New Years first bad decision finished

𝕽uth Fairchild wasn’t entirely sure why she was wandering towards the abandoned toilets instead of the study room. Then again, her curiosity while exploring the vast Hogwarts had piqued, and she still had yet to visit the room containing the Chamber of Secrets, was it? It was a pity she didn’t uphold to the ability of speaking Parseltongue. Wouldn’t it be cool, though? she thought to herself as Ruth got closer to her destination. To be able to talk to snakes, who could speak back?

She would have to ask someone familiar with Parseltongue about how it was that they knew much about it. How it felt, for it to easily slip out of their lips like honey, to speak it as if they were born with the knowledge of the tongue. Perhaps they were, to be honest. Ruth had no idea. Perhaps Aurelia would know some things. Ruth tugged out the door and walked in, still deep in thought. As such, she hadn’t seen a girl with a pair of scissors clutched in a hand, the other gripping onto a clump of her hair.

Ruth gazed upwards at the ceiling, taking in the eerie shadows that casted itself from floor to wall to above her head, credits to the few candles provided. The smell was terrible, and the cold, drafty winter air was carefree within the room, let in by the windows. It was understandable why it was considered to be abandoned. Why would anyone come in here?

Didn’t a ghost roam the very toilets she had set foot in as well? Ruth couldn’t quite remember her name, though it was said that she was often zipping about closer to the cubicles than the entrance. She took a step towards them, finally looking back down in front of her, only to spot the girl. She yelped in surprise and in her haste her foot caught onto a crack in the broken stone floor and she was sent tumbling straight for the girl.

Woops.

Flying towards @Kora Eliot

𝕽uth was ready to face an Ira 2.0 situation. She was ready to bump into the girl, sending the scissors slicing through her hair.

But that didn’t happen.

Somehow, goodness, somehow, the girl seemed prepared for her, almost as though she had predicted such happenings. Ruth landed not on the dirty floor, but in her arms before she was set back down on the floor as if she was paperweight. Ruth blinked at her, blushing. Gah, so embarrassing. So clumsy of her. Why was she so clumsy?

The girl looked at her, care wrung in her eyebrows. When asked if she was okay, Ruth found herself stammering, “O-oh, well, yes.” She bowed her head in apology. “Sorry for almost messing up your haircut. Thank goodness you had quick reflexes.” She laughed nervously, then glanced down just as the girl did, as if checking the bottle of dye Ruth hadn’t taken noticed of while falling (can you blame the girl? She’s just a bit antsy today. She…has no idea why. Must be from all the grime that covered the toilets) Now that she did though, Ruth’s assumption of the girl wishing to cut her hair was starting to feel more realistic by the second. More over, it was the New Years, which meant a change. Something different. It was obvious to her that the girl in front of her was opting for outer appearance contrasting inner improvement, which was what Ruth had decided to go for this year.

Ruth jolted up to lock eyes with the girl, who introduced herself as Kora all the while extending a hand as a form of greeting. The other, though, began rapidly tapping against each other, a tic it seemed, as the girl proceeded to pay no attention to her behaviour. Ruth decided to ignore such an action, having her own fair share of nervous tics, and stretched out her hand to shake Kora’s firmly. “Ruth Fairchild, First Year Hufflepuff, nice to meet you too Kora.” She had begun to say her year and house, ever since her encounter with second year Theo. Theo what? No idea. Didn’t matter though.

The Hufflepuff witch would admit that she was slightly taken aback by the emphasisation, as if she had been intruding into Kora’s personal space and deep concentration. Or, well, at least the start of it. Taking a closer look, it seemed as though the girl had yet to cut her hair or do anything to it, since the style of it didn’t seem half done or lopsided at all.

“Say, are you planning on using that...?”she jabbed a finger towards the dye on the floor as if the answer wasn’t obvious enough. It was simply an act of confirmation, one that would determine her next step. If Kora said yes, perhaps Ruth could stay and lend her a hand. It didn’t seem like the girl knew anything she was doing, and Ruth would know that very well.

After all, she had been one of them when she was ten.

Interacting with @Kora Eliot, mentioning @Theo Vendeberg and @Ira Thornfield

𝕽uth nodded, chuckling a little nervously as she replied, “I would love to, Kora. It’s best to do it with someone just in case something goes wrong.” She really, really hoped nothing would go wrong. Then again, Kora was saying it so nonchalantly it was throwing the Hufflepuff witch off her track slightly. Did she truly mean that she wouldn’t be bothered by a mistake in her…hair?

It wasn’t that they couldn’t cut off the mistakes. It was hair they were dealing with, after all. Hair could grow back. It’d be fine. However…making a huge mistake, though…Ruth gulped at the thought, blazingly frightened at the thought of being responsible for such. Oh, but, it was still better for Kora to know what she was doing, with someone.

Ruth picked up the dye from the floor, turning it over in her hands. A bottle version, not box. Similar to the one used, she supposed. Looking up at Kora, she proceeded to ask, “Are you planning on coloring your whole hair…”she looked at the contents again, “blonde?” Ruth frowned, her eyes wandering from the baby strands of brown to the tips of Kora’s hair. She wondered if it was a good choice. Oh well. Kora’s hair, Kora’s decision. Ruth was simply available for assistance.

Placing it on the sink Kora stood before, Ruth watched as Kora’s hands grasped the scissors once more. “I think I’ll stay out of the cutting bit,” she told her, then stepped back to spectate.

@Kora Eliot

𝓦atching Kora, Ruth was somewhat unsure what to do during the past time. Perhaps if I had been able to explore the bathroom with Aurelia , she thought to herself, I would have been able to make some interesting discoveries. Oh well. She was here, alone, so she might as well take another look around.

The toilet was quiet, the only sounds the water dripping down to the cold rock and the other the occasional snip of Kora's scissors. Ruth stared up at the uncleaned windows, wrinkling her nose. Honestly, how could one stand this? Why Kora hadn't decided to get herself a new haircut in the lavatory was a mystery that Ruth considered asking. Mmm, maybe later.

She turned and walked back to the girl, her arms crossed as she gazed into the mirror, eyeing Kora's hair through the reflection. It seemed like she knew what she was doing after all. She blinked as Kora called out to her, telling her that she was almost done. Ruth waved a hand and brushed her statement away. "No pressure, take your time. Or...maybe don't," she leaned on one foot, trying to maintain eye contact with the girl. "Why didn't you choose to get a haircut in the perfectly fine lavatory?" Her eyes dipped down to stare at the clumps of hair.

"And you're planning on cleaning up, right?" Kora's hair had been much shorter than Ruth's and somehow managed to still cut up bundles and bundles. Interesting.

@Kora Eliot, mentioning @Aurelia Valentine

𝓘t felt silly seeing someone you had never seen on your life trust you so much despite being a stranger to them. Ruth was definitely not one of those people, but Kora sure seemed like she was one. To have so much trust is people was fascinating, if not ridiculous. It was good to at least ask some questions instead of inviting them, right?

Had Kora not realised how terrible her highlights were? The strands of brown were uneven and did anything but compliment her lush black. That's what she thought anyway. Nobody seemed to have said otherwise, or at least were kind enough not to.

Ruth played with her braid, gazing down at the gradient between the two colors-- natural and artificial respectively. I guess it doesn't look too bad now that my hair's grown longer. She wouldn't have been able to say the same a few years back, when she hopped back and forth between short hair and long, depending on Rita and her mother.

"I guess that makes sense," Ruth answered to Kora's reasoning of staying in the abandoned toilets. Honestly, to Ruth, it was best to do it there, especially since most of the prefects were gone. However, she had simply been keeping track of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's prefects rather than the other two houses...so who was she to know?

Ruth wasn't sure what house Kora belonged in. Certainly not Hufflepuff, since Ruth would have known. Kora seemed to be a First Year, or at least a second. Ruth knew a lot of First Year Hufflepuffs, so Kora being in there was out.

Maybe Slytherin. Ruth watched, speechless as Kora dunked the hair into a toilet. Well, there was no way she could stop Kora now, or at least clean up after her. Why cause more mess when this place was already messed up?

The girl before her didn't seem to notice her wrongs as she smiled at Ruth, walking closer and instructing Ruth. "I could back out now?" She echoed, grasping the bottle just as Kora handed it to her. Mmm...

Ruth picked up the bottle and shook it a few times just for good measure, then stepped up behind Kora, hesitating slightly. "You...might want to bend down for me," she mumbled, embarrassed. How were people so very tall here? Ruth couldn't imagine their parents.

As she waited, Ruth began to relay her procedure. "So...I'm just going to split your hair up (unless you'd like to do that yourself, do you have a clip?) And then start applying it alright?" She let out a shaky breath. Gosh, she shouldn't be doing this.

@Kora Eliot