Welcome

[Nolanna MacAnndra]

Nolanna couldn't sleep. Not even a wink. She blamed her not being used to the new bed, since she had been away from the school for a couple months, but deep inside, she knew that was just a flimsy lie. After hours of lying restlessly in her bed, listening to the breathing of girls around her slowing and calming, the faery couldn't take it anymore. 'Might as well get something done, if I'm going to be awake,' she thought, sighing softly as she sat up. The thin blanket she'd been using slid down off her torso and got caught in her feet as she tried to stand. A loud squeak and a frightful moment later, Lanna was suspended a few inches from the carpeted floor of the dorm, her wings beating as frantically as her heart. She made her wings slow and then stop, and she landed on the carpet with a muffled thump.

The girl rubbed her knee absently as she righted herself and began rifling through her backpack for her homework. Though she doubted she'd be able to get much done, the effort was there, and that's all that mattered to her. All through public school, Nolanna had been a straight B student, giving effort where she needed it, but slacking off when she could. She didn't see how she should try any differently now that she was at the Institute.

With a sigh of defeat, she threw her head back, meaning to lean it on the mattress, but managing to smack it off of the wooden frame. The faery girl made a whiny noise as her hands went to her head, cradling it forward and putting it between her knees. She wasn't usually this clumsy, really. Nolanna blamed the early hour. She glanced at her bedside clock, and saw that it read 3:23. Her jaw dropped. She was never awake this late...or early, rather. Three a.m. was a horrible hour that no one in their right mind should stay up until. Three a.m. should not even count as an hour, in the faery's mind. She sent a frown at the clock, as if she could change what it said with just her annoyance.

[Delaney Donovan]

There was little Delaney treasured more than those hours between night and day. Was it late? Was it early? No, to her, it was both, a strange brink on which she enjoyed standing. So much could happen in these transitional hours, for it provided so many opportunities for mischief. Besides it just feeling like a special time, this was also when most people were sound asleep, so she could slink around, placing things here and there without disturbing or being disturbed. Maybe Professor Dowding's desk drawer was now filled with frog eggs, but who would know who the culprit was? The answer was no one, because no one was awake, and thus no one had seen her.

She crept into the Magnus bedrooms, grinning like no tomorrow, fully expecting to be the only one still awake. So imagine her surprise when a cute little blond was sitting beside her bed, looking perplexed.

Smirking, she slunk in and sat beside her, flashing her charming little grin. "Not that I've any room te talk, mind ye, but what's a pretty little thing like you doin' awake at such an hour?" She sat close to her, like they were good friends, their hips and shoulders touching just lightly, though she didn't even have an idea what the girl's name was. Not that it mattered. A name was something you could always ask for in the morning.

[Nolanna MacAnndra]

The faery girl jumped when the redhead sat down next to her, close enough that she could feel the heat of the other girl's body along her side. The nearness of the pretty girl and her exhaustion must have been messing with her, because the next thing Nolanna knew, she was blushing like a schoolgirl. A hand went to her hair, attempting to flatten it from how mussed it must be from tossing and turning for so long.

In her sleep addled state, Lanna didn't hear what the girl's question was, only that she had an accent similar to hers, yet very different. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned back to look fully at the girl. Her side that had been touching the other girl felt cold now, despite the warmth of the cozy room.

"You're Irish, aren't you?" she mumbled, eyes shooting around the redhead's face, as if she could get the answer from just looking at her. Which, had she been more awake, she probably could have. But when Lanna was sleepy, it was worse than if she was drunk. All of the faery's censors went away, and she didn't think through her words. And when she was faced with a cute, possibly Irish, girl, this would not end well.

[Delaney Donovan]

Delaney laughed, crossing her arms and leaning them on her knees. Sweet mercy, this girl was cute. "That I am," she said, her wild grin softening into something a bit more sultry. "And you'll be Scottish, then?" She hadn't met another Irishman yet at the school, but a Scot was nearly as good. And such an adorable one at that.

She scooted just a bit closer, just to see how Nolanna would react. "So, I ask again: what's a darlin' like you doin' awake?" She resisted the urge to help smooth out her hair, to lightly brush her fingers against her cheek. Any other time of day, she'd have been much more reserved--she'd flirt shamelessly, sure, but her intentions would have been much more innocent.

[Nolanna MacAnndra]

The faery girl nodded, eyes wide and innocent. She opened her mouth to ask how the girl knew, but then almost hit herself as she thought, 'Duh. Your accent,'. Her nose scrunched up in complaint to her own thoughts insulting her before she checked herself and relaxed.

Warmth radiated from the other girl as she shifted closer, causing the flush on Nolanna's cheeks to come back in full force. She gazed at the girl's face, momentarily forgetting why she was awake. A hard blink and a head shake later, the faery simply replied, "Couldn't sleep,". Her voice slurred on the 's' sound oh-so-slightly. She leaned her head back on the bed once more, thought this time she was careful to not smack it off the frame, and looked at the girl. In the light of the bedside lamp Lanna had switched on, part of her face was cast in shadow, and her red hair seemed darker than the faery guessed it was.

"What are you doing up?" she accused, poking a finger on the girl's nose and marvelling at the smoothness of the skin.

[Delaney Donovan]

Delaney cackled softly, raising her arms over her head and waggling her fingers, mock-menacing. "I've been causin' MISCHIEF!" she said, tickling Nolanna's sides for a brief second. "Really though, I was just causing dear Professor Dowding a bit o' anguish. He's so easy to rile, I just can't help myself!" She sighed and took Nolanna''s homework from her, setting it aside, and laying in its place across Nolanna's lap.

"The name's Donovan, by the way," she said, holding her hand out. "Delaney Donovan. Nice te meetcha."

[Nolanna MacAnndra]

The faery couldn't help giggling at the redhead's reply. Her eyebrow raised ever-so-slightly as the girl moved her books, and flushed outright when she took their place. Lanna took the girl, Delaney's, hand awkwardly, and shook it the best she could with the girl lying on her lap. Her other hand unconciously started playing with the girl's hair, which was now close enough to touch.

"Nolanna MacAnndra," she rhymed off, grinning at her name. At times, it annoyed her that they sounded almost the same, but she did like saying it out loud when she introduced herself. It was just so fun!

[Delaney Donovan]

"A lovely name, surely," she said. Delaney smiled and shook Lanna's hand, but didn't let it go. Instead, she turned her palm toward her own face, lightly running her thumbs over the lines in its surface. She hmm'ed and narrowed her eyes at at it, feigning concentration. "I see," she murmured, nodding and sighing. "You poor dear." She suppressed a grin as best she could, but if one was paying attention, they'd see the corners of her mouth beginning to turn up.

[Nolanna MacAnndra]

The faery had been smiling dreamily at the feeling of Delaney's thumbs tracing her palm, but at her words, Lanna began breathing rapidly. "Omigod, what?!" she cried, having half a mind to pull her hand back and look at it herself. "What's wrong?" Her eyes were wide with panic, her mind slow with fatigue, leaving her worried and confused. Nolanna usually prided herself with being a fairly smart girl, but all that intelligence was out of the window right now.

[Delaney Donovan]

Delaney clicked her tongue, sighing. "Yep, right here," she said, running a forefinger along one of the lines. "There's a new force 'bout te enter yer life. Ye won't be able to resist it, poor lass." She gently cupped Nolanna's face in one hand, tilting her head apologetically.

[Nolanna MacAnndra]

The faery girl leaned into the redhead's hand unconsciously, too busy fretting to care about much else. Lanna bit her lip, thinking. Then her eyes lit up and she looked at Delaney hopefully. "Can you help me?" she asked, voice pleading, "Please?" Her big green eyes were wide as she waited for the girl's answer.

[Delaney Donovan]

Delaney smiled, then leaned up quickly to kiss her. "I don't think I'll be much help, darlin', consderin' I am the irresistible force. It's okay, though. I don't bite. Unless ye ask real nice." She smirked, eyebrow raised. She really couldn't help herself.

[Nolanna MacAnndra]

To say she had been expecting that would be a complete lie. Her eyes were wide with shock the entire time she was being kissed. Lanna's face flushed as she sat perfectly still, not entirely sure what to do, since she'd never done this before. When she had finally decided to do something, Delaney had already moved away.

"I-I...you...kiss?" she said eloquently, touching her lips in awe. The faery was completely sure her face was fire engine red, and couldn't meet the other girl's eye. "I've never kissed anyone before," she admitted, "So, I don't really...know how it's done," Nolanna didn't know why she was apologizing when the other girl had kissed her, but she was.

[Delaney Donovan]

Delaney stood up, laughing. "Well, that's fine by me, darlin'. Just gives me a reason to make ye practice." She kissed Nolanna's forehead, then started to walk away. Best to end the little rendezvous before she went too far.

"I think I'll be off te bed now, though. Ye ought te do the same." She grabbed a bedpost and swung around to face Nolanna once more, waving her fingers at her.

"Sweet dreams, m'lady," she said softly, then skipped away to her own bed, thoroughly pleased with herself.

It had been a good night.

[Nolanna MacAnndra]

"Y-yeah...night..." was all the faery could say as the redhead wandered off to her bed. Lanna's face was still flushed in embarrassment as she tried to process what had occurred in the last hour. With a giggle, shaking with either nerves or glee, the small girl fluttered to her feet and flopped down onto her bed, thoughts of homework completely forgotten.

Someone had kissed her. Her; plain, boring Nolanna. A smile came to her lips as she covered her eyes and rolled onto her side, facing away from where Delaney's bed lay. The faery sighed happily once more at her luck, and hoped this wasn't a dream. As the Sandman came to take her away, Lanna couldn't keep the smile off her face.

She couldn't wait until tomorrow.