Cherry Lips // s. black

-FEBUARY-

I recommend listening to Starman by David Bowie with this chapter 

<3

Carmilla flicked through the sticker covered boxes of records, tapping her fingers to the one playing in the dim store.

The dregs of snow on her school shoes made puddles on the dusty floorboards that creaked underfoot. She had looked into the second-hand shoe shop quickly, but the prices of ugly shoes that hardly fit her and were made of gross, coloured leather, were too high for what they were. Her search for shoes that didn't rub against her ankles and trip her over and crease weirdly continued. Sadly. 

She was pleased to discover that when she flipped over one of the record sleeves, she could read nearly all of the song titles on it with ease. Of course, they sounded like odd space themed songs, but she knew that without having to put together each letter in her head.

It made her smile.

Another Hogwarts student trudged into the store, fishnet tights under her school skirt she would've had to pull on in the bathroom of The Three Broomsticks to get past Filch's tight security checks.

The smell of the roses in Carmilla's bag filled the room. Or maybe it was just her and her unnerving nose. She flicked through a few more records and went back to the space one with a man standing in a rainy dark, presumably London, street. She recognised the cobblestone paths around the older parts of the city. Her town had cobblestone roads and street lanterns still. 

Couch springs stuck into her hip when she flopped down on it. She wondered if there was any place in Hogsmeade she could get her ears pierced. She'd probably just have to ask around at a party until someone brought out a needle and a chunk of ice. Maybe there was a spell for it.

Hopefully Mistress They wouldn't be too mad when Carmilla returned home at easter with boots and earrings and literacy. 

She turned around on the couch and pointed to the record player, glancing at the lady sitting by the front of the shop. "Could I play this?"

"Depends on who it is."

Carmilla squinted at the album cover. "Uh... Ziggy Stardust?"

The lady finally looked up from her newspaper. She pushed a few of the braids she had done in half up bun with flowers over her shoulder. She snorted. "Why'd you bother asking?"

Carmilla didn't know what to say to that, so she turned back around and took the record on the player out of it, and slipped the new one in, setting the album sleeve on the table next to it. She sat back on the couch and rubbed her eyes.

The first song had only just started when someone tapped her shoulder.

Charlie looked nervous. Nervous enough that Carmilla turned to face him properly on the couch, crossing her legs and turning the volume on the record player right down. She shuffled around. "Yeah?"

"Um..." he started, picking at his cuticles and glancing around the shop. There were a lot of posters on the walls. Ones she recognised from Sirius's collection, and a few from June's too, muggle ones. She hadn't expected that here. "I need to ask you something."

Carmilla nodded. "...Okay."

He nodded back and then looked away, eyes flicking between the antique lamps behind her. Carmilla waited another moment, but he only stammered about nothing.

She smiled at him. "Take your time. We've got ages until we have to head back. I think."

Charlie nodded again, quickly, and gulped. He started ringing his hands too, and she wondered if she should try out that calming charm she'd read about last night with the light of her wand, curtains drawn shut. Lumos really was a useful spell.