"Wonderfully. With Lots Of Champagne." She Sighed Wistfully, Already Missing The Beautiful City She Got

Serra's dress for her birthday party, featuring an unnecessarily long train

Alara pouted, crossing her arms, her eyes flashing with anger before she schooled her face into a mask of indifference. Getting angry and upset wasn't a good look. Alara was just trying to rile her up. "My parents aren't your parents. They care about what I want."

Alara knew better that her parents did not listen to her and this was bound to happen. They didn't care if she married for love or not. It was all status. "You think you matter because you are the heir?" She can't hold back a laugh. "You are a woman, the family name dies with you. They'd have cared if you were a male. Don't play stupid, unless you are that delusional." Which she was betting on the latter.

"Agreed. I've missed you too." While she was a few years younger than Willa, the other never made her feel listened to, both of them understanding that their value was far superior to other girls at Hogwarts so they bonded quickly.

"Oh absolutely. London would certainly be a bore without you." She was glad to have her friend around as she desperately needed someone to talk to about recent developments. "Malcolm came to see me." It wasn't exactly an answer to the question asked, but in a round about way, it was. "Said he wanted to come by the manor and talk to me."

"It's been far too long, I've missed you." Willa gushed. The woman had no problem leaving her station a little early for her lunch break, with a few other welcome witches on shift, Willa was sure that nobody would even notice her being gone. It was hardly like she was an attentive worker.

Besides, when she heard that Serra was back in London, Willa knew that exceptions could be made. "It would've been a dream to visit you in Paris, but London seemed intent on keeping me around. Things would have gotten dreadfully boring with the two of us gone. How are you?"

status: open for everyone location: anywhere

"I assure you, I am not back in London by my own free will." Serra pouted, clearly annoyed that she couldn't have stayed in Paris. She'd liked it there, even going so far as attending that fashion design course recommended to her by Leta. Her parents had wanted her to return to England in January after the whole embarrassment that was Alara running away and being blown off the family tree. The compromise that had been reached meant that as soon as her course was completed she'd return. They were adamant about being back before her birthday, while she had no idea why that was so important. "It is all Alara's fault. Obviously. Couldn't help but turn out a traitor."

"I don't see how I can believe you." Why should she believe anything he said? He said he wasn't with her again and in the same breath confessed that they had been seeing each other. She didn't understand why he kept going back to that woman. "What's so special about her?" Her curiosity got the better of her, unable to act like she didn't care even though that had been her plan a few minutes ago. "You didn't have to tell him. He saw you two together. He told me what he saw and I'm grateful he did. I don't think you would have said anything to me at all, would you? And then she would've once again thrown it into my face, getting the upper hand because she knew something I didn't. An apology doesn't make me feel better. If she's lying to people about you being together it makes me look like a fool- even if one person believes it. People talk. Gossip spreads quick."

Malcolm knew better than to interrupt her when she was talking so instead, he swallowed his words and let his brows dip lower as she went on. He wasn't having an affair and he wasn't even seeing Charity at the moment. "I'm not with her again," he finally said, shaking his head. "I would never do that to you. I was seeing her casually before I found out about the engagement. I have no intentions of even talking with her, you have my word." Malcolm wanted to reach out but thought better of it as it might do more harm than good. "Why is Evan telling you anything? He has it wrong then, something must've got lost in communication. I didn't tell him anything." He wondered if Charity was telling people lies and his facial expression must've given that thought away. "Even if I was still seeing her, I'm not anymore. She must be the one lying to people. I'm sorry you had to hear such slander."

"Well I shall visit you here more often then." Serra decided. It is not as if she had a job that occupied her time so she knew she had plenty and keeping busy in a dress shop was much more fun than it was in her father's store. People kept asking her about certain items as if she cared or listened to her father explaining what it was when it was brought it. Her eyes lit up when she saw the fabric Leta had brought, glad that the blonde had understood her vision. "I like the sparkling one the best, but I do think it needs to be slightly darker, if it is too light it could wash me out as I am quite fair."

“Oh, hush. There is no need to announce yourself if you intend to come visit me here.” Besides that, Leta wouldn’t have demanded such a thing, especially not outside her own home. There, yes, perhaps there it would have been nice to receive a warning ahead of time. This way it had simply been a pleasant surprise, one that the blonde welcome.

With a flick of her wand the curtain between the front of the shop and the back they were now in vanished. The witch listened, nodding occasionally as she prepared some tea and moved through the rows of fabric before returning with a few different types of fabric, among them a shimmer blue, one charmed to hold constellations, one sparkling bright enough to be mistaken for stars. “What about these? If need be, I will simply create a fabric that matches what you need.” If Serra wished to walk among the stars in a dress, she would make it so. - @serraborgin

It was a scary thought for her, terrified her even, to consider breaking down the walls she had erected because of him. Giving the one person she had let hurt her in such a significant way the possibility to do so again. Still, it was easier to stay away from him when she didn't have to physically be in his presence. She could lie to herself and say she was not affected by him in the least. He was a man now, one that had gotten even more handsome with age. It was both a good thing and a bad thing that she still thought him to be extremely handsome, she was yet to decide which side she was leaning towards. "Well you better not give up. I do not plan on making anything easy for you." Serra informed him with a matter of fact tone. He liked the chase, she knew that. If she gave her heart fully now and he broke it again, she would be humiliated. "Do continue speaking about how beautiful I am, I will never tire of it." Serra was clearly pleased that he thought her beauty distracting, as was evident from her smile. Or at least she was trying to smile but something felt off. When he came closer to her she noticed that she started to feel quite dizzy all of a sudden, her skin tingling even where he didn't touch her. "I- I feel dizzy..." She wanted to say more but everything went black as she fainted right into his arms.

There were not enough words to describe how he felt around Serra in that moment. It felt like they were traveling back in time without moving at all. Malcolm had worked up years of how he would do things differently and not rely on his spontaneous and immature responses to their previous relationship. He had been nothing but a scared boy who thought he was bigger than the world. How naive he was to not see that Serra was the only one who mattered, who castrated the noises around them. That last year at school had bent him into a hellhound who only wanted to look after himself without weighing others' emotions. Now, he wasn't a boy, but a man with a tenured experience in giving Serra what she wants with lavish gifts from all over the world. They had a wedding to plan, and where he thought she would meet him with contempt, it felt like their story was given another chance; the greatest gift she could give back. "I will," Malcolm smiled. "And I doubt I will ever stop vying for your affections. You might get tired of me. I can only speak of my excitement for our futures and how your beauty is quite distracting. The other plans to prove my loyalty might have to wait when we leave, as I don't think it's appropriate here." Malcolm took a step closer, his hand meeting her hair that asked to be pushed behind her ear. As he was leaning down for a kiss, he paused only an inch away from her lips when he noticed something was wrong. "My love, are you alright?" Malcolm knew she arrived with the perfect shade of lipstick, but now they were nearly pale.

She didn't hide her disappointment at his answer, letting it rest on her face for a moment before she pasted a friendly smile onto her lips once more, ever the picture of amicability. "I hope that you do understand." Serra wasn't used to the concept of compromising, thinking that if she said what she wanted everything around her would shift to accomodate her wishes. This was the first time that didn't happen and honestly? She didn't think this was actually happening.

"I was always thinking I would one day like to move to Paris. It is my favorite city in the world." Serra mused, pausing as she looked over at him. Discussing this felt surreal, but it was good that they discussed it now, agreed on a story so there wouldn't be discrepancies. Damage control. "Perhaps we can say that I want to move and you don't. That way neither of us is painted in a bad light."

"No one would dare to break up with me." Serra confirmed his assumption with a small nod. It was always easier being the one leaving rather than the one who was left.

Serra looked over at him with a sigh, biting her lip. So this was the end. He wasn't begging for a second chance and somehow that made her respect him more. "I enjoyed our time together. I would say that I hope you find someone better, but as there's no such thing, I will say that I hope you find someone better suited for you."

“I won’t debate what’s owed at this level of courtship, perhaps it is best our journey ends while we can still part amicably.  I’m sure you’ll find someone to your standards and willing to devote themselves to you so wholly, desperately, and chastely.”  He let go of her shoulders, he could have lied to her told her they would be engaged, but though Serra was many things she was not one to suffer such a slight quietly.  It made him curious where she would go, who she might end up with on the way  there. “What is it you would like to tell people?  I’ll stick with how you would like to spin things as long as it’s reasonable and doesn’t paint either of us in too bad of a light.  A mutual disagreement or you have outgrown me, but I won’t drag myself through the mud.  A professional distance at events.  Don’t let this make you doubt yourself, it's not that you’re not enough, I just want more of you than you’re willing to give right now, knowing that is a kind of growth.” He tried to keep his smile warm, but there was a bit of bite in it.  His words were as always chosen carefully to garner a specific reaction. He waited smiling at her as if daring her to be something less than happy.  If he thought about it he was unsure what he was feeling exactly. “Have you had a relationship end on anyone’s terms but your own I wonder? Is that why you feel more comfortable saying the words I wonder?” He got closer to her than he meant to, perhaps it was affecting him more than he would admit,  “It’s a shame but I think our differences are irreconcilable.  Perhaps they were from the start, but it was fun to figure out I think, it was a delight to be seen with you, there is no one who can fill a moment the way you can or at least an event.”

The Great Gatsby (2013) dir. Baz Luhrmann | Promising Young Woman (2020) dir. Emerald Fennell

"They are." She grimaced in annoyance. What were all those people doing in here? Shouldn't they go to work or something? Surely not all of them were as well off as she was, not having to work at all. "And I would much prefer sitting at your table than at the one of the likes of some of these people."

Location: Diagon Alley, Cafe Open to all

"Hm?" Davina glanced up from the magazine she was perusing. It never got easier, looking at fashion magazines with the knowledge that she couldn't buy things the way that the other socialites could. But she certainly had gotten good at mimicking their designs so it appeared that she was just like them. After all, appearances were more important in her mind than actually affording them. At least that was what she told herself when she felt particularly low. And lately, that feeling seemed to follow her everywhere she went. But her mother kept telling her it wouldn't last forever, and she was trying to believe her.. "Oh, are all the other tables full? I suppose you can join me then. If you must."