Nothing But A Ghosts Sweet Kiss Open

The familiar smell of dusty tomes welcomed Alina as she walked briskly into the Library. One hand carried a book while the other was tucked safely into her pocket. A little small played on her lips as she gazed around, looking for any familiar faces. Some people she knew of vaguely but she couldn't spot anyone she'd want to talk to at the moment. Alina brought her focus back into her current task, which was to find books related to the one she possessed.

Transfiguration continued to be a nuisance to Alina, she just couldn't grasp the subject. She wasn't the best at remembering things, especially facts and details, she was more of a big picture kind of person. But Transfiguration called for close attention towards those said details and it was truly annoying to the young Slytherin. But she wasn't a quitter and she would tackle the subject until her end days.

Alina was walking past shelves when it suddenly dawned onto her that she couldn't recall where she actually found the book. She stopped in her tracks and looked around. The names and labels seemed to jumble up in her head as she tried to read them. Every aisle looked the same, and of course the books did too, or at least relatively.

She sucked her teeth and gripped the book tighter; Alina didn't have time for this. She wanted earnestly to go back to the Common Room to finish helping her dorm mates—

Alina stared straight ahead. Actually, it was more like straight above. Something in peculiar was perched on the shelves, halfway up or halfway down, however you'd put it. She blinked twice, trying to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Heck, one could see anything in this castle and not be doubted about it. But why was a student hanging out on the shelves.

“Uh...,” said Alina, squinting up at the girl in bewilderment. “Are you doing alright up there?” Her pale green eyes tried to calculate the distance between the girl and the floor, in case by some unfortunate slip of a foot she would come tumbling down.

Her ankle was killing her. Not for real. But it ached. She still hadn't had it looked at since that incident in the common room. Now it was bugging her really bad. It was kind of embarrassing. It left her with an awkward limp that she couldn't explain to anyone besides. "Its just hurts" so she ignored the fact that she limped at all now.

Boomerang rested in her arms his furry face resting on her shoulder. She sat down on the ground close to one of the nearby bookshelf's. Boomerang looked up and stretched, then curled up inside the bottom self on top of the books. Katrina shook her head at his cute antics and pulled out a book.

She busied herself in the story. It was a medieval action book that she was struggling to put down so she could live her life. She was on the last few chapters but was interrupted yet again. The sound of footsteps alerted Katrina of another's presence between the shelves. She looked down the hallway and saw no one present.

She scooped Boomerangs orange fluffy body and splatted him on her shoulder again. She turned the corner to see two students. One who appeared to become a spider on the shelves halfway up humming a song she vaguely recognized and another. The other was squinting and had her head cocked just so. She spoke first.

"Um, hello there. Dare I interrupt whatever is going on here?" Katrina spoke softly and rather quizzically at the curious students. She limped her way a bit down the aisle before introducing herself. "I am-- um Katrina Walker," she spoke louder this time addressing the pupil halfway up the wall.

@Alina Fridenot @Elena Jones

@Elena Jones | @Alina Fridenot | @Katrina Walker

A very wet but happy looking Thora found herself at the doors of the library, rather than her common room, where she'd intended to go. A snowball fight outside had been worth the fun and giving up the time she had originally intended for homework, but the price had been paid, as was evidenced by her damp clothes. Clutching a soggy and completely useless cloak, Thora was just your typical Muggleborn wearing Muggle clothing. It wasn't exactly the best idea, as it was bound to result in some Mudblood insults, but she could take them. She was in a good-enough mood that whatever people tossed at her at that instant, right then, would bounce right off. What was the saying? "Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me"? That--although it was typically completely false and Thora hated whoever had come up with the stupid idea--was quite true at the moment.

Glancing down at the bookbag she carried, Thora decided she was here for a reason. Sure, any sensible person would've gone back to their dorm and perhaps changed into dry clothes or even taken a good shower. While the girl was quite practical, homework always, always came first. She had a ton of homework due on Monday, and while she had gotten a start on it that morning, more needed to be done unless she wanted to spend the entire night doing homework. That, actually, wasn't a terrible idea, now that Thora thought about it.

Tossing her books on a nearby table, Thora ventured into the shelves of books, clutching her wand tightly. She didn't want to take any chances, especially now that she knew that an attack could be lurking around the corner anywhere, anytime, and from anyone. A soft humming and some muttering alerted the snek to other people. Great. People in the library weren't exactly her game. Glancing up from where she was carefully scanning the shelf for a book of Advanced Transfiguration--her worst subject--Thora froze.

It was her. Katrina. Last time they had been in the library together, it hadn't gone so well. A well-placed Flipendo was all she needed to land in the Hospital Wing for a good hour or so. While Thora had moved on from that incident in particular, she would probably never exactly consider the girl as a close friend. After that and almost accidentally killing Dymphna at the ball, the damage had been done. Forgiving was easy, but forgetting was a thousand times harder.

Two girls stood side by side, both looking up. What the heck was up there that was interesting enough for them to be staring yet not threatening enough to make them cause trouble? 

A flash of blue hair was all Thora needed to see to know what was even happening in the library. A certain Elena was hanging up on a shelf, high enough off the ground that she could possibly end up in the medical ward if she fell. What was she even doing up there? Thora hadn't the nerve to do such a thing and didn't see why other people would, but evidently, her deputy captain decided she would. While it seemed that Katrina and the other girl--a first year, from the looks of it--were already questioning what was happening, Thora decided to jump in. She had an obligation. Elena was her captain and had stood up for her against Alexx, and, well, Thora didn't want to see her get hurt falling off a bookshelf. 

"Hey, I'm Thora," she introduced herself briefly to the younger girl while greeting Katrina. Shooting a quick smile towards them, Thora glanced upwards at Elena who was caught on a shelf, seemingly indifferent to her situation, humming a song. Speaking of which... That song. Thora couldn't place where she'd heard the tune before, but somehow, it had reached her ears. 

"Elena!" Thora called, "Can I ask why you're hanging off a bookshelf? And do you need any help?" Merlin only knew how the blue-haired girl had climbed up there, but she had done it, and falling was definitely not an option.

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[font=Abadi MT Condensed Light]Looks like all you need to do to attract attention is to climb up a bookshelf like a demented spider and hang there. Not only had she attracted two unknowns but also Thora, she waved and hung from where she was to the assembled crowd.

"No help needed! I'm just hanging out!" Elena laughed at her own joke, because why not, "Hi Thora! Hi new people! I'm Elena."

To tell or not to tell? Maybe it was the feeling that these people would be gone soon enough too, replaced by the ghosts of turning paper and empty shelves, run off to wherever the other students ran off to when they disappeared from the castle, or maybe it was a desperate search to be understood?

Or maybe it was Elena's predisposition towards being dramatic.

As if auditioning to be the newest Spiderman, Elena hoisted herself up a little higher and hooked her leg around a decorative carving, then hung upside down from the bookshelf, "Why am I here, I hear you ask. Well, I'm hanging off this bookshelf because, due to me forgetting my own birthday, and disappeared friends. I'm having an existential crisis. Again. And rather unexpectedly I might add. I fear I shall die a brokenhearted woman."

Elena's dramatic expression morphed into a half smile, "Or a plagiaristic one at the very least, that last part's beat was straight from The Witcher! No less true though, I'm definitely having a crisis, and I didn't really steal any of the words..."[/font]

Now quite the small crowd had assembled to observe the Spiderman on the wall. She talked about a movie that she did not recognize then hung upside down. Now Katrina wanted to join in. She set Boomerang down on the ground and hopped on a nearby ladder. She took a few climbs up and then sat down on it. She reached over to put the book back (for the shelf was ironically the correct one).

Elena dramatically continued about The Witcher while Katrina leaned over. She grinned the hopped down and took a few steps away from Thora. The girl still did not trust Katrina. Apparently no amount of apologies would suffice for her being anywhere near kind to Katrina. Still, Katrina planned on continuing to not give her any reason to doubt her intentions.

Katrina scooped Boomerang back up and began to pet him. With her hands busy, Katrina showed Thora that she had no reason to doubt her. He loudly purred in Katrina's ear and she giggled and winced. "So, upside down Elena. Is there any way this small crowd of observers may help you today?"

Boomerang added a rather cute meow/purr as punctuation. He added quite a lot to conversations. Katrina couldn't hold back another smile. His cute antics always brightened the day for her.

@Elena Jones @Thora Larkston @Alina Fridenot

Alina was utterly confused but she kept her usual cool grin. With how old this castle was she wouldn't choose her place of relaxation in that particular place but to each their own. What she could do to help was inch closer to the girl in case gravity took its toll. Alina seemed to be younger than the others, and definitely by far the smallest, but that didn't stop her from being a little protective. Maybe it was also because she recognized the girl as a fellow Slytherin as well.

Before the girl could answer, another found them. This one was limping painfully on side and was also accompanied by a furry friend. Alina eyed the feline wearily before glancing back up at the girl. She was just wondering whether the two knew each other when the girl introduced herself to them both, calling herself Katrina, or more specifically Katrina Walker. Alina wondered if she would have to say her entire name as well.

For now she was more focused on the sliver of blue hair on the girl's auburn hair. For some reason it caught her attention more than the full head of blue of the girl above, Elena. "Oh, hi, I'm Alina..." That's when she realized that she and the girl shared the same name. Alina looked at her and grinned. "Fancy that, we're practically twins, you and I."

By now everyone was wondering and had already questioned about why this girl was so high above, and were now waiting for an answer. Elena proceeded to explain, in an interesting fashion, and Alina could conclude from her brief monologue that she upset because no one remembered her birthday. Still, it was weird spot to be in, halfway up the shelves.

Katrina asked how they could help the girl, and that instantly started the benevolent gears in Alina's head. "Forgotten birthday, you say...well, since we're all gathered here anyway, why don't we just throw you a little birthday party, then?" In case that sounded weird, or even a bit forward, she added, "Better late than never, I'd say." She shot the other girls a hopeful glance; she hardly knew any of them but the word party had to strike up some excitement, right?

While Elena continued to ramble on about who knew what--she clearly had a flair for the dramatic--Thora couldn't help but glance at the only girl she didn't know. Alina, from her introduction. While they were about the same height, Thora didn't recognize her and assumed she was younger. But still, something about her face rang a bell. She'd probably seen everyone in the whole school at one point or another, so it didn't surprise her. But still...

"You're a Slytherin, right?" Thora blurted, "I am too and so is Elena up there. If I haven't had a chance to welcome you yet, welcome to the best house." A small grin found itself onto Thora's mouth, curving her lips upwards. Ideally she would've winked jauntily, but social life wasn't her level of expertise. Better to leave that to Elena. 

Training her eyes and focus on the blue-haired girl, the only one there she really knew, Thora worked her confused brain through the barrage of words that had just been said. It wasn't easy to follow conversations, and the words seemed to stun her as if they were falling from Elena's perch high on the bookshelf. 

"Is it your birthday today, then?" Thora inquired. "You know, we could have a birthday celebration with just a few of us or with the Quidditch team or something." She couldn't help but spit out the idea, unaware that it was much ruder than she had intended. It wasn't Thora's intention to exclude Katrina, Alina, or anyone else. For one, it was just one of those random ideas that surfaced in the mess of her mind. Secondly, she wasn't exactly comfortable with the other girls she stood beside. Alina simply because she hadn't met her before and didn't exactly trust her as a result, and Katrina, because, well, of obvious reasons. Well, reasons obvious to herself and the lion.

As Katrina backed away from her a few steps, Thora forced herself to keep a straight face, holding back an eyeroll. Merlin, it wasn't like she was scared of the other girl. She had been friendly, greeted her, and hadn't backed away herself. Sure, Thora didn't trust her, but she'd attempted to be at least the slightest bit friendly and hadn't shown a single sign of her wariness. So why Katrina was acting like Thora had done something wrong yet again was beyond her. 

This wasn't about her, though, so Thora felt that it wasn't her place to go and have a pity party for herself. She didn't need one anyways--the snek had learned long ago to cope alone. "So, Elena, you want to get down from there? I mean, you could just stay up there if you want and I could come up too or just leave." Elena didn't exactly have a ton of options, did she? Thora'd might as well just lay them out. Then, maybe they could get somewhere.

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[font=Abadi MT Condensed Light]Some may think the over optimistic and naive tone Elena adopted around others was because she was, in fact, optimistic and naive. In actuality she sounded like that because it was preferable to be kind and friendly then deal with people without it.

Being quiet was all well and good until you needed people to ignore what you said, or when someone was rude to you. The kids here were mainly nice, with notable exceptions that cropped up at random and often left Elena feeling cold and confused, the worst part was you couldn't tell which was which, some people may be nice and friendly to certain people but completely unkind to others, some may hate everyone but keep a casual smile on hand. The reason being, if you're always dancing, always smiling, joking about your own feelings, then nothing they can say will hurt you.

How can a joke intended to harm work on you, when you've already told it to yourself?

Today there were three that seemed relatively nice, although Elena's eyes were on the one who edged away from Thora, there was a story there for sure, but not one she felt invited to know.

"An absolute pleasure to meet you Alina, and you and Thora are correct, perhaps a birthday party would indeed be in order..." Elena seemed to mull this over, "My birthday was on the sixth actually, of December. Can't believe it took me this long to remember it. Well, how about I come down and we can figure it out together?"

Elena simply unhooked her leg and let gravity take her for a moment before landing in a crouch, she got up dusted herself off, and grinned at Thora, "How's that for a superhero landing. I practiced over break, missed the rooftops anyway."[/font]

On his way through the building, Seth was not sure what to do. At home, he would study or try to talk to his mother or father - or, what was more likely, he would sit alone in his room, look out of the window and read a few pages of his favorite book about old myths.
Seth stopped walking when he saw the door of the library. He hesitated. Reading was actually a good idea and maybe he would meet someone, too.
So he entered the library with a curious look, thinking of which book he could read.
He went a few steps forward and smiled when he smelled the typical scent of books. "Just like at home", Seth muttered to himself. Then he took a few more steps forward until he heard the voices of the other students. Immediately, Seth stopped. He was not sure what to do. Talking was not one of Seth's favorite hobbies, but anyways... He should make friends if he wanted to be accepted by the others.

"Sorry?", he said with a slight voice. "S..S...Sorry if I am disturbing you guys..." , Seth stuttered. Surprised by himself he stopped talking. He never had stuttered before.
If Seth could, he would run away immediately because he knew that the first impression was important.