Self-Employed Artist and Embroider
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Meg
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Post by delphine hélène lavoie on Sept 9, 2022 16:13:31 GMT -5
❝ | Delphine was quite proud of the little cart that she'd managed to buy. She hadn't been selling her art long, but the little bit of profit she'd gained had allowed her the cutest little cart to display her art pieces on.
Best of all, Arcturus had started coming by every few days or so to visit. He'd even purchased a piece from her - or, commissioned one, really. He had told her to surprise him, and Fifi had already thrown away two canvases with failed attempts.
This was her chance to impress him, and she was muddling it all up. It would have been more embarrassing if he knew - but, she'd been lying to him. Little harmless white lies, sure... but, lies nonetheless. She'd told him that she needed to buy more canvas, or that she had others in line in front of him.
None of that was true, but she couldn't tell him that she was hopelessly obsessed with impressing him.
That day had been slow, and it was chilly. Thankfully, she had a little heater to keep her warm - that, and warm tea from Madame Puddifoot's to keep her from freezing. It was a blessing that she'd made friends within the little shop, and that they were kind enough to ensure that she didn't turn into an ice cube in the December cold.
She'd been just about ready to shut her cart down and drag it back behind Madame Puddifoot's for storage when the first signs of chaos struck.
There were a few people in the square who disappeared rather abruptly, and a few more that reappeared on the outskirts of the town, carrying the barely standing bodies of others.
Word traveled quickly after that - that Death had gotten the Resurrection Stone, that it had appeared at a party with Order members, that the casualties were immeasurable.
Winnie was at that party.
Panic immediately set in, and Fifi had to do her best to keep from hyperventilating. She was trembling, at a loss as to what to do. She couldn't go to the party - she'd not stand a chance against what she assumed was an army. Winnie was pregnant - would she be a target because of it, more so than any of the others?
Winnie might have been dead already, and she wouldn't know. How would she know? Would someone come tell her?
Fifi caved in on herself, the stress too much. Tears spilled over her cheeks and down her coat, small and fragile body racked with sobs.
What was she going to do?
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Head of Advertising at The Daily Prophet
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Dakota
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Post by arcturus rigel lestrange on Sept 23, 2022 13:10:03 GMT -5
“ Bleeding on the floor of his manor had been the last thing Arcturus had had planned for his thirty-first birthday, and even a month and a half later, he still wasn't sure how he was coping.
The Lestrange name had never been one that had been free of danger. There were plenty of people on both sides who detested him for the name he bore, always had been, and probably always would be. But never, in all his days, had he expected to be attacked in his home because of his cousin. If it hadn't been for Orion, Arcturus probably would have died right then and there, his blood running across the polished marble of the foyer.
Arcturus had healed physically, thanks to Orion and a pair of healers at St. Mungo's, but mentally he wasn't so sure. He hadn't slept in the manor since that night, choosing instead to crash on Orion's couch, or renting a room above the Three Broomsticks or the Leaky Cauldron. He'd had all the doors of the manor rekeyed and reinforced, and easily doubled the wards surrounding the manor, but he couldn't be there for longer than a few hours without being sure the pair that had attacked him were coming back to finish the job.
Despite all that had happened recently, though, there was one bright spot in Arcturus' life in the form of Delphine Lavoie. The woman was amazing, kind and optimistic and passionate about what she did. Seeing her had quickly become the highlight of Arcturus' days, if only for the way her eyes lit up when she started talking about the pieces she was selling or what she was working on. She was the soft to Arcturus' rough, and he had found himself going far out of his way to see her most days.
He always made up a reason to stop by her cart in Hogsmeade, usually making up some dribble about talking to businesses in the village about their advertisements in the Daily Prophet or saying he was picking up some new suit jacket from Gladrags. Little white lies that didn't hurt anyone, but gave him a reason to continue the conversation with Fifi whenever he "happened by."
That day, for once, Arcturus actually had a reason to be in Hogsmeade. Dervish and Bang's had recently reopened their doors, another shop that had finally rebuilt after the tragedy of April, and he had stopped by to discuss the shop's reopening ad in the Prophet's Sunday edition. It felt odd to work on Christmas Eve, but he didn't have anyone to spend his time with, and he wasn't entirely sure he was planning to celebrate the holiday at all that year.
He had been waved to Fifi when he passed by, planning on stopping to chat with her when his work was done for the day.
Chaos erupted not long after Arcturus emerged from the repair shop. It didn't take long for word to spread and for people to start to panic. Death had found the final hollow, and the Order had been decimated. The war was over, and Death had won. Screams soon filled the air, more and more injured and dying people popping up on the edge of town as, presumably, the survivors of Death's massacre escaped to the village.
For a moment Arcturus was frozen, his breath catching in his throat. Orion was an Order member, was probably at whatever slaughter the Kindred and followers had lured the Order into. Arcturus' brother could be dead, and there was no way for him to know. Finally, Arcturus forced himself to move. Whatever was happening or going to happen, he couldn't keep standing there.
"Fifi!" Arcturus called out, spotting her in the midst of the panicked crowd. She was crying, cowering behind her little cart as people rushed around and past her. He hurried across the square, instinctively placing himself between her and the worst of the rushing crowd. "Are you okay?"
Arcturus Rigel
Lestrange★ dandy ♫ |
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Self-Employed Artist and Embroider
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Meg
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Post by delphine hélène lavoie on Oct 26, 2022 9:26:05 GMT -5
❝ | Maybe her mother was right. Maybe Fifi wasn't built to survive.Her blood curse made life difficult, but clearly, in a life or death situation, she was utterly useless. Fifi had known it, though she did her best to tell others around her that she was a survivor. She'd lived so long without fully succumbing to her curse, had surpassed every healer's expectations.But, none of that mattered in the face of true danger and loss. She couldn't force herself to not cower, couldn't form a coherent thought. At least she knew her limits, knew that trying to locate at save Winnie wouldn't work.The disgust in herself and the disappointment that she couldn't find a way, however, brought forth more of that venomous self-doubt Fifi tried to keep buried. It was easy to pretend her cowardice didn't exist when there was nothing to be fearful of - she'd accepted what fate she was destined to have."Fifi!"Fifi's head snapped up at the sound of her name, eyes blinking away tears. Arcturus was there in a heartbeat, shielding her from the chaos of the world beyond her hiding place."Are you okay?"Fifi shook her head tearfully. "My sister... I'm scared, Arcturus." |
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Head of Advertising at The Daily Prophet
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Dakota
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Post by arcturus rigel lestrange on Jan 19, 2023 14:07:16 GMT -5
“ "My sister... I'm scared, Arcturus."
"It's okay, I've got you." Arcturus turned his body, enough so that he was still shielding Fifi from the worst of the chaos, but enough so that he could scan the crowds rushing by. He had never met Fifi's sister, of course, and wasn't even totally sure what he was looking for; a shock of brilliant blonde hair to match Fifi's, perhaps, or maybe someone running towards them. But there was nothing in the sea of madness, no one Arcturus could assume was related to Fifi or anyone even looking their way.
"Where is she?" He asked at last, turning back to Fifi. That was probably the next-best course of action. If her sister was lost in the crowd somewhere, they could look for her, but if she wasn't, then there was no need for them to stay. Arcturus' eyes scanned her carefully, looking for any easily-identified injuries, cuts or bruises maybe, or at least something bleeding. He didn't know much healing magic to speak of, but surely he could do something if she was hurt. "We've got to get out of here. Get somewhere safe."
The safest place that Arcturus could think of, unfortunately, was his own home. He had easily doubled the wards on the manor, rekeyed the locks and built the house into a veritable fortress. He and Fifi would be safe there, he was sure, but he hesitated to go back there, even in the face of everything happening around him. Arcturus Rigel
Lestrange★ dandy ♫ |
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Self-Employed Artist and Embroider
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Meg
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Post by delphine hélène lavoie on Jan 27, 2023 16:20:40 GMT -5
❝ | There was absolutely no hesitation from Arcturus as he shifted his body to shield her from the mess of the world."It's okay, I've got you."If it weren't for the state of chaos that they currently existed in, Delphine might've swooned then and there. Even still, her heart lifted if only slightly, and she glanced up at him with hope and reverence in her eyes. He truly was a good man, her knight-in-shining armor. She was grateful for his friendship, and she was eternally indebted to him as he swooped in to save her life."Where is she?""She was at that party... I keep hearing everyone say that's where this started. Godric, if she's hurt, if she's dead..." Fifi trailed off, covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stifle the sob that racked her body. The reality of the situation was that if Winnie was dead, Fifi might never know, and that was the worst feeling in the world."We've got to get out of here. Get somewhere safe."Fifi nodded. She shifted closer to him, the heat of his body comforting her. "Wherever you think is safest, Arc. Just please get me out of here, I'm scared." |
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Head of Advertising at The Daily Prophet
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Dakota
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Post by arcturus rigel lestrange on Jan 30, 2023 22:08:13 GMT -5
“ "She was at that party... I keep hearing everyone say that's where this started. Godric, if she's hurt, if she's dead..."
"Shh, shh, it's okay, just breathe." Without thinking, Arcturus pulled Fifi close, wrapping his arms around her narrow shoulders. He didn't know why he did it, if only to shield her in some small part from everything that was going on around them. "I've got you."
"Wherever you think is safest, Arc. Just please get me out of here, I'm scared."
"We can go to—" Arcturus was cut off by the sudden appearance of a spectral buzzard, its bright light standing in stark contrast to the chaos surrounding them. He didn't immediately recognize the patronus, but he recognized the voice that came from its beak.
"Arc - I'm safe, but you might not be. If Azkaban falls, father will find you. If you're safe, if you get this message, let me know you're alive... we can figure out the rest after."
Arcturus' blood ran cold. With everything that was happening, all of the chaos, Arcturus hadn't for even a second considered what would happen if Azkaban fell. Dangerous criminals released to run amok, only aiding in the world's downfall. And Rabastan Lestrange, walking free once again. It had been almost 20 years since Arcturus had been at the man's mercy, but suddenly he was a scared eleven-year-old again, cowering under Rabastan's gaze. He could see his father's face, as clear as if he was standing before him, lips curled in a sneer. Weak, he would have called Arcturus in that moment. He'd always been weak, a disappointment, even as a child.
"Arcturus?"
Fifi's voice brought Arcturus back to the moment, to the screams and lurching crowd that still surrounded them. He blinked once, twice, shaking away his father's specter. "Right, we need to go, we need—" Where could they go? If his father was coming for him, no amount of wards on the Lestrange Manor would keep him at bay.
In the end, Arcturus just held tight to Fifi and disapparated to the first place he could think of—the pair landed on a rocky beach, salty air hitting them immediately. They stood a few dozen meters from a shuttered beach house, dark and silent. His mother had taken him and Orion on holiday there, once. Why it was the first place Arcturus had thought of, he wasn't sure, but it was quiet and, hopefully, safe. Arcturus Rigel
Lestrange★ dandy ♫ |
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Self-Employed Artist and Embroider
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Meg
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Post by delphine hélène lavoie on Feb 15, 2023 9:37:43 GMT -5
❝ | Delphine didn't even hear the comforting words that he spoke - all she could focus on was the fact that Arcturus had stooped down and wrapped her in his arms. She immediately buried her face into his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. The warmth from his body was a comfort that she hadn't realized she needed - nor was it one that she realized she'd been craving.
Suddenly, the world outside melted away. The screams of those around her were muffled to nothing - it was as if there wasn't danger at all. Sure, her mind was still set on Winnie, still reeling at the idea that her dear sister could be dead. But, with Arc holding her, things seemed so much less hopeless, and she could feel a spark of determination rise within her.
They'd get to safety and they'd find her - together.
Arc pulled away slightly, though he was still holding onto her. Delphine lifted her head in time to see a Patronus in the shape of a large buzzard land beside them. She didn't recognize the voice that came from it, but she could assume - this was Arc's brother talking.
He was in danger too.
"Arcturus?" Delphine asked, peering up at him as the Patronus disappeared. He had turned paper-white, blinking at the space where the spectral bird had been sitting just moments before.
"Right, we need to go, we need—"
Arcturus didn't finish before standing the both of them up, holding her close, and Apparating away. The terror of the patrons of Hogsmeade melted away abruptly, replaced with the sounds of lapping waves and the distant cries of gulls. A cold breeze picked up, causing gooseflesh to rise on Fifi's arms. She pulled herself closer to Arc, looking towards the small beach house he'd brought them to.
Gently, she squeezed him, arms back around his waist.
They were safe for now... they could worry about the rest later - together.
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