Jealousy pv Emily Shephard and Ruby Night Finished

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Ruby wandered aimlessly around the Hogwarts grounds, feeling a bit lost. She'd always loved the company of animals but didn't have a pet of her own. Today, the sight of her classmates playing with their cats made her feel particularly lonely. The air was crisp, and the sun was just starting to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the grass. The playful meows and happy laughter of her peers seemed to amplify her sense of solitude.

As she walked, she noticed a figure curled up on the grass, sobbing quietly. The figure was small and huddled, as if trying to disappear into the earth. Curious and concerned, Ruby approached cautiously, her footsteps light on the soft ground. She realized it was Elizabeth, a girl she'd seen in a few classes but never really talked to. Elizabeth's shoulders were shaking with sobs, and her face was buried in her arms. Ruby felt a pang of empathy and decided she couldn't just walk away.

Hey, are you alright? Ruby crouched down next to Elizabeth. Her voice was gentle, and she made sure to speak in a soothing tone.

Elizabeth didn't respond immediately, lost in her own world of sadness. Ruby bit her lip, thinking of what to say next. She sat down beside her, careful not to get too close, respecting Elizabeth's space. The grass felt cool and slightly damp under her legs, a stark contrast to the warmth she wanted to offer Elizabeth.

I'm Ruby. I know we haven't really talked before, but I couldn't just leave you here crying. What's wrong?
She tried to catch Elizabeth's eye, hoping to convey her sincerity.

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Crossing Paths with @Elizabeth Stonewall and @Ruby Night

OOC Notes: So, so sorry that this is so late...!

Emily was still chugging on down a little nature tour now that she had overcome her demons. The Forbidden Forest was now nothing but more than a goal to achieve rather than a source of fear and abandonment. But as the year was coming to an end she had very few chances left.

Not that she could worry about that at the minute. She still had mouths to feed outside the forest. Already she had left sunflower seeds for the tits and the sparrows while small slices of orange. pumpkin and bread were left in patches across the grass and under the trees for the badgers and the foxes.

It was to her relief that she had enough scraps to spare to feed some new neighbours. Cats. Upon seeing their little tails in the field Emily excitedly came over, approaching carefully as not to startle them. She would reach in, leave a few and then bounce back out, assuming they were feral. Feral cats were like walking attitude bags as Emily once learnt when she came across one whilst hiking with "Auntie."

However the cats were not alone. Near them were two girls whom Emily was positive she had seen before. One of them definitely, being in Hufflepuff like she was. The other was a Ravenclaw girl that she met briefly way back earlier in the year just outside the ballroom.

Emily walked over gently with some food in her hand and saw that the other girls were talking and by the looks of it, one of them was downcast. Emily wasn't going to pry as it wasn't her place but she wasn't going to be chased off from feeding her wildlife buddies. She walked past them politely and knelt down to place the scraps on the ground. She bared her familiar friendly grin, both to be nice and to see if she can cheer up whatever had her fellow classmates down in the dumps.

"Don't mind me...! I'm just going to set these here if that's okay..." she said nicely as she set the last of the pumpkin down on the ground. Most of what else she had left would be no good. Emily had read somewhere that gastrointestinal problems could arise if one attempted to feed them most fruit and veg.

"There we go..." She backed up slowly to allow the cats, should they choose to, to come forward and grab their free snacks. Emily turned to the other two girls.

"Sorry to just barge in like that, but this food would be no good if I didn't donate it to a good cause...!"

_{Word Count: 473}

Stats: Stamina: 6|Evasion: 5|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 7|Arcane Power: 5|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast

Catty Conversations with @Elizabeth Stonewall and @Ruby Night Hee hee, get it?

Emily had been spending quite a lot of time with her wildlife neighbours over the last couple of weeks. It honestly didn't surprise her that the young Ravenclaw inquired if they were her cats. With a gentle but otherwise amused chuckle, Emily politely shook her head.

"Unfortunately not... But there's nothing wrong with looking out for the little critters and beasties that live outside the castle, am I right?" Emily let out another light-hearted laugh before briefly turning her attention back to the cats still frolicking in the grass.

She could hear her classmate continuing to talk behind her. Emily listened, nodding her head as she spoke. She emphasised with her a lot. "A cat lover I see! I can relate... I'd love to have a pet a home, may that be a cat, a dog... Even a salamander if I could! But I know my parents would never approve. Not to mention that my Father is allergic to animal fur." Emily sighed a little. How could a Father that sees her twice a year forbid her from having pets? The bloke is never home for Heaven's sake...!

The talk of camp however quickly pushed the thoughts of her neglectful Father out of the way and Emily chimed in brightly. "I'll be at camp! I initially wasn't going to but Auntie convinced me that it'd be good for me. I was thinking about asking a few of my classmates to share tents together!"

She sat and leaned back on the ground. "You know... I can't explain it, but I just have a good feeling about summer this year, you know? Usually for me there's always something that happens that makes me a bit uneasy around this time of year... But I think things are going to be okay. And things will be okay for you too! Trust me...!"

_{Word Count: 339}

Stats: Stamina: 6|Evasion: 5|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 7|Arcane Power: 5|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast

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Ruby sensed the girl needed someone to listen to her, so she made herself comfortable in the grass next to Elizabeth. She reached into her pocket and offered Elizabeth a tissue. Elizabeth took out a picture and showed it to Ruby. Ruby took the picture and saw a beautiful cat. Elizabeth told her it was a Silver Siberian.

That’s a nice cat. Ruby gave her back the picture. Ruby heard a sound and looked around to find the source. She saw a Hufflepuff girl walking towards them, with some food in her hand.

No, I don’t have a pet. I’m also saving my money, but there is so much I want and so little money in my pocket. I would like a pet, eventually. But I’m not such a cat person. I think I would prefer a bunny. They are so cute. It made her think of home, where the wild rabbits often come to their garden and play on the grass. She always loved watching them play.

The other girls started to talk about camp. Ruby had thought about camp quite a lot, and wanted to attend the festivities.
Camp sounds so nice. I would love to attend. I just haven’t found people to share a tent with. But there is still time. It could also be a good opportunity to make some new friends.

Ruby watched Emily relax in the grass. She could almost feel her excitement for the summer. But she sensed something in her words.

What would make you uneasy, Emily? Is it something we can help with?

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Feline Fine with @Elizabeth Stonewall and @Ruby Night Someone stop me with these cat jokes

The conversation continued and while Emily was in high spirits, it appeared that her Ravenclaw associate was still not quite at that level yet. At Ruby's question, Emily answered sincerely.

"Oh, lot's of things... Such as not being able to go somewhere that I've been excited to go to all year long, or maybe a problem in the family that has me as the worrywart I am. Seemingly trivial things that nevertheless sour the mood, you know?"

Emily always preferred the quiet winter time compared to the unpredictable summer period. Fewer opportunities for things to go wrong or take her by surprise in the off-putting kind of way seemed to occur far less during the winter break. A far cry from the yearly let-downs and anxieties during the summer holidays.

It wasn't long before Emily was drawn back again to the other girl's talk of cats again. She nodded at the proposal of a playdate between pets. A pet-date? Pet play? There was bound to be a pun she could make out of that.

"A playdate sounds like a cool idea!" Emily said brightly, most definitely approving the idea of such. "Should you guys ever get the chance to fulfill it, I'll be sure to bring snacks for your animal buddies!"

_{Word Count: 246}

Stats: Stamina: 6|Evasion: 5|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 7|Arcane Power: 5|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast