Date: 11/09/2025 || Location: Hogwarts Express || Time: 11 A.m.
Outfit: X

“Bye, sweetheart! Behave yourself, you hear!”
Exclaimed a shrill voice from somewhere on the platform, followed immediately by a more hoarse voice:
“This time, make sure you don't lose the owl.”
Kaia paused for a moment on the platform of track 9¾, surrounded by the noise of farewells, calls, and hugs. With one hand, she clutched the strap of her bag, while with the other she held tightly to the handle of her trunk.
Her parents kissed her on the cheek one last time, while Liv and Niko, her five-year-old twins, waved frantically to say goodbye.
“Scrivici qualche volta Write to us sometime”, said her mother in a sweet tone, trying not to let her emotions show too much. “Don't forget our teachings... Oh, and look in your bag, there's a little surprise”, added her father, equally enthusiastic.
Kaia smiled and nodded. “Lo farò I will do it and I promise”.
With one last look at her family, she boarded the train. The corridors were already bustling with laughter, friendships, tears, and arguments: different kinds of emotions surrounded her. Some cabins were already occupied, others partially so. The young girl walked quickly, her jacket still folded over her arm, looking for an empty cabin. She wasn't looking for company, at least not right away. She wanted to settle down calmly and get comfortable for the journey while watching the landscape pass by the window and perhaps open one of the books she had brought with her, such as The Book of Norse Myths.
She loved Norse legends, and this book told them in an accessible and poetic way. Finally, near the end of the car, she saw an empty compartment. She gently pushed open the sliding door and entered. Placed the trunk on the luggage rack and let herself fall into the seat next to the window. She took her father's surprise out of her bag. It was a small medallion containing an animated photo of the family accompanied by a note.

"Hold it when you need a hug: we are always there cheering you on.

“Grazie papà Thanks dad”, Kaia said in a tone that sounded nostalgic.
Suddenly, she was startled by a high-pitched, prolonged whistle that pierced the air. “SsssshhhHHH– TCHOOOOO!” and then the slow “ka-CHUNK... ka-CHUNK...” that echoed under the platform.
“Finalmente partiamo We're finally leaving”, said Kaia, as she took the book out of her bag and leaned back with her legs crossed.
She began to read and let the landscape begin to flow by.

Interacting: @Lilith Darcy || WC: 410 || Parent:#606c38 Kaia: #b3541e

Lilith listened with half an ear to her grandparents' recommendations, her eyes lost in the crowd as she nodded from time to time to something she didn't even hear. The platform was packed with crying parents, scared but excited first years and older students who wanted one thing: get in the train to find their friends.

Her grandfather had finally (thank God) finished his monologue on her duties as heir of the family, and it was finally time for goodbyes. She received a cold nod from her grandparents, then her mother hugged her. "Just be yourself, love, and I'll be proud." whispered her mother. Lilith breathed the familiar perfume of her mother's hair, thinking she was at the start of a new life. "Goodbye, mom. I'll write." She said, containing the emotion.

She smiled a last time to her mother and got in the train. As soon as she was in, she took a deep breath. She was, for the first time in her entire life, free. Nobody was telling her how to act at every second, nobody was watching her every move, hoping that she'd make a mistake. For the first time in her life, she had the choice. The choice to be whoever she wanted to be.

Dragging her way too heavy trunk through the corridors, she started looking for a cabin. The first one she opened was already full, with what seemed to be third years having a lot to tell each other. Lilith continued her path, opening and closing doors. An empty compartment, was it too much to ask ? The train suddenly started moving and Lilith almost fell over, grabbing a door handle to try and find her balance. The door opened, revealing an empty cabin except for a girl sitting near the window. Lilith detailed the girl's appearance, from her golden locks delicately falling on her shoulders to her pale, almost translucent skin, and her soft blue eyes. She looks like a porcelain doll, thought Lilith.

Flipping back her black curly hair, she entered the compartment and closed the door behind her. Looking at the other girl, she spoke up.

"Hi."

Reducio

@Kaia Luna Lombardi-Flanning

Date: 11/09/2025 || Location: Hogwarts Express || Time: 11 A.m.
Outfit: X

“Yggdrasil, the world tree, connects the nine realms and supports the entire universe...”

Those words ran through Kaia’s mind. She was so immersed in her reading, sucked into the pages, that she didn't realize what was happening around her.
The Book of Norse Myths was not only an enjoyable read, but a kind of refuge, just like all the books she read.
She was in her own world and had forgotten that she was not alone on the train, but that there were other students, other eyes, and other presences.
That was precisely why she jumped when she heard a voice coming from the entrance to the compartment.

“Hi”.

Kaia looked up suddenly, struggling to tear her eyes away from where she had left off reading. The compartment door was open, but for how long? she wondered. She hadn't even heard it slide open. She hadn't heard any footsteps. Or voices.
Only that “Hi” brought her back to the present, a simple and direct “Hi.”

In front of her was a girl with dark, curly, voluminous hair. She wasn't alone, she had a large trunk with her that looked heavy, perhaps too heavy to be carried by one person.
Just as she was used to doing, Kaia observed her carefully, but not openly, with her usual quiet and quick glance.

She wasn't suspicious, just accustomed to assessing before opening up.

She had alert, lively eyes and a firm but relaxed posture.

She calmly closed the book, slipping a finger between the pages so as not to lose her place.
She replied with a small nod.

“Hi”, she said in a calm tone.

“Are you looking for a seat? This one is free”.

She moved slightly toward the window, arranging her luggage to make room for the newcomer, And all the while, her gaze never truly left the girl.
Then she remembered the good manners her parents had taught her and stood up.

“I'm Kaia Luna Lombardi-Flanning”, she finally introduced herself, maintaining a calm tone.

“You can call me Kaia”, she concluded, bringing her hand forward, ready to shake hers.

She tilted her head, trying to gauge her reaction.
She didn't usually talk much, but when she did, she always tried to observe the effect her words had on others.

“You're a first year too, right?” she asked, hinting at a touch of curiosity that wasn't too intrusive.

Interacting: @Lilith Darcy || WC: 397 || Parent:#606c38 Kaia: #b3541e

"I'm Kaia Luna Lombardi-Flanning, you can call me Kaia," said the girl, extending her hand for Lilith to shake it. Standing up, she was slightly taller than Lilith, but her slender frame still made her look delicate. Lilith shook her hand.
"I'm Lilith. Darcy. Yeah, I'm a first year too."
She noticed how the other girl had pushed away her things to allow her to sit. Lilith left her trunk on the floor and sat, facing the other girl.

The girl, Kaia, seemed to be observing Lilith, assessing her. Not in a judgmental way, but like she wanted to see if Lilith was going to be a positive influence on her life or not. Interesting. Lilith didn't read people, or rather, she didn't want to. Walking into Lilith's life was easy. All doors were open and she didn't filter anyone, good or bad. If the person was bad, at least she would have lived something, right ?

Kaia seemed to decide Lilith passed the test, because she relaxed slightly. Lilith looked at the book she was holding. A thick volume, who looked like it had been read over and over. Lilith couldn't read the title.

"What's the book ?" she asked.

Judging by how absorbed Kaia had been in the words when Lilith walked in, she guessed the book was good. Or Kaia just really liked to read. Or both.

@Kaia Luna Lombardi-Flanning

Date: 11/09/2025 || Location: Hogwarts Express || Time: 11 A.m.
Outfit: X

“What’s the book?”
At that question, Kaia showed her the cover.

“This one? It's The Book of Norse Myths.”

She responded with the kind of affection only someone who knows something deeply would use.

“It's a collection of Norse Myths. They are told poetically, yet simply. I think I’ve read it so many times that if you get close to it, you can hear it begging for help.”

Her gaze was looking at the spine of the book, the little creases that had formed over the years.
It was one of those volumes that had a life of traveling from a backpack to a bag, from one room to another. And now it was with her on the train, a familiar fragment amidst the rest of her life which was new.
She lowered the book and turned to Lillith for a few seconds.
She glanced at Lillith, watching for the smallest sign of boredom or interest.

“You know, I like these kinds of stories. They seem so far away, but at their core they really are about us. Our mistakes. Our desires. Our fears .What’s fascinating is how Norse mythology explores the balance between chaos and order” .

Kaia never spoke at length and especially to someone she had just met. But books had that effect on her, that they were able to lift that shroud of reticence.
It was almost as though she was able to partially unearth herself without entirely laying herself bare. She stopped while she was still in the middle of her sentence, brushing some hair aside. While the world beyond the window seemed to move at its usual pace, at that moment, it felt as though everything had paused.

“In any case... it is a book that 'accompanies' you.” She flashed a small smile.

“And what about you? Do you read too? Or is there something else you’re into? She seemed genuinely curious.

Interacting: @Lilith Darcy || WC: 318 || Parent:#606c38 Kaia: #b3541e

Yeah, Lilith did read. But not like that, not to understand herself, not to understand others. Especially not to understand others. She read fast, almost compulsively, to get lost in words, lost in stories that weren't hers. And she had one rule. She never, never re read a book. No exception. Everything had to be new, to be different, all the time. She didn't understand how someone could want to read again the same story.

"Hum, yeah, I read a little. Sometimes." She answered.

She appreciated Kaia's passion when she had talked about the book, how her eyes lit up and she seemed to forget any shyness. This book must really mean something, Lilith thought.

"So... Norse Myths, huh ? Sounds interesting."

Maybe it's the kind of stories that you do read several times. Maybe it's the kind of story that change something if you. Kaia wouldn't be so passioned about it if it wasn't, would she ?

The way she talked about it made Lilith want to understand what was so important about it, why Kaia had chosen this book, many times visibly. What was so good, so true, that she had to read it again and again ?

"You said it explored the balance between chaos and order. Do you think such balance really exists ?"

Date: 11/09/2025 || Location: Hogwarts Express || Time: 11 A.m.
Outfit: X

To Kaia, Lilith seemed a little intrigued and not just out of politeness. In a way, there was something in her voice and her gaze that didn't seem superficial.
She had told her that she read ‘a little’. She’s probably not an avid reader , Kaia thought, at least not as much as I am . There was something in her response that suggested a certain familiarity with words.
To her comment, “So... Norse Myths, huh? Sounds interesting”.

Kaia smiled slightly.
She nodded slightly.
Of course they were interesting. But there was something even deeper.
For her, those stories weren't just “interesting”. They were fundamental.
Then she was even more struck by the following question: "You said it explored the balance between chaos and order. Do you think such balance really exists?"
She lowered her gaze, running her fingers along the edge of the book's pages, as if she could find the answer between the lines.
This was new.
No one had ever asked her such a question before. Not only that, but she hadn't asked herself that question either.
Until that moment, she hadn't.
”Um..." came out of her mouth as she searched for the right words.
“I think... actually, I believe that it's not important whether it really exists. But that we strive every day to find it”, she finished in a low but clear and decisive voice.
She raised her gaze to seek Lilith's and see if she was really listening or just filling the silence. “I don't think these stories give a real answer. But they allow you to ask the right questions, which may help you grow. And sometimes that's all you need”.

She smiled as she added:
“I also think it's one of those books that should be read more than once. We change, we grow, and so does our point of view. We might even understand something more. What do you think?”

Kaia didn't know what else to say. Perhaps asking her the same question again wasn't the best idea?
She held the book in her hands, her thumb still between the pages. She realized that a few moments had passed since the last word had left her lips.
She hoped Lilith would say something and that the conversation would find a new thread to follow.
Because her words weren't coming.

Interacting: @Lilith Darcy || WC: 388 || Parent:#606c38 Kaia: #b3541e

Date: 11/09/2025 || Location: Hogwarts Express || Time: 11 A.m.
Outfit: X

Lilith's question was not trivial by any means.
Kaia leaned forward to hear her out, so that she could make out exactly what she was saying. She sat in thought, giving serious consideration to what Lilith had asked her, not prepared to answer too quickly or to be insincere.
"Yes and no? Both, I would say," she replied clearly, slowly running her thumb along the edge of the book.
"Every time I read. I find something new, even if the story doesn't change. Like..." She paused for a moment.
She brow-furrowed, searching for the right picture, rubbing her right temple.
"...so much like a landscape in other seasons. It does not change completely, but we do and we see things differently. In this book, the words never change, but with our experience, our mood and our questions, we make different shapes of them."
As she was talking, she sat back, her shoulders relaxed as her eyes remained on the book.
It was reassuring to her that some things remained the same, while the others just went on flowing and shifting like a spate river. But also, at the same time, with keen observation and attention, she discovered something new.
Her gaze wandered into the void before returning to Lilith's again.
"Like with people, you think you know them like the back of your hand, but they catch you off guard. It only takes the desire and willingness to really get to know someone and not be satisfied with first impressions."
Looking at Lilith's face, she leaned forward and asked teasingly:
"And you? Do you desire something new or something old?"
But Kaia didn't even allow her to answer before continuing:
"Oops, maybe I'm talking too formally for a holiday like this, eh? Maybe it's time to change the subject. This isn't an introduction to magical history class!"

Interacting: @Lilith Darcy || WC: 307 || Parent:#606c38 Kaia: #b3541e