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It was not often that Belladonna visited the library, as she had very little occasion to do so in the past. The classes she had taken were rather light in their loads, had required little or no homework and certainly hadn't asked for essays. The fact that Professor Selene's did disheartened the witch a bit, but there was something about the woman... Something that was familiar to Belladonna. As of yet she hadn't been able to place it, but she also wasn't giving up either. Plus, the teacher was just so cute and quiet and meek that Belladonna felt rather fond of her already.
So, all in all it kind of balanced out.

Because of her fondness for the teacher, the witch had decided she needed to do her research before she wrote the essay. Sure, she could have flubbed her way through it, but she'd much rather write a superb essay and win all the student given affection a professor could give. This, of course, necessitated a visit the library, wherein Belladonna found a great number of books on the subject. Glad to be making a little progress, the witch piled them up and headed toward a nearby desk that was empty. So focused on her path to a good grade, she completely missed the bit of blue and purple and pretty that stood up from the computers as she passed them. With a small squeak and a great clatter as the books hit the floor, the witch ran into all that blue and purple and pretty.
"Oh my Hecate, I am so, so, sooo sorry! I--" A full look at the poor soul she'd disturbed revealed none other than-- "Amphi!!" A smile replaced the apologetic look and here the witch bounced in greeting.

"Hi! How are you?" For a moment Belladonna stared at her, wide eyed and excited until that small little hitch caught up with her. Amphi can't talk! She... Oh dear... "Why don't we sit down at a computer where we can chat!" Quickly the witch turned around and collected the fallen books, sliding them next to a computer before she took a seat. With a smile she looked up at Amphi and tried not to look as though she felt sorry for the ghoul that had lost her voice. Accident, smachident. Belladonna knew it was the Hunters, and she was going to find out exactly what they had done to this gorgeous creature!

It took a few taps of the mouse (as well as a few, thoroughly useless, clicks of Belladonna's fingernail against the screen) before her computer came to life, but already she had her hands waving as she spoke.
"Are you here working on the FEAR essay too? I just cannot think of a thing I'd like to say for it! It seems so...Daunting! Its not altogether too long, but I simply feel as though I am not properly equipped to write such an essay--Oh." The witch paused as she read the message before she held up a finger that indicated 'One moment'. With a small smile fished out a piece of paper, scrawled the words LittleRedWitch onto it before she slid it to Amphi. For whatever reason, it felt strange to speak when the other ghoul couldn't, so Belladonna decided it might be best not to speak altogether too much.

"Have you been here in the library long? Its so quiet in here, I hardly ever visit! Its nice though~" Ok, so maybe she couldn't help just asking a few questions out loud. And besides... Its not like they couldn't both chat verbally and online! Actually, now that Belladonna thought of it, that was a pretty great idea. Suddenly proud of herself, the witch puffed out her chest a little, determined to do what she could for Amphi. Surely it was horrifically difficult to deal with the loss of one's voice. The witch wouldn't know how to deal with something like that happening to her! She'd burst from all the things she needed to say!
At that point, it was very hard not to grab poor Amphi up into a hug and tell her everything would be alright.

As quickly as she should clack her fingertips against the keyboard, which just so happened to be rather quickly indeed, Belladonna pulled up the chat page just as Amphi sent the first message. With a hushed giggle (they were in a library after all!), the witch waved at Amphi before she returned her gaze back to the computer screen. Though the ghoul hadn't really written anything serious, Belladonna's face finally fell from its nearly permanent smile to one of utter neutrality. With absolutely no emotion she read over Amphi's words, her pink eyes rushing back and forth between letters. After another moment the face cracked into a smile and she swiveled back to face the girl.
"I do not think I have yet been introduced to Avery. But I can certainly understand his rage over misplaced books. I always turn my room upside down until I find what I'm looking for. And yes, just for this class."

But that was boring. That wasn't what the witch really wanted to ask. But they had hardly spoken, would it be alright to ask such a thing?
For a moment the witch pursed her lips, as though she were thinking very hard about what she wanted to say. Finally, it too broke and she went on with her questions.
"So do you like Amityville? Do you have a boilfriend? You're so pretty, you totally have to. Also! Are you a mermaid? Or a siren? Or something else? I'm absolutely horrid with guessing what everyone is. So, no offense meant if I am wrong..." A few introductory questions would be the buffer between what the witch wanted to really ask. She took a breath, proud of herself for giving the girl time. For not pushing, like she was used to doing.
"What are you researching?!"
Batshit!
Though she managed to keep her face curious, on the inside Belladonna mentally flipped a table. She had been doing so well! Curse this insatiable curiosity that drove her to ask such a question! Curse her inability to be patient! Curses!!!

Had the mermaid mentioned knowing Lizzy, it might have very well sent Belladonna into a dizzying feat of excitement. She had been lucky enough to regain the demoness' friendship, so the witch was just a little high of the joy of having friends. In any event, she wasn't privy to these thoughts so she only smiled at the little tale of litter bugs. They were such cute creatures, but certainly pesky.
"Will you mentor with the librarian? Since you're a third year?" The idea of having a mentor was so wonderful that the witch simply couldn't wait until she too could have one. Most likely someone pink, or at least very, very kind who could teach her the importance of patience.
Yet before the witch could ask further questions, another message popped up on her chat box and she carefully read it. Though she blinked at the screen placidly, her eyes slowly slid to the edge to look at the startled ghoul. It had been those damn Hunters! While Belladonna only gave Amphi a small, innocent smile, she quietly filed that bit of information away to use at a later time.

D'aawww, a Reaper for Amphi who plays good music! Before she could even stop, the witch had whirled around to face the ghoul, her hands clenched underneath her chin in delight.
"Does he serenade you with his music? Or write you songs? I bet its super romantic!" She sighed appreciatively, but then jumped happily again when Amphi confirmed her suspicions. She is a mermaid!! Belladonna felt altogether too excited to learn that she had finally been right about something, but instead smiled widely and turned back to the last message. When she read it, her face fell considerably until it had dropped into a worried look of deep concern that she turned toward the mermaid. Gently, since they had only just met and Belladonna would understand if she was pushed away, she reached out a hand to place on the ghoul's arm.
"I am so sorry. But I am certain you will find it again soon." Another small smile was offered to her before the witch scooted a little closer and let her head fall forward, so that the brim of her hat blocked out any prying ears or eyes.

"If this is a touchy topic, we can talk about something else... But I know it was the Hunters. Call it intuition." Honestly it had just been paying attention to the clues, but Amphi didn't have to know that! "Was it from this most recent trip? To rescue those kidnapped?"
The witch had gotten such a strange, disjointed account of that from her own boilfriend that she was almost dying to know what other's experiences had been. Hopefully Amphi wasn't an initiate as well, so that she would be able to speak more on the subject than Mort had been. Or, well... Type...

"I am sure he would be inclined to take you on, especially given your time here!" Belladonna added with a smile for the ghoul. Yet at the next question her smile faded a little. It had a soft look of disappointment that the witch was quick to cover with a wave of her hand. "Not yet, I'm afraid. I... Took a few months off of school for personal reasons and am just a little behind. But hopefully I can take my exam soon, but we shall see." Yet at the second question she perked back up, all excited to talk about such a fun subject. "But once I make it I would so love to mentor with Desu-Chan! I think we would get along splendidly! But I am also favorable to Luna, the pretty moth..."
When Amphi blushed and suddenly acted so bashful, it was extremely difficult for the witch not to let out a long squeal of delight. This mermaid was just too cute!
"Food is quite amazing..." Belladonna replied in a mock serious voice, unable to keep the little giggle in for long. She softened it behind a hand and tried to keep her voice down.

Unfortunately the giggle died as the mermaid's face took a sudden turn for the worse and she looked away. Momentarily distraught Belladonna bit her lower lip and suddenly thought twice about her question. Surely it was not only a sore topic for the ghoul, but something she'd rather not mention if at all possible. Why else would she have dodged around the question?
Suddenly very angry with herself, the witch frowned momentarily. Why did she always let curiosity dictate everything? It usually created awkward situations like these and made people dislike her. But, it often gave valuable answers and the witch just could not be sated.
"I am sorry if this makes you uncomfortable... But, I... I do not mean to pry. It only that... I know quite a lot about what has happened involving... Them. So if you do not want to speak of it, I understand. But, at the same time... Do not fear about telling me something I am not aware of."
It was a shot in the dark, but lately information had bee withheld from the witch on the grounds of her being unknowing of everything going on.
Still, she offered the ghoul a sympathetic smile along with a soft touch of a hand on Amphi's shoulder. Even if she wanted to keep the information to herself, they could still be friends.

Momentarily the witch was cheered by Amphi's declaration of support, glad to have a new friend in which to rely on should her entrance exam for her Year 3 be harder than expected. But the additional words tacked on made Belladonna's eyebrows momentarily drop down in concern and worry. Did... Did Amphi mean the destruction of the Four Clans' homes? Though the witch had not been there, she had welcomed Mort home and he had been there. He had told her of the horrors, and while she could never fathom what it was like to loose an entire culture like that, the witch could still be sympathetic. A quick glance was thrown to the mermaid, but she was already typing another message that Belladonna hastened to answer.
"Ha ha, that sounds like Desu-chan! I went with her on a field trip to Valentine's Town and we all came away covered in glitter. Granted, that was mostly because of these little heart creatures that threw up glitter and kept following me around, but still... It was quite a lot of fun!"

Unfortunately the next question made the witch's eyes go wide, pink saucers that immediately shut so that she could lean forward and wave her hands from side to side frantically in a gesture that meant Amphi has misunderstood her. The fact that the mermaid quickly caught on that it had been a joke was lost on the witch as she quickly whispered a reply.
"You are far, far more important than food! You are adorable and pretty and very, very kind! I am sure your boilfriend only means it as a joke, else he is a dunderhead!"
When Belladonna opened her eyes, her cheeks a little flushed from having, even momentarily, distressed this adorable creature, it was to find that Amphi had looked away. Suddenly aware of the vulnerable moment, the witch placed a gentle hand on the ghoul's knee, the closet point of contact that was the easiest to remove as well. A small smile was tacked on, one that said it was alright if Amphi did not want to speak of this, but if she did that she would find a willing friend in the witch.

A ping let Belladonna know that her question had been answered and her eyes found the words, quietly read over them and let them sink in. All this must have happened after their Trance session, when the witch had gone on vacation with her family as a way to cope with death, even of someone who had been gone far longer than herself. A flash of guilt raced through her, for if she had been around, would she have been able to help Amphi in any way? Maybe have kept an eye on her and been able to stop her from being taken?
But that was folly, if no one else had stopped the mermaid then why would the witch have been able to?
With her hand still on her knee, Belladonna inclined her head so that it was closer to the mermaid's, but tilted to the side, where a mass of red curls fell over her shoulder.
"I am deeply sorry for the things that happened to you and the others and Israfel. I spoke to him before he was taken, and I know he was very brave. But I am glad you are here now. This thing inside you... I do not know what it is, but you have been exceptionally brave about all this. I know we have only just met, but I am glad you have only lost your voice and not something more."
It was left open ended what she meant by that, as the witch only smiled softly at the mermaid in attempt to lighten the mood. This had all taken a rather unfortunate turn, even if it had been her fault. Still, Amphi had pulled through and seem mostly untarnished by her experience. She was still kind and friendly, and for that the witch was vastly grateful.

As usual, there was more the witch wanted to say. More assurances of Amphi's validity to her boilfriend, more praise for the adorable ghoul. But those were all wiped away when the mermaid reached forward for a hug. If Amphi had not been assured of Belladonna's affectionate tendencies before, she would leave this encounter with the full knowledge of them. Careful not to hurt her, the witch received the hug and gave one back, totally unafraid to display her affection in public. It did not matter one bit that they'd only just really started a friendship, already they had touched on serious topics most normal friends never even got close to! So with all the care and sweetness of two longstanding ghoulfriends, the witch wrapped Amphi up in her arms and squeezed her close.
A ping behind her alerted her to a new chat message, which sparked the witch's curiosity something fierce. So though it was a bit odd to maneuver herself, she angled her head to read the message. And then squeezed Amphi even tighter.

"You have been so brave, but do not worry. One day this wrong will be righted, and your friends will stay beside you still." There was nothing said about no one getting hurt, because that was not something that could be guaranteed. It was useless to offer false hope to someone who so obviously needed a little optimism from those around them. Instead Belladonna only brushed a hand down Amphi's hair and smiled, though the ghoul couldn't see it.
"I'll be here to help in whatever way I can. This will be over soon, just keep your smile up."