listen.

euterpe, goddess who plays upon the flute, o muse of sweet music, you hold in hand the power to soothe the spirit, to charge the soul.

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Prom Dresses Galore & [Vara]

vixey-chakraborty​:

&

“Yeah, that’s true. Though, we don’t have much in the way of accessories yet.”

They had definitely gotten more clothing than anything else. Which made sense. It was much easier to throw away a trinket. Or take a piece of jewelry to the jewelers to get it appraised when you were done with it. It did make her worry, though, that people wouldn’t be in here buying things for prom like she had predicted…which means she would have to redo some of her expenditure calculations later.

But! That was not Clara’s problem. (Unless the shoppe went under, haha!) Vixey would worry about it later.

“But, uh, if they’re looking to…mismatch that’s good.” It just wasn’t the bigger pieces. Cheaper for them! Great! Not so great for Vixey.

“You can, uh, look through those bins there to see if you find anything you think might work and pull it.”

Clara didn’t need the Music (which was pretty much plaything the equivalent of the womp womp woooomp sound effect in Ms. Chakraborty’s key) to know she had somehow turned the mood from happy to down trodden.

Great. She made a note-to-self: stop talking aloud!

Seriously, it was like she was asking to get fired or something. It was like a terrible cycle with Clara that she wished she would have learned to break by now. She went into situations okay, letting her shyness keep her quiet and able to control herself with information being flooded out of her mouth. Then she would get more comfortable and completely forget about that, only to embarrass herself and go back to the beginning again in trying to be quiet only to fail when she forgot why she had been acting like that until she reminded herself by being cringefail! 

So, there she was, back to step one. Hopefully she would learn this time. She nodded, and went to the bins to quietly sift through. The things she didn’t think would work were left in the bin while the things she did started to accumulate on the table in a neat pile.

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Moonlight Sonata | Claribel

waitingona-mirabel​:

Mirabel gulped. She loved the accordion. Had loved the accordion, maybe more accurately. She had loved the old songs she knew that people sang along to, how the instrument was portable and she could carry it anywhere she went. She loved the way it made her family forget about sad things and focus on being together.

But lately… it reminded her of those sad things instead of making them go away. She didn’t know whether Señora Perez had made it out of Avalor or whether she was still there, under the wicked sorceress’s cruel regime. But she did know that she may never see her again. Or Natalia. Or any of the people who used to be so important to Mirabel’s journey with music.

Now it was just her and the accordion. And her family, waiting patiently for her to play. Hopefully they would sing along and it would cover up the mistakes… but in order for them to sing along, Mirabel had to start playing.

She nodded nervously and stepped to the front of the room, remembering how Isabela had amazed everyone with her flowers at her own quincaeñera. And how Mirabel had ruined it. This was… redemption or something. Hopefully.

The first note was wrong. Mirabel knew it was. She cringed and tried to skip past it, moving onto the next part of the song, but it was too lat,e and now Mirabel was in her head. She laughed awkwardly, trying to cover up how embarrassed she felt. “Um, sorry, I think I’m just gonna start over. Please hold!”

When Mirabel gave no further protests and nodded, Alma nodded once in return. She could tell that Mira was nervous but she had no reason to be! She was with her family— the people who loved her most in the world. All that was needed was a little push. Surely, when she started to play, she would see that it was not so bad. Just like how she had played on stage in front of strangers, or in her classes for her teacher.

Alma had been surprised (as anyone else had been) to hear that Mirabel had wanted to play the accordion but very pleased, too. Especially when she had played the music of home— something that she used to hear in the streets day and night, accompanied by joyous laughter and clapping hands. Learning to play an instrument may not have been a miracle, but that did not mean it couldn’t be used to help those who’d had to flee from those places, too. If Mirabel could bring her family comfort and a piece of home back then she could do it for others, too.

At least— she had hoped that to be the case.

The first few notes that came from the instrument now made Alma wince, shoulders hiking up under the black shawl blanketing them. She waited but it did not seem to get better.

The need to fix struck her, as it always did. “Mirabel— why don’t you play a different song, hm? Perhaps something you’ve practiced more?”

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Prom Dresses Galore & [Vara]

vixey-chakraborty​:

&

Vixey didn’t even notice that Clara didn’t answer the first question. She was too busy fretting about having enough options for people…and the fact that people might not even want thrifted outfits for prom in the first place! And then she would feel silly doing that couples deal. But, she felt like she needed to try to capitalize on these Swynlake events as much as possible.

They made it to the backroom and Vixey started digging through some of the bins that had already been sorted through but hadn’t been put on hangers yet.

“Stuff that goes against the grain? Offensive t-shirts?” Vixey looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

“Pretty sure we shouldn’t be encouraging the Secondary students to wear offensive t-shirts.” She chuckled. “At least it sounds like you know what you’re talking about. It’s, like, counterculture, right? Or–I dunno. Maybe you could look for some stuff for that? I don’t want to make it look like we’re just catering to the adults. It’s much more likely the kids will need help affording their looks.”

Clara winced a little— whoops. She hadn’t really meant offensive offensive, like it had something obscene on it or curse words (though, those probably fit the fashion sense.) She meant, like, didn’t match! Offensive to the eyes with the general aesthetic of the outfit. Something that didn’t make sense to be wearing with the whole look.

It was too late, though, she wasn’t about to try correcting herself. That might make it seem like she was trying to undermine her boss or call her dumb of something and Clara did not want that at all. She’d stay embarrassed.

“Yeah. Yeah!” She nodded her head, trying to pull herself away from going too far down the hole of self doubt. “For sure! I think this place will be great for them to rely on because they’ll be more likely to be looking for pieces rather than just one thing— like a dress or a suit.”

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Moonlight Sonata | Claribel

waitingona-mirabel​:

Mirabel gave Natalia a small wave but she was already gone– probably didn’t even see it. She dropped her hand, wondering, a little confused, if she had said something– but it didn’t matter, Señora was going to need help wrangling the younger students anyway, probably better to stick around here than follow the older girls wherever they were going. 

As she went to find her bag and repack her accordion case, the dream shifted again, and this time it was a lot more familiar. Casita. It was Mirabel’s quincaeñera– well, technically, her fifteenth birthday had been last year, but it had been less than a month after the coup, and celebrating wasn’t exactly in the cards that year. So Mirabel’s sixteenth birthday was her do-over. And she had been excited!

And then Abuela announced that Mirabel was going to play for everyone. 

Mirabel’s stomach dropped. She had known this was coming, had practiced for it, but… it felt different now. With everyone around. With Abuela standing there, waiting.

“Um, are you sure you want to do this now, Abuela?” she asked nervously, looking around. “Maybe we should do cake first.”

The laughter melted but returned, pitches and voices different. The scene before Clara flit like a butterfly’s wings, a flicker of a candle for a few moments before it took root and her family was surrounding her. (Not everyone was in attendance— whether by choice or by a lack there of.) The smell of her nina’s cooking filled the air mixed with the aroma of her nieta’s beautiful blossoms that decorated the night.

Clara was smiling— only she was not Clara. Nor was she the Señora or Natalia. This time her name was Alma Madrigal. 

She peered down at Mirabel, smile dimming around the edges. Why was it that when she asked her granddaughter to do something, she always seemed to want to do the exact opposite? She was always in the middle of things, why did she not want to be now? At her own party?

“We can eat cake after you’ve played for us, Mirabel,” Alma told her, dismissive, before raising her voice to address the family. “Everyone! Quiet now, let’s go, let’s go.”

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Prom Dresses Galore & [Vara]

vixey-chakraborty​:

&

Vixey chuckled at Clara’s comment. “I dunno about that, have you been to one of these before?”

She had gone last year, and it had been like going to the Met Gala. Some people were just dressed to the nine’s, on theme, avant garde. Like they were suddenly all in Paris Fashion Week. Not a silly small town prom. Though, it was no secret that Swynlake skewed wealthy and those were usually the people who showed up to things like prom.

Vixey hoped that From Farm to Table changed that. Even just a little bit. She knew without her sarees, she would feel extremely awkward showing up to most of the events in town that were more…elegant. Upper class. It just made you stand out when your outfit was low-effort. And not in a fun way.

It was nice too, because there were actually plenty of lovely gowns.

“The adult prom shouldn’t be a problem. Lots of florals in all different colors. Punk might be…a little harder,” Vixey said as she started towards the storage room. “Mostly because I have no idea what qualifies as punk…”

Clara hesitated to answer that. Would Ms. Chakraborty think less of her if she answered truthfully? She couldn’t lie, though, since she had no idea what happened at the other ones since she didn’t go. (She guessed she could try to indiscreetly scroll back on that gossip blog to find out— but that wasn’t exactly a reliable source, was it?) But her boss continued on, so Clara just didn’t give an answer, figuring it was rhetorical and didn’t really matter now. 

Thank god. 

Punk. Huh! That was an interesting theme. Usually she heard of more— whimsical themes. Like the adult’s. Or— under the sea, a night in Paris, casino night, blah blah blah! Stuff people could dress up for. Punk sounded more up her alley. 

Musically speaking, punk was big and it was loud. It was fast, had distorted sounding riffs, vocals that punched your brain, and power chords happening more often than not. Fashion wise, though? “No! I think it’ll be easier. The movement was about being ant materialistic, so— this place is perfect for that! It’s stuff that goes against the grain and shouldn’t go together but do! Lots of layering, lots of leather, and offensive t-shirts! Which we totally have.” 

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Something Great || Anna + Clara

sommer-girl​: 

Anna hadn’t ever been to a music festival before either, so she supposed she and Clara were just going to have to figure it out together. She knew the vibe she was going for, anyway, even if she didn’t quite know how it was all going to work. 

“I feeeel like we should get in touch with theI m and see if they want to do a deal… that might be a lot of work, though…” This project was quickly starting to get bigger and bigger. Not that Anna was intimidated, but… okay, maybe she was, just a little bit. “How about this? You handle the music stuff, I’ll handle the other stuff. I feel like you have the most pull with the band people anyway.”

At first Clara thought that was a great idea because, Anna was right, she did have pull with the people who were going to be performing in this thing. Then she thought about it a little more and that seemed— unfair? She knew a lot went into planning things like this if only because there was always sooo much to do after a concert as far as logistics. 

“Well, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have to leave you hanging with all this other stuff!” She may have been better at talking music with people, but she also felt like she could help out in other ways. “I don’t know what the university will need from us in order to approve all this but— I can help fill out paperwork or talk to them and stuff! Seriously, I think once I get these people agree to play, it’ll be smooth sailing from there. So, don’t feel like you’ve gotta do all of the planning alone!” 

[vixey-chakraborty]

Prom Dresses Galore & [Vara]

@claraeuterpebaudry​

“Oh, Clara, there you!” Vixey smiled, coming around the counter when she heard the bell at the door announcing her (only) employee’s arrival.

“I thought we could put the prom outfits out today! I’ll be honest, I’ve been squirreling away a bunch that I thought might be nice since the shoppe opened. Obviously, they may not all be on theme but I thought we could pick a few that are and maybe put them in the front window?”

She clapped her hands together. This was a silly sort of thing to get excited about, but that didn’t stop her from, well–being excited. It was going to be so fun to see people’s outfits at the actual prom and know that she had had some hand in helping people for one of Swynlake’s favourite nights!

[outfit]

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Clara’s eyebrows raised, smiling as she opened her mouth to return the bright greeting— only to stop herself when she realized Ms. Chakraborty was still in the middle of saying something. She quickly went to set her stuff down, pulling the shoppe’s apron from her bag to adorn. (She hadn’t worn it in more out of fear of getting it dirty rather than any embarassment.) 

“Oooo, yeah, that sounds great!” She nodded. Clara had completely forgotten about prom. Having not been to the one at her high school or any of the ones while in town, and also feeling absolutely sunk by her last stretch of college work, prom had slipped her mind.  

“Hey, if those people at the Met Gala can’t stay on theme then there’s gotta be somone here in town who won’t be paying attention to it, too, right?” 

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Moonlight Sonata | Claribel

waitingona-mirabel​: 

“Well, I didn’t mean–”

Mirabel stopped. No one had ever said that to her before– except that little voice in her head that sometimes made her wonder if she should really continue with all of this. But Señora had always been very encouraging, and Abuela had always been very encouraging, and her friends had all clapped when she had played the accordion in the school talent show. But maybe they thought it was, actually, kind of weird.

That wasn’t what Natalia had said. She had said that they didn’t get a lot of accordion players, not that it was weird. But Mirabel couldn’t help but hear that in her dismissive tone.

“Yeah,” Mirabel said finally. “It probably won’t happen. But if it does… I guess I’ll see you there?” Of course Natalia would be there. Mirabel didn’t think there was any question about that.

They had hit the hallway that led backstage, kids either goofing off after having given their performance already or freaking out about going on next (there weren’t many left of those now) were running through the motions on their instrument, not putting air through it to cause a sound but still shadowing the buttons or fingering on their strings, or for the trombone player the slide positions. Natalia was barely paying attention to Mirabel anymore, eyes searching for familiar faces now. 

“Huh?” She turned back for a moment, brain replaying what she had filtered out at the inflection of a question coming through. See you there? “Oh, yeah— sure.” 

If she even went! Highly doubtful with that attitude and it wasn’t really worth it making a friend here who didn’t care about it as much as she did. Like her other friends. 

Who were calling out to her now. “Nat!” “Nataliaaaa!” “Nat, over here!” 

She turned to wave at them, then back to Mirabel to give her a parting smile before taking off to join them, not even thinking to ask Mirabel to come with. 

[vixey-chakraborty]

Good Will Hunting || Vixey + Clara

claraeuterpebaudry​:

Clara did have a question! She always had a question because she had read online that it was good to ask questions— apparently it showed interest, and Clara was very much interested in getting this job. Especially since it sounded like Ms. Chakraborty was going to have to think this whole thing over. (In the past she had just been asked, When can you start? and come in as soon as possible.) 

Obviously this was a small town and this was not a name brand place so she probably wasn’t as desperate as them. It was fair! It just— worried Clara. 

She also didn’t want to leave that last answer as her final impression because it would haunt her! 

“I do, yeah, uh— I guess it’s sort of like your question, but what made you want to open this place up in the first place?” Clara glanced around once more before returning her gaze back to Ms. Chakraborty with a smile. She asked his because she was curious and because it would give her an answer to give people when they asked about how the business got started. (If she got hired, that was.) 

Vixey had been fifty-fifty on whether or not Clara might ask a question back. It was proper protocol to do it, but Clara had answered all her questions so well, it didn’t really matter to Vixey either way.

She was curious, though, what she might ask. This was the first time Vixey had ever interviewed anyone. She liked to think she had covered all the bases, but maybe she hadn’t! And she could make a note for next time. (If there was a next time, Vixey was still not convinced that people were going to want to work at her humble little shoppe.)

Speaking of–the question caught her by surprise a bit. She had a pitch for what to say to this, of course, considering she’d had to do it for the investors, but it took her a moment to remember it. Of course, she couldn’t launch into the fact that she had lost her husband, spiraled, been sent on semi-permanent hiatus from the hospital, moved home to her childhood town–and then opened the shoppe on what felt like…a whim.

 “I saw a need in the community. I’ve always liked helping people and this felt like the best way I could do that. I got a degree in nursing and I did that for a while but…I think, right now, in my life–I needed something a little slower paced, but I still wanted to do something to help the community. My family didn’t have much when they moved to this country, they had to buy everything new and secondhand. I wanted to make sure that people moving to Swynlake had a similar opportunity.”

[claraeuterpebaudry]

This was probably the first time Clara also thought that, by asking this question, it was giving herself insight as to whether she wanted the job or not— weird as that was to think for someone like her, who had never had the option to not be working. 

So much of her life she had worked for people who didn’t really care about their employees, as long as the work got done and they got their money, why would they? The hours were long, the conditions were worse, and not having someone who was on your side while you were getting yelled at by a complete stranger made everything that much worse. (Going home to get treated worse also did nothing to relieve the nightmare.) Yet, there had been nothing she could do about it besides go back everyday and do it all over again. 

It was nice to hear a potential boss be— nice. Simple as that. Ms. Chakraborty seemed very nice, and not in the way that made Clara think she was going to turn into something else once the facade of the interview was gone, but in that very genuine way some people had. (She envied this a lot as Clara knew she herself did not.) Working for someone who was going to be fair and kind, aka Ms. Truitt, had been utterly life changing, to say the least! Thinking she could have that again with Ms. Chakraborty may just spoil her for the rest of her life, unwanting to go back to the way things were.  

“Well, I want to tell you, for someone like me, I really appreciate that you did.” It made her chest tighten to admit that (however vague it was) but felt like if she had gotten some inside info, she could share some, too. “Thank you so much for the opportunity. I’m sure I’ll see you again— even if I’m just here to shop!” 

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Something Great || Anna + Clara

sommer-girl​:

“Ooh, you are a genius!” Anna said enthusiastically, writing down, outside with projector. She knew it would only be an hour or so of performances, but the whole thing reminded her of the kind of music festivals she had grown up dreaming of going to. Like Coachella, or Glastonbury! Who said she couldn’t create her own?

Pride U had plenty of grassy lawns. Anna was sure she could convince the university to let her use at least one of them– and having the help of Clara, whom she imagined had some real pull with the music department, would be key. “Have you ever been to a music festival before? That’s kind of the vibe I’m going for. Maybe we could even get a food truck or something!”

Clara shook her head— no. Well, not technically. 

In her dreams she had. She had been one of the attenders of Woodstock in 1969, caked in sweat and happiness, among the half billion others out there on that farm land. She had been to Montreal’s Jazz Festival as a trumpet player, scared and nervous to perform backstage. Always as someone else, though, never as Clara Baudry. 

The only way she would have been able to go to one of those was if she’d run away from home. Which she had now— maybe she would go to one after she graduated! (If that sort of thing was allowed while she went to go be a Muse Trainee?) 

“Ooo, yeah! Love that.”  She nodded, smiling. “Do we contact them like a catering type of deal? Or just let them know where a bunch of people are going to be?” 

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Good Will Hunting || Vixey + Clara

vixey-chakraborty​:

What Vixey wanted to know was if someone wanted to work here badly enough they’d lie about it. Which was a strange thing to want, but–well, she was aware that no one was doing this job because it was their passion to work at a thrift store for eleven quid an hour. But, she wanted to know if they wanted it badly enough that they would try to sell it.

It was, in her opinion, so far the only lackluster response that Clara had given. Which overall was positive! After all, Vixey did want someone who was actually earnest. And she did have the experience, so what did it matter? Not to mention that she needed the help. Couldn’t exactly afford to be picky.

She had a good feeling about Clara anyway. Felt lucky that her first interview had gone so well! That was promising. Even if it would only be just the two of them for a little while.

“Great! Well, thank you so much. We are accepting applications on a rolling basis, so I should be able to make a decision by the end of the week. Did you have any questions for me? If you don’t, you’re good to go!”

Clara did have a question! She always had a question because she had read online that it was good to ask questions— apparently it showed interest, and Clara was very much interested in getting this job. Especially since it sounded like Ms. Chakraborty was going to have to think this whole thing over. (In the past she had just been asked, When can you start? and come in as soon as possible.) 

Obviously this was a small town and this was not a name brand place so she probably wasn’t as desperate as them. It was fair! It just— worried Clara. 

She also didn’t want to leave that last answer as her final impression because it would haunt her! 

“I do, yeah, uh— I guess it’s sort of like your question, but what made you want to open this place up in the first place?” Clara glanced around once more before returning her gaze back to Ms. Cakraborty with a smile. She asked his because she was curious and because it would give her an answer to give people when they asked about how the business got started. (If she got hired, that was.) 

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Moonlight Sonata | Claribel

waitingona-mirabel​:

Mirabel flooded with pride. Natalia had always been a little bit aloof. She was one of the cool older girls, who did things like winning ribbons at competitions and celebrating at parties afterward (she was only a few years older than Mirabel, but to Mirabel at the time, she seemed impossibly sophisticated and grown-up). 

She grinned when Señora popped over, and opened her mouth to say something, but– oh, she was already gone. That was fine. She had a lot of people to get to. And it was really exciting, talking to Natalia like she was part of some club.

“Oh, uh, I really want to!” Mirabel confessed, almost a little guiltily. “I think Señora thinks I’m ready. But if someone else gets picked, that’s totally fine, I won’t be mad about it. I’m just happy to be learning.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Mirabel did really want to go. But she wanted to seem like a good sport. So she tried to play it off.

...weird. 

What Natalia meant by asking that question was when are you going to competition? Not if. It just came out that way to not seem rude or whatever— but the fact Mirabel was saying she was fine not to go put her, in Natalia’s mind, as someone who wasn’t serious about this stuff. 

Anyone who was went to competition. As a soloist or in an ensemble. It’s just what they did! It was where you went to have the opportunity to be assessed by a professional judge and receive actual feedback, not just the bullshit their teacher or friends and family gave them at this sort of thing. (It wasn’t bullshit bullshit, but it was sugar coated! At least, if they loved you and weren’t super judgmental and stuff.) The people who were actually on the path to do something with their music went to stuff like this. 

So, if Mirabel Madrigal was going to waste her talent just being happy to learn what was the point? 

“Right.” She gave a little snort, dismissive now. Natalia had been planning on offering to play accompaniment if Mirabel had wanted but oh well. “Probably for the best. Not like they got a lot of accordion players going to those things anyway.” 

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Something Great || Anna + Clara

sommer-girl​:

“Sweet!” Anna said, writing down flutes, bassoons, other sections??? and then moving on to the next line. They had a show if they had people agreeing to perform in it. And now all they needed was an audience.

That was, perhaps, the harder part. Or maybe not– maybe all they needed was to start spreading the word and people would come. But Anna didn’t want to rely on chance like that. How embarrassing would that be, if they planned a whole event that they were passionate about and nobody showed up? 

Anna wasn’t gonna let that happen. Or, at least, she was gonna try her hardest not to. “Do you think we can use the auditorium? Or– I feel like there’s gotta be a cooler venue on campus than that. Any thoughts?”

That was a great question, actually. While Clara could get the people (and their instruments) she had no idea if the faculty would let them use the auditorium for this sort of thing. It seemed like a no brainer. It had the chairs and stands for the players and then the seating for the people. 

“Maybe— we could do it outside?” Then they would only have to worry about weather and Clara had a much better feeling about fighting that than she did the orchestra directors. Instead of an enclosed space, people all sitting in a row, it would be like a yard concert. Blankets and lawn chairs! 

“Then we wouldn’t have to worry about setting a max occupancy? And, oh! If we set up like, next to a wall or something we could do that thing where they play the music videos and stuff on it with a projector.” 

[claraeuterpebaudry]

funny you should ask || franny + clara

mrsrcbinscn​:

`

Franny shook her head slightly at the notion of Clara paying for anything. She’s practically adopted her, why would Clara pay for a single thing except perhaps some cute London souvenirs?

“Just sort your schedules out,” Franny insisted. “I don’t make Wilbur pay for anything, why would you?”

She could only smile warm as she possibly could at Clara. She didn’t want to so blatantly overstep as to say out loud, ‘I’m your mom now, your parents clearly suck based on your reaction the handful of times I’ve mentioned them,’ but surely Clara understood this was just like taking her son to London for her.

It also felt like calling Clara out and forcibly dragging up a painful past she didn’t want to talk about to say it in clear language. Actions would have to do.

“Nothing but your person, but if you have questions you’d like to ask any of them, I’d suggest writing them down so you remember them and aren’t kicking yourself on the drive back.”

“Well— he is your son.” There was confusion tinged in her tone but she tried to smile through it, insisting to herself that Mrs. Robinson was trying to make some sort of joke instead of implying that Clara wasn’t capable of paying for things on her own. She couldn’t possibly be trying to say something so hurtful (at least, to Clara it was) when she was smiling so kindly at her and offering something so incredibly valuable. 

The actual insinuation that Mrs. Robinson was trying to give went right over her head. (Actually, it went pretty far over!) Clara had no idea because she hadn’t even put the thought of Mrs. Robinson being anything other than a wonderful woman who had taken a girl under her wing as a music mentor into her mind. It was already hard enough trying to deal with that as a reality she lived in! 

“I should pay for myself. If I’m going then I don’t think it’s fair that you have to pay for me.” Even if it was since Mrs. Robinson had asked her and was sooo rich. That wasn’t the point though, the point was that Clara didn’t want pity and she didn’t want Mrs. Robinson to think she was mooching off her or something. 

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Good Will Hunting || Vixey + Clara

vixey-chakraborty​:

It was a tricky question,  because of the very reason that made Clara hesitate. That was also what made it a good question, though. You didn’t have to get the answer right, after all, that wouldn’t be fair–considering Clara didn’t know their policies or much about their stock. But it did let the interviewer know about their ability to think on their feet and to problem solve.

Once again, though, Clara passed with flying colours.

Her reply was smart, thoughtful, and honestly, something that Vixey hadn’t even thought of but was definitely a good idea. Which was exactly what she wanted. It was like she had somehow gotten the perfect employee dropped right in her lap.

Right, Vixey, don’t get ahead of yourself. She had to be fair. Which meant asking every question she’d prepared.

“Great. And– one last question: why would you like to work here over another store in town?”

One last question! Okay! Clara could do this! (And then afterwards retreat to her bed back at the dorms, pop on her headphones, and let her chill mix let her dissolve into a puddle so she didn’t just think about this whole interaction for next few hours.) 

It did make her hesitate, wondering what Ms. Chakraborty meant to find out by asking that— her loyalty? It wasn’t like there was any competition clothing wise around here. (Unless you counted the knitting and sewing circles Clara would see in the park sometimes, when the weather was nice.) Or did that even matter? 

“Well, I do have experience with retail, so that was a big factor. And like I had said before, I’m just super excited about this place— I want to help out because I know it will help me and plenty of others out in return.” Her shoulders lifted and fell, unsure about this question as opposed to all the others. 

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Moonlight Sonata | Claribel

waitingona-mirabel​:

The piano joined in, highlighting Mirabel’s song rather than competing with it. It was the role she usually played– the harmonizer. Supportive and happy to be there, content to stay out of the spotlight while the rest of her siblings and cousins would shine. Someone had to be backstage with the headset on.

But Señora Perez wanted her to do the solo tonight. And now, seeing the crowd listening, some of them nodding along, some of them glancing at their phones or dozing off. But they didn’t really bother Mirabel. Just knowing someone was listening was enough.

She glanced at the accompanist, Natalia, and offered a small smile. She knew there was joy in that role, too. But for the first time, she could really appreciate it from another perspective, savoring the way the notes blended together. 

As the song came to a close, Mirabel paused and drew out the final note just a bit longer, and then she knew it was her time to leave. There was one thing to do first, though. Mirabel stepped into the spotlight and took a bow, hardly quite believing her ears. All of that applause. Just for her.

“Hey,” Mirabel said as she and Natalia left the stage. “Thanks for playing accompaniment. I know Señora probably asked you to, but– well, I appreciate it.

Natalia’s eyebrows popped up as Mirabel saddled up beside her, thinking she was going to get a quick smile and nod in acknowledgement— instead she was given gratitude. It made her smile (something she didn’t really do, firstly because she had made a habit of it due to her insecurities about her teeth and now because she had big annoying braces on to try fixing them) and wave her hand. 

“I don’t mind.” This may have been a lie at the beginning of the night, but in this moment, after hearing the performance and faced with the girl herself, it wasn’t. “You were great, by the way. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone your age being able to play like that, especially in front of an audience with Señora hovering around like— oop.” 

Speaking of, the music teacher was waiting for them in the wings.

“Aye, Mira! That was magnificent! Absolutely perfect!” She gave a little shimmy with her hands, fingers curled against her palms, looking like she needed some maracas. Then she was turning away, shooing the next performers out onto the stage to get prepped. 

“Anyway—” Natalia continued once it seemed like they were safe to continue backstage. “You going to competition or anything?” 

[claraeuterpebaudry]

Good Will Hunting || Vixey + Clara

vixey-chakraborty​:

That question had been a Jun suggestion. Originally, Vixey hadn’t wanted to ask it. It felt too mean! And invasive! Private! People learned from their mistakes, she didn’t know what asking that sort of question could tell her about someone, but she realized: it wasn’t about the failure. It was about how they responded to the question.

Some people would give vague answers. Or some people would tell you up front. But the key wasn’t that. The key was someone who explained how they grew from that mistake. How they learned from it. Owning up to mistakes and understanding them was important. Vixey knew that. Being a nurse meant that mistakes you made could be deadly. You had to always own up to them, no matter how horrible.

Clara passed with flying colors. She gave a perfect answer. It wasn’t even a huge deal, really, in the grand scheme. Vixey could understand not wanting to have people stop and repeat themselves when they were teaching you something, but it was always good to ask questions.

“Definitely,” Vixey said and an awkward pause ensued where Vixey wasn’t sure if she should say anything else. “Uhm, good answer.” Was she supposed to say that? Was that bad?

“Uhm, next question–how would you handle an unsatisfied customer? Maybe someone who can’t find something and they have an event soon…”

Clara brightened a little at that, spine straightening briefly before she settled back down because a compliment was just a compliment, it wasn’t like she was being offered the job or anything. Plus, the next question was ready and waiting for her— no time to revel in anything. 

This was a hard one because it was a thrift shop, right? How was she supposed to take responsibility for not having something when they relied on random sources for their inventory? It wasn’t like a department store where they could call in things for people and hope the delivery got there on time? 

“I think for the most part, when people are struggling and obviously upset, they kind of just want someone to listen to them? So, that’s how I would start. Which I know is sort of a duh but not in a way that most people do it? Like I wouldn’t just stand there, let them talk, get them out the door— you have to hear what they’re saying in order to have any chance at helping them in some way. Even if that’s just letting them know that you were paying attention and understand why they’re unhappy.

“I think— I don’t know if this is store policy, but I think I’d also ask for some way to contact them in case we got anything new in with the sort of look or aesthetic they weren’t able find. Just, something to let them know we want to help.”