Don't Do Sadness

[Calliope Riley]

I don't do sadness

So been there

I don't do sadness

Just don't care

Her sister was still missing, but it had been quite long enough that society ought to expect them to at least be trying to get over the emotional trauma the Brownes had been through. Odira was probably dead, by now. Surely. Nevertheless, Calliope was putting on a strong face, which she found easy. She'd been through enough that sadness - were she to feel much of it - would not be debilitating. There was plenty to get on with, nonetheless, and not room for mindless sorrow.

Family tragedies aside, she was still perfectly capable of celebrating Demetria's good news. Twins! Calliope was not jealous in the slightest. (She still would've liked a boy, though.) She supposed, begrudgingly, that the twins had explained Mrs. Longbottom's substantial girth that she'd been previously amused by. Perhaps she'd have trouble losing what remained. 

In any case. Calliope was enjoying herself a fair amount, keen to partake in the hunt, but until then, engaged in a game of horse-shoe throwing, and rather more engrossed in it than she was letting on. "There. Your turn, I believe," she said casually, masking her impatience at her competitor in the game dallying so. Her latest horseshoe throw had done decently; an eyebrow raise was a subtle suggestion of daring them to do better.

  

[Ursula Black]

DATE: October 22nd, 1885
TAG: @'Calliope Riley'
OUTFIT
WORDS: 162
NOTES:

Ursula was admittedly being a bit slow with the horse-shoe tossing business. It wasn't the most riveting form of entertainment she had ever partaken in and she was finding herself distracted by snippets of conversation she could overhear nearby. Apparently someone had provoked the wrath of their mother because they had what looked like a grass stain on their dress, and one gentleman was poetically gushing about the 'fair complexion' of a 'maiden' he had just been introduced to.

She was called back to the matter at hand by Mrs. Riley's voice. "Ah yes..." She fixed her eye on the target and then threw the horse-shoe. It was not a wonderful throw but it wasn't an embarrassing miss, either. "I'm having the most dreadful time trying to concentrate, can you believe it?" she announced, laughing off her poor throw. "Must be this country air." She quite liked Mrs. Riley, though she did envy the younger woman for a multitude of reasons.
 

  

[Calliope Riley]

Mrs. Black did seem quite distracted, seemingly by the other guests' goings-on. Calliope had no moral objection to eavesdropping either, it had to be said, but everything in the close vicinity had seemed so hackneyed and banal that she'd preferred to give up. Mrs. Black herself ought to be interesting enough company, which was why Calliope had not minded remaining in this area for the horse-shoe game, but she did wonder whether there was anything more on the other woman's mind.

Her throw was a little lacking, not not mortifyingly bad. Still, Calliope assumed the excuse was in part merely to make up for Mrs. Black's actual throwing skills, and she returned the laughter with a smile of her own. "Quite acceptable," she trilled obligingly, as though she did not care for the game at all (although internally, she would have preferred to win to competition that had actually been trying). Her next throw, to which she had devoted a furtive moment eyeing up her aim, was worse than her last, landing a good few feet from the target, and provoking Calliope to laugh it off in turn.

"Yes, apparently it is quite a change, even from Hogsmeade," she quipped, of the air, idly glancing around at the expanse of lawn and trees. (Not that Hogsmeade was too much of a town, compared to London, but Calliope could not say she oft wandered towards the surrounding forests. This estate was enviable, of course, but she was not sure that she could have stayed in Hogsmeade if it were even a fraction smaller, let alone somewhere more remote. Not that one couldn't still be well-involved in society - wizarding travel did not put a damper on that - but there was so little going on in the country. Horse-riding, shooting and hunting were the only evident perks.

  

[Ursula Black]

DATE: October 22nd, 1885
TAG: @'Calliope Riley'
OUTFIT
WORDS: 307
NOTES:

Ursula was quite pleased to observe as Mrs. Riley's throw failed to show her throwing skills up. She wasn't the best at such games, but she was competitive and if she performed too miserably, had a tendency towards ill-humor. "I must say I miss Hogsmeade a great deal." She tried a little harder for her next throw, focusing more of her attention than before. The horse-shoe nearly hit home, but bounced off the target with a dull 'thud'. "Oh almost!" Hopefully she'd land one next turn.

"London is certainly a desirable place to live and has many good qualities about it, but the muggles are quite literally filthy - mist at least has a nice whiteness to it and fades, but the fog in London on some days is so thick and gray - I've nearly been run over by carriages on several occasions. It's simply best not to walk amongst the muggles, not that anyone would want to, but sometimes it is a necessary evil." Ursula would never understand her husband's decision not to rebuild in Hogsmeade, though she supposed he could tolerate it because he was hardly ever home anyway.

"I'm not sure the country is preferable, at least not for the entire year." Maybe she would try and talk Phineas into purchasing or even building a house in the country. Her brother could design it - with her input, of course - and she could do all the decoration. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the sound of it. She could even say she was going there and instead go somewhere else and no one would be the wiser! Elladora was good for company, but sometimes Ursula worried she would accidentally do something to betray herself to her sister-in-law who would then tell Phineas what she was up to.
 

  

[Calliope Riley]

Calliope smiled appreciatively at Mrs. Black's latest throw, tutting internally that, even without full concentration, she was doing decently.

She summoned her next horseshoe to hand but then held it idly whilst she listened to the judgement of London. "That does sound a horrendous tribulation," Calliope agreed, quite honestly. "And a pity, to have such little say in your neighbours. I suppose the countryside would be a welcome change to that upon occasion, but the city must offer so much more to amuse oneself with." Arts, culture, thousands upon thousands of people to judge. "Not that there isn't entertainment in the country, mmm," she gestured across the lawns, signifying those outdoor activities, "I just don't know that I could retire permanently to somewhere so secluded." Calliope, of course, was already living alone in her household (save her young daughter, the stepdaughters for part of the year, and the staff) and though she enjoyed having a personal dominion, she had no plans to cut herself off so entirely from the world.

She threw the horseshoe; too much force, it had sailed past the target. "It is quite the dilemma, isn't it?" She continued hastily; would anyone ever truly be satisfied? She doubted she would. "Not even Hogsmeade is free from flaw; the other side of town is quite a blight upon it, and one does tire of the High Street." Diagon Alley, as dilapidated it had been left after 1877, was continuing to come back to life, prove itself a nicer outing. "And - well - Irvingly, as quaint as it is, suffers from the same issue of the muggles!" It had the countryside charm, but it was also home to the grimy working-class muggle stragglers who'd colonised it. She couldn't quite fathom why anyone - her sister in law, Felicity, for one - might have happily moved there.

  

[Ursula Black]

DATE: October 22nd, 1885
TAG: @'Calliope Riley'
OUTFIT
WORDS: 236
NOTES: I assumed they weren't stood right next to each other, that's okay right?

It was true, the city did provide more venues for entertainment but Phineas was hardly around to engage in any of that with her and Elladora wasn't much inclined either. Of course there were friends and the likes, but she was ever conscious of doing too much with them. If she spent all of her time with friends then they would surely wonder what sort of state her marriage was in when her husband was never present. She was no longer naive enough to believe that were Phineas more willing to spend time with her that his occupation would be no obstacle at all. It wasn't as though he worked for anyone, the governors weren't about to scold him for spending too much time in the evenings with his wife.

"You're quite right. Multiple dwellings are the obvious solution, though it is a pain to pick up form one place to go to the other, even with the convenience of portkeys and apparation." Obviously the world would be better if it were free of muggles entirely. Not that that was a novel idea, just common sense. Her attention had slipped from the horse-shoe throwing and she threw it a little too hard. It looked as though she'd managed to hit Mrs. Riley, though how hard she didn't know. "Oh Merlin, I'm ever so sorry Mrs. Riley, I didn't mean to throw it so hard! Are you alright?"
 

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   Calliope Riley

[Calliope Riley]

Mrs. Black had a point there; on this topic, indeed like most any topic, one could make complaints no matter the angle from which one looked. (And Calliope would make complaints no matter the angle; it was undoubtedly a talent of hers.)

Calliope didn't have a great deal of time to agree, because Mrs. Black had just thrown a horseshoe at her. She hadn't expected it to get near her - obviously - but it was sailing at quite dangerously high a level; she instinctively thrust out an arm to protect herself, lest it catch her in the ribs. Instead it glanced off her elbow, but not before the impact on that particular bone saw a shooting pain up her arm. Though ordinarily in good control of keeping her composure, she could not deny the gritting of her teeth to withstand the clumsy blow as she clutched her elbow. Her first instinct had been to toss the horseshoe she was holding right back, see if she could manage to accidentally catch Mrs. Black in the face. But Calliope was not, regrettably, a vindictive child, and therefore she would have to settle for picturing such revenge instead.

"I'm quite sure you didn't. Never mind, I shall survive, I think," Calliope answered, drowning the curtness as she cradled her elbow still in honey-sweetness instead. Her arched eyebrow was a little more savage, echoing Mrs. Black's earlier excuse. "Trouble concentrating again?" Probably; to have been trying and missed so awfully would be just as embarrassing, though some chagrin from Mrs. Black might make Calliope feel a little better. Her blasted elbow was still throbbing, but she could hardly stalk off in irritation, now could she?  

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   Ursula Black

[Ursula Black]

DATE: October 22nd, 1885
TAG: @'Calliope Riley'
OUTFIT
WORDS: 111
NOTES:

Mrs. Riley was thankfully not too damaged, but it was embarrassing all the same to have been so careless as to hit her at all! "Regrettably," she admitted sheepishly. She didn't know where her head was at but she wished she could keep focus for five minutes. "My distraction is no reflection on the company, however, I've been terribly absentminded all day!"

Ursula smiled apologetically in Mrs. Riley's direction, hoping the other witch wouldn't hold it against her. While there were many women in society Ursula would happily snub for being inferior or questionable, Mrs. Riley was not one such specimen and one didn't need to needlessly alienate potential allies.
 

  

[Calliope Riley]

Calliope rubbed her elbow, torn between wanting to make a scene and wanting instead to seem imperturbable and indestructible. She was still imagining her revenge, though the latter comment from the other woman mollified her slightly. Of course it was no reflection on Calliope: Calliope was delightful. "Oh, nevermind," she assured her, settling for putting the rest of the violence she was feeling into one more throw. One of her best yet. Naturally.

Still, there was no sense trying so hard if her company was so absent-minded. Calliope felt a prickle of nosy interest, wondering what could be throwing Mrs. Black off so. Who knew. She ought to observe her more closely.

For the time being, however, it seemed sensible to let the game go to its grave; if she had not won, at least she might end ahead (in skill, if not in damage). She gestured as much, offering Mrs. Black her freedom with a casual shrug. "Perhaps a change of activity," Calliope suggested magnanimously, though her smirk was a touch acerbic, "before the next horseshoe makes it to my face!" She could forgive Mrs. Black's clumsiness, she supposed - which was as generous as she got - but that did not disallow her from getting to rub it in, just a little.

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   Ursula Black

[Ursula Black]

DATE: October 22nd, 1885
TAG: @'Calliope Riley'
OUTFIT
WORDS: 99
NOTES:

A change in activity was probably wise since she seemed incapable of keeping her mind on it. Still, she didn't quite appreciate having her clumsiness highlighted so. "Perhaps that would be for the best," she agreed coolly. It wasn't as though she particularly wanted to continue anyway, she was losing.

"I wouldn't want to disfigure your pretty face after all," she added with debatable sincerity. Ursula offered her arm to the other woman. "Isn't the hunt starting soon, anyhow?" Ursula could forgive Mrs. Riley her tone, she was otherwise rather decent company. If only she could keep her focus...
 

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   Elias Grimstone

[Calliope Riley]

By the lessened warmth in Mrs. Black's voice, Calliope thought she had struck a nerve there, but at least her strike had been metaphorical instead of at her elbow.

Her own compliments were so very rarely genuine that she could hardly trust the sincerity of Mrs. Black's, but she smiled nonetheless, for she knew very well that it was a fact. Her face was pretty. She had had some insecurities as a girl, to be sure - her nose, her chin, and so forth - but she had learned confidence, and convinced herself quite easily that she had all the assets to belong perfectly among these socialites.

"Oh, indeed." Calliope realised, more brightly now, looking across the grounds as she accepted Ursula's arm and gestured onwards with a nod. "I have rather been looking forward to the hunt. Shall we?"

wrap? xD