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last online May 5, 2024 17:01:25 GMT -7
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Jun 11, 2019 15:36:38 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2019 15:36:38 GMT -7
Kinsey didn't actually ask for the milk to make it so Penelope couldn't read anything, but that was a benefit. Thing was, she wanted cake, and what went better with cake than milk? Of course, the house elves brought her what she asked for quickly and Kinsey smiled and them and thanked them. The house elves grinned back, scuttling off to do whatever they needed to. She was quite proud of the fact that the house elves trusted her enough in their kitchen that they didn't feel like they had to watch her while she was there. She glanced up at her sister. "So how did Christmas break go with everyone?" Kinsey asked. She still felt bad that she hadn't gone home for Christmas, but she'd hoped that if she didn't maybe Dustin would. She knew he didn't want to see her, but maybe he'd see the others if she kept her distance. She hadn't had the guts to ask anyone about it yet though. Maybe he didn't show up either. penelope raisa bainbridge
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penelope raisa bainbridge
HOGWARTS ALUM FORGET-ME-KNOT FLORIST CASHIER ABILITY DETECTION
226 posts
played by Audrey
What if Cinderella had to save herself?
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last online May 5, 2024 7:18:51 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jun 11, 2019 16:39:41 GMT -7
Post by penelope raisa bainbridge on Jun 11, 2019 16:39:41 GMT -7
The house-elves brought Kinsey her cake and milk, with Penelope's own cake and tea following close behind. Penelope thanked the elves for their work as she took her snack from them, and she was happy to see that they didn't seem overly curious about what the two of them were doing there.
"So how did Christmas break go with everyone?" Kinsey asked.
Penelope should have known that the question was coming, if Kinsey hadn't already gotten a response from Peyton or Persephone about it. Kinsey hadn't been home for Christmas, which had been exceptionally weird when neither Diana nor Dustin had been there, either. Nothing bad had happened, but it also hadn't felt normal to Penelope. It hadn't been the Christmases that she loved and cherished from their childhood. Even if their family wasn't perfect, it was weird not to have all of her siblings home to celebrate.
"It was… weird," Penelope admitted softly, staring down at her cake and picking at it with her fingers instead of a fork. It was the kind of thing of which Penelope didn't want a repeat at any time in the future. "You weren't there, and Dustin wasn't there, and obviously not Diana…" Penelope had held out hope that maybe Dustin would come, but she hadn't placed any bets on Diana. After she had left home so abruptly, Penelope hadn't really counted on her return.
"We had a nice time, I mean," Penelope added, tearing off a crumb of cake and putting it in her mouth. It hadn't been horrible—and could have been worse—but also wasn't what she was used to, what with three of her siblings not there. Penelope didn't want Kinsey to feel bad for having decided to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas; she was allowed to choose for herself, if she wanted. Still, she couldn't keep silent about having missed her sister's presence, either, especially when Dustin and Diana seemed to have slipped away. "But I wish you'd come, Kinsey."
@kinsey
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last online May 5, 2024 17:01:25 GMT -7
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Jun 22, 2019 23:24:42 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2019 23:24:42 GMT -7
Kinsey knew this was coming. She could tell by the look on her sister's face that Christmas break hadn't been as good as it once was. She quietly admitted that it was weird, talking about those who weren't there. Kinsey nodded, feeling a little guilty over her decision to stay at Hogwarts, though she still thought it was the right thing to do. Penelope continued to say that they had a nice time, but that she wished Kinsey came. "I'm sorry, Penelope," Kinsey answered, her tone very similar to her sister's. "I was hoping that if I didn't come, Dustin would. You see ... we had this really big fight during vacation last summer and he doesn't want to see me anymore. I sent him a note saying I was staying at Hogwarts. I hoped you guys would be able to see him." Kinsey felt bad that her brother was distancing himself from the whole family because of her. She never wanted that when she chose Riley all those months ago, but she also hadn't entirely believed her brother's promise. Apparently he was determined to keep it. "Sorry," she added lamely. penelope raisa bainbridge
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penelope raisa bainbridge
HOGWARTS ALUM FORGET-ME-KNOT FLORIST CASHIER ABILITY DETECTION
226 posts
played by Audrey
What if Cinderella had to save herself?
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last online May 5, 2024 7:18:51 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jun 23, 2019 6:19:45 GMT -7
Post by penelope raisa bainbridge on Jun 23, 2019 6:19:45 GMT -7
Kinsey apologized for her absence at Christmas, and she explained that she had thought that—by not coming home—Dustin might have. They had had a fight while on their beach trip the previous summer, she elaborated, and Dustin had said that he didn't want to see her anymore. And so Kinsey had sent Dustin a letter to say that she was staying at school, so that he would know that he was in the clear to come home.
"Sorry."
Penelope's vision became clouded with tears, and she shakily set the cake and milk onto the countertop so that she wouldn't drop them. "Kinsey, I—" she began, blinking so that she could see her older sister clearly again, though her voice broke. "I—I didn't know he'd said that to you…" It hurt her just to hear it, and it hurt her even more that that was the reason Kinsey had stayed away from home. She didn't want to think of their brother any differently, but it was difficult for her not to after what Kinsey had just told her.
"I-I'm sorry, Kins," Penelope apologized through tears, which she attempted to wipe away with the back of her hand. "I'm so, so sorry…" Of course Kinsey had been welcome back home, and Penelope wanted nothing more than to be able to wrap her arms around her sister and hold her there like that. "I didn't know. I-I didn't realize that he—" She breathed in and out, trying to compose herself.
"Did you tell Mum and Dad?" she sniffed. Penelope guessed that Kinsey had probably come up with something to use as an excuse for staying at school, rather than mentioning Dustin as having anything to do with it.
@kinsey
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last online May 5, 2024 17:01:25 GMT -7
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Jun 29, 2019 21:20:03 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2019 21:20:03 GMT -7
Kinsey couldn't look over at her younger sister. She didn't want to see the pity on her face or to see the annoyance and disappointment that she was sure was there. While she knew her sisters loved her, Kinsey came to the decision long ago that no one in her family would ever truly understand her. Kinsey shrugged when Penelope said that she didn't know Dustin said that to her. No one knew. No one but Toby knew exactly what happened between her and Dustin. She hadn't even told Riley. "It's okay. I didn't tell anyone about that. Didn't want to make things any worse than they already are," she muttered, trying to explain herself a little. She didn't want to make any of her sisters mad at Dustin or at her, so it just seemed better to keep the whole thing to herself at the time. "It's not your fault Penelope, and there's no way you could have known." Kinsey smiled at her younger sister, trying to be encouraging. "It's okay, I'm okay. I just wished Dustin would have gone home." It just meant he wasn't opening her owls, just like he promised. He really didn't want to hear from her. That wasn't going to stop her from writing him though. She shook her head at Penelope's next question. "No, I didn't tell them about Dustin. I just said that I was really sorry, but I wasn't feeling good or up to travel and that I wanted to stay at the castle." Her parents believed her, of course. Travel used to be very difficult for Kinsey, being stuck on the train with all those differing intentions. She sometimes got sick with it. That hadn't been the real reason this time though. penelope raisa bainbridge
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penelope raisa bainbridge
HOGWARTS ALUM FORGET-ME-KNOT FLORIST CASHIER ABILITY DETECTION
226 posts
played by Audrey
What if Cinderella had to save herself?
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last online May 5, 2024 7:18:51 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jun 30, 2019 14:32:45 GMT -7
Post by penelope raisa bainbridge on Jun 30, 2019 14:32:45 GMT -7
"It's okay," said Kinsey, although her words of reassurance still didn't reassure Penelope completely. "I didn't tell anyone about that, especially as her older sister's voice became quieter. 'Didn't want to make things any worse than they already are."
Kinsey wasn't wrong. Things seemed to be getting progressively worse with their family, which was why Penelope had reacted to her sister's explanation for not having come home at Christmas as she had. She hadn't wanted things to get worse; she didn't want things to get worse. It was already bad enough, and Penelope just wanted to fix it. She wanted to fix it, make it better—back to how it had been when they were younger. It hadn't been perfect then, either, but it had been better.
Nevertheless, Kinsey reminded her that it wasn't her fault. There was no way that she could have known what had happened, she said, smiling at her. It was okay, and she was okay; she just wished that Dustin would have gone home.
Penelope nodded but then paused. Kinsey hadn't told their parents about her row with Dustin. "I just said that I was really sorry, but I wasn't feeling good or up to travel and that I wanted to stay at the castle."
"They— They should know, Kins…" Penelope swallowed, trying to make her voice sound stronger somehow. She wasn't sure what their parents would actually be able to do, when Dustin was an adult, but maybe they could do something. "They need to… know what happened…" Even if they weren't capable of doing anything, they needed to know.
"I-It's bad enough Diana left," Penelope reminded Kinsey. "I-I love you, and I don't want to lose you," she hesitated quietly, "just because of something Dustin did."
@kinsey
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last online May 5, 2024 17:01:25 GMT -7
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Jul 2, 2019 21:15:59 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2019 21:15:59 GMT -7
Kinsey hesitated when Penelope insisted that she should tell their parents about what happened with Dustin. "I know, but ..." Kinsey didn't have a good reason for not wanting to tell her parents about Dustin, except that talking about it hurt. Also, her parents would ask more questions about what happened and Kinsey didn't know what to tell them. "Sorry mom and dad, I thought Riley and I were going to be together always, so I told Dustin to get out." That's not quite what happened, but that's how it felt now. At times she regretted choosing Riley, but she knew she'd do it again if given the choice. She loved him, even though she couldn't have him. Not really. "Telling them won't do anything," she said softly, stubbornly. Kinsey didn't want to admit to them that she'd pushed Dustin away from the family. She frowned, "Penelope, you're not losing me. I love you too, I was just trying to help." Kinsey paused for a second before promising, "I won't miss Christmas again. I really thought he'd come home if I wasn't there." She felt bad that he wouldn't though. He hated her that much. penelope raisa bainbridge
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penelope raisa bainbridge
HOGWARTS ALUM FORGET-ME-KNOT FLORIST CASHIER ABILITY DETECTION
226 posts
played by Audrey
What if Cinderella had to save herself?
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last online May 5, 2024 7:18:51 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jul 3, 2019 7:55:40 GMT -7
Post by penelope raisa bainbridge on Jul 3, 2019 7:55:40 GMT -7
Penelope knew that their parents weren't going to get angry at Kinsey for explaining what had really happened and why it was that she hadn't been home for Christmas. Maybe they would be disappointed in her, she thought, but it would have only been because she hadn't told them the truth sooner, wouldn't it? They wouldn't do anything drastic, would they? Even though Penelope was fairly certain that they wouldn't mind being told, Kinsey didn't sound as sure, telling her that telling them wouldn't do anything.
Maybe Kinsey was right. Maybe their parents couldn't actually do all that much. They were all old enough now that there wasn't much that their parents could do to stop them from… most things, honestly. Dustin didn't exactly have privileges to be revoked anymore, and Penelope didn't actually know how much they had heard from him because he had missed Christmas at home… Maybe he would at least write them or something. Hopefully.
"Penelope, you're not losing me," Kinsey reassured her, frowning. "I love you too," she said. "I was just trying to help." She added, "I won't miss Christmas again. I really thought he'd come home if I wasn't there."
"I know you were just trying to help, Kinsey." Penelope nodded. She knew that Kinsey wouldn't have meant to upset her. Kinsey had never been like that; she didn't instigate fights. It wasn't like her. "I'm not angry with you," she felt the need to state, just in case that was what she thought. Maybe she was angry at Dustin, though, for his role in how things had played out; she couldn't tell. It was some sort of mixture of sadness and anger and disappointment in various amounts. Betrayal was in there, too, possibly.
Pausing, Penelope looked around the kitchens, as though doing that would help her to find the words that she was searching for. "I…" she breathed out. "I don't know what to say, Kins," Penelope admitted, shaking her head. Somehow, it was easier to say that—to admit that she didn't know what to say or how to word what it was that she was thinking—than to risk messing things up even more. "I-I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do…" she clarified as best she could. She didn't want to make things even worse by making Kinsey feel obligated to come home because of her. "I just…"
She breathed in and out again, trying not to overthink or overstep. "It's not Christmas that matters," she said… and it wasn't. "It's the point of it." (Christmas spirit, wasn't it?) "Spending time with family and making the sorts of memories to conjure a Patronus with…" It probably sounded just as cheesy to Kinsey's ears as it did to Penelope upon saying it, but she couldn't think of how else to explain it. "We barely get that anymore." They were "too old" for that—or too busy. Besides, it didn't have to be anything fancy or meticulously planned. It just had to happen. Like right there, in the kitchens.
Penelope paused again, watching her sister. "Kinsey… Can I hug you?"
@kinsey
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last online May 5, 2024 17:01:25 GMT -7
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Jul 3, 2019 8:15:04 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2019 8:15:04 GMT -7
Penelope answered that she knew Kinsey was just trying to help and that she wasn't angry at her and Kinsey nodded. She could tell from her sister's intentions that that was true. She might not understand everything and the deeper feelings that were there between Kinsey and Dustin, but she truly seemed to not be upset, which Kinsey was glad for. Sure, she expected her sisters to not be happy that she stayed away, but she didn't really want to upset them. If Dustin had come home, she didn't think they would have really noticed her absence anyway. But he hadn't. Kinsey watched as her sister struggled to figure out what she was trying to say, but Kinsey didn't say anything. She wanted to give Penelope the chance to say anything she wanted to or felt like she needed to get out. She smiled and nodded when her sister admitted she didn't know what to say, then frowned at her next comment. What was she talking about? Then Penelope explained and Kinsey understood. "It's not that I don't want to be there or that you're forcing me into anything, Penelope." She sighed, feeling like she explained this already. She didn't have a problem being around her younger sisters. Cara, maybe. Depended on the mood and how the two of them got along in the moment, but when it came to the triplets, Kinsey wanted to be there for them. "I like making memories with you guys. I really was hoping that you'd be able to make some with Dustin this year." Explaining it again wasn't really what she wanted to do, but she got it out. "I like spending time with you all, I want to make those memories. Sorry I bailed on you this year." She was starting to feel a little guilty about that, even though it wouldn't have changed her mind. Kinsey would have stayed at Hogwarts either way, if just to spend time with Riley before she lost him entirely. She smiled, opening her arms invitingly, "Of course. Come here, you," she teased, trying to lighten the mood a little bit as she hugged her sister. Kinsey wasn't the most huggy person, but she didn't mind with family. "You don't have to ask me for a hug, Penelope. You're family. You can have one whenever you want." Sure, it might take her off guard if she wasn't expecting it, but Kinsey didn't want Penelope to feel like she had to ask for something like that. penelope raisa bainbridge
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penelope raisa bainbridge
HOGWARTS ALUM FORGET-ME-KNOT FLORIST CASHIER ABILITY DETECTION
226 posts
played by Audrey
What if Cinderella had to save herself?
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last online May 5, 2024 7:18:51 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jul 3, 2019 13:35:12 GMT -7
Post by penelope raisa bainbridge on Jul 3, 2019 13:35:12 GMT -7
"It's not that I don't want to be there or that you're forcing me into anything, Penelope," Kinsey sighed, which made Penelope feel slightly better about it. She didn't want to feel as though she was forcing her sister into anything; she didn't want Kinsey to resent her company. "I like making memories with you guys. I really was hoping that you'd be able to make some with Dustin this year. I like spending time with you all," she reiterated. "I want to make those memories. Sorry I bailed on you this year."
Penelope wished that they could have made those memories, too, but she didn't want Kinsey to beat herself up over it now, which made her even happier that Kinsey hadn't rejected her request for a hug.
"Of course," Kinsey told her, sounding more like herself again to Penelope. "Come here, you."
Immediately pulling her older sister into a hug, Penelope smiled.
"You don't have to ask me for a hug, Penelope. You're family. You can have one whenever you want."
"Good." Penelope's smile grew as she continued to hold on to her sister, until she was also laughing again. Maybe it was because Kinsey wasn't someone who usually took hugs, or maybe it was because of the conversation that they had just had, but it felt even better to hug her than usual. "And you can get hugs from me whenever you want!"
@kinsey
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last online May 5, 2024 17:01:25 GMT -7
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Jul 6, 2019 22:01:53 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2019 22:01:53 GMT -7
Things seemed to be calming down with this conversation, which Kinsey was definitely glad for. She hated feeling like she upset her sisters, as well as the family. She still thought staying at Hogwarts during Christmas was the right move, but she was sad that it upset Penelope so much. Penelope seemed surprised when Kinsey said she didn't have to ask for a hug. The hug was tight, which normally Kinsey would feel uncomfortable with, but it kind of fit with everything they'd been talking about and she found that she actually didn't mind it. She smiled at her sister. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Kinsey promised, releasing her sister and reaching over to take a sip of her milk. She was glad she came down here to talk with her little sister today. penelope raisa bainbridge (you wanna end?)
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penelope raisa bainbridge
HOGWARTS ALUM FORGET-ME-KNOT FLORIST CASHIER ABILITY DETECTION
226 posts
played by Audrey
What if Cinderella had to save herself?
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last online May 5, 2024 7:18:51 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jul 7, 2019 9:12:52 GMT -7
Post by penelope raisa bainbridge on Jul 7, 2019 9:12:52 GMT -7
Kinsey smiled back at her, thanking her and saying that she would keep her offer of hugs in mind. Penelope laughed softly as she eventually let go of her sister, watching as Kinsey then reached for her glass of milk again.
Having set down her cake and tea when the conversation had turned so upsetting to her, Penelope retrieved her own food and drink, happy to know that things hadn't been ruined between her and Kinsey, at the very least.
@kinsey Fin!
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