Reducio

Backdated to the beginning of the school year.

She had bought all her supplies with what little money she had saved over the years. She had no family to take her to the platform - unbeknownst to her, Sapphire Riddle was across the platform, but the two girls hadn't met in years - so Koko was very alone. She was alone, naive, and scared. What could be worse?

Not knowing what she was scared of made it a thousand times worse. She might have been scared of the enormity of the crowd, but she might have felt fear at the prospect of going to a new school, the prospect of being alone, or perhaps even the prospect of having no friends. The eleven-year-old was shivering with the nerves writhing inside of her, asking for a vent out, but then she saw it. The train.

It was majestic. It was smoky. And she would be riding on it. For a moment she wondered what it would be like to ride on a train; she had never gotten the chance before. But she shrugged off any worry and began to push her cart of luggage towards the train.

Koko began to look for a compartment right as she boarded. Koko wished she could have fit a piano in her trunk, but she obviously could not. She hoped there were musical instruments at school, for there was no WiFi. As she entered an empty compartment, she wondered if anyone would enter. Perhaps she could make a friend before she even entered the schoolgrounds. Or perhaps an enemy... Her mind echoed.

Well, Koko certainly hoped she wouldn't make an enemy. Her golden eyes were bright in hopes that she would have a wonderful year, and she twined a strand of caramel hair around her finger. Perhaps someone might enter the compartment. If not, and because one probably wouldn't want to talk to her, Koko pulled out a thick book and laid it across her lap, getting ready to read. She had bought a coffee in The Leaky Cauldron before she gotten on the train, and she was pleased that it hadn't gotten cold yet. She wouldn't yet take a drink, though - why waste something when you could use it for an experiment. Plus, Koko had already gotten her caffeine fix from chocolate earlier that day.

"O-oh?" The blonde's head shot up. A dark-haired girl had entered her compartment, one with emerald green eyes that were intriguing to look at. "N-noo, not at alll...." She raised a caramel coloured eyebrow, slight questioning shining in her golden eyes but nothing said aloud. Was she sure about this girl? No. So she would be forced to be careful.

The Trolley Lady stopped by, asking if they would like a snack. Koko handed her a few sickles for multiple chocolate frogs. They started jumping about as soon as she opened the packages, and then she peered at the other girl's drawing after munching on the leg of one - that was what she was doing, right? Drawing?

"That isn't half bad," the blonde commented on the other girl's work. She didn't say that it was good, either. It most certainly was, but was Koko going to admit that? Of course not. Koko would sit back, however, and instead of returning to the very interesting book she was reading, she would watch the green-eyed girl draw. "I assume you'll be going into your First Year, like me?" No duh, Koko. Don't be such a goddamn idiot.

Koko analysed the other girl, trying to tell if she could be a threat. Absolutely not. Koko usually didn't think like this, but she was just sifting out possible enemies. This girl... she seemed like an introvert. Like an artist, obviously. A smile flicked across her lips as she noticed that the girl was seeming to draw her. Her eyes didn't reflect happiness, though. If one looked closely, they could see something that looked like greed. Of course, someone who hadn't spent their entire life with her wouldn't know that. Koko took another bite of a chocolate frog and peered at the card. She hadn't gotten a really good one - just Gilderoy Lockhart. He wasn't even a good person.

A sigh escaped the eleven-year-old girl's lips as she slid down further in the chair. For a pure-blood, she certainly seemed... Less pampered than most. At least she could put up with this immense boredom. Koko took a sip of her coffee, which was already beginning to cool. She'd have to drink it quickly if she didn't want to be drinking a frozen one - to be honest, she thought it was extremely cold in the compartment...

"What are your thoughts on the temperature of the compartment? I'm Koko, by the way." Koko tugged awkwardly at her robes - they were very uncomfortable after wearing the loose-fitting clothes of summer and then immediately shifting over to this. Her eyes darted around the compartment, but she didn't appear scared - in fact, she didn't appear to be feeling too much at all. What was with this girl and her weird emotions?

@Ashtyn Blackburn

Kit. The name was fitting. It suggested a tomboyish girl who would rather run through muddy fields than play dress-up, and that was the type of vibe that this artist was radiating. She nodded as the other girl spoke, still quiet. The little girl doubted that she would be considered a trusted friend of this Kit - she had just met the girl!

She nodded swiftly and soundless when Ashtyn asked her a question. Yes, she was an artist. But then as Koko leaned back in the seat, something odd happened. A trunk dropped from nowhere, making a loud thud on the ground. "What the hell was that?" Koko asked sharply. She jumped. "Why do you have a dictionary in your trunk? They would certainly have one at the library," Koko said, narrowing her eyes at the girl. "Are you trying to kill everyone!?!" She was sure someone would burst into the room. Koko wasn't scared, not at all, but rather she was angry at this random girl for interrupting her quiet time.

And that was why Koko used her trunk as a footrest rather than putting it above her head. She didn't want to risk getting her brains knocked out! Some children really could be idiots...

A sour expression now rested on the blonde's face, making her pretty features appear less likeable. She couldn't believe the dark-haired child sitting right in front of her. The girl was as red as a tomato. "It would be best if you didn't kill anyone." Koko shot a smile at Kit, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was... Cold. It was emotionless. It was the type of smile that a manipulator would give you if you weren't careful.

Reducio

Sorry for the wait & short post! Life has been a little hectic!

@Ashtyn Blackburn

This girl... There was something about her, something that made Koko feel a little guilty about reprimanding her. "Actually, sweetheart, I can judge you. There's no law, wizarding or otherwise, that prevents that." She smirked. Now, Koko wasn't usually known as a rude person, but she felt that Ashtyn needed to toughen up. And Koko would help with that.

Koko went back to looking out the window. The rolling hills of the country landscape were beautiful, sure, but the eleven-year-old was a city girl. She enjoyed the familiar buzz of chatter, the crowds, and even the Muggle traffic that was extremely loud. So schooling would be much different for her. Hogwarts was bound to be a quiet place for the child, but it wasn't going to be too quiet, not if it was anything like the rumours. The rumours stated it to be a very exciting place - but what if Koko didn't want exciting? What if she just wanted to go to school and get it over with and perhaps become a Curse Breaker one day?

She would never know. Koko eyed Kit once more. "Do you want me to call you mumbles?" she asked, her voice devoid of devotion. "Or would you rather me call you Kit?" The blonde tapped her slender fingers on her lap, her gaze dropping down to them. She had been told that she had 'pianist's fingers'. What exactly did that entail? The little one wasn't too sure. She did know that it meant her fingers were good for playing piano... right? It was certainly something to wonder about.

While Koko's eyes only held scrutiny for the other girl, inside her chest she felt something more. Was it hope? Ha. Most definitely. Koko wanted to keep a nerdy klutz around her so that she herself didn't get brought down. So she had finally come to a decision. Her next words would be as sweet as chocolate.

That was, of course, whenever she figured out which words to say. Talking to people was a very confusing task, one of which she was not very good at. She hadn't any need to talk to others before, so why should she do it now? The answer was simple: the kid needed allies.

Perhaps not even friends. She just needed people who would stick by her - and a girl who read a dictionary for fun seemed like a good type. "I apologise about my earlier behaviour. I hope that I can make it up to you."

She already felt awkward. Awkwardness was fun, she supposed, but it wasn't normal for a pureblooded witch from a prestigious family like Koko. Koko would be the oddball, just like usual. She was preparing to make dainty and small talk with this other girl, but then Kit burst out in song.

"W-wha!?" Koko stammered, her eyes widening. So a nerd could be a musician. That interested her very much. "Seriously? We. Are. On. A. Public. Train." Koko enunciated each word separately. But then... There was always some appeal in singing, wasn't there? Koko smirked, something odd gleaming in her golden eyes. If she was going to sing, it would be a classic. First she had thought of her favourite song from Heathers, Candy Store, but she had decided against.

The girl closed her eyes. She sat with an air of confidence surrounding her as she imagined the music in the room. Koko opened her lips and sang, "Is this the real life?" Her fingers tapped piano chords on her leg, her voice a high and light soprano. "Is this just fantasy?" She imagined being in a world full of faeries and magic. "Caught in a landslide... No escape from reality." Koko didn't see this as pure entertainment; she saw it as a competition.

She sang, pride glittering in her gold eyes, and once she finished she looked at Kit with her arms crossed over her chest. There.

Her eyebrows arched as she peered at Kit. Oh? Was this how it would be? Fine. She'd give Kit some shit that the other girl definitely couldn't ignore. Her expression was not one of confusion; it was one of contempt. A smile flitted across Koko's lips - not a happy smile, but a smirk. Definitely a smirk. The girl opened her mouth and began softly: "You say....." Her voice carried a slight undertone of sadness at the beginning, something amplified by the softness that it carried. "The price of my love's not a price that you're willing to pay..."

"You cry..." She inhaled. "In your tea which you hurl in the sea when you watch me go by..." Koko flipped a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder, the smug look still resting on her face. "Why so sad?" Ah, and there came the true joy. She was pleased that Victor had taught her about Muggle music, glad that she knew these songs by heart. Why? That was because she could have a competition like this. She sang on in that same quiet tone until she began to approach the chorus, and then her voice started climbing in decibels with a crescendo.

"You'll be back. Soon you'll see. You'll remember you belong to me." The slight sadness was gone now, replaced with a jazzy swing in her tone. "I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you... of my love." Her lips had gone out of their smiling position and had been resting, slightly opened, as she paused for breath, but now she grinned before beginning the next line: "Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da Da da dat dat da ya da!" Yes, she loved musicals. That much was clearly evident.

Koko's heeled boot tapped against the floor of the train, marking out a clear beat for her to sing along to. Her voice was clear and high. She felt her diaphragm moving up and down with each breath she took, and she could also feel her heart beating rapidly, a bead of sweat trekking down her temple. She needed to do more cardio.

"And no, don't change the subject - 'cause you're my favourite subject!" Her golden eyes would seem to gaze into Kit's soul as she sang that line. "My loyal, royal subject... Forever... And ever... And everrrrr......" Koko hoped that Kit would wait until she finished her song, which took her a few minutes to do. When she did, she leaned back with yet another smug expression on her face. "Well?" the girl asked sharply, her voice full of contempt.