Closed Beggars Can't Be Choosers

[Salem Lee]

Salem wasn't always the best at being in touch with her feelings, at least not with the tricky, squishy sort of ones that felt hard to pin down. It just always seemed easier to ignore them and hope they'd go away than try to identify or deal with them. It had mostly worked in helping her get over breaking up with Aubrey, and with getting used to Hogwarts when she'd first started too, so her track record was solid in her mind. The feelings she had right now though were harder to ignore, especially any time she was around Natalia and Salem had to admit maybe they weren't the type she wanted to ignore. She'd wasted so much time with Aubrey that they could have been dating after all if Salem would have paid more attention, so maybe it was a sign she was learning her lesson when she realized she actually wanted to act on them.

But Natalia was so... Perfect. She was a prefect, so effortlessly graceful and poised. She knew what to wear and how to be polite and calm in social situations. Salem had no idea how to be any of those things. How to dress nice or act right, especially not for things like the Yule Ball, which she desperately wanted to ask Natalia to. Clearly, she needed help, and Indi already knew everything, so really who else was Salem going to ask. "Hey, Indi, do you know anything about like.. clothes. And dances and stuff?" Salem asked, scooting herself into a seat at the Slytherin house table after a quick check to confirm Natalia wasn't around before looking imploringly at her friend.

 

[Indira Khatri]

Indi felt like meal times were some of the only free time she had these days and was looking forward to a nice quiet lunch when Salem sat down across from her. She was about to take a drink of water but paused as she considered her friends question. Salem was full of surprises and Indi had to admit this was not the kind of thing she expected from the Gryffindor. She blinked a few times and shrugged. "I know a little." she said, putting her glass down. She was rarely one to admit she didn't know something and apparently that extended to fashion. She didn't put much stock in the value of designers or all the potions or whatever that were supposed to make someone more beautiful. But she had made sure to learn basic make up and how to deal with her thick hair. As for dresses, she usually kept things simple. "Why, what do you want to know?" she asked curiously, wondering what Salem was really getting at.

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem's shoulders relaxed as she slumped on the table, relieved by Indi's response. Of course Indi would know, Indi knew everything. Salem was pretty sure you couldn't be headgirl if you didn't know everything anyway. And even better, Indi was going to help, something else Salem never would have doubted. "Well... there's this girl," Salem started, dragging out the syllables as she checked the nearby seats just in case Natalia had appeared. "And I was kind of hoping to impress her. Except I don't really know how to dress. Or do make up. Or dance. Or any of that like-" Salem tapped her fingers together, "-Girly stuff?" She finished with a shrug. "I want to ask her to the dance, but I don't want to look like an idiot when I show up. Or, at least I would prefer to be a nicely dressed idiot, I guess," she said with a sigh, tucking her chin into her palm and looking at Indi hopefully.

 

[Indira Khatri]

Salem had Indi's full attention now and she sat up a bit straighter and narrowed her eyes at her friend. She tried to think of what girls they knew and was coming up short. Who was she talking about? But she frowned slightly as Salem continued talking about impressing them with dresses and make up. "And you think a dress will impress them?" Indi asked incredulously. She wasn't so naïve to think that looks didn't matter when it came to romance but she knew pretending to be someone you weren't didn't work either. Not if Salem was serious about them for something more than a single date. But maybe that's what she wanted. Indi shrugged. "I could probably do some make up..." she offered but trailed off. not sure what she could really offer.

 

[Jenna Irons]

Only one year of school left - Jenna was ready to be done. This place, these people - she was over it. She had outgrown Hogwarts and its silly dramas a long time ago. And from day one, she had been entirely too mature for her loser roommates. She pointedly ignored Indi sitting just a few seats away from her at lunch, keeping entirely to herself until of all people Salem slid into the Slytherin table. She had spent seven years doing her best to ignore the Gryffindor, and six years very determinedly not thinking about why. Blake had been the one to warn her off being friends with Salem, and... well, the less she thought about him, the better. But Salem had always proven herself a person worthy of avoiding, so at least he had gotten that one right. Still, she kept her ears open for gossip, unable to help herself once she realised what the two girls were talking about. "Do you really have such bad taste you're asking her for advice?" She commented, looking directly at Salem and pointedly ignoring Indi. "The worst dressed girl in our year is hardly gonna be much help to you."

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem drummed her fingers lightly across the table top, watching Indi’s face closely as she mulled over her request. “Yes? Well, no, I mean yes but not just a dress,” she mumbled. “Just you know,” Salem made a vague gesture starting at her face and travelling down her body. “I don’t know how do all that stuff, like look nice and behave properly,” she admitted sheepishly. It’d been something that niggled at Salem since she’d started school, this feeling like she wasn’t quite doing any of this girl stuff properly. Everyone else seemed to know how to wear the right clothes and do their hair and say the right things but Salem just felt like she was pretending at best. And there was no way that would cut it with someone like Natalia.

She perked up when Indi seemed willing to lend her a hand, opening her mouth to respond before someone else’s voice interrupted. Jenna. Of course. Salem had to admit despite her reservations about Jenna, Tyler’s warning still ringing quietly in the back of her mind, she was definitely exactly the sort of girl Salem wished she could act like sometimes. Maybe a little nicer, but at least aesthetically. Jenna made it look easy. “Indi dresses fine!” Salem insisted, twisting to look at Jenna. “It’s not like you’d help anyway,” she added, glancing between Jenna and Indi for a moment. She didn’t think they got along, but if she could get both Slytherins to help her there was no way she could mess up with Natalia, right?

 

[Indira Khatri]

Indi was still skeptical of this plan that Salem seemed so set on but who was she to stand in the way of her friend's happiness? But she also couldn't let her thoughts go completely unspoken. "Behave properly?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. Was someone telling Salem she wasn't behaving? What kind of stuck up prick talked like that? But before she could say anything else a grating voice piped up. Indi scowled and turned to Jenna completely unphased by her insult. She shot Salem a look when she came to her defense. It was nice in theory but it made her seem like she actually cared. "Well if you're the one judging, I'd gladly be at the bottom of the list." she said dryly and tried to angle herself away form her roommate hoping she'd get the hint.

 

[Jenna Irons]

Jenna snorted at Salem's claim, giving the Gryffindor a firm Look. "This is dire. Indira is a disaster." She said confidently, leaning a little closer. She had long made a habit of avoiding Salem, but in the interest of one-upping Indira, she didn't see anything wrong. "I could be convinced to do charity." She said pointedly, looking Salem up and down. It would be a lot of work, but she prided herself on her excellent style and this would be a good way to test her skills. She gave Indira a smirk at her comment, raising an eyebrow and looking her roommate up and down judgementally before turning away from her entirely, looking back at Salem. "How about it, then? Opportunities like this don't come along every day. I've taught makeup lessons before. My mum owns a makeup brand. I'm obviously the best option."