Closed Follow the Per- Compass

[Hinata Edogawa]

Hinata really should have figured that she should have waited for Jo before trying to return to the Common Room. In theory, going back to the Common Room straight from the Great Hall after dinner would be fine. These days, Jo had started to bring her back to the Common Room after meals, and while he thought it was weird that she still didn't know most if not all the routes, he still showed them to her like a good brother. The problem was probably that he'd shown her a lot of routes. She got confused by right and left most days that even if she knew she had to turn right somewhere, she could have turned left instead. But Jo wanted to spend some time with Ro today - triplet time - that she'd assured him she could just make it back on her own. She started great (she did not) that she found the stairs only after fifteen minutes. But then she needed to use the bathroom and the walk back to the Common Room would take her at least another thirty, if she was lucky. So she left the stairs on the third floor (it was the second) in search of the bathroom. It took another ten minutes.

And here her dilemma lay. She'd tried to retrace her steps to the stairs and merely found more corridors. She retraced her steps back to the initial corridor only to realize halfway that she'd been trying to use the route she thought she used to go to the bathroom from the stairs. And now, well. She didn't know where exactly she was. She'd initially thought she got off on the third floor, but it didn't look like the third floor unless she just hadn't been to this part of the floor before. What's worse is that it was night time so it could be curfew anytime but she didn't have a clue how to get back to the Common Room. It was then that she saw a person walking the corridors. She probably should have just asked for directions, but Hina had always shied away from interaction so she instead decided to follow the person. She couldn't tell yet who they were since they were a bit far away and it was quite dark with only the torchlights at night. She did hurry though, because she didn't want to lose her ticket to the way back to the stairs.​

 

[Kalif Styx]

Professor Kalif Styx walked along the corridors. He was not patrolling so much as he just needed to go for a walk. Someone his age needed to get out and get some exercise. That was true. And the moving stairs sort of helped with the path. Not many bothered him - if any at all. However, as he walked, he could tell that there was someone following him. He did not glance over his shoulder yet. Perhaps it was a coincidence. He turned a corner that he knew would end up going in the same direction as before. A complete circle. Now, to see who if his hunch was correct - that some student was doing a poor job at following him.

 

[Hinata Edogawa]

Hinata had to practically run to catch up to the person she'd spotted. She'd had to debate with herself as to whether she would ask the person for help or if she should just continue to follow them. The debate was pretty short-lived as she finally saw who she was following which made her run turn into a very hesitant walk. Professor Kalif Styx was pretty much known in the castle. She was sure that anyone who did not know the professor was either a first year or was living under a rock. The professor practically built the school as far as she knew considering he had been her dad's professor when her dad was at school! And he wasn't exactly known to be... helpful. But it still begged the problem of how to get back to the Common Room. The decision was easy. She didn't approach the professor any further and she kept her distance, choosing to follow him silently and pretend that she knew where she was going - or well, where the professor was going. She did not nor did she notice that they would shortly be coming back to where she'd initially been standing.​

 

[Kalif Styx]

So, this student was truly one of those… to put it nicely, chasing wisdom but never catching it. Styx realized now when he managed to lead her back to the same place - in a circle. Styx did not want to waste too much time walking in a circle, but he could also give himself some sort of amusement if he were to just walk in a circle. Again. Styx had a few matters to think about. He was gaining amusement from those around him this year. He actually showed some emotion, a smirk, when he had to tell James Cade that his daughter had children with him. Considering how many Cades there were in the first year, Styx just assumed that they were all James’. He could be wrong, since he was sure that Lyra Potter’s kids were part of the Cade crew. Styx was aware of that little situation. She didn’t know who the father was at the time, but somehow, Lanithro was not. He likely would have ended his son if that were the case, but it did not come to pass. Styx mentally counted in his head how many students in the school that were related to him, all while walking in the same direction he was in since the Hufflepuff started to follow him.