Pretty Girls PV Koko

♫ so you inch a little closer ♫
✰✰✰

In the crunched-up anxious ball that was Aly Salinger - her arms wrapped around her knees, her knees pushed tight to her chest, her head buried in her arms, and even her toes curling inwards, as if to make herself as small as humanly possible in the wake of perhaps the most regretful, shame-inducing sentence she'd ever spouted in her life - there seemed to be, for a moment after prattling on like the prattiest prat to ever prat, only heartbeats as loud as earthquakes in her ears. The sirens in her head wailed on, embarrassment, you're an embarrassment, that was an embarrassment, she thinks you're an embarrassment, until Aly was just about ready to go ask the Healer-in-residence for an immediate lobotomy just so she'd never have to hear them again - and then, blissfully, they were silent. No crude brain surgery necessary, and all because of a gentle touch on her arm.

There were plenty of descriptions those at Hogwarts utilised to describe the altogether intimidating and frighteningly fetching Slytherin seventh-year. Aly had heard them in the halls and on the Quidditch pitch time and time again: unpredictable, temperamental, stylish, sneaky, knockout (sometimes literally)... but gentle had never been one of them. With Koko's talent for blatching on the pitch and her equally fearsome command of her secretarial and prefecture duties, Aly could understand why. When someone held that much power, they didn't need to be soft or sympathetic or anywhere near tender - they needed to be strong, to show that they had earned such power, or at least that was what Aly had seen from most of her friends who had taken up leadership positions over the last few years. Now, though, Koko Riddle wasn't being a prefect or a secretary or a Quidditch captain. She was being a friend, and that gentle touch was enough for Aly to shift her head slightly to the side, so she could just barely peek out at the blonde's chiseled face and high cheekbones through a wave of light brown curls. At this point, just catching a glimpse of her concerned gaze made Aly's freckled face about ten times redder and also made her want to simply scurry out of the room like a little mouse who failed to get the cheese, never to be seen again by amber eyes... it wouldn't have been too difficult, considering that Koko was graduating in a month. But something else in her made her stay, glued to her seat, glued to the kind brush of slender fingers against the breathable fabric of her sleeve.

"I dunno. Breezy?"

The snort burst from Aly's throat completely unwillingly; she hadn't expected Koko to actually answer her weather question, but in doing so, she'd melted away a fair bit of the tension that had been running through Aly's shoulders and arms. Then, of course, the snake went right back to talking about what they'd been before - asking the eagle why she had changed the subject, and Aly shrunk slightly again. Despite being the same size as her companion (a rare instance for this tiny social butterfly), in this moment, she felt so, so much smaller. Still, the soft tap-tap-tap of Koko's fingers moving up her arm to her shoulder helped, though it also sent prickles of goosebumps down the skin of her bicep. Lear's career, she had to know what she was doing, right? Was she doing it on purpose? As if to answer that question, or perhaps to just rib with her some more, the same soft fingers brushed the curls out of Aly's face so that a lone emerald eye peeked out from the tangle of arms and sleeves at Koko's face, which then came down to peer at her from eye level anyway. The confident declaration that she knew she was pretty tinged a smile to Aly's lips - now that was more what she'd expected out of a drunk Koko, that absolutely earned confidence that bordered on arrogance and yet was so endearing to all that cared for her, not this quiet, tender thing the blonde had become. It was almost more unsettling this way. And then, a comment on Aly's own eyes, which caused them to instinctively look away from Koko's. Embarrassed again, but maybe this time something more, too.

All right. Yes. She knows what she's doing.

Bloody hell.

Because Aly's face was mostly buried in her arms, she got to watch from a somewhat obscured front-row seat as Koko Riddle devolved into a breathily giggling, somewhat flirty mess of a person, tripping over her words just like Aly was and going so far as to nudge her with her hand. Aly's balance wasn't often the best when she wasn't under the influence, so the small nudge nearly pushed her over, forcing her to unfold her arms just to catch herself on one hand before she tipped completely sideways onto the cold stone floor to her left. The worst part of it all was that nothing was explicit. Despite being so good with people, subtext, context, had never really been the Ravenclaw's friend. In that moment, more than being embarrassed or bashful or falling head over heels down into a deep amber gaze that contained multitudes Aly had never known existed, she really just wanted to grab Koko and shake her and yell, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! Perhaps it was the alcohol again, and Aly was no Muggle puzzler, but all these comments about experience and kissing and oh Merlin's soggy bloomers she called her pretty again and "if she'd rather not" seemed to piece together one very specific picture, and by Lear Aly didn't want to mess anything up if she was reading this wrong.

Then again, if she did have all this topsy-turvy, if she was more incorrect than she'd ever been about anything in her life, sure, it would ruin a friendship that was turning out to be really quite nice, but also she could simply avoid Koko for the month until graduation and then all would be fine. She'd never have to speak to her again if this went badly.

Still, though, Aly wanted to be careful about it. She raised her head to find a slightly smiling and wholly ethereal Koko staring back at her, far closer than before, almost as if she were leaning in; their faces were inches apart, startling the Ravenclaw for a moment. She flinched backwards, but then came back stronger and better than before, a confident, whisky-infused flame flickering in her eyes. Aly had only ever been kissed by a girl. She'd never actually done the kissing part herself. And yet, it was almost as if a different kind of spirit possessed her, motivating her body to shift and turn to face the Slytherin fully, her right hand to reach up, to cup the side of Koko's warm, red cheek and brush her thumb ever-so-softly over the so perfectly sculpted cheekbone lying there beneath the skin. She imagined the words she was about to say, just a quick double-check before the action itself: Koko, do you want me to kiss you? After all, it sure had sounded like it, but it was never a bad idea to make sure that the other girl wanted it as much as Aly did in this moment.

When spoken aloud, however, against her will and almost instinctively, they sounded quite a bit different, and not just because of the slightly slurred intonation of her wine-laden voice.

"Koko, can I kiss you?"

Date: Friday, 30 May 2025
Time: 21:00
Location: Headliner Office
'Fit: x

« and i could be a pretty girl... »

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Even as she caught Aly's hidden glances a few times, the concern alongside the mirth and intrigue that only helped Koko's heartbeat thud remained. Every word out of her mouth had been intended as a kindness, something all-too-rare from the snake these days, and even as she swallowed, managing to shut her mouth, her amber gaze still glimmered with the hint of held-back giggles. The situation in itself was hardly laughable—Aly nearly falling over, the two of them stumbling over their words, the topic of conversation having shifted into territory that, assuming sobriety, Koko would have found very uncomfortable, especially with anyone else. But here? Now? With the way her blood thrummed in her veins, with the way Aly flinched backwards but then came closer with the way she was looking at her?

There was no room for discomfort, and any hesitation was gently pushed to the side with a soft brush of Aly's fingers against her face. Koko continued to stare at Aly even as she took in a slow breath. That look in Aly's eyes was something she'd found herself lucky enough to be witness to a few times before—on the Quidditch pitch, mostly, but also when they had both been snow-kissed and laughing. But it was different now. Her friend's expression—confident, proud, strong—held a sharp edge that had caught Koko's attention like a knife could catch a target. She did her best to keep her breathing steady, but as she found herself leaning into Aly's touch, focusing on her shaky exhales only intensified the quick beat of her heart, and, in turn, the oddness with which she breathed.

That she might short-circuit under someone's tender touch was something the girl had never anticipated.

She closed her eyes and breathed. A whiff of lavender perfume wafted its way into her nostrils, and she swallowed, the movement suddenly a bit more difficult, as if she had managed to get a powder puff stuck in her throat. She inhaled again, slower, with the intention of it not being noticed, and she opened her eyes, her scrutiny of Aly's features causing her glances to dart from freckle to freckle, from the slope of her cheekbone to her jaw, to the graceful slant of her nose, from the wine-tinted-red of Aly's lips to the verdant vessels of half-veiled valiance that were her friend's eyes. And, oh, were they beautiful eyes.

Koko was all-too-focused on Aly's gaze when the quick flutter of movement from Aly's mouth distracted her. An eyebrow raised, hardly of Koko's accord, before she had even registered the question. Then—oh. Hadn't they already gone over that? In her alcohol-addled mind, Koko couldn't quite remember; she continued to stare at Aly, albeit now mostly at her lips rather than at her gorgeous green gaze. Why was Aly allowed to look like that? Koko blinked, trying to snap herself out of her stupor, and she ended up moving, although not quite in the way she had intended.

She really, truly registered what Aly had said and laughed, the sounds spilling out of her in a way she could not stop. But even despite that laughter, she placed one hand over Aly's, the one that was on her face, and she smiled. 'Well, since you asked so nicely...' she murmured, this time purposefully dropping her gaze to Aly's lips, smirking, and glancing back up to her friend's eyes. She removed her hand from Aly's and moved closer before gently placing her fingers on Aly's jaw, her touch light enough so that Aly could move her head, or remove Koko's hand. '...the answer's yes.'

That had not sounded nearly as smart as she had thought it would, and she blinked, her cheeks only continuing to warm as she momentarily averted her gaze. However, given how close they were, there was nowhere else to look other than at Aly, and Koko found herself trapped like a Snitch in a Seeker's glove. She forced her mouth shut and found herself almost biting her lip again, and to combat that she swallowed, but that made her glance at Aly's face again, and then she had to swallow again to deal with her thudding heartbeat.

And then! What if Aly thought she sounded like a complete and utter idiot? Could Ravenclaws even kiss idiots?

The hand Koko had placed on Aly's jaw moved backwards, almost as of a mind of its own, and her fingers found long, light brown curls that shone in the candlelight as if they had been dipped in liquid gold, or firewhisky, or honey. The thought of honey made her swallow again, but she was quickly distracted by the soft texture of her friend's hair. And her lavender perfume, much like the wine and the whisky, was practically intoxicating.

It was without question now—Koko wanted to kiss her. But all of her now-usual arrogance had faded, leaving her with tentative touches and glances and a pounding heart alongside thoughts that were long-strewn and tiresome.

She swallowed again and inhaled sharply. All she could do, then, was just lean into whatever happened next.

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« ...i'll lose myself in you. »

@Aly Salinger

♫ yeah, it's a blessing and it's a curse ♫
✰✰✰

Both girls were breathing shakily, as if they'd just sprinted all the way from the dungeons to the top of the Astronomy Tower at full speed, even though neither one had moved in the last hour or so. They were closer than they had ever been, closer than Aly had been to anyone in a long time, and even though Koko seemed somewhat distracted, she still managed to reach up and put her own hand over Aly's. The seventh-year's palm was comforting, warm and dry somehow, and Aly tried to steady her own thumping heartbeat, because she knew if she got any more nervous about this her hands would break out in a clammy sweat that the Slytherin most certainly wouldn't want touching her most elegant cheekbones. However, the fact that Koko seemed to be just as affected, with her quavery inhales and the thumping pulse that Aly could feel through her skin, did make the Ravenclaw feel somewhat better. She wasn't the only nervous one.

In fact, why was Aly nervous at all? It was Koko who had not yet had her first kiss, so the elder Slytherin being the more on-edge about this whole situation would probably have made more sense. And yet, Aly was as anxious as ever, a million thoughts broom-racing through her head, each with their own Firebolt or equally faster ride: What if she says no and is disgusted by the very idea? Worse, what if she says yes and doesn't like it? Oh, great golden Gobstones, why is she looking at me like that? Is it a good or a bad thing? Why is she getting closer? Oh my Merlin, did she just say-

Koko had dropped her hand from Aly's and moved it to the Ravenclaw's freckled face, murmuring a most fervent and flirty yes.

It seemed that asking politely had its perks after all.

The hand on her face found its way back to the soft curls at the nape of her neck, and Aly found herself glad she had taken her hair down from the ponytail she had worn to classes earlier in the day; the grip on her hair seemed to be both gentle and commanding, as if Koko was not only giving her permission but demanding that Aly come closer, that they bring their lips to meet. The blonde was leaning forward, her amber eyes drawing Aly in somehow, so deep and yet so soft, calm. Enticing. Aly rubbed her thumb over the girl's cheekbone, took a steadying breath, and closed her eyes as she met Koko in the middle.

She hadn't been kissed, or kissed anyone, in quite a long while - almost a year, in fact - and yet the sensations came to her just so naturally, as if she and Koko had done this many a time before. The kiss was soft at first, hesitant, and Aly just pressed her lips to the Slytherin's, allowing her to take control and lead wheresoever she wanted the pair to go. Their lips parted slightly, Aly's other hand coming up to hold the other side of Koko's face as she scooted just a bit closer and then a bit closer still, leaning into not only the kiss but the presence of the other girl until their heartbeats thudded, fast and fanatical, as one. It seemed to go on forever, or perhaps for only a single moment, but when they broke away, Aly couldn't tell if she had pulled out of it or if Koko had; still, she let herself breathe, eyes still closed, for several heartbeats, enjoying the taste of the Slytherin's lips and their yet-present flavour of whisky and cinnamon. After a moment, she let her eyes flutter open to find Koko's face, offering her a hesitant smile.

"They're never quite what we dream of," she whispered, taking one hand off of Koko's face and using the other to smooth back her hair, "but..." Aly debated momentarily asking what the Slytherin had thought, but kept her mouth shut, lest the elder, more impressive girl think she was completely and utterly barmy or, worse, simply lame.

Date: Friday, 30 May 2025
Time: 21:00
Location: Headliner Office
'Fit: x

« like a silver screen, take me back... »

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Even as they leaned closer together, Koko had to fight to steady her breathing and staunch the stressful symphony of solicitudes thrumming alongside the beat of her blood in her veins. They were so close to each other, and yet, there was always a chance Aly would change her mind and Koko would be left looking like an utter idiot—and, she thought with an almost imperceptible widening of her eyes, probably minus a friend, too. She continued to be unable to meet Aly's gaze, and and although the jumble of thoughts was not as quick-running through her mind as it would have been were she sober, it remained a steady undercurrent in the aggressive tidal waves her heartbeat was causing.

But then she did glance upwards, even if only minutely, to stare at her beautiful friend's reddened face, at her golden-brown hair that still rested in Koko's fingers, at her eyes and lips—and holy shit her lips were coming closer, what to do, what to do, what to do...

She had no time to consider or reconsider before Aly had pressed her lips to hers. Momentarily, Koko froze, but she quickly responded by tightening her hold on Aly's hair and tilting her head so that their noses didn't bump together. Her eyelids flickered shut. Her heart continued to pound within the cage of her ribs. When her lips parted underneath Aly's, she tasted firewhisky, chocolate and wine, and she brought her other hand up to Aly's arm to steady herself, all while drawing closer. Her grip tightened on Aly's sleeve, and it remained there when they broke apart.

If the steady thrum of her blood in her veins was so loud to her, certainly Aly would have been able to see it, or at least feel it. It continued to hang heavy in her ears, the only other sound being their breaths and the stray breeze through the open window in the otherwise empty office. The soft tingling in her lips, the pleased smile that was beginning to form on them, the strange butterflies in her stomach that seemed to both abate and fly faster as she caught her breath... Koko dropped the hand that had laced its fingers into Aly's curls and slowly opened her eyes, moving her hand to rest on Aly's other arm.

She thought of a lot of different things to say—really. Try, 'On a scale of one to ten, how bad was I?', or 'If I look like an idiot right now, it's okay to tell me, please tell me, actually...' But before any worries could expel themselves, Aly opened her eyes, smiled at her and broke the silence.

At least she was smiling, too! That, at least, lowered the half-panicked, fully kiss-induced thudding of her heartbeat to something more manageable. She did not register Aly's words at first, instead closing her mouth and swallowing, her eyes widening when Aly pushed back her hair. She might have tightened her grip on Aly's sleeves, and she definitely found her cheeks warming further as she glanced away and then back at Aly's flawless face. Only then, after Aly had finished speaking, did Koko's positively-stunned mind start to put the lovely creature's words together.

'...But?' she prompted, her eyebrows drawing closer as she, too, leaned closer to Aly. The corners of her lips began to tilt downwards in concern. 'It was good—really good. Well, for me, at least. I'd hope it was for you, too. I mean, I can kiss you again if it was really bad for you. Which I hope it wasn't. But.'

Koko purposefully loosened her hold on Aly's arms so that one hand was resting just above the other girl's elbow, and her other hand would slowly move higher—if allowed, she would rest her thumb on Aly's chin and the rest of her fingers just underneath the Ravenclaw's jaw. She pursed her lips, partially to avoid sounding more like an idiot, but also in thought. Was it worth it...?

Well, she had already embarrassed herself. More fuel for the fire of fluster would fail to dig a deeper hole for herself—hopefully.

Her voice was soft, lower than it had been previously, and still held a small undertone of self-consciousness when she spoke again, this time managing to maintain eye contact to the best of her ability. 'I... What I mean to say is that I would not mind kissing you again. I would, er, I would like it. That is, if you would also like it.' She swallowed and internally cursed herself for not being able to sound cool and suave. 'But, er, yeah. You're...' She paused, unsure how to phrase it at first, before just stating the plain facts. '...you're pretty good at kissing, you know.'

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« ...show me what i failed to see. »

@Aly Salinger

♫ you say that i'm your favourite ♫
✰✰✰

The tight grip that Koko had on Aly's sleeve was anything but unnoticeable, the breezy fabric pulling at the Ravenclaw's shoulder even though her shirt was fairly loose on her. One of the house-elves must have mixed up hers with a larger student's in the laundry, but she liked the baggier fit - and it gave Koko plenty of fabric to grab, a full handful to keep her grounded. It didn't seem to be working on keeping her blonde friend down here on Earth, though - there was something about the look in Koko's eyes, the faint smile teasing her full lips, the way her hand moved from the nape of Aly's neck down to her other arm. No, stay there, Aly wanted to say, but she was herself too far gone into the moment to say it; wheresoever Koko felt like resting her hand, the sixth-year was not going to complain.

As Aly brushed back Koko's hair, admittedly with a slightly hindered arm due to the blonde's death grip on the gauzy white fabric of both of her sleeves, she couldn't help but notice the slight widening of Koko's eyes, and that's when she knew - that kiss had been just as magical for the seventh-year as it had been for her. For once in Aly's anxiety-ridden life, there was absolutely, positively, unquestionably nothing to worry about. At least here, now, in this Headliner office, on the floor together, surrounded by chocolate and whisky and fireworks. There would be examinations and real life and dramatics over which to fret later, but for now, for once, Aly's rapidly beating heart somehow felt calmer than it had ever been.

This assumption was certified moments later when the blonde called the kiss good, then clarified immediately that she meant really good. A pink flush broke out over Aly's freckled face - as if it hadn't been burning red-hot for the last twenty minutes, and not just because of the alcohol imbued in her veins - and then, lo and behold, Koko was offering to kiss her again if the first one had been bad for her. A hapless chuckle broke from Aly's lips, and she scooted closer again so that the sides of the girls' hips were touching just ever-so-slightly, fabric brushing by fabric; "Only if it was bad?" she teased, as if possessed; where had all of this newfound confidence come from? The blonde's hand had moved to her face now, and Aly embraced it, quite literally leaning into the warmth from the palm on her cheek and letting her eyes flutter shut for a moment. Sure enough, Koko stammered over herself about how she wouldn't mind kissing Aly again, and, er, er, er (the stuttering was genuinely adorable - Is this what I sound like to other people when I'm all aflutter?)... finally managing to splutter out that Aly was "pretty good at kissing", which, yes, certainly sounded like something a more nerve-riddled version of the Ravenclaw would have said. Perhaps it was true what they called spirits, sometimes: liquid courage.

"That's more like it," she whispered, almost arrogantly, her own hand dropping to Koko's collarbone and inching around to the back of her neck. "You know, you can just kiss me again if you want to. I want it, too. There's no need to be embarrassed."

More fireworks. No regret.