Exploring the Grounds Open

Her eyes grew wide and she began howling with laughter once Anatole retracted his foot from the water. "Well? I thought it would be warm, since the day was warm, you know?" Slowly and overdramatically, he looked up, finding a tree casting a shadow over part of the lake, the section where he had just dipped it toe in. No wonder it was freezing.

She said it, she said she was great. Was she real this time? Well, she had no more tears, they must've just disappeared.

"I try my best, I try my best," he chuckled, smiling back at her warm face. It was such a gorgeous day, and having a good friend like Rosie beside him seemed to make the day even brighter. Her laugh made him laugh, like a chain or maybe even a pair of twins, reading each others' minds like street psychics.

Her eyes narrowed as she rested her small, round chin on her knees. "You seem more interested in the squid though."

Anatole immediately piped in. He really didn't want her to leave, but he really really wanted to see the squid. "No, no, no, Rosie, it's fine, I, we can go see the squid together even, and I wouldn't sulk, I just, I--" He struggled to get to his feet, much less fast than she did. "Please don't head off! I just, I just--"

Like the last time, he couldn't catch her. Anatole could never catch her.

"I just enjoy your presence."

Anatole walked back to his earlier spot, sitting down in silence, waiting for the squid to swim his way. It was boring without her.

Cynthia decided she would write home to her parents and tell them all about her day of adventure on the school grounds.  She seemed to have made plenty of friends so far and she always hoped to make plenty more.  She shuddered at the thought of going through Hogwarts with no friends at all.  That would just be too lonely of an experience.  Cynthia loved being outside in the sunshine.  Whether the sun was out and shining or it was a cloudy day, she always remembered to apply sunscreen before outside.  She thought of places to explore next and asked her friends what they thought.  For now, she would wait until everyone was ready to move on.

Cynthia looked over and saw Rosie walking away and Anatole sat down on the grass.  She thought he looked a bit lonely so she thought she would see if he was okay.  Cynthia walked over and sat down beside him.  “Hey, you okay?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t prying into anything.  She hoped that Rosie would join their little group and explore the school grounds, but she didn’t seem to want to.  Clearly something was bothering her to the point where she seemed to want to be alone.

Anatole sat there, looking blankly at the water, his heart hoping the squid would swim by. That would make him very happy, almost ecstatic. For a moment, Anatole peered toward the water, swearing he saw a glance of a tentacle, curling and weaving through the water. He was on the brink of falling into the freezing water when he realized what he noticed was not a tentacle, but a sliver of the reflection of another figure. At first, he grew happy, thinking Rosie came back.

Oh. It was Cynthia. Yes, it was very nice of her to check on him, but Anatole didn't want to acknowledge her, partly because he wasn't sure how to act around her. She was new, but he would try his best.

"Oh, um, hey again," he stuttered with an awkward smile. "I think I'm doing fine. Just waiting to get lucky, let the squid pass around this edge! Gonna be epic!" His enthusiasm had peaked with a wide, stunning grin as he waited for the squid to peak around the other edge of the pond. Well, less of a pond, more of a lake.

"I think I know what you're thinking," he noted, looking into the Hufflepuff's eyes.

It took a moment for Anatole to acknowledge that Cynthia had sat down beside him.  He seemed to have zoned out.  Cynthia smiled as Anatole said he was hoping the giant squid would swim by and he would get the chance to see him up close and personal.  She thought it was a bit too shallow for the squid, but she didn’t want to bring his hopes down so she just stayed quiet.  “If you want to be alone, you can tell me.  I’ll respect your decision.  Would you like to be alone?” she asked, hoping he would say no, but would respectfully leave if he said yes.  She really didn’t mean to pry into something she wasn’t a part of.

Friends looked out for each other, but perhaps he didn’t want to be friends with her.  At least not yet since they didn’t really know each other.  Cynthia was glad to see that Anatole wasn’t as upset as she thought.  In fact, he just seemed a bit preoccupied.  Probably with whatever happened with Rosie.  It was then that Anatole said he thought he knew what Cynthia was thinking.  “Oh?  What am I thinking?” Cynthia asked, now peaked with curiosity.

Rosie got a nice few steps in before turning around and going back to Anatole, she needed a friend. She sat back down and curled up next to him, hugging her knees to her chest and staring at the water. "Where's the squid?" She asked, as if she didn't just leave because she thought she was being too troubling. Rosie offered a small wave to Cynthia as well, since she was there.

Rosie wondered if Anatole meant that. "I enjoy your presence." Was... He sure? The only person she knew who enjoyed being around her for a long period of time was her cat and Clary. And Rosie's cat was at home. She missed her cat. Rosie thought she was better than an owl. But an owl was cool too, she supposed.

She continued to sit next to Anatole as he and the other girl talked, silently listening to their conversation. Rosie could always put her two cents in another time, but she was also self-reflecting a bit. Maybe Anatole actually did want to be around her despite her being troubling? Rosie found that surprising. She found it that way too when Clary stayed around her for so long. Rosie felt company... Comforting, anyway.

Anatole looked into Cynthia’s eyes. ”You probably think I did something bad enough to her to make her leave, or that I’m a bad person or something completely different since I ran ahead of you guys. Maybe you think I got bored and just gave up on you all?” He snickered, blowing air up to his bangs so that they levitated momentarily. ”Basically, you must be wondering why, or who I am, or what I might’ve done.” The Gryffindor boy thought it was nice to be honest to a complete stranger, maybe she might end up alright herself. All he knew is that he didn’t want to grant her the details.

The water, murky and swirling, looked as bland as ever. He wish he had seen a tinge of a tentacle, one curling and wrapping around the side of the lake, making an appearance before the two. After all, that’s what Rosie had left him for. So he could see the squid. If it was a tentacle, then Anatole would be happy, his job would have been completed.

An instant afterward, almost as if they had been summoned by a remarkable spell, small, signature footsteps pitter-pattered through the grass. He knew who it was, and his head perked up with delight, like a dog sniffing food suddenly. She had come back! Rosie didn’t leave him! His grin looked as wide as hers usually was, and she called back exuberantly, curious to where the squid was. ”Rosie!” Anatole screamed back joyfully, ”It’s coming, I think it’s up there, wasn’t it, Cynthia? Didn’t you see it?”

“You’re wrong, Anatole.  I don’t think that at all.  Yes, it is true that I could tell something happened between you and your friend.  I don’t think you are a bad person.  Maybe you’re just having a bad day?  I’ve had plenty of those myself.  I think if we sit here long enough, the giant squid might just come by,” Cynthia calmly told him.  She did want to make him feel better and hoped the giant squid whom they named “Aye” would come closer with one of his tentacles.  That would be a sight to see!

Cynthia smiled as Rosie came back and joined her and Anatole.  Cynthia wasn’t sure if she should leave or not.  She figured if they really did want her to leave, they could just tell her and she would without any questions asked.  She knew how much Anatole wanted to see the giant squid.  “Hi Rosie, I hope I’m not intruding on anything.  I can leave if you would like me too,” Cynthia offered.

It was then that Anatole shouted that he thought he saw a tentacle or at least part of one.  He asked Cynthia if it was just up ahead and she looked in the direction he was indicating.  “It looked like part of a tentacle to me,” Cynthia replied.  Suddenly with a loud splash, Anatole, Rosie and Cynthia were splashed with water from the lake.  It seemed that the giant squid crept a bit closer and playfully splashed them with a bit of water.

Lilith de Rose was sprawled out on the edge of the water wearing her jeans and a tank top with her feet in the water , she was totally relaxed. she smiled down at the blue color that came across her feet when the water touched her skin and she concentrated on watching the birds flying on the other side of the lake. it was odd just laying back and relaxing , forgetting the world outside the shade of the tree she was laying in , forgetting that she had to keep her secrets to herself and her few close friends. Despite the worries of being found out Lilith was quite happy at the moment where she was. she had taken off her glasses a few minutes ago and was almost asleep so she didn't notice the group of students getting close to her hiding spot. her animal friends had made a nest out of her hair to take a nap, one was a small dragon and the other was a puffskein . The group of students got close enough for her to see their blurry figures without her glasses but she had noticed them just after they noticed her , the pale blue shiny splotches on her feet , and the animals in her hair.

Rosie squealed and let out a loud laugh, covering her face. "I thought you guys were just messing!" She exclaimed, crouching near the water. It's like the horrid mood from before had completely disappeared, and had been replaced with curiosity and excitement. Her eyes widened slightly at the movements, finding it amazing. She carefully reached a hand down, giggling. "Are you nice? It's okay, I don't bite." Rosie explained, sitting down instead of crouching. Rosie slipped off her shoes and crossed her legs (criss cross apple sauce, as her mom called it. She thought the phrasing was silly, but at the same time it was a great choice of words.)

Rosie's long hair blew softly in the wind, at some points she had to blow the hair from out of her face. Because of this, she untied the hairtie from her wrist and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, some of her hair slipping out from her grasp. Rosie sighed when it fell in front of her face again and pouted, trying to ignore it. She had bigger things to worry about. Like the... Apparent, squid? Rosie didn't even know squids were at Hogwarts. The more you know, she guessed.

Anatole recoiled back as the water hit him right in the face, the cold liquid dripping down his cheek like a stray tear. He laughed, falling back onto the grass only to bound back up, dipping his hand and reaching to pet the giant squid. It was long, stretching and coiling through the water. "HEY AYE!" He screamed, "Come and get me!"

He pointed his finger places and expected the squid to follow around wherever his finger led, but it didn't. Anatole sighed, about to give up. He kept his finger in there a little longer, and when the squid came around again, it nipped the bud of his pointer until it bled. The Gryffindor whipped his finger out, shaking it off and burying his finger into his white shirt, trying to use it like a bandage. "Well, question answered! He does bite!" Anatole was cringing from the pain, trying to laugh it off. It only made the wound hurt a little more.

However, it was nice having two people (despite only one being close) beside him. Maybe one of them could help, maybe even take him to the wing and patch him up if absolutely necessary.

It was a beautiful day.