8 Oct 2021, 20:05
Better Late Than Never
| _ |  By Winnie Harper | _ |
Sunday, 26 September 2021
During lunch time
The wrapping paper made a quiet crinkling sound as it was set down on the table firmly, then pushed across the smooth wood towards the girl on the other side, the small present fitting just fine between the variety of dishes that were offered for lunch. Dee didn't wait for an invitation before dropping into the seat, ponytail swinging slightly when she tilted her head to one side. There was a bright smile on her face, genuine warmth in her eyes: While she didn't know Winnie very well, she was fond of the girl. "Happy birthday," she said. "A little late, but, well, you know." She waved one hand vaguely, as if truly expecting Winnie to just know, whatever that meant, then set her elbow on the table, leaning forward to prop her chin on her hand, for now ignoring the food in front of her.
A little late, because the note Dee had received from Winnie the week before had invited her to a party which had been set to start approximately 23 hours prior to the current time and date. She'd intended to go, too - had prepared a present, wrapped in pale pink paper, which was now sitting on the table between them, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, a tiny golden bow on top. She had simply been a little late, and yet, that had been enough to miss the entire event. It couldn't have been more than half an hour after the time on her invitation - 2 pm - but Dee had entered the Great Hall to find a curious scene. Wildflowers, scattered at one end of the table. Pink cupcakes, seemingly carefully arranged, except some had been toppled over, fallen to the floor, some smushed flat. A few empty wrappers on the table, indicating that a few of the cupcakes had actually served their purpose and been eaten. Clean up had begun, but the birthday girl and guests seemed to have been long gone.
"I'm sorry I missed your party," Dee said sincerely, blinking imploringly for added effect. "I promise I wasn't that late, I guess it just... didn't last very long?" The prompting was not very subtle, Dealla was clearly curious about what had happened, what she'd missed. "I hope you like the present, even if it's a little late," she added, her smile widening.
With the rather short notice, she hadn't had time to prepare much. If she'd known about the date beforehand, she could have gone looking for a suitably fluffy present for Winnie. As it was, she still thought she'd made a solid choice. Daisies fit the young Ravenclaw just fine, and she seemed the type to be fond of jewelry. The bracelet, a thin chain decorated with three daisies, contained in a small, black drawstring pouch, wasn't very fancy, or very expensive. Bought, obviously, since Dee's talents in arts and crafts were severely limited. But it was simple and cute, and she hoped it would suit Winnie's tastes.
Reducio
Present: In a small black drawstring pouch, wrapped in pale pink paper.
@Winnie Harper
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
16 Oct 2021, 16:17
Better Late Than Never
It was Sunday afternoon and Winnie's mood still lay within the wreckage that had once been her birthday party. The swift motion of cupcakes flying through the air, the hissing as a cannister of pepper spray dispensed its contents into the eyes of the boy who had stolen her memories. Then she had been subjected to a lesson in control by Santario after she had flipendo'd one of the boys who had ruined her party. She was grateful that the Slytherin had taken her on as a mentee, but after her first lesson she was feeling a bit... Lost. Drained even. She stared ahead of her, a spoonful of soup half raised to her lips when the crinkling of a present broke her out of her daze.
The friendly face of Dee Prince would greet her and Winnie felt her shoulders relax. There was just something about the girl that set her at ease, perhaps the sunny disposition that mirrored the warmth of the sun's rays during the month of July. Sometimes Winnie wondered if Dee had stolen the light from the stars themselves to craft that beautiful smile. In sharp contrast, the only smile the redhead could offer her was, at best, lackluster. Her own starlight was wilting as her heartstrings were ripped and plucked from her chest. In truth, she had been far too naïve and trusting to last at Hogwarts. "Thank you, Dee. You didn't have to get me a present."
"... Oh... Yeah... It um, didn't really go so well." An understatement, of course. The party had practically transformed into a warzone. "There was someone who showed up that has hurt me in the past, and my boyfriend, Mathias, protected me from him. Then some kids came in and started throwing stuff and casting spells, so I fired a spell at one and... Long story short; Matt and I both ended up getting detention." She admitted in a small voice, quite obviously embarrassed to be telling the girl she admired so much about her transgressions. Her cheeks were flushing a light pink hue as she recounted the tale to her. She was showing her emotions to the fellow Ravenclaw, but it was still early in her lessons with San.
She cleared her throat and raised her hands to pull at the lovely ribbon and wrapping paper, curiosity getting the best of her once again. She carefully opened the box, her eyes widening upon seeing the lovely bracelet. "Oh wow! It's beautiful..." Her fingers gingerly picked the jewelry up, a thumb rubbing along the shiny daisy charms. How had Dee known she loved daisies? It did not occur to the young eagle that it was likely obvious given how often she wore daisy print. Daisies and strawberries were often her go-tos. "Did you know that Daisy is my middle name?" She asked her friend with a tilt of her head, her fingers playing with the clasp of the bracelet as she attempted to secure it around her left wrist. Her right hand was still adorning the silver pterodactyl ring San had gifted her.
✿✿✿ |
│ │ | │ │ | STA: 15 • EVA: 18 • STR: 8 WIS: 11 • ARC: 7 • ACC: 17 | │ │ | • Healing Sage • Muggle Condition • Paragon of Health • • Poison Resistance • Animagus • Wandmaker • Lovely Creature • | │ │ | │ │ |
2 Nov 2021, 09:10
Better Late Than Never
| _ | By Winnie Harper | _ |
It gave clear testament to how off Winnie seemed that even Dee noticed that something must be wrong. The younger Ravenclaw was usually much more perky than this, at least in her experience, and Dee frowned slightly, her smile fading a little.
The explanation followed quickly, and Dee's frown deepened. She had honestly expected a brighter, more fun explanation to the chaos she'd found in the Great Hall, an intentional food fight followed by the party relocating to a different place, perhaps, but no. "They attacked you and your boyfriend at your birthday and then you got detention?" Dee asked, aghast. She was a prefect herself, but she would likely have been more inclined to help Winnie in that situation than give her detention. It wasn't like she had never cast a spell at anyone, and not just during duels. "And the others didn't?" How did that make sense?
She paused, trying to place why the name of Winnie's boyfriend seemed familiar. Mathias... Matt? Hadn't the boy at the Blossom Ball in May been called that, the one who had been so incredibly rude to Winnie for no visible reason? (And then he'd stripped, his clothes had gotten set on fire, and he had left to join the all-out brawl that had been going on at the Spring Festival.) No, surely that couldn't be right. Must have been a different Matt. She wasn't even sure anymore that he'd really been called Matt.
"I'm sorry that happened," she added, her voice more subdued. Dee wasn't particularly good at comforting people, but her tone was sincere, as was the look on her face. She often lacked the subtlety to properly approach emotional conversations, but for Winnie, she'd try. Still, are you alright seemed like a silly question in the context, so she struggled for something else to say. "I hope you at least got to eat one of your lovely cupcakes, they looked delicious." At least the ones that hadn't been smooshed on table or floor. "If you point the ones who ruined your party out to me, I'll hex them for you." The offer was delivered with a spark of mischief and a small grin tugging on her mouth.
At least the present seemed to get Winnie's attention off the disastrous party for a moment, and Dee's grin widened at the sight. "It is? No, I didn't know that, I just thought they suited you." Likely a subconscious result, associating Winnie with daisies due to her preferred clothing choices, but they really did fit her. "I'm glad you like it! I considered trying to make something for you myself, but arts and crafts aren't my biggest talent, so I thought this would probably be better." She wiggled her fingers at Winnie. "My hands are better at casting spells than drawing, and the one time I tried to make strawberry-shaped earrings, they were a little... lopsided. I can make very simple friendship bracelets, but that's really the extent of it."
@Winnie Harper
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
28 Jan 2022, 19:47
Better Late Than Never
Winnie offered the brunette a smile of uncertainty. She really admired the older girl and didn't want to admit she had gotten in trouble, "Sort of... Yes, I got detention, but... I cast flipendo at someone. I was kind of overwhelmed at the time, it's embarrassing." She shook her head, as if to dismiss the thought. It didn't matter, it was over and done with. The memory would live in infamy deep within the redhead's mind. "Either way, it was probably for the best that you were late." Again, she had no desire to show Dee that side of her. She had no desire to show it to anyone for that matter... Which is exactly the reason why Santario had tried to teach her how to control her emotions when faced with something so overwhelming, or why Mathias had told her she needed to toughen up and not let anyone see.
"Well... I definitely ate one or two while I was baking them, but not during the party." She was not even certain what had happened to them. Aurora had told her she would clean up the mess. "Could have caught one mid-air. There were enough thrown across the room." She tried to jest with the prefect, to lighten the otherwise dreary mood that seemed to float over her as if she possessed her own personal rain cloud. The girl managed to get a chuckle out of her with that statement, it was amusing to think of Cody getting jinxed. "I'm not sure I'd want to unleash these people on you. Most were first years. Others... They just... Have you ever met someone who you feel drawn to but you know being around them is a terrible idea?" She suddenly asked the girl with a small frown tugging on her lips. She had seen similar situations in muggle films, a kid getting in with the wrong crowd. Was this what it felt like?
A blush heating up her cheeks at that comment, Winnie was slowly returning to her usual self, although the knowledge of the bight prior would stay with her. "My mom loves flowers, she wanted it to be my first name but my father insisted on Winifred, so she made it my middle name." A piece of useless information for the girl, but she was the classic oversharer and was unable to help herself. "Wait, really? I would have assumed you were super creative... If you want... I could show you how to craft a few things?" It would be the prefect bonding opportunity!
✿✿✿ |
│ │ | │ │ | STA: 15 • EVA: 18 • STR: 8 WIS: 11 • ARC: 7 • ACC: 17 | │ │ | • Healing Sage • Muggle Condition • Paragon of Health • • Poison Resistance • Animagus • Wandmaker • Lovely Creature • | │ │ | │ │ |
18 Mar 2022, 21:09
Better Late Than Never
| _ | By Winnie Harper | _ |
"Hmm." Dee was still frowning, unsatisfied with Winnie's explanation. From her perspective, it sounded like she'd been the victim, not the aggressor, and the fact that she'd cast a spell didn't really change that, did it? Perhaps it was hard to judge the situation in its entirety without having been there. Perhaps Winnie was keeping something to herself. Dee wouldn't know and didn't guess, but she let the topic drop. "You think so? I'm still sorry I missed it, you deserved some friends around you on your birthday."
Another disapproving frown when Winnie said she hadn't even gotten to eat any of her own cupcakes. (Those consumed during baking didn't count, everyone knew that.) Really! What a waste. But she shrugged lazily at Winnie's concern. "It'd be unleashing me on them, not the other way around." She grinned, unconcerned. First years or not, some people just needed a good hex every now and then.
Winnie's other concern, however, had Dee's smile slipping into a more confused expression. No, she had not. Dee liked most people she met, and those she didn't also didn't make her want to be around them. Except to hex them, possibly. It was simple as that. "I don't... think so," she replied slowly, her voice lilting upwards towards the end, making it a question. "You mean, there's someone you're friends with who is a bad person?" The most simplistic translation of Winnie's words that she could manage. That situation could perhaps be likened to Dee's relationship with Hana, although that was frankly more of an experiment on Dee's side. They'd made great progress though. Sometimes. "People can change if they want to. Do they know that you think that?"
Presents and flowers, those were easier topics, and the smile returned to Dee's face when Winnie flushed, pleased with herself. "Wait, your name is Winifred?" There was a hint of amusement in her voice, bordering on teasing, but then, who was Dee to judge other people's names? There was a reason she always went by her nickname, after all. "That's cute! Daisy really does suit you. Not that Winnie doesn't. Apparently I'm great at picking out presents, you're welcome."
Dee blinked, then burst out laughing at Winnie's assumption that she had any creative talent. Well. She supposed creativity wasn't the issue, she had many ideas for which 'creative' was most likely a very diplomatic description. The execution of artistic pieces however? Not her strength. "You should have seen the banner I made for the welcome party for Professor Iwasaki last year," Dee shared, a conspiratorial look on her face. "It was supposed to be an eagle. Someone said it looked like a cow. There was a discussion if it should count as abstract art." Shaking her head, Dee leaned back, puffing up her cheeks as if offended. (It was a very transparent pretense.)
Her curiosity was immediately piqued by Winnie's offer to teach her some crafting things, and the pout vanished off her face as quickly as it had come, replaced by eyes alight with attention. Despite a self-affirmed lack of talent, Dee was always happy to try new things. "That sounds fun!" she agreed enthusiastically, nodding. "Do you have something in mind?"
@Winnie Harper
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."