(LK)Across the waters

[softlyfallingrain]

The lake was peaceful and quiet. It being October, it was a little chilly to be out and about, but one could always bundle up and take the cold. At least, thats what Aileen thought as she walked towards the shore of the lake, bundled in her thick warm robes and a cap to keep her warm from the chilly air. Humming an Irish tune, her step was cheerful as she reached the waters edge and took a seat. The sixth year let out a sigh though.

There was no mistake that Aileen loved living in Great Britain. But she missed Ireland dearly. She remembered how her and her young childhood friends would run the streets of the village where she used to live, and how she had rather unsuccessfully tried to play on her fathers bagpipes when she was six. That had turned out to be quite a disaster. Giggling at the sudden memories, her lips curved into a smile as he reached out to touch the water with a few flicks of her fingers. There was no reason to be sad! She would see her home country soon enough over the holidays, as her parents planned every year. Looking around, she realized how alone she was and shivered in her robes, wishing that Nightfall was there with her, whom was her owl. She wondered if anyone else was up and about on this chilly day, for she hoped to meet some new people and chat for a bit.

[Lisa Turpin]

Lisa shivered, snuggling deeper in her cloak. The castle, filled with its usual bustling students, had denied her the peace and quiet she had hoped for and she figured she'd have more luck at the lake. Carrying a thick Herbology book under her arms, she walked briskly to the deep waters, adjusting her scarf a few times along the way.

Finally reaching a grassy patch of dry ground, Lisa dropped herself onto the floor with a sigh, finding her bookmarked page. It was only when she heard a slight shuffle beside her did she realize she wasn't alone.

Looking toward the unfamiliar girl, Lisa offered a sheepish grin. "Sorry, didn't realize anyone was here!"

[softlyfallingrain]

The Irish witch appeared to be startled at the sudden voice, but offered a laugh and a friendly wave of the hand as her eyes fell over a student she didn't recognise, her head now turned to her. "Nah, it's okay! I was actually hoping for some company! It's a little lonely out here without my owl chattering away at me like he usually does whenever I have him on my shoulder." Aileen chuckled and replied with a slight accent, holding out a friendly hand to the other girl. "I'm Aileen. And you are?" She asked, offering a grin to her.

[Lisa Turpin]

"I'm Lisa," she said, taking the offered hand with a smile. Then, closing her book, she brushed a few stray strands of hair from her eyes and send a wistful gaze to the general direction of the owlery.

"You have an owl?" She asked, her gaze flickering back to the girl in front of her. "I wish I did- my parents say I'm not responsible enough." She let out a small laugh, "They're probably right."

Then, finally placing Aileen's accent, she smiled, "Not from around here?"

[softlyfallingrain]

Aileen smiled brightly and looked towards the owlery in the distance, offering a friendly laugh. "Yeah. His name is Nightfall. I love him to death and take him everywhere with me when I can. He's almost like my little companion, always seeming to be squawking in my ear and wanting an extra somethin' to eat. Thats a shame that your parents won't allow you to get one. They're the greatest little pets a wizard could have. Pretty dependable as well, if I do say so myself."

Suddenly looking a slight bit sheepish, she offered a nod as she turned her eyes towards the lake. "Well, I live here now in this country, but I was raised in Ireland as a young lass. My accent slips sometimes." She laughed, suddenly turning to see the book Lisa held in her hands. "Are you interested in Herbology?" The witch asked curiously.

[Lisa Turpin]

Lisa grinned as she listened to Aileen describe her owl, watching the girl's face light up. She laughed slightly, turning back to the lake.

"I've never been out of England," she said, her gaze still lingering on the cool water before she looked back at Aileen. "I'm sure Ireland is beautiful- I'd love to visit some day."

Then, lifting up the hefty textbook, she let out a sort of embarrassed laugh. "Herbology's one of my favorite subjects, next to potions. How about you? Any particular classes you enjoy?"

[softlyfallingrain]

Aileen offered a grin, looking back out to the lake as well. "Yep! Ireland is quite the beautiful country. You'll have to visit it someday. Like my mum's told me, everyone should visit Ireland at least once in their lives." Looking back at Lisa, she offered a shrug and another smile as her eyes landed on the large Herbology book she had in her hands once more. "I have a few classes I enjoy. Potions is the main one that I enjoy, but I also like Transfiguration and Charms."

She offered yet another friendly laugh. "I'm not too good at getting my homework finished on time though. Seems like my mind is always focused on something else. It's a bad habit of mine. But anyways, getting away from school-related subjects, what do you like to do outside of class? I mean, hobbies wise I guess."

[Lisa Turpin]

Lisa listened to Aileen intently, settling herself more comfortably on the ground. Pulling her book closer to her, she laughed. "Well, I like reading, obviously, but I'm not very social... I like being alone a lot." She said, her finger on her chin as if she were thinking. Then, she grinned, her eyes looking over to the lake.

"I also like swimming..." She said, her eyebrows raised and her grin still intact, before she stood up and took a few tentative steps forward, taking her worn out trainers off along the way. She looked back at Aileen and beckoned her over, feeling her socks sink into the mud and laughing as she pulled them off.

[softlyfallingrain]

Aileen grinned and laughed, getting to her feet and taking off her shoes and socks, before running over to where Lisa was. The mud of the lake felt good under her feet as she wiggled her toes into it, the cold waters brushing by the tops of her feet. "Your poor socks." She remarked jokingly, still laughing as she tried not to get her robes too wet by holding them up a tiny bit.

"Yeah. I'm pretty social with people, but a little alone time here and there isn't bad at all. Reading is also an activity I like. Silly that I love reading, yet I hate doing schoolwork and homework, no?" The hufflepuff replied, trying to do a jig in the water out of pure energy and silliness but not being able to do so. Actually, her feet stuck to the mud, making her gasp, wobble, and fall over into the water. Spurting out water from her mouth, her wet hair now fell over her shoulders in a mess and her robes were soaked, her hat floating nearby as well. "Oh damn!" She cursed, but couldn't help but laugh at her clumsiness. "Guess I should've been more careful."

[Lisa Turpin]

Lisa laughed, extending a hand to the mud-covered girl. "Hey, don't worry! I'm just as clumsy, if not more!" She said, with a grin, feeling Aileen grip onto her hand. However, just as she was about to pull the girl up, she felt the hand pull her down-wards. She sent the grinning girl a stunned glance before she found herself falling into the mud and water.

There was a pause as Lisa registered the fact she was a pile of mud, before she started laughing. "At least my socks will match now!"

[softlyfallingrain]

Aileen laughed profusely, blushing in embarassment. "Oh Merlin! I'm sorry! I tried getting up before you started pulling me up. My bad. I get so impatient." She offered an apologetic grin as she attempted to get to her feet, which she did after a few tries. Taking the other girls hand, she pulled Lisa up and grinned, looking towards the castle. "Ack. We're both a mess. We'd better go back to the castle and clean up." She laughed again, trying to brush some of the mud off of herself, which wasn't proving to be very successful. It was /everywhere/ though! In Aileen's hair, on her robes. Gackt, she was a mess!

[Lisa Turpin]

Lisa grinned when she was finally pulled out of the mud. She brushed back her hair, only managing to pile more streaks of dirt on her face, and nodded in agreement. "We really should!" She said, looking at her robes with a sort of amused look of horror. She grabbed her trainers and used her hands to brush her robes off again, albeit a bit weakly.

"That definitely wasn't what I had in mind when I said swimming," she said, her eyes laughing.

[softlyfallingrain]

The hufflepuff laughed, nodding in agreement. "Yeah. I didn't know the lake was so..muddy." She looked at it with a playfully disgusted look. Grabbing her shoes and slipping them onto her now mud-covered feet, she reached and grabbed her hat out of the water, placing it onto her head while it was still wet. "Hehe. Couldn't leave that behind!" She laughed, taking a few steps away from the lakes edge.

"Alright, lets get going. Might as well get to the castle and get cleaned up before dinner is served. I'm starving!" Her eyes turned towards the castle once again, a grin on the corner of her lips.

[Lisa Turpin]

Lisa held her shoes in her left hand as she rubbed her stomach with a smile. "Yeah, I'm starving too! Muddy lakes do nothing to stall my appetite... Honestly, nothing stalls my apetite!" She said with a laugh, dragging her feet across the grass, the mud drying on her legs and robes. She scrunched up her nose in disgust at the feeling, before picking up her book, hoping it wouldn't get too muddy on the walk back.