19 Jan 2020, 17:00
Of Fire and Ice?
@Opeila Seilun
The days were slowly getting a bit longer again, so when Ruka made his way down to the Grounds it was still relatively light outside.
He was dressed in his winter cloak but underneath just a thin T-Shirt to make sure he wasn‘t going to get too warm. His trousers were a muddy pair of grey joggers he usually wore to feed the Giant Squid, but today his bare feet didn‘t lead him to the Lake.
He could hear chattering students from afar and definitely didn‘t feel up to joining them. After having found the picture of himself and his dad the other day, his mood had steadily sunk to rock-bottom again, and he couldn‘t even imagine being part of a crowd at this point.
As he walked aimlessly around the Grounds, brushing burnt fingers against rough tree trunks in passing, his mind wandered to Jack and his warped vision of social interaction and friendship.
Ruka had always been a people person, always enjoyed a quick chat in passing, but the more he thought about it the more he realised the only strong connection he had ever had had been the one with his dad, and nothing had ever made him feel as miserable as losing him.
Maybe, in a twisted way, the Slytherin boy was right in keeping people at a distance. Nothing could shatter a heart the way saying Goodbye to a loved one did.
Ruka sighed, finally settling on a spot under a tall tree, slowly sliding down the trunk until he settled in the cold damp grass. Where there was still some snow all around, a patch under the tree was left dark green and cold from frost.
With a little hiss, Ruka examined his feet, bare and damp and bright red from the cold. After so many winters living in fields, he was almost numb to the stinging and burning, but the sight of his half-frozen feet still made him cringe inwardly.
He sighed to himself, taking his attention from his feet to instead roam his surroundings; The Grounds were pleasantly empty, only a couple of students in sight.
What a perfect setting to sit and sulk.
He let his mind drift back to Jack and their conversation in the rehearsal room, about how they were both nothing but lonely brick builders, and he wondered, briefly, if he would end up just as closed off as the Slytherin boy soon enough if he continued this way or if there was something different in his core that would keep him open enough to friendliness to let himself benefit from it.
He shook his head off the thought and instead closed his eyes. He just wanted his head to stop hurting and his eyes to stop itching and the world to stop moving around him.
Somehow sleep seemed to be a good solution to the problem, and somehow right here in the cold, under this tree seemed like the perfect location, so Ruka steadied his breathing and slowly let the cold afternoon air rock him to sleep.
The days were slowly getting a bit longer again, so when Ruka made his way down to the Grounds it was still relatively light outside.
He was dressed in his winter cloak but underneath just a thin T-Shirt to make sure he wasn‘t going to get too warm. His trousers were a muddy pair of grey joggers he usually wore to feed the Giant Squid, but today his bare feet didn‘t lead him to the Lake.
He could hear chattering students from afar and definitely didn‘t feel up to joining them. After having found the picture of himself and his dad the other day, his mood had steadily sunk to rock-bottom again, and he couldn‘t even imagine being part of a crowd at this point.
As he walked aimlessly around the Grounds, brushing burnt fingers against rough tree trunks in passing, his mind wandered to Jack and his warped vision of social interaction and friendship.
Ruka had always been a people person, always enjoyed a quick chat in passing, but the more he thought about it the more he realised the only strong connection he had ever had had been the one with his dad, and nothing had ever made him feel as miserable as losing him.
Maybe, in a twisted way, the Slytherin boy was right in keeping people at a distance. Nothing could shatter a heart the way saying Goodbye to a loved one did.
Ruka sighed, finally settling on a spot under a tall tree, slowly sliding down the trunk until he settled in the cold damp grass. Where there was still some snow all around, a patch under the tree was left dark green and cold from frost.
With a little hiss, Ruka examined his feet, bare and damp and bright red from the cold. After so many winters living in fields, he was almost numb to the stinging and burning, but the sight of his half-frozen feet still made him cringe inwardly.
He sighed to himself, taking his attention from his feet to instead roam his surroundings; The Grounds were pleasantly empty, only a couple of students in sight.
What a perfect setting to sit and sulk.
He let his mind drift back to Jack and their conversation in the rehearsal room, about how they were both nothing but lonely brick builders, and he wondered, briefly, if he would end up just as closed off as the Slytherin boy soon enough if he continued this way or if there was something different in his core that would keep him open enough to friendliness to let himself benefit from it.
He shook his head off the thought and instead closed his eyes. He just wanted his head to stop hurting and his eyes to stop itching and the world to stop moving around him.
Somehow sleep seemed to be a good solution to the problem, and somehow right here in the cold, under this tree seemed like the perfect location, so Ruka steadied his breathing and slowly let the cold afternoon air rock him to sleep.
Last edited by Ruka Burnett-Tân on 18 Feb 2020, 13:44, edited 1 time in total.
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
19 Jan 2020, 17:24
Of Fire and Ice?
Opeila was wandering around without a destination she wanted to reach. It just helped her to distract her from the guilt she felt towards her parents. Hardin, the family owl had stayed, waiting for her to send something back, but instead she used him to send messages to Jack Burnett. How could she let that happen?
She exhaled deeply and watched the white little cloud that appeared.
Opeila looked better than she did a few days ago. The girl had started sleeping again and she ate regulary. She still was very pale, but better. She shivered in the cold and buried her hands in the pockets of her winter cloak. The Slytherin scarf covered half of her face.
The Slytherin stopped when she saw a person sleeping under a tree. Crazy boy, she thought. He was going to freeze to death. Sighing she walked towards her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the copper hair. For a second she thought it was Jack laying there, the boy did resemble him quite a lot. But then, Jack wouldn't go outside in a T-shirt and without shoes. Did this guy have no sense of danger at all?
"Uhm... Sorry to disturb you man, but your feet, uh... don't look too good.", she said in a sarcastic tone. "Are you trying to freeze to death or just to have your feet fall off. You're on the perfect way to succeed in both tasks. But honestly, there are quicker ways to die, no need to lay here for hours and scare some other first year off, who might find your body. There are sensitive children here who would probably never recover from a shock like that."
She sat down next to him. "And now that I found you I would get myself in trouble if I'd let you kill yourself. If that was what you were trying. The other possibilities I can think of, is that you are either stupid... or extremely stupid."
She exhaled deeply and watched the white little cloud that appeared.
Opeila looked better than she did a few days ago. The girl had started sleeping again and she ate regulary. She still was very pale, but better. She shivered in the cold and buried her hands in the pockets of her winter cloak. The Slytherin scarf covered half of her face.
The Slytherin stopped when she saw a person sleeping under a tree. Crazy boy, she thought. He was going to freeze to death. Sighing she walked towards her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the copper hair. For a second she thought it was Jack laying there, the boy did resemble him quite a lot. But then, Jack wouldn't go outside in a T-shirt and without shoes. Did this guy have no sense of danger at all?
"Uhm... Sorry to disturb you man, but your feet, uh... don't look too good.", she said in a sarcastic tone. "Are you trying to freeze to death or just to have your feet fall off. You're on the perfect way to succeed in both tasks. But honestly, there are quicker ways to die, no need to lay here for hours and scare some other first year off, who might find your body. There are sensitive children here who would probably never recover from a shock like that."
She sat down next to him. "And now that I found you I would get myself in trouble if I'd let you kill yourself. If that was what you were trying. The other possibilities I can think of, is that you are either stupid... or extremely stupid."
Reducio
@Ruka Tân
19 Jan 2020, 18:13
Of Fire and Ice?
@Opeila Seilun
The last thing Ruka thought before he drifted off to sleep a bit was how pleasantly warm he felt right now.
Was that what dying was like, maybe?
Maybe he was starting to dream, or maybe he was starting to die because he was sure he could see his dad behind closed eyelids. Maybe it was time they finally saw each other again.
In his half-asleep state he tried to reach a heavy arm out to his father, but he couldn’t. He tried to shout out to him but he couldn’t find his voice anymore. He tried to -
But then a voice pulled him from his trance like state, the cold washing back over him all at once, the tingling of his freezing feet shooting up into his spine.
Trying to regather his sense of orientation he blinked a few times until he saw a young girl wrapped in a Slytherin scarf close by.
She seemed to be saying things, maybe even scolding him, but he couldn’t seem to hear her over the ringing in his ears. He blankly stared up at her, his voice caught in his throat as he watched her sit down next to him.
Slowly he regained control of his senses, just in time to hear her talking about how she would get in trouble for letting him kill himself and how he had to be a certain level of stupid for lying out here.
“I’m fine,” he said, a little dazed and confused, slowly reaching down to massage his feet, getting some feeling back into them. They were cold and damp but he’d definitely experienced worse before. „I‘m fine,“ he repeated, turning to face the girl next to him properly as he slowly felt himself waking up again.
Once he properly acknowledged the girl‘s insult to his sanity, he chuckled a bit, reaching up to ruffle some lost snow flakes out of his hair. „Well you‘re not the first person to question my sanity so I guess I might have to get that brain check sooner or later after all.“ He gnawed at his bottom lip as he took in the girl‘s pale features, eyes drifting over the green colour of her scarf.
What was it with him and meeting Slytherins recently? It was almost like he had a built in magnet for them. First Jack, then Ruby, now this girl.
„I wasn‘t trying to die,“ he assured her with a little shrug, looking up at the grey skies above them. „I just wanted to... Be alone, I guess.“ He sighed and looked back at the girl, a slight blush crossing his features as he realised how he must have looked to a passerby, lying there under a tree, loosely dressed, bare footed and with his eyes closed. „Sorry if I scared you,“ he added, almost like an after thought. „I really didn‘t mean to.“
The last thing Ruka thought before he drifted off to sleep a bit was how pleasantly warm he felt right now.
Was that what dying was like, maybe?
Maybe he was starting to dream, or maybe he was starting to die because he was sure he could see his dad behind closed eyelids. Maybe it was time they finally saw each other again.
In his half-asleep state he tried to reach a heavy arm out to his father, but he couldn’t. He tried to shout out to him but he couldn’t find his voice anymore. He tried to -
But then a voice pulled him from his trance like state, the cold washing back over him all at once, the tingling of his freezing feet shooting up into his spine.
Trying to regather his sense of orientation he blinked a few times until he saw a young girl wrapped in a Slytherin scarf close by.
She seemed to be saying things, maybe even scolding him, but he couldn’t seem to hear her over the ringing in his ears. He blankly stared up at her, his voice caught in his throat as he watched her sit down next to him.
Slowly he regained control of his senses, just in time to hear her talking about how she would get in trouble for letting him kill himself and how he had to be a certain level of stupid for lying out here.
“I’m fine,” he said, a little dazed and confused, slowly reaching down to massage his feet, getting some feeling back into them. They were cold and damp but he’d definitely experienced worse before. „I‘m fine,“ he repeated, turning to face the girl next to him properly as he slowly felt himself waking up again.
Once he properly acknowledged the girl‘s insult to his sanity, he chuckled a bit, reaching up to ruffle some lost snow flakes out of his hair. „Well you‘re not the first person to question my sanity so I guess I might have to get that brain check sooner or later after all.“ He gnawed at his bottom lip as he took in the girl‘s pale features, eyes drifting over the green colour of her scarf.
What was it with him and meeting Slytherins recently? It was almost like he had a built in magnet for them. First Jack, then Ruby, now this girl.
„I wasn‘t trying to die,“ he assured her with a little shrug, looking up at the grey skies above them. „I just wanted to... Be alone, I guess.“ He sighed and looked back at the girl, a slight blush crossing his features as he realised how he must have looked to a passerby, lying there under a tree, loosely dressed, bare footed and with his eyes closed. „Sorry if I scared you,“ he added, almost like an after thought. „I really didn‘t mean to.“
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
19 Jan 2020, 19:06
Of Fire and Ice?
“I’m fine”, the boy said, looking a bit disorientated. Opeila raised her brows. "Sure you are.", she said incredulously. “I’m fine.”, the boy said again and Opeila raised her hands a little. "Ok, man. Then you're fine. Would you mind putting some shoes on now so I can stop worrying about me getting in trouble when I let you let your feet freeze off?"
„Well you‘re not the first person to question my sanity so I guess I might have to get that brain check sooner or later after all.“
The Slytherin laughed. "Who told you to get a brain check?", she asked amused, "Well, whoever did was probably right, I'm sorry."
„I wasn‘t trying to die. I just wanted to... Be alone, I guess.“
"Well, then you are just stupid, I guess. There are so many places in Hogwarts where you can hide without losing any bodyparts so why would you come here? And why without shoes?" The girl shook her head. She didn't understand this boy.
„Sorry if I scared you, I really didn‘t mean to.“, he then added.
"Ugh, apologizes. What are they good for? They just make the person apologizing feel better. So don't be sorry, think about what you are going to do before you do it. I mean- your feet are blue! Don't tell me that you didn't notice that! And you also can't tell me that you didn't know, that you can lose them if they get to cold.
Besides, you didn't scare me. I just said that there are people who would be scared if they saw a body laying on the grounds."
„Well you‘re not the first person to question my sanity so I guess I might have to get that brain check sooner or later after all.“
The Slytherin laughed. "Who told you to get a brain check?", she asked amused, "Well, whoever did was probably right, I'm sorry."
„I wasn‘t trying to die. I just wanted to... Be alone, I guess.“
"Well, then you are just stupid, I guess. There are so many places in Hogwarts where you can hide without losing any bodyparts so why would you come here? And why without shoes?" The girl shook her head. She didn't understand this boy.
„Sorry if I scared you, I really didn‘t mean to.“, he then added.
"Ugh, apologizes. What are they good for? They just make the person apologizing feel better. So don't be sorry, think about what you are going to do before you do it. I mean- your feet are blue! Don't tell me that you didn't notice that! And you also can't tell me that you didn't know, that you can lose them if they get to cold.
Besides, you didn't scare me. I just said that there are people who would be scared if they saw a body laying on the grounds."
Reducio
@Ruka Tân
19 Jan 2020, 19:36
Of Fire and Ice?
@Opeila Seilun
Ruka looked down at his feet again, wiggling his toes to make sure they still worked properly.
„I didn‘t bring any,“ he admitted with a shrug before getting an idea, rummaging in the pocket of his coat before pulling out a pair of gloves his dad had made him put there before even leaving for his first year of Hogwarts. With a dazed smile he pulled them over his feet, immediately feeling the contrast of fabric against his skin instead of icy wind. „There,“ he said with something like pride in his voice. „Does that make you feel better about being responsible for my feet falling off?“
He wasn‘t completely sure why the girl would feel responsible for that anyway; she hadn‘t stolen his shoes and hadn‘t forced him out on the Grounds without them either. She really could have just kept walking, so Ruka assumed despite her fiery temperament she must have more of a conscience than she was letting on.
When she laughed at his words about the brain check, he smiled a bit, mind reeling with memories of his encounter with Jack. The Slytherin boy had barely left his mind since their conversation. „Just this boy I met the other day,“ he answered her question like it wasn‘t that important. Like Jack hadn‘t been the first person in months to really make him feel better about life. „You might know him actually, he‘s in your House. In your Year too I think. Jack Burnett?“ A little smile crinkled the sides of his eyes as he spoke the boy‘s name, and he turned to face the ground for a moment to keep his emotions in check. It really wouldn‘t do to just blurt out to this girl that he felt like Jack was the only person who might actually understand him.
So much for building up some walls of his own.
He looked up again as the Slytherin girl asked about his reasoning for coming out here to be alone instead of staying somewhere inside the castle‘s warmth. „I don‘t like walls,“ he said as if that should really explain everything.
Never having lived inside a set of walls really had made him grow uncomfortable with the restricting concept of rooms. „And I don‘t like shoes much either.“ He didn‘t add that all his shoes were a little small on him because he couldn‘t afford to buy new ones, and that even his best shoes didn‘t really do that much to keep him warm anyway. That wasn‘t a stranger‘s business.
He shrugged lightly and then just stared at the girl as she went on about how apologies didn‘t benefit anybody but the person apologising, and he defensively lifted both hands as if to show her that he was unarmed. „Alright, alright,“ he said, unable to keep a small laugh inside, really taken aback by the girl‘s feisty nature. „I take back my apology, okay? I‘m actually not all that sorry anyway. It‘s kind of my own business what I‘m doing outside like this, and it wasn‘t my fault you just happened to come across me either.“ He shot the girl a challenging look, eyebrows raised and a small grin curling his lips. If this girl wanted confrontation, well, Ruka was a pretty heated character himself. „So now that we‘ve moved past fake apologies and all that, I‘m Ruka, and you seem really fixated on the possibility of my feet falling off in your presence.“
Ruka looked down at his feet again, wiggling his toes to make sure they still worked properly.
„I didn‘t bring any,“ he admitted with a shrug before getting an idea, rummaging in the pocket of his coat before pulling out a pair of gloves his dad had made him put there before even leaving for his first year of Hogwarts. With a dazed smile he pulled them over his feet, immediately feeling the contrast of fabric against his skin instead of icy wind. „There,“ he said with something like pride in his voice. „Does that make you feel better about being responsible for my feet falling off?“
He wasn‘t completely sure why the girl would feel responsible for that anyway; she hadn‘t stolen his shoes and hadn‘t forced him out on the Grounds without them either. She really could have just kept walking, so Ruka assumed despite her fiery temperament she must have more of a conscience than she was letting on.
When she laughed at his words about the brain check, he smiled a bit, mind reeling with memories of his encounter with Jack. The Slytherin boy had barely left his mind since their conversation. „Just this boy I met the other day,“ he answered her question like it wasn‘t that important. Like Jack hadn‘t been the first person in months to really make him feel better about life. „You might know him actually, he‘s in your House. In your Year too I think. Jack Burnett?“ A little smile crinkled the sides of his eyes as he spoke the boy‘s name, and he turned to face the ground for a moment to keep his emotions in check. It really wouldn‘t do to just blurt out to this girl that he felt like Jack was the only person who might actually understand him.
So much for building up some walls of his own.
He looked up again as the Slytherin girl asked about his reasoning for coming out here to be alone instead of staying somewhere inside the castle‘s warmth. „I don‘t like walls,“ he said as if that should really explain everything.
Never having lived inside a set of walls really had made him grow uncomfortable with the restricting concept of rooms. „And I don‘t like shoes much either.“ He didn‘t add that all his shoes were a little small on him because he couldn‘t afford to buy new ones, and that even his best shoes didn‘t really do that much to keep him warm anyway. That wasn‘t a stranger‘s business.
He shrugged lightly and then just stared at the girl as she went on about how apologies didn‘t benefit anybody but the person apologising, and he defensively lifted both hands as if to show her that he was unarmed. „Alright, alright,“ he said, unable to keep a small laugh inside, really taken aback by the girl‘s feisty nature. „I take back my apology, okay? I‘m actually not all that sorry anyway. It‘s kind of my own business what I‘m doing outside like this, and it wasn‘t my fault you just happened to come across me either.“ He shot the girl a challenging look, eyebrows raised and a small grin curling his lips. If this girl wanted confrontation, well, Ruka was a pretty heated character himself. „So now that we‘ve moved past fake apologies and all that, I‘m Ruka, and you seem really fixated on the possibility of my feet falling off in your presence.“
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
19 Jan 2020, 20:44
Of Fire and Ice?
„I didn‘t bring any“, the boy said and then pulled gloves over his feet. „There. Does that make you feel better about being responsible for my feet falling off?“
"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Opeila said, shaking her head. "And I don't feel responsible for it. But people would make me responsible for it if I didn't at least try to stop you from freezing to death."
„Just this boy I met the other day. You might know him actually, he‘s in your House. In your Year too I think. Jack Burnett?“
Opeila's smile disappeared within a second. The boy knew Jack? When did he meet him? Before or after the day at the courtyard. She thought about the letter. Had he read it yet? Would he come if she waited for him in the classroom later? She sighed- and then remembered, that the Gryffindor was still there. Quickly she forced herself to smile again. "Yes... I do know him." Damn. She could hear that her voice sounded different than before.
„I don‘t like walls. And I don‘t like shoes much either.“
"I figured that when I saw you rather having your feet turn blue.", she said, again in a sarcastic tone. "But I kind of get that you dislike walls. They sometimes make me feel trapped as well. If that is the reason."
„Alright, alright. I take back my apology, okay? I‘m actually not all that sorry anyway. It‘s kind of my own business what I‘m doing outside like this, and it wasn‘t my fault you just happened to come across me either.“ He laughed.
"Good." She grinned. "There is no reason to be sorry. And you're right. It isn't your fault. Still, I intend not to let your freeze to death. If I were you, I would go inside. Those won't keep you warm for a long time." She pointed at his gloves. She found it amusing that this boy wouldn't back down, but challenge her, different from most others she had met. Except Jack maybe.
„So now that we‘ve moved past fake apologies and all that, I‘m Ruka, and you seem really fixated on the possibility of my feet falling off in your presence.“
"Opeila. Nice to meet you, Ruka. Indeed, I find the thought of seeing your feet falling off a little, uh... digusting. Don't you? Not to mention painful...", she said, a joking tone in her voice, even though she did mean it.
"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Opeila said, shaking her head. "And I don't feel responsible for it. But people would make me responsible for it if I didn't at least try to stop you from freezing to death."
„Just this boy I met the other day. You might know him actually, he‘s in your House. In your Year too I think. Jack Burnett?“
Opeila's smile disappeared within a second. The boy knew Jack? When did he meet him? Before or after the day at the courtyard. She thought about the letter. Had he read it yet? Would he come if she waited for him in the classroom later? She sighed- and then remembered, that the Gryffindor was still there. Quickly she forced herself to smile again. "Yes... I do know him." Damn. She could hear that her voice sounded different than before.
„I don‘t like walls. And I don‘t like shoes much either.“
"I figured that when I saw you rather having your feet turn blue.", she said, again in a sarcastic tone. "But I kind of get that you dislike walls. They sometimes make me feel trapped as well. If that is the reason."
„Alright, alright. I take back my apology, okay? I‘m actually not all that sorry anyway. It‘s kind of my own business what I‘m doing outside like this, and it wasn‘t my fault you just happened to come across me either.“ He laughed.
"Good." She grinned. "There is no reason to be sorry. And you're right. It isn't your fault. Still, I intend not to let your freeze to death. If I were you, I would go inside. Those won't keep you warm for a long time." She pointed at his gloves. She found it amusing that this boy wouldn't back down, but challenge her, different from most others she had met. Except Jack maybe.
„So now that we‘ve moved past fake apologies and all that, I‘m Ruka, and you seem really fixated on the possibility of my feet falling off in your presence.“
"Opeila. Nice to meet you, Ruka. Indeed, I find the thought of seeing your feet falling off a little, uh... digusting. Don't you? Not to mention painful...", she said, a joking tone in her voice, even though she did mean it.
Reducio
@Ruka Tân
19 Jan 2020, 21:16
Of Fire and Ice?
@Opeila Seilun
Ruka shrugged his shoulders at the girl‘s question, looking down at his glove covered feet with a small grin on his face. „Genuinely, I kind of forgot I had them,“ he said truthfully and for just a moment a shadow crossed his features as he remembered his dad spending some of his last money to get him a good pair of warm winter gloves.
„Those Fire Hands need to stay warm in the Winter,“ he had said, stuffing the gloves inside the pockets of the Winter cloak, and that‘s where they had stayed ever since.
Shaking his head, Ruka banned the memory from his mind and instead focused on the way the other girl‘s smile flickered at the mention of Jack‘s name, as if it stirred something unpleasant inside her. Her voice when she confirmed that she knew Jack sounded strained, and the smile that came with it was clearly forced.
Ruka didn‘t want to be nosy, didn‘t want to be swayed by other people‘s opinions and experiences, but his curiosity won out in the end after all. „You... don‘t like him much?“ he asked carefully, not sure what to expect. Maybe she was the girl who had fallen into the lake because of Jack? No, he had said it was a Gryffindor girl, and this girl next to him was clearly in Slytherin.
Ruka decided to not say more than that for now, instead listening to her talk about how she also didn‘t enjoy walls. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he nodded along with her words. „It‘s just so... restricting,“ he agreed with a little shudder. Even staying in the rehearsal room had been uncomfortable in a way and he had only done it to avoid drawing attention while practicing Fire Dances on the Grounds.
Ruka returned the girl‘s grin once he had taken back his apology, his shoulders relaxing a bit as he was secured in the fact that she wasn‘t inherently hostile towards him. „Really, I‘ve had worse,“ he said lightly, thinking back on all those winters spent in loose, torn clothes, nothing but some hay and some dirty old rags to cover them up. Compared to those times he felt almost toasty.
He smiled when she told him her name.
Opeila. How interestingly uncommon. Ruka wondered if it had any specific meaning but he assumed it would lead to questions about his own name and he really didn‘t feel like getting into that at this moment, so he decided to put his curiosity to rest for now.
„I guess I am quite attached to my feet,“ he admitted musingly, looking at Opeila with a cheeky grin on his face. „So can I ask what you are doing out here in the cold then? Like you said yourself, it‘s freezing and there‘s plenty of space in the castle. Should I assume we both just wanted to get out from between all those walls for a while?“
Ruka shrugged his shoulders at the girl‘s question, looking down at his glove covered feet with a small grin on his face. „Genuinely, I kind of forgot I had them,“ he said truthfully and for just a moment a shadow crossed his features as he remembered his dad spending some of his last money to get him a good pair of warm winter gloves.
„Those Fire Hands need to stay warm in the Winter,“ he had said, stuffing the gloves inside the pockets of the Winter cloak, and that‘s where they had stayed ever since.
Shaking his head, Ruka banned the memory from his mind and instead focused on the way the other girl‘s smile flickered at the mention of Jack‘s name, as if it stirred something unpleasant inside her. Her voice when she confirmed that she knew Jack sounded strained, and the smile that came with it was clearly forced.
Ruka didn‘t want to be nosy, didn‘t want to be swayed by other people‘s opinions and experiences, but his curiosity won out in the end after all. „You... don‘t like him much?“ he asked carefully, not sure what to expect. Maybe she was the girl who had fallen into the lake because of Jack? No, he had said it was a Gryffindor girl, and this girl next to him was clearly in Slytherin.
Ruka decided to not say more than that for now, instead listening to her talk about how she also didn‘t enjoy walls. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he nodded along with her words. „It‘s just so... restricting,“ he agreed with a little shudder. Even staying in the rehearsal room had been uncomfortable in a way and he had only done it to avoid drawing attention while practicing Fire Dances on the Grounds.
Ruka returned the girl‘s grin once he had taken back his apology, his shoulders relaxing a bit as he was secured in the fact that she wasn‘t inherently hostile towards him. „Really, I‘ve had worse,“ he said lightly, thinking back on all those winters spent in loose, torn clothes, nothing but some hay and some dirty old rags to cover them up. Compared to those times he felt almost toasty.
He smiled when she told him her name.
Opeila. How interestingly uncommon. Ruka wondered if it had any specific meaning but he assumed it would lead to questions about his own name and he really didn‘t feel like getting into that at this moment, so he decided to put his curiosity to rest for now.
„I guess I am quite attached to my feet,“ he admitted musingly, looking at Opeila with a cheeky grin on his face. „So can I ask what you are doing out here in the cold then? Like you said yourself, it‘s freezing and there‘s plenty of space in the castle. Should I assume we both just wanted to get out from between all those walls for a while?“
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
19 Jan 2020, 21:50
Of Fire and Ice?
„Genuinely, I kind of forgot I had them.“, Ruka said. His expression changed for a moment but Opeila wasn't sure in what way. Was it sadness she saw? Guilt? She didn't ask him. Even though she was direct and honest, she wasn't tactless and she felt like Ruka wouldn't want to tell her about it. He shook his head and moved on.
„You... don‘t like him much?“ Now she wished that she had asked him. Her change of mood, she was sure he had recognized, obviously wouldn't stop him from asking questions. Well. Have it his way then. "No. It is not that easy." Opeila wouldn't say more about it. She was curious now. "When have you met him?"
„It‘s just so... restricting.“
Opeila nodded. "True." Ruka had caught her interest. Clearly he was different from the others. She could see it. And if she looked at his behaviour, she was pretty sure he had experienced extraordinary things. She wasn't sure yet if they were good or bad. Whatever they were, if they were the reason for him not to think of shoes when going outside in winter... Well. Then she wasn't sure, if she wanted to find out.
„Really, I‘ve had worse.“
He really seemed to mean what he said. Opeila couldn't believe it. "How have you even survived, man?", she said. "Or at least not lost any parts of your body by now?"
„I guess I am quite attached to my feet. So can I ask what you are doing out here in the cold then? Like you said yourself, it‘s freezing and there‘s plenty of space in the castle. Should I assume we both just wanted to get out from between all those walls for a while?“
She rose her brows and looked at him with a playful little smile on her face. "That is good to hear. But if I were you I'd take better care of them. And yes, technically you are right. Except my walls aren't physical. They are in there." The Slytherin pointed at her temple. "But going outside helps them to get a little weaker. Though they are not weak enough for me yet to break them."
„You... don‘t like him much?“ Now she wished that she had asked him. Her change of mood, she was sure he had recognized, obviously wouldn't stop him from asking questions. Well. Have it his way then. "No. It is not that easy." Opeila wouldn't say more about it. She was curious now. "When have you met him?"
„It‘s just so... restricting.“
Opeila nodded. "True." Ruka had caught her interest. Clearly he was different from the others. She could see it. And if she looked at his behaviour, she was pretty sure he had experienced extraordinary things. She wasn't sure yet if they were good or bad. Whatever they were, if they were the reason for him not to think of shoes when going outside in winter... Well. Then she wasn't sure, if she wanted to find out.
„Really, I‘ve had worse.“
He really seemed to mean what he said. Opeila couldn't believe it. "How have you even survived, man?", she said. "Or at least not lost any parts of your body by now?"
„I guess I am quite attached to my feet. So can I ask what you are doing out here in the cold then? Like you said yourself, it‘s freezing and there‘s plenty of space in the castle. Should I assume we both just wanted to get out from between all those walls for a while?“
She rose her brows and looked at him with a playful little smile on her face. "That is good to hear. But if I were you I'd take better care of them. And yes, technically you are right. Except my walls aren't physical. They are in there." The Slytherin pointed at her temple. "But going outside helps them to get a little weaker. Though they are not weak enough for me yet to break them."
Reducio
@Ruka Tân
19 Jan 2020, 22:20
Of Fire and Ice?
@Opeila Seilun
Ruka hummed thoughtfully at Opeila saying that her feelings towards Jack weren‘t that easy to pin them down to dislike, which was definitely interesting, and after what he‘d learned about Jack just from their last encounter he could imagine that he was the type of person to ruffle quite a few feathers.
„Just a few days ago,“ he answered her question truthfully. He didn‘t have any issues talking about his encounter with Jack; There was nothing bad to be said about it so he didn‘t mind her asking. „He came to the rehearsal room and we started chatting a bit. Good lad.“ He shrugged his shoulders a bit to show that he really didn‘t have much more to say about that, at least nothing he thought was appropriate to share with a stranger. Had he noticed that Jack was a loner with a severe social handicap? Sure, but he wasn‘t going to tell that to the world. It was the other boy‘s own business how he handled the rest of the world, and in Ruka‘s book he was golden as long as he didn‘t intentionally cause people harm.
He shook his head off the thought and laughed a little at Opeila‘s outraged question about how he possibly survived this long. He figured that nobody really could imagine what it was like to grow up on the streets unless they had went through it themselves. Nobody probably even thought about the possibility of him having grown up without a roof over his head.
People tended to just assume that what was normal to them was normal to everyone else as well. „I guess I‘m just a natural survivor,“ he said with a chuckle, looking down at his burnt, scarred hands for a moment, just so he didn‘t have to make direct eye contact. „My dad raised a fighter.“ He smiled sadly, the mention of his dad hurting his heart more than he liked to admit. His thought drifted to the picture in his dorm, and he momentarily wished he‘d brought it with him. He missed his dad‘s face.
He shook off his own worried and instead listened to Opeila talk about the walls insider her mind. He thoughtfully gnawed on his bottom lip, not sure what to say to that. He definitely wasn‘t in a place to give her advice on a situation he knew nothing about, but he also didn‘t want to overstep a line by asking for more information.
„They say fresh air helps clear your head,“ he said with a little nod, letting his gaze drift across the Grounds. „But in my experience it‘s still really shit to try and get rid of something you‘re carrying around within you.“ He sighed, thinking on all the things occupying his mind and how they just didn‘t seem to want to do away, no matter how he tried to shake them. He could only imagine those walls inside her mind made Opeila feel similarly frustrated.
Ruka hummed thoughtfully at Opeila saying that her feelings towards Jack weren‘t that easy to pin them down to dislike, which was definitely interesting, and after what he‘d learned about Jack just from their last encounter he could imagine that he was the type of person to ruffle quite a few feathers.
„Just a few days ago,“ he answered her question truthfully. He didn‘t have any issues talking about his encounter with Jack; There was nothing bad to be said about it so he didn‘t mind her asking. „He came to the rehearsal room and we started chatting a bit. Good lad.“ He shrugged his shoulders a bit to show that he really didn‘t have much more to say about that, at least nothing he thought was appropriate to share with a stranger. Had he noticed that Jack was a loner with a severe social handicap? Sure, but he wasn‘t going to tell that to the world. It was the other boy‘s own business how he handled the rest of the world, and in Ruka‘s book he was golden as long as he didn‘t intentionally cause people harm.
He shook his head off the thought and laughed a little at Opeila‘s outraged question about how he possibly survived this long. He figured that nobody really could imagine what it was like to grow up on the streets unless they had went through it themselves. Nobody probably even thought about the possibility of him having grown up without a roof over his head.
People tended to just assume that what was normal to them was normal to everyone else as well. „I guess I‘m just a natural survivor,“ he said with a chuckle, looking down at his burnt, scarred hands for a moment, just so he didn‘t have to make direct eye contact. „My dad raised a fighter.“ He smiled sadly, the mention of his dad hurting his heart more than he liked to admit. His thought drifted to the picture in his dorm, and he momentarily wished he‘d brought it with him. He missed his dad‘s face.
He shook off his own worried and instead listened to Opeila talk about the walls insider her mind. He thoughtfully gnawed on his bottom lip, not sure what to say to that. He definitely wasn‘t in a place to give her advice on a situation he knew nothing about, but he also didn‘t want to overstep a line by asking for more information.
„They say fresh air helps clear your head,“ he said with a little nod, letting his gaze drift across the Grounds. „But in my experience it‘s still really shit to try and get rid of something you‘re carrying around within you.“ He sighed, thinking on all the things occupying his mind and how they just didn‘t seem to want to do away, no matter how he tried to shake them. He could only imagine those walls inside her mind made Opeila feel similarly frustrated.
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
20 Jan 2020, 15:06
Of Fire and Ice?
„Just a few days ago“
That didn't help at all, but she wasn't going to ask Ruka again. She only nodded.
„He came to the rehearsal room and we started chatting a bit. Good lad.“
Opeila looked at the Gryffindor, a little worried. "He is. But if you know what is best for you, you make sure that you don't start to care about him. If you do, he will hurt you." The girl closed her mouth again, pretty sure that Ruka would count two and two together. At least, if he had met Jack after the situation in the courtyard. Right now she didn't care if it was fair of her to tell Ruka this. Jack's way to treat others wasn't fair either.
„I guess I‘m just a natural survivor. My dad raised a fighter.“
"That is good. I haven't seen a lot of fighters here yet. Only dramaqueens, a wannabe fighter, trying to seem wise with her pseudo life advice, and Jack. He is a survivor, but he will always choose the easy way. Hiding. Locking everything out.", Opeila said. "I like to think of myself as fighter as well. But in the end, what does being a fighter even mean? Surviving, no matter what? Surviving in a certain way? Those are just titles you are given to be proud of yourself, but no one will ever look at you and see you as the person you are with the past you had to go through. Everyone in here is the same, a survivor, and that is the only thing that everyone sees you as but doesn't want to be seen as at the same time." This obviously annoyed her. "It is unfair. But I think that is the difference between the fighters and the survivors. The survivors think about it way more than the fighters. Do you often think about being treated unfairly?"
„They say fresh air helps clear your head. But in my experience it‘s still really shit to try and get rid of something you‘re carrying around within you.“
Opeila nodded agreeing. "It is. But it isn't even that complicated. I'm trying to get through to him. Jack." Within a second she had decided not to keep this fact a secret from Ruka.
That didn't help at all, but she wasn't going to ask Ruka again. She only nodded.
„He came to the rehearsal room and we started chatting a bit. Good lad.“
Opeila looked at the Gryffindor, a little worried. "He is. But if you know what is best for you, you make sure that you don't start to care about him. If you do, he will hurt you." The girl closed her mouth again, pretty sure that Ruka would count two and two together. At least, if he had met Jack after the situation in the courtyard. Right now she didn't care if it was fair of her to tell Ruka this. Jack's way to treat others wasn't fair either.
„I guess I‘m just a natural survivor. My dad raised a fighter.“
"That is good. I haven't seen a lot of fighters here yet. Only dramaqueens, a wannabe fighter, trying to seem wise with her pseudo life advice, and Jack. He is a survivor, but he will always choose the easy way. Hiding. Locking everything out.", Opeila said. "I like to think of myself as fighter as well. But in the end, what does being a fighter even mean? Surviving, no matter what? Surviving in a certain way? Those are just titles you are given to be proud of yourself, but no one will ever look at you and see you as the person you are with the past you had to go through. Everyone in here is the same, a survivor, and that is the only thing that everyone sees you as but doesn't want to be seen as at the same time." This obviously annoyed her. "It is unfair. But I think that is the difference between the fighters and the survivors. The survivors think about it way more than the fighters. Do you often think about being treated unfairly?"
„They say fresh air helps clear your head. But in my experience it‘s still really shit to try and get rid of something you‘re carrying around within you.“
Opeila nodded agreeing. "It is. But it isn't even that complicated. I'm trying to get through to him. Jack." Within a second she had decided not to keep this fact a secret from Ruka.
Reducio
@Ruka Tân