It was evening in the castle in the second week of school. Summer days had ended but light lingered on until very late - it wasn't yet 6, but the grounds outside still held their far share of familiar and foreign students alike basking in the Scottish sun. Most of the professors must have had meetings, or else stayed in their offices overlong - though the staff office usually boasted several adults at any given time in the evening, in this brief quiet span between classes and dinner it was empty except for Landis. She'd claimed a table near the window to read the newspaper and drink tea, her slim figure swathed in professional white, grey, and black. She'd never ended up going shopping; it was all right that Juliette's trousers were a little short, her clothes cut for a figure both curvier and more petite. It was a waste of money otherwise. Landis' eyes occasionally strayed out the window, her pale eyes cool as the glass which separated castle from grounds. She had no particular interest in the proceedings outside, but it had been a temperate day and the view was pleasant.

She'd been in this woman's form for a little less than a week, but even that was far too long. According to Nagde she'd change back soon, perhaps even as early as tomorrow. Landis felt that even without the professional prediction she might be able to tell - something seemed to be happening in her body, some mysterious morphic rumble of which she had neither knowledge nor consent. Her skin felt tight, her bones achy. For Landis, who was used to having control over all of his body but the most squishy of internal workings, it was terribly unsettling. Occasionally she went back to her rooms to stare at her abdomen in distrust.

This strangeness was putting her on edge; it was tiring her out. A phrase from Darian's letters had been in her mind, the only thing of value he'd offered: your natural form will want to reassert itself. She wondered if Trishna had been experiencing the same, but didn't bother tracking him down to ask. They'd avoided each other admirably the last week, whether by accident or design. Landis' distaste for her equine colleague had not abated out of empathy, and two oddities attracted more attention than one. Still, all she had to do now was wait things out.

Myrni still enjoyed visiting the staff room every now and then, especially to meet and mingle with some of the foreign professors, but she admitted to avoiding the space whenever certain Hogwarts professors tended to be there. Part of her was tired of answering the same questions over and over again about certain aspects of her personal life. Or, she could see the looks in their eyes and how much they may have wanted to ask those questions and she preferred to avoid those situations altogether.

Thus, she had been spending more and more time holed up in her tiny office space working away on her lesson plans and planning the success of Gryffindor for the year ahead. The Head of House was determined that her lions would not come in last again.

Even so, the staff room had a better selection of tea than she kept for herself, given the eclectic tastes of her colleagues and this is what brought her down on this particular evening. At first when she entered, she thought that she had gotten lucky and the staff room was empty. But as she stepped in further, she saw that there was someone sitting by the window reading the paper.

In an effort not to disturb the individual, Myrni quietly went to the tea pot to see if there was enough remaining for a cup. She was pleased to find that it was freshly brewed. After preparing a cup for herself, she turned and thought about whether she wanted to stay to drink it or return upstairs to her office.

Regarding the figure at the window with curiosity, Myrni eventually made her way over to the table and slipped into a vacant chair.

"Good evening," she offered, with a polite smile as she proceeded to sip away at her drink.

The door to the staff room opened and shut; Landis did not look up as the other person went quietly to the counter to prepare a cuppa, content - swathed - in solitude of her own making. She kept a cool distance even among colleagues, and though there were staff members she would smile and greet she was not altogether known for her warmth or willingness to mingle.

After an idle moment Landis' gaze slid away from the window, assessing the back of the woman at the counter with as much dispassion as she'd afforded the view outdoors. At least, until she saw who it was. Faint surprise colored the curve of her mouth as her lips parted then twisted in a faint smile, so that by the time Myrni sat Landis looked more amused than like the staff room's newest marble addition.

Levartian did not appear to recognize her. Landis almost laughed. "Myrni," she greeted in return, eyes sly but not malicious towards this most oblivious of staff. Landis didn't mind the woman, which was more than she could say for some professors here - Levartian was quiet, polite, and hard-working, and no chore to talk with when shoved into staff meetings or mixers. They were only a week into school and Myrni had holed herself up for most of it, so perhaps this was no surprise. Then again, Landis had been certain that the word of her and Trishna's transformation had trumped even the usual start-of-school staff room gossip.

It finally did dawn on Myrni who she was sitting with.

She had heard about the predicament that the Ravenclaw and Slytherin Heads had endured. But she had yet to actually see either in their altered States. Nor had she gone out of her way to seek them out. She did not fancy the idea of making a situation worse by bothering them with unwanted or unnecessary attention.

But then here presented a moment where she was not seeking them out. No! It was a Lady Landis in the flesh!

The Arithmancy professor did well to mask her surprise and act as normal as possible  as she sipped away at her tea. But even her eyes were filled with curiosity. My, Landis made a gorgeous woman!

Clearing her throat, Myrni composed herself as best she could and said, "I....love your outfit. I wish I had your sense of style."

It was on her tongue to use the Head of Slytherin's name, but she wasn't sure that was appropriate. So she left it at that.

Myrni handled herself better than most in the castle. Only her eyes were filled with curiosity as she looked Landis over, and even that was mild, unobtrusive... inoffensive.

"I....love your outfit. I wish I had your sense of style."

Landis regarded her with some small surprise, brows raising, even electing to blink. "It's Juliette's clothing," she said after a pause, uncertain how to respond to a compliment regarding her womanly style. As a man Landis certainly dressed well - tailored clothing, good fabric, understated but elegant, all possible on his librarian budget by a hefty discount at his cousin's store and the funds he gathered through criminal means. She had not made any particular effort in raiding Juliette's closet to outfit this form, only picked what was somber and similar enough to what she ordinarily wore.

And if Juliette had more careful an eye as to what flattered a woman's body - if even her simplest clothing was still slender-cut and feminine - well, that was what enveloping cloaks were for.