*Jade is not pleased, Cara looks like her current emotion is a swear word, Isabel has plopped down onto a chair, Kathryn is overwhelmed, and Sapphire looks vaguely dead inside--that, or she's wrapped up in some very specific memory* Jade: Four days. That's how long it went with no activity, and then you guys go and talk up a storm while our author's busy? Kathryn: Okay, um, let's see. What do we have to respond to? Cara: ELA is English Language Arts, and AP is Advanced Placement. *beat* Wait, Jasmine, right? You like art? We should totally make something together sometime! I mostly do sketching, but I like watercolors a lot. We should probably refrain from that, though; Little Miss Waterbender over there *she gestures towards Sapphire* would probably just screw it up if we pissed her off. Sapphire: *gains some semblance of life in her eyes, smirks* I will neither confirm nor deny that. Kathryn: Don't insult royalty? Yeah, f**k that. Because of royalty, Sapph and I had to run to an entirely different province, which wasn't exactly a walk in the park, just so we could be in love freely. I think we've earned the right to insult royalty. *Sapphire nods* In any case, no, I've never danced with my mom. Or my dad, for that matter. They've always been too busy with work and stuff to focus on me. Besides, I didn't dance for fun; I did it because I had to. I practiced ballet. In the studio. Alone. *she sighs* Sapphire: Does the question extend to me? Because...my mom's dead. And we never had music, because we were a florist family who lived miles away from a music shop. And my sister never watched and/or laughed at it, because it never happened, and she never will, because she's dead too. Next question? Kathryn: Sapph... Sapphire: *shrugs* It had to come out eventually. I'd rather they found out of my own volition than through me muttering their names in the midst of a panic attack.
Henrietta: Oh. I'm so sorry. I hope they are happy among God's angels. I apologise for insulting your sensitivities. And... I apologise to you, Kathryn, also.
Grier: I have parents. Two of them. I'm told that makes me a rare bird in these parts--a protagonist with an intact family structure! Makha: Technically, you-- Grier: Shut up.
Vanna: Well, we all have one. Actually, I grew up without a dad, but I've met him now and he's lovely. Elsie: I don't get on with my mother. Vanna: Oh.
Katie: No one gets along with their mother. Grier: Wait, are you even allowed to be here? I don't know if you're technically a separate character. Shoo!
Kathryn: In my defense, it's not that I don't have two parents; it's just that my two parents don't have time for me. Jade: I have a functioning family. Well, my dad still f**ks up my pronouns occasionally, but that doesn't count. Besides, he's gotten a lot better about it. Cara: As for us…mommy issues. A lot of them. Isabel: What she said. Sapphire: I got along with my mother. My dad does his best, though. I wonder what he thinks happened to me...
Grier: Sure. How about... Makha: Don't ask if she saw the fights last weekend. Grier: I wasn't gonna! Makha: Liar. So, what's everyone doing for the holiday? Samhain used to be kind of a big deal.
Jade: Oh, right, Halloween! Well, it's no longer socially acceptable for me to go trick-or-treating--a shame, really; I love candy--so Cara and I are just going to sit inside and watch a scary movie, and probably eat a lot of candy. And we can hold hands at the scary parts like it's a f**king teenage romance novel. Cara: *nods* That's pretty much what we do. Isabel: I hang with my cross-country bros. We play video games. I'll probably just troll Internet f**kboys. It's fun to lead them on, get all flirty, then when they ask me if we can date or f**k or something like that, I'm just all, 'Oh yeah, I'm aromantic and asexual. Oops, did I forget to mention that?' Cara: I've witnessed it. It's kind of amazing. Then they cuss her out and leave. *laughs* Sapphire: There's a holiday? Kathryn: ...when did that happen? I thought the holidays weren't until December. Sapphire: Explain, please. You have confused us.
Grier: I'm not sure spending Halloween like that doesn't make you an asshole of some kind... Maybe go back to trick-or-treating? Makha: I'm sure she knows she's being a jerk. Katie: Yeah, but some people have to be told that other people noticed...
Vanna: Halloween is a festival we celebrate at the end of October. It's become very Americanised recently. Kids dress up - it used to be just things like ghosts and witches, but now it seems to be anything - and go around people's houses asking for sweets, which is called "trick-or-treating". I never did it, Mum didn't like me wandering around anyway, especially not after dark. We were on the run, you can understand. Jasmine: Wow. I've never celebrated that. Ophelia: Me neither. There is a witches' festival on that night - the very end of October, is it, the 31st? - where everyone performs some traditional spells and eats a special stew, but since it isn't really practical to have grand displays of magic at a respectable girls' school, we just have some stew and celebrate a little. It's mostly only the witches at St. Edith's, but everyone's welcome to come along, and we always get a good few human girls. Henrietta: Well, to me, that sounds perfectly preposterous. In Cavallia, All Hallows' Eve is a time to remember the dead and grieve for departed loved ones, not to celebrate and gorge on confectionery! We will, as usual, dress in black and lead a royal procession to lay wreaths on Grandpère's tomb - him and numerous other relatives, but as the most recently deceased King, he is the one who gets the most ceremony. Elsie: Well, aren't you a spoilsport, Miss I-Love-Dancing-With-My-Mama! You have all this celebration and then there's you with your little mourning procession. Even Father's not that dull, and he's a rector! Vanna: But do you celebrate Halloween? Elsie: No.
Grier: I love Halloween! It's always been so interesting to me--the way the myth became this cultural artifact that was passed down through the ages in spite of having lost all its original significance. It's really amazing the way these things hang on in the collective consciousness of a culture. Makha: You like that part? Not the candy and the costumes? Really? Katie: Yeah, we were really never allowed to eat candy. Grier: You could have eaten it--you just didn't want to. Don't act like our parents are ogres or something! Hey, so, strictures against "gorging" notwithstanding, what sort of candy do they have in Cavallia?
Jade: Alright, were you talking about me and Cara or Isabel? If it's the former, then I specifically said it's no longer socially acceptable to for me to trick-or-treat. I'm fourteen years old. Oh, and don't f**king call me she. It's they, thank you very much. Isabel: And if it's me, I am 15 years old. Excuse me if I want to hang out with my friends instead of dressing up and getting comments about how I'm too old for it all night. Or was it the part about how I mess with people who flirt with girls over the Internet? Because they deserve it. Kathryn: You get to dress up and go around asking for candy? And it's okay? Cara: Yep. Sapphire: *mutters* Rose would have loved that. *normal* Sounds cool.
Henrietta: Candy? Vanna: Sweets. Confectionery. Henrietta: Oh. Well, my favourite are comfits, especially caraway or lavender ones. Mama's fond of candied orange peel and so she's rarely without a bowl - which I suppose is convenient if you have an unexpected guest. She always offers it to us if we come to visit, so I've eaten plenty in my life. You see, sweets are often enjoyed after dinner, usually as a third dessert course, so we have mostly eaten quite enough food already. We usually try to eat dinner all together, although sometimes if we have a guest, that isn't possible. We aren't really in the habit of eating too many sweets between meals. What do you eat, then?
Katie: Yeah, how dare people flirt! ...What a crock of sh-- Grier: Hush. It's not worth it. Katie: No, I mean it. You know what? Some people have a hard time getting out to meet people. Like, Grier hasn't been on a real date in years. She finally gave up and started screwing one of her professors. Grier: Jesus, Katie! Why would you think it's ok to share that? Makha: Ahem. So, you get two deserts and then sweets? That sounds pretty nice.
Isabel: You've never seen an Internet f**kboy, have you? I'm not talking about the ones who flirt nicely, I'm talking about the ones who start talking about sex before they've even met you. I'm talking about the ones who ask for nudes out of nowhere. I'm talking about the self-declared "nice guys" who are actually little sh*ts. And more than anything, I'm talking about the ones who respond to the reveal that I'm aro/ace with "maybe I can fix that" and a winky emoticon. Thank you for your time.
Katie: Oh, please, I spent the last two years as an Instagram model... Grier: -blushes bright red- Makha: Why are you blushing?
Isabel: Yes, okay, cool, congratulations, I'm sure you did a lovely job, what the hell does that have to do with what I just said?
Katie: Mmmmffmmmfff! Grier: I think she just means she gets plenty of attention from people online. Makha: Grier, is there a reason you're covering Katie's mouth that way? Grier: No, no, not at all.
Isabel: …I just wanted to put f**kboys in their place. Kathryn: Okay! We have very different views on some things! Let's talk about something less controversal! Like... Jade: Pets! Do any of you have pets? I have a cat. *takes out phone, scrolls until finding a picture of her, shows said picture to everyone* Her name's Misty. What about you guys?
Vanna: I think some of you have met Emerald. I couldn't work out why people said it was so appropriate that I'd bought a black kitten until I found out I was a witch. Elsie: I have a puppy. She used to belong to the school, but they already had a male puppy and Miss Everdene had been advised to separate them as soon as possible, so she decided to take the opportunity to teach me responsibility. Her name's Vina, and she's an Irish wolfhound, so she comes about up to here. *Gestures at point just below hip* Henrietta: I have a puppy that I share with my sisters. He's a little lapdog called Velours, and of course I have my horse, La Petite. That is certainly a curious device you're holding. Does it show other pictures as well? And you are a very fine artist. Elsie: That's not a drawing, you ninny, it's a photograph. But it's in colour! Can I look?
Grier: We had a puppy dog when I was younger, but I guess I never spent that much time with him. Not after like, third grade anyway. Katie: Well, you were busy. Grier: No, I was just stupid and didn't get what was important in-- Makha: I had a pair of wolves! Grier: ... Katie: ...Wolves? Makha: Ahem. Well, they thought of me as their pet, but... Well, please don't tell them I said that. Vanna? You said you're a witch?
Vanna: ...I don't think you should have done that. *Whips 'phone out of Elsie's hand and hands it back to Jade, leaving an assortment of disappointed girls* I had to do that, before they discover the Internet. So... Any more ideas on what we can talk about?
Jade: …books? Kathryn: Girls aren't expected to read much where we come from. Jade: Alright, then. Isabel: Hobbies? Cara: Pretty sure we already discussed that. Sapphire: …f**k. Well, we don't have any ideas. Sorry.
