Closed goodbye, my sad life pv danielle alden

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Strutting through the platform, Jessamine felt confident. Finally, she would be rid of the lurkers that followed her every move. Even here, they strolled a few paces behind her while expertly keeping up with her hustled stride. You might think that these lurkers were her parents, but you’d be wrong. See, they’d been through this hullaballoo a few times already so Jessamine understood exactly why they didn’t come to see her off. At least, she pretended to. She knew that the day her little sissy had to get on this very train, the Hemlocks would be right there with her, planting wet kisses on her cheeks and waving her goodbye with tears in their eyes. Jessamine would get none of that. Of course it bothered her, but she would rather be raked over hot coals than show it.

She barely acknowledged the lurkers – her nanny and the family’s house elf – before stepping onto the train. She muscled her way through the throngs of students with her chin held high. Freedom from societal and parental expectations would be hers the moment the train left the station and Merlin, she was excited. There were so many full compartments already, and the curious part of her wanted to go sit with others, especially the older kids. But more than that, Jessamine wanted to kick her feet up, pop open a proverbial bottle of wine, and enjoy life without the frivolities of etiquette. She came across an empty cabin not long after and deposited her trunk haphazardly on the floor. With a pleased huff, she plopped onto the seat next to the window and used the opposite side as a leg rest. This was going to be a perfect year, she could feel it.
@Danielle Alden ────── September 1st, 2023

Closed goodbye, my sad life pv danielle alden
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DATE & TIME
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Sept. 1st
OUTFIT
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Reducio
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@Jessamine Hemlock
"Au revoir." Danielle murmured to her grandmother, giving the elderly woman a kiss on the cheek. She smiled softly at her grandmother before following her brother onto the scarlet red steam engine that would whisk her away to the place she'd dreamed of going. Hogwarts. Was she upset her father couldn't see her off for her first year? Yes, but she couldn't dwell on her feelings. It would only make the disappointment worse.

Danielle practacally dragged her ridiculously heavy trunk behind her as she walked through the corridor on the Hogwarts Express, peering through windows to see if any of the compartments we either empty or were only occupied by a few inhabitants. She switched to her left hand, her right aching from pulling the weight of her trunk as she pushed a bit of her hair behind her ear. Glancing into another compartment, she was relieved to see that there was only a girl inside.

Pulling her trunk the last few feet, Danielle knocked on the window before peeking her head in. The girl looked quite relaxed, using the opposite side of the compartments as a leg rest. Her trunk was haphazardly desposed of on the floor. Looked good enough to her.

"Mind if I sit here?" Danielle asked, motioning to the seat in the compartment across from the girl, "Everywhere else seems full."

STA 7 ❀ EVA 8 ❀ STR 7
WIS 6 ❀ ARC 5 ❀ ACC 7

Closed goodbye, my sad life pv danielle alden
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And just like that, the cork sealing Jessamine’s proverbial bottle of wine popped. Her peace being disturbed that quickly was unexpected, but the girl was on her own now and she was going to have to learn how to take moments like these in stride. Before even turning to the newcomer, Jessamine raised her chin in a haughty manner, taking on the visage of her parents in the face of ridicule from the rumors about her. She wanted a compartment to herself and she was going to have it. There wasn’t much that didn’t go her way.

Then Jessamine turned towards the intruder and somehow, that attitude changed. While she didn’t intend it at first, she hoped that her trunk would be a deterrent to any askers. Of course, who would want to share a compartment with someone who didn’t store their belongings? Clearly, this girl was fine with it, and that intrigued Jessamine. She tilted her head with a one-sided smile, taking in the girl’s pretty blonde hair, blue eyes, and obvious struggle with her trunk. A decent few seconds passed before she answered the girl’s question as she relished in the awkward silence.

Suit yourself,” she spoke finally. She would lean forward as the girl settled in, keeping an observant eye on her and making no move to shift her trunk. When the girl took her seat, Jessamine would stick her hand out towards her. “Jessamine Hemlock. Very… nice to meet you.”
─────────────@Danielle Alden ────── September 1st, 2023 ─────────────

Closed goodbye, my sad life pv danielle alden
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@Jessamine Hemlock
Danielle watched as the girl raised her chin haughtily even before she faced her. Sensing the superior air that rolled from the girl, Dani immediately straightened her posture and raised her chin, challenging the girl as the pureblood etiquette she was raised with came into play. As the girl turned to face Danielle after a second, she made direct eye contact. She watched as the girl then tilted her head, her calculating eyes on Danielle as she gave a one-sided smile in her direction.

Danielle waited the awkward second it took for the girl to answer her question, her eye contact and posture never wavering. Then the girl spoke, telling her to suit herself. With the permission to sit, Danielle glanced up towards the rack where her trunk was supposed to go before rolling her eyes and disposing of her trunk on the ground as the other inhabitant of the compartment had also done.

Danielle then made her way to the seat across from the girl, her eyes flicking over her figure as she leaned forward. Danielle then shook the girl's hand once, grasping it firmly yet not too hard, making eye contact once again and still holding her chin high as she spoke, her voice mirroring the girl's tone, "Danielle Alden. Pleasure."

STA 7 ❀ EVA 8 ❀ STR 7
WIS 6 ❀ ARC 5 ❀ ACC 7

Closed goodbye, my sad life pv danielle alden
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An amused smile slowly made its way onto Jessamine’s lips, growing larger by the second. The girl didn’t back down, straightening her posture and maintaining eye contact. Jessamine liked that. Not many stood to endure the awkward atmospheres she loved to create, but this girl held on and didn’t back away once the mood had been dispelled by her invitation to sit. Could she be a formidable foe for Jessamine? Or a worthy ally? More than likely, she would simply serve as some entertainment for the train ride, but Jessamine was excited to see where things would go.

She released something between a chuckle and a scoff as the girl dropped her trunk next to hers on the floor of the compartment. Maybe the two were more alike than Jessamine thought. As the girl sat down, she accepted her firm handshake and then leaned back. She sunk into a lazy posture, doing away with any sort of etiquette that had been taught to her.

"Alden? Southampton Alden?” Merlin, she sounded like her siblings. Keeping track of the pureblood ecosystem wasn’t her thing at all, but she did recall hearing about the Aldens when eavesdropping on her father who was employed by the Ministry. “Can’t say I know too much, but I’ve heard the name,” Jessamine continued. “So… that means you’re a pureblood, right? Or am I totally off base and you’re from some other Alden family?
─────────────@Danielle Alden ────── September 1st, 2023 ─────────────

Closed goodbye, my sad life pv danielle alden
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@Jessamine Hemlock
As Dani dropped her trunk and sat down, Jessamine's scoff reached her ears. Danielle rolled her eyes as she watched the girl across from her lose all etiquette and sink into a slouch in her seat, her posture remaining perfect with her chin held high as Jessamine questioned her family name.

Dani nodded. "Yes. Pureblooded, Southampton Alden." she replied proudly before raising a calculating eyebrow at the girl, conclusions falling together in front of her. "I'm going to assume you're pureblood as well, considering you know the name."

Finally, as the two had made a little bit of small talk about her family, Dani decided the girl could be somewhat tolerable and possibly trusted. She relaxed a bit, her body language more relaxed while she kept everything else guarded. The silence between the two girls was slightly awkward, neither of them speaking up. Most would've crumbled under the atmosphere, but not Dani. She'd attended too many balls and been forced to hang out with too many possible suitors in her life. She was used to it.

She glued her eyes to the window watching the environment outside change as they speeded down the train tracks to Hogwarts. Looking back towards Jessamine, Dani decided to break the silence, intending to make at least a bit of small talk with the girl to finalize her opinions.

"So, Jessamine," she started, her voice calculating and confident, "Which house are you anticipating or want to be sorted into?"

STA 7 ❀ EVA 8 ❀ STR 7
WIS 6 ❀ ARC 5 ❀ ACC 7