Off to a Bad Start... Open

Iris woke before dawn, her body on autopilot as it always was. The familiar tug of tiredness that pulled at her eyelids had and would be ignored.

She couldn’t afford to indulge it.

The day unfolded per routine, as if it's monotony had been etched permanently into her brain. Breakfast in the Great Hall was a blur of movement, her eyes mulling over textbooks between bites of toast. The conversations around her were a bore, something else that remained constant. She wasn’t part of them, not often anyway. Ever since her return, Iris had drawn tighter into herself; a product of the unspoken tension that she refused to unravel. If they noticed, no one said anything. And if they didn’t.. well, perhaps that was easier.

Moving through the castle was a swift ordeal, her mind already fixed on the task at hand. Charms. It was the only place she knew she could find Professor Fresnsel this time of day, though not exactly for a lesson. She needed clarification on a spell. A simple one, really, but she couldn’t stand the thought of being wrong. Or worse, falling behind.

Upon arrival she paused briefly, hand hovering just above the handle. How was she to phrase the question? It had to be perfect, god forbid she stumbled through it. Yet as she finally gathered the courage to push the door open, the empty room before her wasn’t exactly what she had envisioned.

Her gentle faced instructor was not there.

Instead, someone else sat alone, slumped over a desk near the back. A student, though it took Iris a second to recognize the fact. The figure was small, a mess of black hair bowed in their hands as if to scream "leave me alone". It wasn’t the casual loneliness that some students preferred in the quiet moments before class. This was different.

The student, clearly upset, really had nothing to do with her. Far from her concern, and yet, the instinct to turn and leave faltered. She had already made herself known, leaving the act of walking out unthinkably rude.

For a moment, Iris was at a loss. Empathy hadn't exactly been a word she was prided in, leaving her unsure in offering it. Truth be told, she didn’t want to get involved indulging in anyone else’s emotional burdens. Why, she barely tolerated her own. But she couldn’t ignore the situation either. So against better judgment, she drew a small breath, her presence clearly too obvious to slip away unnoticed.

"Are you alright?"

Interacting | @Marco Rinaldi

Parselmouth is in bold black.

Kiana was on her way to Charms, Jade coiled comfortably around her neck. She had some free time on her hands and decided she might as well swing by and grab the textbook she left in the classroom. She couldn't do her homework without it. As she passed the classroom, she noticed the figure of a young boy who seemed in great distress. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost - face ashen and tears at the corners of his eyes. What could possibly have happened? In her three years of being at hogwarts, everyone had always looked so happy and content. She fiddled around in her pocket - maybe she had a snack? Something soothing? She approached the boy quietly and told Jade to slink back in a less intimidating pose, hoping not to scare the boy. She approached him silently, sitting down next to him without another word. It was her way of greeting - say nothing, silently nod and acknowledge their existence. Only when she found it appropriate to speak would she do so.

To most, Kiana may have come across as intimidating. Strikingly beautiful yet imposing, her blue eyes giving off an icy cold aura. But she was working on it. Someday, she'd appear friendlier.

"Are you okay?"

@Marco Rinaldi

Yeah, this kid definitely had a day.

Iris watched silently as he fumbled with his bag, the frustration rolling off in waves, each motion more aggravated than the last. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots. Whatever had him on edge had clearly dug deep, the tension radiating off of him like a furnace.

Of course, that didn’t mean she was good at dealing with it.

She exhaled softly, eyes narrowing as Marco knelt to gather his things. “Take a moment.” Her tone was leveled, careful not to let any trace of pity slip in. “You’ll just drop everything again if you keep rushing.” Iris then crossed the room, carefully measured until she stood but a few feet away. She wasn’t about to crouch down and help him pick up his belongings, that wasn’t her style. Besides, this boy probably couldn't spare any more embarrassment as it were.

Her expression then tightened at another's entrance, stare thinning slightly as she listened to the unwelcome commentary. The snicker, the condescension; it grated against her nerves. The harshness of Avis’ words were almost enough to make her heart sink, leaving nothing but a bitter taste in the air. Since when were first years so arrogant?

With a mix of irritation and sympathy, Iris disregarded the bratty girl altogether. It wasn't worth it to engage in petty conflict, allowing her to slip away with a final devoid statement. “That wasn't helpful.” Her words were directed back to Marco, a new twinge of softness found in them. “Whatever’s got you like this, it's not worth tearing yourself apart over."

Interacting | @Marco Rinaldi @Kiana Nakamura @Avis Marlong

Parselmouth is in bold black.

Looks like they had company. Kiana was starting to wonder whether too many older years would intimidate the boy and considered leaving, but the new arrival seemed to be friendly. They all looked to be younger years, as Kiana had never before seen them in any of her classes. She nodded at @Iris Athanasiuo. She sat silently next to the boy before he began to pack up his things in a hurry.

"I don't have a class here. I'm just here for a book," she said plainly.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" Jade uncoiled and inspected the boy, the snake getting into the boy's face. Kiana coaxed her back, whispering, "Not now, Jade, don't scare him." The snake pouted.

Kiana observed the other arrival, @Avis Marlong. She glared, nearly growling, "Give him a break. Why don't you work on yourself before you pick on others' faults?"

Turning back to the boy, she softened her gaze, hoping she hadn't seemed to harsh. She ahrdly ever went out of her way to defend anyone, but she felt a sort of sympathy for the boy. As if she could relate. In her first year, Hogwarts was new to her and kind of scary. She just needed time to adjust.

"I know what it feels like to be under pressure."

@Marco Rinaldi