holding steady

where; Shafiq estate whomst; Dru @drosier​

Well she had to admit it was nice to leave the house. Even if it did mean having to schmooze. Rubbing elbows with the peons was hardly befitting of her station. (Not that they were all peons. Mary Jane was still fun, and she liked some of the others too.) It also meant hanging out with Druella who had become… troublesome. Of course she loved that Cyg seemed happy, but meddling in her baby brother’s life was her job, thank you very much.

“Druella, so lovely to see you. It’s been… too long.”

–

The New Year’s Eve party was a welcome break in the monotony of the holiday period. At least when the clock chimed 12, the holidays would begin drawing to a close and life would return to some semblance of normality. And so Druella found herself at the Shafiq estate, clutching a glass of champagne as she moved amongst the crowds. Walburga had spotted Dru a fraction of a second before Dru had spotted her, otherwise Dru might have twisted and wandered off in another direction. The champagne had already loosened her tongue enough, and Walburga was sure to take advantage of that.

“It’s lovely to see you,” Dru nodded her head, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “I expect you had a grand Christmas? A big family one, hm?”

@dru-rosier​ | Rosier House, Christmas day

      If anyone could understand precisely how Diana felt during the holidays, she imagined it might be Druella. They were kindred spirits, born of circumstance, and Diana was grateful for it even if she wished more than anything neither of them had found fondness because of what had transpired. The morning had been spent at the Carrow manor, celebrating Christmas with Vulcan, and the evening would be spent celebrating a second family Christmas, but the afternoon was open enough for Diana to slip out and go check in on Dru. She didn’t want her to be alone, and while she wasn’t sure what her plans were, she hoped to catch her at home for at least a little while. 

      She arrived just as the snow began to pick up and made her way quickly up the walk to the door, knocking a bit awkwardly as she shuffled parcels to the side. She came bearing gifts, of course, after all she wanted to express her love and celebrate with her. She hoped that it would be as cheerful and soothing as seeing Vulcan that morning had been. Her smile blossomed the moment the door opened, eyes creasing in mirth. “Happy Christmas, dearest.” She greeted warmly. She couldn’t wait for Druella to open her presents, and she had little doubt that the younger woman would come up with some sort of excitement for them for the afternoon. She didn’t get a lot of time, but she knew it would be worthwhile. “I’ve missed you so much, you look radiant as ever.” She complimented, “I’ve got stories, best shared inside.” She added, enticingly. She was excited to catch up, especially because she needed to tell her all about her new kitten.

.

Christmas Day had not really felt very Christmassy for a long time, but it felt even less Christmassy in the silence of a big empty house. Dru had hardly had the heart to flick her wand in order to decorate the house. There was some half-hearted tinsel strung up over the mantlepiece, and a garland on the front door, but she hadn’t bothered to get a tree this year. It wasn’t like Cali was going to come home bearing gifts, and anyone else who might visit would go home to their own decorated homes. Christmas day was a dire reminder that she had no family left - sure, she had friends that she was terribly close to, but they all had their own families to see this day. Druella had settled in for a quiet day in front of the fire, curled up with a good book.

The quiet was disturbed by knocking, and Dru cast off her blanket and set the book aside with some eagerness. There could only be one of two people at the door - it would either be Cali, or Diana. Deep in her heart, Druella knew it was going to be Diana. The two shared a level of understanding that none others could ever, or would ever, reach. They’d spoken before about the difficulties of holidays, and the care that her friend was showing by coming over brought a warm smile to Druella’s lips. Opening the door, Druella ushered her friend in from the cold. “Happy Christmas! Come in, get warm in front of the fire - you must be freezing. I’ll get the kettle on,” Druella whirled her wand in the direction of the kitchen, setting all in motion as she moved through the house.

A few moments later, she reappeared in the sitting room with two strong cups of tea in hand. “I have your present upstairs, I was going to bring it round tomorrow. I’m so glad you’ve popped round,” she beamed, passing the tea to her friend. “You must tell me your stories! How has your Christmas been so far?”