Closed Never Quite Buried

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope had been surprised by how busy the library was and had decided to head to the student lounge to do her homework instead. Unfortunately, it seemed to be just as busy. She grimaced, wondering if she should head back to the library or maybe to the common room, but she was wasting a lot of time walking around. She smiled when she spotted an empty seat at a table, though another student was sitting there. She was sure they wouldn't mind sharing the table. It wasn't until she got closer that she realized who the other student was, it was Daria. Penelope hadn't spoken to her since their big falling out a few years ago, though she had received the other girl's rose with an apology message. It hadn't quite been enough for Penelope to actually... forgive her, though it had made her start considering it. It was... kind of silly to hold a grudge when it had been about a boy she hadn't even liked in ages. She hesitated, then cleared her throat. "Hi... can I sit here?"

 

[Daria Bright-Root]

Daria hadn't ever felt as seen as she did this year, and she was struggling with it a lot more than she had expected. Part of her had always yearned to be seen; not to be the girl in the shadows anymore, overlooked, never cool or pretty or fun enough. But now she had a job, sort of. She had a whole club to look after, which meant that when people wanted to talk about that club they had to talk to her. She was being looked at - Yuelia had looked at her - and she couldn't get it out of her head. It was terrifying, the thought that she was that much more visible to people who wouldn't like her now, but... maybe it was worth it if someone like Yuelia could see her too. Maybe.

But at the end of the day, she was still alone. There was something relieving about it after so much chaos, being able to go somewhere as busy as the library and still fade into the background - wind up at a table all by herself despite the many people around, because nobody wanted to be near her. Her head was down as she skimmed through her book, not entirely convinced by everything it said. So many books viewed magic in such clear black and white terms, and the more she studied, the greyer the middle grounds were starting to look to Daria. She was pulled out of her thoughts by a voice though; one of the last ones she would have expected to hear. She looked up in shock, blinking for a moment at her former best friend. She had tried to reach out, albeit in a cowardly way, but after not hearing anything from Penny Daria had figured she needed to close the book on that friendship for good. But now.... "Of course." She mumbled, gesturing to the open seat nervously.