The Unwilling Heir PV closed

Blue in English, Red in Korean

Quite frankly, Eun-ji thought this whole thing was completely ridiculous. It must have shown on her face too because Charles smiled, looking quite amused. “Don't think about it too much. It's a rich people thing. You probably won't ever get used to it but I'm confident you'll do well tonight. You carry yourself better than half of those individuals out there.” It was nice of him. He was trying to reassure her as always but there was just so many people. She was used to performing for a big audience however those people usually came to see the ballet and to see her performing it. The ones that were here most likely came for the event, the prestige..and well...some gossip as well she supposed. No one really came for her, right? “Come on. You were eager to ruffle Mrs. Hunts’ feathers a bit or did you forget already?” Well, no...she did not forget but watching her grandparents now from behind the curtain, she was feeling much less confident. Still, they practiced a lot and it would be shame not to use it to embarrass her grandparents a little. Speaking of the pair, she looked from behind the curtain once again. Her grandfather was simply standing there as a quiet yet menacing support while her grandmother gave her little speech. They were both on the low balcony overlooking the dancing floor most likely to make sure all guests would hear them.

“Welcome dear friends and our esteemed guests. We are so happy to have you here. Please do let us or any of our staff know if you need anything and above all else…have fun.” She would smile then and repeat this in French. So there are some foreign guests as well. Eun-ji swallowed nervously. Anemone’s smile looked sincere, which made the girl scoff. “Now, as many of you know, this is not just any regular ball. We have invited you here tonight to introduce our only granddaughter and heir to the Hunts family bloodline.” Wait a minute? A heir? The Ravenclaw looked at Charles, confusion clear on her face. The boy shrugged, looking just as surprised. “They didn’t tell me either.” He confirmed aloud. Of course, they didn’t…he would tell her and she would have never agreed to attend this shit show. “We did our best to educate her and figured it was time to introduce her to the society. Together with her fiancé, Charles Magnolis.” Oh God…why would she say that? What if there were people she actually knew? The two of them were just pretending to get her grandparents off their back. This was not supposed to happen. “Oh my…I didn’t expect things to get this messy. Are you going to be okay?” Her partner gently touched her shoulder. It did ground her a little but she was still furious. “I don’t know.” The girl answered honestly. “I should have expected it though. By doing this, she is basically saying my heritage is not perfect but they are going to fix that. Just a little error that will not be repeated in future generations.” She blanked out most of what was said afterwards.

“…and without further ado, let me introduce my granddaughter Eun-ji Hunt. She has prepared a little performance for you. Please be kind.” This was Eun-ji’s que to step out from behind the curtain. She really didn’t want to yet there was no way back now. Linking her arm with Charles, the witch finally entered the spotlight. Bowing slightly to greet the guests, she let herself be led downstairs to the (for now) empty dance floor. Looking very confident, she was wearing a white and gold dress, which were hugging her body frame perfectly. The skirt was still loose however, so it would twirl and sparkle as she danced. Her grandparents expected a beautiful waltz of course. Something elegant and appropriate for the event but that was NOT what she had in mind. Her partner grinned at her. He was actually enjoying this, wasn't he? Eun-ji supposed he had very little opportunity to be rebellious until now so it made sense. The two of them separated, walking to the opposite sides of the dancing floor and the girl looked at her grandmother one last time, giving her a subtle smirk. She was not going to like this. The woman hated tango. She thought it was lewd and unladylike. Definitely not what she had in mind for this event but that’s precisely why the Ravenclaw chose it. Just imagining her trying to regain composure in front the esteemed families brought her a great joy. Good thing the woman was sitting for her performance. Suddenly the confidence Eun-ji always felt during dancing came back to her tenfold. This was her turf. She was a dancer…an excellent one.

Nodding at the orchestra, the witch let the tune carry her steps towards Charles. He would do well too. She could see that during their practice sessions and he was not someone that would feel intimidated by the crowd either. It was perfect really. Eun-ji didn’t bother to watch the audience rather, she focused on her dance partner as their expressions were an important part of their performance. When dancing tango, you were supposed to look like lovers even when that was not the case. Any moment when she was not facing him was then used to stare at her grandmother. It was a clear look of defiance and she enjoyed watching Anemone struggle to keep her facade. She did avoid looking at her grandfather however. That man was scary; she’d deal with him later. (PLEASE WATCH THIS video for reference. I’m sorry for the annoying Ivy picture in some parts. I had to do it due to copyright issues -_- If it doesn’t work then just check the gif in the banner. The music would be El Tango De Roxanne).

Once the performance was over, both Eun-ji and Charles would bow to the crowd. The witch didn’t care about their reactions to be honest. Despite the intent behind the dance, she did a marvellous job and if they didn’t like it then it was their problem. Finally, the girl could hear Mrs. Hunt clear her throat. Took you long enough. “Well…now that’s that over, please do enjoy the rest of the evening everybody. Dance, drink, eat and enjoy the company. We’ll do our best to make your stay as amazing as possible.” Charles leaned towards Eun-ji then. “Good job…now comes the hard part,” he whispered into her ear. “Mingling?” she retorted, gently holding onto his arm. “Mingling,” he confirmed putting on his most charming smile. He was used to these type of events, he would help her get through the night for sure.

OOC Note: You don’t have to interact with Eun-ji if you don’t want to. There is are plenty people to choose from but I would expect some reaction to the welcome speech/performance first before you go off to do whatever you wish to do. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions/plans. I will try to moderate if you want/need me to (with Cash who generously offered to help since I have no prior experience).

Roleplaying as Castor Alarie July 23, 2022 Beauxbatons

French English

The Alaries were no stranger to great bustling parties. Balls, meetings, whatever you may call them, the family had been to every one of them about a million times over. It was easy for someone with less the experience to be dazzled by the bright decorations and large ballrooms lit by warm lights and soft symphony’s that strummed and tapped in the background. But when you had been doing this since leaving the womb, you learn how to be accustomed to it.

Castor Alarie strolled beside her mother and father, the only child from the Alarie family available to attend the ball. Jeanne and Andre had flown to their aunt and uncles house to help assist them with a large project regarding numbers and letters Castor couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Manon was, to her parents dismay, working on her career in fashion design in the busier parts of Paris. Of course all four of the siblings would have to return to school in a few months, but in the Alarie household, it is never too early to begin working towards greatness. Castor, however, didn’t have much greatness to work towards yet, being as young and skill-lacking as any other twelve year old may be. So here she was, black dress swaying just below her knees and hair clipped back by bobby pins.

One of the biggest things her parents had insisted was that her clothing must balance modesty and fashion. There’s a fine line between too much and too little, and Castor balanced on it with poise and practice. Her dress was a charcoal black turtleneck, tied together neatly in the back. The collar was decorated by ornate lace design, and the same went for the ends of her sleeves and the hem of her skirt. The dress was thin to keep away the summer heat and the warmth of so many bodies inside the ballroom, though it wasn’t unseemly with its modest design and dark color. Her parents always told her that if she wanted to blend in, she would find a darker color and stick with it. So she did, finishing off the outfit with a pair of black Mary Janes and frilly socks.

She stood in the crowd lamely, watching the front of the room as a woman spoke clearly to the crowd of rich-folk. Castor recognized the lady as Anemone, a fairly known woman in the Ministry. The French girl was sure her parents had spoken to the woman at least a few times in their career, but sometimes Castor wondered if her parents even spoke at all, much less to the others in the ministry.

As the speech came to an end and a couple emerged from the curtains, Castor became increasingly more curious. The two looked at each other lovingly, breaking away into a fantastic dance. The Witch had never seen a dance just as that ever to be performed at an event such as this one. It was dramatic and alluring, seeming to go on for hours until it ended to feel like it had only been a few seconds. Castor couldn’t help but let a grin spread across her face as she clapped politely to the couple on the stage. It was so bold and bright, the French girl couldn’t help but be astonished. She could never eclipse something so spectacular.

Once the final words were spoken, the soft strum of music filled the air once more and the crowd began to chatter amongst themselves.

The Alarie parents had left her side as soon as the dance was over, and now Castor was lost in the sea of rich and esteemed. She pushed forward.

WC: 630

Lucia had forgotten about the ball.

It had been there on the calendar ever since she got home from Hogwarts - 'H ball, get dresses'. On the third day of the holidays, the get dresses command was slashed through by a confident line of ink when Ebony went shopping, armed with the money raised from selling the dresses she, Lucia, and Briar had worn to the latest fancy events they had attended. In an effort to spend as little money on outfits as possible while also appearing to have limitless money to spend, Ebony had developed a routine of only keeping three formal, ball-appropriate dresses in the house at any one time: one for herself, one for Lucia, and one for Lucia's younger sister Briar. (Willow, at eight, was too young to attend fancy balls.) When the next event popped up on the calendar, she would sell them for as much as possible and buy second-, third-, or even fourth-hand dresses to replace them. If any alterations needed to be made, both Ebony's wand and her trusty sewing basket were on hand. If needed, Lucia could help out with the sewing and both she and Briar could retrieve their wands from their trunks. Yes, it was illegal for underaged wixes to use magic outside of Hogwarts, but in a building frequented by wixes, nobody was going to know that it was Lucia and Briar doing the casting. It could be the family house-elf, Rosa, for all the Ministry knew.

In any case, Lucia thought she was used to the pre-event routine, but she was surprised this time when Ebony returned with not three, but four dresses. Lucia found her eyes drawn to the smallest of the selection, a modest and simple dark green dress with a tea-length skirt. "Willow's coming?" She was only eight! Surely Ebony didn't mean to introduce her to the suffocating world of pureblood engagements so early?
Ebony, though, defied expectations by giving a curt nod and holding the dress up in front of Willow's now wide-eyed form. "No time like the present."
"She's eight," Lucia protested, turning to the middle Fox sister for backup. "Come on, Briar, help me out."
Briar just shrugged, moving to take her own purple dress from the back of the sofa where Ebony had laid them out. "We were going to balls at eight."
"Yeah, Lucy," Willow agreed, delight seeping through her words as she held the dress to her shoulders, admiring her reflection in the mirror on the wall. "What's the difference?"
Lucia sighed, and decided to leave the matter alone. She could keep an eye on her youngest sister when they got there. Although... where were they actually going? When Ebony had left the room to look for her sewing box, Lucia asked Briar. "Who's the host?"
"Uh," Briar paused as she made to leave for hers and Lucia's shared bedroom in order to change into her 'new' outfit. "Hunter? Something like that."
Lucia nodded, and followed.

The dress which Ebony had chosen for her eldest was similar to the one which Lucia had worn at the Fall Ball. Its sparkly tulle skirt was a joy to spin around in, and the assymetric style of the sleeveless bodice was suited to a summer occasion. Only a few adjustments had needed to be made. The waist had been a little too large for Lucia, but that was easily remedied by tying a dark sash around it. A stain was removed with a call of "Scourgify!", while the colour-changing charm was used to bring back its full colour, since it had come to them rather faded. To complete the outfit, Lucia painted her nails blue and used her Comb of Vanity to pull her hair (returned to its natural black colour with the hair-colour-changing charm) into a fancy bun. The only jewelry she decided on was a pair of blue earrings and a silver circlet, both of which she'd borrowed from her mother on previous occasions. After buckling the same sandals she'd worn to every ball for the past three years, Lucia swung her bag over her shoulder and made her way downstairs, where she was surprised to learn that the venue was close enough for the family to take a Muggle bus.

The bus stop was a few minutes away from the manor, so Lucia, Briar, and Willow had to endure walking there in their sandals. Ebony, predictably, strode ahead, her own shoes apparently not bothering her. At the door, they were greeted by one of the hosts and ushered into the house. Well, if you could call it that. You'd think that, after going to Hogwarts and growing up attending parties such as these, Lucia would grow used to the extravagant celebrations of the rich. You'd be wrong. Though she tried to hide it, the flowery ballroom took her breath away, and she held on to Willow's hand even as the latter pulled at her, wanting to explore. "Off you go," Ebony said airily, spotting a woman whom Lucia knew wasn't her friend but pretended to be. Everything was so duplicitous in this world. "Keep an eye on Willow." The last sentence was obviously directed at Lucia, since Briar had already spotted a real friend and gone to them. Laughing, Lucia let herself be pulled into the crowd by her little sister, gladly accepting her role of chaperone.

After the sisters had visited probably every little corner of the giant room, Willow turned to Lucia. "Can we dance?"
Lucia paused. It wasn't that she didn't want to dance with Willow, but that she didn't know Willow was interested in the sort of dancing that would be going on here. It saddened her. Before she'd gone to Hogwarts, she'd known every detail about her sister. The literal distance between them had created something of a divide, now that they weren't sharing almost every minute of every day. "Maybe we should-" But she was interrupted. Lucia looked up to the fancy staircase to a woman - presumably the main host - who gave a little speech. Though she looked attentive, Lucia found her mind wandering. She'd heard this sort of thing a million times before. Thank you for coming, have fun, et cetera, et cetera. But then her attention was caught again by one word. Hunts. As... as in Eun-ji's family? No, she must have heard wrong. Briar had said Hunter, Lucia knew she had. But she hadn't seemed sure... The speech continued. Education. Society. Fiancé.

Willow yelped as Lucia gripped her hand too tightly, needing something to ground her. If this was for Eun-ji- if this woman was Eun-ji's grandmother, the one who'd provided her with all those fancy clothes she didn't want to have- if this was real- The next words confirmed it. Eun-ji Hunt. Lucia wasn't sure whether she was more horrified at the fact that the woman had missed out part of Eun-ji's name, or the fact that it really was @Eun-ji Lee Hunt, right there, stepping into the ballroom with a calm smile plastered onto her face and a boy (no, a young man) on her arm. The dance they gave was beautiful, of course - Lucia hadn't expected a tango, but Eun-ji performed it with the same grace that she danced anything - but Lucia found herself fixated on the couple's faces rather than their movement. What was Eun-ji thinking? What was her fiancé thinking? The dance came to an end before Lucia was ready and she applauded quickly before dragging Willow forwards with her, unwilling to let the eight-year-old out of her sight.

Lucia may not have rehearsed, but getting through the crowd was a dance all the same. Tugging her sister along behind her, she hopped over people's shoes and avoided their drinks and sidestepped through couples, intent on reaching her goal. And when she saw her, it was all she could do not to launch herself at the Ravenclaw girl. Instead, she waved frantically. "Eun-ji! Eun-ji!" she called to get her attention. Once she was close enough, she let Willow go to give her friend a hug. Suddenly, she found she didn't want to let go. She could only imagine how strange this must be for her friend, and if this was the only way she could comfort her then so be it. "She- she didn't even say all of your name," Lucia burst out. "I'm so sorry."

Eliza still hadn't been able to make up her mind whether or not she liked the pureblood parties her parents dragged her to, as she adored getting ready and dancing but hated the socializing aspects. Ever since she was a little girl she wanted to make her parents proud but she didn't understand the big deal about joining this specific party in a foreign country. Before the family left, her father had emphasized the importance of making a good impression on the other families what seemed like a thousand times and her mother was twice as worried about their appearance than normal for these types of parties. However, neither of her brothers appeared to care more about this event than any other they had been to, both still joking around when the family of five arrived at the manor.

With perfect posture and graceful as always, Eliza followed her parents into the ballroom with her brothers right behind her. Not even the bad jokes her brothers exchanged behind her in Russian could ruin the breathtaking appearance of the ballroom. Distracted by the soft music that played as her parents introduced themselves and the family to some of the other guests and quite possibly some of the hosts as well, the girl didn't catch any of the names. The parents continued greeting other people as their children parted from them and walked through the ballroom, Elizaveta quietly following her brothers, stunned by the breathtaking room. Despite the Mikhailov family name being quite well-known in their home country, it was less so in the UK. It was something her father wanted to see change desperately, which was probably why he and his wife stayed to talk with some other adults, most likely from other wealthy pureblood families.

Just before the hostess started talking, the parents joined their kids again. After giving her mom an adorable smile, Eliza focused her attention on the lady who was now introducing her granddaughter. Both the girl and the boy on her side that appeared were dressed absolutely stunning and could have stepped right out of a fairy tale, the raven-haired girl being the daughter of the king's most trusted advisor and the other a simple stable boy who won over the girl's heart. It didn't take long before Elizaveta had made up a whole story about the two lovers as she watched them dance in awe. Maybe one day she would be the one dressed so beautiful with such a handsome fiancé by her side to guide her through the dance at a party that was thrown for her. Quickly making a mental note to beg her mother for a similar party but bigger and better once she had found the love of her life, she watched the pair dance. She could only imagine how happy the dancing girl must feel in the arms of the man she loves like a dream coming true and once the dance was finished she clapped for the pair, still amazed by the girl's dancing skills.

After the family talked for a bit her parents left again to make some small talk with other guests and her oldest brother took off to explore the ballroom, leaving the two youngest siblings alone. The silence that had fallen between the two was broken by her brother. "El, why don't you go talk to that girl over there," he said encouraging as he guided her to look at a girl seemingly similar in age dressed in a black dress. "She seems nice, doesn't she?" Eliza's brother always tried to have her make new friends wherever they went, even though it was clear his sister was fine with the few friends she had. "But I don't want to," she replied in Russian, looking at her brother with puppy eyes. Once her brother had set his mind to something he could be really persistent and Eliza knew she wouldn't win an argument with him. Another thing she knew was that her father wouldn't appreciate his children making a scene in front of the people he was trying to impress, so when her brother repeated she should talk to the other girl she gave in to his request reluctantly.

The encouraging smile she was given by her brother when she looked back over her shoulder helped her calm down her nerves and the blonde managed to put a little smile on her face, before approaching the other girl. "Hello," she greeted the other in English. "My name is Elizaveta Mikhailov," her voice sweet as honey while she gracefully offered her hand for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you," she continued, her Russian accent vaguely hearable. Her glossy lips were formed into a diplomatic smile and her chin slightly lifted, making it possible for her to come off as arrogant but in her green eyes hesitation could be found. Over the years Eliza had become quite good at masking her nervousness when talking to somebody new and most people wouldn't notice her sweety palms, the uncomfortable shifting of her bracelet or the slightly deeper breaths the girl was taking in order to calm herself down.

Blue in English, Red in Korean

Eun-ji’s task now was to go around and introduce herself to as many people as possible. She was to represent the Hunts well if she didn’t want to piss them off any further. She had shook a few hands as she walked through the crowd and exchanged some pleasantries. Mostly though, she was searching for someone at least close to her age to talk to first. She would have to speak with the adults too of course but starting with teenagers seemed far less dreadful. Before she could choose her first victim however, she overheard a familiar voice calling her name. A VERY familiar voice. Lucia? Oh no…

It was not that she didn’t want to see her friend. Any other occasion the part-veela would have been a sight for sore eyes but here? Eun-ji didn’t want her to witness this. This was her personal hell and her friends being in any way part of it felt almost unbearable. She liked being able to pretend everything was fine, which would be much more difficult after today. There was no turning back now however. The Hufflepuff had an ugly sneak peek into her private life and so Eun-ji simply stood there and waited for the inevitable. She watched the girl let go of her family member, sister perhaps? she had couple of those if she remembered correctly, and go for a hug almost immediately. Because of course she was. For most people, it was a natural reaction when trying to comfort someone or offer support. Charles let go of her slender arm just in time to avoid any uncomfortable collisions. “Well hello to you too.” The Ravenclaw said into the embrace trying to make it less awkward for herself as well as make it seem like everything was perfectly fine. The only issue was, her friend was not letting go. Her heart felt warm, fully understanding the intent behind the action but her brain was screaming at her to fix this. Her grandparents were watching and they would not appreciate any emotional scenes in the middle of their perfect event. And so it was her who eventually let go, smiling at Lucia as she did so.

In all honesty, Eun-ji was surprised at her friend's earlier remark though she probably shouldn't have been. The Hufflepuff was always quite perceptive. Eun-ji was indeed bothered by the fact that her grandmother omitted her preferred last name but she expected nothing less from her. It was her father's name. The muggle's name. Anemone would never ever call her that. “Thank you,” she whispered gratefully. 'For worrying' remained unsaid although Lucia would probably understand. Shifting her gaze for a mere second, the Ravenclaw noticed her grandparents watching. No doubt, they would soon leave the balcony and mingle with the guests as well but for now they were still observing her. Like two predators would their prey, daring her to make another mistake. Barely stopping herself from sighing, Eun-ji put her best social smile back on. At least they couldn't hear her…Seeing her behave more proper, the couple finally made their way down the stairs and into the sea of guests. Good.

“To be fair I think it's the first time I heard her use my first name so I'd say we are making progress.” In fact, none of the Hunts, save her mother, used her first name ever since she changed it. It was always girl, you or something much less civil. “I’m so sorry you had to be part of this charade. Let’s hope we don’t have to suffer here for too long.” Surely, there was a better way Lucia could be spending her evening. “Oh but where are my manners.” Eun-ji looked at the two companions that were suddenly left unattended. She’d let Lucia introduce hers in her own time while she pointed at the young man by her side. “This is Charles. He is my…” Technically speaking the boy was already introduced to Lucia but she didn’t want any misunderstandings between them. She knew that the pretty badger would keep her secret but what if...what if it somehow got out at Hogwarts. What would her other friends think? For some reason, her immediate concern was Flash. She was now starting to understand that he held a special place in her heart. Or perhaps she knew for some time already but simply elected to ignore it because it was safer. She couldn't afford to like someone now. Especially someone, who didn't come from a pure-blood family. That was just a disaster waiting to happen. And in any case, the Slytherin saw her as a friend at best. It would do her no good to dwell on such feelings. “…dear friend and partner in crime.” She finally decided, finishing her sentence.

It was hard to read her ‘fiancé’s face and what he thought about her reply. He did smile at her friend however and offered his hand to shake. All charming as always. “Charles, this is Lucia.” The Ravenclaw didn’t need to explain any further. She didn’t have many friends at Hogwarts so it took very little time to tell the boy about them. “Ah, nice to meet you Lucia. Good to finally meet Eun-ji’s friend from Hogwarts. I go to Ilvermorny so I don’t get to see much of her school life.” While the two of them talked, Eun-ji noticed a flash of red hair further away from them. She knew Kim would be here of course and made a mental note to point him out to Charles later. For now though, Lucia had her full attention.

Roleplaying as Castor Alarie July 23, 2022 Beauxbatons

French English

The room became quite alive in a matter of moments, the orchestra continuing to play warmly and the chatter rising. Castor struggled to politely move around the guests, searching for a safe haven to rest at. Her mother and father wouldn’t care if the girl didn’t talk to anyone for the entire night. They would, however, care if she made a fool of herself in front of some of the most esteemed individuals the area had to offer.

She noticed a girl approaching quite quickly. It was a common sight, someone else trying to subtly grow closer to another before sparking conversation. Castor rarely had to do it, of course, as she didn’t like talking to people.

When the girl greeted herself, Castor noticed her accent to be ridged with Russian, and her stance to be a practiced and known method of masking something or other. Castor didn’t really care what.

”Castor Alarie. A pleasure.” Castor replied, accentuating her French accent to show her roots. She shook the other’s hand gently, putting on a smile that stayed at her lips and didn’t travel to her eyes. She looked the girl up and down for a moment, searching for something. “Might I say, that dress is beautiful. It compliments your hair wonderfully.” It was true. Castor liked to think she had an eye for fashion.

Her father would repeat on many occasions that you need to create a straightforward personality for the public to see. This would help them to resonate with you and view you as more human. Castor had chosen the cool, settled look, a calm and proper girl. She wouldn’t have it any other way, as it was always easiest to act like you don’t care rather than act like you care a lot. There was no middle.

“That dance was beautiful. It’s rare you see such a bold thing on stage, especially at these functions.” Castor attempted to create conversation.

WC: 342

Blue in English, Red in Korean

“If you need to leave...” I do, she wanted to say. Eun-ji wanted to leave for the longest time now and she didn’t mean just this particular event. She felt like a bird trapped in a golden cage. Fancy and sparkling on the outside but suffocating once you dug a little bit deeper. Not that she would let anybody dug that deep. She was always taught to take responsibility for her own life and she fully intended to do so even now as she felt everything she held dear slipping through her fingers. At least Lucia would be fine. She was a pureblood so her grandparents wouldn’t dare to wrong her in any way. If nothing else, the Ravenclaw would be allowed to keep her as a friend. She wasn’t so sure about any of the other ones though. It has been a constant headache of hers for the past twelve months. Thankfully, the question was forgotten once the introductions came into play. Eun-ji didn't think she would be able to answer that one without revealing the misery behind her calm and collected façade.

Eun-ji was a tad surprised by her friend's unusual wary attitude towards her 'fiancé' but Charles didn't seem to mind. He shook Lucia's hand, looking completely unfazed by her attitude or the follow up questions. Eun-ji assumed it was either because he was trained extremely well when it came to social interactions or simply let it slide because he knew Lucia was one of her closest friends. Maybe a little bit of both. “Ah…I’ll be graduating next year.” The raven-haired witch was already aware of this of course. They were not that far apart in age but the fact that he was finishing school so soon sometimes made her feel like the gap between was somewhat larger than it actually was. “Don’t worry though. She still has four years if she wants to escape my clutches.” That much was true. The law that raised the age for marriage to 18 in the UK came into effect this year...much to her grandmother's displeasure of course. The boy was obviously trying to pass it as a joke but Eun-ji couldn’t help but feel that he sounded almost…sad? Disappointed? She couldn’t quite tell but it was confusing her for sure. In a sense, she was actually glad when Lucia’s companion intervened, reminding everybody that she was yet to be introduced.

Eun-ji didn’t like kids. It was a fact no one besides her family (and recently Charles) knew about her. It was not really a fun trivia you wanted to share with everybody. Still, this was Lucia’s sister and she was around eight, wasn’t she? That was a manageable age in her opinion. Strangely enough, children usually liked the Ravenclaw. She did have her ways with them without even trying it seemed. Perhaps because she spent a lot of time around patients in hospitals and learned how to approach humans of any kind, kids included. There were even a couple of kids she genuinely liked and she wanted to achieve the same with this one. Eun-ji cared about Lucia deeply and that meant her family was important to her as well…as long as they were good to the Hufflepuff of course. She sincerely hoped there was no one like the Hunts in her inner circle. “Well hello there, Willow. It’s very nice to meet you.” She spoke softly and gave the young girl a gentle smile before shaking her hand. “You look lovely by the way. Do you have everything you need? Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t. Your sister is a very dear friend of mine so I want you to have a good time too tonight, okay?”