Lucinda paced nervously as the light shone weakly through the windows of the old boathouse, she looked at the wooden shapes of the boats, they cast long shadows through the building, although it wasn't time for curfew that didn't mean it was going to be perfectly bright, it was winter still and its not like its that bright inside a building that only gets used twice a year at most. Unless it was the other activities that students came here to do. Luckily it was empty aside from her, but she feared for the worst if anyone owned a blacklight and got it to function.

It was...partially why she was here, although in a much more wholesome manner, she did want to see someone, but more to ask a big question. She checked outside the window, she was still exhausted from her transformation, sleep was still haunting her but she had to do this or she would never get the courage again. Earlier in the day she had seen Zeta in the hallway and had slipped a note, now she just desperately hoped that she came. The note wasn't very informative, only saying. "I need to see you, boathouse after school today?"

The waiting game was not one Lucinda could ever really handle, let alone after her curse, and even less when she was still in recovery mode, but she reminded herself, she had done it once with Zeta, when she first revealed herself. Although to her that seemed much easier. You're not ready, you just overthought this in your pathetic attempt to tell if you were friends and now you're practically begging for anyone to hug you. Pathetic. Her thoughts chastised.

Although she hadn't been waiting long, Lucinda did start to feel like she wasn't coming, her heart sank slowly as she rested on the side of a boat and leaned forwards, holding her head in her hands. She isn't coming, just pack it up and go home, not like your parents care about you but atleast they will pretend they do. She shook her head. "S-shut up..." She muttered as her foot tapped hard on the wooden decks before she bolted up again to look out the window. "Where are you..."

Zeta was run down and it was only the first week of classes.  Professor Storm had returned from the flu with a vengeance and Transfiguration was taking no prisoners. Not only that but she'd been a bleeding great idiot and kept Astronomy so now she had classes in the middle of the night on Wednesdays.  And SAWS was weighing on her mind. The meeting had been salvaged and she knew what she wanted to do next but she kept going over and over in her head.

She hadn't seen much of Lucinda since the meeting, so when she got the note she felt a pang of guilt. The full moon was only two nights ago - she must feel terrible. The boat house was an odd place to meet especially in this weather, but then, Lucinda was strange. In a sweet way. She was growing on her.

The path down to the boathouse was slippery and frigid and it was already dark. Zeta pulled her big bulky hat down as far as she could, and shuffled as fast as she could, still laden with her Transfig things.

Creeeeaaak...! Zeta pulled upon the big door just enough to get in and let her eyes adjust in the shimmering lamplight reflected off the water.

"Hey...? Luce - oh, didn't see you. Proper glacier out there. Hey! Hey, how are you, though? Sorry I didn't find you yesterday. Did it - did all that go alright with Professor Greyfriar?"

She set her bag down and pulled the door shut, then turned back to Lucinda.

She came! Her mind raced as she nearly ran to Zeta to hug like a puppy when their owner came home. But she restrained herself and moved from the window, she hadn't changed before coming here so she was still in her school uniform, well her summer uniform, but atleast she kept the cardigan on for warmth, even if half her legs were exposed to the cold.

Lucinda had admittedly skived the previous day, other then getting food in the evening she had stayed in bed upon returning to finally get some sleep, although it wasn't great. "Oh uh, yeah I was sorta not about. And well..." She had honestly always tried to forget the day of the full moon, she managed to forget the stuff leading up often, but never the transformation. "From what I remember, there was alot of shouting, swearing, likely a threat to hex." She knew she had almost certainly threatened to hex someone. "But otherwise I didn't kill anyone, so that is good."

She shivered as a breeze came through the door, she pulled out her wand and gave a small swish. "Incendio" And with that she created a small fire at the end of her wand, carefully she wedged it between some planks in the ground so they have a small heat source, and hopefully don't burn down the boathouse.

With a small smile that may make some people fear a rising pyromaniac. She sat down and rested her hand above the flame. "How was everything for you?" She asked gently, then looked towards Zeta with her smile turning wider, she appeared mostly untouched by the transformation, other then for some new clawmarks going from behind her ear down her neck. Enough small talk, just ask it.

Zeta didn't need Lucinda to sugarcoat things, but it still made her heartache for what someone so young had to go through. Made her all the more angry as well, that everyone wanted to be in her business, who didn't even know her.  Zeta sighed a little and offered a comforting smile, then sat on a stack of folded canvas boat covers.

"School's a great nightmare as usual. That's a neat trick." She nodded at the lit wand.

"Beats setting something on fire."

Lucinda seemed happy with the compliment about her mastery of a first year spell, although she was still slightly concerned, the trick has never actually worked before without atleast the curtains being replaced so she half hoped that Zeta knew Aguamenti, especially since her wand may be the casualty.

"Atleast school is a good normality...I mean, life is structured so can enjoy time off, and keep up to track with stuff by what lesson of the day it is. Better then relying on when the last time I slept was to tell what day it is, or what day I was the one with the waggling tail in the window."She let out a small laugh but then seemed to feel awkward about the joke.

"Um..." She looked down at the ground, trying not to see Zeta in the eye as she thought of what next to say. "There was...one thing...I wanted to ask..its not about my condition or SAWS or anything though." She almost muttered it out, her body tensed a little in nervous anticipation while her cheeks turned a slightly rosy colour, but not from the cold.

It was nice hearing Lucinda seem a bit bright about something, even if it was how the monotony of school was keeping her head on straight when everything else in her life threatened to wear her down. Zeta returned the awkward laugh on instinct. She wasn't as comfortable joking about werewolf things as Lucinda was, naturally. Just one of those things.

When Lucinda seemed to be getting to the point of why they were out here in the boathouse, and it didn't seem like something nice, and when it wasn't about SAWS, Zeta lifted her eyebrows. What could it possibly be?

"You can me anything. Don't have to ask. Merlin knows I don't," Zeta did that same awkward laugh. Lucinda - either aggressive or halting - did she have an in between where she could just relax and be herself?

She sighed and continued staring at the ground. Just ask it. She thought and moved backwards a little from Zeta, then she looked up with a little bit of hope in her eyes at what she said. "Would you like to go...out at some point?" She asked  in the calmest voice she could muster, but still struggled a little with the last word.

She gave an eager and hopeful look as she stared into her eyes, her cheeks still rosy and her hands moved to fidget by flattening the hems of her skirt. She swayed back and forwards like a giddy schoolgirl getting asked out for prom, atleast thats how she thought it went, she never got asked out to prom, probably less likely after being so awkward and secluding herself so much.

Zeta stared, trying to sort out what she'd just heard. Go out where? Go out...? Oh. Go out. Like, date. Like, girlfriend/girlfriend. Zeta couldn't hide her moment of realization and dismay. She felt crushed because Lucinda didn't need another disappointment, but ungh, Zeta had to be honestly.

"Oh god. Um, I'm so flattered. But, I'm really sorry, I don't think about you, like, that way."

Oh, Zeta, you are going to bollocks this up. Zeta had never dated anyone before. She'd turned down a couple offers, both boys, but that had felt more like a ritual pairing off rather than a real feeling. Like, she was the second girl they asked, and it was easy to say no. But aaaaah, Lucinda, had probably mustered up all this courage.

"I'm really sorry. I am, I really am. You're more like ... my little sister than anything."

God, that sounded terrible. Absolutely terrible. What a mess.

Lucinda suddenly felt a weight press down on her, and a nice feeling in her chest fade away. Her face went from hopeful to sad as she was put down gently. She turned away so she could hide a little. "N-no its okay...I'm sorry I...just..." She didn't know what exactly to say either, she had never thought longterm, just...she had to say it.

After a few moments and wiping her eyes she would turn around and look back at Zeta, her eyes dampened but clearly trying to hide it. "Um...sorry..." What was worse she wondered in her head, the friendzone that she heard so many people talk about. Or being seen like a younger family member? Atleast she is...loved in a way right?

"Can I...atleast get a hug or something..i.." Her voice broke at the end as both her arms rose to either side of her body, she took a shaky step forwards towards Zeta but didn't advance further, her frame started to shake as she did her best not to burst into tears on the spot.

There probably wasn't anything Zeta could have come up with that wouldn't have hurt, but she wished she could have found the words. Even as she'd been speaking she'd seen Lucinda slump and close in. Zeta leaned a little bit to try and see her face as she turned away, but kept her hands folded in her lap.

The boathouse. It made more sense now. People liked the boathouse.

Zeta sighed and saw that Lucinda's face was wet. Merlin, she didn't know why Lucinda would want to ask her out. It had been unexpected, but what she'd said was true. Lucinda needed ... kid gloves. Like she could go off at any moment. Like she needed to figure out herself before she could be with anyone. Zeta stopped herself. None of that was anyone's business.

Then Lucinda was coming towards her and Zeta suddenly felt very awkward. It's not that she didn't want a hug, but after what Lucinda just asked her Zeta had a pang of worry that if she hugged back she'd be somehow leading her on. In the end, Zeta Hufflipuffiness prevailed and she met Lucinda in the middle with a big hug.

"Oh, Luce, don't be sorry. You're a fantastic person," Zeta said into Lucinda's scalp. "Things will turn out okay."

Zeta was trying.

Lucinda just rested in the hug, her arms wrapped around Zeta's back tightly, but kept them a bit loose so she would break off as soon as Zeta loosened, nervous as to the situation now, although she had never thought of...how to react. She had never expected to be treated so kindly, she liked Zeta, a good amount, and knew she wouldn't be mean, but at the same time she expected the worst. She expected to be shouted at, or be mocked and insulted.

She really did need the hug though, her body relaxed and started to calm down, her body still shuddered now and then as she started to let out her tears, small sobbing sounds coming from her. "I-i'm sorry...I-i just got myself so worked up..and thought that..." She shook her head. "N-not like that...as in...I really..." She gripped in tighter and pressed her body in. "I just need someone..." She muttered softly.

She knew Zeta wasn't likely to leave her, but she also now knew there was no way she could get that close, she didn't want what the boathouse was used for, although she couldn't figure out her feelings properly, she knew she did want to be close with someone, Zeta was all she knew...it was worth the shot though wasn't it?..if it meant she could always be close...

Lucinda seemed calmer, like the world was maybe ending a little less. Zeta did as well. Hugs were ... cathartic, was that the word? She'd have to check with Tim. Maybe they both needed a hug today. After a few moments, Zeta did that thing that people do when a hug was over, that little pat-pat. Zeta pulled away, her mouth pulled into a half smile.

"It's okay. Really. I just didn't see it coming. I care about you. And," Zeta started mustering something. She sat back down, but leaned forward engaged, looking directly at Lucinda, her hands folded on her knees.

"And I'm here for you. We probably won't be girlfriends, but that doesn't make our relationship any weaker. Friendship are as important as any other kind of relationship, okay? I really believe that."  Zeta spoke earnestly as if she had some advice that was actually meaningful.

"I've got your back. And you have mine. And we can be friends even when there's not a disaster. Like fun things."

Lucinda pulled away as Zeta did, wiping her eyes again and took a breath to relax a little. She slowly took a seat on the side of a boat and put her hands on her knees, trying to warm her legs up a little, she gave a small smile at her words. Atleast it didn't ruin them being friends, that was good...although Lucinda didn't look her in the eyes. Finding it too awkward.

"Fun things, like if there's a fair. Or to see Gryffindor smash the Hufflepuff team next match." She said with a slight smirk on her face. "I don't think its likely...there won't be a disaster anytime soon though." She said softly. "I'm sorry..I know that...well...i'm awkward. I'm either always angry or an.." She stopped herself as she felt like she was about to start tearing up again.

Letting herself calm again she gave a small nod. "but yes...even if...not girlfriends.." She slouched forwards a little, saddened  that it wasn't going to happen, although she wasn't entirely sure what she would do if she had one, maybe just rest on them alot, human pillow sounded like it could be nice, any maybe she would finally be able to sleep properly.

"It's alright. We're all a little awkward."

Zeta didn't want to, but she felt sad for Lucinda. She wanted her to be happy and feel safe being herself, but that was hard when your whole self sort of ... got blown up. It didn't seem right to keep on giving advice, though. I mean, what did Zeta know? She was a ball of nerves and emotion just waiting to explode all the time. She was just better at hiding it. That, and she had less reason to be a mess.

She looked properly aghast when Lucinda threw shade at Hufflepuff's Quidditch team.

"At least we have one this year! Not like two years ago when half the team fell ill and we had to pull in the scrubs!"[1] Zeta had watched from the stands in shock and horror. She'd been surprised no one had called the Aurors. "If I recall, we lost because Heliotrope caught the snitch with seaweed or something."

"But yea. We can real friends. And I'm all for hugs."

1.	23 Oct 2009

She gave a grin at Zeta's reaction to her Quidditch comment. "I mean, which team had the worlds best seeker in it?" She asked softly, it was a slight exaggeration, Harry Potter may not of been the best seeker but she found it was always a good way to tease. Although she wondered what ever happened to him, at one point he was the most famous and infamous person in the world. Then when it seemed the world needed him most, he vanished. Ok maybe he wasn't needed the most now but still seemed odd to her.

Slowly a mischievous smile moved over Lucinda's face. "I mean, technically we are girl friends anyway." She gave a small laugh and rested back. "I wonder it would look like if someone heard me ask and saw us in he-" She cut herself off as she suddenly realized how weird the entire thing looked, she turned red as she tried to remove any of the thoughts from her head.

"U-um..so..." She tried thinking of something else. "I-i found a couple of good things about being a werewolf." She said, although there wasn't much in the way of good with it, she had managed to find a couple of small victories in it.

She gave a look towards Zeta, asking to be closer to her, even though she obviously knew how awkward it looked. she just needed the closeness and warmth of someone else. It likely didn't help her much either in the warmth department with her clothing choice for the winter.