Feeling the pressure of a homework overload, Althea decided a distraction was in order. There was only so much reading she could do in one sitting--the academic life was honestly a tiring one. One of her favorite things about the Astronomy Tower was the creative room. She spent a lot of her free time (when she wasn't harassing her brothers and verbally assaulting their associates) there and had often found herself extremely tranquil.

She placed her bag down and sat at one of the tables, excited to explore and expand on her creativity. "You'll need to stay still," she warned a scurrying Amias. He crawled along her hand and Althea pursed her lips, trying to figure out the best way to keep the scarab in place. "Just,...stay," she commanded. The scarab stopped and they spent a long moment in silence staring at one another. "I know you can understand me, so behave okay?" She plopped him onto the table and she chose a few colored pencils to work with. Amias inched closer to her. "The whole purpose of still art is for, y'know, the subject to remain still."

Noelle had been trying to find a spot to let her thoughts go but also to study in peace when she heard a voice.... which was weird because of the location she was in. She could see a little light coming from behind a bookcase. Inching closer, Noelle saw a girl with beautiful curls talking to... what was that? A bug?

Okay.

Coming into the room more, she knocked on the side of the bookcase so she didnt alarm the girl. "Hi, mind if I join you?" She could use the silence to continue her report. If not, she'd find somewhere else.

The knock didn't startle her (she was used to moments where her family barged in on one another,) but she turned around. Althea pushed Amias to the side of her bag (if she didn't see him, she wouldn't ask questions, right?) and offered the girl a half-grin. "It's a free world, girl, do whatever you want." She would have ended the conversation right there, but something about her felt familiar.

Turning around again--she needed to gather enough evidence, just to be sure--she stared at the girl, thinking hard about where she'd seen her before. With a scrunched up face, Althea had an aha! moment, which led to her frowning. "You're the girl whose been hangin' around my brother, yeah?" What was her name? She'd tired to grill both Declan and Levi mercilessly about the girls they hung around, but they were always so tight-lipped about names. "Noemi, right?" Probably. Mostly likely. Definitely, not her name.

Okay so she had permission to come in.... sorta. Noelle entered and sat down on one of the chairs. Her eyes briefly went to the bug that was pushed aside. If her eyes saw right... it was one of those bugs from Egypt. Whoa. The girl didn't seem to want to talk about it though. So Noelle left it alone... for now.

Huh. What a question. She had no idea who this girls brother was. And Noelle had a few guy friends so she wasn't sure who she was talking about. "That depends on who your brother is." She said offering the girl a smile. "And its Noelle." She said as she opened her HoM magic book to study.

She played with the page as she looked at the girl again. "I've seen you around. But, Im sorry, I cant remember your name." Maybe she'd tell her? "Im Noelle Grace Summers." She said, giving her full name even though she'd already said her first name.

"Also, nice bug you have there."

That was fair, actually. Surprisingly enough, Althea's ego wasn't so large that she'd feel offended for her not knowing who she was. "Levi? Levi Kenning? I'm pretty sure you're the girl he talks about," she said while shrugging her shoulders. Maybe she'd been mistaken--it was an easy thing to do when there were so many students at Hogwarts--but one quick glance at the girl gave Althea all the answers she needed. Levi could never turn down a cute face.

"It's okay, I do like to roam solo, lone wolf style." It wasn't as bad as her brothers made it out to be. She was perfectly content with not having many friends--and why should she? Her family were close-knit, there was no need to involve outsiders. "Well, Noelle Grace, I'm Althea Kenning." This 'being friendly' thing was starting to get easier each time she socialized. She didn't know how long the phase would last, but she was determined to ride it out til the end.

Noelle Grace proved to be sharper than Althea gave her credit. Amias scurried along her arm at the compliment, and Althea rolled her eyes at him. "He's fond of compliments, it seems." Which was all she would say about him. Although he was her familiar, he marched to the beat of his own drum and came and went as he pleased. "So, are you goin' to be hangin' out with us, or are you strictly sticking to Levi?" The Kennings were a bundle that couldn't really be separated (no matter how much Levi thrived for independence,) she had to be absolutely certain that Noelle Grace wasn't a passing whim.

Noelle was curious who her brother was as she sat, trying but failing to read her HoM book. She looked up curiously when she said Levi's name. He said he had a brother, Declan, who she'd met. And when they were in the library.... didnt one of them mention a sister? She smiled at her book. "I know him. Hard not to. He's in my house." As if that explained it all.

A slight tilt of her head let her know that she heard the comment about talks about. She wondered if that was good or bad. Because Levi seemed to think she was trouble, which she could be at times. Hopefully though, that wasnt what her reputation was. A bad girl Prefect.

"Lone wolf. Doesn't that ever get kinda lonely?" She asked as she read over the same sentence she'd read over 5 times now. "I mean, believe me, I like my alone time. Sometimes I just need it. But... are you always alone or just sometimes?" She was curious is all. Curiosity killed the cat. "Nice to meet you Althea. Wow. Even your name is beautiful." Okay, that slipped out. "I mean... I just... you have nice hair. I wish I had curly hair like yours."

Speaking of compliments, Noelle shut her book and gave up trying to read that sentence for another time. "What kind of bug is he? " Were bugs he or shes? Or were hey asexual? Who knew. She moved to the edge of the couch as she peered at the bug, knowing she'd seen that kind before.

"Oh what?" Noelle asked, pulling her thoughts away from the bug and back to what she just asked. Hanging out strictly to Levi? She blinked. "Well, I'd like to hang out with whoever likes to hang out with me. I dont usually stop at one friend and say I'm done." If that made any sense. "Like if we were to become friends, I'd hang out with all three of you. Because yes... I know Declan too. More recent, but you have some pretty cool brothers." Another compliment. Noelle seemed to be full of those today.

"He's very popular these days," she said while rolling her eyes. It was her default whenever someone mentioned Levi positively or boasted about how nice he was, blah blah blah. If they only knew what she went through with him. Noelle didn't seem like the other interlopers. She didn't get defensive, nor did she seem to have an issue with Althea's line of questioning.

Interesting.

With a shrug of her shoulders, Althea replied with a small smile. "I'm great company, and I do have my brothers." She hadn't thought about the lonely part--because she didn't like thinking about it. She'd deluded herself into thinking that she was perfectly content with being by herself. "I'm pretty much always alone, if I'm not hanging around Declan or Levi. And, well, now Amias is a constant so, that's three?" That sounded even more pathetic than she'd meant to. "What I mean to say is: yes, I'd like to have more friends, but I don't trust anyone enough to let them get close." A confession that she didn't think she'd ever admit out loud. When the compliments rolled out, Althea smiled. Not only was Noelle cute, but she was nice too. Althea decided then that she liked the girl. Very, very much. "Thank you, this girl's got a mind of her own, however," she said, patting down her hair.

Ever the drama queen, Amias flew off of Althea's shoulder and hovered near Noelle before perching on her arm. Astounded--Amias had his whims too--Althea stared, wide-eyed, at the rude scarab. "He's a scarab beetle. And, don't worry, he's just infinitely curious about people. He'll behave, as long as you don't mean him harm." Again, Althea was surprised that she was babbling to Noelle, because she didn't know the girl. But...something about her presence was very calming. "I will say this, you're definitely not like the others," she thought back to the countless people who'd tried to befriend Levi and Declan; unsurprisingly, they all failed in their mission. "I guess they're alright," she scrunched up her nose, "I'm cooler, though."

Levi popular? Noelle believed it. Declan was probably popular too. Noelle could see the resemblance in the three. Declan, Levi, and Althea. They all were incredibly good looking, plus they had their own charm about them. "Your brothers seem to be good company too. So you're in good hands there." She casually said, putting her book back into her bag and pulling out her wand instead.

Awwww. Althea! Noelle watched the girls features. "Well, you don't trust me yet. I figure that since we just officially met but... I can be good company too if your brothers tend to get too annoying and you want to hang out with someone other than them." Like Noelle said, she'd never turn down company.

"So..." Noelle started before the bug flew over to her and perched on her arm. Merlin. She sat still for a moment, letting the scarab perch on her arm. That arm had just recently healed thanks to some murtlap. She wasn't used to this bug but, all animals had their charm in Noelle's opinion. She could see the personality in this bug, even though she wasn't sure of it... yet..

Giving it a moment or two, Noelle let herself get used to the feel of the bug before brushing her finger over the top of it. "I met Levi's.... no wait... Declan's spider the other day. Charlotte?" Noelle murmured to Althea, her eyes still on the bug. "I like that its shell kinda gleams." She added. Not the spider, but Amias.


Noelle looked up at Athea when she said she wasnt like the others. "What do you mean?" She wasnt striving to be like anyone else, so that was good news. She giggled at the last comment. "I dont know you well enough to weigh in on that opinion." She said, giving her a teasing grin.

"I'm the glue that holds those two together," she boasted. If she was any humbler she'd have admitted that it's really because she inserts herself in their lives continuously. A trait she so graciously picked up from their parents. Noelle was right; Althea didn't trust her. But it wasn't because Noelle seemed untrustworthy--it was just her defense mechanism. "Well the way Levi talks, you seem more than alright. You're way prettier than he mentioned, though." Althea flashed her a grin. "Well, then I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other because they are the bane of my entire existence." An exaggerated statement, as Althea could not function if she didn't interact with them multiple times per day.

She watched as Amias settled on Noelle's arm. He had no loyalty whatsoever. Oh, so Fat Charlotte had also taken to Noelle too? Interesting. "You met Charlotte? She's good fun when she wants to be. Always getting lost, always pregnant." She shook her head at, curls bouncing to and fro. "Oh," she said softly a small smile tugging on her lips. "It's pretty, yeah? Something about it is pretty mesmerizing." Amias seemed to keep relatively clean--though she supposed that might be because he was a familiar and was obscenely ancient.

"The other interlopers get so offended so easily. Too weak-willed to make it through me," she eyed Noelle carefully, but softened her gaze and smiled. "You on the other hand, you've got a backbone. I appreciate that. And,..." She mulled over whether or not she should admit it, but... "I approve of you." Noelle had character, she figured it wouldn't hurt to officially adopt her into their circle--even though Levi had already gone through the pre-adoption process. "It's okay, you can get to know me. As a matter of fact," she stood up and walked over to the easel and straightened the canvas. "Let me paint you."

Althea had spunk and attitude. It made the corner of Noelle's mouth twitch up. "The glue huh?" She asked before giving a little giggle and looking back down to the bug on her arm. "Well if he's said anything about trouble. That's only half true" She said with a teasing grin.

"Charlotte is a gem an so beautiful. I almost crushed her though.... I feel a little bad about that." Wait... pregnant!?? "Shes not... not pregnant right now right?" Merlin, she hoped not. What if she killed a sack of babies?? Noelle did not want to think about that but she was as she stroked Aramis' back softly. "Dont worry. I won't crush you." She told the bug wth a small smile.

Interloper? Weak-willed? Noelle looked back up at Althea with her eyebrows raised. "Interlopers?? Approval??" Oh Merlin, she wasn't in line to be someone's girlfriend was she?? She did NOT approve of that. She couldn't even figure out what was going on with the boyfriend she had at the moment, she didn't need another. "Okay but like.... I'm taken. .... I think... so... no. Just friends right?" That's all she wanted from the three Kennings. She found them insanely peculiar and interesting. Plus brilliant and multitalented.

"But I approve of you----" the words got stuck in Noelle's throats as Althea said she wanted to paint her. Blink. Blink.


Ehhh. Why not? "Sure, why not. Where do you want me?" She asked, shifting Aramis. Noelle was just curious how Althea would draw her. Would she draw what Noelle pictured herself as?

"Well I dunno about any sort of trouble you've been in, Levi is pretty much tight-lipped when he wants to be. Especially if it's concerning friends." What a bizarre notion; to not want to share every intimate detail with his younger sister was beyond absurd. It was downright rude. Althea smiled at Noelle, though, she wouldn't fault her for Levi's inability to spill certain secrets. She just needed to get better at prying.

Eyes widening, Althea was amazed that Charlotte lived through it all. "That's Charlotte for you. She'll outlive us all, probably." She laughed (because it would most likely be a true statement in the future) and scratched the side of her cheek. "Well, I bet my brothers that she was pregnant, but maybe she's just gained more weight." They needed to put her on a diet, clearly. "Don't worry though." She didn't want Noelle to be panicking over fat Charlotte. The spider was indestructible.

Noelle's facial expression had changed and Althea was confused by her sudden distress. "You having a boyfriend is a personal problem, for you," she emphasized, and then clarified right after. "What I'm saying is, don't worry. Levi won't break up a happy home. I'm pretty sure he only considers you a friend." But, what did she know, anyway? "But even friends need my approval." Any outsider was treated the same; if she didn't like them, they got the boot. No questions asked.

"Hmmm, well I'm not actually any good, so this will be an abstract sort of rendition, okay? Don't laugh at it either," she said, a grin taking over her mouth. "Well get comfortable, wherever you want." There were a multitude of paints and crayons and colored pencils to choose from. Althea gathered up some random colors and walked back to the easel. With a thick paintbrush in hand, she squinted her eyes at Noelle to see if she had the right perspective, and then dipped it into some bright red paint. She made a large blotch on the canvas, and then nodded at her work while she mulled over other colors.

"So, how long have you and the boy been together?"

Noelle was kinda of glad that Levi didn't tell anyone ... or well... his sister that she was trouble. But then again... a little bit of edge to her probably would have made her feel bad. The good kinda bad, not the bad kinda. "What about you? Are you trouble?" Noelle asked as she adjusted herself on the couch. She'd never been painted before and truth be told... she didn't know what to think when Althea has asked.

Merlin.
Noelle didn't want to kill any living creature. Not even flies, even though they were insanely annoying. Well wait... that's not true. If she had the chance to .. with that troll.... well that was another thought all together... She let that thought drift away. "Well, I hope she wasn't pregnant... if she was... I hope she is okay. " And the babies of course.

Blink Blink
Noelle didn't like Levi like that. But Althea seemed to have her own view and she had a feeling if she protested that thought, Althea would only believe it more. So, instead, Noelle just rolled her eyes and gave a playful little grin. "Good. Im glad you approve of me as a friend" Emphasis on the friend thing. That was with her, Declan, and Levi. She liked making friends. The Kenning siblings were definitely interesting. And friendly.

Noelle was perched in a comfortable position on the couch. She had Amais sitting on her stomach, stroking his back unconsciously. She didn't look at Althea as she painted because she might blush and she didn't want to do that.

Her boy? Noah wasn't a boy. "We've been together for 2 years." Or were together? Noelle didn't know. She was holding on to them not being broke up. "Met in my first year.' She said glancing at Althea but then looking back at Amais. "Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?"

Trouble? Her? Althea liked to believe that she was the epitome of innocence. The reality of it was that she was the complete opposite. Trouble indeed. "Unfortunately, my brothers and I have a bad running streak with trouble. Moreso Declan and I, honestly. Levi...he is the reason and logic in all of our madness." Though that didn't exempt him either. His moral compass was just straighter than theirs.

"Don't worry about her, like I said: she'll outlive us all. Charlotte's sturdier than you think." That, and, Althea was 99% certain that Charlotte was less tame than they thought. "Are you, like, one of those animal protectorates or somethin'?" Noelle had the air of someone who cared deeply for creatures and pets and probably nature too. Althea hoped she had an edge to her--or else their roughness was bound to rub off on her.

Rolling her eyes and laughing, Althea continued to paint. She added yellows and a shade of teal to the portrait. It was starting to look very abstract already. "Yeah, yeah. You'll fit right in with us, alright." She was fairly certain of that now. Althea peeked around the easel and spotted Amias. He really had no loyalty at all! Just like Charlotte. She was stunned--but, Noelle was alright and if Amias was comfortable, Althea would just have to deal with the betrayal. "Have you ever had a painting done of you before? You look so natural, kind of like a summer, woodland fairy." It was pretty romantic in her book.

"Two whole years?" The shock had caused her to pause and step away from the easel to look at Noelle intensely. "And you still like him?" She was in disbelief. They were so young! Now was the time to act on whims and live life! After a while of gawking, Althea went back to her painting. "I'm too much of a free bird for that, love. I just don't have it in me to settle." Plus, she was fourteen. She had more important things to think about; like...how to keep her hair perfect for an entire day without any frizzing, tangles, etc. Or how to successfully apply lip stick while on the run. And those were tiring enough just thinking about them.

So Declan and Althea were the troublemakers. This didn't seem to surprise Noelle. She was curious at what trouble Declan and Althea seemed to get into. "You'll tell me stories right?" She asked as she sat on the couch comfortably.

Noelle glanced at Althea, she didn't want to see her painting her. It made her awfully self-conscious, therefore she blushed. "An animal what??" She asked with a lifted brow. She wasn't sure what that was.

Noelle wasn't used to being painted so she kept her focus on Amais and what Althea was saying. Amais was chillin. The bug was actually kinda cute. He had a lot of personality too. Right now, he was roaming around her stomach. "Summer woodland fairy?" That took Noelle by surprise. Althea was just full of surprises. "No, its actually making me a little nervous. I'm not used to people studying me like I feel you doing." Althea had to paint so Noelle didn't blame her.

"Yeah, hes helped me through a ton. I was taken before my second year of Hogwarts and... almost didn't survive. So he's been my rock." Until recently... when she needed him and he wanted to give her space. And then hasn't talked to her. But she wasn't going to tell her that. If she didn't say it, maybe it would seem like everything was okay between them.

Althea and Noelle different with their self care. Noelle wore sensible, comfortable clothing. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail or kept down most days. She had hairs all out of place most days. Nowadays though, she was getting older, she was experimenting with make-up. Just more of a natural look.

There were very few people who knew specific details about the exploits of the Kenning siblings. Althea didn't think Noelle posed much of a threat, but she didn't trust her enough to tell her everything. "I can maybe do that." She wiggled her eyebrows at Noelle and then cracked a smile. "I've got a couple that won't shock you too much, I suppose." Last thing she needed was Levi and Declan finding out that she'd spilled secrets without their permission.

"An animal whatyoucallit. I dunno the name, specifically. You know, those muggles who like, get all riled up over animals and treating them with respect, and so on." She hoped she wasn't making things even more confusing for her. In her head it made sense--but most things that made sense to her didn't make sense to others. Oh well. The painting was coming along (??) so she decided to add some blues to the top of the canvas; something to create some drama and intrigue.

It was strange to her that Noelle was nervous. Althea was more or less always comfortable doing anything that centered on her, so she really could not relate to Noelle's feelings at the moment. "Huh. So is it the act of my painting you that's making you nervous, or me studying you?" She crept around the easel, placed a hand on her hips, and smirked. "There's nothing to be nervous about. I don't bite." Much.

Going back to the easel, she continued to listen to Noelle, contemplating what she'd said. "Yeah, okay, well now you've got a bigger rock. A boulder, I should say." Three Kennings (and a Daisy) should be sufficient enough to anchor Noelle. "I think this is coming out rather nice," she massaged her chin briefly, accidentally dabbing paint all over it. She barely noticed as she went back to work, trying to create a masterpiece of sorts.

Oh good. Althea looked willing to tell her a story or two. Noelle's smile grew because stories were always welcome in her book. And stories that wouldnt shock her too much. Oh boy. Not that Noelle didnt have stories of her own. If people only knew.

Also, she couldn't help but laugh at Althea's animal question. "No, I mean.. I grew up with animals. I think they are all beautiful and none deserve to die.. but... I still eat meat." Is that was she meant? "You have a bug for a pet. Are you an animal person?" Not everyone had bugs for friends.

Noelle tried staying still as Althea painted but she was curious. Plus the facial expressions on Althea's face. The only thing moving was her finger as it stroked Amais' back. "Its the you studying me that's making me nervous." It wasn't a bad nervous... she just wasn't used to being looked at so closely. Where someone was painting their every flaw.

A boulder?? Noelle couldn't help but smile wider and blush a little. She wasn't used to that. She had Olly too. Maybe he could be incorporated into this boulder magic. "A boulder?" She giggled.... then giggled harder as Althea got paint on her face.

If her parents could see her, they would definitely be proud of how much better Althea was getting at socializing with others. It was hard to deal with people who didn't understand her or her thought process, so she was grateful that Noelle had seemed to be taking to her well. She hoped that was the case, anyway.

"Oh, okay, well that makes sense that. You seem comfortable with Amias, at least. Which is incredible," mostly because Amias was behaving (she suspected it was a vanity sort of thing for him.) "He's not my pet," she laughed and shook her head, curls flying around. As if Amias would ever stand to be called that. "He's...hmm." There wasn't a simple way to explain him; and it wasn't like Althea wanted to lie, so she opted for some truth. "I guess you could say he's my familiar, of sorts."

Oh. Oh. "Why? Afraid that I might find something I don't like?" She raised a brow and glanced over towards Noelle. It never occurred to her that there were Gryffindors who didn't like being the center of attention. "Well, I will say that you are absolutely brilliant at staying still. So that's a plus," a smile crept onto her lips. "And you can't be all bad; Amias looks like he's enamored with you." Althea shot the scarab a pointed look before taking a step back from the easel. With her head tilted to the side, the painting looked about halfway done. She tilted her head again, on the opposite side, and from that perspective it looked less than halfway finished. She'd figure something out eventually.

Althea caught the smile--and even more importantly, she'd seen the blush. Noelle seemed like the sort of girl who was unable to mask her expressions well. "Yeah, it's much bigger and stronger. You'd need something really powerful to break it." Her smile had remained on her face momentarily, but it fell once Noelle started giggling. "What's so funny?" Her brows furrowed and she placed her hands on her hips, watching Noelle carefully. "We should take a break, I'm really hungry, and you must be hungry too because you're giggling like mad." And, as an afterthought, she added: "Not that I mind it at all, it suits you, actually."

So Amais being this cool with Noelle wasn't a normal thing?? Noelle looked down at the bug. "you just like me because I'm cool right?" She asked with a giggle because Noelle was nowhere near cool. She stroked the bugs back. "Us pretty ones have to stick together"Another giggle because Noelle never called herself pretty. Her eyes glanced up quickly when Althea said familiar. "Familiad?? Isn't that... I've heard that used only a few times. What's that?"

"If you can't see something yobbsont like now, you're hardly looking" Out of place hair, comfort clothes that said she had no style basically, and the little bit of make up she had on this morning was probably rubbed off. "You scarab just feels at home because I grew up on a farm with animals. So I'm good wth them.i don't tend to shy away." Not from animals at least.

Noelle liked that she had a boulder now. "So is it this easy to get approval from you?" Because it seemed easy. Or maybe it was just easy for her. She still giggles when Althea put her hands on her hips and gave her a look... with paint on her face. Holding Amais, she got off the couch and put the big down on the table before grabbing a cloth and handing it out to her. "You can't be so intimidating with paint on your face."

"Food does sound good though. I have some candy in my bag." Plus an assortment of cakes..... for emergencies.

Noelle talking to Amias didn't seem out of place to Althea, considering the amount of conversations she had with the scarab beetle every day, but it was amusing to watch. Although originally wary of the Gryffindor, she had come to realize that she was harmless. A good thing. "And here I thought you were the modest type," she teased. Althea routinely reminded herself that she was beautiful on a daily basis. It was part of her mantra in order to keep her spirits up. She hesitated, biting on her lower lip. "Well...," where would she even begin? "A familiar is like a spirit or demon that is bound to you. They tend to prefer animal bodies though..." Which probably had to do with where Amias came from.

"Oh, trust me, my eyes see everything. So far I like what I see." She flashed Noelle a knowing smile, and continued on with the portrait. Adding more yellows and greens, the portrait was becoming more and more complete. "Makes sense, you're a Gryffindor, I'd expect no less." Levi was incredibly foolhardy at times, that Gryffindor spirit was a force to be reckoned with. She raised a brow and laughed briefly. "It's not. I'm quite harsh with people I don't like. But I feel positive energy from you, so you're more than alright, I guess."

Her giggles were contagious because before long, Althea found herself smiling. Paint on her face? What. With widened eyes, she touched her chin and saw red paint on her fingertips. She blushed--it was one thing to be exposed in front of her family but in front of someone she'd met?? The embarrassment was too much to bear. "Thanks," Althea said meekly, trying to regain her cool demeanor. She wiped carefully and then looked at Noelle expectantly. "Did I get it off?" She was surprised that Noelle had food. "Oh, I didn't think you'd have anything," she walked over to her bag and opened it, "I brought food just in case. I have pastries and a few sandwiches." The food had been meant for her, but...she would share with Noelle as a sign of friendliness.

A familiar is like a spirit or demon that is bound to you. They tend to prefer animal bodies though.. Noelle's eyebrows raised and she became interested in Amais more than she was. "Are you a familiar little one?" She asked him before looking at Althea. "So whose spirit is in it?" She didn't think it was a demon because Amais was so cute and full of personality. It had to be a spirit.

Noelle could have hid her face when Althea said she saw everything. Merlin. "Oi no bad words okay?" Because obviously she didn't believe her when she said she liked what she saw. Noelle wasn't looking at her thought because Amais had her attention now. "Well I'm glad you approve. I want to keep hanging out with you." She felt at peace with Althea. It was easy to be around her.

And did Noelle make Althea blush? That had to be a record. Amais was put down by this point so Noelle took the rag from Althea and got the rest of the paint she had missed off her chin. "There. It's all gone"

Noelle went over to her bag and grabbed the pastries and candy from her bag. "Is that your lunch? Didn't plan on eating in the Great Hall then?" She asked curiously as she sat back down on the couch. She offered over the goodies she had with her.

Watching Noelle talk to Amias, Althea wondered if she actually knew that he could understand her. She was taking to the whole familiar thing very well. Interesting. "I don't know. He's an enigma, always dodging my questions." There were plenty of times where she'd fussed at him purely because she knew he was intentionally ignoring her. The nerve. "But, probably my older brother would know. Declan, not Levi." Though she highly doubted that Declan (or even Levi for that matter) would divulge any extra information, even to someone as nice as Noelle.

"No bad words? What do you mean?" she laughed and continued to study Noelle. "I meant what I said: I like what I see. If I didn't, I wouldn't give you any of my time." In her previous years at Hogwarts, she hadn't met or befriended any interesting people at all. Which was why she constantly forgot names--her dorm mates and housemates included--but people mistook that for her being distant, cold, and intentionally cruel. "Well, if you stick with me, you'll be in for one very wild ride."

She hoped that the paint did come off her chin, but Noelle had walked towards her to help her out. "Thank you," and she'd meant it, genuinely. "I was more or less mortified that I'd gotten paint on my face of all places!" Her face was was sacred territory that very few explored. "Oh, no. It's just a snack. I, uh, have a pretty big appetite." Given that she, and her brothers, had an intense work out regimen that they stuck to throughout the year. Her metabolism was just fast. Althea sat down next to Noelle and pulled out the sandwiches from her bag. "There are different kinds, so you can have whichever you want." Althea had chosen some candy from Noelle's stash, and picked out a chicken sandwich for herself to start. "Another perk to hanging around me is that we will always have something to eat."

This familiar thing was very interesting. So Althea didn't know who was actually living in the bug but also so fully attached to her. "Have you lost anyone in your life that could be the spirit? Like a mother? father? Other mother? Aunt? Uncle?" Noelle was listing them off as she looked over at the bug that was now sitting near the pain. "It has to be someone close to you right? So does he actually speak to you?" She said that he was dodging her questions. Peculiar.

"Its hard not to like what you see around Hogwarts. I swear wizards and witches have really good genes. I don't think there is anyone here that is ugly." She added with a giggle, so she really didn't blame Althea for liking what she saw. But, Noelle liked the sound of one wild ride. She needed to let go of her reigns a little bit once in a while. "Sounds fun. Well, youre not getting rid of me that easily. We're friends now." She said with a grin and a nudge.

Besides, friends shared food right?
"I wish I had a big appetite. I mean... I can eat more candy that I do actual food.. but its not very big." Though she was working on eating more healthy due to her training. "Though, lately, my candy intake has cut down dramatically due to my training." She reached over and grabbed one of the sandwiches. "Did you make these yourself?" She asked as she took a bite.

The questions came fast so Althea blinked as Noelle asked them and tried to keep up. "Uh, Amias is most definitely not a relative, I know that much." He was way too rude for one. And two: he'd come back with Declan after they'd summoned an ancient god. If anything, Amias was probably on Anubis' payroll. Figures. "I..., well, yes and no. Sort of? I mean, we do communicate. You just...wouldn't be able to hear him at all." She frowned, hoping that her answer was adequate enough for Noelle. She didn't want to lie but she really couldn't say too much.

She filed away a mental note to harass Declan later about this 'keep our secrets, secret' thing.

Now, while there were a fair amount of attractive people at Hogwarts (present company included), Althea was not so sure about the rest. "You are extremely nice for saying that," because Althea could not make that sort of bold lie so openly "but there are plenty of ugly people around. I see them constantly." Was that her shallowness at play? Possibly. Althea liked to think that she knew how to tell the difference between attractive and not. She flashed Noelle a cheeky grin and nudged her back, which was...interesting. She tried so hard to keep to herself that she forgot what it was like to be open with people other than her brothers. Huh.

"More candy than foo--no, no, no," she shook her head dramatically, her hair flying everywhere. "That won't do at all. Candy? So bad for your skin, and you'll just feel sluggish all the time." Her mum would probably beam hearing her say that. She shot Noelle a concerned look, because she could not let a pretty girl just eat like she was destitute. "Listen, if you want, I can make you snacks to have during the day. The perks of being near the kitchens," she said with a smile. "I did, actually. I hope you like it." She was always in the kitchens pilfering food and making to-go lunches for her and her siblings, she figured adding another person wouldn't take much effort. When she bit into her sandwich, she felt instant relief; food was the one thing that never, ever betrayed her. She would never abandon her love for food, no matter what.

Noelle was taking in Althea as she reluctantly talked about Amias. She tilted her head but wasnt going to push her. "So I wouldnt be able to hear it? But you can?" She asked referring to his voice. She looked down at Amias. "And not a family member. hmm." Noelle said, lost in her own thoughts for a moment before looking back at Althea.

She saw ugly people?? Noelle lifted her brow with a teensy bit of a smirk playing on her lips. "Constantly? Thea... Im going to have to check your eyesight." She said giving the girl a teasing grin. It felt good to joke with her.

Getting up, she bit into her sandwich as she went over to take a look at the unfinished painting. "You'll make me snack?" She asked, looking up from the painting in surprise. "Hmm.. we could meet up. I definitely wouldnt mind hanging out with you more often."

"On one condition." Noelle said, a smirk playing on her lips again.
"Let me paint you."