âCan you imagine what people will think in thirty years when they look at our pictures,â he mused, nudging them. âMy hair was atrocious afterâŚâ
Elijah paused.
He didnât need to finish the sentence.Â
With a swift change of conversation he looked over at what was in their hands. âYouâd totally wear that, though,â he said, watching their finger graze the black-and-white image.
âI donât even want to think about it, Iâm ninety percent sure that my lipstick was smudged in my picture,â they groaned, dramatically thinking about that day. âYour hair was a mess though, so maybe they wonât notice.â
They faked a gasp of horror, âJust because I own a denim jacket with my name bedazzled on the back doesnât mean I would wear that monstrosity. You take that back!â Laughing, they shook their head, âWith a few adjustments, I would consider it.â
Maggie smiled, inclined to agree. She didnât care about the money, more for the potential anonymity. She could never find that in the Manor itself, but it would be easier than being back in Paris. Even London was difficult to navigate. She had left early partially because of the twisted attitudes of their peers. âMaybe thatâs what this is. A poorly executed reality show.â Her eyes scanned the room like she was looking for cameras. âI never thought Iâd be glad to be so⌠uninteresting.â
The thought would usually make Maggie queasy. She adored being the centre of attention. On this occasion, however, the peace of hiding was unmatched. She really hoped that feeling didnât last. She sighed, âYouâre right.â Her eyes moved away from the decor and back to Liz. âPart of me is expecting everything to feel exactly the same as it used to. So far Iâm disappointed. It feels like⌠somethingâs missing. Maybe itâs just our absent King of the Manor?â
âThe Real Gravediggers of Gilchrist Manor,â they added, nodding as if it was a completely real possibility ( and honestly given the past of the society, they wouldnât be surprised if it turned out to be true ). âYouâre not uninteresting, youâre modest and donât feel the need to peacock whenever someone mentions their own success.â The unsaid âunlike some peopleâ seemed to echo in their ears even as they smiled easily at Maggie, they were well aware that they were guilty of showing off their success on more than one occasion.Â
Liz rolled their eyes at the thought of the off feeling being caused by the absence of one man. âI refuse to allow him that much power, King of the Manor or not, Maybe this is just something lost to time, you know? Last time I was here I was young and way less stressed about life, I remember standing in this very room and worrying that a paper would tank my gpa. Nobody has ever asked my gpa, ever. It all seems so trivial now, compared to like worries I have now.â
It felt different to be back than Maggie thought it would be. Part of her had been hoping that the familiar halls of Ghilchrist Manor would fill her up and overwhelm her senses so she couldnât think. She had been hoping that all the memories would come flooding back and she could find comfort in them, but instead she felt emptier than before. She had yet to decide if that was a good thing or not.
Dinner was stifling. A room full of people who had become insignificant. The absence of Dr. Ghilchrist made it seem like there was nothing to bring them together but a common curiosity. A common curiosity for a man that seemed more like a ghost than a person. She slipped out of the dining hall to take a moment to breathe, gravitating towards the entryway.
Sheâd always been so curious about the statues that stood there. She had once had a plan to try and get a bust of herself put on display. It seemed a little silly now, she doubted they did the founders any justice. She heard footsteps and looked over her shoulder. âHappy to be back?â she asked, her tone bordering sarcastic.
For all that Liz was grateful for the organization that had given her so much, there was something bittersweet about listening to everyone speculate about the whereabouts of the one man. And the way that some of them turned to tearing each other apart with subtle digs and rolled eyes whenever there was a lull in conversation left a straight sour taste in their mouth. They had already been wondering the familiar halls when they spotted Maggie by the foundersâ statues in the entryway and decided to approach.Â
âHappy to cash a cheque, perhaps.â They quipped in return, eyes moving to roam over the ancient busts. âThe more I think about that, however, the less impactful it really seems. Especially with the way some of the older members are acting like this is a Saturday morning brunch on some reality tv show about housewives. That makes me want to jump on the next plane home.âÂ
Sighing they turned their full attention to Maggie before asking, âI take it youâre not thrilled to be here? Itâs weird isnât it? Itâs everything I remember but it still doesnât quite live up to the memories.â
Characters: Elijah & Open @gdopensâ
Location: The Den
Heâd finished dinner far quicker than most others, as big âfamily mealsâ always sent a shiver down his spine. Elijah much preferred the company of a book or podcast in the evening, as heâd spent so much time at the Newseum and during school having to talk to other people and constantly be aware of everyone and everything around him.
No, no he wasnât paranoid. Elijah was simply spatially conscious, especially when he was in DC, to avoid his mother or any of her staffers. Heâd been in Chicago for only a year and his mother hadnât reached out once, which was a relief, but he still hadnât quite shaken the habit of worrying about her.
Putting back a yearbook heâd flipped through, he turned his head. âNo oneâs hair looked good in the â80s. Iâm sure of it.â
Their life since graduation had left them skilled in dinners that dragged on far longer than necessary, but they still quickly tired of pushing salad greens around on their plate. They excused themselves with a myriad of excuses, stepping away into the familiar rooms of the manor until they drifted into the den. Stopping next to Elijah, they shook their head as they reached for a different yearbook to flip through, âAnd some people are still trying to rock that 80s look.â
They flipped open the yearbook, scanning through pictures of familiar faces at various events in a year long past. âAnd honestly I think the 80â˛s probably had better looks than some of these people. â98 was a rough year, bless their hearts.â A finger traces over a picture of a poorly bedazzled denim jacket and they let out an almost fond sigh.
ashleigh murray & non-binary trans woman. ⢠ELIZABETH MOUNTBATTEN, age 30, graduated Gilchrist University in 2012 as a NUTRITION major. THEY were born in SUSSEX, ENGLAND & has been living in LONDON working as an INFLUENCER. LIZZIE is known to be AMBITIOUS, CHARISMATIC, SELFISH & INSINCERE and that might be because THEY are a GEMINI. â drew. twenty-two. est. he/him.
elizabeth mountbatten, adopted child of the earl of mountbatten and his second wife and almost thirty years younger than their adoptive siblings. they grew up as an only child in a large estate in sussex, the apple of their motherâs eye and a child that their father believed could do great things with the proper training. and that training meant private tutors and private schools, whichever sport they found most interesting and long nights at important galas, all in preparation for the life on aristocrat.
coming out to their parents at thirteen felt like the move that you make right before your world crashes down around you, and even now they can feel their heart racing when they think about it, but their parents simply frowned and said that theyâd have to fix it. and if that didnât feel like the axe coming down. but they simply rearranged their schedules, set up appointments with leading specialists and did everything that they could to make elizabeth comfortable.Â
before they ever stepped foot on ghilchristâs campus, liz had been the face for several minor modeling campaigns and they were determined that they would be the face of more in the years to come. college was a compromise of sorts, an agreement made with their parents that they would have a back up plan. and nutrition was interesting enough, the affect of food on your body and the supplements you could take having always been something that liz wanted to know more about.Â
accepting an invitation to join the gravediggers was easy, but laying down in a coffin to be buried alive? that was harder and they laid there all night wondering if they had been the victim of the ultimate prank, before they were staring up at the faces of the others. and from there it wasnât so bad, not really. the group had connections that even liz couldnât fathom and with lizâs growing social media prescence, they were already thinking of ways to take advantage of that.Â
six months after graduation, liz launched a collection in collaboration with mac and sent out pr kits to every make up wearing member of the gravediggers with promises of more great things to come. and then they pulled through, sending everyone all of their newest releases from makeup to clothing to perfumes. plus theyâre great at getting invites for the hot influencer parties and launch events if you just ask, known for showing up to events with a friend from college on their arm.
trivia:
enjoys a good party as much as the next person but would prefer a laid back day by the pool sipping on sugary-sweet drinks.Â
currently narrowly avoiding being caught up in scandals that are bringing down some of the people that they used to hang out with by taking a hiatus but is still working on new products ( including a skin care line )
has been dumped on camera for views before & the videos are still out there.
has been splitting their time between nyc / london / la pretty evenly the last few years with london kind of being their main base
ooc // hey iâm drew & i, like many of you, hate the tumblr messaging system so i am encouraging you to message me on discord @ water bro #5090Â
