Music Above the Clouds Finished

Carolyn was fully prepared to be insulted back by the attacking girl and she was not wrong. What she did not expect was another insult that came soon after. Elspeth had yet to react to her question looking completely lost thus, Carolyn decided to see who felt the need to join the conversation so vigorously. She had to admit it was a bit overwhelming to meet Ivy here after all that happened during the Blossom Ball. Her mother worked at St Mungo's Hospital which made her very aware of the miracles magic could do but witnessing it first hand? Still, her Korean side and upbringing was doing her a big favor now since she was able to stay calm and collected even in the most difficult situations. She was not offended by Ivy’s slander and it probably showed. While she felt for the girl and her horrible experience, she did not know her personally and her words couldn’t hurt her. Also, to be completely honest, she was not very creative with them. “Look, I’m not looking for conflict. I’m perfectly fine hanging around your friends but they hurt my friend so I came to her rescue. After all, you just did the same thing.” It was quite nice to call someone her friend now that she thought about it. She never said it out loud before. Hopefully, her fellow Ravenclaw felt the same. “I’m sure there are students who are used to this kind of treatment but Elspeth is clearly extremely uncomfortable and she has asked nicely to let her go…several times. I’m pretty sure if I asked nicely, the result would be the same.” She had no quarrel with the Gryffindor for now. She was obviously here to help her friends. It would be highly hypocritical if Carolyn attacked her while doing the same.

For a moment she fell silent not wanting to fight the battle for her friend in case she preferred to stand up for herself. Unfortunately, it was obvious Espelth couldn’t. At least not now. If anything, she appeared to be getting worse. “Why does it matter where she was heading? Whether she got lost or lied about her destination doesn’t justify their behavior. Also, being intelligent doesn’t mean we never make mistakes. I don’t think all Slytherins are evil and judgmental as some like to assume. Each student here is individual. This means not all Ravenclaws are perfect and knowledgeable in every way. Surely that much should be clear.” If there was something Carolyn didn’t like, it was prejudice. Even now, she didn’t dare to pass her judgement on Cassandra and her friends. She simply reacted to the situation at hand. Before she could point that out however, Espelth finally managed to speak out. Although, what came out of her mouth was definitely not what she expected. At this point, Carolyn started to get truly nervous. “Can you at least make some space for her?” She asked sharply before crouching in front of her friend. “That’s okay Espelth, Ivy is fine. Can you focus on me? Listen to my voice,” she spoke gently, making sure her voice sounded absolutely calm despite the panic that was slowly building up inside her. She didn't have panic attacks herself but she has seen people have them and if this wasn't one, it was definitely very close. “Breath with me? Count to ten,” she continued further distracting her classmate. Hoping to calm her down before she took her away. “I hope this was worth it and you are happy with yourself,” Carolyn whispered towards the others before fully concentrating on the Ravenclaw again “We can leave of course, do you want to take my hand?” She offered her support ignoring the spiteful remarks from the Slytherin girl. If she didn't dare to judge her before, she definitely did now. Teasing and showing off was one thing, bullying someone in this state was harrowing.

Elspeth's eyes flashed up toward Carolyn, her brain focusing on her friend's face. Carolyn wasn't scared. She wasn't panicking or trying to run away. Why? That made no sense. The girl was on fire. She was on fire right over - But as her gaze passed over the Gryffindor things became clearer. As if a filter was suddenly removed from her eyes and she could sense reality again. The floor was cold and hard underneath her. The air, stale and unmoving. And the girl was very much not on fire. But Elspeth felt like she was, her uniform drenched in sweat, her hair askance under her hat. She leaned against the wall, it's cool solidity giving her something to connect to.

Carolyn was talking to her. The words sounded mumbled, like they were being spoken into a wool ball. Elspeth stared at her, eyes quivering, brows upturned in fear. It was a new kind of fear, though. Suddenly she couldn't trust what was real and what was her mind making things up on her. A lump of nerves sat in her throat, which was suddenly intensely dry. Carolyn was still mumbling, breathing? In, out. In, out. Her nostrils flared as she tried to take enough air in. Her mouth opened for each exhale, long and winding. With each breath, a little more sensation returned in her body. Her toes tingled, her fingers felt jittery. Everything was rebooting and coming back online.

"We're safe.... she's safe... we're safe.... I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for messing everything up just now. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm so weird and... and..."

Cassandra was there, and so was Carolyn, and this new student Elspeth still didn't know the name of. If she had the energy, she might have felt more embarrassed. More than anything, though, she felt exhausted. Her back slid down the wall, and she curled up with her arms around her knees, her forehead resting against her knuckles. Nothing had prepared her for how to deal with this. Now that she had calmed down and felt more grounded, she didn't know what to say or do, or what kind of help to ask for. So she continued to sit there, staring forward emptily, silently for some time. Her face was still soaked with her tears, so it might not have been clear to onlookers, but she continued to silently cry as she sat there. The prospect of being crazy and scared and broken for the rest of her life seemed to have hit her all at once and there was nothing to do except sit.

Interacting with @Cassandra Ironwoods, @Carolyn Hunt, and @Ivy Bellamy

It took Elspeth some time to calm down but Carolyn expected as much. She never had a panic attack herself but she had witnessed her ballet classmate having one. It was the girl’s first performance in front of a huge audience and she just froze five minutes before they were supposed to go on stage, desperately trying to catch a breath and failing miserly. Carolyn’s father was called backstage to help calm the girl and so she simply recreated some of the steps she remembered him doing back then. Thankfully, it seemed to be working. I must owl him for details, she noted immediately. This might have been just a onetime thing but it might also not…The young witch just wanted to be sure she knew how to help properly next time. Whether it be Elspeth or someone else entirely.

At this point Carolyn couldn’t be bothered to even look at the other snickering students. Her friend was her sole point of interest. She had obviously processed what just happened and was completely exhausted, confused and probably a little bit humiliated. Carolyn had struggled with anxiety her whole life but she had two doctors at home so she knew how to contain it and calm herself down when necessary. Elspeth probably did not have such experience and so Carolyn sat on the ground in front of her roommate. “I think you had a panic attack,” she explained carefully. “It’s okay though. Plenty people do under pressure and with all that’s been happening…” She was trying to sound calm and encouraging. In fact, she actually felt calm now that her friend finally registered her words. She still wasn’t happy seeing her so crushed but they could work on that later. “I think you need some rest and a good chamomile tea,” she said smiling. “Maybe I can tell you some of my embarrassing childhood stories…I have plenty of those. What do you say? Want to go back to the tower with me? You can lean on my shoulder while we walk.” She offered, fully prepared to carry most of her friend’s weight.

@Elspeth Gollens @Ivy Bellamy @Cassandra Ironwoods @Carolyn Hunt

She finally stopped playing. This tune was rather a long one——maybe longer than most of the music she played.
Lindsey sighed a little. Why would the music stop? Why couldn’t we fall in it for ages and just do not get out of it? She stared at the piano, wondering if she would play another tune.
“Holly,” she suddenly heard someone calling her name at the club.
Lindsey turned. Ivy Bellamy, and…plenty of girls.
Weird. Really weird. One, two, three…four girls gathered here while she was playing the piano. Why didn’t she discover it? She used to be sensitive, especially to sounds.
“Oh hey Bella.” She grinned. “And Cassie. Hello you all.” the young badger recognized Cassie, whom she had met in the Owlery, and greeted the other two girls.
Weirdly, she felt tired. It wasn’t usual for her to feel tired. But today, somehow, Lindsey really missed the warm Hufflepuff common room and those soft sofas.
Lindsey would love to learn the other two girls’ names. One of them seemed injured, leaning on the other’s shoulder and trying to leave. She examined their expressions. Weird again. Were they quarreling? Or just…playing a game?
She decided to leave. No matter what did they say when she was playing the piano, she’d better go. Especially if they were quarreling or something like that.
“Um…if you don’t reject…I might be leaving…” she smiled apologetically. “See you Bella.” she said softly to the Gryffindor girl. “And bye Cassie.”
Then, Lindsey slightly nodded with a small smile to the other two girls, and walked towards the door.

Leaving the thread unless stopped.