October 31st, 1893 — "The Cursed Pirate Ship" Halloween Party

Mira was attending her very first party.

Much like a teenager who was going through this milestone in life, Mira was excited. She had come dressed as a pirate, with one part of her skirt raises enough to show a "wooden" leg.

It didn't take long for her to get tipsy and as any inexperienced drunk, Mira felt compelled to share this with the first sibling she stumbled upon that evening.

After pulling at their arm while saying their name, Mira shared: "I'm tipsy!"

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Open to any or all of Miranda's siblings: Robert Rowle, Philip Rowle, Seraphina Bythesea Edwin Rowle

  

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“I have a very childlike rage, and a very childlike loneliness.”

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Philip was half-surprised at how well he and Alexandra had aligned on this. Compared to where they had been a month or two ago, when they might have mistaken one another for strangers... Well, if someone had told Philip then that they’d be hosting a pirate-themed party for Halloween, prancing about in society like their lives were nothing less than pristine, like things had always been this way, he would have laughed them from the room.

The lingering problem of their father was always in the back of his mind, though, even if Philip would go so far as to say he was enjoying himself tonight. But their father would pose a problem as long as he was alive, and Philip was counting on the others folding to his alternative plan sooner or later, as the prospect of Algernon Rowle regaining his senses loomed ever larger.

He had plans to piss the others off later, but that would wait until all his siblings were here. And preferably before Miranda passed out, Philip thought with an internal roll of his eyes, as his sister came tugging at his sleeve like a child at... well, hm, not Christmas; not in Miranda’s case.

“Well, doesn’t it make a nice change to see you having some fun, Mira?” Philip answered, low, with a careless snort. He suspected one of the vultures (his guess was Robin, but his guess was always Robin) would descend any moment now to nip her fun in the bud, ringing alarm bells about loose lips and wagging tongues and making an unrestrained scene. But, since carrying on as they were hadn’t been Philip’s plan, he had washed his hands of all responsibility in the meantime.

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The following 1 user Likes Philip Rowle's post:1 user Likes Philip Rowle's post
   Miranda Rowle

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"Yes!" Mira replied giddily. "These drinks are so fun!" Being tipsy also helped with her social anxiety that evening. Mira had never attended parties as the sickly spinstered daughter, so it was quite a lot for her to handle. The Halloween costumes were an armour for the unaccustomed woman.

"We should have the most fun we have ever had all our lives tonight!" Mira continued, because naive as she could be, she knew that Philip was the sibling most likely to encourage 'fun' activities. "Something that would make father completely mad if he finds out!"

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“I have a very childlike rage, and a very childlike loneliness.”

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He might be on Miranda’s side here, or at least not against her, but Philip couldn’t say he was quite with her, either. He had been drinking too, certainly – but since he had returned to himself, he had done so only minimally. He had had one drink tonight; this was his second, and he was taking it deliberately slowly.

Because he was in control of himself again, at last, and he had no intention of giving that up. Not to alcohol and not to anyone. Deep down, he was almost a little fearful at the concept. Because he – they, all the Rowle siblings – had been coddled for so long by the Imperius curse that even reality felt hard now, dark and grim and something to be endured. But – and he didn’t know about his siblings, but – Philip was determined to grit his teeth and get through it, even if it meant wading through the mud, even if it meant hardship and suffering. Because if he let himself so much as take the edge off – even just with alcohol, even just once – he worried he might cede control of himself entirely. Be lured in by a little comfortable cushioning to life, a happy little haze again, and then, then, he would be a prisoner of his own making. That, to him, would be a worse outcome than facing his father again.

So he was concerned about Miranda even as he smiled indulgently at her. (He would make sure he kept an eye on her, then, or get Alix to.) Concerned about the drinking, that was all: otherwise he was perfectly game to let her have some fun. Philip was enjoying this party more than any he had attended under the influence of the curse, mostly because Other Philip had been so at odds with anything Real Philip considered entertaining – but he had to wonder how many Miranda had ever managed to attend, before. Had she ever had the opportunity for fun at all before?

He leaned down towards her, so that she could speak better into his ear. “Go on then,” he encouraged, loosely and non-committal, shooting her a conspiratorial look before lifting his eyebrows in interest. “What kind of thing did you have in mind?”

It was still hard to see into her head, because – more than all of them – Miranda was a stranger to herself.

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