Safiyeece​:

You’re so calm and quiet, you never say. But there are things inside you. I see them sometimes, hiding in your eyes.

Tracy Chevalier, Girl with a Pearl Earring  (via roseir)

We should just be good humans.

lilyeliora​:

Lily found herself wondering what kind of sad, lonely childhood didn’t have any animals in it. True, the Evans’ budget had always been a little too tight for Lily to have all the pets she wanted, but that had never stopped Lily from befriending every stray that crossed her path, even if just for a day. She couldn’t imagine not  having that history of little interactions that had always made Lily’s day. Hopefully the other woman had siblings, and lots of friends. 

Lily made her way into Magical Menagerie with confidence, greeting the shopkeep by name with a friendly smile. “Don’t worry about it,” she assured Harper, “Finding the right pet is a process, and sometimes it takes a while, we’ll just feel it out.” Despite her words, Lily made it her own private mission to find a pet for Harper. The other woman seemed kind, if a little guarded, like the exact kind of person who needed a warm, friendly animal in their life.

“So, have you thought at all about what kind of pet you want? Something small or large, something aloof or friendly, something to come to work with you or wait patiently at home?” Lily peppered Harper with questions as she led her to the back corner of the shop, away from the cute kittens and the glossy puppies. They stopped near the rescues, older pets who’d already had owners, for good or ill. It might have been a risky move, to take someone who’d never had a pet to the rescues, but Lily thought an older pet would be better for Harper. Besides, maybe a pet in need of healing would help Harper herself heal from whatever wounds left her so unsure of herself.

-

After the picnic incident of her toddler years, Harper’s childhood desire to go wander around outside alone, often what lead to children finding stray animals, was nonexistent. It wasn’t a conscious decision she made, but it showed itself in some ways even still. Going around in a city? Fine with her, even in a city she wasn’t all too familiar with. Anywhere more country-like, and Harper either arranged for accompaniment, or a conflict (where someone else would be sent in her place).

She noted Lily’s familiarity both with the staff and the layout of the shop, and it put her further at ease. She was truly touched by how the younger woman had seemingly taken it upon herself to help her find a pet, with no evident ulterior motive.

Lily began asking her questions about what she was looking for, and Harper realized she didn’t have much in the way of answers. “A dog or a cat, I think” she began, “And probably one that can stay at home while I work,” Harper paused in consideration, as the thought of having an animal around whichever hotel, suite, or office she found herself in crossed her mind. It was enough to make her amend her statement. “Although that could change with the right fit. Same thing with size, I suppose.” She chuckled softly to herself as she imagined walking into various hotels and meetings with a large dog or long-haired cat.

As they passed the puppies and kittens, Harper let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. They were all shades of precious and adorable, but she could feel the energy radiating off of them and was exhausted by the thought of taking one home.

Arriving at the back corner of the shop, Harper was impressed to see the number of animals they had that seemed to be rescues, or at least older than kitten/puppy age. While she was overwhelmed by the experience, she would rather have more options than fewer.

Feeling brave, Harper took a step forward, “Alright then, let’s meet some animals,” she said, almost not recognizing the excitement in her voice. She walked tentatively towards a large dog with a shiny chestnut coat, and reached her hand out for him to sniff… instinctively jumping back when he gave a low growl. Harper wasn’t sure exactly what she was expecting, but she knew that was not it.

Drinks and Distractions // Harper and Ava

Harper closed her notebook and shuffled her papers into a pile before locking them all in the desk drawer of one of her office suites. Glancing at her watch, she let out a sigh as she wondered where the evening had gone. Hadn’t it just been half six? She knew she hadn’t been working quite so effectively this afternoon, but Harper really didn’t mind as she had been burying herself in busywork; she’d done too well it seemed, as she’d intended to head out a couple hours back.

She stood up, shaking her hair out before pressing her index fingers into her temples, massaging them slightly. She headed to the dressing table and mirror, where a smaller version of her makeup collection lived; Harper’s eyes wandered over the various items, ultimately opting to refresh her eye makeup, adding some sparkle to her lids, along with eyeliner and mascara. She swiped on some fresh lipstick before giving herself a once over, and grabbing her small purse from inside the larger bag by her desk on her way out.

Deciding on the path of least resistance, she headed downstairs to the hotel’s bar. It was typically decently populated on any given night, even more so because it was a Friday. Harper took pride in the fact that there was a diverse crowd; middle and upper-middle-aged professionals, singles and couples of various ages and stages, groups of young partiers bar-hopping.

As she approached the crowd, Harper scanned it for any familiar faces, perking up when she spotted Ava Avery across the room. Harper didn’t know her too well, but the girls sometimes ran into each other on nights out, and tended to share some casual company and chit-chat when they did. Noticing that Ava seemed to be alone, Harper expertly navigated her way through the room, arriving next to her and trying to grab her attention without startling the woman, “Ava, hey” she started with a soft smile.

@ava-avery​

Aesthetic - Cancer Sun, Capricorn Moon, Virgo rising. 

lilyeliora·:

Lily Evans had always  been an animal person. When she was a child, both young and not so young, she was forever rescuing wounded birds and scrawny tomcats from the  streets of Cokeworth, much to her mother’s chagrin and even at times irritation. She’d loved living at Hogwarts surrounded by everyone’s pets, and one of the happiest days of her life was when she adopted Cheshire. She looked forward to the day that she was no longer living in a cramped apartment and was making enough money to adopt a second cat. Until such a time came, she contented herself to window shopping at Magical Menagerie. 

It was, in fact, one of her favorite pastimes, and what she’d planned to do after work today. She was just planning to stand outside the front window for a little while, and maybe go inside to pet a few cats, when she saw another young woman standing in front of the shop. She seemed quite confused, perhaps as to what she was doing there or maybe what she should be doing. Lily watched with blatant curiosity as the woman seemed to have a silent argument with herself, wondering what it was about and what the outcome was. 

In the end, Lily’s curiosity and her sympathy ganged up on her, and she abandoned her previous plan of window shopping in favor of helping this woman with…whatever  it was she was trying to do. She stepped closer until the other woman noticed her and smiled her best, most friendly, patented Lily Evans smile. “Oh no, you’re fine,” Lily shook her head, rejecting the offered apology. “It’s just, you seem a little at a loss. Is there anything I can do to help?” From anyone else, the question might have come off a little snobbish, or impatient, but Lily had a great talent for seeming just as genuine as she was.

-

Caught off-guard by the young woman’s offer to help, Harper did her best to contort the surprise on her face into a smile (internally kicking herself for how awkward she probably looked in the process). “Oh, I just… I, um, I… think I want to adopt a pet?” she eventually managed to blurt out, “But I don’t have much experience with animals. I mean, I saw them around at Hogwarts of course, played with some cats in the common room, and I recall my cousins had a dog growing up, but I’ve never had one, myself,” she quickly added.

Harper was usually a private person, so she didn’t know why she was explaining all this to an unknown person on the street. Although on second thought, Harper seemed to vaguely recognize the girl from school, despite being unable to put a name to her face. Regardless, there was something about the genuine smile and overall vibe that the woman gave off that told Harper she was an animal person; she was someone who should be adopting and caring for an animal (not you, a voice remarkably like her mother’s echoed in her head). It was probably due, in part, to the few subtle strands of cat hair that Harper observed on the other woman’s clothing, but also just how comfortable she seemed around the pet shop; a stark contrast from Harper’s own anxious energy.

“Is this where you adopted your cat from?” Harper asked, trying to prevent too long of a lull in the conversation and move beyond her clumsy introduction.

Harper Moodboard 1/?

(Off)White x Gold