Birds of a Feather {Gail}

Spring in the forest was a time of growth and life, full of the smell of budding plants and the fresh melted snow that swelled the creeks and trickles of water falling down through stacks of rocks. Early afternoon sun, warming and bright for the first time in months, shone down through the canopy and fell in slants of golden color onto the forest floor. Eleonora made her way through them, watching the sun play against the bare skin of her arms. Beside her Polaris was doing much the same, his feathers absorbing the heat of the light and becoming warm to the touch. The sounds of new life were all around them, a cacophony of sweet melody to their ears.

While Nora made many excursions in the forest for more business matters – taking care of wounded creatures and making sure populations were doing well – this time she was here for pleasure. A  week previously she had been doing some shopping in Hogsmeade, restocking on valves and potions she needed for the creatures she cared for, and had run into Gail. The bright smile the werewolf-girl had given her had been enough to set Nora at ease and allow her to chat briefly. They made plans to meet the next weekend and catch up, all the while roaming the forest to check on the progress of spring.

When she reached a large clearing with a clear stream running through it she stopped and set down her bag, then reached to run her fingers through her mass of curled hair.  She took a seat on the exposed root of a large tree with a book in her hands, every so often flipping a page as she read. She could hear Polaris off to her side sniffing around the bushes, trying to find the burrow end of a rabbit's trail he had been following.

The time passed slowly in the the early spring, or so she always thought. It was the time of the year when the days finally started to lengthen, and it felt like the minutes themselves did so as well, in order to keep up. It did not bother her in the least as she waited in the afternoon light for Gail to find her way to their meeting spot. Her friend could take as long as she wanted and Nora would not mind. What with the time she spent among her students and the evenings she spent with Sorrow she had much less time to her self than she was used to. This quiet interlude left her time to catch up on her reading.

Gail had been looking forward to this excursion into the forest ever since she and Eleonora made plans. She felt so grateful to have bumped into her new friend back in Hogsmeade a few days back, as Gail hadn't found time to enjoy the new Spring weather until today. The young werewolf came prepared for a good hike through the woods, complete with a supply of water, snacks, and a satchel to carry it all in. Her boots hung from a latch on her bag as she walked barefoot along the moist grass and occasional patches of snow, remnants of a long, cold winter. Gail took this as another lesson of the universe; just as the snow melted to make way for spring, so too did the suffering of both Eleonora and her. It was in the past, making room for what Gail hoped to be a long-lasting friendship.

She took in the fresh scents around her as she started making her way deeper into the forest towards their agreed upon meeting place, and smiled as she heard bird's singing nearby. She almost felt a twitch of jealousy for the creatures that lived here, with no worries of the outside world. If she didn't have to worry about how close Hogwarts and Hogsmeade were, she would have set up a hut out here ages ago. Without much consideration, Gail took a bit of a winding route on the way to Eleonora, over rocky hills, and through some muddy streams. She tried not to take too long, but with the whole forest at arm's reach it wasn't long before Gail lost track of time.

A little late, but better than never, Gail emerged from the shelter of the trees, with a bundle of apples at her side from a tree she spotted along the way here. "Good morning Eleonora!" She waved with her free hand, before taking a short bow, "Good morning Polaris!" As she stood straight again, she gave another one of her big grins as she walked over, "It's great to see the both of you, how are you? Care for an apple?" She took a moment to pull a stray leaf from her hair before offering one of the apples to Eleonora. "Wonderful weather today, isn't it?" She realized just then that she wasn't giving Eleonora a chance to respond, so she looked up at the trees, pleased by the warmth of the sun trickling in through the leaves.

Eleonora did not hear Gail approach through the woods, which was surprising. When she popped up from between the trees, nowhere near an established trail or game path, Eleonora gave a look of surprise from over the pages of her book. When she thought about it it was apparent that Gail knew how to move in the woods like she had been born for it; without shoes her feet made no sound on the carpet of leaves and sticks. She was in her element, at home in a way that Eleonora could only envy.

Polaris tensed at Gail's approach and looked up from his game of waiting for the rabbit to emerge from the ground. Eleonora briefly feared he would not agree with the presence of the other woman, but when Gail bowed Polaris lowered his head, if a bit hesitantly, and went back to what he had been doing.

Putting her book aside, Nora smiled cheerfully as her friend started speaking a mile a minute. She patiently waited, finding Gail's amiable chatter pleasant. It was easy for her to listen, catching the words as they sped past and storing the questions to answer when she had the pause in which to speak. She liked the way Gail spoke so openly, seeming to move from topic to topic without much thought. It was nearly the polar opposite of the way she herself spoke, and the chatter gave her time to form her responses without leaving an awkward pause of silence.

When Gail held out an apple, ruby red and presumably fresh from the tree, Eleonora reached out and took it, sublimely grateful for the offer and kindness. “Oh, yes, please.” She rubbed the fruit on her jeans and then took a small bite, closing her eyes to savor the crisp and sweet taste on her lips. She chewed slowly, and by the time she was done Gail had finished speaking and was looking up into the trees.

“Thank you for the apple. It is a beautiful day to be out, isn't it?” She reiterated Gail's observation, for it truly was the best weather she had seen yet this year. “I'm so glad I found time. I've been pretty busy lately. OWL and NEWTS are coming up for the kids and I've had a lot of students looking for help in free periods and evenings.” Though it always left her feeling drained and tired, Nora loved being able to help the students that came to see her. It was rewarding to see them do well in her class, and to see the glimmer of real interest in those that favored her class above all others.

After her answer, Eleonora tried to steer the conversation back towards Gail. She was certain the other woman's life was much more interesting than her own. “I hope you've been doing well, Gail. I'd love to hear about what you have been up to since winter.”

Gail gave a brief nod in response to Eleonora's thanks, before stepping up onto the massive root and sitting beside her friend. Gail took a big bite out of one of the apples and slipped the rest into her satchel. “I was never a fan of either of those exams,” she said after swallowing, “The written parts anyway. I'm sure your students are lucky to have you helping them.” Gail smiled as she repositioned herself so she was sitting criss-cross. Gail remembered her OWLs and her NEWTs, but unfortunately for the latter, she only managed to wrangle up one back then. Thanks to Eleonora however, she didn't have to linger on the thought any longer.

“I've been doing wonderfully thanks for asking!” She grinned excitedly, "Though I haven't really been up to much this winter. I've just been working at Puddifoot's and staying out of trouble. I have been planning my next trip though; it's getting to be that time again.” When she looked to Eleonora, she suspected that her dear friend would need an explanation, “I've been in Hogsmeade too long. I'm thinking of spending the next few months in Italy. I hear people are really friendly there!” She smiled at the thought, imagining all the beautiful sights the country had to offer.

Her time in Hogsmeade was the longest she had stayed anywhere in a long time, and her free spirited lifestyle had her feeling cramped in the small town of Hogsmeade. That's not to say she disliked Hogsmeade- she loved the quaint village, along with all the people she had come to know. It was just... time. She couldn't explain it, so she hoped Eleonora would understand.

Gail began watching Polaris, as he continued his hunt for whatever tiny creature that had burrowed its way into the ground. Absentmindedly, she said, “I wonder what it'd feel like to be a hypogriff,” she twisted her hands into the form of claws, “...those big ol' talons, and the wings...” She laughed a little, “Anyways.”

Eleonora shifted slightly on the root to allow Gail more room, all the while listening closely to what she had to say. She seemed to live such an interesting life, one that made Nora curious of all the places she had seen and the things she had done. While the news of Gail's expected departure from the country was a little disheartening – they had only just begun their friendship – she was more than happy for the other girl to be out living her life the way she wished.

“That sounds so exciting! Do you move around a lot? You must be very brave, to start over like that so often.” Eleonora could hardly imagine how hard it must be to move from one place to the next so frequently. It took her so long to become comfortable in one place that the thought of doing it over and over was more than a little scary to her. “You seem to make friends easily, though. I'm sure Italy will be a lovely place for you.” Again, Nora was certain that Gail would have no trouble wherever she found herself. The ease with which she had befriended her, and no doubt countless others, was a skill that must translate well no matter the location.

A short break in the conversation left Eleonora time to take another few bites of her apple and watch as Gail seemed to shift the topic with ease. She mentioned hippogriffs and what it would be like to be one, complete with hand gestures that made Eleonora laugh at her display. It made Nora wonder, too, what it would be like to transform into sometime else, and whether she would have the control she would like. She took her eyes from Polaris back to Gail, concerned that the talk about transformations might make her friend start thinking of her own, and Nora did not want her to dwell on any tough memories. In an attempt to draw the topic to other things, she smiled and looked up into the sky between branches and leaves.

“I met someone who could turn into an eagle recently. I bet it would be disorienting at first, having limbs you're not used to having...but the flying would be nice, wouldn't it?” Her blue eyes, so like the sky, settled again on Gail. Her expression had changed, becoming something more excited and lively than she was used to showing others. “Polaris and I go flying sometimes. He likes to go out over the lake; it's a bit terrifying when he dives and I'm not expecting it though.”

“Mmm, yeah, I always love the change of scenery. And I wouldn't say it's brave, it's just my strategy.” Considering that everywhere in the world, the laws about werewolves were always changing, it was more a necessity to be moving around a lot. And it wasn't easy either. Everytime she moved someplace new, she immediately had to start saving up for the next place she traveled to. It wasn't cheap, but at least she had a lot of good memories of everywhere she'd been. “Maybe next time I'll bring my scrapbook for you.” She smiled, and as Eleonora mentioned how she made friends with ease, she gave a curt nod, “You're too kind, but, I just talk to people the way I'd like them to talk to me.” Gail shrugged.

Then she looked down at her pretend claws, and as Eleonora talked about her new eagle friend, Gail moved her arms as though they were wings, and spread them out behind her, imagining what it would feel like as Nora explained. “So your friend was an animagus? I hear people like that are extroardinary wizards- and witches.” She grinned for a moment, before taking another mouthful of apple and returning her hands to her lap. As she looked over at Eleonora, Gail could see the light in her eyes as she spoke of her flights with Polaris. Seeing her good friend smile the way she did made Gail smile in turn. “Sounds like Polaris is quite daring!” But speaking of friends, it had been some time since Gail had spoken to Sorrow, and she wondered if Eleonora had seen him around the castle, “Have you talked to Sorrow lately? It's seems like it's been forever since I saw him.”

Eleonora was happily munching on the remainder of her apple when Gail mentioned Sorrow. She swallowed hard and looked a little surprised before lowering her eyes to seemingly look at something fascinating on the forest floor. A bright red hue was creeping up her cheeks, nearly the shade of the apple in her hand. She hadn't really talked to Gail much after she had visited after the fight, so of course she knew nothing of Eleonora and Sorrow's budding relationship. As she thought of it herself her heart fluttered and she bit the bottom of her lip to keep from breaking out into a smile. When she tried to answer Gail her words were halting; nervous and delighted at once.

“Oh. Mhmm, yes, we- I mean, I...well, we talk quite a bit now.” Her eyes snuck a quick look back at Gail, who was watching her patiently. There was no judgment in her eyes, nor did Nora think there ever could be. It wouldn't hurt to tell her, right? She wasn't certain, really, if it was her place to divulge such personal information about not just herself, but Sorrow as well. With a shake of her head, her hair swinging slightly in front of her face, she turned back to Gail. They were her experiences, too, and she had the right to speak of them if she wished. Though it would take some work for her to speak freely, as she was still quite bashful about the whole thing. “I'm sorry. That probably was a little cryptic. I'm just not very good at talking about these things....”

She supposed she owed a bit of her happiness to Gail. If she had not shown up in the forest there would have been less reason for her to confess her feelings to Sorrow, and even though the event had been tragic, it had opened doors. That was the nature of tragedy, Nora often thought; there was always some good to come of it, no matter what. It was that and her unfailing optimism about the goodness of people that kept her from despairing during hard times, and she could see many of her views reflected back to her from Gail. She smiled at her friend, ready to try sharing her secrets with her.

“We, um. Worked some things out, after you were here last. In a good way.” The blush was still staining her cheeks, and she could no more stop the smile that made its way to her lips. It would be nice to share such things with Gail, to have a girl to talk with. The other women professors she had met at the school were...less than inviting - at least in Nora's nervous eyes. Gail made her feel like sharing her thoughts would be safe, though, and that was something she wished to continue on with.

“You should meet up with him again soon. I'm sure he would love to see you.”

At first Gail's full attention was devoted to Eleonora as the Professor seemed to struggle for words, but soon her gaze drifted, and caught sight of movement over Eleonora's shoulder. Towards the other end of the clearing, a wiry squirrel was digging away at something in the grass. It didn't take long for Polaris to notice as well, and the hippogriff bounded after it. Gail started digging her nails into the apple she held, becoming fixated on the scene in front of her. Being small and quick, the squirrel dodged and skirted, and eventually made it up one of the massive trees, and though Polaris circled around the tree for a few moments, he soon lost interest. Gail watched as the squirrel ran up the bark, and vanished into the leaves.

When Gail looked back at Eleonora, a dark red blush had crept its way across Eleonora's face, and she was saying things about how she and Sorrow had 'worked things out'- what that meant, however, Gail hadn't the slightest clue. In fact, she so puzzled by it, that she was only vaguely listening to Eleonora.

“You should meet up with him again soon. I'm sure he would love to see you.”

Love. Gail furrowed her brow as she stared at Eleonora inquisitively. Then, it clicked, "You're in love with Sorrow?" Gail's eyes widened, "And... Sorrow's in love with you? So you two... are dating?" Gail cracked a grin that would put even the Cheshire cat to shame, "Ellie, that's amazing, I'm so happy for you!" Gail threw her arms around Eleonora, giving her a big bear hug, as there was just no other way for Gail to express her happiness for them. "How long has this been going on?" Gail asked as she pulled away.

(I've posted a crappy post cause I was really stumped on this one. Buuuut, now we can move on with the rp! xD)