The Smell of New Parchment (Open)

There was something about the fresh scent of new parchment that attracted Stella. The crisp, warm scent of paper filled the air as soon as she opened the door, bringing a soft smile to the girl's face. There weren't as many people inside the shop as there could have been, but in a way she preferred it to be a little quieter. Like a library, she thought dreamily to herself, imagining the rows of quills and parchment to be the large rows of books she knew so well back at school.

She payed no mind to the others in the store, allowing her mind to wander as she hummed a light tune to herself, her fingertips gently playing along the soft feathers of a quill placed decoratively in a glass vase. It teetered slightly under her touch and quivered a little before it remained still once more. She smiled, imagining the feather was a bed, soft and warm and perfect for a pint sized pixie or perhaps even a miniature version of herself. It brought her to laughter, a high soprano giggling that attracted the gaze of a few curious glances, only to earn shaking heads and a few strange looks.

What with his dreams of becoming the editor of the Daily Prophet later on in life, Raoul was a big fan of this store. He loved walking around, and checking out the many quills and types of parchment. Most people wouldn't recognize the difference between most of them, but he himself did, but it was still good he wasn't really considered a nerd for that one. Usually he would come in and buy something; absolutely every day, so often that he had learned the name of the sales assistant and wasn't ashamed to say that they were even almost good friends...he wasn't that much older than him. But today, Raoul was only here to look at all these things, because he'd actually run out of places to put them all.

While walking around, he noticed a girl he'd seen around school, and he watched her for a moment, trying to remember her name and all, but seeing it didn't work, the boy looked back at the quill in front of him. Her laughter drew his eyes back to her immediately, but he couldn't help smiling at her happiness at seeing so many things that she liked around. Unlike the other people in the store, Raoul did not give her a strange look but instead carried on looking around, taking in the new things that had been brought in only about a couple of days ago.

Her large green eyes followed the line of a shelf beside her, clouded with the happy blissful world of her own imagination. To Stella, the shelf was not simply a housing of books with blank pages and spines the width of her wrist. It was something new, something only her minds eye could see as her thoughts floated from one subject to the next, her blissfully unaware smile perched on her lips until she heard a clattering as she knocked over a stack of books and paper, the yellowed parchment strewn across the floor.

"Oh my..." Stella said softly, quickly picking up a few books whilst trying to work around a shattered ink bottle and black ink-soaked quills. "I em sorry..." She said lightly, though her expression seemed oddly relaxed and calm, if not slightly amused. "I suppose I 'ave let my imagination get zee best of me." She giggled, shaking her head as she stood up and grinned at the other student, holding a mess of glass in her hand and blotted parchment in her arms. "Please, be careful of zee glass. Eet ees rather sharp. But, glass usually ees..." She trailed off, her eyes momentarily straying away from the fellow student's face and up at the window, watching a few rays of golden sunshine streak through the dusty glass. Her eyes eventually strayed back to his face, her eyes slightly wide and childlike. "I 'ave seen you before. You go to school with me, non?"

A hand reached out, to take the broken glass from the girl's own hands. Playing with sharp objects wasn't something anybody was a fan of, but even so Raoul would take it for a fellow classmate. After all, he wouldn't like anybody getting hurt, and he himself was a careful one when it came to this kind of stuff. The sales assistant had soon joined them, raising an eyebrow curiously at the teens he'd seen around a more than few times before.

"C'est trés désolé, Ramon. We accidentally bumped into ze shelf. Eet will definitzely not 'appen again." He had smiled apologetically while Ramon nodded slightly.
"Pas de quoi, kiddo. C'est ok. Ziz not really like zat coleur anyvay." The man allowed a deep chuckle to rip through his lips and the took the ruined pieces of parchment from them, as for the glass, he wrapped it up in paper before tossing it in the bin and carrying on his way to help out some kids who looked like they were lost.

"You go to school with me, non?"

"Oui. Mademoiselle Janeaus, oui?" He waited for her to confirm, not really wanting to embarrass himself b getting her name wrong.

The shorter girl looked a little surprised when he took the glass from her hand, tilting her head curiously like a confused puppy. She smiled before adjusting the stained parchments in her arms and looking at the sales assistant. Her eyes brightened and she let out a soft giggle, thinking about how the sales assistant looked very much like he could sleep on the quill.

Stella had opened her mouth to apologize profusely for spilling the ink all over the place and making a mess before Raoul spoke. She blinked at him in slight surprise before she closed her mouth and nodded in agreeance with him, curious as to why he had stated that he had bumped into the books as well. She didn't fret about it and smiled sweetly, laughing when the assistant mentioned her they never liked the color.

"Mais, I will pay pour zem." She said as she handed the parchment to Ramon. "Eet ees only fair, d'accord?" She earned a smile and a nod from Ramon before he went on his way.

She looked a little spacey for a moment before she smiled back at Raoul, her large green eyes bright.

"Oui, bien! Je m'appelle Stella Jeaneaus." She said, a lighthearted laugh accompanying her introduction. "Et tu, monsieur Thierri, oui?"

The smile playing at Raoul's lips was the happy one he always had when around somebody so calm and relaxed about those kinds of situations. Those things often made him laugh, especially when it was him causing them, because worry wasn't something to be encouraged in his opinion. His eyes adjusted to the bright lights in the shop, as the corners of his mouth turned upwards in a slight smile.

"Oui! Je m'appelle Raoul Thierri. Son bon the vous voir! What breengs you 'ere tooday?" His head cocked to one side in slight curiosity, while his brown eyes brightened a little awaiting the answer coming from the classmate stood before him.

Truth be told, as surprising as it may sound, Raoul hadn't suspected young girls to actually be interested in things like these, stationery stores and that. Weren't they usually into dolls and pink, boys and music? Then again well, girls were stereotyped most of the time weren't they? Or was it that he just did not know anything about he female species. After all, they were different and quite hard to understand. He alone could not even be able to find out the source of a crying girl if somebody had challenged him too. Not that they were weird, but they were so obviously different from males and Raoul hadn't really paid as much attention in them before. Unlike his older brother, who almost had a reputation for having no less than about five girls in two months' time.

The boy was absently staring into space, when Stella's voice brought him back to reality and his smile returned.

Stella thought for a moment, seeming to look beyond him as her thoughts tried to collect into a perfect explanation. She absentmindedly tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear before she smiled softly, looking past him still.

"I like eet een 'ere." She said softly, her hand moving to the desk beside her. She touched the desk as though she were afraid it was going to snap with too much pressure, stroking the polished wood lovingly with her long pale fingers. "Eet ees quiet...and eet smells like books een 'ere."

Stella watched her fingers for a few moments, mesmerized by the wood of the desk. Her round eyes seemed to be completely focused and far off at the same time, as though she were attempting to capture the touch and sight of the desk in her mind for later storage. After a few moments she snapped out of it and smiled at him, the far-away look gone.

"Mais, most find eet stupid." She laughed, shaking her head. "I enjoy eet." Her lips curved into a smile and folded her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Alors, you are een my year, non? Are you a seexth year as well?"

Raoul thought for a moment, his eyes on the gentle look on Stella's face, and how careful she was in touching the desk, almost as if she were afraid she could snap it in two. He had never seen anybody so fascinated by something so...simple. Though he himself was a little bit like that as well.

"Mm. Not at all! Thiz ztore doz 'appen to bee un of my personal favouritz." A wide, friendly smile spread across his lips. "Otherzz juzt don' zee how eet ees dat interezting, but you need to like theez kindz of theengs to bee happy in 'ere!"

A few little kids had walked in at that exact time, all stopping to admire some quill. It was nice to see these things caught one's eye no matter their age. These kids were no older than eleven, he was sure. Another smile slowly formed, although Raoul managed to hide it just in time and turned his gave back on the girl, who was now cutely and childishly rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Oui! I zeenk we were een a few classez last year?" He asked almost uncertainly as he tried to remember.

He could swear he'd seen her in Charms class last year, but then again maybe he thought he'd seen her but really it was just a lookalike...hehe, that was possible.

"Exactement!" She said excitedly, her entire expression brightening as she spoke of something she was so fond of. "Eet ees such a nice place to relax and tink a littel." Stella cooed affectionately, as though she were speaking to the place itself. "Mon endroit prefere besides zee library. I em surprised you are a lover of zees tings as well." She said with a light laugh.

Stella definently had a child-like way about her, the way she had a tendency to space out and lose herself in her own imagination. She was whimsical and light, even her voice was soft and sing-songish as a child's. Perhaps it was because of her airy personality that she was not often noticed in her classes by peers unless they were pointing out that one strange girl who always seemed to have her head in the clouds. Therefore, when he said he recognized her from class, her expression turned almost surprised and excited, her eyes brightening happily.

"Oui, we were in Charms togezer~!" She said excitedly, her expression so excited it looked almost as though she were going to reach out and hug him. She did not however, but merely gave him a sweet smile and a soft, bell-like laugh. "and 'erbology. I em surprised you remember me. Most do not."

Raoul could only agree with her at her description of how it was a place you could relax in and think. And then, at her shocked but really excited look, he let out a cute laugh despite his usual half-hearted one. Even if he was one to smile often, it wasn't always that he laughed. It was actually a pretty rare thing for him to do.

"Oui. Vous étiez à l'arrière de la salle de classe rêverie. I waz tempted to come talk to you...but you were allwayz so busy looken'...I didz nott wan' too bother you." It was true, too. "Yew could say I hav a geeft for noteecing rather invisible people. Notz in a bad way, uf corse..." A nervous smile took place of the brunet's happy one, hoping he hadn't said something to offend her.

He had a gift for saying stuff that could offend people without him realising. He didn't mean to, obviously, but it seemed Raoul could never really find the right choice of words for some things he wanted to say. Sighing, his hand went to the back of his head, rubbing it sheepishly.

Wow, great way to finally speak to someone that seems to want to be your friend, Raoul. Let's just hope you really didn't offend her, eh? He thought to himself, sighing softly.

Stella's smile remained bright and happy, still grinning from ear to ear. She hadn't really taken it as a rude comment but more as a compliment. Stella wasn't one to really take things the wrong way. She giggled, her smile sweet and gentle.

"Your laugh, eet ees cute." She laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I like eet." She said softly, her smile a little shyer. She seemed to space off for a moment before she shook her head, and whatever thoughts she had with it, and smiled back at him happily.

"I em sorry, I zoned out a moment." Stella said apologetically. "I 'ave a 'abit of doing zat." She sighed, her expression still airy and light but a little more apologetic and almost guilty.

Raoul found that his own smile was shyer, and a little happier at the same time. He had to try not to blush at that compliment, since it really wasn't manly to do so, but his cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink as he smiled at her, and although he probably wouldn't admit it he took the time from her spacing out to admire her eyes, and the way she would absentmindedly tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear every few minutes. At her apology, he shook his head.

"Non, eet ees absoluteely ok." He responded cheerily, assuring her that she had done nothing wrong by spacing out. "Mon amis doo zat sumtimes too...nothin' too bee guiltee of."

His brown orbs brightened a little at seeing her return to being her usual cheerful self. Seeing people happy, laughing and smiling made him feel such a whole lot better too...some people described it as weird, but he thought it was something to be encouraged. He often said, 'Let us all laugh as one, cry as one. In the end the people who smile or sadden with you must mean are the ones who want to be there through everything.'

Stella took note of the slight pinkness in his cheeks, for a moment thinking perhaps he was ill or overheated. She watched his face for a moment, her eyes wandering his features before she smiled, finding nothing seemed to be wrong besides his cheeks.

She seemed to stand up straighter when he said it was alright, her shoulders curling back a bit and her expression turning to childish excitement again. "Alors, you too?" She laughed. "I tought I was zee only one who deed such a ting!"

Stella reached forward without warning and grasped his larger hands in her warm ones, her eyes the size of saucers with her excitement. "I tink we are going to be great friends, you and I." She said happily, not seeming to realize how sudden she seemed to be, or at least didn't seem to care much. "Oui?"

"I tought I was zee only one who deed such a ting!"

Raoul grinned only slightly. "Yaa well, people might mask zat wiv sometink else. There's really a lot of people zat do zat quite often." His voice was its usual cheerful sort of one, and he couldn't help but flash her a big smile, briefly looking around. The store was nearly empty by now so that it was really just them and only a few kids who seemed interested in one particular Quill.

"I tink we are going to be great friends, you and I."

"Oui?"

He nodded in agreement, but also answered with a happy, 'oui!', in case she took his nod as a freaked out, almost forced yes, which it really wasn't. Stella didn't always seem like a girl that liked socialising much, so he took it as a good sign that she wanted to be friends with him. Her childish nature was sure to keep a smile on his lips despite whatever would happen. It was cute, really.

"Well zen, vat were yoo lookeen' at, eef yoo don't mind me asking?" He gestured gently towards the spot she had been standing in, in front of some shelves before he had come along and they struck up a conversation.

She smiled sweetly, her bright eyes looking a tad spacey again before she blinked up at him. "Oh! I was looking at zee shelves...zee carvings in zem remind me of trees...zee large, twisted ones." She said arily, glancing behind her at the shelves. She sighed, once again spacing out and watching the shelves with curiosity. The shelves came to life again in her mind's eye, the carved wood twisting into the large trees she remembered from the gardens near her home. She smiled, humming quietly before she snapped back to reality.

After a few moments she finally dropped his hands, her light smile still gracing her lips. "And you? What were you doing over 'ere?" She asked softly, tilting her head a tad in curiosity. "Were you working? I am sorry eef I interrupted your studying!"

"Oh! I was looking at zee shelves...zee carvings in zem remind me of trees...zee large, twisted ones."

He half-smiled, nodding and observing the shelves. She was right. It really did remind one of trees. Perhaps because they were made of trees anyway, but he wasn't going to comment on that. Her positive attitude kept a smile on his face for probably longer than necessary, but at least it would mean he got to see someone be happy every second of today without any interruptions. People were sometimes very...rude.

"And you? What were you doing over 'ere?"
"Were you working? I am sorry eef I interrupted your studying!"

"Oh, but not at all!" Raoul replied happily. "I waz actually just lookeen' around, really. I'm set on being zee editor of a newspaper. Eet ees sometink zat haz been on my mind for a while now." He stopped for a moment to think, being 'away with the fairies', as his friends would often point out. Ah well~! It wasn't his fault entirely; there were just some things that made him concentrate so hard on them so that he completely forgot where he was and what he was doing.

Stella had turned back to the shelves, a dreamy, far off look in her eyes again. She was day dreaming, but not about the shelves in particular. Her mind was weaving from one thought to another, each new thought more lucid and harder to grasp than the last. She didn't seem to mind though as her eyes studied the patterns the light made on the floor as it passed through the glass. She brushed her hair back out of her eyes, sighing before snapping herself out of her daydream once more.

"Zee editor? Really?" She seemed a little uplifted by this news, her eyes widening and her smile returning to her face. "Zen you should do eet! Become zee editor! Eet sounds like somesing you are very interested in. I wish I had something I was as passionate about." She laughed, shaking her head before brushing her hair out of her eyes again. "Eet sounds wonderful."

"Zen you should do eet! Become zee editor! Eet sounds like somesing you are very interested in. I wish I had something I was as passionate about."

Personally, Raoul hadn't thought that such news would make her happy; especially as he didn't know her that well and they'd only been friends for like, let's see, half an hour; not even that. "Really? Yoo meen to tell me yoo 'ave never been passionate about anytink? Rien du tout?" He shook his head at her in disbelief. "Everyone 'as sometink they would like doing een zee future. Yoo must 'ave sometink yoo are totally interested een to find your right career, no?" Raoul tilted his head to the side cutely, thinking this over. How could somebody not be passionate about anything?

He'd noticed that Stella seemed to be as passionate about the things in the shop as he was. Perhaps she'd make a great writer, or soon come up with her own writing supplies she could put on the market. Maybe, she'd open her own store? Of course these were just thoughts he had for ideal jobs of those interested in anything to do with writing. Nothing fancy at all; simple jobs that you could at least make a living out of.

"Somesing I am passionate about?" She tilted her head a little, watching his expression and smiling sweetly. He seemed to have his own sort of airiness about him that made her feel comfortable and warm. "Let me see..." She thought out loud, tapping her chin with one graceful finger. After a few brief moments, a smile broke across her face again and she pulled out her wand, holding it lovingly. "Charms. Charms is ma sujet de prédilection." She cooed softly, her eyes flicking back up at him.

"Mais, it's not zee only thing I love. Leetle things like this shop ou jardins." She hummed sweetly, swaying slightly as though moved by a soft tune only she could hear. "Mais I love eet when people are so passionate about what zey love." She added. "Eet's wonderful."

Okay. Perhaps he was wrong about that. An Auror, maybe? No wait, that was Potions...was there really a job involving Charms a lot, apart from Charms Master or Charms Professor? It seemed to bug him as he tried to think. It was the most random thing to think about now, but he felt compelled to.

"Ah! Charms ees a rather intéressant subject, I must admit." Raoul told her with a warm, friendly smile. It was weird how they'd opened up to each other so fast. "I zee yoo are, ah, what waz zee phrase...in love...with Charms, oui?" He paused for a brief moment. Then, "Eet ees a good thing though!" He tried--and succeeded--in seeming interested. He didn't just try to seem it, but he really was. "So...are yoo planning on entering zee Tournament zis year?" He knew he wasn't gonna. If he got picked, then he'd lose instead of win for Beauxbatons. Besides, he had never been a big fan of battling anyone or anything, and not a very competitive person either.

Stella watched him with her bright eyes, her expression soft but completely interested. She clutched her wand to her chest, as though it were something especially precious to her. Then again, it was absolutely precious to her. Charms was her favorite subject, her one and only passion. "Oui, I suppose you could say zat I am quite een love with Charms." She laughed, her laughter high and ringing like bells. "Alors, we both 'ave things we are passionate about, oui? Zat is good!"

Stella didn't seem to notice how interested he was, or lack of interest if there was any. She was far too in depth in her own thoughts, dreaming about what kinds of things she could do with Charms. She snapped back to attention when he asked her if she was going to enter the tournament. She tilted her head a little, biting her lip as she thought. "mmmm....je ne sais pas. Maybe. I've never really competed before." She laughed, turning her head and catching a book that was teetering on a stack of papers. "I don't think anyone would know who I was, if I was zee champion." She giggled.

"I don't tink zat's true." Raoul smiled, shaking his head. "Zat yoo're really zat invisible, I mean. Yoo're just...different." He said it positively. "A leetle quieter. Per'aps eef yoo are a leetle louder and enter zee Tournament, people are gonna see yoo're really not zat bad." He closely observed the books and different parchment designs, also the quills and other writing supplies around them. If the whole being-the-editor-of-a-newspaper thing didn't work, then he wouldn't mind just owning this store, or maybe opening his own one in Chevreuilvin. Paint it bright so that it stood out.

Yeah, he had nerdy thoughts, but he wasn't one. He barely ever paid attention to lessons and, when he did, he didn't really understand anything he was going to do or was supposed to do. Not that he was really thick; he just seriously didn't understand some things. And others...he understood them but didn't bother thinking them through too much.

"Huh well...I know I'm not entering eet." He gave a small, sheepish smile. "I'm not ze competitive one zat everyone wantz as a champion." He shrugged slightly, not really caring for the Tournament at all.

Stella listened to him with attention she hadn't really shown before. She managed, at least for the time he spoke, to watch him. She smiled warmly, giggling softly. "Thank you." She cooed. "Zat ees a very sweet sing to say." Stella tapped her finger against her chin, thinking a moment. "Mmhhh....vell maybe I could...alors, I am not very competitive." She sighed, playing with the spine of a book.

"You are very sweet." She said happily, taking his hands and swinging them with bright, childish eyes. "I sink we will be great friends!" She said excitedly, seeming to love the idea of a friend. Truth be told, Stella had never really had any good friends. Lots of people she talked to occasionally, but not really someone she could consider a friend. She knew she was a little...different, but it didn't help that she still wanted friends.

"Are you not?" she asked, tilting her head a little. "Zat is unfortunate. You seem like you would make a great champion~!"