The End of the Beginning
october 1st, 2022 | the end of the beginning | mentions: @rosaline everhart──────────── ⟢ ✉ ⟣ ────────────
Vera was thankful that this event was a little more casual, a little less extravagant. She was still wearing a dress, but she could get away with sneakers rather than those tight flats for this occasion. Her mother had told her that she was meeting up with old school friends, so some of them would have kids around Vera's age as well. Vera was ecstatic. Her brothers weren't allowed to come and were at home with their nanny, not that Vera particularly enjoyed hanging out with Magnus, but still. She could get away with playing with the other kids rather than sit and look pretty for a whole night.
The venue wasn't over the top, just a cozy bistro with paintings on the walls, dark half-wall panelling, tablecloths so big you could barely see the legs, and an array of flowers that were sure to cause an allergic reaction with the sheer amount of them. It was a nice change from high teas and vintage lawn chairs that were all about image rather than actually enjoying the food and company.
The hosts had greeted them and left them to pick whatever table, so Vera skipped towards one and started climbing the chairs. Her mother simply chuckled, hoisting her up and smoothing out her dress. "Alright, we'll sit here then," she said. Vera's father said nothing, just sat across from them while taking his phone out of his pocket.
"Who else is coming?" Vera asked.
As her mother sat down next to her and took off her purse, she replied, "There's Auntie Chanty and Uncle Nick, who you might remember from when you were three. They're coming back from Canada for today."
Vera hummed. She did not, in fact, remember them. Three was five years ago, so there had been enough time to forget. Still, she nodded along as her mother listed more names she didn't know. Even when she mentioned they had children she could play with, how was she going to know who was who?
So, Vera simply watched the entrance as more people came in. She'll figure it out as the night goes.
The End of the Beginning
Holding her father’s hand, Rosaline entered the venue. It was beautifully decorated, with large windows that let in excellent natural light and flowerpots filled with blooms dotting around. The atmosphere was casual and welcoming with people chatting with smiles and a hint of nostalgia. Rosaline wore a white dress with a black bow at the collar. Gazing around with her blue eyes, she tried to find some kids her age because Julian told her there would be his classmates’ children. While she hadn’t found any, from time to time, Julian needed to greet his acquaintances and chat for a bit. There were a few faces that seemed vaguely familiar to her. She looked up to observe her father’s expression, and a smile appeared on his face. He seemed very happy at this reunion event, and this made her quite happy too.
After a while, the hosts announced that they could freely pick a table. Rosaline found a good table and seated herself quickly. It was quite tall for an eight-year-old. Just as Julian arrived at the table, he saw a lady at the next table and greeted her with a big smile, “Hello Eulalie, long time no see.” This action caught Rosaline’s attention. She turned around to see who was at the next table, and she found a girl her age! And she was just sitting next to Rosaline. Her eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her face. Julian then introduced them to the lady and the girl.
As the adults were catching up, Rosaline decided to talk to the girl. She tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, and adjusted the bow in the collar, wanting to make a good impression. She got down from her chair carefully and came near the girl. “Hello, my name is Rosaline. Nice to meet you,” she said gently, hiding her excitement to meet a girl her age. She was a little nervous, but the idea that she might possibly make a new friend overcame her nervousness. Reaching her hand to the girl, she showed a warm smile.
Sorry for the late reply!
stamina: 6 | evasion: 5 | strength: 5
wisdom: 8 | arcane Power: 7 |accuracy: 4
Lovely Creature
The End of the Beginning
october 1st, 2022 | the end of the beginning | mentions: @rosaline everhart──────────── ⟢ ✉ ⟣ ────────────
Soon enough, people arrived, and more people meant she was more likely to see other kids. Still, the wait was a drag without having something to distract her. She would have brought a stuffed toy or a few books had her father not asked if she was 'too old' to be doing those things at gatherings.
Her mother got up and extended an arm to the man who had just arrived at their table. "Julian! Good to see you. I heard you've been doing well."
Vera watched as she introduced her husband and child, to which Vera gave a small wave at being acknowledged. She took a quick look at herself. Hair was still nice and not tangled from playing with it, dress wasn't crumpled in some way from fidgeting around, and her shoes hadn't slipped off while swinging them back and forth. Okay. The man—Julian, was what her mother called him—introduced his daughter. Vera's eyes lit up.
She watched as the girl readjusted herself, then come down from where she sat towards where Vera sat. Her name was Rosaline. Rosaline. She had heard that name before, but from where?
(Literature.)
Vera cleared her throat. "Hi! I'm Verity, but you can call me Vera. It's nice to meet you, Rosaline."
Vera took a second to look at her parents, just in case they needed her to respond to anything. But in the process, she realized something else. Vera had come with both her parents, even though she was sure her father had nothing to do with this event and it was all her mother's. But Rosaline only had her father.
"Where's your mum?" Vera asked, a bit too bluntly.
The End of the Beginning
Verity’s mother and Julian continued chatting and catching up, and seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Rosaline glanced at them. Their conversation didn’t appear to need the children’s participation. At that moment, Julian turned his head to check how she was doing. Spotting her talking to Verity, he gave her a bright smile before turning back. The slightest nervousness she had felt earlier completely disappeared. Though sometimes her mum wasn’t around, Julian could always give her such comfort in any environment.
Surprisingly, at Verity’s question about her mother, she opened her eyes a little wider and answered, “Oh, she is on a miss…” Suddenly withdrawing the words, she realized she shouldn’t mention anything about Elowen’s job because of all the keeping secrets things Elowen had taught her. “She’s on a business trip. She is always kind of busy.” She clutched the hem of her skirt, looking somewhat tense. Talking and thinking about this didn’t give her a good feeling. She still didn’t know why Muggles and wizards couldn’t share the world together, like her family did. Yet she understood the importance of keeping secrets from others who didn’t have a magic background. Technically, she wasn’t even lying.
Wanting to change the subject, she wasn’t good at hiding the truth, and she was afraid she’d slip out something suspicious. She asked, “Where is your family from? I live in London, but I guess people here today must have come from around the country.”
stamina: 6 | evasion: 5 | strength: 5
wisdom: 8 | arcane Power: 7 |accuracy: 4
Lovely Creature
The End of the Beginning
october 1st, 2022 | the end of the beginning | mentions: @rosaline everhart──────────── ⟢ ✉ ⟣ ────────────
It was a given that Rosaline hadn't really heard her name before. It was becoming relevant again, since it was the name of a book that was released in 2018 and re-published in 2021 as the author had become popular, but it still wasn't a common girls' name now. In a way, it was good because it was unique.
Vera smiled. "It means truth." Her mum had told her once. Vera didn't care much for what her name really meant, only that it was different to most kids' names. "What about you?"
Then, her eyes widened at the words 'business trip'. Most kids at school had parents that hardly traveled away for work and usually had time to take their kids somewhere on a weekend. It was usually only other kids at those posh parties that also had parents traveling for work, and they were often her father's associates.
"Wow, that's cool. My dad travels a lot for work, too. Is she overseas?" She asked. Vera glanced briefly at her father before returning to the conversation. "My dad goes overseas a lot. He took me sometimes to Germany, 'cause that's where my grandparents are, so I would stay with them."
(Despite that fact, Vera was not able to speak a full sentence in German. It was something her father was trying to get her to improve on, but there weren't exactly many opportunities to speak German in school.)
Again, Vera's eyes lit up. "We live in London, too! But out west in Chelsea. Where in London are you from?" Knowing someone in London outside of the Chelsea area was a breath of fresh air, and very much needed.
The End of the Beginning
She hadn’t expected to be asked about her own name, though indeed it wasn’t a usual one, either. In her life, she had yet to meet anyone with the same name as hers, except for a character in Shakespeare’s play. She replied softly, “It has two meanings, in German it means soft horse, in Latin, it means beautiful rose. Though I hardly have any experience with horses, actually.” Her tone was slightly playful. After a brief pause, she continued, “But my parents’ inspiration might just come from Shakespeare.” She chuckled.
Rosaline could see that Verity was quite surprised that her mum traveled for work and seemed interested in the topic Rosaline had hoped to avoid. She quickly came up with a partial truth she could tell, because Elowen was on a business trip, technically. Hearing that Verity’s father also traveled a lot, she wondered if Verity would miss her father like she did sometimes.
“Whoa, is your dad really busy too? Flying around for work in different places must be really cool.” She added cheerfully, “And Germany! I’ve always wanted to visit there. And it must be nice to stay with your grandparents.” Thinking of her own maternal grandparents, a smile appeared on her face.
Then she answered hesitantly, afraid of giving the magic away, “Hmm, my mum doesn’t go overseas, but mostly travels within the UK, sometimes she even needs to go to Scotland for several days.” She mused briefly, as if she were recalling all the details of those trips Elowen had told her before.
When Verity mentioned that they also lived in London. Rosaline beamed, “We live in Northwest London, in Hampstead. I really love the nature around there. It’s near my grandparents’ house.” Knowing this information made her perk up more as the conversation went on.
I'm sorry for how late this is...
stamina: 6 | evasion: 5 | strength: 5
wisdom: 8 | arcane Power: 7 |accuracy: 4
Lovely Creature
The End of the Beginning
october 1st, 2022 | the end of the beginning | mentions: @rosaline everhart──────────── ⟢ ✉ ⟣ ────────────
As Rosaline went through her name's meanings, her ears perked up at a certain word. "I love horses! I go horse riding sometimes."
It had started off as an introductory ride at the local pony club when she was around five. Not much was supposed to come out of it except a childhood experience she wouldn't remember. Now, Vera had been going every holiday to ride, getting to know the horses at the pony club, taking formal lessons. At one point, her uncle joked that they would have to buy her a pony with how much she went.
She smiled at the memory. "You should try it. It's scary, but once you get on, it's really fun."
'Soft rose' was a lovely meaning. Not only that! It was a Shakespeare name! She hadn't read very much Shakespeare yet, except for the classic 'Romeo and Juliet' that had been dumbed down for kids, but she at least knew he was a standard in literature.
Vera gave a soft gasp. "They chose a very lovely name. Rosaline is very pretty."
They continued on, talking about their parents' work. While Vera's dad often took international flights, it seemed Rosaline's took domestic flights more often. No matter. "That's still really cool. Travelling is so fun." She nodded.
Rosaline was also a London girl, though not from the same area Vera lived in. She went through her memories, trying to remember Hampstead. Perhaps she and her family had gone there when she as younger, but that meant she barely remembered. They stayed in Chelsea most of the time, sometimes went to Central London if occasion called.
So, Vera just nodded along when Rosaline mentioned the nature, politely pretending like she knew. "Hampstead is nice. I just wish it wasn't so far."
She hummed. "When I'm older, I'm going to learn how to drive so that I can go wherever and whenever I want. What about you?"
The End of the Beginning
Vera’s smile was contagious; she thought that was cute. Thinking about that, she heard Vera’s compliment on her name. Blushing a soft pink on her cheeks, she replied gently with a warm smile, “Thank you so much.” She herself hadn’t finished the original version of her name’s origin, ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Her dad wanted her to read it. She gave it a try, but she didn’t understand why they would want to give up their lives for people they had barely known for a few days, so she hadn’t read it thoroughly. Knowing the character who had her name still alive and perhaps happily lived her life after all the drama was enough to satisfy her curiosity. Yet it was kind of funny that her aunt was named Juliet and she was named Rosaline.
Their conversation topic changed to traveling. She asked while she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, “I love travelling too! What other countries did you go to besides Germany? I have only been to France and Italy. But my memory is vague because I was too young when I went there. I can only remember maybe seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.” She chuckled at the memories being so faint that she could only pull out the most iconic buildings in each country.
After she said where her home was, she wasn’t sure whether Vera knew the place. She explained, “Hmm, I think it isn’t far away from the city area. I usually go to the city by the Fl…” She paused suddenly because she wanted to say that she would use the Floo Net to go to Diagon Alley, then went to the city, so that was quick. Trying hard to think how fast she would have used the Muggle transportation, the memory clicked right away. She hoped she looked normal as she tried to cover up her slip, coming up with a reasonable transport way. “I think it’s a thirty-minute drive from the city! I sometimes take the underground or bus. It’s quite convenient,” she said all this swiftly, drumming her fingers on the side of her dress to relax herself. Phew, that was close.
Rosaline didn’t know why she almost slipped up so many times today; maybe it was because Vera had an aura that lowered people’s guard, or maybe she was too excited to meet a new kid her age. Nonetheless, this was nerve-wracking and also fun for her. She was glad that Vera switched to another topic. Drive? She actually hadn’t thought about learning to drive in her life. She thought she could just use the magical transportation. But the topic shifted to things she wanted to do in the future. She mused, “I love your idea! I think I’ll want to travel everywhere when I grow up. It will definitely be a lot of fun.” Her tone was joyful, excited by the idea, and she wished the day she could travel freely would come sooner.
stamina: 6 | evasion: 5 | strength: 5
wisdom: 8 | arcane Power: 7 |accuracy: 4
Lovely Creature
The End of the Beginning
october 1st, 2022 | the end of the beginning | mentions: @rosaline everhart──────────── ⟢ ✉ ⟣ ────────────
Vera nodded enthusiastically at Rosaline's suggestion to try horse riding. Not many kids she talked to in school ever entertained the idea. They thought it wasn't as fun as football or cricket. Vera was the opposite. She didn't think football or cricket was any fun. It was just boys running around a field, kicking a ball or swinging a bat. Horse riding was intricate, exhilarating. Anyone could kick a football or swing a bat, but not everyone could get along with a horse to perform all sorts of jumps and tricks.
"It's so much fun! It's scary, though, because they could just buck you off. But if you just walk around, it's very fun." She nodded some more. "I've only just started riding the big horses. The teachers would only let me ride ponies until recently. They said my balance and strength is really good now."
"You should definitely try it! Maybe we'll see each other at races and stuff."
That was something to look forward to. Vera wasn't at the age yet to compete in equestrian events, but knowing people working towards it would give her more motivation to continue.
It was nice to meet someone with a love of traveling, as well. Vera had only really thought of how to get around England once she was once enough for a driver's license, but the conversation made her realize how much overseas travel interested her, too. Rosaline's ability to actually name landmarks piqued her interest.
"I've been to France, too, but I also don't remember much." She pouted. "My dad also has work in France, and he's been trying to start another business in Russia but he doesn't bring me for that."
"Did you go up the Eiffel Tower?" She asked.
She'd always seen pictures of the famous tower, and there was a TV show that had Paris as the main setting, too. But actually being on the tower had to be miles different than what the screens portrayed.
As for Italy, "How low does the Tower of Pisa lean? I see photos and drawings, but does it actually lean that far? Surely people just tilt their camera for the photos."
Coming back to a more domestic location, Vera watched as Rosaline stumbled over her words. The Fl-? Did her parents own a special car that they took around the city? But if that was the case, why take the underground train or the bus? The special car would be more convenient in that sense. But Vera shook her head. Not everything had to be about the assets people owned, Vera's mother had reminded her once.
Rosaline was doing that a bit, though, the stumbling over words thing. Perhaps their family had a lot of special words for the things they did, or they spoke a different language at home. Vera's father and her grandparents did that sometimes, regardless of whether they were in Germany or not.
Vera let it go. It wasn't worth stressing over.
"Thirty minutes?" She echoed. That was how long her ballet lessons were sometimes. It could reach over an hour on other days. It depended on the teacher and what they were learning. Regardless, "That's still long, but I guess it's not as long as I thought."
Vera hummed. "I'll ask my mum if we can go. Maybe we can see each other when we're there."
She hoped Rosaline would say yes. Vera really, really, really wanted to get out of Chelsea for once.
"What can you do in Hampstead?"
The End of the Beginning
“Oh my, that sounds really cool! I’ll definitely try it if I have time,” Rosaline said with a beaming smile. Pausing a second, she looked like she thought of something and added, “Only if I finish my instrument practice. So, I don’t know if I’ll have time to be as skilled as you. But I’m so glad to hear you can ride the big horses!” Beaten by reality, she secretly made up her mind that she should persuade her parents to reduce the practice time on the piano. Maybe I could ask Dad? The young Everhart glanced at her father, who was chatting happily with his old university classmates. Her dad was always the one who was easier to ask things she wanted, though she rarely did that. Returning to the topic, she continued, “That will be so much fun to compete with each other!”
Vera talked about her travel experience in France. Hearing that her dad worked in France and Russia, Rosaline was surprised that one could work across that many locations. It must be a cool job. Her knowledge of adult jobs was quite limited; she could only think of being an Auror or a scholar in the future. “What’s your dad’s job? It sounds so cool that he can travel around the world,” she asked, her eyes lighting up. The question might be too abrupt, but she hadn’t noticed it.
“I did go up to see the view. It was so pretty! I wish I could go there again because I can remember more clearly now,” she answered. “I can recall that the tower is more tilted than the picture I have seen. It’s fun to take a picture in front of it. I even took one where it looked like I was holding it up,” she chuckled as she thought of that photo.
“It won’t feel that long if I bring a book with me. Usually, my aunt will bring me around the city, and then we can chat. Mum, dad, and she all think I shouldn’t go out by myself,” she pouted a little, wondering when she would finally be allowed more freedom.
“Yeah! If you could come, that would be so good!” She beamed. “We can go on a picnic at Hampstead Heath. It’s a huge park where we can wander all afternoon. There’s a garden too. I love going there to see all the flowers,” she added. She wasn’t used to inviting friends to her place because she always needed to keep magic a secret, yet she didn’t know why; she thought Vera was someone she could invite. She just had to hide all the magical books away. But maybe they could be disguised as some fantasy novels, she mused.
stamina: 6 | evasion: 5 | strength: 5
wisdom: 8 | arcane Power: 7 |accuracy: 4
Lovely Creature