First Chance (Annabelle/Lucretia)

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"What do you mean?" Anna didn't have a clue why the owner of the shop she'd randomly chosen to eat lunch in would suddenly have information that would be important to her, let alone coming from someone in Diagon Alley and having to do with love triangles or sleeping around. She raised her head, watching Lucretia for some sort of understanding. She didn't know the girl well enough, so she didn't understand Lucretia's current troubled stance and how it somehow could relate to her.

[Lucretia 'Storm' Seyrrou]

Lucretia looked up there was sheepish look on her face, like a child caught eating candy before dinner.

"Alright, so it's no secret who you have been with recently, and I don't think it's healthy for you." she felt so awkward, this wasn't the way she was supposed to say it, but it had to come out.

"Hasn't anything recently been... different? I mean isn't there some sort of misunderstanding that you sense?" she was asking because for all Annabelle knew, Lucretia could be doing this for her own personal gain, she had to prove it to her somehow.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna froze at the blunt invasion of her personal life. It was one thing knowing that the Daily Prophet had told everyone she was with Chase, it was something else altogether to be confronted about it. Her lips firmed into a line as she remembered the returned letter, which had obviously been opened and read, but was sent back to her without so much as a word.

"If you're referring to Chase, we've never had a relationship." She tried to be strong, to put up a front to guard herself. It was true, they'd agreed to have a non-relationship, a commitment to not use labels or expect anything from each other in the traditional form of being boyfriend/girlfriend.

[Lucretia 'Storm' Seyrrou]

"Maybe so, but there is no doubt that he could have gone off and had any other girl, which we both know he didn't do or else it would have been all over this rubbish."she lifted the prophet for a moment before slapping it back down.

"Your reaction has confirmed my suspicions... he has been... off lately hasn't he." Lucretia sighed and leaned forward, ready to be a sort of support if she had to, but she had a feeling that as the messenger, she would be confused as the message.

"I know why Anna. I'm just wondering if you really want to know?"" she paused, waiting for the answer, it was obvious that Anna would want to know, but this was a way of telling her to be prepared.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle chewed at her lower lip and tried to think of a response. It was obvious that somehow Lucretia knew too much for Anna to continue saying there was nothing to talk about. On one hand she felt elevated that Lucretia thought Chase was exclusively with her. That feeling was immediately crushed by her next statement, saying that she knew not only that he'd pulled away, but also why. She was partly suspicious of Lucretia, wondering why she would know more than Anna herself knew. Even more important, she wondered why Lucretia would care about her and Chase enough to tell Anna.

"So what is it?" She finally asked in a hollow voice after moments of silence. She was nervous to hear the answer, to find out if Lucretia really knew. She didn't have a clue why Chase had disappeared, and the not knowing had been eating at her. The feeling was intensified at the possibility of having some sort of answer.

[Lucretia 'Storm' Seyrrou]

"He's... getting... married." each word came out individually, she was waiting for Annabelle's reply, Lucretia knew that all of this came out to fast, but if she had told Anna in a slower manner, it could have turned out in denial... and maybe even curses.

"I met the girl... no, the woman." she went on, she would keep going unless Annabelle wanted her to stop. She was carefully studying Annabelle, her own lips were now pressed into a thin line.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna shook her head slowly as her words sunk in. It didn't make any sense. "No, Chase doesn't want to get married." She whispered to herself. This can't be right. He wouldn't do that. All of her emotion was telling her it was impossible, that Chase would be miserable and he wouldn't do that to himself.

Anna's brain was telling her something completely different, and even though she didn't know Lucretia well, she didn't think the girl was lying. She couldn't fathom what would happen to make Chase do such a thing, or who he was suddenly engaged to. "Woman?" She was in shock, and would let Lucretia tell her anything she knew to help sort out all her unanswered questions.

[Lucretia 'Storm' Seyrrou]

Lucretia wanted to extend a hand, but maybe it would be best to let Annabelle here all of it before she should comfort, ease everything at the end.

“She’s much older than us, probably in her twenties. She’s a spoiled brat, childish… everything that would be otherwise… annoying to Chase. Carolynn…” She too didn’t make any sense of it all, but it was the truth. How did Chase even… accept to such a woman?

“I’m sorry, but I just thought it would be best if I told you. I don’t want you to be a victim of Chase’s uncontrollable lust; I don’t you to go through what I went through with him.” She knew this wouldn’t end here, but she hoped, she wished that Annabelle would just… move on.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna began staring straight ahead, but not really seeing anything. She was still vaguely aware of Lucretia, and had tried to listen to her explanation. The words had hit Anna's ears as a distant echo, getting fainter as she continued to slip farther away in thought. Carolynn. Anna hated the way the name sounded, like a person in a completely different league filled with riches and fine jewelry from one of her romance novels.

She fixated on the name, and nothing else Lucretia said even registered. Her heart was beating rapidly, but she didn't even notice in her detached state. When she verbalized her thoughts to the room at large, her voice was a quiet sliver of sound, void of any emotion. "It doesn't make any sense. How could she trick him into Marriage?"

[Lucretia 'Storm' Seyrrou]

Lucretia had asked herself the exact same question, Lucretia knew though how the purebloods worked, maybe she could shed some light on it for Anna.

"Us Purebloods have no choice in our futures. If we run, we just prolong the inevitable. Maybe, Chase's caught up with him." but the way Carolynn sounded was as if Chase had accepted.

"It still makes no sense, all her bull about passion... it just sounded as though Chase was willing." she was chewing on her lips, her sentence was more for herself, but what would Anna make of it.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna hadn't realized she'd spoken her question out loud and the small part of her brain that knew where she was and that she wasn't alone slipped farther away. Her mind had blocked out everything else around her as it focused so intently on the conundrum of Chase. When Lucretia spoke Anna didn't acknowledge it in any way; she was too far withdrawn to even notice. Her gaze remained unfocused ahead, the hand holding the spoon had released it at some point and both her hand rested limp on the table's surface.

[Lucretia 'Storm' Seyrrou]

Lucretia sighed, she reached over and placed a comforting shoulder on Annabelle. She had heard really good things about her from Michael, and so far, she didn't want her to get hurt.

"Annabelle, I know we barely know each other, but.." she didn't know how to continue how to finish her sentence, obviously Annabelle wasn't listening, all she coudl do was stand there and watch as everything sunk in. For Lucretia it was much easier, mostly because her feeling all but disappeared for Chase. It was Annabelle who needed more time.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

The warmth of human contact snapped Anna out of her distant world of thought. Her wide eyes darted to Lucretia, and within seconds all the emotion she was repressing flooded over her. Her lip began to quiver and her eyes stung as she tried desperately without avail not to cry. With a blink, the first tears of heartbreak escaped down her cheeks and she quickly moved to hide her face in her hands.

[Lucretia 'Storm' Seyrrou]

Lucretia's eyes softened, she came around to settle on the stool beside Annabelle. Her arms came around her shoulder, the way a mother would hold her child, it was the least she could do.

"You're strong enough, I know you are." if she was able to move past Michael, then she was sure Anna would be able to get past this. A strong surge of animosity towards Chase surged though her, how coudl he continuously do this without fear of any consequences. Did he not feel remorse or even... guilt.

"Bastard." she muttered only for herself to hear, Lucretia was slowly regretting ever having a relationship with him. It was like a game to him, while with Dru he toyed with her, and now he wanted to play with Annabelle as well, let alone the other girls he led on when he was bored.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna was too emotional to even form any words. She let herself take any little comfort she could from Lucretia and leaned into her. She hated herself for breaking down and not being strong enough to handle it. She refused to admit how strong her feelings for Chase were and tried to tell herself that it was just the shock and the hurt that he hadn't ended things properly with her before going and getting himself engaged. I wish I'd just skipped lunch today. The absurd thought came to her mind and even though it was irrational to think not knowing would be better, she wished she didn't have to deal with what she now knew.