Shoot Your Shot PV R. Cazares Reopened

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

A slight breeze tugged at the girl's hair as she walked across the grounds, a bounce in her step that was rather uncharacteristic of her. The end of her second year into the beginning of her third year had been mostly based around anger, the frustrations and insecurities getting to her and causing her to lash out at people. She was spiralling and starting to walk down a dark path, but occasionally there was a diversion and she was temporarily lifted out of it. Who would've known that many of the positive changes would be linked to her becoming closer with a certain girl?

Illowy Magnard. She was a Slytherin who Ruby had previously been aware of—Margo seemed to be friends with her and Ruby had clocked her because of her apparent intelligence, and she just seemed intriguing. They had got to know each other better after they talked during a stargazing event in the summer, when Ruby had found out that they actually had a lot in common, especially with their desire to learn and their ambition of becoming duellists. A soft smile lingered on her face as she thought of her friend—no, it was more than that. Her crush? It still surprised her to think that way, as she had previously been unfamiliar with anything even bordering on romantic attraction. But Illowy was different, she was special to Ruby. The prefect felt safe in her presence, felt like she could be herself, and longed to see her or talk to her when they were apart.

And so what if she had a crush? Maybe that heart of ice could be melted. It didn't matter that her first crush was on a girl, either—what mattered was that she liked Illowy in a way that she had never liked anyone else before. She didn't know what her parents would say about it, nor anyone else for that matter, but she found that she didn't care. She felt happy with Illowy, and perhaps it was foolish or childish, or maybe she wasn't ready for it, but she had come to terms with the fact that she had a crush and so she was excited to be seeing the girl today. A familiar head of dark, wavy hair came into view as Ruby crossed over the hill, and her smile grew rapidly when she was greeted. A warm feeling settled deep in her stomach accompanied by the slight thrill of nerves because she wanted Illowy to like her back, wanted her to stay around and form some sort of lasting bond.

“Hey!” she responded, a grin on her face. “Sometimes I forget how peaceful it is out here. You picked a great spot.” The smile had reached her eyes, making them shine as she contentedly sat down on the blanket that Illowy had set up for them. It was nice to see her again, even if it hadn't been that long since they last hung out. She adjusted how her jacket was sitting, brushing a speck of dirt off of her outfit before settling down, comfortable with her company and location.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

@Ruby Cazares

Illowy couldn't lose the goofy smile on her face as she walked back to the blanket with the other brunette. It seemed like most of the time, all she could do was smile when she was with Ruby; her demeanor felt radically different then her usual self around any other person. Illowy had gained quite the reputation since her first year at Hogwarts as someone who was chronically cold, almost cynical, towards her fellow students. Her idea of being friendly was to be brutally honest, and tact had never been her strong suit. She wasn't built to be soft or warm or open; yet Ruby brought that out in her... and somehow Illowy didn't mind it.

Even stranger for her was she found herself keeping a vigilant eye out for the Prefect. Not like other students, who kept lookout for Prefects so not to get caught doing something they shouldn't, but because she found herself constantly looking for a chance to hang around her; even for just a moment between classes to say hi. What a concept, to actually want to be around someone who didn't absolutely drain her of patience for other people.

"The lake is my favourite place at Hogwarts. I've been coming out here since first year because of how quite it is." she explained as the pair settled onto the blanket. Illowy's ghostly gaze flitted towards the water for a second, gathering her thoughts. Absentmindedly, the nervous twirling of her wand through her fingers started up again as she tried to maintain hold of her courage; simultaneously she tried to recall the rather questionable advice her cousin had given her concerning such matters as asking out a pretty girl. Frankly, Ruby was much more intimidating then just any 'pretty girl'. She was smart, talented, ambitious... she ticked all the boxes Illowy might've wanted in a person. The fact that she was pretty felt like a bonus.

Just as well, Illowy found her terrifying. Though not in the traditional sense. More so in the sense that making herself vulnerable, that vulnerable, was beyond anything Illowy had done before. Her whole guise was to seem unmovable, unfazable, to not allow herself to seem like she could be hurt... and she was fairly certain if she misunderstanding their connection, Ruby could hurt her.

Falling back into the present, her twirling stopped again as she set her wand aside and leaned back on her hand, turning her gaze towards the other girl, "I, uh, I actually wanted to talk to you about something." she started, offering her another small smile.

Alright, the ball is rolling. There's not turning back now, she thought to herself.

"I mean... I suppose technically ask you something. But um... I've been thinking a lot, and maybe its weird, or silly," a nervous hand combed her hair back out of her face again, "but it turns out that... I rather fancy you.. a lot, and I was hoping that you might let me take you to the Masque this year. You know... as my date." it took her full concentration not to let her eyes shift away from Ruby, wanting to convey more confidence then she actually felt; and while she didn't think of herself as a shy person, it could be argued as a bright blush flushed her cheeks.

For a fleeting moment, another reason the other might say no crossed her mind: bad things happen at school dances. With out fail, something bad always happens. Though as quickly as that thought cropped up, the snake had already decided that she'd do whatever she needed to in order to make sure Ruby stayed safe. Even if she knew the girl was more the capable of defending herself, Illowy was never one to leave behind someone she cared about. Even if she said no to her invitation.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Ruby's smile had as much enthusiasm as Illowy's as they sat down. Perhaps the girls were both known for being cold and closed off, intimidating and independent. But together? Together, they were different. Maybe it was their similarities that drew them together and allowed them to become close, but whatever the reason, Ruby was thankful for it. It gave her hope—if she could be loved, maybe she wasn't so bad after all. There was hope for her to get through this. That's what people like them did, right? They survived, they kept fighting. Ruby couldn't say she was currently fighting for what was right, but she could make it through, she knew she could, and maybe then she could focus on doing the good thing, the right thing. If something as beautiful as some sort of relationship and love could be created amidst the chaos, danger, and anger, perhaps it just went to show that she should be looking for the light in the darkness, that good existed even when their lives were full of uncertainty and fear.

While she had been acting in a mean way this year to ensure that people stayed away from her and wouldn't like her or try to befriend her, she would never consider hurting Illowy in any way. That was out of the question. But if the whole point of her lashing out was to make sure that no one got close and put her in a vulnerable position or hurt her, why was she allowing herself to get this far with Illowy? It was because Illowy was just not like the others—Ruby believed that she wouldn't hurt her knowingly and she wouldn't abandon her without giving some sort of explanation. The other reason was that she simply couldn't resist. It was like this was meant to be and she dared to hope that she could make Illowy happy, even if her self-doubt screamed that the prefect didn't deserve her. But loving someone was a wonderful feeling. Terrifying, but wonderful, and she couldn't bear to let it pass her by. It was a leap of faith and she risked not being caught if she fell, but Merlin was it enticing. She had decided that the risk was worth it.

A nod would show that she was attentive, listening to what the other girl was saying even if it seemed like a small piece of information. She appreciated that Illowy was willing to share this spot with her, especially if she came here often. “I'm not surprised, it's beautiful,” she commented idly, staring at the large expanse of water that shimmered as the sunlight met its surface, shifting endlessly. Her gaze soon travelled back to Illowy, because she found her even more beautiful than the water, and never once did she glance at the black veins that curled up her neck and onto her left cheek. Those were unimportant to her, and while she cared about Illowy's pain, she also wasn't going to make her feel uncomfortable by attracting attention to it. Ruby was cursed as well, but hers could easily be hidden and covered up since it stretched along the length of her leg.

Illowy said she had something to tell her. It could be big or small news, something bad or good, so Ruby tried not to get too nervous, a smile remaining on her lips as she gestured for the girl to proceed. She changed it to something to ask Ruby, saying that it might be silly. Ruby shook her head, not wanting to interrupt but wanting to show her that no question was silly, at least not from her. And then the following words came, and Ruby's eyes widened in shock. This was too good to be true. Illowy fancied her? Blue eyes that were normally reminiscent of ice were lit up instead with life and joy. “Oh, Illowy, I feel the same way!” she exclaimed, a light blush coming to her cheeks as she grinned, and in that moment she felt like she would never frown again. “I would love to go with you,” she confirmed, and spontaneously threw her arms around the girl—her date.

Who knew she would be the type to show affection so overtly? She felt like she was soaring high in the sky, among the clouds, and that nothing could bring her down. She was still shocked—while she had hoped that Illowy felt the same way, she never thought that something so good would happen to someone like her. In a moment of doubt, she realised she wasn't sure if Illowy was okay with physical affection and that she might be crossing a boundary. Quickly, she began apologising awkwardly, drawing her arms back unless Illowy indicated a preference otherwise, a nervous little laugh escaping her. “I- uh, I'm sorry, I should've asked, are you okay with hugs? I… don't know what overcame me, I just… can't believe this is happening.” A hand lifted to her mouth to prevent her from emitting some sort of uncharacteristic squeal, but her smile stretched so widely that it was still partially visible around her hand. She felt unstoppable when she was with Illowy, even more so now that whatever they were was more official. They were unstoppable.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

It was like a massive weight was lifted off her chest as Ruby's pale eyes lit up, her fair cheeks glowed a soft rose, and that beautiful smile Illowy found herself wanting to see more and more spread over her lips. The girl requited her feelings, that was even more fantastic to her before the Ruby agreed to go to the ball. Even if she'd said no to the ball, just knowing she wasn't misreading signs was more then enough for the snake. Then Ruby threw her arms around Illowy.

The hug caught her by surprise, feeling like a hoard of butterflies had been been released into the pit of her stomach. She'd never really been a touchy-feely sort of person, and never felt the need to seek out the physical touch of another person. Illowy had always been perfectly fine without all that emotional, touchy-feely goo. However, when it was Ruby, she couldn't deny it was quite nice. Then she heard the Prefect start apologizing over the action and she began pulling away before Illowy hooked an arm around her wait, wanting to hold her there for just a moment more, "Hugs are okay." she assured warmly, giggling and hiding her face into Ruby's shoulder.

"You have no idea how relieved I am." she spoke with a contented sigh, loosening her hold on the other girl a bit to lean back to better look at Ruby. Sheepishly, she explained, "I was worried maybe I was reading things all wrong, and I was going to make a total eejit of myself." Illowy chuckled, feeling so much better now that the hardest part of that was all over. Now she could relish in the idea that, even in some little way, even if it was only for one night, Ruby was her's. But who knows what could happen in one night. After all, that's how relationships go right? It starts with talking, and then a date, then another, and another, until eventually that becomes your forever person. Having a person to care about you and love you, that was definitely an idea Illowy was fond of.

The idea was especially tantalizing with the prospect of that person being Ruby. Somehow, that girl made her forget about the terrible things. Thoughts of her father, of the curse on the Slytherin students, whatever might've been going on at the school, all those worries seemed to just pause when Ruby was around, and the world didn't seem as dark as foreboding as it had before.