Liquid blue glances of wonder. No, that wasn't quite right. She scribbled over the words and tapped her pencil against her notebook, frustrated that she couldn't come up with the next line. She closed her eyes and tried to picture Clementine staring at a can of tuna. Goodness gracious, why in the world was she trying to write a meaningful poem about her fat cat? Just as she was about to give up, a new line popped into her head. Liquid cyan looks of longing? That would do for now.

As Avalon jotted down her idea, she noticed a faint shadow fall over the dog-eared page of her notebook. Her eyes flicked upwards to take in an older boy standing at the door to her compartment. "Oh! Hello there," she said, closing her book and placing it next to her on the seat. Normally, she would have been annoyed that she had to stop writing to socialize. But her brain seemed to be out of ideas at the moment, so she took the opportunity.

"I'm Avalon. It's nice to meet you," she said, standing up and brushing the eraser shavings off of her skirt. She offered her hand to the stranger. As soon as she did it, she regretted it. She probably just appeared way too confident, and he was obviously older than her. What kind of first years waltzed around introducing themselves to older students like they owned the place? Trying to hide her cringe and avoid an awkward moment, Avalon kept her hand outstretched and gave the boy a smile.