Studying/Relaxing Outdoors Closed

Hearing the rock crumble, Alexx blinked blankly. "Huh." She stated to herself. The Prefect walked over, going to investigate. It must have been a bored student of some sorts, and she couldn't really blame whoever it was. The day, or, her day, at least, had not been the most eventful. No detentions to hand out, no students to scold. It was far too peaceful for her liking. So, a shattering rock was just enough to entertain her for the time being.

She walked over towards the boy who had conjured the spell and looked at him. "Is destroying rocks a hobby of yours or is this mere practice?" She jokingly asked, offering him a soft smile. She looked between him and the rock, pondering. "You must make your professors proud." She added. It wasn't usual for her to interact with people that she didn't know. It was actually pretty odd of her to do so, considering that Alexx was very precise about staying within her little circle. There was simply no reason to venture on out into the world. Unless, of course, this meant curing her boredom.

Looking down at his book, she raised an eyebrow. "Runes, aye? I suspect we might be sharing a class then next year." Runes was a subject that fascinated Alexx to no end. She simply could not contain her excitement when it came to learning about them. It was all too amazing, what the magical world had to offer. Though she was a pureblood, that didn't mean that she couldn't be amazed by everything still. "You like runes, then? Me too." It was small talk. She was horrid at it, but she may as well give it a try.

Studying his features, she took in just exactly who she was approaching. Dark hair, pale face. He looked really average. Was she supposed to know him? Alexx tried to remember everyone she crossed paths with, but not this one. It must have meant he kept out of trouble because she would remember a trouble maker's face. So she concluded that this was simply no one. Just a normal student, no older than she was. It was nice interacting with the people, after all. She couldn't stay holed up in her little Prefect world forever.

The Lake was usually a calming place to go during the midst of all one's worries. It wasn't where Koko usually went, but the Porcelain Palace was getting to be a bit boring now that an insane Hufflepuff had taken over, and Koko's greatest fear was sometimes in the room. So the Lake it was.

She wanted to interact with someone - make a friend, acquaintance, or an enemy - but first, she had to find someone to interact with. Hopefully a Slytherin such as herself, but a Ravenclaw would settle. Koko was still salty about Gryffindor winning the most recent House Cup, and she was a little wary of Hufflepuffs at the moment. She was planning to keep walking until she saw a fellow snake to talk to.

"That was a damn amazing spell right there."

And it was. It had caught Koko's attention, which could be easily done these days, but it still impressed the twelve-year-old. There was rock shrapnel all over the ground, which would have hurt to step on had Koko not been wearing shoes. Thankfully, she was wearing a pair of flats in addition to her school uniform. She wore flats too often, so often that they made her feet ache, but she preferred them to almost any type of shoes.

She could have chosen to comment on something else, but she instead chose to comment on the intensity of the spell cast. "Good job," she offered before turning to take a seat. God, she was tired. Especially her legs. She had run a lap around the Quidditch Training Pitch earlier in the day as extra training, and that had only made her more tired. The shade the tree offered was wonderful on such a warm day, and Koko couldn't help but remember the terrors of the cold of last winter. Still, she would end up relaxing in the sunlight, trying to soak in the sunlight and tan some so that she wouldn't burn over the summer. And perhaps she might talk to the other snake more, get to know a Housemate. It would all depend...

But then another girl came into view, and she too began a conversation with the male. Koko didn't know either of them, and she was beginning to feel a little awkward. She noted the prefect badge on the other girl's robes, and she decided not to do anything terrible. Koko would hate to have detention during the last month of school. "Hello there," she said, addressing the girl this time. "I like runes as well. It's a shame that I cannot take the class for yet another year." She was almost a second year, so not exactly a newbie. She wasn't anywhere near able to take an elective, though.

And then the boy spoke yet again. His name... Marcus. Koko would remember that. "You both are purebloods as well? So am I. I'm Koko Riddle." She would pay attention to them; her family would be very angry if she didn't. Not that she particularly cared...

Alexx cocked her head to the side, smiling at the both of them. Rune lovers. Purebloods. People who understood her. How interesting, and so rare as well. "Alexx Severin. Prefect of Slytherin, Pureblood as you guessed, third heir to the Helm and Severin families." It had been so long since she was able to introduce herself in such a noble way. It was definitely a different feeling when she was around people who were just like her. It felt... nice.

Her ears practically perked up at the conversation. "Runes are my favorite. My brother took Ancient Runes when he went here- let me do some of my own research." She noted, nodding her head. Then she smiled at Marcus. "Non, vous avez rien fait de mal." She assured him, the smile never breaking from her face. "As a matter of fact, no one seems to be doing anything wrong today. What a pity. I enjoy giving out those detentions."

Looking between the two, she nodded. "It is very nice to meet you both." She said. Typically, those words weren't entirely honest. She didn't like most people these days. Sure, she hung out with lots of people, but there were only a few that she truly liked. It was hard to get that connection with people like she wanted. There weren't many that really understood her. And besides, she didn't have enough Slytherin friends, oddly enough. Instead, she confided in the yellow house- the happy little badgers. She loved those folk a lot, but it was nice to be around a different crowd. Looking over to Koko, she cocked her head to the side once more. "Ah- you're a first year then?" She asked as if it weren't obvious.

Alexx remembered her first year- it was dull. Nothing satisfying about it. She met a few good people, mostly Slytherin girls from her dorm. Mia and Cara, primarily. And then the summer camp that followed was interesting. But she couldn't honestly say that she would have liked to go back and relive her first year. If she could, she would go back and do it differently. Maybe make it not so boring. Her brothers had a myriad of stories, and what did she have? Sorrowful letters home and a summer camp cabin filled with exhilarating drama. That was the most of it. This year had been different, luckily. And she suspected that Koko's first year was better than the one that Alexx recalled; the one that made her shudder like a winter cold.

The French girl spoke once more, but in French. Koko, a native English speaker, could only understand bits and pieces even if she were hearing it correctly, which she might not have been. No in the beginning, bad at the end? She also said "you", didn't she? She wondered. She decided not to worry, though; it couldn't have meant anything.

Oh shit. Not detention. Koko hadn't had one yet, and she wasn't going to have one as far as she cared. Koko was usually a rule-abiding person, though she had the occasional break to dress code. Today was not one of those days. "Yes, in fact. I am a First Year." So these two were both Second Years. Koko listened to Marcus for a moment, and then she said, "Transfiguration is particularly intriguing. I also enjoy Defence Against the Dark Arts as well as Herbology. I enjoy how they are hands-on." She smiled as she said this, recalling the lesson with the Bouncing Bulbs.

It was awkward for Koko to be near another Slytherin Prefect, especially when one of them had terrified her. Alexx didn't seem scary, but Koko couldn't afford to let her guard down. Koko realised, with a jolt, that she didn't even have her knife on her. That might have been a good thing in this instance, but what if something tried to kill them?

No worry shone in her golden eyes, no fear showed on her face. "There was a bomb in one of the bathrooms. Some people got knocked out, and I actually tried to stand against the bomber. Landed me with a couple of deep cuts and a very sore jaw, but I don't regret it." That was a lie, but an unnoticeable one. She did regret it, but not for reasons one might think. She regretted it now because the kid would never trust her, and she had gained an enemy by losing a possible friend. She smiled a broad grin at the group, trying to be friendly. "How do you like being a Second Year?" Koko asked.

Alexx thought to herself. "I rather like the idea of Divination. And I am excited for animagi training as well. Third-year classes seem like fun." Alexx was,in fact, the most excited for animagi training. She had never wanted to master something so much in her life. Looking at Koko, she laughed. "I am terrible with Herbology." She recalled briefly the disappointment that she felt when she received a "P" on her homework- it was shameful. Alexx could do just about anything else, but she struggled with understanding plants.

Perking up, she smiled. "News! I'm on the paper, I know all about that. Let's see... We got some new Prefects earlier this year, and then another new set of Prefects, and then we should be adding one more here soon... The new charms Professor is a Slytherin! And... hm... Well, of course, we got a new Head of House this year too. That's exciting. Uhm... Erin Ryan is pregnant, or something like that. And there was that party in the potions room... Erin's younger brother was responsible for a lot of detentions." She paused, trying to think. "That's it. That's all I got." She smiled sheepishly, as if she hadn't just thrown out a bunch of knowledge that she has collected over the past year. "I heard the Blossom Ball was interesting, but I left after Elena practically kidnapped Anatole."

She listened to their conversation a bit, nodding. "I'm excited for the summer, mostly. I mean, I love school, but I can't wait to catch a break before returning." It was true. This Prefect business was hard. What Alexx wanted most was to go and hang out with her friends as they had planned, and spend some days basking in the American sun. It had been so long since she had gone to her second home; America, such an interesting country. She was more than excited to return, especially with friends.

Koko eyed the other two snakes somewhat uneasily. She wasn't scared or nervous; she just didn't know them too well and therefore didn't know what to think of them or whether or not she should trust them.

However, both of them seemed quite nice, so Koko would keep her guard down for a while. She bit back her slight jealousy when electives were brought up. "I'm interested in Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures, but I don't know what I'll want to do in a year from now," she said, smiling. Animagi Training certainly sounded fun, but Koko doubted she would be able to do anything of the sort, ever.

Koko sealed her lips after that, listening to the tales woven by the prefect. She hadn't heard about all of the developments. "Wouldn't this Erin Ryan be a bit... young?" Koko asked, concern snaking its way into her expression as she raised a singular eyebrow. Koko certainly didn't want to know all the details. This school was a very odd place, to let this happen.

"I'm also looking forward to the summer. I'm moving, so I might not know anyone, but I may get to take my sister with me. For that much, I am very grateful. Plus, it will be sunny there." Or so she hoped. She was just glad to be getting away from where she currently lived. In fact, Koko was fairly sure that Victor had already made the move. She couldn't be positive, though. "But for now, I'm very excited for duelling. I don't know if I would be too good at it, but it seems to be an interesting way to use both strategy and athleticism at once."