Hamis 12, Late Evening | Passive Women's Dorm
Well, not missing, as Aurelie was certain that someone knew where she was. That someone just wasn't Aurelie, and she couldn't say she was sorry for it. The two got along, as much as Aurelie got along with anyone, but Bernie was loud and she was intrusive and all she seemed to want to do of late was ask Aurelie about some rumor or another. After the last few weeks, all she wanted was some peace and quiet to herself. Scarcely two days had gone by since her encounter with Niamh Madden. Her embarassing, awkward, interesting encounter with Niamh. Aurelie's mind was full and she--she just wanted to be still and turn it over.
Also, without Bernadetta she was free to practice her embroidery. Providing, of course, she could bear to look at her sampler and not die of embarassment. How and why had she ever felt confident enough in her handiwork to give it to Fionn as a gift? Aurelie shifted on her bed, reaching underneath the mattress to pull out the small kit and the sampler she kept there. Yes, the stitches were certainly clumsy. Better, she could tell, then they had been this time last year, but awkward all the same. Niamh had offered to bring her books to read, which should help. Except-- oh. Her heart sunk. They would have to stay at Laboratory Beta, and if they were there... Something about the idea that anyone (Fionn) would know that she was practicing made her squirm. Aurelie had kept the diversion a sort of secret these last few years.
Nevermind that, of course, she wasn't even certain when--or if that would matter at all. In the meantime, she would just keep on as she had done, practicing in the night or rare moments alone. It was all she could do.
Beside her sampler was another piece of cloth; a handkerchief. A plain one, and stained. She really had meant to throw it away--she should have thrown it away. There was no reason to keep it, as she had reminded herself for weeks. Yet there it stayed, and sometimes she took it out as she did now and felt stupid and pleased all at once. Aurelie laid it out next to her embroidery on her lap. If anyone saw her--but no, she was alone, and she could indulge herself, just a little.
Suddenly there was a sharp rap at the door, the kind of knock that didn't so much serve to ask permission to enter as to check off some vague sense of what one ought to do. Aurelie yelped and tried to shuffle the whole lot of it under her lap, only to stick herself with her embroidery needle. She hissed in pain as the door swung open to reveal Matron Lewis and a young woman Aurelie had never seen before but for brief moments in a hallway.
"Well? Are you going to stand there all day?" Matron addressed this comment to the young woman, who stood slightly taller than her and looked--angry, her features all angles and scowling. Aurelie stared-without-staring, puzzled. She wanted very badly to dig her needle out from under her thigh, but thought it best to do this when Matron and the young woman had left.
"Forgive me for asking, Matron, but--" Aurelie began, before she was cut off by a sharp gesture from Matron.
"This one will be staying here with you, starting from today. Maybe you can be a steadying influence on her. I trust," Matron said, swiveling a dark glance in Aurelie's direction, "this won't be a problem?"
"N-no, of course not. I--hello," Aurelie offered a smile to the dark-haired girl. She should have stood, politeness really dictated that she stand to greet her new roommate, but she was still sitting on her things. How she was going to get them back under her mattress was anyone's guess. "Nice to meet you..."
