The Plot Begins (Closed)

Martha was ambling through the halls, no destination in mind other than a possible stroll outside while the weather was still passably decent. She had a few books on potions tucked into her book bag just in case she found a good spot to stop and read up a bit. Currently, she was fascinated with poisons not easily detected. Especially the slow acting ones. Maybe there was one she could give her grandparents and finally be free of them.

Now that was a thought. Poison her last remaining relatives? Oh, the thought had crossed her mind a few times before, but she'd never seriously considered it until now. Where would she go, for one? They'll likely place her in some kind of foster system, and while she was sure anything would be better than her grandparents, there was no way she was letting them take away the choice of where to go away from her. If she was going to be in a foster system, she wanted to be someplace warmer than this frozen wasteland.

Maybe she'd just drop out of school entirely after this year. Plead too much grief and ask for a year or two off, then go back and take the wizarding equivalent of GEDs. Yeah, that sounded nice. Practice potions during her break and maybe open an apothecary once she passed her tests. She smiled, satisfied that she had a baseline for what she wanted to do with her life. Martha began humming as she made her way back to her room.

Workout Clothes:

Sera walked down the hall. Her classes were over for the day and it was time for her to go for her nightly run and swim by the ocean. Every night, she ran 2 miles along the shore of the ocean, than swam about a mile. She had to work for her figure, she wasn't naturally blessed to be slim and fit. Sure, she had a 6-pack and fairly strong arms, but that was from all the crunches and push-ups she did at 6am before everyone was awake. She didn't go far into the ocean however because there were mysterious creatures in it that she didn't feel like dealing with. Her wand was also always strapped to her calf within perfect reach of her arm.

She wasn't paying attention when she rounded the corner and nearly ran into Martha because of it. "Martha!" she exclaimed. She hadn't known the girl very well yet, but she'd seen her around quite a bit. Now, she guessed, was her chance to catch up with her. She was wearing her usual workout clothes, and she carried nothing on her, it was all in her dorm. "How've you been?" she smiled at the girl. It was the first girl that tolerated her. She wouldn't exactly say they were friends, but they weren't enemies either. Her running could wait a little bit if it meant that she could talk to an acquaintance.

Her hair was up in a ponytail and her bangs were held back by a headband. She had no makeup on period. What was the point? It'd all wash off anyways. She also wore no accessories, not even the necklace her mother had given her. She couldn't chance it falling off in the ocean.

Martha turned when she heard her name called, then smiled when she spotted Serafina. They seemed to run into each other quite a bit, recently. Not that Martha minded, it was always good to establish good connections early on. The girl was wearing what looked like workout clothes, and no accessories or makeup. So, either just heading out or just getting back from a work out. God, Martha couldn't imagine herself ever properly working out. She was thankful her family had been blessed with high metabolisms and tastes for naturally healthy foods.
"Hi, Sera," she greeted with a smile. "I'm good, just taking a bit of a walk. Might read for a bit. What about you? Working out?" Martha couldn't imagine herself being warm enough in those clothes, but she supposed a native Norwegian might feel differently. She supposed she ought to start some kind of routine to stay in shape. Maybe she'd take up a jog in the mornings, before classes started. She might be more motivated if she had someone to do it with, to be honest. "Would you be looking for a running partner?" Martha doubted she'd be able to keep up, but at least she could try.

Martha seemed genuinely happy to see Sera, which mad her happy. "Oh, yeah, I'm going for my nightly run and swim. At night I do a two mile jog by the ocean and then usually a one mile swim, until winter rolls around. Then, in the mornings around 6 am before anyone wakes, I do crunches and push ups down by the shore." Her life revolved around her workouts. To most people, it seemed like a task, but to her, it was a hobby, something she'd done so much, she had grown to love it.

"I wasn't blessed with a fast metabolism. In order to stay fit, I have to work for it" she shrugged. Not like she minded, in her eyes, when you had to work for something, it made it more deserving and special. She'd learn to never take certain things for granted because of the amount of work she did to achieve them. "You're welcome to join, if you'd like. I wouldn't turn down some company." The girl looked naturally slim, but maybe, she was interested in doing something with someone else. Isn't that what girl friends did? Run together, shop together, go to the bathroom together?

She'd actually love company. It's not that was scared of running at night, because she wasn't, but sometimes, her mind wandered back to that night she was attacked while running. She knew she was safe on campus, even if she wouldn't be, she had her wand, but having a partner may make her feel even safer.

Martha swallowed nervously when the girl explained her workout routine. Two miles? She shuddered internally, then steeled her resolve. She couldn't imagine not having a high metabolism, but it would be good to get a good workout routine started just in case it dropped later in life. "I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep up, but I'll certainly try." And likely fail, but it was better to start these things as soon as possible. Besides, it'd be good to make a few friends while she was here, even if it was only till the end of the year. Of course, she couldn't appear to be fully recovered from the trauma of her parents' deaths, otherwise her plans might not work out so well. Best to occasionally play up her depression. "I mean, if I'm not too depressed whenever you decide to go out. Just find me when you plan on going out and I'll decide then, okay?" There, now she had a perfectly legitimate excuse if she decided not to do it.
But then, what if people still suspected her despite everything? She knew there were some who wouldn't immediately rule her out, so it'd be best to make sure they simply couldn't suspect her. Like if she was already dead herself. Wait. What? How could she possibly accomplish that? Fake her own death, then come back and poison them?
A sly smile spread across her face. That. Was. Brilliant. Possibly the most brilliant thought she'd ever had. Then she could start all over in Britain or somewhere else. It was going to be a bitch to plan it all out, but she was certain it'd be worth it in the end.

The girl seemed almost intimidated by Sera's workout plan. In all truth and honesty, it wasn't as bad as it seemed. "I'll let you set the pace." she said. It's not like Sera ran fast, or at least she didn't think she ran fast, but she run everyday, so maybe she was fast. Usually, she finished her 2 miles in about 14 minutes, sometimes less. "Well, you're welcome to come whenever. If you're not feeling up to it, I won't pressure you." she said.

Sera understood it was hard to get over the loss of a parent, much less both parents. It was even harder living with people you hated. Running had helped her. It gave her time to think about her anger and grief and run it off. "Running, was what helped me out the most. I'd run when I was upset or angry. Whenever I felt like it was my fault my mother is dead, I would run. It helped me to associate the bad feelings with the adrenaline rush and great feelings of running."

Sera tried to help whenever possible, but she wasn't one of those people to offer a shoulder to cry on. Forget that. Build a bridge and get over it. Learn to find something that helps you forget about your depression. Help yourself. She hated self-pity, she hated pity, period.

Martha nodded in thanks. "The running might help me with my Animagus training, too. Help get me centered and everything," she commented. Her grandparents didn't know she was training, and she knew they'd throw a fit if they ever found out, but that hardly mattered since they wouldn't be around for much longer. She thought about asking Sera if she'd like to help, but then thought better of it. No need to ask for unnecessary help until it became necessary.
She didn't doubt that running could help a lot of people, but Martha didn't think she was one of those. Still, it could hurt to try it. It would tire her out and make it easier for her to quiet her mind so she could train properly. Besides, if it worked then she'd have something to keep her in shape as well as something to facilitate her training. The faster she finished her training, the sooner she'd be an official Animagus. She just might make it by the time she turned 18, which would be wondrous. Of course, her other plans came first, but she could certainly take an hour each day to practice quieting her mind. Being an Animagus would also help her avoid getting caught, should everything else fail completely. It was always good to have a fall back plan.

The girl was training to be an animagi. That was pretty cool. Sera wasn't completely sure if she ever wanted to be one, mainly because she was too beautiful to transform herself into some stinky animal. "Yeah, I suppose it could help with that too." the girl said. She wasn't entirely sure. She barely knew what an animagi was more or less what training consisted of.

Sera felt bad for holding the girl for so long. She'd said she wanted to go read and take a walk, Sera should've left her alone, especially now that it'd only gotten later. She'd miss out of her swim, but at least she'd get her run in. "I guess I'll see you around." Sera said, getting ready to leave and go run. They'd talked long enough, it was time for her to have some alone time. "I gotta go on my run, curfew's swiftly approaching."

She waved to the girl, who resumed her walk and search of a reading spot, and roamed through the halls, making her way down stairs and out the door. She had 30 minutes to curfew. She could do this.  She stretched, regulated her breathing, and set her pace. As she ran, she looked to see if she could see anything beyond the ocean, but the only lights were from the castle. The world was black.

Martha waved a goodbye as the girl jogged off. Well, looks like she made a friend, of sorts. She resumed humming to herself as she continued on her way to the common room. Fresh ideas for poisons filtering through her mind. Curfew was getting close, and Martha wasn't one to deliberately break rules unless she had good reason, so she quickened her step. There were several options for poisons, but she knew she'd have to find one that acted slowly enough and wouldn't be detected after their death. Belladonna would probably be best and easiest to hide in wine, but Martha still wanted a bit of creativity, and crushing up a few berries was hardly creative. Maybe she'd make some Moonseed or Bloodroot poison, but obtaining the ingredients could be difficult. Moonseed would be easier to obtain, she supposed, though she'd likely have to go through some unsavory channels. But, needs must and all that.
With a new determination, she began a plan for research. It was unlikely they'd have any books about Moonseed poison in the open--especially since the ban was placed--which meant she'd have to get access to the restricted section. She groaned, that would probably be the most difficult aspect of this whole thing. She wasn't nearly good enough to cast a proper Disillusionment Charm, and she didn't know of any potions she could make to turn herself invisible. Unless...Felix Felicis might give her the luck-boost she'd need to obtain permission for the Restricted Section. It'd take time and practice, but she was determined to see her plans through. Now, to figure out how best to kill herself.