@mrlene sent a question: “ You’re not in bed. I came looking for you. ” / for mary !
source: soft sentence starters.
At hearing footsteps descend the stairs, her posture tenses up, and Mary turns her head to look behind her shoulder — hoping to catch a glimpse of who else is awake at this hour. The voice now pronouncing her name out in the dimness of the Common Room belongs to Marlene — and her reaction to hearing it is immediate. Standing up from the couch, she now turns to fully face her friend, which she greets with a ❝ Lene ❞ pronounced in a wary voice; Sleep is still clinging to its silvery notes, and she blinks owlishly, trying to focus on her friends’ features and anchor her gaze there.
When she woke up, throwing hastily aside the comforter to then stand up, she tried to keep noise to a minimum, slipping past her friends’ beds on tiptoes; And what else followed ( opening the dormitory door, closing it, etcetera ) she tried to do in the same manner, because she did not want to disturb her friends’ sleep.
Despite her care, Marlene, one of her friends, is standing but a few steps from her — there, at the foot of the stairs. Mary gives a grimace, directed more at herself than Marlene.
❝ I am sorry, Lene, ❞ is pronounced anew while Mary goes around the couch, trailing a hand on its arms on her way towards Marlene, hoping that doing so will help to steady her fawn-like walk. ❝ I ... I did not want to wake you up, ❞ nor did she want to cause worry. Silence settles between the two; Despite the sudden way they have found the other, it feels comfortable, and stirs at each crack and pop coming from the fireplace. ❝ I had a nightmare, ❞ she begins, quietly. ❝ So I ... ❞ Mary makes a vague, circular gesture behind her shoulders with her hand. ❝ I came down here, ❞ well into the night, the Common Room is safer than any other place inside the castle — and warmer, too. How long she wanted to stay here Mary makes not mention of, but one can gander a guess. An hour, two, perhaps even all night ... ❝ Lene ... ❞ third time she pronounces the nickname, and each time her voice gets softer. Sorry for waking you up, sorry for making you worry. I am here. Lips move soundlessly for a moment — but nothing else follows, save for an apologetic glance she throws at Marlene from under her lashes.