Post by xiulan zhou on Oct 15, 2021 16:51:18 GMT -7
May 15, 2026
Belgravia, London
Belgravia, London
It was late at night when the owl arrived, staring at her through the glass of her bedroom window. Xiulan wasn't sure of the exact time, but she had just gotten comfortable in bed and was prepared to fall asleep. She couldn't leave the owl waiting there, though, and pulled herself from bed again to retrieve the letter it was carrying.
After opening the window and taking the envelope, Xiulan saw that was from one of her frequent clients, another Chinese woman like herself. She wasn't the type of person to be sending her anything so late at night. Concerned, Xiulan pried open the envelope without a letter opener and pulled it out and turned on the light on her bedside table. The woman was notifying her of her need to cancel her session for the next day—a little unusual, knowing the woman in question, but emergencies happened. Expecting that there had been a death in the woman's family or something similar, Xiulan continued to read the letter, the sinking feeling inside of her building.
The explanation wasn't what Xiulan had expected at all, and her client was only able to communicate what her teenage son had said that he'd seen when he had spoken to her over the telephone. Hogwarts had gone up in flames, all of it, and the Ministry had been called in. There had been deaths, too, from what he'd said, although Xiulan's client wrote that she wasn't sure how many there had been.
Having read enough to get the idea, Xiulan closed her eyes so that she wouldn't have to read further. She had never set foot inside the castle, yet she felt familiar with it. She had more connections to Hogwarts than just the one, and she felt sick to her stomach at the thought that anything had happened to them. And the Ministry. If law enforcement had been brought in, then Bianca knew, at least, if she hadn't been there herself.
As much as Xiulan knew that all of the people she needed to contact to make sure that they were alright had bigger things to worry about, she also knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep soundly until she heard from them. Shakily, Xiulan left her bedroom and found some parchment and a quill, writing the first of the many letters that she knew she would need to send. It wasn't a reply to the client who had contacted her, not at first. Instead, it was to someone else, a friend of hers to whom she owed her life as it currently was, if not her life in its totality.
It hadn't been a full year since Frank had been widowed. Xiulan knew that it would be hard for him regardless of the circumstances at the castle because of that, and she felt for him. She felt worse that she hadn't Seen anything in relation to what had happened. While it was terrifying for her to think about, Xiulan also hated thinking about how she could have done something if only she'd known. That was hindsight for everyone, though, wasn't it?
Upon finishing her letter, she addressed an envelope, slid the letter inside, and sealed it with a circle of gold wax that bore the image of a phoenix. Carefully, then, she instructed Zhurong, her own phoenix, to deliver the letter on her behalf.
OOC: For reference: @frank
After opening the window and taking the envelope, Xiulan saw that was from one of her frequent clients, another Chinese woman like herself. She wasn't the type of person to be sending her anything so late at night. Concerned, Xiulan pried open the envelope without a letter opener and pulled it out and turned on the light on her bedside table. The woman was notifying her of her need to cancel her session for the next day—a little unusual, knowing the woman in question, but emergencies happened. Expecting that there had been a death in the woman's family or something similar, Xiulan continued to read the letter, the sinking feeling inside of her building.
The explanation wasn't what Xiulan had expected at all, and her client was only able to communicate what her teenage son had said that he'd seen when he had spoken to her over the telephone. Hogwarts had gone up in flames, all of it, and the Ministry had been called in. There had been deaths, too, from what he'd said, although Xiulan's client wrote that she wasn't sure how many there had been.
Having read enough to get the idea, Xiulan closed her eyes so that she wouldn't have to read further. She had never set foot inside the castle, yet she felt familiar with it. She had more connections to Hogwarts than just the one, and she felt sick to her stomach at the thought that anything had happened to them. And the Ministry. If law enforcement had been brought in, then Bianca knew, at least, if she hadn't been there herself.
As much as Xiulan knew that all of the people she needed to contact to make sure that they were alright had bigger things to worry about, she also knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep soundly until she heard from them. Shakily, Xiulan left her bedroom and found some parchment and a quill, writing the first of the many letters that she knew she would need to send. It wasn't a reply to the client who had contacted her, not at first. Instead, it was to someone else, a friend of hers to whom she owed her life as it currently was, if not her life in its totality.
Dear Frank,
Please forgive me if Zhurong wakes you with this letter. I just learnt about what happened at Hogwarts this evening, and I am sure that the past few hours have been difficult for everyone. I hope that you and your family are all safe and well. If you need anything at all, please let me know.
With deepest sympathy,
Julia Zhou
It hadn't been a full year since Frank had been widowed. Xiulan knew that it would be hard for him regardless of the circumstances at the castle because of that, and she felt for him. She felt worse that she hadn't Seen anything in relation to what had happened. While it was terrifying for her to think about, Xiulan also hated thinking about how she could have done something if only she'd known. That was hindsight for everyone, though, wasn't it?
Upon finishing her letter, she addressed an envelope, slid the letter inside, and sealed it with a circle of gold wax that bore the image of a phoenix. Carefully, then, she instructed Zhurong, her own phoenix, to deliver the letter on her behalf.
OOC: For reference: @frank
