[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/VSzNBZ1.png[/img][/center] [center][sup][h1][color=black]Hannah Endo[/color] [color=#F07D9F] Hannah Endo[/color][/h1][/sup][/center] [center][color=gray]▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬[/color][/center] Elio's frankness at first startled the young witch before him. Her previously collected air flinched in that moment; her smile dampened considerably, and her mouth opened in slight disbelief. But she recovered and listened carefully to what he had to say. Werewolves. Yes. Wait, was that right? She knew it was, and yet she had not yet had any time to process what that would mean. Most of her housemates would presumably be lycanthropic. She had never really known a werewolf, or a were-anything. The stories her father told her about them came back to her, though unbidden. The stylized monstrous faces from his scrolls rolled by in her mind's eye, but also those that told tales of bravery and alliance. This was as fearful as it was exciting. So Elio would be stuck with the vampires. That was also quite a fate - one much more familiar to her. She had been around vampires for most of her life. He had heard they were assholes. Instead, Hannah said [color=#F07D9F][b]"They are haughty, and they are powerful. It takes a long time to know one well. Be careful with them in love."[/b][/color] Assuming he was really unfamiliar with them, it was fairly sound advice. The evident solemnity in her voice had her sounding like Eli. Any more and things would become gloomy. Thankfully he accepted her request to walk together, and she followed him into the crowd. Trespassing was an interesting idea. She wondered if he actually meant to follow up on that. In her estimation, the grounds would be more heavily guarded on a day like today, especially with the seekers around. Although the two of them had a perfect excuse to go poking around, they were also likely to encounter resistance if they did find something of significance. Which might be useful in its own way, come to think of it. [color=#F07D9F][b]"Yes. I wonder if anything will show up?"[/b][/color] she replied. [color=#F07D9F][b]"Clueless about the supernatural?"[/b][/color] Hannah shot him a look like he was some kind of country bumpkin. Still, something within her wanted to be friendly and recover some face with this new acquaintance. [color=#F07D9F][b]"Well... I'm not sure how clueless you are. How could you be if you've made it into a school like this?"[/b][/color] Her own hours of study and magical practice had been long and grueling. It was sort of bizarre to think that this person could be new to this world. Her world, really. [color=#F07D9F][b]"But you couldn't be more clueless than I'm going to be at herbology. Still, I know a good bit about the state of affairs in our sphere of things. The vampires and the werewolves have hated each other for five thousand years. Their separate kinds descended into treachery and bloodshed at the Moot of the Star and the Moon. Then they fought more battles than there are stars in the sky. Or so the stories say. Still, that was all a long time ago. There's been peace for an age. I'm not sure why they have to keep hating each other, even now. Maybe they just like competing for dominance. Thank goodness for magic."[/b][/color] They were making good progress, walking past a staircase and into a courtyard. The day was still dreary as could be, with rain loudly rushing to the ground. The constant droplets were creating a visible splash-back on all the exposed surfaces. Luckily, that didn't include the two of them, courtesy of a long awning that topped a walkway along the edge of the open space. There were exotic plants and flowers visible through the noise of it. They were beautiful and dreadful, though even they didn't seem to appreciate the current weather. If these were part of the curriculum, though, Hannah really would be in trouble. She couldn't identify a single one of them. There was a sign that said "Hemlock" with an arrow, so they seemed to be getting close to her eventual destination, at any rate. Despite everything, Hannah's mood had visibly improved. She was smiling, and about to try a silly joke on Elio, when she abruptly stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes going wide. She was staring intently... but there was nothing there. Only to her, there was. A lithe and dashing young man, dressed in a formal white suit. [b]"You actually made it here."[/b] he said in a smooth, unnatural tone. That sound reverberated all throughout her being. She was suddenly very cold, and the hairs of her arms were standing on ends. This was the spirit that had become an obsession these past few months. But she had hardly ever heard his voice before. It both unnerved and enticed her. Suddenly remembering she was in company, she looked back to Elio with a fake smile and a short laugh. [color=#F07D9F][b]"Ha, sorry. I just, um..."[/b][/color] She was desperately looking for some excuse, and it didn't take long for her resourceful mind to find one. But before she could deliver it, she looked back to the spirit - only to find he was no longer there. She stopped talking and looked all around the courtyard in a panic, and then the other way. Thankfully she spotted him again, this time much further away. He seemed to be walking around the edge of a building near Hemlock hall. It would require going out in the rain... [color=#F07D9F][b]"If this is where I think it is,"[/b][/color] she began, her eyes not moving from that spot. [color=#F07D9F][b]"Then I know of something worth seeing over there."[/b][/color] It was a lie, but you couldn't tell it from the usual cues. It was only the strangeness of the situation that made it seem off. But what was she supposed to do? She couldn't let this chance slip. She started off into the rain, pulling out her umbrella with the first few steps afterward; such was her excitement. [color=#F07D9F][b]"Come on, let's check it out!"[/b][/color] She hoped he Elio follow. She didn't want to ruin her first chance to gain a friend at Hawthorne. But either way, she couldn't stop chasing after the Prince. The courtyard opened up to a larger yard, and Hannah closed the distance to the building. It wasn't so remarkable on its own. The walls were old brick with stone embellishments, but really it wasn't so fancy compared to the rest of the school. Just where was he leading her? She saw his blonde hair disappear behind the corner, so she picked up the pace a little. Almost there... [center][color=gray]▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬[/color][/center] [hider] [@udonoodles] [/hider]