Wait. We Are?

interaction: @Avery Gray wc: 318

When Victoria was feeling restless or bored, there were always two places she turned to: the library and the Great Lake. The library, with its quiet corners and comforting scent of parchment, usually offered the solitude she craved—but today, it had been swarming with students, their chatter echoing off the high stone walls. Victoria had stepped inside, taken one look at the crowded reading tables, and turned right back around. She wasn’t in the mood for noise or people.

That’s how she found herself at the edge of the Great Lake, where the only sound was the rustling of leaves and the gentle lapping of water against the shore. A light breeze was drifting through the trees, threading its way through her brown, wavy hair like invisible fingers. The air carried a faint, fresh scent—of water, grass, and the warmth of sun on stone.

She squinted against the sunlight as it poured across her face, warm and a little too bright. With a hand raised slightly to shield her eyes, she began walking toward the shade of a nearby tree, drawn by the promise of quiet and stillness. As she stepped off the path, her eyes landed on someone up ahead— a girl sitting in the sun, seemingly soaking it in, her brown hair catching the light and her hazel eyes half-lidded with calm. She seemed familiar- Ah. Avery Gray. They had stayed in the same cabin during summer camp. Victoria had found her to be friendly and warm—but they hadn’t been particularly close. So, Victoria decided to walk past without saying anything.

What she didn’t expect was for the girl to come up and greet her. Her smile was brighter than the sun itself. Victoria looked at her, her doe-like blue eyes widening slightly in surprise. She gave a small nod.
“...Ah. Yes,” she said calmly. “You’re... Avery, right?”

Interacting with: @Victoria Blythe Mentioning: N/A Date: 08/10/25

Word Count: 240

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Avery smiled and nodded to Victoria. “Yep. That’s me. What brings you out here today?” While she waited for the girl to respond, Avery just glanced around. The sun shining down on the water made the scene look like something from a painting. A painting of a life Avery never thought she would get to live. A life she may have never gotten to live if her mother had gotten her way. She still couldn’t believe what her mother had wanted to do. She couldn’t think about it. She hadn’t even told anyone yet. Not even Mikey. Only Lya and Dylan knew. She would him eventually. He deserved to know the truth after everything else she had told him, but something held her back. He had his own problems to deal with, and she didn’t want to burden him with her own. She cared about him too much to do that to him. She could do it herself again. She had done it for years before until she arrived at Hogwarts, so why couldn’t she now? Though if it meant burning bridges, well, Avery couldn’t do that. She needed her friends. Otherwise she would shatter. Avery snapped out of her thoughts. She had to focus on making friends with Victoria. The girl had seemed super nice at camp, so why not get to know her and become friends? They were already acquainted, so becoming friends was an easy next step.

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interaction: @Avery Gray wc: 245 dialogue thoughts

When the girl confirmed that her name was Avery, Victoria nodded gently. With her question, she tilted her head just a bit to think a proper answer.

"...Oh. The library was a bit crowded, so I came here to clear my head and have some peace.” Victoria said softly. The girl was surprisingly friendly, and Victoria had to admit that her demeanor eased her nerves, even just a little.

She noticed the girl drift off into her thoughts, her brows knitting together with a hint of worry. Victoria didn’t know what she was thinking about, but it was obvious it wasn’t something good—from the quiet sigh she let out, to the faint crease on her otherwise flawless and gorgeous face, Victoria could easily tell something was bothering her.

And Victoria’s soft spot had always been people who were hurting, who carried their burdens in silence.

The Slytherin girl tilted her head slightly, spending a few seconds considering how to approach the matter. She and Avery weren’t particularly close yet, and perhaps Avery wouldn’t want to share whatever was on her mind. Still, Victoria wanted her to know she wasn’t alone. Maybe with listening her, or just showing she is there for her.

“…Are you alright?” she asked softly, her voice as warm as the sunlight itself. A flicker of concern danced in her eyes—barely noticeable, unless one looked very, very closely. She waited for the girl's answer as a soft breeze stroked their hair.

Interacting with: @Victoria Blythe Mentioning: N/A Date: 09/08/25

Word Count: 201

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"Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking about how I'm going to tell someone something." Avery quickly recovered. A smile back on her face. She really had to stop doing things like this. Going into deep trains of thought while trying to talk to someone else had shown that it hadn't worked out. Ever. "The library is a great place to be when it's empty, but it's terrible to work in when crowded. I don't blame you for coming out here." Avery motioned to the beautiful sunset shining over the lake before them. It really was a beautiful sight. Avery made a mental note to come outside more often around this time and enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery. "How are you settling in to this school year?" Avery asked. Trying to start a conversation and not mess everything up by making things awkward. Awkward silence always ended with something that Avery never knew how to handle. She had never been great with starting conversations. She loved talking to people and getting to know them, but conversation starters always made her nervous. Like if she said the wrong thing she would look like a foolish little girl that couldn't talk to people.

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interaction: @Avery Gray wc: 247 dialogue thoughts

The wind was still gently blowing, softly brushing through the girls' hair. Victoria tucked the strands from her face behind her ear. The breeze carried with it the crisp scent of early autumn—leaves just beginning to dry, the faint saltiness of the lake not too far off. A few golden leaves drifted lazily past, twirling like they had nowhere urgent to be. Victoria always liked this kind of weather: gentle, uncertain, just like the start of something new.

The girl smiled, but Victoria could tell from her pretty eyes that the smile was just a way to brush off whatever had bothered her a moment ago. She tilted her head slightly—if the girl didn’t want to talk about it, Victoria wasn’t going to push her. She wasn’t very good with words anyway; how could she possibly help to this problem?

“If you ever want to talk, I’m here to listen,” she said gently.

When the girl changed the subject, Victoria hummed softly. She realized the girl was making an effort to keep the conversation going, and the thought warmed her heart. Victoria might not be the best at conversations, but she was determined to do her part to keep it alive.

“…Yes, the weather is quite lovely. The second year has only just begun, but… I guess a bit of summer’s ease still lingers,” she said softly, choosing her words with care. “The weather hasn’t really turned cold yet, maybe that’s why. How are you doing? Really?"

Interacting with: @Victoria Blythe Mentioning: N/A Date: 09/08/25

Word Count: 231

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Avery nodded. Grateful that she had someone to talk to even though the other girl had no idea what had been bothering Avery lately. That was something she was beginning to learn. People really did want to listen and be there. Something Avery hadn’t really experienced before with both her parents keeping so many secrets from her. Supposedly “shielding” the thirteen year old from things they thought she wasn’t ready to hear. Little did they know that she wasn’t their little girl that needed protection anymore. She had grown up fast. Too fast. “Thank you. It’s nice to know that people actually care. The same goes for you.” Avery said with a smile. Avery nodded in agreement. Back at her grandparents’ home in Wales, the weather had turned slightly cooler than it had been in the earlier summer. It wasn’t very hot anyway, but it did feel like relief when the days began to cool. “Honestly? I’ve been better. A lot happened over the summer, and it hasn’t really been easy to decipher anything. Though I think the thing that makes everything harder is figuring out how I keep my feelings about someone I care about to myself because I’m afraid he doesn’t feel the same about me. Losing his friendship would hurt more than anything, really.” Avery let out a sigh. Glad to finally have those thoughts off her chest.

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