Mildred listened as she quickly unpacked her school bag, leaving in just the map and time table with her for now. She even shared some of her sweets with the pair. They graciously took one each but worked together to unwrap them one at a time with both hands.
"So, Mildred," Fenny asked as Gris's mouth was full. "Would you like to settle in first and we come get you later? Or would you rather go for a tour before it gets to dark?" Mildred opted for the tour and hoped she wouldn't get too frightened.
"Excellent." Gris said with a crunch. "It's normally not as dark in the corridors this time of day, by the way. It's just where the lamps haven't been lit yet. They'll assign hallway monitors from the third year tonight."
The pair stood up, dusted off their skirt and then the three of them headed back into the corridor together. Fenny however looked Mildred up and down critically and asked, "Are you alright though? If you don't mind me saying so you look a bit- Ow!"
Gris had suddenly swatted Fenny with 'her' hand in the chest. Or at least Fenella's side of their chest? And there was something like a barge or a nudge in the shoulders under the uniform. Whatever it was it threw them both off balance and stumble too much to be subtle.
"Gris, what the-!?"
"Don't be rude!" Griselda hissed, glancing at Mildred almost apologetically. Then back at Fenny: "We can't just ask her if she's- she's that."
"I was going to say a bit peaky!" Fenny retorted as they carried on walking. Well striding and wobbling a bit. Now as they walked out of step of one another, Mildred could see between them Fenny and Gris had four legs. Well four leg she could count. But sometimes their switching step made the thin middle legs made it look like Fenny and Gris only had three.
"She looks scared! I wasn't going to say- well you know."
"No I didn't know! I was trying not let you put your foot in it."
"Charming. You still didn't have to hit me like a barbarian and make it look worse!"
Mildred followed them, fairly certain if she was supposed to be offended at something. But had no idea what.
However, the bickering and sulking was over as soon as it started. Possibly because they came within sight of the library. Fenny and Gris both brightened up, showing Millie the study areas, the big book of spells and the front desk. Or at least there was a desk somewhere underneath the huge pile of unsorted returned books. Somewhere in that pile too, someone, someone big and someone gruff, was snoring. It was a Liberian called Caspian DerBloom (or Casper for short) was asleep at the desk. Mildred couldn't see him under all the books that had been piled on top of him. She hoped he was friendly.
"Oh I wouldn't say friendly. he's grumpy a lot and rude. But don't worry he only eats doughnuts." Fenny shrugged when asked. Gris agreed.
"Just don't ever do anything stupid like write in a book or rip pages out."
"Why?" Mildred asked. Did their librarian get awfully cross?
The pair looked at her as if she was the one with two heads. "…Because it's just common decency?"
"Who even does that to books?"
Short one this week sorry, monsters. But who else is hyped for new series tomorrow?! Enjoy it!