🌹 Rose Giving Facing Fears

[Margo Fox]

Yellow Rose for @Ngawaiata Martin

Margo only had one rose left but she had been dreading this possibility all day. She didn't know Ngawaiata well but she figured she couldn't be too unlike Cameron since they were friends. So she was probably hiding in their common room which just so happened to be the last place Margo would ever try to get to. She had dropped potions because going down to the dungeons for lessons felt like she was going to suffocate at any moment. But it wasn't like she could give up. She had helped organize the event after all. With a deep breath she took the stairs down to the dungeons, wincing with every step. Eventually she made it to the door of the common room and she could feel her breaths getting shallow. There was no one around so she couldn't even send a message inside. Was she supposed to just wait here? She knocked lamely on the door feeling silly but her rising panic was worse.

 

[Ngawaiata Martin]

The common room wasn't the escape away from roses Ngawaiata had hoped it would be, but it was quieter at least. She had holed up in a corner with a book determined to ignore everything that was happening, and was doing a pretty good job until she heard her own name. Looking up, she could see an older student by the door, and past her, Margo. At least this didn't seem to be about roses. It was probably about Cameron though, which had the potential to be even worse. "Yeah?" She asked, stepping out of the common room to meet Margo.

 

[Margo Fox]

Margo felt like she was about to burst and when she finally saw Ngawaita she nearly burst into relieved tears. But the relief was short lived. "I have a rose for you." she choked out, her voice wavering. She probably sounded insane. She took another deep breath as if she were actually under water or something as she pulled out the yellow rose and the note. "Here." she squeaked out, wanting to be quick but not wanting to be rude. She wasn't sure which part of herself was going to win that fight.

Spoiler: Note

-Cameron

 

[Ngawaiata Martin]

The thought of another rose made Ngawaiata's skin crawl, but she couldn't get out of this situation. At least it was Margo handing it out, not some stranger, and there weren't too many people around. She was distracted from her own discomfort by Margo's own, relieved to have something else to focus on. "Are you okay?" She asked, only glancing quickly at the note. At least it wasn't long and gushing, but she was surprised to have actually gotten a rose from Cameron. Maybe she should have sent some herself after all.

 

[Margo Fox]

Margo could feel that she was nodding her head when Ngawaiata asked if she was ok even though she knew she clearly wasn't. She was about to lie but she knew there'd be no real point. "No." she blurted out. "I don't know what it is." she said quickly and gripped the handle of her basket tighter. "It's just every time I come to the dungeons I just-" Margo sucked in a breath as she tried to calm down with little luck.

 

[Ngawaiata Martin]

Ngawaiata had never been great at comforting people, but she tried to channel what her whānau would have done. "Like, claustrophobic?" She asked, looking around. The dungeons had never bothered her all that much, but thinking about it, she could see how they might upset someone who wasn't used to them. "I guess it is kinda cramped down here."

 

[Margo Fox]

Margo swallowed and was a bit surprised when Ngawaiata mentioned claustrophobia. She was about to shake her head but as she thought for a moment, it wasn't a word she would have used to describe her feelings. She had only ever really felt this way in the dungeons but it wasn't like she made a habit of finding her way into small spaces. "I guess so." she said, her voice sounding breathy. "I just feel trapped. You don't feel...anything like that?" she asked suddenly feeling like she was being crazy. But it was a good thing that the other girl didn't feel this way since she was the one that had to live down here.