excalibur

Daisy couldn’t wipe the grin off her face as she snapped the photo and then pulled the picture out as it whirred out of the little slot at the bottom. She pulled it out and gave it a couple of shakes before turning her attention back to Winnie, presenting the little polariod with a grin. “Probably not, but stranger people eat stranger things. Thank you for indulging me. Can I buy you a cocoa?”

-

winnie barked out a laugh. “some of the strangest people eat stranger people.” she said, mouth curling up. oh she was just like a little blooming flower, so bright and shiny and colorful. winnie squinted to look at the picture of the pair. it wasn’t bad. “I want that.” she said decisively, taking it out of daisy’s hands. “hmmm. yes. yes you can.”

where: the candy booth (nye festival) with whom: anyone

If there was such a thing as a sugar high, Daisy might be on it. It absolutely wasn’t her fault that she had gotten a nice little allowance from her dad, and it absolutely wasn’t her fault that everything looked so good. Besides, she’d gotten a camera for Christmas and she had to test it out, what better way than hyped up on sugar and enjoying a little party. Her eyes lit up a bit when she spotted someone nearby and she shoved a little bag of candy floss into their hands before pulling the camera from around her neck, holding it up, practically bouncing on her toes. “Say cheese!”

-

“cheese.” slightly too big teeth reflected the carnival lights as winnie’s mouth curled upward and revealed her almost predatory smile. she felt at home in this environment. it was all too similar to the one that she was raised in, traveling the performance circuit with her father and their dragons. it was sending bolts of energy through her, willing her into that mindset. the one that craved a little something dangerous. she’d only stopped her search at the sudden and concise instruction. “I fucking doubt it will mix well with all that sugar though, don’t you think?”

Bilius shrugged, taking her answer as truth. His eyebrows shot up at the accusation of him accusing her, shaking his head. “Oh, no! I didn’t mean anything like that! I was just curious, and you’re the only one I recognize from school, and- well.. I’m not making this any better, am I?”

winnie paused and narrowed her eyes at the boy. her head listed slightly to the side. “we fucking go to school together?” she asked in genuine. there was absolutely no recollection of his face in her memory. that being said, winnie didn’t bother to remember most people. they weren’t important.

“It’s because you’re so radiant, burn so bright, some shit like that.” Damocles slid up behind his best friend with a smirk, casually throwing an arm around her shoulders just to annoy her, and pushing it one step further by dropping a pointedly sweet little kiss to the crown of her head. “Merry Christmas, Dovahkiin.” The arm slung around her held a little wrapped box, and he held it in front of her with a wicked little grin. “It’s a dragon egg necklace. I know that spoils the surprise, but I thought of you when I saw it.” There was a pause, a lingering moment of sarcastic playfulness before he became more serious, expression smooth and voice low. “I’ve missed you.”

-

“is the threat of incineration the reason that you’ve been fucking avoiding me then?” winnie asked, her eyes cutting sharply over to him in question. most people didn’t feel comfortable enough with her around to touch her so casually. hell, most people treated her like a poorly wired bomb ticking away. the excessive jewelry covering her less capable hand clicked against the meticulously wrapped box as she snatched it from his hand, nearly growling as he told her the contents before even allowing the the opportunity to guess. damocles had no sense of theatrics. still, winnie ripped into the wrapping and tossed it aside. she held the necklace aloft and studied it carefully. “an antipodean opaleye egg. put it on.” necklace clasps were small, tedious, and difficult. winnie scoffed. “whose fault is that?”

clawmarks.

a guinevere montague playlist

featuring

gasoline by halsey

are you deranged like me? are you strange like me? lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me? do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me? pointing fingers 'cause you'll never take the blame like me?

i’m sorry by tom macdonald

y'all aren't my children, my kids would be indigo obviously I'm a fuckin' god rock with me, awfully cocky, cockin' the garbage shotgun and coffee slaughtering lots and I'm offering coffins to anyone caught talkin' sloppy about me

werld is mine by raleigh ritchie

straight jacket or chains don't mind either way vanity, so close to insanity is it me? couldn't be, I'm too young and pretty

hurricane by halsey

I'm a wanderess I'm a one night stand don't belong to no city don't belong to no man I'm the violence in the pouring rain I'm a hurricane

ah, mary by grace potter and the nocturnals

“doesn’t ring a bell.” the dragons always managed to stir up a wilder side of winnie that she managed to keep more or less in check while at school. however at home, every morning was spent caring for the big beasties. even cracks kept that fire burning in his far more serene way. “why is it that people always assume I’m at fault when there’s a fire? I’ve never even been to that shop.”

an open starter in London

Though the admission could never be pried from Rust’s mouth, not willingly nor unwillingly, not with spell nor sword, but amongst the chaos of his mind that Rust, perhaps, felt comfortable enough to admit that he did not enjoy his father much. Though the thought was certainly uncharitable and no doubt going to be discovered if he allowed it to linger, Rust let the taste of the words sink into his mind, before he banished it with all the force that guided his every action. 

It was never a particularly pleasant journey, taking the Floo halfway across the country just to reach London, but if there was one thing going for Rust, it was his single-minded desperate determination. It was hard to stray from his destination when said destination was the only thing he could think of. Having landed in London safely, he turned, grinning a shark’s smile that he hid behind his hand to the person he was meeting there. “Buying last minute gifts too,” he asked snidely.

-

the montagues had always been a nomadic duo, that is until winnie’s father married his husband and they became a slightly less nomadic trio. summer holiday was still usually spent on the road performing, but the smaller winter break was now generally spent in london at some flat that winnie most certainly did not consider home. she hated feeling so static and caged. without so much as a goodbye to her dads, she was out and about on the streets as soon as the sun hit the sky.

“what makes you think I buy things for anyone but me?” winnie retorted, her own lips curling upward like tendrils of smoke. “and I barely do that. why buy something when there are other means of obtaining whatever one wants?”

“I think even you telling the truth is stretching the truth. That’s your whole vibe, innit?” Allie couldn’t quite help the way her lips quirked up, amused by the girl and her whole demeanor. She liked Winnie. She was mildly terrified of her, sure, but she felt like the smartest people would be. “Well, most people don’t just go around sharing their secrets, seemed kind of secret project to me. Guess I read it wrong.” She shrugged again, letting out a real laugh when Winnie spoke again. “So they won’t be out cold, but they’ll smell like a walking corpse? Who’re you using that on? Someone ticked you off?”

-

“I wouldn’t know. what vibe do I give off to you?” winnie asked, taking a step closer to allie with the smile on her face creeping ever wider. it wasn’t as if she had any particular aversion to the truth. however, said truth was quite malleable when she needed it to be, and winnie was the sort to take advantage of that. then again, she was also the sort to lie to your face if the mood struck her. it really didn’t matter either way. “I was in a bad mood. I made the potion to cheer me up. I haven’t decided how I’m going to use it yet. why? do you have an idea?”

“You’d be surprised. Some people like to call their moves.” She offered a shrug of her shoulders, smirk growing just a touch as her hip rested against the side of the table. “And that might be true, but I’ve got a bit of a better idea than I did before.” She watched the potion as the girl added her ingredient, eyebrow lifting slightly. “I suppose it would be stupid of me to ask ‘what purposes’ those are. But I am curious. So I’ll ask a less invasive question instead. What kind of tweaks?”

-

“habitual behavior always starts you with a disadvantage. I prefer to be unpredictable. maybe I’ll call my fucking shot or maybe I won’t. either way, I wouldn’t tell you truth... or would I?” she widened her eyes once with her mouth pursed together in an ‘O’. she lowered the flame slightly. “why would that be stupid to ask?” winnie inquired instead. “it’s going be less fucking potent than a good brew would be unfortunately, but it’s going to make them smell very, very bad.”

“You’re not so good at it yourself, it seems. Is my curiosity and house loyalty not enough?” he smirked, shaking his head. He watched her fiddling with the necklace, turning it into a bracelet, possibly to disguise that it had been stolen. After a few moments of pointless attempts to clasp the piece of jewellery, her wrist was thrust in his direction. He took her wrist in one hand, turned it over and then took the two ends of the chain. “There” he murmured, clasping them together. “It doesn’t look half bad. Why would you not?” he countered. “What are you going to do with the pendant?”

-

her eyes widened playfully. “who says I ever lie?” she winked. “fuck house loyalty, but I’ll settle for your curiosity this time. if only so I don’t have to return my prize.” it didn’t matter that it was just some cheap thing. it was part of the collection now. “thanks.” winnie grinned, showing her teeth. she braided the charm into her black hair after a few tries to get the motions right. “because I don’t give something for nothing. that’s a fast way to lose everything. it’s mine now so if you want it, you’ll have to trade me. although I might price it rather fucking high. maybe I like wearing the little antonin eye in my hair. what d’you think?”

kingsley,

are you up?

-