[color=lemonchiffon][h3][center]~~~Lainie~~~[/center][/h3][/color]

More people were filling the hallways, footsteps and chatter replacing the silence. Chewing her nails, Lainie pulled back to avoid crashing into anyone. Her gaze darted from the floor to the growing crowd, then back again. Large groups put her out of her comfort zone, yet on some level, the sight of other students chatting and bonding so effortlessly brought with it a pang of envy. If only she could be that confident. She thought of the other members of her coven who had no trouble making friends, who had everything to be self-assured about, who had magic that helped rather than harmed.

She was considering turning around and going back to her room when somebody addressed her. She raised her head to see an unusually tall man with red and black hair, giving her a smile filled with what looked like dragon fangs. When he asked about the smell of smoke, she cringed. [color=lemonchiffon]"Uh..."[/color] She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of her apartment before forcing herself to meet his gaze. [color=lemonchiffon]"There was a slight, um, accident,"[/color] she explained in a hushed voice, tightening her grip on her can of water. The shiny pink marks that speckled her hand, reminders of other incidents, stood out even more against her pale skin as she did so. [color=lemonchiffon]"I-It's ok now, I was able to put it out. But you wouldn't happen to have seen anyone I could talk to about that?"[/color] She wondered if Miss Bertram would be up by now.