Chrysanthemum
Private to Dinara Lucey
Set on Friday, December 21 (Winter's Solstice)
Elijah carefully sipped the sweet, watered-down Chrysanthemum syrup from the bowl of his duck spoon as his eyes darted across the Great Hall, wanting to get this meal over with as quickly as possible. Slurping up one of the doughy 汤圆 balls, dyed festive pastels, he let the nostalgic feeling of homesickness wash over him as he chewed thoughtfully. He was glad that his mother had been punctual, for once, with her delivery of the holiday's food, although going to the house-elves for assistance in heating it up and putting it together had been rather uncomfortable. His family had never kept house-elves, and he had always made his own food whenever his mother left him to fend for himself. Letting someone else take over just wasn't in his nature.
The 汤圆 floating in his bowl were all beautiful pastel colours, ranging from the palest of pinks to the iciest of blues to the calmest of lilacs, and every color in between. He should've been there, at home and at the dinner table, staying up until midnight rolling every little pearl by hand in between his palms alongside his family, but Hogwarts had called and he had picked up the phone. The celebratory balls of dough were doused in a chrysanthemum syrup-like substance, straying from the ginger soup his parents preferred out of tradition. Both Celestine and him, however, ultimately had sweet-tooths, choosing the sweet throes of the flower rather than the bitterness of the ginger. The sentiment of the meal still remained, however, and was good enough for him on that Winter's Solstice.
Thankfully, so far, no one had asked him about what he had been eating. His whole goal, after all, was to fly under the radar, to simply sail through school without drawing the unnecessary attention of his fellow students. Yes, there were some here and there that he could tolerate, and even the one or two he genuinely trusted, but he doubted that many of his fellow students bothered to even learn his name- and that was just how he liked it.
Sipping from his steaming mug of tea, his eyes flickered across the room laid out in from of him once more before returning to the book lying open-faced on the table before him. Eating and reading at the same time was particularly dangerous, but he had meant to finish this chapter on Japanese architecture before trying not to make a fool of himself when he tried to make his next model. A heavy thunk on the seat next to him, however, nearly made him upset his bowl, although the only visible sign that he was startled was the very slight widening of his eyes. Slowly setting the duck spoon down in the bowl, he looked at the girl clad in Hufflepuff robes sitting down next to him, restraining a sigh.
Tugging at the edges of his school robes, he eyed her warily, the bright yellow lining of her robes off-putting and slightly disconcerting. It was almost the weekend, she couldn't wait just one more day to bother him? "Yes?" he said slowly, still suspicious of her presence at the Slytherin table. In fact, there seemed to be a little bubble of solitude around Elijah, where no one dared or cared enough to sit by him- she was the first in a while. "Did you want something...?"
Sometimes, you just have to play the role of a fool to fool the fool who thinks they're fooling you.
ELIJAH HUANG→ 6 STA || 7 STR || 5 AGI || 12 CTRL
ELIJAH HUANG→ 6 STA || 7 STR || 5 AGI || 12 CTRL
Chrysanthemum
Interactions | @Elijah Huang
The distinct House colors formed a beautiful mesh of hues on the canvas that the students had come to know and love as the Great Hall. There was an unspoken rule amongst the students of each house -- they typically clustered amongst themselves, creating four different oceans of uninterrupted color that proudly represented Hogwarts' four houses. That is, until the tidal wave known as Dinara Lucey enrolled as a First Year student.
It wasn't unheard of for students visit their friends from other houses during meal times, with little pockets of green sometimes mingling amongst the forest of mustard yellow, or even little splashes of red dotting the sea of blue. It was indeed uncommon to see a little flash of yellow darting to and fro about the various houses. If a spectator were to stand atop the Great Hall and observe the happenings, they'd likely be startled at the speed at which the oversized robes donned by the young Hufflepuff girl traveled.
A pair of bright eyes peered out from beneath a set of bushy brows, the only indication that Dinara had even been to observe that area. To many, meal-times were a time of peace and tranquility; a safe haven amidst the chaos of studying in an enchanted school -- be it the shifting staircases or the various mishaps waiting to happen as eleven-year-olds attempted to wave a wand and induce some form of a magical phenomenon. To Dinara Lucey, meal-times meant that it was a great opportunity to find out what her fellow schoolmates were up to. After all, they were already clustered together in one singular location, how much more convenient could it get?
She would find, however, that on this particular day her luck was down. Everything was just so boring. Despite having popped up at all the four Houses' tables multiple times, it just didn't seem like anything remotely interesting was going on. Dragging herself to the Slytherin table for what felt like the fiftieth time in hopes of finding something interesting to stick her nose into, she looked around. Anything, anyone even mildly interesting would do!
Her gaze landed on a lone figure who seemed to be eating from a bowl with some sort of a weird contraption. It seemed vastly different from the normal tablespoons that Dinara had grown up with, yet at the same time seemed to be functional enough for her to recognise it as a spoon. Inching closer, she peered over curiously to watch the boy sipping what looked like jelly beads -- also affectionately dubbed 'water babies' by Dinara -- submerged in a clear, yellow liquid. If she were to be very frank, it didn't look all that appetizing. In fact, it looked almost poisonous.
Indeed, 'very frank' just about summed up Dinara's approach to most of life's curiosities. Besides, he had also taken the liberty to ask if she had wanted something! Propping her elbows on the table, her hands peeked out from beneath her oversized robes as she pointed at his bowl. "Yes, I do actually," her brows furrowing as she scooted even closer to get a look at the weird substance in the bowl, sniffing curiously before continuing to speak. "What exactly are these little jelly orbs? Are they edible? What's this weird spoon-like thing? Where can I get one?
Her barrage of questions fired off at top speed, her eyes gleaming as she eagerly awaited the new knowledge that was sure to come with the boy's explanation. Without a doubt, some may see Dinara's forthrightness as ill-mannered; considering that she hadn't even introduced herself to the male before pummelling him with questions. It was simply in her nature, Dinara's curiosity was a key driving force in her world and she would often resort to whatever means possible in order to quench this thirst for knowledge and answers.
[font=segoe script]Dinara Lucey[/font]
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 2 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 8
Chrysanthemum
Elijah's already-stern expression deepened into a scowl as he stared at the Hufflepuff whirlwind that had plopped herself right in the middle of his breakfast without warning. Who did she think she was, disturbing others' meals- and from a different how, no less! And to think, he had come to the Great Hall for some peace and quiet on this chilly morning- it was clear that he wouldn't find that today. He hadn't realized that he would be interrupted on what was his second-favorite holiday of the year because of the food he ate; if he had, he would've just eaten in the common room.
He felt that he was staring at his exact opposite, in almost every way- light hair and light skin, bright and peppy yellow, a demeanor similar to one of a puppy, short and sweet; dark hair and olive skin, the deep and regal green, and eyes that looked like they could penetrate straight through to your soul. She was everything that he was not, and everything he didn't want to be- and while the two distinctions seemed similar, they were very, very different. This, at the very least, would be the first interesting breakfast he had in months.
His eyes flicked over the girl once, and he sighed quietly. She was, of course, one of those open-book types, the ones whose faces could contort into the most wonderful expressions, giving away their internal thoughts and emotions whether they knew of it or not. Her skin and hair said, without any hesitation, that she was of Caucasian descent, and she was short. Probably teased a little bit for it? Her voice was unnecessarily loud, like she was trying to compensate for something... why would she be speaking loudly when she was sitting right next to him? He had noticed, over the years, that people who spoke loudly either were entirely un-self-aware, or were unconsciously trying to cover up for something they thought they were lacking in. He couldn't tell which one she was, but she was loud, and he didn't like it.
Her ignorance was astounding- or, maybe not so much her ignorance, but her blatant questioning. He balked at the mere thought of her manners, shuddering at what his mother's reaction to her would've been. He flinched visibly, very visibly, as she moved closer, carefully moving away again and bringing his bowl with him. It was something straight out of a cartoon, and if any onlookers were watching, they'd most likely laugh. However, it was just him and her, and Elijah couldn't decide if that was a good thing.
His height and aged features, he supposed, would come in handy for once and for all. He had been mistaken for older years once before, and since the girl obviously didn't know his name, maybe he could pull off the trick? Turning his glare upon the small Hufflepuff, and it was a frightening glare indeed, he snapped, "Little girl, didn't your parents teach you about table manners?" His eyes darted to her elbows perched on the table, referencing what he was talking about nonverbally.
Ah, but her questions. If he had asked questions, he still would've wanted answers, regardless of who the other person was. They shared, at the very least, that much in common- it seemed they both possessed an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, although she certainly had a much more... bold way of acquiring it, and a small part of him couldn't help but admire that. Knowledge, she was only here for knowledge, for answers. He could respect that- the pursuit of answers to his questions was a chase he was constantly on. He owed her at least some answers to satisfy her curiosity, didn't he?
Scooping one of the squishy-looking balls into his spoon, he lifted it up, as if he were presenting it to her, like a professor to a pupil. "汤圆." He promptly ate the 'jelly orb', then showed her the empty spoon impatiently, swallowing hastily. "散蓮華. Please don't bother me," he added as an afterthought, before turning back to his breakfast. Now he just wanted the girl to leave, leave him be, so he could eat in peace and get to class. He could already feel that it was going to be an exhausting day, and the morning's strange and unusual start wasn't helping him get through it.
Translations ↴
汤圆→ the 'jelly orbs'. Traditionally made out of rice flour, water, and food dye... or, at least, that's how my family makes it. We live in America, okay? We're not fancy with all the red-bean-paste stuff and whatever.
散蓮華→ I didn't actually know these were called duck spoons until I had to look up their English names, I've just always referred to them as 'soup spoons'. They have a flat bottom and are generally used with chopsticks to eat soup noodles, or just, y'know, used as a regular spoon.
ReducioAck I know Elijah's really mean but seriously I love Dinara, she's such a sweet lil' goofball, and your writing is phenomenal... please excuse my Slytherboi's rudeness ;-;
Sometimes, you just have to play the role of a fool to fool the fool who thinks they're fooling you.
ELIJAH HUANG→ 6 STA || 7 STR || 5 AGI || 12 CTRL
ELIJAH HUANG→ 6 STA || 7 STR || 5 AGI || 12 CTRL
Chrysanthemum
Interactions | @Elijah Huang
If Dinara was somehow granted magical access to Elijah's thought process, she would've scoffed at his desire for 'peace and quiet'. The (extremely) extroverted girl couldn't fathom how anyone would ever want peace and quiet -- her maturity at the young age of eleven only allowed for a rather shallow understanding of others' perspectives. Besides, Dinara's perception of mealtimes mirrored that of the Lucey's; a rowdy dinner table with loads of cheer and laughter.
The male's flinch and his obvious desire to scoot away from the little fireball didn't go unnoticed, but it certainly went disregarded. Fortunately for Elijah, his little diss had gone by without much of a reaction from Dinara; she'd only scooted closer in response to his actions. On other days, Dinara would likely have given him an earful for his 'rudeness'. However, on this fine day, her curiosity simply pushed aside any comments that she might have reserved for Elijah's snark. Instead, her eyes remained fixed on the little jelly orbs that wobbled ever so slightly every time that the strong-jawed male took a mouthful.
Though her stare didn't falter initially, Elijah's stern glare coupled with his intimidating stature that towered over the little imp definitely made a visible impact on the girl. While his flinch had gone by without a reaction, the glare scared Dinara enough for her to draw her head back, forming a rather comedic expression rather reminiscent of a house cat that'd touched noses with something particularly unpleasant.
His comment, however, didn't sit quite well with her. Though he may be her senior (or so she had assumed from his quiet confidence), he had no right to diss her upbringing the way he did! Besides, her parents had always heavily enforced the importance of manners. A rather cross look adorned her soft features, though it did nothing for her in the intimidation factor. It made her look more ridiculous than anything else; if any of her closer friends had been around to witness this they would've laughed at her pathetic attempt at out-intimidating the male who was doing a spectacular job.
"Well, since you're such a grown-up, I'm sure you know more about manners than me." At this, Dinara turned her nose upwards rather snootily, her less-than-observant nature completely missing his look of distaste at her improper sitting posture. "You may be my senior, but I'll have you know that I am incredibly well-mannered, thank you very much! Her last sentence came out sounding more like an indignant yelp than anything else; a true reflection of the immaturity that was contained within the boundaries of Dinara's 11-year-old mind. Her momentary lapse in interest washed away as quickly as it came, and her cross expression quickly faded when the foreign-sounding words reached her years.
"Tang... Yuan?" She cocked her head curiously, the mispronounced Chinese words sounding rather weird even to her own ears. Dinara was extremely tempted to poke the little tangyuan orbs, but she figured it wouldn't have been the most polite of things to do to someone that she had just met. At his last comment, her brows furrowed in confusion -- she never did consider herself to be intrusive!
"Well, I don't think I'll be bothering you if I just sit here and watch, would I?" With renewed vigour, Dinara shuffled closer to the male, squinting comically at his breakfast. At this, almost with the perfect comedic timing, her stomach let out a loud growl. It seemed that in her excitement, she never really did get to eat much of her own breakfast. Besides, she wasn't that much interested in the boring breakfasts that were served in school! Looking down at her rumbling stomach, a small sheepish grin graced her features as she stared longingly at his bowl of tangyuan.
Reducio
Sorry for the long wait! This semester's been overwhelming and I lowkey lost my drive to write x.x
[font=segoe script]Dinara Lucey[/font]
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 2 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 8
Chrysanthemum
Elijah smirked as a look of indignation, a frown crossed over the Hufflepuff girl's face. At least he got her to resent him right off the bat. If she resented him now, that meant that she'd be more likely to leave him alone if he annoyed her to the point of exasperation. At least he now had a goal for what he was trying to achieve with her- annoy her enough so that she would leave him alone. Her attempt at a sterner expression was like watching a puppy try to take on his tail- endearing, rather hilarious to watch, and it made the puppy look more than a little bit stupid.
Her protests of indignance did nothing to help her case. In fact, it just made him pity her slightly- what was it like floundering in deep waters she surely knew nothing about, a little kid at the grown-up table, so to speak? He shook his head disappointingly, no longer worried about coming off as rude to her. He had on a mask all day, and breakfast was supposed to be the one time of day he had to himself. Even if the word spread that he had been rude to one Hufflepuff, it would've been her word against everyone else's.
Elijah mumbled some sort of agreement as the Hufflepuff mentioned that he knew more about proper etiquette, even if the comment had been sarcastic. He almost laughed at the thought of him being older than her- of course, he probably was, his birthday being in November, but she made it sound like he was years older than her, not months. Well, he liked it that way- he felt powerful, embodying someone older than himself.
He cringed as the Hufflepuff completely and utterly butchered the pronunciation of the traditional food, not making any move to hide his expression from her. This was why he normally didn't talk about his culture with other people- things like this would always happen, where he would always end up feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable, and the other person always just felt confused and out of place. Trying to dissuade her from prodding further, Elijah slid further down the table, moving slightly away from Dinara. Her next words, however, completely dashed any hopes he had left, and he sighed in exasperation.
He made another face of disgust and annoyance as she inched closer, and a look of complete horror overtook his face as he heard the noise her stomach made. Following her gaze to his breakfast, Elijah glared at her sharply. "Don't even think about it," he said threateningly, pulling his breakfast closer to him. "Maybe you should eat your own breakfast, little girl," he grumbled, glancing down the table to see if anyone else at the Slytherin table had noticed this little Hufflepuff's presence. It seemed, however, that no one else was really paying attention to his end of the table- and for once, Elijah sorely wished that someone would notice his discomfort, and rescue him from the bright and extroverted demon-angel in front of him.
Carefully, with elegance and grace, he scooped several more of the 汤圆 into his spoon, and then into his mouth. The whole time, he desperately tried to ignore the girl's inquisitive stares at him while he was eating, but it still felt incredibly awkward to have someone just sitting there, watching you eat. After a few more bites, however, Elijah couldn't take it anymore- reaching across the table, he plucked an unused spoon from some poor student, angrily scooping up a small bite of his breakfast and handing it to Dinara. "Here. Eat. And please stop staring at me," he barked irritably, almost begging towards the end. He hated the feeling of being under someone's scrutinization, and this was no different.
Sometimes, you just have to play the role of a fool to fool the fool who thinks they're fooling you.
ELIJAH HUANG→ 6 STA || 7 STR || 5 AGI || 12 CTRL
ELIJAH HUANG→ 6 STA || 7 STR || 5 AGI || 12 CTRL
Chrysanthemum
Interactions | @Elijah Huang
Elijah's look of absolute horror (presumably at the way that Dinara had pronounced the unfamiliar words) stung Dinara's little Hufflepuff conscience. She never meant to be rude, though the way she acted very well made it seem that way. There was nothing laughable about another's culture and Dinara very well intended to keep it that way.
She scratched her head apologetically. There seemed to be some form of a demeanour change in the male, his distaste for her presence seemed to be even more pronounced before. The corners of her lips lifted in a sheepish smile as she lowered her head; as oblivious as she was, Dinara had enough sense to be embarrassed; especially when her stomach growled with all the ferocity and volume of a Howler.
At the male's words, she shrugged rather nonchalantly. Dinara never cared much for breakfast, as far as she was concerned, desserts were the only food worth eating. Since those weren't served during breakfast, she figured that there was not much need to eat in the morning.
"I don't usually eat breakfast. There're no desserts and that's no fun!"
To prove her point, Dinara waved her hand over the tables laden with all sorts of breakfast foods. Many would have considered it a lavish feast, but the girl didn't quite understand how to appreciate the more 'adult' fare of food. For now, she was limited to liking desserts, fried food and any other kind of carnival food that was universally accepted by children to be a treat.
It was also at this moment that Dinara let out a little sound of horror as she watched the male (very unabashedly) steal a spoon from some other student. She'd almost wanted to chastise him if not for the fact that he was offering her a spoonful of the 汤圆 that she more than eagerly grabbed hold of. Turning towards him, the girl figured that it would only be polite to address his last statement, even though it confused her to no end.
"Well, why wouldn't you want people staring at you? Isn't it a compliment? It means that you're interesting and they wanna get to know you more!"
Shaking her head at the male's 'foolishness', she wrinkled her nose with a small smile on her face. How odd for someone not to like having other's attention on them! However, she decided, that was a mystery to be left for another day.
With a hasty word of thanks, she chomped down on the orbs that threatened to spill over the spoon that wasn't designed to contain them. Closing her eyes, her face went through a myriad of expressions as she struggled to categorise the flavour and the texture of the food. It wasn't like anything that she had tasted before, the chewiness of the 汤圆 seemed to go especially well with the syrup that coated each orb generously, combining to form a unique texture that seemed to go oddly well together.
Though she ultimately failed at categorising it into the flavours that she knew, Dinara decided that she liked it. It definitely was something that Dinara would like to have again, and her eyes lit up in obvious excitement and happiness as she spoke.
"That's soooooooo good! Could you teach me how to make it? Preeeeetty please?
She stared up at the male, bright-eyed and full of hope. If she had been a canine of some sort, her tail would likely have been wagging off the charts by now. Struggling to keep her composure, she opened her mouth with the intention to address the male before she realised --
The Lucey's first household rule had been completely obliterated.
Always introduce yourself before doing anything else.
The distant memory of her mom's teachings suddenly came back to Dinara, and her mouth gaped in horror to realise that, in her excitement, she had completely forgotten about the etiquette lessons that her mother had drilled into her!
Silently thanking whichever celestial being that resided in the sky for not having her mother around to whoop her hiney, she took in a deep breath, readying herself to right her wrong. Sticking an extended hand out, she braced herself before squaring her shoulders to meet the male's eyes.
"Alright, I'm sorry if I pronounced the name of those little orbies wrongly. I didn't mean to be disrespectful at all, promise! Let's start over again, shall we?"
A cheerful grin graced her face as she swallowed the last of her 汤圆.
"I'm Dinara Lucey. Year 1, Hufflepuff. It's nice to meet you."
[font=segoe script]Dinara Lucey[/font]
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 2 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 8
Chrysanthemum
No... no desserts? Elijah almost sighed, but instead bit the corner of his lip as he knew just what his mother would say about how it was rude to sigh loudly during mealtimes or in front of ladies, if Dinara could even be considered a lady. He couldn't understand why this girl was so immature- how on earth could she be considered responsible enough to go off to boarding school, to take care of herself under minimal adult supervision? Shaking his head slightly at her strange words, Elijah resigned himself to a constant state of confusion, admitting that he would definitely probably never understand Dinara.
He crinkled his nose at Dinara's comment about people staring, shrugging mildly as he continued to eat. He supposed that she had a point, but he still felt uncomfortable when people's attention was focused on him. What if he did something stupid? Or embarrassing? Or just totally unacceptable in the public eye? These types of fears haunted him, pushed him to fly under the radar, to hide behind the shell of a person that he wasn't to hide the mess he considered himself to be. There was obviously such a clear difference between Dinara and himself, in her extroverted-ness and his tendency to keep to himself.
However, that didn't stop him from observing Dinara's face as she ate the 汤圆 on the spoon he had handed to her. He nearly laughed out loud at the changes her face went through, as she clearly didn't quite know what to think- however, she didn't spit it out, which he felt was a good sign. Even if he insisted that he didn't care about the Hufflepuff whatsoever, his culture still mattered to him, and if someone disrespected it... well, that might've been grounds for the first detention he would've gotten all year. At her words, though, Elijah grumbled a few choice words out of the corner of his mouth, although they were in Chinese.
He opened his mouth to say something, but was promptly interrupted by the Hufflepuff's words- an apology and an introduction. Elijah's intense need for etiquette and formalities was now appeased, and his foul mood lightened slightly. The corners of his mouth, which had been firmly tugged downwards, straightened out slightly, so he merely looked somber rather than downright peeved. Grudgingly, he reached out to shake her hand- to him, it was a truce of some sorts. They would start over with a clean slate, and maybe this time around, he would be able to stomach the overexuberant girl's sickeningly sweet presence. "Elijah Huang," he said coolly, eyeing Dinara warily. "First year. Slytherin. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I'm sure."
He knew that he looked older than he really was, that he acted older than he really was, but he decided that trying to carry over a lie that he was anything but his true age wouldn't go over very well. There were just some things that were pretty hard to lie about, and considering that they were in the same year... well, it would be downright impossible to keep the truth from Dinara. Hopefully, though, she wouldn't make too big of a deal about his age.
Elijah slowly swirled the 汤圆 around in his bowl with his spoon, thinking about Dinara's questions. "You could do research," he said flatly in response to her request for how to make it. He wasn't sure that he wanted to spend any more time than was absolutely necessary in the presence of Dinara, already knowing that he would most likely go crazy from the sheer energy radiating off of her. "But really, in essence, the most simple version is just tapioca flour and water." At least, that was how his grandmother made it- too poor to afford the fillings that were sometimes found in 汤圆, his ancestors had made do with what they could. Now, his parents preferred the richer, fancier types, but Elijah still liked them simple- tapioca flour, water, and chrysanthemum syrup.
"Your pronunciation..." Elijah hesitated here, not sure what to say about it. Be honest, and tell her how offended and disgusted he was by it? Or just brush it off? She had asked to start over, anyway, so he supposed that he could let it slide... this time. "Well, it certainly wasn't correct, but I wouldn't expect it to be," he said stiffly, clearly still not trusting Dinara, nor was her warming up to her in any way. "You would be better rewarded learning to pronounce spells correctly, not the names of traditional Chinese food."
Sometimes, you just have to play the role of a fool to fool the fool who thinks they're fooling you.
ELIJAH HUANG→ 6 STA || 7 STR || 5 AGI || 12 CTRL
ELIJAH HUANG→ 6 STA || 7 STR || 5 AGI || 12 CTRL
Chrysanthemum
Interactions | @Elijah Huang
She must have done something right, or so Dinara assumed; based on how the male's expression had changed. Well, now that the boring formalities were over and done with, Dinara found herself slightly more at ease to inquire into the male's meal. There were a few utterings from him here and there, though they sounded foreign to her. The good-natured girl may be hot-tempered, but she wasn't someone that took the time to overthink. For all she knew, Elijah could've been rapping! It was none of her business, really.
The boy's introduction did catch her by surprise, and it showed momentarily on her face before she forced it back down to a neutral expression. Mother Lucey had always taught her that you should never show surprise at a person's age -- more often than not it'd be perceived as rude. She had automatically assumed that he was a senior simply from the way he carried himself, and she made a quick mental note to copy his stature of dignity in order to fool other unsuspecting batchmates in future. Nodding solemnly, she replied with as somber a tone as she could manage.
"Yes, indeed it is a pleasure to make my acquaintance. And you, too." Her smile was as serene as it could be, which would be rather ridiculous given the utter ego needed to utter the sentence she just did without even a pause.
At this point in time, Dinara's perception of her interaction with Elijah was pretty positive. She was more than certain (in her own little deluded world) that the stoic male was rather fond of and even regarded her as a friend. After all, they did end up sharing food and having a proper, civilised introduction. Two kindred souls meeting in the Great Hall, how delightful!
One can be sure that if Elijah was made aware of Dinara's delusions he'd be more than horrified. Luckily for the impish girl, she had the sense to not verbalise her thoughts, saving her yet another day to live.
The one noticeable change in Dinara's behaviour, however, would be that she undeniably acted friendlier. Chummy, even. It was much like a reunion between two old friends, just really, really one-sided.
Elijah's response to Dinara's question proved to be less than satisfactory to the inquisitive little imp, causing her to wrinkle her nose and shake her head stubbornly. It was also more than likely that this action of hers caused certain loose curls to whip across Elijah's face, considering just how wild her hair was.
"Research is WAY out of the question! I haven't seen a single proper cookbook in the Hogwarts Library to date," she attempted to reason as professionally as she could, resulting in her adapting to an impression of an overly stiff, snobbish grandmother. "Tapioca flour and water sound simple enough, but..."
The girl's little protest on the inadequacy of Elijah's recipe was cut short when she let out a loud gasp.
"Look, my dude, you're not gunna believe me but what if..." at this point, Dinara was basically vibrating in her seat with pure, unfiltered excitement. "Wait for it..." Dinara's attempt to drum up suspense seemed to be working well, at least in her head! "What if we made these 汤云* together?!"
Her absolutely fantastic idea was ultimately presented with an extravagant flourish. It was rather evident that Dinara genuinely thought that her idea was a flash of ingenuity, and she continued to look up at Elijah with glimmering eyes, eagerly awaiting his response.
汤云 - tang yun, wrong pronunciation of topic at hand, 汤圆 ("jelly orbs"). Directly translates to soup cloud.
[font=segoe script]Dinara Lucey[/font]
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 2 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 8