Midnight with the Flowers [open]

Somehow, on her way back to her dorm-room from a lengthy studying session in the library, Evaline had found herself pushing through the doors of the Conservatory. She wasn't really sure if she was allowed to be here at such a late hour, but the doors had been unlocked, so she was sure there was no harm in checking it out. It wasn't like she was going to decimate the place, or something. She was in need of some quiet time after such a hectic four weeks, and perhaps this was the place where she could do so.

Upon entering the building, the Spring was met with warm, moist air, characteristic of perennial up-keeping facilities. She uttered a contented sigh. It was a nice temperature change from the wet, unforgiving cold of the outside world. It was also the prettiest greenhouse Evaline had ever visited, and really seemed to live up to the praise that it had been given on the Beata pamphlets. A couple of palm trees stretched nearly to the glass roof above, elegant and slender. Below them lay a vast array of greenery, ranging from stubby bushes, wide, flat leaves, explorative vines, tall fronds, and a countless number of beautiful flowers, both exotic and local. Evaline paced slowly down the stony paths that stretched between the plants, clutching her textbooks in one hand and gently brushing the leaves with the other. Her mind drifted off as she sauntered along.

A month. It had been an entire month since Evaline had moved to Beata Academy, and she had barely said two words to anyone since she'd arrived. It was laughable, especially from a girl who had been born and raised in a city so crowded and confusing that it was impossible to get comfortable in without proper friends. Indeed, she had friends back home, but it had taken her many years to forge lasting bonds even with such measly number of colleagues. Now, she was faced with the task of starting the friendship business all over again, and she had not progressed even an inch since she had moved. It was frustrating. Why did she have to be so skittish? Why did she worry about peoples' outlooks on her so much? Why was it so damn hard to start a simple conversation?

At least these plants are easy to get along with, Evaline thought, furrowing her brow. They don't judge people, and they don't have complicated emotions. I guess they're my only friends right now.. God, that had sounded pathetic even in her head. She really hoped there were no telepaths around.

Charlotte had been exploring the school since she arrived, but she had never really gotten to know the place well.  She'd also never bothered with a map, so her free days were spent exploring as she built a map in her head of all the places that she'd seen.  As she wandered aimlessly, trying to keep track of her relative location, she stumbled upon a large, ornate glass building. Charlotte was entirely unfamiliar with it and had, in fact, never seen anything like it before.  She walked casually up to the doors and yanked it open a little too forcefully.  Once open, the building greeted the student with a blast of warm air.  The shock of the unexpected warmth startled her and she almost backed away and left.

However, once her golden eyes caught sight of the lush greenery inside, her surprise was replaced with wonder.  It had been years since she had seen such a variety of plants.  Growing up in New York City had many drawbacks, the lack of nature being one of them.  Charlotte hesitantly stepped inside, letting the door close behind her.  She bit her lip and moved forward slowly; such plentiful greenery was strange to her and she felt almost unwelcome in such a place.

As she began walking around to observe the various plant life, Charlotte took off her pink sweater and tossed it to the ground next to the door.  She went up to a beautiful purple flower and inspected it carefully.  It was unrecognizable to her, yet she still enjoyed looking at it.  She stood back up and walked around the building.  The silence had convinced her she was alone, but she soon saw another student standing just a few feet ahead of her.  Charlotte adjusted her glasses and glanced at the girl in front of her, judging whether or not she should talk to her.

ooc: whoops, i sorta forgot this existed

Eva jumped at the sound of somebody approaching. For a moment, she was reeling in fear, thinking that one of the Guardians had come to scold her for creeping around in places she shouldn't be at this time. Oh, God, oh god.. One month into my stay here, and I'm already screwed.. What is wrong with me?

Clutching her books a little tighter, she forced a sheepish smile on her face and turned around on her heel. "I-I'm so sorry, I -- Oh.." Her speech trailed away as she caught sight of the visitor. It wasn't a Guardian at all, it was just another student. Much of Evaline's worry washed away, but not all of it. She'd still been caught by somebody fiddling around mindlessly with the plants. At midnight. It was still quite embarrassing, to some degree. ".. Hah, I thought you were a Guardian.. Y-you really got me there," she explained, laughing uneasily and rubbing the back of her neck.

"Chill, there's no need to be so jumpy,"  Charlotte's lips turned up in an amused smirk at the student.

She took a few steps closer to the student, inspecting her closely.  She took her glasses off and cleaned some dust off the lenses before placing them back on.

"I suppose you're not the type to wander around after dark, huh?"  Her question was phrased almost like a factual statement; this girl seemed like a rule follower.

Charlotte glanced at the plants surrounding them, still somewhat awestruck that so many plants could exist in the same exact place.  It made her miss home with its hard concrete and packed crowds.  Most of all she missed her friends, the girls that had her back till the end.  That was all far away now, and Charlotte had to at least make an attempt at finding friends, even if her somewhat abrasive attitude wasn't exactly welcome in most places.

"Ah, yeah.. Not really," she responded, shrugging a little. Yes, that was true. She'd always followed the rules in fear of disappointing her parents, or getting some sort of public attention as a result of getting in trouble. She couldn't really tell from the girl's voice if she was just joking, or was attempting to make fun of her. Likely, it was just a joke, but Eva had more than a few pessimistic tendencies. "I-I was on my way back from a late study session, and the door was open, so I figured it was okay, I guess.." The Spring shifted her weight on the polished tiles below her, scuffing at something imaginary with her left foot. ".. What are you doing here so late?"