ugly duckling

“It is only with the heart that one can see clearly, for the most essential things are invisible to the eye.” // Single Muse blog for the Ugly Duckling for @godscobhhq

[swanprncess]

Odette gapes at Hannah, at a complete loss for words. Embarrassment and unease and nerves make her stomach turn. Embarrassment that Hannah could read her desperation to be liked, that incessant need that pulls at her in every circumstance.

She shakes her head, staring at the floor, unable to meet Hannah's gaze. "Yes, I do want you to like me, Hannah," she says softly. "Because I admire you." Even now, as Hannah's anger burns her, she respects Hannah's ability to so strongly feel her emotions, her courage to speak her mind.

"You don't want to be me, Hannah. Trust me. I'm . . . a coward." An inadequate word to cover all the issues she hides under a carefully crafted facade, issues that would certainly make Hannah want to be nothing like her. She looks up then. "But you, you're strong. You're incredible. I wish I could be more like you."

[theuglyducklinggc]

Hannah can feel her anger boiling over, the foam and froth changing the shape of it into something else entirely. The rage stops being rage and takes it's true form. The shape that she had always known it to take. The sharp green shape of envy, of grief at what she was lacking. At the idea that none of her accomplishments mattered when there was no one to show them to.

She lets out an angry noise, strangled in the back of her throat, and holds her hands over the back of her head, crouching down and pressing her palms into the back of her neck. As though, through sheer force of her own musculature, she can curl up tight into a ball and block out the whole of the world. The whole of Odette's beauty. The overwhelming weight of it. That goodness.

"That's right. You're a coward. And everyone still loves you. You are beautiful. You can be anything you want, and you'll still be loved." It's something torn from her through gritted teeth. Something ripped straight from her breastbone. She is always such miserable company.

"Strength alone means nothing."

[theuglyducklinggc]

Godscobh Task 02:

While a good majority of Hannah's styling can be attributed to her profession as a ballet instructor and former ballerina, that isn't actually all there is to her style. Ever since she began making real money, she's made an effort into her appearance far beyond what is expected of her. She has a preference for silk shirts, and silk fabrics in general. She likes wearing tights, and leg warmers, and often accessorizes very intentionally. She is most often found wearing pale, dusty colors, and rarely if ever deviates from that.

[favouritemessenger-deactivated2]

Mercury breathed a sigh of mock relief. “Thank goodness I have you to save me from their wrath—which is definitely a joke and will not be heard by the boss.”

Ey nodded along to her words. “Oh, so the market’s a new thing for you?” No wonder she looked so lost. It’d be like putting Mercury in the bakery kitchen and forcing em to make croissants or something. Might be fun if other people wouldn’t be waiting for em to get eir shit together.

“Promise, here you go,” ey held out half of the tangerine for her to take, “can’t complain about not having the whole thing, by the way. My greed cannot allow for more to be taken.” Ey winked, jokingly.

After a few more bites, ey looked at her. “So? Thoughts? My taste is truly the best, right?”

[theuglyducklinggc]

"Yes. Very new." She confesses, before finally reaching out to accept her half of the tangerine.

She observes it for a short moment, rolling the thin skin stretched along the flesh of the fruit under her thumb to feel the tensity and give. It's lukewarm, unlike her refrigerated fruits at home, so that they'll keep longer. She can't tell if that means she prefers her fruits cold, or if she's just too used to them being that way. But this one was the temperature of the air. And, while chilly, it certainly wasn't as cold as a tangerine from her fridge.

She pops a piece in her mouth and chews. She pays attention to the flavor as much as she can, the texture, the bite of acidity and the way the sweetness of the fruit softens it. She tilts her head to the side, trying to differentiate.

When prompted on if Mercury's taste truly is the best or not, though, all Hannah can do is look at them with a small tremor of a mischievous smile, and shrug.

"Oh, I wouldn't know. I smoke so it all tastes the same to me. An orange is an orange. A tangerine is a tangerine. But it was a pretty juicy one, I guess."

[spendfcrever]

Elinor feels a chill run through their bones, and they're not certain it has anything to do with the wind and snow outside. They shouldn't have even tried making this trip today, and now Hannah was probably just guilted into apologizing because her car wouldn't be moving for several hours. The teacher hesitated to touch Hannah as her head rested on the wheel, not responding for a long moment as they choose how best to handle this conversation. Elinor really didn't want an apology, they just wanted to come out of this stronger than they were before.

"I... I want you to know that you're not alone in that feeling," Though they couldn't control how Hannah was feeling right now, Elinor thought it would be healthy to try to open up, even as a heavy pit grew in their stomach.

They tried to shake off that discomfort, letting their shoulders shiver a bit, "I mean, god, I'm 28 and I've never lived on my own longer than a 3 or 4 months. I don't talk about it a lot because it's, um, quite private. But I have OCD, and it's hard to take care of myself sometimes. Eating, sleeping, driving. When I came home after college, my dad decided - we decided it would be best if I didn't live alone," Elinor finds themself looking out the passenger window, feeling like they can't make eye contact while talking about this.

Elinor wasn't necessarily embarrassed by their diagnosis - it actually helped a lot to put a name to the feelings of anxiety and intrusive thoughts that had plagued them since youth. That said, it just wasn't pleasant to talk about. That overwhelming urge of compliance and the way the mind convinced itself that disaster would befall them if Elinor didn't follow orders, it was an ugly side of the illness that showed when Elinor showered and scrubbed their skin multiple times a day, lost control of their breathing, locked every door again and again and again before bed.

Though they weren't very experienced with the specific vice of drinking and shutting off from the world, Elinor thought it would be enough to show Hannah that she wasn't alone. It's incredibly messy, because not being able to trust your own actions and facilities makes the little, daily tasks of life messy. The things everyone else takes for granted until they can't do them independently anymore. But it does not make Hannah messy, the teacher thought, and it would not deter them from being with her through it.

"So, I know what it's like to be able to do things one day, and then feel... totally helpless the next. It's, um. It's really scary. And I never want you to feel like you can't share how you're feeling or show me the messy things. Hannah, nothing about you is unbearable to me."

[theuglyducklinggc]

Hannah stays quiet while Elinor speaks. Quiet because she knows that this was important. Quiet because there was something being shared between them now that they weren't able to share before. Some invisible wall that was being passed through, or a door that they hadn't seen before suddenly appearing in it. This was something worth listening to. This was something worth analyzing and, potentially, fixing that rift that Hannah knows she caused through her own actions.

Hannah always knew that there was some nebulous something that always seemed to be keeping Elinor at a distance from all of Hannah's own experiences. It doesn't take a genius to decipher that. Nor does it take a genius to decipher the fact that bringing it up in any capacity wasn't wanted or welcomed if they themselves didn't bring it up on their own. She knows how raw it is to be made to speak to what's eating at you before you want to. Why would she force it on Elinor?

Which, is another point to the significance of the speech. The fact that it's being willingly shared and not ripped out of them.

"Eli. Nothing about you is unbearable to me either."

Her voice is soft when she says it. Not soft like how it is when she mumbles something mean under her breath. It's closer to how she usually spoke with Tinley, kind and open, but different than that too. There was a different shape to this softness that she didn't quite know how to explain herself. And it makes the truth that comes next all the more raw in her chest. Her eyes feel wet, but she doesn't want to let herself cry, so she twists her lips in strange shapes to hold it back.

There are two things that Hannah wants to say at the same time. But both feel insurmountable. A confession of her own, her own struggles, her own demons. And the urge to beg Elinor to not live by themself, but live anywhere else. Anywhere else in the world.

"I think I am exhausted from making my own decisions, from being alone. And I think you are exhausted from people taking those from you. And I think I am becoming somebody I don't like. And that makes me wonder how you can stand me, sometimes. And I worry that sometimes you stick with me not because you want to, but because I somehow took a choice from you without realizing it."

[bete-du-manoir]

"No, no, you can stay," he says with a chuckle. "Just making sure you know I won't stop you if you get bored with me or something."

Adam looks around, trying to understand what's interesting about people watching. He'd never really been interested in it and he still doesn't really see the appeal. It is nice to have someone here he can talk to. Especially someone who won't talk work like it's a business meeting instead of the party it's supposed to be.

"So what has your people watching gotten you? Anything juicy?"

[theuglyducklinggc]

"Is that what you say to get people to think you're humble? That they'll get bored of you?" She doesn't know why she said that. She's trying to make nice with the people here, not start a fight. She doesn't even intend for it to come out mean in the first place. Maybe that's just another side-effect of an ugly interior.

She changes the subject, gesturing towards a couple that are currently fleeing the room.

"Those two haven't spoken at all since they've been here. They arrived, split, schmoozed with very different groups of people, with a little overlap here and there, and now they're leaving again without talking. They're trying to screw each other over but also not break up. I thought it was kind of funny. Maybe a point of interest that their plans aren't made with exactly the most stable minds."

[allxtted]

A while back, Leticia would've taken Hannah's elbow in hers while they walked without even thinking. She's not insecure about asking Hannah to catch up again, but does find herself thinking about every step. How close they're standing, how Hannah still recognizes things about her after all this time.

It's silly, but Leticia isn't used to reconnecting with friends she's lost. Once they're gone, they're usually gone for good.

"I make time when it's important. A girl's got to feed herself every once in a while," She would question whether this was a date after the fact. Hannah had never seemed receptive to that before, "I wear heels more often now. I have a different dress code now that I'm a government crony."

Leticia had always had a professional gait about her, but she'd still been working as an EMT when she and Hannah had lost touch. Was it her fault? Had she gotten too distracted by ambition to stay in touch with Hannah? If that was true, the reverse was as well. Leticia wished she had seen Hannah's rise while she was making her own.

"How's the studio? I heard about it opening... a while back, but I never had a reason to go," That sounds a little mean, Leticia realizes, but the words are already out. Why would she have gone by a ballet studio when she didn't even really know the owner anymore?

[theuglyducklinggc]

It feels sort of surreal, to Hannah. To walk beside Leticia like this again. Similar and yet so incredibly different from how things had been. There was a level of distance now. There always had been some level of distance, of course, but now there was that awkward wall of not really knowing her anymore. Neither of them knowing each other anymore. A bittersweet kind of disconnect.

Hannah isn't lying to herself when she says that she doesn't resent Leticia. She doesn't. There's nothing to resent. It's not as though the abandonment was entirely one-sided. But even if it had been, even if them falling out of one another's lives was entirely on Leticia alone, Hannah doesn't think she could blame her all that much. Hannah knows, inside and out, what she is. There were better things waiting for a smart girl on the other side of ambition. Nobody should have to wait for that.

"I think your posture might be a little better too." She comments, another small tease.

At the question about her studio, Hannah smiles, soft and reserved.

"The studio's doing well. We're in the green and I couldn't be more proud of my dancers if I tried. They work hard." She tilts her head slightly, "How's city hall? Being a government crony isn't too soul sucking, is it?" It's not meant to be a jab, but she knows it can kind of sound like it. Too late to take it back now, though. Might as well double down.

[justedmnd]

Ed decides better of taking the bait in her venomous tone - he knows how to pick his fights wisely and she seems like the type to squabble over nothing. He also wouldn't take much pleasure in bickering with a drunk woman, and despite what she might think, he's doing the right thing by helping her get her facilities back. Clearly he shouldn't expect any gratefulness for it, though.

"Didn't realize I was on the hook at all," He snorts, pushing the water glass even closer to her in a quiet insistence, "You don’t have to like me, but you do have to drink and eat. Non-negotiable. Consider it my one act of tyranny tonight."

The plates of food are brought over in silence, since Edmund wants to just let the stumbling gazelle in front of him settle down. He likes the American fares despite himself, a tad messy but very filling for a late evening when he feel too overworked to police his own tone or attitude much. Hopefully she'd appreciate the same, "Are you going to tell me your name?"

[theuglyducklinggc]

There's a level of annoyance that Hannah reserves in her chest for the Pevensies. A level of envy that will never quite be satiated by interacting with any one of them. It's a little frustrating for her, bitter as she always is, to fling herself onto the pike of being a total and utter bitch only for them to be too good to bite back at all. Or was this something exclusive to the brothers? She doubts it, with the way the sisters get spoken about like devout little angels.

She grabs the water and sips at it when he pushes it towards her, without complaint or protest. Though she does roll her eyes slightly, the attitude seems to have become mostly self-contained by now. She hasn't had a good opportunity to observe this one up close yet, so why not now? She might as well. "I never said I didn't like you."

The question about her name isn't much of a surprise, as it is a curiosity. She tilts her head slightly at it for a moment while she considers whether or not to answer it in good faith. Her hand reaches out to snatch some greasy food from the plate. It's an event trying to eat without making a mess all over herself, but she manages, and washes it down with water. She hates to admit that it makes her feel marginally better, but it does. So when she presses the cool side of the water glass to her flushed face, she decides to actually give him an answer.

"Hannah Fowl. I run the ballet school."

[favouritemessenger-deactivated2]

Though she was a lost, wandering soul, ey could tell there was a caution in all that she did. If it wasn’t the suspicion in her eyes, it’d be her immediate reaction. Even though ey noticed, ey paid it no mind. Caution was well warranted in an unfamiliar setting, even if that setting was the farmer’s market. Plus, in eir experience, random assurances only strived to unnerve the already cautious. 

Maybe it was meant to catch em off guard—which it did—or maybe she was actually serious about the challenge. Well, a free fruit was a free fruit! “Sure, but if the boss comes ‘round and questions me, you’d better defend me, alright?”

As if it was always in eir hand, ey began peeling one of the tangerines. “So, do you test out every fruit by getting the seller to eat ‘em themselves?” ey wondered just so there wouldn’t be that awkward silence while ey peeled. A second later, ey plopped a piece of it in eir mind. Yup, just as yummy as before. “You sure you don’t wanna take a bite for yourself? A free sample since I’ve already got this thing peeled.”

[theuglyducklinggc]

"Don't worry, I'll keep you nice and safe from the big bad tangerine seller." She teases lightly, unable to help herself. She's been thrown off her intent to stay silent and utilitarian here, and she has to pivot. She might as well pivot all the way.

"No, I usually just grab them off the shelf of my nearest convenience store. And usually I buy it canned so that I don't have to worry about it molding on my counter if I don't eat it within three days. You just so happen to be the first to offer me a fresh fruit." She admits. It's nothing grand or life changing, for her. She's not buying for herself. She has to wrack her brain to remember if Elinor even likes tangerines.

Then, she considers the offer in front of her for a moment. If she were to offer up an open palm, they might shove the whole fruit in her hand and demand a payment. Or claim that she ate it and demand a payment. She's used to those kinds of tactics.

Therefore, she shrugs, and answers with an, "Only if you promise that it's really free."

[theuglyducklinggc]

Hannah doesn't have much of a social media presence for herself. She does run a Facebook page for her ballet studio, but that is kept strictly professional and as a way to promote the business itself. Hannah does have a personal Instagram, although she posts very rarely on it. Her posts primarily revolve around her job, but the purpose of the Instagram itself isn't to promote the studio. She treats it more like a photographic diary of what she's doing on a daily basis. Her phone is rather barren otherwise. She does have a Twitter account, but she really only uses it to keep track of where P is. She's tried in the past, but it only ever seemed to punctuate her loneliness rather than relieve it, so she doesn't try all that much.

[bete-du-manoir]

The event isn't an ideal situation for Adam, lots of people who don't have as many available excuses to give him space when he wants it, plus the colder weather meaning once you find a warm spot, again, less reasons to leave. But he can't say it's a waste of his time which is more than he can say about some work functions he's been to.

He glances at the crowd then back to Hannah next to him.

"I doubt they want my attention," he jokes back. "Maybe my coat or some private time but not my attention."

He chuckles, sipping the cider he'd gotten. Very warm and very spicy.

"What about you?" he asks with a nudge. "Why don't you go out there?"

[theuglyducklinggc]

"Because I'd miss out on all the people watching." She jokes, crossing her arms and tilting her head towards the aforementioned group. She doesn't quite know what to do with the nudge he gives her. It's so casual. She doesn't feel like she's earned that. Neither of them know one another very well. But it's not unpleasant.

While her tone is joking, there is some truth to it. She does tend to enjoy people watching. Whether it stemmed from actual enjoyment in the process, or out of necessity as a child perpetually ignored, she did like observing people as they were. Who they talked to. How they talked to them. The body language. What faces they made when that person turned away. It was all fascinating.

"Besides, now I'd be leaving company behind if I did." She nudges him back, testing the waters. "Unless you'd rather I fuck off."

[acommonfairy]

Tinley beams at Hannah's acquiescence, already grabbing her arm and tugging her towards the door. "Amazing. I knew I could count on you."

She had to look away from the concern on Hannah's face, not wanting to address why it's there. She's aware of the frenzied, almost feverish intensity to her behavior, all in an effort to avoid the tangle of conflicting emotions and thoughts from the recent seemingly never-ending insanity. But she's grateful Hannah doesn't push her on it, instead knowing she needs a distraction.

"What say you to a stargazing picnic on the country club golf course? Only some mild breaking and entering would be involved. Not even any breaking, really. More like climbing a fence and entering."

[theuglyducklinggc]

Hannah half-stumbles before she catches herself as Tinley tugs her along. A laugh, unexpected and unbidden, bubbles out of her throat as she does so. It felt so familiar. Like putting on a pair of old shoes and finding that they fit better than anything she'd ever worn before in her life. Broken in in all the right places.

She's still worried, of course she is, because this behavior could get dangerous quickly. This could escalate. But if it does, it's better for Hannah to be there to catch Tinley if she falls. And it's not like Hannah is above a little petty crime. Breaking and entering used to be one of her best skills. This was nothing but a little harmless fun.

"Now that sounds perfect." She grabs her keys with her free hand on her way out, sliding them into the pocket of her coat. "Though I'm not sure it'll be much of a picnic if the food is late night Taco Bell instead of a fancy charcuterie board."

[swanprncess]

Odette recoils like she's been slapped. For a moment, she can only stand there in stunned silence. She keeps swallowing the growing lump in her throat, hugging her arms around her middle to try to keep herself together. Being yelled at, and having someone upset with her, always makes her want to turn invisible. When she was a kid, she used to squeeze her eyes shut if someone was mad, because she thought that if she couldn't see them, maybe they'd stop seeing her, and the instinct from that action remains.

But as she looks at the shards of pink glass scattered across the floor and Hannah's growing distress, she recognizes that this is about more than her. She won't make this worse by getting upset in return. Instead, she takes a calming breath.

"Hannah, I'm not trying to gain anything from you. I don't expect anything from you. I can tell you're upset, and I just want to help. Please." It's not entirely true. She does want something from Hannah: for her to like her, but she won't admit that out loud.

[theuglyducklinggc]

Hannah, despite everything, is not entirely heartless. She knows that Odette is more confused than anything else. That she is a sweet and genuine girl. That Odette Callaway was not just a pretty girl, she was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that Hannah knows she could never be. A sort of beauty that permeated her being, inside and out. She knows that she is being cruel to her, to someone who just wants to help. But the envy is so sharp and so painful, she can't let that small bit of compassion for Odette curb her anger.

So, she behaves heartlessly. Because it feels worse when her cruelty is met with kindness. If she's the only person upset, then she's completely lost.

"Why? Why in the world do you want to help? Because you want me to like you?"

She throws her hands in the air, an angry, defeated gesture.

"I already wish I could just be you, isn't that enough for you? You want more?"

[allxtted]

Godscobh was a small town, so it could be hard to avoid people directly. When you were as busy as Leticia though, it was an unintentional side effect of being so tunnel-visioned, she literally couldn't see anyone who wasn't direct with her.

The friendship with Hannah had been marred by that indirectness. Lots of working together, lots of coffees and lunches where they talked about their days, their dreams, their issues... And then things just fizzled out. Was it totally Leticia's fault? Maybe she'd been too pushy—something Leticia never owned up to.

Hannah didn't seem annoyed to see her now though, quite the opposite. Leticia had just been coming down the stairs out of work, legs feeling the weight of the day.

"Sure, I've got a little time," Actually, Leticia never had free time, but she was considering other options now, "Want to go for a drink?"

[theuglyducklinggc]

"A drink sounds perfect." She answers without thinking. She shouldn't. She really shouldn't. But she's already in it. She's already agreed. And she already knows that part of her wants to.

"Even though I know you're lying about actually having the time." Her tone is light, non-accusatory. It's not something that seems to bother her. Leticia's ambition and tunnel vision was never something that Hannah felt was a flaw. That was just part of making one's way in the world. Resting wasn't really an option. And downtime was something stolen, not something naturally gained. And knowing that Leticia was stealing it for her meant something to her, even if she was certain she didn't deserve all that.

She walks closer to her, slowing her steps as she traces the mental map in her mind to figure out where the closest place to grab a drink with her would be. And how much she could get away with drinking before her lips got loose and said something she shouldn't have. And then once she has it in her mind, muscle memory has her wrapping an arm around Leticia's own, intending to lead them both there. It feels like too much skinship for how little they've spoken to one another, and also too little for how much they used to speak to one another. It's odd.

"Would you believe me if I said you look taller?"

[favouritemessenger-deactivated2]

The farmer’s market was a commonplace for Mercury. Or, more accurately, it was when Mercury was eir at best. Maybe if ey weren’t a member of the Council, maybe ey would’ve been here as a seller. A share of thanks from the stall owner for eir help and ey got to work. 

Customers weren’t so hard to deal with, perhaps because Mercury knew the majority of them (and if ey didn’t know, the stall owner typically did). The stall wasn’t a very aesthetic affair, too bad ey weren’t here earlier else ey would’ve fixed that. Still, much of the stall had fruits, jams and seeds. A pretty wide selection at that, Mercury was almost jealous. 

There was a quiet period as the stall owner took a break and Mercury officially took over (for, like, ten minutes max). A tad bit boring but ey’d manage and… Well, well, if we don’t have a lost soul. Perfect.

“Hello there, ma’am. In the mood to buy our winter seasonals? I didn’t grow these, the boss right there,” ey pointed behind em towards the stall owner, “did. Buuuut, I’ll let you in on a little secret.”

Ey leaned in, a hand obscuring eir mouth from the side as if ey truly was revealing some scandalous secret. Maybe eir dramatics would be appreciated. 

“I actually had a couple tangerines in payment for helping and,” ey whistled in pleasure, “it’s taking everything in me not to eat another. So, what d’you say?”

[theuglyducklinggc]

In Hannah's experience, getting approached and accosted on the street meant one of two things: One, that someone was about to mug you, or Two, that someone was distracting you so that someone else could pickpocket you.

Out of sheer habit she takes a step back, both hands tucking their way into her pockets to make sure her keys and wallet were secured. Her eyebrows furrow slightly at the person who approached her, trying to analyze them and see what kind of threat they potentially pose. Not that she thinks she'll be attacked by some random individual at a farmer's market or anything, but it couldn't hurt to be cautious.

When Mercury leans in, she leans back, eyebrows raising slightly at the sales pitch. It was charming, she'd admit. But how is she supposed to know what's good and what's not without some kind of demonstration?

She tilts her head up slightly, raising her chin in some sort of mock challenge. She feels silly for it over a tangerine of all things. But it felt right. "Why don't you eat another? Show me if it's worth my money or not."

[spendfcrever]

Hannah and Elinor had had this trip planned all season. If Hannah had wanted to cancel, she should've texted. In fact, Elinor was pretty much expecting her to ghost them like she had all December, until she showed up this morning with bags packed. They'd gotten in the car quietly, exchanging small talk about Elinor's end of the quarter grading and the Christmas recital Hannah's studio put on. Then silence.

Silence for long, long stretches as they drove up into the snowy coast of Godscobh. Maybe Hannah was embarrassed about her outburst while drunk. But why should she be? Elinor had always made it clear they'd do nothing but help and not ask questions. Well, maybe there was just something they didn't understand. There was always something they didn't understand about Hannah. The way she reacted so strongly to things, the way she cut herself off from others.

"You don't have to apologize," Elinor didn't like having to say forgiving words. They just wanted this period of uncertainty to be over, "I was just... confused. Never seen you like this before."

[theuglyducklinggc]

"No. I do have to apologize. I haven't been fair to you. Or kind. And I've been feeling guilty about that. So then I started avoiding you more. And it just snowballed."

She sighs, heavy and pressing, watching the windshield wipers struggle to scrape the snow off the windshield. The defroster is working overtime, and it still barely does anything. She releases the steering wheel intentionally, crossing her arms overtop of it and laying her head down on top of those. A small stacking of a wobbly, unreliable woman.

Elinor was good. Elinor was a good person. But that is precisely what makes Hannah so upset with herself. She wants to keep this friendship. She wants to maintain this relationship. She wants to keep them around, and be someone that Elinor felt was worth keeping around too.

"All of this stupid mess is my own fault. And you just want to help. All you've ever done is help. You're owed so much more than you even know how to ask for. I'm just having some kind of weird, unprecedented mental break where things I could deal with perfectly fine are suddenly completely unbearable."

She raises her forehead from where it rests on her arms, tilting her head up so that now her chin was resting there instead, and she can look at Elinor properly. "I was planning on apologizing properly when we got there, anyway. Might as well do it a little early."

[justedmnd]

Does Peter just know fucking everyone in this town? Edmund can't go anywhere without people mentioning his brother. He barely even recognized the woman as a business owner in town when he'd spoken, though now realizes that perhaps they've met in passing before. Admittedly, it does bring a confused smirk to Edmund's face to realize she'd actually said something disparaging about Peter, though. This is one category where he'd gladly take second place to his brother.

"I'm not as much of a gentleman either," He says with a slight roll of his eyes before remembering a modicum of manners. Extending slightly further from where he's sitting, the consultant holds his arm out for the woman to steady herself. She wasn't blacked out, thankfully, just stumbling enough for her long limbs to give the impression of a baby deer, "But here. Drink some water and I'll order burgers. You need to eat something."

[theuglyducklinggc]

For a brief moment she glares at his arm as though it could bite her head off, before letting out a huff, and accepting it. She rights herself using him, sending a withering look behind her to the purse on the floor, before ending up sitting back down. Only a few seats away from where she'd been to start with. All she'd wanted to do was to get some air outside. The drinking had made her feel too hot. She might as well stick around for water and food, if he was offering. She wasn't one to turn that down, even if it did end up on her tab.

"If anyone were the same amount of gentlemanly as him I'd be worried about a Stepford wives situation. But you're not off the hook quite yet." She grouses without thinking. There's something quite bitter in her tone. But, well, there's something quite bitter about all of her, she thinks.

"Edmund, right?" She asks, to be polite. She knows the answer.

[theuglyducklinggc]

[ 2PM ] a bustling farmer's market ripe with produce, unhindered by the rain. with Mercury.

Now, Hannah was not a regular connoisseur of the farmer's market. It's not that she didn't want to support local producers or artisans, but that she simply had no reason to go out of her way to do that here. She spent much of her time working, and if she had to spend her money, she tended to focus on getting the lowest price, and on convenience. And a farmer's market, while very pleasant, was not very convenient.

But, she wanted to buy something... fresh and local, as a sort of apology gift to Elinor. Maybe some wildflower honey, or some fresh fruit, or a cake, or soap, or candles, anything good and, well, ethical.

Frankly, though, Hannah doesn't know what to look for, and she knows it. So, she keeps her hand and her mouth to herself, and simply browses through the plentiful stalls, hoping that something will catch her eye and maybe feel right. It's hard to hunt for something based on vibes alone, but she'll do her best. And, as she does, ignoring everyone around her as they ignore her in turn.

@favouritemessenger