Can I have a waltz? PV: Tes Cadell & Colin McCoire

Colin had been day dreaming.

It was a beautiful day for a pleasant fantasy. Classes were done for the day. Most kids were outside or up in their common rooms. Usually Colin would be outside as well, but today was a really good day for dreaming. About someone. Colin smiled. His feet, by now long familiar with the stones and planks of the castle's floors, were left to wander uncontrolled by Colin's brain.

Emily.

Emily Shephard.

She was the girl that filled his brain at this moment. He envied AngelFyre. Not seriously of course, but she and her Simon were in the same House and could spend all their time together. Colin had to make do with a quick hug or twirl-the-lass-around in the corridor between classes. He was mostly content, but his heart longed for more! He took a deep breath as the vision of Emily led him along the corridor.

Another breath brought Colin up out of his reverie. A curious scent. Familiar. The corridor was empty. No one had been here in a while, apart from this one. Colin focused. He found himself wandering along a fourth floor corridor. His feet followed the scent. Soon enough he rounded the corner that led to a wide antechamber. The Ballroom was at the far side, and close by there stood the partly opened doors that led to the rehearsal room. Sensitive ears picked up on a very faint sound. The occasional scuff of a shoe along the floor, maybe? A strain of a tune? Colin was intrigued. Pausing at the door, he wondered what it was like for other boys in this situation.

In some ways, he knew he had an ability, an almost innate capacity that other boys didn't have. He reckoned that if Avery or Kim or Ari were in his place, the faint sounds would present them with a mystery. Who was inside the rehearsal room? What was going on here? Why was the door ajar? For Colin, his experience was different. He already knew who he would find here. He smiled. Or at least one person he'd find in here. It was sometimes difficult to sift through the temporal nature of scent trails. He could remember it all making perfect sense in wolf shape, but his boy brain found that confusing.

He knew who was inside, but there was plenty of mystery! The important question became: Why was Olivia in the rehearsal room? His narrow body easily slipped through the doors. The space was dimly lit. His smile broadened a bit and his eyes softened. Olivia was out in the middle of the huge room. Her arms were sticking out and her hair bounced as she danced around. Her eyes seemed closed and there was a dreamy expression on her face.

Silently, he padded across the floor. Unshod feet were pretty grand for sneaking! Colin knew the spell wouldn't last long. Olivia straightened. No doubt she'd caught scent of him, or heard his nearly silent footfalls. As he closed the distance, his friend turned around to face him. He had a vague idea what might be going through her head. Did girls even daydream the way he did? He and Liam had often discussed the odd manners of girlkind. Their conclusion was that girls were weird. Yet, here was a girl wearing an expression that Colin knew all too well.

Colin smiled, showing Olivia all his fangs. Her face was redder than any apple and was quickly blossoming into the brightness of a good tomato soup! Colin's eyes sparkled. Her gaze rose to meet his. "I know that look Olivia! Wotcha doing in here?" He put his hands on his hips, and looked his friend up and down. Her iconic loose jumpers and jeans couldn't hide the beauty of Olivia Williams. Her silver bracelet tinkled in the stillness of the space.

"A little dancing practice, I see. Without a partner? The ball is over, and I wonder ..." he began, gauging her response to his insinuation by shades of red in her freckled face.

"Do ye want to have a go?" He bowed gracefully and extended his hand. "Is there someone ye fancy lass?" he asked innocently.

Interacting: @Olivia Williams | @Tes Caddell
Mentioning: @Emily Shephard | @AngelFyre McCubbing

Olivia couldn't describe her relief when she looked up and was met with a fangy smile that belonged to none other than Colin McCoire. His eyes sparkled as he asked her what she was doing there. He put his hands on her waist and looked her up and down. Olivia's shoulders under her knitted sweater sank a little in relief and relaxation at Colin's reaction.

"A little dancing practice, I see. Without a partner? The ball is over, and I wonder ..." he began, "Do ye want to have a go?"

He bowed and extended his hand. Olivia laughed and took his hand. The almost tomato red color on her face slowly faded. They began dancing again and Olivia relaxed a little more. Her worn Converse squeaked softly on the floor as Colin spun. The moment was quiet and lovely. But Olivia knew better when it came to Colin.

"Is there someone ye fancy lass?" he asked innocently.

Olivia tripped, stepped on Colin's foot, and turned red again. "Sorry Colin-" she cried, steadying herself and him immediately. Then she just looked at Colin. "Is there someone I... fancy?" she repeated slowly, her thoughts swirling once more like a tsunami in her head.

"Um, I," she began, unconsciously fingering her bracelet as she sometimes did. "No, or uh, no, I don't know."

She made a small moaning sound and leaned her head in her hands. She looked at Colin through her fingers, expecting him to laugh, typically Colin.

Word count: 247
Mention: @Colin McCoire & @Tes Cadell
OOC notes: None

It was all going fairly well. Olivia accepted his invitation to dance. Colin wasn't that great a dancer or anything, but he'd had some tutoring. Willis Grungeband had been his name. A pretty old school dancing master who made the rounds teaching the next generation of Purebloods how to shuffle about without kicking their partner's ankles too frequently. Colin and Liam had both just barely squeaked by, earning their certificates with the lowest possible passing notation UNABLED (Unsuitable for All But the Lowest Expectations of Dance).

The boys had celebrated their last day of dance tutoring by flying their toy brooms out to the loch for a much needed swim on that overly warm June day!

Colin took thought to Olivia then. Girls were really weird. He'd had a grand time at the ball, what with the fires and the screaming and danger! He'd felt like it was an evening well spent, but he had caught a really queer look in Olivia's eyes. Like she somehow hadn't enjoyed nearly being squished by a chandelier and torched by the ensuing explosions! Colin shook his head ever so slightly. He realised that Emily was kind of the same way. Brave lass and willing to face any challenge, yet even she was strangely hesitant to actually run into the danger zone! His conclusion was that girls were just unfathomable.

And anyway, the mystery of why Olivia was even here hadn't yet been addressed. Why was she in here anyway? Was there another dance upcoming? Everything kind of fell apart, though, when he asked his friend if she fancied anyone. Olivia really was a pretty girl. Surely she had to have a string of boys chasing after her! Again, she was like Emily a bit. Every time he told her how beautiful she was, she'd blush and try to brush it off. Colin chalked it up to humility, but he was actually beginning to think there might be more to it.

As soon as the question was out, freed from his lips, Olivia tripped!

"YEEEEP!" Colin squeaked.

Olivia had stepped on his foot!

Their dance, pleasant as it had been, stumbled and crashed to a halt. It was as if all the musicians sort of fell into a heap, leaving a discordant chord to hang in the air for a moment before the silence. "Sorry, Colin", she said. "Is there someone I... fancy?"

Colin nodded. "I mean. Ye're really cute! Like. You know. Really really---" He reached over towards her face; his long fingers gently brushed her tangle of hair away from her eyes. "I reckon ye must get notes all the time from the lads! There's no one, er, no one you like back?" Colin couldn't imagine any other situation. "I sometimes write notes to Emmi, and she leaves notes for me too!"

Olivia just stood there, burying her face in her hands. Were there tears in her eyes? Colin remembered how Emily ran out of the compartment on the train when he'd said he would stick by her no matter what. The sting if her tears had seared his heart.

"No, or uh, no, I don't know," she said softly. Gently, Colin reached out again and took Olivia's hands in his. It always hurt when his friends, those he loved, were hurting in some way. He crouched down on the wide floor, bringing her down as well. For a long moment he stared into her eyes. They were the same eyes he'd stared into back of the greenhouses. The same eyes he'd stared into once a month in the Shrieking Shack.

For a long while his eyes searched hers. He didn't say anything. Something in Colin's heart stilled his speech. He just waited, patiently. Two wolves, nearly nose to nose. What's wrong, lass? he thought. He had found that he loved teasing Olivia. He also loved teasing Emily and AngelFyre and MeynJun and, well, really just about any girl. He loved girls, what else could he say? Though Eyes of Sky was the keeper of his heart, it just came natural to him. So he waited for her to make the next move. Olivia would either open up to him or she'd remain closed. He would soon enough find out!

Interacting: @Olivia Williams | @Tes Caddell
Mentioning: @Emily Shephard | @AngelFyre McCubbing

Olivia listened as Colin once again declared how beautiful and cute Olivia was. How she must have a lot of guys sending her notes. And of course Emmi came up again as a comparison. That Colin just couldn't understand!

Just when she thought Colin was going to laugh his characteristic laugh, he did something unexpected. He gently reached out his hands and took Olivia's hands from her face. He held them in his as he crouched down and pulled Olivia with him. Once down on the ground, he just stared into her eyes.

The seconds passed but Colin said nothing. Finally Olivia looked up and into Colin's eyes. Into his pond scum green eyes. She blinked and looked away again.

"You still don't understand anything," she muttered and turned away from him. "You have a big family and a lot of friends. You are socially compatible and everyone you meet likes you immediately. You have girls queuing up for you. You have nice hair, nice eyes and a great body. And you have Emmi!"

The last one came out louder and more aggressively than she had intended, but she didn’t take it back.

“Me, on the other hand,” she continued, her voice shaking a little now. “I have a dad who works all the time and never writes to me. I can barely hold a normal conversation without either breaking down, boring others, or turning red as a tomato. I have ugly hair and scars everywhere. My only really close friends are you and Mikey. I’m an ugly, boring, nerdy outsider. I’M A MONSTER!!”

Then she just turned away from Colin. Her whole body was shaking and tears were burning behind her eyelids. But she refused to let them fall. The dreamy bubble she had been in just a few minutes ago was blown away.

She turned her head and said over her shoulder to Colin: “And who could love a monster.”
It wasn’t a question, it was a fact.

Word count: 330
Mention: @Colin McCoire & @Tes Cadell
OOC notes: Wow, this is the most emotional thing I've ever written as Olivia

Olivia spoke.

Colin remained silent. He let his friend pour out everything she was holding inside. Just as he himself had done countless occasions to AngelFyre. Why were these feelings and thoughts going on in their heads so hard? Elation one moment, angst the next. The vision of Rigel, of all people, catching him in a moment of confusion. Smirking, his eyes twinkling. It annoyed Colin the first four hundred and thirtyseven times it happened. Until he realised that it was the same smirk that played about his own lips whenever he thought he knew something another kid didn't.

The things Olivia said about him, Colin had to admit, were basically true. He did have a rather extensive family vine, and for some very strange reason most other kids seemed to like him. She complimented his hair and eyes. Colin couldn't help but smile. A smile that was wiped off his face and replaced by a blush to the equal of Olivia's own.

"...you have a great body. And you have Emmi."

Colin's world suddenly overturned! He had honestly never really thought in these terms before. It was as if in that one revolution a new gateway had been opened to him. Where before there had been a sort of unitary concept of others being beautiful here was a girl separating him from all other boys. He. Colin. A boy. He had a great body.

A million thoughts flooded his brain. His own. Olivia's words. Emmi's words. You have a great body. Me on the other hand. You have have girls queueing up for you. Do they always show up wherever you go, Emi? Who on Earth said anything about marriage?? I'm a MONSTER! I love YOU Emily Shephard! I'd never go through with it! I can barely hold a normal conversation. Marriage is far too demanding for something that might not even last! Like--Like divorce! Colin shook his head like a dog. It really did help to calm things down! He stuffed all thoughts away. He had to focus on what was going on right here and now. With Olivia.

You have a great body Colin McCoire.

He rose up out of the depths Olivia had sent him into. “Me, on the other hand,” Olivia said. “I have a dad who works all the time and never writes to me. I can barely hold a normal conversation without either breaking down, boring others, or turning red as a tomato." Her voice was really shaky, and he was still staring, plumbing the depths. "I have ugly hair and scars everywhere. My only really close friends are you and Mikey. I’m an ugly, boring, nerdy outsider. I’M A MONSTER!!”

Colin lowered his eyes for a moment. Hopefully Olivia wouldn't take that as rejection. He just needed to breathe. She turned her back on him. Oof. So much for that, Colin thought. She was silent for a long moment. Colin looked up and found himself face to face with the back of Olivia's head. Wild hair cut short. A slender girl sitting on the floor.

“And who could love a monster.”

Colin was glad Olivia had turned away. A tear slithered down Colin's cheek, followed by another. Colin shifted position from crouch to sitting and scooched himself so that his back was against hers. He knew his eyes were red and the tears flowed freely now. He sniffed. He wiped his nose on his sleeve.

Colin loved Olivia. In that moment especially.

He had no idea what to say. He knew only that his heart was hurting for her. That forevermore she would bide there, a special place in Colin's deepest heart.

Colin took a ragged breath.

I'm a MONSTER. Through his tears, Colin smiled weakly. How often had he thought those exact words about himself. Even now. Neither Emily nor AngelFyre would have any of it. Emily, of course, was Emily. The one girl in the entire universe who could love an entire valley full of flobber worms. And that was no joke. Fyre had often said his own heart was big, but Colin wondered at his Emmi. Sometimes he wondered if his own were anywhere near big enough. But then that marriage and divorce thing reared its ugly head...

And Colin loved Emily.

AngelFyre too would have none of his 'I'm a monster' nonsense. Of everyone Colin ever knew, he suspected that she truly knew him best of all. They'd often talked deep. About life. And death. About lycanthropy and God and why it was they were even living at this particular time and place. He knew that somehow AngelFyre completely understood what it meant to have a disease like his. She knew the pain in his body as if it were her own. She knew the potion that made him ironically sicker than the disease. And she knew it was the only way. Because any other choice was death of that which Colin truly was.

And Colin loved AngelFyre.

And here was Olivia. Of all his friends, only the other wolves knew him in their bones and sinews. It was truly a brotherhood. Him, Luci, Tes, Irina, Mey, Jun, Keith. Olivia. Colin felt the warmth of Olivia's narrow back against his. She was real. Her heart was real. She'd opened it up a bit to him. Colin sorted out what Olivia had actually said. Quite a lot of it seemed to be ordinary teen age angst. Batshit crazy hair. The ever shifting alliances of friends and enemies. Shyness. Snogging. Raging emotions. She said I have a great body, Colin thought. CAILEAN! he shouted to himself. He hoped she couldn't hear that! Feeling ugly and unwanted. Being a monster. Colin felt suddenly hopeless. He was just a boy after all, struggling through all sorts of angst of his own!

How much of this was Olivia venting ordinary teen emotionalism --- and how much of this was Olivia crying out from her lycanthropy? Colin let out a long sigh. They needed to talk. He knew that. He'd talked like this with Keith a little bit. But Keith had only been turned a month or two before and was still suffering the shock. Olivia had been a wolf for years. There must be more to what she was going through. He wondered if he really did understand or not. He wanted to tell her that, no she really was a cute girl, wild hair was awesomé, her body was ---! Colin felt the red heat rising up from his chest to his neck and face. CAILEANN!! Oh my God. Colin needed to sort all that out too! Olivia's words echoed in his head. Who can love a monster. He hoped she would say more. Something to help him help her! Colin realised too late that it wasn't actually a question. And that his answer was --- oh, crikey!

"I- I love you Olivia," his heart said softly.

Interacting: @Olivia Williams | @Tes Caddell
Mentioning: @Emily Shephard | @AngelFyre McCubbing

Olivia felt Colin shift so that his back was to hers. Her instinct was to back away, to back away from him, but she didn't. Then she heard Colin whimper and realized with horror that he was crying. And in that same second, she realized with even greater horror that her own tears were flowing freely now too. She leaned her head on her knees and wrapped her arms around herself as if it could protect her from the world.

Reality came crashing down on her. Millions of thoughts, fears, memories, and realizations. Olivia didn't know what to do. She wanted it to end. She wanted it to go away. For it to be quiet.

"Stop, please stop," she muttered, pressing her hands to her ears.

It was too much at once. Conversations that played over and over again. Things she should have said and done but never happened. Feelings she had kept inside for far too long. Thoughts she didn't even know she was thinking. Memories she didn't even know she had anymore.

A memory flashed through her mind. It was a few hours after Marc had told Olivia that her mother was gone and wouldn't be coming back. That her mother was dead. Olivia was hungry and had gone to the kitchen to find something to eat. She had stopped in the doorway when she saw her father sitting there crying. Little Olivia hadn't known what to do. She had heard him mutter something like "...Oh my dear Bianca. I had promised to protect you at all costs but I failed. How will I ever be able to love again..." Little Olivia wanted to hug her father but instead she had just gone back to her room. Marc had never found out that Olivia had heard him say that.

"No, stop, stop please," Olivia muttered and was suddenly back in the present. But it only lasted a few seconds before she was sucked into her memories again.

It was a dark night, the full moon shone high in the sky.

“Stop it, please…”

Little Olivia was alone in the forest, she heard rustling in the bushes behind her. Maybe it was one of those funny creatures her mother had shown her several times.

“No. No no no…”

Instead, she was met by a pair of yellow eyes. And then it was over her. Little Olivia screamed as the werewolf bit her arm.

Olivia tore herself from the memory with all her strength and now she was shaking wildly. She knew Colin hadn’t heard what she had muttered or seen what she had relived, but she still felt vulnerable. As if the whole world was staring at her. Suddenly, Colin’s voice came floating in the air and all the sound in her brain was turned off. She had forgotten that the world could be so silent. His voice was soft when he said:

"I- I love you Olivia.”

Her body stopped shaking in less than a second. The words echoed in her head and she wondered if she had heard correctly. She had. No. It couldn’t be. No.

Olivia flew up from the floor and backed away from Colin. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks and the sadness mixed with a sudden anger that had blossomed inside her.

“No!” she yelled at Colin and her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. “You can’t! You can’t! It’s not possible!”

She stared at Colin with wide eyes. He couldn’t love her. It was wrong. He loved Emmi, Eyes of Sky. His amazing girl who was so amazing. He couldn’t love Olivia.

“You can’t… YOU CAN’T LOVE ME!” Her voice echoed through the empty room. Her voice that was filled with anger, and sadness, and exhaustion. "It's not possible! It's wrong!"

She had started to shake again and her nails were cutting into the palms of her hands from how hard she clenched her fists. She wiped her face on her already damp sleeves. Colin couldn’t love her. She was a monster and no one could love a monster. Not Colin, not her father, not anyone!

She looked at Colin again. “You’re crazy,” she said, barely audible this time. “You can’t love a monster. No one can.”

Olivia’s legs gave way and she sank to the ground. She was completely exhausted. “You can’t,” she repeated, but her anger was gone now. “You can’t. You can’t, can’t, can’t. You can’t…”

The sound of Olivia’s voice faded completely and she just sat there, staring down at her clenched hands that were still shaking. “You can’t,” she repeated one last time.

Word count: 771
Mention: @Colin McCoire & @Tes Cadell
OOC notes: Oh my god, I hate myself for writing this and for doing this to Olivia

Colin waited.

He was learning patience. Aoife would be proud.

Olivia, I love you, he thought. Oh God. What if she thinks --- no. Why would Olivia think that? Everyone knows about my Eyes of Sky! But --- what's wrong with saying that? For long while, Olivia and Colin sat in silence in the dimly lit room. Back to back. Her body was shaking. Colin knew that feeling. She was muttering. He couldn't quite make out the words. He whispered a prayer for his friend. He knew the muttering too. Hadn't he crumpled into a sobbing mess at AngelFyre's side? Emily's? Liam's?

"It'll be okay, lass," Colin said softly. "Let it all out." He thought she was going to shake herself to pieces, until the realisation hit home. She stopped shaking. Colin relaxed a bit. That was good maybe she was ready to get the rest of it out! Colin began to feel relief, just then. Even a bit of well deserved pride! He loved his friends fiercely, and had never been afraid to tell them. Colin remembered spilling everything to AngelFyre. It felt so good afterwards. Perhaps all Olivia needed was for a friend to ---

"NO!!!" she screeched like a banshee, pushing off of Colin and jumping up to her feet! Colin unfolded his own lanky form and turned to face her. [/i]What the bloody farmer in the dell!?[/i] he thought. “You can’t! You can’t! It’s not possible!” Olivia's fists were about as tightly closed as one could do and for a moment, he wondered if she wouldn't attack him! A swift kick or a punch, right where it hurt most. Colin braced himself.

"Oli---!" She paid him no mind.

She didn't strike him. She kept screaming at him. Colin wasn't quite sure what to do now. “You can’t… YOU CAN’T LOVE ME!” Oof. Welp, lad. That didn't quite go as planned, he thought.

"But---!"

"It's not possible!"

"I---!"

"It's wrong!"

"I--- How---?"

“You’re crazy,” she yelled. Colin was really worried that on top of whatever she'd been going through, he only added to her anger. His heart sank.

"Liv---,"

Finally the girl stopped screeching at him like an owl who'd flown a thousand miles and didn't her treats! “You can’t love a monster. No one can,” she said more softly. Her voice seemed more back to normal.

Olivia collapsed. Her knees buckled and she was on the floor again, sobbing. AngelFyre! What do I do what do I do??? he thought, hoping beyond hope that she'd hear him the way Liam sometimes seemed to. “You can’t. You can’t, can’t, can’t. You can’t…” Her voice all but crumbled to to a raspy whisper. Her fists were still clenched. Her body trembled.

Colin blinked.

He saw as if in a flash, those times he'd spoken to Emily about her family. How she --- told him some things but never quite said everything. He saw how he had so lamely let AngelFyre down her séanma died. He understood what he needed to do. What his Fyre would do. Right about now, Colin reckoned, now that the anger was released, now that he was pretty sure Olivia wasn't going to give him a swift kick, he knew what to do.

Olivia sat there like an abandoned doll. One of those wild red haired dolls with the button eyes and the hand sewn mouths that frowned when abandoned and smiled when hugged. A simple little charm to delight a child, perhaps, but they were a good lesson for all that. The dolls reminded the kids that they too needed only a couple basic things in life.

And sometimes one of those things was nothing more than a hug. A reassuring hair ruffle. The loving words of a friend. Well, Colin realised, I probably should have worded that a little differently! Through his own tears, he made up his mind. A lesser boy would have backed away. Said that Olivia was weird. Turned and fled, even if he didn't really want to. Colin knew he was meant to be something other than a lesser boy. He closed the distance.

He sat next to Olivia.

He put his left arm around her shoulder. His wand arm. He trusted her. He spoke softly, tenderly: "Och, Liv, tis okay lass. Really tis! I don't know what all that was about, but I'll not let ye go until we sort it. A dinnae ken aa --- I mean. I don't think that was all about yer hair. Listen." He paused for a moment, to make sure she was hearing him. "Ye're me little sister. I've said it, and that's that. Ye've become dear to me. Like Tes. Like AngelFyre. Of course I love ye, Olivia! How can I not? We've got the same thing going on right? The monthlies? The big fangs and heavy fur? And if ye've forgotten, me own hair ain't exactly perfect, and me own body's got scars too!" He leaned over her and ruffled her hair with his right hand. Then tousselled his own with a quick laugh. "See? Half the time I've got some twigs or vines up here!"

Colin fell silent. Olivia remained silent. He hoped she was listening. He bit his lower lip. There was something he felt very strongly about. He'd said it himself many times in the past, and his best friends made sure he knew to change his tune. And now Olivia had said it a number of times, each one a stab into Colin's heart. If she felt that way about herself, how could she compliment him? How could she not also say he was a monster?

His voice shifted tone. More urgent. More serious. "Look, sis. About this whole 'monster' thing." His nose crinkled and his jaw set as he said that word. "Tis every bit as horrible as horrible as 'Mudblood', that." He gasped slightly. He hadn't meant for that to sound quite so forceful! "I--- Olivia. I don't mean to yell at ye about that! But ---"

Ach! How do I tell ye ye're no monster when ye've convinced yerself? he thought.

"Ye don't have to believe me, but I'm going to say it. I do love ye, Olivia. Ye're me mate. Ye're a wolf. That's just how I am. And. Also. This monster thing. Ye're no monster Olivia Williams. Ye've got a cursed disease. That's all. Like me. No different. Y- ye said I don't understand anything. Well, I bet I understand some things!"He scooched around to face Olivia again. He saw the tears in her eyes and his heart melted. "Ye come to me house some time. I'll show ye the old stone cottage. Its windows aren't bricked up any more, nor is the heavy iron door locked. From the outside. That's where they used to throw us, before the wolfsbane. We all have that in us somewhere. The hatred of other people. The mistrust. And yeah. I've got a big family. About half of them want to kill me or send me Azkaban or both. Even the werewolf that turned me and Liam he's planning ---" Colin stopped abruptly. There was no reason not to tell Olivia. She wasn't one of them. Colin trusted her. He shrugged. "---Let's just say he's been after me for a while now." Colin smirked, fingering the fang that hung around his neck.

He sighed. It was a burden that no kid should have to bear. Sometimes parents turned on their kids who caught lycanthropy. Some sent them away. He had no idea what lay behind Olivia's eyes, but there was clearly pain. He reached out again. He nudged her chin up. A slight smile played about his lips. "I really can't understand why you think no one can love you. I'm going to keep at it until ye get it through yer thick head." Colin knocked thrice on her forehead. "Ye really are a pretty girl. Yer hair is fine. Yer looks are bonny. And most importantly of all: ye're NO MONSTER." He paused, searching her eyes again, hoping desperately for any sign he was getting through. "It took me a while to learn that." Indeed. It had only taken a dozen friends over his first couple years at Hogwarts reminding him that he wasn't really a monster. He lowered his eyes. "And if ye don't believe me, Olivia Williams, I'll sick me amazing Emmi, who is really amazing, on ye! Honestly, give that lass a month and she'll have ye convinced that lycanthropy is the best thing that ever happened to ye!"

Interacting: @Olivia Williams | @Tes Caddell
Mentioning: @Emily Shephard | @AngelFyre McCubbing

Interacting with: @Colin McCoire Mentioning: @Tes Cadell

This was it. Colin stood up. Olivia knew what was going to happen next. He was going to take one last look at Olivia and then hurry away. But he didn’t. He sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. Then his voice came, soft and tender.

He said she was like his little sister, that they had so many things in common: the wolf, the scars, and the hair. Then he fell silent for a moment. Olivia couldn’t answer even if she wanted to, she needed to take it all in. Every word, every syllable.

Then his voice changed tone. It became more serious, more urgent. “Look, sis,” he began and Olivia’s heart skipped a beat. Sis. Colin was really serious. She could barely hear what he was saying when he talked about monsters and mudblood. The only thing circulating in her head was that word. Sis.

She only came back to reality when Colin moved so that he was sitting in front of her. He told her about his home, his family, how the werewolf that bit him and Liam were planning something. Usually Olivia would have gotten suspicious when Colin interrupted like that, but now she let it pass.

Colin reached out and nudged Olivia's cheek up. "I really can't understand why you think no one can love you. I'm going to keep at it until ye get it through yer thick head." He tapped her forehead three times and for the first time Olivia made a broken sound that might have been a little laugh. Colin continued to assure her that she was beautiful, that her hair was fine, and that most importantly: SHE WAS NOT A MONSTER. His eyes sought hers and she looked into them. Their hazel brown met their pond scum green. “It took me a while to learn that."

No, Colin was not a monster. He really wasn't. Olivia wanted to say it but her mouth wouldn't listen. He went on to say that if she still didn’t believe him, he would send Emmi after her.

Olivia was still for exactly one second. Then she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around Colin. The tears flowed freely again and she clung to him as if he were the only thing keeping her alive.

“I believe you,” Olivia whispered, her voice raspy and hoarse. “And Colin McCoire, I love you too. Like a brother I never had. You can’t leave me, you can’t ever leave me.” The words were almost desperate but also incredibly true. This was all that mattered right now.

“Hey, Colin?” Olivia whispered after a moment of silence. A small smile played on her lips. “Can you promise not to talk too much about your amazing Emmi to me? I feel incredibly single.” She laughed a little, a laugh that was filled to the brim with pure joy.

Word count: 483
OOC note: Sorry for the wait <33
Olivia talking
Colin talking
Outfit:

Reducio

There was a long moment of tension. Colin was worried he'd gone too far. Or maybe not far enough? Twas always hard to tell with girls. Would Olivia come to see sense? Or would she give him a swift kick for being too forward? Or would she get up and run away angry? Or worst yet, would she simply collapse into a blubbering mess? Thank God he hadn't had to deal with that yet, but he'd heard stories in the common room. Naturally, he'd had these moments with Emmi too. And both ways. He reckoned a lot of these kinds of anxieties could be easily be cured with a good snog or two. Sadly, Emily was pretty firm on the whole kissing thing. For now. Colin's heart skipped a beat. Emmi was more of a talker and a consoler, so Colin reckoned he'd have to work at the kissing thing some more! Kissing was such a curative thing, right? Ah, and wasn't Emily so very ---

"Mmf!" was all Colin managed to get out!

Something had happened! Inside Olivia. Twas something Colin hadn't quite expected! There was no kick or angry response or even just seeing sense. No. She leapt at him! He could see it coming, but had no time to prepare! Olivia threw her arms around him and held on tight. He could feel the hot tears falling onto his neck. He responded in the only way Colin knew to. He held Olivia close, his arms around her shoulders. Whatever had happened inside the girl, Colin was sure she's seen sense after all!

Colin remained silent. She would talk when she was ready. Even if that were an hour, he would just let her remain as she was. Sometimes, he reckoned, you just needed a good long hug. It felt different than with Emmi. This was more like an embrace with AngelFyre. Just as fierce and passionate, but of a different kind. And at last Olivia did speak. Her tears had made her voice sound harsh and raspy, but it was the good kind. Colin knew that voice well. Had it not come from his own throat so many times with Emily and AngelFyre and Liam?

“And Colin McCoire, I love you too. Like a brother I never had. You can’t leave me, you can’t ever leave me.”

Colin smiled. Words from the heart. That he could feel. He reckoned it wasn't all done and dusted yet. She may still need reminding, lad, Colin thought. He leaned his head into Olivia's. It struck him at that moment. He'd have to tell her more about the Sanctuary he'd been learning about!

"Leave ye? Of course not," he said softly. "One thing is true, Liv: wolves have to stick together. Ye're me sister, and I'm yer brother. That means we're stuck with each other!" And Colin meant that. Fully. He paused. "Unless ye do something daft like go off and join some mob of dark wolves. Then, I'd still love ye, but I'd have to fight ye too!"

Colin really felt super happy! The two of them just Sitting there, just sorting things out. Wait. Or was it just the two of them? Colin had been so focused on Olivia that everything else was sort of shut off. He wasn't even sure how he'd done that! Usually, everything just kind of flowed in at once. He wasn't sure if was a strange scent or the smallest of sounds, but something had changed, Colin was sure of it. His expression changed ever so slightly from relaxed to a heightened alert. He ---

“Hey, Colin?" Olivia interrupted. Colin returned to relaxed mode. "Can you promise not to talk too much about your amazing Emmi to me? I feel incredibly single.” Olivia laughed. She sounded really happy. Just being in that moment.

And Colin laughed too. The sense of intrusion set aside. He was just happy that Olivia seemed to be happy!

He released her from his embrace and reached up to scritch behind her ear playfully. Ear scritches were the best! Especially from a friend! "Oh---!" Colin almost launched into an amazing Emmi story! "Ach! Now that's a terrible thing to bind me to, lass! But I'll try! I feel incredibly single? she'd said.

Colin's eyes glinted.

He smirked.

"Single, eh, lass?" Colin laughed merrily. "Now, that we can work on." Colin leaned in close and lowered his voice. "Is there some lad ye fancy? What about Keith? Or Luca? Oo! How about Archer! He's in my house! Honestly, Liv. Just be yerself! Ye'll have all kinds of lads just queuing up to ye!"

Interacting: @Olivia Williams | @Tes Caddell
Mentioning: @Emily Shephard | @AngelFyre McCubbing