[TAG Rachel Bauer] Dealing on Crotalus Commons

Cynthia Smythe

March 09, 2010 3:16 PM

[TAG Rachel Bauer] Dealing by Cynthia Smythe

The past week, Cynthia had been in an even worse mood than usual. Her name hadn't appeared on the Head Girl vote list, which had initially annoyed her, but she supposed she wasn't the sort of person who could communicate with the majority of the rest of the school, and she was far too busy with school work, anyway. besides, it was just a popularity contest, and Cynthia had convinced herself that she'd gotten over that fairly quickly. She was, however, thrown by the names that did appear on the ballott. Not a reputable pureblood among them (Talen Dupree didn't count because he was so obviously queer). Cynthia hadn't voted in disgust - she didn't want to be held even partially responsible for anyone one of her peers holding a position of power or responsibility.

The other irritation playing on her good graces was the midsummer event excuse for mild petting among the upper years: otherwise known as the ball. It barely bothered Cynthia herself; she would attend purely so she could sit on her own and gain pleasure from watching other people make fools of themselves. However, for two terms now the sixth year had cause to consider someone other than herself. She generally didn't like people to know she was related to Jethro, let alone the extend she looked out for him. If anyone matched the labels on his potions ingredients to her handwriting, or discovered she'd helped him to learn the names and faces of his peers in the early weeks of term, her pown reputation would be ruined, and Jethro's would be in much better state, either.

This time, Cynthia was going to help her brother out, but someone was going to have to know about it. Carefully, Cynthia had considered all the possible companions for her somewhat inept sibling. It couldn't be one of those horrid, tattle-tale girls like Cynthia's cousins, because then Jethro's reputation would be in real ruins. Her brother would never marry well, but he came from a good family; he had good blood. Cynthia would do her best for him. What would be ideal was a girl in a rising pureblood family, or someone who would do anything to fit it.

The girl hadn't immediately come to mind, but having spoken with her already, Cynthia held a small preference for Miss Bauer. She knew the younger girl didn't spend much time in the House commons, so Cynthia lay in wait one evening, watching the door until her quarry walked in. "Rachel," Cynthia called out, and beckoned the younger girl over. "I have something I wanted to talk to you about, if you have a minute," Cynthia put on her best show of politeness as she was, essentially, asking someone for something. It couldn't hurt to play to their better nature.

0 Cynthia Smythe [TAG Rachel Bauer] Dealing 103 Cynthia Smythe 1 5

Rachel Bauer

March 10, 2010 8:27 PM

That sounds vaguely ominous. by Rachel Bauer

The skin beneath Rachel's eyes felt all twitchy after hours in the library, her brain was buzzing with obscure facts of various kinds, but she had the satisfaction of knowing that she was definitely going to ace her Potions exam. She could do first-year level work without a lot of effort, but being able to best her peers so easily made it imperative to give beating the second and third years, which took more effort, a try. Having at least kept up in the first semester, she felt the pressure to do even better this time around and satisfy her mother's command to be her best.

Best was Momma's favorite word, to the point where - despite a competitive streak - Rachel almost hated it. That quirk of her mother's speech predated the divorce by longer than Rachel could remember, but it had gotten progressively worse since her second marriage. Rachel had disliked always being told to do her best before competitions because of an implied assumption that she wouldn't do so on her own, but now, she would consider that perfectly okay if it replaced being told to do her best, with a heavy implication that this was supposed to be the best, without being told what she was supposed to be excelling at.

Content, for the moment, that she was doing it, though, she stepped into the common room and blinked against all of the red. The Crotalus color scheme had never done much for her, and now, when she was tired, it was doing even less than it normally did. The curtains on her bed were the same color, but the encouraging thought that she could turn off a light and not have to look at them motivated Rachel to make a way to the stairs quickly. Before she could get there, though, a voice calling her name stopped her in her tracks.

For a moment, she was confused. She lacked Crotalus friends in a big way; she had vaguely considered Theo as a possible date for the ball, as he was decent-looking and not Raines, but she didn't know him. Practically everyone Rachel knew was in Aladren. Then she noticed Cynthia beckoning her over.

She might occasionally almost forget what House she was in, but even a renegade first year with good sense wasn't about to ignore a sixth year. She went without further hesitation.

"Of course," she said when asked if she had a minute. When she went to bed was, in a way, her own affair here (it was, she had decided almost as soon as she'd learned how to make the spell work, no great sin to read by wandlight after the curfew), and she was curious. Just off the top of her head, she couldn't come up with anything Cynthia could want, much less need, the input of a first year for. "What is it?"

16 Rachel Bauer That sounds vaguely ominous. 154 Rachel Bauer 0 5

Cynthia

March 13, 2010 4:26 PM

So it should by Cynthia

Rachel came over just like a good little first year should. Although Cynthia doubted the girl's ambition, considering she preferred to spend time with Aladrens, who were traditionally far less socially successful than their Crotalus counterparts, Rachel did seem to be the sort of person that would be suitable for Jethro. Ar least, as far as Cynthia could tell from someone she knew very little of or about. Time would tell.

"Well, I suppose you know my brother, Jethro," Cynthia satrted. He was in the same House and just a year older, so they must have shared several classes over the past year. True enough, Rachel might not have known of their relationship - there were enough Smythes in the school to cause confusion - but she would almost certainly be aware of his existence. "He would very much like to enjoy your company at the Midsummer Ball," Cynthia said, barely any emotion in her naturually nasal voice. She was aware it was unusual for an older sister to arrange her brother's social affairs. To show that she knew it was unusual, Cynthia took a rare moment to relax her shoulders.

"Look," she told Rachel, leaning in a little closer in case anyone might be listening, "he's not very good at taking care of himself," she told a very basic version of the truth. "You should know how heartless society can be," she said, assuming that somewhere in Rachel's past or present there was something to make her want to avoid her socialite peers, "and Jethro's lovely. I just want you to keep an eye on him, that's all," Cynthia leant back in her chair, having said all she was going to. She hoped the sorrow story, along with Jethro being a good name pureblood in the year above, would be sufficient to tempt the first year. "What do you think?"

0 Cynthia So it should 0 Cynthia 0 5

Rachel

March 13, 2010 8:44 PM

And that sounds a <i>lot</i> ominous. by Rachel

Rachel nodded shortly to Cynthia's statement. "He's in my classes," she said, and hoped against hope that Cynthia's objective wasn't to procure a tutor for him. She did not, for a variety of reasons, spend much of her time with any of them, but she had taken the time to learn at least one identifying characteristic of each of her fellow Beginner Crotali, and Jethro's codename was The Absent-Minded One. The thought of having a sixth year holding her personally responsible for his grades didn't appeal.

Besides, it didn't even make sense to ask her to tutor him. She was a first year, and while she was aware of her level of achievement, there was no reason for Cynthia to be aware of the same. At least, Rachel hoped there wasn't. She was paranoid enough without thinking two conversations were evidence of a massive Smythe conspiracy against her. It was odd, realizing she was being irrational, but a wise someone had once commented that just being paranoid didn't mean the paranoid individual didn't have enemies....

Or, alternatively, a very unromantic would-be date. Rachel supposed there were people who would like a boy to get his sister to ask her out, but she thought it was weird.

Cynthia must have realized it was weird, too, because she dropped the formal tone. Rachel was kind of flattered. It implied that her first-year-hood was not being used as an excuse to assume she was stupid. Less happily, being told point-blank that what she'd really spend her first date - of a sort - doing was "looking out for" the Absent-Minded One did not make the scenario more appealing or push down her proposal-increased awareness of her mother.

If she turned down a date with a Smythe without having a better alternative on hand, Rachel didn't think that her mother would disown her, but she knew that by the end of the summer, she'd wish she had. It was for opportunities like this one that Momma had broken the family up, and a failure to take advantage of them would mean that it had all been completely pointless. Momma wouldn't like that, and she'd very quietly and very effectively make her not-liking-it known. It might have been different if someone else had asked, someone she really liked, but no one had done so. So....

"Which historical figures does he like?" she asked.

16 Rachel And that sounds a <i>lot</i> ominous. 154 Rachel 0 5

Cynthia

March 16, 2010 11:22 AM

It's not that bad by Cynthia

At least Rachel had heard of Jethro. This proved she did pay some attention to her classmates, but it also indicated the possibility she was familiar with quite how useless Jethro could be. With any luck, she knew him just the right amount: his name, age, House, family, appearance, and that was it. It didn't really matter, because Rachel would find out soon enough, if she accepted Cynthia's proposal.

"Which historical figures does he like?" Rachel asked.

Cynthia didn't consider this to be important in making a decision, so she assumed this was Rachel's roundabout way of saying that yes, she would attend the ball with Jethro. Unsure whether or not to answer the question (which would probably be that her brother sometimes idolized the magi on medieval crusades), or if it was merely rhetorical, Cynthia decided she'd gotten all out of the conversation she had desired.

Standing, she said, "I'm sure you can discuss that between you." Cynthia hated costume parties, and had yet to decide whether she would bother to dress along with the theme herself, or just wear normal robes in derision of the whole affair. "It was pleasant talking with you, Miss Bauer," Cynthia said, before swiftly heading up to her dormitory, not allowing the younger girl chance to change her mind.

0 Cynthia It's not that bad 0 Cynthia 0 5