All I Needed +Mai+

[bryana spencer]

Soft footsteps reverberated against the cold stone, as Bryana Spencer hurriedly walked to the Owlery. She had a break in between classes, and she wanted her letter posted as soon as possible. She entered the room, not caring to notice its tall ceilings, more preoccupied with avoiding stepping on the foul excrements of its inhabitants. A demanding task by itself.

The girl gave up on her attempt to hold on her breath, and a few owls rustled their feathers above her at her exhalation, as if insulted by her actions. She smirked lightly, finding her owl owl, Serenity, perched in a lonely corner of the room.

Bryana retrieved her note and re-read it once more, assuring herself that she actually wanted to send it.

She folded back the note and tied it closed with a light blue ribbon, her neat (yet not entirely perfected) handwriting marking it's destination as 'Rayna Spencer'. She bit her lip and glanced up wards, try to tie the envelope to its leg.

"Let's hope you can find her." She whispered to the bird as she tied the parchment to its leg.

She knew she was taking a risk, but she needed to do something...to try and figure out what had happened to her dear sister. Her sister was announced Missing in Action, by her parents. For short, she'd left home and hadn't been back in months. Bryana herself could see how naive it was to hope for it to have an effect at all (positive, that is), but she hated being powerless for being so young...even though she wasn't. She resisted to stomp her foot in frustration. "I wouldn't be surprised if she decided not to even open the letter." she muttered, watching the bird as it flew off.

She turned on her heels, and began walking down the spirally staircase. Accidentally, she'd lifted her hand onto the railing, lost in her thoughts. Then, all of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain on her index finger, and then felt it start to pulse. She yelped in pain, pulling it away violently. She then looked down to wards her now bleeding hand. The culprit, a stupid owl.

She growled, and waved her finger around, because the pain was just not bearable. She whined as she held her hand, bleeding all over Castle floors.

Eventually, she'd made it all the way to the Hospital Wing, crying like a little kid. She managed to breath out the words, "It hurts." She held up her hand to the nurse, and she was taken over to a bed. For what, she wasn't sure. Maybe, if she was bound to faint or something like it, she'd be able to faint on the nice, warm bed.

She tried her best to hold her arm in the air, but her whole arm was pulsating now, and it was turning purple. Bryana made a disgusted face, and turned her head away. "Great, things couldn't get any worse." she thought.

[/blockquote]

[mairead ó fearghail]

She was supposed to be lying in bed, all nice and well-behaved and such. In fact, the nurse had threatened to bind her to the bed if she got too far away from it. Apparently, the nurse was getting tired of Mairead's inability to stay put when directed to do so. Well, Mairead was tired of the nurse's insistence that Mairead would shrivel away into some horrible fate if she were to get out of bed. So, they seemed even. Except, Mairead half believed the nurse's threat to bind her in place.

So, she'd compromised. She was still in bed. Though, she was kneeling on the bed, gazing out the window, her chin resting on her crossed arms. The hospital gown was bunched around the back of her knees, but the blankets were pulled carefully up to the hem.

It didn't matter that she had no choice but be inside, it still made her claustrophobic and restless to stay inside too long. She ended up in this hospital wing enough that the nurse really should be familiar with that. With a sigh of boredom and frustration, she turned and flopped back down in the bed, taking care to make sure the sheets stayed firmly in place.

But, in reality, leaving the bed wasn't an option so, with a frustrated sigh, she leaned against the headboard and tugged a letter from under the empty goblet on the nightstand and settled back to read it.

The decision to turn around and settle in the bed again had come at an opportune time, it seemed. Just a few moments later, someone came into the hospital wing and the nurse hustled out of her office to tend to them. As she passed, the nurse had given her an approving nod.

Mairead glanced up from the letter, the potential for distraction from the mundane seeming too tempting to ignore. But, she found that she, immediately, recognized the other girl. With a sigh, she turned her attention back to the letter. That was another of your better social moments, she thought to herself. Chances were, the other girl would prefer of Mairead just ignored her - unless she got spiteful. It seemed less typical of Ravenclaws then Slytherins, but she glanced at her covered legs before focusing on the words on the sheet of looseleaf. Even though her father had offered it to him, Tito refused to use parchment to write letters.

As she read the note, she started humming quietly to herself. She hadn't expected Bryana to stay. When the hospital wing grew quiet again after the nurse had slipped back in her office, Mairead assumed, without looking, that she was alone again. So, the hum turned into whistling and the whistling turned into words.
"A mháithrín, a' leigfeá 'un an aonaigh mé?
Oh mother, will you let me go to the fair?
A mháithrín, a' leigfeá 'un an aonaigh mé?
My dearest dear, I do not dare

Beidh aonach i mbárach i gConndae an Chláir
A fair tomorrow in County Clare
Beidh aonach i mbárach i gConndae an Chláir
What good is it to me? I won't be there

Nil tú a deich ná a h-aon déag fós
You're not ten or eleven yet
Nil tú a deich ná a h-aon déag fós
But when you're thirteen you'll be let

Tá mé i ngrá le gréasaí bróg
I'm in love with the shoemaker
Tá mé i ngrá le gréasaí bróg
If I don't get him, I won't live

B'fhearr liom féin mo ghréasaí bróg
I prefer my shoemaker
B'fhearr liom féin mo ghréasaí bróg
To an army captain with lace and frills"

A Mhaithrin, A'Leighfea 'Un An Aonaigh Me by Cathie Ryan if you are curious.

[bryana spencer]

Bryana wasn't happy. That damn owl had ruined her hand. She was in a state of panic, and pain all at the same time. She groaned when the Nurse came back and started treating her wound. She opened her hand up slowly, and saw that most of the bleding had stopped, and the wound was only about a half inch deep. "You were screamin' like you hand was about to fall off!" the nurse tried to joke around. Bryana wanted to cross her arms, but at that time she could, so she just rolled her eyes and said, "Thanks."

To her it had felt like it was going to come off. It wasn't like she'd felt the pain of an owl bite before. The nurse bandaged it, and told her that she could leave, but she decided she'd stay, just in case it started bleeding again. She heard some humming, and looked around for the source of it. I hadn't known there was anyone else in here. she thought. She recognized the girl as Mairead, or Mai as she was called. "That's a rather bouncy and happy tune to be humming, if you're sitting in the Hospital Wing.. don't you think?" she asked her.

[mairead ó fearghail]

She glanced up, surprised when she heard the other's voice. As she glanced around the room, it became apparent she wasn't alone in the room as she'd expected. Bryana had not left and she offered an apologetic grin. "Ah, sorry about that," she said, folding the loose leaf between two of her fingers. "Well, I guess it is a bit cheery. Though, it is a bummer when you don't get to go the fair so it has it's dark undertones ... nevermind." It was bound to be another line of conversation that was going to end badly. Discussing uppity songs about fair goings was probably no more popular a conversation topic than aquatic monsters.

"The way I look at it," she tried again, brushing a hand over the blankets, smoothing out a wrinkle or two. "I'm stuck here in the hospital wing whether I sing a bouncy song or a depressing song. Might as well sing a boncy song, right?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

She looked around the room, awkwardly, trying to figure out the best approach to take with talking with the other girl. Unfortunately, she didn't know how much trouble the misunderstanding had caused and, as a result, how much damage control there was to do. Or, if it was even possible. But - apologies were always good places to start, right? As long as she didn't make it worse. "I know it probably won't make a difference, but I never meant anything the other day. I thought I was helping, but I'm used to things not working out the way I intend."

[bryana spencer]

<sub>"Yeah..right." Bryana nodded, even though she didn't understand at all. Man, that girl was strange. So far, her conversations with Mai hadn't been so cheery either. Sure, aquatic beings could be interesting, but Bryana wasn't deeply interested in the topic. But, she guessed that Mai had a few other screws loose, muttering about fairs and things.

"Sure, but there no point in faking your cheerfulness. If if you're angry, be angry." she said, truthfully. It was just opinion, but strong opinion all the same. Soon, Bryana's attention was stolen by a piece of tape she was picking at on a desk beside her. Her eyes only glanced over at Mai when she spoke again. "Well..I don't exactly see how saying that 'I was humouring you', was helping me out." she started. "But, whatever, it's over now."</sub>

((Crappy, I know but I've just been uber-busy!))

[mairead ó fearghail]

Mairead took a deep breath and let out a short but abrupt sigh. Why did it seem, sometimes, normal conversation was so difficult? They would have thought such a comment was a bit stupid at home, but not as bad as this girl seemed to think. Glenn would have thought it was hilarious and found some tangent about girls sneaking to fairs and getting clubbed by ... Lord only knew what. But, time and time again, Mairead had gotten the reminder that here was very different than home on a regular basis.

She glanced up as the nurse stepped out of her office and the woman gave her a warm and comforting grin. Without saying a word, the nurse gave Mairead a reassuring pat on the shoulder and a cup of tea before returning to heroffice. With the frequency Mairead found herself in the nurse's domain, she'd spent a fair amount of time talking with the woman.

As the older woman shuffled away again, Mairead looked up, startled. "But ... I'm not ... I don't think I am angry," she admitted with a bewildered shrug. "I guess it kind of sucks being here, rather than outside, but, I really wouldn't want to be outside right now, anyway. I might be a little ... well, lonely and ... homesick, but not angry really." She was reluctant in admitting the two more 'correct' states, still uncertain how trustworthy this Bryana was. But, then, what was the worse Bryana could do? Laugh at her? She grew up with that and most of the time didn't notice it. Which is why most of the Slytherins had grown used to hexing her. And, after all, if she was about the be hexed, it would be convenient she was already here. She wouldn't even have to get out of bed.

"I thought you were ... well, embarrassed to get caught by a guy talking about the squid," she said, doubtful explanations would help but confident it couldn't make things worse. "I thought you were trying to ... you know, impress him so I thought if he thought talking about it was all my idea ... which it kind of was ... and you were just playing along to humor me and not make me feel like a complete idiot ... which you kind of were, after all ... then, maybe he'd just think I was the stupid freak and you were being nice to me. But, it doesn't matter much, since it clearly didn't work." She glanced down at the unsipped mug in her hands. For a moment, she cradled it in one hand and lifted the other to chew slightly on her thumbnail.

[bryana spencer]

"Well, I won't let your hopes be ruined. So, I'll just stop talking about it." she said, not looking directly at her. Instead, she was focusing intently on her bandages. It seemed as though Mairead had a strong heart, and to the naked eye didn't seem to be angry at ever little thing, like Bryana was most of the time. She had somewhat of an anger problem, but it was something that she could control after a while.

But then, Mai returned to the subject about Ethan. "Ok, yes. I was sort of trying to impress him. But simply humouring you didn't make me seem cool, it's makes me look like a bitch." she spoke, slowly, so as not to go overly emotional about it. It's not like she was never called a bitch before, but she hated realizing it herself. THe nurse hurried out of her office, shushing the girls, and telling them to watch their mouths.

Bryana gave an apologetic frown, and then turned back towards Mai. "From what you're saying, your intentions were good. But, so were mine. I didn't want to come across as some slutty bitch who acts fake around boys." she continued, whispering the swear words, so that she wouldn't be scolded again. "I guess I was 'humoring' you, but only because you looked lonely..I guess. Not because I wanted to seem like a perfect person. " she finished.

[mairead ó fearghail]

Mairead grinned slightly, though with a slightly subdued hint to it. She never had been that pessimistic a person and it was highly unlikely her hopes would be ruined so easily. She faced misunderstandings on a regular basis and didn't give them much thought, really. But, she shrugged her shoulders. There was no real point in pursuing the conversation. Especially since it only seemed she was making things worse.

She nodded her head but shrugged her shoulders, looking down at her hands awkwardly. "Oh," she said, simply, with sigh of defeat. "I always thought it seemed nice when people humored the sorry little lonely kid so she didn't feel like an idiot for talking about squids and such. At least, that's what it seems like. I'm used to getting things wrong, though. I could apologize again, but I get the impression it won't make much of a difference."

She looked up as the nurse scurried in to quiet them and offered an apologetic smile to the older woman. But, when the nurse had disappeared into the office, she heard Bryana's further explanation. She looked up suddenly, surprise. "I never said ... I don't think you're ... If he thinks that because you were being nice to me, then he's not worth you," she finally said, but immediately regretted it. Surely, that wouldn't help. "I really - all I meant ... I was just hoping he'd think I was the crazy one and you were just being nice. I ... yeah, I guess I was lonely. But, I usually am, so it's nothing new. I guess it's obvious why." The grin faded from her face and she sighed, slouching down slightly in her bed, straightening the sheets on the bed over her legs.

(OOC: sorry for the delay - I was waiting to see if our third person would post but decided we'd waited long enough.)

[bryana spencer]

"Well, in my opinion, that's not being truthful. And any person could see through dishonesty." Bryana said. "And, I would prefer if you didn't apologize." she finished. "And, it's not really about him anymore. I'm just..thinking about what I'm becoming. And how I come off to people. And why I don't have many friends. I feel like a bloody idiot!" she pouted. She moved her arms as if she was going to fold them in dissapointment, but the bandages on her arm/hand made that difficult. So, she didn't finish the job.

"Mai, I'm sorry if I'm making you feel stupid of something. Trust me, that's the last thing I want to do to somebody. It's just..the things I say." she looked away from her, out one of the windows on a far side of the room.