m a t t i e ❁ (matildas) wrote in valesco_history,
@ 2014-02-03 18:54:00

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Nicola! Summer, 1981
Mattie pursed her lips to try and hide her laughter. Joseph was being absolutely ridiculous as he mimicked the stuffy crowd of the party. She had waitressed a few events at this hall and usually could have some fun with the guests, but tonight was a rather droll evening. A string quartet provided the music, there had been a few boring speeches earlier, and the dance floor was quite bare. For a wizarding event, Mattie was surprised at how banal it all was.

She remembered the days where this would’ve been her norm. Mattie had slipped some chocolates to a little girl who looked ready to fall asleep and slip under the table earlier, knowing precisely how she felt. Her parents had tried to force her into this lifestyle, but she’d never fit into it, she’d never enjoyed it. After the earthquake...Mattie had decided that she would waste no more time doing anything she didn’t enjoy, and it had been almost a year of being at peace with herself.

“You’re going to get me in trouble,” she said, swatting away his hand away from the hem of her skirt. They’d hidden behind a curtain until dinner was to be served, and while it was fun, Mattie had no desire to get too handsy with the public so close. She jerked away again, this time stepping out from behind the curtain.

Unfortunately, she’d stepped right on the hem of a passerby’s dress, and the sound of a rip struck her ears. Mattie’s hands flew to cover her mouth, “I am so sorry, Miss!”

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scarpin
2014-02-04 12:08 am UTC (link)

This was Venetian silk! With a pearl lining that she portkeyed in from China! Nicola gasped as she felt the tell-tale tug backward accompanied with the a loud rip that struck her ears like a tossed boiling potion. She had been waiting all month to wear this outfit, had been planning it for months, and now, in the middle of the party to have it destroyed by some belligerent nobody was simply--- unacceptable! There were important people here, potential suitors, and most importantly select others that would simply relish at the opportunity to spot a blemish in her perfectly-crafted image.

She could just hear Winnifred Llewellyn now. Darling, it looks like your house-elf missed a spot. Or are you still living without one?

Ready to shriek, but knowing perfectly well that would have to wait until out of earshot, Nicola quickly grabbed the back of her dress as she turned to face this persecutor of social grace. Purposely flipping the torn section of her dress under a couple of convenient folds, it took her a couple of moments to look up.

Her eyes widened. "Mattie?" She took her breath back, genuinely surprised at seeing her estranged sister here. Nicola's eyes crawled down to take in Mattie's outfit, and immediately her lips pursed. Here, as the staff. Her back straightened, and she swiftly began to ruffle her dress again to make sure that the rip was properly covered.

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matildas
2014-02-04 02:56 am UTC (link)

To her horror, it was Nicola's dress that she'd torn. Mattie's hands dropped and she reached out to her sister, but pulled away. "I can fix it!"

At least, she thought she could. She needed to, now, to save herself some face. It was the first time she'd seen her little sister outside of the awkward family gatherings around the holidays, and those usually ended with a lecture from either one or both their parents about how she was wasting her life away with her music. She didn't have much to show for it yet, but art took time! It was what she loved doing, so why should it be rushed? Mattie could clearly take care of herself and didn't need the savings account that had been frozen from her until she got a real, decent job.

What a silly world they lived in, where she was punished for using her mind instead of following the commands of others. Mattie's eyes lifted to the ceiling for a quick second, hoping to put that thought solidly into her memories because it had the potential to become a nice lyric. She could already hear the melody, with a strong percussion like that of a militia's drums---

The dress!

"I can fix it if you let me," she said, snapping back to the present. "I'm good at those spells, remember?"

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scarpin
2014-02-06 04:20 am UTC (link)

Of course she was! How could Nicola possibly forget? What wasn't Mattie good at? Rather viciously, Nicola immediately thought of two things: social pride or familial bond, but those were not somethings that could be helpful to her own current predicament. Which was, of course, that she certainly couldn't have a member of staff take out their wand to fix a rip in her dress just as much as she could do it herself with a ballroom's worth of eyes on her.

The fact that she had never been good at repair charms and Mattie most likely continued to be very knowledgable in the subject was irrelevant.

But, perhaps, if she were to make it to the loo...

Nicola suddenly stood straight, flattening her front smooth with her palms. Sticking her chin out to elongate her neck, she breathed in deeply before speaking. "I have managed perfectly fine without you for the past year, this is no different." She spoke in a cool manner, making sure to keep her gaze distinctly away from her sister's eyes.

Bending at the knee, Nicola began to carefully collect her train in a manner that would suggest it could be carried in such a way by the hand if you so wished. Hopefully, Rebecca or Katerina would see and believe it a new trend.

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matildas
2014-02-10 02:13 am UTC (link)

She could hear her heart shattering at Nicola's words. Mattie stood, frozen and rigid, hoping that her pain wasn't evident but sure that it was. It--she knew it had been a hard adjustment, one that her parents certainly didn't approve of, one that she knew her sister completely disagreed with, but---Mattie still loved her family very much. She just needed time...time to find herself, to live her life on her own. She'd never really belonged, but it pained her terribly to think that Nicola had been without her.

Her eyes dropped to the floor. Perhaps she should let her sister be. Mattie knew she was seen as an embarrassment, and it would be especially bad in her waitress getup. Maybe she could save her sister some grief by not attempting to help her at all. But---her heart stung at the idea, and knowing that she was the one that had ripped Nicola's dress would drive her mad with even more guilt than she already carried around with her.

"Let me at least take you to the private loo," she offered, gesturing behind her. "I've got a key."

Mattie's lips twisted in concern, hoping that Nicola would at least allow her to do this. Maybe, behind the suggestion, there was the idea that she would get some time to talk to her little sister, but Mattie needed to wait for Nicola to actually agree to follow her before she thought any deeper about the encounter.

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scarpin
2014-02-13 04:21 am UTC (link)

She closed her eyes, and pursed her lips together. The private loo would be the best place for a bit of spellwork. But when that key also came with her trailing sister... Nicola took in a sharp breath. Standing before Mattie was hard enough, but being this close to her in secluded quarters? Nicola was unsure of how well she could keep her emotions close to her chest if put in that situation.

Opening her eyes, Nicola glance down at the fabric draped over her wrist. But her dress, it must be fixed! She simply could not carry on into the night with a blemish. There were very important families to impress, ones that were missing her absence this very moment because of an inconvenient mishap out of her control. Feeling genuinely torn (perhaps for the wrong reasons), Nicola released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Fine," she spoke, barely above a whisper. "But quickly. I must return to the party as soon as possible." Not that she expected Mattie to understand why--- she had been the one to, for lack of a better term, disgrace the family with her staff get-up and dalliances. While Mattie was entertaining a hobby, Nicola was doing her very best to solidify the Scarpin name in Wizarding England's upper class.

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