A new friend, perhaps? PV Irina Shevel Finished

Irina strode around the Great Lake, looking around excitedly and taking in as much detail as she could. Her love of the outdoors was no smaller now she was at a new place and she had run from the castle and into the grounds the first chance she got. It amazed her how large the Hogwarts Grounds were - her garden at home had been fairly small, made even smaller by her mum's Magical Plants patch.
Stopping next to the very edge of the lake, Irina stared out over the waters, smooth as glass, hoping to see the Giant Squid or one of those creatures mentioned in 'Fantastic Beasts and where to find them' - Grindabohs? Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and let a contented smile fall across her face, the wind in her hair and the water at her toes.
She let scenes of adventure and exctiement fill her mind. Her hope was to learn as much as she could about the castle, so she could go out on adventures (and maybe even night time wanderings). All she needed, was someone to do it with.

"Hey, I'm Mahlioz. Who're you?"

The voice startled Irina so much, she tripped into the lake! The water was freezing and she quickly jumped out. Looking down at her sodden shoes, she analysed the damage and noted gratefully the water hadn't gone above her knees. 'It'll dry off soon enough,' she thought, unconcerned.
Looking up at the person standing next to her, she saw a first year with beautiful fluffy, brown hair and astonashingly green eyes. Irina was momentarily confused as to whether they were male or female, but on closer inspection, decided she was female. She had a look of slight shock on her face and maybe guilt?
Irina gave her a broad grin, to reassure her it was fine. "Don't worry about that," she chuckled, gesturing to the lake, "I probably would have falled in at somepoint!"
She walked further away from the edge, before turning back sharply and slapping her head. "Sorry! I'm meant to introduce myself." She stuck her hand out for Mahlioz to shake. "Hi! M'name's Irina. You can call me Rina or Reenie or summin'."
As she waited for Mahlioz to take her hand, she wondered if she was being too energetic - her family had told her that often quiet people found her a bit . . . much. She didn't want this girl to get scared off! Anyone brave enough to go and speak to a random new person was someone she wanted to find out more about.

Thoughts: Teal
Speech: Cayenne
@Mahlioz Evethisawe

Mahlioz had been expecting a few different things, but the girl falling into the lake from surprise was not one of them. She was lucky it was shallow here - the ice cold water only soaked the bottom of her legs. Had they been near a different part of the lake, the poor girl would probably have been over her head. Still, though - it was the Great Lake, in winter (nearly). It was bound to be freezing, and Mahlioz felt terrible. "Ohmygod I am so sorry!" she said quickly, putting her hand out to help the girl out of the water before realising she had already done so and awkwardly putting her hand back into her robes' pocket. "I didn't think I would scare you, I wasn't thinking, I'm sorry, ahh!" Ah, stupid, Mahlioz! You should've known! The best thing to do is always leaving people alone!

But the girl didn't seem angry, or even annoyed. On the contrary, in fact - "Don't worry about that," she said with a chuckle, before adding that she'd probably have ended up doing it anyway. Mahlioz blinked. How peculiar that after having fallen into a freezing lake this girl wasn't even disgruntled. And then apologized for not answering Mahlioz's question. This girl had some stamina!

She then introduced herself and put out her hand to shake. "Oh- um..." Mahlioz stuttered, shaking Irina's hand back, her shyness coming back to her all at once. "Erm... nice to meet you, Irina." It wasn't that the girl scared her. Everyone scared her in a way. People were tiring. But Irina seemed nice, and hadn't gotten mad at Mahlioz even as her shoes leaked lake water, so she tried her best to keep being at least a little extroverted. "How are you? Again, I'm really sorry!"

"Erm... nice to meet you, Irina. How are you? Again, I'm really sorry!"
Irina could tell from the moment Mahlioz shook her hand, that she was tring super hard to be friendly. She gave a warm smile and replied, "Nice to meet you too! I love your name - it's beautiful! I've never heard it before."

Looking around, she gestured to a nearby tree and went to sit down, hoping Mahlioz would follow. She flopped against the tree and put her hands behind her head, looking up through the branches.
"I'm doing pretty good, thanks for asking! Before I had my little dip in the lake," she winked at Mahlioz and gave another broad grin, "I was just exploring the grounds. My sister goes here and she's told me all about it. But I want to know it super well and I want to go exploring!"

Even thinking about it made her shiver with anticipation. After spending half her life with her head stuck in action books and fantasy novels, she desperately wanted to have an adventure of her own, preferably with a friend or two. Irina had never been one to shy away from the thrilling and dangerous, 'A very predominent trait which I guess points all finger to Gryffindor,' she thought, her excitement draining as she felt the familiar seeds of doubt, growing up inside her. Was she in the right house? And if she was, did this mean she knew less of herself than she origionally thought?
She suddenly remembered she wasn't alone and shook her head gentlt to erase the doubt clawing at her chess. Looking towards Mahlioz, she quickly hitched a happy smile on her face once more and giggled, "Sorry 'bout that! I just had a Mind Wander. What were you saying?"


Speech: Cayenne
Thought: Teal

Mahlioz smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, yours is really nice too. Does it mean anything?" Irina was walking over to a tree and sat down at the base of it, looking up into its branches. Mahlioz followed but didn't sit down - the ground was cold, and besides, she felt like standing anyways. So she leaned against the trunk and listened to the other girl - a Gryffindor, from the look of her robes - speak about her plans of exploring and finding every single secret in the Hogwarts grounds.
"That sounds like fun," she said with a grin. "Where are you planning on exploring first?" She wasn't really one for being outside exploring, but Irina was clearly awed at the idea and it was contagious. Mahlioz found herself imagining magic trees and secret fountains and enchanted cottages just like in her books, and exploring no longer seemed so annoying.
The other girl mentioned her sister, who'd told her all about this place, which made Mahlioz's mind wander to her own siblings. She'd be seeing them in less than a month! Irina was lucky to have a sibling that could tell her about the school she was going to - Hyltwis'd never been to Hogwarts, she went to Beauxbatons. Luckily, Mahlioz would be able to be the big sister with loads of stories and tips and tricks for Reltyl, when they came. She was excited to introduce them to her friends... but her mind was slipping away from reality again. She blinked. "What year's your sister in?" she asked, realizing it was a stupid question because she didn't know very many people in her own year, let alone others. But she was still curious.

Irina seemed to have zoned out for a few seconds - her expression had gone from one of excitement to one of doubt. Mahlioz frowned. "You okay?" Her acquaintance seemed to come back to Earth with a slight shake of her head and a large smile again, but Mahlioz was still worried. She'd recognized that kind of doubt... she wasn't sure from where, or what it was exactly, but it was really familiar. She decided to let it go and put on a smile of her own. "I wasn't saying anything, don't worry about it. Yeah, I'm always daydreaming too! Sometimes nature just makes you mind go to a different world for a few minutes. What was your mind wandering to? If you don't mind my asking, of course."

Speech: Cayenne
Thoughts: Teal
Mahlioz: Clover

Interacting with @Mahlioz Evethisawe

Mahlioz gave a beautiful smile at her compliment and replied, "Thank you, yours is really nice too. Does it mean anything?"
Irina frowned and looked up into the canopy again, screwing up her eyes in a effort to remember what her mum had once told her about her name.
"Eeeeerm . . . I think it means 'peace' - ironic since I am probably the exact opposite of peace!"
She began talking about her ideas of adventure, becoming more and more animated. Finally, Mahlioz asked, "Where are you planning on exploring first?"
Irina opened her mouth, ready to respond with 'The Forbidden Forest', 'Out of Bounds Corridors' and maybe some 'Secret Passageways.' But she stopped herself. This was the type of thing that scared people off! Feeling a tad proud at her filtered thoughts, she grinned, saying, "Well, I've found an Abandoned Toilet somewhere on Second Floor, and I hear there's this place called Require Room or summin'. But I can't find it anywhere!"
This idea of exploration returned her mind to her ever present doubts about her house. She zoned out for a few seconds before she heard Mahlioz talking, as though she was speaking through water. She shook her head in time to hear Mahlioz ask, "You okay?"
Irina gave a smile, hoping it would make everything appear okay.
"I wasn't saying anything, don't worry about it. Yeah, I'm always daydreaming too! Sometimes nature just makes you mind go to a different world for a few minutes. What was your mind wandering to? If you don't mind my asking, of course."

Irina paused. It had been a while since the sorting and she still handn't told anyone about her fears. She knew they were stupid and she knew that most First Years were probably having the same thoughts as she was, but even so. She looked at Mahlioz out of the corner of her eyes, trying to decide whether to say anything. So far, the young Slytherin seemed to be a kind person, and someone Irina would want to be friends with, and she did appear worried as she waited for Irina to answer. 'Well,' Irina thought wryly, 'You weren't put into Gryffindor for being a coward!'
She sat herself up and turned to face Mahlioz, feeling some of her previous confidence deserting her. She cleared her throat nervously.
"Well, um . . . You've probably noticed that I'm an incredibly confident and forward person - characteristics that are often found in Gryffindors. You know I love to explore and I guess it's clear that logic isn't my strong point and I tend to act rashly and in the spur-of-the-moment. So yeah, it looks fairly obvious that I'm meant to be a Gryffindor."
She paused, trying to think what to say next. She didn't want to appear weak or overly scared.
"But the thing is, I have an insanely big heart. I know it sounds stupid but I am an incredibly ampathetic person. I'm kind and caring and both those qualities mean a lot to me. I guess that's the problem - I thought those qualities meant more to me than being brave or courageous. I'm happy with my house, I really am," she muttered, almost pleadingly, "But I'm worried it says I don't know myself as well as I thought I did, or it shows I value stupidity and brashness over actual human feeling," she finished bitterly.
It suddenly dawned on Irina just how much she had opened up. It was a strange feeling, a mixture of trepidation at what Mahlioz would say and waves of relief and having finally spoken aloud and put into words what she had been feeling for ages.

I am so so sorry I've been gone for so long! Things gave gotten a tad busy. But I'm finally back!

Mahlioz laughed at Irina's statement. "Well, I guess your parents didn't know who you were going to turn out as when they chose your name!" At the mention of where they could explore, though, the young Slytherin grinned mischievously. "Yeah, I've heard of that room too... it might just be a legend, but there's only one way to know, right?" She wasn't usually one to discover secrets, or to explore, and definitely not to break rules. But she was particularly curious today for some reason, and here was a girl who was willing to do all of that with her. Mahlioz just hoped they would be able to find a way to do so without breaking any rules... or at least without getting into trouble.
Having asked Irina what she'd been thinking of, Mahlioz was answered with a few seconds of hesitating silence from her new acquaintance. She wondered whether she'd gone too far... maybe the other girl didn't want to share? Maybe she'd been too nosy? But before she could apologize, the young Gryffindor answered her question.

Once Irina stopped speaking, Mahlioz was quiet for a few seconds - not too many to make her uncomfortable, but enough to see that she had really registered what the other first year had said. The Slytherin had not been expecting an answer of the sort... she'd honestly thought Irina had just been daydreaming, but she was glad that she had opened up to her. After all, she had had no reason to. Her secret was now in Mahlioz's hands. And the girl was glad she'd chosen her.
But what she had said really hit close to home. "I..." She started, before clearing her throat. This was not the time to be shy or hesitating. She had to go for it. "I understand what you're saying, trust me, I do. I'm only twelve, I don't know much, but I think the sorting hat put you into Gryiffindor for a reason, one that you don't know just yet. Gryffindors are famous for being brave and sometimes brash, but that doesn't meant that's their whole personality. Your house doesn't define you, you define you. And it's okay not to know exactly who you are yet, not to know what you value more or what you are like inside. It's okay to think you do but then be proven wrong. But you shouldn't doubt yourself because of what a hat says, or who's around you, or what house you're in. Only you know who you are. There are loads of Gryffindors with large hearts, loads of brave Hufflepuffs, loads of kind Slytherins, loads of Ravenclaws who may not get grades as high as other houses. Whatever society says doesn't matter. The hat knows things we don't, and it knows not to believe stereotypes. So trust yourself. What house you're in doesn't change what you value or who you are."

Mahlioz took a breath, realizing how much she'd spoken. That was probably the most words that had ever come out of her mouth in her whole life. Her eyes widened as she tinted slightly red. "Oh my god- I- I'm so sorry, uhm- that was a lot." She hoped she hadn't scared the girl off. It was not at all like her to go on rants like that. But a nagging voice in the back of her mind told her she hadn't only been speaking to Irina... the speech had been partially for herself, too.

Speech: Cayenne
Thoughts: Teal

Interacting with @Mahlioz Evethisawe

Irina stopped talking and held her breath, suddenly aware of how much about herself she had just revealed. It was a relief - these thoughts and doubts had been plaguing her since she had been sorted, so finally telling someone had lessened the leaden weight on her heart. Despite this though, she was suddenly apprehensive as to how Mahlioz would answer.
There was a few seconds silence, in which Irina thought her heart would explode with apprehension. Finally, she started to speak.

As she talked, Irina’s heart seemed to swell with gratitude and she found herself thinking ‘this is someone I want to stay friends with.’ She wondered what she would say to express just how thankful she was, just how much her fear she had been alleviated (though not completely).
Mahlioz stopped talking, grew red and stuttered, "Oh my god- I- I'm so sorry, uhm- that was a lot." Now it was her turn to look apprehensive and nervous.
Irina gave a soft, warm smile and hesitantly placed her hand on Mahlioz’s.
“Thank you. Really. I . . . I’ve been freaking out about this for ages so . . . thank you.”

She hastily removed her hand in case Mahlioz found it uncomfortable before looking down at her hands. “That’s a lot of intuitive stuff right there. You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
Looking upwards at the leafy canopy shading them, she decided it was time to lighten the mood. “So . . . you reckon the Requiring Room place, or whatever it’s called, might be real? How about,”she lowered her voice conspiratorially, despite the fact no one was around and what she was proposing wasn’t breaking any rules, “we go to the 7th floor and try to find it? I’ve heard rumours it’s around there somewhere.”

Mahlioz was immensely grateful that Irina hadn't been offended, or weirded out, by her speech. The Gryffindor had even put her hand on Mahlioz's in thanks, which made her feel a lot better. Thank goodness. That could have gone completely wrong - maybe she hadn't wanted advice, or the Slytherin had talked way too much, or something else. But there was true gratitude in Irina's eyes, and Mahlioz felt at peace.
Up until the other girl said she sounded like she was speaking from experience.

Did she know? How could she know? It caught Mahlioz completely off guard. Was it that obvious? But also, why did she care so much? It wasn't a secret, not really. She'd told a few different people, and besides, this girl knew exactly how it felt. So... there was no harm in telling her, right? Mahlioz thought about it for a few seconds, but decided that since Irina had basically poured out her soul to Mahlioz a minute ago, she deserved to have a piece of the Slytherin's as well.
"I guess you're right. I..." Was this the right decision? ...Yes. Yes it was. "Well, basically all of the wizards in my family that went to Hogwarts have been in Ravenclaw. And I love reading and writing and imagining different worlds in my head... I want to be an author or something like that when I grow up. I always thought my love for books and learning would place me into the wiser house. In fact, I had no doubts about it. But, obviously, the sorting hat thought otherwise. And I know it's December and I should be used to it by now. I kind of am - I'm not disappointed in myself, or sad that I'm in Slytherin. Slytherin's fine. But I've gotten so used to seeing myself as Ravenclaw that it feels weird being something else."

Now they were both on the same page. Mahlioz knew very well what she'd said, and she didn't regret it. She even smiled meekly at Irina. Because she knew she'd understand. They'd gone through the same thing. And she was going to try to use her own advice to feel better in her own skin.
The topic went back to exploring again, which Mahlioz felt a little excited for. I do think it might be real," she answered Irina's question, "because too many people have talked about it for it not to be. But I have no proof. So yeah," she added, whispering as well just for the fun and thrill of it, "we should definitely check the different floors and do some more research to find out where it is and how to get to it." Although she'd heard rumors, the young girl had no clue whatsoever what the room really was or why it was so special and secretive. But a small kindling fire had started in her heart and it brought a thrill to her to know she was going to be finding out the school's secrets. Especially if it was with this amazing person that Irina seemed to be.

Speech: Cayenne
Thoughts: Teal

Interacting with @Mahlioz Evethisawe

As soon as Irina suggested Mahlioz had been speaking from experience, she sensed a feeling of confusion and shock from the Slytherin girl. She looked caught off guard but a moment later, she began speaking, if a little hesitantly.
Mahlioz explained a situation similiar to Irina's - conflict about the Sorting Hat's decision and confusion at it's choice. It caused Irina to feel a sense of warmth towards Mahlioz. Not only was she opening up, but she was feeling similar emotions to her! It made her feel calmer and more assured in herself and her own problems. Not only this, but hearing others pain and conflict had caused her empathy skills to kick into action.
Once Mahlioz had stopped talking, she seemed to relax a little, smiling meekly at Irina.
"That sound's pretty tough. The confusion must be scary. But we can be confused together now! It's good though that you're not upset though - that's a good start towards acceptance (or so my Mum says)."

She looked up at the tree canopy and began talking about possible adventures again. She was glad to hear that Mahlioz thought the Room was real and not myth and even more thrilled when Mahlioz suggested exploring the rest of the floors and doing research into where it was and how to get in! The research part didn't excite Irina as much - she had a very short attention span and fidgeted constantly if bored. 'This is pretty interesting though so maybe I can stay focused long enough to actually help Mahlioz do research!?'

She leant closer to her new friend and gave a mischivous grin (a sign of trust for Irina cause it was something she reserved for people who she thought wouldn't be scared off by a mischevious face) and said, "Why don't we go to the library and do some . . . extra homework? And then, as soon as we find something, we go to the place as soon as we can and do some exploring. If it takes us a while, we can explore around the castle to try and find something."

Reducio

OOC: I was thinking we could now move this to the Library/Corridors/etc, as we begin our search for the Room of Requirement? We don't have to discover it straight away if you don't want to, or we could spped thing up, discover it fast and go to find it. Your call!