Browsing the Shelves

Carina had found the Library, simply out of sheer boredom. It wasn't a place she thought she would ever go to unless she needed it for homework. So, she was very surprised indeed when she ended up in the Library, running her fingers along the spines of books.

She despised reading unless it was necessary. She much preferred to be told information than waste hours and hours of her time sifting through some boring old book written by someone who had probably been dead for at least three decades. She was not going to look forward to the amount of reading she'd have to do.

"Libraries, the refuge of all who are bored." Carina sighed as she paused to squint at one of the book titles. How to hex your enemies pumpkin patches by Grindle Wolf . She snorted and shook her head. Talk about ridiculous.

"Anyone who says otherwise is lying." Carina muttered, resisting the urge to hit the pumpkin hexing book. It was a shame really, because the author had an awesome name.

It was at the very start of the semester when Ksenia was making her way back to the library. The libraries were starting to seem like cages to her. She had just found her way out of the Sicarius family library, not having found the prophecy yet, and already she was walking right towards the school one. Nothing appeared to be changing for her. Still she couldn't help but feel that she was getting close to finding the prophecy.

The young witch entered the room that housed hundreds of books to spot a first year girl browsing through the shelves. "You must be a studious one to make your way here even before the classes started," she said as she moved past the girl and further down the shelves to pull out a book on Transfiguration that she hadn't finished reading last year.

She flicked through it, not looking at the Hitrost student beside her. She was never the social type though this year she supposed she would have to help first years more since she was a prefect.

Carina sneered as an older witch walked past her and commented that she must be studious. Carina shook her head and clenched her fist, trying not to hurt the books or the shelves. She would get into a lot of trouble for it, she was sure.

"Far from it. I'm just bored. There's nothing else to do in this place." Carina threw a reply back at the other girl, who probably wasn't even paying any attention to her. Carina didn't care though, she wasn't going to let a false assumption like that go without saying anything about it.

"I would advise you to develop a more respectful tone when speaking to a Prefect or a Professor. Its common courtesy. It will get you out of a lot of trouble," Ksenia commented as she moved to sit down at a table not taking her eyes of the book.

"There is always something to do in this place. This is a school after all. If you do not enjoy books than you can go practice a type of combat," she said, her tone still distant. The witch's thoughts drifted to Lucifer for a few moments. He was probably in the arena practicing already.

Carina couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed that she had been called up already. As far as she was concerned she had a right to speak how she wanted to, and her tone wasn't that bad either. Still, at least she knew a little something about this other girl. A Prefect. Carina would have to watch out for her if she was ever doing anything she shouldn't be.

Practising combat, that sounded slightly interesting. It all depended on the type of weaponry available if anything was at all, or if it was just wand to wand.

"When you say combat... What type?" Carina asked, moving over to stand beside the table that the older girl had seated herself at.

"Any type you prefer. There are multiple subjects available in this school that focus on combat. Durmstrang is famous for that," Ksenia said. "You should go around the school and have a look. You might even find an older student who would be willing to help you if you ask nicely. You always have to be careful around here," she warned the younger student.

Carina took in all the information that the older girl was telling her. It certainly sounded interesting and her brain began to plan ahead for the future. By the sounds of it, one of the things she liked could be turned into a full blown hobby or perhaps even a career path. It was a far flung possibility. She was only a first year after all.

"Yes, I have heard that. Thanks for the advice, I can look after myself though, for the most part." Carina stated, trying to say what she wanting to in a less arrogant manner. She didn't really think of herself as being an arrogant person.

"I think older students would help me, if it was to their advantage."

Jaelyn turned round the corner of an aisle of books after catching Ksenia's voice.  A bemused smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Very careful indeed." she raised an eyebrow at the first year and perched herself on the edge of the table both students were sitting at. The girl tapped her chin twice lightly, mocking deep thought.

"I may do it just to keep myself busy. But then you'd have to prove yourself worthy of my time." Jaelyn shrugged one shoulder. "I don't like wasting effort."

She turned around to Ksenia and shook her head at her Prefect badge. "You aren't flashing that at people like an old police officer, are you Sokol?" she asked tiredly.

"You will have to put a lot of effort into that," Ksenia told the first year, raising her head as she heard Jaylen approach them.

"Please, Morozov. As if I need something as insignificant as a Prefect's badge to establish authority if I wanted it," she said dryly to her friend as she leaned back in her chair slightly. "Had a good summer?" she raised her eyebrow.

Carina coughed and shook her head again. She really didn't like this new girl who had just swept in and sat on the table. She didn't really like her attitude. Prove herself worthy of this other girl's time. Carina wasn't going to spend her time trying to impress an older girl just to learn something she could probably get from someone else. She was sure that if she asked the girls from the ship they might give her some help.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Carina said to the new girl. She would usually have come back with some smart assed comment but she decided that wouldn't really be prudent.

The two girls seemed to know each other and Carina didn't quite know what else she could do other than just stand there.

Jaelyn let out a short laugh. "It's a good excuse for you." she said, reaching for the book next to her and flicking through its pages. She looked back to the other girl at the decline of her offer.

"Your loss..." Jaelyn frowned, noticing now that she had no idea who this first year was. "What's your name?" she asked, turning back to the book again.

The other girl took hold of a book and starting flicking through it. Carina didn't know if she was actually scanning it and looking for something in particular, or if she was just doing something to avoid her looking idle.

When Carina declined the older girl's offer, she had said that it was her loss and then asked for her name. Carina wasn't quite sure what that meant, or if there was any malice behind it at all. She wasn't that comfortable in giving out her name.

"Carina." She said hesitantly, not wanting to give any more than that away.

"Good luck finding anyone to help you," Ksenia said, shaking her head slightly at the girl. "Most of the people here are not known to be nice," she informed as her eyes went back to the book in front of her.

"And a last name?" she asked raising her eyebrow. "You have a lot to learn about this school, that much is clear."

Carina had already gathered that the people at Durmstrang weren't known to be nice. Yet the first members of the school she had met, had seemed to be nice enough. Granted, the first two had been members of the faculty, but three of the students had seemed alright. Turned out, they were in her House.

"Yeah, I was told about that. From what I was told it was a cold, unhospitable place where someone was just as likely to pull a knife out on you and slice you open than be your friend." Carina said, recalling what her father had told her before he had ran away like a coward.

Carina didn't want to give that sort of information out but she guessed that she'd have to.

"Rosier." She said grudgingly.

"Carina, you say?" Jaelyn raised an eyebrow at the younger girl and smirked. "Carina, this is Durmstrang." she gestured around the room briefly, as if an introduction. "And this-" she waved a hand at Ksenia "is a Prefect. You can't hide your name from us."

Jaelyn nodded, almost proudly. "Sounds like an accurate description of home, don't you think Sokol?"

"Ah, Rosier." she hummed. "I wasn't about to start calling you by your first name." Jaelyn shrugged one shoulder, and her gaze flickered from the group to a patterned book on the shelf.

"Very accurate indeed, Morozov,' Ksenia said as she leaned back in her chair, looking at the two girls. "You can never be too safe around here. "Yes, I quite enjoy living here."

"So you are a pureblood. Yet you choose to hold back that information. For no apparent reason," she said as she raised an eyebrow.

Carina felt more than a little anger in her chest, yet she swallowed it back and kept the words she might rashly have spoken to herself. Yes, she was a Pureblood, and it was not something she would ever want to hide. Other reasons had kept her from speaking her name.

"I was taught that there are enemies everywhere, and unless others freely offer their names do not offer yours. The right person can do a lot with a single name." Carina explained, remembering all those winter afternoons in the garden when her father had shared with her his 'pearls' of wisdom, life lessons.

"Aren't I always, Sokol?" Jaelyn smirked, crossing her legs on the library table. "There are oh, so many types of danger here, Rosier. Watch your shadow, watch your friends, watch everything." she warned darkly, before leaning back and winking at her.

"Rosier, are you not listening?" Jaelyn said to the girl, almost hissing, but not quite. "Anyone can get your full name- whether it's from you or not- in a matter of minutes. If you want to avoid that kind of trouble-" she raised an eyebrow- "then you'll have to learn the counter magic." She shrugged indifferently. "Nothing much else you can do, in reality."

Ksenia cocked her head slightly at Carina. "There are certain ways we do things around here, Rosier. There are a lot of people here who are much more powerful than you. If you don't learn quickly enough in this place than someone will crush you for no better reason than you having stumbled upon their path at the wrong time," she said as she flicked a page of the book in front of her.

Carina wasn't particularly enamoured with one of the girls, the Prefect was far less abraisive in her opinion. Still, she was not going to deny that they were both at least attempting to be helpful. Their advice, she would try and remember it.

"Then how do I learn? Other than attending lessons." Carina asked, feeling the need to add the last part on there else her question would have sounded rather ridiculous and obvious to answer.

Jaelyn smirked at the youngest girl, hopping off of the table in one quick, fluid movement. "You learn by making mistakes, Rosier." she remarked, eyes glinting maliciously. Ah, the fun of first years.

"I'm decidedly bored now, girls, so- I think it's time I hit the common room." she said, giving them both a sharp nod before promptly leaving.

If there was one word to describe Jaelyn, it was unpredictable.

Ksenia couldn't help but laugh at the girl's remark. "You don't learn these thing in lessons, Rosier," she said with a small smirk, amused by the foolishness of the girl. "You learn these things by living."

She pulled her book closer to herself as Jaelyn left. "Later, Morozov," she said, her mind already engrossed in the book in front of her. It was good to be back in the school.