Scared To Let Your Guard Down

[Noelle Seung]

Noelle was not foreign to the idea of hospitality. Living in a family that prided themselves on socializing meant that opening her home to others was normal to her, expected, and welcomed for as long as she could remember. However until that day hospitality to Noelle was nothing more than smiling politely to greet the guests of others, not welcoming someone into her home that she had invited from her own accord. It was intimidating but Noelle had worked hard to get everything ready for Marisol's stay. She cleaned her room completely spotless and made an extra bed for her friend, leaving extra blankets and sheets aside. Then she had detoured to brightstone, leaving a visit to Honeydukes arms stacked with various kinds of sweets that she later set up with the blankets. All that was left was for Noelle to get herself ready; a task she underestimated until she stood in front of her mirror debating whether her hair should be up or down, if her outfit should be casual or dressed up and if her appearance mattered at all when she was spending time with her friend. Though she was in her home, and going to remain in her home for the rest of the day she wanted to be presentable enough to impress her friend without making it obvious she wanted to impress her. Somehow making too much effort to look good felt the same amount of embarrassing as not making any effort.

Noelle did not have enough time to deliberate further before Marisol was due to arrive, so she quickly braided her hair to one side, decided that the sweats she was wearing would be appropriate and then ran down the stars to the living room. A few minutes later the doorbell rang and Noelle sprung up from the chair she sat on, bounding to the door with a wide smile on her face. As her eyes landed on her friend she only smiled wider, in a state of pure happiness and excitement that Marisol was staying with her for a while. "Hey!" She greeted, pulling Marisol into a tight hug. She then ushered her friend inside the house, closing the door behind her before asking "Do you want me to show you our room, or do you want a full tour, or what?" She was simply so excited to spend unrestricted time with her friend that they couldn't have in school, as well as having her first sleepover ever, that she didn't know where to begin.
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[Marisol Woods]

Marisol had only ever been to one sleepover in her life before, and that had been in her own dorm with Merrill last year, but this was different because she would be going over to a friend's house. To say she was excited was a bit of an understatement. She hated having to plan around a full moon and make excuses for why she couldn't hang out on certain days, but since Noelle knew her secret it somehow made Marisol feel more normal than ever, which is all she ever wanted. She didn't have to lie to the girl if she told her she couldn't come until after a certain week. She was still feeling a bit peaky but thankfully the color had returned to her face and her excitement kept her spirits high. She knocked and grinned when she saw Noelle, wrapping her arms around her just as tightly. "Hi!" she breathed into her hair, laughing a little. She was glad that Noelle was in sweats because it made her feel much better for wearing leggings and comfy sweater because she felt it was sleepover appropriate. She giggled a little at Noelle's excitement and mulled over her options quickly. "Show me your room!" she decided with a bright grin. She was curious to see what the Ravenclaw's room looked like and figured a full tour could come later. "I'm so happy to be here," Marisol said unashamedly, unable to contain herself and smiled at Noelle. Her best friends were both boys so sometimes she acted a bit too much like them and having girl friends was a welcome change for her.​

 

[Noelle Seung]

Noelle clapped her hands together excitedly when Marisol said she wanted to see her room. It was the part of the house she had chosen to make specially cozy for the sleepover with fairy lights, blankets and junk food spread around. She couldn't wait to show it off and quickly wrapped her hand around Marisol's wrist to lead her through the house. "It's this way!" She said, navigating the pair of them around. "I'm happy you're here, too!" she responded as they walked. When she reached her bedroom she lead Marisol inside then let go of her wrist to hold her arms out and say "Here it is! I hope you're gonna eat all of this candy with me and stay up all night." Whether they would actually stay awake until morning or give up and sleep at a normal time was anyone's guess. But Noelle was too excited to have a sleepover like girls did in movies that she didn't have the capacity to think further than the moment she was in or consider that the many of the plans she had might not happen. She moved to sit on her own bed, then patted the bed next to her's she set up specially for Marisol. "This is where you will be sleeping! Don't mind all the pillows, I didn't know how many you wanted so I gave you all our spare ones." With a grin on her face she looked back to her friend and waited for a reaction. Hopefully what was going to be a good reaction as she put a great amount of effort to set everything up. Though even if Marisol wanted changes, Noelle was happy to make them at the drop of a hat so the sleepover went off without a hitch.
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[Marisol Woods]

Marisol diligently followed Noelle as she led her through the house to her room, feeling her excitement grow from the anticipation. Once they walked into the room Marisol looked around and saw how Noelle had put a lot of thought into the set up and marveled at it all. "Wow," Marisol said as she looked around, grinning at the fairy lights and junk food laying around. "Noelle this is amazing!" she said, bouncing a little in place and hugging the dark haired girl once more. She felt a rush of affection for Noelle the way Marisol normally did with all her friends. She was a naturally affectionate person and liked to convey her appreciation for her friends at all times so they never forgot how much they meant to her. But the flip in her stomach when she looked at Noelle now felt different, in a way. It was a familiar feeling, but it seemed misplaced. She'd felt this before for Octavian every time she'd seen him, though she didn't know why she was feeling it for Noelle now. Either way, Marisol stepped back from the hug and nodded her head excitedly in response to Noelle suggesting they eat all the candy and stay up all night. "Definitely," she said with a grin, accepting the challenge with the utmost confidence. It was exactly what they were supposed to do at a sleepover. She placed her bag down where she'd be sleeping and picked up a liquorice wand to bite into, chuckling as Noelle explained all the pillows. "You know what extra pillows and blankets mean right? We have to make a fort!" Marisol declared with a grin. After the year she'd had not being allowed to leave her common room, being here with Noelle had made up for all the fun she couldn't have all semester. ​

 

[Noelle Seung]

All Noelle wanted was to make her friend comfortable and happy so they could have the best sleepover ever. After spending time apart because of Marisol's punishment, Noelle had wanted to make up for it in the best way possible. The only thing she could think of was to host a sleepover for them to they could talk all night and on their own terms, away from the separation of their houses and any of the responsibilities put on them by their school. The only thing she was worried about was how she would be at hosting a sleepover properly as it was something she had never done before. Though as she watched Marisol bite into a licorice wand and suggest they make a fort with all the extra pillows and blankets it seemed like she was doing something right. She stood up from her bed, placing her hands on her hips as she looked over the blankets and pillows. "A fort sounds great!" She said. "Do you want to build it now so we can spend the night in it?" She then asked, looking back to her friend with a smile on her face. She had never exactly built a fort before but figured she would manage with her friend by her side. "I'll let you show me how it's done, then?" She added as she reached for one of the pillows, fluffing it up habitually.
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