Darkness to Light Finished PV Ruka Tân

@Flash Holmwood

Sleep had come very late to Ruka that night, and it had left him only a couple of hours later already, but at least it had been there at all, so he felt much better that day than he had the night before.

And what a horrible night it had been.

Part of him was hopeful that maybe he had just hallucinated everything that had happened last night, but his brain refused to let him forget that it had all been very real.
What had he been thinking, sneaking down into the Dungeons, trying to infiltrate the Slytherin Common Rooms, just to talk to Jack? Just to ask for his picture back like a desperate addict begging for access to his stash?

God, he was pathetic.

And worst of all, this kid, Flash, had caught him straight in the act and threatened to tell Jack about it. Or maybe it hadn’t really been a threat. Maybe Ruka’s sleep deprivation had just made him paranoid.
Either way, Ruka wasn’t about to risk Flash spreading rumours and talking about his evening trip to the Slytherin Common Room, so that morning, shortly past six, he had put on his school uniform - his tie was a mess but he couldn’t be bothered to fix it - and placed Jack’s fedora on his head. Foregoing shoes as per usual, he made sure to put his feet into three pairs of warm socks as to not freeze off his toes outside. 

Once he was sure he didn’t look quite as horrible as last night - alas, there wasn’t much he could do about his pale skin and dark rings under his eyes - he made his way down the stairs, mind reeling with possible outcomes of this situation he was putting himself into.

What was Flash going to have to say to him? Why had he asked to meet him this early in the morning?

Whatever the reason, Ruka couldn’t help but feel refreshed by the silence that still lay over the castle like a blanket, and he couldn’t help but smile lightly when the cool morning air hit him as he made his way out onto the courtyard.

The only sound around was the calming song of birds in the area, and it really helped clear his head a little bit. With a renewed bounce in his step, Ruka made his way over to where he had spotted his new acquaintance, clearly just waiting for his arrival.

The sight of the Slytherin boy made Ruka’s heart speed up nervously, all of last night’s memories rushing back to him. He had gone to his dormitory wanting the earth to swallow him whole, and right now that feeling had returned.

Still, he came to a halt in front of Flash, moving a hand up to adjust the fedora in a way that it wouldn’t cover his face as much. “Six-Thirty,” he said in a way of greeting, foregoing any pleasantries.

For all Ruka knew, Flash was only here to threaten him some more, so why would he waste any Good mornings on him?

“Now what?”

It was easy to notice Ruka’s approach, with his solitary footsteps echoing against the big empty Great Hall. The doors creaked open and he timidly shuffled over. He looked, at least, like he wasn’t any worse. He was a bit more put together, and a bit less deranged.

”Six-thirty.” He stated plainly, conflict present on his face. ”Now what?”

Flash sighed with relief and exasperation. He was grateful that his words had worked, but almost felt the headache start back up, knowing Ruka intended to fight back against everything he said. He could feel the resistance like an invisible wall pushing up against him whenever they were close. Flash liked quiet people, spontaneous people, and even dangerous people, but he wasn't sure how to handle someone who was, what? What was Ruka? He wasn’t about to regret his decision when things were already set to move forward, so he pushed his frustration aside.

”We’re going on a walk.” Flash answered promptly, making the situation unambiguous. ”I just wanted to get to know you. You know, clear your name. That’s fine with you, isn’t it?”

There was one thing that was off, but inexcusably so. How hard is it to tie a tie, really? Flash moved in slowly, pointing at it.

”May I fix your tie?” He huffed a bit, unable to resist acting like a put-upon older brother, despite being the youngest of the two.

Ruka nodded reluctantly, and let Flash come in to fix it. It was damaged. He hadn’t taken care of it at all and it had heavy creases where he tugged at it or left it tied for too long instead of hanging it up properly. It was a lost cause, but Flash fixed it up the best he could. Presentability was a villainously underappreciated part of a healthy lifestyle, or at least that’s what Flash was taught growing up. He looked down and saw the socks-- A lost cause...

@Flash Holmwood

Flash’s face was one of relief, mixed with something Ruka couldn’t quite decipher, but it was clear that he had been doubting whether the Gryffindor was actually going to show up or not. 

Now that Ruka was here, however, it seemed like the best idea to just get straight down to business. If he was going to have to deal with threats this early in the morning already he rather know about it straight away than after half an hour of small talk.

Flash’s words, however, didn’t speak of any malicious intent, and Ruka raised his eyebrows in surprise, words caught in his throat for a short moment.
“A walk?” he repeated, eyes narrowing suspiciously for a moment. The Slytherin wanted to go for a walk with him, at six-thirty in the morning, to get to know him? Clear his name? The was something dodgy about that, something that didn’t quite add up, but Ruka couldn’t really think of any other reasons the boy would have for this whole ordeal, so for now he decided to - carefully - trust his words.

“I guess that’s fine,” he said slowly, shrugging his shoulders in response. There was no reason for him to decline going for a walk now that he was already out here, and if Flash showed any signs of having ulterior motives he was still able to leave. 

The good thing about being outside was that there were no walls to prevent one’s exit.

Taken aback by Flash’s random urge to fix his tie, Ruka could do nothing but nod his consent, staying frozen on the spot as he let the Slytherin fumble with his tie until it looked at least somewhat presentable.

Once that was over and done with, Ruka cleared his throat, looking around the courtyard for a moment. As expected, there was nobody else around, and the sky slowly brightened in the beginnings of a new day. 
Maybe this was a good thing.

Maybe Flash really didn’t have any bad intentions and they would just have a walk together, talk a bit. Ruka could make the Slytherin see that he hadn’t meant any harm to anybody the night before, and they could part ways as amicable acquaintances.

“So where are we walking?” he asked, taking a step back to show that he was ready to follow in whichever direction Flash was going to lead to. “And why exactly are we walking this early in the morning?”

Flash started walking forward, gesturing with his hand to encourage Ruka to follow along. Flash always varied his routes, having at least 13 designated paths to choose from depending on the day or the weather. Even though he had looked forward to being apart from the stuffy Holmwood mansion and its suffocating atmosphere, there were things about his family he couldn’t let go of. These jogs were one of them.

Valerius, his oldest brother, had always seemed perfect to Flash. His words were golden strings tugging at the hearts of everyone who heard them. Nothing ever seemed to get by him, and it gave him an air of limitless possibility. He always seemed far away, like a star glittering in the inky distant sky, able to be admired but never reached.

Valerius was 19-years-old when Flash was born, already graduated from Hogwarts with great honors and a sterling reputation. He launched directly into a career in politics, having already long made the connections he needed to secure himself the position he wanted. Everything he strove for always seemed to fall right into his hands, but knowing him personally let Flash see the reality-- it was a lot of work.

He would visit the mansion often, for whatever time he could spare from his job in London. One thing Flash had noticed was that Valerius took a jog every morning-- no matter what. He started to join him every chance he got, just to talk, to listen, and to learn. It wasn’t long before Flash started jogging even when Valerius wasn’t around.

”I jog every morning. It clears my head, helps me organize my thoughts.” Flash answered Ruka’s question, but with hardly any intonation, drifting off a bit into his memories.

In the direction they were walking, the courtyard opened up to a part of the grounds surrounding the outside of the castle wall towards the entrance hall, being overlooked by the astronomy tower. A simple, short route that had one particular intended effect-- it was the best route for watching the sunrise, an unobstructed view.

”So, what’s with you and Burnett? If you didn’t want to get back at him, what did you want?” Flash spared no time clearing the tension, it was best to get right to the point. The walk wasn’t going to be a long one anyway. Depending on what he said, at least. It could always be made longer.

@Ruka Tân

@Flash Holmwood

Following Flash on a path towards the Grounds, Ruka took a moment to just admire his surroundings a little bit. He was rarely outside this early in the morning anymore and it made a certain sense of melancholy flood through him.

Hogwarts was so different from the life he was used to, with its soft beds and regular meals. There was no need to spend the nights somewhere under the stars and rise with the sun, no need to put on street performances in hopes that they were good enough to earn enough money for food and drink.

Maybe going out in the mornings to get back in touch with the beauty to be found outside of restricting walls was something he should add to his currently non-existing morning routine.
Since he was barely able to sleep anymore anyway, might as well make some use of all that time, right?

Ruka was ripped from his musings at the sound of Flash‘s voice announcing that morning jogs helped clear his mind. 

That made sense.

The cool air, the peace, the accompanying melody of bird songs - it also did something to Ruka‘s mind that set it strangely at ease for at least that moment.
He hummed in acknowledgment as he reached up to adjust the fedora again as he matched his pace with the Slytherin boy‘s.

For a second, Ruka thought he was going to be able to just breathe and enjoy the view, but Flash didn‘t waste any time cutting right to the chase. The sound of Jack‘s name was like a punch to the stomach, his mind immediately trying to find an exit from this conversation.

Stop it.

He took a deep breath as he mulled Flash‘s question over in his head. At some point he was going to have to be able to really talk about all this emotional turmoil inside him without his heart racing like that.

„I was just overreacting,“ he answered carefully, not wanting to expose too much of himself this early on in the conversation. „Jack and I were... uh, close?“ He voiced it as a question, fully aware of the fact that Flash couldn‘t offer any confirmation to that.

He had thought him and Jack were close - After everything Jack had done for him without ever asking for anything in return, knowing full well Ruka had no means to ever be able to pay him back for anything... All that emotional support, all the talk about letting Ruka stay with Jack for the summer... It had been a stronger bond than just an acquaintance.

Before it had just ended with the snap of a finger.

A part of Ruka felt like he knew that Jack had also finally noticed that their bond was stronger than what he was actually comfortable with, but another couldn‘t help but wonder if maybe it had been Jack‘s intention to build him up just to let him fall again from the start.

„But then he attacked that girl after she gave me a concussion.“ He pointed to the scar on his forehead lazily like it didn‘t really matter. „And I haven‘t seen him since. He‘s been avoiding me and I don‘t really know why.“ 

Shaking his head to himself, Ruka let his gaze drift across the Grounds, a sad little smile crossing his face at all the memories of living in forests and fields the sight stirred in him.

Slowly he returned his attention to Flash.

„I get if he doesn‘t want to see me anymore,“ he said genuinely. He had told Opeila before that he didn‘t hold Jack‘s decisions against him, not really, and he stood by that. Ruka cared enough about the Slytherin to respect his boundaries. „But I gave him something of mine. Something that‘s... important to me. And he promised I could have it back if I really needed it.“ He gnawed on his bottom lip thoughtfully, wondering for a second how much information was too much. „Turns out I really need it.“

He fumbled with the edges of his cloak for a moment, thoughts drifting to his dad‘s picture. He knew it was unhealthy how much his mind tried to cling to things and people, but for a boy who had had nothing growing up, and had lost the person he had thought would be there forever, was it really that surprising that he was trying to keep at least something? 

„But I‘m not exactly able to ask him for it when I can‘t get a hold of him, you know?“ 

Flash had to try to keep his pace down, even when he was just walking he tended to stride quickly. It was a necessity when he would take rounds around the castle for gathering intel-- he had a lot of places to be, and sometimes he would have to stay still for long periods of time. Here, he had to walk slowly. It was good information, already so much more than the night before. He and Jack, was it? He was on a first name basis then, that was closer than most, for sure. Ruka seemed to be genuine about his confusion though-- he really didn’t seem to know why their connection had been suddenly dropped. Flash would have to figure that out some other way, the context alone wasn’t enough to make an educated guess.

But this thing that Burnett was holding onto, that was completely new information. Ruka wasn’t trying to ‘just talk’, as he so adamantly insisted the night before. There was a possession of his that Burnett had that he wanted back. Something important… that Ruka needs… Why didn’t he mention it earlier? There was a reason he didn’t mention it earlier. Location was very important after all.

The first hints of color had already started to paint the stratocumulus clouds hanging low in the sky like waves. From the spot they were, one could see the surrounding area at quite a vantage, atop an easily defensible cliff. As the sun peered over the tops of the trees, the sky filled with a bright red-orange color, like a catching flame.

”I see.” Flash stopped a moment to look out at the sprawling landscape. ”How selfish of him. He should have said something. Well… I shouldn’t speak badly of him behind his back, but that’s just how it makes me feel. You were hurt, you needed a friend, and he wasn’t there.”

He looked back to Ruka to see what effect his suggestion would have, ”There must be a reason, people don’t change for no reason at all. Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding.” He couldn’t just tear Burnett down without pretending to be unbiased, he didn’t want Ruka to feel like he had to defend him.


@Ruka Tân

@Flash Holmwood

Keeping up with Flash‘s pace was turning out to be more difficult to expected. 
Usually he had no issues with fast paced exercises, not after all these years of working hard at all the choreography he had needed for the street performances he had put up with his dad. However, after days of starving himself and barely sleeping he found himself exhausted after a couple of minutes already so he appreciated the fact that Flash seemed to at least try to keep his pace down a little.

Keeping his breathing calm, he lifted his head a little to watch the sky from under the rim of Jack‘s fedora, eyes twinkling excitedly at the mix of colours cutting through the clouds, the breaking of a new day setting the sky aflame.

He tore his gaze away from the natural spectacle to instead fix it on Flash again, biting his bottom lip as he listened to the other boy‘s words.
„It wasn‘t... I...“ he started, stumbling over his words for a moment as he thought of a way to respond that wouldn‘t make it sound like was trying to defend Jack‘s actions like a lovesick puppy. „We‘re not friends.“ 

Jack didn‘t do friends and Ruka wasn’t stupid; He knew that he was no exception.

„He never made me any promises to be there when I needed someone.“ He shook his head, sighing lightly. If there was one thing he would probably never be able to associate with Jack it was dishonesty. He had made it clear from the moment they had met that he didn‘t want a friend, and any illusions on Ruka‘s side weren‘t exactly the Slytherin‘s fault.

He dropped his gaze to his socked feet for a moment as he mulled over Flash‘s words. They were almost too carefully crafted; on one hand vaguely disapproving Jack‘s actions to give Ruka validation while simultaneously trying not to sound too judgmental, probably in fear of testing out Ruka‘s loyalty too much.

He had spent enough time with Jack to smell manipulation a mile against the wind.

Still, he couldn‘t help tiptoeing closer to the trap, curious to poke it to see what it would do, like trying to make a mouse trap snap without getting caught inside it.

Again he shook his head, this time at his own thoughts. What if it wasn‘t a trap at all? What if Jack‘s company had just made him paranoid?

„I don‘t think he‘s doing it out of spite,“ he agreed vaguely, carefully. He wasn‘t sure what Flash really wanted to hear; Did he expect Ruka to talk badly about Jack? Spill out potential secrets?

Did he expect anything at all?

„Whatever it was that made him avoid me all of a sudden, he didn‘t stick around to explain.“ He shrugged lightly, eyes mustering Flash with slight suspicion. „How well do you know him?“ he decided to ask, voice light, small smile on his face.

If there was one thing he had learned from spending his time with Jack, it was that you should never give out information without gathering some in return.

The wind blew gently up against the fortifications of the castle walls, swirling and dissipating back into nothing. Now that the sun was out, its warm rays reached the boys in their morning isolation, warming their skin and glowing their breath as they spoke.

”Well… I hope I can be open with you, you don’t seem like a bad person to me.” Flash made a turn back towards the courtyard-- it would be a short walk today. ”I don’t like Burnett, I think the way he acts is just inviting trouble. When I saw you in the dungeons with your wand out like that… I thought he had finally gone too far. Done something unspeakable. I guess I was worried for nothing.”

Flash threw out a worried smile-- something that spoke of uneasy acceptance. Even now, despite all the parameters being perfect, Ruka didn’t seem to trust him. Was it some kind of deeply seated trust issue, or was Burnett forming some kind of cult?

”In the end, it looks like all this was none of my business. I hope you’ll forgive me, I thought my house might be in danger. It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s tried to get revenge for something a Slytherin did…”

From here, Flash had a lot of avenues he could go down. He would have loved to do something that threw a wrench in Burnett’s plans, but he had already invested so much time into something with paltry rewards. Even if this ‘important thing’ Ruka needed was the philosopher’s stone, it wouldn’t be worth talking to Burnett again. Flash was like a politician, and Burnett was like organized crime. Going head to head, Burnett was going to win every time. He had a lot less to lose.

”I wish I could help you out, but I don’t think Burnett would ever listen to anything I have to say.” As he spoke, they were already near the courtyard again, back to civilization. ”But don’t lose hope. He’s a student here after all, I’m sure you two will get to talk again. Maybe you'll even see him at breakfast.”

It was better to keep his nose out of it. With most of his questions answered, he couldn’t see the benefit of sticking around. In the end, he really had just done this poor sap a favor. Even when given the opportunity to let it all out, to air his grievances in total privacy, Ruka had stayed tight-lipped. What unwarranted loyalty. He doesn’t deserve it. He wanted to say it out loud, but he didn’t want to come off as bitter. After all, didn’t this all end with Burnett taking him back in, using him up once more, and spitting him back out? Perhaps he presumed a bit much, but he didn’t want to be caught in the middle of whatever strange relationship the two of them were building.

”This is… also none of my business, but…” Flash continued, even though he knew better. ”You do need a friend. You need help. You shouldn’t be looking for it in the dungeons, or this thing Burnett has.”

Flash shook his head, ”No… I’m sorry, I’m just telling you how to live your life. I don't know what you're going through.”

@Ruka Tân

@Flash Holmwood

Ruka frowned a little at the realisation that Flash seemed to already end their walk so quickly, feet leading back towards the courtyard instead of further towards this spectacle of a sunrise.
Had he decided that Ruka wasn‘t worth sticking around for?

Disappointment coursed through him; If Flash really had ulterior motives, Ruka had expected him to try a bit harder to break his spirits instead of giving up after just a few short sentences.
Flash couldn‘t have really expected Ruka to just let loose and throw all his loyalties towards Jack into the wind, right?

The boy‘s next words came as no surprise to Ruka; From the way Flash had been talking and prodding at him, he had figured that his relationship with Jack - however much of it there was - wasn‘t a very positive one.
He decided to keep quiet for a while, to see where exactly Flash was trying to take this conversation to; Apparently, though, not much followed aside from weak consolation and another small hint that he and Jack weren‘t on the best of terms.

Only his words about Ruka needing a friend made the young Gryffindor stop in his tracks, eyes thoughtful, face mostly hidden behind the fedora as he looked down at the ground.

„Let me ask you something?“ he said carefully, looking back up at Flash with genuine curiosity. Maybe he wasn‘t very good at playing this very Slytherin game of manipulation and deceit, but that didn‘t mean he couldn‘t at least try, right?

Flash wanted him to talk about Jack?

Well, he would have to talk about him first.

„What did he do exactly to make you so weary of him?“ Of course Ruka was aware of Jack‘s reputation around quite a few people at school - Opeila was his biggest proof that there were people who would strictly advise against associating with Jack - but the way Flash talked made it sound like he had a personal experience with his fellow Slytherin before.

The way he acts is just inviting trouble.

What a curious statement. Trouble, how exactly? Ruka found a lot of Jack‘s actions to be self-destructive at the most, and while people definitely got hurt in the aftermath of Jack‘s strange methods of self-punishment, the only trouble he really seemed to be creating was more for himself than for any bystanders.

„I mean, I know he‘s a handful, but he‘s not a bad person, not really.“ He looked back up at Flash, feet firmly planted on the ground. 
The Slytherin had made him come out here at the crack of dawn and Ruka wasn‘t going to leave with nothing but some lazy smalltalk.
„He‘s nobody‘s friend, I knew that from the start,“ he added carefully. „But he helped me out more than anybody I might have considered a friend.“

Curiously he narrowed his eyes at Flash, taking a small step back to be able to muster the Slytherin from head to toe. „You‘re right, you don‘t know what I‘m going through,“ he confirmed with a small nod. „And you probably don‘t care that much either - Why would you, you barely know me.“

He shook his head lightly, eyes fixed on Flash‘s face. His voice wasn‘t harsh or bitter, his tone friendly and curious, like this was just a friendly chat.

„You said you don‘t like him much and yet you invited me out here to make sure my trying to break into your common room wasn‘t to put him into any danger.“ He tilted his head to the side curiously like he was looking at a puzzle he was trying to solve. „If you don‘t care for him, why bother with his potential enemies? Unless his enemies are your allies? Are you recruiting people for war?“

No, that guess was a shot in the dark, but it stood to reason considering how Flash had cut their walk short the second he‘d realised Ruka wasn‘t going to spill any dirt on Jack that easily.

„I don‘t mean to question your intentions - the same way I‘m sure you didn‘t mean to question mine last night - but I have a question I just can‘t shake: Why do you want information on Jack Burnett?“