Sizing up [Open]

Stepping up to the fitting station Cora stood with her back straight, shoulders pushed back and chin up, she stared directly ahead of her at her own reflection, raising an eyebrow. She had looked in the mirror this morning, but she was sure she hadn't looked like this. Her blonde hair stuck out in odd directions from where the wind had blown it about since leaving home, but that wasn't really anything new. Her figure however, looked much different than she had before. Much older. She was distracted for a moment before hearing another advisor at the station next to her directing someone else. Cora glanced over and watched as the girl from the door was directed by the attendant before looking back in the mirror, trying to figure out what it was exactly about herself that had seemed to annoy the girl so much. Of course, Cora could talk for england, that was well known, but thinking back on their encounter Cora was almost certain that her presence had annoyed her before she had started speaking. Maybe it was the hair? She wasn't particularly well presented...

Cora raised her arms up as the attendant dealing with her directed, watching as a charmed tape measure flitted around her hips, waist and chest, the attendant making notes as she went. It was a surprise when Cora heard the girl next to her speak, and although she heard the words, she had half thought that she was directing them to the attendant. It wasn't until the attendant didn't respond did Cora realise it was for her. She thought for a moment - was she offended? Not really... but she had been a little disappointed at having her dreams crushed.

"Oh... it's okay. I wasn't offended. I didn't mean to bother you... I know I talk a lot..."

Cora caught herself before she started getting into a history of people who told her she talks to much and to be quiet. "It's nice to meet you Clara." she said finally with another soft smile, dropping her arms back to her sides as the measurements ceased.

Cora took a little while to answer, during which time Clara silently agonized over what she might have done wrong. And then the girl said she wasn't offended.

"Oh, okay. Good," Clara said, feeling relieved, but also still a little confused. If she wasn't offended, why had she gone quiet all of the sudden? She said it was because she didn't mean to bother her, but that meant that something Clara did must have hinted that she was bothered, and she wasn't sure what that may have been. Clara had been trying to be polite--she'd answered all the questions, even though she hadn't wanted to, and though she had attempted to convey disinterest by not making eye-contact, she was certain the other girl hadn't noticed, since she'd kept talking afterward. So what made her shut up when she did?

A tape measure flew around Clara as she stood atop the stool with her arms out, trying not to show her discomfort at the invasion of her personal space. She nodded absentmindedly at the other girl's standard greeting, then decided she may as well ask the question that she couldn't figure out herself.

"How could you tell I was bothered?"

She was actually quite interested to hear the answer, because it could be very useful. If there were certain, concrete, telltale signs that meant someone was bothered, then she could learn to look for them in future interactions, and she wouldn't have to be confused as to whether she was bothering people. In fact, this could turn into a very interesting conversation indeed, if Cora could provide a helpful answer--she might be able to explain other signs too, like how to tell if someone was upset or frustrated. Maybe Cora could help her understand how to read people, so she wouldn't be so hopelessly uncertain in the future.

Cora shifted side to side, legs apart, legs together, arms up, stretched out sideways, stretched out forward and then down at her sides as instructed by the Assistant, occasionally needing to swat away the charmed tape measure as it swung too close to her head, scared it might get tangled in her mess of blonde locks atop her head. The silence that fell between them for several minutes was painful for Cora, who was used to a lot of noise, chatter and giggles in her day to day life and was struggling for the life of her to bite her lip and stay silent - she wanted so desperately to talk all about the charms on the tape measure, how she had managed to charm one herself at home - although it could only manage straight lines currently and often just headbutted into things in it's way - but no, stum she stuck.

She was therefore surprised, and relieved, when it was Clara to break the deafening silence between them. Her own assistant had disappeared away from the podium for the moment to fetch some plain robes for Cora to try on for size. She rubbed her arms lightly, uncomfortable from all the stretching as she turned to watch as the other girl got measured up, thinking about her answer for a second before replying.

"I tend to bother people." she said after a moment, letting out a soft sigh and a shrug before continuing. "The way I talk on and on... my Dad always tells me off, to stop for breath, to let others speak... I get it. I don't think I'd like it much if someone kept shooting questions at me without giving me a chance to talk either." she explained lightly, before peering at the girl.

"You weren't too interested to elaborate on your answers either... except to..." she was about to mention the cruel way her dreams of her hippogriff had been admonished, but decided against it and just went quiet again. She didn't want to be mean - especially when the girl had just willingly talked to her first. Best not ruin that now.

Oh, thought Clara. The answer was not helpful, but at least the other girl was self-aware. It was a redeeming quality, and her opinion of Cora improved somewhat. She knew that she herself also tended to ramble, spouting off copious amounts of information all at once when she was thinking aloud--she supposed the only difference was that she only did it when she found a topic fascinating, whereas Cora was seemingly content to ramble about anything, no matter how vapid. But then again, Clara figured that what she found interesting may not captivate other people as much as it did her, so perhaps she did understand, at least a little bit, where Cora was coming from.

"I didn't feel the need, they were all pretty self-explanatory except the last one. I did explain myself on that one because I was expressing an opinion that differed from your own, so I assumed that you wouldn't immediately understand my reasoning unless I clarified."

Her attendant stepped back and gestured for her to lower her arms. The tape measure, having done its job, drifted away from her and came to halt by the attendant's head. He finished making a few notes, then told her to stand still while he went to the back room. She relaxed, glad for the break.

Cora shrugged on one of the robes that the attendant returned with, watching as the woman looked her up and down. The robe felt pretty short to Cora, who wasn't all that tall herself anyway, and the attendant seemed to eventually notice the way it was hanging far too high around her lower leg. She demanded Cora to take it off, which Cora did, but apparently not quick enough as the attendant yanked it from her shoulders to hang it back up and threw another her way to put on. She nodded to the girls explanation about not expanding on her answers to her, giving a little shrug.

"I guess that's true... and your final answer was uhm..." she thought about her wording for a session. "very well reasoned and thought out. You obviously know a lot about hippogriffs..." she paused again for a second before adding on to the end, "more than me I guess." She let out a soft sigh, straightening the sleeves on the new robe she had on, it felt like a much better fit at least and the attendant started to walk laps around her, tugging it in different places to check the fit.

"Do you like Care of Magical creatures?" She asked after a moment, resisting the tempation to say about how it was one of her favourite classes and she couldn't wait to get involved again this year. She would atleast give Clara a chance to answer first, although it looked like she wouldn't be able to talk for much longer as the attendant appeared to be finishing up.

Clara's attendant returned with some robes, and handed one to her to try on. The sleeves were slightly too long, so she took it off and exchanged it for another one. After a few attempts, one of the robes fit perfectly, but the attendant walked around her, adjusting it here and there to make sure. Clara squirmed a little as she felt his hand on her arm, but tried to stay still and let him do his job. She didn't like being touched.

She shrugged at the girl's comment. Was it a compliment? No, not quite, she decided. Just an observation. 'Thank you' didn't seem like the right response, so she didn't know how to respond. She only knew a few basic facts about hippogriffs actually, and she'd never interacted with one. She just remembered what she'd read in some textbook or other. Did she like Care of Magical Creatures?

"No, not really. I just read a lot. I don't really get along with most living things."

Her tone was matter-of-fact. It didn't really bother her that animals didn't usually like her--she didn't usually like them either, so she kept her distance whenever possible. But she was happy to read about them, just as she was happy to read about most things.

She glanced at Cora and saw that she was nearly finished with her robes. They both were, actually. She handed the robes that fit to her attendant, who folded them neatly, and she stepped off the stool.

Cora was surprised when the girl said she wasn't interested in Care of Magical creatures, and then instantly decided against leaping into her unending ramblings about why she was so excited to go to it this year. She had never had the option in the previous years, although there had been times when she had snuck over to the part of the grounds where the classes took place to see if she could peek some of the animals. It was about as rebellious as Cora got.

"Maybe you do get along with them but you just don't realise it?" Cora asked after a moment, looking over as she stepped off her own stool. It wasn't as if the girls slight awkwardness hadn't gone unnoticed, but Cora would never have said that their encounter could be classed as not getting along. She knew there were people out there who just thought so lowly of themselves that they didn't notice when people liked them, or were just being nice to be nice rather than with alterior motives. Maybe Clara was just one of these people.

The attendant neatly folded the correct fitting robe and popped it in a bag, along with a second ~ Cora was that clumsy that she almost always had to take double of everything to cover herself when she ruins one of them, probably in some incredibly embarrassing event that the whole school witnesses no doubt. She took a deep breath and took the bag of robes before looking back at Clara.

"Well, I have to go pick up some more things so maybe I'll see you around at school Clara. Please feel free to say Hi if you see me around first though..." and she really meant the last part, hoping a little encouragement might ease the tension.

Clara let out a wry laugh at the girl's suggestion. "No, I'd say it's fairly obvious that I'm not good with plants and animals. I killed a cactus once by watering it too much. I'm okay with cats because they're rather independent, but most animals I'm just not sure what to do with. And as for people...well, people are difficult."

She shrugged. She'd always been content with her books and her puzzles. She'd never felt she needed anyone besides her parents. In fact, she tended to feel more alone when she was with other people than she did by herself--she felt like an outsider most of the time, like everyone knew something she didn't, or they were speaking in a language that she couldn't quite understand. So people were frustrating, and it was much easier to just stay away from them.

Her attendant handed her a bag with her robes, and she fished some galleons out of her pocket to pay for them. As the other girl said her goodbyes, she pulled her lip into an awkward half-smile.

"Bye," she said. "I'll um...I guess I'll see you."

Then she followed Cora out the door and strode down the road in the other direction, with hardly a backward glance.