Dearest Darlingest Mommsy and Popsickle...

@Jess Malters

Paisley could see the surprise in the girl’s face at the Bellweather’s comment. A startled “Oh!” escaped her lips, her cheeks flushing pink. Kinda cute, the Slytherin girl thought absently as she waited for a response. It hadn’t been a serious question, because, honestly, she didn’t really care if she’d disturbed the other girl. Okay, maybe she did a little bit. Paisley wasn’t malicious, she didn’t scorn others who didn’t do something to her first. She actually preferred to keep to herself and keep out of trouble if she could help it, but since coming to Hogwarts that didn’t seem to be something that was in the cards for her.

A sudden jumble of words came out of the Hufflepuff’s mouth, the first bit causing her to lift a brow. She thought Paisley was cool? That almost got a chuckle out of the normally placid girl. She supposed she might understand the sentiment to an extent, but at the same time she also felt that others were too much of a pushover at times. Bullies only wanted to bully others when they thought they could get a rise out of them. They lived to know and experience the misery that they inflicted on others, and if you stood your ground and showed them you’d give it right back, in her experience, they weren’t as likely to continue. Bullies, in Paisley’s mind, were absolutely, one hundred percent cowards.

The prospect of an alliance was mentioned and this time, a laugh was actually pushed out of her mouth. Wow, that had actually surprised her. She hadn’t expected the meek seeming girl to just outright ask something like that, especially after seeing her reaction to the previous events. The Hufflepuff was distracted by the miscreant again, who seemed to pull a cigarette out of her pocket. It was so small and she was so far away before completely disappearing through the door that she couldn’t tell if it was real or fake. “If she wants to kill her lungs, I guess that’s her prerogative,” she said with a shrug. As long as she didn’t do it near her, they wouldn’t have any problems.

Paisley sat for a moment, considering the prospect of an alliance. A part of her felt like it was a hassle. After all, that meant lots of interaction and coming to the rescue and all that mucky business. But, on the other hand, she had promised her parents she’d try and form some relationships. Plus, if there was anything she’d learned during her life it was that she was quick to make enemies, so having someone who was also willing to watch her back might not have been such a bad thing. She sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear again as it had fallen across her face. “Sure, why not. My name’s Paisley Bellweather,” she introduced herself, moving to gather her books and papers in a more organized manner so that the other had enough space to sit down instead of just standing there awkwardly.

@Jess Malters

It was almost startling how open the Hufflepuff was with her feelings and thoughts. Watching her face was like looking through a kaleidoscope. With each turn there was a new view, a new color, a new image. It was intriguing, to be sure. It felt a bit like watching her mother or brother, two people who she knew wore their hearts on their sleeves for the world to see. It was both foolish and admirable.

When Paisley conceded, the girl pumped her arms in excitement like a little kid then blushed even harder. This time she stifled her laugh, seeing as how last time she’d let it slip it had seemed to bother her some. See, considerate. She wondered for a moment how an alliance was going to work between two people who were so clearly different. The Hufflepuff, true to the color of her house, seemed like a little ray of sunshine while the Bellweather was a rain cloud coming to block her out. Maybe she’d learn to let a few strands through.

"I'm, uh- I'm Jess."she introduced and the Slytherin nodded in acknowledgement. “Nice to meet you, Jess. What year are you?” she asked. She looked to be around the same age as herself, but looks could always be deceiving.

@Jess Malters

Jess’ mind seemed to be going a mile a minute. Sometimes Paisley thought she wanted to know what was going through someone’s head, but she pointedly decided that that wasn’t the case here. The Hufflepuff’s mind felt like it would be a raging river, she’d dive in and be sucked under the current. Paisley’s thought processes were more like a steady stream with the same constant pressure and flow. Sure there were times when it would rain and the stream would swell, kicking up the tides, but in the long run she was steadfast.

Her new ally confirmed she was a first-year then rounded the question back onto the Bellweather. “I’m a first-year as well,” she replied. True, Paisley was mature for her age. Her mother had always said she was a little…stuffy, but not in a derogatory manner. It didn’t offend the girl because, well, she knew the woman was right. Perhaps when she’d been younger she’d been the slightest bit more comparable to others her age, but all in all she’d always been one to bang to her own drum. Her brother had always been the only one to bring her out of her shell and she missed him terribly. She felt a pang in her heart at the reminder of their separation, not just because she was attending Hogwarts but because he hadn’t inherited any magic.

Jess inserted her last name a little late to the game but Paisley just nodded in affirmation. Though, if they were going to be allies she felt her counter-part needed to not feel so…intimidated was it? Hufflepuff or not, they couldn’t watch each other’s backs if the other was going to be afraid and turn-tail. “Look, I’m not going to bite you or anything. I don’t put up with anyone’s crap, but you have to be the first one to throw it before I’ll do anything to you,” she inserted, brown eyes meeting brown eyes and she tried, and probably failed, to coerce the other. She’d never been one at pep talks anyways. “Have you seen her before, by the way?” That was probably an odd question, coming from the girl who belonged to the same house as the bully. But she was new and she figured this wasn’t the first time the older girl had kicked up some mud.