Welcome to Gaia! ::

Alyssum was surprised at the offer. Well reading usually was a pretty solitary activity, unless one was part of a club or study group. Lurking in the background helped her learn more about people through observation, but it was pretty much the first time she'd been invited to actually be an active participant. Barring classroom escapades, of course.

"That would be nice," she said quietly, feeling very touched at Sasori's offer, and even blushing a little bit in pleasure. She fidgeted a little, shifting the weight of the books around in her arms to a more comfortable spot. "If you...," she started, then hesitated. She wasn't used to speaking and found the act of trying to verbalize her to be somewhat challenging. Not to mention she had to consciously keep her voice from petering out into a hushed whisper, as it tended to do. She tried again. "If it's too loud in the common room, we can read in my room." It was a pretty small room, meant only for two, but since Alyssum didn't have a roommate at the moment it was quiet and cozy.

Alyssum wilted a little at Sasori's answer, but only a little. It wasn't like she'd been outright rejected, since all the reasons made sound sense. She actually would have felt really bad if she'd ended up getting Sasori in trouble. It was probably just in reaction to the offer she herself had made; while she'd interacted with students before, even spoken a time or two, it was actually the first time she'd ever invited anyone to her room before. It had taken a lot of courage on her part, though in hindsight making the offer hadn't been as terrifying as she'd actually thought it would be.

Sasori's offer made Alyssum briefly pause in surprise, though she quickly resumed walking. She'd never been off Academy grounds since she'd gotten here. There hadn't been anyone to ask, no groups of friends to make a trip with or adults to tag along after. There was plenty to occupy her at the Academy, but still. She felt simultaneously excited and terrified.

"That would be nice," she replied softly, letting none of her inner emotional babble spill through her quiet voice. She tried to include a friendly smile, not wanting Sasori to think she was merely being polite. It really did sound nice to visit a.....friend? The word sounded strange, even as a thought. Her quiet ways hadn't earned her much attention, here and at home before this. It was how she usually likely it, though she had to admit it could be lonely. Even now as they drew closer to the common room, the slight echo of chatter made Alyssum's throat feel tighter, as though it would be more difficult for words to come out. Well, she could definitely join Sasori for some reading, then one day dinner, then who knew? Maybe this chance meeting would result in her very first friend!

Alyssum nodded, small smile on her face. So there would definitely be another day. It might be best, actually. While only one of her salamanders was actually on the shy side, she didn't want to risk startling any of them. For that matter, she didn't want to accidentally startle Sasori either. All but two of her salamanders had free run of her room, even when she wasn't there. She also had a slime she'd caught back when a bunch had been running around the school. While she adored all of them, Alyssum had learned that not everyone was as fond of her pets. She would make sure to let Sasori know before they actually visited her room.

The rest of Sasori's words came while Alyssum was in the middle of her planning. She blinked in surprise, feeling her lashes brush against her bangs. Since Sasori had said "someday", Alyssum had automatically assumed a visit would take place in the future, not today.

"If you mom doesn't mind," Alyssum replied shyly, again feeling that little thrill of excitement mingled with the terror of the unknown. It would be her first time wading into this kind of social experience, but, like Sasori, Alyssum greatly hoped they could be friends. It would be nice to have a friend who liked to read as much as she did, if all the books were any kind of indicator. She wondered what other things she might have in common with Sasori, and her eagerness to find out eclipsed her nervousness at new situations.

Alyssum felt a flutter of nervousness stirring in her stomach, like a flock of small nezubats. Along with that feeling though was a slight sense of...anticipation? Excitement? It was hard to put a name to, but it was certainly a very new feeling! Even before coming to the Academy, Alyssum had never gone out much. Even though it was just an invitation to visit another student's home, it felt...bigger. Like the first step into something new.

"That sounds nice," she said softly, ducking her head shyly yet still feeling the smile on her lips and the blush of pleasure on her cheeks. Was this what it was like to have a friend? If so, Alyssum liked it. Perhaps she should try a little harder. Explore what friendship was like and...maybe make more friends, in the future perhaps. The world still seemed so big and intimidating, and she doubted she was going to suddenly become like some of the chatterboxes she shared her classes with, and probably never would be, but she had taken the first step. If she was able to keep moving forward, one small step at a time, maybe she could be a bit less of an onlooker to life and more of a participant.

I know this roleplay was officially finished a while back! I finally started poking at my journal again though, trying to do a few little things, clean up some links and all. It just seemed like I should put in one more post though, more for closure on my end than anything. Apologies and hope I didn't mess anything up!