9 Oct 2021, 17:48
Do You Want the Bad News, or the Bad News?
Finding a compartment with@ Lucia Fox.
September 1, 2021
Alexa marched purposefully down the train aisle, her face set grimly, where Lucia couldn't see it. She was steeling herself to tell her best friend about her awful summer…The summer when her mom had died, after suffering through cancer. the summer when her father had lost his job, and seemingly his mind. The summer of pain and misery and loneliness.
"But let's not dwell on that," she muttered to herself sarcastically. Then her face grew sad. Though she was angry with the world, she could never keep it up for long. She just was not an angry person. It wasn't in her nature. Much better to just be quiet and keep to herself, she thought. But she didn't want to lose her friends, and she had already excluded them enough through her lack of writing letters this summer. She had to at least talk to them about what had happened.
Coming to the end of the train, she noticed a compartment with the glass door half open. Hurrying ahead toward it hopefully, she peered around the corner to find it unoccupied. Sighing with relief, she opened the door all of the way and hauled her trunk inside. Being a third-year, and much stronger than she was as a first-year, she was able to lift her trunk and stow it above the seats, albeit with some difficulty, as Lucia came in behind her. After finishing the struggle to get her trunk stowed appropriately, with a huff of air, she collapsed into the seat across from her friend, waiting to see if she needed help with her trunk.
Alexa couldn't help but admire Lucia's gorgeous looks. She was stunningly beautiful, at least Alexei thought so. Idly, she wondered if Lucia was interested in any guys, and made a note in her mind to ask her friend about this. Thinking of guys made Alexa think of Henry, and she felt a twinge of guilt that she hadn't sought him out on the train. But she just has seen him in Diagon Alley two days ago, when she had explained everything to him about her summer. She needed some private time to do the same with Lucia, so she pushed her guilt away. She would be seeing him soon.
When they were settled into their seats, Alexa leaned forward earnestly, resting her elbows on her knees, her hands clasped before her. "Lucia, I – I'm really sorry I stopped writing this summer. Some things happened, things I need to tell you about." Alexa looked down at her hands, her red hair swinging forward to hide her pale face, which had just grown even paler. "You remember how I went to America with my parents, because my mother was sick? She had cancer if you recall. Well, I…" Alexa trailed off. How was she supposed to say this? Her stomach roiled, and she felt sick. "That is to say, I mean, what I'm trying to say is," her voice grew very soft, almost inaudible. "She didn't make it."
A tear slipped down from her eye, traitorous thing, and she dashed it away hurriedly. There. She had said it. Didn't that mean the hard part was over now?
Sta: 6 Eva: 8 Str: 4 Wis: 9 AP: 9 Acc: 9
Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.
– Albus Dumbledore
8 Nov 2021, 07:50
Do You Want the Bad News, or the Bad News?
I'm so so so sorry this is so late
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[ @Alexa Mackenzie ]
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Lucia patted her shoulder bag and felt a little shake that meant River was still inside. A few days ago, the Hufflepuff had broached the subject of getting a travel cage for her pygmy puff, but Ebony had just looked a little confused and pointed out that River probably prefered snuggling down in Lucia's cardigan anyway, which was quite true With this in mind, Lucia had padded the bottom of her bag with said cardigan so River would be comfy. Now, she reached inside and lifted the purple puff out, placing her onto her shoulder. River squeaked a little in protest and pressed herself against Lucia's neck, which was her way of hiding when there wasn't actually anywhere to hide. It was surprisingly tickly, and Lucia giggled, completely ignorant of Alexa's current inner turmoil.
After following her friend into an empty compartment, Lucia picked up River again and put her down in the centre of the table, along with her shoulder bag and the cardigan from it, which the puff immediately burrowed into. Lucia looked up at Alexa, who was pushing her trunk onto the overhead racks, and crouched down, opening up her own trunk. She quickly pulled out her wand and then closed it again. "Wingardium Leviosa. Merlin knows, they could've made a version of the Undetectable Extension Charm that makes things weigh less as well, but nope," Lucia said cheerfully to Alexa as she levitated her battered trunk up onto the rack and then sat down on a seat opposite her fellow Hufflepuff.
She'd just opened her mouth to say something when Alexa cut in, leaning forward, her voice wavering. Lucia nodded, not really sure what she was supposed to say, and then listened with growing anxiety as Alexa told her about her summer. "Oh, Merlin." That was all Lucia could really think of to say. What were you supposed to say to something like that? "Alexa, I'm so sorry." And she was, truly - but probably not exactly as you were supposed to be when someone died. Lucia had never met Alexa's mother, and her sadness wasn't for her; it was for the people she'd left behind. Was this grief she was feeling just mirrored from Alexa's? Or was it her own? "I..." Lucia blinked, and then got up and sat next to her friend. She put an arm around Alexa's shoulders. "I'm... here for you." Was that enough? Ebony had never told her how etiquette dictated you were supposed to react to someone telling you that their parent had died. Was there etiquette for that? Lucia supposed it didn't really matter. Even if there was, Lucia had never really felt obligated to follow the rules Ebony had set for her when talking to Alexa. Best friends were the exception. Right now, Lucia was just going off a mixture of what she'd read in books, and gut instinct.
│= | #00308F ency • cassie heather | =│ | breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out Part-Veela • Alluring • Perfectionist • Scream • Sta 9 • Eva 9 • Stre 4 • Wis 10 • Arc 8 • Acc 9 | │ |