Duty and Obligation (Colette Borgin)

[Kassia Burke]

Kassia was at odds with her sisters. It was a strange feeling since Kassia lived to please her family, but neither one of her sisters seemed to understand duty or honor to the family name. They waxed poetry about being free and independent "choosing" their own life and making their own decisions. Yes it was poetic, and completely impractical. They had obligations, they were born to privilege and with privilege there was certain expectations.

But Kassia was tired of fighting. She was tired of Fee whining. She was tired of her Father's yelling, her mother's seeming indifference, her brother's absence, and her twin's silent disapproval.

Kassia was just a sixteen year old girl, why did she have to fix anything? Even if she had been doing it since she was little why did she have to keep doing it?

Sighing she slammed her book closed. There weren't any other Slytherins in the common room yet so she wasn't worried about her less than ladylike behavior.

[Colette Borgin]

Colette should have been preparing to study for the herbology exam that was coming up, but as she had managed to procure a seat next to a very intelligent Ravenclaw for the last three weeks, she was certain she'd be able to pass without studying. She didn't, however, drop the pretense of studying, and when she came into the Slytherin common room she carried her herbology text under her right arm. Sitting alone, Kassia Burke had a scowl on her face that would not permit Colette to simply pass by.

"Oi! What's wrong?" she asked as she dropped her book on the table and plopped into a neighboring chair.

[Kassia Burke]

Burke business was Burke business. They may have been going through some problems, but for the most part everything was hush hush. Kassia understood and enforced the privacy of her family fiercely, but then there was the Borgins.

The Borgins and the Burkes had practically been raised together. It was likely that if anyone outside of the Burkes knew about their familial problems, it was the Borgins. Lucky for Kassia, Colette was a friend.

"Just Fee, being her usual...charming self."

[Colette Borgin]

The Borgins and the Burkes had grown up together, with Colette's brothers getting on with Jadon, and she becoming friends with the Burke girls. While Colette enjoyed playing with all of the Burke sisters when they were younger, she found her friendship with Kassia growing more as they grew older. It was only natural that the two would have a stronger bond, they shared many of the same values and views on family and the wizarding community in general.

Colette gave a sympathetic smile. As the only girl in her family, she couldn't relate to the pains of an older sister. But gossiping and complaining about another girl was something she most certainly could partake in. "Is she still going on with that Gryffindor boy? What was his name?"

[Kassia Burke]

"Parsons." she spat the word, "Tyler Parsons." she sighed, "He's not a bad sort. He's no Axis Thorne, but he has a good bloodline, and he's rich, if papa hadn't decided on Axis we'd all be encouraging the match."

It was something Kassia would never say to her sister Fee, nor would she bring it up to her father again since that was a moot point.

"I'm just so sick of the fighting. They're Burkes. They're stubborn."

[Colette Borgin]

The corners of Colette's mouth curved upward. "Yes, those Burkes are rather strong-willed," she agreed with a taunting tone. Kassia was just as pig-headed about her things as Ophelia was about this boy. But forced to choose, Colette would certainly side with Kassia. Arranged marriages were not as common as they once were, but among the more noble families it was still common enough that Colette would have undoubtedly took any husband her father had arranged for her. Being that she had two older brothers to carry on the family name and maintain their fortune, it didn't seem that Colette would be sold to the highest bidder anytime soon. But she never really ruled it out, and talk of Ophelia's rendezvous with Tyler Parsons brought it to the forefront of her mind more often.

[Kassia Burke]

She released a small smile at her friend's teasing. Yes Kassia was stubborn, moreso perhaps than her sisters when she really dug her heels in, but right now she was just weary.

She understood the politics behind arranged marriages, and there were terrible arranged marriages, she knew that too, but she trusted her father. He would never sell any of his daughters to the highest bidder, but he would protect them by any means necessary.

"Still, he never approached Papa, and that should have been his first move."

[Colette Borgin]

"It's just disrespectful," Colette said in agreement, shaking her head. There were certain traditions that needed to be upheld. It seemed more and more frequently tradition and familial obligation was being pushed to the wayside. A lack of morals and social lawlessness was becoming all too common. Colette firmly believed that when their society lost all respect for their traditions, they would be no better than the muggles.

[Kassia Burke]

"Thank you!" Kassia exclaimed, relieved to finally find someone who understood. "Fee and Allaire think it's romantic, but Parsons is no better than a thief or Cassanova. Going behind papa's back is proof of his poor intentions, and Fee is too in "love" to see it!" Kassia sighed, the true worry coming into her voice, " He's made no promises to the family, no assurances that his intentions are honorable. He's ruining her reputation and the family's reputation as well, and she's letting him. She's blinded by him."

[Colette Borgin]

Colette sneered as Kassia explained all the worries she was feeling. Disrespectful, she kept thinking to herself. "Obviously his family didn't do their job in raising him, otherwise he'd know his behavior was unacceptable." She looked hard at Kassia. "Instead of talking to Fee about it, have you tried telling him off directly? I mean, if his father and mother couldn't be bothered to explain how these things worked, then maybe it's best coming from someone with enough class to understand how these matters are supposed to go."

[Kassia Burke]

"Who's to say he doesn't know?" Kassia said defeated, " He was raised a gentleman Fee assures me, and he is from a good family. He should know the rules. I can only conclude that he knows them and does not care. He is deliberately toying with Fee's affection and she is so taken in she's convinced he's done no wrong." there was a tiny - but not annoying - wail in her voice.

[Colette Borgin]

Colette frowned. There wasn't much of anything she could do to help her friend feel better about the situation. It was up to Fee and their father to figure this out, but if history had any say, it wouldn't go as it should. "I'm sorry," Colette said finally. "Want to go torment some first years to take your mind off it?" She laughed, trying to ease the tension with a joke.

[Kassia Burke]

Kassia allowed herself a smile despite her wretched mood. "Thank you Colette." she said now that most of her bile had been spent complaining about her sister's situation.

"Honestly I should be studying right now."

She had been so wrapped up in her sister's mess that her studies had taken a turn for the worse.

[Colette Borgin]

"Me too," she said, gesturing to the herbology book that she'd dropped on the table when first entered the common room. Colette wasn't actually planning to study, but she could manage an hour or so if it meant Kassia wasn't alone dwelling on her family's problems. "Library?" she offered with a dull smile.

[Kassia Burke]

Kassia made a face. She didn't want to study; she didn't want to think about her family's problems anymore either. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were before this whole mess.

"Yes I suppose." she said resigned, knowing that wishes didn't account for anything.