Phoenix Zhang
Stored for Later
The passage was a quiet, extensive hallway, dimly lit through the narrow slits in the stone. Phoenix glided silently, her feet lightly tapping on the flags. It suited her thus—silence unbroken, the air not agitated and waiting like a shut book's pages.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Date: 16/05/25 | Time: 16:37 | Outfit: Robes | CC: #english, mandarin
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Her satchel dangled heavily at her hip, full of paper and half-read texts, the sort which did not even make it through class discussions. Its weight did not disturb her. It grounded her.
Up ahead, voices shattered the silence.
She identified one immediately.
Nova.
Phoenix did not change step, but a shiver ran through her stance—a tautness tugged through shoulders and back. The second speaker was a girl's, younger and smaller. A freshman. The upward inflect of the tone identified it. Nervous.
Phoenix walked on.
She approached without so much as glancing at them at all, her face staring at the space in front of her. Nova stood a little off to the side and gesticulated with an outstretched hand as she talked, all easygoing assurance and finely tuned charm. The first-year nodded and murmured something which Phoenix couldn't catch.
She moved silently behind them like a ghost, icy and soundless. No other spectre in the hall.
But as she came around the corner something halted her.
She did not know how—except she did. She could always tell when they were discussing her even when they did not mention her name.
Phoenix moved a little bit farther forward and let the small of her lean against the wall softly. Out of sight. Listening.
Breathing slowed down.
She could still sense the tone of the low and even baritone of Nova's voice, a cadence Phoenix recognized in smile after smile that fell just short of reaching the eyes. There came the break and a low laugh—the first-year this time, anxious and uncertain.
Phoenix stood firm. She stood in silence in the empty hall, the world quiet on her side of the stone. Her hands were at her sides, resting against the folds of her robe. She did not fist them. They did not require it.
She didn't listen to the words
But tone can carry much more meaning than any sentence ever can.─────
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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @none @Nova Astron | 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: @ |
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Stored for Later
Nova’s voice came easier than it should have, the adrenaline from her adventure still fresh in her head. She had been cornered by another Hufflepuff who had heard her when she was talking to a few curious peers about where she had been.
After an encounter with a specific Gryffindor that had irritated her, she had snuck out to cool off. She hadn't gone far, just a quick stroll around the corridors while avoiding those patrolling. It was somewhat exciting, but she had been close to getting caught.
The girl had asked—nervously, hesitantly—if it was true Nova had snuck out after curfew. Nova was surprised, wondering how loud she had been when talking in the Common Room, but didn't deny it.
"It was after some Gryffindor girl in the Library acted like kindness was a sin near her. I was being nice, right? Sat next to her to give her some company, and she acted like I had insulted her entire bloodline."
Nova had recently found out the girl's name from listening around during classes. Phoenix, they had said. It was a bit unfitting for someone so cold.
The other girl laughed, and Nova grinned, eyes flashing with mischief that felt exhilarating. "So I snuck out to cool off a little. It was fun! Sort of. Almost had to run into a broom closet."
She paused for a moment, looking around at the dimly lit corridor before putting a finger to her lips. "Don't tell anyone, I'd rather keep my reputation and not get detention."
She shot the girl another mischievous smile before walking off, a small skip to her step. She turned around the corner and nearly collided with someone there.
Thoughts - Italic ~ Nova's Speech - #a88400 ~ Phoenix's speech - #990000
NOTES@Phoenix ZhangWORD COUNT: 282/200 words
Phoenix Zhang
Stored for Later
As Nova rounded the corner and almost ran into her, Phoenix did not budge. She stood frozen like stone, wedged into the darkness of the hall. Eyes held in one moment—Nova's wide with surprise, Phoenix's impassive and unreadable
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Date: 16/05/25 | Time: 16:37 | Outfit: Robes | CC: #english, mandarin
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Her lips curled into a dry, wizened smile as she finally broke her silence, her own tone low and controlled. "Well, quite the admission, was it?"
"Secrets spoken in the cover of darkness," Phoenix continued, the words coming smooth and sharp.
Phoenix crossed her arms loosely. "Not really what one would anticipate of a Hufflepuff, in my humble estimation, you see—one of fidelity and leniency, not lurking in the hidden passageways and dishing out secrets." Her tone was level, almost amused, but beneath it was interwoven with a sharp edge, like the edge of something kept hidden beneath the skin.
She stepped one step further, her voice becoming softer. "I'll not tell anyone, at least, not yet." The threat was veiled, couched in politeness. "However, that can be reversed should it become something I am amused by."
Phoenix allowed the silence between them to hang in the air, allowing the veiled implication in her statement to fall like a rock.
Secrets are fragile, she finally said, her own voice very low and very sharp. "Here, people keep them like gold, hoard them, and very often the ability to tell something is as powerful as what is spoken."
Her gaze travelled over Nova's face. Her head tilted to one side, lips still curled into the faintest suggestion of sneer. "I think the question is—how valuable is your little secret? How far are you willing to go to keep it concealed?" Phoenix moved back, as if the conversation had run its course. But she did not turn to walk away. Her eyes stayed, cold and distant. "You might do well to be more circumspect. Not every thing is for un-consecrated hearing."─────
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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Nova Astron | 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: @ |
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Stored for Later
Nova stumbled backward almost immediately, catching herself just barely as she steadied herself against the smooth stone wall. She looked up and met Phoenix's cold, almost smug gaze, and found herself wondering just how much she had heard.
She slowly straightened up and met Phoenix's gaze with a surprised but mostly annoyed expression. Does she just snoop around looking for blackmail material? she thought bitterly.
"Those are just stereotypes., if you ask me. The whole 'cute and innocent Hufflepuffs that can do no wrong' is annoying, and quite frankly, not true." She responded with a hint of bite in her tone. She was definitely annoyed, but a tiny part of her hesitated to respond to Phoenix's taunts.
Phoenix stepped closer, whispering the words that made Nova's blood run cold. "I'll not tell anyone, at least, not yet." She tried not to let it affect her, but she couldn't help the small pang of regret in her chest.
I should've been more careful! Who spills secrets without making sure no one else is around? She thought to herself chidingly as Phoenix went on, basically threatening Nova over a little fun gossiping.
She let out a sigh before standing a bit taller, schooling her face into what she hoped was a neutral expression. "What I do to keep it a secret depends a lot on what you'll do with the information. How do I know you aren't just taunting me right now?"
She kept her tone low, glancing around carefully to make sure there was no one else near. No need to make the same mistake twice.
Thoughts - Italic ~ Nova's Speech - #a88400 ~ Phoenix's speech - #990000
NOTES@Phoenix ZhangWORD COUNT: 265/200 words