Tallowheart Errand - Béatrice | Finished

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The wind howls a lot like wolves, aye?

Julie was still getting used to the way the world, her world, worked around the predetermined ideas of life she'd had before. A fresh new fantasy wove around her around each and every bend of the many corridors of the castle, and she was still absolutely floored every time she saw the Great Hall. How the ceiling could suspend a thousand candles as though even their paltry weight was nothing at all, in a perpetual flight that seemed as though they simply belonged afloat. It was among one of the hundreds of fascinating features that captured the young girl's attention, and she was infinitely eager to learn everything there was to about each facet of this magnificent place that, as of now was her home. She lived in a castle that had suits of armor that creaked and hummed occasionally if you caught them unawares during their infinite vigil, a home where the greenhouses did away with the idea of produce for predatory and sentient plant-life that called to her attention. Not that she had yet been inside the dangerous glass buildings that houses the scary stuff, though she so desperately wanted to.

The afternoon found Julie with free time, and it was in her often meanderings of the halls that filled most of it, her eagerness to understand the world and to connect with her fellows driving her from the comfort of the sunny common room. Today was no different. Though she adored the Hufflepuffs of her house, her curiosities constantly sent her strolling, wanting to see and know everything that was accessible. It was this wanderlust that worked her trainers up the staircase and towards the northern tower, her customary smile wrapping her lips up at the corners and a shining glint of curiosity flickering in her blue eyes. She'd swapped out from her uniform for the time being, classes over for the day and not wanting the impedance of the cloak to trip up her feet, her customary dark jeans and a fine pacific blue long-sleeve pulled over her head. She looked moderately normal, her muggle attire a comforting almost constant whenever the school permitted a deviance from the uniform. That had been something new to get used to, and though her mother had made sure to convert enough money to afford all her school stuff, the robes still felt clumsy due to just how different they were from everything else she ever dared to wear.

Blue eyes flashed in each passing torch as she wound her way towards a classroom she'd never been to before, curiosity and polite rumor humming about something called Ancient Runes. The thought deeply fascinated her, and though it wasn't part of her curriculum as a first year, she was eager to peek in and see what the magical world considered a rune. She wasn't completely in the dark, being familiar with some Viking cultures purely out of an academic fascination when they were reference lightly in primary school, and she hoped that her pre-existing knowledge could be furthered. What she found as she rounded the corner to the threshold to the classroom caught her completely by surprise, her smile widening brightly in the flickering lights of the multiple fireplaces in the mostly empty floor. The scent of myrrh and sweetgrass filling her nostrils and enticing her to inhale deep slow breaths, the resinous almost medicinal quality of the myrrh contrasting starkly with the sweet subtle hominess of the sweetgrass and making her smile widen contentedly. Her eyes wandered as she savored the fragrances, roving over the ceiling filled with candles that seemed as though they simply belonged there, the same sense of being precisely where they were meant as the Great Hall's own. They seemed to be whittling down, and the cauldrons filled with wax made sense then, and Julie regarded the other students who seemed busy at work creating their own candles.

The idea that she could contribute to what she assumed would light the classroom from above for months to come excited her deeply, and as she looked around she beamed as she caught sight of who absolutely must be the Runes Professor. Instantly Julie's eyes were fixed with rapt awe as she took in the exceptionally unique appearance of the woman, her sheer tallness and wild look making Julie feel like she were standing in a forest. The strange markings on her face, the mud that caked her hair bringing it closer in hue to Julie's own locks, it immediately calmed her, and made her want to do anything she could to help her, and become her friend. Eager to get started, she stepped over the threshold with eyes trained on a cauldron wafting the deepest scents of myrrh.

Unfortunately, the girl had two feet, and with the full distraction of something so fascinating as helping the woman she'd forgotten her right was behind the side jam of the door. Before she could register her forward motion had begun to keen forward, the ground was already meeting her palms as her chest smacked into the floor, only just sparing her face from what would absolutely be a horribly painful crack against it. Air whooshed from her lungs as she groaned softly, pulling her arms under her head so she could rest her skull against them and gulp at the air. After a few seconds she scrambled to her feet, wincing slightly as she moved over to the intended cauldron and plopped down with her legs folded, hoping beyond all hope that she had not snapped open the relative calm silence of the room. Her eyes glittered slightly as her cheeks burned from embarrassment, but as she settled and picked up one of the long strands she began to get to work without so much as a word. She was familiar with the process of making candles, having made some with her mother during a particularly bad storm that had kept flickering the lights on and off, the activity bringing a smile to her face as she worked.

Do they like the scent of wax on herbs?
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