To This Beat

[Noelle Seung]

Noelle had been nothing but bashful ever since she arrived to the great hall that morning. Being delivered a beautiful yellow rose was the last thing she expected, but it had put the rest of her day in high spirits and by the time dinner was over she could no longer contain the need she felt to thank the sender. Marisol Woods was lovely and Noelle was glad to have met a friend so seemingly kind and enchanting. She thought the note that accompanied the rose was sweet, but also believed that her actions on the day Marisol told her she was a werewolf were how anyone should have acted to the confession and a mere courtesy out of respect. Regardless of this she was endlessly thankful and appreciative that the older girl had trusted her enough to share the secret and was equally as appreciative of the fact they had become closer friends during the year.

The Ravenclaw finished her final mouthful of dessert before standing up from her house table, straightening her robes and venturing to the seventh floor corridor where she knew the Gryffindor common room was. This was the only place she could think of to wait for Marisol, or at least wait for a different Gryffindor to walk past so she could ask them to help find her friend. She leant against a wall near the entrance to Gryffindor house, tapping her foot rhythmically on the stone floor to a tune in her head while she waited for someone to walk by.​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol was just coming back from lunch in the great hall, having arrived late because she got stopped by a rose deliverer earlier. She had been excited to get a rose but the experience had quickly been soured when the note seemed to contain an anonymous threat. It seemed harmless but she didn't appreciate it regardless. So now that she walked back to her common room, with the yellow rose sticking out between her books, Marisol was hoping to receive better roses to brighten her mood. This was not the way she wanted to spend her birthday. As she approached the Gryffindor common room entrance, she looked up and tilted her head to the side as she saw a familiar face in an unfamiliar place. "Noelle?" Marisol called out and then smiled. "Hey! What're you doing here?" she asked, already feeling her spirits lift the way only Noelle seemed to be able to do just by her mere presence.
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[Noelle Seung]

Noelle looked up as someone called her name, and smiled wide when she saw it was Marisol, exactly who she was looking for. She stood from the wall and bounded over to the Gryffindor. "Hey! I'm just here because I got a really beautiful rose today, from one of my friends and I wanted to thank her personally." She said, tilting her head to the side as she spoke. It wasn't usual for Noelle to be so open about how she felt, as she was always told to remain neutral, but she couldn't help it on that day. It was valentine's day after all, and what kind of person would she be if she didn't celebrate love with people she cared about. "So yeah, thanks so much for the rose. It made my day. I'm sorry I didn't send you one myself, I promise I will next year." Noelle continued to smile at Marisol with nothing but appreciation and kindness. "Yellow is one of my favourite colours, you know." She added as an afterthought.

sorry this took so long!​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol had never seen Noelle so bubbly but happy looked good on her. Not that Noelle wasn't ever happy, she was just more reserved about her emotions, something the latina could learn from the girl. Marisol couldn't help but blush lightly when she realized that the reason Noelle was so happy was because of her. Marisol grinned brightly and shrugged her shoulders casually. "It's no big deal! I'm glad you liked it," she smiled. Noelle had been the first person she had ever told about her condition so she had a special soft spot for the Ravenclaw girl. "I think yellow suits you!" she agreed. "Did you get any other roses today?" she wondered.
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[Noelle Seung]

"But it is a big deal, you took the time out of your day to send me a rose." Noelle responded. Both of them were busy, Marisol more so with her condition to deal with as well as school work and Noelle recognized this which made her appreciate the rose she had received even more. She smiled wider when Marisol said that yellow suited her, then shook her head when she was asked if she had received any other roses. "Nope, just got yours today." She answered. It was no problem to her that no one else she knew made the effort to send a rose because it made the one she received from Marisol more worthwhile. "Did you get any roses?" Noelle then asked in return, too distracted by her conversation with Marisol to notice the yellow rose sticking out from between the other girl's books.​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol smiled when Noelle said she had only received the one rose today. To some it might've been something to be sad about, but Marisol liked knowing her rose was the only one the Ravenclaw had, it felt more special somehow. Marisol glanced down at the rose that was tucked in between her book and said, "No," at first, but then shook her head to clarify. "Well, I mean, I got this rose which I was super excited for at first, but it turned out to be some sort of warning message for me to stay away from the boy I like," she explained. Now that she said it out loud to Noelle she felt silly, but she didn't want to lie to the dark-haired girl. "I was hoping to get a rose from that particular boy, but I haven't yet," Marisol said with a small shrug. The Gryffindor remained optimistic but she also didn't want to get her hopes up, just in case. ​

 

[Noelle Seung]

Noelle's eyes followed Marisol's as she looked down to the yellow rose poking from between her books. She was surprised she hadn't seen the flower yet or even noticed its bright colour but figured it was due to her conversation with her friend. "Oh! I didn't notice that." Noelle said, chuckling more at herself than anything. She looked from the rose, to Marisol, and frowned when she learned the rose had been sent to her out of maliciousness. Taken aback, she asked "But that defeats the purpose of spreading love; who would spend time doing something like that?" It was more of a rhetoric than an actual question but the idea of someone sending a rose with a warning message instead of one doting kindness made no sense, especially on Valentine's day. "Well, I guess it's a good thing you haven't gotten a rose from this boy yet. It might cause more problems and you deserve better than that." Noelle said matter of factly as she nodded her head. Ideally, Marisol should have been given a rose from the boy she wanted, and not received something that was meant to cause harm but this clearly wasn't the case. Noelle wished she could have said or done something more but was at a loss for words. She hadn't been in a situation or known someone that had been on the receiving end of something so negative before and was not sure what do to besides look on the bright side of the situation.​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol smiled appreciatively when Noelle expressed her sympathy and really appreciated how genuine the Ravenclaw was. Hearing how concerned Noelle was and being around her made the entire experience not so bad so Marisol shrugged. "I guess people who have nothing to look forward to in their own lives, so they want to make others miserable too," she answered her question with a little laugh. "I guess you're right," she added, a little sadly, thinking perhaps it was best that Octavian had not sent her a rose yet because it would've made the entire thing worse. Trying not to feel too bad about it, Marisol looked up at the Ravenclaw again and said, "Either way I'm glad you enjoyed your rose." Marisol smiled happily at her and then a brilliant idea came into her head. "Maybe you can sing me a song one of these days to repay me for it," she said cheekily. Of course Noelle didn't actually have to do anything in return for getting the rose, but Marisol just wanted an excuse to hear Noelle play her guitar again so she hoped the Ravenclaw would be up for it.
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