Oh, dear. on Cascade Hall

Allie St.Martin

July 09, 2006 9:48 PM

Oh, dear. by Allie St.Martin

Allie felt the smile on her face freeze and slide off at the glare her half-cousin gave her as she approached. She didn't like to admit it or even really think about it, but Anne scared her, just a little. Only one thing gave her the nerve to finish her journey to the Aladren table: the bracelet on Anne's right wrist. Allie had given her that the previous Christmas and its presence seemed to Allie like a good sign that Anne didn't hate her. "That's taken, St.Martin," Anne snapped as she tried to sit down. "Geoff's running a little late."

"Oh..." Everyone (except possibly Anne herself) knew that Anne and Mr. Layne were likely to marry, since it wasn't exactly a secret that Anne couldn't expect many better offers. Allie made to sit down in the chair next to it, but found that choice met with a sharp shake of the head, too.

"Lenny's sitting there," the older girl said irritably, her eyes darting around the Hall as if in search of one of those two or for anyone who might notice her talking to Allie. "What do you want, Allie? I don't have time to listen to you gloat for your coward sister." Anne looked as if she were thinking about something for a moment, then scowled. "You're not even supposed to be talking to me."

Allie was so surprised by this pronouncement and the half bitter, half hurt tone of voice it had been uttered in that she sat down without waiting for permission. "Why shouldn't I talk to you? You're my cousin." She wondered if ducking under the table would do her any good when Anne's face suddenly, inexplicably, twisted into a look of fury.

"Don't you make fun of me, St.Martin! I never wanted to be part of your stupid family to begin with, so you're not going to get to me by pretending I still am!"

Allie stared at her cousin, utterly unable to comprehend the paths Anne's mind was taking. "But you are..." she protested weakly. "You're Daddy's niece, and you haven't been disowned..."

For one moment, she thought Anne was going to really start yelling at her, but she cut herself off midway, now staring at Allie. "I...wasn't? They didn't kick me out when I went to California?"

One of them was missing a critical piece of information, and Allie didn't know which one it was. "No. Uncle Alasdair and Eileen threw fits when Mama suggested it..." She trailed off, realizing that probably hadn't been the best tact to take.

"That old hag would," Anne muttered. "But Eileen...what does he want with me, anyway? First there was the crap at Christmas, and now he won't let me be disowned? It's almost like he..." She shook her head, running a hand through her hair. Since she looked a bit calmer, now, Allie ventured a comment.

"Anne? Eileen's a she." The look she got was slightly irritated, but, bizarrely, almost affectionate.

"I know. I was talking about Uncle Al. She's his puppet." Anne shook her head. "I've gotta - I've gotta get out of here. I can't think in here." Allie lacked the courage to stop her, or even ask what she was supposed to do if Geoff and Lenny showed up. A moment later, Anne was walking out of the Hall, leaving Allie sitting at another House's table, confused and, for some reason and in some way she couldn't explain, a little upset. Fortunately, it was supper time, which meant there was a ready remedy for both: food.

She was heartily enjoying that odd German dish the kitchens served sometimes - at least, she thought 'hamburger' sounded like a German word, she lacked Alban's skill for languages - when footsteps approached her. She looked up in some trepidation, unsure what to do. She didn't really belong here..."Good evening?" she tried. This wasn't something she should be afraid of doing. She was a St.Martin. She was Lila's identical twin. She had been trained in polite dinner conversation.

She was still afraid. But she wasn't going to make a fool out of herself. That was a bit of an improvement, right? \n\n

16 Allie St.Martin Oh, dear. 76 Allie St.Martin 1 5

Caedence Redoak

July 15, 2006 11:25 PM

Not the only one at the wrong table! by Caedence Redoak

Cadence looked around the hall. She saw that most peole stuck to their houses, but there was a girl who didn't. With a sigh, Caedence figured she'd ask if it was against the rules to sit wherever. What she didn't count on was the girl speaking first.

"Hello, are you from this house? Do you know the rules around here?" Caedence asked. She grabbed the end of her sword-like braid and twisted it in her fingers. She had left her bag in the dorm, but on her hands were beater gloves. She was doing a bit of practicing without her broom or bat. Her nose was pink and shewas breathing a bit harder than normal. Other than that, there was no sign of her exurtion.\n\n

0 Caedence Redoak Not the only one at the wrong table! 94 Caedence Redoak 0 5

Allie

July 18, 2006 10:00 AM

They say there's safety in numbers. by Allie

A first year. Allie froze, caught in a moment of blind panic. She hadn't met any of the first years, and was secretly glad of it. An awful lot of them seemed to be bigger than her, and it just sounded worse to be the second year stuttering at the idea of talking to a first year than to be the first year stuttering at the second year. She was going to look like an idiot, she was going to embarrass her sister, her mother was going to be furious with her -

Reflex kicked in, providing an automatic solution to Allie's problem. Instead of thinking about what was the right thing to say or do, she would just do what she'd been taught to. Standing up, she made a small curtsy. "Good evening," she repeated, more politely, this time. "I am Alexandra St.Martin, of the South Carolina St.Martins, a second year Teppenpaw. This is the Aladren House table; I was visiting my cousin, Miss Anne Wright of the - " Oh, drat, what should she say? She didn't know what state the Wrights were from - "South Carolina Wrights," she ended finally, figuring it was or had been technically true.

"I do have some idea of the rules governing this place," she said, smiling to try to infuse a little friendliness into the formal spiel. "Would you like to sit down?" What was she doing? She couldn't ask herself what she was thinking, because she clearly wasn't thinking at all. This wasn't even her House table. She hovered beside her own chair, instinctively recalling that protocol forbade her sitting down until her guest had accepted or declined the invitation. \n\n

16 Allie They say there's safety in numbers. 76 Allie 0 5

Caedence

July 18, 2006 8:47 PM

did you graduate from brittish finishing school? by Caedence

Caedence raised an eyebrow. This girl...this Alexandria of something or other...acted like she was a princess! What in the world was wrong with her anyways. Caedence took on her usual haughty air, straigtened her back, and looked as fierce as a beater on the field. She didn't mean it to scare the girl, only to warn against mocking.

"What in the world is the properness about? We are not two princesses meeting in a war room, you know. I mean, no need for the finishing school scene. Honestly," Caedence laughed, "You're older than me. You CAN look down on me, you know. And yea, i'll sit and chat, if you'll relax." She waved a hand in her own equal invitation to sit. Without waiting for her to decline, she sat herself down and took up a plate. On it, she merely piled on the french fires. No ketchup, just extra salt. The perfect thing to eat while talking.\n\n

0 Caedence did you graduate from brittish finishing school? 94 Caedence 0 5

Allie

July 18, 2006 10:42 PM

No, but I did go through the Sarah St.Martin Society School. by Allie

Allie's reaction to the other girl's sudden change of expression was a barely audible squeak of terror and an impulse to make a mad dash for the comparative safety of her common room, an impulse she found herself unable to act on, rooted to the spot. People getting angry was nothing too special, upsetting but routine. People who weren't family getting angry with her was petrifying, apparently literally. She almost missed what the first year said as she jumped at the sound, eyes wider than usual.

"It's protocol," she said, her voice only shaking a little. She had been asked a direct question, and the other girl had laughed, a little. "Not war. Daddy says that's over, now." Princesses. The daughters of Muggle kings. The only claim she had to being anything akin to the daughter of a ruler was being Lila's twin. She wasn't quite sure what a 'finishing school' was, and so ignored that particular reference just to make things simpler. Sitting down as every fiber of her being objected to her doing so, she found the nerve to carry on. "And why should I look down at you? It's not your fault you're a year younger than me."

For most eldest children, a statement like that would have been a sugar lie at best. For Allie, it was the truth. She had two younger siblings - someone born at 10:24 in the morning was, technically, older than someone born at 10:27 -
and while Alban was mostly just her intellectual superior, he was it by a long shot, and Lila was her superior in pretty much everything. Being the firstborn hadn't done much to improve her, in her opinion or anyone else's she could think of.

Relax. Yes, what a lovely idea. With a dinner companion this moody, that was likely to happen about the time penguins started migrating south for the summer. She smiled again, hoping it would do, and tried to remember enjoying her hamburger. "You - um - still haven't told me your name," she said, feeling as if she were testing boundaries it wasn't really her place to test. "Or told me what rules you want to know about."\n\n

16 Allie No, but I did go through the Sarah St.Martin Society School. 76 Allie 0 5

Caedence

July 18, 2006 11:24 PM

That sounds fancy! i've just been to a plain muggle school by Caedence

"well, my name is Caedence Redoak. First year, in Pecari. you seem rather scared. Am I causing you fear?" Caedence said her expresion that of one looking at a meer cat or a prarie dog for the first time. Curiosity mixed with a hint of amusement. Her eyes, which despite her efforts, were warm. They tended to throw the strict and intimidating look off. But she always seemed...off. Sort of trying to be better than the others.

But lately however. That was a different thing. Meeting Elly and Meredith caused her to soften up a bit. Also, that boy with the heart problem softened her up a bit. Caedence, though she tried hard not to, was starting to turn soft. So she often gathered all her ferocity and used it to mold a rock hard shield. But her new caring caused her to not want to frighten others.

Without even waiting for Allie to respond, though she may have during Caedence's musings, she didn't hear if she did, she continued. "basic protocol would be applied in the rules I must know. What an interesting word, protocol. I just wish to know what is correct, and what isnt. Knowing me, if it isnt too importaint i might just let it slip my mind," again she laughed a bit. not too much. It was a new thing, really, "I already know not to mess with O'leary. I have also had transfiguration and care of magical creatures. So i know those teachers. Mostly, i have learned about the teachers. About the rules, i think would be a good thing to hear."\n\n

0 Caedence That sounds fancy! i've just been to a plain muggle school 94 Caedence 0 5

Allie

July 21, 2006 10:20 AM

Sarah St.Martin is my mother. by Allie

Redoak...Redoak...wasn't that a kind of tree? Allie didn't know much about trees except for that some made better wands than others, but she was almost sure that a Redoak was a tree. She was more sure that she had never heard of a Redoak family in society. Before the thought could process and move on to the next logical point - that she was talking to someone who didn't belong to society and therefore wasn't another pureblood - Caedence asked if she was scaring Allie, causing her, for the first time in her life, to have to bite back near-hysterical laughter.

Of course you cause me fear. You cause me a great deal of fear, actually. You were glaring like you wanted to dance on the grave you put me in a minute ago, and you're in Pecari like Morgaine, who scares me, too. If you decide to attack me, I'm not allowed to fight back because Mama says its not proper and because I don't know how, anyway. I'd be more of an idiot than they think I am if I wasn't afraid of you. She said none of this out loud. Instead, she tried for a weak smile and scrambled for an excuse. "N-No, really. I just get a little jittery, every now and then."

This was either accepted or not noticed, because Caedence plowed straight back into protocol, though her understanding of it seemed...off. Allie wasn't sure how, but there was something not-quite-right about it. Like she was pretending to be acquainted with something she wasn't, or misunderstood what Allie had meant by the term, or even something else the older of them couldn't begin to fathom. She kept her smile resolutely in place and carefully picked words for an answer.

"There aren't so many rules here as there are at home," she offered, remembering how her mother liked to cluck and fuss about it. "That I can remember, anyway. We have to attend all our classes unless we're sick, do our homework, no fighting, respect the professors, wear your robes, meet curfew - that sort of thing." She was in a role that felt, tentatively, comfortable. It made her brave enough to start eating again. "Professor O'Leary's really scary," she admitted quietly. "His daughter's one of my roommates, but we've never really talked. I like Professor Marlowe and Professor Kijewski, though." \n\n

16 Allie Sarah St.Martin is my mother. 76 Allie 0 5

Caedence

August 03, 2006 7:26 PM

sorry i took so long. r.t. cuaght me by Caedence

Caedence couldn't help it. She almost liked this girl. Though her explination of jitters fell on deaf ears. Obviously this girl was terified of Caedence. She listened as she partled on about the rules. Finally, after Allie finished, she snapped to better attention.

"Who in the world would marry someone who's scary? More than that, who'd talk to someone that scary?" she commented more to herself than Allie. Then she said," How in the world can you spit out kej..kej...proffeser k's name?" She had to admire this girl's ability to not stumble over the name. After all Caedence couldnt herself. And she prided herself in being better than others. And for the question that she was burning ot ask, "what are the punishments here?" If she didn't know how she'd be punished, she couldn't cause trouble. After all, a troublemaker had to know her boundries.\n\n

0 Caedence sorry i took so long. r.t. cuaght me 94 Caedence 0 5

Allie

August 05, 2006 1:06 AM

Happens to all of us, I reckon. by Allie

Allie blinked, startled by the question about matrimony. Who considered things like that? If people married for affection, her St. Martin uncles would still be bachelors and most of her cousins wouldn't exist. The only second marriage she'd ever heard of that hadn't been arranged was Uncle Alasdair's, the only first marriage she'd ever heard of had been Aunt Mary's, and Eileen still liked to complain about what horrible children she had produced because of it...

Caedence's family must have been very minor indeed, for her to think things like that.

"It could have been arranged?" She'd meant it as a statement, but it came out sounding like a question. Not only was Caedence intimidating, but she was also from a minor family. Her mother had taught her how to deal with the major families and assured her that she'd never have to deal with anyone from the lower ranks of society. As the social superior, Allie could walk away, but that would be unspeakably rude. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was put Caedence in an even more uncharitable frame of mind and cause trouble for anyone else who crossed the girl's path. She didn't know what to do. "Most people's are?"

Oh, for the love of Merlin. The younger girl was just a first year, from the House least noted for propriety, and she apparently hadn't been entirely raised in the old, formal style. She was sheltered, but not so much that she didn't know there were people who were anything but like her parents and extended family. When they were little, even her sister and cousins had unbent enough to daydream, occasionally. Romantic girlish daydreams weren't going to hurt anyone. She could have this conversation without getting into issues meant for older people anyway.

"It takes practice," she assured Caedence when she was asked about Kijewski. "It took me forever to learn how to say it properly. I've heard that a lot of people do nickname her, but I always thought it sounded disrespectful..." Too late, she realized that probably hadn't been the wisest thing to say. "She allows it, though, so I could be too old-fashioned."

If the truth was to be told, Allie had avoided learning too much about the different forms of punishments. She didn't break rules, being one of the cousins who had taken the threats of her mother and her tutors to heart. After that, she neither needed nor wanted to know much about what Sonora did to miscreants to know that she wasn't becoming one any time soon. She did hear things, though, and so scraped an answer. "Well...there's supposed to be detentions," she said. "I think teachers can make them whatever they want, so long as it's not really unreasonable. Lectures, too, and writing to your parents. Maybe other things...I try to avoid trouble so I don't have to find out." The idea of Professor Bulla speaking to her when he was pleased with her was terrifying enough, never mind the idea of him talking to her when he was angry. Him - or even worse, the Headmistress - contacting her parents was too awful to be thought about.\n\n

16 Allie Happens to all of us, I reckon. 76 Allie 0 5

Caedence

August 05, 2006 3:28 PM

Glad you understand. ^_^ by Caedence

Caedence was just as surprised as Allie. Most are arranged? What in the world was she talking about? Most people, normal ones at least, marries for love. Nothing more, nothing less. What was she, some billionare?

"I have a bit of a question. It is personal, so I wont be offended if you dont answer." She paused for a moment. Not to allow time for a protest, but to gather herself. It was going to be dificult, for Caedence never cared about personal things before. "Aren't you allowed to marry for love? Are you like a princess or something? Have you ever fallen in love?" It wasn't as if Caedence cared. It was just that she wanted to grasp this alien world of pureblood royalty. Being a half blood, she wasnt quite sure what this girl was on about. To cadence, Allie seemed more like she had hit herself on the head and was now delerious. Though Cadence left that unsaid.\n\n

0 Caedence Glad you understand. ^_^ 94 Caedence 0 5

Allie

August 05, 2006 7:09 PM

No problem. by Allie

Allie almost flinched when Caedence revealed that she meant to ask a personal question. She wasn't as uptight about her privacy as her brother and sister, but her awkwardness in conversation was multiplied tenfold when it was about something personal instead of something generic. The only people she'd ever really discussed things with had been her old clique - herself, her twin, Gwen, and Clarissa - and Little Julian, and all of them let her get around to it in her own time. Very rarely had anyone ever approached the matter that way, and Allie found herself not looking forward to it at all.

The question, when it came, caught her off guard. She'd been expecting something horrible and embarrassing, not something that was, well, not that personal at all. It was just a fact of life. It was that, not the question itself, that left her staring at Caedence incredulously for the moment that she forgot that staring was only a little less rude than pointing. This girl really was odd. Allie couldn't help wondering what would happen if Caedence ever met Morgaine.

"Of course not," she said, trying not to sound critical or snobbish or mocking. It came out matter-of-factly. "The only person in my family who ever married for love was disowned, and now she's dead for real, too. I'd have to give up my parents, my brother, my - " she shuddered violently at the thought. When she let herself think about it, which wasn't often, Allie was almost as sorry for poor Melinda Pierce as she was grateful that her twin was in no danger whatsoever. "It's not to be thought of," she said, echoing a statement of her mother's to that effect.

She did laugh a little at the idea that she might have fallen in love. "Merlin, no," she said, still startled out of her usual terror and feeling oddly protective towards this strange, romantically-inclined first year. "It wouldn't be seemly. Besides, I'm only twelve. Most people think that's too young to have a marriage arranged, never mind to - well - want one." She felt herself blushing. She had originally meant to avoid the "princess" reference altogether, but it was more comfortable than carrying on with this vein of conversation. "I don't think I'm anyone too special," she said honestly. "I'm my Daddy's firstborn, and he's my step-grandmother's heir, but my little brother is Daddy's heir, not me. Why?" \n\n

16 Allie No problem. 76 Allie 0 5

Caedence

August 07, 2006 9:41 PM

She's quite the odd one, isn't she? by Caedence

Caedence was about as knocked off of her feet, if not more so, than Allie. No marrages for love? Being disowned? Why, she doesn't even think it proper to want to do anything for herself. What Caedence was most unprepared for was Allie asking for her to explain herself. Why did she ask? Even Ceadence didn't know. She grasped for a reason as one falling grasps for the cliff's edge as it slippes from under her fingers.

"I- I mean, well, I dont really care about getting girly girly about talking boy talk. It is just, well, this is foreign to me. I hate not understanding. This is totally wierd.

"You see, as for me, I am allowed to use my brain. It hasn't been sucked out and replaced wiht a robot chip. I have not had it driled into me to hear the echos of my masters in my head. The only echos I hear, are mine and mine alone. I think my thoughts.

It was getting easier now, like when you go down a hill; faster as you go.

"You, on the other hand intrigue me. You are as foreign to me as a person from Japan. I only know where it is, and the language they speak. I'd love to learn thier customs, language, and culture. You are, to me, japanese.

"I feel that, it seems, you are a robot. You recite what has been programed into you to recite. you haven't got your own thoughts. You think you do, but you dont. You are meerely and echo of your master. Your master is an echo of his or her master, and so on. I want to find your programing. I want to read your manual, in a sence. I want to know why you arent you. Why you are merely an echo. A parrot, reciting what you hear. If I can, I wish to teach you to say something. I wish to teach you to be you. If you leave me now; fine. Just keep my words in your head. If you dont leave, we can talk. You may choose."

Caedence finished finnaly. She meant her words to dive in. She meant them to stick there. She meant them to be barbed and unable to be pried out. She hoped she wasn't too cruel, but she was honest. She always was honest. Honesty, however, isn't always apreciated. She took a fry and chewed while she waited for Allie to respond. She waited to see what the robot would do.

ooc:sorry if she sounded like a witch. its her personality really. If you took offense, i'm sorry. I am not saying that is what i think you made your charrie to be, just how she observes it. \n\n

0 Caedence She's quite the odd one, isn't she? 94 Caedence 0 5

Allie

August 08, 2006 6:28 PM

Who is? You've lost me. by Allie

She wanted her sister. Now. Lila would know how to deal with this, and she would probably have some inkling of whatever Caedence was talking about. Allie didn't know on either count, and she was too busy conquering blushes inspired by the idea of "boy talk" with a virtual stranger to try to work it out. She'd been taught the basics of having and using a reasonably well-educated vocabulary, of course, but it was almost as much the words themselves as the contexts some of them were being put in that confused her. She'd been known to understand Alban when he started spouting off in Latin better than she was understanding Caedence, who, with a few odd exceptions, seemed to be speaking English.

'Seemed to be' was the catch. Allie wasn't prepared to swear to that, because some of the words did not sound like they were part of the English language, and a fair few of the others seemed entirely out of place in the sentences they had been put into. For once, she was almost sure that her failure to comprehend what someone was saying to her had nothing to do with being thick. Further proof that it was something else causing her to get lost in translation was that she understood one thing quite well: she was being insulted. She wasn't brave and/or suicidal enough to issue a challenge, but she would answer it. Nobody insulted St. Martins and just walked away from it, even if the St. Martin in question was only her.

She decided to go for the simplest part first. "I'm not Japanese, and I'm not a bird," she said, seizing on those bits where she did, vaguely, have some comprehension. "I am from South Carolina, and I'm a witch." She felt herself straighten a little in her chair as she said it, pride in the fact ingrained from birth. "I obey my family because that's what a good daughter does and because they know and want what's best for me. I mean - I don't - I don't want to fight. I'd like it if we were friends, but I can't - the family comes first." She was what she was: the product of generations of like-minded, family-oriented purebloods. Why couldn't Caedence understand that? What was wrong with her, that she couldn't grasp that most fundamental of concepts?

"I don't even know what half of what you're talking about is," she protested, feeling like she was on the verge of tears but fighting it. "What in the name of Merlin is a - a - roe-bot?" She stumbled over the unfamiliar word, bringing the blood back to her face in another rush. She knew she really hadn't ever had the term defined for her, but Caedence clearly had, which meant she should have known what it was.

"And I do too have a brain," she continued, not recognizing the unpleasant feeling in the bottom of her stomach as the beginnings of anger. "Everyone does, if they're alive. I'm not that stupid." Her voice broke suddenly, but she didn't cry. She wasn't going to, not over something this stupid. She hadn't cried in public since the night she and Lila were separated.

OOC: No offense taken. Characters will be characters. \n\n

16 Allie Who is? You've lost me. 76 Allie 0 5

caedence

August 08, 2006 7:39 PM

caedence is odd shakes head sadly by caedence

This girl totally missed Caedence's point. The air practically crackled around her as she quelled her own rage. Here she was offering a girl a chance to THINK, and she took it as an insult. Further more, she had no clue about what Caedence was saying. What was a robot? How laughable! What was she? Stupid? She ignored the girl's brink of tears and delved deeper into her message.

"A roe-bot," she said mimicing the girl's pronounciation, "Is basically a metal person. However, it doesn't think about its actions. It just does. In fact, it just does whatever its master tells it to.

"You are like that. You, from birth, was taught that 'for the sake of class' you had to act a certain way. After all, what would you do if a fould word slipped your lips? I would imagine you would, of course, cover your mouth and apologise.

"It is like why do we, in general, believe that witches and wizards have life easier? Because we have been taught, all our lives, that we can do tasks faster and more efficiently than our muggle counterparts. But arent there exceptions? My mother is the most incopetent witch ever. She can hardly make the dishes do themselves. My father has no magic. Both of them not only survive, they thrive. That places the lie that witches and wizards have it easier. My life was never lacking." she paused not mentioning her father practically ignoring her presence to keep his thoughts that witches and wizards arent real intact, "And we never had it tougher without magic. Also, have you been taught not to touch fire? that it would burn you?

Cadence took a matchbook from her pocket under her robes, struck the match, and passed her finger right through the top part of the flame back and forth. She then blew it out and set it on the edge of her plate away from her fries. "I have not been burned.

"You have been told, since birth, that you should be married to whomever you are chosen to marry. Notice how I say chosen, not who you choose. Dont you see? It isn't a family insult. I meant that I can only hope that you can some day do something. Dont you see?

"After all, have you ever pigged out on cake, digging in and eating it as fast as you can, not caring if it stained your clothes or how much of a slob that would make you look like? Or that hamburger you were eating; have you ever eaten one not caring if you got ketchup all over your face making you look tottaly juvenile? Have you played in the mud trying to get as dirty as possible? Or do you avoid the mud to keep your shoes white? Do you ever even dare think of love? Or would that be improper? Are you so afraid of being disowned that you cant even daydream? No personal insults meant, but I feel that is just plain neglect and cruelty. After all, what is life worth when you can't even fall in love? When you cantat like a slob? What kind of life would that be? Have you ever even been to a mall? Have you heard of a mall? Ever worn a t-shirt that was old and ratty and hung down to your knees and didn't care? Ever wear a guy's t-shirt? Well?"

She leaned in to better observe Allie. She looked her into the eyes with a peircing searching look. Her hawk-like eyes seemed to be trying to lock her in place. They said, 'Why don't you want to be free?' Caedence kept from trembling. Trembling was weak. Never show your rival weakness. Taken aback, breaking her gaze for a few moments, she realized that she was controlled by her teachings. What she has taught herself. She leaned backwards, softened her gaze, and folded her arms.\n\n

0 caedence caedence is odd *shakes head sadly* 94 caedence 0 5

Caedence

August 08, 2006 7:40 PM

ooc: a few editing of my post by Caedence

"You are like that. You, from birth, was taught that 'for the sake of class' you had to act a certain way. After all, what would you do if a fould word slipped your lips? I would imagine you would, of course, cover your mouth and apologise.
change the underlined to ' foul '\n\n

0 Caedence ooc: a few editing of my post 94 Caedence 0 5

Allie

August 09, 2006 10:41 PM

No arguments on that one. by Allie

On the surface, Allie had been chalk-white and staring ever since Caedence announced, far too loudly for any hope of not being noticed, that her father was a Squib and her mother the next thing to one. Her brain refused to travel the Muggle route; it was hard enough to grasp that she was talking to someone from that kind of stock who didn't seem embarrassed by it. Even the Careys wouldn't broadcast that sort of thing, though Allie suspected that might have had something to do with not wanting to answer the inevitable questions about just who had been marrying into the family in the past few generations.

Beneath the surface, her head was swimming with new, incomprehensible terms and ideas. Mall? T-shirt? Girls in boy's clothing? Deliberately getting dirty? The only bits of the tirade Allie understood was that Caedence came from a genetically less-than-ideal match, which probably had something to do with her views on marriage, and that Caedence, for some bizarre reason, thought Allie was the one with a problem. Normally she would have agreed, even if only privately, but this time she knew otherwise. She wasn't the one with the problem this time. When the younger girl drug cruelty and neglect into it, she hit one nerve too many. Allie wasn't scared of her anymore, or at least not cripplingly so. She was mad.

"No, I don't know what a mall is, unless you're mispronouncing the French word for 'bad', and I don't know what a tee-shirt is, and I don't wear boy's clothes because I'm a girl. I don't get dirty, and I don't say things I'm not supposed to, and I'm not a pig, either. And everyone dreams about being happy in a marriage, but not seriously, because it's not the most important thing in one." For one terrifying moment, she let herself fully realize that these words were coming out of her mouth, but quickly reverted to not thinking about it. If she let herself think too much about giving the intimidating Caedence a talking-to, however needed it was, she would burst into tears and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction.

"Don't you dare imply that my family doesn't care about me or any of the others, either. Mama and Daddy and the others have always made sure me and Lila and Alban and our cousins were taken care of. Just because your Squib parents think their way about things doesn't mean that my family's wrong. If we lived like you say you do, we wouldn't be able to function in our world." The audacity she'd shown in making the speech finally caught up with her, causing what color she'd regained to drain away again. "I don't want to fight," she repeated falteringly. "I don't want to - I don't know - I don't know - " \n\n

16 Allie No arguments on that one. 76 Allie 0 5

Gwen Carey

August 10, 2006 10:54 PM

Being a good girl (sort of). by Gwen Carey

Apart from a bit of height and her hair now being thinner and straighter than it had been then, Gwen walked into the Cascade Hall looking almost like her pre-mudstorm self: put together, done up a bit, taking care to seem and be entirely in touch with the here and now. She was beginning to hear things Cate said repeated, and the only thing she could do to make people think twice about believing it was to do the opposite. Except in one case, which was the other part of why she'd bothered to look and act like a normal member of society tonight. Hopefully, Connor wouldn't notice this; males of the species tended to be a little thick when it came to some things. If he did...well, she'd be explaining what she was, eventually, going to have to explain anyway a little sooner.

Putting on her little 'I'm a good girl, really' routine still gave her an advantage in the meantime: she blended in. Every House had its handful of purebloods, and home training was hard to get entirely away from. As long as she kept her mouth shut and did nothing to draw attention to herself, she could watch what went on uninterrupted until her friend turned up. Sitting down with a concentrated effort at not looking absent-minded, Gwen began nibbling at whatever the kitchens were serving (she tried not to inquire too closely about the nature of it, afraid that she didn't want to know) and soon focused in on the interaction of her stepcousin with a girl she didn't recognize at a distance.

Impressive, for Allie. She must be getting a spine. The thought was almost sarcastic, and quickly repressed. It wasn't Allie's fault she was...well...what she was. Innocent, easily confused. There had to be people like that, just so the rest of them wouldn't destroy the world. Gwen just hoped the other girl had the sense to realize that Allie was one of those people, for Allie's sake more than hers. When Allie got angry, rare though it was, she was usually so scared by it that she started crying, and Lila wasn't here to get her out of it. Gwen would have, but...she doubted even Allie would accept her help, here and now.

It was when the air of the encounter shifted that she began considering intervening whether Allie wanted her to or not as the old protective instinct that came with being the eldest female cousin whose existance she knew about kicked back in. Allie wasn't a threat, even if she did write to Aunt Sarah to complain. Acting out of loyalty to the family was more likely to gain Gwen points than lose more of them. Allie was also likely to be grateful of any rescue by now, if she was any good at reading the tension in a scene, and almost as likely to fall back into habit and let her handle it, anyway. Which could open up a whole other series of doors, but that was getting too far ahead of things.

She came up behind her stepcousin just in time to hear the end of her attempts to ward off an argument. "Leave her alone," she ordered, glaring at the Pecari. "She hasn't done anything to you." She couldn't technically claim to know that, but she knew Allie St. Martin. If Allie had somehow managed to do something to the other girl - Gwen thought she was a first year, but couldn't swear to it - it had almost certainly been accidental. "Are you all right, Als?" she asked, "forgetting" that the twins still weren't speaking to her. \n\n

0 Gwen Carey Being a good girl (sort of). 63 Gwen Carey 0 5

caedence

August 11, 2006 8:03 PM

ooc by caedence

did i say he (her dad) was squibb? *looks* if i did, i meant muggle.\n\n

0 caedence ooc 94 caedence 0 5

Caedence

August 11, 2006 8:14 PM

Hello new person!!!!! by Caedence

Caedence sighed heavily. This girl was not one to be reasoned wiht. Also, she took it personally. Caedence was about to wave her anger when the other girl showed up.

Who did she think she was? Storming up here all in a rage. Caedence was trying to be kind and teach a girl how to relax. Allie, on the other hand, tok it the wrong way. She even started to yell.

So, in all her might, Caedence turned to the new girl. The air seemed to crackle with rage. Her eyes, all kindness gone, were narrowed dangerously. Her hands, still gloved, were clenched.

"For your information, i was trying to tell her that she could use to loosen up a bit. I was trying to tell her that life isn't spent wel worrying every second how it would look upon the family name. In fact, before you showed up, I was about to drop it! I was about to change the subject because i learned that she wasn't ever going to change her mind. And now you're here, yelling at me. Don't worry, your friend is safe from the big bad halfie pecari." her voice wasn't raised, but laced with deadly daggers though.

Turning to Allie, she softened her gaze, almost letting a smile slip. "No offence ever intended." she whispered. She then turned back to the new girl awaiting her response.\n\n

0 Caedence Hello new person!!!!! 94 Caedence 0 5

Allie

August 11, 2006 8:51 PM

Re: ooc by Allie

No, you didn't. Allie misunderstood what Caedence was saying IC.\n\n

16 Allie Re: ooc 76 Allie 0 5

Allie

August 11, 2006 10:20 PM

Oh, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... by Allie

Only a few seconds earlier, Allie would have said she'd accept rescue from anyone willing to offer it. She would have preferred for it to be from her sister, or at least Anne, but anyone would have done. When rescue, or at least the hope of it, came, she changed her mind quickly. There were worse things than having Caedence rearrange her face for her. Many worse things, such as her soon-to-be-ex-stepcousin coming to her defense in the most public place in the entire school.

"Gwen," she stammered, unsure of what the protocol was for dealing with half-disowned or almost-disowned or whatever-it-was-Gwen-was people. Merlin help me, she thought frantically, anything, anything to get me out of this mess. Merlin, however, didn't seem to be in the mood to listen to her, because she wasn't being struck by lightning and the other two girls weren't evaporating on the spot. A direct question didn't leave her much room to pretend her stepcousin didn't exist, either. "I - I'm fine, really, you don't have to take care of me - "

Oh, no. Caedence had turned her animosity from Allie's head to Gwen's. There was almost no telling how Gwen would react to that. Some people might have expected a Crotalus to keep her dignity, but some people hadn't seen Gwen and Morgaine fighting the year before. Allie had. "I know," she whispered back to Caedence, because she knew nothing else to do, and began hoping that, while all things ended eventually, that this affair would end sooner rather than later.

Gwen's life was over, and everyone who was anyone knew it. No matter how normal she looked now, she would never be what she had been again. If she was lucky, she'd be married off to the first backwoods Vaughn or Robinond cousin who would have her and be quietly forgotten, or so Mama said. Allie didn't know firsthand and didn't want to find out, but it seemed like that could do something to a person's head, but...Surely she wouldn't try to ruin Allie's life, too. Surely not. Gwen was a Savannah Carey, and Savannah Careys had their ways, but surely she wouldn't be that cruel. The Gwen Allie remembered was too practical to take out distaste with a bed of her own making on someone with no association with the accident. Unfortunately for them all, though, things changed, and Allie had no way of knowing whether or not that was one of them.\n\n

16 Allie Oh, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... 76 Allie 0 5

Gwen

August 11, 2006 11:17 PM

Howdy, and I'm going to ignore the 'oh dears'. by Gwen

Giving Allie a flicker of a smile to acknowledge and dismiss the younger girl's attempt at dismissing her, Gwen turned back on the Pecari. Her stepcousin could wait. From the braid to the rudeness, this kid put her in mind of Morgaine on one of the bad days, the ones where they wanted to but never quite tried to claw each other's eyes out. The fragile bond of their technically continued sisterhood had kept them from crossing any one-way lines so far, but she and this girl had no such bond and no reason to keep things relatively civilized except for that at least forty-odd percent and possibly more of the reason she was over here was to prevent being disowned, not to give the family more reasons to call her a bad seed.

"Half-blood Pecari, is it?" she said, giving the girl the most disapproving look she could muster. "I'm not surprised." Oh, yes, she was going to catch absolute hell if this got out. Pointed questions from friends or what passed for them would be the least of it. "I can tell you from personal experience that you weren't doing my stepcousin any favors with your women's lib routine. That kind of thing has no place in a society witch's role." It occurred to her that she should probably hate herself, or at least be sickened by her own hypocrisy. It also occurred to her that she didn't and wasn't. Her eyes flickered to the side long enough to notice her little speech's newest listener, and any trace of guilt she had vanished. If Allie wouldn't repeat the news of her apparent repentance, Morgaine most assuredly would.

"Alexandra was brought up to have her priorities correct. Merlin, I was, for that matter. Most of us who can claim to be purebloods were. Since she's a better person than I am - " if she was going to lay it on, she might as well lay it on thick - "though, she's stayed with those priorities, like the rest of my family. Just because I royally screwed things up doesn't mean I'm going to let the likes of either of us corrupt my cousins." That should have done the trick. There'd be new rumors by curfew. At least this set might do her some in-family good to counteract the school-politics harm.

Now she just had to hope that the Pecari wasn't in the mood to use her clenched fists, because Gwen seriously doubted that her sister and her stepcousin would be too eager to rush to her aid if the girl jumped her, apparent repentance of her sins or no. By pureblooded standards, the pair of them really did have their priorities entirely correct. First came the family's reputation, then their own. Helping her would serve neither in a positive manner. She couldn't blame them, because in their shoes, she would have thought the exact same way. Unless there was something to be gained from it, there was no reason to get involved in other people's fights.\n\n

0 Gwen Howdy, and I'm going to ignore the 'oh dears'. 63 Gwen 0 5

caedence

August 12, 2006 4:02 PM

re:re:ooc by caedence

ok, gee we both have fickle charries dont we?
\n\n

0 caedence re:re:ooc 94 caedence 0 5

Allie

August 12, 2006 10:30 PM

OOC by Allie

I'd probably describe Allie more as being extremely sheltered and a bit easily guided, myself.\n\n

16 Allie OOC 76 Allie 0 5

Connor Pierce

August 12, 2006 11:40 PM

So, how many more do we need to have a convention over here? by Connor Pierce

He was supposed to meet Gwen for dinner. That wasn't too rare of an occurrance, now that she'd mostly given up on the other purebloods taking her back, but it usually involved firsties, and something about how she'd sounded in the last conversation had left Connor with the impression that this evening was going to be sans firsties. Just them, in public, for the first time since - God, he couldn't remember. It would have had to have been first year, after she fell out with all her Crotalus friends but before she began trying to bond with the firsties or whatever it was she was doing with them. He hadn't asked. There were times he knew that he didn't want to know, and Gwen rarely volunteered that kind of information.

He hadn't heard any rumors concerning them, but the idea of an unchaperoned dinner still left him feeling nervous for some reason he couldn't really place. He'd noticed that Gwen was on the pretty side as far as girls went, but hanging out with her was sort of like hanging out with Beverly. Not exactly like hanging out with Beverly - however great Gwen was, she was still rich and not his sister - but close enough that, after three years, it shouldn't have seemed weird. After a bit of thought, Connor had decided to ignore it, because it was pretty sure to vanish once they started poking fun at the name of some dead guy who'd come up with something concerning Charms theory or trying to have a conversation without the letter 's' or something equally stupid.

Entering the Cascade Hall, the first thing Connor noticed was that Gwen wasn't where she'd said she would be. That was odd. It wasn't like her to miss the time. A moment later, he realized she hadn't. She was standing over at the Aladren table, with one of those twins she'd pointed out as her stepcousins, facing off against a girl Connor recongized as a first year from his own House. The encounter did not look friendly. The girl's clenched fists were a pretty good indicator that it was as tense as it looked.

In the time it took him to decide that manners could be hung if the first year meant to hit his friend, Morgaine the Menace arrived on the scene. Great. Gwen's sister or not, he didn't like that kid. Annoying little brat, from what he'd seen. Since she wasn't doing anything but standing there like a knot on a log, though, it looked like he was going to have to put up with the inevitable argument with her to be within handy range if the first year decided to lay into Gwen. Maybe the Menace would be in one of her let's-pretend-you-don't-exist moods today or something.

He'd always known that Gwen had been brought up in a world that hardly ever saw eye to eye with his, but the reminder of that as he came up level with Morgaine was like being hit over the head. Ignoring any reaction the midget second year might have had to his presence, he stared at Gwen, trying to work out if this was her evil twin sister she'd conveniently managed to forget to mention talking, if she was putting on some kind of show...or if she actually meant the crap she was saying.

He'd known this was going to turn out badly...\n\n

0 Connor Pierce So, how many more do we need to have a convention over here? 68 Connor Pierce 0 5

caedence

August 13, 2006 7:31 PM

is this a party now? ^_^ i love parties! by caedence

Caedence was now nothing more than a tiger, waiting to burst from its cage. The right words and, well Caedence didn't want to think on it. Running hundreds of spells through her head, at least, the handful her mom had taught her and ones she had read on and was waiting to try, she was glancing left and right, looking for anyone nearby who could get her in trouble.

First, she weeded out the illegal ones. That was too much trouble ot get into. Then, the ones too tough for her. That left one spell: stupefy. It'd work, but it wouldn't be, to mock the little princeses, 'dignified'. So, she chose to swiftly snap on her bejeweled hair clip to the end of her braid.

"You predjudiced jerk! There is no way you can at all be related to Allie. For, even though she does not get to have much of my kind of fun, she'd never judge others based on who has the best bloodline. Allie, i hope what I say next causes bad blood between us." she rounded full fury, full force on Gwen, "I challenge you to a fist to fist muggle duel! Or is that below your status ?" she sneered.

Turning she noticed her audience with the boy, "Do watch, you'll have fun." she said with a smile. Though it wasn't pleasant at all. It was the grin of a wolf who had a taste of blood and found more meat. She turned that smile in all its horror on Gwen. "What do you say, my pet?" she said evenly, almost as if it were tea-time talk. Her londe hair caught the light in the room and gleamed, almost as if it were a sword.\n\n

0 caedence is this a party now? ^_^ i love parties! 94 caedence 0 5

Morgaine

August 13, 2006 10:42 PM

<i>Life's</i> a party, darling. by Morgaine

Pseudo-Pierce didn't seem to notice that Morgaine was glaring at him, but something happened to break her concentration before she could try a more forceful means of drawing his attention away from Gwen and to her. The brat of a first year challenged her sister to a duel, and as if that wasn't bad enough, she declared it a Muggle duel. That was an insult, both to Gwen and to the Careys. If it was an insult to the Careys, it was an insult to Morgaine. Her temper, already only just under control, flashed higher, leaving her hands in fists to match the first year's.

Then, of course, the brat noticed her and Pseudo-Pierce. Gwen's gaze flickered in their direction once more, and something in her face changed for a fraction of a second as she looked at her alleged friend. One look, and Morgaine felt as if she'd just taken a punch to the gut. She had gotten no such acknowledgment. Her sister hadn't reacted to her presence in any way. The interloper was a boy, so he couldn't completely take Morgaine's place, but...he had gotten the reaction that should have been hers. In that moment, she was sure that she'd never hated anyone so much in her entire life.

Thankfully for her sanity, the moment didn't last. Gwen's expression as she turned back to the self-righteous first year brought out her usually unnoticeable resemblance to their father; not so much the shape of the mouth as the set of it, the arrogant way of looking down either a hawkish Robinond or long Carey nose that Morgaine would never master. Gwen was going to do something stupid. Gwen already had done something awful, paying more attention to some mudblood nobody from nowhere than she paid Morgaine. She couldn't let her sister forget her any more than she could let her be disowned. Gwen opened her mouth, her face glacial, but Morgaine got there first.

"She refuses," she said flatly, stepping between Gwenhwyfar and her adversary. "You have no right to challenge her at all, much less name the terms. Who do you think you are, talking to my sister like that?" Not waiting for an answer, she carried on with her theme. The other Pecari would have been bound to give the wrong answer, anyway. "You're nobody. We're Careys. Stay away from my family." She turned her glare on Gwen, ignoring Allie entirely. "Don't think this is for you," she spat at her shocked-looking sibling. "The only reason I'm doing this is for the family." She hated lying, not because it was immoral, but because she was no good at it. Hopefully, fury would mask that. \n\n

0 Morgaine <i>Life's</i> a party, darling. 0 Morgaine 0 5

Caedence

August 14, 2006 5:19 PM

i'll get the baloons!!!!! by Caedence

Caedence, her fury showing on every fiber of her being, glared. It was all she could do. It was also all she'd do to perserve her dignity. She wouldn't lower herself to their level. After all, who were these snobby brats compaired to her? nothing, that's what.

She raised ehrself to full height and said, "Not to be rude, but you are, by far, the snobbiest and most annoying of the two! And as for who i will and wont talk to, i think that is for me to decide. And if Allie wants to befriend me, that is her issue. Though, sadly I do not take friends. I will not be treated so rudely. Allie, if you wish to speak with me, I will not let miss somke-and-fire stop me from chatting. So shoo you disgusting fly! My appetite is already ruined."

So, clenching and unclenching her fists, she glared as fiercely as possible. The leateher the gloves were made out of creaked. She raised her hands up as if to signify her full intention of using them. This newcomer would not, and could not, win if it came to hand to hand. Caedence was sure of it. Though these people didn't know it, the bejeweled clip meant that they were on her list. The list of people she would hate forever. THe clip only came on for a duel. Their refusal, in her eyes, proved her a coward.

Though it wasn't Gwen who answered the challenge, so Caedence snapped, "Also, I do believe, however snitty she is," She pointed at Gwen "she also has a mind and she also has a voice. She can speak. So quiet up why dont you? You're big nose could get hurt if you keep sticking it other's issues!"\n\n

0 Caedence i'll get the baloons!!!!! 94 Caedence 0 5

Allie and the Careys

August 17, 2006 4:51 PM

We'll bring the drinks. by Allie and the Careys

OOC: Just verifying that the authors are working together on this one. BIC:

Enough was enough. Allie stood and warily inched over to stand where both Caedence and her stepcousins, Morgaine apparently frozen from shock, could see her without her actually getting between them. She wanted to keep things from getting worse, but not if it meant getting killed. "Um," she began, then found herself at an utter loss for words. She'd never dealt with a situation quite like this one before. "Maybe we should all sit down - "

"Sit down?" Allie winced reflexively. Morgaine had gotten her tongue back. There was probably nothing anyone could do to keep things from getting worse. "Sit down? Are you out of your mind on top of being stupid?" Stirred up as she was by the events of the past few minutes, Allie was startled to feel and recognize a flash of resentment. "I'll be hanged if I'm going to sit down with this uppity piece of trash who just insulted me and all of us! You and Gwenhwyfar may not care if the whole world thinks we're all mud-loving traitors, but I do, and I'm not going to let the pair of you ruin my life or yours!"

It took everything Allie had to keep from bolting, then. Things had just gotten even worse than she had thought they would. Morgaine taking a stance was the equivalent of locking Anne and Allie's mother in a very small china cabinet together: sooner or later, and usually sooner, something was going to blow up.

* * * *

Gwen was about to give the apparently suicidal first year – what firstie in her right mind challenged a third year to a duel? – a dismissal and haul her sister off to give her a piece of her mind when the youngest of them began running her trap again, getting really offensive this time. She took one look at Morgaine’s face as she stopped yelling and grabbed her arm, not sure what jack-fool thing her sister meant to do but sure down to the marrow of her bones that it wouldn’t improve the case for either of them.

"Mora," she hissed, giving the other girl a faint shake. "Don't be stupid - "

"Shut up," Morgaine snapped. "I know what I'm doing. I'm the one the family still speaks to, remember?" Gwen winced involuntarily. She could have at least kept her voice down. Releasing the younger girl and taking a step back, she kept her own expression as neutral as possible and folded her arms over her chest.

Let the little fool get herself into trouble, then. Maybe she'd learn something from it. Merlin knew she needed to learn something, because while Gwen's supply of solid information about the year below hers was almost always running low, she did know that her sister was generally disliked, something not conductive to doing well in real society. Once a shrew, always a shrew, or however that saying went.

* * * *

Morgaine drew herself up to her full height, such as it was, trying to pretend that she didn't want to let Gwen and Allie make it all better so she wouldn't be sticking her neck out quite so far. The thought that kept her from turning coward was remembering that she was invisible. Gwen had a way of making everything be about her, Edmond was the boy, and Morgaine was nothing. People had never cared what she did, and there was no reason for them to start now, especially with Gwen coming home in only twelve months. Glaring down her most decidedly un-big nose at the offending first year, she spared one thought for the gods of improvisers and idiots before taking a leaf out of the detested one’s book.

"You," she said, sharply but, she thought, relatively calmly, "have insulted me, my sister, my stepcousin, and my family." Allie made some small movement, as if to refute her part in this, but Morgaine didn't care about her. Allie mattered even less than she did. "Because of that, I'm calling you out. I challenge you to a duel, a proper duel, a witch's duel, to be held - " not here and now; she was still angry, which wouldn't help her concentrate, and they were in the school's most public room. Her father hadn't been quite right since they'd lost Gwen, but if she turned out disappointing, too...She didn't like him, but he was her keeper, at least for the next five years. Driving him crazier than he already was would do nothing to help her.

"To be held in the Labyrinth Gardens the first Saturday after we return to Sonora for the Christmas holidays," she finished. It would be out of public, and she'd have time to learn a few more useful spells. That it went against all the old dueling forms for the challenger to name the terms wasn't something she was much concerned with, since Caedence had named the terms when she made the mistake of challenging Gwen and the practicalities of life would always take precedence over tradition if tradition made survival less likely. “Whoever falls down or apologizes first is the loser. Unless you want to refuse?”\n\n

16 Allie and the Careys We'll bring the drinks. 76 Allie and the Careys 0 5

Caedence

August 17, 2006 6:18 PM

Gee, were all friends, yet our charries arent. ironic, init? by Caedence

Cadence's insides went as cold as ice. A wizards duel? that was a new thing. She didn't know hardly any spells. She certiantly couldn't do half of what she knew. But backing down wasn't an option. It never was.

"I never have and never will care about insulting people. If you loose, however, if Allie so choses to socialize with me, let her. Got it? None of this 'i'm not a perfect pureblood' crap. Name your second, shall you? One thing I know fits into every duel is a second. Who's yours?" She said.

One thing, more than pride, that drove her on was personal insult. Never did anyone tell her what to do. No one did, and no one shall. The clip was on. It would come off only when her prdie was restored. If she won, then there would be a fued against this morgaine girl happened to win, then there would be no cause for a fued at any chance she got. For that girl, it would be a long seven years. That is, however long she was at Sonora. With a grin of pure hatred she held out a hand to seal the deal.

She retracted it before Morgaine had any chance to shake it. She turned to Allie and said, "I sincerely apologize for any strife this has caused you. Also, Miss Gwen, I apologize to you as well. You, on the other hand," she glared hotly at Morgaine, "I shall never apologize to you! Not until you see my writhing body on the grass of the Labyrinth Gardens!" \n\n

0 Caedence Gee, were all friends, yet our charries arent. ironic, init? 94 Caedence 0 5

Connor

August 19, 2006 12:48 AM

Amusing, anyway. by Connor

Gwen and Morgaine's little show was reminding him more and more of the people on his mother's soaps, going all dramatic whenever they thought they might be in trouble. If this had been a soap, he would have concluded that they'd only been pretending to fight the whole time and were showing that they were working together too soon. Even in the real world, he wasn't entirely sure that the theory was wrong. Gwen and Morgaine hadn't made it a secret that they could barely stand each other, but here they were, backing each other with stereotyped lines about only doing it 'for the family'.

The only thing wrong with the scenario was that it was - backwards, sort of. It didn't make sense in context. If this had been one of those stupid soaps, he would have thought it had something to do with a bad head writer, but Gwen and her sister weren't actors in that sense of acting, so the only conclusion left was that there was something about this picture he was missing. Something that would explain why his best friend had suddenly turned elitist, why her estranged brat of a sister was suddenly defending her, and what Alice or whatever they'd said her name was had to do with anything. For the first time he could remember, he wished he'd made more friendly contacts in the school, because he had only one way of obtaining any kind of information, and he wasn't too sure if he should trust her right now.

It wasn't like Gwen made too much of a secret out of being a good liar in most situations. There were times when she even seemed proud of it. From what he'd put together over three years, being a pureblood consisted of spending one-third of your time watching your back, one-third sticking knives in everyone else's backs, and one-third in covering it all up. His chances of getting a straight answer from her were looking low, but the only thing he thought he'd be able to get out of anyone else (Morgaine) would be, at the nicest, an order to butt out and stay away from someone's (Morgaine's) sister.

Not exactly helpful.

Ignoring the younger girls completely, Connor made his way over to Gwen. Morgaine and Alice and the first year weren't his problem, at least not now. He tried to tell himself there might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this, but his gut disagreed. Strongly. "What's going on, Gwen?" He kept his voice low, figuring that interrupting the firstie fight club wouldn't help matters any. The only plausible interest Gwen could have in that was her sister's participation, and the way she'd stepped back suggested that whatever burst of indiscretion or sororial affection had mixed them together in the first place had worn off.\n\n

0 Connor Amusing, anyway. 68 Connor 0 5

Gwen

August 19, 2006 1:26 PM

Authors and characters...what would we do without each other by Gwen

Gwen found herself torn as two basic instincts came into conflict. She'd been seven when her father explained to her that it was her job to look after the other two if he happened to be away, and he wasn't here now. Though she had, at length, worked out that he had meant that she was supposed to take care of Morgaine and Edmond in the event of his premature death, old habits died hard, and her sister needed looking after badly. Making things worse was that, after Morgaine's intervention on her behalf, leaving the younger girl to it was double treachery. On the other hand...

On the other hand, Gwen knew that dueling involved wands, and that was it. On the other hand, Gwen's first priority was Gwen. She was in it to stay alive, not get killed fighting her sister's battles. She knew nothing about the girl she would be up against, but what she could see was enough to convince her that she wouldn't find the finding out things about her very pleasant. Besides, Morgaine was the one who had challenged the girl to a duel, the opposite of what had happened with Gwen and the girl...she was going in circles. The pattern was broken by the girl's unexpected apology. Gwen raised her chin a bit, acknowledging it despite being fairly sure the respect was just a ploy to show up Morgaine.

"Apology accepted," she said coolly. "Though I will warn you that if you do any lasting harm to my sister, my family will have no choice other than declaring a feud." Lasting harm. What an expression. Morgaine probably felt as if she were in a corner, now, with no way out. Not good, but what could one do about it? She couldn't openly declare support for a sibling she wasn't officially on speaking terms with, not yet. The situation wasn't that bad yet.

Connor's inquiry, quiet as it was, was the one that made her jump. Not even she was sure how much of that was faked, an attempt to put off dealing with what had to be dealt with. No gains without losses, neither without chances. Her arms, which had been folded in a no-nonsense pose copied from her Vaughn grandmother, slid down to wrap around her torso, an instinctive defensive gesture. Knowing you had to lose some to win some was one thing, but liking it was another.

It might turn out all right, even now. He'd forgiven her the first time this particular issue had come up.

He didn't see you turn elitist the first time this came up either, idiot. Seeing is , after all, believing.

To put off actually saying anything a little longer, she jerked her head left, away from the catfight. This was their battle, nothing to do with the girls. The last thing she needed at the moment was for Morgaine to challenged Connor to a duel. Apart from making the emotional situations on both sides worse, it wouldn't end well no matter how it was answered, and there were only so many Pecaris one girl could take care of at one time. If it came down to a choice between them, a real choice, she'd have to pick Morgaine. Whatever had happened was irrelevant after a point - a point she didn't think they were to, yet, but a point that did exist - because Morgaine was still her little sister.

"Stay out of this one, dahlin'," she said, instinctively looking around for anyone who might be trying to eavesdrop. This wasn't a conversation she wanted overheard. "It's not what it looks like. We can talk about it later." Even before she said it, she was fairly sure he wasn't going to understand. Morgaine would have understood. She always had, and she would now more than she had before things went wrong. Now, Morgaine had been the eldest, too. \n\n

0 Gwen Authors and characters...what would we do without each other 63 Gwen 0 5

Allie

August 19, 2006 2:16 PM

'Tis often the case, I think. by Allie

This was all her fault. If only she'd been willing to leave well enough alone when it came to the Anne situation. If she hadn't spoken to her cousin, none of this would be happening, because she'd be sitting at the Teppenpaw table with a good supper in front of her, unthreatening people around her, and Morgaine wouldn't be challenging apparently violent first years to duels. She'd caused this, which would make it her fault if either combatant got hurt. Gwen's bit about lasting harm being cause for a feud didn't help. Allie wasn't one for Defense Against the Dark Arts, but even she knew that there were lots of ways to hurt someone that inflicted no technically permanent damage.

Appealing to Gwen to act like she had the least particle of sense in her head would be a double waste of time, both because Allie knew her too well to think she would back down and because she was now away from the rest of them, talking to some boy. That left Morgaine, who was as or more unreasonable than her sister. "Morgaine," she said, borderline frantic, "you can't do this!" Having some idea of the retort she might get for a statement like that, she hurried to tack another on. "I won't let you do this, I won't! I'll - " What could she do? Morgaine hadn't been much impressed by Allie even before she turned passive-agressive - "I'll tell Uncle Alasdair!"

Her step-uncle would be in a rare mood if he was willing to say 'good afternoon', much less listen to a tale of his daughters, when the other half of the conversation was her or any of the other cousins. Having made the threat, she would now be expected to live up to it, too, if Morgaine didn't back down, and the idea of speaking to Alasdair terrified her. Daddy was the only adult who ever had anything to do with her that didn't involve straight disapproval, and Uncle Alasdair, like Uncle Julian, had nothing to do with her at all. Therefore, the best thing she could do now was pray that Morgaine was frightened enough of her father's reaction to end this now, before everything blew up again. \n\n

16 Allie 'Tis often the case, I think. 76 Allie 0 5

Morgaine

August 19, 2006 7:16 PM

That I'm agreeing with anything proves the point. by Morgaine

If looks could have killed, the morality of girls dueling and the dilemma of how to treat Gwen would have become moot points in relation to Morgaine, because both her enemy and her sister would have been cold before they hit the floor. The little brat - she really ought to figure out her name, if she was going to be fighting her - was making her look a fool by apologizing to Allie and Gwenhwyfar even as she kept up the insults, and Gwen was betraying her again, announcing her willingness to let bygones be bygones as long as Morgaine's injuries weren't permanent. The two combined to make her even madder.

Then, of course, Allie had to be an idiot and step in. The bungler really seemed to think that she'd be talked down that easily. Morgaine managed to ignore the cold stab of fear she felt at the sound of her father's name and gave her stepcousin a disgusted look. "Be my guest," she said, layering the words with scorn. "Even if he hears you out, which I doubt he will, he'll most likely not care. He might even approve." There wasn't much of a chance that would ever happen, but she could hope. She wasn't going to do a Gwen and spent half her life trying to impress people, but a little approval never hurt anyone.

She was hoping for Allie to keep her mouth shut from caution, but she doubted it would matter. It was almost Christmas, and for them, Christmas had been a family crisis for two years. The parties had been cancelled, the visit to the St. Martins had been shortened, and even Edmond had been forgotten as she hid in her room and Alasdair did the same in his study. She had been summoned home by letter a week earlier, but there was no reason to assume that this Christmas would be any different from the past two. She almost felt like hexing the other girl right then and there, just thinking about it, but restrained herself.

To give herself time to think of a second, she made a show out of looking her opponent up and down and not looking impressed by what she saw. Who would back her, anyway? Her sister, currently conversing with Pseudo-Pierce as if she wasn't even there, was clearly out of the question. Using one of the twins was a joke, and Anne was about as reliable as a hurricane - there was no telling whose side she was on, or what she would and would not do, from one day to the next. Unless one somehow still counted Gwen, Morgaine had no friends and had never before wanted any.

"I don't think I feel like telling you," she said, inwardly cringing at how childish that sounded. "How am I supposed to know that you won't try sabotaging him or her? If you're impertinent enough to challenge a Carey to a duel, then there's no telling what else you might do." Not too shabby, for a split-second save. At least, she didn't think it was, and her opinion was the one that mattered. The others, for different reasons, didn't. At all. "A piece of advice for both of you," she added, glaring equally at her stepcousin and the first year. "Drop the dramatics. They don't suit you." \n\n

0 Morgaine That I'm agreeing with anything proves the point. 0 Morgaine 0 5

Caedence

August 21, 2006 9:23 PM

Umm, the characters cant exist... by Caedence

Caedence Glared at the girl, Morgaine. "How childish, thinking I'd soil my honor by sabotoging your second. You know what? Toss out the whole second thing, why dont we? That way, our seconds dont have to uphold 'family honor' or personal honor. Sound all right?"

Then gwen spoke. so long as you dont cause any permanent damage What did she take her for? A cold hearted killer? Of course, she'd have to think of anything she could try on Morgaine, legal or not. It was a duel after all. "do not worry, Gwen, was it? I wont hurt her. Though whoever would be sad, I do not know. You know, without your temper, you'd have more friends Morgane. In fact, I dont even think you precious family likes you."

She turned around, stealing a fry from her plate and chewing on it. Once swallowed, with time for any retalliations, she turned back for one last word on the matter, "See you later, then. Labyrinth Gardens. And Allie and Gwen, I repeat I am truly sorry for anything I might have caused between you and Morgane." She then turned back around and walked away from them all. \n\n

0 Caedence Umm, the characters cant exist... 94 Caedence 0 5

Morgaine

August 24, 2006 5:03 PM

The authors, though, might actually have lives. by Morgaine

"Fine," Morgaine snapped when Caedence suggested abandoning seconds, hiding a flash of relief under the irritation stemming from it. "Have it your way. You've already botched enough things anyway, one more can't hurt." A burning sense of satisfaction came with the words, as if insulting her enemy was somehow transferring the stress of the situation from her to the other girl. It was almost the same as when she was fighting with Gwen - that sense of winning by losing something unpleasant - but not exactly. With Gwen, there was always something else - guilt, maybe, or regret. With this insolent twit of a first year, there was nothing but satisfaction.

"Her name's Gwenhwyfar, as far as you're concerned," Morgaine began, but was cut off by what came after. For the second time, Morgaine felt a sensation like drowning. I don't even think your precious family likes you. What the enemy was saying was that the family - even Allie, dimwit that she was, and Gwen, Morgaine's only sister - wouldn't care if she got hurt. That they only put up with her as much as they did because she was their kin, by blood or marriage or both.

She wanted to start yelling, defending herself, but she couldn't. All she could do was stare stupidly after the enemy as the enemy sauntered off. The first year was trying to do - what was it called? Psychological warfare. The first year was trying to do psychological warfare on her, make her think that her own family actively disliked her. They didn't - not all of them, anyway, and there were too many to care about what all of them thought. Gwen loved her, and so did Edmond. Her brother and sister still liked her.

Gwen was still ignoring her, so Morgaine turned on the only person available to turn on: Allie. "None of this ever happened," she said flatly, hands worrying the ends of her hair. "You hear me, Allie? If anyone ever hears about this, I swear, I will make your life miserable. You know I can. You just keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you." Without waiting for a reply, or for Gwen to notice her again, she got out of the Hall as quickly as she could without running. Half an hour later, safely back in her dorm, she was in bed with another headache. \n\n

0 Morgaine The authors, though, might actually have lives. 0 Morgaine 0 5

Connor

August 24, 2006 6:39 PM

points to Housemates What they said. by Connor

"We'll talk about it now," Connor said shortly. If that didn't surprise her into being honest, nothing would. For whatever reason, the exact reason varying according to the day, he usually let Gwen have her own way. Even if they didn't agree on things, which had been known to happen, there was no forgetting that they had been raised literally worlds apart. There were some things it was pretty much impossible they were ever going to completely get about each other, and there was no point in fighting over those.

This, though...Beverly had laid into him enough times over the years about jumping to conclusions for him to want to give Gwen the benefit of the doubt, but what worked okay in theory was hard in application. He'd heard what he heard, and seen the look on her face while she was saying it. She'd looked like she meant it, but then, Gwen had never struck him as looking very insincere during their talks. It was like she could just turn it on and off - except, of course, that people didn't do that in real life anymore, not at thirteen.

But then, in his idea of real life, people didn't arrange marriages for their daughters when their daughters were thirteen or thereabouts, either.

"Why shouldn't we go ahead and talk about it now?" he asked, not thinking that putting Gwen on the defensive might not be the best move he'd ever made. "I figure you've got some reasoning. You always do." Well, she did. Accusations were only really accusations when they weren't true, or something like that. "Unless you've got a problem with talking to me in public?" That was an accusation, and no getting around it, but he wasn't a saint. Saints didn't get annoyed because of the situation or because of their inability to explain why the situation was affecting them the way it was. \n\n

0 Connor *points to Housemates* What they said. 68 Connor 0 5

Gwen

September 01, 2006 10:46 PM

How very original of you, darling. by Gwen

It was official: they were fighting. Not full-blown, yell-without-a-care-as-to-who's-listening yelling the way she and Morgaine did sometimes, but fighting nonetheless. Gwen began to feel slightly sick. This wasn't the way she'd meant for this to happen. She would have, at some point in the next year, have been forced to cut Connor adrift, but not like this, in front of God and everybody in the middle of the dining hall. Cursed reality. She preferred her usual dreamworld; at least things there looked up some of the times. In the real world...well, in the real world, they didn't.

Not making a public spectacle was probably a good idea. It would make the incident less noticeable to others in the Hall, and it might make things a little less painful. Pretending she'd gathered her thoughts, she opened her mouth, fully intending to stay calm, rational, and unemotional.

"I can't believe you'd even suggest something like that," she snapped instead. "Don't try saying I'm reading things out of a guilty conscience, either. It doesn't take too many brains to tell when you're being called a liar and Merlin only knows what else you're trying to infer that I am in public." This was definitely not the best way to handle the situation, but Gwen was finding it increasingly hard to care. She was mad, and not in the sense of having lost her mind. "I'll admit that I'm not morally perfect, but you ain't, either, and even I've got better sense than to string out a relationship I'm getting nothing out of but grief from my family for two years."

Her course of action once she got out of here, at least, was clear. She was going to go back to her dorm, cry for as long as she thought she could get away with, and then remind herself of why this was best for everyone until she was really calm again. At the moment, though, her blood pressure was definitely up, her nerves felt as if they were all jangling, and the clearest thought she was having was that while things weren't even going to approach painless now, they would definitely be done with. Soonest ended, soonest mended. \n\n

0 Gwen How very original of you, darling. 63 Gwen 0 5

Connor

September 02, 2006 8:06 PM

Almost as original as our dialogue. by Connor

"I'm not trying to infer anything," Connor shot back with some heat. Gwen's going on the defensive just proved what he'd been thinking, which went contrary to what he was saying, but that was kind of irrelevant at the moment. "Do you have to be such a freaking drama queen about everything? I ask a question, and you act like it's the Inquisition." On a rational level, he knew the stuff she'd been saying to the first year hadn't been anything concerning him, personally, but it felt like it had right now. Of her friends who weren't part of what she called society, he was probably the closest.

Gwen might have meant her next bit to be reassuring - it was hard to tell, sometimes, with her, and it wouldn't have surprised him after what he'd heard about them if she'd said that her family considered death threats declarations of affection - but it was taken as more of a slap in the face than if she'd actually hit him. "Well, that's sure what it looks like you've been doing!" he shouted, not caring who heard. "Yesterday we're talking and getting along just fine, and today you're standing here hollering at some first year about how you're not going to let your cousins screw up their lives the way you messed up yours. Maybe in your world that all makes sense, but it don't in mine."

Objectively speaking, the situation could still be fixed, if he stopped yelling and Gwen got off her high horse and explained what was going on. He'd already known that Gwen's standards of ethics on some things were a little...more inclusive than his, after all, and, as she'd said, neither one of them was perfect in that or any other area. Practically speaking, though, it wasn't likely to happen. He wasn't going to back down first, and Gwen was much more likely to cut and run than to deal with the problem until some kind of conclusion had been reached. Either way, Connor had a sneaking suspicion that he was going to come out on the short end of the metaphorical stick. It didn't make him any more inclined to help smooth things over.\n\n

0 Connor Almost as original as our dialogue. 68 Connor 0 5

Gwen

September 09, 2006 10:47 AM

The titles never do match the contents. by Gwen

He was calling her paranoid. That meant crazy. She wasn't crazy. All right, she'd given pretty much everyone plenty of reasons to think she was crazy over the past three years, as often intentionally as not, but she wasn't crazy and, at the moment, didn't want anyone to think she was. Gwen struggled for a moment to regain control of herself. "That," she said, her voice still tight but more controlled than it had been, "wasn't my intention, and you know perfectly well that this kind of - thing - isn't normal for me. I think I'm pretty well justified in overreacting when it feels like I'm being accused of something."

Which was, of course, perfectly true. She just overreacted more than normal when she had actually done what she was being accused of, to one extent or another. If she was confronted on it, it would be easy enough and partially truthful to chalk it up to the already stressful situation and her bad nerves. How she was going to do that without making it look like she wanted to make things up was a bit trickier, but she'd come to that when she got to it. If she got to it. If Connor didn't storm off soon, she thought she might have to make a run for it herself and dignity be hanged.

Calm or any approximation of it flew merrily out the window at the remainder of her friend - no, she had to get used to the idea, former friend's - speech. "Nobody messes with my family!" she snapped back, her hands clenching into fists, relaxing, and going back again without her noticing. "My reputation went down the toilet three years ago this week, and I tried to make the best of it that I could, but I'm not going to sit by and let my cousins or my sister lose it all for being naive. I never pretended I liked any of it." That, really, was the heart of the problem. She hadn't claimed to like her disgrace in so many words, but she hadn't done enough to indicate that she disliked it for the point to get through most people's thick heads.

"The family's a gaggle of megalomanic idiots without the wits to come in out of the rain, but they're my megalomanic idiots," she carried on, picking up another thread before deciding to deviate from the first or attempting to link them together. "This may come as some big revelation to you, but I don't want to be disowned. I'm trying to keep from that the only way I know how. Ever heard of talking for people to hear? It's a real good strategy in political situations where the objective is to not get burned."

Suddenly feeling very tired, Gwen closed her eyes, almost enjoying the feeling of swaying in the wind. "I can't do this," she said. "I can't do this with you right now. I - I have to go." Her hands were shaking. This room was cursed. Everything bad happened here. "I have to get out of here." Without further ado, she followed in her sister's footsteps, but only made it as far as the girl's bathroom before she started crying. \n\n

0 Gwen The titles never do match the contents. 63 Gwen 0 5

Allie St.Martin

Oh, dear. by Allie St.Martin

Caedence Redoak

Not the only one at the wrong table! by Caedence Redoak

Allie

They say there's safety in numbers. by Allie

Caedence

did you graduate from brittish finishing school? by Caedence

Allie

No, but I did go through the Sarah St.Martin Society School. by Allie

Caedence

That sounds fancy! i've just been to a plain muggle school by Caedence

Allie

Sarah St.Martin is my mother. by Allie

Caedence

sorry i took so long. r.t. cuaght me by Caedence

Allie

Happens to all of us, I reckon. by Allie

Caedence

Glad you understand. ^_^ by Caedence

Allie

No problem. by Allie

Caedence

She's quite the odd one, isn't she? by Caedence

Allie

Who is? You've lost me. by Allie

caedence

caedence is odd *shakes head sadly* by caedence

Caedence

ooc: a few editing of my post by Caedence

Allie

No arguments on that one. by Allie

Gwen Carey

Being a good girl (sort of). by Gwen Carey

caedence

ooc by caedence

Caedence

Hello new person!!!!! by Caedence

Allie

Re: ooc by Allie

Allie

Oh, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... by Allie

Gwen

Howdy, and I'm going to ignore the 'oh dears'. by Gwen

caedence

re:re:ooc by caedence

Allie

OOC by Allie

Connor Pierce

So, how many more do we need to have a convention over here? by Connor Pierce

caedence

is this a party now? ^_^ i love parties! by caedence

Morgaine

<i>Life's</i> a party, darling. by Morgaine

Caedence

i'll get the baloons!!!!! by Caedence

Allie and the Careys

We'll bring the drinks. by Allie and the Careys

Caedence

Gee, were all friends, yet our charries arent. ironic, init? by Caedence

Connor

Amusing, anyway. by Connor

Gwen

Authors and characters...what would we do without each other by Gwen

Allie

'Tis often the case, I think. by Allie

Morgaine

That I'm agreeing with anything proves the point. by Morgaine

Caedence

Umm, the characters cant exist... by Caedence

Morgaine

The authors, though, might actually have lives. by Morgaine

Connor

*points to Housemates* What they said. by Connor

Gwen

How very original of you, darling. by Gwen

Connor

Almost as original as our dialogue. by Connor

Gwen

The titles never do match the contents. by Gwen

caedence is odd shakes head sadly by caedence

points to Housemates What they said. by Connor