surface.

“Well, this is certainly… daring.” She glanced from the picture, to the individual standing in front of her and shrugged. “I’m sure I can make it work. Hop up on the stool.”

-

“is it too short?” sia asked as she stepped up onto the pedestal like stool. “I’m, like, not really good at knowing what is too much.”

Mary blushed, a hot quick thing that made her almost dizzy. “I– thank you. I wasn’t really trying….” That wasn’t completely true, she was trying a little. But that was beside the point. “You, too, though! Really pretty.”

-

“weren’t really trying what?” sia asked. she hadn’t figured out how to actually get the flowers to stay in a circle on her own yet. apparently this was a skill most people already knew somehow. “thank you! I, mmm, I’m not totally sure I’m doing this right, though.”

open

“I think it has character, even if my crown is lopsided.”

-

“oh here. I can straighten it for you! you look really pretty.”

“yeah, they’re quite a hindrance” he muttered, glancing towards the window in question and raising an eyebrow. “this window? right.” adan decided to overlook the window that had caused such fascination for the woman, lest he find himself blushing. the junior tapped his arm with a piece of parchment, baring a description and a crime. he glanced from the parchment to the girl in front of him, to the auror and back. “what is your name?”

-

“which is why it would be really nice for them to be off of me.” the hint was obvious enough. she wanted the cuffs removed as soon as possible. “unless I am in trouble for something. am I in trouble?” she asked as she looked back and forth between the two aurors. rules were a lot more complicated up here. “luciana celestina cervantes.”

task 016 || wardrobe

“I suppose. And I also suppose that it can’t be all bad. Arkie lets me follow my dreams without expecting results.” She bit her lip. He truly was way too good for her. It was like handing a precious stone to an ogre. Though she didn’t like to question herself, she did wonder what he saw in her. “What have you been up to lately? I can mull over my own crisies later, this is supposed to be a fun lunch.”

-

“what are your dreams?” sia questioned. it was actually one of those things she ended up asking a lot. sometimes people were confused or taken aback by the inquiry, but she liked to hear from any and everyone that answered. it was a good way to get to know someone fast, much like their date of birth. for someone like sia, fast was pretty much the only way to get to know anyone now. she sighed. “oh me? I moved in with a prince.”

“It’s a good thing. It’s probably a great thing. Out of this world, amazing, all of that. I’m just not used to it yet. It still feels different. I’m worried that I’m going to wake up tomorrow and mess everything up.” Laughing, Branna took another sip of the drink in front of her. “Love is great, I’ve just always been trained to wait for the other shoe to drop. So I worry. What if something happens and suddenly I’m just this new person without the person who I wanted to become a better person for. Does that make sense?”

-

“well even if you mess up. you can still totally try to fix it, right?” sia didn’t really have experience with any of it. the extent of her extra-personal relationships generally consisted of pen to paper call and response. “hmm. that does make sense.” sia nodded. she worried about a very similar feeling. experiences changed you, though. “I think it would still make you that person, though. even if it’s not a change for the better, it’s a change for good. you know?”

“I dunno. Love? Falling for someone really puts a lot of things into perspective. I don’t have to be number one anymore for everyone, because I’m always number one for someone? Cheesy, right?”

-

“awwwwh. that’s so cute though! how sweet.” sis had always been a bit of a dreamy kid. it was easy to get lost in your romantic notions and escapist thoughts when your every day remained the same submerged tube. “isn’t it a good thing?”

open;

“You know that it meant everything to me.”

-

“does it not mean everything to you now? what changed?”

adan studied the bewildered woman, sitting on the pavement with her handcuffed behind her back, before turning to the junior auror with an expression that demanded an explanation that didn’t come. usually he spent his time in training, but some of the younger orders, whom he had trained, called him out when they got stuck. “why don’t you tell me what happened before the cuffs were put on, yeah?”

-

sia tried to shrug, but it was unsuccessful and awkward. “before the cuffs were put on I had a much wider range of motion to express my thoughts.” she huffed. “I only crossed the street to look in this window and then suddenly there was yelling and an angry man and now my skirt is dirty. I don’t know what happened.”

sia sat on the corner of the street with her hands shackled uncomfortably behind her back. she tried to stand up twice but could quite get her heels stable on the cobblestone and eventually just gave up. she pouted. “I don’t understand what I did wrong!”