She Wanted The Distraction From All The Trouble Tonight Had Put Her Through. Her Birthday Party Had Been

Serra tilted her head sideways pursing her lips, thinking, treating it as an actual question instead of a rhetorical as she immediately spotted the present in his hands. "I could think of a few things. Ideally something sparkly.." Her eyes were drifting to the present, curious and impatient. "Well, as you know, I like being the center of attention every day, but I do suppose being celebrated like this is the best way." She was wearing a purposefully bold and excessive dress, further ensuring all eyes on her. "How have you been?" She heard rumors about him and Leta, but she was curious.

Who:@serraborgin Where: Serra's birthday bash When: Serra's birthday "What do you get for the woman who has everything and just returned from an extended shopping trip to Paris." Antonin knew what he had gotten her of course, but it was more fun if she recognized that he had labored over the gift so that she could ascribe the proper level of reservation to it. He had found long ago that gifts in small packages despite their actual size held a bit of underrated mystery. People assumed elegance and class something small must be doubly expensive than something large. He held the neatly wrapped present just far enough out of reach as to subtly demand Serra's attention. "It's been a while, good to know you haven't lost a step, birthdays are the perfect reason to be the center of attention aren't they?"

"Oh I don't work here." Serra looked over at Barty, almost offended that he has mistaken her for someone that works. What about her outfit gave working class? She looked down at herself, deciding that it must be the shoes and she should get rid of them as soon as she got home. "You'd have much better luck at Borgin's & Burke's, where again I don't work, but my name is on the door so it's automatically superior."

𝐖𝐇𝐎: open to all. 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: the junk shop.

the store was dimly lit and cramped, with shelves overflowing with oddments and dust. barty steps inside, his gaze sharp as he navigates through the clutter, nose upturned, he really would prefer not to be here.

barty’s footsteps are soft on the dust-covered floor as he moves past ancient artifacts and peculiar gadgets. he pauses and glances around, eyes landing on a figure in one of the labyrinthine aisles, finally a shopkeeper to assist. “i’m looking for something… particular. something a bit out of the ordinary. ideas?”

"My parents listen to me. They know I want to stay with them until I feel ready. They wouldn't force me into something I don't want to do. They actually care. Perhaps because I am the heir and not the spare."

A blank expression seeped into her features, keeping her hands down at her side and from wrapping her fingers around her cousin's neck and strangle her; and Alara wasn't a violent person. "Careful, it could be ripped from underneath you."

"I suppose it is?" Serra's eyebrows furrowed together for a second, confused as to why he was asking but dismissed it quickly. "Oh I heard what happened to hear. It is quite a shame that her betrothal fell through. It was so many years in the making after all. Oh you mean you want me to watch you duel? I can do that." Serra wasn't a good dueller herself, but she figured she didn't need to be. It's not like she was fighting in the war.

Her smile widened from his compliments. She enjoyed talking to him and dancing with him. "Thank you for the compliment. I am careful with the things I care about." Which mainly involved her appearance, but to her that was extremely important. Appearances mattered. "You should know I am better than all of them." Serra's tone matter of fact, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Not at all. I like talking to you. I don't think you are boring." They had liking to talk in common, especially when it came to her favorite subject: herself.

"Transfiguration is good as is potions. I swear by Valeria Flint, unfortunate circumstances surrounding the woman but wonderful for poisons and potions. I dabble in a bit of everything, anything that might give me an edge in dueling or seems fun, perhaps I could show you sometime? As far as transfiguration I think my greatest feat is summoning ropes, a nice trick especially if you can do so wordlessly, though it is important to get the gestures perfect and have a good bond with your wand." Antonin looked into Serra's eyes losing himself in them. "You surprise me though, those are both very precise magics. I pride myself at being able to read people, but you surprise me, I find that refreshing, you are not a boring woman or shallow, something to be treasured especially among most eligible ladies on offer." He looked pointedly at a few other guests around the dancefloor. "I hope you don't find me too much of a boor, I've been told I enjoy the sound of my own voice perhaps a bit too much, but I find you are easy to talk to."

status: for @thelionshrt location: Malfoy wedding

Finding Regulus in the masses of this wedding didn't provide to be as easy of a task as she had thought in the beginning. Of course it only made sense that the wedding of two prominent pureblood families would be a big celebration, it would be embarrassing if no one showed up. After about ten minutes of searching she'd been just about ready to abandon her task, when she finally spotted him, walking over to greet her friend. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"You should let me style you sometime. I could elevate your style. I would be really good at that." It sounded like fun, picking clothes for someone else and Mira was someone she liked so she wanted her to look good. "Plenty of people, you're right, but I heard that Malcolm's here.." She sighed. "I'm avoiding him."

Mira couldn't help the laugh that fell from her lips at the confidence in Serra's voice. She may not have agreed with her at times, but she had to admire her confidence. "Mm well on occasion I have my moments." She mused, taking another drink of her champagne. "I'm sure you can survive for one evening. Plenty of people here that are dressed and up to your standards to keep you busy after all. Have your eyes on anyone?''

"I know what I want and what I am worth. I do not see it as boldness if it is factually accurate, which I believe it to be." Serra informed him with a matter of fact tone, keeping eye contact with him and not shying away from it. "It is something I would promise because I know I am capable of being everything." Growing up with a silver spoon and being told that she was perfect day in and day out left its mark on her. "You do not scare me, if I make demands I suppose you making some would be fair as well. As long as there is no one else." Serra did not know what she was talking about, acting like she had more experience than she actually did. She'd been with all but two guys before.

Kissing him back she was infatuated, it made her feel important and powerful knowing that he wanted her. "I have not asked you to apologise. Your experience is something that is far preferable to someone my age that is inexperienced. I do know that I am beautiful."

"You should know that I will not be waiting around forever. If you choose to go for someone else and satisfy your curiosity elsewhere I will make my choice as well. I am in my prime and you are not my only option." She was not willing to wait around like a fool waiting for him to choose her. "You either choose me or you don't. But you don't get to come back if you don't choose me in the first place. I am no second choice nor am I a consolation prize."

He brushed his hand against her cheek. “You are even more bold than I thought.  Are you saying you will be all they are and more is that something you would promise?  It’s a lot for one so young and inexperienced.”  He held her face so she couldn’t look away. “You have been bold so I will too. I am a crass thing with certain appetites, I didn’t want to subject you to anything you might not be ready for make demands of you that were too physical.  A kiss, an embrace are pleasant but I’m talking about more than that, not eventually now.  It isn’t much time and it is an unfair demand, but I feel an equal one to severing ties that I have developed, turning all focus to you. It’s only fair I tell you what I would that focus would entail unless you discover yourself repulsed by my desires. We are both people of certain tastes, and I feel once I have tasted you I will want more..” He kissed her, the reason might be colored by her response, but for now he used the gesture to speak to his point. It was a thing of lust rather than love, something to entice as well as sample.  “One may only be around pretty things for so long without sampling or spoiling them, and though I pride myself on many things, chastity is not one of them, but I don’t apologize for that.  From the beginning I have told you that I am dark and cruel, but you are smart enough to know that you are physically desirable.  Attractive as well as beautiful.”  Her rubbed his thumb across her lips, more a gesture of desire than intimacy. “” “I won’t make you promises I have no intent to keep, but if I can’t have you now, fully and without reservation, or a way to expel desires that would make me present an indecorous image. I will come to you when I’m more available, ready to endure the triteness of a chaste courtship assuming we are both still interested and available of course.  Maybe by then you will know the duality required to maintain a perfect appearance.”

"Somewhere where you won't be." She replied as if it was obvious, a sugary sweet smile playing on her lips. "You don't need another address. You can address it to my parents house and the houseleves will get it to me." She did still live there after all, but if he came by and her parents got wind of it they would get the wrong idea. He already ordered the present after all, it would be a shame for a perfectly good pair of shoes to go to waste. And she did like the dress, there was no harm in accepting the presents, it didn't change anything. "I am having a party. Invites have already been sent out. I just don't want you there, so if my parents happened to have sent you one, ignore it. If you want to send me a gift, I need new earrings. Emerald."

Malcolm knew he was playing with fire. Serra was absolutely right. She should turn down his advances as he had thought to buy back her forgiveness rather than have a painful and honest conversation. That didn't seem like him and he needed to ask Agatha about that. Yet, her words, though expected, dug into him and left a mark. "And where will you be? I should need a new address if I am to send you Italian shoes to go with the dress from the other month," Malcolm grinned. "Well, it is a special birthday so I should hope you are having a party in some capacity. Please, if I don't get an invite at least tell me what gift I can send in my absence."

"She is very talented. She made me this dress as well." Serra boasted proudly. She had told Antonin that green was one of her favorite colors when they went shopping and when the invitation for the wedding came in, it was only natural that they would attend together, having commissioned matching robes that would work for the occasion. Annoyance flashed on her face for a second when Alara was mentioned. "It would make sense if she did."

Alecto took a moment to let her eyes rake over the witch in front of her, placing the name easily, related to the Selwyn's. She did note that the other did come in with Antonin Dolohov, which intrigued her slightly. "Leta Rosier." A small pause. "The sister to your cousin's fiancé." It had been obvious the tension that laid between the two of them. "I wonder if she'll make Alara's when the time comes."

"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."