Broodygryffindor: ::has been idly perusing the shelves for about five minutes now in an attempt to appear occupied. She begins to worry that her efforts might appear horribly transparent and starts to gradually make her way back over to the table that she's already claimed as her own by leaving books (two to be precise) and rolls of parchment scattered about in a bit of a mess, stopping once in awhile to go "hm" in a last ditch attempt at casual and not at all focused entirely on the door::
EllieBranstone: ::comes into the library, looking a bit flushed. Looks around for Natalie, and when she finally sees her, stands there awkwardly for a moment, biting her bottom lip, before making her way over to the table.:: I'm sorry I'm late.
Broodygryffindor: ::sees Ellie come in, but pretends not to notice, which involves rather unnaturally avoiding looking up and focusing instead on the ground, as seems to be the case fairly often with her lately. Because she's casual, dammit. Once Ellie gets closer, however, she does look up, and smiles even:: Oh. No. It's fine. ::indicates the table for politeness' sake before sitting down herself, eyeing Ellie curiously:: Everything's alright, I hope?
EllieBranstone: ::looks away from Natalie, twirlinlg a bit of hair around her index finger, coloring slightly for no reason that Natalie would possibly know:: Yes. It's. Fine. I just ran into someone, and I wound up talking to him longer than I should have.
Broodygryffindor: ::blinks slowly and nods:: Oh. Right. ::looks down at the mess she's left lying about on the table and makes a half-hearted attempt at straightening it up a bit, smirking:: Things are such a mess around here lately, I'm easily concerned, I guess.
EllieBranstone: I didn't mean to worry you. ::sets her bookbag down on the table and then sits down::
Broodygryffindor: No. It's nothing. really. ::opens one of the books and pretends to thumb through it in search of something, when in reality she's just flipping through pages:: I'm just being stupid, I'm sure. ::lowers her voice:: ...as usual.
EllieBranstone: You're not being stupid, Natalie. ::gets out her Transfiguration book and a parchment and quill:: What's wrong?
Broodygryffindor: ::shifts uncomfortably in her seat:: Hm? Oh. Nothing.
Broodygryffindor: ... distracted, I guess?
EllieBranstone: ::nods:: Okay. ::begins flipping through her textbook, scribbling notes as she does::I can't believe she wants this essay to be four and a half feet long.
Broodygryffindor: ::snorts quietly:: Keeping in mind who "she" is, it's not all *that* hard to believe...
EllieBranstone: ::wails:: But it's on the ethics of human transfiguration. "Don't do it without permission." How can I stretch that into four and a half feet? I can't write that big.
Broodygryffindor: ::blinks, forehead wrinkling in thought:: Um. By being horribly redundant? ... with lots of big words?
Broodygryffindor: ::shrugs:: I could see if Hermione's got a similar one from last year that I could steal.
EllieBranstone: No, I couldn't do that. I just... I hate essays. I really hate Transfiguration essays. ::frowns and scribbles some more, but after a moment, her quill stops moving and she just stares at the parchment, seeming to be lost in thought::
Broodygryffindor: ::nods several times and goes back to pretending to read, without really having the faintest idea what the book says as she's far too busy casually "glancing" at Ellie upon occasion. That is, once every twenty seconds or so::
EllieBranstone: ::continues half-heartedly working on her essay, very unusually quiet -- especially for her::
Broodygryffindor: ::clears her throat:: Uh. Ellie?
EllieBranstone: ::blinks, as though she's been daydreaming, and looks up:: Yes?
Broodygryffindor: Is everything, you know. ::squints:: Are you alright?
EllieBranstone: ::biting her lip again and not looking at Natalie:: I'm fine. I just...it's been a really long day already. ::smiles at her:: Sorry.
Broodygryffindor: ::smiles weakly, closing the book and setting it off to the side for now:: No. It's fine. Really. Just, uh.
Broodygryffindor: Look. ::clears her throat awkwardly and leans in a bit:: You're not mad at me about earlier, are you?
EllieBranstone: Earlier? ::genuinely confused.:: No. What did you do earlier that would have made me mad?
Broodygryffindor: Oh. Well. I don't know. ::fidgets a little and decides to wipe the already clean tabletop clear of nonexistent specks of something or other, clearing her throat yet again:: I just thought that you might be. So, uh.. you're not, then?
EllieBranstone: No. Not at all. ::smiles again, and this time looks at Natalie::
Broodygryffindor: ::looks a little relieved:: Are you sure? Because, I mean, if you *are* mad, you should tell me. So I'll know and I can, you know.. ::starts to trail off as she can't think of anything appropriately effective to say and just settles for:: ...fix it.
EllieBranstone: Yes, I'm sure. ::smiles again:: I'm not at all mad at you. I'd tell you.
Broodygryffindor: ::smiles and looks a lot relieved this time:: Yes, I'm sure you would..
EllieBranstone: Probably pout and sulk and cry at you, even. ::grins, looking much more her usual self::
Broodygryffindor: Ooh, but that's almost tempting. I like the first one, and I don't think I've actually seen the last two. Have I?
EllieBranstone: You wouldn't like the crying. I get all red and blotchy and hiccupy.
Broodygryffindor: ::furrows her brow, apparently thinking this over:: But you're cute when you blush, and *that's* red. ::pauses, thinking some more, and then nods, apparently rather decided on the matter:: But, no. I don't imagine I would like it, now that I think about it properly.
EllieBranstone: Good. So you won't want a demonstration.
Broodygryffindor: Right.
Broodygryffindor: ... but what about sulking? ::grins::
EllieBranstone: Maybe later. ::grins back::
Broodygryffindor: Will that be before or after the pillow fight, then?
Broodygryffindor: I imagine it'll be after. Once you've lost horribly.
EllieBranstone: Who says I'm going to lose? ::scowls in a manner that she probably means to be fierce, but looks rather...well, like aHufflepuff scowling::
Broodygryffindor: ::tries very hard not to laugh or smile all too much as those just aren't the sort of things one does in the face of fierce scowling, but only manages to restrain the smile into an odd sort of grin that makes it look rather like she's eaten something quite sour:: Oh. Of course. *What* was I thinking?
EllieBranstone: ::giggles:: That's right. You'd better acknowledge my superior pillow-fighting skills.
Broodygryffindor: ::sniffs in a manner that she hopes seems very indignant:: Well, of course. What else can one expect, really? Slave Girls have all that practice with carrying pillows and such...
EllieBranstone: And hitting you with them.
Broodygryffindor: ... that too. ::grins::
Broodygryffindor: Hm. I hope you realize that if you weren't sitting so far away, I'd simply have to poke you.
EllieBranstone: Good thing I'm all the way over here, then. ::sticks out her tongue because she is so very mature::
Broodygryffindor: Bloody well right it is. ::pauses for a beat before sticking her tongue out as well, because she too is an absolute fucking role model::
Broodygryffindor: ::drags the book back in front of her, opens it, and actually begins to read this time, an immediate look of confusion crossing her face. Very much the classic, "the Hell?" look::
EllieBranstone: ::notices the expression on Natalie's face:: What?
Broodygryffindor: ::squints and blinks and turns the book over to look at the cover, at which point the proverbial lightbulb seems to dawn and she actually blushes a little, quickly slipping the book off to the side in some sort of hopeless attempt to hide it:: Nothing. Just. I, eh. Grabbed the wrong book... ::coughs and reaches for the other one which actually is her Potions book and not just some other book masquerading as it::
EllieBranstone: So what book was that? ::reaches for it , but it's too far away::
Broodygryffindor: ::feels rather thoroughly like an idiot, but tries for nonchalant:: Oh. Just a, uh. Muggle book. Not important, really.
EllieBranstone: If it's not important, why were you trying to hide it?
Broodygryffindor: ::shrugs awkwardly, her shoulders moving up and down in an awfully jerky fashion, mumbling:: Because it's embarrassing...
EllieBranstone: How bad could it be?
Broodygryffindor: ::sighs, apparently resigning herself to her fate, and slides the book across the table towards Ellie. The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall which, on the very cover, proclaims itself, "A 1920's Classic of Lesbian Fiction":: ::raises her eyebrows, smirking a little::
EllieBranstone: ::looks at it for a minute and shrugs:: It's not that terrible, I don't think, Natalie.
Broodygryffindor: ::shrugs, still smirking:: A bit on the cheesy, melodramatic side at times, but I imagine that much is just because of when it was written.
Broodygryffindor: The real trouble is that it took me about ten minutes of reading it to realize that it wasn't the right book. Doesn't even have magic in it. That's the embarrassing bit. ::grins:: You must think I'm horribly dense.
EllieBranstone: No. Though I think I could tell that from a textbook. Probably.
Broodygryffindor: ::coughs:: Yes. Well. I was distracted, I suppose.
EllieBranstone: ::grins:: Were you?
Broodygryffindor: ::tugs the book back towards her and watches her own hands as they fidget and idly pick at some of the glue that's come loose along the edge of the spine:: Hm. Maybe. ::grins back:: Why do you ask?
EllieBranstone: Oh, I don't know, just wondered what distracted you.
Broodygryffindor: ::smirks:: I should think that much would be obvious.
EllieBranstone: ::looks around the library:: The sight of Goyle actually studying?
Broodygryffindor: ::snorts:: Well, that *is* actually quite distracting. Though not what I meant.
EllieBranstone: ::grins:: I know.
Broodygryffindor: Do you?
Broodygryffindor: Just trying to give me a hard time then, eh? Or so it seems. ::tries to pout around the grin that's started to form on her lips:: Oh, I'm hurt. I really am.
EllieBranstone: ::grins back:: Forgive me?
Broodygryffindor: ::tries to scowl. She's actually fairly better at it than Ellie, but that's really not saying much, and she can't keep it up for long before breaking back into a grin:: Well, yeah. Of course.
EllieBranstone: Good. ::scans over her parchment and sighs:: This makes no sense at all. ::keeps writing without crossing anything out::
Broodygryffindor: ::leans forward to peer at the parchment, making a somewhat feeble attempt to read it upside down:: Well, yeah. It doesn't make much sense. But I imagine that might be because I'm reading it from entirely the wrong angle. From here "without" looks strikingly like "tnoutim". ::grins:: But, eh. Apart from that, I'm sure it's fine.
EllieBranstone: "Tnoutim" might be an improvement. ::shrugs:: Oh well. It fills the parchment.
Broodygryffindor: Which really is all that matters when you're stretching, eh- ::hesitates for a beat while she does a quick mental tally:: - five words into four and a half feet.
EllieBranstone: Exactly!
Broodygryffindor: You'll get no arguments from me.
EllieBranstone: That's a first, isn't it? ::grins again::
Broodygryffindor: Oh. Now that hurts. ::looks "wounded" for about two seconds and then shrugs:: But, eh. Yeah. Probably.
EllieBranstone: You like arguing. :)
Broodygryffindor: And you like talking. So it kind of all works out in the end, don't you think?
EllieBranstone: Yes, I thought so.
Broodygryffindor: ::smiles:: Glad you agree. ::inadvertently does that thing where she just stares for a bit before realizing that she's doing it and following it up with the usual awkward cough and glancing away. This time her gaze lands on her discarded Potions textbook and, shrugging, she pulls it over and opens it again:: You'll have to stop being cute now, if you don't mind. I've reading to do. ::shoots Ellie a quick smirk across the top of her book::
EllieBranstone: ::grins at Natalie:: I'll do my best.