Let's Study! PV Kaegan Chase Closed

Kaegan moved blearily through the halls, rubbing the dark circles under his eyes and scowling. He didn't normally struggle with any of his classes- in fact, he was likely to be at the top- but sleep had evaded him for the past nights, and without warning, homework that had been incredibly easy was now nothing but a momentous struggle to keep his eyes open.

The common room, as the Gryffindor had found, was often riotous and noisy. This wasn't a surprise, of course, as he expected nothing better from his own house, but it also wasn't ideal for his current condition. He needed someplace quiet, where tired thoughts could groggily grasp their way to essays and spells. After poking his head into an assortment of classrooms and finding them all occupied, Kaegan bitterly resigned to the last place he'd prefer to go: the study room. The boy was certain that only people who truly couldn't understand the curriculum went there, bored and looking for other students at the same level of foolishness to converse with. There was a surprisingly large part of him that hoped it was crowded, despite the unavoidable return to his common room if that happened to be the case.

Pushing open the door, the Gryffindor peered around, suspiciously regarding the rows of empty desks. The absence of his peers started off a conflict of relief and bitter resentment, debating amongst themselves whether it was worth it for the silence. The study room, admittedly, was almost an agreeable place that seemed entirely separate from the imposing, stone hallways of the castle, with its soft, wood-paneled walls and arched windows, providing sweeping views of the grounds below. There were proud, oak bookshelves bolted along one end, displaying rows of textbooks lined with curling, gold script on their worn covers.

Putting conceit aside, Kaegan entered and dropped his satchel on an ornate desk, far enough in the back corner that another student entering would have a hard time spotting him. Upon sitting down, a heavy cloud of rolling dust plumed from the chair, and the Gryffindor frowned distastefully, wondering about the last time anyone had bothered to take a seat. It all only went to confirm his notion that the Study Room should just be called the Room, in order to save unneeded words.

Rummaging in his bag. he pulled up short at the lack of contents. The book he'd been assigned as a reference, his quill and ink, everything was missing. The boy's scowl deepened, realizing with disdain that, for the first time, he'd been tired enough to leave his things in the classroom. The carved chair screeched across the floor as he shoved it back, stalking out of the room and making for the stairs. A few students were still gathered there, struggling with the homework in groups, and Kaegan glared at the few who ogled at him as he gathered his things and left swiftly.

When the Gryffindor opened the heavy door to the Study Room again, he was displeased to find a girl sitting at one of the desks, books and parchment strewed about the table in front of her. She looked pleasantly eager as she worked, as if she'd waited a lifetime to learn these spells and was now finally receiving her reward. In any other case, Kaegan would have said something sarcastic, trying to offend her enough to restore his peace and quiet, but he was too tired at the moment. Instead, the boy gave her a sharp scowl and dropped his items on the back table.

Papers rustling, he pulled out the Charms homework assigned, scrutinizing it with an exasperated frown as the words swam and blurred in his fatigued eyes. Momentarily forgetting the other presence in the room, Kaegan let out an annoyed breath of air and leaned his head on one hand defeatedly. Bloody hell, he'd never get this finished.

Opeila didn't look up from her books, even when she heard the door of the study room open and close again. After all it was afternoon, most of the students were done with their classes and some of those who cared for their grades now came to the study room to do homework and revise. The exams were still a few months away, but it didn't do any harm to prepare for them early, did it? Opeila always tried to prepare early, but had to realize over and over again, that if there wasn't a certain time pressure, her brain would refuse to focus. So she gave it up and instead did her homework.

She looked up when she felt like someone looked at her. Was it some sort of seer instinct or just growing paranoia after the last year? Opeila didn't know, probably the latter, though she hoped for the first. Turning crazy was nothing she needed at this point.
Whatever it was, it didn't betray her, there was someone looing at her. Or rather... scowled at her. Opeila looked back, a little confused. Did she do anything? She looked at the books and parchment on her desk, down on her cloak... No stains or anything, at least something.

The Slytherin turned back to her book, watching the boy from the corner of her eye. She had not seen him last year but in the corridors sometimes the last months, so he was probably a first year. He took out some work as well and leaned his head on one hand. Ah, so not a homework enthusiast.
If he was a first year, Opeila would probably be able to help him, if it wasn't Transfiguration he was doing. Opeila simply didn't understand transfiguration, it was too scientific for her. Something told her that the boy was probably one of those, who snapped at people offering help due to pride, something she had especially noticed with Gryffindors, Slytherins and... Yeah, actually all houses except for Hufflepuff.

But if she was honest, she wouldn't care so much if he would start a conflict, at least it would be some distraction...
Or maybe she was just being prejudiced as heck. No reason to judge so quickly, maybe he would even appreciate help. Worth a try, right? After all, learning the spells was necessary for more than academical reasons in this school...
She closed her book and turned to the boy. "Hey, you alright?" Now fully looking at him, he actually didn't look good. He looked... so familiar, it was almost like a punch in the face.

In her first year, Opeila had been struggling with bad sleeping issues. She was again now, but that was something else. Back then Opeila had exhausted herself reading and studying until she fell asleep in rather inconvenient places even. This tiredness was so very familiar to her.
Was he studying to distract himself from something as well? Or was he one of those short time insomniacs who would recover quickly?
"You don't look so good. You look like you need sleep."

@Kaegan Chase

At this point, Kaegan was as close to asleep as one could possibly attain without actually being in an unconscious state. His head rested a little heavier on his hand and the swimming words started to blur restfully, fading into a nondescript wash of black. Soft afternoon light that filtered through the tall windows distributed generously on the room's walls only added to his quiet reverie. The Gryffindor felt his arm slide down the paneled desk he sat at slightly, eager to lay itself flat and allow him to cease being awake. The girl who'd taken up a seat in one of the many organized rows had turned to glance at him, seeming bemused by his entrance. Now, even in his current position, he could tell she was watching him, ever so discreetly.

He'd managed to get a better look at her, now that she wasn't completely immersed in her book. Though the green decor on her robes suggested a Slytherin, to Kaeagan, her stature was more of an avid Ravenclaw or a meager Hufflepuff. She was quite small, close to a foot shorter than his current height, and had strangely colored hair that couldn't seem to decide whether it wished to be red or brown. Her skin was pale and her eyes were green, akin to his own, and if someone didn't know better, they may even manage to mistake the two for being related.

Kaegan hadn't seen her in any of his classes or passing in the hallways, so he assumed she was in another year, though judging from her height, it couldn't be much older than he. He shot a patronizing glance at her through the side of his eye before turning any feasible attention back to the work at hand, the brief assessment of her demeanor proving fruitless. It didn't seem like the Slytherin would be of any use to him- she still hadn't torn her eyes from the text she was perusing, except for that one look his way- so he chose to continue ignoring her presence, as was the plan since the beginning.

Still, however, the task assigned to him in Charms seemed inscrutable through his bleary eyes, the words rushing together and forming meaningless sentences. Kaegan knew this material by heart, but the information was sitting adamantly in the back of his mind, refusing to come into focus. He picked up the quill absentmindedly and watched the ink fall from it in shining ovals, making small blotches on the side of his parchment. In a typical situation this would have set off his short temper, aggravating his need for perfection, but now the steady dripping was almost fascinating. He subsided and let the quill rest in the ink, contemplating shutting the notebook lying in front of him when a voice broke the former silence.

"Hey, you alright?"

Kaegan glanced in the direction of the lingering question disdainfully, eying the girl who'd just spoken. She'd finally decided to close her book- was that the light thud he'd just heard? - and was now looking at him, sounding like she meant to be helpful. Despite this, the Slytherin's face looked mildly taken aback upon seeing him from the front, almost like he was recognizable to her. Irritatedly, Kaeagn sneered and turned back to his paper, arrogantly correcting his posture before speaking in a tone rife with satire: "Perfectly fine, as always."

While the lack of sleep was affecting many things, it certainly hadn't dulled his pride. However, it had resulted in his temper flaring up easily, which, if this girl had any sense, should be noticeable-

"You don't look so good. You look like you need sleep," the Slytherin cut into his internal monologue again, which was unreasonably slow at the moment as it tiredly chewed over every individual thought. Kaegan's jaw clenched and the hand that had returned to clutching his quill pressed down exasperatedly into the paper, leaving a damp, black mark and bending the tip upwards. "You don't look too fantastic either. I'm not sure sleep will remedy that, though," he snapped scornfully, his eyes not leaving the paper in front of him.

Even after the brief conversation, nothing had brought the Gryffindor back to his habitual senses. The paragraphs had jumbled into one, bordering on incomprehensible, and he found himself reading the same sentence repeatedly. Finally, after one more struggle with the task, Kaegan reached a decision. While not his first choice, or even one of the preferred options, the simplest fix would be to ask his adjacent companion for help, and once he'd successfully gotten her into completing the majority of the work for him, he could retire to the common room and catch up on the sleep he was sorely missing. There was no harm done- after all, if he'd never seen her before today, it was unlikely their paths would cross again.

Teeth clenched, the boy turned away from his work and asked in a tight, aloof voice: "You wouldn't happen to be familiar with the Mending Charm, would you?"

@Kaegan Chase

The Gryffindor's tone when he said 'I'm fine' sounded like he wasn't even trying to lie. Or was he? It wasn't like all of this was any of her business. "Alright then. Lie to me if you like, as long as you don't do the same to yourself. That might just take sort of uh... self destructive turns eventually." She shrugged and started to put her books into her bag.

His comment about her looking bad as well made her freeze. Not shocked or hurt, but incredibly surprised. Was that meant to be an insult? Did this brat of a first year just try to insult her? She chuckled and shook her head. "Okay, first what I said wasn't meant to be in insult. Two, if it was, dude, you need to work on your counters, that was very lame." Did she just say dude? What was going on with her? Her grandmother would now hold a speech how to not destroy good old english language or mix it with other dialects and accents. But it felt freeing somehow. Come out and scold me, out woman. Come down from heaven and scold me.

"Three, I just wanted to help. Better think about it before I close my bag and leave this room, there won't be anyone else offering." Dramatically slowly she closed her bag. "Your chance is going... and going... and going..."
And there he was, turning to her again and asking her with clenched teeth if she knew the Mending Charm. "The Mending Charm? Sure. You need help?" Yep, she was definitely taunting him a little. It was not her way to react to proud little brats like this normally, but right now... She just felt like giving back a little.

Kaegan scowled at the girl again, annoyance trying to fight through the haze of drowsiness that was gradually beginning to increase in force. She should be offended, but instead, she was just sitting there, responding cooly to every word he said as she turned to pack her things. He opened his mouth in retort, before abruptly shutting it, too tired to bother with this girl. Her back was turned to him as she packed her things, apparently considering his case unassistable and eager to get away. There wasn't any possible instance where she could have finished her book or her studies in the short span of time they'd been in the same room, and a complacent look crossed Kaegan's features. For her omniscient talk, the girl wasn't much different from anyone else confronted with something they disliked, was she?

The Gryffindor held in a scoff, his bitter mood shifting abruptly as she started going off on a listed tangent. First, she decided to help him- or bother him, depending on who's perspective you took into consideration- then give up on her endeavors when she suspected he was lying, and now, after claiming the irritated insult he'd snapped at her was lame, she was going to deliver a bland, self-righteous speech? Thus, Kaegan concluded, was why she was studying alone. Who would spend time willingly with the Slytherin, when all she did was contradict herself, clearly thinking her advice was somewhat sage. He suspected, with an arched brow, that she was seeking attention of a sort- who else would so openly give off hints about their personal life when trying to guide others away from their actions? Did she mean to blatantly suggest that she had also experienced something similar? And, following that, was the one or two nights without sleep that they had in common really something to warrant sympathy?

Kaegan recalled her freezing on his comment about her appearance and was once again torn between judgments. There was, of course, the possibility that she'd stopped moving out of pure anger, but more likely, what he'd said had struck home. After all, seizing was a natural reaction when faced with hurt, from what he'd gathered. With this girl, however, it was hard to tell. She seemed odd, irritatingly so, almost like she was proud of her differences and not bothering to fit in. What could the Slytherin possibly gain from preaching morals to him? A loss of time to continue the work she'd been so immersed in, maybe, and not much else, besides an enemy in him and a pathetic sense of self-satisfaction in aggravating someone she'd been in conversation with for less than five minutes.

Surprisingly, though, after beginning her dramatic countdown, as if she was expecting Kaegan to throw himself at her feet and beg for her to stay, she asked, in a tone that couldn't possibly provoke him more: "The Mending Charm? Sure. You need help?" He scowled haughtily at her, inwardly regretting his decision. It was evident she was gibing at him, if only slightly, maybe just to incense him more- which seemed like something she'd derive pleasure from- or, doubtfully, exercising the very slim section of her personality that didn't set his nerves on edge.

"No, I don't need help. I was just asking you to boost your self-esteem," Kaegan snarked, making it clear that, while he'd accept the Slytherin's offer of assistance, it wouldn't be pleasant for her. He was about to tack on 'because it rather looks like you need it,' when the flickering lights outside drew his eye. Torches had begun to illuminate, making the growing dusk seem even more prominent than it'd been before. It was only the end of September, but the night was taking it upon itself to encroach fast, gleefully injuring the Gryffindor's sense of time. For all he knew, dinner was occurring as they stood there and bickered, jovial students who weren't encountering bothersome Slytherins all having a magnificent time in the Great Hall.

Kaegan turned to eye her again, his scowl revived. If she would just concede he was, in fact, not completely moronic, as her tone of voice led him to believe, then maybe they'd get through this quicker. After all, he considered himself much more intelligent than she could even aspire to be- it was only his inadequate rest that was dragging him down, to the point where he was asking someone like her for help. There was a brief debate in the Gryffindor's mind, where he considered the idea of changing his temperament to something more appeasing towards the girl if only to end this forced conversation sooner, but his fatigue and general dislike won over any lingering civility. If the Slytherin was as sanctimonious as she projected, then she'd be the one making it easy on him.

"Though it's such a pleasure getting to know you, let's get this over with, shall we?" Kaegan snapped, rife with derison as he moved to place his assignment in her line of sight. There was a limit to what he could put up with, and this Slytherin was getting dangerously close to breaching it.

@Kaegan Chase

Opeila had no idea what was going on with her, why she was enjoying it so much to annoy this first year. She shouldn't care if he managed to do his homework or not, and maybe she didn't. But the other possibility was, that she actually enjoyed bothering someone. That was nothing she wanted to enjoy.

His answer to her question if he needed help, made her want to tease him some more, but she stopped herself. Opeila was the older one. It was her, who would get back to the ground now. She picked up her bag and went over to his table. "That's good enough for me.", was all she commented. Maybe he would notice the change in her voice, the teasing tone was gone.

"So your homework is to simply learn the spell?", she asked him. Opeila remembered her own first year charms too well, despite feeling like it was ages ago. The Slytherin had been excited like she rarely ever was, especially once she realized that she was good at the subject. It was easy for her to learn spells. She never had any less than an O in Professor Vernatis' subject and it made her incredibly proud.

The boy seemed eager to get started- or to finish rather. "How about you tell me your name, I'd hate to have to call you 'Gryffindor' the whole time. I am Opeila Winters."
She looked at the boy's book. "What is the difficulty? The pronounciation or the wandmovement?" At this point she wasn't joking at all. The first years needed to learn spells. Maybe Opeila could have spared herself some terrible pain if she had. Maybe she could help this boy. Who cared if he was being a brat.