Bleach Bath [Diana]

[aurelia edith flint]

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September 2nd, 2026

“Fuck me,” Rusti swore loudly. A bag of specialized mulch hung empty and loose in her hands, the bottom ripped open along a seam that she hadn’t realized was barely hanging on by a literal thread. The momentum from the sudden evacuation of mulch had caused it to swing inwards toward her, allowing for the majority of the dirt to go down her front, instantly clinging to her jeans and finding every single recess within her shoes. She only had herself to blame, because this was exactly why picking up bags and boxes from the bottom was a thing. Too many chances of improper packaging or loose folds in deliveries, and once it was in her hands it was her responsibility and her money lost if stuff broke or spilled. So having an entire bag of expensive mulch that was tailored for a rather voracious flytrap go askew across herself and the floor was not the greatest thing in the world. Magic could fix a lot, fortunately, but she still needed a new bag or jar to put it all into and would have to label it appropriately so she and Penelope wouldn’t accidentally use it for other plants. Using it on an untested flower had the chances of mutating it due to the magical components that were inside the mulch, and she was not risking that again. It made her adventures across the island of Yrisle look tame. Once had been enough for a lifetime.

Flicking her wand aggressively towards a stack of buckets that had sat in the storage area in perpetuity, one zoomed right up to. She winced as the hard plastic handle swung into her ankle, hitting the nub on the side of her leg. The string of curse words that wanted to come out of her then and there were bit back, reminding herself that using any of them in any fashion would have once led to a rage from her mother that had the potential to last days if it really put her in a mood. Basically it still scared her to utter them under certain conditions, and swearing up a storm in her store, while absolutely allowed, didn’t have a good look if a customer wandered in at that exact moment. And customers always found a way to do just that.

An awkward side-eye glance at the door told her that she was safe for now, though she still had a pile of mulch on her feet to clean up. Spinning her wand around the lump covering her feet, it was lifted into the air and dumped into the bucket. A majority of the mulch filled it to the brim after a couple more wand movements, but there was still a fine film of dirt on the floor and wedged into the crevices of her shoes. She could even feel it trying to clog up the area between the top of her foot and the inside of the shoe. How had it managed to do that without her moving at all? Stepping onto the heel of one of her shoes, she pried it off and stood like a flamingo as she began to shake the mulch out of it and into the bucket. Of course the door to the shop had to open right at that moment too.

diana eoina bainbridge ● 555 ● It's Not Too Late by Skott

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[diana eoina bainbridge]

I remember long ago

when the sun was shining

September 2, 2026
aurelia edith flint

Even as the days passed and turned into weeks and months, Diana still didn’t feel normal. It was strange having any kind of freedom. Penelope and Cara had helped Diana look for a job. She’d admitted to Cara that she’d basically been sustaining herself off illegal work out of necessity. So now, she worked part-time at Merlin’s Mystical Museum of Magic in Wales. It was calming work, plus she had not visited the museum since she’d been small, and she enjoyed reading about the artifacts the Cursebreakers brought back from abroad. It was much better than meeting in seedy bars and taking the risk of modifying some object that belonged in the museum or some dark potion.

But secrets would always be a part of her life, every once in a while, Ondina dropped by the Museum with Renard or one of her cousins, but she always gave Diana a knowing look. Plus, Diana still needed the money to save up, so, unfortunately, she was still doing that work. It was too lucrative to pass up. But she didn’t tell her younger sisters such things, even Cara. But, she finished her shift at the museum, and she’d been promising Penelope that she would stop by and see where she was working now. Despite the months that had passed, Diana had not had a chance yet.

So she apparated back into London and walked, watching the stones beneath her feet as she did. It was a more peaceful walk than the past years, something she had still not accustomed to. Opening the door, she paused at the sight before her. The floor was dirty, and a blonde girl stood with her shoe over a bucket. ”Oh—I’m sorry. I’m looking for my sister.” The store was open. At least the sign outside said it was, but she could always come back at a later time. The girl was familiar, though, not that Diana had held onto many close friends from school.

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[aurelia edith flint]

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There wasn’t much recognition for the woman that entered the shop on Rusti’s part, but hearing her state that she was there looking for her sister certainly helped. This was Diana Bainbridge. Rusti was positive that she hadn’t seen this one since graduation, maybe even before that. Everything had blurred together during that final term and she had been too busy getting her ducks in a row (and financial situation). Saying that Penelope looked like the twins would be a lie – though Rusti thought there was definitely more of a resemblance to Cara than to Diana. Without the lead though, she wouldn’t have guessed who this was or how she was associated to Penelope. It also helped with process of elimination in figuring out which Bainbridge this was: Cara was easy enough to find walking around Diagon Alley, and Rusti had seen her plenty of times at work at Fortescue’s or browsing the shelves of Flourish & Blotts. She’d stopped in once or twice as well since the younger Bainbridge started working, though always on days where it had just been Rusti. To say their relationship was less than acquaintances would be overselling it. She could only assume that both of them had grown tired of the constant confusion over the years at school, and that mutual understanding led to this.

“Errrm…she’s not in right now,” Rusti said as she wobbled a bit in her flamingo-stance. Quickly sliding the emptied shoe back onto her foot, she patted her hands off on the back of her pants and did her best to sort of physically block the mess she had made. There wasn’t going to be any convincing done, considering the large amount of dirt on her front side, but it was at least an attempt. “I could take down a message for her if you’d like? Diana, right?”

diana eoina bainbridge ● 308 ● Malade by Coeur de Pirate

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[diana eoina bainbridge]

I remember long ago

when the sun was shining

September 2, 2026
aurelia edith flint

Diana felt sure she was in the right place. And the blonde hadn’t shooed her out of the store, in any case. She had also had to contend with the consequences of her own actions. Disappearing as she had for the last two years had resulted in people not knowing that Penelope or Peyton had another sister aside from Kinsey and Cara. It hurt—plain and simple. The Metamorphmagus, while being born with Bainbridge features, didn’t always display them or the trademark family blonde hair. Her abilities were at the mercy of her moods, which still shifted quickly from happy to anxious and then to whatever was next.

”Right…” A slight look of disappointment appeared on her face. Of course, the one time she finally made it over to the shop and Penelope wasn’t there. ”Yes…and you’re Rusti, right?” Diana hoped she had gotten that right. Penny had mentioned her new boss was also a twin—but the girls had rhyming names, which seemed like a confusing way to name children. Her own parents had rarely called Cara or Diana by the wrong name. Still, the triplets were another story, and occasionally Dustin was called Cara, Diana, or Kinsey when their mother was overwhelmed. ”No, it's alright. I’ll see her at home. She’s been wanting time to stop by and see where she worked, and I finally had some time today.”

It seemed messy, and Diana tried to think back and see when her sister had gained a liking to herbology. Or maybe she had just not noticed as she was caught up in her own problems. There wasn’t much to do if Penelope wasn’t here, but then she saw a flower out of the corner of her eye and the most interesting combination of pink, orange, and off-white on the petals. Diana had seen a lot in her work the past couple of years, but her curiosity was peaked. ”What kind of flower is that?” She asked, not looking back at the blonde instead of taking steps into the shop and walking toward the plant, only observing it for now. It was the curiosity of something new and the color, as a Metamorphmagus colors fascinated her.

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[aurelia edith flint]

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There was dirt that had slid off of the tongue of the shoe and all the way down to the toe, so when she slid it back on, she felt it wiggling in between her toes. Bad day to wear toe-socks apparently. At least that separated her foot from the dirt. Surely it was going to annoy her as long as it was in there, but she couldn't exactly extract it right now. Penelope's sister had already seen her with her shoe off once, doing so again would probably make it look like she had a thing for taking her shoes off in front of people. There were enough weird rumors about her and the Flint family. Adding one about a foot fetish was absolutely not going to happen.

"In the flesh. Back from the dead." It amused her to bring her little disappearing act up around people. Acting like it was such a horrible thing being gone for an entire month. She hadn't had the chance to talk with Isla since then, though she would have to eventually to explain a few things she'd done in the older woman's body on accident. Like breaking into her own store. Her life felt like a constant joke sometimes, with a comedian adding more ridiculous things onto it each time she managed to jump or dodge out of the way of the last one. Diana remembering her name and not calling her Dusti was a surprise in that regard. Maybe that was a twin thing; knowing that other twins dealt with mistaken identity a lot and remembering names of others to make up for it.

Diana stated that she'd see Penelope at home and Rusti half expected her to just turn around and leave. A brief encounter would have been perfect right now considering she still needed to clean up the mess she'd made. Instead, the older Bainbridge girl stepped towards a flower and asked what it was. "An acromantula catcher," Rusti responded easily. "See that thing that looks like a pouch in the center? Potionmakers used to use it to collect the venom from acromantulas with it. It's impervious to the toxins. Now that we have vials readily available, they're more for show."

diana eoina bainbridge ● 372 ● Lush by Casilio

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[diana eoina bainbridge]

I remember long ago

when the sun was shining

September 2, 2026
aurelia edith flint

Diana paused. She’d read something about that in the papers but had pushed it to the back of her mind considering her constant state of survival for the past few years. There wasn’t much that ever stuck out unless it could be helpful. Sarah had told Diana about the island though she’d found it fascinating that she had gotten to escort the Druid leader to such a place. Elaine had certainly been pleased to have one of hers in such an important place. ”Right. I think I read that.” Diana commented quietly. ”Erm—are you okay…from all that?”

What an awkward thing to ask or talk about. That must have been awful for Rusti’s family as well. Diana felt a bit of guilt since she’d just up and disappeared on her family for lengths of time as well. Had they wondered if she would ever come back? But soon, Diana was distracted by an interesting flower. The color fascinated her. And suddenly, her hair shifted back to its natural blonde. But sometimes, she hardly noticed when it would happen. It depended so much on her mood at that moment. As an excitable child, Diana had been prone to her hair rapidly changing color all the time. Rusti explained what kind of plant it was, and Diana listened intently. ”That’s really cool. I always liked Herbology but didn’t really have a knack for it.” Diana admitted. Charms and Magical Theory had been her strengths.

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[aurelia edith flint]

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Being ‘okay’ about her little disappearing act (or rather her body swap) was definitely up for interpretation still. She personally found it hilarious how everyone that spoke to her while she was stuck in Isla’s body refused to believe that such a thing was possible. They still didn’t, as her colleague had been stuck on the island the entire time and couldn’t really say one way or another about what had happened. Rusti hadn’t talked to her since they returned safely to London in their own bodies, and she sort of figured that was how things were going to be. At least no one else that had gone to the island had dealt with the same experience yet. An unending Polyjuice potion. That was the only way she could really describe it. Glad that it was over, she often wondered if she could have managed to live the rest of her life as Isla. Moving somewhere else to avoid running into either of their acquaintances was part of the plan she had developed when it seemed like all hope had been lost. From there she could resume her name, just in Isla’s body. Merlin that would have sucked. “Never better. Second lease on life sort of thing I guess. Didn’t even know I’d been gone for three months,” Rusti lied with a smile.

Diana’s comment about liking herbology but not being good at it wasn’t uncommon. A lot of students had liked being outside and getting their hands into dirt and mulch, similar to how some enjoyed working with magical creatures. But it wasn’t for everyone. So many magical plants were dangerous if handled incorrectly. Just like how she would never try to be a potioneer past what was required for her work. “It’s a surprisingly small field,” she commented, dragging a finger gently across one of the petals of the acromantuala catcher. “But a lot of our day to day necessities require plants still.” Plus, normal flowers were awesome to look at. The garden in behind the Flint mansion had been her escape for as long as she could remember. Making her store feel the same way was her way of having a comfort space. Sharing it with customers was the least she could do.

diana eoina bainbridge ● 376 ● song by artist

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[diana eoina bainbridge]

I remember long ago

when the sun was shining

September 2, 2026
aurelia edith flint

Diana didn’t know many other metamorphmagi, in fact, only one came to mind, but it had been some time since she’d interacted with that one in Knockturn. It had always been abundantly clear that Diana didn’t wear her heart on her sleeve as much as on her head. When the blonde returned, that was typically a good sign. Intrigue, curiosity, comfort—they brought back the colors that were less extreme and more natural. Rusti insisted she was fine, and Diana wasn’t sure if she believed her or just wanted to avoid an awkward conversation about such an emotional topic with this perfect stranger. ”Right. Well I’m glad it all worked out. That can’t have been easy.”

A different type of imprisonment, Diana’s heart sank just slightly. It wasn’t a feeling she’d ever wanted anyone to feel. Plants required patience, and while Diana always had persistence, she hadn’t always had patience. ”Does it have any other uses?” Her mind thought of possibilities—perhaps some potion application rather than the potion’s ingredients? A few of Diana’s detentions had been due to a potion gone wrong. Well, wrong in her professor’s eyes, but she just thought of it as repurposing the potion’s ingredients to change the effect. ”Erm—like with potions or anything?” Diana realized she was beginning her hundred questions which happened when she was curious. ”Sorry for all the questions.” It was an instinctual apology, a habit, really. Diana didn’t want to take up too much of her time.

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[aurelia edith flint]

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If only Diana Bainbridge actually knew how difficult it had been. That was maybe the understatement of her life so far. Rusti shrugged though, still trying to play off the lie that she didn't know what had happened at all during that time. "Could have been worse I guess." Like the ghosts of her parents coming back from the dead and haunting her, or how her half-siblings from each parent had decided to get married due to their mutually shared trauma of losing her. Wait, the second one actually happened didn't it? Yeah that had been sort of shitty to return to. Diana didn't need to know that though.

As for the acromantula catcher, it was unfortunately not the most interesting plant in the world anymore. Sidelined to being a set piece more than useful in potions, it was sort of how she used to feel growing up: dressed up and told to smile so everyone was blissfully unaware about what was actually happening in the Flint household. At least the plant had a function at one point, because she certainly felt like she didn't sometimes. "Not that I'm aware of," she responded as she checked the soil it was in. "It works like regular pitcher plants though, so if you have an insect problem it'll take care of them without a problem." Which was why she had it in the shop, aside from it being nice to look at. All of her plants being in such tight quarters was basically begging for begs to appear at all times. It came with the career, but she thankfully had ways of dealing with them.

"I'd rather answer questions about plants than the normal drivel customers usually come in with," Rusti answered a lot more aggressively than she had meant to. She enjoyed minimal talking when it came to purchases. Unless someone had a question about what would look good for an event or a specific function of a magical plant, she didn't care to hear about the lives that others led. It was useless fluff that everyone followed through with, and she was pretty sure everyone also mutually hated it. Just talking to the other shopkeepers in Horizont, it sounded like she wasn't all that crazy feeling the way she did sometimes. "Hopefully life hasn't thrown anything too ridiculous at you yet." Personally, she was exhausted from it all. All she wanted to do now was run her shop in peace.

diana eoina bainbridge ● 410 ● song by artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[diana eoina bainbridge]

I remember long ago

when the sun was shining

September 2, 2026
aurelia edith flint

Diana could only feel thankful that the surreptitious parts of her past and life were not out in public. A sense of awkwardness and guilt typically accompanied the topic. She could only imagine the shame growing if more people knew. So Diana didn't pry further on the topic. Maybe Rusti was tired of people asking or bringing it up. Diana nodded with a light shrug, unsure of what to say on the matter. If Penelope was Rusti's only employee, then that was lucky. She was a sweet girl and wasn't one to pry or make anyone feel uncomfortable.

Rusti approached the plant to inspect the pot and the soil. Diana watched her with curiosity. She'd never had the patience to check every little thing, at least not while at school, which accounted for a few of her mishaps. Though a few others, she could blame on equally curious housemates. " Oh. Well, that's good." The idea of such a lovely flower once being so useful and popular now left to sit alone in a corner made Diana sad. Nobody should be treated like some throwaway pawn in a chess game. But as Rusti explained, the acromantula catcher still had a vital role to play. " I'm sure that's very useful."

Diana raised an eyebrow slightly. While she had dealt with many different characters over the past couple of years, it was still different than 'normal' customers. And she'd stood quietly in dark corners enough to observe just how rude and boring people could be. "I think people have a tendency to get…tunnel vision." Diana looked away as she thought of the proper word or term for it. Tunnel vision seemed to be it. A singular focus and goal in mind, and nothing else mattered. Her eyes glanced back when Rusti spoke again. The tunnel-visioned, greedy people came to mind. The ones she created contraband for, though a little less now. Not that it had been the worst part of everything. Still, she paused slightly in hesitation before answering.

" Nothing I couldn't move past." She didn't intend to sound so vague. Hopefully, it didn't seem too ominous. Diana crossed her arms loosely and looked at some other plants near the acromantula catcher, a question popping into her mind as the perfect distraction to where this conversation had shifted. ”Is there a…strategy for placing the plants?” Surely, an aggressive plant could not be placed next to a delicate one. If Cara were here, she would probably roll her eyes or grab Diana by the arm and drag her out of the shop before she reached one hundred questions. Just like old times.

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[aurelia edith flint]

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Aurelia didn't want every single insect in her greenhouse and shop to be exterminated as some were useful to the ecosystem she'd created. But there were some that she absolutely didn't want, and the magic pitcher plant did an excellent job at luring those specific bugs in and eating them. "It is," she said briefly, stepping back to observe her work. This plant had definitely been a lifesaver from the start. It came on the recommendation from one of the herbologists she'd studied under. While a brief training period, self-study did tend to work better for this field. And she had picked up on how to run her shop rather quickly. Even if the will had been changed and she hadn't ended up with the money to fund all of this, the route of being a herbologist would have eventually led her to this. Albeit in probably twenty to thirty years.

"Tunnel vision, incorrect plant names...could you stand back a couple feet? Aurelia asked as she pulled a large grub out to toss at the acromantula catcher. "They're messy eaters." She also gave the plant a bit of room before throwing the grub the plant's way, landing it right in the mouth. An audible snap was heard and a thick, green goo seeped out from between the plant's jaws. Of course this would happen, these things were strong enough to kill acromantulas.

Diana was rather vague about what she'd been up to, but it wasn't like she owed Aurelia an answer. This was maybe the most they'd ever spoken anyways. "That's good," she responded neutrally. When it came to the plant placement, there was sort of a strategy. "They compete for space, so. have to keep them separated. Which helps with keeping insects away throughout the shop." As she finished speaking, the door to the shop jingled open. Aurelia arched her neck to see if she could get a view of who entered, but a large branch from a plant obstructed her view. "If you'll excuse me for a moment," she asked Diana before patting her hands off on her pants and headed towards the front of the shop to find out what was going on.

diana eoina bainbridge ● 366 ● song by artist

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[diana eoina bainbridge]

I remember long ago

when the sun was shining

September 2, 2026
aurelia edith flint

Diana took steps back as requested, though extra since she wasn’t sure what Aurelia was doing now. She wondered how many customers would have been disgusted or alarmed at the sight of the plant crushing its food. But Diana was fascinated. It was more powerful than she imagined, but the name gave it away. But seeing was believing, she supposed. Diana imagined at least two of the twins, Kinsey and Cara, would all be turned away at a minimum.

There would probably never be a good time in the rest of Diana’s life when she could ever explain her last few years. Nor did she want to. It was enough that she scrutinized herself constantly over it. Telling herself that there were loopholes to the vow or she’d missed a clear opportunity. But it only made her miserable to do so. Plus, the scrutiny of people since the group was connected to such horrible acts. Aurelia’s answer made sense. Diana focused on the thoughts to not let her mind run wild with thoughts. She’d never really thought of the insects when it came to Herbology. It was one of those details that probably was overlooked. Instinctively, Diana also looked toward the door when the bell rang. ”I should get going anyway. It was nice to meet you.” Diana hadn’t found her sister but had met her boss. She walked past the customer and grabbed the door before it closed.

[ end diana ]

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