Gryffindor Dormitories

Gryffindor Dormitories
hogwarts tower

After ascending one of the two staircases, students can reach the Gryffindor dormitories, which house four students each. Each bed is draped in scarlet curtains that can be shut to hide from the light coming in from the stained windows, which can be opened to let in fresh air. A giant carpet with the Gryffindor crest lays in the middle of the room with a few scarlet chairs resembling those that are found in the common room area.

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys huffs as she aggressively casts a spell to send her Healing textbook (and her subsequent study materials) soaring into her open trunk. A flash of anger crosses her face before she sighs and puts her head in her hands, falling back into her pillow before turning to her roommates' beds. Her dormitory is empty and she is unusually grateful for that. Company is usually wanted, but they have all been so obnoxious lately with their stupid crushes and things. It isn't as if Chrys is free of this. She's been telling them plenty about Isaac as well as shameful, subtle comments about a boy who has no name and in personality resembles her closest friend. Somehow though, it is more terrible when *they* are doing it. So, she remains in her silence for a moment and prays none of them come around, resting her eyes and starting to calm down. With one last, more gentle huff, she opens her eyes and turns over onto her stomach to grab her phone from her side table. Scrolling through her contacts, she messages Maya to see if she can come visit, smiling at her friend's icon and physically face palming as she catches herself. Goodness.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

It doesn't take very long for Maya to get to Chrys' dorm. Nadja *had* messaged her a while ago asking if she wanted to go out but Maya wasn't really feeling it today. Well, maybe she was just lazy, seeing as when *Chrys* asked she was out of her bed in a hot second, already moving towards her mirror to fix her hair and touch up her makeup. The thought makes her feel a bit guilty. Maybe she can go on Seeker later and find another 80s movie for her to watch with Nadja; she knows the other girl has seen most of them but it might make her happy if Maya is the one expressing interest in seeing something together. She knocks on the door and rocks slightly on the balls of her feet, feeling nervous. She should probably tell Chrys about Nadja, right? They're roommates, so she deserves to know... The idea is a big anxiety-inducing.

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys was in the process of evaluating her hair situation using the camera on her phone when she hears the knock. Her phone jumps from her hands and she scrambles to get ahold of it and not appear to be in total shock before she reaches for her wand and flicks open the door. "Hey!" she exclaims, grinning at the sight of the other girl. Her heart races, but she assumes that is from the scare that the knock gave her. "Hey, how are you doing?" She stands before sitting down on her bed again, tapping beside her with the grin still plastered over her face. She has admittedly seen less of her lately and she isn't totally sure why except that Chrys herself has been spending so much time with Isaac outside of class. Maybe Maya has found someone, but the thought of that irritates her more than she would like to admit.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Maybe it's just because she hasn't seen Chrys in a while but she's taken aback by how pretty she is, not that she lets it show as she walks over to the bed and takes her place next to her friend. Her eyes dart towards what she assumes is Nadja's bed, and smiles a bit fondly remembering her, but snaps out of it pretty quickly. "I'm good!" she says before enveloping Chrys in a quick hug. When she pulls away, Maya can feel her heart racing a little, but she tells herself it's because of what she's probably going to end up telling her in a while. "I've missed you. Are your profs giving you a hard time because it's OWLs year? *So* unnecessary." Maya says, "You're so caught up in all your homework that you don't have time for me." Maya huffs a little, but she is joking and she understands how much Chrys values her academics. "I'm just kidding, of course! But still, I miss you."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

The embrace leaves her heart racing, wanting to engulf the other girl in another welcoming hug and dig her face into her hair, but she doesn't. Chrys sits there, awkwardly folding her hands over her knees. She laughs, but her mind quickly flickers back to her slamming her textbooks into her trunk and she wants to crumble. Then, the *I miss you* and she pouts. "I have missed you too. I should start becoming more available soon... I want to spend more time with you." Chrys smiles and nervously tugs at her earlobe. "Profs are nice! It has *not* been easy though. I am glad I have such good partner assignments this year. Everyone has been so helpful." Isaac comes to mind immediately, but she has been resisting the urge to be wooed by him. It feels as if she should be wooed, doesn't it? It's natural to be impressed by how much he cares about her plants. "How is it being at NEWTs level?"

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Maya makes a face when Chrys mentions NEWTs – she's already just finished one round of very important, life-changing exams and isn't looking forward to the next. Not to mention these will be *harder*; at least she doesn't have to take History of Magic anymore, though. "They're... fine." she settles on saying, "It's nice that I get to pick which subjects I want to take now." she adds. "My schedule is *so* free. You have no idea. If only we could go to Moonstraw on weekdays too; I have all the time in the world to do whatever I want." She takes Chrys' hand in hers and squeezes it a bit, feeling excited. "But you'll probably still have a bunch of classes next year, won't you?" She laughs a bit, sounding extremely fond. It's cute that Chrys would opt to take more classes *voluntarily*. Merlin, Maya never expected she'd get so smitten over a *nerd*. "That's fine. Like I said, I'm always free, even now, so anytime you want to hang out you just need to ask."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys notices the face Maya makes and smiles fondly even if it is at the other girl's irritation. The squeeze brings this tinge of red to her face as she glances down at their hands. Her eyes linger on them for a moment before turning up towards her friend's eyes and nibbling at the inside of her cheek. "What about tomorrow? Or Saturday? I have time then. I can have time," she tells her, seeming urgent. She is thrilled at the thought of not having to worry too much about Maya's schedule although she swears to herself that she could at least care for her and be more mindful of the fact that the other girl does have responsibilities. "We could study tomorrow since it's a weekday. Maybe go down and visit the greenhouses. I have this friend, Isaac, who has the keys to the greenhouse, and I might be able to convince him to let us in... And you said you are still in Herbology, right?" The thought of hanging out with Maya in the greenhouses makes her heart skip a beat and she has to really hold herself from gushing too much about it.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"Isaac." she repeats, but she doesn't really think much of what his position in Chrys' life could be with such a pressing topic on her mind. "Such a *dumb* name." Maya laughs because of that, but mostly because of how excited Chrys sounds and her heart flutters a bit. "Yes, I'm still in Herbology." she confirms. She doesn't even know why – she's certain knowing about magical plants isn't going to come in handy once she's running an amusement park, then she looks up with Chrys and smiles involuntarily again, like she always does. Never mind, she knows why. The sinking feeling reappears in her stomach along with the butterflies and she dispels the thoughts from her head. "I can do tomorrow!" she says, "I can probably do Saturday too, I think – Wait – " She bites her lip. "Oh, I can't do Saturday. But tomorrow, sure! Sorry, I just remembered Nadja's been meaning to show me this old movie and it's showing at the outdoor cinema in Moonstraw this weekend." She frowns. "I can get out of it."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys smiles at the confirmation that her friend is still in Herbology, but the happiness doesn't last for very long. She has always been prone to jealousy and even though she has no clue that Maya is even capable of affectionate feelings towards her (let alone other girls), the mention of Nadja upsets her and she immediately frowns. When she notices what she is doing, however, she shakes her head and smiles. "No, you should *not* do that." Primarily because it isn't polite and she would be crushed if Maya cancelled on her to hang out with damn Nadja Daschner, but also because it would surely cause chaos in the dormitory and she wouldn't want that. "Have you two not been spending plenty of time with each other though? She is going on and on about— *you*." Until this point, she sort of assumed it was one-sided. Everyone knows Nadja is into girls and it didn't seem to be a secret that she was interested in Maya even if she was straight. Chrys would usually pull the curtains of her bed shut and mute the conversation, so she wouldn't have to think about it. It made her stomach feel heavy and ill and that wasn't a feeling she was comfortable with.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Maya feels uneasy once Chrys brings up the fact that she's been spending a lot of time with Nadja lately, though it's her own fault for bringing up the other girl in the first place. She knows she has to get it out of the way eventually, but she stares down at her hands in her lap, unwilling to look Chrys in the eye. She knows Chrys isn't the type to judge about this sort of thing; she could never imagine her being so close-minded, but it still makes her anxious considering this whole realization is because of well, her. "Yes, we've been hanging out a lot." she tells her. A couple seconds pass, then Maya adds quietly. "I think I might like her, actually." she finally says, "I'm not sure yet, so I guess that's why I've been trying to hang out with her more, but..." Maya pauses, wondering how to continue. "I could definitely see it happening." She hesitates again. "Do you mind?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Her heart pummels to the floor and she turns down to the space in front of her feet as if to stare at it. The glance doesn't last long as she turns towards Maya again, forcing a smile as her hand shifts away and both of them tuck beneath her thighs. "What do you mean?" she pushes, not wanting to assume although...it seems rather obvious what she meant. Part of her doesn't want to face it and a smaller smidge of doubt tells her this is some sort of *joke*. Has she really missed an opportunity when it was so obvious? Maya isn't gay. Certainly not, and she doesn't want to assume that just because she is interested in girls. Bisexuality exists. Chrys would know. Her mind races and she gets more upset by the minute, trying not to let it read on her face as she starts to overwhelm herself with her own emotion. It isn't practical to show it or to distract from Maya's moment, so she bites down on her tongue and stops herself from voicing any ill reaction. "Why are you telling me this? It doesn't matter what I think," she says flatly, not wanting to give away any unnecessary enthusiasm that *wow, she isn't alone and this door isn't screwed shut* and any seemingly self-welcomed distaste that Maya's feelings are actually targeted towards Nadja, who is notably very unlike Chrys in almost every way.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Maya's face visibly falls, so she has to look away and she distracts herself by examining a poster above Nadja's bed so that she's looking *anywhere* but Chrys, really. She tries to play it cool and act like what she said didnt hurt her at all, but when she opens her mouth, it's like she can't control the words that come out. "Of course it matters what you think." Maya says, sounding disappointed and a bit defensive. "You're my friend. You're one of my closest friends. And she's your roommate." The hurt slowly begins to turn into concern; maybe Nadja is horrible to Chrys or something of that sort, and that's why her reaction is so flat. Why else would she be so unenthused? "Do you... not like Nadja? I won't go for it if you don't like her. You know that, right?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys shifts closer to her pillow and turns to face Maya, pulling her legs up and folding them. Does she know that? No. It has never occurred to her that friends would do that and she sort of doubts that the other girl is any different. Surely she wouldn't listen to her and that would be justified. What reason would she even give? "It is *great* if you are gay, Maya. I support you and I want you to pursue whoever will leave you feeling loved," she explains, voice holding onto its last bit of strength as she tries not to crack. Chrys wants to tell her so terribly and it aches. She would have if she hadn't told her about pursuing Nadja. It seems wrong to try to disturb that boat. "I want you to be happy. My opinion should not...*dicteren*, *dicter*... decide *or whatever* your happiness." Chrys groans in her own embarrassment, upset that now is the time she starts losing her vocabulary. Another blow hits her and she wonders why Maya is more interested in Nadja. The other girl has always bragged about and taunted her over their differing skill levels in various languages. Does she think Nadja is smarter than she is? Or is it just because she isn't out? Out as *what* even— she doesn't know. Maybe she should come out as something and tell her. No, that is disturbing the boat. Dammit. In all of this, it doesn't occur that the way she phrases it should imply she is unhappy in all of this, but she *is* and it is taking a lot of damage to her emotions centre.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Maya would normally smile at Chrys' attempts to land on the correct word, but it feels wrong to do so at the current moment, given that Chrys looks clearly frustrated this time. She isn't sure why Chrys is avoiding giving her opinion on Nadja so much. It's probably because she doesn't like Nadja, Maya concludes, but if Chrys isn't going to come clean and say it then maybe it's not as bad as it could be. She might ask Nadja, though, what her friendship with Chrys is like to gain a bit more insight there. "Okay." she ends up saying, because it doesn't feel like there is much else to say. "I'm glad I got that off my chest." she adds, "You're so important to me and I didn't want you to find out from *her*, y'know?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Her eyes narrow for a moment because an unjust part of her feels as if she *did* find out from Nadja. She should've known from how giddy her roommate got that there was something more. To think, Chrys had dismissed it under the assumption that her friend was straight. It's a bit selfish to be so focused on herself at this time and she knows that, trying to pull herself from the thought with a small smile. "Yes, I understand," she says, but there is an unintentional hint of bitterness in her voice. "I am glad you told me..." Is she? She questions that for a moment, leaning back against the headboard of her bed and staring down at her hands. "How long have you felt this way?" She isn't sure if she is talking about liking Nadja or liking girls in general, so she doesn't clarify further.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"About girls?" she clarifies on her own. Maya hesitates. She *knows* the answer. It was May 3rd. She even knows *where* these feelings started – that would be the couch in the common room, not too far from where they are now. But Chrys is straight, and Maya is kind-of-sort-of seeing her roommate, so things do not always turn out the way one idealizes. "A couple months ago." she settles on it, "But I mostly kept it to myself." she says, "I wasn't even planning on actually trying to *date* anyone until I was a bit more certain, but Nadja just messaged me after that time I came to visit you and asked if I wanted to watch a movie and things sort of snowballed from there." Maya shrugs, looking at her shoes as she rocks her feet back and forth. "I'm still not sure how things with her will turn out." She doesn't know why she keeps emphasizing that; maybe part of her is hoping Chrys will tell her not to pursue it. "But I'm sure I like girls. I'm certain."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

A part of her feels spiteful, wondering if she had not dragged Maya around to her dormitory on the first night if these two would be having this stupid fling, but then she remembers that this is supposed to make Maya happy and she tries to be happy for her. If Chrys would have made her happier, certainly something would have happened by now. Maybe she would have said something to her before this. All she does is nod for a second before responding, "I hope everything goes well. I am glad you felt comfortable telling me." Her heart hurts, but at least she has comfort knowing Maya told her and *wanted* to. "I am glad you are being true to yourself... I really am happy. I love you a lot." The last bit is noticeably quieter and more muffled than it usually is when she says it. Part of her wants to reach for the other girl's hand, feeling this sense of loneliness and isolation from the lack of contact, but she hesitates and lets herself drift off into the metaphorical ocean she seems to be swimming in.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Maya doesn't seem to notice anything is wrong, mostly just feeling an instant wave of relief the moment Chrys expresses that she loves her, and she immediately places her hand on top of the other girl's. "I love you *so* much." Maya replies, finally turning her head to face her. "It's so great to hear that you're happy. I was so worried you wouldn't approve of Nadja or something like that." She was never worried for a second that Chrys wouldn't accept her for liking girls. There is no way someone as kind as Chrys would be like that, right? She wants to get the focus off of her, so she begins to think of other topics she can bring up. Her mind keeps drifting back to a certain name she heard earlier, and she feels like she *has* to know now. "So," she begins, "Who's *Isaac*?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

A part of her wants to reject the physical contact and pull away, but the most she does is just let her hand lay limp below the other girl's. The touch runs cold, or at least on Chrys' side. At the mention of the boy, she finds herself disappointed and also partially wanting to spur a little jealousy in Maya too. That is vindictive and bull-headed though, so she once again bites down on her tongue and tries to avoid doing so purposefully. "He is a Hufflepuff in charge of watching the greenhouses for Prince. He monitors my plants and everything— not that they *need* monitoring, but it is so sweet that he cares. We are partners in Charms too. He is smart and very kind," she rambles, starting to gush although she is admittedly forcing it some. It isn't consciously forced, but it just is. "I think he likes me. One of our classmates told me she thinks so. In response to that, we started spending more time together outside of class and...I might like him. He is attractive enough." Chrys doesn't think she has felt this way about any of her male classmates before, so the new rush she's experiencing is of course confused for attraction.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Maya knows she has no right to feel annoyed when she was literally the one who *asked*, so instead she reasons with herself that she's better off knowing than being left to wonder forever about this mysterious 'Isaac'. What a stupid name. When Chrys mentions that Isaac is *smart*, Maya feels her heart ache just a little. Of course Chrys would want to be with someone as intelligent as she is; it's what she deserves, definitely. "That's great!" Maya says, not wanting Chrys to feel like she's unenthusiastic. "Tell me how it goes, okay? I'd love to hear more about him. I love hearing about *you* – this is so exciting." Maya might be overcompensating. Just a bit. "And I'm *sure* he likes you." she says, "I might not know very much about him, but who *wouldn't* like you? You're pretty, smart, kind... You're just – you're *everything*."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys starts to turn red, feeling a little foolish and embarrassed because naturally she really wants *Maya* of all people to think that way about her. She falters as she begins to speak, closing her lips and smiling for a moment before trying again. "Thank you. I wish I *was* everything, but how can that be when you exist and you have taken all of the everything?" she teases, English starting to fail her a little bit as she makes an attempt to return to some sort of normalcy. She tries to rationalize that Maya is just trying to be a good and supportive friend and it means nothing. It isn't allowed to mean anything or else she would feel terribly guilty. That isn't entirely true because she would much rather the other girl was interested in her over some stupid blonde and she *would* feel vindicated if that was the case, but she's sure that is because the hurt hasn't settled in and she hasn't had room to pout and whine about it yet. All she can think is *Apparently you don't*, but that seems harsh. "I will update you on how things go. I can point him out at lunch tomorrow? Or maybe I can introduce the two of you."

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Maya feels a pang in her chest at the compliment when normally she would have felt a sense of giddiness and pride, but she quickly pushes that aside. She can focus on Nadja, and Chrys can focus on *Izick* and she will just have to deal with the fact that she and the girl sitting beside her will never be anything more than friends. "I'd love to meet him." she says, and she will admit that part of her just wants to be able to size up the competition, not that he can be considered competition when Maya isn't even in the race. "Maybe when we check out the greenhouse together?" she suggests, letting herself get all excited again about the idea of watching Chrys interact with her beloved plants all day.

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Honestly, she had forgotten that they had talked about that because her mind got so absorbed in the conversation that followed. She still loves Maya (of course) and wants to spend time with her, but going down to the greenhouses with her now is certainly taken in a different light. So, while the other brunette maintains her enthusiasm, she has to force her smile. It's not totally unconvincing though. "Yes, that sounds nice. I think he would love to meet you!" Everyone should meet Maya, she thinks. There is no one as radiant and beautiful as she is. This thought makes her want to engulf her in another hug, but she resists and her heart subsequently starts to ache. "I, uh— I am not sure about tomorrow though now that I think about it. We should text later and figure it out though." Admittedly, she might need to take some time away as subtly as possible in order to squash her feelings in the mud and move on. "We should still go though. I want to show you the plants in my section."

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"I'm looking forward to it!" she says, choosing to focus on her current train of thought instead of depressing herself with ideas of Chrys dating some nice, smart, apparently attractive boy who has access to the *Greenhouse* and is also just as into Herbology. Maya almost lets out an audible huff, but doesn't. She could buy Chrys a dozen greenhouses if she wanted to, filled with the most exotic of plants. What's the big deal if he has a key to the one in Hogwarts? "You know I love how you get when you talk about Herbology. It's so cute." she gushes, sounding very smitten, but it could also just be passed off as extreme fondness. Her face falls a bit when Chrys mentions that she might not be free the next day. "What's going on tomorrow?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Her hand reaches up to cup her own face, which is warming up as Maya continues to gush. Her mind floats to a bunch of *maybe*s before she stops it. Even with those thoughts stopped in their tracks, she smiles wistfully at the other girl. "I love how attentive you are. It is so charming," she says in turn, starting to grin as she remembers the time they spent together in the library reviewing for various Herbology assignments. The rush she felt when Maya told her she got that EE in Herbology comes flooding back to her too and she bats her eyelashes before her face falls too, mirroring her. "I have this assignment I am putting off. I should probably get it done tomorrow. I was just so excited at the prospect of spending time with you, so it left my mind... Maybe Sunday if you are so busy on Saturday...then we can talk about your little date? — with Nadja," she suggests, once again forcing a small smile.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

The mention of Nadja grounds Maya back in reality, which is probably good, before she starts daydreaming about Chrys like *that* again. She isn't officially dating Nadja, so she doesn't feel guilty about her feelings, but she and Nadja seem to be approaching that point and it might be easier to kill these feelings now before they get out of hand. Besides, Chrys is straight. Maya is so transparent that she almost sighs just thinking these things, but manages to continue seeming enthused. "Okay! I don't think there will be a lot to tell you, though." she says, "All we do is watch movies. And if I try talking to her during any of the important bits, she shushes me." Maya laughs because she knows Chrys knows how talkative she can get, but it's a bit forced.

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys' eyes narrow slightly as she listens, apparently very unimpressed although she starts to be able to force a little smile when the other girl laughs. Nadja doesn't sound as if she's much fun or as if she appreciates her as much as she does, so it upsets her and it makes her a bit spiteful. If Maya seemed less interested, then maybe she would have the heart to pipe up and just *tell her* already. "Is that not annoying?" Chrys pushes, unashamed. For a moment, she makes a remarkable resemblance to her mother as she bites into her cheek to hide her annoyed disappointment and yet she speaks so pointedly. "Nadja has seen all of those movies before. I think she can handle some...commentary."

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Truthfully, Maya does not enjoy being shushed at all but she wants to seem happier than she actually is in this 'thing', whatever it is. Maybe if she keeps insisting things are going spectacularly (not that they're going badly at all; Nadja is very nice) then she will actually begin to feel the butterfies and fireworks that she has only ever really felt around, well, Chrys. "She says if I talk too much I'm gonna miss all the best parts." Maya says, "I guess she has a point! And these are her *favorite* movies so even if she's seen them a million times, it'd be pretty uncool of me to just talk the whole time." She almost frowns, but catches herself. One of the funnest parts about movies, to Maya, is the giving of commentary so it does bother her a little bit that Nadja is so keen on being quiet. But it's such a minuscule thing – Maya can get over it. "'Sides, we don't have to talk about Nadja when we hang out. You and I always find plenty to talk about." she smiles. She is aware most of the times they hang out, it is always her chattering away and Chrys listening, but when Chrys *does* share, Maya hangs on her every word.

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys listens, but she doesn't accept the reasoning. She's too stubborn (and young and dumb) to consider that compromise is a thing and it's fine to have to adapt to what she wants because it is important to her. No, she just thinks that she would love to listen to Maya forever and it wouldn't matter if she was talking over her favorite movie or interrupting her favorite song or barging into her classroom and stealing her away or pestering her while she tries to study. It's Maya and the sound of her voice and anything she would wish to share with her are truly presents for her ears and she feels absolutely enthused each time. Unless it's about this— apparently. Chrys snaps out of it although her expression reads as noticeably disappointed. "We do," she responds weakly, but she's slowly recovering from her previous state of agony and...whatever that emotion was. "Maybe we should go shopping when we hangout and grab some food. My mother sent me some extra money to spend to unravel my stress, so it can be on me." Maya has money and Chrys knows that, but she loves the thought of being able to take care of her herself and get her some food. "What are you doing over the holiday? Maybe you can come visit or is your family busy?"

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Maya thinks for a couple minutes before finally remembering what it is her parents are doing for the holidays this year. She's sure they mentioned it at some point, or maybe she overheard her dad talking about it loudly on the phone. It's most likely the latter – it's not like they sit down to have dinner and discuss things very often. "I think my parents are going to Hong Kong." she says, "I think they'd like it better if I stayed behind because I'm a bit sure it's a business trip – I think they might put up another branch of the theme park there? – so I can definitely come over to visit whenever you want! I'll just be at home, anyway." Spending the holidays home alone has never been a very big deal to her; it just meant that she could invite friends over and get away with funner stuff. Besides, her mom always Facetimes, and that's enough. "So yeah, I'd love to come over! Your parents are the best!"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys smiles, but she can't manage the critical nature of her inner monologue at the thought that *yet again* Maya's parents are leaving her alone during her vacation. "What do they do when they have business trips and you are not there? I do not see why they would not be able to travel with you," she points out, but she remembers after saying it that there is no need to be so flat and bitter. The need for a lighter direction sparks a thought within her (in combination with the comment about her parents being the best, which they are). Her hand reaches out to grab onto Maya's and she brings her face closer to hers— the start of a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "I would love to travel with you. I think that would be great," she says. "Maybe my father will let you come on one of our trips over Christmas. He wants to try to find land lobsters in Australia. It is *the* rarest insect in the world. Fascinating."

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"My dad says it's because knowing me, I'd just be an extra thing to deal with. I mean, he's not wrong." Maya laughs, which shows just how desensitized she is to the idea. "'Sides, I could never survive all those stuffy meetings, anyway. They talk in all this jargon I don't understand, so it's pointless for me to be there. Maybe one day, but not now." She's still hopeful to inherit the business, after all, and she knows that will require her to get through all the 'boring' bits. For now, though, she is sixteen. There's no need to fuss over numbers and meetings with people in suits. "I'm sure they'd let me go to Australia with you, though!" she says, "They don't normally mind much when I go on trips with friends and I can pay for my - well, my everything!" The idea already excites her and she knows she should curb her enthusiasm in case Chrys' parents say no. "Just visiting you guys in Belgium would be enough, though! I know more about your parents now, so I can bring them gifts and everything!"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys decides it isn't worth pushing more on the issue of her friend's parents. Maybe she will message her mother all about it later and get out all of her frustrations. Only for her mother to pester her saying something like *Cricket, you are so very concerned about this girl, are you not?* and act as if she knows something that Chrys does not. Nothing infuriates this Gryffindor more than her mother pretending she knows more about her brain than she does herself. "My parents do not need more *trinkets*," she tells her, laughing despite how serious she is. Her house is full of decor as is and they have all of the things they require. However, she remembers how much gifts mean to her friend and she accepts it. "I am sure they would really appreciate it. *I* would just appreciate you visiting though..." she tells her, pouting as the reminder of the blonde from one bed over seemingly slips her mind and she thinks— for a brief moment, of course— that she doesn't have to truly think at all. Chrys leans in and kisses Maya's temple before shifting and letting her head fall on her shoulder. "Australia would be fun though. We would have more time to do things on our own."

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

The kiss on her temple feels as if it burns into Maya's skin to the point she does not know whether it makes her want to smile or cry. She chooses the former, of course, and steels herself by taking a breath and focusing on the feeling of Chrys' head on her shoulder and the smell of the other girl's shampoo. Happy thoughts. "I'd love that." she finally says, already planning out the whole trip in her head, not letting any other intrusive thoughts taint a friendship that she values far too much to even risk ruining.