Home bound [Ophelia]

[Deleted]

Ophelia Mae Teller

It was still odd, even after a few months, to be roommates with Ophelia. To have someone know her secret. Not just knew though, but helped set up the charms to give her a safe space. Clodagh's room in general had protective charms to prevent any animals from getting inside (aside from herself). Inside, as ridiculous as it sounded, there was an old doll house they'd found and repurposed into.. well, a little mouse house if you will. Since Clodagh spent her nights as a mouse she also preferred small and confined spaces. Being in a large (well, normal size) room freaked her out and made her feel exposed. So the little dollhouse worked to keep her at least a little more comfortable when transformed. And thankfully she never slept well enough to miss dawn, and was always able to get out before transforming back.

Like today. she'd transformed back about ten minutes ago. Now, human once more, she sat in the kitchen of the apartment, arms folded and head resting on her arms on the table. Staring at a steaming cup of hot chocolate she'd prepared. She hadn't touched it yet. It always took a while for her.. human appetites to come back. Her jumpiness never went away though. Hearing a sound to her left made her sit bolt upright and her eyes wide as saucers. Only after giving herself a fright did her mind catch up to her body and realize it was Ophelia. She didn't realize immediately but the sight of her roommate obviously settled her nerves a little. "Good morning." She breathed, her voice still sounding a little flustered.

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

A few weeks had passed since that fateful incident, but yet every morning Ophelia woke with a start, her hands automatically pressed against her belly. A belly that was now empty of her precious baby thanks to the accident. Ophelia had taken a leave of absence from her job at Saint Mungos to recover, and as they had been the ones to treat her, they were mercifully understanding. She barely left her bed, and didn’t want to see anyone for very long, a stark contrast to her usual chipper and happy personality. She knew she had not been trying to have a child and that it had been an unexpected surprise, but over the past few months Ophelia had gotten used to the idea of being a mother. Her father and brother had finally come round to the idea, not to mention Koda had been so supportive and caring to her when she had been pregnant. She felt bad about not wanting to see or do anything with really anyone, but she needed more time to recover.

One person she really couldn’t avoid however, was her roommate Clodagh. That was alright though; Clo was sweet and quiet, typically keeping to herself and understanding Ophelia’s need for space in a way not a lot of people could. Clo must have just been transformed back into her human form as Ophie walked out from her bedroom, wearing her dressing robe over a tee shirt, hair rumpled from lying in bed for so long. She stifled a yawn as the other girl bade her a good morning. “Morning,” she said softly, shuffling over to the kettle. “Tea?” she asked distractedly, before realizing Clo had a cup of hot cocoa in front of her. “Sorry,” she mumbled, busying herself with fixing a pot of tea.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

Ophelia Mae Teller

Ophelia looked... about as well as could be expected. Due to the inconvenience of her transformations Clo hadn't heard about the accident until a few days after the fact. It wasn't uncommon to go days without seeing each other, after all. So when Clodagh had found out? Well, saying sorry definitely didn't seem like enough. In fact anything she thought of didn't seem like enough. So, at least she could try to keep some stress off her roommate by keeping the apartment clean, and staying out of Ophelia's way when possible.It didn't seem like much but it was the best she could do. Ophelia being out of bed so early was a good sign though and Clo smiled just a little as she lowered her head back down to rest her chin on the table and stare at the cup again. It still didn't look appealing.

Clodagh's head perked up a bit when Ophelia spoke again, obviously she hadn't considered the possibility. It was a welcome distraction though. "Oh! No... it's okay. Thank you." to no surprise all these words seemed to come out at once, tying Clo's tongue so thoroughly that she didn't even understand what she'd just tried to say. She dropped her head back to the table with a distressed sigh. Why did mornings have to be so hard? "Any plans for today?" instead of trying to salvage her poor attempt at communication before she chose to act as if it hadn't happened and change the subject.

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia looked blankly at Clodagh when she asked if she had any plans for the day. It was a pretty simple question, and one anyone would ask their roommate to pass the time or make a conversation move forward. But it was one Ophelia had no clue how to respond. Since her release from the hospital, Ophelia hadn’t done much except sleep. Both Imogen and Dakota were constantly checking in with her to make sure she was eating and showering so that she didn’t waste away, but other than that Ophie sat in her darkened bedroom, mourning her loss. This morning though, she had woken up with a little less of a heavy heart. The loss of her daughter was still fresh and painful, but she had opened the blinds and thrown open her windows to let in fresh air. She could smell the scent of spring in the air; what month was it anyway? Ophelia had not kept track of the dates since her miscarriage; every day to her had been ‘4 days since I lost Lydia’, and so she just stopped counting.

“I...I might go to a spa, maybe,” she mumbled, finally looking up to meet Clodagh’s eyes. She didn’t know where that idea had come from; she barely knew what she looked like. Was she acceptable to go outside like this? Likely not. “I dunno though, I don’t really think it’s acceptable for me to go out in public looking like this,” she added softly, gesturing to herself. She took another sip of her tea and sighed. “What about you?” she asked Clodagh. Her voice felt strange after weeks of limited use; it was like someone had stuffed fifty cotton balls down her throat for her to swallow.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

Ophelia Mae Teller

Oh... that had been the wrong question to ask, hadn't it? Clodagh had no idea what that look Ophelia was giving her was supposed to mean, but it couldn't be good, could it? But then again, Ophelia was going through a trauma, and trauma made people do odd things.

Eventually though Ophelia answered and Clodagh let our the breath she'd been holding in relief."That sounds like fun!" she blurted out quickly, to keep the topic rolling on something positive. But then Ophelia mentioned her appearance.. and a truly confused look appeared on Clo's face. "pajamas aren't normal public attire, but you can always change." Of course Clodagh had missed the actual problem. To be fair, she wasn't an overly fashionable person herself so presentable to her included any clean clothes you owned and taking a shower so you didn't smell.

As for herself... Clodagh looked away and embarrassingly scratched the end of her nose. "I have to meet with my publisher later." it wasn't exactly a secret that Clodagh was a writer. At least to people close to her. Ophelia would have known due to living together. But what most people didn't know was that she wasn't just an aspiring writer. The girl had a few books published now, but she didn't publish under her own name. she was simply to awkward to want people to know what books she'd written.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia looked out the window of their flat, a distant look on her face. “Yes, I could change,” she mused softly. She turned back to look at Clodagh, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. The girl in front of her held a dark secret, one that Ophie was privy to but not many others. “It was a girl,” she said, feeling one of the tears splash down her cheek. “I was going to name her Lydia, after my mother. But I suppose now my mother is caring for her….wherever the spirits go,” she added, sniffling. Knowing she was about to break loose, Ophie turned away and rushed into her room, locking the door behind her. She held a pillow to her face and screamed into it. Some days she felt defeated, others inconsolable. She had to pick herself back up though; if anything she needed to find justice for Lydia. Koda had run off to the continent, and while Ophelia couldn’t blame him, she still held some resentment towards his decision. She had her family, her jobs, her life here, even though she hadn’t been doing a great job at living the past few weeks. Still, she had a lot to live for, and she wouldn’t get anywhere by staying in her pajamas refusing to run a brush through her hair.

Ophelia let the pillow fall from her hands and she took a few deep breaths. Her belly was beginning to go down; her doctors told her with proper diet and exercise it could still take months to go back to the way she was, as she had been very close to her due date when she had miscarried. She rubbed her hands over her face and sighed. She walked back out of her bedroom and looked directly at Clo. “Do you want to come with me to the spa? I could use a friend,” she said. And a shower, but she’d tend to that after she got a response from Clodagh.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

A siren was going off in Clodagh's head the moment Ophelia's eyes watered and she revealed the gender of the lost child. The emotions tugged painfully at Clo's heart strings and her flight response was screaming to run. Before tears actually stated falling. But it seemed instead of taking off she remained rooted, unable to think straight enough to even move. The siren just kept getting louder, screaming at her to run away from the intense emotions. Ophelia beat her to it though, locking herself in her room and... well, Clo had no idea what she was doing but she finally let out the breath she'd been holding long enough to start feeling light headed. It wasn't a good idea to suffocate herself after all!

Clodagh cautiously, her gaze periodically flickering to the door, finally took a few sips from her hot beverage. As if wary Ophelia might burst out with the same flamboyance at any moment and scare the life out of her. Ophelia did come out eventually, and Clodagh thankfully hadn't been holding her mug at the time so her slight jump of start didn't spill its contents. The question was quite direct and thankfully not drowning in despair. Still, Clo's eyes were wide as saucers at the question. "I... okay, yeah." Not the smoothest recovery she'd ever had, but at least it was understandable.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia offered her roommate a small smile. “Well then, it’s decided,” she declared, putting on a happy face. She was still sad of course, as she was allowed to be. The loss of a child is not something everyone could understand unless they had been through the unspeakably torturous experience themselves. Her mother used to say, children without parents are orphans, spouses without their partners are widows or widowers, but there is no word for a parent who has lost their child. She supposed it was this that was the final, driving nail in the coffin of her relationship with Dakota; whatever he was doing right now she hoped he was well at least.

“We should get going then,” Ophelia said after a few minutes. She waited mutely for Clodagh to get ready before leading her out of the house and down the road. “My brothers’ girlfriend suggested this place; she’s a halfblood like we are and her mother is some London socialite,” she told Clodagh. They walked in silence the few blocks down the lane before Ophelia turned right. “Here it is,” she said, pointing to the Spa’s pale blue sign. It was separate from the rest of the shops, and was far longer than it was wide. Ophelia supposed they had the treatments or whatever in the back. She and Clodagh stepped inside and she went to the front desk. She paused suddenly, as if slightly afraid of human interaction. “Are you Ophelia Teller?” the receptionist asked suddenly, making her jump. “Oh, yes I am,” she said, tugging on Clo’s sleeve. “We’re both here to-” the receptionist was already nodding, smiling at her. “Yes Yes, Madeline called in ahead to say you’d be arriving. She’s booked plenty of appointments, and she said you’re not to worry about the cost.” Wordlessly, Ophelia put back her wallet. She couldn’t help but smile; her brother did know her better than he let on sometimes, and his girlfriend intuitively understood that the spa was meant to be shared with a friend. With that, Ophelia turned to Clodagh. “Where should we begin?” she asked.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

You'd think from Clodagh's current expression that Ophelia's emotional changes from somber to depressed to happy must have given the skittish woman whiplash. She just stared at her roommate for several mute moments, her mind trying to catch up with what was actually happening. Not only had it been decided they would go to the spa, it was also decided that they would be going now. Clo closed her slightly gapping mouth and nodded before scurrying off to her room. Wearing pajamas in public wasn't the best idea after all! But what did you wear to a spa? Throwing on a rather plain outfit and pulling her hair up in a ponytail she returned to the kitchen only a few minutes later. Falling into step beside her roommate she let the other young woman lead the way. "I didn't know you had a brother." she answered. Itnwssnt that surprising. She didn't know a lot of people.

The spa was an unusual place. Walking in Clo knew she'd never been anywhere like it. She was still gawking st the decorations as Ophelia got then checked in, only turning back when she was addressed. "Who's Madeline?" she asked curiously before realizing she'd been the one being asked a question. "Oh. Uh... I don't know. I've never been to a spa before. What do they have?"

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia couldn’t help it, she smiled at Clodaghs’ awe and obvious out-of-place feeling at the spa. “That’s alright Clo, why don’t we start off slow,” she suggested, letting out a soft giggle. She knew Clo would know she wasn’t making fun of her, but just trying to get her acclimated to the spa. “Let’s start with massages, they have a pretty interesting set here,” Ophelia decided, plucking a brochure and pointing to the Color Therapy Massages. “Each color invokes a different emotion; they mix color and scent to invoke positive emotions and leave you feeling energized and ready to take on the day...or on our case next spa treatment,” she explained.

Ophelia looked down at the pamphlet and smiled a little sadly. “My..my mum used to believe whole-heartedly in color therapy massages; she was all about the inner aura being nurtured,” she added with a soft chuckle. Lydia Teller had been all about crystals, incense and meditation; she could almost picture her here with her right now, long straight hair down to her waist, explaining patiently to a younger Ophelia about the different colors each emotion projects. It wasn’t surprising that she had so willingly accepted the idea of a wizarding world when she met and fell in love with her father. “Shall we?” Ophelia gestured towards the door leading to the back, indicating Clodagh could go before her.

@clodagh

spa treatments!

[Deleted]

Slow. Slow was good. Because honestly? Clodagh felt like her head might explode trying to understand even half of this stuff and what was going on. SHe'd never been the sort of person to go to a spa. IT was just so.... intimidating. Was it normal to be scared of a spa? The brochure in Ophelia's hands helped because it gave her something to focus on that wasn't everything around her. Something that actually made sense; words. She was good with written words. Unfortunately as she read it she realized that somehow she didn't understand half of what the brochure explained. Color therapy? Why was she envisioning melted crayons? That couldn't be what color therapy was.. right?

The distraction of Ophelia's mother being mentioned was welcome though, even though Clodagh didn't head the melancholy in the woman's voice. But something about inner auras... And at that point Clodagh wondered if she'd get a headache from all these foreign concepts. God, she was a terrible woman. Shouldn't she know these things? "I... I supposed? I'm sorry, I'm not really the best at.... any of this. You'll have to walk me through it all..." She quietly voiced her concerns, but moved none the less towards the door that Ophelia had motioned to. Why was her heart racing right now? Was a spa really so scary to jump her heart rate?

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia could almost feel Clodagh’s awkward discomfort, and she smiled sympathetically at her. “Let’s start even more simply then, with manicures and pedicures,” she said softly, reaching over and touching Clo’s arm gently before looking at the receptionist, who nodded that the change could be arranged. “You know what that is right?” she added teasingly, giggling a little to make sure Clo knew she was joking around with her. She tugged on her roommates’ sleeve and they were led to a room with two buttery leather chairs with soaking tubs. Ophelia removed her shoes and climbed into the one on the left. She perused the different colors of polish, wondering if she should go classic or bold. “I’ll go with this bubblegum pink,” she decided; maybe a pop of color would help her psyche out.

She placed her feet into the bubbling water and sighed a little from the satisfying feeling it gave her. “I could just keep my feet in here all day,” she declared, looking over at Clodagh. She was silent for a few minutes as the pedicurist began work on her feet, before bringing up a little something she had noticed on the kitchen table yesterday morning. “So Clo, who is the mysterious suitor those flowers were from?” Ophelia asked, a sly grin forming on her face. Ophie had received a lot of flowers over the past few weeks, but when she had opened the card to the bouquet of multi-colored roses she had discovered they had been sent to Clodagh. “What’s his name, where’d you meet him,” she pressed, interested and glad to hear Clo had someone in her life; she deserved it after all.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

"I know what those are." Clodagh blurted out extremely quickly, to the point her words were almost blending together but thankfully still discernable for anyone that was familiar with her behavior. She shouldn't have been been so.... proud of that realization that she knew something about pampering, but she did. The girl just wasn't the sort to do this sort of thing, so it really was an accomplishment. And she was completely oblivious to the fact that Ophelia had been teasing when she asked if Clodagh knew what manicures and pedicures were. The room they went into was... not exactly familiar but less intimidating them some of the other ideas that had been rattled off before.

Taking a moment to eye all the colors, Clodagh finally settled with a pastel blue before following her flatmate's example by removing her shoes and taking a seat in the other chair, easing her feet into the warm water. Clo barely managed to hold in a content sigh as she relaxed in the chair, nodding in agreement. When the pedicurist started though, it took a lot of self control not to laugh and to hold her foot still. That feeling only intensified when Ophelia mentioned the flowers and her face turned beat red. "I.... I don't-" She tried at first to deny it, but she knew she was cornered. That was a rather.... extravagent bouquet. And she was endlessly embarrassed Aerick had sent it. "It's... Aerick." She mumbled, shy about admitting aloud that she did have a suitor.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia giggled a little at Clodagh’s outbursts. “I figured you may,” she said, settling herself into the chair and letting out a groan of relief. Her bed was comfortable of course - why else would she have waited to leave the solace of it until now - but it was nice to sit in a buttery leather chair, her feet in a swirling hot tub of warm water. She reached over and turned on the massage control on the chair and closed her eyes, just savoring the moment.

Her eyes reopened and she looked over knowingly at Clo as she tried to stammer out that the flowers were nothing, from no one. Ha! Please, Ophelia had received flowers over the years from a variety of people; she could tell when flowers were a little more than nothing. Finally, she relented and Ophie raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Aerick Adler? That devilishly handsome bartender over at Club Indigo?” Good for Clo; Ophie had flirted with Aerick the few times she had ventured into Club Indigo, but nothing had ever come of it. “Well done you,” she said approving, trying not to giggle as the pedicurist began to polish her foot with a pumice stone. “And how long has it been going on for?” she asked, curious to know all the details of this mysterious American bartender.


@clodagh

[Deleted]

Clodagh wasn't the sort of girl to.... date. Or receive flowers from suitors. Once they knew her personality she scared off most people that might have tried to woo her. It'd been a shock when the flowers in question had shown up at the apartment. It just... she wasn't that sort of girl. Why would anyone want to send her flowers? And yet he had. And it sent her stomach in all sorts of knots thinking about it. It was an oddly good feeling though, despite how embarrassing it might be. Clodagh's gaze was focused intently on her hands, picking at a hang nail as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world but really she was trying to hide her increasingly reddening cheeks. "Yes..." She squeaked out when Ophelia mentioned Aerick's last name. Of course Ophelia knew who he was. He was devilishly handsome, too. A fact that made her so flustered she sometimes forgot how to breath.

Clodagh dared to look up at the approving words, looking thoroughly surprised behind those intensely blushed cheeks. Was it good for her? She opened her mouth to say something but closed it almost immediately and bit her lip. He was too good for her. And perfect, charming, smart, handsome, confident... Realistically she was so inferior to him that he shouldn't even know she existed. And yet... here they were. "How long has what been going on?" she finally managed to ask, her own obliviousness and naivety showing.. As she didn't exactly know what to call this whole thing with Aerick.

Ophelia Mae Teller