a bad dream?

we sat on the water’s edge and convinced ourselves of the monsters beneath the surface and ignored the monsters we welcomed through our front door. we spoke of god and magic and the way the darkness felt when it sat outside our window.

[chaoscores]

𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑷𝑷𝑬𝑫𝑯𝑬𝑰𝑰𝑹‌

STARTER FOR @chaoscores

as chip looked over the harbour outside the restaurant, he felt yet another wave of nervousness run through him. why had he agreed with aurora’s antics? although, the fact that the younger girl thought he was in need to be set up on a date did make him raise some questions about his own love life. was he that bad? he shook his head, getting rid of any negative thoughts as he took notice of yet another person walking inside the restaurant, hoping that this would be the girl picked by the young princess.

she  should  have  cancelled,    she  thinks  as  she  rushes  to  the  restaurant.     how  the  hell  was  she  supposed  to  explain  the  reason  she  was  late   (slightly,   but  still  late)   was  because  she  was  setting  things  up  for  the  feral  child  she’d  found  in  the  woods  three  months  ago.    yeah,   that’s  gonna  go  over  well,   mads,   she  thinks  as  she  slips  through  the  door.      scanning  the  room  to  see  if  she  can  find  anyone  remotely  familiar  to  her,     or  at  least  someone  she  might  have  seen  pictured  with  aurora  in  the  last  few  years,   she  straightens  out  her  dress  while  she’s  at  it  so  she  doesn’t  look  too  disheveled.     she  should  have  asked  more  questions  about  this  guy,   actually,   she  thinks  now.     she’s  considering  pulling  her  phone  back  out  to  text  aurora  for  a  picture  when  her  eyes  lock  with  a  somewhat  familiar  face.     “   charlie?    are  you...   ”     god,   she  didn’t  even  realise  how  humiliating  this  would  be  if  he  wasn’t  her  blind  date,   so  instead  of  saying  that  she  hopes  the  look  on  her  face  and  the  awkward  movements  of  her  hands  convey  it  to  him  so  she  doesn’t  have  to  say  the  words.

[chaoscores]

𝑯𝑬𝑰𝑹𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑶𝑵𝑬𝑺‌

     ‘i really hope you never have to taste the gasoline that we had on the isle. really, i wouldn’t wish that on anyone.’ she might not exactly like these kids, but drinking that stuff was actual torture. on second thought, maybe some of them should taste it. she looks at his hand briefly before shaking it for a second. ‘clara. ariel and eric’s daughter, or you probably know my great aunt. ursula.’ her mouth twists up at the name, like she smells something dirty.

he’s  not  so  sure  of  that,   an  alcohol  so  bad  not  even  villains  or  the  children  of  villains  could  wish  it  on  their  enemies ?     he  laughs  a  little,   shaking  his  head  while  his  hand  is  still  out  and  waiting.     he’s  this  close  to  dropping  it,   thinks  that  maybe  it’s  a  cultural  thing  and  they  don’t  do  that  when  she  finally  decides  to  not  leave  him  hanging.     “   woah,   you’re...   oh,   hot.     wait,  not  like  i’m  objectifying  you  hot  but  like  cool  hot ?     you’re  all,   like,   cool  &  deadly  pirates  now  right.     hey,   i  think  in  another  life  i’d  have  been  a  pirate  too  but  i’m  in  the  navy  now.    which  is  like  the  legal  pirates  if  you  think  about  it.   ”

[chaoscores]

𝑾𝑰𝑪𝑲𝑫𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑺

‘   here,   you pick,   ’   chad says,   shoving his phone into the other’s hands.   he can’t be bothered to scroll through filters when something as comical as this is happening before him,   and he likes gil.    it’s not like he’s really treated his phone with much respect before,   but he likes him enough that he doesn’t mind handing his phone off to him.    chad never thought he’d admit to liking a villain kid,   but it turns out that gil is ripped like he’d always suspected the kids of gaston to be  —  and chad can,   to put it simply,   vibe with him.    ‘    i dunno if it’s about dominance,   man.   i mean,   wouldn’t you,   like,   fight someone to establish dominance?   beat them at tourney?   kick their ass in R.O.A.R?   ’    he simply doesn’t understand how mud can come into it.    ‘    if somebody at auradon prep did this…   they’d be at the bottom of the food chain.   dead meat!   ’   auradon prep might not have been as bad as the isle,   but there was certainly a hierarchy.   chad was always at the top,   so seeing something like this…    it would’ve made for prime teasing material for years to come.

“   weird  shit  can  get  you  anywhere,   ”    he  says  simply,   finger  still  scrolling  through  the  different  filters  he  could  add  on.     maybe  if  he  searches  galaxy,   what  he  wants  will  just  appear.     once  he’s  chosen  a  filter  (not  as  impressive  as  you’d  anticipate  with  how  long  he’d  debated  over  it,   the  scrolling  list  of  comments  and  the  notifications  of  people  wanting  to  join  him  on  the  livestream  catch  his  eye.     “   ‘come  to  taashban’ says  chaddydaddy118.     heh,  heh,  i’m  banned  there.   ”      he  chuckles,   passing  the  phone  back  to  the  prince.     he  looks  pretty  pleased  with  himself  and  his  contribution  to  whatever  chad  had  been  doing,    and  from  the  comments  he’d  been  able  to  read  before  they’d  been  replaced  by  more    —   the  people  watching  were  either  equally  as  intrigued  by  the  situation  or  entertained  by  their  antics.      “   see,   so  much  better  with  galaxy  on  it.     hey,   what’s  R.O.A.R ?   like,   growling  or...   ”

[chaoscores]

“   you  should  be  careful,   you  know   ”     her  tone  is  flat  as  she  appears  behind  the  other  person,    like  mist  from  behind  the  shrouded  tree  line.     “   i  heard  some  people  throw  axes  and  hunt  around  these  parts.    you  wouldn’t  want  to  get  hurt,   now  would  you ?   ”     with  a  smile,   she  caresses  the  edge  of  the  blade  of  her  own  axe,   drawing  blood.

[chaoscores]

𝑯𝑬𝑰𝑹𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑶𝑵𝑬𝑺‌

     sitting on the top of the stairs was a great place to people watch. she finds it easier to observe a large group of people before jumping right in, and these auradon kids are like animals in a zoo. drink in her hand, she takes a big gulp before she notices someone next to her. she was startled, not scared, but she tries not to show it. ‘at least this place has decent alcohol, eh? it’s drinkable and…sweet? weirdly sweet.’   // @chaoscores​

“   sweet ?     that’s  one  way  to  describe  it.   ”     he  knows  from  the  limited  information  the  original  four  TVK’s  had  shared  about  the  isle  that  they  got  what  they  could  scrape  of  the  bottom  of  the  barrell,   metaphorically,   but  he  hadn’t  considered  it  applied  to  alcohol  too.     squeezing  next  to  her,   he  holds  his  hand  out  to  introduce  himself.     “   hi,   i’m  gil   —   gaston’s  son.     you  are  ?   ”

[chaoscores]

𝑾𝑰𝑪𝑲𝑫𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑺‌

pie wakes up when she hears the door unlock,   a natural instinct that has followed her from cave to apartment  :  she never knows when a threat could be near.    she listens out for a moment for the jangle of mads’ keys before,   slowly,   she opens the kitchen cupboard door a little.   she has yet to find the blow-up mattress mads got specifically for her sufficient enough to sleep on,   so she took out all of mads’ cleaning supplies and tupperware and settled comfortably into the kitchen sink’s cupboard below.    ‘    overlord home?   ’    pie asks quietly,   ready to make a run for it if necessary.   the sleeping possum at her feet barely moves an inch,   perfectly comfortable where he is…    FT.    @chaoscores​

“   overlord  is  home   ”     the  voice  is  quiet  indeed,   but  in  the  quiet  of  the  apartment  it  carries  well.     she  thought  she’d  be  greeted  at  the  door  by  pie,   but  instead  reyes  is  purring  and  curling  around  her  feet  (probably  having  been  nusanced  by  pie  and  her  possum  while  she  was  out).     her  place  isn’t  large  by  any  means  so  it  only  takes  a  few  steps  before  she  can  guess  where  the  girl  is  hidden  away,    a  mess  of  old  takeaway  tupperware  and  household  cleaners  tossed  and  knocked  on  her  floor.    crouching  down  beside  the  cabinet  under  the  sink,   she  pokes  her  finger  into  the  small  opening  of  the  door  to  open  it  only  a  little  wider.     “   there  you  two  are.     the  bed  still  not  comfy ?   ”

[chaoscores]

𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐔  ⟩    madelaine  mannery  aesthetic

[chaoscores]

𝑾𝑰𝑪𝑲𝑫𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑺‌

‘   madelaine mannery,   is that you?   ’    aurora half grins as she takes in the other,   the half-grin only present on her features because her mouth is partially open in shock.    she doesn’t remember the last time she saw mads,   but what she does remember is how she’d made her feel.   safe.   accepted.   happy.    mads is one of aurora’s favourite people,    and seeing her back in auradon…   oh,   she already has ideas!    ‘   when did you get back?    where have you been?    i wrote you an email but,    like,   do they even have wifi in the borderlands?   not gonna lie,    the idea of going there is hella scary.   bandits,   rogues,   mercenaries…   it’s both a wet dream and a nightmare!   ’    aurora grins.    she can’t help but wrap her arms around mads,   finally stopping to let the other get a word in…   or so she thinks.    ‘    god,   i can’t believe you’re back!   here!   whoo!   ’   she exclaims,    wiggling her arms in excitement.    calm down,   aurora…    FT.    @chaoscores​

she’s  not  typically  one  to  present  herself  in  a  girly  manner,    but  she  can’t  held  the  girlish  shriek  that  she  lets  out  when  she  sees  the  princess.     “   aurora  de  bourbon,   your  royal  highness !   ”    she  mock  curtseys,    baring  a  large,  toothy  grin.     before  she  can  say  anything  else,     aurora  begins  on  a  energy  fueled  tangent  and  all  mads  can  do  is  look  at  her  with  the  same  amount  of  slack  shock  the  princess  had  too.     this  was  not  the  same  girl  she’d  met  aged  ten,   but  it’s  also  not  the  same  girl  the  tabloids  love  to  hate.     

laughing  as  she  shakes  the  younger  girl  off  of  her,   she  cuts  in  to  answer  before  she  begins  again.     “   i  got  back  to  grimmsville  maybe....   two  months  ago,    uncle  russ’  ankle  rolled  as  we  were  leaving  pikhzar  so  i  decided  to  be  a  diligent  niece.     and  before  you  ask,   no  i  did  not  see  or  meet  the  tiger  fucker !     believe  me,   i  tried  to  get  a  picture.     that  would  have  been  my  lockscreen.   ”     she’s  smirking,   remembered  how  they’d  learnt  of  the  myth  together  and  mads  had  tried  to  have  the  de  bourbon’s  advisor  send  a  letter  to  ask  if  it  really  happened.     “   what  have  you  been  up  to,  though.     other  than...   actually  i  think  the  last  thing  i  heard  about  you  was  you  were  dating  a  pirate.   ”

[chaoscores]

𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑻𝑵𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑺‌

“  gil,  hey  mate!  “    he  calls  over  the  music  as  he  carefully  maneuvers  himself  between  people  to  get  to  the  kitchen  to  get  himself  a  drink,  when  he  stumbles  upon  the  other.  harry  knew  him  from  his  da  and  the  navy.  out  of  all  the  new  recruits,  gil  seemed  to  be  someone  he  wouldn’t  mind  becoming  friends  with.   “   where   daes  yer  brother  hide  th’  guid  alcohol,  aye?  “   while  he  had  no  intentions  of  getting  drunk  it  still  wouldn’t  hurt  to  have  a  little  bit  of  fun.   he  leans  against  the  counter  and  looks  around  at  the  party  -  at  both  thk’s  and  tvk’s  mingling  together.   “   niver  thoucht  a’d  see  this.   aw  o’  us  partyin’  under  ane  roof… “   ft. @chaoscores

“   the  good  stuff,   god  knows.      whatever’s  out  is  all  there  is,   and  i’m  pretty  sure  that  includes  some  four  lokos  from  new  years  eve  2007.   ”     he  laughs,   leaning  back  against  the  fridge.    truthfully,   no  matter  how  casually  the  other  man  had  meant  it,   gil  perked  up  a  little  bit  when  harry  had  called  him  mate.     despite  being  very  social  and  happy  to  befriend  anyone,   he  felt  as  though  he  wasn’t  fitting  in  as  well  as  he’d  hoped  during  training,   and  it  was  nice  to  know  he  could  atleast  say  someone  called  him  their  mate.     “   tight,   right ?     these  isle  kids  go  hard,   man,   ette’s  already  had  to  make  a  run  for  the  tavern  for  more  booze.     hey,   what’s  goin’  on  with  you,   it’s  been  wild  since  this  all  went  down.   ”

[chaoscores]

𝑾𝑰𝑪𝑲𝑫𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑺‌

‘   no.   ’    it’s probably a mistake in hindsight not to bring the blood;   she just gave jane what she asked for without receiving payment.    but where would aurora find a chicken?    pig’s blood?    no,   she wants human blood.    it doesn’t have to be the blood of a virgin  —  any will do.   she waves a hand,   a dark frown donning her brows.    ‘    whatever.   i was only half paying attention.   do you have anything i can substitute for blood?    something…    something that’ll rejuvinate me.    i don’t care what it is as long as it works.    and don’t  —  don’t be playing any fairy tricks with me,    jane.    i brought you what you wanted.    no bath blood that’ll rejuvinate me so much i turn into a baby or something and fucking drown.    i want whatever you can give me without a catch and i want it now.   ’    clearly,   aurora isn’t used to waiting;    thieving,   petty fighting,   lesser deals and much more is all done for her by her cronies…

she  closes  her  eyes  and  can  only  hope  they  roll  into  the  back  of  her  head,    softly  shaking  her  head  and  pinching  the  bridge  of  her  nose.    perhaps  her  time  in  auradon  before  the  barrier  dropped  made  her  soft,   but  her  ‘friends’  antics  cause  her  more  stress  than  she  remembers.     “   even  i  wouldn’t  do  anyone  such  a  disservice  by  turning  you  into  a  baby,   aurora.    i’m  sure  you  were  just  beastly  enough  back  then,    this  is  you  with  taught  restrictions,  i  suppose.   ”     with  a  sigh  she  walks  towards  her  mothers  shelves,   littered  with  more  herbs,   spellbooks  and  recipes  than  jane  can  think  of.     “   bare  with  me,   if  you  can,    ‘it’s  all  in  it’s  place’  my  mother  says  but  she’s  not  the  one  who  can’t  find  anything.     can’t  you  just  get  a  skincare  routine?    try  a  facemask,   less  bloody.   ”

[chaoscores]

𝑾𝑰𝑪𝑲𝑫𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑺‌

lots of hats…    tenat…    tenitis…    pie’s just confused,   like a toddler that needs a nap,    and so that’s what prompts her final decision to actually get down.    she pauses before her hands begin to lower herself down the ladder she was clinging to,    but she eventually just ends up jumping down from a height that should most probably injure anybody who’s actually human.    pie,   however,   merely turns to the old man with a glare,   as if to say don’t test me.   give me my hats.    tentatively,   she moves towards him,    fingers clutching at the ragged black cat she pulls from her jacket pocket.     ‘   hats.   hats NOW.   ’    she’s still eyeing the hat on his head,   ready to snatch it if she gets too impatient  —  or if the man turns back on his promise of hats.   why does she want a hat?    she couldn’t say.    her instincts rarely make sense.

the  man  can  only  hope  any  mind  readers  in  the  vicinity  pardon  his  french,   his  only  thoughts  being  how  the  fuck  did  she  survive  that  as  she  hits  the  ground  with  a  thud.    he’s  even  more-so  startled  when  she  doesn’t  murmer  in  pain,   instead  turning  with  a  glare  his  way   (not  unlike  his  sons,  once  more,   or  even  his  captain  on  occasion....   on  most  occasions).    moving  towards  him   —   nay,   stalking  towards  him  like  a  predator  to  prey     —   he  jumps  as  she  talks,   small  voice  holding  an  impressive  amount  of  power  behind  it.     “   alright,   alright,   hold  on  te’  ye’  feckin’  hat....s.    ignore  that,   slip  of  tongue  is  all.    follow  me,  littl’un,  the  shop  aint  far  from  ‘ere.   i’d  take  you  te’  me  own  house  but  i  guess you  could  say  i’m  homeless.   use  to  live  on  a  boat,   now  she’s  sunken  an’  i  have  less hats  so  yer’  really  doin’  me  in  here.   ”

[chaoscores]

𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑻𝑵𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑺‌

“  smee,  you  old  fool! “   she  calls  from  across  the  bar  whenever  she  spots  him  and  raises  her  glass  towards  him.   it  doesn’t  quite  matter  to  her  that  almost  everyone  looks  between  her  and  the  old  man  as  she  strides  over  to  him.   “  get  over  here!  “   her  arm  is  slung  around  his  shoulders  rather  clumsily.  if  he  had  been  trying  to  leave  or  stay  out  of  her  sight,  well  he  was  quite  stuck  now.   “  has  james  finally  given  you  a  day  off?  join  me  for  a  drink!  it’ll  be  like  old  times.  “   she  motions  for  the  bartender  to  bring  over  more  rum  for  the  both  of  them.   “  perhaps  you  can  also  get  me  up  to  speed  with  everything  that’s  been  going  on  here.   i  know  you  know  all  the  gossip,  you  old  hen. “  ft. @chaoscores

“   hardly,   ye’  know  how  the  cap’n  is.    ah  think  i’ve  grown  on  ‘im....    like  a  fungus  probably  but  i  swear  he  can’t  live  without  me  somedays.   ”     truth  be  told  his  captain  had  sent  him  to  prowl  the  local  taverns  to  find  the  crew,   most  of  which  had  been  scattered  across  the  isle  since  the  jolly  rogers....    untimely   passing.    as  he’d  come  to  his  third  pub  a  bit  of  bravery  struck  him  and  he’d  settled  into  a  dark  corner  with  some  ale,   hoping  james  wouldn’t  come  looking  for  him  anytime  soon.    

he  lets  out  a  hearty  chuckle  at  the  comment,    blushing  red  as  a beetroot.     “   ‘am  not  a  gossip,   a  just  have  ears  is  all.   ”    he  sniffs,   taking  a  swig  of  his  ale  before  forsaking  his  pride  (after  all,   she’s  not  wrong).     “   whad’ya  wanna  know  about  first,  ay.   me  cap’n  and  th’  kids,    oh  ye’  must’a  heard  about  wee  harry,   goin’  and  baggin’  a  princess !     oh  the  roger,   she  met  her  maker  in  neverland  a  coupl’a  months  back.   very  sad.   ”

[chaoscores]

𝑨𝑾𝑯𝑪𝑳𝑬𝑵𝑬𝑾𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑳𝑫·

finally, she had made her arrival to the party fashionably late of course. she would have been here awhile ago, but her hair had taken far longer than expected without using magic. she was anxious about mingling with the kids from the isle, but that was to be expected. she made her way over towards the drinks where she poured herself a glass of wine before making her way over to sit at one of the tables. she was just scouting the area, watching everyone as she was trying to figure out who to talk to first. perhaps someone would do the honors of breaking the ice or something.

the  twins  party  had  been  in  full  swing  for  a  while  now,    long  enough  that  gil  felt  he  could  easily  slip  away  from  whatever  duties  they’d  throw  his  way  and  socialise.     he  wouldn’t  necessarily  say  he  had  many  friends  of  his  own,   most  of  his  friends  were  also  his  siblings  due  to  their  close  ages  but  a  familiar  cyan  updo  is  easily  spotted  a  few  metres  ahead  of  him.     coming  up  from  behind  the  princess,   he  claps  one  of  his  hands  on  her  shoulders  before  giving  an  exaggerated  bow.     “   well,   if  it  isn’t  her  royal  shrimpness.     kidding,   promise  but  hey !     you’re  way  late,    thought  you  didn’t  show.   ”

[chaoscores]

𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑭𝑴𝑺‌

“i need you to do me a favor.” aria asked the petite brunette that stood in front of her as she hopped off her ship and onto the auradonian docks. “you know princess mal, right? i need you to get me her spell book, i need it for my collection and as a little payback for the kingdom banning our parents off to the isle.” @chaoscores​ 

“   well,   if  it  isn’t  another  glucksy - up - to - no - goodsie - burg.   ”     had  the  whole  armada  of  triton  relatives  chosen  the  same  place  to  dock,   she  wonders.     usually  she’d  come  here  to  reflect,    hide  amongst  the  familiar  smell  of  rotting  fish  and  behind  the  expensive  yachts   ―   a  perfect  place  to  let  her  facade  slip.     no  more,   it  seems.

“   do  you  think  that  just  because  i  was  one  of  the  dragonborn’s  hand  picked  that  she  considers  me  a  friend ?     and  what,   i’ll  help  in  your  revenge  scheme  no  questions  asked.     c’mon,   aria,   grow  up.   ”

[chaoscores]

𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐔   ⟩    gilligan  legume  aesthetic

[chaoscores]

𝑾𝑰𝑪𝑲𝑫𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑺‌

aurora slams down the ornate hairbrush in front of jane,    her gaze stoic as she stares across at the mischievous fairy.    it’s mal’s  —  princess mal’s,   to be specific.   aurora had to feign wanting to get to know the bitch to get hold of it,    and sneaking around in a heavily guarded castle had not been easy.    this enchanted bath jane offers had better be fucking amazing.    ‘    here,   ’   aurora near-grunts,    ‘  your hair,   as requested.   ’    aurora’s arms fold.    ‘    so how does this thing work?    you watch me strip down and get in,   do some weird voodoo dance…?   ’    aurora’s brows rise,    her shitty attitude indicating that she wants some sort of explanation.      ‘    say yes and i might think you’re into me,   janey,   ’    she smirks.   FT.    @chaoscores​

icy  blues  stare  down  at  the  brush,    it’s  gold  shiny  and  catching  the  light  with  it’s  silky  magenta  coloured  strands  matted.     disgusting,   but  she  guesses  she  can’t  expect  a  princess to  keep  her  own  hairbrush  clean  now  can  she.     standing  up  from  her  desk,   she  looks  up  to  the  blonde  with  a  tight  smile.     “   i  said  bring  me  the  blood  and  i  will  purify  it,    not  give  me  a  show.   ”     rolling  her  eyes  she  begins  to  pull  the  strands  of  hair  from  the  item,    stolen  presumably  (lord  knows,   aurora  doesn’t  ask  nicely),  and  press  them  into  the  pages  of  her  spell  book  for  later.      she  ignores  the  other  girls  comment,    instead  turning  back  to  her  eerily  and  holding  her  hands  clasped  together.       “   tell  me  you  brought  it,   or  at  least  whatever  you’re  sacrificing  for  the  blood.     my  mother  isn’t  one  for  blood  but  we  have  enough  i  could  make  you  a  serum  at  least.   ”

[chaoscores]

𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑻𝑵𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑺‌

he’s rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he walks down the path, nearly running into jane as he does. this was slightly awkward seeing as he was positive she had some evil diabolical plan up her sleeve a few weeks ago. he was positive she was only pretending to be so strict on the rules but turns out she’s truly that boring and full of goodness -  gross. eyebrows raise as she continues to ramble on and on. how does aurora deal with this?  “ if ah didnae know any better lass, ah woud say ah made ye nervous. “  

stares at her for a moment longer simply to mess with her, then shrugs. “ aye,  suppose it’s fine if ye come in.  long as ye stop yer ramblin’, it’s givin me a headache. “  he leans over and grabs a hold of the plant and heaves it upward so that he can carry it towards the house. once they get to the door, he struggles for a moment with juggling the plant in one arm and keys in the other but eventually is able to get the door open. “ do ye …ah  dinnae… want some tea? isnae tha’ what borin’ people drink? “ 

“   wrong,   when  things  don’t  go  according  to  my  plan  i  need  a  short  bit  of  time  to  adapt  and  i  talk  until  i  figure  it  out.   ”     like  now,    she  thinks  to  herself  as  she  splays  her  hands  across  the  fabric  of  her  skirt  awkwardly.     as  he  (begrudgingly)  allows  her  to  come  inside,   there’s  almost  an  instant  spring  in  her  step  and  a  beaming  smile  stretched  across  her  face.     she’s  half  way  through  the  door  before  she  remembers  the  philodendron  she’d  been  struggling  to  carry  on  her  way  here,   turning  to  collect  it  only  to  swiftly  turn  right  back  when  she  notices  harry  carrying  it  instead.     “   oh,   uh,   really  it’s  fine.     no  offence,   of  course  it’s  just  you  don’t  look  all  that  awake  and  i  can  see  you  +  boiling  water  ending  very,   very  badly.     i  do,   however,   want  to  talk  about  the  cotillion.   ”