Serra Didn't Make A Habit Of Helping Out At Her Dad's Shop, But When Raf Asked Her For A Favor And Promised

status: for @themalcolmparkinson

location: borgin manor, serra's birthday bash

Birthday party in full swing she went through the room, making rounds conversing with friends and acquaintances the like, politeness instilled into her when it came to hostess duties. It was something that came easily to her, she didn't mind being the center of attention. When her parents both came up onto the stage set up in the ballroom she hadn't thought anything of it at first, assuming they'd make some kind of big announcement about her birthday and compliment her, list her accomplishments perhaps.. That was how the speech had started but things quickly took a turn. 'We are extremely pleased to take this time to announce the engagement of our daughter Serra Borgin to the one and only Malcolm Parkinson!' Everyone's eyes turned towards her and while there was a polite smile seemingly frozen onto her face, she knew better than to openly show her shock and surprise. What the hell were her parents thinking?! Why hadn't they said anything to her. Wanting to go outside to get some air she quickly turned around, wanting to make her way outside, but stopping when she felt a hand on her forearm. Turning around in a swirl of pink she met Malcolm's eyes. He didn't look surprised. Why didn't he look surprised. She had explicitly disinvited him and yet, here he was. "Malcolm?" His name on her lips betrayed her surprise at his presence, but with all eyes on them she knew she had to be careful with her words.

"Those are two of my favorite words. Closely following diamonds and presents." She had never made an attempt in faking humility, she'd never be any good at it. Serra oozed privilege and high standards, spending money and never wondering if it would stop coming.

"You would assume so, but alas.." She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. "They have always liked him, but come on."

"You had me at champagne and shopping," Willa smiled warmly, lifting her cup of tea and taking a small sip. While her father did provide Willa and her mother, the difference between Willa and her peers was evident. She had enough to live a lavish life in London, but not quite Paris.

"Your birthday party seems very harsh," She stated, surprised. "And quite a public setting too, would it not have been smarter to organise something a bit more private?" Willa knew if it was her ex, she would much rather an intimate setting to reunite.

status: for @rsrevan, @miraxselwyn location: borgin manor

Serra was in an excellent mood tonight, tipsy on attention and gifts, as well as several glasses of champagne. It was her birthday and she'd been showered with presents left and right. Her parents were being particularly generous this year, which while she noticed she didn't comment on. Perhaps they wanted to make sure she didn't have any wayward plans of following into her idiotic cousin's footsteps. As if. A cautionary tale more so than a role model she'd always been to Serra. Floating around in her pink dress she smiled when she spotted a familiar face. "Welcome. Have you had the champagne yet? It is quite delicious."

"I do quite enjoy getting gifts. I get them quite frequently but that does not make me like it any less." Whether it be her parents or Malcolm, she often got gifts without special occasion attached to it. Of course she considered her birthday the most special occasion, so it only made sense that she got more gifts on this day. "They always think they know what is best for you." Her parents had often said that she had made a mistake by ending things with Malcolm, that she had been too much of a kid to understand that his transgression was perfectly normal. Still, she did not see it this way to this day. It had been a talking point a few times already.

"I have had a glass or two, but I do not see why I can't have more." She snapped her fingers together for her house elf to appear ordering two glasses of champagne.

“Glad you enjoy your gift. Yes I often find it’s best to save that for special or at least particular occasions.  Merlin forbid you are wrong it is not a thing they will easily let you forget at least if they are anything like mine.  Whether they bring it up in a boisterous way or a passive way almost not mentioned, but just aside enough to play it off it can be something that digs.”  Antonin’s face darkened, but only slightly and only for a moment, though it was enough to cause him to wish he had started drinking a bit earlier. “Nothing so serious it can’t be solved with a drink though.  Have you had anything yet?  It is your birthday after all it would be criminal not to share a drink with the birthday girl would it not?”

"Oh I would love to meet her! You think you could introduce us?" Her eyes widened in excitement, a gasp leaving her lips. Serra had seen the witch around before but she had never been formally introduced. It'd be amazing to hear gossip straight from the source. "Oh I know a ton." It would be a perfect moment to dish on Alara too. "I think I've got a few minutes. He said something about going to speak to my cousin Emir."

"Would you like an introduction? I'm sure she wouldn't mind getting to ask some questions to someone so interesting. You must have heard some things. Yes it's better to show up with a date to these kinds of things isn't it, gives you someone to get back to suddenly when approached by less than desirable company." He looked around for her escort. "I hope you don't have to wander off too soon?"

"I would be less disappointed if she got anything." Serra grimaced, a pitying expression on her face and not bothering to hide it. Of course she thought she was better than that one, she thought she was better than most people in attendance. "Feathers were more of a 60s thing. And even then you can be tasteful about it. Oh you're absolutely right, they reek of cheap imitation, least she could have done was charm them to lay flat."

Sipping on her Gin Astra took a careful glance to the women that Serra had eyes over, her eyebrows raised in utter dismay before tutting her lips.

"Well, not everyone can have it all I'm afraid. I guess whoever she got the dress isn't a very knowledgeable in the world of fashion, if so they would have told her the feather tread died a long time ago."

She glance over once more before finishing her statement. "Then again, from this angle those feathers look awfully cheap. No doubt fake. At least, in my opinion."

"Yes." She grimaced, her tone petulant and angry and not nearly as blasé as she wanted to be. Normally no one got to her, she believed herself to sit pretty on her throne, a pedestal from where she looked down on others and now it seemed like her whole kingdom was crumbling. "I'm not as cheap and desperate and easy as you are." The insults kept flowing easily out of her lips but that didn't make her feel any better. Wandless magic was something she was quite good at when it came to beauty spells, needing to know she could do her hair in any situation. It wasn't even planned, her emotions getting the better of her as she turned Charity's hair into a hideously short bob with uneven bangs. A laugh left her lips as she started at the other, feeling like she won she made her way into the hallway. She needed to find Malcolm so he'd tell her this was all a bad joke.

She stared in bewilderment, surprised to see the toll her boyfriend's shenanigan had taken on her. It was hilarious to see the tormentor become the tormented one, all too annoyed to feel someone she saw as lesser get a small triumph. "Plenty, huh?" She repeated the witch's words, simply to spite her, a sly grin pulling at the corners of her lips. "The way he had fun with me, though, makes me think you two didn't have any." Charity stated, turning to washing her hands, pretending not to care for this conversation at all. She did, though, more so for the pure satistfaction of getting to pull one over someone as awful as Serra. "You don't have to, what do I care if you believe it or not?" She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "All I care is that I'm most certain I'll ride him again."

Serra knew appearances mattered and that her reputation was at stake right now, but for someone who normally put so much care into that fact she could not for the life of her stay calm and unbothered like she knew she should. At fifteen she felt like this was a catastrophe of epic proportions. Charity seemed calm, too calm. Did it mean that it was true? Or that she was lying? She claimed not to be a liar, but that itself could be a falsehood. "He has plenty of fun with me!" None of the sexual kind however. He'd told her he was fine with waiting, but she didn't think that meant he'd go cheat on her! Especially with someone that wasn't as pretty as her nor looked like her at all. Not even a brunette? It just didn't make sense to her, it felt like her world was thrown upside down. She was literally drop dead gorgeous, everyone could see that. To throw all this away for that? "I don't believe you."

Her eyes settled on the other as she was seemingly throwing a fit over the words she'd just shared, a calmness taking over Charity as she simply stared at the other. A part of her didn't understand the emotionality behind her act, how terribly affected she seemed by the truth, but another part of her simply felt a peculiar kind of delight at seeing the one who'd treated her so badly in previous encounters simply losing it. "Merlin, did you get flustered." The witch simply commented, as if remarking on something utterly obvious. "Well, if you didn't break up, he definitely cheated on you." She stated unfazed, though she was definitely bothered by Serra saying they were still together, annoyed that Malcolm had lied to her instead. Her brows raised slightly at the insult, not the first time she'd heard it, chuckling inevitably. "Weird as I may look, at least he had a good time. Funny thing he'd go looking elsewhere, unless he wasn't having any with you."

Serra sits down all poise and elegance, the diamond tennis bracelet Antonin had gotten her for her birthday teamed with necklace Malcolm had sent her for her birthday a couple of years ago. "It is truly a shame, but I do understand, Paris is lovely this time of year. You missed a lot, I came into the party single and ended it engaged. To Malcolm." Her parents had done it that way on purpose, she could not cause a scene in public after all.

"Well when you put it that way, I don't mind the company," Davina replied, gesturing to the open seat. She glanced at Serra from across the table. "I'm sorry I missed your birthday. I was in Paris," Davina lied. She hadn't attended because it was gauche to attend a party without a gift. "I hope that it was everything that you could have wanted. I would love to hear all the gossip, though, so sit and tell me everything."