Quilting on Crotalus Commons

Valerie Lennox

August 29, 2012 3:30 AM

Quilting by Valerie Lennox

Summer had passed it as it always did for Valerie-with her sick the vast majority of the time. She'd down with an ear infection at the concert and hadn't really improved. Even once that particular ailment was over, the Crotalus had spent the entire vacation with a recurring sinus infection. Not to mention the ear infection repeating itself a few times. Now Valerie had a cough that she couldn't shake that seemed to be getting worse again.

Naturally, the fourth year had spent most of her time in bed again. However, during the times when she felt less horrible-sinus infections were bad, hers worse than normal people's, but one tended to be more functional than when one had, say, the flu-Valerie had began a project. She had started making a quilt. The Crotalus rather liked having blankets around, even though she wasn't supposed to have too many of them on her when she was running a fever, they were still comforting to her.

It was one of the biggest things that Valerie had ever taken on. Needlework of all kinds was her greatest talent because it was one of the few things that she enjoyed and was able to practice often and she'd often made blankets and clothing for her and Melanie's dolls and stuffed animals when they'd been younger. They'd had the best dressed dolls in town, who had wardrobes to rival Valerie's mother's. She'd also made a baby blanket for the baby Ryan's step-mother was having just prior to starting the quilt.

Right now, the Crotalus was sitting on a couch in the Crotalus common room working on it. It wasn't nearly as close to done as she would have liked, because she was only able to work on it when she was feeling well enough, and that was never often enough for Valerie's taste. Oh, she was enjoying working on it very much, but the fact remained that not being further along on it meant that she hadn't been well.

It was more about that then it was about wanting to see a finished product. Sure, Valerie would feel pride when she saw what she had accomplished, she always did when she finished something that she made, and kept them as reminders of something she was capable of doing. Valerie didn't get to feel that way about much. Her grades were decent, yes, but she knew they would be so much better if she wasn't so sick all the time. Perhaps she would have played an instrument the way Melanie took piano lessons. Her manners would have been better-not that they were bad, but she was always worried that she didn't have the polish that others did-and she might even be able to take dancing lessons. Valerie could be the daughter her mother would have wanted her to be, if she wasn't so sick all the time.

The Crotalus was just about to start another row when she felt a tickle at the back of her throat and quickly put her work down as she descended into a violent coughing fit and somebody sat down on the couch next to her...

11 Valerie Lennox Quilting 204 Valerie Lennox 1 5

Phoenix Lucore

August 30, 2012 11:46 PM

Passing through. by Phoenix Lucore

Returning home from school or returning to school from home was always an awkward experience. It always made him realize just how much he was changing. Whenever he would return home, Phoenix would notice how others around him would react to him, especially the girls. He knew that it was bound to happen. He had known that his entire life, but he still hated it. That was the best part of going off to school. He could go unnoticed with everything else that always seemed to be going on. It gave him a chance to observe how his classmates were changing, which was a bit unnerving, because it meant that they were that much closer to graduating.

As if to drive the point home at the opening feast, prefects were announced. He had no doubt that he would not be on that list and he was happy for his roommate, who he figured would make a much better prefect than he ever could, but it just drove home the fact that they were all growing up much faster than he would ever want. It also meant that the full potential of his veelaness was coming about. He absolutely hated it! If he could wish for anything in the world, it would be that he wasn’t a veela at all. He hated that he would never know if anyone would like him for him or if they would merely like him, because of some mysterious power he could hold over them.

His mom had told him that what he had was a gift. He knew she meant well. After all, she had dealt with this too, but it was different. She was a female. It was different for a female to be able to draw in men in. It was considered flattering to have men fight over her. It was embarrassing for girls to follow around a guy! And what’s worse was when other guys got jealous cause of some girl they liked suddenly noticing him, especially if they were dating. It was just super weird! She totally didn’t get it! But she did have a good idea. She suggested he try to find a hobby that would calm his nerves.

The blonde ran sometimes and that was what he had been intending to do when he was passing through the Common room when a girl started violently coughing. Frowning, he sat down next to the girl. He sure hoped she would be okay. Not thinking too much about it, he let his hand rub her back in a circular motion, hoping to calm her down. Otherwise, he would end up having to take her to the hospital wing cause something could be seriously wrong. “Take a couple deep breaths,” he instructed. “Are you okay? Do you want me to take you to the medic?”

0 Phoenix Lucore Passing through. 0 Phoenix Lucore 0 5

Valerie

September 02, 2012 7:27 AM

Sorry to prevent that. Sort of. by Valerie

The coughing continued for what felt like an eternity to the frail fourth year even though it was probably only a few minutes. Valerie hoped to Merlin that nothing would come up. That was so gross and it meant she was getting worse. She really didn't want to start out the year in the Hospital Wing, missing classes. She felt like she was always going there, more than any other student at Sonora.

She often worried that she was being a burden to Medic Bailey, just like she felt she was to her parents. The fourth year knew that it was the Medic's job to take care of her, he had decided to go into the field after all. Yet, perhaps Valerie should make him a present when the holidays came up, though she didn't know what he would like. She supposed that she could at least send him a card though. He was so nice to her and at the very least, the Crotalus could tell him how much she appreciated it all that he did for her.

As Valerie's coughing went on, she felt a hand rubbing her back. She heard the hand's owner speaking to her, surprised to hear that it was a voice other than Ryan's and she felt that she should protest, it was most improper to let a male that you weren't betrothed to or related to touch you, unless it was for medical purposes. At least in her case, most people didn't need to be touched that way quite so much, but it was another indignity that Valerie had to suffer due to illness.

Still, it was helping and the fourth year's coughing ceased. She looked gratefully at the person who had helped her-she was appreciative of those who did so, if nothing else-and said, "Thank you."

Heat rose to her face, which was already warm from her fit, when she realized whom she was speaking to. It was a boy from classes and her house as Phonix Lucore, who was pretty much the best looking boy in school and here he was talking to her , weak, sickly her ! Valerie hoped that he would take her blushing as being flushed from the coughing. Though it was entirely possible that Phoenix would think she had a fever.

Actually, the Crotalus was feeling a bit weird, maybe she had a temperature after all. She'd been about to tell them that no, there was no need to bother Medic Bailey, who was likely adjusting to his new duties as Teppenpaw HoH, but now she didn't think she could help it. Valerie was feeling very peculiar and that had to mean something was wrong. That always meant she was ill when she didn't feel right.

"Perhaps that would be best." The fourth year replied shyly. Valerie might have thought she needed the medic way too much and felt somewhat bad about always pestering him, but when she required his attention, it was best to get it as quickly as possible so she didn't get any worse.

11 Valerie Sorry to prevent that. Sort of. 204 Valerie 0 5