I Think I'm Just Happy PV Colin McCoire Finished

Colin dashed out into the courtyard, eager to run! The last fortnight had been crazy! First, Colin's entire House had almost been swept away by a deluge of lavender smelling toilet water, all after some kid apparently stuffed mank smelling mushrooms down the drain which caused the toilet runes to explode. And then the first meeting of S.N.O.G. went completely wrong after everyone got poisoned by something weird in the cidre that made them all have strange visions!

Colin was no stranger to weird visions, but he did wonder if that's what AngelFyre felt like when she had her Visions. He needed to ask her about all that some time. She was, after all, his very own Seer! Colin smiled at the thought. Of all the young Seers in Hogwarts, he felt so blessed that AngelFyre was his friend!

"Whoa!" he said as he jumped down four steps at a time, landing on the stones of the courtyard. There was a ribbon on the ground! Colin looked around to see if anyone was watching. One could never be too careful at Hogwarts. Ever a stray ribbon could be the cause of mayhem! Who knew if someone weren't playing a prank? Or if some evil creature hadn't left it as a means of luring some kid away to its lair where he'd be torn to shreds and devoured!

Colin picked it up.

It was bright and colourful.

Colin reckoned that no creature of the ebon night would be caught dead with such a thing, even if it wanted to lure some kid to her doom. He sniffed at it. Colin smirked. No, there was no prankery here. He had a pretty good idea who belonged to this particular ribbon! Colin took off at a run along the path that led down towards the herbology greenhouses.

It wasn't too long until he discovered his quarry!

There, sprawled out like was doing the laziest horizontalest cartwheel in history was Emily Shephard. Colin smiled. He shoved the terrors of the boys dorm aside and skipped the rest of the distance. Every bit of Emily was stretched out! Her arms and legs stuck out and even her long brown hair was all splayed in every direction! It was like she'd jumped off her broom without a pair of shoots and just splatted here in the grass!

She seemed happy enough anyway!

"OWOOOO!" Colin howled.

He made a running leap that ended with him sprawled next to Emmi. She was looking up into the sky, so Colin looked up into the sky as well. Who knew what she was seeing up there!

"Ayo Emmi! Wotcha doin?"

Colin reached over and delicately placed her ribbon on the bridge of her nose. "Found something! I knew twas you, lass, so I followed!" Colin turned to look at Emmi, kind of sideways. He hadn't felt this way in a long time. Just happy! Funny how she had a certain effect on him. He wondered about that. What could it mean?

@Emily Shephard

February 8th 2025
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Mm... Fluffy... With @Colin McCoire

Very little mattered to Emily when it came to the world around her. As far as she was concerned whilst in her dream state, she was happy to be able to ignore whatever would try and get her attention. All those times of wishing to clear her mind when she held her healing stones in her hand, every time she meditated, even when she knew how to block out most of the world's noise... It all wasn't enough until now. All it took was a small swig of whatever sketchy miracle juice she found in the Common Room and now here she was, melded into the ground like it and her became one. The cherry on top? Her mind couldn't do a thing to protest, instead empty and full of peaceful fuzzies.

The only thing that just about swayed her attention was when Colin came falling onto the ground beside her, star-fished out as well like he just splashed there. Emily shifted her head in his direction, met with his toothy grin and green eyes.

"Ayo Emmi! Wotcha doin?"

"Oh!" Emily smiled dreamily. "Colin, my friend... I didn't expect to see you here." Her words were soft and lacked that tiny bit of awareness she was missing, as if she was only just coming to terms with Colin's presence even when she knew he was here.

"I remember doing something. Can't really remember what though. Head's a bit funny at the minute." She giggled when another hit of bliss circled in her head. "All I know is that I drank something and now I feel like... This. So I took a short walk. And now I'm-- Is it me or does the ground feel so fluffy today?"

She snuggled the back of her head further into the grass as if she thought she could get closer to it. In the midst of her head turning, a remnant of tear ran down the side of her face. Not that Emily was bothered with that. All she knew was there was nothing to be upset about, not when this was the best she had ever felt all her life!

Everything about her felt brand new and tingly. She admittedly felt a bit stiff lying there like that but was afraid she'd be jelly if she tried to get up. Instead, she distracted herself with Colin's visage. It was worth the sensation to be with a dear friend. Her eyes wandered up and down his face and chest. Same old Colin but different at the same time. Differently good. She couldn't think why. Not that thinking was on her agenda at the minute.

Her eyes landed on his nest of hair. "Heh... Fluffy."

The grass still felt fluffy when her arm jerked towards Colin's hair. The way he set her retrieved hair ribbon onto the bridge of her nose felt fluffy. When her finger grazed a stray lock of his hair, it too felt fluffy. God-- Everything just felt so fluffy! It was maddening! It was pure, indulgent pleasure!

Until it wasn't anymore.

The first sting of realisation came when she felt her gaze had lingered on Colin for too long. She corrected that when she finally blinked and looked away shyly. Another came when the feel of bliss inside her suddenly felt less. Then everything else hit her like a freight train, the sensation of pleasure and a calm, empty head fading away like water going down the drain, all to be replaced by a torrent of sadness, frustration and anxiety... Everything she remembered feeling before she set foot outside the Common Room earlier and all the reasons why.

The onslaught of those feelings forced her upright as she tried to suppress them, shaking her head in small outbursts. The ribbon Colin decorated her nose with fell into her lap. She was missing that caress of peace that brought her respite for those few minutes. She was almost craving it, something that felt right but also disgusted her in equal measure. Whatever she graced her lips with earlier wasn't normal, yet it conflicted her; it brought her normalcy. She remembered why she was crying and hid her hands under her legs. She didn't want Colin to see the ugly black mark that had infected her finger from that night.

She side-eyed Colin with an embarrassed look. "Sorry..."

_{Word Count: 725}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

Colin grinned. She looked -- not half asleep --- but something akin to it. Colin wondered. Even Emily's voice sounded a bit further away than usual. It was all soft and whispy. At first he wondered if she'd breathed in something weird in herbology. He thought back to the week before and the spiked cidre in Regulus Dorm.

"I remember doing something. Can't really remember what though," she murmured. Colin's eyes narrowed slightly. Emmi didn't usually sound quite this sus. He was used to a more energetic and forthright Emmi. Ah. She said head was feeling weird. Colin nodded wisely. Yep. She'd been into something alright! Colin reckoned it was ---

"Wait. Fuzzy?" he asked. Colin turned on to his side, resting his head in his hand. He patted the short grass. "Well, I personally wouldn't characterise the ground as fuzzy Em?" Colin was confused. He didn't remember anything like this happening in herbology! Oh wait! Emily drank something!? Colin's eyes widened.

Emily turned a bit and looked at Colin. Colin smiled. She kept staring. Colin looked into Emily's hazel coloured eyes. He wondered what could possibly be going on in her head! Colin found he rather liked looking into Emily's eyes. His heart quickened. She stretched out her hand and stroked his hair, a little scratch behind the ear. Colin leaned in to Emmi's hand. For some reason, Colin liked it when Emily did that. It felt nice. Calming.

And as suddenly as she'd reached out, she turned away.

Colin blinked. The smile faded from his face, replaced with a look of confusion.

She sat upright and shook her head! Colin sat up too, trying to figure out what went wrong! "Um! Did I do something weird? I---You---I mean. You can ruffle my hair or give me ear scritches any time! I don't mind!" Colin blushed slightly. He'd never told anyone before and only one friend had ever figured it out!

Emily apologised, suddenly hiding her hands.

Colin's brows knit. "Emmi? What's wrong? What are you hiding? Did you hurt yourself? I---You can show me..."

Now Colin was worried. What was going on with Emily? Was someone after her? Was she under some kind of attack? Colin looked around, as if the shadow creatures from the dorm would rise up out of the grass and snatch the girl away!

@Emily Shephard

February 8th 2025
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Even Huffies Can Hate, with @Colin McCoire

There was a hot minute where Emily sat there in a stammering mess, looking at Colin guiltily. There was so much wrong with what had just happened, things that poor Colin just couldn't quite see. Yet. What should've been a sweet moment for the two of them was actually a façade covering over something sinister.

"Emmi? What's wrong? What are you hiding? Did you hurt yourself? I---You can show me..."

Emily's eyes widened and she whimpered. Damn it. He saw it after all. He was far too perceptive for his own good sometimes. Now that he said it, Emily's eyes glossed over with anxious tears. But seeing Colin's face, that clear concern for her... Her heart squeezed.

"I did something really stupid..."

She timidly showed him her finger. While it didn't look anywhere near as angry, black or infected as it was compared to the night she contracted it, Colin could probably still see where it used to spread in where it now began to fade, close to the tip of her finger. The veins surrounding her mark no longer stretched around her finger, instead coiling down near the sides. As for the rest however, especially where she cut it on the tree, it was still dark and menacing looking. From far away, it could've easily been mistaken for a harsh bruise. If only it was.

"I've had this for a while," Emily confessed quietly. "When I was out looking for more hag dolls someone led me to this... Tree. The "heart" of the forest, he said. It needs blood to survive... And I-- And now--"

"It doesn’t matter why you give. It only matters that you do. That you obey. That you feed it."

That honeyed voice. That teasing, sociopathic grin. Emily hated that man. For taking advantage of her dream. Her kindness. Her love. Knowing that he had reduced her to this, all because she had a heart.

She gave Colin a destitute look, her tears finally spilling over.

"I only wanted to help the forest!"

She fruitlessly tried to stop her tears flowing, catching some with her sleeve while the rest stained her lap. "I keep hearing them, Colin... Those wicked whispers. They laugh and make fun of me for wanting to help the forest... For wanting to help you and everyone else I care about. A lot of the time they're quiet. I've been doing all I can to get them to shut up. But sometimes, there'll be a day where it's too much... And I can't stop them."

Her hand scrunched into a fist. "Must the school make it it's mission to punish me for wanting to learn? For wanting to get to know our neighbours living in that forest? For wanting to make the world better for half-beings?" She sniffled. "Am I not allowed to worry about them? To express care and love to them like any other creature?" Would a day come where people would target her for being friends with Scout, a dhampir? Or for offering kindness and sympathy to Tesla, a werewolf?

She felt like she was being punished for caring. If people could accept people liking tarantulas and scorpions and show no fear of them, how was it that people made it out of their way to stop Emily, a Muggle-born, from wanting to have a superficial interest in half-beings and dark creatures? Was learning and understanding such a crime?

"It doesn't matter how much I read, how much I study, how many times I go out there, how much I theorise and hypothesise... I always feel like I'm still lagging several paces behind everyone else. I feel so useless... I can't help anyone."

She looked at her finger and her lip quivered. "I can't even help myself. I drank that potion willingly, hoping it would somehow save me... And now even as I sit here like the miserable soul I am, I want more of it. I might end up drunk and sick off it like some of the other Hufflepuff students. I'm such a coward, trying to avoid everything like this, using a mystery potion to drown myself in pleasure that doesn't even last long."

Her finger suddenly pulsed and a fresh wave of blackness washed over her skin's surface. The spot where she pricked her finger was becoming darker than charcoal. The swell of voices that haunted her earlier ramped up again, gnawing at her mind.

Naïve little girl.

Sad little life.

Not born out of love.

"Be quiet!" She buried her head between her knees, gripping the ends of her hair. Her whole body was tense as she tried to will those voices out of her head. She bit her bottom lip, any harder and she just might make it bleed. The blackness plaguing her finger began to creep towards her knuckle.

She smiled bitterly. "I guess I'm... Just a Mudblood."

_{Word Count: 833}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

Emily was definitely not herself! Colin wondered softly: "Has someone hexed her? What's going on?" She didn't seem to want to say anything at first. Colin knew that feeling. With him, it meant something really big was not being said. There was nothing for it, though, except to wait and let the girl sort out her thoughts and speak when she was ready.

He was kind of sad though. She seemed really happy just a few minutes before. He wondered if his intrusion had done something to upset her. He looked down at the chilly grass. He was beginning to realise something about Emmi. Something about himself too. He'd felt like this before. He wondered. Could it be that he was actually fall---

"I did something really stupid..." she said suddenly. Colin looked up into Emily's eyes. They were hazel. Neither green nor brown. Somewhere in between, like brilliant sunlight through clouds. More golden.

Eyes of Sky

She raised up her hands so that he could see. Colin blinked. His own eyes widened at what she revealed. It looked --- wrong --- it didn't look like any ordinary kind of injury. Colin was pretty familiar with Emily's blood by now, having broken her nose once already. By accident! And of course, he had healed it too! But this was --- yuck?

Emily began to unfold a crazy tale. Colin scooted closer to the girl and took her hand gently in his. At first, one might think it had been mashed in a bizarre mortar and pestle incident! But it was no bruise. There were like, viney bits? Like raised veins coiling along her finger. He listened as she began the story.

Hag dolls.

Of course! Colin shook his head slightly, a faint smile playing about his lips. With Emmi, there always had to be hag dolls. Or swooping evils. Or some dark creature. For a Muggleborn, the girl was practically a magical creature magnet! That was just one of the things he loved about Emily Shephard. Colin drew her hand closer. He sniffed delicately at her affected finger.

He looked up suddenly when she said she'd had this creeping black on her finger for a while now. "Emily!" Colin said sharply. He gave her an exasperated look. "Emmi! You should have said something! I--- You---! This isn't just a nose broken during a broom race! This isn't ---" He lowered his voice. "This isn't normal. Not even in the wizarding world..."

He listened as she went on. He knew that her story was going to be completely off the rails. The girl had a penchant for adventure and danger, no doubt about it! Yet another thing he loved about Emily. And just as he suspected, Emily was in the thick of a perilous adventure! Not just hag dolls. She'd gone deep into the Forest, okay. Heart of the Forest, okay. Colin knew about that. A great tree in the Heart of the Forest? The Tree? Colin didn't know about that! The Tree needed blood to survive!?

Colin's mouth fell open as Emily spun her tale.

"It doesn’t matter why you give. It only matters that you do. That you obey. That you feed it."

Colin's brows knit. Wait. Hang about! Back up a bit! Something was nagging Colin about this story. But no, Emily continued on! Tears filled her beautiful eyes. She just wanted to help the forest, she said. Colin knew that some kids would tease her for that. He wasn't one of those. His heart was different, he knew. He felt the swell of pride for Emily. He knew deep down that her interest in dark creatures wasn't born out of a love for dark magic or anything like that. He still thought it was little misguided, but he knew also this: she had a huge heart.

She spoke of evil sounding whispers. Insulting her. Ridiculing her. He nodded slowly. He was familiar with whispers like those. Taunting voices. Wearing him down. Twisting his mind this way and that! Colin's heart cried for Emmi! But still some things weren't quite adding up. Wait. She wants to help me!? Colin thought. He should have known. Colin didn't believe in coincidences. Emmi was put here for a reason. And Colin was put here for a reason too.

Eyes of Sky

He focused again. She couldn't get the voices to stop taunting her. That Colin was familiar with too. Her hands balled into fists. Still, Colin didn't let go of Emily's injured hand. Or was it somehow --- cursed? Colin wondered about that. It was certainly possible. Hadn't he read something in History of Magic about how Headmaster Dumbledore's hand had been cursed by an evil object of some kind?

Colin felt a faint pulsation in her hand. The blackness was spreading little by little! Even as Colin held her hand in his. Yet Emmi wasn't done with her story yet! Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, she started talking about a weird potion! "Wait. Other Hufflepuff students!?" he asked incredulously. It wasn't just Emily? What was going on here?

He looked into Emily's eyes. "Emmi," he said softly.

"Be quiet!" she said firmly! Colin felt a shock. She slipped her hand out of his and buried her face between her knees. "I guess I'm... Just a Mudblood."

And all Emily wanted was to learn things. To know everything that could possibly be known! Colin shifted his position again. He put his arm around the girl. His heart thumped. Other circumstances, this would have been the most awesome thing ever! Just out on the grounds, arm around a cute you liked. Wait. Colin blinked. Did he just think ---

He shook his head slightly. This wasn't the time! And still other things at the back of his mind!

"Emmi! Wait! Wait." He wracked his brain. What was it that he was missing? Well, quite a lot actually! "Wait. Wh---What potion did you drink?" Colin remembered! "And who was this guy that told you to feed blood to The Tree!? This is serious, Em. You--- We can't just hide this and hope it'll get better! I--- I don't know how to heal this!"

@Emily Shephard

February 8th 2025
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Colin McCoire

Emily eyed the ground with an empty desolate gaze. Who could possibly save her when she was making one impulsive decision after another? This far down the line, she was better off as a lost cause. Let the girl reap what she sowed by being ambitious and adventurous.

But not Colin. Emily was sat there, pathetic as ever and he just embraced her. In the long minutes that those voices were berating her for her existence, Colin's simple gesture brought a small, powerful spark of awareness back to her, enough that she finally faced him even amidst her waterworks.

He held her close, his focus on her finger that continued to threaten spreading its affliction to the rest of her hand. "This isn't normal. Not even in the wizarding world..."

Emily nodded, knowing full well Colin was right. "I know... And it's my fault." Her attempts to be brave and independent, to carry her own weight without relying on someone to have to bail her out, had went in vain. Now Colin was picking up the pieces she so foolishly left scattered around her. A valiant boy, he was. Emily didn't deserve him.

Her breath hitched when he took her hand in his and examined it closely, his nose inches away from her finger as he inhaled for any sign of curse or hex. Emily did her best to keep her trembling hand still. She never had someone touch her like this before. Ah, but of course. That was his healer instincts kicking in.

"Emmi."

Colin held her captive in his soft eyes. Emily immediately calmed down as soon as her eyes locked with his. All of a sudden, the voices didn't feel anywhere near as loud now. She just focused on him. He didn't look mad. Troubled, maybe. But his features were so gentle as he gazed at her. His face was a blend of patience and care. It made the temperature in Emily's cheeks flare. It was a form of hypnotism she didn't want to break out of, not if it was someone who was healing her simply by holding her. A sparkle of life flashed in her eyes.

She leaned closer until one ear was pressed gently against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat. It was soothing. It reminded her of how she would ask "Auntie" to lay her head against her to hear her heart, when she was a small child. It always helped lull her to sleep after a bad dream.

She felt the throbbing in her finger dissipate, the voices getting quieter again and the blackness receding. She was about to crack a small smile at the relief when suddenly Colin shook his head, his expression more serious.

"Wait. Wh---What potion did you drink? And who was this guy that told you to feed blood to The Tree!? This is serious, Em. You--- We can't just hide this and hope it'll get better! I--- I don't know how to heal this!"

Emily swallowed. He was right. Again. For a long time Emily thought she could handle this on her own. By taking it on herself, she wouldn't be holding her peers back just to coddle and babysit her. Ava wouldn't have to sacrifice her pride for her. Scout wouldn't have to look over her shoulder all the time just to make sure she was okay. Colin wouldn't have to be so careful and treat Emily like she was this fragile little thing. She thought if she could pretend, everything would've been okay. How wrong she was.

No more pretending. She now had to acknowledge her limits. She touched waters with that once in the forest before, she could do it again now. Colin was here. He was holding her like she was going to slip through his fingers. She probably could've had he not pulled her back from the deep at the last second. He was saving her, whether he realised it or not.

He deserved to know. Even if none of the answers were good. She wiped her face, her tears finally halting.

"We all started finding these random, unlabelled bottles scattered across Hufflepuff," she began. "Some were brave enough to taste them despite not knowing what it was. Whenever someone drank it, they would experience some glorious feeling, like they were the best they ever felt. But I've noticed, and now know, that whatever that potion is, it's highly addictive." She felt her throat tighten. Merely thinking about it was making her stomach lurch for more. She brusquely forced the thought out, not risking to follow through with whatever addiction looked like across her face.

"They keep popping up out of nowhere. Some people have been drinking loads at a time simply because there never seems to be an end to this sudden supply, nor do they have the willpower to stop ingesting it. People have gotten sick from too many doses out of unrestrained indulgence. Right before I left, I saw a student throw up black vomit." She shuddered.

She looked back at her finger. "As for this..." She chewed her lip before sighing. This would be a doozy to explain.

"I don't know his name... But the boy that led me to the tree that did this was in Hufflepuff. He's older than me." She exhaled. "I didn't like his tone or his face. He had the kind of demeanour someone would have if they silently revelled in suffering."

She picked at the skin around her nails anxiously. "I still remember what he said..."The forest doesn’t like to be forgotten." She shivered. "Colin, my friend. I think that boy was nurturing something more than a mere tree that's suddenly come alive. When my blood touched its roots, it reacted, like I was feeding it a part of me... But I'm more concerned over why that boy wanted the blood of a student for it. He spoke to it like he was its carer."

Emily suddenly remembered something else. "There's one last thing you should know, though... He has a younger brother. And it's Aamon."

_{Word Count: 995}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

The story didn't stop there. Emmi was blaming herself. Colin knew that feeling too. And then it struck Colin like a lightning bolt. The potion! Colin listened with growing dismay. Random potion showing up. Glorious euphoria. Feeling the best you ever felt. Colin let out a puff of breath. He could add the rest. Bliss. Bouncing off the walls. The crash afterwards. Occasional disorientation. The need for more.

Addictive.

Crap.

Colin held on to Emmi as she talked it all out.

He wondered how many kids would try and find out the recipe. Like he had done. He wondered how many would try and find some quiet spot down in the dungeons, away from everyday traffic. Like he had done. He wondered how many of them would become so desperate for the inky stuff, so desirous of recapturing that moment of euphoria that they would try and brew the potion themselves.

Like Colin himself had tried.

Emmi described some of the other, rather less savoury, symptoms. Puking black goo. Colin knew that particular pain. Hadn't Headmaster Lear himself discovered Colin's particular indulgence? Yes, the thinking at the time was hag slugs, but the black vomit filling the bucket demonstrated otherwise. Of course, the professors were all too busy with --- a certain other darkness --- that had crept into Slytherin House that night of the red knife and red moon.

Finally, she switched back to feeding blood to the tree in the Forest. Colin was not easily creeped out. But an older kid who loved to see others suffer was pretty lame! He wondered who the kid could possibly be. She even recounted what he had told her. The forest doesn’t like to be forgotten.

"Whoa. That sounds like something out of a serious old story. All blood and death kind of stuff."

Emmi told him that the tree reacted to being fed her blood. Colin's heart sank. This wasn't good at all. It was one thing when it was just him and the bottle of inky deliciousness. And now? Someone was going around supplying the stuff to an entire House? The thought struck Colin: what if this someone decides to get the whole school hooked on the stuff!

"There's one last thing you should know, though... He has a younger brother. And it's Aamon."

Aamon.

Colin knew that name. And the other names associated with him. Gideon. Vlad. Athanatos. Vlad he knew from a brief association the older boy had with what was supposed to be a Pureblood association. Gideon --- he was Colin's source for the very recipe of the potion Emmi was clearly describing.

"Aamon," he whispered softly. "Cute kid. Danger noodle. Just had his first snog!"

Colin scooted around to face Emily. Gently, he took her face between his hands. "Emmi," he began. "This is serious. Show me the bottle of potion! You have it with you?" Colin stood up suddenly, his mind racing. A happy interaction with the girl that had been setting his heart a-flutter was turning into a --- Colin didn't have a word for it. Some of the Muggleborn kids did. What was it? Fluster Rook? Buster Shock? Cluster Puck? Something like that. Whatever it was, it was doomful.

He smacked his fist into his hand. He reached down to lift Emmi up.

"Come on! You need to see something! Now!! We have to hurry!" Colin turned and began running towards the castle...and the deep dungeons far below the bright afternoon sky.

@Emily Shephard

February 8th 2025
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Colin McCoire

Emily didn't know how much Colin was able to absorb from her spiel. The words came out like a burst dam, she wasn't even sure Colin heard half of it. One look at his expression, however, and it was clear he had indeed digested everything she said. As she predicted, Colin wasn't none too pleased with all of it, yet he still continued to hold her gently.

Emily wouldn't be surprised if he could feel the heat in her cheeks as he cradled her face. It might have taken a minute to register beneath the layers of dried tears stuck to her. She looked back at him, training her eyes along every inch of his face to distract herself from everything that stirred uneasily in her head. There was an air of understanding when Emily met his eyes again. He was contemplating something. Emily didn't know what, but somehow she knew, even since the beginning, that Colin would know how to take care of this.

"Whoa. That sounds like something out of a serious old story. All blood and death kind of stuff."

Emily gave a small half smile at that, trying at the bare minimum to help re-establish some kind of light-hearted air between them. "It's ominous, I'll give you that..."

Colin then inquired about the potion. Emily blinked.

"O-Oh! I think I have it here som--"

She stiffened. She couldn't feel it in her pocket. She tried the other one. Then her back pocket. She checked either side of her. Then behind her. Then behind Colin. It wasn't there. She knew she took it with her!

A few more frantic glances later and Emily caught a glisten of light down near the school building. She hopped up and hurried over to it, albeit with a slight wobble, though relief hitting her when she saw it was the bottle, still half empty. Quite frankly, she was surprised someone hadn't gone and lifted it the entire time it was lying there. There wasn't even a scratch on the bottle either. Talk about small mercies in the wake of catastrophe.

As she feared, she was already feeling the pangs of indulgence return in her throat. She willed them down before she would give in, keeping her focus back to what-- who was more important.

"Colin! I found it! I have it here!" she bounded back over to him, voice drowning out her impulses. She was ready to hand it to him before she watched him punch Mother Earth and spring to his feet. Emily stopped and blinked again.

"Colin??"

"Come on! You need to see something! Now!! We have to hurry!"

"Huh?? B-But where are we going? What's--" Emily barely got another word in when Colin took off like the wind. Emily scrambled after him, having no clue what he was thinking or where he was planning on taking her.

"Colin, wait! Where are we going?? What is it??"

Emily pushed herself at full speed to keep on his tail, but blimey, the lad was fast! The potion was gripped tightly in her hand, pulled close to her chest, with her ribbon in her other fist.

"At least slow down! Your legs are longer than mine!"

_{Word Count: 533}

Emily leaves with Colin - See you in the dungeons buddy!

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace