a helping hand? | kaylee

[zenevieva mira novell]

uhm . . .

Sunday, November 24th was supposed to be a normal day for Zenevieva Novell. A day filled with books to read, homework to complete and even challenge herself with a couple of charms and spells she had recently learned. But instead, the Novell stood within the opening streets of Hogsmeade, having taken a train from Hogwarts directly and stood on the side of the street, a small novel resting in her hands. Kaylee had sent many owls for Zenevieva in the past few weeks along with turning up in the classes that the two didn’t share to giggle around the idea of…shopping. Shopping wasn’t one thing that Zenevieva particularly hated, nor did she tend to enjoy it, it was more so…fifty-fifty.

As she stood, with her navy jumper wrapped fit snug on her thin figure while her black jacket rested comfortably, Zen looked up with every pass-byer, hoping to see Kaylee eventually. The cold seemed to nip upon the Novell girl’s skin but somehow it didn’t bother her. Just like the many other times the winter air would do so. ”It shouldn’t take this long…” Zenevieva mumbled to herself, turning another page to her novel. In her pocket, an important owl alongside Kaylee’s many sent owls rested, in which confirmed her place within the Blishwick Blind Date Roulette. At first, Zenevieva had no clue to why she decided to sign up, nor did she have any confidence to actually talk to anyone.

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai & short but i hope this works!

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

Getting Zenevieva Novell to go shopping was a feat, but Kaylee was proud to say that she had accomplished half the battle by getting Zen to join her in Hogsmeade. It was totally valid, though, because the both of them would need something nice to wear at some point in the following month.

Ever since Ellie had mentioned the blind date that she had gone on over the summer, Kaylee had toyed with the idea for herself. She wasn't looking for someone to spend the rest of her life with quite yet, but the thought of going on a blind date with somebody, even if it just turned out to be a friend thing, was kind of cool. When she had found out that the opportunity to put her information in had arisen, she did—and encouraged Zen to do the same. The half-vampire needed to come out of her shell just a little, and the date thing seemed like an interesting way to do it. Besides, if it somehow led to a relationship for Zen, that would be even better.

Hogsmeade, anyway, was pretty cool, as Kaylee had found out from her first trip there. Although it was technically a village, there was plenty to do—and one place in particular where Kaylee was aiming to go. C'est La Vie Boutique was apparently the place for clothing, and it was worth visiting if they wanted to find something good.

Even getting Zen to ditch her usual sweaters, though, would be a challenge—so much so that Kaylee was hardly considering finding a dress for the now-Ravenclaw. That would be a miracle, Kaylee thought as she walked down into the village from the path that led to the grounds of Hogwarts.

Zen had already arrived in Hogsmeade by the time that she got there, and it wasn't hard for her to spot the pale brunette with the book in hand. "Hi, Zen!" Kaylee smiled, trying to remain chipper in spite of how cold it had become outside. In addition to the multiple layers of No-Maj clothing she was wearing, she kept her Slytherin scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. "Sorry I'm a little late. There were so many people leaving the castle. You ready?"

zenevieva mira novell

[zenevieva mira novell]

uhm . . .

The sound of her friend arriving led to Zenevieva jumping slightly at the sound of her voice. ”Oh…Kaylee. You’re finally here.” The Novell listened to the apology that left her friend’s lips and smiled softly, tugging against the blue scarf that rested around her neck; tightening it gently to keep the warmth within the half-vampire…somehow. With a nod, Zen closed her book and pulled her bag in front of her so it rested against her thigh, shoving the book she was once reading inside of it. ”Ready as always.”

For weeks on end, Kaylee hadn’t shut up about going to Hogsmeade to spend the day there. From her own knowledge, Zenevieva knew that Hogsmeade was an interesting village that students spent a certain weekend there enjoying their time shopping or chilling out in the pubs around. From her mother’s stories, it was a place that her mother had gone with her own friends and even her aunts and uncles too. Even though Zenevieva was only a sixth year, she still regretted not being able to visit the village somehow earlier due to her living circumstances in America.

”Where exactly are we going today?” She knew the purpose of being in the small village, considering Kaylee refused to shut up about the upcoming event. From the things that Zenevieva soon discovered, Ellie had too taken part in the blind date over the summer and seemed to have the time of her life. The Novell soon thought about her options and while she was unsure of falling in love so soon, she surely enough wanted more friends – or even possibly someone to flirt with. It was something rather bold for the brunette to think of but her mind and actions were two separate things.

”I mean I know we’re shopping but I’m just gonna pick out another cute sweater…” She rambled on. To Zenevieva, a ’cute sweater’ meant another shade of navy blue to follow the colours of her Ravenclaw house to match her dark jeans and the many comfortable Converse or Vans sneakers she owned.

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

Kaylee felt as though she always seemed to catch Zenevieva by surprise. It wasn't that hard to do, she supposed, considering that Zen was usually immersed in some book or another. Pulling her back into the real world was sometimes challenging, and that appeared to be the case this time, too. Kaylee knew better than to blame Zen for being so jumpy, though, imagining that she would have been, too, if she were in her place. Being shy and a half-vampire hadn't boded well for Zen back at Ilvermorny, mostly where other people were concerned.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Kaylee apologized to Zen as she jumped and mentioned that she was finally there. She watched, too, as Zen put away her current read and signaled that she was ready to go.

"Where exactly are we going today?"

"Okay, so there's this place called C'est La Vie Boutique," Kaylee began, "and I guess it's pretty new and has, like, a lot of really nice stuff." It seemed like the best place to shop for clothing in Hogsmeade, without a doubt; she just hoped that C'est La Vie wouldn't be too far out of her price range, either.

Zen then voiced that, while she knew that they were going to be shopping, she was just going to buy another cute sweater, anyway.

"l promise I'm not going to make you buy anything crazy!" Kaylee giggled. For Zen, though, anything other than a navy blue sweater was probably pushing the limits of what she was willing to purchase. "Just, like, a red sweater… Maroon or something…" Even turquoise, for that matter, would work.

"Come on," Kaylee motioned for Zen to head down the street with her, "I'm sure they have something cute that you'll love."

zenevieva mira novell

[zenevieva mira novell]

uhm . . .

While C’est La Vie Boutique was nothing familiar for the Novell girl, Zenevieva wanted to finish her weekend on a positive note. And with a few extra sweaters. The time for fashion would be changing once more to fit the winter aspect of the year and it was Zen’s favourite time. Out of all of the seasons, both Winter and Autumn were her favourites as the suns rays had disappeared, the brightness and warmth along with it – allowing her to live within her cold nature. Not that the cold affected her so, but it allowed Zenevieva to wrap up warm with all the sweater’s her slow-beating heart desired.

”You said that the last time we went shopping together.” The last time the two had spent any time alone shopping had been a time where they both lived in America, attending Ilvermorny. The memories of their school-days there brought a smile to the corners of Zen’s lips, but the memories she planned to make in Hogwarts would hopefully outshine her favourite ones. ”Red is for Gryffindor! Navy is my signature colour.” She stated, following her comments with a pout. If anyone knew the brunette like Kaylee did, they would be aware of the half-vampire’s hatred for shopping as she would usually pick the same items or items that didn’t fit the fashion. Whatever that meant.

As Kaylee motioned down the street, Zen found herself picking up the pace behind her friend, huffing at her hair as she pushed it out of her eyes. ”Just letting you know now…I refuse to wear a dress.” She murmured, ready to pull up her defences as to why.

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

Okay, so maybe they had been through this before, and maybe she had said the same thing the last time they'd gone shopping together—as Zen reminded her—but it was for a good reason.

"And did I make you buy anything crazy then?" Kaylee asked rhetorically. "Noooooo, I didn't," she laughed, though making Zen buy anything too far outside of her comfort zone would have required a miracle or an Imperius Curse.

If it wasn't one thing with Zen, it was another. If she wasn't going to stray from her sweaters, then at least a color change was in order? Nope, not according to the half-vampire, who stated that red was for Gryffindor.

"'Red is for Gryffindor!'" Kaylee repeated Zen's protestation teasingly. "I don't think we're confined to wearing our House colors, you know," she joked, though Zen had been sticking to her navy blue for a very long time. Maybe it was a good thing that she had been Sorted into Ravenclaw; she wouldn't have had anything to wear otherwise.

"Just letting you know now…" Zen warned her as they started on their way, "I refuse to wear a dress."

"Who said anything about dresses?" Kaylee asked her as she paused temporarily to allow Zen to catch up to her. "But who knows?" she smiled. "Maybe you'll find something there that you never would have bought back home."

zenevieva mira novell

[zenevieva mira novell]

uhm . . .

In an attempt to get the last word – Zen shook her head with withholding information as her finger lifted up ready to spout more factual knowledge. A common stereotype for Ravenclaws as they were known for wits and intelligence. ”You made me buy something pink…” She trailed off. Pink was the bane of Zenevieva’s existence, the only thing that she hated more than being a half-vampire or being bullied even. Zenevieva knew what she wanted: back then and now, simple or even minor graphic, but still adorable-looking sweaters. All the shades of navy and definitely no pinks or greens.

With an eye roll, the Novell huffed a little at Kaylee’s points. ”I just like blue the most…” she murmured, it would have been difficult enough to get Zenevieva out of her Ravenclaw robes let alone purchase other coloured clothing because of her undying love for the colour. If it was possible for everything in the world to be a dark shade of blue, the Novell’s life would be complete. ”Fine. I’ll accept one red item.” It wasn’t the fact that Blue was indeed Zen’s favourite colour as to why she refused to buy a red item, more so the idea of being confused for a Gryffindor student was the one thing the brunette wanted to avoid.

”A valid point…” The half-vampire grumbled as the two walked. ”But dresses always look so…weird on me. Weird like a poodle-looking-person weird”

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

"You made me buy something pink," Zen countered her.

"Once, and it wasn't, like, pink pink…" It could have been considerably worse, in Kaylee's opinion, but, alright; no pink this time. She had gotten the memo.

As far as any other colors went, Zen expressed that she just liked blue the most. Maybe it was because they had compromised on not buying anything pink that the Ravenclaw agreed to the possibility of one red item. Whatever that red item would be—and it would probably be a sweater—would be the best red item of clothing that Zen had ever seen.

Now, "weird like a poodle-looking person" was a level of weird that was almost unmatched. There was that thing about dogs that looked like their owners and vice versa, but Kaylee wasn't about to delve into the specifics of the phenomenon. Zenevieva Novell was neither a poodle nor a person who looked like one, however, and Kaylee didn't think that the Ravenclaw would look bad in the right dress, either, not that Zen was likely to believe her on that.

"Let's just see what they have in stock," Kaylee suggested before they jumped to any conclusions.

It wasn't long before they did reach C'est La Vie, its displays visible from the shop's windows. "This is the place," Kaylee smiled at Zen. "And there's a blue sweater on that mannequin!" she laughed, gesturing towards the window display. "Or is that one too indigo for you?" She was just teasing Zen; the sweater was cute, a little more fitted, and not the kind of thing that Zen could just hide behind.

Kaylee stood, holding the door open so that Zen could enter—and, ideally, see that the boutique wasn't so frightening. "After you."

zenevieva mira novell

[zenevieva mira novell]

uhm . . .

Zen shook her head in defence while the two walked. How was something not pink pink? If it was pink, it was pink. And so that’s what Zenevieva repeated to her friend – or more so grumbled it. ”It was still pink…Bright…Pink.” While it was just a simple scarf, the day spent wearing the accessory was a terrible one – still bringing shivers to the Novell’s skin at the memory of it. ”Just…Never again.” She murmured, while on the inside the half-vampire knew Kaylee would somehow convince her to buy something else that was completely and utterly ridiculous.

”Fine.” She sighed, eyes only widening at the displays from the store’s windows. A soft wow escaped the half-vampire’s lips especially as green eyes glanced upon a cute looking sweater before Kaylee began speaking. ”Cute.” She muttered, smiling at the tease her friend directed at her. The colour was perfect but the styling of it was something Zen could surely warm up to. As her friend held the door open, Zen thanked her, stepping past and allowed her eyes to widen at the sights before her. Aisles of upcoming Christmas inspired outfits hung on hangers on one side, followed by designer and fashionable clothes on the other.

”Woah.” Was all Zen could say as she stepped around herself, eyes taking in the views. But Zen knew what she wanted already, and even for this blind date. Just something comfortable. Jeans and a sweater.

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

But it had been pink—bright pink. The way Zenevieva was talking, Kaylee thought, made it sound as though she had gone and stuffed her in head-to-toe neon. It was a scarf. "Just… never again." That was it, but, if Zen said so, she wouldn't push it.

The Ravenclaw barely seemed to want to take her up on the offer to just look inside the boutique before she got any ideas that she might be made to wear pink again. Actually, once they reached the store's exterior, it was Zen who first made a positive comment about what C'est La Vie was selling. Kaylee watched—pleased with herself for having managed to convince Zen that this trip wasn't a lost cause—as the other girl took in the window displays.

She didn't know if the Ravenclaw had been serious when she had responded by saying that the sweater that she had pointed out to her was cute, but Zen had said it! They both made their way inside then, and Kaylee watched as Zenevieva seemed to realize that she hadn't just dragged her to somewhere awful. Outfits perfect for holiday parties had been styled and placed exactly where they were likely to catch people's attention. There were displays on the other side of the boutique with some of the garments that weren't so seasonal in nature—including some that Kaylee made a mental note not to touch for fear of what their price tags looked like. "Whoa."

"I take it that was a good 'whoa'?" she teased Zen, giggling. Kaylee also guessed that some of this stuff would be seriously outside of either of their budgets, which was why she immediately gravitated towards a rack of clothing that looked as though the items on it had been marked down substantially.

zenevieva mira novell

[zenevieva mira novell]

uhm . . .

Pink would always be the bane of her existence, the colour Zenevieva knew she would never like or ever enjoy in a place. Too much pink was a problem and for others too little of it created chaos. The time she had spent with Kaylee, who seemingly tried to have the Novell wear the pink piece, Zen knew she would have to draw up a stronger guard in an attempt to say no more often than yes. It never really worked. She had barely stepped inside when the first piece of clothings caught her attention, some colours and even their outer textures throwing her off while others peaked at her interest.

As Zenevieva leaned in to some of the clothes before her, her hand reached out to smooth against the fabric of most of them, but the dark holiday sweaters caught her attention. The majority of them looked like simple things Zen could get away with casually wearing on a day-to-day basis, but knew their attentions for the day meant otherwise. They were looking for something so Zen looked at least presentable for their date. The thought of dressing up made her mentally groan. ”Good woah.” She reinforced, smiling in her friends direction as she walked further down, passing a rack.

As she walked past it, Zen stopped in her place and looked over her shoulder, green eyes interested in the piece at the end of the rack. It looked simple and accompanied by other colours as well. A fine maroon-red piece, with long sleeves and a comfortable material. At first, the Novell believed it to be a sweater but soon realised it was too good to be true considering how long it was. ”Is this…What I think it is?” She muttered to herself, but was sure Kaylee was nearby. ”This can’t be a dress.”

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

It was a good "whoa" that Zenevieva had used to express her thoughts on what was available in the store, she confirmed with a smile. Kaylee, who had expected no initial reaction or one that would have her pleading with Zen to at least give the place a second chance, was pleased although admittedly shocked.

Zen kept looking around, and Kaylee watched her for another moment to see what her friend thought of the clothing. The Ravenclaw passed one rack of clothes, and then she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Kaylee took that as her cue to come over, and she overheard Zen asking something about the garment that had caught her attention.

Shockingly, it wasn't navy blue. It was maroon, and—from what Kaylee could tell as she approached Zen—it might actually have been a dress.

At about the same time, Kaylee could hear Zen expressing her disbelief. "This can't be a dress."

"It kinda looks like it," Kaylee told her, now standing beside her friend. "Either that, or it's one of those things that's meant to be oversized but not really cover your butt," she considered, picking up the probably-a-dress from the rack by its hanger and holding it up to Zenevieva.

"Definitely long enough that it's a dress," she agreed. "And it would look really pretty on you," she added.

zenevieva mira novell

[zenevieva mira novell]

uhm . . .

SURPRISE WAS THE only thing Zenevieva felt once she had a look inside. The store was…Fairly pretty, filled with things she wouldn’t mind being seen in and items that…Deserved to be trashed there and then. The maroon piece she had discovered, the same piece she refused to believe was a dress was pulled from the hanger and in Kaylee’s possession. Green eyes rolled back once Kaylee held it up in front of her and in protest, the Novell’s hand lifted, pushing down the dress from view. ”There’s no way I would even wear it.” She stated truthfully. Dresses and Zen simply weren’t the best pairing.

Given how thin and average height the half-vampire was (thanks mom), items of clothing that had the…intention of being oversized were double the size on the Novell. She was sure even a Small would’ve been a little big. Zenevieva didn’t want to spend the whole day filling herself with doubt or even judgement. Thee day was meant to be fun in itself, trying on items of clothing that would work for her upcoming date. ”But…I’ll try it on.” Because why not?

”But I still want something blue. And a lot longer” She admitted. As long as Zen could throw in a pair of dark tights, she was all in for wearing a dress. But truly, never again.

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

Even though it had seemed to Kaylee as though Zen had actually taken a liking to something in the boutique, Zen pushed the hanger with the maroon dress on it out of the way. "There’s no way I would even wear it," Zen told her.

Kaylee was prepared to say something about how Zenevieva wouldn't know if she would ever wear it if she didn't try it on to know for sure, but she also knew that the Ravenclaw was probably right. If she had already made up her mind about it, it would be very difficult to convince her otherwise.

"But…"

Kaylee waited. There was a "but" in there, and she hadn't expected to hear that.

"I'll try it on," Zen told her, at which Kaylee had to squeal just a little. Whatever she was doing was working!

"But I still want something blue. And a lot longer."

Blue… Kaylee considered it, looking around at the clothing on display inside the store. "Couldn't we get this and enchant it to be blue?" she suggested to Zen, gesturing towards the dress that she was holding on its hanger. "I… don't know about length, though," Kaylee thought, mulling it over in her head. It wasn't the kind of thing that would have looked right as a maxi dress, in her opinion. "I mean, the worst that could happen with the color is that it turns purple instead of blue," which, considering the dress, probably wouldn't have looked too bad on it.

zenevieva mira novell

[zenevieva mira novell]

uhm . . .

DETERMINED TO FIND what she wanted, Zenevieva knew her response was just to make Kaylee feel a little better. The squeal even proved it. The dress she had picked up was too short for her likings and…Way too red. Zen knew something long and something blue would make her feel a lot better. But…Zen had to somehow give new things a shot. It was the same with books. If the Novell hated anything before the third chapter, it was discarded. Though, that was fairly rare. At Kaylee’s suggestion, Zen’s free hand lifted, waving it off almost immediately. ”A-Absolutely not.”

Enchanting it a different colour was by no means the same as actually having the true colour. As mentioned before, red wasn’t exactly a colour Zen didn’t dislike, but more so a colour she would only resort to…If her favourites didn’t exist in the world. ”I-I’ll just find another…” She added on, her fingers ready to trail against the rest of the metal hangers. Amongst them, the bright colours of pinks and even yellows were scattered amongst them, some with deep plunges, others with the back showing in its entirety and others…Well…Zenevieva would rather drop dead. Green eyes narrowed — determined to find that deep shade of blue. As the Novell continued to look, she saw a few black dresses, but knew Kaylee would taunt her for choosing it, considering her date as a funeral more so than…A blind date.

Tapping her friend to follow, Zen knew she would be spending most of her day in the store. With some confidence and a keen eye in the things she liked, the brunette pointed at a few different shades she didn’t mind to try on. ”T-There! The purple one.” She said, pointing at it before approaching it. Her free hand spread at the softness of the material, leaving the half-vampire to believe she was simply in love. ”If only it were blue…” A long, preferably long-sleeved as well, blue dress was the only thing Zen would be comfortable with in the long run, no matter how many others she tried on.

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!