Open Gilding the Lily

[Brooke Townsend]

Open after Rowan posts with Hester

Against all odds, Hester cleaned up pretty nicely. Her hair was still wild and that unfortunate red colour, but Brooke liked to think it worked in an intentionally eclectic way. If only Brooke could convince Hester to talk less and complete that illusion. "I'm impressed, Hester, you look lovely," she said, hoping it was clear she was taking all the credit here for said achievement, but she supposed Hester hadn't immediately ruined it by bringing her bagpipes or something so Brooke could give her some credit. "Do you feel up for dancing first? I know a few moves I could show you," she added, happy to lead Hester away from the temptation of the snack or drinks tables. Not only did she not want to risk messing up their hard work with food immediately, but even just a cursory glance at the type of kids already lingering at the edges of the hall told Brooke that she didn't want them to be confused with people who were too awkward to know how to socialize at dances and spent all night plastered to the far walls. No, Brooke was quite enjoying her little project with Hester and she was curious how far she could go in turning Hester into someone actually pleasant to be around.

 

[Hester MacGillivray]

Hester felt a little silly about Brooke's whole.... makeover thing, but she would never let it be said she wasn't up for a bit of fun. And it was fun, albeit a kind Hester had never really encountered before. Her mum wasn't the girliest of girls, and with four brothers at home, makeup and clothes had never really even entered Hester's mind as something to obsess over. She looked the way she looked, and that was that. But Brooke saw all those things differently, and it was interesting to see the version of herself that Brooke wanted to see.

All that said, the outfit she had wound up in was cute and comfy, and definitely felt like something Hester would have picked for herself, if left to her own volition. Maybe just a little... frillier than her usual, but she was finding she didn't hate that. She was a lot more anxious about the idea of having a date to the ball, even if she and Brooke were only here as friends. Hester's anxieties about dating hadn't eased since the spin the bottle game last year, and she felt like in that respect she was somewhere so far behind her classmates, almost afraid to grow up. But this wasn't a date-date, they were just here as friends, and she could make the best of it. "Let's dance!" Hester said brightly, ignoring Brooke's offer entirely and bouncing up and down as she pulled the Slytherin onto the dancefloor, curls leaping cheerfully with her.

 

[Brooke Townsend]

Brooke let out an undignified squeak as Hester pulled her out onto the dancefloor. It really felt like she was taking one step forward and two steps back when it came to dealing with Hester and her enthusiasm. Brooke wondered what it was like to be so beyond help that Hester wasn't self-conscious or even apparently aware of how silly they could look flailing around on the dance floor. "Slow down, slow down," she said as they moved past some older students and Brooke had to fight the urge to duck her head. "Do you even know how to dance?" She asked, incredulous, though she couldn't help but laugh as Hester's energy. Considering the noise Hester considered music, Brooke was doubtful, but maybe Hester would surprise her.