Caiti, pick a title! .:Tierney:.

[Landon Rederick]

I know we're technically not supposed to reply to any threads in here because they're "journal entries" but I couldn't think of anywhere else to put this. Also please please PLEASE change the title. I couldn't think of one.

The windows in Landon’s bedroom were wide open and a warm breeze drifted its way inside. It had only been a few days since Tierney left but Landon already sat at his desk attempting to write her a letter. He figured that by the time his owl, Tito, got to Romania a week would have passed since she’d been gone. That’s not too needy, he hoped. Landon had been sitting in his desk chair for over 3 hours trying to write this letter. He didn’t think that it would be this hard. One friend writing to another. There shouldn’t have been anything difficult about that. Except Tierney wasn’t just Landon’s friend. He wasn’t sure what she was. There were times when he thought about the night they’d spent together on that bed just a few feet away and things seemed so clear to him. Those times he knew that he wanted Tierney to be his and felt that she wanted him too. But then there were other times that he tried to convince himself that Tierney was just another girl, another notch in his belt. That’s what he thought she wanted it to be, a fling and nothing more. Landon caught himself gazing at the bed for the millionth time. He growled and turned his attention back to the piece of parchment in front of him.

Dearest Tierney “We’re not married…”
Tierney “Too impersonal…
Hello Tierney “Too…weird

Landon growled, grabbing the parchment and rolling up in a ball. With a huff he threw it into the trash then grabbed another. “Just talk to her as if she were really here,” he said to himself as he dipped his quill in the ink. Landon took a deep breath and began writing.

“Hey T,

How’ve you been? Not gonna lie, it’s been pretty quiet here without you. Tristise and I still aren’t talking. I don’t really know what’s going on with her. It’s been ages since we’ve had an actual conversation and I couldn’t tell you the last time that I’ve seen her. I don’t even know if we’ll ever speak again. I miss her though. I can’t decide if I want to be the ‘bigger person’ and go talk to her. She just seems like she’s in a totally different place right now, like I don’t even know here anymore. But I love her and she knows that.

Vicki is visiting Spain with her family for a few days so I’ve been here pretty much alone. Doing some shopping with my mother. You know how she enjoys spending. Vicki actually begged me to come with her, but I just told her that I needed some space. I still don’t know what to do. I’ve just been…really confused lately. A lot on my mind, you know?

Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking a lot about my role in the family. I can’t really say too much, but I know that there’s big responsibility coming for me soon. I just don’t know if I’m prepared. It’s scary to think about. I’ve always thought about walking in my father’s footsteps, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be good enough. And I just want to make them proud. I don’t want to let anyone down. I’ve done that enough.

Without much to do around here I’ve been working out a lot and attempting to get a tan, which is a lot harder to do than it looks. I’m just tired of being so pasty. I’m hot. My tone should match. ;-) But seriously, I’ve been trying to bulk up a little more. The ladies love a man with muscles. I just don’t want to look like a body builder. I kind of like having a normal, functioning neck.

Anyway, how are things going between you and Lucian? I suppose you haven’t told him yet. Do you plan on telling your parents first? I know that this is going to be hard for you, but keep your chin up. You’re one of the strongest people I know. You can do anything and you deserve to be happy. And you’re family may be upset at first, but they’ll understand. You have to do this. You HAVE to! Remember that guy I have waiting for you when you get back? Yeah, he’d be absolutely crushed if you came back with the giant rock still on your finger.

Write back when you get the chance. I can’t wait to hear about how much you’ve missed me. It’s okay. Don’t be shy. You don’t have to hide it. I won’t judge you. Truth is, I’ve kinda miss you too. More than you’ll know.

Love,
Landon”

When he was finished he folded it up and put it in one of his personalized envelopes. They were cream colored with a green ‘L’ embellished on the back. He wrote Tierney’s name as perfectly as possible on the front, wanting to make sure that it got to her. When we was satisfied with his postage, he summoned Tito with a treat. “Take this to Tierney,” he cooed as he pat the owl. “She’s in Romania with her family. Go quickly and hurry back.” Landon gave her one more pat before he sent her off with the envelope. Part of his heart was in that letter so she’d better not lose it.

[Tierney Harper]

((OOC: This was so much better the first time around...))

It had been a week. A long, boring, tiring week. Tierney had sulked around Romania for seven days and as melodramatic as it sounded she had hardly eaten, hardly slept, and not once had she smiled. Not even when she saw her parents. She loved her family and all, but how was she supposed to be happy when her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of breaking off the wedding they wanted so much? Not to mention when she wasn't thinking about that her mind was on a certain handsome British boy and the letters he would supposedly send to her. Not that she expected one yet. She'd only been gone a week - it wasn't like Landon missed her yet and she didn't miss him either. Much.

Another boring evening and Tierney found herself stretched across her bed, face buried in her down pillow. She was starting to suffocate here. No, really. She had to turn her head to the side to breathe after a minute. If only she had more will power to keep her face buried for a while longer...

A tap at her window had her up in a minute. Not that she was hoping for anything. She opened the window to find what she wasn't waiting impatiently for - Landon's owl. She took the letter quickly and gave it a quick peck on the head, "Thanks, cutie!"

Immediately she ran over to her bed and jumped onto it, opening the letter and hungrily absorbing the words on the parchment. Of course the bad parts of the letter caught her attention first - like where Landon mentioned Victoria and let her know he was still dating her. Once all the parts she didn't want to know were filed away she took note of the rest and cracked her first smile in a week. She moved off her bed and over to her desk to write him back.

Hey Hot Shot,

Well, life back in the UK sounds more interesting than life here in Romania. I haven't spoken to Lucian yet, I haven't even seen him. I haven't seen anyone actually. It sort of feels like I live alone. I've tried to make time with my supposed fiance, but he's constantly busy - no time, even for me. I wonder what could be so important for him. Even my parents don't have time for me. I wonder if they'd notice if I sneaked back to England.

I agree, you shouldn't bulk up too much or get too tan. I don't know about other girls, but if they're anything like me they like their British boys fair skinned like they live in a cloudy, cold country and not the sunny Mediterranean or something. I mean if they wanted tan, buff men they could just go to the Mediterranean, right?

I don't know what to tell you about your family really. I can say that it's my opinion you shouldn't try to follow in your father's footsteps. I don't mean this to be rude to him, but simply as a compliment to you - I think you're already too good to follow him. Besides, um, I don't think worrying about how you're going to be of use to your family will help any with your Tristise situation.

Speaking of Tristise, give her time. I think she's coming around, but you know she takes a while if she does. She holds grudges well. If you go to her it might work, but it would probably be better to just drop hints you're behaving better and wait for her to come to you... and if she does please, please, please remember to hold back your temper. I don't want to come back to find out your dead - then how am I going to be introduced to that guy you have waiting for me? Also, remember she talks rough, does a lot of... barking... but she means well. Even if she is pissed at you, she loves you. If she didn't love you than even my stepping in wouldn't have stopped her from injuring, maiming, or killing you. As for your not knowing her... honestly, I don't know if she knows herself. I can't be sure, we don't talk much these days either, but she's lost her family, including her favorite little brother in her mind. She has next to no friends. She lives like a hermit and devotes her time to quidditch and studying. For a Hufflepuff she's anything but friendly... Just remember that and be there for her even if she's not there for you - which I'm sure secretly she is.

Me, shy? Since when? Besides, I totally haven't missed you at all. Not an ounce. Okay, maybe a tiny bit. Or a lot. I don't know - it's just boring here so I miss having someone to talk to. Thus you better write me back quickly or I'll send a howler - got it? I'm off to bed now before I give in to my urge to jump off my balcony and break a leg or two to relieve boredom momentarily.

Love (of course you do, who wouldn't?),
Tierney

She conveniently avoided everything about Victoria. It seemed like he wanted to break things off when she left, but now he was back to being so unsure she almost thought he wanted to stay with her instead. Sure he told her he needed space, but it didn't sound permanent at all. Not that she expected him to break things off with Victoria and live happily ever after with her or anything, but she had hoped if nothing else things could go back to how they were over the summer before Victoria popped into their lives and ruined everything. Except, minus her engagement to Lucian which meant it would be even better than before. Fat chance of that happening.

After rolling and sealing the letter she walked over to the wrought iron cage in the corner and opened it, proffering her arm to her hawk Gaia. "Take this to Landon, but if he's not awake just leave it where he can find it, alright?" She pet her little messenger once and then walked her to the window and let her fly off with the letter grasped in her talons tightly. Meanwhile she went back to her bed and crawled under the covers with a heavy sigh. She picked her wand up off the nightstand and waved it with a mutter spell to extinguish the lights. She replaced it next to her bed and attempted to get a decent night's sleep.

[Landon Rederick]

((Aaaand two and a half months later... I still don't have a computer but my roommate is letting me borrow her's for the night. Post your reply whenever, but email it to me too so I can see at work please? thanks.))

Landon would be lying if he said that he wasn’t anxiously awaiting Tierney’s next letter. However, he tried to play it cool, doing random things to keep himself busy. In addition, Victoria had come back from her trip to Spain, craving Landon’s attention. When she returned she was angrier than ever, and everything between them turned into an argument. She was constantly harassing him about where he was going and who he would be with and what time he’d be back. When he wasn’t out, she insisted on spending all of their free time together. She was suffocating him, more than usual.

And it wasn’t like he’d been doing anything really suspicious. Landon had actually taken up a volunteering job as an assistant to the flying coach at a Quidditch camp for young kids. It was a day camp where the young witches and wizards arrived at a park in the morning where they learned flying and Quidditch skills. It wasn’t even something he really had the intention of doing, but a powerful family friend suggested that it would be in Landon’s best interest if he did him this favor.

When Landon finally got the letter he hid it under his mattress until he was alone and could read it. He’d read it quickly while Victoria was in the bathroom and shoved it back under the mattress when he heard her coming. It had been several days since then, over two weeks since it had first arrived, and he’d been dying to respond. Victoria was off at a hair appointment which would give him just enough time to write back.

Hey T,

It’s nice to hear from you. I do wish that you were having more fun though. Break some rules. Go crazy. I hate to hear that you’re having a miserable time. And who cares about that ass anyway? The only thing you need him for is to tell him that it’s over, right? That will take all of 5 min, and if worse come to worse you can write him a note. Heh.

I’m thinking about writing a note of my own, to be totally honest with you. Vicki has been suffocating me more than usual. She’s been watching me like a hawk. She has to know everywhere that I go, who I’m with, when I’ll be back…and that’s if she doesn’t insist on coming with me. She doesn’t trust me, and I can’t say that I blame her really. But the tables have finally turned and it’s about time she’s felt the way I’ve felt. I just don’t know how much longer I can do this, you know? I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking lately and I’ve been feeling that it’s just not worth it. I dunno… I’ve been pretty busy anyway.

So you’re probably going to get a kick out of this. I still can’t believe it really. But I am a camp councilor for the Wimbourne Wasps Quidditch Camp. It’s a day camp for kids ages 5-13 to work on some quidditch and flying skills. It’s put on by the Wasps’ coaching staff. My father has some colleagues affiliated with the team…so now I am working as an assistant to the coaches. I travel by floo powder and I stay busy most of the day. I can’t decide if I like working with children or not, because of course I was put with the five year olds. They can be a lot of fun, but they can be very irritating…and dirty. It’s a work in progress. I started about three weeks ago and we’re about halfway through the camp.

As far as Tris goes, I’d love to sit and talk to her sometime (especially now that I am doing this quidditch thing), but I honestly haven’t seen much of her. Part of me feels like the ball is in her court. She’ll fix things with me if she wants to. And you’re right, the last thing I want is to end up dead, so I’ll let her come to me on her own terms. And I’m always here for her. I just hope she knows that.

So about that guy I told you about…I talked to him and he’s waiting patiently for you, but just know that he’s not into married women so you’d better hurry back without that giant rock on your finger. Got it? And I know you can’t lie about missing me. As much as it pains me to admit it, I miss you too. Yeah, I said it so I had to charm this letter to destroy itself after you’re done reading it. Haha. I’m kidding….or am I?

Love (Ha, don’t be cocky…I fear I’m rubbing off on you),
Landon

[Tierney Harper]

((OOC: I think this should be the last letter from Tierney. We need to move this plot along lol XD))

Life had dragged on endlessly. Week after week. Day after day. She had seen a bit more of her mother and father, but Lucian was amongst the missing. It was like the universe wouldn't allow her to break things off so they stole away her fiance until she stopped thinking about it. Unfortunately she'd never stop thinking about breaking things off. She wanted to do it so badly. Not just because of Landon anymore, but simply because the more she thought about it the less she could go through with it. She didn't trust him or his family. She couldn't marry someone she didn't trust.

Too long passed before Landon's next letter came. His owl found her sitting in a cold bath, staring at the ceiling blankly. She almost didn't realize it had arrived until it hooted. She turned her head and took in the sight and just like that the life was back in her eyes. She rose from the tub and stepped out, grabbing her towel from the rail nearby and wrapping herself in it snugly. She then hurried over to the owl and took her letter from her, giving her a little peck on the head like she had last time. "Thank you, sweetie!"

She ran over to her bed and threw herself on it, rolling onto her back as she practically tore the letter open to read it. Her eyes absorbed the words like they held the answer to life or death or some other fantastical, mystical thing. Unfortunately they mostly held disappointment. She sighed and rolled back onto her stomach, laying the letter on her pillow and crossing her arms, resting her chin upon them. He was still with Victoria. Even if he was disliking it more and more he'd yet to do anything about it.

It was about time she faced the facts. Landon wasn't going to break up with Victoria. She was his first love and probably his only love no matter how much she annoyed him. He would tease Tierney and talk of wanting to break things off, but at the end of the day he'd realize he still loved her and he'd never do a damn thing to ruin the rocky relationship they had. Not anymore anyway.

She smiled weakly as he discussed being a camp councilor's aide, but the light in her eyes was gone again. The picture of him dealing with dirty, rambunctious five year olds did draw out a chuckle though.

Slowly, Tierney dragged herself off her bed and over to her desk, plopping into the chair with a sigh and grabbing her parchment and quill. Despite her feelings of disappointment she was determined to seem at least mildly happy for Landon.

Hey Mister Babysitter,

Heh, you - a camp councilor's assistant... what a thought. Yeah, I never really saw you working with children, but there you are with five year olds. To top it off though you say you don't know if you like it or not, you seem pretty happy with it. Three weeks in, I think if you really didn't like it you'd know by now.

Apparently Lucian has been popping out of Romania for this and that. They weren't overly specific, but that's why he's been so busy - he hasn't even been here half the time. I don't know when he'll be back this time, but I've already set up to meet with him when he is so we can talk. I'm doing my best to come back single, no heavy, ostentatious rock on my hand.

As far as Tris goes, I'm sure she knows you're there for her, even if she doesn't particularly want to admit it. She's a strange girl, but despite her grudges I think when it comes down to it she'd still protect you or anyone in your family. Except maybe your parents or that crazy uncle Leonard.

I haven't got much advice for you concerning Victoria. I suppose your options are simply either you break it off or you deal with it. Since you haven't broken it off yet I suppose that means you opt to deal with it. I don't know what to tell you beyond that. Just, give in to her whims. See her as often as possible. Eventually she'll get sick of it too, I'm sure, and then things will go back to normal between you two. You know I'm not particularly fond of her nor do I think she's good for you, but if you love her as you say you do - and clearly you do from your reluctance to break things off - then I suppose I'll learn to live with it in time.

Love (I'm not cocky, I'm honest),
Tierney

She rolled the letter and tied it, taking it over to her hawk and setting her off to find Landon. She clenched her jaw and the rail of her balcony to try to hold back tears. She knew she'd never get to be with Landon. Things... just weren't like that between them. He didn't feel the same for her. She had just hoped... but the last of that hope was gone. Besides, he had someone else in mind for her, did he not? It was so clear, but she had wanted to think he felt something more for her so badly.

A heavy knocking sounded at her door suddenly, breaking her from her trance. She turned and started for the door. Another heavy knock. She opened it slowly and stepped back, "Lucian..."

"You wanted to talk, Tierney? Well, I'm back. Let's talk."

[Landon Rederick]

((I agree. I think Landon isn't going to write another note because Vicki is going to catch him writing...and then they're going to fight))

*runs to write break-up thread*