14 May 1891 — Beauregard Residence

Well bloody hell.

Sebastian shoved open the back door of his parents house, closing his eyes as he stood on the back porch. The sound of the door clattering shut behind him only slightly muted the noise in the house. News of Elsie’s elopement had reached them and Sebastian had been nothing less than struck dumb. Lucinda, however - well, she was his sister and he knew her like the back of his own hand.

Knew her well enough that escaping outside would only do so much to block out her rage; Sebastian sighed heavily (not the first or last time he would that day) and fished out a spare cigarette from his pocket. Lighting it, he inhaled deeply and felt himself collapse onto the top step. As he ran a hand through his already mussed up hair, he took another puff and took the cigarette between his fingers just as there was a rattle behind him.

A quick glance behind him told him Lucinda had just joined him out on the porch and he directed his gaze to the ground. Words failed him, and he put his free palm against his forehead, fiddling with the cigarette between his fingers.

“Well, fuck.”

---

Cassius Lestrange  | Lucinda Cavanaugh

The following 2 users Like Sebastian Beauregard's post:2 users Like Sebastian Beauregard's post
   Elsie Kirke, Lucinda Cavanaugh

A scandal in the family had her fleeing back to her parents' house, where they were all trying to navigate the new world where Elsie was apparently reckless enough to be pregnant. (There was no other explanation in Lucinda's mind — courting couples didn't just elope unless they had a very good reason to, and she hadn't been born yesterday.)

The trouble with fleeing to her parents' house was that there was only so much of her mother she could handle, and she only allowed Sebastian a few minutes to himself before she headed outside and took a seat on the step next to him, slouching. In the news of the afternoon Lucinda had reverted to her most casual habits; slouchy posture, loud sighs, all the things she tried to contain when she was operating in professional or upper class society.

Lucinda made an impatient gesture for Sebastian's cigarette and ignored his swear. "Did you know about this?" she asked — her tone was sharp, but not so much as to be actively hostile. She had known it was a risk — although honestly she'd thought that things tapered out until Kirke and Elsie had started courting — but Sebastian and Elsie were close. He might have known they were being risky — although if he had, Lucinda would be obligated to strangle him, and that would certainly be a drag.

---

The following 1 user Likes Lucinda Cavanaugh's post:1 user Likes Lucinda Cavanaugh's post
   Elsie Kirke

Sebastian wordlessly gave in, taking another puff of the cigarette before raising his hand to his sister for her to take it. He knew she would forgive his swear, if not ignore it altogether but he hadn't expected that and he glanced up sharply. "No!" he exclaimed, his tone earnest and quite possibly showing more anger than he meant to. There was a stab at his chest and Sebastian scowled, though it wasn't meant to be directed at his sister.

The hand holding the cigarette – now free – worked its way through his hair again and he clenched his teeth, resting his cheek on his palm and letting it take its weight again. "I swear I didn't know." There was another uncomfortable lurch at his stomach and he pursed his lips, fidgeting slightly to avoid the sensation.

In an effort to dispel the discomfort, he scuffed his shoe against the stair. As he heaved a sigh, he felt his cheeks flush. He was angry. But he had to wonder if he was angry at the fact that she was married or if it was because this was something he always thought Elsie would include him in. Or at least tell him before, not after the fact.

No, he decided with another scowl at the ground, realizing the intensity of his reaction to his sister's question was because the answer was no, and not yes.

Sebastian clenched his fists before wiping his palms on his trousers and reaching up to take the cigarette again.

---

  

If she'd had any doubts, they were dispelled by the earnestness in Sebastian's tone. Lucinda took a few drags from the cigarette before handing it back off to him, exhaling the smoke in a graceless cloud rather than attempting to do anything fancy with it. "Well," she said, and she wasn't certain of what came next until she said, "I caught them kissing in my library once, so I ought to have had an inkling."

---

  

Sebastian took the cigarette and took another long drag on it. Whatever he’d been expecting to come out of his sister’s mouth, it wasn’t that. The puffs of smoke came out of him in staccato clouds as he coughed on his drag. ”You caught them doing what?” He demanded, though it was obvious he’d heard her loud and clear.

He knew there had to have been stolen moments that Elsie and Kirke had partook in over the past few years — didn’t every young couple? — but for them to have gotten caught by Lucinda and live to tell the tale? Especially Kirke…

Sebastian left his mouth hanging open like a codfish as he processed this new piece of information. Finally, he said: ”And what did Kirke have to sacrifice to come out of that unscathed?” There was more eagerness in his voice than he meant for there to be. The fact that he didn’t try to hide it either spoke to his weary state of mind.

---

  

Sebastian's eagerness was a pleasant change of pace; it was like they were gossiping, instead of stress-smoking in the back of their parents' house.

"Quidditch, mostly," Lucinda said, with a shrug of her shoulders. "And I threw some threats around. I assumed things had ended — they certainly hadn't gone this far back then — but it turns out I was being stupid." Maybe she should have told Stella when things had happened in the first place — at least then they wouldn't be facing down a family scandal and Elsie's probable pregnancy.

---

  

Quidditch.

Sebastian hesitated, his eyes still wide as he gaped at Lucinda. That explained Kirke's sudden change in careers. Given his relationship with Sebastian's cousin, there wasn't much chumminess between them, but that didn't mean that Sebastian didn't have questions when it came to the sport that he knew Kirke to love more than anything.

Well, almost more than anything.

Clearly, he'd been scared enough by Lucinda to get his act together. Sebastian didn't know whether to be pissed he didn't get a chance to talk to Kirke or smug that Lucinda had talked scared him into it. With his conflicted emotions combined with the sudden tidal wave of information the family had just been made aware of, Sebastian had nothing in him except to let out a rough laugh. It wasn't a humorous situation, though, and what was more, the cigarette they were both sharing was almost done.

He took another out and lit it quickly before handing it to his sister. "Elsie has never given a reason for us to think she would be this foolish," he commented. Even though their actions could be certainly classified as foolish, it still felt like an insult to call his cousin that; for she was never foolhardy. "Why should you have thought they would go off and elope like this?" It was a rhetorical question, nothing more than to placate whatever guilty emotions Lucinda might have been feeling.

---

The following 2 users Like Sebastian Beauregard's post:2 users Like Sebastian Beauregard's post
   Lucinda Cavanaugh, Mason Skeeter

"You have to learn, Sebastian," Lucinda said, "If they're backed into enough of a corner, anyone can be foolish."

Lucinda was in the habit of making prescriptive statements, and sometimes they were flippant — she'd picked it up as a hobby when she had worked for Thom Pettigrew — but this was one she was willing to stand by. Anyone could be foolish, anyone could be reckless. But that didn't mean that she wasn't surprised today — she was quite obviously very surprised — and that didn't mean that she wasn't dissappointed.

She was abundantly dissappointed.

---

  

Sebastian raised his eyebrows, irony painted over his face. He wasn't much of a drinker but he felt he'd been dealt enough of a blow that he wouldn't mind a nice scotch. This wasn't an act of rebellion on their part, it was an act of desperation, especially if the family wasn't going to support them.

Then, another thought hit him, and he quickly glanced up to Lucinda. He said very little though; it was likely she had already come to this conclusion. As a healer, Sebastian kicked himself for not thinking of it first. Frankly, this was the final straw and he shook himself, standing up with a sigh. "I need a drink." he said, turning back to face the door. "Shall we?" He glanced at his sister and offered his arm to her. If he needed a drink, it was likely she did.

---

The following 1 user Likes Sebastian Beauregard's post:1 user Likes Sebastian Beauregard's post
   Lucinda Cavanaugh