bon appetit ((burke family + invite))

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After months of discussion and arrangement, Millicent and the family elves had gotten the manor in order and prepared to host a rather formal feast. Other than having her mother-in-law joining them, their future in-laws from Hector's arrangement were also slated to attend. She wasn't sure of the exact time yet, but she made sure there was plenty of time allotted time before and afterwards for chatting and leisure.

Millicent was sitting in the drawing room sipping a relaxing cup of Earl Grey. Surrounding her on the walls and throughout the room were various artifacts the Burkes had possessed for generations ranging from taxidermy dioramas, ancient vases with dried flowers, a magnificent harp that was playing a light tune, some family portraits, and one of the many libraries scattered throughout the property that tied the room together.

@Hector Burke @Melanthius Burke @Cecelia Burke @Minnie Bulstrode @Bellona Lestrange

Cece looked at her grandmother "I don't have to be dissapointed in myself. You guys do such a good job of it already just because I was sorted into hufflepuff." She couldn't take any of this anymore. She hated it here half the time. She really did consider just leaving sometimes. "I see it on her face whenever I'm home. I'm the Burke family dissapointment. Might as well play the role." 

@Cousin Skeeter

Hector stared, his skin paled, and his mouth was agape in a state of paralysed shock. He had never heard anyone in his family swear so much before, let alone a lady and his younger sister to boot. It was like receiving a stabbing of cold pins right inside of his ears: he could swear they were ringing slightly afterwards. How dare she!

He watched her wail in anguished floods of tears, and he didn't feel a scrap of sympathy towards her at that moment. All he wanted was to see her locked up in her room for a great deal of time, before she could apologise and mean it. As his hands gripped to his sides, he glowered daggers into her form, heatedly thinking of all the ways he wanted to punish her.

Have her go without food!

Turn her into a mouse, and put her in a cage!

There was no way they could risk having her at the dinner table!

Drawing her wand at her daughter, Millicent sighed before casting a spell that would make it more difficult for her to speak.

"All you had to do was listen to your grandmother and I, Cecelia. You refused to do just that. You'll be fortunate if we even let you leave to buy supplies for school."

@Cecelia Burke

She giggled at the thought of the two of them dancing like ballerinas. Melanthius was full of surprises, and definitely very funny: even when he wasn't meaning to be.

"You should have more faith in your reflexes, Thius," she told him, inching closer to a large, bulbous looking plant that was seemingly docile at the moment. "You are a great dueller after all. But yes - perhaps just use your wrist. We wouldn't want any bad accidents happening. It will be rude to bleed all over your Mother's tableware."

Grinning, she peered closer still, bending from the waist, moving the fan of her hair to her shoulder and holding it there so it didn't get in the way.

@Melanthius Burke

Cece whimpered a bit as her mother drew her wand and frowned when she realized she couldn't speak straight. She just glared at her mother instead, since she couldn't get the words out.

"It'd also leave a much neater scar if it was on my wrist..." Then he could have battle wounds himself! Thius moved closer to the plant, kneeling down closer to its level.

Hmmm...

He observed the plant, devising the best way to provoke it enough to bite him in some form. Unbuttoning the sleeve of his jacket, Thius rolled it and the shirt underneath up until it exposed his flesh.

There was some yelling coming from inside the manor, but from where they were situated, it was incomprehensible.

"Bellona, perhaps you could blow a cool frost towards it? It may be counterintuitive, but I'm not sure if I could trust its reflexes more than mine..."

Because if he tried prodding it too much himself. he could risk going without an entire hand.

"I'm thinking an indirect provocation would ensure it's more likely to bite the right area."

@Bellona Lestrange

"She should go to her room. Have one of the elves positioned outside of there. Lock her windows and door. We could say to our guests that she is away somewhere, being tutored for next term or something of the like."

He picked up his wine again and sipped it, frowning down at her with his head still raised.

Cece may not have been able to move her legs or speak. But she could still move her arms and hands. So she lifted her hand to Hector and gave him the middle finger. She didnt care anymore. She didn't care what they thought. She would never be good enough for them, so why keep trying? 

@Hector Burke

"That would be best to do, Hector. When the guests arrive, we don't want them to have a horrid impression of our family."

Narrowing her eyes at Cecelia, Acheflow called for one of the elves. "Wully!"

"Yes, Madam Burke?"

"Go to Cecelia's room and ensure she will be unable to open her window. Get another elf to help you if need be. You two will be escorting her back to her room later and ensure she doesn't disrupt our dinner."

"Yes, Madam! You can count on me!"

@Hector Burke @Cecelia Burke

When her finger flashed up at him in spite, he choked slightly on his wine, and adjusted the ascot around his neck.

Still, she was being taken to her room. Good, he thought. As his Grandmother rightly said, she could be interruptive during dinner. Part of him enjoyed having a sort of authority in the matter, given that his Father was still absent and his Mother and Grandmother were acknowledging his suggestions. This is what it felt like to be in charge - the heir.

He was subtly smirking to himself for a moment.

"Oh confound it, Thius. Out of the way."

Impatient and snappy, she bumped her hip softly against Melanthius's side - squatting down to draw herself parellel with the specimen in question. It still looked very docile, but she still took into account what he had said. Her entire finger could come off in one, quick, terrifying snap!

But that's what was so interesting about it.

She inched her wrist closer to the plant, slowly and gradually, until it happened as quick as a flash. The thing went for her and Bellona squealed in anguish, falling backwards onto the paving stones - right on her bottom. The only pain she felt was now over her rear and legs. The plant hadn't got her.

"Pheeew!" she gasped, laughing more from the surge of adrenaline now beating through her.

@Melanthius Burke

Well, Thius' hesitancy came from not knowing how recently the plant had been fed. What if it was voracious and ready to try chomping either of their heads off? What if it was so well-fed that it didn't make the slightest reaction? What if this specific one wasn't fond of human flesh?

Then as he thought deeply about the safest way to go about it, his train of thought was quickly broken by Bellona's yelping. Thius quickly jumped to his feet and back to her, seeing her laughing on the stones.

She sounded okay, her laugh was still as cute as ever, she appeared to be physically fine, she was very fine indeed, but just in case-

"Bellona! Are you all right? Did the fangs get you any?" Kneeling beside her, Thius gently grabbed her arm to examine it.

@Bellona Lestrange

"Spend the remainder of the night reflecting on what you've done, Cecelia. By the end of the summer, you should be back to the way you were last year."

A year ago, her granddaughter wouldn't have acted out in such a way. It was disgusting how she was doing this to spite them instead of staying demure and quieter. She had it quite easy in ways compared to her brothers, but she was now determined to give her and her parents a difficult time.

After casting a few spells, Wully and another elf came by to escort Cecelia.

@Cecelia Burke

Deciding that he'd seen and witnessed enough of this for one evening, Hector turned and made way to the drawing room at last. Expecting to see Melanthius and Bellona sat inside of there, he was surprised to find it vacant. Hector took a seat, crossing his leg over his knee. His arm stretched up and over the length of the back, where he idly checked over his fingers.

She had said that he was miserable.

That wasn't true - it wasn't. He'd wanted Borgin & Burkes, he got it. He wanted to prove his committment to the family, he was. There were a few anxieties he had about his chosen partner, but it was nothing he couldn't overcome. So what if she was overweight and ugly: as Dahlia said, they would just perform in the marriage bed and that was it. He'd have his life, she would have hers, and they would be a couple as and when it was expected of them.

Then again, he would find it easier to do his duty if she were pretty...

He hoped Cecelia would get out of whatever phase she was going through, and quickly. He wanted her to be down for breakfast, holding his hand and apologising to him. I'm sorry, Hector. You were right, I was wrong. Please forgive me - or something like that, at least.

Sighing, he took his crystal from his pocket and called for Melanthius, hoping he would put his eyes back in his skull and notice the damn thing.

@Melanthius Burke

"No - they didn't."

When he took her arm, it turned cold in instinctive protest. But his hands were nice. They were nice and soft - velvety, like butter. Did he use hand lotion? Hmm. Even she didn't use hand lotion! Perhaps she should...

There was a sound coming from the paving stones, a sort of rumbling. She recognised it as a crystal, but not hers.

She looked at Thius.

@Melanthius Burke

"Swell, that's a relief! I had forgotten how quickly they snap-"

Did he incidentally set off her ice powers again? Although it wasn't particularly horrid outside now that the sun was down, the frigidness felt incredible against his slightly-sweaty palm.

Feeling a vibration in one of his pockets, Thius let go of her arm, which was feeling delightfully cool and began digging through his trousers until he found it.

What could he be getting a call for at this time?

"It's Hector..."

Sighing, Thius hoped the call was for a good reason as this was spoiling their time together in the gardens!

Answering the call, he asked, "What is it, brother?"

@Bellona Lestrange @Hector Burke

Andrea stood on the door step of the burke home with Idina beside her, "Are you sure this is the right adress, Nia? You said your friend was humble and sweet. This house looks neither humble nor sweet." After confirmation in the form of a head nod, she shrugged and knocked on the door, "What did you say her name was again? Cece?" 

@Hector Burke @Millicent Bulstrode Burke @Melanthius Burke @Bellona Lestrange

"Ah - yes - Melanthius. While you were quivering in some corner while I took the full brunt of everything, Cecelia has since been dismissed to her room and is locked there for the evening. She was downright disobedient and making a mockery of all of us, so she left us without a choice. Just thought you ought to know, anyway. Where are you, by the by? Caught up with Bellona somewhere, no doubt. You ought to tread carefully given recent events. Return here at once."

No, he wasn't letting him get a word in edgeways. As Cecelia was so dismissive and rude to him, he felt like carrying the whip.

Then there was a knock at the door.

"Oh bugger it. Someone is at the ruddy door now. Just get back here, will you?!"

He ended the call.

@Melanthius Burke

Listening to Hector hammer away at him, Thius visibly rolled his eyes before responding frustratedly, "My lady and I were only taking a walk through the gardens, we weren't doing anything considered 'vulgar'-"

The call ended as soon as it began, his words being meaningless.

Thius glanced at his girlfriend, putting his crystal away. "Hm, I'm thinking we could be of help to my poor brother by mixing his beverage with a sleeping potion." In a tone mocking Professor Voclain, he added, "Poor cwanky, wittle baby needs nap nap."

@Bellona Lestrange

Popping out of seemingly nowhere, Minnie ra. towards the door. "I'll answer it, cousin Hecty!"

She was older than him, she can be in charge od door duty!

"Who are you?!?! Are you the guests?!" she asked the two girls in the doorway through the peephole. Heh. Heh. She can see them through that tiny thing!

Minnie pulled out her carrot wand and stuck the tip of it through the hole.

@Andrea Herrera

Andrea took a step back as a carrot cake through the peephole, "Excuse me? We are looking for cecelia? She invited my little sister for dinner this evening. I'm just accompanying her." Why did this woman have a carrot shoved through the door? Were these people loco? She looked at her sister with a raised eyebrow, "You are sure we are at the right home?" She wasn't so sure about this anymore.  

@Minnie Bulstrode

Idina nodded insistently at her sister, "Yes Andrea. I am sure. This is the right address. That must be her cousin Minnie. She did give me a bit of a warning about her. But her brothers are supposedly more normal." She whispered softly, not wanting to be heard and insult Minnie to her face.

Bellona giggled.

"Did he say anything about Cecelia?" she asked, trying to get up off the ground and struggling.

@Melanthius Burke