March 6th, 1891 - Hogsmeade Memorial Ballroom between the second and third rounds of dueling
Zelda had lost the second round of duels, but was sort of stuck loitering around - she was here both because she wanted to duel and because it was a Roslyn project, and did not have anywhere in particular to be until her elder sister fulfilled all her Witches Institute duties. She was dawdling, accordingly; she'd watched a round of the duel between Madame Sykes and Miss Lestrange, and wandered to the lavatory because, well, better to do so now then later.
She was rinsing her hands when there was an incessant rap of an owl's talon against the window. Hesitantly, Zelda raised the edge and saw the Fisk family owl - a persistent little creature - stick its leg through the gap in the window. Zelda removed the attached letter and raised the window further, allowing the Fisk owl to come in. He perched on her shoulder and made a clicking sound at her.
She found herself frowning at it. They hadn't talked since the cheeks, sure, but Zelda didn't think Alfred was uprooting his life for her - certainly he wasn't happy about their current circumstances but neither was she, and sometimes love required a sort of compromise so that you could meet the other person's needs.
Jo had been her friend once, was the thing - they'd been close enough to get drinks when she was in town, at least, which did not make them close but did make a certain level of vitriol offensive to Zelda. Zelda was willing to accept a lot of the blame for that going wrong, certainly she hadn't reached out after the cheeks, but she didn't necessarily think she deserved this either. And she'd realized last month that at a certain point Jo picked Alfred, and that was fine, Zelda had other friends. But Alfred said that they weren't friends anymore, so - whatever.
They were both being so odd, Jo and Alfred. No one said they were fine when they were actually fine, and if they were sad then Zelda felt like she ought to help. Maybe it wasn't any of her business; maybe she should just let it go.
She'd been in the bathroom for an uncomfortably long time. Zelda crumpled the letter into a ball and shoved it into her pocket. She remembered to shoo the owl off of her shoulder and out the window before walking out. She should just let it go; she could try to let it go. She could.
Without more rounds of dueling she was going to have a lot of time to think about it, though.
She was rinsing her hands when there was an incessant rap of an owl's talon against the window. Hesitantly, Zelda raised the edge and saw the Fisk family owl - a persistent little creature - stick its leg through the gap in the window. Zelda removed the attached letter and raised the window further, allowing the Fisk owl to come in. He perched on her shoulder and made a clicking sound at her.
She found herself frowning at it. They hadn't talked since the cheeks, sure, but Zelda didn't think Alfred was uprooting his life for her - certainly he wasn't happy about their current circumstances but neither was she, and sometimes love required a sort of compromise so that you could meet the other person's needs.
Jo had been her friend once, was the thing - they'd been close enough to get drinks when she was in town, at least, which did not make them close but did make a certain level of vitriol offensive to Zelda. Zelda was willing to accept a lot of the blame for that going wrong, certainly she hadn't reached out after the cheeks, but she didn't necessarily think she deserved this either. And she'd realized last month that at a certain point Jo picked Alfred, and that was fine, Zelda had other friends. But Alfred said that they weren't friends anymore, so - whatever.
They were both being so odd, Jo and Alfred. No one said they were fine when they were actually fine, and if they were sad then Zelda felt like she ought to help. Maybe it wasn't any of her business; maybe she should just let it go.
She'd been in the bathroom for an uncomfortably long time. Zelda crumpled the letter into a ball and shoved it into her pocket. She remembered to shoo the owl off of her shoulder and out the window before walking out. She should just let it go; she could try to let it go. She could.
Without more rounds of dueling she was going to have a lot of time to think about it, though.
![[Image: xXXD462.png]](https://i.imgur.com/xXXD462.png)
AMAZING set by MJ