Closed Struggling To Bloom

[Daria Bright-Root]

It was still too cold out to get much done in the garden, but it was never too cold for Daria to think about the gardens. She had settled in on a little seat by one of the windows, staring out at the grounds and thinking about what she planned to plant this year. It was easier to consider when she drew things out and could look at them, so she had brought her sketchbook and was doodling different garden layouts as she enjoyed the quiet moment.

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope wondered if this year could be her year. She had been quietly liking Emmanuel for a while now, and she had been wondering quietly if she should try... maybe asking him to once of the dances. There was one problem, she wasn't sure if her friend Daria liked him or not. They had gone to a dance together last year, but that didn't necessarily means he liked him, right? Penelope had been thinking about this a lot, so when she walked by Daria, she couldn't help herself. She stopped, joining the girl. "What are you drawing?" She asked her, looking over at her sketchbook.

 

[Daria Bright-Root]

Daria jumped with alarm when Penny sat down, quickly clutching her sketchbook to her chest. "Nothing!" She said instinctively, well practiced at hiding her sketchbook when people were around. Her garden plans weren't as embarrassing as her real art, but keeping her sketchbook hidden was always better safe than sorry. "I was just thinking about my plans for the garden this year."

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope flushed when Daria hid her sketchbooks from her. She hadn't meant to embarrass her. "Oh, sorry." She said, glancing around to see if anyone had seen her upsetting Daria. "I didn't mean to pry." She hesitated. "What garden? Like, the wild patch?"

 

[Daria Bright-Root]

Daria nodded, face hot. "Yes, I was just trying to figure out which plants I want to put together, and what time of year to plant them." She explained, slowly lowering the book from her chest. There was hardly any harm in letting Penny see her little squares with pictures of plants, and she wouldn't be able to read the notation in Thai anyway. "I still haven't decided..."

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope nodded as Daria spoke about her plants. She knew absolutely nothing about that, so it was impressive to her. She hesitated. "Do you just get free access to plant whatever you want?" She asked her.

 

[Daria Bright-Root]

Daria gave a small shrug. "Within reason..." She said quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "We can't plant invasive species, or anything dangerous. But mostly you get a little area to do whatever you want with. I usually grow flowers..."

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope nodded at the Ravenclaw, forcing a smile. "Sounds... nice." She said, though it truthfully sounded kind of boring to her. "Are you in any other clubs?"

 

[Daria Bright-Root]

Daria shook her head, looking down a little. "I didn't want to take on too much at once..." She explained, glancing at Penny again. "You're in Heta Omega, aren't you?"

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope nodded at her question. "Yeah, but that's also the only club I'm in." She said with a small shrug. "It's nice." She said, though she knew she didn't sound very convincing. She enjoyed the club, but it wasn't like they did a whole lot. "Do you have any plans for Halloween?" She asked, changing he subject.

 

[Daria Bright-Root]

Daria nodded, though she quietly couldn't imagine what you would actually do in a club whose only criteria was... girls. There weren't that many activities only girls did, were there? She was glad for the change of subject, though she didn't have anything more to say in this regard. "No, I never dress up." She said shyly, shoulders hunching slightly. The idea of being stared at by the whole school was.... too much. "Do you?"

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope nodded in agreement as Daria said she never dressed up. "I don't really do that either." She admitted. "But the feast can be fun." She shrugged a little. "I guess the other celebrations are more my thing. Do you have yule ball plans yet? Like maybe someone you're going with?"

 

[Daria Bright-Root]

Daria felt her face heat even more, letting her hair fall in front of her face to hide as she shook her head. "Not... really." She mumbled, heart racing. She had thought about asking Emmanuel, of course, but that would mean talking to him.

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope tilted her head slightly and looked at the other girl. "Not... really?" She asked curiously.

 

[Daria Bright-Root]

Daria's shoulders hunched further and she dropped her head. She should have just said no - silly. "I, um, I thought about..." She mumbled, hands clenching into nervous fists on her book. "No, it's silly, just.... forget."

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope felt guilty as Daria hunched her shoulders and looked kind of upset. She shouldn't have been prying so directly. "Sorry." She said quickly. "I just- I was just curious, I don't have plans myself." She said, holding up her hands.

 

[Daria Bright-Root]

This was silly - she shouldn't be so nervous. If there was anyone Daria could trust with her feelings, it was Penny. The Hufflepuff was so sweet, and not as likely to accidentally tell someone about them as... say, Marnie. So she took a deep breath, unclenching her hands, shoulders hunching as she forced the shaky words out. "I, um... I thought I might... maybe... maybe see if, um, if Emmanuel wanted to go..."