Welcome to the Panic Room
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Her steps picked up. She didn't care where she wound up, she just needed to be somewhere and now. And praise to the powers that be as she crashed and stumbled her way into an empty classroom. Then again, most of the classrooms by this point were empty as everyone started filing their way to lunch. Whatever, that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that she made it.
She just needed a moment to catch her breath and pull herself together. Then she'd be fine, she told herself. She was a little overtired and stressed, but she was fine. She'd been up late finishing her essay for class, and then when it came time to settle in to sleep, it had been a hopeless fight.
Every time she closed her eyes, the endless list of anxieties would flash through her mind; each one wrenching her chest a little tighter and catching her breath away. She needed to find a little more time to review Transfiguration and finish her work for Potions, and curse it she forgot to practice her piano this week -she'll never hear the end of it if she goes home and can't play worth a knut. That reminded her, Madame sent her some French story she needed to translate before she went home for Christmas. Geez was holiday break really so soon? She still wasn't prepared to go home yet, knowing her father was wanting to have a meeting with her. She'd already guessed it was about whatever next steps there were for her "formally" taking on her role as Heir in the family. She wasn't ready, everyone with eyes could tell that. Just the other day she'd made an absolute fool of herself in Flying class, and she'd heard a pair of Pureblood girls snickering about her after and giggling about the downfall of her family's good name because of her.
Her mind hadn't settled until it was finally an appropriate time to get up and get ready for the day. Even with the distraction of classes, she struggled to force her chest to loosen up on her lungs and keep her heartrate calm. How in Merlin's name was she suppose to present herself as being a competent and accomplished person if she couldn't even maintain control over herself?
When she'd left her last class, trying to mentally go over the rest of her To-Do list for the week, the tightness felt so suddenly unbearable. The world around her was starting to blur as tears began gathering in her eyes, and that was when she made a bee-line for the first hiding spot she could find. She had to get control of herself again. She was not going to cry. Not going to make a scene and disgrace herself further. That wasn't an option today.
That's the mantra she kept trying to tell herself, but that didn't seem to calm the storm gathering in the pit of her stomach. Which was more embarrassing? Crying like a baby or throwing up? Maybe her dignity could survive whichever was the lesser evil.
Taliesin dropped her schoolbag to the floor as she slid down the far wall from the door, distantly hoping the desks would keep her hidden as she curled into herself and tried to rein in the storm. She was dying fine. Absolutely fine. Is this what a heart attack feels like? She just need to calm herself down, pull herself together and get on with the day. She really didn't have time to become unraveled over nothing.
"The girl who carried her last name like a burden..."
Welcome to the Panic Room
Ugh. Why was the library so loud? It was fricking library for goodness sake! It was supposed to be quiet! Paris' head had become overwhelmed by the buzzing, constant, and all-encompassing murmurs after only a few moments. The sound had seemed to bounce off all the walls and land directly in her ears.@Taliesn Annwyn
heyyy its me again. dunno if youre still interested in this thread, but im open if you are!
It had been a while since the last time Paris felt drowned in noise like that, but today even the smallest noises seemed to upset her. She had no idea what she'd do when it was dinner time. There was no way she could survive even a minute in the great hall today.
Just focusing on the present, however, this classroom was perfect. The unused desks stacked against the wall, floating dust catching the light of the late afternoon sun, the chalkboard at the front of the room clean and empty, Paris had never felt as grounded and at peace as she did now.
The muffled rumble of students exiting their last class as they spoke animatedly to their friends and eagerly tromped about the castle to their common rooms or the grounds for free time before dinner carried through the walls of the classroom. Paris' heart rate spiked, but she took a deep breath and covered her ears with her hands.
It's okay, everythings okay...no one is going to come in here. Soon it'll all be quiet again...
Lost in her own thoughts and reassured that no one would enter the classroom, the background chatter masked the closing of the classroom door. Paris did not notice as someone entered the room.
But upon opening her eyes, Paris was met with a slight shock. A girl, the first year she had once found lost in the hallway, sunk down on the opposite side of the room. Taliesin? What was she doing here?
The girl shook slightly. Okay so she's totally not fine. This is terrifying...but I can't just sit here! Paris slowly stood and approaced the girl, making sure to step on some creaky floorboards to announce her presence.
Oh gosh, this is so out of my comfort zone!! Should I just leave her alone, give her a...hug??, sit next to her and be quiet, geT a FreAkInG thErApy dEgRee tO be lEgalLy QuaLiFieD To tALk aBoUt peOpLe's PrOblEMs??? She settled on a simple query and hoped it was somewhat adequate. "Hey, um, Taliesin? What's up?"
Last edited by Paris Soliel on 12 Jan 2026, 12:31, edited 1 time in total.
It simply isn’t an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons.
-JRR Tolkien
Welcome to the Panic Room
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It felt like her lungs were on fire, like there wasn't enough air in the room somehow. Trembling fingers worked to try to undo the buttons of the uniform collar. The stupid, Merlin forsaken buttons, why were they so damn tiny?? Surely, if she could manage anything in this world, it was a row of buttons! Even she could manage buttons!
Even when she did manage to unfasten the collar of her robes, it felt like it offered little reprieve as she struggled to find her breath and will her heart to a more reasonable pace.
The girl's attention shot up to the older girl, her face and name escaping her a moment before remembering. Paris. The girl that found her crying that day she'd gotten lost in the halls. A pathetic, sniveling mess breaking down over a wrong staircase to class. The older girl had yet again found her in the midst of yet another breakdown; but even worse. This time, Taliesin wasn't even sure what was wrong. Everything was fine, she was in control of it all. At least, everything that was within her ability to control. Until suddenly it felt like everything, even her own body, was totally out of her control. Like gravity itself was setting its full weight on her chest alone while everyone else went about their merry way."Hey, um, Taliesin? What's up?"
Now she had an unfortunate audience to her loss of control, and knowing that made the iron cloth around her lungs tighten, "I-I d-don't...I c-ca-can't-" why couldn't she at least get words out? Just a moment of enough air to make something coherent? Instead, she felt her eyes sting as she lost the next battle of will over tears. It was as if every part of her body had completely betrayed her and had gone rogue, and she was grasping at straws trying to regain herself.
Her chest was burning for air, her muscles ached with how tense her whole body felt, like they were working overtime to hold her together while simultaneously her trembling threatened to shake her apart. The child raked her fingers through her hair and curled further into herself, "I-I'm so-sor-ry..." she gasped.
ooc: You're totally fine! Sorry it took a hot minute for me to respond! Everything got real busy real quick!
"The girl who carried her last name like a burden..."