To the 'You' that I Hide PV Ophelia Northwell Fin

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september 14th, 2024 • date girl's lavatory • location to the 'you' that i hide • thread

Ophelia entered the girl's bathroom to find it occupied. Which wasn't an abnormal thing. But still, it was not every day that she found another girl, with her things spread out across the sinks and seats, worrying over her appearance.

It was only after a moment of staring blankly at the girl did Ophelia realise that she wasn't some random older or younger girl who the Ravenclaw had never met. No, this was Scout! They'd met only a few days ago, but Ophelia didn't feel defensive or worried in her presence. "Hi, Scout!" She responded.

Ophelia made her way deeper into the bathroom. She'd entered to check her hair, which she feared had gone frizzy because of the weather outside. From her blue satchel, the one that she pretty much carried everywhere now, the Ravenclaw produced a mini comb, using it to calm her wild hair with the help of the mirror.

That was when Scout spoke again. Ophelia turned, surprised that the Gryffindor girl had asked her for her opinion on her outfit. "Uhm..." She hesitated. Something about the way the girl had made her request gave the Ravenclaw the feeling that she was asking only because how she looked was very important to her. She seemed nervous and worried, something that hadn't been haunting her last Sunday. "Let's see. Soft. Well, I would go for something more... pastel toned, you know?" She set her comb down on the counter, turning to the clothes that Scout had arranged for herself to look at.

"Skirts work well, like the one you're wearing." The comment was meant mostly for herself, as she sorted through the clothes without touching them. She looked up fast, eyes latching on the Scout's. "If it isn't asking too much, could you tell me why you want to look... soft?"

So far, to Ophelia at least, Scout seemed adventurous and kind, smart and resourceful, but whatever she was, she didn't seem soft. Not that being soft was a bad thing, but wasn't it important to be who you truly were on the inside?

interactions • @Scout Fu-Hai mentions • @ stats • sta 7 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 9 | arc 6 | acc 6

305 • word count xxx • outfit perfectionist, paragon of health • abilities

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september 14th, 2024		saturday, afternoon
wc: 450		dhampir | sensitive to sunlight
interacting with: @Ophelia Northwell		mentioning: @Emily Shephard

Scout had met Ophelia through Emily, specifically through Emily's birthday party that had been held a few days ago- right? Had it really only been a few days since she was celebrating her best friend's birthday...? It felt like an eternity or more since then, especially with all the fighting that had happened since. First Asteria, and then her Potions partner...

'Is that all you can do? Fight?'

Not that she would tell any of that to Ophelia. Though she didn't know much about the Ravenclaw, Ophelia was friends with Emily and that was good enough for Scout. The friend of my friend is also my friend, or something like that. That ideology extended to Emily for Scout, that ideology was also why Scout had such a penchant for fighting with Casey. How in the world could he be so mean to her friend?

"Oh, I was just thinking..." she trailed off, brown eyes not meeting with Ophelia, "it's time for a change, you know? I'm older now, I have to like- like look nice for the new firsties." Nice save, and it was an easy enough lie that Ophelia wouldn't be suspicious. Especially given the two didn't know each other that well, any normal person would want to be nice for younger kids. Would it really be so far-fetched that Scout would want to be a mentor figure to someone who (just a few months ago) was in the same spot as her?

'For anyone that knows you, yes. You cannot be kind.'

Even when her voice echoed out in the same confident tone she always used, there was the flitter of uncertainty that whispered in the back of her mind. Every thought she had, every word she spoke, it was like there was someone (or something) in her chest that told her the opposite. While it wasn't as though she had never dealt with self-doubt, it had become more apparent as of recent. It used to be easier to push it down.

"I don't really have a lot of pastel clothes, to be honest." Her wardrobe had consisted of whatever clothes that had strong, untearable fabric. "And skirts, really? I only have this one and the ones I wear under my robes." Saying it out loud made her realize how little clothing she actually owned- and she only wore about half of it. "Haha, I think I need to go shopping, actually!"

Her smile was a little forced, but it has always been easier to focus on situations at hand and take them as they come. The more she thought about what was going on right now, the harder it was for her self-doubt to creep in. Nice!

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speech • #427c9a thoughts • italics others • #ffffff

september 14th, 2024 • date girl's lavatory • location to the 'you' that i hide • thread

Ophelia felt a bit of worry enter her system. She was a supporter of people who needed help, but that could only happen if Scout told her what was wrong. She doesn't know me that well yet, of course she won't tell me anything. And the Ravenclaw wasn't one to pry. She stood by silently, her eyes still scanning the piles of clothing, as she waited for the other girl to answer.

Eventually Scout replied that she just wanted to look nice and approachable to the first years. While there was still some waver in her voice that Ophelia could make out, the reason was viable, and made a lot of sense to a girl who just wanted to do the same. She nodded, stopping once to look Scout in the eye before continuing her scan, just to make sure the other girl knew that her Ravenclaw friend was paying attention to her.

"No pastel clothes?" Ophelia made a show of looking up and pretending to be offended. Her favorite colors to wear were pastel blues or purples, so of course her own wardrobe consisted mostly of that, but she didn't expect everyone to have the same tastes. She broke out into a little grin. "Just kidding. What's your usual style, then? Maybe we can figure out how you can look nicer and softer while working with that?" The Ravenclaw's grin widened. She liked fashion and dressing and shopping, all the girly things, but she didn't speak of them often to others. She knew Scout wasn't really asking for a makeover or anything similar, but she liked to act the part of a personal stylist.

"Skirts totally aren't necessary," Ophelia assured her companion. Then, she brightened. "But yeah, I guess you could go shopping. If you need any help, I could come with you, if you'd like." It had been been a while since the Ravenclaw had gone clothes shopping with any of her friends. Or, maybe she'd never done it at all. She couldn't really remember.

interactions • @Scout Fu-Hai mentions • @ stats • sta 7 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 9 | arc 6 | acc 6

286 • word count xxx • outfit perfectionist, paragon of health • abilities

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september 14th, 2024		saturday, afternoon
wc: 350ish		dhampir | sensitive to sunlight
interacting with: @Ophelia Northwell		mentioning: @Emily Shephard

Scout's thoughts and emotions fluctuated with ease, and her inner turmoil would fall quiet when Ophelia spoke. She was a really nice girl, it was no wonder Emily was friends with her. But if being 'nice' was one of the requirements for being friends with her beloved Hufflebuddy, Scout didn't fit that criteria.

'Don't drag Emily into this.'

There was never a time where Scout doubted her friendship with Emily but... okay, maybe her negative thoughts were leaking into how she perceived her own friendships with others. At some point, though, she had to draw a line. Emily was off-limits, so she put a stake in the ground there. It was fine if she hated herself and every decision she made, but she couldn't hate Emily, not after everything they had done for each other.

"My usual style?"

What was her usual style? When she was younger her dad would buy her graphic tees of famous muggle films and cartoons, it was how she got into 'Studio Ghibli' in the first place. If only she could be like the protagonists there, difficult but always wanting to do the right thing. Good people, beneath it all. Once more, she didn't fit that criteria. Beneath the facade of happiness and thrill, there was nothing but vermin and distaste.

At least she believed so.

"I'm not really sure I have a style. I kind of just buy clothes that don't tear easily." Initially it was because she played outside a lot, but now it was because her nails were getting long and sharp too fast for her to keep up with. Plus sometimes if she had her fangs out and pulled a shirt over her head, she'd tear the ends on her teeth. Monster anatomy, something like that. "Have you gone to Hogsmeade before? We should go shopping there sometime. Oh, wait, unless you follow the rules- then you didn't hear that!" Despite how she was feeling on the inside, Scout figured she was doing a really good job at keeping up a poker face.

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september 14th, 2024 • date girl's lavatory • location to the 'you' that i hide • thread

Ophelia looked Scout in the eyes as the other girl said she didn't have a style. No usual style? She just wears whatever? The thought confused the Ravenclaw, who was always meticulous about her appearance. Her mother had told her from a very young age that people perceived you after observing you. It was important to look the way you want to, to wear clothes that represent you. But if Scout didn't have a way to represent herself, then maybe that was the problem.

After a beat more of hesitation, Ophelia opened her mouth to speak when Scout began speaking again, answering the Ravenclaw's original hint at the suggestion of them going shopping together. She blinked, stunned. Hogsmeade? The place that younger years aren't allowed to go? She was pretty sure that second years weren't allowed to go to the magical village either, but she wasn't sure.

"Uhm... Hogsmeade?" Ophelia thought about Scout's earlier words. Oh, wait, unless you follow the rules... "We're not allowed to go there, are we?" Ophelia was a rule-follower, a rule respecter, a lover of rules and regulations and safety procedures. They were all meant for a purpose and she believed in following them. But... she also believed in helping friends out. No matter the cost. She'd shared time with Scout, so wasn't it her duty to help the girl with whatever she needed? And picking out clothes mustn't have been something mundane to her if she sounded so worried. "I've never been to Hogsmeade, but..." The Ravenclaw took a breath. "If you need a friend to help you, I'd be more than happy to go with you." She smiled nervously. Was she going too overboard? She didn't know Scout that well... yet.

"And maybe..." Ophelia hesitated. She'd started this train of thought out loud without really thinking through what she wanted to say. She took a moment to compose herself, put her previous thoughts into words, before continuing. "Maybe it's hard to look soft without looking like you? What I mean to say is, everyone has an inner style that they project, knowingly or unknowingly, in everything. How they speak, what they wear, their favourite things." The Ravenclaw giggled for a moment. "Maybe when we go shopping, we can try and find some clothes that you like? We can make anything look soft after that!"

While she'd been speaking, Ophelia had finally finished her assessment of the clothing that Scout had spread out on the bathroom counter. "For example, you could go with these pants," She gestured to something on one side. "And this t-shirt, even though they aren't light colors. You can make them look soft with..." Reaching into her satchel, Ophelia pulled out a little butterfly clip. "Something like this."

interactions • @Scout Fu-Hai mentions • @ stats • sta 7 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 9 | arc 6 | acc 6

335 • word count xxx • outfit perfectionist, paragon of health • abilities

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september 14th, 2024		saturday, afternoon
wc: 350ish		dhampir | terrible presence
interacting with: @Ophelia Northwell		mentioning: @Emily Shephard

"Um, I mean technically not. But you can always sneak in or forge your pass." Scout had done the latter, she always considered herself too chaotic to properly hide from the professors or prefects. It was much, much easier to hand over a fake pass and pray that whoever you were giving it to didn't have the best eyesight. To be fair- that always seemed to work for her! And it seemed to work for the other students she knew were way too young to be in Hogsmeade.

"Clothes I like, huh?"

It was flat-out wrong for Scout to say that there had never been clothes she bought because she liked them, but it wasn't entirely correct to say she only sought out clothes because she liked how they looked physically. It hadn't really been a concern for her to worry about what clothes she preferred, only what portrayed her in a certain way. If a shirt looked like something a sweet girl would wear, she'd tell her dad to buy it.

Though that had changed once she got older, with her preferences shifting to clothing that was less likely to get snagged by tree bark when she got into her climbing phase. She really missed the time (that had only been a year or two ago) where she was more concerned on how to get down from trees than whether or not she was the epitome of nonhuman hatred. Ugh, she really had to try and think about literally anything else. Her stomach was starting to churn again.

"Wow, such a pretty hair clip!" She leaned in to get a closer look. "Y'know, my hair has been getting longer recently. Maybe I should invest more time into my hairstyle too?" Actually... now that she was thinking about it, when was the last time she had gotten her hair cut? It was sometime around Spring Break, wasn't it? "Man, you've got some really great clothing taste. Maybe you should like... be one of the designers on those runway shows." Scout shook her head, could a witch really be a muggle fashion designer? Or did they have some sort of magic fashion show instead?

"Yeah, we should go to Hogsmeade. We can invite Emily and stuff, make it a fun trip!"

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september 14th, 2024 • date girl's lavatory • location to the 'you' that i hide • thread

Ophelia tried not to wrinkle her nose as Scout offhandedly spoke about sneaking in or forging her pass to Hogsmeade. Definitely not her thing, but she couldn't really think badly about Scout when she'd heard that so many others did the same thing. It wasn't just the girl in front of her who broke that particular set of rules, pretty much everyone did, it seemed. Everyone except me.

Then, the Ravenclaw brightened as Scout leaned in closer to get a better look of her butterfly clip. Having mostly manageable hair, Ophelia usually kept hers down, but she always carried such a clip around just in case she was getting into unplanned physical activity or her hair grew damp. Plus, there was always friends to give the clips to in case they were in clothing emergencies. "You can borrow the clip if you'd like!" She said. "I have plenty of different ones too to choose from too, if you decide that you like changing up your hairstyle."

As Scout went on to say something about how great Ophelia's clothing taste was, she couldn't help but look away in a bit of embarrassment. She enjoyed talking about clothing and hairstyles, of course, but she wasn't that good with fashion. She just liked looking good while being comfortable. "Aw, thanks! I've spent a lot of time figuring out my style." She grinned.

And then they were back to talking about Hogsmeade. It's not really breaking the rules if everyone does it, right? Ophelia's brain protested, but the voice was weak. Still, the Ravenclaw had already made up her mind, and she was going to go with Scout. "Yeah, it would be great!" If Emily and Scout both went to Hogsmeade without getting into serious trouble, then them going as a little group of three just to go shopping for a bit couldn't be too bad, right? As long as they made it back well before curfew and avoided the professors? "Whenever you both are free, it'll be lots of fun."

interactions • @Scout Fu-Hai mentions • @Emily Shephard stats • sta 7 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 9 | arc 6 | acc 6

293 • word count xxx • outfit perfectionist, paragon of health • abilities

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september 14th, 2024		saturday, afternoon
wc: 350ish		dhampir | terrible presence
interacting with: @Ophelia Northwell		mentioning: @Emily Shephard

Ophelia was so lovely, it was actually improving Scout's mood just a bit. The idea of making plans with her and Emily was also improving her mood. She had read somewhere, maybe in a book or maybe she had seen a commercial or something like that- wasn't the best cure to a mood like hers to go out? Never let yourself think too hard, or maybe she was misremembering from a children's book. Was that a good life lesson? Probably, she was thinking pretty hard about hating herself and then boom- she stopped thinking about it and started feeling better!

Fun!

"Hm, I wonder what Emily's style is. Cute girl-next-door? I don't actually know a lot about different aesthetics, but I have a cousin that does." Ugh, thinking about cousins made her think about Asteria, and Asteria was like the whole reason she was in this conundrum, she should just think about her other muggle cousins instead. Even if the translations from Mandarin to English were a little off, she still got the gist of different styles. "I think I know more about Chinese clothing more than anything. I have a cousin who lives in Hong Kong who like researches Chinese netizen fashion trends. Uh, muggle, of course." Why would a wizard be interested in what muggles wore? She probably didn't even need to clarify.

A little awkward shift in conversation, Scout mentally made a note to bring it back to Emily and Ophelia. Emily always seemed to have time for Scout and Casey, so that likely wouldn't be the issue at hand. It'd more so be if Scout could get herself together for long enough to go on an outing with her buddies. Well, that'd be easy so long as she didn't think too hard. Just as she had said before, don't think about it too much.

"Yeah, let's definitely go out. I can buy hair clips of my own and stuff, I'll talk to Emily at dinner and see when she's free." Now that that was settled, she just had one last thing to add to Ophelia.

"Um, by the way..."

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speech • #427c9a thoughts • italics others • #ffffff

september 14th, 2024 • date girl's lavatory • location to the 'you' that i hide • thread

Ophelia decided not to comment on Scout's odd trailing off after speaking about her cousins. The other girl was quiet for a stretch of time, and the Ravenclaw was confused. Perhaps she was... supposed to say something? But eventually, Scout picked the conversation back up, speaking about Chinese clothing and style.

"Interesting..." Ophelia had, honestly, never thought about different cultures and their styles of clothing. She'd never actually travelled much in her life, having lived her whole existence between Dublin, Ireland, her home, and London, her parents' birth city. Because of that, her exposure to different customs and cultures wasn't vast, though it wasn't because she didn't want to learn! "Maybe your cousin from Hong Kong will have more Scout-style recommendations!" She suggested brightly.

"Alright." The Ravenclaw said, agreeing with no fuss to Scout's offer to speak to Emily about their little adventure. She wondered whether or not the Hufflepuff had ever broken the rules and gone to Hogsmeade. She'd always seemed like a rule follower to Ophelia, but who knew? Perhaps she had an adventurous side. Or she can never say no to a friend, just like me. Ophelia had always had a soft spot for friendships, had always been fond of looking after her buddies.

Ophelia looked up as Scout began another sentence. "Yeah?"

interactions • @Scout Fu-Hai mentions • @Emily Shephard stats • sta 7 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 9 | arc 6 | acc 6

202 • word count xxx • outfit perfectionist, paragon of health • abilities

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