The sound of silence caused Isla to finally chance a peek at the dead bird. It was lying peacefully against the palm of the professor's hand. Not that it had a choice, what with it being dead and all. There was actually a sense of uneasiness that hung in the air around her, and the kid calling out cries of murder didn't help things one bit.

Listening to the lecture that came afterwards kind of made her feel like Bernie had gotten her bird funeral after all. She didn't quite know how she felt about all this end-of-life talk, even though the professor had assured them all about the order of things. Then, as if that wasn't enough, the phoenixes were apparently about to bite the dust, as well. With a sigh, she started looking around for a partner or a group. Really anybody, since she hadn't developed any strong friendships just yet. The downfall of being a firstie.

"Anybody need a partner or a group member?" she asked.