Wailing of a Winter Siren Closed

@Nico Shymane

It was bitingly cold outside. So cold that even Thora, a girl accustomed to running barefoot through rainy winter days, had bundled up in a winter cloak before stepping outside. Still, the girl left the hood down so she could welcome the freezing air that met her face at every step, every movement. To Thora, the wind meant so many things. It seemed to brush away her fears with a gentle touch, yet represented the deep, sinking loneliness that she never seemed to be free from. Years of Muggle school and trying to make friends had taught her many times over that she was simply better alone, operating a tiny ship as a tiny captain. So, Thora had learned to simply embrace the loneliness. So many years had the brunette lived with it, it was practically a part of her.

Sure, supportive friends were always great to have and Thora had no lack of those, ever since the ball. While she had grown accustomed to budding friendships as a sort of lifeline for her otherwise empty life, it wasn't easy to get a hold of anyone, most of the time. Everyone had been caught up in a whirlwind of work as soon as Hogwarts resumed following winter break, and however much Thora yearned for someone, anyone to talk to, she hadn't yet been able to find a soul she knew.

After a while of wandering, she was back at the Great Lake. The snek didn't mind being alone at all, but sometimes, sitting alone in the eerie quiet was both bizarre and frightening, as there was more to Hogwarts than met the eye. So, the lake had quickly become her go-to as the soft lapping of water on land was comforting and a kind of substitute for company.

Many a time had Thora been here at the shores of the Great Lake, but never had it been so quiet. The yells of happy students with groups of friends, or smacks of Bludgers from Quidditch teams practicing were always present, and something always filled the empty air. But not today. All seemed peaceful, and Thora paused as her green eyes scanned the undisturbed scene before her. Why was nobody here? Every single time she had tried to settle here with homework, a book, or a painting, she had met someone. Was today different?

A soft sob sounded from a few feet away from the young girl, piercing the silence. Whoever it was, Thora couldn't help but feel bad for them. She had cried many times in her first year for many different reasons--for loneliness, for fear, for homesickness, and for things as stupid as a single bad grade. Thora had been a crier in her first year, and while she wasn't brave enough to strike a conversation with someone she didn't know, she wasn't afraid to help. Sure, Thora was still introverted, but she had quickly learned to help where help was needed.

After a few more steps forward, Thora caught a glimpse of a girl. A pretty girl with scary pale skin, red hair, and ice-blue eyes sat alone by the lake, her angelic, soft voice floating through the air. Thora stopped for a moment. Did she know the girl? Confusion led to revelation as she listened to the beautiful song. It was Nico Shymane, Slytherin prefect and chaser. Thora actually hadn't gotten to know the girl, while she had practiced multiple times with her for their Quidditch match. Like Koko, the redhead probably wouldn't remember her, though, as her presence matched her small stature.

"N-Nico?"Thora asked hesitantly, standing over the girl. "I-I'm Thora, on the Quidditch team. Are you okay?" She didn't want to press her--if Nico didn't want to talk, she didn't have to talk--nor interrupt her song, for that matter. Thora knew she hated it when people intruded on her, trying to catch a moment alone. But if Nico was willing to talk, Thora was all for it.

Before too long, when she nearly had finished the song, she could hear someone approach. It seemed that her crying and singing didn't go unnoticed. Even if the girl didn't intend to interrupt her, Nico was spooked and taken by surprise.

Jumping slightly, she looked over her shoulder to the newcomer. Quickly, she rubbed away her tears before carefully turning around. 'O-oh! S-sorry. I didn't think anyone would be around at the moment.' Whenever the little dhampir wasn't prepared for a conversation, her anxious stutter came back. The Slytherin Prefect that usually brought a smile on her fellow Slytherins faces, looked as if she was made of glass right now.

Straighten your back. Take a deep breath. You're fine. Like a mantra, she repeated it in her head. There was no need to be this startled. It wasn't a wild bear or anything that snuck up on you, but a fellow student. Relax.

Finally, she could breathe normally and finally see who the student was. A girl with beautiful green eyes. She looked familiar. The mystery of where she saw her before was soon revealed as the girl introduced herself as Thora, a fellow Quidditch player.

'O-Oh! Of course. Hi. I'm sorry I ehm.. I'm not in the best mood right now, haha.' A sheepish smile appeared on her face as she scratched the back of her head. 'It's probably abit strange to see a Prefect crying by a lake, no?' She chuckled and her usual gentle smile slid on her face once more. 'What brings you here? You doing okey?'

The last notes of the song quivered in the air, reverberating off the lake's glassy surface. Nico's voice was admittedly a bit eerie, but was hauntingly beautiful nonetheless. It was a lovely sound the equally pretty girl was able to produce, and Thora had to pause again. She didn't have much singing talent herself, so simply the fact that one of her peers had such a gift was impressive. 

Thora couldn't help but take a step back, while it ironically had been her that startled Nico in the first place. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to scare you," the girl had to bite down on her lip as the stutter she'd worked so hard to eliminate from her speech sneaked back in, creating an awkward lurch as she talked. Just a glance at the redhead with her faintly-tearstained eyes and shaky smile was enough to make Thora herself feel bad. 

She certainly hadn't expected to see one of her prefects crying by the lake, but it didn't register as much of a surprise. Sure, they were technically on staff and had much more authority in the school than herself, but they had feelings too. It wasn't like Thora expected a straight face and stone heart from them. In fact, if they were cold to the rest of their housemates and students, it would've been strange. 

Taking a seat beside Nico, Thora fought to regulate her breathing speed. She'd no reason not to trust the other girl, but she couldn't help but keep a couple inches of distance. It had always taken weeks for her to really warm up to someone and trust them, but that time had lengthened considerably since the ball. If anything, Thora'd learned to trust no one. Well, not no one, but that strangers were not to be believed. 

But Nico? Honestly, she was unsure about this one. The girl with flawless makeup had to be at least somewhat trustworthy if she was a prefect. "Yeah, I'm doing alright. Just… lonely," And with the last word, Thora bit down on her lip almost hard enough to draw blood. It wasn't characteristic for the young girl to reveal so much to a literal stranger, especially anything that would reveal the fact that she was socially awkward and found it incredibly difficult to find friends. 

But what was done was done, and it seemed that plowing ahead was the best option. So, conversation it was. This would be... quite awkward, and hopefully Nico didn't mind. "By the way, what song were you singing?" Thora asked softly, "It was pretty." And while the brunette didn't exactly share that passion, maybe they could get somewhere...

"Yeah, I'm doing alright. Just… lonely,"

Lonely. A word that she was far too familiar with. Sure, Nico had a great family. Very supportive and warm. Quite ironic for one that is mostly filled with creatures who avoid the sun and enjoy the cold. Yet, she wasn't good at making friends. Not outside of Hogwarts that is. There weren't many of her kind of the same age. Her father wasn't entirely sure where other dhampir families lived either. So far, Nico only met one other dhampir and he just had to be a wacko hermit. Sigh.

The dhampir was raised with manners, one of them was looking at who you were talking to. Doing so, she noticed how Thora was having... some sort of internal struggle. It was clear she tried to hold back. Unsure how to handle the situation they were both in. Two Slytherin students, who happened to be in the Quidditch team, randomly bumping into one another at dusk at a cold lake. Nico used to be fearful of strangers... or people she barely knew. But... something deep inside the dhampir could tell that this girl was troubled. Not just because of what she said... The Great Lake was a spot of peace and quiet... usually. Many introverts or people who just had about enough excitement from the castle - come outside her, to clear their head. Maybe Thora was here for that same reason.

Maybe she could ask her later... Thora carefully sat down next to her. Nico saw that as a showing of.. trust. To some degree. They weren't best buddies... yet. No one is from the start. She didn't really think to much about it. All the redhead wanted to do right now, was to listen and have a chat with her fellow Quidditch player.

'T-The song? Oh.. Ehm. It's called 'I know I'm a wolf'. It's from a band called 'Young Heretics'. I listened to it quite alot back home. It's just such a lonely, echoey song. And... this weather. It kind of reminds me of that loneliness. I think. Hah... Am I being too depressing right now? I didn't mean to. J-Just thinking out loud. Singing kinda... Well.. Instead of screaming. I can let out my frustrations through singing songs. I-...I think.' Pulling her knees up, Nico gazed at the black water. For a moment, she didn't say anything. 'Do you... have any way of ... expressing yourself?'

Startled, Thora barely kept herself from jumping as Nico said something about depression? Being too depressing? Immediately, a small wave of guilt washed over the little girl, leaving traces of awkwardness and uncertainty with her as it retreated like an ocean wave would surf. She hadn't at all meant to put the prefect in the hot seat, much less trigger depression of any sort. "No, don't worry about it," Thora answered the redhead's question hastily, hoping to make her feel better. But as Thora fought to break through the barrier guilt had quickly built and listened to what Nico was actually saying, she found that she could relate.

While not freezing cold to her, being one who appreciated gusts of wind and the like, it was still pretty chilly. And as Thora tended to think practically, opting for the realistic side of things despite the fact that they were typically the negative side as well, she'd never really considered the fact that even weather could feel lonely. But it did. It really did. Maybe that was why she was so drawn to the wintery outdoors, fleeing a place of insecurity among many to reach a safer place of solitude. Of course, she wasn't lonely now, though. Nico was sitting just a couple meters away.

Singing. Now, that wasn't something Thora had really heard in a while. She had shown up to Frog Choir in a rather uncharacteristically enthusiastic manner, but that had been more for the people, for Ruthie, and maybe even for the frogs. It wasn't particularly a favorite of hers or something she did often, but it still, it was an art, and a pretty one at that. As for screaming, it had proven to be a rather effective method of letting everything out. While much more chilling for one who happened to overhear, it felt better than just pathetically crying.

"Yes, I… er… paint, actually," Thora found herself saying as Nico asked her about expressing herself. Painting used to be one of Thora's favorite things to do, as something about covering pages with swaths of color was satisfying. She'd discovered the hobby originally as a time-killer, living in the countryside with almost nowhere to go, which had then quickly turned into a pastime, and then a love for the art. It was a shame she didn't bring her sketchbook… Did she?

Her left hand reached for her pocket, hoping to find a hard-covered spiral book. Then, Thora would have something to say other than endlessly rambling about painting. And as her fingers closed around the metal spirals that bound the precious pages together, she couldn't help but give a tiny, inaudible sigh of relief. She had it. Pulling it out and flipping towards the end (for this had been some sketches she'd started in her time at Hogwarts, and who knew what she'd written or drawn in the middle following the Masquerade Ball), Thora stuck a finger in to stop the pages from flipping as she recognized a scene identical to the one before her.

"I sketched this one not too long ago, I think. Haven't gotten to painting it, though," the girl scooted a bit closer, book in hand, in case Nico wanted to see her work. It was obviously a work in progress, and not very impressive, but even her finished paintings, though pretty, weren't exactly worthy of praise in her mind. But there was nothing bad about a random scene of the Great Lake, was there?

"Yes, I… er… paint, actually,"

Paint? That's a wonderful way to spend your time. Nico used to do it alot. Not as much these days with her Prefect job. It was busy and sometimes quite exhausting. But... It was fun to do. It was rewarding. Like,... she did something right instead of wrong. A soft sad smile rest upon her face, for a moment distracted by the pictures that showed up in her head. Apparantly Thora actually carried her artwork with her that day. Just like Nico did. So she wasn't the only one who did that. Well, of course the dhampir wouldn't be the only artsy student in this school who'd carry her work with her. This school was gigantic after all. Every moment could be perfect for sketching, drawing, putting things in ink,... It happened before that the dhampir hadn't taken their supplies with them when the moon looked beautifully lonely high above the school skyline.

Thora seemed to feel more comfortable around Nico. A surprised expression formed on the dhampirs face as the Second String Keeper scooted closer, rather eager to show off her art. Pretty brave of her. Nico felt a warmth fill her. A sensation of being appreciated and ... not looking and feeling like a monster.

The young prefect could faintly recognise the scene of the Great Lake. She herself had drawn this view so many times aswell. It was very soothing to look at and put on paper. 'Oh wauw. I'm rather curious how this will look once you add colour to it. I'm sure it'll look really great.' She smiled warmly at the young Slytherin. 'If you put your feeling in it, it will look beautiful. Guaranteed.' She added. Whenever she met someone new who was busy with art, Nico couldn't help but encourage them. Why shouldn't she?