Laying by the lake

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede had been laying in the grass near the lake. She didn't want to get to close, but she wanted to at least be able to see it. Her hands were underneath her head, with the sun shining down on her face.

Sitting up, she propped up her elbow up and leaned her head on her hand. She lightly brushed the grass with her fingers, making them bend and snap back up to where they had been.

A loud sigh came out in a huffy breath. She was bored. Very, very bored.

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

Merlina was exhausted from lessons and the hargy bargy that was Hogwarts. She wasn't used to so many children in one place, it was like a playgroup for hormonal teenagers and enough of them were directed their not so pleasant distaste in her direction. She had never meant to be blunt or overly forward, she even had the distinct impression that her cousin was avoiding her as well. Strolling down to the lake for some peace, she saw a familiar face and smiled. She had genuinely liked this girl when they had met at the harbor and wondered if she would remember her.

"Hi Kaede" she smiled, wondering what house she had gotten into as she sat down on the grass beside her, "it has been a long time. How are you finding the school?"
she realised she was being abrupt and forward again and cringed.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede heard her name and looked up. A smile spread across her face with recognition. "Merlina!" She exclaimed. Her bored body language turned into one of a hyper 11 year old. Merlina had been one of the very first people she had met, and she had liked her a lot. "Oh you know how it is, it's just like school back home, but the classes are a lot more interesting!" Her smile got a little bigger as she told Merlina about her classes. Not wanting to be rude, she decided she should ask her about her days at the new school. "And what about you? How have your classes been?"

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

Merlina smiled, overjoyed at being recognised. The transformation was almost miraculous, the sullen expectency of the world being out to get her had disappeared. She listened to Kaede speaking about her classes and felt as if her face would crack from smiling. It was good to have a friend and Merlina felt acutely aware of how different she felt suddenly. As if she could relax now and not be on her guard all the time, with relaxing she was able to drift back to the inquisitive hyper girl who had met Kaede during the summer.

"I am glad they're going well for you. I think I am so used to the loneliness of the country that it is too overwhelming. I think I have frightened off potential friends instead of making any."

The next few minutes past with her going into minute detail of her own classes and how she was glad to have these at least to fall back on.
"But now you're here, we can hang out together" she smiled hoping that would be ok with Kaede.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede's face lit up with joy when Merlina seemed to change back to the girl she had first met. Not that she didn't like this Merlina, but she remembered the other one. Merlina talked all about her classes, and it was actually quite interesting.

Kaede's eyes widened when she heard that Merlina thought she scared away some people. "I don't think that's wrong, when people go to new places they usually keep away from people for a few days. Or longer. I know I did." It was true, the first few days, Kaede had stayed locked up in the safe little box she kept in her heart. But now that she had gotten to know a few people, it all had started to come together.

Merlina asked if they could hang out together, she said, "I would love that." A friendly smile swept across her face as she looked at Merlina.

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

Merlina felt relief wash over her.
"Really, you kept yourself away from everyone. Well no wonder I didn't see you sooner, we could possibly have both done with decent company" she smiled, it was good to know she had Kaede here.
"what is your house like? have you made any friends there?"
Merlina would always be infinitely curious about all the other houses, why she hadn't been chosen for them instead. What made her a Ravenclaw? Her questions were endless and she would honestly have liked nothing better than to have a conversation with the sorting hat.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede smiled. "Yeah, I did. I was really scared of what people would think of me, but then I realized that it really shouldn't matter, because what I think of myself is most important." Her smile got a little wider as she thought about the change in her that had happened after the first few days. "Also, the friends that cared about my appearance to others, well, they really arn't my friends either. The friends that could care less about what people think of me are the ones I have to hang on to." Realizing how true that was, she started to laugh. It was crazy to laugh, but that was just who she was, and who she always wanted to be.


Merlina started asking her questions about her house. "Oh you mean Hufflepuff?" She had met a lot of Hufflepuffs, but she had never thought of describing it. "Well," she said, putting her hand on her chin. "The other Hufflepuffs are nice, but I havn't met anyone who I really like to hang out with. I'm usually really energetic, but being around them It seems weird to do it." All of the other Hufflepuffs were nice, but that's why it felt weird to be crazy around them. Kaede did it even though it was weird, but that was probably why a lot of them didn't get too close to her. "Well, at least for now." She smiled. "I'm pretty sure I'll meet someone in my house who will like my craziness." Laughing, she leaned on her hand and waited for more questions, if Merlina had anymore.

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

Merlina couldn't imagine for a moment Kaede being scared of anything and tried to remember their first meeting and smiled. Perhaps the two of them had been a touch apprehensive alright but now they had least had each other and no doubt others would see how great Kaede was too. Merlina knew it would take her a bit longer to make substantial friends, it was just the way she was.
"They don't like being energetic then? Like they just sit about doing nothing but... study or something?" Merlina frowned a little.

The difference in the houses weren't all that great in her mind, some who she had been convinced would go to one house had ended up in another completely. She had really thought Kaede would have become a Gryffindor but that just simply showed her she wasn't as bright as she thought she was.
"Are there many first year Hufflepuffs then? I was too excited the day of the sorting to really take too much notice".

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "Well," she cocked her head to the side and as she thought about the Hufflepuffs she had met. "The ones I have met havn't been very energetic. They're all extremely nice. Sometimes too nice, where it seems fake, but I know it's not. It just doesn't seem to me like they even argue with anyone. Almost like they let people push them around. At least the ones I have met or seen. I'm not trying to put them down, but I feel awkward being around them because I don't let people push me around. I think the reason I got into Hufflepuff was because I'm always so nice to people. I always like to make friends, but I hate it when people are mean to others. I don't fake my niceness, I always try to be nice to people, and that's how I always start out when I meet someone, but when they're downright mean to me, or anyone else, and I havn't done anything wrong, It makes me angry that they have the nerve to be so mean. I used to be pushed around when I was young, and I don't want to go back to that..." She trailed off. Realizing how much she had talked, she blushed. "I-I'm sorry for talking so much. I know it sounds like the Hufflepuff kids are boring but they really arn't. I'm just wondering if I should have been put in Hufflepuff."


Glad for an escape from the long speech she had just proclaimed, she changed the subject. "There are a few first year Hufflepuffs, but I havn't seen many." She smiled slightly at Merlina, hoping she hadn't scared her away with all of her talking.

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

Merlina crossed her legs and leaned back on her hands as Kaede began to speak. She had a lot to say on the subject of Hufflepuff niceness. She smiled at her, it seemed Kaede needed to let off some steam and couldn't obviously do it back in her house.

"Don't apologise I like that you can talk to me like this and perhaps you were put into Hufflepuff to shake things up in there. Let them know that it is good to be nice but that does not equate to being a doormat" she picked up a daisy and began to pick off the petals.
"Is there not a rhyme that goes along with doing this" she plucked another petal off, almost certain there was some silly superstition but not being able to remember it.
"I think I have met one other Ravenclaw first year, Oscar. He's really sweet and even likes the same sort of books as me ... oh, no I met one other but she was downright rude. I guess she probably thought I was but it's just the way I come across sometimes. I don't mean to be... quite so blunt".
she shrugged hoping Kaede had never experienced that side of her.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede looked at Merlina as she talked about what she could do about it. Merlina seemed to know a lot, and it also seemed that she was good at dealing with things like that as well. She returned the smile Merlina had aimed at her. At times like this she was glad that she had a friend like Merlina to talk to. "Do you think that would work?" She hoped that it would be a good plan. Now that she had a plan, the only thing she had to do now was get the nerve to tell someone. She was kind of nervous, but she knew it would be worthwhile if she did.

Merlina started plucking at the petals of a daisy, and it made Kaede think of the old thing she used to do when she liked a boy. He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not... she thought to herself. Smiling, she had the urge. Her friend asked if there was a song to it, Kaede personally could not recall. "I'm not sure if there is, Is there?"

She listened as Merlina talked about a boy named Oscar who was a Ravenclaw. Kaede thought that she had seen him around before, but since she didn't know for sure, she didn't want to say anything. If the person she was thinking of wasn't him it would be utterly embarassing. When she started talking about some girl who had been rude, that enraged Kaede. Even if Merlina said she could be blunt, that didn't mean that girl had to be so rude. No one ever has a really good excuse to be rude, they just do it because they feel so bad about themselves that they feel the need to pick on others. "That girl was mean to you? Don't worry about her, even if your blunt, that doesn't give her a right to be rude. I don't think of you like that, and I also think being blunt is a good thing, at least for me." Kaede had been lied to a lot during her life, and she was glad that she finally had a friend who would tell her what she thought instead of making up something so Kaede could feel good about herself. That's the kind of friend that she wanted.

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

Merlina nudged Kaede with her shoulder playfully.
"I guess we just better look out for one another then huh?" she smiled tossing the now petal free daisy away, "I could have sworn there was something about petals or love or something. It'll come to me. But you are right, it isn't nice to be rude and of course my prefect thought I was being all snooty and stuff then. I had simply told a first year who was asking about putting her name down for quidditch try-outs that it wasn't open for first years as we weren't experienced or skilled or strong enough. Maybe I should have been all like..." Merlina changed her voice to a high pitched simpering tone, "Oh I think you would be perfect for the team. You surely would be a great asset. Oh put your name down straight away, the team would be lost without you".

She sighed with a huff.
"Some girls are just silly".

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede laughed as Merlina bumped her. Her older sister used to do that when they would play games in the backyard. It brought back good memories, and Kaede was glad to have Merlina there. "Definetly, we could be like, uh...the Powerpuff girls! But only two of them, we can say one of them fell in a well and couldn't get out or something." She knew that sounded weird, but she was only teasing.

She listened as Merlina talked about how she had just been telling the truth to another first year girl. "No, I think you were right for telling her. The prefect shouldn't have assumed you were being snooty. I think people shouldn't judge, it just makes you look bad to them and eventually will make them look bad too." Kaede smiled as Merlina said in a high, sarcastic tone that maybe she should have told the girl she was great for the team. "It was good that you didn't tell her that, the team might have not done so well if she had signed up, considering she doesn't know much.

She liked being around Merlina, even though Merlina said that she had trouble making friends. Personally, Kaede couldn't see why; Merlina was an awesome person.

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

"Oh I know the Powerpuff girls, which one would you be? we would both end up wanting to be the black haired one. My cousin could be the red haired one that falls in the well" Merlina laughed but stopped herself short, "that was so not nice".

But she couldn't help but grin again.
"It's nice here isn't it, by the lake I mean. It 's going to take me a bit longer to say it about the school. Did you hear that there is supposed to be a giant shark or squid in there?" she pointed to the lake, not wanting to talk anymore about the common room incident. She would try to give both girls another chance and just hoped that she didn't come across in the same blunt way.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede laughed at Merlina's joke. "It wasn't that not so nice." She laughed harder when she realized how funny that had sounded. "I'm sure if your cousin was here she would understand and think it was funny. I would if it was me."

She couldn't stop smiling, even though she tried. It had been funny. "The black haired one? Oh you mean Buttercup? Well, if you wanted to be the Buttercup I could go ahead and be Bubbles." Powerpuff girl's had been one of her favorite shows when she was younger, even though she didn't get to watch it much.

Her eyes widened when her friend said something about a giant squid or shark. "Are you serious!? Are you sure it's safe to be even this close to the lake!?" Kaede was a little scared, and almost had the urge to jump up. For some reason It was hard to picture a giant squid or a shark in water so close to her. Realizing that she had blurted and freaked out, she quickly composed herself. "Sorry, it was just kind of scary for a moment." She blushed a little, but her smile returned.

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

"Aw Andromeda would definitely not mind" she grinned, "Yeah I'll be Buttercup then, have her attitude alright"
Merlina gazed out onto the lake and nodded her head.
"I am so serious and yet I see loads of students go in there for a swim. As if they are testing their fates. Totally silly and fool hardy."
Merlina liked to think she was sensible as often as she possibly could be and knew there was never any chance of her ever going in there for even a dip.
"I think we are save enough here and so don't worry. I was petrified when I first heard".

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede smiled wide, thinking of how fun it would be to be a powerpuff girl, and with Merlina as well. "You know, so many people think Buttercup is really mean, but really, I just think she's tough. Being tough is better than being scared of everyone. Otherwise, if you are scared, people are able to push you around, and then you will never know what it would have been like if you had done it your way. I think that's why I like her the best."

Looking at Merlina, she gave her a big smile, and turned to the lake, as if she was looking for the shark or squid to jump up and get her. "People swim in there? Are they nuts?" She knew she would never ever go in there, not even if she was on fire. Well, maybe if she was on fire, but even then, she would be hesitant. "You were? Really? Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who's freaked out by a giant squid. I think the people that swim in there are crazy." Kaede had a sensible side, but usually she just did what needed to be done, and didn't think about it. With this though, it was definitly going to be top priorty.