Laurie Cider
April 21, 2008 11:37 PM
*Tag Cecily* A Necessary Follow-up. by Laurie Cider
Laurie had given this particular rendezvous especial consideration. She hated the stifling air in the common rooms, and she hated that she continuously avoided being in any room with both Renaye and Cecily at the same time. She liked both of her friends, but if anything, the year’s start had proven that any future overtures of friendship between the two were an impossibility. Nevertheless, Laurie wanted to reassure both herself and Cecily.She was tired of having to tiptoe between the two, and she recognized that most of the tiptoeing had to do with Cecily. She simply couldn’t read the girl. It was frustrating and interesting all at the same time. Laurie could tell Cecily was a kind girl, even if her kindness took some mind-bending to understand. And, she knew that Cecily had a good heart, even if it was at times buried behind years of Pureblood elitism.
And so, she had slipped the note inviting Cecily to the Gardens into the girl’s hand as they left Potions that afternoon. Laurie wanted to air out the tension and hopefully cement their mutual regard in terms of good will.
She arrived at the Gardens shortly after dinner, a bag draped over her arm containing two parfaits, charmed to stay chilled until opened. There was a table cloth as well, napkins, two glasses for the tumbler of lemonade, and spoons. She walked into the first main clearing in the Gardens, keeping an eye out for potential interlopers, before finally settling on a friendly patch of clover that had a dry fountain for a backdrop. She set out the picnic, humming tunelessly under her breath, and then sat down, tucking her legs to her side.
Unconsciously, she had chosen slightly nicer clothes that morning. Instead of her typical t-shirt and jeans, she wore a breezy purple knit top and a pair of her black corduroys. Her hair was neatly clipped back and her cheeks were flushed by the comfortable evening chill. She looked up with a warm smile once Cecily arrived, pleased that the girl had accepted the invitation.
“Hi,” she greeted, her right hand waving in a slight gesture to the sprawl around them. “I brought dessert and lemonade.”
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Laurie Cider
*Tag Cecily* A Necessary Follow-up.
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Laurie Cider
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Cecily Smythe
April 22, 2008 5:17 AM
Your idea, not mine by Cecily Smythe
Cecily hadn’t enjoyed Sonora at all this year. Her new habit of pointedly ignoring everyone who wasn’t Anabel or Holly made working in class very difficult, and relaxing outside class even more so. It also made her feel a bit sorry for Addie, who hadn’t even done anything wrong, except signing up for Quidditch, and so had inadvertently placed herself on the Other Side. Plus Amelia was trying to be independent and her own person, or some other nonsense, which meant she didn’t want to see Cecily at the moment, either.All in all, it was probably her self-inflicted limited company that stopped Cecily from just throwing Laurie’s note away without reading it. Once it had been read, it was only a combination of curiosity and boredom that led her to the suggested destination.
Cecily arrived in the gardens looking perfect, as usual. Her chestnut hair was swept neatly into a bun, and she wore a pale green cardigan over an ankle-length white pinafore dress. Upon noticing Laurie and the blanket upon the floor, Cecily halted, and stood with her arms folded defensively across her chest as Laurie greeted her. Cecily couldn’t help being suspicious – this year had begun even worse than the previous year, and there was no guarantee that Laurie hadn’t turned against her, just like Josh and Alexis had. Barely caring any more whether they were friends or not, Cecily asked, “What do you want?”
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Cecily Smythe
Your idea, not mine
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Cecily Smythe
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Laurie
April 22, 2008 1:05 PM
True, true. . .but I brought parfait. by Laurie
Laurie’s smile threatened to dim, but she had known that this would be a difficult conversation. She struggled through it. “Come on, sit down. I have parfaits, nice and cold.” She poured the lemonade and offered a glass of it. “I promise, it’s not too sweet. Just right on the tangy side.”She hoped her encouragement would work, and after a moment, she went into the meat of what she wanted to discuss. She had practiced the words several times since that morning, going over how to say what it was she wanted to say. But now. . .she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn’t know what words to use. She wanted to tell Cecily she was her friend, still, and that she planned on continuing to be her friend, despite. . .things.
She held her parfait, unopened, and once again, she took a deep breath before lifting her gaze to her friend’s. Perhaps it would be best to keep it simple and honest. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m your friend.” She felt a weight lift from her shoulders the moment the words left her mouth. “And even if we don’t agree all the time, which we probably won’t,” she added with a crooked grin, “I plan on staying your friend.”
Quite suddenly, she felt hungry for the dessert, and pulled off the top with an extra zest. After the second mouthful of yogurt and berries, she took a sip of the lemonade and decided that the picnic had been a wise idea after all. “So, you can feel free to rant at me all you want. I won’t try to convince you otherwise or try to make your feelings seem wrong. Because there’s nothing saying I can be friends to both of you.”
There was no question as to who the ‘both’ referred to, but Laurie felt confident that her plan would work. She could balance both her friends, let them say what they want, and just refrain from expressing any real opinions of her own regarding the other. Right? That should work. . . And somehow that confidence faltered.
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Laurie
True, true. . .but I brought parfait.
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Laurie
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Cecily
April 22, 2008 3:32 PM
And I brought the reality check by Cecily
Laurie’s friendly encouragements weren’t enough to entice Cecily to drop her defences and just sit and eat parfait. She remained standing, arms folded, frown set upon her face. She appreciated that Laurie had gone to some effort to provide the miniature picnic, but that wouldn’t move Cecily in the slightest if Laurie was going to behave anything like any other the other endless list of people who’d been mean to Cecily since the beginning of term.“I just wanted to tell you that I’m your friend,” Laurie said, and Cecily didn’t budge, other than raising one sceptical eyebrow. “So you can feel free to rant all you want,” Laurie continued. Cecily didn’t believe her for a second.
“It’s a pleasant thought,” she finally replied, “but I can’t see how it’s going to work.” Watching Laurie eat parfait was finally enough for Cecily to sit down and take one for herself. “I mean,” Cecily continued, expanding on her initial assessment, “Renaye hates me. I’m fairly sure Josh does too. And although I think they’re wrong, I really don’t care that they hate me.” She paused to lick her spoon. “But I think you like them better than you like me. And that’s okay,” she said, before Laurie could interrupt, “you’re free to like whoever you want. It’s just that you’re going to be causing a lot of trouble for yourself, and I’m not sure our friendship is worth it.”
Cecily wasn’t trying to be blasé about her tentative relationship with Laurie, but Anabel didn’t like her, and Renaye didn’t like Cecily. Both girls had other friends, so if Cecily had to settle for a neutral acquaintanceship over a feudal friendship, she would cope.
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Cecily
And I brought the reality check
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Cecily
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Laurie
April 22, 2008 10:16 PM
Parfait still trumps. Sorry. by Laurie
“It’s a pleasant thought, but I can’t see how it’s going to work.”Her smile lost its curves and her new found hunger lost its urges. She recapped the parfait and carefully put it aside. Cecily’s expression was not encouraging, and her words were further rain drops on Laurie’s hopeful parade. “. . .I think you like them better than you like me.”
Laurie’s hands clasped themselves painfully. Cecily was wrong. Didn’t she understand what friends were? They were more than two people who had similar interests- they were people who could depend and rely on each other, that even during trying times or misunderstandings, they could both grow from it and become better people. Friends were to hold hands with during all those strange and new experiences life gave a person! Was Cecily’s world so different from Laurie’s that even this, the definition of a friend, was something that was lost in translation?
“It’s just that you’re going to be causing a lot of trouble for yourself, and I’m not sure our friendship is worth it.”
Laurie felt her expression crumple into one of distress; she couldn’t help it. For the most part, she tried to keep her heart free from heavy concerns, and those moments of genuine emotional affliction that would hit every so often- she had learned to treat those moments with a good half hour of solitary crying. The tears would wean her feelings from their often self-induced misery, and then she would return red-eyed, but in good spirits. She didn’t have that option currently, and for a few minutes of silence after Cecily had finished, she gave the prospect of dashing off and finding an aforementioned corner due consideration.
But then she remembered. Not every friendship was meant to be easy. How could she ever meet and get to know people if she avoided the ones who were a bit prickly? Cecily was stern at times, but she was always honest. Honesty was a trait of a good heart, and so-
She straightened and cleared her brown eyes from any of their earlier doubt. “I think that’s a decision I should make, and I want to continue being a friend with Cecily Smythe, snob extraordinaire to some but to me, an all around super honest person.”
“See, I’ve grown thinking that people are supposed to be different from each other, and that’s what makes it interesting. We might not agree all the time, and I’ll probably get stuck in the middle of some of our dorm room debacles, but I can handle it.” She smiled, her confidence returning, and gave a cheeky wink. “And since you can’t stop me from doing so, looks like you’re just going to have to deal with having me for a friend.”
She picked up her previously discarded parfait and added playfully, “Besides, I brought you parfait, how can you say no to that?”
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Laurie
Parfait still trumps. Sorry.
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Laurie
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Cecily
April 25, 2008 6:13 AM
Fair enough. You win. by Cecily
It was just as well that Cecily’s attention was being demanded by the dessert she was consuming, because if she’d seen the roller coaster of emotions play across Laurie’s face she would have been completely bewildered. As it was, when Laurie spoke again, there were tow things that immediately struck Cecily: 1) Laurie wanted to be her friend, apparently no matter what, and in a way that was very sweet of her. 2) She had called Cecily a snob. Not outright, but she’d done it, and Cecily could barely believe her ears.Waiting for her friend to finish talking, Cecily couldn’t help but smile at the closing comment. “Well, the parfait settles it,” she said sarcastically, but lightly. “If you can deal with Anabel then I can deal with Renaye,” she conceded, though in all honesty she felt as though Laurie had the better deal there – Anabel was lovely, whereas Renaye was a beast. In fact, it was Renaye and Josh now, but it was no matter – Cecily had ignored them perfectly well during first year, and she could no doubt cope with ignoring them all through second year, too.
So apparently they were going to be friends after all. Cecily was relieved that there was one more person she could talk to, even if she could only do so when the Warrens weren’t around. Friendship wasn’t always so easy as one would like it to be. And even in that pleasantly relaxed moment that always follows an issue resolved, Cecily couldn’t let that one comment go. “People really think I’m a sob?” she asked.
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Cecily
Fair enough. You win.
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Cecily
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Laurie
April 27, 2008 7:44 AM
Woot! I'll share the glory though. by Laurie
"Hey, don't feel like you have to deal with anyone," Laurie replied adamantly. "Just do what you feel like doing. All of this is partly my fault, anyway, trying to pressure you guys into being friends just because you were both friends with me."Laurie couldn't help but beam. This was exactly what she had hoped for: resolution and compromise! Somehow, smoothing out this cold war of conflict helped restore the order of things. It had taken her nearly half of her first year to understand why she was sorted into the Crotalus house; but then the obvious dawned on her, one morning when sorting through her sock drawer which was organized by color and length. She thrived on order! She liked rules and patterns and directions, and she absolutely did not think creativity was excuse enough to color outside of the lines.
"People really think I'm a sob?"
Ah.
She took a brief ten second respite while pretending to finish her gulp of lemonade, the parfait having been polished off moments before. This was a difficult question to balance. How to stay tactful and yet honest? She released a small puff of breath and then dove in. "Some people do," she admitted. "Which isn't to say that you are a snob in any way. It's just. . ."
She closed her eyes and sighed. "Sometimes your confidence and straight-forwardness comes across sounding a little bit like you're looking down on someone or that you think you're better than them. It can be very intimidating."
She uncrossed her legs and stretched her toes. She had thought the same thing when she first met Cecily- thought the girl to be stuck-up and snobbish. It had taken time and observation to realize that Cecily was like that with everyone, not just her. There was also that persistent mentioning of 'pureblood,' the word being used as a necessary embellishment when describing anyone. To Laurie, that necessity was just. . .unnecessary. "But you know, after someone's taken the time to actually get to know you better, that impression changes."
And now it was definitely time to direct the conversation to warmer waters. With very little grace, she stumbled into a new segue. "So. . .why don't you and your sister get along?"
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Laurie
Woot! I'll share the glory though.
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Laurie
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Cecily
May 01, 2008 2:43 PM
You don't have to - you earned it by Cecily
Cecily listened in polite, interested silence while Laurie explained her earlier throw-away comment. It made sense, she supposed, and after discovering that she still had a friend in Laurie, Cecily decided she didn’t really care if other people thought she was a snob (she wasn’t going to add that she did think she was better than them).Laurie seemed to think it an appropriate moment to ask about Amelia. Mentally shrugging, Cecily joined the conversation with no argument. “We do get along,” she corrected her friend, “just not all the time.” Pausing to drink some lemonade, Cecily thought about how best to describe her relationship with her sister.
“Amelia is very… boisterous,” she decided, unable to think of any other suitable word. “I’m not, I’m rather quiet,” she said, though Laurie would already know that. “Plus Milly is bossy. She would like to be the older sister, I think, and the fact that everyone already thinks she’s older than me doesn’t help,” she added with a frown. Cecily knew that Amelia was taller, prettier, had a better figure, even in their childhood, and she always assumed that Amelia would do better it life, just by being Amelia. Cecily couldn’t help but feel resentment. Even as the older child, and therefore granted more privileges in the family, Cecily still didn’t feel as though she’d been given as much as Amelia. Did that make her jealous? Yes, it certainly did, but it didn’t always follow that jealousy was misplaced or unwarranted.
Identifying the real problem in their sibling relationship was no easy task. Still, Cecily had some ideas. “I don’t know if you’d understand, but last year, I was just me, and that was it. Now this year, like every other year of my life, I’m just Cecily, Amelia’s older sister.” There, she had said it. She felt overshadowed by her younger sister. How pathetic.
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Cecily
You don't have to - you earned it
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Cecily
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Laurie
May 09, 2008 9:22 PM
Many thanks then. Next time it'll be cookies. by Laurie
OOC- Sorry about the belatedness. Was experiencing some character block there coupled with a new flat mate moving in suddenly.She shifted her weight from one side to the other, the movement stirred by the feeling that she had, once again, managed to word things in an overly assuming manner. Which was just as well; until coming to Sonora, Laurie had always been the last in line for every experience in her family. In elementary school, her teachers naturally knew of her older brothers: Bryce for his athletic abilities and Tim for his over-achieving, science-loving ways. She had left little behind in terms of memorable encounters. Which was okay.
As her father would say: Tim was Tim, Bryce was Bryce, and Laurel was Laurel.
"I don't know if you understand, but last year, I was just me, and that was it. Now this year, like every other year of my life, I'm just Cecily, Amelia's older sister."
She pulled her knees to her chest, her light brown eyes softening. "No, I get it. That is," she paused, head dipping to the side, "no one likes to be identified due to reference alone."
Laurie had always sat on the fringe of popularity. She managed to skate by on median ability, never having any particular talent or personality trait that rose above the average. Her closest friends, however, always stood out. She seemed to gravitate toward the sidekick roles, playing second fiddle- and often happily- to the real stars. Those same friends were always accusing her of having an esteem problem, but Laurie knew better. She had no illusions regarding her abilities; she fully recognized her limitations, and that knowledge did not depress her.
If anything, it allowed her to feel contented in most situations.
"I think, though, you won't be compared as much here at Sonora. Even though you're both in the same house, chances are you'll share different friends, plus you'll always be one step ahead- in classes, in experiences, and whatever else comes your way."
She stopped, not wanting to come across overly presumptuous. Laurie didn't want her to think that she considered those concerns in any way unsubstantiated. "To be honest, I'm actually a little envious. I have two older brothers, but I'm the only one who inherited my dad's magic. Sonora and magic are things that I can't ever share with them, or compete with them on. For the first time in my life, there's no teacher sharing stories about what Bryce once did in the cafeteria, or how Tim once set off all the car alarms in the parking lot when he added gunpowder to his volcano in science class."
"It's nice not to have their legacy hanging over me, especially as I don't stand a chance of making the better impression, but-" Her voice softened, a vulnerability curving through it. "But it feels a little lonely to know that in this one area, my brothers and I can't ever meet on equal grounds."
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Laurie
Many thanks then. Next time it'll be cookies.
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Laurie
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Cecily
May 16, 2008 5:51 PM
I like cookies! by Cecily
OOC - no problem - am suffering some RL time constraints and having computer issues, too, so belatedness is all forgiven.To Cecily's surprise, Laurie really did understand what she was saying. Mor to the point, she actually exprienced some of the feelings for herself, seeing as she'd followed two older brothes. Cecily felt an involuntary clench in her stomach when she clarified that her brothers had no magic (here they squibs or Muggles?) but she let it pass - she knew Laurie had no interest in blood purity, so there was no point in discussing it. Instead she focused on the point being made about following in others' footsteps not necessarily being a bad thing.
"Well at least you were compred to your older siblings," she told Laurie, with no small amunt of bitterness. "And anyway I don't get to do everything first, because our cousin Lucas is in third year, and we see him every holiday, and he always tells us about classes we've got coming up." Realising that she was coming dangerously close to whining, Cecily added, "But you shouldn't feel lonely without your brothers. This is your chance to really be yourself, without wondering how they did things differently." Cecily wouldn't know how it felt to not share magic with someone in her family, though she could imagine it would be very strange indeed. "I get that it must be difficult," she offered, "but this is who you are. You've got something they don't have, and you should enjoy that."
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Cecily
I like cookies!
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Cecily
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Laurie
May 22, 2008 7:36 AM
How about cookies and ice cream sundaes? by Laurie
OOC- Would you believe that I had this post prepared right after talking to you before and I only just *now* realized that I hadn't posted it? /sighs/ My brain needs a spring cleaning.IC-
Cecily did have a point; Laurie had always been the youngest. Always. It was a fairly normal thing to exist in the shadow of older siblings. If either of her brothers had been born girls, Laurie would have inherited hand-me-downs in some shape or the other. If Tim had been a girl, then the two of them would probably still be sharing a room and a bathroom. So despite being the youngest of three siblings, she supposed that she fared far better than most might have in similar situations.
She supposed that, in Cecily's situation, being supplanted by the younger sibling called in certain matters of pride. The older sibling was supposed to be the stand-out, type A, parent-fawning sort of child. Subsequent siblings were intended to- due almost entirely to perfectly understandable parent-child dynamics- feel certain pangs of insecurity and suffer from identity crises every four years or so. Those roles seemed to be reversed in Cecily's situation.
"And anyway I don't get to do everything first, because our cousin Lucas is in third year, and we see him every holiday, and he always tells us about classes we've got coming up."
It burned, ever so slightly, that the one real silver lining Laurie had managed to pinpoint was so utterly crushed. Still though, at least the brunette got to have family around, people who could understand just about anything she might mention when it came to magic. It had been a strange thing, during the summer periods when the Warrens weren't around, to catch herself mentioning something or the other- anything really- that was related to Sonora and being a witch, and realizing belatedly that she had somehow managed to alienate both of her brothers. Her mother always responded inquisitively, but Laurie had seen the slight dimness that crossed her mother's normally spirited blue eyes.
Even her dad had inadvertently stirred up some of those lonely feelings. That one morning, when Laurie woke up far earlier than normal for a weekday, and she had caught her dad stumbling over a spell she had mastered just before Christmas; his explanation for the amount of effort had somehow rung hollow.
"I get that it must be difficult, but this is who you are. You've got something they don't have, and you should enjoy that."
Her heart felt a bit too heavy to fully endorse the grateful smile she gave her friend. Pensively, her light brown eyes considered the clover patched green beyond the edge of their shared blanket. "I know, and I do. I honestly didn't think it possible when I came here last year, but I love being a witch. There's something about holding my wand in my hand- and the sensation I get when I cast a spell; it's undeniably satisfying. I just feel, sometimes, that with my family and in the world, there's this big line of demarcation. There's not any Muggle thing that I can't also do; however, for my brothers and mom- and the rest of the world besides us- it's impossible for them to ever cross that line and join us."
It was more than that, though. Far more. Her conflicted feelings came from a certain knowledge. For the rest of her life, she'll hold a stronger power than a majority of the world's population. It wouldn't matter how much her brother Bryce worked out in the gym or trained in a martial art; with one simple utterance from her lips and a slight movement with her wand, all of his efforts would fall to the side. It was gratifying and horrifying; it was empowering and terrifying. Even if Laurie didn't want to believe- even if she refused to grant it as truth, there nevertheless existed the fact that because she was a witch, she was superior.
She hated to think of the word; she hated even more the recognition that such dislike wouldn't discount its veracity. Cecily, Renaye, Josh, Talen, Zane- everyone in this school, when stacked against the likes of her brothers, was clearly superior. Not better, but superior. That realization felt ugly. She felt ugly just thinking about it.
"Cecily, do you ever feel guilty? You know, for not having to really even try- that is," Laurie began, her eyes still fixed on the lush ground around them. "Well, that is to say- does it ever make you feel badly, knowing that for us, being witches, we will forever have a permanent advantage over any Muggle we might meet? To know that no matter how hard someone might work, that because we can use magic, the playing field will always be in our favor? Sometimes, I almost feel like it's cheating, carrying around this ultimate trump card."
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Laurie
How about cookies and ice cream sundaes?
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Laurie
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Cecily
May 23, 2008 3:30 PM
Ooh, yummy! by Cecily
OOC: Haha! My brain is equally in need of a cleanse, so I understand (though that doesn't stop me laughing at you)BIC:
Cecily listened with a frown to Laurie's agonies. She was finding it difficult to imagine what it would be like to have family members who weren't magical, but at least Laurie had realised her superiority to her brothers. They had made her feel inferior all her life, by the sounds of it, and now she had her chance to shine. Cecily was almost convinced that Laurie would learn to embrace her power in time, but she could see that for now, at least, Laurie was finding the whole situation rather stressful.
"I don't feel guilty," Cecily began carefully to answer Laurie's poignant questions. As much as she always strove to be honest, Cecily didn't especially want to insult Laurie's family to her face, so she picked her words with more cution than usual. "I mean, it's the natural order of things." She tried to think of a Muggle equivalent that Laurie might feel more affinity with. It was difficult for Cecily, though, seeing as she'd had very limited contact with Muggles. "Like, richer countries don't tend to feel guilty about poorer countries, because they can't help being born there." Well, that was a poor example. Cecily tried again. "Or... like being a genius. You can't help being a genius, and I don't think you'd feel guilty that you got dealt a good hand in life. It just doesn't make sense," she said, though she wasn't really sure Laurie was following.
"Look, having magic might make us superior, but..." Cecily couldn't believe she was going to say this, "but that doesn't necessarily make us better. Muggles have their history, too, and it's not all bad. You just," she sighed as she struggled to find words to express how she felt. "Magic is only what you make of it. Like Holly has decided she's a pureblood Muggleborn," she said, rolling her eyes and smiling a bit at her friend's unique idea. "And that Professor Williams uses her magic to teach us about Muggles," she laughed. "And those Warrens just want to use theirs to fly about in the sky to hit lumps of metal at other people," she said, with an ironic smile.
"Oh, that reminds me," Cecily said, putting down the glass of lemonde she'd neglected to sip since she started talking. "I don't want to stir up more trouble than I already have," she said, knowing that Laurie would have to make her own decision about the extent of Cecily's trouble-making, as unintentional as it had been, "but I want to talk to you about Alexis." Cecily lowered her voice and looked over her shoulder to make sure they weren't being overheard. "There's something up with her," Cecily shared with Laurie. "Like, last year I thought we were friends. We met up before the ball with Chelsea and Anable and people, and she was being far ruder about Joshua and Renaye than I ever have been," she said. "Then suddenly the other day she was being really chummy with Josh, and just blamed our whole argument on me, and I know we were friends right up 'til that moment." Cecily glanced around them again, then sat back. "I mean, be friends with who you want to, I'd just be careful, okay?"
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Cecily
Ooh, yummy!
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Cecily
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Laurie
June 02, 2008 8:43 PM
Just made snickerdoodles at that. by Laurie
OOC- I am muy dumb sometimes. Just. . .I'll blame the fact that I'm preparing to go and teach in my mom's mom's motherland of Korea! I just sent them my transcripts from college, so here's hoping! If all goes well, I'll have my work visa and plane ticket in as soon as a month.IC-
Had it, in all truthfulness, been anyone else saying those reassurances, Laurie might have suspected placation. But this was Cecily, and Laurie knew her friend to be glaringly honest. It was definitely one of the brunette's better qualities, and Laurie appreciated it. Her frequent bouts, both inwardly and outwardly, with insecurity had been occurring far more often of late. She wasn't sure when the lack of confidence started growing. . .maybe it had always been there, and she simply had never given it real consideration before. Maybe she was guilty of spending too much time on introspection.
She was glad she had joined the newspaper; she needed the hobby.
". . .I want to talk to you about Alexis."
"Alexis? Why?" Laurie's eyes narrowed, their brown expression a mixture of premonition and curiosity.
"There's something up with her. Like, last year I thought we were friends. We met up before the ball with Chelsea and Anabel and people, and she was being far ruder about Joshua and Renaye than I ever have been. Then suddenly the other day she was being really chummy with Josh, and just blamed our whole argument on me, and I know we were friends right up 'til that moment. "
She couldn't help the clenching twist in her stomach when Cecily described Alexis's recent behavior. She had tried to ignore the suspicion that continued to nag at her, shrugging the emotion off as another example of her insecurity. What was there to be jealous over, really? But Cecily's words only reinforced that first impression; a person was certainly capable of change, but ordinarily, a change for the seemingly better should include some broadening in character. Could sincerity really forgo all the rest of its more friendly traits?
"I mean, be friends with who you want to, I'd just be careful, okay?"
"Right, thanks. I appreciate the. . .um," somehow, the word 'warning' felt too ominous a thing for a talk between friends, "the, um, cautioning. I know what you mean. Last year to this year, that much of a change over only two months! It just seems a bit implausible."
She paused, her lips pursed. A consideration was niggling at her brain, pushing and nudging forward a thread of an idea. Should she ask? Was it too unreasonable a theory? Her gaze slid from the plaid blanket beneath her legs to her friend's delicate features. She should ask. "Your-" she bit off the rest of the sentence, catching the words back into her mouth before they did any damage. She re-phrased. "The Pureblood lifestyle, that is; it's not something I feel entirely familiar with, but I know that keeping blood pure, or whatever, is important. Josh and Renaye are Purebloods. . .do you think she might be gearing up to something?"
The hypothesis felt ridiculous when vocalized. Honestly, they were all second years, most just recently turned twelve or thirteen at the oldest. The idea of marriage and finding a suitable partner so early on in life seemed preposterous to Laurie's type of upbringing. "I'd like to think she's sincere, but I can't believe that deciding to make new friends would include ditching others. It's just not, well, believable."
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Laurie
Just made snickerdoodles at that.
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Laurie
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Cecily
June 03, 2008 12:28 PM
Of course by Cecily
OOC Well I'm abut to fall asleep at the keyboard, so I can only hope this post will be intelligable ...IC
It probably was a testament of friendship that Laurie immediately accepted Cecily's comments about Alexis, without question or hesitation. The other explanation was that Laurie had noticed something amiss with their roommate's behaviour, too, which she then went on to consider herself. Implausible. Cecily considered the word. Yes, Alexis' actions were to peculiar to be plausible as natural change in temperament or opinion. Cecily might have said so, but Laurie seemed to be struggling to say something else, so Cecily waited.
Once Laurie had presented her theory, Cecily pondered it in silence for several long moments. Eventually, she answered slowly, picking her words with great care. "It's not entirely implausible," she said, "but I would say it was unlikely. The Ashwoods have a very strong line, and Alexis will certainly be betrothed by the time she's fifteen," Cecily drew on knowledge that Laurie could not possible be privvy to, never having attended any social calls of status. "And to be perfectly honest, Alexis could do better than Joshua. Even if it weren't for Renaye, the Warrens have associations with Quidditch and Muggles, and Alexis' parents would steer her clear of both." Cecily knew this much was true only because it was true of her own family, to which the Ashwoods were not entirely dissimilar.
"I suppose she might be drawn to something other than a betothal bargain, but I'm at a loss to what," she admitted. "I know people will call me a snob for saying so," Cecily looked pointedly at Laurie, as she'd recently revealed this scandal, "but if it's status she's after, Alexis would do much better befriending me than them. I can't think it has anything to do with blood," she finally concluded. "I think if she is playing a game, it must be something far less noble. I can't understand her, and that makes me... unsettled."
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Cecily
Of course
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Laurie
June 08, 2008 3:51 PM
My nervy spaz is finally over. 'Erlack. by Laurie
OOC- OMG, I know. Just deck me sometime. Oh well, posting spree is on a fast track!Her brain grabbed onto the word 'betrothed,' and lingered. Laurie couldn't imagine considering the whole concept of marriage at twenty, let alone fifteen- an age her brother Tim was rapidly approaching. The idea was such a foreign thing to her, and so she struggled to place herself into a context in which such a consideration would be part of the norm. The differences between her lifestyle and Cecily's seemed to widen another two inches with this somewhat nonchalant mentioning, and despite her suspicions, Laurie found herself pitying both Alexis and Cecily.
To not only feel that such things were par for the course, but to then not have any gumption toward rebelling against it- the whole thing was anathema for the likes of Laurel Cider.
"True. . ." she admitted, her tone thoughtful. "A Smythe trumps a Warren, even two, in the Ashwood world." That fact, somehow, didn't bother her; it rather acted as a reassurance. She was fine if the Pureblood community didn't feel the need to gobble the Warren siblings up; she was perfectly happy to be the one engaging their company and interest.
She shrugged off the snobbery preface. "You're being up front right now, so you don't have to worry about that. I don't think you're snob." Somewhat off-putting at times, but not entirely a snob. "I don't get it then. I hate to be underhanded about it, but I can't quite see myself confronting her directly- do you think her cousin might know what's going on?"
Laurie's features wrinkled in dislike at the consideration, though. "I don't like the idea of rooting him up and throwing the inquisition at him, but if she's up to something that might hurt Josh or Renaye, I'd rather be forewarned."
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Laurie
My nervy spaz is finally over. 'Erlack.
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Cecily
June 11, 2008 10:12 AM
I'm so vair happy for you by Cecily
OOC: Have been posting now for six consecutive hours. Do I get a prize?Laurie suggested approaching Alexis' cousin for information, and Cecily found a mildly amused smirk forming on her face. "This really bothers you, doesn't it?" she said. She supposed she could understand; Laurie obviously felt her frinds were in danger of harm and it did her credit that she was willing to put a stop to it before it even started. Laurie really was a good person to have on your side. Still, Cecily wasn't convinced that harming the Warrens was what Alexis had in mind.
"I don't think Alexis is out to hurt Renaye," she said, "or Josh. Otherwise it would make no sense for her to not be friends with me, would it?" she said, voicing her logic. "I d seem to be causing enough hurt on my own," she said with a frown; she had never meant to hurt Joshua, and had only treated Renaye as she had been treated herself. Besides, if Alexis was intending some harm for the Warrens, Cecily wanted to put a stop to it. For a start, she didn't approve of violence. Secondly, as much as she was against Renaye, she thought such things could be dealt with in an open and civilized fashion. Thirdly, she would never say it out loud, but Renaye Warren was Cecily's personal puching bag; Alexis could find her own!
"You could try asking her cousin," Cecily said, "but if anyone asked me about Lucas or Cynthia or anyone, I wouldn't have a clue." she didn't speak to Lucas in school much, they didn't get along all that well. Her other cousins she only saw in holidays, and barely knew them at all. "And if anyone asked Lucas about me he'd probably lie," she said with shrug.
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Cecily
I'm so vair happy for you
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