dogs new tricks [Genevieve]

Lorin was exhausted, but trying not to look it. She couldn’t allow that, not now. Genevieve would be over at any moment for wine, and Lorin needed to look effortlessly energetic, thinner, and gorgeous. She couldn’t look like she was trying too hard, though.Genevieve would scoff at the idea of Lorin dressing to impress her, but at the same time she would judge her for not dressing to impress her. There was a thin margin Lorin needed to walk, but she’d done this tightrope dance before and she was still breathing.
 
Things with Genevieve were complicated to say the least. Lorin liked the other girl and genuinely conidered her a friend at this point, but there were still reminants of their days as frenemies from school tied deep into the foundation of their relationship. On one hand, Evie thought she was better than Lorin due to her family’s status. This displeased Lorin, whose blood was just as pure, but she said nothing of it. After-all, Lorin considered herself to be far more intelligent than Genevieve. It was a fair trade off, she supposed. They both thought they were better than the other in their own way, which caused a bit of tightness around their cordial friendship.
 
Why, they could gossip and laugh and drink, so long as nothing personal came onto the table. Lorin hadn’t tried telling Genevieve anything important yet, and Evie seemed to feel the same. Lorin wanted to be better friends, though, She had so few true friends she could share things with. Other than Theoren, who was her brother and not necessarily a friend, who did she have? She supposed to confided basic woes in Rosaline, but they were only now repairing their relationship now that Conall was out of the picture. No, Evie was Lorin’s very best friend for the moment, and she wanted to make the most of that.
 
Her apartment was spotless but sparse. She had just a little furnature, enough to get by, and had spent most of her wages on improving her wardrobe rather than furnishing her apartment. Most things were white and silver, very modern, with splashes of purple and red. She had fresh-cut flowers on her breakfast nook to brighten the space. The apartment was nice, but fairly modest. Though she was bringing in two wages, she was unsure how long either job would last and was afraid of getting too comfortable. She always had been a bargain shopper, so she picked the nicest apartment she could find in a price range that would be supported by only one of her two jobs. Her mother had bought her an enchanted candle as a housewarming present, and Lorin lit it in preparation for Genevieve’s arrival. The flame changed colors and the candle changed scents every now and then, and Lorin loved it. She had used it thrice since being there, which was a lot for someone who was rarely home.
 
Lorin had taken some time to get used to living alone. She had trouble cooking for one without being sad and had taken this opportunity to force herself on a diet of canned tuna and salad with vegetables to snack on and intermittant fasting in between. So far, she had only shoved a candy bar in her face one of the days she was supposed to be fasting. She was getting dizziness and headaches, but she had lost five pounds already so it must be working, right? Tonight she was having a cheat night. She had made prochutto-wrapped dates filled with goat cheese and was serving it with a few glasses of prosecco, just to snack on. She had a feeling they’d be going to dinner later in the evening, or perhaps to a club for some drinks, so she hadn’t cooked a full meal. Genevieve had house elves. She wouldn’t appreciate the effort Lorin put into her homestyle cooking.
 
She pushed her wavy hair over her shoulder with a sigh as she made sure everything looked and smelled perfect. She double-checked her makeup in the mirror, then heard the knocking on the door. Perfect. She took a deep breath and then opened the door. “Genevieve! You look well. I’m glad you found the apartment alright. Come on in, take off your shoes by the door.” She offered, smiling broadly.

@Genevieve Grosvenor

Genevieve appeared at Lorin’s doorstep just a few minutes past the hour she had been expected, not having anything else to occupy her time with and feeling a little peckish. The young witch had suggested they make a night out of their meeting, and had been ready to book something lavish in Mayfair until Lorin had insisted that they go to hers. Genevieve was not thrilled by the idea of visiting anyone, and had often felt more comfortable in her own home; standing before the door of the woman’s apartment reminded her of why: the two women had two very different concepts of what an apartment was supposed to look like. The Grosvenor family had several apartments to their name, all of them decorated mindfully and held to the highest level of standards. Traveling to any one of these places was an entire event in itself, as each location was not only palatial but also fully staffed. Even if Genevieve wanted to be a gracious guest and make no comment on her friend’s lifestyle choices, it was so different that she could not imagine staying completely mum on the matter.   

Nevertheless, Genevieve was feeling rather magnanimous today and decided to scoff to herself before knocking on the door. She would have knocked louder only that she did not suspect that the apartment was that big to begin with. She glanced down at the house elf at her side, the way he shifted nervously with the bag in his hand irritated her and so she shoved him a little. “Be careful,” she warned him unkindly. For a moment, Genevieve expected a member of the staff or better yet a house elf to answer the door but instead, she was greeted with Lorin’s face and her energetic greeting. To answer your own door, Genevieve suddenly felt a little concerned for the financial status of her friend and wondered if this meeting would end in some sort of monetary loan. Then again, Lorin had always seemed to enjoy the difficult time, though none of that had ever made sense to the Grosvenor heiress.

“Hello,” she responded, smiling politely at her hostess, “Give her the gift and be on your way, Birdie,” she demanded, looking down at the house elf with a scowl on her face as he handed Lorin a bag, lavishly decorated and containing a bottle of very expensive champagne, to the woman in front of him. “Here you are, Miss Lorin,” he said quietly, taking a step back and then disappearing almost immediately. Genevieve would have to have him replaced, she noted to herself, it was such a shame that everyone in her service was becoming so incompetent all of a sudden.
 
“It’s an 1810, vintage, a bit sweet but I think you’ll enjoy it,” she announced nonchalantly. Genevieve was an enthusiastic supporter of sweet champagnes and desserts, and had been a personal supporter of the very same brand of champagne. Lorin should be pleased, she thought, that she didn’t bring her some of the new products from the Lovecraft Apothecary, she noticed that her friend was starting to look a little puffy. Living in such a small house, Genevieve could imagine how stressed the poor thing must have been.

“It’s also very good for your face, I recommend you use it in a facial with clay, you’re looking a little…” lackluster she thought to herself but stopped from saying the words. Rather she made a noncommittal noise and an odd gesture with her hands before taking a step inside and looking around the apartment. “I do hope you’ve prepared something, I unfortunately did not have the time for afternoon tea and I’m rather hungry,” she said, turning to her as she undid her cape coat, and slipped off her shoes. It was odd to walk on the floor barefooted, and a little frightening, if she were completely honest; Genevieve was not accustomed to these sorts of things. Lorin was indeed a very modern woman, she decided. “So this is where you live?” she asked, intending all of the arrogance in her voice when she asked the question. The witch did not mean to be impolite, if anything, she wanted to show how ridiculous this entire thing was when she had a family with money to spare.