Closed Hollow Hardships PV AngelFyre McCubbin Closed

Her eyes were closed as she was memorizing the information on her parchment as well as its placement on the page. AngelFyre did not have a photographic memory, but it was close. This one little habit was partly responsible for her amazing recall and one she employed often. It also helped that she was particularly good at shutting out noise around her so she could focus on her mind's pictures, but it generally took a few moments to collect herself when she came out of her internal huddle. It was no different this day.

The first thing she noticed upon opening her eyes was how bright it was, even in the relative shade of the Courtyard. One of the lovely benefits of spring. The cold, blustery days of winter were long gone and more and more students founds themselves outdoors any chance they got. She looked down at her grandmother's antique wrist watch, but found her eyes still needed a little more time to adjust to the light before they could properly focus on the time. Even without being able to see the time, it was obvious she needed to gather her things and head to class as the Courtyard was rapidly being vacated by the students around her.

Well, most of them anyway.

As AngelFyre finished placing her books and parchments into her enchanted satchel, she noted a younger student sitting on the opposite side of the fountain with her back to her. The girl was looking up at the sky, or at least had her head turned up in that direction, but she was making no move to get to class. AngelFyre recognized her as a first year Hufflepuff, but had not really ever spoken to her. She knew they both needed to get to class, and she took particular pride in having never been late to any of her classes, even once, in nearly three full years of attendance at Hogwarts, and she had no plans to have that record broken now. But as the old proverb goes, 'Man plans and God laughs'.

Her intention upon approaching the young Hufflepuff was to interrupt her reverie and get her moving towards her next class, but the girl let out a groan that stopped AngelFyre short. It was not one of pain, at least not as far as AngelFyre could tell, but sounded to be emotional more than anything. She looked longingly at the door that would lead her back into the Entrance Hall and on her way to class, but then she thought of Simon and her father and felt ashamed of herself for thinking of her false pride in something as ultimately meaningless as a record for having never been tardy, especially when someone appeared to possibly need some help.

Turning her attention to her satchel, she reached in and almost immediately grabbed her "In Case of Emergency" spare bag of lemon drops. They were primarily there in case Simon ever found himself without, but she never told herself she could not share them with others. She smiled as she knew Simon would definitely approve. I mean, how often in 26 months had she heard from the boy, "Sharing is caring!"

She cleared her throat a little so as not to completely scare the girl as she sat down beside her. Her attention was initially on the plastic baggie in her lap as she pulled one of the lemon drops out for herself and then her eyes moved up to look upon the pretty Hufflepuff as she offered the bag to the girl, smiling widely as she did so.

"I have a boyfriend who would almost swear that lemon drops make everything better. Would you care for one, just to, you know, test out his theory?"

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Nibbling on a Lemon Drop with @AngelFyre McCubbin

Had Emily not have started to get it together in that moment she would've most likely ignored the fact that someone had approached her. With her brain slowly playing catch-up she absentmindedly watched the girl delicately join her side, a small bag nestled in her lap. Emily was still somewhat frozen on the edge of the fountain as she tried to snap out of her own trance. A good few silent seconds lasted before Emily gave the girl recognition with a blink before sitting upright slowly, allowing herself just a tiny bit more time to gather herself properly.

She gave small glances between the girl - whom Emily wholeheartedly believed was quite pretty, she couldn't lie - and the small bag of lemon drops she held out between them. Emily wasn't a mind-reader or of the like but she felt a very welcoming aura from her, just by her demeanour alone. Actually, looking at her again Emily was sure she had seen her in passing before, particularly in the Common Room, being a fellow Hufflepuff. But that would be a discussion for later. Emily was already keeping this girl far too long just by sitting there like a startled deer.

Shyly but politely Emily's hand went into the bag and picked one out, a quiet but sincere "Thank you..." to accompany the gesture. She popped it in her mouth and for the first time in a while she felt some emotion other than a bland face. Her eyes and nose scrunched up as the sourness of the drop invaded her taste buds. With the lack of any proper activity Emily's entire body for so long, she nearly shivered from head to toe with the sudden burst of energy. It was almost as if that tiny drop was acting as some kind of detergent against the bad vibes in her being, completely rewriting her very essence. Either that or it was just a pleasant sweet to rejuvenate her lethargic self after days of depression. The sweet is never as sweet without the sour as they say.

After swallowing it a satisfied hum vibrated in Emily's throat, the sides of her mouth finally curving into a subtle smile. She had to admit, between the flavour, the energy boost and just the kindness of this girl in general... it was indescribable but she knew it was helping, like medicine in a bottle. Emily didn't know who to thank; the girl, the universe for providing this surprise encounter or both - both have proven their kindness.

Emily looked back up at her and with much more volume to her voice she said,"Thank you..." Whilst she was still in a semi-dispirited rut, she could admit in confidence that she was starting to feel better. "Definitely an effective remedy, just like your fella said...!"

A sting suddenly overcame Emily's eyes and before she knew it, two tiny streaks of tears skimmed down her cheeks. She quickly hid her face behind her sleeves as she dried them off quickly only for a few more drops to take their place.

"O-Oh my... Sorry... I don't know what's come over me," She laughed shyly through her gentle tears. She gave a teary-eyed smile though she had a hunch this girl wasn't going to take her word for it. It was as cliché as it came but oh how effective it was in signalling a cry for help. Literally.

_{Word Count: 596}

Stats: Stamina: 6|Evasion: 5|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 7|Arcane Power: 5|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast

AngelFyre smiled even more broadly as the girl gingerly reached into the baggie and took a lemon drop. She quickly popped her own into her mouth and began to suck on it as she set the baggie down next to her satchel. She had always preferred sour to sweet on her tongue (chocolate anything being the exception to this rule), but the lemon drops delivered both, and in the right proportion. They were dusted with sugar and it always surprised her, given Simon's aversion to sweet tasting things, that he loved them so much since sweetness was the first thing to always strike her when sucking on one. She had often wondered whatever possessed him to stick with it his first time encountering one. Maybe everyone experienced them differently? She would need to ask him about that. Would be interesting if so.

The thing was though, when the sour hit, it came on pretty strong. AngelFyre tried not to giggle as the girl's nose scrunched up and her eyes almost became narrow slits as she seemed to be squinting out of them for a few moments. As the sour shock began to either wear off or she just became more used to it, a small shadow of a smile briefly crossed her lips. It was a start.

"Thank you..." she said. "Definitely an effective remedy, just like your fella said...!"

AngelFyre was about to reply that her fellow would be so pleased to hear it when the unmistakable sign of tears began to well in the girl's big eyes. It was a definite surprise to AngelFyre, but maybe more disturbingly it seemed to be a most unwelcome surprise to the young Hufflepuff as well. The girl could not possibly know it, but she was with an expert when it came to crying. Anyone who knew AngelFyre well knew she cried at the drop of a hat. Happiness made her cry just as easily as sadness. As an expert drop-of-the-hat-tear-jockey, the one thing she definitely understood was how it could take every bit of energy reserve she might have in order to try not to cry in front of others. The effort to not cry was generally made because it frankly just made most people uncomfortable which then just left awkward embarrassment between her and whomever was unlucky enough to bear witness to the tears. It was an exhausting cycle.

When the first year tried to hide her tears, only to have more spill over, AngelFyre found herself in the position of bearing witness to the girl's unexpected, public expression of a private moment. "O-Oh my... Sorry... I don't know what's come over me," and then her embarrassment also peeked through in her nervous laugh. In that moment, AngelFyre's heart wanted nothing more than to just wrap her in a comforting hug, and without thinking it through, she immediately scooted closer to the Hufflepuff and let her arms do what her heart could not. She shook her head gently and spoke softly and reassuringly as she told her honestly, "No, please. You have absolutely no reason to be sorry. I get it. Sometimes things just get overwhelming and there has to be a release for those feelings at some point. This is just your time. I am not going to pass any judgment on you for crying in the Courtyard. I have done it more than my fair share since being at Hogwarts, believe me," and AngelFyre squeezed her lightly with one arm.

"If you need a shoulder to cry on... literally or figuratively..." she purred, "you go right ahead. Sweet as my boyfriend thinks I am, I am pretty certain I will not melt like spun sugar, so let it all out if you need to. I will be here when you are done and then maybe we can figure out how to fix what is troubling you."

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@Emily Shephard

OOC: Permission to godmod was asked of, and granted by, Emily Shephard.

Deep Emotions with @AngelFyre McCubbin

Further context can be found Here

As much as she wanted to feel embarrassed about the whole thing, it was very apparent to Emily that with how much she was bottling up over the last while she had finally reached her breaking point. This sweetheart of a student had managed to crack a dent in Emily's walls with the lemon drop and her kind words. The fact that Emily now had her face buried in her arm, trying but failing to make the tears disappear, was nothing but an inevitability.

She subconsciously leaned into the older student and rested her forehead against the curve of her shoulder. She just stayed there, letting it all out in silent sobs. Emily was never one to make a scene when upset. She had a hand snug between her mouth and the girl's arm to stop her from smearing tears all over her. Nothing like politeness to sneak in even when Emily's pouring her emotions out all over the show.

What felt like a long time was only a few minutes and in that time, Emily finally began to calm down. When her face dried up she gently moved away from the student, her gaze cast back down onto the gravel ground, only feeling a little awkward she had just made a scene on top of her, let alone in front of her. "Sorry... I'm never like this."

She wiped her face once more with a clammy hand. "I'm just... having a rough time. So much has been going through my head it feels like it's splitting in two at this rate. I've never felt so overwhelmed like this before. So much has happened and it all feels so... so..."

Only then did it occur to Emily that this all sounded like an incoherent ramble to her newfound acquaintance. The poor girl was probably having a hard time trying to make heads or tails on what Emily was even talking about, yet she was just spilling her thoughts all over the place like an overboiling kettle.

Emily took a deep breath. Her brain was going a mile a second and her rambling was only enabling it. As tedious as it was becoming, she allowed herself to take another quick minute to compose herself properly without forcing it. She finally chimed back in with a clearer conscience and a braver voice.

"Weird question but... Have you ever felt so incredibly...Aware... Of your mortality? Like you had just met Death face to face? Because... I kind of have. I did a really stupid thing. Actually, I did a lot of stupid things recently... And now I can't tell if I'm doing things out of "want," out of "need," or just through childish fantasy."

Emily leaned back against the stone fountain and huffed out a defeated sigh. "I don't know. It's complicated..." She didn't even know why she was telling this girl in the first place. She had places to be and things to do. It was hard for Emily not to feel the slightest bit guilty about essentially tethering this girl down just to ramble about her disjointed emotions.

She turned to face her, a small pleading glint in her eyes as she asked, "What do I do? I feel like my "needs" and "wants" are constantly clashing... The need to survive. The want to know more. Yet no matter how I look at it, I feel as if I could hurt myself or worse..."

_{Word Count: 621}

Stats: Stamina: 6|Evasion: 5|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 7|Arcane Power: 5|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast

Seeking The Seer's Searing Solutions with @AngelFyre McCubbin (Say that 5 times fast )
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
OOC Notes: Guess who's back, back again~

Man... Emily really did just let rip there. Her face felt like it actually lost a pound after the waterworks sprung free. Was that even possible? She reckoned that was a testament to just how much she needed to just go, "Haaaah..." Already her chest felt lighter and her eyes no longer twitched with the need to spill her guts (and tears) all over the place. Had it been anyone else Emily would have just continued to barely hold it together, but this girl's energy was unlike anything Emily had felt before, at least as far as the school environment went.

Speaking of the girl next to her who still remained by her side and took it all... Fair play to her! Surely after something like that, someone wouldn't know what to do, especially after the person comes out with something morbidly depressing and perhaps borderline existential. Yet this lovely lady seemed unfazed. Maybe a little stunned after being thrown a wave of tears and a tiny bit of snot her way, but not at all bothered or awkward in the aftermath. She just simply sat and held her the entire time. For a split second, Emily thought she was back at home. That was how good it felt to just be left to bawl that little bit.

Emily was ready to leave and give the poor girl some head's peace, let her get back to what she was doing before Emily distracted her, as well as give time for Emily to hide round the corner and compose herself properly without dribbling all over someone's shoulder. It was nothing she really needed to worry about, anyway. Just a kid who tried to have a bit of fun and it ended up scaring the bejeezums out of them because of how dangerous it was... Naivety at its finest, misplaced optimism or false courage. Maybe a blend of all three but none of it made for a good tea, and the thought of any of it made Emily utterly disgusted.

Emily had her eyes cast downward and nearly flinched when she felt something cold but soothing along her cheeks. With gentle fingers, this nice lady was smoothing something sweet smelling and refreshing over her distraught face. She seemed to be prepared for anything. It wouldn't be surprising if she admitted out loud that she was Emily's guardian angel, because she was practically a perfect image of such. She had the patience, the kindness, even the looks. Her fella should be a lucky guy to have a girl with angelic qualities.

Emily's face became a flushing canvas of shyness but innate gratitude as she watched her fingers brush softly against her cheeks. She sat there quietly and let the girl do her work, since it was very clear she knew what she was doing. It was hard not smile though, even if a little bit. It felt comforting to be... Well, comforted!

And her name... AngelFyre. If that didn't scream "guardian angel" then the world must be blind! Everything about this lady was just... Beautiful! Altogether she was exactly like a soft balm after Emily's misguided venture into the forest, and she even managed to bring back the young Huffie's sparkly smile. "I'm Emily... S-Shephard! Sorry..." She cleared her throat, still trying to pull her thoughts together after the mental calamity from before. "Emily Shephard," she repeated sweetly.

She did however discreetly swallow nervously when she disclosed her position as one of Hufflepuff's Prefects. That meant Emily needed to think very carefully about what to say as to avoid the wrath that comes with wondering into the part of the school (out of many) where students like her shouldn't be anywhere near.

It was inevitable then that AngelFyre would pick apart and digest the cryptic spilling that fell out of Emily's mouth from moments ago. As she predicted, it was clear she was advising against the mishmash of what Emily was struggling with, very aptly "correcting" her as a response. However, like the aloe vera, her sincerity to help came verbally as well.

"Auntie" could read a face much better than Emily a lot of the time, but she could definitely feel the aura of a good listener so strongly that she could more than likely feel it from the other side of the Courtyard if she tried.

"It's not really danger I'm in..." She finally answered. "Though I did do something one might deem "dangerous"..." She was reluctant to spill the truth but after everything AngelFyre had done for her and the fact that she was indeed a Prefect, Emily was finding it hard to come up with a clever reason why she should keep what she was feeling quiet.

"I went somewhere where I shouldn't have, but immediately bounced back out when I got too scared to go further."

Emily shook her head at herself. "I've never been afraid of the dark. Well, not really... So why I felt afraid now of all times just baffles me. And then I started feeling like I could get hurt even though nothing happened."

It was a forest and nothing more. So why then? How can something so mundane as that, something that's been a part of Emily's life of hiking, trails, nature-venturing and animal feeding completely shake her the way it did? It made no sense.

Or maybe it did... The chill. The shadows. The sounds. But most of all, the rumours. All mixed together to make a sickening concoction of childish curiosity and baiting innocence... Culminating in something that Emily wasn't ready for just yet. Disguised threat.

She shook her head again, more defeatedly this time. "Sorry... I know I'm probably being contradictory and not making much sense."

She took a deep breath, trying to hoke out at least one reasonable thought to share.

"How is it that the most curious and beautiful places can camouflage themselves to be the most dangerous places of all...?"

_{Word Count: 1040}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace