#henton

[not-poignant]

How many chapters do you think UtB will have? Like do you have an specific number or idea in mind?

Hi anon!

I have no specific number and no plan, I am completely winging Underline the Black! Much like I did with Falling Falling Stars.

Now, the last story that featured Efnisien as a main character ended up being 140 chapters long and 779k words long, and while I don't think UtB will be that long, I don't think we're anywhere near the end yet either.

I can probably say 'we're not halfway yet' with some confidence. Are we close to halfway? I think so! Do I know for certain? Nope! I have no idea!

I do know I'll finish it though :)

[wally-b-feed]

Anthony Fineran (B 1981), Luc Henton Shell, 2022

[fontania]

Henrietta

do I like them:

I love Henrietta. To me, she is such a beautiful character. I’m sure everyone feels this way about something they’ve created, but I honestly don’t even think myself responsible for what she is. She is not the product of my imagination. In reality, she is just a big mix up of things. Purity, selflessness, deep love, envy, kindness, insecurity, secretiveness, uncertainty, joy, passion – I could go on. Having a personal knowledge of her strength makes me look up to her, in a way.

5 good qualities:

Henrietta is a smart cookie, let me tell ya’ll. To begin, she skipped two grades, probably at the end of elementary school in highschool!au. She was basically a child prodigy, and her talents didn’t just show through academically. If we’re talking mainuverse, she graduated with honors, pursued a higher education and had her own business by the time she turned nineteen. She speaks eloquently and always puts heavy thoughts into her actions.

Henrietta is a total philanthropist, and not just in rich!au either. With her selfless spirit, she frequently puts the needs of others before her own. A great example: her younger brother. If there’s anyone willing to give up their last dollar, it’s her.

She’s a total 10! Maybe that’s why she costs a pretty penny in mafia!au. Fun facts: Henrietta’s hair is actually naturally lighter than her skin, which is odd considering for most people in the world, it’s the other way around. Her hair is wavy/curly and a more golden platinum blonde color. You can tell that with skin the color of the Kalahari desert, she stands out a lot. And not to mention, she’s got LEGS FOR DAYS.

Henny’s got the biggest heart omg. She’s kind and gracious to pretty much everyone she meets. It’s like she has this loving spirit inside of her. Maybe that’s why the plants she tends grow so beautifully!

Great Listener. She’s therapeutic, really.

3 bad qualities:

Jealousy is one of Henrietta’s downfalls. It is also something that she is aware of and hates about herself. When it comes down to her man, she never likes sharing. Part of it is just normal relationship antics, but the other part is her unconscious fear of ending up like her dad (alone and totally cheated on). So, she doesn’t mind publicly claiming her partner or branding them with a hot iron.

I didn’t really want to put henrietta’s insecurity down here because I didn’t want it to be considered bad, but it does negatively affect her life. Even with all of her accomplishments and her seemingly perfect facade. She is afraid of betrayal, failure, and of never being good enough (angst: which is why, btw, she gets depressed after miscarrying her first kid because she actually had confidence that she would be great at raising a child and she failed before she even started)

Henrietta is secretive. Secretive to the point that you may become convinced that she doesn’t like you and/or doesn’t really want to be your friend because she never shares all that much about herself. I’m sure rumors probably go around that she is two-faced and talks badly about others. It’d be easy to make up a story about her because so little people know the truth about her life.

otp:

 Henton = Ashton Hawkeye + Henrietta Magnolia. Whenever I imagine henton, it just works. I imagine most of the angst happening before they get together, and since they both love each other and are willing to compromise, they have a stable relationship. I can imagine that they do hide things from each other though, because they both have a tendency of keeping secrets. I’m sure they make many sacrifices for each other.

brotp:

Tbh I would include every character henrietta is friends with but it’d just end up looking like the character info page. However, I do have to admit that I like frenny, henton (platonic), seanny, genny, quinny, hileen (I’m just naming all of the other characters help me pls)

ot3:

Henrietta is too jealous to see her man be with someone else… but if it’d had to be anyone it would giaan. AshtonxGiaanxHenrietta would be the most fireproof ot3 (I would say AshtonxSeanxHenrietta if we lived in a universe where ashton and sean were not cousins wow incest).

notp:

Henrietta sees the good in everybody tbh, so I can’t think of anyone who she could be in a notp with???

head canon: (RELEASE THE DRAGONS)

henrietta can do the splits

probably instagram famous

and also probably has her own youtube channel with diy, life hack, vlog, and beauty vids

probably has dabbled into modeling in some au or another (lmao she’s totally a lingerie model in mafia!au or outcasts!au)

actually keeps a planner

probably used cloth diapers on her kids instead of disposable ones

most likely to have a well in her back yard

attends quinn’s twerking 101 class

is the center of many rumors in highschool!au

[fontania]

henton

(Halloween) Give me a ship and I'll tell you who:

Choses the pumpkin:

Henrietta. Being the nature-loving freak she is, she would definitely be the one to pick the pumpkin out. And she’d all too eager to run around the little lot looking over every single one at that

It’s a struggle really. They’re all so cute in all their different sizes and shapes that she is totally serious when she turns to Ashton suggesting that maybe they should buy ALL of them. And Ashton would chuckle because she’s so happy, but instead he reminds her with a smirk on his face that there’s not enough room in the car for literally every pumpkin here (and he’s not sure he could afford paying for them all either)

Of course, that is not the news Henny wanted to hear (even if she had been expecting it) and her face falls a bit. Her lips are in a pout and she’s obviously visibly disappointed... until Ashton says that they do have the funds and the room for more than one so why not grab two?

After that, Ashton doesn’t see Henny for the next hour and when she returns to his side, she has the brightest smile on her face and two medium-sized pumpkins sitting in her arms

Carves the pumpkin:

Both. 

Originally, the plan was that Henrietta and Ashton went to the pumpkin lot because Henny wanted to carve a pumpkin this year. However, they ended up leaving with two so it likely turns into a couple’s activity

At first, Ashton denies wanting anything to do with the pumpkins, saying that he’s “alright” and that she “should have her fun.” But Henny manages to convince him--it’ll be more fun if both of them carve together!!--so Ashton relents and allows the girl to drag him over to the cutup trash bag that she has set out on their patio

They spend hours like that: sitting on the cold cement floor with a variety of knives and a scoop, gutting and carving their pumpkins while joking and laughing. And when they finally finish, Ashton presents his to his girlfriend with a winning smile and a puffed up chest. And Henny grins back clapping because despite the pumpkin’s lopsided smile, it’s cute and she loves it--she loves him

It’s when she starts to laugh at him that his smile leaves his face only to quickly be replaced with a blush when Henny is suddenly very close and picking a few pumpkin seeds out of his hair

Gets scared and clings the other in a haunted house:

Ashton.

It’s not like Henrietta doesn’t get scared in haunted houses, because... well, they are very immersive, but Ashton is on a whole other level of frightened

Henny remembers that first time they went to one Ashton would let out a high-pitched scream every five seconds and refused to let her hand go until they were far away from the area

Not that she complained that night because he was in a very cuddly mood...

Matching costume idea:

Perhaps something Plants vs. Zombies related? Henrietta being a sunflower and Ashton being a zombie

Makes a cozy bed-fort to cuddle in:

I don’t really see one or the other doing it, though the idea probably came from Ashton and Henrietta was all to eager to join in

It was probably on a rainy day too

On rainy days, Henny has nothing to do. She can’t water her plants--well, she could but it’d be a waste since the rain already has that covered--and it’s to wet to go anywhere fun

Ashton is in the same boat. He could go bother Freddie, but that would require leaving their apartment and he’s not really up for that (nor is he up for dying because that would likely be his fate if he showed up at the blond’s place uninvited). And then the idea hits him! Why not build a bed-fort? Henny and him could watch movies and cuddle while eating popcorn and drinking hot coco so he brings his brilliant idea up and Henny is the first to grab all the pillows in the house

Steal’s the other’s candy:

Both. They sneak each other’s candy when they aren’t looking

Accidentally gets lost in a corn maze:

Henrietta.

The first time the two of them go to a corn maze, Henny gets lost half-way through

It scares the shit out of Ashton because from his pov, she had been trailing a bit behind him in silence as he rambled on about his annoying boss and what a cool party they’ll be going to that weekend and then when he reaches the end... she’s gone

In reality, Henny stopped walking about half-way through because she saw a pretty flower. She takes a moment to admire its beauty and give it a sniff, but in the few seconds it took to do that, Ashton had already turned like five corners so she’s left to her own devices

Eventually, they are reunited, but only after Ashton goes through the entire maze again to find her

Tells spooky stories to scare the other:

Both. It’s definitely a mutual thing, though Ashton is more easily scared

Collects cool-looking leaves:

Henrietta. It actually annoys Ashton a little bit, but she looks so cute when she shows him her new additions to her leaf-collection that he doesn’t say anything

[doughenton-blog1]

Connecting Innovation and Inequality: Could Housing Be the Key?

One of the major topics in public debate today is how to address the problem of inequality. Does an innovative economy inevitably lead to winners and losers and growing disparity between the haves and have-nots? Or can innovation lead to shared prosperity and opportunity for all?

Since the Great Recession, inequality has been rising faster than ever before, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), especially in America.[1]   OECD's report measures inequality using the Gini coefficient, "which runs from a minimum of 0 (perfect equality) to 100 (total inequality). ... America’s Gini coefficient, as calculated by the OECD, stands at 38. Most developed countries have Gini coefficients that run much lower."[2]

Clearly, the Great Recession "generated economic setbacks for many individuals and families. Several states still see high unemployment rates, stagnant median family income, and loss of wealth. In 2013, more than one in seven adults lived in poverty, and nearly one in five children lived in poverty. Children who grow up poor are more likely to earn less as adults, complete fewer years of education, and face more health issues than children living in higher-income families."[3]

Recently, Robert Putnam, a leading political scientist from Harvard, wrote “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis”, which focuses on the state of upward mobility and inequality.    "Widening income gaps, he argues, have brought profound but underappreciated changes to family life, neighborhoods and schools in ways that give big advantages to children at the top and make it ever harder for those below to work their way up."[4] He finds that "over the last several decades a distributing 'opportunity gap' has unexpectedly emerged between kids from 'have' and 'have-not' backgrounds. The central tenet of the American Dream—that all children, regardless of their family and social background, should have a decent chance to improve their lot in life—is no longer 'self evident.'"[5]

Jill Lepore analyzes inequality in her article "Richer and Poorer." 

What does Putnam’s say “we” do?  He proposes changes in four realms: family structure, parenting, school, and community. His policy recommendations include expanding the earned-income tax credit and protecting existing anti-poverty programs; implementing more generous parental leaves, better child-care programs, and state-funded preschool; equalizing the funding of public schools, providing more community-based neighborhood schools, and increasing support for vocational high-school programs and for community colleges; ending pay-to-play extracurricular activities in public schools and developing mentorship programs that tie schools to communities and community organizations.[6]

On the other hand, Lepore summarizes the views of Anthony Atkinson's, Harvard economist and author of “Inequality: What Can Be Done?”

Atkinson believes that solutions like Putnam’s, which focus on inequality of opportunity, mainly through reforms having to do with public education, are inadequate. Atkinson thinks that the division between inequality of outcome and inequality of opportunity is largely false. He believes that tackling inequality of outcome is a very good way to tackle inequality of opportunity. (If you help a grownup get a job, her kids will have a better chance of climbing out of poverty, too.) Above all, he disagrees with the widespread assumption that technological progress and globalization are responsible for growing inequality. That assumption, he argues, is wrong and also dangerous, because it encourages the belief that growing inequality is inevitable.

Atkinson points out that technological advance are governed by laws and laws are passed by legislators; in democracies, legislators are elected. So, too, new technologies don’t simply fall out of the sky, like meteors or little miracles. “The direction of technological change is the product of decisions by firms, researchers, and governments,” Atkinson writes. The iPhone exists, as Mariana Mazzucato demonstrated in her 2013 book “The Entrepreneurial State,” because various branches of the U.S. government provided research assistance that resulted in several key technological developments, including G.P.S., multi-touch screens, L.C.D. displays, lithium-ion batteries, and cellular networks.[7]

"'It is not enough to say that rising inequality is due to technological forces outside our control,' Atkinson writes. 'The government can influence the path taken.'[8]

Technology and the automation of middle-class jobs are often blamed for increasing concentrations of wealth in fewer hands. "But, a 26-year-old MIT graduate student, Matthew Rognlie, is now making waves for an alternative theory of inequality: the problem is housing (PDF)."[9]

...economist Thomas Piketty, argues that wealth is concentrating in the 1% because more money can be made by investing in machines and land (capital) than paying people to perform work (wages). Because capital is worth more than wages, those with an advantage to invest now in capital become the source of long-term dynasties of wealth and inequality. Rognlie’s blockbuster rebuttal to Piketty is that ““recent trends in both capital wealth and income are driven almost entirely by housing.” Software, robots, and other modern investments all depreciate in price as fast as the iPod. Technology doesn’t hold value like it used to, so it’s misleading to believe that investments in capital now will give rich folks a long-term advantage.

Land/housing is really one of the only investments that give wealthy people a long-term leg up. According to the Economist, this changes how we should rethink policy related to income inequality.

Rather than taxing businesses and wealthy investors, “policy-makers should deal with the planning regulations and NIMBYism that inhibit house building and which allow homeowners to capture super-normal   In other words, the government should focus more on housing policy and less on taxing the wealthy, if it wants to properly deal with the inequality problem. [10]

A recent report by the Legislative Analyst Office in California highlights the negative economic impact of high housing costs and the importance of housing policies for both equity and competitiveness. “One byproduct of spending a large share of one’s income on housing is that personal finances may be more fragile—meaning a smaller share of a household’s income is available for nonhousing goods and services, including savings. As a result, these households may find it more difficult to accommodate a drop in household income because they have a smaller amount of nonhousing disposable income and likely have smaller available savings.”[11]   Furthermore, "the state’s high housing costs make California a less attractive place to call home, making it more difficult for companies to hire and retain qualified employees, likely preventing the state’s economy from meeting its full potential."[12]

In sum, while education is important to opportunity, it may turn out that affordable housing may be the key to reducing inequality in an innovation economy.

_________________________________

[1] Babones, Salvatore.  OECD: Inequality Rising Raster than Ever.  Inequality.org.  May 19 2013.

[2] Ibid.

[3] NGA Center for Best Practices.  Improving Economic Opportunities for Children and Families.  

[4] DeParle, Jason.  'Our Kids,' by Robert D. Putnam. New York Times.  Mar. 4, 2015.

[5] Putnam, Robert D.  Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis.  New York, NY. Simon & Schuster, 2015.

[6] Lepore, Jill. Richer and Poorer.  New York Times.  Mar. 16, 2015.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ferenstein, Greg.  "A 26-year-old MIT graduate is turning heads over his theory that income inequality is actually about housing (in 1 graph)." The Ferenstein Wire.  Mar. 25, 2015.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Taylor, Mac.  California's High Housing Costs: Causes and Consequences.  Legislative Analyst's Office. Mar. 17, 2015.

[12] Ibid.

[doughenton-blog1]

Silicon Valley Fever or a Smart Future?

March 2015 marked a milestone for Silicon Valley. We are finally back to 2000 employment levels, after a "lost decade” when our region shed over 200,000 jobs during the “dot com” bust and the Great Recession. Since 2008, our region has led the nation and California back from the recession with rapid job growth.(1)  

Silicon Valley’s remarkable progress compared to other economic regions is chronicled in the Silicon Valley Competitiveness and Innovation Report prepared by Collaborative Economics for the Silicon Valley Community Leadership Group and Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Our region has been a national leader in not only job growth but venture capital investment, IPOs and entrepreneurship.

However, many of the same regional challenges we saw in the last boom have re-emerged, especially in terms of rapidly rising housing prices and transportation gridlock, as well as talent shortages.(2)

In addition, we are now witnessing a land rush as major employers including Google, Facebook, Apple and others purchase property and build new headquarters in anticipation of significant new hires. Where will these employees live, and how will they get to work? Can we find innovative regional solutions to our housing, transportation and workforce challenges?

In short, we are experiencing another “Silicon Valley Fever”, the periodic episodes of exuberance that that we have witnessed before during in the 1970s with the rise of the explosive semiconductor industry (which gave us our name), the personal computer in the 1980s, the Internet in the 1990s and social media in the last decade. Will the fever break again as it did after each of these eras with fierce competition from Japanese chip makers, the rise of commodity “clone” PCs, and the dot com bust?

Two things could break our current fever. One set of factors is external. The Federal Reserve will raise interest rates and reduce the money supply after a period of historically low rates, which would end the six year stock market run, which has helped fuel this period of exuberance. Recent developments, as the market anticipates a rate increase later in 2015, suggest that this may happen. A second set of factors is internal. The lack of affordable housing and the traffic congestion could result in the migration of talent to other regions. We are already seeing evidence of this trend with flows of young talent going to other lower cost, high opportunity regions such as Austin, Seattle, and Boulder.

We have been here before. In 1998 during the rapid rise of jobs at the beginning of the Internet boom, over 1,000 businesses, government and civic leaders created Silicon Valley 2010 that outlined goals and strategies for achieving an innovative economy, livable community and inclusive society through regional stewardship.(3) While some of those goals were implemented, its progress was undermined by the recession following the dot com bust, which shifted our focus to recovery.

What will happen next following our current Silicon Valley Fever? Is another downturn inevitable as we follow our normal pattern of “creative destruction" in which new innovations replace the old with disruptions in employment, or can we prepare for a better future by making thoughtful choices now during our time of prosperity?(4)  

The Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI) launched by the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber in cooperation with the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, private businesses and local chambers may provide an answer to these questions. This Initiative is identifying the most promising opportunities to drive the region into the future. REDI has found that we may be on the cusp of a new wave of innovation that combines each of our prior waves of defense, integrated circuits, personal computers, the Internet and social media into the Internet of Things that applies software, hardware and sensors to a wide variety of products and services in both consumer and industrial markets. Examples include Health IT, Smart Buildings, Advanced Transportation and Wearable Devices. Many of the leading firms in our region including Apple, Google and Cisco are already leaders in this emerging area.

Can Silicon Valley lead the nation into a “smart future”? Clearly this is what James Canton, a former executive at Apple and founding board member of the Singularity University based in Silicon Valley, believes. In his new book, Future Smart: Managing the Game-Changing Trends That Will Transform Your World, he outlines several trends resulting from a fusion of connected knowledge, individuals, technologies and markets that will shape our destiny. Below are a few excerpts from this list.

Connected Innovation Ecosystems—convergence of talent, technology, collaboration, and markets—will create competitive advantage.

Connected health care will enable more effective care.

Connected transportation will be safe.

Connected supply chains will speed production and raise quality. 

Connected education will enable smarter learning.

Connected products, Always Aware and online, will enable security.(5)

He argues that “How Future Smart we are about connectivity of the mobile online global economy will shape our civilization’s prosperity and progress for the next hundred years.”(6)

Is this optimistic vision possible? We may be already seeing the emergence of this vision in Silicon Valley with the rise of the Internet of Things. As Canton points out:

This Connected Planet will be dominated by mobile, wearable and embedded computing that will be linked together in the Internet of Things (IoT). The Internet of Things is the emerging technology wave of wirelessly connecting products, systems, computer chips, and devices to each other so they may sense, understand, analyze, predict, and exchange information, such as location awareness, and communicate with each other and us over the wave.(7)  

He then goes on to predict many of the things already happening in Silicon Valley today: connected health care, connected manufacturing, connected homes, connected enterprises and connected transportation systems.

What do we need to do to make this happen? First, we need to change our thinking to embrace collaboration. While competition fuels creativity in our market economy, collaboration is also critical in creating the infrastructure required to support this kind of future. This will require a kind of regional stewardship that was envisioned over a decade ago in Silicon Valley 2010. We will need that again if we are to meet our regional challenges with innovative solutions that apply the Internet of Things to our critical transportation, housing and education issues.

I remain optimistic for several reasons as suggested in my prior blogs : our economy may be entering a new act based on the next wave of innovation, the Internet of Things. This creates the opportunity for collaborative solutions, and intelligent machines can serve us by “augmenting” human intelligence not replacing it. In the end, we need to commit ourselves to finding intelligent solutions to the challenges we face and create a smart future that we all want.

1. Avalos, George.  "South Bay and East Bay post solid gains during January". San Jose Mercury News Business.  Mar. 11 2015.  2. Scheinin, Richard.  "Bay Area housing lags booming economy".  San Jose Mercury News Business.  Mar. 6 2015. 3. Henton, Douglas C., et al.  Silicon Valley 2010: a regional framework for growing together.  Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, 1998. 4. Henton, Doug and Kim Held.  "A Modern Proteus, The Dynamics of Silicon Valley: Creative Destruction and the Evolution of the Social Innovation Habitat". Social Science Information.  Dec. 2013. 5. Canton, James.  Future Smart: Managing the Game-Changing Trends That Will Transform Your World.  Boston, D Capo Press, 2015.  19.  6. Ibid. 19. 7. Ibid. 26.

[fontania]

♡ Henton

♡: Accidentally falling asleep together

 So maybe she drank a little too much. Henrietta curls up, making herself look even smaller on the sofa, and she rests her head on its arm. Nope, she’s not feeling nauseous. Not at all. Not right now, in a room full of people that, while far gone themselves, are in definitely better shape than she is. At least they can stand up on their own. 

 (Although Freddie might be giving the wall way too much credit when it comes to supporting his weight. Not that she’s going to say anything about it in her condition.) 

 ”You okay?” 

 She groans miserably, not even bothering to look up, and that’s saying something considering the most adorable boy in this side of the Pecos has just plopped down beside her. Not that she knows where the Pecos even is, but, hey, it sounded cool when Yosemite Sam said it and who is she to question his impressive moustache? 

 Yep, she’s definitely had way too much to drink. Why did nobody stop her, again? 

 Ashton laughs quietly and it’s a nice sound, she thinks, because she hasn't heard it in a while, not since he and Giaan broke up, and she’d like to hear it more. Also, Ashton and Giaan broke up. 

 “‘S not funny,” she mumbles. 

 ”It’s definitely not,” and now she can practically hear the laughter in his voice alone and she should be annoyed and a little worried because she’s going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow (it’s okay, she’ll nurse it with Freddie like they always do), but she can’t bring herself to feel any of that because Ashton is definitely single and laughing. 

 ”Why are you still sober?”, she complains, like it’s his fault that she’s there with her stomach churning and head swimming and, you know what, it kind of is. Like, how dare he just come up to her, all sober and single and not-in-pain, and rub it in her face how not in a relationship he is? 

 Wait, okay, she should've probably rejected the last couple of shots because she wouldn't be having those kind of bitter, cranky thoughts if she were completely conscious and not all woozy. 

 ”Am not.” To prove his point, Ashton chugs what’s left of his drinking and, goddess, she feels even worse than before. He had to do that on purpose, but at least he seems to take some pity on her because the next thing he says is: “C’mere.” 

 And then he pulls her closer into a nice little cuddle and c'mon, he’s very single and she loves cuddles, especially when she’s feeling so exceptionally miserable, so who is she to complain? Not that she’s going to giggle like a delighted thirteen year old she feels on the inside, because he hasn't been single for that long either and taking advantage of this might be tacky so yeah, she’s just gonna take what she can get for now without pushing her luck in the process. 

 Or at least that’s what she intends to do. 

 But then he starts rubbing her shoulder, which he may intend as a comforting gesture but all it does is make the butterflies start a rave in her stomach and that’s not going to help with the nausea at all, so she can’t help but melt in his frustratingly oblivious arms. 

 ”Are you okay?”, she asks quietly. 

 Ashton pauses and Henrietta swears she’s going to whimper in protest, but that’s too pathetic even for her drunken, not-at-all-there self. After an uncomfortable silence, he resumes the movement with a heavy sigh. 

 The breakup is clearly weighing on him and Henrietta’s tried her best not to take sides or get her hopes up, but sometimes, when her guard is down (like now), she rejoices quietly and thinks that maybe she could have a shot and maybe she’s not going to miss her chance a second time. 

 But then he sighs like he just did or he lowers his eyes like he’s doing now, and she feels bad for privately celebrating something that has clearly devastated him. (Not that Giaan has been faring so well either. Evidence A: she’s not at this party and she’s probably baking comfort cupcakes with Eileen). 

 ”Getting over people is hard,” is all Ashton says and now he’s nuzzling her and her no, bad stomach, no backflips when your friend is feeling bad emotionally and you’re feeling bad physically. 

 ”Tell me about it,” is all she offers because, in her state, she fears what might leave her mouth. 

 She once asked Freddie whether she should tell Ashton what she felt, a little after two weeks of The Breakup. Freddie had never been a fan of her crush and still wasn't, but he knew how to put his objections aside and give advice when he saw she really needed it. “So, um, now that he’s single… What do I have to lose, right?”, she’d tried laughing but Freddie only frowned at her, giving her his trademark ‘you’re-not-being-serious-but-I-am-and-this-is-a-serious-situation-also-I'm-a-buzzkill’ look. 

 ”And what are you going to say, hm?” Freddie had gone back to his homework, sounding a little weary like he knew he’d have to talk her out of this at some point. “‘Hey, Ashton, so I know you've seen me as your friend for a long time now and I've made absolutely no moves on you, and you think of me as completely non-sexual and probably a safe space in spite of me being your ex’s best friend, but I kind of been dreaming about your dazzling eyes ever since we met, so go out with me maybe?’ That’d be smooth; you should try it.” 

 The jerk hadn't even looked at her. And now that she thinks about it, he didn't even change his tone once.

 So yeah, now that she’s drunk and cuddling with Ashton (who is also drunk and still very single), Freddie’s voice is the only thing that’s stopping her from gripping Ashton’s shirt and kissing him senseless. “Why couldn't it have been you?” 

 And, okay, great, her heart stopped. “What?” 

 ”It should've been you,” Ashton slurs. “You’re, like, my best friend and you get me, right? Dating you would’ve rocked and I wouldn’t be feeling like shit right now.” 

 He’s drunk. He wouldn’t be saying that if he wasn’t. 

 He’s very drunk. 

 And single. 

 But, most importantly, Ashton is very, very drunk and so is Henrietta so when she thinks of something sensible to say, she has to think about it for a long time. “You don’t mean that.” 

 ”Shhhh,” - Ashton clumsily pats her head - “just go with the flow. I’ll feel better.” 

 How can she argue with that? That was almost as convincing as Yosemite Sam’s moustache. “You’d break up with me,” she teases, but she knows the only reasons he’s not picking up how much the thought kills her are that his mind’s too hazy and her tongue’s too heavy to convey any kind of hurt. 

 ”Because of the plants?” 

 ”Because of the plants.” 

 ”I’d put up with the plants.” 

 Henrietta giggles. 

 ”I’m serious! I’d plant you a garden.” 

 ”Really?”

 ”… I’d probably have to learn how to plant a garden first, but yes.”

 She hums and closes her eyes, resting her head on his chest and trying her best to remind herself that he’s joking and really, he doesn’t mean it, he’s just saying it to forget how much he loves Giaan for a little while. 

 ”I’m so drunk,” Ashton laughs and he continues laughing for a while, more to himself than anything, and she’s glad, really, because it means he’s feeling a little better. But she’d rather he wouldn’t be suffering in the first place. 

 His laughter dies down eventually, gradually, and then his breathing starts slowing down so when a long time passes and he hasn’t said anything else, Henrietta opens her eyes and looks up at him. 

 Ashton has fallen asleep and he looks quite peaceful, all things considered, and she doesn’t feel as nauseous as before, so Henrietta has no problem in settling back down and closing her eyes too. Not that she would’ve had she been sober, but, thankfully, she’s not and it’s up to her future, hangover self to deal with the aftermath.     

[fontania]

The Magic Of Alcohol

Whether they would be too hung over to remember any of this didn't matter, as they felt the minutes drag on slowly in this magical moment that, even in their drunken minds, they both wanted to last for forever.