Sylvia Mordue
November 20, 2019 10:38 PM
Such dreadful news (tag Caitlin) by Sylvia Mordue
A week had gone by. A whole week, and all she had really heard was Topaz, as per usual, assuming everything was about her. It was sort of fun to hear her blaming the Mudblood, and if Ness McLeod got pulled in for questioning, then Sylvia was not exactly going to be sorry. She just wished she knew whether the intended target had been hit.Still, it wasn't like she could just waltz up to Emerald and ask, and expect an honest answer. Ditto Winston. Luckily, she did have a way in, though. A little chink in tougher people's armour. It had never escaped her notice that Caitlin hadn't fought her for her position as head of the Gardenia Girls. Of course, it had been Sylvia's idea, so she really had no right. But her general impression that was Caitlin was rather meek, desperate to toe the family line and to please her brother. And she had every right to get inside how Caitlin was feeling about things. They were best friends, after all.
She was practising a new hair charm when Caitlin walked in. Sylvia set down her wand very deliberately, and turned to Caitlin, eyes full of sympathy.
"I actually saw that dreadful graffiti with my own eyes today - the one everyone's been talking about," she uttered, lookong sad and scandalised over its very existence. "It must be horrible feeling people are mocking your brother for his choice fiancee. And such a low blow when he and Emerald ought to be enjoying their happiness! How are they taking it? How are you?" she asked with concern.
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Sylvia Mordue
Such dreadful news (tag Caitlin)
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Caitlin Pierce
November 22, 2019 5:56 PM
Oh? by Caitlin Pierce
This year so far was...interesting. By which Caitlin meant that there were parts she liked and parts she didn't. She did not like that the first two Challenges pandered to the rough and tumble athletic sorts which was like every muggleborn and half-blood ever, even the ones not in Pecari and not proper ladies because while some pureblood girls played Quidditch, they were decidedly not proper the moment they decided to. It might not have been as bad as other things one could do, not a disownable offense, but it was definitely not ladylike to play a brutal sport.And it bothered Caitlin to no end that that sort had to be allowed into Gardenia Girls.
She also didn't like that her brother hadn't gotten Head Boy. It was just shocking that he'd lost out to someone who didn't exist. It was puzzling. The only thing she could figure was that with Winston and Simon being men of similar values, the purebloods in their class had split votes, allowing He Who Did Not Exist to win Head Boy even though Winston and Simon were both more deserving. Caitlin wasn't sure how Natalie Atwater had beaten Emerald either, but she, at least, was somewhat respectable. Even though Natalie was a Pecari, the Atwaters were a good family, Natalie's sister Kelsey was a role model for pureblood ladies, her mother was a Brockert and it wasn't as if the seventh year played Quidditch. In fact, Natalie was more respectable than the Anns.
On the other hand, Winston was engaged to Emerald, which had to bode well for the future of her family. By which she meant herself, her brother, her parents and grandparents. As well as the New Hampshire Pierces as a whole. Caitlin didn't want them to degenerate to a point where they were as disreputable as the Boston and California branches. Plus, Winston was genuinely happy.
She entered her room to see Sylvia sitting there. Her roommate spoke. Caitlin looked at her oddly. "I didn't hear anyone talking about it other than Topaz. I thought Nessa McLeod wrote it abut her. Why do you think it's about Emerald? Who would write it about her?" Caitlin couldn't fathom why a third year would go after a seventh year, even though Nessa was quite above herself. Still, she would go after Topaz. Unless the Aladren's brother put her up to it to hurt Emerald and Winston and Nessa got to annoy Topaz in the process. Though that would be rather far-fetched but Caitlin wouldn't put it past them. They would be that low....and stupid enough to anger Topaz. The fourth year didn't think Emerald and Topaz particularly got on, but she also got the impression that Topaz didn't need much pushing to go after her roommate.
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Caitlin Pierce
Oh?
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Sylvia Mordue
November 25, 2019 6:15 AM
You don't know? by Sylvia Mordue
Oh. Dear. Merlin. How freaking stupid were people in this school? On the plus side, Sylvia supposed this was a useful thing to know for the future. Perhaps this would turn into a baseline against which to calculate future endeavours. It wasn't as if stupid people were hard to manipulate, you just had to not rely on them being able to read between the lines."Well, naturally they wouldn't say it within earshot of you," she pointed out, her face gently sympathetic. "But certainly Topaz' interpretation is far from the only one in circulation. Acquiring a gemstone is awfully specific, don't you think? And then.... passive, or whatever it says at the end," she fumbled for the wording, as if she was not intimitely familiar with every line of it already. "That doesn't sound much like Topaz.
"I don't know who would do it or why," she replied, "Some people are just awful. It's probably no one that matters. And certainly, if I heard anyone who did putting that sort of thing about, I would be sure to put them in their place. That's just what friends do for each other, isn't it?" she added, not quite rhetorically. Even if Caitlin wasn't going to take the bait on it being about her future sister-in-law, it never hurt to hammer home that particular point, and particularly not now, when she was quite likely to need defending herself.
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Sylvia Mordue
You don't know?
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Caitlin Pierce
November 25, 2019 7:11 AM
I don't think you actually want me to find out by Caitlin Pierce
"No, no it does not sound like Topaz. At all." Caitlin wondered if she should tell the younger girl this or just let her get "revenge" on Nessa. Even if it wasn't about Topaz, it was still about her sister and Nessa still deserved it. Even if she hadn't written it, she certainly deserved whatever Topaz had in store for her." Acquiring gemstones could also point to it being about Tatiana Vorontsov though." Which still sounded like something Nessa would say, acting like something was wrong with all things feminine and pretty and those who liked them. "And Emerald isn't passive either." Caitlin pointed out. "Just because someone isn't ruthlessly aggressive doesn't make them so. She's a lady of good breeding whose polite and has morals. I am pretty sure she'd fight back when need be though." And need be might happen. Caitlin didn't trust the Other Alicia as far as she could throw her without magic. "If anything passive would indicate Sapphire. So, whomever wrote it was not that clever as they couldn't even make it stick to any particular one of them as acquiring would indicate Emerald-or Tatiana-and passive would suggest Sapphire" Topaz's theory about it being Nessa kept seeming more and more plausible.
She could see a fallacy in her friend's logic too. "If it was someone who didn't matter, why would they take care to say it out of my earshot? People like that do not have manners and would certainly not care what people who do matter think. And if it's someone who doesn't matter, why should anyone who does matter-me, you, Emerald, Winston-care what they have to say? The only reason Topaz cares is probably because it's an excuse to terrorize her roommate, which is only what she deserves in general."
"Of course." Caitlin continued "And if I find out who did write it and it is about Emerald, I can assure you, I'll give them a piece of my mind too." It occurred to her then that this might no longer be about Emerald. She had heard some things about the Mordues and certainly something seemed up with both Sylvia and her cousin "How are you doing, by the way?"
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Caitlin Pierce
I don't think you actually want me to find out
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Sylvia Mordue
November 26, 2019 4:13 AM
I just want you to think as I do by Sylvia Mordue
“Indeed. Maybe someone just hates her taste in jewellery,” she laughed, good naturedly when Caitlin mentioned Tatiana, “Did she get anything particularly outlandish for Christmas?” she asked, wanting to subtly nudge Caitlin back towards the notion that the timing was significant but without saying as much.“I’m glad you think so,” she agreed, when Caitlin mentioned being sure that Emerald would fight back if needed. She herself was far from convinced that the girl had any personality or fight beyond that of a soggy piece of parchment, but maybe a boring, vapid wife was exactly the kind of political statement Winston wanted to go for. After all, with him she’d been more inclined to point out that Sonora’s problems would become his problems, that maybe Emerald was as undemocratic choice rather than one lacking in fight. Admittedly, she didn’t think she’d got very far with that, seeing as she had to do it subtly enough not to seem like she was openly attacking anyone, and given that it appeared the Pierces had brains imbued with impervious charms when it came to implying anything about them did anything less than smell of perfect freaking roses. Perhaps this was how they’d maintained such dominance for so long - either simply acting as if they didn’t believe a single bad word said about them, or letting it go straight over their heads. She had thought they were more calculating and it was the Brockerts that lacked backbone, but maybe they were all just as insipid as each other. “From what I’ve heard about Mrs. Thaddeus Pierce, she’s a force to be reckoned with. I’d want Winston’s choice to have your approval, I know how much it all means to you and I wouldn’t want to see him with anyone you thought was anything less than capable. What about Emerald has impressed you?” she asked, innocently and politely enough that it didn’t sound like a dig.
“They’re ill mannered but not stupid,” she countered, when Caitlin asked why Those Types would keep things out of earshot, “Clearly we’re more magically adept than they will ever be, and your brother’s a seventh year. They have some sense of self-preservation, if not grace and good manners.” The suggestion that it was no one of import who was saying it had, she knew, been a shot that would be easily countered by brushing the whole thing off as if it didn’t matter. But it had been a safer step to take - if she said anyone who mattered had said it, she would have been pressured to name names, and it wasn’t like she had any. “Let’s hope they’re the only ones,” she agreed, “Like you say, if they are, it won’t even matter.” If. Let Caitlin stew on that.
“I’m fine,” she answered lightly, glad to have got Caitlin’s reassurances that they had each other’s backs. This little chat had been productive from that point of view, at least, “You know we lost my aunt,” she acknowledged, safe in the privacy of their own rooms - and stated with the air that this should not have been news to Caitlin, who she was sure kept up with the society pages after all. “It’s been very difficult, and Nathaniel has needed some space, which we have been respecting. But we’re all moving on,” she said firmly.
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Sylvia Mordue
I just want you to think as I do
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