Emmeline Vance (emmline) wrote in thedisplaced, @ 2017-11-16 08:35:00 |
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This had been exactly what Emmeline needed, a weekend away with one of her best friends, Lily. By appearances and demeanor Emmeline didn’t seem like the type that would want to get away for a spa weekend, but so far this mini vacation had been heavenly. It was Saturday, they had arrived in the late afternoon yesterday in Los Angeles. It was in the low 70s, too cool to spend time in the pool, but she sure did have a lot of fun relax and laying out in the sun. Today they were at a spa and currently the two of them were soaking in a tub of, well, mud. Emmeline wasn’t sure about it at first, but now that she was in the tub, her head leaning back against a small foam pillow, it was definitely worth the trip. Soft music played in the background, she breathed in deeply then out before turning her head to glance at Lily. “Thanks for coming out here with me,” she said. Truly thankful to have her best friend by her side. Lily hadn't known what to make of the mud bath herself. It was such an odd feeling, to be covered in mud like this, the parts of her body outside of the murky water caked and drying. She hoped that when they rinsed themselves off it would feel like she was shedding away not only all of the mud but also all of the underlying dirt and grime. She looked over at Emmeline in surprise. "Oh, you don't have to thank me for this at all, Emme," Lily insisted. "Where else would I be except here with you right now?" “Fair point, but I’m still glad we could do this, just the two of us.” Though the idea of bringing the men here was also quite humorous. “Imagine all the comments Sirius and James would make.” It was enough to make her smile and laugh. At the moment she actually felt better, earlier in the week she drank more than usual but now that she was here in a moment of clarity, maybe things could really be okay between her and Charlie. The sad honest truth was that Charlie wasn’t the great love of her life, if such a thing existed. He was still important piece in her life, but one that she could easily have as a friend. “It’s actually, helping, I think.” She sat up to pour herself a cup of water. “Or maybe it’s all the ambiance, makes you feel like your troubles aren’t so bad.” She laughed softly. “Either way, it’s definitely working.” "All I know is," Lily said with a sigh, "that if there was a charm that could make you clear your head - healthily I mean - it might feel as relaxing as this mud bath does." She glanced over at Emmeline and grinned. "But yes, I imagine James would be complaining about having mud between his toes. Not that he ever washes between his toes in the first place, mind you." “Now there’s a multi-million galleon idea.” Emmeline observed with amusement. Lily’s comment about James made her laugh loudly which caused her to sink into the tub a little more, embarrassed that she might have been too loud. “Poor James. It’s a wonder he made it around before he had you. It wouldn't surprise me if the Remus and Sirius would make some joke about being tired of taking care of him.” It was obvious of course that Emmeline was only joking. It felt good. It had been a long time since she was able to joke and poke fun of the boys. Here, it really felt like old times. “Everything with Charlie well-” She paused for a moment. “Just the last month or so have been tough and this was the right thing to do but I’m still worried about him. He doesn’t handle things well. Probably one of the reasons we ended up being so close.” It was hard not to be worried. But they both needed space, and she did let him know that she’d be gone, it was her way of checking in on him. "Honestly, I don't know how any of them survived," she said. "Did you ever go into their dormitory? It was incredible that they never suffocated from the smell alone." She shook her head. "No, I'm teasing, of course. Mostly." Lily shared a look with Emmeline before she laughed again herself, splashing the water around with her movement. Lily sobered up a little and nodded. "I think you were probably complementing each other very well," she said. "But that doesn't mean everything's going to work out. I wish it had, of course." Emmeline joined in on Lily’s laughter. Adding in her own thoughts on the boys dormitory. There were times, like now, where it seemed like it was only yesterday when they were running around Hogwarts. Then there were times where it seemed so long ago, as if centuries had passed instead of years. Thankfully this was one of the days where she did feel like the weight of those years on her shoulders. “True. It was something we both had a feeling in the beginning, it’s why we tried to keep it so casual, but I know having his ex-girlfriend here stirred up some feelings. I would probably be in the same situation had it been Stefan instead.” It’s true that Emmeline did miss Stefan a great deal but she was almost resolved of the fact that he wasn’t going to come back anytime soon, and what’s more she didn’t have hope that he would actually remember her if he did. While she wasn’t ready to go out and date at the moment, she was going to allow herself to move forward and not cling to the past. It was probably one of the most healthiest decisions she’s ever made for herself. “So what about you? Tell me how things are going.” Emmeline said, changing the subject. “I’m sorry I had to drag you away from Harry. I hope he and James are using this time for some father/son bonding.” It was so strange sometimes to think about the fact that she was living this life here, away from the life that she was living. That they were all living. And the fact that she knew what was going to happen to her in her life if she had kept on living it back there. Lily pursed her lips together. "It's odd, isn't it? No, odd isn't the right word. Awful might be. This whole situation. Not knowing if someone is going to turn up or disappear. How are we even supposed to have relationships at all?" If she were being honest with herself (and usually Lily was, but she didn't want to be in this case), she would explain how incredibly worried she was about having Harry here with them. One day he could up and disappear. Or she could! "Yes," she continued on quickly, "I think they're going to have a good time together, of course." Emmeline nodded. “It is. I always have hopes that the people who disappear will find their way back, but there’s always a chance they won't remember you, even if they’re from your world.” Emmeline had gone through that quite a bit, though probably not as much as others. Even Dorcas, who was from their world, was from a time before she had even met Emmeline. It was strange for her, as Dorcas was one of the older Order member and fellow Ministry employee that Emmeline looked up to when she was first starting out. It was nice that Dorcas had a chance to get to know them again, plus here she’d get to live. It was at least a second chance, even if this place didn’t always guarantee it. “You’ll have a plan a family weekend next.” Emmeline suggested. “Just the three of you.” "None of it really makes sense at all, does it?" Lily mused with a sigh. She was thankful that Emmeline was here and had been this whole time, and the same with Remus. Having Sirius and James arrive was wonderful. And Petunia. How wonderful it was for her to know her sister like this. And now, her son. "Yes, we'll have to do that. I just -" Lily paused for a moment. "I don't want to get my hopes up about it all." Emmeline shook her head. “No, it doesn’t.” Her curious nature certainly wanted answers but day after day it always just seemed easier to ask the same questions and getting nowhere. Everyone says it was best to just accept that it’s something that just happens, but Emmeline was never very good at accepting information just because it was easy. Then again, it would be less of a headache to wonder ask why every time something happens. The options went back and forth for Emmeline and it was quite irritating most days. “Hey,” Emmeline said in a soft tone. “I know it’s hard but try not to think of it that way. Take it one day at a time and try to enjoy the moments you get to share with him. Remus has been through this, maybe he can offer you and James some advice and encouragement.” Emmeline did her best to give her friend and encouraging smile. “Our time’s almost up. After we clean up what do you think about doing little shopping before dinner?” Yes, Lily could certainly use all the advice people were willing to give her, but that still wasn't going to be enough to kill that worry and anxiety pressing in from the back of his mind. "I know, I know," she said quickly, brushing her hair out of her face with the back of her hand. "I'm trying." Lily craned her neck to check the time and then sighed. "Oh, I suppose we ought to do that, hmn? Shopping is a great way to pass the time before dinner. Have I told you how excited I am about the restaurant you chose? The menu looks so delicious. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to choose what to order." Emmeline nodded, she could only imagine what it must feel like for Lily. In a way she does understand because it pained her to think of Lily, James, Remus, all of them returning. She even feared that she’d disappear and wouldn’t remember her time in Tumbleweed, she’d know she’d to straight back the miserable Emmeline, and she worked so hard here to get out of that mind-set. “I think that’s all we can do.” Now she was grinning and visibly excited about dinner tonight. “I think it’s going to be great. I looked over everything and read the reviews, I couldn’t pass it up!” She laughed. “We can always get something to go and save it for a midnight snack later on.” Emmeline’s sense of time must have been accurate as two workers came in and provided everything they need to clean up after laying in mud for so long. “Well this will be interesting.” Emmeline said as the two workers left the room to give them privacy. “As weird as it was to get in, I imagine it’s going to be even weirder to get out. We should skip cleaning off altogether and just go as swamp monsters.” Lily laughed a little. "Or we can speed up the process and just take care of it with a quick vanishing spell and be done with it." She bit her lip. Lily wasn't usually the type to say let's do magic but the thing was, in this universe, there was no Ministry or statute to come swooping down on them if they did happen to make things a little (all right, a lot) easier on themselves. She shrugged and climbed out of the bath, the heavy mud dripping in globs from her arms and down her back. She did an odd little dance. "It tickles," she said with another laugh. She used one of the towels a worker had left to clean off her hands, running warm water from a shower spray over to get the mud caked off. Then she went in search of her wand, hidden beneath her pile of clothing. “Fair enough!” Emmeline laughed as she followed suit. Lily was right, it did tickle. Her shoulders lifted up as she tried to adjust to the odd feeling. Like Lily, Emmeline’s wand was tucked into her clothes, when she took it out all she needed to do was a quick wave of her wand, a simple vanishing spell and Emmeline was squeaky clean. “It’s better this way.” Emmeline said laughing a little. “Now they’ll wonder how we got clean so fast.” The longer Emmeline was here, the more comfortable she was with bending the rules a bit. Once Lily was ready too, she grabbed her other things and motioned for Lily to walk through the door first. “Time for a little frivolous spending.” |