Studying? (Tag Russell) on Library

Hope Brockert

September 10, 2013 2:34 AM

Studying? (Tag Russell) by Hope Brockert

Today, Hope was planning to meet Russell in the library in order to study. She knew she came across as the silly girl with a crush and it was probably apparent to everyone, as Nora had pointed out multiple times. The truth was though, she enjoyed spending time with him more than anyone. The Teppenpaw genuinely liked her friend and honestly, wished they could be more like the yearbook suggested her fifth year. She was pretty sure Great Grandfather had his family mixed up with his distant relative that had been in Adam's class. Now she just needed to enlist Alessa to show the Layne family genealogy. Genealogy was something of a hobby for the Aladren alumna and it could easily come in handy at times. Like some time in the future when Evan and Lucille's kids had to learn theirs.

Of course, there was no proof that Russell even wanted her. However, Hope wanted to have everything all lined up just in case. She needed to be convincing and have a good argument in order to get what she wanted-who she wanted-when it came to Great Grandfather. He was a lot of things, stupid wasn't one of them. He could see evidence, he could see where she'd be able to point out his hypocrisy-ie.Arabella being betrothed to Paul Bennett when Russell was purerer. Even if the Bennetts did have more money and live on their side of the country. Sort of evened out as far as the seventh year was concerned.

Hope wouldn't even care if she couldn't quite live in the manner of which she'd been accustomed to. It was a more than fair trade to have lobster less often to be with the guy she cared for above all others. She hated imagining herself with whatever guy her great-grandfather picked out for her. It wouldn't even be somone she knew, the way Evan did Lucille. Her younger brother seemed to relatively like the girl, though Hope wouldn't call it love. And she'd certainly never call anything she had with someone Great Grandfather made her marry love either. Her brother could try all he wanted with Lucille, he hadn't liked anyone else. He'd been attracted to Ephanie Lucore because she was a veela like all the girls Hope's age were attracted to her brother but that didn't really count.

And what if none of this worked out the way she wanted? She knew she'd be miserable the rest of her life. What if they couldn't at least be friends and she never saw him again. What if he ended up hating her for some reason? They'd always been friends and she didn't want to change that for the worse. This was their last year, last chance though the Teppenpaw hoped they'd at least keep in contact. Still, if things didn't go her way-and Hope was not some spoiled brat who always had to have her own way, but this was important-it just wouldn't be the same. An occasional letter while she married and probably had children with someone else? And-much as she hated thinking about it, as the thought made her vaguely ill-he did the same? At least in her case she'd have been forced.

If that was what he wanted, she'd have to accept it and hope they could stay friends. And she wouldn't let herself get upset in front of him, she'd find some private corner of the gardens to cry it out or something. Other than Russell himself, her roommates were the last people she wanted to see her cry. Reggie didn't seem to have much patience with those who were upset and Hope certainly didn't want Addison's phony concern and making it all about her and trying to bond with Hope. She'd been done with that girl the day she realized Autumn was sick. Just didn't have the time for all her roommate's issues when her cousin was deathly ill. Of course, she'd managed to find time for Russell but he was more low maintenance.

She sat with her Transfiguration text open, semi-reading it as she waited for her friend to show up. Hope as usual had taken special care her appearance today, she tried to look nice all the time,but especially when she knew she'd be spending time with Russell. She gave her friend a warm smile as he arrived.

11 Hope Brockert Studying? (Tag Russell) 186 Hope Brockert 1 5

Russell Layne

September 17, 2013 11:36 AM

It's a prudent thing to do. by Russell Layne

One of the upsides of having roommates who were, to almost the last man, who was himself not really the confiding type anyway, more than a little old-fashioned and repressed was that there was not as much elucidation on the topic of the virtues of the appearances and company of women among them. One had only too look at Preston and Arnold’s girls to figure that much out about them, and as for Arthur….he didn’t say, and Russell was not going to ask. The answer could be perfectly innocuous, but with Arthur – well, he was as fine a fellow as one could hope to room with and all that, Russell was sure, good person to know Out There, too, but he was generally peculiar enough that there were some subjects one had to assume he was very weird about, and Russell didn’t want to know the particulars there. Josh might have been more normal than the others in that way, but the girl he hung around seemed to have gone for one of her fellow sixth years, so there was him out, too, and the subject well and truly avoided. As Russell, due to both just his personality and the complications which arose from having a habit of spending his summer liaising with his friend’s half-sister, was not inclined toward speaking on the topic himself, this was a very good thing.

On one very specific matter, though, he wished he had had a crowd to use as a sounding board, to see if he was right or he was crazy. Not that he really had any doubt that he was the former on this specific issue, but it was nice to think that one of the guys might have told him he was completely off his rocker about Hope. However, while he didn’t think of himself and Caroline Gardiner as anything serious – he was more attached to her than she was to him, he was pretty sure, but the whole thing was mostly just for fun, just bored, over-privileged youth entertaining themselves with each other until they were forced by social convention to find something more important to do, and they had a standing agreement that there would be no hard feelings if either of them formed a similar or more serious thing with someone during the school years – it had been going on long enough for him to be pretty sure he could read certain cues, and they all pointed in the same direction: for the second time, he’d somehow ended up with a rich girl from a powerful family attracted to him, only Hope was built more along Sara-and-Fae lines than Caroline ones and, as such, seemed like the kind of girl who would want rather more than a discreet fling.

Today, she wanted to meet in the library to study for RATS. As muddled as the whole situation was, he couldn’t help taking a moment to enjoy the view presented as he approached. “Hey, Hope,” he said, sitting down in a comfortable chair not too close to hers and glancing at what she had. “Transfiguration, huh? I’m looking forward to that exam.”

He did not say this without sarcasm. RATS were, ultimately, far more of a problem than girls; Russell knew he would pass the tests, expected no less than an E in all he took from himself, but there was always the ambitious thirst to do better, to do the best - inevitable, he guessed, when one was surrounded by so much talent and ambition and was predisposed enough toward it oneself to be in a House with the people he was thinking of: his roommates, his old teammates, even Alicia, his five-times-distant cousin he only knew because of the library they were now in. Even Caroline, in a way; she wasn’t here, but it was significant that they had first met in a bookstore after she ran away from her keepers. He wanted to prove he was good enough to hold his own with this brilliant affinity network of his, to continue to participate in it outside of school, where the twists of chance which had put him in it in the first place, given him a chance to prove himself here, wouldn't have much weight.

16 Russell Layne It's a prudent thing to do. 183 Russell Layne 0 5

Hope

September 21, 2013 2:31 PM

Many things are, by Hope

"I'm sure you'll do wonderful in everything." Hope told her friend. That was another thing, she wasn't sure she was smart enough for him considering that he was an Aladren and surrounded by intellectuals on a regular basis. He was bright, no doubt. Every bit as much as Arthur and Josh. She...well, she wasn't stupid and Hope was certain that there were certain people that if she was compared to she'd come up looking like a genius but with Russell-or probably most Aladrens-she'd fall short. The Teppenpaw was used to being a Brockert and therefore automatically good enough or better than good enough, but something about Russell left her with self doubt. Not due to any of his own actions, but because she wanted the whole thing so badly .

Of course, she had at least been resourceful to figure out what she needed to get what she wanted. Though, one could probably say that Alessa-an Aladren alumna-was the smart one there using her unusual talent for knowing people's genealogy and unusual interest in researching it to figure out Russell's family tree. The whole thing left Hope feeling like she was being a bit creepy, but it needed to be done for the greater good. She wasn't likely to be happy any other way but to be with him. Whether Great-Grandfather liked it or not. She was willing to elope like Chelsea and Julian or Lily and Anthony if it came to that. Though Hope sincerely doubted Russell was in such a place mentally, he was not raised the same way she was. And they weren't a couple, despite what the yearbook their fifth year had said and how badly she wanted them to be.

The problem was, even if Russell was interested in her but not ready for marriage and they got into a relationship, who knew how long it would take for Great Grandfather to betroth her? Her friend's lineage or not, Great-Grandfather would find someone whose he thought was better, more powerful, if not as pure, like with Arabella. What would they do then? Simply run away and hide? Hope that the Direct Line of Succession (known as her grandfather, father and brother) overrode him?

The whole thing really was muddled, when Hope thought about it. She wanted it to be simple. Desperately wanted it to be simple. Where they liked each other and that was enough, even if they had to wait to get married until Russell reached that place. And what if they did get together and it didn't work out? She believed with all her heart that with the Aladren was where she belonged but what if it turned out otherwise? They could ruin their friendship too-and he was the best friend she'd ever had. Still, she truly believed that she was meant to be with Russell and that she'd never really be happy with someone else. Even if they didn't end up together, she'd probably always have feelings for him.

"I'm sure Transfiguration will be my best." Hope admitted. Though briefly she wondered if bombing that particular section on purpose would get her disowned and free to be with Russell if he so wanted. Of course, if he didn't want, then she was better off passing-excelling in-it. She probably should do her best in it. Besides, she couldn't imagine her Aladren friend would want her to do such a thing on his account. "You probably don't need it, but if you do, I could help with at least Transfiguration." She added helpfully.

11 Hope Many things are, 186 Hope 0 5

Russell

September 30, 2013 7:53 AM

There's always at least two ways things can go. by Russell

“Thanks,” Russell said, with a slightly awkward smile, when Hope said she was sure he would excel at all the exams. This was likely enough, given that he had devoted most of his year so far to studying for the exams and was not unintelligent, but it was immodest to admit it to anyone else, so he didn’t. It might have even been another thing with other Aladrens, but with outsiders, even friends, well, he just didn’t think it was polite. He was a bit self-deprecating even with Topher and Mellie, who he’d known since before they all thought coloring inside the lines was the pinnacle of academic achievement. Everyone knew Aladren was the House with intelligence as one of its defining traits, so there was little need, most of the time, to brag about it or make a big point of it in his opinion.

Hope admitted Transfiguration was likely to be her best exam, and he nodded his agreement. “Yeah, I’ve seen you’re good in there,” he said. “I think I’ll have it under control, though, thanks.”

The frustrating thing, of course, was knowing that all these things he had under control might not even matter that much someday. Russell didn’t really know yet what he was going to do with his life. Studying history was to some extent a given, since he would inherit the shop eventually and just enjoyed the subject on its own merits, but what was he supposed to do until his parents retired? Law? Ancient manuscripts? Something completely different? He knew it was early yet to worry about it, he had a year or two before he had to make any really long-term decisions and was sure his parents would forgive him a false start or two, but he didn’t like to lean on that. He wanted to know what he wanted and how to get it in the best way for him.

“Planning to go anywhere with that after school?” he asked her, more for the form of it than because he suspected she really would. Stereotypes were not desirable as a rule, but Hope was a Brockert and a girl, so there really was not much of a chance of her doing much other than getting married and having kids. Still, it was possible she wanted to do something else for a while and some indulgent old grandfather might have given the okay. Everybody was entitled to a doting grandparent or two, he guessed, most of the time, and it was a new century.

16 Russell There's always at least two ways things can go. 183 Russell 0 5

Hope Brockert

October 02, 2013 5:24 PM

And sometimes only one is good. by Hope Brockert

"You're welcome." Hope replied. She found his awkward smile absolutely adorable. She could never picture such a thing from any of the other guys in her class. Well, she didn't know about Topher-whom, as Russell's friend, she really should have gotten to know better, but if things worked out like the Teppenpaw wanted, she'd have all the time in the world for that. Mellie, she felt a bit more threatened by and sincerely wished the younger girl would get with Michael Grosvenor and live happily ever after, but just because she was a Brockert didn't mean she could be that much of a puppeteer. That was Great-Grandfather's job. And then it would be Grandpa's, Dad's and Adam's. Hope had a lot more trust in the three of them. Maybe if she was with Russell, she wouldn't get disowned, because Great-Grandfather would just realize that one of them would reown her anyway. Her father would do so for her mother's sake if nothing else-and she highly suspected he'd be the one really running things when Great-Grandfather died and Grandpa would be just a figurehead.

Not that Great-Grandfather would be nice to Russell. He'd probably consider him a gold digger. In his book, the Laynes didn't measure up to the Brockerts. Even the ones from the so-called good branch. The one with a nice amount of money. Even if it wasn't the level of Brockert money.

Now it was her own turn to smile awkwardly and blush a little when he told her she was pretty good in Transfig. "Thanks." She tried to be modest on this subject since she knew it was in part to some weird genetic quirk her family had. Honestly, Hope was probably one of the better ones at it in her class. She was doing well in the others, but not like Transfiguration. She didn't like to brag about it either, it was rude and could hurt other's feelings-Russell's feelings being the last ones she'd ever want to hurt except maybe Autumn's for fear her cousin would get sick again. It felt like the people who were truly the best didn't feel the need to be arrogant about it. Besides, people-probably not Russell, but others, might just say it was her family and not success on her own merit anyway. She was happy that her friend hadn't brought her family into it.

Of course, if Russell was interested in her that way, he might not want to think much about her family at all. In matters concerning him, she preferred not to either.

Hope nodded her agreement. He probably did. He was smart, surrounded by intellectuals in Aladren, even if that did include Evan technically. There was a reason Russell was there certainly. She had money and family name over him, but when it came to brains, she was only probably his equal-at least-in Transfig. It made her feel insecure a little. Even if she had been strategic and resourceful enough to have Alessa investigate him. There were certainly more advantages than one would think for Adam hiring the particular relative he had-Cory, who was Alessa's first cousin-to sell wands and deal with the public while Adam made the wands. "Just know that if you for some reason do have trouble in it-prior to the exam-I'm here, okay? "She always wanted to help him, be there for him, even if it was just as friends for as long as they lived. Even if she married someone else-completely against her will-she would always want to be in contact with Russell. He was still her closest friend ever. She'd never bonded with her fellow Tepps. Reggie, Derry, Maddie, Ben and Jessica bonded at the first opening feast and while the latter three had left,she only would have been a third wheel with Reggie and Derry. There had been Melody Abramson too, but she'd left pretty quickly. That just left Addison and Hope could not deal with that girl and her issues anymore. She was much better off befriending Russell and Sophie.

The Teppenpaw almost laughed. "Where ever Great-Grandfather tells me to go, with which ever guy he tells me to marry and have children with. I'm sure my Transfiguration abilities will come along for the ride." She'd never really been raised to expect to do anything career wise. "And hopefully pass the skill onto my children" Which was likely. "Maybe I'll have a son who'll do great in the field." She thought for a second. "If I was going to have career, though, I might want to be a medi-witch, but it wouldn't work anyway because I don't take Potions anymore." She'd developed sort of a talent for caring for sick people thanks mostly to time spent with Harmony. Who was now pregnant and expecting a baby in January. Her constant need for medical attention had caught the pregnancy early before Harmony had even had the symptoms. She was now, however, unsurprisingly on bed rest until the baby was born. Autumn, on the other hand, was beyond her help as much as Addison was, the difference being that Hope actually cared about Autumn. "And what will you be doing?" The Teppenpaw asked, genuinely interested, genuinely caring. Whatever it was, she'd likely support it. She didn't see Russell becoming a criminal or anything. According to the yearbook last year, that was more of a Preston thing.

11 Hope Brockert And sometimes only one is good. 186 Hope Brockert 0 5