Rumours Closed

Mentioning: @Meredith Ready, @Wyatt Starkey, @Nell Zoldak, @Lucille Williams

"Wouldn’t you get more questions for sitting next to me than you would for backhanding me, saying a few words and walking off? Since I’d love to watch your reputation (or whatever’s left of it) crumble to the ground, you may sit… if you can find any room of course."

Autumn tried to keep her mouth from curling into an amused smirk at the last remark, and instead took a seat at the empty seat in front of the boy.

"Well, if I go back, they'll ambush me with questions, and I might die from the attention and eagerness. I am not really an extrovert, and most Hufflepuffs... are, to understate the truth. If I go after dinner, I'll simply go to my dorm and read a book. When I read, I have a tendency to not hear sounds unless I want to hear them."

Autumn sounded monotone as she spoke. But inside, she was confused. She had kind of expected him to ask about her grandfather. He hadn't. That was really, really good, and she was glad, but it was confusing. She snuck a glance at Nell Zoldak, who had another Ravenclaw girl standing by her, and another glance at Meredith Ready. Hmm. This would be interesting.

Wyatt was still looking away from Autumn, but that didn’t last long. She took a seat right in front of him, forcing him to look at her, at least a little bit. At least it gave him the chance to read her. Her interest in the situation was thinly veiled. It struck him as odd how she spoke in a monotone voice as if she didn’t care, but her eyes told a different story. They darted in two directions, and Wyatt, curious, turned to check on what she was looking at.

Unsurprisingly, she looked at Nell Zoldak who also had a rumor spread about her. Nell was talking to Lucille Williams, someone Wyatt had met a few times, but they were only acquaintances. Turning again to look in the second direction, Wyatt saw Meredith Ready. He frowned at the girl who he suspected to have started the rumor after not seeing it for too long. He turned back to Autumn but made sure his expression was unreadable by then.

The funny thing about Autumn was that it was difficult to tell whether she knew more or less than she let on. She refused to give any specific details and spoke so vaguely that it seemed like she was just making things up. She didn’t seem that careless though, and by being vague, she could be showing Wyatt that she knows so much more than he, and if he knew as much as she did, what she was saying would make sense no matter how vague.

Overthinking again, he noted on his own behavior. The girl had been talking about what her house was like, but Wyatt didn’t care at all about what she had to say. “Tell me why you feel the need to be a part of this whole thing. You obviously don’t want to help,” he said, venomously. “Do you just want to be in control? Pull the strings for once? Or are you only interested in being a spectator?” His tone said he demanded answers, not that he was asking nicely for them.

_{Interacting with: @Autumn Ivy
@Nell Zoldak @Lucille Williams @Meredith Ready}

Mentioning: @Wyatt Starkey, @Lucille Williams, @Nell Zoldak, @Meredith Ready

Autumn inhaled sharply as Wyatt spoke. Sure, she expected him to ask about her intentions, but he had done is far more directly than she had predicted he would. And his tone... It was venomous and bitter. It made Autumn wonder whether she was doing the right thing.

Then she realised that she had been full aware this whole time that what she was doing was very much the wrong thing to do.

Oh well. She was far too deep in now. She may as well answer. Unless Wyatt killed her in her sleep- which probably would not go well for him, seeing as she barely slept, and as when she did, she did so lightly- he would not be able to affect her in many ways. He did not have high enough, if any, social status in order to do so. In all honesty, neither did she. But then again, if Autumn chose to kill someone in their sleep, that person's faith would be sealed, so it did not matter all that much for her.

However, Wyatt's question did make her think. What was her intention in this situation? She did not know. Did she want to control the situation, pull the strings? As amusing as that would be, as well as a nice wholesome way of getting rid of her boredom, she was, for once, not playing the mastermind. Was she interested in being a spectator? Well, yes, that had been the plan when the rumour situation had drawn her interest, but when she had made the stupid mistake of first getting noticed and caught by Wyatt Starkey, and then making another stupid decision of lying, it had been a bit too late to keep on being the spectator.

The only thing she knew was that she knew more than Wyatt and Nell did, and she knew more than Meredith thought she did. So, she was going to maintain things that way. Or, at least, parts of it. Because this situation would go on forever if not resolved, and if it went on forever, Autumn would eventually get bored of it. And it would help resolve the situation if the victims of the gossip knew the person was the source of the widespread rumours.

"No, for the first time in forever, I am not the mastermind. I am not controlling everything. I am not pulling the strings. I know more than you do is all. And I am now about to, as the contemporary slang phrase goes, "spill the beans". However, it may be more productive if Nell Zoldak is here to hear it."

@Wyatt Starkey @Autumn Ivy @Meredith Ready @Lucille Williams

And Nell was there to hear it. She stood in the corridor ever so silently and heard it. She was curious but she didn’t want to get into trouble. That detention was so long ago anyways. Nell shook her head and began walking back to the girl’s dormitory. But, her footsteps were a little loud. She stopped, the rubber on her shoe squeaking on the wet corridor floor. Nell had two choices: she could stay here and hide, or she could run as fast as lightening up to the dormitories. She chose the running. The small second year sprinted up the stairs, glancing behind her every so often. She didn’t see anyone just yet. Soon enough, Nell came to realize that she should have just hid - much easier. Nell stopped and turned around. Had they not even chased after her at all? She slowed her face down as she made it to the dorms. Nell decided to wait outside so that she could just slip in if she saw anyone. She glanced down the stairs and heard nothing at all. She saw nothing at all. Nell only knew that Wyatt and Autumn had been down in the corridor when she was listening in. That was all the second year knew.

Interacting: @Autumn Ivy
Mentioning: @Nell Zoldak
Other: @Meredith Ready @Lucille Williams

[font=times new roman]Wyatt scoffed at Autumn’s words. “I believe you know more than I do, I won’t question that,” the Slytherin began. Wyatt barely knew a thing about what was going on, so it wasn’t that great a feat to know more than he did about the current situation. He continued, “Though I never thought it would be that easy to get information out of you. I didn’t even ask for details and you’re just… going to hand them over? To me and Zoldak?”

The Slytherin crossed his arms and leaned onto the table. “And for productivity’s sake as well? Since when did you care about the productivity of this… case?” Wyatt wasn’t exactly sure what to call his search for the rumor-spreader, so he just went with case. He was sort of playing detective, wasn’t he? “Maybe you’re getting bored and you’re trying to speed up the process of this whole thing.” Thinking out loud wasn’t really getting him anywhere, he noticed.

Even though he was well aware Autumn could just give him false information, he needed to know whatever she had right now. “Whatever… just tell me. And don’t bother waiting for Zoldak. She’ll probably be turning the corner by the time you finish your first sentence.” That Ravenclaw had a tendency to say random things to you then walk off before you could get a sentence in. It was infuriating, but maybe that was part of some odd genius she possessed.[/font]

@Wyatt Starkey, @Nell Zoldak, @Lucille Williams, @Meredith Ready

English: #6B5076
Welsh: #9E8FB9
Uzbek: #874343

Starkey was no idiot, Autumn would give him that much.

“I believe you know more than I do, I won’t question that."

He had had all these things thrown at him; those stupid rumours growing worse, a stranger seemingly stalking him, said stranger lying about their identity, then that stranger offering to suddenly give up information about the source of the rumours although the stranger had not shown any previous interest in being helpful. He was handling it surprisingly well.

“Though I never thought it would be that easy to get information out of you. I didn’t even ask for details and you’re just… going to hand them over? To me and Zoldak?”

So he was a sceptic.

Autumn admired that quality in people.

However, it contributed to the strange similarities she was finding between the two of them. The way he had handled the rumour situation reminded her of herself. The way he reacted to her actions did too. He had shown himself so far to be relatively easier to annoy- especially by his rumours-, defensive, sceptical and a quick thinker. The similarities were most definitely there.

And they only made Autumn feel worse.

“And for productivity’s sake as well? Since when did you care about the productivity of this… case?”

Interesting pause before there word "case". Is this what he saw this as? A mystery for him to solve? He did not seem to be enjoying it much so far.

Also, "since when did she care about productivity"? Of course she cared about productivity, She just enjoyed indulging in small, amusing situations and putting an end to her boredom more. However, there was not much evidence for him to be able to guess that. He knew little to nothing about her. There was not much to know; most rumours started about her died out quickly. Ever since she had come to Hogwarts, she had always had the option to fit in and be boring or stand out and be shamed, and she had made her choice. No rumour about her was interesting enough to stay. Him, however, Autumn knew about, most of it from rumours, other speculations from his behaviour and speech. In the end though, all of it could be fake; she knew about him, but were the things she knew the truth? Who knew?

And it was not as if Autumn could not relate to being the subject of rumours, and having your reputation plummet due to it. There had, however hard to remember now, been a time where she was confident enough to not restrain and control herself, when she said everything she wanted to say, when she had not cared about semantics such as what people thought of her or her dignity.

She had been young and naive, and she had been punished for it.

Even after the years, some of the rumours had stuck with her. There had been one that she had poisoned a teacher, after the teacher had mysteriously went missing after Autumn had talked back to him, and debated his moral views during class time. It had simply turned out that he had gotten food poisoning. However, the idea had stuck, and many had feared her for it; it had helped her learn a bit more about people, and why it was better to be quiet, although there were still times when she couldn't help but argue.

“Maybe you’re getting bored and you’re trying to speed up the process of this whole thing.”

Autumn presumed he was thinking out loud at this point, but that guess had been half accurate. Half of her reason was that; the other half was guilt. Guilt was a detestable emotion. It tore you up inside and made you want to vomit, and, worse, apologise and be held accountable for your actions.

“Whatever… just tell me. And don’t bother waiting for Zoldak. She’ll probably be turning the corner by the time you finish your first sentence.”

Okay, that was... um. Autumn checked where Zoldak had been previously seated.

She was not there.

Okay, that was strange and bordering on sort of scary. Nothing to feel strong fear about, but enough to put Autumn further on edge than she already was.

"I will... take your word on that. Anyway, the one who started the rumours. Meredith. Meredith Ready. Blonde Slytherin girl in our year. She hasn't started all of your rumours, but if you take her out- whether I mean that in a murder way or not is up to interpretation- you will end up taking most of them- I'd guess 60 to 80%?- out. I could come with you if you choose the murder interpretation, but I would presume you would get a more satisfying sense of closure if you dealt with her yourself. Maybe Zoldak could come too; Meredith has not particularly lightened up her Hogwarts experience either."

She took a moment to think; this could either end now in a short way, and the problem would be dealt with accordingly, or, things could get a bit more interesting.

"However, if you ever wish to have an interesting story to tell your I'm sure many friends, we could attempt to outsmart her, or even give her a... taste of her own medicine, if I've used the term correctly. I certainly could share a few stories, and word could... get around, as word does."

She must have sounded so petty. To even suggest such thing... it said a lot about her as a person. And it did not say nice things. And she did not at this point know whether or not she cared about what Starkey thought of her, but she did not want him to get the wrong idea.

She sighed, "Look. Things have not been great for you with the rumours. And I did not share any- no, I only share rumours about Gryffindors and people who I know and dislike- but I did complicate the situation for you, by lying. And, for that I am s- so-."

Why couldn't she say it?

"I am s- s... so..."

Just like a band-aid, she just had to let it out.

"Iamsorry."

Interacting: @Autumn Ivy
Mentioning: @Nell Zoldak @Meredith Ready
Other: @Lucille Williams

[font=times new roman]When Wyatt heard Meredith’s name, he could’ve screamed. He knew he was quick to make judgments of people, but since his judgments usually proved to be correct, he never confronted this behavior. This time was different. He’d thought Meredith was too silly to spread around any rumors. He’d actually asked her if she knew who started the rumor and she started spouting useless facts about Hippogriffs, but how could he only realize how that was most likely her nervous tick now. Wyatt was sure not to show any signs of a realization though.

If Ivy knew she helped, it might get to her head. The power of knowing the most about the situation seemed to boost her ego quite a bit already, as the girl suggested that they would murder Meredith for spreading the rumor. That seemed like a little much, even for Wyatt. Thankfully, her second idea was a little better. Starting their own rumor about Meredith actually sounded like a pretty good idea. As Ivy said, it was only giving her a taste of her own medicine. Wyatt still had his reservations though.

Not only was there the possibility that Autumn was still lying, but there was also no better way to tell the world that your rumor was true than spreading another rumor about the person who started yours. “That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard. I’m not killing anyone… and if I were planning on it, I’d do it alone.” Wyatt didn’t know how his life would turn out, so he didn’t exactly want to set in stone that murder would never be an option. Hell, he imagined if his father showed up within the next five minutes he’d find a way then and there.

"Look. "
“Hm.”
"Things have not been great for you with the rumours."
“Oh, really?”
"And I did not share any-"
“Likely story-”
"no, I only share rumours about Gryffindors and people who I know and dislike-"
“Fair.”
"but I did complicate the situation for you, by lying. "
“Ah, she's self aware.”
"And, for that I am s- so-."

Wyatt stopped talking immediately and raised his eyebrows, obviously confused. It took him far too long to understand what she was trying to say. Finally, she was able to say it completely. "Iamsorry." Wyatt’s eyes widened in shock before he was able to stop himself. The expression lasted only a second before he cleared his face of any emotion. He couldn’t imagine the last time he received an apology from someone. The realization shook him. He cleared his throat and thought of a snide remark.

With a fake amused grin, he said, “took you long enough, I thought I’d be here for months.”

He made sure to move on as quickly as possible. “Starting a rumor of my own will make the whole situation seem more suspicious, but if our peers are as dumb as they look, I may be able to get away with it.” As soon as he was done talking, he could’ve sworn he heard footsteps running away. When he turned to check on who it may be, he saw someone with long black hair heading in the direction of… the Ravenclaw common room? Zoldak! She’d been listening in, hadn’t she? The brat!
[/font]

@Wyatt Starkey, @Nell Zoldak, @Lucille Williams, @Meredith Ready

English: #6B5076
Welsh: #9E8FB9
Uzbek: #874343

Was he surprised? Did he really not expect her to apologise? Had that really been the impression she had left on him? Someone so egotistical and self-centred that she could not bring herself to apologise when she was clearly aware of the negative consequences of her actions?

However, maybe he was correct. Autumn could not remember the last person she had apologised to sincerely, with the exception of Naomi, her younger sister, and she didn't have an idea why it had been so hard for her to say three short words. She could not help but feel disappointed in herself. After all, so far she had lied, made a stranger dislike her, AND had not helped the situation whatsoever.

“Took you long enough, I thought I’d be here for months.”

Really? Clearly she had struggled, and that was his response? Still, Autumn probably would have responded much the same, if the roles were reversed, so she supposed she could not blame him for it.

“Starting a rumor of my own will make the whole situation seem more suspicious, but if our peers are as dumb as they look, I may be able to get away with it.”

Finally, to respond, Autumn began speaking again, seemingly recovered from the emotional and mental exhaustion her apology had cost her, only to say two words.

"They are."

His gaze suddenly turned and his face turned from a neutral one to one of anger. Before she could trace where his eyes were pointing, she heard footsteps, and realised they were being approached. She turned her face slightly to see who it was.

Ready.

"Well that was very interesting to hear."

Oh. Oh no.

Autumn could barely hear the girl muttering under her breath, but she did, and raised her eyebrow at her words.

" Oh My God!!!! The rumors are true!! You both are in love.....!!!!!!!!!!!

...What? That wasn't right. Autumn would know if there were any rumours circulating about her. So the girl was lying. She had to be. Still, there was a small part of her, afraid that she wasn't. Still, the girl had previously shown herself to be a liar and rumour spreader, so it would make sense for her to be lying.

"Uh Maybe should not have said that in front of you.... oh well so yeah Wyatt there is like twenty more rumors going on about you and Autumn!!! Yes it was Autumn!!! Sorry I forgot your name for a bit."

20? Yep, the girl was lying. And if there were 20 rumours going on about her and Starkey, it would not make sense for the girl to not remember her name, although she easily remembered Starkey's. It hadn't even been a good lie; Autumn felt angry that she had ever doubted herself on the subject of the girl's lie.

"Uh I am pretty sure this is the time that you two talk back to me."

Wyatt had said before that he didn't want to resort to murder, which seriously limited their options. And it was not as if they could now spread a rumour about her; she had somehow magically heard their conversation. She searched her mind for something to say, but instead only found witty and dry comments.

So she didn't speak, instead shaking her head to Wyatt slightly, to try to show through body language that the girl was lying.

She just hoped he would understand.