[September 15, 2016: Thursday, Week 2. The dining hall is a buzz with conversation and bustling with students in the thick of school. The first years have been busy trying to get used to their new schedules and lives as witches and wizards in training. There is still a lot of excitement and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Well, almost everyone.] [Simmral Daughtry, a young Gryffindor is sitting all by herself at the end of the Gryffindor table -- her eyes closed, her cheeks stained with tears. She sobs silently to herself, alone. Nobody seems to notice. At least none of the Gryffindors. It is as if she did not exist to them.] [Meanwhile, nearbye at the Hufflepuff table, Luke MacRae and his roommates are enjoying another stellar breakfast. They are laughing and talking. Apparently there has been a lot of bed jumping and pillow fighting, and even some venus flytrap feedings. Nearby, Luke's older brother Matthew listens in with a smile, happy that his youngest brother is doing well.] [Mark MacRae also is nearby, seeing as the Hufflepuffs have the best food (he says). He stuffs another sausage link into his face and toussles Luke's hair before skittering off to annoy his eldest brother.] [Begin! (and I did it!)] #06* Luke yelps and laughs, combing his fingers through his hair to try to tidy it again. Since he can't see it, he's only partly successful. #06* Mark beams, moving to sneakily snatch something from Matthew's plate (never mind that he's still chewing on the sausage link) when a certain young Gryffindor catches his attention. He stops and blinks at Simmie, then moves, determined to swallow the food in his mouth before he reaches her. #06* Luke blinks after Mark, twisting in his seat to see where his brother's going. #06* Simmie glances pleadingly through her tears at the other first year Gryffindors, but gets no response. Nobody even seems to be looking at her. She finally loses all composure and weeps openly. Seconds later, a stuffed bear in wizard robes appears next to her. Instinctively, she grabs it and pulls it to her chest as she hides her eyes with her free hand. #06* Mark pops up behind Simmie. "Why so sad, little Gryffindor?" he asks cheerfully. #06* Simmie clutches Mr. Bear closer, somewhat surprised by the voice behind her. She looks up hopefully though rather anxiously and sees Mark. There is a brief look of confusion as she tries to speak but ends up only making squeaking sounds before she buries her face in her hands and falls into him sobbing loudly. #06* Luke watches this wide-eyed with concern. He's completely lost track of his friends' conversation, which might prompt them to turn around and see what's going on soon. #06* Mark blinks and stiffens briefly in surprise, but then he sits down without removing her. He gives Simmie a big hug, complete with rubbing her back. #06* Simmie squeaks a few more incomprehensible sobs of explanation and gestures as you do when explaining and are waving a stuffed bear to someone. #01 [Zan-Zhi is discussing the finer points of what he's heard about Hogwarts quidditch and so completely misses Luke's shifting in attention. Barry, on the other hand, does notice, and he shifts to look around Luke to see what's going on. "Um... is she okay?" he asks.] #06* Mark hugs some more, because clearly Simmie needs hugs. #01 Hey, it's okay. Why don't you- [Indra seems to be rather interested in Zan-Zhi's discussion of quidditch, since it is new and intriguing to someone who understands cricket completely but not much else in the world of sports] #06* Mark glances around, noticing the complete lack of any other students at this section of the table. "Why don't you come with me to the Hufflepuff table?" he asks her. "They get the best food in Hogwarts." #06* Luke turns back around, 'cause it seems sort of intrusive to watch poor Simmie cry. "Um...don't think so. But...Mark'll help her." #01 [Barry nods, still looking thataway, but at Luke's cue he shifts his attention back to Zan-Zhi and Indra, trying to catch up.] #06* Simmie looks up at Mark and then back at the other Gryffindors and then back at Mark. She wipes her eyes with her robe, and then nods agreement with a wet sniff. #06* Mark grins at Simmie. "You'll feel better with some food in you. Here." He grabs a nearby napkin and helps wipe her face. #06* Simmie manages the first understandable words she's managed all morning, though they are rather mumbled. "thank you" #01 Sure. Come on. #06* Mark takes Simmie's hand and leads her to the Puff table. 06* Luke had stopped looking at Simmie and Mark, so he doesn't notice they're coming over until they're RIGHT BESIDE HIM. "Oh! Um, hey, Simmie. Here, sit down." And he scoots over to make room. 06* Mark grins at the Hufflepuff boys. "This is my brother, Luke," he says to Simmie, probably forgetting the show he made of him being his brother during the sorting. "Looks like he already knows who you are!" 06* Mark focuses on the other kids. "We're going to sit here, okay? You guys have way better food than the Gryffindor table. I think the house elves like you more." 01 [Zan-Zhi looks kind of confused. "House elves?"] 06* Luke blushes a little. Like he does. "Um, well, we do have classes together..." 06* Luke adds in an aside to Zan-Zhi and Indra, "They're the ones who make the food and stuff. You've seen them in the kitchens coming in and out of the common room, right?" 01 [Zan-Zhi thinks about that for a moment, then says, "Oh yeah." He looks at Simmie. "Hi!"] 06* Simmie looks at everyone and then back at Mark, clutching Mr. Bear tightly to her chest. 06* Luke looks a little worried and gives Simmie his best reassuring smile. "It's okay, we don't bite. Come eat breakfast with us." 06* Simmie looks at Luke and nods slightly. "thank you," she squeaks softly, clearly trying not to cry. 06* Mark grabs a fork and hands it to Simmie, sitting down next to her. "Here," he says cheerfully, "food also tastes better when you don't use a plate." 06* Luke rolls his eyes at Mark. "How're you supposed to eat a pancake without a plate?" 06* Mark grins at Luke. "Want me to demonstrate?" 06* Luke mock-scowls at Mark. "No, you'll get syrup all over the table. Again." He sticks his tongue out at his older brother. Behind Matthew's back. 06* Simmie takes the fork and holds it, watching Mark. It's a good thing that Mr. Bear doesn't mind being squeezed tightly, because he might be seriously uncomfortable. 06* Mark sticks his tongue out at Luke. He is the epitome of maturity. [Matthew looks over disapprovingly at Mark and shakes his head.] 01 [Barry looks over at Simmie. "Um... hi," he says nervously. "If you want a plate, you can use mine...?"] 06* Simmie turns to look at Barry, a strange mix of gratefulness and confusion in her eyes. "thank you," she says softly. "but i can't" 06* Luke blinks at Simmie. "How come?" 01 [The same words seem on the tip of Barry's tongue, but Luke asks them first.] 06* Simmie turns back to Luke. "he needs it?" 06* Luke blinks more, then looks over at Barry's plate. Wasn't he done? 01 [He was! There's some syrup and pancake bits on it, but other than that, it is a perfectly serviceable plate. Barry even says, "But I'm done eating."] oh 06* Simmie blushes a bit, crushes Mr. Bear a bit more, and continues to clutch the fork like a cross just as she did when she first took it from Mark. 01 [Barry, uh... doesn't know what to do about this, so he looks down at his plate awkwardly.] 01 ["Hey," Zan-Zhi says suddenly, "Are you okay?"] 06* Luke looks at Zan, then back to Simmie, biting his lip. 06* Mark also looks at Simmie, a bit worriedly. 06* Simmie notices Barry. she blinks a few times and then tears begin to well up again. "i'm sorry, i'm sorry," she squeaks before burying her face into Mr. Bear. 01 ["It's okay!" Zan-Zhi and Barry say at the same time, and then they look at each other.] 06* Mark just gives Simmie another hug. Aww. 06* Luke 's eyes widen, and he scoots towards Simmie. "It's okay!" he echoes the others, and he hugs Simmie from the other side. More hugs = more better. 06* Simmie sobs and makes more squeaky sounds, probably more apologizing, or explaining, or perhaps simply just squeaking. 06* Mark gives Simmie EVEN MORE HUGS. 06* Luke is not handling this quite so well as Mark. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay! Nobody's mad at you, or anything." He's trying to actually make eye contact with Simmie, but this is basically impossible given how deep her face is buried in the bear. 06* Simmie does actually look up a bit at Luke, tears still flowing down her face but her crying muffled by bear fur and stuffing. 06* Luke looks around not-quite-frantically, spots a mostly-clean napkin, and snatches it up to give to Simmie to wipe her face with. "Here." 06* Simmie trades fork for napkin and wipes her eyes. 06* Luke smiles at her a little once she's done wiping her face. Better? 06* Simmie nods, her tears have slowed once again 06* Luke smiles more. He gives her one more quick squeeze and then lets go. "So, um, you want some breakfast?" 06* Mark has also let go and is rubbing Simmie's back, watching her. 06* Simmie leans into Luke's hug slightly and nods. 06* Luke holds out his hand for Barry's plate. 01 [Barry hands it over.] 06* Luke flashes Barry a quick smile of thanks and sets it down in front of Simmie. "What d'you want? There's pancakes and biscuits and sausage and - " Luke really doesn't have to list all this stuff, since it's sitting on the table right in front of Simmie, but keeping talking and normality going seems like a good plan right now. [Indra passes Luke his unused knife and an empty glass, but self-consciously remains silent] 06* Luke smiles cheerfully at Indra anyway has he hands them to Simmie. "Thanks, Indra!" 01 You should take at least one biscuit. They're really good. [Indra smiles, but keeps quiet. He's a bit concerned that he'd say something wrong and cause another eruption of tears] 06* Simmie nods. "may i please have a biscuit?" she says softly. "and maybe some jam if it’s not too much trouble" [Matthew looks down the table again, looking a bit concerned. he tries to make eye contact with Mark to see if everything is okay] 06* Luke grabs the jar of orange marmalade sitting in front of Matthew, along with the grape jelly at his elbow and the strawberry a little down the table. He sets them all down in front of Simmie, smiling brightly at her. "Here, your pick," he says. He takes the basket of biscuits someone hands him, too, and holds it out to her. 06* Mark eye contacts with Matthew and nods. The Hufflepuff Boys have this. [Matthew nods and goes back to his conversation] 06* Simmie lowers Mr. Bear into her lap and with her free hand picks up the knife and dips it into the strawberry jam and spreads it on her biscuit. 06* Luke looks for a conversational topic, so as not to make Simmie feel awkward! "So, um, when're the quidditch tryouts, Mark?" 06* Mark glances at Simmie, then focuses on Luke. "Next week. I'm going to try for chaser this year." 06* Simmie carefully picks up the biscuit. "thank you so much," she says gratefully, though still rather quiet. she takes a bite and listens. 01 ["You're going to join the quidditch team?" Zan-Zhi asks, interested.] 06* Simmie clearly does not want to interrupt. 06* Mark grins. "Yeah. I gotta get in so I can score on Matthew over there." He gestures at his brother. 06* Luke smiles at Simmie. "You're welcome!" And then conversation. Quidditch, always a good bet. 06* Luke laughs at Mark. "You barely *ever* score on Matthew, even when he's going easy on you." 06* Mark huffs. "Well, maybe I've been going easy on him!" Blatant lie, everyone can see it. 06* Luke laughs harder. 01 [Zan-Zhi looks over at Matthew, as if sizing him up. "He must be really good."] 06* Simmie takes another bite of her biscuit. 06* Luke shakes his head and grins mischievously at Mark. "Nah, Mark just can't throw straight," he teases. Also blatant mistruth, but hey, he's making fun of his brother, these things are allowed. 06* Simmie decides that her biscuit could use more jam, so she scoops up a bit more and spreads it on what is left. she watches the brothers with wide eyes as they talk. 06* Mark grins. "I can throw better than you, Squirt." 06* Luke sticks out his tongue at Mark again. "You're three years older than me, and the ball is too big for my hands." 01 Both true! 01 Doesn't change that I can. I'm totally gonna make the team this year! 06* Luke grins at Mark. "Yeah, we'll see." 06* Mark nods. "That we will," he says, semi-seriously. 06* Simmie finishes her biscuit and licks the last bit of jam off of her fingers. she still looks like a refugee, but she's not crying at the moment. 01 ["Hey," says Zan-Zhi, "can first years try out for quidditch?" Important question!] 06* Luke shakes his head. "Nah, not usually. Not until second year, I think." He looks at Mark for confirmation. 06* Mark thinks. "I know Harry Potter got to be seeker his first year, but that's pretty rare." 06* Simmie looks at Mark and bites her lip nervously. did it just quivver slightly? 01 ["Maybe James Potter will try...?" Barry asks, not noticing Simmie's lip quiver, and then something occurs to him. "Are you still hanging out with Eliana?" he asks Luke. "I heard she beat him up."] 06* Luke frowns at that. "He called her a cheater in class." 06* Simmie peeks back at the Griffyndor table. suddenly, she spins around and looks at Barry and then Luke. the tears are back in full force 06* Luke goes wide-eyed as Simmie starts crying again. "Hey, Simmie, what's wrong?" 01 [Everybody else, including Mark, looks to Simmie at that.] 06* Simmie tries to hold back long enough to say something. "i... i'm sorry... i... i have to go..." she says, standing suddenly as she crushes Mr. Bear to her chest. "thank you," she manages before the sobbing takes her and she bolts out of the dining hall in a teary scene 01 Simmie! 06* Mark looks at the boys. "Gotta go. Gryffindor business." And then he's on his feet, tearing after Simmie. At least he left the fork behind. [Matthew notices the scene unfolding, as does most of his end of the Hufflepuff table. he heads down to see what's going on] 06* Luke stares after her and then Mark in surprise. Well, not so much Mark, but - what was that about? [Matthew stops behind Luke. "um... what just happened?"] 06* Luke looks up at his oldest brother. "Um...I don't really know. Simmie was upset about something so Mark brought her to sit here and then she seemed to be okay and then..." He trails off, turning to look towards the entrance to the hall where Simmie just vanished. [Matthew frowns. "and then Mark went after her."] Yeah. 06* Mark runs after Simmie, robes whipping behind him as he charges down the mostly empty corridors of Hogwarts. At least most people are eating right now. "Simmie, wait!" 06* Simmie seems to be headed toward the Gryffindor tower. the empty halls and the sound of her footsteps do little to mask the fact that she's crying. she doesn't seem to hear Mark, however 06* Mark catches up to Simmie right when she's about to run up the staircase to the tower, grabbing her by the arm. "Whoa, Simmie! Slow down." 06* Simmie stops. she looks at Mark pleadingly, tugging at her arm (Mr. Bear still held fast). she tries to speak, but its nothing but tears, unintelligible sounds and unbridled anguish 06* Mark doesn't let go. "Try again," he advises, "with words this time. I'm not going to hurt you." 06* Mark is panting a bit, but not heavily. The sprint didn't exactly wind him. 06* Simmie begins to gesture and tries to explain, but only really manages "in astronomy", "Maggie", "James Potter", "Eliana", "he was wrong", and "ignored", all "all hate me, please let me go" to break through the tears and sobs. 06* Simmie tugs at her arm again 01 Hey, it's okay. Here, I'll walk with you. 06* Mark keeps his grip on Simmie, though it's not one that hurts or anything, and steps onto the stairs, hopefully with the girl. "So um, what's this with James Potter and the Batty Slytherin Girl in Astronomy?" 06* Simmie follows, still crying. "she... *SOB* she just tried to help," she manages, though there are other sounds that would give more explanation to that sentence if they could be understood. 01 Okay... 06* Mark half-hugs with Simmie, because it looks like she needs one. "Help with what?" he prompts. astronomy 06* Mark nods. "Then why are you so sad? Helping with astronomy's a good thing, right?" 06* Simmie nods. "he... they were so mean" 01 Who was mean? 06* Simmie leans into Mark as they walk, the waterworks still gushing, but she seems to be trying to calm down enough to explain. "James and the other boys" 06* Mark wraps an arm around Simmie and helps her up the stairs, though. They can take their time; it's okay! "Then you're upset for her?" 06* Simmie shakes her head and tries to wipe her eyes. 06* Simmie takes a deep breath. "no... i... i told them she was right." she manages to finish the sentence and then stops suddenly and buries her face in her hands. 06* Mark looks confused, then realization dawns on him, and he says, "Oh." He leads her off the stairs, at the top, and crouches down so he's even with her and gives her a hug. 01 They picked on you because you took her side, didn't they. 06* Simmie shakes her head no. ignored me 06* Mark frowns a little. "Are they still ignoring you?" He looks pulls back to look at Simmie's face. "All of the first years?" 06* Simmie finally gives in and collapses in the middle of the hall, knees together, feet out on either side. she nods, but not much else. Mr. Bear's eyes seem to bug out slightly, but he remains stoically silent and takes it. 06* Mark crouches more to keep up with that. "I'm sorry," he says, even though he had nothing to do with it. "That's not fair." 06* Simmie looks at Mark and blinks. she takes another breath and manages to stop crying long enough to say, "don't apologize... its not your fault. it was mine" and then she starts crying again 06* Mark sighs and moves next to Simmie, settling down and rubbing at her tears with his sleeve. "Nah, it's *theirs*. You were just trying to help." 06* Simmie shakes her head. "i... i can't take... *SNIFF* another day" 06* Mark 's expression goes a touch dark, but only briefly, and then he smiles reassuringly at Simmie. "Hey, you'll be okay." 01 They won't be jerks to you forever, and you have me to talk to. 06* Simmie looks at him, her blue eyes locking onto his. "i don't want to be alone anymore" she pleads. 06* Mark ruffles Simmie's hair. "You're not." 06* Simmie hugs Mark tightly, leaving Mr. Bear to slump over in her lap. 06* Mark hugs back. Awww. 06* Simmie doesn't let go and cries softly for a bit. 06* Mark lets her cry, then, and makes shushing noises, because she seems to need to cry this out. 06* Simmie cries for what seems like ages, still holding onto Mark tightly. eventually, she loosens her grip and wipes her eyes. 06* Mark helps her wipe her eyes. His robes are a bit soaked now, but he doesn't seem to mind. "Better?" he asks. 06* Simmie nods and looks at him sheepishly. "thank you" 06* Mark smiles. "Sure." 01 You still want to go to the dorms? i don't know 06* Mark smiles at Simmie. "How about we hang out until you do know, okay? But you're not missing any classes." That's Mark: the responsible one. 06* Simmie nods. "i know this isn't what you were planning on doing this morning, but thank you soooo much" 06* Mark grins at her. "Sure." He stands, helping Simmie up (if she lets him). "Come on, let's check out the bridge outside." 06* Simmie stands up with help. she then bends over and picks up Mr. Bear. she looks back at Mark and blushes slightly. "um... its kind of a ways to the dorm. can Mr. Bear come too?" 01 Of course! Leaving Mr. Bear behind would be dumb. 06* Simmie smiles and nods. "he doesn't like being left alone in the halls" 01 [End!]