Elspeth grimaced as her name was called out across the din. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
"And good morning to you too, Thomas." Always Thomas, never Tom. Despite his attempts at getting closer to her, Elspeths' interactions with him never approached anything past pleasant politeness. Certainly, she had never attempted to be cordial with him. She wondered if it stung his pride, to so obviously attempt an uncharacteristic friendliness, with someone he had no actual intention to be friends with.
She wondered why he kept it up.
Still, she did not dislike him. Far from it, actually.
"I look forward to working with you as well. I expect nothing but excellence from you, after all." And it was true; for all that he was an abrasive, unpopular bully among the student population, to her knowledge, he had never under-performed. He was no Jaxon, but few could match him in terms of pure ability - what mattered was that he tried.
Her upperclassman gave a short cough at her words. Apparently, he did not share her sentiment. No matter, his opinion counted for very little, and she ignored him.
They reached their destination shortly after, and after the Head Boy and Girl disseminated their instructions ("You're allowed to dock points from hereon; Don't abuse your power; etc, etc.), the prefects were released and were to begin patrolling the train until they arrived. Before leaving the compartment, Elspeth returned Edith to her box.
"Stay here for now, Edith. I can't carry you around and risk having you scare the first years." The beautiful tarantula for her part, simply stared at her from her burrow, as if understanding her.
Satisfied with her preparations, she made to leave and begin her patrol. Turning to her partner, she nodded.
"Well, shall we?"