A Dip in the Lake PV Jax and Rayna Closed

Sorry for the delay @Rose Moon

Being forgotten sucked.

It was something Jax tried to avoid most days. And today was one of them. Anger coursed through his veins, white hot and vicious as he walked out of the forbidden forest, shallow cuts and scratches decorating his face hands, leaves and sticks sticking to his black hoodie and out of his hair. In his fist was clutched a letter. Another one. It seemed his family only wrote to him when they had bad news to share.

He'd avoided the great hall particularly for that reason today, hoping if he skipped breakfast the Owl wouldn't find him. But she had, her ugly head peaking out from between branches of the huge oak tree he'd climbed, feathers pointing every which way as she pecked at his hand, urging him to read the letter. And so, like the idiot he was, he had.

His hands were shaking as the snuck at the back of his head, pulling the wand which was keeping his hair in a tightly wrapped manbun free. Black locks fell, framing his face in a mess of spikes and curls. The wand in question, a long thin thing with a dragonstring core, and currently being pointed at the letter. "Incendio," he ordered, dropping the letter on the banks of the lake as it caught fire. Flames licked up the white, printer paper devouring the typed up words and perfect picture of his sister and her fiance. He'd had a similar task the day before. The only difference? He'd had a panic attack then.

Now, the only thing which the flames left behind was a strange, hollow feeling. It slowly spread from the middle of his chest, stilling the rage. A rage he very much needed to function. Because when Jax wasn't angry, memories came back. Of every time he'd been forgotten, pushed away and ignored. Every time he'd been told to shut up so 'the grown ups could talk', discussing his future the way one would the weather. Being left in the shadows until he hadn't known how to live in anything but. Told to keep his mouth closed so often he'd forgotten how to voice his thoughts.

But a new year was starting at Hogwarts. A chance to grow, become something better. Even now, the lingering bits of summer were being blown away by a cold, chilling breeze. And along with it, the wind brought hope.

Snuffing out the remainder of the smoldering paper with the heel of his boot, Jax walked away, leaving behind a small pile of ash, mixed with the sand on the beach.

There weren't many people outside. Except for that girl.

The hauntingly beautiful one. Whenever he came close to her, he found it hard to wrench his eyes away, hard to look in any direction but hers. Now, again, he was finding himself draw in her direction, a strange pull making him unable to walk away.

So he sat down beside her. "We meet again," he smirked, icy blue eyes meeting her gaze. Nice sweater, he wanted to say. But he didn't. The talking thing came easily for him, after spending three years in a house full of extroverts. He simply didn't feel the need to say anything anymore.

Rose jumped when Jax sat down next to her, making the grass crackle in protest. Her muscles tensed and she pulled herself up to sit in an upright position, blushing at being found laying on her back like that. "I'm sorry- I um, didn't see you there." She chuckled a little at his greeting, the pink draining from her face and leaving it its normal color. "It seems so. Its... Jax, right?" Rose said his name slowly, hoping she wasn't wrong. Hoping with all of her being she wasn't wrong. He and Rose had talked just a little bit, but not enough to be counted as more than acquaintances. Rose ducked her head anxiously as a thought popped into her mind. "Am I in your spot or something? Cause I can leave if you want..." Rose pulled her knees to her chest, her eyes reflecting the unsureness inside her. She visibly relaxed when he didn't kick her out of her own spot by the lake. She would have left if he had asked her to. She smiled at him, though it didn't reach her eyes, and asked, "How are you?" Rose knew that he probably wouldn't tell her the truth to that question and would probably just provide a generic answer, like a "good," "fine," or "okay." Rose always did, even when she really wasn't good or fine or even okay. Rose thought Jax was pretty cool, and she had heard rumors about him being a rule-breaker and rumors that he was gay, and that he didn't have many friends because of that. It didn't make any difference to Rose, she was supportive of the LGBTQ+ community and the rebels at Hogwarts, though she had no plans of joining them.
He had leaves and sticks on his hoodie as if he was in the forest or in a tree or something. Rose looked up at the lake, her eyes following the ripples of the lake, letting it soothe her from the shock he had accidentally given her. Rose knew going into the forest was against the rules, so she would never do it alone- she just found no reason to. The only reason she would go in the forbidden forest would be with someone to make sure they were okay- there was strength in numbers, after all.
Rose met his eyes with her emerald ones- those pale blue eyes, almost always accompanied by a smirk. "What brings you to the Great Lake?"

No problem!

Why did people keep scaring her today?!
Rose jumped again when she was tapped on the shoulder, startled, and turned her head around to look at the girl behind her, who had said hi.
Rose hesitated. She did not know this girl- she had never met this girl- how did this girl know her name?! She wracked her brains to think about who she was... did she have a class with this girl? No, she didn't. Rose remembered seeing her being sorted into Gryffindor. Maybe she knew her from being in the same house?
Rose knew that she was really noticeable with her red hair, and bright green eyes, but she didn't think she was popular- was she? Were there rumors about her? Like, that her hair was red because of the blood of her victims or something?
Rose felt really really bad that she didn't know her.
What was she supposed to say?
Rose ducked her head, feeling really guilty, and her eyes reflecting that. How could she not remember this girl's name? Yet... there was something familiar about the way she looked. Those blue eyes, the curves of her face. It was as if she had seen her before, even if she never had. "I'm really sorry, um, I don't think we've met?" Rose pulled on her sweater (jumper) sleeves as chills ran down her back. Her voice was just a shade softer than regular voices, and was heavily accented by an American accent. "Do you... do you want to sit with us?" Rose then realized she had just invited the girl to sit without asking Jax. "Is it okay if she does?" she checked with him timidly.
Wow, was she failing at being a person today.

Rayna, can you wait for Jax to post before you do your next one please? I don't think we need an order after that but would you wait just this once? Thanks in advance!

@Rose Moon @Rayna Jangnan

'I get that a lot', the young boy thought with an internal grimace. There was just something about him. Made people look him over. Most times he blended in with the shadows of the dimly lit jail cell of a school. But there, on the sunlight drenched field, surrounded by greenery as he wore pitch black clothes, there really shouldn't have been any reason as to why. Maybe he was just easy to forget. "Yeah," he replied, running a hand through his hair, picking out some of the leaves and sticks.

"And you're Moon." It wasn't a question as much as a statement, said in his usual dry tone. The ash from his letter stained his fingers black, crawling up into his palm and the back of his hand. "I'm alive. And you?" Small talk. He despised it. Didn't know why he'd sat down beside her in the first place, save for the strange magnetic pull she seemed to have. Jessie had dyed her hair that same shade of red right before he'd left for Hogwarts. He still remembered his sister bent over the sink wearing those plastic gloves she'd gotten from the box of dye, massaging the colour in her hair. Somehow, she looked ten times better as a redhead than she did as a blonde.

What did bring him to the great lake? Nothing. What brought him anywhere? The past week had been spent wandering around the school aimlessly, lost in his thoughts, bruises from Alyx and his gang of first year thugs throbbing as he moved. Not everyone was gay friendly at this school, and it showed.

After he'd gotten rid of all the sticks, he took off his hoodie, evidence of all the time he'd spent alone marking his arms in the form of tiny stick and poke tattoos. The strange thing? His tattoos were alive, seeming to have a conscience of their own. A sapling he'd tattooed in the crook of his elbow had started to grow into a proper little tree, branches sprouting out, leaves appearing in some places. A cat about the size of a coin was currently resting on the side of his thumb, but when he moved his arm it cracked its eye open, tail twitching in a very displeased manner. All his tattoos were small, paper airplanes flying around his skin, stars twinkling, a gust of wind knocking over candles and pieces of parchment. Altogether, the small boy's skin had transformed in something magical.

He laid back, eyes closing as he felt the sun on his too pale face, blue veins crawling up his neck and eyelids, almost the same colour as his eyes. "I wanted to sit somewhere. This place is as good as any."

And then the second chick came. Cracking an eye open the same way his cat had just moments before, Jax did a double take. Because there was a girl, blond hair cascading down her shoulders in gorgeous waves, seeming to be made out of pure gold. Perfect skin and periwinkle eyes. She very nearly rivaled the first in looks. Nearly. Rose managed to give everyone a run for their money...er...looks. A run for their looks. Yet there was something...Looking between the two of the, a thin black eyebrow raised. "My guess is half sisters," he said at last, settling back down on his back, elbows jutting out.

"Yup, that's me," Rose replied to him stating her last name was Moon. Rose really didn't like to use last names, first names were enough. Last names were just if you had two people with the same name, as well as, for some people, a curse that followed them around. Last names just felt cold. And Rose hated the cold- she was wearing a sweater!
Rose tried not to sigh. "Alive." What was with this small talk? Rose hated small talk? I mean, if you're going to talk, talk about something that's going to mean something. Don't talk about the weather- that's wasting the precious time you have here on the earth! Or, just don't talk at all.
Just do not make small talk.
But Rose spared Jax from her lecture about small talk.
Jax confirmed Rose's inward observation that they looked alike, but... Half sisters?! Her parents would never cheat on each other- they were the definition of lovebirds, or they had been... Would her mom do that? She didn't think so, but Rose had not expected her mom to leave Jess alone like that, just disappear off the face of the earth. Her dad would never do that... would he? Rose only remembered little snippets of him, she was three when he died, and she wouldn't be one to judge what he would and wouldn't do. Her stomach squirmed at the suggestion.
A wave of realization, as well as relief, spread over her, slowly- she remembered that day, the day her mom sat down her and her siblings and had explained to them that they had a long-lost cousin. Rose didn't believe it at first, it was crazy, but it was true.
Honestly? She didn't want any more people in her life that she had to support, the number was already getting too high, especially on the side of people who never gave back, but here Rayna was- ready to be supported. Wanting someone, anyone to support her. And Rose would probably be that person. Rose liked helping people, she just wished that more people would help her. Rose shrugged, "Oh, my mom told me a little bit about you." Rose smiled, and laughed, just a little bit. It didn't sound like a real laugh, but it wasn't forced. "I mean, it's kinda crazy- I have a long-lost cousin."
Rayna, for just a second, looked like she was about to cry before laying back on her back like Jax. Rose cocked her head, wondering why Rayna was about to cry. She decided she would ask her later, not in front of Jax. "It's nice to meet you, Rayna."
Rose cleared her throat, still hugging her legs to her chest, trying to make actual conversation between the three of them. If it just dissolved into small talk, Rose wouldn't try again. "So... how do you guys like the classes and professors so far?" Rose had been on the earth and at Hogwarts a year longer than both of them, and she personally knew that teachers could seem really cool on the first day and then be your least favorite person in the world ever. She hadn't had that experience with any of the professors here, but, hey, it could happen.
"Any significant thoughts on any of them?"

Sorry I know it's a bit short, but I'm running out of ideas. Plus, most of the interaction was between you and Rayna.

"If Pendrast calls me out one more time I'm going to burn this whole place down," Jackson growled, throwing an arm over his eyes. It was all talk, obviously. T'was one of the things he hated most about himself. He was the kind of person to bark a lot and bite a little, chickening out at the last second nearly every single time. Despite the somewhat edgy aesthetic he'd spent hours agonizing over, he wasn't tough. Wasn't the hard as nails persona he was entertaining. No. Inside all the spikes and walls he'd put up, the sarcasm laced remarks, sullen silences and glares, he really just wanted a friend. One who was preferably not a six hours train ride away. All the posturing was killing him little by little. So he had two options. Become the person he was pretending to be, or figure out who the hell he was underneath all that.

And today? Well he, was going for the first option. Removing his arm from his face, he threw the two girls a look, weighing his options. "Hey Pretty Girl," he said, not looking at one of them in particular, so they wouldn't know which one of them he was referring to. "I dare ya to jump in the lake." It was COLD out, and a freezing gust of wind which picked up a few leaves and tossed them in their faces did nothing to seem his dare any more appealing. Sunlight was shining on the girls faces, harsh light which should not by any means have flattered them was doing just that.

@Rose Moon @Rayna Jangnan

Honestly, Rose liked Professor Pendrast. She had never been called out by her before, and she loved her class. But Jax didn't seem to enjoy it as much as her, and she didn't say anything- she didn't want to be called a teacher's pet or something else along the lines of that that she would take in as true, even if it wasn't. And she definitely did not want to start arguing. The last thing she needed right now was an argument with someone she didn't even know that well.
She raised her eyebrows at his dare. "What?!" She wasn't sure who "pretty girl" was supposed to mean, but she assumed Rayna- Rose had never thought of herself as pretty, and definitely not an obvious feauture. Maybe he was just bluffing? Aaaaand she blushed anyway. But a dare was a dare, and Rose usually wouldn't be one to back down, but this one... this was a little absurd. It was a lot absurd. "It's freezing outside. I'd rather not get pneumonia today, thanks." She scoffed. "I wouldn't jump in the lake unless you did it with me." She knew that there were some people who would dare someone something but would never do something so stupid themselves. She didn't know Jax super well, but, at least in her mind, there was about an equal chance he was one of those people than not. Plus, he didn't even sit up to say it- he just dared them.
But he had actually asked her how she was- that was more than she could say for some in her life.
But then again, he might just take her up on that and then she would have to jump in the lake. The freezing lake. It was cold even without being dunked in the freezing water of the lake. The lake was freezing during the summer! Imagine a cold day like today.
Rose shivered thinking about it.
One of her more minor concerns were that they probably weren't allowed to be in the lake. But she really didn't care about that, not at the moment, at least. She would care if they got caught and got detention, but as for right now, she wasn't too worried about that part- she was more worried about being super cold. She pulled the sleeves of her sweater tighter around her.

That's okay! This one isn't super long either... D: