Tiny Crocodile...? PV Cecily Quinn Reopened

If not for the girl calling out its name, Cecily would likely never have have noticed the striped cat poised not a meter from where she sat. Besides the dying light making it exponentially harder to see, the book clasped in her hands was positioned just so that the creature was blocked from her view.

It was getting colder out as winter overtook the Scottish castle, and her fingers were starting to get numb from the November chill, but Cecily, bundled up in a dark blue sweatshirt, didn't mind. She always prefered being outside to the dark and confining castle walls, so she would take every chance she got to spend time outside before it became entirely too cold. She probably could've helped herself by not sitting directly on the ground, but the spot she occupied at the time was surprisingly comfortable, and it would've been more effort than it was worth to find somewhere else, especially since she didn't plan on being out in the fading light for much longer.

She felt Remington shift on her shoulder as the cat stared him down, retreating further into the crevice between her neck and shoulder. Cecily lowered her book, staring back at the cat as it took a step forward, then another. It wasn't that she was afraid of cats, per se, she was simply... wary of them. In the cats' defense, she had only really had experiences with one of them, but Ami's demon cat made anything but a good impression. It was hard to feel sympathy for the creatures when one of them had been launched directly into her face, clawing her up in the process.

She glanced up from the furry beast as she heard a voice, craning her neck to find the girl-- presumably the cat's owner-- approaching. "Oh, it's alright," she replied, perhaps trying to convince herself that it was. It wasn't as if all cats were as chaotic and terrible as Leo, right? Cecily looked back down at the cat that was inching closer. "I'm sure he's friendly..." Uncertainty tinged her voice, barely noticeable but undeniably there. She addressed the girl, yet kept her eyes on the cat. It was surely absurd that she felt unsteady around all cats. At least she knew that her fear-- not fear, concern-- was unfounded. Nevertheless, the knowledge that she was being ridiculous had yet to put her at ease as the intense gaze of the girl's cat continued to focus on Remington, who seemed to be trying to shrink farther into her neck.

I'm so sorry @Opeila Winters but! it's finally here! the reply you've been waiting months for!!

@Cecily Quinn

Opeila looked at the girl, tried to make out her features in the little daylight that was still there, but she didn't recognize her. The Slytherin was rather sure that she had never talked to the girl before. From her looks she was at least one or two years over Opeila and- maybe it was the blue sweater that automatically sorted her into Ravenclaw in Opeila's mind. After all she loved to wear green sweaters as well, maybe it wasn't only her who liked to wear her house colours in her free time.

Well, no matter if it was a sign of the girl's house, Opeila liked the sweater. Blue, green, turqoise and purple were all colours she just loved in clothing. Today she was wearing a purple sweater that was a little too big for her and covered her a bit like a bag. But it was warm and held away the wind, so what did she care? Lady Margary would approve. Opeila could almost hear her say something like 'A young girl like you has still enough time to show curves and skin- but not now. Not now.'

The lizard seemed not to keen on Loras' attention, as it retreated somewhere behind the girl's neck, but she didn't mind. Or at least she said so, assuming that he was nice, the Slytherin didn't fail to notice that the other girl was not taking her eyes off of the little furry animal in front of her. Opeila smiled at her, coming closer and finally picking him up. "That very much depends on his mood. He can be an angel, especially when he is tired, but other than that... I wouldn't count on him being nice." She stroked Loras' neckfur for a moment.

"What kind of lizard is that?", Opeila then asked the girl curiously. "I assume he does not like cats so much?" Well, considering that he- or she- just hid...
The Slytherin noticed a little late that she never told the other girl her name. "Er, I'm Opeila, by the way. A Slytherin."

The cat appeared to make no move to attack Cecily, to the Ravenclaw's relief. Although that was the lowest possible bar for pet friendliness, clearly there were some cats who couldn't even clear a bar on the floor. Okay, so it may have been brought on by outside influences-- the cat was covered in ink, after all, and Cecily would likely not be too pleased if she was either-- but there was no denying that there was something inherently evil in that cat. Why Ami seemed to like him so much was beyond her. This cat in front of her, though, seemed reasonable, although the girl clarified that his mood was intemperate at best. Okay, fine, so she'd just... not antagonise him. That was fair enough.

Cecily stood up as the girl-- Opeila, as she introduced herself-- picked her cat up from the ground. Again, the Ravenclaw wasn't scared or anything, she just felt a little safer with the creature securely in the Slytherin's arms. Coaxing Remington out from where he had burrowed in her shoulder, she held him in the palm of her hand. "He's a girdled lizard," she replied. Of course, as soon as she had walked out of the Magical Menagerie with her lizard in tow, it had hit her that she had no idea what she was getting herself into, so off to the library she went to research her new friend. "They're known for looking like armadillos. I suppose he's just a bit shy," she finished as the lizard skittered around in her hand. To be fair, the world was much bigger than he was. Cecily could relate to him in that way-- sometimes it was awfully tempting to simply curl up in a ball and ignore the danger and responsibilities all around. But then, fears were meant to be faced.

"This is Remington," she said, raising the hand bearing the lizard a bit as she introduced him. He seemed to have recovered from his initial fright, crawling towards the edge of her hand to peer out towards Opeila. "And I'm Cecily," she introduced herself with a small smile.

@Opeila Winters

With Loras safely on Opeila's arm, the older Ravenclaw seemed to feel safe to get up and take the lizard out of its hiding place. She placed it on her hand and told Opeila that he- he- was a girdled lizard who... looked like an armadillo. Well. The Slytherin was quite sure that this animal did not look like an armadillo, but well... maybe he could, like... change his shape somehow to look like one? Who knew? Well, armadillo or not, the reptile didn't look particularly comfortable on the blonde's hand. It seemed that he did like to hide, maybe that was in his nature too? This was after all a rather small animal, maybe they got chased by birds or other animals in the open. Cats.

"He's cute.", Opeila commented instead, "I have seen some like him in the Magical Menagerie, but I think I wouldn't know how to take care of him properly. What do you feed him? Is it safe for him to get cold?" It was November after all... "Did they tell you how to take care of him in the shop?", she finally asked the Ravenclaw.

The older girl introduced herself as Cecily and her little companion as Remington. "Cecily... Oh, wait, I think I know you... Are you a Quidditch Player?" Opeila could swear there was a Cecily in one of the teams, but she couldn't remember in which... She didn't exactly care to stay updated on Quidditch. Now suddenly the girl's face also seemed more familiar.