"They Are." She Grimaced In Annoyance. What Were All Those People Doing In Here? Shouldn't They Go To

"Next time you have to come with me. We can stay at my house, go shopping together, eat french pastries..." It would be a fun thing to do, to show Willa around the town she had enjoyed so much.

"I don't know. Maybe? My parents certainly think it is time. They wanted to invite him to my birthday party, can you believe that?" She scoffed, shaking her head. He had broken her heart, all those years ago. "He did look quite handsome. And I do enjoy the presents..but he embarrassed me terribly back at Hogwarts."

Willa sighed, a slight hint of jealousy as Serra described her experiences in Paris. It was notable to many that while Willa had free reign to avail of the Bulstrode last name, their funds weren't quite as easily accessed. Despite how much Willa would have longed to visit her friend in Paris, it wasn't quite in sight.

At Serra's depiction of her run in with Malcolm, she took a sip of her tea, eyebrows raised ever so slightly. "Are you thinking of forgiving him?" Willa asked, slightly intrigued for Serra's response. "If I were you, I would wait to see him on his knees."

status: for @fcrox (Leta) location: Madame Malkins

When she left London she'd been bored, a tad embarrassed but mostly bored. Things with Antonin ended amicably, with neither of their reputations catching strays. She felt lucky that this wasn't like the last time her relationship imploded. Definitely less humiliating. As the season was changing she wanted to commission a new dress at Madame Malkins, plus she wanted to go and see Leta as the other woman had played a role in the internship Serra had. While working at a shop didn't seem appealing to her, designing dresses and coming up with concepts was fun and she had enjoyed it more than she thought she would've. "Leta. I wanted to inquire about your workload in the coming weeks. Is there any way you could make the dress I am working on?"

As always when she had to see her cousin in public, Serra wasn't thrilled. Alara's mere presence had the ability to annoy her and here she was, boasting about working. Willingly. It made her look poor and embarrassing. "I don't understand why you keep bragging about working. It's tacky."

where: fulham palace who: open

The second wedding she was attending with Evan, has his fiancé, was starting to come with an ease, considering how much time they had been spending together and getting to know him more. There was still that hesitation and the dread of getting married, but at least she was trying and no one could hold it against her.

She stood where the cake was displayed, proud of her work, once more, a few more orders had been put in and it was coming her busy. "I have to say, this might be one of my finest jobs." A smile seeps on her lips. "What do you think?"

@themalcolmparkinson

While they were still surrounded by people she did her best to stay quiet and calm, smiling when people clapped in congratulations. Stealing one last look at her parents she noticed them both beaming with pride. She couldn't remember them ever looking this happy. They were both more on the reserved side, but clearly they were happy about this. Would they have done the same thing if they had a son instead of her? One capable or even willing to take over the shop? She let out a huff of frustration. This whole party had not been to celebrate her it seemed, but a ruse to gather as many of their peers as possible and announce an engagement she herself was clueless about. Clearly she was the only one surprised. Engaged. Merlin, what a birthday present. She was engaged. Engaged to the one guy she had fallen for, the one that broke her heart all those years ago. It was a cruel idea of a joke. Although, Malcolm's eyes didn't mirror the shock and surprise hers held- even if only for a second. Without the prying eyes of others she had no reason to school her features into a mask of indifference. It took her a few moments to process, for things to settle in. For his words to register. "You knew about this?" He knew and yet he didn't deem it important enough to inform her? "Were you expecting me to just go along with this?" Her eyes were blazing with anger, when she got stuck on his last word. "Again? What do you mean again?"

Much to his expectations, Malcolm didn't have time to reach Serra or her parents once he got through the party. There were so many people and he caught her eye a few times, but it seemed she was putting as much effort into avoiding him as he was trying to find her. But all he got were stolen conversations with people he didn't want to be stuck talking to; they were all boring small talk, some shop talk, and Malcolm couldn't think about anything else other than talking to Serra. It was one of the few times he panicked and could feel every stroke of a clock in tandem with his heart. Like everyone else, he gathered along with the crowd when someone was about to give a toast. And like everyone else, his eyes followed Serra's parents to the makeshift stage. Fuck, his mind seemed to say like a broken record. He officially ran out of time, but he could catch them after the toast. Malcolm clapped with everyone else, holding his champagne flute and his arm went slack when he heard his name. His heart instantly took a cold plunge to his stomach. In that moment, the walls felt like they were caving around him. Malcolm shrugged off the congratulations around him and the eyes that swiveled towards him. This was the worst way to find out and he needed to talk to Serra. "Serra-" he said, breaking through the crowd to reach her once she started to make an exit. There had been a speech planned in his head and it would've gone so much better than now. "Serra-" he called again once he was closer, not even realizing they were outside as he reached for her arm. Malcolm's face softened when he turned to face him. For once in his life, he wished that Serra could look at him like he didn't betray her trust every single time. A million things were hanging from his lips, but nothing came out. Malcolm's shoulders relaxed away from his ears and he sighed out. "It's true, I found out a few days ago. Listen, I tried, okay-I contacted lawyers…i-it cannot be annulled. Again."

"I think it's a requirement for every Slytherin to like green, but I do prefer certain shades more than others. I like a sage or an emerald green best." She explained while looking through the various racks of clothes, only needing a few seconds to decide if she liked something or not. "There's a few robes here that would look nice for the upcoming fall season." She took out four she liked, different cuts but all elegant, one shorter length and one ankle length for colder days and two more every day robes. "I do. Well my favorite holiday is my birthday, of course. I enjoy being celebrated. After that Christmas because I like getting presents and as an only child I didn't have to share with anyone. What about you?"

"Green, I will remember that, but yes you could pull anything off I'm sure, perhaps I'll know better by the end of it." He looked around at the various robes and outfits. "Does anything catch your eye?" Small accents made sense, understated but eye catching. He filed it away for future use. Even when skulking about something eye catching could make it hard for people to think of details later besides what had been put in front of them. He doubted it was how Sera might use the information, but something learned from her none the less. "Do you enjoy the holidays? Which is your favorite?"

Knowing how to handle herself in a public setting was something she had been taught at a young age, never losing her cool and keeping a mask of passive indifference even if her enotions were going haywire. She hadn't expected to run into Malcolm, they'd successfully managed to avoid each other for years and now here was right in front of her, thinking he could talk to her like nothing happened. How dare he? Sure the presents were nice and she was currently wearing a bracelet he'd sent to her a couple of months ago, but that didn't mean she'd forgiven him, it was not the jewellery's fault that he was a cheater. "I look good everywhere." She dismissed his compliment. "No one liked her anyways, so they're all over it by now." Serra crossed her arms, having to look up to keep eye contact, but not wavering. "What do you want?"

At first, Malcolm thought that he saw a ghost and when he realized it was really Serra, he opted for a ghost instead. It had been years since he saw her, doing his best to keep his distance and not cross paths. It was a moment of relief when he was told that she went to Paris. Malcolm would have done the same thing if he had a family member who dismantled the family name. He was glad to not have any siblings any only a few well-behaved cousins. Malcolm also thought that the Loire Valley would've been his choice if he were fleeing from domestic disputes. But it was because of Serra being in Paris that he was forced to readdress the first gift there and after that, he sent messages to French boutiques to send her locally designed jewelry and clothes. "Well, you look much better in London than in Paris," he commented, not shying from offering a compliment. It was only an innate reaction. "You're still saying her name? I can't help but feel sorry for the rest of the family. I hope they're well."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She raised an eyebrow, haughty look on her face. As always, she wasn't too thrilled when she got to see her cousin. Alara was annoying and would no doubt hold it over her head that it was Leta attending this wedding at Antonin's side. "Parisians have much better taste. I cannot wait to leave the greyness of london behind."

There was rumours from her family when it came to her cousin and she was curious if they were true. She would not be sad to see Serra leave. "And here I thought you could do better." Alara smiled sweetly at the other. "I don't think Paris is ready for you."

"Those are two of my favorite words. Closely following diamonds and presents." She had never made an attempt in faking humility, she'd never be any good at it. Serra oozed privilege and high standards, spending money and never wondering if it would stop coming.

"You would assume so, but alas.." She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. "They have always liked him, but come on."

"You had me at champagne and shopping," Willa smiled warmly, lifting her cup of tea and taking a small sip. While her father did provide Willa and her mother, the difference between Willa and her peers was evident. She had enough to live a lavish life in London, but not quite Paris.

"Your birthday party seems very harsh," She stated, surprised. "And quite a public setting too, would it not have been smarter to organise something a bit more private?" Willa knew if it was her ex, she would much rather an intimate setting to reunite.

"Well then try it and tell me what you think of it." She knew Mira had good taste, certainly better than that younger sister of hers had ever displayed. Then again, few could be as excellent as she could, competing would be hard for anyone. Especially someone that inferior. "Thank you. So do you. I like your dress, the color suits your complexion."

While Mira wouldn't openly admit it, she hadn't really wanted to attend the party. There was too much going on, too much turmoil for her to truly enjoy herself. Still it would have been unacceptable not to make an appearance, and so she'd arrived with a smile on her lips and a small wrapped present in hand, adding it to the already growing pile that had been left for the birthday girl. She snagged a glass of champagne from a passing tray, taking a drink as she watched her cousin make her way over to her. "I just grabbed a glass actually. Happy Birthday Serra, you look gorgeous tonight."