Enchanté
| @ Ryder Hawke | 14.11.2025 |
Dusk was beautiful. Maisie loved the grounds, especially at dusk. It was her favourite time to be out, in the slightly chilly breeze, wrapped in her mother's scarf, donning a thick, weighted sweater that arrived in the mail a few weeks back.
The eleven year old was adrenaline-driven from running down the castle to the big grounds. Now she was down and on the grass, she looked about. A few huge oaks were nearby, and she could see a shadow or two, and leaves rustling from one of two. She chose a big oak and, tucking her shirt along with her robe inside her pants, she threw her satchel into the air, where it caught a branch, and remained stationary. Her eyes moved keenly around the trunk of the oak, and noticed all the hooks or crannies. Her eyes traveled up and down, and soon, she knew what way to climb to get up the most efficiently.
When Maisie settled herself onto a low lying branch, and reached for her satchel, which she opened and pulled out a book, she pulled the nearby branches together, as to conceal herself in a way. She did not want to be bothered by her brothers, who had found joy in teasing her.
Soon engrossed in her book, she forgot time, homework, her brothers, her dying sister, or anything else. She would have remained there till she fell asleep, but fate had other means.
Footsteps drew her attention , and she gently parted the leaves, trying not to make a sound. If it was her brothers-
But it wasn't. It was a boy. A fellow first year by the looks of it. Maisie exhaled and shifted in her spot. At least it wasn't her brothers, she decided. Upon movement, her satchel, which she lay on the folds of her robes, fell down. Startled, Maisie automatically reached out an arm to grab it, lost her footing, and tumbled down the tree in a whirl of black and yellow. She lifted her other arm to try to grab a branch to break her fall, and caught one, grazing her palm, but ultimately stopping her from breaking her neck, or a limb.
She straightened herself-- she was brought up well, for goodness's sake--, and studied him politely.
"Hello."
Enchanté
Interacting With: @Maisie Fenwick Rose Williams
WC: 312/200Dusk at last. Finally he could step outside, finally the noise would die, finally there’d be peace. Solitude. Quiet. Finally… calm.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, walking without really caring where he was going. The grass was cold under his shoes, the breeze colder, but he preferred it that way. This was the time he felt most at peace, no expectations, noise or people who asked too much, just him and the nature.
The sky was a beautiful shade of pale orange, as the dusk fell, the sun halfway gone and the shadows rising. It was beautiful and so him.
He was walking by some large oak trees, when he heard rustling of the leaves. Probably the wind. He was about to walk past it when he heard a loud thud and a satchel fell off the tree. Before Ryder could question about this a blur of yellow, black, robes, sweater, and flailing limbs came falling out of the tree.
Ryder froze.
“…what the—”
Ryder blinked. Once. Twice.
He wasn’t exactly… helpful by nature. But he stepped closer anyway, just enough to make sure she wasn’t about to pass out or something.
“You—fell,” he said flatly, because his brain was still trying to process the fact that she had simply dropped out of a tree. It reminded him so much of a disaster he called cousins.
She straightened herself, all proper and polite, and studied him like the fall never happened.
“Hello,” she said.
Ryder raised a brow.
“…Hi.”
He glanced up at the branches, then back at her.
“You always hang out in trees, or was this a special occasion?”
He didn’t sound mocking; just confused, curious in that hesitant way.
After a second, he added, “You’re not… hurt, right?”
Blunt. Dry. But the concern was there, buried under the mask he puts up infront of people.
Say whatever you want about me. Just don’t touch what’s mine.
Enchanté
| @ Ryder Hawke | 14.11.2025 |
"Yes. I fell." She responded, a bit lame on her part. That was very unlike her. Usually, she would be ecstatic someone talked to her. She loved a nice chat. Perhaps it was because she just fell off a tree, and hadn't recovered entirely from the shock. But she was touched when he asked if she was fine. "Fine. Thank you."
Silence.
She didn't know what to say next. 'Well-nice-meeting-you-good-bye?' Or should she start asking his name and engaging in small talk?
She decided the latter, and giving him a small smile, while extending her hand, said politely, "I'm Maisie, a Hufflepuff. Nice to meet you." He looked nice enough, and something told her he was brought up like her. Perhaps another pure blood. All pure blood children had something about them that was different from the rest. She decided he was an overall nice person, and an interesting person. Besides, it does not hurt to engage in conversation, and making a new friend. A friend is something much needed.
She glanced around, thinking of a topic that would spark his interest. Finding nothing, she repeated his question back at him. "You..er...come out here often?" Who knows, perhaps he would be a kindred spirit, who liked trees and birds and animals.
Enchanté
Interacting With: @Maisie Fenwick Rose Williams
WC: 249/200
Ryder just stared at her extended hand for sometimes, not because he didn’t want to shake her hand but because, well, he didn’t expect friendliness at first sight? People didn’t usually offer introductions on first sight? Maybe they do and it was only him who does.
Hufflepuff, she says? Definitely one, though I had doubts the sorting hat could be wrong, this occasion made him wonder maybe it was not?
He still reached out and shook her hand kind of stiffly but not really unfriendly, “Ryder. Gryffindor.” Simple but effective.
She said she was fine, and she looked fine, but he still checked, subtle as he could manage.
When she asked if he came out here often, he let out a scoff that might have been a laugh, if he ever actually laughed properly.
“Yeah. Mostly when the castle gets… loud.”
He nudged a pebble with his shoe and watched as it went away.
“Trees don’t talk back. Makes them better company sometimes.”
People are just annoying and clingy but no need to scare her off I guess?
He glanced up at the oak she’d fallen from, then at her again in a curious expression, “You’re a good climber. Well… except for the falling part.”
Shit. That was rude wasn’t it?
“That sounded rude. I didn’t mean it like that.”
He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “So… do you always read up there? Or was today your… I don’t know… secret escape mission or something? Like mine’s?”
Say whatever you want about me. Just don’t touch what’s mine.
Enchanté
| @ Ryder Hawke | 14.11.2025 |
He stared at her outstretched hand for a few moments, without moving his. Maisie was beginning to rethink her actions. Were they too much? While she had always the habit of introducing herself, courtesy of her mother, she didn't know about his family. Every family is different in their own ways, yet alike in all the same ways.
After some internal thought, he finally shook her hand, stiffly perhaps, but still, a handshake. "Ryder. That's a nice name. I have some friends in Gryffindor, too, and a few cousins. Nice house, no?"
Maisie didn't really know what to say, so she just glanced up at the trees she'd just fallen out of. Around the same time, he spoke again. Seems like she was not the only one who needed escape. While she went out to the grounds alone to escape her brothers, he must have a different reason. "Aye, trees don't talk back." She agreed. Trees. How ironic it is when someone has to be by trees to feel safe. She let out a short laugh.
The trees. Everything about this conversation goes back to trees. Her smile faltered. "Thanks." She replied a bit shortly. "I spent nearly my whole childhood climbing trees and running around."
Ryder added quickly that he didn't mean it as rude, but Maisie didn't mind it much. People often say things that don't come out the way it was meant. A word of endearment could come out wrong, not to a statement that was true, which in this case. "I guess I was just caught off guard. I don't stay up here much, I usually read back in our common room or library. Or spend time with my friends. You know, the usual stuff. I'm here only to stay away from my brothers. They'd been hunting me down since five a.m. because of...family issues. " She didn't want to elaborate on the 'family issue'. "Why are you here?" She asked on a second thought.