Avery Hollow

She was very thankful she had Fi in her life, with how she held her hand and was sweet to her. "Let's talk about something else. How are your brothers anyway?" She asked. Hey, how old were they again? She could always marry into Fi's family. Then they would never have to seperate! 

Fi would ask her brother to look out for her. Well, Pen didn't have a brother, but she had a cousin that she could probably ask too to inquire about any man who wanted to get close to Ariel. Or Fi, or her, but Ari was just more vulnerable! Arthur and Fiore's brothers could probably find out for her too, yet it still didn't sit right with her somehow. Perhaps it was just because things were changing. She didn't like change, she never had. She'd wanted to hold onto kindergarden when she was little, and every step along the way felt scary and dangerous. She knew she played her role well but sometimes she wished she wasn't human. A cat, perhaps. Like the one her family used to had. Lazily napping, not worried about a thing. Forgetting all the stupid human rules.
 
"We'll be fine." She nodded, snapping back to the character she played, smiling. "Thanks, Fi. I love you, you know?" She smiled at her friend. 

Yeah, their kids would spend time together, that was a comfort at least. It was somewhat of a comfort they'd still all meet up, but her parents always told her everything from this school wouldn't last, and to be aware of that. To make strategic choices based on that knowledge. But she did want to take things from this school into her life after. Like Fi and Ari. She wouldn't know what to do without her friends. Fi didn't even think it was that stupid. "I just don't want to lose you or Ariel, you know? It's scary." She said, before she breathed in deeply to try and push the tears away.
 
"You guys are like the best. I don't even know what Ari's plans are. Have you heard anything from her about a guy? She's more vulnerable than the two of us combined and then some. I just don't want someone to swoop in and take you two away and never let you see me. There are bastards out there, you know?" 

Damn. If there was an Italian man out there and Fiore would connect with him, that'd basically mean she'd leave the country. Well, that was certainly distressing. "I mean, I hope you do find a sweet guy, I just hope he'd British, or Scottish. Maybe I'm selfish but losing you as my friend is rather scary. But we could always write?" It was making her feel rather emotional and she laughed at her own stupid tears. "Oh my Gosh. that's so stupid. We're not even sure there's a ball at all." But it was scary.
 
She'd always been told to look forward to becoming an adult, marry a rich and nice man, become a mother, but the closer it got the more realities sank in. She might lose her friends. Hell, she hadn't met any man that had sparked her interest yet and the time was ticking. And she didn't feel ready, she didn't feel she wanted to. She always thought she'd start to want to. Maybe she was just the type of girl to marry for money and not love, and it would probably make her parents proud she was, but it all seemed rather scary. Perhaps it was normal to feel all that, to be terrified of the future. It was going to be fine. 
 
She used her napkin to dab her eyes.  Everything in school was fleeting but what mattered was what came after and somehow she didn't feel like that mattered. But she couldn't get stuck on it. "Agh. Stupid." She laughed it away. "What is this, tea'r-full tea?" She chuckled.

"You'd move abroad for a man?" That was something important to know, if they were going to have an international ball. Maybe Fiore was the one that was going to get swept from her feet and taken back to France on a white horse. She'd love it for her friend, but she'd miss her. Did Ariel know about this ball? Maybe she could keep her away from it. All those foreign men were horrible, anyway. They would find her vulnerable spots and abuse them. Pen and Fi were strong enough to hold their own, but Ariel... No, she shouldn't come to the ball. The men in England were nicer anyway. She deserved a nice man.
 
"Where's your family from again?"

"Definitely ask your dad. I don't want to miss out." And her father was important so if anything was happening he'd know. Perhaps he just hadn't gotten around to telling her yet. "Then we can go get new gowns." She smiled. She already had a design in mind for an international ball. A dress that showed the map and flag of the country of the person she was talking to. Like if she were to talk to someone from France, her dress would turn blue, white and red. Surely such a dress could be arranged, for the right price. She'd ask her father about it later. Maybe she could have it custom made, like the dress from the previous ball. It'd definitely draw some eyes.
 
"Hopefully, if it does end up happening, there'll be plenty of handsome bachelors. What a dream to be whisked away. Then again, I'd probably grow bored if I didn't have you two, or the English gossip. French or German gossip just isn't the same." And gossiping was like her favourite hobby! Life in Germany would be awfully bland. "Or we could convince the men to move here. Pout a little." She pouted at her friend to show her the way she'd look at her future husband to get him to move to England. She wouldn't want to leave Fi, and Ariel would be hopelessly lost without her. She couldn't do that to her friend.

Books were fine enough, she read them too to pass the time, but it was one thing to like something and another thing to be obsessed with it. Books were such a childish thing to be obsessed with. It wasn't real, just fantasy. Now fashion was recent, physical. That she didn't shy away from being infatuated by. "I mean if she was actually nice we could give her some lessons, but I doubt she wants them. You're too good for this world Fi." She smiled at her friend, blew some air on her tea after it arrived. "I hear they're planning a new ball, with students from outside of the UK. Seems interesting enough though. I don't know when they are planning it though, I heard my mother talk about it." Had Fi heard about it?

Hell, did Penelope know? No. But it was safer not to help people, to keep them at bay. People could only drag you down. Sure, it was different for family and dear friends, but the rest of them, eh. She donated money to influence how others saw her, but in the end, the only people that could be helped were the ones that wanted to be helped and Mina didn't strike her as such a person. "It's very sweet you want to help her." She smiled, because. that was true. It's partly why she was fond of her friends. They had the empathy for others she lacked and sometimes it did help with putting things in perspective.
 
"But you want to help. So try and help." She shrugged. "Just don't become a book nerd like her. You're too much fun for that. Shopping for dresses isn't fun in books. Not as much anyway." She smiled, before she ordered her favourite with the waiter. "Anything is more fun in real life, anyway." Fantasy was just fantasy. Wasn't kissing better in real life? Her kiss with Ari had felt much better than it was written like in the book, it had given her all the tingle feelings in her stomach. Even thinking about it now did it. She felt a blush come over her cheeks as she looked at her friend, thinking about a new topic but her head didn't seem to catch onto something to say. Weird, that.

Oh, a nail polish that changed with her outfits. Fiore really was smart. That sounded like it would help a lot, but then again, what if it changed into something you didn't want, or something obscene? Some prankster's joy would ruin her entire life. 
 
Fi was right. If Mina kept going like this she'd end up being loved by nobody, only the boys in her books. And those weren't going to provide for her, nor give her children. How sad, but she had done it all to herself so Pen wasn't going to feel bad about it. "You want to help her? You can try, I just think it's useless trying to help someone who doesn't want to be helped. She might even drag you down with her, say all mean things to break your spirit and you don't deserve that." Fi was one of the few people she truly cared about and if Mina broke her friend, she'd have to answer to her.

She nodded. Tea, then. "Just a french tip with something lacey, I think. Maybe some colour, we'll see." Painted nails were always quite the precarious engagement. Once you had them be painted, it would be a while before it came off and until then you had to be aware of what other people thought about it. Too much colour and they might think she was too bold and thought of herself too highly, but too bland and she'd obviously fade into oblivion. It had to be just perfect, but she couldn't rely on the same old colours and patterns every single time or people might think she was boring, and not worth their time. Gosh, nails were such an incredibly important thing in her life! People underestimated the power of a freshly manicured, dazzling display on the fingers. It might even make them forget she had nothing of value to add. 
 
"Yeah, well." She smiled, as she requested a table for two, so she had time to think of something to say. "She's just, odd, you know? Never cares about anyone, I swear the only friends she has are the ones in her books, yet when you try to be nice to her she's such a... mean person." She heard her mother's voice in her head, a relieved sigh. Manners, Penelope. "It wouldn't hurt her to put those down and just engage with others for once. She think she's so much better than anyone else because she reads. I read. I don't make it my whole personality!"

"Oh shut up girl, of course it's true, look at you!" She didn't mean to really tell her friend to shut up, it was just weird to think her own friend didn't see her beauty. She believed it though, because she felt it herself. "Good." She smiled, hearing her friend being happy with her dress. "Let's browse some more. It's the new season! We can't miss out!" It was very important to her.
 
But I've had a trying-on-dresses topic not too long ago, so let's just skip to after. "So what did we have now? I forgot..." She said, having a parade of bags floating after her. There had been plenty of Dresses that had spoken to her, so of course she couldn't leave them hanging there! "Tea and nails, right? But we can't talk about certain people getting our nails done, so, tea first? Literally and figuratively?" 

It was always better when your friends agreed with your choices in style and she went to stand near where Fi had sat, waiting for her friend to come out and of course, the dress was perfect on her. "It's gorgeous. Honestly babes, you could wear a sack and still look gorgeous." Fi had that gorgeous shape and the fabric's colour really did suit her. "How does it feel? Does it scream at you to take it or..?" 

That was sorted, then. Priscilla nodded before she saw The Dress.
 
She smiled at her friend, who seemed as happy as she was she'd found Her and she nodded. "Yes. I am trying Her out!" And Fi even let her go first. She hurried herself to the changing room, lifted herself out of her dress with the help of some of the girls who were working there and into the New, as it magically lifted itself in all the right places, clamping itself in the back as she looked in the mirror. Oh it was wonderful. The way it shone, the way it made her shine, it was perfect.
 
With a big grin she came out of the changing room, twirling around, scattering frilly leaves around her. "Isn't She beautiful?" She asked, letting her hand pass the fabric. "This one, please." She said to one of the girls. "We'll pay at the end. Name's Penelope." She didn't know the price but her parents paid for it so who cared? "Now it's your turn!" She smiled.

Ugh, this conversation was awkward and maybe she made it so. "It's always worse without you two, though." She smiled, patting her friend's arm. She loved her friends, they were in her corner and she in theirs. It was just difficult at times. "Sure! You guys have done it before, but maybe things have changed. Best to be prepared, right?" She wanted to know if she was going to be married soon. And if not, what the signs were she could look out for. A sweet, rich, handsome man was all she asked for. With all she had to offer, that couldn't be so hard, right?
 
Then, like destiny had pulled her eyes she saw The Dress. "Oh my word." She muttered, letting go of her friend in a dramatic stride towards the beautiful figure on the mannequin. "Oh She's beautiful!" She said out loud, letting her hand brush on the fabric, releasing a trail of tiny leaves falling from the dress and disappearing as they hit the floor. She looked to the side of the mannequin, where a few dresses were hanging and she picked one off the rack, before looking back at Fi, in love. "This is why I love shopping!" She was beaming as she wrapped the fabric round her arm.

"Sure. It is different without Ari here." She didn't feel as much need to impress her friend, to take good care of her and make sure she was having a good time. She still did that with Fiore of course, but she trusted Fiore to not wander off, and Ari was just slightly more exciting to hang out with, though she'd never say it to Fiore's face. Ari's smile lit up the room, and her clumsiness was rather adorable. It always made Pen feel happy she was her friend. She was also happy with Ari, but it was different. She felt Ari was cool, an ally, someone she could rely on. 
 
"You two should do my cards and crystals again, though. I feel like I need some luck, find a guy. It's been long enough now." She was going to be old, soon. Even if she did not truly believe in that crystal stuff, Ari and Fi did and that was enough. Besides, they'd get to spend time again with their best friend.

Oh, Fi thought she was sure she knew what Ari did or did not have. Cool, cool. They'd been spending lots of time together, then. Without Penelope. That was fine. Cool. No big deal. It was fine.
 
Time to focus on shopping, instead of the things that were bothering her. "You should." She smiled charmingly, acting like nothing was the matter. The dress did look good, and Fi seemed very keen on it too. Penelope always had an eye for fashion, and for the fashion her friends would like. "It would be easier, yes." But Pen was rather picky. She always wanted that dress that locked eyes with her from across the room, and flirted with her until she put it on, then made her fall in love. A high bar, but a necessary one. A good dress gave a confidence boost. 
 
She she walked through the store, eyeing all the fabrics and patterns, but none caught her eye yet. 
 
"So, you and Ari. Do you two often meet up without me? How dreadfully boring it must be without me!" She smiled, passing it off as a joke. 

"Probably a bit of both." She laughed. Of course she was a bit miffed Empress got to be married first, but she couldn't let it press on her too much. It wasn't worth getting ugly wrinkles over. "You know, the real diamonds only show up after the dirt has been dug out. You'll be fine, Fi. You're pretty and sweet. Empress just got out the dirt for us, such a good girl." She said, linking her arm into her friend's.
 
"Exactly." A few new dresses and the papers could write about them again, but them back in the spotlight. Pen didn't really think about the implications those exact papers could note if she wore dresses made from the abuser of her cousin. Oh well. She wasn't a particularly smart teenager. 
 
When Fiore talked about their other friend Pen couldn't help but feel left out herself. "I mean, fine." She said, smiling shortly, trying not to let her friend know she irked her. "I'll get her a nice perfume. She loves those mysterious incense scents, right? They are sure to have some of those at Choice." 
 
That's when her eyes caught onto a dress in the shop and she gasped, pulled it off the rack and almost slammed it against her friend's shoulder. "That dress is dastardly gorgeous, totally screams Fiore. Doesn't it?" She always had an eye for clothes.

"Empress?" She almost stopped in her tracks to look at her friend. Jesus. "Good riddance." It was that, atleast, though she was getting a little nervous herself now. She wasn't getting any younger and still no ring around her finger. All the while she was a good candidate, had been told that all her life. Still, she was also worried about her friends, especially Ari. She wasn't married yet and.. Well, atleast no bad man was going to be in her life. For that she was happy. She didn't think many men were suited for her best friend. She was too kind, too gentle, and honestly a little too naive. 
 
But today was not a day to think about that too much. Today was about gossip, and catching up with her friend. "I heard the new season is in at the Stonem's. Figure it might be worth a look." Honestly it was hard sometimes, going to the Stonem store, but they had such cute clothes, and was her purchase really going to make a difference? Every rich girl in the magical dimension wore Stonem. If she only wore clothes made by ethical brands with people at the top that didn't do horrible shit, she'd only buy brands that nobody knew about. She did make sure not to wear them on family gatherings, though. She had that much tact.
 
"We should get a couple of new dresses. Get into the new season in style."