Studying is Torture PV Elspeth Gollens Finished

"We did do the Gargoyle Strike," she answered, lowering her voice because there were a couple nearby that glanced her way. She wasn't TRYING to be loud, they needed to settle down! Alina presented them with a glare. Elspeth wouldn't be wanting any advice from her on the subject. "I turned in that assignment though and didn't get the best grade back," not that any of her grades were all that great. Still, as her first year moved along, she started learning about what her professors were looking for.

"Don't get me started on Transfigurations or maybe, instead of seeing the Giant Squid or another adventure, I just might be talking you into planning a prank on Professor Lian - Maybe going as far as plotting her death. I don't know if I'm that vicious yet." Yet.

She did detest the woman with the highest passion she could feel. Alina flashed a smile to Elspeth and then let the girl get to work some while she worked on the three things she tried to list down. The last one was also going to be a note home to her father, maybe telling him about her sorting but she decided against it. Instead, she wrote out a list of how she thought her father may possibly react, one column being the negative, the other being the positive. The positive side had absolutely nothing written down, even after dedicating quite some time to it.

"No hurry but let me know when you've finished," she whispered over to her. "We can then go looking for the Giant Squid." Who was she to take a Ravenclaw away from their studies?

Elspeth was amazed at how Alina was able to just glare at other's who were staring at them for talking. She craned her own neck around to see who it was that needed more quiet and saw a couple of students who appeared aghast at Alina's directness. Her eyebrows drew together sympathetically and she whispered, "So sorry." Sometimes, especially in the study room, it was easy to forget that other people were there to study in quiet. Which had never made much sense to Elspeth, as the quietest place to do work would be the library. But, to each their own. Turning back around she was greeted with the sight of her textbook, still open and still formidable in front of her. A heavy sigh pushed from her nostrils, her shoulders sinking in the process.

As Alina talked about Transfiguration, it became clear that it was also not her preferred subject either. Which made sense. Elspeth had yet to encounter many students who loved Professor Lian or the material that she taught. She was renowned for being one of the toughest teachers in the school, and transfiguration was already considered one of the most difficult kinds of magic to have to perform. Whlie Elspeth thrived under practical learning conditions, having to study all of these theories of mass and energy... they just didn't seem to sink in to her brain without dribbling out the other ear. As intimidating as Professor Lian and her boisterous personality were, she'd never wished any harm upon her though. Not that Alina was... or was she? Elspeth couldn't quite tell if she was joking or serious. But, then, Alina flashed a smile her way and Elspeth felt herself relax. Just a joke. Phew.

You could never make assumptions about that in Hogwarts. She was barely through her first year and already she'd seen a number of students end up in duels, fistfights, on fire, and wielding knives. In some ways she'd wondered if she'd ended up in the assassin branch of Hogwarts, where she was supposed to be training in combat to fight against people she found moderately annoying. Her lower lip found its way between her teeth, as she chewed it while wondering if there was anyone she disliked enough to bother to do something to them. There were certainly some students that she was more afraid of and who'd shown themselves to not exactly be trustworthy. And a number of the professors' personalities were a bit domineering. But off of the top of her head she couldn't think of anyone she hated.

Tapping her quill against the page, her mind did rest on herself for a moment. She'd been really frustrated with herself and what a hard time she'd had fitting in to the school so far. But she pushed that thought down. Not right now brain... Her brain had a bad habit of spiraling into these mean, repetitive phrases. Sitting by the lake would suddenly turn into a treatise on why she was the worst student in the school. Talking a walk up the stairs could become an ear beating about how she shouldn't even bother walking up them because she didn't deserve to be a Ravenclaw. And so on. They were nearly impossible to stop once they'd started. But she was beginning to learn to distract herself as soon as an inkling of them appeared. It was the only way to derail before she lost control of her thoughts entirely.

She closed her textbook. This reading wasn't going to be happening today, at least not now. But she could still get to at least one thing on her list. Pushing back her seat, she walked over to a cabinet in the study room that had some basic supplies in it and came back with a small plastic toy skeleton that they'd been using in Charms.

"Do you wanna smash the keychain so I can practice putting it back together? I think once I've gotten this down, I can skip the other things on my list. I don't think I'm going to be able to focus on them anyways... my brain's all-" she stopped to consider for a moment what the right word was, "mushy today. Like it's made of jelly or something." Elspeth scooted the keychain over in front of Alina, hoping that the chance to smash something might entertain her just long enough for Elpseth to get some homework in. She knew this was boring, and she did really want to spend more exciting time with the Hufflepuff. But she also knew that if she didn't get anything done, she'd be swamped for the rest of the week. Smashing and fixing something, though. That could bring its own kind of joy, perhaps.

Interacting with @Alina Rosier

She caught the way Elspeth apologized for her own behavior and she grew a little more secluded, trying to tell herself to stop being...well, herself. She came off as too much sometimes and now was one of those times.

She pulled out her notebook and was really just wanting to say to hell with it all and go out to the Lake but Elspeth returned with a keychain, wanting her to break it. Alina didn't feel like smashing keychains, she felt like going off by herself where she didn't bother people who were studying or getting their Three Point Study Goals accomplished.

But she had been asked and she was a Hufflepuff, so she took the keychain from the girl and tried to see what she could do with making least amount of noise possible. It involved squeezing it. She turned it around and examined it some more, trying to find the weaker places. Then she began twisting the keychain until it could be moved into independent pieces and then she placed them down on the girl's study space without a word and turned back to her notebook.

She then just watched some of the others, studying their time away. They could be out enjoying the sunshine or strengthening friendships but they'd rather been cooped up in this stuffy room, quill or book in hand. Alina didn't understand it.

[Word Count: 229]

Elspeth frowned as she saw how half-heartedly Alina took the keychain away from her and slowly worked to break it before staring wistfully at the windows, full of sunlight streaming in. She hadn't meant to make the Hufflepuff feel like she had to help... Elspeth was more confused than anything. If Alina hadn't intended to study, then why was she in the study room in the first place? It's not like the doors were locked and they were required to be in here.

"Uh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like you had to do that. I just, I'm not sure what to do. Do you have homework that you were trying to do earlier? Maybe I can help you with it." As she said it, that sounded a bit boring and milquetoast to her. It was weird, being an eleven year old fuddy duddy who didn't know how to have a good time. Was Elspeth in the wrong for trying to get her studying done? On the last report she'd gotten about her grades, she was mostly making A's, which meant she was balancing on a thin, dangerous line. If she didn't bother to do her work, there was a chance her grades would slip down to a P, and that would mean remedial lessons after hours with professors and their teacher's assistants - a fate worse than even detention to Elspeth.

But that didn't mean that she was immune to peer pressure. Alina was clearly bored and didn't want to stay here anymore, and Elspeth felt partly to blame despite having just been sitting here on her own, minding her own business. Was there some ground in the middle? Maybe a way for them to study that also wasn't boring? "Oh! You're welcome to try and levitate me if you want. I know we've been working on the Levitation Charm in class lately."

Offering to have someone cast spells at you, especially someone who hasn't exactly shown that they're very interested in doing their schoolwork, might be one of the worst decisions that Elspeth had made so far at Hogwarts. But then, feeling responsible for the happiness of others was a powerful drive to do whatever she could to try and make a new friend, even if she and the new friend didn't seem to have much in common.

Interacting with @Alina Rosier

It was then she realized she was being rather whiny and smiled at it. Alina knew she could be a bit of a baby sometimes. "I'm sorry," she apologized for how she had been. "I just can only take this room for so long and then I get stir crazy and that's not helping either of us very much, is it?"

She smiled a little bit to Elspeth, truly admiring her work ethic. It was something, when it came to classes, that she just didn't have. "Why don't you finish your work and if you still are up for some exploring then you can meet me outside on the Grounds? I like to sit on the steps to the Entrance Hall often so you'll probably find me there."

And she hoped the girl would take her up on that offer. But when classwork still needed to be done and there was a dedicated and driven student, she needed to allow that to happen first before fun. At least to this Ravenclaw. In all honesty Alina could take some good advice from the girl but she didn't seem to see the good advice and rolemodeling laid out before her.

Alina gathered up the few things she had into her bag and stood up. "Good luck putting Winston back together," she gave an encouraging smile and then looked down to the broken skeleton keychain. "He looked like a Winston to me."

[Word Count: 239]

Elspeth looked over at Alina, surprised. For a moment there, it'd really seemed like the Hufflepuff was sick of her, that she'd messed up any chance of their getting along outside of study hall. But none of that was true. She let a small smile out, nodding in response to Alina's offer. "Yeah, that sounds fun! Maybe knowing you're out there will give my brain the motivation it needs to finally get through this reading." There was sun still pouring in from the windows, letting them both know that the grounds must be a lovely sight right then. They were below the windows, so she couldn't see, but in her mind's eye, Elpseth could practically feel the light breeze, the small waves along the surface of the Great Lake - maybe even a tentacle poking out of its depths.

As she lost herself for a moment in the vision, the sound of Alina putting Winston down brought her attention back to the task at hand. It warmed her heart that Alina had named the little keychain, and Elspeth's smile grew large enough that her eyes got squished up beneath her chipmunk cheeks. "Yeah, he really does, doesn't he."

Elspeth gave a slight wave goodbye to Alina before pulling her wand out to practice. "Reparo," she offered to the small pile of plastic bones, moving her wand anti clockwise. There was a small, soft, white light and then Winston was restored to his former glory, tiny plastic bones delicately connected to one another and waiting to be broken again. She picked him up, rubbing her thumb lightly over the small plastic skull. But, rather than break him, she slipped him into her pocket instead. A small memento from a chance encounter. Elspeth picked her book back up and started reading. This time, the words managed to soak in.

Interacting with @Alina Rosier. Elspeth is going to continue reading but has effectively "left the thread". Thanks for such a lovely thread, Alina!