarely heard of for the young heir. He was always so organised with everything always set out from the moment that he woke up. Everything about his life had been that way so when something did happen that was unpredictable and out of the ordinary, Harrison found himself clinging to it for perhaps a little longer than some others might. He cherished change, but he never had the time to make it happen himself. He just had to accept it when it came his way and enjoy it when it didn't turn out to be something that smacked him so hard in the face that he thought his eyeball might pop out of his skull. He had sunk himself back in his usual combination routine of school and his third undergraduate degree. It just happened to be that on his way to class one morning he had spotted Athena crossing the quad in the opposite direction to him. Time was pressing and it appeared that she was in as much of a hurry as he was, so there was no time to chat, but his curiosity was sparked. He had found himself enquiring about her around the university, amused by how small a world it was that their paths should cross again so soon and in a city so heavily populated as New York.

In the end a plan formulated. It was a plan a little unusual for the usually quiet and pensively charming Englishman, but Harrison liked it and he still felt like he owed Athena something of an apology for how he had grabbed her out of her day; even if she had came out of it with a ring some people might have to sacrifice a whole month's salary for. After finding out her office location the day before, along with checking for her timetable after sweet talking the secretary at the administration desk, Harrison set out that morning a little earlier than normal. His first stop was to the florist near the school, where he selected a big bouquet of flowers, testing his luck slightly, he knew, and then he stopped off at the coffee shop at the entrance to the campus to buy the coffee order he remembered her placing the day they first met. Harrison knew he had a memory for the details and his gut told him he had it right, so once he was set he made way to Athena's office. His only final stop was to write out the card, his elegant private education taught handwriting filling the small decorative card that came with the fancy bouquet. How about next time I promise dinner and earrings? He slipped it inside the matching envelope and then placed it carefully. After that, he left the flowers and the coffee by Athena's door just minutes before he suspected she would be returning to her office. Harrison just hoped he was right or else the coffee would be cold and one half of his plan would be a waste. As for himself, he positioned himself much further down the hall, but not so far that he wouldn't be able to see Athena's reaction when she did arrive.

• • •

TAGGED! Athena Violet Williams
WORDS! 762!
OUTFIT! English Gent!
LYRICS! Dance Me To The End Of Love - - - Leonard Cohen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Athena Violet Williams]

The summers were always busy months for Athena now. Before they had all blended together and though Athena knew the days and the months apart, she didn’t have somewhere to be every single day like she did now. Before it had been wake up, have some coffee and breakfast and go to the dig site then it was homework and dinner and bed to start the routine over again. And every once in a while there were trips to other digs sites and museums all over the world. That had been the norm for two plus decades for Athena. This now, having to live in a house, having an actual bed and a schedule for the day to day was odd for Athena. She wasn’t used to having places to be each and every day of the week and only having her weekends free. If she were being honest, she actually missed being coated in dirt at the end of each day.

But she was back in New York, and already returned to daily life that she was really starting to dislike. She loved her job, loved how her students were so enthralled with everything she had to teach them but god, did she miss the dig. It had been her life for so long that it was bittersweet to only be able to go for special occasions. If she could be at a dig site and teach, life would have truly been bliss for Athena. But that couldn’t happen until she’d spent some time in an actual classroom or lecture hall, logging in some hours. When she’d decided to be like her parents, no one had told her teaching would be tedious work. Athena loved to teach, she just hated planning it all out and the ones above her demanded she do just that. It made it all the more worse when she woke in the mornings after a lovely power outage, causing her alarm to fail her; exactly as it had that morning.

Athena woke up nearly an hour late and had to scramble to make it across to the campus before her first class. Her neighbourhood was a good one, especially for New York that wasn’t the Upper East Side where the rich and famous rubbed elbows with the city’s elite. Athena had money, there was no way she could do what she did her entire life and the family not have some; even if their digs were partially funded. Athena’s parents had made sure she understood that money wasn’t everything and she did know that. She didn’t consider herself one of those socialites or even someone that should be rubbing elbows with them unless she was there with them to give a speech about what the family digs uncovered. And because of that, the people who did find out she was loaded had a hard time believing it. She didn’t act like it and she probably would have hated herself if she did.

As it was, she hated herself for having an alarm clock that plugged into the wall. She lived her life with an alarm clock that ran on batteries and the second she had a bit of good electricity, she took it and regretted it on days like these. In the end, she made it to the campus with barely enough time to go to her office and drop off her mittens and the bags she didn’t need in her classes. Unfortunately, she hadn’t had the time to stop for her usual coffee, not even from one the places on campus or the carts stationed around. Going without nearly killed Athena, but she would deal and promised herself she would grab something on her way to her first class. She turned the corner to her office with her phone in her hand, sending a quick e-mail to her parents, yet again asking for the details on the museum lecture she had booked. She was slipping her phone in her pocket when she stopped in her tracks and stared at her door in disbelief.

Flowers and a coffee; someone had their sweet side working for them. Continuing forward, Athena bent to pick up the flowers, taking a moment to breathe them in before switching them into her other hand to take the card she’d noticed out. Grinning after reading the note, she picked up the coffee, inhaling the sweet, sugary smell of her favourite. Still warm, so it was just dropped off, Athena stood and looked around to see if her not so secret admirer was still around. She didn’t want to call out to him if he wasn’t around. And he knew it was him. Who else in her life stopped her in the middle of the street to give a complete stranger a ring? It couldn’t be anyone but Harrison.

Tag || Harrison Marshall Bryant
Words || 807
Clothes || Blushing Professor
Music || Risk It All --The Vamps
Notes || <3

[Harrison Marshall Bryant]

Harrison wasn't usually the kind of guy who made time in his life for a social life, let alone time for a romantic relationship. Even a brief couple of dates didn't exist for him. He was just so busy with college and with the family business. Of course, his family wanted him to have time for someone, and if he had just done the traditional four years of university and then returned home like the plan had originally been then he would have had the last several years to date around and maybe live his life a little more freely. Harrison hadn't wanted that, though. A return to Kent would have just been plagued with more confrontational battles with his father and not a happy ending and smooth sailing in terms of the jewellery business. Plus, he enjoyed learning and didn't regret re-enrolling at NYU twice more to undertake extra courses and tuck another few degrees under his belt. This was currently his third and would probably be his last, but Harrison would happily spend the rest of his life learning more if the business didn't need him to take the reigns sooner rather than later.

However, he was growing exceedingly tired of being nothing more than 'the heir'. He loved the company, loved designing and making jewellery, and he couldn't wait until his position was something with more control, but Harrison didn't want Bryant Jewellers to become his life. He knew his family expected more from him, but that was in a capacity of tradition more than anything else. At twenty-six, he was tired of following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, great-grandfather and so on. New York had been the first major step away from Bryant tradition, staying there was the second, but now Harrison felt like there had to be more for him in the world.

Harrison hung back down the hall, keeping an eye on the time. He had the morning to himself since his classes didn't start until after lunch, but he obviously didn't want to loiter around the professor's offices all morning long. The coffee would go cold eventually and that part of his surprise would be ruined, but he wasn't sure if running off to replace it if that did happen would help or would just mean he would miss Athena's arrival. Luckily, it didn't come to that. He kept back, hiding slightly from view to watch when she did arrive, studying her reaction at the coffee and the flowers. Only after he caught her looking around did he step out and casually stroll down the hallway towards her, a small smile in place by the time he reached her. “Good morning.” He said quietly. “Sorry there's no biscotti with that, but my hands were full with the flowers.” He joked lightly.

• • •

TAGGED! Athena Violet Williams
WORDS! 478!
OUTFIT! English Gent!
LYRICS! Dance Me To The End Of Love - - - Leonard Cohen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Athena Violet Williams]

It wouldn't be much longer again before she was hopping on another plane and jetting off back to her parents. But for now, she had plenty around the city to keep her busy. She had all her classes, plus a couple lectures to prepare and she had three meetings with museums about getting some of the artifacts they'd discovered into an exhibit. When her first year students approached her and made out like Archeaology was somehow a bird course, one you could just fly through and ace with ease, she wanted so desperately to show them just how much hard work it took, how busy a life it was. But she just smiled and nodded and it was those students who either quit or returned to talk to her and apologise for their previous statements. She was young and she already had her PhD but that was because she'd been working her ass off since she was still in diapers to earn it, though back then, she'd thought she was just playing in the dirt with her mommy and daddy.

Athena couldn't say she loved every aspect of her job. She wasn't a fan of digital alarm clocks when there was a power outage and she hadn't gotten around to replacing the batteries quite yet. Her internal clock was always off kitler thanks to all the travelling she did. So it was useless to go by that like those who stayed in the same place so constantly. She envied them sometimes, like these mornings when she was running late and felt like she didn't have the time to breathe, never mind stop for her daily dose of coffee. Athena was surprised to see her one wish that morning, for coffee came true when she spotted her office. She had no idea that anyone could be so sweet. And not once did she think anything nefarious, which probably went to show just how much out of her depth she was in New York. She probably should have been suspicious but she hadn't been. At most, she'd been curious as to who'd delivered this amazing surprise. And then she read the card.

She'd been curious of Harrison had stayed around to catch her or if she was supposed to track him down this time. Though thankfully, she didn't have to wait long to get the answer to that question because she spotted him walking towards her down the hall. She quickly adjusted the flowers and coffee so she could sip from the still hot drink. "Good morning to you, too." She said, with a big grin on her face. She'd never been able to do anything half-assed, and smiling was one of those things as well. Her father, an avid sports fan, though he missed more games than he watched had always said go big or go home. And that she did. "That's okay, you'll just have to make up for it later." She teased back. "Thank you for these. The flowers are lovely and the coffee was exactly what I needed this morning." She admitted as she switched her things around so her hand was free to unlock her office door. She pushed it open and stepped in out of the way to allow Harrison to enter if he wanted to. She needed to find a spot for the pretty blooms before she had to rush to her classroom and prepare.

Tag || Harrison Marshall Bryant
Words || 571
Clothes || Blushing Professor
Music || Risk It All --The Vamps
Notes || <3

[Harrison Marshall Bryant]

With the holidays now looming, Harrison would be expected to put in an appearance back in Kent. For once, it would be a trip he'd happily take, since his mother banned any mention of work and the family business when the family were together to celebrate Christmas or birthdays. That spared any of the usual fighting and friction that existed whenever Harrison and his father were in the same room as each other. Plus, as something of an expert in all things beautiful, Harrison had to appreciate the exquisite view of the family estate in the middle of winter, blanketed in crisp, white snow, undisturbed by the typical chaos of modern life. He could handle going home for two short weeks while classes were out, but he knew he would be thankful to return to New York City at the end of it all.

He couldn't say he was a huge fan of the city that never slept though. The hustle and bustle had been a dramatic change from everything he was accustomed to when he first moved here as a young, bright eyed eighteen year old. However a welcomed change it had been, the novelty quickly wore off and it fast grew tiresome to hear the sounds of construction work or the constant New York traffic. It did the job of home, for now, but Harrison couldn't say that the city has captured his heart in the way that so many people spoke about. Though, considering that Harrison knew that ultimately his position would summon him back to England, falling in love with a city six hours behind his hometown wasn't really a viable option for him, or his future.

The end of his freedom as a student was coming sooner than Harrison probably wished it was. He didn't think he'd be able to enrol a fourth time and feed his parents another believable excuse for yet another course and undergraduate degree. There was possible the option of post-graduate, but they would knock that down by pointing out that Harrison had a career, a business and a whole legacy waiting for him that didn't require letters to sit after his name. He had yet to think up an argument to counter that one. There was still a bit of time though before he had to worry about making those decisions, and until that time came he intended to make the most of what he had left in New York City. He hadn't really done much in the eight years he had been in America, spending too much time working either at the university or for the family business; something he was both proud of and yet regretted in equal measure. There was a lot out there that a man should experience, and Harrison had kept his eyes shut to most of it. “Later?” He queried with a smile, wondering if that was her answer to the question on the card that had come with the fancy bouquet. He moved quickly to help her hold the door open once it was unlocked, his usual chivalrous charm shining through. “Ladies first.” Then, he followed her into the office, closing the door behind him.

• • •

TAGGED! Athena Violet Williams
WORDS! 536!
OUTFIT! English Gent!
LYRICS! Dance Me To The End Of Love - - - Leonard Cohen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Athena Violet Williams]

Athena never stayed stateside during the holidays; any of them. The first chance she got, she was on a plane, heading towards whatever site her parents were at. They jumped between all the ones their team covered so it was anybody’s guess each holiday which country they’d be in. Athena had loved it growing up because they celebrated Christmas amongst themselves and whoever had stayed behind from their team but then they also celebrated the customs of the area they were in. It had always been so fascinating and Athena didn’t think after twenty six years of it, if she could do anything else. The fact of the matter was, Athena had rarely seen snow in twenty six years. This year had seen her see snow more often in two months than she had ever seen before. Most of their dig sites were in the warmer climates so snow wasn’t exactly an option when it came to weather. The Christmas before she’d worn shorts and a vest top under an open plaid button down that had the sleeves rolled up above her elbows and a pair of combat boots.

At this point in her life, she thought it would actually be strange to have to wear proper trousers or jeans and a thick jumper on Christmas day or the days before and following. Her time of thinking traditions were awkward hadn’t been until she’d been a teenager. Athena had been well aware that not everyone had a life like she did. They didn’t wake up every morning and got to do what she did. But at the same time, it was like she was at another dig site, having to watch and learn the customs of the people. Athena and her family adopted the customs of the area they were in at the time they were in it. And they’d never spent time stateside during the holidays. There had never been a reason to. All their work with the various museums happened well before or long after the holiday season so she hadn’t seen a real wintery Christmas until she was eighteen and couldn’t quite grasp the ugly Christmas jumpers and the need to wear trousers and jeans constantly. She wasn’t particularly fond of the traditions based on Christianity. She was a woman of science after all and so she didn’t put much faith in any religions. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t opposed to the gifts and the chocolates and treats of the holiday season; she loved surprises and she adored food, after all!

If given the option, she would pick shorts, a vest top and combat boots every single time; which was why she was already making arrangements to meet her parents wherever they might be. She couldn’t wait to see them again and get her hands dirty for a couple weeks before she had to turn to her new real life. “Of course, later. There’s a cute little Italian place in Williamsburg with deserts to die for. They add biscotti sticks to their coffee ice cream bowls.” Athena said with a grin. “You can pick the time and day though.” Athena teased as she stepped through her door. “Thank you for getting the door, by the way.” In her office, she tossed her things on the table after setting the coffee Harrison brought her down next to the flowers. She had a vase in the room somewhere, she loved all sorts of flowers but she couldn’t remember where she’d set it aside after she’d tossed the last ones out.

Tag || Harrison Marshall Bryant
Words || 592
Clothes || Blushing Professor
Music || Risk It All --The Vamps
Notes || <3

[Harrison Marshall Bryant]

Being from England Harrison’s winters were more rain and hassle than snow and beauty. There were a few very brief memories of snowfall on the family estate when he could run outside with his sister and his nanny, building a snowman and throwing a few snowballs, but they were often cut short with mention of responsibilities and duty. There were always relatives coming from somewhere, things to be done, and people expecting things from the young heir. It had been Harrison’s way of life for just about as long as he could remember. It was how come by now all he could do was sigh when orders were barked at him. He knew to expect them. His parents and sister would probably be heading to The Alps at the start of January for the usual family vacation. He remembered the trips well; skiing and taking a break from the normal pressures of Bryant life before being tossed back to the typical lifestyle.

No doubt there would be an invitation extended to Harrison, but he felt as though he would decline the offer. He had done the same the last two years. He had school to think about, he told them, and boarded a plane for New York before the 31st every time. It wasn’t that he disliked spending time with his family, but Harrison was rather bored of the same family trips and skiing was not something he got excited about, even if years of going had made him rather decent at the sport. The young gentleman preferred getting back to New York and his dogs, particularly if it meant he got a few luxurious days of peace. It might sound peculiar to most folk, but Harrison rarely got to enjoy his own company without someone ringing his phone to complain about something, to inform him of something business related, or to let him know that his dad was trying to contact him once again. It was tiring, and there were times when Harrison wanted more than anything to be able to turn the darn contraption off and go for a full technological black out. Unfortunately his own sense of duty was too strong to give into those impulses. People were relying on him and Harrison was too good to let them down.

Some people might call him a sucker for punishment. Harrison was duty bound by decades of Bryant tradition and as much as he might grumble in regards to his father, he didn’t want to be the one to shatter those traditions. He was proud of his family and everything they had accomplished; he just thought them too uptight at times. There was so much else out there in the world and yet his father, even his grandfather acted like the apocalypse itself might happen if one of them had ever dared to take a day off, or change how things were done. Harrison could accept that some changes came with risks, but without change there was no chance of the family business moving forward, improving and evolving. It was the argument he had been having with his dad for years, and probably would continue having with the man while both of them were still on the earth. It was an unpleasant thought, but not one Harrison seemed able to change when father and son were both hard headed and stubborn. Chuckling, Harrison shook his head. “Satisfying your sweet tooth alone wasn’t exactly what I meant when I suggested dinner.” He joked, wearing a small lopsided smile. “But since I don’t fly to London for another week, how does Wednesday sound? Say around seven-thirty?” It was the first day that popped in his head since he knew he’d be locking up the New York office on Friday ready for the holidays. “You’re welcome.” He smiled, slipping his hands into his pocket.

• • •

TAGGED! Athena Violet Williams
WORDS! 649!
OUTFIT! English Gent!
LYRICS! Dance Me To The End Of Love - - - Leonard Cohen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Athena Violet Williams]

As much as Athena loved New York and was thriving in the big apple, she missed being with her parents. The noise from a dig site wasn’t anything like the noise of New York’s streets. They just couldn’t compete, Athena loved the sounds of both places just as much as she loved the places themselves. But with a dig site, she never knew where she was going until the day before she was supposed to leave. Her parents ran so many different digs that they spent more time in the air than they would have liked, or cared to admit. It had never deterred her though, she would get a message from her father, giving her the flight time and nothing more so she knew when she needed to arrive at the airport to deal with collecting her ticket and checking her bags. She never had to worry about what sorts of clothes to pack since all their sites were in warm climates and her usual wardrobe suited just fine.

But unlike quite a few, she wouldn’t be back anywhere near the end of the year. She would be pushing it and arriving just the day before her classes started up again. She was cutting it close but she loved the dig, the stories she found and she wanted to get as much time in the dirt as she could before she had to go back to being Dr. Athena Williams. Her parents would try to talk her into leaving the university behind, taking a sabbatical or something but she actually enjoyed teaching and taking time off would stop her from doing that. Still, she would take a few appointments at the local museums in New York to showcase her parent’s findings and a few of her own as well. She was still the go between for her parents and the museums that housed their collections. Besides, if she left, she wouldn’t see her friends nearly as much and Athena found she actually enjoyed their nights out more than she thought she would. She spent so much time digging around in dirt it really shouldn’t have been surprising and if she mentioned as much to her parents, they would probably just say something like “Duh” and continue on with their work.

“But I have an impressive sweet tooth and it usually dictates which restaurants I keep going back to. But if you have somewhere else in mind, I’m all for trying new things. Plus, they have an excellent pasta selection.” She said, teasing. In truth, her sweet tooth was pretty massive. She habitually started with dessert and worked backwards because she just loved treats that much. She knew when it was inappropriate but sometimes a girl just needed to live a little, do things backwards and have a laugh in the process. There wasn’t any fun in doing what was expected. Athena worried her bottom lip. “Wednesday should be fine.” She said slowly, spinning around to check her class schedule. Her father always booked her flights right after the last day so she could be around home longer. But right there on her calender was the barest essential information for that lecture. She had no other information about the lecture but she knew the day it was. “Yes, Wednesday is perfect. I leave Thursday. At least, I assume I’m leaving Thursday. You never know with my parents to be honest.” She admitted with a laugh.

Tag || Harrison Marshall Bryant
Words || 603
Clothes || Blushing Professor
Music || Risk It All --The Vamps
Notes || <3