Year/Job
Owner of Club Brielle
He's good bad, but he's not evil. |
Travis
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Post by Lawrence Gable on Jan 23, 2024 19:57:29 GMT -8
Lawrence sat down at the fireplace with a sigh. His belly full of pizza and his new nightly ritual of takeout behind him, he was ready for his favorite time of the night. When the fire was burning strong, he took a handful of floo powder and dropped in it. Soon he was bathed in the soft green glow of the firelight.
"Hello?" Lawrence called into the fire. "Hello? Are you there, Clairebear?"
"Mr. Gable?" A small voice squeaked back.
Lawrence furrowed his brow for a moment, trying to make out the small voice on the other side of the fire. "Dot?" he asked. "Are you calling Durmstrang boys on the fireplace again? Go get my daughter, please."
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Year/Job
Sixth Year
Chaser
Steph
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Post by Claire Gable on Jan 23, 2024 21:50:37 GMT -8
Claire’s housemates thought it was weird that she talked to her dad every night, but she didn’t care. No one dared say a word to her about it, especially not after she’d punched one in the nose after they teased her in third year. Why should she be ashamed about having a loving father who was always there to give her advice?
This also used to be her favorite part of the day but it was less so these days. Ever since her parents separated, Claire found it hard having conversations with either one of them. She felt like she had to walk on eggshells and watch how many times she brought up her dad when she talked to her mom, she didn’t want to set her off. And she had to be careful how many times she brought her mom up to her dad in fear that his feelings would be hurt.
But even though things were weird between them all, Claire waited patiently on a couch, a book in her lap while she traced her finger along the words as she read them. Her dorm mate was giggling as she spoke to someone in the fireplace and Claire kept glancing at the clock on the wall. She was cutting it close and Claire Gable didn’t like being behind schedule. All of a sudden, she heard her roommate squeak and look back at her. Dot gave Claire a pout and moved aside as Claire took her place near the fireplace.
“Hey, dad,” Claire said, leaning in closer to the green smoke. She watched as Dot gathered her books and dragged her feet up the stairs leading to their room. “Dot is terrified of you and thinks you’re going to have the floo network sealed off one day.”
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Year/Job
Owner of Club Brielle
He's good bad, but he's not evil. |
Travis
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Post by Lawrence Gable on Jan 23, 2024 22:07:20 GMT -8
Lawrence laughed when he heard Clarie's voice. It was always a little surprising to him just how much she was starting to sound like her mother, but it made him happy that he and Brielle had made something like Claire in the short time they'd shared together. "I probably could," he mused. "I'm surprised the headmistress isn't monitoring these fireplaces yet. Maybe I'll have to send an owl." He said this last part extra loud so that Dot would hear it as she huffed away.
Of course Lawrence would never take his method of communication away from his children. He had called Claire every single day since she started Hogwarts, offering her advice on everything from her classes (subtract by three and carry the magic) to boys (don't do it). These days, Claire offered as much advice to him as he had for her.
"How's everything going, Bear?" he finally asked.
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Year/Job
Sixth Year
Chaser
Steph
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Post by Claire Gable on Jan 23, 2024 22:26:37 GMT -8
”She’s like a hundred or something, I can’t say I’m surprised,” Claire had to input, regarding the headmistress and how she had managed to overlook security in the fireplaces of the castle. She couldn’t help but smile as he spoke louder in an attempt to have his voice reach Dot.
Claire didn’t have much to say, as nothing exciting had happened in the last twenty-four hours so she gave him the usual update, “I spent three hours in the library today, I’m ready to take my exit exams now, I’ll forget everything by this time next year.” She sighed loudly. Claire was always so desperate to get ahead and it killed her that time moved so slow. “Oh! Also, I think I might have put someone in the hospital wing. I mean, allegedly. They can’t prove I sold her boyfriend that potion.”
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Year/Job
Owner of Club Brielle
He's good bad, but he's not evil. |
Travis
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Post by Lawrence Gable on Jan 23, 2024 22:35:42 GMT -8
"She's not old, Claire, she's experienced." Lawrence reminded her. It was important to maintain respect for powerful elders, especially when you exist on both sides of the law.
"At your age, one year seems like a long time," he commented when she told him about her studies. "But I promise all this stuff will be second nature by the time you sit down for the NEWTs. Your mom always worked herself up before exams too, and she aced them."
He frowned when she shifted to the story about the boy in the hospital. "Is he alright?" Lawrence asked. "How do you know they can't prove it?" It wasn't that he doubted Claire's assessment of the situation at all, his daughter was never wrong about these things. It was more like Lawrence was quizzing her, asking her to show her work.
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Year/Job
Sixth Year
Chaser
Steph
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Post by Claire Gable on Jan 24, 2024 13:02:29 GMT -8
Claire nodded her head along with his words as if he could see her. Of course she’d never call the headmistress old to her face. Claire had a reputation to uphold even if she was dealing potions on the side. She’d managed to keep it on the down low up to now and she wasn’t willing to risk her prefect status over it.
“I visited him in the hospital wing. We made a deal, he doesn’t talk and I turn a blind eye when he’s sneaking around after hours.” Plus, she had a fall guy lined up just in case. Claire had hoped she could use Rufio, but he was soft and he’d crack under pressure.
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Year/Job
Owner of Club Brielle
He's good bad, but he's not evil. |
Travis
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Post by Lawrence Gable on Jan 24, 2024 13:12:27 GMT -8
Lawrence smiled when Claire described her plan. "Did you take that one from my playbook?" he asked. Back in the day Lawrence had used his own power as a prefect to look past certain rule breaking, for a fee. It was his first successful business venture. "Of course you have to consider how valuable that is to him," he added. "What if his need to sneak around at night goes away, or he decides the deal's just not worth it?"
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Year/Job
Sixth Year
Chaser
Steph
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Post by Claire Gable on Jan 25, 2024 11:39:40 GMT -8
Of course she had borrowed it from his playbook. Claire thought he was brilliant for coming up with the idea while he was a student. And honestly, the castle was lacking some good structuring brought to them by the Gables.
“He’s a teenager, dad,” she said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. She wasn’t sure how much had changed since her parents’ time at Hogwarts but she spotted couples making out every where she went. Romance, or teen urges, drove most of them at this stage of their lives. “And I was hoping you could give me some advice on how to handle it if he decides it’s not worth it later.”
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Year/Job
Owner of Club Brielle
He's good bad, but he's not evil. |
Travis
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Post by Lawrence Gable on Jan 25, 2024 14:20:21 GMT -8
Lawrence hadn't raised Claire to succeed him. He didn't want either of his children to follow in his footsteps if they didn't want to. What was important to him was that his children followed their dreams. But Claire had always shown an interest in his work, and he was happy to share it with her. She picked up fast too. While other kids were learning their ABCs, he was teaching Claire how to forge a signature.
"Well, first you have to find out why he's sneaking out after dark. Why is it so important to him, and is it something that can be taken away? You can offer to look both ways, sure, but that's only you. If you can guarantee him protection, that's how you'll really earn their loyalty."
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Year/Job
Sixth Year
Chaser
Steph
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Post by Claire Gable on Feb 10, 2024 10:28:36 GMT -8
”That’s easy, it’s his Hufflepuff girlfriend. That’s why he’s sneaking out at night.” Well that was the easy part, but she knew teenage hearts were fickle and who knew how long these two would last. She suddenly felt out of her depth, she didn’t think this through, but it was done. “I obviously can’t take her away. I can’t really make them break up and if I could, it would just take away the need for him to need protection.”
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Year/Job
Owner of Club Brielle
He's good bad, but he's not evil. |
Travis
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Fireside
Feb 18, 2024 17:20:30 GMT -8
via mobile
Post by Lawrence Gable on Feb 18, 2024 17:20:30 GMT -8
Lawrence tapped his chin. It wasn't his intention to make his daughter doubt herself. In fact, Claire was way smarter than he'd been at her age. It was just that if she was serious about going into the kind of business that he was in, he wanted her to be prepared for all possibilities. He never wanted her to struggle like he and her mother had.
"You're probably fine," he said. "Sometimes money is the best option because it doesn't leave people like girlfriends do, but I understand what money you have is tough to part with at your age. I just want to know that you have a backup plan if it goes south. You're too gifted to be kicked out of school, Claire."
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Year/Job
Sixth Year
Chaser
Steph
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Post by Claire Gable on Feb 18, 2024 19:12:18 GMT -8
Claire always looked to her dad for guidance on everything and she never took it personally if he pointed out the ways something could be improved. She liked that he let her make mistakes but was there to help her when she needed it.
She couldn’t help but smile at the fire in front of her, she knew he wasn’t only complimenting her to lift her spirits. He believed in her. That warmth faded a bit as something flashed in her memory. Claire’s mom was brilliant too and she faltered in so many ways during her seventh year. Losing out on head girl had been one of Brielle’s biggest regrets. Was she going to repeat history?
There was a long pause before Claire worked up the courage to bring her up.
“Have you talked to mom?” She asked while she pulled at the carpet underneath her. This separation had been tough on everyone. She knew her dad adored her mom and Claire often wondered how he was dealing with it all. “I’m only asking because Rufio said he’s giving up Quidditch? I told him it was a bad idea. I’m worried she’ll think he’s doing it to hurt her.”
It wasn’t like her brother to do something like that, he was always so thoughtful, but something was off lately.
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Year/Job
Owner of Club Brielle
He's good bad, but he's not evil. |
Travis
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Post by Lawrence Gable on Feb 26, 2024 21:12:26 GMT -8
Lawrence sighed when Claire brought up her brother. When he and Brielle had sat them down to tell them about the separation, he had stressed the fact that this was a mutual decision between the two of them. He feared their children lashing out at their mother and exclusively blaming her. Brielle wasn’t like Lawrence. She loved her children as deeply, but she was a powerful woman with worlds to conquer. She hadn’t always had time to be the best friend that Lawrence had been to them. All he wanted now was for them to see what he’d seen in her, that surprisingly gentle and caring side of her. Evey choice she’d ever made was for their family, even if it meant leaving their dear old pop.
But how could he ever make that make sense to their devastated little children?
“I haven’t had the chance to talk to him about it,” Lawrence said, swallowing. The plan had always been for Claire to be the academic and Rufio the athlete. It hadn’t exactly gone as planned as Claire, with all of her brilliance, had gravitated more toward her father’s extralegal extralegal interests, while Rufio gravitated toward artistic projects despite being as talented of a flyer as they had always expected him to be. His refusal to fly anymore was an explicit rejection of Brielle, who had taught him how to fly.
“Your mother’s a good person,” Lawrence said suddenly. “You know that, right? She would reshape the world for the two of you. I can’t fully explain to you what’s going on between the two of us, but I promise you that it’s all for the future of our family. It might not make sense, but it doesn’t have to! We’re your parents.”
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Year/Job
Sixth Year
Chaser
Steph
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Post by Claire Gable on Apr 10, 2024 7:50:30 GMT -8
Claire could hear what she assumed was desperation in her father’s voice as he pleaded at the other end of the fire. He was always so devoted to Brielle even in trying times like this. Although Claire didn’t ask, and didn’t really want to know, she was sure her mom was the one who initiated the separation. They all thought it was going to blow over but now they were in the middle of this divorce. Rufio and Claire were old enough to understand that sometimes people couldn’t be together anymore. She didn’t blame either one of them. She couldn’t say the same for Rufio who had always been more sensitive than she was. Plus, he was acting so out of character lately, she honestly couldn’t tell what was going through his head.
“I know,” Claire said, taking a deep breath.
While Claire had always been closer to her father, it didn’t mean that Claire didn’t love her mom. Brielle did have a world to conquer and sometimes that meant she didn’t have time to do the things her kids wanted from her. Larry was always there to tuck them in, read bedtime stories, hold them when they had nightmares when they were younger. Brielle would miss a lot of those moments but she always made sure they spent time together on the weekends when she wasn’t completely swamped with work. She loved them in her own ways.
“I guess not knowing what’s actually going to happen is scary.” Then she added quickly, “For Rufio, I mean. But he’s a dumb baby right now, someday he’ll understand and we’ll be okay. But what about you? Will you be okay?”
There was a silence and she could feel her heartbeat racing as she worked up the courage to ask, “Isn’t there something you can do? Is it really over?”
So maybe she didn’t completely understand. She felt like a little kid. And she knew it wasn’t fair to ask him that because he’d always done all he could to keep their family happy and together.
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Year/Job
Owner of Club Brielle
He's good bad, but he's not evil. |
Travis
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Post by Lawrence Gable on Apr 10, 2024 13:48:49 GMT -8
Lawrence could sense the fear in Claire’s voice as she said “I guess not knowing what’s actually going to happen is scary. For Rufio, I mean.” But Lawrence knew his daughter well enough not to call out the real meaning behind her words. Both hers and Rufio’s lives had been upended by this petty thing between Lawrence and Brielle, and it was hard for anyone to really know what had happened. Lawrence feared that Brielle would get the kids and they would only resent her more. He knew that he could do better, he could be less of a fun parent just to make Brielle look a bit softer in their eyes. But it was hard not to be himself.
“Isn’t there something you can do? Is it really over?”
He didn’t know how to answer that question. Even Lawrence felt like it wasn’t really over. They had been through so many breakups in the past. Though this run had lasted far longer than any before it, perhaps aided by their single ambition to get Brielle in the Minister’s seat, their relationship had always been full of little crises. That was just how Larrielle loved, it was how they kept things interesting. But it was difficult to be so dramatic when they were raising kids.
Truthfully, if Lawrence had to guess, it wasn’t over. But how could he say that to his daughter? How could he give her hope when he could be promising her something that might not come to pass? He had heard that Brielle had gotten the divorce papers and it was only a matter of her sending someone to the club to drop them off for him to sign.
He took a deep breath and said, “We’re difficult people, Claire, and I’m sorry sometimes that you and your brother couldn’t have been born into a less interesting family. Your mother…loves more strongly than any person I’ve ever known. I know that she loves me, and I know that I love her too. I promise that I won’t let it end without doing everything I can to save it.”
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