⦂ dungeon

@－ ❛ s ❜：braeden laclaire。⁰⁴ Eleanora knows that some would find it juvenile to invest such human emotions into a small animal, but for her, she doesn't care. Clotho, despite always disappearing at the strangest times, would always be by her side and she trusted in that. Something about the cat on her lap now, however, feels different.

"Elle," she suddenly hears from behind her. Her head turns sharply, thoughts interrupted as she looks over her shoulder, meeting eyes with none other than... Braeden LaClaire. Though she's taken off her makeup for the night, her lips are still stained red from her day's lipstick. They purse into a straight line as she follows the line of his finger to the cat that rests upon her frame. That must have been why the cat had failed to respond earlier; he hardly spoke English to Palmier. So, the feeling she had in her chest had not been wrong; that is indeed, not her cat.

It was, though, once upon a time. They had adopted the black cats together, back when they were kittens that fit into their shared palms. When they had broken up hastily, they had each taken a cat for themselves; Clotho, like Eleanora, was stubborn and hot-headed. Palmier was like him: well-behaved, quiet until provoked. "Sorry," she says, searching for the right words to say. Her lips are still tightly bound like a tightrope as she lifts the animal to her face, looking at it. Softly, she mumbles, "Tu m'as manqué..." Though French had never been her strongest tongue, she had begun learning for him. She has no use now, except to speak to Palmier who has, like her owner, become a stranger. "Au revoir," Eleanora says once more under her breath to the cat before placing her on the floor, allowing her to skitter over to her true owner. Now, where was her cat?

"I don't suppose you've seen Clotho." Oh gods, what if he thought she was an irresponsible cat owner? That should be the least of her worries, but with how their cats have seemingly become their children, split after their owners' breakup, she's sure he'll have something to say about her losing her own cat.

@－ ❛ s ❜：eleanora hwang。⁰³ Midnight.
Braeden finally finished the last of his assignments due for the next day at midnight. The fourth year had a habit of leaving his work to be done at the last possible minute, although he loved to learn and had no trouble retaining the information. Homework, in his eyes was an unnecessary waste of time.
Turning to crawl into bed, Braeden frowned as he noticed the pillow where Palmier would usually already be fast asleep on by this time was empty. Palmier is his extremely well behaved black cat, she likes to free roam the castle during the day although hardly strays too far from Braeden unless he was at quidditch. And never failed to return back to the dorms in the evening.
“Palmier?” He called out, looking around the room for his precious baby.
Remembering to have seen her curled up by the fire earlier in the day, Braeden pulls his shoes on to go check. Determined to find his baby before the end of the night

“Palmier?” He called out again, “Ma cheri, où-es tu?”descending the stairs to Slytherin’s common room. He breathed a sigh of relief hearing the familiar meow in response coming from the couch “Palm? Where have you been” It wasnt until he was closer to the couch that he saw the figure his precious kitten was curled up on.
“Elle,” He breathed, his voice flat. “That ones mine” He pointed at Palmier. His face was black, but his eyes were trained on his ex’s dainty fingers brushing through his cats luscious dark fur. They’d broken up last summer, and Braeden had made an effort to stay out of her way all year, not wanted to make things more awkward than it already was.

@－ ❛ s ❜：braeden laclaire。⁰⁴ [] tw: mentions of death

The year has been hard.

Eleanora greeted the new term with the sudden and untimely death of her mother, as well as an explosive argument between her and her best friend. There's no denying that she's become reclusive, despite the fact that she had constantly been a step above it, teetering the line of social isolation. Now, she tries to avoid people at all costs: eating meals in her dorm room, staking out dark corners in the library, and what she's currently doing at the moment—sitting in the Slytherin common room in the wee hours of the night, clock about to strike midnight.

On her lap, the only soul which has made her company: her black cat, Clotho.

Of course, this is the first time she's seen Clotho in a few days (the mangly thing had an affinity for disappearing, only to reappear at the most inopportune times). Lithe digits drawl through the cat's dark fur, though Eleanora's eyebrows furrow. "Has it been so long since I've last groomed you? Your fur's so long now," she mumbles, looking down at the cat in her lap, who she believes to be hers.

@－ ❛ s ❜：colby rangvaldr。⁰² ( H ) "Cinnamon Bun has her way with people and other animals. They may have fought at first if anything. But she's not afraid of animals larger than her, let alone smaller." Cinnamon Bun was a large girl for a cat, but her breed was known for being very large. For a female, she was quite big at about three feet in length and seventeen pounds. She often had no problem with other cats, what with her being over twice their size most of the time. She chirped at Liandro, still looking for the ear scratches that she desperately wanted for being such a good girl. When he ignored her, she resumed her very obnoxious headbutting.

"She is very social. She was mostly raised by my little sister when she was a kitten, so I am guessing that's why she is the way she is. Both of them are a bit of a spazz." When Flora's eyes found Lian and seemed to not stray from him, he offered the feline a small smile. "Hey there, pretty girl." Of course, this earned him a very angry screech from his own cat, now very upset that he would dare to ignore her but pay mind to another. "Yes, I know you're there. But you ignored me first, now didn't you?" His tone was playfully stern as he spoke to his cat, finally crouching down to give her the pats that she so desired, smoothing his hands over her to make sure there are no cuts that the other suggested.

"There's no scratches on her, so she's fine. None on yours, right? Though I don't think she would scratch your cat. She's quite gentle."

@－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ when the other cat’s owner arrived, flora got a little tense. she really did not like people, but sometimes, she did not straight up attack their faces. they say every cat mimics their owner, cole would like to disagree. even if he dislikes people, he is not aggressively pawing at their faces to get his point across. he thought the other cat was significantly friendlier, and more social. cole knew liandro just in passing, they did spend some time studying together, but they never really got to have a heart to heart. he could tell liandro was significantly nicer to people if he gave them chance. only, he rarely gave them a chance. perhaps it was this particular aspect that made cole not dislike him, and even respect him.

“yes, she is my princess,” cole answered, trying to take flora off his shirt. she dug her claws in the fabric the moment a stranger came in, and she refused to let go. cole managed to pull her away somehow, and put her on his lap. she quickly hid under his thigh, she was way too big to fit completely under, but she did a good job at hiding her head. “really? I am surprised. she seems to dislike most animals in the slytherin house,” it was quite true, flora was particular with her fellow fury friends too. perhaps the bubbliness of this particular cat was attractive, who knew. flora’s tail stood right up, perhaps trying to use it as a second set of eyes. cole caressed her back, he knew there was no calming her down. “your cat is very lovely. definitely more social,” he added and looked at the fluffy looking animal. “I hope flora did not claw you, little one,” flora let out a mew, and moved quickly to climb on cole’s shoulder and look at liandro curiously this time.

[post deleted by owner]

@－ ❛ s ❜：colby rangvaldr。⁰² Cinnamon Bun always loved to wander around and be in everyone's business. She was quite the opposite of her rather reserved owner, wanting all the attention that she could get from whomever was in the dorms and common room. Sometimes she'd even sneaker her way out and roam around the school in search of new people to scratch the underside of her chin and make other animal friends. Liandro always joked that she was just like a dog at times, which was a trait that was common in her breed, thus her causing the second year to gain an interest in her and cause him to follow her around was not entirely unexpected. She /was/ indeed leading him to his cat, however she expected a reward of some sort for leading him there.

And so, when the male found his own feline, she decided to take the liberty to strut right on over to him and aggressively her big head into his calve. It was her way of saying "hey I brought your here so you must /pet/ me!". A loud meow sounded from her, one that was a cross between a scream and some odd strangling noise. It was something she did when she didn't get what she wanted, aka, the ear scratches that she so desperately desired for being a good girl.

It wasn't until her owner appeared with a stern look on his face that she decided to stop bothering the second year and his cat. "That's where you went? I had your food out this entire time and you ignored it. Why did you wake me up if you weren't going to eat it, huh?" To say that he was grumpy from his lack of rest was a severe understatement. Liandro had merely had a whopping two hours of sleep the night before, having hoped to be able to sleep in due to the weekend finally having approached. Instead, his Maine Coon decided she would wake him up by loudly meowing in his ear and throwing her large body into his. "Oh? Is that your cat?" Finally, he acknowledged the other Slytherin, taking note of the furry friend in his arms. "They play sometimes, you know."

@－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ he woke up a little confused, his dreams were strange to say the very least. when he did wake up, he was quite alone in the dorm – it looked like his roommates were already out, and there was no sign of his cat. usually, she would be the first to greet him, with a meow and a short on his cheek. he put his face in his pillow, he was a little dizzy – it did not help that his vision was not the best. he reached for his glasses, and put them on to look around. he fixed his hair, otherwise it would have looked like a rat’s nest. he hummed a bit, he did not really enjoy waking up like this, he was not a morning person by any means. “flora?” he called out for his pet, but there was no sight of her. she usually stuck around, so it did worry him that she was nowhere to be found.

he got out of bed, and put a shirt on with the intention to head to the common room. it was a quiet day, and he appreciated it. he walked down the stairs, and started looking around. the common room was empty, so that gave him plenty ground to cover without making him look like a fool. he got on the floor, and started searching under the furniture – flora was playful, so she enjoyed hiding away from him. “come on, princess,” he sighed under his breath. when he raised his head, he came face to face with another animal – a cat. it purred at him loudly, and a little territorial. cole loved all animals, but cats were his personal favourites. “hello. did you see a spoiled cat around?” he asked, but of course, he got no answer. instead, the cat tilted its head, then jumped off the table. he sighed, then got up from the floor, following the cat – maybe it knew something.

but the walk lead to nowhere. the cat ended up staring in the mirror, and cole’s time was successfully wasted. “yes, you are good-looking,” he told the cat, then spotted a tail in one of the corners. he turned very slowly, and headed towards the spot. he had to lounge himself at the couch to catch the tail – and successfully his cat. he picked her up, and gave her a scolding smile, kind of. she meowed loudly at him, and his stern look was broken. he put her on his chest, and breathed out. “I am awake, mission accomplished. now tell me, why are you out here hm? I thought you hate people.”

@－ ❛ s ❜：ophelia darling。⁰³ Joyeuse had always been in the corner of the dungeon, reading books that has a genre of horror and mystery. She always got interested on it while having a wine and a steak by her side, she never had been feeling bothered when she asked for someone's company today. She is already in the corner from the girl's dorm as she looked at the smaller and younger one coming down from the dorm to wait for her, she put her favorite Edgar Allan Poe book down before standing up. "Been waiting for me?" She asked, "I'm already here." She added with a stoic tone while she's looking stoically towards the other.

@－ ❛ s ❜：joyeuse de la sierre。⁰⁴ Ophelia had always been mesmerized by the view in the Slytherin Dungeon. The obscure light filtering through each vitreous panel basked the premise in emerald opulence. From button-tufted, leather chesterfields aligned in front of ebony carvings to the lavishly intricate tapestries, every nook and cranny was dripping decadence. But albeit breathtaking, the ambiance of the common room was as chilling as the harsh stone beneath the female's skin when her palm brushed across the wall. Chilling to the bone, she mused and fastened the sash of her silvery dressing gown. Igniting the viridian flames wasn't a considerable option unless the young woman was willing to risk the secrecy of tonight's scheme. Hopefully, her midnight munchie accomplice from whooter would be quick about her preparations before the impatient third year ultimately turned to ice.

@－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ They're Slytherins, but the last thing Eleanora is, is a liar. "I wouldn't lie about being on birth control," she manages to utter, tongue poking into the flesh of her cheek as she feels herself growing sick to the bones once more. What did she expect after all? For him to be welcoming? She had just revealed to him the possibility of her pregnancy after all, and it doesn't matter; she could have handled this alone, or with Maya, at least. She doesn't bother to give him a proper goodbye, only nodding at his final words before beginning to step away from the darkened shadows, instead making her way to the entrance of the dungeons, heading inside. If she needs him, he had said. Hopefully, she wouldn't.

@－ ❛ s ❜：eleanora hwang。⁰³ She was right, there was no other person by that name that he knew of, but he only hoped she said no. "You're right, it's not one hundred percent. But a alone is only seventy percent effective." His jaw clenched as she had avoided his question. She wasn't giving him much to hold onto, such as her merely being absolutely stressed to the point of sickness. And it frustrated him. "I don't know why you did either. But it would be best for us to not continue this conversation until we know the definite answer." The thought, the possibility of her being pregnant was enough to make him want to scream. And he knew that he should possibly help her feel better as well, but frankly, he didn't want to do that until he knew for sure. Until he could get all of his thoughts together on the matter. Eleanora was just a fling and nothing more to him. But if she were...he'd have to take full responsibility. "I'm going to go to my room now, Eleanora. You know where to find me if you need me."

@－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ "Yes, Maya the prefect, there's no other Maya." Her voice comes out strained, especially as she starts to feel a bit targeted as he accuses her of lying (which she would never do, given her uneasiness with the situation at hand), causing her to purse her lips. "Birth control isn't a hundred percent," she mutters, biting down on the inside of her cheek. "And you used a too." They had been extremely careful, despite both of them being somewhat under the influence at that party (as drunk as they could get on wine, really). Yet, why was this happening? Perhaps he's right, perhaps it really is a scare and things will be okay. But pretending that nothing is wrong is still asking too much of her. "I don't know why I did but, I told Maya that it was someone else. I don't... know what kind of relationship you two have but I didn't want to complicate it."

@－ ❛ s ❜：eleanora hwang。⁰³ As if the information couldn't have gotten any worse, with the mention of just whom she told made his face turn a shade of red that could only be from embarrassment. "Maya, like the prefect?" He knew exactly who it was, she had mentioned Eleanora before but he never thought her best friend would have been a Slytherin, only having presumed it was someone from her house. "Okay. Okay, say nothing else to anybody until you're able to take that potion...I thought you told me you were on birth control back then too. Did you lie? If you didn't, your sickness could be something else." He could only hope, but he knew these muggle things could be quite faulty. "Just pretend nothing is wrong until we know for certain. If the test is positive, then we will talk more about this. For now, you should go rest."

@－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ Yes, it is true that she had perhaps jumped to conclusions, but most if not all girls would be fearful. She takes a deep breath as he pulls her, tucking their figures into a darker corner of the already poorly-lit dungeon. "I... I told Maya but that's it. And I didn't tell her it was you," she says, though she comes to realize that the man may not be aware that he's best friends with Maya and is thus forth aware of the pair's... friendship. "I was already going to go," she responds, with a bit of bite. "Madam Pomfrey says she'll brew me a pregnancy test potion, but it takes a few days. I asked her to.. keep it a secret." But even so, Eleanora had not missed the flashed look of disappointment given from Madam Pomfrey to her favorite student, for being involved in a possible pregnancy.

@－ ❛ s ❜：eleanora hwang。⁰³ Her symptoms added up, yes. But how could she be so certain? There were other things that could cause her to react in such a way. That was the only perk to his having so many sisters, knowing how the female body functioned. "Did you tell anyone? Does anyone know?" Did whomever she /did/ tell know that he may be the culprit? As someone walked by, the prefect took her by the elbow to move them closer to the shadows, hoping that they were completely out of sight. "You need to go to the Hospital Wing first. There's some sort of test you can do." He only wished she was wrong, that she just jumped to the wrong conclusion. If she were pregnant, it would only ruin his life.

@－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ So he does know her name. Hands crossed over her chest, she resists the urge to chuckle at it, though it'd be a pitiful chuckle to mask the worry that currently captures her body. They were both lonely that night, and had gone to extreme measures that, if her suspicions were true, would leave lasting effects on them for life. Though he starts to question him, his voice not hiding his worry which mirrors hers, she attempts to remain stoic. "Pretty sure. I haven't had my period in two weeks, and I've been throwing up my brains the past two days." Her teeth bite down onto the plumpness of her bottom lip, capturing it. "I... I don't know what to do," she admits.

@－ ❛ s ❜：eleanora hwang。⁰³ He couldn't remember her for the life of him and thus her statement made him nearly angry. Was it because of his reputation that she decided to slander him? "I'm sure you have the wr-" Suddenly dread washed over him and his heart sunk. It couldn't be. He remembered it now, it was foggy due to drinking, but he did remember that night with Eleanora. No. She had it wrong right? He's always so careful. "...how certain are you that you're pregnant, Eleanora?" That was his question. Not that if she was certain if its his, because if she were certainly pregnant, there was no doubt it was. The time-frame, it all made sense.

@－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ Of course, she's been made aware of the male's promiscuous reputation beforehand (which she does not at all shame him for, seeing as she too had fallen slack to his ineffable charms), but even so, Eleanora's expression fails to hide her displeasure at the lack of recognition that slides over his features. "I'm sure you're plenty busy," she retorts, not at all hiding the slight backhandedness of her comment. She's not shaming him per se, but it would be difficult to explain the situation if he didn't recognize her; she doesn't want to be the one pining over him and appearing needy, but at the moment she doesn't care. "I might be pregnant, and it would be yours." A scoff leaves her lips. "If you even remember."

/the expression on my face is priceless when I step into the room with a drink in my hand and I almost, almost strut in front of you all my friends and raises my glass as I grin to every face in this room and sips on my drink/ cheeRS! SLYTHERIN FOR THE WIN

"Get a room, you flirts." Laurent teased, opting to grab a bottle of wine instead of the wine glass and just sip on it occasionally, but not before he took a large swig from it.

"Oh go kiss the Fat Lady or something if you really want one," she bit back a smile, though the mirthful glint in her eyes betray her restraint. Shifting so that she faced him, she grabbed at his legs, using all of her might in an effort to push him off the couch.

Luciel laughed, a genuine laugh at the hit. Hand still resting on his chest, his head continued to dangle at his pretended like the woman hurt him way more than she actually did. "Ouch. I think I need a kiss to help feel better."

He puckered up his lips, continuing to annoy her like he usually did. Though, the teasing didn't last for much longer as he broke out into another laugh.

"Bummer." Joyeuse rolls her eyes and still petting her albino hawk who likes to have him company. "But I too doesn't pay much attention to anyone before." She shrugs.

"No. I don't pay much attention to anyone. Especially during my first year." He hated being in this house in that year, thus he had utterly refused to make friends. Unless she meant first year university. But even then, he spent more time studying than watching others.

"Because that is the first memory while riding a broom in Flight class before, Liandro. Don't you remember?" She heard her albino hawk screeching from above before landing on her arm, her familiar just got back from sending letters to her mother. Joyeuse put her cup down and gives her familiar a treat, "Here you, good boy." She pets his head gently.

Noting the grimace, Liandro watched the first year as he took another sip of his wine. "Don't force yourself if you don't want to drink. There are other things if you prefer." His eyes dropped to his glass as he swirled its contents. "Tell me, how do you expect to play quidditch whilst upside down?"

"Wanker," she muttered as she picked up the pillow wedged in between his absurdly long figure and the couch, just to playfully wack his legs with it.

Hesitating at Liandro's words, she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, reaching for a glass and a random bottle, grimacing at the label before pouring herself a drink. "Alright. I guess one drink can't hurt." With a laugh, she turned towards Joyeuse, blinking. "I know. I'm on the team. What a win, hm?"

Joyeuse noticed the first year coming before smiling at her, "We just won the cake, freshie.." She told Alethi before finishing her cup in one gulp. "Maybe I should try flying upside down." She muttered.