An eight limbed startle PV Alyss Gilmour Closed

October 22nd, 2024	Library
“English”	“Gaelic”

Alyss had been in the library, doing some studying. She had Transfiguration next, and there was definitely some improvements that she could make in that department. So being the smart and responsible student that she was(not) she held off until last minute, only beginning to study the day before class.

Alyss’s eyes skimmed the page, writing with her quill when she found something important enough to jot down. This had continued on for several minutes, long enough for Alyss to truly concentrate on what she was doing. This was important and she needed to learn this material.

This was why, when someone asked to sit at her table, Alyss simply nodded, not beginning the conversation that she usually would upon the arrival of someone her age, or a potential friend. It would have been typical behavior, considering Alyss was always chatting and forming friendships. But she was very much focused on the task at hand, so much so that Milo(her cat) had stopped trying to get her attention.

At the beginning of the study session, he had been meowing, rubbing against her legs, jumping onto her lap, and batting at her ink-pot. Thankfully, Milo had gotten tired of her lack of attention, and merely laid down on the table beside the book, occasionally batting at her hand she she turned the page, which would earn him a humorous glance before Alyss continued with her studying.

All this to say, the young Slytherin was not paying nearly enough attention to her surroundings, and did even notice the arachnid in the other girls hair, nor the web. She did feel the hair on the back of her neck rising, and Milo suddenly snapped his gaze from the book onto Oakleighs hair, but Alyss ignored this. Perhaps her thought he’d seen a mouse of something, and continued her notes, eyes firmly remaining on the work before her.

Reducio

Mentions:@Oakleigh Bell
Action: Being oblivious and ignorant of her surroundings

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Oakleigh opened her textbook. History class. Her favourite, yes, but a tedious class nonetheless. The green girl next to her had a cat, who seemed very interested in Didymus. Oakleigh smiled at the pretty kitty. A silver cat. She was fond of cats, especially ones with beautiful colours. She carefully put her hand out, hoping to pet the kitty-cat. If he turned her down, oh well. Cats were souls, she believed.

Didymus, being the very hard worker he was, moved with the grace of a swan as he worked with her hair. Grabbing hair between his pedipalps, moving it around and putting it in the right spot in his web. Oakleigh had gotten used to her little friend moving around her neck. It used to make her spine tingle, but now it was just normal. Web strung behind her ear and in her hair, making a little cave. Dark brown hair mixed with white silk.

Eight eyes suddenly turned towards the cat. Didymus had a dislike for cats. A housecat from home had chased him across the living room before. Turning around his little furry head, he kept working on his beautiful cave. He made a lot of progress in just a few minutes.

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Notes: Reducio None!! Just spooder

Date: Reducio Oct 22, 2024

Mentions: Reducio @Alyss Gilmour

word count: 203/200

October 22nd, 2024	Library
“English”	“Gaelic”

Milo, ever the gentleman, saw Oakleigh reach out her hand, and he lifted his head up to brush against her fingers. Was he rubbing against her? Absolutely not. But he was clearly was open to some pets from her, and wouldn’t protest via his claws or teeth.

Alyss was becoming less absorbed with her studies, and smiled as she saw her cat accept Oakleigh’s affections. Milo wasn’t always the most polite to others, including herself. Quickly glancing down and finishing by jotting down the final paragraph, Alyss closed her book and looked up at Milo with love in her eyes before turning to properly greet the other human at the table.

“Hello! Sorry about my inattention, just finished studying for Transfiguration.” she grinned, opening her mouth to continue “What’re you-” before cutting herself off as her eyes caught a glimpse of movement from Oakleigh’s hair, snapping up to study it. Only, Alyss now found herself looking straight at a rather large spider, that seemed to have made its home in her hair.

“O mo chreach! Th- tha damhan-allaidh. Nad fhalt. Tha damhan-allaidh nad fhalt!!” Alyss exclaimed, voice raising in pitch and urgency, actually stumbling over the words. She was so concerned that she had actually spoken in Gaelic, her native language, without even realizing. Her accent had switched from her one she used to speak English to Gaelic, and this was because she was essentially in survival mode.

Her eyes wide, cheeks flushed and voice wobbly, there was clearly something wrong. Alyss was beginning to scramble back from Oakleigh, chair almost toppling over before she caught it and frantically pushed it in, eyes still very much focused on the spider and the web in Oakleigh’s hair.

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Oakleigh jumped up, holding her arms out in a comforting manner. "Woah, woah." She started. The Gaelic was understood, as it was a language she spoke. "Tha e ceart gu leòr, is esan mo charaid." She explained. Normally, she would've moved Didymus to show that he was kind, but he was busy working, and she didn't want to disturb him.

She forgot that some people were afraid of spiders, and greatly at that. Didymus was her best friend, so she wanted people to see their kindness. Spiders were misunderstood. With the millions of species, only a few could hurt you! Well, muggle spiders anyways. She didn't want to mess with wizarding spiders. They kinda freaked her out. "Let us sit yeself's down, and we'll calm ye down, a'ight?" Oakleigh said, sitting down in her chair, gesturing to the other.

She was hoping this blonde girl would calm down soon enough to get her head back on. Oakleigh hated anyone getting freaked out by spiders and thing's she was interested in. Maybe she could explain to her how they acted and thought. Do spiders think? Didymus sure seemed to. During the commotion, he had finished his little web cave. He spun in a circle before resting. Like a cat in a way. He was just an eight legged cat.

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Notes: Reducio It's fine, he's my friend. Translation

Date: Reducio Oct 22nd, 2024

Mentions: Reducio @Alyss Gilmour

word count: 217/200

October 22nd, 2024	Library
“English”	“Gaelic”

“Do charaid? Ciamar?!” Alyss questioned, eyes wide as her irises shifted, glued to Didymus’ every move. At this point Alyss found herself filled to the brim with adrenaline, limbs twitching as her brain was in “fight or flight” mode. The other girl’s body language and words did little to stop the panic from making its way across her body, brain going into overdrive as it focused on getting as far away from the arachnid as possible. Alyss could handle most spiders; daddy long-legs, little grass spiders, and even a few that could probably hurt her were all okay, given that they followed and seemed to understand Alyss’ rule: don’t touch me, and I won’t crush you.

Perhaps that was a little morbid, but it got her point across. No spider of any sort was supposed to crawl across her skin, as fearless as she was. But she had recognized this kind of spider almost instantly, due to the fame of the species. It must be a tarantula, big, hairy, and definitely poisonous. Venomous? It was one of the two. Regardless, it had somehow found itself crawling around in the hair of a fellow Hogwarts student, something Alyss didn’t want to think about. Finally, something clicked in her, and she finally understood what Oakleigh had said.

“Do charaid?” Alyss questioned again, this time beginning to ignore her heart pounding in her ears. “As in, your friend? The spider?” She asked, taking shaky breaths as it all began to click in her mind. The spider was a friend. A pet, perhaps, similar to Milo. It meant no harm, because it was domesticated. Somehow. The woosh of her breath was going in and out, starting to slow as she took it all in. Carefully sliding her chair out from underneath the table, Alyss plopped herself down, facing both the girl and the spider, apologies in her eyes, accompanied by curiosity and perhaps still some slight fear.

“You just let him… web? In your hair?” The question burst out of her, eyes now flickering between watching the spider and Oakleigh’s eyes, trying to judge her reaction to all of this, and to calm herself down. This was real. This was another human being, perfectly fine with a real life spider being in her hair. After a quick thought, Alyss’ eyes soon flicked back to the spider, gazing in slight horror as she tried to imagine the feeling of an eight-legged creature crawling in her hair. Alyss shivered at the thought, turning her stare away and towards the ground in shame of thinking so, all the while sitting across from someone who clearly didn’t mind it, and she was the one whose opinion mattered.