Scarecrows, Lions, and a Boy behind a Curtain [Cl] - Library

7 Jun 2019, 12:39

all godmodding has been approved.

Ami hated the library, but sometimes her own personal opinions needed to be sacrificed in the greater scheme of things. This was her last resort, an option she had never even thought of considering before she had done her research- and by 'research', she really meant stalking. Whatever. Technicalities didn't matter. She supposed that she would just have to swallow her pride and ask for help this once, faced with a problem she didn't know how to solve on her own. It hurt to step down and let someone else take the reins, but she knew that if she tried to brute-force her way through this problem of hers, it would only end in disaster. She wasn't so stupid that she didn't know what the consequences of her actions would be.

Running her finger along the spines of the books, she looked for the particular titles written in the meticulously neat handwriting on the sheet in her hand, pulling a few extra ones off the shelf for good measure. The dusty tomes began to pile up in her arms, more than the average person could probably carry, even if her spindly arms looked as if they were barely exerting any effort. Finally reaching the end of the section, she pulled one last book down from the shelf before heading back towards the tables in the center of the library.

Trailing after her, Leo seemed to observe the library with a look of mild distaste on his face- it seemed that he took after Ami in his disliking for all of the looming books, shelves, and unnecessary amount of dust everywhere. He walked with his tail stuck straight in the air, still wary of this new stranger Ami had insisted on him being nice to. He didn't understand why he couldn't just nip at his ears, or paw at his face! But, apparently, that was incredibly rude, and Leo didn't want to upset Ami. So, he trailed after her, prancing ahead and leaping onto the table that they had claimed for their pursuit for knowledge.

Ami had never thought that this day would come, but an escalating series of events had made her start to question her sanity. She had never been a good student, but it was getting harder and harder to concentrate in class. At first, she had thought it had been because of her lack of sleep, which was a totally plausible reason, but even after she started sleeping more than 6 hours a night, the words of her teachers just floated over her head, in one ear and out through the other. Tugging on her earlobe, her dangly earrings jangling noisily, Ami shuffled over to the table her companion was working at, dragging her feet as she did so. Dropping them with an annoyed huff on the table, she folded her arms across her chest, her light blue coveralls already stained questionable colors contrasting with the thin canary-yellow sweater she wore underneath.

"I found them," she grumbled at the boy bent over a legal pad covered in tiny, cramped handwriting. He already had a tall stack of books beside him, and a large volume open in front of him. Taking the seat across from her companion, she drummed her fingers against the table impatiently as she watched him write a few lines of script on the paper, before jumping to her feet again, pacing nervously around the table. "Are you done yet? God, I just want to get out of here... there's an apple in the kitchens with my name on it." Leo twitched his tail agitatedly as well, watching the boy with his big, grey eyes, as if he were guarding him against doing something.

Elijah Huang

Third year, Slytherin

169 44

1 Jul 2019, 16:05

Any and all godmodding has been approved of.

Elijah crinkled his nose at the grey cat that had dared to jump onto the table, sneering disdainfully at the feline parading across the surface of the table in front of him. Had it really been necessary for Ami to bring him along? The Slytherin feared that the addition of pets would only serve as a further distraction in their mission, but to be completely honest, he was far too afraid of the feisty Hufflepuff to raise any complaints. Therefore, his dissents remained unspoken and private, only readable through the subtle changes in his expression. With a small shake of his head, he turned back to the book laid open in front of him, scribbling a few notes down before flipping forward a few pages.

Speaking of the redhead, Ami was right behind Leo as the duo approached the table that he had staked out specifically for this endeavor. They were both such noisy beings- Leo less so, but there was no denying that both of them were just loud. Ami's clothes rustled, her earrings jangled, her feet clomped along the ground, occasionally stomping and almost always dragging, as if her lanky and gangly frame just couldn't support itself properly- she reminded him vaguely of a scarecrow, with the coveralls and the vacant expression on her face. She was scary to most and could take almost beating, but in her brain, there was nothing but straw. It was a harsh analysis, but it was also true.

Leo, on the other hand, practically radiated intelligence. Intense loyalty, bright eyes, and an unquenchable thirst for catnip practically oozed from the tabby, his mind as quick as his paws. He wasn't loud in a way that you could hear, but rather, his presence itself was loud. If he had an aura, it would be blasting rock music constantly at top volume. He was an interesting creature, to say the least, and Elijah had to admit, he really did respect that. It was the type of personality he wished so desperately that he had, the persona he donned when interacting with his classmates. Leo didn't need to wear a mask- he was the mask.

Elijah jumped at Ami's words, even though he already knew that she was coming. She was all sharp edges, though, all loud noises and bold actions. He looked up and glared at the Hufflepuff- it was pretty clear that neither of them liked the other. "Be patient," he snapped back, annoyance and even malice lining the edges of his words, shoving a handful of books in her direction. "And look through those, if you can't sit still. Research is a slow but thorough process, and if you don't want me to help you, go ask someone else. Maybe you'll find your answers in one of those." With that, he turned back to his own notes, steadfastly ignoring Leo's suspicious glances towards him.

The problem, the dilemma, under scrutinization was Ami's behavior- specifically, her complete and utter inability to stay still, both physically and mentally. Elijah already had a hunch about what it was causing it, but Ami still seemed to want to blame it on coffee and lack of sleep. He wasn't quite sure as to why she had asked him, of all people, to help, but he figured that she must've been running out of options if he had been asked to help diagnose the root of her problems. She complained of minor headaches, of constant, uncontrollable fidgeting, of her focus being completely thrown out the window. She couldn't stop drumming her fingers, or jiggling her legs, or twitching; she couldn't focus in class, couldn't sleep well, couldn't even pay attention to the simplest of conversations.

In Elijah's very non-professional opinion, it wasn't the coffee or the poor sleeping habits. It was ADHD, plain and simple, but he didn't think that Ami would accept that as a logical answer. Something in his gut, in his intuition, told him that she already struggled with disorders, with facing reality, and telling her that she couldn't fix this problem by herself would only make her mad. Therefore... well, researching evidence and reasons would hopefully help sway her opinion, would convince her to go get help. He was not, of course, a professional, but he knew that you couldn't just cure ADHD with a snap of your fingers.

If only Ami would realize that.

Sometimes, you just have to play the role of a fool to fool the fool who thinks they're fooling you.
ELIJAH HUANG→ 6 STA || 7 STR || 5 AGI || 12 CTRL

Ami Procoppio

Second-String Quidditch Player, III

1 608 259

19 Jul 2019, 18:53

Ami glared at Elijah, directing her anger towards the stack of books that he had been referring to, grabbing one and slamming it down on the table with way more force than necessary. Knowing that she was out of line, she took at deep breath, staring at the title of the book with a suspicious glare. Medical Symptoms and What They Mean, sounded like it contained a good amount of information... flipping to the back, she combed through the index, looking for her specific symptoms.

She couldn't imagine having to do this all on her own, and it was at times like this when Ami desperately wished that Hogwarts allowed technology in the school. How easy would it be to enter her sympotoms into WebMD and then panic because she might have some obscure type of cancer?

It wasn't long before Ami got impatient once more, glancing at Leo with a pleading look in her eyes. She found herself looking to her cat whenever she was conflicted, imagining that he could really read her expressions and understand his words. What if she left now? What if she left, leaving the possibility of finding answers behind her? Could she even afford not knowing? She knew that deep inside, it would annoy her every bone if she didn't get the answers she wanted.

With a sigh, she ruffled the pages loudly, before slamming the book shut with a frown. "You don't have anything yet?" Ami snapped, staring at the Slytherin with intense distaste in her eyes. "We've been here for almost an hour, surely you have even a vague idea of what's going on with me?" Leo bopped his head as if he truly agreed with her. "Not even a little suspicion? A little thought? A small opinion? Come on, you've got to have something."

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