the rest is confetti

We toss love around like confetti; We drizzle ourselves in stardust. BEWITCHED CHARITY LORNA BURBAGE

[xantoninxdolohovx]

“Who doesn’t like the sound of their own voice? Someone who does has far more pressing problems than a dart game.”

He mirrored her throw with a quick, unceremonious flick of the wrist, no hesitation, no flourish. The dart struck clean enough. He didn’t even glance at the board for confirmation, his focus fixed back on her.

“As for your drink?” His smile edged toward sly. “You said not the obvious choice, so not firewhisky. That’s what I’d take, whatever’s strongest, depending on the venue. But you,” his eyes flicked over her, calculating, “you strike me as the sort who demands attention. So it would need to do the same. Something that looks extravagant, almost irritating to prepare, so the bartender resents you slightly while everyone else notices.”

He leaned back a fraction, smirk tugging at his mouth. “Probably a Flaming Chimaera, half spectacle, half actual danger, strong enough to burn your throat raw if you’re careless, but still sweet on the tongue. Suits you. Showy, and entirely capable of doing damage.”

[bbcharity]

Charity let out a soft, playful laugh, her eyes sparkling as she leaned a little closer, letting her arm brush against his. “A Flaming Chimaera, huh? Bold choice,” she murmured, voice low and teasing. “Half spectacle, half danger… I like that. Makes me want to see if it’s as fiery as you say.”

She tilted her head, giving him a sly smile. “I think sharing one of those with you might be… entertaining. Risky, yes, but that’s half the fun, isn’t it?” Her fingers toyed lightly with the edge of the dartboard as she watched him, genuinely intrigued by his words and the way he carried himself.

The witch tossed another dart with easy precision, still keeping her gaze on him. “But you know,” she said with a sly tilt of her head, “darts can be a little boring. And you… you don’t strike me as someone who’d settle for boring. How about we make the next round a little more interesting? Something that actually tests skill-- and nerves.”

[beckavery]

"I'd rather have them think I was sick then turned off by something they did. I try not to insult that many people and when we're both in bed, seems the worst place to say her breath was rancid. I didn't realize the girl had a complex and couldn't read the signs. She ended up making soup and I pretended to pass out from being tired," he explained candidly, thinking it might be the liquor that was turning his usual dryness into a blanket of honesty. His lips lifted into a rare chuckle at her turn of confession. "That's definitely better than what I would've done."

A list of names came to his mind and he used the silence to take his own shot and chase it down with the other cocktail. "Just one?" he mused aloud. "Probably tied between Estelle and Pandora." Beck paused, thinking about both and the other names he could've listed like Snape, Dorcas, and Rosier. He was still paying for the consequences of most of those. "Though I did have a schoolboy feelings on Bellatrix...took awhile to grow out of that. I think. I don't know if Rodolphus would like it too much if I made a move on his wife." Beck turned slightly to face her more, the alcohol sotening the edges of his focus. "Who is a person you want to sleep with and haven't?"

[bbcharity]

Charity leaned back, swirling her glass as if thinking deeply, though her smirk betrayed just how much she was enjoying the conversation. “Quite the roster you’ve got there, Avery,” she said, voice playful but measured. “Estelle, Pandora… a little schoolboy crush on Bellatrix. Not surprising, though. You’re… selective. Cautious, even. Careful not to insult anyone, and maybe a bit haunted by past mistakes."

Charity leaned back slightly, swirling her drink with a smirk. “As for me… well, I could rattle off a list just as long, but let’s be honest, it would get tedious. There are some people who… catch your eye without even trying, make you question your own rules.Florence Yaxley’s definitely on the list… and I’d actually consider hooking up with you too.” She let her eyes flick to him, sharp and playful. “So… are you a good shag, Avery?”

[xantoninxdolohovx]

Antonin let the corner of his mouth tilt, though it never reached his eyes. “Most people wouldn’t relish being called messy, much less claim it with pride. But,” he gave a faint shrug, deliberate and unhurried, “to each their own. If you thrive in disorder, who am I to spoil your fun?”

He took up a dart, testing its weight between his fingers before continuing. “People are hemmed in, whether by rules or fears or simple habit. It’s the nature of things. But I don’t think a person can be too far off with their thoughts. The way they frame the world, chaos or order, risk or restraint, that’s what makes them worth watching.”

He flicked the dart toward the board without looking, the soft thud punctuating his words. “So no, you’re not too far off. You’re just speaking your piece. And sometimes,” his gaze settled on her again, “it’s the way the thought lands that matters more than whether it hits the center.”

[bbcharity]

Charity let out a low laugh, sharp enough to slice clean through the weight of his words. “Merlin, Dolohov. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you liked hearing yourself talk more than the game.” Her dart finally left her hand, landing off-center with a soft thud, but she didn’t even bother to glance at the board, clearly more interested in the sparring than the score.

She shifted her weight, leaning back against the stall with deliberate ease, eyes flicking toward him instead of the target. “So tell me something actually useful: what’s the first drink you’d put in my hand after this? And don’t think you can get away with the obvious choice. I’m warning you, I judge a man’s taste very, very harshly.”

Her grin widened, all teeth and amusement. “Might even say your answer will tell me more about you than any speech on chaos or order ever could.”

[florenceyaxley]

"Absolutely never," she confirmed with a serious nod. "I take nights out very seriously." However her show of seriousness disappeared a second later when Charity's fingers brushed her cheek and a faint blush followed in their wake. She laughed softly, shaking her head. "And I'd hate to disappoint."

Once they had fresh drinks Florence twirled her straw between her fingers, looking over at Charity. "So were you on a date?"

[bbcharity]

Charity laughed, rolling her eyes as she picked up her drink. “I was, technically,” she admitted with a careless shrug. “But let’s just say the wizard was a bit… peculiar. Ten minutes in, and he was passionately describing his collection of self-stirring cauldrons. Riveting, really.”

She took a slow sip, setting her glass down with a smirk. “So I decided my night deserved better company. And lucky me, look who I found.”

[themaxgoldstein]

Max would believe that he held a hard poker face as it was something that he practiced and was unusually good at. He could create a believable lie with easy effort. It was why task forces in New York, both Muggle and No Maj alike, couldn't catch him. His mouth raised into a smirk at her words, feeling like he couldn't lie to her in that moment. He was fresh from his loss and still looked entertained by her. "You'd make a good auror," he grins as he collects his stuff to stand, hellbent on skipping the next fight that was being set up.

Once they were outside, he brought the cigarette to his lips for one exhale before offering it to Charity. His eyes burned with something that hedged on hope and nostalgia. "So," he starts, raising a brow. "What's your big idea that's better than that? You got me out here, Burbage. What's your next move?"

[bbcharity]

She accepted the cigarette between her fingers like it was a dare, brushing past his hand just enough to linger. Charity didn’t look away as she took a drag, eyes fixed on him through the curl of smoke before handing it back. “My next move?” she echoed, stepping closer until the space between them was more suggestion than distance. Her shoulder nearly brushed his chest, her voice a low tease. “You think I dragged you out here with a plan? Maybe I just missed the company.”

Her smile was wicked, the kind that promised trouble. The witch tilted her head up to meet his eyes, letting her gaze drop briefly to his mouth before rising again. “Or maybe,” she added, softer now, “I just wanted to see if you’re still as fun as I remember.” Her fingers tugged lightly at his jacket, playful and intentional. “We could crash an after-party I heard about,” she mused, lips quirking as if already amused by the thought. “Raise a little hell, drink someone else’s liquor…” She leaned in closer, her breath brushing his ear. “Or we could skip it altogether, end up somewhere with fewer eyes."

[allabbottme]

who : @bbcharity

where : outside the three broomsticks

Stepping outside of the Three Broomsticks, Anthony placed a small token from his eldest sister in his trouser pocket, his other hand holding a seasonal butterbeer which Rosmerta had given to him, on the house. The perks of being related to the owner, Anthony supposed. He had just raised the glass to his lips when he felt somebody shove into the back of him as a swell passed in the nearby crowd, causing him to spill the contents of the glass over the person in front.

"Shit- I'm sorry. Would you believe me if I told you it was that guy?" Anthony fussed, setting the glass on a nearby barrel and reaching for his wand. "Please, allow me." He gestured towards the stain.

[bbcharity]

She startled at the sudden chill of butterbeer soaking through her sleeve, though the expletive and flustered apology made her laugh before she could muster up any indignation. “Well, that’s one way to say hello,” the witch teased lightly, flicking her wrist as if to inspect the sticky mess but clearly not too put out. “I’d almost be impressed if you’d aimed that well on purpose.”

She tilted her head, a playful glint in her eyes. “Though I have to admit… it’s not every day someone manages to make me spill my drink and my composure at the same time.” Charity leaned back a touch, giving him room if he still meant to tidy up the damage. “Go on then—show me your best cleaning charm. If you botch it, I reserve the right to laugh.”

[hcalingherbs]

There was no denying that anything with lavender appeared to be an acquired taste. Perhaps it was her upbringing, all those years spent out in a garden that was filled with the plant in question and somehow had, next to tulips, become her favorite but the brunette was very much there for it and happy to give it a try. What was the harm in that either way.

Still, her face lit up with a grin. "They do have some rose toffees. No rosewater, though." A slender finger pointed toward a stack of odd shaped toffees with a sign proclaiming just that. "It does sound a bit too much like bathing oil for my taste." Despite her love for lavender. She supposed that was the odd one out.

With a chuckle she held up a bag. "Well, go ahead and see for yourself if the strawberry pops live up to expectation." No need to waste money on something unconfirmed. - @bbcharity

[bbcharity]

The blonde didn’t need more convincing; her stomach had been growling since she’d arrived. She plucked one of the pops from the bag with a grin, biting in without hesitation. “Alright, not bad. Better than not bad, actually. Could eat a dozen of these and still pretend I’m just ‘sampling the merchandise.’” Her tone was cheeky, but there was real satisfaction in it— she was all too hungry at this point in the evening, and food was the one thing that could keep her good-natured.

As she chewed, though, her eyes flicked curiously to the other witch. They hadn’t crossed paths much, not properly. In times like these, that always made Charity wonder— about allegiances, about which side of things people leaned toward. It was a habit she’d learned to keep quiet, but it prickled all the same. With a small smile that smoothed over her thoughts, she tipped her head lightly. “So— are you enjoying your night so far? Came by yourself?” Her voice carried that practiced friendliness, casual enough not to betray the suspicion she was still quietly weighing behind her grin.

[hcalingherbs]

It was a dynamic that had always and would always work and Estelle was grateful for it, smirking and laughing as she pulled her friend toward one of the stalls. One glance and it appeared to be pixie catch. "Do we feel like playing that? I'm sure we can manage to catch one of those." The blonde turned around, eyes falling on another stall with pumpkin bowling. "Or that? Over there is puffskein toss but I'm not sure how thrilling I would find tossing those small creatures around." Creatures Estelle liked a surprisingly lot, actually.

"What list of complaints shall I have to combat with these?" The witch chuckled, glancing at her friend for a moment. "If not any of these, we could find some snacks? Or fizzing pumpkin ale." There'd been a sign she'd seen earlier. - @bbcharity

[bbcharity]

Charity eyed the stalls Estelle pointed out, lips quirking into a half-smile. “Pixie catch? Pumpkin bowling? Puffskein toss? Darling, these all look… mediocre at best. Hardly up to my standards,” she teased, her tone playful rather than cruel. “If we’re relying on these to entertain me, we’re in real trouble.”

She gave a little shrug, hand pressing against her stomach as it gave a quiet growl. “What I am interested in is food. We’ve been wandering long enough and if I don’t eat soon, my mood might take a very dramatic turn.” With a grin, she looped her arm through Estelle’s, steering her decisively toward the nearest food stand. “Now tell me,” she said as they walked, voice slipping into something more curious, “what’s going on with you lately? Anything worth sharing— or at least exciting enough to distract me while I wait to be fed?”

[nick-mulciber]

As much as he deeply hated to admit it, Charity had a point again. As usual. It was almost infuriating how much better she was at all of this. She wouldn't have these sorts of problems, Nick just knew it. At least he'd gotten her back a little bit, with that fucking comment. That did make him feel better.

He wasn't sure why everything mattered so much more when it was a guy. Things hadn't been this complicated with Estelle. He was nervous and that much alone made him want to curl up in a corner out of sheer embarrassment. Nerves happened to lesser people. "Right, yeah. Those are... those are all good points." Nick scrubbed a hand over his face.

"Merlin, crying I can handle but if I ask you to hold my hand about it please kindly just toss me in a hole to rot or something." Nick grumbled. Holding hands was for baiting her grandmother or freaking out relatives, not for anything serious.

[bbcharity]

She snorted into her drink, nearly choking from laughing at his melodrama. “A hole to rot in? Please. You’d last five minutes before clawing your way back out just to whinge at me about how damp it was.” The blonde reached over and flicked his sleeve. “And for the record, if you ever actually asked me to hold your hand, I’d frame the moment. I’d make it art.”

Her grin widened, sharp and pleased, but then her head tilted, eyes narrowing in mock suspicion. “But you know… all this swooning and glowing and blushing—and I haven’t even met the mystery man? I’ve been cruelly excluded.” She gasped dramatically. “Best friends don’t keep secrets like this, Nicholas. It’s betrayal. Treason, even.”

Charity leaned in over the table, chin on her hand, voice dropping conspiratorially. “So. Who is he? What’s his deal? Is he hideously attractive or just… your type of attractive? I need details, darling. If I’m going to toast to your great tragic romance, I at least want a picture in my head.”

[florenceyaxley]

"Well if you insist," Florence allowed with a sweet smile. She let Charity take the glass, leaning her elbow on the table and resting her chin on her hand. "Oh I'd never let a promising evening go to waste," she argued with a small shake of her head.

Her smiled widened as Charity leaned in closer, letting her eyes flicker over and taken in every inch of her face. "I would never," she disagreed with a small frown.

[bbcharity]

The witch tilted her head, eyes glittering as she leaned in closer. “Never, hm?” she echoed, her tone lilting with mock doubt. With a grin tugging at her lips, she reached up, brushing her fingers along Florence’s cheek as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Good,” she teased, voice low but bright with mischief. “I’d hate to catch you lying to me this early in the evening.”

[xantoninxdolohovx]

“Set up rules so you can break them… grasp at a fleeting sense of control through the performance of losing it. Is that the game, then?” His tone was soft, but laced with something that might have been mockery, or curiosity. “And what if I told you to set the rules yourself? Would you find that too dull, or would you dance twice as hard to trip over them?”

He flicked another dart, aiming not for the bullseye but for the very mark she’d cast off without even glancing. The dart struck close, close enough to make a point, not close enough to seem effortless. A contest, not a rout.

Antonin leaned back a fraction, the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “The truth is, Charity, I find it far less tedious to treat everything as though it were life and death. Fewer things end that way, when you’ve already weighed the stakes. You” his gaze lingered on her, deliberate, “prefer to gamble the pieces off the board and see what’s left when the dust clears. It’s charming, in its way. Maddening, but charming.”

[bbcharity]

Charity let out a quiet laugh, sharp and edged, her eyes narrowing just slightly as if weighing him up. “So what— you think I need rules to trip over? I’m quite capable of making a mess without the excuse, thank you very much.” She tapped the next dart against her palm, casual and unhurried, though her gaze stayed fixed on him instead of the board.

“Life and death, games and gambles— it’s all the same thing in the end, isn’t it? You pick a side, you take your shot, and you live with where it lands. Some of us just happen to enjoy the risk more than others.” Her grin returned, sharp and daring as she finally raised the dart. "Am I too far off with my thoughts on the matter?" She wondered almost innocently.

[nick-mulciber]

Nick resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at her. She'd only tease him for it and she had an awful lot of teasing to get through already. Best not to give her more to work with than necessary. "Fine, fine. Duel him for it, I'd love to see that fight."

His cheeks went bright red and he swatted at her, mortified and pleased all at once. Charity was a goddamn menace. Just when he'd finally gotten up to maintaining eye contact. "Bold of you to think I'm the one doing the fucking." He shot back before downing the rest of his drink.

"I just--" Nick groaned and pulled a face, well aware that he was a terrible sappy pushover when it came to Sev, "What if I ask, and he says no? What the fuck would I even do then?"

[bbcharity]

Charity barked a laugh so loud a couple of heads turned their way. “Oh, my Godric. That is not the visual I needed tonight, thank you very much. I’ll be scrubbing that image out of my brain with firewhisky.” She fanned herself theatrically, then leaned across the table with a wicked grin. “But also? Good for you. Truly. I’m proud.”

Her expression softened a fraction, though the smirk lingered. “As for the big terrifying ‘what if’—come on, Nick. You’re already in his bed. You’re waking up next to him. He’s letting you stay. If he didn’t want you, you’d have been hexed out the door ages ago.”

She tipped her glass toward him pointedly. “So if you ask and he says no? Then he’s a fucking idiot. But I don’t think he will. You’ve got him, darling. More than you realise.” A beat, then she grinned again, sharp as ever. “And if he does say no, you can always come cry to your first best friend. I’ll even hold your hand. For a small fee.”

[xantoninxdolohovx]

Antonin’s expression didn’t shift until he realized that was part of the challenge.  His face softened as he picked up a dart, testing its weight with an almost imperceptible flick before tossing it without looking.  The dart struck a single bull, not the eye.  He had to make it a contest after all. “So,” he drawled, “what game are we playing? Or should I have waited so you could call my shots?  If you can hit the zero in the twenty, that would be a testament to your skill.  Perhaps even enough to make this worth calling a challenge worthy of my attention.”

[bbcharity]

Charity’s smirk widened, eyes lingering on him rather than the dartboard as she twirled a dart between her fingers. “See, that’s the problem with you—you make everything sound like life or death, when sometimes it’s just a bloody game.” She flicked her wrist, sent the dart flying without so much as glancing at the board, and stepped closer into his space.

“Truth is, Antonin, I don’t give a damn about impressing you with numbers on a board. I’d rather see if I can get under your skin. That’s the real challenge, isn’t it?” Her smile tilted, brazen and unbothered. “But you're welcome to set some rules of your own, I'll do my best to follow."

[rhera]

BEWITCHED Season 1, Episode 4: Mother Meets What's His Name

[its-jamespotter]

"It's a monkey in a circus costume that can clap when you want to wake up, what's not to like about that? It's impressive and quite well executed," he said, admiring the craft and adding it to his cart. If their baby didn't want it then James would have no problem adding it to his and Lily's room. "I'm not panicking-I actually heard from a really reliable source that asking more questions is a sign of care and I've asked at least sixty questions today alone so I would say I'm doing better than usual," he frowned. "Watch it, Burbage. Or I'll find a really great manifester to curse your offspring to have a dragon tail and a snout."

[bbcharity]

Charity laughed, shaking her head. “A monkey in a circus costume that claps… really, James, you’ve officially lost all sense of priorities,” she teased, bumping his shoulder lightly. “And sixty questions? That’s not ‘care,’ that’s full-on interrogation mode. You really need to dial it down before the baby starts taking notes.” She grinned, leaning back a little. “Honestly, I wouldn’t be a mom if someone paid me in Galleons. That whole vibe of late nights, crying, spit-up… not for me. I’ll leave the parenting chaos to you and Lily—and maybe just come by to steal the monkey when it’s not performing.”

[themalcolmparkinson]

who: @bbcharity where: zonko's

Malcolm wasn't a Wizengamot and wasn't going to pretend he was as he walked into the joke shop with a dry eye roll. This place was just asking to be replaced by something different, something better. Malcolm didn't take his time to look at the shelves like an interested buyer as he went straight for the front desk for who he was looking for. "Afternoon," he smiled at Charity, the person who had been a crux in his life too many times to count. "Out of my own interest, tell me again, how much do you like your job?"

[bbcharity]

The last time she saw him was what she thought would be the last ever, but here he was. The witch didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly did seem like a cruel joke. Charity leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Trouble himself. Didn’t think you’d actually show up yourself. Curious—come to gloat, apologize, or just ruin my day for fun?” She let the question hang, her eyes rolling slightly. “And just so we’re clear, I’m only here because it pays. Everything else about this job? Absolutely soul-crushing.”

[its-marymac]

The other times with Charity had been a healthy dose of distraction. Charity found her in that bar when Mary had trusted herself with one drink and would call it a night. Then entered Charity with her charm and a different plan entirely. It felt like she was impersonating Peter Pan and Mary was happily to play along with being Wendy. She was used to that with her with her Gryffindor friends, but said friends were all doing their own thing. And then there was Mary. "Oh, I wasn't. Busy that is," she said, smiling through the plateu of boring that she had been which was mourning a friendship that would never be the same between her and Peter. It still tugged at her how that conversation ended so shortly. "Wow, better than sex. That must be some chocolate," she teased. "Oh, on the ground reporting I can do. I am a professional after all." She mimicked Charity's teasing remarks and grin as if they were paired for each other. A warm flush came to her cheeks. "Like I said, I have experience with on the ground reporting and I'd love to share my findings after. I'll get my coat."

[bbcharity]

Charity blinked, genuinely taken aback for a heartbeat, before her grin spread impossibly wider. She felt a little amused—and curious. There might be something to Mary she hadn’t shown anyone just yet. “You’re full of surprises, Macdonald. I was half-expecting you to sulk and mumble about deadlines.” She looped an arm through Mary’s as they stepped into the street, tugging her gently along. “Now, I don’t want to frighten you, but I might have a few detours planned,” she said with a wink. “Nothing too criminal… probably. Just some minor chaos that may involve enchanted lanterns, a very stubborn map, and maybe—if you’re daring enough—testing whether Camden Market’s broomstick rental guy actually lets two people ride one at the same time.”

The blonde leaned closer, voice dropping into that teasing, conspiratorial tone she reserved for only the most entertaining moments. “But don’t worry, I’ve got a feeling your sweet side can handle a little wildness. Think you’re up for proving me right?” Even as she tugged Mary along, she couldn’t help the small thrill of anticipation. Seeing this wilder side of Mary—if it existed—felt like an open door she’d very much like to explore.