Arranged || Ominis Gaunt

9. First Impressions

Mariela has a firm handshake. It nearly rivals that of Sebastian's, and while that might impress some, everything learned about etiquette during her upbringing tells Ellora that it's not quite right. Still, she smiles and tells the older girl that she's happy to meet her.

"You too, Ellora," Mariela replies before her gaze leaves Ellora's to instead focus on the ring situated on her finger. "You truly do wear that well." She states.

Something in her tone has Ellora pulling her hand away, brows furrowing in confusion. The words are certainly complimentary, but the Slytherin girl sat across from her sounds miffed. Ellora tilts her head to the side, gaze flickering over toward the boys sat next to and diagonally from her awkwardly. Neither boy seems affected by the inflection in their friend's tone. But the long stagnant silence after Ellora's spoken thank you has her feeling defensive for some reason.

"I'm sorry," Ellora begins, "Have I done something wrong?"

She directs the question at Mariela, though her gaze flickers between the three older students at the table. She'll accept an answer from any one of them at this point. The air is palpably thick, and Ellora is suddenly feeling like staying in the cabin with the two first year girls would have been much, much more preferable.

Mariela crosses her arms, a frown forming on her lips, "Why did you do it?"

What an open-ended question. There are plenty of things Ellora has done as of late that could have incited the use of such a question. Considering Mariela had just made comment on her ring, however, Ellora knows precisely what the question is about.

Still, she feigns ignorance in order to give the other girl one last chance to turn the topic of conversation to something more appropriate. There are several other tables in the train car full of eavesdropping ears, after all. If the sudden drop in volume of conversation from the tables surrounding isn't indication enough, Ellora can see a Gryffindor boy just over Mariela's shoulder who is blatantly staring at her.

"Do what, exactly?" Ellora asks.

"Accept the proposal," Mariela elaborates, voice sounding more annoyed with every syllable. Ellora crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow at her, leaning back in her seat.

"I didn't accept the proposal," She says pointedly, "My parents did."

With any other individual raised in the world Ellora had been, her clipped tone and simple explanation would have been enough. Pureblood girls rarely make their own marital arrangements. Sure, preferences and feelings are often taken into account, but at the end of the day, what the head of house arranges will be what happens.

Mariela, however, was very clearly not raised among those who learned long ago that they had no choice.

"And yet," She begins, arms crossing in a mirror move to Ellora's, "You're the one with the ring. Are you going to try and tell me they held you down and forced it onto your finger?"

Damn near the entire train car goes silent at Mariela's question. There's low, murmured conversation at a few tables, but nobody is hiding anymore the fact that they are listening to her conversation with Ominis' friend. Speaking of- Ellora turns her gaze to the boy sat next to her, shifting her weight as she does so to indicate to him that she is, in fact, looking in his direction. He's staring out the window, head leaning against the glass as if making attempt to see something just beyond his field of vision. It might have worked, too, to fool her, if she didn't already know that he cannot see a damned thing.

With a slight tilt of her head, Ellora turns her gaze on Sebastian, who is looking down at the table as if the stained wooden surface is the most interesting thing on the entire planet. Ellora rolls her eyes and turns back to Ominis.