Times away‏

[Samuel Phillips]

Samuel's eyes intently scanned the room for detail as he brought his lips to the rim of his champagne glass. He never enjoyed attending parties at all, though spite his bitterness towards socializing with shallow upper class much like himself when his younger friend offered him an invite, he couldn't refuse. As of late the twenty four year old dragged himself through stressful, dreary days and Jazzy's invite called for a perfectly timed distraction. A few hours of peace was what the part-veela craved so desperately. His younger companion was an unexpected acquaintance and they knew little about each other, hardly cause for a mutual invite to events, though their little games made her great company. He was yet to know whether she disliked these parties to the same extent however he was well aware she enjoyed people watching. Judging other party guests so harshly above repose certainly made a nice pastime for two people with no better way to spend their evening. "That one." He nodded to another guest, voice sudden although gentle as to not alert other guests in the vicinity to their game. "Denim on red? I'm speechless." Samuel often expected out of the box outfit compositions at fashion parties, and of course the occasional fashion disaster rendered it's ugly head and when it did he couldn't help himself. "This isn't the year two-thousand." An after party full of fashionistas in their own rights often drew trendsetters. The ones daring enough to stand out among the crowd fitted both extremes, if they failed to make a proper statement their attire was dismissed as sluggish and complete trash. This was the reason Samuel often dressed in monochrome, safely in black or dark grey to avoid being picked from the crowd. Everybody knew black was a universal colour that never went out of style. So dressed in a neat black suit he was as unlikely to draw attention to himself as the plant to his right.

Inching the glass to his lips once more, he sipped gently at the champagne and lent towards his younger friend. By now he was slightly tipsy, thoughts clouded by the alcohol enough for their game to be twice as fun. "See anything else?" Without another fashion disaster in his sight he queried for her input. Although they paired up to judge the outfits of others, their individual tastes in fashion were rather different. Samuel obviously played it safe with a black, white and grey palette barring the occasional navy or tan colours. Whereas Jazzy's fashion choices were much more bold, colourful and provocative. Her style was a category Sam would never venture into himself though he appreciated the confidence she had to do so. In a way he was lucky black went with everything, because otherwise their outfits would clash greatly, forcing them into the same air of judgement they gave to others. It seemed unusual for two different people to agree so valiantly on terrible outfits, though even somebody blind as a bat could distinguish the acceptable from the repulsive. "Come on." With a gentle tug of her arm, he lead her towards a water fountain, a more central place that could give them a better view. After failed attempts to spot a disaster a change of pace would shift the game in their favor. Samuel was often a wall flower at parties so immersing himself in the midst of everything was surely a test of his limits obviously initiated by the influence of alcohol, though he didn't consider this fact at all. "We have a better view here." Stating the obvious, his eyes darted from his company to scan the room. "See anything now?"

ooc: the quality should get better, promise!​

 

[Jazmine Della-Robbia]

Jazmine Della-Robbia walked in with her arm locked with her father's. Concord loved to show his daughter off. Sure, she was the product of any affair, but she was the child that had the most potential. She took a glass of champagne from a waiter before she went on her own. She hated conversing with her father's business partners. She disliked the way they looked at her. It made her angry, and Jazmine had her father's temper. She had invited an acquaintance, and she really wanted him to show up. Samuel was one of the few people she knew in France, and she really needed friends. The graduate had started crying at a wedding! It was a sign that her loneliness was getting to severe. Jazmine downed her drink before handed off the empty glass and received another. Alcohol had become a companion of hers. She did not drink excessively. It was usually before bed and at event such as these. Plus, Judas had given her a headache. She never knew that there was such an annoying person on the planet that was able to irritate her more than Annalie Darkhart. Jazzy caught sight of Samuel, and she went to greet him with a quick hug. The man pointed gestured to a guest. The girl glanced at the person before she giggled. "How awful," she scoffed. The only thing Klaus had been good for was speaking French. It was a good thing that Jazmine was a quick learner when it came to languages. Her magical intelligence may have fell short, but there were many other things that she was capable of. She looked around to find a catch of her own. She was not so lucky today.

Jazmine shook her head. She saw nothing. She brought her glass to her lips, and to her dismay, it was empty. She did not feel like dancing yet, so she grabbed another one from a passing waiter. She sipped on the champagne and let the cold liquid soothe her throat. Jazmine let a smile creep onto her face. It was so comforting. She had someone she knew here, and she was drinking. She felt like her life was in her control once more. However, she knew her father was still pushing for an arranged marriage. He said that he had found someone. Jazzy let herself be lead to the water fountain. She stood straighter, so she could see if anyone was a disaster. She pointed to a woman wearing a dress that was a horrid dark green. "Look at that," she let her hand rest at her side. Jazmine never had learned that it was rude to point, and her new family was always on the girl's head about it. She felt like talking. She never had someone she trusted enough to tell her issues. Sam was someone new, and he was honest. She had never felt that with anyone else before. "My father wants to arrange my marriage," she told him quietly. She knew he was going to be moving soon. It made her sad. She did not want him to leave! She wanted him to stay by her.

 

[Samuel Phillips]

Samuel stifled a laugh as his gaze fell upon the horrid green dress. It was no difficult feat to wear earthy tones with confidence, as they usually complimented olive skin, but the vomit shade the lady chose fit another category of ugly. The pièce de résistance was not the colour, however, it was the paper bag esque cut that truly ruined her appearance. In Samuel's opinion shapeless dresses were acceptable in black or any correlating dark colour, not a shade of earthy, vomit-looking green. He found it difficult to put reasoning behind her fashion choice and concluded it was completely nonsensical. "Did she cut up an army jacket to make that? I'm confused." He chuckled slightly at the similarity of the dress to an army uniform and brought his champagne glass to his lips, realizing it was now empty. "I finished this glass really quick, wow." He mused, frowning slightly into the empty glass. After a brief shake of his head, he waved his hand to summon the waiter so he could retrieve another glass. Samuel often never consumed more than one drink, as drunkenness and binge drinking were highly frowned upon in France. Though tonight was different, any sort of French custom was long forgotten in his eyes so he intended to make the most of the free alcohol. If everything went perfectly to plan, soon he and Mari would be far away from Europe, cuddled up in New York for a well needed fresh start. After such a long time being held back, restricted by the business side of his art career he really, desperately needed this. In Clementine's words, moving to New York not only represented a fresh start and clean slate, but a whole new chapter in his career. He couldn't wait to leave the tedious business dealings behind and start afresh in a new, exciting country.

He sipped on his fresh glass of champagne as Jazzy changed languages to mention an arranged marriage. Slightly bewildered at her words, his eyebrows raised as if to ask for an explanation before he finally switched to French so he could respond. "What the hell?" Was all he could muster after such an abrupt change of subject. After a lingering few moments and another ginger sip from his glass, the alcohol affected his courage enough to be blunt. Samuel usually put on a polite, cheerful facade as he expected the same treatment in return though now that he was on the tipsier end of the scale politeness left the forefront of his mind. "Say no, your father's a jerk." Arranged marriages were nothing short of pointless in Samuel's opinion. He secretly desired to marry someday, though never believed himself to be husband material, yet in the very least he had a choice in the matter. Even the sheer possibility of an arranged marriage bothered him. More so that it had been brought up around somebody he considered a friend, if not a close acquaintance. A funny and entertaining young woman like Jazzy deserved much better than something staged for custom. Sam knew it wasn't in his place, but he had half a mind to corner Jazzy's father and give him an earful. "Did he even have a reason?" He queried as he ran a hand through his hair, forcing himself to talk in the hope his alcohol fueled annoyance would eventually die down. He shouldn't be so bothered by this, as it was none of his business. While alcohol caused him to be more relaxed, it also caused him to be twice as opinionated. At least he was still sober enough to realize it.
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[Jazmine Della-Robbia]

Jazmine found it hard to look at the woman any further. She turned her head away and looked at her glass of champagne. It was only half full. A sigh escaped the girl's lips. The thought of making this the last drink crossed her mind, but she was still thinking clearly. She was surprised, at first, about her high tolerance for alcohol. It was truly a blessing. Marie constantly told her she should not drink so much, but as long as it was not interfering with her work, the girl was going to drink as much as she wanted to. Jazzy shrugged. "It's such an eyesore. I con't even look anymore." she complained. She wished that she could be somewhere else. She wished that she could have a new start. She did not like who she was. She was a girl stuck in two worlds. She was a lovechild the clung to her father for a proper future. She couldn't even stay on the Quiddich team. She was nothing but a pretty face. Jazmine had a difficult time with seeing what her father saw in her. She had the most 'potential'. What the hell did that mean. She suddenly became very angry. There were so many questions that she had no answers to. She was wrong in thinking that her father was going to help her figure out who she was. Concord was just confusing the poor girl further. Jazzy brought to cool glass to her lips and slowly drained the rest of it's liquid in one shot. She gently wiped the edges of her lips with her index finger. The champagne gave her a lovely sensation. She loved the release it gave. She let the feeling of freedom overcome her. However, it was not going to last for long.

Jazmine expected Samuel's reaction. He was one of the few people she had decided to tell. The only other person that knew was Kennedy. She and Kennedy's relationship had deepened. He was more of a brother to her than the new five she now had. Of course, he strongly disagreed, but Jazmine's spirit was wearing thin. She no longer had the energy to fight against her father's wishes. To her knowledge, Concord did not plan on arranging any of her other sibling's weddings. None of them were married, and she was wondering why she had to be the first one to get married. She was surprised that a family full of wizards with veela blood were not in relationships at all. They were obviously doing something wrong. Jazzy shook her head and continued to hold her empty glass. "If he does, then I do not know what it is. He told me that he has found someone, but I have yet to meet him," she informed him quietly. She caught the eye of a guest and gave a gentle smile before she turned back to Samuel. She was so tired of going against the current. She just wanted him to leave her alone. Jazmine no longer had any peace within her. She missed her younger years, the years when she did not even know about this ridiculous family. There was one thing she could not deny. Every time she saw a pregnant woman or a mother with her children, she touched her stomach. A child gave a love that no man ever could give. She had no one in hr mind to court anyway. She might as well get hitched and have a child soon. She was young, and as she got older, every year, she became closer to more difficulty in having a child. "It's not like anyone else is going to get me pregnant anytime soon. I might as well marry now and get what I want." she said softly. She looked at her empty glass, and put on a smile. Frowning was not allowed on such occasions. Jazmine had to look like everything was going just swell for her.
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[Samuel Phillips]

Samuel chewed his lower lip as Jazzy spoke. The further he listened the further his annoyance grew though he attempted to hold his opinion behind his teeth. Fear of overstepping a line still drowned any ill feelings towards arranged marriages he possessed. In a way his sudden change of mood at the topic made total sense. For reasons unknown his father had taught him arranged marriages were still a custom in parts of the wizarding world, and that the custom was inconsiderate and out of date. From a young age this belief had been thrown onto him, and from a young age he had believed it whole heartedly. Samuel was completely unchanging in his opinion arranged marriages were a waste of time. After Jazzy paused he opened his mouth to provide more input. "I just." Frustrated, he took a moment to breathe and stifle the urge to shake some sense into her. "If you're going to legally bind yourself with somebody, it should be somebody you know, not somebody you haven't even met." He leaned over to her, voice hushed and polite to avoid drawing attention to them or throwing Jazzy's personal life in the middle of a public setting. He still believed Jazzy was so much better than letting herself into a situation that could easily turn toxic. Father's decision or not, the guy he's apparently chosen could treat her terribly and he wanted her to consider that. His opinion had manipulated him to the point he failed to see anything positive about an arranged marriage. If he had the time and they weren't confined to social custom within this party, Sam would gladly sit her down and prod her into changing her mind. For now he could only hide behind his polite facade as best he could with the affect of alcohol in his system. "What if this guy is violent? Or messy? All I'm saying is that you should know what you're buying into." The whole point of dating was to get to know somebody well enough to marry them. Samuel could tell it's easier to break up with somebody you're dating rather than divorce somebody you're married to. It was a simple enough concept, so why didn't Jazzy consider this?

Bringing his champagne glass to his lips for what felt like the millionth time, he took the liberty to scan the room for another fashion disaster. Their topic of conversation had rapidly turned heavy and he wanted to find something to lighten the mood if the situation called for it. When his eyes captured nothing his gaze returned to his companion. The momentary urge he felt to hug her for her terrible situation was quickly buried as she mentioned giving in to the arranged marriage. He sat his glass on the edge of the water fountain and gently gripped her shoulders to thoroughly make his point. "If you think getting pregnant through an arranged marriage is a solution you're crazy." His tone was stern, serious but light enough in the hope he wouldn't insult her. Calling somebody crazy was something he rarely did unless completely necessary because of the negative connotation the word held. "You need to understand there's always a better option." After spending much of his teenage years within a toxic environment Samuel knew how to remove himself from situations before it was too late and spite the fact he knew next to nothing about Jazzy's family life he still wanted her to make the right decision. The right decision in his opinion. "Oh my god, I'm sorry." He switched from French to English when the realization he had overstepped a line finally hit him. Removing his gentle grip from her shoulders and picking his glass from the fountain's edge, he sipped the champagne and continued people watching like nothing happened. "Look at those pink leopard print shoes." He changed the subject and pointed to a nearby guest, while avoiding eye contact with Jazzy as much as possible. They were barely friends, he had no right to comment on her personal life so suddenly.​

 

[Jazmine Della-Robbia]

Jazmine felt exposed revealing all of this to Samuel. It was rare when she opened up to anyone. Kennedy was the only person she fully trusted in her life. Apparently, she felt Samuel deserved that position as well. A waiter came over and took her glass. The man offered her another one, and she reluctantly took one She was already telling Samuel too much, but she needed something to keep her hands busy. The girl was having a hard time balancing herself. Her hands already had a tremor. Nervousness and alcohol never mixed well. She was supposed to have energy by now, but all she had was the jitters. It was hard for her to keep her appearance regular. "Who else do I have in my life, Samuel? No one. I am getting nowhere when it comes to romance." she retorted gently. Of course, the former puff had thought about all of the things her friend just mentioned. She hoped that Concord was intelligent enough not to put her into a relationship with anyone dangerous. Otherwise, she had full faith in her father. Jazmine simply shrugged. If the marriage ended up going south, it would be due to her father's lack of proper judgement. Jazmine felt that she could hold her ground in such a relationship, but there was a part of her that just wanted to sit back and let others control everything. It took so much strength to be a leader. She was a hard working person, hence her placement in Hufflepuff. Even the most devoted and hardworking got tired, and that was what Jazzy was, tired. "If things go wrong, it won't be my fault." she stated simply. Hopefully people would be in her favor if she ended up dead?

Jazmine was surprised when Samuel grabbed her. Naturally, she she clenched her free hand in preparation to defend herself, but the man was simply trying to convince her to not be so stupid. "At least I would be loved and needed by someone." she told him in her defense. The woman did not want to admit her loneliness, and she did not want to admit that she did not feel worthful. She felt her eyes start to tear up. There was so much inside of her that she had to offer, and she could not even see it! She felt as if there was something wrong. Jazzy was a good person, so why did she feel so forgotten? Samuel insisted that there was a better option. What was it? Jazmine saw no other option. The only options that were available were getting married or just keep fighting her father's persistence. She did not want to get wrinkles from all the stress he was causing her. She was resisting the urge to throw her glass on the ground. She shook her head and turned away from him. How irritating was this? She merely glanced at the guest Samuel mentioned. "Ugh. If appearances could kill, I'd be dead." she scoffed and took a sip of hr champagne. She caught eyes with her father, and she slightly lifted her glass.
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