Lightning and Rain

[Tallulah Skeffington]

Even though it was the afternoon the skies were a dark blue. Rain pelted the windows, the sound echoing lightly throughout the castle. There was a cold feel to the school, overpowering. Most had spent the day in their common rooms, away from the darkness. Tallulah thrived in the darkness. She loved the ominous feeling it gave the castle, that it gave her. In the dark she felt invincible. She set out from her common room around midday. Turning down one of the darker corridors to find something. Armed with her wand and a pair of sturdy boots she left the light behind her. She wore a pair of warm jeans that hugged her legs, her pair of comfiest boots, a long sleeved shirt and a hoodie. The hoodie wasn't something you'd usually see her in, but today it seemed workable.

As she walked farther into the dark she pulled out her wand, lighting the end. She held it high above her head, looking around at the high ceilings. Even though her wand burned bright she still couldn't see some of the ceiling. She heard something or someone behind her. With a quick look behind she saw nothing. She shrugged and turned again, walking into the darkness.

Every once and a while lightning would strike and light up the hallway, sending all the shadows away but also giving the hall a creepy look. This only excited Tallulah more. The eeriness sent her forward, making her want to see more. Her footsteps echoed in the hall, the sound seeming like it would never end.

She passed unused classrooms, some closets, and other places that were locked. This was turning out to be a right borefest. Tallulah sighed, stopping for a while. She was about to turn back when she happened on a door. For some reason this door attracted her, enticed her. She took a few more steps forward towards the door. When she was within reach she held out her hand, letting it hover over the doorknob. She knew she probably shouldn't go in. But she had to. If she didn't she'd regret it.

She heard the noise again. This time she turned around fully, scanning the hallway. With a swish of her wand she made the light pouring out of the tip brighter. And still it didn't light up the whole hallway. Her mouth set in a slight pout she finally spoke to the unseen follower. "Show your self. I know someone is following me." She wasn't scared, only annoyed that someone was either trying to scare her or move in on her fun.

((open))

[Tianne Webster-Barrett]

Tianne hated the weather when it was like this. She just didn't like rain, nor thunder, nor lightning, unless she was tired. It gave her a negative feeling, and all of a sudden, Tianne would just feel completely and utterly pessimistic and unforgiving. It made her want to go home, back to her sister, and new brother, back to her mother and her new father. A feeling of homesickness swept through the girl as well, but she knew that there was nothing she could do to fix that, she wasn't going to leave Hogwarts now that she had become prefect, and found three really great friends. That would be just wrong.

Smiling at a couple of Ravenclaw first years as she exited the common room, Tianne found that the rain was still beating down heavily. Sighing, the fifth year wandered down the stairs, before deciding that she wanted to go to the kitchens. Now that she thought about it, she was quite hungry, and knew that this was one feeling that she could treat.

Wearing a pair of blue shorts that hung down to her knees and a pair of black stockings, Tianne's legs were quite warm. Her top, a white blouse, was basically keeping her warm, but it was her cardigan that was doing the most. She wasn't cold by any stretch, she just wished that she wasn't wearing these clothes; if she did decide to go outside, they were going to get filthy. At least that kept Tianne from exiting the castle, she wouldn't want to get dirty at all.

Wandering down into the dungeons, Tianne spotted a girl, that looked about her age ahead of her. She didn't want to follow her, nor did she want it to seem like she was following, but she was curious. The kitchen was back the other way, and unless this girl was a Slytherin, she was probably curious too. As the girl stopped, and looked at a door, Tianne decided to go up to her, introduce herself and say hello. But as soon as she went to, the dark haired girl looked back, and spoke, making Tianne jump back. Stepping out towards her, Tianne blushed. "I wasn't following... I was just, I wasn't following." She didn't really know what to say. "I was about to introduce myself and say hi, but I got nervous." She admitted, a nervous grin upon her scarlet face.

[Tallulah Skeffington]

A body stepped out of the shadows after Tallulah had called out for them. Her eyes narrowed as the girl spoke up and stepped forward. A sneer appeared on her lips. "You know you shouldn't sneak up on people. You don't know what they'll do." She turned to face the girl fully, her wand now at her side. She took a few steps forward, looking at the girl closer. She looked frightfully familiar but Tallulah couldn't place her.

"Do we have class together? I seem to remember your face," she said, her voice slightly bored. The girl looked somewhat like someone she'd be seen with. She knew that was a harsh thing to think but appearances were everything to Tallulah. Her brown eyes stayed on the girl for a second then went back to the door. She turned her body fully so she was not facing the door again. Her hand still had yet to touch the knob. She turned slightly to the girl, a mischivious look on her face. "So, what are you doing down here?"

[pulse]

Over the last few weeks Pulse had taken to wondering the lower corridors of the castle during storms. The corridors were always dark so the brilliant flashes of light gave them a brief new look. Today as she walked she was forming a picture in her mind, one that she would surely draw later. How later, she did not know because she had her art supplies with her, as always, but she might wait until she returned to the common room.

So she wandered though the lower section of the castle, not really paying attention to where she was going and simply enjoying the eeriness of it all when she turned a corner and saw to girls standing partway down the hall. They were older than her but this came as no surprise since it seemed outside of classes most of the people she had met so far were older. She hesitated, not sure weather to turn around and go a different path or continue forward and meet them. They were more likely than not Slytherins who - according to their reputation at least - wouldn't mind messing with her.

She decided to wait at the corner and see what they were talking about. She really didn't considerer it spying, more like observing them before she decided or not weather to introduce herself. Of course her silent observance did not last long because she had only been standing there for a few seconds before a coughing fit over took her. It lasted for only a brief moment but she was sure it was enough to have drawn there attention so she walked forward towards the two girls; smiling in greeting as she did and saying, “Hello.”

[Tallulah Skeffington]

A cough interrupted what could have been a nice conversation between Tallulah and the other girl. She put her finger to her lips, her eyes going to the corner where the phantom cough came from. Tallulah's hand was still gripping her wand, the light still coming from the tip. She was about to call out to the person when they stepped out.

It was a younger girl, and by the looks of her a Huffle. Tallulah scoffed, looking the girl over. She was exactly like every other firstie this school had. But being as Tal is such a nice girl she smiled. Abet the smile was a slightly evil one.

"Hello," She said to the girl, taking a few steps towards her. "What are you doing down here? it's almost your bed time." She raised an eyebrow, staring down the girl. Yes, it was mean but Tal had nothing better to do at the moment.

[pulse]

Pulse felt a knot tighten in her stomach at the older girl’s words and evil smirk. Most defiantly a Slytherin, she decided. Well, she was not the best at clever retorts but she could handle the girls mocking. As long as it didn’t come to wands or blows she felt confident that she would be able to hold her own against one girl. She had, after all, survived six older siblings.

So she just continued to smile and answered, “If it’s drawing closer to my bedtime, then that means it is equally close to yours. And as to what I’m doing down here, well I’ll keep that to myself for now.” She paused for a moment to swallow a few times, trying to sooth her scratch throat. “I would tell you and inquire as to what you two were doing down here as well, but I don’t imagine I would get a pleasant response. But if you want to share first without being prompted, I will be more than happy to tell you what brought me down here this glorious evening.” She was doing her best to sound mature and grown up and smart and was very pleased at how well it all had come out. Now she only had to wait and see how mocking the older girls answer would be.

[Tallulah Skeffington]

Tal's eyes turned to slits as the girl spoke to her. She wasn't that bad with words, could use a little help, but not that bad. Her malicious smirk stayed put upon her blood red lips as she looked the girl over again. Firstie, She thought, So...young. Tallulah took a few steps back, her footsteps echoing through the halls. She looked scary, unhinged. But that is how Tallulah looked most of the time. "What I meant by bedtime was shouldn't you be going to sleep. Curfew is soon yes, but it doesn't mean you have to go to sleep."

"Oh well, I was exploring the castle and this Ravenclaw happened upon me little one." When she said little one it sounded sweet but under that sugar coat was acid. Tallulah didn't like younger students. They were all too happy to be around older kids. She wanted to smack their fresh little faces, but she held back. Never judge a book by it's cover.

"Now I've told you what we're doing. So, what are you doing Miss...?" She trailed off the end of her sentence, waiting for the girls name. Not that she cared particularly. It wouldn't do anything to her in the long run.

[pulse]

She glanced past the Slytherin to the other girl, a Ravenclaw. Maybe that’s why she was not saying much or perhaps it was because she had just ‘happened upon’ the Slytherin and didn’t want to get drawn into the conversation. She returned her attention to the first girl.

She was not to sure if she wanted to give the older girl her name but after a moments consideration, decided that her last name was not too much to give away. She stared happily up at the older girl even though the older girl made her uneasy and looked more than a tad scary. “Miss Phoenix. And you are…” She replied - adding a deliberate pause between Miss and Phoenix, hoping to make the other girl doubt that it really was her last name- only half expecting an answer and even then not really expecting a real answer.

Though her words sounded kind enough from what she had witnessed thus far she highly doubted that they were truly kind. Still she replied just as sweetly, “I was down here admiring the effects the lightning had the corridors. Quite 1990’s thriller movie, don’t you think?” A pause. “Exploring, you say? What year did you say you were in? I don’t mean to pry but I would imagine anybody over third year would have the corridors memorized by now.”

[Tallulah Skeffington]

Tallulah nodded curtly at the younger girl, taking in her name. The pause she gave between the 'Miss' and the name she gave made Tallulah suspect that it either was fake or her middle name. Sighing quietly she took a step forward, her eyes glowed with delight. "Tallulah Skeffington." If the girl was in the wizarding world she would know the last name Skeffington. Most people even got a little frightened when they heard her last name. The Skeffingtons were both a generous and infamous family.

This girl was starting to get on Tallulah's nerves. Her questions were a bit too boring for Tallulah's taste. But she answered them, hoping to apease the girl. "I am a fifth year and the reason I'm exploring is because I'm new here. Transfered in from Beaxbaton." Her voice was airy, light. Changing her tone drastically was something she did to throw the younger girl off. "And let me guess, you're a firstie?"

[pulse]

The name meant nothing to her but from the look of things, it seemed to Pulse like the older girl expected her to know her name. So she just answered, “Naturally. You think I’m this small because I’m scared of heights?” She smiled a tad bit more, amused at her own joke. “Transferred, eh? So what really happened, they you get kicked out or are you running away because you murdered somebody and they were getting close to finding the body?” She said this second part with an amused, dark smirk. She really doubted that it was either of these options but it they were the too most interesting options that popped into her mind at the time.

She didn’t really like this girl. She seemed to have sudden mood swings and was defiantly not very friendly. She reminded her a bit of her second oldest brother Keoni, only meaner. Only real difference was – besides her being a girl – was that they were much less likely to settle things by fighting it out.

[Tallulah Skeffington]

Tallulah laughed quietly at the girl as she thought her answer was something witty. With no emotion she looked the girl down, her cruelest smile finding its way to her face. "Oh they found the body." She would say no more on the topic. She knew the girl wouldn't believe her but it would leave that little idea that she just might have. Tallulah wasn't like many other girls. She liked to scare people. It was the only way they truly learned. Tal does have a nice side which she does let out. Most people just brushed her snide comments off but this little girl took them to heart.

A bored look graced Tallulah's face. The little quarrel that was going nowhere. With a little sigh she turned away, not caring what the girl would do. If she hexed her it couldn't be that bad. Tallulah could fight back very well. Her father taught her all the good ones. She walked towards the door she was looking at. Her hand went forward, finally touching the handle. It felt cold to the touch. She turned it lightly. As she turned it she could feel the lock click open and let the door slowly open.

She glanced back at the two girls behind her, her smirk slightly less cruel. "Well, are you coming or not?" Her voice was impatient. She hated waiting for people to catch on.

[pulse]

“Really,” She inquired with mock interest. She knew the girl was joking…well, she was most certainly probably joking anyway. She mentally laughed at herself, she watched too many movies. They wouldn’t let her into the school if she had actually killed somebody…right?

She was a little surprised when the older girl turned away, she had been having fun. Well she supposed that was that and she’d just continue on her way. But when the girl opened the door her interest in the current situation was renewed. It might just be a closet or a class room but by the way she asked if they were coming she suspected it could be only be one of two things. Either there was something interesting behind the door or she was trying to lure them inside so she could kill them. She imagined that the first option was much more likely so she nodded and grinned. “Of course.”

[Tianne Webster-Barrett]

[ Sorry for the late reply... ]

Despite the girls eyes having narrowed at the sight of her, Tianne merely grinned. She didn't say anything, to the girls next question about Tianne being familiar to her, but she wasn't really thinking straight. She knew that this girl was thinking that she was quite weird, for having followed another girl into the dungeons, but she didn't know the full story. Tianne had heard about this girl, she recognised her immediately from some of her classes, but she had no idea about her name or house for that matter. It didn't really matter to Tianne about what house she was in, despite all the stereotypes against Slytherin, she had dated a snake, and Tianne knew that they were pretty cool.

Smiling, Tianne nodded in acknowledgement to the first year that eagerly joined them. She didn't actually know any first years, but that didn't really bother her. She had met a couple of them that were in Ravenclaw, but that was her job, after all, she was a prefect. When the brunette that was her own age began talking to the younger one, Tianne merely stepped back, letting them have their conversation. She'd join in eventually, but of course, the shyness and nerves took their usual place, and she was excluding herself.

As Tallulah introduced herself, Tianne realised that the time that she stepped back into the conversation was here. "Oh um, Tianne Webster-Barrett." She said quickly, in a bored tone. She didn't really mean the tone, it just happened, and she hoped that she didn't seem rude. Smiling, Tianne gave a light chuckle to the way the conversation had headed. The two seemed to have given up their quarrells, and they both seemed intent on going some where. But, Tianne didn't know if she was to follow, heck, she didn't know if she wanted to follow.

Nodding, Tianne took a step towards the door, before hesitating. "Um... I better be... Okay, I'll come." She smiled, still in the bored tone that seemed to be following her.