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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Sept 22, 2017 8:01:26 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2017 8:01:26 GMT -7
(trigger warning for mentions of child loss) Royal had been unsure about visiting Odette for quite some time now - ever since Jacob had died, really. Abby had died shortly after that, and then it had just seemed like a bad idea to go and see her and try to be optimistic about the future when they were both so thoroughly broken. And then Royal had heard that Odette's baby - Jacob's child - had been lost, too, and he knew he definitely couldn't talk about that in an intelligent manner, because he knew all too well about what it was like to see a life cut short too soon. Eventually, he hadn't been able to ignore the voice in the back of his head that insisted that he needed to go see his friend. Royal wasn't sure why it was, but he suspected that the exact reason he was apprehensive was the reason that he needed to see her. They were both broken, but it was so much easier to be broken with someone else than to try to pick up all of your pieces by yourself. And after Jonah had left... Royal shook the thought out of his head. He really didn't want to think about Jonah, and all of the things that had been destroyed when he had left, like the chance of a happy ending for the pair of them. Royal finished walking to Odette's doorstep, surprised by how confident he felt as he rapped his knuckles against the door.
@odette
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Sept 30, 2017 22:43:52 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2017 22:43:52 GMT -7
Odette never thought she would experience the type of loss she had already in her short life. The loss of her mother when she was young, then Jacob, and then her own child... the pain of it all, Odette would never wish on her worst enemies. It has been excruciating, and she hoped she wouldn't have to go through something like that any time again soon. If this has happened months ago, Odette probably would have crumbled from the pressure and pain of it all. But she had another family now. Not just her grandparents or her close friends anymore, but an actual family. And with them, the pain of losing Jacob and the baby had been dulled. At least as much as it could be.
It was nearing the end of the school year and Odette was starting to go back slowly to work (she had taken off a lot of time to properly grieve.) The former Ravenclaw had spent much of the time off she had focusing her energy into remodeling her guest room into a room fit for a teenager. A Hufflepuff, to be more exact. Odette planned to ask her younger sister to move in with her after she graduated, and she wanted Jamie's room to be perfect. Odette had started listening to music again, painting the walls of the room when she heard a knock at her door. At first she felt a little sting; no one had really visited her since Jacob had died and the sound was unfamiliar. Then she stood there a moment, a pang of guilt overcoming her momentarily when she thought of her friends she had all but abandoned during this difficult time. Vic had stepped down as Minister and Royal's sister had died. Not to mention Jacob... perhaps none of them were quite ready to face one another.
Odette set the paintbrush down and wiped her hands off on her old jeans as she headed down the hallway and to the door. She took in a deep breath and then answered the door, and when she did she felt her breath then hitch in the back of her throat. It was as if fate had been listening to her every thought, for there stood Royal on her front door step. Odette didn't mean to, but she couldn't help the immediate sting of tears that came to her eyes. "Roy," she breathed as she wrapped her arms around her best friend and pulled him in close.
@royal
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2017 7:06:32 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2017 7:06:32 GMT -7
Odette opened the door in short order, and Royal took a deep breath, taking all of her in. Her brunette hair tumbled messily over her shoulders, and she was dressed in old clothes – a paint-stained white shirt and equally paint-stained jeans. She looked better than he had expected, if Royal was being honest. Not like she had before, but they both knew that losing someone you lost changed you permanently, and not just emotionally. When Royal met Odette’s eyes, he could see the tears pooling in them, and he immediately frowned. “Don’t cry.” He murmured before she wrapped her arms around him. He had wanted this to be a happy occasion, a reunion between friends who had needed to be reunited a long time ago. Royal supposed that there were still a lot of difficult emotions that came with seeing each other, though, and he didn’t want to invalidate those. Royal pulled away after a long minute. “Are you painting something?” He asked, gesturing to her clothes. Maybe she was just into the worker-chic look? Royal could definitely judge when it came to fashion, given how fashion-forward he was, but he didn’t feel like judging Odette at the moment, and he was pretty sure the clothes weren’t a fashion statement. “Can I help?” Royal loved to be of use, and it was always easier to have difficult conversations while doing something else.
@odette
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Oct 2, 2017 19:23:10 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2017 19:23:10 GMT -7
It was like hearing his voice was the glue Odette needed to hold herself together. After he spoke and told her not to cry, she found herself feeling much stronger as she held onto him as long as he allowed her to. She was able to hold back from letting her tears spill over her eyes and with a big sniff, she smiled at her friend when he asked if she was painting something. She placed her hands on her hips and nodded. It still felt a little weird to smile so much after all that had happened, but this was Royal and it was hard not to smile. "Yeah. I'm painting my guest room," she gestured over her shoulder and down the hallway before moving aside and allowing Royal to come inside. "I'm in no position to pass up an extra set of hands," she said. It was so good to finally see her friend again but she couldn't help but wonder if he, too, hasn't seen Victoire and Teddy in a long time. She thought to ask, but figured it best to save that for a little while later.
@royal
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Oct 7, 2017 19:58:40 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2017 19:58:40 GMT -7
Watching Odette transform to crying to smiling was weird, but a good kind of weird, and Royal couldn’t help but grin back at her, mirroring her by placing his hands on his hips. Odette said that she was painting her guest room, and Royal raised his eyebrows. “Someone moving in, or just needed a change?” He asked, curious. He didn’t know whether the guest room was supposed to have been Jonah’s room, but if it was, then it made sense that she would want to repaint it. It would be like erasing the Albertson family from their past completely… but sometimes having a blank slate wasn’t a bad thing, and it was Odette’s home. She could do with it what she wanted. “Then consider me your extra hands for as long as you need them.” Royal said with a smile. He hadn’t scheduled anything else that day, mostly because he wasn’t sure how long the conversation with Odette was going to take. If they were going to delve into their losses, then they could be there for a while… Royal’s smile faded slightly, but he pinned it back on easily. “Lead the way to the guest room?” He asked, not wanting to go charging into Odette’s apartment without her permission.
@odette
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Oct 9, 2017 7:34:24 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2017 7:34:24 GMT -7
At Royal's question, Odette grinned. "Hopefully someone will be moving in," she said as she headed down the hallway, her head turning to Royal slightly as she led him to the guest room. "I'm going to ask Jamie to move in with me once she graduates." The thought of living with her half sister brought a bright smile to her face. Living with someone as kind and loving as Jamie was just what Odette needed right now in her life. Odette knew there was a lot that she and Royal had to talk about. Like the fact that they had both lost Jacob, Odette's baby, and Royal's sister... and then there was the fact that Teddy and Victoire had practically disappeared off the face of the Earth just when it all started happening. Odette knew she had to talk about it all with him, and she wanted to, she just had no idea how to start. "The only thing is... I don't know how to decorate anything for a teenager fresh out of school. Still new to the whole... 'big sister' thing..." Her voice trailed off, wondering if her words may be triggering to Royal. She walked into the guest room and bit her lip, taking a moment to look anywhere but at Royal.
@royal
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Oct 14, 2017 8:06:56 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2017 8:06:56 GMT -7
Royal quirked an eyebrow when Odette said that hopefully someone would be moving in, but his friend explained almost immediately that she was going to ask her younger sister to move in after the younger girl graduated. Royal smiled at Odette - it was great to see his friend embracing her younger siblings. Royal had never really had much of a choice in whether or not he wanted to be an older brother, but he hoped that if he had he would’ve made the same one as Odette - holding his family close instead of pushing them all away. Odette said that she didn’t know how to decorate anything for a teenager, and Royal smirked. “I’m not going to be much help with that. Do you really think that I was ever allowed in Abby or Addie’s rooms?” He asked with a laugh. Royal paused for a moment. He had just said Abby’s name, and he had laughed, and he hadn’t felt like crying immediately afterwards. This was a new sensation, and one that Royal was sure came in part from Odette’s presence with him. “You were a teenage girl once, weren’t you?” Royal asked. “What did you like?” That might be a good place to start.
@odette
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Oct 27, 2017 6:28:10 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2017 6:28:10 GMT -7
It had certainly taken Odette a long time to be as open as she now was with anyone she was close to. Her siblings being the hardest for her to open up to. Getting that type of information dumped on you so late in life was kind of Earth shattering. But as Royal smiled at her, Odette could remember exactly the day she finally opened up to her oldest friends and it put her nerves about painting and Jamie moving in at ease. Odette rolled her eyes at Royal's words but smiled widely when she heard his laugh. She had missed his laugh so much.
It took a moment for Odette to remember that talking about home was probably so much different now for Royal just like it was for her. Odette had experienced so much pain in the last few months and being reminded that Royal had experienced just as much pain nearly broke her heart in two. She was glad that he stuck to the subject at hand, though Odette's heart felt heavier than it had just a few moments ago. "Oh, I can assure you my interests as a teenager are far different than Jamie's now," she said with a slight chuckle at the thought of her sister. "Jamie's special. In more ways than one," her voice sort of trailed off fondly.
@royal
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Oct 27, 2017 7:25:44 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2017 7:25:44 GMT -7
Royal smirked when Odette said that her interests as a teenager were much different than her sister’s. “Come on, O, it’s not like you were into anything too destructive.” He said, bumping her shoulder with his fondly. Odette probably had more in common with her sister than she knew – or maybe she did know just how similar she was to her younger sister and was trying not to think about it for some reason or another. Probably, Royal thought, because she was afraid. “Of course you think she’s special.” Royal said, but the statement wasn’t meant to be derogatory; rather, it was meant to assure Odette that she was doing the whole ‘older sister’ thing right. “She’s your sister.” If anyone insisted that either of his sisters were ordinary, Royal probably would have punched them. The fact that Odette was willing to see her siblings as more than just carbon copies was proof of her progress in the family realm. “Now, what color are we painting this thing?” He asked, turning to the bedroom walls that he had offered his help to paint.
@odette
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Nov 3, 2017 9:57:16 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2017 9:57:16 GMT -7
Odette playfully rolled her eyes at Royal. "Pretty sure Jamie didn't try to sneak firewhisky into her dorm nearly as much as young Odette did," she recalled the memory with only slight fondness. She hadn't exactly been a great role model at that age. A fond smile replaced her skeptical look when Royal had a roundabout way of saying she was a good older sister. She knew Royal enough to kind of read between the lines with him. She smiled at him in a way that she almost never had before. It was affectionate in a 'frinedly' type of way, she reminded herself. But deep down she wasn't so sure. When Royal asked what color they were painting the room, she held up a light color in a paint can. "This color." She grinned.
@royal
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Nov 16, 2017 8:57:49 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2017 8:57:49 GMT -7
Royal chuckled when Odette said that Jamie didn’t try to sneak firewhiskey into her dorm as much as Odette did when she was young. “Those Hufflepuffs and their higher morals.” He teased. Alcohol wasn’t uncommon in the upper years of the Slytherin common rooms, because any Slytherin worth their salt had enough cunning not to get caught – or come up with a good enough excuse to get away with smuggling alcohol. Odette smiled at him, and Royal tried his best not to get caught up in that smile, those eyes. Odette was one of his best friends, and he didn’t want to stomp on that, or worse, stomp on her heart. Jacob had already done a thorough enough job of that, even if it was accidental. Royal saw the color in the paint can and smiled. “Very zen.” He commented. “But I wonder if you’re letting your house pride seep in.” He teased. Blue was one of the colors of Ravenclaw house, after all, though the shade Odette had chosen was nothing like the rich sapphire that Hogwarts chose for the eagle house. “Let’s get painting.” Royal said, grabbing a paintbrush and beginning to slap color on the wall, albeit a bit recklessly.
@odette
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Nov 21, 2017 9:25:44 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2017 9:25:44 GMT -7
Odette let out a light laugh at Royal's comment about the house of Hufflepuff. "Precisely. The house of Saints," she exagerrated, teasingly. Truth be told, Odette had always been rather fond of Hufflepuffs. Teddy was one, Jamie was one, and... Jacob had been too. For a brief moment she let herself wonder what her unborn child would have been... but she quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She had to stop focusing on what could have been and start focus on what could be. With Royal standing next to her, that finally seemed a lot easier.
The Ravenclaw alum smiled as Royal called the color she had picked 'zen,' but the smile turned into more of a smirk when he teased her for her house pride. "Hey, it's my house," she shrugged innocently, neither admitting to or denying the claim. "If Jamie ends up being too lazy to paint it herself, I want to make sure it's a color at least I'll enjoy," she defended herself happily. She began to paint just a few feet away from Royal, laying on the paint a bit more neatly than Royal seemed to be but that was just her Ravenclaw peeking through again. She quietly and contently painted the walls next to her best friend. The silence was only a bit deafening but for the first time in a long time, it was a sort of deafening silence that felt right instead of wrong.
@royal
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Nov 22, 2017 10:36:49 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2017 10:36:49 GMT -7
Royal smiled when Odette said that Hufflepuff was the house of saints. “You know, you could be a saint too.” He said. Odette hadn’t been all that saintly in her youth, sure, but she had grown up a lot since her days of sneaking firewhiskey into the common room. “Saint Odette, patron saint of…” Royal paused for a moment, considering. “Little sisters?” He suggested. As far as he knew, Odette only had two little sisters, but considering she was letting one of them move in with her, they must have been extremely close. And if Odette was the patron saint of little sisters, then maybe she could look over Royal’s sisters for him, too.
“Are you going to be spending a lot of time in Jamie’s room?” Royal half-asked, half teased as he continued to paint, smoothing out the lumps of paint that had formed from his original haphazard motions. He didn’t see why it mattered whether or not Odette liked the color that Jamie’s room was painted if she wasn’t going to be there. Or maybe it was more a precaution for when Jamie moved out, Royal considered. They continued to paint in silence for a while, but Royal found words spilling out of his mouth before he could stop them. “I sometimes wonder what would have happened if the Albertson boys had never been a part of our lives.” They had both fallen in love with Hufflepuffs with big hearts, but it ended badly for both of them. “I think sometimes that we might have ended up together.” Royal said, a little afraid of the words but also wanting to get them out in the air for Odette’s consideration. “I mean, we’re so alike, but so different…” Royal trailed off, and then turned back into his painting, not wanting to see Odette’s face when she responded.
@odette
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Dec 16, 2017 6:59:48 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2017 6:59:48 GMT -7
Odette playfully rolled her eyes when Royal said she could be a saint too, and she was even about to scoff until he called her the patron saint of little sisters. She paused for a moment as if to mull it over. "Hm. That has a nice ring to it," she joked. "And I have come to realize I'm a far better sister than I ever would have thought." She let out a breathy laugh at the thought of where she had been just a year or so ago, with no siblings and spending her free time in bars going home with whoever spoke to her first. She had come a long way.
At Royal's teasing question, Odette just smiled and shrugged. "Maybe," she said. "I've never lived with a sister so I'm pulling out all the stops - sleepovers, gossiping in bed, painting our nails. You name it." Her smile was wide as she continued to paint, thinking of all the fun she would be having with Jamie living under her roof, and inviting Max over for sleepovers.
After the light teasing, Odette had not expected Royal's next words to come out of his mouth and it caught her off guard for a moment but she made sure to keep painting even if she wasn't focused on it anymore. So often Odette forgot that Jacob's little brother had been with Royal, because she had found out so long after the two had split up. How funny that they had both fallen in love with two people so alike, though. She supposed it said far more about the two of them than she had initially thought. Odette stopped painting after Royal's next sentence and she stared at where she had stopped painting on the wall. In all honesty, Odette had at one point in her life pictured herself with every single one of her friends (even Teddy and Vic, though the two had always been joined at the hip,) in some sort of romantic way. She boiled it down to being so close to them and loving them so much as friends, but hearing those words come out of Royal's mouth brought up those old thoughts and made her wonder more... what if? She set her brush down and slowly turned to look at Royal, the small half smile resting on her face was so automatic she didn't even realize it was there. "We really are, aren't we?" She agreed with the Slytherin. "How'd that happen?" She teased him, now.
@royal
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last online Mar 28, 2024 7:33:55 GMT -7
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Dec 19, 2017 8:14:22 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2017 8:14:22 GMT -7
Royal chuckled when Odette said that being patron saint of little sisters had a nice ring to it. She said that she was a better sister than she would have thought, and Royal arched an eyebrow. “I could have told you that.” He told her. Sure, Odette could be a little cold at first, but once you were her friend – or her family – she defended you fiercely, and that was exactly the sort of trait that an older sibling needed. Maybe there was more keeping Odette from thinking that she would be a good sister, but she had the perfect disposition for it.
Odette said that she was maybe going to spend a lot of time in Jamie’s room, and Royal raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t expected the answer to that question actually to be yes, though he did suppose if he magically got a little brother he’d want to spend as much time around him as possible, so having pseudo-sleepovers, even if they were living in the same house, would be fun. “Are you going to gossip to your sister about me?” He asked, teasing Odette once again. If her answer to his question was another yes, then Royal was probably going to have a heart attack.
Royal wasn’t sure what he had been expecting after he said what he did. In the movies, this was the part where the girl admitted that she was in love with the boy and they kissed, and they had their happily ever after… but their lives had stopped being as simple as movies a long time ago, Royal lamented, and that was probably why Odette didn’t rush into his arms and profess her undying love for him. She was smiling at him, though, and that still made Royal feel warm inside. She said that they really were alike, and asked how that had happened. Royal chuckled a little at that question. “Someone probably thought that we needed someone who understood what we were going through.” He said with a shrug. It was one thing to have people who tried to tell you everything was going to be alright when they didn’t know that was the truth, but it was something totally different when someone eels had the same struggles as you did, and could prove that you were both going to come out of it alright. Sure, he and Odette were a little broken and a little scarred, but broken things could be pieced back together, and scars would fade. It would just take time.
@odette
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