[Library] Silence

[amyraonyx]

Silence. It was deafening. The scratch of her quill against parchment was like the chiming of church bells, loud, obnoxious, and insistent. Onyx's fluid handwriting danced across the page in black ink which shimmered green in the light of the library.

Dear mum,

I know you're lonely, and I know how frantic you get when I don't write. So I'm sending this to let you know that everything here is perfectly fine, I'm learning tons, as usual. You need not worry about me in the slightest. Let this short note be a weight off your shoulders, and breathe easier.

Love, Amyra.

Her mother was the only person Onyx actually allowed to call her by her real name. Mostly because her mother's name was the same, and she wanted to allow that broken woman at least the pleasure of thinking her daughter took pride in carrying on such a sinful name. Usually, she went by the alias Onyx, as her father had. But she had found out early on that using that word in her house was strickly forbidden, because her mother couldn't so much as whisper it without bursting to sobs.

Broken woman, indeed.

Lost in thought, Onyx jumped and gasped as a black shape jumped up onto the small desk she was working at. "Mee-ow," came the contented voice, and instantly Onyx settled. Her cat, Lucinda, curled herself happily by her companions left hand. Onyx smiled and stroked her cat, and then folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope, temporarily hiding from the memories of back home.

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[Katya Ilychovich]

Humming, the sound a silent echo throughout the library, to the song Ashton had played for her in the common room, Katya scoured the shelves of books for something to read. Stacey had sparked her interest, with that random facts book, and she felt in the mood to read something funny and jovial. She was in a good mood, bruise-free with the Slytherin beatings behind her. Twice two people came to her rescue, and she didn't want to lay any meaning behind the saying 'third times the charm', so there wouldn't be any more poundings anytime soon. No, she was tired of it.

Thinking about a certain someone caused her heart to flutter, and her hand flew to her chest in shock. Stopping to take a breath and clear her head - what was this nonsense? - Katya concentrated on finding something to read, eventually grabbing some random book and sitting down at a table she hadn't realised was occupied. By a Slytherin, no less. Lovely. Even better was the title she had grabbed, and by golly, how the heck did it end up in the library? Erotic Poses and Other Positions To Try, by I. M. Hornee. Feeling her cheeks flush pink with embarrassment, the Ravenclaw let the book slide of her fingers, and it landed on the table top with a soft thud.

Well there was no way she wouldn't notice her now. Katya might as well pretend to do something, but what? She had nothing but that naughty novel with her, and she was going to put it back anyway. Hopefully Onyx hadn't caught the title before the Ravenclaw's hand shot out, whipping the book over her head as it spiralled off in to the Library's abyss, hitting someone in the face. Hearing the 'what the?!' and the grunt of pain, she leaned her head forward, hiding it with her hands. Exhasperated with herself.[/color]

[amyraonyx]

A thud, and a grunt, and Lucinda was on her dainty paws, black fur ruffled up as a hiss sparked in between her lips, and the small feline again caused Onyx to jump in surprise. Her ears were laid flat against her head and her lips were curled back to show her small, but sharp, white teeth.

"Shush, love," she muttered to the cat, running a hand along her spine to put her fur back in place. Covering her shiny white fangs again, Lucinda sat down, but still stared at the girl that had caused all the commotion. Onyx followed her cat's lime green gaze to a blonde Ravenclaw girl who sat nearby. Though it was uncommon for a Slytherin, Onyx never much minded the Gryffindors or Ravenclaws, and she only had a mild dislike for the Puffs. Ravenclaws were good allies, trustworthy and intelligent. And Gryffindors were loyal, and would have your back in any situation. But the Puffs... they were just there.

"Uhm," Onyx said, mentally slapping herself for starting a conversaion with 'uhm'. "Hi there. I'm Onyx. Are you alright?"

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[Katya Ilychovich]

Peeking out from behind her fingers, eyes wide with surprise at the casual tone which was sure to have belonged to someone else - it even sounded a little nice - except the Slytherin was still the only one there. Finally sliding her hands back on to the table, Katya managed to keep her shock on the down-low, the only perceptible difference on her calm was her eyes were still big. Am I alright? She wondered, figuring a nod would just cover it, thus she did so, bobbing her head once. Giving the other girl a quick, barely detectable once-over, she had the assumption the girl was different from other Slytherin's. There was still that fair chance she was just toying with her, like a marionette on a string, therefor Katya was still wary.

As if explaining her behavior, or reaction, she pointed to the abandoned book lying a few feet away, tucked underneath the bottom of the history shelf. ' Bad book. ' She mouthed. Some punk probably shoved it in their for laughs. And hey, now that she thought about it, it was pretty funny. Laughing a little, the Ravenclaw stretched, eyeing the pissy cat that sat near Onyx. Was her name Onyx? She had heard some people use it to address her, but there was the nickname factor.. Ah, well, not like it mattered to her.[/color]

[amyraonyx]

Lucinda began to settle herself down again, this time on the stack of parchment Onyx had brought with her. Sighing, the Slytherin (in vain) attempted to move the cat off the letter to her mother, unsure of whether the ink had dried or not. But Lucinda simply began to purr loudly and rolled onto her side, expecting a belly rub. Sighing again, Onyx put a hand on the tiny patch of white on the small cats tummy and began to rub.

She lifted her head and smiled at the Ravenclaw girl. "Yeah, they're pretty idiotic. I found a book in here once, I think it was called 'How To Fart On Command'." She tilted her head back to let out a semi-silenced laugh. "You know, if you're not doing anything important, you could come sit with me. I know Lucinda, my cat here, isn't very friendly at first, but pet her tummy and she'll love you forever."

Trying to redeem herself, because she was sure the girl had seen the uniform she was wearing indeed belonged to a Slytherin, she pulled the chair beside her out from under the table and patted the seat invitingly. Lucinda 'Mee-ehh'-ed in complaint, since Onyx had stopped rubbing her tummy, but she ignored it as best she could, locking eyes with the blonde Ravenclaw, hoping to convince her she wasn't like all the others.

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[Katya Ilychovich]

Oh, she wasn't about to move that easily. Eyeing the spot beside Amyra, Katya found herself inwardly being pulled in two directions: the naive, hopeful part of her wanted to make friends and sit there and talk about the hard assignment Vance had just, well, assigned, while the other part, the one that had witnessed the multiple beatings and taken them in to account, the suspicious one, the smarter one, preferred to stay put. Perhaps there could be a compromise? Standing, Katya came closer, if only to rub the cat's belly for a while before sitting not right beside her, but nearer than she had been before.

' Why? ' She asked then, her head to the side, questioning. Why was Onyx asking for her to come near? She was a Slytherin, was she not? Even though Katya tried vainly not to prejudize the snakes, it was hard not to, after getting hurt so many times. So now, she just asked aloud, wondering if this one had ulterior motives, or was just nicer than the rest of her house mates.
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[amyraonyx]

Lucinda was making a strange noise that must have been somewhere between a purr and a snore, and Onyx carefully removed her hand from the white patch of fur on the kitties tummy, happy when Lucinda continued to snur and didn't complain that Onyx was once again neglecting her.

Sighing loudly at the Ravenclaw's obvious indecision, Onyx swiped her long nailed fingers back through her long, brown hair. It fell back perfectly against the sides of her head, curved about her cheeks and merely accenting her inimitable features. She closed her eyes briefly, lost in thought, before opening them again and locking them to the girl's.

"Look, I know how it seems. Slytherins are well known for short tempers and cruel actions. But believe me, when I came to Hogwarts I never expected to be put into that house. I've payed for it all the three years I've been here, fighting to prove who I really am against the prejudices laid upon me, an endless facade." Onyx put one elbow on the table, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand. She smiled a small, sad smile. "Sometimes I wonder if anyone looks at me and sees who I am, or merely the badge that rests above my heart and the clothes upon my back."

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