Disapproving Dorm-mate. PV Ula Takahashi Finished

TIME | 19:50 DATE | October 18th, 2024 INTERACTING |@Meiyu Xiang

“ I'm gonna pop your bubblegum heart ” 00:35⠀─── ◉ ───────⠀02:34

Gryffindor school uniform| OUTFIT #B68EA7 | DIALOGUE xxx| MENTIONING

Takahashi hadn't expected to run into anyone in the old third-floor bathroom. She'd just been looking for a quiet place to slip away from the Great Hall for a minute—too many people, too much noise, and no lines for the toilets up here. She pushed open the door, already anticipating the usual musty, stale smell that lingered in these old bathrooms.

Instead, a sharp, chemical tang hit her right in the face. She wrinkled her nose, halting mid-step. "What in Merlin's—" she muttered, blinking as the scent settled, intense and unfamiliar.

Then she spotted the source. In front of the cracked mirror stood a girl hunched over the sink, a bowl of deep red dye in hand and halfway through slathering it onto her hair.

Ula squinted at the girl in the mirror, her mind blanking for a moment. Right—this was one of the first years from her dorm, quiet, usually kept to herself...but she couldn't quite place the name. The Gryffindor was used to faces, not names, and this one didn't exactly stand out.

Ula took a moment to size up the scene, her expression unreadable as she leaned against the doorframe, arms folded. She didn't move closer; she didn't need to. The sight of the first year in the mirror, hair half-covered in crimson dye, was enough to hold her attention.

Ula raised an eyebrow, lingering at the doorway as the girl glanced up, wide-eyed.

"Wow," she said, her voice dry and a little skeptical. "Guess that's one way to start the year. Didn't think you'd be one for big statements."

The glint in her eye was hard to read, but her tone was more observation than accusation. She watched the girl for a reaction, taking in the younger girl's hesitance, her fingers still clutching the brush as if she'd been caught mid-spell.

Ula paused, glancing at the half-dyed strands framing the pretty girls face. She couldn't help but feel a flicker of understanding. She remembered all too well what it felt like to want to change, to want to show the world—and maybe even herself—that she was something more, someone different from the expectations pressed onto her. She'd spent years chafing under her mother's ideas of who she should be, every bit of rebellion a way to claim some control back. Looking at the girl, she saw a hint of that same struggle, the same defiant spark she'd had.

"You planning on finishing, or was this just for the drama?"

"Guess that's one way to start the year. Didn't think you'd be one for big statements." Ula's remark had instantly shattered the comfortable silence thick enough to hear the sound of the droplets emitted from the old weak sinks. Meiyu had not expected any onlookers amidst her small action of rebellion, certainly not Ula. Though she had hoped that she would understand her sentiment, doubting any other lions would have remotely experienced the shame she had. Irregardless to the bitterness she had felt upon receiving that shameful letter, the young girl briefly maintained her gaze on Ula, as though she had briefly frozen in time, literally being caught red handed.

Meiyu’s fingers instinctively tightened around the brush, staining her fingers once more with a fresher streak of crimson dye as she held Ula’s gaze, her expression a mix of defiance and uncertainty — she had rarely interacted with the older girl despite sharing the same dorm, yet her beauty was a force to be reckoned with. She forced herself not to look away, her beauty too enticing to do so. The idea of explaining herself and admitting why she was doing this, or even hinting at the frustration bubbling beneath her composed exterior felt like a weakness Meiyu refused to show amidst the first stage of her rebellion against the standards set against her.

“I’m finishing,” she finally replied, voice steady, though her hands faintly shook with the brush still poised mid-stroke. “This year is not about about blending in.” Meiyu mumbled, her temper brewing once more though her tone was bold appearing as though this act was a clearly calculated move in a game of chess, even if Meiyu ignored her insides twisting with nerve. She did not want to blend in with others, seeking a sudden change almost embarrassingly laced with desperation. The lioness was frustrated, yet she was unable to run from her issues, through her eyes, this was the only act of control feasible. Still, she was wary of Ula’s response, her expression was almost as unreadable as her own.

Her gaze returned to her own reflection, meticulously resuming the forbidden act that would have resulted in grounding had she remained at home. "What are you doing here anyway?" Meiyu queried, her eyes faltering, diverting from her own reflection to the angel behind her, truly questioning why Ula would grace herself in the confinement of the disgusting abandoned toilets, though the reasoning behind her presence was evident to Meiyu. The abandoned toilets had infamously become a spot to hide away, hence it being her own choice of location for her self proclaimed revolt, causing Meiyu to almost smile at the similarities the two lionesses shared, deeming the situation almost comical, both lions preferring solitude over the presence of prying eyes.

TIME | 19:59 DATE | October 18th, 2024 INTERACTING |@Meiyu Xiang

“ I'm gonna pop your bubblegum heart ” 00:35⠀─── ◉ ───────⠀02:34

Gryffindor school uniform| OUTFIT #B68EA7 | DIALOGUE xxx| MENTIONING

As she was leaning against the doorframe, arms folded, Ula raised an eyebrow at the girl's question. The silence stretched for a moment before a smirk crept across her face.

"Oh, I just love to come here by myself and gossip with the smell of piss in the air," she replied, her tone dripping with dry sarcasm. "Really sets the mood, don't you think? The smell, the flickering lights—it's got that 'high society' vibe, don't you agree?" Ula couldn't help but chuckle lowly to herself, the absurdity of it all not lost on her. The grimy bathroom seemed like the last place anyone would come to for a heart-to-heart, but that was exactly what made it funny to Ula. It was in moments like these that she felt oddly at home.

She let her gaze flick back to the deep crimson dye staining the first year's hair, her lips curling slightly as she glanced at the mess starting to form.

Ula wasn't about to jump in and play hairdresser just for fun, but there was something oddly intriguing about the whole thing. She hadn't gone through any dramatic physical changes herself, but she could relate to that need to do something, anything, that might feel like taking back control. She had her own ways of dealing with expectations, and maybe this was just the girl's version of it.

Ula let out a soft huff of amusement and began to push herself off the doorframe, her movements slow and deliberate. She took a step forward, just enough to let her presence be felt.

"Look," she said, her voice softening slightly, but with that sharp edge still there, "You're gonna end up looking like a walking crime scene if you keep going like that."

She shrugged as if it didn't matter to her either way. "Not saying I'm offering to help, but if you really want it to come out looking halfway decent... well, I know a thing or two about... making sure things go the way you want them."

Ula smirked, half-turning towards the door, like she was ready to leave, but her eyes stayed on the pretty girl's reflection. "But if you're not looking for help—fine. Enjoy those red streaks. It'll be like a permanent reminder of your poor decision-making."

She let the silence stretch between them for a beat before adding, "I'm just saying, I can either save you from looking like a discount Weasley... or you can enjoy the art you're creating on your own."

It wasn't a full offer, more of a suggestion, and Ula's tone made it clear she wasn't begging to be involved.

"Your call."

With her eyes fixated briefly on the girl behind her through the mirror before placing her tools of hair destruction down, turning sighing and turning to directly watch the older girl who appeared unimpressed. Meiyu's face grimaced in response to her vulgar choice of words, particularly the reference of a piss like smell, though the fumes from the hair dye was enough of a stench to mask other odours the abandoned toilets emitted.

"Sounds like you're just running away from something." she responded, shrugging her shoulders ever so slightly, her head tilting ever so slightly as she examined her. Meiyu was not that unfamiliar with her, they did share a dorm after all, deducing that her presence in the abandoned toilets of all places in the castle surely meant that, who else would willingly come here. Her own presence in the dirty bathroom was due to her knowledge that nobody would be here, though she did hear the occasional whispers of students sneaking to the abandoned toilets with their partners, doing Merlin knows what, truth was she did not care.

Unable to divert her gaze from the girl, she watched her inch closer, as though Meiyu had been a victim to a love spell, her cat like eyes fixated on her movements, listening eagerly once she began speaking once more, her voice almost siren like. Her offer to help, more like a preventative measure from looking like a "discount Weasley", sounded more inviting than ever. The lioness had too much hair, at times it was too much for her to handle, reminiscing to her earlier childhood where she had the fortune of her mother styling her hair and frequent visits to the hair lady up in Oxfordshire.

"It's not poor decision-making." she bitterly snapped, thinking she had done a good enough job thus far, until she turned her head and examined the damage already done. She was right, if anything Meiyu was already amidst the process of becoming a discount Weasley family member, a familiar name that had unfortunately refused to leave her own grandmothers lips, recalling how her own ginger hair had caused her embarrassment for the mere feature resemblance to the group of wizards. Despite that, there was no reason for Meiyu to bask in her bitterness, in spite of that, everything was still fresh. The venomous OWL she had received from her grandmother on the verge of disowning her, merely for her house placement, had caused something to shift in the young girl. She felt as though everything had come crashing down instantaneously. It was as though her own thoughts had begun to consume her. Meiyu shook her head, cautious not to do so in a vigorous manner that would splatter dye on the girl.

It was almost humiliating how quickly her personality had shifted, once regaining her thoughts, she turned to the beautiful girl once more, starstruck by her beauty all over again. "I'll take your help actually," she began wryly, instantaneously regretting her tantrum-like outburst. "I can't gallop around the castle looking bad, I have a reputation to uphold, actually, a new reputation to make." She corrected, the truth being unbeknownst to the girl. Prior to receiving that traumatising OWL, she had been studious, boring, exactly what was hoped of her in the aim to fulfil the legacy that was prophesied for her, yet that all faded the moment it became known to her family she had failed to place in Slytherin, decades of tradition being broken once again, only this time, it was worse.

No Knight descendant had ever placed in Gryffindor, occasionally there had been Ravenclaw placements alas not enough to make a dent in the lineage. Combined with her own mother's previous placement as a Ravenclaw and now her own placement in Gryffindor, she was done for, Meiyu had been the one to break the tradition, far worse than anyone had even dared to imagine, but it was her reality and she could not live with it. Perhaps it was the way she had appeared almost pathetic like, alone in a disgusting abandoned toilet, dying her hair burgundy red with a putrid solution after her fable lie towards another student, her internal monologue being enough to grant sympathy points from anyone. The girl had no reason to aid her, yet she had chosen to do so irregardless of their different statuses, Meiyu being an underclassman, initially introverted at the start of the year, barely introducing herself to the girls in the Thestral Thicket dorm.

One thing was certain, she desperately sought help, even if it came in the form of a preventative measure, protecting her from ruining the looks she had been graced with, nobody was more suited for this than Ula, unarguably the prettiest lion.

TIME | 20:01 DATE | October 18th, 2024 INTERACTING |@Meiyu Xiang

“ I'm gonna pop your bubblegum heart ” 00:35⠀─── ◉ ───────⠀02:34

Gryffindor school uniform| OUTFIT #B68EA7 | DIALOGUE xxx| MENTIONING

Ula let out a quiet, amused hum at the younger girl's quick snap, but she didn't push. She'd seen plenty of people try to dig their heels in when they knew they were losing ground. Pride was a funny thing. Still, she had to give her credit for catching on fast. At least she knew when to accept help before things got worse.

She eyed the mess of dye-streaked hair, exhaling sharply through her nose. "Alright, move over," she muttered, stepping in closer, hesitating only briefly before picking up the brush. She turned it in her fingers like she was weighing whether this was actually worth the trouble before dipping it into the bowl.

"Not saying I know what I'm doing," she admitted, her voice even, "but I figure I can't make it worse."

She dragged the brush through a section of the girl's thick hair, brows furrowing slightly as she worked. This wasn't like styling her own—it wasn't sleek, controlled, the way she liked things to be. There was no precision here, no pre-planned vision. Just chaos and impulse, and for some reason, Ula was indulging it.

Ula let the silence stretch as she worked, the brush gliding through the girl's hair with more care than she probably deserved. She wasn't sure why she was even bothering—she didn't go around fixing other people's mistakes. And yet, here she was, standing in a dingy bathroom, hands covered in cheap dye, making sure this girl didn't walk out looking ridiculous.

She huffed a quiet laugh, shaking her head. "Never thought I'd be spending my evening dyeing someone's hair in a bathroom that smells like death. If someone walks in, they might think we're having some kind of... bonding moment." She shot the girl a dry look through the mirror, one brow raised. "Tragic, really."

Her smirk deepened as she dipped the brush back into the bowl. "So," she said, almost offhandedly, "you got a name?"

Equipped with Ula's aid, Meiyu could not resist the small smile which plastered her lips, despite the lack of supervision behind the entire ordeal, it brought the young girl slight reassurance knowing her hair would be in better hands — even if it was Ula. Swiftly moving aside to allow the older girl to intervene, Meiyu's eyes trailed her make shift salon, scowling at how horrid the abandoned bathroom truly was. Initially ignoring the musty smell in the air, given her proximity to the fumes of the dye, the pungent smell had only grown as she stepped away.

Prior to this evening, she had never thought to loiter within these halls, best reserved for couples who wished to hide away, catching a moment together, fortunately, tonight there would be no eye-sore hiding away in the corners. With silence looming in the air, Meiyu took the opportunity to gaze at the girl through the dirty mirror, once more, admiring her beauty. Personally graced by Aphrodite herself, it was a wonder as to why Ula decided to assist, even more a wonder, why she had found her way to the Abandoned Toilets.

"Better than being near some of the wretchedly awful personalities in the Great Hall, quite irritating at times." She responded wryly, meeting her gaze and almost immediately mimicking the brow raise, Ula's displeasure almost beyond evident. "Meiyu... Xiang" the young girl continued with a trail, her tone reminiscent to that of a whisper. Basking in the silent which once more casted over the bathroom, Meiyu opted to merely observe, almost gawking at how Ula swiftly worked to repair the damage she had done to her beloved hair.

Without question, Meiyu already knew who her assistant was, Ula Takahashi, a second year, arguably mean girl, who had the misfortune of sharing a dorm with the pesky child. Despite maintaining distance from the girls who also roomed with them during Meiyu's brief time at the fortress, the older between the pair, had a provided a memorable impression; noting her beauty such as how her black hair complimented her ivory skin. Had she observed another with similar features, a comparison to a weak Victorian child was likely to be made, even worse, potentially uttered. Although, Ula's grace was different, unlike some creatures who also resided with them, their fraudulent portrayal of etiquette had only forced Meiyu to withdraw from them, preferring solitude than companionship with the fellow lions.

As Ula moved, the outcome looked significantly better than the initial work Meiyu had horridly attempted of dying her hair; the dye being spread more evenly, seeping immediately penetrating her hair follicles, almost admirable how quick the dye began to work. Smiling with content, the first phase of her rebellion had sprung into action — albeit, dying your hair at eleven was not exactly a major act of rebelling against the horrid pressure ones family would subject their eldest grandchild to, alas, it was in motion!

"I appreciate the help, Ula, my lips are sealed, of course." Meiyu chimed with excitement as she turned to face Ula, her fingers moving to motion her lips sealed, tossing away the imaginary key. In truth, there would yet, be a way for Meiyu to repay the girl for the sudden kindness, one had rarely dived in to, particularly towards a first year. Unbeknownst to the older lioness, this mere act of kindness had only piqued a further interest into the mysterious, yet, breathtakingly beautiful girl. Blooming potential friendship or alliances — depending on who you asked what their relationship was.

Once enough time had passed, following a motion from Ula, Meiyu shuffled back to the antique pearl sink, dye fumes limiting her sense of smell once more. Tilting her head, rather oddly, over the sink, she reached over to turn the tap on, the remanent red dye transferring slightly onto the steel with her motion, moving once more to ridden her hair from the dye. A fable attempt of viewing the red stained water was made, yet to no avail, the stained water paired with her wet hair merely aided in the obstruction of her vision. Upon completion of the rinse, unfortunately, taking longer than she had hoped, Meiyu flicked her hair and stepped back to admire the new, modified, version of herself through the mirror; Ula's figure almost gawking at her.

Perfect.

Or, was that another observation she made of Aphrodite's daughter, who stood behind her.

NOTE: FINISHED.
Permission received from Ula's writer to GODMOD.