Pinch of Cinnamon

song aesthetics: desert_touches 5/7

young god - halsey

A dark and gloomy atmosphere seemed to be lingering over London, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. There were, of course, the gray storm clouds that seemed ever-present in the lofty skies. It seemed that rain was more of a daily occurrence than ever, especially in the past few days. But then there was the doom and gloom that people put off, dragging negative energy along with them until it was nearly impossible not to add to it. Florence could feel herself being sucked in, feel any remaining positivity draining from her being. And it seemed there wasn’t much she could do about it. At least other people seemed to be just as much a victim to the vacuum of despair as Florence was. People hunched over on their way to and from their workplaces, slouched into positions that could hardly be considered comfortable. Others just stood around, staring out into space, not even trying to engage with the darkness that was right at their fingertips. The woman standing nearby appeared to belong to the latter group of people. Only after looking the woman over for a solid few minutes did it click for Florence that the woman actually was familiar … an older woman who had also been in Hufflepuff with her in school. 

“You alright there? You look – lost in thought,” she offered, hoping it was enough to get someone to say something.

Calliope turned as a voice reached her ears and smiled weakly at the familiar-looking woman who had spoken. She hated when people noticed her in a foul mood. Callie had spent her entire life taking care of Cepheus and Cressida that it became necessary to be seen as a source of positivity. The caretaker should not burden those in her with their own woes in Callie’s mind. She felt this odd pull to be the same around this familiar stranger. She never said these things were practical.

It was gloomy out and Callie noted how the others around them were moving like Inferi. She wondered if the reason she had been spoken to was because she resembled that as well. “Oh, yes, thank you. Just a long day. I love my job but it does get rather exhausting.” Callie kicked herself for complaining about her work. She could not be known as a complainer, it would only prove those who questioned her choice to be employed correct.

“How are you, dear?”

March 31, 1979 Selwyn Manor Outside Chippenham, Wiltshire, England

A breath escaped her lips as she stood behind the steps of the entrance hall. This was it, no turning back now. All of her work the past three months was finally culminating into this event, and she knew she was not about the relax the entire night. Closing her eyes to compose herself for a moment, she was grateful for the mask that concealed half of her face. It was the first decent suggestion from her soon to be sister-in-law had given in terms of the celebration. Her father seemed to be enjoying the touch as well. 

Smoothing out the fabric of her dress, she knew she had sometime before anything was in her control, and she needed to play her part until she was needed. Her brother’s fiancée had no idea how apt the selections of masks were. A small smile tugged at her lips as she went to join her family, the secretly knowingly safe for now. 

“Welcome to our home,” she said graciously as someone walked in.

If there was anything to get Calliope back into her usual spirit it was a Selwyn Ball. She put on a new dress and a mask that barely hid her identity and headed out to her best friend’s home to hopefully enjoy a night of dancing. It was precisely what she needed and she was hoping Davina was doing all right with all the planning. She wished she could have said that she was of any help in planning the event but it would be such a lie.

She spotted Davina and grinned up at the beautiful witch before pressing a kiss to her cheek. “You look stunning, Dav.” Callie gushed. “How are you, love?”

> CALLIOPE NOTT <

“Be nice first, because you can always be mean later, but once you’ve been mean to someone, they won’t believe the nice anymore. So be nice, be nice, until it’s time to stop being nice, then destroy them.” 

the future he always wanted

        ( when your fantasies                    become your legacy                              promise me a place                                        in your house of memories … )

After Voldemort fell, Cassius and many of his friends were able to escape imprisonment. They were questioned of course, but they knew exactly how to manipulate their stories to stay innocent. As the dust settled, life carried on as usual. Cassius and Calliope had announced their engagement during the war but they weren’t actually married until after it was over.

Shortly after the war ended, Cassius’ father passed away. Totally natural causes, no one could prove there was foul play. The Mulciber Estate was left to Cassius’ mother but she immediately gave it to Cassius, in favor of retiring to the country. Cassius along with his now wife Calliope moved to the estate where over the next three years, they had three children: Cressida, Calida, and Cain.

        ( if you’re a lover, you should know                   the lonely moments just get lonelier                             the longer you’re in love                                        than if you were alone … )

Cassius and Callie’s relationship had always been open, both of them having other partners outside their marriage. Neither of them could have predicted how things would turn out. As partners faded in and out of their lives, one stayed constant, Augustus Rookwood. The more Cassius thought about it the more he couldn’t imagine his life without the other man. After several drunk nights together the three of them talked it out and eventually agreed upon a polyamorous relationship. Augustus moved into the estate a few months later. Together the three of them lived out long and happy lives, never again feeling the long forgotten burn of their dark marks.