25 Apr 2020, 17:44
Can you not?
25th April 2020, sometime in the early hours of the day.
It was still kind of dark outside, the sun wasn't out, the sky was just a pretty shade of purple. But Noah was used to that, he always woke up at the same time. Did it matter to him that it was a weekend and he didn't have to wake up as early? No, not really. The great hall got too crowded later anyway.
By the time he had gotten ready, the sun was coming out and the other students would probably be awake soon. He picked up his satchel and made his way towards the great hall for breakfast, he'd probably spend the day outside today instead of going to the library like he usually did, but he still kept his books with him, just in case he got bored.
There were rays of sunlight entering into the great hall from the windows and Noah never really got tired of that sight, another reason to be at the great hall early. The great hall was rather empty, there were only a few people there, all busy with their breakfast or just relaxing and talking to each other, it wasn't noisy like it was during lunch or dinner though, that was the best part about it all.
He made his way to the Slytherin table and took a seat on the bench, taking off his satchel and beginning his breakfast, it was getting rather boring these days, he was surprisingly keeping up with most of his homework now and he was running out of things to do throughout the day, and more studying wasn't really his thing, as much as he tried to make it so.
27 Apr 2020, 20:15
Can you not?
@Noah Page
Yaaaaawn.... Her eyes blinked slowely as she looked out the window. A faint pink rose up to the sky. Really? Morning already? With a soft sigh, she turned towards Pip who had fallen asleep on her pillow. She had been up the entire night. Not that she wanted to but... certain nightmares kept on flickering back. More and more days, she just felt tired and not really energetic.
However, she should eat atleast something. Slowely, she slid off of her bed, sliding into her black mary janes. She hadn't even changed her clothes for the night. Just, straight to bed to cry and wonder when the mental torture would pass. Pushing herself onto her feet, Nico glanced at her back with art supplies. Maybe that could ease her mind... She needed to actively distract herself. That's the only way...
She pulled on her fluffy blue teddy sweater and threw her bag over her shoulder. Before walking out, she gently stroked Pips furr before leaving to the staircase of hell. Usually it didn't really bother her as much. These stone steps had increased her stamina yet... with her awful sleepschedule, that was no longer the case. It took absolutely forever to reach the top.
Finally getting there though, she could smell the delicious goodness that was being prepared in the Kitchens. This might've been the best part of her day (if of course, she woke up early). Gently holding onto the strap of her bag, the dhampir made her way to the Great Hall. It was quiet. Most of the students were still asleep. Only the early birds were already have a casual chat or having breakfast.
'Hm..' Where to sit? There was alot of space but Nico wanted a spot where she could get distracted. By something... or someone? Her eyes caught the sight of an individual. A Slytherin at that...
The way he sat there, it could work... Glancing from one side to the other once more, she finally decided to sit near him, across the table. Act natural. Don't be weird. With a straight back and quick pace, she sat down, diagonally from the unaware student. The reason she took this opportunity? Other times of the day, this hall was too crowded. People would bump their elbows into you or even accidently spill their drinks on your books.
No, now was the perfect time to sketch someone as they had a meal. Pretending she was there for breakfast too, she picked a few cupcakes, placing them on her plate. Taking one bite, she pulled out her sketchbook and quill. Turning to a blank page, she casually started scribbling away. Her eyes flicking up and down, taking in his shape and form.
He wouldn't notice, right?
You're gonna need a bigger boat
28 Apr 2020, 04:34
Can you not?
Breakfast was going by as boringly as ever, as he was eating, he once again started to think about how he should actually consider getting himself involved in something or finding something to do, he had really underestimated how little there was to do if he focused on studies alone.
But in the middle of it all, he got the feeling that someone was staring at him, he tried his best to ignore it but in a way, he wanted to find out what exactly was going on so he could drag himself out of the boredom, he looked around the hall once, making sure not to stare at anyone or anything in particular but he could've sworn he saw the girl glancing at him before looking down when he was looking. She seemed to be writing something.
He decided to make sure he wasn't just pointing a finger at someone who had done nothing and went back to his breakfast, except this time he wasn't lost in his thoughts, he was paying attention to his vision and trying his best to look at the girl without directly looking up at her. She was sitting fairly nearby so it wasn't all that difficult to just be able to see if she was looking up at him, although it did feel weird. He just was that bored.
After having seen her do it enough times, he looked up when he realised she was staring at him again and realised he hadn't thought of what exactly to say, despite all of that planning. He just said, "Uh, what are you doing?" Not being able to come up with anything else at the moment or having thought out of a way for the conversation to go, that was the best he could manage without sitting there awkwardly without saying anything.
Last edited by Noah Page on 20 Jun 2020, 10:29, edited 1 time in total.
30 Apr 2020, 18:50
Can you not?
The more she scribbled, the sooner she came to realise that she actually pulled more attention than she had hoped for. "Uh, what are you doing?" Heck. The boys voice echoed slightly against the high hall walls. Her drawing came to a halt as she nervously held the quill in a tight grip between her fingers. What now? She should've thought this through. It only made sense that someone would sooner or later start to feel uncomfortable because they were being watched by a stranger. The dhampir froze up and scolded herself internally. This wasn't the best way to start a day...
Finally being able to breathe again, overcoming her nerves and surprise by his remark, Nico straightened her back, carefully putting her quill away. 'I'm... I'm ever so sorry. I ehm..' Her eyes stayed on the paper in front of her, not sure if she'd share his munching image with him. 'I... I couldn't help myself... and drew you. D-Do you... maybe want to see?' The dhampir hoped he wouldn't side eye her too much. It wasn't her intention to make him feel uneasy during the most important meal of the day. She gambled if he was the type of person to not care... Guess that wasn't the case.
She cleared her throat and tried to elegantly scoot closer to him, now nearly facing him. 'It might've been better to ask you first but... I wanted something that wasn't put in scene. As soon as you ask people, as soon as they know they're purposefully being watched, they act abit more stiff. While without asking, they usually just mind their own business...' A sheepish smile curled on her lips, her hand lightly scratching the bridge of her nose. A thing she usually did when she was nervous. 'O-Of course not everyone is the same. My apologies. Again..' She felt guilty and hoped to make things up by atleast uncovering what she was working on. Carefully turning her sketchbook around, making it easy for him to see, he'd look at a looping image of him taking a bite of whatever food he was eating that morning.
'I hope it looks okey.' This time she smied more genuine, with a hint of regret. Maybe this was a mistake...
You're gonna need a bigger boat
6 May 2020, 19:48
Can you not?
She seemed to be shocked by his speaking up, confirming Noahs suspcion that she was indeed, trying to hide the fact that she was drawing something, although rather poorly. She took a while to reply but he just subtely raised an eyebrow as she spoke, he felt a bit weird that she was just drawing him like that but that feeling was far outweighed by his genuine curiousity at what she drawn so far, he replied to her quesion with a shrug but he wasn't that unenthusiatic about seeing it.
He listened carefully to what she was saying, he wasn't quite an artist but he had tried doodling a few times, and he quite understood what she meant, although he hadn't personally tried to draw everyone, he did observe people a lot, they did change a lot depending on how aware they were of others watching them, drawing them would probably mean they become far more unnatural.
He nodded and looked down at her sketch, he was slightly caught off guard by the fact that it was moving, it did look a bit like him and it felt a bit surreal seeing himself like that, eating just as he was a minute ago.
He stared at it a few seconds, in awe, then he looked back up at her, "That... looks really good. I'd rather you asked me before but I do understand what you meant about people acting differently when they know they're being observed. Still, this is great." He said, not sure if he could even say much about it, he couldn't really analyze it much, he just liked how it looked and that was all there was to it, he found something about lineart so much cooler than coloured and detailed paintings and seeing himself in it felt rather... exciting?
Last edited by Noah Page on 20 Jun 2020, 10:27, edited 1 time in total.
11 Jun 2020, 23:03
Can you not?
Waiting in anticipation, Nico kept her hands together, tapping her index fingers gently against the wooden table. Was he going to throw it on the ground? Was he going to throw food in her face? Maybe just get up and leave? Nope. Actually, he was rather fond of her drawing. Maybe it wasn't a waste of time after all. As he mentioned he'd rather have her ask him before, she slumped down a few centimeters, feeling the guilt weigh down on her ever so slightly. But that soon was lifted again when he said he understood her point. There's a difference between people acting natural and people... acting. Pretending that they didn't see you while they slowely slide into a pose that shows off the best side of their face.
Nico sighed relieved, now laying her hands flat on the table infront of her. 'I-I'm glad you like it. You... can have it if you want.' The dhampir noticed that people who had any interest in things creative, they'd look at art differently than people who don't. They'd look at every line, every spat of paint, they'd analyse the work differently than regular people do. It only made her curious if maybe... Maybe he drew too? She met quite a hand of peers that drew in their spare time.
'I'm very sorry to intrude your breakfast, however. May I ask...?' Her hands pulled the sketchbook back to her holding it against her chest, as she slightly squinted her eyes. 'Do... you draw? By any chance? I-I might be wrong of course, but.. doesn't hurt to ask..' Her gaze dropped to her sketchbook, slightly embarrassed by her straightforwardness.
You're gonna need a bigger boat
20 Jun 2020, 11:24
Can you not?
Noah had some internal conflict about whether he actually wanted to take the drawing or not, it didn't really feel right to take it like some kind of gift, it wasn't like she drew it for him, it just happened to be there at the right time... But then again, he kind of did really like the drawing, no one had drawn him like that before and he'd be lying if he said he didn't somewhat feel like taking it. He stared at it for a few seconds thinking about it and decided to take it, she did offer to, not like he was asking her to give it to him. He nodded and carefully kept it the parchment in his satchel between two books so that it didn't get crushed, a smile creeping on his face that he tried to keep wiping off, it felt weird and wrong but he couldn't help it.
He wasn't sure how to express how thankful he was to her without coming off as creepy but he did feel really excited as he was keeping it in his bag, someone drew him... Wow. He couldn't even explain what he was feeling to himself. Unable to really string together what he was feeling, he simply looked back up at her after he was done with his satchel (and his weird smile attack) and said, "Thank you, I really appreciate that." He still felt a bit weird after saying it but he decided he had to say something and that was the best he could do. He decided to go back to eating to distract himself when she spoke up again, asking if she could ask something, he shrugged, putting his spoon back down.
Did he draw? Good question. One he couldn't really answer because he wasn't sure if he could say he did really, it was confusing for him because he didn't really draw but he sure as hell wished he could. Calling himself an artist felt wrong, he had a high amount of respect for people who could draw and calling himself one of them felt wrong, he just didn't want to do that. He let out a sigh and took a few seconds to collect his thoughts before replying, he didn't want to end up talking pointlessly for way too long.
Putting his elbow on the table and resting his head on his hand, he looked down at his breakfast and started talking, "Well it's a bit confusing really, I don't think I can call it that. I don't draw exactly, I mean I would really love to, I spend a lot of time observing things and thinking mentally about how I would go about drawing them, but the amount of times I actually draw are extremely rare, maybe once in a month or so. And those drawings are laughable, seeing as I have no practise. So I don't really know if I can call it drawing, it's just rough doodles, just a single face or person when I'm in the library bored, and very, very rarely. Don't think I can quite say I draw based on that but I also don't not draw either, I guess?"
He chuckled, that sure wasn't long at all. A yes and no question answered in a paragraph, he just wouldn't feel right giving an answer that wouldn't explain everything.
28 Jul 2020, 20:31
Can you not?
Nico honestly didn't expect the slytherin boy to accept her drawing. It was... kinda creepy what she did, after all. Yet, he did accept and that made she dhampir smile softly. He even thanked her for her spontaneous yet kind gesture.
After asking him if he drew, he seemed to struggle with her question. Was it that deep of a question? Not that she felt annoyed by the long pause. Not at all. It just took her by surprise as most peers would... throw any answer out there, just to kill the silence and to move the conversation forward, in a faster motion. Her grip tightened around her sketchbook as she carefully straightened her back, her chin slightly up in the air to have a better look at him. She didn't do this to intimidate him, no. It helped her feel less insecure and more grounded. More in the moment.
His long answer left her baffled for a minute. That was the longest and most detailed answer she had so far from someone she asked this before. 'W-wauw... You really thought this through, huh?' Her posture slumped down again. Relaxed. Her sketchbook under her arms on the table as her chin was gently placed on her wrists.'That must've been the most interesting answer so far. But hey. Doodles are art too. They're the start of something small!' Her shyness had melted away by his beaming answer. 'If you continue to doodle more consitently, who knows what you'll create on purpose instead of by chance.' A kind smirk curled onto her lips, as she slightly tilted her head. 'Art takes time. I'm sure you'll get there.' Nico nodded determined and tapped the cover of her sketchbook in a rhythmical manner.
You're gonna need a bigger boat
13 Aug 2020, 18:15
Can you not?
For a second, Noah wondered if the girl actually would've found his answer weird, it didn't strike him how oddly long it had taken for him to answer and how long his answer had been. Fortunately for him, she didn't seem that weirded out by his reply and seemed a bit more comfortable than before, at least he felt that way, she hadn't awkwardly laughed and gone back to her breakfast, that had to be a good sign.
He felt a tinge of pride when she mentioned how his answer had been the most interesting so far, it felt nice to be better than most for a change, it was a feeling he was completely unfamiliar with but he liked it. He wasn't necessarily competitive or anything, but it still did make him feel a bit better about himself.
Would he call his doodles art though? Not really, they were hardly anything interesting and he hadn't made much progress over time since he didn't pay much attention to it and drew rarely, he wanted to focus on his academic progress more than things like that and he didn't want to waste his efforts in something he wasn't necessarily confident about. But all the same, he had thought about it a lot, part of the reason why his answer had been so long anyway.
But was he going to get there soon? Well that sure was an interesting thing to think about, although to be honest, he had ignored the "soon" part, he simply never had thought of ever getting good at it, it kind of made him wonder why he drew in the first place, no one saw those doodles, he didn't want to get good at art or anything, he just did them from time to time. "That would be nice but I hardly think that would be the case," he said, his face slightly zoned out again as he thought about it, "It's pretty hard to do art, there's a lot of things you need to learn and I hardly think I can learn that by just drawing silly doodles once in a few months when I feel like it... It surely requires more effort than that."