Cell-block Tango (open)

"Oh will you stop. I know Muggles are swine, but that doesn't mean we have to put her against them at once! Don't you think we should give her reasons first?" Karma said, her eyes narrowing at Iva. "She should learn other things first."

Iva looked up at her, before replying, ever so calmly, "My mother was just killed by a muggle. I think that is a reason."

She sat uncomfortably for a second before standing up. "Let me find more books for her then, Karma," She said quietly.

"I was almost killed by a muggle too, Iva, but that is neither here nor there." She said, her heart as cold as ice. "And at least you had a mother to raise you, unlike both me and Aria."

She flicked her hair over her shoulder as Iva moved over to the shelves. "We've all got Mommy issues here, Aria. And if I'm not mistaken, Daddy issues too."

Iva breezed through the book sections, her angry expression highlighting her blue eyes. How...how dare she! Karma just couldn't understand what it was like to have her mother ripped away from her.

Then, Iva saw the perfect book for Arsen's llittle friend. "Aria, you should read Alice in Wonderland!" she called, "Alice is just like you!"

Karma, as someone who had to bury her mother at the tender age of six (with the help of some house elves) did not have any sympathy for Iva on that regard. She'd had time with her mother, therefore she should be grateful.

"Alice in Wonderland is a great idea!!" She smiled a dazzling smile at Iva. "And another Muggle selection."

Iva gave a extremely fake smile, the tension in the room growing. "A pedophile, drug addict muggle." She agreed, tossing the book at Karma's head. "She will really enjoy it, yes?"

Iva looked trough the stacks, her headache starting to return.

Karma caught the book in one hand with the skill of a Seeker. "Hey! Grab Quidditch Through The Ages while your in there!!" she called with a saccharine smile. "Can't have Blondie running around without knowing what Quidditch is!"

Iva looked through the shelves, finding and taking the book out quickly. She walked back to them two ever so slowly, placing the book down on the table along with one she had picked for herself. Her own book was 'Witchcraft in America: The True Story'.

"Zdesʹ," She murmured. "For you, кармы,"

She sat down again, sighing. She had detention later today and she had to study the English language again soon. It seemed like only yesterday she had learned to speak the first words of the language.

"Let us all read now, friends,"

(OOC: Karma in Russian is Karmy. How adorable,))

Aria's eyes grew steadily wider as the other two exchanged words with increasingly sharp tones. She wasn't entirely certain what was happening, really, as most of it was going right over her head. The girl gave a smile at each book added to the pile in front of her. They were mad at each other, she realized.

"Muggles..." she ventured after several minutes, gaze focused on the cover of Alice in Wonderland. "The mortals without magic? They sound horrible, but I don't understand how that can be..." The girl peeked inside the book, then glanced curiously at the other two. She didn't quite get the concept of death, and she certainly didn't have a mother or father, though she couldn't say so. It must be terrible, however - just like muggles - to make them so tense, so quickly.

Karma sighed before smiling at Aria. "Don't worry about it, Blondie, alright? Muggles are horrible. That's all you need to know, for now." She frowned.

Iva ignored Karma's subtle approach by putting her own blunt one.

"Muggles," she declared, "Are troublesome. They are afraid of us because they do not understand the magics. They are mad because they do not understand, so they attack wizards and witches. They think we are dangerous and evil,"

Iva shrugged, flipping through her book. "But, people are not as bad as you think they are. At least, on the inside."

Aria practically had question marks above her head, she was so confused. The thing with people being bad on the inside really left her floundering. She gazed down at herself in perplexity. You couldn't even see the inside of a person, so how could you know what they were on the inside?

She simply nodded. Muggles, horrible. Maybe. Confusing, certainly. Aria pulled the encyclopedia towards her, opening to a random page. She read for a moment before she had to ask;

"What's a year? And why are there so many of them?" the girl frowned. "Maybe, I'll read another book, first." She reached for Alice in Wonderland.

"A year is 365 days." Karma said. She paused. "Um wait. Okay the beginning. First there's seconds. There's Sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour, twenty four hours in a day, and 30 to 31 days in a month, not counting February. There's twelve mounths in a year, and 365 days in a year. It's just how people measure time."

Karma completely ignored Iva's bluntness.

Iva nodded in agreement with Karma. Good explanation.

"Now, Blondie," She started, "Alice in Wonderland is fake. Do not chase any rabbits, please," Iva giggled at the thought of Aria down a hole.

"And cats do not smile," Iva nodded to herself. "It is simply a silly book,"

Aria nodded slowly as Karma explained time. "So, there are 31 million, 1 hund-" she broke off to correct her math when Karma reiterated that there were 365 days in a year. "There are 31,536,000 seconds in a year. But how many years are there? A lot?"

"It's fake... not real," Aria said, regarding the colorful illustration on the page she was on. "But animals still talk, don't they? We just don't understand them. I asked a cat on the train what his name was and he said 'Mr-row.' I don't know what that means, though."



*Officially, there are 31,557,600 seconds in a year as there are technically 365.25 days in a year

Iva put her face in her palms and sighed deeply. How would she explain that?

"Animals speak animal languages," She started, "Humans speak human languages. Meow is what cats say. That is how he talks, not his name. You have to give him a name and a meaning or he will have none,"

Iva looked at the girl, who was studying the book. Ignorance is bliss, she guessed. Suddenly, a question came to mind.

"Are you and Arsen dating?"

(((OOC: I was going to point that out, but it sounded too confusing to explain to Aria >.<))

"Oh. That makes sense. I couldn't understand anything he said."

Aria looked up from her book, frowning in confusion. "What is dating?"



OOC: Yeah... that would probably be a battle lost with Aria.

Iva froze, her face a bright red. "Dating." She stuttered, "D-Dating is when two people like each other more than friends and then they... hang out with each other. And kiss. And stuff."

"If you do not know, do not worry about it." She fiddled with her book, her face paling again. "It is not important,"

Despite Iva's stating it was not important, Aria's curiosity was piqued. "Hang out? What's that? and what's a kiss? Something dating people do? And how come your face went red like that?

"I like Arsen more than anyone," Aria stated, matter-of-fact, "but I do not know if that counts as dating. I don't think he likes me back very much."

Iva covered her face, hiding the blush. "My face is red because I am embarrassed!"

She sighed deeply, trying to explain all of the answers. "Hang out is to be in each others presence. A kiss is... when two people touch lips and... sometimes... other parts of their mouths." Iva paused, realizing this girl could take that the wrong way. "But, Brits do not do that to just friends. It is very special to do that."

Iva removed her hand from her face, forcing a smile to comfort the girl. "No, you two are not dating unless he asks you to. He does not like a lot of people. He is-"

She shook her head, blushing again. "Never mind. I do not wish to speak of this anymore,"

"Embarrassed is bad, then?" Aria inquired. "One doesn't want a red face?"

She frowned thoughtfully. "Oh... I do not think he will ask me. I'm always in trouble." A slight pout marred her features, though it was over always being in trouble rather than not dating Arsen.

"Why doesn't he like a lot of people?" Aria wanted to know. "Because he is half-demon and everyone else is just mortal?"

Iva raised an eyebrow at the girl's behavior, thinking she had an interest in Arsen. Honestly, she didn't get it; Aria would be eaten alive by Arsen but, hey, whatever.

"Maybe he does not like the people because he is a demon," She agreed, "Maybe he is disconnected from everyone because everyone he knows will die without him. I do not know."

Iva leaned foward slightly, but stayed far away enough to be sanitary. "If you like him, you could ask him on a date if you wish," she said, running fingers through her red curls. Iva, being extremely short, sat on her knees to be closer it the heights of the others at the table. "He probably would not kill you,"

Aria also leaned forward a bit, though, she also kept a proper distance. "Must people who like each other always go on these dates?" she queried. "I like you and Karma, also. Should we go on a date, too?

"Oh, Arsen will not kill me. Dj-" Aria broke off, abruptly remembering that she was in no way to mention Arsen's father's part in her existence. "He won't. He said so."

At the words date, Iva promptly fell out of her chair. As she was sprawled on the floor, Iva began to babble about how that was "improper" and "not acceptable unless you were unto that sort of thing.

"Dating is not like that!" She cried, "It is for people you like more than usual and wish to... touch?" Iva hoped she was using the right words.

She stood up, trying to calm herself down from the surprise. Her face a bright red, she continued. "Then you go on dates and try to like them even more. Then you either stop dating or get married."

Iva paused, seeing where this conversation was going, and continued, "Marriage is when two people stand before God and say they love each other and they will be together forever,"

Aria startled when Iva fell out of her chair. "Are you okay?" she asked uncertainly, not sure what she had said wrong.

"Oh. Arsen does not like to be touched," Aria solemnly informed the other girl. Nodding seriously. The concept was straight forward enough, but... "Who is God?"