Cassie often brings the energy, the laughter, the drama and is the one initiating the activities around the house.
Right from the start there are little mentions of Cassie, even before she fully comes into the fiction. Her presence is felt throughout the house. It is also noted that she is one of the only ones to have actually seen more of Wales than their immediate surroundings. Although the other three characters are shown to be perhaps a little more in tune with each other and empathetic towards people in general (in slight contract with Cassie being the one who studies the most people centrist and caring subjects – medicine), it is Cassie who is able to see outside of the world right in front of them. A different type of interest and care for people than is perhaps overtly celebrated.
So below are two short mentions of Cassie, prior to her entrance.
The city that homes Joan and Aron’s gym, Aron and Cassie’s favourite coffee stop, Echo’s part time job and Joan’s study hideout. Occasionally, Cassie will gallop off to the countryside with the free shuttle bus and take a ramble with some like minded friends…….
……..Other than these spontaneous trips, because they always are spontaneous when it involves Cassie or a group activity (take the blue cheese gnocchi as an example), the group do not consider the wider welsh landscape……
Another Cassie trait is her humour and sense of fun in nearly everything that she does. These traits are best show in the little interactions between herself and the others in the house. The two extracts below she her ease at laughing with (and at) her housemates.
Cassie turned to answer and instead burst into a head jerk kind of laugh at the sight of Aron’s goose-pimple pale chest, the gel styled hair half way in preparation and a Star Wars towel as the only protection from the cold air…….
More disconcerting to the scene was Cassie who rounded the kitchen corner just that very second, broccoli in hand, and caught a glimpse of a butt cheek gliding into the front room.
“Hubba hubba, the boys are out to play!”
“Not with a stained top I’m fucking not.”
As the housemate least likely to ever be annoyed, the curse word was taken as the light hearted way it was delivered.
Cassie sent a wink in Echo’s direction and a crisp wolf whistle through the ground level of the frosty house.
Next is Cassie’s much raved about energy.
The endless energy that some people appear to have constantly is questioned through a later paragraph about Cassie and this very moment where she just craves solitude.
Cassie’s has her knees drawn up to her chest and her back against the wall as she sits balanced on the sofa’s armrest. She loves the living room and is probably the one that enjoys it the most for the actual space. Sure Aron uses it for hosting his friends before pres and Echo uses it to eat at because he likes the symbolism of a dining table. As Joan rarely spends time in there and makes small comments about the size and appearance on a regular basis, it is easy enough to deduct her indifference to the room. They all use the room and then leave them room, no one but Cassie actually seeks the room out.
Her position now is the one the others are most likely to walk in on. She is tucked into the top fold of the armrest, with her big toe hooked on a crease in the lining. She sits here when she has a pause in hospital placements or social activities, and seems to seep energy from it. Her olive skin glows against the greens in the room from the sofa and parts of the scarf, and mellows against the pinks. She’d placed the scarf there because it felt like home to her, the colours weaving perfectly with the rest of the room and having an almost immediate calming effect on her thoughts. It was not calming from stress that Cassie required, but a tempering of her constant ideas and fiery energy. Her mind raced a mile a second, a characteristic she greatly appreciated and often put to good use. But just once in a while it helped to be able to put the padded breaks on and go through the motions in a slower daze. Although the house were accustomed to seeing Cassie perched in her elevated seat or tucked into a corner on the floor, they were just as familiar with then seeing her hop off and into action as soon as someone entered. She rarely just sat in the presence of others. Echo was the one most in tune with this, he unconsciously avoided the room when he knew Cassie was in there alone out of a silent understanding that she needed there to be no audience in order to allow herself that solitude. When her usually quick moving footsteps slowed to a measured pace on the staircase, and then stopped in the living room, Echo now understood it’s meaning and stayed in his room. The other two were less in tune with this need from Cassie and instead saw her as having an endless supply of energy. They knew intuitively that if they entered the room, she’d spring up and out, but then never questioned the moments before that movement. If they had to dig just inches into their feelings towards Cassie, they might from time to time wish she’d take time to be more subdued, but they both seemed to conclude this was due to selfish reasons.
Even the discussion about compliments and how others’ reactions to complements purely directed at you, can affect your internalisation of the remarks, is explored through the character of Cassie.
Cassie savored the attention Florence paid her; the exclamations of wonder at her flexibility in yoga classes and admiration at the interior design of her cosy plant filled room. However, having had any of the others in the same proximity as some of her friends was an oxymoron. On one hand she welcomed the chance for her housemates to see how treasured she was by Florence and her other yoga friends, on the other hand, she was acutely aware of the teasing of the compliments of Cassie’s friends, which invertedly made fun of the endorsement Cassie so enjoyed basking in. She was relieved when no one was free, but pleased she’d asked as that was just that type of person she was; welcoming and keen for anything and everyone.
This was just a little, tiny glimpse into Cassie’s role in this story. Yes, there are individuals that I may have tailored her towards that I know and admire in my life, but to say who would just be telling!
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Thank you.
PacificallyMe 