Two Birds, One Stone [Fin.] - page 2 - Hospital Wing

15 Aug 2025, 02:11

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Hearing about her anxieties made him sympathetic, then startled by the sharp retort. Pear was quick to forgive the instant Aly's apology ended, bridging the gap by folding his hand over hers. His mismatched gaze locked as he insisted: "It's alright. I understand." Only, Pericles didn't outright admit how well he understood. The brevity of her situation was clear to him because he'd swung through those same mental gymnastics. They were close. Theirs was a friendship built like a three-point balancing system, and to confess would cause a tilt, upsetting the trio's equalibrium. The cosmos trembled when its moon, sun, and stars misaligned. He rejected transparency, both out of fear for disrupting an already beautiful dynamic, and doubt. Yet hearing Aly had lived with the same secret shocked him. Pear maintained his mask, though sorrow and shame glimmered under the shell of grim calm. It shifted into resentment at the mention of "that Gryffindor she's been all over lately.... Do you think they're...." "Allister MacAllister," Pericles Pontius drawled with contempt, deeming the double name absurd, or more aptly the mysterious circumstances which brought AJ and Eve together. "I don't know what they are. He's an anomaly, as much as Aaron was."

Therein sparked the change of subject, diverting from one uncomfortable speculation to the next. He halfway expected to be chastised for his intervention, told off as overprotective or oversuspicious, but instead she seemed relieved. Really relieved. Unawares of the assumption that had haunted Aly since the Spin, Pear smiled reassuringly when she mentioned fighting with his girlfriend. He seemed catlike in agreement when the girls deduced Aaron was the only negative denominator in that equation. Maybe it was for the best that Pericles never had any younger siblings. Between Aly and Aaron, Dee and Madhup, Eve and AJ, his nature seemingly compelled him to herd his girls into a safety circle while dissecting their would-be suitors under a microscope. Perhaps emboldened, she sought to clarify another troublesome idea: that he had ditched her just before their turn at the Spin. Pear's hand slid away to fold in his lap, posture closing. "Sorry, Starlight. I'd been paired up with Aaron, Cassius, then- well, no one I knew. I'd only really wanted to spend time with you and the others. I wouldn't have left if I'd known you were next." He leaned to nudge her shoulder with his, trying to lift the shroud of gloom and uncertainty hanging over them. "Next dance, your name will be at the top of my card, and until then... don't let this get to your head. We are friends. We always sort things out."

That dance would come at the Ravenclaw Rave, though the days between October and December would witness a glaring schism. Pericles neither approached nor mentioned Eve. He couldn't bring himself to tell Aly about the journal given to him when he returned to their Common Room, nor the confrontation which ensued that same night. ("Are you going to tell the others?" "It's not my truth to tell.... If you do decide to set things right, I'd recommend starting with Aly. She deserves to know.") The log's contents convinced him Eve was a legillimens, and as he stalked the halls in search of her, those paranoid whispers in his ear convinced him she knew- Eve had somehow known how the two of them felt. Their morning runs, midday luncheons, and afternoon study sessions came to an abrupt end. An enduring malaise overcame Pericles, one artificially stuffed down by a Cheering Charm during his debut DJ performance. The iconic duo wouldn't be seen in one another's company until the following February. Truths were brought to light, doubts were dispelled, trust was reestablished. With expectations paving the path towards their friendship as young adults, their coveted dynamic was on the mend. Pear convinced himself that his only omission- that they were two birds hit by the same heart-shaped stone- was for Aly's benefit. He would protect her feelings from anyone, including himself.

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| @Aly Salinger | @Evelynn Decipio |

{ 𝔗𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔞 𝔟𝔬𝔶: 𝔞 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢, 𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔟𝔬𝔶. 𝔗𝔥𝔢𝔶 𝔰𝔞𝔶 𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔣𝔞𝔯 𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔰𝔢𝔞. }

(iNPC: Madhup Hexum)

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	Hearing about her anxieties made him sympathetic, then startled by the sharp retort. Pear was quick to forgive the instant Aly's apology ended, bridging the gap by folding his hand over hers. His mismatched gaze locked as he insisted: "It's alright. I understand." Only, Pericles didn't outright admit how well he understood. The brevity of her situation was clear to him because he'd swung through those same mental gymnastics. They were close. Theirs was a friendship built like a three-point balancing system, and to confess would cause a tilt, upsetting the trio's equalibrium. The cosmos trembled when its moon, sun, and stars misaligned. He rejected transparency, both out of fear for disrupting an already beautiful dynamic, and doubt. Yet hearing Aly had lived with the same secret shocked him. Pear maintained his mask, though sorrow and shame glimmered under the shell of grim calm. It shifted into resentment at the mention of "that Gryffindor she's been all over lately.... Do you think they're...." "Allister MacAllister," Pericles Pontius drawled with contempt, deeming the double name absurd, or more aptly the mysterious circumstances which brought AJ and Eve together. "I don't know what they are. He's an anomaly, as much as Aaron was." Therein sparked the change of subject, diverting from one uncomfortable speculation to the next. He halfway expected to be chastised for his intervention, told off as overprotective or oversuspicious, but instead she seemed relieved. Really relieved. Unawares of the assumption that had haunted Aly since the Spin, Pear smiled reassuringly when she mentioned fighting with his girlfriend. He seemed catlike in agreement when the girls deduced Aaron was the only negative denominator in that equation. Maybe it was for the best that Pericles never had any younger siblings. Between Aly and Aaron, Dee and Madhup, Eve and AJ, his nature seemingly compelled him to herd his girls into a safety circle while dissecting their would-be suitors under a microscope. Perhaps emboldened, she sought to clarify another troublesome idea: that he had ditched her just before their turn at the Spin. Pear's hand slid away to fold in his lap, posture closing. "Sorry, Starlight. I'd been paired up with Aaron, Cassius, then- well, no one I knew. I'd only really wanted to spend time with you and the others. I wouldn't have left if I'd known you were next." He leaned to nudge her shoulder with his, trying to lift the shroud of gloom and uncertainty hanging over them. "Next dance, your name will be at the top of my card, and until then... don't let this get to your head. We are friends. We always sort things out." That dance would come at the Ravenclaw Rave, though the days between October and December would witness a glaring schism. Pericles neither approached nor mentioned Eve. He couldn't bring himself to tell Aly about the journal given to him when he returned to their Common Room, nor the confrontation which ensued that same night. ("Are you going to tell the others?" "It's not my truth to tell.... If you do decide to set things right, I'd recommend starting with Aly. She deserves to know.") The log's contents convinced him Eve was a legillimens, and as he stalked the halls in search of her, those paranoid whispers in his ear convinced him she knew- Eve had somehow known how the two of them felt. Their morning runs, midday luncheons, and afternoon study sessions came to an abrupt end. An enduring malaise overcame Pericles, one artificially stuffed down by a Cheering Charm during his debut DJ performance. The iconic duo wouldn't be seen in one another's company until the following February. Truths were brought to light, doubts were dispelled, trust was reestablished. With expectations paving the path towards their friendship as young adults, their coveted dynamic was on the mend. Pear convinced himself that his only omission- that they were two birds hit by the same heart-shaped stone- was for Aly's benefit. He would protect her feelings from anyone, including himself.
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Two Birds, One Stone Fin.