First Year Girls' Room on Crotalus Commons

Laurie Cider

March 07, 2008 1:51 AM

First Year Girls' Room by Laurie Cider

Laurie stumbled into her dorm room, and crashed into her bed, her arms' many contents cascading over her comforter. One magazine conveniently fell open to a pre-marked page, an androgenous body draped into an unnaturally shaded dress that consisted almost entirely of skirt and lace. Beneath it were at least four more magazines and catalogues. Cushioned under them were several yards of black and green tulle, ribbon, and a sewing kit. Laurie ignored the mess and reached for a bag previously shoved under her bed. From it she pulled out a very plain black dress. It was her Good Dress, as her mother often described it, tailored for just about any occasion. With it, Laurie normally wore white panty hose and her black mary janes- and when she was wearing it, she looked just fine. After all, she had no illusions regarding her ability to dazzle.

Still, her Good Dress wasn't exactly what she wanted for a Ball Dress. That's where the magazines and tulle came in. She was going to make a few alterations. She only hoped she had her charms down.

"Okay, so I need to first widen the skirt." She pushed aside the pile of magazines, and spread her dress out. Concentrating, she aimed her wand, murmured the practiced spell, and held her breath; and then exhaled. "Shoot. I thought for sure an engorgement variation would work."

She considered the dress again, brow furrowed. "Right, so maybe I need to. . ." She repeated the incantation, this time running her wand over the seams. She grinned. "Bingo."

The next hour went by evenly enough. The dress gained a full skirt, edged in lace and tapered off with green ribbon. The bodice lost its modest sleeves, and there was more than enough fabric left over to make a wrap for her shoulders. Overall, Laurie was very satisfied with the end result. Sure, it wasn't on par with an evening gown or some of the dress robes showcased in her magazines, but it suited her. The only thing left was to try on the final product. Laurie picked up the dress and stepped into the bathroom dressing area.

The fabric fell softly against her skin, and the skirt gathered perfectly from her waist, ending just past her knees. She stepped back out from the bathroom, and then came to an immediate halt. One of her roommates had arrived.

"Um, hi," she stammered, a bit embarrassed. "I was trying on my dress for the dance."

0 Laurie Cider First Year Girls' Room 0 Laurie Cider 1 5

Renaye Warren

March 07, 2008 5:05 PM

Would you like some company? by Renaye Warren

Forgetting an important date, Renaye decided, was bad. This reason being, Renaye still had no idea what to wear to the ball. She figured she would wear a green that matched her eyes, but she really didn't know. That was the beginning hunch that she was going with, so far. However, the more she talked to people, the more her variety of ideas increased. She had gone from green to blue to yellow to red to black to... she couldn't even remember anymore. Raye remembered the one magazine she had brought with her, and, hoping on getting some ideas from that, Renaye took up the stairs to the dorm. She opened the door just as the bathroom door opened. Laurie had stepped out wearing a beautiful black dress. Renaye's mouth opened in a wide grin.

"Laurie!" She exclaimed, ignoring her embarrassed explanation. "Look at you! I'm not sure this is a good idea to wear though... Josh might faint!" She walked over to her, admiring her dress. Oh yeah, Josh was definitely going to faint. In the middle of the dance floor. And Raye wold probably laugh. She had no question in her mind that Josh liked Laurie. Poor guy just doesn't have karma on his side... From what he told her, Talen had asked Laurie when he was stnading right there. Ouch. Renaye hoped that maybe Laurie would agree to save him a dance. Maybe if she asked really nicely. Until then,

"How are you going to do your hair?"

0 Renaye Warren Would you like some company? 0 Renaye Warren 0 5

Cecily Smythe

March 08, 2008 3:43 AM

I know, three's a crowd, right? by Cecily Smythe

Cecily headed back up to her dormitory with a spring in her step. She had come straight from the library, where she had spent the past hour putting finishing touches to her transfiguration essay. She had now finished all of her set assignments, and so had the weekend completely free to do whatever she pleased – she wasn’t sure yet what it was she wanted to do, but it was nice to know she had the freedom, nonetheless.

She thought someone might have just gone into the room before her, as she’d been following a shadow since she left the dorms, and Cecily thought it might be nice to have some company. Preferably Anabel, of course, but almost anyone else would do.

As she reached the door, Cecily heard a voice asking about hair, which confirmed that there were at least two other girls in the dorm. Edging her petite frame around the door, Cecily halted her progress immediately, for standing in the room with her were Laurie and Renaye. Trying not to let that Warren girl’s presence ruin her good mood, Cecily crossed to her bed and put her satchel carefully down upon her bed. She turned and reassessed the scene, noticing that Laurie seemed to be rather more dressed up than was usual. She wouldn’t go as far as to say she looked nice, but she certainly looked a lot more refined than her normal appearance of effortlessness.

With the dressy clothes and talk about hair, Cecily managed to put two and two together and arrived at the conclusion that her roommates must be talking about the upcoming ball. Not hesitating to confirm her deductions, Cecily asked Laurie, “Is that what you’re wearing to the ball?” As was their practised norm, she ignored Renaye completely.

0 Cecily Smythe I know, three's a crowd, right? 122 Cecily Smythe 0 5

Laurie Cider

March 08, 2008 2:26 PM

These thread subjects feel familar. . . by Laurie Cider

"Laurie! Look at you! I'm not sure this is a good idea to wear though... Josh might faint!"

“Right,” Laurie joked, “From laughter.” She passed critical eyes over the hemline again. She hadn’t dared using a charm on the stitch work and in a good many places, the stitching was uneven. “I’m not used to doing this without a sewing machine. Are you sure it’s not too casual? Witch Weekly only shows floor length gowns, but my dress is originally short so I figured it was safer not to alter it too much.”

She gave a brief sigh. It wasn’t like her to stress over something like a dance this much. Ordinarily her energies were spent in more constructive areas, like self-made projects, or the next big neighborhood yard sale. It wasn’t that she wasn’t comfortable with girlish pursuits- anyone who saw how large a nail polish collection she had would beg to disagree- it was just that she wasn’t used to worrying over it. Her closet was a model of perfection. Jeans, corduroys, and slacks began the row on the far left. On the shelf above them were three rows of quarter folded t-shirts, organized by color and pattern. Next to the pants were any collared knits or blouses, of which there was only a bare handful. T-shirts really made up the majority of her top-wear. Above the dress shirts, again neatly folded, were her sweaters and hoodies, this time arranged by warmth. Below, the knits were neighbored by her four dresses, one of which had been her Good Dress, available for all occasions. They were the least worn of all her clothes. Finishing out the bar was her dark green peacoat, her brother Bryce’s hand-me-down jean jacket, and a black corduroy extravagance that had yet to be worn. On the floor rested five pairs of shoes: two sneakers, a pair of sandals, her flipflops, and the mary janes that currently adorned her feet.

Her wardrobe was purposely arranged for optimal efficiency. Laurie need only wake, brush her teeth, dash through the shower, and then shove her hand into her closet and follow its naturally ordered cycle. She had checked it once; because of its organization, she actually saved herself a full twenty-three minutes every morning. That was twenty-three minutes of extra sleeping time. She very much doubted that anyone could find a better method.

And so, it was really quite foreign to her to feel so unsure when it came to choosing her outfit for the dance. Had it been like any other time before, she would have simply waited until the night of, opened her wardrobe, and pulled down the Good Dress without another thought. It was perplexing. And it did not help at ALL that Raye had just invited in another concern.

Laurie’s hair was something she spent even less time considering than her clothing choices.

“Shoot. I hadn’t even thought about that.” She fingered a piece of her sandy blond hair. “Maybe leave it down? I could put curlers in it or something, maybe.” She groaned. “I am so not prepared for this. I don’t think I brought anything beyond a brush and some hair ties to school. This is way more stressful than it ought to be.”

Laurie’s brown eyes widened, and she instinctively stiffened. Nevertheless, she lifted her hand in a small wave of welcome as Cecily slipped into the room. She hadn’t really spoken much with her roommate since returning from vacation beyond the normal necessities that come from sharing living quarters. She had never really found the right moment to bring up the card she sent over the break. There was just something about Cecily’s confidence that made Laurie feel awkward and ill-equipped, and, unsurprisingly, unable to speak as she did with Renaye or some of the other girls in her year.

”Is that what you’re wearing to the ball?” Cecily asked her, and Laurie felt herself turn defensive. Purposely, she forced herself to exhale twice before answering, feeling more than a little protective of her Good Dress’s Cinderella transformation.

“Yes. I hadn’t really brought anything dressy enough for it, so I had my parents send me some tulle and lace and a few other things to kind of scale up a black dress I had.” She fought back the urge to escape back into the bathroom and into her normal clothes. “It’s still not really finished, to be honest. I was thinking about adding some more of the green ribbon around the waist.”

0 Laurie Cider These thread subjects feel familar. . . 0 Laurie Cider 0 5

Raye

March 12, 2008 10:12 PM

De ja vu... by Raye

“Right,” Laurie joked, “From laughter.” Renaye rolled her eyes, still smiling. “I’m not used to doing this without a sewing machine. Are you sure it’s not too casual? Witch Weekly only shows floor length gowns, but my dress is originally short so I figured it was safer not to alter it too much.” Renaye nodded in response.

"I know what you mean," she said, "but no. The dress looks great, really. And you don't want to have some disaster happen during the altering and be stuck without a dress at all."

“I am so not prepared for this. I don’t think I brought anything beyond a brush and some hair ties to school. This is way more stressful than it ought to be.” Renaye agreed. She hadn't thought of anything herself yet either. She was asking Laurie in the hopes of maybe getting an idea. She thought Laurie's hair would look nice up in a curled bun or something...

"Maybe," she said, "if you curled it and the put it up in a bun with some curls falling out--" Renaye stopped her sentence as the door opened. Yay... Cecily. Definitely not in the mood for an arguement right now. They had spoken in Potions and figured out that it wasn't the early-year arguement, but the fact that Renaye didn't hold a high prospective of blood or pureblood ways. Okay... Raye wasn't about to change her ways to please her or anyone else. There wasn't much to do but just stick to ignoring each other, which is exactly what Cecily did.

“It’s still not really finished, to be honest. I was thinking about adding some more of the green ribbon around the waist.” Renaye tilted her head, picturing the ribbon as Laurie described it. Renaye thought the dress looked finished and terrific already, but Laurie's ideas had worked for her so far and they way she was headed, her date was going to be pretty distracted throughout the night.

"You're going with Talen, right?" Renaye asked. She was pretty sure she knew the answer, but Josh wasn't very willing to talk about it so much, leaving her the only remaining option of talking to Laurie. Renaye had told Josh that she didn't have a problem with him hanging out with Zane and she at the ball, but he had told her back, 'Yeah, right. I love being the third wheel...' All she could do now was hope that Josh found a nice girl to take. After all, she wouldn't feel right without her other half there to enjoy the dance with her. They had gone through everything together, and the sad thing was, Raye felt like they were drifting apart ever since school...

OOC: Sorry for the delayed response. Busy week =/

0 Raye De ja vu... 0 Raye 0 5

Cecily

March 13, 2008 12:31 PM

Comfort in familiarity by Cecily

Cecily listened with polite interest as Laurie explained how she didn’t own anything suitable for the ball, and so had ventured to make her out outfit. It was an interesting concept, and one Cecily had never before considered. Sure she often used shawls and sashes to vary how a particular gown or set of robes looked, but she had never contemplated actually transforming a dress to suit the occasion. Naturally she’d never had the need, seeing as her parents were quick to fit her with a new wardrobe every time an occasion of any sort presented itself, but she did appreciate that Laurie perhaps had less experience with formal events. This considered, the fact that the other girl had made an effort to improve her own wardrobe was actually quite charming. “That’s very creative of you,” Cecily complimented her. “I think the green suits you.”

Of course Laurie’s dress wasn’t stunning, but it was rather becoming (and certainly prettier than anything else the girl had ever worn), so Cecily wasn’t going to be mean about it. After all, she knew she was going to look fabulous in whichever of her new gowns she decided to wear, so it couldn’t hurt to encourage her housemates to look their best, too. “You would look very nice if you wore some jewels with the dress,” she commented, casting a critical eye over Laurie. “I have a lovely malachite necklace you can borrow, if you like – it would look fabulous with the green on your dress.”

That Warren girl spoke then, asking Laurie about her ball date. She didn’t know for sure, but she thought she might have been talking about Talen Dupree, who was a second year… and a Dupree. Cecily wasn’t sure, but she thought she must have raised an eyebrow, at the very least. She had decided not to go with a date to the ball, because she couldn’t be sure of the social standing of her partner, and it would be an impropriety to go with anyone she didn’t know (all this was aside from the fact that nobody had asked her). Still, if Laurie had managed to get an older student as her date – A Dupree no less – then perhaps it couldn’t hurt for Cecily to be seen with this girl more often.

0 Cecily Comfort in familiarity 0 Cecily 0 5

Laurie

March 13, 2008 7:57 PM

And now for something completely different! by Laurie

For a brief thirty seconds, Laurie indulged herself in pure, girlish, idle consideration. Hair down, or hair up like Renaye suggested? Of all the great quandaries in the world, for one hummingbird's heartbeat, hers was the greatest. And then it passed, and Laurie pushed aside the anxiety with a shrug of her sensible shoulders. "I think I'll just leave that decision to later."

Her eyes widened, a little surprised, when Cecily spoke up and- yet more un-disguisable surprise- complimented her. "Thanks," she managed, with a slight stutter. "I really only chose green because I like the color."

“You would look very nice if you wore some jewels with the dress. I have a lovely malachite necklace you can borrow, if you like – it would look fabulous with the green on your dress.”

"Malachite?" Laurie considered the word for a moment. Her knowledge of precious gems was not exactly robust. It mostly consisted of her birth stone, the amethyst, and diamonds. For some reason, though, she thought it was a rock of some sort. "Sure, that would be great. In addition to having nothing in the way of dance necessity, I'm also without any kind of jewelry, unless you consider hemp jewelry."

"You're going with Talen, right?"

Laurie nodded in response to Raye's question. "Yeah. It kind of surprised me actually. I mean, we're friends and all, but Talen's always struck me as someone not particularly fond of large crowds." She fingered a crease in her skirt. "I don't think he has many friends, honestly. Sometimes, when we talk, it's like he's not used to it- talking naturally that is."

She brightened as a thought struck her. "Hey, why don't we all go together? You know: me, Talen, both of you- what do you think?"

0 Laurie And now for something completely different! 0 Laurie 0 5

Raye

March 13, 2008 10:45 PM

Sounds adventurous! by Raye

What in the world was she going to do about this dance? Renaye enjoyed helping Laurie out, but at the same time, giving her advice only made her think that she had abosolutely nothing to wear! She could easily send home for a dress, but what to send for was the problem... “You would look very nice if you wore some jewels with the dress. I have a lovely malachite necklace you can borrow, if you like – it would look fabulous with the green on your dress.” Renaye felt a little confused when she wasn't exactly sure what malachite was. It came as a comfort when Laurie spoke up, "Malachite?" At least she wasn't the only one, or so she guessed.

"Yeah. It kind of surprised me actually. I mean, we're friends and all, but Talen's always struck me as someone not particularly fond of large crowds." She fingered a crease in her skirt. "I don't think he has many friends, honestly. Sometimes, when we talk, it's like he's not used to it- talking naturally that is."

Renaye nodded. "I know what you mean. Josh is like that, in case you hadn't noticed," she said, "He tends not to talk unless he likes you or you get him on a good topic." Renaye was about to say 'get him talking about Quidditch,' but it seemed inappropriate with the presence of Cecily. Raye prefered this "I'm-ignoring-you" deal rather than biting each others heads off. It was much more silently, but bitterly, civil. "Hey, why don't we all go together? You know: me, Talen, both of you- what do you think?"

Renaye let out a small "Ah!" of excitement. "That's a great idea! I'd have to ask Zane though. I don't think he'll mind," Renaye thought for a moment. "Do you think Josh could tag along? He doesn't have a date and I think he's planning on missing out. I told him he could go with Zane and me but he didn't want to be a third wheel. But I think he'd feel better if it was a group..."

0 Raye Sounds adventurous! 0 Raye 0 5

Cecily

March 15, 2008 9:18 AM

Sounds doomed from the start by Cecily

Cecily was pleased that Laurie accepted her offer; her malachite necklace, although pretty, wasn’t especially valuable, and so Cecily didn’t mind letting another girl borrow it. She thought Laurie would be careful with it, anyway, and it would look nice with the dress. Cecily herself would either wear her delicate gold set with the rubies in, or her plain silver set, depending on which of her gowns she decided to wear. At the moment she was leaning towards burgundy satin, but she hadn’t made her mind up just yet. There was still plenty of time for her to mull it over.

Laurie confirmed that she was indeed going with Talen, and Cecily felt a tiny stab of momentary jealousy. It wasn’t as though she had been searching for a date as such, but it would have been nice to have one, nonetheless. There again, though, was the matter that Cecily was very fussy about the company she liked to keep – she wouldn’t be seen with just anybody. Her family had worked hard to be where they were now, and Cecily wasn’t going to jeopardise her position in society with one evening of censure. She would rather go on her own than in the company of those below her.

“Hey, why don’t we all go together? You know: me, Talen, both of you – what do you think?”

Cecily froze. Suddenly her ideal of going alone didn’t seem to be an option anymore. Silently aghast, she looked from one girl to the other, waiting for one of them to say it was a terrible idea. Renaye, surely, must detest the idea of going with Cecily as much as Cecily did herself. However, the complete opposite occurred: the Warren girl actually seemed pleased with the plan. Yet worse than that, it transpired that she, too, had a date: Zane Cooper, of whom Cecily approved (despite his odd appreciation of Quidditch).

So, it seemed that out of the three of them, Cecily was the only girl without a date to the ball. What sort of backwards world was she living in? What sort of place was it where a well brought up pureblooded witch was left to sidle along with her rude and Quidditch-obsessed roommate, and the girl raised like a Muggle, while they chatted happily with dates on their own? Cecily was only moments away from sulking, which is perhaps why the absurd plan occurred to her: she was desperate.

“Your brother could take me,” she said to Renaye, before she could stop herself. “Then he wouldn’t feel like a … third wheel, did you say? I wouldn’t mind,” she reassured the girl she usually ignored, “seeing as we seem to be going as a group anyway.”

Well, she had said it now. It might not be that bad, after all – Cecily had never spoken to Joshua, and there was no guarantee that he would be as foul as his sister (in fact that was nigh impossible). Even if he did turn out to be a horrible date, Cecily still had friends she could spend the evening with – she could ditch the Warrens and talk to Anabel and Holly instead.

0 Cecily Sounds doomed from the start 0 Cecily 0 5

Laurie

March 16, 2008 1:39 PM

Hey, it's not that bad ^_^ by Laurie

OOC: Okay, I seriously though I posted this yesterday. Really, I did. I think I'm nutto.

Laurie preferred semetry. It was part of the reason why she enjoyed looking over her brother Tim's geometry book. Much of it she didn't understand, but she liked the idea of proofs, and the laws and rules that constructed them. It made sense to her that life be confined like that. Science was another of her favorites, when it came to academics. Again, there were laws and postulates and theorems that gave the answer to every situation, every idea, every hypothesis. In a way, Laurie saw her life much like that. She believed that for every situation, there was a way to provide it balance and equilibrium- for all parties involved to be happy. It was because of this philosophy that she so rarely spent her free time in her dorm room. There was not balance there; there was frequently contention, unfriendly words, and that thick air of even more unspoken words. It made her feel uncomfortable and stifled; she wanted to constantly re-arrange her small trinkets and photographs that lined her night table and the shelf above her headboard. It was a nervous habit, she knew, but it kept her hands busy and organized her mind. It comforted her.

It suddenly occurred to her, standing there with her two roommates, that for once, she didn't feel nervous about being in her room. The only awkwardness she felt came from the self-consciousness she felt from wearing her dress out in the open. She gave a crooked grin to Raye's response. "Of course Josh should come. But I thought he was going with, um, Rorrie I think it is?"

She jerked her head when Cecily sudden interjected. "“Your brother could take me, then he wouldn’t feel like a … third wheel, did you say? I wouldn’t mind, seeing as we seem to be going as a group anyway.”

Her immediate response was surprise. As much as she had optimistically suggested them all going together, she honestly hadn't expected Cecily to join the bandwagon. She had figured on having to do a follow-up, some cajoling, maybe some verbal sparring. She had figured on a fight of some sort. Instead, there was only easy agreement.

"Well, there you go," Laurie offerred, somewhat lamely. "I guess all that's really left is checking with Josh. I think I'm going to just wait until the last second to tell Talen, that way he won't have to worry or feel nervous." She fingered her dress hem again, still feeling a little self-aware. "Um, how about I change out of my dress, and then we can hunt down Josh? Maybe introduce you two?"

0 Laurie Hey, it's not that bad ^_^ 0 Laurie 0 5

Renaye

March 19, 2008 5:52 PM

The smiley face has me convinced! by Renaye

OOC: We all are, a little.

Your brother could take me, then he wouldn’t feel like a … third wheel, did you say? I wouldn’t mind, seeing as we seem to be going as a group anyway.”

Cecily wanted to go with Josh? ... What? Cecily wanted to go with her twin brother? Renaye had been under the impression that the girl wanted nothing to do with the name Warren, let alone go the most prestigeous event occuring this year with one. Raye didn't like the idea. One way where Josh and Renaye were very similar, overlooking some of their more opposite personality traits, they were protective. Renaye knew how Cecily felt. If Josh said something she disagreed with... Well, she didn't want Josh's confidence to be any lower than it would be. At the same time, she wanted Josh to go to the ball. She knew he wouldn't unless he had a date though... Renaye felt the urge to heave a sigh, but restrained herself. Laurie appeared to think that it was a suitable idea.

"Um, how about I change out of my dress, and then we can hunt down Josh? Maybe introduce you two?"

"Um..." She began, still stuck on her slightly opposing opinion on this, "Yeah. Let's do that. Josh is in Cascade so how about I meet you two there? You know, so I can give him the lo-down on what's going on."

Renaye gave a 'see-you-later' wave to Laurie and exited the dorm. As she made her way down the framiliar path to Cascade Hall, Renaye couldn't help but think about the possible outcome of this... interesting, pair. What if it went really well? Renaye didn't think she'd be able to be around the two of them for more than ten minutes at a time. And on the other hand, Renaye knew Josh agreed with her point of view on a lot of things. He was quieter and less outspoken, but when it did come to talking about something, she could always count on him to have her back on an issue. What if Cecily said something horrible to him? Raye definitely wouldn't be letting her get away with that. She would have to deal with her and Irene. Josh can take a joke, but if a serious comment or remark is made about him, he doesn't exactly forget. Raye didn't want to see him any worse off than how was feeling right now. She was pretty sure Laruie didn't know, but Raye knew that Josh liked her. Her going with Talen was enough to make him feel lousy, especially when Raye, Laurie, are friends and see each other often. Plus, Renaye was going with Zane, his roommate, and Irene, one of that people Josh loved to be around most, was going with Brett. This is where Josh's quiet nature became a problem. He becomes secluded from everyone and Raye has no way of cheering him up. The only way she knows how is... Wait. That could work. Quidditch. But by the time this thought had struck her, Renaye was at the entrance of Cascade.

OOC: Will tag you in Cascade =)

0 Renaye The smiley face has me convinced! 0 Renaye 0 5