honeybrains

Mary didn’t like to talk about her coping mechanisms often- as if it hid the fact that she was drowning herself in knowledge. Anyone who asked would simply get a lackluster explanation about how she would need to make herself marketable to her fields since the jobs were becoming few and far between. They wouldn’t hear her tossing and turning all night, unable to stay still without an overwhelming sense of guilt without learning everything she can to possibly prevent something from happening. This war had convinced Mary that she was completely useless to the modern day magic world and she could only give herself one last ditch effort.

She took a beat to watch Marlene move pieces on the board before scrunching her nose up and laughing gently as she opened the door wider to reveal herself fully in the door frame. ‘ It's’ really not that bad. Plus we’ll stay away from the festival because I have no more self control. ‘ She joked, trying to make the situation a little better as she started walking away with her friend shortly behind. ‘ Oh how scary, whatever will you make me do! ‘ She gasped, pressing a hand to her forehead in faint.

===

marlene let out a snort. “that would be insinuating you had any self control to start with, my friend,” she retorted, gently elbowing mary in the side as they ambled along. it was unusually quiet in the apartment, which was somewhat unsettling, but marlene could only conclude that the others went to join in the festivities. she glanced out a nearby window. hopefully all the excitement would be dying down for the day.

stopping short at her companion’s dramatics, marlene brought her hand up to mary’s face before lightly grabbing and pulling at the other girl’s cheek. “believe me, you wouldn’t want to find out.” she let go of her friend, giving her a small pat on the head for her troubles, before continuing on, a small smile forming on her face. “did you need something else other than your tea? any place in particular that you wanted to stop by?” she asked, pulling on her coat.

bernardo was one to like the crowds and the warmth of festivals but he had to admit there wasn’t something more annoying than having ordered already and then realizing someone took your spot at a table. with a tired sigh he took his iced drink and walked around looking for a seat, finding one next to someone who was wearing headphones.

he honestly just didn’t want to bother the other so he just sat there and started sipping on his beverage until she turned to talk to him.  ─ i don’t think you can help me, thank you. ─  he joked with a short innocent smile playing on his lips for a moment before he broke in a quiet laughter.  ─ i’m sorry. yeah, too many people… ─

maybe it had been a bad decision to sit there uninvited, but now that he was there, maybe he could make a good conversation out of it.  ─ i’m bernardo, by the way… ─  he introduced himself, wearing his typical large smile on his face, and offered a hand.

--

it was difficult to tell whether the sound that came from marlene’s mouth was a scoff or a strained laugh. regardless, she forced the twitching of her lips to cease and she leveled the person beside her with a flat expression. “you are most very welcome,” she replied, her voice drier than the sahara. her head slumped against the back of the bench. “i suppose i’ll have to agree with you on that one, sunshine. it’s...suffocating, in a sense.”

she glanced at the hand he was holding up, considering. physical touch with strangers, even as basic as a hand shake, wasn’t something she was comfortable with. the question was whether or not it was worth explaining, or if she would even want to. given his general disposition, she doubted it would bother him. in spite of that, she gripped his hand, shook it once, and quickly retracted her own. “mckinnon.”

― location: non-specific (diagon, hogsmeade, you can pick!), status: open.

To say Narcissa had been keeping to herself the last few months was an understatement. Since everything had seemingly come to an end, she just hadn’t felt right. She couldn’t explain it, but she did know she wasn’t a fan of the looks some people would give her way. So going from always being in the spotlight and attending fancy parties and playing dutiful daughter was an adjustment. And while it had felt weird at first, now it was starting to feel right.

Still, there were moments where she felt her, what she liked to call, old self creeping back in. And that was a time like now - when the person in front of her clearly hadn’t been paying attention to their surroundings and turned around rather abruptly. Thankfully, the shopping bags Narcissa were holding weren’t affected, but it didn’t appear the others fared so well. She took a deep breath and schooled her features, leaning down to pick up one of the other’s things for them. “Hope that wasn’t too breakable,” she said with a slight wince, biting back a snarkier remark. “Probably nothing magic can’t fix.”

----

marlene had always made it a point not to lose focus or get distracted, to have alternative options should plan A fail. it was often difficult to catch her off guard. at least it used to be. nowadays, especially when she was in large crowds, she found herself getting lost in thoughts, falling into a pit of memories. or sometimes waking nightmares. she despised the feeling; it was like being trapped inside her own mind, something made even worse if there had been a person trying to get her attention.

coming out of such a trance, marlene turned suddenly, with plans to find a place to sit and breathe. the jolt to her body made her already weak grip loosen, her bag (and the objects inside) slipping through her shaky fingers and plummeting to the ground. it would have caused the woman to feel irritation if it wasn’t for the shock that was flooding through her body.

“Narcissa.” the surprise faded fairly quickly as she registered the person in front of her. it was...a strange feeling, seeing her again. it had been quite a while.

shaking her head slightly, marlene knelt down to tend to her things, immediately going for the music box at the bottom of the bag. “i apology for the trouble,” she said, examining the wooden piece before her. the edges on the left side appeared to be somewhat splintered. fortunately, when she opened the contraption, the music played just fine. 

as she finished gathering her things back into her bag, she thanked narcissa and replied, “it’s okay. i like things a little broken.” standing back up, she adjusted the bag so that it rested on her shoulder, silent. finally, she said, “how have you been?”

time: during the festival

place: diagon alley

festivals have never been marlene’s thing. she enjoyed finding damaged trinkets and rare books, however, she has always despised the crowds, even before the war. there was too much sound and movement and chaos; all of it drove the woman absolutely mad. this was why her plans were to stay home, cuddle up with bear, and enjoy a peaceful day.

however, that was without taking into account the fact that marlene seemed to surround herself with people who were determined to “look out  for her,” whether she liked it or not. this was how she found herself sitting on a bench, headphones on, walkman up, waiting to be picked up by her friend (like a grumpy child) while ignoring all the hustle and bustle of the market as best she could. every breath she took was measured and slow, her focus on the stall in front of her, desperate to block out everything she could.

something which became a little more difficult when someone sat beside her on the bench. her entire body tensed on instinct, her heart rate accelerating slightly. slowly, she removed the headphones from her ears, resting them on her shoulders, a frown tugging at her lips. “can I help you? were there no other seats available?”

―location: the Ministry,status: open.

Being Monday, the Ministry was busier than ever. But having the position he held, he had to grin and bear it and keep it up for appearances sake. Alaric sighed and ran a hand through his carefully styled curls, politely pushing his way through the crowd so he could make it to the elevator. Raising an eyebrow when he saw the other waiting outside the doors, he stepped forward to press the button to his floor. “You look a little lost,” he commented, glancing at the other with a smile. “I’d be happy to redirect you if you are.”

barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes, marlene glanced over at the man. “and you look a little stupid,” she stated, voice flat. “i work here. maybe if you’d pay attention a bit more, you’d know that.” with her arms crossed, she turned her gaze forward as the elevator dinged, the doors sliding open to reveal a few other employees shoved in. maybe she should’ve taken another way?

who : bella & @mmmckinnon where : knockturn alley

Bella was fully aware that she shouldn’t be where she is right now, but it was the middle of the day on a weekday, it’s not like she would be attracting much attention. That’s what she was saying to herself as she walked into Borgin and Burkes with a small bag.She hadn’t needed anything from the store, but apparently her mother had requested some things come in and she didn’t feel like making the trip across London- so Bella of course offered. Upon arrival though the item wasn’t exactly advertised correctly and it took entirely too much self control to not throw a tantrum just to prove a point. Thankfully, the owner was kind ( or scared ) enough to offer a replacement item if she could just give him a few hours, ‘ Just a quick lunch, please Ms. Black.’ were his exact words if Bellatrix wanted to recall correctly. 

So, she then left and was just walking down the uneven alley, trying to decide if she wanted to test her luck on lunch on this side of town before catching the unexpected glance of who she genuinely believed was an unlikely order member. Putting on her best customer service blank face, Bella walked just out of reach of the young woman and drew enough attention to herself without saying a single word to Mckinnon but the slightest of coughs and requesting another witch to move out of her way without a second glance. 

‘ What an interesting day this is turning out to be, isn’t it? ‘She glided along, refusing to make eye contact while she scanned the window in front of her.

“interesting is most definitely not the word I would use, you disgusting harpy,” marlene replied, her fingers curling into her palms, clenching them into tight fists. she had hoped that she was wrong, that the person in her peripheral had been a random pedestrian instead of the infuriating face that was currently beside her, but no. why would she ever be so lucky?

marlene turned her head, leveling her narrowed gaze at her unwanted companion. “now, mind telling me why you happen to be in knockturn alley? not that it’s the least bit surprising,” she bit out the last part.

who : mary & @mmmckinnon where : the flat 

There weren’t many things that could pull Mary out of her bed from a book on Sunday morning. She had had a system going since before she left Hogwarts. Wake up usually around 7AM, make a pot of tea and bring it up to her room before anyone could snag the warm water and curl underneath the covers with either a newly released muggle book or an updated magic book that had a groundbreaking new discovery about a plant she was looking to purchase. Today, it was, of course, a plant book. The festival that the Ministry was putting on had lit a fire under Mary again to continue her education and believe that she could slide her way into a Herbology position if she just kept going.

Those thoughts were about 4 hours ago and she was now out of tea, her book was finished beside her and her notebook was filled with notes on every available space. That was what finally drug Mary out of her bed- the fact that her water was now gone and her notebook had absolutely no bandwidth available for anymore of her random thought processes. And that is how she ended up in front of Marlene’s door. The youngest roommate knocked quickly, leaning an ear against the wood before allowing herself to crack the door just a touch. ‘ I’m out of tea and need to do some shopping. My treat? ‘ She smiled, hopeful that she could drag her friend out along with her. 

sleep had become an illusive bastard since the war. most of the time, marlene found herself scrubbing the floors or dusting the shelves or washing any leftover dishes to keep herself occupied during the late nights, when she couldn’t get anymore than two hours of rest. the cleaning was productive but managed not to strain her already exhausted mind. once that was accomplished, she would move onto reviewing documents from work, and when that was done she would find something else to do. 

she was mulling over moves on her chest board when she heard a quick rap against the door shortly before it opened, revealing a familiar face. “bribery? to go shopping out in that chaos? you know me well,” marlene mused, her lips twitching. with a half hearted sigh, she raised from her seat and grabbed a discarded jacket as she made her way to the door. “at least make sure it’s worth my time, or you’ll pay.”

the sounds from the festivities didn’t help. all the laughing and bustling just set her teeth on edge as she attempted to regain control of herself, she covered hear ears with her hands in an attempt to block it all out and focus. on the inhale and exhale of her lungs, the feel of the cold cobblestone beneath her, the smell of the crisp morning air. in. out. slowly.

the amount of time that had passed before her breathing began to slow was hard to guess, and marlene couldn’t find that she cared. it was like coming down from a painfully fast ride and, despite the shutters that still ran though her body, she had found her way to solid ground. her body sagged a little as she cradled her head in her hands. the moment she got her bearings, she was going the hell home. unfortunately, by the sounds of the footsteps headed her way, marlene suddenly realized that might not be as easy as she hoped. 

exhaling one last deep breath, she swung her head up to meet the person’s eyes. “do you need something?” marlene asked, her teeth practically bared. 

♛« diana silvers » ❝ the ANTISOCIAL ❞ , MARLENE MIRIAM MCKINNON has been spotted in london. the mentioned witch is TWENTY and she was formerly part of SLYTHERIN before graduating. makes sense since they are OBSERVANT and ABRASIVE. now they spend their time working as a HITWITCH, but during the war, they were aligned with the ORDER. only time will tell what they truly believe in. || river, est, 25, they/them.