(Untitled)

[averykellaway]

Week Name/Date/Time:'Promises and Plans'/Thursday October 15th, 10:15am
Location: Study Hall
Open To: Lauren!
Currently Involving: Avery, Lauren

Comments

[lauren_taylor_d]

It was early for Lauren... past ten, right? Yeah, most days she tried to slept in at least until 11. But today she had gotten up for an unknown reason, preparing herself for the day ahead of her. Only one class today, yay!

Deciding it would be nice to go out for a walk before lunch, she headed straight to the main entrance, walking past the Great Hall and peering in at the suckers who were stuck in Study Hall. Heh. She was glad she hadn't chosen to pick an early Study Hall, hers was at 1.

Oh, but look who she spotted! Little miss Avery -- one of the few Gryffindors who she hadn't had a chance to speak to! And boy did she feel awful for that. After all, Lauren thought of the younger girl as a little sister, and she didn't want Avery to start thinking she'd gone and forgotten about her! No, that wouldn't be good.

So, skipping into the Great Hall, but making sure not to draw too much attention to herself, seeing as she wasn't sure if she was allowed into the room without being signed up for that session, she took a seat next to the girl.

"Hello, lovely!" A huge smile was gracing her face, hoping that Avery wouldn't mind the company, "Mind if I interrupt your studying?"

((sorry took so long to reply -- I got way distracted. But zomg, we're finally threading! XD))

[averykellaway]

Looking from her book, she saw the smiley face of one Lauren Dispenziere. Now, this was one person whose company she didn't mind. Normally she was really upbeat and happy and always so cheerful, and just seeing her was enough to cheer up. Oh well, it wasn't as if she was going to get anything done, after all.

She returned her smile, and then moved her bag from the seat beside her onto the table. "Hey, Lauren. No, not at all. It isn't everyday that I get my work space graced by your presence, yes?" she teased, gesturing for her to take a seat.

"How've you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!" That was a fact, not an exaggeration. Lauren had always been so nice to her, and she felt a little guilty herself that they hadn't been talking since the school year had started. She had been so caught up with work and DA and just... everything in general, that she barely had enough time for all her friends. And that was saying something since Avery wasn't what one would consider to be a social butterfly.

((No worries! And YESH! We're threading XD))

[lauren_taylor_d]

Lauren grinned, happy that Avery didn't mind the extra company. Psh. Besides, the girl had plenty of time to finish up whatever studying or homework she had been doing! What a great influence that Lauren was, eh?

But it really had been ages since they'd seen each other, besides the passing waves in the hallways and common rooms. As opposed to Avery, Lauren was quite the social butterfly, and she felt as if she had failed herself, as well as her friend, for not having pursued her sooner and tried to talk to her.

But such was life. She knew she couldn't win them all.

"I've been great!" Lauren chirped, making sure to keep her voice down. "This year has been wonderful so far, what about you?"

[averykellaway]

Avery proceeded to close her books, and stacked them neatly on one side of the table, away from Lauren so that they could see each other clearly without any obstruction. Would be rude to talk over the books, and not very nice at all.

She did leave one particular book, a sort of relationship/friendship guidebook on the table, out of the stack. It was something that she had found in the library, much to her surprise. Not that she had actually been thinking about relationships. No, not at all. They just caught her eye, that was all.

Grinning at Lauren's contagious enthusiasm, she reached up to push a strand of her hair behind one ear. Messy hair so early in the morning? That just wouldn't do.

"Well, the year has seen its ups and downs, I suppose. Been rather quiet this week, but all the things happening before.. I'm just very glad things are peaceful at the moment," she said thoughtfully. She noticed the lack of books and such on Lauren's part and figured that this probably wasn't her Study Hall period. "Where were you heading to? You don't have Study Hall now, do you?"

[lauren_taylor_d]

Lauren watched the younger girl as she cleared the table, taking notice of the one book she left in front of her. Hmm, a relationship book? That was interesting. And as much as the blonde may have wanted to ask, she didn't. Not yet at least.

"It has been rather quiet," She agreed, knowing that the school usually had a lot more drama going on around this time of year. Of course the arrival of one Lucius Malfoy was big news -- bleh, she knew that man was bad news, and she refused to be one of the many students who went all gaga over him. Nope. He creeped her out. Was that because he was some stuck up rich pureblood? Most definitely.

As Avery asked about Study Hall, she shook her head, "Nope. I don't have anything during this block... I was just heading outside when I saw you!" She smiled warmly, "And we haven't talked for a long, long time. I apologize sweetie, I will completely take the blame for that. I've been a bit wrapped up in my own world this year, it seems."

[averykellaway]

"No, no, it's my fault as much as yours, isn't it? Let's just I've been... well, kind of distracted?" Avery tried to explain. Well, distracted was right. Even then, she felt that she had already met up with quite a number of people over the last few weeks, even people she had not met before. That was something, wasn't it? She shook her head, and let out a small laugh.

"So what's new, then? Any new bloke caught your eyes lately?" She knew Lauren was rather known for her association with guys, and that didn't really surprise Avery, seeing that the older girl was very fun-loving and just so friendly. She was one person that Avery knew she could never be like, and yet her spirit was one of the things that never ceased to amaze her.

And well... wouldn't some advice at this moment from Lauren be useful? She must have already seen the book anyway. Reaching out to pull the book to her, she looked at the blonde for a while before speaking. "Actually, I think there might be something that I might to.. ah.. ask you. Well, about that."

[lauren_taylor_d]

The older girl's brow furrowed slightly as Avery admitted that she was distracted. Distracted? By... a boy, perhaps? It was the only logical thought that Lauren came up with -- what with that book that was staring the two girls in the face.

She had been about to ask, when Avery spoke with a few questions of her own.

"Oh, Avery, you should know me better than that. There are always new blokes that catch my eyes!" She winked, giggling at how absurd she was. Why, she had to be Hogwarts most boy crazy girl ever! It was quite sad, and as much as she tried to change the habit, she just couldn't. "But in all seriousness, no. Not really. I mean, there are a few that I find attractive, but that's nothing new."

Lauren let out a sigh, her whole dilemma with Cyrus coming back to haunt her. Rawr.

"Ask me something? Go for it!" Ah, so this question would probably tell her what was up with Avery.

[averykellaway]

Avery covered her mouth with one hand to muffle her own giggles as Lauren started her dramatics. She could always count on her to lighten the mood. In fact, that was what she had just done. Her books were still left ignored, yes, but at least she wasn't feeling so gloomy anymore.

"The few attractive ones.. Do I know them?" she asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. Well, granted, she didn't know too many people in the school, but there was a chance she might know who Lauren was referring to, wasn't there? Doesn't hurt to share a little gossip, anyway.

As the older girl told her go ahead and ask her whatever it was she wanted to ask, Avery bit her lip nervously. Well, she had wanted to do this, right?

"Well, see, I've always thought that you're more... experienced, when it comes to, you know," she paused, then said in a small, barely audible voice, "boys."

[lauren_taylor_d]

"Do you know them?" She pondered that question, unsure whether or not to actually say who she thought was cute. Not that she cared if word went around to those certain individuals, and not that Avery would go telling anyone, but still.

She'd been telling an awful lot of people about Cyrus... well, maybe three of her friends wasn't that big of a deal, but considering how he was in a relationship, she didn't want to start that topic again. The questions were always the same 'Does he think the same way about you?''Why is he not interested?''Have you told him how you feel', etc. She didn't want to deal with that again, and she didn't like lying to her good friends.

"Hm. Well, I don't know if you'll know them, but I find some of the aurors to be quite dashing!! I have always had a thing for the older blokes..."

More giggles issued from her mouth, and she had to cover it with her palm, watching as the professor walked by.

Aw, and wasn't that precious? So Avery did want to ask her about boys. Yay! It was possibly Lauren's favorite topic. Go figure.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm a pro or anything," She smiled, "But yes, I would like to think that I know what I'm doing. Whats up? Set your sight on someone, did ya?"

[averykellaway]

Oh aurors, then? Avery didn't think she'd actually bump into any of them, though Jackie had mentioned introducing one to her so that she could get her doubts about that career path clarified. Not a bad idea, but somehow she'd always thought of them as adults who patrol the school to keep them out of harm's way, and not as potential.. whatever you call them.

She couldn't bring herself to think of the word boyfriend.

She watched with an amused look as Lauren covered her mouth when the professor walked past, herself pretended to be looking at the cover of her Arithmancy book with interest. When she was sure that he had walked past them without giving them a second look, she turned her attention back to Lauren.

"Well, you can say that, I guess. I just.. don't know if he likes me the way I do him, you know. And I've been told I should tell him, but how?" she asked, keeping her voice low just in case some curious folk was listening in on them.

[lauren_taylor_d]

Sure, aurors themselves didn't seem like the ideal boyfriends... but Lauren hadn't said she was interested in having a boyfriend, now did she? At this point, all she wanted was a good snog. Last snog she had was right before she got to school... and it was driving her crazy!!

"Ah, I see," She nodded her understandment, a grin tugging at her lips. Young love! It was so cute -- Lauren was only a year younger than Avery when she had her first real crush. What fun that had been...

"Do you mind me asking who it is? It would be easier for me to help you out, if I know him at least." The blonde had a suspicion of who it could be. No, she hadn't her that Avery liked Soren, but she'd seen the two talked a number of times, and she was rather observant.

[averykellaway]

Now that they've started on the topic of boys, Avery couldn't help but wonder if she was indeed thinking about this, about him, when she had instinctively grabbed that book from the shelf. It turned to be pretty much useless anyway, but she had only gone through the first half. If Lauren was able to clarify her doubts, she might not need to finish reading that book at all. Relief, really. She didn't need to read about how depressing it would be if your FRIEND turned out to not like you back.

She smiled sheepishly at Lauren as the older girl grinned. It wasn't exactly her first time, either, but it had been totally different the previous year.

"Well, can we just say it's someone we both know?" she asked, widening her eyes in anticipation. She didn't want to go around announcing her feelings towards Soren, especially since she didn't trust everyone else to not blab. Not that she didn't trust Lauren. She did, really, but when you're in such a public place... Anyone could be listening.

She pulled a strand of her hair and twirled it around her finger. "I don't really want him to know if I'm not certain that he feels the same. Ruining friendships and all, you know."

[lauren_taylor_d]

"Oh, no," Lauren waved a dismissive hand, a little disappointed not to find the identity of this mystery man, but acting as if she didn't care, "Not a problem at all, sweetie. I totally understand."

She glanced around the room for a minute, wondering if the reason Avery didn't confess was because the bloke was in the room. Hmm, she didn't see Soren, so maybe it wasn't him after all.

Lauren cleared her throat, wishing she had a glass of water because her mouth was suddenly very dry! "So what exactly did you want to know? How to tell him your feelings? That's a... well, a really hard thing to do," Although, it hadn't ever been that hard for her to do! But because she had friends who, like Avery, were a bit shy, she understood how difficult it could be.

"But if you like him enough, to the point where you have to know whether or not he returns these feelings, then you just have to put whatever fear you have aside and just do it. If you're good enough friends, I doubt he'll laugh in your face," She squeezed Avery's hand encouragingly before continuing, "Besides, you're one of the most adorable girls ever, there is no way that this bloke couldn't have noticed you. If he hasn't? Well, he simply isn't worth your time!"

[averykellaway]

Avery studied Lauren's expression as she waved off the fact that Avery had been somewhat unwilling to share. She was worried that the older girl would somehow get offended, but when she didn't look all that hurt, not to Avery at least, she decided to let it drop. She wasn't all that prepared to divulge such information just yet, probably to anyone, but well, Erik had only found out because she had been feeling guilty about.. what was that again? She couldn't even really remember. Oh, right. The pink strand incident.

"Well, I don't really know what I'm looking for here, actually. Should I tell him? I don't really know myself. It's just that it started out as something like a mere admiration, only it grew into something more, you know?" she asked, trying to choose her words carefully. On one hand, she didn't want to make it sound as if she was exaggerating, but then, it was also the truth.

She let out a soft sigh. "I know what you mean. I'm not exactly.. brave when it comes to this." Or much else, actually.

As Lauren mentioned her being adorable, she blushed. "Um, thank you?" she said meekly, a smile on her face.

Boy, isn't this an awkward conversation?

"Does this sort of thing ever happen to you?"

[lauren_taylor_d]

Nah, Lauren wouldn't be hurt by the fact that Avery hadn't told her... it was just her silly curiosity that made her want to know every single detail!! And normally, she would prod away, begging and pleading for the person to fill her in. But Avery was such a sweet, kind girl, not to mention shy beyond belief, that Lauren didn't want to subject her to such torture.

Seriously. Avery was getting off easy!

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," She ran a hand through her hair as she thought, unsure of whether the other girl should tell this bloke about her affections. See, this was why she wanted to know! If it was Soren, Lauren probably would encourage it... he was a nice enough guy, he would most likely be flattered. But if it was someone not so nice? Lauren would tell Avery to wait it out a bit longer.

She laughed lightly, "You're a Gryffindor! You were placed in this house for a reason, and bravery, whether you feel it or not, is something we all have. You can totally do it. I believe in you!"

"Does this sort of thing ever happen to you?"

Snorting, she looked away, finding that question far more amusing than she should. It was a simple enough question, but Lauren didn't know how to answer it. Normally, she would say no, that sort of thing didn't happen to her. She had never been in the position where she found it difficult to tell someone that she liked them. But... well, truth be told, she was quickly becoming that way with Cyrus. Whether it be the fact that he had a girlfriend, or... other reasons. She wasn't sure.

"It's happened to me once before..." A tiny lie, since it was happening to her right then.

[averykellaway]

Whatever happened to her being determined to not let him know anything? Gone out the window, obviously. Which shouldn't be such a bad thing, only that she was scared out of her wits at the thought of baring her soul to him.

Come on, lion within! Show yourself!

"Well, see, that's one of the things I wonder myself, like, why am I in Gryffindor? Fi always says I'm an accidental lion, which doesn't console me one bit," Avery said, shrugging but laughing nonetheless. It was an interesting notion, to think that the Sorting Hat could actually make a mistake like this, but maybe, just maybe, Lauren was right. And her bravery is still hiding somewhere within her, waiting for the right time to make an appearance. She wondered if when it did make an appearance, would people be surprised?

When she heard the snort, she looked at Lauren questioningly. "Oh? I didn't expect you to, not really. It seems you're.. I don't know, always so confident and all that. Don't the blokes like that?" Really, she was curious.