Closed Oh what a beautiful morning pv Rebecca Loops

It had been a very long twenty hours for Rebecca. He'd snuck out again last night to explore more of the castle and had gotten hopelessly lost somewhere on the fourth floor, he'd entered a room leading to a seemingly neverending hallway where he'd wandered aimlessly for hours. A deeply unsettling and claustrophobic experience!

By the time he found the exit again, it was already morning.

He'd stumbled out of the castle, ignoring the delicious smells from the Great Hall, in his pursuit to see the sky again and maybe touch some grass. Rebecca was no stranger to late nights, either talking with friends or cramming an essay due the next day, he shrugged off his exhaustion and headed to the lake with the half-hearted intention of ducking his head into the cold water to shock some life back into his bones when a voice called out asking what he was doing.

He squinted in the direction of the noise and saw that it was the Hufflepuff who'd fallen into the lake the other day. "Y'know, I'm asking myself the same question," he called out in reply, stifling a yawn.

She was sitting on a blanket protecting her from the dewy grass, and his eyes alighted upon the spread of picnic foods she was in the process of laying out. He suddenly remembered that he was very hungry.

He walked closer. "Mind if I gave you some company?" he asked, shoving his hands awkwardly in his pockets.

@Aurora Griffith

I squinted until I saw exactly who it was in the distance coming closer. It was Rebecca! I felt my cheeks grow hot, but I clapped my hands to them. No, you do NOT have a crush on him! The voice in my mind said. But what if I do? I thought. No, you don't! Except maybe I'm lying to you, if so, don't listen to me. Well, at least that stopped. I took my hands off my burning cheeks and gave a weak wave. "Didn't expect to see you here," I said. "Of course I don't mind! And, I almost forgot..." I reached into my bag and took out the red sweater that he had given me. "I did say I'd give it back. Are you hungry? There's a lot of cheese and sandwiches, hopefully that's alright..." Honestly, I would enjoy having company during a picnic. Who wouldn't? And I was going to try to be as hospitable;e as I could. "So, tell me, why exactly are you out here this early?" I asked. I had actually woken up early and fate said that I was gonna have a picnic this morning, but other than that, everything else was a mystery.

Interacting/Mentioning: @Rebecca Loops
Speech/Writing color: #ba9826 Thoughts: Italics

Rebecca smiled widely at the invitation and sat down next to Aurora on the blanket, but he noticed that her face was unusually pink from the cold (it's not that chilly, is it?). He didn't think on it much further, as he was quickly distracted by her hand digging through her bag and emerging with a very familiar sweater. "Oh, brilliant! Thanks" he grinned and reached forward to reclaim his clothes.

He sat back, humming appreciatively and eyeing the makeshift charcuterie spread. "I'm starved, actually," he replied to her question, reaching forward to grab a little sandwich and take a bite.

As he chewed, Rebecca mulled over Aurora's question, debating how honestly he wanted to answer her. After long a pause, he decided that he didn't really want to confess that he'd gotten hopelessly lost breaking curfew. "It's just... really pretty out today," he confessed. Not a lie, but not the full truth.

He leaned back, resting his head on his hands and looking up at the crisp blue sky. Not a single cloud.

This is nice, he thought.

Rebecca got the sense that this was Aurora's element; sitting with a friend on a lazy morning, enjoying a sandwich. It contrasted starkly with everyone else he'd met here. He and his friends all had matching sharp smiles and a proclivity for trouble, he'd forgotten what it was like to just relax and pass the time in good company.

It struck him then, that this must be why Aurora belonged in Hufflepuff and Rebecca didn't. Maybe he was a bit too Slytherin to slow down long enough to smell the roses.

Rebecca looked up at Aurora see if she was watching him, and smiled in an attempt to push away the sudden thought. "To be honest, I didn't expect to see anyone I knew. I'm really glad I caught you out here again, though."

He leaned up a little, resting his chin on his hand and looking curiously at the other girl. "Has anything interesting happened with you since we last bumped into each other?"

@Aurora Griffith

Rebecca gladly took his sweater back when I offered it to him, thanking me. I was relieved when Rebecca said he was hungry because now I had somebody to share all this food with. He grabbed a sandwich, and when I asked why he was out and about this time of day, he thought for a moment and said that it was really pretty today. "I agree," I said, nibbling on a bit of brie. "That's my reason for coming out too. The sky looks like a fantasy, like something out of a painting!" I looked up at the sky, which did look incredibly picturesque. I sighed and tilted my head to the Forbidden Forest, the trees looking majestic against the rising sun. I looked back at Rebecca, who smiled. I quickly looked forward and bit my lip in a- actually, I didn't actually quite know what I was feeling right then. He said that he hadn't expected to see any acquaintances out here, which was understandable, for I hadn't expected to either. But whenever I thought I was alone, it seemed, I really wasn't. "Well, I hadn't thought I would find anyone out here, either! Coincidence? I think not! But you know what? I'm glad that I found you out here too...again," I said, laughing a little. The next question surprised me a little. "Oh? Well, that's an intriguing question. Hmm, let me think..." I thought. There was so much that was happening. But I gave my response. "Well, let's see, I don't if I can name just one thing, a lot of things have happened. Everything's so new and fast-paced, but also exciting..." I looked towards the sky and gave a great sigh, smiling.

Interacting/Mentioning: @Rebecca Loops
Speech/Writing color: #ba9826 Thoughts: Italics

Rebecca nodded, eyes drifting back to the sky. "I get it."

One ball, two detentions, five new friends, one very illuminating conversation in the Three Broomsticks, and a thousand pages of homework, all in the span of a few months.

He had seven more years of Hogwarts to experience, and this was only the beginning.

Rebecca was content to sit in silence for a bit. Eventually he felt the cold worm its way into his skin and shrugged on the sweater Aurora had returned, sighing quietly as it settled over him like a familiar hug. He shared a couple more sandwiches with her, quickly diminishing the pile of snacks she'd brought (he suspected the picnic basket was magical) as the sun crept steadily above the distant mountains. Rebecca still pondered what Aurora had said earlier, something in it had resonated with how he'd been feeling ever since Hogsmeade.

Rebecca bit his lip and pinched his brow, struggling for a moment to put it all into words. "It's like-- it's hard to just look at one thing. I can remember something and say 'right then, I was happy,' or 'that was scary.' But in the end, when you remember the whole time put together, it was good."

He looked to Aurora. "Does that make any sense? I feel like an idiot saying that out loud."

@Aurora Griffith

It had been 2 months since I first ran through that podium at King's Cross Station and stepped onto the train, the Hogwarts Express. 2 months! And in all that time, I had done so many things and experienced a whole lot; so much that I wasn't completely sure if I could put it into words! Magic and joy that I could never experience in the muggle world have followed me here. Pardon me for sounding corny, but it's very much true. "I'm glad you do get it," I said. "Sometimes, I feel like there aren't many people I know who actually understand how amazing and new this all is, and just how different and magical it is from our past lives if you know what I mean." After Rebecca shared a couple more sandwiches with me, I looked in the basket for another snack and realized that it was empty. I chuckled a little. How much had we eaten, and how much was in there? I turned back to Rebecca. He said, "It's like-- it's hard to just look at one thing. I can remember something and say 'right then, I was happy,' or 'that was scary.' But in the end, when you remember the whole time put together, it was good." I took a moment to contemplate and pick apart what he said. And then I thought, Oh! It makes sense now! Yeah, I can definitely sympathize. I turned back to Rebecca and looked him straight in the eye. "No, you're not an idiot for saying that. At all. And now that I think about it, I'm sure we can all relate. It's so amazing how everything works here, so yeah...Kind of funny how that happens, huh?"

Interacting/Mentioning: @Rebecca Loops
Speech/Writing color: #ba9826 and #297a1f Thoughts: Italics