Emrys smiled and sat back against the wall. "I haven't had a banana boat in ages," he mused quietly. "I'd just need to find a fireplace that wasn't crowded around..." He'd sorta stopped paying attention to Kurumi and was spacing out, recalling where he knew there to be fireplaces. Staring into space, he ticked them off one by one in his mind. It seemed a trip to the kitchens was in order to gather supplies.

He sat in silence a moment before he realized Kurumi was still talking to him. His cheeks flushed, embarrassed that he'd totally zoned. "I-I-I-I.." he started, as if subconsciously trying to disprove her immediately. "over-think." He blinked rapidly, his mind searching for words. "I either babble or stutter or just say awfully inappropriate things. So when something happens and I have to respond really quickly and don't think, I'm fine. Like when you asked about banana boats, but if if if I'm not sure or I'm nervous or flustered or something else then I just go on and on, or I'm just really nerdy awkward sometimes too and now I'm babbling."

He frowned, looking at the tapestry. The clumsy trolls were better dancers than he was a conversationalist.

Kurumi cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment. She wasn't entirely sure if he was actually speaking to her or not as he seemed to be off in his own world at the moment. "Have you thought about trying the Room of Requirement?" People were less likely to walk in on you and you could make the area as private as you wanted. She went there sometimes to play the piano alone.

The blush on his cheeks confirmed to her that he had sort of been off in his only little world, not that she minded. He seemed to really like banana boats. As he rambled, because that really was what he was doing, Kurumi found herself blinking right along with him rapidly as she tried to make sure that everything he was saying registered. What was she supposed to say to that? Give him an awkward pat on the shoulder and tell him it was alright? That would probably make things worse and for him to ramble more.

"Well...if it makes you feel any better, I don't mind." The rambling that was. And he hadn't really said anything right now to merit the stress he was oozing either.

"Thanks," Emrys whispered, staring rather intently at his knee, unsure of what else to say. He... didn't converse with folks regularly. Unless you counted the house elves when he went to go find food in the kitchens after missing a meal - again.

"I've never found the room of requirement," he said glumly, running a hand through his hair. "And not for lack of trying. It seemed like the perfect place for an introvert to hide." But, apparently, the Room didn't feel his need was a real one.

"Could y--" and then he thought better of it, before the words got out of his mouth and he shut it quickly. "Nevermind." He wasn't going to ask.

He let an awkward moment go by before trying to change the subject. "Have you gone to H-Hogwarts f-for all y-your schooling?"

Kurumi frowned. His comment was...so sad. Yet, she could relate to it. That had actually been the state she had been in when she had first found the room. Just wanting to hide and find somewhere to feel comfortable and POOF! There the room had been in the form of a kendo dojo. "It's actually close to here," she informed him. In case he was curious that is. She should try to say something to cheer him up. "But...maybe the fact that you can't find it means that you shouldn't feel like you have to hide?" Really, what it meant was that he wasn't asking for the right thing when he walked by it, but minor detail. No need to bring that up.

Aaaaaaaaaand Kurumi was back to looking like a confused baby owl, head cocked slightly to the side and everything. Could she...what? Kurumi's thoughts lingered on his every word, wondering if he was going to finish his thought...but it became obvious that he wasn't. Cue slight frown.

Well, this was an interesting shift in subject matter. Blinking away her confusion, Kurumi figured it was best to just sort of go with the flow. "Well, until I was twelve," she nodded. "Before then...I went to a regular nonmagical school back in Japan..." She trailed off, frowning a bit more. Not exactly the best memories there. Now it was her turn to change the subject slightly. "How about you?" Because she was rather alarmed that she had never spoken to him until now when she thought she had a pretty good handle on the student body.

Emrys rested his forearms on his knees as he drew them to his chest, nodding as she spoke. "Maybe," he said, registering that the room was somewhere nearby. Maybe he'd try again. He turned to look at her, a weak smile on his face. "I think it worked out, though. I made my way down to the kitchens instead, between meals, and ate back there with the house elves." He ran his fingers through his hair, leaving some of it sticking straight up when he was done. "They're pretty cool, yeah?"

He looked at her closely. Would she think he was weird and dirty and not a proper wizard for hanging with the house elves? He'd read some... unkind things in the library. He watched her closely for a reaction, while he answered her other question.

"Homeschooled until this year," he said with a shrug. "Had.. well, rough wouldn't really cover what my old school was like." He shuddered, recalling his primary school before his mother pulled him out. "Haven't..." he frowned and looked away. "Haven't managed to figure out where I fit."

Kurumi's eyes widened. "You ate with the house elves?!" she exclaimed, turning her entire body around to face him. "Did you happen to meet Twinkle or Nimma? Both of them are very charming and help me when I bake." Kurumi's thoughts did drift to that rather hurtful article that had been written about her, saying that she was half house elf and all. It wasn't so much that she was being compared to them, she found them to be very noble and kind creatures, but because the article had tried to paint house elves in a bad light. As if being compared to them was a bad thing, but it really wasn't.

Pretty cool? Kurumi nodded enthusiastically at this.

When conversation shifted back to their past schooling, Kurumi tried to remove the somewhat obnoxious smile from her face. House elves did have that effect on her. "I wished I had been allowed to be homeschooled...it would have been easier," she replied, her frown deepening...until he finished his thoughts. "I...I used to feel the same, until I came here." Truth, although she still didn't always feel like she fit in. Even among witches and wizards she...was different. "It might take some time, but I am sure you can find your place here." And she said THAT bit with confidence.

Emrys flushed at her enthusiasm, but was visibly relieved as well. "Still do. The Great Hall amps up my anxiety," he said shrugging. Taking his glass off, he wiped the lenses with the edge of his robe as she talked. "I don't think I've met Twinkle or Nimma, and I hear there's a baby, too, but I haven't come across yet." He set his glasses back on his face, shrugging. He was relieved that the house elf revelation didn't put her off. He'd been afraid that she'd think less of him, like... well, it wasn't going to do any good to dwell on it. He was here now and, mercifully, he'd forgotten most of the boys' names, so even if they were here too, he wouldn't remember them. At least, he hoped. Hadn't run into one yet, anyway.

"Homeschooling was ok," he said, sliding his legs out so that they lay straight out in front of him. "We could do whatever curriculum we wanted and take spur of the moment field trips but," he paused. "It meant that my mom and my little sister were my only friends." The thought of Amelia made him smile. "This one time, I said I wanted to learn about what muggles did for fun, so my mom bundled up my baby sister, packed a bag and took us on a tour of art, music and sport events for like, a week, across England and France." But still, the friend thing.

Except, now, he wondered if Kurumi might be his friend, too? "Um, do you think, um.." he hesitated, unsure if he was being too forward. "maybe sometime you could help me find the Room? I'd bring s'more and banana boat stuff."

If Kurumi would have been any other person, the thought of eating dinner with house elves would have probably been a sad thing. However, the Gryffindor certainly didn't see it that way. They were good company and very hospitable. "Is it just large groups of people in general?" she asked, genuinely curious as to how Emrys worked. "There is and it caused quite the stir last term." Understatement, but it was only a curious child running around Hogwarts like it was its own personal playground. Come to think of it, weren't they supposed to have named it by now? Kurumi hadn't heard anything from Nimma about the matter.

Kurumi leaned back against the wall, resting her head on the stone and looking aimlessly up at the dancing trolls as he spoke. "That sounds...wonderful," she smiled, turning her gaze to look at him. Especially the bit about him learning wizarding things. She was jealous. "We have something in common, you know. We both only had family for friends growing up." It was a sad realization, but it was still a comfort to know that there was someone she could relate to on an emotional level. "I went to a nonmagical school...but no one ever spoke to me or let me in to their friendship circles. If it hadn't been for my brothers, I don't think I would have made it."

Violet eyes definitely still on him when he spoke, Kurumi wonder if what he had just asked her was the same thing he had almost asked her earlier? It certainly seemed that way. "Of course," she nodded. Really, he didn't need to be so embarrassed about it. "I was actually going to ask you if maybe you would teach me how to make a banana boat."

Emrys crossed his arms in front of his chest and thought a moment, his head bouncing back and forth as he considered her question. "Yes and no." That was what he'd settled on. "Large groups are bad, one-on-one is hard, and in medium groups, I'm only ok if I know no one is looking at me." Social anxiety, much? It made some classroom situations, like whenever they were sat in a circle, practically unbearable. He muddled through, but his focus wasn't as sharp and he certainly wasn't able to participate. "I... I think it's because of what happened in my old school. I c-couldn't say or d-do anything without being bullied."

He nodded at her explanation of the house elf baby, but turned to look at her fully when she mentioned that they had something in common and shared a bit about her school. He smiled, silently, waiting a few moment before explaining why he seemed to enjoy what was probably a painful thing to share. "No one's ever said they had something in common with me before." He paused, before adding, "I'm sorry your classmates weren't good to you." Because man, did he know what that felt like.

And there were no words when she agreed to help him and shared that she was going to ask him about the banana boats. His smile broke into a grin as he nodded enthusiastically, his glasses sliding down his nose as he did so. "That sounds like a plan, then," he said definitively. "I'll bring the goods, and you get use into the Room."

So long as he didn't embarrass himself royally between now and then, it might not be so bad.

Oh. Kurumi paused before talking, not really knowing what all to say. Kurumi felt awkward in groups or, well, she used to feel awkward in groups her first and second year. Some of it had faded her third year and by the time she was a fourth year she had been prefected and sort of HAD to be over the social anxiety she sort of had. She did giggle a bit, especially at his one-on-one comment. "Well, you seem fine right now," she said with a small smile. But, just to be safe, maybe she shouldn't look at him?

But then, his explanation turned sad and the airy giggle from earlier seemed to have all but been forgotten. "Oh...I'm...sorry, Emrys." She would have put a hand on his shoulder, but she figured that that would startle him more than make him feel better. "People can be...really cruel to others..." Looked like they had more in common than she at first thought. She just wished that the things they had in common were, well, not the sad sort. "Things have been better since I came here though. I mean, I still get glares and whatnot...but I made friends for the first time too, true friends." And that was worth smiling about.

And thankfully he was smiling too. Good. Kurumi covered her mouth with her right hand to muffle some of her laughter. His enthusiasm was sort of infectious. "Just let me know," she winked. "Might be a nice way to destress ourselves from OWLs." Merlin, OWLs. Those would be coming up soon.

"It's getting easier," he said, looking at her and smiling. "Thanks." It was nice to find someone who knew, at least a little, what it was like. He tapped his fingers on his legs as she talked, looking away and nodding as she talked about what it was like at Hogwarts.

"It's weird being the new kid and this awkward," he confessed. He had been wondering if it would have been easier if he came at 11 when everyone was new. "I mean, everyone already has their groups."

But her laugh and her wink made him feel better. Maybe he did have a friend, now, after all. "It would be a good study break," he said, nodding and thinking about when would be good. But, then, he thought of something..

"You were on your way somewhere when I got in your way. Have I been keeping you?"

Kurumi's smile winded a bit and her shoulders relaxed more, allowing her hair to fall a little more loosely over them. "That's good," she nodded. Really, she was glad to hear that. It was always nice to know that people were finding their place. There was so much confusion in life, so a little consistency was fantastic - especially when it came to social anxiety. "If...you ever need help, you know, with that...let me know, okay?" She said as she turned her face towards him a little more. "And I don't mean that because I am a prefect."

She simply nodded at his next comment and tugged on the collar of her shirt for a moment. "True, but on the flip side of that, groups shouldn't be exclusive and not allow other people in." That was her take on the whole group dynamic anyway.

Kurumi clapped her hands together, excited that that decision had been made. She did enjoy making sweet things, even if eating them was not exactly on the top of her to do list. Banana boats seemed rather exciting and, well, the Gryffindor was always eager to try new things.

Wait....uh? Oh, right she had been on her way somewhere... "I...actually don't remember where I was going," she laughed, eyeing her bag. "So I suppose it really wasn't all that important." All she really remembered was that she had been planning on studying and that she just didn't want to be in the common room. "I...can go though." Since he had mentioned he liked the seclusion of this particular part of the castle and didn't want to intrude on him.

Emrys was glad, and oh so relieved, that Kurumi was excited about their marshmallow-laden adventure to the Room of Requirement. It was almost electric and he smiled broadly.

A little piece of him, though, wondered what he'd do - today, tomorrow, next week - to ruin it. An itty bitty voice in the back of his mind told him that even if he could make friends, he couldn't keep them. He shook it off, though, deciding that he would savor this conversation, even if it blew up later.

He laughed when she said she couldn't remember but waved his hands at her when she said she could go. "Oh, no no no no," he said, hoping she wouldn't get up. "I don't want you to go. I just didn't want to keep from somewhere you needed to be."

Emrys shifted his body so that he faced her, one shoulder against the wall and his legs bent at the knee. "So, Prefect," he said exaggeratedly. "Tell me something I don't know about Hogwarts that I should."

"Oh," she laughed, crossing her legs and sitting up a little straighter. "I don't need to be anywhere right now. I was just going to do some studying." Somewhere. Just where that somewhere had been was a little beyond her. Maybe the lake. She did like sitting out there under her favorite tree. Although...the lake sort of brought back some awkward memories now too.

Like...really awkward ones.

Kurumi winced when he called her prefect. She really should be used to the title now, especially considering that this was her second term. She just wasn't good with titles. They made her feel awkward and self conscious, even when they came from professors. Kurumi wrinkled her face slightly, but tried to cover this up by chewing on her lower lip and trying to make her face look pensive. Probably not very convincing, but oh well. "Um...well...it it rumored to have a hidden swimming pool," she mused. "And I don't mean the moat down in the Chamber of Secrets."

Still rolling, rolling, rolling right out of the Ravenclaw Common Room, the darkened orb came to stop as it bounced into a Gryffindor's foot.

Sensing the presence of a new stranger - or two - the orb started shining bright, brighter than a full moon, in the hopes that either the awkward boy or the girl with the badge (preferably the latter) would pick it up.

Kurumi scratched her head some more as she tried to think of something else about Hogwarts that was, well, rare information. She could talk about the pirate curse from a few terms ago...but that was still something she wanted to put a far away from her mind as humanly possible. Pirates...worse than Mr. Viking when it came to understanding speech.

"Um...there is also..." But her thought process - and potential rambling - was interrupted by something hitting her foot. Hmm? What was this. "...an orb?" What was an orb doing here? Kurumi sort of just stared at it as it shone bright...really really bright. In fact, it was probably brighter than one of Treyen Lockhart's smiles. Yet, something about the orb transfixed the Gryffindor and she felt as though she HAD to pick it up. So, she bent down and picked it up off the ground and held it out for Emrys to look at as well. "Apparently, Hogwarts also has orbs that roll around the castle of their own accord."

Emrys laughed at the mention of a swimming pool, imagining the staff sneaking off for a dip in the middle of the night. But he didn't get a chance to share his thought as the orb rolled and bumped into Kurumi.

He blinked at it stupidly for a moment as it shone, following it with his eyes as Kurumi lifted it. It was.. well, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

"Does that... happen often?" He reached out, but only let his fingers hover above the orb, and did not yet touch it. "What do you think it is?"

Kurumi turned the orb in her hands wondering why it was here. She would have suspected that it belonged to the Divination professor if it weren't for the fact that lessons were now on the first floor and the classroom that HAD been the Divination one was now being used for other things. So...unless orbs knew how to bounce up stairs...

"Random things showing up unexpectedly?" she asked, looking up at Emrys. "All the time, but have to admit this is the first time I have had an orb roll into me." She turned her gaze back to the orb now and cocked her head to the side. She remembered Professor Vindictus mentioning losing an orb while she had been in the Great Hall delivering flowers, but hadn't really paid much attention to it at the time. Could this be the same one? That was a coincidence if it was. Not to mention rather frightening since it implied that perhaps the orb COULD bounce up stairs by its own accord. Was this thing living? Or was it even...just an orb? What if...it was...an egg..."I...don't know," she replied. "Professor Vindictus mentioned missing an orb a while ago...maybe this is the one he was talking about?"

Emrys narrowed his eyes, squinting at the orb as Kurumi turned it. He dropped his hand, though the urge to grab the orb and look at it closer was strong.

He looked up a little perplexed, however, when she mentioned Vindictus. "What... would Vindictus need with an orb?" Emrys was, of course, being unkind in his assumptions about his head of house. His experience with athletes had been... unfortunate... and he still harbored some unfair stereotypes.

He looked down the corridor in the direction it had come from. "They don't," he hesitated, scrunching up his face in thought. "They don't usually move on their own, though, do they?"

He bit his lip nervously. "Should we bring it to someone?"

Kurumi shrugged as she put the orb in her pocket. "Not a clue." Which was the total and complete truth. The ways of Professor Vindictus made very little sense to the Gryffindor. She was pretty sure that the man had had one too many bludger hits to the head...and was perhaps growing a little senile in his old age.

Kurumi followed Emrys' gaze down the corridor. "It is the wizarding world, I suppose anything is possible." But, wasn't there an expression about never trusting an inanimate object that could think for itself?

"I'll take it to Professor Vindictus later," she nodded. She was planning on heading out to the grounds later anyway, so it wouldn't be out of her way to stop by his office.

Emrys was unconvinced and frowned, still looking in the direction from which the orb had come. His experience with objects was that they generally had to be charmed to move and, well, he couldn't discern a reason for an orb that roamed the halls and glowed like that. It made him feel funny, but he couldn't place why.

"If you think that's best," he said, hesitantly. It was her call, he assumed, her being a prefect. It wasn't his place to tell her differently. And it was just an orb. It couldn't do any damage in her bag.

But he did kinda want to know what it was and whose it was. "C-can I come with you when you bring it?"

Kurumi glanced back at Emrys. "Sure," she nodded. "After all, we sort of found it together. Well, erm, more like it found us together." Or something like that. The whole orb bouncing down the corridor was sort of confusing her. If it even was just that, an orb. Kurumi wasn't entirely convinced of that just yet.

Kurumi glanced out one of the windows and noticed the sun's position. She probably should get going if she was going to get any studying done. Not that she didn't enjoy talking with Emrys, because she did. But, with it being March and OWLs only a few months away, well, she needed to hit the books a lot harder.

"Tomorrow then?" she asked, adjusting the strap on her bag.

Emrys nodded, smiling at her willingness. "Yeah. It just came right to us." Which was.. weird. Emrys had diagnosed the whole situation and it was weird.

He noticed Kurumi adjusting the strap on her bag and wondered, suddenly, how long they'd been sitting there. He was probably keeping her from studying, despite what she'd said earlier. He stood, offering his hand if she needed it to get up. "Tomorrow, then."

After a moment's pause, he looked back at the orb. "Um, maybe you should lock it in a trunk or something overnight so it doesn't roll away."

Cause if it rolled to them, it could roll away from them, no?

Kurumi nodded. That was the weirdest part of the whole thing...the orb had just come to them and almost seemed to have been looking for her. Was that even possible? N'aw. She was over thinking things again.

"Oh, um, thanks," she smiled as she accepted his hand and pulled herself up off the ground. She opened up her bag and glanced into it, moving the orb with her hand so that it didn't risk being smashed by her books and set her scarf around it to act as a barrier. "Good idea. My cat might try to play with it too." And that would be a disaster. Walnut and round objects almost always resulted in her dorm room turning into a war zone.

Turning to face Emrys', Kurumi smiled at him again and then closed her bag. "It was nice getting to know you, Emrys. I'm glad that I tripped over you." Even if it had been a little awkward at first. With a small wave Kurumi began to walk down the corridor until she was out of sight. Just as she turned the corner to head down the stairs, her entire body froze in midstep for a minute or two before she continued to walk on as if nothing had happened.

Emrys smiled. "Me too," he said softly, returning her wave as she walked away. He watched her for a moment, before bending over to gather his things.

He stood there, looking at the tapestry for a moment, chuckling to himself before turning and walking in the opposite direction from Kurumi, leaving him unaware of what had happened.

"Tomorrow," he said, smiling, as he made his way down the corridor and back to his common room.