The Party Illusion PV Closed

For the Chinese, dinner was a massively big deal.

Traditionally, if Elijah and Celestine had been brought up in Mainland China, they would've eaten each night at a massive, circular table with their grandparents, with small cups of tea and small bowls of rice. Either wooden or silver chopsticks would be present, and people would talk jovially and laugh louder. 茅台酒 would be served to the adults, and Celestine would've been dared to take a shot with them as she got older. When they returned to China to visit their grandparents, these types of dinners happened quite often; Elijah wished that he never had to leave the good food, the better drinks, and the best people. In China, your family always came first.

Of course, England managed to screw everything up. Dinners were formal, where he was forced into a suit and his uncharacteristically wild hair was slicked back like his father. They were christened dinner parties, not simply just dinners, and there was a lot of uncomfortable standing around. The food was fancier, not as homely, and all of the people were there just to make connections with other famous last names. Everyone was fake, uncomfortable, and only the hosts could feel truly at home.

When he was younger, Elijah loved dinner parties. His parents would always bring Celestine along with them, to parade her around and to show off just how brilliant, how beautiful, and how well-behaved their daughter was, and look at how well she gets along with her baby brother. Yes, she's a straight-O student, oh yes, she just made the Quidditch team this year, we're so proud of her...

Elijah always tagged along because he never liked being home alone. For someone who thrived in solitary confinement and cherished his time alone, he hated when the house was dead silent. At his insistence, the Huang had actually downsized from their original home, because Elijah would so often complain of creaking floorboards and a feeling of emptiness. In a sense, it was like reverse-claustrophobia, and he couldn't stand to be in the house alone. Thus, he would always trail after his sister, watching her put on a fake smile and socialize with the adults, learning the trick of her parents' trade.

As he got older, the cons of dinner parties began to outweigh the cons of staying home alone. He couldn't protest, however, as now his parents began to parade him around- oh, look at my son, how well-behaved he is... yes, yes, straight-A's... he's starting his first year at Hogwarts this fall, he's so excited... oh, indeed, he's the star forward on his football team... and so on, and so forth.

He hated all of it. 

Tugging uncomfortably on the edge of his suit jacket, he lingered in the doorway of his sister's bedroom as she tied her jade necklace around her neck. The Huangs always chose to dress more traditional when going to dinner parties, as if to show off their heritage. While Elijah's suit was a solemn pitch-black, his cufflinks hand the family name, 黄, engraved onto them; he wore no tie, but instead, his own jade necklace hung around his neck, fully visible for once; his pocket square would be a bright red, embroidered with traditional patterns; and finally, instead of your traditional buttons, his suit jacket would be left completely undone and the traditional Chinese knots would only serve a decorative purpose.

His jade necklace was something he wore as religiously as a Christian would wear their cross. His jade guardian was a tradition- an expensive tradition, but a tradition nonetheless. His guardian, an ancient Chinese emperor, was carved into jade and made into a necklace, and he wore it at all times out of respect for his ancestors. Celestine did the same, although she had a fancier necklace with additional jade beading to boast of their family's wealth.

"Are you ready, Celestine?" he asked quietly, watching her fasten on her jade earrings with a raised eyebrow. She nodded curtly, rising from her seat at her vanity, casually placing an arm around her brother's shoulder as they descended the staircase together. Their parents waited for them in the car, ready to take them to the Bishop's city property.

While they had been invited to use the Floo network, his mother disliked the more European method of travel, complaining of soot and ash. Unlike many of their pureblood "friends", the Huangs also point-blank refused to use house-elves, instead simply doing things themselves. Thus, tonight, they would show up in a car driven by Charlie Huang himself.

"Who are the Bishops, again?" he asked in a low voice and he slid into the backseat of their car. Celestine slid in after him, pulling the door shut. Angel was fussing with her hair, rearranging her jade pins once more. 

"Some of your father's potential business partners," Angel answered, touching up her modest lipstick. "Play nice with their daughter, yes? We are good people, Elijah... don't ruin that."

As they arrived at the property, his breath was taken away by the sheer size of it. His mother and sister walked arm in arm bearing a massive bottle of 茅台酒 that probably cost more than their car, both of them in traditional, sleeveless dresses made from purple and red silk, heels clicking in sync. His father walked with him, trailing behind the two powerful Huang women. "Listen to your mother," Charlie whispered under his breath as they were welcomed into the property graciously. "Her name is Rhea Bishop; she's going to be a second year at Hogwarts this year. Make some friends, Elijah- and don't disappoint me."

With that, he was pushed off in the direction of a redheaded girl perched on an ottoman. Straightening up his suit and running his fingers through his hair, he messed up the slicked-back look and instead, returned it to its normal, spiked-up casual aura- with a deep breath, he prepared himself for the social interaction he was about to instigate. Striding over confidently in her direction with a gracious, perfectly elegant smile, he made it clear that he was happy to be here.

"Are you Miss Rhea Bishop?" he asked politely, sitting down across from her. He slipped into his social, amicable personality- the one that the grownups were so charmed by, the one that seemed too old for someone his age. "My father told me about you- I'm Elijah, Elijah Huang." As customary, he stuck his hand out for her to shake. Maybe tonight wouldn't be all that bad after all.

Translations↴
茅台酒→ Maotai. A baijiu that's extremely famous in China; it has a ridiculously high alcohol content and is taken in small shots, and is commonly brought to Chinese dinner parties. It's also notorious for being incredibly expensive.

Guests were beginning to fill the house, coming to greet the Bishops and striking up some small talk with each other. Aaron and Morgan had been drawn away from the entrance, dragged away by the necessities of conversing with other important business figures. However, Rhea had remained on the ottoman, chin still resting on her palm and staring as the guests around her milled about. They all had someone to talk to, something to talk about; meanwhile, Rhea was stuck staring at the gorgeous plant that stood right next to the entrance. 

There really was nothing for her to do at these parties, so Rhea didn't quite understand why her parents forced her to come along. That is, unless some of the business associates had children - but most of the time, they did not, and Rhea was forced to just sit around waiting for her parents to leave. That or she would play a few practical jokes on the uptight old men. That usually made her night so much better. 

Her parents were gone, no longer caring about what she did until they needed to parade her to their surrounding company. Thus, the redhead girl found herself slowly dozing off, leaning into her chin too much and closing her eyes before snapping them open again. A wide yawn escaped her lips, after which Rhea immediately covered her mouth for fear anyone would see that. Blushing lightly, Rhea stood up and walked into the parlor, grabbing a macaroon before returning to her lonely ottoman. Sighing over dramatically, she bit into her macaroon and began to chew - but was then interrupted by a young boy walking over to her. Swallowing what she had in her mouth quickly, Rhea stood up and grinned, wiping her hand off on her dress (and hoping her mother didn't see her do that). 

"Yeah, I am - you don't have to call me 'Miss,' that's waay to fancy," she chuckled and shook his hand, surprised at how formal he was being. Usually, when the kids were separated from their parents, they became much more... childlike. Or at least, in Rhea's experience they would. "Good things, I hope? Not that there are many bad things to say," she laughed again, dropping his hand and intertwining her fingers together. "It's nice to meet you, Elijah." She smiled and nodded, untangling and tangling her hands together. 

Meanwhile, while Rhea and Elijah struck up the beginnings of a conversation, Aaron and Morgan Bishop were making their greetings to the family. Aaron shook the hands of the Chinese family, smiling just enough that he didn't seem over excited - that always put people off - before standing up and properly introducing himself. "Welcome," he nodded and waved his hand to showcase the property. "This is my wife, Morgan." He took his wife's hand as a showcase of 'love,' to show the outside world that their family was a picture perfect, functioning one. "I am glad you have arrived. Dinner shall begin soon - our house elves have prepared a delicious meal." 

Offering a curt nod while Morgan smiled at them, Aaron began to speak about his business plans - what he saw for the future, and what he believed would lead him getting there. He was a passionate man, one that would stop at nothing to reach his goals, and who would do anything to reach them. While her husband spoke, Morgan snuck off to grab a small piece of butterscotch, popping it into her mouth and beginning to suck on it before returning back. Like her daughter, she had no taste for these kinds of things, and could feel herself antsy - however, she had to keep a calm exterior and pretend that this interested her. 

↠ ELIJAH ↞

The girl he had approached was more laid back than he had anticipated her to be, insisting that the title had been too much. You would've thought that someone from such a well-bred and obviously wealthy family would expect the world to kiss the ground that she stepped upon, but that turned out to simply be an assumption. Like with most assumptions, there was always a high chance that said assumption would be wrong.

He was wrong. Very wrong. But, the bashful smile on his face would hide his annoyance completely, and he would laugh with her at her attempt at humour. "So, Mi-" He caught himself and sighed, running his hands through his hair. "My apologies. Rhea- I must remember that. Rhea, my father tells me that you're to be a second year at Hogwarts this coming autumn- house Gryffindor, I believe he said?" Dropping his hands to his sides, sliding them into the pockets of his pants, he could feel his cheeks flushing very slightly with the awkwardness of his words. Why could he be eloquent and charming for just this one night?

Rhea, he had to admit, was incredibly intimidating. First and foremost, most obviously, was her name- the Bishops were highly revered throughout the continent of Europe, and quite possibly the world. They were powerful, they had multiple homes... Yes, they were things that the Huang could've had if they wanted, but were quite frankly too lazy to chase after. What was the point, they had asked themselves, of having more than one home if you were only going to stay in one of them the entire time?

She was also pretty, and pretty people scared him. They didn't need a silver tongue nor a stunning intelligence to get people to do what they wanted- he had read the studies, seen the statistics, about how if you were pretty-faced you could get a better job; if you were gorgeous, how you would get paid more. He, himself, was by no means gorgeous in any shape or form- but Rhea commanded a subtle grace and elegance bred by money that ensured that she would always look her best.

Maybe he was just a little bit jealous?

↠ CHARLIE AND ANGEL ↞

Charlie wanted to be here. Angel wanted to be here. But both were reluctant to walk in the land of extravagance, and because they knew next to no one at this party, they were also out of their comfort zone by quite a bit. They were wary of the Bishops, with all of their money and influence, and were quiet and reserved. Angel spoke with Aaron about their businesses and potential partnerships in the semi-near future, while Charlie wandered around the house a bit, taking in the vast space and the unique detailing in its architecture.

"I do so love the house, Aaron," Angel murmured, her eyes flicking up to the ceilings and the lavish, expensive furniture. "And you used house-elves, you said? Certainly, it must be easier on Mrs. Bishop, I suppose. I do say, however," she added, leaning forward slightly with a confidential look in her eyes- all entirely faked, of course, but it was hard to tell that it was a faux emotion. Perhaps, then, it was from his mother that Elijah had inherited his lying capabilities. "I've never been fond of others doing my work, Mr. Bishop. If you want a job done right, you've to do it yourself, isn't that how the saying goes? You understand why I am the one who handles relationships, rather than my husband, don't you?"

Angel knew she was a powerful woman, and certainly, she acted like it. While her husband did own more of their company than she did, she was still a major influencer, and most of their connections had been made through her. Theoretically, then, if the Bishops and the Huangs were to form an alliance of sorts, they would have to gain Angel's approval first.

Just like she was taught, Rhea looked like she was hanging on to the boy's every word. And while usually that was merely a facade, this time it was easy to focus on what the person she was speaking to was saying. Just the way he spoke, the way the words spilled out of mouth to form coherent sentences captured the Bishop's attention. It seemed the boy had a way with words. 

"Yes," she answered, smiling a tight-lipped smile. "Of course, my father was irked to find out I was sorted into Gryffindor... however, all is better now." A lie, but she didn't need to tell Elijah, who was still a stranger to her, anything about her personal life. Not yet, anyway. "Will you be attending Hogwarts come September as well? If so, I would be glad to show you around the school." Her father would be proud of her gesture; spreading her claws to make as many connections as she possibly could. Of course, he wouldn't stop to ponder that maybe she wanted to make friends, other than just business connections. Why in the world would he do that?

The girl leaned back, before realizing there was nowhere to lean back on. Thus, she ended up standing up and extending her hand to him. The property was big, they didn't have to stay in the parlor for the entire time. "My back has begun to hurt. Shall we go somewhere else? I can show you around, if you'd like." She offered Elijah an innocent, but genuine smile, showing him that she knew what she was doing. 

If Elijah should agree to join Rhea on her adventure throughout the property, she would begin to lead him to the gardens outside, where all kinds of flowers and plants grew. 

Morgan was beginning to get antsy, and Aaron clearly picked up on that. With his teeth clenching and unclenching, he grabbed his hand and squeezed harshly, smiling at her, but not with his eyes. The squeeze was a gentle reminder to stay in line. Without his wife by his side, if she was off socializing with others or acting like a commoner while he was striking up a business deal... it wouldn't bode well with neither potential allies or clients. It turned out he needed Morgan by his side. Just not in the right way, not in the way that she wanted him to need her. 

"My wife is much too occupied with other things to take full responsibility over the house and play housewife," Aaron's eyes glinted with a hint of malice, although he successfully hid it. All those who had experience in this kind of field, the ones where their source of income depended on their manners, knew how to hide their true feelings. How to suppress the berating words that wanted to explain out of their mouthes. 

"I've heard of that saying before, Mrs Huang. And of course, I completely agree, nevertheless," Aaron dropped his wife's hand, staring dead into Angel's eyes. "I hire others to do my work because I have power. Wealth." He smiled once more, however the sarcasm showed. Although he hid the majority, it did partially shine through. "A good quality in an ally, don't you say?" It just seemed to work out perfectly that Angel was the one he needed to impress, rather than her husband. He crossed his arms, challenging her to say something as comeback wordlessly. 

Reducio

i'm so sorry it took so long to reply!!  

↠ ELIJAH ↞

Irked. The very corner of Elijah's mouth tilted upward at the word, although he couldn't decide whether it was a good thing or a bad one. Most children of prestigious pureblood families were raised to have pristine manners and astounding eloquence, so Rhea fit into that category pretty nicely. However, the way she spoke, in general, just exuded this sense of wisdom and knowledge- perhaps she didn't speak like this simply because her parents taught her to, but maybe because she truly enjoyed it? He could relate entirely, if that were the case. Words could make or break a relationship, and they also proved an effective barrier that actions just sometimes couldn't carry out.

At the mention of Hogwarts, he seemed to perk up a bit- his gaze seemed to sharpen and lock in on Rhea, while his posture straightened up just that extra centimetre to hit perfect. "Indeed, I'll be shipped off to Hogwarts in the autumn," he confirmed with a slight incline of his head and a small smile. His sister, of course, spoke highly of the school, and he trusted his sister beyond words. She spoke of the castle with wonder in her eyes and fondness in her throat, which was enough to convince the young boy that indeed, his adolescent years would be well spent in Scotland. 

"And truly, your help is appreciated." Ah, yes. Thank her for her offer, but implicate a subtle tone of independence so she knows she's not dealing with a woebegone, wee little toddler. The last thing he wanted was to look childish in front of the Bishop, an intimidating girl who could probably snap his back with just a single glance. "I'll be sure to look for you once we're there." Surely, this said something about her character. The first mention of school, and she already offered her help to him, a near-stranger.  

Her back? What, how old was she? 12? How on earth could her back be hurting already? He ignored the comment, however, choosing to file the tidbit away in the back of his head. Her smile made his head spin with the blinding whiteness of her teeth, and he managed to scrape up a reciprocation and plastered on a half-genuine smile. "A tour around the house would be lovely," he assured her, his half-smile cementing itself in place. He resisted the urge to extend his arm to her as if they were attending a ball- he was sure it would seem like he was mocking European customs, and that certainly wasn't ideal. Instead, he let her lead the way, trailing behind her.

↠ ANGEL ↞
charlie's kinda half-dead on his phone somewhere playing crossy road just ignore him

Angel decided that she didn't like this man, a man who treated his wife like arm candy rather than another human. Her eyes slid over to Morgan as Aaron's words slipped out of his mouth, the syllables barely registering in her brain as her gaze picked apart the woman, her stare nearly petrifying. Her eyes were like her husband's and her children's, so dark that her pupils weren't discernable from her irises, giving her the appearance of a demon. A beautiful demon with porcelain skin and a rapier-sharp wit, but a demon nonetheless.

"Please," she said quietly, her English lightly accented. "It's Mrs. Ye, although I insist you call me Angel." She had not, like many others in her position, chosen to take on her husband's surname, as that was a mostly European culture. Of course, when referring to the both of them, she let the technicalities slide... but it was just her talking to the Bishops. Her husband was nowhere in sight, and she honestly couldn't blame him. He surely won't drink all of the maotai, she thought wryly, recalling his youthful love for the alcohol. Knocking back shots was more of a rich mainlander university student type of activity, not one fit for a distinguished businessman. 

Her lip curled at Aaron's sarcastic statement, the intention not lost on her. "If you believe so," she murmured softly, swirling the wine in her glass ever-so-slightly. "However, I like to be the... er, how do you say it? The more dominant one in a relationship, both personal and professional." And with that, Angel raised her glass to her lips to hid the smirk she so desperately wanted to flash. Yes, she wasn't a native English speaker, but she had also lived in England for over twenty-five years. Her English was accented, yes, but she knew the language as well as any born-and-bred Londoner. Any "forgotten" words were completely feigned, and only for the dramatic effect. She was rather brilliant, like that.

"Complete and utter control, Mr. Bishop," she remarked casually, setting her glass back down. "The only way to guarantee complete and utterly pristine results."