Cautious Classmate… Or New Friend?

[Acacia Ruskin]

November 4, 1886

Acacia has been burying herself in class work and homework ever since her encounter with John. Even after speaking with her sister, it was hard for her to cope with what the foolish boy had said, and did. So, she did the only thing she could think of. She blocked it out and focused fully on her work, something she actually could cope with, and could understand.
Sometimes she even forgot to eat, sitting in the Great Hall, more focused on her books than on food. But, that usually didn't go unnoticed. Even if she didn't have many friends, some Ravenclaws seemed to notice and get her attention to remind her. Though, she wasn't sure if it was out of pity or fear that her hunger would make her crave what her mother couldn't live without.
At the moment, she was reading through her homework, making sure she didn't have any mistakes, when she heard something break. It startled her, snapping her out of her deep focus in her book. She turned to the noise and looked at the person and whatever they had smashed. "Are you OK?" She asked kindly.

  

[Daffodil Potts]

Daffy had the tendency to breeze in and out of the Ravenclaw common room like the school ghosts, there one minute and gone the next. More often than not she was followed by her rather large, rather fluffy, Maine coon cat, Beatrix, especially throughout the common room and dorms. It wasn't unusual for her to sit down on one of the comfy sofas only to remember something in her dorm room and subsequently disappear for an hour before returning to what she had been doing. It wasn't the best of habits, to be so easily distracted, but Daffy managed to make it work, most of the time.

Currently, she'd just returned to the common room after being outside in the greenhouses and she was met by a snuggly Bea as soon as she made her way in. Today she was sporting a soft halo of forget-me-knots atop her chestnut hair, just a little something for fun, as always. It certainly wasn't unusual for her to be wearing flowers in her hair. Nor was it odd for her to have a smudge of dirt on her face from being in the greenhouses, like she was now.

Daffy stopped to scoop up Bea as she moved through the common room, thinking she best get on some of her homework, something other than herbology of course. With her bag over her shoulder and her large cat in her arms, she was unbalanced (not that she was graceful anyway) and as she took a seat at one of the tables in the common room, managed to knock over an abandoned inkwell that went crashing to the floor beside her. A concerned question caused Daffy to pass her housemate a small smile. "Oh fine, thank you, though I'm afraid we may have some kitty footprints around the common room in a moment." Bea had jumped down to investigate and was very near stepping in the little ink that had spilled.

  

[Acacia Ruskin]

Acacia couldn't help but smile at the furry creature. She loved animals. Though, it was always hard for her to pick one out. With that cause, she didn't get to bring one. She waved lightly at the animal, then looked back at the owner. She kept her small, friendly smile, but it was still small. "That's alright. Though, our professors may not agree with that." She said, a hint of humor in her voice.
She couldn't help but wonder if the girl knew who she was talking to, or if she just didn't care about who, or rather what, Acacia was. Acacia watched the girl and the cat for a moment, then glanced at her work. Finally, she put her work away and looked back at the two.
"I don't know if you noticed, but you have a bit of dirt on your face." She said politely. It would be nice to have a normal conversation with someone. Hopefully it would get her mind off of all that has been happening.

  

[Daffodil Potts]

Daffy watched Bea investigate the spilled ink, but her fluffball quickly lost interest and hopped back up into Daff's lap, content to curl up and get comfortable, in the mood for a nap apparently. Absentmindedly scratching the cat between the ears, Daffy refocused on her housemate, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "Oh probably not." And with a quick wave of her wand, the ink disappeared. When you had the tendency to be clumsy and knock things over, you got quite good at cleaning them up. The inkwell came floating back up to the table, unharmed, though it hadn't broken to begin with, she supposed somebody might be missing it.

"That's hardly anything new." She added dreamily about the dirt on her face, making no move to get rid of it. It wasn't exactly uncommon where she was concerned. If fact it was just about as usual as the flowers in her hair. Her family did own a florist after all! "I was just in the greenhouses caring for my begonias, they're blooming ever so nicely." She announced, though she had no clue if her housemate even cared. Daff tended to forget things like that.

  

[Acacia Ruskin]

Acacia saw the cat jump on the girl's lap and giggled a little. "Must be hard work being a cat." She joked. She then looked as the inkwell floated onto the table. "That's some good magic. Well done." She said. She tried to think of who was there, using it. At least it didn't look damaged.
She smiled more at hearing about the girl's gardening. "Oh, that sounds lovely. Flowers are so beautiful. I enjoy painting them. The more complex the flower is, the more fun it is to paint." She said happily. Painting was a passion of hers, and flowers were one of her favorite things to paint.

  

[Daffodil Potts]

Daff's attention had wandered to her begonias momentarily, she was thinking about potting them out to make as gifts for Christmas, but wasn't so sure they'd be ready in time. Well perhaps they would with a little more care. If nothing else she could transplant them to the greenhouse at the shop and pot them to sell.

"Hmm?" Daff blinked and refocused when she realized she'd spaced out, yet again. She'd entirely missed the comment about the cat and clean up, but did manage to catch the last bit about painting. "I always wished I could paint. My sister Zinnia is the artist. I can sketch fairly well, but I'm always so impressed with what she comes up with." She said it wistfully, like an afterthought, though clearly she meant it. Sometimes it was hard to tell with Daffy; she tended to just say what she was thinking, rather than what was relevant to the conversation.

  

[Acacia Ruskin]

Acacia nodded. "Painting takes practice and patience. I used to be terrible at it, actually." She admitted. She thought for a moment on what to say next. She was enjoying the conversation, and didn't want it to end. "Which house is your sister in, if you don't mind me asking?" She asked kindly.

  

[Daffodil Potts]

It wasn't that Daff didn't have patience, it was more of the fact that she lacked focus. She was a dreamer by nature and often found herself distracted by whims and daydreams. It wasn't something that bothered her and she was able to concentrate on schoolwork at the like- or reading, she loved to read, but with things like painting she would start one thing and get distracted and forget to come back to it. The habit didn't really lend itself to finishing much artwork. She did keep a small journal of herbology sketches, just quick, rough drawings of plants she found in the greenhouses or in the shop, but they didn't take long and were easy for her to complete in a few moments.

"Oh this one, she's a seventh year. Zinnia." Daffy had no idea if the girl before her knew her sister, but that was neither here nor there. While the Potts sisters may have been quite varied in personality and demeanor, quite a few shared a house at one point or another. Zinnia and Daffy were quite close, in age and in, well just about everything. Daff always found her sister to be much more quiet and a little reserved than Daff herself, but perhaps that was just because Daff had the habit of simply saying what was on her mind rather than observing from the outskirts. Like now for instance. "There are six of us altogether, but we haven't all been Ravenclaws." The sisters Potts, all named after a flower. Her mother's idea of course, reflecting the family business, but it never failed to amuse Daff when she stopped to think about it.

  

[Acacia Ruskin]

Acacia had always been the one in her family to get lost in what she was doing as well. Even before the chaos, she seemed to get so focused on something, that she forgot everything else. Especially with art. She would drop everything in an instant if she got an idea for a painting or a drawing. She couldn't help it. It drove her family nuts at times, and she could tell.
"I haven't met her. But... most tend to avoid me." She said, shrugging slightly. It did bother her, but she didn't control people. She just wished that other's would give her a chance to prove that she wasn't dangerous, or evil, or whatever they thought a half-vampire was. "I have three siblings. Two sisters, one brother. My brother isn't in school quite yet. He will be next year." She said, changing the subject back again quickly.

  

[Daffodil Potts]

Though Daffy had though the girl's comment about people avoiding her a little odd, since Daff clearly hadn't, she supposed she could relate. While Daffy was more outgoing than some of her sisters, she had been called strange and weird more than once in her life. Perhaps it was the flower crowns, or the way she flitted about between places, or her name, who knew, but it never had bothered Daffodil. No, she was almost always just as bright and sunny as the flower she was named for. Perhaps her mother had known that when she'd named her.

She could also relate to having an incoming sibling next year! The littlest Potts had a late birthday, the poor girl, so she would be starting next year as well. Calla was, well, the loudest of the bunch, that was for sure and it led Daff to wonder if she'd be a Gryffindor. There certainly weren't many of those in their family! "My youngest sister will also be a first year next year!" She said finally, no thought on as to why people would avoid the redhead; so far their conversation had been perfectly pleasant! Daffy was woefully disconnected from the gossip circle at the school and therefore wouldn't know much about those she had never spoke to herself.  

  

[Acacia Ruskin]

Acacia didn't mind when others were different. She was extremely used to different. It was starting to feel like she would never experience normal on the other hand. So many things have happened in her life that were driving her nuts. She did notice how the girl seemed confused about something she had said.
She was excited to see her brother again. He seemed a bit quiet normally, but also curious about everything. She suspected she would be in the same house as she was, or maybe a Gryffindor, if he had some hidden bravery that she has yet to have seen. "That's wonderful. I hope they become friends. And maybe, that we could be friends?" She said.
She did notice a flower crown or two in the crowd of the class room. She had always found that interesting. She liked the idea of painting the one who had been wearing them. But she had never seen the face of the one wearing the crown, so she never had the chance to ask, which had disappointed her.
Never in her days of school had she thought that someone wouldn't know what she was by now. She guessed that everyone knew. After all, the first one who she told had let it spread like wildfire. She figured, might as well. It was better than secrets.

  

[Daffodil Potts]

"Mmm, Calla is quite outgoing and quite the handful." Daffy chuckled, she wouldn't put it past her youngest sister to befriend anyone who could handle her. While Daffy was an extrovert in most ways, Calla took it to a whole new level. Frankly, Daffy enjoyed watching her sister interact with the world around her; so inquisitive and compassionate.

The following suggestion that they be friends also struck Daffy as a little odd. Not because she was opposed, but she was also fairly certain that she'd never been flat out asked to be someone's friend, especially by somebody whose name she was entirely unaware of. Perhaps they should start there. "I'm Daffodil, by the way. But friends call me Daffy sometimes." It fit her, as Thistle liked to point out- she was a little daffy sometimes, but in the best of ways, she'd been assured. Daff had never taken it personally because she knew it to be true.

  

[Acacia Ruskin]

Acacia laughed softly. "Well, my brother is quiet, mostly. But curious about the world. I would be surprised if he was in this house." She said. When she wasn't using them, she let him read her less advanced class books, and it seemed to thrill him. She liked the idea that they would share a house, and that he liked to learn so much.
When Daffodil hadn't answered Acacia's question, she thought that the girl was just trying to be polite instead of bluntly saying no. It disappointed her, but she didn't let it show. She wasn't too used to making too many friends, especially when others knew what she was. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Acacia." She said kindly.
She was also named from plants. Her father had told her that when her mother had read that their last name meant 'little rose', she had to decide to give Acacia her name, which meant 'thorn'. Though Acacia hated her mother, she had always liked that story, and how two parts of her name were linked.

  

[Daffodil Potts]

"Oh, and this is Beatrix. Daffy added after Acacia introduced herself. The need to introduce her cat was not something many people would find necessary, but since the large Maine coon cat was right there and had been the subject of conversation already, she figured it was appropriate. The cat opened one eye at her name, but didn't move much more than that as she was quite content to keep snoozing away in Daffy's lap. "Lazy bones." Daff chuckled as she scratched gently between Bea's ears.

Realizing she should probably actually get started on her homework, Daff retrieved her bag from the floor only to realize she didn't have her transfiguration book with her. "Oh bother, I need to get my transfiguration homework started and it's upstairs. Guess I should clean up and get that started." She slung her bag over one shoulder and gingerly picked Bea up, folding the large cat into her arms easily. "It was lovely chatting with you, I'll see you around!" She passed Acacia another dreamy smile.

Wrap? Unless you had something else in mind?

  

[Acacia Ruskin]

Acacia smiled. She felt that it was sweet that the girl would introduce her cat. "Hello little Beatrix." She said softly. She giggled at the cat's lazy actions. She got up and pet the fluffy cat's back. "A very cute lazy bones." She said in response. She watched the cat for a moment as she thought.
She looked up when Daffodil spoke again. She nodded. "I realize that I should be getting some sleep. I've been so buried in my own homework that I haven't been focused on much else." She said, backing up for her. "It was nice chatting to you as well. Have a good night." She added.

Yeah. It was awesome RPing with you. We should put them together again soon.