Closed Festering Wounds PV Jack B.

Jack had been of a peculiar mindset since the people closest to him - Ruka, Kazuo, and Flash - had all but disappeared from his life, each having stopped attending Hogwarts for some reason or other. He had been of the opinion since before his first year at the magic school that making attachments was bad for one's health, but he hadn't been able to help making them anyway. Little by little, though, each attachment he'd made had caused his heart to hurt as one by one they cut ties with him. He would have liked to consider himself free once all of them were gone, but instead, he'd simply felt...ungrounded. Lost. Like a balloon drifting away into space with no destination, no purpose, and no hope of ever returning to Earth except by its demise.

That could have been him...but fortunately these days he wasn't so...untethered. With a little black cat to raise and a new roommate he'd had to acquire in order to ensure said roommate (ironically) didn't self-destruct, Jack himself had narrowly avoided self-destructing. He was so busy trying to look out for those two and their eccentric, trouble-causing ways that he hardly had time to feel lost anymore. All he knew was they needed him.

Well...more or less. Salami had become much more independent since he's found her as a newborn the previous summer. As for Hanako...he'd seemed to become more genuinely social, even if in a grudging, reluctant way. His having thrown the graduating members of his dueling team and his wanting to confront Eun-ji on his own had each been proof of that. Jack was proud of them both...but he was also starting to feel alone once again. Without anyone to hold on to him or anyone for him to hold on to, what was to keep him from drifting away for good?

As he absently wandered into the library, trying to decide between looking up information on non-verbal magic, making another book fort, or both, someone walked up to him so abruptly he almost collided with her.

“Hey, do you… can we talk?” she asked.

"Knight," Jack remarked with a start, recognizing his fellow snake. He blinked, curiosity siezing him in its relentless grip. "Yeah, sure. We can talk," he answered, assuming she meant right then as he glanced around. "Did you have a place in mind? The History section tends to be relatively quiet." He nodded meaningfully in the sections direction.

@Ileen Knight

Banner was done by Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood

The young Slytherin had so much determination and momentum that she almost collided with Jack when she approached him. Slightly blushing, she hastily took a small step back to keep the appropriate distance, balancing out the abrupt halt.
Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, pressing her bag against it like a protective shield.

"Knight,"
Ileen's shoulder twitched barely noticeably and a shadow flitted across her face when he addressed her by her surname and her overall posture shifted. It was more stiff, uneasy. She had never liked this habit of her classmates. It almost felt a bit like they were artificially creating even more distance than there already was. As if they were pretending to be adults. Just for a moment, Jack might have the feeling as if he was standing in front of a closed door, although she had approached him.
However, the tension and shadow would dissolve into nothingness with his next words. "Yeah, sure. We can talk. Did you have a place in mind? The History section tends to be relatively quiet." A wave of relief just washed it away as he agreed to talk to her, just like that: immediately and unconditionally.
The young girl nodded to acknowledge his suggestion. Going to the History section to talk about history with someone. Ironically fitting.
“Thank you.” Those words came from the heart, she truly meant them. “And that sounds good.” With her last words she already started walking into the direction.

Between the high shelves Ileen checked if they were actually alone. She briefly considered using extra spell protection to exclude unwelcome eavesdroppers, but discarded it just as quickly. After all, she didn’t have a huge secret.
The brunette turned back around, assuming that Jack had followed her here. Subconsciously she leaned against one of the shelves, maybe to look a little bit more relaxed or at ease. Casual. But Ileen wouldn’t fool anyone. The shadows under her eyes, the short nails from anxious nail biting and her overall uneasiness spoke volumes.
Ileen would. Ileen looked at the Slytherin boy, extensively and intensely, a little too long for it not to be awkward. She searched for traces of the same burden in his face, the same agony. Was he a cellmate or not?

Now that she was here, she didn’t plan to beat around the bush. No pleasantries would be exchanged. Maybe she just had unlearned how to have a conversation. To be fair, it had been a while.
“Victor.” A shiver ran down her spine as she spoke his name for the first time in months. It sounded alien with her own voice. She had written it, thought it, but never said it. “Sorry for bringing him up after such a long time. I probably should have talked to you sooner, but I…. couldn’t.” Her hands curled tighter around her bag in her hands, as she continued. Hopefully I don't drag you back into this mess if you got out. “I am thinking a lot about what had happened and I noticed that you were the only other person trying to protect him at the ball.” Ileen swallowed hard and searched for Jack's gaze. She didn’t know him that well, but so far she believed she had seen a kind soul in him. Hopefully she was right.
Shifting her weight to her other leg, still attentively looking at his features. “And I wondered if you were friends? Did you know what actually happened when he disappeared again? Did he leave a note… or have you been in touch with him since…?” An odd question for some, but probably not for him.
Her voice was calm and quiet, but there was grief, guilt and pain in her eyes. Those were no questions from someone who was trying to figure things out or to curiously get more information. Those were the questions of someone who was seeking closure.

@Jack Burnett