mother knows best

MOTHER GOTHEL IS PROUD TO SEND THEIR CHILD, COSETTE GOTHEL, TO THE LAND OF AURADON FOR THE UPCOMING SOCIAL SEASON. WE HEAR THEY’RE ELEGANT AND CHARMING, BUT CAN ALSO BE SELFISH AND CONNIVING. AND IT’S SAID THEY BARE A REMARKABLE RESEMBLANCE TO DANIELLE ROSE RUSSELL, BUT THAT’S MERELY A COINCIDENCE. WE’RE SURE THEY’LL CAUSE QUITE A STIR IN THE TON THIS YEAR BUT ONLY TIME WILL TELL.  

Name: Cosette Gothel

Age: (must be youngest) 18

Parents: Mother Gothel

Homeland: The Shadow Realm

Gender: Cisgender Female (She/Her)

Sexuality: Bisexual

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another day. another fit of boredom. it seemed to be the only true companion he seemed to have as of late.  outside of finding entertainment in various beds or in alley ways when he was able to get his knees dirty, just the way he liked. Andres had thought coming to the glittering world of Auradon was going to be more exciting than just, a few good sexual positions and toying with people’s feelings. he was hoping for mayhem. flames. a little bit of fun but there he was, already something like a month, maybe two, in and nothing. patience was never really his strong suit, and he wasn’t sure the happiness of those he seemed to enjoy was enough to keep him on the narrow bridge that was his apathy.

so, he found himself in low town, as was common for him. hoping there was trouble to be stirred up that he could simply enjoy. he couldn’t piss up how he would like, but maybe he could live through someone else’s troubles. only probably was, that it seemed people were being careful with those society papers going around.

the temptation to drown himself was strong. if only for a rush before death. but he wouldn’t. things to do. Andres was still slightly holding out hope that the next time nNkolai called on him, it would be for something a little dirtier than getting details from people or pushing them over a fae fueled edge. something.

Andres was pulled from his thoughts as he heard something like a low grumbling, but it did nothing to stop him as ran into someone in his lack of care for where he was going. the voice he was greeted with was one he recognized. a fellow shadow born that he didn’t have strong feelings for. good or bad. Cosette tended to hang around one of his favorite people, so he gave her leeway in his world of things. “oh please, no,” he began, a well-practiced drawl overcoming his words but there was no idea his distaste for them in that moment. “Miss Gothel, the fault was mine.”

looking her over for a moment, it occurred to him that she did have a sort of red to her hair. not as vibrant as his favorite fox but, more than none. remembering that sound that seemed to be something of displeasure he tilted his head for a moment. allowing himself to be intrigued. “but may i be so bold,” his tun changed as curiosity curled through his thoughts. “as to ask what may have had you, seemingly, grumbling in distaste?”

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Cosette wanted to disagree with him, insist that it truly was her fault for running into him, that she hadn’t been paying attention, but instead she let it got with a gentle smile. “Thank you. That’s a very kind thing of you to say.”

Inherently, she was suspicious of most other Shadow Borns. As a general they could be just as cunning and wicked as she could be and that meant it was best to stay out of their hair or stay on their good side. With Andres things were a bit different. As a general she knew not to fear him; she doubted he would cause her much trouble when Lydia was a shared acquaintance.

She gave him a little bow as best she could with the art supplies in her arms. 

“As far as my grumblings, well, there are certain things a lady should keep a secret as best as she can.” Cosette offered him a coy smile. In truth she wasn’t sure what to do if Andres were to find out just how strong her affections for Ben were. “What brings you out and about today?”

Did she even want it to be?

Yes, god yes she did and that, more than anything, was infuriating her. Cosette did her best not to make her terrible mood too obvious as she stomped around low town, picking up a few new canvases and paints. For the past few days she had been unable to paint anything but his features, so thoroughly engrained into her mind that pushing them away was proving to be frustratingly impossible. She mumbled under her breath in frustration, unaware that she had walked head first into another man.

Just as she was about to apologize, play the innocent little girl with possible crocodile tears her eyes, she noticed Andres before her. While the two were not particularly close, Lydia and Ben both had kept him company many a times and she at least would call him an acquaintance enough to not put up her usual visage of practiced patience and delicacy.

“Mr. Hook. My apologies I simply had not been looking where I was going.”

@talesnbone​

༻  ★  ☆  ★  ☆  ★  ༺

“Thanks,” Benedict deadpanned, resentful of the girl’s words of greeting. His awful was still far better than some others’ best, but he didn’t have the energy to say it. He just wanted to rest. In silence, preferably… unless he was being showered with compliments. Cosette’s next words were equally as upsetting.

There was nothing like being called hideous and stupid by someone who knew you intimately.

“It wasn’t unwise of me,” he allowed his eyes to open in order to stress. “Unlike many others, clearly, I knew what I was doing. It was obvious that the food and drink were the source of much of the frivolity of the evening. I am aware enough about the effects of certain substances to have made an educated decision. This is simply not the result I had been hoping for.”

With that, he had assumed that she would simply leave, deserting him to allow him to wallow in his misery. Instead, he was surprised to see her unpacking a few items. His stomach rumbled at the sight of food, both a reminder of the previous evening’s mistakes and a cue that he needed to move on and eat something new.

“So you are saying that you missed me,” the male smiled an attempt to lighten the mood, a weight slowly being lifted off of his shoulders the more Cosette began to prove just how much she cared about him. “Because trouble is more fun. Usually.”

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Cosette bit her lip gently, taking a deep breath as she contemplated her next step. She had not expected for him to look so sullen and out of himself. Maybe she was being too harsh with her introduction then and today he deserved a little more kindness and a little less brashness.

“For the record you still look better than most people who just came down from a fairy mind altering adventure,” she conceded before spreading out some butter on the bread and offering it to him. “Eat. I’ll feel better knowing you have something in your stomach.”

It was hard to properly explain her feelings for Benedict. Some days she wanted to strangle him but others, and these more frequently since they had arrived in Auradon, she found herself upset that he had been spending time with others. They had agreed upon a few things early on: paintings and intimacy. Other than that all bets were off. But now, especially seeing him in such a state, her heart fluttered.

“And if I did miss you? What would you think?” Cosette asked gently. She tried to keep her voice light and flirtatious as possible to keep her true intentions with the question hidden. Truly how much did Benedict even care for her?

Benedict Smeethington considered himself a connoisseur when it came to a select number of things in this world - beautiful women, the stars, and… mood-altering drugs.

Which was why the previous night had been so upsetting. Ben thought he knew a thing or two about certain substances, but one taste of the delicacy that Silverbell had gestured towards and he’d very quickly realized that he knew nothing. Everyone else seemed lighter, more free, and the male had been so certain that he would follow suit. But Ben had never felt more weighed down, trapped in a perpetual mist and seeing horrors that he had worked so hard to block out. Water filling his lungs, no one there to help, escaping just to be trapped in a confined space. Distant memories, or perhaps even nightmares, that were never meant to see the light of day were playing out before his eyes, and he was the sole beneficiary.

Yo ho, etc.

 Squinting into the harsh morning light, Ben had barely allowed himself to get up and crack open his door before he was reclining back onto his bed - a pitiful sight for the girl who had just called upon him. Were it any other day Benedict may have attempted to offer some false cheer and charm, a suggestive comment falling from his lips playing off of the fact that he was being sought out in his chambers. However, Ben was too tired, too full of thoughts and feelings to put up the façade. Did Cosette even really need to be presented with one at that point?

“I do not think that I will be able to offer much company today,” he murmured as he let his eyes fall closed. “I do hope your bacchanal was superior to mine.”

@cosette-gothel​​

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“You look awful,” was the first thing out of Cosette’s mouth. It was really the only thing she could think of to say. Never before had he looked so...tired. Distraught. Messy. Her words lacked the usual scathing tone she would bring to the table however and took on a genuinely worried sort of tilt. “I imagine it was better in that I was wise enough not to go eating fairy food. Something tells me you were not so lucky as to escape unscathed.”

She sighed and pulled a chair to up to sit beside him. On her way over she had stopped by the market, picking up various treats that she hoped might coax him out of his stupor. She had seen glimpses of him during the bacchanal but hadn’t had the chance to properly call upon him.

It seemed that was for the best.

“I’ve brought you something to eat.” Cosette procured the food from her bag and set them on his side table, taking a deep breath. “You had me worried about you, you know? When I didn’t speak to you the entire night. Normally we always end up finding each other somehow.” She sighed, “Why are men such idiots that they always have to get themselves into trouble?”

Lydia had no opinion of the night thus far, a rare but not unheard of thing for her.

She’d lost track of Darien long ago, and had been made to wander the bacchanal alone, aimlessly maneuvering around group after group of partygoers that were a little too something-or-other (flirty, excitable, chatty, etc) until she’d ended up by the food and drink.

She hadn’t stayed planted there for long, having grabbed an odd fruit or two and a glass of what she assumed was something stronger than wine before she’d continued to mingle. But it was halfway through eavesdropping on conversations and being pulled into one or two on her own unexpectedly that the first hint that all was not as it seemed came to her.

A gentleman asked her if she could get him another glass of wine. And she had done it. With no questions asked, no biting retort. It was disturbing. It didn’t even take a second request for her to realize that something was very much amiss with her, and she developed an overwhelming desire to surround herself only with people she trusted. Which meant… one of two people.

Lydia Tremaine was no one’s servant. And luckily she knew just the redhead who could keep her from turning into one.

“My dear Cosette!” she called out as soon as the girl was close enough, her voice loud enough to stop anyone who knew a thing or two about polite society in their tracks. She certainly didn’t want to trap her chosen sister into a conversation, but time was of the essence.

“I fear I’ve been remiss in checking in since our arrival in Auradon. Tell me, my sweet, how have you been?”

@cosette-gothel​

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Cosette was wandering about the event with a gaze more curious than anything. She was not foolish enough to assume that the drinks and treats were not laced with something magical. And Mercedes and Nikolai had that look about them like they were up to something. She hated being out of the loop but things had been so busy these days that she’d hardly had time to talk to anyone, what with planning her own revenge against Rapunzel’s son.

“Lydia!” She beamed when she heard the voice, turning around without a second thought and offering the girl a hug.

They were close, incredibly so, almost like sisters. Cosette did not get along well with her own siblings and so it was Lydia she turned to for guidance. She was one of the few people whom Cosette wished only good things for, but the world was cruel to them, unjustly so.

“I’ve missed you. I’ve been well enough. Doing practically what I did before only now without my mother watching every movement.” Cosette hummed, “And what of you? Getting yourself into trouble I can only hope.”

Nik was currently in plotting mode. He was trying to figure out just what he could do to get the high prince of the fae away so he could get some of that damned fairy dust. It seemed the current prince was constantly surrounded by others, so what the fuck would Nik have to do to get him alone? He was only coming to one conclusion.

He was seconds away from approaching the Prince, when he heard an all too familiar voice creep upon him. Eyes closing as a wave of annoyance ran over him, Nik took a deep breathe before turning his attention towards Cosette. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” He muttered, bringing his hands behind his back as to not make any attempt to strangle the girl. It was an urge he often found himself pushing deep within.

“Did you have a reason for approaching me, Cosette? Or are you just hoping to live up to your expectation of being a thorough annoyance?”

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Cosette thought it was funny how little Nikolai thought of her. Annoying him was her own secret pleasure in the world, following after him and asking him stupid questions to see if he might wince. But he could do nothing. Or at least he hasn’t yet.

“I would like to know, that’s true,” she said with ease. “I think it would only be fair that you tell me. Or if you don’t I could go ask Mercedes what it is you’re up to instead....”

It was fun to lord that over him.

“And no reason. Just wondering what you were up to. Is it so wrong of me to ask my fellow Shadow Realm compatriot what he’s up to this evening? If he’s enjoying himself?”

So really she wasn’t enjoying herself in the slightest.

And when she saw Nikolai, well, it made the whole evening worse. The whole situation was silly but the two disliked each other by simple product of Mercedes being both of their friends. Cosette looked upon her like a guiding older sister and Nikolai did not enjoy that attention being taken away.

Really, Cosette thought he was a bit of a spoiled brat about the whole thing.

“Enjoying watching the masses make a fool of themselves?” she asked after her quiet approach. “Or do you intend to get your hands dirty and cause a little chaos.”

@chaoticchernov​

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As her hand shielded the sun from her eyes, Teddy could definitely say this was one of the Gothel children. They had not spoken at the fête, but she was sure she had overheard the woman introducing herself to someone. She had yet to ask dear August what his opinions were of these children, and until she had said opinion, she would keep hers neutral. 

Smiling to herself when Cosette mentioned a lack of fear when danger was involved, Teddy tried not to boast. She was confident that amongst the women in the Ton, she did not fear as the others did. Things like frogs and snakes did not make her run shrieking from a garden, instead she would easily pick the animal up and help it find a safe home away from feet that could step on it. 

“I find the unknown to be exciting. Besides, I’m confident if the lake is sentient, I could easily befriend it. Find out what it likes and offer it up as gifts. Who doesn’t like gifts? If someone exists out there that does not, I have not met them.” Patting the blanket, Teddy decided she would like to converse with this girl. See what she could learn about her. “Would you like to sit down? I have plenty of food to share. It seems I’ve overpacked for this journey. It seems I have not worked up quite the appetite I would have if I had gone to the stables like I had originally planned.”

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When Teddy offered to have her sit down, Cosette couldn’t help but smile. It was like she was the Cheshire cat and all her plans were coming together. Well at least some of them were. It would be nice to have another thing to cause August distress over. If Teddy was close with him it would be thrilling to see if she could pull them apart in any manner of ways.

“I find the unknown exciting as well. I would love to sit with you.” She offered her new companion a little curtsy and sat down upon the blanket beside her. The food looked delicious; Cosette heard her stomach growling. “Thank you for the invitation. I find myself lacking friends and company these days. Back in the Shadow Realm things were much more simple. Making my debut with all of the royals is certainly intimidating.”

The sweet little girl. That was the game she was going to play. Innocent, unsure of herself; the perfect sweetheart. “You all have such grace and elegance,” she pulled out her sketchbook. “The most of my talents lays in the arts. Speaking of, would it be alright if I sketched you.”

Teddy often spent her time outdoors. In fact, she would spend all of her time outdoors if her mother would allow it. But, unfortunately, part of attempting to become an accomplished young lady meant you spent a vast majority of your day listening to your mother and doing as you are told. Brushing up on skills that deem you presentable and alluring to the men of the Ton, attending the dress shop and picking out fabrics and ribbons. Occasionally, whenever she had a free moment to spare, Teddy would sneak off to the ice cream parlor, or to the stables outside of town to ride her horse. Today, she was within the Enchanted Park, seated on a blanket on a plush spread of grass with a book in hand and a lake behind her.

The sun was out and there was a light breeze, and she had packed some soft cheese and bread as well as an apple so she could enjoy the park in all its splendor. She was in the process of cutting up her apple when she saw a shadow appear over her spread. Turning, she saw a girl starring out at the water. Teddy did not know her particularly well, but recognized her from the grand fete. She was a Gothel, if her memory served her correct. Was she one of the ones that sat near August at the dinner? Or perhaps a different one?

“I would not attempt to swim in the lake, if I were you.” She called out, bringing a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun. “I’m sure it’s enchanted. Often I wonder if it’s sentient as well. Which is what has kept me from diving in the past.” As wind whipped her long curls in her face, Teddy brushed them out of the way. “I’m Teddy, by the way. I do believe we may have crossed paths the other night.” @cosette-gothel

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Cosette had gone out adventuring again, determined to see, experience, and understand as many parts of her new home of Auradon as she could. It was a magical place certainly and the Enchanted Park was no exception. The whole atmosphere made her usually on edge personality relax, even for just a moment.

She had been contemplating (briefly, very very briefly) taking of her boots and getting her toes wet in the cool water when she heard a voice speak up some distance from her. Turning, she saw a young woman with blonde hair seated comfortably on a blanket with a book. The woman spoke with some familiarity and Cosette did her best to place her face.

Ah, yes, she was the one who had been with August during the night. August, whom Cosette hated for his birth and truly no other reason. August, whom she intended to make life miserable for while she endeared herself to the crowds.

Well, this Teddy girl was certainly a good place to start.

“Cosette Gothel, a pleasure to meet you. You seem quite comfortable sitting outside here next to a possibly sentient lake, I take it you fear no danger then. An admirable quality.”

There was so much to explore outside of the Shadow Realm. She was enthralled by just about everything and relished the way she could dance in the wind without fear of who might be lurking behind corners. Her mother had been protective to say the least so this new found freedom was something she greatly treasured.

An art gallery was her second stop, after purchasing some bread for breakfast at one of the small stalls at the market. It didn’t bother her much to spend her days walking about as long as her boots didn’t get too dirty.

The artwork in the gallery was exquisite and Cosette found herself enthralled by every stroke of paint on the canvas. Her eyes sparkled as she fought the urge to reach out and touch it. Whoever had painted these was incredibly talented, that much she knew. It was the kind of art that inspired her to pursue her own crafts even harder.

“I hope I get to meet you one day,” she said to no one in particular, unaware that there might be anyone else around.

@discnchant​

༻  ★  ☆  ★  ☆  ★  ༺

Perhaps Benedict should not have been so quick to be amused by the clear jealousy the girl was exhibiting. The very moment that Cosette hinted that he was not the only subject of her art that she had a more scandalous history with the male’s amused smile faltered. It wasn’t jealousy, not quite, but more… the stunning realization that perhaps he’d been less special than he had originally believed.

“You’ve had the same arrangement with all whose portraits you paint?” he was unable to stop himself from asking, eyes having widened as he tried to think back to their time spent together in the Shadow Realm. He’d snuck a peek at her sketchbook before… who else was in it?

But then Cosette was unknowingly offering him the opportunity to continue on with his suggestive comments, and who was he to ruin the mood with things that, in the end, did not particular matter?

“There are other places that I’m sure we could make our way towards…” he trailed off, his suggestive smirk fading away in favor of true fear when faced with the fact that he’d just agreed to do something that he knew would only make him appear to be a fool. How could anyone have learned to do a quadrille (apparently that was the name of that moment’s torture) when there was no opportunity for such frivolity in the Shadow Realm?

He was trying his best, but ten steps in and it was undoubtedly clear that he was not a natural.

“Perhaps. Do take the lead, Miss Gothel.”

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“Why do you ask? Jealousy perhaps?” Cosette raised a brow, happy to have elicited some sort of emotion from him that caused his perpetual grin to halt even for a moment. “Or just curiosity? Truthfully it’s none of your business what I choose to do with anyone else I paint.”

It amused her, their back and forth, but what truly made her laugh was the sheer panic in his eyes as the dance began in earnest. He was floundering and she was doing her best to keep them above water.

“Is that your attempt at escaping our dance?” she giggled and grasped his hands more tightly, leaning just enough closer to whisper the count in his ear.