No title available
KIROKAZE
occasionally subtle
Show & Tell
roma★
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
we're not kids anymore.
YOU ARE THE REASON
$LAYYYTER
Game of Thrones Daily
Mike Driver
Not today Justin
Product Placement
Today's Document
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Cosimo Galluzzi
RMH
⁂
Andulka
DEAR READER
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Argentina
seen from United States
seen from Argentina
seen from Singapore
seen from Russia
seen from Canada
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Canada
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
@grace-farrow
Secrets | Mary Lambert
They tell us from the time we're young, To hide the things that we don't like about ourselves, Inside ourselves. I know I'm not the only one who spent so long attempting to be someone else-- Well I'm over it.
Olivia felt her heart constrict at the sight of Grace’s tear filled eyes and she immediately shifted closer to her roommate, gently brushing Grace’s hair from her face and listening closely. “You’re not a floozy, there is nothing you can say that will convince you that you are a floozy.” Olivia pulled her wand from the bag that was still hanging at her side and summoned a box of tissues from beside her bed, placing them gently in Grace’s lap. “Oh sweetheart…” Olivia gingerly cupped Grace’s chin, tilting her face up slightly to wipe tears from her cheeks with one of the tissues, “We don’t get any say in who we develop feelings for, I know that better than anyone. Things always get messy when feelings are involved Gracie…it’s not simple.” Slipping her shoes off and dropping her bag to the floor Olivia turned her body so that she was facing Grace with their legs crossed between them. “Well as it turns out I’m the resident expert on hurting the people you care about most,” Olivia gently ran her hand over Grace’s newly dark curls, smoothing them away from her face. “Is this about Owen…and…” She paused for a moment unsure whether she should make an assumption or not. Deciding to take a chance Olivia added, her voice quieter than it had been before, “Autumn?”
Even with Olivia's reassurances that Grace was not a floozy, it didn't quite touch the truth in her heart - she had too many feelings for too many people, and she worried about hurting one that she was unknowingly hurting the other. Allowing Olivia to mother over her for a moment, Grace would have smiled about it if she wasn't too distressed, instead listening to Olivia talk about her own experiences with messy feelings. She remained quiet until Olivia settled in front of her asked directly if it was about Owen and Autumn, which made Grace's heart pound harder just at the mention of their names. "I don't want to even ask how you know," Grace murmured, shaking her head and looking down, feeling weighed almost to the action. "I like Owen-... I do. I really do. I have fun with him, and I think he's-... he's the kind of person that someone like me needs, you know?" Grace looked at Olivia. "And Autumn-... I don't know, we're best friends, there shouldn't be feelings there and I didn't think there were until the Ball, and she was talking about the good looking lady auror and I just--" Grace's breath hitched and she closed her eyes. "I just kissed her and it was so stupid but then she was kissing me back and-.." Grace could feel herself crying again. "Then I told her I liked Owen, which-.. is true, but-... I don't know if I like her-- and on top of all of it," Grace said, pausing for breath to wipe her eyes, "I can't be with either of them for very obvious reasons." Grace looking at Olivia. "Is my life a mess or is that just me?"
Olivia smiled at the sound of Grace’s voice before she actually heard what she’d said, “Ara? No I…” The blonde’s smile slipped off her face as she looked over at her roommate, Olivia could have picked Graces voice out of hundreds so she could easily tell that something about it wasn’t right. “Gracie?” Olivia pulled off her robes and draped them over the end of her bed before she walked gingerly over to Grace’s bed, stopping and leaning against one of the bedposts. “Are you alright?” Now that she was closer Olivia could hear the slight sniffling coming from her friend and she immediately reached out and put her hand on Grace’s shoulder, before carefully sitting on the edge of the bed behind the girl.
Grace's effort of disguise -- ruffling the papers around as though indicating she'd been working -- might have fooled anyone else, but when it came to Olivia, Grace knew she was done. Olivia and the rest of the Ravenclaw girls had been living together for six years: they knew each other's tells and moods just as well as their own, so it shouldn't have been a surprise when Olivia sat down on the edge of the bed, concern in her voice. Grace wanted to be strong -- she wanted to hold herself together like her parents and grandmother had taught her -- but there was something so raw and needy inside of her that she couldn't. Turning on the bed, her legs folded in front of her, Grace revealed her red nose and tear-streaked cheeks to Olivia, eyes still trained on her hands. "I think-..." She paused, air stuttering inside of her chest as she searched for the right words. "I think I am a floozy, Liv," she said, chewing the inside of her cheek as she remembered the last conversation she'd had with Olivia. "I don't know what's wrong with me-... or why I like so many people-... but someone's-... someone's going to get hurt - if they're not already, and I just-... I feel-.." Tears flowed out of her eyes as she shook her head, wiping them and determindedly not looking at Olivia. "I feel like I'm just a black hole in space sucking everyone else out of their own orbits," she said. "I feel like I keep making mistakes and I just-..." Grace shook her head, dark curls shaking. "I don't know what to do. I need help."
The choice to skip dinner was one she made hastily after her last class; the need to catch up and complete homework stronger than her desire to eat. It wasn’t a particularly uncommon thing to happen to Cassidy in the past few weeks, but it’s increasing frequency should be becoming a problem. As she ascended the stairs to her dorm, she promised herself she would eat tomorrow if she could manage to finish the essay she had just been set. Reaching the landing, she could hear the quiet lull of music, which only became more crisp as she opened the door to her dorm. She spotted a mess of brown hair and the owner of which seemed to be shuffling some papers. Closing the door behind her as Grace spoke, Cassidy put two and two together and gave a small frown. “That’s okay… I wasn’t really looking for her, anyway…” she said, placing her bag on top of her bed before removing her robes and loosening her tie. She made her way slowly over to Grace’s bed and stood awkwardly by her side, grazing the side of her roommate’s arm with the back of her finger before whispering, “Gracie? Your hair is giving you away… What’s wrong?”
A part of Grace wished that whomever it was had been looking for Arabella, just so that she could be left alone to wallow in her misery. She'd royally screwed everything up - perhaps on a permanent basis - and the sound of Cassidy's voice just made Grace's eyes sting harder with tears. Of course it would be her frind, coming to potentially ruin the last good thing that Grace had to hold onto. The touch of Cassidy was comforting and Grace almost leaned into it, but she denied herself, knowing she deserved nothing. "My hair?" she echoed, and looking down at the loose, depleted curls that flowed past her shoulders, she remembered the colour that she'd changed it to - a dark brown. "Right," she mumbled, wiping her cheeks, wondering why Cassidy was always so in tune with her. "Uhm-... it's nothing, really," Grace managed to get out, voice wavering, before the dam broke and a sob choked her throat, and she turned to Cass, wrapping her arms around her friend's waist and hugging her. "I kissed Autumn and I kissed Owen and I probably kissed a lot more people over my life and I've kissed you and I don't know, that's a lot of kisses, and I don't know what I'm doing," she cried, words half muffled into Cassidy's stomach. "I'm a terrible person and my grandmother will sent me to Beauxbaton and I should probably go -- I'm such an idiot, why do you even like me," she cried, not really knowing what she was saying until she stopped and the music continued to play, filling the silence.
The record was spinning in the player and Grace was staring into space, letting the words wash over her. Everything since the Minister's Ball had felt like a dream: sleeping either came easily or not at all; her appetite was ether insatiable or completely non-existent, and Grace had been living in pyjamas, refusing to emerge out of the dorms unless she was sure that people had classes or wouldn't be loitering around in the places where she needed to go. Whether we’re together or apart, we can both remove the masks and admit we regret it from the start. Grace frowned and bit her bottom lip as tears whelmed in her eyes just as there were footsteps on the landing outside the door. Quickly wiping at her face and turning her back to the door so the person couldn't see her face, she pretended to busy herself with some notes from class while the song played in the background. "If you're looking for Arabella, I think she's uh-... I don't know, but uhm-.. she isn't here," she said as the door opened, sniffing quietly.
"Grandmother's Orders" | Brandon + Grace
Brandon laughed loudly for the first time on that night, smile so wide that all of his teeth were displayed. “I believe that is exactly what will happen. Maybe they’ll have matching suits and dresses tailored for the both of us… and they will pretend that scheduling us for the same parties all summer round is a mere coincidence. Seriously, they ought to think that we know all their tricks by now,” Brandon smiled as he let her spun underneath his grip, before letting her fall underneath his wing again. “Oh come on, I thought it was understood between the both of us that our love for one another is mutual? After all the parties we endured together, you’re still not convinced I’m in love with you? What a tough shell to crack you are, Grace,” Brandon melted into one of his kiddish smiles a little while before letting it fade as easy as it came. “I had a run-in with Lowell Tegus just a while ago… not many words were exchanged, but he basically touched on me going to London. And uh… he basically said that what I’m doing or about to do is putting my parents’ jobs at jeopardy. In a way, it’s… it’s a threat. A threat for me to get my shit together, the way Tegus wants it,” Brandon gulped, lowering his voice, cautious not to let others overhear their conversation. “And I can’t… I can’t let my parents lose their jobs because of me, Grace. It’s the only source of income for my parents and I, and we… we’ve never been in a state where there’s no money and… I’m not… I’m not prepared for that, you know? It’s been bothering me the whole night, and I thought about telling you this because you have family in the Ministry too, right? And you went to London just as I did, and… and I hate for you to be approached by him like that too,”
Brandon's sense of humour in the face of everything was what kept Grace from going mad at times -- the fact that they were in the same situation was both horrible and a great comfort, so she didn't have to fake a smile when he mentioned what would happen in the summer. "I think they want us to catch on, so that maybe then we'll just give in and get engaged sooner," she said with a laugh. "But now that our mutual love is official, I'll be expecting that proposal any day now," she added with a head shake, letting Brandon spin her once before she was back, hand on his shoulder where she had been taught to keep it. The fun atmosphere seemed to disappear when he mentioned Lowell, and she listened with a furrowed brow as he mentioned that the Minister had threatened his parents' jobs. "What are you going to do?" she asked quietly. "I mean-... are you going to start behaving just so your parents don't lose their jobs, or... just be more careful about it?" The thought of Lowell approaching her made her stomach turn -- he was creepy enough from a distance. "I doubt he'd see me as a threat," she said. "Pureblood girls are only good at one thing, and that's carrying on the pureblood line - it's the boys like you who are trouble," she continued, looking down then back up to Brandon. "I guess it's kind of flattering, if you think about it? He thinks you're potentially enough trouble that he's taking time out to threaten you - you're doing something right." Grace shrugged, "but thanks for telling me - I'll make sure to keep an eye out in case of ambush."
in the moon's shadow | self-para
What had started off as a wonderful night out and away from homework and worrying about the state of the wizarding world had turned into a nightmare: a waking nightmare, like Grace was trapped in a rotating circus of horrors that she couldn't escape. Locked in the Great Hall with the only escape being the toilets, Grace was continually forced to relive each and every agonising second that had passed between her and Autumn - she had to walk by the spot where they'd danced while her brain replayed each stupid word that had left her mouth or the shattered look on Autumn's face before she'd walked away. Grace needed to get out: she wanted to run or scream or cry into her pillow while Olivia or Cassidy fretted quietly on their beds and made her a cup of tea. She wanted to be out of the stupid dress that her stupid grandmother had picked for her and into pyjamas; she wanted to be out of the stupid Great Hall filled with stupid music that even stupider couples were dancing to. Her thoughts were abrasive, and Grace felt guilty for taking out her anger and shame on those around her, which only made her cry harder. Thankfully, she'd chosen waterproof mascara and eyeliner for that night, but Grace still felt like a wreck, huddled against the wall wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand and praying no one would recognise her.
She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, trying to think of something good - something happy - and she thought of Fitz sitting up in her room but the thought of him only made her cry harder because of how much she missed him. Just as Grace was about to give up and make a break for Ravenclaw Tower, there were footsteps approaching and paused beside her. Opening her eyes and looking up, she was met with a creased brow and piercing blue eyes that caught the light, and suddenly Minister of Magic Lowell Tegus crouching beside her. "Are you alright, Miss. Farrow?" came the concerned voice that sent shivers down her spine.
a world alone || autumn + grace
Autumn kept a tight hold on Grace’s waist and drew her closer, putting every feeling left unsaid between them over the last few months into the kiss. At the back of her mind, Autumn wondered what had spurred on this sudden, desperate act, but she found that it did not matter in the moment. What mattered was Grace wanting her in the way that Autumn never knew she wanted her to, but she now knew she didn’t want to go back. Autumn wished she could tell Grace all of that, but Grace suddenly pulled away and cut off physical contact completely, leaving Autumn confused and dazed by the abrupt shift. It was only when Grace began saying that they couldn’t do this and that she liked Owen that Autumn finally understood. That kiss had been spur of the moment and nothing more. A bit of fun during a party while Grace saved her real feelings and affection for her new knight in shining armor. Autumn’s face was burning, from embarrassment or anger she did not know. ”Well-…I’m glad that was fun for you.” It was the second time in only a week that Autumn was handed down the reminder that she was only of use when a kiss could be labelled fun or sex could be labelled casual. When it was Nolan or Owen, it stung, but never did Autumn think she would be receive the verbal slap in the face from Grace, the one person she could lean on when everyone else made her feel worthless. Perhaps it was because Autumn never thought Grace would want to kiss her. Or perhaps it was because Autumn never thought she would fall so completely in love with Grace and be oblivious to it for so long. And once again, the universe was here to tell Autumn that she was too late and she was getting what she deserved because that. Grace had Owen - sweet and caring Owen who would take care of her in ways that Autumn would not be able to. Soon enough, Grace would forget that she kissed Autumn in the middle of the dance floor at the minister’s ball without so much as giving a Autumn the reason why. On the verge of tears, Autumn knew she had to walk away before she broke down completely and said something she regretted. “You should probably go find Owen and I’ll just…I’ll leave you to it.” Without another word or even a smile as a goodbye, Autumn turned on her heels and walked off the dance floor, a few tears spilling from her eyes. She felt hurt, betrayed, angry, and like her heart had just been ripped out of her chest.
Grace felt riddled with shame and guilt and fear -- all she could think of was her family finding out and losing Autumn for good, and she was so caught up in that mindset that she hadn't contemplated the prospect of losing Autumn in another way. Standing apart with a wide berth, Grace was forced to watch Autumn's reaction as though it were a movie playing out that she couldn't interfere with -- Autumn looked crushed, and made no attempt to keep it out of her voice as she mumbled something about Owen and, without anything else, walked away, leaving Grace standing in the middle of the dance floor. She didn't call out to Autumn or run after her -- she let her go, watching her get swallowed up by the crowd until she was gone completely. Her bottom lip trembled once she was alone, because she realised that she didn't want Owen - not right at that moment, anyway; she wanted Autumn -- perhaps in some way, she'd always wanted Autumn, and the moment she realised that, she'd lost her for good. Grace slipped off the dance floor, head ducked so that no one could see her crying -- she didn't deserve to cry, especially if in some realm of possibility that Autumn had wanted her back and Grace had just hurt her feelings. Everything was a mess, and Grace just wanted to be alone - but locked in the Great Hall with the whole school, privacy was not something she was likely to find.
a world alone || autumn + grace
Staring at the blonde auror with fake lust was a cop out of the worst kind because it was all for Autumn’s benefit. Avoiding Grace’s eyes was an attempt to lessen the guilt and make the dance bearable for Autumn, but it could only leave Grace feeling ignored all for a terrifying pretty face that Autumn did not think was half as beautiful as the girl she was dancing with. For a split second, Autumn thought about confessing to everything. She would tell Grace about how jealous hearing about her newly evolving relationship with Owen made her feel and how the jealousy was not over Owen at all. She would tell Grace about how confused she was about her feelings and how desperately she wanted things between them to go back to how they were a year ago, before there was Benjy and Owen and Nolan in the picture. Back to when it was Grace and Autumn against the world and not even the greatest forces of nature could separate them. And Autumn would tell Grace about her kiss with Owen and how that was also out of jealousy and she never meant to hurt her. The confession felt like such a relief in her head and Autumn opened her mouth to say it out loud, wanting everything out on the table so she and Grace could heal before Autumn could make things worse. It was then that Autumn saw Grace lean forward and felt Grace’s lips on her own. Autumn was only shocked for a second before she leaned into the kiss, not caring what anyone around them thought. No one else in the room mattered; all she cared about was drawing Grace closer and making the kiss last. With Nolan, kisses always felt exhilarating, but fleeting. With Owen, they felt comfortable, but platonic. With Grace, it was like coming home.
It wasn't the first time that Grace had ever kissed Autumn -- they'd kissed before after a few firewhiskey's or when they needed some practice years ago; there was also the fact that Autumn had been Grace's first kiss, just because she hadn't wanted to mess up when it came time to kiss a boy. It was familiar but that didn't dull the excitement that raced through Grace's veins at the feeling of Autumn reciprocating, the scene around them forgotten as Grace tried to bring Autumn closer, afraid of what would happen if the kiss ended. Her head was pounding with thoughts and questions -- was Autumn kissing her back on reflex? Was Autumn kissing her just because it was familiar? Was Autumn even interested in her at all? Was Autumn going to leave her? Was kissing Autumn going to ruin their friendship? Grace's hand on Autumn's jaw was soft, taking from the kiss the answers to all her questions until only one fact remained: they can't do this. Grace's eyes opened and she pulled back from Autumn, mind flashing to her grandmother disowning her - thinking of her parents looking at her in disgust - imagining her being shipped off to Beauxbatons to get her away from Autumn if this ever reached her grandmother's ears. "I--" Grace dropped her hands from Autumn completely. If she liked Autumn as anything more than a friend, she'd never see her again -- purebloods married other purebloods. "I'm sorry," she said, feeling tears in her eyes as she swallowed hastily. "I just got uhm-... caught up, you know? I uh-.. I don't actually-... I like Owen, you know that, and I-... I just-.." Grace didn't know what she thought or who she liked: she didn't know what was right or wrong, but she did know that losing Autumn forever was worse than losing her in whatever aspect that kiss had hinted at. "Sorry," she said again, giving Autumn a tight smile, hoping that they could play it off as another of their kisses that happened under the influence, and she laughed, brushing a hand through her hair and glancing around nervously. "You were great though - definitely uh-.. definitely up to snuff."
You & I || Grace & Owen
A smile that couldn’t be cleared from his face became a permanent fixture when Grace said that he could have as many dances as he liked - it was hope that fuelled Owen’s feelings for Grace as she took his hand and led them onto the dance floor. It wasn’t until that moment as their bodies drew closer together and her arms wove around his neck that he realized how strongly he felt for Grace - how her touch made his heart beat that little bit faster, and he was sure that there wasn’t anyone else in the whole world - let alone Hogwarts - he would have rather been there with. “Not really,” he said with a laugh, shrugging, as his hands placed themselves demurely on her hips, and he started to rock them back and forth slowly. “But I figure there isn’t much to it, really… just do what everyone else does and fake it.” The music was slow and beautiful and it was like one of those cheesy moments from a film where Owen looked down at Grace and he studied closely, thinking about kissing her but not doing anything about it. He knew that they weren’t dating and she wasn’t his, but for just one dance, Owen wanted to pretend that she was, and he held her a little closer, never wanting the music to end.
There were few places that Grace ever truly felt comfortable and like herself -- most of the time, those places were wherever Autumn was, but tonight, even when dressed in an outfit that didn't suit her at all, Grace felt completely comfortable when in Owen's arms. Their movements were slow and Grace leaned her head on his chest, arms around his neck and one hand on his chest, feeling the music drift around them. Grace let her eyes close and it was suddenly like she was weightless - Owen held her, as though he just wanted her, and Grace held him back, and it was like they were the only two people in the world who had ever felt like that: as though they saw the other, really saw them, and accepted them for all that they were. Grace's fingers tightened around the material of Owen's suit jacket, breathing him in and wondering why he always felt so solid, so steadfast to Grace -- how he could be the lighthouse to her tempest, the anchor to her wayward ship, and it felt right in a way that Grace couldn't explain. She wanted to kiss Owen right then and there on dance floor - she wanted to solidify the feeling and put it into a form she could comprehend - but that wasn't possible when surrounded by potential spies for her grandmother, so she let the music play on and for Owen to lead them endlessly, hoping that the dance would never end.
a world alone || autumn + grace
The violins kept serenading the couples on the dance floor and Autumn was silently praying for the music to come to a close. The secret wish did not nothing but make Autumn feel guiltier for wanting the song to end with the intention of escaping from her best friend afterwards. The guilt only continued to pile up and as Autumn tried to push it to the back of her mind, it would only grow stronger. Autumn looked at Grace and all she could see was the hurt look on her face when Autumn had told her that she kissed Benjy. That look haunted Autumn and it killed her to know that she would have to face her friend’s disappointment and pain again. And this time, Grace could choose not to forgive her and Autumn honestly wouldn’t blame her. It seemed Autumn was an expert at being a bad friend, to both Grace and Owen. And why? Because she felt jealous of that they made each other happy? A voice in the back of her mind told Autumn that was not the real reason, but that did not make Autumn feel any less selfish. She continued to distract herself by keep her eyes on the blonde auror with eyes that could set the room ablaze. Autumn would be lying if she said she found the auror unattractive, but she would never think to make a move. There were girls who far surpassed her beauty in the room and Autumn was dancing with one of them. “Yeah-…well, I mean…no, I wouldn’t say that’s my type. I can appreciate her beauty, but I’d like to keep my hand,” Autumn said jokingly as she turned back to Grace with a small smile on her face. “Plus, I bet she’s a real bitch. I like people with beauty on the inside and outside, as corny as it sounds.”
There was something about Autumn looking at the pretty but scary auror while they danced that made her stomach twist angrily - or perhaps it was tainted with a little sadness; sadness that she was so easily forgotten about by Autumn despite being right there with her. Things between them had always been just them - and lately, there had been more gaps growing that Grace didn't like. There was nothing more important to her than keeping Autumn by her side; boys would come and go, and family might try to steal her away, but it was always to Autumn that Grace remained tied. But fractures had appeared - Benjy, who had remained untouched by the whole thing, had driven the first wedge between them. Then there was Owen -- Grace didn't know how Autumn felt about what Grace had done with him, but on her own end, Grace felt guilty about it, and not on her own behalf. And now, Autumn was looking away and at other girls, as though already planning a life after Grace, and it hurt -- even when Autumn looked back to her, Grace still felt forgotten somehow. "That's not corny," Grace said, moving her hands to the back of Autumn's neck, frowning slightly as her brain raced ahead of her. It didn't mean that Autumn thought she was beautiful inside and out just because she looked at Grace when she said it, right? Grace looked back up to Autumn and hoped for a selfish moment that she did mean it - that she had intended it to mean Grace - and suddenly everything collided in her brain: feelings of hope, feelings of confusion, feelings of desperation, and she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Autumn's, her eyes slipping shut and placing all of her faith on a hope.
a world alone || autumn + grace
Had the ball been a week ago, Autumn would have happily spent the whole night by Grace’s side, laughing about boys, complaining about Grace’s grandmother, teasing Brandon, and enjoying each other’s company until the hour grew late. Autumn wanted nothing more than to feel happy as Grace led her to dance floor hand in hand, but all she could feel was guilt. Looking at Grace only reminded Autumn of what happened between her and Owen and then what happened between Autumn and Owen. Not only had Autumn been rejected, but she had broken Grace’s heart again without her even knowing. Autumn did not know how she would get through the dance without breaking and telling Grace everything, but she was not about to ruin another ball for Grace with a very similar story. She did her best to smile as Grace’s arms slipped around her neck and Autumn’s hands touched her waist as the music began. “He’s handsome in a creepy kind of way. Let’s just say I would take the auror with the similar piercing blue eyes over him,” Autumn said, glancing around the room to see if she could spot Lowell and finding little success. Her eyes did land on the blonde auror with the half shaved head and Autumn motioned towards her with a tilt of the head. “Now, there’s someone who pulls off the utterly terrifying look. I bet anyone here would risk getting a hand cut off to hit on her.”
There was nothing that Grace wouldn't have done to make Autumn smile - she wondered if Autumn was feeling down because of the memories that the last Ball brought up between them. Even Grace, who had only managed to stay away from Autumn for a few days, felt her stomach shift nervously at the memory of the metaphorical slap in the face that was Autumn kissing Benjy. But everything was out in the open now -- there were no more secrets, and Grace wanted to prove to Autumn that she wasn't thinking about the last party as she started to slowly sway them from side to side alongside the other couples. "You think people can be handsome in a creepy way?" she asked, looking at Autumn with a frown. "Maybe-... I don't know, maybe I just have poor taste in guys." Grace saw Autumn's attention was on someone else, and it was only when she brought up the blonde auror that Grace put the two together, glancing over her shoulder to see for herself. "Speak for yourself," Grace said, wondering why she felt a small stab of jealousy run through her. "She's not exactly my type -- if Lowell's handsome and creepy, she's just downright terrifying, and there isn't room to appreciate her beauty," Grace continued, hoping that her tone didn't sound as bitter as it did to her own ears. "So is that your type then? Scarily beautiful?"
Would it be okay if I took off my tie?
I’m just worried I’m not the cool and casual type of guy? Can I even pull off the no tie look? What-…? Grace, no…no, that’s absolutely ridiculous! No one…no one would ever declare me the coolest person here and they certainly wouldn’t swoon. I’m not…I don’t look…people don’t swoon over me. So, on second though…let’s leave the tie on.
You totally are the cool and casual kind of guy, don't even pretend you're not - you can be whatever you want to be. Well I think you're pretty cool, not that my opinion really counts for much, but-... if it does mean something, you could totally be cool and I'd be okay wit it - I'd even swoon if it helped with your image. Hm, how about a compromise? Leave the tie on, just loosen it a little and pop the top button, that way you don't look cool, but you look like a muggle rock star instead.
a world alone || autumn + grace
Time seemed to slow down when Grace approached Autumn, looking effortlessly beautiful in a silver dress that her grandmother undoubtedly sent her. Autumn knew her best friend all to well, enough to know that if Grace had a choice that dress would have been tossed in the fire. And yet, Autumn was sure everyone that looked at her thought she was the most beautiful girl at the ball. Even so, Autumn had to fight against the urge to turn and run in the opposite direction. It would save Grace the heartbreak of learning that Autumn had kissed yet another boy that she liked, at least for a little while. But Autumn could never leave Grace, even if it meant lying to her by omission. It seemed all her options would only hurt Grace in the long run. Autumn put on a smile anyway and let out a small laugh when Grace relayed to her what happened with the young fourth year that fancied her. “If I had known you were in trouble, I would have come to save you a lot sooner. We need to invest in some kind of bat signal,” Autumn said with a smile that faltered when Grace asked her what was wrong. “I’m fine, honestly. I guess I’m just not in the mood to celebrate some guy that may end up doing us more harm than good.” It was only half a lie, but Autumn still felt guilty and immediately added, “But of course I’ll still dance with you. It wouldn’t be a party with out our customary slow dance.”
Grace hadn't realised how much she'd been depending on seeing Autumn until she actually saw her, and it was like she could finally breathe again. It wasn't a party until she had seen Autumn, and even though Grace had no idea what a bat signal was, she wasn't really in the mood to find out - she just wanted to spend time with Autumn. Her friend was clearly in a mood, of sorts, and Grace wanted to help in whatever way she could, so she grabbed Autumn's hand and pulled her out of the shadows and toward the dance floor, one hand holding up her dress so that she could walk properly. "It's a tradition that I'm not about to break," Grace said with a smile over her shoulder at Autumn, still leading her through the people to a spare spot on the floor. Once she'd found that was satisfactory, she turned and placed her hands on Autumn's bare shoulders, bringing them closer until her arms were draped over her shoulders instead. A smile immediately formed on Grace's face, hoping it would catch onto Autumn's too. "What are your thoughts on Lowell and his henchmen and women anyway? I honestly thought he would be about sixty and gray, not young and-.. well-... handsome," said Grace, smiling, knowing that Autumn couldn't resist a good boy-talk.
Normally I'd sit this one out...
I think in comparison to these new aurors, I never realized that the old ones actually kind of made me feel..safer? Like, I know shit is going to happen if it’s going to happen, but still-… it was nice knowing they’re there to protect us. These aurors almost feel like they’re going to instigate the trouble… but no! Yeah! I’m having a blast — what about you? You look great, by the way, so I imagine you’re having a good time, right?
No, I totally agree - the old ones are kind of like a security blanket that I didn't know I actually liked. These new ones are creepy, and I hope they leave quickly - imagine if they were permanent.. Oh please, I look pretentious and far too fancy, but that's what happens when your family is looking to push you in front of the Minister. But yeah-... I'm having a good time - a night out and away from the books is what everyone needed, I think. Uhm-.. have you danced yet? Do you-...? Do you want to...?
Would it be okay if I took off my tie?
I feel like I’m about to suffocate and the ball isn’t going to last for that much longer…right?
Going for the cool, casual look - like you've had a long night and are coming down from the party, top button popped. I can see it now: all the girls swooning for you, people declaring you the coolest person in here, you rise to the top of the totem pole in terms of popularity and leave the rest of us to dust... Are you prepared to face this new future, all for a moment's respite without a tie?
