Fragile as Porcelain

[Ursula Black]

A thousand lies have made me colder

The past few months, Ursula had become very uptight and something of a nervous wreck. Her appetite had been depleted, her sleep interrupted and her composure shot. The guilt was all but devouring her very soul, eating away at it until she either confessed or worried herself to death. Ursula had been staying at home more than she usually did and isolating herself from her sisters in law as well as her son - not that that was very different from her usual behavior. Well, her step-sisters had grown suspicious of her behavior and she was loathe to stay in their company today as she felt particularly delicate, partly because of the slight insinuation in The Daily Prophet that Phineas might have had a hand in the scandal with the mudblood murderer. If he - or rather, they - were condemned it would only add to the shame and scandal of what she had done.



Ursula hurriedly left the safety of the Black family home and made for the highstreet, her eyes were glued to the ground before her and she barely looked up to see where she was going. It didn't take too long before she had reached her destination, now all she had to do was to make up her mind about which shop she would venture into. After a couple seconds of deliberation, she decided on Gladrags Wizardwear. Clothing would soothe soul, would it not? Well, she hoped it would. Taking in a deep breath, she held her head up confidently - though she felt far from it - and entered the shop. Browsing the fine fabrics would keep her pleasantly distracted and hopefully calm her agitation.

Tag: Open Clothes Words: 279

created by kay of caution and sds

  

[Josephine Parr]

Mr Martenson sended her some money last week, with a note which was asking her to shop everything she wants. He also said her that if she needed money she just had to ask him. Josephine was never the type of person who will ask for money, even if she knew that her economics weren't that good. Anyway Miss Cailon suggested her to buy some new clothes. Joss knew that Martenson really wanted her to use that money, so she decided to buy some new dresses.

When she stepped in Gladrags Wizardwear she felt uncomfortable. Maybe it was that the money wasn't hers, or maybe because she hadn't shopped for months. Joss was never good when it comes to fashion, Miss Cailon used to pick up her dresses when she was younger. For Joss clothes were only to protect from rain, snow and sunlight. She loved fashion, she was a woman after all, but she felt that even students knew more about fashion, than herself.

She looked around the shop, trying to find something she may like to wear. Joss always prefered plain dresses for her everyday life. She spended her day doing works, and sometimes she even helped some of the servants in the kitchen. Of course, Mr Martenson payed them. Joss was starting to feel that without Martenson she was going to live in the Slums, probably working in a tavern.

Joss found a beautiful lilac dress, which was really expensive, but she had enough money to buy ten dresses with the same price. She hated that she was holding, and even using that money. Beside her was a woman, with beautiful dark hair. Joss needed someone to comunicate, so she turned to the woman, wearing her best smile and asked. " Excuse me Madam, but what do you think about that lilac dress over there?"


Wearing:This

  

[Ursula Black]

A thousand lies have made me colder

Ursula had been too absorbed in her own thoughts and distractions that she had failed to notice the entrance of another person into the clothing shop. She had been considering the idea of trying a dress that was of a vibrant scarlet shade which was quite far removed from her usual preference for greens and blues. Would red suit her or would it look too... too much like a temptress or seductress? Red after all was a color of lust and passion. The thought of that almost sent her into a guilt driven hysteria. She wasn't a hussy, she wasn't an immoral, flirtatious little thing... was she? That would be how he saw her... wouldn't it? Her own husband would think her a terrible flirt unable to be trusted in public especially when wearing the color red! Oh it was a hopeless affair! No matter what she wore she would feel as though everyone was looking at her and knowing what she had gone and done.



Still deeply concerned in her own mind, she almost jumped and dropped composure as she realized that she was being spoken to. Shakily and rather disorientated, she turned in thte direction of the voice and slowly processed the question she was being asked. After taking a short glance at the dress, she turned back to the woman who had asked for an opinion and made an attempt at regaining composure. "I myself am not one for that particular shade,ind but it is indeed a pretty dress all the same." Her voice almost cracked half-way through speaking at which she looked in the opposite direction, hoping her face was obscured in case it betrayed anything to the woman before her. After a couple seconds she looked back and forced a polite smile.

Tag: Open Clothes Words: 281

created by kay of caution and sds

  

[Josephine Parr]

" I usually wear only plain colors, but purple never suited me at all", Josephine murmured friendly. Ms Cailon dressed her only with plain colors when she was a child. And besides that Joss was quite scared of bold colors. Expecially reds. They reminded her of fire. And fire was always her biggest fear. Even candles made her feel nervous, that's why ms Cailon avoided using them.

Anyway she loved deep blue. But it was too bold for everyday fashion. She had two fancy dresses, and they were both deep blue. Ms Cailon suggested Joss to wear bolder colors, since she was going to marry such an important person. Rich women wear bold colors after all. But Joss was too shy to wear deep blue on the street. Or at home. She was helping the servants, deep colors didn't suit her.

" I love the color of your dress, but I don't think I would never dare wear it", Joss commented friendly. She truly loved the color of the dress. She would like wearing it. But she just couldn't. It was going to make all the eyes turn to her direction... And she always hated attention.

  

[Ursula Black]

A thousand lies have made me colder

"Nonsense. Any color will suit any woman as long as she looks comfortable wearing it. However, there are some hues which dare not be warn by anyone as they are an assault to one's eyesight, don't you think?" Ursula did not feel that certain colors might not be as suited to her as others, only that if a person were to boldy wear a color then it would be pulled off. On the other hand, she felt those of the lower classes attempting to wear more vibrant colors was pretentious and insulting. She did not consider herself one, but when it came down to it - a hypocrite is what she was.



Ursula thrived on the attention of others. She revelled in compliments and bathed in the gaze of those that admired her. Perhaps it was childish or just outright vain, but Ursula had always found the attention of others to be highly pleasurable. She gave a small, yet indulgent smile that was almost a smirk, to the woman who she was speaking with. "I do have a strong appreciation for the bolder and richer colors. I see it as the dress' fault if it looks ill on me rather than my own causing... Not that I ever have issues with dresses looking less attractive than they should." Ursula adored clothing and always had done. Well, the time when she was carrying Sirius being the only exception - she had felt so conspicuously out of shape and loathed being seen in public. Her hourglass figure had been completely obliterated for those long, bitter months and had it been worth it? Well the family had an heir, that was all that mattered now.

Tag: Open Clothes Words: 282

created by kay of caution and sds

  

[Josephine Parr]

" My godmother was always saying me that only courtesans wear bold colors. She is really strict and closed minded when it comes to fashion" Mrs Cailon thinks that all the young ladies which dress in bold colors are just too bad ladies. A lady must be simple and plain and the same time gorgeous. Of course, Mrs Cailon lived in times which clothing was stricter that now. Josephine never dressed in bold colors- at least at home. Mrs Cailon helped her when she had need, so dressing with the woman's standarts was the littlest thing she could do.

" Anyway, when I was engaged to Mr Martenson she let me wear them, but only in balls"Josephine knew how important was for Mrs Cailon Josephine's marriage. Joss was beauty, and the woman was always sure that she was going to have a good life. At least better life than the life she had right now.

" She thinks that clothing is important when you are going to marry someone important" Joss added looking at some hats in front of her." But I was never used to fancy clothing, I was always a common girl, I never cared about fashion".

Joss also hated money and shopping. But she had to use Mr Martenson money. Mrs Cailon told her that this was going to please him. And she wanted to please him, right?

  

[Ursula Black]

A thousand lies have made me colder

Ursula frowned deeply at the comment about only courtesans wore bold colors according to her godmother. Well Ursula was no courtesan and she certainly felt bold colors were acceptable. Then again, maybe she was just as bad as a courtesan. After all, she had shared the bed of another man, a man she was not wed to and while it may have been only once, it was once too many in the eyes of society. Perhaps the bold colors she wore were only encouraging her to be a promiscuous lady of sin. It was nonsense really but in her state of mind she was likely to believe anything.



"I have always been rather drawn in by bold and exciting colors and new fashion. I think a lady should always appear to be at her best so she can attract a good husband or to reflect well on her husband." Ursula frowned as the woman accused herself of once being 'common'. She had quite forgotten that other classes of society may be in the habit of visiting the clothing shop - the idea that she might be conversing with a being of inferior standing to herself was a complete distraction from her own troubles weighing on her mind and her train of thought. She could certainly not ask outright what class she belonged to, yet she loathed to think that she was making the acquaintance of some pauper in disguise.



If she were of the Upper Class, chances are she would recognize the last name, then again, even she was not fully acquainted with all those in the same social circle. "I am afraid I do not recall receiving your name..."

Tag: Open Clothes Words: 278

created by kay of caution and sds

  

[Josephine Parr]

" Josephine Parr"Joss wasn't an Upper Class-still- but she was well known about her engagement with Mr Martenson. Probably she was a common Middle Class girl to the Uppers, but her future's husband position gave her respect from others. Joss could easiyl mix with one of the Upper Class people, but she always weared usual clothing. Anyway, it seemed that the woman in front of her was probably an Upper Classm probably from the upper of the upper. Joss was actually unprepared to become an Upper Class. This meant that she wasn't going to visit the Slums again. And she loved helping the poor children, there. Probably she was going to send one of her servants to do that work.

" May I ask yours?"Joss asked the woman, examining her. Probably she was going to be a part of that important and rich families. PRobably she knew her future husband. She didn't knew. Joss just had a feeling that she didn't made a good impression to the woman in front of her. Unfortunatly in this society you can't speak free, because all of your words are going to be judged. And Joss never learned how to speak in this society. Everyone spoke the same language in England, but the way they speaked English seemed foreigh to each other.

  

[Ursula Black]

A thousand lies have made me colder

To Ursula, her name was as alien as the Slums to her. Or was it? Now she came to ponder it, she did vaguely recall hearing of her second name... Or perhaps she was thinking of someone else with a similar sounding name, that was probably it. While Ursula knew the vast majority of the Upper Class by their last name at least, she was not at all familiar with the lower classes and that was something she was more proud of than anything. She did not need to know the names or faces of any of the folk who were ranked socially inferior. She had never ventured into the Slums of Hogsmede and never, ever intended to. They might live in crippling poverty but that was their fault for being poor and of low birth.


Ursi was however, a little irritated by this woman's inablility to recognize her - it had definitely been quite a while since she had introduced herself without being recognized first or somehow being linked to her husband before the exchange of names came about. "Mrs. Black. My husband is Phineas Nigellus Black and the current Headmaster of Hogwarts." Ursula sounded proud and rather smug at this, drawing herself up to full height. That is, until she paused as her guilt - or what she assumed to be her guilt - returned and threatened to overwhelm her. "Do excuse me," she muttered weakly as her face went quite pale. Now where was her fan? Seizing the delicate object, she proceeded to fan herself, a pink tinge of embarrassment in her cheeks. It was quite embarrassing, she felt, to be in such a state.

Tag: Open Clothes Words: 277

created by kay of caution and sds