[IC] Rᴏsᴇꜰᴇʟʟ - A Cᴏᴍɪɴɢ Oꜰ Aɢᴇ Sᴛᴏʀʏ

[Silent Whispers]

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@Peridot @Rabidporcupine @Dread @Helo @Erklings25 @Ejected @Cherry Blossom @Dirty Pretty Lies

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As the sun began to set over the island, the main families of Rosefell were primping themselves for a gathering at the Hollingsworth Residence. The Hollingsworth cooks have prepared a Chinese like dinner for the other families and were given the night off but the butler and a maid still remained. It had been quite sometime since the parents and even the siblings of the families have gotten together or just had a sit down chat with each other. Now, as the Summer kicks off to a start, it is time for these main families, even the children of Rosefell to get together again and kick the Summer off right.

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Veronica had put Black Lightning, her horse, back into his stable since the sun was setting and her parents were a little bit strict about her riding at night. "I'll see you soon, Lightning." The horse neighed and nodded its head as Veronica chuckled then patted his mane before she walked out of the stables. She made her trek towards the house, which wasn't that far from the stables as she entered the house now. "Why aren't you dressed for the gathering yet? Were you riding Lightning again?" Her mother asked as Veronica nodded her head while walking past her now.

"Oh, make sure Tae is ready for tonight." Her mother mentioned towards Veronica, who started to walk up the stairs with an eye roll because he was seventeen years old, she was quite sure that he knew how to get ready for a gathering. But still, she went and did as she was told to do and knocked on Tae's door while she muttered after three knocks. "Tae, mother said make sure you're ready for tonight." Veronica did not even bother to wait for a reply as she waltzed into her own room now, closing the door behind her.

Honestly, Veronica still needed to know what she was going to wear tonight. Of course, her parents wanted her to wear a dress with some heels but she had other plans. So, with a smirk upon her lips, she walked over to her closet and started to rummage through her clothing. She pulled out a classic outfit of hers and smirked as she knew this would piss her parents off just a little bit. But at least she'd look cute pissing them off, in her mind anyway.

She laid her outfit down on the bed then walked over towards the bathroom, where she showered and cleaned herself up for tonight's dinner gathering. From there, she walked back over towards her bedroom and changed into her outfit. As she was putting on her last shoe, her ears twitched whenever she heard the doorbell ring and the first family arrived. Veronica put on a little lip gloss then eyed herself in her floorstand mirror then ran her fingers through her luscious strands of brunette hair.

With a sigh, she shrugged her shoulders as she was still looking in the mirror. 'Here goes nothing.' Veronica thought to herself as she exited her room then galloped slightly down the stairs as her mother turned to see what she was wearing and widened her eyes while she tapped her husband's shoulder. He turned around and eyed Veronica's appearance as she walked up towards them.

"Mother. Father. You really shouldn't do that with your eyes, wouldn't want any lines." After Veronica muttered those words, she walked right into the dining room and seen that there was an extra assortment of chairs at the table. She took her usual seat and waved towards the members of the first family present as she heard the doorbell again and another family was about to enter their home.

Veronica knew she was going to hear it later on from her parents though ^___ She always did.

[Peridot]

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_{Location: Hollingsworth Home}

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The scent of Chinese cuisine wafting throughout the air was almost enough to coax Tae from his current spot, but with a brief glance to his watch, decided he had plenty more time to himself. Perched atop the slanted roof of his home, having climbed up from one of the balconies, Tae had been enjoying the near-silence of the dusk air. Admiring the sunset and mulling thoughts over in his mind, before the tantalising scent of food took his attention. This dinner had always been a big thing every year, what with his parents always being the hosts. As a kid it was great - having a good catch up with his friends while eating amazing food. These days it seemed more like an audition of sorts, with each parent present letting the others know exactly what was going on in each perfect little life. How family businesses were going, how the family was doing, and of course, what the children were up to. If they'd hit 19 and hadn't made it into college, he knew more than enough people in the neighbourhood who'd look down on them. Personally he had no issue if someone took further education or not, though he did dislike laziness. Part of him thought it was lazy that his parents had hired chefs to cook the food for tonight, though after smelling it, decided that it was a good use of their money. He loved his family, but they were lousy cooks.

Seeing a familiar figure leave the stables and head towards the house, Tae let out a deep sigh, his mind going back once again to the problem at hand. He knew his parents wanted him to take over the family business, though they also knew about his desire to become a Doctor. They seemed to be under the impression that he could do both, and while he was pleased they thought so highly of his capabilities, he had doubts himself. Even if he were able to do both, what about the rest of his life? Starting a family of his own one day was extremely important to him, but with two careers like that, spending time with them would be impossible. Then there were the smaller things, like his hobbies, his desire to return to his home country in order to take part in charitable organisations and reconnect to his roots, and of course, keeping in contact with his friends.

"Maybe they can give me some advice." He thought to himself, absent-mindedly flicking a pebble nearby and watching it clatter down the roof tiles. A bit more time ticked by, and he remained quietly on the rooftop until he heard the faint ringing of a doorbell. At last - the first guests had arrived.

Shimmying down the roof carefully, Tae landed back onto the hallway balcony, following a few yards behind Veronica as she too joined the party. Her attitude to their parents wasn't pleasant, but at the same time, to be expected. Watching them roll their eyes as she flounced into the dining room, exasperation fell way to relief as their eyes landed on him. Though he was sure they were just happy to see him, Tae knew the suit he was wearing was having a larger impact. Stepping into place beside them, he planted a kiss on his mother's cheek with a rueful smile.

"Don't give her the attention, Mom. You know she just does it to get a rise out of you both." His parents knew this, of course, but still rose to every appearance related rebellion Tae's elder sister dished out. He had no issues with her wardrobe, personally, nor could he understand why it was such a problem. Just because they had wealth didn't mean they had to flaunt it about by way of their clothing.

"Oh, we know." Tae's mother sighed, waving her hand as if it could waft away the problem, then patting him on the lapels of his jacket with a smile. "At least you look presentable, Tae." As he nearly always did too, in fact. Tae enjoyed looking good, even moreso if it was for some kind of event or dinner party where he could put in a bit more effort. Such as tonight, he'd donned a colourful dress shirt, paired with jacket, slacks, and leather shoes which had been polished by himself not an hour ago. However, conversation and cuisine were bound to be the main stars tonight.

Rather than joining 'Her Royal Highness' in the dining room, Tae lingered by the door, wondering who was coming in first. Leaning lazily against one of the pillars flanking the foyer, he hoped it was the Cabernet's. It had been far too long since he'd had a good chat with Ali and her siblings.

[Erklings25]

Lincoln Everett

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Lincoln was barricaded in his room. Literally barricaded. He had pushed a chair against the door, and stolen of his brother's milk crates for extra force. His favourite song was playing through his headphones as he sat at his desk, sketching the view from his window. That set of pencils he had been given in October for his birthday had really come in handy, even is he wore through two of them within a month. The Hollingsworth clan, true to form, had invited everyone over for dinner. He was sure the Cabernet family would counter-attack with a bonfire, and a dinner party war would ensue.

A lot had happened to him in the past year: he had developed an addiction, slept with almost every woman in California, and his face was on the cover of every tabloid. It would be nice to see all his friends again after the mayhem. He loved all the attention at the start, but it was nice to have a break. It had all become much too much, but wasn't every celebrity's child meant to go over the edge eventually?

Over the sound of his music came the sound of his father. "Link! Link, could you open the door? Can you hear me?" He bolted out of his chair, switching off his music, pulling the barricade down. As soon as his father entered the room and saw the mess on the floor, he rolled his eyes. "Honestly, son, what are you doing in here. You haven't snuck in a girl from college have you? Because I wouldn't be surprised." He joking ruffled his son's hair and laughed. Link grinned, sitting on his bed.

"So, are you here for a reason, or did you just want to break my concentration? If so, you've done a damn fine job of it, sir!" He propped himself up on his elbows, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"Oh, yeah, your mother wants us to leave in ten. Don't know why she couldn't tell you herself, but that's women." He paused to subtly raise a first at the door, then continued. "Where was I? Oh, yeah, she wanted you to get dressed. I'll see you downstairs." His father shot him a wink then closed the door.

Link rolled off the bed, rummaging in his wardrobe for some vaguely presentable clothing. The best he could find was a blue plaid shirt, a dark blue jumper, a heavy dark grey blazer and some grey flannel trousers. There was probably more smart attire that he owned, but at that moment he didn't care. He was sure his parents would not be happy. They had always expected him to clean up his appearance for parties and the like, but he just didn't give a damn. He left his hair totaled and went downstairs.

His prediction of his parent's reactions was flawless. George rolled his eyes, and Freya soon her head. Both were despondent at this point. "George! Didn't you tell him to put on something smart?" She murmured, staring daggers at him. Before he could reply, Link cut in. "Of course he did, Ma! But did you really think that I would?" The Everett parents stopped their bickering, and waited on their youngest son.

When Mike appeared, they quickly set off. The Hollingsworth residence wasn't far away from theirs, so the walk was short. As soon as they entered the Hollingsworth residence, they were remained of how everyone else on the island had much more money than them. Lincoln noticed Veronica wave at him and his entourage. He coolly nodded back, smirking. Lincoln had always appreciated her acerbic remarks, it was good for bantering. His parents were quick to be greeted by Mr and Mrs Hollingsworth. It was all very 'I've missed you so much!' and 'We must speak more often!' even when they knew it would never happen.

Getting sick of the saccharine, Lincoln quickly extended his hand to Jared, smiling. "Mr Hollingsworth! Fantastic to see you, sir. I tried a pinot grigio or yours earlier this year. It was quite, what's the word, piquant. Very well done." He knew the Hollingsworth's loved him, and used it to his advantage. He quickly turned his attention to Serena. "Oh, and Mrs Hollingsworth. You look gorgeous as ever, if I do say so myself. That being said, you could wear a bin bag and make it look like high end fashion." He smiled at both of them before walking over to Tae, his smile immediately fading.

"Honestly dude, as much as I love your parents, I hate sucking up to them. I don't know why I bother." He growled. He didn't like putting on airs for anyone. He shook his head, smiling again."Anyway, its awesome to see you again! You had a good year?"

@Peridot

[Ejected]

_{Good things come to those that wait up
But don't wait to jump in too long}

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After spending nearly two hours getting herself together, Ella Franklin was finally ready to head to the Hollingsworth household for their first Summer gathering. As usual, the eldest Franklin twin had started her routine off with a scorching hot, twenty minute shower. She spent the following thirty minutes rummaging through her closet in search of an outfit. "Wear something presentable," Ella's mother had told she and her twin sister earlier that day, "I don't want to see any sneakers or denim jeans." Of course, Ella had no problem abiding by her mother's stipulations; she loved getting dressed up, and had a closet full of beautiful pants, skirts, and blouses that were more than ready to be shown off to the world. After finally picking out something to wear, the young woman then spent the remainder of her time sitting at her small vanity slicking down her edges, pulling her braids into a neat ponytail, and applying a bit of makeup to cover a few blemishes and give her face more color.

By the time Lana and Lewis were calling upstairs for their twin daughters, Ella had just finished shoving a few items into her purse. In swift motions, the young woman tossed the bag over her shoulder, turned off her lights, and headed down to meet her parents. She only paused to tap on her sister's bedroom door on her way down. "Hurry up, Brynn!" Ella yelled, before quickly skipping down the stairs and doing a quick spin for her parents. "So, is this presentable enough?" she asked with a smirk; her mother simply chuckled and shook her head before motioning towards the back door.

"You all go ahead and start walking. I almost forgot to bring the cake." Ella watched with a raised eyebrow as her mother headed back to the kitchen before looking up at her father with inquiring eyes.

"Don't worry," Lewis Franklin whispered to his child as he followed her out of the back door, "It's store bought." The young woman let out a sigh of relief as she pulled off her heels and stepped foot onto the warm beach sand; if it was one thing that Lana Franklin wasn't particularly good at, it was baking. Ella chuckled to herself as she remembered a past incident where her mother first decided to try her hand at baking; she'd chosen to make crostata, an Italian pie, using a recipe she found online. It obviously didn't end well for the family of four who'd been looking forward to tasting the dessert.

As soon as Brynn and Lana had caught up to Ella and her father, the family of four began their brisk walk along the shoreline. Ella simply took in her surroundings throughout the entire journey; A host of memories came flooding into her mind with nostalgia as the four of them continued on their path down the stretch of beach. The young woman felt a smile creep across her face as she reminisced about those magical times she'd spent with her friends swimming around in the ocean, relaxing in their home Jacuzzi, or messing around in the tree house that was not too far from where they lived. In just a few minutes, their destination came into view, and the family quickly made their way to the front door. Ella made sure to dust the sand off her feet and slip her shoes back on before ringing the doorbell.

Soon, the front door was pulled open, and Lewis and Lana Franklin were immediately hugged and greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Hollingsworth; the cake that her mother had been holding somehow ended up in Ella's hands. Ella only stuck around long enough to give each of the Hollingsworth parents brief hugs; as soon as she'd been released from their clasps, she made a beeline towards the area of the foyer where none other than Tae Hollingsworth and Lincoln Everett stood. "Nice to see you two again," the young woman said, before making her way to the dining room. She simply smiled and nodded her head in greeting to Veronica Hollingsworth before letting out a deep breath, setting the cake carrier onto the table, and plopping down into the nearest seat. "Don't worry," Ella said to Veronica Hollingsworth with a half smile, "our mom didn't make this one. It's one hundred percent safe to eat."

_{@Hushed Whispers @Peridot @Erklings25 @Dread}

[Dread]

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“Geez, didn't this just fit me like a few months ago?” She growled, standing to her feet as she adjusted the tight fit of the black leggings around her slightly wider-than-average hips and thick thighs, hearing in the back of her head the voice of her mother who'd constantly remind her that she wasn't eating right. And yet, it was just the opposite, as the youngest of the two Franklin twins barely ate enough. In fact most of the time, if she could skip breakfast she wouldn’t even bother with it until maybe lunchtime, or prefer a frappuccino in place of any real food, whatever that was. No, the hips and thighs had nothing to do with food, it was genetics. And the only one to blame for a “fat ass” is her mother.

“Finally!” She exclaimed, happy to have the leggings on and still able to breathe normally, as she pulled on an oversized gray knit sweat over a black sports bra, and stood in front of the tall mirror across the room. “Meh.” Was about her reaction with most of her wardrobe, which she was rarely ever happy with anyway, but at the same time tried not to think much about it. She ran a hand over her shaved head, chuckling a bit at the disbelief that she’d actually gone and cut all her hair off in the first place back home. But she needed that separation, not only from her identical twin sister, but from society, even if for a little while.

Speaking of Ella, her sister’s annoying tapping on the door broke her from the brief reverie of staring at herself, a tapping that was probably worse than her yelling through the door for her to “hurry up!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Brynn muttered, not in any real rush to visit the Hollingsworth family. Granted, she liked them, and everyone got along just fine, but there was just something about them that didn’t sit well in the pit of her stomach. Or maybe it was nothing, and she just didn’t want to be around a lot of people at that moment. Either way though, she hoped that Lincoln would be there, one of the few kids she’d enjoyed hanging with in Rosefell who could still be tolerable. In addition, their shared love of art always helped to solidify a pretty good friendship between the two, even if their styles were fundamentally different and it was mostly them chit-chatting about each other’s work. Which reminded her... The girl walked over to her drafting table and flipped through one of her recent sketchbooks until she landed on the page she was looking for. The short comic strip she’d tried her hand at after being challenged by Lincoln months ago over an email and text conversation. She figured she could pull it off, and while she leaned toward more classical figurative drawing, she still admired the guy’s creative style and honestly couldn’t pass up the challenge. Eventually she’d post it on Facebook and Instagram, but she also wasn’t quite sure she was even happy with the outcome.

“Crap.” Losing track of the time, Brynn closed the sketchpad, slid it under her arm, and grabbed her pink low-top Converse before jetting down the stairs just in time to see her mother heading for the door with a finely decorated cake on an equally decorative platter. “Eh...did you make that?” The young girl inquired, raising her eyebrow to accentuate the puzzled expression already on her face.

“No.” Her mother shook her head, shooting her daughter a sour expression in response such a comment. “If you must know, it was actually from the bakery in town, so you guys are safe.” She finally smiled, knowing that her attempts at cooking sort of fell to the wayside.

“Ah.” Brynn nodded, then looked around. “Did dad and El’ leave already?”

“Yeah, and um-" Lana Franklin cut herself off as she gazed at her youngest and the too-casual outfit the girl decided on. “I'm fairly certain that my instructions were clear about ‘no sneakers’, yeah?”

“I know, but-" The youngest Franklin child’s protests fell on deaf ears.

“Ah-uh, we’re not doing this now, Brynn. You're going and I want to see appropriate shoes.” Lana said in her usual stern-but-loving voice. “And do hurry.” She said, walking out the door with cake in both hands.

“Yes ma’am.” The young girl mumbled and frowned, quickly waltzing up the steps toward her bedroom, just to grab a pair of wedge sandles, slip them on, and catch up with her mom who’d already made it to the front door of the Hollingsworth home. Brynn couldn’t help but grin at her twin standing there holding the cake as they all went into the house, and Brynn stopping by the two boys, Tae and Lincoln, who were busy taking in the atmosphere before the party really got underway.

“Hey Link, Tae.” Brynn waved and half-smiled before leaning up against one of the pillars in the foyer. “So, any chance we can slip out of here unnoticed?” The girl grinned wryly and at that moment just happened to turn her attention to her left where she saw her mother eyeing her suspiciously. Brynn’s grin quickly wiped from her face.

@Erklings25 @Peridot