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sweetpinkpixie · 04-03-2026, 02:15 AM

New tart in hand — a sweet cheese one this time — Iris took a small, deliberate bite, more out of principle than appetite, though the faint lift at the corner of her mouth suggested she approved of the selection.

"Mum and Dad are going away on some sort of retreat together," she said, a light note threading into her voice now, easier, brighter. "Which means Nyle and I will be passed around the extended family circuit."

It wasn't an unpleasant arrangement, objectively speaking. A rotation of different households, different rhythms, different expectations... there was something almost academically appealing about the variety and it would be nice to spend the summer in the same place as her brother this time. Though she would most be looking forward to the week spent with their uncle and his personal library of tomes.

But then gravity shifted.

It started with the way Aurora's attention redirected, followed by the Hufflepuff calling his name and Idris doubling down on the invitation. Her spine straightened almost imperceptibly, a reflexive correction, as though posture alone might account for the sudden, unwelcome awareness that threaded through her. There was a brief, suspended second where their eyes met — or nearly did — before she redirected, far too deliberately, toward a neutral midpoint somewhere near his shoulder.

Composure, she reminded herself as she nearly dropped her cheese tart.

This was a social gathering. People spoke. People danced. People… existed in proximity without it meaning anything.

And then her whole bloody axis titled.

There had been a time — not long ago, though it felt inconveniently distant now — when he had told her he preferred her unfiltered. Raw. Honest. Nonclinical. As though those things were virtues she could simply summon without consequence. It did not come naturally to her, that kind of openness. It required choice. Effort. A willingness to step outside the quiet precision she relied on to keep everything in its proper place.

It came almost effortlessly in this present moment.

Logical thought arrived on a delay ― filed, labeled, and rationalized before her thoughts could wander too much or linger anywhere inconvenient. It made sense. Aurora was already dancing, already aligned with the energy of the room. Herself, by contrast, had just declined. She had just made herself unavailable. Logically, the outcome tracked.

And yet, there was the faintest tightening at the corner of her mouth before she smoothed it away. The lanternlight caught briefly in her eyes as she blinked, something faintly lambent flickering there for half a second too long — not quite tears, not quite anything she would allow to fully form — before she forced it down, expression smoothing back into something carefully quiescent.

Idris' voice reached her again, warm and unguarded, cutting clean through the neat compartments she was building. His hand extended towards her next and a moment ― a brief and suspended one ― she considered taking it. Her fingers even uncurled enough that her nails no longer dug crescents into her palms... but she didn't. Her eyes darted between the trio, lingering on no one for any real measurable amount of time, before flicking over to Nyle and his obvious struggle with he Ravenclaw riddles and then, finally, settled over at the Slytherin activity where JT stood. A small inhale steadied her, shoulders settling just slightly as she stepped back instead of forward.

"I think," she began, her voice remarkably steady considering the undesirable raw reaction happening between her ribs. "I think I’ll leave the dancing to all of you." A faint apologetic smile followed, one just warm enough to hopefully not invite further persuasion. "I've been meaning to look at the Slytherin activity, actually. I'll...catch up with... you later..."

She offered the trio a polite wave before turning with just enough decisiveness to prevent hesitation from taking hold, leaving behind a near perfect little constellation of Houses and whatever quiet symmetry had almost existed.

04-03-2026, 02:15 AM	#10 (permalink)
sweetpinkpixie SSRPG Admin Gladrags Mod Quibbler Mod Minister for Magic Alley Proprietor Sea Serpent Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: The Paths Posts: 41,479 Hogwarts RPG Name: Professor Cox Ravenclaw Graduated Hogwarts RPG Name: CJ Miller Gryffindor Fourth Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Nyle Harden Hufflepuff Seventh Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Iris Harden Ravenclaw Seventh Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Calliope Barrington Slytherin Sixth Year Ministry Department Head: Charles Hollingberry Minister's Office Ministry Department Head: Airey Flamsteed Mysteries Diagon Alley Proprietor: Victor García Massey Ollivanders x12 x12	astronomizzle ♧ gryffinDORK \| & the rest is drag ♣ #badluckDerf New tart in hand — a sweet cheese one this time — Iris took a small, deliberate bite, more out of principle than appetite, though the faint lift at the corner of her mouth suggested she approved of the selection. "Mum and Dad are going away on some sort of retreat together," she said, a light note threading into her voice now, easier, brighter. "Which means Nyle and I will be passed around the extended family circuit." It wasn't an unpleasant arrangement, objectively speaking. A rotation of different households, different rhythms, different expectations... there was something almost academically appealing about the variety and it would be nice to spend the summer in the same place as her brother this time. Though she would most be looking forward to the week spent with their uncle and his personal library of tomes. But then gravity shifted. It started with the way Aurora's attention redirected, followed by the Hufflepuff calling his name and Idris doubling down on the invitation. Her spine straightened almost imperceptibly, a reflexive correction, as though posture alone might account for the sudden, unwelcome awareness that threaded through her. There was a brief, suspended second where their eyes met — or nearly did — before she redirected, far too deliberately, toward a neutral midpoint somewhere near his shoulder. Composure, she reminded herself as she nearly dropped her cheese tart. This was a social gathering. People spoke. People danced. People… existed in proximity without it meaning anything. And then her whole bloody axis titled. There had been a time — not long ago, though it felt inconveniently distant now — when he had told her he preferred her unfiltered. Raw. Honest. Nonclinical. As though those things were virtues she could simply summon without consequence. It did not come naturally to her, that kind of openness. It required choice. Effort. A willingness to step outside the quiet precision she relied on to keep everything in its proper place. It came almost effortlessly in this present moment. Logical thought arrived on a delay ― filed, labeled, and rationalized before her thoughts could wander too much or linger anywhere inconvenient. It made sense. Aurora was already dancing, already aligned with the energy of the room. Herself, by contrast, had just declined. She had just made herself unavailable. Logically, the outcome tracked. And yet, there was the faintest tightening at the corner of her mouth before she smoothed it away. The lanternlight caught briefly in her eyes as she blinked, something faintly lambent flickering there for half a second too long — not quite tears, not quite anything she would allow to fully form — before she forced it down, expression smoothing back into something carefully quiescent. Idris' voice reached her again, warm and unguarded, cutting clean through the neat compartments she was building. His hand extended towards her next and a moment ― a brief and suspended one ― she considered taking it. Her fingers even uncurled enough that her nails no longer dug crescents into her palms... but she didn't. Her eyes darted between the trio, lingering on no one for any real measurable amount of time, before flicking over to Nyle and his obvious struggle with he Ravenclaw riddles and then, finally, settled over at the Slytherin activity where JT stood. A small inhale steadied her, shoulders settling just slightly as she stepped back instead of forward. "I think," she began, her voice remarkably steady considering the undesirable raw reaction happening between her ribs. "I think I’ll leave the dancing to all of you." A faint apologetic smile followed, one just warm enough to hopefully not invite further persuasion. "I've been meaning to look at the Slytherin activity, actually. I'll...catch up with... you later..." She offered the trio a polite wave before turning with just enough decisiveness to prevent hesitation from taking hold, leaving behind a near perfect little constellation of Houses and whatever quiet symmetry had almost existed. __________________ We broke into a million pieces, and we can't go back......................................... But now we're seeing all the beauty in the broken glass..................................... The scars are part of me, darkness and harmony My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like Last edited by sweetpinkpixie; 04-03-2026 at 02:33 AM. Reason: ew, typos