july 16, 1893 — the sandition resort; the sandition picnic

If there was one thing that Elisabeth would endure the summer heat for it was picnics! Admittedly, she was more of a winter girl, but there was something about playing lawn games and enjoying tea and sandwiches while surrounded by a vast park of green grass and flowers, but, she supposed, a beach full of white sand and a big ocean would do just fine instead. The light breeze that blew the delicate strands of silvery-blonde hair out of her eyes and the warm, shining sun made her smile and quelled any disappointment in the lack of greenery and the basket she shared with her family had delicious treats, nonetheless.

Despite the good mood she was in, Elise had a small, nervous pit in her stomach, knowing that while she was getting along fairly well here in Great Britain, better than she thought she might, she was still new here and really hadn't solidified herself as a recognized face in society. Of course, she had not debuted yet, but there was still the young ladies who were still in school that she could perhaps be known to. Swallowing down her lemonade - and her nerves - she got up and walked over to a group of younger people playing badminton, “Pardon me, but do you have room for one more player? I can play a good game.”

  

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Beautiful Set by MJ ♡ !

Life was easy when events were extremely close to her front stoop, and Zelda was happy to attend the Sanditon Picnic. She'd even managed to give Orion to Katia for a few minutes, which gave her time to play badminton with some individuals she knew loosely from Hogwarts. They hadn't quite gotten set up when the blonde woman asked if she could join them.

She didn't recognize the tall youth, but Zelda smiled at her. "I need a partner, if you're interested!" she said. She was playing badminton to play badminton — so it didn't matter if the teenager was bad at it.

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AMAZING set by MJ

It was an odd feeling, being this nervous as Elisabeth was largely not used to lacking confidence in anything, but she dreaded that the group of young ladies who were playing would turn her down and make her feel alienated. Instead, she found that the woman she approached was smiling and inviting her to play, “I’d love to, thank you. I’m Elisabeth Champagne, by the way.” She went over to pick up a racquet so she could join. Maybe she could make some new friends before finishing school!

  

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Beautiful Set by MJ ♡ !

"Mrs. Zelda Darrow," Zelda offered. She approached the makeshift court and tossed the badminton birdie between her hands. "Are you enjoying the Sanditon?" she asked Miss Champagne before she served the birdie to the other team in a fluid motion.

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AMAZING set by MJ

“Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Darrow,” Elise smiled, getting her racquet ready and taking her place beside her partner. She was a bit surprised to hear that the woman was married as she thought she was around her own age, as youthful as she looked, but perhaps that was a reminder that Elise was almost old enough for her own debut and was almost no longer a child. “I am! It’s my first summer here, but it’s quite nice. I really enjoyed the picnic. Do you and your husband live around here?”

  

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"My husband and I live at Sanditon terrace," Zelda said lightly. "But I lived in Hogsmeade before I was married."

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The Sanditon seemed like a nice place to live, Elise thought; it had great weather, she could say that much, and plenty of room to enjoy some fun games. “I’m living with my Aunt and Uncle in Hogsmeade now,” she smiled, “But I grew up in Champagne, France. So, I know a little about moving to new places. A change of scenery can be quite nice, don’t you think?”

  

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Beautiful Set by MJ ♡ !

"Oh, welcome to Britain," Zelda said. A French girl in Hogsmeade — Zelda had to assume that she was here for the season. "A change of scenery can be nice, I'm glad you're liking it."

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“Thank you, that’s very kind,” Elisabeth smiled; she didn’t think she was going to enjoy being away from home aside from getting a chance to spend time with her extended family, at first, but she was acclimatizing rather quickly it seemed, “It helps that everyone I’ve met so far seems really nice. It makes it less scary to be away from home.” She hadn’t expected them to be.

  

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Beautiful Set by MJ ♡ !

Zelda smiled. "Well," she said, "Hopefully I'll see you at another event in the future!"

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She smiled brightly, feeling welcome already, and she nodded enthusiastically, “I hope so too. Thank you, Mrs. Darrow, for being so kind and letting me join you today.” She was glad that she had come to the picnic today.

  

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Beautiful Set by MJ ♡ !