SHOPPING *squeal*

[Belle Carter]

Belle usually was not one for shopping, but when she had been approached by one of the older Emerindyl girls and told they were all going to be making a day of it; Belle could not resist. She had been saving up her money for such a long time to buy a new racing broom and she finally had enough, though as she got ready to go out with them, she wondered if the others would be interested in going to a Quidditch shop to buy broomsticks. What if they had something else in mind… you see; Belle was not like the other girls, she wasn’t prissy, she didn’t gossip about boys, and she had no interest in designer fashion.

She waited in the square looking about for the others to arrive. She had come to the village earlier in the day to see if the Quidditch shop had any of the brooms in stock that she was interested in. They had been closed at the time. But peaking through the window she could see a couple of the ones she was interested in; on racks towards the back of the store. Since then she had been bouncing on the spot waiting for the others to arrive. The stores had all opened since then and she wanted to go, but didn’t want to ruin this chance to mix with the other girls in her house.

“Come on…” she said looking around to see if there was a carriage coming from the school. There didn’t appear to be, though she could only see a very short stretch of the road, maybe one of them would be there soon. Maybe not…

[Jemimah Crenshaw]

Jemimah waited silently across the square where she had been for most of the morning. She did not move from her spot while she waited. She had no interest in Koaltumut and shopping bored her incredibly.

She could see Belle waiting for the others to arrive. She didn’t know Belle so she did not approach her.

She watched and waited. Wondering what boring things they would do today.

She pulled a face at her watch when she looked at it. The others were later. She was only here to be polite and they were holding her up?

She didn’t appreciate being held up. If they were going to take this long they should have told her to meet them at this time. There were plenty more things she would much rather be doing then following around a bunch of giddy females.

[Evangeline Gardan]

Evangeline had finally met the Elouise that Alex had been talking about. The bubbly blonde girl came up to Evangeline while passing from classes and told her that the Emerindyl girls were organizing a shopping trip to Koaltumut. Evangeline could not resist simply because... well... she really couldn't. She hadn't been shopping in years and since reconnecting with the Gardan side of her family had been given a ridiculous amount of money to... ahem... 'see to it that her wardrobe was up to standard'. Gotta love Kalika with her constructive criticism and sisterly love...

Evangeline loved to shop (when she had the money) because she was really a girly girl at heart. As she clutched the money in her bag, Evangeline looked around the crowded streets trying to find at least one of the girls.

Finally she spotted two girls that looked rather familiar. She was sure that they were in her house and after buying some of her favorite chamomile tea at the nearby tea shop she headed over to the girl who looked like she was waiting on pins and needles to start shopping.

"Hi... I'm Evangeline. You're one of the girls in Emerindyl, right?" Evangeline asked, a friendly smile upon her face.

[Belle Carter]

“That I am, call me Belle!” Belle greeted her with a haughty shaking of her hand. Just when she thought Evangeline’s hand might fall off she stopped and stepped back with a smile on her face. She really wanted to go to the Quidditch shop, but she also knew that she only just had enough for her broomstick, so if the girl’s wanted to do other things; like breakfast or lunch for instance; then Belle would not have enough money, and that worried her a little.

“I’ve not seen you about a lot?” she said looking at the girl with a curious expression, term had only just begun though so she wondered perhaps if this girl was a transfer in, “Are you new here? You’re obviously Emerindyl because you wouldn’t be here today if you weren’t, I don’t think?”

She looked about anxiously for the others, though all the while she did not forget her manners with Evangeline, smiling at her all the while and looking as if she needed to go to the bathroom. She pulled open her rucksack as they stood there.

“Hungry?” she asked her pulling out a cardboard container which looked to be slightly squashed from the contents of her bag, opening the cardboard container there were several beautifully made scrumptious looking sandwiches, though also looing a little squashed. She had had the house elves pack them for her so she didn’t need to buy her food. But the excitement of buying a new broomstick had awoken her appetite.

She offered up one of the squashed looking sandwiches to Evangeline. “It’s a little squashed, but I don’t imagine it will taste any different,”

[Elouise Sullivan]

Elouise was running late as usual, though she also saw that there were only three other Emerindyl girl’s there so she was not the latest. She had also invited Bailey, Belle and Tara, though she wasn’t sure if Tara was going to be joining them. She smiled and waved to them as she stepped off the carriage that stopped not far from where she was standing. It was growing to be quite a pleasant day and Elouise was definitely interested in taking a look around as many shops as she could handle carrying bags from.

“Good morning!” she greeted them brightly as she crossed the cobbled courtyard towards the two that were standing together. She was a little concerned by the behaviour of the girl whom did not seem to want to consort with them. What else could she possibly have thought she would be doing by spending the day in Koaltumut with a group of girls?

“Jemimah?” she called to the girl waving her over. She smiled at the other two then looked at the sandwich Belle was offering her, ”No no no, no packed lunch today deary, we’re shopping! That means coffee shops and tea cakes and… other nice things,” she smiled at her and started looking around immediately for a nice place to grab something to eat, “I suppose we had better wait for Bailey and Holly first though,” she said as she started looking for their familiar faces.

She dug into her pockets for a dublon she had waiting just for this moment, “Who wants hot chocolate from Puddlefoot’s?” she asked looking to a little café not far from them, “My treat,” she added in case any of them made to move for their own money, she would not let them at this moment, it was like offering the olive branch… or was that requesting peace? Either way it was a gesture of friendship.

[Lara Watt]

“How hard is it to find a decent dress in this town, honestly!”

Lara had gotten up as per usual before decided to come to the magical hub of the surround magical area around Koalingo called Koaltumut. While she would usually spend time looking about before getting seriously into her purchases, but she was a girl on a mission. After she had sent word to the groundskeeper to ready her carriage for her trip into the village, she had made sure to grab a much beyond ample amount of currency just in case a few things caught her eye in her little shopping trip.

“All I want is a little black dress with some matching heels, not much of a tall order or anything!” Lara wasn’t looking up while she was fishing through her bag for her list of things she needed while she walked around a group of legs she could see out of the of her eye, before looking up and pushing her blonde hair out of her eyes and let out a noise of great frustration. “And now I’ve lost my list, could this day get any worse?”

Lara usually would have been worried about talking to herself but today just wasn’t her day at all, she had been made to wait for her ride because one of the animals had decided to be difficult. She had lost her favourite pair of shoes and has been forced to grab a pair of black sandals in her rush to get out the door to get some breakfast before she left for her shopping excursion, and after walking all over the town for this dress she was determined to buy today, she was sure her feet would pay dearly for her lack of considering decent footwear.

Stopping her search for her list, even thought she could tell it obviously wasn’t there she had still be searching, she looked up as she recognised a voice that was familiar and not far from where she stood. Lifting her head up, she listened again for the voice and there is was. Turning back around to her right, the group of feet she had seen when she had walked past had been a group of her fellow Emerindyl students although they all seemed to be younger than her but that was of no concern. Without thinking for a moment or of a reason as to why not to walk over, Lara let her feet carry her back the few feet she had walked in her absent minded searching.

“Hey, seems like everyone decided to come shopping on the same day doesn’t it?” Lara said, cheerfully enough and with a friendly grin, letting her mind ease from its current state of frustration over the so far poor results of finding what she craved.

[Angelica Blackheart]

"Hello. I was just in here yesterday and I bought a beautiful apple green dress for my little sister and I took it back to my dorm and what should I find? Dark spots, like splash marks all over the back side. I would like a replacement please or if not then a refund would be good." Angie huffed as she showed the snooty looking store clerk the ruined garment. Her sister had wanted the dress ever since Angie took her shopping a couple months ago but had asked for it after Angie had spent the last of her money. Now that the 7th year was finally able to buy the dress she found it had defects.

After the clerk mumbled something under her breath and retrieved a new (and untarnished) dress from the back room, Angie left the store and immediately recognized some girls from her house. Walking up, smiling brightly at the group Angie called over to them, "Hey ladies. Good day for some serious shopping I would say. Can I join you guys?" She asked as she took out the dress and refolded it to her liking. She had a thing about the way store clerks folded clothes and robes she had bought. It was never the way she wanted it.

She finally caught up to the group, her heels clicking rapidly on the cobblestone as she reached them. Angie thought to herself that it was a good decision to wear plaid short shorts and a white off the shoulders shirt. It looked like it was going to be a pretty warm day.

[Belle Carter]

Belle smiled in turn to each of the new arrivals. It didn’t look as if Evangeline was interested in the crumpled sandwich, so Belle let it fall back in its wrapping and closed her ruck sack. If only the people around them knew that he bag was actually full of her entire junior life savings. Three hundred doubloons in total; just enough for the new broomstick she wanted.

She greeted Elouise as if she would a close friend whom liked to keep her distance. Belle was not a girly-girl. Never had been, and in all seriousness, she really only wanted to go buy her broomstick, but being able to spend the day with a group of Emerindyl’s was too much to pass up.

She smiled at Lara, she had seen her around a bit, but there was rarely much a seventh year and a fourth year could do together so she realised she didn’t actually know her all that well, though after today, perhaps she might.

And then she saw Angelica. She could see the dress the girl was carrying and she had to squeeze her rucksack a little tighter. It was such a nice dress… and she knew she had more then enough money to afford it. ”No Belle,” she thought to herself, ”self control, think of the broomstick, think of the new Quidditch season, of things would be so much easier if Bailey was here,’

She looked around while everyone was doing their greetings to see if she could spy Bailey anywhere but it didn’t look so. She smiled at the two new arrivals and knew she should probably say something encouraging, “Of course you can join us! The more the merrier,” she smiled before her eyes flitted back to see where Bailey might be.

[Lara Watt]

((Since This Seems To Have Stalled In First Gear A Little…Might As Well Give It A Little Push...))

Lara looked around the assembled group of Emerindyl women, both of the younger years and those closer to her age, mentally ticking them off a list of names; Angelica, Belle, Elouise, Evan and Jemimah. Although she wasn’t sure on everyone’s ages and year levels she knew she was probably the eldest of the group and while that would usual mean she would have some minor feeling of making sure everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves, and really who didn’t enjoy buying new things whether it be clothing articles or sporting equipment, there was always that level of excitement in acquiring something new, so she didn’t feel like she would need to worry and could just relax and enjoy her shopping.

And hunt down that prefect little black dress she oh so desired.

Having seen a few other members of their house and more than a dozen from other houses all seeming to have same idea for spending the day in the magical community of Koaltumut, all off them searching for some particular item or maybe just some good food and good company that the town had to offer. While her mind didn’t over look that fact that most of the students had been of the same gender as herself she did notice a few of them were dragging members of the opposite gender, some whining and complain, while some wisely kept silent. Either way Lara had found herself chucking at those who protested and were berated in return. Since the group seemed to be standing out the front of a building that was just opening, Lara figured they might have still been waiting for a few other people. Maybe there had been some sort of house announcement and she had breezed right through it and nobody told her. It didn’t matter anymore since she was here now, right?

“So does anyone have anything specific to do or find while we are here? I know I need to find a little black dress.” Lara said, her hands fidgeting on the strap of her bag in momentary silence that seemed to have taken over the all girl shopping expedition. “If anyone has any recommendations I’d be much obliged and forever in their debt”

Looking over the heads of one of the younger girls, she saw one of the Saphricorn boys her age who nodded to her as she caught his eye and Lara waved and gave him a grin as the boy passed. When a sudden thought clicked in her mind.

“I just had a though, if we are here and I’ve seen a few other Emerindyl girls around the town, who is going to keep the Emerindyl boys in line?”

This really had Lara stumped and worried, heavens only knew what they would return to when they did in a few hours time.

[Elouise Sullivan]

Elouise grinned, she knew exactly where they should go first for Lara’s dress. “Black’s not really my style, but Madame Bobbin sells some of the finest… er… darker style clothing in the area,” she smiled, she didn’t mean for it to sound like she didn’t approve of dark clothing, though it was obvious enough that she didn’t, “I’m not really into black, but I have been dying to find a reason to go in there and look around,” Elouise also wasn’t the kind of person who browsed through a store without buying something, or having one of her group buy something, which is why, when on her own or with her boyfriend, she simply didn’t go in there.

“She has some interesting looking dresses in the window though,” Elouise smiled as she clasped Lara’s hand warmly and led her off towards Madame Bobbins assuming everyone might follow. Lara had made the first suggestion for the morning and so though it would be the best idea to go where she wanted to first. Elouise further hoped this might entice the others to have a bit of input.

“I’ve walked past it so many times, it looks so interesting, but I don’t know if I would buy anything, so I have never gone in, I thought once they might sells men’s clothing and my dad is into all that black stuff, so I was going to go in, but one of the clerks were standing outside and she told me they didn’t sell men’s clothing so I didn’t go in,” she might have been talking a little too much, but when the silence that fell on the group was so awkward, someone had to do something about it.

[Lara Watt]

Lara couldn’t help but smile at the slightly younger girl as she led the way to Madame Bobbin’s store. Lara had never been in there before herself, while she had met Madame Bobbin a few years ago to get a dress designed for her for her fifteenth birthday affair which had consisted of manly her parent’s pureblooded friends and their children that were around Lara’s age.

’Fond memories indeed’ Lara thought to herself, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks.

“I’m glad I can be your excuse then Elouise to go in there” Lara said cheekily with a grin. “I totally get what you mean with not wearing black often; I have a grand totally of three times of black attire not including shoes that is. Being blonde means pretty much you can carry off any colour not that I need to tell you that ey?”

Lara to feel even more excited as the approach the boutique that had been a little ways away from where they had stood before in the glass windows at the front on the enchanted mannequins that changed their poses every few minutes. Watching them with something of an awe filled gazed as the four on display, two different designs in black and one in a pale icy blue and a deep red satin number that made Lara tilt her head to the right to take it all in….or what little there was to hold it together.

“We’ll it certainly appears she hasn’t lost her touch with the younger crowd, now has she? I had her design a few options for a dress for my ball for my fifteenth birthday. We told her cocktail dress and well, they were stylish, revealing but still classy.” Lara said still looking at the window waiting for the others to catch up with Elouise and her out the front of the store. “I’ve never been actually in her store she always came to the mansion, I can’t imagine all the different styles she would have in here, and in all different colours, maybe I should buy a few.”

It was now Lara’s turn in rambling to fill the silence.

“You know what’s even funnier, she went to school with my mother so she is only thirty six or thirty seven, and has five different boutiques all over the world, I can’t imagine how she became that successful all by the age of twenty five. I haven’t been to this branch, but I’ve been to the ones in London, Paris and the one in America,” Lara paused for a moment as a thoughtful look crossed her features. “I think I know way too much about fashion designers. You have to promise to help me find the perfect dress, make the guys drool and the other girls green with envy. That kind of dress”

Lara gave her the most pleading look she could hoping the girl would concede to give her honest answers and opinions on Lara’s choices.

[Belle Carter]

Belle followed reluctantly as the other girls made their way towards the dress shop. Belle was a bit of a tomboy and she didn’t really feel like going into this particular shop, it just wasn’t her type of thing, though she thought about it as she followed them like a woman on death row and realised she could only have expected this knowing who had invited her out today and what she would have been getting herself into.

She approached the shop anxiously and held tightly to her bag as if she was afraid her money would just start jumping out of it and clothing would start jumping in. For all intensive purposes; Belle generally stayed away from clothing store’s especially ones like this. Her eyes nearly fell out of her head when she laid eyes on the red satin number the older girl had been looking at earlier. Belle could not understand why anyone would want to wear such a thing. Who were they trying to impress, as if their friends would want to see them in something like that.

She listened to the two older girls discussing fashion excitedly, though one thing clicked in Belle’s mind that suddenly made her feel as if she was perhaps a little out of her league in this crowd. “You live in a mansion?” she managed to say to Lara before she realised she had opened her mouth. Belle was not an extremely wealthy person. Right now she had more gold in her bag then she had ever had in her life, probably more then her parents had ever had, but she had spent her whole life saving it and never spending.

“You have been to Paris?” Belle’s eyes could not have gotten any wider, she had never even been out of the country, “I’ve always wanted to go there, I love Italian food,” she said ignorantly. Not realising she had perhaps put her foot in her mouth.

[Lara Watt]

Lara turned around and smiled at the younger girl who she now realised might feel a little put out with all the talk of dress shopping and what not but she seemed to be taking it all in stride and didn’t comment otherwise.

“I’m afraid you won’t find too much Italian food there in Paris, Belle, but they do have lovely little eateries and restaurants that make you any style of dish you could imagine. Although if you are ever offered frog legs, my tip is to polite decline the offer.” Lara said, smiling at the girl. “ I’ve been to every continent and many different countries, my parents said that way when I was older I could choose were to spend my vacations and see everything, learn a bit of everything. My parents were very well cultured and so it was and is expected for me to be. I have some of my favourite pictures form my travels back in my cabin, you can have a look sometime if you’re interested”

Money. Lara wondered why everything came to either money or bloodlines these days, and although she was spoilt in both ways, old pureblood family line on both her parents sides, and stacks upon masses of money it was a subject that she felt was sometimes best left alone, but she had thoughtlessly left a window open into the subject and now she would have to talk on the subject. She knew it was sometimes a touchy subject for some so she pretty much just wasn’t forth coming about it.

“Yes Belle I live in what is best described as a mansion. I assure you when you grow up in one it is very overrated, it takes what seems like hours to get from one wing to the other. When I was young I used to joke with my parents and say it was big enough to be a castle, so being the funny ones they are they red the classification size of our house compared to that of a castle, it ends up were are something like one bedroom and toilet short, and I’m rambling, you really didn’t need to know all that!” Lara said pulling a face at her own daftness.

While she knew of most families not having mansions as their everyday homes it was just nature for Lara, that and the holiday properties they owned. Each generation seemed to buy another piece of land to pass along to the following generation, Lara had long since lost count of how many holiday manors they had scattered all over the world. It was a kind of warped legacy of now olden times.

“So is everyone coming in to help me or what is the go ladies? I’m ready to do some serious shopping!” Lara said happily smiling at all and rubbing her hands together excitedly, while the red dress in the window display caught her attention out the corner of her eye.

[Elouise Sullivan]

Elouise smiled warmly at the younger girl. She knew that sometimes people measured themselves against others in a way that made them feel a little less happy about their own lives. Elouise knew this should not be the case for Belle and so thought she ought to speak up, “My family lives in an old mill that we inherited from my uncle when he was killed before I was born,” she uttered looking at Belle. She wanted her to understand right off the bat that there was nothing wrong with not living in mansions, especially ones big enough to almost be castles.

“Our house has three bedrooms, and it is a little musty in the winter months, but it’s the way my dad likes it, and I haven’t had the opportunity to measure it against anything else so I find it quite comfortable,” she smiled. She didn’t believe people needed to live in big houses. She had stayed with Godric over summer once and even his family lived in a modest home. A very nice home, but modest for who his parents were.

“Where abouts is your house Lara?” Elouise asked as she continued into the store. There was music humming in the background and it did not seem that a continued conversation would bother anyone and so she continued, deciding it might be time to get to know Lara Watt a little better, “If you don’t mind me asking? I haven’t actually done a lot of travelling in Australia, usually if I am not here I am at home, and my family lives in Britain,”

“I much prefer the central coast in New South Wales, but then I haven’t really had the chance to check anything else out for real, and I am a little bias about this mountain and this village,” she smiled as she started fingering through some clothing on a rack to her right. There were many very nice garments but nothing that jumped out at her.

“That is so cool that you have been to Paris, I have lived in Britain forever but I have never crossed to Europe, a lot of people say it is highly overrated but I do really think I would like to go to Paris, I have always had a fondness for anything French, though Italian food is pretty nice too, so I wouldn’t mind going to Venice,” she continued to move through the shop, all of her speech was performed with her back to her company, only to emphasise that this was a shopping trip and while it was great to chat, they must not forget the purpose of their day.

[Lara Watt]

“Of course I don’t mind you asking Elouise…”

Lara had stopped speaking as she was scanning rack full of deep blue satin dress, pulling out one which seemed to follow the trend of the dresses in the window; there was less material in the article of clothing than the expanse of skin it would show. With eyes alight from being in her element, she waved a hand above her head summoning a man who looked twenty one at the oldest who came over all smiles, handing him the dress to which he stood next to her and held silently while she moved on to examine the next item.

“The Watt mansion is located on the south Queensland coast. Our backyard is perhaps I guess fifty meters of grass before you hit the beach. It never ceases to amaze me the beautiful sunsets you can see and the sunrises. Oh the sunrises are to die for, after a good night of partying to come home and see them before you crash out for the day. You can see the ocean from my balcony and hear the sound of the ocean” Lara said, pausing in her hunt for the perfect black dress to let out a dreamy sigh, as much as Koalingo sometimes reminded her of home sometimes she just couldn’t help but miss home.

“If you’re ever in the area or want to see somewhere new just owl ahead, I’m sure the house elves would love to have some else to dot on, I think they get so lonely with only my parents and the occasional dinner party guest to look after. I could always give a tour of the city that’s very close by and show you the sights, the museums, best restaurants to eat at and the magical community up there if quite large”

Looking back around the obviously magically enlarged sales room, full of the same posing mannequins from the front window display, different area’s sorted by different attributes, some by colours, some by their strapless nature, some by the styles (formal, cocktail) but what caught Lara’s attention was a stunning silk dress, made of a icy blue silk material that shone in the light of the store, strapless and falling to knee length, the back open down to the curve in the small of the wearers back, Lara knew she would not be leaving the store without it. Gesturing to it, her assistant picked it out and put it with the rest she had gathered.

“So you live in England, ey? That would have to be awesome, the time I spent there was some of the best times I’ve ever had. How do you like it there?” Lara said, as she looked at the black cocktail dresses “I suppose it would have been a shock to the system coming here were everyone’s attitudes seem to be polar opposites, either laid back or extremely stressed.”

With a loud exhale Lara’s shoulders slumped slightly, she hadn’t found the perfect little black dress she was after she motioned to the countered where a sales assistant stood waiting.

“I would like all these and also the red dress in the window in this sale thank you” Lara said opening her bag to withdraw her money pouch when an idea struck her. Looking at the sales assistant she asked “Do you know which store location Madame Bobbin is working out of, I need to contact her”

The sales assistant gave what could only be described as a snooty look before opening her mouth to inform Lara that she could not give out such information to just anyone, the aforementioned snooty look was quickly wiped from the girls face when Lara gave her full name.

“I apologise Miss Watt, I’m sure Madame Bobbin would love to hear from you. She is currently at the Paris branch.” The girl quickly finished Lara’s sale, apologising profusely to her and promising to have her purchases sent directly to the castle in haste.

Walking over to where some of the other Emerindyl girls had finished looking around the store had stood waiting. Lara shook her head, unable to believe how the girl had treated her, not because she was a pureblood or any such nonsense but because she had been plainly rude until Lara had mentioned her name.

“You guys know what really bugs me, people thinking they are better than other people for no reason at all.” Lara shook her head again, disgusted with the shop assistant’s behaviour. “I think I’ll contact Evelyn and get her to design my dress and tell her about her boutique’s service. Does anyone have any purchases to make here or are we set to go?”

Ready to get away from the rudeness, and to have some fun and get to know some of the girls a bit better she hoped someone had a idea for what they could do or look for next.