Year/Job
Apprentice Wandmaker
rouch
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Post by Shiloh Ollivander on Jan 20, 2024 12:09:57 GMT -8
Saturday, Late Afternoon | Leaky Cauldron The Leaky Cauldron wasn't nearly dark enough for Shiloh's mood. She had half a mind to find a pub in Knockturn Alley. But on an afternoon where the goal was to not stand out, she was better off blending into familiar surroundings. The best she could do was find a corner booth and extinguish the lantern directly over head. It might be too early in the day to be drinking with the purpose to get drunk. It wasn't too early in her heartbreak. It also might have been better to drown her sorrows in the privacy of her cottage. What was the muggle saying? Misery loved company. There were also memories at her cottage that would have made it too hard to properly forget. Their first date that they didn't realize was a date. Her first kiss. Their first kiss. It had happened right outside her front door. The first argument. Her first heart rending decision. A server swung by the table, she looked up at the dark light and back down at Shiloh with knowing sympathy. "Hard day?" she asked, picking up the empty glass, refilled the water glass. She didn't bother relighting the flame, understanding her customer was looking for privacy. Hard day. Shiloh considered the words. The description felt superficial. "Something like that," Shiloh finally said, fighting back the tears burning the rim of her eyes. "I'll take a fire whiskey. Bottomless." The request came with the unspoken desire to then be left alone. Watching the witch walk away with comment, Shiloh looked around. Frequent visitors to Diagon Alley would know who she was, no one looked familiar to her. That didn't mean word wouldn't get back to her parents that she was seen drinking away her sorrows in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. The drink popped into existence in front of her. Gratefully, she drank it all in one painful gulp. When the bottom of the glass hit the table, it refilled itself. She leaned her head back and let the heat continue to burn her lips and her tongue. Her eyes were watering again, but not with tears. Good. That was what she wanted. It wasn't though. What she wanted was for Danny to choose her. For the most infuriating, arrogant, pretentious, loving, caring, thoughtful man to decide she was worth fighting for. But no. When she said she needed a break, he just walked out. Without a word to the contrary. With a deep sigh, she also realized she had isolated herself from her best friend. The person she would have run directly to wasn't an option in her mind. Sammy had warned her not to risk her heart with Danny Astor. Shiloh thought she knew him better. It had been the height of hubris. She deserved to suffer alone.
Tag: Sameera Astor Notes:
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Year/Job
Ode to a Conversation Stuck In Your Throat. |
Sol
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Post by Sameera Astor on Jan 20, 2024 15:30:37 GMT -8
In the three years since owning Eeylops, Sammy had become quite familiar with all the business owners in the area– bartenders, shopkeepers, waitresses, wand makers. She knew them all by heart, and regularly shared friendly gestures towards the others– it was only through these connections that Sammy caught wind of Shiloh’s afternoon lamenting.
Part of her didn’t want to care– after all, she’d warned Shiloh months ago that tangoing with her older brother was bad business. Danny might have been good at pretending he had a heart, but the man was cruel and cold. What did she expect from someone like him? Warm cookies and flowers? It was almost laughable. But Sammy recalled just how badly her chest ached after her summer fling came to a swift conclusion. Thinking of the warm months put a sour taste in her mouth, even almost a half a year later. The compassionate part of Sammy, the part of Sammy that had grown up stuck to Shiloh’s side… that was the part of Sammy that was dragging herself to the Leaky Cauldron after closing up Eeylops.
This was a bad idea, she thought to herself. Sammy and Shiloh’s relationship had turned strange in the last year– she hardly knew who Shiloh was after she started dating and subsequently not dating Danny. It was like her brother, yet again, had fucked up the only good thing Sammy ever had in her life– her only real family was a girl she met at age 13, and Danny used his incredible power of wicked sourness to take that away from her too. God, she was no fighter, but Sammy could fight Danny in some alley and would feel great about it too.
The bell above the door jingled as she pushed it open, the warmth of the Leaky Cauldron greeting her. The winter months were brutal, but not as brutal as the frigid halls of Hogwarts. It felt like only yesterday the two girls were running down the hallways, ducking away from Professors wanting to scold them for causing trouble. In her chest stirred feelings of warmth and gratitude that memories such as those were reentering her consciousness at that moment. Scanning the sea of evening patrons, Sammy’s eyes finally landed on her blonde haired counterpart.
“Has a boy really gotten you this distraught?” Sammy asked, finding a place across from Shiloh. Unlike the waitress who didn’t ignite the lantern, Sammy flicked her hand to illuminate the table they were sitting at. They hadn’t seen each other properly in so long… Sammy felt ashamed that she couldn’t remember– all she could recall was a fight and too much alcohol. “Talk to me, Shiloh.”
Shiloh Ollivander
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Year/Job
Apprentice Wandmaker
rouch
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Post by Shiloh Ollivander on Jan 20, 2024 19:03:49 GMT -8
The alcohol was already doing its job. Shiloh felt the weightlessness take hold of her body. It felt like she was levitating in her spot. Good. This was good. Forget who she was. Forget her choices. Forget Danny Astor. Just let the lack of gravity take her away into the stratosphere and forget. Shiloh heard the bell announce another patron. In and out. Bringing the cold with them. They were either passing by to Diagon Alley or staying for strong drink and bad food. Passing by or staying. She never wondered what she was doing. She was an Ollivander. Not just any Ollivander, she was the oldest of her generation. The first female to be in line to claim the family legacy. She wasn't passing by. She was staying. Some people come and go. If they go, well that's their loss wasn't it?
Shiloh sensed a person near her table. Just pass by, she urged. Nothing to see here. A run of the mill heartbreak.
“Has a boy really gotten you this distraught?” Sammy's voice in her head was so crystal clear it was like her best friend was right there. "Yes. Sammy, yes. Not just a boy," she muttered to the voice in her head. Suddenly a light shown above her, lighting up her eyelids so that her world turned from back to red. She blinked at the change. Sammy was there. Right there. In front of her. She blinked more, expecting her to disappear. Not only did she not disappear, Sammy wanted to talk to her. She opened her mouth to say something, had no idea where to start and then closed it before finally settling on a hoarse, "Sammy?" Her first friend. Her first regret in letting that friendship slip away. Shiloh leaned forward into the light, searching her best friend's eyes. She could always tell what mood Sammy was by her eyes. Shame. She was ashamed of her. For falling for the man she was warned would hurt her. Ashamed Shiloh let Sammy slip away from her on the tails of harsh words and hurt feelings. Despite that all, Shiloh wanted to share her first heartbreak with her first and best friend. She shouldn't. The Firewhiskey spurred her on, breaking down the inhibitions and good judgment. Finally tears slipped from her eyes. Not excessive. Just a few drops that trailed down her cheeks. "He didn't pick me. When he had a choice, he didn't pick me."
Was this how Sammy felt that Halloween night when Shiloh left the party with Danny, not wanting to make a scene. Should she have stayed and fought for Sammy? There wasn't a scenario she imagined at the time that would have ended up not hurting Sammy. She thought they'd sort it out when Sammy was sober. They didn't. Was it too late? Even if they reconciled, Shiloh was afraid Danny would always be between them. The knowledge that Shiloh had a choice and she chose wrong. To terribly wrong.
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Year/Job
Ode to a Conversation Stuck In Your Throat. |
Sol
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Post by Sameera Astor on Jan 20, 2024 21:39:31 GMT -8
Concern filled her eyes as she watched the woman murmur something to herself, as if talking to an intangible entity– it was so early in the afternoon, and Shiloh was already pissed off her ass. There would be a time to scold her friend, but it wasn’t then. The woman waited patiently as Shiloh lifted her head up– it was a pitiful sight to see her friend so disheveled. Even when Shiloh broke her heart, she never once wished bad luck on her– it hurt Sammy to see her friend so distraught.
He didn’t pick her? It was no shock. Sammy wasn’t surprised her brother was always at the heart of someone's misery– but it angered her that Shiloh was the victim. “The only person Danny will ever pick is himself,” She said, shifting closer to Shiloh. “He’s a selfish prick, okay? But that’s just how he is.” She slowed her words, considering each one carefully– she didn’t want to let her mouth run loose and hurt Shiloh. Danny was an arsehole– and Shiloh had somehow been fooled otherwise. He wasn’t a Prince Charming, he was a beast waiting to tear apart his next tragic victim. “You can’t let him win. I know it hurts, but you can’t let him drag you down to his level.”
Placing a reassuring hand on Shiloh’s shoulder, she faltered for only a moment– it was almost foreign to reach out to Shiloh like this. It had been so long since Sammy extended a gesture of comfort or empathy to the girl, it was like her body had forgotten what it was like.
“There will be another person, Shiloh. Do you know how many people in this world would be eager to choose you? So many people that wouldn’t treat you like rubbish? Danny is just one bad apple, I promise. Your heart is going to heal and you’re going to go out there and find the best, most amazing, relationship–” Her eyes softened, letting out a soft sigh. First loves were hard, Shiloh knew it well. They burned so brightly and only ended up puncturing the heart of those that didn’t reciprocate– like finding out your friend just wanted to be friends, or your crush was interested in someone else. Sammy’s heart panged softly, causing her brows to furrow.
“You’re not going to spend your evening day drinking.” Sammy declared surely. “We’re going to do something productive. What do you want to do? A wood museum? I know how much you loved those… We could visit the beach… The ocean is cold but beautiful this time of the year…”
She offered solution after solution, despite the fracture between them caused by the thorny Slytherin, Sammy was still there to care for her longest and truest friend.
Shiloh Ollivander
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Year/Job
Apprentice Wandmaker
rouch
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Post by Shiloh Ollivander on Jan 21, 2024 9:07:34 GMT -8
Before Shiloh had even been convince that Sammy was actually physically sitting across from her, the figment of her friend launch into serious assessment of Danny Astor. Shiloh tried to force her eyes to focus and finally settled on squinting at Sammy's mouth. Maybe that would help her hear better. Unconsciously she mouthed the words selfish prick. Giving Sammy a curt nod at her agreement in that assessment, another part of her had her head shaking no. It wasn't all that Danny was. Sure he could be self absorbed but he also made a point to take note of the things she liked. The beer she preferred. The crisps she loved that he hated but kept stocked in his flat. Deep down he was more than the persona he crafted for himself. He knew it too. Maybe that was why he left so easily. He didn't want to see what she saw.
Drag me down to this level? Those words had Shiloh sitting up straighter. She looked down at herself, straightened her blouse. Was she a mess? Everything looked buttoned right. Not stains. The patterns she chose probably didn't match. A small flower on her sleeve got her attention. It looked like a rowan flower, maybe a white spirea. Before she went through the list of possible Rosaceae flowers, Sammy touched her shoulder and nearly undid her. How long had it been since she felt the affection of Sammy's care for her. She pulled her eyes away from her shirt to look at Sammy. Her friend looked as surprised as she was at the action. Shiloh wanted to believe what Sammy was saying. That her heart wouldn't always feel so wounded. She leaned into her friend, hoping that getting closer to those words would make them real. There was someone else out there for her. Someone who make her a priority.
You're not going to spend your day drinking. Finally Shiloh found her voice. To a point. She grunted her disapproval at the change of plans. "We're not going to be productive," she complained even as Sammy listed options. Shiloh's eyebrows went up in interest at the wood museum. There was a new exhibit of North American wand wood. Types of wood that was hard for the shop to keep in stock. That would be nice... "No. No, Sammy," she said like she was telling the devil no after a sweet temptation. "We're spending our day drinking," she said and motioned to the server to apparate them another glass of amber liquid. Before Sammy could stop her, Shiloh downed her own vile dram and wiped her mouth with her spirea covered sleeve... or maybe an almond flower, Shiloh suddenly thought, looked back at the five petaled flower, poked at the material to get a better look. "I know Danny can be terrible, but he has a good side. He can be thoughtful. When he wants to be. Maybe it doesn't come easily, but its there," Shiloh said without looking at Sammy. She knew she was saying something that might upset her friend and send her away for another year. But Shiloh needed her to know she cared about a different Danny. Not the Danny who bullied his sister or insulted her. That could never be the man that had stolen her heart.
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Year/Job
Ode to a Conversation Stuck In Your Throat. |
Sol
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Post by Sameera Astor on Jan 21, 2024 16:15:14 GMT -8
When Shiloh leaned in towards her, Sammy’s breath got stuck in her throat, as if the mere thought of Shiloh seeking comfort in her was too foreign to imagine. After her momentary pause, the Gryffidnor reached out and wrapped her arm around the blonde, letting a soft sigh out. Danny ruined everything he put his hands on– he was like some sort of plague, taking good things and making them wilt. The thought was comedic in any other situation– Danny Astor had the least green thumb in all of Hogwarts and quite literally managed to destroy any plant he got his hands on. But Shiloh was no plant in the Herbology classroom– she was her best friend. Someone who had yet to experience how beautiful relationships could be–
Well, Sammy and Shiloh were both stuck there. With no partner and only pieces to put back together. Sammy wondered if the boys that had played with their hearts were suffering so badly– she hoped they were, but doubted they actually faced any repercussions for their behavior. The world was cruel that way.
“We are not going to be day drinking,” Sammy quickly shot her friends down. “I will be taking you home and showering the smell of owl off of me.” She lurched forward, trying to swipe the pint out of her friend's hand but to no avail could she stop the liquid from quickly and messily entering Shiloh’s mouth. She was a wreck. Shooting the bartender a look, she turned to face Shiloh, nudging the wandmaker up. “Shiloh, I don’t say this to hurt you… but to make you realize the truth.” Sammy began reluctantly.
“Daniel Astor is not a good person. He may have tricked you into thinking he cared, but that shit was all lies. He is a master manipulator. The one trait that got passed from both of his parents was that– the way he lies and twists his words… It’s all to get what he wants. I don’t know what he wanted from you– but the minute he got it, he left and detached, leaving you behind to deal with the wreckage. He does this to everyone, Shiloh.” Her issues with her brother ran deep– she’d been entrenched in his misery for so many years that it became only natural to distrust the man, but people like Shiloh, who had only heard of his prickish nature, didn’t know how deeply he could wound.
“I know you liked him, Shiloh. I know…” She squeezed the girl's arm lightly. “And I know he took a lot of magical things from you… Things that should be special and meaningful…” Part of Sammy was talking about Shiloh and Danny, and the other part of her was talking to someone else– Sammy and Shiloh really had been apart for a long time and they had no clue what was happening in the others' lives. “Drinking won’t help the pain,” She pivoted her tactics, taking her anger away from Danny and turning it into empathy for Shiloh. “Look, let’s just drink some water and we can talk. Talking will make it feel better.”
Shiloh Ollivander
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Year/Job
Apprentice Wandmaker
rouch
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Post by Shiloh Ollivander on Jan 21, 2024 18:38:09 GMT -8
Shiloh let Sammy's words penetrate the alcohol induced fog around her brain. They were all things Shiloh thought about Danny growing up. She had been Sammy's friend after all. And she had witnessed the terrible behavior on more than one occasion to know the truth. He had the instincts to be cruel and a bully. To someone he was supposed to care for. She had the evidence of Sammy's words in her own memories.
There was a time she would have said the same if anyone asked her what she thought about Danny, but that was because she'd just repeat the words Sammy would say. Danny pretty much ignored herself in school. A snide remark was thrown her way here and there, mainly to get Sammy spun up. Now though, now she had spent a year and a half getting to know the man. Her complaints weren't that he was a terrible person or that he manipulated her. Quite the contrary. Shiloh sat a little straighter, willed her vision to clear. Was she about to ruin her friendship forever? Sammy was there comforting her when she had every reason to use this time to say, I told you so. Danny might be gone from her life forever, and Sammy was there offering a hope of friendship again. But she said she wanted to talk. Maybe there was a way to talk without upsetting her. Trying to grab the server's sleeve on her way passed their table, Shiloh missed it completely and almost fell out of her chair. The movement was enough to get her attention.
"Can I get two of those waters?" she asked, pointing to the filled glasses on the serving station next to them. The server looked relieved. Like she knew Shiloh had been drinking her way into a problem for them. The water glass slide next to her hand and she drank. Her mouth was suddenly dry. Formulating her words in her head, she rehearsed what she wanted to say. A year and half getting to know Danny wasn't the same as Sammy's lifetime. It wasn't nothing.
"He's not all bad. He cares about justice. Getting justice for victims. A good man does that," Shiloh said, making eye contact, wanting to convey she just needed to say this one thing and then Sammy could say her peace. "When we started our... relationship he never lied to me or manipulated me about his commitment to his work. He told me it was the most important thing in his life. I didn't have a problem with that when we started dating. But then," her voice choked, "then he was important to me and I thought maybe I could be more important to him now. This is my fault. I wanted more from him then what he could give. I told him we needed to take a break after he stood me up again for the ministry. I thought that would show him I was serious. I thought his feelings had changed like mine had. Instead... instead, he just walked out my door." Shiloh held her breath. She was trying to explain why she was so sad over her break up with the man who made Sammy's childhood miserable. She drank more water. Her body craved it. "I'm sorry," she whispered out. She wasn't exactly sure what she was sorry for... saying something nice about the man that would never say something nice about her... Sorry she threw away their friendship for a man that couldn't love. Sorry for being so naïve she thought Danny was a better man than he was.
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Year/Job
Ode to a Conversation Stuck In Your Throat. |
Sol
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Post by Sameera Astor on Jan 22, 2024 8:35:56 GMT -8
Where was Shiloh’s head? She knew where her heart still was– and the person holding it was probably throwing himself into some Auror case where he wasn’t thinking about Shiloh and how badly he’d hurt her– yet Shiloh was consumed with him, as if he were fire and she were straw. While she was burning bright right now, basking in the warmth of his heat, she would realize that the aftermath of burning so brightly was nothing more than ash and scorch marks left behind. Sammy had no clue what she could do to convince her otherwise.
The waters were good– it meant finally Shiloh could start pushing out of her drunken state and start thinking clearly. Her mind was all mucked up with sadness and firewhiskey– nothing productive got done in that state.
She began to spoke and Sammy bit her tongue, drawing back and clenching her fist to give Shiloh time to say what she needed– even though it was completely incorrect. What charm had Danny put on Shiloh to make her act this way? It was like Shiloh didn’t remember the lifetime they both had with Danny Astor’s moods and cruelness. Her words didn’t strike Sammy the way they might have been intended to. There was a coldness to her demeanor that caused her to pull back from Shiloh– she didn’t want to hear this. The only reason she was bearing through it was because Shiloh was inebriated.
Oh no you got hurt because Danny only cares about himself and his work? Big shocker there. One I would’ve never seen coming.
The look on Sammy’s face wasn’t a good one– arms crossed over her chest, and a guarded mood that was unbefitting for her radiated from her being. “I don’t know what to tell you Shiloh.” Sammy began softly, not looking at Shiloh. “You knew this would happen. Danny wasn’t a stranger when you met him, you know that? He was my asshole brother that made me feel like shite any chance that he could. He’s the person that told me I would’ve been better off at an orphanage than bothering his family. The person that reminded me every day that I wasn’t wanted by my birth family or by the family that adopted me. He sabotaged my chance of playing Qudditch, he gossiped horrible things to his friends, to my friends. It’s great that he made you feel loved, but what made you think that was going to last? You saw everything he did to me and you thought… I can change him?” A sour laugh left her throat as emotion swelled in her voice.
She shook her head, pushing up from the table to look down at Shiloh. “Come on. I’m getting you a cab to your cottage. Let’s go.” Sammy was done with the conversation– she was so naive to think that the girl she’d grown up with would really choose her over the idiot brother that broke everything he touched.
Shiloh Ollivander
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Year/Job
Apprentice Wandmaker
rouch
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Post by Shiloh Ollivander on Jan 22, 2024 17:22:01 GMT -8
And there was the I told you so. Shiloh felt something crushing down on her. Sammy was closing off. She wasn't interested in any of this. Shiloh started to panic. She was messing it all up again with Sammy. For what? A man who had no problem just walking out of her life. The last blow up she had with Sammy, Shiloh thought it had been best to not cause a scene and wait for everyone to sober up. Ironic. The table were turned. She'd cause a scene now if she had to. Shiloh held up both hands, trying to make everything stop. Why was the world traveling so fast? And what was she doing.
"Sammy, wait. Just wait. I don't want you to send me away," she pleaded. Taking in an unsteady breath, she thought about her choices. Her relationship with Danny had been so different for her compared to her other relationships. She prided herself on accepting her friends for who they were. No demands. No suggestions for how to do better. Just supportive. Something changed with Danny. She saw potential and was blinded by what she thought he could be if he tried. She was starting to see the mistake. "I know I messed up. Being a good man isn't the same as being a good brother or a good boyfriend. I know that. I think... I think I just saw past it all and saw what he could be. I was stupid. And worst of all, I ruined us. For him." She propped her elbow up on the table and covered her mouth. She needed to think very carefully about her next words. It was never more important to her to say the right thing. If Sammy walked out on her, Shiloh was sure she wasn't going to get another chance to fix her mess.
"I wasn't defending him, I was just trying to explain so you could understand. I didn't want you to think I would condone the way he treated... treats you. I thought I saw a different side. That we had grown up and left the childish things behind. But really I just saw what I wanted to. And I've never done that before. I don't know what got into me. You're right, I should have known better," it all came out in one breath. Shiloh thought if she stopped talking Sammy would take the moment to leave. "I don't want to lose you. But I don't know what to do. Don't send me away."
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Year/Job
Ode to a Conversation Stuck In Your Throat. |
Sol
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Post by Sameera Astor on Jan 24, 2024 7:59:24 GMT -8
She hated being selfish– it made her insides feel like they were corroding. But with Shiloh, it felt like it was okay to be selfish, once in her life. Danny got the friends, he got the popularity, he got the parents that thought he was a star child, a job that he adored– he couldn’t also take her best friend. But Shiloh was her own person and if given the choice between Danny, who had stability, rich parents, and a deceptively charming personality, Sammy might even choose him. So many years had that been the case.
Silently, she was singing secret prayers to any higher being to make this different. To make Shiloh choose the years of friendship they had the over a decade of experience and growth they’d had together over the year and a half Shiloh had been seeing Danny. Would it be so easy for her to shatter their friendship over a man? She really hoped not– She thought more highly of Shiloh than that.
“Everyone thinks they’ve seen a soft side, Shiloh.” Sammy said solemnly, turning to look at the woman in the booth. “Everyone thinks he’s different. That he’s going to be different for them. Do you know how many girls he’s been like that to? Why do you think I warned you?” She sighed, running a frustrated hand over her face as emotion swelled in her throat. She desperately tried to choke it down. “Shiloh, I didn’t want you to stay away from him because he’s my brother– I wanted you to stay away from him because he’s an asshole. I’ve watched for years as he’s crushed people's hearts. He makes you feel special, like he’s kind, but only to you. So you think, deep down, oh, he’s a good person. And then when he’s finished using you… He leaves. Like you meant nothing.”
Merlin, this was messy. It had been so messy since Danny put his horrible self in between them. Was it possible to hate him more? Somehow, yes. “I didn’t come here to rub it in your face. I didn’t come here to gloat. I came here to bring you to your senses, Shiloh. You are a strong person. You’re beautiful, and talented, and kind, and so clever. You deserve so much better than crying over a prick like Danny.” She sighed again, glancing around the bustling Leaky Cauldron.
“I’m not going to send you away,” There was a part of Sammy that felt like Shiloh was just trying to appease her, soothe her sour mood so she could have someone to lament to. She knew it wasn’t true, but the nasty voice in her head kept creeping in. “Let’s just get out of here… There’s a shit ton of people and I don’t want to air your dirty laundry out to them.” She cracked a tiny smile out, hoping her jest would ease the tension that was strangling both of them.
Shiloh Ollivander
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Year/Job
Apprentice Wandmaker
rouch
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Post by Shiloh Ollivander on Jan 27, 2024 18:36:12 GMT -8
Shiloh listened to Sammy. She knew the truth of her friend's words. She felt embarrassed. Like she had been naïve, allowing herself to be tricked. Pulling her sleeves up over her hands, she swiped at her face, trying to dry her eyes and cheeks. She thought she had been doing the right thing, giving Sammy space so she wouldn't be uncomfortable with the relationship. But here it was, a year and a half later and Shiloh had no idea what was going on in her best friend's life. Their shops were blocks away from each other, and yet they hadn't run into each other like she planned the week after their blow up. A week turned into a month, turned into a year. That wasn't an accident. That took purpose. Likely on both their parts. Sammy had taken the risk to find her in her miserable state. Maybe Sammy didn't hate her. Fresh tears filled her eyes at the thought.
Looking around, Shiloh noted how packed the pub was now. People she knew, people she didn't know. There could be people there who knew or worked with Danny. People who knew her parents. Sammy was right, this was a terrible place to process a heartbreak. She leaned forward, "You're right. You were right about everything. I should have listened to you and I'm sorry. I know you didn't come here to hear me say that, but it's the truth. I wish I had a time turner, I'd make different choices," Shiloh admitted, concentrating on every syllable, trying to sound like a rationale, sober person. "Can we just stay here a bit longer? Tell me about what's going on with you? I've missed so much." Shiloh tried to prepare herself for another rejection. Sammy could leave her to her drown her sorrows and Shiloh wouldn't fault her for doing so. Maybe, just maybe, Sammy might forgive her.
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Year/Job
Ode to a Conversation Stuck In Your Throat. |
Sol
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Post by Sameera Astor on Jan 27, 2024 18:45:46 GMT -8
Seeing tears swell in Shiloh's eyes broke Sammy's heart-- She never wanted to make her friend cry, and here she was, likely making the wound in Shiloh's heart feel even bigger. Merlin, had Shiloh been scorned by Astor's. But she wouldn't let it continue any longer. Her heart melted any remaining ice that incased in and in just one look, she was sighing and wrapping her arms round Shiloh's shoulders, helping her stand up and move away from the booth. "You're right," Sammy said, rubbing Shiloh's shoulders as they began for the door. "I didn't come here to listen to you apologize. Nows definitely not the time for that." She didn't want Shiloh to feel the need to apologize in order to win Sammy back-- in truth, both of them owed the other an earnest apology for the shite show this had turned into. But after Shiloh's hangover and in a place not so much in the public eye. For both of them, messy conversations could turn into bad business, and they were already in the slow season. They didn't need anything else pushing their luck.
"Come on. Why don't we go to my house and we can talk? I've missed you, Shiloh. Seriously. Don't ever leave me for a stupid boy again..." Her heart swelled at the possibility of being at Shiloh's side again. She felt her eyes water but she bit back any chance of crying that came with it. Damnit, Shiloh always had the affect on her. "Come on... let's get out of here..." She'd almost made it to close out there tab, when she heard the ear shattering scrap of a chair. Turning her head back, her body went cold. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!
It was Danny Astor, glaring Sammy down from across the Leaky Cauldron, dressed in a nice suit, sitting across from a woman she recognized from the Ministry of Magic. Oh that bastard. She was going to beat the shit out of him. Sammy had never been in a fist fight, but she was about to beat the absolute living shit out of Danny Astor. "Shiloh, we should really go..." She chided, gesturing to the bar tender to close their tab out. "It's a shock seeing you two here." Danny voice cut through the crowd of people. "You know, little Sammy, it's not nice to gossip about people behind their backs."
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Year/Job
Apprentice Wandmaker
rouch
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Post by Shiloh Ollivander on Jan 27, 2024 20:14:34 GMT -8
Shiloh's brain was so muddled, she thought Sammy was moving her along to get her out of her life. Shiloh willed herself to keep it together. She deserved whatever consequences she had coming. Her best friend wasn't accepting her apology and that wasn't a thing that could be forced. Watching her feet as Sammy led them to the register, she took every step with care. She wasn't about to face plant and make a bigger scene. A stiff upper lip was needed before Sammy called the Knight Bus and sent her on her way to a lonely night in her cottage. When Sammy suggested they go to her place together, Shiloh's head shot up. Her vision waved while she tried to sort out if she heard right. Sammy missed her?
Shaking her head vigorously at Sammy's request that she'd never abandoned her again. Not for a boy. Not for anyone. "Never," she promised. So focused on the dream she was experiencing, Shiloh hadn't heard the chair sliding across the floor. Hadn't seen yet what Sammy had seen. But she was tuned in enough to see the change on face of her friend. Was she changing her mind? Then she heard his voice and understood.
She had so much she wanted to say to Danny. As she turned on him, every word she had rehearsed was gone. Why did he look so good? His suit was pressed. He wasn't upset. He really didn't care about her at all. It was a bucket of cold water dousing her drunken mind. Shiloh looked around him and saw he was with another woman already. She felt her heart break even more. She hadn't thought it was possible to be hurt more by one person. And then it happened. Another stab of pain and hurt. She wouldn't cry in front of him. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction to know how deeply he hurt her. Tears welled in her eyes but they didn't fall. "It's not gossip if it's the truth. And don't call her little. She's a bigger person than you will ever be, Danny Astor," she said, thinking she was whispering but her voice was turning heads. Even if she noticed, she wouldn't have cared. "You didn't waste any time did you?"
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Year/Job
Ode to a Conversation Stuck In Your Throat. |
Sol
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Post by Sameera Astor on Jan 27, 2024 20:38:53 GMT -8
In the time they'd spent apart, Danny had changed. Not just in Shiloh's eyes, but in Sammy's eyes too. For a moment, Sameera truly believed that Danny was going to be a different person-- not one fueled by pride and arrogance, but one inspired by honor and justice. That was a fleeting moment in history that could never be repeated because the person that stood in front of her reeked of hubris and pomposity. It was though Danny had concocted a potion that could amplify the shitty parts of him by 11 and he'd drank 11 potions. It was disturbing-- not just as someone who disliked Danny Astor, but as his sister she could tell. Something was seriously wrong with her brother and it scared her. That look in his eyes... she'd never seen it so dark. So.. disturbing. She couldn't tell if his pupils were blown out because of the alcohol or something else, but she did know one thing was for sure-- she and Shiloh would not be staying very long in his presence.
"Waste time on what? Grieving our relationship? Shiloh, you should know better than to expect that of me." He said simply, checking his watch for the time as if THEY were wasting his time, instead of the opposite way around. Was it possible to become more conceited as a person than Daniel was being in that moment. "No offense, but we've been done for weeks now. I'm surprised you haven't moved on." He looked her up and down, raising one skeptical eyebrow. "You look... rough. To say the least."
Sammy stepped in front of Shiloh, as if using herself to protect her from Danny's hateful words. "You're drunk, Danny. Or high on something. I think it's best if you turn around and leave us alone so we can be on our way." She told him, trying to remain level headed as to not sink to his level. He knew just what to say to goad someone into hitting first. Sammy never fell for it, but her blood was boiling hotter than the fire whiskey Shiloh downed earlier. She felt her fist clench into a ball, finger nails digging into her palm. "Aw, how cute. You think I'd listen to you, Sameera? Over my fucking dead body you bint." The smirk dancing on his lips made it so tempting to smack it off, but Sammy continued resisting the urge to knock the daylights out of him.
"Can we please get the tab?" She shouted softly, seeing the bartender scramble to find their tab before a full out brawl started in the Leaky Cauldron. "Are you seriously trying to run away with your tail tucked between your legs? You talk all that big talk about how horrible I am but you won't say it to my face? You're not Gryffindor. You're a coward." As the words came out of his mouth, Sammy couldn't stop her hand from moving. One second, she was glaring at him, and then the next, her palm connected with his cheek with a 'smack', seamlessly silencing the Leaky Cauldron. The woman he was with quickly stood, but stayed almost frozen in her place. Sammy's breathing was ragged, clearly she was infuriated by him but she did not act a second time on her rage. "The only coward here is you, Danny. You are no man of justice. You are a bully and an arsehole, too insecure with himself to face the fact that everyone fucking hates you. You're pathetic, Daniel." She spat. Digging the money the tab was owed, she threw it on the bar before grabbing Shiloh (as gently as she could, given her inflamed state), and exiting the Leaky Cauldron. "Fuck!"
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Year/Job
Apprentice Wandmaker
rouch
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Post by Shiloh Ollivander on Jan 28, 2024 7:00:12 GMT -8
Shiloh was simultaneously grateful for Sammy's intervention and terrified over it. The two siblings had so much history and very little of it good. Danny had told her about the night he stopped at his sister's house to confess the feelings he had for Shiloh. It had sounded like an weird reconciliation. A normal brother-sister interaction that Sammy had longed for her entire life. At the time, Shiloh had been distracted after learning Sammy already knew there was a growing romantic relationship between her and Danny. It was clear early on that she had royally botched the fraught situation. But what should she have done? Ran to Sammy to tell her friend that she had a coffee with her brother after she ditched them? The answer was yes. Shiloh had really enjoyed the conversation with Danny and didn't want to admit that. To anyone. Especially not Sammy. Still, she couldn't say when thinking Danny was interesting turned into thinking he was someone she wanted to spend quality time with. Her inability to pinpoint that shift was why she hadn't told Sammy until it was far, far too late.
Her time with Danny had been a whirlwind. Through it all, she thought he had actually cared about her. Through most of it anyway. There was the honeymoon phase she heard about. The initial excitement of the potential. Each interaction revealed something new. Then Danny had been hurt on the job. Shiloh did her best to support him through his recovery. Balancing protecting him from himself and supporting his wishes to get back to full duty. It felt like they had struck a healthy relationship. They both had careers and lives stemming from those careers and each other. They melded and hit the comfortable stage. Shiloh enjoyed that Danny most of all. He acted like he respected her opinion. Like he enjoyed her being in his space. Then something changed. She couldn't pinpoint what or when but he spent more and more nights away. Working. Seeing the woman he was with, maybe it wasn't exclusively work. That stung. But it wasn't just the absence and distance Shiloh grew discontented by. His behavior had changed. He was short with her. Less interested in her ideas about certain topics. All of it had come to a head. And there they were. Staring down an public confrontation. Shiloh was frozen in her place, recognizing a train wreck was bearing down on them but helpless to stop it. She tried to pull on Sammy's arm to get her away from the confrontation, but her depth perception was off and she missed. "Sammy," she whispered, but wasn't heard. Danny looked dangerous. It was the first time in her life that Shiloh felt afraid of someone. The sound of the slap rung in her ears. She thought time stopped and then realized it basically had. Everyone in the bar had stopped what they were doing to look at the scene.
Then all at once, time started again. Sammy was pulling Shiloh from the pub, leaving Danny behind. Shiloh glance behind her at the man she thought she loved as Sammy pulled her forward. It wasn't Danny standing there. Sammy would claim it was. She would claim the Danny Shiloh thought she knew wasn't the real Danny and the one in the bar who provoked his sister to react was the man who had always been under the surface all along. The cold night air hit Shiloh's face. She blinked away the tears in her eyes and tore her eyes away from the door to the pub at it closed to get a look at Sammy. Shiloh tried to process what had just happened. "Sammy? Are you okay?" Shiloh asked, knowing how stupid the question was. It was painfully clear to stump that her friend wasn't anywhere near okay. She started to tell her Danny was drunk and he didn't mean his words and realized it would sound like she was defending him again. Only this time it would be to convince Sammy she hadn't just ruined the last shot she had at having an amicable relationship with her adopted brother. Also. He wasn't just drunk. Waiting for her friend to answer her, Shiloh kept an eye on the door. She didn't think Danny would follow after them, but it was becoming clear to her she didn't know what Danny would do. About anything.
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