man, i feel like a woman

Paloma walked through the streets of Azorat, avoiding bumping into people as she went from one shop to another, then to another, then another. She had never been a big shopper like most girls, not that she had ever despised it like others, but even she couldn't deny her wardrobe needed an update. She had sought out the magical city for the simple fact that it was easy to get to and it had plenty of good shops - she was sure to find plenty of new clothes, right?

Wrong. She'd been hopping from one place to another and still nothing. Not that she was picky, she wasn't. In fact, her style was actually quite simple, but, thanks to her luck, nothing seemed to catch her eye in any of the shops. It was getting late, she was getting tired, and her frustration with the lack of clothes in the stores made her nearly bump into somebody. Luckily, the girl stopped before a collision could happen and looked up to find a familiar face, one she hadn't seen a while, actually.

"Angel!"

Most people would know that walking around with a kitten on your shoulder isn't normal. Angel didn't bother about the weird looks she was getting. It couldn't be that unnatural. And it was Mystere that wanted to come. The Slytherin couldn't deny her kitten that, could she?

Angel needed a new drawing pad. How on earth she'd managed to use five hundred pages in a matter of two months was a mystery, but she had. Even though you could get them anywhere, she wanted to go to Azorat. So, that was where she was now.

She frowned ath how crowded it was. Ugh, and there were so many People bumping her with their shoulders. Ew, did nobody know when it was enough?

Mystere was clinging on for dear life. Angel almost crashed into someone, face first. The kitten screamed, but Angel noticed something familiar.

"Well, will you look at that!" she said, smirking lightly. "I haven't seen you in forever and a half. Where have you been?"

Paloma smiled and gave the girl a quick hug before noticing the kitten on her shoulder, "Aw, hey there." She gave the kitten a soft pet and turned to the Slytherin, "It's been a while hasn't it? I've been in Durmstrang, obviously. Though, the year has been shit so if you want to take me back to Hogwarts, I'll gladly go."

"What've you been up to, lately?" she asked her, stepping out of a running woman's way. These people who thought they could go running in a crowded street. . .

Angel hugged her back and chuckled lightly at Mystère, as she reached her one white paw out to Paloma, but withdrew it quickly and regained balance. "Can't go anywhere without this little creeper these days." She tilted her head. "Is that so? Well, in that case I guess you'd better hop on the train with me. That is, if you can tolerate living under a bed."

"What's been so bad about this year?" Angel asked.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "A bunch of things. You?"

"What's her name?" Paloma asked, watching the kitten, and shrugged, "Oh, I don't mind. At all." Hogwarts had surely been a good experience, even if she didn't get to enjoy it as much as she'd like.

"Everything," she sighed, "Luckily, nothing has affected me directly, but, I dunno, Durmstrang has been awfully boring and, at the same time, full of drama. If that makes any sense."

"Mystère," Angel said. "Mystery in French." She smiled for a small second. "Oh, good. Because that's where I'll be putting you when you don't have anything else to do."

She made a face. "Ugh, drama. Is everyone in the world always equally dramatic?" The brunette shook her head, not understanding it at all. "What's all this drama been about?"

"Mystère, that's pretty," Paloma agreed and grinned, noticing the girl's quick smile, "Perfect. Living under a bed will be an adventure."

She made a face, "Drama in your life too? Well, mine has nothing to do with me, thank Merlin or else I don't think I could handle it. Just some friends of mine are fighting with each other, I don't know much about it. One of them pretty much fell off the face of the Earth, I haven't seen her anywhere in a while, I'm starting to get worried. The others ones. . . one's acting really strange, the other's just caught up in the middle of all this, and another's girlfriend is also gone. . . It's all just a big mess."

She nodded. "Best adventure ever, you can be sure." Angel laughed slightly.

"Nothing to do with me," the brunette shrugged. "I don't know, not really following this stuff that goes on, y'know?" She frowned. "Oh. Sounds sad, probably." Angel shrugged indifferently.

Paloma grinned and echoed, "Probably." Deciding it would do her no good to keep worrying about everything, she changed the topic. "How's Tallulah?" she asked, remembering the drawing of the small girl, "And Maggie? Are they alright?"

"Did she actually arrange for you to meet your father?" she frowned, recalling what the Slytherin had told her when they first met.

"Tallulah's fine, and so is Maggie," Angel answered automatically. "How about your siblings? Are they alright?"

Her eyes darkened, and the brunette shook her head. "No. I'm glad she changed her mind. That dude has to be incredibly dangerous, as he was years ago. It's a wonder he's not in jail yet. Or dead." Family. It was her least favourite word. Mr. LaRue- who had disappeared ages ago- wasn't her family. No one was.

"Good," Paloma replied and nodded, "They're fine. Alice's still stuck at Hogwarts, but, I don't know, I think she's actually starting to kind of like it. At least, she's not complaining as much as before. As for Rob, I haven't really seen him around Durmstrang and I didn't go home for the last break, but I'm sure he's alright."


She raised an eyebrow, "Did you find him? Or, at least, go looking? You shouldn't, y'know..." She nodded, "I'm glad she did too. If he's that dangerous, you two meeting would be a disaster."