Hey, you, get off of my cloud! [Helena]

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For the first time in months, Hermia found herself feeling...calm. The fact that she didn't even wake up with much of a hangover (after all, she didn't drink all that often, and what little she wound up getting from admirers last night could have easily done her in) was only the beginning. After all, she had been given some valuable advice the night before. It seemed to be wise to give it a go, seeing as...well, really, woe could only come to those who didn't listen to the freaking goddess of love.

So for the first time, she actually put the sort of effort in her appearance that she had before this nonsense started, because clearly, the lack of makeup and her best clothes weren't doing her any good, so at the very least, she should do it for herself. When she left her dorm room, she didn't look down, she didn't grab her sunglasses, and she didn't try to avoid eye contact (okay, so perhaps this was still a reflex, but she was trying at least). Did she turn heads and have people flock to her? Oh absolutely, but instead of her typical desperate attempts to get away from them, she took in some yoga breaths, smiled politely, and handled each situation calmly, and she even managed to not trip over herself or be late for any of her classes. It seemed like now that she wasn't resisting as much, things were getting better.

By the end of the school day, the halls were pretty clear, which was even better. She actually had some alone time...ooh, perhaps she could make it to the library and she could test out her new theory. Her grades had been slipping since she simply couldn't stay in one place before, but Aphrodite had been exactly right! Just accepting the compliments and such was suiting her so much better, and she couldn't imagine what she was thinking before.

Yet, it seemed that Fate had a few more curveballs for Hermia, and when she caught sight of one curly haired one, every bit of hope that she had for herself seemed to be drained out of her body as her blood rushed from her face.

Letting out what had to be the most dramatic gasp she had ever made, she threw being calm out the window and darted behind the corner before the blonde could see her and, perhaps very stupidly, snapped, "Don't come any closer!" Today had proven that she could handle random strangers falling at her feet, but her? Absolutely not, and oh, more importantly, what was she doing here???

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Helena had just gotten out of her last class of the day, and it really was a relief for her. These classes were nothing like the ones back home. These were much more difficult, but at the same time, she felt more satisfied with what she was learning. It seemed the harder the subject was, the more exciting it was to learn it. She didn't quite grasp it herself, but she supposed it was best to accept it.

Of course, Helena hadn't realized she wasn't the only one here that was from Athens, which is why she was so surprised when she heard that all too familiar gasp, and it was only confirmed when she heard Hermia tell her not to come any closer. She couldn't help but sigh, she was just disappointed Hermia still thought she had tried to steal both Lysander and Demetrius. She only wanted Demetrius, and she was just as surprised as Hermia was when both boys fell in love with her. But, right now she had to focus on the fact that she wasn't the only one she knew here! "Hermia? Oh thank the Gods, finally, someone I know here! I've been so lost since I got here..." She wanted very much to take a step towards Hermia, but she didn't want to push any boundaries.

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Hermia's heart was beating its own record as she hid from her childhood friend's view. Dear gods, what was she doing here? She had left her and, well, most of...all right, of course Hermia still thought of and, well...no! She didn't miss her, never, she...

Oh gods, why was she so good at making her feel for her? The minute she said that she had been feeling lost, Mia felt her heart sink like an anchor. Could this whole thing get more compli---actually, no. She wouldn't dare think that, because what if the gods heard that and decided to send the boys over here too? Considering the fact she had even met one of them (to say the very least), that seemed like a terrifying possibility. 

Mia let out a sigh, stating, "You ran too, then...there's something very wrong with that forest..." Then she shook her head. "I can't help you Helena, for so, so, so many reasons, you have no idea." Harsh? Perhaps, but she couldn't do this now...or ever, for that matter, and it'd be lovely if her boundaries could be respected. 

So why wasn't she walking away? That'd be the smartest thing to do. She could avoid her just by running away. It had worked before, why not again? Yet, oh so stupidly, she instead turned her face, maybe peeking out enough that Helena could only see the top of her head.

"So...just..." She was going to be more forceful, tell her to go away, but the words seemed to have died in her throat. Oh, curse her heart...

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Helena nodded as she followed her friends story. It seemed they had either run in similar directions out of the forest or something was very special about that forest.

"I wouldn't say wrong, we're here together at least?" She really was happy to have her friend back. It was a welcome relief, to know that she at least knew someone here, that it wasn't hopeless. She felt a wave of relief washing over her knowing that her best friend was here and she wasn't alone anymore!

And the relief stopped. What did Hermia mean she couldn't help her? She didn't understand, they were friends! Why wouldn't Hermia want to help her? She felt her heart sink into her stomach at all this. She was lost and confused by this new world. It was so different from home, and now she had a familiar face, but apparently that familiar face didn't want to see her. It was crushing to say the least. "I don't understand, you're my friend and I'm lost. I need something familiar. Please." She didn't want to beg, she really didn't, but she knew she was.

"Just what?" She was begging inside her mind for her friend not to tell her to leave. She couldn't handle that in the least. This was the one time she needed her dear friend more than anything. She couldn't just leave her now. How was she supposed to make it without her? She was scared and alone, and Hermia could help. Or at least, she thought Hermia could.

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Gods, why did she have to say that it was a good thing that they were together now? Part of the whole reason why Mia wasn't nearly as horrified at being blasted into a whole new world was being able to get away from everything that reminded her of Athens, especially the other three who were in the forest with her. Demetrius she had always wanted to forget, but anything that could help her move on from the fact that the two most important people in her life were nothing but liars was welcome. She was about ready to just march off, she was sure of it. She could turn her back on Helena again. That was how she had gotten here in the first place, right?

And yet...some things refused to change, apparently. Even in modern times women were making 30% less than men; childbirth still hurt like all Hades; it was still VERY hard to find a good man, and last, but certainly not least, it was very hard to tell Helena no. If that had changed, Mia wouldn't have been at the mercy of her friend looking as though she were about to cry and feeling very much like she was behaving like a villain at the moment. As if she wasn't already having enough difficulty in telling Helena no.

After a few moments of staring at her, she sighed and searched for those sunglasses. Yes, in spite of their absolute failure as of late, she felt that it gave her a fighting chance in having one less problem out of her old friend's presence. Once they were on, she revealed herself entirely, and only then did it occur to Hermia how much she had really changed in the two (or was it two millenia?) years since seeing Helena, although it looked like Helena had gotten ahold of some non Athenian garb. Modern clothing actually suited the girl all right, but Mia couldn't help but think that she was going to need some more, because she doubted Helena could have found that herself. No offense to her (although a spiteful part didn't mind the idea of offending her, really), but Helena was rarely the sort of girl who could do things on her own.

"All right. I'll help. You know damn well I can't stand to see you about to cry..." One would think I'd be immune to it by now, the bitter voice in her head thought, but she brushed it off. Now wasn't the time, even if she still felt that Helena had deceived her quite badly in the forest.

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Helena grinned when her best friend stepped out towards her. And against what most people would call better judgement (something she was sorely lacking no matter where she was) she ran up to Hermia and hugged her best friend. She was grateful to have her friend. While she wasn't thrilled it had come to her almost crying for it to happen that way, she was glad it had worked. It would have been crushing to lose her best friend.

"I've missed you so much!" She pulled back and grinned at her best friend. "I've met some wonderful people here! There was Westley, I met him when I first showed up, gave me directions and told me about this place called Florin which sounds simply wonderful except for the fireswamps!" Her eyes were glowing with excitement right about now. "Oh! And then there was Roger! He was pretty upset over a girl who was cruel to him and left," she was frowning when she talked about Roger, "There was Charlotte too! She helped me pick out these clothes I'm wearing!" As if to prove a point to Hermia, she spun in a circle to show them off. "Oh! And the teachers are quite interesting! I only have one class I really don't like, and it's only because it's a class on death and stuff." She wrinkled her nose at the mere mention of the class. She was really bouncing up and down though, because even though she was talking about a class she despised, she was still excited to be here, talking to her best friend about this exciting new place.

"Oh! What about you! How do you like this place?" She looked at Hermia with wonder, wanting to hear all about her adventures here.

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She supposed she should have seen it coming, but she found herself squeaking from surprise when she was at the mercy of one of Helena's hugs. The girl was so clingy that it made sense that her hugs could sometimes be so overwhelming. She let out a sigh and halfheartedly hugged her back, trying to remind herself that just because Helena was so happy which...admittedly, she hadn't seen in a very long time. Not since Demetrius broke her heart...she had really missed that smile...

No, don't start feeling glad that she's happy, because she lashed out at you and stole your fiance away! I mean, gah, why aren't you over him? You've been saying you were over him, but then you got kissed in a way you haven't ever since he broke your heart and...! Mia was rarely the sort to feel like pulling her hair out. Her hair was one of her favorite features and she didn't want to do anything to hurt it.

Thankfully, most of the empathetic joy over Helena's joy was worn rather thin pretty quickly as the blonde began yammering on about every single detail of what had happened since she had arrived here. It couldn't have been that long, otherwise Mia would have known about this sooner, and perhaps she would have been a lot more subtle in her attempts to escape. She resisted the urge to sigh and just nodded, barely able to follow a good chunk of what she was saying. Good gods, that girl could talk.

"It's...well, it's actually pretty spectacular," she began with something of a smile. "I...it's just a better life here, for a girl especially..." Gods, why couldn't she stop smiling now? It was almost like they were bonding like they did in their schoolgirl days, and that just wasn't okay. She was supposed to be angry with her, damn it! "Although I suggest you be careful, I seem to have been a magnet for...very strange things...but...ahem, yes, it's a nice school. Honestly, I'm thrilled that I get to go at all..."

It wasn't nearly as detailed or exuberant as Helena's tale, and Mia was feeling more than a little awkward. She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to think of what else to say there.

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Helena tilted her head to the side. She wasn't really sure what her best friend meant about it being a better life for girls here. She was quite happy with her life back home. What was wrong with it? She didn't get what she meant by it at all. That, of course, was when Hermia mentioned strange things. "What kind of strange things?" She asked. She was very curious about the adventures her friend had had while she was gone.

She looked around the area they were standing and she smiled. "It really is very nice here. I really like it." She was happy to see her friend. It marked a sense of stability in her life. Things had been changing so much lately, but this was one thing she understood. She ended up grinning at Hermia.

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It was when Helena asked her what sort of strange things she was talking about that it hit Mia that she had a very easy ticket out of this awkward and delicate situation. Why should she censor the strange things that she had been exposed to anyway? Perhaps it'd be an easy way to get rid of her ex best friend (even though she noticed that they were slipping rather slowly back into their old rapport and Mia didn't like that at all) and go back to life where her past didn't haunt her every step of the way. A part of her was scolding her for being so childish, trying to scare Helena off, but...gods, what was she supposed to do? Endure this? Besides, even if I wasn't, she has the right to know. Truthfully, I don't know how she'd react. A part of me wants it to be bad, but...oh just hush, conscience. I'm still dealing with her being here, give me a break! I'm not a saint!

"Well, it's a good thing you like it here. As I've said, it's a good place, but...well..." She then glanced around like somehow the magic was a secret. Still, Helena often had the mindset of a child and it would help add to the slightly more malicious side of her...Dear Mind, stop making me out to be the bad guy here! If I promise I won't REALLY try to scare her, will you leave me alone? The problem was, now that Mia thought of it, she really wouldn't have to try very hard. I mean, really, it wasn't just her experiences. She had heard of plenty of things that would make any sane person fearful. Even just her...ahem, encounter with Hermes would probably give the poor girl pause.

"Just...things that I can't exactly explain. It seems that it's magical. Spells, enchantments, that sort of thing. I'm actually wearing these glasses because of one of them. You don't want to know what would happen if I took them off or dropped them, gods forbid."