All Bark and No Bite
Adora confidently marched down to the library, praying for answers. Over the summer, she had been bitten by a werewolf. The scar on her leg had healed, thanks to her mother, but Adora somehow still felt the excruciating pain and terror she had felt that night in the forest. She had woken up with cold sweats from nightmares a couple of times, but none had compared to what happened the night before. Adora had been the werewolf. She stalked quietly through the forest, spotted the navy blue tent her and her father always stayed in. She saw herself, sitting by the fire, setting up the stainless steel cookware for whatever her father would have caught if she hadn't been attacked. If she hadn't attacked herself. In the dream, of course.
This time, she had been scared enough to look for answers. She didn't get scared easily, but when you have nightmares where you attack yourself as the very thing that got you there in the first place... that's enough to spook even the bravest of people. Adora desperately scanned the shelves, looking for anything with "werewolf" in the title. Eventually, she found a few title she hoped would give her something, anything, about how to potentially stop the nightmares, or even give her some information on werewolves in general. She quietly sat down at a small table in one of the more isolated corners of the library. She preferred not to be seen vulnerable, and this was the way to do it.Word Count: 252
Mentions: @Elowin Pankhurst
OOC Note: I'm sorry this took so long to write!
All Bark and No Bite
Concetta was in the library to browse books with nothing in particular in mind. Heavy footsteps slowly stalked the enormous rows of books, some dust falling from the ones that had been undisturbed for years at least eliciting a sneeze. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted someone looking through different titles in a frantic manner, picking up anything related to werewolves and lycanthropy—History of werewolves, defense against werewolves, wizard and werewolf interactions in antiquity, werewolf anatomy. The nature in which she was getting these books and hiding away with them made Concetta suspicious, so she quietly followed.
She watched from afar as Adora stuck her nose in these books, flipping from the index to certain pages, back to the chapter directory, then to a different page. It read paranoid a way no uninvolved person would fashion. While she was preoccupied, Concetta stalked closer with a book in hand, slowly to not blow the scare before it was time.
When she got close enough, she stomped forward with one of her leather flats, creating a louder stomp than you'd think someone of her small stature could muster. As soon as she got her attention, she shoved another book into her face, this one open to a picture of the full moon in an astronomy textbook on moon phases.
"Watch out!" She mockingly laughs, throwing the open book on the table with a loud thud that shakes the wood. "It's gonna get you!" She crosses her arms, taking a moment to look over the scene in front of her, and of this other girl with almost every book in the grand library about lycanthropy. "What's all this, then? Are you that afraid... or are you a werewolf?" Concetta says accusatorily, before laughing at the preposterousness of that notion.
There was no doubt in her mind that this this girl was just another typical kid, not a werewolf.
She watched from afar as Adora stuck her nose in these books, flipping from the index to certain pages, back to the chapter directory, then to a different page. It read paranoid a way no uninvolved person would fashion. While she was preoccupied, Concetta stalked closer with a book in hand, slowly to not blow the scare before it was time.
When she got close enough, she stomped forward with one of her leather flats, creating a louder stomp than you'd think someone of her small stature could muster. As soon as she got her attention, she shoved another book into her face, this one open to a picture of the full moon in an astronomy textbook on moon phases.
"Watch out!" She mockingly laughs, throwing the open book on the table with a loud thud that shakes the wood. "It's gonna get you!" She crosses her arms, taking a moment to look over the scene in front of her, and of this other girl with almost every book in the grand library about lycanthropy. "What's all this, then? Are you that afraid... or are you a werewolf?" Concetta says accusatorily, before laughing at the preposterousness of that notion.
There was no doubt in her mind that this this girl was just another typical kid, not a werewolf.
Reducio
@Adora Fletching
Stamina: 6/Evasion: 6/Strength: 6/Wisdom: 6/Arc Power: 5/Accuracy: 6
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that."
All Bark and No Bite
"are you a werewolf?"
The words echoed in Adora's mind, setting off some sort of alarm that told her this girl was up to no good. Adora's leg began to ache, and her mind started to race. She didn't know how to respond, or even how to react. But was there any point in hiding the truth? It wasn't something she was ashamed of, obviously, but she knew to be careful who she told. Not everyone was as accepting or supportive as Adora's parents.
"I am. I want to know as much as I can about myself as possible, that way I can keep others safe." The safety bit went for herself, too. At the end of the day, who really knew how strong Adora was? She looked back at her book, studying the diagram on the page. The girl seemed to loom over Adora.
"You can sit down if you'd like." She said, gesturing to the chair across from her. The girl's question was still on her mind. But her tone was joking, playful, almost, like a teen trying to tell a scary story. But something about it seemed... off. Like she was being serious. Why shove a book in her face, though? It was so close, Adora couldn't even see what the book was. But, looking at it on the table now, she saw it was an astronomy book. The girl must have been trying to see if Adora would react negatively.
Word count: 244
Mentions: @Concetta Poisonwood
All Bark and No Bite
Interacting with: @Adora Fletching
WC: 300
Concetta was entirely joking, so when the other girl diverted her expectations with an affirmative, she was at a loss for words. That's not what she prepared for in this interaction, and for a moment, it instilled her with fear. Everyone knew what people said about werewolves, especially with the recent werewolf Hogwarts head of house that randomly attacked multiple people in a grisly fashion, so she stared for a moment in shock, trying not to let her face tell the story that her brain was running through.
"No, you're lying," Concetta insists incredulously, not at all believing the girl was a real werewolf. Her mind ran through a few statements as she opened and closed her mouth, subsequently swallowing her spit as she decided between fear or anger. "Why would a werewolf need to learn about werewolves?" The question was a deflection from the reality, to maybe get it on a different topic. Despite the apparent discomfort, she loomed near—far enough away out of arms reach, but also enough to see the diagram on the book she was reading. They looked just like normal people sometimes, and that was what was frightening to her.
At the girl's offer to sit down, Concetta's eyes linger on the girl before darting to a nearby chair, then back to the girl. She studied her teeth as she spoke. No sharpened canines, no other apparent signs of lycanthropy. She let the offer linger, not rejecting or accepting for now.
"Can I catch it?" She asks, slightly appalled at her own nerve, but still naturally cautious. Her eyes dart back down to the stack of books. "What do your books say about catching it?" She clears her throat, glancing back at the chair. She just couldn't believe she was considering sitting with a werewolf!
Stamina: 6/Evasion: 6/Strength: 6/Wisdom: 6/Arc Power: 5/Accuracy: 6
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that."
All Bark and No Bite
Adora shook her head at the girls reaction. She was desperately fighting laughter, and by some miracle won the battle. The girl looked perplexed that Adora had half a mind to tell the truth. Her face scrambled through at least three fourths of known emotions.
But her first question was what made something click in Adora's gut. She didn't know what, and she didn't know why, but something didn't feel right. like maybe this girl wasn't just trying to be playful, despite her declaring that her taunt was a joke.
"I was raised protected from werewolves, so I really don't know much about them. I need to learn more about my-" she paused, not quite wanting to say it, "other side. You wouldn't want to get hurt or hurt someone else because you didn't know about a huge part of yourself, would you?" The attempt to sympathize made Adora wince internally. What was going on with her? All of a sudden she was so... it felt like she needed to avenge her freshly wounded pride! She was not only growing more and more upset with her company's teasing, but she was also beginning to grow upset with herself for acting so out of character.
Then, the girl said something that really set Adora off.
"Can I catch it? what do your books say on catching it?"
Adora stared at the girl, uncomfortably aware of the shocked, furious look on her face. This girl wanted to learn about werewolves? About becoming a werewolf? Fine. She could do it herself. Adora quickly formed a plan in her head, one she knew she would have to add to. But she didn't care, she only wanted to see just how far she could take it.
So, Operation All Bark And No Bite began with:
"Um- sorry- what did you say your name was?"
309/200
@Concetta Poisonwood
Sorry for the wait!