Maybe I Can Just Stay Here Until It's Over Closed

Santario was just out walking trying to get used to the grounds and the whereabouts of everything. It was only by coincidence that when she turned the corner, she would see a person hooded and curled up in one of the low windows. She watched him with her piercing blue eyes to see if he would do anything besides just sit there tucked into himself. When she deemed that he was probably just going to sit there she would push her long, black braid over her shoulder and ask softly. “Are you okay?” If he looked up at her he would see her porcelain pale face held little to no emotion but yet her soft and quiet voice would seem to hold sincerity within the question.

She didn’t like having to leave her parents either and on top of it all she didn’t have friends period. Well not unless you counted the family pets which they didn’t count. It wasn’t the same kind of interaction as it was with people. So, when it came to socializing it was not something she did easily. However, the desire to help people was what more often than not pushed her to socialize in one manner or another. As Santario waited for an answer she would not move not wanting to startle the boy more than she may already have done. 

Cosmo heard a girl's voice. Her voice was smooth, almost comforting. He couldn't tell what her tone was supposed to be, though. He took a small look up, from under his hood. Cosmo's face was almost questioning, his eyebrows were narrowed, as if he was trying to figure her out. Her eyes were a piercing blue, almost like his, but Cosmo's eyes were softer. He heard her say in her smooth voice, "Are you okay?" He was hesitant for a second. "I'm fine, yeah."
His head hurt from the sense overload. It happened often, but it was happening more often here. It wasn't life threatening or anything like that, it was just when his brain was taking in too much information at once, and he lost control. He looked down at his knees, still tucked into his chest. He exhaled shakily. He wondered why this girl wasn't hanging out with her own friends? Most people were. He had noticed she was a Slytherin, so he assumed from what he picked up from other students, she and her friends would be going around pulling pranks and bullying students. He wasn't exactly sure if he believed the rumors or not. It was hard to discern reality from lies sometimes.

Santario would note his blue eyes when he looked up to meet her gaze. She would continue to keep her distance and not move from where she had stopped. In reality they were probably no more than 10 feet apart, but she understood wanting space. He said he was fine, and her eyes squinted just a hare as if she didn’t believe him. She noted his hesitation and how closed off his body language remained. She herself was a person of solitude and did not have friends at the moment nor did she care to prank people. She had her own agenda and did not waste time on things of that nature. She was a different kind of Slytherin as she understood that she would only achieve her ambitions if she sought them. “If you say so." It would seem that she always spoke quietly, but there was a calculation to her words that seemed beyond her age as if the only socialization she was used to was with adults.

“I got here early before any of the sorting happened so if whatever it is that isn’t bothering you has to deal with the castle, I may be able to help.” She would shrug “But if everything is fine then I’ll just be on my way. I too enjoy solitude and would hate to bother someone who was enjoying it for themselves.” She would wait for a response and would take one of two actions accordingly. If he ignored her or reaffirmed that he was fine and didn’t need any help she would simply leave him to himself to work out whatever problem, he was having by himself. If he seemed like he was willing to socialize she would stay.

Cosmo wasn't really sure how to respond to this. "I wasn't really enjoying solitude" he muttered. "Just trying to get away from the noise." He said. He almost hoped she would stay, he didn't exactly know why. He never wanted to get social with people before. Maybe it was just something about this massive, strange building that made him feel small, like he didn't want to be alone here.

Besides, this girl was kind of interesting, the way she spoke, behaved, and interacted. She was calm and collected, kind of like a sleek aura that made her seem professional, which was something he hadn't seen in a person his age before. Cosmo kind of wanted to be like her. He wasn't sure why. Emotions were not his forte, in other people or himself. It never had been. His style was usually the timid, moody kid who could go crazy if he was under too much pressure, and his brain was receiving too much information. That's what he was known as to everyone but his friends back in Cambridge. He was a different person when he was with them. He was way more open, very happy, and was up for anything.

That was the cue Santario needed to stay, she had a feeling that someone was wrong. That was her knack when you had a mother for a healer and had a lot of exposure to people who were hurting physically and/or mentally you could just tell. “Well although I am normally inclined for solitude, I Don’t mind sticking around if you want company. I wasn’t doing anything important just learning the layout of the castle better.” She would take a few steps towards him and extend her hand in greeting. “My name is Santario. It's a pleasure to meet you.” If he accepted her hand, she would shake his hand gently before releasing it and if he declined the handshake, she would take no offense.

Either way she would lean against the wall by the window he was perched in, pulling her braid over her shoulder so it wasn’t stuck uncomfortably behind her back. “I understand what you mean it is very loud here. It’s not what I am used to at all, then again, I am not used to being around people my age. Definitely an adjustment.” The fact that she was not a great conversationalist was coming in to play now because she had no idea what else to say. She was used to listening to adults have conversation and chiming in every once in a while, when it was relevant. Now, here at Hogwarts, she was basically required to learn how to socialize this was no easy task for someone who did not develop a lot of social skills with people close to her own age. “The Library and the Owlery are good places to go to for quiet. As long as you don’t mind page turning and owl hoots anyway.” 

Cosmo shook her hand, staring at her hand instead of her. He just couldn't make eye contact. He didn't really know why. "Im- uh, Cosmo." He nodded. "Cosmo... Taylor." he spoke in his awkward and noticeable half American half English accent. He hoped she didn't notice. He let go of her hand, pushing up with his hands to stand up off the cold ground. He watched Santario as she leaned against the wall and spoke up again. "I understand what you mean it is very loud here. It's not what I am used to at all, then again, I am not used to being around people my age. Definitely and adjustment." Cosmo nodded again. "Well, i'm used to noise, but I always despised it." This time his voice came out as more American. He looked down. He sighed. He took a glance at Santario again. She was a little bit taller than him, by about two inches he supposed. Cosmo was kind of shorter than everyone, but it never really bothered him. He was a lot of things. He nodded as she had mentioned the library and owlery. He figures he might spend most of his year outiside and in the library.

Santario would catch onto his accent but she wouldn’t say anything her own accent would be interesting. Her mother was French, her father was Irish, and they lived in England. When she was angry her voice took more on an Irish tone, when she was tired it was more of a French lilt. Considering she was quite calm it would be more English/French. A complicated accent for a complicated girl. She watched as he moved himself off of the wall. “I Can’t say I relate with that. I don’t mind the noise just not used to it.” Santario noticed their height difference as well however She was tall for her age and probably would be decently tall when she did finally stop growing.

“Well, Cosmo, when it comes down to it you are always welcome to find me and sit in quiet or if you find me randomly observing or reading you are welcome to join. I’m not a very loud person unless I want to be.” Really the only time she ever wanted to be loud was when she was yelling at someone which she really only ever did with bullies. It just was something that she did not tolerate under any circumstances. Something else that would possibly be considered rare of a Slytherin, but the ambition that burned behind her eyes was quite obvious. “Is there anything you would like to do?” She asked, again her lack of social skills showing just a bit more. She didn’t really know how to be a friend or really what people their age did when they were together.

"Is there anything you would like to do?" He heard Santario say. His mind drew a blank. Cosmo didn't know the castle well at all, and there sure wasn't a roller skating rink in the castle. He thought about what his friends, Olivia and David back in Cambridge would do with him. Most days they would roller skate down the streets, grab some Ben & Jerrys's ice cream and then sit in the middle of town where the fountain was located. Cosmo had fallen in once. It was cold, and the icy water tasted like metallic rust and marble, from all the pennies people had wished on there. What a waste of pennies. None of the activities he liked to do back home were things you could do here. Cosmo turned his attention to Santario. "Uh, I can't really think of anything we can do here, I don't know the area very well." He looked at her for a second then back down to the floor, where he usually stared. Force of habit, he told himself. He just couldn't stand to make eye contact. Another strange quirk of his which he hated. He barely knew what his friends actually looked like, Cosmo couldn't look them in the eye.

Santario bit her bottom lip. ‘Making friends is probably going to be harder than classwork… It would have helped if I had friends in the first place for practice.’ She thought bitterly to herself. She removed the minor look of uncertainty from her face right before he looked at her and she nodded to his statement. She decided to sit down and cross her legs. “I don’t like making eye contact either. It makes me really uncomfortable.” She wasn’t used to confiding anything in anyone but her parents so this made her feel awkward and it could be heard in her tone of voice that she felt that way.

“So, there is a way to fake it that way if we have any scary professors you can avoid them trying to pick on you for it.” Whether he looked at her or not to would motion to her face with her slender fingers touching the points on her face that she stated. “So, you can look in two places either right on the middle of the nose bridge or if that is still to close to the eyes look, here, right between the eyebrows. It allows your eyes to focus on something other than theirs, but the other person can’t really tell that you aren’t making true eye contact.” A soft sigh escaped her pink lips. “I’m sorry if I am boring… I’m not used to talking to people my own age.” Another seemingly big step for her.