Closed Fluttering Finish

[Thistle Carnahan]

Thistle still couldn't quite believe that her final school dance had come so soon. It felt as though she had blinked and suddenly her school years were behind her, with the future looming large and uncertain ahead. She had ideas of what she wanted to do, of course, but turning ideas into plans was easier said than done. Certainly when those plans involved needing to know things like How To Be A Grownup. She still wasn't quite sure how Sawyer and Felix had managed it, since neither of her brothers had a grownup bone in their bodies even to this day, but she supposed at least she would have people to help her make a go of it.

For now though, it was time to enjoy her final few months of school. She was particularly proud of the dress she had made for the Valentines dance, making a statement every bit as big and bold as she had hoped. The feathers floated and swished pleasantly as she walked, and she couldn't wait to see just how delightfully they would move once she got onto the dancefloor. Just a quick detour to the table first to get some punch, it'd be pretty awful to get onto the floor and immediately get dehydrated. She poured herself a drink and looked around the room, quickly batting a feather away that started tickling her nose. Sneezing and spilling things were also definitely not on the to-do list.

 

[Leah Thorne]

Leah was in a mild state of disbelief as she walked into the great hall for her last dance at Hogwarts. Where had all the time gone? She had been so eager at eleven to get out from under the thumb of her bickering parents and while she had mostly succeeded she still felt a bit trapped as the holidays rolled around and she went back to the same old routine, bouncing back and forth. But real freedom, adult freedom was around the corner and she was a little scared. What if she couldn't do it and need her parent's support more than she realized? How embarrassing would it be to crawl back to them when she fell on her face. Her mood didn't improve much as she took in the pinks and reds around her. She never had a date to any dance and while she knew that didn't mean much, but after so much useless pining after people who never seemed to return her feelings it stung a bit.

Leah grabbed a rose off one of the tables and held it between her fingers before picking off a petal at a time. "Loves me, loves me not...." she muttered to herself without anyone particular in mind as she aimlessly made her way to the drink table. She wasn't looking where she was going very closely but as she saw a mass of feathers out of the corner of her eye she stopped in her tracks. Leah blinked as she took in Thistle's outfit. The Ravenclaw had been known to up on an eleaborate outfit from time to time but this felt next level. She opened her mouth to say something but noticed the other girl was about to sneeze. "Bless you!" she said quickly, knowing it might distract her enough to keep her from spilling her very full drink in her hand.