you're the closest to heaven that i'll ever be [caro]

[Deleted]

Zytka was finding her way to the hospital more and more often these days, partially to deliver the injured students she had a habit of stumbling upon and partially due to her desire to see a certain Head Nurse. Zytka wasn't sure what her relationship with Caro was, but she considered it something akin to 'unlikely friends'. The thing about Caroline was that Zytka honestly didn't know much about her, other than that she was a Herbology nut turned nurse who had a penchant for brewing excellent tea. She wanted to see past just the surface, wanted to know what made Caro different from everyone else. Zytka was choosing to blame that desire on the fact that she didn't have any real friends in Britain despite living there for over a decade. She just had acquaintances, or colleagues, both of which Caro had been until...until what? In any case, Zytka had chosen that day to meander up to the hospital wing in hopes that she could uncover a little more of the mystery that was Caroline Blacksmith. She entered the hospital wing with the same smooth grace as she did everything, and then knocked twice on the door to Caro's office, awaiting entry.

@caroline

[Deleted]

As per usual, Caroline was knitting away in her office behind her desk. Her hornbill, Billius, was perched on the back of her armchair as she sat, occasionally breaking to sip on her cup of tea. This was a usual day for the Head Nurse when she wasn't tending to patients. Luckily, the First Task hadn't produced any horrible injuries and the only things she had had to tend to so far were a few colds, a case of boils that had popped up all over a second year from a Weasley product, and a student who had ended up vomiting up slugs - all things she had seen and dealt with before. So, it had been pretty easy so far this year. And Caro couldn't help but hope for it to continue that way, especially after the events of last year which had left her feeling very uneasy about the goings-on of the wizarding world. But, she went on as normally as she could.

The former Hufflepuff was just finishing off a row when she heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" She called, just as she finished the last three stitches of that row and set down her needles to look up to see who was knocking on her door.

@zytka

[Deleted]

The response to Zytka’s knock on the door had been prompt enough, and she opened it when she received the invitation to enter in a familiar voice. Caroline was sitting in an armchair, knitting needles in her hands, tea at her elbow, and a curious owl at her shoulder. “It seems whenever I find you, you’re either knitting something, or tending to a student.” Zytka told Caroline with a small smile. The only time that had broken that pattern had been when Caroline had gone to visit Zytka in the Ancient Runes classroom. For a moment, Zytka frowned – she had some beautiful roses back in her classroom, and she hadn’t thought to bring one for Caroline, to brighten up the hospital wing, of course. Next time. Or, she could just do the magic trick with the smoke again…Zytka shook her head. What was done was done. She had forgotten, and she was going to remember better next time. “You know, I think you’re the first person I’ve met who knows how to knit.” Or at least, the first person that she had known that Zytka was sure knew how to knit. She was almost certain there had been someone else before, but none of them had been as passionate about yarn as Caroline obviously was.

@caroline

[Deleted]

As Zytka entered, Caroline set her yarnwork down and smiled up at the Ancient Runes professor. "Zytka, how wonderful to see you," she said happily. She laughed lightly at Zytka's comment. "Such is the life of a busy nurse." She said, half joking. She flicked her wand over to her small stove top and started boiling water for tea on top. She figured she didn't have to ask if Zytka wanted any, as it was such a signature thing of Caroline's, she figured Zytka must expect it by now. "Really?" Caroline asked, surprisingly, as she moved over to the stove top to prepare the cups for the tea. "You should come to our knitting club sometime. There's a few students in there who are quite talented."

@zytka

[Deleted]

Zytka smiled at Caroline when the nurse said that it was wonderful to see her; it was strange how such a simple pleasantry could mean so much, from the right person. “Well, it seems like a full life.” Zytka said, perching on a stool nearby to Caro’s armchair. Sometimes she felt her own life was a little empty – maybe she ought to take up a hobby like knitting. Caroline began fixing tea, and Zytka’s smile grew wider. It was one of Caro’s things she always did, but it never ceased to touch Zytka that Caro would go through the trouble for each and every guest into her room. “I wasn’t aware that knitting was something you could be talented at.” Zytka mused. She had thought it was just something you either learned to do or didn’t. “When do you meet?” Zytka asked. She probably was free.

@caroline

[Deleted]

Caroline smiled at Zytka's words and then nodded. "It is. I quite like my job. Even if it comes with added stress at times," she said with a small shrug. She walked back to Zytka and handed her a cup and sat behind her desk across from Zytka. She took a sip of her tea as Zytka mused about knitting. "Oh, it certainly is," she replied. "Some never really excel further than your basic scarf pattern, whereas some students have the talent and skill to do very complex hats or jumpers or sock patterns." She grinned at the professor. "We meet Wednesday evenings before dinner!" Caro perked up excitedly. She loved when newcomers came to her club, even if they just came to sit in, which Caro always welcomed.

@zytka

[Deleted]

It wasn’t difficult to believe that Caroline enjoyed her job despite the added stress – Zytka thought herself much the same way, even though her job wasn’t quite as stressful as taking care of ill children could be. Zytka accepted the cup of tea happily, and raised her eyebrows when Caroline explained that it was indeed possible to be excellent at knitting. “I believe I would be in the former category.” Zytka said, smiling ruefully at Caroline. Knitting seemed like precise, repetitive work, and the only kind of precision Zytka was good at was that which involved runes or dancing. And, she supposed, language, since she had mastered three of them. In any case, the professor was not expecting to become the next knitting prodigy. But it gave her an excuse to spend more time with her friend – friend? – and that was all she really wanted. “I will join you the next Wednesday that you meet, then.” Zytka declared softly.

@caroline