STUCK IN REVERSE, open to anyone!

[ZYLPHIA PENELOPE LOVEGOOD]

When you try your best, but you don't succeed; When you get what you want, but not what you need; When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep; Stuck in reverse. And the tears come streaming down your face; When you lose something you can't replace; When you love someone but it goes to waste; Could it be worse? Lights will guide you home,

And ignite your bones.

There were voices. People were speaking on either side of her and she wanted to tell them all to turn the volume down at least half a knob, otherwise her dreams would be disturbed. The only thing was, this bed didn't feel like her bed, and the sounds in the room didn't echo like it did in the dormitory. However, her head was aching so badly that she increasingly did not care and without even bothering to open her eyes, she proceeded to sleep, allowing the surround sound dialogue to evolve into quiet buzzing as her mind drifted back off into dreamland.

###

A few hours earlier, Zylphia had been in the Great Hall, feasting with the other students. Dinner was simple as usual, the air filled with clinking and clanking, constant chatter, and a ridiculous amount of food. But all day she hadn't been feeling her best, something perhaps with a flu of sorts induced by the Thorkleshnamps that Xeno had been warning her about? Because of this, she had often considered heading up to the Hospital Wing, but she would decide against it in mid-thought as other things of interest immediately arose. So she took another small bite of potatoes and proceeded to drink her pumpkin juice in a decidedly delicate fashion. And this was all very well until half an hour into the dinner her head started pounding and the room grew surprisingly warm. A friend next to her asked it she was alright, and Zylly nodded, but told them that she was going to head up already and that she'd seem them later.

When she walked, it was like walking in a dream -- floating fro here to there, not remembering how or when she actually arrived anywhere and the edges of her vision blurred; nothing she really wasn't already used to. With each step her sight grew dimmer and eventually everything turned black as she fell to the ground, unconscious on her fickle attempt to the Ravenclaw Tower considering she fainted not very far from the Great Hall.

###

The next time she awoke, it was quiet as her ears attempted to pick up the noises of the room. Eyes still closed, Zylphia wiggled in place to regain a comfortable spot until she realized she didn't know what time it was. How long had she been asleep for? Was it morning already? Oh, sweet Morpheus, was she late for class? Blimey she was going to get in trouble, that would have been the third time this week! She should have gone to the hospital wing when she had the chance. She knew she was sick and the fatigue from being so caused her head to drift between different worlds much more often than usual -- not to mention the added effects of some healing remedies she'd been taking for the coughs. Now she would have to pay the consequences of her stubbornness.

Quickly she sat up, both eyes shot wide open -- except instead of her feet meeting her usual bedside slippers, they met a cold stone floor. Zylphia let out a small shriek and retracted her feet instantly. It was then that she finally realized that she was, in fact, not in her usual dormitory, but in the hospital wing that seemed neither homey, nor torturous, just ridiculously strange in that she was somehow there to begin with.

Looking around, she tried to recount the events of the night before, but discovered she had no recollection of what had happened once she stepped out of the Great Hall. Was she kidnapped? Mobbed? None of the above seemed likely given the place she was at, but you could never be too sure, could you? She hoped to Merlin that none of such things happened but that left no explanation as to how she ended up here without her walking there herself. Which.. well… given her history, she supposed wasn't completely out of the question. And she was so dizzy last night that she couldn't even see straight, her illness had taken a much larger toll on her than she expected it to and now it had resulted in a blackout. She continued to gaze about curiously until she heard footsteps come near. As an automatic response, Zylly swung her legs back onto the bed and laid back down as if to feign sleep; she did this as though she wasn't supposed to be there and would end up in unlikely trouble, keeping her eyes and mouth shut as the mystery person entered.

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WORDS: 755 | OUTFIT: uniform shirt (loose and askew) + skirt | NOTES: woo!

[GASPARD ALEXANDAR SHINGLETON]

Gaspard had been quietly enjoying his dinner, trading witty remarks with some of his fellow Ravenclaws in between bites and rinks. The inane amounts of food had always been something he had never gotten used to in his almost seven years at Hogwarts. An owl had dropped in earlier with his glasses and a box of contacts, in case he grew tired of his frames; Gaspard was giving the contacts a go this evening and so far they seemed alright. Quite frankly, Gaspard felt a bit disoriented without glasses on his face and, once he was finished eating, excused himself from the Great Hall to go back to the Common Room to make the swap. He wasn’t far out of the Hall when he saw a girl a few feet in front of him. Gaspard could tell by the odd way she was walking that something was wrong; she kept weaving. He was about to reach out to ask if she was alright when she collapsed onto the ground. A bit panicked, Gaspard hurried towards her, turning her over and attempting to wake her up. Looking her over, he knew the scrape on her face could be healed by Madame Pomfrey without a problem.

Seeing that he would not be able to wake her, Gaspard scooped the girl up and noticed from her robes that she belonged to his house. He was trying to place her when a professor hurried up to them and instructed Gaspard to take her to the Hospital Wing. No shit, Sherlock he thought to himself before forcing a smile and heading in that direction. He smiled at Madame Pomfrey as she rushed towards him demanding to know what happened and completely unsatisfied that Gaspard had no answer for her. She showed him to a bed where he laid his fellow Ravenclaw down before Pomfrey shooed him away. Shrugging, Gaspard shoved his hands in his pockets and turned out of the Hospital Wing, telling Pomfrey he would be back tomorrow to check on her. The witch just continued shooing him out of the Hospital Wing, seeming suspicious that he had carried an unconscious girl into the her Wing and had no explanations for how she ended up that way, let alone a name. Gaspard didn't bother responding to her subtle accusations and simply left. He didn't really give the incident much thought until after his morning class the next day when Gaspard was passing near the Hospital Wing. Sighing, he decided to brave Madame Pomfrey's glares and see whether the girl was alright -- possibly even find out her name.

As he entered the Hospital Wing, Gaspard caught movement in his peripheral vision but didn't investigate it further as the nurse came into view. "Madame Pomfrey." Gaspard greeted the witch with a tilt of his head, hands in his pockets again. She returned his greeting in a similar fashion and he smiled charmingly at her. "I was curious about the condition of the Ravenclaw girl I brought in yesterday. How is she?" Madame Pomfrey gave him the once over before saying she was still in bed and had caught a rather bad bug. "Dreadful news. Nothing too serious, I hope." She simply stared at him in such a way that Gaspard readjusted his tie out of discomfort. "Would it be alright if I sat with her, that way I can inform you when she wakes and you will be able to remedy her back to health?" The witch agreed to it hesitantly and ushered Gaspard to where he seen movement when he first entered. As the witch pulled the curtain back, she gestured to the seat, which he took. Smiling at Madame Pomfrey, the witch took her leave. Gaspard knew the girl was awake and waited until the elder witch was clear out of ear shot before leaning forward and whispering "You're a terrible actress." and leaning back in the seat, waiting for her to respond. If his hunch was wrong then she would never know the difference but Gaspard doubted he was incorrect.

[ZYLPHIA PENELOPE LOVEGOOD]

When you try your best, but you don't succeed; When you get what you want, but not what you need; When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep; Stuck in reverse. And the tears come streaming down your face; When you lose something you can't replace; When you love someone but it goes to waste; Could it be worse? Lights will guide you home,

And ignite your bones.

She wished she knew what had actually happened the previous night, but like most dreams that she had, the memory lingered and weaved itself among her grasp for only a short time before it shifted, then slipped away before she could record it for later review. Only remnants could be remembered, drifting about her head, the flotsam and jetsam of half-finished thoughts and rampant imagination.

Back in the perfect position to fall back asleep with her eyes tucked away behind their lids, Zylphia found herself compelled to just do so despite having just woken up. But she fought hard to keep her consciousness and focused instead on listening to the talking that occurred this time since she had let it escape her previously. From what she could gather without risking a peek, the person speaking was either a boy or a girl with a very deep voice, and at first she was ready to shrug off their exchange until she realized that she could quite possibly be the "Ravenclaw girl" that was being spoken of. Curious, Zylly turned her body ever so slightly to catch a few more words, finding that she was brought here due to sickness, hoping that her brother wouldn't become too angry at her should he find out that she did not heed his warning about the Thorkleshamps.

Now the footsteps were coming toward her, encouraging Zyl to slow her breathing to avoid any suspicion for she was already concerned that she had worried Madame Pomfrey too often. Far more compelling, though, was the visitor's intentions to stay. She supposed it was very nice of him to do so, yet she hadn't the vaguest idea why he would want to. She liked that. She liked when people surprised you by being curious, by caring, by being human. It was an increasingly lost trait it seemed as evolution continued -- such a shame.

She felt his presence as he sat down next to her and noticed the corners of her mouth tug slightly as he commentated on her unintended performance. Realizing that Pomfrey was now away, Zylly dared to squint an eye in the visitor's direction for a few seconds before then opening the other, as she whispered back, or a brilliant un-actress! there was really no way to tell what that actually meant, as she wouldn't be be able to explain if she were asked. But it's a good thing I'm not trying to go into acting professionally then, isn't it? She turned her head to look at him fully, revealing a sleepy smile, and before bothering to allow him a chance to retort her train of thoughts derailed and landed onto another set of tracks that her mouth began to run on. I had a teddy bear once that looks just like you, her head tilted slightly as she gazed, taking in the boy's features; which in the faintest of ways she recalled as familiar, but not enough for her to properly place a name or any suitable reason as to why they would know each other. However, the mind had a habit of storing faces, didn't it? With just half a glance, it is capable of filing said faces away for later use, to fill the voids during successions of scenes that played in her mind during sleep. This could very well be a reflection of that.

And yet she pressed on, your name wouldn't happen to be Frankfurt would it? Grizzly Frankfurt? A dear stuffed-toy friend once upon a time, who she was sad to say she had yet to recover. It was brought to her attention by her parents that Grizzly had perhaps accompanied her on one of her nocturnal excursions and how somehow been left behind -- it left her to be distraught for weeks, for the world of sleep was a very large place, and that meant it could mean for quite some time before they were ever to meet again. So perhaps this was just that chance coming into fruition! Or the boy before her could merely be just that, a boy, and not the human embodiment of her lost companion. Regardless, she didn't appear at all aware of the strangeness of her question.

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WORDS: 705 | OUTFIT: uniform shirt (loose and askew) + skirt | NOTES: fwheee! thanks for taking this! and sorry about the rambly-ness, zylly has this affect on me @_@

[GASPARD ALEXANDAR SHINGLETON]

Gaspard waited patiently for her to respond, watching closely as her eyes cracked open and she spoke to him. Gaspard found himself cracking a half smile at her response. “I’d never really considered that, my apologies.” he muttered quietly. Now that she had turned to face him, Gaspard noted Pomfrey had healed the scrape on her face. He had to admit she was pretty, almost frail looking; a bit unusual perhaps but Gaspard was in the habit of dissecting people so he enjoyed unusual every now and again. He was about to respond to her decision not to pursue acting professionally, a good call in his opinion when she interrupted him. A teddy bear? A look of amusement crossed Gaspard’s face as she asked if his name was the same as this stuffed bear she used to own. He chuckled quietly before leaning forward to answer her. “Close but no. My name is Gaspard. What’s your name?”

He glanced around the wing to make sure Pomfrey wasn't about to sneak up on him. Satisfied that they were in the clear, Gaspard looked back at the girl in the bed. He had to admit his curiosity was intrigued by her. The few words out of her mouth indicated she was either extremely out of it or just that obscure. In any event, Gaspard had not stumbled across someone worth his powers of observation in a while and he was certainly up for a challenge. "How are you feeling today? Any better than when I found you?" he asked quietly. If she was still in the hospital bed and Pomfrey had no real updates on her condition, it was certainly a topic worth pursuing. Gaspard still wasn't completely convinced the girl was lucid but he wasn't sure that she wasn't, either. This was quite a predicament for Gaspard since he usually figured things out quickly; he was a Ravenclaw, after all. He was surprised to find himself hoping she was alright, she seemed like a sweet enough girl

It occurred to Gaspard that she may not remember what had happened or how she had gotten here or why he was actually there. He decided to settle that and use her reaction to what he was saying to gauge her condition. Pomfrey was still preoccupied with other things so he still had plenty of time to talk. He couldn't explain his curiosity about her but then he could never explain his curiosity about anyone so this incident didn't seem odd to him."Uhm. I found you yesterday outside of the Great Hall. You fainted and I brought you here whilst being scolded by quite a few professors, I'll have you know." Gaspard smirked when he said it. The professors' comments hadn't really fazed him, they were just a bit annoying.

[ZYLPHIA PENELOPE LOVEGOOD]

When you try your best, but you don't succeed; When you get what you want, but not what you need; When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep; Stuck in reverse. And the tears come streaming down your face; When you lose something you can't replace; When you love someone but it goes to waste; Could it be worse? Lights will guide you home,

And ignite your bones.

Ah, Gaspard, is it? Well, that's a very nice name as well, very nice name, indeed! the curve of her lips increased to show her approval, for she would remember such a name for future occasions as she found she was often fond of the hard 'g' the letter was often for, just as much as the soft 'g' in addition to other sounds that other letters made, like the buzz of a 'z' or the gentle clench of teeth to lip that was used to make the sound of a 'v'. Quite frankly she had a healthy liking of words and letters, if not for meaning, then absolutely for the beautiful noises they made.

Turning on her side, she reached out a hand to shake his and beamingly offer her name, I'm Zylphia, Zylphia Lovegood as it were, she was familiar of the air that usually accompanied her surname, could tell by the look that crossed her peers' features when it would breach their ears, and had it not already been for her brother who came to Hogwarts before her, it would have been no surprise if she managed to create the same sort of connotation for it shortly after she arrived. Not that it mattered; she was used to being known for her peculiarities as she, along with her brother and parents tended to be known as the "odd" ones even in comparison to the rest of the entire Lovegood clan, their great Aunt Vertiline (the most typical example of Pureblood elitism that could be found in their family) was sure to remind them of it at every family party. While she wasn't knowledgeable of what sort of lineage Gaspard had, she hoped that he didn't hold that same sort of elitist ideals to heart. But for now, so far so good. Pleasure to meet you, Gaspard, it was then that she noticed the color of his tie, a striped deep azure that she recognized from her own house. Ah! so that would explain her suggestion of recognition when she first saw his face.

After briefly glimpsing over in the direction of Madame Pomfrey when Gaspard had also done so, Zylly shrugged and began to drum her fingers upon the end of her pillow, oh fine, fine, just tired really, she raised the same hand up to rub at her eyes. Really no more exhausted than she usually was, but she supposed the medicine probably wasn't helping either by adding another layer of drowsiness. Hmm? she tried to stifle a small yawn when he took to explaining how it was that he somehow came to know her, oh! Zylphia sat up and tried not to laugh, was that you then? I thought you were a Blood-sucking Bugbear that mistook me for one of its cubs, laughter tumbled from her lips and she tried to quiet that as well. You'll forgive me, won't you? I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble, though I imagine it must have been a little frightening finding me collapsed. Thank you, her voice returned to a softer volume for fear that she might have drawn the nurse's attention to them once again, knowing well that she wouldn't take too kindly to too much noise going on about in a place where people should be resting and healing.

With a smirk she added, if you'd like I could speak to Madame Pomfrey and those professors, I'm sure they'd understand the circumstances of you helping me out, I'm afraid I have the tendency to get myself into little pickles. She raised her shoulders into a little shrug, something of a hobby, maybe, not that she could actually help being sick or her lucid dreaming, which was precisely the bane of her existence just as much as it was the highlight of it.

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WORDS: 629 | OUTFIT: uniform shirt (loose and askew) + skirt | NOTES: :3

[GASPARD ALEXANDAR SHINGLETON]

Gaspard smiled at her approval of his name and shook her hand when she offered it to him. Lovegood? Yes, Gaspard was familiar with her brother but he had known Lovegood had such a pretty sister, he might have given a better chance. He didn’t say any of this although a look of recognition did cross his face. “Zylphia. That’s a lovely name as well. Pleasure to meet you.” He gave her a charming smile but looked a bit confused when her gaze averted downwards. Then he realized she was looking at his tie. Zylphia was probably figuring out why he looked so familiar, aside from the fact that he looked like her teddy bear. The thought still made Gaspard chuckle. A teddy bear; definitely not a phrase used to describe him terribly often. She was definitely different, he decided, but not so different that he would brush her aside as a freak just yet. No. Gaspard was curious about Zylphia; it didn’t hurt that she was easy on the eyes, either.

He nodded when she said she was just tired. Gaspard had not been successful in extracting from Pomfrey what exactly was wrong with Zylphia but he guessed it must be fairly serious if it had caused her to faint. Her reaction surprised him. A Blood-sucking Bugbear? What in the name of Merlin’s beard was she on about? Gaspard gave a small smile in his confusion, which only widened as she laughed. He chuckled. “No, no. No trouble just many a suspicious glances. Nothing terribly out of the ordinary.” Frightening? Well, no, Gaspard wouldn’t have put it quite like that. “It was definitely alarming but I am glad to see you’re alright. Considering that I found you barely outside the Great Hall. My best guess is that you were heading for the Tower, in which case, I feel I should inform you that you were a few feet off.” He grinned, hoping Zylphia would know he was just teasing her a bit.

Gaspard could barely stop his eyebrow from spiking at her latest comment. A tendency? Little pickles? He found himself instantly growing a bit protective of her although he couldn’t exactly justify such a reaction. “So having fainting spells on castle grounds isn’t out of the ordinary for you? I’m rather surprised at your staying alive all these years.” he remarked dryly still with a smirk on his face. He shook his head. “Really, there’s no need for that. People will always think what they want, yeah?” Gaspard’s eyes flicked off to the side again, just to make sure there was no chance of Pomfrey appearing out of nowhere. “What year are you, Zylphia?” He asked quizzically.

[ZYLPHIA PENELOPE LOVEGOOD]

When you try your best, but you don't succeed; When you get what you want, but not what you need; When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep; Stuck in reverse. And the tears come streaming down your face; When you lose something you can't replace; When you love someone but it goes to waste; Could it be worse? Lights will guide you home,

And ignite your bones.

A small giggle fumbled from her lips as he described their predicament when he decided to help her out in her unconscious form. A very strange and troubling sight, she was sure of it, but she was glad that someone was nice enough to actually help her rather than leave her to collect dust on the cold stone floors. She reached up to hug her pillow contentedly as she continued her conversation with the boy -- or, Gaspard, rather, since she now knew his name and that he was not actually her teddy bear incarnate, and nodded.

Well, fainting spells precisely, not so much, but I do have this nasty habit of ending up around the castle where I probably shouldn't be, and usually without my knowing, the corner of her mouth tugged into a little lopsided smile. The girl very nearly went off into tangents to explain what she meant, but then stopped just short, figuring that if he really wanted know, he would ask -- otherwise he'd be bombarded with a cascade of rambles that he may not have the time to listen to; and it would be quite rude of her to waste of him. I suppose so, yes, that's right, in fact she wholeheartedly agreed with the statement that people would think what they wanted to. Such was the way of their peers, and Zylly really was quite used to it by now -- she couldn't help that others more often than not thought she and her brother were quite contrary to ordinary, but decided long ago it was nothing to be ashamed of.

Fifth year, she answered happily and offered back to him, you must be a seventh year though, right? The tone was not accusatory, far from it really -- more as though she were happy to have solved some sort of puzzle while in this state of fatigue and hint of daze that's been cast over her eyes. You look very familiar, aside from the Grizzly Frankfurt mix-up of course, she laughed again but into her pillow so that, with anymore luck, Madame Pomfrey wouldn't notice. I dare say you may know my brother then, correct? Or at least knew of him, as no one could really ignore the jellyfish hat he would wear occasionally, among other eclectic fashion styles.

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WORDS: 387 | OUTFIT: uniform shirt (loose and askew) + skirt | NOTES: eek! sorry this took so long! ;-;