being unique is better than being perfect

The words felt like they were tugging out of his mouth unwillingly, not knowing how to frame his question; he was trying to ask. Having a conversation with Pandora that didn't end in an argument was new to him and so he continued carefully. "Loved," he corrected after a moment, his heart taking a cold stab at the realization. Estelle would live in his past like she had before, but he didn't know where they would barrel to next. Somehow, he didn't think they stood in a future together without him overthinking his previous prospects. "I'm wondering how genuine any...love is. But I appreciate you answering. I know this is an imposition. I hope you've been well...might advise you to not go near veelas."

Her brows furrowed slightly when Beck used the word “loved,” the correction enough to make her tilt her head with a thoughtful nod. It wasn’t her place to dig, how he felt about someone else was his story, not hers. “Then I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” she said softly, lifting her cup for another sip of tea as his words lingered in her mind.

Anthony giggled as if he could already fully understand Pandora, grabbing at the neckline of her shirt and playing with the fabric. He was an intelligent child, Flick could tell. She had a feeling he'd cause her no end of trouble as he got older.

Pandora shifted the baby gently in her arms, giving her full attention to her cousin as she spoke.

Beck could already feel the room swell with tension. Asking a former relationship about a deep feeling like love was harder to ask than he thought. Love wasn't something tangible to hold in your hand, it was something that slipped through if you weren't careful. Beck offered an apologetic smile at Pandora for humbling him with an honest answer. "I did too for what it's worth," he answers and leans back against the cushions. "It's recently come to my attention that I have-had feelings for a veela. I was starting to question everything else...everyone else," he corrected, glancing up at her. "I realize this is completely overstepping. I sincerely apologize. I can leave if that is too much."

Pandora wasn’t entirely sure where Beck was going with this. The conversation felt odd, yet she saw no reason to hide what she was thinking or feeling. Whatever they’d once shared was long over, its ending still a loss, but she liked to believe there was at least a little courtesy left between them.

“I think he likes you more than he likes my sister.” Flick said with a laugh, watching Anthony reach out to Pandora. Seeing her family dote on her son eased something in her heart. She hadn’t been sure whether or not she could really do this on her own but they had all accepted him so readily. It almost made her want to cry.

The moment the tiny arms stretched toward her, Pandora instinctively gathered the baby close, brushing a soft kiss to the tip of his nose. She might have been the odd one in the family, but the bond she shared with her cousin was something she cherished deeply. “That will be our little secret,” she whispered with a small smile, before turning back to Felicity, a faint crease forming between her brows.

It was a rare day off for Freya, and as a result, she found herself browsing through an array of goods on display at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. Her eyes fell upon a ring, where the jewel was the most mysterious shady, a glistening swirl of purple and blue. It would be a fabulous gift for her younger sister.

Pandora’s pale eyes lingered on the ring as she turned to the woman, a soft smile curving her lips. “Yes,” she said in a voice that was certain “I’m not entirely sure what sort of magic it holds, but the colours… they’re not just pretty, are they? They move as though they’re breathing, and that usually means a curse.”

@pandoraxnott the rosier manor

The letter had been received, and the invitation was exactly what Pandora had hoped for. Standing in front of Leta, her lips curved into a warm smile. “I wouldn’t miss the chance to see what you’ve been working on. New designs always carry a kind of magic before anyone else gets to see them.”

Anthony was awake and happy, gurgling in his high chair when someone knocked at the door. Flick was glad for the company, honestly. As much as she loved her son he didn't make for good conversation quite yet.

Pandora slipped into her cousin’s flat without hesitation, a box of goodies balanced in her hands. “I brought treats for you both,” she announced cheerfully, kicking off her shoes before heading straight for the kitchen. “I couldn’t wait to see my nephew.” They weren’t siblings in that sense, but in her heart, she’d always be his auntie.

Beck hadn't been thinking clear since he and Estelle walked away from the situation. There had been too many things to fix that Beck suggested some time to think. But days became weeks that became a couple of months. It felt like he was crawling towards clarity, but it had been a slow crawl to get there. None of his ideas had led him to Pandora until now. He knew that there had been actual love there before and not anything artificial or made up, but now everything else was brought into question. The last time he saw Pandora, it didn't end well so asking her any intimate questions about their relationship seemed like a shot in the dark, but at least he could say he tried.

Pandora sank into the lounge chair opposite him, fingers curling around her own teacup as curiosity stirred about what Beck might ask.

Beck stepped awkwardly into the apartment, the familiar feeling of Pandora's place hitting him. It was a strange mix of books, something herbal, and… her. It was something that used to bring him comfort. "Yeah, everything's… fine," he said, the lie feeling heavy on his tongue. The last time they had seen each other hadn't ended so well, and he wondered if he had reacted too strongly. There was a time when he saw her every day, but now it felt like looking into the eyes of a stranger. There was a lot on his mind, and it felt like he was just dragging it around with him everywhere he went. "Are those new curtains?" he asked, his eyes fixing on the drapes by the window. Beck turned back to her and dropped his gaze. "I have something to ask you."

Pandora quietly closed the door after Beck and followed him into the apartment. “Why don’t you take a seat? I’ll grab the tea,” she said gently. Their last conversation still lingered between them, heavy and unfinished. There had been a comfort in what they shared, at least for a while. She had thought maybe, just maybe, he really saw her. But time and differences had proved otherwise.

"That sounds like the beginning of a good story, not the end of a conversation. Do tell me what happened. Do you need me to do anything?" It was a soft effort on her account, not thinking that she would need to curse people down for the sake of her friends, but she would if asked. "Very good. The next man to come up to you? Or another round? Perhaps something good could come from a man."

“Some customers aren’t exactly thrilled with how things turn out,” Pandora said, her voice calm, a small shrug of her shoulders. She took great pride in her craft, even if people often found her odd or dismissed her, until they needed something fixed, of course. “I give them exactly what they ask for, but then they change their minds. They don't understand that magic doesn’t always like being altered, again.” Once the threads were rewoven, they didn’t always behave the same. She shifted slightly, her tone softer. “The next man,” she echoed thoughtfully. A beat passed. “Do you really think so?”

What did she ever do to deserve such good family? It felt like all Flick did at the moment was make mistakes, but at least she had Pandora and the others. “I’ve learned how to get by on the sleep I can grab, but a nap never goes amiss. It might just be a universal parenting thing. Mum was saying she didn’t get proper sleep until I turned one. Glad I have that to look forward to.

Pandora couldn’t quite fathom how Felicity managed everything on her own, especially with the constant judgment that came with being a pureblood who didn’t toe the traditional line.

where: pandora's place closed: @pandoraxnott

Pandora should’ve been asleep, but instead she sat cross-legged on the living room floor, completely absorbed in the stubborn locket that refused to behave. The spells weren’t aligning properly, something about the layering was off, and she was determined to figure it out.

If Ted had it his way, shops like this would be razed to the ground. He loathed Knockturn's Alley mystical appeal. The way it enchanted youngsters, filling them with curiosity and excited daring, was wrong. The Dark Arts shouldn't be glorified, yet here these shops stood, selling their wares as though there was nothing morally incorrect in the whole thing. But morals didn't matter, not really, regardless of Ted's personal opinion and the strong feeling that burned in his heart. According to the law, they could exist, and so they did. Still, the war had enhanced scrutiny on such establishments. It was probably the only good thing he could say had come from all the tragedy.

Pandora gently placed her hand over the object she’d been working on, the flickering magic around it dimming into nothing beneath her touch. She’d unraveled just enough of its spellwork to make it harmless, the way one might quietly untie a knot rather than cut it through.