Oh, woe is me. on Cascade Hall

Valentine Duell

July 24, 2021 9:20 PM

Oh, woe is me. by Valentine Duell

OOC: Occurring shortly after this thread. BIC:

Valentine Duell, Teppenpaw, sat alone at the far end of her house's table. Her weary sigh matched the melancholy countenance, and overall dejected posture. She poked at the food on the plate in front of her, but though her eyes were directed towards it, they were unfocused and seemed oblivious to its presence as she seemed oblivious to the rest of the world around her.

She was a bad girlfriend. She knew that now, it was the only answer. She had dated two people now, two people that couldn't be more different, and they had both reached the same conclusion. Having her as a girlfriend was a bad idea. They both also still wanted to be friends. Friends. When she had arrived at Sonora, friends were all she wanted, all she craved. Now she had friends, lots of friends... now she wanted something... more?

What did she want though? She thought she'd wanted someone special, someone who would think she was special in return. Like Mama and Papa, they were special to each other. She thought Bonabelle was special, because Bonabelle was special. She wasn't perfect, but nobody was. She was pretty sure Mama and Papa didn't think each other were perfect either. Had it been a mistake to tell Bonabelle that she wasn't perfect? It had been the truth, and Bonabelle had wanted the truth, and she was sure that not being truthful would have been much worse. But still...

Val remembered that momentary look in Bonabelle's eyes as she was drawing her closer, and that horrible change in them as she had lost her nerve and failed Bonabelle. She had been only to glad that she'd only caught a glimpse before the hug had deprived her of watching what had happened next on Bonabelle's face. There was something wrong with her. A girlfriend should be able to kiss her boy or girlfriend. Still the memories of Stanley's little cheek kisses still sent a minor shudder of uncomfortableness down her spine. She tried as well to imagine what it would have felt like if she had followed through with Bonabelle. If she hadn't chickened out and her lips had pressed up against.... a different thrill shot through Valentine at the though that made her blush slightly and almost broke her from her reverie.

But she hadn't. She was a bad girlfriend. Still Bonabelle's words after the moment still stung. Bonabelle was what Valentine wanted... even if she might still want something else as well. She wanted Bonabelle in her life, no one else could possibly fit the way Bonabelle did into her life. But she would still need someone else to fill other holes that Bonabelle just could not. She sighed.

What was she to do now? Bonabelle just wanted to be friends, which according to her was just a commitment level. Friends didn't have to share time with each other, maybe Bonabelle was just getting tired of her being around so much. Should she then go find someone else to hang out with more? Lavender maybe? She liked Lavender a lot, she was a very good friend, but spending time with her just wasn't quite the same as being with Bonabelle. Nobody was quite like Bonabelle.

2 Valentine Duell Oh, woe is me. 1490 1 5

Esme Brockert

July 25, 2021 12:39 PM

Um, there there by Esme Brockert

Esme walked into the Cascade Hall, hoping to spot her cousin Sapphire sitting at their house table. Not because she was necessarily looking to spend time with the older girl, but because she was concerned about her and hoped to see the fifth year eating a good meal, even if it meant she was studying while she did so. Esme could see nothing wrong with doing both at the same time, as her younger brother Olaf ate and read at the same time fairly often.

Granted, it was sort of rude to do so at the dinner table when you were supposed to be conversing with your dining companions, but in Sapphire's case, where she was currently studying for CATS, an exception could be made, especially as Esme didn't think her cousin was really doing much socializing anyway. The fourth year just wanted her cousin to eat and sleep properly and take care of herself so that she didn't get sick, either from her epilepsy or something else.

Not to mention the mental health side of things. Esme was seriously concerned about the older Crotalus having a complete nervous breakdown. Sapphire, much like Allegra, had a rather jumpy anxious disposition anyway, thanks largely to Topaz, who was also the cause of that in Esme's older sister. The biggest difference-aside from the facts that Allegra didn't have epilepsy and had parents who actually paid attention to her-was that the seventh year Crotalus didn't have a complex about her own intelligence. Sapphire was a lot smarter than she thought she was and if she wasn't "getting" complicated theory, part of that had to be the fact that it simply wasn't interesting to her and the fifth year was likely not alone in that opinion.

Besides, as much as Esme was proud of her own intellect and magical abilities-the latter of which she would argue were the more important of the two when it came down to it, at least for people like her who weren't going to be out in the world using the theoretical components of magic very much-she had to admit that when it came down to it, being a good person was more important than either, not that Sapphire seemed to be in doubt about her own magical talent. Still, Topaz was intelligent and while that was great and all, the Aladren had no soul whereas Sapphire was a sweet, kind, gentle person and Esme would rather be around her than her sister any day.

Anyway, as Esme scanned the Cascade Hall, she did not see her cousin, but she did spot Val Duell, sitting alone at the Teppenpaw table, looking completely dejected. Which surprised her since the third year had always seemed like an incredibly happy person. The Crotalus walked over and sat down. "Are you okay?" She asked. It was a silly question, because Val quite clearly wasn't, but it was usually the way people opened up conversations like this.

11 Esme Brockert Um, there there 1479 0 5

Valentine Duell

July 25, 2021 1:45 PM

Where? Where? by Valentine Duell

It took a few moments for the words to penetrate through Val's stupor. Then it took another moment or two to process and register that they were directed at her. Valentine slowly lifted her eyes as they fought to once again to take in the outside world. She saw Esme looking at her with concern. What had she asked? Are you okay? Val panicked. She wasn't, but she couldn't unload her problems on Esme, that wouldn't be nice. The panic shunted aside her previous feelings long enough for Val to shove them way back in the far recesses for now. Esme was a good friend and she did not want to cause any more sadness in the world. The was plenty enough already.

"I'm..." Val hesitated in her response. 'Alright' would be a lie and it was wrong to lie. "Just thinking about some things." she then finished without a great deal of conviction. She gave Esme the best smile she could at the moment which was half-hearted at best. "It's nothing you need to worry about. I will live." She sighed and then attempted normal conversation, "How are you doing? Oh, did you get that Charms homework thing figured out yet?" Val had not yet, she needed Bonabelle or someone smart to help her. Bonabelle was still her friend, but would things be the same? Would it be weird now? She didn't know and was afraid to find out. Maybe Alexander could help her.

Actually... Esme was older and wiser. Maybe she had some insights on other topics... "Esme," Val started with some hesitation, then looked down at her plate, poked her uneaten food again trying to work up some courage on this front. "Have.... have you dated anyone much?"

2 Valentine Duell Where? Where? 1490 0 5

Esme Brockert

July 26, 2021 1:07 PM

Um, here I guess? by Esme Brockert

Well, okay, so the Teppenpaw was "just thinking about some things". Things that were apparently not the sort that made her happy and cheerful. That was all right though if she didn't want to tell Esme. It was up to Val what she wanted to share with others. The Crotalus was not the sort who believed in prying. She valued a person's right to privacy. After all, she would want someone to respect hers.

That didn't mean that Esme wasn't still concerned about the younger girl. She was sure that something definitely was wrong and she knew full well that sometimes the things people didn't want to talk about were the things that were incredibly bad. The Crotalus did have Topaz as a cousin after all and Allegra was so fearful of the other seventh year that she wouldn't dare tell anyone what Topaz did to her. Sometimes Esme didn't even know exactly everything that happened there.

On the other hand, sometimes people got stressed out about things that might not seem to be terrible to others. Or at least weren't catastrophic. For example, some stress regarding CATS was normal but the level of stress Sapphire seemed to be experiencing was extreme and none of Esme's other close relatives had who had taken it thus far had had this amount of issues over it.

And there were things that some people got excessively anxious about that others even thought were fun . Allegra had a tendency to freak out over things that involved performing tasks involving an athletic component and both Jasper and Chris seemed to have hang-ups around flying and Quidditch, thanks to Uncle Eustace. These were things Esme merely found annoying and some people, for whatever unfathomable reason, enjoyed them. And some people, usually Aladrens, even genuinely seemed to enjoy studying which was causing Sapphire to panic.

Esme smiled politely."I'm fine." She replied. Then Val asked her about Charms, which could probably have accounted for why the third year looked so down, since Sapphire had a tendency to look similar whenever she had to face any sort of theory. "Yes, I've gotten it." As she had helped her cousin with it already, she felt that this was sort of problem that she could certainly offer assistance on. "Do you need help with it?" She asked, hoping Val didn't take that as her being condescending. Granted, the people who would assume she was being so were the sort for whom Esme and others like her couldn't do anything right and the Teppenpaw was not one of those people.

She was all set to believe that this was what had the younger girl so down and that she could easily help her when Val asked her something else. Esme sighed. "No, I'm afraid not. There's not really anyone around here for me to date and my mother still doesn't allow me to attend all that many parties so I haven't met anyone." In all honesty, while she would like to meet her future husband, and thought going to parties and all that sounded like a great time and that her mother was treating her like a child for not letting her go to more of them, she had pretty much zero interest in anything casual or that was unlikely to be permanent. "Mother also probably thinks I'm too young for a relationship." Esme rolled her eyes. "Yet, in three short years, she'll be encouraging it like she is with Allegra."

11 Esme Brockert Um, here I guess? 1479 0 5

Valentine Duell

July 26, 2021 8:51 PM

Oh good. I'm already there. by Valentine Duell

Esme's standardized response to 'How are you?' somehow made Val feel a little more at ease again. This was normal, this was how things should be. Her own smile moved a notch closer to where it normally was. A small wave of relief swept through Val at Esme's offer of help with Charms, "That would be wonderful!" She exclaimed. "I don't have my things with me, maybe later?" she asked hopefully, "Just let me know when works for you..." her voice trailed off a bit as she began to contemplate her own schedule. She could make it work... she had to make it work. School work was, in theory, the top priority. It was why she was here, everything else was just... more fun? Then her current situation hit her again, well most of the time it was more fun.

Valentine listened as Esme related her dating situation. As she did, she momentarily forgot about her own problems. It didn't sound like being a Brockert girl was all fun and games. She smiled sympathetically at the older girl. "I think I might still be to young," She admitted then smiled, "But parties do sound like fun. How old was Allegra when she started going to them?" She was naturally assuming that Allegra was going to parties now if that was where Brockert girls met their future spouses and Allegra was being encouraged to find one. "What sort of person do you hope to find once you do start going?" Val was curious about this. What was Esme looking for in a partner, maybe some more information would help her figure out what she wanted in one.

2 Valentine Duell Oh good. I'm already there. 1490 0 5

Esme Brockert

July 27, 2021 12:47 PM

Well, then by Esme Brockert

Esme nodded. "No problem, I'm sure we can arrange something." Schoolwork had never been something she'd had a lot of issues with and lately she'd been doing a lot of helping others with it, Sapphire in particular obviously. At this point, the fourth year was probably ahead of the game on studying for CATS because of how much she'd been helping her cousin with doing so. She was certainly willing to help Val with her homework as well.

The Crotalus snickered. "My mother would probably say so." She replied. Considering that the Teppenpaw was younger than she was and Mother thought that Esme was too young to date. "I mean, my parents are good parents, they're involved and loving. Still, they can be strict about some things. Like, I wasn't allowed to wear make-up until I was thirteen and I'm not actually allowed to be in a relationship until I'm sixteen. I know these rules are to protect us, but they are rather irksome at time. My cousin Ruby sort of had a boyfriend at my age. Or at least, she knew her current husband and they were interested in each other." Esme couldn't remember when exactly Ruby and Dean had become a couple.

She continued" And my cousin Owen started being an 'official' couple with his now wife at the end of their third year! Of course, they were both here at Sonora and met when they were eleven and they....kind of have something really special. And also, I don't think his mother was all that thrilled that they started being one so young." Owen's mother Annabeth had always been incredibly overprotective of him since he was asthmatic and her only child. "I guess she dealt with it because it was going to be completely inevitable."

"Allegra started going to parties at about fifteen, so I'll probably get to go starting this summer.' Esme went on. She was really looking forward to it, something that her older sister never had. The seventh year was extremely shy and had really low self-esteem, thanks to Topaz. The good news was that there was at least one young man who seemed interested in her. Probably more, but Josh Porter seemed to be the one that Allegra liked best, though Esme had thought previously that her sister had had a little crush on Nathaniel Mordue. Still, Mr. Porter seemed to be perfect for Allegra. He was a great mix of gentle towards the seventh year but also seemed strong enough to stand up to Topaz. That was just what her sister needed.

Speaking of which, Esme considered Val's question. She knew what her older sister wanted and needed but had she really thought about what was good for herself?."Well, I'm not exactly sure. I want him to be polite and respectable, of course. Nobody whose too....wild." She thought about some of the Pecari boys, including Val's ex-boyfriend, Esme's distant cousin Stanley and wrinkled her nose. They were everything that she didn't want. "And I want someone who is respectful towards women" She thought of Uncle Eustace whose treatment of Aunt Helena was deplorable. " who will be faithful to me and who will be a good husband and father."

11 Esme Brockert Well, then 1479 0 5

Valentine Duell

July 28, 2021 9:37 PM

That's place, how about time? by Valentine Duell

Valentine nodded along with Esme. She was super glad that Esme could and would help her, the older girl was a good friend. It did make her a little sad that it wasn't Bonabelle though, that felt a little strange. It shouldn't, she'd gotten help from others before and she'd get help from her again.. it just... she didn't know. Felt weird. Still she smiled and thanked Esme again.

As Esme talked about her parents and family, Val thought about hers. "Papa wasn't to happy I was dating Stanley," She responded in turn, "but Mama didn't seem to think it was a big deal. She hasn't said anything to me about make-up rules..." Val hadn't really done much with make-up yet. She'd experimented a little bit, but really had enough other things to worry about that she hadn't given it much thought lately. Frankly the idea that Esme's mother had set down those rules to protect her, while Mama hadn't made her wonder a bit. She didn't mind not being bound by such rules, but did that mean that Mama didn't... no! Mama just trusted her... more than Esme's mother trusted Esme? That didn't seem great either. Maybe it was something with being from one of Aunt Jhonice's 'big and rich' families? She shoved the whole train of thought aside where it wouldn't bother her anymore.

"Parties sound like fun! Promise you'll tell me all about them next year?" She asked eagerly while wondering if she would ever get to go to any big fancy parties. She listened to Esme's list of positive traits for a husband, and nodded along. They were all good traits, but she couldn't help to feel like there was something lacking in them. He sounded like, well a Disney prince perhaps? An ideal, but without much there. Like the first pass at making an NPC, but the rest may come later. "You'll also have to tell me if you meet anyone that lives up to your expectations." She grinned and giggled at Esme.

"I want..." Val paused and thought, what did she want in a partner? "I want someone who treats me well of course, and someone that I can have fun with, someone who likes doing the things that I like to do. Someone I can love with my whole heart and will love me back with everything they have as well." She sighed. Was that the problem? She thought she loved Bonabelle like that, but Bonabelle just wasn't interested in some of the things she enjoyed. What would it be like dating someone who liked doing the same things as her? Someone who enjoyed going being with other people and gaming and Quidditch and everything else? Where would she look for such a person?

"So," she started talking again to distract he from thinking, "You said there isn't anyone around here for you to date," she started off with just a hint of mischievousness in her voice, "If social standing, or whatever else weren't a factor, and the people here were your only options, who would you pick?"

2 Valentine Duell That's place, how about time? 1490 0 5

Esme Brockert

July 29, 2021 3:44 PM

Apparently, an Alternate Universe by Esme Brockert

"I mean, protect might not be exactly the right word when it comes to make-up. "Esme replied. "I think they just don't want us to grow up too fast. For example, and this is probably why I'm not allowed to go to too many parties yet, sometimes there are people who want to photograph us and write stories about us. My parents don't want their underage children out there in the public eye like that."

She continued."Also, I suppose there's some logic to not wanting us to date until we're sixteen. Younger boys really aren't thinking about marriage too much and we're generally looking for something serious and permanent.I mean, it's possible that we might get in a relationship that doesn't work out but the intent is at least there." Anything that wasn't serious was a waste of time in Esme's book. That time could have been used to find someone who was interested in marriage.

The Crotalus smiled at the younger girl. "I promise." Esme replied. She supposed to someone like Val who didn't go to these things, they sounded incredibly glamorous. And she supposed that they were to an extent. However, for her, they were a chance to meet people and make connections and friends. Not that the fourth year didn't have friends at Sonora. It wasn't like how it had been for her cousin Angelique. For Angelique, the parties had been a necessity for someone who was outgoing but discerning in her choice of friends. A description that somewhat fit Esme as well althoguh she was a bit less outgoing than her cousin was, but the Crotalus had been luckier.

Although maybe she was a tiny bit less picky than Angelique had been. She wasn't sure her cousin would have wanted to make friends with someone Val, who played Quidditch-her cousin's main complaint being that her classmates had been too rabidly sporty-or Mab, who despite Esme's disdain for the rest of the Pecaris, she liked, but whom was still a bit rough around the edges. Of course, maybe the reason Esme was less picky than her cousin was because Angelique had had these issues.

The thing was though, Val played Quidditch but was not rabidly sporty. Mab was a Pecari but was mostly well-behaved, aside from that one incident at the concert that was probably based on a highly emotionally charged situation. So, while Esme was willing to give them a chance, she probably would not have liked Angelique's sports obsessed classmates either given that they wouldn't be able to find any common ground.

Speaking of which, Val was now mentioning what she wanted in a partner. Esme nodded. "Actually that sounds quite good. Someone who likes the same things I do and has the same values as I do is pretty important. And I do like the sound of that sort of special kind of magic that is true love" She wrinkled her nose. "Of course, my interests are pretty feminine so that might be difficult. I can't imagine finding a boy who likes to crochet and sew. Even my decidedly less than macho male cousins aren't into that."

Esme considered the Teppenpaw's next question. "You mean like in an alternate universe or a situation where everyone on the planet is wiped out except those at Sonora?" Honestly, even erasing the social status and blood purity concerns...the options were still not great. Gabriel, who was quirky in a way she might have been able to overlook, was still her distant cousin. Freddie clearly didn't like girls that way and honestly, for Esme, unnaturally colored hair and nail polish on a guy weren't things that she found attractive even though Freddie was obviously a very nice person if a bit on the bouncy side. Theo...obviously had issues, was a Pecari and had a maturity level on par with Uriah, who was five. Dathan wasn't terrible but Esme sort of thought there might be something going on with him and Sadie and she would never do that to her roommate.

And obviously the Crotalus refused to consider younger guys given that she'd always been mature for her age, though Graham might have otherwise been okay and normal and the three sixth years, who actually were of an appropriate social status, were just... no . Martin was another distant cousin, Felipe was with Zara and Jeremy was...ugh. In addition to his own glaring personality flaws, he'd taken up with Leonor de Matteo at one point and like it or not, people were judged by the company they kept. Esme would never have held the other fourth year against Felipe because she knew what it was like to have a crappy relative and would not want someone to hold Topaz against her, but Jeremy had willingly spent time with the Pecari, so, ew, no.

That basically only left one person and Esme considered him carefully."I guess if I absolutely had to pick, Alexander might be the best option in that case but don't get any ideas from that answer as it's a completely hypothetical thing and I do have to marry someone of my social standing ." She returned the question "How about you? Who would you pick?"

11 Esme Brockert Apparently, an Alternate Universe 1479 0 5

Valentine Duell

July 31, 2021 8:09 AM

That's a time? by Valentine Duell

Valentine agreed with Esme's conclusion. She knew at least Papa was hoping she wouldn't grow up to fast. She did have to giggle at the rest of Esme's comment, "That's my Aunt Jhonice they're keeping you away from. Or she's at least one of them." Val wasn't sure how many other people there were like Aunt Jhonice in the world but there were probably more reporters than just her. "She's not a bad person," Val continued feeling it necessary to make at least a token defense of her family member's honor. "But she is enthusiastic about her work. If your parents tell her that they don't want you written about yet, she won't." That's not to say that Aunt Jhonice wouldn't still gather information for when she could write about Esme, but that was something different.

It seemed to Val that Esme definitely linked dating to marriage, which she supposed wasn't wrong. Is that what she thought as well? Probably? Maybe that was where her confusion came from, was dating casually without any sort of permanent arrangement being the goal any different than just being good friends? When Stanley had asked her out, did she think that he might have been the one for her? Had she used it to find out? Yeah, she had thought it might be a possibility but despite trying hard to convince herself it would still work out, she learned that they just wouldn't work together. He had been right to break it off, especially when she didn't think she could have done it. That hadn't made it any less painful, especially with the method he'd chosen.

Dating Bonabelle had been... different? She hadn't thought that it would lead to anything really, well more permanent than what they already had. But it might have... she could see herself with Bonabelle, she wanted to be with Bonabelle, but.... she sighed. "Dating is hard." she commented a little quietly and with a touch of sadness.

Val smiled at Esme's comment and she tried to imagine Papa sitting down to crochet with Mama. "You never know, you may find one. Or you may find someone who has likes doing something that is compatible at least. Something that he can do with you while you do that? I guess it is really just a matter of finding someone who you can enjoy spending time with while you are doing the things you love."

"Yeah," she replied about the alternate universe question and the watched her friend as she pondered her way through the school's population. Esme's result came as a bit of a surprise to the younger girl, but after considering things a moment she though she could see where Esme was coming from. Naturally Esme turned the question around on her, and Val was a little uncertain how to answer. What would Esme think if she responded with 'Bonabelle'? Would she pick Bonabelle if she could pick anyone? That rush of feelings ran through her as that incident with Heinrich popped briefly back into her mind, but he wasn't at the school anymore, and he had Evelyn, and.... anyway.

Instead she gave Esme a little grin, "Maybe we'll have to fight over Alexander." He was one of the nicest boys in the school, and she wondered what he'd think if he knew he was getting fought over. "Philippe is nice as well, but I guess he is taken. Henry seems nice and he comes to gaming club once in a while.." she continued to ruminate out loud, "Maybe Wally or Bonabelle?" The name had left her lips before she'd realized it. Oh well.

2 Valentine Duell That's a time? 1490 0 5

Esme Brockert

August 02, 2021 5:14 PM

Misread that. Here, I guess? by Esme Brockert

As it turned out, Val's aunt was one of those people that Esme had been warned about. Of course, that would not change her opinion on the Teppenpaw, given she had relatives who had committed worse offenses than being part of the press. Besides, there were the kind of people in the press who simply reported on society events which talked about who was at a party and what they were wearing and were fairly positive and then there were those who were looking for scandals and wanted people like Esme to embarrass themselves or who would even go so far as to make things up or exaggerate things to make society purebloods look bad and sell papers. The latter were the type her parents wanted to protect her from.

Not that Esme would ever do the sort of scandalous things that those dreadful people were looking for her to do. However, if they were so lacking in ethics, both journalistic and otherwise, that they'd make something up, there was nothing she could do but try to avoid that sort of person and in that case, her parents were doing the right thing. Plus, there were people-and not just unethical journalists-to whom people like Esme could do nothing right.

Of course, she knew that Allegra would prefer not to be in the public eye at all. Her sister was painfully shy and sensitive to any sort of criticism that would be given by the press or public. She didn't want to be scrutinized by everyone who read the papers in addition to having to deal with that from the members of society that attended the parties so she didn't even want to have the reasonable members of the press write about her. Allegra was still doing her very best to remain out of the papers

Anyway, Val just saying that her aunt was a good person didn't make it true. In most cases, people stood up for their relatives though the Crotalus was pretty sure she wouldn't say that about Topaz or Uncle Eustace if pressed, though in the former case she'd pretty much simply omit the fact lest there be retribution. And some people were good to their families but otherwise did unethical things or had negative personality traits or were terrible to others.

Still, if Esme was correct about who Val's aunt was, she thought the woman might be one of the more...positive journalists out there, rather than the sort who was looking to destroy them."I think she covered my cousin Emerald's wedding to Winston Pierce." Jhonice was not a very common name so presumably, Val's aunt who was part of the paparazzi was probably the same person.

She heard Val's comment on dating. "Thanks for the warning." The fourth year replied dryly. In all honesty though, she expected to have her pick of suitors. Allegra did and she was certain people were interested in Sapphire too. She thought there might even be some people interested in Topaz , who didn't know the Aladren's true nature. Esme just hoped she found some that would like her for the right reasons, that she would like back, who had the traits that she was looking for and ,that she could truly connect with.

Was that so much to ask in a future husband? Some people might think so but Esme would not settle for anything less. Still, it sounded like Val was right.

The fourth year listened to Val's answer to the question. Bonabelle? Had the Teppenpaw basically told her that she liked both boys and girls? Or that she actually liked girls and had put the boys' names as a cover? Oh dear. This was something that Esme was not really prepared to discuss. She supposed that it was something that she wanted to be okay with as she knew Ruby and Jasper were and Uncle Eustace wasn't and also, it didn't affect her unless she liked someone who turned out to be interested in boys or a girl was interested in her.

Still, she decided to simply ignore that slip up. After all, she would not want to call Val on something she might not have meant to say and potentially embarrass her. "It sounds like you have lots of options. And that you like nice quiet types." Esme replied. "I have to say I approve, one of the last things I would want is a stereotypical Pecari type." She gave an involuntary shudder at the thought.

11 Esme Brockert Misread that. Here, I guess? 1479 0 5

Valentine Duell

August 02, 2021 9:40 PM

Now? by Valentine Duell

Valentine let out a slight giggle at the mention of the wedding. "She did, and that was one of those times when her 'invitation was overlooked' as she puts it." Val sighed a bit Aunt Jhonice could be... something else, but she had been a Pecari. "She sent me the article after it was printed. She does that on occasion." She wasn't really sure what exactly to do with the articles that Aunt Jhonice sent her, so at this point she'd been storing them in a bundle in her room, ready to take home at the end of the term and put with the rest she had 'collected'.

Esme didn't seem to have noticed that Bonabelle's name had slipped out, and she wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed. She liked Esme, and if Esme wasn't comfortable with talking about such things, she certainly didn't want to make her. However she would kind of like to talk to someone about it. Sure, she could talk to Evelyn, Evelyn had confided that she was bi and would be all sorts of encouraging and YOLOing and loving and such. But... Val kinda wanted someone to play devil's advocate. She wanted someone to confront her and make her defend herself, all of her thoughts and feelings were so nebulous within her, she wanted someone to make her shape those feelings into definite things.

This of course naturally made her think of Bonabelle again. Bonabelle had convinced her to join the Speech and Debate club at their orientation. She felt like she needed some good debate right now. Instead she smiled politely at Esme's response. She did have a lot of options... and didn't know what to do about it. The older girl's other statement caught her a little off guard. Alexander, Philippe, Henry, Wally and Bonabelle... did she like quiet ones? Apparently? She liked to have some spontaneous fun as well. She liked parties and people and loud things. That was part of what had made Stanley fun... but it hadn't be quite what she was looking for. She wanted someone that would like going to parties with her as well. Would any of them?

Who else was there? There was that Pecari trio of boys; Oz, Billy and Gus. Gus seemed alright, but she was pretty sure Oz and Billy would probably fall into the 'Stanley' category. Gabe or Bertie? No, she couldn't quite see them enthusiastic about going to parties. What about the girls? How much did she actually like girls? Morgan was fun and liked gaming, she'd go to parties. Mab? Hmm... she'd never got the feeling that Mab liked her much... or anyone for that matter. Lavender? She was Val's second oldest friend here. But, Lavender was a Brockert just like Esme. They might like parties, but they couldn't end up with someone like Val.

Esme approved of her selections though, so she gave the girl a smile with just a hint of uncertainty in it. "Yeah, I guess."

2 Valentine Duell Now? 1490 0 5