Open Sparkle Sparkle

[Liusaidh Styx]

Liusaidh had always gone to the ball, if only because it was good time. Liusaidh could have any mixture of a time, sometimes she was able to mess around, other times she just enjoyed the dance for what it was. It was never dull to her, and she was always trying her best to have more fun. The girl had put on a proper dress for the occasion, which sparkled in the light and her ginger hair was tied back. She was trying her best to have lots of fun at every occasion while she still could. Liusaidh only really cared for quidditch but she knew she was approaching the point where she'd leave school and need to do her duty to make sure that she paired up with someone pureblood and began doing her duty as a pureblood. But for now, Liusaidh could just focus on enjoying herself and the ball was the place to do it. She headed into the room and straight to the snack table, she could fuel up before getting to the dancefloor. ​

 

[Penny Wills]

Once upon a time, Penny would have looked out on the ball scene and felt tingled excitement. But that was the old Penny, the new Penny was quite different. The confidence within her had gradually deflated over time, like the air from the tyre of an abandoned bicycle, until it was all but depleted. Now she looked out on the ball scene and felt trepidation for the whole event.

Acknowledging it was her responsibility to get off this downward trajectory she found herself on, Penny pushed away the doubt. She went to the ball, stopping first at the snack table. There was a person stood next to her that she didn't recognise was her dormmate, Liusaidh, until one second too late to have gotten away with walking off unnoticed. She should probably say hi.

Penny didn't say anything.

More seconds past and she couldn't say hi now, she had been standing there too long. She started to feel a warm wave of anxiety and didn't know what to do. She fake studied the snack table as if choosing between a pumpkin pasty or a cauldron cake was the hardest decision in the world. Right in that moment, it was.

 

[Liusaidh Styx]

Liusaidh was standing at the snacks table when she became aware of the person standing next to her. She glanced at the girl, recognising Penny from the dorm, but she hadn't said anything yet. There was just silence. She waited a little more and then glanced up at her properly, "Ye know Penny, it's real rude to not say hello," she told her, with a slightly smirk, "We've known each other so long," Liusaidh didn't know Penny all that well, she only knew her because of the fact they were in the dorm together. "Happy Yule," ​

 

[Penny Wills]

After living and breathing her house for the last six years, Penny learned Slytherins were a dangerous sort of human. Though she did not know Liusaidh well, she did know that she was very, very Slytherin. Penny mustered the best surprised and happy to see you face she could in that moment. "Oh hey, didn't realise it was you." She lied, deliberately avoiding names in case of mispronunciation. "Er, how are you? Happy Yule!" Penny's voice drifted in to silence, she felt very uncomfortable with every insecurity she could think of buzzing inside her.

 

[Liusaidh Styx]

Liusaidh raised an eyebrow at her statement, "Aye course," Liusaidh replied with a tone of disbelief, she was sure that this girl was lying to her, but she wasn't going to call her out on it. Liusaidh was sure that someone who had been living with her for about five years and a half. "Ah'm good," she replied with a little smirk on her tone. "How are you? Doing anything for the yuletide?" Liusaidh replied, "Ah'd maybe think about getting your eyes tested," Liusaidh gave a smirk. she knew it wasn't a particularly nice thing to say but she didn't care about that. ​

 

[Penny Wills]

Penny became suspicious, in all these years Liusaidh had not shown the slightest bit of interest in her but now she was asking what she was doing for Christmas. Why? And there it was, an eye test joke. In that moment, Penny's extremely fragile emotions were smashed to pieces. Her head went fuzzy, her eyes welled up with tears and she fought back the urge to cry. She couldn't cry at such a petty comment, she'd only be laughed at for being an idiot. She was quick to wipe away a rogue tear that ran down her cheek. "Good one. Er, I'll be going home." She choked, taking a breath and clawing for composure, she carried on. "For the first time, I'll be able to do magic outside Hogwarts. I'm pretty excited about that." Penny did not sound enthusiastic or excited in that moment but she had been looking forward to it since she had turned 17 back in September. "How about yourself?"

Fingers crossed she got away with that unnoticed.

 

[Liusaidh Styx]

Liusaidh smirked lightly noticing that she had made Penny seemingly quite upset with the comment, but it wasn't like Liusaidh minded all that much. "Oh aye?" she said after Penny told her what she was going to be doing when she got home. She would also be going home and able to do magic for the first time, but she didn't think it that much of a novelty when she could just ask someone else to do it for her. "About the same, I'll be goin' home," She replied. "Well, good to speak to you again Penny, I'll see you in the dorm...probably,"