another day another night | hazel

[Deleted]

━ i worry i wasted the best of me ━

spring 2026
(before may)

AS THE DAY DRAWLED ON, Dana couldn't help but count down the hours and minutes until she was due to clock out, or even go for another break. Dana had even stopped smoking a long time ago, but more and more lately she considered picking the horrible muggle habit back up in order to guarantee herself some more breaks. Knowing that Richard or even Lars would complain at the sight and even the smell was enough to put the thought out of the Knox's mind for a little longer.

Though today was different though, sometime before her shift was due to end, Dana made plans to show a tour of the astronomy facility for her newest friend Hazel. After Tamara's sudden MIA once more and even Lars - as he moved back to America to spend time with sick family - life had somewhat became rather lonely for the Knox, especially since her only source of entertainment (annoying her brother) was retaking another year at Hogwarts because of his medical history since the loss of their father.

Although, bonding with Hazel had been fairly easy - or so Dana thought anyway. While Hazel was slightly older and a Professor at Hogwarts, after a minor parent/guardian conference for Richie, the two bonded and became friends almost immediately. The eldest Knox knew it irked her younger brother just a tad, but he had to get over it anyway. Dana needed more friends, especially with the events she had 'suffered' through for the last two years.

Clicking at her pen in time with the moving hand upon the clock, Dana hummed to herself as she signed some more research papers, confirming the details and annotating any odd pieces of information. It had been almost three or four years since Dana had been working at the facility and she felt she could eventually work her way up for a bigger pay-check or even a new role...At least so she showed.

| Hazel Rosalie Burke |

sorry for the wait! i hope this works!

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Spring 2026

Okay, so it was rare to find any good form of entertainment at Hogwarts. There were some professors who would say teaching was its own reward, but that was just a bunch of hot air. Ambitious professors looking to kiss ass as they worked their way up the ladder, or maybe just people with no social life and a tendency to lie to themselves about what they liked. Hazel wasn’t either of those things, so she didn’t bother pretending that teaching was the ‘most fulfilling thing ever.’ She loved alchemy, and she loved the admiration from her star students in her classes. That was the bottom line. There were other things to do in the castle – stealing away to Hogsmeade for a strong drink at the one pub students couldn’t enter, or gossiping with the other professors about the wild shenanigans that came with housing a thousand underage wizards and witches in one castle. And yeah, even her metal-charming could fill the time – but only because of the thrill that came with entering the black market to show off her goods.

Now, parent/teacher conferences? That was the best part of teaching. They didn’t happen regularly, only when there was a problematic student, and then Hazel got to tell the parent all the ways their kid sucked and how they needed to do better. Every now and then there were special cases, and one of her Ravenclaws this year definitely fit the bill. He was a good student, not one of her problematic kids. He studied hard, never answered a question in front of the class, and his essays were well-written. That was boring, but at least he didn’t cause Hazel any problems. No, the surprise had been meeting his guardian, really his older sister. Hazel liked her – she wasn’t stuffy like most of the pompous parents that crossed her threshold, and she really seemed invested in being there for her brother. The pureblood community was strongly family-oriented, and Hazel’s family was no different. Even if her brother was bossy and didn’t have a fraction of her sister’s fashion sense, they were still siblings and they stuck together.

So, long story short? Hogwarts was capable of surprising Hazel after all, yay. She liked Dana, and it was a nice distraction from how dreadfully predictable Hogwarts had become. So she’d been invited to check out the astronomy facility where Dana worked, and even though Hazel didn’t have any strong opinions about stars…Merlin, she was desperate to get out of the castle for a while, and to see a friend who wasn’t another professor. “Byyyye,” she called out behind her, although there was nobody to hear it except her cat (asleep, naturally) and the pile of exams she’d been procrastinating even taking a glance at. Her students could wait. Hazel left the castle with a bounce in her step as she walked into Hogsmeade and Apparated to London. She opened the doors to the facility with a flourish – it was her first time entering the building, but she knew how to pull off a dramatic entrance anyway – and sauntered in. Unfortunately still wearing the sames robes she had to wear at Hogwarts, but there’d just been no time to change. “Hey girl,” she said with her trademark crooked grin as she finally spotted Dana hunched over parchment with some very complicated-looking scribbles on it. Hazel tossed her hair back as she leaned over the table as well to squint at the papers. “Merlin, what's a girl gotta do to get some attention around here?”

@dana

[Deleted]

━ i worry i wasted the best of me ━

AT THE SOUND OF DOORS opening, Dana's lips rose into a wide smile as she watched her new friend dramatically enter the building, waving over at Hazel as she noticed her classic grin. Since the two of them became friends fairly quickly, it was easy to pick up common habits between one another and the Knox couldn't help but notice how Hazel's smile was slightly crooked. She was still utterly adorable though. Laughing quietly at her friends words, the blonde discarded the scribble filled notes, hiding them within the drawers of her desk and rested her chin against her hands as she propped her elbows up.

"I'm technically..Still on the clock for another ten minutes. So unless your question is star, planet or has any kind of astronomical science relation...I'm afraid I can't give you the attention you're craving." Dana felt herself grin then, shuffling out of her seat to get closer to Hazel and pull her in for a brief hug. "I contemplated sending you an Owl last week but figured you'd be busy with all those exams coming up."

| Hazel Rosalie Burke |

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Hazel groaned dramatically and leaned against the desk at Dana’s prim and proper answer. It all tracked with everything Hazel had learned about her new friend since their first conference at the start of last term. Dana did everything by the book, worried constantly (especially about her brother), and wouldn’t dream of avoiding any of her responsibilities to do something fun. Textbook worrywart, and in that sense she reminded Hazel of her older siblings. Asher and Ivy had their own ways of showing their concern, of course, and Ivy had at least never pushed Hazel to be something she wasn’t (unlike her fussy older brother and his constant need to be in control). But Dana wasn’t a Burke, didn’t belong to that world at all, and that meant the potential for consequences was way lower and her siblings’ chances of finding out what Hazel was up to was practically zero. A recipe for disaster. Or utter perfection, depending on which way you looked at it.

Still, she accepted Dana’s hug and gave her a classic crooked smile as she watched the astronomer sit back down. “You should’ve sent it anyway,” she announced, taking back her spot at the edge of the desk and lightly propping herself up. “I don’t believe in theory exams. My kiddos should be able to show me what they can do, or they didn’t understand the theory at all,” Hazel informed Dana with an air of superior satisfaction. She still made the students write the occasional essay, but her exams were all practical and that didn’t require as much preparation on her part. Mostly just sourcing the right ingredients and cooking up some deliciously devious alchemical recipe for the students to try. Ivy had gone bonkers when Hazel had declared that theory exams were useless, considering she taught Magical Theory herself, but Hazel stood by it! If her students couldn’t transmute iron into at least silver by the end of term, then they must’ve been slacking off. Not Hazel’s problem anyway. But that wasn’t why she’d come, so Hazel gave a mischievous laugh and turned to face Dana. “I’ve an idea,” she said, “Let’s skive off. What’s ten minutes in the grand scheme of things?”

@dana

[Deleted]

━ i worry i wasted the best of me ━

WHEELING BACK TO BEHIND HER desk, Dana couldn't help but let her lips grow into a smile at her friends groan. She reached over for the half-full mug of tea as Hazel spoke, brows raising slightly as the blonde took a sip, quietly tutting as she had left it for too long, resulting with it to be cold. As Hazel propped herself up, the Knox lifted her mug towards her, considering she was closer to the counter tops, where the kettle resided. "Brew us a new one why don't you." Dana grinned as she listened to her friend, nodding in between.

"And thats probably why your students love you. All kids I've spoken to hate those exams." She added, jotting a few more notes where her supervisor outlined. Dana continued to write as she recalled how her brother mentioned Hazel's teaching habits didn't always follow the conventional Professor but was enjoyable regardless. "Maybe you should've been my Professor. I might have paid more attention." She grinned, before dropping the pen as her friend laughed over at her and turned to face her.

"Skive off?..What are we, eleven?" She laughed, looking around at the lack of colleagues. "It's just ten minutes. Brewing tea takes about four and I'll be done the moment the clock strikes four."

| Hazel Rosalie Burke |

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Hazel made a face as Dana handed off her mug, but accepted it anyway as she fished her wand out from the sleeve of her robes. Merlin’s saggy spellbooks, as if she’d walk all the way over to the counter like a Muggle who didn’t have any other choice! That was positively medieval, so Hazel instead waved her wand carelessly in the general direction of the counter until she heard the kettle steaming and practically ready to scream. She had to admit that magic could sometimes make things all the more inconvenient – Merlin, she hated the moving staircases at Hogwarts and how they constantly changed the layout of the school. But even so, wizards were wholly superior and it showed in how much better magical society was in just about every way.

With one last flick of her wand, the steaming mug of tea neatly slid into Dana’s grasp and Hazel put her wand away with a general smug sense of satisfaction. She beamed at the other girl’s dazzling compliments because – oh yeah, that was another thing she loved about Dana. Compliments were rare to find in the Burke household, considering everyone’s particular proclivity to find absolutely anything to criticize. But her friend was always very free with nice things to say, and if there was anything Hazel craved – it was a good compliment. “Oh, they adore me,” Hazel informed her (like it was the most obvious thing in the world), moving to lean against the astronomer’s desk again. “They’ve got at least one professor who just gets it!” Because really, she had some interesting colleagues at Hogwarts but most of them could bore you to tears. At least it gave you an idea of where they stored their wands (somewhere the sun didn’t shine).

She arched an eyebrow at Dana because the thought of her being a ghastly student sounded as plausible as catching Professor Zabini with a smile on his face. Million to one odds. “Please,” she scoffed, “Don’t tell me you weren’t a teacher’s pet. Prefect, then Head Girl, and probably captain of a million clubs to boot.” That sounded more like Dana, and the very rule-abiding image she gave off. Hazel only shrugged with the smirk still on her face. Skiving off was fun no matter what age you were, and she did it enough when it came to giving marks on homework. “Which clock, this one?” Hazel checked, walking over to examine the ornate clock on the mantle. It definitely belonged in an astronomy facility, with a starry background and beautifully ostentatious planets for hands. Withdrawing her wand again, Hazel nudged at the face of the clock and moved Jupiter until it was resting on the four. “Well look at how time flies, hm?”

@dana

[Deleted]

━ i worry i wasted the best of me ━

LIFTING HER GAZE ONCE SHE realised Hazel was using her magic to produce Dana's fresh cup of tea, the Knox sat back in awe, playing with her pen between her fingers, before raising a brow as the noise that emitted from the kettle rose to a screaming level. Dana wanted to sigh, to get up and pour her own brew instead but Hazel continued, waving her wand towards the items in the counter and soon enough, Dana's new cup of tea rested comfortably in her hand. Glancing over at her friend, the blonde noticed the smug grin on her lips and with a quick moment of silence, the Slytherin alum took a quick sip of the tea - humming quietly at how good it was.

"Sometimes I miss..Living like a Muggle..Especially when it comes to making a good tea but..This is actually pretty good." She smiled, taking another sip from the mug. As Hazel beamed at her, Dana couldn't help but smile just as wide at her. Dana knew that Hazel loved being complimented, or simply being told good things - and considering the lighthearted friendship the two had, Dana couldn't help but always say something sweet about her friend. "Sorry for not being aware of this clear fact." Dana chuckled, placing down the mug and resting her chin upon her hands in interest at what her friend had to say.

At Hazel's guess or assumption of Dana's Hogwarts life, the Knox chuckled, hoping that her life was somewhat along those lines. Instead it was far from that. She had lost her father and sister at one of the most important times, and her brother had been in a coma for an odd amount of time. Emotional trauma they called it. "Surprisingly...Not. I was actually..Kind of shy, ended up becoming the Slytherin Seeker...Before the accident with my dad, and younger siblings..Seventh year was..and still is kind of blurry." Dana's smile softened more now as she recalled the memory, from her parents divorcing to the accident, followed by her mother's disappearance once Dana was classed as an 'adult'.

When Hazel got up however, Dana's eyes followed her friend, her smile returning as the idea of skiving off was brought up again. She watched as Hazel moved the clock arm so it rested on the four and the blonde relaxed back in her seat, dropping her pen. "Wow, I must have been working soooo hard, I didn't even notice the time." She joked, closing the books in front of her and packing them away into the drawers of her desk. "Fix that before anything." The blonde pointed out with a grin.

| Hazel Rosalie Burke |

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Hazel made a face at the positively silly things Dana was saying. Miss…living…like a Muggle? That fact literally couldn’t compute in her mind and she was tempted to retch slightly at the thought. Look, don’t be a hater. She’d grown up in a ridiculously old-fashioned pureblood household, and her parents had gotten at least one thing right (even if they’d somehow managed to produce someone as boring as her brother). Muggles were nothing better than ants, living in the dark and meaningless cave that was their lives. There was a whole world of magic just an arm’s reach away and they were too dumb to see it. That meant they didn’t even deserve the magic that flowed in every wizard’s blood, and therefore Hazel couldn’t relate to what Dana was saying at all. Wanting to be like a Muggle? Maybe her friend had been Confunded.

But she’d complimented Hazel on the neat wand work, so she found what little self-restraint was left and settled for a tight shrug. Much more strained than normal, since Hazel was all loose and flowy on a normal day. Instead, she refocused on a much safer topic of conversation. As in, Dana’s supposedly wicked run at Hogwarts and the blurriness of her last year at Hogwarts. “Probably for the best,” Hazel clucked, not quite the kind of person that could handle heavy emotions. She didn’t know what to do with a sad person. So instead she pointed out in a tone dripping with sarcasm, “Hogwarts could use an interior decorator. The whole castle just screams ‘I’m a grey ton of rock.’ Boring.” But the complicated dynamics of the Knox family certainly explained why Dana’s little brother needed extra parent-teacher conferences – and why Dana was there instead of a mum or dad. Richard was actually quite an intelligent student, and getting the best marks in her class. The Headmistress hadn’t said much about his situation except that he might need extra emotional guidance. Better to look to the counselor for that.

She gave a light tinkle for a laugh as Dana finally dropped the quill and stretched. At her order, Hazel smirked and saluted. “Aye aye, professor.” She’d gotten what she wanted, after all, since Dana moved to stow her books and move away from the desk. So she innocently fixed the hands of the clock and crossed to the door. Flinging it open, Hazel poked her head out to catch a glance of the magnificent astronomy facility. “So was this tour just a ruse to see me, or are we actually going to see stuff?” she teased, leaning casually against the doorway as she craned her neck up. It was just possible to see a glimpse of the telescope and a starry sky – although she wasn’t sure if it was real or just magic. She turned impatiently to face Dana again and shimmied in place. “Let’s goooooo!”

@dana

[Deleted]

━ i worry i wasted the best of me ━

DANA COULDN'T HELP BUT LAUGH as she noticed her friends face turn upwards, probably in regards to what the Knox had said about Muggle life. While she didn't live a long muggle life (well..eleven odd years), there were still aspects of living like a muggle that the blonde simply couldn't let go. Which also included making the perfect cup of tea. It sounded so odd now that Dana had thought about it, considering magic had played a role in making the Knox's life a lot easier but she couldn't help it.

She found joy in stirring the spoon herself as she added in a small amount of milk and sugar. Something that the joy of magic simply couldn't give her. "Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I have magic now. But something about hand-making your own tea just never goes away." Dana grinned, having another sip of the tea her friend made her. "Most definitely." Dana agreed, knowing that her final year at Hogwarts while stressful due to exams, was also one of her worst moments in life. Thankfully she didn't have to trauma dump her issues upon Hazel, especially when the Professor joked about the interior of Hogwarts.

"Does it? I always thought the 'grey ton of rock' kind of gave it that..Cool vibe. I think at least." She replied, smiling a little more now. But at the choice of packing her things away to finally give Hazel what she wanted, the Slytherin alumni couldn't help but chuckle quietly as Hazel's own excitement was more evident now. She fixed the hands of the clock and headed over to the door while Dana packed her things away.

Sealing her drawers with a lock and a spell, Dana rose from her seat, noticing that Hazel was looking out towards the facility. As her friend got impatient, Dana laughed once more, moving away from her desk and heading over to her friend and the door. "We can always do the tour if you want, you know."

| Hazel Rosalie Burke |

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Hazel only gave a tight, careless shrug at Dana’s observations. She’d grown up to be a good (well, mostly good) pureblood girl in a respectable pureblood family. That meant she’d never had to do anything for herself, not when there were servants or house-elfs to do it for her. But she actually liked Dana, and their friendship, so she just resolved not to say a single word about it. That was the most diplomatic she could be, and it was certainly more than most people got from her.

She considered Dana’s commentary on Hogwarts’ vibe with a thoughtful expression on her face. “It certainly has a rustic look,” she agreed, picking at a loose seam on the sleeve of her robes as she considered it. Then she smiled. “Alright, fine. Some crowds might find that trendy. The whole, ‘oh look I’m a medieval witch with flowers in my hair and an imposing castle behind me.’ Very good.” In fact, the more she described it the more Hazel could see something like that in her mind. And the more fashionable it became, which was really the important thing! Hazel nodded primly and watched Dana pack her things away to leave her desk nice and tidy. It was such a difference from the own explosion of chaos that Hazel had left her office in before coming to see her friend.

“We are doing the tour. The VIP one,” Hazel said with an obvious tone of satisfaction as she tapped her perfectly manicured fingers on the door. She tilted her head as Dana came to join her, then linked their arms so she could drag her out into the corridor. She quite liked the idea of an ultra-exclusive, private tour from someone as knowledgeable as Dana. Yes, that suited Hazel nicely. “Alright, dazzle me!” Hazel insisted, waving her free hand wildly in the air as she glanced around the facility. It really was impressive in its own right, even if Hazel wished there was a touch more gold among all the bronze and copper. She’d even settle for some silver, although the alchemist in her had learned to never settle for anything less than the best.

@dana

[Deleted]

━ i worry i wasted the best of me ━

AS DANA CLEARED UP THE THINGS on her desk and sealed everything with a simple lock and spell, the half-blood started to contemplate the life she had lived in her early years leading up to her pre-teens. Well comparable to Hazel's life anyway - as she knew her younger brother's Professor-turned-friend was a Pureblood. Truthfully, Dana simply wondered what kind of manipulation convinced her mother in order to keeping the life of magic and overall wizardry a secret?

Regardless, all the blocks in the Knox's life were met with eventual answers and here she was, almost happy with every aspect of her life. The one she hated of course was her terrible love life. "You're not into the rustic look?" Dana countered, brows raising while her lips widened into a soft smile. If there was one thing about Hazel, she would decorate everything in gold or a similar colour, from head to toe, highest ceiling to the lowest of grounds. "I've read about characters like that in books. Can you imagine such a thing? Damsels in distress with flowers in their hair." Dana scoffed then, signifying that she was simply messing around with her friend before laughing at her words.

"What does this VIP tour consist of?..And am I due to get in trouble?.." No matter how old the Slytherin alumni was, she always found herself in some kind of trouble at least once or twice in the year. With their arms linked and Hazel's interest at an all new high, Dana began the 'VIP' tour of the astronomy facility. She began with the slightly boring areas, units were people worked to figure out certain details in regards to stars, comets, etc. The Knox had been there for so long already that even the descriptions of the jobs felt all blah to her. "Over there we have this..super huge auditorium thing. I get to present our findings every now and then."

| Hazel Rosalie Burke |

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Hazel had been admiring the intricately carved doorways with lovely elaborate drawings of the stars and universe, but she turned to shoot Dana an unimpressed look over her shoulder at the impertinent question. Because of course Dana knew that ‘rustic’ was not Hazel’s vibe at all, which meant her friend was teasing her! And that little prod simply didn’t align with Dana’s rather angelic features and the matching look of innocence on her face. “Let’s be real, babe. I’d rather die than be accused of looking rustic,” she announced with a haughty expression on her face. Hazel made a show of minutely adjusting her elaborate look, from the lovely golden jewelry she’d designed herself to the high quality satin robes she wore whenever she got a chance to hang her professor’s robes in the closet and forget about them.

Hooking her arm through Dana’s, Hazel swept them away from the rather boring room Dana had been describing as the questions slowly started to enter ‘will I get into trouble’ territory. Dangerous place to be if you were a rules-abiding lawful good, but then again that didn’t describe Hazel at all. And contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t who Dana was either. “It’s not a real night out if we don’t get into trouble,” Hazel explained as if this was one of the basic principles of the universe and not a rule she’d just made up. But before Dana could get any second thoughts, Hazel hastily added, “After this we’re totes going to the club and getting some shots in you. You need to chill.” Yes, going out to the Ivory Room would be the best thing (because honestly Dana looked overworked) and then Asher couldn’t say that Hazel didn’t take an interest in the family business. She totally did, just not the way he liked.

“Ooooh wow, super huge auditorium thing,” Hazel repeated with a skeptical expression as she peeked inside the room. It did indeed look like it could seat half of London’s magical community, although Hazel couldn’t imagine coming here for a lecture or a show. It wasn't really her style, although she could definitely picture Dana standing at the front with a bunch of charts or whatever to present her work. Yeah, her friend was just a genius like that. She tugged on Dana’s sleeve and decided, “I wanna see the telescope. That big shiny one you see from outside!”

@dana

[Deleted]

━ i worry i wasted the best of me ━

AT HER FRIENDS CONFESSION, DANA snorted quietly, before bursting into a fit of giggles. While their friendship was seemingly new, Dana had grown to learn a lot about her friend, her interests and the absolute yes' and no's. Rustic unfortunately fitted within the 'no's'. "Bit extreme isn't it?" She smiled, eyes slightly welling from tears of laughter. "Does this mean I need to reconsider your birthday gifts? And Christmas?" She added with a tease.

With their arms linked, Dana laughed once more as she was swept far far away from her confines that held all her work 'things'. Dana was the type to busy herself with work now that her younger brother had returned to school, but Hazel was seemingly her pull-back to reality. The distraction that everyone needed at times. The healthy kind at least. Opening her mouth to object at Hazel's mention of getting into trouble, Dana couldn't help but smile wider as Hazel continued on, knowing that the Knox would most likely object about such a thing. "I am chill!" She objected, even though she knew she wasn't.

"Oh, its up that way..But I don't know if there's anyone up there." Dana replied, chewing at her lip at the thought of..well..trespassing! Usually there was staff or security near the room, with their role being simply assuring that everything was fine with the equipment, or fine with whatever lecture was going on in the theatres. "If there's someone there..we most likely can't check it out.."

| Hazel Rosalie Burke |

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Hazel shot Dana a rather scandalous look at what might be considered a ‘rustic’ gift. “Girl, you know how it is. If it’s not on the list, then it’s being exchanged for store credit.” Oh yes, Hazel was exactly that kind of person. She knew what she wanted, made a lovely little list (with a price tag going far too high, when you took it all into account) and sent it to all the hundreds of her closest friends and followers. The pureblood had an exact vision of what she wanted in her mind – it was just everybody else’s responsibility to make it happen. Nobody had made a fuss about the system yet, or at least, nobody that Hazel was still in touch with.

It wasn’t even worth shooting back a witty retort to Dana’s patently false claim that she was chill (and anyway, Hazel couldn’t think of anything more intelligent than ‘and I’m the Minister of Magic’). There were many words to describe Dana – brainy, warm, with a rather sneakily hidden mischievous streak – but ‘chill’ didn’t even register in the top 100. Liar might though, if this unusual trend continued. Instead, Hazel just made a rather unladylike snort and lightly pulled Dana into a new corridor that seemed to be heading in an ‘up’ direction – which was the exact way she wanted, one step closer to that lovely telescope she’d seen from outside.

“Okay, say there is some bloke up there playing with his toys. You just turn on the astronomy babbling nonsense and I’ll finish him off. With my winning charm, of course. No magic involved,” Hazel added with a wink, pulling along an unwilling Dana with a little more force as she found a magnificent flight of marble stairs. She gave a low whistle. “Alright, I see you Ms. Marble,” she cooed, “Nice place you got here! I'd've visited sooner if I knew.”

@dana

[Deleted]

━ i worry i wasted the best of me ━

TO MOST, HAZEL'S BLUNTNESS WAS probably considered rude. But to Dana she simply loved it. She loved knowing that Hazel wouldn't..bullshit her in regards to things that would either ruin their friendship or cause any sort of tension. But given the lightheartedness of their conversation, a simple reconsideration for Hazel's future gifts was do-able. "Merlin, I love you. Why hadn't I ever thought of the same kind of thing?" Years of horrible gifts went unused and seemingly wasted because of empathy and taking in things the Knox even hated - with a smile.

As Hazel snorted, Dana quietly yelped as she was pulled in the direction of the stairs that headed upwards. The Knox knew it was a terrible idea really, but the slight rush she slowly started to develop from tiptoeing around in a place she shouldn't exactly be in was a much better feeling. "Winning charm?" Dana parroted, her smile even wider now. "You plan to flirt your way inside?" And the Knox knew Hazel would simply succeed.

Following (with no choice to) up the stairs, Dana caught up quick enough to take the lead. "We refurnished just a few years back. Asked all the astronomers for their opinion. I was just thankful they took mine into consideration." Dana had suggested minor tweaks here and there, but the marbling of the facility was definitely not her idea.

| Hazel Rosalie Burke |