A bad morning

Speech -- Thoughts

The advantages of going to a school of Magic was plentiful.

Pamela Graham did not have to worry about not getting breakfast if she got late.

And late she was. Because her body alarm clock had somehow failed to wake her up on time, and so she had had to rush to the Great Hall in hope of getting some food. Old habits die hard; she had completely forgotten the fact that the food was replenished during the meantimes.

By the time she got there though, the major part of the table was crowded, and Pam walked over to one of the corners, filling up her plate with all kinds of food, as her stomach grumbled, informing her of its lack of nourishment. Biting into a muffin, Pam glanced around at the people around her, focusing immediately on someone who stood out to her.

Stelle.

If Pam was being honest, Stelle was, by far, the prettiest girl she had met. Pam had liked her a lot when they'd met for the first time. She was soft-spoken, as a contrast to the way Pam often interacted with her friends, which involved a lot of loud gushing.

Now though, as Pam watched the girl, something seemed different about her. It took Pam a few minutes to register the fact that her hair was not the perfect curls that it normally was. Instead it had been tied up into a messy bun, which somehow made her look prettier than normal, and there was even a stray strand of hair curled over her face.

Did she actually style it like that or.... Stelle had not struck her as the type of person to willingly put her hair like that.

What did concern her though, was the fact that the girl seemed to be practically sulking as she ate her food. Stelle didn't sulk. Frowning as she watched her, Pam reached out to tap the girl on her shoulder, "Stelle? Are you....alright?"

₊⁺⋆ Date: April 4th, 2025| Number of words: 297| Dialogue: #aa5713 ⋆⁺₊

Speech -- Thoughts

Stelle started at her touch, and for a second, Pam thought the girl was about to punch her. Thankfully, as recognition flashed on her face, the girl relaxed, her words coming out in a jumbled rush. Pam listened to all of it, rather startled at Stelle's uncharacteristic behaviour.

And of course, because her brain never cooperated with her anyway, her first thought was, So a bad hairday? Welcome to my world.

Internal monologue aside, Pam took about three more minutes before she spoke up, focusing on the part she could help with, instead of the emotional support, "Well, if you want stockings, I could lend you some? They're all washed..."

Pam had never been in a situation where she needed to comfort someone. That didn't mean that she didn't know she was awful at it. She patted Stelle awkwardly on her back, "You're... you're not broken. People can have a bad hairday, I know I do every alternate week." She narrowed her eyes at the girl's hair, and said, lowering her voice to a whisper, "Also, I've seen people's hair look like a bird's nest, and yours isn't anywhere close. If it matters... you're still prettier than most of the humanity in the school."

"As for your pimple...." Pam reached out to brush away the strand of hair that had been strategically placed to cover up the red blob, even then marvelling at Stelle's brain. I could never. She attempted to give the girl a reassuring smile, although it probably did not come out well, "It's not that big." I've had much worse "I think it would go in about two...three days?" Better than taking a whole month.

I need someone who's better at this than me.

╭──────────────────────── ◜◌◝ ────────────────────────╮
╰───► ❛ Art Deco (Allure in Effect). ❜۵
₊⁺⋆ Date: April 4th, 2025/i]| Number of words: 387| Dialogue: #aa5713 ⋆⁺
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The warmth that ran down Stelle's back from Pamela's clumsy pat was more effective than any perfectly crafted speech. Maybe because she was sincere. Maybe because she didn't seem to be saying the right thing, but rather what she truly thought. Stelle blinked once, unsure whether to laugh, cry, or hide under the nearest table. But something inside her loosened. A knot, a pressure, an internal judgment that had been gripping her tightly since before she'd even put on the dress that afternoon. She said nothing at first. Pam's voice, as direct as ever, nudged her out of the spiral of negative thoughts she'd been trapped in. "You're still prettier than most people at school." Those words weren't especially poetic or sugarcoated, but they touched a part of her. She looked at Pamela with a mixture of gratitude and embarrassment, still balancing herself halfway between vulnerability and composure.

—I can’t believe you’re talking to me about birds’ nests—. she murmured, a smile barely forming as she let out a small laugh. —But… thank you. I don’t know if you realize that was way more helpful than any “you look beautiful anyway—. Stelle lowered her gaze slightly, as if scanning the ground for more exact words. She felt awkward. Vulnerable. But also strangely relieved.

—Today was one of those days where everything small seems huge—. she confessed quietly. —And I know I shouldn’t care so much. But… there are times when I feel like if I’m not flawless, then everything else about me is failing too—.

The reality was that Pamela had managed to push her grandmother’s voice out of her head, at least for a while. Stelle maintained eye contact for a second longer than usual, as if she wanted to make sure Pam knew she meant it.

—And about the pimple—. she continued, lowering her voice, —I can’t believe you tried to move my hair to get a better look. Do you have any idea how much trust it takes to do that?—. She tilted her head, amused. —But I’m not wearing your tights. Wearing other people’s underwear disgusts me. I don’t want to give you… stinky fungus—. The joke was gentle, barely an attempt to lighten the mood. —Thanks, Pam. You’re not cut out for this, but you’re still doing well. Can I hug you?—.

ABILITIES: Part-Veela
VISUAL: Here!
ACTIONS: ---
INTERACTIONS + MENTIONS: @Pamela Graham

Speech -- Thoughts

Pam blinked, rather startled by the soft intensity in Stelle's eyes. It was awkward, for her to deal with emotions which were not along the lines of happiness and sarcasm, and leaned more towards the "I'm going to start bawling" spectrum. And considering the fact that her go-to emotion was normally various colors of sarcasm, Pam was seriously out of her depth here. Also, it seemed that screaming and running away was a terribly bad idea.

A strong wave of relief accompanied the tiny smile which had shown up on Stelle's face. She guessed she hadn't done too bad with her response, if Stelle had actually managed to smile at it instead of throwing food at her. She couldn't help but smile too, responding, a light edge in her voice, "I don't know much about bird's nests. I'm glad my words helped a bit. I actually do have no clue what I'm doing." She rubbed her neck, grinning sheepishly.

The next few words sounded too familiar, Pam thought, vaguely remembering those nights she'd stand in front of the mirror and attempt to stare down her frizzy mess of curls. Pam had never really cared about her appearance much; in her mind, there was a distinct line between looking good and looking presentable, and except specific occasions, she never crossed that line into the looking good zone. "Well, I think being flawless is rather subjective." She offered, hesitantly, "Besides, flawlessness doesn't only come from a person's physical.. right?" Okay, I'm going to stop talking now.

Pam had a distinct feeling she was gradually becoming a sucker for pretty eyes. Or maybe it was just because it was Stelle. Pam couldn't remember the last time she had had difficulty maintaining eye contact with a person. However, when Stelle held her gaze for a second too long than was comfortable for her, she shifted her eyes away quickly, feeling an all-too-familiar heat creeping up the back of her ears. Don't be red please, that's so embarrassing.

Her next words were a welcome distraction from Pam's thoughts, and the latter accepted the former's request with no hesitation, looping her arms around the girl's shoulder, "You didn't strike me as someone who would like hugs." She muttered.

╭──────────────────────── ◜◌◝ ────────────────────────╮
╰───► ❛ Art Deco (Allure in Effect). ❜۵
₊⁺⋆ Date: April 4th, 2025| Number of words: 322| Dialogue: #aa5713 ⋆⁺
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She wiped her eyes listening to his words. Subjective? Yes, it was a word she never thought would be directed at her. She'd always thought that people who were pretty just were, just like her most of the time. She still hadn't learned much about grooming, more than what her mother and her grandmother's maids did for her. She smiled kindly at his words and gently shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what to say to him exactly. —Yes... there really are things you don't know about me—. she said with a soft smile, feeling tenderness at the sight of Pam's lost face.

Stelle had found in Pam an awkward sincerity when she spoke that warmed her heart. She didn't need to fake laughter with her; it just came. Perhaps she'd developed a soft spot for people with personalities that were a product of clumsiness mixed with sensitivity. Seeing her look away made him curious; he wanted to know what was causing her embarrassment. He didn't want to talk about her anymore; he wanted to listen to her more. If she thought about it, she barely knew Pam, but she already wanted her to stay with her forever. She pictured herself studying with her, choosing a career, and even inviting her to her wedding, if that ever happened.

—You didn't think I was a hug person?—. she asked incredulously, laughing. —For your information, I'm the number one hug lover, Pamela Graham—. She said with a proud smile and went back to her already watery cereal. She wrinkled her nose in disgust before standing up and straightening her uniform a little as she spoke. —How about we get something better for breakfast? While there's still something—. she suggested gently, looking up from her uniform to focus on her colleague. —I'm a firm believer that a good breakfast is the key to a good day. You could tell me more about yourself; what do you think?—.

ABILITIES: Part-Veela
VISUAL: Here!
INTERACTIONS:@Pamela Graham

Speech -- Thoughts

She tilted her head curiously, catching sight of Stelle wiping her eyes. Pam didn't mention it, she knew for a fact that she would hate it if someone caught her crying. She smiled softly, nodding in acknowledgement, "It takes a decently long time to get to know someone fully. Especially since it's not very hard to hide parts of yourself from the other person. Do you get what I mean?"

Pam chuckled, the sound coming out a little nervous, "I'm surprised. You have a generally untouchable vibe from a distance. The interactions definitely helped that first impression, but I actually hadn't thought you liked hugging." Their first meeting had been pretty sudden. The two girls had practically smacked into each other back at the bookshop in Diagon Alley. Pam knew for a fact that she would've never approached Stelle by herself. She was too much of an awkward mess around pretty people.

She had grown to adore Stelle tremendously, the way she carried herself, her generally neat style, and practically everything about her. Most of that had manifested in the form of Pam being more subdued around the Hufflepuff, more careful with her words, her actions. She would never make any of the stupid jokes and sarcastic remarks she normally made around her closer friends (read Ruth).

Perhaps it was the fact that Stelle seemed to be much more observant than the others. Pam glanced at the sorry remains of her breakfast and grimaced, "That's definitely a good idea. Let's get some better food." She let Stelle take the lead, before asking, "What..about me do you want to know?"

╭──────────────────────── ◜◌◝ ────────────────────────╮
╰───► ❛ Art Deco (Allure in Effect). ❜۵
₊⁺⋆ Date: April 4th, 2025| Number of words: 323| Dialogue: #aa5713 ⋆⁺

Never let anyone know you too well. That was the kind of thing her grandmother used to tell her, although she'd never learned to control herself very well. Once she started talking, it was hard to keep her mouth shut. Hogwarts had given her a cold shower about that. With her arrival in her first year, Stelle couldn't believe how difficult it was to make friends like she used to. While it wasn't difficult, there weren't many people willing to talk everywhere, but it wasn't impossible either; she'd made some very good friends, after all. She'd been lost in her thoughts until Pam used the word "untouchable" to refer to her. She couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh as she looked at her and covered her mouth at the sound of her piggy giggle. —Untouchable? Are you talking about me? I always thought I had a pleasant face, I guess I was wrong. That explains a lot—. She loved talking to Pam. She knew she could trust her words because she was sincere, and she noticed as soon as they met that it would be almost impossible to get annoyed with her. And at that moment, she was caught off guard. She'd never thought she'd emanate a special vibe, much less that she'd come across as "untouchable," as her friend had put it.

She held onto her friend's arm as she looked for a spot, until she saw a tray full of fresh sweets. She wanted to sit down, but there were two boys taking up more space than they should have, so she didn't hesitate to ask them permission to sit. She gave Pam a spot next to her and took a muffin with cream. —Hmm... what do you think of magical creatures?—. she asked curiously. —There's only one rule: we're going to ask each other interesting questions, you hear? Or I'll die of boredom—. she said with a smile.

ABILITIES: Part-Veela
VISUAL: Here!
INTERACTIONS:@Pamela Graham

Speech -- Thoughts

"Untouchable doesn't mean you've got an unpleasant face." She said, "It's more of something like... a person will think ten times before saying something around you." That was atleast true, spoken from experience. Pam didn't know much about being inapproachable. She added with a grin, "If anything, I don't think you'll have to be worried about being bullied for fun."

They shifted over to a place with seemingly better food, and Pam watched Stelle shoo away two boys who had occupied way too much space. What was it with boys really? Oh well. Her attention was taken by the sweets tray in front of her and she nearly missed out on a part of Stelle's words as she stuffed a slice of chocolate cake into her mouth. Chocolate for life.

"Magical creatures?" She repeated, her mind drawing a blank for a second, "Like... dragons?" Pam remembered being really surprised when she had found out that dragons existed in the Magical World. Who would've guessed? Now all we need are dinosaurs. She shook her head, clearing the thoughts, "Well, if you mean the real magical creatures which are not found in storybooks, then I can't say I'm very sure. I've not met many, so it's hard to tell really. What about you?"