Enchanté PV Castor Alarie Closed

Roleplaying as Castor Alarie 11:00, August 14, before Beauxbatons Beauxbatons

French English

Castor hated trips to the department store, usually with her sisters and brother as they browsed the shelves blankly looking for whatever held their attention at the time. Usually her brother, Andre, would immediately start looking at face care products, something you could see clearly on his clear, smooth face. Her sister, Manon, would usually browse the aisles stuffed with perfume, and her other sister, Jeanne, would usually go for more decorative things to add to her room. Not as if she didn't already have enough of those.

And then there was Castor, who would wander aimlessly through the aisles pretending she was actually looking at something. Or she'd stay at home. One or the other.

"Meet back at the entrance by two o'clock." Manon said blankly, already headed to the perfume aisle emanating heavy aromas that made your nostrils burn. Castor couldn't possibly fathom how that girl could stand in those aisles for that long.

As they all began to go their separate ways, Castor stepped inside the elevator and made her way up, watching the people shrink below her. You would think being in such a wealthy family you could just have everything delivered to your doorstep, but of course the three eldest kids would love to explore the biggest department store in the area. Of course.

"It's a department store not a battle arena." Castor had been so lost in thought she hadn't realized her own brother standing right beside her. His hands were folded in front of him and his stance was tall and sharp. "We're one of the wealthiest families in France. Act like it, will you?"

Castor nodded absentmindedly, not caring to respond or much less acknowledge the rude comment. She felt a headache coming behind her eyes, most likely from the lights that shown above to illuminate the store in a bright glow. She really wished she could be back at home then.

The elevator doors opened with a ding, and her brother almost immediately began walking off, his gait fast and serious, as if he knew exactly what he was doing and where he was going. He was practically already a businessman and he hadn't even graduated from Beauxbatons yet.

The floor Castor stepped onto wasn't much better than the first. Immediately it overwhelmed her with foreign smells and people speeding around left and right carrying bags of whatever and wearing lavish outfits. Her first plan was to go to the aisle full of clothing that looked to be somewhat vintage, but she decided against it as she already had too many clothes and didn't need her wardrobe exploding. Wandering was her best bet. A place this big and busy seemed like it would have to have something interesting in it, but the only remotely interesting thing was the woman with a chihuahua in her purse.

Groaning internally, the french girl sat on a lounge chair just about as lavish as the rest of the building and studied her nails.

WC: 510

interacting- Castor Alarie @Edme Achillian
wc-459
hex-#433687

─•••─

In, out, in out...Gemima finally raised her head. She felt much calmer than before, but her throat still felt tight. She willed her mind to focus on something else.

Ah, right!

She hadn't looked at her surroundings properly yet. Gem swiveled around in her seat, taking in the view. On the bright side of things, it wasn't the worst place to be stranded in. She was on the uppermost floor of the store, with the giant glass dome stretched out overhead. Multiple shops were situated all around in a circular shape, each with its own balcony, much like theatre boxes. And down below, there were even more shops, and kiosks, displaying glittering jewelry, handbags, makeup, and thousands of little trinkets, ready to catch the eye of a customer.

Gemima's head was whirling from the sheer amount of stuff this place had to offer. Sure, Brighton was a big city, but it didn't have anything like Printemps. Her favorite part, so far was the circling of gilded stained glass around the great dome. She wondered how long it had taken to build.

There wasn't really anything else to do, so Gem opted to scout out the shops on her level. As she began to feel more at ease, she considered checking out some of them. Of course, she couldn't buy anything; more than half of the stuff in here cost more than her house, but it would be fun to look! Her inner explorer was starting to itch for some action.

Suddenly, Gemima spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. She stiffened, then discreetly turned around just in time to see a girl about her age sink into the chair next to her.
She was pretty, with fluffy black hair that puffed over her eyes, and stopped just short of her collarbone. Like everyone else in the store, she too carried an air of wealth about her. She was idly studying her nails.

Gemima eyed her warily, wondering if she should do something, or say something. No... That would be weird. She didn't even know this girl. Maybe she didn't speak English, either. Gemima knew some French, but certainly not enough to hold an entire conversation. She probably should have gone to those classes with her mother.
Gem slowly turned her gaze away from the girl and back to the store--there was plenty to see, anyways.

A flamboyantly dressed lady strode by, leaving a thick cloud of that damned perfume in her wake. Gemima's traitorous nose tingled again. Despite her best efforts, she went into an impressive sneezing fit. How embarrassing! she thought, cowering against her sleeve. Why did her nose have to be so sensitive??
She hoped with all her might that no one would notice.

─•••─

Roleplaying as Castor Alarie 11:00, August 14th, before Beauxbatons Beauxbatons

French English

The area surrounding her was all too familiar, though that didn't make it any less impressive. This place was the center of rich shopping, so taking great care in design was the key to luring any unsuspecting person of wealth and stability to take a look. The glass dome that stood above the floor itself was probably the most fantastic thing about the area, giving way to the sun that still leaned towards the east, clinging to the bits of morning left over. All the shops were about as decorated as the exterior of the building, designed to not only sell pricey items, but just look expensive.

Castor had stopped ogling the sights after coming to the same place for years now. In less than a year, she'd be shopping at Diagon Alley with the other witches and wizards.

She had taken notice of the girl beside her since before she had sat down on the nice seat. She had a knack for noticing those kinds of things, or being somewhat more aware of the things around her. It was a petite girl with nice long brown hair that spilled down her back like a waterfall. She had been pretty tranquil for most of the time Castor had been there, though she did seem a bit startled, or maybe worried at the least.

Until she started sneezing repeatedly.

There were many reactions you can have in a situation like this. You could ask the person if they're okay, give them a worried glance, even just ignore it altogether. But of course, blunt little Castor with horrible social skills decided to say in crisp french, "Bless you."

This would have been polite if it weren't for the fact that the girl seemed to be in a sneezing fit, not just one simple sneeze and then nothing. She could have been having an allergic reaction, dying, anything. Well, probably not dying by the looks of it, as she looked more embarrassed than anything.

WC:351

interacting- Castor Alarie @Edme Achillian
wc-251
hex-#433687

─•••─

The sneezes finally subsided. Gemima slowly sat up, and one more tiny sneeze escaped her.

"À tes souhaits."bless you said a nearby voice.

Gem sniffed and pulled a small packet of tissues out of her skirt pocket. She nervously turned towards the voice as she dabbed carefully at her nose.
Ah! It was the girl. Gemima sat up straight and politely inclined her head. "M-merci."thanks She stuttered, her hair falling over her shoulders. The whole affair had caught her off guard, and she could feel her panic returning on the edge of her senses. I must look so stupid right now!

"My nose is really sensitive, sorry," she said in English, forgetting herself for a moment. But her mouth kept going before she could try to say anything in French. "I hope I didn't bother you, or anything. It's just that the perfume and stuff, it's really strong. And strong smells make me...Well, you know."

Why are you giving her your whole life story? Just go back to what you were doing!
"Désolé!"sorry Gem squeaked. She whirled back around, thoroughly flustered. If this was how she made first impressions, she realized, then how was she going to handle herself at Hogwarts?

Gemima fiddled with the hem of her skirt, and tried to get her breathing under control again. She busied herself with figuring out which store to go into. It was less about exploring now, and more about removing herself from the situation. Like she usually did.

─•••─

Roleplaying as Castor Alarie Time and date Beauxbatons

French English

The girl seemed to be done with sneezing, but the clear flustered look was still plain on her face. Castor would have almost found it humorous if it weren't for the more proper location.

Castor wouldn't say she was bad at English, but good certainly wasn't a word she would use to describe her skill level. Mediocre, maybe. While the girl was continuing on about perfume and a sensitive nose, Castor attempted to decipher the words coming out, wracking her brain for translations.

"It is not a problem." she attempted in English, french accent heavy and apparent. She had studied and worked with a private teacher her mother and father had hired, learning English slowly and steadily. And it was slow. "My English is not, eh, the best. Apologies."

The girl did apologize in French, and Castor admitted to wondering how much she knew of French. It would certainly be easier in French, but the practice felt nice. If Castor wanted to go to a school allowing students from all over, she was certainly going to have to learn to speak to her classmates.

Straightening the long black jacket that rolled down just above her knees, repositioning herself in the chair she sat in. "Do you attend often?" she asked, motioning to the large surrounding room.

WC:234

Interacting-Castor Alarie @Edme Achillian
WC-326
Hex-#433687

─•••─

Thankfully, the girl seemed unbothered by Gemima's flustered outburst. The look on her face let on that she was at least a bit amused, but she didn't make a huge deal out of the situation. Gemima sighed quietly and cautiously turned to her again.

"Do you attend often?" asked the girl. Her tone was heavily accented, as expected of a French citizen, and she spoke with great concentration. We must be on par with languages. Gem thought. Not that she blamed this girl. English was very hard to learn. She actually thought her voice, accent and all, was beautiful to listen to. It was steady and calm, with a bit of a lower pitch.

"This is my first time here. My mum's a model, so she'll be wearing many of the clothes here, for advertisements." Gemima replied. She snuck a glance back at the rows of shops. Boy, was she bored! Suddenly, an idea hit her.

"Actually," She said, getting to her feet. "Do you want to come check out the shops with me? I was just about to do that before you got here." She was stuck here for the next hour or so anyway, and some company definitely wouldn't hurt.
Gemima faltered, realizing how forward her request was. "You don't have to, of course." she said, shifting nervously. "I know we only just met." But they both seemed to be in the same boat. A quick look around them told her that this girl was also alone for the time being. She looked bored, too. Nerves were bubbling in Gemima's stomach, but she felt determined to see this through.

As she looked at the girl, she decided to make that first move. Perhaps it was an underlying desire to make a change for herself, to stop hiding in the shadows. Perhaps she just knew that this girl needed a friend. She shyly outstretched her hand and smiled.
"My name is Gemima, by the way."

─•••─

Roleplaying as Castor Alarie 1:00, August 14th, before Beauxbatons Beauxbatons

French English

Although Gemima was visibly a bit nervous regarding the whole ordeal, she spoke quite fluently to Castor, and it was clear she knew what she was saying. Castor admired that trait in people.

"A model," Castor replied with something of interest, the idea of modeling sounding quite appealing. With how she dressed and the money her family had, it seemed like it wouldn't be too difficult to get a decent standing with the modeling industry. "She is staying in Printemps?"

The idea did sound a bit interesting, much better than sitting around and pretending she knew what she was doing. Fixing herself to prepare to stand up, she nodded shortly. "That would be nice."

Castor would admit the language barrier was... difficult. Some of the stuff Gemima spoke was hard to process, and Castor was still getting the hang of English. Her parents had only recently began getting her the correct studies for English, something they should have done years before, and now it was becoming obvious it would be easier with some more knowledge of it. But from what she had learned, it wasn't impossible to understand the other girl.

"Castor Alarie." the French girl held out a hand as well, shaking the others in a crisp and learned manor. Standing sharply, she waited for the other to follow.

WC: 238

Interacting-Castor Alarie@Edme Achillian
WC-281
Hex-#433687

─•••─

"Oui, mais juste pour aujourd'hui."Yes, but just for today.Gemima said carefully. Now that the current crisis had been averted, she was able to recall her learned French a bit more easily. "We're staying here in Paris for about..." She paused, thinking. "Deux semaines? Yeah, two weeks."

She watched pensively as the girl stood up and fixed her clothes. "That would be nice," she said, in regards to Gemima's proposal. She reached out and firmly shook Gem's hand. "Castor Alarie." she said crisply. Gemima grinned widely as they parted.

"All right then!" She chirped. Castor had already taken a few steps ahead, so she quickly walked after her. "Hmm..." she mused, taking in the rows and rows of shops. It was pretty overwhelming, to be honest.

Finally, she pointed towards an elaborate window display in the left side of the store. The seemingly handcrafted toys and glittering lights had caught her eye. She was interested in getting a closer look, so she inched closer to an arched entrance labled L'EnfantsChildren Maybe this first venture was a bit of a basic venture, but she was interested to see how different the products and designs were than those in Brighton or London.

Gemima looked over her shoulder and waited patiently for her to catch up. "By the way, don't be afraid to ask me to repeat things if you don't completely understand," she said reassuringly. "I don't know loads of French myself, so you're not the only one who might have a hard time."

She snuck a look back over at the window display. It was summertime, of course, so the window was made up in a tropical jungle scene-how fun!

─•••─

Roleplaying as Castor Alarie 1:00, August 14th, before Beauxbatons Beauxbatons

French English

It was clear the other girl had a knowledge of French, with good pronunciation and accent.

"Where to?" she asked a bit informally, though noticed the others intrigue around the store labeled "L'Enfants". Castor hadn't had much time for toys or even just child-directed things in general. She had studies, and studies were far more important than silly little painted plastic. Still, the other girl seemed tantalized by the display, and even Castor had to admit the ornate design was quite well done. "After you."

The reassurance was sweet, something Castor allowed herself to be vaguely relieved by. "Yes, thank you. I'm still a bit new to English." If it wasn't obvious, her sentences were short and slow, something she had been trying to ease out of. The language itself wasn't impossible, it was just difficult to mark down every single word. There were so many after all.

Walking to the store, the French girl gazed at the elaborate tropical design. Most of the shops she ever considered visiting were very modest, clean shops that weren't very populated. Though she herself was rich, it was difficult to relate to the others of her social class. They were all so proper and formal and quite frankly a bit mean when they weren't trying to.

She had full courage that she would be as formal and sharp as they, she just had to ease into it.

WC: 253