Saved topics from HAB (Mel)

Morning After

It was late when Delia had finally decided to find and rescue Tess, scouting numerous spots before finding her and Jesse at a restaurant. Pulling her away, Delia made some half hearted excuse before taking them back to their place. The last thing she wanted was for Tess to do something too dumb in her sudden freedom -- not that she didn't trust Tess -- and ruin her reputation; Delia knew this was important to her friend.

To her utmost surprise, Tess had seemed as though she had enjoyed herself. Delia hadn't expected things to go as well as they had, truth be told. Tess had always appeared so uptight about those sort of things. Yet, from the looks of things, she had spent an entire afternoon alone with a guy without once thinking of consequences. Proud was not enough to describe how Delia felt. It was seeing that he was a wizard that had prompted her to realise the truth, not that she mentioned it.

The pieces fit together neatly, and Delia need only run through Matteo's letters mentally to confirm her suspicions, and she had hidden a laugh. Instead of saying anything, though, Delia decided to wait. It would be more fun in the morning, when emotions -- if there were any -- had settled, and Tess was properly thinking.

Delia had not once mentioning Tess' date. When they got back, Matteo had been waiting for them, and introductions and chatting had taken place before they all went to bed. Waking up bright and early, Delia tossed the covers away and stood, moving downstairs to the kitchen.

She was halfway cooking the eggs when Tess came downstairs, and at once Delia's eyes glinted. "Morning bitch," she greeted, sliding one of the eggs onto the plate and cracking another into the pan. "So, last night was fun and all, but what I really want to know is how your date went." She paused, flashing Tess a grin. "What did you two lovebirds get up to?"

Sleep had come easy to Tess. The moment they had arrived in the villa Cordelia had been kind enough to give her some space. As she had showered she found herself humming a tune she wasn't used too. It was a song that had seemingly sprung out of nowhere but fitting for the night. It was crawling into bed that she immediately knocked out. Her dream had involved the mermaids and her experience with the corals. It had admittedly been a long time since she had dreamt and this was one of the best.

Morning came and woke her up by sunbeams hitting her face. She emitted a small grumble before rolling over and getting some more sleep, but she knew it was useless as she could hear Cordelia downstairs banging on pans. Sighing softly, she found herself sitting up and stretching; she was reluctant to get up, but she was getting hungry.

It was a warm night and morning so the nightgown had been good enough for the night. A simple silk robe covered her teal nightgown and she found herself going to the kitchen. She knew she looked a bit of a mess with her hair down, no makeup and barefoot.

"Morning Cor" she said softly, as breakfast was slid towards her direction. She dug into the eggs, only to pause as the older witch began to question here. "I...it was not a date" but her cheeks were red. "but it was nice...I saw the corals" she looked down at her plate not willing to mention the mermaids.


Placing the last egg on a plate and putting that aside for Matteo, whenever he woke up. Hopefully that would be soon; she did enjoy his company, after all. Grabbing her own plate, she moved to sit opposite Tess, scooping up a mouthful of eggs into his mouth and chewing before smirking at Tess.

"Sure. I'm sure it wasn't," she said, lifting a shoulder as she swallowed. There had been something about the way she saw Tess look at him, and he look at Tess, that told her something far more than 'seeing corals' had happened. They'd spent a whole day together, after all, ending in dinner. It wasn't every day that happened. Besides, Tess -- Tess -- had kissed his cheek before leaving. And this, of everything, was what she decided to mention.

Casually, as she took another bite, she said, "Because I kiss all my non-dates on the cheek. Especailly after we've only seen f***ing corals." She paused to laugh. "Come on, Tess. It's me you're talking to, not some f***ing prude who doesn't know the signs, Tess babe." Leaning forward, she batted her eyelashes. "I've never had such a magical experience before. Thank you for everything, Jesse," she repeated, tone high in an obvious mockery of Tess' voice.

Leaning back again, she ate another bite. "Not a date my f***ing ass," she concluded, almost smugly.



Tess knew that Cordelia was a good friend, but a nosy one a that. So as the girl teased her, she merely flushed and pretended that her scrambled eggs were very interesting. As she played with her food she couldn't help but think of Jesse and how wonderful the day had been. The mermaids, the sun, the corals, the whispers of conversations and just...she sighed.

"Because I kiss all my non-dates on the cheek. Especailly after we've only seen f***ing corals."

Tess blushed brighter at the older girl's teasing. Okay...yes it was special and yes she was foolish to actually go forward and kiss his cheek. Granted she had done worse from previous parties but those were times where she demanded to be left alone. With Jesse, there was a vulnerability and sincerity in what he told her that he had earned her trust so easily. Perhaps she was naive, perhaps he was special -- hell maybe it was both.

"I've never had such a magical experience before. Thank you for everything, Jesse,"

"Stop" she whined. "I-it wasn't a date...but it was so special" her tone took a wistful tone, so unlike her. "Cor, he took me to the corals I dreamed of seeing; he showed me this grotto of sorts with...with fishes and just so much life. And he was so respectful" she pulled her silk robe around her closer as if in a hug. "I-I wasn't scared being alone with him. And dinner...he spoke about lemons" she shook her head amused. "It was just...a memorable day." Her voice trailed off.

"But I don't date" she continued to protest. "I don't even know how."


Listening to Tess talk about her 'not-date' date, Delia's eyebrows inched upwards. Lemons? Merlin, Matt had said stuff about Jules before, but she'd never imagined he'd actually be that uptight. Still, it was amusing to her, especailly knowing one detail that Tess didn't. Instead of saying anything just yet, though she decided to play it out a bit more and drag as much information as she could from Tess before dropping the bomb shell. Part of her was looking forward to the expression it would get, while the other part wanted to draw it out and figure out how far Tess had gone.

"Well," Delia said, in answer to Tess' last statement. "A date's easy enough. You go out with a guy and do stuff alone, together. Swimming, walking along beaches, dinner... Things like that, you know. Nothing fancy. It sounds to me as if you didhave a date." She grinned, placing the last bit of her food into her mouth.

A few moments passed before she next looked at Tess. There was no point dragging it any longer; she had all the info she needed, and patience had never been her strong point. Besides, it was better to do it now that Tess was already mentally thinking of everything the day before. She may have loved the witch, but that didn't mean teasing would end -- on the contrary, it probably increased because of the comfort Delia felt around the Holmes witch.

"By the way, if I didn't say it before," she said, pausing to take a sip of water before continuing, as causally as she could, although the grin on her face was giving it away. "Brave move, kissing the Valentino heir like that. I know I would have never dared."


Tess felt silly saying all the things that happened aloud, but at the same time was relieved at the fact that she could. She couldn't tell her everything exactly; Jesse had asked her over dinner to keep secret of the mermaids she had seen and she had kept her promise. No matter how silly it seemed to her to not tell Delia this (because she trusted her), the idea of him finding out was too much for her to question.

Whether or not her day with Jesse was a date or not was not the problem. Though the word 'date' did twist something uncomfortable in her stomach. A girl like her did not date because she could not date. Dating would mean for her to seek out a partner which was genuinely the opposite of what she wanted. Secondly her father would have a fit.

"I...if this was a date then it was a good one" she finished, willing to succumb to the teasing. It was inevitable after all.

But all joking ended as soon as Delia told her exactly who Jesse was. A brief flash of confusion went through her; if her mind served her correctly, there were three heirs to the Valentino family. Isabella the eldest, and the twins. She had met Aria before during balls for she made sure she was the center of it all, but her brother...Jules? His face was not seen in social circle due to him being unavailable. She knew that in other words, similar to Winnie, he was uninterested.

Jules...Jesse...her face grew pale at the realization. She was never brazen before but she suddenly found herself being so bold to the heir? She covered her face in surprise. "Cor why didn't you tell me! If you knew since the beginning why would you let me make a fool out myself. Oh if he tells my father I'm dead"

The admission that it was a date made Delia laugh, shaking her head. "You might want to take that back soon," she said, omniously, winking at Tess. There was, after all, the fact Jesse was a Valentino to consider, not that Tess knew that -- yet.

And then the moment Delia had been waiting for came and she broke the news. Tess paled, and her blurted statement made Delia laugh again, this time long and loud.

Delia took a few moments to compose herself before shaking her head. "I didn't..." she broke into giggles again; this was better than she'd expected. A few moments later, when she calmed, she took a deep breath. "I didn't, not until I heard you two talking about magic and realised he was a wizard. Then things just," she shrugged, "I don't know, like, fit together I guess. I've heard of him before." She grinned at Tess. "Merlin's f***ing beard, Tess, you spent more than half a day alone with the Valentino heir..." She paused, shrugged. "You ate dinner with him."

Shaking her head, she added, "Why would he tell your father? Seems like he's the one who asked you out, after all. The son of the Minister of Magic asked you out for dinner," she sounded impressed, although her expression was teasing. "I'm impressed. I guess I have to jump off cliffs more often, huh?"

As she finished speaking, there came a loud knock on the door, and Delia glanced down; she was in her bra and undies, her usual sleeping attire. "Could you get that?" she asked Tess. "I don't want to scare someone half to death with what I've got on."

Cordelia's laughter did not help soothe Tess' embarrassment. Had she known that he was of proper blood she would have stopped herself from being so free. 'And you would have also not had the most memorable day in your life' She felt herself blush bright red at the idea of her being so...so herself in front of someone else in her inner circle. Those that were apart of the elite rarely expressed how they felt; she too was similar like that. The only person that ever expressed some sort of true emotion was Ellie but she knew because Ellie was special.

"Stop repeating my embarrassment" she whined her breakfast long forgotten. She had already been shy about her night and it was made worse by knowing just who Jesse was. "He didn't ask me out Cordelia" her voice a bit high pitched in nervousness.

The knock on the door distracted both of them and she turned to face who it was. At Delia's instructions she rolled her eyes and hopped off the kitchen stool and headed to the door. Matteo was probably still sleeping and she dare not be rude. She brought her robe tighter around her body and she shyly opened the door.

"Oh.."

His rest hadn't been a decent one; the whole night his mind kept him in fitful sleep as he tried and failed to figure out what was wrong with him. Emotions clouded him -- unlike anything he was used to; he was often in control of them and not the other way around -- until, finally, the first rays of sunlight shone through his curtains and onto his bed. Immediately, Jesse sat up, having already been away for Merlin knew how long, and made his way to the bathroom.

Just because he was awake didn't mean Matteo was. Besides, he knew from Matt's previous letter that he'd invited a penpal of his -- Dee, he called her -- and 'her little friend' to stay at his villa. If they were already there or not, Jesse wasn't sure, but he definitely didn't want to wake anyone up. Knowing Matteo, 'Dee' was probably someone he slept with.

Finally, as the sun rose higher and higher and there was no trace of the darkness left, Jesse scoffed down his breakfast and strolled down the path that led to Matt's house. It wasn't a long walk, and he could have apparated, but he decided to use the five or so minutes to try and gather his thoughts even more, forming them into, he hoped, a coherent sequence that he could explain to Matteo and finally -- finally -- get some answers. As he walked up the front porch, his mind drifted, momentarily, to the witch from the previous night, and he hid a smile. This, it seemed, was becoming a major distraction.

He knocked and stepped back. The door creaked open, and his planned greeting -- I need your help, -- died on his lips. For a moment, he thought he was still dreaming, that somehow he had actually managed to fall asleep. But then he blinked, and she did, too, and he heard the soft 'Oh' that came from her, and his eyes widened. It seemed that she haunted him not just in dreams, but in waking, too.

"T-Tess?"


Jesse Immediately as she realized it was him, her cheeks flushed with the realization that the subject of her embarrassment was in front of her. The whole night had been previously flashing before her and before Cordelia as she was teased, and now Jesse...no...Jules was in front of her and looking just as surprised as she was. She felt shame rise within her as she realized her attire.

For one thing her hair had a ribbon pulling away her bang; secondly her silk nightgown was surprisingly short from a traditional one (but the weather permitted it), but worst of all was that she had rolled out of bed and looked messy. 'He saw you looking like a west rat yesterday. What an awful impression you're giving him.' Her subconscious was cruel.

"G-good morning" she said nervously.

She closed the door a bit and whispered to Delia that she should go change immediately. She refused to allow him to see her this way. 'Cordelia please' she hissed. Popping her head out she flushed a bit nervously.

"Sorry, please come in...I'm sure Matteo should be coming down soon." Shuffling her hands nervously she moved out of the way to let him in and to really take in the shabbiness of them all.

The stutter in her tone amused him, and it only took a moment to understand why as her attire sank it. Flushing just a little, his hand rubbed at the back of his neck. He hadn't seen it earlier, so enthralled by seeing her again that nothing else had registered; he even forgot, for a moment, why he'd gone there in the first place. And then the pieces came together and he wondered how he hadn't seen it before.

Delia -- Dee. Her friend, Tess... How had he been so blind? So oblivious to the facts? He wanted to kick himself. He was usually more observant, more attentive than that.

Still, as he heard the whisper from Tess and a wicked, long laugh in reply, followed by something that sounded a lot like, "Why? I'm not ashamed," Jesse realised that he was no longer in familiar territory. This was uncharted waters, and he was utterly, and completely, lost. His expression, however, did not change from his smile as he nodded at her words and entered, refusing, now, to look anywhere but her face and her beautifully soft brown eyes... He pulled himself out from that thought.

"Good morning," he replied, ever courteous. "I... I wasn't expecting to see you. And Delia, good morning to you too," he added, noting what she was wearing -- or rather, what she wasn't -- and resolving not to look her way. "I'll... I'll just wait for Matteo there... Here, I mean. On his couch. Don't mind me; please carry on with... Breakfast." He moved, as he had said, to the couch, sitting with his back to the kitchen.

"We have extras, if you want," Delia said, and he glanced behind, keeping his eyes level with her head and not allowing them to travel any further.

"No, I've... I'm... No, thank you," he said, uncharacteristically stuttering and stumbling over his words. "I've already eaten. I..." He paused, then took a breath, composing himself. It had gone on long enough. He let a second pass, and then one more, before he stood. "My apologies, ladies. I was not expecting Matteo to have company -- and most definitely not you, Tess, to answer the door. Truth be told, I had expected never to see you again, and this has been an astoundingly joyful surprise. I did not mean to interrupt your breakfast or drop by unannounced; Matteo is my best friend, and I often come by his place to talk to him without making myself known." He paused again, gathering his thoughts. "Please, carry on with your breakfast. I shall find Matteo and stop being a disruption to you."

Cordelia's refusal to put clothes on were in no way surprising, but they were frustrating. She wished for once she would have some sense of sensibility in her actions, instead her friend made a game of it. Being forced to power through, she found herself trying to shield her as much as possible; for a second she even had thought of removing her robe and putting it on top of her.

One thing was clear; she would not comfortably eat; it was not his fault but the setting was off. She was relieved though when Delia offered breakfast.

"I'd rather you not wait in the couch. Have you eaten?" she tilted her head to take him in. He looked nervous. "Would you like to join us? Delia will wake up Matteo...won't you Delia".

The signal in her tone was eerily like her grand-mere. Pretend you were making a suggestion instead of an order. Delia caught on and rolled her eyes before stomping upstairs. But as he rambled, she found herself biting her bottom lip and trying not to smile. This was the boy that she had properly met. To think that this was the Valentino heir? She covered her mouth as a smile began to rise.

"I see...Matteo has been very hospitable."she smiled softly. "Bit too friendly but he means no harm. He told us about you...I must say I didn't know who you actually were...Jules" her voice trailed off.


He had intended to go off and find Matt, to grab the male by the arm and apparate off... anywhere but here, but then Tess was offering him breakfast and, before he quite knew what he was doing, he'd nodded and moved towards the kitchen table. It was only as he'd taken a step forward and heard himself say, "I wouldn't mind," that it occurred to him he'd just done the exact thing he told himself he wouldn't. Something was definitely off with him. Perhaps he'd eaten something wrong in Tibet and it was messing with his mind; he tried to recall the last meal he had. Mushrooms of sorts. Maybe they'd been some kind of drug? He made a mental note to go to a healer as soon as he'd finished up here and get it taken care off.

Holding back a laugh at the way she so easily 'ordered' Delia around, Jesse took a seat at the table, smiling, instead, at Tess. He had noted it absentmindedly the day before, and thought about it more in depth last night, but she was genuinely one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. He glanced away and towards the kitchen counter, as if looking to see what they were eating. In truth, he was simply avoiding looking at her, in case it became obvious he was staring.

He really needed to go see a Healer, and soon.

Jesse let out a laugh. Somehow, he wasn't entirely uncomfortable with being called Jules by her. Usually, he hated that name, hated being called that by anyone other than his immediate family and, sometimes, Matteo. Even then mostly he was called Jesse. Still, the name from Tess' lips sounded... Nice, refreshing almost. Again, Jesse pushed the confusion and thoughts aside. The healers would be able to tell him what was wrong, if Matteo couldn't.

"He hasn't tried anything with you, has he?" Jesse asked, a very light crease in his eyebrows. "I know if Delia is the 'Dee' he talks about, she and him are... have..." He shook his head. "However, I would hope he hasn't been too overly forward with you?" He paused, offering her a smile, and then said, again, "Well, this is definitely a surprise."

As Jesse or well...Jules walked towards the kitchen she smiled glad that she could make herself busy. Moving to the kitchen, she found herself setting up the table with the works that Delia was previously working on: the fruit, the toast, the tea. She even found herself making scrambled eggs (one good thing she knew how to do). Was she the most graceful in the kitchen? Yes, if it didn't mean being a culinary genius. That she was still working on. Looking up at him she swore that he was avoiding her gaze. Waving it off of paranoia she continued to bustle.

"He hasn't tried anything with you, has he?" The question surprised her as she platted his breakfast, but found herself smiling at his concern. "I am fine...he has been...friendly" her cheeks flushed a bit, "but never in malice I assure you. But no worries, I am used to people being forward" she made it clear she was talking about Delia. "Though I doubt you are the kind of person who would spend time with people of that sort. He is..quite flirtatious" she laughed, "but he means no harm. And Delia is quite fine...taking on the advancements for both our behalf."

And yes, Matteo was definitely a flirt, in ways she had never ever experience before. He flirted like one needed to breathe; it was as natural for him as anything. From his light touches, to his compliments to kiss crooning, she knew that it was all an act but in no way did that limit his charm. It was good that Delia liked him as much. It made it easier to breathe sometimes.

Taking a bite of her strawberries that Delia had prepared she smiled at him before deciding what she would do. "I did forget to properly introduce myself much like you did. It's a pleasure to properly meet you Jules, I am Tess Marie Holmes" It seemed silly to use her proper given name, but she found herself unsure on what foot to stand on.

Laughing slightly at her commend, Jesse nodded. "Yes, a fault of his I have been trying to get him to break since birth. Unfortunately, he is, as you have probably already discovered, as stubborn as can be."

And then she introduced herself and he felt his heart skip a beat.

Holmes.

Holmes.

His blood ran cold momentarily, and he swore that time stopped. Everything that happened the previous day flashed through his mind like a slideshow of images and videos that would not stop. The jumping into the water. The walking -- alone -- into areas nobody else were allowed to visit but those the Valentino family deemed suitable (and there weren't many of those). The mermaids. The dinner. The kiss.

Jesse didn't swear, but in that moment a few choice words he heard from Matteo and some others put themselves forward in his mind. It was one thing to tread the line with friends. It was another to do so with Pureblood friends. It was, however, never, ever, in any circumstance, justifiable to do so with a Pureblood family of such high standard like the Holmes.

"Jules Remus Valentino," he replied, almost at once, while his mind span and his stomach lurched. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tess -- officially." He smiled at her, a mixture of the polite one he'd been taught to give and perfected, and a genuine, real one. There was, however, a tinge of horror lining everything he said and did, although he refused to let it show. "I mostly go by Jesse, nowadays," he added, as he always did, a subtle way of telling people to call him that, too. If that didn't work he had other ways of reminding -- and perhaps, making -- them. This, however, was more habit than anything else. For whatever inexplciable reason, he didn't mind that first name of his coming from Tess.

He found himself uninterested in the food, although he still picked up the fork and brought an apple slice to his mouth. His mind was still reeling. Did he apologise? Did he ask forgiveness? (The two things, he knew, were not always the same thing.) Did he ask her to pretend it had never happened? But it had, and you enjoyed it, a stray thought told him. He almost sighed in frustration, holding it back in as he crunched the apple.

On one hand, Tess.

On the other, Tess Holmes.

He knew, eventually, he'd have to pick one or the other. He couldn't treat her as Tess, the woman he spent the day with and as Tess Marie Holmes. They were different people despite both being the witch that sat across from him. Just as, to her, he would either be Jesse or Jules Remus Valentino, they would, eventually, have to pick.

But not yet; he didn't quite want to decide just yet, and so, instead, he offered her another smile. "Well, now that we know who the other truly is -- not that deception was our intent, I would assume? -- what would you say to an official tour of Capri, as one friend to another?"



When the real introduction came she felt goosebumps rising within her; she stretched her hand out to properly introduce herself very similar to the way any lady and gentleman would meet. Was this a bit backwards? Absolutely. But she could not help but smile softly at the boy before her, that is until she realized his smile wasn't...the one he had given her before. It wasn't a genuine one. Slowly her smile shrunk a bit before a polite one took her place.

Perhaps it was silly for her to imagine that he would have treated her the same if he knew who she was. And that did dampen her mood a bit, but still, just...seeing him was enough for her. As she sat down and turned to really take him in; she knew that if she had known who he was before she did all the foolish things, she would have never done it. Being silly and irresponsible and stupid was nothing like her. But the freedom of 'vacation' was what had allowed her to do it.

A moment of silence hit both of them and she felt that it was perhaps not the most comfortable. "Well, now that we know who the other truly is -- not that deception was our intent, I would assume? -- what would you say to an official tour of Capri, as one friend to another?"

That was what got a real smile from her face. She shyly smiled before properly responding in a seemingly daring way. "If it is anything like the day before, I would like nothing more."


"Well, well well....who knew my man had the proper moves to woo a woman? Wasn't that cute Dee?" Matteo made sure to make himself known as he entered the kitchen.

This afternoon he had no shame in his game as he entered shirtless.
He took a piece of fruit and kissed Tess' cheek without warning and plopped himself down on the table much to Tess' mortification.

Smiling lazily at his best friend he couldn't help but ask. "Did you just know I had beautiful ladies in my villa? OR did you have something to talk to me about?"

Taking her hand, he raised it towards his lips, kissing not the back of it but his thumb as appropriate, although he let it linger for just a second longer than was normal. Then, letting go, he smiled again at her, this time a polite one. His mind was still reeling as he tried to process it all and figure out what he was to do. He couldn't put it off forever, that much was for certain. If he had a choice, he would forever remain Jesse and her, Tess -- but that choice had been taken away the moment they'd made proper introductions, and Jesse, for probably the first time, felt an inkling of dislike for his status. Not for what it brought, no, but for the simple fact he'd never be able to have a casual friendship with Tess like he did Matteo.

Like the day before, he thought, almost sadly. If only that were possible. It wasn't. Not that he knew who she was and she knew who he was. To willingly be alone together like that would not be appropriate. At least before they had plausible deniability. "I shall endeavour to do my best," he said, instead. He wanted it; she wanted it. It was merely a question of if it were attainable that was left.

He'd just been about to ask where she wanted to go or what she wanted to see when a voice interrupted him and he turned, a light grin already in place, to greet Matteo.

"F***ing adorable," Delia replied, and he resisted a roll of his eyes as he stood.

"Matteo, behave," he said, almost automatically. "I did no such thing," he added, almost as an afterthought. At the kiss, he felt a prickle of ... was that anger? Annoyance? Something rising, but he hid it with a smile and a playful glare. "Matteo, I don't like repeating myself, although with you I think I've said it a million times -- behave."

"Where's the fun in that?" Delia chimed in, sliding next to Matteo and kissing his cheek. Jesse chose to ignore her as Matteo's question came.

He paused, trying to word it mentally, before nodding once. "I wanted to see you. There's something I wanted to talk about but..." He resisted glancing at Tess, instead dipping his head to the side in a 'eh' gesture. "That would be a private conversation we can have later. I was just offering Tess a tour of Capri. You and Delia should come along."



If Tess was perfectly honest she wanted to scream. She was upset at the idea that something was just missing from this situation. The awkward elephant in the room was clear; opposite sexes could never be proper friends if you were pureblood. The stifling sense of propriety was upsetting her. She wanted him to just be Jesse and to treat her just like she was no one special. She liked being normal and imperfect for once. Even if he kissed her hand and her heart skipped a beat, there was an awkwardness.

Admittedly her request for it to be like before was a silly one. No they could never go back to that freedom. This time around the weight of their last names made it impossible to ignore. So as he responded to her request it stung a little at how nonchalant his response was. There was a definitely 'no' in the finality of his tone.

The awkwardness was surprisingly ignored as Matteo and Delia walked into the kitchen. Before she could murmur good morning, the Italian boy came over and kissed her cheek. Her cheeks reddened, especially when he lingered a bit too long and too close to her lip. She had automatically tensed up; physical contact was something she was still working on and he didn't help.

Delia looked so nonchalant at the entrance and she too made herself comfortable. It seemed silly but she wished that she was more like her friends in being able to express themselves clearly. She was still a work in progress but never would she be as free in her expressions as she wanted.



"Matteo, I don't like repeating myself, although with you I think I've said it a million times -- behave."

"I'm not as fun when I behave, but I'm behaving. I can't help but try to corrupt her. I mean look at her. She is lovely as Dee said."

The realization that Jesse was a bit serious in his tone...well that was definitely interesting. Looking between the two uptight people he found a wider smile rise on her face.

"Well we have to come along. We don't want you doing hanky panky. Dee told me what you can get into when left alone" he winked.  Turning over to look at Delia he said "What do you say love? Want to leave the bed?"



"...She is lovely as Dee said."

"That she is," he said, the words slipping out before he quite knew what he was thinking. As soon as he heard what he'd said, he glanced to the side, feeling his cheeks heat up, and spent a couple seconds willing it down and away before he looked back at Matteo. Running a hand through his hair and letting it rest on the back of his neck, he tried to think of a way to talk himself out of the obvious statement he'd just made and failed. So, instead, he offered a sly grin and added, "I did spend half a day with her," as a way to hopefully lighten the atmosphere -- or was he the only one who found it awkward?

His words, however, had been meant entirely. Tess was not just lovely in looks, which was what he was sure Matteo was referring to. She was lovely all around, in personality and in the way she held herself. From conversation to the way she viewed the world and the way she respected merfolk, she was all round lovely. He fought against a light frown as the feeling from the previous day stirred within him, his stomach churning.

What had he eaten to elicit such things? He hadn't even gone for seafood...

Ignoring Matteo had become somewhat of a second nature, and Jesse usually didn't even bat an eyelid at what was suggested by his best friend. This time, though, he felt a surge of anxiety. What would Tess think? He hadn't done anything inappropriate, had he? Surely not. Did she feel the same or had he indeed crossed a line? "I only showed her the corals," he pointed out, glancing at Tess. "Nothing happened, although that doesn't mean it wasn't fun. It was probably the most fun I've had in a while."

There was a mocking laugh from Delia, wicked and dry. "Mmm," she said, eyeing Matteo rather suggestively; Jesse glanced away at that moment, not ever having liked watching that sort of thing happen. "I dunno. We haven't actually been to bed yet; what's there to leave?" There was a pause, and then she let out another laugh. "But there's always tomorrow... A tour sounds marvellous, and I can't bear to leave my darling Tess alone again. She was absolutely devastated yesterday."

A pang of sadness grew from somewhere deep down at those words. While his rational thought told him Delia was being sarcastic and that Tess' words and actions had proven she had, indeed, enjoyed the previous day, he couldn't help but wonder if she had secretly hated it. He didn't want to disappoint her. Pushing all that aside, he turned to Matteo.

"I was thinking Monte Solaro, for the chair-lift, and we could hike down, if you want. After, perhaps a boat tour around the island?" He paused, remembering the promise he'd made the day before, and then added, "We can get a private boat -- or use yours, if you'd prefer -- and stop at the best snorkelling spots. I told Tess I'd take her, but once I found out she was a witch, I took her to see the corals used by our wandmakers."

He realised his admission a tad too late, and then hoped that Matteo wouldn't ask questions until after; he knew it was odd for him to take anyone -- let alone someone he just met -- to that protected area. He pushed on. "We could have dinner on the boat, if we take yours; I'll cook something simple." An idea struck him, then, and he grinned slightly. "We could even spend the night there and see the stars from the middle of the ocean. That might be a better idea. What do you ladies think?" he concluded, turning to look at Delia and then Tess.

"I'm in," Delia responded, almost immediately, shrugging, before grabbing an apple from the bowl and biting into it. "Just tell me what to pack."

Jesse nodded, turning to Tess and waiting for her approval. For some reason, he felt nervous, as though her say so was the most important thing in that moment, although he didn't display anything but a genuine smile at the notion of spending another day with her.

"That she is,"

Jesse's voice...her cheeks reddened. It was said without any qualms or another thought and that just made her smile, if a bit shyer. She was a bit self-conscious thinking that after the one night he had gotten bored of her. But from his response...that was definitely not the case. Lowering her gaze a bit consciously, she allowed silence to loom over them.

It seemed Matteo managed to make a comment as an 'aww' was emitted and a slap on Jesse's shoulder meant that there was no shame in his mind. She found a surge of annoyance as Cordelia and Matteo were nothing but trouble. She looked at Jesse from afar glad that the reddening in his face lessened. But as he defended that nothing inappropriate had happened, but that he had really enjoyed himself made her smile even brighter.

"I too enjoyed it...even if it just was the corals" Tess responded. "And Cor, I have spent nearly sixteen years without you, I did survive one day without you. I..I spent an amazing day without you."

There was no shame in her tone, even daring to look directly at Jesse as she said so. She had realized that he was not the best at hiding devastation and it had bothered her when Cor had inadvertently made him feel like Tess hadn't enjoyed her time.

At the mention of more swimming though, it was clear that they would be continuing their day within the sea. That was something that was foreign to her; the water being so close and so beautiful meant that she would be able to have fun and enjoy her time. And while she said nothing as Jesse began to narrate the day for today she noticed that Matteo looked a bit taken aback.

"You took her to...huh. Yeah alright" he tried to calm down. " We'll take my Siren...my boat ya know?" he made it clear he knew something that was not something Tess knew. "And you definitely cook. I would love something grilled. Hell anything this little guy can cook is amazing."

Matteo even nudged Delia. "He's a hell of a catch for someone that's silly enough to marry him."

Tess laughed softly. "I'd love that" she admitted, "I've never slept under the stars...it'll be very beautiful to take in." her eyes were bright. She refused to mutter the term 'romantic' but the idea of doing that was just what it was.

His smile widened at her admission, noting the tone in her voice and knowing what she was referring to. That would be a secret that remained between them, a secret of friendship and of something more. Secrets, Jesse knew, bound two people together and strenghtened their relationship. To have something in common that only they knew and nobody else? Well. That was something incredible and of all people to have a secret with, Jesse was glad it was Tess.

Delia merely shrugged. "Yeah but now you can't live without me," she said. "Don't lie. You neeeeedddd me." She grinned, leaning back in the chair as she continued nibbling at the apple.

Jesse ignored her. "I'm glad you did," he responded, his gaze soft and gentle as he smiled at Tess. And truly, he was. As if just realising they weren't alone, he straighted a little, turning almost self-consciously to Matteo, offering him a slight grin. "And how was ... where had you been yesterday?" he added.

"You took her to...huh. Yeah alright"

Catching his eyes, Jesse very, very slightly jerked his head to the side, so tiny a movement that nobody would notice unless they were looking out for it -- and, he trusted, Matteo would. Later, he was saying, with his eyes and his expression. Nodding at the second statement, Jesse relaxed a little as Matteo moved on. He was glad his best friend was, among many other things, sharp. If there was one thing Jesse couldn't stand it was air heads. "Not seafood," he said, simply, remembering Tess' dietry restriction from the day before. "Perhaps lamb and some mushrooms or spinach? Nothing too difficult; we could pair it with a red wine or limoncello."



The soft tone in Jesse's voice had made her warm and brought a smile to her face. He had remembered of her dietary restrictions and her silly reasoning behind it. And it had been just him solidifying the plan that caused the rest of the teens to rush and get ready. Before she could even say anything else, Cordelia had pulled her away determined to pack. Tess half-heartedly waved before she was pulled up the stairs.





Matteo raised his brow in amusement at the girls rushing off. It was then that he took advantage of the privacy to properly ask his 'brother' as to what was going on and why he was making goofy faces...well goofier than usual. Moving, he found himself changing seats and sitting beside his best friend of forever.

"You sick or something?"

The teasing was clear in is tone and he wanted to make sure to let his little tightly wound friend that he would be in a safe area.





It was the afternoon and they found themselves ending their hike and moving towards the ocean once more. Throughout the day, December would not be realized as the heat was killing them. Tess had even found herself sweating much to Matteo's amusement. He had made it clear that when the 'princess' was sweating that means that they were really working out.

If Tess was honest, she thought it was nice to do something that wasn't so glamorous. Instead she found herself stumbling over some stones, taking in the large flowers and lemon trees and having Jesse suspiciously close to her. She swore there were eyes on her when she turned. Matteo in turn looked completely innocent.

Their trek down finally ended on the 'Siren' Matteo's boat and they wobbled in. The breeze was beginning to pick up much to her joy. Matteo immediately handed them waters before he rushed off to untie the boat and let them rush off towards the open ocean. When the boat began to pick up and the breeze hit hard, she found herself moving towards the front leaning forward and closing her eyes letting the sprinkles of water hitting her face.

Wicked Temptation

[[TW: Swearing (excessive). In later posts: mention/hinting at kinky sex, probably suicide ideation/romanticism, probably underage drinking/getting drunk, probably drug abuse mention, super unhealthy behaviour, toxic relationship, and probably a couple more stuff here and there... Delia's a mess, honestly.]]

The weather was nice -- not entirely was she was used to, but nice nevertheless -- and Delia was bored. She hadn't had sex in a while, not since that weekend with ... whatever his name had been. She didn't recall off the top of her head. It would come back to her, in time, and she'd written it down somewhere, of that she was sure. But right there and then, she didn't care. All she knew was that she needed to get out of the castle before she suffocated.

Simple wrap over herself, she made her way to the lake, removing the wrap as soon as she was closer, displaying her swimsuit for the world to see. Out here, she didn't care. The only reason for the wrap in the first place had been so that a prefect didn't stop her and her chances of being spotted were less.

There was already someone by the lake, and Delia raised an eyebrow. She was hot, that much was for sure, but was she hot enough for Delia to care? There were many hot people in school, surprisingly, but not all could promise her fun or the danger she craved. Still, there wasn't much harm in trying, and as Delia approached the water's edge, she threw her wrap onto a nearby rock and waded in, carefully, slowly, inhaling sharply as the chilly water touched her skin. Desire faltered a little, but cold water was not enough to stop her; that much she was used to.

Instead of saying anything, though, she took a deep breath and plunged beneath the waves, coming up a few moments later nearer the other female. Delia pushed her hair out of her face and looked around, as though surveying the layout of the lake, and said nothing.

With the humidity that went all around her, Tess found enough time to run out and find time to go swimming. She slipped a simple sundress with flowers and a pair of sandals before she ran off to the Black Lake.

Since her initial transfer, she found herself
finding more and more peace in the water.
The path she took was thankfully ignored
due to the Quidditch tryouts. She had briefly thought about trying out to be chaser but grew too nervous to do anything. Instead she threw her sandals to the side, along with her sundress leaving her in a vintage swimsuit. She was particularly shy about her body and still felt awkward in her skin.

Still as she dove into the water and the silkies surrounded her with curious eyes, she was at peace. At this time she was no one important and it was wonderful. It was in the middle of a dive when the silkies informed her of a stranger in the lake.

Turning around she found herself staring at the Gryfindor from potions. While nervous she smiled politely at the girl before greeting her. She seemed very familiar but she could not put her finger on it.

“Hello! What brings you to the lake? Other than the swimming” she added embarrassed at her awkwardness.

The person stopped beside her, and at this close distance, Delia realised her mistake almost immediately. The witch before her was not just any with. She was a Pureblood, proper and elite and probably running the same circles as Elenore. If she was as stuck up, though, was yet to be seen. Purebloods were not her most favourite people in the world. They tended to be too posh and prim, as though if they didn't lift their pinky when they drank a cup of tea the world would explode -- and, quite possibly, this was true. If not the world, then their world.

But if there was one thing that Delia enjoyed, it was toying with the world, both literal and figurative.

Besides, there was no denying that Tess Holmes was hot, probably more so now than when Delia had first met her. That had been many years ago in some Pureblood ball her father had made her attend. She remembered it well, not because of Tess or the ball -- all balls were the same, and if you attended one, you've attended them all -- but rather because of the momentary escape she had with one of the cute waiters. They'd eyed each other up the entire night, and when Delia's father determined it was time to leave, she'd snuck her phone number into his pocket, hoping that he was at least muggleised enough to have one. Sure enough, she'd received a text much later on, and while their fun never went past texts that would make anybody, let alone a Pureblood, blush, he'd been fun nevertheless.

Momentarily, she wondered how he was doing. She'd long forgotten his name; all that remained were the promises of what he'd do to her once she was of age and they met up, and the thrill that came with the imagery.

Her cheeks flushed a little with the memory, but not by much; she wasn't a blusher, not typically, and it could have just as easily been the cold water mixing with the warmth of the sun causing it. It was no wonder that she hadn't recognised Tess earlier; the evening that she met the witch was full not of the people she'd met, but rather the male and all the delights that came with doing something she wasn't meant to.

Her original answer -- Why, you, of course, -- died on her lips. She'd already pissed off one high-ranking Pureblood. There was no need to push it by flirting with another. At least, that's what common sense told Delia, and she mentally laughed. No, common sense was boring. So, instead, she flashed Tess Holmes a grin. "I was hoping to meet a hottie to have fun with," she replied, deciding not to add 'and I guess I have' just yet. There was time for that later. "I didn't know you were attending Hogwarts," Delia added, hinting at knowing who Tess was.

If the Pureblood remembered her or not, Delia didn't really care. There were a lot of people who did, some because they'd met her, and some because of what happened to her parents. She was used to being gossiped about and talked about badly, not that she cared. Reputation was iffy at best, constantly shifting and changing with the tide. She had far more important things to worry about than what people said about her, either to her face or behind her back.


When the girls made eye contact, Tess tilted her head once the girl looked a little lost in her thoughts. Taking the girl in, she somehow seemed very familiar. Her brain began to quickly filter through the faces she'd met. While this would seem like a tedious task to any other, for her it was just another trick of the trade when it came to being in the social standing that she was. Something about the teen's eyes that caught the image perfectly.'

It had been probably two years ago if not less, when she had last seen the girl before her. The small way her lip twitched was enough of a sign that she was memorable.

"You're....Cordelia Schaefer; right?" a small smile arose from her face. "I hadn't seen you in a while."

Her voice was shy and polite. It was a warmth out of politeness over their kind and not so much one of knowing one another. It was just the way that she was raised, nothing particularly genuine.

Still, her tone grew to a curious one once Cordelia continued to be brash into her reason for being there. Her cheeks warmed a bit at the lax nature of her comment but she worked with it.

"I didn't know you were attending Hogwarts,"

A small more genuine smile arose from her face at the question. So yes, perhaps she was right in knowing the girl.

"I transferred a year ago" she murmured. "Beauxbatons myself, and you? I haven't seen you much."



"Yes and no," she said, lifting a corner of her mouth in a smirk. "I tend to go by Delia, now. Delia Foster, after my mum. Schaefer is who I become when I'm at stuffy balls impressing stuck-up pricks." If memory served her correctly, Tess wasn't too bad, but she wouldn't mind putting that to the test. Higher class purebloods mostly tended to be the same, meaning that Delia enjoyed messing with them somewhat, although not too much. She may not care about her reputation, but her father certainty did, and she did not want to receive another lecture from him about behaviour. She was a Schaefer by blood, even if not by name or want, after all.

"Didn't expect to meet you here, Tess," she added, not needing to confirm her name with a question. She was meant to know all the faces of the high class Purebloods, to impress them and hopefully try and win their friendship. At least, that was what she was asked to do by her father; she didn't care enough to try, not even at balls when he was watching. She was unapologetically herself -- although sometimes holding back just a little so she wasn't kicked out or humilated.

"Dumstrang," Delia replied, a hint of pride in her tone. While some might have seen Dumstrang's teaching methods as extreme, or their idealogy skewered, Delia found it refreshingly unique. She enjoyed her time there, soaking in all she could about subjects that would be frowned upon by any other school and getting up to all sorts of mischeif she knew she wouldn't get away with in Hogwarts. It wasn't better, exactly, just different. "I just started Hogwarts this year. It's... an interesting change."

"It's been..." She paused for a moment, thinking back. "Three years? Four? Too f---ing long. Since we met." Grinning a little at Tess, Delia shrugged. "How've you kept?"


Tess had to admit that Cordelia's language was not...what she was excepting. Cursing was not something deemed proper for people like her and yet the girl before her paid no mind to her cursing. In turn, she tried not to flinch at the brusk language.

It was clear to her though, that when she mentioned Cordelia's name, it was not something that rubbed her the right way. She in no way meant to insult her. And if trust be told, everyone spoke about how the heir to the family had not shown up to multiple events due to "school" or being away during an important part of the social season. She had always assumed that Cordelia married somewhere else and just never returned.

But that was not the case and as she continued to pry a bit, Tess was still as polite as possible. "I know" she smirked. "I assumed I'd stay in France for my whole life, yet father had other plans." She tried not to shrug because it was uncouth, but she tried to convey nonchalance as best she could. "Hogwarts is quite lovely when you get used to it. And while I assume you miss Durmstrang, you'll make a home for yourself here."

At Cordelia's insistance and curiosity, Tess found herself opening up as she waded in the lake.

"Well...I've been fine. I know you no longer attend balls, but for the most part nothing is changed. Currently the prefect for my house. Father is doing well and my brother...well he's the potion's professor as of now. Things are going...swimmingly. What about you? It's been a while since we've seen you in our circles."

[[OOC: I used Google translate for my French, since I don't speak it. If the grammer or anything is wrong, let me know; it's not meant to be. She's fluent in it, so any mistakes are mine/Googles. xD]]

There were multiple language classes in Dumstrang, not that Delia bothered attending many of them. She only learnt two others fluently -- French and German -- and picked up a few sentences and phrases here and there from other languages, mostly swear words from her friends. It was mostly due to her father wanting her to act like an elite Pureblood, skills not forgotten but no longer practised.

"La vie à un moyen de baiser des plans," she said, offering Tess a light smirk. "I..." She shrugged, making it obvious this wasn't exactly what she did. "Convinced my father to let me move back in with my mother." Despite the restraining order, she added, mentally, but didn't say. Her reputation she might not have cared about, but she knew her father's was important to him -- and, in a way, her. Who else would give her a shit-tonne of money? (Aside from her mother, that is.) "I've been here what, two months now? Beats the shit out of Germany, however I look at it. Father's too f---ing boring for me."

Delia let out a soft laugh. "Still attending balls, don't worry. I know you missed me in all my glorious mess." She winked, either to show Tess she was joking or flirtatiously; which was up to the other witch to decide. "I mean, all I've done is move in with my mother, and changed my name... It's only been two f---ing months; am I really that easily missed?" She grinned. "If there's a particularly fancy thing my dad wants to show me off at I go, but they're so f---ing drab he knows if it's more than once every few months I'll end up making my own fun, and take the piss of the guy he wanted to impress the most or some shit like that. So I've only really attended like, three in the past half year, since I started planning to move in with mum."

With another laugh, she added, "Ah, yes, and your brother. The hot potions Professor, everyone's saying. I've heard there's a market for nudes if you want to make a quick buck." Her tone was light, showing her obvious teasing. This was probably the bigest test. If she could handle Delia's sexual jokes, Tess would probably be able to handle anything else Delia threw at her.

"And as for me?" she went on, a few moments later. "I'm the best I've ever f---ing been. Broke up with my girlfriend a while back, so I'm currently single and free as a f---ing bird." She'd never been one to shy away from her sexuality, dating neither in secret or privately. If anyone had an issue with it, that was their problem, not hers. A split second later, she added, "Britain's a nice change of scenery, too. A few stuck up entitled bitches here, but those are the most fun to f--k with."

Translation:

[/i]"La vie à un moyen de baiser des plans."[/i]
Life has a way to f--k up your plans.




The way that Cordelia spoke was both horrifying and intriguing. The way that she showed her colorful language flowed through her sentences made Tess realize that this was just how she spoke normally. It was not something she was used too if she was perfectly honest. Her family never swore; sharp tongues stung more than any fowl word. There were countless of times when she was in tears over cold sharp lashes from her father's tongue.

Cordelia's mention of living with her mother did manage to bring a pang to her heart. She wondered what it was like to have one that brought the comfort that a father could not. She looked a bit surprised at how vocal she was about her criticism of her father. It was rather...brave.

Her lip twitched realizing at what house she was sorted in. She covered her mouth as she joked about being missed, only for her face to morph in disgust at the idea of her brother being attractive. Rather than saying anything, she signaled that she would be getting out. As much as she enjoyed the conversation she would rather talk in land.Pulling herself out of the water, she grabbed her towel and covered herself, very self-conscious at being exposed in front of people that were not her family.

"For the record, my brother is not attractive. He's normal" she wrinkled her nose. "We clearly need better looking people if that's who you're eyeing"

Her eyes were bright with amusement. This was new and entertaining. The way that she was so free in her emotions was refreshing, yet the mention of her sexuality made Tess blush. Sexuality and pureblood culture did not go hand in hand. Sex was taboo and sexual orientation was even worse. She bit her bottom lip before taking a second to respond.

"I do hope you don't mean me when you talk about....bitches" her face showed confusion at the word usage. "But I do hope that you can heal your heart with someone in the castle"


Delia didn't miss the surprise that flashed across Tess' face, barely managing to hold in a laugh. Pureblood females -- pureblood anyones -- were not meant to criticize family. They were not meant to openly disagree with anything anyone older than them did. Families were families. It was bad enough her parents were divorced; it was another thing altogether if she showed favouritism for someone other than the male of the family.

But since nothing was said, either in approval or otherwise, Delia didn't bother elaborating. She wasn't out to create a fight; she was just expressing herself. She could damn well finish a fight, but typically, unless someone really irritated her, she didn't start them. It was just too much effort.

Following Tess out of the water, Delia didn't bother covering herself. She'd been in less around way more people than one witch, and she wasn't even sure if Tess wasn't heterosexual. If she was, well, too bad; if she wasn't... well, also too bad, but for different reasons.

She let out a long laugh at Tess' words, amusement playing on her lips in the form of a smirk. If she could handle sexual remarks and jokes about her brother, Tess could probably handle anything Delia had to throw at her. "Oh I would never... He's too high-class. I can't deal with the stress of being the wife of someone of your status. I'd f***ing die." Her tone was light, showing that while she was semi-serious about her words, she was also teasing the witch. A short pause, then, "But he is hot. You might not see it as his sister -- what sibling is ever hot? -- but damn, girl, he's a piece of meat... In the nicest way, of course."

Delia's smirk appeared at the comment. "Well done," she said, dryly. "Next, let's have you try the word f***. Say it with me -- f***ing bitches." Winking yet again to show her jest, Delia sat herself on a nearby rock, motioning for Tess to do the same. If she wasn't gonna swim, she might as well work on a tan. "And no. Not you. I wouldn't be talking to you if you were."

"Heal my heart?" she repeated, leaning back to allow her body to catch the rays of the sun. "What f***ing Hallmark movie did you get that from?" She let out a short laugh. "My heart's not broken, if that's what you mean. We broke up on good terms. We were never in love. It was mostly..." She paused, wondering how much she should reveal, then shrugged. "Physical. We f***ed a lot, realised it was unhealthy and we'd probably kill each other if we continued, decided to remain friends instead, and broke up. That's literally it."


Tess felt a brief shame rise within her as Cordelia laughed at her. Was it something she said? Her cheeks reddened at the ignorance in her comment and felt some shame in herself. And it was a brief feeling until she realized that there was little malice in her reasoning for laughing. It was a bit weird for she was many things but being funny wasn't one of them.  So despite her more cynical thoughts, she was not being laughed at. Slowly a small smile arose from her face.

But as the older girl continued to chat about her brother's looks, the idea was not ideal. Still the humor was clear. "I doubt he'd be able to handle you to be honest. He's even more composed than I am" her lip twitched almost a smirk. "Even more boring than I can hope to be at his age. " Still as the girl tried to get her to smirk she shook her head. "I'm not going to necessarily curse Delia, it's not my style."

And it wasn't. She was cold, heartless sometimes, but she never cursed. Her father had oftentimes told her that cursing dumbed her down. And he often times patronizing would comment 'You are too pretty to use such silly words'


Love is a beauty thing in her mind. It was elusive, and complicated and rare. Did Tess think that she would ever attain it? No, not really. In her community ad her society, love came as an afterthought if you were truly lucky. Still her face paled at the mention of casual sex. That was a big taboo; her body even reacted by closing her legs.

"I...a movie?" she was unsure what that was about. "I-I know nothing of casual...relationships. But I assume that there are boys here that might peak your interest and maybe some females too."

Delia let out another laugh at Tess' reply. "Damn, girl," she said, returning the smirk with one of her own. "Could anyone be more composed than you?" Her tone was light, with her having decided to go for joking rather than dry sarcasm; she wasn't yet sure if Tess understood that sort of thing, and she didn't want to offend the witch or anything. There was something about Tess she rather liked. Despite being a high-class Pureblood, she didn't seem judgemental or as stuck up as some could be -- her father included, despite him not being high-class.

"Why the f*** would you want to be boring though? Fun is where all the cool people hang out, and boring is what the cool people target -- as in, if you're boring, we mess with you. And yes, I'm admitting I'm f***ing cool as a cucumber." She paused, tilted her head a little. "I never got that saying. I hate cucumber."

At the comment about swearing, Delia merely shrugged, grinning to show she didn't mind either way. "You don't mind if I do, do you?" she asked, not so that she could watch her language -- even when she tried, it always seemed to slip out without her realising -- but rather so that she knew where Tess really stood. Besides, she was genuinely curious. There were people who didn't swear for religious reasons, some who didn't because it was what they were told by their parents, some who just didn't like it, and some who just had sticks shoved too far up their ass. The latter was the only category of people whose viewpoint Delia didn't respect.

"You... You know what a movie is, right?" Delia asked, momentary confusion playing on her features. "A... f***, I've never had to explain it before... Or do you mean Hallmark? That's a muggle thing, a... brand, you could say. They do really soppy romantic feel-good movies. I f***ing hate them. I like Disney, though. People say I look like this actress in this movie -- Geek Charming. Seen it?" She paused, then shook her head. "Never mind, don't answer that; I know it's a no. Well. You should. We should. I think I have it on my laptop. If not I'm sure a muggleborn or halfblood student does. Nothing like a Disney marathon to end a week. F***, you've got so much to catch up on... We'll start with the classics."

Grinning at Tess, she winked. "You're going to love Ariel. And if you like musicals -- singing. Movies with a lot of singing. It's... Anyway -- Into The Woods is great." She paused, blinked as if considering something, and then burst out laughing. "F*** me. Now I understand it." She shook her head, amusement playing out on her features, and then added, as an explanation, "When I first made friends with some halfbloods in Dumstrang, they got really excited over introducing me to Disney. Tripping over their words, talking over each other, arguing about which we'd see first... I thought they'd lost their f***ing minds. But now..." She flashed Tess another grin, "...Now I get it. We're gonna have a ball, you and me."

[[OOC: I'm having serious flashbacks to Tess and Cassie and Brooke having Disney movie marathons xD I MISS CROOKE D: ]]




"Could anyone be more composed than you?"

At the clear teasing in her note, Tess smiled and couldn't help but respond with, "It's part of my mystique" before sending a wink her way before laughing herself.

She enjoyed the lightness of the conversation. There was nothing too serious, nothing so substantial in their talks and it was refreshing. For the first time she felt like...an actual teenager.  Still, the question in her tone made Tess tilt her head in curiosity.

"Delia...please don't change because you think you're making me uncomfortable. Be yourself" she smiled softly. "And...no, I don't know what a movie is. I only know it's a muggle thing. My father does not allow me to...know anything about muggles"

Though the more and more they bean to talk, Tess felt her shoulders relax and the conversation flowed. This was by no means a normal conversation, they were so different. Still, she found herself smiling and wondering what was to come from a chaotic being such as Delia.