Sitting Upon Stilts P.V Kae Closed

There was a reason why the library was emptying out, a reason why the librarian was reaching for her sweater. A chill in the otherwise warm castle. The lights almost seemed to dim as the torches fluttered nervously in their sconces. A little hufflepuff who had been late checking out her book stumbled, dropped her book on the floor and bent to pick it up. Her fingers felt the soft leather bound tome, shivering slightly as they closed around it, and brought it to her chest. It was only after that, when she looked up, did she notice the ravenclaw who was standing there. Blue cape, grey scarf, large umbrella that looked more like a staff. Tattered, fraying robes that somehow suited his messy, tangled knot of pitch black hair. His eyes were grey, laced with a red that seemed to glow malice. The boy's skin was a sickly grey that looked as though it belonged to someone thoroughly deceased.

She made a loud squeak, and then fled, clutching her book. There were tears in her eyes, Kaegen noticed. A sign that he was stronger, that he was powerful. He enjoyed their fear, their terror. It helped him place himself somewhere else. He wasn't a human, no, he was something else. Something better. They were scared of him because they were not as good as he was.

His tired eyes found a boy who hadn't fled, and who was in the dumbest chair Kaegen had ever seen, humming something he couldn't understand. It didn't take long for the ravenclaw terror of the hogwarts halls to reach the desk, and ask, in a quiet, raspy voice that didn't sound like it was meant to be used

"What's with your dumb chair. Did you fail to turn it into a cart?"

You can screw up alot of things for rowan, and he won’t mind, but when the male that walked up to him scared away his cat? Now that was both interesting and quite maddening. 

The pale grey-blue eyes of Rowan flicked up to meet his red ones, and he took a guess why Tripod had scattered. Yes, he was slightly intimidating, but... he found it more of an interesting thing. 

His eyes flicked around to check the rest of the library. Empty. Again, this was quite interesting. Everything about this was interesting, odd, and just a little off. His skin was a little too pale, his entire aura a little too intense. 

And then he spoke, his words shocking Rowan. 

“Pardon?”

He sputtered as he processed the male’s question. 

“The wheelchair. Right. It’s a muggle contraption. I use it because I cannot walk. My legs don’t work, nurse screwed up at St. Mungos.” 

The bloody wheelchair. Now he was more inclined to hate this boy. But he was fine, this was fine, he was fine. He just ignored the flash of anger that made it’s way to the surface. 

“And as you have asked a question, I think it fair that I may ask one as well. What are you? You’re obviously not human- or- purely so.”

He wasn’t one to talk either, to be perfectly honest, but hell, he didn’t care.  

Muggle magic? Yeah, right. It was clearly just a chair that had been fused with some dumb chariot. And of course the boy could walk, he had legs, legs were used for walking. Therefore, walking was entirely an option, and he was being entirely ridiculous. Or just lying, it was one or the other, or maybe a mix of both. But the lie was so blatant, it almost seemed sad. Who would fail at lying so miserably?

"I'm not pardoning you until you tell me what it is you want pardon for. And you can clearly walk, I can see your legs right there. Get up."

The boy went on to state his right to ask a question right back, a right that Kaegen was inclined to deny him, as there never was a mutual agreement to fairness in this discussion. Kaegen had gone through the trouble to walk over to the lazy liar in the chariot chair, and therefore Kaegen was going to be asking the questions.

"Does fairness even exist, or is it something the weak made up so the strong would feel sorry and give them some slack?"

He had asked the question, he wasn't going to answer one, not if the reason was for fairness sake. Fair was for equals, the lazy boy who refused to stand was not an equal.

Usually, hostility would be rolling off him in waves, however because of the numberous amounts of lovely businesses conferences and such he had attended when he was a wee bab, he didn’t say fuck you to the male, and turn heel and leave.

Instead he stared him down for a few seconds, before he sighed and explained once more.

“Yes, I do have legs, however they do not work. I can try and walk for you, however you will find I cannot, because they are broken, to put it simply. And as you are not answering my question, and instead answering it with a completely different question, I will assume you are half breed. Pale skin, trying to be intimidating aura, red tinted eyes, constantly looking sick, not giving a damn about your appearance...”

Rowan waved a hand, gesturing to the other. 

“Halfbreed. I’m guessing the part vampire thing. So many layers of clothes, pale, and you don’t meet the height for part giant or goblin, not werewolf because you’re not that hairy, though maybe werewolf still, thats a second guess... though not veela of course... I know those, and you’re not one... Though to answer your question, maybe the ideology is in place for that reason, however in some way one person has the upper hand in any given situation. Like take I know my home layout better than you, and if you came to my house, and yes, it is an if, not saying you would, You would be at mercy to me in knowing which room is what, and where every room is. Does that make sense to you now, or do you want to debate the topic further?”

"Legs are made for walking. They don't just "not work". You either have them or you don't, stop telling yourself that you're that pathetically weak. Cripples don't survive in this world, and you're alive. Therefore, you can walk. And trying to have an intimidating aura? Trying implies that I have a chance of failing."

Half breed? No, Kaegen was no half breed. He was full, he was strong. A full Kaegen, a full predator. A full wizard and a full monster. He was full of hate and full of brilliance and full of a need to survive. The lump of boy in the chair in front of him had nothing, was empty. Kaegen could smell the fear, the fear was always there. It wasn't something they could control, even some of the professors would shiver as he passed. Kaegen's aura was more than ominous. It was a feeling of helpless terror, a feeling that the little, pale, sickly corpse of a child in front of you was about to snap your neck and laugh about it.

"I would not be at your mercy in your home, in your castle, in your trap or your mind. I am Kaegen Deathmote, Fens-Born, Scarf-Wielder, and you are some lazy boy in a chariot chair that doesn't like to stand up."

He could almost feel the shifting in his eyes, almost feel his pupils begin to shift, and move about. Waking up, growing restless. He was the predator here, and if the boy in front of him refused to accept that, then... No, then nothing. Shows of strength were the way of the dog. Kaegen was no dog.

Fear was something that was not new to Rowan. Panic attacks and dealing with his father were common, and he simply had to work through it. Even though his breath was hitching slightly, and his heart did pound faster, he closed his eyes, sighing softly as he allowed raindrops to fill his head like always, drowning out the world around him for a number of seconds.

The way this conversation would be going, he would get nowhere with the boy. He was not understanding him, not willing to understand him. He had seen him in the abandoned bathrooms with the bomb. He did not seem to be the same boy. That boy was jumpy and deranged and... scared. He had changed before, he could change again. Someone just had to work at it. 

Rowan's fear was still apparent in the way his hands shook, but he shoved through the net that wanted to trap him within his own mind, and took a deep breath, before he opened his eyes once more, and looked at him, really looked at him.

"You are a boy. Just as the rest of us, children who need to learn. And you are angry. You harbour and feed emotions in you that would have died years ago if you allowed them to." 

Rowan held out a hand, just slightly in front of himself, studying it as it shook.

"Do something for me, please. Think of it a job, or something of the sort. You don't- have to do it and I'm not asking this to level the playing field or anything like that, I'm asking this for you. I am already as you said, weak, lazy, call it what you will. I am not a threat to you."

Before Kaegen had a chance to reply, he stated what he wanted.

"Imagine rain, or, some repetitive noise that you find calming filling your mind. Think of- slipping a bit of that anger into every rain drop and letting it wash away. You don't have to do it all at once, or even here and now while I am here, you can do it later or..." 

A sigh escaped his lips.

"You can control your emotions. But right now your emotions control you."

A boy? Like them? No. No, Kaegen was nothing like them. And he wasn't angry, he had made sure he wasn't angry. He had hate, not anger. He had to just have hate or it would consume him, he knew that. He had locked away as much of his anger as he could, just tapping in to the cold fire. What did this pathetic boy in front of him know? He was Gryffindor and couldn't even be near Kaegen without visibly shaking.

"I'm nothing like the rest of you. Not even close. You are just a drop in a current, a constant stream that gets drawn from and added to. You mean nothing to me, or anyone. One day you will die here, and nothing will change."

The boy then presented Kaegen with a job. Clear himself of the emotions that the other boy claimed were controlling him. Well, that was not going to happen. Emotion was all that he had, a shaky raft of purpose lifting him above the storm. And sure the raft dragged him about a bit, but it was better than drowning.

"I control them just fine, thank you. Maybe you should learn how to control your legs."

Kaegen turned, and headed for the door. He was done with this.

As expected, that didn't work.

Fine then. His loss. But he was still determined to make at least something work out of today's interaction, even if it was just getting to know the boy more.

Rowan turned as well, rolling along beside him as Kae was walking to the door. Just.. silent. Not talking, not bugging him, just being there. At least for a few minutes. His heart rate had slowed, and his breathing levelled. Silence did that. He enjoyed the momentary calm he got.

Tripod ran next to Rowan, soon hopping in his lap, even though the three legged creature was absolutely terrified of Kaegen. He curled up and hid partially in Rowan's robes, purring softly.

"Do you have a pet? Even at your home?"

He asked, voice quiet, almost like he didn't want to break the silence, though still calm and audible. 

Maybe he wouldn't answer. Maybe he would say no. Maybe yes, and they would get a conversation out of it. Either way it was information gained, and that's all he needed at the moment. Build something steadily, roll with the punches, and take what you could get. Because this male wouldn't give him anything he didn't work for.

"I don't have a home. Just somewhere I live when I'm not here. And yes, a few."

Why was this boy following him, why was that a trend nowadays? It was better than the previous trend, which had been for Kaegen to do the following around of other people, invariably into some mess or broken spirit, or bloody fight. Was hate this strong, did people gravitate to him now? No, no that was ridiculous, hate pushed people away. But it was definitely true that he was more confident now.

He noted with some annoyance that the other boy hadn't walked over, but wheeled over in that dumb chariot contraption of his. Walk. Just walk why wouldn't the boy just stand up and walk? Was he that rich, that well off that he thought walking beneath him? Kaegen had half a mind to kick the chair out from under him and force the boy to walk. He could hear the heartbeat slowing down a bit as well, which made sense. He was walking away, the waves of malice had somewhat subsided.

Kaegen walked a bit faster, hopefully to force the boy to walk to be able to keep up with him.